SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

ABC and BBC Studios' Los Angeles production arm announced that after 28 seasons, Tom Bergeron will exit Dancing with the Stars, with Erin Andrews also departing. Supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks will be welcomed into the ballroom as the show's new host and executive producer. In collaboration with the show's executive producer/showrunner, Andrew Llinares, Banks will bring her energy and inspiration to the creative refresh the team is planning while honoring the show America loves. Dancing with the Stars is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts. The series averaged 9.1 million Total Viewers last season after 35 days of viewing across linear and digital platforms. The new season will premiere on Monday nights sometime this Fall on ABC. ABC has not announced Fall premiere dates yet.

CBS announced a revised Wednesday lineup for its fall 2020 schedule. The multiple Emmy Award-winning The Amazing Race hosted by Phil Keoghan will slide from 9:00 PM to open the night at 8:00 PM, followed by the fourth-season return of military drama SEAL Team, starring David Boreanaz, which moves up an hour to 9:00 PM. At 10:00 PM, the fourth season of S.W.A.T., starring Shemar Moore, joins the fall schedule after originally being planned for later in the season. Producers for Survivor, the Network's perennial Wednesday 8:00 PM series, are continuing to work with officials in Fiji on the appropriate time to start production on its next edition, with health and safety matters the top priority for everyone involved. Additional information about production starts and premiere dates for all the series will be announced at a later date. 

CBS announced season finale dates for its primetime comedies, dramas and unscripted series, including the one-hour series finale of The Big Bang Theory on Thursday, May 16 from 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT. Without further adieu, here are the finale dates:

Monday, April 1
9:00-10:00 PM Magnum P.I. (1st Season Finale)

Thursday, April 11
9:30-10:00 PM Fam (1st Season Finale)

Sunday, April 14
8:00-9:00 PM God Friended Me (1st Season Finale)

Sunday, April 21
10:00-11:00 PM Madam Secretary (5th Season Finale)

Monday, April 22
8:00-8:30 PM The Neighborhood (1st Season Finale)

Monday, May 6
8:30-9:00 PM Man with a Plan (3rd Season Finale)

Thursday, May 9
9:00-9:30 PM Mom (6th Season Finale)

Friday, May 10
8:00-9:00 PM MacGyver (3rd Season Finale)
10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods (9th Season Finale)

Monday, May 13
10:00-11:00 PM Bull (3rd Season Finale)

Tuesday, May 14
9:00-10:00 PM FBI (1st Season Finale)

Wednesday, May 15
8:00-10:00 PM Survivor (38th Season Finale)
10:00-11:00 PM Survivor Live Reunion Show

Thursday, May 16
8:00-9:00 PM The Big Bang Theory (SERIES FINALE, 12th Season)
9:00-9:30 PM Young Sheldon (2nd Season Finale)
10:00-11:00 PM S.W.A.T. (2nd Season Finale)

Friday, May 17
10:00-11:00 PM Hawaii Five-0 (9th Season Finale)

Sunday, May 19
10:00-11:00 PM NCIS: Los Angeles (10th Season Finale)

Tuesday, May 21
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (16th Season Finale)
10:00-11:00 PM NCIS: New Orleans (5th Season Finale)

Wednesday, May 22
10:00-11:00 PM Seal Team (2nd Season Finale)

Saturday, June 1
8:00-9:00 PM Ransom (3rd Season Finale)

Noted comedian, actor and REACH Media Syndicated Radio host, DL Hughley is bringing his own brand of comedy and commentary to TV One with his new nighttime talk show The DL Hughley Show, premiering Monday, March 18 at 11/10C PM. The show will air four nights a week, Monday through Thursday. Hughley is one of the most unapologetic voices of our time and does not shy away from controversy. The DL Hughley Show dives head first into hot topics of the day and dishes on the latest news, entertainment, pop culture and what's trending in social media. Always insightful and informative, Hughley and his co-host Jasmine Sanders use humor to deliver everything from hard news to lighter fare. Featuring stories relevant to a rapidly evolving African American community, the one-hour show, which is a hybrid of Hughley's existing radio show and fresh content created specifically for a nighttime audience, will offer everything from covering the day's major headlines and roundtable discussions to celebrity guest interviews and comedy bits.

Shot in a stylized studio, the look and feel of The DL Hughley Show is patterned after a traditional radio show, adapted for television and will be taped in-studio four days a week from Burbank, CA.

CBS announced that the Network's top two freshman dramas, SEAL Team and S.W.A.T., are being renewed for the 2018-2019 broadcast season. The pickups follow the previous renewal of the top new series of the season, Young Sheldon. Based on current Nielsen ratings, Young Sheldon, SEAL Team and S.W.A.T. comprise three of the top five most-watched new shows. SEAL Team is a one-hour military drama starring David Boreanaz that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous missions that our country can ask of them. Benjamin Cavell, Ed Redlich, Christopher Chulack, Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly serve as executive producers. SEAL Team is produced by CBS Television Studios.

Inspired by the classic television series and feature film, S.W.A.T. stars Shemar Moore as the locally born and raised sergeant tasked with running a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Shawn Ryan, Justin Lin, Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Danielle Woodrow and Pavun Shetty serve as executive producers. S.W.A.T. is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Television Studios.

CBS will present a new The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Prime Time Special 2018, featuring an all new "Carpool Karaoke," "Crosswalk the Musical" and James Corden's favorite moments from The Late Late Show, on Monday, April 23 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Featured guests and additional details will be announced closer to air. This marks the third primetime special for The Late Late Show with James Corden. The 2016 and 2017 editions of The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Prime Time Special both earned Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety Special. Each weeknight, James Corden invites the audience to join in on the fun as the Emmy Award-winning The Late Late Show with James Corden features a mix of celebrity guests, musical acts, games and sketches. The show regularly features viral segments such as "Carpool Karaoke," "Crosswalk the Musical," "Drop the Mic" and "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts." The show holds the YouTube record for the most-watched late night clip with "Adele Carpool Karaoke," which has 178 million views. The Late Late Show with James Corden airs weeknights (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) on CBS. Ben Winston and Rob Crabbe are the executive producers.

CBS has given a full season order to new drama series S.W.A.T. (20 episodes) and has picked up three additional episodes of new comedy 9JKL for the 2017-2018 broadcast season. S.W.A.T. is averaging 10.36 million viewers, 1.9 in adults 18-49 and 2.8 in adults 25-54 (all Live+7). The Monday freshman comedy 9JKL is averaging 7.40 million viewers in Live+7. S.W.A.T. stars Shemar Moore, Stephanie Sigman, Alex Russell, Jay Harrington, Lina Esco, Kenny Johnson, Peter Onorati and David Lim. Aaron Thomas, Shawn Ryan, Justin Lin, Neal Moritz, Marney Hochman, Danielle Woodrow and Pavun Shetty are executive producers for Sony Pictures Television in association with CBS Television Studios. S.W.A.T. airs Thursdays (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

9JKL stars Mark Feuerstein, David Walton, Elliott Gould, Linda Lavin, Liza Lapira, Matt Murray and Albert Tsai. Dana Klein, Mark Feuerstein, Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling, Dana Honor and Pamela Fryman are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. 9JKL airs Mondays (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Actress and singer Della Reese, who starred as Tess in Touched by an Angel and as Della Rogers in Chico and the Man, has died. She died peacefully at her Los Angeles home on November 19. Ms. Reese was 86.

Reese hosted her own talk show early in her career called Della. It aired for 197 episodes from June 9, 1969 to March 13, 1970. She became the first black woman to guest host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1970.

Some of her early television appearances included The Mod Squad, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, Police Woman, McCloud, Petrocelli, The Rookies and Sanford and Son.

She joined the cast of Chico and the Man in the fall of 1976. She played Della Rogers, the owner of the diner across from Ed's Garage and Ed's landlady. The ABC sitcom ran for four seasons and 88 episodes from 1974-1978. It starred Jack Albertson, Freddie Prinze (1974-1977), Scatman Crothers, Bonnie Boland (1974-1975), Isaac Ruiz (1974-1977), Ronny Graham (1975-1976), Gabriel Melgar (1977-1978) and Charo (1977-1978). Reese first guest starred as The Judge in the 1975 episode "The Juror."

Reese appeared as Judge Caroline Phillips in six episodes of the 1982-1983 ABC sitcom It Takes Two. The series starred Richard Crenna, Patty Duke Astin, Helen Hunt, Anthony Edwards, Billie Bird, Richard McKenzie and Randy Dreyfuss.

She joined the cast of Charlie & Co. for four episodes in early 1986 as Charlie's (Flip Wilson) sister-in-law, Aunt Rachel. The 1985-1986 CBS sitcom also starred Gladys Knight, Fran Robinson, Kristoff St. John, Jaleel White, Ray Girardin, Richard Karron, Kip King, Terry McGovern and Eddie Velez.

Reese starred with Redd Foxx in the 1991-1992 CBS sitcom The Royal Family. Al Royal and his wife Victoria were an Atlanta couple looking forward to retirement until his daughter and her family move back home. The series also starred Mariann Aaida, Sylver Gregory, Larenz Tate, Naya Rivera, Jackée Harry and Barry Shabaka Henley.

Her best known role was as the supervisor Tess in the religious supernatural drama Touched by an Angel, which aired on CBS from 1994-2003. It ran for nine seasons and 212 episodes. It also starred Roma Downey, John Dye and Valerie Bertinelli (2001-2003). Reese performed the show's theme song titled "Walk with You." She received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1997 and 1998 and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television in 1998. She also appeared in six episodes of the spin-off series Promised Land in 1996-1998.

Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Welcome Back, Kotter, The Love Boat, 227, Night Court, Married People, Dream On, Designing Women and That's So Raven.

She played the mother of B. A. Baracus (Mr. T) in a 1985 episode of The A-Team. Some of other drama guest appearances included Medical Center, Insight, Crazy Like a Fox, The Young Riders, MacGyver, L.A. Law, Picket Fences, Detroit 1-8-7 and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Her film credits included Psychic Killer, Harlem Nights (with Redd Foxx), A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Beauty Shop, If I Had Known I Was a Genius and Expecting Mary.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive itnerview with her on June 13, 2008.

Survivors include her husband, Franklin Lett, and her three children, James, Franklin and Dominique Reese.

Ms. Reese was a gifted actress and singer. She was wonderful as the wise angel Tess in Touched by An Angel. We thank her for the many hours of entertainment she brought us over her long career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Touched by an Angel or Chico and the Man message boards. View photos in our galleries.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news about a pair of reboots, spinoff news for a popular ABC series, the shutdown of a cable network that aired some older series, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Bryan Callen (Twitter), "I run with wolves, horses and bikers. I run hard. I do everything hard. Especially sex & dance."

Claim to Fame: This week, it was announced that the ABC series The Goldbergs may be getting a spinoff. Currently, Callen plays the role of Coach Meller on that series, and that character would be the star of that spinoff. Callen is no stranger to TV, though, as he got his start on MADtv, where he appeared in the first two seasons. He has also had roles in series such as 7th Heaven, Oz, and How I Met Your Mother.

Beginning today (Monday, May 2), getTV (American digital multicast television network that is owned by the Sony Pictures Television Networks subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television) is drastically changing their lineup this week, adding a bunch of classic sitcoms and classic dramas to the schedule. The network is reducing the number of movies they air by a lot, too. Among the series being added include classic sitcoms The Jimmy Stewart Show at 7:35AM. That is followed by Nanny and the Professor at 8:15AM and then The Ghost & Mrs. Muir at 8:50AM. The westerns will air from 9:30am-12pm with A Man Called Shenandoah, The Restless Gun and Laredo. Dramas are being added later in the afternoon with Tour of Duty at Noon, S.W.A.T. at 1PM, Airwolf at 2PM, Riptide at 3PM, Hardcastle & McCormick at 4PM, The Equalizer at 5PM and then back-to-back In the Heat of the Night at 6 & 7PM

The best dinner parties are filled with good food, great company, and lots of laughs. That holds especially true when Andy Richter (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Conan, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Andy Barker P.I.) is the host, famous foodies and chefs are on the guest list, and crazy culinary games are on the menu. At this ultimate dinner party, as each course is served, so is a new round of the competition where stars are paired up to compete in fast-paced trivia games and food-themed challenges. The team that earns the most points will win the coveted Golden Dinner Plate, while the losing team will have to wash the dishes. Catch all the action unfold on Celebrity Food Fight, with double episodes premiering on Sunday, May 29th at 10pm & 10:30pm ET/PT on Food Network. Joining the fun in the 10 half-hour episode season are Tom Arnold, Jonathan Bennett, Richard Blais, Anne Burrell, Kim Coles, Scott Conant, Coolio, Andy Dick, Graham Elliot, Bill Engvall, Jennie Garth, Duff Goldman, Greg Grunberg, Alex Guarnaschelli, Penn Jillette, Kristen Johnston, Kevin Jonas, Christopher Knight, Katie Lee, Tara Lipinksi, Antonia Lofaso, Carlos Mencia, Damaris Phillips, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Caroline Rhea, Melissa Rivers, Aaron Sanchez, Jean Smart, Ruben Studdard, and Kendra Wilkinson. Two teams of two, each consisting of a chef and a celebrity, will compete in a variety of unique food-related games designed to test their culinary knowledge. From Cooking The Books, where the teams must find the fake cookbook title, to Talking With Your Mouth Full, where contestants read the names of entrées with their mouths full, while their teammates must correctly guess what they said, to Finger Foods, where the contestants must put their hands in a box and use their fingers to correctly identify each edible item, playing with food has never ever been this fun!

FamilyNet is changing their schedule a bit starting Monday (Nov. 30) and some new additions will be added. The biggest addition to the schedule will be the '80s sitcom Benson. The Robert Guillaume sitcom will air Mon-Sat 10-11am and every night from 6-7pm. Also joining the schedule will be police drama The Rookies airing weekdays at 1pm and every night at 1am. The other additions will air on weekends, including short-lived sitcoms Parker Lewis Can't Lose (Sat 1-2pm), 10 Items or Less (Sat 2-3pm & Sun 9-10pm) and Ned & Stacey (Sat 3-4pm & Sun 10-11pm). But wait, that's not all! More police dramas will be added as S.W.A.T., Starsky & Hutch, Police Woman and T.J. Hooker will take over Saturday nights with Charlie's Angels.

The entire schedule for FamilyNet comes from Sony Pictures Television. Other series they air include All in the Family, Archie Bunker's Place, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Barney Miller, Fantasy Island, and The Monkees. Leaving the schedule starting Monday will be Good Times and Sanford & Son, as Benson and The Rookies join the schedule. Keep it right here for continued updates!


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2015, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Monday, November 30, 2015

• Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?) - Watch Terry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Rob Schneider (Rob) - Rob appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) - Aziz visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Richard Kind (Spin City/Mad About You) - Richard is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) - Alan appears on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Brent Morin and Rick Glassman (Undateable) - Brent and Rick are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - David stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Michael Chiklis (Daddio) - Michael visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Kim dishes on the new season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and talks about why she decided to join the show on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Scott Foley (The Goodwin Games/A.U.S.A./Scrubs) - Scott drops by The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Loretta Devine (The Carmichael Show) - Loretta is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
• America Ferrera (Superstore) - America talks about her new series Superstore on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Bob Saget (Fuller House/How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob is a guest on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Suburgatory) - Cheryl talks about her movie Christmas Eve on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

• Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Catch Seth on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Paul Reiser (Mad About You/The Paul Reiser Show) - Paul appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Ted Danson (Cheers/Becker) - Ted appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) - Oliver visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Michaela Watkins (Trophy Wife) - Michaela is a guest on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Bob Saget (Fuller House/How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob is a guest on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game/The Steve Harvey Show) - Wendy guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings.
• Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry join Chrissy Teigen in the kitchen to make breakfast toast cups and crème brûlée on FABLife, so check your local listings.
• Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace appears on People Now.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

• Lenny Clarke (Are You There, Chelsea?/The Winner/Lenny) - Watch Lenny on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Joel McHale (Community) - Joel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tone Bell (Truth Be Told/Bad Judge) and Tiffany Haddish (The Carmichael Show) - Tone and Tiffany are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Faith Ford (Hope & Faith/Murphy Brown) and Ted McGinley (Hope & Faith/Married with Children/Happy Days) - Faith and Ted talk about their Hallmark Channel original movie Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Suburgatory) - Cheryl talks about her new movie Christmas Eve on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Ricky Schroder (Silver Spoons) - Ricky makes holiday candles with his wife, Andrea, on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Rob Schneider (Rob) - Rob is a guest on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Catch Mindy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Maya Rudolph (Up All Night) - Maya appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) - Adam is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Burt Reynolds (Evening Shade) - Burt visits on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Truth Be Told/Saved by the Bell) Tone Bell (Truth Be Told/Bad Judge) - Mark-Paul and Tone are guests on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) - Will is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Brandy Norwood (Zoe Ever After/The Game/Moesha) - Brandy talks about her new BET sitcom Zoe Ever After on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. She talks about A Classic Holiday on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane stops by Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• The Love Boat Cast - It's a Love Boat reunion with Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Fred Gandy, Cynthia Lauren Tewes, Jill Whelan, Charo and the singer of the theme song, Jack Jones, on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT. Ted Lange and Fred Gandy share holiday cocktails and a party spread.
• Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Kim reveals the secrets to getting her body back on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Judith Light (Transparent/Phenom/Who's the Boss?) - Judith and Gabby Hoffman talk about Transparent on the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
• Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.
• Adam Pally (The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on HuffPost Live at 2pm.
• Faith Ford (Hope & Faith/Murphy Brown) and Ted McGinley (Hope & Faith/Married with Children/Happy Days) - Faith and Ted talk about their Hallmark Channel original movie Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.

Friday, December 4, 2015

• Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Watch Eva on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) - Patrick is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Christina Milian (Grandfathered) - Christina joins FABLife stylists Tyra Banks, Chrissy Teigen, Joe Zee and Lauren Makk as guest co-host, so check your local listings. She shares her recipe for Cuban sugar cookies in honor of National Cookie Day.
• Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee opens up about her fashion style, growing up as the daughter of Diana Ross, and shares a special surprise with Joe Zee on FABLife, so check your local listings.
• Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia is tentatively scheduled to appear on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET. She will also be on HuffPost Live at 2:30pm.
• Amanda Peet (Bent) - Amanda talks about her book Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Adam Pally (The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam talks about Night Owls on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Patricia is a guest on The Doctors, so check your local listings.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric appears on The Doctors, so check your local listings.
• Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Yesterday we gave you MeTV Network's spring schedule, now we have Antenna TV's spring 2013 schedule. As we mentioned, Leave it to Beaver, Dragnet and Adam-12 are leaving Antenna TV, as their rights have expired and gone to MeTV. The Antenna TV Spring 2013 schedule will begin on Monday, April 29 (a full week before MeTV's spring schedule) and will have some returning series from hiatus to fill the void of those three major shows leaving. The Nanny and Married...with Children will both return to Antenna TV from hiatus and will air Mon-Thurs, with The Nanny airing 8-9pm ET and Married...with Children from 11pm-12am ET. The Nanny will replace All in the Family in the 8pm hour, as All in the Family is leaving the daily schedule but will move to the Wednesday primetime sitcom block from 9-11pm instead of a second night of Diff'rent Strokes. Not to worry fans of Diff'rent Strokes, the sitcom will still air Monday nights from 9-11pm (and also Sundays 10-11pm). Married will replace one of the many Leave it to Beaver hours. Returning to the weekday morning/afternoon line-up will be McHale's Navy, Bachelor Father and Hazel, as three hours were needed since Beaver, Dragnet and Adam-12 were heavily part of the daytime schedule. The late afternoon/evening line-up will remain unchanged from 4pm-8pm, which includes hours of Partridge Family, Good Times, Sanford & Son and Maude. Late nights will remain unchanged from 12am on, which includes Alfred Hitchcock Presents at 12 midnight.

Friday nights will have a return to the black & white sitcom block. From 8pm-12am, classic '50s/'60s sitcoms will air: Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, McHale's Navy and the return of The Three Stooges to the line-up. Onto weekends, Circus Boy will be leaving the schedule, as a second morning of Rin Tin Tin will be added. McHale's Navy will also get some weekend action from 1-2pm, while more It Takes a Thief will be added to fill the void of Adam-12 and Dragnet. Also leaving weekends will be S.W.A.T. and Here Come the Brides, while Suspense Theatre gets more airtime. The Sunday night sitcom block of '70s/'80s series will remain unchanged from 8pm-12am with Barney Miller, Maude, Diff'rent Strokes and Benson. That about sums up the schedule, but be sure to view the full schedule below. There are no new shows in the line-up, but plenty of time changes and shows returning from hiatus. Some new additions will probably not be added until the fall, so stay with us for that.
View the Antenna TV Spring 2013 schedule, which begins April 29. Stay with us for continued updates as usual.




On the next...Go On:
By: Vincent

NBC's freshman comedy starring Matthew Perry airs again on a special night Thursday at 9:30pm and we have just watched the next episode that air tonight (April 11). It's the season finale! In the episode airing tonight, "Urn-ed Run," Ryan, (Matthew Perry) in the continuing effort to recover after the loss of his wife, Janie, (Christine Woods) is presented with a plan "masterminded" by Mr. K (Brett Gelman) and Anne (Julie White) to help force Ryan to lay his wife's ashes to rest, but the plan goes awry. Meanwhile, the group grumbles they're not getting anything out of their sessions and blame Lauren (Laura Benanti) to such an extent that Yolanda (Suzy Nakamura) and Sonia (Sarah Baker) make up a big problem for her to fix. After the failure of both plans, the group comes together with new perspectives.

Go On is a perfectly capable sitcom. Unlike its former timeslot partner The New Normal, it has comfortably slipped into a comic rhythmic that utilizes its talented cast in the best way possible. Each episode is good for a few laughs, and the show's ensemble has developed really nicely, reaching that magical point where sometimes it's just fun to watch these people bounce off of each other. The show's major problem, though - and the problem that keeps it from being a truly great sitcom on par with some of NBC's other flagship comedies - is that it has completely dropped the ball on its dark, interesting premise of a widower trying to move on and finding comfort in a support group. Occasionally, Go On will show us a glimpse of its serious side, but it's always covered in several layers of silly sitcom antics, which significantly takes away from the impact that the show wants it to have.



All of that is all too evident in tonight's finale, which has a potentially thoughtful storyline about Ryan finally spreading his wife's ashes but goes through several worn-out sitcom tropes to get to an ending that's somewhat emotional, but isn't bold enough to truly delve into the darkness that the material requires. It doesn't help that the silly sitcom scenarios aren't particularly funny and don't seem to have a lot of effort put into them - the show's humor works much better with one-liners and witty banter. It often feels like Go On wants to be both ambitious & dark and broad & accessible, and it just isn't able to strike that balance. Still, there's enough that works here to make Go On's finale a fairly entertaining half-hour, and maybe if the show gets a second season (it's squarely on the bubble right now), it'll learn to work with its various elements. But right now, it feels like an okay show that could be something more. C+

Welcome to Digital Digest, your weekly source for all things digital when it comes to your favorite sitcoms... and other TV genres, of course! We've got all of your news and a preview of next week's releases, as usual, and this week, we've got a review of S.W.A.T. - The Final Season, which comes to DVD on May 22 (yes, we're a month early on this review, since the studio did a great job of getting it to us early) from Shout! Factory. Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

Big news was announced this week regarding The Carol Burnett Show. The series has been released in a "best of" format and sold through infomercials over the past decade or so, but now, Time Life is really stepping up the game with a few releases of the series, ranging from a single disc "best of" release to a TWENTY disc set containing fifty complete episodes, along with plenty of bonus features. Full details aren't known yet, but releases will include a single disc release, a two disc release, a six disc set, and of course, the twenty disc set. And, unlike many Time-Life releases, this set will actually be available in stores. The big date for all of these releases is September 25, and you can read more about it all here.

Last week, we mentioned that Sony's MOD release of Benson - The Complete Second Season, which was scheduled to be released a few weeks ago, had shipped with some major defects and the item was subsequently removed from various websites. This week, the listing on amazon.com is showing a new release date of May 1, which leads us to believe that a corrected version of the release will begin shipping on that date. While we don't know this for certain, we'll certainly update you when we know for sure.

Finally, CBS has announced another release of the series Father Dowling Mysteries, with Father Dowling Mysteries - The Second Season. The three disc set, to be released on July 10, will contain all thirteen episodes of the second season of the series.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (April 24) is a great day for fans of black and white series, with releases of two vintage sitcoms which were short-lived (but full of laughs), with Shanachie's release of Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete Second Season and TV Time Machine's release of I'm Dickens... He's Fenster - Volume One. You can read our review of Car 54, Where Are You? here, and I'm Dickens... He's Fenster is actually just the wide retail release of the set (it has been available from the series official website for several months), and you can read our original review of that set here.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW


Blog DVD Review: S.W.A.T. - The Final Season (Shout! Factory, $44.99)
by skees53

Aaron Spelling was known for bringing many series to television over the years, and in the '70s, he seemed to hit his stride with police dramas. The most well-known of those, of course, was Charlie's Angels, but he also introduced series such as Starsky & Hutch and The Rookies. And from The Rookies came a spinoff, one which only lasted for two seasons, but left a legacy as well: S.W.A.T. The series, which starred Steve Forrest as Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, Robert Urich as Officer Jim Street, Roddy Perry as Sgt. "Deacon" Key, Mark Shera as Officer Dominic Luca, and James Coleman as Officer T.J. McCabe, follows a fictitious version of the real Los Angeles Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics team as they go into the most dangerous situations that the ordinary police officers just can't handle with their training. In each and every episode, the team gets into dangerous situations where you never know if they're going to make it out alive... well, except that you know that it is a TV series, and that they can't just kill off characters every week.

There is likely going to be a bit of confusion about this release and even debate over whether this is the "complete" second season. Before I go any further, I should say that Shout! Factory didn't exactly do anything wrong, necessarily, with this set. They included all 24 of the episodes which were produced for the second season of the series, while Columbia Tristar (now going by their parent company name of Sony) included all 13 of the episodes which were produced for the first season of the series on their release several years ago. But online episode guides will clearly indicate that there were actually twenty five episodes aired in the second season. So where did the other one go? Well, the episode "Time Bomb," which AIRED during the second season, was actually produced during the FIRST season... and since Columbia Tristar (at that time, at least) had a tendency to release everything in production order. So to be clear, this set DOES complete the series, if you purchase the first season as released by Columbia Tristar (and if you are a fan, I'd strongly recommend that you do so as soon as possible, as nearly all releases from Sony have been going out of print lately).

The season begins with "Deadly Tide," a double-length episode where jewel thieves go underwater while committing their crimes. The team is facing a threatening force when they find a dead officer with the threatening words pinned to his chest in "Kill S.W.A.T." The team has to help in a dangerous eviction (yes, eviction) in "Vendetta." A former US Senator may have sinister motives when he befriends an officer in "Criss Cross." In "Vigilante," a radio repairman tunes into the team's radio frequencies, and arrives on the scene before they can... allowing him to effectively seek his own justice for his wife's murder. In "Ordeal," taking a convict to prison becomes very dangerous for Harrelson. The team is assigned to protect a prosecutor in "The Swinger."

The team is after an arsonist posing as a firefighter in "Murder By Fire." In "Silent Night, Deadly Night," what begins as an ordinary Christmas party for children in the hospital quickly turns into a situation where a millionaire's bodyguard is murdered in the same hospital. Some girls who decide to stay at school over the weekend (in part because of Luca) find themselves in grave danger when thieves plan to use the school (which they anticipated being empty) as an entry point to a bank vault in "Lessons in Fear." Chinatown criminals are being given S.W.A.T. secrets after a new lieutenant joins Harrelson in "The Chinese Connection." A group of militants threaten to blow up a radio station if their demands aren't met in "Any Second Now." In "Soldier on the Hill," Vietnam flashbacks cause serious problems for a veteran when he has to be disarmed by the team. The series ends with "Officer Luca, You're Dead," where Luca is charged with manslaughter after he is forced to kill a man who was holding his own wife hostage at gunpoint.

The episodes appear to be unedited based upon their runtimes. Most of the episodes have a Columbia Pictures Television logo from the early '90s on them, so I'm guessing that these were prints made for a network which aired it at that time (which I'm not sure off top of my head which network was airing the series at the time, and although I'm sure some fans would know, I'm not going to make a guess here). Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "Deadly Tide" (1:36:35)
2. "Kill S.W.A.T." (49:35)
3. "Dealers in Death" (50:16)

Disc 2:
4. "Vendetta" (50:01)
5. "Criss Cross" (50:03)
6. "Vigilante" (50:09)
7. "Courthouse" (50:04)

Disc 3:
8. "Ordeal" (49:45)
9. "Strike Force" (50:09)
10. "The Swinger" (49:52)
11. "Terror Ship" (49:59)

Disc 4:
12. "Murder by Fire" (49:58)
13. "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (50:09)
14. "The Running Mad" (1:38:57)

Disc 5:
15. "Lessons in Fear" (49:45)
16. "Deadly Weapons" (50:05)
17. "The Chinese Connection" (50:05)
18. "Dragons and Owls" (50:09)

Disc 6:
19. "Any Second Now" (50:09)
20. "Soldier on the Hill" (50:00)
21. "Dangerous Memories" (50:03)
22. "Officer Luca, You're Dead" (50:06)

The DVDs are packaged in a Viva case with very nice packaging artwork. I don't know what it is about the packaging artwork on this set, but it is one of the nicest sets I've ever seen in regards to packaging. On the cover, we have a cast photo, with a grayish blue background. Shout! Factory even followed the tradition of Sony's release of the first season and listed the names of all of the stars underneath the series title. On the back, there is a very short description of the season, along with a few episode snapshots. Inside the case, you'll find the discs (six of them), which have very basic artwork with just the series logo. Each disc contains four episodes (or in some cases, one double-length episode and two regular length episodes). Episode titles are printed inside the case, but unfortunately, there are no descriptions or airdates.

The menus on this set are probably the most elegant and appropriate menus that I've ever really seen on a DVD set. Much like the packaging artwork, the menus feature a cast photo (actually the same one seen on the cover art), with several flashing lights and a floating "target" on the screen, with options of Play All and Episodes. Selecting Episodes takes you to a menu where some of the series incidental music plays, and all of the episodes are typed on a crinkled note, which actually moves around the screen JUST a little bit (not enough to make the menus confusing to navigate). There are also some red, white, and blue lights which move around the screen like a flashlight here... it is a very cool effect. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately, with chapters placed throughout the episode at all of the appropriate places.

The video and audio quality of the episodes on the set is decent, but I don't think anybody will be overly impressed. The colors are kind of dull, and there is some grain and debris... in essence, it looks like most of the '70s Aaron Spelling police dramas. The audio seems pretty decent, with levels remaining consistent throughout the episodes. The episodes are not closed-captioned, unfortunately.

There are no special features on this set at all, which is unfortunate because the first season didn't have any other. But at least we got the series completed on DVD... finally.

I think this series has won the award for the longest wait between seasons for ANY TV series. The first season was released in June 2003... NINE YEARS AGO... to tie in with the Samuel L. Jackson movie (which many people have long since forgotten even existed) released at that time. If fans were to ever give up hope of a series being continued, this would have been the one... but fortunately that was proven to be incorrect, and Shout! Factory has come through to give us the remainder of the series. It is too bad that this show didn't go beyond two seasons, but at least it didn't get a chance to really grow old. Fans of the series are certain to enjoy this, though. Fans of similar police dramas of the same era may or may not necessarily be able to get into this series, as it isn't as light-hearted as other ones (including some of Spelling's other ones) of the era, but nonetheless, it is still a great series to watch.

(4/5 stars)

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Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
S.W.A.T on TV.com


CLICK OF THE WEEK

All Things Carol Burnett (www.carolburnettfan.com) - The big news from this week was, of course, the announcement of several releases of Carol Burnett DVDs from Time Life. The news of these releases has been floating all over the internet, but one website that many people seem to be referring back to, including in the article from TVShowsOnDVD.com which we linked to earlier, is All Things Carol Burnett. It isn't an official website for the star, but it not only comes close to that, but in fact exceeds what you'd normally expect from an official website. On this website, you'll find a complete biography of Burnett, plenty of photos, and more. If you're looking to meet Burnett, you'll find out where you can meet her here... all of her appearances are listed, and it is updated frequently. The site also manages to get every little piece of news imaginable about the star. And finally, there is a connected website dedicate solely to the series itself. While the site is not necessarily a "content haven" as many other sites are, it is the level of dedication, and how well it manages to keep up with the star, which makes this our Click of the Week.


That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!