Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Boomerang Schedules Flintstones Musical Marathon on Sunday; Network Notes
Once again showing the depth and breadth of its incredible classic cartoon library, Boomerang presents a rollicking good time with a commercial-free marathon of 15 jamming episodes guaranteed to get your toes tapping. The seven-and-a-half hour rock block will be followed by an encore presentation so that music aficionados coast-to-coast can join in the fun. Highlights in the "Bedrock 'N' Roll" Marathon include: Fred discovers that Barney is a compulsive poet, so he seeks songwriting assistance from famed composer Hoagy Carmichael! While working on the new Bedrock Bowl, Fred and Barney prepare an act for the dedication ceremony starring Ann-Margrock. Fred's quiet seaside weekend is interrupted by a national surfing contest. Fred gets caught up in the activities and must be saved by surf idol Jimmy Darrock. Fred and Barney check out the new TV show, "Shinrock," hosted by Jimmy O'Neilstone. When Fred drops a bowling ball on his foot, Jimmy takes it as a new dance and names it "The Frantic."
First it was picked up for four additional scripts, which was a good sign, now...NBC has picked up a full season worth of episodes for Knight Rider. NBC will pick up nine additional episodes of its the freshman drama series Knight Rider (Wednesdays, 8-9 p.m. ET) to provide the series with a full-season order for 2008-09.
Knight Rider premiered on Wednesday, September 24 (8-9 p.m. ET). The series is averaging a 2.4 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 7.4 million viewers overall so far this season in Live+Same Day DVR averages. Knight Rider is the #1 regular series in its competitive time period in all key adult-male demographics and won the slot in adults 18-49 with its most recent telecast on October 15.
Meanwhile, The CW has ordered two more scripts for new drama Privileged. The Warner Bros./CBS Paramount/Alloy Entertainment drama has been struggling in ratings on Tuesdays at 9PM ET/PT, yet has demonstrated some growth in recent weeks even as lead-in 90210 has gone down a bit. The last new Privileged episode was up 22% to 2.3 million viewers, 1.1 adults 18-49 rating and a 3 share on October 7 when other networks aired a Presidential Debate.
In other CW news, Valentine encores will replace encores of In Harm's Way at 6PM ET/PT. In Harm's Way will still air new episodes at 7PM ET/PT and Valentine will still be new at 8PM ET/PT. The 6PM encores start this Sunday and will start from the Pilot episode...so start up if you haven't started. I admit, I watch it and it is surprisingly good...I'm only watching because of the sexy Christine Lakin, though.
Monday, October 20, 2008
ION Television Goes HD; Steve Harvey Gets Exposure on TBS; Fox Surprisingly Picks Up Sarah Connor For Full Season
Viewers can look forward to a mix of compelling television series, theatrical and made-for-television movies and specials on ION Television HD. The newly rebranded ION Television network features hit programs from CBS Television, NBC Universal, RHI Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros., among others. The network's fall 2008 lineup is led by off-network hits including NCIS, Boston Legal, and ER. Critically acclaimed miniseries and original productions from RHI Entertainment will be made available in high quality HD, as will blockbuster theatrical movies such as Batman Returns, GoodFellas, Analyze This, and You've Got Mail.
ION Television in HD will be launched from its newly designed, state-of-the-art transmission platform via expanded satellite transponder capacity. That national distribution will then be delivered over-the-air via DTV broadcast, cable, telco-TV and satellite. The network will feature native and up-converted HD programming, and will be carried on all 60 of ION Media Network's television stations around the country.
Now you can watch Denny Crane and the gang in HD like it is supposed to be!
On Saturday night if you were expecting to watch Game 6 of the MLB ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays on TBS at 8PM ET, you missed the beginning because of an outage. TBS had technical difficulties that prevented it from showing the first 20 minutes of the game and also the end of the pregame show before it. In place of the game, TBS showed an episode of sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. A crawl on the screen ran repeatedly, saying: "We are experiencing technical difficulties." The game started at 8:08 p.m., but the broadcast didn't begin until 8:28 p.m., when Carlos Pena, the seventh batter of the game, walked in the bottom of the first inning. TBS then showed a replay of a home run by B.J. Upton, the previous batter, that put the Rays ahead 1-0.
