SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Surf's up! Celebrate the unofficial start of summer this Memorial Day with a 16-hour Summer & Surf Gidget Marathon. Antenna TV will show the entire series from beginning to end of the Sally Field sitcom -- yes all 32 episodes back-to-back. What better way to binge! It all starts at 6am on Monday, May 29 and will run until 10pm ET. Gidget regularly airs Saturdays from 4-5pm and Sunday mornings from 6-7am ET. Gidget is a sitcom by Screen Gems about a surfing, boy-crazy teenager named Frances Elizabeth "Gidget" Lawrence and her widowed father Russ Lawrence, a UCLA professor. Sally Field stars as Gidget with Don Porter as father Russell Lawrence. The series was first broadcast on ABC from September 15, 1965 to April 21, 1966.

A&E Network will premiere a new two-hour stand-alone special episode of the breakout limited series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath entitled 'Merchants of Fear' on Monday, May 29 from 9 to 11 PM ET/PT. In this two-hour special, Leah Remini and Mike Rinder explore the historical relationship between the Church of Scientology and its often vocal critics. A series of special guests candidly describe their personal experiences investigating controversial stories about the Church and how the Church has responded to their work. The special will also feature a sneak peak of the upcoming season two.

A&E Networks had their upfront last night. Lifetime's mission to lead entertainment through female-centric storytelling continues with the greenlight of three new high-profile movies: Flint, starring Cher; Watcher in the Woods, starring Anjelica Huston; and I Am Elizabeth Smart featuring Elizabeth Smart as executive producer and on-screen narrator. Supporting Lifetime's new brand mantra, "Possibility is Power," forthcoming movie and series tent poles reimagine what is possible for women today while championing diverse role models and celebrating our evolving and complex ideas of womanhood. No one does this better than Cat Deeley and her new unscripted series at Lifetime, This Time Next Year, along with fierce television and fashion personality Yolanda Hadid in her new unscripted series to premiere later this year, Model Moms (wt).

Meanwhile at A&E, the iconic, genre-defining series which won countless industry awards, Biography, is returning to A+E Networks after five years as a re-imagined global, linear and digital non-fiction franchise. The Emmy Award-winning Biography, which will focus on meaningful events or personalities and their impact on our culture, will begin to roll out on A&E, HISTORY and Lifetime domestically and internationally across all platforms beginning this spring. Initial projects under the Biography banner include Biggie Smalls, Vladimir Putin, Tupac Shakur, John Gotti Jr., Elizabeth Smart, Mike Tyson and David Koresh.

Kevin James is returning to his stand-up roots with an all-new comedy special for Netflix, the world's leading Internet TV network. The veteran comic's latest special, slated to shoot later this year, will launch globally on Netflix in 2018. A comedian, producer, writer and Emmy-nominated actor, James is an established and well-respected staple in entertainment today. Discovered at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival -- and unwittingly taking the first step in what would become an illustrious career -- he signed a network development deal which lead to the creation of his 1998 CBS smash-hit The King of Queens. The sitcom, starring and executive-produced by James, ran for nine seasons and garnered the actor a 2006 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. While Queens wrapped its run in 2007, it still continues to air daily and find a new audience in syndication around the world. James currently stars in and executive-produces the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which debuted in 2016. He'll next appear in the Netflix original film Sandy Wexler, launching globally April 14.

Just in time for Father's Day, Shout! Factory TV presents an event the whole family can enjoy! Every episode of Father Knows Best lands on the streaming service this month. Whether reliving the rosy memory of a perfect family life from the 1950s or discovering this classic sitcom for the first time, viewers from all generations will fall in love with Father Knows Best all over again. Discover, experience and binge-watch over 2,000 hours of culture-defining entertainment for free on Shout! Factory TV by visiting ShoutFactoryTV.com on your desktop or through a mobile browser. Download the Shout! Factory TV app on Roku and Samsung Smart TV to watch through your television set.

Enter the perfect family life of a General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. Beginning in 1954, Jim would come home from his office, take off his sports jacket, put on his comfortable sweater, and deal with the everyday problems of a growing family without breaking a sweat. His picture perfect wife Margaret is a vibrant mother of three – Betty, Bud and Kathy. To the millions who watched the six-time Primetime Emmy®-winning Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young and Jane Wyatt; Elinor Donahue, Bill Gray and Lauren Chapin, this long running TV sitcom not only captured the hearts of American viewers, but also stood as the representation of mid-century traditional family values. In 1949, Father Knows Best? first premiered as a NBC radio sitcom. The series star Robert Young and producer Eugene B. Rodney transplanted the popular radio series into television (minus the question mark in the show’s title). The TV sitcom Father Knows Best premiered on CBS in October 1954 and has been part of the American cultural fabric ever since.

A&E Network has ordered twenty episodes of the acclaimed drama series, Bates Motel from Universal Television. New episodes of Bates Motel will begin production later this year and will air over two seasons, starting in 2016. Bates Motel has garnered a truly loyal fan base over the past three seasons. Vera Farmiga (Up In The Air, The Conjuring) in her Emmy-nominated role as Norma Bates, and Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Norman star alongside Max Thieriot (Disconnect, Texas Rising), Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost, The Dark Knight Rises). Bates Motel serves as a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho and provides viewers with an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates unravels through his teenage years.

Kevin Rahm (Mad Men, Desperate Housewives), Tracy Spiradakos (Revolution) and Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) joined the series this season and have arrived in White Pine Bay. After a summer of living at the Bates Motel, Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and Norma have grown closer but there will always have that troubling question mark surrounding Norman. Something doesn't feel right, but spite of his instincts, Romero finds himself continually drawn back to the Bates family -- and to Norma. Emma (Olivia Cooke) also determined to find out what is happening to Norman becomes more emboldened, fearless, goes after the things she wants. Familiar face, Bradley (Nicola Peltz) returns to surprise the family and digs up old memories.

A+E Networks held their annual upfront presentation and party late last week and made a number of significant programming announcements on new event series, new series, and new digital-only series. We'll cover some of that here today. A&E has a new drama coming up called Damien, that follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Damien stars Bradley James as Damien Thorn (Homeland), along with Oscar® nominee Barbara Hershey (Once Upon a Time), Omid Abtahi (Better Call Saul) and Meganlyn Echikunwoke (House of Lies). HISTORY, A&E and LIFETIME greenlight the scripted event series Roots for a new generation of viewers to simulcast on all three flagship brands. Will Packer (Ride Along, Think Like A Man) joins as executive producer and original Roots cast member and Emmy-award winning LeVar Burton boards as co-executive producer. The event will air in 2016. Lifetime of course has new series UnReal coming up, launching June 1. The drama stars Shiri Appleby (Girls) and Constance Zimmer (House of Cards, Entourage) and gives a fictitious behind-­the-­scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition program.

And finally, Lifetime, A&E Network and HISTORY are partnering with The Weinstein Company, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Worldwide/Lookout Point on a major limited series event based on Leo Tolstoy's enduring novel War and Peace. Simulcasting in the U.S. on the three networks in 2016, War and Peace will feature an all-star cast including SAG Award® and Film Independent Spirit Award winner Paul Dano (12 Years a Slave, Little Miss Sunshine), Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey), Golden Globe® winner Gillian Anderson (The X Files, Hannibal), Oscar®, James Norton (Happy Valley, Rush), Golden Globe and BAFTA winner Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Iris) and others. Back to Lifetime, season three of Devious Maids will launch on June 1, as previously announced.

IFC is joining Gigi on her ultimate adventures with the newly greenlit comedy, Gigi's Bucket List, starring David Krumholtz (This Is The End, Numb3rs, 10 Things I Hate About You). Gertrude Rotblum, aka "Gigi," just lost her beloved husband Harold, but has gained a new lease on life with the help of an unknown bank account discovered in his will. Eight half-hour episodes start shooting this June in Los Angeles. The show will premiere later in 2015 on IFC. With her dead husband's secret millions, this 76-year-old yenta with a heart of gold and a razor-sharp tongue sets out to experience everything she deprived herself of in her younger years. Gigi (Krumholtz) will live life to its fullest and fastest while ignoring doctor's orders and turning the stigmas of aging on their head. She will travel to rock festivals and explore new technologies like online dating, with her trusty male nurse sidekick played by Ricky Mabe (Goon, Zach & Miri Make A Porno) along for the ride.

Look ahead: Cable will continue tomorrow, as we mentioned above, with networks like Discovery, Starz, BBC America, and Viacom Networks like TV Land. NBC Universal will start the broadcast portion off on Sunday and will continue on Monday. As usual, Fox will be second among broadcast and will go on Tuesday, while cable sibling FX will go on Wednesday. Thursday has ABC and its cable counterpart ABC Family up. On Friday (Jan, 11), ABC and ABC Family will conclude their portion. Next Saturday (Jan. 12) it will be CBS and Showtime's turn, while next Sunday (Jan. 13) has The CW to end the broadcast portion. Stay with us for key updates from these events.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of January 7-11, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, January 7, 2013

• Billy Gardell (Mike & Molly) - Watch Billy on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael is a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC. She will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Courteney stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS. She will also be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings. The fourth season of Cougar Town premieres on TBS on Tuesday, January 8 at 10:00pm ET/PT.
• Chris D'Elia (Whitney) - Chris appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Matthew Perry (Go On/Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Matthew is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin chats on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - NeNe visits The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) - Busy visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.

• Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Catch Jennifer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel Live! moves to its new time of 11:35pm starting tonight.
• Josh Gad (1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. The new episode premiere of 1600 Penn is Thursday, January 10 at 9:30pm/8:30pm Central on NBC.
• Billy Connolly (Head of the Class/Billy) - Billy is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - Tune in to see Kaley on Conan at 11pm on TBS. She will also be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) - Busy appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty continues to make the rounds on Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

• Lena Dunham (Girls) - Watch Lena on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• David Duchovny (Californication) - David is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon continues to make the rounds on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - Kaley appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

• Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City) - Catch Michael on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison drops by The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Tim Allen (Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Tim visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• The Cast of 30 Rock - The cast of 30 Rock will be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally appears on Tavis Smiley on Thursday and Friday on PBS, so check listings for time.
• Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jenna Elfman (1600 Penn/Accidentally on Purpose/Dharma & Greg) - Tune in to see Jenna on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Don Cheadle (The Golden Palace) - Don is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon guest co-hosts Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.

• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Hot Properties) - Watch Sofia on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Angela Kinsey (The Office) - Angela stops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• David Duchovny (Californication) - David appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Nick Kroll (The League/Cavemen) - Nick is a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Lena Dunham (Girls) - Lena continues to make the rounds on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon wraps up his appearances this week on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.