SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Cancels Quantum Leap; Airdate Set for Final Pat Sajak Wheel of Fortune Episode

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a slow news week, but we're hearing about the cancellation of an NBC series, an airdate for Pat Sajak's final Wheel of Fortune episode, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• NBC has cancelled Quantum Leap. (Deadline)
• June 7 has been set as the date for Pat Sajak's retirement (or at least when his last new episode will air) from Wheel of Fortune. (Entertainment Weekly)
• Michael J. Fox is open to acting again, if the right role were to come along. (Variety)
• We're sure you've seen all the talk, but the ID docuseries Quiet on the Set has exposed the dark side of children's television, and it sounds like there is more that we haven't heard yet. (Deadline)
• Actor Joe Flaherty has died at age 82. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (APRIL 6 - APRIL 13)

• Catchy Comedy has a binge of The Flip Wilson Show this weekend.
• Saturday Night Live is new tonight, with Kristen Wiig joining the club of those who've hosted the show five times.
• The King of Queens is now available to watch on Paramount+, and the first few seasons are also on Pluto TV.

NBC Winter 2024 Schedule; Netflix Renews Rob Lowe Comedy

NBC heads into 2024 with the launch of new comedy Extended Family, the premieres of unscripted series Deal or No Deal Island and America's Got Talent: Fantasy League and the highly awaited return of the immensely popular Dick Wolf universe - Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Before flipping the calendar to 2024, NBC will premiere its new Jon Cryer comedy Extended Family on Saturday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m., immediately after the highly contested NFL game between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Following Extended Family, court returns to session with a special holiday episode of Night Court at 8:30 p.m. New Year's Day marks the premiere of the new unscripted series America's Got Talent: Fantasy League. The next day, Tuesday, Jan. 2, both Night Court and Extended Family will settle into their normal 8 and 8:30 p.m. timeslots, respectively. The third and final season of La Brea goes back to the prehistoric age on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 9 p.m. and serves as a lead-in to the season's final two episodes of the hit fall drama Found.

Briefcases are opened and lives are changed as the iconic game show Deal or No Deal goes tropical. Hosted by Magic Mike and True Blood star Joe Manganiello, Deal or No Deal Island features 13 players competing for huge amounts of cash in a season-long, fully immersive competition. The series will premiere with a 90-minute special at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26 before moving to its regularly scheduled timeslot on Monday, March 4 at 10 p.m. To the excitement of its immense fan base, #OneChicago, returns Wednesday, Jan. 17. Chicago Med will lead off at 8 p.m., followed by Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.. The following night on Thursday, Jan. 18, Dick's Wolf's other powerhouse franchise is back as well. Law & Order starts it off at 8 p.m., following by the 25th season of Law & Order: SVU and concluding with Law & Order: Organized Crime. The Irrational will resume with the final four episodes of its first season beginning Monday, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m.

The Voice returns Monday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. for its season premiere featuring three-time Grammy Award winner Dan + Shay as the show's first-ever coaching duo. Also returning to the swiveling red chairs are Reba McEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper. In addition to their curated linear timeslots, all shows will be available to stream next day on Peacock. Previously announced shows that have yet to be dated include the remaining episodes of this season's Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I. as well as Lopez vs. Lopez, The Weakest Link, Password, That's My Jam and The Wall.

Netflix has renewed Unstable for a second season from creators Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe and Victor Fresco. Andrew Gurland (Married, Platonic) joins Season 2 as Executive Producer and Showrunner. Cast: Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, Sian Clifford, Rachel Marsh, Emma Ferreira and Aaron Branch. Production on the eight-episode season is slated to begin in Los Angeles later this month. In the comedy, Ellis Dragon is a universally admired, eccentric, narcissist-adjacent biotech entrepreneur working to make the world a better place. He's also in emotional free-fall. His son Jackson Dragon is... none of those things. Can Jackson save Ellis and his company and salvage their estranged relationship while also doing what may actually be impossible: escaping the shadow of his larger-than-life father?

NBC Fall 2023 Schedule Revised; New Details for Only Murders in the Building

NBC kicks off its 2023-24 fall schedule on Sept. 25 with a new season of the Emmy Award-nominated competition series The Voice, followed by a strong lineup of original programming that includes the premiere of new dramas The Irrational, starring Jesse L. Martin and Found, starring Shanola Hampton, as well as new episodes of returning dramas Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I. all of which will stream next day on Peacock. The Irrational will launch Premiere Week on Monday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. following the two-hour season premiere of the four-time Emmy Award-winning competition series The Voice, which features new coach and country music legend Reba McEntire along with returning coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan, who's back as the defending champ after taking the crown last season.

