SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

MeTV is making some late summer changes to its Summer of Me lineup. The Facts of Life, Diagnosis Murder, T.J. Hooker, Hawaii Five-0 and Cannon are joining the lineup beginning Monday, August 21. Most of these are new to MeTV, such as The Facts of Life, while Hawaii Five-0 makes its return to MeTV. Effective Aug. 21, The Facts of Life will air weekdays at 6am. Diagnosis Murder will air weekdays at 11am. Early evenings will now be back-to-back dramas, T.J. Hooker at 5pm and Hawaii Five-0 at 6pm, as the sitcom block of Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, Happy Days and The Odd Couple will be replaced. Cannon joins the late night line-up at 1am. With these changes and additions, the shows leaving for now are Mister Ed, Remington Steele, Gilligan's Island, Happy Days, The Odd Couple, Mayberry RFD and Ironside. View and discuss these MeTV Summer of Me changes.

SHOWTIME has announced the premiere dates for its fall comedy slate, including two new half-hour comedy series and the return of the hit hour-long comedy Shameless. First up, White Famous - starring Jay Pharoah (Saturday Night Live) and based on the personal experiences of Academy Award(R) winner Jamie Foxx - will debut Sunday, October 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, airing after the hit drama series Ray Donovan. Then Smilf, - starring Frankie Shaw (Mr. Robot) and based on her Sundance Film Festival Jury Award-winning short film of the same name - will launch Sunday, November 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, following the 9 p.m. ET/PT season eight premiere that night of the hit series Shameless. On November 5, White Famous will move to 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

In White Famous, Jay Pharoah plays talented young comedian Floyd Mooney, whose star is rising, forcing him to navigate the treacherous waters of maintaining his credibility as he begins to cross over into the world of becoming "white famous." Jamie Foxx will executive produce and guest star in a recurring role. Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project) plays Malcolm, Floyd's frustrated agent who wants his client to do whatever it takes to make it big. Cleopatra Coleman (The Last Man on Earth) plays Floyd's ex-girlfriend Sadie, the love of his life and the mother of his son, played by Lonnie Chavis (This is Us). Jacob Ming-Trent (Feed the Beast) stars as Ron Balls, Floyd's roommate - in the middle of the chaos, he remains the voice of reason. Stephen Tobolowsky (The Goldbergs) guest stars in the series' pilot. Additional guest stars this season will include Meagan Good, Jack Davenport, Michael Rapaport, Kendrick Sampson, Lyndon Smith and Natalie Zea. Smilf will take a raw and honest comedic look at a single, 20-something from Southie, Bridgette (Frankie Shaw), whose desires for relationships, sex, and a career collide with the realities of young, single motherhood. Adapting her Sundance Film Festival Jury award-winning short film, Shaw will star, write, produce and direct the semi-autobiographical comedy.

Celebrate the holiday season with a stocking full of TV treats as MeTV wishes everyone "A Very Merry MeTV." The family television event will feature a collection of holiday-themed TV classics that bring home the gift of timeless and festive comedies, westerns and dramas. "A Very Merry MeTV" also includes a special holiday episode of the original MacGyver, which will join MeTV's weekday schedule in December. "A Very Merry MeTV will air on MeTV Sunday afternoons from 2:00 to 5:00 pm ET/PT, beginning Sunday, November 27, and continuing through Christmas, Sunday, December 25. Everyone is invited to celebrate the holidays with these merry and memorable MeTV programs and episodes.

This special event will present series that are familiar to the MeTV audience, as well as shows not currently on their schedule. Families and fans can enjoy offerings from such current MeTV series as The Brady Bunch, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Happy Days, Gilligan's Island, Mister Ed, The Love Boat and Laverne & Shirley. Newer series specially presented in "A Very Merry MeTV" include MacGyver, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Touched By An Angel, and Family. It's going to be four very Merry MeTV Sundays beginning Nov. 27! Tune in!

The CW has set its midseason schedule, including the series premiere of the highly-anticipated new drama Riverdale, and the returns of The 100, Reign, The Originals and iZombie. In addition, DC's Legends of Tomorrow moves to its new night on Tuesday, January 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT, paired with The CW's #1 series The Flash. On Thursday, January 26, Supernatural returns from its winter hiatus at its new time at 8:00pm ET/PT, followed by the series debut of The CW's new drama Riverdale at 9:00pm ET/PT, a surprising and subversive take based on the iconic characters from Archie Comics. The 100 is back Wednesday, February 1 at 9:00pm ET/PT, paired with Arrow at 8. Reign returns for its fourth season Friday, February 10 at 9:00pm ET/PT. With The Vampire Diaries concluding after eight seasons on Friday, March 10, The Originals will return on Friday, March 17 at 8:00pm ET/PT.

The season finale of DC's Legends of Tomorrow is set for Tuesday, March 28, and iZombie will make its season three debut with back-to-back new episodes on Tuesday, April 4 at 8:00pm and 9:00pm ET/PT, before moving to its regularly scheduled time period after The Flash on April 11. The season finale of No Tomorrow will air Tuesday, January 17 at 9:00pm ET, with the season finale of Frequency set for the following week Wednesday, January 25 at 9:00pm ET/PT. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend wraps up its second season run on Friday, February 3 at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Last week we mentioned the Antenna TV Saturday Summer-thons that begins June 4 (Saturdays from 1-10pm), but now we have the full Antenna TV summer 2016 schedule. And it includes Webster, as we hinted. All of the schedule changes will happen on Sundays beginning June 5, with most Saturday shows being shifted to Sundays due to the Saturday summer marathons. The Monkees will move to Sundays from 11am-12pm, replacing Jeannie. Then from 12-1pm, it is the new timeslot for The Partridge Family, replacing Bewitched. Then from 1pm-2pm Small Wonder moves to Sundays, replacing an hour of Green Acres. From 2-3pm, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is also moving to Sundays, replacing an hour of The Monkees. From 3-4pm, Doogie Howser M.D. moves up a few hours replacing The Partridge Family. Then Mr. Belvedere is also moving to Sundays, airing 4-5pm replacing The Ropers/Three's a Crowd hour, as those two shows will go off the lineup for the summer. From 5-6pm, Dear John moves up a few hours replacing Doogie Howser. At 6pm, an hour of Evening Shade will remain, but from 7-8pm we have the new addition to the schedule...Webster! It replaces Dear John in the hour. Everything else will remain the same.

Emmy-winning actor Alan Young, who was best known for his role as Wilbur Post in Mister Ed, has died. He died on May 19 of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Mr. Young was 96.

Young's American radio career began in 1944. His first radio appearances were on the Philco Radio Hall of Fame. The Alan Young Show began on NBC Radio as a summer replacement situation comedy in 1944. It moved to ABC Radio two years later before returning to NBC in 1946.

The Alan Young Show began as a variety/sketch comedy show on television on CBS in 1950. It won an Emmy Award for Best Variety Show in 1951. Alan Young won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1951. The show switched to a more conventional sitcom in the final season in 1953. Young played a bank teller. His girlfriend was played by Dawn Addams.

Young starred as Wilbur Post, the owner of Mr. Ed, a talking horse that would talk to no one but him, in Mister Ed. The popular series ran for six seasons 1961-1966. It began in first-run syndication before moving to CBS. The series starred Connie Hines, Larry Keating, Edna Skinner, Leon Ames, Florence MacMichael and Allan "Rocky" Lane as the voice of Mr. Ed. Mr. Ed was played by a Palomino horse named Bamboo Harvester. Young also directed episodes in the final season of the series.

Some of his other television guest appearances in the 1950s and 1960s included General Electric Theater, Studio One, Chevron Hall of Stars, Studio 57, The Steve Allen Show, Five Fingers, Encounter, Startime and Mr. Terrific (unaired pilot version).

He starred as Ed Pepper in the 1988-1989 CBS sitcom Coming of Age. His wife on the series was played by Glynis Johns. They were the neighbors of Dick and Ginny Hale (Paul Dooley and Phyllis Newman).

His other sitcom guest appearances included Down to Earth, City, Doogie Howser, M.D., Coach, Maybe This Time, The Wayans Bros., Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, USA High, Kelly Kelly, The Tony Danza Show, Hang Time and Maybe It's Me.

Young was also known for his voice work. He provided the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, the DuckTales TV series (1987-1990) and video games. Some of his other voice credits included Battle of the Planets, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk, The Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks, TaleSpin, Batman: The Animated Series, The Ren & Stimpy Show and Duckman.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on February 6, 2001.

Mr. Young was wonderful in Mister Ed. He had a very long and successful career. His voice work had kept him active in recent years. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Mister Ed message board. View photos in our galleries.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's another November week with light news, but we're here nonetheless with an update on what is going on with the network sitcoms, news about CHiPs (finally) continuing on DVD, and an update on the Mister Ed complete series DVD release. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• It looks like after a long hiatus, the series CHiPs will be continuing on DVD, with a release of CHiPs - The Complete Third Season on March 3. 
  
• Mister Ed - The Complete Series arrives on DVD on December 9, and as an added bonus, the set will included unedited versions of the first season.
• For fans of The Bob Newhart Show who didn't get the Shout! Factory release of the complete series, The Bob Newhart Show - Season Five and The Bob Newhart Show - The Final Season will both arrive on DVD on February 3.

