SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Antenna TV (https://www.antennatv.tv/), Nexstar Media Group's multicast network that launched on January 1, 2011 and airs in 151 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 93% of TV households including WPIX-TV (11.2) New York, KTLA-TV (5.2) Los Angeles, and WGN-TV (9.2) Chicago, is reportedly launching a secondary companion network focusing on possibly only series from the 1980s. Sources tell SitcomsOnline that the rumored new network is set to launch in late 2021. The name of the network and exact programming of the secondary companion network is being kept under wraps, but more information will be coming as soon as everything is official. It could have a mix of current '80s series on Antenna TV and more newly acquired ones. One can hope for some Perfect Strangers, Charles in Charge and Kate & Allie? Keep checking our news blog for continued updates. Antenna TV currently airs many classic sitcoms from the '50s to '90s such as Three's Company, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, Who's the Boss?, Bewitched, Father Knows Best, The Facts of Life, and Becker.

Some more spring scheduling news on NBC. The medical drama New Amsterdam will finally begin its third season on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It will run through June 8, 2021, with a preemption or two mixed in (like for The Voice finale). We last had an all-new episode almost 11 months ago on April 14, 2020. In the series, when Dr. Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) took over New Amsterdam, he asked a simple, revolutionary question: "How can I help?" In season three, Max and his team face the daunting task of sustaining that optimism while dealing with a pandemic that exposed the gaping inequities in our health care. Max is no longer content to fix a broken system. He’s determined to tear it down and build something better. The drama stars Ryan Eggold as Max Goodwin, Janet Montgomery as Laura Bloom, Freema Agyeman as Hana Sharpe, Jocko Sims as Floyd Pearson, Tyler Labine as Iggy Frome and Anupam Kher as Anil Kapoor. NBC also announced they will double-up on all-new episodes of The Wall on Monday, Feb. 15 and Monday Feb. 22 from 9-11pm. Weakest Link ends its first season next week (Feb. 8).

The off-network rights to CBS sitcom Mom, the most recent hit comedy from Chuck Lorre to be launched into syndication, has been sold to Tribune Broadcasting by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The series will debut in Fall 2017, airing on Tribune stations in New York Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston , Seattle, Miami, St. Louis, Portland, Indianapolis, Hartford, Oklahoma City , New Orleans and Huntsville. Beyond the Tribune stations, WBDTD has also sold the series to stations from CBS, Hearst, Media General, Raycom, TEGNA, Nexstar, Meredith, Gray, Weigel, News Press, Marshall, Hubbard, Griffin, Entravision, Cowles, Block, Bahakel, Capitol Broadcasting Co., Inc. Sunbeam Television Corp., and Graham Media, amongst others. All in all, the series has already been sold in 71% of the country, including in 27 of the top 30 markets.

Anna Faris and Emmy Award-winner Allison Janney star in this hilarious and often heart wrenching series from executive producer Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly). Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky and Nick Bakay serve as executive producers for the series, which is from Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Mom was created by Lorre & Gorodetsky & Gemma Baker, who serves as co-executive producer. Season 4 of the sitcom airs this fall on CBS.

Starz announced the highly-anticipated Season Two returns for two of their critically-acclaimed comedy series: the horror fun-ride Ash vs Evil Dead" and the outlandish comedy Blunt Talk. Ash vs Evil Dead scares up its second season premiere entitled "Home" on Sunday, October 2 at 8PM ET/PT. The second season roars back into action with an extended episode where Ash is forced to leave his cushy retirement in Jacksonville, return to his hometown of Elk Grove, Michigan, and mount up once again to face The Evil Dead. This time, he'll have to form an uneasy alliance with his former enemy Ruby as Elk Grove becomes the nucleus to the most dangerous horror Ash has faced to date. The upcoming season of Ash vs Evil Dead will include ten half-hour episodes.

The second season premiere of the hit comedy series Blunt Talk entitled "I Remember That Time More Like a Movie I Saw Than a Life I Lived" will debut on Sunday, October 2 at 8:35PM ET/PT. Walter Blunt and his team are on top of the network ratings when Walter runs into an old flame, in town to investigate a conspiracy involving one of Los Angeles' most crucial environmental threats. Rosalie, Jim, Celia, Martin, and Shelly (with all their various neuroses intact) are by Walter's side as he delves into his past, which leads him into a web of intrigue affecting the future of LA. The upcoming season of Blunt Talk will include ten half-hour episodes.

Sony Pictures Television announced that Tribune Broadcasting's owned or operated stations in 18 major markets will serve as the launch group for the hit family comedy The Goldbergs when it debuts in broadcast syndication in the fall of 2017. Collectively, these 18 Tribune stations reach nearly 37% of U.S. TV Households. The Tribune stations that will broadcast the nostalgic, multi-generational comedy series are: WPIX-TV (New York), KTLA-TV (Los Angeles), WGN-TV, (Chicago), WPHL-TV (Philadelphia), KDAF-TV (Dallas), WDCW-TV (Washington DC), KIAH-TV (Houston), KCPQ-TV/KZJO-TV (Seattle), WSFL-TV (Miami), KWGN-TV/KDVR-TV (Denver), KTVI-TV/KPLR-TV (St. Louis), KRCW-TV (Portland, OR), WXIN-TV (Indianapolis), WTIC-TV (Hartford), WDAF-TV (Kansas City), KFOR-TV/KAUT-TV (Oklahoma City), WHNT-TV (Huntsville) and WQAD-TV (Davenport).

Renewed for a fourth season on ABC, The Goldbergs consistently ranks #1 in its time period (8:30pm, Wednesdays) and grows over its lead in (The Middle) among Adults 18 to 49. It is one of very few series to show year-over-year growth in all three seasons. The series will move to Wednesdays at 8pm this fall on ABC to kick off the "ABC Funny" Wednesday block. From a simpler time, known as the '80s, come the VCR-loving, mixtape-making, spandex-wearing Goldbergs. For geeky and movie obsessed youngest child Adam (Sean Giambrone), his wonder years were spent documenting the hilarious and awkward antics of his colorful family. Mom, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), is a classic "smother," at her best when she’s meddling, matchmaking and bedazzling her way through life, while dad, Murray (Jeff Garlin), parents from the comfort of his recliner in his underpants. Oldest sister, Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is popular and terrifying, doing her best to cover up that she's the smartest of the clan, and middle child, Barry (Troy Gentile) is a passionate dreamer, who maybe dreams a little too big and so often gets the short end of the stick. Rounding out the family is beloved grandfather, Al "Pops" Solomon (George Segal), the wild man of the clan, a shameless Don Juan who's learning as much from his family as he teaches them.

FX Networks has released a new version of its video on-demand app FXNOW designed to take full advantage of the capabilities of Apple TV (4th generation) and featuring the first-ever opportunity to watch "Simpsons TV" on a streaming device. The new FXNOW app on Apple TV gives viewers the cinematic experience demanded by FX Networks' acclaimed and award-winning series like Fargo, American Horror Story, Archer, Louie and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. The redesigned FXNOW on Apple TV leverages the networks' iconic key art and content to create a rich viewing experience consistent with the FX brand. "Simpsons TV," the latest feature of Simpsons World, is a unique collection of highly curated channels that offer a compelling "lean back" experience similar to linear television but within the on-demand environment of FXNOW. Fans can choose from channels such as "Going Old School" or "Krustylu Studios" that each feature a collection of episodes inspired by distinctive themes. After choosing their own viewing experience from the channel guide, viewers simply sit back and watch episodes. The "Simpsons TV" channels will be constantly updated with content drawn from Simpsons World, the exclusive online source of all 27 seasons of the legendary Emmy(R) Award winning animated television series. "Simpsons TV" channels include:

· SPRINGFIELD GOOGOPLEX
· EVERY. SIMPSONS. EVER
· SPRINGFIELD SHUFFLE
· AZTEC THEATRE DOUBLE FEATURES: FXX WEEKLY STACKS
· KRUSTYLU STUDIOS: JON SWARTZWELDER'S FAVORITES
· CHANNEL 6: SMARTLINE: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN SPRINGFIELD
· SIMPSONS ON HOLIDAY: SIMPDOND ACROSS AMERICA
· CHANNEL OCHO: SPRINGFIELD PRIDE
· SIMPSON FAMILY CHANNEL: MARGE IN CHARGE
· THE SPRINGFIELD BIOGRAPHY CHANNEL: EVERYONE LOVES NED FLANDERS!

The Simpsons. Simpsons World also offers episodes of The Simpsons in 4:3 and with audio commentary. For more information about Simpsons World, go to http://www.simpsonsworld.com/.

Warner Bros. Television has sold the ABC hit family sitcom The Middle into broadcast syndication and cable for Fall 2013! In broadcast syndication, Tribune Broadcasting stations will air it in 11 markets, including WPIX-CW New York, KTLA-CW Los Angeles and WGN-CW Chicago. Also, Sinclair Broadcast Group has picked up the sitcom in 19 markets, including Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Middle has been cleared on stations reaching 92% of TV homes so far, having also been sold to stations owned by CBS, Communications Corp., Raycom, Newport, Belo, Cox, Local TV, New Age Media, Titan, Grant, News Press & Gazette, Barrington, Mission, Venture, LIN, Pappas, Weigel, Acme, and others. A full list of stations will be available closer to fall 2013. More clearances will come.
As for cable, The Middle has been acquired by ABC Family for also fall 2013. This marks the first major current sitcom acquisition by the network, as the other comedies they previously acquired were of canceled sitcoms like My Wife & Kids and 8 Simple Rules or older comedies like That '70s Show and Full House. The hit family sitcom will likely air in the early evenings, probably sometime between 6-8pm during family time. We'll have more on that as we get closer to fall 2013, as we are still a while away!
The series premiered in fall 2009 on ABC (Wednesdays at 8PM) and is currently in its third season. By the time the series hits syndication, it will have four full seasons of episodes to air five-days-a-week. Two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton stars in this warm and witty single-camera comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations. Middle-aged, middle class and living in the middle of the country in Orson, Indiana, Frankie Heck is a harried wife and working mother of three who uses her wry wit and sense of humor in an attempt to get her family through each day intact. The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Chris Kattan as Bob. It is created and is executive produced by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.