On Sept. 26 and 27, the America's Got Talent penultimate episode and season finale will air during Premiere Week, anchoring the first Wednesday night of the new season with a live two-hour telecast during whch a new champion will be named. In addition, a two-hour live telecast of the first-ever People's Choice Country Awards, an extension of the successful fan-favorite People's Choice Awards brand that features some of the finest acts in country music today, will be simulcast on Sept. 28 across NBC and Peacock. The special will be hosted by country superstars Little Big Town. Tuesday Oct. 3 will feature a two-hour edition of The Voice, serving as a formidable lead-in to the premiere of the new original drama series Found, starring Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. (Beginning Oct. 10, the first hour of The Voice will be a recap of the previous night.)

Beginning Oct. 4, Wednesdays feature an all-original drama lineup with new seasons of Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I. airing at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively (following various Chicago franchise encores at 8 p.m.). The third season of hospital-set drama Transplant will make its return to NBC with new episodes starting on Thursday, Oct. 5. Airing just after Transplant on Thursdays will be Dateline NBC at 10 p.m. (following various Law & Order franchise encores at 8 p.m.). Friday's lineup includes new episodes of Dateline NBC, which begin Sept. 29 at 9 p.m., before The Wall returns to the NBC lineup on Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. Premieres for all previously announced fall series - Night Court, Extended Family, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU - will be announced at a later date. Midseason and/or summer shows previously announced include Untitled America's Got Talent Series, Deal or No Deal Island, Password, The America's, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Lopez vs Lopez and La Brea.

Hulu released new key art and character art for the upcoming third season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. The Emmy®-nominated series returns with two episodes on Tuesday, August 8, with new episodes weekly. Season three finds Charles, Oliver & Mabel (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez) investigating a murder behind the scenes of a Broadway show. Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is a Hollywood action star whose Broadway debut is cut short by his untimely death. Aided by co-star Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), our trio embarks on their toughest case yet, all while director Oliver desperately attempts to put his show back together. Curtains up! Series regulars include Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Cancels Blockbuster; NBC to Keep 10 PM Hour for Next Season

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's almost Christmas, and as always, that means it is a very light week of news, but we're hearing about the cancellation of a Netflix comedy, the news that NBC's 10 PM hour is saved (for now), and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Just like the video store itself, Netflix has cancelled Blockbuster after one season. (Vulture)
• NBC isn't abandoning the 10 PM hour as had been originally considered, at least not for next season. (Deadline)
• PBS stations throughout the country are now streaming online, via Local Now. (Variety)
• Quantum Leap is getting a second season on NBC. (Deadline)
• Rewind TV has a new lineup in January, which includes the addition of two new shows to the lineup. (SitcomsOnline)
• Meanwhile, the MeTV January lineup is out as well, though there aren't really any significant changes. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (DECEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 24)

• You can get tomorrow's news today with an Early Edition binge on Decades.
• MeTV continues their A Very Merry MeTV programming tomorrow, with A Very Brady Christmas as part of tomorrow's offerings.

Peacock Casts Chris Messina Opposite Kaley Cuoco in Series; NBC Picks Up Quantum Leap for Full Season

Peacock announced that Chris Messina (Sharp Objects, I Care A Lot, The Mindy Project) will star opposite Kaley Cuoco (Peacock's Meet Cute, The Flight Attendant, The Big Bang Theory) in the highly-anticipated dark comedic thriller Based on a True Story, from Emmy Award-nominated Craig Rosenberg (The Boys, LOST, Preacher). Messina will play Nathan, opposite Kaley Cuoco who will play a married woman named Ava Bart. All other details are being kept under wraps. A dark comedic thriller, Based on a True Story is about a realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America's obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat. Rosenberg will serve as writer, showrunner and executive producer. Jason Bateman (Ozark, The Outsider) will executive produce alongside Michael Costigan for Aggregate Films. Roxie Rodriguez serves as co-executive producer for Aggregate Films. The series will be produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

NBC has ordered six additional episodes of its new drama series Quantum Leap, bringing its season one total to 18 episodes. Showcasing strong streaming numbers, Quantum Leap is the #1 NBC current season series on Peacock, and is a Top 5 title on Peacock season-to-date across all genres. The series stars Raymond Lee, Ernie Hudson, Caitlin Bassett, Mason Alexander Park and Nanrisa Lee. In the series, it's been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Laverne Cox Comedy from Norman Lear Lands Freevee Series Order; Fox Looking Into Adult Animated Drama

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's feeling more like fall and the full-throated kickoff for the fall television season is almost here, but we're not there just yet (though a season premiere of one cable series is lingering out there this week). This week, we have news of a new Norman Lear comedy and some adult animated drama news for Fox. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Sure, he is 100 years old, but still, Norman Lear has a new sitcom coming to Freevee starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace. (TVLine)
• It's not clear how this would even pan out, but as Fox is in negotiations for keeping their animated hits on the air (something that is far less certain now that they are Disney properties and not owned by Fox), the network is looking into adult animated dramas. (Deadline)
• In advance of the premiere of the Quantum Leap reboot, a special drive-thru experience is coming to Los Angeles. (Deadline)
• Deadline has a look at season premiere dates. (Deadline)
• Fans of Days of Our Lives (or really any daytime soap opera) have been used to unscheduled preemptions for breaking news for all of TV history, so it was only fitting that the last two episodes of the series to air on NBC before the series moves to Peacock on Monday were disrupted due to the death of Queen Elizabeth (which, oddly enough, means that the series started while she was queen and more or less ended as soon as she died). (People)
• Bernard Shaw, who was the chief anchor for CNN when it debuted, has died. (CNN)
• It looks as if COZI is moving a little further away from the truly vintage classic TV roots that it started with (though still not diving too far off course), as they'll be adding Monk, Bones, and Las Vegas to their lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (SEPTEMBER 10 - SEPTEMBER 16)

