Saturday, December 03, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: FXX Sees Ratings Records Thanks to The Simpsons Marathon; Betty White to Guest Star on Young & Hungry

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been another busy news week, but we've got just a little bit of what is going on, including FXX seeing ratings success from their (still ongoing) marathon of The Simpsons, a Betty White guest appearance on a Freeform series, news of Fuller House DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • FXX may just want to consider becoming a 24/7 network for The Simpsons (or at least consider doing extended marathons once or twice a year), because just like the last time they did a marathon with every episode of the series, they are breaking network ratings once again with the current marathon which started on Thanksgiving and is still on-going through most of next week. (Forbes)
  • Betty White, who broke the record for longest career in television years ago, is making sure that record stands as she continues to score more guest appearances on TV series, including her latest one that was announced for the Freeform series Young & Hungry. (Deadline)
  • Trae Crowder, who has developed the persona of "Liberal Redneck" through his comedy, is looking to do what a famous conservative redneck (Jeff Foxworthy) did, specifically getting his own sitcom, and this week it was announced that Fox has given a script commitment to the idea. (Deadline)
  • Celebrity Name Game was one of the few original ideas among syndicated game shows in recent years that sort of caught on with viewers, but it didn't catch on enough, as the series will not be renewed for a fourth season. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Decades, the TV network that was supposed to be about some theme everyday, seems to be finding even more accidental success in their weekend "binge" marathons, and as a result, will be continuing doing half day binges every weekday in December (much like they did with police dramas in November), this time emphasizing sitcoms. (SitcomsOnline)  
  • Ron Glass, who was best known for his role on Barney Miller, died this week at age 71. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

TUESDAY (DECEMBER 6) HOME MEDIA RELEASE
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01FL1TW74/happydaysonline5-20
  • Family Guy - Season Fourteen (DVD, $29.98): While the other animated comedies from the Fox Sunday night lineup (including even The Simpsons) seem to be abandoned on DVD, this one continues on with another full season of episodes on a three disc set.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Andrew Rannells (Twitter), "Actor in New York. Sometimes LA. But mostly New York. And I was born in Nebraska."
Claim to Fame: As his bio on Twitter says, Andrew Rannells was born in Nebraska and considers himself an actor in New York (and sometimes Los Angeles). It's no surprise, then, that as an actor in New York, he can most frequently be seen on stage on Broadway. In fact, to date, his biggest role anywhere was probably his role of playing Elder Price in the original run of the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon (which, of course, has a TV comedy connection of its own in a way, as Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park fame are two of the three creators of that show). Most recently, he spent a few weeks playing a role in Hamilton. But Broadway musicals are not the only talent Rannells has, as he also does television as well. He starred in the NBC sitcom The New Normal immediately after his Book of Mormon run, but that only lasted one season. More recently, he has found success in the HBO series Girls. It was recently announced that series will be ending after the sixth season (which hasn't debuted yet), so
Pick of the Tweets: "I'm a little late sharing this, but I'm very excited. Girls, season 6! February 12, 2017! @girlsHBO" (November 23, 2016)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, January 26

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Family Value" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Malcolm’s home renovation takes an unexpected turn when Calvin’s cousin Crutch shows up uninvited to fix his floors. Meanwhile, Dave’s attempts to help around the house and support Grover’s booming T-shirt business lead to more stress than he bargained for.

DMV - "Pilot" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
East Hollywood Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) driving examiner Colette pines for her coworker Noa while enduring teasing from colleagues Gregg, Vic and Ceci. Also, new manager Barb rallies the crew to save their branch from government shutdown.

St. Denis Medical - "This Isn't Bingo" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex hosts a senior health fair; Bruce resuscitates a patient with a DNR; Ron competes with Matt over a patient's homemade fudge.

Stumble - "In Sync" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
It's back to school for Heådltston State JC, which means in addition to her coaching, Courteney must get her kids settled into the dorms and begin classes; when the girls' periods sync up, Courteney's doesn't and she worries she may be pregnant.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 26)

Monday, January 26

  • Pete Davidson (Bupkis) - Watch Pete on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Sam Rockwell (F Is for Family) - Sam talks about Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Jason Biggs (Outmatched/Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason talks about Untitled Home Invasion Romance on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie/The Last Precinct/Highcliffe Manor) - NBC's Today catches up with Ernie in the 9am hour.
  • Selma Blair (Anger Management/Kath & Kim/Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane) - NBC's Today catches up with Selma in the 10am hour.
  • Bert Kreischer (Free Bert) - Bert joins Drew in the kitchen to whip up his favorite breakfast sandwich and dishes on his new series Free Bert on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Desi Lydic (Awkward) - The Daily Show's Desi Lydic hits the Drew's News desk to cover the headlines on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (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)

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

01/26 - FETV Acquires '70s S.W.A.T. Series; Paramount+ Releases Date for Can You Keep a Secret? Comedy Series
01/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 26, 2026)
01/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Kenan and Kel Back Together for Upcoming Movie; Amazon Barbershop Series Adds to Cast
01/23 - CBS Renews 10 More Series for 2026-27; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Return Big in January
01/22 - Dancing with the Stars Live Tour Starts TODAY; Beef Returns April 16
01/21 - Prime Video's Bait Premieres March 25; Production Underway for Season 2 of Arctic-set Comedy North of North
01/20 - Baywatch Casting Call for Reboot on Fox; Mike Epps Netflix Special Trailer
01/19 - MGM+ Comedy Series American Classic; Taylor Tomlinson Returns to Netflix
01/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 19, 2026)
01/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Rockford Files Reboot at NBC; Daniel Stern Fired From ABC Comedy Pilot
01/16 - Ted Season 2 Trailer Released; Remembering T.K. Carter of Punky Brewster, TV Director Tom Cherones, and Others We Recently Lost
01/15 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Special Preview; ABC Midseason Changes for Monday and Tuesday Night Lineups
01/14 - NBC Orders Pilots, Including The Rockford Files; The CW to Premiere Celebrity Series
01/13 - 83rd Golden Globe Winners; Tubi's Upcoming YA Film Slate
01/12 - Peacock's The 'Burbs Trailer; The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch Back on COZI TV
01/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 12, 2026)
01/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler to Star in NBC Legal Comedy Pilot; First Look at Peacock's The 'Burbs
01/09 - HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! Documentary with Interviews Including Rob Reiner; 83rd Annual Golden Globes Presenters
01/08 - Netflix Orders Nick Kroll Comedy Series; Saturday Night Live January 2026 Hosts and Music Guests
01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
01/05 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; Season 3 of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim
01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel