SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: The Ropers

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Thursday, December 21, 2023

Three's Company 40th Anniversary (Since It Ended) DVD Collection; Shout! TV Holiday Episodes

Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection is coming December 22 on DVD from Visual Entertainment Inc.! The series is actually approaching 47 years old now, but it will have ended 40 years ago this spring. All 8 seasons of 172 episodes, plus for the first time on DVD the two-short lived spin-off series The Ropers and Three's a Crowd and over 9 hours of other special bonus features! Three's Company was a groundbreaking comedy series that tripped through a world of slapstick pratfalls and some of the most scandalously titillating comedy America had ever seen. Racy and daring for its time, this breakthrough farce ran for eight seasons on ABC. Forty years after it came to an end, it remains one of the best-loved television series of all time. This complete series set is a celebration of the exploits of Jack, Janet, Chrissy, Larry, Terri, The Ropers, and Mr. Furley and offers fans a chance to relive every episode and continue to laugh for years to come. Starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers, Richard Kline, Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, Don Knotts, Jenilee Harrison, and Priscilla Barnes. The bonus features for each season is below:

Season 1
PILOT (UNAIRED)
EPISODE JOHN RITTER: ALWAYS LEAVE THEM LAUGHING
EIGHT YEARS OF LAUGHTER

Season 2
BLOOPER REEL
COMMENTARY: CHRIS MANN DISCUSSES "DAYS OF BEER AND WEEDS"
BEST OF JANET, BEST OF ROPERS, BEST OF CHRISSY

Season 3
PILOT #2 (UNAIRED)
REMEMBERING JOHN RITTER
COMMENTARY: CHRIS MANN DISCUSSES "THE BAKE OFF"
ORIGINAL PROMOS 1,2,3
RICHARD KLINE AND DAVE POWERS INTERVIEWS

Season 4
NANCY RITTER INTERVIEW
DON KNOTTS & RICHARD KLINE INTERVIEW
ANN WEDGEWORTH INTERVIEW
CASTING DON KNOTTS
CASTING SUZANNE SOMERS

Season 5
JENILEE HARRISON INTERVIEW
OF FARCE AND CENSORS
BEST OF JACK, JANET, CINDY, LARRY, MR. FURLEY

Season 6
LAUGHS AROUND THE WORLD
LUCILLE BALL PRESENTS: THE BEST OF THREE'S COMPANY

Season 7
DON KNOTS TRIBUTE
PARLEZ-VOUS THREE'S COMPANY? (FRENCH DUBBED PILOT)
BEST OF JACK, JANET, TERRI, LARRY

Season 8
BLOOPERS
WORKING WITH A MASTER (ACTING WITH JOHN RITTER)
JANET IN SPANISH
BEST OF JACK, JANET, TERRI, LARRY, MR FURLEY

Purchase Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection.

Shout! TV

Shout! TV has it all this holiday season. Beginning now, Shout! TV will feature all-holiday programming with a week full of festive frights, throwback delights, visits from Santa Claus, and the MST3K Yule Log! On December 21 (TODAY!), viewers can tune in for #ThrowbackThursday featuring holiday episodes of classic TV like The Beverly Hillbillies, ALF, and The Carol Burnett Show! Then, on Christmas Eve, hold onto your stockings for 'Twas the Fright Before Christmas programming featuring a spooky double feature of Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night: Part 2. Additional programming will include holiday classics like A Christmas Carol, Scrooge, The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, Jack Frost, and many, many more!

Shout!'s family of channels will be decking the halls with festive programming on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on The Carol Burnett Show Channel, Johnny Carson TV, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Channel, Scream Factory TV, TokuSHOUTsu, and more.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Antenna TV January 2024 Schedule; Max December Comedy Specials

As we mentioned, Antenna TV starts the new year with four new classic shows added to its programming schedule all shared from sister network Rewind TV, including Dear John, Mork and Mindy, The Facts of Life and The Drew Carey Show beginning in January. Only The Facts of Life and The Drew Carey Show will air wekdays, with Facts weekdays 2-3pm and Drew weekdays 1am-2am (and on Sundays in prime from 7pm-9pm). Dear John will air in the overnight on Sundays (early Monday morning) from 3am-5am, while Mork will air Saturday afternoons from 3-5pm. As far as the rest of the schedule, weekdays seems some minor changes including Maude and Benson airing weekday afternoons and Archie Bunker's Place moving to 6-7pm. Welcome Back, Kotter and One Day at a Time will be leaving the schedule completely.

Saturdays will have a lot of time changes between 8am-3am. The Ropers and Three's a Crowd are back on the line-up airing Saturdays 5-6am and 5-6pm. Sundays will also have a lot of time changes, but from 8am-9pm. View the full schedule.

Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares

Max announces programming coming to the platform this December, including the HBO Original comedy special Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares? (12/16), the comedian's first solo stand-up special debuts this December. Following rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an Off-Broadway run, this self-diagnosed important young mind faces the swirling uncertainty of our collective future, asking the big questions, such as: "Is this helping?", "Am I hot?", and "No offense guys but literally what is going on?" Treading the line between hilarious stand-up and humorless performance art, the special blends songs, anecdotes, and anxious non-sequiturs in a valiant attempt to raise awareness about important social and political causes... or something. The special from A24 was taped at EartH in London.

Gary Ulman: Born on 3rd Base

In the Max Original comedy special Gary Ulman: Born on 3rd Base (12/21), comedian, actor, and best-selling author Gary Gulman (HBO's The Great Depresh) offers up his hilarious insights on a range of topics - from growing up poor to pretentious suffixes - all with a generous helping of his inventive humor and absurdism. Reflecting on his eccentric Jewish American family, Gulman chronicles his childhood experiences with free school lunch programs and questionable dental care, as well as incisive swipes at billionaire-ism. With thoughtfulness and empathy, the special sheds light on the performer's unique point-of-view on both lighthearted and serious subjects.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Antenna TV and Rewind TV Spring 2022 Schedules; Starz Comedy Blindspotting Gets More Stars

As we mentioned a few months back, My Favorite Martian is joining the Antenna TV line-up this spring. The series starts on Monday, May 2, airing weekdays at 12pm & 12:30pm ET (replacing McHale's Navy) and Saturdays at 11:00pm & 11:30pm ET (replacing That Girl). There are some other changes as well, most notably The Jeffersons getting a second hour in primetime on weeknights, now airing 8-10pm ET, shifting Barney Miller to 11pm-12am. And Alice also gets shifted to 1-2am, replacing Archie Bunker's Place, which is off of the weekday line-up (it will still air weekend mornings). The rest of the schedule on weekdays will remain the same, but weekends get more time shifting changes. Saturdays from 12-4pm changs a bit with a second hour of The Partridge Family now from 12-1pm, Three's Company from 1-2pm, One Day at a Time from 2-3pm and Benson from 3-4pm. This means Welcome Back, Kotter and Too Close for Comfort are off of the weekend schedule, but will still air weekdays. In addition, The Ropers and Three's a Crowd are now off the line-up completely. Sundays will see more changes than any other day. 1-4pm block is now: back-to-back Father Knows Best, One Day at a Time and Benson. Then from 6pm-4am, is a new schedule with Dear John kicking it off from 6-7pm, then four episodes in a row of Family Ties, Wings, Becker and Soap from 7pm-3am (Wings and Becker return to Antenna, but still air on sister network Rewind TV). One Day at a Time encore is now 3-4am. View and discuss the full Antenna TV spring schedule.

