SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Developing New Singing Competition; New DVDs on the Way for Green Acres and Perfect Strangers

Saturday, July 08, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Developing New Singing Competition; New DVDs on the Way for Green Acres and Perfect Strangers

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been a holiday week, so news has been somewhat light this week, but we do have two big stories about some new seasons of classic sitcoms on DVD that came as a surprise to us. Additionally, we have news of a new Fox reality singing competition and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

When ABC announced they would be reviving former Fox reality singing competition series American Idol, Fox responded by more or less saying "fine, nobody cares about a singing competition series anyway." Now, we're hearing that Fox is working on developing a new reality singing competition series that just skips straight to the finalists instead of airing weeks of audition rounds. (Variety)
It probably didn't happen by calling an 800 number that flashed on the screen and giving their credit card information to an operator, but TV shopping network QVC purchased rival HSN this week. (CBS News)
The current CBS reboot of Hawaii Five-0 has found itself down by two cast members for the upcoming season, and although the executive producer of the series claims they were offered "unprecedented" salary increases, they left because they were being offered less money than their co-stars, and they believe that disparity based upon their race. (Deadline)
The HBO series Game of Thrones could be getting much longer episodes (as in 80 minute feature length episodes) in the eighth season, though the seventh season hasn't even aired yet. (Deadline)
Antenna TV still has several series slated to air on the network at some point later this year, and one that wasn't previously announced was Welcome Back, Kotter. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

This is something that we definitely didn't see coming, but Shout! Factory announced this week that they would finally be finishing up Green Acres on DVD, with Green Acres - The Complete Series. Few details about it are known at this time, but the 24 disc set will be released on October 17.
Another big surprise that we discovered this week courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com is that Warner Archive will be continuing Perfect Strangers on DVD, though exact details aren't known just yet.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Twitter), "I memorize other peoples words and say them in funny ways or dramatical ways. Catch me in @ModernFam. snapchat: therealjtf instagram: jessetyler"

Claim to Fame: We covered Eric Stonestreet (who plays Cam on Modern Family) last week, so this week, we're covering Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitch, the role of Cam's husband on the series. Jesse Tyler Ferguson got his start on the stage, both in Broadway productions as well as some off-Broadway productions. He transitioned over to TV in the fall 2006 CBS series The Class, but that only lasted one season. His breakout role, of course, came from playing Mitch on Modern Family. The busy schedule of starring in a sitcom doesn't allow him to do as much on-stage work as he used to do, but he does still appear in on-stage productions during the times when production of Modern Family is down for summer breaks.

Pick of the Tweets: "OMG. I've been in too many hotels recently. I legitimately just tried to use my laundry money card to open my front door." (June 26, 2017)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 22

Happy's Place - "Happy's House" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie agrees to take Isabella to Happy's house in search of a connection to their late father, leading Bobbie to worry about what they may find; Gabby hopes to strike it rich by searching through Happy's penny collection looking for a rarity.

Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Orlando" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Rosie's spoiled nephew Orlando visits, Mayan sets out to expose Rosie's cultural gender bias; George wants to teach Chance the value of hard work, but, instead, helps him create a toxic work environment.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Whacking the Mole" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Abishola has a romantic dream about Bob, she tries to suppress her feelings for him and pays the price.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Ralph Lauren and Fish" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob and Abishola finally go on a proper date, which is interrupted by Dottie's medical emergency.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Tough Like a Laundromat Washing Machine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob hires Abishola to take care of Dottie in his home while she recovers; Dottie has a hard time dealing with her limitations and takes it out on Abishola.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Useless Potheads" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
With Abishola only helping part-time, Bob, Douglas and Christina struggle to take care of Dottie.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - "Wiz-Taken Identity" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Billie struggles with a spell, Roman says he could do it if he was a wizard: to prove him wrong, Billie uses a Power Glass to transfer her powers to Roman.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - " Ain't Gnome Party Like a Wizard Party" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Justin embraces mortality to live with his family; his new challenge arises when Alex introduces Billie, a wizard-in-training, seeking Justin's mentorship.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Friday, November 22

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Watch Kerry on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jimmy O. Yang (Interior Chinatown/Space Force/Silicon Valley) - Jimmy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe), Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) and Aparna Nancherla (Lopez vs Lopez/Search Party/Corporate) - Andy, Thomas and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her new book Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Drew is joined by the hilarious Andrew to celebrate all things Thanksgiving on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie tells Sherri about her new Apple TV+ psychological thriller Before on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.