SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

SitcomsOnline Digest: A Black Lady Sketch Show Cancelled at HBO; Another Entertainment Industry Strike Looming

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! News was at a slow trickle last week due to the holiday, but we have news for you, including an HBO cancellation, more on the on-going WGA strike (and another potential one from the actors), and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• A Black Lady Sketch Show is the latest series at HBO to be cancelled. (Variety)
• The WGA strike isn't ending anytime soon, but we did get some (sort of) cast reunions on the picket line. (Deadline)
• Meanwhile, a cloud of a potential SAG-AFTRA strike looms overhead, and the union is prepared to head that direction as early as next week. (Variety)
• Elizabeth Perkins says she is on board for the reboot of Weeds. (Variety)
• Did Candace Cameron Bure try to get a LGBTQ character removed from Fuller House? She denies it, but there is some uncertainty. (Variety)
• Grounded for Life has returned to the LAFF lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JULY 9 - JULY 15)

• Catchy Comedy has a binge of The Love Boat this weekend.
• Antenna TV has a Benson marathon for their Sunday Special tomorrow.
• Celebrity Family Feud returns with a new season on Sunday on ABC.

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

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Labels: A Black Lady Sketch Show, Fuller House, Grounded for Life, SAG, SitcomsOnline Digest, Weeds, WGA

NBC Orders St. Denis Medical; Full House Rewatch Podcast

NBC has ordered comedy series St. Denis Medical to series. The series comes from Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group & Spitzer Holding Company. Creator/EP/W: Justin Spitzer, Creator/EP/W: Eric Ledgin, NW/EP: Simon Heuer, and Director/EP (Pilot): Ruben Fleischer. In the series, a mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity. Starring Wendi McClendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, Mekki Leeper and Kahyun Kim. As a result, NBC's Grand Crew and Young Rock will not be returning. No decision has been made on American Auto.

As announced earlier by Dave Coulier through his socials, he is set to bring back the Full House experience like never before along with PodCo with their new series Full House Rewind with David Coulier. Set to be released through PodCo later this summer, the newly announced PodCo series will give its viewers, listeners, and fans of the shows the ultimate behind the scenes experience with never before revealed stories from big name guests spanning both series Full House, and Fuller House in a fun new variety show style series.

You got it, dude! Grab your scrunchies and your windbreakers because we're taking a trip through the 80s and 90s for the first-ever Full House rewatch podcast! Join beloved Director, Actor, Comedian and Television Host Dave Coulier (Joey Gladstone) as he reminisces on what it was like to grow up with your favorite TV family. From Uncle Jesse's hair to Michelle’s attitude, relieve some of the most hilarious and heartfelt moments with exclusive behind-the-scenes stories and interviews from VERY special guests. Full House Rewind will have a variety show feel with recurring segments and bits that along the way explore different family dynamics and relationships and how deeply the show impacted their own. Whether you've been a fan since the beginning or you're watching Full House for the first time, there's room for you in our home!

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

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Labels: Full House, Fuller House, NBC, St. Denis Medical

SitcomsOnline Digest: Multi-Camera Sitcom Pilot Hungry in Development at NBC; Shout! Factory Acquires Distribution Rights to ALF

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! After last week's busy week of news, it's significantly slower this week, but we've got news about a comedy pilot in development at NBC, some new life for ALF, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• The broadcast multi camera sitcom may not be completely dead at NBC, as a pilot called Hungry is in the works (with James Burrows directing the pilot). (Deadline)
• Shout! Factory, which is more of an online streaming distributor than anything else now, has acquired distribution rights to ALF, but one key highlight from the news is their plan to let people see "restored footage not seen in 30 years," which we imagine implies the unedited episodes that we never got on DVD in the United States. (Deadline)
• Wendy Williams won't be returning to her show anytime soon, and now it has been announced that the show will be renamed Sherri in the fall, with Sherri Shepherd as host. (CNN)
• REELZ has announced some new Unknown Stories episodes for a trio of classic TV favorites. (SitcomsOnline)
• Abbott Elementary is continuing to be a solid performer for ABC, a rarity for a broadcast network comedy in this era. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 4)

• Fuller House comes to GAC Family on Monday night.
• Decades has a Sally Field binge this weekend, with all three of her Screen Gems shows, The Flying Nun, Gidget, and The Girl with Something Extra.
• You can now watch almost every episode of the forgotten 1980 sitcom One in a Million on Crackle.
• Our Flag Means Death debuts on HBO Max on Thursday.
• A new season of Central Park debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday.

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

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Labels: Abbott Elementary, ALF, Fuller House, Hungry, One in a Million, SitcomsOnline Digest

Abbott Elementary Scoring Big in Multi-Platform Viewing; Fox Announces Celebrities for Name That Tune Season 2

The time-period premiere and second telecast of ABC's Abbott Elementary from Tuesday, Jan. 4 hit 9.0 million Total Viewers and scored a 2.93 rating among Adults 18-49 after 35 days of viewing across linear and digital platforms. In fact, the second episode of Abbott Elementary stood as ABC's highest-rated comedy telecast (new or returning) in nearly 2 years with Adults 18-49 (2.93 rating) – since the 4/8/20 series finale of Modern Family. Abbott Elementary jumped over its December series debut by 27% in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.1 million) and by 24% with Adults 18-49 (2.93 rating vs. 2.37 rating). After 35 days of multiplatform viewing, Abbott Elementary grew by +5.6 million Total Viewers over its Live+Same Day average (3.4 million to 9.0 million) and soared by +358% among Adults 18-49 over its initial rating (2.93 rating vs. 0.64 rating).

From creator, executive producer and star Quinta Brunson, and executive producers Justin Halperin and Patrick Schumacker, comes Abbott Elementary, a workplace comedy following a group of dedicated, passionate teachers - and a slightly tone-deaf principal - as they navigate the Philadelphia public school system. Despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life, and though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do - even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children. Abbott Elementary stars Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues, Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie, Janelle James as Ava Coleman, Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill, Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard.

Fox's Name That Tune returns with celebrity games for season two on Fox! The all-new season will feature many games with singers, actors, Olympians and NFL champiobs playing for their favorite charities, as well as a new stage, new band and themed games. Celeb list is below, including multiple sitcom stars and Beverly Hills 90210 alums! Season Two of Name That Tune debuts on Tuesday, March 29 @ 9/8c on Fox!

Actress and Television Personality Jodie Sweetin (Full House, Fuller House), playing for The Scleroderma Research Foundation vs. Actor Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle), playing for the State Forty Eight Foundation
Former Beverly Hills 90210 sweethearts "Kelly" and "Steve" go note to note: Actress Jennie Garth, playing for the Equus Foundation vs. Actor Ian Ziering, playing for The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation
TV Personality/Actress/Singer Kelly Osbourne, playing for the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai vs. Singer/Songwriter/Actress JoJo, playing for The Hole in the Wall Gang
Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy, playing for the Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation vs. Actress/Director Kim Fields (The Facts of Life, The Upshaws), playing for Back On My Feet
Actor/Singer Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), playing for Broadway Dreams vs. Spice Girl & Singer/Actress Mel B., playing for Women's Aid
Singer/Songwriter Cassadee Pope, playing for Creative Waves Foundation vs. Singer/Actress Jana Kramer, playing for Safe Horizon
Gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, playing for both the Alzheimer's Association and OneMind.org vs. Five-Time Olympic Medalist Nastia Liukin, playing for the Special Olympics
Former NFL Star/Super Bowl Champ/Actor Vernon Davis, playing for the Vernon Davis Foundation vs. Former NFL Star/Super Bowl Champ Victor Cruz, playing for the Victor Cruz Foundation

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

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Labels: Abbott Elementary, ABC, Beverly Hills 90210, Facts of Life, Fox, Full House, Fuller House, Malcolm in the Middle, The Upshaws, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

GAC Family Acquires Fuller House; Crown Media Extends Lacey Chabert Partnership

We mentioned on Digest this past Saturday that reruns of Netflix's Fuller House are coming to cable network GAC Family, but now we have more details. GAC Family will start airing the Full House revival series next week on Monday, February 28. GAC Family of course started airing Full House as well as of earlier this month. Fuller House will air five episodes every weeknight from approx. 10pm-1:30am, replacing a block of Who's the Boss?, and airing right after seven episodes of Full House from approx. 6pm-10pm. No other changes are being made to the GAC Family line-up, that we mentioned when Full House started. Fuller House ended on Netflix after 5 seasons (75 episodes) in 2020, but one can wonder if it can be revived on GAC Family and continue the storyline without the late Bob Saget?

Crown Media Family Networks and Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls, The Wedding Veil, Christmas at Castle Hart) have signed an exclusive multi-picture overall deal, the company announced. As part of the deal, Chabert will headline and executive produce movies and develop other content for Hallmark Channel and other Hallmark platforms over the next two years. Chabert is an all-time Crown Media fan favorite, starring in many of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' most-watched original movies. Most recently, she developed, executive produced, and starred in The Wedding Veil a new movie trilogy for Hallmark Channel. The first installment, which premiered on January 8, became an instant hit, registering as the 2nd most-watched non-holiday movie among Households and Women 18+ in network history. Premiering this past Sunday, the second installment was the most-watched cable program of the week among Women 18+. Additionally, Chabert also stars in, and executive produces one of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries most popular movie series, Crossword Mysteries. Chabert's history with the networks began with Elevator Girl, her first original movie for Hallmark Channel in 2010. Since that time, she has starred in over 30 original movies across Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Chabert's resume is as extensive as it is versatile. She received her first break in a cough syrup commercial before successfully auditioning for the Broadway production of Les Misérables, in which she played young Cosette for two years. In 1998, she made her feature film debut as Penny Robinson in Lost in Space. Best known for her role as Claudia on the Golden Globe Award(R)-winning Fox television series Party of Five, Chabert has appeared on ABC Family's sitcom Baby Daddy and ABC's daytime drama All My Children, as well as in several made-for-TV movies, including Gypsy starring Bette Midler; A Little Piece of Heaven with Cloris Leachman; and Lifetime's What If God Were the Sun? starring opposite Gena Rowlands.

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

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Labels: Full House, Fuller House, GAC Family, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Party of Five, Who's the Boss?

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fuller House Comes to Cable TV; Paramount+ Getting South Park and Beavis and Butt-Head Reboot

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! There is a lot of stuff going on this week (we have about twice as much news as we normally do, and we even had to cut some of it out), including the debut of Fuller House on cable, the end of a popular FX series, and a big change that's still a few years away for new episodes of South Park. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Fuller House is about to make a debut on cable, as it joins the GAC Family lineup in a little over a week. (People)
• It's honestly perplexing that CBS sold the streaming rights to South Park to HBO Max anyway given that they were developing their own streaming service at the same time, but in 2025, South Park will move to Paramount+ not only for the library of episodes but new episodes will also debut there instead of Comedy Central (and the new Beavis and Butt-Head reboot, which was planned for Comedy Central, will air there as well). (Hollywood Reporter)
• Paul Reiser, who has starred in a TV reboot himself, is set to be part of the cast in the new Hulu comedy Reboot that is about a TV show being rebooted. (Variety)
• A reunion for Martin is set, for BET+. (TVLine)
• Season 3 is still over a month away, and season 4 is even further off, but both seasons of the FX series Atlanta have already been completed, and they'll also be the last seasons. (Hollywood Reporter)
• However, sister network FXX sees "no end in sight" for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which has already dethroned The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet for longest live action comedy) and Archer. (Deadline)
• CBS has ordered a comedy pilot about high school newspaper reporters who are left as the only news outlet in a small midwestern town after the local newspaper goes out of business. (Deadline)
• It seems that toxic workplaces have been a theme among daytime talk shows, and now Dr. Phil is the one being accused. (Deadline)
• How I Met Your Father is getting a second season at Hulu. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRUARY 25)

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine heads to Comedy Central tomorrow.
• Decades is doing a Rhoda binge this weekend.
• Antenna TV has a marathon of The Jeffersons today.

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

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Labels: Atlanta, Beavis and Butt-Head, Fuller House, How I Met Your Father, Martin, Reboot, SitcomsOnline Digest, South Park

Remembering Bob Saget of Full House and Dwayne Hickman of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis; Betty White's 100th Birthday Tribute on BUZZR & GSN

Actor, television host and stand-up comedian Bob Saget, who starred as Danny Tanner on Full House, has died. He died on January 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, south of Orlando, Florida, near Williamsburg. He had blunt head trauma from an accidental blow to the back of his head, likely from a fall, and subsequently died from the resulting injuries (subdural hematoma and subarachnoid hemorrhage) in his sleep Mr. Saget was 65.

Saget's first television credit was as Bob the Comic in a 1981 episode of Bosom Buddies. He was also the audience warm-up comedian for the series. Some of his early guest appearances included At Ease in 1983, The Greatest American Hero in 1983, New Love, American Style (4 episodes) in 1985 and It's a Living in 1986.

He starred as Danny Tanner on the 1987-1995 ABC sitcom Full House. The popular series ran for eight seasons and 192 episodes. The show chronicles the events of widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) to help raise his three daughters, eldest D.J. (Candace Cameron), middle child Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and youngest Michelle (Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen). He works as a sportscaster for Channel 8 News in the first season. He became the co-host of the morning talk show Wake Up, San Francisco starting in the second season. Saget was the producers' first choice to play the character of Danny Tanner, but he was not available to appear in the pilot due to his commitment as an on-air contributor to CBS's The Morning Program. John Posey played Danny Tanner in the show's unaired pilot, which is included on the DVD release of Season 1. The rest of the cast included Andrea Barber, Lori Loughlin (1988-1995), Scott Weinger (1991-1993) and Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit (1992-1995).

Saget starred as Matt Stewart on the short-lived 2001-2002 The WB sitcom Raising Dad. Matt Stewart is a widower trying to raise his two daughters, Sarah (Kat Dennings) and Emily (Brie Larson), with the help of his live-in father, Sam (Jerry Adler), a former baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. The cast included Meagan Good, Andy Kindler, Ben Idra, Beau Wirick, Camille Guaty, Tembi Locke and Riley Smith (2002).

He was the voice of narrator Ted Mosby on the 2005-2014 CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Future Ted Mosby in the year 2030 tells his son Luke (David Henrie) and daughter Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) the story of how he met their mother. The cast included Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Cristin Milioti (2013-2014).

Saget starred as Steve Patterson on the short-lived 2009 ABC sitcom Surviving Suburbia. The series focused on a father named Steve Patterson, his wife Anne (Cynthia Stevenson), and their two children, Henry (Jared Kusnitz) and Courtney (G. Hannelius). The cast included Jere Burns, Dan Cortese, Lyndsey Jolly, Lorna Scott and Melissa Peterman.

He reprised his role as Danny Tanner in ten episodes of Full House's sequel series Fuller House, which aired for five seasons on Netflix from 2016 to 2020. Saget appeared in the series premiere and finale. Danny Tanner was D.J. and Stephanie's father, and the grandfather of Jackson, Max, Tommy Jr. and Dani on the series. The main cast included Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, Michael Campion, Elias Harger, Soni Nicole Bringas, Dashiell and Fox Messitt, Juan Pablo Di Pace, Scott Weinger, John Brotherton, Ashley Liao and Adam Hagenbuch. Recurring cast members included John Stamos, Dave Coulier and Lori Loughlin.

Saget was the original host of ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos from 1989 to 1997. The show featured humorous homemade videos that are submitted by viewers. In 2009, he returned to AFV for the 20th anniversary one-hour special co-hosted with Tom Bergeron. He appeared on AFV: America, This is You!, a 30th anniversary special episode, in 2019 with Alfonso Ribeiro joined by Daisy Fuentes and Tom Bergeron.

He played a parody of himself in four episodes of Entourage from 2005 to 2010. He also appeared in the 2015 feature film. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Larry Sanders Show (two episodes as himself), The Jeff Foxworthy Show, The Naked Truth, Norm, Listen Up, Louie, Super Fun Night, Legit, Grandfathered and Nightcap.

Saget hosted the NBC game show 1 vs. 100 from 2006 to 2008. He hosted ABC's Videos After Dark on March 12, 2019. In 2020, he competed in season four of The Masked Singer as "Squiggly Monster".

He played Dr. Joffe in the 1987 film Critical Condition, which starred Richard Pryor. He had an uncredited cameo appearance as a cocaine addict in the 1998 film Half Baked. His voice credits included Madagascar (2005) and Casper's Scare School (2006). He was the voice of Carl and the writer, director and producer of the 2007 direct-to-video parody nature documentary Farce of the Penguins.

Saget directed the 1996 ABC television movie For Hope, which was inspired by the life story of his sister, Gay Saget, who had died from scleroderma three years earlier. He directed the 1998 film Dirty Work, which starred Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange.

He was also known for his adult-oriented stand-up comedy. His 2014 album That's What I'm Talkin' About was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

Survivors include his wife, Kelly Rizzo, and three daughters from his first marriage to Sherri Kramer - Aubrey Saget, Lara Melanie Saget and Jennifer Belle Saget.

Mr. Saget was America's Dad for a generation of fans in the late 1980s and 1990s. He was a comedy legend with his television and stand-up work. It's interesting that he wasn't the first actor to play Danny Tanner, but they clearly made the right choice to cast him when he became available. He did a wonderful job with the role. He made everything he appeared in much better. We thank him for the many laughs and entertainment he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Full House message board. View photos in our galleries.

Comedy Central will rebroadcast The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget this Friday (January 14) at midnight ET.

Actor, director, producer and television executive Dwayne Hickman, who starred as Chuck MacDonald on The Bob Cummings Show (Love That Bob) and as Dobie Gillis on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, has died. He died on January 9 from complications of Parkinson's disease in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Hickman was 87.

Hickman starred as Chuck MacDonald on the 1955-1959 sitcom The Bob Cummings Show. Chuck MacDonald is Margaret's (Rosemary DeCamp) son and Bob Collins' (Bob Cummings) nephew, a teenager always vying for his uncle's attention. The series began with a half-season run on NBC in 1955, then ran for two full seasons on CBS from 1955 to 1957, and returned to NBC for its final two seasons from 1957 to 1959. It was syndicated and rerun under the title Love That Bob. The cast included Ann B. Davis, Nancy Kulp, Lyle Talbot, Lisa Gaye, Diane Jergens (1955-1956), King Donovan (1955-1958), Mary Lawrence (1956-1958), Gloria Marshall (1956-1957), Joi Lansing (1956-1959) and Carol Henning (1956-1957).

He next starred as Dobie Gillis on the 1959-1963 CBS sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The series revolved around teenager Dobie Gillis, who aspired to have popularity, money, and the attention of beautiful and unattainable girls. His sidekick and de facto best friend was American television's first beatnik, Maynard G. Krebs (Bob Denver), who became the series' breakout character. The cast included Frank Faylen and Florida Friebus. Semi regulars included Sheila James, Tuesday Weld, Steve Franken, William Schallert, Jean Byron and Doris Packer. The program spawned two 20th Century Fox-produced sequels, the pilot Whatever Happened to Dobie Gillis? (1977) and the TV movie Bring Me the Head of Dobie Gillis (1988), which Hickman also worked on as a producer.

He had a recurring role as Tripp Mariens in five episodes of Clueless from 1996 to 1999. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Valentine's Day, The Flying Nun, Love, American Style (3 episodes), Karen (1975) and Hi Honey, I'm Home (1997 as Dobie Gillis).

Some of his other television guest appearances included The Lone Ranger, Wagon Train, Combat!, Vacation Playhouse, Ironside, Mod Squad, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Ellery Queen and Murder, She Wrote.

Hickman worked as a director of sitcoms from 1989 to 1996. Some of his credits included Duet, Charles in Charge, Open House (2 episodes), Designing Women (3 episodes), Get a Life (3 episodes), Head of the Class, Harry and the Hendersons (2 episodes) and Sister, Sister.

He served as a programming executive at CBS from 1977 to 1998. In retirement, he devoted his time to painting.

Hickman is survived by his wife, actress and voice-over artist Joan Roberts, to whom he had been married since 1983. He is also survived by his brother, Darryl, and by his two children.

Mr. Hickman was a big sitcom star in the 1950s and 1960s. He was very good on The Bob Cummings Show and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. It would be great to see more episodes of The Bob Cummings Show available on DVD. Thankfully all of the episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis are available on DVD and streaming services. We thank him for his work on sitcoms as an actor and director. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our The Bob Cummings Show/Love That Bob and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis message boards. View photos in our galleries.

Hall of Fame songwriter Marilyn Bergman, who wrote the theme song lyrics for Maude, Good Times and Alice with her husband Alan Bergman, has died. She died from respiratory failure on January 8. Ms. Bergman was 93.

Marilyn and Alan Bergman wrote the theme song lyrics for the 1972 CBS sitcom The Sandy Duncan Show, with Dave Grusin providing the music. They wrote the theme song lyrics for "And Then There's Maude" for the 1972-1978 CBS sitcom Maude, with Dave Grusin providing the music. It was performed by Donny Hathaway. They wrote the gospel-style theme song lyrics for the 1974-1979 CBS sitcom Good Times, with Dave Grusin providing the music. It was sung by Jim Gilstrap and Motown singer Blinky Williams with a gospel choir providing background vocals. They wrote the theme song lyrics for "There's a New Girl in Town" for the 1976-1985 CBS sitcom Alice, with David Shire providing the music. It was performed by Linda Lavin.

The Bergmans were honored with three Academy Awards (1969, 1974, 1984), three Emmy Awards, the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Their notable compositions included "The Way We Were", "The Windmills of Your Mind" and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." We thank her and her husband for writing the lyrics for the memorable theme songs of Maude, Good Times and Alice. She will be deeply missed.

To memorialize what would have been Betty White's 100th birthday weekend, BUZZR will be hosting an all-day Password-themed marathon on Sunday, January 16 starting at 10:30a EST – featuring Password, Password Plus (alongside husband Allen Ludden), and Super Password! Tune-in to see several special highlights, including Betty's first time on Password Plus and two retro past Betty birthday celebrations. And in honor of what would have been Betty's 100th birthday on Monday, January 17, the network will be airing all-new-to-BUZZR Betty episodes all day long from 8:00a EST – 2:00a EST. Take a chronological look at Betty's game show highlights from Celebrity Whew!, To Tell The Truth, Trivia Trap and much more from 1955 to 2016. Episodes include: Make The Connection in 1955, To Tell The Truth from 1959, Password and What's My Line? in 1963, Password from 1964, What's My Line? and I've Got A Secret from 1972, Tattletales from 1977, Match Game '79, Celebrity Whew! in 1980, Trivia Trap from 1984, Super Password from 1989, To Tell The Truth 1990 and To Tell The Truth 2016.

Meanwhile on GSN, on January 17 (Betty's 100th birthday) they will be airing the classic 80s game show The $25,000 Pyramid featuring Betty White from 9:00AM to 1:00PM ET.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:10 PM

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Labels: $100000 Pyramid, America's Funniest Home Videos, Betty White, Bob Saget, BUZZR, Full House, Fuller House, GSN, Obits, Password, Surviving Suburbia, Tattletales, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, To Tell the Truth

SitcomsOnline Digest: Early Look at 2019-2020 Pilots; Fox Cancels Rel

• We're only weeks away from knowing the landscape for the 2019-2020 TV season, and Deadline has a look at some of the new pilots. (Deadline)
• Natalie Morales is leaving the syndicated newsmagazine Access. (Variety)
• Perhaps one of the least surprising cancellations of the season (though it may be surprising that it took this long), Fox has cancelled the sitcom Rel. (Deadline)
• Jeff Franklin has filed a lawsuit with regards to his firing from Fuller House. (Vanity Fair)
• ABC is trying something different for their next live special, a live version of classic episodes of All in the Family and The Jeffersons. (SitcomsOnline)

• This weekends, Decades has a marathon of 21 Jump Street.

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

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Labels: All in the Family, Fuller House, Rel, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Jeffersons

SitcomsOnline Digest: Lilly Singh Coming to NBC Late Night Lineup; Netflix Cancels One Day at at Time

• NBC has announced a replacement for Carson Daly, and it is one who is much different from the typical late night talk show host, Lilly Singh, who happens to be an Indian-Canadian woman and is also bisexual. (Huffington Post)
• It used to be that Netflix was where shows that were canceled by other networks went to air new episodes, but now it seems that the Netflix reboot of One Day at a Time, which has been cancelled by Netflix, is being shopped around elsewhere. (NBC News)
• By this point, we all know the news about Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, and now it seems that Hallmark his fired Loughlin (who happens to be one of the biggest stars for the network), and she will not be returning to Fuller House either. (People) 
• NBC will air the Super Bowl in 2022 following a swap with CBS, which will allow NBC to integrate the Winter Olympics into their Super Bowl coverage. (Deadline)
• ABC has found a unique niche in reviving classic game shows, and they're doing it again with Press Your Luck and Card Sharks. (SitcomsOnline)

• If it's the weekend, then Decades has a binge for you, and this weekend it's The Commish.
• Antenna TV celebrates St. Patrick's Day with a marathon of Lotsa Luck tomorrow.
• The fourth season of Billions begins Sunday on Showtime.
• The new ABC drama, The Fix, debuts on Monday.

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

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Labels: Fuller House, NBC, Netflix, One Day at a Time, SitcomsOnline Digest

SitcomsOnline Digest: Facebook Watch Acquires Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and More; Preview of Next Season of Fuller House

• We tend to think of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime when we think of streaming services, but Facebook Watch is trying to create an identity now, and has acquired Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly to help begin that process. (The Verge)
• Fuller House returns in two weeks, and a preview of the new season has been released. (Deadline)
• Despite the network airing the program firing her husband, it has been confirmed that Julie Chen Moonves will be returning to host Big Brother. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Spongebob Squarepants, died this week at age 57. (Variety)
• CBS has put their winter plans into place. (SitcomsOnline)

• Although we aren't certain that this release is indeed happening on Tuesday (it isn't available to pre-order anywhere, including on the Warner Archive website), TVShowsOnDVD is reporting that Perfect Strangers - The Complete Sixth Season is being released on Tuesday.

• Family Guy - Season Sixteen (DVD, $29.98): Even though the older and more iconic animated Fox comedy seems to have been abandoned on DVD once again, the other animated Fox comedy (and the one that arguably was responsible for making TV on DVD a huge deal for over a decade) arrives on DVD in this release.

• Decades is headed back to comedy for their binges this weekend, with The Phil Silvers Show.
• Although it debuted yesterday, F is for Family has returned to Netflix for a third season.
• ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas scheduled for Thursday.
• Saturday Night Live has a Christmas special scheduled for Tuesday night.

