SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's a busy recap day today. NBC was up at the TCA Winter 2015 Press Tour on Friday, followed by Fox on Saturday and FX on Sunday...and we have the full scoop! Let's start with NBC. In her return to a starring role on primetime television, NBC is teaming with SAG Award winner and multi-nominee Eva Longoria on the half-hour comedy series Telenovela. NBC has ordered 13 episodes of the singlecam comedy that will star and be executive produced by Longoria. From Universal Television and Unbelievable Entertainment, Telenovela captures the hilarious behind-the-scenes craziness of a popular Spanish telenovela. Longoria will play the willful but popular diva Ana Maria, star of Latin America's most beloved telenovela who strives to stay on top in a world where the drama on-camera is nothing compared to the drama off-camera. Stay with us for info as it will launch in 2015-16. Next, NBC is bringing both the heartbreaking and uplifting stories during one of America's most tumultuous periods to television in adapting author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Betty DeRamus' acclaimed book Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad as an epic eight-hour miniseries titled Freedom Run. It will focus on three specific epic journeys and love stories, each based on actual people. Iconic musician Stevie Wonder will serve as an executive producer.

Zachary Levi is making his long-awaited return to television in NBC's upcoming event miniseries Heroes Reborn to play a key yet undisclosed role. Jack Coleman, who played Noah Bennet in the original Heroes series, has previously been cast to reprise his role as "HRG" for Heroes Reborn. With the return of Heroes Reborn, NBC will launch a digital series prior to the premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is a way for fans to re-engage with what was one for the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling. Still no premiere date has been given. And finally for NBC, they have signed a development deal with Dolly Parton, one of the most honored female country musicians of all time and an American icon. In conjunction with production partner Sam Haskell of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television, NBC will develop a slate of two-hour TV movies based on the songs, stories, and inspiring life of Dolly Parton. This extraordinarily prolific country music artist and movie star will produce these projects that are meant to appeal to an inclusive family audience.

On to Fox, well that was fast. After just two episodes, Empire is coming back. Fox has renewed hit drama series Empire for a second season. The second episode grew from its already big premiere rating. It is the only new broadcast drama this season to grow from week one to week two. Fox has also ordered a third season of the award-winning comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And if two renewals weren't enough, Fox has also renewed hit drama series Gotham for a second season. Get ready to scream. Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Lea Michele (Glee), Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Keke Palmer (Masters of Sex) have been cast as series regulars in Scream Queens, a new comedy-horror anthology series from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and Dante Di Loreto, the executive producers of Glee and American Horror Story. Additionally, Grammy Award nominee and actress Ariana Grande will guest-star in a recurring role. Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) and Emma Roberts (American Horror Story: Freak Show) were previously announced in starring roles in the limited series. The first installment in the new anthology series revolves around a college campus which is rocked by a series of murders. Fifteen one-hour episodes have been ordered, which are scheduled to begin production in the spring, and premiere in Fall 2015 on Fox.

Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) and Paramount Television announced that superstar singers, dancers and actresses Julianne Hough (Safe Haven, Rock of Ages, Dancing with the Stars) and Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical, Spring Breakers, Gigi on Broadway) have been cast in leading roles in Grease: Live (working title). With Hough as the angelic Sandy - Rydell High's most talked-about newcomer - and Hudgens as iconic bad girl Rizzo, this first-ever live television production of Grease will re-imagine the hit crossover musical for an entirely new generation. Airing LIVE Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 from 7:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed on Fox, Grease: Live (wt) will be executive-produced by acclaimed film, television and theater producer Marc Platt. Grease: Live (wt) is based on the original musical Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, and Paramount Pictures' 1978 feature adaptation. It will be a Paramount Television production.

Moving on to cable network FX, they have set the premiere date of Thursday, April 9 for the series premiere of the new comedy series The Comedians starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad and the fifth season of the Emmy(R) Award winning comedy series Louie starring Louie C.K. The Comedians will air at 10:00 PM ET/PT, followed by Louie at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Also, FX has acquired the television rights to Emmy Award winner Louis C.K.'s next standup comedy special, Louis C.K. Live From the Comedy Store. C.K. will make the special available to fans first on his website, LouisCK.net, in coming weeks after his record-breaking run of shows at Madison Square Garden. C.K. is the first comedian to sell out three shows for the same tour in Madison Square Garden history. Tickets for the fourth Madison Square Garden show on January 27 went on sale Saturday. The hour-long comedy special will subsequently air on FX this spring. C.K. will write and direct the special. And the third piece of FX news also has Louie C.K. involved. FX Networks has ordered the comedy pilot Better Things, created by and starring Pamela Adlon and directed by fellow Louie star Louis C.K. Better Things is the fifth comedy series pilot produced or ordered by FX Networks within the past year, including the comedy series pilots Atlanta, created by and starring Donald Glover, and Pariah, starring Bill Burr for Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton. These projects reinforce FX Networks' position as the leading comedy brand in television. Let's see which of these make it to series. Stay with us.

FX has ordered 13 episodes of the comedy series The Comedians, starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad. In The Comedians, Crystal plays a superstar veteran comedian who is reluctantly paired with Gad (Frozen, The Book of Mormon), an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a late night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide. Rounding out the cast are series regulars Stephanie Weir, Matt Oberg and Megan Ferguson. The Comedians marks the Emmy Award winning Crystal's first regular starring role in a TV series since his performance as "Jodie Dallas" in the groundbreaking ABC comedy Soap, which ran from 1977-81.

Larry Charles (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld), Matt Nix (Burn Notice), and Ben Wexler (Community, Arrested Development) are Writers and Executive Producers of the project, along with Crystal. Charles directed the pilot. Josh Gad is serving as Producer. The half-hour, single-camera comedy is produced by Fox Television Studios. Production will begin this year and the series will air on FX in 2015. Stay with us for continued updates on this comedy and all the upcoming FX comedies, including the multi-camera sitcom starring Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence.


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 March 24-28, 2014, 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, March 24, 2014

• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Watch Betty on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan is a guest on The Colbert Report at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
• Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Jeff stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move) - Jason visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Niecy will be on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Jaime King (Gary Unmarried/Kitchen Confidential) - Jaime appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George is a guest on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.
• Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Jennifer will be on Pop Sugar Now on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

• Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Nick on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother) - Alyson appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jayma Mays (The Millers) - Jayma is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Rachael Harris (Surviving Jack/My Boys/Notes from the Underbelly) - Rachael visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Zach Braff (Scrubs) - Zach stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Moly) - Melissa is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Gillian Jacobs (Community) - Gillian joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• The Cast of Hot in Cleveland - Learn age defying secrets from the funny ladies of Hot in Cleveland on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Mary Steenburgen (Ink) - Mary chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

• Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show/Cosby/The Bill Cosby Show) - Watch Bill on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Seinfeld) - Julia drops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Maz Jobrani (The Knights of Prosperity/Better Off Ted) - Maz visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother) - Cristin appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret is part of the guest panel on a repeat of Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Christopher Meloni (Surviving Jack/The Fanelli Boys) - Christopher stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings. He will also be on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• The Cast of Hot in Cleveland - Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick dish about the new season of Hot in Cleveland on TV Land on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Niecy fixes the audience's love lives…with mozzarella cheese on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda stops by to talk about her career and comedy specials on a repeat of Katie, so check your local listings.
• George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George will be on Crowd Goes Wild at 5pm on Fox Sports 1. He will also be on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York between 7-10am. He is a guest on SI Now. Finally, he appears on HuffPost Live at 10:30am.
• The Cast of Enlisted - The cast of Enlisted are guests on Larry King Now at 2/5pm PT/ET on Ora.tv and Hulu.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James will be on HuffPostLive at 3:40pm.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

• Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move) - Catch Jason on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• George Lopez (Saint George/George Lopez) - George dishes about his new FX sitcom Saint George on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Christopher Meloni (Surviving Jack/The Fanelli Boys) - Christopher is a guest on Fox & Friends on Fox News Channel in the 7am hour. He will also be on Big Morning Buzz Live with Nick Lachey on VH1 at 10am. He is a guest on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York between 7-10am.
• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy talks about The Mindy Project on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
• Jaime King (Gary Unmarried/Kitchen Confidential) - Jaime is a guest on Pop Sugar Now on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.
• Marilu Henner (Taxi/Evening Shade) - Marilu talks about her appearances on Brooklyn Nine Nine and playing Robin Williams' ex-wife in The Crazy Ones on The Couch on WLNY 10/55 in New York between 7-9am.

Friday, March 28, 2014

• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) - Watch Josh on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Don Cheadle (The Golden Palace) - Don is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• The Cast of Kirstie - Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman and Michael Richards take us behind-the-scenes on their show and what it's like to work together on a repeat of Katie, so check your local listings.
• Alexis Carra (Mixology) - Alexis is a guest on The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret will be on Pop Sugar Now on TV Guide Network at 6pm and on the next day on their website at noon.

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