New Elizabeth Montgomery REELZ Special; Apple TV+ Renews The Big Door Prize

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.

The Big Door Prize

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 1

St. Denis Medical - "Anything to Push Zaluva" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron's teasing makes Joyce question whether her friendship with a pharmaceutical rep is genuine; Alex has trouble letting Serena take on a new task; Matt finds a mentor in Bruce.

Night Court - "Hot to Trot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby's friendship with her ex-boyfriend's mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne's wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Love At First Swipe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
C.J. and Janine receive marital advice from an unlikely source; Peanut seeks help with his newfound online lover.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Failure 2 Launch" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Assisted Living is the new situation comedy by Tyler Perry about three generations who must make a new start in the rural backwoods of Georgia.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Tuesday, April 1

Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Catch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) and Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Chase and Kathryn are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Will Ferrell (The Office) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - E! News has interviews with Will and Jennifer at 11pm on E!.
Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) - Román talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) and Michael Cera (Life & Beth/Arrested Development/I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) - Michael and Michael talk about Sacramento with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) and Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tasha and Tone talk about the new season of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is dishing on her new comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about Netflix's Running Point on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.