So what happened: TBS had experienced router failure in Atlanta (their headquarters), which caused transmission problems. Steve Harvey Show wasn't the only filler TBS used while trying to restore its feed, lost toward the end of the pregame broadcast. At that time, TBS ran an abbreviated episode of Dick Clark's Bloopers special (with Elise Neal of The Hughleys) from 1999. I saw that and it was very funny and featured lots of flubs from newscasts and TV stations (how appropriate for TBS today!), but turned it off when Harvey came on. I personally didn't get back into the game until the third inning, thanks to this flub.
But at least sitcoms got more exposure! We'll let you know the ratings, if we get them for Harvey.
Second season action series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been picked-up for nine more episodes, giving it a full twenty-two episode order for the season. This was a surprise move by Fox, because the show has gone down in the ratings by a lot this season averaging just under 6 million viewers and in the low 2's in the 18-49 demo. The show does get a little boost in the seven-day DVR ratings, giving it just under 7 million viewers, but still a far cry what it did last year. The show launched out of huge Cowboys-Giants NFL playoff game that drew 40 million, for its series premiere last winter. The series did 18 million for its premiere. The show then obviously dropped after that to just above 8 million on average, but did much better than it is doing now.
The show could be used with American Idol or the return of 24 in January to help bring it back to life. But Fox would give a better slot to Fringe and the upcoming new series Dollhouse probably instead. No word on Prison Break, but this will likely be its last season.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week 4 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did; Blog DVD Review - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season
NOTE: Thursday is not in this week in our averages once again, but we do have final program numbers in the analysis below:
Households: CBS: 7.7/11.9; ABC: 7.0/10.9; Fox: 5.3/8.2; NBC: 5.0/7.8; The CW: 1.7/2.5; MNT: 0.9/1.4.
Total Viewers: CBS: 12.0 million; ABC: 10.63 million; Fox: 8.29 million; NBC: 7.86 million; The CW: 2.43 million; MNT: 1.37 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 3.4/8.7; NBC: 3.1/8.1; Fox: 2.9/7.6; ABC: 2.6/6.8; The CW: 1.2/3.0; MNT: 0.5/1.3.
Analysis: Week 4 saw the final Presidential Debate, but it was on Wednesday this week. I apologize for the second week in a row we only have final averages for the first three days (thru Wednesday). But I do have Thursday final program numbers and network averages, just not four day averages. I don't have time to go through and recalculate so, I'll give you the final Thursday averages in HH: CBS 9.2/15, ABC 6.9/11, NBC 5.1/8, Fox 2.3/4, The CW 2.2/3, MNT 0.6/1, so you an determine yourself. So looking at those numbers and the first three days averages on the top, for the first four days, CBS has the lead in all categories, with ABC second in all categories (but possibly third in 18-49), NBC in third in HH/viewers (but possibly second in 18-49) and Fox in fourth in all categories thanks to a terrible Thursday.
Last week, CBS won week 3 in all categories for the second straight week (ABC won the first week), ABC was second in all categories, Fox nipped by NBC for third across the board, so NBC was fourth (but it did tie Fox for third in 18-49).
Monday ABC was on top thanks to of course Dancing with the Stars. The 90-minute episode did 17.77 million and a 4.0/10 in 18-49...again down from previous week, but that was two-hours. It should start picking up again soon when we reach the halfway mark and the good dancers are left. The season premiere of Samantha Who did solid with 11.45 million. A new Boston Legal followed with 8.01 million, down from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 9.34 million, just down a tad from previous week and How I Met Your Mother followed with 9.25 million, up from the previous week but the show again didn't build on the lead-in in viewers...but it did in 18-49. Two and a Half Men and new single-camera sitcom Worst Week followed with 14.72 and 9.75 million. Men was up from previous week, while Worst Week was also finally up but still lost a lot from the lead-in in both viewers and 18-49. Too bad, it is a good show. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.22 million, down again from previous week...is that new sitcom before it, it has gone down every week. NBC followed with its drama line-up. Chuck started it off with 6.17 million, up a bit from previous week, Heroes followed with 8.75 million...up from previous week's series low. New series My Worst Own Enemy premiered at 10pm with 7.27 million...not too good, but not that bad either, needs to do something similar each week to be a player. Fox was fourth with the NLCS Game #4 with 7.71 million (7.1 million in primetime)...much better than the usual live numbers for Sarah Connor and Prison Break, as both of those return tomorrow. The CW had its usual decent numbers with Gossip Girl doing a solid 3.31 million and the resurgent One Tree Hill did 3.47 million.
Tuesday it was all CBS in viewers and Fox in 18-49. CBS had the always reliable NCIS opening the night off with 18.04 million, up over a million from previous week, new drama The Mentalist followed with a solid 14.94 million and Without a Trace did a decent 11.05 million, but seems low for this show. Fox was next this week with House doing 13.27 million, followed by new drama Fringe at 9.16 million. This show is pretty disappointing, as The Mentalist is doing much better. ABC was next with the very weak Opportunity Knocks at just 5.15 million and an even worse 1.318-49 rating. ABC has pulled it and this week a Dancing with the Stars Recap Show will air instead. Dancing with the Stars: The Results followed with 14.82 million...below normal, but that horrific lead-in has a lot to do it with it. Expect a boost this week. Season premiere of one of the written series, Eli Stone did 8.39 million, but with losses in the second half-hour. Viewers need to watch. Katie Holmes guest stars this week, look for better numbers this week. NBC was fourth with a two-hour The Biggest Loser doing 7.64 million, up from previous week, followed by an all-new Law & Order: SVU at 9.51 million, but it dominated the hour in 18-49. The CW aired repeats of 90210 doing 1.73 million and a repeat of Privileged did 1.22 million.
Wednesday it not a normal night as the final Presidential Debate took center stage. NBC won the coverage of the debate beating ABC, who won the previous 3 debates. CBS started with sitcoms, Old Christine did 7.61 million, up a bit from previous week and a season high again, followed by new sitcom Gary Unmarried at 7.53 million, also up from previous week and a series high again. These are slowly going up...do to lack of competition primarily. CBS missed Criminal Minds and CSI: NY big time as their debate coverage did 9.16 million, which doesn't count in the ratings...the 30-minute analysis at 10:31pm does though and it did 7.19 million only. Fox was the only network of the big four not to air the debate because of the NLCS Game #5 doing 8.08 million (but 7.49 million in primetime), as Bones and 'Til Death were preempted. ABC aired the best Pushing Daisies yet and it did 6.11 million, up week to week, but needs to do better. How good of an episode was that? Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money were preempted for the debate coverage as ABC's coverage did a solid 10.6 million, for second place, though it doesn't count in the ratings (no ads). The analysis does and it did a solid 8.86 million. NBC opened the night with the new cheesy Knight Rider doing 7.47 million...also up week to week, followed by NBC's coverage of the debate at a first place 11.3 million, as NBC won for the first time in debate numbers, but it doesn't count in the ratings. The analysis does and it did a first place 9.09 million, edging ABC. The CW had a clip show of Top Model doing 3.21 million, so obviously it was down from previous week...a repeat of 90210 followed with 1.65 million, down a bit from previous week.