Moving on to sister network Rewind TV. The changes for the spring are minor. There are no changes to the line-up on weekdays or Saturdays. Minor changes on Sunday are: Becker added to Sundays from 5-7am and Head of the Class added to Sundays from 7-9pm, as Family Ties will now air 7-9pm on sister network Antenna TV on Sundays. View and discuss the full Rewind TV spring schedule.

Trainspotting - LeVar Burton, Katlynn Simone Smith, Tamera Tomakili and Tim Chantarangsu

STARZ announced that LeVar Burton (Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Katlynn Simone Smith (Empire, The Game) Tamera Tomakili (Winning Time, Run The World) and Tim Chantarangsu (Laid in America, The Perfect Match) have joined the cast of its critically acclaimed comedy series Blindspotting for season two, in recurring roles. Additionally, rappers E-40, P-Lo and Too $hort will guest star as themselves in the upcoming season. STARZ additionally confirmed that season one recurring players Margo Hall as NANCY, April Absynth as JACQUE, Lance Holloway as CUDDIE, Andrew Chappelle as SCOTTY and Utkarsh Ambudkar as NILES TURNER will all return for season two in expanded recurring roles.

Blindspotting stars Emmy Award(R)-winner Jasmine Cephas Jones (#FreeRayshawn, Hamilton an American Musical), Academy Award(R)- -winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, Mad About You), recording artist Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward (Shameless), Jaylen Barron (Free Rein, Shameless), Candace Nicholas-Lippman (Good Trouble) and Rafael Casal (Bad Education, The Good Lord Bird).

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Antenna TV Summer 2021 Schedule; The CW Fall 2021 Premiere Dates

This summer on Antenna TV, there will be some changes to the lineup but they will not affect the weekday schedule. All the changes are for their weekend lineup beginning Saturday, July 3, 2021. The Saturday morning lineup gets a makeover from 5-9am, with The Ropers and Three's a Crowd coming back to the schedule airing Saturdays 5-6am, leading into an hour each of Alice, Barney Miller and Benson from 6-9am. These changes replace The Paul Lynde Show, Lotsa Luck and What's Happening Now!!, as all three series are leaving the schedule. Moving on to evening, both Saturdays and Sunday from 5-7pm will now be an hour each of Maude and Archie Bunker's Place, as they also come back to the lineup replacing the What's Happening Now!! block. The rest of the lineup will remain as it is currently (the previously announced Spring 2021 lineup).

The CW

The CW Network has unveiled premiere dates for its Fall 2021 primetime schedule beginning in October. The CW's new season premieres return to the fall starting with Penn & Teller: Fool Us on Friday, October 1 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT). Season three of Nancy Drew premieres a week later on Friday, October 8 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). The CW's new regularly scheduled Saturday primetime programming, begins with new back-to-back episodes of fan favorite Whose Line Is It Anyway? Saturday, October 9, (8:00-8:30pm & 8:30-9:00pm ET/PT) followed by the second season of World's Funniest Animals (9:00-9:30pm & 9:30-10:00pm ET/PT). The series debut of the reimagined Legends of the Hidden Temple is set to debut on Sunday, October 10 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT), followed by the premiere of the new U.S. version of Killer Camp (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT).

The CW's Monday-Thursday lineup premieres being with the seventh season of DC's Legends of Tomorrow that is set to premiere Wednesday, October 13 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT), followed by the third season of Batwoman (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). Salvatore Boarding School is back to in-person school as the fourth season of Legacies is set to premiere on Thursday, October 14 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). The CW's multiplatform hit series All American gears up for its fourth season premiere on Monday, October 25 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT), followed by the series premiere of the reimagined 4400 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). Walker returns with its season two premiere on Thursday, October 28 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT). The eighth season of The Flash (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT) and the sixth season of Riverdale (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT) both start their new seasons with special five-episode events beginning Tuesday, November 16. As previously announced, the iHeartRadio Music Festival will air on consecutive nights Saturday, October 2 (8:00-10:00pm ET/PT) and Sunday, October 3 (8:00-10:00pm ET/PT.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Three's Company, Too Close for Comfort Returning to Antenna TV; NBC Midseason Pilot Review: About a Boy - Premieres Saturday After the Olympics

Come and knock on our door! Three's Company and Too Close for Comfort will re-join Antenna TV's schedule beginning Monday, April 7, 2014. The sitcoms have not aired on the network since the end of December 2012 and have been reacquired from DLT Entertainment. The new multi-year year deal includes rights to the Three's Company spin-offs The Ropers and Three's a Crowd, which will be placed in the Three's Company rotation like before. Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast network, which airs on 84 affiliates across the U.S. reaching 70% of TV households, will add Too Close for Comfort to the lineup weekdays 9-10am ET and 1-2am ET, being paired with Three's Company airing 10-11am ET and 12-1am ET. On weekends, Three's Company will air Saturday 7-8pm ET and Sunday nights from 12-1am ET.

Three's Company and Too Close for Comfort join Antenna TV's lineup of classic favorites such as I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Bachelor Father, Hazel, The Partridge Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Diff'rent Strokes, WKRP in Cincinnati, All in the Family, Good Times, The Three Stooges, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Gidget, The Flying Nun, It Takes a Thief and Antenna TV Theater, a movie block featuring MGM and Sony movies. We will have the full Antenna TV line-up starting April 7 once the network makes it official! Stay tuned!

About a Boy - Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on NBC
Special Premiere Saturday, February 22, 2014 following The Olympics at approx. 11:05PM ET/PT

by Vincent

Based on a film of the same name, About a Boy follows Will Freeman (David Walton) after being granted a life of free tie, free love, and freedom from financial woes after he writes a hit song. But when single mom Fiona (Minnie Driver) and her 11-year-old son Marcus (Benjamin Stockham) move next door, his life is turned upside down.

Cast Details:

David Walton as Will Freeman
Minnie Driver as Fiona Brewer
Benjamin Stockham as Marcus Brewer
Al Madrigal as Andy

David Walton (Will Freeman) starred in two past NBC comedies, Perfect Couples and Bent. He is also well-known as a recurring character on New Girl and for his guest appearances on shows such as The Loop and Happy Endings.

Minnie Driver (Fiona Brewer) is an Oscar-nominated film actress. She has an extensive list of film credits, including Good Will Hunting, which earned her the nomination. Other credits include Sleepers, Tarzan, Ella Enchanted, Hope Springs, The Phantom of the Opera, The Simpsons Movie, and Barney's Version.

Benjamin Stockham (Marcus Brewer) most recently starred in the NBC sitcom 1600 Penn. He also has appeared in shows such as Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, and Once Upon a Time.

Al Madrigal (Andy) is a stand-up comedian who has released several stand-up specials and has appeared on talk shows such as Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also starred in two CBS comedies – Welcome to the Captain and Gary Unmarried.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Saturday, February 22 at approx. 11:05PM ET/PT)

Will Freeman lives a charmed existence as the ultimate man-child. After writing a hit song, he was granted a life of free time, free love and freedom from financial woes. He's single, unemployed and loving it. So imagine his surprise when Fiona and her oddly charming 11-year-old son, Marcus, move in next door and disrupt his perfect world. When Marcus begins dropping by his home unannounced, Will's not so sure about being a kid's new best friend, until, of course, Will discovers that women find single dads irresistible. That changes everything and a deal is struck: Marcus will pretend to be Will's son and, in return, Marcus is allowed to chill at Will's house.

Analysis:

The word I can best use to describe About a Boy is "competent." This is a good thing – there's a surprising amount of times I'll watch a pilot and wonder if the people who made it have ever watched television before. But About a Boy comes from seasoned TV creator Jason Katims (creator of both Friday Night Lights and Parenthood), and his experience is clear. Everything in the About a Boy pilot is very well-calculated. The characters are clear in their intentions and personas, and the events flow smoothly and understandably. The dialogue is well-written, witty and natural in the way it often is on Katims' shows. Each character makes the journey you'd expect them to make in a pilot episode, and by the end of the episode, you have a pretty good sense of what this show is going to be from here on out, to the point where you could probably take a wild guess for what the next three episode summaries are going to be and not be all that far off. The show has a very clear sense of what it is and what it wants to be, which is often times not at all the case, even with a good pilot.

The question is whether it's all a bit too calculated. I think it's probably too soon to tell, but I'm getting a similar vibe from this show as I have from just about every other NBC comedy that's premiered in the past 3 years. The show is clearly trying to appeal to that magical "broad" demographic that NBC so desperately dreams about, from the accessible premise to the overly pleasing aesthetics to the fact that it all ends to the beat of a One Direction song. What tripped up potentially promising but similarly "broad audience" aimed shows like Up All Night, Go On and The Michael J. Fox Show was that they became so watered down that they stopped appealing to anyone and just became incredibly boring. The real "broad" comedies of television are many things, but they are very much not boring, and they usually have some distinguishable traits that make them appeal to strongly to broad audiences. NBC's newer comedies are just pure vanilla paste – they're fine and mostly enjoyable, but they're the kind of shows you watch and then never think about again. That's the worst thing a TV show can be.

It's not clear yet that About a Boy is going to go down this route, but it's hard to shake the feeling that it will given NBC's recent history, and given the show itself, which is...fine. It's not really funny at all, and at times it makes you wonder if this show wouldn't have worked better as a drama (a genre that Katims has mastered twice now), but it's enjoyable, it has a great cast that's doing predictably great work, and there's hints of potential there. But it's also not a show I can see myself thinking about again after I finish this review. That could change, but I wouldn't place any bets on it.

Conclusion:

About a Boy is a decent show with strong acting and dialogue and a potentially interesting premise. But there's nothing particularly special about it, and given NBC's recent history, it's hard to see the show overcoming its less interesting aspects and turning into something great. As of now, it's far from a must-watch, but there is some undeniable potential, and it would be nice to see the show overcome the NBC of it all and make use of its great cast.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Saturday, February 20, 2014 at approx. 11:05PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

About a Boy Photo Gallery

Preview:

Monday, December 26, 2011

Hallmark Channel Gets Bob Newhart Show; Three's a Crowd Back With Second Cycle On Antenna TV

The Hallmark Channel has acquired the cable rights to the classic '70s sitcom The Bob Newhart Show! The classic comedy will begin next week on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012 and will air every weekday morning in a block from 8-10am with four episodes every morning. The cable network has been airing Christmas movies since Thanksgiving so the sitcoms have taken a back seat since, but they will return on Jan. 2. Essentially the block will replace The Golden Girls from 8-10am. This is the first schedule change in quite some time for Hallmark, so we will recap to you their line-up. Mornings begin with I Love Lucy from 5am-8am leading into Bob Newhart from 8am-10am. Mr. Newhart and company will lead into the Martha Stewart at Home block from 10am-3pm. Then afternoons and evenings will remain the same with back-to-back-to-back hours each of The Waltons from 3-6pm and Little House on the Prairie from 6pm-9pm. In primetime, Frasier also remains from 9pm-12am, followed by The Golden Girls from 12am-2am. Cheers gets an hour late nights from 2-3am, leading into more Frasier from 3am-5am.
On weekends, we have I Love Lucy still from 5-8am leading into The Golden Girls from 8-10am. Movies take over from 10am-12am and then more The Golden Girls airs from 12am-2am, followed by a block of Frasier from 2am-4am and finally an hour of Cheers from 4-5am. Marathon wise, you can catch a marathon of The Golden Girls on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday on Monday, January 16, 2012 from 3pm-2am.
As for The Bob Newhart Show, it currently also airs on digital broadcast TV on MeTV Network. It also airs on cable on FamilyNet since this past fall every evening and in primetime, so Hallmark will share the rights with FamilyNet. So now if you don't get MeTV or FamilyNet, you'll be able to watch Bob on The Hallmark Channel, as mostly everyone with cable has this network. Stay with us for further information.

