SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

WWE Superstars Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair are set to guest star on an episode of Peacock's Punky Brewster, from UCP and Universal Television, divisions of Universal Studio Group. The new and highly-anticipated Punky Brewster series will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, February 25. In the episode, Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) takes Izzy (Quinn Copeland) to meet two of her favorite WWE Superstars. Beginning this March, Peacock will be the new home of WWE Network. In this continuation of the iconic 80s sitcom about a bright young girl raised by a foster dad, Punky is now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets Izzy, a young girl in the foster system who reminds Punky a lot of her younger self. Soleil Moon Frye (Punky) and Cherie Johnson (Cherie) will reprise their original roles. The series also stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (Travis, Punky's ex-husband), Quinn Copeland (Izzy), Noah Cottrell (Diego), Oliver De Los Santos (Daniel), and Lauren Lindsey Donzis (Hannah).

Disney's critically acclaimed DuckTales will solve some mysteries and rewrite history with an epic 90-minute series finale special Monday, March 15, (7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney XD and ungated in DisneyNOW. Executive produced by Matt Youngberg and co-executive produced by Francisco Angones, the Emmy® Award-nominated DuckTales team wrapped production after 75 episodes and more than 15 shorts. The series continues to be available on Disney Channels and Disney+ around the world. In the U.S., the series is the #1 ratings driver on Disney XD and has reached over 234 million views on social media and YouTube since its launch in 2017. Culminating in a memorable, dramatic reading of the iconic DuckTales main title song, the cast met one final time via Zoom during the recent holiday season—David Tennant ("Scrooge McDuck"), Danny Pudi ("Huey"), Ben Schwartz ("Dewey"), Bobby Moynihan ("Louie"), Kate Micucci ("Webby Vanderquack"), Beck Bennett ("Launchpad McQuack"), Toks Olagundoye ("Mrs. Beakley") and Paget Brewster ("Della Duck").

In the finale titled "The Last Adventure!," the future of adventuring hangs in the balance as the Duck family uncovers earth-shattering secrets in a final standoff with the Fiendish Organization for World Larceny (F.O.W.L.). Returning guest voices include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Giancarlo Esposito, Julie Bowen, Jaime Camil, Jameela Jamil, Catherine Tate, Stephanie Beatriz, Paul F. Tompkins, Jim Rash, Margo Martindale, Jason Mantzoukas, John Hodgman, Retta, Kimiko Glenn, Libe Barer, Jaleel White and Amy Sedaris. Noël Wells and Riki Lindhome guest star as sisters, June and May, respectively. The DuckTales series finale special will encore non-stop for 24 hours following its premiere. Leading up to the finale, Disney XD will debut new episodes every Monday beginning Feb. 22 (7:00 p.m. EST/PST) and will present a week-long DuckTales marathon of every aired episode beginning Monday, March 8 (7:30 p.m. EST/PST). In addition, three new "Chibi Tiny Tales" shorts, featuring Chibi-style versions of favorite DuckTales characters, will roll out beginning Friday, Feb. 26, on Disney XD, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel YouTube.

Season three of the Emmy Award-nominated DuckTales will debut with two new episodes Saturday, April 4 at 9:30 a.m. EDT/PDT, on Disney XD and DisneyNOW. Featuring appearances by classic Disney characters Daisy Duck, Goofy and favorites from TaleSpin, Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck, the new season finds the Duck family embarking on a globetrotting hunt for the world's greatest lost artifacts, with a secret organization from Scrooge's past, the Fiendish Organization for World Larceny (F.O.W.L.), trying to stop them at any cost. DuckTales stars David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi (Community) as Huey, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Dewey, Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) as Louie, Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live) as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye (Castle) as Mrs. Beakley, Disney Legend Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck, and Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds) as Della Duck, Donald Duck's twin sister and the nephews' mother.

Season three guest stars include Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Selma Blair (Hellboy), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Bebe Neuwirth (Cheers), Retta (Parks and Recreation), Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Jaleel White (Family Matters), Doug Jones (Hellboy), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Abby Ryder-Fortson (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Tress MacNeille (Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures), Bill Farmer (Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures), James Monroe Iglehart (Broadway's Hamilton) and Adam Pally (Sonic the Hedgehog). Later in the year, EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort will debut Disney's DuckTales World Showcase Adventure, an interactive scavenger hunt that invites guests to join the Duck family in search of priceless treasure via the Play Disney Parks mobile app. Also new is a three-issue comic book series, DuckTales: Faires and Scares, from IDW Publishing. Merchandise from Disney Parks, Experiences & Consumer Products continues to be available at retailers nationwide.

CBS All Access announced a new series order for Guilty Party, a half-hour dark comedy starring Isla Fisher as Beth Baker, a discredited journalist desperate to salvage her career by latching on to the story of a young mother sentenced to life in prison for maiming and murdering her husband, crimes she claims she didn't commit. In trying to uncover the truth, Beth finds herself in over her head as she contends with Colorado gun-smugglers, clickbait culture, the doldrums of marriage and her own tarnished past. Guilty Party is written by Rebecca Addelman (Dead to Me) and Trent O'Donnell (No Activity) will direct. Addelman and O'Donnell will also serve as executive producers alongside Isla Fisher, Sam Hansen, Jimmy Miller and Funny Or Die's Joe Farrell, Jim Ziegler, Mike Farah and co-executive producer Joe Hardesty. The series is being produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Funny Or Die and Mosaic. 

Father's Day is approaching very fast and this Father's Day, viewers have chosen which show Antenna TV will show a marathon of on Father's Day 2017 - Sunday, June 18! You all voted for your choice of the "Top Pop of Antenna TV" and now we have a winner! Voting ended on Monday, June 5 and the choices were: George Owens - Mr. Belvedere; Michael & Joey - My Two Dads; Jim Anderson - Father Knows Best; Martin Lane - The Patty Duke Show; Fred Sanford - Sanford and Son and Wood Newton - Evening Shade. But who won? OK, we will tell you...because father always knows best and Antenna TV fans have chosen Father Knows Best as the "Top Pop of Antenna TV!" In the series starring Robert Young, Jim Anderson copes with the everyday problems of his growing family. The marathon will run Sunday (June 18) from 5am-10pm on Antenna TV!

The new animated comedy adventure DuckTales will premiere in a one-hour television movie to be presented for 24 consecutive hours, Saturday, August 12 (beginning at midnight EDT/PDT), on Disney XD. Then, the series will debut with two new episodes Saturday, September 23 (7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 10:30 p.m. EDT/PDT). Each will also be available on the Disney XD app and Disney XD VOD on these same dates. For the raft of DuckTales fans around the world, the August 12 movie is commonsensically titled "Woo-oo!." The September series premiere coincides with the 30th anniversary of the original Emmy Award-winning series. Beginning this year, DuckTales and its "Woo-oo!" movie will reach far and wide in 34 languages in 162 countries on Disney XD channels and Disney Channels worldwide.

A paddling of ducks helped announce the television movie premiere date on the official DuckTales Facebook page, which also debuted the series opening title and new rendition of the iconic theme song. Written by Mark C. Mueller, the song is performed by singer/songwriter Felicia Barton (Dancing with the Stars) and produced by Emmy Award-winning Michael 'Smidi' Smith (Coldplay, Sia, Britney Spears) and composer Dominic Lewis. It will be released by Walt Disney Records on Friday, June 23. Featuring a distinct animation style inspired by the classic Carl Barks' comic designs, "DuckTales" chronicles the high-flying adventures of Duckburg's most famous trillionaire Scrooge McDuck, his mischief-making triplet grandnephews - Huey, Dewey and Louie, temperamental nephew Donald Duck and the trusted McDuck Manor team: big-hearted, fearless chauffer/pilot Launchpad McQuack; no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs. Beakley; and Mrs. Beakley's granddaughter, Webby Vanderquack, resident adventurer and the triplet's newfound fierce friend. The story unfolds as Donald Duck reluctantly takes Huey, Dewey and Louie to the home of their reclusive great-uncle Scrooge McDuck. Enthralled by their once-legendary great-uncle and the wonder of McDuck Manor, the triplets and Webby learn of long-kept family secrets and unleash totems from Scrooge's epic past, sending the family on an adventure of a lifetime to the Lost City of Atlantis.

The voice cast is David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi (Community) as Huey, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Dewey, Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) as Louie, Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live) as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye (Castle) as Mrs. Beakley and Tony Anselmo (Mickey Mouse) as Donald Duck. Recurring guest voices include Lin-Manuel Miranda as Duckburg's favorite hero Gizmoduck (his alias is Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera), Allison Janney as Scrooge's old flame Goldie O'Gilt, Margo Martindale as the ruthless villain Ma Beagle, Paul F. Tompkins as lucky duck Gladstone Gander, Kimiko Glenn as well-traveled teen Lena, Jim Rash as mad scientist Gyro Gearloose, Josh Brener as tech billionaire Mark Beaks, Keith Ferguson as Scrooge's archenemy Flintheart Glomgold, Eric Bauza as Beagle Boys and Corey Burton as scientist Ludwig Von Drake.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got news of possible sitcom pilots with Craig Ferguson and Ving Rhames, new remakes of popular 80s cartoons are making a comeback, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• It should be no surprise that Two and a Half Men would be finishing up on DVD soon, and this week, CBS announced that the final season will be arriving on June 16.

MARCH 3 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• CHiPs - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $29.98): Warner Home Video brings the third season of the classic series to DVD, several years after the second season.

Who to Follow: Jim O'Heir (Twitter), "Actor. Presently starring as Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry Gengurch Gergich in Parks and Recreation."

Claim to Fame: We've just wrapped up the "February Finales" season with Two and a Half Men and Parks and Recreation both ending, and this week, we're bringing you one of the stars of those series, Jim O'Heir from Parks and Recreation. O'Heir played Gary/Jerry/Larry/Terry (nobody really knew, or cared, what his name really was, so he just accepted any name as his own) Gergich in the series. O'Heir is a Chicago native and he spent much of his career doing improv comedy in his hometown, all throughout the 80s and 90s. It wasn't until the early 2000s that he began to move toward TV roles, and he mostly went for guest roles in series such as Malcolm in the Middle, Friends, and Just Shoot Me, although he did have a role on the Comedy Central series Strip Mall. Of course, he was most recently on the series Parks and Recreation, though for that role, he had originally tried out for the role of Ron Swanson.
Pick of the Tweets: "This explains the kiss. lol How That Ridiculous 'Parks & Rec' Makeout Session Came Together http://huff.to/1wphlWQ  via @HuffPostEnt" (February 25, 2015)

Me money bin! An all-new DuckTales, an animated comedy series based on the Emmy Award-winning series treasured by a generation of viewers, has been ordered for launch in 2017 on Disney XD channels around the world. Set to be produced by Disney Television Animation, the new series will again star Disney's enduringly popular characters: Scrooge McDuck, his grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Donald Duck. The new series' adventures will once again take viewers along as Scrooge McDuck, his curious and mischief-making grandnephews - Huey, Dewey and Louie - and the optimistic yet temperamental Donald Duck embark on high-flying adventures worldwide. Other beloved characters slated to be in the new stories are: Duckworth, Gyro Gearloose, Launchpad McQuack, Flintheart Glomgold, Magica DeSpell & Poe, Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys (Burger Beagle, Bouncer Beagle), Mrs. Beakley and Webbigail Vanderquack.

A generation's seminal cartoon, the Emmy Award-winning DuckTales led the daily syndicated cartoon block "The Disney Afternoon" with 100 episodes produced by Disney Television Animation from 1987-90. An animated theatrical film, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp premiered in 1990. The original DuckTales series is currently available on WATCH Disney Channel, an app that allows consumers to watch on tablets, phones, computers and set-top boxes.

And that's not all! Another '80s classic is being rebooted. A secret agent mouse, a cyborg detective, crazy outback animals, and a group of kids who run a toy company, are just a few of the adventurous and funny characters joining the world's leading Internet TV network beginning this year. Working with award-winning global partners, Netflix is adding five new animated and live-action comedy series to its already broad selection of high-quality kids and family entertainment. Inspector Gadget is back in March 2015 with a new series! Everyone's favorite bumbling bionic detective, Inspector Gadget, is back in an all new CGI animated series. Dr. Claw has reactivated his global crime syndicate MAD and Inspector Gadget must stop him! Backed up by his niece, Penny, her dog Brain, and an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry, the lovable Gadget fights crime as only he can. The 26-episode series, produced by DHX Media, premieres exclusively in the U.S. on Netflix this March and will join the service at a later date in Latin America, the U.K., Ireland, Benelux, France and the Nordics - after the initial broadcast in each country.

Disney Channel has ordered a spin-off series of the hit comedy Jessie, which has consistently ranked among the Top TV series across Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens over its four seasons. Peyton List, Karan Brar and Skai Jackson reprise their roles of Emma, Ravi and Zuri Ross, respectively. The yet-to-be-titled spin-off series will be part of Disney Media Sales and Marketing's presentations to clients in the coming week. Continuing her long association with the Disney Channel hit series, series creator, Pamela Eells O'Connell (Jessie, The Suite Life on Deck), will executive-produce. The new production is scheduled to begin in spring 2015.