It's March and sports fans know that March means it's time for March Madness (the college basketball tournament). TV One will have its own March Madness with Sitcom Madness! TV One will air sitcom marathons every weekday all-month long from 11am-5pm. The stunt started this week on Monday (March 5) and will continue through Friday, March 30, so you have plenty of time to join the Sitcom Madness! On Mondays, TV One will air six hours of Martin in March. On Tuesdays, spend the day with twelve helpings of The Jeffersons from 11am-5pm. The sitcoms continue mid-week with Good Times on Wednesdays. On Thursday, it's not a half marathon but we get a Half & Half marathon. And close the week out on Fridays with Eve. That's five different sitcoms, so what show do you think is the best show from these five if TV One were doing a bracket style elimination? Luckily they're not, so you can watch all five series if you like them!
Everything else on TV One in March will remain as it is, as the 11am-5pm portion is preempted this month for these marathons. No other stunts are planned, so it's all about the Sitcom Madness in March!

MeTV has announced official station start dates for Philadelphia/Allentown and Cincinnati. We hinted at Philly last week, but now we have a start date! Starting Monday, July 4, they will add MeTV to its growing lineup of digital channels on WFMZ-69. It will be found on 69.3. WFMZ also has The 69 News AccuWeather Channel, which was launched as the nation's first 24-hour AccuWeather Channel in 2001, on 69.2 and RTV on digital channel 69.4, which was introduced to WFMZ viewers in 2009. So WFMZ will have both MeTV and RTV on its digital stations, while Philly also has Antenna TV on WPHL's digital station. Luck Philly!
And one other station note, Cincinnati is set to get MeTV starting THIS Friday (July 1) on WLWT-TV's Channel 5.2. And one more note, MeTV is also coming to Des Moines, IA on Friday on KCCI channel 8.2 (channel 108 on Mediacom digital cable). Stay with us as MeTV officially announces station start dates and station clearances.

They'll be there for you until at least 2017. The Tribune Station Group has renewed Warner Bros.' Friends through 2017 in broadcast syndication. This means the veteran sitcom will be on the air through its third syndication cycle. Tribune renewed the show on 15 stations in a cash-plus-barter deal. In addition, for the first time the show will air in HD, which wasn't available when the show was airing in primetime. This new deal starts in 2013, so you'll have to wait two more years for the HD episodes. Unless you were living under a rock from 1994-2004, Friends starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
The 15 Tribune stations included in this deal are WPIX-TV (New York), KTLA-TV (Los Angeles), WGN-TV (Chicago), WPHL-TV (Philadelphia), KDAF-TV (Dallas), WDCW-TV (Washington, DC), KIAH-TV (Houston), KCPQ-TV (Seattle), WSFL-TV (Miami), KRCW-TV (Portland, OR), WTTV/WXIN-TV (Indianapolis), WTIC-TV (Hartford), WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids), WGNO-TV (New Orleans) and WPMT-TV (Harrisburg).

CBS has FINALLY announced its mid-season 2011 plans! Every other network has announced their mid-season plans already. First order of business is that CSI: Miami will move to 8pm for at least three weeks starting Sunday, Jan. 2. All three airings will be all-new episodes. Its current slot of 10pm will be various series repeats for these three weeks (CSI: Miami on Jan 2, Criminal Minds on Jan. 9 and Undercover Boss on Jan. 16). CBS has the NFL's AFC Championship Game in primetime on Jan. 23 and as of now it is unclear what will air following the game at about 10pm ET. It is also unclear if CSI: Miami air at 8pm on Jan. 30, leading into the new Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie: Lost Valentine from 9-11pm. The Super Bowl is Feb. 6 (on Fox), so CBS will air repeats in primetime and CBS has the Grammy Awards on Feb. 13 from 8-11pm. So, CSI: Miami will likely return to its 10pm timeslot on Sunday, Feb. 20, as The Amazing Race starts its new season at 8pm that night. However, the following week (Feb. 27) will be the Oscars (on ABC), so it seems a new episode of Race at least will air since it premieres the week prior.
CBS will give freshman drama Blue Bloods a four-week run on Wednesdays at 10:00pm beginning Wednesday, Jan. 19 through and including Feb. 9. After these four weeks, it will return to its regular Friday time period of 10:00pm on Feb. 11. CBS will air repeats on Fridays at 10:00pm from Jan. 7-Feb. 4 until Blue Bloods returns on Feb. 11. The Defenders, which currently airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm, relocates to Fridays at 8:00pm effective Feb. 4 through and including March 25. The series will have its last Wednesday airing on Jan. 12. After Blue Bloods' four-week run on Wednesdays at 10 is over, CBS will premiere a new 13 episode series. Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, a spin-off of CBS's Criminal Minds, premieres Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 10:00pm, airing right after the parent series. That is the same night Survivor returns with an all-new season at 8pm. Moving on, CBS premieres new drama Chaos on Fridays at 8pm beginning April 1, the week after The Defenders airs its season finale. The series has a 13 episode order, so it will likely run in the summer as well.
Moving on to sitcom news, CBS will premiere a new sitcom, move a sitcom and end one early. Mad Love, a comedy about a quartet of New Yorkers, two of whom are falling in love while the other two despise each other, premieres Monday, Feb. 21 at8:30pm following How I Met Your Mother. The series has a 13 episode order and will remain in this timeslot for the rest of the season. As a result of this change, Rules of Engagement will move from Mondays at 8:30pm to Thursdays at 8:30pm beginning Feb. 24 and airing after The Big Bang Theory. This means $#*! My Dad Says is off the schedule, but it will complete its on-air order of 17 episodes for the season after its Feb. 17 airing.
Yes, that is a lot to digest. View the CBS Mid-season 2011 press release and schedule for more information.