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

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Labels: Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Fuller House, Perfect Strangers, SitcomsOnline Digest

Fox Mid-Season 2019 Schedule; Fuller House Season 4 Drops December 14

Fox is announcing mid-season 2019 premiere dates for The Orville (Dec. 30), Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (Jan. 2), Gotham (Jan. 3) and Proven Innocent (Feb. 15), as well as the all-new Cosmos installment, Cosmos: Possible Worlds (March 3). As previously announced, new celebrity singing competition The Masked Singer will premiere Jan. 2, new epic thriller The Passage will premiere Jan. 14 and all-new live musical event Rent will air Jan. 27. Season Two of Seth MacFarlane's space adventure series, The Orville, debuts Sunday, Dec. 30 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/5:00-6:00 PM PT live to all time zones, following the NFL On Fox doubleheader. Season Two of new alternative series, Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back premieres Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT. Following Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back, get ready for the wildest celebrity guessing game ever, when The Masked Singer at 9:00 PM ET/PT debuts. Hosted by Nick Cannon, with panelists Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, this top-secret celebrity singing competition will have everyone asking, "who's behind the mask?!"

On Thursday, Jan. 3, The Orville makes its time period premiere with an all-new episode at 9:00 PM ET/PT, following the fifth and final season premiere of Gotham at 8:00 PM ET/PT, which wraps up the beloved series in a farewell event that will focus on Bruce Wayne's (David Mazouz) ultimate transformation into the Caped Crusader, as Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) tries to hold together a city on the edge of chaos?. Epic thriller The Passage debuts Monday, Jan. 14 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, following the winter premiere of The Resident. The Passage focuses on Project Noah, a secret medical facility where scientists are experimenting with a dangerous virus that could lead to the cure for all disease, but also carries the potential to wipe out the human race. When a young girl (Saniyya Sidney, Fences, Hidden Figures) is chosen to be a test subject, a federal agent (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saved by the Bell) is tasked with bringing her in, but ultimately, becomes her surrogate father, determined to protect her at any cost - even as Project Noah's work threatens to unleash an unimaginable apocalypse.

The live musical production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent comes to Fox on Sunday, Jan. 27 from 7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed. The cast features Kiersey Clemons, Brandon Victor Dixon, Jordan Fisher, Vanessa Hudgens, Brennin Hunt, Mario, Tinashe and Valentina. Additionally, Keala Settle will perform the iconic solo from "Seasons of Love" and join the ensemble in the live musical. New legal drama Proven Innocent will premiere Friday, Feb. 15 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The series tells the emotional story of one woman's fight for the innocence of others, as well as her own. The drama stars Rachelle Lefevre (Under the Dome, A Gifted Man), Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers, Boss), Russell Hornsby (Seven Seconds, Grimm), Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Tony Award winner Nikki M. James (BrainDead, The Good Wife, The Book of Mormon), Riley Smith (Frequency) and Clare O'Connor (Easy). Airing as a global event on Fox and National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning Cosmos will return for its third installment, beginning Sunday, March 3 at 9:00PM ET/PT. Additional premiere dates and schedule details to be announced.

Holy chalupas! Fuller House Season 4 is coming to Netflix on Friday, December 14. Steve Baldikoski and Bryan Behar have been named executive producers and showrunners for the upcoming fourth season of the hit Netflix series Fuller House. Both Baldikoski and Behar have served as co-executive producers from the series' launch in 2016. Baldikoski and Behar have also previously served as co-executive producers on The New Adventures of Old Christine, 8 Simple Rules, Kirstie and Save Me, and as consulting producers on the series Last Man Standing, Jennifer Falls and others. Fuller House stars Candace Cameron Bure as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner, Andrea Barber as Kimmy Gibbler, Juan Pablo Di Pace as Fernando, Soni Nicole Bringas as Romona, Michael Campion as Jackson, Elias Harger as Max, Dashiell and Fox Messitt Twins as Baby Tommy, Scott Weinger as Steve Hale, John Brotherton as Matt Harmon, and Ashley Liao as Lola.

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Labels: Fox, Fuller House, Netflix

Dancing with the Stars Season 27 Cast Has Sitcom Stars; The Young Sheldon STEM Initiative

Dancing with the Stars is waltzing its way into its upcoming season, and the new celebrity cast is adding some glitzy bling to their wardrobe, breaking in their dancing shoes and readying themselves for their first dance on the ballroom floor, as the season kicks off Monday, Sept. 24 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. This season's lineup of celebrity dancers includes an American Idol mentor, the first-ever blind contestant to take part in the show, an alumnus from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Duke of Hazzard, an Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast, sitcom stars of The Facts of Life & Fuller House and a Bachelor Nation favorite, among others.

As announced yesterday morning on ABC's Good Morning America, the celebrities with their professional dance partners heading to the ballroom this season (in alphabetical order) are the following:

• Alexis Ren (model) with Alan Bersten
• Bobby Bones (country radio) with Sharna Burgess
• Danelle Umstead (paralympian) with Artem Chigvintsev
• DeMarcus Ware (NFL legend) with Lindsay Arnold
• Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter films) with Keo Motsepe
• Joe "Grocery Store Joe" Amabile (Bachelor in Paradise) with Jenna Johnson
• John Schneider (The Duke of Hazzard) with Emma Slater
• Juan Pablo Di Pace (Fuller House) with Cheryl Burke
• Mary Lou Retton (Olympic gymnast) with Sasha Farber
• Milo Manheim (Disney star) with Witney Carson
• Nancy McKeon (The Facts of Life) with Val Chmerkovskiy
• Nikki Glaser (comedian) with Gleb Savchenko
• Tinashe (singer) with Brandon Armstrong

Continuing its commitment to fund innovative efforts in STEM education, The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation (TCLFF) announced the creation of a new grant program - The Young Sheldon STEM Initiative - inspired by the hit comedy series Young Sheldon. The program was created to foster excitement for learning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), specifically in support of our nation's public schools, teachers and students. Young Sheldon executive producer/TCLFF founder Chuck Lorre enrolled fellow Young Sheldon executive producers Steven Molaro and Jim Parsons, Warner Bros. Television Group and CBS to co-fund two-year educational grants totaling more than $600,000.00 which will be awarded to 19 select elementary, middle and high schools in Southern California, where Young Sheldon is primarily produced, and East Texas, where the show is set.

Young Sheldon executive producer/The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons attended three of the selected East Texas schools. And, Young Sheldon co-star Montana Jordan, who plays Sheldon's brother Georgie, attended one of the Texas schools, where his mother also taught first grade. Each of the 19 public school grant recipients will be acknowledged as a Young Sheldon STEM Initiative Grant Recipient and will receive a two-year grant from TCLFF which is specifically to support each school's STEM teachers and STEM educational programs within their existing in-class curriculum and/or after-school programs. In addition to the direct grant funding to each school, the Young Sheldon STEM Initiative will also fully fund all costs for an annual experiential opportunity for students and teachers in and outside the classroom. Each school will be eligible to submit for continuation grants at the end of the two-year period.

