SitcomsOnline Digest: Carol Burnett Sitcom in the Works; Final Season of Family Matters to Arrive on DVD

Saturday, October 22, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: Carol Burnett Sitcom in the Works; Final Season of Family Matters to Arrive on DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got news of a Carol Burnett sitcom that is in the works at ABC, a game show based upon a popular mobile phone game, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Despite all of her success in television comedy, Carol Burnett has never actually had a regular role in a standard sitcom aside from recurring roles in series such as Mama's Family and Mad About You, but now, with a little help from Amy Poehler, she may finally be getting her starring role in a new ABC sitcom. (Deadline)
We're not even sure how this would even work, but CBS is working on a game show based upon the popular smartphone game, Candy Crush. (The Verge)
The drama in morning news shows is always greater than the drama in (what is left) of the afternoon soap operas, it seems, and it continued this week as Billy Bush officially parted ways with NBC. (New York Times)
Antenna TV has acquired both The Joey Bishop Show and Good Morning, World, but what is even bigger news about those acquisitions is that the acquisition of The Joey Bishop Show includes the first season of the series, which has typically been excluded in syndication for undisclosed reasons. (SitcomsOnline)
CBS is showing their confidence in a trio of new series, by giving them full seasons. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Warner Archive is wrapping up another series, with Family Matters - The Complete Ninth Season arriving next month.

TUESDAY (OCTOBER 25) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01HSAIP9W/ref/nosim/happydaysonline5-20

Miami Vice - The Complete Series (DVD, $69.98): Mill Creek brings a re-release of the classic 80s series back to DVD, remastered and with all of the original music intact. A Blu-ray version was also released a few weeks ago, and having seen this version, I can certainly say that the Blu-ray version is worth the upgrade if you have the previously released DVDs from Universal.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Twitter), "Making movies. Making music. Making TV. @mainmanla @theyoungraps @bearonfiremusic @greatindoorscbs"

Claim to Fame: This coming week brings us the very last week of "new fall premieres" as CBS prepares to return Thursday nights to comedy (which also frees up room on their Monday night lineup), and out final week of our theme of "stars of the new sitcoms." This week, we have Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who stars in the new CBS series The Great Indoors. This series marks his first regular role in a live-action series, but he shouldn't be unfamiliar to audiences, as he most famously played the role of McLovin in the movie Superbad (which is also where he made his on-screen debut as an actor). Additionally, he has appeared in the movie Kick-Ass, and the sequel, Kick-Ass 2.

Pick of the Tweets: "This is a show in working on right now. Premieres October 27th, after the Big Bang Theory.… https://www.instagram.com/p/BJdeq4rj1lA/." (August 23, 2016)

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.