If you missed the first cycle of the short-lived Three's Company continuation series Three's a Crowd starring John Ritter on Antenna TV this past summer now you have another chance to watch all 22 episodes! Just like how Antenna TV aired a second cycle of The Ropers, they will air Three's a Crowd again in the Three's Company time period of Mon-Thurs from 8-9pm (with an encore from 12-1am) starting Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011. This will be only for 11 nights, since it only had 22 episodes and they air two episodes a night. Three's Company is tentatively scheduled to return with its first episode on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. That will be the start of the long-running series' third cycle on Antenna TV. You can catch the series finale on Wednesday, Dec. 28 before Three's a Crowd takes over for the next eleven nights.
I just love how they incorporate both The Ropers and Three's a Crowd into the Three's Company cycle. You'll see The Ropers series again on Antenna TV for the third time when those characters leave Three's Company at the end of season three. If my calculations are correct, it will be sometime in early March. So you'll see The Ropers in the second half-hour of the Three's Company hour and air for 28 nights, as they will only air one episode a night and the series had 28 episodes. Stay with us for further information as always!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Antenna TV Fall 2011 Schedule; OWN and TLC Acquires Undercover Boss Repeats for Fall 2012

Welcome to the 2011 edition of our annual look at the fall schedules for cable and digital TV! We are launching this schedule barrage with the digital network Antenna TV! We have Antenna TV's Fall 2011 schedule and they will be expanding the comedy line-up to feature more sitcoms every weekday! The line-up of comedies will return to start at 1pm ET, like the original launch schedule had. However, this time the comedies will last longer into the night, too! The comedies will run until 5am Sun-Thurs nights, instead of 3am. Antenna TV will also be launching a new logo come this fall. You can take peek at what it looks like below. It is subject to change.

On to the schedule, the new fall 2011 schedule will begin on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. From Mon-Fri, Antenna TV Theater will air from 5am-1pm with movies from all eras. Then every weekday from 1pm-6pm will feature classic sitcoms with an hour each of Burns & Allen, Father Knows Best, Dennis the Menace, Hazel in new time periods and the return of The Partridge Family to weekdays. Hazel is also returning to the daytime line-up, as currently it is airing every night at 2:00am. Mon-Thurs in the 6pm hour will continue to feature the Antenna TV staple Three's Company with the spin-offs of the series mixed in the rotation. In fact, The Ropers will join the second half-hour (6:30pm and 12:30am) for about seven weeks starting Monday, Aug. 29! This will be the second time The Ropers will be featured on Antenna TV, so catch all 28 episodes before it goes back to Three's Company for the full hour! On Fridays, the 6pm hour will continue to feature the DLT Entertainment sitcom Too Close for Comfort. Weekdays in the 7pm hour will also still have Good Times, but the sitcom will not be seven days a week anymore, though it will remain Sundays at 7pm. Moving on to primetime, Sanford & Son returns to its original 8pm hour replacing Maude, which will be moving to weekends only (Saturdays 7-8pm and Sundays 6-7pm, more on that below). The block of All in the Family, Married...with Children, Mad About You and Three's Company remains in primetime from 9pm-1am. From 1am-3am we have a schedule change though. Mon-Thurs nights will feature one episode each of weekend staples The Partridge Family, The Monkees, The Flying Nun and Gidget as they move from weekend afternoons to weekday late nights! These will replace the late night hours of Sanford & Son and Hazel. Antenna TV will replace another movie with a black & white overnight block from 3am-5am with an episode each of their signature black & white series: Hazel, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, and Burns & Allen.
Fridays will be the same as Mon-Thurs essentially, except as I mentioned above the 6pm hour is Too Close for Comfort still and the continued Three Stooges Friday night prime block from 8pm-11pm, followed by Benny Hill from 11pm-2am in late night. One other change is the 2am hour will now feature Totally Tooned In, replacing Hazel. Antenna TV Theater remains from 3am-5am, so we don't get a black & white block on Friday nights (or Saturday nights either).
Moving on to Saturdays, Antenna TV Theater will still kick it off at 5am and another movie has been added at 7am, replacing Totally Tooned In (as these two hours are moving to Fri-Sat 2am). The classic animated shorts will remain in the Saturday 9am hour, though. From 10am-1pm will be the E/I block which will see some new additions starting Saturday, Sept. 3. Antenna TV Theater will now run on Saturday afternoons from 1pm-5pm, since Gidget, Flying Nun, The Monkees and The Partridge Family are moving to weeknights. Antenna TV Theater will air on Sundays from 1pm-5pm, too, replacing those four comedies. The 5pm hour on both Saturdays and Sundays will still be Too Close for Comfort and in the 6pm hour, All in the Family will now air in the hour leading into spin-off Maude in the 7pm hour. This is unique scheduling and it will be unique on Sundays well as the 6pm hour will feature Maude leading into spin-off Good Times in the 7pm hour. Love that!
Weekends in primetime will still have Benny Hill on Saturdays from 8pm-11pm followed by late night The Three Stooges from 11pm-2am. The 2am hour on Saturday nights will now be Totally Tooned In, like on Friday nights (as we mentioned) leading into a movie at 3am. And Sundays in primetime will have Sanford & Son join the 8pm hour, like on Mon-Thurs, followed by All in the Family and Soap remaining in the 9pm and 10pm hours. However, Soap will lose its 11pm hour on Sunday nights as NewsRadio joins the Antenna TV line-up airing every Sunday night! Hopefully they are saving the plays on Soap so maybe in the winter it could move to weekdays? Anyway, Too Close for Comfort will remain Sunday nights at 12am, as well Burns & Allen in the 1am hour on Sunday nights but also it gains the 2am hour creating a two-hour block of Burns & Allen. Then the black and white overnight block that will air Mon-Thurs will also air Sunday nights, so it will be airing five nights a week!

View the FULL Antenna TV Fall 2011 schedule, so you get the full details. So to recap, Antenna TV is not dropping any shows this fall, while we get more sitcoms on weekdays (1pm-5am), and the addition of NewsRadio to Sunday nights! If there are any changes to this, we will let you know. Stay with us the rest of the summer every weekday for updates on other fall schedules for cable. Coming up will be WGN America, TBS, FX and much MUCH more!
And if that is not all, the TCA Summer 2011 Press Tour starts tomorrow with cable up first and will run through Aug. 8, so even more of a reason to stay with us everyday! Dog days of summer are over here on the blog now! It's time to think about the Fall, as the summer speeds by!

Moving on, we have one story that we saved for a week or two to bring you today. OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and TLC have acquired the off-network rights of Undercover Boss from CBS Television Distribution. TLC and OWN will each have access to the library and will determine their independent scheduling strategies with regularly scheduled episodes of the hit series set to begin airing Fall 2012. However, TLC will being airing the series once a week starting Monday, Aug. 1, 2011 airing Mondays at 8PM with and encore at 11PM. It is unclear if OWN will air the series once a week until it is available for regular airings in Fall 2012.
Undercover Boss is a one-hour reality series that follows high-level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the rank and file of their own companies. Each week, a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their corporation. While working alongside their employees, they will learn about themselves, the effects their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organization, the perception of their company, and discover the unsung heroes of their work force.
We will have more on this when we get near Fall 2012, but for now TLC will be airing it Mondays at 8pm & 11pm starting next week. Stay tuned for more!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Antenna TV Premieres The Ropers on Feb. 15, 2011; Remembering Character Actor Peter Hobbs

We were the first ones to tell you that both spin-offs of Three's Company would air on Antenna TV within the Three's Company timeslots. Now we have info on the premiere date for the series' first spin-off, The Ropers! The 1979-80 sitcom starring Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, and Jeffrey Tambor will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm ET with an encore at 12:30am ET starting Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 following Three's Company airings. The pilot episode ("Moving On") and the episode where John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers guest starred ("Stanley, the Ladies Man") air as Three's Company episodes in syndication. Those episodes are in the Three's Company package, so they will kick-off the series on Feb. 15 and 16 at 5:30pm ET (encore at 12:30am ET). Antenna TV will then air the other 26 episodes of The Ropers starting Feb. 17.
As mentioned above, The Ropers will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm with an encore on most nights at 12:30am ET. The final The Ropers episode will tentatively air on Monday, April 4, so after that Three's Company will get the full-hour back on Tuesday, April 5. This is such a good way to incorporate The Ropers within Three's Company! As far as I know, they have never aired this way in syndication before.

Looking ahead, after the final episode of Three's Company, the second spin-off series Three's a Crowd will take over the full-hour. This spin-off series focused on Jack Tripper after Three's Company and starred John Ritter, Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan. The dates are subject to change, but as of now the Three's Company series finale is scheduled for Thursday, June 23 and then on Monday, June 27, Three's a Crowd takes over the full-hour for about 2 1/2 weeks until all 22 episodes air. So on or about Wednesday, July 13, Three's Company would return to the schedule starting with the very first episode. Then all of this would repeat again when the Ropers leave for their own series. Very cool and a Three's Company lover's dream to see all three series aired in the same rotation!
View the Three's Company episodes schedule for February and you'll see how The Ropers are incorporated. And of course visit the Antenna TV website on where you can watch the network! It's such a great network, it's vintage... without the funny smell!

Character actor Peter Hobbs, who straddled stage and screen, died on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Santa Monica following a short illness.
In his 50-year showbiz career Hobbs played Captain McLean in the original Rialto version of Teahouse of the August Moon from 1953-56. He also was featured in Billy Budd, Joan of Lorraine as well The Life of Reilly and The Russian People. Frequently portraying authority figures like doctors, lawyers and judges on TV he played Peter Ames in Secret Storm from 1954 to 1962 and had recurring roles on The F.B.I., The Odd Couple, Barney Miller, Knots Landing and Lou Grant.
He also guested on many series such as Perry Mason, The Joey Bishop Show, The Farmer's Daughter, Mister Ed, Donna Reed Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, Good Morning World, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Marcus Welby, Mannix, Dan August, It Takes a Thief, Doris Day Show, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Mod Squad, The Rockford Files, Barnaby Jones, Starsky & Hutch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mrs. Columbo, Rhoda, Kojak, Fish, Streets of San Francisco, All in the Family, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, The White Shadow, Remington Steele, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dynasty, Hart to Hart, St. Elsewhere, Gloria, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, One Day at a Time, Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy M.E., 9 to 5, Private Benjamin, Riptide, Crazy Like a Fox, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Newhart, Hunter, The Colbys, The Paper Chase, The Bronx Zoo, Day By Day, Who's the Boss?, L.A. Law, Amen, Empty Nest, Princesses and True Colors.
While he probably was never a household name, I'm sure everyone has seen him in something. Especially in TV series from the '60s-80s. He retired from acting in 1992. He will be deeply missed for his character parts. Mr. Hobbs was 92.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

New Digital Station Antenna TV Coming in January 2011; CMT Fall 2010, Hallmark Channel Update

I think we have the news of the year folks! A new digital broadcast station is coming soon from Tribune Broadcasting and will feature classic TV shows and movies! Tribune Broadcasting has announced the launch of Antenna TV, a classic television and general entertainment movie network to air as a digital multicast on Tribune's broadcast stations beginning January 3, 2011. Tribune markets include New York's WPIX, Los Angeles' KTLA and Chicago's local WGN. The Chicago affiliate for Antenna TV will be WGN-DT 9.2. Antenna TV will also be offered for national distribution to non-Tribune stations. Stay with us in the coming months for an official list of stations.
Antenna TV will offer a combination of movies and classic television shows including: Three's Company, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Good Times, Too Close for Comfort, Benny Hill, Maude, The Partridge Family, The Nanny, and Married...with Children. And even more cool stuff like Three's Company's short-lived spin-offs The Ropers and Three's a Crowd will air within Three's Company itself! That sounds very cool and unique! More to come on this in the coming months. Black & white classic television series will air in the overnight and includes classics like Father Knows Best, Dennis the Menace, The Donna Reed Show, and on weekends The Three Stooges. As you may have noticed, the series are mostly from Sony Pictures Television and a few from Don Taffner's DLT Entertainment. More shows will be announced soon, so stay tuned.
A schedule isn't ready for release yet but there will be movies in the daytime and sitcoms starting at 5pm and going through the overnight hours. NO paid programming will be on this digital multicast at all, as it is 24/7 entertainment! There will be a lot of themed events, including holiday marathons. This is going to be a delight for sitcom and classic TV fans! Many of these series have not aired on local syndication in years, so this will be fun to watch in a new way on digital television! This station comes from the same people who run the cable network WGN America and the digital station THIS TV, so you bet Antenna TV will be good. Stay with us for further updates and we will be the first to let you know the launch schedule when ready! And special thanks as always to Sean Compton, president of programming for Tribune Broadcasting, for his help and information!

Moving back to our look at the fall 2010 cable schedules, today we will give you details on CMT. We normally only cover CMT when they air a television series or sitcom. After three years, The Dukes of Hazzard is returning to CMT! The series returns in style with a 3-day marathon starting Friday, Sept. 10! The marathon airs that Friday from 8pm-3am and that Saturday & Sunday both from 2pm-3am. The series will then join the regular schedule on Monday, Sept. 13 and air weeknights at 7pm & 11pm. In other series updates, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will air air 2-4pm and 1-3am weeknights with primetime airings on Tuesday nights. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? airs weeknights at 6:30pm and 12-1am. Trading Spouses usually airs once a week sometime in the daytime. That's about it for CMT, as the rest of the schedule is filled with music, originals and movies.

And finally, we have an update for you to the Hallmark Channel Fall 2010 schedule we relayed the other day. Weeknights at 8pm starting Tuesday, Sept. 7 will now be Little House on the Prairie, rather than Touched by an Angel. This means Touched is off the schedule for now. Little House will now be exclusive to Hallmark as it won't share the series with TV Land anymore, since TV Land's contract expired yesterday. Now Hallmark can air the series anytime and not just 6am-6pm. As a result, Hallmark will air a marathon of Little House on the Prairie on Saturday, Sept. 4 from 6am-4am. The Cheers marathon originally slated for this day is no longer scheduled, but Who's the Boss? and I Love Lucy remain on Sept. 5-6.
View the updated Hallmark Channel Fall 2010 schedule. And stay with us for further updates, as usual.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Universal HD Fall 2010 Schedule Has Charlie's Angels, TJ Hooker; Remembering Bernie West - Legendary Producer

Today we continue our fall schedule barrage with a lesser known network, but they are adding two classic series! The network is Universal HD and we last covered them a few months ago when we announced they have acquired The Unit. We also mentioned that they air short-lived series on Friday nights, and come this October, they will be changing up the line-up again. Universal HD's Fall 2010 schedule begins Friday, October 1 with the additions of classic Sony Pictures series Charlie's Angels and T.J. Hooker. They both will air weekdays and also in stack blocks. Charlie's Angels will air weekdays at 6am and 3am with a stack on Mondays from 9am-7pm. Meanwhile, T.J. Hooker will air weekdays at 7pm and 2am with a stack on Tuesdays from 9am-7pm.
As for the short-lived series, joining the line-up on Fridays starting Oct. 1 will be medical drama 3 lbs at 9pm, followed by sitcoms Out of Practice at 10 and Andy Richter Controls the Universe at 10:30. These will be replacing the current batch of Cuts, Love Inc., Sex Love & Secrets and Love Monkey. Leaving the schedule completely will be Six Feet Under, Nash Bridges and That's Life, while Becker will only air Fridays now from 11:30am-2pm & 4:30pm-7pm with Hogan's Heroes from 9:30am-11:30am & 2pm-4:30pm.
Marathon wise, there will be a Six Feet Under 48-hour marathon during Labor Day weekend (Sept. 5-6), a Charlie Angel's 24-hour marathon on Columbus Day (Oct. 11), and a 24-hour marathon of short-lived drama Haunted starring Matthew Fox on Halloween (Oct. 31)
View the FULL Universal HD Fall 2010 schedule that starts Oct. 1!

Today we also pay tribute to legendary producer Bernie West. He was an Emmy-winning screenwriter and producer who worked on the classic sitcoms All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Three's Company. He was part of the famous trio of producers known as "NRW" (Nicholl-Ross-West). Mr. West died on Thursday, July 29 at his Beverly Hills home of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. West won his Emmy in 1973 for writing, with Mickey Ross, the "Bunkers and the Swingers" episode on All in the Family. He received two other nominations as a producer for his work on All in the Family and Three's Company. In 1971, he and Ross submitted a script for All in the Family to Norman Lear and began what Bernie referred to as his first steady job. They worked on the CBS sitcom from 1971-74, where they were writers, script consultants, story editors and eventually, with Don Nicholl, producers. West and Ross created the character of Maude, played by Bea Arthur, on a 1972 episode of All in the Family that spun into another long-running CBS series. And he and his partners worked on the 1974 pilot script of NBC's Chico and the Man.
Nicholl, Ross and West (NRW) later wrote and produced for The Jeffersons, which ran for 10 years (1975-1985), and then Three's Company for eight seasons (1977-1984). Other series included The Dumplings (1976) and two spin-offs of Three's Company: The Ropers (1979-80) and Three's a Crowd (1984-85). Don Nicholl passed away in 1980, while Mickey Ross passed away last May (2009), so now all three members of NRW are no longer with us.
Before Mr. West was producing, he was acting. Among his early acting credits were appearances on The Garry Moore Show, Dixon of Dock Green, The Arthur Murray Show, The Jack Paar Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Phil Silvers Show, Car 54, Where Are You? and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. He also was on an episode each of All in the Family and What's Happening Now!! years later.

Mr. West will be deeply missed and his mark on classic sitcoms was certainly made with NRW. Pay tribute to Mr. West by watching his three classic sitcoms All in the Family and Three's Company on TV Land and The Jeffersons on TV One. Mr. West was 92.

Monday, October 27, 2008

TV Land and NBC November Changes; Win Free Copy of Donna Reed Show Season 1 DVD!

TV Land has edited their primetime schedule a bit and added a few more stunts in November. First, TV Land has given 3rd Rock from the Sun a week-long TV Land PRIME marathon. It will air Monday, November 3 through Friday, November 7 from 9pm-12am ET/PT. Some slots will be preempted though, such as Wednesday at 10 and Friday at 10 for other TV Land PRIME programming. This change will lead into a new slot for 3rd Rock the following week, as TV Land swaps 3rd Rock and Scrubs. Scrubs will now move from 9-10pm to 10-11pm weeknights, as 3rd Rock goes from 10-11pm weeknights to 9-10pm weeknights starting November 10. Looks like 3rd Rock has surprised and done decent in the ratings. And finally, TV Land has added a weekend M*A*S*H Fan Favorites marathon the weekend of November 15 and 16 from 8pm-6am ET/PT both nights. You can catch memorable episodes, the series finale and the 30th anniversary reunion special!
Head on to our updated TV Land November 2008 schedule and highlights so you're all updated!

NBC has made changes to its schedule, that will alter Wednesdays and Fridays in the next week or two and later on Mondays get a little makeover. Effective Friday, October 31, Lipstick Jungle moves from Wednesdays at 10 to Fridays at 10 replacing Life. Life will be over to Wednesdays at 9pm starting November 5 replacing Deal or No Deal-Wed. Also that night NBC will launch the new season of Law & Order at 10pm. Lipstick Jungle was only at over 4 million for its latest episode, while NBC probably thinks Life is worth saving and trying back on Wednesdays. Also NBC has moved the series premiere of reality series Momma's Boys yet again...this is take three! The series will now launch on Tuesday, December 16 at 10pm following The Biggest Loser finale. Then it will air for five more weeks on Mondays at 9pm starting December 22. Heroes will be on a 5 week break at least as its fall finale is Dec. 15. NBC must not have much faith in Momma's Boys as it will be airing in the low rated holiday season, especially the first two Monday airings.

We have 5 copies of the classic sitcom The Donna Reed Show - The Complete First Season for giveaway thanks to the fine folks at Arts Alliance America. It arrives on DVD tomorrow (October 28, 2008). The contest begins today, Monday, October 27 and ends at the end of the day on Monday, November 10. So you have two weeks to enter! One entry per e-mail address and household. Multiple entries from the same IP address will be deleted...so no tricks, please. We'll know.
For the first time ever, the preeminent family television series from the 1960's will be brought back into America's homes. Amazingly, this series has never been on home video in any format. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the show. Arts Alliance is pulling out the stops for this historic occasion. Arts Alliance has digitally re-mastered all 37 episodes of the first season. This 4-disc set will be available for the suggested retail price of $39.95. Working closely with Donna Reed's family, Arts Alliance America has acquired the priceless series that fans have been clamoring for.
Look for our full DVD review very soon, but please enter our Donna Reed Show DVD contest, but before you do...please make sure you read the FULL contest rules and eligibility details.

Don't forget this week it is "Lost '80s Week" on WGN America featuring Three's a Crowd, The Ropers, Too Close for Comfort and Check it Out! All week long from 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT). Tonight's presentation will be four episodes of the John Ritter series, Three's a Crowd! Tune in and let's try to get these on the air as regulars, at least on weekends. As a special treat, we will interview Too Close for Comfort star Lydia Cornell this week just in time for Too Close for Comfort on WGN America! Come on back for that and tune in to WGN America this week!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

SitcomsOnline.com Exclusive: Interview with WGN America; Lost 80s Week and Halloween Marathon for WGN America

We have a very exciting interview for you today. We have an interview with WGN America about their addings of classic TV and why they did it, their new name change, and more! As always with our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form!

We had the pleasure to interview Sean Compton, SVP Programming and Entertainment for Tribune. Sean previously worked for Clear Channel radio for 16 years and was their VP Programming for 10 years before leaving in April 2008 to run Tribune programming, which includes the massive change for WGN America. Compton oversees programming for Tribune's 23 television stations and for WGN America. Sean is 34 years old and has worked in radio since he was in high school, and he also says his childhood hero was actually legendary NBC programmer Brandon Tartikoff, and he is bringing some of his shows to WGN America. Sean is originally from Connersville, Indiana, which is between Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and he grew up watching those TV markets.
WGN America is TV You Can't Ignore, a broad entertainment network and destination for audiences across America. Part of Tribune Broadcasting Company, WGN America (also available in HD) is nationally distributed via cable, satellite and telco with entertainment programming consisting of cable exclusives, first-run programs, blockbuster movies and live sports.

Sean Compton SVP of Programming for WGN

We thank Sean and WGN America for taking the time to answer some of the most interesting questions we have for them. So it is time for another installment of SitcomsOnline's Seven Questions Series! We seriously still need a jingle. Any takers out there?

"Seven Questions with WGN America"

SitcomsOnline: Thank you Sean and WGN America for your time. We really appreciate it! My oh my I have to say WGN has become the cable network of the year with its great pick-ups of classic sitcoms and we are so honored to speak to you! Fans have been really happy to see this! What made WGN add the Outta Sight Retro Night on Sundays and all the great classic themed weeks?
WGN America: I am a huge fan of television. It amazes me that these shows haven't been given a platform in many years. While everyone is trying to be hip and fresh, I thought it would be fun to dedicate a night to classic television. Our ratings on Sunday nights have more than doubled in some time periods!

SitcomsOnline: Now that networks like TV Land that seem to be focusing less on picking up classics, will WGN America pick up more classic series? Any hints on what the future might hold classic TV wise for WGN America? How about shows like Perfect Strangers and One Day at a Time?
WGN America: We will not have retro 100% of the time. However, we'll stay committed to Sundays as long as the ratings hold up and we'll continue to have special events like '80s week, '70s week, holiday marathons, etc. Our Sunday retro block started with three hours, now we've dedicated eight hours to retro!

SitcomsOnline: There are some classics that have only aired in the theme weeks (Family Ties, Mork & Mindy, etc). Why is that? Is it because of contract rights or is WGN looking into airing them in the future? Also, how are these classic shows doing ratings wise?
WGN America: We experimented with ALF during an '80s week and the network had its best 18-49 and 25-54 night in years. It proved that parents that loved ALF when they were teens, introduced their kids to the show. Brandon Tartikoff and Fred Silverman were masters at bringing families together and these shows are doing it all over again for us. Because of our ALF success, we have added it to the Sunday retro block and included it in our Monday night primetime line-up!

SitcomsOnline: We like that WGN surrounded the Outta Sight Retro Night on Sunday with more classics like Coach, ALF, Bewitched, and I Dream of Jeannie. So the classic night label expanded on Sundays to reflect these shows joining the original trio of WKRP, Newhart and The Honeymooners? What about expanding the brand on to other nights or better yet, on weekdays?
WGN America: Even though Coach and ALF air in the afternoons on the west coast on Sundays we still brand it as part of the classic retro night. See our latest promo for all your enjoyment. If the ratings continue to climb, we'll probably add more hours and nights.

SitcomsOnline: We have to talk a little about the change to WGN America. Can you tell fans and readers out there why exactly the network changed from Superstation WGN to WGN America?
WGN America: What was 'super' about the old channel? WGN is 30 years old this October and for years it was branded as "Chicago's Own." We've now branded it as "America's WGN Going Forward." We have 72 million homes and one of the oldest channels on cable. We have great heritage but the channel needed a facelift. We have a long way to go still.

SitcomsOnline: The new look website (http://www.wgnamerica.com/) looks great, too! Can we expect show pages for more shows? And what else can we expect on the website? Are message boards next?
WGN America: The website will be fully ready in a few weeks. The website you see now is temporary. You can expect a much better site by November 3.

SitcomsOnline: Finally, we see WGN America will add The Bob and Tom Show to its late night brand and the syndicated Disney-ABC series Legend of the Seeker later this fall. Can you tell us a bit about both and how will it affect other late night shows like Corner Gas? Will WGN America continue to air the popular Corner Gas for years to come?
WGN America: We aren't speaking for shows' future other than to say that every show that is on the air now will be evaluated and at the end of the day, it comes down to our viewers. Bob and Tom are America's most successful morning show in radio. They air in 160 markets and are highly rated in most of them. They are a great fit with WGN America for late nights. The Legend of the Seeker looks fantastic. It will air on Wednesday nights and again on Saturday afternoons. I've seen the first ten minutes of the first episode and it is very good stuff! We've put a lot of focus on weekends. We added Boston Legal and it airs Saturday evening. We've also added Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie on middays on Saturdays to give those great shows more exposure to folks not able to see them late Sunday nights (and weekday mornings).
Thanks and we hope to add more retro! It's fun to program!

Our thanks to to WGN America and Sean Compton, and we wish WGN America continued success and hope you guys can deliver us more wonderful and classic shows. Our apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time. For more information on WGN America, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view their website (full version launches Nov. 3) http://www.wgnamerica.com. So, stay tuned right here on the blog for continued news and programming updates for this network.

And those news updates for WGN America starts RIGHT NOW! How convenient! We are turning this day into an all-WGN America day! It just so happens we have news for another theme week for WGN America along with a Halloween marathon, that we mentioned before. We can now reveal that Halloween marathon but first we have to mention the cool theme week!
The next theme week will be called "Lost '80s Week" and will air Monday, October 27 through Thursday, October 30 from 8-10PM ET (5-7PM PT) and will feature four "lost" sitcoms from the '80s that haven't been seen on the air in many years. All four are from Don Taffner's DLT Entertainment. The shows are: Three's Company's two short-lived spin-offs Three's a Crowd & The Ropers, the Ted Knight sitcom Too Close for Comfort, and the Don Adams comedy Check It Out!
The week kicks off with the John Ritter sitcom Three's a Crowd on Monday, October 27 as Jack Tripper now lives with his girlfriend Vicky with constant problems from her father, Mr. Bradford. On Tuesday, October 28, The Ropers take stage as Mr. and Mrs. Roper move in to their new house much to the dislike of neighbor Jeffrey P. Brookes (Jeffrey Tambor). Both Three's a Crowd and The Ropers both briefly aired on TV Land on a few weekend marathons for Three's Company, but they relegated these two shows in the overnight slots of 3-6am in those marathons. And speaking of Three's Company, Sean Compton loves the show (just like I do!) but it is too bad he can't acquire it because TV Land has the rights. He would air the show everyday! Anyway, the third night, Wednesday, October 29, will be one of the most under-appreciated sitcoms ever will air in Too Close for Comfort starring Ted Knight. This sitcom hasn't aired in years despite lasting quite a long time (6 years, 1980-86) and is about Henry Rush and his wife, with his two daughters now living in the apartment downstairs. Finally on Thursday, October 30, we check out with Check It Out, starring the legendary Don Adams leading a staff of a supermarket team.
Check out episode info for this "Lost '80s Week" on WGN America! This is a really good job by WGN America! They don't plan on adding these shows to the actual line-up, but I hope Too Close for Comfort does well so they can add it...as this show is deeply missed. Sean Compton is doing such a wonderful job here!
And we're still not done! That same week is of course Halloween. So on Friday, October 31, from 4PM-12AM ET (1PM-9PM PT) you can catch a marathon of America's scariest (but funny) family...The Munsters! Join Herman, Grandpa, Eddie and the rest of the family this Halloween for scary fun!
Check our episode info for The Munsters Halloween marathon on WGN America! Halloween is not the only holiday getting the marathon treatment on WGN America...coming soon we will reveal what will air on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day and New Year's Eve/Day!

Friday, June 29, 2007

Canada Stations Adds Rare Classics This Fall; Biggest Flintstones Marathon Ever on Boomerang

If you are one of our readers in Canada, then you'll love today's blog! We get quite a few hits from Canadians each day, so those of you are in for a treat today as we will detail fall schedules for some of Canada's biggest classic TV cable channels including TV Land Canada and DejaView!
On TV Land Canada, everything old is new again! New to the TV Land Canada schedule this September is Fantasy Island; Hart to Hart; Love, American Style; and It's Garry Shandling's Show. Also returning to TV Land Canada this fall are: Dallas, Happy Days, Lassie, 21 Jump Street, Petticoat Junction, Joanie Loves Chachi and Wiseguy.
None of those new shows are airing anywhere on cable in the U.S. currently.
We have the full schedule posted. To take a look, please click HERE.
Now let's move on to my personal favorite, DejaView! Starting September 10, they will be adding lots and lots of new shows! Coming to weekdays are: My Secret Identity, Roseanne, Cosby Show, Good Times, Maude, Miami Vice, and Magnum P.I.! On the weekends they will add: The Ropers, Three's a Crowd, Who's the Boss?, The Facts of Life and Square Pegs! Boy I would kill to have this channel. So many rare shows. Shows that will return include classic '70s sitcoms Three's Company and All in the Family. To view the full schedule, I urge you to click HERE!
Sister station TVtropolis, which was known as Prime some years back, will also add some new series. They have moved away from classic TV a bit, putting them on sister net DejaView, but they will still have some classics! First they will add Family Guy and Fresh Prince to the line-up. Returning are Mad About You, Grace Under Fire, The Nanny, Frasier, Seinfeld, Beverly Hills 90210, and Married...with Children. So not much new and not really anything that old.
SUN TV in Canada will also add some new shows. They will add My Secret Identity (wow, this sitcom will be on two channels there!) Wonder Woman, Incredible Hulk, America's Funniest Home Videos, among others. Leave it to Beaver will remain on the fall line-up! View the fall schedule HERE.
We haven't yet obtained CTS TV's Fall 2007 schedule. Currently they air shows like Facts of Life, Happy Days, Full House, Step by Step, and Fresh Prince. No idea what will leave and what will come yet. We'll try to let you know, when we do.

Back to the U.S., the station called Boomerang, will air a huge Flintstones marathon this 4th of July! It is so big that every single episode will air, and it will be commercial free!
Programming an Independence Day tribute it has never before attempted, Boomerang, Cartoon Network's 24-hour commercial-free sister network, brings true fireworks to the Fourth of July holiday weekend with a first-time presentation of every episode of television's first prime time animated series, The Flintstones, including its original pilot, entitled "The Flagstones." The three-and-a-half-day marathon-THE FLAGTONES TO THE FLINTSTONES, featuring all 166 episodes without commercial interruption-will kick off at 6 a.m. (ET) on Wednesday, July 4, and culminate on Saturday, July 7 at 5 p.m. In addition, Boomerang VOD offerings in July also will reflect the FLAGSTONE TO FLINSTONES theme to present several all-time favorite episodes via a "Flintstones Fourth of July" tab for the VOD menu.

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