SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

NickMom has acquired the rights to the family drama Parenthood. The series is airing Fri-Sun at 10pm & 11pm. Those six airings encore during the week, Mon-Sat at 1am as well following reruns of That '70s Show at midnight, which is now also on the network. That '70s Show of course is on other Viacom-owned networks like TV Land and has aired on other networks like TeenNick, MTV and Nick at Nite. Anyway, back to Parenthood. The drama series - based on the movie of the same name - just wrapped its sixth and final season on NBC, and tells the story of the Braverman family as they face life's triumphs and struggles. The series stars Lauren Graham, Mae Whitman, Craig T. Nelson, Peter Krause, Bonnie Bedelia, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, Miles Heizer, Sam Jaeger, Savannah Paige Rae, Max Burkholder, Tyree Brown, Sarah Ramos, Xolo Maridue and more. Stay with us for continued updates.

Having recently scored its biggest hits to date, CMT continues to expand an impressive slate of original programming with five new series, a NASCAR event and several returning favorites. The new originals include two comedies: Still the King starring singer-songwriter/actor Billy Ray Cyrus and a forthcoming series I Love Kellie Pickler (working title) featuring country singer Kellie Pickler and her husband Kyle Jacobs produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions. CMT will launch its first-ever nightly talk show, The Josh Wolf Show, starring comedian Josh Wolf and produced by Chelsea Handler. Also coming to CMT are The Ed Bassmaster Show, starring YouTube phenomenon Ed Bassmaster; Gainesville, a coming of age docu-series from the award-winning producers of Brick City; and American Speed: The True Story of NASCAR, a first of its kind limited series event that gives fans an unparalleled look at NASCAR narrated by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Additionally, the entire series of the highly lauded ensemble drama Friday Night Lights starring Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton will begin airing in May on CMT. It will be shared with sister network TeenNick, which will start the series this Friday (April 10) and will air it 9pm-12am Fri-Sun. CMT is now also airing reruns of George Lopez and Hot in Cleveland in the daytime to go along with reruns of Reba. The comedies are airing from 1pm-8pm, with two-hours each of George and Hot and three-hours of Reba from 5-8pm. The Dukes of Hazzard will be off the schedule starting the 13th, as the series was airing 1-3pm. As for the new comedies,Still The King starring Billy Ray Cyrus, the scripted comedy features Cyrus as Vernon Brown, AKA "Burnin' Vernon," a scandal-ridden washed up one-hit wonder who is kicked out of country music, only to emerge 20 years later as the second best Elvis impersonator in Laughlin, Nevada. After crashing into an old country church outside of Nashville during a drunken bender, he is sentenced to return and perform community service. Along the way, he pretends to be the congregation's new minister and discovers he has a 15-year-old daughter he's never met. In I Love Kellie Pickler, Kellie Pickler catapulted from small-town obscurity and became a household name thanks to American Idol and Dancing With the Stars, but has since gone on to become a country sensation and part of the CMT Family. Recognized and beloved for her quirky personality, uniquely hysterical witticisms and Southern charm, the series will follow her marriage to Kyle Jacobs - her complete opposite.

Nickelodeon has ordered a 20-episode third season of its hit family comedy Instant Mom for Nick at Nite and NickMom. As we mentioned, beginning Oct. 2, season two of Instant Mom will premiere in its new timeslot on Nick at Nite, Thursdays at 8pm (ET/PT). The series also airs during the adult-targeted NickMom nighttime comedy block on the Nick Jr. channel. The multi-camera, scripted half-hour series features Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game, Sister Sister) as Stephanie, a former party girl who becomes a full-time stepmom to three kids when she marries the more traditional Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City). Stephanie manages to keep it all together using her own unique style, never losing her sense of fun, and with the help of her mother Maggie (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Moesha), she learns what being a mom really means. Rounding out the cast are Charlie's three kids played by Sydney Park (AwesomenessTV), Tylen Jacob Williams and Damarr Calhoun. Instant Mom is executive-produced by Howard Michael Gould, Aaron Kaplan and Regina Hicks.

