SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: The Rookies

Showing posts with label The Rookies. Show all posts

Saturday, July 05, 2025

SitcomsOnline Digest: Comedy Central Delays South Park and Digman! Season Premieres; Jackée to Appear in Guest Role in Netflix Series

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have more South Park streaming news, a new role for Jackée, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

The upcoming season of South Park has been delayed, and now series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are openly feuding with Paramount on social media. (Vulture)
Meanwhile, the second season of Digman! (which isn't having any on-going disputes with Paramount as far as we know) has also been delayed on Comedy Central. (Deadline)
Jackée has been cast in a guest role for the upcoming season of A Man on the Inside. (Deadline)
Dr. Phil gave up his talk show in hopes of being the next Oprah and turning himself into a media dynasty with a whole network dedicated to him, but now only a year later, Merit Street Media has filed for bankruptcy. (Variety)
Mark Snow, composer of The X-Files theme song (and more), has died at 78. (Hollywood Reporter)
FETV has acquired The Rookies. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JULY 5 - JULY 11)

The seventeenth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia debuts Wednesday on FXX.
The Netflix comedy Too Much debuts on Thursday.
Catchy Comedy has a binge of Happy Days tomorrow.
The Twilight Zone that started Thursday on Heroes & Icons continues through Sunday.

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

FETV Acquires The Rookies; Hulu Renews The Bear for Season 5

FETV (Family Entertainment Television), home to beloved and timeless television series and movies carried across cable, satellite, and virtual platforms, announced that The Rookies will join the network's programming lineup starting Sunday, July 6th with a "Red, White, and the Blue" marathon from 9a-3p ET. The show will begin in its regular time slot the following day at 3:15p ET weekdays. As with all series on FETV, The Rookies will air in its original, uncut format.

Created by Rita Lakin, The Rookies stars Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean as three rookie officers in the fictional Southern California Police Department. Kate Jackson also stars as Jill Danko, a registered nurse who regularly interacts with the officers in the line of duty. The series aired on ABC from 1972 to 1976 and spawned a spin-off series titled S.W.A.T.

The Bear

Following the debut of The Bear's fourth season, which is off to a white-hot start with viewers, FX has picked up the fifth season of the acclaimed Emmy(R)-Award winning comedy. All seasons, including the newly released season four, are available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ with a bundle subscription domestically and Disney+ internationally.

In the latest season, the series' fourth, Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are pushing forward, determined not only to survive, but also to take The Bear to the next level. With new challenges around every corner, the team must adapt, adjust and overcome. The pursuit of excellence isn't just about getting better - it's about deciding what's worth holding on to. The series also stars Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas and Matty Matheson, with Oliver Platt and Molly Gordon in recurring roles.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

SitcomsOnline Digest: Punky Brewster Reboot Officially a Go; Freeform Renews Pair of Series

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been yet another busy news week, and we've got news about some renewals, more on the Punky Brewster reboot, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It's official: Punky Brewster is being rebooted. (Rolling Stone)
Grown-ish and Good Trouble have been renewed for another season. (Deadline)
For those who were watching scripted series on Facebook Watch (and we're not sure that many were), it looks like they're moving away from those. (Variety)
The Brady Bunch cast seems to be primed to be the next big stars of HGTV, as Maureen McCormick has now been named as the host of a new series there. (Deadline)
It looks like we may not be hearing Hank Azaria as Apu telling us "thank you come again" anymore. (BBC)
WGN America is bringing back the news (they previously aired a simulcast of the Chicago newscast) with a three hour nightly national newscast that will air from 7-10 every night. (WGN)
American Dad! is getting two more seasons on TBS. (SitcomsOnline)
NBC is getting ready to launch their Peacock streaming service, and now we know what the plans will look like. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JANUARY 18 - JANUARY 24)

This weekend on Decades is a binge marathon of The Rookies.
Antenna TV celebrates the anniversary of Barney Miller on Thursday.
Carter returns to WGN for a second season on Monday.

