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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, July 10

Ghosts - "Smooching and Smushing" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Jay, Sam and the ghosts attempt to fix the ghost trap in hopes of getting Sasappis across the ghost boundary to visit his longtime crush, Shiki.

Bob's Burgers - "Wild Steal-ions" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina's lost book of semi-erotic horse-torical fiction lands in the hands of a mysterious stranger with nefarious intentions.

Grimsburg - "How to Lose an Ankle Monitor in 10 Days" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When the criminals of Grimsburg go on strike, the police force gets furloughed.

Family Guy - "Karenheit 451" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Lois becomes the leader of a group of mothers who want to ban books from schools.

The Great North - "Bust a Moon Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Moon makes a big decision after clashing with Beef; Judy and Ham hatch a plot to make some extra cash.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)

Thursday, July 10

  • Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke is a musical guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Rhys Darby (Wrecked/How to Be a Gentleman/Flight of the Conchords), Rory Scovel (Grace and Frankie/Robbie/Ground Floor) and Baron Vaughn (Corporate/Grace and Frankie) - Rhys, Rory and Baron are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Jessica Lowe (Wrecked) - Jessica talks about Elixir's Red Flag Green Flag on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


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)
07/22 - 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

07/09 - New Girl Summer on Hulu; Vir Das Gets Brand New Netflix Special
07/08 - Tubi Comedy Series Demascus Premieres in August; LEGO Masters Jr. Lines Up Celebs for 4-Week Event
07/07 - Digman! Season Premiere Moved to July 23; Hulu's Reasonable Doubt Returns September 18
07/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 7, 2025)
07/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Comedy Central Delays South Park and Digman! Season Premieres; Jackée to Appear in Guest Role in Netflix Series
07/04 - Happy 4th of July; Antenna TV's McHale's Navy Red, White and Navy Independence Day Marathon
07/03 - The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Season 3 Premieres August 6; South Park New Season Moves by Two Weeks
07/02 - FETV Acquires The Rookies; Hulu Renews The Bear for Season 5
07/01 - Bert Kreischer Gets Netflix Sitcom; NBC Gets Into Survival Mode This Summer
06/30 - The Comeback Makes Another...Comeback; First Look at Black Rabbit at Netflix
06/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 30, 2025)
06/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Comeback Returning for a Third and Final Season; South Park to Remain on HBO Max
06/27 - The White Lotus Star Teams Up with Netflix; Remembering Bobby Sherman, Lynn Hamilton, and Rick Hurst
06/26 - The CW's Fall Movie of the Week; First Look at New York Comic Con 2025
06/25 - Netflix Renews Ransom Canyon for Season 2; My Life with the Walter Boys First Look for Season 2
06/24 - Marc Maron Gets Second HBO Comedy Special; Outlander Prequel Renewed for Season 2 Ahead of Series Premiere
06/23 - MeTV Summer Changes, Adds Adventures of Superman; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Summer Guest Hosts
06/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 23, 2025)
06/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Officially Dead After Not Finding New Home; Weigel Announces New WEST Network
06/20 - Great American Media Announces New Danica McKellar Movie; Jennifer Love Hewitt ID True Crime Series
06/19 - Bad Thoughts Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix; Zarna Garg Gets Hulu Special This July
06/18 - Weigel Broadcasting Announces WEST Network with Classic TV Westerns; Hulu's Season 2 of Such Brave Girls
06/17 - Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife on A&E Series; Digman! Returns July 9 on Comedy Central
06/16 - Hulu's Chad Powers Teaser; Prime Video's Jesse Williams Series
06/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 16, 2025)
06/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Mulls Airing The Paper on Primetime Lineup; Fox Revives Baywatch Reboot Talk
06/13 - My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Renewed for 2 More Seasons; Hanna-Barbera Developing Adult Animated Series
06/12 - Comedy Superstar Jack Black Is the King of Comedy at Nickelodeon; Doc Adds Felicity Huffman
06/11 - Celebrities for Celebrity Family Feud Season 11; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Starts Production
06/10 - Warner Bros. Discovery Separates Company; Peacock's Jennifer Garner Series Adds to Cast
06/09 - Comedian Ms. Pat Gets Season 3 of Courtroom Series; Disney Branded Television Animated Slate