Wednesday, November 27, 2019
CBS Slates I Love Lucy Christmas Special on Dec. 20; Is 2020 the Year of the Rabbit?

I Love Lucy Christmas Special, a new one-hour special featuring two back-to-back colorized episodes of the classic series, will be broadcast Friday, Dec. 20 from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. I Love Lucy Christmas Special features "The Christmas Episode" and the newly colorized "Paris at Last." The main titles and end credits are seamlessly combined into one set at the beginning and end of the hour, with no interruption between the episodes. "The Christmas Episode" finds the Ricardos and Mertzes decorating Lucy and Ricky's Christmas tree and reminiscing about how their lives have changed since the arrival of the Ricardos' son, Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux). Flashbacks recall the night Lucy told Ricky she was pregnant, the time Lucy showed up unexpectedly as part of a barbershop quartet and the day Ricky and the Mertzes rehearsed taking Lucy to the maternity ward. "The Christmas Episode" was first broadcast on CBS on Christmas Eve, 1956. The episode was not included in the series' long history of rebroadcasts, first on CBS Daytime and later in syndication. Long thought to be lost, the program was rediscovered by CBS in 1989.
In "Paris at Last," the Ricardos and Mertzes arrive in the French capital, where Lucy encounters a sidewalk artist who sells multiple copies of the same "original" oil painting, and a con man who offers a better exchange rate for her American dollars than the one offered in the banks. Later, her attempt to have a quiet lunch in an outdoor café finds her not only unwittingly ordering a plate of snails, but paying the check with counterfeit French francs. Next stop: the Bastille? "Paris at Last" was originally broadcast on Feb. 27, 1956, and became an immediate viewer favorite. I Love Lucy Christmas specials have aired on the Network the past six years, each combining the holiday-themed episode with a different comedy classic. Beginning in 2015, "The Christmas Episode" has been shown colorized in its entirety, with fully colorized flashback scenes that had previously been presented in black and white.
IFC's new original comedy series Year of the Rabbit follows Detective Inspector Rabbit (Berry), a hardened booze-hound who's seen it all, and his hapless, new, by-the-books partner Strauss (Freddie Fox; Cucumber, Banana). While they're investigating a local murder, the lewd but insightful adoptive daughter (Susan Wokoma; Chewing Gum, Crazyhead) of the chief of police joins them, becoming the country's first female officer. Together, the trio must fight crime while rubbing shoulders with street gangs, crooked politicians, spiritualists, music hall stars and more.
Year of the Rabbit, co-produced by IFC, is directed by BAFTA-nominated Ben Taylor (Catastrophe) and written by Emmy(R) and WGA Award winners Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil (Veep), with additional material from Matt Berry. Ben Farrell and Toby Stevens will executive produce for Objective Fiction, with Hannah Mackay producing. The six-episode first season of Year of the Rabbit premieres Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 10:30pm ET/PT only on IFC.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, April 3
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Goddess of the Music Store" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie helps Connor impress his new crush, while Mandy, Audrey and Jim struggle to butt out of Connor’s love life.
Ghosts - "His Girl Shiki" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Pete makes good on his promise to find someone for Sasappis by bringing in a wisecracking 1940s screenwriter who also has the ability to roam.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)
Thursday, April 3
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Catch Jenny on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She also talks about Dying for Sex on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Bill appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) and Keanu Reaves (Swedish Dicks) - E! News has interviews with Kate and Keanu at 11pm on E!.
- Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about The Amateur on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Laurence Fishburne (black-ish) - Laurence chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Judy Greer (Kidding/Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided/Arrested Development) - Judy talks about Eric LaRue on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia talks about Your Friends and Neighbors on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and co-hosts in the 10am hour.
- Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin talks about The Bondsman on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti talks about The Queens Tour: 4 Legends, 1 Stage, featuring Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills, kicking off this May in Las Vegas on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike is joining Drew and sharing what it was like working with co-stars Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn on their comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo talks about Netflix's The Residence on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela is a guest on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Abby Quinn (Mad About You - Abby appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:5am.
New on DVD and 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
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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