SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

NBC Orders Mike O'Malley Sitcom with Jon Cryer; Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin Premieres Nov. 23; Remembering Mork & Mindy and Perfect Strangers Creator Dale McRaven

NBC has ordered Mike O'Malley's comedy series to series. From Lionsgate Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, with Mike O'Malley writing and executive producing, along with Tom Werner, Wyc Grousbeck, Emilia Fazzalari, George Geyer. The series will star Jon Cryer, Donald Faison, Abigail Spencer, Finn Sweeney, and Sofia Capanna. In the series, after an amicable divorce, Jim and Julia decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when the owner of his favorite sports team enters the picture and wins Julia's heart. The sitcom is likely airing sometime in 2023. Stay tuned!

Peacock has released new images for their new comedy Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin that will premiere on Wednesday, Nov. 23 with all 6 episodes from executive producer Elizabeth Banks. In the new series for Peacock, several years after we last saw him in Pitch Perfect, Adam Devine's Bumper Allen moves to Germany to revive his music career when one of his songs becomes big in Berlin. 

Adam Devine will play Bumper Allen, who, after his a cappella TikTok goes viral in Berlin, moves to Germany to pursue his dreams of becoming an international pop star. Flula Borg (Pitch Perfect 2, The Suicide Squad, Curb Your Enthusiasm) will play Pieter Krämer who has transitioned from German a cappella star to discredited German music manager. Sarah Hyland (Modern Family, The Wedding Year) will play Heidi, Pieter and Bumper's cheery and slightly odd American assistant. Lera Abova (Anna) will play Thea Krämer, Piëter's sister and a prominent Berlin DJ and music producer. And Jameela Jamil (The Good Place, She Hulk) will play a bombastic and flashy up-and-coming German pop star and is Pieter's ex-girlfriend and Bumper's main rival at the German Unity Day concert.

Television writer and producer Dale McRaven, who created Mork & Mindy, Angie and Perfect Strangers, has died. He died on September 5 of complications from lung cancer at his home in Porter Ranch, California. Mr. McRaven was 83.

McRaven's early writing credits included The Joey Bishop Show (14 episodes), The Dick Van Dyke Show (9 episodes), That Girl (1 episode), Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (5 episodes), Hey, Landlord (5 episodes), Accidental Family (1 episode), Good Morning World (1 episode), Get Smart (1 episode), Love, American Style (3 episodes), Room 222 (2 episodes), The Partridge Family (15 episodes), The Girl with Something Extra (1 episode), Laverne & Shirley (1 episode), The Practice (1976) (1 episode) and The Betty White Show (1 episode).

He created the short-lived 1974-1975 ABC sitcom The Texas Wheelers. The series, produced by MTM Enterprises, is about the cantankerous but lovable Zack Wheeler (Jack Elam), a long-lost father who returned to raise his children Truckie (Gary Busey), Doobie (Mark Hamill), Boo (Karen Obediear), and T.J. (Tony Becker) in rural Texas after their mother died. He wrote five of the episodes and was an executive producer for six episodes.

McRaven, Garry Marshall and Joe Glauberg created the 1978-1982 ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy. The series stars Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial who comes to Earth from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell, his human friend, roommate, and eventual love interest. McRaven also worked as a producer and executive producer. He wrote 13 episodes. Mork & Mindy received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy series in 1979.

He co-created with Garry Marshall the 1979-1980 ABC sitcom Angie. The series stars Donna Pescow in the lead role, Robert Hays as her love interest and eventual husband, Doris Roberts as her mother and Debralee Scott as her sister. He was also the executive producer for four episodes of the series.

McRaven created the 1986-1993 ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers. The series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot). He wrote three episodes of the series. He worked as an executive producer for 16 episodes and as an executive consultant for 125 episodes.

Some of his other writing credits included 9 to 5, Nearly Departed and Grand. His other producing credits included Valentine's Day, The Partridge Family, The Betty White Show, Nearly Departed and Davis Rules.

Mr. McRaven worked on more than 20 sitcoms during his career. We thank him for creating Mork & Mindy, Angie, Perfect Strangers and for his work on other sitcoms. He will be greatly missed.

We also remember stand-up comedian, sitcom writer, producer, and actor David A. Arnold. He worked on The Rickey Smiley Show, Fuller House and That Girl Lay Lay. He died on September 7 at his home in Los Angeles due to natural causes. Mr. Arnold was 54.

Arnold's sitcom writing credits included Meet the Browns (15 episodes), House of Payne (12 episodes), The Rickey Smiley Show (14 episodes), Partners (2014) (1 episode), Zoe Ever After (1 episode), Bigger (1 episode), Fuller House (3 episodes) and Side Hustle (3 episodes)

He created the Nickelodeon comedy That Girl Lay Lay in 2021 and served as showrunner for the series. The series stars That Girl Lay Lay, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, Tiffany Daniels, Thomas Hobson, Peyton Perrine III and Caleb Brown. He wrote two episodes. He appeared as Pastor Brown in one episode.

