Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Antenna TV's Companion Network, Rewind TV Launching September 1 with 80s and 90s Series; Remembering Sitcom Writer Bernie Kahn

Rewind TV

Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), announced that it will launch Rewind TV, a digital subchannel offering a slate of classic television sitcom hits from the 1980s and 1990s, on September 1, 2021. We first broke this news a few months ago, but now the official announcement has come with the name of the network and programming info. At its launch, Rewind TV will reach 40 percent of U.S. television households, or nearly 50 million homes, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Rewind TV will be available on newly designated or recently vacated digital subchannels licensed to Nexstar, full details on station carriage will be coming in the coming months.

Rewind TV will air a bunch of series from the Antenna TV library, but they have also acquired some new sitcoms: The Drew Carey Show, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, and The John Larroquette Show. We already announced Caroline in the City is coming in 2021 and vaguely hinted about Suddenly Susan in 2022 (but now both are coming to Rewind instead of Antenna). We also hinted a return for Mad About You, but no word on that one yet. The Drew Carey Show and The John Larroquette Show are totally new and will start in 2022 with Suddenly Susan. Joining Caroline in the City this September on Rewind are Antenna TV faves 227, Becker, Dear John, Designing Women, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, The Hogan Family, Mork & Mindy, Murphy Brown, My Two Dads, NewsRadio, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Who’s the Boss, and Wings all will migrate over to Rewind TV in September. Some of these series are resting a bit right now on Antenna TV, as we mentioned. Nexstar's companion digital network, Antenna TV, will continue to air some of the most popular programming from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, including weeknight reruns of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and sitcoms such as Three's Company, Bewitched and The Jeffersons. Stay tuned for much more information on Rewind TV!


Bernie Kahn

Television writer Bernie Kahn, who worked on The Addams Family, Get Smart, Bewitched and Three's Company, has died. He died on April 21 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. Mr. Kahn was 90.

Kahn's sitcom writing credits in the 1960s included My Favorite Martian, The Smothers Brothers Show (aka My Brother the Angel), My Mother the Car, The Lucy Show, The Addams Family, Petticoat Junction (2 episodes), Hank, Get Smart, Bewitched (15 episodes from 1967 to 1972), Occasional Wife, The Second Hundred Years, The Ugliest Girl in Town and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

He co-created the short-lived 1978-1979 NBC sitcom Joe & Valerie with Ronald Rubin. Some of his sitcom writing credits in the 1970s included My World and Welcome to It, Nanny and the Professor, Make Room for Granddaddy, The Good Life, Love, American Style (3 episodes), The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, Room 222 (2 episodes), The Paul Lynde Show, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Maude, Chico and the Man, Viva Valdez (2 episodes), The Practice (3 episodes), Tabitha (also an executive story consultant), Three's Company, The Love Boat and Brothers and Sisters.

Kahn received two Writers Guild Award nominations for Episodic Comedy for Get Smart in 1968 and My World and Welcome to It in 1971.

He co-wrote the 1971 Disney television movie The Barefoot Executive with Joseph McEveety, Lila Garrett and Stu Billett. He wrote the 1985 comedy film Basic Training.

Survivors include his wife, Elinor Berger; three daughters; two step-children; and five grandchildren.

Mr. Kahn penned more than 100 episodes of television series during his career, which spanned from the 1960s to the 1990s. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, January 23

Shifting Gears - "Accommodations" (ABC, 9:02PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.

Only Murders in the Building - "Sparring Partners" (ABC, 9:33PM ET/PT)
Closing in on the killer, Mabel takes her investigative talents into the ring; Oliver and Charles duke it out over a birdcage only to end up confronting their deepest paternal struggles.

Only Murders in the Building - "I Know Who Did It" (ABC, 10:12PM ET/PT)
The question of who did it remains, along with a few more questions that have been raised.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "An Old Mustang" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie worries that he’s leaving Connor out of his new project with Jim. Meanwhile, Mandy and Audrey struggle to decorate CeeCee’s nursery without fighting.

Ghosts - "The Primary Source" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam’s book publisher requires source material for her biography on Isaac, she and Jay take a field trip to find a diary he claims he hid when he was alive.

Animal Control - "Baby Kangaroos and Chickens" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria compete to win Fiona's affections at the new kennels' fundraiser; Emily gets some very bad advice from Bettany on her speech; Patel and Shred find themselves facing the world's most charming squatter.

Going Dutch - "Korfball" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Everyone in town is talking about the upcoming Korfball match between the Americans and the Dutch; the colonel refuses to lose to the Dutch and Quinn brings out her high school alter ego "The Rocket" to make her dad proud.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Thursday, January 23

  • James Marsden (30 Rock) - Catch James on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Fortune Feimster (FUBAR/Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - Denis stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Thomas, Paul and Joe are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez/About a Boy/Gary Unmarried/Welcome to The Captain) - Al appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Jason Biggs (Outmatched/Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason and his wife Jenny Mollen are telling Drew about their new show Dinner and a Movie that features an episode focusing on 50 First Dates on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

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

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01/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 20, 2025)
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01/16 - Apple TV+ Prime Target Trailer; Apple Cider Vinegar Premieres in February on Netflix
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01/06 - 82nd Golden Globe Winners; Shoresy Returns in February on Hulu
01/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 6, 2025)
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01/03 - Antenna TV Pays Tribute to Linda Lavin with Alice Marathon; Catchy Comedy Recreates Classic CBS Saturday Night Lineup from the 1970s
01/02 - Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover Event; The Night Agent Returns January 23 on Netflix
01/01 - Happy New Year; Antenna TV's New Year's Day Fresh Start Marathon; ABC's Shifting Gears Official Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2024
12/30 - Remembering Linda Lavin of Alice; Hulu Releases Chad Powers Teaser
12/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 30, 2024)
12/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Cable Networks No Longer a Priority for Paramount; Paramount+ Removes Vintage Nickelodeon Series
12/27 - Max Renews Creature Commandos for Season 2; Fox's Denis Leary Comedy Gets First Look
12/26 - Cobra Kai Final Episodes in February on Netflix; HBO Slates 13th Bill Maher Comedy Special
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Coming to DVD in February
12/24 - 2024 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Christmas Con Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary; Deli Boys Premieres in March on Hulu