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

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Labels: ABC, CBS, Dancing with the Stars, Dukes of Hazzard, Facts of Life, Fuller House, Young Sheldon

Fuller House Gets New Showrunners; Hulu Gets Big Stars for Series

Steve Baldikoski and Bryan Behar have been named executive producers and showrunners for the upcoming fourth season of the hit Netflix series Fuller House. Both Baldikoski and Behar have served as co-executive producers from the series' launch in 2016. Baldikoski and Behar have also previously served as co-executive producers on The New Adventures of Old Christine, 8 Simple Rules, Kirstie and Save Me, and as consulting producers on the series Last Man Standing, Jennifer Falls and others. Season Four of Fuller House will go into production later this year. Fuller House is produced by Miller-Boyett Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television for Netflix. Fuller House stars Candace Cameron Bure as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner, Andrea Barber as Kimmy Gibbler, Juan Pablo Di Pace as Fernando, Soni Nicole Bringas as Romona, Michael Campion as Jackson, Elias Harger as Max, Dashiell and Fox Messitt Twins as Baby Tommy, Scott Weinger as Steve Hale, John Brotherton as Matt Harmon, and Ashley Liao as Lola.

After a competitive bidding war that ignited Hollywood, Hulu has obtained the rights to develop Little Fires Everywhere, the highly-anticipated limited series from Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, based on Celeste Ng's 2017 bestseller, as a Hulu Original Series. The project will be produced by Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine, Washington's Simpson Street and ABC Signature Studios, and will join Hulu's award-winning slate of original programming. Witherspoon and Washington will also star as leads in the series. Liz Tigelaar (Life Unexpected, Casual) will write and serve as showrunner and executive producer.

Based on the New York Times Best Seller of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. The story explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood - and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

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

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Labels: Fuller House, Hulu, Netflix

SitcomsOnline Digest: Pilot Season Gets in Full Swing; Jeff Franklin Gets Booted from Fuller House

• Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, and Brad Garrett have all come together for a proposed single camera pilot for ABC, called Single Parents. (Variety)
• Cedric the Entertainer has been cast as a neighbor in a pilot for CBS. (Variety)
• The proposed Magnum PI reboot has a star attached to it. (Deadline) 
• Full House (and Fuller House) may very well be a Jeff Franklin Production, but Jeff Franklin has been fired from Fuller House following some verbally abusive behavior on the set. (Variety) 
• It's been over a decade since Fox (infamously) shelved a much hyped special where O.J. Simpson reportedly confessed to murder, but now, they're finally repackaging it and airing it after all. (Business Insider)
• More Murphy Brown cast members have been announced for the reboot, and they are familiar faces. (SitcomsOnline)

• Atlanta - The Complete First Season (DVD, $29.95): The first season of the Emmy Award winning series starring Donald Glover arrives on DVD in this release.

• The NBC series Champions debuts on Thursday night.
• Love is all around on Decades, as they air a marathon of The Mary Tyler Moore Show all weekend.
• A new (regular) daily lineup begins on Decades on Monday, and you can see it here.
  
• The Oscars are airing Sunday, and ABC will be previewing a new talk show, Sundays with Alec Baldwin, at 11:35 PM ET/10:00 PM PT.

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Labels: Fuller House, Magnum, Murphy Brown, SitcomsOnline Digest

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Starts on TBS Jan. 4; Fuller House Season 3, Part 2 Premieres Just in Time for the Holidays!

TBS will premiere the first five seasons of the Golden Globe-winning and critically acclaimed police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, from Universal Television, beginning with the series pilot on Thursday, January 4, 2018 at 7pm ET/PT. The show will air consecutive episodes every Thursday from 7-11pm ET/PT on TBS. Episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine will also be available on the TBS app. From Emmy Award-winning writer/producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur (Parks and Recreation), Brooklyn Nine-Nine won Golden Globes for Best Comedy Series and Best Actor (Andy Samberg) in its first season. Andre Braugher has also been nominated for three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in his role as Captain Ray Holt. Press reviews hail Brooklyn Nine-Nine as "one of the funniest, most important shows on TV" (Washington Post, Alyssa Rosenberg), "one of TV's most reliable shots of earnest fun" (Vox, Caroline Framke), and "one of the best ensemble casts on television" (GQ, Scott Meslow).

Fuller House is back on December 22, just in time for the holidays! Join them for adventures in Tokyo, weddings that may or may not be happening, and nine all-new episodes on December 22. And don't forget, the first nine episodes of Season 3 of Fuller House are currently live on Netflix if you want to catch-up! In the spinoff series, Fuller House, life can take you into unexpected directions and also back into familiar territory when veterinarian and recently widowed D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure) finds herself living in her childhood home with younger sister and aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) and DJ's lifelong best friend/fellow single mother Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber). The women reuniting to help support one another navigate careers, parenting and relationships with the kind of love and humor you can only get from the people you grew up with. The Tanner childhood house is fuller than ever though with not only DJ's three boys - the awkward 13-year-old Jackson, neurotic 7-year-old Max and baby Tommy Jr. - but also Kimmy's feisty teenage daughter Ramona and Kimmy's not so estranged ex-husband Fernando all under the same roof.

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

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Labels: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fuller House, Netflix, TBS

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fuller House Set for Season 3 Debut on Full House 30th Anniversary

• Season 3 of Fuller House will debut on Netflix just in time for the 30th anniversary of the series, and will feature a reunion of many of the cast members of Full House (aside, of course, from the Olsen twins who still seem to be holding out). (Deadline)
• If you own an Amazon device with Alexa (or any other similar device), you may want to check your shopping list to make sure it doesn't have any NSFW items on it if you watched the season premiere of South Park. (The Verge)
• It used to be a really big deal when a broadcast series went into syndication, with announcements and plans coming a year or more in advance. It also used to be true that a series on TV Land would be something that has been off the air for a decade or more. Neither of those are true anymore, and that has been made clear by TV Land's acquisition of the series Mom, which begins airing on Monday on the network (and it'll also be airing on CMT and FXX). (Deadline)
• After some initial skepticism, it looks as if Trevor Noah is working out just fine for The Daily Show, as he received a five year renewal this week. (Variety)
• The saga of Alec Baldwin playing Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live has been an on-again, off-again affair (at one point he claimed he wouldn't be doing it again at all, but backed down from that weeks later), but right now, it seems he'll be staying put for the upcoming season. (Rolling Stone)
• Fox News appears to be very close to adding Laura Ingraham to their primetime lineup, which would also mean another shakeup in the lineup. (Variety)
• Big Brother has been a staple of the CBS summer lineup for nearly two decades now, and this winter, they're going to do what every reality show eventually does: a celebrity version. (CNN) 
• TBS has renewed a trio of series. (SitcomsOnline) 

• Living Single - The Complete Second Season (DVD, $29.99): After a very long wait from the first season that was released over a decade ago, the second season of this series finally arrives on DVD.
• Modern Family - The Complete Eighth Season (DVD, $29.98): The hit ABC sitcom returns to DVD in this release.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 3:30 PM

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Labels: Daily Show, Full House, Fuller House, Mom, SitcomsOnline Digest, South Park

Fri-Yay: Sitcom Reboots; ABC and CBS Set Fall Preview Specials

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

It's no secret that networks have gotten into a little bit of "remake frenzy" over the past couple of years. From Girl Meets World to Fuller House to One Day at a Time to the upcoming relaunches of Will & Grace and Roseanne, networks seem desperate to recapture the hits of yesterday rather than coming up with...well, new hits. Granted, maybe that's not totally fair - there are plenty of beloved modern sitcoms that have found audiences, particularly now that streaming services have entered the mix. And yet, networks currently seem obsessed with the past. Business-wise, it makes sense - a service like Netflix is inviting tons of potential new subscribers by bringing back past favorites with built in fanbases like Full House and Gilmore Girls, and network television would be lucky if even half of the audiences of hits like Will & Grace and Roseanne returned to their reboots. (Of course, that was before alternatives like DVR and streaming services effected ratings, but I digress...). But are these relaunches worth your time? Do they actually have potential, or are they just desperate attempts to relive the past?

The answer is a bit of a mixed bag. Of all of the relaunches, the most successful creatively has been, by far, One Day at a Time. Not coincidentally, One Day at a Time is the remake that is least like its original series - the cast and characters are entirely new, and the only elements that remain are the show's basic structure (a divorced mom raising her kids) and the theme song (which has been given a Cuban flair). Other than that, though, the series is very different, following a Cuban-American family through issues like sexuality, immigration, and post-traumatic stress disorder. One Day at a Time may be a remake, but it feels wholly original, while still retaining the spirit of classic Norman Lear sitcoms.

The other remakes, on the other hand, feel a little bit more like desperate attempts to relive the past. Girl Meets World generally did well as a modern Disney Channel sitcom, but fans expecting it to be a continuation of Boy Meets World may have been disappointed. Fuller House likely appeals quite well to Full House fans, but there's not much else beyond "Full House continued" to make it appealing to anyone else. And while the jury is still out on Will & Grace and Roseanne, it'll be an uphill battle for 15 and 25 (respectively) year old shows to seem relevant in today's television landscape. It's fine if networks want to reach into the past for profit - but hopefully the future is more like One Day at a Time, bringing new ideas to an old premise.

The ABC Fall Preview Special will air Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7:00pm on ABC and will be hosted by the stars of Speechless and American Housewife. Diedrich Bader and Cedric Yarbrough host the special with appearances from the new stars of ABC such as Jason Ritter (Kevin (Probably) Saves the World), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor), Brandon Micheal Hall and Lea Michele (The Mayor)! The special has been airing on ABC affiliates already on the weekend. There will be clips and features on all of ABC's new shows, ABC's comedy brand and the final season of Scandal.

CBS Fall Preview, hosted by new series stars Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon), David Boreanaz (Seal Team), Mark Feuerstein (9JKL), Shemar Moore (S.W.A.T.), Bobby Moynihan (Me, Myself & I) and Jeremy Piven (Wisdom of the Crowd), is a primetime special highlighting the Network's six new fall series. It will be broadcast Monday, Sept. 4 at 8:30PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and CBS All Access, the Network's digital subscription video on demand and live-streaming service.

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

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Labels: ABC, CBS, Fri-Yay, Fuller House, Girl Meets World, One Day at a Time, Roseanne, Will and Grace

SitcomsOnline Digest: The Carmichael Show Cancelled; Animated Comedies Renewed at Adult Swim and Netflix

• The Carmichael Show has had a rocky three seasons at NBC, with airing only in the summer and always getting renewed at the latest possible moment, but now the series has been cancelled for good. (Variety) 
• It's clear that the article was written before The Carmichael Show was cancelled (one day before it, actually), but an article on Vox insists that the classic American multicamera sitcom with a laugh track is not only still relevant, but necessary in the current era. (Vox)
• Greta Van Susteren is unique in that she has had her own primetime (or at least primetime-ish) news program on all three of the major cable news networks for about the past two decades, but as it turns out, she was only successful on two (CNN and Fox News), as her MSNBC series was cancelled this week after less than six months. (NY Times)
• The popular Adult Swim series Rick and Morty will be returning for a third season later this month. (Deadline)
• Another animated series, F Is for Family, has been renewed by Netflix. (Variety)
• We've known for a while that Fuller House would be returning for a third season on Netflix, but we're now learning it will be a "fuller" season with 18 episodes instead of 13, and it'll debut earlier than expected, in September. (SitcomsOnline)  

• Superstore - Season Two (DVD, $29.99): This release was literally just announced a few days ago, but the second season of the NBC sitcom that some are calling the new The Office (although to be fair, it has a long way to go before being as pervasive as The Office was in pop-culture, but it's definitely a great show) arrives in this MOD release.

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

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Labels: F is for Family, Fuller House, Rick & Morty, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Carmichael Show

Fuller House Returns in September for Full House 30th Anniversary; ABC Announces Premiere Date for Marvel Series

As we know, Fuller House Season 3 is coming...but we now have a premiere date! Oh Mylanta! Fuller House Season 3 launches on Friday, Sept 22 on Netflix. Sept 22, 2017 is the 30th anniversary of the original Full House airing (Full House episode one aired September 22, 1987). Season 3 of Fuller House on Netflix is broken into two parts. First 9 episodes will launch on Friday, September 22. The second 9 episodes will air sometime in December (date to be determined). That's 18 total episodes...more than the 13 each for seasons one and two!

In the spinoff series, Fuller House, the adventures that began in 1987 on Full House continue, with veterinarian D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron-Bure) recently widowed and living in San Francisco. D.J.'s younger sister/aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) and D.J.'s lifelong best friend/fellow single mother Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), along with Kimmy's feisty teenage daughter Ramona, all move in to help take care of D.J.'s three boys - the rebellious 12-year-old Jackson, neurotic 7-year-old Max and her newborn baby, Tommy Jr.

Fuller House stars Candace Cameron Bure as D.J. Tanner-Fuller, Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner, Andrea Barber as Kimmy Gibbler, Juan Pablo Di Pace as Fernando, Soni Nicole Bringas as Romona, Michael Campion as Jackson, Elias Harger as Max, Dashiell and Fox Messitt Twins as Baby Tommy, Scott Weinger as Steve Hale, John Brotherton as Matt Harmon, and Ashley Liao as Lola.

We're still waiting for ABC Fall 2017 premiere dates, but one series' date just got announced in a big way. The highly anticipated new Marvel television series Marvel's Inhumans will bring the fan-favorite comic book series and a new kind of family drama to the small screen this fall on ABC. The network series premiere, including the first two episodes of Marvel's Inhumans, will air Friday, September 29 from 8:00-10:00pm EDT, on The ABC Television Network. The legendary comic book series will be brought to life in a way that has never been done before, as a version of the first two episodes will be shown globally in IMAX theatres for a two-week period, beginning September 1, 2017. ABC will then air the entirety of the series throughout this fall on the network, with additional exclusive content that can only been seen on ABC. 8 episodes have been ordered.

Marvel's Inhumans explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where they are greeted with surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them. Now they must find a way to reunite with each other and return to their home before their way of life is destroyed forever. Marvel's Inhumans stars Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Iwan Rheon as Maximus, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Ken Leung as Karnak, Ellen Woglom as an undisclosed character, Sonya Balmores as Auran and Mike Moh as Triton.

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

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Labels: ABC, Full House, Fuller House, Netflix

Pop Mid-Season Pilot Review: Hollywood Darlings - Premieres Wednesday (April 12); CMT Renews Nashville for Season 6

Hollywood Darlings - Tuesdays at 8:00PM ET/PT on Pop
Premieres Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 8:00PM ET/PT

by Pavan

Hollywood Darlings stars three fan favorite child stars of the '90s – Jodie Sweetin (Full House, Fuller House), Christine Lakin (Step By Step) and Beverley Mitchell (7th Heaven). The series follows three lifelong friends who grew up together in "the business," became household names, and now take on even bigger roles as moms, wives and businesswomen. Their social circles include other celebrities, who will make special appearances throughout the series.

Cast Details:

Jodie Sweetin as Jodie Sweetin
Christine Lakin as Christine Lakin
Beverley Mitchell as Beverley Mitchell

Jodie Sweetin (Jodie) is of course best known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on the hit ABC sitcom Full House from 1987-1995. She has reprised the role in the Netflix comedy Fuller House. Other appearances include a guest stint on Party of Five and appearing on the sitcom Valerie.

Christine Lakin (Christine) is of course best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC situation comedy Step by Step. She has appeared on many TV series such as a recurring role on Family Guy, Rita Rocks, Valentine, and guest shots on series like Melissa & Joey, Modern Family, Sons & Daughters, Rodney and more. Movie wise she has appeared in Mother's Day, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, You Again, Veronica Mars, Georgia Rule, The Game Plan and The Hottie and the Nottie. She had her own comedic webseries Lovin' Lakin, along with judging the internet series Internet Icon and developing her own stage show Worst Audition Ever.

Beverley Mitchell (Beverley) is best known for her role as Lucy Camden-Kinkirk on the television series 7th Heaven. The series lasted a long eleven seasons from 1996-2007. After that series she was a regular on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She has also guest starred on series such as Melrose Place, Baywatch, and Quantum Leap.

Pilot Plot:

"How Christine Got Her Groove Back" (airs Wednesday, April 12 at 8:00PM ET/PT)

Undersexed, new mom Christine takes an over-scheduled Beverley to Andrew Keegan's Full Circle spiritual church for a day of unconventional relaxation with mixed results. Jodie substitute teaches Andrea Barber’s acting class for kids but quickly learns the kids are interested in a lot more than simple improv games. Guest Stars: Andrew Keegan, Andrea Barber

Analysis:

The '90s are back! Pop has struck gold with this comedy throwing it back to stars of the '90s, but in a new twist. We got to watch five hilarious episodes (of the eight produced) of this comedy that is like Curb Your Enthusiasm with our fave family series stars: Christine Lakin, Jodie Sweetin and Beverley Mitchell. Obviously the three stars are friends in real life and grew up in the business and this series is a satirical look at their lives. Famous faces from their lives make appearances, including cast members from their past shows like Andrea Barber, Patrick Duffy, Staci Keanan and Andrew Keegan. Did you know Andrew Keegan appeared on ALL three of their shows (Step by Step, Full House and 7th Heaven)? Is he the six degrees of separation for these girls? Possibly, as he was hilarious in the premiere episode.

Of the episodes we got to watch, there are lot of funny moments. Christine Lakin shines as the funniest of the three with hilarious one-liners and facial expressions. Beverley Mitchell usually plays with Christine in a tag team comedy show in the episodes we have seen, while Jodie Sweetin gets to showcase her broad range with other players, like Andrea Barber's improv class kids and...Mr. Bear! Darlings takes a general storyline and improvs the heck out of it. If you are a fan of Curb, then this is going to be fun for you. Besides the great guests from their past shows, you will also see their other friends from the business (more '90s stars, too) like: Tamera Mowry, Wanya Morris, Jaleel White, Heather & Nicholle Tom, Lance Bass, Lori Beth Denberg and Soleil Moon Frye.

Conclusion:

This comedy really shows us the range of these three former child stars. The '90s are certainly back in style with these three. It's just fun, exciting and even surprising to see what will happen on these episodes. Pop has had some comedy success already with series like Schitt's Creek and Nightcap, and now Hollywood Darlings will fit in perfectly on this network. Jodie and Christine were in family sitcoms with a studio audience, while Beverley was in a family drama...now they all come together in a new style of comedy that they are not known for and they totally hit a homerun here. They're the center of attention now and we are so glad. Watch out Larry David, there is a new throwback style Curb in town..and it is funny!

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 8:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

Pop Official Site

TV.com

Internet Movie Database

Hollywood Darlings Photo Gallery

Preview:

CMT announced Nashville will return for a new season with 16 episodes premiering early next year. In addition, the network revealed a midseason premiere date of Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT for the back half of season five. Charles Esten (Deacon) first announced the renewal on Facebook Live on behalf of the entire cast. In the coming weeks, CMT will announce its complete 2017-2018 slate. Long-time SVOD partner Hulu will continue to stream episodes the day after they premiere on CMT.

The devoted "Nashie" fan base has generated record-breaking numbers for CMT. Nashville ranks as the network's highest-rated and most-watched show in the network's history, averaging 2.1M weekly viewers (L+7). Over the course of the first-half of the season, the series notched nearly 16 million total viewers on CMT alone, and nearly 23 million on CMT and Nick at Nite. The news comes on the heels of strong growth for CMT. Original premieres are pacing up 51% among A 18-49 and 79% among W18-49 versus year ago. Total day ratings are up 19% with A 18-49 and 25% with W 18-49. As a result, CMT garnered the biggest year-over-year growth this quarter than any other top 50 channel on cable (excluding news nets).
Rachel Bilson (The OC, Hart of Dixie) and Kaitlin Doubleday (Empire) will join the series in the second half of season five. In addition, fresh off the success of Big Little Lies, Jeff Nordling will recur in the role of Brad Maitland, an extremely successful, charming, egotistical, narcissistic owner of the most successful record label in Nashville. The midseason premiere picks up 10 weeks after the events that unfolded in the midseason finale. Deacon helps Daphne with a school project, but Daphne feels unmotivated. Juliette gives Maddie unsolicited advice about a song. Scarlett and Gunnar receive news about the baby. The series stars Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor, Chris Carmack as Will Lexington, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Maisy Stella as Daphne Conrad and Lennon Stella as Maddie Conrad. In addition, this season features Joseph David-Jones as Clay, Rhiannon Giddens as Hallie Jordan and Cameron Scoggins as Zach Welles in recurring roles.

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

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