Friday, November 27, 2015

FamilyNet Adds Benson, The Rookies, Parker Lewis & More; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 30, 2015)

FamilyNet is changing their schedule a bit starting Monday (Nov. 30) and some new additions will be added. The biggest addition to the schedule will be the '80s sitcom Benson. The Robert Guillaume sitcom will air Mon-Sat 10-11am and every night from 6-7pm. Also joining the schedule will be police drama The Rookies airing weekdays at 1pm and every night at 1am. The other additions will air on weekends, including short-lived sitcoms Parker Lewis Can't Lose (Sat 1-2pm), 10 Items or Less (Sat 2-3pm & Sun 9-10pm) and Ned & Stacey (Sat 3-4pm & Sun 10-11pm). But wait, that's not all! More police dramas will be added as S.W.A.T., Starsky & Hutch, Police Woman and T.J. Hooker will take over Saturday nights with Charlie's Angels.

The entire schedule for FamilyNet comes from Sony Pictures Television. Other series they air include All in the Family, Archie Bunker's Place, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Barney Miller, Fantasy Island, and The Monkees. Leaving the schedule starting Monday will be Good Times and Sanford & Son, as Benson and The Rookies join the schedule. Keep it right here for continued updates!

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 Nov. 30-Dec. 4, 2015, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, November 30, 2015

Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?) - Watch Terry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Rob Schneider (Rob) - Rob appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) - Aziz visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Richard Kind (Spin City/Mad About You) - Richard is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) - Alan appears on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Brent Morin and Rick Glassman (Undateable) - Brent and Rick are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - David stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Michael Chiklis (Daddio) - Michael visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Kim dishes on the new season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and talks about why she decided to join the show on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Scott Foley (The Goodwin Games/A.U.S.A./Scrubs) - Scott drops by The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
Loretta Devine (The Carmichael Show) - Loretta is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
America Ferrera (Superstore) - America talks about her new series Superstore on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
Bob Saget (Fuller House/How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob is a guest on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Suburgatory) - Cheryl talks about her movie Christmas Eve on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Catch Seth on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Paul Reiser (Mad About You/The Paul Reiser Show) - Paul appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Ted Danson (Cheers/Becker) - Ted appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) - Oliver visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Michaela Watkins (Trophy Wife) - Michaela is a guest on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Bob Saget (Fuller House/How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob is a guest on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game/The Steve Harvey Show) - Wendy guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry join Chrissy Teigen in the kitchen to make breakfast toast cups and crème brûlée on FABLife, so check your local listings.
Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace appears on People Now.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Lenny Clarke (Are You There, Chelsea?/The Winner/Lenny) - Watch Lenny on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Joel McHale (Community) - Joel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Tone Bell (Truth Be Told/Bad Judge) and Tiffany Haddish (The Carmichael Show) - Tone and Tiffany are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Faith Ford (Hope & Faith/Murphy Brown) and Ted McGinley (Hope & Faith/Married with Children/Happy Days) - Faith and Ted talk about their Hallmark Channel original movie Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Suburgatory) - Cheryl talks about her new movie Christmas Eve on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
Ricky Schroder (Silver Spoons) - Ricky makes holiday candles with his wife, Andrea, on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Rob Schneider (Rob) - Rob is a guest on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Catch Mindy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Maya Rudolph (Up All Night) - Maya appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) - Adam is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Burt Reynolds (Evening Shade) - Burt visits on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Truth Be Told/Saved by the Bell) Tone Bell (Truth Be Told/Bad Judge) - Mark-Paul and Tone are guests on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) - Will is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Brandy Norwood (Zoe Ever After/The Game/Moesha) - Brandy talks about her new BET sitcom Zoe Ever After on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. She talks about A Classic Holiday on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane stops by Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
The Love Boat Cast - It's a Love Boat reunion with Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Fred Gandy, Cynthia Lauren Tewes, Jill Whelan, Charo and the singer of the theme song, Jack Jones, on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT. Ted Lange and Fred Gandy share holiday cocktails and a party spread.
Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Kim reveals the secrets to getting her body back on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
Judith Light (Transparent/Phenom/Who's the Boss?) - Judith and Gabby Hoffman talk about Transparent on the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.
Adam Pally (The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on HuffPost Live at 2pm.
Faith Ford (Hope & Faith/Murphy Brown) and Ted McGinley (Hope & Faith/Married with Children/Happy Days) - Faith and Ted talk about their Hallmark Channel original movie Karen Kingsbury's The Bridge on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Watch Eva on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Krysten appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) - Patrick is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Christina Milian (Grandfathered) - Christina joins FABLife stylists Tyra Banks, Chrissy Teigen, Joe Zee and Lauren Makk as guest co-host, so check your local listings. She shares her recipe for Cuban sugar cookies in honor of National Cookie Day.
Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee opens up about her fashion style, growing up as the daughter of Diana Ross, and shares a special surprise with Joe Zee on FABLife, so check your local listings.
Tia Mowry-Hardrict (The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia is tentatively scheduled to appear on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET. She will also be on HuffPost Live at 2:30pm.
Amanda Peet (Bent) - Amanda talks about her book Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Adam Pally (The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam talks about Night Owls on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Patricia is a guest on The Doctors, so check your local listings.
Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric appears on The Doctors, so check your local listings.
Toni Collette (United States of Tara) - Toni visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. 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!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Digital Digest: More Sony MOD Offerings; The Rookies - The Complete Second Season DVD Review; More Than Friends DVD Review; Kate's Secret DVD Review

Welcome to Digital Digest! We're back for all of your news and a look ahead at Tuesday's releases, and this week, we have multiple reviews, with our reviews of The Rookies - The Complete Second Season, and we've also got two reviews of movies (with sitcom connections) recently released on DVD: the 1978 movie More Than Friends (starring Penny Marshall and Rob Reiner), and the 1986 movie Kate's Secret (starring Meredith Baxter). Let's get started!

DIGITAL NEWS

Manufacture-on-demand DVD products have been bringing some of our "lost favorites" to DVD lately, but Sony has been using them for some of their current series. This week, it was revealed that the Rules of Engagement - The Complete Sixth Season will be released as a MOD title on October 2. This is not the first time that the series has been released as a MOD title, as season five was released this way as well. Sony will also bring something much older to DVD (via MOD) on that date as well, with Iron Horse - The Complete First Season. And that isn't all. The same date will also bring two separate volumes of Hart to Hart reunion movies. Sadly, there is no word on actual season sets for Hart to Hart right now, but if that changes, we'll let you know.

Sony actually has a bit more coming up, though, that isn't exclusively MOD. One of their biggest announcements in years (believe it or not) for classic TV comes with their announcement of Charlie's Angels - The Complete Series. It comes September 25 at a $65.99 MSRP. It will contain all five seasons of the series, including the never-before-released fifth season. Rumors are already floating about that this will be one of those "black spindle" releases (for those who aren't sure what that means, these are the value priced complete series sets which Sony has been putting out over the past few years with all of the discs stacked up on a very cheap plastic spindle inside of a thin cardboard box), and at that MSRP, that certainly seems likely... but we don't know that for certain. When we know more, we'll let you know!

A more minor note from Sony is a repackaging of the season sets Seinfeld, also on September 25. Full details aren't really known about this, but new UPCs have appeared in Sony's upcoming slate of releases for every season of the series, and presumably, the sets will be packaged in smaller standard-sized packages which are more "retailer friendly," just in time for the holiday season (it may be a little early to be looking this far ahead, but I'm predicting we'll be seeing these repackaged versions dirt cheap on Black Friday). The MSRP for each set has already been reduced to $19.99, with prices much lower most places... so this is certainly a great value no matter what!

Lucille Ball fans will come a bit closer to completion of their collections on October 9 as CBS releases The Lucy Show - The Sixth and Final Season. With this release, the only things missing as far as TV series for the "queen of comedy" on DVD include the final season of Here's Lucy and the one and only season of Life with Lucy. As for the final season of Here's Lucy, MPI has not announced a release just yet, but they have indicated that they will, in fact, release all six seasons, so it is only a matter of time until we do hear of a release for this set (hopefully by the end of the year). Life with Lucy doesn't seem to be on the radar from any studio for the time being, but we certainly hope that it eventually pops up somewhere.

One of the most anticipated releases on DVD in 2011 was The Fugitive - The Complete Series: Most Wanted Edition, which ironically became "most wanted" itself as only a few copies managed to escape from CBS before the set was recalled, just a day before the scheduled release date. The release was supposed to not only include every episode, but also include a nice collection of special features and fix some of the issues that previous releases had where CBS spent a ton of money replacing the score in every episode to avoid paying music royalties, only to be met with frustrated and irate fans not appreciative of the destruction of the episodes. For reasons still unexplained, the set remained unreleased, and the few copies that did make it out there were shamelessly being sold online for hundreds of dollars over the MSRP. But now, there is good news: the release is back on the schedule, set for release on October 23 at a $239.98 MSRP. We don't know what, if anything, will be changed on this set from the previously cancelled release, and don't know if it will be better or worse than that set (although we're hoping for better). We'll let you know when we know!

October 23 also brings more Perry Mason to DVD, with Perry Mason - Season 7, Volume 2. Don't forget, though, before that, CBS has Perry Mason - Season 7, Volume 1 coming on August 21!

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 31) has hardly any releases of note, although CBS Home Entertainment does have their release of Melrose Place - The Final Season (Volume 1 and Volume 2).

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: The Rookies - The Complete Second Season (Shout! Factory, $44.99)

by skees53

Aaron Spelling was one of the pioneers of television, and in his earliest days, he found most of his success in crime drama. In 1972, one of his earliest hits, The Mod Squad (co-produced with Danny Thomas), was entering the final season. At the beginning of that same season, though, Spelling paired with Leonard Goldberg to begin producing series. This became one of the most successful partnerships of producers in TV history, producing hit series such as Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Hart to Hart. But before all of those, they produced The Rookies, one of the earliest contenders in the '70s cop drama era.

Most cop dramas of the era had something to make them stand out from the others, of course, and The Rookies was no exception. As the name suggests, the series was about rookies, the newest officers on the force. These weren't veteran cops who had been on the force for decades and just waiting for retirement... they were coming to the force straight out of college or Vietnam. These rookies were Terry Webster (Georg Stanford Brown), Mike Danko (Sam Melville), Willie Gillis (Michael Ontkean), all trained under veteran officer Eddie Ryker (Gerald S. O'Loughlin). We also got to see a bit of the home life of these officers, including Officer Danko's wife Jill (Kate Jackson). Together, the officers were out protecting the streets of their unidentified city as officers of the "Southern California Police Department."

The second season begins with "Cauldron," where an escaped convict takes Terry and Willie hostage in an effort to flee the country for cancer treatment. A cop blames Mike for the death of his partner in "Margin for Error." In "Deadly Cage," Terry ends up in state prison as an undercover assignment when he is injured in the line of duty. Willie and Terry arrest a teenage boy whose father is trying to protect him from being arrested in "Frozen Smoke." In "Get Ryker," Ryker's life is in danger from an ex-con he once put away. Terry and Willie investigate a costal burglary ring in "Cry Wolf." In "A Matter of Justice," Jill is shot during her wedding anniversary celebration, and Mike is determined to make sure the assailant doesn't get free. Terry's brother is in trouble after a jewelry store heist in "Blood Brother."

In "Code 261," a rapist who attacked a student nurse has his eyes on another nurse: Jill. The guys investigate the murder of a priest in "Prayers Unanswered, Prayers Unheard." Terry and Willy protect a country music star whose life is at risk in "Down Home Boy." Jill must deal with a jealous ex-boyfriend in "Lots of Trees and a Running Stream." Willie is on the hunt for a suicidal 16-year-old diabetic who wants to end her life in "Sound of Silence." A veteran officer olds Willie responsible for the shooting of another officer in "Trial by Doubt." In "The Authentic Death of Billy Stomper," Terry falls for a Jamaican college student who witnessed the murder of a drug dealer.

