SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's time again for the Viacom networks shuffle! It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will be starting on MTV2 today and will air weekdays starting at 1pm in a four-episode block. The hit series sometimes called "Seinfeld on crack" was airing on Comedy Central, but now sister network MTV2 will be airing it. Mac, Dennis, Charlie & Sweet Dee are four dysfunctional friends with an Irish pub in Philadelphia. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia joins other sitcoms on MTV2 such as The Jamie Foxx Show, My Wife & Kids, Everybody Hates Chris, The Wayans Bros., Martin, The PJ's and Saved by the Bell. The network also airs Boy Meets World from time to time, but that series has been a regular on sister network TeenNick since April, and they air the series weeknights at 9pm. Back to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the series is still airing in originals and going strong and has been renewed for seasons 13 and 14 on FXX. And season 12 will air later this coming season, probably in early 2017.

Conan has announced an all-star guest lineup for week of shows during Comic-Con(R) International in San Diego, CA. Guests include Will Smith, Margo Robbie, Jared Leto and the Cast of Suicide Squad, the stars of Game Of Thrones and the comedy Silicon Valley, plus "Weird Al" Yankovic and more to be announced soon. O'Brien Returns to San Diego for shows at Spreckels Theatre, to be taped Wednesday, July 20-Saturday, July 23. Conan O'Brien will welcome an all-star lineup of guests when he returns to San Diego for a week of shows to be taped during Comic-Con(R) International. The roster includes the stars of the new movie Suicide Squad (Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara, Jay Hernandez and Adam Beach), the casts of the television hits Game of Thrones (John Bradley, Liam Cunningham, Nathalie Emmanuel, Conleth Hill, Faye Marsay, Kristian Nairn, Iwan Rheon and Isaac Hempstead Wright, along with executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss) and Silicon Valley (Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods and Martin Starr_, "Weird Al" Yankovic and more to be announced later. Conan's Comic-Con(R) International shows will be taped at San Diego's historic Spreckels Theatre from Wednesday, July 20 - Saturday, July 23. Each episode will air on TBS at 11 p.m. (ET/PT), with availability across TBS and Team Coco's digital, mobile and VOD platforms the following day.

Last year, Conan became the first late-night show to tape a week of shows in San Diego during Comic-Con(R) International. His return this year also includes new editions of the Conan O'Brien Pop! Vinyl figures - "Superman(TM) Conan," "Stormtrooper(TM) Conan," "Ghostbuster(TM) Conan" and "The Joker(TM) Conan. Created by TBS and Funko, the collectibles will be handed out to audience members attending the San Diego shows. In addition, Conan will be the focus of a unique virtual reality experience located at TBS's Comic-Con(R) booth on the convention floor. The experience will give attendees an exclusive peek into Conan O'Brien's world, both on and offstage, as seen through the eyes of a Conan Pop! Vinyl figure.

The Grinder - Tuesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 8:30PM ET/PT

by Skees

Stewart Sanderson and his father are the perfect father-son team when it comes to running their law office. They also have the experience and hard work to back them up. But things abruptly change when Stewart's brother Dean (who decided to become an actor instead of a lawyer, though he played one on TV) rolls into town following the cancellation of his hit series. Things change even more when Dean decides that he too wants in on the family business, and that he knows how to be a lawyer because he played one on TV... and he is going to become part of that family business whether Stewart likes it or not.

Cast Details:

Rob Lowe as Dean Sanderson, Jr.
Fred Savage as Stewart Sanderson
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Debbie Sanderson
William Devane as Dean Sanderson, Sr.
Hana Hayes as Lizzie Sanderson
Connor Kalopsis as Ethan Sanderson

Rob Lowe (Dean Sanderson, Jr.) is an established star with appearances in films such as The Outsiders, St. Elmo's Fire, and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, but he has also had plenty of supporting roles in series such as The West Wing, Brothers & Sisters, and Parks and Recreation. He also starred in the short-lived series The Lyon's Den, where he played an attorney.

Fred Savage (Stewart Sanderson) is best known as Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years. He also appeared in the films Little Monsters and The Wizard. In recent years, he hasn't been doing quite as much acting, and has shifted his focus to directing TV series, where he has directed episodes of series such as Modern Family, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 2 Broke Girls, and many other series. However, he did appear in the short-lived sitcom Crumbs.

Mary Elizabeth Ellis (Debbie Sanderson) is best known for her role on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. She also appeared as a regular in the NBC series Perfect Couples.

William Devane (Dean Sanderson, Sr.) is best known for his role of Greg Sumner on the long-running primetime soap opera Knots Landing. After that series ended, he starred alongside Judith Light in the ABC sitcom Phenom. He also appeared in short-lived sitcoms including The Michael Richards Show and Crumbs (another series in which he played the father of a character played by Fred Savage).

Natalie Morales (Claire) is best known for her roles in The Middleman, White Collar, and Parks and Recreation.

Hana Hayes (Lizzie Sanderson) is a 16 year old actress who has appeared in Criminal Minds, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mercy, and Grey's Anatomy.

Connor Kalopsis (Ethan Sanderson) has appeared in several episodes of Days of Our Lives.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs September 29 at 8:30PM ET)

Dean Sanderson Jr. plays the lead role of a powerful attorney in the fictitious series The Grinder, but the series has ended after a long run, and now he finds himself back in his hometown in Idaho. Back home, his father and brother are attorneys, but not necessarily the best, as they prefer to settle cases out of court to avoid having to go to trial. Now, Dean wants in on the family business, and he is convinced that he can get the job done perfectly while aggressively fighting cases in the courtroom... based solely upon his experience from playing an attorney on television.

Analysis:

So many series that are out there these days are just a new look at a series that existed before it. A nice thing about this series is that it is something sort of fresh and new. That can often tend to be risky when developing a series, since there haven't been any similar series with proven success, but fortunately, this series has a cast that will at least garner some attention at the beginning.

The pilot is funny, but the comedy is by no means a fast-paced "big laughs" comedy. There is a lot of subtle humor and things are rather slow-paced, but there is enough comedy in the mix that you know that you're watching a sitcom. The biggest laughs in the pilot came from Dean's action in the courtroom as an attorney... or at least playing his role in real life.

I really like the cast, and the roles are cast perfectly. In particular, Rob Lowe's character of Dean reminds me quite a bit of his role as Chris Traeger on Parks & Recreation, in the sense that he is a sort of cartoonish person living a different reality from everybody else around him. Fred Savage is perfect in his role of Stewart, playing the guy with great book smarts (but not so much street smarts). The remainder of the cast didn't seem to have a chance flourish much in the pilot, which is understandable since the stars are the two brothers, but from what was seen in the pilot, everybody seemed to be well cast.

One thing I have to wonder about, though, is that if this series is a hit, how long will Rob Lowe want to stick around? He has been lucky enough to have roles on three hit series so far, and he has left all of them before they ended. Maybe things will be different here since he is essentially the star of this series (he wasn't on the other three) and since he is executive producer, but of course, the series would first have to prove to be a success before we can even think about this.

Conclusion:

It's hard to make any strong conclusions about this particular series based upon the first episode. I sort of liked the pilot, but it isn't clear yet exactly where the series is headed. In particular, I wonder how the series will deal with the fact that Dean isn't a real lawyer. It seems that in order for the series to proceed and for him to truly play his role, he'll have to become a lawyer, but some of the comedy in the pilot came from the fact that he wasn't a lawyer.

This isn't really a flashy show, but it sort of has the charm that seems like it could work for the Fox lineup. The nice thing about having previously-established cast is that it will at least give the show some attention for the first episode or two and will be given a fair chance by fans before the future is decided.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 8:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

Fox.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Grinder Photo Gallery

Preview:

Millennials who crave the iconic Nickelodeon shows of their childhood, including Kenan & Kel, Rugrats, Hey Arnold! and more, can rejoice. Starting Monday, Oct. 5, Nickelodeon will throw back to the '90s every day with the launch of "The Splat," a new multiscreen content destination spanning television, seven social media platforms and a dedicated web site aggregating the most loved Nick content from the 1990s and beyond. "The Splat" will dive deep to create a retro experience filled with landmark Nickelodeon programs; classic programming stunts like Nick or Treat, U-Pick and Super Toy Run; the recreation of specific days of programming as they aired in the '90s; and original promos and interstitials, including the Doo-wop Dinosaurs and the Opera Lady. "The Splat" will roar to life across all platforms on Monday, Oct. 5, launching that night on television on TeenNick from 10 p.m. - 6 a.m. (ET/PT). The TV block will be an eight-hour rotating TV lineup airing daily on TeenNick from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. (ET/PT). "The Splat's" rotating TV lineup on TeenNick will have weekly themes and monthly programming stunts featuring hit '90s animated and live-action series including All That, Angry Beavers, Are You Afraid of the Dark, CatDog, Clarissa Explains It All, Hey Arnold!, Hey Dude, Kenan & Kel, Ren & Stimpy, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Rocko's Modern Life, Rugrats, Salute Your Shorts and The Wild Thornberrys, with additional series rolling out throughout the year. At launch, "The Splat" will feature themed weeks and stunts like:

· First Time for Everything (week of Oct. 5) - first two episodes of fan-favorite animated and live-action series and game shows
· Rugrats Reptar Takeover (week of Oct. 12) - best of Rugrats episodes featuring Reptar
· Hey Arnold! Live from the Stoop (week of Oct. 19) - Stoop Kid-centric episodes
· Nick or Treat (week of Oct. 26) - call-in event where lucky callers get 40 seconds to choose from six doors, collecting tricks and treats along the way, plus scary and spooky themed animation episodes.

We close out the work week with the fall schedule for Nick at Nite! They are making changes that will actually start this coming Monday -- Sept. 10. Nick at Nite released these changes just yesterday and will mark the returns of Full House and Family Matters. Both '90s sitcoms will start Monday, with Full House airing Sun-Thurs in the 8pm hour and Family Matters every morning at 5:30am. Nick at Nite will also get a bit nostalgic and air The Nanny Sun-Fri from 9-11pm (Saturdays will just be 10-11pm). The Fran Drescher sitcom had been airing in the early morning line-up (5-6am) but will now move back to primetime. Current primetime series My Wife & Kids and George Lopez will move to late night, with George airing from approx. 1:12am-3:24am (4 airings) every night and My Wife & Kids right after that from approx. 3:24am-4:28am with two airings. Yes, Dear is now only airing very early in the morning, back-to-back each day at approx. 4:28am-5:30am. The only constant on the schedule is...Friends, which will remain every night from 11pm-1:12am. Leaving the schedule will be Everybody Hates Chris, which will remain on sister network TeenNick and BET. Back to Full House, the series had been airing on sister network TeenNick in the early mornings but was dropped last week...now you know why.

Those are the changes as pretty much the schedule will be seven days a week except 8-11pm due to Nickelodeon airing later on Fridays and Saturdays. The only stunt, besides this week's "Friends Week" (Sept. 4-9 all night), will be the classic '80s movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial on Sunday, Sept. 16 from 8-10:30pm. We can also expect original sitcom See Dad Run (previously titled Daddy's Home) starring Scott Baio to air on Saturday nights starting October 6. As soon as we hear the time period we will let you know. We're hoping for a Charles in Charge marathon to help promote it and we do have a better chance of that I say since they are airing '90s series in primetime again.

View the full Nick at Nite Fall 2012 schedule. Will they make additional changes come October when See Dad Run premieres? We will let you know, so as usual...stay with us!

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 September 10-14, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, September 10, 2012

• Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Cheers) - Watch Kelsey on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy appears on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners) - Simon visits Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Andrew Rannells (The New Normal) - Andrew is a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) - Josh drops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Tony Danza (Who's the Boss?) - Tony chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

• Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Catch Woody on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Kenan Thompson (Kenan & Kel) - Kenan stops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) - Roseanne appears on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Matthew Perry (Go On/Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Matthew visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

• Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke guest co-hosts The Talk Wednesday-Friday on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Katey Sagal (Married with Children/8 Simple Rules) - Katey visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Allison Janney (Mr. Sunshine) - Allison appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

• Katey Sagal (Married with Children/8 Simple Rules) - Catch Katey on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tony Danza (Who's the Boss?) - Tony continues to make the rounds on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced/The Nanny) - Fran talks about her new movie, Hotel Transylvania, on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

Friday, September 14, 2012

• Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!) - Watch Thomas on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.

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!

Today we are bringing you MeTV Network's fall 2012 schedule. The line-up will launch on Monday, September 3, 2012 with some more classics coming to the network. The classic TV network has 132 affiliates and has clearances in 82% of the country. Joining the line-up will be Make Room for Daddy weekdays mornings at 5:30am ET, The Donna Reed Show weekday mornings at 7:30am ET, Emergency! Mon-Sat at 5:00pm ET, Remington Steele weeknights at 8:00pm ET, and Night Gallery weeknights at 1:30am ET. Returning to the schedule will be Kojak, airing weeknights at 12:30am following Perry Mason and Burke's Law late on Saturday nights at 4am ET. Also MeTV Network will present the MeTV Sunday Showcase every Sunday from 3:00pm-7:00pm. The programs will vary and the first week will be a Night Gallery marathon on Sept. 9.

With all these new series joining, this means some shows will be off the regular line-up for now. Shows not on the fall 2012 schedule are Family Affair, Cannon, The Untouchables, The Mothers-In-Law, Love American Style, Green Acres, Honey West, The Rogues, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley. Perhaps some of these will air during the MeTV Sunday Showcase, so stay alert. "The Summer of Me" primetime marathons will conclude on Friday, Aug. 31, so the new primetime schedule on weeknights will start off with Remington Steele at 8 leading into the comedy hour of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show at 9pm. At 10, Cheers and The Bob Newhart Show will air to close out primetime.
View the FULL MeTV Network Fall 2012 schedule, so you can see where your favorite series will be. Stay with us for further updates, if there are any.

Moving on, Nick at Nite has pulled original drama Hollywood Heights from its schedule effective tonight. The drama had been airing weeknights at 9pm for the last two months. 40 episodes of its 80 episode order were fulfilled. Reruns of My Wife & Kids will take over the hour starting tonight at 9pm ET. All is not lost for Hollywood Heights though, Nick at Nite will move it to sister network TeenNick and they will air the remaining 40 episodes every weeknight at 8pm ET beginning tonight. That should last them another two months through October, ratings pending of course. The series bombed on Nick at Nite with episodes only averaging a 0.1 adults 18-49 rating. The rest of the Nick at Nite schedule will remain unchanged with George Lopez at 10, leading into a Friends block from 11pm-1am. Then more Lopez is at 1am, followed by an hour of Everybody Hates Chris at 2. At 3am, we have an episode of My Wife & Kids at 3am, leading into an hour of Yes, Dear from approx. 3:30am-4:30am. The Nanny concludes the night though 6am. The late night 2-6am line-up just mentioned is only Mon-Wed, as marathon blocks air Thurs-Sun with Yes, Dear on Thursdays, The Nanny on Fridays, George Lopez on Saturdays (1-6am), and now Friends on Sunday (11pm-6am). My Wife & Kids was on Sundays in the block from 1-6am but Friends will take over this coming Sunday and expand to 11pm-6am.

Hollywood Heights centers on Loren Tate (Brittany Underwood, One Life to Live), a shy teen whose musical aspirations inch closer to reality when she wins a songwriting contest sponsored by Eddie Duran (Cody Longo, Fame), a rock star at the top of his game. Although Loren and Eddie's budding partnership - on-stage and off - faces obstacles, their strong family bonds inspire them to keep going. Loren finds the support system she needs in her single mom, Nora (Jama Williamson, Parks and Recreation), as Nora returns to the dating scene for the first time in years. Meanwhile Eddie's unbreakable bond with his father, Max (Carlos Ponce, Couples Retreat, telenovela actor/singer) - strengthened by family tragedy - is challenged by Eddie's budding romance with a beautiful, but manipulative model and aspiring actress, Chloe Carter (Melissa Ordway, 17 Again). As Loren begins a meteoric rise on the music scene and Eddie's star begins to fade, together they learn that the road to love and stardom often carries a heavy price tag. Justin Wilczynski (Kaya) also stars as Eddie's bitter former friend, Tyler Rorke.

Effective starting tomorrow (April 3), The Facts of Life will be off of the TeenNick schedule. The '80s comedy was airing weekdays at 7am since March 12, but after just 16 airings, TeenNick has pulled it from the schedule. But that doesn't matter really, because if you get The Hub, you can watch The Facts of Life starting tonight in primetime Sun-Thurs at 9:30pm and an encore at 3:30am, as we mentioned. I guess you really do take the good, and take the bad, and there you have The Facts of Life!
Facts of Life is being replaced by Big Time Rush in the half-hour, so now that series will be back to the full hour. We hope Blair, Jo, Tootie, Natalie and Mrs. G return to the schedule soon, but at least you can still watch them on TV starting tonight on The Hub. One other schedule change of note for TeenNick is Full House being added to weekends at 11:00pm & 11:30pm starting April 7, replacing Malcolm in the Middle. That comedy will remain airing in the 4am hour on weekends though, so all is not lost. Full House will also continue to air every morning from 5-7am. Stay with us of course for any further updates.



MeTV Network announced affiliation agreements with Grant Broadcasting-owned WLAX/WEUX, LaCrosse/Eau Claire; WZDX, Huntsville; and KGCW Davenport. WLAX/WEUX, LaCrosse/Eau Claire launched on January 12, 2012 and carries MeTV Network over the air on channel 25.2 in LaCrosse and channel 48.2 in Eau Claire. WZDX, Huntsville will launch on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 and will carry MeTV Network over the air on channel 54.3. KGCW, Davenport will also launch on April 17, 2012 and will carry MeTV over the air on channel 26.3 and simulcasted in the same market, KLJB, Davenport will launch on the same day and will carry MeTV over the air on channel 18.3.
These additions and other signed affiliation agreements will bring MeTV Network's clearance to more than 77% of the country. MeTV now has more than 120 affiliates. Stay with us for further clearances as we hear them and of course if there are any new programming announcements & schedules.

Late last week, The Hub acquired three sitcoms to air in primetime beginning in April and one of them was The Facts of Life. That is still happening and we can't wait for that, but if you can't wait another month or so, TeenNick will ALSO air that totally '80s sitcom! Oooh, there's gonna be troubbbbbbbble! OK no, there's no trouble of two networks airing a show, as we all know. TeenNick will begin airing the Diff'rent Strokes spin-off on Monday (March 12, 2012) bright and early every weekday morning at 7:00am. It's early in the morning and just a half-hour, but it is certainly better than nothing! Facts of Life will replace one half-hour of Big Time Rush, which remains at 7:30am. Facts of Life will follow a block of Full House which airs weekday mornings from 5-7am. No other schedule changes are occurring on TeenNick besides this one. As of now, no other special marathons or airings of Facts of Life besides the weekdays at 7am slot. I guess 'you take the good and you take the bad.' Mmm hmm! Stay with us for continued updates!
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) as she becomes a housemother (and after the second season, dietitian as well) at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.


NBC will continue to air The Voice on Mondays from 8-10pm, but on Monday, April 2 it will start airing live episodes now. NBC will also expand the singing competition series to a second night with live elimination rounds beginning on Tuesday, April 3 from 9-10pm ET. In addition, The Voice's last live performance episode will be on Monday, May 7 from 8-10pm ET, with the season's winner announced in a two-hour live finale on Tuesday, May 8 from 8-10pm ET. After that series ends its season, America's Got Talent - NBC's top-rated summer series -- will then debut its new seventh season the following week with two-hour episodes on Monday, May 14 and Tuesday, May 15 (both nights 8-10pm ET). The show's return will feature the first appearance of new judge Howard Stern, who joins fellow judges Howie Mandel and Sharon Osbourne. The series then resumes in its regular night and time on Monday, May 21 from 8-9pm ET and on Tuesday, May 22 from 9-10pm ET every week this summer.
As a result of The Voice getting a second night this spring, NBC's The Biggest Loser will shrink down to one-hour from 8-9pm ET beginning April 3 and will have its season finale on May 1. NBC still has not yet announced its summer plans for Mondays from 9-11pm (following Talent at 8) and Tuesdays in between Talent at 9 (8-9pm and 10-11pm). Stay with us for the official NBC summer 2012 schedule, when announced, as NBC will get a jump start on the summer line-up with an in-season premiere of America's Got Talent.

TeenNick has brought back Full House from its hiatus as of Tuesday (Nov. 8). The series returned last minute and is airing every morning for two-hours from 5-7am ET and is airing in order from the very first episode.
You wanted it back on the line-up? You got it dude! Full House is replacing an hour each of Malcolm in the Middle and The Amanda Show. Those series are still on the line-up at other times, with Malcolm in the Middle weekdays in the 11pm hour and The Amanda Show now has been expanded in the afternoons, airings weekdays from 2-4pm. TeenNick has also scheduled an Amanda Show marathon this coming weekend (Nov. 11-12) on Saturday from 4-7pm and on Sunday from 1-5pm. There are no other changes to the line-up, so you can still watch "The '90s Are All That Block" on TeenNick every night starting at 12 midnight.

The hit Emmy® award-nominated sitcom The King of Queens will get the royal treatment when TV Land airs a marathon to honor the show joining its line-up. The series joined the line-up on Monday, Oct. 24, as we told you, but it never got a launch marathon. So, the kick-off marathon will air on Sunday, November 13 from 9:00pm to 2:00am ET/PT, which we also hinted about back on Oct. 24. The sitcom has settled in nicely in its regular timeslot starting at 11:00pm ET/PT. Set in the working class suburb of Queens, The King of Queens follows amiable delivery man Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) and his wife Carrie (Leah Remini), a spitfire legal secretary, as they explore the everyday challenges of love, life, family and marriage. Doug and Carrie also have to deal with a third, high-maintenance member of the Heffernan household – Carrie's twice-widowed father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller), who resides in their basement. With Arthur's constant presence and often bizarre behavior, Doug finds refuge in the little alone time he has with Carrie, best friend and co-worker Deacon (Victor Williams), buddy Spence (Patton Oswalt) and his cousin Danny (Gary Valentine).

Meanwhile, TV Land announced that Tony® award-winning actress Marissa Jaret Winokur (Broadway's Hairspray) is joining the cast of the network's original comedy series, Retired at 35 for its second season. The sitcom will return to the air with 10 new episodes starting Spring 2012 (tentatively slated to return Wednesday, March 7). Returning to Retired at 35 are Oscar®-nominated actor George Segal, Emmy® award-winning actress Jessica Walter, Johnathan McClain (24), and Josh McDermitt (Last Comic Standing). Marissa Jaret Winokur will play Amy, the clever, but romantically challenged daughter of Alan (Segal) and Elaine (Walter) and sister of David (McClain). Debuting in 2011 along with Fran Drescher's Happily Divorced and the second season of Hot in Cleveland, Retired at 35 has resonated with viewers in the U.S. and around the globe. Outside of the U.S., Retired at 35 is set to air in over 90 territories worldwide including The Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Slovenia and Africa.
In Retired at 35, after 37 years of marriage, Alan Robbins and his wife Elaine are expected to cruise into retirement and live out their days happily ever after. However, they get an unexpected surprise when their uptight and overworked son David, sick of the NYC rat race, decides to move in with them in their active-adult community. David finds himself dealing with his overzealous parents as well as his sister Amy, who, while successful in business, has made less than impressive choices in her love life. Season two is a hilarious and bumpy ride as the Robbins family learns the consequences of being "Retired at 35." Stay with us for further updates as we get closer to the spring, but for now et's mark down March 7 for the tentative return!

We reported that Broadcast Partners was selling classic holiday animated specials in syndication and that MeTV Network and ThisTV bought many of the Christmas ones, but now one more has found a home -- a Halloween special. Bounce TV, the new over-the-air television network for African Americans, will air the classic special Fat Albert's Halloween Special this weekend and will present a mini-marathon of the classic 1977 special on Halloween night, Neal Ardman tells TVNewsCheck. The special will premiere on Bounce TV tomorrow night (Friday, Oct. 28) at 7pm ET and will also be seen Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30 at 6:30pm ET. Bounce TV will present consecutive airings of Fat Albert's Halloween Special on Halloween, Monday, Oct. 31 from 8-10pm ET.
Bounce TV is seen on affiliates in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Cleveland/Akron, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Hartford/New Haven, Norfolk, Dayton, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, Memphis, Louisville, Richmond and other cities. New Bounce TV markets are expected to be announced before the end of the year.

And as Halloween is just a few days away, get ready for the perennial classic It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown tonight at 8/7c on ABC. ABC will have its premiere of the holiday special Scared Shrekless (which premiered on NBC last year) on Halloween night starting at 7:58pm (thru 8:28pm), as Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron will preview and host the special live from the ballroom leading into the Halloween episode of Dancing with the Stars (8:30pm-10pm). Unfortunately, there are no other animated specials on broadcast television this year. I wish someone would air the Garfield one, but oh well. It's great that Fat Albert is making an appearance this Halloween, at least.


TeenNick has changed their mind once again about the Are You Afraid of the Dark Halloween stunt on The '90s Are All That block. This time they have put it back on the schedule for Halloween weekend. We just reported a few days ago that the previous stunt for Friday, Oct. 28 was pulled, but now they have brought that back and more. Tomorrow night (Friday, Oct. 28), TeenNick will air three episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark from 12am-1:30am, followed by an airing of Salute Your Shorts at 1:30am. This block will encore from 2-4am. The following night (Saturday), the block will feature three more episodes of Dark, followed by an AAAHH!!! Real Monsters airing at 1:30am, and of course this block will encore from 2-4am, too. On Sunday, The '90s Are All That block will feature an episode of Dark at 12 midnight, followed by the 90-minute Kenan & Kel series finale movie "Two Heads Are Better Than None" from 12:30am-2am. These will encore from 2-4am, of course. And finally on Halloween night (Monday), the 2000 Nickelodeon film Cry Baby Lane will air from 12am-1:30am, followed by Are You Afraid of the Dark at 1:30am. And if you missed any of that, catch it again from 2-4am.
If this changes (which won't surprise us anymore), we will let you know, so keep it right here as always. In other TeenNick news, they have scheduled an Amanda Show and Zoey 101 marathon stunt this weekend, beginning at 1pm both days. TeenNick will also air the movie The Boy Who Cried Wolf on Saturday night at 7pm.

Nickelodeon has ordered its first-ever original scripted comedy pilot, Daddy's Home, starring Scott Baio (Charles in Charge, Happy Days). A multi-camera, half-hour comedy for Nick at Nite, Daddy's Home follows David Hobbs (Baio) an actor who, after ten years of starring as America's favorite TV dad, becomes a stay-at-home father to honor the deal he made with his soap star wife so that she may return to the limelight. The project comes from creators/executive producers Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux and is helmed by executive producers Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey through their production company Bischoff Hervey Entertainment (BHE), along with Baio. Hervey is best known for the role of Wayne Arnold in the Emmy Award-winning hit series The Wonder Years. Daddy's Home marks Hervey and Baio's return to scripted comedy, with BHE having previously collaborated on three acclaimed unscripted series including Scott Baio is 45 and Single, Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant, and Confessions of a Teen Idol.
For over 30 years, Baio has been a beloved actor, successful producer, writer and director. He received his acting break in 1976 when he was cast as the lead in the youthful gangster film Bugsy Malone. Baio is perhaps best known for his role as Chachi Arcola on one of television's most iconic comedy series Happy Days, followed by a starring role in the spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi. He also had roles on two short-lived Garry Marshall sitcom Blansky's Beauties and Who's Watching the Kids. Baio also starred in his own 1980s hit sitcom, Charles in Charge. He also co-starred on ABC's short-lived sitcom Baby Talk. He also had big screen movie roles like on the sex farce Zapped! Following his television comedy roles, he delved into some deeper and more dramatic roles, such as in the award-winning ABC after-school special, Stoned, the CBS film The Boy Who Drank Too Much and as a hemophiliac in NBC's Senior Trip! He continued his acting career as the youthful associate of Dick Van Dyke on the successful CBS series Diagnosis Murder and a decade later, made several appearances on the Emmy Award-winning television series Arrested Development. As mentioned earlier, most recently Baio was featured as himself on VH1's popular series, Scott Baio is 45...and Single and Scott Baio is 46...and Pregnant. Off-screen, he has directed episodes of popular series including Charles in Charge, The Parkers, Unhappily Ever After, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Wayans Bros., Harry and the Hendersons, Out of This World and recently served as executive producer of VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol.
Stay tuned for more details on this pilot. Right now it is just a pilot, as it still needs to be ordered to series. If and when that does, we will let you know! Waa waa waa!

After just a few weeks, TeenNick has moved the popular "The '90s Are All That" block back to midnight, with the encore moving back to 2-4am. TeenNick recently moved the block to 10pm-12am, but the ratings didn't do too well. The encore was doing better from 12am-2am, so as a result, the block is back from 12-2am and an encore from 2-4am. This will still be every night, with "U Pick Friday" still airing during the Friday block. Degrassi will return to the 10pm hour every weekday, followed by an hour of Malcolm in the Middle from 11pm-12am. The '90s Are All That shows will still remain the same with All That, Kenan & Kel, Hey Dude! and Doug. TeenNick was planning on airing fan voted episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark this Friday, but it's not happening and it doesn't seem like it will air next week either in time for Halloween. Instead, you can choose your favorite Halloween episodes from other classic Nick series -- vote now. Stay with us for continued updates!

GMC has brought back the late '90s comedy Cosby back to its schedule. The 1996-2000 series will air Mon-Thurs nights at 1:00am & 1:30am right after an hour each of of 227 and Amen from 11pm-1am, as of Oct. 10. The sitcom was pulled from GMC back in August 2010, now over a year later it has returned to the schedule. The series first launched on GMC in February 2010. Watch Hilton Lucas and family all over again as this series doesn't get nearly as much play or attention as Bill Cosby's '80s series The Cosby Show.
The regular weekday schedule still features Don't Forget the Lyrics! from 10am-12pm, followed by The Waltons at noon and 1pm, back-to-back Judging Amy at 2 & 3pm, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman at 4pm & 5pm, and more Waltons from 6-9pm. In primetime from 9-11pm, movies air on Mondays, with Judging Amy on Tuesdays, Don't Forget the Lyrics! on Wednesdays, and Heartland on Thursdays. On Fridays, The Waltons airs from 12pm-9pm leading into movies from 9pm-1am. In late nights, as we mentioned, 227 airs in the 11pm hour, followed by Amen at midnight and now Cosby at 1am. Saturdays still features marathons of Sister, Sister starting at 9am, then 227 in the afternoon and evening. Some weeks also have Amen following 227. And finally on Sundays, movies usually rule the day with Heartland airing at 11pm & 12am. Stay with us for any further information or changes.

We mentioned that The Amanda Show and Are You Afraid of the Dark are on hold on TeenNick, but now they are scheduled! The Amanda Show has the best news because the series is now airing every weekday from 6-7am and again from 2-3pm! This change was made effective yesterday, so tune in today for Amanda Bynes and the gang! It's not airing in "The '90s Are All That" block, but this is still good news for the sketch comedy. Moving on to Halloween updates, TeenNick revives the spooky Nickelodeon classic Are You Afraid of the Dark? giving viewers the chance to vote for their favorite episodes at http://90sareallthat.teennick.com/ beginning Friday, Oct. 21. Winning episodes will air during "UPick with Stick" on Friday, Oct. 28, at 10:00 p.m. (ET) with four classic episodes airing. No word if the series will eventually air daily, but this is a start! Additionally, from Monday, Oct. 24 through Monday, Oct. 31, frightening episodes of old-school Nickelodeon shows currently airing in TeenNick's "The '90s Are All That" block will haunt those who dare to watch.
Nick at Nite will feature family favorites full of spine-chilling terror and laughs with holiday-themed episodes of Everybody Hates Chris, Family Matters, Friends, George Lopez, Home Improvement and That 70's Show from Saturday, Oct. 29 through Monday, Oct. 31. In other Nick at Nite and TeenNick news, David Beckham, Jessica Biel, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift join creator, host and executive producer Nick Cannon in rolling out the orange carpet for this year's TeenNick HALO Awards! Recognizing real-life teens who are "Helping and Leading Others" (HALO), the third annual awards show features four extraordinary honorees and pairs them with a mega-celebrity who shares their commitment to service. The 90-minute special will also feature musical performances, celebrity presenters and special surprises. For the first time ever, the TeenNick HALO Awards will be taped live at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and premiere Sunday, Nov. 6, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) first on Nick at Nite. The special will then encore Monday, Nov. 7, at 9:00 p.m. (ET) on TeenNick.

Over a week ago we mentioned Hey Dude is coming to TeenNick and was supposed to start on Oct. 3 (and it hasn't), but now there is a bit of change...but it's good news! TeenNick super-serves '90s Nick fans with even more of what they want as "The '90s Are All That" programming block moves into primetime, seven days a week, with an updated lineup to include the much-requested Hey Dude! As we broke last week, the block also features a brand-new Friday night interactive segment, "UPick with Stick," hosted by the most famous popsicle stick from the '90s ever, Stick Stickly.
The rotating block of iconic Nickelodeon '90s shows will kick off its new 10pm-12am (all times Eastern) time slot THIS Friday (that's tomorrow, Oct. 7), with the inaugural viewer-voted "UPick with Stick" lineup. Every Friday night, "UPick with Stick" will be hosted by Stick Stickly, featuring the original voice actor in the role, Paul Christie. "UPick with Stick" will feature '90s Nickelodeon episodes chosen by viewers via Facebook and www.90sAreAllThat.com. As for the daily schedule, Hey Dude joins "The '90s Are All That" block on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 11pm (encores at 1am), along with All That, Kenan & Kel and Doug, with the replays now 12-2 a.m. on TeenNick (2-4am encores are now gone since the block starts at 10pm now). This line-up will air six nights a week (All That, Kenan & Kel, Hey Dude, Doug is the order from 10p-12a), except on Fridays since that is viewer's choice night.
"The '90s Are All That" on TeenNick has scored huge gains for the net, posting double-digit increases over last year with A18-34 (+50%) in the time period. Hey Dude aired from 1989 to 1991 and was one of Nickelodeon's first original live-action series. As of now, the planned Amanda Show and Are You Afraid of the Dark two-week runs are on hold, but they could pop-up on Friday nights if you pick them! Stay with us for further updates.

No surprise, CBS has given a full season order to new comedy 2 Broke Girls. As of three airings, 2 Broke Girls is the top new series in both viewers (14.18 million viewers, live+same day) and adults 18-49 (5.4 rating, live+same day), winning its regular Monday 8:30 PM time period in key demographics the past two weeks. The first airing aired after the highly-promoted Two and a Half Men season premiere with Ashton Kutcher which did a 10.7 18-49 rating, giving 2 Broke Girls huge sampling with a 7.1 18-49 rating for its premiere. The sitcom has settled for a solid 4.6 and 4.5 18-49 rating in its regular time period since, putting it neck and neck with Fox's new Tuesday comedy New Girl for top honors. 2 Broke Girls stars Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Matthew Moy, Jonathan Kite and Garrett Morris. Michael Patrick King is executive producer and Whitney Cummings is executive consultant for Warner Bros. Television. The series was co-created by King and Cummings.

As we first broke on Twitter, the season premiere of CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement has moved to Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, one week later than previously announced (which was actually this coming Saturday). Instead, a repeat of Mike & Molly will air in the time period on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. A repeat of 2 Broke Girls follows at 8:30 PM. So why the change? Perhaps CBS is waiting to see how new Thursday comedy How To Be A Gentleman does in week two tonight after underperforming for its premiere last week. If it does poorly, CBS could have a short leash and pull the comedy and move Rules of Engagement back to Thursdays as early as next week (Oct. 13) and still call it a season premiere. If that happens, perhaps Gentleman will take the Saturday 8pm slot. Stay tuned for any further updates, but for now view our day-by-day schedule for CBS.

In another exclusive, we broke the news that ABC will burn-off the game show Million Dollar Mind Game on Sunday afternoons at 4pm ET/2pm PT starting Sunday, Oct. 23. The game show was in contention to air last season or summer on ABC, but never made it to air. ABC has 6 episodes to air and they will air it in six consecutive weeks from October 23 to November 27. In Million Dollar Mind Game, six teammates work together using smarts and logic to answer complex questions. The more questions they answer correctly, the more money they can win. The series is hosted by British host Vernon Kay (Skating with the Stars). Encores of Dancing with the Stars: The Results will follow at 5pm ET/2pm PT on these six Sunday afternoons. ABC has been airing encores of reality series on many weekend afternoons for some time now, but this will be the first time brand new episodes of a series will air (even a burn-off is still new).
In other ABC scheduling news, they have announced that the perennial classic It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will air on the first night of November sweep on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8pm. Charlie's Angels was already planned to be preempted on this night before it premiered. Look for the Angels to return the following week, ratings pending of course. Hello, Angels! View our day-by-day schedule for ABC.

• Kevin Dillon as Bert Lansing

• Dave Foley as Jerry

• Mary Lynn Rajskub as Janet

• Rhys Darby as Mike

David Hornsby (Andrew) is the star of the series, the columnist who writes about "how to be a perfect gentleman." He has appeared in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Joe Schmo Show, and Six Feet Under. In addition to his role in the series, he is also the creator of the series.

Kevin Dillon (Bert) plays the guy who is going to teach Andrew how to be a man in the series. If the last name sounds familiar, it should: he is the younger brother of actor Matt Dillon. But Kevin Dillon has also had success of his own, playing the role of Drama in the recently ended HBO series Entourage, as well as roles in movies such as Platoon.

Dave Foley (Jerry) plays Andrew's boss at the magazine, a boss who is resistant to the changes, but is too close to retirement to fight them. Canadian-born Foley played the starring role of Dave Nelson in the 90s NBC series NewsRadio, and has had countless guest-starring roles in series such as The New Adventures of Old Christine, Will & Grace, Brothers & Sisters, and many more.

Mary Jane Rajskub (Janet) plays the role of Andrew's sister in the series. Rajskub is well-known for her starring role as Chloe O'Brien on the series 24. She has also had roles in The Larry Sanders Show, NewsRadio, and Veronica's Closet. Additionally, she was one of the original cast members of Mr. Show.

Rhys Darby (Mike) plays Janet's husband and Andrew's quirky brother-in-law. The New Zealand born actor is best known to viewers in the United States as Murray from the HBO series Flight of the Conchords.


Pilot Plot:

In the pilot episode, we are introduced to Andrew Carlson, the author of a magazine column about how to be a perfect gentleman. We see how he is the perfect Mr. Manners. But this all comes crashing down during a meeting with his boss Jerry, who informs Andrew that changes are about to come to the magazine. A new owner of the magazine doesn't see profits in the magazine as it is, and wants to retool the magazine to a more hip and edgier magazine for modern men.

During an incredibly depressing birthday dinner with his sister and brother-in-law, where Andrew recounts all of his failures in life and his disdain over the new changes, Andrew receives a gift of a training session at a gym. Andrew doesn't really like this gift, but a perfect gentleman always uses a gift, whether he likes it or not. When he goes to the gym, he runs in to Bert. Bert used to bully Andrew in high school, but this encounter begins a new relationship between the two when Andrew begins to use Bert's wisdom to help him adapt to the changes in the magazine, as well as his life in general.

Analysis:

Can anybody say Felix Unger and Oscar Madison forty years later? I think that is a fair assessment of what this series is, and this series takes on a lot of the classic series The Odd Couple. Now sometimes, imitation is bad, but in this series, it seems to be rather well executed, and unlike many pilots out there, this puts a fresh perspective on an old idea.

There weren't really that many moments in the pilot that I disliked, and unlike many pilots that I have seen, the action seemed to move pretty fast in the pilot. It seems that many pilots are very slow to develop the main plot of the series, and get annoying by the end of the first episode, often setting a bad tone for the entire series. This one didn't.

As for the comedy of the series, it seemed a bit subdued in the pilot, but that isn't to say that the series is unfunny. A series like this one, on how to be manly, is a perfect setup for some good comedy. The pilot didn't fully take advantage of those capabilities, but I'm hoping that as the series goes on, it will take advantage of them a bit more. Luckily, though, the pilot seemed to be well-written, and good writing can often make up for other areas that may be lacking.

My only criticism of the series is the casting of Kevin Dillon in the role of Bert. That isn't to say that I dislike Kevin Dillon. In fact, I like his acting, and enjoyed him in Entourage. But to me, he seems (and I'll add, is) too old to be playing one of Andrew's classmates from high school. He is about ten years older than Hornsby, and at least in my opinion, the difference really was evident. However, with the series set to air already, this is, lamentably, something that is going to have to remain as is, and despite that age difference, he does well in the role--he just isn't the right person.


Conclusion:

I actually liked the pilot of the series, and I'm hopeful that this could be a great series to add to my weekly viewing schedule. Even though it really is just a modern-day take on The Odd Couple (and I think you'll see that in the first few seconds of the series), it brings that type of show to the modern era. I feel like the odds are against this series from the beginning, as CBS still hasn't established a level of success for the 8:30 Thursday slot, even though they were able to transfer viewers of The Big Bang Theory to the Thursday night slot. But maybe this series will work in the slot after The Big Bang Theory, as viewers will be able to relate the character of Andrew to some on The Big Bang Theory. I hope that this series at least goes for a full season, and perhaps longer. It has potential that I rarely see in new sitcoms these days.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5

-- Reviewed by skees53 on 09/28/11

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, September 29 on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

How to Be a Gentleman Photo Gallery

Preview:

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Effective this week, Doug and Clarissa Explains It All returned to The '90s Are All That block on TeenNick, but that's not all! More shows are coming. For now, Rocko's Modern Life and Hey Arnold! are off the line-up after three weeks, but they could return at some point. All That and Kenan & Kel are still scheduled to stay on the air to kick off the weeknight late night block in the 12-1am hour (encores 2-3am). Onto the new series, replacing Clarissa Explains It starting next week (Monday, Oct. 3), will be Hey Dude! The early '90s comedic western will air at 1am with an encore at 3am. As of now, it is scheduled for two weeks. Then starting October 17, the half-hour will be the Amanda Bynes series The Amanda Show. Then starting Oct. 31, just in time for Halloween it is Are You Afraid of the Dark? at 1am and 3am! It looks like a rotating wheel of classic Nick series is airing in this timeslot. Doug is remaining put in the 1:30am half-hour.
That's not all! Fridays starting next week (Oct. 7) will see the return of someone familiar. Stick Stickly! Every Friday night will now be: "The 90s Are All That! U Pick with Stick." Yes, Stick Stickly returns to host a special viewer's choice night of The '90s Are All That with options for some rarely seen Nick gems. There are eight choices for the first week: 1. Clarissa Explains It All: The "Normal" Episode, 2. My Brother and Me: Dee Dee Can't Dance, 3. Aaahh!!! Real Monsters: The Snorch Episode, 4. Salute Your Shorts: The Bunk Chief Episode, 5. Rugrats: The Chocolate Milk Football Episode, 6. The First Angry Beavers' Episode, 7. Legends Of The Hidden Temple: The Talking Rock and 8. Doug's Golden Toe Episode.
Vote for your favorite on the official website! It's a two-hour block, so I think four of these eight will air. This is a nice way to air the rarely seen classics! Friday nights just got better!

TeenNick will not have many changes it its fall line-up, except an hour of "The '90s Are All That" block will change. TeenNick stokes fan demand for more '90s shows with the addition of two new series to the network's buzzworthy "The '90s Are All That" two-hour programming block. The new lineup of iconic Nickelodeon '90s shows kicks off Monday, Sept. 5, with back-to back episodes of the popular animated series Rocko's Modern Life and Hey Arnold! at 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., respectively (all times ET). Added by viewers' request, Rocko and Hey Arnold! will regularly join All That and Kenan & Kel starting Tuesday, Sept. 6, in the block's 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. timeslots, replacing Clarissa Explains It All and Doug, which will be the off the schedule for now. The block also features deeply integrated, fan-driven social media components on Facebook and at www.90sAreAllThat.com. "The '90s Are All That" airs Monday-Friday 12-2 a.m. with replays 2-4 a.m. on TeenNick.
Elsewhere on TeenNick Fall 2011, catch up on all of the excitement of Degrassi: Now or Never before they are gone for good, on Labor Day from 9am-12am leading into the new 90's block premieres! And immerse yourself in House of Anubis, the juicy soap opera filled with mystery and dark secrets weekdays at 5pm starting September 26 on TeenNick! The rest of the regular schedule will remain as it is now, with sitcoms such as Malcolm in the Middle and What I Like About You starting at 10pm leading into the '90s block.

Bounce TV, the country's first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network for African-Americans, will launch with a special presentation of The Wiz on Monday, September 26 at 12 Noon (ET). Toyota USA will be the signature sponsor of the network's inaugural on-air schedule. After kicking off the network, the popular 1978 musical starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Richard Pryor will be followed by Sidney Poitier headlining the classic drama A Raisin in the Sun at 3:00 p.m. Bounce TV's first week of prime time television then begins later that evening with part one of a two night double feature of one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of our generation, Spike Lee. Bounce TV will premiere Lee's Academy Award® -nominated Do the Right Thing at 8:00 p.m. Acclaimed as one of the greatest films of our generation, Do The Right Thing stars Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson, Lee himself and also features the theatrical film debuts of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez (Also 10:00 p.m.) Then on Tues. Sept. 27, Bounce TV presents School Daze, Lee's 1988 musical-drama starring Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin, based in part on Lee's experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University (8:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.). On Wednesday night Sept. 28, Bounce TV presents its first football game from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's largest African American athletic conference, as the top-rated Bulldogs of Bowie St. visit rival Virginia Union. On Thursday night, Sept. 29, Bounce TV will premiere the 1998 Denzel Washington - Bruce Willis action thriller The Siege (8:00 pm, 10:30 pm) and highlights of the network's first week of prime time wraps on Friday, Sept. 30 with the 2003 action comedy The Rundown starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Seann William Scott (8:00 pm, 10:30 pm).
Bounce's first weekend on the air is highlighted by the multiple Oscar® - nominated Far From Heaven (Sat. Oct. 1, 10:00 p.m.), 2002's textured story of race, gender and class starring Dennis Haysbert, Julianne Moore (Oscar® nominee) and Dennis Quaid. Sunday night, Oct. 2, Bounce TV will premiere Denzel Washington's Academy Award®-winning performance in the civil war epic Glory (8:00 p.m.). There will be a Richard Pryor Week (Oct. 3-7): The legendary comedian stars in a six-pack of his blockbuster movies including: His classic pairings with Gene Wilder in Stir Crazy (Oct. 3), Silver Streak (Oct. 4) and Another You (Oct. 6); The Wiz (Oct. 5); Bingo Long and the Traveling All Stars (Oct. 6) and Bustin' Loose (Oct. 7). Other major stars featured on Bounce TV's initial schedule include James Earl Jones in Summer's End (Oct. 12), Cuba Gooding Jr. in Hero Wanted (Oct. 16) and Samuel L. Jackson in Caveman's Valentine (Oct. 24).
And as we mentioned, Soul Train, one of the longest-running series in television history rides again as Bounce TV showcases the most popular performers and episodes of the legendary series. Bounce TV's web site (http://bouncetv.com) will have complete programming schedule and local Bounce TV channel locations available beginning Sept. 1. But we already gave you the schedule earlier this month. It's just unfortunate that there are no sitcoms on the schedule, but we have hope that eventually we will get one. If they do add some, we'll let you know.

INSP - The Inspiration Network has announced their fall 2011 schedule to us and it features many of the greatest family favorites in television history. New to the network are such treasured classics as Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Brady Bunch and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. These programs reinforce the current schedule that includes The Waltons, Our House, Highway to Heaven, Wind at My Back, and others. Only Highway to Heaven will be resting come this fall, as everything else will remain airing even when these new shows start! The fall schedule commences on Monday, September 26, 2011. Prior to the premiere, INSP will air an all-day marathon of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman on Monday, August 29 from 1pm-8pm, with an encore of the first three episodes following. The series will launch the following night, Tuesday, August 30 airing weekdays at 5pm & 6pm ET, in its regular time period, replacing Our House and Highway to Heaven. The latter will be off the schedule as we mentioned, but Our House will remain at 1am. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman will also air weekdays at 11pm and Sundays at 1pm.
The rest of the schedule will start on Monday, Sept. 26. The Waltons currently starts at 1pm. but come Sept. 26 it will start at 1:30pm. At 2:30pm an episode of new acquired classic sitcom The Brady Bunch will air, so the duo will replace Wind At My Back in the 2pm hour. Airing at 3pm and 4pm will be another new series, The Big Valley, replacing Gospel programming. As mentioned, Dr. Quinn will air at 5pm and 6pm. The 7pm hour will feature back-to-back episodes of The Brady Bunch replacing Wind At My Back. In primetime, The Waltons will remain at 8pm and 9pm. After religious programming at 10pm, it's Dr. Quinn at 11pm, followed by The Big Valley replacing another Wind At My Back. And finally, as we mentioned Our House remains at 1am.
Weekends doesn't have much series programming, but it will have more than it does right now. Come Saturday, October 1, the Saturday schedule will have new acquisition Bonanza at 7pm and fellow new series The Big Valley at 8pm leading into two movies from 9pm-1am. The Big Valley closes the night out at 1am. The three series hours will replace religious programming. On Sundays, as we mentioned Dr. Quinn will be at 1pm and it will be followed by Wind At My Back at 2pm, its only airing during the week now. The new block will replace a movie, but the 3pm movie will remain. Another movie airs at 12 midnight on Sunday nights.
Besides the Dr. Quinn marathon on Aug. 29, the only other marathon scheduled will be The Waltons Fan Favorite Labor Day Marathon on Monday, Sept. 5 starting at 1pm ET. A Walton's Family Reunion special, which was an INSP exclusive special last fall, will air at 9pm. The special is hosted by Mary McDonough (Erin Walton) and features Richard Thomas (John Boy), Ralph Waite (John Walton), Michael Learned (Olivia Walton), Judy Norton (Mary Ellen Walton), Eric Scott (Ben Walton), Jon Walmsley (Jason Walton), David Harper (Jim-Bob Walton), Kami Cotler (Elizabeth Walton), and series creator Earl Hamner. The veteran cast reminisce about the series, its impact on American culture and family life, and what they've been up to since the series ended its original run in 1981.
View the full INSP - The Inspiration Network's Fall 2011 schedule. And stay with us for any further updates on INSP. Come on back for another fall schedule tomorrow!

TeenNick announced late last week that Everybody Hates Chris will be off the line-up beginning tonight. Why? As we mentioned, sister network Nick at Nite will return airing the series beginning tonight (2-3am and approx. 4:30am-6am). TeenNick was airing the series weeknights at 10-11pm and 4-5am, as its airings will be replaced Malcolm in the Middle, which was airing 5-6am. That hour will now be an encore of What I Like About You. No other changes will occur starting tonight on TeenNick.
Stay tuned for Nick at Nite's and TeenNick's Fall 2011 schedule very soon. So of course keep it right here!

The '90s really are all that, as TeenNick's late-night launch of its retro "The'90s Are All That" block forges a brand-new viewing destination for young-adult viewers and sparks a social media fan frenzy. Launched Monday, July 25, the 12a-2a (all times ET) block raised TeenNick's ratings by record triple digits among A12-24 (+225%), A12-34 (+167%) and A18-34 (+500%) according to Nielsen Media Research. The network also was propelled into the top five (#4) with A12-24 and top ten (#6) with A12-34 among otherwise fully distributed basic cable networks in the time period.
Reaching its highest late-night viewership levels ever, TeenNick had four of the top ten programs - every show in the block - from 12a-2a across all basic cable with A12-24: Kenan & Kel (from 1995) at 12:30 a.m. reached #3; All That (1996) at 12 a.m. hit #4; the very first episode of Doug (1991) at 1:30 a.m. was #6; and Clarissa Explains It All (1992) was #8.
Overall, the entire two-hour block averaged a 1.3 rating and 417,000 viewers among A12-24, up 225% in rating compared to last year. Among A12-34, the block garnered a 0.8 rating and 456,000 viewers, up 167%; and with A18-34, it averaged a 0.6 rating and 229,000 viewers, up 500%. Total viewership also was strong, with 555,000 total viewers tuning in, +114% more than last year's time period.
Each show also performed well individually across key young-adult demos--A12-24, A12-34 and A18-34--and raised year-ago levels by incredible triple-digits across the board. Among total viewers, All That averaged 613,000 total viewers (up +108%); Kenan & Kel averaging 597,000 total viewers (+199%); Clarissa Explains It All averaged 478,000 viewers (up +73%): and an average of 532,000 total viewers tuned in to Doug (up +101%).
The first night of "The '90s are All That" also bested the most recent weekly averages for broadcast and basic cable late-night talk shows among young adults. Each show in the block's July 25 debut garnered bigger A12-24 audiences than The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Lopez Tonight and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Also, among A12-34s, All That out-delivered Leno, Letterman, Fallon, Lopez and Kimmel.
During the block's premiere, the Nickelodeon brand had a total of 20 worldwide trending topics on Twitter - owning 8 of 9 trending topics worldwide and all 9 organic trending topics locally in New York City. Both Nickelodeon Twitter handle and '90s Facebook page are still growing rapidly. The Nick '90s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/90sAreAllThat) doubled in fans overnight by 100,000, and the search volume for the series Doug reached the volcanic level on Google. According to Trendrr.tv, a social television chart ranking television's daily social activities, 4 of the top 10 cable shows on Monday, July 25, were part of "The '90s Are All That" block.
That is some start, but that was only the premiere night. We'll keep you up to date of the ratings progress as we get it and we'll continue to of course bring you any programming updates!

Back to the TCA Summer 2011 Press Tour, yesterday the big network to present was HBO with other nets like AMC and BBC America also presenting. We'll cover what HBO and AMC presented and stay tuned for updates from the MTV Networks presentation that will be today, as the cable portion comes to a close today. HBO has confirmed the fall debut dates for the new and returning series Boardwalk Empire, Hung, How To Make It In America, Bored to Death and Enlightened.
Boardwalk Empire kicks off its 12-episode second season Sunday, Sept. 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The Golden Globe-winning drama series stars Steve Buscemi as "Nucky" Thompsonand is created by Terence Winter, who also serves as executive producer with Martin Scorsese, Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg and Tim Van Patten. Hung launches its ten-episode third season Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10:00 p.m.. The Emmy-nominated comedy series stars Thomas Jane. Next, How To Make It In America begins its eight-episode second season also on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10:30- p.m. Bryan Greenberg and Lake Bell star and Mark Wahlberg is one of the executive producers. Another comedy, Bored to Death, returns for its eight-episode third season Monday, Oct. 10 at 9:00 p.m. The comedy series stars Jason Schwartzman. Finally, the new series Enlightened launches its ten-episode season Monday, Oct. 10 at 9:30 p.m. Laura Dern stars in the series, which she also executive produces.

Onto AMC, after breaking the Western mold with the hit mini-series Broken Trail, AMC returns to the genre with the epic drama Hell On Wheels, starring Anson Mount, Common, Colm Meaney, Dominique McElligott, Ben Esler, Philip Burke and Eddie Spears. Hell On Wheels, is set to premiere on the network with a ten episode run on Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 10PM ET/PT.
Of course the second season of The Walking Dead will premiere on Sunday, October 16th at 9PM ET. The Walking Dead is based on the comic book written by Robert Kirkman and published by Skybound and Image comics. The 13-episodes of season two will continue to tell the story of a group of survivors fighting for their lives after a zombie apocalypse.


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 (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of August 1-5, 2011, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, August 1, 2011

• Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, Tina Fey and Betty White - Gayle's funniest guests appear on a Best of: Lolz special of The Gayle King Show at 10am and repeated at 8pm on OWN.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

• Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) - Hank stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC. The Smurfs is now in theaters.
• Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down) - Catch Danny on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jason Batman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move) - Jason visits Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm. The Change-Up opens in theaters on Augus 5.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Steve Harvey and Paul Reiser - Steve and Paul appear on a Best of: Big Daddies special of The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
• Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith - View inside Will and Jada's home on NBC's Today between 7-9am.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Jason Batman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move) - Watch Jason NBC's Today between 7-9am and later on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa is a guest on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Adrian Grenier (Entourage) - Catch Adrian on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa and Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Clarissa Explains It All) - Melissa visits LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

• Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) - Roseanne stops by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy continues to make the rounds on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move) - Jason chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and then later visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) - Hank drops by Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• Caroline Rhea (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Watch Caroline on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
• Alyson Hanigan (How I Met Your Mother) - Catch Alyson on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Tichina Arnold (Happily Divorced/Everybody Hates Chris/Martin) - Tichina visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Friday, August 5, 2011

• Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell) - Mario is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Jason Ritter (The Class) - Catch Jason on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

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!

Starting tonight, TeenNick will be airing Everybody Hates Chris! The sitcom which also had been airing on sister network Nick at Nite, will premiere at 11:00pm & 11:30pm tonight (Monday. July 18, 2011) following Degrassi. It will then settle into weekdays at 10:00pm & 10:30pm and also 4:00am & 4:30am starting tomorrow (July 19). The comedy will also air on weekends in some blocks in primetime. Nick at Nite has heavily reduced the comedy ever since That '70s Show joined the line-up, in fact effective this week it will be totally off the Nick at Nite schedule (replaced by Home Improvement on Sunday nights from 2-3am). Additionally, another former Nick at Nite acquisition will return to the TeenNick line-up after being dropped. Malcolm in the Middle will return to TeenNick starting tonight airing weeknights at 12:00am & 12:30am for this week only (see below on what will air starting next week). It will also air weeknights at 5:00am & 5:30am, which will be its new time slot. In addition, it will air in blocks on weekends in late nights. Malcolm in the Middle was recently dropped from the FX schedule after June and it seems they have lost rights to the series after 4 years. FX also has stopped running Bernie Mac (its three-year deal will expire), leaving Two and a Half Men the only off-network comedy on FX currently. To fill some of the void, FX has acquired the game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and started airing it since July 10. Stay with us in the coming weeks for FX's fall schedule.
In March, we mentioned TeenNick will bring back classic '90s series and will air a new late night 12-4am block starting this Fall called "The '90s Are All That." Well now it will be starting earlier! In fact, it will start NEXT week (Monday, July 25)! The block will kick-off at midnight every weeknight with All That, followed by Kenan & Kel at 12:30am, Clarissa Explains It All at 1:00am and the TeenNick premiere of the animated series Doug at 1:30am! The block will immediately encore from 2-4am in the same order. This means recently added series Freaks & Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Undeclared will be moving to weekends only in the late nights. Freaks will air Saturday nights from 2-4am followed by Buffy from 4am-6am. Undeclared will air 4-5am on Sunday nights.
This is just the beginning for The '90s Are All That on TeenNick...stay with us for further changes and we hope they bring in some classic non-Nick '90s series as well like Family Matters and Step by Step. Stay tuned!

In a quiet move, GMC has acquired the rights to the drama Judging Amy. The Amy Brenneman drama premiered yesterday with a launch marathon from 1pm to 11pm, but the series will regularly air weekdays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm starting today after The Waltons. It will also air in primetime on Tuesday nights, its former night on CBS, at 9pm & 10pm. The series aired from 1999-2005 on CBS and also starred Tyne Daly. Tyne's brother Tim currently stars with Amy on ABC's Private Practice.
Amy Gray, an attorney, has found herself a single mother after a recent divorce. With Amy’s young daughter Lauren in tow she moves back to Hartford, Connecticut with her very opinionated mother, a retired social worker. Amy moves back in to her mother’s home where the family issues are plentiful. Amy is selected to become a Juvenile Court Judge, with the new career and family, Amy will be more challenged than she ever dreamed. Amy’s first case involves a child abandoned by a drug addicted mother. Amy quickly finds the politics and shortcomings of the juvenile justice system a bit overwhelming.
Judging Amy will replace Highway to Heaven, which seems to be off the schedule now and an episode of Dr. Quinn, but that will remain in its 7pm & 8pm timeslots.

In January we mentioned that the Three's Company spin-off series (or as most call it, a follow-up series), Three's a Crowd will premiere on Monday, June 27 in the Three's Company timeslots (Mon-Thurs 6-7pm and encores 12-1am) only on Antenna TV...vintage without the funny smell. This is still on target and is now official! See what happens to Jack Tripper as he moves in with his girlfriend Vicky! Three's Company will return to the timeslots after the 22 episodes of the spin-off air, so on Thursday, July 14, you can see Jack Tripper move in with Janet & Chrissy from the beginning all over again! This is such a unique way of airing the series and both spin-offs, as I have mentioned already. We are glad Antenna TV is doing this! And for those of you who missed The Ropers, not to worry, you'll see it again next time on Antenna TV in the rotation when they move out of Three's Company.
Elsewhere on Antenna TV, they are getting for their new schedule that will start next week (May 30), that we announced first. You'll see Burns & Allen and Mad About You join the weekday line-up and then on Sundays, you can catch a new morning block of rare gems Circus Boy, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and Iron Horse! And if that's not all, Sunday nights get funner with the zany soap opera sitcom Soap airing in a two-hour block!
Movies airing in June will be some classics, some gems and some rarities. It's a nice mix. Some of the films include Ghostbusters II, The Indian In The Cupboard, Sunset Park, Glitter, Vice Versa, Mixed Nuts, Stairway to Heaven and many more!

The other day we told you about Buffy the Vampire Slayer finally coming to TeenNick, and don't worry Sunnydale fans that is still happening on May 30, but starting June 13, two more series will join the line-up! The short-lived series Freaks & Geeks and Undeclared will join the late night line-up. Freaks & Geeks will air after Buffy at 11pm and Undeclared will air at 12:00am & 12:30am. Freaks & Geeks will also air at 2am following another Buffy at 1am. Both series had Seth Rogen in them.
These two series have been airing on IFC, as we reported. However, they only air them once a week, and TeenNick is planning to air them six nights a week (every night except Friday nights). Both series only have 18 episodes, so this could be temporary only, as TeenNick is getting ready for its new "The '90s Are All That" late night block this fall. Stay with us...