• It's a bird, it's a plane... it's a weekend binge of The Adventures of Superman on Decades.
• Season 4 of Atlanta arrives on FX on Thursday.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Saved by the Bell Reboot Canceled; Quantum Leap Reboot Picked Up at NBC

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we are learning about the cancelation of one reboot (but the pickup of another), learning that trashy daytime TV talk shows will live on forever, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• It's not alright: Peacock has canceled the Saved by the Bell reboot, but at least it lasted more than one season unlike so many other sitcom reboots that we spend years talking about. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Quantum Leap has earned a series pickup at NBC. (AV Club)
• Fred Savage has been fired from his roles of executive producer and director on The Wonder Years, following misconduct allegations. (Hollywood Reporter)
• It seems that the end has almost come for the trashy daytime TV talk shows, but never fear, The Steve Wilkos Show actually managed to get a renewal, and there are now deals in place to ensure that The Jerry Springer Show and Maury, both of which seem to have chosen their daily topic decades ago and stuck with it everyday since then, stay on in reruns for years to come. (Deadline)
• We have our first look at the Netflix comedy series that exploits the death of competitor Blockbuster. (Deadline)
• Actor David Birney, who was once married to Meredith Baxter and was her co-star on Bridget Loves Bernie, has died. (Variety)
• It may have been way outside of their demographics, but The Waltons Homecoming was a hit for The CW, so they're trying it again with another reboot featuring the characters. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (MAY 7 - MAY 13)

• This weekend, Decades is having a binge with a family show that features no mothers (at least not until later seasons), Full House.
• Antenna TV is celebrating Mother's Day this weekend with a special marathon featuring the moms of Antenna TV.

SitcomsOnline Digest: John DiMaggio Returning to Futurama After All; DVD Season Sets of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Finally Coming

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about the return of the voice of Bender to Futurama, DVDs of one of the first classic sitcoms ever, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• It looks like John DiMaggio will get to sign his "shiny metal contract" after all, as he will now return as the voice of Bender in the new episodes of Futurama. (Deadline)
• Classic TV on DVD isn't dead yet (and neither is MPI, which we haven't seen a classic TV sitcom release from in years), as DVD preorder links for the first two seasons of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (season 1 and season 2) have popped up this past week. (TVShowsOnDVD via Facebook)
• Last week, we mentioned that NBC had a pilot in the works called Hungry, but now the star of the show, Demi Lovato, is out due to the scheduling demands of a regular sitcom role (though she will still remain as executive producer). (TVLine)
• The starring role for the Quantum Leap reboot has been announced. (TVLine)
• Two network dramas that you have either never heard of or already forgotten about, Ordinary Joe and The Big Leap, have both been cancelled. (TV Source)
• Johnny Brown, who played Bookman on Good Times, has died at age 84. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Tim Considine of My Three Sons has died. (Deadline)
• NBC is dissolving what is left of their partnership with Hulu, as everything will be moving exclusively to Peacock. (Hollywood Reporter)
• My Favorite Martian is coming to Antenna TV. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (MARCH 5 - MARCH 11)

• Although it debuted last week, the country music broadcast digital network Circle is already straying away a bit from that theme as they have added The Commish and Hunter to their lineup.
• There is a Route 66 binge on Decades this weekend.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Quantum Leap and Life Goes On Reboots in the Works at NBC; Weekend of Tributes for Betty White and Bob Saget

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're back to having a heavy news week, and we've got the highlights here for you. It comes down to one big thing: reboots everywhere! Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• There is finally a season premiere date for the 25th season of South Park, something fans have been waiting for since 2019 (it seems they're calling the string of specials that have aired over the past two years "season 24"). (Variety)
• It seems that a Quantum Leap sequel had been ordered at NBC, but if it makes it on air, will it become another reboot/sequel that we spend years talking about, only to see it cancelled very quickly? (Entertainment Weekly)
• And then there's a Life Goes On sequel in the works at NBC too, which will seem to focus mostly on Kelly Martin's character. (Deadline)
• If the reboots weren't enough, why not go even more meta and create a whole Hulu sitcom about people trying to reboot a sitcom? And will it get a reboot someday itself? (Deadline)
• Feeding on the popularity of binge watching, Fox will debut their newest sitcom, Welcome to Flatch, both linearly on TV as well as placing the first seven episodes online immediately on the same day. (Deadline)
• It isn't quite in time for her 100th birthday, but NBC has a Betty White special planned for the end of the month. (Hollywood Reporter)
• If you're wondering what's cancelled and coming back, Deadline is starting to maintain a scorecard. (Deadline)
• The year 2022 has not been great when it comes to losing favorite celebrities of the past, with both Bob Saget and Dwayne Hickman dying in the past week. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JANUARY 15 - JANUARY 21)