RECENT REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE.COM

• WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Series: Shout! Factory's release of this series is almost perfect and much improved from the season 1 release that Fox released several years ago. Most original music is included, but there are a few minor issues (though none that make the set less than worthy of owning).
• Highway to Heaven - The Complete Fifth Season: Mill Creek's final release of this series is consistent with most of their previous releases, giving fans a great series in a no-frills, low-priced set.

NOVEMBER 11 HOME MEDIA RELEASES 

• Batman - The Complete Television Series (DVD, $199.70; Blu-ray, $296.97): Once again, a series that was thought to never be possible on DVD arrives not only on DVD, but also on Blu-ray. The highly anticipated release, which is a collaborative release between Warner Home Video and 20th Century Fox, contains every episode of the series and plenty of special features, in multiple configurations. Also available for those who want the series in smaller doses is Batman - The Complete First Season.
• Dads - The Complete Series (DVD, $34.95): The short-lived Fox series arrives on DVD in a two disc set.
• Family Ties - The Complete Series (DVD, $89.98): The classic sitcom returns to DVD with a lower-priced complete series release (but without the special features included on the previous release).
• Taxi - The Complete Series (DVD, $79.98): The classic sitcom from the CBS library comes to DVD in a complete series configuration for the first time.
• Wings - The Complete Series (DVD, $69.98): Mill Creek takes flight as they bring all eight seasons of this classic series to DVD in a single release.

Who to Follow: Nick Offerman (Twitter), "actor-woodworker-husband"

Claim to Fame: As described, Nick Offerman is an "actor-woodworker-husband." As an actor, he first appeared on TV in an episode of ER in 1997 and episodes of other series, but he is best known these days for his role of Ron Swanson on the series Parks and Recreation. Oddly enough, his character does some woodwork on there... as does Offerman in real life. And he is husband to actress Megan Mullally, who also plays his ex-wife Tammy #2 on Parks and Recreation.

Pick of the Tweets: "A friend came to visit Ron Swanson today. Wouldn't leave me. L'il Sebastian is that you? #ParksandRec #5000candles https://twitter.com/Nick_Offerman/status/522220838196498434/photo/1" (October 14, 2014)

We mentioned that six new series will be coming to Antenna TV this November, but now we can officially reveal their timeslots. As a reminder, joining Antenna TV's schedule starting Monday, Nov. 4 will be Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Green Acres, Mister Ed, The Patty Duke Show and Flipper. The latter four are migrating over from now sister network THIStv. As usual, Antenna TV will refresh the schedule with many timeslot changes for existing programs as well as adding these six series to its line-up. On weekdays, The Patty Duke Show will air seven days a week from 1-2pm, while from 3-7pm on weekdays will be completely new with an hour each of Mister Ed, Green Acres, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, in that order. I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched will also air in late night airing 12-1am and 1-2am, respectively. These series will air on weekends as well with Mister Ed airing 3-4pm both days, while Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie air in primetime on Sunday nights from 8-10am. Green Acres will lead-in to them in late night on Sundays from 2-3am. As for Flipper, the classic family series will air on weekends from 6-7pm following Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.

As for existing series, the key highlight is primetime will now be a set weeknight schedule rather than a rotating show schedule. Weeknights from 8-9pm will be Diff'rent Strokes leading into an hour each of Sanford & Son, All in the Family and Maude from 9pm-12am. A few series will also be back on the line-up, including Circus Boy and Here Come The Brides, both weekend bound, with the former both days from 4-5pm and the latter Sundays 7-9am. With all these additions, some shows will have to have a little rest, but only three shows are going to the bench for now: Benson, Married...with Children and The Nanny. The latter two have come back before to the line-up, so they could return again.

Anyway, view the entire Antenna TV "Fall 2013" schedule that begins in November. And don't forget, Bewitched actually launches on Wednesday, Oct. 30 with a 27-hour marathon! Stay with us for continued updates.

Superhero siblings share an extraordinary secret in Nickelodeon's brand-new live-action comedy series, The Thundermans, premiering Saturday, Nov. 2, at 9 pm (ET/PT). Created and executive produced by three-time Emmy Award-winner Jed Spingarn (Big Time Rush, Jimmy Neutron) and executive produced by Dave Hoge and Dan Cross (Just Jordan, Pair of Kings), the scripted half-hour series follows a pair of superhero twins, Phoebe (Kira Kosarin) and Max Thunderman (Jack Griffo), with opposite personalities, who must navigate their way through school, friends and a family of extraordinary superheroes, all while keeping their true identities a secret. New episodes of The Thundermans will air regularly Saturdays at 9 pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The first episode of The Thundermans will be available for free on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, PlayStation Store, Samsung Media Hub and Vudu until Nov. 2, along with a free behind-the-scenes video called "Meet The Thundermans."

On the series, Phoebe and Max Thunderman are 14-year-old fraternal twins turbocharged by freeze breath and the power to move objects via telekinesis. Phoebe, a good-natured sister, always tries to do the right thing, while Max, a troublemaker, dreams of one day becoming a super villain. Brother Billy (Diego Velazquez) moves at super speed, while younger sister Nora (Addison Riecke) cuts solid objects with her laser beam eyes. Rounding out the family are parents Hank (Chris Tallman), who possesses extraordinary strength and the ability to fly, and Barb (Rosa Blasi), who can generate lightning from her hands. Ultimately, the family must attempt keep their powers under wraps and lead a "normal" life... but can life ever be "normal" in a family of superheroes?

Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's digital multicast network, will add I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Mister Ed, Green Acres, The Patty Duke Show and Flipper to the lineup beginning this November. Four of those series (Mister Ed, Green Acres, The Patty Duke Show and Flipper) will migrate over from new sister network THIStv. I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Mister Ed, Green Acres, The Patty Duke Show and Flipper will join Antenna TV's line up of classic favorites such as: Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Bachelor Father, McHale's Navy, Hazel, The Partridge Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Diff'rent Strokes, WKRP in Cincinnati, All in the Family, Barney Miller, The Three Stooges, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Gidget, The Flying Nun, It Takes a Thief, Suspense Theatre, Circus Boy, The Monkees and Antenna TV Theater, a movie block featuring Sony movies.

Where will all these programs air on the schedule though? We can't release that just yet as they have not officially announced the line-up yet. But stay with us in the coming weeks for that. The line-up will begin Monday, November 4. Antenna TV, available on 79 affiliates, launched nationally in January of 2011. The network now reaches 66% of TV households.

ABC Family has cast Jennie Garth to join former Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Tori Spelling in the network's comedy pilot, Mystery Girls. Both Spelling and Garth will also serve as executive producers. The casting marks a reunion of the two from their days on the hit series. The Mystery Girls pilot, starring Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth, follows a former starlet who is roped into solving crimes with her former mystery TV show co-star when a witness to a crime will only speak to the infamous 'Mystery Girls,' which was the highest rated program of the '90s. Spelling will play Holly, who is desperate to regain her former fame and plans to resurrect her life by using her acting skills and crime "experience" to open a detective agency. Now she just has to get Charlie (played by Jennie Garth), her former co-star-turned suburban housewife and mother, on board with the plan. Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Maggie Malina (Single Ladies) will serve as executive producers. The story is by Tori Spelling and Shepard Boucher (Men at Work). The pilot was written by Shepard Boucher. Mystery Girls is scheduled to shoot in November.

This is just a pilot order, so stay with us if the pilot is picked-up to series or not. We don't know if this pilot will be a single-camera comedy or a traditional multi-camera sitcom, but it is favoring a single-camera feel.

This TV quietly added Green Acres to their schedule yesterday morning. The first two episodes of the series, "Oliver Buys a Farm" and "Lisa's First Day on the Farm", aired at 5-6am. It will air weekdays at 5-6am and weekends at 7-8am. The 7am weekend airing will occasionally be pre-empted when they have a longer movie on the schedule. Check their show page for any additional airings. Green Acres last aired on MeTV earlier this year from June 20 to September 1 as part of their "Summer of Me" block.

Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt, Bat Masterson (which was airing on Sundays at 7am) and The Outer Limits (1963) have been taken off the lineup. The first three of those classic series were produced by Ziv Television Programs. As we mentioned back in September, This TV also airs The Patty Duke Show and Mister Ed. In addition to its regular 6am timeslot, The Patty Duke Show will receive additional airings some weekdays and weekends at 4am. Mister Ed will air some weekdays and weekends at 4:30am plus their regular 6:30am timeslot. Stargate SG-1 remains on Sundays at 9pm and 10pm. The rest of their schedule includes animated series from the Cookie Jar Toons archive like Inspector Gagdget, Hurricanes, Action Man, Metajets, and Sabrina, the Animated Series. Movies or E/I programming fill out the rest of their lineup.

This TV is a free over the air digital station that brings you award winning films, box office hits, cult classics, retro TV series and all your favorite Hollywood stars. Whether it's on satellite, your local cable provider, or your over-the-air digital signal, it doesn't get better than This! This TV is the place to be! Stay with us for any further schedule changes.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of November 5-9, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, November 5, 2012

• Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Watch Simon on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Katey Sagal (Married with Children/8 Simple Rules) - Katey drops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Ellen Barkin (The New Normal) - Ellen is a guest on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Brian Austin Green (Wedding Band) - Brian stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Julie visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) - Peter is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) - Danica talks about her latest book on Marie on Hallmark Channel at 12pm ET/PT.
• Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten appears on Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried/Action) - Jay visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Watch Mindy on Conan at 11pm on TBS. She also appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon and Kunal are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith and Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Kelly and Michael appear on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope) - Garret talks about working with Cloris Leachman on Marie on Hallmark Channel at 12pm ET/PT.
• Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) - Keke guest co-hosts Anderson Live on Tuesday and Thursday, so check your local listings.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

• John Goodman (Roseanne) - Watch John on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings/Scrubs) - Eliza appears on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Peri Gilpin (Frasier) - Peri visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Josh Peck (Drake & Josh) - Josh stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced/The Nanny) - Fran chats on Marie on Hallmark Channel at 12pm ET/PT.
• Alicia Silverstone (Suburgatory) - Alicia appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City) - Michael is a guest on Katie, so check your local listings.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

• Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy) - Catch Robin on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally visits The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Kirstie drops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Brian Austin Green (Wedding Band) - Brian talks about his TV new series, Wedding Band, on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Debi Mazar (Entourage) - Debi chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Steve Harvey (The Steve Harvey Show) - Steve is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Tune in to see Miley on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Friday, November 9, 2012

• Matthew Perry (Go On/Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Watch Matthew on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• T.J. Miller (Carpoolers) - T.J. drops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Kirstie continues to make the rounds on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• David Alan Basche (The Exes/Oh, Grow Up/Three Sisters) - David is a guest on Marie on Hallmark Channel at 12pm ET/PT.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric stops by Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

This TV has announced its Fall 2012 schedule and changes are being made to its "This Is For Kids" morning block. The block is weekdays from 7-10am and features animated series from the Cookie Jar Toons archive. Of note to us is that they will bring back animated comedy Inspector Gadget, voiced by Don Adams, back to its schedule and air it weekdays at 7am beginning Oct. 1. Wowsers! New additions to the line-up include Sabrina, the Animated Series, which will air weekday mornings at 9am. Rounding out the block is Hurricanes, Action Man, Metajets, Prostars, Stargate Infinity, Flight Squad and Horseland. Only the latter is five days a week, at 9:30am, while those other series are either Mon, Wed, Fri or Tues, Thurs. Leaving the schedule will be The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills, Super Duper Sumos and Liberty's Kids. On weekends, animated series include Country Mouse & City Mouse Adventures, Danger Rangers, Emily of New Moon, Mona the Vampire and Madeline.

Besides the animated series, there are no other changes, so you can expect weekdays from 4am-7am to remain the same with vintage retro TV series with The Outer Limits, Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt, The Patty Duke Show, and Mister Ed. On Sundays, Bat Masterson remains at 7am, while Stargate SG-1 remains at 9pm & 10pm. The rest of the schedule is filled with movies or E/I programming.
This TV is a free over the air digital station that brings you award winning films, box office hits, cult classics, retro TV series and all your favorite Hollywood stars! Whether it's on satellite, your local cable provider, or your over-the-air digital signal, it doesn't get better than This!

ABC Family has greenlit three additional pilots to add to its production slate -- Terminales, a one hour drama pilot adapted from a successful Televisa series, and two new sitcom pilots, Phys Ed and Continuing Fred. The three pilots will go into production this fall along with the previously announced drama pilots The Fosters (working title), from executive producer Jennifer Lopez, and Socio, from executive producer Gavin Polone. The two sitcom pilots are in consideration to join the network's successful sitcom hour of Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy. Here are the details on the sitcom pilots: Phys Ed is a half-hour multi-camera comedy pilot about a high school's star jock who returns to teach at his former alma mater only to find that, even though he's changed, nothing else really has. The pilot is written and-executive produced by David H. Steinberg. It is produced by Prodco, Inc. Continuing Fred is a half-hour multi-camera sitcom pilot about 20-something Winifred "Fred" Harris, a newly-graduated slacker with an overbearing family who surprisingly finds purpose when she begins to teach at a local elementary school. Written by Bill Daly (Mike and Molly), the pilot is also produced by Prodco, Inc.

Stay with us if any of these pilots heads to series. Most likely most will, given ABC Family's track record of picking up pilots.