FXX will air a primetime marathon of The Simpsons on Thursday, September 11, from 8:00 pm ET/PT through 12:00 am ET/PT, featuring episodes with music that will be showcased at the world premiere of "The Simpsons Take the Bowl!" at the Hollywood Bowl running from September 12 - September 14. Episodes from seasons 4-8 will air in the marathon. "The Simpsons Take the Bowl!," hosted by Hank Azaria, will showcase classic Simpsons clips synchronized with live accompaniment by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, with performances by special guests including Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from creator Matt Groening. Additional special guest appearances by Beverly D'Angelo, Jon Lovitz, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and more. The milestone 26th season of The Simpsons will premiere Sunday, September 28 at 8:00 pm ET/PT on Fox.

Nick at Nite is finally making some schedule changes. They will be borrowing the rights for The New Adventures of Old Christine from sister network NickMom. The Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom will join the Nick at Nite line-up beginning tonight (Oct. 7) and air every night at 12:00am & 12:30am. The series will also still continue to air on NickMom, with airings including every night at 11pm & 11:30pm. Back to Nick at Nite, to make room for The New Adventures of Old Christine, Nick at Nite will remove The Nanny from its line-up. That sitcom will continue to air on sister network TV Land, though. Full House will be extended from 8-11pm, with Friends only from 11pm-12am now into Old Christine. George Lopez will continue to air from 1-3am leading into overnight hours for My Wife & Kids & Yes, Dear. At 5-6am, Full House remains but the 6-7am hour will now George Lopez. As for Friends, the sitcom will be getting more plays on sister network TV Land, that's why it is only on an hour each night on Nick at Nite now. TV Land will air the sitcom weeknights from 10-11pm and some nights from 1-2am.

In the series, Christine owns a women's 30-minute workout gym, successfully juggling the daily stresses of motherhood and her business. The New Adventures of Old Christine ran for five seasons on CBS and was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy awards, winning one for Louis-Dreyfus' performance in the first season.

Home Improvement is getting a new time block on Hallmark Channel. The sitcom was airing from 12-2pm since its launch in early September but the network had planned to air the nationally syndicated talk show Better TV starting Sept. 30. So last week (Sept. 30-Oct. 3), Home Improvement was not on the schedule. Starting this week (Oct. 7) it is back and will air weekdays from 2-4pm now, replacing The Waltons. Not to worry, that show will now move to a better slot, airing four times in a row from 6-10pm (Fridays it is 6-8pm). Little House on the Prairie was airing 6-8pm but will now move to 4-6pm. And with The Waltons now airing in primetime, there is no Movie airings in prime from Mon-Thurs, but the Friday movie remains. The rest of the line-up will remain intact, including the timeslots for the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Cheers. Stay with us for continued updates.

Home Improvement is a sitcom centered around Tim Taylor (Tim Allen), the accident-prone host of a Detroit, Michigan television program, who is raising a family alongside his wife, Jill (Patricia Richardson). Tim and Jill have three children: the oldest, Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan), middle child Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), and the youngest, Mark (Taran Noah Smith). Their neighbor, Wilson (Earl Hindman), is the brilliant go-to guy who often helps solve all manner of problems for Tim and Jill. Tim has two co-stars on the home improvement show Tool Time: the mild-mannered Al Borland (Richard Karn), Tim's best friend, and Tool Time Girl Heidi (Debbe Dunning).

The Michael J. Fox Show - Thursdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 9:00PM and 9:30PM ET/PT

by Todd

Look who's making the news again. One of NY's most beloved news anchors, Mike Henry (Michael J. Fox, Spin City, Family Ties), put his career on hold to spend more time with his family and focus on his health after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. But now five years later, with the kids busy growing up and Mike growing restless, it just might be time for him to get back to work. Having never wanted Mike to leave in the first place, his old boss Harris Green (Wendell Pierce, Treme, The Wire) jumped at the chance to get him back on TV. The trick, as it's always been, was to make Mike think it was his idea. After several - okay, many - failed attempts, Mike's family, anxious to see him out of the house, finally succeeded in getting him to "run into" Green. Now their plan is in motion. He'll be back to juggling home, family and career, just like the old days - only better.

Michael J. Fox as Mike Henry
Betsy Brandt as Annie Henry
Conor Romero as Ian Henry
Juliette Goglia as Eve Henry
Jack Gore as Graham Henry
Katie Finneran as Leigh Henry
Wendell Pierce as Harris Green
Ana Nogueria as Kay Costa

Michael J. Fox (Mike Henry) won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his role as Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties. He returned to television in 1996 as Mike Flaherty in Spin City where he earned an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. His many film credits include the Back to the Future trilogy, The Hard Way, Doc Hollywood, The Secret of My Success, Bright Lights, Big City, Light of Day, Teen Wolf, Casualties of War, Life with Mikey, For Love or Money, The American President, Greedy, The Frighteners and Mars Attacks!

