SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news about a pair of reboots, spinoff news for a popular ABC series, the shutdown of a cable network that aired some older series, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Bryan Callen (Twitter), "I run with wolves, horses and bikers. I run hard. I do everything hard. Especially sex & dance."

Claim to Fame: This week, it was announced that the ABC series The Goldbergs may be getting a spinoff. Currently, Callen plays the role of Coach Meller on that series, and that character would be the star of that spinoff. Callen is no stranger to TV, though, as he got his start on MADtv, where he appeared in the first two seasons. He has also had roles in series such as 7th Heaven, Oz, and How I Met Your Mother.

We hinted in our A Very Merry MeTV Holiday schedule that MacGyver is coming to The MeTV Network, now we have some more details. First up, that holiday episode will air Sunday, Dec. 18 at 2pm. Then, MacGyver will make his way inside the regular MeTV schedule starting Monday, Dec. 19 at 5:00pm & 9:00pm. The series will air each weeknight at 5pm and in primetime at 9pm. MacGyver currently also airs on cable on Esquire TV on Wednesdays from 12-8pm and also weekdays on Cloo. The show follows secret agent Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, who works as a troubleshooter for the fictional Phoenix Foundation in Los Angeles and as an agent for a fictional United States government agency, the Department of External Services (DXS). MacGyver originally aired on ABC for seven seasons from 1985-1992. The series is owned by CBS Television Distribution and of course as you all know CBS has started a new MacGyver series on Friday nights on CBS.

Pull up a chair for more food, fun and friends on the new season of Cooking Channel's Dinner at Tiffani's, as Tiffani Thiessen entertains family, former castmates, and star-studded guests for intimate dinner parties. From mouthwatering Mediterranean meals to French feasts, and from classics dishes with a modern twist to backyard BBQs, Tiffani showcases her culinary skills for preparing crowd-pleasing meals, and her talents for throwing effortless get-togethers. Don't forget to RSVP for more delicious dishes, entertaining stories, and laughs that fill the ten new episodes, beginning on Sunday, January 8, 2017 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Special guests for this third season of 10 episodes include Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, Bree Turner and Marla Sokoloff, French Stewart, Nicole Sullivan and Nate Berkus, Sara Rue and Ross Mathews, Ethan Embry, Sunny Mabrey and Ashley Williams, Marguerite Moreau and Chris Redman, Bill Bellamy and Eric Close, Daisy Fuentes, Constance Marie and Cynthia Watros, and finally Tim Meadows and Missi Pyle.

Tribute marathons are set for the late great Garry Marshall, with Cloo and AMC among the first networks to announce special marathons. In memory of Garry Marshall, CLOO will air an all-day, 24-hour marathon on Saturday, July 23 beginning at 6am featuring his sitcom classics. Airing are: The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy. First up is The Odd Couple from 6-9am, followed by Happy Days from 9am-12pm, Laverne & Shirley from 12-3pm, Mork & Mindy from 3-6pm, more The Odd Couple from 6-9pm, more Happy Days from 9pm-12am, more Laverne & Shirley from 12-3pm and more Mork & Mindy from 3-6pm. This will be a true marathon with no encores, so watch each airing!

AMC will pay tribute to Garry Marshall who passed away this week with back-to-back airings of Pretty Woman tonight (Thursday, July 21) beginning at 8:00 PM ET/PT. AMC is currently the exclusive home of the film. An American actor, director, producer, writer, voice artist, and comedian Garry Marshall's notable credits included creating the hit television series Happy Days, Mork and Mindy and Laverne and Shirley, developing The Odd Couple for television, and directing Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, among many others. A special "AMC Remembers" slate will introduce each airing. Stay with us for continued updates, if and when more TV networks add tributes.

