Tuesday, August 04, 2020
Laff TV Acquires How I Met Your Mother; Lifetime Announces Stars for It's a Wonderful Lifetime for 2020

Suit Up!🕴️ You asked... and Laff TV listened... there is a new crew coming to Laff! And it's going to be legendary. Laff has acquired the rights to How I Met Your Mother. The sitcom will join the lineup of According to Jim, That '70s Show, Home Improvement, Night Court, Grace Under Fire and 3rd Rock from the Sun. The series, which ran from 2005 to 2014 for 208 episodes on CBS, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his group of friends in New York City's Manhattan. As a framing device, Ted, in the year 2030, recounts to his son and daughter the events that led him to meet their mother. The ensemble comedy stars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan.
Reaching over 80.1 million total viewers1 during last year's "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" programming block, Lifetime emerged as the #1 holiday movie destination. For 2020, the star studded "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" slate will feature 30 new movies, and over 1200 hours of holiday programming - 24/7 - from mid-October through December with many new and returning stars. Because the holidays are for everyone, this year Lifetime dives deeper in the commitment for diverse storytelling with its storylines, talent and characters. Following last year's Twinkle All the Way which featured an on screen, same sex kiss between couple Lex and Danny (Brian Sills and Mark Ghanimé), Lifetime has greenlighted The Christmas Set Up, the networks' first movie with a LGBTQ romance as the lead story. Additionally, Lifetime has greenlighted its first holiday movie centered on a Chinese-American family in A Sugar & Spice Holiday, to be directed by Jennifer Liao and written by Eirene Donohue. Casting is currently underway on both movies, with production set to begin this month.
With new faces joining the previously announced stars Betty White, Kelly Rowland, Mario Lopez and Melissa Joan Hart, 2020 will be extra wonderful with the addition of Tiffany Haddish executive producing Christmas Unwrapped starring Amber Stevens West, Marco Grazzini and Cheryl Ladd; Jason Priestley, Robin Givens, Ed Begley Jr. and Faith Prince co-starring with Melissa Joan Hart in Dear Christmas; and Tony® award winning actress Ali Stroker leading Christmas Ever After alongside Daniel DiTomasso. The full "It's a Wonderful Lifetime" slate will be released in September.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, October 8
Shifting Gears - "Date" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt and Eve go on their first date but have different ideas of what it should entail. Riley befriends the mom of Georgia’s new friend while Carter mediates a tiff between Gabe and Stitch. LA Dodger Mookie Betts and Lilly Singh guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Cheating" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Melissa tries to outsmart her students; Tariq causes chaos in Janine’s class, and a new guidance counselor joins the school.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 6)
Wednesday, October 8
- Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- David Henrie (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Wizards of Waverly Place/How I Met Your Mother/The Pitts) and Janice Leann Brown (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) - David and Janice talk about Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey talks about Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by for a talk with the hosts about John Candy: I Like Me on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Tom Papa (Come to Papa) - NBC's Today catches up with Tom in the 9am hour.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Crew team is sharing their best pro tips including newest Drew Crewer Amirah Kassem sharing how to make the perfect party dish and easy ways to level up hosting on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Tom Arnold (Roseanne/The Jackie Thomas Show/Tom/The Tom Show) - Tom is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (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)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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