SitcomsOnline Digest: No Big Surprises in Fall Lineups for the Broadcast Networks; Warner Archive Bringing McClain's Law and The Eleventh Hour to DVD

Saturday, May 21, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: No Big Surprises in Fall Lineups for the Broadcast Networks; Warner Archive Bringing McClain's Law and The Eleventh Hour to DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! The time has arrived, and this week, we got a look at what every major broadcast network plans to do this fall. We have a brief synopsis of a few highlights we saw here today, and you can see all the full lineups by looking at the past few days of our blog entries. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It looks like NBC is slowly attempting to bring comedy back to Thursday nights, with the 8 PM hour on Thursday nights in the fall returning to their comedy roots (though with Chicago Med in the 9 PM slot, we may have to wait a little longer to see a full two hour block). (SitcomsOnline)
Sitcom fans will be pleased to see that ABC isn't disturbing their comedy lineup too much. (SitcomsOnline)
We reported last week that the CSI franchise was dead when CBS canceled the last series in the franchise, and although that is true for the fall 2016 lineup, it turns out that declaration may not be completely accurate for the long-term. (Deadline)
It's been another week, and unfortunately, another sitcom star from the past has died, and this time it is Alan Young of Mister Ed. (New York Times)
Morley Safer retired from his long career at 60 Minutes just this week, and now just a few days later, he has died. (CNN Money)
Customers of Time Warner Cable won't have Time Warner Cable to complain about much longer, as the acquisition of it by Charter was completed this week. (CNET)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Warner Archive is laying out plans for June, and although there are no sitcoms in there, there are some very surprising treats for fans of classic TV, such as the the complete series of the 1980s crime drama McClain's Law and the first season of the 1960s medical drama The Eleventh Hour.

TUESDAY (MAY 24) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

Lou Grant - The Complete First Season (DVD, $39.97): One of the most unexpected releases of the year, for sure, is this first season release of the successful (yet rarely seen today) spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The Wonder Years - Season Five (DVD, $29.95): Though the complete series has been out for some time, this release brings to retailers the final piece of the classic series that many thought would never arrive on DVD.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Matt LeBlanc (Twitter), "Actor, writer, producer, director, singer"

Claim to Fame: In the last half of the 90s and the first half of the 00s, Matt LeBlanc was one of your Friends. Literally. He played the role of Joey Tribbiani in that successful series, and after it ended, he continued to play the same role in a spinoff that was doomed from the beginning. That wasn't exactly his first role, though, as before that he had a couple of guest spots on Just the Ten of Us, and also appeared on Married... with Children, which in turn had a spinoff called Top of the Heap. Oddly enough, that spinoff was canceled after only seven episodes, but it gave birth to yet another continuation which he starred in, called Vinnie & Bobby, also canceled after seven episodes. Obviously, this business of getting roles in failed spinoffs of failed spinoffs worked out for the best, as it wasn't long after all of this nonsense that he was cast in Friends. This fall, he makes a return to comedy on CBS with the series Man with a Plan.

Pick of the Tweets: "Coming this fall. Hope you tune in. (pic)" (May 18, 2016)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, May 12

The Goldbergs - "Alligator Schwartz" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Erica fears that Geoff has moved on from their breakup and started dating someone else. Meanwhile, Adam decides to find Dave Kim a date to prom, once he remembers his pact with Dave that they won’t go to prom if they both don’t have dates.

Home Economics - "The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: An Oral History (Used), $11" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Connor invites the siblings to a party he’s throwing for his ex-wife, Emily. While he feels the need to prove that he is cool with their divorce, he is not the only one in the competitive spirit. Tom and Marina try to prove to each other that they still have game, while Sarah finds the perfect solution to the fact that she’s a bad gift-giver.

The Conners - "Jeopardé, Sobrieté, and Infidelité" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Darlene makes a decision about her trip to Hawaii, leading to a heated encounter with Barb. Meanwhile, Becky gives a presentation on addiction to Mark’s class.

Call Your Mother - "The Raines Games" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Jean fears her family is drifting apart so she brings everyone together for a game night that doesn’t go as planned.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 10)

Wednesday, May 12

The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Aidy Brant (Shrill) - Aidy appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/Friends/Mad About You) - Lisa is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank discusses The Jim Brockmire Podcast on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
The Cast of Mom - Allison Janney, Jaime Pressly, Kristen Johnston, Beth Hall and Mimi Kennedy are guests on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Mike Epps (The Upshaws/Uncle Buck/Survivor's Remorse) and Kim Fields (The Upshaws/Living Single/The Facts of Life) - Mike and Kim are guests on The Real, so check your local listings. Kim will also talk about The Upshaws on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Seth Rogen (Undeclared) - Seth will be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
The Cast of Girls5eva) - Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, Renée Elise Goldsberry are guests on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Leslie Bibb (American Housewife/Nobodies/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie talks about Jupiter's Legacy on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Joe Jonas (Jonas) - Joe appears on Access Daily, so check your local listings.