Wednesday, August 08, 2018
ION Television Acquires Chicago P.D.; TCA Summer 2018 Press Tour: ABC
ION Media announced a long-term content deal with NBCUniversal Television Distribution to bring the top-rated drama Chicago P.D. to its flagship network, ION Television. From Dick Wolf's highly successful Chicago franchise, the series is a top-10 drama on broadcast television in A25-54 and A18-49 and is the #1 series in its time period (Wed/10p) in all key demos this season. The agreement gives ION seasons 1-5 (106 episodes) of Chicago P.D., which will make its network debut in early 2019, plus the option for future seasons.
ION Television will also add season 17 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to its programming lineup this fall. The series continues to be a top performer with an average of 1.24 million viewers, making ION the #1 cable network on Saturdays. The agreement extends ION's rights to Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Additionally, ION has acquired the rights to broadcast the Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent series on its D2 properties. Chicago P.D. will join ION Television's acclaimed library of hit series, including NCIS: Los Angeles, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, plus, a robust catalog of scripted original programming, including the series Private Eyes and more than 30 made-for-TV holiday movies.
ABC was up yesterday at the TCA 2018 Summer Press Tour. ABC has announced green lights for its "Sunday Fun & Games" programming block: Celebrity Family Feud for its fifth season, and The $100,000 Pyramid and To Tell the Truth for their fourth seasons. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey made the announcement at the network's Television Critics Association press tour. The programming block has fueled many ratings victories for the network, which has ranked as the No. 1 broadcaster on each week the block has aired this summer among Adults 18-49. ABC also announced a two-hour prime-time special celebrating 90 years of Mickey Mouse. From the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, the elegant affair will feature star-studded musical performances, moving tributes and never-before-seen short films. Superstars from music, film and television will join the festivities to celebrate the birthday of the internationally beloved character on Mickey's 90th Spectacular, airing Sunday, November 4, 2018 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, on The ABC Television Network.
And finally, The Goldbergs will once again pay tribute to a hit movie from the 1980s, the iconic John Hughes film Sixteen Candles, when the comedy has its sixth season premiere, Wednesday, September 26 at 8:00pm EDT, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. In the upcoming "Sixteen Candles" episode, it's Adam's 16th birthday, but his parents are too distracted by Barry and Lainey's engagement and Erica's band ambitions to remember their youngest son's big day. But the situation presents an opportunity for Adam to ask Erica to put him on the high school social map. Meanwhile, Beverly thinks she can scare Barry and Lainey straight with the reality of being adults.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, February 23
Family Guy - "Live, Laugh, Love" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Peter realizes Joe has never found him funny, he is determined to make Joe laugh; Lois chaperones Chris and Meg's school trip, where she strives to reunite the principal with his long-lost love.
Grimsburg - "Molly" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Flute forgets to buy Stan a gift for his birthday, he steals an AI doll from the evidence locker; Wynona is forced to confront her ex-boyfriend.
The Great North - "Bots on the Side Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Ham starts performing at Yet-E-Cheddar's and develops a strange relationship with an animatronic Freddie the Yeti, that puts his relationship with Crispin in jeopardy; the new Tobin boat turns out to have a cursed name.
Krapopolis - "Stavros Live and in Concert" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tyrannis' favorite singer Stavros is in town, but he also happens to be the favorite singer of Athena and her radical followers; Deliria goes on a little getaway.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 17)
Friday, February 21
- Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Watch Anthony on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class/The Pitts) - Lizzy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tina Fey (Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Tina and Amy are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - NBC's Today catches up with Jane sometime between 7-9am.
- Alan Ritchson (Blue Mountain State) - Alan talks about Reacher on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
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