REELZ announced the two-hour documentary special Robin Williams: Behind Closed Doors which gives viewers an intimate look at his life from his childhood in the suburbs of Chicago to small comedy clubs in Los Angeles, his breakthrough role on the TV show Happy Days as Mork from Ork and his big screen triumphs. While he may have been one of the funniest people in Hollywood, beneath the joy Williams waged a battle with inner demons. Produced by NBC News' Peacock Productions and hosted by Natalie Morales, West Coast anchor of NBC News' TODAY show, Robin Williams: Behind Closed Doors premieres Sunday, August 28 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT. The special will uncover some of Williams' troubling times but will also reveal some surprising and hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from some of his biggest movies including Good Morning, Vietnam, Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin along with interviews from those who personally knew and worked with Williams including Mork & Mindy creator, the late Garry Marshall, and co-star Jay Thomas, Aladdin co-star Scott Weinger, fellow comic Margaret Cho and many more.

Capitalizing on the vast offerings of NBC News historical archives, Robin Williams: Behind Closed Doors features several interviews with Williams throughout his career talking about everything from his own take on his wild comedic style to his deeply personal commitment to helping people in need and his career success with four Oscar(R) nominations and a win for his role in Good Will Hunting.

Antenna TV has officially announced their Fall schedule. Similar to MeTV, they will launch the new schedule on Monday, Sept. 1. However, they will start the new season with a stunt. This Labor Day, Antenna TV will air the "Hardest Working Stars of Antenna TV," a 24-hour marathon of work themed episodes beginning at 5am ET on Monday, September 1. The series will be airing in their regularly schedules slots, but with themed episodes for this stunt. Among the highlights for the Antenna TV Fall 2014 schedule are the returns of The Nanny and Married...with Children. They have been on and off the schedule a lot, but they are now back this fall. The Nanny will air weeknights at 1:00am & 1:30am, while Married...with Children will rock weekends at 11:00pm & 11:30pm. No other big changes, as everything else is primarily timeslot changes. Only one series will be off the line-up for now and that series will be Hazel, which was airing weekdays at 6 & 6:30am. The biggest gainer will be Diff'rent Strokes, as it will come back to weeknights this fall and will also continue to air on Sunday nights. It will air Sun-Fri at 9 & 9:30pm. Another plus is that Antenna TV will air sitcoms now on Saturdays in primetime from 8pm-12am replacing Antenna TV Theatre. Back-to-back episodes of the network's staples Bewitched, All in the Family, Three's Company and the return of Married...with Children will air.

View the FULL Antenna TV Fall 2014 schedule, so you don't miss out on any time changes for your favorite series. Antenna TV will debut new series in 2015, so stay tuned as more laughs and fun are in store soon!

In continued tribute to the late Robin Williams, Cloo will air a Mork & Mindy week from Sunday, August 24 through Sunday, August 31. It will begin this Sunday at 7pm with Robin's first appearance as Mork on Happy Days. Then it's a marathon of Mork & Mindy on that day from 7:30pm-12am. The rest of the week (Aug. 25-31) will have Mork & Mindy in primetime from 7pm-12am Mon-Fri, and 7pm-1am on Sat-Sun. Cloo aired a 24-hour Mork & Mindy marathon this past Saturday (Aug. 16) from 6am-6am in memory of Robin Williams. In more Robin Williams tribute news, Bravo Media's Inside the Actors Studio hosted by James Lipton, commemorates the life and career of legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams with a special broadcast of his appearance on the Emmy Award-winning series on Thursday, August 21 at 8pm ET/PT. The episode originally aired on Sunday, June 10, 2001, and for the 250th episode of Inside the Actors Studio, fans chose Williams' appearance as their favorite in a poll on BravoTV.com. For a look back at the episode, visit: http://www.bravotv.com/videos/robin-williams-the-improv-master

