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Oscar-winning actor and stand-up comedian Robin Williams, who rose to fame as the alien Mork in Mork & Mindy, has died. He was found unresponsive at his home in Marin County, California, on August 11 and was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Marin County's coroner's office, the probable cause of death was asphyxiation. Mr. Williams was 63.

Williams' television career began in 1977 with two appearances in the NBC comedy variety series The Richard Pryor Show. His other early television guest appearances included Laugh-In, Eight is Enough and America 2-Night. He first appeared as Mork in the fifth season episode of Happy Days titled "My Favorite Orkan," which aired on ABC on February 28, 1978. After the success of the appearance, Williams was given his own spin-off series.

Mork & Mindy premiered on ABC on September 14, 1978. Williams played the alien Mork from the planet Ork. He met the pretty Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber) after he landed in a giant egg-shaped spacecraft near Boulder, Colorado. Mork was known for putting on his suit backwards. He would often wear rainbow suspenders later in the series. The crazy character would sit in a chair upside down. He had a hand gesture similar to Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute from Star Trek combined with a handshake. His catchphrases were "Shazbot" (an Orkan profanity) and "Na-Nu Na-Nu," which meant goodbye in the Orkan language. Williams was known for improvising much of his dialogue and physical comedy.

The series became an instant hit in the first season when it finished tied in third place with Happy Days in the Nielsen ratings. The series was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Robin Williams received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1979. Some changes to the stories and cast were made in the second season. It was also moved to a different night and timeslot. The show never recovered in the ratings. Williams' idol Jonathan Winters was brought in the final season as Mork and Mindy's child, Mearth. They still had a nice run for four seasons and 95 episodes. Williams also appeared as Mork in the premiere episode of the ABC sitcom Out of the Blue. He returned as Mork in the sixth season Happy Days episode titled "Mork Returns." He also voiced the character in the animated series the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour in 1982-1983.

Williams had guest appearances in many television series. His comedy guest appearances included The Larry Sanders Show, Friends, Life with Bonnie, Wilfred and Louie. Some of his other television credits included Faerie Tale Theatre, SCTV Network, Pryor's Place, Saturday Night Live and L.A. Doctors. He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Carol, Carl, Whoopi and Robin in 1987 and Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for ABC Presents: A Royal Gala in 1988. In 1995, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor for his role as Robert Ellison, a grieving widower and father, in the episode "Bop Gun" of Homicide: Life on the Streets. He received another Emmy nomination in 2008 for Outstanding Guest Actor for his role as Merritt Rook in the episode "Authority" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2013, Williams returned to a series regular role in the CBS sitcom The Crazy Ones. He played Simon Roberts, a father who works with his daughter (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) in a Chicago advertising office. The series also starred Richard Wolk, Hamish Linklater and Amanda Setton. Despite good reviews and respectable ratings, it was canceled after one season.

He was also known for his stand-up comedy. He had three HBO comedy specials in the late 1970s and 1980s: Off the Wall (1978), An Evening with Robin Williams (1982), and Robin Williams: Live at the Met (1986). He later appeared on HBO in his one-man show called Robin Williams: Live on Broadway in 2002. In 2009, he had a 26-city tour titled "Weapons of Self-Destruction".

Williams had roles in more than 75 films. He received Academy Award nominations for his work in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King. In 1998, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Sean Maguire, a psychiatrist who helps a genius (played by Matt Damon) realize his potential, in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He won Golden Globe Awards for his roles in Good Morning, Vietnam, The Fisher King and Mrs. Doubtfire. Some of his other acclaimed films and financial successes included Popeye, The World According to Garp, Awakenings, Hook, Jumanji, The Birdcage and Night at the Museum. Other film highlights included Moscow on the Hudson, Flubber, Patch Adams, What Dreams May Come, Bicentennial Man, Insomnia and One Hour Photo. He provided his voice in Aladdin, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, Robots and Happy Feet. For a complete listing of his credits, please visit his IMDB page.

Survivors include his wife Susan Schneider; son Zachary with his first wife Valerie Verladi; and daughter Zelda, who's also an actress, and son Cody with his second wife Marsha Garces.

Mr. Williams was a gifted actor and comedian. He was a comic genius and amazing talent. There will never be another actor quite like him. When we first saw him as Mork on Happy Days, we knew he was destined for stardom. We thank him for the joy and laughter he brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed. We lost him far too soon. Na-Nu Na-Nu our friend.

Share your memories on our Mork & Mindy message board. View photos in our galleries.

MeTV remembered the legendary Robin Williams last night (August 11) by airing his first appearance ("My Favorite Orkan") as Mork on Happy Days. Tonight (August 12) they will air his second appearance ("Mork Returns") at 8:30. Mork & Mindy is currently off the air. It aired most recently on The Hub Network.

ABC will air a retrospective tonight (August 12) on 20/20 titled "The Life and Death of Robin Williams" at 10pm ET/PT. Stay with us for updates on any other tributes.

Teen Choice 2014 aired live on FOX from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday. This year, teens logged on to teenchoiceawards.com and cast more than 164 million votes in support of their favorite celebrities from film, television, music, sports, digital and fashion. Hosted by Modern Family's Sarah Hyland and Teen Wolf's Tyler Posey, the special also honored Selena Gomez with the Ultimate Choice Award. Bella Thorne and Cameron Dallas presented the "Choice Candie's Style Icon" award to actress, singer and dancer Zendaya for her red carpet style and bold fashion choices. Actress Odeya Rush scored the "Olay Fresh Effects Breakout Star Award," which was presented by MKTO and Cody Simpson. The award is a special accolade celebrating a fresh face who is poised to "break out" from the pack and showcase her best, beautiful work. Not surprisingly, the younger skewing TV series and stars were among the winners including Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf. See the full TV list below:

Choice TV Show: Drama "Pretty Little Liars"
Choice TV Actor: Drama Ian Harding, Pretty Little Liars
Choice TV Actress: Drama Lucy Hale, Pretty Little Liars
Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi The Vampire Diaries
Choice TV Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries
Choice TV Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries
Choice TV Show: Comedy The Big Bang Theory
Choice TV Actor: Comedy Ross Lynch, Austin & Ally
Choice TV Actress: Comedy Lea Michele, Glee
Choice TV: Animated Show The Simpsons
Choice TV: Reality Competition Show The Voice
Choice TV: Reality Show Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Choice TV Villain Dylan O'Brien, Teen Wolf
Choice TV Reality Personality - Male Adam Levine, The Voice
Choice TV Reality Personality - Female Shakira, The Voice
Choice TV Male Scene Stealer Tyler Hoechlin, Teen Wolf
Choice TV Female Scene Stealer Candice Accola, The Vampire Diaries
Choice TV Female Breakout Star Sasha Pieterse, Pretty Little Liars
Choice TV: Male Breakout Star Brett Dalton, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Choice TV: Breakout Show Faking It
Choice Summer TV Show Wipeout
Choice Summer TV Star: Male Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars
Choice Summer TV Star: Female Ashley Benson, Pretty Little Liars

TV Land has given a pilot order to Teachers, based on the popular web series of the same name. The show revolves around six elementary school teachers who are trying to mold the minds and lives of America's youth, but they don't really seem to have their own lives together at all. From making their class help them stalk exes online to altering a grade because the art teacher is "kind of a b****," these teachers are certainly changing the world, one student at a time. Alison Brie (Community) is attached as an executive producer, and the stars of the web series, all named a version of "Katie" - Caitlin Barlow, Katy Colloton, Cate Freedman, Kate Lambert, Katie O'Brien and Katie Thomas - are all signed on to reprise their roles.

Barlow, Colloton, Freedman, Lambert, O'Brien and Thomas, who call their group The Katydids, are all from Chicago with experience at The Second City, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and iO West in Los Angeles. Their web series, Teachers, can be watched at TeachersWebSeries.com. Matt Miller (Chuck, Las Vegas) and Cap Gun TV are executive producers alongside Brie, and Jones and Keith Cox will serve as executive producers for TV Land. This is just a pilot order, so stay with us if TV Land decides to order this pilot to series.

CBS has announced season finale airdates that will include a one-hour series finale for How I Met Your Mother (as previously announced), the one-hour season finale for The Crazy Ones and a two-hour finale for Survivor, followed by the reunion special. First up is the final episode of How I Met Your Mother on Monday, March 31 from 8-9pm and later that night is the season finale of drama Intelligence at 10. The season finale of freshman sitcom Mom will be on Monday, April 14 at 9:30pm, while fellow freshman comedy The Crazy Ones will wrap up with a two-episode finale on Thursday, April 17 from 9-10pm. The latter and Intelligence are still waiting to be picked-up for next season, while Mom has already been picked-up. All of the other finales will be in the May sweep, with 2 Broke Girls on Monday, May 5 at 8. The rest include: CSI on Wednesday, May 7 at 10; Two and a Half Men on Thursday, May 8 at 9; Hawaii Five-0 & Blue Bloods on Friday, May 9 from 9-11pm; and the Tuesday dramas NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Person of Interest on Tuesday, May 13 from 8-11pm.

The next night will be the Criminal Minds season finale on Wednesday, May 14 at 9. The rest of the Thursday series will wrap-up on the last Thursday of the season on May 15, with Big Bang Theory at 8, The Millers at 8:30pm and Elementary at 10. The final Sunday of the season on May 18 will have the season finales of The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist from 8-11pm. Mike & Molly will be the only Monday series to have its finale on the last Monday of the season on May 19 at 9. With many CBS series ending early by a week or two, it is still to be determined what will air the subsequent week(s). And finally, Survivor will wrap-up on its regular night (Wednesday) for the first time in years, as it will not end on a Sunday like usual. The Survivor finale event will be on the last day of the TV season on Wednesday, May 21 from 8-11pm.

At last CBS has finally announced premiere dates for the rest of their midseason class. CBS has given mid-season premiere dates to the new comedy Bad Teacher and returning drama Unforgettable. Additionally, Thursday night comedies The Crazy Ones and Two and a Half Men will switch time periods, beginning Feb. 27. So The Crazy Ones and Two and a Half Men will switch time periods, effective Thursday, Feb. 27, with Two and a Half Men moving to 9:00 PM and The Crazy Ones shifting to 9:30 PM. Then Bad Teacher, a single-camera comedy based on the hit feature film, premieres Thursday, April 24 at 9:30PM, ET/PT), after The Crazy Ones completes its full 22-episode season order on Thursday, April 17. And Unforgettable returns on Friday, April 4 at 8:00PM ET/PT, following the completion of Undercover Boss' season order. The only series CBS has not scheduled yet is new drama Reckless, which will likely premiere in summer. Also previously announced for CBS this mid-season were return dates for Survivor and The Amazing Race, and also new comedy Friends with Better Lives which premieres after the How I Met Your Mother series finale on Monday, March 31.

The CW Network has ordered early pickups for the 2014-15 season for its hit series Arrow, Reign, The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural, which will be returning for its tenth season next fall. All of these series have done well in the Nielsen ratings for The CW in their timeslots. The CW has not yet made decisions on its dramas: Beauty & the Beast, The Tomorrow People, Hart of Dixie or The Carrie Diaries. Stay tuned for any updates on these come May during upfront season. One show of course that will not be returning next season is the drama Nikita, as that series has been canceled. Stay with us for continued updates.

TBS has renewed its new late-night series The Pete Holmes Show, which enjoyed a seven week run at the end of 2013. TBS has ordered an additional 13 weeks of the series starring popular comedian Pete Holmes and produced by Conaco LLC, the company behind the late-night hit Conan. New episodes of The Pete Holmes Show are set to launch Feb. 24 and will air Monday-Thursday nights at midnight (ET/PT), following Conan at 11. The Pete Holmes Show is produced for TBS by Conaco LLC, with Jeff Ross, David Kissinger, Nick Bernstein, Dave Rath and Conan O'Brien serving as executive producers. Taped before a live studio audience, the series showcases Pete's wide-ranging comedic skill set, which led him to be named one of Variety's "Top 10 Comics to Watch." The show packs live comedy, sketches and video pieces into a fast-paced half hour. The Pete Holmes Show has averaged nearly half a million viewers since its premiere, with a remarkably young median age of only 36. The show has quickly made a name for itself in the social media realm, with its viral videos like the X-Men parodies and interviews with Olympian Lolo Jones and NBA all star James Harden amassing more than 20 million views on YouTube and Pete Holmes.com. In addition, Pete and the show have also amassed nearly 300,000 fans through social media.

Canadian character actor Larry D. Mann, who guest starred in many sitcoms, has died. He died of natural causes on January 6 in Los Angeles. Mr. Mann was 91.

Mann had a regular role as Marty Warren, Jerry Webster's (Jerry Van Dyke) friend and lawyer, in the 1967-68 NBC sitcom Accidental Family. His many sitcom guest appearances included My Favorite Martian, Get Smart, Rango, Hey Landlord, He & She, Hogan's Heroes, Bewitched, Green Acres and The New Leave it to Beaver. He was also in The Sting as the train conductor/poker game dealer. He was the voice of Yukon Cornelius in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The MeTV Network is paying tribute to the late character actor Larry D. Mann. MeTV will be airing the Hogan's Heroes episode "The Reluctant Target" in which he guest starred tonight (Thursday) at 9|8c. He has appeared on many other shows MeTV airs including Columbo, Night Gallery, Gunsmoke, Get Smart, Bonanza, Ironside, Dragnet, Love American Style, The Big Valley and Honey West.

And finally, WCBS2-NY's Kristine Johnson will appear as a guest star on the CBS sitcom The Crazy Ones tonight at 9|8c on CBS. Kristine plays a reporter covering a PR disaster at a big company represented by Simon (Robin Williams) and Sydney's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) advertising agency.

CBS has picked up three freshman sitcoms to full seasons. They have given the "back nine" orders to The Crazy Ones, The Millers and Mom. We mentioned that the fourth CBS freshman comedy We Are Men was already canceled. All three of these series haven't been big mass hits but they have done solidly, especially The Millers coming out of a huge lead-in from The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays. The other two haven't been as successful in adults 18-49, though The Crazy Ones had a big series premiere. That series airs Thursdays at 9pm and stars Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Wolk, Hamish Linklater and Amanda Setton. The Millers airs Thursdays at 8:30pm and stars Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, Margo Martindale, Jayma Mays, J.B. Smoove, Nelson Franklin and Eve Moon, while Mom, from Chuck Lorre, airs Mondays at 9:30pm and stars Anna Faris, Allison Janney, Nate Corddry, Matt Jones, Sadie Calvano, Blake Garrett Rosenthal, Spencer Daniels and French Stewart. Stay with us for continued updates, as CBS hasn't announced the fate of Monday freshman drama Hostages yet.

NBC has canceled two fall series: Thursday comedy Welcome to the Family effective immediately and Wednesday drama Ironside starting Oct. 30. As a result, NBC will eventually replace these series with the debut of Dick Wolf's Chicago P.D. (the spin-off of Chicago Fire) at 10pm on Wednesday, Jan. 8, as well as the season premiere of Community with back-to-back episodes from 8-9pm Thursday, Jan. 2. Community then settles into its 8pm half-hour on Jan. 9 followed by Parks and Recreation at 8:30. The Jan. 9 episode will be the show's 100th and was co-written by Amy Poehler and Mike Schur.

In the short-term, replacing Ironside in the 10pm Wednesday time slot for November and December will be a string of original programming, including new episodes of Dateline crime stories, Saturday Night Live holiday-themed specials and holiday music specials starring Kelly Clarkson and Michael Buble. On Wednesday, Oct. 30 a rerun of Law & Order: SVU will air. NBC on Thursday nights from 8-9pm for the remainder of the fall will change due to Welcome to the Family being pulled. It will include two weeks of original back-to-back Parks and Recreation episodes (Nov. 14 and 21), specials such as SNL Halloween, plus a previously-announced edition of The Voice on Nov. 7 and The Sound of Music Live! broadcast on Dec. 5. In addition, The Sing-Off moves into the time period in December for two weeks on Dec. 12 and 19. This Thursday (Oct. 24), a rerun of The Voice will air in the hour. Stay with us for continued updates, as NBC hasn't made any decisions yet on freshman comedy Sean Saves the World, while new drama Dracula premieres this Friday (Oct. 25).

The Crazy Ones - Thursdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 9:00PM ET/PT

by Todd

Academy Award winner Robin Williams returns to series television in The Crazy Ones, a single-camera workplace comedy about a larger-than-life advertising genius whose unorthodox methods and unpredictable behavior would get him fired… if he weren't the boss. Simon Roberts is the head of a powerful agency, with the biggest clients and brands in the world, but even more important to him is having his daughter Sydney by his side. As his partner, Sydney is Simon’s exact opposite – focused, organized and eager to make a name for herself, but also too busy parenting her father, which she'd resent if he wasn't so brilliant at what he does. Joining them in the firm are the dashing and talented Zach; art director Andrew, who’s as hard-working as he is neurotic; and the beautiful and deceptively smart assistant Lauren. With his team and his daughter behind him, Simon continues to set the advertising world on fire, and it looks like they are definitely buying what these crazy ones are selling.

Robin Williams as Simon Roberts
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Sydney Roberts
James Wolk as Zach Cropper
Hamish Linklater as Andrew Keanelly
Amanda Setton as Lauren Slotsky

Robin Williams (Simon Roberts) first gained attention as Mork from Ork in the hit television series Mork & Mindy.. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He was previously nominated for Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King.. His many other film credits include Popeye, Patch Adams,, Awakenings, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, One Hour Photo and Night at the Museum.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Sydney Roberts) is best known for her iconic role as Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Most recently, she starred in and also served as the executive producer of The Ringer. Her many film credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, Cruel Intentions, Scooby-Doo and The Grudge..

James Wolk (Zach Cropper) joined the cast of Mad Men in the show's sixth season as junior account man Bob Benson. His other television credits include the miniseries Political Animals, Happy Endings, Shameless and Lone Star.

Hamish Linklater (Andrew Keanelly) is best known as Matthew Kimble in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine. His other television credits include The Newsroom, The Good Wife, The Big C and Gideon's Crossing. He has appeared in films such as 42, Lola Versus, Battleship and The Future.

Amanda Setton (Lauren Slotsky) is best known to television audiences for her recurring role as Penelope Shafai in Gossip Girl. Her other television credits include The Mindy Project, Golden Boy, Blue Bloods and One Life to Live.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (airs Thursday, September 26 at 9:00PM ET/PT)

Simon must pull out all the stops and convince Grammy Award winner Kelly Clarkson to record a new twist on a classic advertising jingle for their biggest client.

In the pilot's opening scene, we meet Sydney and Andrew directing some kids in a cookies commercial. Zach talks to Sydney about a meeting with McDonald's executives. Simon boxes with a toy robot and is worried about talking to the executive, Hannah Sharples. Sydney starts the pitch before Simon arrives. He shows them a commercial from 1972 and says they should redo the spot with updated images and a new voice. They are given just one day to find the right voice - somebody who is famous. Sydney, Zach and Andrew have problems finding anybody who is willing to help them. Simon tells them that he is having drinks with Kelly Clarkson in Chicago. Simon and Zach make the trip to pitch the commercial to Kelly. However, Kelly tells them she doesn't do jingles and wants to change her image and talk about sex. After arriving back at the agency, Simon tells Sydney and Andrew that Kelly has agreed to the commercial. Sydney and company are surprised to hear Kelly's rendition of the song. They ask her to make it unsexy. Sydney is finally able to sell the song to Kelly after performing it for her in the cafeteria. The episode closes with Kelly singing the updated song. Simon and Sydney are proud of each other as they leave the office for the day.

Written by David E. Kelley
Directed by Jason Winer
Guest stars: Gail O'Grady as Hannah Sharples, Kelly Clarkson as Herself

Analysis:

The Crazy Ones marks Robin Williams' first regular television role since Mork & Mindy ended in 1982. The series was created by David E. Kelley who has brought audiences many critically-acclaimed television series such as Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, and Harry's Law. Emmy nominated director Jason Winer, who has worked on Modern Family, directed the pilot episode. He also serves as an executive producer.

I've been a long-time fan of Robin Williams since his Mork & Mindy days. My initial thoughts when I heard that he was returning to television were that I would have preferred to see him in a multi-camera sitcom where he could perform in front of a studio audience and improvise. After viewing the pilot, I think this is the perfect vehicle and character for him. They allow him to do what he does best - be crazy. He does physical comedy, sings, dances and sashays, and performs wacky impressions and voices. Simon Roberts is just a charming and interesting character. The role was written with Williams in mind, so I would expect them to allow him to bring his real life background and events into the series. It seems he will be given plenty of freedom to be himself and improvise. The rest of the cast is strong and work well together as a team. Sarah Michelle Gellar has shown she is a talented and versatile actress. Williams and Gellar have an instant chemistry and a certain sweetness together. I thought Hamish Linklater was an underrated actor on The New Adventures of Old Christine, so it is nice to see him return to another CBS comedy as the neurotic Andrew. I wasn't familiar with Amanda Setton before seeing her here. She doesn't have many scenes or lines in the pilot, but I look forward to seeing her more. The biggest surprise and scene stealer to me in the cast is James Wolk. His scenes with Robin Williams and singing are very funny. They are almost like a father and son duo.

This pilot is well-written, well-acted, and well-produced. It's a fast-paced and crisp episode that wraps up neatly in around 20 minutes. There's a nice mix of comedy, drama and music. The production design is very good. The sets and shooting locations make it look like a real workplace. I like the large caricature painting of Simon above the elevator. There are just fun props to look for in the background. Another factor that adds to the realism is the mention of McDonald's and the display of their logo in the production meeting. It may seem like a bit of a commercial for McDonald's, but the companies who will be referenced apparently don't pay for being included and have no final script approval. The product placement for McDonald's reminds me of the film Mac and Me, but this episode is funny in a good way. Some of the highlights are the pitches and renditions of the song by the cast and guest star Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson is hilarious and delightful playing a version of herself that you've never seen before. Her sexed up version of the McDonald's song is wild. Due to the small size of the main cast, I would expect them to bring in many big name stars as guests. Josh Groban is scheduled to appear in an upcoming episode. Brad Garrett will also be appearing in at least two episodes as the co-founder of the advertising agency.

Conclusion:


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 9:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Crazy Ones Photo Gallery

Preview:

For one day only Phil Dunphy's bench ad was available for your sitting and viewing pleasure at the Santa Monica Pier in celebration of Modern Family: The Complete Fourth Season's arrival on Blu-ray/DVD. Currently, there 245 Phil Dunphy benches in Los Angeles County not including the one that will be on display in Santa Monica. The area included Claire and Phil Dunphy cut outs so that fans can take and share pictures of themselves with them by the bench. In addition to the benches, they also created a fun Twitter sweeps asking fans to post fun pictures of themselves sitting on a bench. If they tweet one picture to @FoxHomeEnt using the hashtag #ninjainablazer, they will have a chance to win prizes. The sweeps began Monday, September 23 and ends on Monday, September 30. Finally, if you have a moment, dial the number: 1-866-5DUNPHY. Phil Dunphy himself recorded two messages for all fans!

This past weekend, Modern Family won an Emmy for Best Comedy Series, for the fourth consecutive year. And tonight the fifth season premiere will air on ABC with back-to-back episodes starting at 9|8c. Go Phil!

Viacom-owned MTV2 has quietly added Family Matters to its line-up as of last week. The sitcom is still airing on BET, which is also owned by Viacom. Family Matters is airing most weeknights from 2-4am in the late night, while BET is airing the series in the mornings/early afternoons. The hit '90s sitcom will join other '90s favorites such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World, Martin, The Wayans Bros., In Living Color and Smart Guy. Most of these air regularly on weekdays, such as Sabrina weekdays from 9am-12pm and Saved by the Bell from 12-2pm. Martin airs in the late night from 12-2am, while In Living Color, The Wayans Bros. and Smart Guy are on weekends mainly. The network also airs The PJ's from time to time, while Living Single has been removed.

The series of course is about The Winslows, a middle-class suburban Chicago black family may seem like a normal family but with the additions of a sister, her son, Carl's mother and one nerdy neighbor there is never a dull moment in this household. Stay with us for continued updates and to see if MTV2 will be adding anything else later this fall?




Here's the "scoop." CBS is teaming up with Yogurtland on a sweet three-tier fall promotion for the network's eight comedy series that will kick off tomorrow. From Friday, Sept. 13 through Monday, Sept. 30, select Yogurtland locations in several major cities will offer CBS comedy series-inspired frozen yogurt flavors and store-wide branding, marking Yogurtland's first in-store takeover by a television network. On Premiere Monday (Sept. 23) the same participating Yogurtland shops will provide free frozen yogurt from Noon to 6:00 PM. All Yogurtland shops throughout the country will accept CBS comedy-branded coupons for a free first five ounces of frozen yogurt on Monday, Sept. 23. Coupons can be accessed/printed via CBS' comedy series' Facebook pages and Yogurtland's official Facebook page. This fall will be more appetizing than ever for CBS comedy fans. With CBS's largest number of comedies since its 1997-1998 schedule, its Comedy's Best Season. The returning hits The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls, and Two and a Half Men will be joined by the highly anticipated new comedies The Crazy Ones, The Millers, Mom, and We Are Men.

The flavors include: We Are Man-go for We Are Men; Chocolate Miller Shake for The Millers; Mom's Hot Cocoa Meltdown for Mom; Cookies & Crazy Ones for The Crazy Ones; Penny's Cheesecake, Howard's Strawberry Space Adventure, Sheldon's Bazinga Blueberry for The Big Bang Theory; Plain with Robin Sparkles, How I Met Your Mocha, Barney’s Legend-Berry Tart for How I Met Your Mother; Two and a Half Pistachios for Two and a Half Men; and 2 Broke Graham Crackers, Max and Caroline's Cupcake Batte for 2 Broke Girls. You can find these flavors at these locations:

New York
358 Seventh Avenue at 29th Street, New York, NY 10001

Los Angeles
310 South La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90036
and 8495 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Chicago
1 W Division Street at State Street, Chicago, IL 60610

Boston
57 John F Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02138

Miami
2806 University Dr., Coral Springs, FL 33065

Dallas
7700 W Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX, 75225

We continue our look at the fall 2013 cable and digital TV schedules today with USA Network. Of course their big acquisition is Modern Family, but they also have NCIS: LA coming as more than just repurpose plays. We of course announced both sometime back (Modern Family back in 2010 and NCIS: LA back in 2010). At the 2013 USA Network upfront, the premiere date and time was announced for Modern Family reruns on USA (Sept. 24 8|7c), but we have the complete information now. It will actually launch on Sunday, Sept. 22 from 8-11pm with a mini-marathon. Modern Family will air regularly back-to-back in primetime during the 8pm hour every Tuesday-Friday, with the Tuesday episodes extended through full primetime until 11pm and Friday episodes extended to 10pm. On Sundays, Modern Family will air in a block from 9-11pm. To get ready for Modern Family on USA, the network will air "Modern Family" NCIS and Law & Order: SVU marathons on Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8. On Sunday, Sept. 29 from 4-9pm, Law & Order: SVU episodes featuring guest appearances by Modern Family stars like Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell & Sarah Hyland, will lead into the regular Sunday stack of Modern Family. And just like The Middle ABC Family update yesterday, Modern Family will also premiere on local broadcast syndication this fall. It will premiere Sept. 23, so check your local listings (in NYC it will be on WNYW).

On to NCIS: Los Angeles, the regular plays begin the week of Sept. 23 and it will air regularly Mondays, Wednesdays-Fridays at 5pm & 7pm, along with a block on Wednesdays in primetime from 9pm-11pm and on Thursdays at 11pm. There will also be plenty of "launch marathons" for the series on Monday, Sept. 23 from 6am-8pm and then 11:05pm-2:05am following WWE Raw. There will also be marathons on Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6am-6pm & 9pm-4am and also on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9am-2am. Other series USA Network airs includes Law & Order: SVU, NCIS, House and filler airings of Cheers. After Sept. 20 there is no sign of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on the schedule, but that could return in October. Like ABC Family's fall schedule, the original primetime series will all be over before the new reruns start. Burn Notice will have its series finale on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 9pm leading into the season finale of Graceland at 10pm. Royal Pains will have its season ender on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9pm. And finally, the Tuesday series will have their mid-season finales on Tuesday, Sept. 17 with Covert Affairs at 9 and Suits at 10. The back 6 episodes will return in fourth quarter (Covert Affairs) and January (Suits), but the dates and times are not announced yet. And finally, movie wise, the network television premiere of Bridesmaids (2011) will be on USA Network. The film starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy will premiere on Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8pm and Sunday, Sept. 22 at 5:30pm leading into the Modern Family marathon.

Discuss the USA Network Fall 2013 schedule on our message board.


The TCA Summer 2013 press tour continues and CBS was up yesterday, so we will give you a recap of their announcements. First up, CBS will launch its premiere Thursday now with a one hour episode of The Big Bang Theory on Sept. 26 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT. The back-to-back original episodes will lead into the series premiere of The Crazy Ones starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. As a result, CBS's new comedy The Millers will now premiere a week later on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8:30PM ET/PT. Meanwhile, new drama Under the Dome, which is television's #1 summer series in viewers and key demographics, will return in summer 2014 with 13 all-new episodes for its second season. Stephen King, whose bestselling novel is the basis for the series, will write the premiere episode of the second season.

There were show panels with the casts and producers of the following series: The Millers, Hostages, We Are Men, The Crazy Ones, upcoming syndicated entry The Arsenio Hall Show, The Good Wife, Mom and the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Right before the Hostages panel, there was a research briefing. What qualifies as a programming success in today's digital world? What are the multi-platform trends you need to be aware of? The CBS researcher quantified how non-linear viewing via DVR, Video-on-Demand and online streaming - adds to a show's total audience. Also shared was research on social media's relationship with television, what aging boomers mean to the 18-49 demographic and other audience trends.

The CW will continue the broadcast portion today, so come on back for a recap tomorrow on the blog for any notable highlights. We got a notice of some premiere date changes along with some other information, so we will highlight all that for you tomorrow. Come on back!

It's no surprise but finally Disney Channel has ordered Girl Meets World, a comedy series for kids and families from executive producer Michael Jacobs (Boy Meets World), to series! We first mentioned this some months ago when it was just a pilot but now it will be a series! Starring are 11-year-old Rowan Blanchard (Spy Kids All the Time in World in 4D) as the girl -- Riley Matthews -- 14-year-old Sabrina Carpenter (Sofia the First voice cast and a newly signed Hollywood Records recording artist) as her best friend Maya Fox, and Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage reprising the "Cory and Topanga" roles they made famous in ABC's hugely popular sitcom Boy Meets World (1993-2000). Production on the multi-camera series will begin this summer in Los Angeles for a scheduled 2014 premiere on Disney Channel. We'll have much more on exactly when soon. William Daniels, who of course played Mr. Feeny, will appear in the pilot episode and maybe more episodes. Other members of the original Boy Meets World cast could also pop-up on this new series, so stay tuned for more information. Jackée Harry (227, Sister Sister) appears in the pilot episode.

Set in New York City, the new comedy series will tell the wonderfully funny, heartfelt stories that Boy Meets World is renowned for -- only this time from a tween girl's perspective -- as the curious and bright 7th grader, Riley, and her quick-witted friend Maya embark on an unforgettable middle school experience. But their plans for a carefree year will be adjusted slightly under the watchful eyes of Riley's dad who's also a faculty member (and their new History teacher) and Riley's mom who owns a trendy afterschool hangout that specializes in pudding. Teo Halm plays Cory and Topanga's son, Elliott. The series was created by Michael Jacobs (Boy Meets World, Dinosaurs, My Two Dads, Charles In Charge) and April Kelly (Boy Meets World) and is executive-produced by Jacobs. Girl Meets World is from It's A Laugh Productions, Inc. and carries a TV-G parental guideline.

CBS has announced its fall premiere dates already. They are the first network to announce premiere dates so far. CBS will premiere nearly all of its new and returning series during official premiere week (Sept. 23-29, 2013), following the network's Sunday, Sept. 22 broadcast of The 65th Primetime Emmey Awards, which will air live, 8:00-11:00 PM ET/5:00-8:00 PM PT on CBS. The next night, How I Met Your Mother, entering its final season, returns with a special one-hour episode on Monday, Sept. 23 from 8:00-9:00 PM,ET/PT. Freshman comedy We Are Men will premiere a week later on Monday, Sept. 30 at 8:30PM ET/PT. The new comedy Mom premieres Monday, Sept. 23 at 9:30PM ET/PT followed by the freshman drama Hostages at 10:00 PM ET/PT. CBS's new Thursday two-hour comedy block premieres Sept. 26 with the return of The Big Bang Theory at 8:00PM ET/PT, new comedies The Millers at 8:30PM ET/PT and The Crazy Ones at 9:00PM ET/PT) followed by the season premiere of Two and a Half Men at 9:30PM ET/PT. The only series to air prior to the start of the official premiere week is once again Survivor. For the 11th time in the past 12 seasons, Survivor will get an early start to the season when it returns with a special 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 8-9:30pm.

The rest of the fall schedule will feature returning series: 2 Broke Girls on Monday, Sept. 23 at 9; NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and the new night and time for Person of Interest on Tuesday, Sept. 24; dramas Criminal Minds and CSI on Wednesday, Sept. 25 beginning at 9pm; the season premiere of Elementary on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 10; while Fridays will have Undercover Boss lead off again into the new night and time for Hawaii Five-0 at 9 leading into Blue Bloods at 10 on Sept. 27. Saturdays will still have 48 Hours Mystery at 10 beginning Sept. 28 and on Sundays, the entire line-up remains unchanged and will return Sept. 30 with 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist. And one final note, CBS's mid-season drama Intelligence will premiere Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 at 10:00PM ET/PT, as soon as the 13-episode run for Hostages concludes. Stay with us for continued updates and premiere dates for all of the other networks.