Thursday, April 06, 2023
New Elizabeth Montgomery REELZ Special; Apple TV+ Renews The Big Door Prize
Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitched Life premieres on Sunday, April 16 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT on REELZ. Among the most enduring TV sitcoms of all time Bewitched remains treasured nearly 60 years after its debut. The star of the series Elizabeth Montgomery was a complex and strong-willed woman whose life and career became an ongoing quest for love and recognition she never received from her movie star father. Bewitched was one of the biggest hits on TV during the turbulent 1960s as the playful magic on the series served as an escape from the era’s unrest that included the JFK assassination and the Vietnam War. But despite being a comedy that brought laughter to millions it was the drama on set that began to curse the show as infidelities entangled series director Bill Asher who at the time was married to Montgomery. The slight led Montgomery herself to have an affair with another Bewitched director. Piling onto the off screen drama was a wider shift within the TV landscape as audiences were leaving fantasy hijinks behind in favor of the edgier storytelling seen in All in the Family. Following Bewitched, Montgomery unexpectedly received another wave of fame becoming the small screen's first "Queen of the TV movies" with groundbreaking movies including A Case of Rape and The Legend of Lizzie Borden. She eventually marries a fourth and final time to actor Robert Foxworth and dies at just 62 years old from colon cancer. But like Lucille Ball before her Montgomery becomes an influential Hollywood female powerhouse and trailblazer who continues to bewitch millions of TV viewers around the world.
Apple TV+ renews acclaimed comedy The Big Door Prize starring Chris O'Dowd and hailing from Emmy Award-winning creator David West Read. On the heels of last week's critically acclaimed and celebrated global premiere of The Big Door Prize, Apple TV+ today announced an early season two renewal for the new character driven comedy from Emmy Award-winning creator David West Read. Starring an ensemble cast led by Chris O'Dowd, the 10-episode half-hour comedy is now streaming on Apple TV+, and new episodes of The Big Door Prize premiere weekly, every Wednesday. Produced by Skydance Television, the second season of The Big Door Prize is now in production.
The Big Door Prize tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident's true life potential. Dusty Hubbard (O'Dowd), a seemingly content, cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions - based on the machine's printouts - and is forced to question whether he is truly as happy as he once thought. While he remains skeptical of the machine, his wife, Cass (Gabrielle Dennis), indulges in the dream that there's something bigger out there for her. Like many of Deerfield's residents, the couple has lived a relatively safe, uncomplicated life, until the arrival of the Morpho machine. However, all of that is about to change when the community is forced to reconcile with their unfulfilled achievements in pursuit of a better future. In addition to O'Dowd, the series stars includes Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Djouliet Amara and Sammy Fourlas.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, April 23
Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Dreams" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When George's vivid dreams reveal he has feelings for Rosie, he avoids sleeping and gets distracted at work; when Chance tests at a genius-level IQ, Mayan and Quinten fear that they're a couple of dum-dums.
Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Lisa" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mayan worries when George gets into a hairy situation dating a hot hairdresser; Josué gets locked into a competition with the other man in Rosie's life: her grandson, Chance.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 22)
Tuesday, April 23
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Catch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Gabriel Iglesias (Mr. Iglesias/Cristela) - Gabriel appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Esther Povitsky (Dollface/Alone Together) - Esther appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Hannah Waddingham (Krapopolis/Ted Lasso) - Hannah is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show/The Good Life) and Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) - Drew and Thomas are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers/Frasier) - Bebe will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
- Zendaya (K.C. Undercover/Shake It Up) - Zendaya will be on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Gina Rodriguez (Not Dead Yet) - Gina talks about ABC's Dead to Me on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice) - Jennifer talks about the new season of Chucky on USA & SYFY Networks on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
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