We usually cover Cloo for their Cloo Classics stunts and they will continue marathons here and there. As you know, Cloo really doesn't have a set strip schedule, as they air block marathons, so we will do our best to cover everything. They key highlight on the schedule is from Wednesday, September 25 through Sunday, September 29 from 6am-6am ET, Cloo will present a Charlie's Angels Farewell marathon, as the long-running drama is leaving all of the Universal-owned networks. Charlie's Angels was airing regularly on Universal HD and had many marathons on Cloo as well. We'll discuss Universal HD at a later date, but Cloo will say goodbye to the series (not "Hello, Angels") with a marathon salute. So join Cloo as they celebrate a beloved Cloo Classic and say adieu to their favorite female private eyes. On Mondays, there still will be All-Day "Cloo Classics" MacGyver Marathons, which recently got extended from 8am-6am, as the 8am-1pm Cloo Classic Sitcoms were dropped. The rest of the schedule will feature the dramas we are used to like Monk, The Unit, NCIS, Burn Notice, House, CSI, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: SVU. The only thing regular on the schedule is Monk at 6am and The Unit at 7am on weekdays, and NCIS on most days at 8am. The sitcom 'Til Death is off of the Sunday morning line-up now, as it was airing from 6-7am.

Weekends will see marathons in the fall. There is a 24-hour House marathon on Sunday, Sept. 1. On Saturday, Sept. 7, it's the Burn Notice "Best of Sam Axe" marathon beginning at 6am, also featuring Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (11p ET). The weekend ends with a marathon of Royal Pains on Sunday, Sept. 8. The weekend of Sept. 14-15 will be catch-up marathons of sister network USA Network's original series Covert Affairs and Suits. And finally the next weekend will be Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: SVU for the weekend of Sept. 21-22. And as mentioned the Charlie's Angels Farewell Marathon is Sept. 25-29. So, yes nothing new on Cloo this Fall, but we had to mention the Charlie's Angels Farewell marathon. Stay with us for what will replace it on Universal HD.

In celebration of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the celebrated sitcom Roseanne, WE tv is expanding the iconic franchise's on-air presence beginning Monday, August 12, with extended blocks of episodes airing Mondays through Fridays from 5pm ET until 8pm ET and weekly "Roseannathons" on Sundays from 10am ET until 4pm ET. The expanded run, through September 22, is in addition to the regular weekday airings of classic episodes from 10am ET until 1pm ET, which will continue. Plus, as part of the celebration, cast members from the series will be submitting their personal picks for their favorite episodes, which will run throughout the campaign. Roseanne will also have a greater presence at WEtv.com, including new photo galleries, fan favorite video clips, quizzes and polls, as well as a homepage "spotlight," and an interactive "Top Ten" feature where fans can comment and vote on their favorite Roseanne moments from the series' history. WE tv's social media team will also be celebrating the anniversary on Twitter and Facebook, with new sharable Roseanne content.

Roseanne, which made its television debut on October 18, 1988, is, at its heart, a show about ordinary people who face day-to-day survival with a sense of humor and absurdity. At the epicenter presides the inimitable Roseanne Conner (Rosanne Barr). Her observations on life's little travails, be they sarcastic or incorrigibly honest, unerringly hit home. She is the type who is always ready to charge into the fight. Dan's (John Goodman) the one hauling back on the reins. His secret weapon to disarm her is a sense of humor just as caustic as her own. The bottom line is that, through it all, they truly do respect and love one another. Over the nine years as the children grew, so did the challenges. Roseanne would quit her job at the factory (Season 2) and take several jobs to make ends meet, including a hair washer at a beauty salon, magazine telemarketer and a waitress at the local mall (Seasons 3-4). Working in a restaurant would eventually inspire Roseanne to open up her own diner with the help of her sister Jackie (Lauri Metcalf), mom Bev and friend Nancy (Seasons 5-8). Through the tough times Dan and Roseanne have only one thing on their minds, the welfare of their kids, who mean everything to them - an enduring theme that holds as much significance to audiences today as it did 25 years ago.

We have more Cloo news for you today. Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, Taxi, Mork & Mindy and Get Smart will be removed from their regular schedule beginning Monday, July 15. Monk shifts to 6am weekdays, replacing the sitcoms. The Unit will be added at 7am weekdays, replacing Laverne & Shirley on Mondays and Monk on Tuesday-Friday. MacGyver will also now air Mondays from 8am-1pm, replacing the sitcoms. It will be all MacGyver on Mondays, as it already airs from 1pm-6am.

As we mentioned yesterday, they will have a Cloo Classic late night marathon of Happy Days on Saturday, August 24. We are sad to see all the sitcoms leave their regular lineup. Hopefully they will have more Cloo Classic and "Jump the Shark" marathons in the future. Stay with us for continued updates on Cloo.


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 July 15-19, 2013, 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, July 15, 2013

• Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) - Watch Charlie on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Luis Guzman (How to Make It in America/Luis) - Luis talks about the animated movie Turbo and Latinos in Hollywood on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Monatna) - Miley, Ryan Seacrest and Keith Urban make a surprise announcement on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• Tia and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister) - Tia and Tamera open up about their inspirational blog for moms and women, their new television projects and their new product for new mothers called Milky on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Betsy Brandt (The Michael J. Fox Show) - Betsy dishes about the exciting Breaking Bad series finale and reveals what it's like playing the wife of Michael J. Fox in their new comedy The Michael J. Fox Show on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Catch Zachary on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Georgia King (The New Normal) - Georgia appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob guests on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Mary-Louise stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Yvette co-hosts a celebration of souped-up street food, making bacon-fried, stuffed hot dogs with Michael Symon on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• The Cast of The Exes - Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche and Kristen Johnston share behind-the-scenes secrets and on-set stories on Katie, so check your local listings.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

• Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Watch Jerry on The Colbert Report at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
• Jason Biggs (Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) - Melissa appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Peyton List (Jessie) - Peyton guests on The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) - The View celebrates summer with a performance from the cast of Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie featuring Ross at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob talks about his family and most recent role portraying John F. Kennedy on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy and the cast of Devious Maids are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Catch Mary-Louise on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development/The Larry Sanders Show/The Ropers) - Jeffrey is a guest onThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Bob Saget (How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Jeff drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Tune in to see Olivia on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) - Ross appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris), David Spade (Rules of Engagement/Just Shoot Me!) and Kevin James (The King of Queens) - The cast of Grown Ups 2 are guests on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Aresenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Ty Burrell (Modern Family/Back to You/Out of Practice) - Ty appears on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda drops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Friday, July 19, 2013

• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Watch Miranda on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development/The Larry Sanders Show/The Ropers) - Jeffrey visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jackée (227/Sister, Sister) - Jackée guest co-hosts a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

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 !

Well that didn't last long. After two weeks, TV Land has quietly pulled 'Til Death from the schedule. The sitcom was airing weeknights from 7-8pm and Saturdays from 5-8pm since June 22. Effective earlier this week, the weekday slot was replaced by another hour of M*A*S*H, while the Saturday block will be replaced by an additional hour of Roseanne beginning this Saturday. Roseanne will now air on Saturdays from 2-8pm instead of the previous 2-5pm hours. As for M*A*S*H, that will now air weekdays from 5-8pm instead of 5-7pm. 'Til Death will still air on other networks, as it airs late nights on WGN America, bright and early on Saturday mornings on Cloo and also airs in local syndication as well, mainly in late night. The series is a half-hour multi-camera comedy about the triumphs and tribulations of marriage and friendship from very different perspectives. It's about the funny and annoying things that happen between husbands, wives, neighbors and friends day after day after day. The series of course stars Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher, and also has Tim Sharp, Eddie Kay Thomas, J.B. Smoove and Kat Foster. The series lasted four seasons on Fox from 2006-2010 with 81 episodes. Stay with us if and when it returns at some point to the TV Land schedule.

Cloo is going to bring in more classic marathon goodness in August. Cloo Classic marathons have been popular on the network it seems and they will air two more in August (in addition to the weekly Monday schedule and early mornings every weekday). First up, a 24-hour Charlie's Angels marathon on Sunday, August 18 starting at 6am ET. Sister network Universal HD aired every single episode consecutively of the '70s drama last week in a marathon titled "Charlie's Angels From the Beginning." On this Cloo marathon, every episode from season two will air and the first seven episodes from the third season. The next Cloo Classic marathon will be on Saturday, August 24, when Cloo airs a late night marathon of the sitcom Happy Days. Join The Fonz and company all-night long beginning at 11pm and ending in the morning at 6am. All the episodes will be Fonzie related episodes and will be assorted episodes from multiple seasons and will not be going in a particular order. Among the episodes airing are "Fonzie Gets Shot," "Fonzie the Father," "They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" and many more. It's going to follow a marathon of the USA Network summer reality series Summer Camp from 9am-11pm. Stay with us for continued updates on Cloo and we hope we get more Cloo Classic marathons every month!

We hinted last week that Cloo will have a special event coming up soon and now we can tell you what that is! On Friday, July 5, 2013, Cloo presents its second "Jump the Shark" Marathon! A 24-hour party full of classic TV all day and all night with "jump the shark" moments. The first one was back in November, as we announced. There comes a time when a long running television series desperately tries to keep viewers' interest. These gimmicks started when Fonzie "Jumped the Shark" on Happy Days. Cloo is celebrating these classic television moments with an all-day marathon featuring Get Smart, Bosom Buddies, Family Ties, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, MacGyver, Mannix, The Unit, House, and Charlie's Angels. Among the episodes you'll see are "The Birth of a Keaton" on Family Ties, the infamous 3-part "Hollywood" episode of Happy Days, the move to Burbank on Laverne & Shirley, the wedding on Mork & Mindy, and many more.

Late in the month, Cloo will have a Cloo Classics Marathon of MacGyver on Saturday, July 20, starting at 6:00am running 24 straight hours! MacGyver airs regularly on Mondays from 1pm-6am, following classic sitcoms Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, Taxi and Mork & Mindy from 6am-1pm. Stay with us for continued updates on Cloo and the classic TV they air! We will have more news for August, so come on back!




We stick with classic TV for this second story. Last year on the 4th of July, WLNY-TV 10/55 in New York City started a tradition of airing classic TV marathons on major holidays. The first one was I Love Lucy on the 4th of July. Back by popular demand... the I Love Lucy July 4th Marathon returns for the second straight year! As usual with the WLNY-TV classic TV marathons, they will be 12-hours and start at 9:00am running to 9:00pm. The 24 classic episodes airing are: "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her," "The Great Train Robbery," "The Seance," "Charm School," "The Handcuffs," "The Ballet," "The Million Dollar Idea," "The Diner," "Never Do Business With Friends," "Redecorating," "Lucy Wants New Furniture," "Lucy Learns to Drive," "L.A. at Last," "Staten Island Ferry," "Lucy & John Wayne," "Lucy and Bob Hope," "The Camping Trip," "The Black Eye," "Ricky Thinks He's Going Bald," "Breaking the Lease," "Job Switching," "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," "Lucy's Italian Movie" and "Return Home From Europe."

WLNY's last marathon was on Memorial Day for Happy Days. The other marathons they have aired in the last year were I Dream of Jeannie for President's Day, The Odd Couple for New Year's, Taxi for Thanksgiving, The Munsters for Halloween, and The Andy Griffith Show for Labor Day. Will these shows also become annual traditions like Lucy or will they change the shows up? We shall see, so stay tuned! We hope more holidays are added, perhaps Love American Style or The Love Boat for Valentine's Day, Columbo on Columbus Day, or a classic TV holiday episode marathon on Christmas?

Watch the I Love Lucy July 4th Marathon promo: