SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

• Sony has by and large abandoned TV-on-DVD releases for classic series (and considering that they aren't exactly a huge player in new series, we don't get much there either), but TVShowsOnDVD.com revealed this week that they are hearing of a very surprising release of the third season of the Fox series that never seemed to die, 'Til Death. The MOD release is said to be released sometime in November.

• It was somewhat expected, but on Thursday, Last Man Standing - The Complete Fourth Season arrived on DVD as a MOD title.

NBC has announced premiere dates for its fall schedule, which includes the return of Sunday Night Football, The Voice, new live series Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, new dramas Blindspot, Heroes Reborn and Chicago Med, and new comedy People Are Talking. First up, Sunday Night Football begins on a special night on Thursday, Sept. 10 when the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT). Three days later on Sept. 13, Sunday Night Football travels to Dallas as the Cowboys play their NFC East rivals the New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET/5:20 p.m. PT). The game will be preceded by the season premiere of "Football Night in America" (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT). The premiere of the new live alternative series Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris will air Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10 p.m. following the Tuesday season finale of America's Got Talent. The musical competition series The Voice, with coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani, begins its ninth season Monday, Sept. 21 (8-10 p.m.).

The Voice will be followed by the heart-racing new Greg Berlanti-produced drama Blindspot (10-11 p.m.), which stars Jaimie Alexander as a beautiful Jane Doe who is discovered naked in Times Square, completely covered in mysterious, intricate tattoos with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Wednesday, Sept. 23 marks the return of dramas The Mysteries of Laura (8-9 p.m.) and a special two-hour Law & Order: SVU (9-11 p.m.), which begins its 17th season on NBC. Two drama series premiere and the returning series The Blacklist return on Thursday, Sept. 24. The reboot Heroes Reborn (8-9 p.m.), from creator Tim Kring, continues the superheroes saga that began with the 2006 breakout series. The third season of The Blacklist, returns to its 9 p.m. timeslot. The Player (10-11 p.m.), starring Wesley Snipes, is a Las Vegas-set action-packed thriller about a former military operative turned security expert who is drawn into a high-stakes game where an organization of wealthy individuals gamble on his ability to stop some of the biggest crimes imaginable from playing out.

From iconic Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, the third season of Chicago P.D. debuts Wednesday, Sept. 30 (10-11 p.m.). Live episodes of Undateable will begin Friday, Oct. 9 with a special hourlong telecast (8-9 p.m.). NBC's new comedy People Are Talking, about two diverse couples who analyze and obsess about everything, will launch a week later, Friday, Oct. 16 (8:30-9 p.m.). The fifth season of Friday night staple Grimm begins Oct. 30 (9-10 p.m.). The fourth season of Chicago Fire debuts Tuesday, Oct. 13 and will air 10-11 p.m. Finally, Chicago Med, the newest Windy City drama from Wolf, will make its series premiere Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. before shifting to 9 p.m. the following week.

Life's most pressing questions will be answered when Why? With Hannibal Buress premieres Wednesday, July 8 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, after an all-new Key & Peele. The weekly, half-hour topical series will celebrate Buress' hilariously brilliant off-beat voice and point-of-view. If it's in the zeitgeist, Buress will address it, providing his unique perspective each week, answering the burning questions on his mind through stand-up, filmed segments, man-on-the-street interviews and special, in-studio guests. Through the eight-episode season, Why? With Hannibal Buress will be shot in front of a studio audience and each episode will tape the same week it airs. The expanded world of Why? With Hannibal Buress goes beyond the television. For more discussion of "life's biggish questions" fans can enjoy original video, shareable clips and go behind the scenes on various social platforms including Instagram, Snapchat Discover, Twitter and Facebook, for 24/7 access to the show. Fans can also follow @hannibalburess on Twitter for more interaction.

Episodes of Why? With Hannibal Buress will be available the day after air on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, Sony Entertainment Network, Vudu, Verizon Flexview and Google Play, as well as in the Comedy Central App to fans that authenticate via their cable or satellite provider. The Comedy Central App is available for free for iOS on the App Store, for Android on the Google Play store, and on Chromecast and Xbox One.

• VEI announced a huge slate of DVDs this week, including (but not limited to) Angie, Cannon, Grace Under Fire, Hotel, The Parkers, and Petrocelli. They are saying that these will be coming later this year, although we anticipate there could be some delays in releasing this huge slate.
• Shout! Factory is moving ahead with their releases of the All in the Family spinoffs, with Maude - The Complete Second Season and The Jeffersons - The Complete Eighth Season on August 11.

Turns out lots of people are up for a date with Undateable, including many stars from the hit sitcom Scrubs. Tonight (Tuesday, May 5) at 9pm ET/PT on NBC, a cadre of comedic stars, as well as one superstar musician, will unite on the Warner Bros. Studios lot to film a special live one-hour episode - twice! - of the hit comedy series from Bill Lawrence and Adam Sztykiel. Guest stars joining the hilarious Undateable cast include Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State), Donald Faison (Scrubs, Clueless), Neil Flynn (Scrubs, The Middle), Christa Miller (Scrubs, Cougar Town, The Drew Carey Show), Kate Walsh (Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, The Drew Carey Show), Victoria Justice (Victorious, Zoey 101, Fun Size), Dr. Drew Pinskey, a super popular Grammy Award-nominated musician and others we can't name - even though they really want to. Tune in for the live episode tonight (Tuesday, May 5) on NBC, which will be performed twice so both the East and West Coast audiences will see a different live version, each beginning at 9 p.m.

Fox has renewed The Simpsons for unprecedented 27th and 28th seasons, which will take the series to 625 episodes. "I've outlasted Letterman, Jon Stewart and 'McDreamy,' because I have something they don't: a costly 200-donut-a-day addiction," said Homer Simpson. The longest-running scripted show in television history, The Simpsons exploded into a cultural phenomenon in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world. Currently airing its record-annihilating 26th season, The Simpsons has won 31 Emmy Awards, 31 Annie Awards, a 2015 People's Choice Award, was the first animated series to win a Peabody Award and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012 for the theatrical short "The Longest Daycare." The Simpsons Movie was a hit feature film, the mega-attraction The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios has received historic expansion updates with the addition of "Springfield" and the show was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000. It has been named the "Best Show of the 20th Century" by Time magazine, and called the "Greatest American Sitcom" by Entertainment Weekly in 2013.

NBC has announced premiere dates for its burgeoning midseason schedule - dramas Allegiance, Night Shift, A.D. and Odyssey, event series The Slap, and comedies One Big Happy and Undateable. As previously announced, The Blacklist will return to the NBC schedule on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, immediately following the game. The series then shifts to its new timeslot beginning Thursday, Feb. 5 at 9pm. The Blacklist will serve as a lead-in to the new spy thriller Allegiance from writer-director George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau). Allegiance will air Thursdays at 10pm also beginning Feb. 5. The eight-episode event series The Slap, written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Jon Robin Baitz and executive produced by the team of Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald (Gladiator, Men in Black) and director Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), will air Thursdays at 8pm beginning Feb. 12. The series stars Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton and Zachary Quinto.

Summer drama The Night Shift, returns to NBC on Monday, Feb. 23 at 10pm following the two-hour season premiere of The Voice. It looks like State of Affairs will wrap its season on Feb. 16. The Night Shift - about the courageous and irreverent men and women at San Antonio Memorial Hospital - stars Eoin Macken, Ken Leung, Jill Flint, Robert Bailey Jr., Jeananne Goossen, JR Lemon, Brendan Fehr and Freddy Rodriguez. Also moving from summer to midseason is the comedy Undateable, from executive producers Bill Lawrence, Adam Sztykiel and Jeff Ingold. The sitcom is about a group of friends who are close to finding a relationship but just need a little help - will begin its second season on Tuesday, March 17 at 9pm following The Voice. The series stars Chris D'Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches, Rick Glassman, David Fynn, Bianca Kajlich and Bridgit Mendler. NBC's new comedy One Big Happy - from writer Liz Feldman and executive producer Ellen DeGeneres - launches Tuesday, March 17 at 9:30pm, immediately following Undateable. The sitcom stars Elisha Cuthbert. Marry Me and About a Boy will return later in the season. And finally, on Easter Sunday, April 5, at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively, NBC will debut two of its highly anticipated dramas - 12-hour mini-series A.D. and action drama Odyssey.

FX Networks has ordered the comedy series pilot Atlanta created by and starring award-winning actor and writer Donald Glover (Community, 30 Rock). Glover serves as Executive Producer, along with Paul Simms (Girls, Flight of the Conchords, NewsRadio), and Dianne McGunigle of Schiff Company. The pilot will be produced by FX Productions. Atlanta revolves around two cousins on their way up through the Atlanta rap scene whose opposing views on art versus commerce, success and race will make their quest anything but easy. Glover will play "Earnest 'Earn' Marks," a college drop-out who reconnects with his long buried ambition and sets out to seize the life he imagined for himself when his estranged cousin becomes a sudden star.

Atlanta is the fourth comedy series pilot produced or ordered by FX Networks this year, adds to the growing roster of comedies series and projects that is unmatched by any network. FX is currently in production on the comedy series pilot Pariah, starring Bill Burr for Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton. In January FXX will launch Man Seeking Woman, starring Jay Baruchel from Simon Rich, Jonathan Krisel and Broadway Video, and in April FX will premiere The Comedians, starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad, and next summer FX also launches Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, starring Denis Leary, Elizabeth Gillies and John Corbett. Earlier this year, FX ordered Baskets (2016), starring Zach Galifianakis from Galifianakis and Louis C.K. and directed by Jonathan Krisel, and the untitled Tracy Morgan project (TBD). Those new projects join the existing FX Networks comedy slate which includes Archer (FX), Louie (FX), Married (FX), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX), The League (FXX), and You're the Worst (FXX).

It's a day of happy news for two sitcoms. TV Land has renewed its sitcom The Soul Man, starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash, for a fourth season. The series, which also co-stars Wesley Jonathan, has been picked up for 12 episodes. Last season, The Soul Man premiered with a live episode and saw great guest stars like Brandy, Martin Lawrence, B.o.B., David Alan Grier, Deion Sanders, Yvette Nicole Brown, Cedric Yarbrough and TV Land's own Betty White. Season four will premiere in 2015. The Soul Man follows R&B superstar-turned-minister Reverend Boyce "The Voice" Ballentine (Cedric) after he relocated from Las Vegas to St. Louis with his wife Lolli (Nash). While learning to adjust to their new humble life, they have plenty of obstacles in their way, including Boyce's brother Stamps (Jonathan), who only just moved out at the end of last season. Over the last three seasons, The Soul Man averaged a remarkable 3.19 rating among African-American Women 25-54 and a 2.65 rating with African-American Adults 25-54, posting triple digit gains over channel prime average (Nielsen, L+7, 6/20/12-5/14/14, 30 Telecasts). The series has also averaged 1.2 million viewers series to date, up +59% compared to channel prime average. It wasn't good news though for TV Land's freshman sitcom Kirstie, starring Kirstie Alley, as the network did not order a second season. The jury is still out on current freshman comedy Jennifer Falls starring Jaime Pressly.

Critically acclaimed Thursday night comedy Welcome to Sweden from Entertainment One Television has been renewed for a 10-episode second season. No premiere date has been determined, but it will likely be next summer on NBC. The series was created by Greg Poehler, with events based on his real life. The series stars Greg Poehler, Josephine Bornebusch, Lena Olin, Claes Mansson, Christopher Wagelin, and Per Svensson. This Swedish series airs on NBC in the U.S. and was picked up actually for a second season back in April on Sweden's TV4. So now America is on board, too! In the series, Bruce Evans (Greg Poehler) and Emma Wiik (Josephine Bornebusch) seem to be the perfect couple, so when she makes the life-changing decision to move back to her native Stockholm to accept a prestigious banking position after a year together, she is surprised and thrilled that he agrees to move with her. Moving halfway around the world with a new love is a huge step and Bruce, with no job, friends or real clue about what he is getting himself into, is quick to face the many unique challenges and culture clashes that living in a foreign land presents - most notably, how to win over Emma's strange and very Swedish family.

• Shout! Factory dropped a huge surprise last week, when they announced that they would be releasing The Facts of Life - The Complete Series on DVD sometime next year.
• It seems like we can't go more than one week without an update on new special features for The Wonder Years - The Complete Series, and this week, TVShowsOnDVD.com announced a few more.
• Mill Creek has a pair of complete series releases in store for November 11, including Highway to Heaven - The Complete Series and Starsky & Hutch - The Complete Series.
• For those who aren't necessarily interested in making the big investment into one of the Batman complete series releases, Warner Home Video will also be releasing Batman - The Complete First Season on November 11.
• We mentioned in the past that MPI has plans to right some of the wrongs done with The Donna Reed Show on DVD, and part of the plan appears to be to re-release the first three seasons on DVD, beginning with The Donna Reed Show - Season One on September 30.

• Dennis the Menace - Lights! Camera! Menace! (DVD, $12.98): The animated version of the comic book page character comes to DVD once again with 32 "new" episodes, almost all of which available on DVD for the very first time.
  
• Mad About You - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $14.98): A Mill Creek re-release of a set previously released by Sony (also available in configurations of just the first season or second season).
• The Nanny - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $14.98): Another Mill Creek re-release of a set previously released by Sony (also available in configurations of just the first season or second season).
• Perry Mason Movie Collection - Volume 3 (DVD, $59.99): This six movie collection brings more the 80s and 90s movies based upon the classic series to DVD, leaving only twelve more of the movies unreleased (eight of which starred Raymond Burr).

CBS has pulled canceled comedies Friends with Better Lives and Bad Teacher from its schedule. Both shows were not picked up for second seasons, but they still have episodes left to be aired. CBS aired an episode each of both shows during the first week of the summer but they now decided they will not air the remaining episodes...at least not on their current slots of Mondays at 8:30pm and Thursdays at 9:30pm. They could pop-up on CBS Comedytime block on Saturdays, but as of now there is no sign of that. Repeats of Mom will now move to Mondays at 8:30pm (Two and a Half Men will now also air Mondays at 9:30pm), while The Millers will air Thursdays at 9:30pm following Two and a Half Men on Thursdays. Mom will also now air Thursdays at 8:30pm in the summer.

Single-camera comedy Bad Teacher was based on the hit feature film and starred Ari Graynor as an always inappropriate, fearless and unapologetic former trophy wife who masquerades as a teacher in order to find a new man after her wealthy husband leaves her penniless. Friends with Better Lives was a romantic comedy about six friends at different stages in their lives - married, divorced, newly engaged and single - who were outwardly happy, but secretly questioning if their friends have it better. The series starred Majandra Delfino, Kevin Connolly, James Van Der Beek, Brooklyn Decker, Rick Donald and Zoe Lister Jones.

• Fox announced several DVD releases this week that would be exclusives to Amazon.com. The most notable of these releases is the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing and NBC's one-season series The New Normal, both of which have not seen any DVD releases. On May 13, fans will see both seasons 1 and 2. The same day will also see releases for American Dad - Volume 9 and Bob's Burgers - The Complete 3rd Season. It is expected that all of these will be MOD releases.
• Warner has slowly been warming up to the idea of licensing series out, but did they license Welcome Back, Kotter to Shout! Factory for them to release? There was a complete series listing that briefly appeared on Amazon.com last weekend that suggests that. 
• Shout! Factory will, for certain, be releasing Newhart - The Complete Fourth Season on August 19. The release will put the series just past halfway to completion.
• Shout! will also be releasing the TV Land series The Soul Man on DVD for the very first time on July 8, with their release of The Soul Man - The Complete First Season.