Arnold's other sitcom acting credits included Entourage, Meet the Browns (3 episodes as Darnelle) and Side Hustle.

Some of his other sitcom producing credits included Bigger, Fuller House and Side Hustle.

Mr. Arnold was a talented and funny comedian. He had two Netflix stand-up comedy specials: David A. Arnold: Fat Ballerina (2020) and It Ain't For The Weak (July 2022). He will be sorely missed.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Perfect Strangers Reboot in the Works; New Head of the Class DVD Release

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're learning about a reboot of a classic 80s sitcom, the cancellation of a Fox series (that wasn't intended to be more than a limited series anyway), and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• It's about to be 1986 all over again, with NBC rebooting Night Court and now HBO Max is looking to reboot Perfect Strangers. (Deadline)
• It's likely no surprise after the lackluster success of the second season, but The Moodys is done on Fox. (TVLine)
• NBC has cancelled Manifest, but it could be back for new episodes elsewhere, such as Netflix. (Deadline)
• The Quibi library was recently added to Roku's lineup, and in two weeks, they've had more viewers than they ever had in their entire time on Quibi. (Deadline)
• A little bit of DVD news (we get so little that we don't even devote a separate section to it anymore), Head of the Class - The Complete Third Season will be released by Warner Archive on July 20. (TV Shows on DVD)
• The Netflix comedy Dad Stop Embarrassing Me kind of went under the radar as a series to begin with, but now it has been cancelled. (Yahoo!) 
• Frank Bonner, who played Herb Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati, has died. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JUNE 19 - JUNE 25)

• Antenna TV is celebrating Father's Day with a marathon of Bewitched episodes focusing on the two different actors who played Darrin (much like the Nick at Nite Dueling Darrins marathon from the late 90s!).
• Decades is having a binge of Taxi this weekend.
• Kevin Can F**k Himself has already debuted on AMC+, but the linear network itself will begin airing it on Sunday.
• The long-awaited fifth season of Rick & Morty also debuts on Sunday on Adult Swim.

SitcomsOnline Digest: WarnerMedia Considering Reboots of TGIF Classics for New Streaming Service

• As WarnerMedia prepares their new streaming service, they've already got their eye on potentially rebooting classic TGIF series, including Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Step by Step, and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (Deadline)
• We mentioned last week that The Office will be moving from Netflix to NBC's own streaming service, but NBC's service will be ad supported, which could be becoming the new normal in streaming. (Deadline)
• Shows on Netflix have a lot of smoking in them, but now, the streaming service is vowing to cut back on the smoking that you see in series. (Variety) 
• The View has been known for having hosts who are constantly in bitter personal feuds and battles with each other, and it seems that is the case once again as Meghan McCain seems to have one foot out the door (though ABC insists she is coming back). (CNN)
• ABC has set their fall lineup premiere dates, complete with Kids Say the Darnedest Things (which definitely isn't hosted by Bill Cosby this time). (SitcomsOnline) 

WEEKLY PLANNER (JULY 6 - JULY 12)

• All weekend on Decades, it's Remington Steele.
• Hollywood Game Night returns to NBC on Thursday.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Pluto TV Adds Special Versions of Popular Viacom Channels; Perfect Strangers to Finish on DVD

• Pluto TV, the free linear streaming service, has added several Pluto TV versions of popular Viacom channels, which feature different programming and lineups than the cable TV versions but still have plenty of your favorites from those channels. (Variety)
• If you've got $6 million, then you can buy the house used for the exterior on Full House, but you might be disappointed to find out that the inside looks nothing like the studio set used for the show. (The Mercury News) 
• Kenan Thompson says he isn't leaving Saturday Night Live, even though he has a lot of projects in the works. (Deadline)
• Sony has named a building on their studio lot after Norman Lear. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Not only has black-is been renewed for another season, it appears to be becoming sort of a franchise for ABC. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• We never quite knew if this would ever come, but Warner Archive is finally completing Perfect Strangers on DVD with Perfect Strangers - The Complete Seventh and Eighth Seasons. It will be released on May 28.

WEEKLY PLANNER (MAY 4 - MAY 10)

• Decades as a binge of The Streets of San Francisco this weekend.
• Adam Sandler returns to Saturday Night Live roots as host tonight on NBC.
• The Dick Van Dyke Show returns to MeTV on Sunday night.
• Netflix has a new animated comedy, Tuca & Bertie, coming on Friday.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Facebook Watch Acquires Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and More; Preview of Next Season of Fuller House

• We tend to think of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime when we think of streaming services, but Facebook Watch is trying to create an identity now, and has acquired Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly to help begin that process. (The Verge)
• Fuller House returns in two weeks, and a preview of the new season has been released. (Deadline)
• Despite the network airing the program firing her husband, it has been confirmed that Julie Chen Moonves will be returning to host Big Brother. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Spongebob Squarepants, died this week at age 57. (Variety)
• CBS has put their winter plans into place. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Although we aren't certain that this release is indeed happening on Tuesday (it isn't available to pre-order anywhere, including on the Warner Archive website), TVShowsOnDVD is reporting that Perfect Strangers - The Complete Sixth Season is being released on Tuesday.

TUESDAY (DECEMBER 4) HOME MEDIA RELEASE

• Family Guy - Season Sixteen (DVD, $29.98): Even though the older and more iconic animated Fox comedy seems to have been abandoned on DVD once again, the other animated Fox comedy (and the one that arguably was responsible for making TV on DVD a huge deal for over a decade) arrives on DVD in this release.

WEEKLY PLANNER (DECEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 7)

• Decades is headed back to comedy for their binges this weekend, with The Phil Silvers Show.
• Although it debuted yesterday, F is for Family has returned to Netflix for a third season.
• ABC has A Charlie Brown Christmas scheduled for Thursday.
• Saturday Night Live has a Christmas special scheduled for Tuesday night.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Orders Multi-Camera Sitcom with Melissa Joan Hart and Sean Astin; Three New Seasons of Bob's Burgers on DVD

• Netflix has given a 20 episode order to No Good Nick, a multi-camera sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart and Sean Astin. (Deadline)
• Kenan Thompson could finally be leaving Saturday Night Live after all of these years if an idea for a sitcom project that is in the works makes it to air.  (Deadline)
• Speaking of Saturday Night Live, Chevy Chase isn't too pleased with the series these days, though to be fair, a lot of people aren't too pleased with Chevy Chase either these days. (Washington Post)
• The fifteenth season of Grey's Anatomy hasn't debuted yet, but some are wondering if the sixteenth season (which won't even debut for another year) may be the last for the series, after Ellen Pompeo dropped some hints that she may be ready to move on in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. (Deadline) 
• The Emmy Awards were a rating dud this year, and even more so than ever before. But one highlight of the ceremony was a special appearance from Betty White. (CNN)
• Julie Chen... err, Julie Chen Moonves... officially quit her role on the CBS series The Talk this week, but her contract will continue for a while longer on Big Brother, and she seems to be interested in staying in that role. (TV Insider)
• If you didn't watch the Emmys, we have a list of the winners. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (SEPTEMBER 25)

• Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (DVD, $39.98): In an era where rare black and white TV series are hard to come by on DVD, this surprise release brings something new.
• Bob's Burgers - The Complete Sixth Season (DVD, $29.95), Bob's Burgers - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD, $29.95), and Bob's Burgers - The Complete Eighth Season (DVD, $29.95): Though none are available for pre-order yet, TVShowsOnDVD reports that all three of these releases will be available on Tuesday as MOD products.
• Perfect Strangers - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $29.98): Warner Archive moves ahead with the next season of the classic TGIF favorite in this DVD release.

WEEKLY PLANNER (SEPTEMBER 15 - SEPTEMBER 21)

• Decades will be airing Hawaii Five-0 for this weekend's Binge.
• On Monday night, you can catch the season premieres of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon on CBS.
• The ABC Wednesday night sitcom lineup kicks off this week with season premieres of The Goldbergs, American Housewife, Modern Family, and the series premiere of Single Parents.
• The new season of South Park debuts on Wednesday night on Comedy Central, and you can catch it on the network (almost) all day long until then.
• The season premieres of Murphy Brown and Mom will air on Thursday on CBS.
• NBC has the hourlong season premiere of The Good Place on Thursday.
• On Friday, The Cool Kids will debut on Fox, along with the season premiere of Last Man Standing.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Roseanne Spinoff One Step Closer to Reality; Netflix to Air New Season of Lucifer

• A Roseanne spinoff is getting one step closer to reality now, as a deal appears to be in the works in which Roseanne Barr will sign an agreement to let the show go on without receiving on-going residuals. (Hollywood Reporter)
• It seems that Roseanne Barr's name was submitted for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series just before the controversy broke out. (Deadline)
• If you don't want a spoiler, don't click on this story, but this is how Danny Masterson was written out of the Netflix series The Ranch. (Deadline)
• Are we finally reaching the end of the trash TV talk show era? Perhaps, as it was announced this week that The Jerry Springer Show will halt production for at least next season (potentially for good) after a nearly three decade run, and only air in reruns on The CW. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Streaming services have often come to rescue canceled network series, and this week, Netflix rescued Fox's Lucifer. (Deadline)
• Although the show itself will continue to air for a few more months, The Chew said farewell to fans on Friday with the last taped episode of the series. (People)
• There was speculation that WGN America was trying to get out of the scripted television business in the lead up to a potential merger of parent company Tribune with Sinclair (which has yet to happen), but this week, two new original series were announced for the cable network. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (JUNE 19)

• Perfect Strangers - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, $29.95): Larry and Balki return to DVD with this release of a classic TGIF favorite from Warner Archive.

WEEKLY PLANNER (JUNE 16 - JUNE 22)

• The Gong Show and Match Game return to ABC on Thursday.
• Decades will be airing Daniel Boone all weekend long.
• The final season of Shades of Blue debuts Sunday night on NBC.

SitcomsOnline Digest: So Now What for Roseanne?; ABC Contemplating Sue Heck Spinoff for The Middle

• We're sure everybody knows the whole story about Roseanne by now. But is anybody seriously surprised that Roseanne ended up going down because of a controversy with the star, or are we just surprised it happened so soon? (People)
• Meanwhile, it seems that a Roseanne spinoff starring Sara Gilbert's character of Darlene may be under consideration, although there are some obstacles, including concerns that Roseanne would still receive residuals. (Vulture)
• If a spinoff about Roseanne's daughter doesn't work out, could 2019 finally be the "year of Sue Heck?" Maybe, as ABC is contemplating a spinoff of The Middle starring Eden Sher. (Deadline)
• Speaking of The Middle, that series recently ended after nine seasons, and Vox is asking the exact same thing that we've been asking all of these years: why didn't the series ever get the level of love and attention that it deserved? (Vox)
• It seems that the TV adaptation of Heathers has been talked about forever, and was even given a premiere date on Paramount Network (after originally being planned for TV Land), but now it seems it has been scrapped completely. (Deadline)
• Antenna TV is going to celebrate Father's Day with a Silver Spoons marathon. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Warner Archive is stepping it up on the TGIF shows, and here is one that we seem to have overlooked last week: Perfect Strangers - The Complete Fourth Season will arrive on June 19.

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (JUNE 5)

• South Park - The Complete Twenty-First Season (DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98): All of these seasons later, and Comedy Central is still cranking out more seasons of the popular Comedy Central series.

WEEKLY PLANNER (JUNE 2 - JUNE 8)

• Every channel that was airing Roseanne has pulled the series, but if you absolutely need your Roseanne fix, it seems it is still streaming on Amazon Prime for the time being.
• While we're at it, The Cosby Show (side note: why is it that Carsey Werner has this sort of luck with their stars?) is still on Amazon Prime too.
• Younger and Teachers both return to TV Land for new episodes on Tuesday.
• This weekend's binge on Decades is Here Come the Brides.
• The last half of the final season of Nashville begins Thursday on CMT.

SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC to Air Brooklyn Nine-Nine Next Season as Fox Appears to Move in New Direction; New Perfect Strangers DVDs Coming Soon

• You may have noticed on your social media feed that people are screaming bloody murder and talking about a cultural war (OK, maybe not quite that big, but close) after Fox made a decision to cancel most of their live-action sitcoms (and the prospects are bad for the remaining live-action series), ostensibly to make room for series that fit in better with their new pickup, Last Man Standing... (SitcomsOnline)
• ... meanwhile, in the very early of this morning, NBC announced that they have become the hero of the day for fans of the most popular of the series canceled by Fox, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, by picking it up for a sixth season... (Entertainment Weekly)
• ... and we can't go without a third story about all of this. It has been rumored for weeks, but this week, Fox has officially announced they indeed will be airing a new season of Last Man Standing. (Time)
• The Big Bang Theory is coming back for a twelfth season, but will that be the final season? (Deadline)
• Rick and Morty was renewed for 70 more episodes, and without a fixed schedule as to when those episodes will air, so most people expect that to mean about ten more seasons worth of episodes. (Hollywood Reporter)
• If you're having trouble keeping track of what has been renewed or canceled, just bookmark this Vox article, which updates everything as news comes in one way or the other, and there have been a lot this week that we simply didn't have time to cover. (Vox)
• Norman Lear has been working on a new project, Guess Who Died, that was planned for NBC, but the network has officially passed on the pilot. (Deadline)
• It appeared that Disney would be the one to acquire 21st Century Fox, but now Comcast is trying to get in on the battle as well to take over 21st Century Fox. (Forbes) 
• Antenna TV is making a few lineup changes. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Details are still sparse, but TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that the fourth season of Perfect Strangers is coming soon from Warner Archive.
• Mill Creek announced that they would be releasing Happy Endings - The Complete Series on August 7, both on DVD and Blu-ray.

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (MAY 15)

• Rick and Morty - Season Three (DVD, $24.99; Blu-ray, $29.98): It has been renewed for 70 more episodes, so these won't be the last as some have feared, but you can catch up on the most recent season with this release.

WEEKLY PLANNER (MAY 12 - MAY 18)

• 13 Reasons Why returns for a second season on Netflix on Friday.
• Amy Schumer is the host for the new episode of Saturday Night Live tonight.
• Antenna TV starts their new lineup on Monday, which you can see here.
• This weekend, the binge on Decades is Father Dowling Mysteries.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Mad About You Reboot One Step Closer to Reality; The Simpsons Addresses Concerns About Character of Apu

• Admittedly, unlike most series that have been or will be rebooted, Mad About You has not been all that successful in syndication, but that isn't stopping this idea of a reboot from moving forward. (Entertainment Weekly)
• It was mentioned several months ago that The Simpsons would deal with the complaints about stereotypes of the character of Apu, but they did just that this week and it seems to have not gone over particularly well. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Deadline is always keeping us updated on all of the comings on goings of pilot season each and every week. (Deadline)
• Tim O'Connor, who starred in Peyton Place (in addition to appearing in many other series), has died at age 90. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Carol Burnett can never win too many awards, and her latest is a Peabody. (Variety)
• The second season of Trial & Error has a premiere date on NBC. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (APRIL 17)

• Perfect Strangers - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $29.99): It's been a very long wait, but the third season of the classic sitcom arrives on DVD in this release.

WEEKLY PLANNER (APRIL 14 - APRIL 20)

• Johnny Galecki will reprise his role of David on the reboot of Roseanne on Tuesday night on ABC.
• Whether you're sick of hearing the name Roseanne or get excited every time you hear it, the original series will begin airing on Paramount Network on Wednesday.
• It's a 77 Sunset Strip marathon for Decades this weekend.
• In case you missed it, the revival of Lost in Space debuted on Netflix yesterday.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Looking to Bring Back Last Man Standing; New Perfect Strangers DVDs Coming Soon

• Can you really call it a reboot if it hasn't even been gone for a full season? Nonetheless, Fox is rumored to be looking to bring back new episodes of Tim Allen's series, Last Man Standing, along with other series (such as That '70s Show and Malcolm in the Middle) that don't even make sense to reboot. (TMZ)
• Speaking of Last Man Standing, reruns of it are being added to the WGN lineup. (SitcomsOnline)
• Even though it is hard to tell how ratings will be once the initial buzz wears off, the reboot of Roseanne did well enough to convince ABC to pick up a second season. (ABC News)
• No need to panic, One Day at a Time has been renewed by Netflix. (Deadline)
• We're just weeks away from knowing what the 2018-2019 broadcast network season will look like, and now is a good time to take another look at where some of your current TV favorites stand from a renewal/cancellation point of view. (Deadline)
• For the past two decades, Dan Schneider (who is also known for his Head of the Class fame) has brought some of the biggest hits to Nickelodeon, and has been referred to as the "Norman Lear of kids television." This week, the network has suddenly parted ways with him, for reasons that aren't clear. (Washington Post)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• We can't believe it, but it's finally happening: Perfect Strangers is moving forward on DVD, with Perfect Strangers - The Complete Third Season arriving on April 17 from Warner Archive.

WEEKLY PLANNER (MARCH 31 - APRIL 6)

• The Last O.G., which stars Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish, debuts Tuesday night at 10:30 on TBS.
• WKRP in Cincinnati will begin airing every weeknight at 9:30 starting Monday on MeTV.
• Some minor changes come to the Antenna TV lineup on Monday as well, with an extra helping of Alice in primetime.
• What's the weekend without a binge on Decades? Up this weekend: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
  

TCA Summer 2017 Press Tour: Cable Day 3 - Hulu Revives TGIF with 5 Classics; TBS and TNT Updates

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Developing New Singing Competition; New DVDs on the Way for Green Acres and Perfect Strangers

• When ABC announced they would be reviving former Fox reality singing competition series American Idol, Fox responded by more or less saying "fine, nobody cares about a singing competition series anyway." Now, we're hearing that Fox is working on developing a new reality singing competition series that just skips straight to the finalists instead of airing weeks of audition rounds. (Variety)
• It probably didn't happen by calling an 800 number that flashed on the screen and giving their credit card information to an operator, but TV shopping network QVC purchased rival HSN this week. (CBS News)
• The current CBS reboot of Hawaii Five-0 has found itself down by two cast members for the upcoming season, and although the executive producer of the series claims they were offered "unprecedented" salary increases, they left because they were being offered less money than their co-stars, and they believe that disparity based upon their race. (Deadline)
• The HBO series Game of Thrones could be getting much longer episodes (as in 80 minute feature length episodes) in the eighth season, though the seventh season hasn't even aired yet. (Deadline)
• Antenna TV still has several series slated to air on the network at some point later this year, and one that wasn't previously announced was Welcome Back, Kotter. (SitcomsOnline)  

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  

• This is something that we definitely didn't see coming, but Shout! Factory announced this week that they would finally be finishing up Green Acres on DVD, with Green Acres - The Complete Series. Few details about it are known at this time, but the 24 disc set will be released on October 17.
• Another big surprise that we discovered this week courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com is that Warner Archive will be continuing Perfect Strangers on DVD, though exact details aren't known just yet.

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SitcomsOnline.com Exclusive: Interview with Linda Kay (PerfectStrangers.TV); RTN Update

We have a very exciting interview for you today. We have an interview with Linda Kay of PerfectStrangers.TV! Linda has been a good friend and has been a fan of the TV sitcom Perfect Strangers since its original run on ABC from 1986-1993. As always with our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form!

We had the pleasure to interview Linda Kay. Linda not only runs the website on Perfect Strangers, she also runs the website on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, in which later this year the website will mark 10 years online. The franchise will also celebrate its 20th anniversary next month. Excellent! Linda updates her websites weekly with constant updates to make older entertainment new once again. Her updates make older entertainment new again, like how websites are constantly updated for newer television series. During the original run of Perfect Strangers, Linda ran a fan club on the show called P.S. I Love You, with many newsletters being published. The newsletters were well-liked and were endorsed by the cast and crew of Perfect Strangers. P.S. I Love You even featured interviews, such as with F.J. O'Neil (who played Mr. Wainwright). We're not ridiculous!

We thank Linda for taking the time to answer some of the most interesting questions we have for her...and her responses were so amazing. So it is time for another installment of SitcomsOnline's Seven Questions Series! We seriously STILL need a jingle. How about a Myposian jingle? Any takers out there?

"Seven Questions with Linda Kay"

SitcomsOnline: Hi Linda, it is so great finally interviewing you! Your Perfect Strangers website is one of the best TV shows sites ever, if not the best. It is truly wonderful and amazing how much information you have! You truly are the "go-to" person for anything Perfect Strangers! I have to ask, how did you get into the show? I know you didn't watch it originally in the first season, but what actually drew you to the show? Did you catch it on TV accidentally or did someone tell you to watch this hilarious comedy?
Linda Kay: Thank you, Cousin Pavan! I'm really honored to be asked about the Perfect Strangers website, which you yourself have championed even before it was launched! Thank you very much for your kind words about the site. You're right, I wasn't a big fan of the show from the very beginning. I used to catch an episode every now and again. I don't think I ever saw it on Tuesday night during its first six-week run. I must not have been home on Tuesday because I don't recall watching Growing Pains or Who's the Boss? in 1986, either. When Perfect Strangers moved to Wednesday, I would put it on sometimes. To be honest, my first impressions weren't particularly favorable. I thought it was a poor knock off of Laverne & Shirley. Plus, I was another victim of the cynical side of television then. I thought the "feel-good" endings were unrealistic. I kept expecting everything to go wrong, like the twists at the end of Taxi. But something made me keep putting it on and giving it another chance. I recall very specifically the first time the episode "Snow Way to Treat a Lady" aired. I don't remember the part with the skis, so I must have tuned in partway through. When I saw it was a "snowbound in a remote cabin" plot I actually said out loud to the television, "There is nothing original you can do with this." Then the avalanche hit and they opened the door to reveal Larry pressed up against it by the snow. And I laughed and said, "Touché." That's when I really started giving the show the respect it deserved and watching more carefully. I even started videotaping episodes to watch later. When I saw a repeat of the episode "Beautiful Dreamer" in the summer of 1987, it melted my heart and I was converted forever.

SitcomsOnline: I know you told Retroality.TV about how you started your fan club newsletter "P.S. I Love You" in 1989. So I'll ask something different about it. How did you guys compile all that information? How big was this fan club? Was it a team effort? And for you readers out there, Linda sent me many copies of the newsletters...and they are very well done. I spent hours reading them!
Linda Kay: Oh, go on with you! I compiled the information from a variety of sources. I used to visit the International News Stands in L.A. and go through tons of magazines every week. I would also watch and record all the entertainment news shows I could, as well as local news. But the fans who subscribed to the newsletter were really invaluable to me. They would send in articles, not only from all over the United States but from all over the world! In that way it was definitely a team effort. I had a few real standout members: Cousin Paula became a really good friend and she was brilliant at researching things, even from Pennsylvania (remember, this was before the Internet was commonplace!), Cousins Cindy and Carol, Cousin Lynn, Cousin Cheryl...there are far too many to name! Putting together the newsletter...the actual cutting and pasting and folding and mailing part of it...was all done by me. But without the great information network provided by the fans, it wouldn't have been nearly as interesting to read. It's much the same now on our Forums...so many fans contribute news and stories that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. In this way fan clubs and websites really are collaborative efforts.
The original fan club membership never numbered more than fifty, surprisingly. Back then there really weren't any places to advertise television fan clubs that were affordable, and people didn't really even think to look for fan clubs for comedy shows (unlike science fiction programs). And while the production company supported our efforts, they wouldn't allow us access to the addresses of fans writing in to the show or mail out information about our club. We weren't even really allowed to promote the club at filmings (although I was often able to recruit members from people sitting near me who loved the show). But the enthusiasm and love for the show that existed amongst the members more than made up for the small numbers.

SitcomsOnline: You attended many tapings of the show. Can you share some memorable moments from these tapings and where was the show taped? Did you ever go to a taping from one of your personal favorite episodes? Imagine going to the taping of the Bibbibabka episode!
Linda Kay: The show was filmed at the old MGM Studios in Culver City (when it was known as the Lorimar Studio lot). I feel so thankful that I lived in the Los Angeles area during those years and was able to attend the filmings of the show beginning with the third season. Every show was amazing...it was like watching these great actors in a different play every week! And it was very, very professional. The earlier filmings ran like clockwork. No other show filmed as quickly! Everyone, the cast and crew, knew exactly what they were doing. It was incredible to watch and so educational. As for memorable moments, I think the night Bronson and Mark accidentally cracked their heads together during the filming of "Assertive Training" would have to be one. Although I was seated way to the far right of the stage and didn't see it happen at all. I had no idea how serious it was. I just knew that something happened to stop the filming and the audience seemed concerned. Now normally Robert G. Lee would do the warm up comedy, and he was always very good about giving me episode titles and filling me in on what was happening. But he wasn't there that night, and the warm up comedian was giving me a hard time about my taking notes during the show. I didn't even know how badly hurt they'd been until I saw Bronson talking about it on a talk show. The fact that they finished the show and even came out to answer questions afterward made it seem everything was okay, so those of us to the sides really didn't even understand what had happened.
I was not lucky enough to see the Bibbibabka episode filmed, but I did get to see the filming of the other classic episode from the third season, "Pipe Dreams." That was really memorable. All the scenes with the plumbing exploding had been filmed in advance, so they showed the audience a rough cut of the scenes on the studio monitors. Bronson and Mark climbed up into the bleachers and sat down on the steps to watch along with the audience! The laughter went on for so long...the reaction was priceless. They never used "Applause" signs on the audience at the filmings...the audiences reacted with genuine laughter and applause. That's the magic of great writing, acting and directing all coming together at once.

SitcomsOnline: PerfectStrangers.TV is certainly an amazing website. It really needs to be nominated for one of the best websites list that Entertainment Weekly does each year. The site is updated every Tuesday, but one may wonder, how is that possible for a show that ended over 15 years ago? Your personal library for the show must be amazing! Probably multiple versions of each episode and the cast on just about everything they have done?
Linda Kay: Wwowww! Coming from the Sitcom Guru, that's wonderful praise! One of the main reasons I started the site is because I had such a large amount of information about the show and I wanted to share it with a larger audience than I was able to do back when it was on the air. I did amass a very large collection, and now with online technology I can not only share news and stories but photos, video and so much more than I was ever able to do before. I have to give thanks to Cousin Paula's family for giving me the chance to purchase her collection as well. Next to myself, I believe Paula had one of the largest collections anywhere. She had also purchased many more scripts than I had, so that's been an incredible resource for the episode outlines. She took over production on the newsletter when I had moved on to other projects in 1993, producing two more issues than there would have been otherwise. I had forgotten that at the time I sent her all of my scrapbooks of articles and clippings. When I started the website, I was frantically trying to find these books and had given them up for lost. But fortunately they were included with the items Paula's family sent to me. There's also current news to cover. The actors are, for the most part, still very active in the business. And then Warner Bros. Home Video finally released the first and second seasons of the show on DVD this year, which seems to have sparked a resurgence of interest in the series. So with all this material I should be able to continue to provide fresh weekly updates for some time to come!

SitcomsOnline: What parts of the website do you like the best and what do you wish you can add to the website in the future? You can go decades probably updating your "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" section. I love that! Wouldn't it be cool for you to interview the cast now for a feature on your website? I'm sure they remember you!
Linda Kay: I would love to interview anyone from the cast and crew of the show! Hopefully that will happen at some point. Right now I'm focusing on getting the basic information up, especially the episode outlines. I think that's my favorite thing to work on right now. I have learned so much more about the series than I ever did before just by putting those together and examining each episode so closely. The information on the site is way more detailed than anything I ever published in the newsletters. I want to expand and complete all the Actors Profiles as well. There's certainly a lot more I can (and will) do down the line!

SitcomsOnline: Do the comedies of today compare to sitcoms like Perfect Strangers? If so, what is missing today in your mind? What are some of your other favorite sitcoms--past and present?
Linda Kay: To be honest, there really aren't any sitcoms I watch today. This isn't to say there aren't any good sitcoms on the air, I just don't tend to catch them. The few episodes of Scrubs I have seen have been funny, and I watched an episode of My Name is Earl, the other day which really made me laugh. I used to watch some of the shows on CBS on Monday when Everybody Loves Raymond was still on. So I really can't speak against any shows of today. But I will say that I don't think there are any shows which focus on physical comedy any more. Kevin James did a bit on his show, The King of Queens, which I also enjoyed. But more than that, I don't think many shows on television today (sitcoms or otherwise) are particularly "nice." But then, back when Perfect Strangers first aired, it was unusually "nice" even then. "Nice" just hasn't been popular for some time. But I think we need "nice" shows, if for no other reason than to just relax and laugh for twenty-three minutes without having to think too much. This is why classic shows are still so classic...I Love Lucy is something you can just put on and laugh at without being cynical. There's nothing wrong with cynical and biting comedy (in fact I love Family Guy, whose consulting producer, Tom Devanney, worked on Perfect Strangers) but variety is the spice of life. There's room for classic-style sitcoms as well.
As for past sitcoms, I do have many favorites, including I Love Lucy, The Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley, The Monkees, Bosom Buddies, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gilligan's Island, Get Smart, Three's Company, Taxi, Soap, and Frasier. And I love British comedy, such as The Goodies, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Black Adder and Red Dwarf. I also think Ernie Kovaks was a comedy genius, as was Steve Allen. The Steve Allen Show when he had Don Knotts and Tom Poston and Pat Harrington, Jr. and Louis Nye and Gabe Dell...now that was comedy!

SitcomsOnline: Finally, it is so sad Perfect Strangers hasn't gotten the rerun play as say similar era shows like Family Matters (its spin-off!). Do you think a reunion show would be good to have? Retrospective ones are usually the way to go these days, with the cast gathering talking about the show, like we saw with Happy Days and One Day at a Time. But wouldn't it be cool to have Balki in 2009? I mean if The Facts of Life and Growing Pains got to do actual continuation movies, why can't Perfect Strangers? Bronson Pinchot (Balki) and Mark Linn-Baker (Larry) are still acting and Belita Moreno (Lydia) and Sam Anderson (Mr. Gorpley) have been working steadily in supporting roles on George Lopez and Lost. But it would be nice to see Melanie Wilson (Jennifer) and Rebeca Arthur (Mary Anne) again!
Linda Kay: I've always been confused as to why Perfect Strangers never did well in syndication after its first daytime run on ABC weekdays back when the show was still on in prime time. But it never has. And sadly these days with television audiences out of sight means out of mind. I'll be honest and say that overall I'm pretty skeptical about reunion shows. Sometimes they can come across as trying to relive past glories to a sad effect. But I would love to see the cast together again in some capacity, whether it was a made-for-TV reunion movie (in the hands of the Perfect Strangers alumni it could be done well) or just a special which brings everyone back together to reminisce about the show. I would never say I didn't want to see something like that...don't be ridiculous! Bronson recorded a few ringtones as Balki while he was appearing on The Surreal Life, so who knows? Maybe it isn't out of the question!

SitcomsOnline: Thank you for your time and I am so glad we are friends! You are great and so is your website! Fans remember to go to PerfectStrangers.TV to find any information related to Perfect Strangers and talk with other fans there as well. Linda has it all! Even rare videos. Where else can you watch a clip of Bronson Pinchot on Circus of the Stars? Stay tuned right here for continued updates on the show and PerfectStrangers.TV!
Linda Kay: Thank you, Cousin Pavan, for giving me a chance to answer your questions. I'm certainly glad we're friends, too. Everyone should realize that you were a great motivator in getting this site up and running when I was on the precipice trying to decide whether or not to take the plunge. But now that I'm here, the water's great!

Our thanks once again to Linda Kay, we wish her continued success! Our apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time. For more information on Linda Kay, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view her Perfect Strangers website PerfectStrangers.TV. So, stay tuned right here on the blog for continued news on Linda and the show!


We have gotten e-mails and inquires on why some RTN affiliates have been replaced with a message or other programming since yesterday. It's NOT every RTN station. There are many out there still programming RTN programming. Here is a statement from RTN:
Equity Media Holdings Corporation (EMHC) announced that its agreement to service Retro Programming Services, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the RTN Network has expired. Equity Media sold Retro Programming Services, Inc. to Luken Communications, LLC, in a stock transaction on June 24, 2008, and pursuant to the sale EMHC agreed to provide services to the network from its Little Rock headquarters including transmission, trafficking, programming and accounting for a period of six months.
EMHC attempted to coordinate a seamless transition but despite repeated attempts to communicate with Luken Communications representatives, it received no response.
Aaron Rothberg, Corporate Director of Technical Operations for EMHC, noted "I have worked with the RTN affiliates for over 3 years and it is my hope that the Luken RTN operation will be able to provide the same high quality service that we have but I am concerned since I am not aware of any coordination with the RTN affiliates."
Equity Media further announced that its stations which had carried the RTN Network programming will no longer do so, but will be replaced with a variety of quality and entertaining programming.
All the other stations owned by Equity Media, which includes Univision, FOX, Telefutura, ABC and MyNetworkTV affiliates, as well as existing third party broadcast station clients, will be unaffected by the expiration of the RTN relationship.
So what does this all mean? We will try and answer that as soon as we have more information. Stay tuned... But for now, do let us know on our message board if your RTN station is on or not.