Antenna TV has announced its first week (Jan. 1-9) episodes and movies. We are very happy to report that every series they will air will start with the first episode and go in order from there. The only exception to not starting from the beginning will be on the Sunday series Showcase '39 which starts with episodes 153 and 154 ("Mr. Kagle & the Baby Sitter" and "Panic") in the 7am hour. That series is very rare as it is, so it doesn't really matter. There will be a few series that will go in production order, like Maude, but most will go in airdate order (such as Three's Company). The network launch marathon weekend of Jan. 1-2 with The Three Stooges and Benny Hill will also be aired in order, with Benny Hill's first 46 episodes airing. They will start both series from the beginning again on their regular Friday and Saturday night airings starting Jan. 7.
As for the films, they will air the movies weekdays from 1am-1pm and on weekends from 3am-7am. A nice mix of films from the '50s to the '90s will air from the Columbia Tri-Star library. Premiere week films are Real Genius (1985), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), Dick (1999), Blind Date (1987), Mrs. Winterbourne (1996), The Freshman (1990), Born Yesterday (1950), Picnic (1955), Muppets From Space (1999) and Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). That is just for week one (Jan. 3-9), look for more classics to come! We are about 10 days away from the Jan. 1 launch! Check out their website for affiliate information and stay with us for further information!

Last week we announced that KTLA in Los Angeles will be airing a preview of Antenna TV on Dec. 18, 19 and 26. And Dec. 18 and 19 was a success with shows like Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Burns & Allen, Sanford & Son, Gidget, Circus Boy, The Monkees and The Three Stooges all getting a preview. We announced that on Sunday, Dec, 26 from 1pm-4pm PT, KTLA would have The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and The Iron Horse, but KTLA has changed the scheduled a bit. The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin remains in the 1pm hour, but at 2pm it will now be an episode of Here Come the Brides and the 3pm hour will feature back-to-back episodes of The Partridge Family. Fans in L.A. please take note of the change! After this preview airs in Los Angeles, Antenna TV is less than 6 days away from launch on Jan. 1 nationwide!

ivi TV, the online cable system, has announced that it has added Chicago to its Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles broadcast channel offerings. The addition of 12 stations from the Chicago market brings the total number of OTA (over-the-air) channels available on ivi TV to an impressive 65, excluding international offerings ranging from Sport Italia to English-language news from China on CCTV9, among others.
ivi TV offers more content than Hulu and the ability to legally watch live major broadcast channels anywhere there's an Internet connection, including hit shows and popular sports programming from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, PBS, and others from a growing number of local affiliates, all available from a downloadable app at ivi TV.
Consumers who live in other parts of the country can watch live local programming from their hometown or favorite city. People with no conventional cable access or left adrift by the shift to DTV can watch TV with ivi TV. As ivi TV rolls out new markets (Philadelphia might be next), the channels it includes from each respective market are available to all ivi TV subscribers, regardless of where they presently reside within the U.S.
After spending a week in Washington, D.C. meeting with lawmakers and the FCC to vocalize concerns over the proposed Comcast-NBC Universal merger and its likelihood to leave consumers with less high quality programming and higher rates, ivi TV keeps rolling out new markets to offer an affordable cable subscription with more choice and flexibility. A growing number of voices are rising in opposition to the Comcast-NBCU merger. ivi TV simply wants a level playing field and is calling on Congress and the FCC to ensure consumers don't become the ultimate victims in Comcast's conquests. ivi TV delivers what consumers have wanted for a long time -- the ability to watch live broadcast television on the Internet. For only $4.99 a month, consumers can watch popular TV programming from all the major stations anytime and anywhere they want. And the first month is FREE!
Among the cool stations you can watch are KTLA, WGN-TV (local Chicago), WPIX, national Me-TV Network, Me-Too (Chicago), RTV (Seattle affiliate), and the big guns like WABC. This is very cool and I wish this was around back in the '90s when local broadcast stations were better with lots of cool sitcoms. But ivi TV is certainly worth the buy if you aren't in Chicago (for Me-TV and Me-Too) or don't have a RTV affiliate. Me-TV Network is now a national network, but as of now Chicago, Milwaukee, and South Bend are the only markets carrying it, so now is your chance to preview Me-TV and if you like it, you should request it to your local affiliates to add it to their digital stations! Antenna TV launches on Jan. 1, and perhaps we will get it on ivi TV, as all four ivi TV markets will have an Antenna TV affiliate, so there is a good chance we will have one on ivi TV. If that is the case and you don't have Antenna TV scheduled to come to your market, like Me-TV, try it on ivi TV and request it to your local affiliate that they add it!

