SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Cozi TV is adding another sitcom. After just adding The Dick Van Dyke Show in June and Make Room For Daddy and The Real McCoys earlier this year, now another sitcom will grace the schedule. Cozi TV is adding the the early '70s sitcom Here's Lucy starring the legendary Lucille Ball to its line-up starting Monday, August 11. The sitcom will air weekdays at 4:00pm & 4:30pm. We'll have more on how this affects the rest of the schedule soon, such as where Make Room for Daddy will move to as a result. This series originally aired from 1968-74 on CBS and was Lucille Ball's third sitcom at the time. The legendary queen of television comedy is joined by her real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball plays Lucille Carter, widowed mother of teenagers Kim and Craig. Lucy works for her brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon, who owns Carter's Unique Employment Agency, leading Lucy into endless predicaments and hilarious hijinks. Stay with us for more info soon! COZI TV has more than 60 affiliates, serving nine of the top 10 U.S. television markets.

Well that was fast. The CW has pulled new comedies Seed and Backpackers from its schedule after just two episodes a piece. The comedies were airing on Monday nights following repeats of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Now repeats of Arrow will air Mondays at 9pm for a few weeks before the new season of America's Next Top Model debuts. That series will have its season premiere on Monday, Aug. 18 at 9, instead of the previously announced Friday, Aug. 22 start date. Back to the comedies, the ratings were terrible with this past Monday's airing doing an anemic 0.2 and 0.1 18-49 rating respectively and just 440,000 and 350,000 viewers. These comedies were imports from Canada.

The CW has announced its summer plans. Continuing its commitment to more year-round original programming, The CW announced its schedule for Summer 2014, including the premieres of unscripted docuseries Famous in 12, comedies Backpackers and Seed, magic series Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters if Illusion, all-new episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and the return of the fan-favorite drama Beauty and the Best. On Monday, June 2, the hilarious improv comedy Whose Line Is It Anyway? moves to its new night, with original episodes at 8:00pm ET, followed by an encore episode episode at 8:30pm ET. The romantic drama Beauty and the Best returns with original episodes at 9:00pm ET. All-new reality docuseries Famous in 12 premieres Tuesday, June 3 at 8:00pm ET, followed by repeats of Supernatural at 9. The original half-hour comedy Backpackers premieres Monday, July 14 at 8:30pm ET, following all-new episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. The half-hour comedy Seed premieres Monday, July 14 at 9:30pm ET, following encore episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? at 9 when Beauty & the Beast wraps up its batch of new episodes.

On Penn & Teller: Fool Us, premiering Wednesday, July 30 at 8:00pm ET, aspiring magicians are invited to perform their best trick to try and fool the world-famous team of Penn & Teller. Encores of Arrow will follow a 9pm. Hosted by actor Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Masters if Illusion premieres Friday, August 1 at 8:00pm ET with great escapes, fascinating sleight-of-hand and large scale illusions, all in front of a studio audience. Encore episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? will air at 8:30pm.


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 April 21-25, 2014, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, April 21, 2014

• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Watch Courteney on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jimmie "J.J." Walker (Good Times) - Jimmie appears on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Billy Bob Thornton (Hears Afire) - Billy Bob is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George stops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Ari Graynor (Bad Teacher) - Ari visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon is a guest on @midnight at midnight on Comedy Central.
• Bob Saget (How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Gillian Jacobs (Community) - Tune in to see Gillian on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Paul Scheer (The League) - Paul is a guest on a repeat of The Pete Holmes Show at midnight on TBS.
• Christopher Meloni (Surviving Jack/The Fanelli Boys) - Christopher drops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Brooklyn Decker, Majandra Delfino and Zoe Lister-Jones (Friends with Better Lives) - The women of Friends with Better Lives are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT. Zoe will also be on Pop Sugar Now on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.
• Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show/The Good Life) - Drew visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Andre will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Kirstie Alley (Kirstie/Veronica's Closet/Cheers) - Kirstie throws down a figure-friendly chicken dinner on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Ted Lange (The Love Boat) - Ted is a guest on a repeat of The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Brittany Daniel (The Game/That '80s Show) - Brittany shares her story of triumph over non-Hodgkins lymphoma on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Beau Bridges (The Millers) - Beau appears on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni will be on HuffPost Live.
• Thomas Haden Church (Wings) - Thomas is a guest on HuffPost Live.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Hot Properties/The Knights of Prosperity) - Sofia visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James will be on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly hosts the Plugged In panel on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Christine Lakin Step by Step) - Christine will be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am all this week.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

• Don Rickles (C.P.O. Sharkey/Daddy Dearest) - Mr. Warmth is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• David Duchovny (Californication) - David stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Hot Properties/The Knights of Prosperity) - Sofia appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parnham (Playing House/Best Friends Forever) - Jessica and Lennon are guests on @midnight at midnight on Comedy Central.
• T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. guest co-hosts Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Ellie Kemper (The Office) - Ellie appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon drops by The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
• Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) - Reno discusses his passion for indoor cycle training on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me!) - Wendie is a guest on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty will be on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.
• Gillian Jacobs (Community) - Gillian appears on HuffPost Live.
• Christine Lakin Step by Step) - Christine will be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am all this week.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

• Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Watch Sally on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Timothy Simons (Veep) - Timothy drops by The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim appears on on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Tim Allen (Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Tim visits Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Paul Scheer (The League) - Paul is a guest on @midnight at midnight on Comedy Central.
• Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT. He will also be on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Sarah chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) - Chris will be on Pop Sugar Now on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• David Alan Grier (Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David appears on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) - William will be on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.
• Ari Graynor (Bad Teacher) - Ari is a guest on The Couch on WLNY 10/55 in New York between 7-9am.
• Max Charles (The Neighbors) - Max will be on The Couch on WLNY 10/55 in New York between 7-9am.
• Christine Lakin Step by Step) - Christine will be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am all this week.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Catch Neil on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Sarah appears on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Jim is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He will also be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am.
• Zoe Lister-Jones (Friends with Better Lives/Whitney) - Zoe visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tom Lennon (Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) - Tom is a guest on @midnight at midnight on Comedy Central.
• Mary McCormack (Welcome to the Family) - Mary guest co-hosts Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell) - Mario appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Brandy Norwood (The Game/Moesha) - Tune in to see Brandy on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• The Cast of Bad Teacher - Sara Gilbert, Ari Graynor, David Alan Grier and Ryan Hansen are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Candace Cameron-Bure (Full House) - Candace guest co-hosts The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Molly Ephraim (Last Man Standing) - Molly shares behind-the-scenes stories from her show on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Max Greenfield (New Girl/Modern Men) - Max shares his passion for teaching kids the love of reading and the value of giving back on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) - William chats and performs on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Timothy Simons (Veep) - Timothy will be on HuffPost Live.
• Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory/Blossom) - Mayim is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Christine Lakin Step by Step) - Christine will be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am all this week.
• B.J. Novak (The Office) - B.J. is a guest on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
• Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show and Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Jamie, Sally and the rest of the cast The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.

Friday, April 25, 2014

• Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Show/Spin City/Family Ties) - Watch Michael on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show) - Jamie is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He will also be on 106 & Park at 6pm on BET.
• Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Seth appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Denis Leary (The Job) - Denis is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Brooklyn Decker (Friends with Better Lives) - Brooklyn is part of the guest panel on a repeat of Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm. She will also be on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Christine Baranski (Cybill/Happy Family) - Christine visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (Full House/So Little Time) - Mary-Kate and Ashley are guests on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James talks about his new CBS sitcom Friends with Better Lives on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• B.J. Novak (The Office) - B.J. talks about his new book, One More Thing: Stories and More Stories, on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony will be on New York Live on WNBC at 12:30pm ET.
• Benjamin Stockham (About a Boy) - Benjamin talks about his career making role on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Wendi McClendon-Covey (The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Wendi is a guest on a repeat of The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon appears on The Queen Latifah Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Zachary will be on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.
• Connie Britton (Spin City/The Fighting Fitzgeralds) - Connie is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Sharon Lawrence (Ladies Man/Fired Up) - Sharon appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Christine Lakin Step by Step) - Christine will be on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am all this week.
• Candace Cameron Bure (Full House) - Candace is a guest on Big Morning Buzz Live on VH1 at 10am.
• Suzanne Somers (Three's Company/Step by Step) - Suzanne appears on NewsNation on MSNBC at 11am.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

A digital sitcom goes to TV. In a first for the network's digital studio, CW Seed, the original digital series Backpackers will make the jump from online-only to the broadcast network, with brand new original episodes of Backpackers set to premiere on The CW Television Network this summer. Backpackers will premiere with ten original half-hour episodes on The CW Network later this summer, with a date and time to be announced at a later date. The first four episodes contain material previously released as digital episodes on CW Seed; the final six wholly original episodes will be specifically written and produced for The CW Network.

In Backpackers, best friends Ryan (Noah Reid) and Brandon (Dillon Casey, Nikita) race across Europe in search of Ryan's missing bride-to-be, while also struggling with the eternal twenty-something question of what to do with their lives. When Ryan's lost journal suddenly gets posted online and explodes across the internet, Ryan's life dream of becoming a published author becomes real - if only he can track down the jerk who stole the journal. With Brandon's slacker brother Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti, Reign) in tow, they travel from Thailand to Canada in search of the missing journal, while also seeking the ultimate answers to life, love and partying. Backpackers is produced by Shaftesbury U.S. and Smokebomb Entertainment, Shaftesbury's award-winning digital media arm, in association with The CW Television Network. Developed for television and produced by Jay Bennett, Backpackers is executive produced by Maggie Murphy, Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie and Tom Mazza.

In an unprecedented effort to discover fresh comedic voices, NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke announced "NBC Comedy Playground," a grassroots initiative designed to invest in new cutting-edge comedy through a groundbreaking national campaign that offers aspiring comedy writers from across the country the opportunity to take their concepts from pitch to broadcast. An all-star comedy Advisory Board comprised of A-list talent, including Aziz Ansari, Jason Bateman, Robert Carlock, Sean Hayes, Mindy Kaling, Jason Katims, Josh Lieb, Eva Longoria, Adam McKay, Seth Meyers, Todd Milliner, Will Packer, Amy Poehler, Craig Robinson, Maya Rudolph, Mike Schur, Adam Scott and Mike Shoemaker will help the network ultimately select two winners to create original shows intended for telecast during summer 2015 on NBC. Through "NBC Comedy Playground," the network aims to uncover additional sources of talent and open the door for aspiring comedy writers - reaching beyond the traditional talent labs of film schools and NY/LA comedy clubs -- in a grassroots effort to find and nurture new creative voices and expand and enrich the traditional television development model.

Beginning May 1, aspiring comedy writers are asked to submit their ideas to be considered for both digital and network comedy shows. Entrants may submit up to two video samples (5-10 minutes each) of their pre-existing work, along with up to two video pitches (2-5 minutes per pitch), each describing a unique, original show idea, to www.nbccomedyplayground.com. The Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, are available at www.nbccomedyplayground.com. Up to 10 finalists will be chosen by the NBC Selection Panel, and NBC will provide funding for each finalist to produce a full pilot presentation based on his/her original pitch. Two winners will be selected by the all-star comedy Advisory Board, in consultation with NBC. Each of the winners will have their show broadcast on NBC. The remaining finalist presentations that aren't selected will be posted to the "NBC Comedy Playground" website where the public will vote for their favorites - and the one receiving the most votes will then be developed as a digital show.