SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Antenna TV has officially announced the returns of The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time to its programming schedule beginning in January 2021, as we first broke a month ago. Both sitcoms were developed and produced by Norman Lear, began airing in the mid-1970s and ran for ten years. The Jeffersons stars Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford, a married couple who “move on up” from Queens to a luxurious high-rise in Manhattan where they live with their housekeeper, played by Marla Gibbs. The groundbreaking comedy also addressed many social issues, including everything from racism to alcoholism, suicide to gun control. The Jeffersons was produced by ELP Communications and distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

At the time it originally aired, One Day at a Time was only the second TV sitcom to feature a divorced mom. The comedy stars Bonnie Franklin raising her daughters played by actresses Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli. Set in Indiana, the show follows Ann Romano's struggles as a single mom and career woman. Bertinelli, who plays the youngest daughter, was one of the sitcom’s breakout stars. One Day at a Time was produced by T.A.T. Communications and distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

We also hinted, Caroline in the City will be coming to Antenna TV sometime in 2021 as well. A few other series will return or premiere in late 2021 and early 2022, so don't go "suddenly mad" trying to guess, as there is still a long time to go before we announce those. And finally, once again on Halloween, Antenna TV is brewing up BEWITCHING days with the twitchiest of witches and the sweetest of sorceresses. On Friday, October 30, 2020 Antenna TV will air a Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Spell-o-Ween Marathon from 4pm-5am (with a Johnny Carson break at 10pm) and on Halloween Day (Saturday, October 31, 2020) there will be a Witch-o-Ween marathon of Bewitched from 10am-6am. Treat yourself to two days of both comedies.

After losing her parents in a car accident, Elle (Joslyn Y. Hall of Atlanta), a career-driven investment banker has given up on love and Christmas until she meets Wesley (David L. Rowell of Com-pli-cat-ed), a former NBA player and CEO of a small marketing firm. Impetuously, Wesley invites Elle home for Christmas in South Carolina, with his parents (Kellie Shanygne Williams and Darius McCrary of Family Matters). With hesitation, Elle accepts and is given a much bigger present than she could ever have imagined! Christmas in Carolina is widely available On-Digital and On-Demand, November 1, 2020. Lensed on location in South Carolina, the film was directed by Peggy Williams working from a script by Stacie Davis, and stars Joslyn Y. Hall (Atlanta) and David L. Rowell (Com-pli-cat-ed) alongside Kellie Shanygne Williams and Darius McCrary of Family Matters who reprise their roles as siblings.

Antenna TV starts their Fall 2020 lineup on Monday, October 5 with its newest addition, Who's the Boss? airing weeknights from 5-6pm. It will replace Gimme a Break! on the weekday lineup, but that series will remain airing on weekend afternoons from 2-3pm. Growing Pains returns to the weeknight lineup airing 6-7pm, replacing Barney Miller, which will now air just Sunday nights from 3-4am. Back to Who's the Boss?, it will also air Sunday nights in primetime from 8-9pm leading into Growing Pains again from 9-10pm. Among the other schedule changes are the returns of Head of the Class (Sat 10-11am/Sun 11am-12pm) and My Two Dads (Sunday nights 4-5am), along with a second hour of Soap on Sunday mornings now from 6-8am (this means Three's a Crowd and The Ropers are off the lineup). Wings moves back to weeknights after Coach at 1am every weeknight. View the other schedule changes here.

Stunts in October are two 70th anniversary marathons and a Halloween marathon! Burns and Allen 70th Anniversary Marathon airs on Saturday, October 10 from 10AM until Sunday, October 11 at 9PM with 70 episodes of the series. The Jack Benny 70th Anniversary Marathon airs two weeks later on Saturday, October 24 from 10AM until Sunday, October 25 at 9PM, with 70 episodes of The Jack Benny Program. And the final stunt in October is the "Witch-O-Ween Bewitched Halloween Marathon" on Saturday, October 31 from 10AM to 5AM, with 40 episodes of Bewitched. Episode details for all three stunts are still to come.

November and December holiday season stunts will be announced at a later date. We do want to tease you of some returns in 2021. Both One Day at a Time (the original '70s series, of course) and The Jeffersons return to Antenna TV right at the start of 2021 on January 1. Both series premiered together on Antenna TV in spring 2015 and aired until the end of 2017. The Jeffersons then moved to MeTV in 2018 (and for now airs on sister network Decades), but now is now returning to Antenna TV! And finally, a brand new acquisition for Antenna TV sometime in 2021 will be Caroline in the City - the '90s Lea Thompson sitcom that originally aired on NBC. Much more details are to come, so stay tuned. But for now, Antenna TV's Fall 2020 schedule with Who's the Boss? starts Oct. 5.

