SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Remembering John Lawlor, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lynne Marie Stewart, Alice Hirson, Isaac Ruiz Jr., and Others We Lost in February

Actor John Lawlor, who starred as Leonard Marsh in Phyllis and as Steven Bradley in The Facts of Life, has died. He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 13. Mr. Lawlor was 83.

Lawlor starred as Leonard Marsh in the second season (1976-1977) of the CBS sitcom Phyllis. Leonard Marsh is a politician who works in the same office as Dan Valenti (Carmine Caridi) and Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman). Leonard is sometimes extremely dim, but is able to good look on camera and give a quotable soundbite. Lawlor guest starred as Officer Hale in the first season episode "Crazy Mama". The season two cast included Henry Jones, Jane Rose, Lisa Gerritsen, Judith Lowry, Garn Stephens, Burt Mustin (1976), and Craig Wasson (1977).

He starred as Steven Bradley in the first season (1979-1980) of the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. Mr. Bradley is Eastland's headmaster. Mr. Bradley was succeeded as headmaster by the seldom-seen Mr. Harris (Kenneth Mars) and then by Mr. Charles Parker (Roger Perry) in the third season until the beginning of the fifth season. The season one cast included Charlotte Rae, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Jenny O'Hara (1979), Felice Schacter, Julie Piekarski, Julie Anne Haddock, and Molly Ringwald.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Alice, Barney Miller, A New Kind of Family, Condo, Newhart, Sledge Hammer!, She's the Sheriff, and Mr. Belvedere.

Lawlor played Walter Talbert in four episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful from 1988 to 1989. He guest starred in four episodes of Knots Landing from 1992 to 1993. Some of his other television guest appearances included The Rockford Files, Ellery Queen, Joe Forrester, Black Sheep Squadron, Here's Boomer, T.J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Stingray, Highway to Heaven (2 episodes), The New Lassie, L.A. Law, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Cold Case, In Plain Sight, Scoundrels (3 episodes), Breaking Bad, Longmire, and Graves. His final credits were as Elmer Knowland in four episodes of the 2017 Netflix western miniseries Godless.

In a 1980s TV commercial for Malt-O-Meal hot cereal, he played a father telling his son's invisible friend that Malt-O-Meal was, "Good stuff, Maynard!" a line which became a popular phrase.

Mr. Lawlor was a solid and dependable chracter actor. We thank him for his work on Phyllis, The Facts of Life, and his other television roles. He will be greatly missed.

Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who starred as Nona F. Mecklenberg in The Adventures of Pete & Pete, has died. She died on February 26 in her New York City apartment. The primary cause of death was complications of diabetes, which is sometimes a side effect of organ transplantation. Ms. Trachtenberg was only 39.

Trachtenberg made her television debut in her first credited role as Nona F. Mecklenberg in the Nickelodeon sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete. She had a recurring role in 14 episodes in seasons two and three (1994-1996). Nona F. Mecklenberg is Little Pete's (Danny Tamberelli) best friend. James "Pop" Mecklenberg (Iggy Pop) is Nona's loving and occasionally overprotective dad. The series also starred Michael Maronna, Hardy Rawls, Judy Grafe, Alison Fanelli, and Toby Huss.

She starred as Maggie Parker in the short-lived 1997 CBS sitcom Meego. The series starred Bronson Pinchot in the title role as an alien masquerading as a human being who, after his spaceship crashlands on Earth, unexpectedly becomes the nanny to a single father's (Ed Begley Jr. as Dr. Edward Parker) three children: Trip (Will Estes, played by Erik von Detten in the pilot), Maggie and Alex Parker (Jonathan Lipnicki). In 1997, she won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Supporting Young Actress for the role.

Trachtenberg's first credited television role was as Elsie Soaperstein in a 1993 episode of Clarissa Explains It All. She guest starred on Dave's World in 1996 and Guys Like Us in 1998.

She starred as Dawn Summers, the younger sister of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), in The WB and UPN supernatural drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 2000 to 2003. Dawn Summers is introduced in season five ("Buffy vs. Dracula"). The role won her another Young Artist Award in 2001 and earned her three Saturn Award nominations.

Trachtenberg had a recurring role as Georgina Sparks in 28 episodes of The CW teen drama Gossip Girl from 2008 to 2012. Georgina Sparks is a troublesome schemer and Serena van der Woodsen's (Blake Lively) former friend. In 2022, she reprised her role as Georgina Sparks in the second season of the HBO revival of Gossip Girl.

She starred as Chloe Payne in the 2009-2010 NBC medical drama Mercy. She played Lily Montgomary in three episodes of All My Children in 1994. Some of her other television credits included Space Cases, Six Feet Under (4 episodes), House, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Love Bites (3 episodes), Weeds (5 episodes as Emma Karlin), Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Sleepy Hollow (2 episodes).

Trachtenberg's film career began in 1996 with the title role in Harriet the Spy. Some of her other film credits included Inspector Gadget (1999), EuroTrip (2004), Mysterious Skin (2004), Ice Princess (2005), Black Christmas (2006), and 17 Again (2009).

Ms. Trachtenberg was a talented and versatile young actress. She had a lot of success with many roles in her career. We thank her for her work on television and in films. She will be deeply missed.

Actress Lynne Marie Stewart, who had a recurring role as Bonnie Kelly in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has died. She died in Los Angeles on February 21 from cancer, which was found near her liver and gallbladder. Ms. Stewart was 78.

Stewart starred as Joy Bellini in the short-lived 1978 CBS sitcom Husbands, Wives & Lovers. Created by Joan Rivers, the series focused on the relationships of five suburban couples living in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. Joy Bellini is married to Harry Bellini (Eddie Barth), a blue-collar self-made man who owns a fleet of garbage trucks. The series also starred JEsse Welles, Ron Rifkin, Stephen Pearlman, Cynthia Harris, Mark Lonow, Randee Heller, Charles Siebert, and Claudette Nevins.

She had a recurring role as Bonnie Kelly, Charlie Kelly's (Charlie Day) mother, in 18 episodes of the FX/FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia from 2005 to 2023. Bonnie Kelly is a sweet and timid woman who is attracted to cruel men.

Some of her early sitcom guest appearances included Madame's Place (2 episodes), One Day at a Time, Laverne & Shirley (7 episodes as various chracters), The Duck Factory (1990), The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, Herman's Head, Hope & Gloria, Dream On, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, Alright Already, Almost Perfect, Working, and The Brian Benben Show.

Some of her 2000s and later sitcom guest appearances included Spin City, The Brothers Garcia, Son of the Beach (11 episodes), According to Jim, Arrested Development, Significant Others (2 episodes), Curb Your Enthusiasm, Austin & Ally, Good Luck Charlie, Benched, 2 Broke Girls (2 episodes), Nobodies (2 episodes), and The Cool Kids. She was an audience member (the lady in the frumpy dress with the glasses) in 31 episodes of the comedy show Night Stand with Dick Dietrick from 1995 to 1996.

She provided Shirley's voice in the Saturday morning cartoon Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour and Laverne & Shirley in the Army. Some of her other voice credits included The Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Show, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, and Life with Louie (6 episodes).

Stewart was widely known for her performance as Miss Yvonne, "the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land", in the 1986-1990 CBS children's series Pee-wee's Playhouse. She originated the role in the 1981 stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show. She continued it in the 2010 Los Angeles stage revival and the Broadway production, which opened in November 2010 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Ms. Stewart was a funny and memorable actress. She was a familiar face in many sitcoms. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment. She will be sorely missed.

Actress Alice Hirson, who had a recurring role as Lois Morgan in Ellen, has died. She died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles on February 14. Ms. Hirson was 95.

Hirson starred as Nana in the short-lived 1992 NBC sitcom Home Fires. Nana is Anne Kramer's (Kate Burton) busybody mother who drove everyone crazy. The series also starred Michael Brandon, Nicole Eggert, Jarrad Paul, Tyagi Schwartz, and Norman Lloyd.

She had a recurring role as Claire Tanner in three episodes of the ABC sitcom Full House in 1987. Granny Tanny is Danny's (Bob Saget) mother. She helped Danny raise the girls in the first few months after the death of Danny's wife, Pam, prior to Jesse and Joey moving into the house. Claire Tanner was later played by Doris Roberts in a 1990 episode.

Hirson had a recurring role as Lois Morgan in 28 episodes of the 1994-1998 ABC sitcom Ellen. Lois is Ellen Inez Morgan's (Ellen DeGeneres) mother. Lois spends much of her time nosing and interfering in Ellen's life. Before Ellen comes out of the closet, Lois is obsessed with finding Ellen a husband.

Some of her sitcom guest appeances included Maude, The Ropers, Barney Miller, Taxi, Foley Square, Dear John, Murphy Brown (3 episodes), and Just Shoot Me!.

She appeared as Marsha Davis in 43 episodes of the NBC soap opera Another World in 1970. She played Eileen Riley Siegel in 59 episodes of the ABC soap opera One Life to Live from 1972 to 1976. In 1982, she appeared as Mrs. Van Gelder in four episodes of General Hospital. She had a recurring role as Mavis Anderson, friend and confidante of Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes), in 26 episodes of the CBS prime time soap opera Dallas from 1982 to 1988.

From 1996 to 2006, she appeared in eight episodes of The WB family drama 7th Heaven playing Jenny Jackson, mother of Annie Camden (Catherine Hicks), whose illness and death occurred as the series began in 1996.

Ms. Hirson was funny as Ellen's mother. We thank her for her work as sitcom moms. She will be deeply missed.

Actor Isaac Ruiz Jr., who had a recurring role as Mando in Chico and the Man, has died. He died in his home in Los Angeles on February 10. He was recently diagnosed with terminal acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Mr. Ruiz was 81.

Ruiz had a recurring role as Mando, Chico's friend, in seven episodes of the 1974-1978 NBC sitcom Chico and the Man. The series stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run-down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and Freddie Prinze (until Prinze's suicide in the third season) as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic young Mexican American who comes in looking for a job.

Some of his other television appearances included Delvecchio, The Rockford Files, Project U.F.O., and Charlie's Angels (1978). He played Tico in the 1978 adventure comedy film Corvette Summer, which starred Mark Hamill and Annie Potts.

Mr. Ruiz originally auditioned for the role of Chico. He lost out to Freddie Prinze, but creator and producer James Komack liked him enough to create a new character for him. We thank him for his work as the lovable Mando on Chico and the Man. He will be greatly missed.

We also remember actor and professional football player Peter "Navy" Tuiasosopo. He had a recurring as Big Bob in New Girl. He died from heart complications in Phoenix, Arizona, on February 10. Mr. Tuiasosopo was 61.

Tuiasosopo co-starred in his first television series with Adam West as the strong-armed detective Al Hamoki in the short-lived 1993 Fox half-hour comedy anthology series Danger Theatre. He appeared in four episodes of the series, which was hosted by Robert Vaughn.

He appeared as Big Bob in three episodes of New Girl from 2013 to 2016. He played Steve in an earlier episode in 2012. Some of his other sitcom credits included Down the Shore (2 episodes), The Jamie Foxx Show, Jenny, Accidentally on Purpose, Mr. Sunshine, Workaholics, Kickin' It, and black-ish.

Tuiasosopo starred as Officer Kaleo in the short-lived 2004 NBC police drama Hawaii. Some of his other television credits included Silk Stalkings, Dragnet (2003), Big Love, Women's Murder Club, Easy Money (6 episodes), The Young and the Restless (7 episodes), NCIS, Mob City, Ray Donovan, Mayans M.C., and Magnum P.I. (2021).

His film debut was as Laikai "The Slender" Manumana in the 1991 sports comedy Necessary Roughness. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Edmond Honda in the live action movie Street Fighter (1994)

Mr. Tuiasosopo played football as a center in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams in 1987. We thank him for his work on television and in films. He will be greatly missed.

Actor Tony Roberts starred as Ted Bolen in the 1984 CBS sitcom The Four Seasons, as Jim Gordon in the 1985 CBS sitcom The Lucie Arnaz Show, and as Sloan Thorn in the 1988 ABC sitcom The Thorns. He died of lung cancer at his Manhattan home on February 7. Mr. Roberts was 85.

Roberts starred as Ted Bolen in the short-lived 1984 CBS sitcom The Four Seasons. The series was based on the 1981 film The Four Seasons, which was written and directed by and starred Alan Alda. It also starred Jack Weston, Marcia Rodd, Barbara Babcock, Allan Arbus, Joanna Kerns, Beatrice Alda, Elizabeth Alda, and Lori Carrell.

He starred as Jim Gordon in the short-lived 1985 CBS The Lucie Arnaz Show. Dr. Jane Lucas (Lucie Arnaz) is a psychologist who answers questions from the public on her radio show ("The Jane Lucas Show") and in a magazine. Jim Gordon is her boss. The series also starred Karen Jablons-Alexander, Lee Bryant, and Todd Waring.

Roberts starred as Sloan Thorn in the short-lived 1988 ABC sitcom The Thorns. The Thorns are a dysfunctional married couple trying to climb their way up the social ladder in New York while dealing with their children and a grandmother moving in. The series also starred Kelly Bishop, Marilyn Cooper, Lori Petty, Mary Louise Wilson, Adam Biesk, Lisa Rieffel, Jesse Tendler, Maureen Stapleton, and Kathryn Marcopulos.

Some of his sitcom guest apparances included Love, American Style (1971), Phyllis, The Love Boat (3 episodes), and Married to the Kellys. Hee starred as Joseph Rosetti in the short-lived 1977 law drama Rosetti and Ryan.

Mr. Roberts was best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Woody Allen, having acted in six of his films, most notably Annie Hall (1977). We thank him for his work on television and in films. He will be sorely missed.

Posted by Todd -- SitcomsOnline.com at 2:00 PM

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Labels: Adventures of Pete and Pete, Chico and the Man, Ellen, Facts of Life, Full House, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Obits, Pee-wee's Playhouse, Phyllis

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh Drops October 17 on Prime Video; Ellen's Final Comedy Special

One mystery concerning The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh has been solved: Prime Video announced that the highly anticipated Original comedy series will premiere all eight half-hour episodes on October 17 exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S., UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, Venezuela, and India, and on Amazon Freevee in the U.S., UK, and Germany. Inspired by the personal experiences of Emmy-nominated creator Vijal Patel (black-ish, The Middle), The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh follows the Pradeep family and the events of their first few months after moving to America from India. As told through hilarious (and often conflicting) flashbacks from an interrogation room, the Pradeeps quickly find themselves embroiled - romantically, personally, and professionally - with a polar-opposite neighborhood family, leading to a predicament with many surprising twists.

Sahana Srinivasan (Bhanu Pradeep), Arjun Sriram (Kamal Pradeep), Ashwin Sakthivel (Vinod Pradeep), and Nicholas Hamilton (Stu Mills) star alongside Andrews, Vee, Hilty, and Suplee, with Pete Holmes (Dark Suit) and Romy Rosemont (Light Suit) appearing as special guest stars.

Iconic comedian, talk show host, actor and Emmy-Award winner Ellen DeGeneres returns for her second Netflix comedy special, Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval, which will premiere globally on September 24. The final comedy special of her historic career, Ellen gets personal and reveals what she's been doing since being "kicked out of show business." From the mundane world of raising chickens and parallel parking to the harsh reality of becoming a brand name celebrity, she goes deep into her stand-up roots and brings the laughs through life's most real and absurd realities. This marks Ellen's second original comedy special with Netflix, after 2018's Relatable. The special will be Ellen's last comedy special of her career.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Amazon Prime, Ellen, Netflix, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

Freeform Says Everything's Gonna Be Okay with New Comedy; HBO Max Teams Up with Ellen for 4 Projects

Freeform announces Josh Thomas' return to television with Everything's Gonna Be Okay, premiering Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. Critically acclaimed for his series Please Like Me, Thomas once again takes on a multifaceted role as creator, writer, executive producer and star of the 30-minute comedy, which introduces Nicholas (Josh Thomas), a neurotic twenty-something-year-old visiting his dad and teenage half-sisters, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. When Nicholas' trip is extended due to his father's untimely death, the siblings are left to cope with not only a devastating loss, but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who will have to rise to the occasion, move in, and hold it all together. A first-look clip wherein Nicholas proposes guardianship of his sisters, Matilda and Genevieve, is available here.

Navigating autism, budding sexuality, consent, parenthood, adolescence, family and grief, the heartfelt comedy will follow this imperfect family as they discover the importance of finding happiness in the middle of really difficult moments, one awkward conversation at a time. Neurodiverse actress and activist Kayla Cromer stars as Matilda, a high school senior who is driven to succeed and on the autism spectrum. She is Nicholas' bright and outgoing half-sister who is curious and contemplative; if she doesn't initially understand something, she'll put in the work to figure it out. 17-year-old stand-up comedienne Maeve Press stars as Genevieve, Nicholas' other half-sister who has a unique comedic sensibility; she is clever, dramatic and definitely a little weird. At school she's at odds with her authentic self, hanging around a group of girls who sharply contrast her kind-hearted family and struggling to find her place in the world. Newcomer Adam Faison rounds out the cast of series regulars as Alex, Nicholas' romantic interest introduced in the first episode.

HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia set to launch in the spring of 2020, has teamed up with Emmy(R) Award Winner Ellen DeGeneres, ordering three original shows straight to series: Ellen's Home Design Challenge, First Dates Hotel, and Little Ellen, as well as docu-series Finding Einstein in development. DeGeneres announced the pickups last week on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and didn't stop there. She also surprised her audience with a two-year HBO Max subscription in celebration of the news.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Ellen, Everything's Gonna Be Okay, Freeform, HBO Max

black-ish Heads to Syndication in Fall 2018; Ellen's Coming Out Episode on ABC Throwback

Disney/ABC has sold the off-network syndication rights for ABC's critically acclaimed comedy series black-ish by licensing it to broadcast syndication along with cable on BET Networks in a shared window with FX Networks. black-ish will launch on all three in fall 2018. The show has been cleared in 90% of the country so far for broadcast syndication with Tribune Broadcasting (WPIX, KTLA, WGN, etc) as the core station group. But wait there's more, Hulu recently picked up black-ish's SVOD rights. black-ish is currently in season three and is certain to get a fourth-season renewal by ABC. On the cable front, the comedy can air on BET Network's BET or Centric and FX Network's FX or FXX. We will know soon.

Andre "Dre" Johnson and his physician wife, Rainbow, are living the American dream: great careers, four beautiful kids and a home in an upper middle class neighborhood. With a little help from Pops and Ruby, Dre sets out to establish a sense of cultural identity for his family that honors their past while embracing the future. Loosely based on show-creator Kenya Barris' life, the series tackles a wide array of timely social issues with humor and humanity. black-ish stars Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Jenifer Lewis and Peter Mackenzie.

Yesterday (Sunday, April 30) was the 20th anniversary of the historic coming-out episode of the Ellen sitcom on ABC. All episodes of the series are available now to stream for free/no sign in required in the Throwbacks section of the ABC app for desktop, mobile and connected TV devices. In "The Puppy Episode - Parts 1 & 2," Ellen senses a kindred spirit when she meets a gay woman who enlightens her to her own sexual identity. Confused by this startling self-discovery, Ellen seeks the guidance of a therapist and braces herself for yet another moment of truth: telling her friends. "The Puppy Episode" features special guests Oprah Winfrey, Laura Dern, Demi Moore, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam and k.d. lang.

Ellen, which aired on The ABC Television Network from 1994-1998, featured DeGeneres as Ellen Morgan, a single woman whose day-to-day routine wouldn't be complete without checking in with her extended family of equally single friends. This close-knit group of spirited individuals looks out for each other but they are not above butting into each other's business when it's for their own good. The series was produced by Carol Black, Neal Marlens and David S. Rosenthal and co-stars Jeremy Piven, Joely Fisher, Clea Lewis and David Anthony Higgins.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: ABC, BET, black-ish, Ellen, FX, Syndication

SitcomsOnline Digest: Emmy Nominations Announced; Chuck Lorre to Bring Pot Comedy to Netflix

• Emmy nominations were announced this week, and of course, there is a full list of everything that was nominated for anything. (Deadline)
• Chuck Lorre has made a name for himself as sort of the king of CBS sitcoms that people either really love or really hate over the past decade or more, but his next project brings him to Netflix, with a marijuana sitcom starring Kathy Bates. (Variety)
• ABC has relaunched their online streaming service, and it now includes vintage series from the ABC Studios library such as Felicity and Ellen. (LA Times) 
• Tatyana Ali, of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame, is suing Warner Bros after claiming that the concept of talk show The Real was stolen from her. (Deadline)
• getTV has been working on carving a niche as a destination for rare and forgotten TV series, and this week, more of those rare and forgotten TV series were added to the lineup. (SitcomsOnline) 

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• As we mentioned last week, Sony released Grady on DVD earlier this week, but as it turns out, it isn't quite the complete series. The release, called The Best of Grady, is actually one episode short of the full series, as the third episode of the series is missing.

TUESDAY (JULY 19) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Bob's Burgers - The Complete 5th Season (DVD, $29.95): The animated Fox comedy returns to DVD as a MOD release in this set.
• Sisters - Season Five (DVD, $39.93): Shout! Factory continues with this series on DVD.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

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Labels: Bob's Burgers, Disjointed, Ellen, Emmys, Netflix, SitcomsOnline Digest

Throwback ABC Studios Shows Head to ABC App; The Hoff's Birthday Marathon on El Rey

It's #ThrowbackThursday everyone and we have some "throwback" updates from ABC! ABC announced a major evolution of its streaming service, re-launching with seven original digital short-form series, full seasons of 38 "throwback" shows, and a redesigned user interface exclusively for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV that improves discovery and navigation. The new original ABCd shorts and the "throwback" series will be available to all viewers on ABC.com and the ABC apps for mobile and connected TV devices without signing in. Full seasons of beloved past shows include: 8 Simple Rules, Benched, Betrayal, Body of Proof, Brothers & Sisters, Commander in Chief, Detroit 1-8-7, Dinosaurs, Dirty Sexy Money, Ellen, Felicity, FlashForward, Happy Town, Hope and Faith, I Survived a Japanese Game Show, The Knights of Prosperity, Less Than Perfect, Manhattan Love Story, Mixology, My Generation, My So-Called Life, The Neighbors, October Road, Off the Map, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Perception, Reaper, Red Band Society, The River, Samantha Who?, School House Rock, Secret Millionaire, Smart Guy, Sports Night, Trophy Wife, Ugly Betty, What About Brian?

At launch, seven new ABCd (ABC Digital) comedy and lifestyle digital series developed in-house by ABC Comedy Development, ABC Daytime and ABC Digital Media, are available. More than 40 additional series are in development and will roll out monthly. These series, along with all library shows, are available without signing in with a pay TV service. The ABCd series are: All My Gay Friends are Getting Married with Michelle Collins, Boondoogle with Ty Burrell, Forever 31 with Iliza Shlesinger, Tastemade's Get Cookin', I Can Find $3,000 In Your Home, Newborn Moms, and On The Record.

Celebrate the birth of one of TV's greatest legends in his iconic role as Michael Knight...in Knight Rider. Knight, played by David Hasselhoff, will be crime-fighting the forces of evil with his artificially intelligent supercar KITT in a 10-hour marathon of Knight Rider airing on Hasselhoff's birthday, Sunday, July 17 from 10AM ET to 8PM ET on The El Rey Network. The marathon will feature all four season premiere double features, including fan favorite episode, "Goliath," in which Hasselhoff also plays Michael Knight's evil twin Garthe. So get your fake mustaches ready! Knight Rider also airs every weekday afternoon on The El Rey Network.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: 8 Simple Rules, ABC, Brothers and Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money, El Rey Network, Ellen, Hope and Faith, Knight Rider, Less Than Perfect, October Road, Samantha Who?, Smart Guy, Sports Night, Trophy Wife, Ugly Betty

LAFF Launch Schedule and Acquires Spin City; Season 4 of Orange Is the New Black Coming to Netflix

LAFF, the country's first-ever, over-the-air broadcast television network devoted to comedy around-the-clock, launched yesterday, Weds. April 15 and in time for its' debut has licensed the broadcast television rights to all six seasons and 145 episodes of the popular sitcom Spin City from Paramount Worldwide Television Licensing & Distribution. Michael J. Fox headlines Spin City, which takes a hilarious look inside the New York City mayor's office. The series also features Heather Locklear, Barry Bostwick, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck and Connie Britton, with Charlie Sheen joining the cast for the series' final two seasons. Spin City was nominated multiple times for the Golden Globe(R) for Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical and Michael J. Fox won three Golden Globe(R) Awards and an Emmy(R) for his portrayal of Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty.

The addition of Spin City brings LAFF's tally to nearly 1000 episodes of popular contemporary sitcoms, including The Drew Carey Show, Night Court, Ellen DeGeneres' first sitcom Ellen, Empty Nest and Grace Under Fire. So when do these sitcoms air? Empty Nest airs weekdays 10-11am, 2-3am and 5-6am. Ellen airs weekdays 11am-12pm and 5-6pm. Spin City airs weekdays 4-5pm and 8-9pm. Grace Under Fire airs weekdays 6-7pm and 1-2am. And The Drew Carey Show rules primetime with airings weekdays from 7-8pm, 9-10pm and 12-1am. Movies air in the remaining timeslots on weekdays. On weekends, Empty Nest airs 6-7am on both days, Spin City airs Saturdays 7-8pm, followed by The Drew Carey Show in prime from 8-9pm and Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza from 9-10pm. On Sundays Empty Nest airs 7-8pm, followed by Ellen from 8-9pm and Grace Under Fire from 9-10pm. Like weekdays, movies air in the remaining timeslots. Night Court hasn't been scheduled yet.

LAFF is available to half the country -- including in 18 of the top 25 markets - with even more markets to be added shortly. LAFF is now seen in: New York (WABC-TV), Los Angeles (KABC-TV), Chicago (WLS-TV), Philadelphia (WPVI-TV), San Francisco (KGO-TV), Boston (WFXT-TV), Atlanta (WSB-TV), Houston (KTRK-TV), Phoenix (KNXV-TV), Detroit (WXYZ-TV), Tampa (WFTS-TV), Seattle (KIRO-TV), Denver (KMGH-TV), Orlando (WFTV-TV), Cleveland (WEWS-TV), Pittsburgh (WPXI-TV) Charlotte (WSOC-TV), Raleigh (WTVD-TV), Baltimore (WMAR-TV), Indianapolis (WRTV-TV), San Diego (KGTV-TV), Kansas City (KSHB-TV), Cincinnati (WCPO-TV), West Palm Beach (WPTV-TV), Buffalo (WKBW-TV), Fresno (KFSN-TV), Tulsa (KJRH-TV) and Dayton (WHIO-TV).

Netflix announced that there will be a season four of Orange Is the New Black, coming exclusively to Netflix in 2016. #SorryNotSorry - But first, your favorite inmates from Litchfield Correctional Institution are back for an all new season (season 3) exclusively on Netflix beginning Friday, June 12. Piper, Red, Crazy Eyes, Taystee, Poussey, Sophia, Nicky, Daya, Gloria, Big Boo, Pennsatucky and all of Litchfield's ladies are back for more drama and laughter...as Alex makes her return and a new inmate, Stella (Ruby Rose) joins the gang. Orange Is the New Black has garnered more than 20 awards including three Emmy Awards, two SAG Awards, two AFI honors, three Critic's Choice Television Awards, one NAACP Image Award, one PGA Award, two GLAAD Media Awards, and is a recipient of a Peabody Award and a Television Critics' Association (TCA) Award.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Drew Carey Show, Ellen, Empty Nest, Grace Under Fire, LAFF, Netflix, Spin City

LAFF Acquires Empty Nest, Night Court, Drew Carey, Ellen & Grace Under Fire; CW's 3rd Season of Beauty and the Beast Starts in May, Picked Up for 4th Season

LAFF, the country's first-ever, over-the-air broadcast television network devoted to comedy around-the-clock set to launch on April 15, 2015, made the first in what-will-be a series of programming acquisition announcements, landing the broadcast television rights to more than 800 episodes of some of the most popular sitcoms in contemporary television. In the three individual, multi-year licensing agreements, LAFF licenses: all nine seasons of both The Drew Carey Show (233 episodes) and Night Court (193 episodes) from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Two series from The Disney/ABC Television Group: Ellen DeGeneres' first sitcom Ellen (109 episodes) and all seven seasons of Empty Nest (170 episodes). And finally, Grace Under Fire (112 episodes) starring Brett Butler from Carsey-Werner Productions. LAFF will feature a mix of contemporary off-network sitcoms and popular theatrical motion pictures, with a target audience of adults 18-49. The LAFF brand will cross multiple platforms, with the linear network carried on the signals of local broadcast television stations and corresponding cable carriage while a selection of companion digital content will be available at LAFF.com and via the LAFF app.

The newly-announced LAFF already has two major distribution agreements in place. The ABC Owned Television Stations will carry LAFF in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh and Fresno. The E.W. Scripps Company will also launch LAFF on its stations in Detroit, Phoenix, Tampa, Denver, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Baltimore, San Diego, Kansas City, Cincinnati, West Palm Beach, Buffalo and Tulsa. These initial agreements will make LAFF available to more than 35% of the country, with more distribution additions expected to be announced shortly. Stay with us for continued updates, along with a launch schedule!

Moving on to some network news. The third season of fan favorite drama Beauty and the Beast will begin its 13-episode run on Thursday, May 21 at 8:00pm ET on The CW Network, following the conclusion of The Vampire Diaries season. In addition, The CW announced that Beauty and the Beast has also been renewed a fourth season, which will air later the 2015-2016 season. As season three begins, Cat (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) are able to focus on their love, finally free from Muirfield, manhunts and beasts.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Drew Carey Show, Ellen, Empty Nest, Grace Under Fire, LAFF, Night Court, The CW

FX Fall 2013 Schedule with Buffy and Ellen; Sabrina the Teenage Witch Now on MTV2

It's day four of our look at the fall 2013 cable and digital TV schedules, and today we will bring you the FX fall schedule. They will be actually adding some older series for a change. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 3, FX turns back the clock and brings back a series that they aired before -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The hit Sarah Michelle Gellar drama will air every morning (seven days a week) at 7am & 8am (unless a movie preempts an airing), as it returns for the first time on FX since 2008. Even more surprising is the next acquisition. FX has picked-up the cable rights to the 1994-98 sitcom Ellen starring Ellen DeGeneres! This will be an FX premiere as the series has never aired on the network. Ellen will air mornings Mon-Sat from 9-11am, but also a movie could preempt and airing or two on random days. Ellen has aired on other networks like Lifetime and Oxygen, but hasn't aired anywhere in quite some time. Back to Buffy, the series has aired on many networks since it left FX, including the Viacom world (MTV, TeenNick, Logo) and NBCUniversal (Chiller and Oxygen). The series continues to air on Chiller and will continue to air, but it seems that Viacom networks will lose the drama to FX.

Elsewhere on the FX fall schedule it will be status quo. From 11am-8pm will be movies, How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, with no real set schedule. Ideally, FX likes to air How I Met Your Mother from 5-7pm and Two and a Half Men from 2-3pm and 7-8pm, but that's not always the case. In primetime, there are movies and original series (like Anger Management) thru 11pm. Encores of originals or a movie fill the rest of the schedule out from 11pm to the wee hours. We mentioned that How I Met Your Mother will be airing on the new FX spin-off network FXX, but as you can see it will still be on FX as well. You'll find the sitcom on both FX and FXX this fall. We will announce the FXX schedule sometime next week and it will have some older series that will surprise you as well. Stay tuned! Highlights for FX Fall 2013 include a Two and a Half Men Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 2 from 7am-5:30pm. The season finale of Wilfred is on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 10. The 90-minute season premiere of Sons of Anarchy on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 10 following the broadcast premiere of the movie X-Men: First Class. The broadcast premiere of Moneyball on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7. The season premiere of American Horror Story: Coven is on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10 following the broadcast premiere of Paranormal Activity. The following week as the broadcast premiere of Paranormal Activity 2. Other movie premieres include The Green Lantern.

Discuss the FX Fall 2013 schedule on our message board. And stay with us for the FXX launch schedule very soon!

MTV2 has added the Melissa Joan Hart sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to its line-up to compliment similar series Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell as of July 27. The sitcom is primarily used on Saturdays from about 7-11am. It will pop-up on some weekdays as well in the mornings from 9am-12pm to lead into the regular Saved by the Bell (12-2pm) and Boy Meets World (2-4pm) airings. Other sitcoms MTV2 airs are Wayans Bros., Everybody Hates Chris, Martin and the sketch comedy In Living Color. They have quietly removed Smart Guy and Living Single after being added in April, while Martin has been reduced heavily. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch continues to air on The Hub, airing Mon-Thurs at 2am so this is a shared deal with The Hub. Smart Guy continues to air on Up, while Living Single is still on TV One with Martin. Stay with us for continued updates and to see what MTV2 looks like in the fall, if any changes.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Anger Management, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ellen, FX, How I Met Your Mother, Living Single, Martin, MTV, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Smart Guy, Two and a Half Men