SitcomsOnline Digest: Modern Family Close to Ninth Season Renewal; Second Season of What I Like About You Coming to DVD on Tuesday

Saturday, March 04, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: Modern Family Close to Ninth Season Renewal; Second Season of What I Like About You Coming to DVD on Tuesday

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're finding that Modern Family is very close to renewal for a ninth season (though lots of details still need to be worked out), we're hearing of Arnold Schwarzenegger quitting or being fired (we don't really know) from Celebrity Apprentice, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Modern Family is still doing well and very close to being picked up for a ninth season, but getting the details worked out for a show that is only a short-term investment for broadcaster ABC and a long-term investment for distributor Fox is becoming a bigger challenge every year. (Deadline)
There is no word on whether or not Celebrity Apprentice will be back, but if it does return, it will be without Arnold Schwarzenegger. And while Schwarzenegger claims that it was his choice to quit, somebody on Twitter (we'll let you guess who that is) is claiming he was fired. (Hollywood Reporter)
Logo's flagship series, RuPaul's Drag Race, is returning for a ninth season, except episodes will debut on VH-1 before airing on Logo this time around, leaving some to wonder what this means for the future of Logo. (AV Club)
If you enjoy made for TV movies, particularly those involving reunions of TV series from the past, the digital broadcaster Decades has a solid week of movies coming up next week. (SitcomsOnline)
We already mentioned that Antenna TV would be featuring a Three's Company 40th anniversary marathon a few weeks ago, and it seems that Logo is getting in on the 40th anniversary action as well. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

It's very short notice, but What I Like About You - The Complete Second Season arrives on DVD on Tuesday from Warner Archive.
TVShowsOnDVD.com is reporting a release of the series It's About Time (which has been airing on Antenna TV) sometime this spring.

TUESDAY (MARCH 7) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

Mama's Family - Mama's Favorite Collection

The Jamie Foxx Show - The Complete Second Season (DVD, $29.99): It has been over a decade since we saw the first season of this sitcom on DVD (released at the time when Warner Home Video was aggressively releasing the first season of several series just in time for the 50th anniversary as a television studio), and now Warner Archive is finally releasing the second season.
Mama's Family - Mama's Favorites Collection (DVD, $69.95): If you just want some of the "best" episodes of the classic Vicki Lawrence series, this set is for you, although we would personally recommend spending just a little bit more to purchase the entire series.
That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Flashback Edition) (Blu-ray, $99.98): Mill Creek re-releases the series on Blu-ray in this release.
What I Like About You - The Complete Second Season (DVD, $29.99): Another seemingly abandoned series from Warner Home Video arrives on DVD in this release from Warner Archive.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Brock Ciarlelli (Twitter), "Brad Bottig on @TheMiddle_ABC, Tuesdays, 8pm/7c! Im a big advocate for iced coffee, alternating between being the big and little spoon, and children on leashes"

Claim to Fame: Brock Ciarlelli is not at all a household name to TV viewers, but if you watch the long-running ABC sitcom The Middle, you'd know exactly who he is: he plays the role of Brad, one of Sue's friends (and a former boyfriend of hers, even though he was gay and everybody seemed to notice except Sue). As the series has progressed, his character actually did "come out" in the seventh season. It's worth pointing out, though, that acting isn't his only skill set. While playing on The Middle, he has also managed to find time on the side to begin and finish a college degree in mathematics at Chapman University. He also has sort of a side project going, as he will be appearing in the second season of the YouTube shorts called Valet, which will debut tomorrow (if you've got a half hour to spare, you can watch the first season, which did not include him, here). We have no idea what will be next for him after The Middle (which we assume he'll continue to play his recurring role on as long as the series continues, and it has already been renewed for next season), but it seems like he may have a future in comedy in some form.

Pick of the Tweets: "My new fave hobby might be arriving early at LAX & people watch at the airport bar. I used to do it w/ coffee but beer makes it a lot better" (November 23, 2016)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 21

Young Sheldon - "Freshman Orientation and the Inventor of the Zipper" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
College orientation does not go as Sheldon planned. Also, Mary is invited to a party when she’s mistaken for a university student, and George Sr. helps Pastor Jeff set up a children’s nursery.

B Positive - "Open Heart Surgery" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Gina needs to keep herself together to pass a psych evaluation while dealing with the news of an ex’s engagement.

Mom - "Woo-Woo Lights and an Onside Kick" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Bonnie and the ladies indulge Jill when she goes to extremes to get her relationship with Andy (Will Sasso) back on track.

The Unicorn - "The First Supper" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Wade decides to introduce Shannon to his friends, the get-together quickly takes an awkward turn. Also, Noah tries to fit in with the older kids since he’s tired of being one of the babies.

Call Me Kat - "Therapy" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Sheila comes to stay with Kat to avoid being home alone, Sheila's lack of boundaries leads them to try therapy; Phil and Randi make a road trip to buy Phil's mother medicinal marijuana.

Last Man Standing - "Jen Again" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Mike surprises Vanessa with a visit from Jen that might last longer than expected; Ryan asks Chuck for advice to impress his new corporate boss on the golf course.

Mr. Mayor - "The Sac" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A special assignment forces Jayden and Arpi to get to know each other; Neil sets out on a mission to reconnect with Orly after she gets into a little trouble.

Superstore - "Biscuit" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After returning from quarantine, Glenn enlists Cheyenne and Bo's help to get Dina to relinquish control; Jonah and Mateo have second thoughts about helping Sandra with her cat's medical needs; Garrett struggles with customer returns.

grown-ish - "Public Service Announcement" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
After dropping out of Cal U and diving into her dream job, Zoey balances the demands of her work life and her personal life.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 18)

Thursday, January 21

Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Catch Allison on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Alison Brie (GLOW/Parks and Recreation) - Alison appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Regina King (The Boondocks/227) - Regina is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Francia Raisa (grown-ish) - Francia appears on The Real, so check your local listings.
Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara talks about grown-ish on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about The Resident on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Sara Gilbert (The Conners/Roseanne/Living Biblically/Bad Teacher/Twins) - Sara talks about The Conners on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.