Try and test ivi TV out for a month at least, it is free for the first month and you can cancel at anytime. I don't think you should watch your favorite primetime network shows on here, but it is a good service with decent (but not great) video quality if you want to test something like Me-TV and Antenna TV, especially if your markets are not carrying them. I certainly enjoyed testing out Me-TV Network this weekend and watching cool local fare on Me-Too Chicago (like Gilligan's Island) and KTLA Los Angeles (like Dennis the Menace on the Antenna TV preview on KTLA).

NBC is previewing upcoming mid-season single-camera sitcom Perfect Couples tonight (Dec. 20) with a special airing after the finale of The Sing-Off, which airs from 8-10pm. NBC will not air the pilot of the sitcom, instead a later episode (titled "Perfect Tens") will air. The series will still premiere with the pilot episode on its actual premiere date on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 8:30pm. Tonight NBC is just going to have viewers "sample" the series. The sampling preview airs tonight at 10pm on NBC. A repeat of The Office will follow at 10:29pm.
Perfect Couples depicts the misadventures of three engaging couples as they struggle to find out what makes the ideal relationship -- and how to maintain it through humorous trial-and-error. The series explores their heroic journey in search of the perfect relationship without destroying each other in the process.
Dave (Kyle Bornheimer, Worst Week, Romantically Challenged) and Julia (Christine Woods, FLASHFORWARD) are the relatable, normal couple, but Julia's hope of remaining the cool, low-maintenance chick is tested by Dave's attempts to keep both his wife and his needy best friend Vance (David Walton, 100 Questions) equally happy. Vance, along with the neurotic Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"), are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other. The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, She's Out of My League), a reformed party guy, and, and his wife, Leigh (Olivia Munn, Attack of the Show), who considers herself as the group's mother hen. Believing that they are relationship experts, Rex and Leigh have attended every class and seminar on relationships -- and regard themselves as the "perfect couple."
On tonight's episode, after Dave (Kyle Bornheimer) is disappointed that Julia (Christine Woods) dresses down for him, they both decide to be "perfect 10s" and live it up with a night out. Meanwhile, an infestation of bed bugs misleads Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) into thinking that Vance (David Walton) is not ready to commit to her, while Rex (Hayes MacArthur) and Leigh (Olivia Munn) plan an Italian vacation and struggle trying to adjust to the time difference.
We did not get a review copy of this episode, but we will have a review of the pilot episode closer to series launch on Jan. 20. So stay tuned! Sample if you want tonight, but people who have seen the pilot and an additional episode (not tonight's episode), haven't been too kind to this series. Our review will cover those two episodes (and we might give our thoughts on tonight's episode in that review, too).

We have a very exciting interview for you today. We have an interview with Antenna TV's Sean Compton (President of Programming at Tribune) about their upcoming launch. We get answers to various questions that you will all want to know about, including updates on affiliates, cable providers and of course the shows itself! As always with all of our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form. So let's first tell you a little bit each about Sean Compton and Antenna TV (as if you didn't already know).

We had the pleasure to once again interview Sean Compton, President of Programming for Tribune Broadcasting. Compton previously worked for Clear Channel radio for 16 years and was their VP Programming for 10 years before leaving in April 2008 to run Tribune programming as SVP, which includes the massive change for WGN America and now the creation of Antenna TV. Compton was promoted to President of Programming in May 2010. Compton also oversees programming for Tribune's local television stations and for WGN America. Compton is 36 years old and has worked in radio since he was in high school, and he also says his childhood hero was actually legendary NBC programmer Brandon Tartikoff. Compton is originally from Connersville, Indiana, which is between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and he grew up watching those TV markets. See our previous interview with Sean back in 2008 regarding WGN America, when he brought back classic TV.

Antenna TV is a new digital network from Tribune Broadcasting that will debut on New Year's Day on multicast stations nationwide. 50 million homes will be reached in the first wave of clearances. Antenna TV starts broadcasting at midnight EST, on January 1, 2011 with more than 24 hours of The Three Stooges. The program lineup on Sunday, January 2, 2011 is built around a Benny Hill marathon. The network's regular programming schedule, featuring a combination of movies and classic television shows, include TV sitcoms All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Nanny, Married...with Children, Maude, Good Times, Three's Company, The Partridge Family, Dennis the Menace, Too Close for Comfort, Father Knows Best and Burns & Allen begins on Monday, January 3, 2011. Legendary announcer Gary Owens is the voice of the channel.



"Seven Questions with Antenna TV's Sean Compton"

SitcomsOnline: First off, I have to say I am personally very excited for Antenna TV's Jan. 1 launch. Most of the series that Antenna TV will be airing are some of my favorites, including Three's Company. I have to ask, how did this idea come about and how was it made into a reality?
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: We looked around the television landscape and through the cable and broadcast universe all groups are trying to appeal to younger demos. This includes our own group with WGN America and its younger appeal with recent additions. TV Land used to own the space but has jumped deep into original programming and with the recent successes they will go deeper in original programming. We see it as a huge opportunity, This TV, the MGM movie channel, is free to over the air viewers 24 hours a day. The only over the air, all movie channel. Antenna TV will be a great over the air destination for some movies but primarily classic sitcoms. Three's Company is a big win for us, as it hasn't had much exposure on cable in many years yet still has a huge fan base. The Three Stooges appeals to every demo. Benny Hill is a riot and Married... with Children is a great late night show.

SitcomsOnline: This world of digital television is really fascinating. It has really opened up the doors for older series to air again. Still, many people out there don't have televisions without cable or satellite. Antenna TV is a free digital station, but many of the viewers will still rely on cable to watch it. We know Comcast Cable has picked it up in Chicago on channel 353, but what about the rest of the markets? Is Comcast the main cable provider for Antenna TV or will more providers also carry it?
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: Most of the markets will have a cable home for Antenna TV. If you live in a large city you should go out and buy an HD antenna anyway. I've got DirecTV and Comcast in my home and I also have rabbit ears so I can watch the dot 2 and dot 3 choices out there as well. It's starting to get interesting as broadcasters are getting their dot 2's and 3's cranked up and its going to get competitive.

SitcomsOnline: As of launch on Jan. 1, Antenna TV will be in 50 million homes (thanks to mainly the Tribune stations) including the top 5 markets, which is great. Are you close to sealing deals with stations in other top markets like San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit and other markets like Louisville? We also hear that some markets already cleared will be getting sneak peek launches, like in Los Angeles. What will that be like?
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: The sneak peak is just some classic shows that will air on KTLA in Los Angeles to promote Antenna TV. There are a lot of OTA's (over the air) homes in Los Angeles and we want to tap into the KTLA audience and let them know it is coming. Regarding the other markets, we have signed a group deal with Local TV LLC. They own WJW in Cleveland, KDVR in Denver, WNEP in Wilkes Barre and many other markets. They are excited and sign on in early first quarter. There are other groups talking to us now and we have a number of offers for markets that we are working through now. There are a lot of affiliate interest for us out there, partially because we are committed to great programming. Zero paid programming, 24/7 movies and sitcoms. (View an Antenna TV promo!)

SitcomsOnline: The classic TV shows acquired by Antenna TV are either from Sony Pictures Television or DLT Entertainment. Does Antenna TV have an overall library deal with these studios or were these series specifically bought? If it is a library deal, can we expect schedule changes frequently with new additions? (Hoping for some Diff'rent Strokes, What's Happening Now!!, The Facts of Life, and other Sony greats.)
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: We did do an overall library deal. Jeff Wolf at Sony worked hard for several weeks putting this together with us. John Fitzgerald did the same for us at D.L. Taffner. You will see other shows weave in and out of the line-up over the next several years. Possibly we'll tap into other distributors for product as well.

SitcomsOnline: You previously mentioned to us that stunts and marathons will be done during the holidays. 2011 kicks-off with a marathon weekend of The Three Stooges and Benny Hill, but what else can we expect for other holidays later this year? I personally am hoping for a short-lived sitcom stunt one of these days, as Sony Pictures Television has plenty of short-lived, but good, series from the '70s and '80s. Among them are The Jeffersons spin-off Checking In, the Sanford & Son spin-offs Grady and Sanford Arms, the Who's the Boss? spin-off Living Dolls, and other short-lived fare such as One in a Million starring Shirley Hemphill, The Dumplings from Nicholl-Ross-West, Norman Lear's Hot L Baltimore, also Filthy Rich starring pre-Designing Women stars Dixier Carter & Delta Burke, and 704 Hauser, where a new family moves into the Bunker house from All in the Family.
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: We haven't thought it all through yet. Our big priority has been getting launched and affiliates set. As you know, I am a big fan of event programming. WGN America's Munster Mash on Halloween had monster, pun intended, ratings this past year. It is the third Halloween that we've aired it. We've done a 70's week, an 80's week, Valentine's Specials, etc. I imagine you'll see much of the same on Antenna TV especially around the holidays.

