SitcomsOnline Digest: Sketch Comedy Returning to Fox Saturday Nights; Pair of MacGyver Reboots in the Works; New Shout! Factory May Releases

Saturday, February 06, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: Sketch Comedy Returning to Fox Saturday Nights; Pair of MacGyver Reboots in the Works; New Shout! Factory May Releases

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news of Fox getting back into the Saturday night sketch comedy series for the first time since 2009, a pair of MacGyver reboots, several new releases from Shout! Factory that aren't just re-releases in any manner, and much more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Fox is bringing sketch comedy back to Saturday nights next month with Party Over Here, which comes from The Lonely Island (best known for their Saturday Night Live fame). However, the series will only air for a half hour at 11:00 PM, to avoid going head-to-head with Saturday Night Live (which has a lot to do with the fact that The Lonely Island, which included Andy Samberg, owe their career to Saturday Night Live and wouldn't feel right becoming the competition). (Hollywood Reporter)
MacGyver is set to get two reboots, one in the form of a potential new series on CBS and the other in the form of a theatrical release. (/FILM)
Netflix is going big on what is perhaps their biggest series, Orange is the New Black, by sentencing it to three more seasons, not including the fourth season that begins in July. (CNNMoney)
Joe Alaskey, known for playing many cartoon voices (including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in recent years), died this week. (CNN)
ASPiRE has added the sitcom Room 222 to their lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Shout! Factory made a very surprising announcement this week, by announcing that they will be releasing Cop Rock on DVD. Cop Rock - The Complete Series is due to arrive on May 17.
That wasn't the only surprise announcement this week. The other surprise announcement from Shout! Factory this week was the spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant. Lou Grant - The Complete First Season will arrive on May 3.
Finally, Shout! has announced one other release that is much less of a surprise (but it is a continuation of a series that hasn't seen a release in a while), with Newhart - The Complete Fifth Season on May 10.

TUESDAY (FEBRUARY 9) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

The Carol Burnett Show - Treasures From the Vault (DVD, $59.95): Available as a retail release for the first time, this six disc set brings 15 classic episodes from the earlier years of The Carol Burnett Show to DVD. Also available (with fewer episodes) in a three disc and single disc configuration.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Janet Hubert (Facebook), "BLACKTRESS, inside my mind are the many characters that I created. Life is too short, open your door and let the breeze blow through. Parody can be fun!"

Claim to Fame: Janet Hubert, or as she refers to herself on social media, Blacktress Janet Hubert, first appeared on TV in 1988 on an episode of 21 Jump Street, and made other small appearances here and there before landing her first major role as Vivian Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Unfortunately, that was not a very long-lived role, as she ended up leaving that role following a contract dispute, and another actress replaced her. Since then, she has had several guest starring and recurring roles on various series. In recent weeks, though, her social media page has garnered more attention as her disputes with Will Smith have resurfaced in relation to the racial diversity controversy regarding the upcoming Oscars, which you can read more about in this article from People. She is not, in any way, afraid to run away from controversy. In any event, for those who want to interact with her on social media, she does sometimes personally respond... but if you are disrespectful to her, she will respond accordingly. These days, she seems to be preparing to appear in a pilot for some sitcom, Ward of the State, which we can't seem to find anything else about online, so we don't know what the status of this is or really anything about it for that matter... but she has a preview of it on her Facebook page, and we would love to see it become a reality.

Pick of the Facebook Posts: "On this very day the Fresh Prince aired, and my life changed, I met so many wonderful people who have shown me such love. But FAME ain't always what you really want. So here's to the next 25 years of peace and good health for me. No funny characters, (well maybe a few funny faces). As always I will never do press again unless it is live and cannot be altered. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did making it for you and for me. (video)" (September 10, 2015)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 20

The Goldbergs - "An Itch Like No Other" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
With Beverly’s encouragement, Mr. Glascott moves in next door to the Goldbergs and slowly goes from friendly neighbor to cluelessly intrusive. Adam and Murray become increasingly disgruntled while Beverly comes up with a plan to occupy Mr. Glascott’s time with a new friend, Mr. Woodburn. Meanwhile, Barry lands in urgent care with a case of poison ivy in a compromising area – his rear end. Erica and Geoff are called to task to take care of Barry and his ridiculous demands – inadvertently testing their parenting skills and patience with one another.

The Wonder Years - "The Lock In" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Dean is reluctant to attend the annual church lock-in until Kim tells him it’s where she got her first kiss. He enlists his friends to help him pair up with Keisa, but his plans are thwarted when he instead gets paired up with the pastor’s daughter, Charlene.

The Conners - "Trucking Live in Front of a Fully Vaccinated Studio Audience -- East Coast" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Lights, Camera, Action: “The Conners” is going live for both the East and West Coast broadcasts of the season four premiere episode. This iconic TV family continues to deal with the current pandemic while navigating breakups and newfound sobriety, all while planning an upcoming wedding.

Home Economics - "Giant Jenga, $120" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tom spirals when Connor dates a woman who broke his heart at summer camp. Then, family game night becomes an all-or-nothing competition between Marina and Denise.

Superstar - "Robin Williams" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT)
The new episode recounts his life through Robin Williams’ own voice, describing “the spark of madness” which defined his life. From his early days in the San Francisco Bay Area comedy scene to his meteoric rise on “Mork & Mindy,” the one-hour special explores the experiences that made Williams into a one-of-a-kind talent and reveals what gave voice to the characters in his mind. It also chronicles the creative force driving critically acclaimed films like “Good Will Hunting” and “Dead Poets Society,” as well as fan favorites such as “Aladdin.” The special explores his personal struggles, including substance abuse and depression, and his battle with Lewy Body Dementia before his tragic death in 2014. “Superstar: Robin Williams” features interviews with famous comedians and actors who knew and admired Williams, including Margaret Cho, Howie Mandel, Lewis Black, Jimmie Walker, Paula Poundstone, Gina Hecht and Pauly Shore, as well as Barry Levinson, director of multiple films starring Williams including “Good Morning, Vietnam.” The program also contains interviews with Williams from the ABC News archives, in which he opens up about his life and the highs and lows of his distinguished career.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 18)

Wednesday, October 20

Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Watch Rami on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jamie Foxx (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Jamie Foxx Show) - Jamie appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait/The Exes/Family Tools/The King of Queens/Fired Up) - Leah guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Debra Messing (Will & Grace/Ned & Stacey) - Debra talks about her latest project: how self-care can change the world on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) and Clint Howard (Gung Ho) - Ron and Clint discuss their new book, The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Amy Sedaris (No Activity/BoJack Horseman/Strangers with Candy) - It's a TV exclusive with sister and brother duo Amy and David Sedaris appearing together for the first time on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) - Jeremy talks about FBI on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
David Eigenberg (Sex and the City) - David talks about NBC's Chicago Fire on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick talks about Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.