SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We are in those awkward few weeks between the unofficial end of summer and official end of summer, and we're here with news of two cancelled series (one on TBS and the other on Netflix), a new drama for NBC that sounds similar to a recent news story, and more. Let's get going!

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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

Fox is last up in our check-in of returning sitcom slates. Fox is...well, certainly in a transitional state. The network is still rebuilding its image after Disney's merger with 20th Century Fox, which drastically altered the network's original content. So, needless to say, the sitcom slate has been a bit light recently, and that continues this season. Gone are the days of the mid-2010s, when you could make an argument that Fox had the best sitcom roster of all of network TV with shows like New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Last Man on Earth, and The Mindy Project, as well as short-lived but beloved series like Enlisted and The Mick.

Returning sitcoms: The only returning sitcoms that made Fox's fall schedule were its animated slate. The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers and Family Guy are all back, with the interesting caveat that Bob's later-seasons ratings spike has convinced Fox to move it to the 9pm anchor slot, while the declining Family Guy moves to the lead-out role at 9:30. Still, the block as a whole continues to provide solid and consistent numbers for Fox. The caveat, though, is that they're all 20th Century Fox properties - which, remember, is no longer run by the same company as the Fox network, but by Disney. It's possible Disney sees the value in moving them to a Disney property, so whether or not they're long for the Fox world remains to be seen. Shoved to mid-season is Fox's only returning live action comedy, Last Man Standing. Last Man did very well on Fridays last season, but well...it's also a 20th Century Fox property.

New sitcoms: There's only one new sitcom on Fox's fall schedule, and it's an animated comedy entitled Bless the Harts. The series follows a lower-class family living in the South and could make a good companion to The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers.

The bottom line: Fox is definitely in a transitional state right now, and that transition emphasizes reality series and sports and less scripted content, so aside from the solid block of animated comedies, sitcoms seem to be a second thought on the new Fox. We'll see if that continues going forward, but as of now, the days of FOX being a comedy haven are certainly long gone.

The Buchmans are back! Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt reprise their roles in the Sony Pictures Television-produced limited event series Mad About You on Wednesday, November 20 when the first six episodes drop ad-free exclusively on Spectrum's On Demand platform. The final six episodes will release on Wednesday, December 18. The series will explore the fertile ground of modern marriage through the eyes of the Buchmans as newly minted empty-nesters after dropping their unpredictable, hard-to-control daughter Mabel (Abby Quinn) off at college. The original sitcom ran for seven seasons from 1992-1999 and won multiple Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) awards. All 164 original episodes are now available free on-demand for Spectrum subscribers.

Mad About You is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Comedy Dynamics. Peter Tolan serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer. Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser executive produce alongside Brian Volk-Weiss, Michael Pelmont and Matthew Ochacher. Danny Jacobson, who co-created the show with Reiser will serve as an executive consultant. Additional cast includes: Original cast members John Pankow and Richard Kind as Ira Buchman and Dr. Mark Devanow, and Abby Quinn as Mabel Buchman.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a slightly busier than usual summer week, and we're hearing about a potential new sitcom starring Ted Danson, a reprieve for A.P. Bio, and more. Let's get going!

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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

The past few weeks have brought news that Friends and The Office will be leaving Netflix within the next few years. This is a big deal for many people, as Friends and The Office are reportedly the two most-streamed sitcoms in our current era. But while both of these shows deserve titles as classics in their respective decades, there's no reason your search for great comedy needs to end there. If you're someone who has spent all of your time at Dunder Mifflin or at Central Perk, consider giving these similar comedies a try:

Parks and Recreation (streaming on Netflix): Parks and Recreation is another popular mockumentary comedy similar to The Office - in fact, helmed by longtime Office writer Michael Schur and co-created by Office exec Greg Daniels, the series is in some ways a little sister to the show. It's a warm, sunny series about the workers of the Pawnee parks department that, like The Office, puts big stock in its characters and cares deeply about them under its silly exterior.

30 Rock (streaming on Hulu): 30 Rock and The Office were timeslot partners for much of each of their lives, and it makes sense why: both are fast-paced, smart and well-crafted comedies that demonstrate the single-camera, 21st century sitcom at its finest. 30 Rock, like The Office, follows a workplace that seems too ridiculous to be true much of the time. If you like the fly-on-your-seats humor of The Office, you'll love 30 Rock.

New Girl (streaming on Netflix): New Girl follows the relationship/friendship model of Friends very closely - there are definitely parallels between Jess/Nick and Ross/Rachel - and is set up, in many ways, like Friends, following a group of young professionals in the big city (except this big city is LA, not New York). However, New Girl has the humor stylings more in line with The Office or 30 Rock - the characters are all incredibly funny and silly people, who make you laugh, cringe, and cry. The humor is also fast-paced and bizarre in a way similar to The Office, so if you're looking for a show that melds the best of the two worlds, New Girl is a great choice.

Happy Endings (streaming on Hulu): You've probably heard of the other shows on this list, but you may not have heard of Happy Endings. Although the series was cut short after three seasons, its legacy has lived on via internet memes by its most ardent supporters. In many ways, Happy Endings can be thought of as a millennial Friends. The set up is very similar - six friends living near each other in Chicago - but the humor is over-the-top, ridiculous and cutting, in a way that feels very appropriate for our current era. If you love Friends but want something that's a bit more reflective of our times, check out Happy Endings.

Better Off Ted (streaming on Hulu): Another short-lived series (cut down after just 2 seasons), this show is like an even more satirical version of The Office that takes a real look at how the workplace runs. I won't give too much away, but it's the sort of comedy where you can't believe what's happening much of the time, much like the cringiest episodes of The Office. If you like that side of the show, you'll love Better Off Ted.

Winner of a coveted Peabody and a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series, Mad About You aired its final episode in May 1999. Now, 20 years later, Spectrum Originals reunites stars Paul Reiser and Emmy(R) Award winner Helen Hunt for a new limited series, debuting for the Holidays in late 2019. To set the stage for this comedic return, Spectrum will make all 164 episodes of the original series available free on-demand, exclusively for Spectrum subscribers beginning August 1. Over seven seasons of the beloved original series, Reiser and Hunt played Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple in New York City who mine the gentle humor in domesticity and life's everyday situations. For its limited-series return, Mad About You will explore the fertile ground of modern marriage through the eyes of the Buchmans as empty-nesters. Spectrum Originals is a premier destination for premium original series available exclusively to Spectrum video subscribers on-demand and ad-free. This free service launched with the Sony and Bruckheimer-produced drama L.A.'s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We have more TV actor deaths this week, sadly, but we're also hearing about an update on a CBS pilot starring Patricia Heaton, an episode of The Simpsons that is being pulled from syndication, and more. Let's get going!

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Charter Communications' premium content initiative, Spectrum Originals, has picked up the limited series Mad About You. The Sony Pictures Television- produced series will include original cast, as Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt will reprise their roles as Paul and Jamie Buchman. Peter Tolan is tapped to be the showrunner, and Helen Hunt will direct the first episode. Danny Jacobson, who co-created the show with Reiser will serve as an executive consultant. The series is scheduled to launch in late 2019. Mad About You is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Comedy Dynamics. Peter Tolan will serve as showrunner as well as executive producer and writer for the series. Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser executive produce alongside Brian Volk-Weiss, Michael Pelmont, and Matthew Ochacher for Comedy Dynamics. Danny Jacobson, who co-created the show with Reiser will serve as an executive consultant.

Debuting in 2019, Spectrum Originals is a premier destination for premium original series available exclusively to Spectrum video subscribers on-demand and ad-free. This free service will launch with the Sony and Bruckheimer-produced drama L.A.'s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. Additional projects include the high-octane street race drama Curfew, co-produced with Sky UK, and the Lionsgate series Manhunt. An initiative of Charter Communications, Spectrum Originals is the latest expansion of Charter's market-leading video offerings, which include regional sports networks and its award-winning Spectrum News services.

No Good Nick, a new live-action multicam dramedy series starring Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey, Clarissa Explains It All, Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Sean Astin (Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Goonies), Siena Agudong (Star Falls, Alex & Me), Lauren Lindsey Donzis (Liv & Maddie) and Kalama Epstein (The Fosters) will launch on Netflix April 15, 2019. No Good Nick follows 13-year-old Nick, short for Nicole, who infiltrates a family with the intention to get revenge on them for unknowingly ruining her life. As she gets to know the family, she will find compassion for them and will struggle with whether or not she can ultimately go through with the plan. No Good Nick is executive produced and created by David H. Steinberg and Keetgi Kogan, and directed by Andy Fickman (She's The Man, The Game Plan). The original series is produced by Netflix.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're hearing about a two season renewal for a popular CBS sitcom, three new DVD releases from Warner Archive (including two that will wrap up some series), and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a very busy week with tons of Emmy nomination news to go around, not all of which we could fit in here! Plus, we're hearing an update about the Mad About You reboot, some new DVDs for Beverly Hillbillies, and more. Let's get going!

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Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're hearing more about the Mad About You reboot this week, The Simpsons has dealt with the complaints about the stereotypes of the character of Apu (and the response has not been very positive, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

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

Last year, One Day at a Time was one of the most surprisingly wonderful shows of 2017. In a year of seemingly endless reboots and navel-gazing at TV's past, One Day at a Time was perhaps the only remake that took its original series and made it feel current rather than being obsessed with the past. With an all new cast and little actual ties to the original series other than in structure, One Day at a Time transcended the label of "sitcom remake" and became a wonderful sitcom in its own right. By tackling social issues such as sexuality, mental illness, and veterans' rights in a way that also had a strong focus on character and never felt cloying, One Day at a Time felt truly special.

So it means a lot when I say One Day at a Time's second season may even be an improvement on its already excellent debut season. The series is slightly less serialized in its second season, making it feel even more like the past Norman Lear shows it's inspired by (Lear is an executive producer of the series, after all) - and yet, the lack of structure (although the season does have some structure, certainly more than most, say, '70s Lear sitcoms did) allows the show to put its characters through many varieties of situations that inform who they are and their own personal choices. The series also digs deeper into its characters this year - we learn more about their past and their journeys, even for characters like Schneider who have mostly been presented as comic relief. And yet, even through all of this, One Day at a Time always felt happy and joyous, even when dealing with some pretty intricate and heavy topics. Frankly, One Day at a Time feels a little bit like the sitcom version of a warm hug. It's comforting and makes you feel better even when things are rough. What could be better in our current society?

Oh, and yes, it has a live studio audience. No, it's not distracting. Please don't let that turn you off of this incredible show.

Actor Louis Zorich, who was best known for his role as Paul Reiser's father, Burt Buchman, in Mad About You, has died. He died in his sleep on January 30 in New York City. Mr. Zorich was 93.

Zorich starred as Jules Berger in the 1991-1993 CBS dramedy Brooklyn Bridge, which was set in the middle 1950s in Brooklyn. He was married to Sophie Berger (Marion Ross) and was the grandfather of Alan Silver (Danny Gerard). The Gary David Goldberg created series also starred Amy Aquino, Peter Friedman, Matthew Louis Siegel, Adam LaVorgna, Jenny Lewis, Jake Jundef, Aeryk Egan and David Wohl. It won a Golden Globe for Best Television Comedy or Musical and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1992.

He appeared in the recurring role as Burt Buchman in 70 episodes of the NBC sitcom Mad About You from 1993 to 1999. He was married to Sylvia (Cynthia Harris) and was the father of Paul (Paul Reiser). His signature line when he visited Paul and Jamie's (Helen Hunt) apartment was "It's me, Burt! Burt Buchman--your father!" The series also starred Anne Elizabeth Ramsay, Leila Kenzie (1992-1998), Richard Kind (1992-1993, occasional 1994-1999) and John Pankow.

Some of his television guest appearances included Encounter, Hudson's Bay, Cannonball, Naked City, Route 66, Kojak, Ryan's Hope, The Equalizer, Spenser: For Hire, Kate & Allie and Law & Order.

Survivors include his wife, actress Olympia Dukakis; their three children, Peter, Stefan and Christina; and nephew, Chris Zorich (former NFL player).

Mr. Zorich was a fine actor. He was very good as the family patriarch in Brooklyn Bridge. It would be great to revisit that series on DVD one day. It was always fun when he stopped by to visit on Mad About You. He will be greatly missed.

We also remember director, writer and television showrunner Hugh Wilson. He was the creator of WKRP in Cincinnati and Frank's Place. He died on January 14 in Charlottesville, Virginia, from lung cancer and emphysema. Mr. Wilson was 74.

Wilson created WKRP in Cincinnati for CBS in 1978. The series was based upon his experiences working in advertising sales at Top 40 radio station WQXI in Atlanta. The popular sitcom ran for four seasons from 1978 to 1982. It starred Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Loni Anderson, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner, Jan Smithers, Tim Reid and Howard Hesseman. The catchy theme song was written by Wilson and performed by Steve Carlisle. Wilson also wrote 14 episodes, provided the story for three episodes and directed two of the episodes.

He later created the sequel series, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired for two seasons in first-run syndication from 1991 to 1993. The series starred Gordon Jump, Richard Sanders, Frank Bonner, Mykelti Williamson, Tawny Kitaen and French Stewart. Howard Hesseman appeared in a recurring role.

In 1986, he created the short-lived NBC sitcom Easy Street. The series starred Loni Anderson, Jack Elam, Lee Weaver, Dana Ivey, James Cromwell and Arthur Malet.

Wilson worked with Tim Reid again in the critically acclaimed, but short-lived dramedy Frank's Place. The series aired on CBS for one season in 1987-1988. It also also starred Robert Harper, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Francesca P. Roberts, Frances W. Williams, Virginia Capers, Tony Burton, Charles Lampkin, Lincoln Kilpatrick, William Thomas Jr. and Don Yesso. Wilson also worked as writer s and directed seven episodes of the series. He won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series" in 1988.

He created the short-lived 1989-1990 CBS sitcom The Famous Teddy Z. The series starred Jon Cryer, Milton Selzer, Jane Sibbett, Alex Rocco, Tom La Grua, Erica Yohn and Josh Blake.

His other directing credits included The Tony Randall Show (also a producer), Easy Street and The Famous Teddy Z. He directed the films Police Academy, Burglar, Guarding Tess, The First Wives Club, Blast from the Past and Dudley Do-Right.

Some of his other sitcom writing credits included The Bob Newhart Show, The Tony Randall Show and The Famous Teddy Z.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on November 26, 2015.

Survivors include his wife, five children and four grandchildren.

We thank Mr. Wilson for the great sitcoms he brought us over the years. He will be missed.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're in yet another holiday weekend with a slow news week, and once again, no new home media news or releases (we hope that those sections will be back next week though!), but we do have news about another potential reboot of a 90s hit sitcom, a look at the busy week ahead on the small screen, and more. Let's get going!

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Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We swear that everything this week won't be about Fuller House, but there is a lot of stuff going on about Fuller House that we can't resist not sharing. We've also got news of complete series releases of three sitcoms that are more than just repackages of previous releases. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Mad About You has sputtered along on DVD since the dawn of TV-on-DVD (literally, the first season was released in 2002) with frequent stalling, switching studios, and more. But now, Mill Creek looks to remedy that by finally putting all of the episodes out in one set, with Mad About You - The Complete Series, set for release on May 3.
• Shout! Factory is bringing one of the most wanted (yet for some reason, never released) sitcoms to DVD on June 28, with their release of Two Guys and a Girl - The Complete Series.
• VEI has a great record of putting out releases, but getting things out in time for the scheduled release date is something they've not been so great at doing, and as expected, Sister, Sister - The Complete Series was not released in January as it was rumored to have been. However, TVShowsOnDVD.com is reporting that it is coming on March 18, though they do (wisely) note that this could change yet again.

TUESDAY (MARCH 8) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Community - The Complete Sixth (Final?) Season (DVD, $45.99): The NBC series turned Yahoo! Screen series, which had the misfortune of having their network canceled this time, returns to DVD for this release... which may be the final one.
• Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (DVD, $79.99): The complete series of the classic series returns to DVD once again with a lower-priced version of the release.
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season One (DVD, $22.98): The first season of the hit Netflix series debuts on DVD in this release.

Who to Follow: Essence Atkins (Twitter), "Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

Claim to Fame: Essence Atkins got her start in a guest starring role the (now rarely seen) sitcom The Cosby Show in 1986, at age 14, but has since gone on to become a star in several other sitcoms. Appearing in several other sitcoms in guest star roles, she landed her first regular role in 1997 on Smart Guy. She also starred in the UPN series Half & Half, and most recently has starred in the series Are We There Yet? and Mr. Box Office. Currently, she is preparing to appear in a pilot for a sitcom on NBC.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! News becomes a bit slow this time of the year, but we're here nonetheless with some ratings news, some upcoming DVD releases from CBS, and more. Let's get going!

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HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• CBS is preparing to release one of the more obscure Brady Bunch spinoffs on DVD with The Brady Kids - The Complete Series on February 16. 
• CBS will also be releasing a re-release of The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Series on February 16, without the bonus disc that was included on the previous release.
• Rounding out the February 16 CBS slate is Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - The Complete Series.

Who to Follow: Cindy Williams (Twitter), "The official Twitter account for actress Cindy Williams. My book -- Shirley, I Jest! -- is available everywhere!"

Claim to Fame: Cindy Williams got her start in some commercials and a few guest appearances on series such as Room 222 and Nanny and the Professor, but it was a 1975 guest appearance on Happy Days that made a big difference, where she first played Shirley Feeney. Of course, that role made it into the spinoff, Laverne & Shirley, which she starred in until the last season (her character was later written out). After that, she did several made-for-TV movies, and also had a few short-lived series. Most recently, she appeared in a guest role in the series Sam & Cat, along with Penny Marshall.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and are enjoying Small Business Saturday, before it is back to the regular routine on Monday! For today, we have news of a new season of Girl Meets World, some Golden Girls themed undergarments, and news of new Mad About You DVDs. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• When Mill Creek announced nearly two years ago that they would be re-releasing several Sony series on DVD, it was believed that they would not be able to release things that had not been previously released. It appears that is now changing, as this week, it was announced that they would be bringing the complete series of Mad About You (which was started by Sony, followed by a trickling of a few more seasons by Shout!, then nothing) to DVD. It is set to arrive sometime in 2016.

Who to Follow: Amy Poehler's Smart Girls (Twitter), "Change The World By Being Yourself!"

Claim to Fame: Our Follow Me this week is a little bit unusual, and deviates a bit from the normal around here. Instead of a person, it is an organization that was founded by sitcom actress Amy Poehler (who isn't on Twitter herself, by the way) and producer Meredith Walker. According to their own website, the "organization is dedicated to helping young people cultivate their authentic selves," they "emphasize intelligence and imagination over fitting in," and they "celebrate curiosity over gossip." In other words, it is not so much of a celebrity driven "all about me" Twitter page like usual, but rather about a celebrity giving back in their own way... but it is done in a way that is uniquely Amy Poehler, and doesn't ignore who she is or what she does.

Late last week we gave you the FX Fall 2013 schedule and we promised we would give you the FXX launch schedule this week... and we will deliver that to you today! FXX will launch on Monday, Sept. 2, 2013 with a marathon of Parks & Recreation, as we already mentioned. The marathon of the comedy will air from 7am-12am, as the sitcom makes its off-network debut (it will also be on WGN America this Fall and the upcoming new network Esquire). The next show airing on launch day will be four episodes of the '90s comedy Mad About You from 12am-2am. We mentioned a couple of times that FXX will air some older comedies and this is one of them. The schedule is more than just the previously announced How I Met Your Mother, Sports Night, Freaks & Geeks, Rescue Me and Arrested Development. The actual regular schedule will launch on Tuesday, Sept. 3, with the Michael J. Fox (and later Charlie Sheen) comedy Spin City airing seven days a week from 7-9am. Spin City was previously on FX but it hasn't aired in recent months. Then the new acquisition Mad About You will air weekdays from 9am-11am. From 11am-1pm (except at 12pm) will be another new buy with the sitcom The Hughleys starring D.L. Hughley. Encores of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell will air in the 12pm half-hour. From 1pm-5pm, we get more sitcoms, as back-to-back episodes of Sports Night, Arrested Development, How I Met Your Mother and Parks & Recreation will air for an hour each. At 5pm, another encore of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell will air leading into Anger Management reruns. From 6pm-2am, the schedule varies each day. From 6-8pm on Mondays, a block of Anger Management will air, while movies will air on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Parks & Recreation rounds out the week on Thursdays and Fridays. From 8-11pm, Parks & Recreation will air Mondays, while How I Met Your Mother airs on Thursdays. Movies air the rest of the week in the block, with originals on Wednesdays from 10-11pm of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League (both premiere on Sept. 4).

In late night on weeknights, the Mon-Thurs talk show Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell will air at 11pm starting on Sept. 4. From 11:30am-2am the schedule really varies with a mix of Mad About You, Rescue Me, encores of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League, along with Arrested Development and Sports Night. On weekends, it is mostly filled with movies, but both days start off with comedies. Freaks & Geeks will air on Saturday mornings from 9am-12pm. while the rest of the comedy line-up are more plays of series they air during the week like Spin City, Mad About You, Sports Night, How I Met Your Mother and Arrested Development. Other notable items for FXX Fall 2013 includes as mentioned the new seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League now moved to FXX on Wednesdays from 10-11pm into the Mon-Thurs run of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The line-up will launch after the broadcast premiere of the movie Bad Teacher on Sept. 4 from 8-10pm. The broadcast premiere of Friends with Benefits will air the following week (Sept. 11) into the block. The rest of the month has premieres of Hall Pass and 30 Minutes or Less - all airing Wednesdays at 8.

View the full FXX launch schedule premiering in fall 2013 starting Sept. 3. Discuss your thoughts of the schedule there as well.

Emmy® Award-winning actress Jaime Pressly has been cast in the lead role for TV Land's new sitcom pilot Jennifer Falls. Pressly, best known for her work on the NBC series My Name is Earl, will play the lead character, Jennifer Doyle, in this multi-camera pilot. Jennifer Falls revolves around a career woman and mother (Pressly) who must move back in with her own mom after being let go from her high-powered, six-figure salary job. With her teenage daughter in tow, Jennifer has to face her new life, trying to reconnect with old friends in her hometown and making ends meet as a waitress in her brother's bar. The pilot is written, created and executive produced by Matthew Carlson (The Wonder Years, Malcolm in the Middle), with Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis (Reba, The Exes) also serving as executive producers.

TV Land's current line-up of original sitcoms airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT and includes the hit series Hot in Cleveland, The Exes and The Soul Man. The series have received several awards and accolades including two 2013 Creative Arts Emmy® nominations: one for Hot in Cleveland and the other for The Exes. All of these series star pop culture icons and fan favorites including Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, Kristen Johnston, Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche, Kelly Stables, Cedric "The Entertainer," Niecy Nash and Wesley Jonathan. This December, TV Land will debut its newest original series, Kirstie, which stars Kirstie Alley, Michael Richards, Rhea Perlman and Eric Petersen. Stay with us for continued updates on Jennifer Falls, because right now it is just a pilot order. Should it be ordered to series, we will let you know. Stay tuned!

Our fall 2012 schedule barrage continues today with the fall schedule for WGN America! Their biggest acquisition this fall is Rules of Engagement. The ensemble comedy featuring David Spade and Patrick Warburton will launch on WGN America on Monday, Sept. 10, 2012. The sitcom will also be joining local broadcast syndication this fall, as we know (in NYC it will be airing weeknights at 6:30pm on WPIX). As for WGN America, Rules of Engagement will air Sun-Fri at 12:00am & 12:30am ET and also in primetime on Wednesdays from 8-10pm ET. Detailing the rest of the line-up, the weekday schedule from 9am-6pm will remain intact, but the 6pm hour will now have Old Christine instead of 30 Rock. Primetime remains the same, but as mentioned Rules heads to Wednesdays replacing AFV. In late night, 30 Rock will move to the 11pm hour, since it loses the 6pm hour. The sitcom will lead into Rules of Engagement at midnight, as we mentioned. WGN America will be losing the rights to South Park, but will be gaining rights to the daytime talk show The Bill Cunningham Show and encores of that series will air at 4am ET beginning Sept. 17. If you're wondering, the week of Sept. 10 will feature a week of Mad About You, returning from its hiatus, but only until Cunningham begins on the 17th.

Onto Saturdays, the late night line-up is completely revamped, as Bones and Bloopers! join the schedule. What is Bloopers? The classic Dick Clark series returns with a fresh new take on an iconic brand. Hosted now by TV and movie star Dean Cain, each half-hour is full of hilarious and spontaneous bloopers, unpredictable hidden camera segments and laugh out loud moments from the web. Bones will air Saturday nights at 11pm and 12am beginning Sept. 29, as it replaces AFV and Old Christine hours. At 1am, the new syndicated entry Bloopers! will air replacing 30 Rock. Back-to-back Old Christine will follow at 1:30am and 2am leading into the return of Cheers from 2:30am-4am. On Sundays, a second Bloopers! will air at 7pm, replacing 30 Rock. Not to fret, 30 Rock will get both weekend airings in one hour now, airing Sundays in the 11pm hour, replacing The Unit. As mentioned, Rules of Engagement is at midnight replacing Monk. Comedies now rule Sunday night as an hour each of Scrubs, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 'Til Death air from 1-4am.
View the full WGN America Fall 2012 schedule. To recap, hello to Rules of Engagement, Bill Cunningham Show, Bones, and Bloopers!, while a welcome back to Cheers and (for a week only) Mad About You, but goodbye to South Park, Monk, and The Unit. Stay with us for further updates, if anything.

It was just yesterday we told you about ION Television acquiring NUMB3RS, now ION has bought another drama! ION Television continues to strengthen its programming lineup with high-quality content, announcing the acquisition of the critically-acclaimed series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. The off-network licensing rights give ION all 10 seasons (195 episodes) of the crime-drama favorite. Currently the series airs in local syndication, WGN America and on some Universal-owned cable networks like USA Network. It will likely remain on all of those when it comes to ION Television. We know for sure it will remain on WGN America (see above) and the Universal-owned cable networks.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent takes viewers into the minds of its criminals while following the psychological approaches the Major Case Squad uses to solve the crimes. Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio), who channels his inner Sherlock Holmes, is an exceptionally bright homicide investigator with well-honed instincts that match up favorably with his criminal quarry. Likewise, his partner, Detective Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe), brings an independence and stylish edge to her work that meshes well with Goren. Law & Order: Criminal Intent was created by Dick Wolf and is the third installment of the Law & Order brand, which stands as the second longest-running scripted primetime series in television history. Executive producers of the series include Wolf, Warren Leight, Peter Jankowski and Norberto Barba. The series was produced by Wolf Films in association with NBCUniversal Cable & New Media Distribution. Law & Order: Criminal Intent aired for 10 seasons, first on NBC (six seasons) and followed by USA Network, concluding in 2011.
We will let you know when ION Television will schedule Law & Order: Criminal Intent, as right now it is unclear on when it will start.

Antenna TV has just scheduled a marathon of the '90s sitcom Mad About You. The marathon will air Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 from 2pm-1am, with episodes from the final season of the hit sitcom starring Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser (a season one episode kicks it off actually at 1:30pm). This will include the one-hour series finale, "The Final Frontier." Of course the following two days on Antenna TV will be the Christmas marathon featuring all of their series, as we mentioned. So for three straight days, it's marathon mania on Antenna TV from Dec. 23-25.
This Mad About You marathon was not originally scheduled and will be a treat for fans because the series is not on the regular schedule anymore. It last aired in the summer airing Mon-Thurs at 11pm & 11:30pm, but it was replaced in the fall. There is no word on if it will return to the regular schedule in January, but as of now that is not the plan. In this comedy, Paul and Jamie Buchman share their lives and offer wit and wisdom about relationships. Together, they grow and mature as they learn the art of staying married and loving it. Along for the ride is their ever-tolerant dog, Murray, along with Jamie's best friend, Fran, Jamie's sister, Lisa, and Paul's cousin, Ira.
Will there be any schedule changes in January? Likely no, but we will of course keep you up to date on any changes for Antenna TV, so stay with us!

FX has picked up a fourth season of its comedy series The League, ordering 13 episodes. Currently airing its third season, The League is averaging series-high ratings across the board. On a first-run basis, the show is averaging 1.7 million Total Viewers and 1.5 million Adults 18-49, up +25% and +32, respectively, vs. season two. On a multi-run total basis, season two delivered 2.9 million total viewers and 2.5 million adults 18-49. This season has featured an all-star lineup of comedic guest stars including Seth Rogen, Jeff Goldblum, Sarah Silverman, Ray Liotta, Will Forte and Eliza Dushku.
FX's ensemble comedy follows a group of old friends in a fantasy football league who care deeply about one another - so deeply that they use every opportunity to make each other's lives miserable. It was created by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) and Jackie Marcus Schaffer who serve as executive producers and directors. The ensemble cast features Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Katie Aselton and Jon Lajoie. The series is produced by FX Productions. There are three episodes of The League remaining in its third season. Episode 11, "The Guest Bong," airs this Thursday at 10:30PM E/P. Pete's new girlfriend wants to help him with his line up; Kevin's past at the DA's office has him running scared; Ruxin runs afoul of his company's email policies; and auto-correct gets everybody in trouble.