SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Get so excited! Peacock is going back to Bayside and has renewed critically acclaimed comedy Saved by the Bell for a second season. 10 episodes have been ordered. In the reimagined series, when California governor Zack Morris gets into hot water for closing too many underfunded high schools, he proposes they send the affected students to the most well-funded schools in the state - including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the privileged Bayside kids (who never have a problem that can't be solved in twenty-two minutes) a much-needed dose of reality. Season One addressed many important topics such as race, inclusion, class and education. In the season finale, Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) stages a walkout in order to keep the Douglas High students at Bayside. Tracey Wigfield serves as writer and executive producer for the series, alongside executive producer Franco Bario. Peter Engel also serves as executive producer. The comedy is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

The long wait for Muppet fans is almost over! The Muppet Show, Jim Henson’s iconic variety series that started it all, will begin streaming Friday, February 19 exclusively on Disney+. In addition to the first three seasons, fans will be able to enjoy seasons 4 and 5, which have never previously been released on home entertainment. The Muppet Show stars Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the Swedish Chef, and more in a groundbreaking twist on the classic variety show, blending original songs, sketch comedy, and guest stars into a prime-time hit for all ages. Originally premiering in 1976, some of Hollywood’s brightest stars stopped by The Muppet Show for unforgettable comedy and chaos including Steve Martin, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Alice Cooper, Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Gene Kelly, and Mark Hamill. With all five seasons of The Muppet Show, Muppet favorites like Muppet Treasure Island celebrating its 25th anniversary next month, and new hits like Muppets Now, Disney+ is now the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational streaming service on Earth. To stream The Muppets Collection, visit www.disneyplus.com/franchise/the-muppets .

Jenny Slate (Disney's Academy Award(R)-winning Zootopia) will voice the iconic role of Miss Nanny in Disney Junior's reimagined Muppet Babies, premiering this March on Disney Channel. Slate will bring to life the voice of the Muppet Babies' loving and playful caregiver, a character originally voiced by legendary actress, the late Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver). Almost 30 years after the Muppet Babies first stole the hearts of kids and families around the world, the series chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of the young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin.

As in the original Emmy(R) Award-winning series, Miss Nanny will only be visible from the torso down. Adding a new touch to the reimagined series, the pattern of Miss Nanny's tights will change in each episode to reveal the story's theme. As always, Miss Nanny gently and cheerfully encourages the Muppet Babies to use their imaginations to explore the farthest corners of the universe and to utilize their creative thinking to solve most any problem.

Best friends Apple and Onion, the eponymous characters of Cartoon Network's comedy Apple & Onion, make their debut with a special double premiere on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. (ET/PT). The fun new series, which stems from the global Artists Program, will introduce besties Apple and Onion who have decided to leave their hometowns to experience big city living. With Apple's uncontainable enthusiasm and Onion's outlandish imagination, the two pals embark on hilarious misadventures, often bringing fresh and unexpected insights into today's modern life. Apple & Onion is created by George Gendi and executive produced by Cartoon Network Studios.

With a special limited run, fans can splurge on back-to-back new episodes every Friday at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) through March 23. For those who want to get a first look, catch the first two new episodes of Apple & Onion beginning Friday, Feb. 16 on the Emmy-winning Cartoon Network App and VOD. In the debut episode "A New Life," the series introduces how Apple and Onion meet one another for the very first time. Then, in the "The Perfect Team," a stray cat causes Onion to worry his relationship with Apple is in jeopardy.

The ABC Television Network has announced midseason premiere dates for new series Of Kings & Prophets, My Diet Is Better Than Yours, The Catch, The Family and new comedy The Real O'Neals. Season premiere dates were also announced for returning favorites The Bachelor, Beyond The Tank, Galavant and Marvel's Agent Carter. They will join the schedule with acclaimed series American Crime, previously announced to make its second-season premiere Wednesday, January 6 at 10pm. As for current series, the mid-season premieres are as follow: Tuesday comedies The Muppets and Fresh Off the Boat will return with all-new episodes beginning Tuesday, February 2. The TGIT lineup of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder returns with all-new episodes Thursday, February 11. Once Upon a Time and Quantico return with all-new episodes Sunday, March 6. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D returns with all-new episodes Tuesday, March 8. Nashville returns with all new episodes Wednesday, March 16. The rest of the current ABC series will run all-season long, like ABC Wednesday and Friday comedies, Castle and Shark Tank. Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars premiere date will be announced at a later date. And the return of Secrets and Lies and new comedy Uncle Buck's premiere dates will also be announced at a later date.

Below are ABC's midseason premiere dates (all times ET):

SUNDAY, JANUARY 3
8:00-9:00 p.m. Galavant (Season 2 Premiere)

MONDAY, JANUARY 4
8:00-10:00 p.m. The Bachelor (Season 20 Premiere)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5
9:00-11:00 p.m. Marvel's Agent Carter (Season 2 Premiere, 2 hours, regular time period 9-10 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6
10:00 p.m. American Crime (Season 2 Premiere)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7
8:00-10:00 p.m. My Diet Is Better Than Yours (Series Premiere, 2 hours)
10:00 p.m. Beyond the Tank (Season Premiere)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2
8:00 p.m. The Muppets (New Episodes)
8:30 p.m. Fresh Off the Boat (New Episodes)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11
8:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (New Episodes)
9:00 p.m. Scandal (New Episodes)
10:00 p.m. How to Get Away with Murder (New Episodes)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2
8:30 p.m. The Real O'Neals (Sneak Preview)
9:30 p.m. The Real O'Neals (Sneak Preview)

THURSDAY, MARCH 3
9:00 p.m. The Family (Sneak Preview)

SUNDAY, MARCH 6
8:00 p.m. Once Upon a Time (New Episodes)
9:00 p.m. The Family (Time Period Premiere)
10:00 p.m. Quantico (New Episodes)

TUESDAY, MARCH 8
8:00 p.m. Fresh Off the Boat (New Time Period)
8:30 p.m. The Real O'Neals (Time Period Premiere)
9:00 p.m. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (Series Return, New Episodes)
10:00 p.m. Of Kings & Prophets (Series Premiere)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9
10:00 p.m. American Crime (Season Finale)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
10:00 p.m. Nashville (Series Return, New Episodes)

THURSDAY, MARCH 17
10:00 p.m. How to Get Away with Murder (Season Finale)

THURSDAY, MARCH 24
10:00 p.m. The Catch (Series Premiere)

It's beginning to look and sound a lot like Christmas on getTV, as the network presents a month of classic Yuletide specials hosted by some of Hollywood's most legendary variety stars, every Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, from November 25 through December 23. As part of the festivities, getTV will also air a Christmas-themed Monday Night Variety Block packed with holiday episodes of The Judy Garland Show, The Andy Williams Show and The Merv Griffin Show on November 23 at 8 p.m. ET; as well as a comprehensive 30-hour marathon featuring all of getTV's holiday specials, starting Christmas Eve at 12 p.m. ET through Christmas Day at 6 p.m. ET. The specials are all part of getTV's continuing efforts to unearth rare Hollywood classic movies and TV, and many of them, including specials from Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Andy Williams, Perry Como, and Mitzi Gaynor, have not been seen on television in decades, often since their first broadcasts 40-50 years ago.

The Yuletide celebration begins on Monday, November 23, with the star-studded holiday episode of The Judy Garland Show at 8 p.m. ET, which airs weekly in the same time slot as part of getTV's Monday night block of variety programming. Guests include Garland's children Lorna Luft, Joey Luft and Liza Minnelli, as well as Jack Jones, and Mel Tormé, who performs his own legendary composition, "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)." Judy herself performs carols such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," the iconic standard that she first introduced to the world in the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis. Next, at 9 p.m. ET, Andy Williams highlights some of his favorite Christmas moments in Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Show, packed with holiday standards such as "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Ave Maria," and more, along with unforgettable duets as Andy and his brothers harmonize with the Osmond clan. And Merv Griffin closes out the evening with guests Florence Henderson, Barbara McNair, and Jimmy Boyd singing his signature song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in a special Christmas edition of The Merv Griffin Show, at 10 p.m. ET. For a complete schedule of films and times, visit www.get.tv/schedule. In addition to airing these films on the dates noted above, some of the specials mentioned are scheduled for further broadcasts throughout the month.

Photo above is from The Judy Garland Show: (L-R) Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Lorna Luft, Joey Luft

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! If you listen to the radio, you may find stations are already playing Christmas music (and don't even bother turning on Hallmark Channel if you're not ready), so it should come as no surprise that we've been getting a lot of updates on plans that networks have over the next two months. Additionally, we have even more news of reboots, and an update on The Muppets. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• We reported last week that George Lopez - The Complete Sixth Season would arrive on DVD sometime in November, and now TVShowsOnDVD.com confirms that it will arrive November 24.

Who to Follow: Anna Faris (Twitter), "Does this picture make me look like a dude?"

Claim to Fame: The comedy Mom returned to the CBS lineup just this past week, and with that, we present Anna Faris as our Follow Me. She stars in the series as Christy Plunket. But despite how successful Anna Faris has been in her career, television is something that she didn't really come to until Mom. She has a few voice roles in King of the Hill, and some recurring appearances on Friends and Entourage, but other than that, most of her previous work has been as a successful film actress. Oddly enough, the film actress turned sitcom actress is married to a sitcom actor who is becoming better known as a film actor: Chris Pratt.

The Muppets - Tuesdays at 8:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 8:00PM ET/PT

by Vincent

The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets' personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. This is a more adult Muppet show, for "kids" of all ages.

Cast Details:

Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Statler, and Lips
Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle
Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen, and Dr. Benson Honeydew
Bill Barretta as Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef
David Rudman as Scooter and Janice
Matt Vogel as Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums
Peter Linz as Walter

Steve Whitmire is a puppeteer, best known for performing as Kermit the Frog and Ernie from Sesame Street. He has performed as both characters since the death of Jim Henson in 1990.

Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer known for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street.

Dave Goelz is a puppeteer known for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. He has also worked on shows such as Dinosaurs and Bear in the Big Blue House.

Bill Barretta is a puppeteer who has primarily worked on many varieties of Muppets films and specials. He has been performing with the Muppets since 1993.

Matt Vogel is a puppeteer with The Muppets and Sesame Street. He also did puppeteer work in an episode of 30 Rock.

Peter Linz is a puppeteer who has performed as the character Walter on The Muppets since the character's debut in the 2011 feature film The Muppets. He also appeared on shows like Blue's Room and The Puzzle Place and worked as a puppeteer for the Broadway musical Avenue Q.

Pilot Plot:

We have watched the first two episodes for review. Descriptions of the episodes are listed below:

"Pig Girls Don't Cry (Pilot)" (Airs September 22 at 8:00PM ET)

Miss Piggy is furious that Kermit booked Elizabeth Banks as a guest on her late night talk show Up Late with Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear meets his girlfriend's parents, and Grammy Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons performs their new single "Roots."

"Hostile Takeover" (Airs September 29 at 8:00PM ET)

In an attempt to make Miss Piggy happy, Kermit sets her up with Josh Groban who fills her head with ideas on how to make Up Late with Miss Piggy better. Meanwhile, Fozzie is invited to a party at Jay Leno's house and everyone is annoyed that Bobo is selling cookies for his daughter's troop.

Analysis:

The Muppets has already sparked a lot of buzz over the summer, thanks to well-plotted PR stunts about how Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog have broken up after a decades-long relationship. The reaction to these stunts was about on par with some of the real celebrity break-ups that took place over the summer, which just goes to show the level of passion long-time Muppets diehards have for these characters. The entire stunt rang a little hollow, blatantly trying to cash in on people's nostalgia and adoration for The Muppets for a marketing campaign...and yet, there was something about it that was kind of fun, and that sucked you in spite of itself. You kind of questioned why it needed to exist, and why you cared so much, and why it was working on you. But it did work on you. And that kind of sums up this entire new Muppets project in a nutshell. It feels a little unnecessary, and like it's trying very hard to pull at all of your childhood feelings for these characters while simultaneously feeling modern and "cool." But, at least in its first two episodes, it pretty much works!

Centering around the backstage antics of a Ms. Piggy-hosted talk show, The Muppets is being touted as a more "adult-friendly" vehicle for these characters, boasting a concept similar to 30 Rock and a format reminiscent of shows like The Office and Modern Family. Given that there are some pretty blatant jokes about Kermit's sexual escapades with his new girlfriend in the first 10 minutes of the pilot, it becomes clear that the target audience for this show isn't necessarily kids, but the people who grew up with these characters as kids. (That said, it's probably fine to watch with your kids - content-wise it's mostly pretty tame, and the sexual innuendo is all very mild and likely to go over the heads of any young viewers.) It is also more "adult" in how it handles the relationship between its characters. The major anchor of the show, thus far, is the broken courtship between Kermit and Ms. Piggy, and how the destruction of their personal relationship has affected their personal relationship. Their actual break-up scene is flashed back to in the pilot, and it's the best scene of the show thus far, far more emotional and raw than you would expect a scene in The Muppets to be. Similarly, a sub-plot like with Fozzie attempting to impress his girlfriend's parents despite their judgement of him has some well-utilized earnesty that, if doubled down on, could lead to The Muppets sustaining itself as a quality television show and not just a marketing ploy. On the other hand, the series gets a little clunky when it's attempting to shoehorn figures like Jay Leno and Tom Bergeron into the proceedings, where the joke of the scene seems to amount to little more than "look at these people talking to these characters you love!" There are lots of moments where The Muppets looks like it wants to take itself seriously as a TV show that's holding up a beloved institution. And then not long after that, Imagine Dragons plays us off with their new single. There is plenty of potential in this updated version of The Muppets, but it'll have to resist the urge of being a showbiz marketing tool and actually take its characters seriously.

Conclusion:

The Muppets is full of potential, and while the first two episodes aren't perfect, there's enough good within them to suggest that fans of the franchise can rest assured knowing the characters they love are in good hands. The question is whether the show can rise above the level of "a marketing tool that will please fans and allow celebrities to come plug their stuff sometimes" and become an actual great sitcom with some beloved characters that even non-fans can jump into and enjoy. It's too early to tell which route it will take, and there's evidence of both paths here. Here's to hoping The Muppets chooses the second option, because it would be a shame to see these excellent characters not used to their full capabilities.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 8:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Muppets Photo Gallery

Preview:

The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired last night on Fox. Here are the winners!

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (Fox)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
WINNER: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon).

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO).

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Niecy Nash, Getting On (HBO)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent (Amazon)
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Allison Janney, Mom (CBS).

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Caul (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
WINNER: Game of Thrones (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Bob Odenkirk, Netter Call Saul (AMC)
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
WINNER: Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC). Fitting for the final season.

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
WINNER: Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife (CBS)
WINNER: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Joanne Froggatt, Downtown Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
WINNER: Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)

View the full list of winners.

Team Aidan and Team Big fans get ready, as Amazon announced that the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning hit series Sex and the City is now available for Prime members to stream and download at no additional charge to their membership. As of yesterday, Prime members can watch all episodes of the iconic six-season series that follows Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes, as they navigate love, friendship and relationships in New York City. Prime members can start watching Sex and the City via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at www.amazon.com/PrimeVideo--the series is also available for Prime members to download on iOS, Android and Fire devices for offline viewing.

Sex and the City joins an already robust collection of award-winning, original and popular programming available to Prime members, including Amazon Original Series such as the multi Golden Globe winning and multi Emmy-nominated dark comedy Transparent, the newly released drama Hand of God, as well as the police drama Bosch, and comedy series' Catastrophe and Mozart in the Jungle in addition to hit series like Veep, Girls, The Newsroom, The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, The Wire, Orphan Black, The Good Wife, The White Queen, The Americans, Under the Dome and more, in addition to blockbuster movies like Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, among others. Prime members also have access to a wide selection of kids shows including Amazon Original Series Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue's Clues.

Prime members can watch all the great movies and TV shows available as part of their membership through the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices or mobile devices or online on www.amazon.com/PrimeVideo. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at Amazon.com/prime.


Television's biggest night is just a few days away and just in time for the 67th Emmy Awards, the Television Academy and long-time sponsor Audi teamed up with one of TV's favorite ex-couples in a comedic new video entitled "Kermit Gets Set Up." Watch as Kermit the Frog and the confident Miss Piggy meet up for the first time since their very-public breakup to discuss how they are going work together on their new show. The rendezvous quickly goes awry when insults start flying and the meeting turns into the ultimate Hollywood power lunch. Featuring cameos by some of this year's most popular female Emmy nominees including Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), and a hilarious appearance by Emmy-nominated Joel McHale (The Soup). Don’t forget to stick around for a surprise at the end! So without further adieu watch the video!

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got a sneak preview of The Muppets, news of a Full House star joining The View on a regular basis, even more Mill Creek re-release news, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Moving ahead with re-releases of things previously released by Sony, it looks as if re-releases of the complete series of both Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie will be coming October 6 from Mill Creek.
• Shout! Factory released Mr. Belvedere - Season Four as a Shout! Select release several years ago, but it seems these days that Shout! Select has ceased to exist and that all releases are coming through traditional retailers. While most of the older releases have not been released in such a manner yet, it looks like Mr. Belvedere - Season Four is on the verge of being released in that manner.

Who to Follow: Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Twitter), "canadian actor dude"

Claim to Fame: We tend to neglect a lot of the cable sitcom stars on our Follow Me, but this week, we're featuring one, Jean-Luc Bilodeau. He is currently the star of the ABC Family sitcom Baby Daddy, where he plays a young man whose life is turned upside down when a baby (who turns out to be his daughter) shows up on his doorstep... sort of like cable's version of Raising Hope. This isn't the first ABC Family series for the Canadian actor, though. He first appeared as a regular on the series Kyle XY. Between the end of that series and the beginning of this series, he did a few Nickelodeon movies and a Disney Channel movie, and also made guest appearances on No Ordinary Family and Supernatural.

ABC will launch the 2015-2016 season in mid-September with a stable of returning hit shows and five new series to join the schedule. Dancing with the Stars will kick off its 21st season on Monday, Sept. 14. As we first reported, Beyond The Tank will air Tuesdays at 10:00pm but now we know the date, it begins Sept. 29, until Wicked City takes over the Tuesday 10:00pm time slot, beginning Oct. 27. 20/20 will begin its new season on Friday, Sept. 11 at 10. Dancing with the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 14 from 8-10pm, while a special Dancing with the Stars: The Results will air Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 9-11pm. Castle will have its season premiere on Monday, Sept. 21 at 10. The first new series launch will be new comedy The Muppets on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8, followed by the season premiere of Fresh Off the Boat. The following Tuesday (Sept. 29) will have the launches of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Beyond the Tank from 9-11pm. Onto Wednesday, the entire line-up will have their season premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 8-11pm: The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, black-ish, and Nashville. TGIT returns the next night on Thursday, Sept. 24 with Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How To Get Away with Murder. Friday, Sept. 25 will see the season premieres of Last Man Standing at 8 and Shark Tank at 9, as new sitcom Dr. Ken will premiere the following week (Oct. 2) at 8:30pm.

Onto Sundays, a Once Upon a Time special will air at 7pm leading into the season premiere at 8pm, followed by two all-new drama launches from 9-11pm: Blood & Oil and Quantico. The season premiere of AFV, with new host Alfonso Ribeiro, launches on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 7 (most likely an encore of Once's season premiere will air Oct. 4 at 7). And finally, as previewed at the top of this story, new drama Wicked City will premiere Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10 following the 4-week run of Beyond the Tank.

It's official! Raven-Symoné was named co-host of The View, it was announced live yesterday on the ABC talk show. After 37 appearances as guest co-host, the actress/producer joins the panel alongside moderator Whoopi Goldberg and co-hosts Nicolle Wallace and Rosie Perez effective immediately. Raven-Symoné is widely known for her role in the Emmy-nominated comedy series That's So Raven for Disney Channel, which garnered her three NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special, two Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Television Actress and a Young Artist Award for “Outstanding Young Performer. She was named producer for the series' fourth season, which aired in 2007. The popular actress' recent credits include guest roles on ABC's hit comedy black-ish, as well as featured roles on Empire and the upcoming animated feature film, Animal Crackers alongside Ian McKellen, John Krasinksi, Sylvester Stallone and Danny DeVito. She starred in ABC Family's sitcom State of Georgia, the critically-acclaimed classic sitcom The Cosby Show, for which she received the Young Artist Award for Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Nine, and ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper for four seasons. In 2012, Raven headlined the hit Broadway musical Sister Act, produced by Whoopi Goldberg. She has also appeared in film opposite Eddie Murphy in Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Dolittle 2.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news of even more series that bring back some of our favorite characters, dates for Growing Pains and Wanda at Large releases, and more. Let's get started!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Warner Archive has announced dates for Growing Pains and Wanda at Large this week. We'll be seeing Growing Pains - The Complete Fourth Season on April 14 and Wanda at Large - The Complete First Season on April 7.
• Fox has a few MOD releases ahead with Wilfred - The Complete Season 4 on April 7 and Bob's Burgers - The Complete 4th Season on May 12.
• Fox also announced a September 15 release date for the Lost in Series - Complete Series Collection Blu-ray set. You can read more details about this release at TVShowsOnDVD.com.

Who to Follow: Mike Judge (Twitter), "The Beavis & Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Office Space, Idiocracy, Silicon Valley guy."

Claim to Fame: Mike Judge was a guy who was a physics major in college and worked in the tech industry after graduation... and he realized that he didn't enjoy that culture at all. He played around with animation a little bit, and it took him no time at all to create "Frog Baseball," which was the pilot for the MTV series Beavis and Butt-head. Once that series ended, he went on to create another successful animated series, King of the Hill. He also created the series The Goode Family, which wasn't quite as successful as his other two series. Currently, his work can be seen on HBO in Silicon Valley.