Saturday, July 20, 2024
SitcomsOnline Digest: Apple TV+ Renews Loot for Third Season; CBS Developing Area 51 Comedy
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got a ton of FAST news, but we're also hearing about the renewal of an Apple TV+ series, some celebrity deaths, and more. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- Loot, Maya Rudolph's comedy on Apple TV+, has been renewed for a third season. (Variety)
- We are getting some casting news regarding Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage. (TVLine)
- CBS is developing a new comedy called Area 51, which is (not surprisingly) based upon Area 51. (Deadline)
- Two new FAST channels have launched, featuring Tyler Perry favorites. (Cord Cutters News)
- Pluto TV has become one of the most prominent FAST services, but it seems Paramount may be interested in selling it off. (Streaming Media Blog)
- Warner Bros. Discovery has developed a reputation for cutting corners and being willing to destroy the history of what Warner once was since the merger happened, but it seems that saving the rights to NBA is some place where they're going to keep fighting. (Deadline)
- There have been a lot of sitcom stars who have died in the past week, including Bob Newhart. (SitcomsOnline)
WEEKLY PLANNER (JUNE 20 - JULY 26)
- Catchy Comedy has changed their binge this weekend to one featuring The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, and Bob.
- TBS will also have a short marathon of episodes of The Big Bang Theory featuring Bob Newhart on Sunday starting at 8, and if that isn't enough Bob Newhart material, CBS will have a special retrospective tribute airing on Monday night at 8.
- As previously mentioned, BET has launched two new Tyler Perry channels that can be seen on Pluto TV and other FAST streamers.
Saturday, July 29, 2023
SitcomsOnline Digest: Emmy Awards Postponed to January; Norman Lear Celebrates 101st Birthday
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're seeing even more effects of the strikes going on, hearing of the death of a sitcom star, and more. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- We could see this coming a month ago, but now, the Emmy Awards has officially been delayed until January (at least). (NPR)
- Norman Lear celebrated his 101st birthday this week. (Hollywood Reporter)
- Production of Days of Our Lives has been shutdown temporarily, but it has nothing to do with any strikes. (Deadline)
- The writers strike has, however, affected the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. (Yahoo!)
- Inga Swenson, known for her role of Gretchen on Benson, has died at age 90. (Variety)
- This is a little bit of a shocker here, the USA Network series Suits has broken a Nielsen streaming record for acquired programming, even outdoing series like The Office and Manifest when they were at their heights on streaming. (Deadline)
- NBCUniversal has announced some new FAST channels, though we're not quite sure how Major Dad fits into TNBC. (SitcomsOnline)
WEEKLY PLANNER (JULY 29 - AUGUST 4)
- Decades has a binge of The Flip Wilson Show weekend.
- The CW has some more international programming set to debut on Monday, including Run the Burbs and Bump.
- Big Brother returns for a new season on Wednesday, slightly later than usual (to fill some holes in the fall lineup presumably).
Saturday, July 01, 2023
SitcomsOnline Digest: Actors Strike in the Works Too?; NBCUniversal Introducing New (Classic) Content for FAST
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Independence Day week is upon us, and we're still in the middle of a writers' strike that appears to be on the verge of getting even more complicated and drawn out, but nonetheless we have news for you (and actually, it's a pretty busy week of news)! Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- Forget about a writers' strike; even if they do come to an agreement, SAG-AFTRA is now on the verge of potentially striking, and just as a show can't go on without writers, it also can't go on without actors. (CNN)
- Free ad supported television, or FAST, is quickly becoming a major player in streaming media, and now NBCUniversal is introducing some new channels on Xumo Play and Freevee, which will feature series such as Saturday Night Live, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Saved by the Bell, Major Dad, Punky Brewster, The A-Team, The Rockford Files, and more. (Variety)
- It's going to be Ryan Seacrest taking over at Wheel of Fortune. (Variety)
- The Price is Right aired the final episode "from Television City in Hollywood" on Monday, as the show prepares to move to Glendale for next season. (Deadline)
- In the tradition of reduced budgets, which seems to be affecting everything lately, ESPN has decided to let go of several prominent on-air talents (Deadline)
- Boy ghosts world? It seems that Ben Savage hasn't spoken to his Boy Meets World castmates in three years, and they're not really sure why that is. (Entertainment Weekly)
- The end has come for Geraldo Rivera at Fox News, and it is unclear what is next for him. (Daily Beast)
- Futurama is about to come back, and Hulu has released a trailer for the new season. (SitcomsOnline)
WEEKLY PLANNER (JULY 1 - JULY 8)
- Now that Decades has evolved to just comedy, H&I is taking over the annual tradition of the Twilight Zone marathon, which will start Sunday at noon and run through Tuesday.
- Syfy is taking a different approach with their Twilight Zone marathon this year, by featuring the most recent version of the series from Jordan Peele (though some of the classic Rod Serling episodes will be part of the lineup as well).
- With Catchy Comedy not airing Twilight Zone, there is a binge of Green Acres.
- The A-Team arrives on H&I beginning Wednesday.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, September 16
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)
Tuesday, September 16
- Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) - Catch Rob on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about Him on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness), Drew Tarver (Running Point/Bless the Harts/The Other Two), Mary Holland (The Big Door Prize/Hoops/Robbie/Blunt Talk), and Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Melanie, Drew, Mary, and Morris are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jay Duplass (Search Party/Transparent/The Mindy Project) - Jay appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Brett Goldstein (Shrinking/Ted Lasso) - Brett talks about All of You on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene talks about The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
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