As we reported last week, The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore were pulled from The Hallmark Channel weekend schedule block. Today we have some further bad news to tell you about. Starting Monday, April 23, both shows will be completely leaving the lineup. Cheers replaces The Bob Newhart Show weekdays between 2-3am. Frasier replaces the two-hour block of The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show between 3-5am. Finally, I Love Lucy replaces The Mary Tyler Moore Show between 5-6am. It's sad to see these shows move from bad timeslots to completely off the schedule. Low ratings is usually the culprit for the many Hallmark Channel schedule changes. It's difficult for these shows to garner an audience when they are placed at these early hours. The Bob Newhart Show has been airing since January. The Mary Tyler Moore Show had just premiered on the network on April 1 with a marathon. In some Hallmark Movie Channel news, Mister Ed is leaving the weekday schedule. The two-hour block that has been airing weekdays between 6-8am is being replaced by a double dose of Matlock. It will still air weekends from 6-8am. Mister Ed has been airing on The Hallmark Channel's spin-off network since March 26. Digital simulcast network This TV also airs the series weekday mornings at 3:30am (following The Patty Duke Show at 3am).



We have some sad news to report. Legendary television and music pioneer Dick Clark, best known for hosting American Bandstand, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the Pyramid game show, has died. Clark died on April 18 after suffering a heart attack following a medical procedure at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. He had suffered a stroke in December 2004. Mr. Clark, known as "The World's Oldest Teenager" for his youthful appearance, was 82.

Clark's television career began at WKTV in Utica, NY. He first hosted a country music program called Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders. In 1952, he relocated to Philadelphia and worked as a disc jockey at the WFIL radio station. WFIL also had a television station where he would work as a substitute host on Bob Horn's Bandstand. In July 1956, he took over the full time hosting duties. ABC picked up the show nationally and renamed it American Bandstand. The show premiered on ABC on August 5, 1957, with an interview with Elvis Presley. American Bandstand was a a huge hit for its over 30-year run. The show introduced national audiences to numerous artists such as Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, and many more.

In 1972, he produced and hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. He presided over the dropping of the Times Square ball in New York City every year since 1972 except in 1999 when ABC preempted it for ABC 2000 Today and in 2004 after he had suffered a stroke. Clark hosted and appeared in a variety of other television series. In 1958-1960, he hosted a 30-minute Saturday night program called The Dick Clark Show. He began hosting the The $10,000 Pyramid on March 26, 1973. The show continued in various formats until 1988. Clark won three Emmy Awards for best game show host and the daytime versions of Pyramid won nine Emmy Awards for best game show.

In 1984, Clark produced and co-hosted with his friend and former neighbor Ed McMahon the NBC series TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. The show aired in various formats and specials on NBC and ABC until 2004. In 1990 and 1991, he hosted the syndicated television game show The Challengers and in 1993 he hosted Scattegories on NBC. In 2001-2003, he co-hosted the NBC daytime talk show The Other Half. Clark worked as a producer for many television series and specials, including the American Music Awards, The Golden Globe Awards, Greed and American Dreams. His sitcom guest appearances included The Joey Bishop Show, The Partridge Family, The Odd Couple, Police Squad!, Blossom, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Drew Carey Show, Murphy Brown, Dharma & Greg, Just Shoot Me and Baby Bob.

Clark is survived by his wife, Kari Wigton, and his three children, Richard, Duane and Cindy. We thank him for bringing us many quality hours of entertainment over the years. Mr. Clark was a true legend both in TV and music. New Year's Eve will never be the same. He will be deeply missed. For now Dick Clark... so long.

American Idol is planning a tribute for him tonight on Fox. GSN (Game Show Network) will air an original 15-second remembrance of Clark during the network's broadcasts of $25,000 Pyramid over the next several days, and will add an additional hour of the show to its schedule this Saturday, April 21.

GSN's special, original remembrance of Dick Clark will air during each of the following episodes of $25,000 Pyramid (all times Eastern):
· Thursday, April 19 at 3:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
· Friday, April 20 at 3:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and during all 10 episodes of GSN's 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. five-hour $25,000 Pyramid block
· Saturday, April 21 at 3:00a.m.,12:00 p.m., and 12:30 p.m.

What are your favorite Dick Clark memories? Discuss them here.



Emmy-Award winning television and film director Paul Bogart has died. Bogart died of age-related causes on April 15 at his home in Chapel Hill, NC. Mr. Bogart was 92.

