Saturday, December 16, 2017
SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney to Acquire Much of Fox; Roseanne Debut Date Set for ABC
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, $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, April 29
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Name Drop" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Marty and Courtney's baby name gets spread around because nobody can keep a secret; Dave is assigned the ever-complicated task of assembling the diaper changing table.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Olu! I Popped!" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Bob and Abishola plan a trip to Las Vegas for Kemi’s wedding and Kemi and Chukwuemeka get into an argument over his mother.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 29)
Monday, April 29
- Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Watch Melanie on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about The Tattooist of Auschwitz on NBC's Today some time between 7-9am.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She will also be on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Gayle Rankin (GLOW) - Gayle appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Caroline Rhea (Sydney to the Max/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Pride & Joy) - Caroline is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Caroline Rhea (Sydney to the Max/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Pride & Joy) - Caroline is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Rachael Harris (Surviving Jack/In the Motherhood/Notes from the Underbelly) - Rachael appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Co-host Gayle King sits down with Drew on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Laura Benanti (Younger/The Detour/Go On/Starved) - NBC's Today catches up with Laura in the 9am hour.
- Rocky Carroll (Roc/Welcome to New York) - Rocky tells Sherri about the hit CBS show NCIS on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers/Frasier) - Bebe talks about Cabaret at the Kit Cat Club on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole discusses her Gymwrap sweat band line on Access Daily with Mario & Mit, so check your local listings.
- Seth Rogen (Platonic/Undeclared) - Seth is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Brandon Scott Jones (Ghosts/The Other Two/The Good Place) - Brandon talks about Ghosts on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
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