Showing posts with label Mr. Sunshine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mr. Sunshine. Show all posts
Monday, October 30, 2023
Remembering Matthew Perry of Friends and Richard Moll of Night Court
American and Canadian actor Matthew Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing on Friends, has died. On October 28, 2023, he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in Los Angeles, California, and was pronounced dead at 4:17 pm that day. His death was revealed to have occurred due to "acute effects of ketamine". Other circumstances that contributed to his death included the effects of buprenorphine, drowning, and coronary artery disease. Mr. Perry was 54.
Perry's first television starring role was as Chazz Russell on the Fox sitcom Second Chance, which aired from September 26 to November 28, 1987. In its original format, the show starred Kiel Martin as Charles Russell, a deceased man, and Perry as his younger self, who is nicknamed Chazz. The series was then revamped under the new title Boys Will Be Boys, and ran in the new format from January 16 to May 14, 1988. In this revamp, the supernatural element was dropped, causing Kiel Martin and Joseph Maher to exit the cast. As the new title implied, the format now revolved solely around the antics of Chazz, Booch and Eugene. The casts included Randee Heller, William Gallo, Demian Slade, Terri Ivens (1988) and Adam Sadowsky (1988).
He next starred as Billy Kells on the short-lived 1990 CBS sitcom Sydney. Sydney Kells (Valerie Bertinelli), a private investigator from a family of police officers, relocates her one-woman private detective agency from New York City to her small hometown. Her over-protective brother Billy, a rookie police officer, tries to help her when he can. The series also starred Craig Bierko, Barney Martin, Rebeccah Bush, Perry Anzilotti and Daniel Baldwin.
Perry starred as Matt Bailey on the short-lived 1993 ABC sitcom Home Free. Matt Bailey is a free-spirited, if somewhat lazy, 22-year-old freelance journalist enjoying the good life at home with his indulgent mom Grace (Marian Mercer). The series also starred Diana Canova, Anndi McAfee, Scott McAfee, Dan Schneider, Brooke Theiss and Alan Oppenheimer.
He starred as Chandler Bing on the 1994-2004 NBC sitcom Friends. The show, which aired for ten seasons, revolves around six friends in their 20s and 30s who live in Manhattan, New York City. Chandler Bing is an executive in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large, multinational corporation. He marries Monica, one of his best friends, in season seven, and they adopt twins at the end of the series. Perry received an Emmy nomination in 2002 for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award. He shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for the role in 1996. Perry made a cameo as Chandler Bing in a 1995 episode of Caroline in the City. He appeared as himself in Friends: The Reunion in 2021. The cast of Friends included Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer.
Perry was the co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and star of the short-lived 2011 ABC sitcom Mr. Sunshine. Ben Donovan (Perry) is the operations manager for the Sunshine Center, a second-tier arena in San Diego, who has to deal with the unusual demands of his job and his unpredictable boss, Crystal Cohen (Allison Janney). The single-camera comedy also starred Andrea Anders, James Lesure, Nate Torrence and Portia Doubleday.
He starred as Ryan King on the 2012-2013 NBC sitcom Go On. Ryan King is a sports talk radio host who joins a support group while trying to move on from his late wife's death. Perry was also one of the executive producers. The single-camera comedy also starred Laura Benanti, Julie White, Suzy Nakamura, Tyler James Williams, Brett Gelman, Sarah Baker and John Cho.
Perry co-developed, executive produced and starred in a reboot of the sitcom The Odd Couple portraying Oscar Madison for three seasons on CBS from 2015 to 2017. The show stars Matthew Perry as the slovenly Oscar Madison and Thomas Lennon as the obsessively-tidy Felix Unger. The cast included Lindsay Sloane, Yvette Nicole Brown and Wendell Pierce.
Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Charles in Charge, Silver Spoons, Just the Ten of Us, Empty Nest, Growing Pains (3 episodes as Sandy), Who's the Boss?, Dream On, The John Larroquette Show, Cougar Town and Web Therapy (2 episodes). In 2004, he made his directorial debut and acted as Murray in an episode of the fourth season of Scrubs, an episode which included his father, John Bennett Perry.
He starred as Matt Albie on the 2006-2007 NBC comedy-drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which was created and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show (also called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip or Studio 60) on the fictional television network NBS (National Broadcasting System), whose format is similar to that of NBC's Saturday Night Live. The show-within-a-show is run by executive producers Matt Albie and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford). Matt serves as the head writer and Danny produces the show.
Perry received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2004 for his performance as Joe Quincy in The West Wing. He appeared as attorney Todd Merrick in two episodes of Ally McBeal in 2002. He had a recurring role as attorney Mike Kresteva in four episodes of The Good Wife from 2012 to 2013 and three episodes of The Good Fight in 2017. He portrayed Ted Kennedy in the mini-series The Kennedys: After Camelot in 2017. Some of his other television guest apparances included 240-Robert, Highway to Heaven (2 episodes) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1991).
