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


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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, June 5

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A House Divided" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Audrey and Mary go to war over CeeCee and Georgie, and Mandy can’t help but take sides.

Ghosts - "Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Thor returns to therapy to work through his angst over being abandoned by his Viking shipmates. Also, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), attempts to help him with the restaurant.

Bob's Burgers - "Snackface" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina, Gene and Louise strike it rich in the illegal snack business at school, but the addition of a new member to their "cartel" threatens to destroy it.

Grimsburg - "The Undies" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
In order to win this year's Undies Award for best undercover operation, Flute infiltrates the Preggo crime family.

Family Guy - "Martian Meg" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Fed up with feeling like she doesn't belong, Meg enlists in a training program for a mission to Mars.

The Great North - "Reservoir Dad Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Beef discovers the thrills of stunt fishing.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 1)

Thursday, June 5

  • Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Seth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
  • Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie talks about The White Lotus on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Brianne Howey (Dollface) - Brianne talks about Ginny & Georgia on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew-crewer Valerie is joining Drew with chef Bobby Flay to whip up something amazing in the kitchen on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Kerri Kenney (The Four Seasons/Maggie/Superstore/Reno 911!/The Ellen Show) - Kerri is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

06/04 - Netflix Announces Haunted Hotel with Comedic Voices; Prime Video Unveils Trailer for Thriller
06/03 - Netflix's Nobody Wants This Returns October 23; The CW Renews All American for Final Season
06/02 - Remembering Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon, and The Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen
06/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 2, 2025)
05/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New King of the Hill Reboot Details; CBS Makes Late Night Changes
05/30 - FX's Adults Pilot Available on Social Platforms; BET and BET+ Premiere New Tyler Perry Series in June
05/29 - Netflix's New Chuck Lorre Sitcom Leanne; Apple TV+ Season 4 Premiere of The Morning Show
05/28 - Max Renews Hacks for Season 5; Byron Allen Coming Back to CBS Late Night
05/27 - Antenna TV Summer 2025 Schedule; Rewind TV Summer 2025 Schedule
05/26 - Memorial Day 2025 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 26, 2025)
05/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zach Braff Joins Scrubs Reboot; 7th Heaven Reboot in the Works
05/23 - Discovery Channel's Shark Week with Tom Bergeron; Apple TV+ Season 2 of Hit Series
05/22 - TV Legend Henry Winkler's New HISTORY Series; The CW Renews Family Law
05/21 - Remembering George Wendt of Cheers; Platonic Season 2 First Look
05/20 - The CW Renews Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble; Mike Birbiglia: The Good Life on Netflix May 26
05/19 - North to Shore Festival Returns This June in NJ; S.W.A.T. Sets Spinoff Series
05/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 19, 2025)
05/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Picks Up New Dan Levy Comedy; First Look at King of the Hill Reboot Artwork
05/16 - Michael J. Fox to Guest Star on Shrinking; The CW Picks Up Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
05/15 - 2025 Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront; 2025 Netflix Upfront
05/14 - Chad Powers Premieres September 30 on Hulu; Upfront Premiere Dates for FX on Hulu
05/13 - ABC Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule; Ted: The Animated Series Coming to Peacock
05/12 - NBC Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule; Fox Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule
05/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 12, 2025)
05/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Cancels Night Court and Lopez vs. Lopez; ABC Renews Duo of Game Shows
05/09 - Peacock Orders Dig from Amy Poehler; Apple TV+ Comedy Stick Premieres June 4; Remembering Ruth Buzzi
05/08 - CBS 2025-26 Schedule; Animal Control and Going Dutch Renewed by Fox
05/07 - Netflix's A Man on the Inside Bulks Up Cast for Season 2; The Studio Renewed by Apple TV+
05/06 - Netflix's Long Story Short Announces Cast; NBC Renews All Chicago Series for 2025-26
05/05 - Antenna TV's The Partridge Family Mother's Day Marathon; Rewind TV's 227 40th Anniversary Marathon
05/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 5, 2025)