SitcomsOnline: Before we go further, I have to mention that Antenna TV will be airing two short-lived spin-offs on its schedule. The Three's Company spin-offs -- The Ropers and Three's a Crowd -- will be aired within Three's Company's hour timeslot (5pm-6pm and encores 12am-1am). That is very cool and to my knowledge, it never has been done. Back to questions, Antenna TV will also air movies, mainly during mornings and early afternoons. Will these films also be from specific studios and what are some of the films we can expect?
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: The films will come from the Columbia/Sony libraries. It's a very deep film library and prevents overlap from anything on This TV, which is fueled by the MGM library. I love Three's a Crowd and The Ropers (Three's Company spin-offs) being a part of the line-up. (Once the Ropers leave the Three's Company episodes, you'll see The Ropers scheduled in one of the half-hours, and later on Three's a Crowd in one of the half-hours after the final Three's Company episode airs.) They were solid spin-offs that at the time were short-lived and have had little exposure. Another show that I'm thrilled to have is Too Close for Comfort.

SitcomsOnline: Finally, it is really great Tribune is creating a network like this for the digital era. You have done a great job in preserving classic TV sitcoms first on Tribune's WGN America (where we previously interviewed you) and now with Tribune's Antenna TV. Will Antenna TV depend on Nielsen ratings like broadcast networks and cable networks? Or is the landscape different in digital substation world? Fans have also asked if these programs will be unedited or at least close to being unedited if there are less ads on digital substations?
Antenna TV's Sean Compton: Thank you for the kind words. We air the shows the way that the distributors supply us. We will do no editing on our end. We also will not be squeezing the end credits nor will we have an Antenna TV bug/logo on the screen during programming. Stations locally may decide to put theirs up, but nationally we will not display one. As far as ratings go, yes we will look at ratings but in the digital world it's driven a bit differently. The product we bought was done specifically to find opportunities. The Cosby Show, Cheers, Roseanne are on television in syndication and cable everyday, so we went after shows that haven't had the mass exposure in recent years. We won't live and die with this network by ratings in the first 2-3 years.

Our thanks to Sean Compton and Antenna TV. We wish them the best of luck on their launch on January 1! For more information on Antenna TV, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view their website http://www.antennatv.tv/. So, stay tuned right here on the blog for continued news and programming updates for this network.

Before we get to the rest of today's blog, we want to give you information on KTLA's preview of Antenna TV in Los Angeles that Sean talked about in our interview. In anticipation of this new programming, KTLA will broadcast a sneak peek of Antenna TV on its main channel, KTLA 5. Antenna TV is coming to KTLA's digital channel 5.2 in Los Angeles on January, 1 2011.
The first sneak peek will be this Saturday (Dec. 18) and will air from 2pm-5pm PT with an hour each of sitcoms Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best and The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. A few hours later in primetime on Saturday from 8-10pm PT, KTLA will air four episodes of Sanford & Son. Then on Sunday (Dec. 19), KTLA will give two episodes each of Gidget, Circus Boy, and The Monkees all starting at 9am PT. In late on Sunday, KTLA will air two hours of The Three Stooges from 11pm-1am with six classic episodes. And finally on Sunday, Dec. 26 KTLA will give LA fans a preview of Antenna TV's Sunday morning western block with The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin at 1pm, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok at 2pm, and The Iron Horse at 3pm.
View more information on KTLA's preview of Antenna TV.


Awards season is heating up with Golden Globes and the WGA Awards, now we have another. The 17th Annual Screen Actor Guild Awards (SAG) nominees have been announced. Leading the pack were Modern Family, Glee, 30 Rock and Mad Men. Among the broadcast networks, NBC led with 6 nominations followed by ABC and Fox with 4 each. HBO led overall with 9 nominations. TV Land had its first ever nomination, with Hot in Cleveland getting a nomination along with star Betty White. The awards will air Sunday, Jan. 30, on TNT and TBS at 8 PM ET/PT.
Here are the main TV nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire, HBO)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, AMC)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Showtime)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men, HBO)
Hugh Laurie (House, Fox)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Glenn Close (Damages, FX)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU, NBC)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife, CBS)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, AMC)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer, TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family, ABC)
Steve Carrell (The Office, NBC)
Chris Colfer (Glee, Fox)
Ed O'Neill (Modern Family, ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie, Showtime)
Tina Fey (30 Rock, NBC)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Fox)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, ABC)
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland, TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
The Closer (TNT)
Dexter (Showtime)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Mad Men (AMC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock (NBC)
Glee (Fox)
Hot in Cleveland (TV Land)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)

View the complete TV portion nominees and to discuss the nominees!


Stay tuned either tomorrow or early next week for an interview with Me-TV Network! And of course tomorrow will bring news and our weekly look at the coming week's talk shows with sitcom stars as guests. Come on back!