• Full House makes an early debut with a short afternoon block of Danny Tanner focused episodes on MeTV on Sunday.
• Saturday Night Live returns with a new episode tonight, but there has already been a change in musical guests due to COVID.
• Decades is having a binge of The Fall Guy this weekend.
• America's Funniest Home Videos also has a tribute to Bob Saget planned for Sunday's episode.
• How I Met Your Father debuts Tuesday on Hulu.
• A new comedy Single Drunk Female debuts Thursday night on Freeform, the channel that used to be Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.
• There are plenty more Betty White tributes to be had this weekend, including The Golden Girls marathons on both Hallmark and TV Land and marathons of game show appearances on GSN and Buzzr.

SitcomsOnline Digest: CSI Limited Series for the 20th Anniversary?; ABC Orders Comedy Pilots

• A limited series revival of CSI could be coming to CBS in time for the 20th anniversary of the series. (Hollywood Reporter)
• ABC has ordered a pilot for Adopted, a comedy that would be executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel. (Variety) 
• ABC has also picked up a comedy pilot called Home Economics, about three siblings who are in very different places in life economically. (Deadline)
• Paula Kelly, who was a regular in the early episodes of Night Court (when the series was constantly changing the cast around), has died at age 77. (New York Post)
• A reboot of Quantum Leap is something that a lot of people could probably get behind, but don't get too excited yet, as nothing is in the works aside from a discussion with Scott Bakula on The Talk. (Deadline)
• Superstore has been renewed for a sixth season. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (FEBRUARY 15 - FEBRUARY 21)

• Extreme Makeover: Home Edition returns to the air on Sunday night, but on HGTV this time.
• A new season of American Idol debuts Sunday on ABC.
• A new season of Good Girls arrives on NBC on Sunday night.
• Decades has a binge of The Love Boat this weekend.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Shameless Renewed for Eighth Season; Quantum Leap DVDs to be Re-Released With Most of the Original Music Intact

• Fresh off of a season finale that gave Showtime their biggest audience of the year and a new salary deal for Emmy Rossum, Shameless has been renewed for an eighth season on Showtime. (Entertainment Weekly) 
• While Zsa Zsa Gabor was much more of a movie star than a TV star (the opposite of her sister Eva Gabor, who was better known as a TV star), she died this week at age 99. (LA Times)
• Matt Lauer is set to be reunited with some of his former Today co-anchors next month with Savannah Guthrie on maternity leave, but it is probably no surprise that Ann Curry will likely not be among them. (USA Today)
• Just an early heads up: Syfy will be airing their annual Twilight Zone marathon (which will be longer than usual this year, although it comes up about 30 episodes short of last years marathon of every episode) beginning December 31. (UPI)  
• You can find Christmas cheer almost everywhere today, and of course, that includes classic Christmas episodes of all of your favorite series. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Mill Creek announced long ago that they would be re-releasing Quantum Leap on DVD, but perhaps the most pleasant surprise that may have gotten overlooked in that announcement is that they will also release it on Blu-ray, and best of all, the new release will include most of the original music in the episodes, which was lacking in the original Universal releases. The releases will arrive on February 7. TVShowsOnDVD.com has more on this.
• Mill Creek has also announced that they'll be re-releasing 227 - The Complete First Season on February 7, though there do not seem to be any plans for releasing any of the remaining four seasons at the moment.

FOLLOW ME

COZI TV's 3rd Annual Holidozi Schedule; Girls Returns for One Last Time, While New Series Premieres

Cozi TV's 2nd Annual Holidozi; The CW Moves Thursday Lineup to Fridays in Mid-Season 2016

COZI TV Adds My Favorite Martian and Brings in Antonio Fargas; ABC Schedules New Summer Drama The Astronaut Wives Club

TV One's Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve Marathons; G4 Now Has Quantum Leap On The Schedule

Fox Upfront 2009-10: Fall 2009 Schedule; ER Returns to ION June 29

Your first look at Fox's official line-up!

Fox 2009-10

Fall 2009

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun/Animated Repeats
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM The Cleveland Show (NEW!)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad!

Mondays
8:00PM House
9:00PM Lie to Me

Tuesdays
8:00PM So You Think You Can Dance

Wednesdays
8:00PM So You Think You Can Dance Results
9:00PM Glee (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM Fringe

Fridays
8:00PM Brothers (NEW!)
8:30PM 'Til Death
9:00PM Dollhouse

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted


January / Spring 2010:

Sundays
7:00PM Repeats
7:30PM American Dad
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Sons of Tucson (NEW!)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM The Cleveland Show

Mondays
8:00PM House
9:00PM 24

Tuesdays
8:00PM American Idol
9:00PM Past Life (NEW!)

Wednesdays
8:00PM American Idol Results Show
9:00PM Human Target (NEW!) / Glee (spring)

Thursdays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM Fringe

Fridays
8:00PM Brothers (NEW!)
8:30PM 'Til Death
9:00PM Dollhouse

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

NOTES: For fall, Fox has ordered one new drama, one new comedy, and one new animated comedy, with a fall version of summer hit So You Think You Can Dance. For midseason, Fox has ordered two new dramas and one new comedy.
The new event drama, Human Target (Wednesdays at 9 in January), will premiere with a special preview Sunday, Jan. 17 at approx. 8:00 PM ET/PT following the NFC Divisional Playoff game. 24 will also launch its season that night from approx. 9-11PM ET/PT.
On Saturday, Nov. 7 from 11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT, Wanda Sykes returns to Fox to host The Wanda Sykes Show (working title). And at 12 midnight ET, for a half-hour each Saturday night will see an animated comedy encore from "Animation Domination."
On the shelf but not scheduled yet is a second year of Kitchen Nightmares.
More coming...

Discuss Fox's 2009-10 line-up. You'll find the official press release there, too...with more detailed information.


Back to some other news of the day, ION Television will bring back reruns of ER starting Monday, June 29. The series has been on and off the schedule because of low ratings. Now ION will give it another shot, airing it weekdays at 5PM replacing an hour of M*A*S*H, which moves to the 4pm hour now replacing drama Quantum Leap. Quantum Leap will now be off the schedule. No other changes will be made, as of now, starting June 29...so this is a preview of their July schedule. We are not sure if any other changes are being made in July, but we will let you know in our official July write-up very soon. ER last aired in March and April on Monday nights at 8pm.
We won't have as many news stories this week due to the upfronts, but we'll try to have something different as a secondary story each day. Tomorrow could be hard since we have two announcements (ABC and CBS). We have some WGN America and Sci Fi schedule news we want to share with you later this week...so come on back for that and of course network fall schedules! Fun week!!

ION Television May 2009 Adds Reba; Nick at Nite Ratings Climb; Charles in Charge on NBC.com

As I hinted yesterday, ION Television has acquired a sitcom! They will start this sitcom on Monday, April 27! That date will mark the start of the ION Television May 2009 lineup! And the sitcom is...Reba! The WB/The CW 2001-2007 Reba McEntire sitcom joins the ION Television line-up on Monday, April 27 airing weeknights at 7:00pm & 7:30pm. It will also air Monday nights and Friday nights at 8:00pm & 8:30pm. And whenever a movie airs during weekdays in primetime (such as the weekly Thursday slot) and starts at 8:30pm or 9pm, Reba will air leading into it. The sitcom is distributed by 20th Century Fox. Reba also airs on cable on Lifetime TV as well, but ION Television is considered a broadcast station. Reba hasn't aired on broadcast stations since it aired on The CW Daytime. It will be weird because from Tues-Fri, Lifetime also airs Reba in the 7pm hour. That is very strange ION decided to air it at the same time! Did they not realize? Sound off on this on our Twitter page!
The addition of Reba, will cause some shifting. The Drew Carey Show has been removed, as Quantum Leap, M*A*S*H, and Family Feud move back an hour each from 4pm-7pm to make room for Reba at 7:00pm & 7:30pm. ER has also been removed, as Reba will take over Mondays in the 8pm hour as well. Also, after the weekend of May 2-3, starting May 9, RHI Entertainment movies and miniseries will no longer air! We're not sure yet if this is the last of the RHI programming, since the deal expires soon, but the last scheduled programming is May 2-3 with the four-part, eight-hour miniseries Lonesome Dove. Big screen movies will replace RHI the following weekend, May 9-10.
Among the big screen movie premieres this month are American President, Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3, The Hunt for Red October, Presumed Innocent, The Mask, Angel Eyes, and The Fugitive! The big screen movie encores this month are Octopussy and Rocky IV.
View the complete schedule and highlights for ION Television May 2009!
Stay tuned tomorrow as we announce what sitcom is joining Lifetime in May. And I promise you, it isn't something airing elsewhere! We will also have our review of upcoming new sitcom for ABC starring Bob Saget called Surviving Suburbia tomorrow on the blog. Big Friday!

Nick at Nite scored its most-watched quarter ever in first quarter 2009 (Nielsen Media Research 12/29/08-3/29/09) with Adults 18-49 and Men 18-49. Driven by hit family programming like George Lopez, Nick at Nite produced double-digit gains among A18-49 and W18-49 this quarter, and has delivered 16 consecutive months of year-over-year growth in delivery. Nick at Nite closes the first quarter of 2009 as the number-one cable network with W18-49 in total day, and the number-two network with A18-49.
The first quarter for 2009 marked Nick at Nite's most-watched quarter ever with A18-49 and M18-49, averaging a 0.6 rating (690,000 viewers) among A18-49 (up 20%) and a 0.4 rating (254,000 viewers) among M18-49. Nick at Nite ranks as the number-one basic cable network for W18-49 in total day for the first quarter of 2009, averaging a 0.8 rating (436,000 viewers) among W18-49, up 14% over last year. The network is number two in total day with A18-49 in the quarter as well. The network delivered 1.5 million total viewers on average, up 5% in viewers over the same time last year. In primetime, Nick at Nite averaged a 0.7 overall rating and 1.7 million total viewers for the quarter. George Lopez is the network's highest-rated program and has experienced growth of 40% in rating since its launch in September 2007. George Lopez averaged a 0.7 A18-49 rating and 791,000 viewers among A18-49 in the first quarter of 2009. "Whappppah!" "I got this," indeed George!

For fans of Charles in Charge (and Scott Baio), the first season of the popular sitcom (with an amazing theme song) from 1984-85 is now available for enjoyment on NBC.com at any time! You can see the first season in its entirety featuring all 23 episodes. Charles in Charge has been added in the vintage section called "Video Rewind" joining other vintage series such as The A-Team, Simon & Simon, Alfred Hitchcok Hour, and Emergency! Charles in Charge is the first vintage sitcom to be added in the Video Rewind, though! Hopefully we get more Universal-owned sitcoms added to Video Rewind soon such as Amen, Out of this World, Still the Beaver, Harry and the Hendersons, and Bachelor Father. Those would be great because they are not on DVD, while Charles in Charge is. Even though they are on DVD, Gimme a Break and Kate & Allie would be good to have on here, too.

ION Television January 2009 Sees Returns of Drew Carey and Quantum Leap; Nick at Nite Scores in 2008

ION Television will returns a few series this January 2009, while dropping one and reducing another. But first the series that will be dropped will get more plays the first few weeks of January. For the weeks of December 29 and January 5, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper will air in the weekdays at 4-5pm hour replacing M*A*S*H. M*A*S*H will remain in the 6-7pm hour on Saturdays and Sundays. Cooper will also still air in its Mon-Thurs 6-7pm hour the week of December 29 but for the week of January 5, those airings will be moved to 5-6pm, as The Steve Harvey Show moves to the Mon-Thurs 6-7pm hour. Then effective the following week, January 12, both hours of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper will be replaced by the sitcom The Drew Carey Show (weekdays 4-5pm) and sci-fi drama Quantum Leap (Mon-Wed 5pm), as both series return to the line-up, while. Mr. Cooper is leaving the line-up totally for now. Also, on Thursdays starting Jan. 8 from 5-8pm will now be encores of theatrical movies leading into Total Theatre Thursday at 8pm. This is in addition to the encores on Fridays from 5-7pm. So, the regular series airing from 5-8pm will only be Mon-Wed, but 4-5pm (Drew Carey) gets five days a week.
In primetime, NCIS and Boston Legal will still rule, but a few minor changes will occur. Effective week of Jan. 5, NCIS will now air for the full night on Mondays from 8-11pm, while Boston Legal will now air for the full nights on Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 8-11pm. This is a better way to remember when these shows are on, as previously NCIS was on Mondays 9-11pm and Tuesdays 9pm, while Boston Legal was on Mon-Wed 8pm, Tuesday at 10, Wednesdays 9-11pm...confusing, now it is much easier. Of course Thursdays will be the theatrical movie in primetime and Fri-Sun in primetime it is the RHI film.
As for those movies, the theatrical ones will be James Bond themed for the most part in the month as we see classic '80s Bond flicks For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View to Kill (1985) on Thursdays in primetime, with a Bond week of these three films airing in primetime from Jan. 27-29. On New Year's Day we get the theatrical movie Double Impact (1991) in primetime on Thursday. Thursday and Friday early evening airings (Thursdays 5-8pm, Fridays 5-7p) include those movies above encores, Matchstick Men, Major League: Back To The Minors, and Sphere.
As for RHI Entertainment, some first time airings will air such as To Dance with Olivia, National Lampoon's Attack Of The 5'2" Women, Final Days of Planet Earth, and Human Trafficking. ION will also premiere the world premiere event for the miniseries The Diplomat on Saturday, January 24.
View complete details on ION Television January 2009.

Nick at Nite is total day's number-one basic cable network in 2008 with Adult 18-49 delivery. Marking its most-watched year in four years with A18-49, Nick at Nite placed second overall only to sister-channel Nickelodeon for the year with total viewers. The network posted 11 consecutive months (January - November 2008) of double-digit growth this year with both A18-49 and total viewers.
Nick at Nite is ranked number one with Adults 18-49 for 2008 in total day, according to Nielsen Media Research (12/31/07-12/14/08)--averaging a 0.6 rating (655,000 viewers 18-49) A18-49 (up 20% in rating over last year), and marking its most-watched year in four years with A18-49.
BOTH men and women watch. Among Men 18-49, Nick at Nite is cable's fastest-growing cable entertainment network, averaging a 0.4 rating (245,000 viewers) M18-49 (up 33% in rating) -- its most-watched year ever. Nick at Nite was the number-one ranked network with Women 18-49 for the fifth straight year in total day, averaging a 0.7 rating (410,000 viewers) W18-49 (up 17%).
In prime time, Nick at Nite averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.7 million total viewers--up 40% over last year (Nick at Nite airs 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT in primetime with Home Improvement and George Lopez hours).
Driven by family comedies and new original hits such as George Lopez, Family Matters, Home Improvement, and Gym Teacher: The Movie, Nick at Nite's programming highlights include:
* George Lopez (airs regularly at 10 p.m. [all times ET/PT]) averaged a 0.6 rating (716,000 viewers 18-49) with A18-49 (10 p.m.) for the year, up 50% over last year's like time period. The series also encores at 1 a.m. and does even better.
* Family Matters (airs regularly at 11 p.m.) averaged a 0.7 rating (753,000 viewers 18-49) with A18-49 in 2008, up 40%.
* Home Improvement (airs regularly at 9 p.m.) averaged a 0.4 rating (450,000 viewers 18-49) A18-49, up 33% over last year. The series also airs at 12 a.m. and does even better.
* Gym Teacher, a Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite original TV family movie (premiered Friday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m.) was the number-one telecast on broadcast and basic cable television for the night with kids 2-11, earning a 4.6 kids 2-11 rating and 1.6 million kids 2-11 viewers, up 59% over last year. Gym Teacher: The Movie drew 3.0 million total viewers (up 73%).
Stay tuned tomorrow for highlights and insight for Nick at Nite January 2009!

ION Fall 2008 Schedule, Dead Zone and Mr. Cooper Also Join; ABC Family Upfront

Yesterday we gave you some details on ION Television's upfront, with the announcement of ER coming in June. Later in the evening ION sent us the full details of their acquisitions and plans for Fall 2008.
ION Television solidified its evolution into a popular, general entertainment network aimed at the 25-54 demographic. At its 2008 sales presentation to the advertising community, held at the New York Public Library in New York City, the Upfront highlighted ION Television's exciting, contemporary programming initiatives for the 2008-2009 television season and promised strong partnerships for advertisers in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace.
ION Television's new campaign is called the "Positively Entertaining" network branding, showcasing a powerful new primetime lineup and the expansion of the network's programming block to 4 p.m.
This Fall, viewers will see a great new lineup of top shows during the week and on weekends. RHI Entertainment, ION Television's exclusive partner in weekend primetime programming, will deliver 12 original movies, including three Westerns, during the 2008-2009 season. RHI's high-caliber content has brought impressive ratings returns, demonstrating how well the ION platform does with quality programming. The award-winning producer and distributor of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television will continue to provide original programming, as well as quality library titles.
We mentioned in the past and recent days, that ION has acquired Boston Legal & M*A*S*H for this fall, ER starts next month and Criminal Minds & Ghost Whisperer for Fall 2009, but now ION has given more announcements for more series!
USA Network's original series, The Dead Zone, a science fiction/suspense series from Debmar-Mercury, will appear on ION Television's Fall primetime schedule airing Thursday nights. The hit drama stars Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, a man who awakens from a six-year coma to discover that he has psychic abilities.
Through a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, the hit sitcom, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, will be on the ION Television Fall lineup airing weekdays. Mark Curry plays Mr. Mark Cooper, a single teacher and basketball coach at a high school in Oakland, California. The cast also includes Raven-Symoné, Holly Robinson Peete, Nell Carter, Omar Gooding and more.
ION clearly said at their upfront, that they are not "the Mama's Family channel" anymore and thus the show will be off the line-up by the fall, as of now. That is not to say it won't ever return, but as of now, they are trying to move forward. Recently introduced shows such as The Drew Carey Show, Quantum Leap, Family Feud and The Steve Harvey Show will remain on the network in the Fall.

The following is an outline of ION's Fall 2008 schedule, but could change, so it is not set in stone:

Mondays-Fridays
4:00PM The Steve Harvey Show
4:30PM The Steve Harvey Show
5:00PM Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
5:30PM Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
6:00PM The Drew Carey Show
6:30PM M*A*S*H

Mondays-Thursdays
7:00PM Family Feud
7:30PM Family Feud
8:00PM Quantum Leap

Mondays-Wednesdays
9:00PM Boston Legal
10:00PM ER

Thursdays
9:00PM The Dead Zone
10:00PM The Dead Zone

Fridays-Sundays
7:00PM-11:00PM RHI Entertainment on ION

6:00PM (and if any other slots on weekends are added) weekends will be known closer to the Fall.
We will have an interview with ION very soon (if all goes well), and will try to answer everything in our on going "Seven Questions With..." series. So stay tuned!

