SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Welcome back, welcome back! Beginning Monday, April 14, 2014, Welcome Back, Kotter will be added to the MeTV Network lineup. Welcome Back, Kotter, the 1970s American television series which stars Gabe Kaplan and features a young John Travolta will replace F Troop and will air Monday-Thursday at 9:30pm ET. F Troop will take a brief hiatus, but will return to the MeTV schedule soon. As for Welcome Back, Kotter, the sitcom has not aired on television regularly since it was on AmericanLife TV (now known as YooToo TV) some years back and also on ION Television in 2006-07. WGN America aired the sitcom as part of a '70s week back in 2008. So get ready to watch all four classic seasons with all of your favorite Sweathog kids! Barbarino, Horshack, Boom Boom, Juan and of course Mr. Kotter himself. Tune in starting April 14 on MeTV. Stay with us for continued updates.

ABC has announced the majority of its season finale dates for the 2013-14 Season. First up, on Friday, April 11 at 8:30pm, the season finale of The Neighbors will air with mini-Full House reunion, as DJ Tanner and Steve reunite. Then on Thursday, April 17 the juicy Scandal season finale will air at 10pm. ABC's Friday comedy anchor Last Man Standing will have its season finale of April 25 at 8pm. On Sunday, May 4 the thrilling finale of the new hit Resurrection will air at 9pm. The following Sunday (May 11) will have the spellbinding two-hour season finale of Once Upon a Time leading into the Revenge finale at 10. The next night will have the sixth season finale of Castle at 10pm with Castle and Beckett on the case. ABC's Tuesday line-up will have their finales on Tuesday, May 13 with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at 8, The Goldbergs at 9 and the hilarious Trophy Wife at 9:30. On Wednesday, May 14 the season finale of Suburgatory will air at 8:30pm and then later that night its the sophomore finale of Nashville at 10. On Thursday, May 15 at 9, the tenth finale of Grey's Anatomy will air.

Moving on to Friday, May 16, Shark Tank will have its season finale, while America's Funniest Home Videos ends its season on Sunday, May 18 at 7 leading into the Billboard Music Awards. On Monday, May 19, ABC will have the performance finale of Dancing with the Stars leading into The Bachelorette premiere. Then on the next night, Tuesday, May 20 it is the two-hour finale of Dancing with the Stars from 9-11pm as a champion is crowned. And finally on the last day of the TV season, Wednesday, May 21, The Middle will have a one-hour season finale leading into the season finales of Modern Family and Mixology from 9-10pm. ABC has not announced anything for Mind Games or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, but the latter will end its run on April 3. Stay with us for continued updates.

At last, ABC has announced its fall premiere dates for Fall 2013. 20/20 will officially kick-off its new season on Friday, Sept. 6 at 10pm. The actual series launches will begin on Monday, Sept. 16, as Dancing with the Stars premieres a week earlier than normal from 8-10pm to try and get a head start on the season and now that it doesn't have a Results Show, likely the first elimination will happen towards the end of the second week on Monday night. Dancing's Monday counterpart Castle will launch its new season a week later on the official start of the TV season on Monday, Sept. 23 at 10pm. ABC will launch their Friday series earlier this season, as the last few years they have used an hour on Fridays for encores. This season, all the 8-10pm series will premiere on Friday, Sept. 20 starting with the season premiere of Last Man Standing at 8pm followed by the new night for The Neighbors at 8:30pm. Then it's time to sink or swim with the sharks on an all-new season of Shark Tank at 9|8c leading into 20/20. ABC Tuesday will be brand new from top to bottom and all the shows will premiere on the same night on Tuesday, Sept. 24. First up, is probably the most anticipated new series of the season in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at 8pm leading into likely the most promising new family comedy of the season (and set in the '80s!), The Goldbergs at 9pm. Fellow new family comedy Trophy Wife will follow at 9:30pm. At 10pm, ABC gambles with Lucky 7, a new drama that is a big swing. The next night, ABC Comedy Wednesday returns on Wednesday, Sept. 25 with a new season of laughs starting with the season premiere of The Middle at 8pm, followed by the series premiere of the new family comedy Back in the Game at 8:30pm. At 9pm, ABC will bring back its tentpole Modern Family with a special one-hour premiere event to launch the second season of the critically-acclaimed drama Nashville at 10pm. ABC's new comedy Super Fun Night starring Rebel Wilson will launch a week later on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 9:30pm.

Onto Thursdays, ABC will launch season ten of Grey's Anatomy with a special two-hour premiere event from 9-11pm on Thursday, Sept. 26. Sizzling drama Scandal will return the following week on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10pm for its third season. ABC has not announced what will air at 8pm on the first two Thursdays of the season, but the Once Upon a Time spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will premiere on Thursday, Oct 10 at 8|7c to try and help this time period. ABC Saturday Night College Football will air all fall on Saturday nights. And finally on Sundays, returning dramas Once Upon a Time and Revenge both return in their 8pm & 9pm time periods on Sunday, Sept. 29. New drama Betrayal will premiere at 10|9c also on Sept. 29. ABC will once again premiere America's Funniest Home Videos on the second week of the season on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 7pm. Probably a Once Upon a Time clip-show or season finale encore will once again air on the first Sunday of the season at 7pm, but stay tuned for details at a later date.

TBS has picked up Twentieth Century Fox Television's animated hit American Dad! as an original series, beginning with the show's 11th season in 2014. Created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, American Dad! will join TBS's primetime lineup in late 2014. Sister network Adult Swim is set to present encores of each episode after initial airings on TBS. American Dad!, which will begin its 10th and final season on the Fox television network this fall, is executive-produced by MacFarlane, Barker and Weitzman. TBS has ordered 15 episodes for season 11. TBS and Adult Swim are no strangers to the Seth MacFarlane universe, having aired reruns of American Dad! and MacFarlane's Family Guy throughout the networks' lineups. TBS currently airs American Dad! reruns weekdays at 1 and 1:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Adult Swim presents reruns of the show Tuesday-Friday at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), Monday-Friday at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) and Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

This is the second Fox comedy to move to cable. First was of course Futurama going from Fox to Comedy central, but that had a cancelation in between. American Dad! has aired non-stop on Fox and will move to TBS immediately following its run on Fox. Since premiering on Fox in 2005, American Dad! has earned several industry accolades, including two Emmy(R) nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, two Annie Award nominations and seven Teen Choice Award nominations. In 2012, it took home the top television series prize at the ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards. Stay with us for continued updates as we get closer to 2014.

BET Networks announced that it has licensed an extensive package of iconic, successful off-net programming from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. And the off-network programming are '90s sitcoms! The series, which features such world-recognized and award-winning actors such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence, includes The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros. to air on BET and Centric. In addition, Viacom sibling Nick at Nite has retained the rights to continue airing Full House, while another sibling, MTV2, has acquired the rights to air Living Single. As for the current schedule, Family Matters already started airing on BET earlier this month, as we previously mentioned. The sitcom was borrowed from sister network Nick at Nite and has made the move to BET. In regards to the other sitcoms we mentioned, Martin currently is on sibling MTV2 (shared with TV One), while The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros. have already been airing on BET/Centric for sometime now, so these are more renewals than anything. The Wayans Bros. sometimes even pops-up on sister net MTV2. Martin will start on BET/Centric soon and it will be exclusive to BET Networks in the next few years (by Fall 2015), Barbara Zaneri (Executive Vice President, Program Strategy, Scheduling and Acquisitions, BET Networks) tells us. Stay tuned for updates on that.