• Here's Lucy - The Complete Series: MPI collects every episode of this series in this collection, along with one of the nicest collections of special features ever featured in a DVD release.

• Anger Management - Volume 3 (DVD, $34.98; Blu-ray, $34.97): Charlie Sheen is "winning" again with another release of his FX series on DVD.
• The Beverly Hillbillies - The Official Fourth Season (DVD, $29.98): The Clampetts return to DVD on this set (which was available as a Walmart exclusive for months), the very first DVD release featuring color episodes of the series.
• Petticoat Junction - The Official Third Season (DVD, $29.98): Another release of a DVD that was previously a Walmart exclusive, and also the very first DVD release featuring color episodes of the series.

TV Land is launching a summer of star-studded programming beginning Wednesday, June 4 at 10:30pm ET/PT, with the all-new single-camera comedy Jennifer Falls, starring Jaime Pressly, Jessica Walter, Ethan Suplee and Missi Pyle; Hot in Cleveland starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White, with an animated episode airing August 6; and The Exes featuring Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche, Kelly Stables and Kristen Johnston, returning August 13. Kicking off the summer season will be Jennifer Falls, the network's brand new original comedy, premiering Wednesday, June 4 at 10:30pm ET/PT. The first-ever single camera comedy for TV Land revolves around Jennifer Doyle (Pressly), a former high-powered executive who has fallen and hit every bump on the way down to rock bottom. With her teenage daughter (Dylan Gelula) in tow, Jennifer moves back in with her mother (Walter) and takes a job in the bar owned by her meek brother (Suplee) and passive-aggressive sister-in-law (Nora Kirkpatrick) as a last resort. There, she reunites with her former best friend (Pyle) who turns out to be holding quite a grudge. But every cloud has a silver lining: there's nowhere to go but up.

Then, on Wednesday, August 6 at 10pm ET/PT, TV Land is in rare form with an animated episode of Hot in Cleveland. In the aptly titled "The Animated Episode," the "hot" women - Melanie (Bertinelli), Joy (Leeves), Victoria (Malick) and Elka (White) - embark on an around-the-world adventure as cartoon characters, darting through pop culture hits, including scenes with homages to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Walking Dead and Frankenstein. Hot in Cleveland's new season premiered last night (March 26), with a LIVE episode and will continue to air throughout the summer. Finally, fan favorite The Exes returns on Wednesday, August 13 at 10:30pm ET/PT. Last season, Phil (Faison) and Eden (Stables) dated and broke up, Stuart's (Basche) sister Nicki (recurring guest star Leah Remini) came to town and decided to stay - much to the delight of a smitten Haskell (Knight) - and Holly (Johnston), unfortunately, saw a turbulent love life. Though chaos reigns supreme in their lives, the group is able to rely on their own little modern family.

With a summer schedule led by America's Got Talent, NBC spreads its wings to bring a content-rich summer schedule to build off strong anchor shows that also include the emerging hit American Ninja Warrior and returning favorite Last Comic Standing. Six original scripted summer series - the most of any broadcast network in more than 20 years - as well as a new original alternative series will join the line-up as the network continues to have strong original programing year-round rather than just during the September-May season. Scripted series receiving their launch dates are the drama The Night Shift, the sitcom Undateable, the dramas Crossbones, & Taxi Brooklyn, and single-camera comedies Working the Engels and Welcome to Sweden, as well as new alternative series Food Fighters. Premieres for the new seasons of Last Comic Standing (Thursday, May 22, 9-11pm), America's Got Talent (Tuesday, May 27, 8-10pm) and American Ninja Warrior (Monday, May 26, 9-11pm) were previously announced.

Premiere dates for each new addition follows:
Tuesday, May 27 (10-11pm) The Night Shift
Thursday, May 29 (9-10pm; back-to-back half-hour episodes each week) Undateable
Friday, May 30 (10-11pm) Crossbones
Wednesday, June 25 (10-11pm) Taxi Brooklyn
Thursday, July 10 (9-9:30pm) Welcome to Sweden
Thursday, July 10 (9:30-10pm) Working the Engels
Tuesday, July 22 (8-9pm) Food Fighters

And finally, moving on to some Fox spring/summer changes, they're announcing additional spring and summer premiere dates for 2014. Fox spices up summer with new seasons of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef and Hotel Hell; the debuts of event series 24: Live Another Day and new drama Gang Related; the premieres of dating show I Wanna Marry "Harry" and new unscripted series Riot; and the Season 11 premiere of So You Think You Can Dance. Let's get to the changes, the Kitchen Nightmares season six premiere is on Friday, April 11 at 9 on Fox. Slide into Tuesdays with the premiere of Riot (formerly titled Slide Show) on May 13 at 9:00PM ET/PT, following the season finale of Glee at 8. Then Masterchef returns for an exciting fifth season on Monday, May 19 at 8. Gritty new action-drama Gang Related will have its series premiere now on Thursday, May 22 at 9, following an all-new installment of Hell's Kitchen at 8. Encores of Gang Related will air Fridays, beginning May 23 at 9. Reality meets romance, with a little twist, in the surprising dating show I Wanna Marry "Harry," premiering Tuesday, May 27 at 8.

So You Think You Can Dance soars into its 11th season with a two-hour premiere event showcasing America's most talented dancers during the audition rounds, beginning Wednesday, May 28 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. And Hotel Hell opens its doors for a second season on Monday, July 21 at 9.

Breaking the mold of a typical pre-launch promotion, the cast and creators of NBC's upcoming multi-camera comedy series Undateable are hitting the road on a multi-city, cross-country comedy tour. Led by the show's co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City, Cougar Town), series stars Chris D'Elia, Brent Morin, Ron Funches and Rick Glassman - all stand-up comedians - will bring the Undateable comedy tour to venues across the country. Each performance will showcase a stand-up set from each of the actors with Bill Lawrence serving as host. This tour will give audiences a sneak peak of the comedic humor that viewers can expect when Undateable premieres later this year on NBC. A premiere date is still to come, so stay tuned on that.

A list of confirmed first-leg tour dates are released. For information on venues, additional dates or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.nbc.com/undateable/comedy-tour. The first stop will be on Sunday, March 2, 2014 in New York City at Carolines On Broadway. As for the series itself, it is a new comedy series about a group of friends who are thisclose to finding a relationship - they just need a little help.

ION Television announced an agreement to produce new original episodes of the procedural drama The Listener. ION joins Shaftesbury, CTV and Fox International as co-producers on the drama, which started production on 13 new original episodes earlier this year. The agreement makes ION the exclusive original U.S. television network for current and future seasons of the series. The Listener joins ION's portfolio of acclaimed dramas, including Criminal Minds, Without a Trace Cold Case, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Burn Notice, Psych and Leverage. This announcement comes on the heels of ION's recent acquisition of the high profile drama Blue Bloods from CBS, which will be joining the ION schedule this fall. The Listener is the latest scripted ION Television original and joins the network following the success of the original series, Flashpoint, along with ION's made-for-TV original movies.

Starring Craig Olejnik, The Listener centers on mind-reading police consultant Toby Logan, who uses his telepathic ability to help a special law enforcement unit solve the most complicated cases. Having kept his unique power hidden for years, Toby learns to harness his skill to help others and save lives. The series also stars Ennis Esmer as Oz Bey; Lauren Lee Smith as Sergeant Michelle McCluskey; Rainbow Sun Francks as Corporal Dev Clark; Peter Stebbings as Alvin Klein; Tara Spencer-Nairn as Sandy; and Mylène Dinh-Robic as Olivia Fawcett.