SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney to Acquire Much of Fox; Roseanne Debut Date Set for ABC

Saturday, December 16, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney to Acquire Much of Fox; Roseanne Debut Date Set for ABC

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We've been talking about it for almost a month, and it even looked like it was officially off for a few weeks even, but this week, Disney officially announced their plan to acquire the entertainment assets of Fox, officially making Homer Simpson a Disney character. That is far from all in this busy news week, as we're also hearing about when Roseanne will be returning to ABC, a new home for reruns of The Office, and more. Also, we are retiring our Follow Me this week for a new feature, Weekly TV Planner, where we'll give you ideas for things that you should be watching this weekend and next week, including upcoming marathons, season debuts of favorite sitcoms, debuts of old favorites on cable or digital broadcast networks, ideas for series to watch on streaming media, and sometimes just a gentle nudge to watch something that has always been there that you may have not been watching lately. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It's official: Disney has announced a plan to buy most of then entertainment assets of Fox, which leaves a lot of people wondering what will happen to the broadcast network that uses that name and currently depends upon that studio for most of their big hits. (Deadline)
There is some speculation that the acquisition of Fox by Disney could hit the network FX the hardest, as it doesn't fit in very well with the expectations of Disney. (Washington Post)
Let's face it: The Simpsons has been very good at predicting the future, and this merger between Disney and Fox is no exception. (Deadline)
Mark your calendar for March 27, as that is when Roseanne will be returning to the ABC lineup, complete with John Goodman's character Dan coming back to life. (Entertainment Weekly)
For over a decade now, NBC has been attempting to develop an American version of the series The IT Crowd (it was envisioned as the perfect companion for their hit series The Office at the time), and it seems that they're still trying to make it happen, so let's hope that ten seasons worth of work that has so far resulting in nothing leads to some success. (Variety)
Speaking of The Office, despite it being a cult favorite on the NBC lineup, it has been absent in syndication in recent years, but that will change in January as Comedy Central picks up reruns of the series. (Hollywood Reporter)
Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost now have additional duties as head writers for Saturday Night Live. (New York Daily News)
Not surprisingly, this week brings even more TV related fallout over sexual harassment scandals: Mario Batali of ABC's The Chew has been fired and PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley has been suspended (though not yet fired). (Variety, NPR)
A trio of sitcoms that have been a long time staple of Antenna TV will be unstapled, but don't worry, you'll still be able to see them if you have getTV. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (DECEMBER 19)

South Park - The Complete Sixth Season (Blu-ray)

South Park - The Complete Sixth Season (Blu-ray, $39.98): Comedy Central is bringing even more seasons of this series to Blu-ray, which will actually bring all of the old seasons to the format, with these releases. Also available: Season 7, Season 8, Season 9, Season 10, Season 11.

WEEKLY PLANNER (DECEMBER 16 - DECEMBER 22)

Antenna TV is celebrating Christmas for four hours tonight beginning at 7:00pm EST, and within that block, you'll see some special sneak previews of Growing Pains, Murphy Brown, and The Hogan Family.
On Decades, you can enjoy the Weekend Binge of Lost in Space, which ends at 7:00am EST on Monday.
Saturday Night Live is known for their annual Christmas episodes, and this year, it features Kevin Hart and the Foo Fighters, so make sure to catch it tonight at 11:29pm EST/8:29pm PST on NBC.
The broadcast networks are mostly on Christmas vacation this week with reruns, but CBS is airing mostly new episodes of their sitcoms (aside from The Big Bang Theory, which will be a rerun of the season premiere) on Monday and Thursday night this week.
NBC will also have a little bit of new programming this week with two new episodes of Great News on Thursday.
CBS is airing newly colorized episodes of I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as the colorized Christmas episode of I Love Lucy that has previously aired, on Friday night.
The Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, recently added reruns of 227 to their lineup, with binge watching opportunities both today and tomorrow.
On Hulu, you can catch up with every episode of Blossom, which was recently added to the streaming service.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, June 8

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Babies and Bathwater" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dave’s ambitious home improvement plans take a turn, prompting Calvin to step in, while Malcolm seeks Gemma’s help to overcome writer’s block. Meanwhile, Tina’s suggestion for Daphne sparks a parenting dilemma for Courtney.

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Secrets and Santa" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Butlers’ anniversary plans take an unexpected turn when a blast from the past, Calvin’s ex-girlfriend, resurfaces. Meanwhile, Malcolm’s meeting gets hijacked, Marty makes a big move toward commitment and Gemma finds herself caught in a holiday misunderstanding.

St. Denis Medical - "Mama Bear Activated" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Bruce is attacked at the hospital, Matt helps him deal with the aftermath; Alex motivates Joyce to amp up security, while Ron and Serena debate who is more qualified to defend themselves.

St. Denis Medical - "Get Me in the Pod, Brother" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Alex and Ron spar over the wisdom of open communication; Joyce brings in a body scanner that proves overly distracting.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 8)

Monday, June 8

Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Watch Tom on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Eric André (Man Seeking Woman/2 Broke Girls/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Eric is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters) - Eve appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Disclosure Day on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Josh and Andrew are guests on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jennifer Lopez (South Central) and Betty Gilpin (GLOW/Nurse Jackie) - Andy Cohen interviews Jennifer and Betty on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:15pm on Bravo.
John Reynolds (Four Weddings and a Funeral/Search Party) - John talks about Never Change! on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Laverne Cox (Clean Slate) - Laverne talks about Transcendent: A Memoir on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and 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) - All Access with Linsey Davis sits down with Wanda Sykes for an in-depth conversation on her 40-year career in comedy and what's next on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Meagan Good (Cousin Skeeter/Raising Dad) - Meagan and Jonathan Majors talk about their much-talked-about romance, wedding, and the story behind their new fitness brand on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Mariska in the 10am hour.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Jaleel tells Valerie and Ross Mathews about being a child actor and his game show Flip Side on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.