He starred as Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky in The Whole Nine Yards (2000) and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards (2004). Some of his other film credits included A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), She's Out of Control (1989), Fools Rush In (1997), Almost Heroes (1998), Three to Tango (1999), Serving Sara (2002), and 17 Again (2009). He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role as Ron Clark in the 2006 TNT movie The Ron Clark Shory.
Mr. Perry was a great comedic actor. He was very funny and memorable as Chandler Bing. He made everything he appeared in much better. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment that he brought us on television. He will be greatly missed.
Share your memories on our Friends message board. View photos in our galleries.
Nick at Nite aired a tribute special titled Matthew Perry: Thanks for Being a Friend on Sunday, October 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It will re-air tonight at midnight.
The special features never-before-seen interviews with Perry, behind-the-scenes moments from the set over the past 35 years, and stories about Perry's best moments as Chandler Bing and his unbreakable bond with his co-stars.
Nick at Nite aired fan-favorite episodes of Friends featuring Perry in his iconic role as Chandler Bing after the special. Episodes will continue to air all this week through Sunday, November 5, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Actor Richard Moll, who was best known for playing Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon on Night Court, has died. He died at his home in Big Bear Lake, California, on October 26. Mr. Moll was 80.
Moll starred as baliff Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon on the 1984-1992 NBC sitcom Night Court. Bull Shannon is a seemingly dim-witted hulk of a figure, is actually patient, gentle and childlike. Although he is portrayed as dull and dim, he is actually a highly intelligent person with an IQ of 181. He is fiercely protective of Harry. Bull is known for his catchphrase, "Ooo-kay", and for clapping a hand loudly to his scalp when he realizes he had made a mistake. Moll appeared as Bull in a 1989 crossover episode with My Two Dads. He also used the Bull persona in commercials for Washington's Lottery. The cast of Night Court also included Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Paula Kelly (season 1), Karen Austin (season 2), Selma Diamond (seasons 1 and 2), Ellen Foley (season 2), Charles Robinson (seasons 2-9), Markie Post (seasons 3-9), Florence Halop (season 3) and Marsha Warfield (seasons 4-9).
He had a recurring role as Drifter in 25 episodes of the 1999-2002 Nickelodeon sitcom 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Welcome Back, Kotter (1979), Happy Days (2 episodes), The Bad News Bears, Nobody's Perfect, Best of the West, Laverne & Shirley (2 episodes), Mork & Mindy, Alice, Just Our Luck, The Facts of Life (2 episodes as himself), Sledge Hammer!, 227, Out of This World (2 episodes), The Munsters Today, Martin, Getting By (5 episodes as Boo), Weird Science, Married with Children (2 episodes), Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Parent 'Hood, Anger Management and Kirby Buckets.
Some of his other television guest appearances included The Rockford Files, How the West Was Won, B.J. and the Bear, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (3 episodes), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Here's Boomer, Code Red (2 episodes), Bret Maverick (2 episodes), The Fall Guy, T.J. Hooker, Remington Steele, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard (2 episodes), The A-Team (2 episodes), Highlander, Due South, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (4 episodes), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Babylon 5, Baywatch, 7th Heaven, Smallville and Cold Case.
Moll was also known for his voiceover work as a villain with a deep, growling voice. He voiced Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the DC Animated Universe series Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. He was the voice of Norman in Mighty Max. Some of his other voiceover credits included The Legend of Calamity Jane, The Incredible Hulk (2 episodes), Spider-Man: The Animated Series (6 episodes) and Justice League (2 episodes).
He starred as Big Ben in the 1986 horror film House. He earned a Saturn Award nomination for the role. Some of his other film credits included The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983), Sidekicks (1992), The Flintstones (1994), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Scary Movie 2 (2001) and Headless Horseman (2007).
Mr. Moll was a gentle giant at 6' 8" tall. The Night Court producers needed someone who could realistically tower over the fairly tall male cast (including 6' 3" Harry Anderson and 6' 4" John Larroquette) as the imposing yet lovable court guard Bull Shannon. He had originally shaved his head for his role in the film Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn. The producers liked the look so much in his audition that they asked him to keep it. We thank him for his work on onscreen and his voiceover work. He will be sorely missed.
Share your memories on our Night Court message board. View photos in our galleries.
Catchy Comedy remembers Richard Moll who was best known for his role as the towering bailiff, Bull Shannon, on Night Court.
Watch a tribute to Richard Moll starting this Saturday, November 4th at 11a ET | 8a PT.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
ABC Mid-Season Pilot Review: Mr. Sunshine - Premieres Feb. 9; Hallmark Acquires Frasier, Lifetime Loses Frasier
Mr. Sunshine - Wednesdays 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 9:30PM ET/PT
Matthew Perry stars as Ben Donovan, a self-involved manager of a San Diego sports arena, the Sunshine Center, where curious mishaps and bizarre requests are nothing more than ordinary. Working alongside him is his boss and arena owner Crystal, attractive, powerful and highly erratic; Alice, the cute, tomboyish marketing director and Ben's friend with benefits; Alonzo, a former basketball player, handsome and unbelievably happy; Ben's assistant, Heather, pretty, sweet, but terrifying because she once lit a boyfriend on fire; and Crystal's son, Roman, sweet-faced, clueless and Ben's newest employee.
Cast Details:
* Matthew Perry as Ben
* Allison Janney as Crystal
* Andrea Anders as Alice
* James Lesure as Andy
* Nate Torrence as Roman
* Portia Doubleday as Heather
Matthew Perry (Ben) is the manager of operations at the Sunshine Center. His worldwide audience will be happy to know he is returning to series television as the star, co-writer and executive producer of Mr. Sunshine. Perry is perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on Friends, and has shown his diverse talents in a range of projects since the series concluded after ten years. In 2006 Perry returned to series television to star in Aaron Sorkin's NBC drama, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, in a role that was written for him. Earlier, in 2005, he took his talents to the athletic arena as he hosted the 2005 ESPY Awards. The broadcast earned the highest rating in the 12-year history of the ESPYs. He also received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Joe Quincy on The West Wing.
Allison Janney (Crystal) is the owner of the arena and the big boss. Displaying astonishing versatility with a wide range of roles in film, television and theater, Allison Janney has taken her place among a select group of actors who combine a leading lady's profile with a character actor's art of performance. Fans will remember her starring role as CJ Cregg in the award-winning NBC series, The West Wing, for which Janney won a remarkable four SAG and four Emmy Awards. She recently guest starred on ABC's LOST as a pivotal character in the mythlogy of the series. She has also appeared in many movies. She starred opposite Meryl Streep in The Hours, which received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. Other credits include the Academy Award-winning films American Beauty (for which she won a SAG Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture), Finding Nemo, Over the Hedge, Our Very Own, Strangers with Candy, Nurse Betty, How to Deal, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 10 Things I Hate About You, Primary Colors, The Ice Storm, Six Days Seven Nights, The Object of My Affection and Big Night.
Andrea Anders (Alice) is the marketing director for the Sunshine Center. Andrea most recently starred in ABC's critically acclaimed series Better Off Ted, and is known to television audiences for her roles as Nicole Allen on the sitcom The Class and as Alex Garrett in the Friends spin-off series Joey, opposite Matt LeBlanc. Additional television credits include guest starring on Law & Order, Tru Calling, Oz, Numb3rs and appearances on the daytime dramas Guiding Light and One Life to Live. Feature film credits include the road comedy Sex Drive and The Stepford Wives. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (from University of Wisconsin) and a Master of Fine Arts degree (from Rutgers).
James Lesure (Alonzo) plays a former basketball player and friend to Ben. James gives new meaning to the term Hollywood Hunk. His magnetic charm, both on screen and stage, complement a firmly grounded personality. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the suave, competitive head of surveillance, Mike Cannon, on the hit series Las Vegas, opposite legendary actor James Caan. Lesure made his series debut on the comedy For Your Love as attorney Mel Ellis, co-starring actress Holly Robinson-Peete. He has also appeared in recurring roles on the hits The New Adventures of Old Christine, Lipstick Jungle, The Division and Alias. Other television credits include guest-starring roles on ABC's LOST, Sherri, Seinfeld and a notable turn as a resolute military officer on the acclaimed series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which of course starred Matthew Perry.
Nate Torrence (Roman) plays Crystal's son and he is looking for work at the arena. Torrence began breaking into television with guest star appearances on several shows, including Malcolm in the Middle, How I Met Your Mother, House and many more. In 2006 he landed the recurring role of Dylan Killington on NBC's critically acclaimed Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, opposite Mr. Sunshine star Matthew Perry. Film appearances include Get Smart, Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control, My Best Friend's Girl and a major role in the Dreamworks comedy She's Out of My League. He is a master of improv and still finds time to perform sketch/improv shows in area theaters, including at The Second City Theater in Los Angeles.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs February 9, 2011)
On what would have been just a typical day at work -- trying to get rid of a hockey rink that won't melt so the circus can go on that night, looking for an elephant lost in the building and arranging an impromptu press conference to repair one of his boss's PR nightmares -- Alice ends her casual relationship with Ben to commit to another man. This happens on Ben's 40th birthday, just as he's realizing he doesn't want to be alone.
Recurring is Portia Doubleday as Heather. Guest starring are Jorge Garcia as Bobert and David Pressman as mascot. Co-starring Christopher Shea as Dan, Declan Beaty as kid, Jesse Bean as guy, Eric Winzenried as photographer, Harvey Ruffin III as executive, Rico Bueno as worker #1, Alejandro Patino as worker #2, Sam Brown as worker #3, Gene DeJoie as worker #4 and Peter Navy Tuiasosop as worker #5.
"Pilot" was written by Matthew Perry, Alex Barnow and Marc Firek and directed by Thomas Schlamme.
Analysis:
This pilot and the premise of the series in general is very unique. I'm surprised there has never been a comedy fully set at a sports arena and looking at the day-to-day operations of it. The pilot sets things up well. That is what a pilot episode should do. Usually the pilot episode is not the strongest episode, but it should catch the viewer's attention. And that's what this one does here. It is a single camera half-hour comedy starring Matthew Perry. Perry's character plays Ben, head of operations for an arena in San Diego called The Sunshine Center (actually filmed at the Forum in Los Angeles). He is the one who schedules everything and well does pretty much everything for the arena. They've got hockey games, rock concerts, the circus, lingerie football, dog shows and more...but lots can go wrong at any of these events and that is what this comedy will explore. Ben says San Diego lost their basketball team to Cincinnati because of something Alonzo did, so not sure if we'll see some basketball here.
Janney's character, Crystal, is the owner of the arena and is extremely eccentric, as proved when she makes up a hilarious song: "the blacks, the whites, the Asians and the Himalayans, too." That made me laugh...she seems to be a racist but doesn't know it. The entire team at the arena is pretty dysfunctional. The pilot has Ben turning 40 and he is sleeping with the marketing director of the arena, Alice. However, Alice is calling their "friends with benefits" relationship off. Ben doesn't seem to mind at first until he later finds out that she is about to start an actual relationship with his best friend, Alonzo, who used to be a basketball player and now works for the arena. Nothing gets Alonzo down, he is your Mr. Sunshine type of guy. Ben is not a very nice guy, but he shows signs of some humanity as we progress. The title of this comedy is Mr. Sunshine, but Ben is from that. The title is really a play at the arena name, since Ben is in charge of everything at the arena. It's a clever play at the title. Among the good things we see from Ben is trying to give Crystal's son Roman a job in the arena. He has no skills and is very strange and his mother doesn't seem to care much about him. It will be interesting to see if Ben can make something of Roman in future episodes. Ben is also trying to be more friendly to his staff, as we see in the pilot episode with the head of maintenance (played by Jorge Garcia) as Ben is trying to be more friendly towards him. But is his name really "Bobert?" Ben also has a new assistant named Heather and she is also very strange, setting people on fire in her past and now also oddly being attracted to Roman.
There are some funny bits in the pilot, but it isn't quite there yet. It has a ton of potential and I could see this comedy turning into the style ABC had with Better Off Ted, except this will be more mainstream and will have more appeal to everyone as it is set in an arena (rather than a research & development company). So my overall feeling is: it's a good set-up with much more to come.
Conclusion:
The series will be following the #1 comedy on television, Modern Family, so it will be certainly sampled. That is a good thing because this show has so much potential. It has a great setting and a great cast. It will be interesting to see how much Ben can better himself as a person as the series progresses. There should be a lot of hilarious challenges on the way. The cast isn't too big, so we will be invested in the characters immediately. One thing I found funny was when Jorge Garcia's character says Ben, as we saw Garcia's character say that name all the time on Lost (Ben Linus). That is a nice homage to Lost, I think, but probably just coincidental here. Garcia will be in a few episodes in this series.
I think the characters are all good and it will be fun to see them develop. If this comedy is even half of what Better Off Ted was, then it should be in good shape in terms of quality. Matthew Perry is good here. He may be unlikeable but you can tell he is trying to "better" himself and I think the show will get better and better, too. Andrea Anders is really stunning and Allison Janney will probably be nominated for many Emmy's for this role, I predict. You don't have to like sports to like this comedy. Events in arenas are more than just sporting events, as I'm sure you all know. Nick Jonas will be guest starring in week two as a singer. Tune in Wednesday at 9:30pm on ABC for some good arena fun because the arena staff might be dysfunctional, but that makes for good TV!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
-- Reviewed by Pavan on 02/08/11
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, February 9 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
As we briefly mentioned yesterday, Frasier is coming to Hallmark in April 2011! Hallmark Channel has acquired all eleven seasons and all 264 episodes of Frasier from CBS Television Distribution. Frasier, one of the most critically-acclaimed comedy series of all-time and one of television's most successful spin-off series ever will launch on Monday, April 4, airing Monday-Friday from 9:00-11:00 pm ET/PT. This means, Cheers and Frasier will now be reunited on one network, Hallmark Channel. Frasier, a spin-off of Cheers set in Seattle, starring Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and beloved Jack Russell Terrier "Eddie," holds the record for the most Emmy wins (37), including five consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series from 1994 to 1998.
Currently, Lifetime is airing Frasier but Lifetime will be losing the rights to the series next month. Frasier has been airing on Lifetime since March, 2006. Frasier airs weekdays 9-10am and 12am-1:30am, but starting Monday, March 7, Lifetime will move up Old Christine to 9am-10:30am from its current 10am-11:30am slot, then How I Met Your Mother moves from 11:30am to 10:30am. And the 11am hour will now have an extra Wife Swap leading into another episode at 12 noon. 1-4pm will remain as is with Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, but now 4pm will be the series American Justice, pushing Unsolved Mysteries to 5pm & 6pm. Old Christine will no longer be in the 6pm hour and another hour of Reba is added in the 7pm hour replacing How I Met Your Mother. In primetime, Reba remains in the 8pm hour. Movies/originals air from 9-11pm. In late nights, How I Met Your Mother remains in the 11pm hour, but replacing Frasier from 12am-1:30am will be an episode of Old Christine and two episodes of Will & Grace. And two more episodes of How I Met Your Mother will now air at 1:30am & 2:00am replacing Will & Grace -- all starting Monday, March 7.
View the FULL Lifetime March 2011 schedule and come on back for more on Hallmark Channel's schedule in March (with the addition of Empty Nest) and April (with the addition of Frasier) when it is announced.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
ABC Family January 2011 Schedule; ABC Schedules Mid-Season Comedies Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Plus More Sitcom News
ABC Family is currently airings its annual 25 Days of Christmas, but once the annual festival is over, there will be some changes to the regular schedule in January 2011 starting Monday, Dec. 27. Weekdays at 11am & 11:30am will now be back-to-back Full House replacing the morning airing of Gilmore Girls. Weekdays at 2pm & 2:30pm will have My Wife & Kids, replacing Full House, which moves to 11am-12pm. Then we get a second hour of Still Standing airing weekdays at 6pm & 6:30pm, replacing My Wife & Kids which is moving to 2-3pm. Still Standing remains in its 12 noon & 12:30pm slots as well. There will be times when an ABC Family movie starts at 7:30pm, so if that is the case Still Standing will air in the 7pm half-hour, but when that happens it won't air in the 12:30pm half-hour that day, and instead we get a third airing of 8 Simple Rules (which airs 1-2pm). The final change to weekdays is the return of Whose Line Is It Anyway? airing at 12 midnight & 12:30am, replacing the second hour of My Wife & Kids.
As for ABC Family January 2011 stunts and highlights, Pretty Little Liars returns for its second half of the first season on Monday, Jan. 3 at 7:58pm for 12 weeks (season finale is slated for March 21, bitches). A marathon will air from 11am-7:58pm leading into the premiere on Jan. 3. Then at 9pm, Greek has its fourth season premiere with 10 all-new episodes (through March 7). A few days prior, on Saturday, Jan. 1, ABC Family will have a New Year's Day marathon of America's Funniest Home Videos from 7am-1am. What I Like About You will be preempted for two weeks, the week of Jan 17 and 24, for special 700 Club programming from 9am-11am. The sitcom airs in the 9am half-hour. There will also be a marathon of The 700 Club on Sunday, Jan. 30 from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
Movie wise, ABC Family will premiere the original movie Mean Girls 2 on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 8pm (encores at 10pm). The original feature film from 2004 will air right before at 6pm. This sequel stars Meaghan Martin (10 Things I Hate About You), Maiara Walsh (Desperate Housewives), Jennifer Stone, Nicole Gale Anderson, Claire Holt and Diego Boneta (Pretty Little Liars) in a classic high school story about good versus plastic. When new girl Jo (Martin) arrives at North Shore High School, her main goal is to skate under the radar to survive her senior year and definitely not get involved in any of the typical high school trappings. But her plan goes awry quickly when she meets Abby (Stone), a girl stuck at the low end of the high school food chain and favorite target of "The Plastics" (Walsh, Holt and Anderson). After defending Abby against the queen bee of the school and lead Plastic, Mandi (Walsh), Jo is dragged into the very same girl drama she was hoping to avoid. Tim Meadows returns as the school's principal, Mr. Duvall. ABC Family will also premiere the big screen movies Enchanted, Bruce Almighty, and The Game Plan for the first time, while encores of movies include Mean Girls, The Notebook, Evan Almighty, The Flintstones, Dennis the Menace, Cheaper by the Dozen, Liar Liar, Along Came Polly, Aladdin, and Freaky Friday.
And we will have a special ABC Family contest giveaway starting tomorrow at 12am ET (early Thursday) on our Facebook page. So stay tuned for information on how three very lucky winners will win an ABC Family gift bag filled with goodies just in time for the holidays! Also, if you haven't entered already, enter our Boy Meets World Season 4 DVD Contest, because the giveaway ends at 11:59:59pm ET tomorrow (Wednesday). Who will be the lucky two winners?
ABC has announced premiere dates for new comedies Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings, representing the final mid-season scripted dates for ABC. Matthew Perry returns to series television in Mr. Sunshine, also starring four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney (The West Wing), on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 p.m., ET, and Happy Endings, an all-new ensemble comedy including Elisha Cuthbert (24), will premiere Wednesday, April 13 in the new 10:00 p.m. ET comedy half-hour. ABC's upcoming medical drama Off the Map, will finish its 13 episode run on Wednesday, April. 6.
With the addition of Mr. Sunshine on Feb. 9, ABC's critically acclaimed comedy Cougar Town will take a two-month break and return to the schedule in its regular time slot of 9:30 p.m, ET following Modern Family on Wednesday, April 13 leading into the premiere of Happy Endings at 10. And the Emmy-winning Modern Family will air "Fan Favorites" episodes beginning that same evening at 10:30 p.m. out of Happy Endings, to try a new comedy hour in the 10 p.m. hour for the final 7 weeks of the season.
As of now, ABC has scheduled 9 episodes of Mr. Sunshine to air for 9 consecutive weeks from February 9 to April 6. The series will still have four episodes left in its 13 episode order after these nine weeks, but no word as of this writing on if and when they will air those this season (or next season). ABC has scheduled Happy Endings to air for the final 7 weeks of the season (April 13 to May 25). This series also has 13 episode order, so ABC will have seven still left to air. Perhaps for a week or two ABC could double-up on both Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings to cut down repeats of other ABC Wednesday comedies. We'll let you know if that is the case. ABC's The Middle and Modern Family will each have 24 episodes each this season, with Better With You and Cougar Town having 22 episodes each. By taking Feb. 9 to April 6 off, Cougar Town is avoiding American Idol (except the two-hour premiere on Jan. 19), where it had a bit trouble last winter/spring. Mr. Sunshine will be facing Idol every week except its first week (Feb. 9, season finale of Human Target is airing) and its last week (April 6, series premiere of Breaking In is airing).
Yes, ABC is trying comedies in the 10 p.m. hour starting April 13, which is still months away, but ABC will try comedy repeats in the hour starting this week through the end of the month! ABC has pulled the burn-off episodes of canceled legal drama The Whole Truth effective immediately. So, now comedy repeats will air. This Wednesday (Dec. 8), following new episodes from 8-10pm, ABC will air a repeat each of Modern Family and Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Next week (Dec. 15), ABC will air a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Wednesday, Dec. 22 will see an encore of CMA Country Christmas from 9:30-11pm, but on Wednesday, Dec. 29 we once again see a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. ABC's comedies are all-new tonight and after that won't be new until Wednesday, Jan. 5...so enjoy the holiday episodes tonight!
As for ABC Family January 2011 stunts and highlights, Pretty Little Liars returns for its second half of the first season on Monday, Jan. 3 at 7:58pm for 12 weeks (season finale is slated for March 21, bitches). A marathon will air from 11am-7:58pm leading into the premiere on Jan. 3. Then at 9pm, Greek has its fourth season premiere with 10 all-new episodes (through March 7). A few days prior, on Saturday, Jan. 1, ABC Family will have a New Year's Day marathon of America's Funniest Home Videos from 7am-1am. What I Like About You will be preempted for two weeks, the week of Jan 17 and 24, for special 700 Club programming from 9am-11am. The sitcom airs in the 9am half-hour. There will also be a marathon of The 700 Club on Sunday, Jan. 30 from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
Movie wise, ABC Family will premiere the original movie Mean Girls 2 on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 8pm (encores at 10pm). The original feature film from 2004 will air right before at 6pm. This sequel stars Meaghan Martin (10 Things I Hate About You), Maiara Walsh (Desperate Housewives), Jennifer Stone, Nicole Gale Anderson, Claire Holt and Diego Boneta (Pretty Little Liars) in a classic high school story about good versus plastic. When new girl Jo (Martin) arrives at North Shore High School, her main goal is to skate under the radar to survive her senior year and definitely not get involved in any of the typical high school trappings. But her plan goes awry quickly when she meets Abby (Stone), a girl stuck at the low end of the high school food chain and favorite target of "The Plastics" (Walsh, Holt and Anderson). After defending Abby against the queen bee of the school and lead Plastic, Mandi (Walsh), Jo is dragged into the very same girl drama she was hoping to avoid. Tim Meadows returns as the school's principal, Mr. Duvall. ABC Family will also premiere the big screen movies Enchanted, Bruce Almighty, and The Game Plan for the first time, while encores of movies include Mean Girls, The Notebook, Evan Almighty, The Flintstones, Dennis the Menace, Cheaper by the Dozen, Liar Liar, Along Came Polly, Aladdin, and Freaky Friday.
And we will have a special ABC Family contest giveaway starting tomorrow at 12am ET (early Thursday) on our Facebook page. So stay tuned for information on how three very lucky winners will win an ABC Family gift bag filled with goodies just in time for the holidays! Also, if you haven't entered already, enter our Boy Meets World Season 4 DVD Contest, because the giveaway ends at 11:59:59pm ET tomorrow (Wednesday). Who will be the lucky two winners?
ABC has announced premiere dates for new comedies Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings, representing the final mid-season scripted dates for ABC. Matthew Perry returns to series television in Mr. Sunshine, also starring four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney (The West Wing), on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 p.m., ET, and Happy Endings, an all-new ensemble comedy including Elisha Cuthbert (24), will premiere Wednesday, April 13 in the new 10:00 p.m. ET comedy half-hour. ABC's upcoming medical drama Off the Map, will finish its 13 episode run on Wednesday, April. 6.
With the addition of Mr. Sunshine on Feb. 9, ABC's critically acclaimed comedy Cougar Town will take a two-month break and return to the schedule in its regular time slot of 9:30 p.m, ET following Modern Family on Wednesday, April 13 leading into the premiere of Happy Endings at 10. And the Emmy-winning Modern Family will air "Fan Favorites" episodes beginning that same evening at 10:30 p.m. out of Happy Endings, to try a new comedy hour in the 10 p.m. hour for the final 7 weeks of the season.
As of now, ABC has scheduled 9 episodes of Mr. Sunshine to air for 9 consecutive weeks from February 9 to April 6. The series will still have four episodes left in its 13 episode order after these nine weeks, but no word as of this writing on if and when they will air those this season (or next season). ABC has scheduled Happy Endings to air for the final 7 weeks of the season (April 13 to May 25). This series also has 13 episode order, so ABC will have seven still left to air. Perhaps for a week or two ABC could double-up on both Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings to cut down repeats of other ABC Wednesday comedies. We'll let you know if that is the case. ABC's The Middle and Modern Family will each have 24 episodes each this season, with Better With You and Cougar Town having 22 episodes each. By taking Feb. 9 to April 6 off, Cougar Town is avoiding American Idol (except the two-hour premiere on Jan. 19), where it had a bit trouble last winter/spring. Mr. Sunshine will be facing Idol every week except its first week (Feb. 9, season finale of Human Target is airing) and its last week (April 6, series premiere of Breaking In is airing).
Yes, ABC is trying comedies in the 10 p.m. hour starting April 13, which is still months away, but ABC will try comedy repeats in the hour starting this week through the end of the month! ABC has pulled the burn-off episodes of canceled legal drama The Whole Truth effective immediately. So, now comedy repeats will air. This Wednesday (Dec. 8), following new episodes from 8-10pm, ABC will air a repeat each of Modern Family and Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Next week (Dec. 15), ABC will air a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Wednesday, Dec. 22 will see an encore of CMA Country Christmas from 9:30-11pm, but on Wednesday, Dec. 29 we once again see a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. ABC's comedies are all-new tonight and after that won't be new until Wednesday, Jan. 5...so enjoy the holiday episodes tonight!
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Summer 2010 TCA Press Tour: ABC; 2010 TCA Awards Winners
We are preempting our weekly summer ratings today to give you full coverage of the Summer 2010 TCA Press Tour, as today ABC's day. We also have a recap of the winners from the annual TCA Awards last night. Our friend Mike of TVTango.com gave us the full scoop on what was going on at the press tour and you fans have an opportunity to ask a question to a panel member! View live coverage of the tour from TVTango! The day started off with a panel for new Tuesday drama Detroit 1-8-7 with stars Michael Imperioli, James McDaniel, Jon Michael Hill, Natalie Martinez and executive producers David Zabel and Jason Richman. Then the most anticipated executive session was next with new ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee. Among the items we learned were:
In a special Monday night event, the new cast of Dancing with the Stars will be revealed during Bachelor Pad on MONDAY, AUGUST 30 from 8-10pm ET/PT! Paul Lee said, "I am super-unprepared since I've been on the job for 36 hours. I do know one thing, Modern Family should win an Emmy." On adding a possible second night of comedy: "I'd love to. To be sitting on a network that has such a strong comedy block." On making any schedule changes before premiere week: "We're locked and loaded. If you make changes in the entertainment sense, you can make more damage than good." We asked "Will Shark Tank and Food Revolution be back in the mix with reality staples Supernanny and Wife Swap?" and Mike of TVTango.com got an answer: Paul said he just hasn't had enough time to sit down and evaluate the ABC brand and what to do moving forward since he's only been on the job for 36 hours. We asked more questions but since Paul has only been on the job for 36 hours, nothing specific is being learned today. MORE TO COME SO KEEP CHECKING BACK MANY TIMES TODAY...ASK YOUR QUESTIONS TO TVTANGO.COM!
After the executive session, it was back to show panels with upcoming new comedy Mr. Sunshine with stars Matthew Perry (also EP), Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, James Lesure, Nate Torrence and executive producers Alex Barnow, Marc Firek, Matthew Carlson. Following that was a panel for new crime drama Body of Proof with stars Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop, Jeri Ryan, creator Christopher Murphey and executive producers Matthew Gross & Sunil Nayar. Then it was lunch time with new Thursday drama My Generation with stars Michael Stahl-David, Jaime King, Kelli Garner, Keir O'Donnell, Mehcad Brooks, Daniella Alonso, Julian Morris, Sebastian Sozzi, Anne Son along with creator Noah Hawley and executive producer Warren Littlefield.
After lunch it was back to more panels with new Tuesday family supernatural drama No Ordinary Family! One of my best upcoming pilots for the season and at then panel were stars Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Stephen Collins, Romany Malco, Autumn Reeser, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett, along with co-creators Greg Berlanti & Jon Harmon Feldman and executive producer David Semel. Then there was a panel for new Wednesday night legal drama The Whole Truth with stars Rob Morrow & Maura Tierney along with executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Ed Zuckerman, Tom Donaghy.
Then it was coffee break time with the cast of Modern Family! How cool is that! After the break, it was back to some more panels with new Laugh On Wednesday sitcom Better With You with stars JoAnna Garcia, Jennifer Finnigan, Josh Cooke, Jake Lacy, Kurt Fuller, Debra Jo Rupp, along with creator Shana Goldberg-Meehan and executive producer Greg Malins. Then it was off to unscripted series with a panel for the new season of Secret Millionaire, now on ABC, with millionaires/donors John Ferber, James Malinchak, Gary and Diane Heavin and more! The last panel of the day had new comedy Happy Endings with stars Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr., along with creator David Caspe and executive producer Jonathan Groff.
Then it was off to the Disney-ABC Television Group All-Star Party where talent and showrunners from ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Radio Disney were on hand to answer questions and have drinks!
Stay tuned for Fox tomorrow!
The Television Critics Association had its 26th annual awards last night (July 31). Members of the Television Critics Association (TCA) recognized the top programs and actors representing the 2009-2010 TV season at its 26th Annual TCA Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Dax Shepard, star of NBC's Parenthood, introduced the ceremony that bestowed 11 awards in categories reflecting comedy, drama, miniseries, news and youth programming at its annual event in conjunction with the TCA's summer press tour. Among the big winners were newcomers Glee and Modern Family, with LOST and Breaking Bad on the drama side. Full winners:
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: TIE - LOST (ABC) and Breaking Bad (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Modern Family (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: Life (Discovery)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: The Pacific (HBO)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
HERITAGE AWARD: M*A*S*H (CBS)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: James Garner (Maverick/The Rockford Files/8 Simple Rules)
After the executive session, it was back to show panels with upcoming new comedy Mr. Sunshine with stars Matthew Perry (also EP), Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, James Lesure, Nate Torrence and executive producers Alex Barnow, Marc Firek, Matthew Carlson. Following that was a panel for new crime drama Body of Proof with stars Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop, Jeri Ryan, creator Christopher Murphey and executive producers Matthew Gross & Sunil Nayar. Then it was lunch time with new Thursday drama My Generation with stars Michael Stahl-David, Jaime King, Kelli Garner, Keir O'Donnell, Mehcad Brooks, Daniella Alonso, Julian Morris, Sebastian Sozzi, Anne Son along with creator Noah Hawley and executive producer Warren Littlefield.
After lunch it was back to more panels with new Tuesday family supernatural drama No Ordinary Family! One of my best upcoming pilots for the season and at then panel were stars Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Stephen Collins, Romany Malco, Autumn Reeser, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett, along with co-creators Greg Berlanti & Jon Harmon Feldman and executive producer David Semel. Then there was a panel for new Wednesday night legal drama The Whole Truth with stars Rob Morrow & Maura Tierney along with executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Ed Zuckerman, Tom Donaghy.
Then it was coffee break time with the cast of Modern Family! How cool is that! After the break, it was back to some more panels with new Laugh On Wednesday sitcom Better With You with stars JoAnna Garcia, Jennifer Finnigan, Josh Cooke, Jake Lacy, Kurt Fuller, Debra Jo Rupp, along with creator Shana Goldberg-Meehan and executive producer Greg Malins. Then it was off to unscripted series with a panel for the new season of Secret Millionaire, now on ABC, with millionaires/donors John Ferber, James Malinchak, Gary and Diane Heavin and more! The last panel of the day had new comedy Happy Endings with stars Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr., along with creator David Caspe and executive producer Jonathan Groff.
Then it was off to the Disney-ABC Television Group All-Star Party where talent and showrunners from ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Radio Disney were on hand to answer questions and have drinks!
Stay tuned for Fox tomorrow!
The Television Critics Association had its 26th annual awards last night (July 31). Members of the Television Critics Association (TCA) recognized the top programs and actors representing the 2009-2010 TV season at its 26th Annual TCA Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Dax Shepard, star of NBC's Parenthood, introduced the ceremony that bestowed 11 awards in categories reflecting comedy, drama, miniseries, news and youth programming at its annual event in conjunction with the TCA's summer press tour. Among the big winners were newcomers Glee and Modern Family, with LOST and Breaking Bad on the drama side. Full winners:
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: TIE - LOST (ABC) and Breaking Bad (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Modern Family (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: Life (Discovery)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: The Pacific (HBO)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
HERITAGE AWARD: M*A*S*H (CBS)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: James Garner (Maverick/The Rockford Files/8 Simple Rules)
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, August 20
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Pregnancy Test and an Old Man’s Gallbladder" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie’s jealousy rears its head when Mandy gets sent on an overnight work trip with her ex and current boss, Scott (Christopher Gorham). Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey panic when they find a pregnancy test in Connor’s trash.
Ghosts - "Under New Management" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When new pressures threaten Sam and Jay’s control over Woodstone, they’re forced to navigate unexpected challenges to protect its future. Meanwhile, a long-absent ghost returns, reopening emotional connections that complicate new relationships.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 17)
Thursday, August 20
- Rosie O'Donnell (SMILF/Stand by Your Man/Gimme a Break!) - Rosie guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Megan Mullally (Will & Grace/Breaking In/Rachel Gunn, M.D./The Ellen Burstyn Show) - Catch Nick and Megan on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Margo's Got Money Troubles/Delta House) - Michelle appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rhea Seehorn (Whitney/I'm with Her) - Rhea is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. NBC's Today catches up with Rhea in the 9am hour.
- Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jill Kargman (Odd Mom Out) - Jill is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) and Shawn Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon and Shawn talk about Scary Movie on a repeat of The View at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Milana Vayntrub (Other Space) - Milana is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 10:50am.
- Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Drew is joined by BFF Lucy Liu to hear all about her new film Rosemead on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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