Betsy Brandt (Annie Henry) is best known for her role as Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad. Her television credits include Private Practice, Boston Legal, CSI, NCIS, Parenthood, ER, Fairly Legal and Without a Trace.

Conor Romero (Ian Henry) has guest starred in Person of Interest. His film credits include The Cake Eaters, American Gangster and Rivers Wash Over Me.

Juliette Goglia (Eve Henry) is best known for portraying Sierra in That's So Raven and Hannah West in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her other television credits include Joan of Arcadia, Two and a Half Men, Vanished, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Shake It Up and Good Luck Charlie.

Jack Gore (Graham Henry) has guest starred in 30 Rock and appeared in the film We Are What We Are.

Katie Finneran (Leigh Henry) recently co-starred in I Hate My Teenage Daughter. Her other television credits include Wonderfalls, The Inside, Bram and Alice, Frasier, Sex and the City and Oz.

Wendell Pierce (Harris Green) is best known for his portrayal of Det. Bunk Moreland on five critically acclaimed seasons of The Wire.. He played trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme. His other television credits include The Weber Show, The Gregory Hines Show, Maloney, The Brian Benben Show, Num3rs, Law & Order, Third Watch, New York Undercover and I'll Fly Away.

Ana Nogueria (Kay Costa) has appeared in television shows such as The Battery's Down, Baby Daddy and Blue Bloods.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (airs Thursday, September 26 at 9:00PM ET/PT)
After battling Parkinson's disease, New York newsman Mike Henry is ready to return to work.

In the pilot episode, we meet Mike Henry and his family. His daughter, Eve, records her father and other family members describing him for her school project. Mike cooks dinner for his family, but they have other plans. Annie leaves for work and asks Mike to take the kids to school. Mike is recognized by several people on the street and happens to run into his former boss and news director Harris Green. Harris tells him he should come back to work. Mike and Annie talk about him going back to work. The next day they are scheduled to receive a dishwasher. After his medicine doesn't kick in, Mike accidentally dials 911. The cops respond to the call 45 minutes later.

Later that night, Mike makes an announcement to the family that he's thinking about going back to work. The next day Harris walks Mike into an exploratory meeting where he meets Kay, a segment producer. Mike also runs into Matt Lauer and views a promo of him returning to the TV station. Meanwhile, Eve's video of her father is shown in the classroom, but the teacher doesn't care for it. Eve tells Ian that her teacher failed her on the school project because he thinks she's a phony. Mike later tells Annie that he is back in. He covers a few news stories, including talking to a councilman and a fire. Harris tells Mike that the Today show wants Mike to introduce his story about the 911 scandal on the Today Show. Mike's story is interrupted by some breaking news, however. Harris and Annie then talk about how their plan of having Harris run into Mike worked. The episode concludes with a nice family moment.

"Neigbhor" (airs Thursday, September 26 at 9:30PM ET/PT)
At Annie's request, Mike confronts a noisy (and attractive) upstairs neighbor (guest star Tracy Pollan), who seems to develop a bit of a crush on him. Though Annie thinks it's cute, Mike refuses to admit he enjoys the added attention. To Eve's chagrin, Ian tries to court her new friend from school. After enjoying the perks of being mistaken for a single mom during a day out with Graham, Leigh considers letting the ruse play out a little longer.

Analysis:

Michael J. Fox makes his return to NBC in this single-camera comedy. He will also serve as an executive producer with Sam Laybourne and Will Gluck. The show is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Olive Bridge Entertainment. The Michael J. Fox show was the first new sitcom to be scheduled for the 2013-14 season. It received a straight-to-series order for a full season of 22 episodes in August 2012. The series also stars Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad), Conor Romero (American Gangster), Juliette Goglia (Easy A), Jack Gore and Katie Finneran (I Hate My Teenage Daughter).

The pilot episode introduces us to Mike Henry and his family. Their daughter, Eve, has a school project and uses her phone camera to record the family members describing their father. Annie arranges for Mike's former news director and boss Harris Green to run into Mike on the street. Mike eventually accepts the offer to return to the TV station. Overall, it's a decent pilot that provides the necessary premise of the show and introduction to the characters. The chemistry between the family members isn't really there yet. Although it has some heartwarming family moments, there really aren't many laugh-out-loud lines or scenes. There are quite a few jokes and references to Parkinson's disease. They aren't done in a mean way. They just show how one person accepts and deals with the disease. There were far fewer references to Parkinson's in the other episodes available for review.

In the second episode airing tonight, Neighbor, a noisy upstairs neighbor causes a conflict between Mike and Annie. Michael J. Fox's real life wife Tracy Pollan guest stars as Kelly. There's an instant spark between them that reminds me of when they first met on Family Ties. Fox and Brandt just seem to lack the same kind of chemistry as a married couple in the first couple of episodes. Maybe that is something they can develop as they work together more. The secondary story involves Eve inviting her new friend Reese from school who she thinks may be a lesbian. Ian tries to court her without much success. The third storyline has Leigh taking Graham to a park to talk to other moms for a story she is writing for Us Weekly. This episode focuses more on Mike's family life. There is just one scene at the newsroom. The scenes with Tracy Pollan are the highlight of the episode. There are some funny moments in the second episode, but the show still has more room to grow.

They've assembled a nice cast. Other than Michael J. Fox, Wendell Pierce and Katie Finneran, the cast lacks many television comedy credits. Michael J. Fox still has it. He has always had a gift of comedy. Parkinson's has just sadly slowed him down in recent years, but he appears re-energized here. Fans may be disappointed he's not appearing as a character like Alex P. Keaton or Mike Flaherty, but he's playing another very likable character and a good family man. Betsy Brandt was a bit of a surprise choice to play Annie because she's mostly known for her work in dramas. Wendell Pierce plays a very funny character. He's a bit underused in the first few episodes. I would like to see more scenes at the newsroom with him. Juliette Goglia is the standout among the actors playing the children. She shows some good comedic and dramatic skills. Katie Finneran is a fine actress, but I find her character to be a bit annoying and unnecessary. In other casting news, Anne Heche is set to appear in an upcoming multi-episode arc as Mike's nemesis and the new anchor at the TV station, Susan Rodriguez-Jones. Candice Bergen and Charles Grodin are also scheduled to appear as Mike's parents as guest stars and potentially in recurring roles.

Conclusion:


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

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

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 9:00PM and 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Michael J. Fox Show Photo Gallery

Preview:

Buckle up for more belly laughs as NickMom premieres the second season of the stand-up comedy series, NickMom Night Out, on Monday, Oct. 14, at 10 pm (all times ET/PT). Hosted by Sherri Shepherd (The View) and taped in front of a live studio audience in New York City, the series features stand-up comedians putting a spotlight on the chaos and hilarity that comes with being a parent. Previous NickMom Night Out hosts include Tisha Campbell-Martin (LA), Judy Gold (NY), Caroline Rhea (Orlando, Fla.), and Bonnie McFarlane (Chicago). NickMom Night Out is executive produced by Bob Mittenthal (Double Dare), co-executive produced by Brian Baldinger and Jim Burns (co-creator MTV Unplugged) serves as consulting producer. NickMom Night Out season two launches with a premiere week (Mon, Oct. 14 - Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10 pm), followed by weekly premieres every Saturday Oct. 26 - Nov. 30, at 10 pm.

And as a reminder, Instant Mom, the new original live-action family sitcom starring and produced by Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Sister Sister, Tia & Tamera), will join the NickMom lineup on Sunday (Sept. 29) at 10 pm (ET/PT). The multi-camera, scripted half-hour series features Mowry-Hardrict as Stephanie, a party girl who trades in Cosmos for carpools when she marries Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City), who already has three kids. Sheryl Lee Ralph (Moesha) stars as Stephanie's mother Maggie, and rounding out the cast are Charlie's three kids played by Sydney Park (CSI: NY), Tylen Williams and Damarr Calhoun. Instant Mom will premiere first on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on Nick at Nite. Additionally, new seasons of talk/variety show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor and docu-comedy Take Me To Your Mother starring Andrea Rosen will roll out in 2014.

Nick at Nite will premiere Instant Mom, the brand-new, live-action family sitcom starring and produced by Tia Mowry-Hardrict (star of STYLE Network's hit series Tia & Tamera and the hit '90s comedy Sister Sister), on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 8:30 pm, following original sitcom See Dad Run (all times ET/PT). The multi-camera, scripted half-hour series features Mowry-Hardrict as Stephanie, a party girl who trades in Cosmos for carpools when she marries Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City), who already has three kids. Airing regularly on Nick at Nite Sundays at 8:30 pm (ET/PT), the series also will air on the adult-targeted NickMom comedy block on the Nick Jr. channel at 10pm. In support of the Sept. 29 premiere, NickMom.com has launched its Instant Mom show site, which includes trailers, character information and bonus video features. Full episodes will be made available after each premiere. Editorial support on NickatNite.com will also drive to Nickmom.com. Episodes will be available for purchase the day following each premiere on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Samsung Media Hub, Xbox Video and Vudu. Viewers can keep up with the show on Twitter by following the Instant Mom page at @InstantMomTV and the Nick@Nite page at @nickatnitetv and by liking the Instant Mom and Nick@Nite Facebook pages.

Instant Mom follows Stephanie as she struggles to maintain some sense of her fun-loving, slightly irresponsible life while managing being a full-time stepmom. Sheryl Lee Ralph (Moesha) stars as Stephanie's mother Maggie, and rounding out the cast are Charlie's three kids played by Sydney Park (CSI: NY), Tylen Williams and Damarr Calhoun. The season will find Stephanie learning what being a mom is all about and doing things her way: from attempting to get more involved by being on the parents' dance committee to starting an anonymous blog to planning a family "staycation" – often with far from perfect results.


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 Sept. 9-13, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, September 9, 2013

• Steve Harvey (The Steve Harvey Show) - Watch Steve on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC at 12:30pm.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) - Chris appears on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell on FXX at 11pm.
• Leah Remini (The King of Queens/Family Tools) - Leah visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Brandy Norwood (The Game/Moesha) - Brandy is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael and Katie Couric surprise several deserving people from recent newsmaking headlines on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Billy Crystal (Soap) - Billy talks about his book, Still Foolin 'Em, on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
• Ron Howard (Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) - Ron and the cast of his new movie Rush will be on NBC's Today between 7-9am.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

• Billy Crystal (Soap) - Catch Billy on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• David Cross (Arrested Development) - David visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Valerie Harper (Rhoda/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Valerie) - Valerie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback/Web Therapy) - Lisa drops by Arsenio, so check your local listings.
• Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Reed Alexander (iCarly) - Reed appears on The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Eden Sher (The Middle) - Eden returns with news about the Emotionary, a unique dictionary, on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki will be on NBC's Today between 7-9am to promote the new release of Mama's Family - The Complete Series on DVD. She will also be on Bloomberg TV. Finally, she will be on ABC News Now What's the Buzz?

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Watch Joseph on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah drops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men/Spin City) - Charlie appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Max Greenfield (New Girl/Modern Men) - Max visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• David Cross (Arrested Development) - David is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Craig stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jason Biggs (Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason guests on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Eve (Eve) - Eve talks about interracial dating and being back on tour on Katie, so check your local listings.
• George Lopez (George Lopez) - Tune in to see George on Arsenio, so check your local listings.
• Jenny McCarthy (Jenny/Two and Half Men) - Jenny is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki appears as her Mama's Family character Mama on Fox & Friends on Fox News Channel between 6-9am. She will also appear as herself on Morning Joe on MSNBC between 6-9am.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

• Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) - Catch Alec on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Billy Crystal (Soap) - Billy talks about his career and the Broadway revival of his autobiographical one-man show on Katie, so check your local listings. He will also be on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie visits and cooks up her favorite fall dishes on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) - Ray is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) - Kirk will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.

Friday, September 13, 2013

• Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) - Watch Zooey on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Terry Crews (Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Seth Green (Dads/Greg the Bunny) - Seth is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Valerie Harper (Rhoda/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Valerie) - Valerie stops by to share a health update and talk Dancing with the Stars on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Jenny McCarthy (Jenny/Two and a Half Men) - Jenny joins the Chew Crew on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki wraps up her appearances this week on The Better Show, 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!

Welcome to the 2013 edition of our annual look at the fall schedules for cable and digital TV! We are launching this schedule barrage with ABC Family! As we all know, they will be adding reruns of The Middle to its line-up. Now we know when and what times! The network will launch the comedy on Monday, September 16, 2013 with a marathon from 11am-7pm. It will regularly air weekdays from 5-7pm during family time (though at times, the 6pm hour could be preempted for a long movie or original encore). On weekends, it will air in the mornings from 7-8am. The Middle will also be coming to local broadcast syndication on Sept. 16, so check your local listings (such as in NY on WPIX) and in March 2014 The Hallmark Channel will also run the series. The series premiered in fall 2009 on ABC (Wednesdays at 8PM) and is currently entering its fifth season on ABC. The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Chris Kattan as Bob. It is created and is executive produced by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.

Elsewhere on ABC Family September 2013, there will be many other schedule changes during the day starting Sept. 16. A couple sitcoms will return (8 Simple Rules and 10 Things I Hate About You), while one (Full House) will be off the schedule. Boy Meets World will move to afternoons, as the series moves out of the mornings and to 2-4pm, replacing Reba. That sitcom will slide into the 4pm hour and will be leading into The Middle. The afternoon staple That '70s Show will now move to mornings from 7:30am-9:30am, since Reba/The Middle will air late afternoon/early evening. AFV is off the line-up completely, as it was airing at 6pm. Leading off at 8am will be an episode of the ABC Family original sitcom 10 Things I Hate About You. This could be airing just temporary, since the series didn't have many episodes. After the 700 Club programming, Gilmore Girls remains at 11am. At noon, an hour of Reba will be added replacing Full House, while from 1-2pm the John Ritter comedy 8 Simple Rules returns to the schedule, also replacing Full House, as that series will be off the line-up.

In primetime, there will be no original series to start the fall, but more news on original series will come soon. Movies will air from 7-11pm each weeknight until then starting Sept. 16. Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy will have their mid-season finales on Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 8-9pm and will return likely in early 2014 or late 2013 for the remaining episodes of their season. A Melissa & Joey Labor Day marathon will air on Sept. 2 from 12pm-4:30pm and a mini-marathon on finale day on Sept. 4 from 6-8pm. Baby Daddy will have a marathon on Sept. 4 from 12-6pm. Other September original finales are The Vineyard on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 and Spell-Mageddon on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9. In late night, 700 Club is at 11 leading into The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air at 12 midnight. Starting Sept. 30, Fresh Prince will expand to two-hours airing from 12-2am. That's all for now, stay tuned if anything changes in October and any news on original series. We know that Pretty Little Liars will have its annual Halloween special in October, so stay tuned for a date on that along with the premiere of the spin-off series Ravenswood.

View the full ABC Family September 2013 schedule with The Middle.


The TCA Summer 2013 press tour continued this weekend, so we will give you a recap of what you missed. On Friday it was the third and final day for the cable portion, while on Saturday it was the first day of broadcast with NBC up first. For cable, NickMom announced that this fall they will premiere Instant Mom, its first original scripted comedy series, starring and produced by Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Sister, Sister). The half-hour, multi-camera series features Mowry-Hardrict as Stephanie, a party girl who trades in Cosmos for carpools when she marries Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City), who already has three kids. The series is picked up for 13 episodes and will premiere in the primetime NickMom block on the Nick Jr. channel, with encore episodes airing on Nick at Nite. No official premiere date and time has been announced just yet. Moving on to Lifetime, the witching hour is coming...get ready to meet the Beauchamps, the Witches of East End... Lifetime's newest drama, Witches of East End, featuring an all-star-cast headlined by Emmy Award-winner Julia Ormond (Temple Grandin, Mad Men), Mädchen Amick (Mad Men, Damages), Jenna Dewan Tatum (American Horror Story) and Rachel Boston (In Plain Sight) as a family of witches living in the secluded seaside town of East Haven, will cast its spell beginning Sunday, October 6, at 10:00pm ET/PT following the season finale of Devious Maids in late September. Also set to star are Eric Winter (The Mentalist), Daniel DiTomasso (CSI), Jason George (Mistresses, Grey's Anatomy) and Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Anna Nicole).

Onto NBC, in ramping up its commitment to long-form and event limited series programming along the lines of A.D.: After the Bible, which was announced last month (but won't premiere until the 2014-15 season), NBC is in early development on a handful of new projects, including a behind-the-scenes look at Hillary Rodham Clinton, an updated retelling of Rosemary's Baby, Stephen King's Tommyknockers and Plymouth, based on the epic story of the Mayflower's landing in America. The four-hour miniseries titled Hillary, based on the life of former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, stars Diane Lane and will be written and directed by Oscar nominee Courtney Hunt. Rosemary's Baby is a four-hour updated retelling of the bestselling novel by Ira Levin that was later adapted as a feature film about devil worship and the complex relationship between a young husband and wife. Stephen King's Tommyknockers is based on the renown author's chilling 1987 novel about how the residents of a small Maine town deal with what they believe is an alien spacecraft that has landed nearby. Limited series Plymouth, which examines the challenges and drama of the Pilgrims' journey across the Atlantic and the difficulties of settling in a new country, will be executive produced by Mark Burnett and Anne Thomopolous of Mark Burnett Productions, and Gina Matthews and Grant Sharbo. And finally for NBC, NBC Sports Group announced a new documentary on former Olympic figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding featuring an exclusive interview of Kerrigan that will air during its Sochi Winter Olympics coverage.

Yesterday had a full day for Reelz TV, but we aren't covering it. CBS will continue the broadcast portion today, so come on back for a recap tomorrow on the blog for any notable highlights.

NickMom welcomes the acclaimed family comedy series The New Adventures of Old Christine (88 episodes) to its primetime line-up under a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The half-hour series stars Emmy(R) Award-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) as Christine Campbell who attempts to juggle the daily stresses of motherhood and business. The series will regularly air weeknights 11pm-12am and 1-2am (ET/PT) and weekends from 10pm-12am (ET/PT) effective immediately during the NickMom programming block on the Nick Jr. channel. The New Adventures of Old Christine will be replacing Yes, Dear on weeknights, but Yes, Dear will remain airing on weekends from 12-2am following Old Christine. Meanwhile, Old Christine will remain airing on its other cable homes of Lifetime (now just 8am on weekdays) and on WGN America (late nights 4-5am).

Recent additions to the NickMom schedule include the docu-comedy series Take Me To Your Mother starring comic Andrea Rosen. NickMom also recently picked up second seasons of the stand-up comedy series NickMom Night Out (23 episodes) hosted by The View's Sherri Shepherd, talk show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (20 episodes) and sitcom Instant Mom (13 episodes), the block's first original scripted comedy series, starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict. We'll give more info on the latter soon. Stay with us for continued updates on NickMom and Old Christine!

Television, film and stage actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Edith Bunker in All in the Family, has died. She died, surrounded by family and friends, on May 31 in New York City of natural causes. Ms. Stapleton was 90.

Stapleton's career began in 1941 in summer stock theater at the Greenwood Playhouse in Peaks Island, Maine. She made her New York debut in the Off-Broadway play American Gothic. Her early appearances on Broadway in musicals and plays included Damn Yankees, Bells Are Ringing, Rhinoceros and Funny Girl. Stapleton's early television work included roles in Starlight Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Woman with a Past, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Dr. Kildare, The Doctors and the Nurses, Naked City, The Eleventh Hour and Route 66. In 1962, she guest starred in an episode of The Defenders with her future television husband Carroll O'Connor. Her 1960s sitcom guest appearances included Dennis the Menace, Car 54, Where Are You?, My Three Sons and The Patty Duke Show.

Stapleton auditioned for the role of Edith after creator Norman Lear saw her perform with a nasal tone in Damn Yankees. Two pilots were shot for ABC in 1968 and 1969, but both were turned down. CBS developed All in the Family with the final cast of Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers. The series premiered on January 12, 1971. The highly successful series ran for 9 seasons and 208 episodes from 1971 to 1979. Stapleton appeared as Edith Bunker in all but 4 episodes of the series. O'Connor and Stapleton performed the show's opening theme song, Those Were the Days. She received eight Emmy nominations and won three times in 1971, 1972 and 1978. She also won two Golden Globes for Best Actress in 1972 and 1974. After All in the Family ended in 1979, the spin-off series Archie Bunker's Place ran for four seasons. Stapleton appeared in a recurring role in the first season before she decided to leave the series in late 1979. It was mentioned in the one-hour second season premiere episode that Edith had died of a stroke. CBS aired the All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special on February 16, 1991. Stapleton reunited with O'Connor on Donny & Marie on April 24, 2000.

After tiring of the role and leaving Archie Bunker's Place in 1979, she continued to work in television, film and plays. She appeared as a British spy named Lady Emily Farnsworth in two episodes of Scarecrow and Mrs. King in 1984. She played the Giantess and Fairy Godmother in two episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre in 1983 and 1985. In 1986, she appeared in The Love Boat. She co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990-1991 CBS sitcom Bagdad Cafe. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Grace Under Fire (Emmy nominated), Caroline in the City, Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Style & Substance. Her television movie and film credits included Eleanor, First Lady of the World (Emmy nominated), Something's Afoot, Michael, Chance of a Lifetime (with John Ritter and Katey Sagal) and You've Got Mail.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with her on November 28, 2000. Survivors include her two children, actor and director John Putch and actress Pamela Putch, and several grandchildren. Her husband of 26 years, William Putch, died of a heart attack in 1983.

Edith Bunker was such an amazing and iconic television character. Ms. Stapleton played the beloved character to perfection. She was a great talent. We thank her for bringing us many laughs over the years. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories of Jean Stapleton on our All in the Family message board. View photos in our All in the Family and other photo galleries. Writer Jerry Barmash has posted a nice tribute on his Tuned In blog, please read.

Antenna TV will have a 12 hour marathon of All in the Family celebrating the life of Jean Stapleton tomorrow (June 4), starting at 3pm ET. They will also be airing her guest appearance in a 1962 episode of Dennis the Menace at 2:30pm ET.

NickMom has ordered 13 episodes of Instant Mom (working title), the primetime TV block's first original scripted comedy series, starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict. The half-hour, multi-camera series is set to premiere later this year on NickMom and repeat on Nick at Nite. The series was originally set for Nick at Nite, as we mentioned last summer, but now it will premiere on NickMom and encore on Nick at Nite. The network is currently airing reruns of Yes, Dear after 10pm to test the sitcom waters. NickMom, as you know, is a new primetime ad-supported TV block for moms that airs on the Nick Jr. channel. The block features a mix of original long and short-form programming, including talk shows, stand-up and sketch comedy, docu-series and more. As for this sitcom, production will commence in Los Angeles this Spring with the series premiere scheduled for later in 2013. Stay tuned for premiere date and time.

Instant Mom follows young party girl Stephanie (Mowry-Hardrict) who trades in cosmos for carpools when she marries an older man, Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City), with three kids. Stephanie slowly grows into her role as a full-time stepmom while struggling to maintain some sense of her fun-loving, slightly irresponsible life. Sheryl Lee Ralph (Moesha) stars as Stephanie's mother Maggie and rounding out the cast are the three kids played by Sydney Park, Tylen Williams and Damarr Calhoun. The series is created by Warren Bell (Victorious, According to Jim) and Jessica Butler (In Plain Sight) and executive-produced by Howard Gould (The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Cybil) and Aaron Kaplan (Nickelodeon's Wendell & Vinnie, The Neighbors). View behind the scenes images from the pilot taping.



On the next...New Girl:
By: Vincent

Fox's Tuesday adorkable sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel airs on a special night tonight, Thursday at 9:00pm after American Idol and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (April 4). Will they or won't they? In the episode airing tonight, "First Date," Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson), who are caught between friendship and something more, try to break out of relationship-limbo by going on a "first" date. Once Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) realize a full-on Jess/Nick romance might be happening, they swoop in to try to sabotage the date. To complicate matters even further, Jess and Nick run into Jess' ex-boyfriend, Russell (guest star Dermot Mulroney), on their night out.

This is a pretty monumental episode of New Girl, with Nick and Jess finally addressing their feelings for each other and going out on a date. The show has played their relationship perfectly up to this point - pretty much every sitcom these days brings in a "will they/won't they" arc at some point, but New Girl's is the most compelling one in a long time. A lot of people have compared Nick and Jess to Sam and Diane from Cheers - and I can definitely see the comparison. They're simultaneously fascinated by and frustrated with each other, and they could just as easily be a disastrous couple as they could a perfect one. That's what's made their growing attraction to each other so interesting to watch, and it's all on perfect display in Date Night. Throw in a very funny subplot with Schmidt and Winston, and you have yet another excellent episode in what's been an incredibly strong sophomore season. B+

Check out a video preview: