Saturday, June 17, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: Can CMT Afford to Revive Last Man Standing?; NBC Yanks Episode of The Carmichael Show

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This is a very busy week of news, where we have about twice as many headlines as usual, and it is also like our "very special episode" week. It has, bizarrely, been a week full of controversy (oddly much of it having some connection to NBC in some way), with a mistrial in the Bill Cosby (former major NBC star, of course) criminal trial, the pulling of an episode of The Carmichael Show about a mass shooting, and an interview that NBC insists will air tomorrow night no matter what that has been nothing short of a public relations nightmare for the network. But it isn't just NBC involved in controversy this week, as a popular ABC reality series is facing a huge disaster as well. And we promise, there are a few things that aren't so controversial this week as well, though not much. Let's have a little controversy and let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • ABC's Last Man Standing was cancelled last month, and it was said that the studio that produces the series was looking for a new network. Now, it looks like CMT, which already airs reruns of the series, may be interested in new episodes, though some are already calling that a longshot since the series was already deemed to be too expensive for a major broadcast network and would likely be much more out of reach for a smaller cable network. (Hollywood Reporter
  • Controversy seems to be the key theme going in entertainment news this week, and there was some of that at NBC as they pulled an episode of The Carmichael Show (which, to be fair, is one of the first sitcoms to decades to make every episode a controversial "very special episode") on Wednesday night involving a mass shooting... and the star of the show is not happy at all. (Deadline)
  • Netflix has renewed Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for a fourth season. (Variety)
  • Compared to ABC's The View, CBS's The Talk has had considerably more stability in their hosts (though there have still been some shifts), but this week Aisha Tyler announced she would be leaving the show at the end of the current season. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • While we typically don't report the ongoing details of courts cases involving TV actors, we do point out key moments when it is a prominent sitcom star, and today, a mistrial was declared in the Bill Cosby case; however, the prosecution has made it clear that they plan to start over again, so the case is far from over. (Variety)
  • In even more "controversial" news this week involving NBC (which by now would probably make some think that NBC is an abbreviation for Nothing But Controversy), the network still insists that they'll be airing a Megyn Kelly interview with the highly controversial conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Sunday night despite an advertiser revolt and at least one affiliate refusing to air it, but the entire saga has gotten even more bizarre as Alex Jones is preemptively trying to discredit the interview and Megyn Kelly ahead of the airing by releasing secretly recorded conversations online. (ABC News)
  • Just a little bit more controversy for you this week, this time at ABC, as production of the series Bachelor in Paradise (which has been slated to air later this summer) was shut down early over allegations of "serious misconduct" that haven't quite been clearly specified, but is believed to involve sexual assault. (CNNMoney)
  • If you believe the Nielsen ratings, NBC ditched their 6:30 PM program called NBC Nightly News this week and replaced it with NBC Nitely News, and much of it has to do with rigging numbers to stay on top of ratings against ABC World News Tonight (which has also played this game before itself, as ABC WRLD NEWS TNT). (Deadline)
  • In what is NOT a controversial story (unless, of course, somebody rigged the online voting), viewers of Antenna TV have chosen their "Top Pop" for their Father's Day marathon, and you can tune in tomorrow to see who it is, or if you want a spoiler, we've got that for you too. (SitcomsOnline)  

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  • It was over a decade ago that Sony released the first season of Ned and Stacey, but the second (and final) one never followed. Now, Shout! Factory is bringing the entire series together with Ned and Stacey - The Complete Series, which will be released on September 26.

TUESDAY (JUNE 20) HOME MEDIA RELEASES
  Workaholics - The Final Season
  • Workaholics - The Final (Seventh) Season (DVD, $19.99): The popular Comedy Central series comes to an end with this release, though if you haven't picked up other seasons, you can just get the complete series (also arriving on Tuesday) for the same price as just two seasons of the series.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: David Walton (Twitter), "Hurtling through space on a massive rock"
Claim to Fame: We're getting a little bit of a kick start on some of the stars of the fall sitcoms this week, even though the season doesn't start for another three months and some of these series may not even last three months (though networks have been a little more generous in recent years before hitting the cancel button). David Walton will be appearing in the CBS series 9JKL this fall, but it isn't his first starring role. He starred in the NBC drama Heist (cancelled after 5 episodes). Then, he moved on to starring in NBC comedies such as Perfect Couples (cancelled after 11 episodes), 100 Questions (cancelled after 6 episodes), Bent (cancelled after 6 episodes), and most recently About a Boy (cancelled after 27 episodes). Now, to be fair we're not suggesting that he is the next Ted McGinley (who is actually a decent actor who just had a tendency to get cast on series when they were coming to an end anyway), and perhaps now that he has moved away from NBC (which has been known for not doing particularly well on scripted series for the past decade or so anyway) and over to CBS, he'll have something that works this time. It is worth pointing out that he did have a recurring role on the Fox series New Girl, and that role actually worked out just fine for him, so we're inclined to believe that he will succeed if cast in a quality series.
Pick of the Tweets: "Don't be fooled. @iamgreenfield rubs my leg as soon as the camera pans up. Every time.… (pic)" (May 3, 2016)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, May 5

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Pomp and Circumstance" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina and Gemma plan a joint graduation party for Malcolm and Grover, on part one of the hour-long seventh season finale.

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Venice" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The Butlers and Johnsons help Malcolm start a new chapter in a new city that, while just across town, is worlds away from the neighborhood, on part two of the hour-long seventh season finale.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)

Monday, May 5

  • David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - Watch David on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also chats about his new comedy special Dandelion on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Connie Britton (SMILF/Lost at Home/The Fighting Fitzgeralds/Spin City) - Connie appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
  • Hugh Jackman (Human REsources) - Hugh chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda stops by to talk about marriage, motherhood, and her latest comedy tour, Please and Thank You, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Melissa Rauch (Night Court/The Big Bang Theory) - Melissa talks about Netflix's Night Court 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)
07/08 - 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

05/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 5, 2025)
05/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels The Equalizer; Wisteria Lane Offshoot of Desperate Housewives in the Works
05/02 - USA and SYFY Announce Summer Premieres; CBC in Canada Renews 5 Series, Including Wild Cards
05/01 - ABC Summer 2025 Schedule; Audible Scripted Comedy Podcasts for Summer
04/30 - The Carol Burnett Show Mother of All Marathons; Netflix Renews North of North
04/29 - Lifetime Adds New Ripped from the Headlines Movie; BET+ Orders Season 2 of Series
04/28 - Fox Summer 2025 Schedule; Final Guest Hosts for Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Season
04/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 28, 2025)
04/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels Poppa's House; Final Season 50 Hosts for Saturday Night Live Set
04/25 - Classic TV's Biggest Auction; Remembering Will Hutchins and Wink Martindale
04/24 - Jerrod Carmichael's 4th HBO Comedy Special; HBO's Pee-wee as Himself Premieres May 23
04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series
04/21 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Returns July 31; Poker Face Lines Up Big Guests for Season 2
04/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 21, 2025)
04/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Reboot in the Works at Peacock; King of the Hill Cast Reunion and Revival Preview at ATX TV Festival Next Month
04/18 - 2025 TIME100 on ABC; Atsuko Okatsuka: Father Premieres June 13 on Hulu
04/17 - BET+ Orders Martin Spinoff Varnell Hill; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in July
04/16 - And Just Like That... Season 3 on Max This May; MGM+ Comedy Series Adds Big Stars
04/15 - HBO's Harry Potter Series; Classic TV Comes to Life in NYC
04/14 - TV Stars Lineup for Summer of 69 Hulu Film; Jessica Kirson Comedy Special
04/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 14, 2025)
04/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: FX Sets Premiere Date for Adults; Netflix Picks Up Monopoly Themed Reality Competition Series
04/11 - Bounce TV Renews Mind Your Business; AMC Networks 2025 Upfront Highlights
04/10 - David Spade's Prime Video Comedy Special; Brett Goldstein's HBO Comedy Special Filmed in New Jersey
04/09 - Paramount+ Orders Season 3 of Colin from Accounts; FX's Adults Premieres May 28
04/08 - Prime Video's New Comedy Overcompensating; Nine Perfect Strangers Returns on Hulu in May
04/07 - NBC Celebrates Joan Rivers with Special; Remembering Jay North of Dennis the Menace
04/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 7, 2025)
04/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Renews Three Animated Series and Brings Back a Fourth for Four More Seasons; ABC Renews Shifting Gears
04/04 - ABC 2025-26 Season Renewals for Scripted Series; New Season of Phineas and Ferb Returns June 5