Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Reelz Celebrates 50th Anniversary of M*A*S*H with New Special; HBO Renews Curb Your Enthusiasm for Season 12

M*A*S*H

REELZ announced a new original special M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Korean War themed comedy drama that premiered on September 17, 1972 and ran for 11 seasons that would become a beloved television juggernaut culminating in more than 106 million people tuning in for the series finale in 1983—a record that still stands today. Through new exclusive interviews with cast members Jamie Farr (Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt) and Jeff Maxwell (Pvt. Igor Straminsky) along with producers and writers the special explores the brilliant series that lasted four times longer than the war it was set in and its delicate straddling of the line between comedy and drama at a time when evening news about the Vietnam War was beaming to television sets every night across America.

M*A*S*H also had many creative firsts never before seen in television dramas which included killing off a main character and weaving together multiple storylines in a single episode. M*A*S*H also broke barriers in television taking bold risks tackling issues of racism, gays in the military and anti-war sentiment. But what viewers didn't see on screen were the struggles that left the show hanging by a thread on more than one occasion including its lukewarm reception by audiences to its first season that almost led to its cancellation. M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever premieres Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT.

In M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever cast and crew reveal their battles with network executives to keep the show alive, their first days on set, favorite episodes, what they think made the show a mega hit and why it endures today. The special also retraces the franchise history including its source material the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and the Academy Award® winning movie M*A*S*H starring Elliott Gould who in a new interview shares the story of how he won the coveted role of Capt. John Francis Xavier "Trapper John" McIntyre. Series executive producer Burt Metcalfe and writers Ken Levine and Gary Markowitz discuss stylistic firsts in the series that were considered risky at the time with episodes shot in different perspectives including a soldier's point of view after being wounded and becoming a patient inside the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and a black and white documentary style episode complete with real life war correspondent Clete Roberts interviewing M*A*S*H characters. And in true M*A*S*H fashion real events would find their way into key storylines after a fire tore through the Malibu set before production wrapped on the monumental series finale. The two hour series finale was expanded by another 30 minutes after it was decided to weave in stories about the fire much to the satisfaction of network executives who sold 30 second commercial spots in the series finale for the same price as those in the Super Bowl that year. M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever is produced by AMS Pictures.


Curb Your Enthusiasm

HBO has renewed the Emmy® and Golden Globe-winning comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring Larry David, for a twelfth season. Originally debuting on HBO in 2001 and with 110 completed episodes to date, Curb Your Enthusiasm stars Seinfeld co-creator David as an over-the-top version of himself in an unsparing but tongue-in-cheek depiction of his fictionalized life. The series also stars Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Richard Lewis, Vince Vaughn, and Ted Danson. The comedy series continues to prove how seemingly trivial details of one's day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events. To keep the narrative spontaneous, the series is shot without a script and cast members are given scene outlines and improvise lines as they go.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 24

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "TV Money" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mandy tries to prove she’s financially responsible after Jim and Georgie call out her poor spending habits, and Connor’s new girlfriend needs a place to stay.

Ghosts - "I Know What You Did Thirty-Seven Summers Ago" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Sam and Jay host a fundraiser for the mayor to earn a favor for Jay’s restaurant, they learn of his bizarre connection to one of Woodstone’s ghosts. Odessa Adlon returns as Stephanie, the ghost who died on her prom night.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 21)

Thursday, April 24

  • Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building/High Fidelity/People of Earth/Selfie) - Catch Da'Vine on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones/The Unicorn/Vice Principals) - Walton appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Sasheer and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - E! News has an interview with Will at 11pm on E!.
  • Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael swings by the studio on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones/Vice Principals/Partners) - Edi chats about The Righteous Gemstones on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Ernest Lee Thomas (Everybody Hates Chris/What's Happening!!/What's Happening Now!!) and Haywood Nelson (What's Happening!!/What's Happening Now!!) - Ernest and Haywood talk about the 49th Anniversary of What's Happening!! on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Cheech Marin (Rob/The Golden Palace) and Tommy Chong (That '90s Show/That '70s Show) - Cheech and Tommy talk about Cheech & Chong's Last Movie on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Casey Wilson (The Righteous Gemstones/Black Monday/The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings) - Casey talks about The Great American Baking Show on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle is telling Drew about her show Survival of the Thickest on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Dating expert Damona Hoffman is joining Drew and Valerie for a Q & A about first dates on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris tells Sherri about the new season of Watson on CBS, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and 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 Frasier (2023) - Season Two

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

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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