He was a prolific director of episodes of television series from 1955-1991. Bogart directed 20 episodes of the acclaimed 1960s dramatic series The Defenders. In 1965, he won his first Emmy Award for his work on the show. He would later win two Emmys for his directing of CBS Playhouse in 1968 and 1970. His sitcom directing credits included Get Smart, All in the Family (97 episodes), Archie Bunker's Place, Mama Malone, The Golden Girls and Bagdad Cafe. In 1978, he won an Emmy Award for his work on All in the Family for the episode Edith's 50th Birthday, an one-hour episode in which a man tries to sexually assault Edith. He shared an Emmy Award in 1986 as a supervising producer when The Golden Girls won for Outstanding Comedy Series. His film directing credits included Marlowe, Skin Game, Class of '44, Oh, God! You Devil, and Torch Song Trilogy.

You can view an extensive inteview with him from 2001 at the Archive of American Television. Bogart is survived by his children, Peter, Tracy and Jennifer; his sister, Jeanette Gavaris; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We loved his work on the iconic All in the Family. He will be missed.

A horse is a horse, of course, of course! Hallmark Movie Channel has acquired the classic '60s sitcom Mister Ed! The series starring Alan Young is coming back to cable. The series will begin airing next month starting Monday, March 26, 2012 on Hallmark Channel's spin-off network The Hallmark Movie Channel every morning from 6-8am. The sitcom will replace a movie airing, so no series will be replaced. It has not aired on cable since TV Land stopped airing in about 2006 but the digital simulcast network THIS tv airs the series still weekday mornings at 6:30am (following The Patty Duke Show at 6am). If you don't get that network, then you'll get to see it on cable on Hallmark Movie Channel!
Hallmark Movie Channel will also still continue to air Perry Mason and Murder, She Wrote in the afternoons and encores of Murder, She Wrote in the late night. It is nice to see a sitcom join the network. Perhaps it will make an appearance on the regular Hallmark Channel for a marathon if you don't have Hallmark Movie Channel.
Speaking of Hallmark Channel, they have announced a marathon change. On Sunday, March 24 from 10am-12am, the marathon is now a We Love Lucy Marathon (aka The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour) replacing the scheduled I Love Lucy marathon. The comedy hour also aired on Feb. 26, so perhaps it did well in the ratings so now Hallmark will air it again. Everything else we mention for Hallmark Channel in March and April will still happen, including The Mary Tyler Moore Show marathon on Sunday, April 1! Keep it right here for continued updates!


FX will be television's comedy destination this summer with the return of two of its acclaimed original series, Louie and Wilfred, the debut of its new late-night original series Strangely Uplifting with Russell Brand, and new sitcom Anger Management starring Charlie Sheen, all airing Thursday nights beginning June 28. The series premiere of FX's first-run acquired comedy Anger Management starring Charlie Sheen kicks off June 28 with the first two episodes airing at 9:00 PM and 9:30 PM ET/PT. In the following weeks, the series will air first-run episodes Thursdays at 9:30 PM with the previous week's episode repeated at 9:00 PM. FX has ordered 10 episodes of Anger Management from producers Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate Television.
In Anger Management, Sheen stars as "Charlie," a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. Selma Blair, Shawnee Smith, Daniela Bobadilla, Michael Arden, and Noureen DeWulf co-star. He has a successful private practice, holding sessions with his group of primary patients each week, as well as performing pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison. Prior to his career as a therapist, Charlie was a stalled minor league baseball prospect whose road to the majors was sidetracked by his own struggle with anger issues. After a stint in anger management therapy, he made it to the majors and had one terrific season before his anger issues put him on the shelf for good. In the final game of his career, he tried to snap a bat over his leg, which resulted in a career-ending injury. That injury led him back to school and to his current profession. Charlie thrives on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues. His life is complicated by his relationships with his own therapist/best friend, an ex-wife whose positive outlook but poor choice in men frustrates Charlie, and their 13-year-old daughter who has obsessive-compulsive disorder. Bruce Helford serves as Executive Producer/Showrunner. Joe Roth, Mark Burg, Dave Caplan are Executive Producers.
Season two of the acclaimed hit comedy Wilfred starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann debuts at 10:00 PM E/P. Academy Award-winning actor/comedian Robin Williams has signed on for a guest-starring role in the season opener. FX has ordered 13 episodes for season two. Season three of the acclaimed and award-winning comedy series Louie, starring actor/comedian Louis C.K., premieres at 10:30 PM E/P. FX has ordered 13 episodes of the series for season three. Finally, the series premiere of Strangely Uplifting, FX's new late-night comedy starring acclaimed actor/comedian Russell Brand, will debut, at 11:00 PM E/P. The series features Brand's unvarnished, unfiltered take on current events, politics and pop culture. The network has ordered six half-hour installments of the series that will be shot in front of a live audience. The format will draw heavily on Brand's interaction with that audience.

