Friday, February 09, 2024
More Stars for Netflix's No Good Deed; ID Premiering Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV; Remembering Carl Weathers

Netflix announced the additions of five recurring cast members joining No Good Deed, creator and executive producer Liz Feldman's upcoming dark comedy series. Matt Rogers (Fire Island, I Love That for You), Anna Maria Horsford (Amen, B Positive, The Wayans Bros.), Kate Moennig (The L Word, Ray Donovan), Linda Lavin (Being the Ricardos, Naked Singularity, Alice), and Wyatt Aubrey. No Good Deed is a half hour, dark comedy that follows three very different families vying to buy the very same 1920s Spanish style villa that they think will solve all their problems. But as the sellers have already discovered, sometimes the home of your dreams can be a total nightmare. Previously announced cast includes series regulars Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, O-T Fagbenle, Abbi Jacobson, Poppy Liu and Dennis Leary.

Investigation Discovery, the leading true crime network, announced Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a four-part docuseries that uncovers the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children's shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV pulls back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture. Series such as All That and The Amanda Show, among others, were obsessively consumed by children across the country and defined comedy for a generation. But behind the upbeat onscreen presence on these shows with questionable jokes and over-the-top sketches, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew. Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will premiere across two nights on ID from 9PM-11PM ET/PT on Sunday, March 17 and Monday, March 18.
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV features unprecedented access to key cast members, writers, and crew spanning Schneider's popular series at Nickelodeon. Former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson and director Virgil Fabian pull back the curtain on the culture on set of the beloved teen sketch series. Writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment in The Amanda Show writer's room. Alexa Nikolas offers insight into being a part of Zoey 101. Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will feature additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious, and other iconic series such as Marc Summers from the popular game show Double Dare. Poignantly, the series will also offer emotional testimony from parents of cast members who attempted to advocate for their children on these sets.
In four parts, the series will shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive, and manipulative behavior that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set. These interviews, woven with archival footage (some of which has never been broadcast), scenes from the shows and social media commentary, will recontextualize many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows.

Actor, director and football player Carl Weathers, who portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in Arrested Development and who starred as Coach Trainor in Brothers, has died. He died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at his home in Los Angeles on February 2. Mr. Weathers was 76.

Weathers made his television acting debut as Calvin Brooks in the Good Times episode titled "The Nude", which aired on January 14, 1975. A woman, known in the projects as the "Wiggler" (Betty Bridges, the mother of Todd Bridges), asks J.J. (Jimmie Walker) to paint a nude portrait of her as a birthday gift for her husband Calvin. Calvin suspects his wife of cheating on him with J.J.
Some of his other early television guest appearances included Kung Fu (1975), S.W.A.T. (1975), The Six Million Dollar Man, Cannon, Switch, Bronk, McCloud, Most Wanted, Starsky & Hutch, Barnaby Jones, Serpico, Delvecchio, The Streets of San Francisco and Tales of the Unexpected.
Weathers starred as Fortune Dane in the short-lived 1986 ABC police drama Fortune Dane. He had a recurring role as Col. Brewster in nine episodes of the third season (1989-1990) of the CBS military drama Tour of Duty. He portrayed Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux in the 1991-1993 syndicated action crime drama Street Justice. He starred as Police Chief Hampton Forbes Police Chief Hampton Forbes in the sixth and seventh seasons (1993-1995) of In the Heat of the Night.

He portayed a fictionalized version of himself in four episodes of the Fox sitcom Arrested Development from 2004 through 2013. He serves as Tobias Fünke's (David Cross) acting coach.

He starred as Coach Trainor in the short-lived 2009 Fox sitcom Brothers. The series stars former NFL star Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as estranged brothers who are pressured to get along by their parents (played by Carl Weathers and C. C. H. Pounder) after Strahan's character moves back to his home town of Houston.
Weathers had a recurring role as Bolton "Beau" Miller in the first season of the science fiction drama Colony in 2016. He starred as State's Attorney Mark Jefferies in the 2017 NBC legal drama Chicago Justice. Some of his other television guest appearances included The Shield (2 episodes), Psych, Chicago Fire (2 episodes), Chicago P.D. (4 episodes) and Magnum, P.I. (2018).
He had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian from 2019 through 2023. In 2021, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Weathers directed two episodes of The Mandalorian. Some of his other directing credits included Renegade, Silk Stalkings (8 episodes), Pensacola: Wings of Gold (2 episodes), Strong Medicine, 18 Wheels of Jusice (3 episodes), Sheena (5 episodes), For the People, Hawaii Five-0 (2019), The Last O.G. (2 episodes), Law & Order, FBI and Chicago Med (2 episodes).
His film roles included boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), Sgt. Jericho "Action" Jackson in Action Jackson (1988), Derick "Chubbs" Peterson in Happy Gilmore (1996), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.
Mr. Weathers was a talented and versatile actor. He was able to show his comedic side on Arrested Development and Brothers. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us on television and in films. He will be greatly missed.

We also remember actress, singer, and dancer Chita Rivera. She played Connie Richardson in The New Dick Van Dyke Show. She died in New York following a brief illness on January 30. Ms. Rivera was 91.

Rivera appeared as Connie Richardson in seven episodes of the third season (1973-1974) of the CBS sitcom The New Dick Van Dyke Show. Connie and Richard Richardson (Richard Dawson) are the neighbors of Dick (Dick Van Dyke) and Jenny Preston (Hope Lange). The cast in the third season included Dick Van Patten, Barry Gordon, Henry Darrow and Barbara Rush.

She guest starred as Lenore Portillo in the Will & Grace episode titled "Dance Cards and Greeting Cards", which aired on February 10, 2005. Lenore Portillo and Lucille (Michele Lee) are the lesbians who ended up dancing with Will and Jack.
Rivera had a recurring role as Melody Rambo in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live in 1982. Some of her other television guest appearances included The Maurice Chevalier Show, The Gary Moore Show, The Judy Garland Show, The Outer Limits (1964), The Carol Burnett Show and Johnny and the Sprites. In 2011, she guest starred as Gladys Franklin in the comedy web series Submissions Only. She provided the voice of The Witch for two episodes of Dora the Explorer in 2004 and 2019.
After making her Broadway debut as a dancer in Guys and Dolls (1950), she went on to originate roles in Broadway musicals such as Anita in West Side Story (1957), Velma Kelly in Chicago (1975), and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). She was a ten-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice for her roles in The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993).
Ms. Rivera was a Broadway legend. She received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, and a Drama League Award. She won the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018. We thank her for her work on television and on Broadway. She will be deelpy missed.
Friday, August 29, 2014
FamilyNet Fall 2014 Schedule with Sony TV Classics; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 1, 2014)
FamilyNet's Fall 2014 schedule is in! They have announced a five-year agreement with Sony Pictures Television, which now has a minority stake with the network. Effective Monday (Sept. 1), the entire line-up will be classic TV shows from the Sony library. The weekday line-up begins with laughs with back-to-back episodes of I Dream of Jeannie at 8am, followed by two episodes of Bewitched at 9. Then from 10am-2pm, it's classic Sony dramas with TJ Hooker, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, and Fantasy Island in 70s/80s action. The late afternoon block will feature more sitcoms, this time from the '70s and also urban sitcoms, starting at 2pm with an episode each of All in the Family, Barney Miller, Malcolm & Eddie, followed by two episodes of Good Times and an episode of What's Happening Now!! at 4:30pm. And if you miss all of that from 8am-5pm, they will do it all over again from 5pm-2am. Paid programming will close the night out from 2am-8am.
With the addition of all of these shows, current series Highway to Heaven and The Beverly Hillbillies will be leaving the schedule. Moving on to weekends, there will be a few more series! Saturdays from 7am-2pm will feature series, starting with the short-lived Michael Strahan sitcom Brothers from 7-8am, followed by a two-hour The Monkees block from 8-10am, an hour each of I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched and then an episode each of dramas Charlie's Angels and Fantasy Island. Sony movies will air at 2pm & 4pm, leading into an evening block of sitcoms with All in the Family and Barney Miller from 6-8pm. Movies return in primetime from 8pm-12am into late night sitcoms Good Times and Brothers from 12-2am. And finally on Sundays, Brothers will air from 7-8am into religious programming from 8am-2pm. The afternoon movies will air at 2 and 4pm on Sunday, too. The Sunday early evening block will feature TJ Hooker and Charlie's Angels at 5 & 7pm, leading into movies in primetime from 8pm-12am. Urban sitcoms Malcolm & Eddie and Good Times round out Sunday night from 12-2am. This is excellent news for us sitcom fans...keep it right here for continued updates on FamilyNet's line-up!
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 Sept. 1-5, 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, September 1, 2014
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Watch Jennifer on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. There's a Friends reunion with Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Derek Waters (Married to the Kellys) - Derek appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Judy Greer (Mad Love/Arrested Development/Miss Guided) - Tune in to see Judy on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Kym Whitley (Young & Hungry/Animal Practice/Sparks) - Kym is a guest on a repeat of The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Yvette guest co-hosts a repeat of ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show/The Good Life) - Drew is a guest on a repeat of @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
- Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond - Patricia sells a treasure from The Middle on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- Debi Mazar (Entourage/Working) - Debi and her husband, Gabriele Corcos, share their passion for Tuscan food and each other on a repeat of Katie, so check your local listings.
- Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier/Throb) - Jane appears on a repeat of The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 3am on BET.
- Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Catch Allison on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- David Koechner (The Office/Hank) - David stops by @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
- George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George appears on a repeat of The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
- Albert Tsai (Trophy Wife) - Albert is a guest on a repeat of The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
- Seth Green (Dads/Greg the Bunny) - Seth talks about his new film The Identical on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon appears on a repeat of The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 3am on BET.
- Brooklyn Decker (Friends with Better Lives) - Tune in to see Brooklyn on a repeat of The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 3am on BET.
- Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) - Keke is a guest on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Watch Terry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tony Hale (Veep/Arrested Development) - Tony is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- J.B. Smoove (The Millers/Curb Your Enthusiasm/'Til Death) - J.B. appears on a repeat of The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
- Jay Thomas (Cheers/Love & War/Murphy Brown) - Jay is a guest on a repeat of The Better Show, so check your local listings.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - NBC's Today goes behind the scenes of Peter Pan with Allison Williams in the 10am hour.
- Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Catch Larry on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
- Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah visits Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) - Ray appears on a repeat of The Arsenio Hall Show, so check your local listings.
- Chris D'Elia (Undateable/Whitney) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Chris and Whitney are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
- Patrick Duffy (Step by Step/Welcome to Sweden) - Patrick chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Leah Remini (The King of Queens/Family Tools) - Leah appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Kirstie Alley (Kirstie/Veronica's Closet/Cheers) - Kirstie throws down a figure-friendly chicken dinner and gives the inside scoop on her weight-loss journey on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George is a guest on a repeat of The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 3am on BET.
- Judy Greer (Married/Arrested Development/Miss Guided and Nat Faxon (Married/Ben & Kate) - Judy and Nat are guests on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- The Cast of The League - Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Steve Rannazzisi and Jon LaJoie will be on SI Now at 1pm.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Watch Tina on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Seth Green (Dads/Family Guy/Greg the Bunny) - Seth visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - Jennifer chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Juliette Lewis (I Married Dora) - Juliette is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings. She will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
- Joely Fisher (Ellen/'Til Death) - Joely appears on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
- Amanda Fuller (Last Man Standing) - Amanda talks about Lifetime's The Brittany Murphy Story on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Fox Fall Pilot Review - Brothers - Premieres September 25; WGN America Punk'd Us, No Punk'd
Brothers - Fridays 8:00PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:00-9:00PM ET/PT
BROTHERS is a comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, doing so might be more difficult than you think.
MIKE TRAINOR (Michael Strahan) seemingly has it all - he's a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high life in New York City, but he's about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his mom, ADELE (CCH Pounder), who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes that the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same.
His brother CHILL (Daryl Chill Mitchell), whose life changed drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep Trainor's, his sports-themed restaurant, afloat. Even though the publicity from his famous brother might help business, Chill doesn't want help from Mike. The rivalry between the brothers is exactly the same as they were when they were kids. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, Mike and Chill might just turn out to be each other's biggest asset.
Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as COACH (Carl Weathers), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but it's actually Adele who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind behind this family.
And when she learns that Mike's business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill's restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again.
Adele's plan helps Mike realize that his family -- however dysfunctional they may be -- is the only one he's got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he's surrounded by people who love him, he'll always be a rich man.
BROTHERS is created by Don Reo and produced by Tantamount Studios and Impact Zone Productions, Inc. in association with Sony Pictures Television. Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Mitch Hurwitz and Don Reo serve as executive producers. Ted Wass directed the pilot written by Don Reo.
Cast Details:
* Michael Strahan as Mike Trainor
* Daryl Chill Mitchell as Chill Trainor
* CCH Pounder as Adele Trainor
* Carl Weathers as 'Coach' Trainor
Michael Strahan (Mike Trainor) - Super Bowl Champion and Fox NFL Sunday co-host Michael Strahan retired from football in 2007 after completing 15 seasons with the New York Giants and leading the team to their dramatic Super Bowl victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots. Strahan had an outstanding final season and lead one of the top defenses in the league. In 2005, he was among the league's leaders in total sacks, and earned his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2001, Strahan completed what is widely considered to be one of the greatest seasons ever for a defensive player. As the charismatic leader of the New York Giants, Strahan was named the 2001 NFL Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated and the Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He was also one of only four players to lead the NFL in sacks for two seasons.
Strahan's additional television credits include Pros vs. Joes, which pits amateur contestants against professional athletes in a series of athletic challenges; the family-oriented cable series "Backyard Stadiums," where he and his co-host visited various neighborhoods to build batting cages, putting greens and outdoor recreational centers. He also hosted "Sack and Renovate," giving viewers an inside look at the renovation of his 100-year-old home and revealing his own passion for antiques.
Daryl Chill Mitchell (Chill Trainor) was born in Bronx, NY, and grew up on Long Island with his five brothers and three sisters. Mitchell first garnered public attention as a member of the rap group Groove B Chill. The Hudlin Brothers, who directed one of Groove B Chill's videos, cast the group in the 1990 feature film House Party, where Mitchell had the opportunity to work alongside Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell. He enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to turn his focus from music to acting.
Mitchell followed House Party with appearances in the feature films Boomerang, House Party 2, Sgt. Bilko and Home Fries. His more recent films include The Outside Man opposite Denzel Washington, 10 Things I Hate About You, Galaxy Quest, Lucky Numbers, Black Knight and The Country Bears. His television credits include The John Larroquette Show, Veronica's Closet, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Law & Order, The Cosby Show, Here and Now, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and I'm With Stupid. In November 2001, Mitchell was temporarily sidelined by a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. However, it never halted his momentum, and once he was in control of his wheelchair, Mitchell went back to work as a series regular on the series Ed. Mitchell's character, Eli, was known for using the phrase "Roll...or fold," and Mitchell adopted that saying to express his take on life.
CCH Pounder (Adele Trainer) - Award-winning actress CCH Pounder has earned a long list of credits and accolades throughout a career that spans nearly three decades. Most recently, Pounder appeared in the feature film Orphan and the sci-fi television series Warehouse 13. Other recent credits include the cable series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and the independent feature Rain, which garnered praise at the Los Angeles Pan-African Film Festival.
For seven years, Pounder portrayed "Det. Claudette Wyms" on the critically acclaimed series The Shield, a role that earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, 10 NAACP Image Award nominations for Best Actress in a Drama Series, the Minorities in Business Prism Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Drama, two Golden Satellite Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series, the Genii Excellence in TV Award from the Southern California Chapter of American Women in Radio and Television and the LOOP Award from Lupus LA. Pounder's other honors include Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Dr. Angela Hicks" on ER and for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on The X-Files. In addition, Pounder earned a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Grow Old Along With Me: The Best Is Yet to Come, and she won an AUDI, the Audio Publishers Association's top honor, for the album Women in the Material World.
Carl Weathers ('Coach' Trainor) was born in New Orleans and attended San Diego State University, where he established himself as a football star. After graduating in 1970, Weathers played professional football as a free agent for the Oakland Raiders, as well as the Canadian Football League's B.C. Lions. He retired from the sport in 1974 in order to turn his attention to acting.
Weathers' big break came when he was cast to play the iconic role of "Apollo Creed" in the film Rocky and reprised the role in Rocky II, Rocky III and Rocky IV. His additional film credits include Predator opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, Happy Gilmore opposite Adam Sandler, Action Jackson, The Comebacks, Force 10 from Navarone, Death Hunt and The Sasquatch Gang. Weathers' television film appearances include The Defiant Ones (which he also co-produced), Shadow Warriors, OP Center and The Hostage Heart. His TV series credits include Arrested Development, The Shield, In the Heat of the Night, Street Justice, Fortune Dane (which he also executive-produced), McCloud, Starsky and Hutch, S.W.A.T., Tour of Duty, Good Times, Barnaby Jones, Kung Fu, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Streets of San Francisco.
Pilot Plot:
I received the first two episodes for review.
#1 Pilot (Airs September 25)
Mike Trainor seemingly has it all he's a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high life in New York City. With one phone call from his mom, Adele, Mike's life changes in an instant. He comes home to Houston to find that his brother Chill, whose life changed drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat and that his father's memory is not as sharp as it used to be. When Adele reveals everyone's secrets, the family decides it's time for a fresh start.
Directed by Ted Wass
Written by Don Reo
#2 House Rules/Anniversary (Airs September 25)
Mike's date spends the night at his parents' place propelling his mom, Adele, to set specific house rules for her very grown sons. As all the family members try to find their way living together again as adults, Mike and Chill are taken aback at their new assigned daily chores and strict limitations on overnight guests. Meanwhile, Coach forgets his and Adele's anniversary and lands in the doghouse, forcing him to come up with a creative way to make it up to her.
Guest Cast: Jazsmin Lewis as Monica; Shvona Lavette as Janine
Analysis:
This is Fox's only new live-action comedy and the only African-American sitcom currently on broadcast tv. It's a multi-camera comedy that is filmed in front of a studio audience. It will air on Friday nights at 8:00pm ET/PT.
In the "Pilot" episode, we are introudced to the Trainor family. Chill goes to pick up his brother at the airport. Mike talks to 'Coach' in the basement. Mike and Chill play some basketball in wheelchairs. Adele asks Mike to make a special appearance at Chill's restaurant. There are some serious talks between various family members. There's a nice mix of humor and heartwarming moments in the pilot.
The second episode, "House Rules/Anniversary," isn't quite as funny as the pilot. It opens with a scene at The Gutter bowling alley. Mike meets Monica who gives him some bowling shoes. Adele and Chill are shocked when they see Monica at the fridge dressed only in a football jersey. This casues Adele to set some house rules. Mike is embarrassed to tell Janice that he is living with his mama. Carl plays some foosball with Carl and Mike in the game room. Coach forgets that it's his wedding anniversary and Adele is not very happy about it. He creatively makes it up to her.
Houston is the location of the show, although you really wouldn't know it by watching the first couple of episodes. They probably could use some more exterior shots or references to the city. The house looks quite nice and the sets are spacious. It just seemed unusual that they have such a small kitchen table in an otherwise large kitchen. Carl has a nice game roon with green carpeting that has yard markers like a football field. The Trainor's set looks your typical bar/resturant with a large photo of Strahan in his football uniform.
Conclusion:
This show looks pretty funny from the first couple of episodes, especially the pilot. Michael Strahan has some natural instincts and on-screen charisma. He is basically playing himself on the series. Comedic timing isn't always easy, but he appears to have it down already. Daryl Chill Mitchell brings over 20 years of comedy experience and has some funny scenes. CCH Pounder is not known for comedy, but she really steals the show with some hilarious lines. She reminds me a bit of Jo Marie Payton from Family Matters. Her character is very strong and brings an authoritative presence to the show. Carl Weathers is known for more serious and action-oriented roles, but he has shown he can do comedy from his appearances on Arrested Development. The cast certainly seems like they have some good chemistry and act like they are a real family.
The show is airing on Friday nights at 8pm ET/PT. I don't think there will be as much pressure on it airing on that night in that time slot. Fox NFL Sunday has given this show a lot of promotion. I'm sure we will be seeing the gang from that show making guest appearances at some point in the season. Kim Kardashian and Mike Tyson will also be guest starring. There are quite a few jokes about Michael Strahan's teeth, Chill's wheelchair and handicap, white people, Coach's memory problems and references to the Rocky franchise in the first few episodes. They are funny in these episodes, but will they get old in later episodes? I guess they won't soon run out of material and can get creative to work these types of jokes in each episode. I think they will need to develop some better storylines in future episodes instead of just randomly tossing in the jokes. If you need some good laughs and occasional warmth, the show is definitely worth checking out on Friday nights.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 09/24/09
Discuss the show after you watch it on Friday, September 25 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Now back to some news! Last month we gave you WGN America's fall schedule, they made a minor change to this. Punk'd was set to launch this week at 5am, but was replaced by Funniest Pets & People...but that delay was only supposed to be a week for Punk'd. Now WGN America has "punk'd" America (ha!) by not going to air it at all! Effective Monday, Sept. 28 America's Funniest Home Videos will air in the 4am ET hour (Mon-Wed) and Reno 911 will air Tues-Fri (and Sundays as planned) at 5am. Toni On! New York will air at 5am on Mondays. Punk'd was also scheduled to air Thursdays at 9pm ET following WWE Superstars, but now we get America's Funniest Home Videos instead. The same goes true for Sundays at 11am ET, with AFV instead of Punk'd. We are not sure what happened with Punk'd, maybe Ashton planned this?
View the full WGN America Fall 2009 schedule by Sept. 28.
And stay tuned in the coming weeks for more WGN America news, including classic TV marathons for the major holidays this holiday season starting with Halloween!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
TV Land September 2009 Schedule; ABC and Fox Schedule Changes
TV Land PRIME original series How'd You Get So Rich and Make My Day will have their season finales on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Weekends will still have classic marathons that have a classic show and Andy Griffith paired up. Those shows include Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, and Brady Bunch. Speaking of Brady Bunch, that is their 40th anniversary marathon. It's unbelievable that it has been 40 years since that "one day when that lady met that fellow" but it's true and TV Land is celebrating in grand style for one whole week. Beginning Monday, September 21 to Friday, September 25 catch episodes from 7pm-9pm and then if that isn't enough of this bunch, catch even more episodes on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 from 10am-6pm to round out the celebration. It's the best of the Bradys all week long and it will be positively groovy!!
That's not all for anniversaries! The Cosby Show is turning 25! Join TV Land PRIME Thursday, September 24 from 9pm-12am and say Happy 25th Birthday to The Huxtables as PRIME celebrate the years of laughter The Cosby Show brought to our TV screens. This quarter-century milestone marathon features extra-special episodes that highlight memorable moments from the series and pays special tribute to America's favorite sitcom family.
Finally, catch premieres of this month's movies on Labor Day (Monday, September 7 from 9am-6:30pm) if you can't wait for them every Fridays at 9pm! All-month long the network will air new movies and you can see them on Labor Day first...Private Benjamin, Airplane II, The Bodyguard and Field of Dreams.
So is this the fall schedule? Will something new be added on Sept. 28? We're not sure yet. But stay with us! And as usual, this schedule is subject to change, since TV Land always changes something. So again stay with us for that, if it happens. View the full TV Land September 2009 schedule and highlights.
ABC has altered its schedule a bit. Late yesterday just hours before The Bachelorette finale, they decided to air an instant special encore of The Bachelorette finale for Tuesday (July 28) from 8-10pm, preempting the season finale of The Superstars and an all-new episode of comedy Better off Ted. So if you missed the drama of the Bachelorette finale, you can watch it again leading into the special all-new After the Final Rose special. So with The Superstars season finale now on Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 8pm-9:30pm, the Scrubs repeats will no longer air...but it will air at 9:30pm on this date. The final two episodes of the season of Better off Ted were originally supposed to air July 28 and Aug. 4 at 9:30pm, will now air for an hour on Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 9-10pm following Night 3 of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. One other note, ABC will encore the pilot episode of summer hit Dating in the Dark on Monday at 9pm, shifting the all-new episode to 10pm. The show will air new episodes at 10pm starting the following week now. See the announcement we made on this last night in a list form.
Also at ABC, we announced on Friday on our message board that Shark Tank is scheduled to air additional airings on Sundays on August 30, September 6 and 13, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Shark Tank is also still scheduled to air on Sundays on August 9, 16 and 23, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET/PT after Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, as planned. However, Shark Tank is no longer scheduled to air on Tuesdays, effective August 25, 2009 in the 8:00 PM ET/PT slot. Tuesdays at 8PM starting Aug. 25 is now TBD. Shark Tank will move to Tuesdays at 8PM this fall now, likely Sept. 22 or 29. 13 episodes have been ordered and six will air in the "summer" season.
Fox has made some changes to its fall line-up. They are moving the premieres of So You Think You Can Dance and Glee up a week to Wednesday, Sept. 9, while pushing comedies Brothers and 'Til Death back slightly. Brothers will now premiere with back-to-back episodes in the 8pm hour on Friday, Sept. 25, while 'Til Death will take over the 8:30pm Friday slot the following week on Friday, Oct. 2. Fox will air more Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader episodes Fridays at 8pm now on Sept. 11 and 18. If you missed the special pilot of Glee this past May, Fox will re-air it on Wednesday, Sept. 2 and again on Friday, Sept. 4 at 9pm. Glee will also encore its first two episodes on Friday, Sept. 11 and 18 at 9pm.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Fox Fall 2009 Premiere Dates; ABC Family July 2009
The actual season begins on Monday, Sept. 21 with House jumpstarting its sixth season with a special two-hour premiere from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. Tuesdays at 8:00PM ET/PT will continue to be Hell's Kitchen until that wraps up on Oct. 13. Sunday, Sept. 27 marks the return of "Animation Domination" with the amazing 20th season premiere of The Simpsons at 8:00PM ET/PT, the series premiere of The Cleveland Show at 8:30PM ET/PT and the season premieres of Family Guy at 9:00PM ET/PT and American Dad! at 9:30PM ET/PT.
The second week of the season will see the second season of hit drama Lie to Me will premiere Monday, Sept. 28 at 9:00PM ET/PT following House. So You Think You Can Dance will air two nights per week when the original dance competition has its time period premiere Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, and later expands to two-hour performance shows beginning Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, when Hell's Kitchen wraps. In addition, new Saturday late-night entry The Wanda Sykes Show (working title) debuts Saturday, Nov. 7 at11:00 PM ET/PT.
Fox will also have the MLB Playoffs with the ALCS this year and of course the World Series. ALCS is on Friday, Oct. 16; Saturday, Oct. 17; Monday, Oct. 19; Tuesday, Oct. 20; and if necessary on Thursday, Oct. 22; Saturday, Oct. 24; and Sunday, Oct. 25. The World Series airs Wednesday, Oct. 28; Thursday, Oct. 29; Saturday, Oct. 31; Sunday, Nov. 1; and if necessary on Monday, Nov. 2; Wednesday, Nov. 4; and Thursday, Nov. 5. So baseball will be preempting something at least once.
View the premiere dates in a list form.
This July on ABC Family will not see any regular schedule changes to the daytime line-up, but we have plenty to talk about. New single-camera comedy 10 Things I Hate About You launches on Tuesday, July 7 in the 8:00PM ET/PT half-hour. It will be followed by an episode of That '70s Show at 8:30PM ET/PT. 10 Things I Hate About You will have a special encore the same night at 9:00PM ET/PT if you missed it an hour earlier. Other regular encores every week are: Wednesdays at 12am, Thursdays at 4:30pm, and Saturdays at 10am.
Then on Tuesday, July 21 the multi-camera sitcom Ruby & the Rockits launches! It will air Tuesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT (replacing That '70s Show repeats) following 10 Things I Hate About You. Ruby & the Rockits will have a special encore the same night at 9:00PM ET/PT if you missed it a half-hour earlier...also 10 Things I Hate About You will have an encore at 9:30PM that night. Other regular encores every week for Ruby & the Rockits are: Wednesdays at 12:30am, Fridays at 4:30pm, and Saturdays at 10:30am.
View full details on these two original comedies, from our previous story. Can these two comedies do better than Roommates and Sophie?
Other original programming is the movie Labor Pains. Lindsay Lohan stars as an assistant at a publishing company who pretends to be pregnant in order to avoid being fired by her boss. It premieres Sunday, July 19 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. Along with Lohan, the film includes an all-star cast with Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Luke Kirby, Kevin Covais and Janeane Garofalo.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, September 19
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 14)
Friday, September 18
- Sandra Bullock (Working Girl) - Watch Sandra on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Stavros Halkias (Tires) - Stavros appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Matthew McConaughey (Brothers) and Woody Harrelson and (Brothers/Cheers) - Matthew and Woody talk about Brothers on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
- Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane talks about Celebrity Name That Tune on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Lili Reinhart (Surviving Jack) - Lili and and Tom Bateman talk about The Love Hypothesis on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/I'm a Big Girl Now/The Associates) - Martin talks about You Had to Be There on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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