Mike's efforts to help a widow of the unintended victim of a police shootout backfire, badly, in "The Late Mr. Brent." A teenager helps an armed robber escape in "The Teacher." In "Eyewitness," Ryker takes a murder witness under his wing, but the young man has a split personality... and one of those personalities is a cop killer. An aging security guard claims to have killed a local crime boss to gain his daughter's respect in "Something Less than a Man." In "Rolling Thunder," a liquor store bandit holds Terry and a young police cadet as hostages. A young felon holds Terry and three women hostage in a bank vault with the demand to free his partner from jail... and one of those women is pregnant. The season ends with "Death Watch," where a convict escapes from prison with a deadly vendetta... but what may be more deadly is the viral meningitis which he may be carrying.

Guest stars in the second season include John Travolta (in one of his first appearances on TV), James Sikking, Claude Akins, Johnny Brown (aka Bookman from Good Times), Marty Ingels, Jim Nabors, Charles Lane, Don Johnson (one of his earliest TV appearances), Nick Nolte, Tyne Daly, and more.

Most of the episodes on the set run around 51 minutes and appear to be unedited. There is one exception, unfortunately. The episode "Prayers Unanswered, Prayers Unheard" runs about 4-5 minutes shorter than the rest, and appears to be a syndicated print. There is even a disclaimer at the beginning of the episode, saying that the episode was taken from the "best available source." Having never seen unedited versions of this series, I don't know what is missing here, but certainly something must be. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "Cauldron" (51:07)
2. "Margin for Error" (50:55)
3. "Deadly Cage" (50:57)
4. "Frozen Smoke" (50:55)

Disc 2:
5. "Get Ryker" (50:53)
6. "Cry Wolf" (51:08)
7. "A Matter of Justice" (51:06)
8. "Blood Brother" (51:06)

Disc 3:
9. "Code 261" (50:38)
10. "Prayers Unanswered, Prayers Unheard" (46:21)
11. "Down Home Boy" (51:05)
12. "Lots of Trees and a Running Stream" (51:05)

Disc 4:
13. "Another Beginning for Ben Fuller" (51:08)
14. "Sound of Silence" (51:02)
15. "Trial by Doubt" (50:37)
16. "The Authentic Death of Billy Stomper" (51:02)

Disc 5:
17. "The Late Mr. Brent" (51:05)
18. "The Teacher" (51:06)
19. "Eyewitness" (51:04)
20. "Something Less than a Man" (51:08)

Disc 6:
21. "Rolling Thunder" (51:08)
22. "Time Lock" (50:33)

23. "Death Watch" (51:02)

The set comes packaged in a standard Viva-case, with a cast photo on the front cover. On the back, there is a very general description of the series, and a few more very small cast photos. Inside the case, you'll find the six discs, the first five which have photos of each of the stars of the series on each disc, and the sixth disc which has a photo of the three rookie officers. Each disc contains four episodes, except for Disc 6, which contains just three. There are episode titles and descriptions listed inside the case.

The menus on the set are very basic, with photos of the cast members on the main menu of each disc. The theme song plays in the background. The only options on the menu are Play All, as well as a list of episodes. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

The episodes on the set generally look pretty good. Despite the fact that this series rarely airs in syndication, Sony has done some remastering of the episodes of this series, and it appears that those "cleaned up" versions were used for this set. Of course, as mentioned earlier, there is one edited episode, and that one actually does look a little bit worse than the rest of the episodes on the set, but it still isn't that bad. The audio is loud and clear on each and every episode, with no real issues of note. Unfortunately, there are no subtitles or closed-captioning on the episodes.

Early reports on this release indicated that the pilot movie would be included as a special feature, but unfortunately, it was not included. In fact, there are no special features at all on this set.

Shout! has really been picking up a lot of the abandoned Sony police dramas lately, and I'm very glad that they chose to pick up this one. I haven't seen this series a whole lot outside of the airings it had on TV Land several years ago, and it was nice to actually see a little bit more of this series on this DVD set. The series really isn't all that close to the reality of a rookie cop (really, how common is it for the same group of four police officers to be held hostage or a target for a murder prevented at the last second every single week?), but that is perfectly OK, because it adds thrilling and exciting plots for the series. Hopefully, we'll see more seasons of this series in the future, as there are only two more needed to bring the series to completion. It would also be nice to see the pilot movie included on one of those sets, since it wasn't included on the first two (and despite claims it would be on this one). Generally speaking, though, I think fans of crime dramas, particularly those of Aaron Spelling, will enjoy this series. It is definitely a bit more dramatic and serious than, say, Charlie's Angels, but it is still very much enjoyable.

(4/5 stars)

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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: More Than Friends (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $20.95)

by Todd

Childhood friends in the Bronx during the 1950s and '60s, Alan Corkus (Rob Reiner, TV's All in the Family) and Maddy Pearlman (Penny Marshall, TV's Laverne & Shirley) grew into awkward teenagers who attended their Senior Prom together. Despite their crossing paths again at City College, where a mutual initiation to sex helps their friendship grow into love, they never seem able to express their true feelings for each other. Years later, both have gone their separate ways, each finding frustration in love and career. When Maddy's love affair with a fellow actor ends disastrously, she surprises Alan with a visit, and the two decide to move in together. But the road to bliss is bumpy, and Maddy decides to move on again, leaving Alan unhappily trying to have relationships with other women, only to have Maddy return again... This charming comedy about their on-and-off relationship, and the bittersweet nature of love between friends -- directed by Jim Burrows and from a screenplay by Reiner and Phil Mishkin -- is a realistic take on the perils and pitfalls of modern romance.

More Than Friends aired on ABC on October 20, 1978. The movie was produced by Norman S. Powell, Rob Reiner and Phil Mishkin. It was a Reiner-Mishkin Production in association with Sony Pictures Television. The supporting cast includes Philip R. Allen as William Kane, Dabney Coleman as Joshua 'Josh' Harrington, Fawne Harriman as Beverly, Howard Hesseman as Avery Salminella, Michael McKean as Terry Christopher, Claudette Nevins as Frances Harrington, Joe Pantoliano as Ralph and special guest star Kay Medford as Gertie. Other appearances include Carl Gottlieb as Paul J. Micale, Cindy Fisher as Wind, Pamela Hayden as Sky, Kip King as Lily Pad Pal and Army Archerd as himself. Fred Karlin composed the music score.

The release is part of Sony's Choice Collection. This is a manufactured-on-demand DVD-R release. The disc is expected to play back in DVD Video "Play only" devices, and may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives. It comes in a standard Amaray movie case. The cover art features a photo of Penny Marshall and Rob Reiner (with a mustache). The back cover has a senior prom photo of Marshall and Reiner (without a mustache) from when the movie is set in 1958. A short synopsis of the movie and the actor/production credits are listed. The DVD-R has has a white background, with Marshall's and Reiner's names and the title printed on it.

According to the product description, the movie was newly remastered. It's generally a pretty clean transfer. There are only a few white specks and digital artifacts. It's presented in its original full frame 1.33:1 ratio. The film was shot in Los Angeles and New York City. There are a number of exterior shots in New York City. The audio is a standard English audio track. There is no closed captioning or subtitles. A number of 1950s era songs are used in the film. They mostly sound like cover songs, but they aren't idenified in the ending credits. There is no menu for this release. It just starts to play when you enter the disc. Chapters are placed within the movie, but they seem to be at random places and not where the commercials originally aired. The movie has a running time of 96 minutes. It's not rated, but it probably would rate as PG because of the sexual talk.

Before When Harry Met Sally (which Rob Reiner would direct 10 years later), there was this 1978 ABC made for television movie. This could be promoted as When Meathead Met Laverne. It's based on Reiner's and Marshall's real life courtship. They were married at the time this was filmed. Their chemistry here is very good. They seemed like a great team. Both were charming and endearing. Sadly, they separated the year after this was broadcast. They divorced a few years later.

This is a pretty solid and entertaining movie. The plot is simple. It's a little bit slow-paced at times, but it has a nice mix of comedy and drama. The budget for it probably wasn't very high, but it has nice production values. They did a good job portraying the era with the clothing, hairstyles, music and cars. It's initially set in 1958 when they attended their Senior Prom together, and it moves ahead every few years until 1971 when Reiner and Marshall married in real life. Most of the film's exterior scenes were shot in New York City, which was a big positive. I noticed Tom's Restaurant (Monk's Cafe exterior in Seinfeld) in the background of one scene. There's a nice collection of scenes in the Bronx where they play some childhood street games. The supporting cast is very good. There are many familiar faces like Dabney Coleman, Howard Hesseman (WKRP in Cincinnati) and Marshall's Laverne & Shirley co-star Michael McKean. McKean sings a folk song and has a couple of memorable scenes near the end of the movie. Joe Pantoliano (Joey Pants) plays the best friend of Reiner's character in one of his earliest sizable roles. This movie seems to have mostly disappeared from airing on cable networks in recent years, so it's nice to see it available in this format. If you are a fan of Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally, or any similar romantic comedies, this would definitely be worth checking out.

(4/5 stars)

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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: Kate's Secret (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $20.95)

by Todd

Meredith Baxter (TV's Family Ties and Bridget Loves Bernie) plays the wife who seems to have everything in this made-for-TV-movie, which illuminates the problem of bulimia. In fitness-obsessed Southern California, Kate Stark struggles to hide her eating disorder, characterized by a psychological need to binge eat and purge, from her husband (Ben Masters), best friend (Shari Belafonte), and everyone around her who could help her fight this life-threatening illness. When finally confronted by the seriousness of her situation, Kate encounters the caring Dr. Resnick (Ed Asner), and patients with similar issues (played by Tracy Nelson and Mackenzie Phillips), who help her to acknowledge and accept her problem... the first step to healing.

Kate's Secret was broadcast on NBC on November 17, 1986. The movie was produced by Robert A. Papazian, Stephanie Austin, Andrea Baynes and Susan Seeger. It was an Andrea Baynes Production in association with Sony Pictures Television. Susan Seeger and Denise DeGarmo wrote the teleplay. It was directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman. The supporting cast includes Georgann Johnson as Faith, Leslie Bevis as Monica Fields, Summer Phoenix as Betty Stark, Sharon Spelman as Liz Reed, Mindy Seeger as Markie, Isabel Grandin as Dot, Liz Torres as Laura, Gwynne Gilford as Lorna and Liz Sheridan as Evelyn. J. Peter Robinson was the music composer.

This is a manufactured-on-demand DVD-R release from Sony's Choice Collection. The disc is expected to play back in DVD Video "Play only" devices, and may not play in other DVD devices, including recorders and PC drives. It comes in a standard Amaray movie case. Meredith Baxter (holding a teddy bear) and Ben Masters are featured on the cover art. A photo of Shari Belafonte and Baxter is used on the back cover. A short synopsis of the movie and the actor/production credits are listed. The DVD-R has has a white background, with the movie title printed on it.

The video and audio quality is excellent. According to the product description, the movie was newly remastered. The movie was shot over 25 years ago, but it has held up well. They had some some very nice cinematography and lighting. It's presented in its original full frame 1.33:1 ratio. The audio is a standard English audio track. There is no closed captioning or subtitles. No menus are included on this release. It just starts to play when you enter the disc. Chapters are placed within the movie, but they seem to be at random places and not where the commercials originally aired. The movie has a running time of 96 minutes. It's not rated, but it probably would rate as PG because of the subject matter.

Meredith Baxter was one of the queens of television movies in the 1980s through the early 2000s. I've always thought that she was one of the most beautiful and talented actresses of the 1980s. She gives an outstanding performance here that won her much critical acclaim. I usually think of bulimia involving teens, but many adults also struggle with the eating disorder. This is a very good educational movie on the topic.

Kate's Secret is an entertaining, powerful and riveting movie. It may be a little dated and scream 80s because of the fashion, hairstyles and music, but the story still resonates to this day. Baxter's portrayal of the disorder is very realistic. The scenes of her stuffing her face with food at the grocery store and in her kitchen are shocking and alarming. They are made even more dramatic by the music score. The supporting cast is excellent and features many familiar actors. Ed Asner is great as the supportive Dr. Resnick. Fellow television actors Tracy Nelson (Square Pegs and Father Dowling Mysteries), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time), and Liz Torres (The John Larroquette Show) have good roles as clinic patients. Although the movie has been aired many times on Lifetime over the years, this is the first time it's available been available on home video. If you are a Meredith Baxter fan, this is definitely one of her best roles to check out.

(4/5 stars)

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CLICK OF THE WEEK

We're going to take a slightly different approach to our Click of the Week this week, which is also somewhat a preview of changes coming soon in this section of Digital Digest (we'll be retooling and renaming this section to reflect the more "interactive" side of the web, but we haven't quite nailed down the details just yet). We're concluding our game show theme this week, but instead of presenting you with a website where you can get all of the information that you want about games, we're going to show you how you can play some of these games at home on your computer. You won't win the big prize like the real contestants do when they win on TV, but you can still have fun playing some of these games.

Facebook, of course, is a good place to not only find some of these games, but to also to play these games with some of your own friends. From your home, you can play home versions of popular games such as Pyramid, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Price is Right, Press Your Luck, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and more. If you don't use Facebook, you can play many of these games (and others) on the GSN website. Not all of these games are played exactly like the real games, of course, since there have to be certain modifications made to the games to make them more web friendly, but many of them closely resemble the games as seen on TV. For the most part, these are decent boredom busters to play when you just have a little downtime, and worth playing once in a while just for fun.

That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Monday, April 23, 2007

More on This Week's 'Cosby' Marathon; Sony Continues to Release New Sitcom DVDs

Due to popular demand, people wanted to know what night each of the Cosby Show kids will be hosting in the Huxta-palooza marathon we announced last week. Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable) starts the event with "Denise Monday," which runs from 9 p.m. to midnight and encores immediately. Then it is "Rudy Tuesday" (mocking the restaurant Ruby Tuesday?) with Keisha Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable) doing the honors from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and encores immediately. "Vanessa Vednesday" lets Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable) take center stage from 9 p.m. to midnight with an encore immediately following until 3 a.m. "Theo Thursday," is a showcase for Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Huxtable) from 9 p.m. to midnight with an encore immediately following. "Sondra Friday" lets Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra) share her memories from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
And as we mentioned last week, the fun doesn't end there. The marathon will share never-before-seen interviews with the actors. Saturday and Sunday the gang all come together for the weekend.
"Saturday Night Dance Party" gathers the five episodes with the best dancing; they screen from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. And "Guest-Star Sunday" on April 29, the actors recall their five favorite episodes with guest stars. Those installments will screen from 9 to 11:30 p.m. It should be a fun week with nice treats!

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has been pretty good in 2007 with new sitcom DVDs. We have gotten first season sets of Maude, One Day at a Time, Mary Hartman, and both What's Happening Now!! and Silver Spoons are coming in June. They are pretty slow to release second seasons or subsequent seasons still, though. But more new DVDs are on the way in July with the '80s classic Benson (July 24)! Bewitched returns with its fifth season DVD on July 10 and the police drama The Rookies comes to DVD for the first time on July 17.
They have been pretty quick with shows like Seinfeld, The Facts of Life Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and have finished series such as Sanford & Son, Good Times, Soap, and What's Happening!! but there are some series which they are so slow on such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Partridge Family, The Nanny, and Diff'rent Strokes. And then there are the series that they seemed to have abandoned after just one set, such as 227, Who's the Boss?, Barney Miller, and Archie Bunker's Place. Let's hope the new sets of 2007 do not go that route.

It has been a good 2007 for new Sony sets, and let's hope we get some more as well in addition to the first sets. I personally am hoping for: Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, My Two Dads, Square Pegs and Designing Women. Most of my favorites came in 2007 or are coming (What's Happening Now!!, Silver Spoons, Benson, One Day at a Time), so I'm pumped! And as for series spin-offs, cross-over series, follow-up series, and shows like that, I'd like to see these come to DVD: Checking In (Jeffersons spin-off), Fernwood2Night (Mary Hartman spin-off), Fish (Barney Miller spin-off), Gloria (Archie Bunker's Place spin-off), Grady (Sanford & Son spin-off), Hello Larry (Diff'rent Strokes cross-over series), One in a Million (What's Happening!!'s Shirley Hemphill starred), Sanford (new show starring Redd Foxx from Sanford & Son), Sanford Arms (Sanford & Son spin-off). Some of those are long shots.
And of course it wouldn't hurt to get more sets of the shows they have already released...like Diff'rent Strokes Season 3!

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