Saturday, April 08, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: Will & Grace Limited Series Gets Additional Episodes; Shout! Announces New Diff'rent Strokes and T.J. Hooker DVDs

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been a busy news week this week, but we've got highlights, including an order for additional episodes of the upcoming Will & Grace revival, more Diff'rent Strokes DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • NBC's upcoming Will & Grace limited series is a little less limited now, as it has received an order for more episodes. (Variety) 
  • The HBO series Girls is coming to an end very soon, and given the title, it's sort of hard to believe that it took this long for somebody to do a parody where the cast does a parody (though it isn't quite character for character) of The Golden Girls, but Jimmy Kimmel helped deliver that this week. (Deadline)
  • In the old days (as in five years ago), a TV series would air on a broadcast or cable network, and if it did well there, it would eventually air on an online streaming service. Now, the Amazon Prime series Transparent is about to do the opposite, as Sundance will be airing the first season beginning this summer. (Deadline) 
  • The People's Choice Awards has aired on CBS every year since it began in 1975, but that will change in 2018, as it moves to E!. (New York Times)
  • Joe Harris is definitely not a household name, but if you've seen the commercials with the Trix rabbit or The Underdog Show, both characters that he created and animated, then you are familiar with his work. He died this week at age 89. (Deadline)
  • Four decades ago, Alice and One Day at a Time were a regular part of the CBS lineup. Two decades ago, they were paired again on the cable network E.! It's been 20 years since they were last together, so it only makes sense that they would be paired again, this time as both recently started airing on the cable network Logo. (SitcomsOnline) 

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

TUESDAY (APRIL 11) HOME MEDIA RELEASES
Father Knows Best - Season Five
  • Father Knows Best - Season Five (DVD, $34.99): It's not exactly a new release, but this former Shout! Select release comes to regular retailers with this release.
  • Silicon Valley - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $24.98; Blu-ray, $34.98): The hit HBO series continues on DVD with this release.
  • Veep - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $24.98; Blu-ray, $34.98): The Julia Louis-Dreyfuss HBO series arrives on DVD in this release.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Jenna Elfman (Twitter), "People watcher. Human lover. Big fan of the absurd. Golden Rule enthusiast."
Claim to Fame: Jenna Elfman is best known as an actress, particularly in her role as Dharma in the ABC series Dharma & Greg. All around that, though, she has been in a string of sitcoms that haven't quite succeeded, such as Townies (before Dharma & Greg), and series such as Courting Alex, 1600 Penn and Growing Up Fischer. Currently, she can be seen on the ABC series Imaginary Mary.
Pick of the Tweets: "WEST COAST! We're watching #imaginarymary @ImaginaryMaryTV with you right now on ABC! (pic)" (April 4, 2017)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, November 8

Animal Control - "Baked Chickens and Rat Dogs" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Emily and Shred host their first party as a couple.

The Simpsons - "The Kosmic Kruiser" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Bart and Lisa break into Krustyland's most notorious failed attraction, only to discover that it hasn't been completely abandoned.

Universal Basic Guys - "Princess Tammy" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The Hoagies take a trip to Story World; Mark engineers a way to pay for the trip.

Grimsburg - "Flutey Friday" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Flute and Stan switch bodies for a day.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 2)

Sunday, November 8

  • Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) - Catch Ben on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD) Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/20/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Brady Bunch - The Complete Original Series (2026 Release) (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - Shrinking - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD)
10/20/26 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Seasons (DVD)
11/03/26 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Ninth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/03/26 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/24/26 - The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete Series (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

11/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 9, 2026)
11/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Nobody Wants This Renewed at Netflix; Grey's Anatomy Spinoff to Be Filmed in New Mexico
11/06 - NBC's New Rockford Files Premieres January 2; Bobby Lee: Finally Drops November 27 on Hulu
11/05 - Three's Company 50th Anniversary NYC Event Recap; Disney+ Reveals Details for A Proud Family Wizmas
11/04 - Mickey's Home Alone on Disney Jr. and Disney+; Pretty Little Liars Duo Reunite for Hulu Christmas Film
11/03 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2026 Schedule; HBO Renews Youth for Season 2
11/02 - Details on Only Murders Season 6; Haunted Hotel Renewed for Season 3
11/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 2, 2026)
10/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Criminal Minds Coming to an End; Baywatch Premiere Date Set
10/30 - VH1 to Bring Back America's Funniest People Starring Ms. Pat; Remembering Barbara Barrie and Patrick Stewart
10/29 - Peacock's Dig Trailer and Artwork; The CW 2026 Holiday Programming with A Very Brady Christmas, A Flintstone Christmas and More
10/28 - ABC 2026 Holiday Programming; Remembering Susan Saint James of Kate & Allie
10/27 - Fox's Baywatch Premieres January 6; aspireTV's First Sitcom Premieres January 7
10/26 - COZI TV's Halloween Schedule with Roseanne, George Lopez, The Munsters and More; Chloe Radcliffe: Eyes Down Here Stand-up Special
10/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 26, 2026)
10/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Reboots in the Works for Coach and Glee; Saturday Night Live Sets November Hosts
10/23 - Prime Video Renews Carrie for Season 2; Remembering Richard Riehle of Grounded for Life
10/22 - Abbott Elementary Returns Big After 7 Day Viewing; BET Renews ComicView: Rooftop Series
10/21 - Charmed Joining Hulu This Huluween; Prime Video's Comedy Variety Series Hosted by Nick Kroll
10/20 - Hulu's Phony Premieres Today; Janelle James Netflix Comedy Special Drops November 10
10/19 - Lil Kev Season 2 Premieres December 9; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2026 Schedule
10/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 19, 2026)
10/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Picks Up Reboot for The X-Files; Roseanne Self-Produces New Sitcom
10/16 - Christa B. Allen in Night of January 16th Play Through Sunday; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Bernie Orenstein
10/15 - Guest Stars for Peacock's Comedy Dig; Apple TV Renews Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for Season 2
10/14 - HBO Brings Back Girls for 5 Episodes; Hulu's The X-Files Picked Up to Series
10/13 - Full Cast for Three's Company Live Reading in New York City; High Potential to Air After Super Bowl on ABC
10/12 - Bob's Burgers Holiday Special on Hulu; The Rookie and The Rookie: North Wednesdays on ABC in January
10/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 12, 2026)
10/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Colin Jost and Danny Chun to Launch Free Streaming Comedy; Paramount/Warner Merger Completed
10/09 - Apple TV Comedy Stick Returns November 4; News from New York Comic Con 2026 Day One
10/08 - FETV Acquires I Dream of Jeannie and The Bionic Woman; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 3, Before Season 2 Launch