SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Gives Pilot Order to A Different World Sequel; Malcolm in the Middle Reboot Recasts Role of Dewey

  Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week is mostly about reboots. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Netflix has given a pilot order to a sequel to A Different World, which given how Netflix typically orders shows straight to series, is an unusual thing. (Variety)
• We've been talking about the Malcolm in the Middle reboot for some time, and now we're learning that the role of Dewey will be recast. (Variety)
• Even though it will have ultimately been 17 seasons from the beginning of Roseanne to the end of The Conners, Laurie Metcalf doesn't think that much time has been enough time to wrap up the storylines on the series. (Deadline)
• Is it time for a reboot of The Critic? Jon Lovitz thinks so. (Deadline)
• Adult Swim has renewed Common Side Effects for a second season. (Hollywood Reporter)
• It seems that broadcast daytime TV has mostly become court shows lately, and now the Amazon Prime series Tribunal Justice will be joining those lineups this fall, with clearance in 95% of the US. (Deadline)
• Even though it was previously renewed for a third season, After Midnight on CBS will be ending this summer, and CBS has decided that they will no longer air new programming in the 12:30 AM hour. (Hollywood Reporter)
• We're getting closer and closer to Pat Sajak's "final spin" on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (MARCH 29 - APRIL 4)

• Tomorrow's binge on Catchy Comedy is Mama's Family.
• The first ten episodes of the Hulu series Mid-Century Modern are now available to stream.
• The Simpsons took a short hiatus on Fox so that Family Guy could have some time at 8 PM, but it returns tomorrow night (and Family Guy moves to 8:30).

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

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Labels: A Different World, After Midnight, Common Side Effects, Malcolm in the Middle, Mama's Family, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Conners, The Critic

CBS Announces Hollywood Squares Host; After Midnight Renewed for 2024-25

CBS announced Nate Burleson (co-host of CBS Mornings and analyst for The NFL Today) will host the new edition of the legendary game show Hollywood Squares. The celebrity-stacked game show, starring Drew Barrymore as the famed center square, will air Wednesdays (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) starting in January on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Hollywood Squares starring Drew Barrymore, is a classic game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The "board" for the game is a vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The celebrities are asked questions and the contestants judge the legitimacy of their answers to win the game. Award-winning actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore will take her place as the famed center square, answering questions for the contestants.

CBS announced its late-night series After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, has been renewed for the 2024-2025 broadcast season. Inspired by Comedy Central's Emmy Award-winning series @midnight, with celebrated comedian Taylor Tomlinson at the helm and a panel of guests from the worlds of entertainment, comedy, music and beyond, After Midnight is a late-night comedy series about what set the internet abuzz that day. After Midnight, from CBS Studios, Spartina Industries and Funny Or Die, is executive produced by Stephen Colbert, Carrie Byalick, Tom Purcell and Evelyn McGee Colbert of Spartina Industries; James Dixon of Dixon Talent; Jack Martin; Joe Farrell; Mike Farah; Whitney Hodack and Henry R. Muñoz III of Funny Or Die; and Jason U. Nadler of Serious Business. Jo Firestone is co-executive producer and head writer while Alexx Wells also serves as co-executive producer. Sharon Everitt directs. After Midnight airs on the CBS Television Network at 12:35 AM, ET/PT and is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: After Midnight, CBS, Hollywood Squares, Paramount+

SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Sets After Midnight Premiere Details; Chico and the Man Arrives on Tubi

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's another slow news week, but we're here with news about the new CBS late night series, a cast change for The Conners, and the debut of a classic 70s sitcom that hasn't been seen much in recent years on Tubi. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• After several months of delays due to the strikes, CBS finally has plans firmly in place, along with a premiere date that is just a little over a week away, for After Midnight, their replacement for The Late Late Show. (Deadline)
• Another cast member is leaving The Conners, and will not appear in the 6th season. (Deadline)
• Magnum, P.I. star Jay Hernandez doesn't like the way that the series ended this past week on NBC, and would like a movie to wrap things up. (TV Insider)
• David Soul of Starksy & Hutch has died. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JANUARY 6 - JANUARY 12)

• Chico and the Man has finally escaped from the vaults, and all four seasons are now available for streaming on Tubi.
• Prime Video now has the complete series of Northern Exposure, for the first time ever on digital streaming.
• Catchy Comedy has a binge of Love, American Style this weekend.
• Fox has season premieres of Grimsburg and The Great North on Sunday, though the timeslot premiere is still a month away.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

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Labels: After Midnight, Chico and the Man, Magnum, SitcomsOnline Digest, Starsky & Hutch, The Conners

CBS New Late Night Series After Midnight; Eric André Adult Swim Comedy Special; Remembering Glynis Johns and David Soul

CBS announced its new late-night series, After Midnight, hosted by Taylor Tomlinson, will premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 12:37 AM, ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, following a new episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. After Midnight, inspired by Comedy Central's Emmy Award-winning series @midnight, is the smartest show on television about the dumbest things on the internet. With celebrated comedian Taylor Tomlinson at the helm and a panel of guests from the worlds of entertainment, comedy, music and beyond, After Midnight is a late-night comedy series about what set the internet abuzz that day with a game show feel. Upcoming guests will be announced at a later date.

Eric André will bring his anarchic comedy show Eric André Live Near Broadway to Adult Swim Thursday, January 18 at midnight ET/PT. Featuring André's lo-fi brand of late-night entertainment and punk rock comedy, his performance at Terminal 5 in New York City was filmed for the half-hour special, and includes guest appearances from Emmy(R) and Tony(R) winning actor Billy Porter alongside fan-favorite characters The Grim Reaper and The Fridge Keeper. A staple of Adult Swim programming since it first debuted in 2012, the sixth season of Eric Andre Show premiered on Adult Swim last year. André and Mike Rosenstein serve as Executive Producers. "Eric André Live Near Broadway" will also be available the next day on Max.

British actress Glynis Johns, who starred as Glynis Granville in Glynis and as Trudie Pepper in Coming of Age, has died. She died in Los Angeles, California, at an assisted living home, on January 4 from natural causes. Ms. Johns was 100.

Johns starred as Glynis Granville, a mystery writer, in the short-lived 1963 CBS sitcom Glynis. Keith Andes appeared as Keith Granville, Glynis' husband who works as a successful criminal defense attorney. Together, the couple would attempt to solve various crimes. George Mathews co-stars as Glynis' friend, Chick Rogers, a retired police officer, who offers advice and solace in her writing. The series was produced by Desilu and created and executive produced by Jess Oppenheimer, who originated I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

She starred as Trudie Pepper in the 1988-1989 CBS sitcom Coming of Age. Trudie Pepper is a a senior citizen living in an Arizona retirement community called The Dunes. She is married to Ed Pepper (Alan Young). The cast included Paul Dooley, Phyllis Newman, Kevin Pollak, Ruta Lee and Lenore Woodward.

Johns guest starred as Helen Chambers, Diane Chambers' (Shelley Long) mother, in a first season episode of Cheers in 1983. In "Someone Single, Someone Blue," Helen Chambers is an eccentric dowager who, due to a stipulation in Diane's late father's will, will lose all her money unless Diane is married by the next day.

She played Edna Miles in a 1984 episode of The Love Boat. She guest starred as Maureen in a 1987 episode of The Cavanaughs.

Johns appeared in four episodes of Batman in 1967 as villainess Lady Penelope Peasoup, one half of the evil duo with Rudy Vallée as her brother Lord Marmaduke Ffogg. Some of her other television guest appearances included Studio One, Lux Video Theatre, Adventures in Paradise, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, The Lloyd Bridges Show, Burke's Law, The Defenders (1964) and Murder, She Wrote.

She starred as Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins (1964). She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Firth in The Sundowners (1967). Her last film appearance was as the grandmother of Molly Shannon's Mary Gallagher in the 1999 film Superstar.

Johns won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical in 1973 for her role as Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music.

Ms. Johns was a talented and versatile actress. She had a career spanning eight decades on stage and both the big and small screen. We thank her for the entertainment she brought us during her long career. She will be deeply missed.

American-British actor and singer David Soul, who starred as Joshua Bolt in Here Come the Brides and as Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in Starsky & Hutch, has died. He died on January 4 in London, England. Mr. Soul was 80.

Soul starred as Joshua Bolt in the 1968-1970 ABC comedy western Here Come the Brides. The series was loosely based on Asa Mercer's efforts in the 1860s to import marriageable women (the Mercer Girls) from the East Coast cities of the United States to Seattle, where there was a shortage. The cast included Robert Brown, Bobby Sherman, Bridget Hanley, Mark Lenard, Bo Svenson, Joan Blondell, Henry Beckham, Mitzi Hoag and Susan Tolsky.

He starred as Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in the 1975-1979 ABC action/police drama Starsky & Hutch. The series' protagonists were two Southern California police detectives: David Michael Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Kenneth Richard "Hutch" Hutchinson. Hutch is the divorced, blond, Duluth, Minnesota, native with a more reserved and intellectual approach. Soul directed three episodes of the series. He had a brief cameo in the 2004 movie version of Starsky & Hutch, alongside Paul Michael Glaser.

Soul starred as Ted Warrick in Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law in 1974. In 1979, he starred as Ben Mears in the CBS miniseries Salem's Lot. He played nightclub owner Rick Blain in the 1983 NBC drama Casablanca. He starred as Roy Champion in the 1983-1984 NBC primetime soap opera The Yellow Rose. He starred as John Westley "Westy" Grayson in the 1989 NBC police drama Unsub.

He guest starred on I Dream of Jeannie in 1967 and All in the Family in 1971. Some of his other television guest appearances included Flipper (1967), Star Trek, The Young Rebels, Dan August, Ironside, The F.B.I., The Streets of San Francisco, Circle of Fear, Cannon, The Rookies, McMillan & Wife, Medical Center, Gunsmoke, Crime Story, The Young Riders (2 episodes), Jake and the Fatman (2 episodes) and Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes).

Some of his other television directing credits included Miami Vice, Hunter, Heart of the City, Crime Story (2 episodes), China Beach and In the Heat of the Night.

As a singer, he scored one US hit and five UK hits with songs such as "Don't Give Up on Us" (US, CAN, & UK No. 1) in 1976 and "Silver Lady" (UK No. 1) in 1977.

Mr. Soul was a good actor and singer. He did a great job portraying Hutch for four seasons in Starsky & Hutch. We thank him for the entertainment he brought us on television. He will be greatly missed.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Adult Swim, After Midnight, CBS, Eric Andre Show, Here Come the Brides, Obits, Starsky & Hutch

SitcomsOnline Digest: Broadcast Networks Preparing for Shorter Seasons of Scripted Series; CBS Announces Host of After Midnight

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're still waiting for the end to that strike (will it happen?), hearing about the future of The CW (hint: less superheroes), and learning about CBS and their plans for late night. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Could we just get this actor's strike over? Negotiations are continuing this weekend. (Deadline)
• When it is over, get ready for 13 episode seasons of your favorite broadcast network primetime series (which is still about twice as many as some streaming show "seasons"). (Deadline)
• The upcoming season of Superman & Lois on The CW will be the last, marking the end of an era of superhero series on The CW. (Entertainment Weekly)
• Perhaps one of the most unexpected sitcom actor deaths in a while, Friends star Matthew Perry has died. (Variety)
• Taylor Tomlinson has been announced as the host of the new CBS late night show, After Midnight. (Variety)
• It's been frozen in time several times, but Futurama always bounces back, and the current incarnation just got a two season renewal. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (NOVEMBER 4 - NOVEMBER 10)

• Catchy Comedy is having a binge of Night Court this weekend in honor of the life of Richard Moll, rather than the previously scheduled binge of The Lucy Show.
• The Simpsons annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode airs Sunday, going back to a tradition of this episode airing after Halloween.
• Cozi TV has a short marathon of The Munsters on Tuesday.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

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Labels: After Midnight, Friends, Futurama, SAG, SitcomsOnline Digest, The CW