SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

REELZ Remembers Matthew Perry; Leo Reich Comedy Special on HBO This December

REELZ is doing a Remembering Matthew Perry stunt the next few weeks. Sunday, November 5 it is Friends: Behind Closed Doors at 9pm ET/ PT. Sunday, November 19 REELZ begins airing the mini-series The Kennedys: After Camelot with Part 1 "Family Bonds" at 8am ET/ 5am PT and The Kennedys: After Camelot Part 2 "New Beginnings" at 10am ET/ 7am PT. And on Tuesday, November 21 it encores again: The Kennedys: After Camelot Part 1 "Family Bonds" at 7am ET/ 4am PT and The Kennedys: After Camelot Part 2 "New Beginnings" at 9am ET/ 6am PT.

Friends: Behind Closed Doors celebrates the hit sitcom in which Perry portrayed the beloved Chandler Bing. Friends: Behind Closed Doors is an inside look at how the legendary sitcom came together from its elusive cast chemistry and brilliant writing to its relatable premises and memorable characters, see how Friends became a global and cultural phenomenon. Viewers will see incredible behind-the-scenes footage of auditions featuring several now known actors who didn't make the cut as well as archive interviews with the cast including Perry. Interviews also include the first-hand accounts from series creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane as well as fellow cast members Jane Sibbett, Denise Richards and Christina Pickles.

The Kennedys: After Camelot stars Katie Holmes reprising her role as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Matthew Perry starring as Ted Kennedy. The Kennedys: After Camelot miniseries is based on the New York Times best seller, "After Camelot: Personal History of the Kennedy Family 1968 to the Present" by best-selling author and biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli. Jon Cassar (The Kennedys) and Katie Holmes directed from scripts by Stephen Kronish (The Kennedys) and Sandra Chwialkowska (Lost Girl). The miniseries covers the years from 1968 to 1999 and uses public events as a background to tell the intimate story of this iconic family as it struggles to come to terms with what Jackie Kennedy Onassis herself called ‘the end of Camelot.’ From the tumultuous events of 1968 after the assassination of Robert Kennedy to the marriage of Jackie to Aristotle Onassis and the tragedy of Chappaquiddick, The Kennedys: After Camelot follows the family and shows the great personal price paid to live up to the Kennedy family political ambition.

Leo Reich's first solo stand-up comedy special Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! debuts this December on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. Following rave reviews at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an Off-Broadway run, the special from A24 taped at EartH in London this fall. Hot. Young. Cool. Fresh. Ripped. Hilarious. Groundbreaking. Avant-garde. These are just some of the words that comedian and writer Leo Reich uses to describe himself. In his first HBO comedy special, this self-diagnosed important young mind faces the swirling uncertainty of our collective future, asking the big questions, such as: “Is this helping?", “Am I hot?”, and "No offense guys but literally what is going on?" Treading the line between hilarious stand-up and humorless performance art, Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! blends songs, anecdotes, and anxious non-sequiturs in a valiant attempt to raise awareness about important social and political causes… or something.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Friends, HBO, Max, REELZ Channel

New Elizabeth Montgomery REELZ Special; Apple TV+ Renews The Big Door Prize

Elizabeth Montgomery: A Bewitched Life premieres on Sunday, April 16 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT on REELZ. Among the most enduring TV sitcoms of all time Bewitched remains treasured nearly 60 years after its debut. The star of the series Elizabeth Montgomery was a complex and strong-willed woman whose life and career became an ongoing quest for love and recognition she never received from her movie star father. Bewitched was one of the biggest hits on TV during the turbulent 1960s as the playful magic on the series served as an escape from the era’s unrest that included the JFK assassination and the Vietnam War. But despite being a comedy that brought laughter to millions it was the drama on set that began to curse the show as infidelities entangled series director Bill Asher who at the time was married to Montgomery. The slight led Montgomery herself to have an affair with another Bewitched director. Piling onto the off screen drama was a wider shift within the TV landscape as audiences were leaving fantasy hijinks behind in favor of the edgier storytelling seen in All in the Family. Following Bewitched, Montgomery unexpectedly received another wave of fame becoming the small screen's first "Queen of the TV movies" with groundbreaking movies including A Case of Rape and The Legend of Lizzie Borden. She eventually marries a fourth and final time to actor Robert Foxworth and dies at just 62 years old from colon cancer. But like Lucille Ball before her Montgomery becomes an influential Hollywood female powerhouse and trailblazer who continues to bewitch millions of TV viewers around the world.

Apple TV+ renews acclaimed comedy The Big Door Prize starring Chris O'Dowd and hailing from Emmy Award-winning creator David West Read. On the heels of last week's critically acclaimed and celebrated global premiere of The Big Door Prize, Apple TV+ today announced an early season two renewal for the new character driven comedy from Emmy Award-winning creator David West Read. Starring an ensemble cast led by Chris O'Dowd, the 10-episode half-hour comedy is now streaming on Apple TV+, and new episodes of The Big Door Prize premiere weekly, every Wednesday. Produced by Skydance Television, the second season of The Big Door Prize is now in production.

The Big Door Prize tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident's true life potential. Dusty Hubbard (O'Dowd), a seemingly content, cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions - based on the machine's printouts - and is forced to question whether he is truly as happy as he once thought. While he remains skeptical of the machine, his wife, Cass (Gabrielle Dennis), indulges in the dream that there's something bigger out there for her. Like many of Deerfield's residents, the couple has lived a relatively safe, uncomplicated life, until the arrival of the Morpho machine. However, all of that is about to change when the community is forced to reconcile with their unfulfilled achievements in pursuit of a better future. In addition to O'Dowd, the series stars includes Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Djouliet Amara and Sammy Fourlas.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Apple TV+, Bewitched, REELZ Channel, The Big Door Prize

SitcomsOnline Digest: Rachael Ray to End After 17 Seasons; Fox Renews Krapopolis for Third Season

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's not a very busy news week, but we have (even more) news about the changing landscape of daytime television, a third season renewal for a series that hasn't even started, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

• Continuing on on-going theme of how daytime TV is completely changing, Rachael Ray is also coming to an end at the end of this season after 17 seasons (it's hard to believe it has been that long), but it is also significant because her show was the last surviving spinoff of The Oprah Winfrey Show on daytime TV. (Variety)
• In perhaps the most bizarre renewal ever, Fox is giving a third season to Krapopolis, a series that has yet to see a single episode air, because they feel it might be the next Simpsons or Family Guy based upon "gut instict." (Deadline)
• The Thundermans is returning to Nickelodeon. (Deadline)
• Bebe Neuwirth will reprise her role of Lillith on the Frasier reboot. (Deadline)
• Some programs will be excluded due to rights restrictions, but Reelz (the linear channel, not just on demand offerings) is being added to Peacock. (Hollywood Reporter)
• A new Chuck Lorre show is headed to HBO Max, unless it gets canceled before it even airs as many HBO Max series do. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (MARCH 4 - MARCH 10)

• Decades has a Peter Gunn binge this weekend.
• There is a new season of The Voice on NBC on Monday.
• The second season of Perry Mason arrives Monday on HBO.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Frasier, How to Be a Bookie, Krapopolis, REELZ Channel, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Thundermans

Reelz Celebrates 50th Anniversary of M*A*S*H with New Special; HBO Renews Curb Your Enthusiasm for Season 12

REELZ announced a new original special M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Korean War themed comedy drama that premiered on September 17, 1972 and ran for 11 seasons that would become a beloved television juggernaut culminating in more than 106 million people tuning in for the series finale in 1983—a record that still stands today. Through new exclusive interviews with cast members Jamie Farr (Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger), Mike Farrell (Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt) and Jeff Maxwell (Pvt. Igor Straminsky) along with producers and writers the special explores the brilliant series that lasted four times longer than the war it was set in and its delicate straddling of the line between comedy and drama at a time when evening news about the Vietnam War was beaming to television sets every night across America.

M*A*S*H also had many creative firsts never before seen in television dramas which included killing off a main character and weaving together multiple storylines in a single episode. M*A*S*H also broke barriers in television taking bold risks tackling issues of racism, gays in the military and anti-war sentiment. But what viewers didn't see on screen were the struggles that left the show hanging by a thread on more than one occasion including its lukewarm reception by audiences to its first season that almost led to its cancellation. M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever premieres Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT.

In M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever cast and crew reveal their battles with network executives to keep the show alive, their first days on set, favorite episodes, what they think made the show a mega hit and why it endures today. The special also retraces the franchise history including its source material the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors and the Academy Award® winning movie M*A*S*H starring Elliott Gould who in a new interview shares the story of how he won the coveted role of Capt. John Francis Xavier "Trapper John" McIntyre. Series executive producer Burt Metcalfe and writers Ken Levine and Gary Markowitz discuss stylistic firsts in the series that were considered risky at the time with episodes shot in different perspectives including a soldier's point of view after being wounded and becoming a patient inside the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and a black and white documentary style episode complete with real life war correspondent Clete Roberts interviewing M*A*S*H characters. And in true M*A*S*H fashion real events would find their way into key storylines after a fire tore through the Malibu set before production wrapped on the monumental series finale. The two hour series finale was expanded by another 30 minutes after it was decided to weave in stories about the fire much to the satisfaction of network executives who sold 30 second commercial spots in the series finale for the same price as those in the Super Bowl that year. M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever is produced by AMS Pictures.

HBO has renewed the Emmy® and Golden Globe-winning comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring Larry David, for a twelfth season. Originally debuting on HBO in 2001 and with 110 completed episodes to date, Curb Your Enthusiasm stars Seinfeld co-creator David as an over-the-top version of himself in an unsparing but tongue-in-cheek depiction of his fictionalized life. The series also stars Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Cheryl Hines, Richard Lewis, Vince Vaughn, and Ted Danson. The comedy series continues to prove how seemingly trivial details of one's day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events. To keep the narrative spontaneous, the series is shot without a script and cast members are given scene outlines and improvise lines as they go.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, M*A*S*H, REELZ Channel, ReelzChannel

REELZ Announces Three's Company, Cheers, Star Trek Unknown Story Episodes; Lifetime Expands Partnership with Melissa Joan Hart

REELZ announced its March 2022 lineup with new originals premiering every week. Among the new originals in March are stories about the power and popularity of movie franchises The Fast and the Furious, Jurassic Park, The Karate Kid and Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as proven pop culture hit TV shows Three's Company, Cheers and Star Trek. The March 2022 lineup begins Saturday, March 5 with Three's Company: The Unknown Story at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT followed by Cheers: The Unknown Story at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT celebrating two iconic sitcoms with stars and storylines audiences loved. Telling the stories of Three's Company from cast conflicts to memorable days on set is Richard Kline whose character Larry Dallas was best friends with Jack Tripper played brilliantly by the beloved John Ritter. In Cheers: The Unknown Story see the incredible journey of the show that stumbled out of the gate with low viewership only to become a TV juggernaut with more than 80 million people tuning in for the series finale. From the bombshell departure of a main character at the height of the show's success to assembling the cast of future stars including Kirstie Alley, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson and Ted Danson hear from the multiple Emmy Award® winning creators who helped make Cheers a beloved sitcom. And finally on the TV series side, before a few daring Americans had taken one small step on the moon TV audiences had already been enjoying a giant leap in outer space through the groundbreaking show Star Trek. On Saturday, March 12 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT Star Trek: The Unknown Story explores the series that sparked a pop culture phenomenon that led to multiple movies and TV shows while creating a new type of super fandom in self-described "Trekkies." While fervent fans certainly help drive the success of a show or celebrity that relationship can become toxic and treacherous when lines are crossed and power is abused.

Lifetime announced a multi-year deal with Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Melissa & Joey, Clarissa Explains it All) to star in, direct, and executive produce several movies for the network. Hart will also star in the newly greenlight movie Dirty Little Secret (working title), as a mother hiding her extreme hoarding tendencies that are destroying her family, for the network's Ripped From The Headlines summer slate. As part of the new deal, Hart will continue her legacy with the network's It's a Wonderful Lifetime holiday movie slate as the star and executive producer of new movies for 2022 and 2023. Hart has starred in six holiday films for Lifetime including Mistletoe in Montana, Dear Christmas, and A Very Merry Toy Store. In addition, she has executive produced eight films with her production company Hartbreak Films, most recently Christmas in Tune starring Reba McEntire. Hart will also direct one picture for the network, which will join her previously directed Lifetime films, The Santa Con and Feliz NaviDAD, starring Mario Lopez, and The Watcher in the Woods remake starring Anjelica Houston.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Cheers, John Ritter, Lifetime, Melissa and Joey, REELZ Channel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Star Trek, Three's Company

REELZ Announces I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island Unknown Story Specials; The Proud Family Revival Premieres Feb. 23 on Disney+

REELZ announced its February 2022 lineup with new original stories every weekend of the month about towering rockers Jon Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper and KISS stars Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, the hits that made Whitesnake, the band breakups of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and looks at beloved shows I Love Lucy and Gilligan's Island. February 2022 premieres are anchored by the previously announced original documentary America's Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List. On Saturday, February 26 it's the premiere of The Unknown Story new original specials with back-to-back stories about the legendary sitcoms I Love Lucy and Gilligan's Island revealing the brilliant talent and timeless comedy that made both shows popular for generations of fans. First at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT it's I Love Lucy: The Unknown Story about the six seasons of unforgettable moments that made this TV show a massive hit with stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz reinventing television along the way to create a show that is still adored and imitated decades later. Then at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT it's Gilligan's Island: The Unknown Story with the incredible story of how exactly a show about seven shipwrecked castaways that no network wanted to air became one of the most recognizable TV shows in the world. And when Gilligan's Island came to an abrupt end find out why that was both a blessing and curse to its stars and how passionate fandom played a role in changing the fates of the castaways.

Disney+ announced the February 23 premiere date for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, the highly-anticipated revival of the groundbreaking Disney Channel series, The Proud Family. Featuring an all-star celebrity cast, new episodes will debut Wednesdays on the streaming platform. Lauded television and film composer, songwriter and producer Kurt Farquhar, who wrote and composed The Proud Family theme song, returns as series songwriter and composer for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Preserving the lyrics and melody of the iconic and beloved original theme song, Farquhar reimagined a contemporary version for the revival, performed by rising R&B star Joyce Wrice.

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder will pick up the story of its central character, Penny Proud, and include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be "The Proud Family" without Penny's loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others. Cast members reprising their roles from the original series are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer, Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez, Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi, Raquel Lee Bolleau as Nubia Gross, Marcus T. Paulk as Myron, Aldis Hodge as Frankie, Aries Spears as Wizard Kelly, Cree Summer as Peabo, Patricia Belcher as Principal Hightower and Kevin Michael Richardson as Dr. Payne.

Recurring new voices are: Keke Palmer as Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto as Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, rapper Artist "A Boogie" Dubose as Francis "KG" Leibowitz-Jenkins, EJ Johnson as Michael Collins, Asante Blackk as Kareem, Bresha Webb as CeCe, and Aiden Dodson as BeBe. Guest cast includes: Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Chance the Rapper, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr, Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Debbie Allen, James Pickens Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Jane Lynch, Marsai Martin, Jaden Smith, Glynn Turman, Lamorne Morris, Brenda Song, Tina Knowles, Eva Longoria, Holly Robinson Peete, Al Roker, Bretman Rock, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Dominique Dawes, Daniel "Desus Nice" Baker, D.C. Young Fly, Kid Capri, Art Evans, Arturo Castro, Ashton Sanders, Dominique Fishback, Jeremy O. Harris, Karrie Martin, Logan Browning and Princess Nokia.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: Disney+, Gilligan's Island, I Love Lucy, REELZ Channel, ReelzChannel, The Proud Family

CBS Announces More Fall Premieres; REELZ Books Jennifer Aniston Special

CBS announced November primetime premiere dates for five more scripted series. The four dramas and one comedy span time periods on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Additional premiere dates will be announced shortly. The returning shows include drama FBI and spin-off FBI: Most Wanted on Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 9-11pm; Monday 10pm drama Bull on Nov. 16; drama Seal Team on Wednesday, Nov. 25; and the comedy The Unicorn on Thursday, Nov. 12. These programs join the previously announced upcoming season premieres of NCIS, Young Sheldon, Mom, The Neighborhood, Bob ♥ Abishola, All Rise, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans and S.W.A.T., as well as 60 Minutes, 48 Hours and The Amazing Race, which have already debuted. Stay tuned for premiere dates for Evil, the entire Friday night lineup of MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods, and new drama The Equalizer.

This November, REELZ is premiering an all-new special! Jennifer Aniston: More Than Friends premieres on Tuesday, November 24 at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT. She's an award winning sitcom star, movie star, producer and philanthropist. There are many levels to global superstar actress Jennifer Aniston who became a fan favorite on the 10-season hit TV series Friends before transitioning her career to star in successful movies and returning to TV on a popular streaming service (The Morning Show on Apple TV+). But the road to success did not come without challenges. Learn about her four failed TV series that preceded Friends. Explore her inner struggle to find lasting love with facing very public divorces from Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux. Aniston radiates a vulnerable warmth both on and off screen that keeps her fans loyal her popularity ever present as evident by her record setting introduction to Instagram in 2019 as the fastest person to amass 1 million followers. Jennifer Aniston: More Than Friends is co-produced by Legacy Distribution & EntertainMe.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Labels: CBS, Friends, REELZ Channel, The Unicorn