Moving on to another upfront, ABC Family also had their upfront yesterday! They outlined ABC Family's plans for Summer and Fall of 2008. Scheduled to debut this summer are new original drama series including The Middleman (Monday, June 16) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager (Tuesday, July 1). In addition to the summer series, ABC Family will premiere Samurai Girl, a special event premiering with six hours over three nights this Fall (September 5, 6, 7) and has ordered a third season of Lincoln Heights (Fall 2008), a second season of Greek (Fall 2008), and a third season of Kyle XY (January 2009). The 11th annual 25 Days of Christmas event will feature an original movie and special as well as the basic cable premieres of The Chronicles of Narnia and Cars.
Rerun wise, joining the successful line-up of acquired series, including America's Funniest Home Videos, What I Like About You, 8 Simple Rules and Gilmore Girls will be the newly acquired sitcoms That '70s Show premiering this June and My Wife and Kids premiering this September. We gave you news on both of these already, though.
New ABC Family original movies include The Circuit starring Michelle Trachtenberg on Sunday, June 8 and Picture This starring Ashley Tisdale on Sunday, July 13. In addition, ABC Family presents the new original movie Snow 2: Brain Freeze starring Tom Cavanaugh and Ashley Williams, the sequel to the highly successful Snow during the 25 Days of Christmas.
In the works for 2009 are an original sitcom and a half-hour dramedy. Roommates, the network's first foray into a half-hour sitcom, will premiere with thirteen episodes in 2009. Roommates is about a group of friends trying to figure out love and life in their post-collegiate years. The ensemble cast includes, Tyler Francavilla, Dorian Brown, Tommy Dewey, David Weidoff and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister).
Sophie, an all new original half-hour series will also premiere in 2009 with thirteen episodes also. Sophie is a heartwarming and comedic tale of a lovely young woman having the worst year of her life. The cast includes Natalie Brown, Sebastian Spence, Jeff Geddis, Amy Lalonde, Mimi Kuzyk, Sara Botsford, Chantelle Chung and Catherine Bérubé.
For more details on ABC Family's Upfront highlights, I suggest you click HERE! You can also discuss the new there. We should have ABC Family's June schedule in the coming days so you will know when That '70s Show will be airing!

Stay tuned next week as we preview the broadcast network upfronts, in our annual preview. We will let you know what we think ABC, The CW, CBS and Fox will do (NBC has already announced their fall schedule, so we can't preview them) for the fall.
Upfront week is week of May 12, starting with NBC, but they already announced their 2008-09 schedules.

Family Matters Nick at Nite Launch Delayed; ION Officially Announces April Expansion

You saw the commercials stating that 90s sitcom Family Matters was coming to Nick at Nite in April a few weeks ago, but now that is not happening. We reported this a few weeks back, but Nick at Nite has decided to delay the launch for a better launching pad. The current schedule that is airing currently will continue to air until further notice. They have not announced yet when Family Matters will join the line-up, but we first reported March, then we reported June and then it was reported for April...so it keeps changing. We will not say any other dates until it is official now...but if I were to guess when it is coming, June would be a good guess, since the summer would be an ideal time to launch Family Matters. I don't think any promos have been seen lately?
So, I just wanted to let you all know since I have seen a ton of Google searches for Family Matters coming to Nick at Nite being redirected to our blog, so I owe it you all to let you know it has been delayed, BUT it IS coming, I can tell you that. We will report when Urkel and the gang are coming when it is official now, so we don't cause more confusion.

ION Television has officially announced their April programming expansion. We gave you all the details a week or two ago, but we haven't mentioned this on the blog, but the Thursday night slot from 8-10pm which was to be determined, will be a weekly block called "Total Theatre Thursday." Here is ION's announcement:
ION Media Networks, Inc. today announced an expanded entertainment schedule on ION Television beginning April 7th. Three new series – The Steve Harvey Show, Family Feud and Quantum Leap – along with a selection of blockbuster films will join the lineup, extending the schedule by an additional hour of entertainment programming from 5 to 6 p.m.
On Thursday nights, powered by deals with studios such as Warner Bros, ION Television will launch "Total Theatre Thursday" over the summer, an array of hit motion pictures like Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, Risky Business and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. These blockbuster Hollywood movies feature some of the biggest stars of the industry, including Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson.
With the addition of these three new series and big screen favorites, beginning April 7th, ION Television’s lineup will be: The Wayans Brothers from 5 to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri, The Steve Harvey Show from 6 to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri, Family Feud from 7 to 8 p.m. Mon-Thurs, Mama's Family from 8 to 9 p.m. Mon-Wed, Quantum Leap from 9 to 10 p.m. Mon-Wed, The Drew Carey Show from 10 to 11 p.m. Mon-Wed and "Total Theatre Thursday" from 8 to 11 p.m. Thursdays. Baywatch will now be seen at 6 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
View the entire press release.

ION's upfront is slated for May 1. We will try to do an interview with them (part of our ongoing 7 Questions feature) shortly after that. So keep your fringers crossed!