A couple of weeks ago we announced that Me-TV would be going national and now we have an update on that! Me-TV Network was originally slated to launch this past Wednesday (Dec. 8), but now it will launch next week on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
But first we have gotten a lot of questions on what will happen to the local Me-TV in Chicago and the local Me-TV in Milwaukee as a result of this new national network? Chicago will get the national Me-TV Network feed come December 15, therefore Me-TV Chicago feed will no longer be needed. However starting Dec. 15, sister station Me-Too in Chicago will join forces with the local Me-TV Chicago feed and will air the shows that the national Me-TV Network doesn't have national rights to on its schedule (which includes shows even from Sony Pictures Television), on the new Me-Too in Chicago. As we know, the national Me-TV Network will primarily air the CBS Paramount and 20th Century Fox series. Chicago's Me-Too will now air the comedies you loved on Me-TV Chicago as well as the dramas you currently love on Me-Too. View the schedule for the new Me-Too in Chicago starting Dec. 15. So for you in Chicago, it's time to rescan for new channels, so you know where everything is. The national Me-TV Network (no longer local Me-TV) will be on 26.3, the new Me-Too (combines local Me-TV and Me-Too) will be on 26.4, while MGM's THIS tv moves to the new 26.5. Launching Wednesday, January 5 will be The U Too, which we mentioned before, but now it will be on channel 26.2. View their launch schedule.
Milwaukee will also turn its local Me-TV station into the national Me-TV Network feed come Dec. 15. Then in first quarter 2011, they will add a Me-Too in Milwaukee, so all of the current shows you all like in Milwaukee that currently air on Me-TV Milwaukee but won't air on the national network, will return. We will have the schedule for Me-Too Milwaukee closer to launch. Me-TV airs on channel 49 in Milwaukee and looks like will remain that way with the national network.
Finally, for the rest of us, Me-TV Network will launch Dec. 15. Affiliate info is still not known, but we have learned that MGM will be handling distribution for the network, like they do with THIS tv. So stay with us for more! We will bring you the affiliate listings as soon as we know, but they won't be announced soon. They are just getting started and in most markets have a couple of options that have to be explored and negotiated. So they are not in a rush, and hope people understand this takes more than "flipping a switch" for a broadcaster to commit to programming, says Me-TV. So, Chicago, Milwaukee and I think South Bend are among the stations launching the national Me-TV Dec. 15. We'll keep you updated as MGM announces affiliates for Me-TV Network, but you can do you part by calling/emailing your local stations to add Me-TV Network to their digital substations! It will make a difference!

Since we mentioned THIS tv above (another digital substation), I'd like to mention that they recently started an animation block on weekday mornings with Heathcliff, Tex Avery, Inspector Gadget, and Pink Panther among the series they air from 7am-9am. Saturday mornings has an E/I series block which includes shows like The Busy World of Richard Scarry. A Sunday morning block has Sonic Underground, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Evolution, and Stargate Infinity starting at 8am. We already knew they air sitcoms The Patty Duke Show and Mister Ed every weekday mornings in the 6am hour, as we mentioned back in 2008 on their launch story. Among the other series they air are Sea Hunt, Highway Patrol, The Outer Limits, Stargate SG-1, and Bat Masterson. The schedule consist mainly of MGM films.
THIS tv will be airing two Pink Panther animated specials: the 1980 special Olym-pinks on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 10am followed by the 1978 holiday special A Pink Christmas at 10:30am. The latter also airs on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 7:30pm.
View the THIS tv website for a list of stations airing this network. As we mentioned back in May, Tribune stations picked it up on many of their stations, including NY's WPIX.


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Dec. 13-17, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, December 13, 2010

• Tom Arnold (Roseanne/Jackie Thomas Show/The Tom Show) - Watch Tom on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) - Catch the Emmy winner on Lopez Tonight on TBS at 12am.
• Marlo Thomas (That Girl) - Marlo appears on The Fran Drescher Tawk Show that has appeared airing on some Fox stations recently.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

• Steve Carell (The Office) - Catch Steve on The Ellen DeGeneres Show so check listings.
• Amy Yasbeck (Wings/Alright Already/Life on a Stick) - Watch a repeat of Amy on The Rachel Ray Show so check your listings.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show/Family Guy) - Catch Mila on an all-new Lopez Tonight on TBS at 12am.
• Ted Danson (Cheers/Becker/Bored to Dead/Help Me Help You) - Catch Ted with his wife on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm PT-CT.
• Tony Danza (Who's the Boss?/Taxi) - Catch a repeat of Tony on The Oprah Show, so check listings.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

• Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) - Catch Jason on The Tonight Show at 11:35pm on NBC.

Friday, December 17, 2010

• None.

Michael J. Fox appears on Weekend TODAY show on Sunday (Dec. 12) at 9am on NBC.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!