The Television Academy celebrated the 72nd Emmy® Awards last night, recognizing excellence in primetime programming and individual achievement for the 2019-2020 television season. The 72nd Emmy® Awards were broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and produced by Done+Dusted, Reginald Hudlin and KIMMELOT. The telecast featured awards in 23 Emmy categories, plus the Governors Award, presented by top talent from some of television's most acclaimed programs. Presenters and surprise guests included Anthony Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Ty Burrell, LaVerne Cox, America Ferrera, Morgan Freeman, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Ken Jeong, Mindy Kaling, Tatiana Maslany, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bob Newhart, D-Nice, Randall Park, Issa Rae, RuPaul, Jason Sudeikis, Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe, J.J. Watt and Oprah Winfrey. Singer-songwriter and GRAMMY®-winning artist H.E.R. made her Emmy® debut with a special "In Memoriam" performance honoring all the stars we lost this year such as Regis Philbin, Diahann Carroll and Chadwick Boseman.

Among the big winners were Watchmen with 11 wins, Schitt's Creek with 9 wins, Succession with 7 wins and The Mandalorian with 7 wins. Daniel Levy of Schitt's Creek won 4 awards for Director, Executive Producer, Performer and Writer! Schitt's Creek swept the entire major comedy categories with Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Writing, Directing, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress and Outstanding Comedy! View the complete list of winners. 

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We are in the very slow summer season of news, but we have some for you this week, including news of a hostless Emmy Awards ceremony, new Caroline in the City DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

TV Guide Network has added another sitcom and also two dramas! As of yesterday, they quietly added Caroline in the City to the schedule. The sitcom has not been on cable since it aired on Lifetime and Lifetime Real Women on and off from about 2003-06. The Lea Thompson 1995-99 sitcom is airing on TV Guide Network weekdays from 4-5pm and encores 7-8pm. Also joining the TV Guide Network are family dramas Early Edition and The Guardian, with Early Edition airing weekdays at 11am with an encore at 1am and The Guardian weekdays at 12 noon with an encore at 12am. So with these three new additions, will everything else remain on the schedule? No, two series will be removed from the line-up. TV Guide will not be airing Veronica's Closet and Cybill anymore, but everything else remains on the schedule and with some new timings: Designing Women (weekdays from 10-11am and 5-6pm), Ugly Betty (weekdays at 1pm and 2pm), Samantha Who? (weekdays at 3pm), Ned and Stacey (weekdays at 3:30pm), Dharma & Greg (weekdays from 6-7pm), Curb Your Enthusiasm (weekdays at 4am), and Weeds (weekdays at 5am). Movies air in primetime from 8pm-12am.
Stay with us for any further updates and if Cybill and Veronica's Closet pop up again on TV Guide we will definitely let you know! For now enjoy the new additions of Caroline in the City, Early Edition, and The Guardian!

Bounce TV, the nation's first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network for African-Americans, will launch its first-ever original series Family Time - a half hour situation comedy created by Bentley Kyle Evans (The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin, Love That Girl) and produced by Evans and partner Trenten Gumbs - this summer. Family Time will be seen on Bounce TV Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. with the series premiere set for Monday, June 18, 2012. Family Time centers around the life and times of The Stallworths, a working class African American family who scratches off a lottery ticket and jumps to middle class overnight. They're an authentic picture of an African American family working to live the dream. This family-next-door consists of two loving parents: Anthony (Omar Gooding, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) and Lisa (Angell Conwell, Dave's World) Stallworth and their children Ebony (Jayla Calhoun) and Devin (Bentley Kyle Evans, Jr.) The Stallworths move to a middle class community in sunny southern California and both Anthony and Lisa bring baggage and other family members into their relationship that makes for great comedy - and occasional drama.
Now Bounce TV currently does not air any sitcoms on the schedule, so it will be interesting if they acquire any reruns of older comedies to air alongside this original sitcom. Currently Bounce TV only airs movies, Soul Train and Judge Hatchett daily and Fat Albert on Tuesday nights. We will have much more to come on this show and the potential of sitcoms joining Bounce TV! Hoping for some What's Happening!!, Diff'rent Strokes, Benson and Gimme a Break! Anyway, watch a preview of Family Time.