Can you believe the holiday season is nearing? Thanksgiving is next week, which means Christmas is right around the corner! And then it will be 2011 already a week after Christmas. Time flies! Anyway as I mentioned, I have put together our annual network television (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, MyNetwork TV) holiday specials list that we all like to watch every year like Frosty the Snowman and A Charlie Brown Christmas, new classics like Shrek the Halls and Disney Prep & Landing and we even get some all-new specials like Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special. Sure the network holiday line-ups are not as detailed as some cable networks like ABC Family, but the main holiday specials are still on network television! These are just actual holiday related specials and movies, not movies or specials airing during the holiday season on broadcast network television, kicking it off TONIGHT with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on ABC:



ABC
Thursdays, Nov. 18/25, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/This is America Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers
Monday, Nov. 29, 9:30-11pm ET: CMA Country Christmas (NEW!)
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 8-9pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) and Shrek the Halls
Thursday, Dec. 2, 8-9pm: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Tuesday, Dec. 7, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas/Charlie Brown Christmas Tales plus seven-minute short from Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa (NEW!)
Thursday, Dec. 9, 8-9pm: Shrek the Halls ENCORE and Disney Prep & Landing
Monday, Dec. 13, 9-10pm: Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You (NEW!)
Tuesday, Dec. 14, 8-9pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
Thursday, Dec. 16, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas/Charlie Brown Christmas Tales plus seven-minute short from Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa ENCORES
Saturday, Dec. 18, 8-9pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 18, 9-11pm: ABC Saturday Movie of the Week: Madagascar - includes 12 minute 2005 short Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper
Sunday, Dec. 19, 7-11pm: ABC Sunday Movies of the Week: The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3 - The Escape Clause
Thursday, Dec. 23, 8pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) ENCORE
Thursday, Dec. 23, 8:30-11pm: ABC Thursday Movie of the Week: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Friday, Dec. 24, 9-11pm: ABC Friday Movie of the Week: The Santa Clause 2 ENCORE
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 8-9pm: Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Thursday, Dec. 30, 8-9pm: Happy New Year, Charlie Brown/She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown (latter special is NEW! to ABC)
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on ABC, view our schedule.

CBS:
Sunday, Nov. 28, 9-11pm: Hallmark Hall of Fame: November Christmas (NEW!)
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 8-9pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Saturday, Dec. 11, 8-9pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns
Saturday, Dec. 11, 9-10pm: The Flight Before Christmas
Friday, Dec. 17, 8pm: Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus
Friday, Dec. 17, 8:30-9:30pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns ENCORES
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 8-9pm: 12th Annual Home for the Holidays
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on CBS, view our schedule.

NBC:
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 8-9pm: Merry Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special (NEW!)
Saturday, Nov. 27, 8-9pm: Merry Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special ENCORES
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 8-9pm: Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 11, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 9-11pm: Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
Friday, Dec. 24, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on NBC, view our schedule.

Fox:
Friday, Nov. 26 8-10pm: TV's Greatest Holiday Moments: A Paley Center for Media Special (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 25, 8-10pm: TV's Greatest Holiday Moments: A Paley Center for Media Special ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on Fox, view our schedule.

The CW:
None yet, but CW usually schedules Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer...so if they do, come on back here and we'll update this.
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on The CW, view our schedule.


Look for Two and a Half Men to continue in reruns on your local broadcast stations in syndication for years to come, because the current seven year deal for the show has been extended by another seven years, lasting it to 2021! Warner Bros. has renewed the sitcom for another seven years on the Tribune and Sinclair station groups. Tribune renewed the show in all 19 of its markets -- including New York (WPIX), Los Angeles (KTLA) and Chicago (local WGN); while Sinclair renewed it in all 21 of its incumbent markets. Sinclair's stations are mostly located in mid-size markets, including Pittsburgh, Nashville, Tenn., and Columbus, Ohio. Usually sitcoms get five years or less terms for their first cycle, but Men got two more years and will get the same amount in its second cycle.
Two and a Half Men premiered in local broadcast syndication in Fall 2007 and stations are paying $2 million an episode. The sitcom is the top-rated off-net sitcom for 163 weeks in a row now and season-to-date, Two and a Half Men is averaging a 5.3 live plus same day household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research, and a 3.3 rating among adults 25-54. The show outperforms its nearest competitor, Twentieth's Family Guy, by 77% in households and 83% in adults 25-54, reports B&C.

For those who prefer not to spend the day after Thanksgiving fighting crowds at the mall, TBS has the perfect alternative. It's "Festivus for the rest of us!" as TBS unwraps the Seinfeld: Happy Festivus marathon Friday, Nov. 26, with nine solid hours of classic Seinfeld episodes.
The hilarious collection will open at 11 a.m. (ET/PT) with the "The Contest" and climax at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT) with the Festivus-themed episode "The Strike." Along the way, TBS's post-Thanksgiving Seinfeld marathon will be packed with such unforgettable episodes as "The Soup Nazi" and "The Muffin Tops," to name a few.
We mentioned this stunt a few time already, but now it is official. Seinfeld, created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and West-Shapiro, premiered in 1990. Seinfeld stars as a stand-up comedian who shares various adventures and misadventures with his three pals: Elaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus; George, played by Jason Alexander; and Kramer, played by Michael Richards. Considered by many to be the greatest sitcom of all time, Seinfeld earned numerous awards and top ratings during its nine seasons. The series joined the TBS line-up in October 2002 and currently airs weekdays at 7 and 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT).