Saturday, April 23, 2016
SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live and New Girl to Pay Tribute to Prince; Morning Show Drama at Live!
Welcome
to SitcomsOnline Digest! We've had (yet another) busy week with celebrity deaths, including sitcom star Doris Roberts and musician Prince (who had some TV connections that become relevant to our news this week), and we've also stumbled into some more morning show drama, this time over at Live! with Kelly and Michael. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- This has been a busy year with celebrity deaths but undoubtedly the biggest one in the media (perhaps since Michael Jackson in 2009) came this week with the unexpected death of musical artist Prince. Saturday Night Live has enough Prince material to fill an entire 90 minute special, as they will be doing tonight in their regular timeslot. Additionally, the Fox sitcom New Girl will replay the episode "Prince" next week, which (not surprisingly) featured Prince. (Hollywood Reporter)
- The story was supposed to be that Michael Strahan is leaving Live! with Kelly and Michael to go full-time at Good Morning America, but the real story has ended up becoming a tale of another behind-the-scenes soap opera at a morning show that nobody wanted or expected. (Deadline)
- We often forget that Netflix is working on a reboot of the series One Day at a Time, but this week, Todd Grinnell was cast as Schneider. (Deadline)
- A reunion of the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond just in time for the 20th anniversary was planned for June at the ATX Television Festival, but with the death of Doris Roberts this week (and other factors), it has been scrapped. (Yahoo!)
- Comcast is letting customers ditch their cable box for a Roku app, something that Time Warner Cable has had for a few years now. (CBS News)
- ABC is making summer plans, which include the new sitcom Uncle Buck. (SitcomsOnline)
TUESDAY (APRIL 24) HOME MEDIA RELEASES
- The Beverly Hillbillies - The Official First Season (DVD, $29.98): CBS is going slightly backwards with this release, which brings the first season (which was previously released in an authorized, though not by CBS, release from MPI as well as numerous public domain entities) to DVD.
- Hot in Cleveland - Season Six (DVD, $29.98): TV Land's first successful sitcom wraps up on DVD with this release. Complete series also available.
FOLLOW ME
Claim to Fame: Bronson Pinchot got his start in several movies from the 80s, such as Beverly Hills Cop and Risky Business, but for sitcom stars, he came to fame playing the role of Balki on Perfect Strangers. He later went on to play the role of Jean-Luc in the final season of the series Step by Step. He has had other small guest roles and movie appearances in between and since then, but these days, his focus is on The Bronson Pinchot Project, a DIY Network show about restoring old homes, which happens to be one of his hobbies and passions.
Pick of the Tweets: "BRONSON PINCHOT & DEBRA MESSING A marriage made in Comedy Heaven. But not yet consummated; our scenes were dramatic!" (pic) (November 6, 2014)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, January 14
Shifting Gears - "Friend" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt’s reunion with a high school friend stirs up more than nostalgia when he meets their equally opinionated spouse. Meanwhile, Riley spirals when Klatch gets a negative Yelp review. Tuc Watkins, Jim Rash and Jesse Williams guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Mall Part 2: Questions & Concerns" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Growing pains hit Abbott Elementary as the PTA pressures Janine and Gregory for answers. Meanwhile, Jacob and Barbara become suspicious of Mr. Morton.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 12)
Wednesday, January 14
- Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Watch Laura on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about The Traitors on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Monique Coleman (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Monique discusses the 20th anniversary of High School Musical on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Kim Fields (The Upshaws/Living Single/The Facts of Life/Baby, I'm Back) - Kim discusses The Upshaws on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan can be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
- Kyle Chandler (What About Joan?) - Kyle talks about The Rip on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Divorce/Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - NBC's Today catches up with Sarah in the 10am hour.
- Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken tells Sherri about the ever-popular The Masked Singer on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie and Ross Mathews are joining Drew for a memory bank segment reflecting on their biggest moments on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail tells Drew about his comedy special Night Thoughts on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jackie Hoffman (Only Murders in the Building/Starved) - Jackie is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.
- Anissa Borrego (Stumble) and Jarrett Austin Brown (Stumble) - Anissa and Jarrett talk about Stumble on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
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