Wednesday, April 04, 2018

IFC Renews Brockmire for Two Seasons; Remembering TV Legend Steven Bochco

Brockmire

IFC announced at a press conference that the critically acclaimed comedy series Brockmire has been picked up for two additional seasons. Season 2 of the series, starring Hank Azaria as Jim Brockmire and produced by Funny or Die, is set to premiere Wednesday, April 25 at 10PM. Tyrel Jackson Williams and Amanda Peet co-star. Seasons 3 and 4 are slated to air in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Brockmire follows Jim Brockmire, a famed major league baseball announcer who suffered a notorious public breakdown after stumbling upon his wife's infidelity - a breakdown so bad that "Brutal Brockmire" became a viral internet meme. Season 1 began a decade later, as Brockmire looked to reclaim his career, reputation, and love life. He eventually found happiness calling games for the Morristown Frackers, the underdog minor league baseball team, alongside his girlfriend Jules (Peet).

Originally premiering in April 2017, the show received critical praise from the start and was the highest-rated new series in IFC's history. Season 1 was the most time-shifted new original comedy on cable, drawing in 8.6 million total viewers in Nielsen live+7 ratings, and was one of the most social comedies on TV, consistently ranking in the top ten for social media interactions on premiere nights. Season 2 returns with Brockmire chasing an opportunity to call games in New Orleans, and leaving Jules behind in the process. He's now a top podcaster with his show "Brock Bottom," living with his co-dependent friend Charles (Williams)... and boozing harder than ever. Still trying to still reclaim his career as a top sportscaster, Brockmire cannot resist the sinful temptations of the Big Easy, while pining for the girl he left behind in Morristown, PA and struggling to find his purpose in life.


Steven Bochco

Television producer and writer Steven Bochco, who developed Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Doogie Howser, M.D. and NYPD Blue, has died. He died peacefully in his sleep at his Pacific Palisades, California, home from cancer on April 1. Mr. Bochco was 74.

Bochco's television career began with Universal Pictures as a writer and story editor. Some of his early credits included The Name of the Game, Griff, The Invisible Man, Delvecchio, McMillan & Wife, Ironside and Columbo. He received two Emmy nominations for his work on Columbo in 1972 and 1973.

In 1978, he created the short-lived NBC detective drama Richie Brockelman, Private Eye with Stephen J. Cannell. He created the short-lived 1979-1980 CBS police drama Paris. The series was notable as the first series on which James Earl Jones played a lead role. It also starred Lee Chamberlain, Hank Garrett, Cecilia Hart, Jake Mitchell, Mike Warren and Frank Ramirez.

Bochco and Michael Kozoll created the NBC police drama Hill Street Blues in 1981. He also worked as a writer and producer on the series. The series aired for 7 seasons until 1987. It starred Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad (1981-1984), Michael Warren, Charles Haid, Veronica Hamel, Bruce Wietz, Kiel Martin, Taurean Blacque, James Sikking, Joe Spano, Betty Thomas, Barbara Bosson (1981-1986) and Ed Marinaro (1981-1986). The show received a total of 98 Emmy nominations during its run. Bochco won 6 Emmy Awards for his work on the series: Outstanding Drama Series in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series in 1981 and 1982.

He created the NBC legal drama L.A. Law with Terry Louise Fisher in 1986. The series ran for 8 seasons until 1994. It starred Richard Dysart, Alan Rachins, Harry Hamlin (1986-1991), Susan Dey (1986-1992), Jill Eikenberry, Corbin Bernsen, Michael Tucker, Jimmy Smits (1986-1991), Michele Greene (1986-1991), Susan Ruttan (1986-1993), Larry Drake (1987-1994) and Blair Underwood (1987-1994). The series won 15 Emmy Awards throughout its run. Bochco won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 1987 and 1989 and for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series in 1987.

Bochco and Fisher created the ABC dramedy Hooperman in 1987. The series ran for 2 seasons and 42 episodes. It starred John Ritter, Debrah Farentino, Barbara Bosson, Clarence Felder, Sydney Walsh, Joseph Gian, Felton Perry, Alix Elias, Paul Linke (1988-1989) and Rod Gist (1988-1989).

He created the ABC sitcom/medical drama Doogie Howser, M.D. with David E. Kelley in 1989. The series ran for 4 seasons and 97 episodes. It starred Neil Patrick Harris, Max Casella, Belinda Montgomery, Lawrence Pressman, Mitchell Anderson (1989-1991), Kathryn Layng, Lisa Dean Ryan (1989-1992), Lucy Boryer (1989-1992), Markus Redmond (1990-1993) and James B. Sikking.

Bochco and David Milch created the gritty police drama NYPD Blue for ABC in 1993. The critically acclaimed series ran for 12 seasons until 2005. It starred Dennis Franz, David Caruso (1993-1994), James McDaniel (1993-2001), Nicholas Turturro (1993-2000), Gordon Clapp (1994-2005), Jimmy Smits (1994-1998), Kim Delaney (1995-2001), Bill Brochtrup (1999-2005), Henry Simmons (2000-2005), Charlotte Ross (2001-2004), Esai Morales (2001-2004), Mark-Paul Gosselaar (2001-2005) and Jacqueline Obradors (2001-2005). The series received 84 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning 20 of them. Bochco won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1995.

Some of his other created or produced series included Bay City Blues (1983), Cop Rock (1990), Civil Wars (1991-1993), Capitol Critters (1992), The Byrds of Paradise (1994), Public Morals (1996), Murder One (1995-1997), Brooklyn South (1997-1998), City of Angels (2000), Philly (2001-2002), Blind Justice (2005), Over There (2005), Commander in Chief (2005-2006), Raising the Bar (2008-2009) and Murder in the First (2014-2016).

Survivors include his wife Dayna Kalins; his children Jesse, Sean and Melissa; grandchildren Wes and Stevie Rae; and sister Joanna Frank. He was married to actress Barbara Bosson, who starred in Hill Street Blues, Hooperman and Murder One, from 1970 to 1997.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on May 21 and September 12, 2002.

Mr. Bochco won 10 Emmy Awards during his legendary career. We thank him for the great series he created and the many hours of entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, March 23

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to the Two-Ring Circus" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A change of plans sends Mercedes and Tina on a memorable night out that prompts several couples to take a closer look at what they truly want from their relationships. Meanwhile, Dave’s visit to Gemma’s school sparks an honest conversation about her feelings toward her job.

DMV - "Payday" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
While the DMV crew awaits payday, everyone scrambles for side gigs. Meanwhile, Colette and Ceci attempt to pull Barb out of a pyramid scheme that quickly proves more alluring than any of them anticipated.

St. Denis Medical - "Experience With Human Babies" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex helps Joyce hire a midwife; Bruce joins Matt for an ambulance ride-along; Serena and Ron butt heads over a pen.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "Dr. Watson's Dad" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When one of Reggie's most prized possessions goes missing, he must gather all the suspects and uncover whodunit.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 23)

Monday, March 23

  • James Marsden (Jury Duty/Dead to Me/30 Rock) - Watch James on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • D'Arcy Carden (Barry/The Good Place) - D'Arcy appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows/The Thundermans) - Harvey appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Sterling stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Paradise on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Rachel Dratch (Grimsburg/Imaginary Mary/30 Rock) - Rachel is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (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

03/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 23, 2026)
03/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Sets Plans for Final Episode of The Neighborhood; ABC Pulls The Bachelorette
03/20 - TBS Orders Season 13 of Impractical Jokers; HBO's Josh Johnson Comedy Special
03/19 - Netflix Casts Scooby-Doo Live-Action Series; Darren Star's Next Comedy Series Uncorked
03/18 - Saturday Night Live UK to Launch This Weekend; Hulu Renews Paradise for Season 3
03/17 - Netflix Renews Free Bert for Season 2; The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special in April
03/16 - Color Theories by Julio Torres on HBO; Lifetime's Ripped from the Headlines Spring Slate with Two New Movies
03/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 16, 2026)
03/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Family Guy's Stewie Griffin Getting Spinoff; NBCUniversal Cancels Several Daytime Shows, Including Last of the Daytime "Trash Talk"
03/13 - NBC Summer 2026 Schedule; Malcolm in the Middle Revival Series Trailer
03/12 - Season 9 of Rick and Morty This May; Fox Entertainment Studios Lines Up Frankie Quiñones for Comedy Series
03/11 - Antenna TV's Hazel 65th Anniversary Marathon; Kountry Wayne Prime Video Comedy Special
03/10 - XO, Kitty Season 3 Trailer Released for April 2 Launch; The Drew Barrymore Show Talker Gets 2 Season Renewal
03/09 - Beef Returns April 16 on Netflix; Remembering Jennifer Runyon of Charles in Charge
03/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 9, 2026)
03/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Returns to Big Ratings; New Garfield Series Coming to Paramount+
03/06 - The Four Seasons Returns on May 28; More Details on I Suck at Girls
03/05 - COZI TV Pairs Up Al Bundy and Hondo at Last; ABC Renews Abbott Elementary for Season 6
03/04 - ABC's Scrubs Returns Big; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Renewed for Season 2
03/03 - Prime Video's Kevin Premieres April 20; Fox Renews Best Medicine
03/02 - Running Point Returns April 23 on Netflix; A Different World Sequel Starts Production
03/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 2, 2026)
02/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Now Set to Merge with Paramount, Not Netflix; X-Files Reboot Given Greenlight
02/27 - The Comeback Returns for Final Season on March 22; Animal Control Renewed for Season 5; Remembering Lauren Chapin of Father Knows Best and Robert Carradine of Lizzie McGuire
02/26 - AspireTV Gets First Ever Original Sitcom; Sullivan's Crossing Returns for Season 4 in April on The CW
02/25 - Scrubs Returns Tonight, Sneak Peek at Title Sequence; Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Reveals Odessa A'zion as Nikki Baxter
02/24 - Netflix's Wednesday Season 3 Adds to Cast; Wonder Pets: In the City Returns March 20
02/23 - Celebrities for ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars; Hallmark's Mistletoe Murders Renewed for Season 3
02/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 23, 2026)