The real new deal for BET/Centric is for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Currently, it is not airing on any Viacom-owned network, as it is airing on TBS and ABC Family. Barbara Zaneri has told us exclusively that The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will be exclusive to BET Networks and Viacom Media Networks and will begin airing in Fall 2014. MTV2 also has a brand new deal. It has acquired Living Single, which like Fresh Prince, is currently not on a Viacom-owned network. Living Single currently airs on TV One and we'll have news on its launch date on MTV2 shortly. Barbara says it won't pop-up on BET/Centric for now, but she loves the show, so you never know. Like Martin, Fresh Prince, Barbara tells us the series will be exclusive to BET/Viacom Networks. And finally, Full House is a renewal for Nick at Nite (it's being shared with ABC Family), so you'll continue to see that in primetime on Nick at Nite. We're not sure if this renewal will be now exclusive to Viacom, but we'll find out soon. Stay with us as we will bring you premiere dates and the schedule for these shows (especially Fresh Prince and Living Single, since they are brand new deals) on BET, Centric, and MTV2. There could be more shows in this deal, but these are a lot of shows and deals. We mentioned Roc to Barbara, since that would go well with The Jamie Foxx Show, since Jamie had a recurring role on that series. Special thanks to Barbara Zaneri for all key exclusive and launch information!

ABC has announced its season finale dates for 2012-13 series. The finales begin this Friday (Friday, March 22) with the season finales for sitcoms Last Man Standing and Malibu Country beginning at 8pm. Look for our reviews of both tomorrow before they air! Happy Endings will then move into the hour with back-to-back episodes for at least the next three weeks (March 29, April 5, and April 12). The Neighbors wraps up its freshman season next Wednesday (March 27) at 8:30pm, as we knew. Then the remaining finale dates are new news. Suburgatory, which moves back to 8:30pm on April 3, will conclude its second season on Wednesday, April 17 with a 2-episode finale starting at a special time of 8pm. The remaining season finales will air in the May sweep primarily, with Wife Swap (which has its season premiere tonight) on Thursday, May 2 at 8 (summer series Wipeout premieres May 9). The other ABC Thursday finales will be on Thursday, May 16 with Grey's Anatomy at 9 and Scandal at 10. On to Sunday, new drama Red Widow will conclude on Sunday, May 5 at 10 (if it doesn't get pulled due to low ratings). The big Sunday guns of Once Upon a Time and Revenge will end their seasons the following week on May 12 from 8-11pm, with Revenge having a two-episode finale from 9-11pm. America's Funniest Home Videos will conclude its season on the final Sunday of the season on Sunday, May 19 at 7pm (leading into the Billboard Music Awards).

New celebrity competition series Splash, which premiered to good ratings this week, will end its first season on Tuesday, May 7 at 8pm. Dancing with the Stars will end its season with a two-night finale event, with The Finals airing Monday, May 20 from 8-9pm and The Finale on Tuesday, May 21 from 8-10pm. No word what will air May 14 at 8 or May 21 at 10 (the latter could be regularly scheduled Body of Proof as usual, but I don't think it will be). Speaking of Body of Proof, it will have its season finale the following Tuesday on May 28 at 10, which is the first Tuesday of the summer. Back to Monday, Castle will have its season finale on Monday, May 13 at 10, since The Bachelorette will premiere May 20 from 9-11pm, as previously announced. On Friday, May 17, Shark Tank will end its series high 26-episode season at 9pm. Happy Endings is scheduled for Fridays at 8, but that is just for three weeks, as of now. ABC could opt to air it Wednesdays at 8:30pm for May sweep to finish off its remaining four episodes, however ABC had previously announced new sitcom Family Tools for that slot, though we haven't heard anything more on it since. They could air that series in the summer instead. Back to the finales, ABC ends the season with the Wednesday finales on Wednesday, May 22: The Middle at 8, Modern Family at 9, and freshman drama Nashville at 10. ABC will premiere How To Live with Your Parents on April 3, but no finale date has been announced yet, but it will likely be on May 22, too. That would mean that only 8 episodes will air out of its 13 episode order, but ABC could hold on to the remaining five for next season, should it do well in the ratings. View the ABC 2012-13 season finale dates. That's it, stay with us for further information as always!

On the next...The Neighbors:
By: Pavan

ABC's Wednesday night comedy starring Jami Gertz and Lenny Venito airs Wednesday nights at 8:30pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (March 13). It's a musical episode with Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken writing the songs! In the episode airing tonight, "Sing Like a Larry Bird," increasingly comfortable exploring the world outside of their gated community, the Bird-Kersees ignore the Weavers' concerns and decide to go to into the city to see a Broadway show. Inspired by the experience, Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) decides to put on a musical of his own, which goes well until Dick Butkus (Ian Patrick) literally missteps. Instead of going to Marty (Lenny Venito) and Debbie (Jami Gertz) for help (as they have done many times before), the Bird-Kersees risk exposing their true identities when they call 9-1-1.

Who needs Les Miserables, when we have the Bird-Kersees! This episode has it all--comedy, drama, romance, and musical numbers. And not every part of the episode is a musical scene, so it has a good mix of music and actual dialogue. I've got to say though that the musical numbers the Bird-Kersee family (aka the aliens) did were outstanding. They were Broadway style and quite frankly, hilarious as hell. I think the Bird-Kersees can definitely smack the cast of Glee! This is one of the top episodes of the series so far and every member of the cast had a lot do in this episode. The Weaver family (aka the humans) didn't sing, but that's OK because that wouldn't have made sense since the Bird-Kersees were the ones curious about Broadway. This episode is not just a musical as I mentioned, but we have so many pop culture references that I couldn't even keep a full list. Cats, Hugh Jackman, Glee, Annie, Jay-Z, The Voice, 3rd Rock from the Sun, ET, and Magic Mike are just some of the very cool references made on tonight's episode. The Voice scene was hilarious as Larry, Jackie and Dick were choosing who they wanted to be part of their musical. And the two big musical numbers in this episode just crushed it and made the episode even better. The actual storylines of the episode were hilarious, too, from Larry & Jackie wanting to see a Broadway show without Marty & Debbie knowing to the Weaver kids rebelling and doing whatever they please. And Reggie Jackson brings the romance with comedy and music, as he ponders between his girlfriend Giselle or Amber Weaver. This one is definitely worth watching not just once but at least twice. It's Les Miserables without all the boring stuff and lots of comedy...and that's how it should be! A-

The Neighbors is a good show! It had a very bad wrap for some reason before it even premiered. I think people forgot about shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun, as that show was very good and was critically praised and it had a similar premise. This series has gotten way better since the early episodes, especially the pilot, so you should definitely catch-up if you haven't seen it since the pilot or episode two. I had a feeling this show would last because it is very mainstream and fits the ABC family comedy brand very well. It's unique and fun every week. I think many people are realizing that now and now no one says this is a bad show. Ratings have been definitely better than anyone ever expected, while not great but it is consistent. I think it will be back for a second season and perhaps it will be a contender for a Friday slot, where I think it could deliver the same ratings as it is now on Wednesdays. After tonight, there are only two episodes left before the season finale. It's truly a shame that tonight's episode is surrounded by repeats on ABC Comedy Wednesday. But maybe that's a good thing because this is the must see show of the night with this musical episode. It has the center of attention tonight and it delivers big time! It's not only going to smack the cast of Glee, but all of its critics from the summer who didn't give this show a chance at all.

View behind the scenes from tonight's episode featuring the work of Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken:

CBS has announced season finale air dates that will include two-hour finales for Survivor: Caramoan - Fans Vs. Favorites, The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds and Elementary. The first finale will be on Sunday, April 28 at 9:00pm for The Good Wife. The other Sunday series will wrap on Sunday, May 5 with a two-hour finale for The Amazing Race from 8:00-10:00PM, followed by the season finale of The Mentalist at 10. CBS will dedicate Sunday, May 12 for the Survivor: Caramoan - Fans Vs. Favorites season finale from 8-10pm followed bu the live Reunion Show at 10. CBS has not announced what it will air on May 19 for the last Sunday of the TV season. Moving on to Thursday, May 9, the season finale of Two and a Half Men will air at 8:30 leading into the season finale of Person of Interest at 9. The other Thursday series will wrap a week later on May 16 with The Big Bang Theory at 8 (and probably a repeat at 8:30) leading into the two-hour season finale for freshman drama Elementary from 9-11pm. The Friday dramas will wrap-up on Friday, May 10 with Vegas at 9 and Blue Bloods at 10. The season finale of Undercover Boss will air a week later on Friday, May 17 at 8. CBS has not announced what will air 9-11pm on the last Friday of the season.

The Monday sitcom block will half wrap-up on Monday, May 13. The season finale of How I Met Your Mother will air at 8 and 2 Broke Girls at 9, while the other two sitcoms wrap up on the last Monday of the season on May 20 with Rules of Engagement at 8:30 and Mike & Molly at 9:30pm. Hawaii Five-0 will wrap up its season also on May 20 at 10pm. The CBS Tuesday drama line-up will all end their seasons a week early on Tuesday, May 14 with NCIS at 8, NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 and new drama Golden Boy at 10. And finally the Wednesday dramas will end on two separate weeks, with CSI on Wednesday, May 15 at 10 and a two-hour season finale for Criminal Minds from 9-11pm on May 22. No word on what will air at 8pm on both May 15 and 22, since Survivor wraps up its Wednesday airings on May 8. Stay with us for continued updates.

Today it is ABC's turn at the TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour. The festivities began with the Oscar nominations bright and early. Then back at the Langham hotel a few hours later, the press tour began with breakfast followed by two sessions with ABC Family dramas: Bunheads and Pretty Little Liars. Both dramas are airing new episodes currently and Tuesday's winter premiere of Pretty Little Liars dominated the young 18-34 demos (adults and women) in the 8pm hour, winning the hour - beating everything on broadcast. Following those sessions, it was time for an executive session with Paul Lee (President, ABC Entertainment Group). There wasn't any real announcements that were noteworthy. Among the items discussed were ABC will continue to bring in two cycles a season of Dancing with the Stars, which despite a ratings drop has continued to bring audiences of all ages. Also of note is that ABC loves Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- despite the low ratings and that they are working on bringing the Marvel production S.H.I.E.L.D. from Joss Whedon hopefully on TV by next fall.

Then following the executive session, we kicked-off the ABC series portion with two sessions for two upcoming dramas: Red Widow (premiering Sunday, March 3) and Zero Hour (premiering Thursday, Feb. 14). Then it was off to lunch with the producers and judges of upcoming reality entry The Taste, which premieres Tuesday, Jan. 22. After lunch, the panels continue, with the surging reality series Shark Tank getting the first session. Four of the six sharks are on hand (Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary) along with producer Clay Newbill. Then it was time for a session with the cast and producers of upcoming drama Mistresses starring Alyssa Milano. The series premieres this May on ABC and will run into the summer. Then it was time for a pie break with Jami Gertz, Toks Olagundoye and producer Dan Fogelman of the comedy The Neighbors.

The day concludes with two more sessions, first for the third season of Body of Proof, which returns Tuesday, Feb. 5 and the final session is for comedy hit The Middle, which just gets better and better each season. And finally, the day is capped off with the Disney-ABC All-Star Cocktail Reception!
Look ahead: Up tomorrow at the TCA Winter 2013 press tour will a set day visit for ABC and ABC Family. Then on Saturday, CBS will be up, with The CW concluding it on Sunday.


The 39th Annual People's Choice Awards were held last night. Here are the main winners for the television portion:

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
Revenge (ABC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Gossip Girl (The CW)
Grimm (NBC)
WINNER: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Modern Family (ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
New Girl (Fox)
Glee (Fox)
WINNER: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The CW)
Jared Padalecki (Supernatural, The CW)
Nathan Fillion (Castle, ABC)
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
WINNER: Nathan Fillion, Castle (ABC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family, ABC)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family, ABC)
Chris Colfer (Glee, Fox)
WINNER: Chris Colfer (Glee, Fox)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time, ABC)
Emily Deschanel (Bones, Fox)
Stana Katic (Castle, ABC)
Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
WINNER: Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Lea Michele (Glee, Fox)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, ABC)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Fox)
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, Fox)
WINNER: Lea Michele, Glee (Fox)

FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA

Burn Notice, USA Network
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
The Walking Dead, AMC
White Collar, USA Network
Leverage, TNT
WINNER: Leverage, TNT

FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY

Hot in Cleveland, TV Land
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, FX
Awkward, MTV
Psych, USA Network
Melissa & Joey, ABC Family
WINNER: Awkward, MTV

FAVORITE PREMIUM CABLE TV SHOW
Dexter (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Spartacus (Starz)
True Blood (HBO)
WINNER: True Blood (HBO))

FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
The Voice (NBC)
The X Factor (Fox)
America's Got Talent (NBC)
WINNER: The X Factor (Fox)

FAVORITE CRIME DRAMA

Bones, Fox
Castle, ABC
Criminal Minds, CBS
CSI, CBS
NCIS, CBS
WINNER: Castle (ABC)

FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW
Doctor Who (BBC America)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Once Upon A time (ABC)
WINNER: Supernatural (The CW)

FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST
George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer, Good Morning America (ABC)
Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, The View (ABC)
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, LIVE! With Kelly & Michael (Syndicated, Disney-ABC)
Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Al Roker, The Today Show (NBC)
WINNER: Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)

FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV HOST
David Letterman, Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
Conan O'Brien, Conan (TBS)
Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately (E!)
Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
WINNER: Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)

FAVORITE NEW TALK SHOW HOST (NEW!)
Jeff Probst
Katie Couric
Ricki Lake
Michael Strahan
Steve Harvey
WINNER: Steve Harvey

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Arrow, The CW
Beauty & The Beast, The CW
Nashville, ABC
Elementary, CBS
Revolution, NBC
WINNER: Beauty & The Beast, The CW)

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Go On, NBC
Guys With Kids, NBC
The Mindy Project, Fox
The Neighbors, ABC
The New Normal, NBC
WINNER: The New Normal, NBC

While we wait for the second half of the TV season to begin, we have some promotional marathons of new freshman series to further expand their audiences. ABC's Wednesday night family comedy The Neighbors will have a special four episode marathon tomorrow (Friday, December 28) from 8-10pm on sister cable network Disney Channel. The family network will air episodes two ("Journey to the Center of the Mall"), four ("Bathroom Etiquette"), six ("Larry Bird and the Iron Throne") and eight ("Thanksgiving Is for the Bird-Kersees"). Airing on Disney Channel will likely attract a lot of younger viewers (kids 2-11 and their parents) to this series that has found its groove and has surprised everyone in quality. The comedy stars Jamie Gertz and is about a family moving to the suburbs but their neighbors are pretty "unique." The Weavers are thrilled when they score a house in an exclusive gated New Jersey community, but as soon as they move in, they realize there is something strange about their new neighborhood. Curious about their neighbors' strange names and eating habits, they soon learn that the entire development is inhabited by aliens. The Weavers are the first humans the Zabvronians have had the opportunity to know in their 10 years on Earth, but soon both sides learn that while they have their differences, they are also more alike than anyone would have imagined.
The Neighbors returns with all-new episodes on ABC starting Wednesday, January 9 at 8:30/7:30c.

Also getting a sampling on a cable network is ABC's freshman drama Nashville, starring Golden Globe-nominees Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. Cable network CMT will air a six episode marathon of the critically acclaimed series on Sunday, January 6, 2013 from 2pm-8pm. That's six of the eight episodes that have aired thus far. Episodes airing are the "Pilot," episode three ("Someday You'll Call My Name"), episode four ("We Live In Two Different Worlds"), episode six ("You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)"), episode seven ("Lovesick Blues"), and episode eight ("Where He Leads Me"). ABC will also give some sampling to the series with a three-night event from Jan. 1-3, with an encore of episode four on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 10pm, an all-new clip show titled "The Whole Story" on its regular night and time on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 10, and a special airing of the "Pilot" on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 8pm. The series is about chart-topping Rayna James (Connie Britton), who is a country legend who's had a career any singer would envy, though lately her popularity is starting to wane. Fans still line up to get her autograph, but she's not packing the arenas like she used to. Rayna's record label thinks a concert tour, opening for up-and-comer Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy future of country music, is just what Rayna needs. But scheming Juliette can't wait to steal Rayna's spotlight. Sharing a stage with that disrespectful, untalented, little vixen is the last thing Rayna wants to do, which sets up a power struggle for popularity. Could the undiscovered songwriting talent of Scarlett O'Connor (Clare Bowen) be the key to helping Rayna resurrect her career?
Nashville returns with all-new episodes on ABC starting Wednesday, January 9 at 10/9c.

For one week only we are moving our Friday edition of "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week to Thursday (as tomorrow we will bring you our annual tribute to the sitcom stars we have lost in 2012). Since it is early, please keep checking back for the latest updates to the list. 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 December 31, 2012-January 4, 2013, 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, December 31, 2012

• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS. She also appears on a repeat on Thursday. These shows were taped in Scotland.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Rashida appears on repeats Monday and Tuesday of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Tune in to see Amy on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• James Van Der Beek (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Ed chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - Alyson appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

• Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings/Life on a Stick) - Catch Zachary on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Watch the legendary Ms. White on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy appears on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Tune in to see Kirstie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) - Aziz is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Chuck Lorre (Creator of The Big Bang Theory/Two and a Half Men/Dharma & Greg) - Chuck appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Buffalo Bill) - Geena chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Jim O'Heir (Parks and Recreation) - Jim is a guest on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret stops by The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
• Anne Heche (Save Me/Hung) - Anne discusses sun protection on The Doctors, so check your local listings.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Catch Tracy on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• John Krasinski (The Office) - John appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - Nene visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Tune in to see Sarah on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Brian Austin Green (Wedding Band, Freddie) - Brian is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Victoria Justice (Victorious/Zoey 101) - Victoria appears on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret talks about her comedy tour on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Clarissa Explains It All) - Melissa guest co-hosts Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

Friday, January 4, 2013

• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Watch Courteney on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show/Cosby/The Bill Cosby Show) - The legendary Mr. Cosby visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Tempestt Bledsoe (Guys with Kids/The Cosby Show) - Tempestt drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Watch Sarah on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in syndication. Check local listings for time and station.
• Kim Coles (Living Single) - Watch Kim guest co-host on The Talk on CBS Daytime at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Tyler Perry (House of Payne) - Catch Tyler on a repeat of The View on ABC Daytime at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Nadine Velazquez (My Name Is Earl/The League) - Nadine appears on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

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!

ABC announced midseason 2013 premiere dates for new dramas Red Widow and Zero Hour, along with new comedies How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) and Family Tools, and new alternative series The Taste and Celebrity Diving. Returning series Dancing with the Stars and Body of Proof will rejoin the schedule will all-new seasons in the new year, and Suburgatory will move to Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m., beginning April 3, 2013.
First up, new innovative cooking competition show The Taste will feature celebrity chefs Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey, will debut with a special two-hour premiere on Tuesday, January 22 from 8:00-10:00pm ET, and will premiere in its regular time period from 8:00-9:00pm ET on Tuesday, January 29 with an 8 episode order. No words on what will air in the time period Jan. 1, 8 and 15, but ABC will likely air repeats/specials until The Taste launches. Also on Tuesdays, Body of Proof, starring the Emmy(R)-winning Dana Delany, will return to the schedule on Tuesday, February 5 at 10:00pm, ET, and will feature new cast member Mark Valley as Det. Tommy Sullivan, a former NYPD detective (and a bit of a lady killer) who has transferred back to Philadelphia to rekindle his relationship with Megan Hunt (Delany). Private Practice, which currently airs in the hour, will have its series finale in January (likely Jan. 22, as the series has three episodes left to air in 2013), but no official date has been announced yet.

Moving on, new thriller Zero Hour stars Anthony Edwards (ER) in his return to series television. Edwards' character, Hank Galliston, has spent his life debunking myths, only to be drawn into one of the most compelling mysteries in human history after his wife's shocking disappearance. Zero Hour will premiere on Thursday, February 14 at 8:00pm, ET for 13 episodes. The series will replace Last Resort, which will air three more episodes in 2013 to finish its 13-episode run. Next, Red Widow, from Twilight Saga films writer Melissa Rosenberg and starring Radha Mitchell, is a riveting new drama about one woman's journey into the world of organized crime, and how far she will go to keep her family safe. Red Widow will debut with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, March 3 from 9:00-11:00pm, ET launching a week after the Academy Awards, and premiere in its regular timeslot, Sunday nights at 10:00pm, ET, on Sunday, March 10 following Revenge for 8 episodes. The series will replace 666 Park Avenue on the schedule, which has 4 episodes left to air in 2013 (likely twice in January and twice in February).

Dancing with the Stars will return for a 16th season on Monday, March 18 at 8:00-10:00pm, ET and Dancing with the Stars the Results Show will debut the following week on Tuesday, March 26 at 9:00pm, ET. The Monday edition will take over for The Bachelor after it finishes its season and presumably the Tuesday edition will take over for Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23. The Tuesday edition moves back to 9pm, as it aired at 8pm this past fall. Celebrity Diving, based on the international hit reality series Celebrity Splash, will premiere on Tuesday, March 19 at 8:00pm, ET, leading into Dancing on Tuesdays, and will feature as judges legendary Olympic diver and four-time gold medalist Greg Louganis, along with David Boudia, who brought home the gold for diving at the 2012 London Olympics.

Then we have some comedy changes. Critically acclaimed Wednesday comedy Suburgatory will move to at 8:30pm ET as of Wednesday, April 3, one week after the season finale of The Neighbors. As The Neighbors returns with original episodes on Wednesday, January 9, and runs for 12 straight weeks. New comedy How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)" features Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) as a recently divorced single mom who moves back in with her eccentric parents, played by the multitalented and critically acclaimed Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett. The series premieres on Wednesday, April 3 at 9:30pm ET after Modern Family and has a 13 episode order. And finally, upcoming new comedy Family Tools debuts on Wednesday, May 1 at 8:30pm ET and stars Kyle Bornheimer, J.K. Simmons and Leah Remini in a new family comedy that proves mixing family with business is never easy. Family Tools will take over for Suburgatory in this new timeslot following its season finale. The series has a 10 episode order, so will likely spill into early summer.
Stay with us for further updates as we get them.

Moving on, our good friend Eric of Just My Show is guest blogging for USA Today's Pop Candy all this week! Among the interviews Eric has done for Pop Candy is Monday's edition featuring Jason Ritter. The ladies love Jason Ritter. The 32-year-old actor, the son of the late John Ritter, has been a series regular on Joan of Arcadia, The Class, The Event and is now in his fourth season as Mark Syr on NBC's Parenthood. Eric talks to him of course about Parenthood but also snuck in a few questions on his father's classic sitcom Three's Company. Read the interview! On Tuesday, Eric interviewed Jay Sandrich. He of course directed the majority of episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Cosby Show and Soap. In his spare time, he also directed the pilots of The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, A Different World and WKRP. Throw in a bunch of Bob Newhart episodes, a handful of Benson episodes and a few Night Court episodes for good measure. Can we just agree that he's a legend? Eric talks to him about his vast directing work of course and also what he thinks about today's comedies. Go ahead and read this interview as well. Check him out all week on Pop Candy! Go get 'em Eric!

NBC has announced their 2013 primetime mid-season schedule. Three new series will be making their debuts. 1600 Penn, starring Bill Pullman and Jenna Elfman, is a comedy about a typical American family who just happen to live in the White House. It debuts on Thursday, January 10 at 9:30pm ET/PT. Deception (formerly Infamous) is an intriguing drama starring Meagan Good, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan and Katherine LaNasa. The dark family murder mystery premieres on Monday, January 7 at 10pm ET/PT. Ready for Love is an innovative and dramatic new relationship show about making real connections with executive producer Eva Longoria. It will debut on Sunday, March 31 at 8-10pm ET/PT. Returning favorites include The Biggest Loser, Betty White's Off Their Rockers, Smash, Community, The Celebrity Apprentice, Revolution and The Voice.

Mondays will have a new season of The Biggest Loser that will feature some innovative changes to the format and the return of trainer Jillian Michaels. It will return with a two-night premiere on Sunday, January 6 at 9-11pm ET/PT and Monday, January 7 at 8-10pm ET/PT. It will remain on Mondays until the return of The Voice on March 25. New drama Deception will follow The Biggest Loser at 10pm ET/PT. The fourth cycle of The Voice will debut on Monday, March 25 at 8-10pm ET/PT and Tuesday, March 26 at 8-9pm ET/PT. New coaches Usher and Shakira will be part of the show, which continues its two-night Monday/Tuesday schedule as it did this fall. Hit drama Revolution will return on March 25 at 10-11pm ET/PT. It will conclude its fall run in November, so that will be quite a long break for it.

Tuesdays will have the return of acclaimed musical drama Smash with a two-hour episode featuring Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson on February 5 at 9-11pm ET/PT. It will move February 12 to its regular day and time of 10-11pm ET/PT. A new season Betty White's Off Their Rockers will premiere on January 8 with back-to-back episodes at 8:00pm and 8:30pm ET/PT. Two episodes will air in that hour each week. The Voice will take that timeslot beginning March 26.

No changes for Wednesdays have been announced. As we previously mentioned, Whitney takes over for the canceled Animal Practice on November 14 at 8pm ET/PT. It will be followed by Guys with Kids, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Chicago Fire.

Moving on, Thursdays will have the premiere of the new White House comedy 1600 Penn on January 10 at 9:30pm ET/PT. It comes from co-creator and director Jason Winer, who is an Emmy-winning director of Modern Family. Critical favorite Community returns to its former timeslot of 8:00pm ET/PT on February 7. Parks and Recreation will be moving up one hour to 8:30PM ET/PT on January 17. As we mentioned yesterday, Up All Night is going on a winter break and will be switching to a multi-camera format for its final five episodes of the season. It will return in April/May.

Fridays and Saturdays have no schedule changes announced at the moment. Sundays will have the new relationship series Ready for Love from Eva Longoria. It will premiere on Sunday, March 31 at 8-10pm ET/PT. An "All-Star" edition of The Celebrity Apprentice will debut on March 3 at 9-11pm ET/PT. It will air for two hours for four weeks before shifting to one-hour episodes beginining March 31 at 10-11pm ET/PT.

Several shows will be wrapping up soon. 30 Rock will conclude its 13-episode season with an one-hour series finale. Parenthood is finishing its 15-episode season in January. Premiere dates haven't been announced for the Anne Heche comedy Save Me or the dramas Do No Harm and Hannibal. Stay with us for any updates.

What do you think of NBC's mid-season schedule? Discuss it on our message board.

ABC has given a full-season order to its freshman comedy The Neighbors. The series about a human family living in a neighborhood of aliens has performed decently in the ratings. It has been pretty consistent in its Wednesday timeslot by averaging 6.8 million viewers and beating NBC's new comedy Guys with Kids. Not surprisingly, it does well in the kids 2-11 and teens 12-17 demos.

Sophomore drama Scandal has been picked up for its first full season. The Shonda Rhimes political thriller starring Kerry Washington is doing solid ratings on Thursday nights at 10pm ET/PT. It averages around 8.1 million viewers and a 2.5 rating in the coveted 18-49 demo. DVR use boosts it 45 percent. ABC hasn't announced anything about Nashville, Last Resort or 666 Park Avenue yet. More scripts for Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue have recently been ordered. We'll keep you posted.

Look for our review of the pilot episode of Reba McEntire's Malibu Country tomorrow. It premieres on Friday at 8:30pm ET/PT on ABC.

ABC starts the Halloween season tonight (Oct. 24) with a night of spooky laughs. There'll be a little something for everyone when ABC celebrates the scariest night of the year with Halloween-themed programming. Haunting highlights (Oct. 24-31) include deliciously spooky recipes featured on The Chew, frightening laughs when the Bird-Kersees feel threatened by trick-or-treating kids on The Neighbors tonight at 8:30/7:30c, an entertaining costume party hosted by Mitch and Cam on Modern Family, and a chilling night of drama on 666 Park Avenue on Sunday, as Olivia puts the finishing touches on the Drake's annual costume gala.

The fun begins TONIGHT with ABC Comedy Wednesday. We've seen three of the four episodes tonight and they are hilarious and great Halloween episodes! On an all-new The Middle at 8/7c, as Halloween approaches, the Hecks get quite the scare when Sue receives her learner's permit, and it's time for Frankie and Mike to teach her how to drive. But when a freaked-out Sue loses her nerve, she ends up running over Axl's foot, which could put an end to his high school football career and his hopes for a scholarship. Meanwhile, Axl looks forward to voting in his first election, and Brick undergoes an unexpected transformation when he eats too much Halloween candy. Then on the new comedy The Neighbors, since arriving on Earth, the aliens - led by the Bird-Kersees - have viewed Halloween as a threat and have set up a barrier at the gates of Hidden Hills to prevent children dressed in costumes from entering the community. The Weavers, on the other hand, are excited about their first Halloween in the suburbs and want to open the gates of the community to celebrate. They do their best to explain the ritual of trick-or-treating to the aliens. Meanwhile, Marty and Debbie's fears are realized when Amber, Max and Abby reject their family costume plans.

On TV's #1 comedy Modern Family at 9/8c, Claire has overdone it in Halloweens past and the neighbors definitely don't share her enthusiasm, so this year she's being forced to tone it down and keep it "kid-friendly," and Phil has an idea to hold an open house on Halloween night. Meanwhile, Mitch and Cam host a costume party while contending with Lily wondering who her real mom is, and Gloria's pregnancy hormones are on overdrive, making her even more hotheaded than usual. And then on Suburgatory, when Tessa convinces Dalia and the KKK (Kimantha, Kaitlyn and Kenzie) to come up with feminist inspired Halloween costumes, she finds herself the interest of the infamous East Chatswin witch (aka Paula), played by guest star Rachel Dratch. As it turns out Paula isn't exactly what she seems. Meanwhile George and Noah dress up as each other, and Dallas invites George to be "Ken" to her "Barbie" -- but he declines, not realizing that she is asking him out. And next week on the Tuesday comedies, on Happy Endings, Dave and Alex go apartment hunting, but their inability to commit to a place puts their real estate agent (guest star Rachael Harris) to the ultimate test. Meanwhile, Jane takes negotiations to crazy levels when she helps Penny shop for a car; professional freeloader Max shows a cash-strapped Brad how to spend the perfect Saturday in Chicago with no money at all; and the gang celebrates Halloween dressed as the legendary Jacksons. Rob Corddry guest stars as the Car Czar. And next Tuesday on Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Halloween is June's favorite holiday, and even more so this year now that she is single! However when she discovers that Chloe plays elaborate Halloween "tricks" every year, June becomes consumed with stopping her before Chloe really hurts someone she might actually care about. Meanwhile due to a deep-rooted childhood fear of Halloween, James throws his annual Halloween "Positivity" Party.

And finally, the Halloween mania concludes on Halloween night with the best of them all, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. In the classic 1966 animated Halloween-themed special, created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, the gang celebrates Halloween with Linus hoping that, finally, he will be visited by The Great Pumpkin, while Charlie Brown is invited to a Halloween party.

CBS has picked up full seasons for two rookie dramas: Tuesday drama Vegas and Thursday drama Elementary. Only the fate of new comedy Partners remains to be seen after the initial 13 episodes, as new drama Made In Jersey was already canned (it was the first new series canceled on any network). As for the other networks, NBC is likely going to give five more scripts to Guys with Kids, while ABC's new dramas 666 Park Avenue and Last Resort is looking to have two more scripts ordered as well. As for actual episode orders, The CW picked-up the back nine for new drama Arrow, so it will have a full season. Fox ordered two more Mindy Project episodes, so now it will be 24 episodes, as that is a vote of confidence since the series has only aired three times to not so great ratings.
Stay with us for any further updates on full season pick-ups and cancelations.

The Neighbors - Wednesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 9:30PM ET/PT

Marty Weaver (Lenny Venito) just wants the best for his wife Debbie (Jami Gertz) and their three kids. That's why he's moving them to Hidden Hills, New Jersey, a gated community complete with its own golf course. Marty is certain that their new home will be a dream come true. And then, they meet the neighbors.

The residents of Hidden Hills are a little… different. Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) introduces himself as the "leader" of the community. Then, he presents his wife, Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye) and their two sons (yes, they're named after famous athletes -- Dick Butkus and Reggie Jackson).

After Debbie and Marty frantically try to make sense of the weird neighbors -- very European? A cult? Amish athletes? -- they discover that the entire Hidden Hills community is comprised of aliens from the planet Zabvron. Turns out the Zabvronians have been holed up in Hidden Hills for the past 10 years, awaiting instructions from back home. And the Weavers are the first humans who have ever lived amongst them.

At first, the Weavers are ready to cut and run. But the aliens seem harmless enough. And there is a lot of closet space… So, they decide to stay and help their new neighbors adapt to life on this confusing planet we call home.

As the Weavers and the aliens face the struggles of everyday life together, they discover that some things -- the ups and downs of marriage, the desire to be a good parent and raise a happy family -- are universal. Intergalactic, even. And the Weavers realize they’ve found an ally in the family next door... even if they do cry out of their ears.

Cast Details:

• Jami Gertz as Debbie Weaver
* Lenny Venito as Marty Weaver
* Simon Templeman as Larry Bird
* Toks Olagundoye as Jackie Joyner-Kersee
* Clara Mamet as Amber Weaver
* Tim Jo as Reggie Jackson
* Ian Patrick as Dick Butkus
* Max Charles as Max Weaver
* Isabella Cramp as Abby Weaver

Jami Gertz (Debbie Weaver) has crafted a distinguished reputation in film, television and theater. In addition to her role in The Neighbors, she will next be seen in Jeff Garlan's feature Dealin' with Idiots. Most recently Gertz appeared on ABC's Emmy Award-winning comedy Modern Family and the hit cable series Entourage, opposite Jeremy Piven. She starred with Piven again in Scott Marshall's Keeping Up With the Steins, as well as Gary Marshall, Darryl Hannah and Doris Roberts.

Gertz was discovered at age 16 in a nationwide talent search for the sitcom Square Pegs, with Sarah Jessica Parker. Since then she has appeared on a number of hit television shows, including Seinfeld, ER and Dream On. For four seasons Gertz starred on the hit comedy Still Standing, opposite Mark Addy. In addition she portrayed title role on ABC's Gilda Radner: It's Always Something, based on Radner's autobiography. In 2002 Gertz received an Emmy nomination for her role on the critically acclaimed television series Ally McBeal, where she guest starred in a four-episode arc. She is also widely recognized for her role as a sex therapist in Twister, opposite Bill Paxton, and for her roles with Dylan McDermott in the romantic comedy Jersey Girl, in Less Than Zero (based on the best selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis), with James Spader and Robert Downey, Jr., and in The Lost Boys, with Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric.

Lenny Venito (Marty Weaver) is a native New Yorker who studied acting at the prestigious LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts. His television credits include roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), Unforgettable (CBS), The Sopranos (HBO), Rescue Me (F/X), Flight of the Conchords (HBO), Lights Out (F/X), Bored to Death (HBO), NYC 22 (CBS) and The Knights of Prosperity (ABC). His film credits include War of the Worlds (Paramount), Rounders (Miramax), Gigli (Columbia), Solitary Man (Millenium), The Brave One (Warner Bros), How Do You Know (Sony) and Men in Black III (Sony).

Simon Templeman (Larry Bird) started his career in the theater in England. A long-time member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he played many roles, including Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. He came to America twice with the company, in All's Well That Ends Well and Nicholas Nickleby, both on Broadway. Other notable theater credits include performing at the National Theatre in David Hare's A Secret Rapture. Templeman's feature film work includes roles in The Russia House and Live Nude Girls. His many television credits include Northern Exposure, Just Shoot Me!, Don King: Only in America, Monk and The Event.

Toks (pronounced "tokes") Olagundoye (Jackie Joyner-Kersee) is a newcomer to the Los Angeles entertainment world, and in her short time here has added several credits to those she had already achieved in film, television and theatre in New York. During the past year Olagundoye has guest-starred on NCIS, Prime Suspect and ABC Family's Switched at Birth. Other film and television appearances include CSI: NY, Law & Order, Ugly Betty, Brown Sugar and The Salon among others.

Only a teenager, Clara Mamet (Amber Weaver) -- the 17-year-old daughter of playwright and director David Mamet -- is a dynamic actress and writer in her own right. Most recently she appeared in and wrote two one-act, two-character plays, Paris and The Solvit Kids, at the Ruskin Group Theater in Santa Monica. In addition to appearing in The Neighbors, Mamet will appear in the upcoming Barry Levinson HBO biopic about Phil Spector which stars Al Pacino.

Tim Jo (Reggie Jackson), a native Texan, made his acting debut in the film Bandslam, followed by guest appearances on the television series Greek and Castle. He was also a series regular on the TBS comedy Glory Daze.

Ian Patrick (Dick Butkus) is a young actor on the rise who will make his television debut as Dick Butkus on ABC'S new fall comedy, The Neighbors. Most recently Ian appeared in the feature film Wanderlust, starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. Before working in TV and film, Ian appeared in a number of commercials and did local print work.

In a very short period of time since signing to one of Hollywood's top children agencies, Isabella Cramp (Abby Weaver) has garnered an impressive list of credits that include ABC's Happy Endings, In Plain Sight, Mike and Molly and CSI: Miami, as well as numerous commercials. In addition to appearing in The Neighbors, Isabella will be seen in the upcoming TV movie Piper Rose.

Pilot Episode:

The first two episodes were available for review.

"Pilot" (September 25, 9:30PM) - Marty Weaver just wants the best for his wife, Debbie, and their three kids. That's why he's moving them to Hidden Hills, New Jersey, a gated community complete with its own golf course. Marty is certain that their new home will be a dream come true. And then, they meet the neighbors.... aliens from the planet Zabvron -- and the Weavers are the first humans they've ever met.
Written by Dan Fogelman
Directed by Chris Koch
Guest Stars: Mitch Rouse as the real estate agent, Bruce Green as the angry man, Mary K. Devault as the angry woman and Doug Jones as the alien

"Journey to the Mall" (October 3, 8:30PM) - After convincing the Bird-Kersees to let their kids try "human" school, the Weavers take them on their first excursion outside Hidden Hills - shopping for back-to-school clothes at the mall. They survived the trip to Earth, but will the mall be too much? Meanwhile, Debbie and Jackie have doubts about each other's true intentions.
Written by Dan Fogelman
Directed by Chris Koch
Guest Stars: Doug Jones as Dominique Wilkens, Katherine Tokarz as Mary Lou Retton and Patrick O'Sullivan as Johnny Unitas

Analysis:

The Neighbors is a single-camera comedy from ABC Studios and Kaplan Entertainment. Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled, Crazy, Stupid, Love) created the series. He also serves as an executive producer with Chris Koch (Workaholics, Modern Family). The first two episodes were written by Dan Fogelman and directed by Chris Koch.

In the "Pilot" episode, there's a short CGI sequence of a spacecraft landing over a neighborhood. The year is 2001. A real estate agent meets a group of people who decide to buy all of the townhouses in the gated community of Hidden Hills, New Jersey. Ten years later, their poopah (or poopod) battery is low and needs to be recharged. A couple decides to leave for their home planet. This opens up a unit for humans to move into the neighborhood. The Weavers prepare to move from the New Jersey home. Marty Weaver asks God for normal neighbors, but he soons find out they are just the opposite. When they arrive and open their garage, they are greeted by their new neighbors who bring them pie. The families later eat dinner where the aliens read at the table and receive nourishment with their eyes and minds. Much to their horror, Dick Butkus exposes his real identity to Max and Abby. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is made up of aliens. Larry Bird is later kicked out of the house by his wife. Jackie sends Dick to recharge the poopah. Debbie rushes to try and stop him. The Weavers must decide whether they want to stay or leave the neighborhood.

In the second episode, "Journey to the Mall," everybody takes a trip to mall, as you probably guessed. It opens with a scene of Marty and Debbie walking through the neighborhood and greeting Johnny Unitas and Mary Lou Retton. Debbie awakens from a nightmare of the aliens trying to kidnap their children. Dick Butkus arrives in golf clothes and tells the Weavers that he wants to go to a "human" school. Dominique Wilkins is put in charge of the community when everybody heads to the mall in Marty's van. The rest of the episode has scenes of the families shopping for clothes.

There are no marquee names in the cast, but there are a few familiar faces. Jami Gertz brings a lot of comedy experience from her time on Still Standing and many television guest appearances. I've been a fan of hers since her Square Pegs and The Facts of Life days. Lenny Venito is a character actor who has appeared in a number of television shows and films. He was very good in the short-lived and underrated ABC sitcom The Knights of Prosperity. Gertz and Venito make a believable New Jersey couple with their accents. I'm not very familiar with Simon Templeman. He's known for voice work in animated series and video games. Toks Olagundoye is a relative newcomer to acting. She's a real beauty who could be a model. It's funny how her character says Debbie Wea-ver. Five younger actors play the Weaver and Bird-Kersee children. They do a decent job with their roles. Clara Mamet is probably the most noticeable as the sarcastic and oldest daughter, Amber.

The pilot is watchable and somewhat amusing. There are no real laugh-out-loud moments or really funny lines, however. Creator and writer Dan Fogelman has had some good history with successful movies, so I was expecting funnier material. Most of the humor comes from all of the weird things the aliens do differently than humans. They ride around in golf carts. Instead of dogs, they own alpacas. They don't own cars, so they wash their spacecraft. Other strange things they do include reading at the dinner table, watering the grass with the hose going upward, crying through their ears, and exercising in the streets.

The episodes contained some unfinished effects shots, so I don't know how they ultimately look. Although the aliens are only shown for a few seconds in the first two episodes, I think they look pretty cool and detailed. This seems to a pretty low budget show, so I wasn't expecting many digital shots. Giving the aliens the names of professional athletes was a unique idea. I wonder what Larry Bird thinks about his name being used for somebody who looks more like Kurt Rambis with his thick-rimmed black glasses. Another plus for the show is the use of oldies music. I also enjoyed the space age type music score. It's especially creepy when we first see the aliens after the Weavers open their garage.

I thought the second episode was even weaker than the pilot. It takes more of a serious tone and shows the heart and emotional side of the characters. While the pilot episode had some interesting moments and sight gags, the second was mostly boring. They go to the mall and nothing funny really happens. The younger Weaver children are very annoying with their constant screaming. The Weavers don't appear to be a very happy family after moving. Hopefully the mood is lightened a bit more in future episodes.

Conclusion:

The Neighbors is clearly one of the most unique new shows on the fall schedule. There's really nothing else like it currently on the air. The pilot is generally watchable, but there aren't a lot of laughs in it. I chuckled a few times. Most of the comedy is from all of the crazy things the aliens do differently than humans. Alien shows like Mork and Mindy and 3rd Rock from the Sun have worked in the past because they were very funny and had breakout stars. I don't see any long-term potential for the series. There are some good comedic actors here, but they need funnier material and situations.

Families appear to be the target audience for the show. The show is family-friendly and doesn't have any inappropriate material. I'm not sure how much it will appeal to kids. They may enjoy seeing the aliens and green slime the first few times. The aliens are only shown for a few seconds in the first two episodes, so I don't know if it will be able to hold a younger audience's interest. The sight gags and jokes appear more geared towards adults.

ABC is airing the series premiere after the season premiere of the Emmy Award-winning Modern Family. It should receive some nice sampling tonight before it moves to its regular time slot of 8:30PM next week. ABC's original plan was to air it weekly after Modern Family, but I think they made a wise decision moving it to an earlier slot. The later time slot is for more edgier comedy, and this is a kid-friendly comedy that's a better fit earlier in the night. I just don't see the show being able to generate a big audience against shows like The X Factor and Survivor. The humor of the show is very broad. It really doesn't fit in with the rest of their sophisticated family comedies. I would be surprised if the show makes it to mid-season. If you enjoy silly and quirky alien comedies, then you might want to give it a try for a few episodes.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 2.5/5
Funniness: 2.0/5
Overall: 2.5/5

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 09/26/12

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 26 on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Neighbors Photo Gallery

Preview:

On this date in 1962, The Beverly Hillbillies premiered on CBS. Happy 50th to The Beverly Hillbillies! The Beverly Hillbillies is perhaps the best-known rags-to-riches story in television history. After accidentally striking it rich, the Clampetts move from their backwoods cabin to a Beverly Hills mansion. They dream of a life among swimming pools and movie stars, but their humorous hillbilly lifestyle clashes with the "city folk" of Beverly Hills. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, MeTV Network will have a celebration of 50 years of laughs with our favorite hillbillies, The Beverly Hillbillies, on Sunday, September 30, 2012 from 3:00-7:00pm ET/PT only on MeTV. The network regularly airs the classic sitcom every weekday morning at 6am ET/PT.

Episodes airing in this stunt from 3-7PM ET/PT on Sunday are: "The Clampetts Strike Oil," "Getting Settled," "Jethro Goes to School," "Elly's First Date," "The Giant Jackrabbit," "The House of Granny," "The Clampetts Get Culture," and "The Mayor of Bug Tussle." Join Mr. Drysdale, The Clampetts and of course Granny for 50 years of funny! Y'all come back now ya hear?

Today at the TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour, ABC will finish up their portion with its second day. Before we get into that, we have the ABC Fall 2012 premiere dates that were announced. But wait, there is one schedule change. New sitcom The Neighbors will premiere on Wednesday, September 26 at 9:30pm following Modern Family, but then it will be moving to its regular time period at 8:30pm starting the following week on Wednesday, October 3. This means The Neighbors and Suburgatory will be switching timeslots. More on Suburgatory in a bit, but onto the premiere dates, ABC will kick off the new season on Friday, Sept. 14 with the season premieres of Shark Tank, What Would You Do? and 20/20. This line-up will run seven weeks in a row before Friday night staple Shark Tank moves to 9pm starting Friday, Nov. 2 to anchor the night. The season premiere of the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing, on its new night, and the series premiere of the new Reba McEntire sitcom Malibu Country will launch in the 8pm hour on that same night. What Would You Do? will return later in the 2012-13 season for more all-new episodes following the initial seven weeks. On Mondays, Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars will premiere on Monday, Sept. 24, the official start of the 2012-13 TV season, from 8-10pm leading into the season premiere of the veteran series Castle. The next night, Tuesday, Sept. 25 will have a special two-hour Dancing with the Stars: The Results leading into the season premiere of Private Practice at 10. The new comedy hour of Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 will have their season premieres about a month later on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 9pm. It is expected that on weeks two and three (Oct. 2 and 9), ABC will air Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 9pm after probably a recap/special at 8pm. There will be a Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, Oct. 16, so ABC will air that live at 9pm ET/6pm PT. No word yet on how ABC will handle that night, but a Dancing recap will likely air at 8pm and Dancing with the Stars: The Results is likely going to air on a special night this week on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 8pm, but we are speculating.

Onto Wednesdays, The Middle will have a special one-hour season premiere from 8-9pm on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Modern Family will have its season premiere on the same night at 9pm leading into the series premiere of The Neighbors at a special time of 9:30pm. As we mentioned, the new family comedy would then move to 8:30pm the following week on Oct. 3 following The Middle. And on Wednesday, Oct. 3, the first Presidential Debate will air live at 9pm ET/6pm PT from Denver, so ABC will be forced to preempt Modern Family after only a week. However, on Wednesday, Oct. 10, ABC will air two all-new back-to-back episodes of Modern Family to fill that void from 9-10pm. And those two new episodes will give them a great launching pad for their new drama Nashville, which will premiere on that night, Oct. 10, at 10pm. ABC has not announced yet what will air on premiere Wednesday (Sept. 26) at 10pm, but word is ABC will be working on a Revenge special in its old timeslot to promote the move to Sundays at 9pm, which would be just a few days later. And finally for Wednesdays, we mentioned Suburgatory will be moving to a new timeslot of 9:30pm and it will premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 17 following Modern Family. On that night due to a debate the previous night (Oct. 16), as we mentioned, ABC could preempt The Middle and The Neighbors to air Dancing Results, perhaps that is why The Middle will have a one-hour premiere on Sept. 26.

Thursdays are not as tough to schedule as ABC will premiere all three of their Thursday dramas on Thursday, Sept. 27 starting with the series premiere of Last Resort, followed by the season premieres of two Shonda Rhimes series: Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Like on Tuesday, and Wednesdays, there will be a Presidential Debate on Thursday, Oct. 11, that will preempt Grey's Anatomy and Scandal after two weeks, but Last Resort will likely still air on the night at 8pm. There is one final Presidential Debate on a Monday on Oct. 22, but we're not sure what ABC will do yet, most likely they will just air an hour of Dancing with the Stars performance instead of two-hours and Castle would be preempted. And finally on to Sundays, ABC will premiere their new drama block on Sept. 30 with the return of Once Upon a Time, new night and time for Revenge and the series premiere of new drama 666 Park Avenue. At 7pm on the night there will likely be a recap special or a repeat of last season's Once Upon a Time season finale leading into the new season premiere. Veteran series America's Funniest Home Videos would have its season premiere the following week on Sunday, Oct. 7. I think like last season, the ABC fall premiere dates are well mapped out and not jumbled into one week giving ample promo time for every series and scheduling around these four debates (not to mention Election Tuesday coming up on Nov. 6, which would likely have Dancing Results air on a Wednesday possibly for a second time). Take a look at the ABC Fall 2012 Premiere Dates in a list form.

Onto the actual ABC primetime series panels and executive session, up first after breakfast will be the cast and crew of upcoming new drama Nashville. Then it is time for the all-important executive session with Paul Lee, President, ABC Entertainment Group. That session will lead into the Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars panel, where the cast will be revealed! Check back below for the cast at approx. 1:30pm ET. Following that there will be a panel with the cast and crew of new comedy The Neighbors. Then it is off to lunch to refresh and get ready for six panels in a row. First after lunch will be upcoming supernatural drama 666 Park Avenue. Then we have a panel for the new sitcom Malibu Country, with Reba on hand. ABC will also have two panels for two new comedies launching later in the season: How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) and Family Tools, as both are expected to launch in January. Then we have a panel for the 64th Primetime Emmy® Awards, which will air on Sept. 23 on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. And the final panel, probably saving the best for last, will be for the new drama Last Resort. What a pilot that is! After all that it is time for all-star cocktail party as we join talent, executives and showrunners from ABC and ABC Family for drinks and nosh at the Beverly Hills Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars marks the first time prior contestants will return for another chance at winning the coveted mirror ball trophy for a very special All-Star season. From former champions to fan favorites, including a celebrity voted in by fans, the stars will return and will be paired with some of the world’s most decorated professional ballroom dancers for the most unforgettable season yet. Week to week these Dancing with the Stars alumni will once again compete to impress the judges and the viewers at home in order to be crowned the mirror ball champions.

In a show first, fans will determine who the final All-Star cast member will be. The three celebrities vying to fill the 13th spot on the cast are Sabrina Bryan, Carson Kressley and Kyle Massey. Fans can vote for their favorite Viewers' Choice: All-Star at www.ABC.com/DancingwiththeStars, presented by Diet Pepsi, starting today, Friday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m., PT through Friday, August 24 at 12:00 p.m., PT, to determine which of the three celebrities will be named the final All-Star contestant. Once voting has closed, the final cast member will be announced live on Good Morning America, on Monday, August 27.

The All-Star cast and their professional partners will take to the stage for the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, Monday, Sept. 24 from 8:00-10:00pm, followed by the premiere of Dancing with the Stars the Results Show on Tuesday, September 25 from 8:00-10:00pm on ABC.

As announced today, the 12 out of 13 All-Star celebrities returning to the dance floor this season are:

Kirstie Alley (Season 12 finalist), Pamela Anderson (Season 10 favorite), Helio Castroneves (Season 5 champion), Joey Fatone (Season 4 finalist), Shawn Johnson (Season 8 champion), Drew Lachey (Season 2 champion), Gilles Marini (Season 8 finalist), Kelly Monaco (Season 1 champion), Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4 champion), Bristol Palin (Season 11 finalist), Melissa Rycroft )Season 8 finalist) and Emmitt Smith (Season 3 champion).

As announced, the three celebrity alumnus competing to be the "Viewer's Choice: All-Star" are: Sabrina Bryan (Season 5 favorite), Carson Kressley (Season 13 favorite) and Kyle Massey (Season 11 finalist). The three contestants competing to be the "Viewers' Choice: All-Star" will kick-off their campaign with their first television interview live in-studio on Good Morning America, Monday, July 30.

Professional dancer partner pairings will be announced live on ABC's Good Morning America, on Monday, August 13.

Stay tuned Sunday for TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour: CBS!



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 July 30-August 3, 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, July 30, 2012

• Joel McHale (Community) - Watch Joel on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock From the Sun) - Kristen appears on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
• Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) - Rico is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
• Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

• Jimmie Walker (Good Times) - Catch Jimmie on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Woody chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. is a guest on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on ABC's Good Afternoon America on Tuesday and Thursday at 2pm.
• Donald Faison (The Exes/Scrubs) - Donald visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kim Coles (Living Single) - Kim drops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse appears on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
• Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Tune in to see Rashida on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• John Stamos (Full House) - John stops by ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.
• Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) - Kristin appears on ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Watch Jon on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Cybill Shepherd (Cybill) - Cybill chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) - Patrick stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Whoopi appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Catch Rashida on Good Morning America between 7-9am on ABC.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Catch Rashida on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Caroline Rhea (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Caroline visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.

Friday, August 3, 2012

• Marissa Jaret Winokur (Retired at 35) - Watch Marissa on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• David Alan Grier (Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David is a guest on ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.

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