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

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

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

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, December 26

Ghosts - "The Christmas: Spirit One" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
In part one of a special one-hour #Ghostsmas episode, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), visits Woodstone Mansion and brings along an adoring male friend, inspiring Sam to spark a romance between them in the spirit of the holiday rom-coms she loves. Meanwhile, the ghosts have conjured up a very different holiday plan for Trevor and Bela. Also, Isaac has an awkward encounter with Nigel that forces him to look back on events in his life.

Ghosts - "The Christmas: Spirit Two" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
In part two of a special one-hour #Ghostsmas episode, Sam and Thorfinn get caught in the crossfire as the scheme Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), and the ghosts have conjured up goes awry. Also, Isaac’s marriage to Beatrice sheds light on how apprehensive he has been in communicating his feelings to Nigel.

Ghosts - "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1" / "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A leaky water heater mishap threatens to ruin holiday plans as Sam and Jay prepare to host Jay’s hard-to-please dad, Mahesh (Bernard White), difficult-to-impress mom, Champa (Sakina Jaffrey), and sister Bela (Punam Patel), on a one-hour GHOSTSMAS special.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 23)

Thursday, December 26

Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Catch Jenny on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Luke Wilson (No Good Deed/Englightened) - Luke is joining Drew for a round of "Behind-the-Scenes" with tidbits from his roles in movies like Legally Blonde on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. He's also telling her about his role in the thrilling new show, No Good Deed.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney is chatting with Drew about joining her on Hollywood Squares, going back to work in comedy after becoming a mother, and hosting her new trivia show about Friends on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle appears on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Carol Kane (Taxi/All Is Forgiven/Amerian Dreamer/Pearl/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Carol chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Lamorne Morris (Woke/New Girl) - Lamorne sits down for an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay talks about his new virtual reality series Soapstone Comedy Presents on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.