Thursday CBS won again. CBS opened with Survivor: Gabon at 12.81 million, down from previous week. A new CSI followed with 19.26 million, down four million from previous week's season premiere. It dropped from a 7.1 18-49 rating the previous week to 5.2 this week, for second place. The new Eleventh Hour followed and did 11.91 million, actually up a bit week to week. How?? There was so much bad reception from viewers watching last week. I don't get it. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing 8.33 million, down a bit from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 14.8 million and a first place 5.9 18-49 rating. I knew it would beat CSI in 18-49, as I said last week. The second episode Life on Mars did 8.22 million, down three million from its premiere. I don't understand it at all. NBC was third with a new My Name is Earl doing 6.72, down from previous week, new sitcom Kath & Kim followed with 6.1 million, didn't build on from the lead-in like it did last week, not good so far. The Office followed with a solid 8.28 million, but down a million from previous week. The second SNL Thursday Update special did 8.83 million, down two million from previous week, but still better than NBC would have done with 30 Rock by a lot. ER benefited again from that higher lead-in and did 8.96 million, down from previous week a bit. Fox had a Thursday to forget with two episodes of Hole in the Wall at a big hole doing 3.56 and 3.7 million, losing to The CW. A new Kitchen Nightmares was a nightmare with just 3.5 million. Smallville on The CW did 4.18 million, up a bit from previous week, followed by Supernatural at a decent 3.06 million...down a bit from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with their dramas, as Ghost Whisperer did very solid as usual but The Ex-List dropped more and fell out of the lead at 9 with NBC's Crusoe premiere beating it. NUMB3RS won 10pm but again saw year-to-year declines.
Saturday numbers saw CBS win in the preliminaries overall and Fox and ABC in 18-49. NBC had terrible numbers for America's Toughest Jobs on Saturday with a prelim 2.49 million.
Tonight should be a victory for ABC Sunday (AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters) and they will win the night in viewers. CBS will be solid, thanks primarily to the NFL lead-in tonight, and NBC's SNF game will do way below normal with Seattle-Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay viewers will flock to TBS to see Game 7 of the MLB ALCS instead. Fox will air its animated comedies but should be down thanks to baseball on TBS.
As for the week, CBS should win in HH, viewers and even 18-49. ABC will be second across the board. Followed by NBC, Fox, CW and MNT. Fox's terrible numbers on Thursday will probably cost them third place. This week everything will be back to normal...no more debates. Let's see how the networks do with regular stuff in their normal nights. My pick of the week is Eli Stone with guest star Katie Holmes...I've seen it already and I'll be watching again, and so should you! Tuesday at 10/9 central on ABC!
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of October 6-12)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted for the NLCS.
- King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted for the NLCS.
- Family Guy (Fox) - preempted for the NLCS.
- American Dad (Fox) - preempted for the NLCS.
Monday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.34 million for a new episode, down just a bit from previous week. Excellent again, nothing else can be said!
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.25 million for a new episode, up week-to-week again, but it didn't build on the lead-in in viewers once again.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.72 million...up from previous week, besting any sitcom.
- Worst Week (CBS) - 9.75 million...not good retention at all but up from previous week. But it did better than the 8-9pm sitcoms this week, after it didn't the previous week. This is a good show.
- Samantha Who? (ABC) - 11.45 million for the season premiere for first place in its slot. 18-49 rating it did a 3.0 rating, but held more of Dancing's numbers (4.0 rating) than Worst Week did with Two and a Half Men's 18-49 numbers (5.3).
Tuesday Sitcoms
- None.
- Old Christine (CBS) - 7.61 million for a new episode...up a bit from previous week and a season high again. Not great, but good enough in this very weak slot.
- Gary Unmarried (CBS) - 7.53 million, a series high again. Has gone up on all four airings.
- 'Til Death (Fox) - Preempted but Fox certainly is happy it was.
- Under One Roof (MNT) - Repeat airing did 870,000 viewers...up week to week, it aired after an all-new Tony Rock Project which did 1.04 million.
Thursday Sitcoms
- My Name is Earl (NBC) - 6.72 million for a new episode, down from previous week.
- Kath & Kim (NBC) - 6.1 million for its second airing...down a lot from the premiere and it didn't build from the lead-in this time.
- The Office (NBC) - New episode did 8.28 million and a solid 4.3 18-49 rating...but both down from previous week when it did one million better and .5 better in 18-49.
Friday Sitcoms
- Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - Final numbers are not in yet...but the prelim numbers show just under 2 million. That's the best it will do I think.
- The Game (The CW) - No final numbers yet for Friday, but just under 2 million and it did build from the lead-in so far.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are no sitcoms.
Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Samantha Who, The Office, were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Worst Week, Gary Unmarried) or just plain old terrible (such as Kath & Kim, Everybody Hates Chris).
Welcome to a special Sunday edition of Blog DVD Reviews! Today we head out west to Las Vegas for C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season. This season starred William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox, Paul Guilfoyle, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall. See my Blog DVD review of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season:
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $84.98)
Follow the evidence... again and again. One beloved character departs--and another dies--in the shocking eighth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. This bonus-filled collection includes crossover episodes, an episode directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and CSI's most devastasting scenes ever.
This 5-disc set contains all 17 episodes from the eighth season (2007-08) plus a bonus crossover episode of Without A Trace. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen enhanced for 16:9 tvs with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a total running time or approximately 12 hours, 12 minutes. The attractive packaging has a large photo of William Petersen (with the beard) on the front with Las Vegas in the background. At the bottom of the box, there is an embossed CSI: Crime Scene Invesigation logo. Nine cast members are featured on the back of the box with some Las Vegas hotels/casinos in the background. A synopsis of the set, a listing of the special and the DVD specs are given. The inside case is in a book format that you can flip through to get to the discs. Thee is a photo of Petersen and Helgenberger on the cover and Eads, Fox, Dourdan and Szmanda on the back. A content locator lists the episodes by disc and the special features on the inside cover. Each disc lists the episodes and has the show logo and an x-ray/fingerprint type background. It was interesting to see that they stuck to this type of packaging when CSI: Miami and CSI: NY switched to slimcases for their recent releases. They still even include the crime scene tape around the packaging. That is a nice touch.
The menus are very slick looking and easy to navigate. They have a montage of video clips that run a little over a minute, with some of the wonderful instrumental music by composer John M. Keane in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1) and the Special Features on select discs. On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 English Surround or Español. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. The show looks stunning. They do a lot of nighttime shooting and make the show look dark and like a theatrical film. I did notice that there is a disclaimer on the bottom of the box that says "some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." This is the first time that I can recall such a disclaimer on any of the CSI franchise releases. Hopefully it is nothing major. While the episodes are numbered by their production number, they are presented in the order of their original airdates. Running times are between 41 and 43 minutes in length.
Once again, there is a nice amount and variety of special features. Unfortunately, there are only 2 audio commentaries on this set compared to 7 from last season. That seems to be a recent trend on the CSI franchise releases. There are 6 featurettes that total approximately 63 minutes. A bonus crossover episode of Without A Trace is included. Here is the breakdown by disc:
Disc 2
Without A Trace episode: "Where & Why" (42:56) - This crossover episode aired after the CSI episode "Who & What" on November 8, 2007. It was nice that they were able to include this episode, since Warner Bros. doesn't seem very interested in releasing this excellent series on DVD. It's too bad CBS decided to move it again to another night. I think it's a perfect fit airing after CSI.
Disc 3
Commentary on "You Kill Me" by Writer/Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Wallace Langham, Liz Vassey, Archie Kao, Sheeri Rappaport and David Berman - The "Lab Rats" return from last season on this funny and lively commentary.
Commentary on "Cockroaches" by Director William Friedkin, William Petersen and Writer Dustin Abraham - William Friedkin and William Petersen reunite for this episode. Friedkin helped launch Petersen's career by giving him the lead in To Live and Die in L.A. in 1985.
While The Cast's Away, The Rats Will Play (13:58) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Writer Doug Petrie, Archie Kao, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Wallace Langham, Liz Vassey, Jon Wellner, Gerald McCullouch, Paul Guilfoyle, George Eads, Sheeri Rappaport and David Berman. This featurette focuses on the episode "You Kill Me." This was the 9th episode of the season and aired on Thanksgiving night. It had a lot more humor than the typical episode. There was a similar "Lab Rats" episode last season. This is a nice companion featurette with the audio commentary.
William Friedkin: A Different Take (9:28) - This featurette includes interviewss with William Petersen, Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Paul Guilfoyle, Director William Friedkin, Producer/Writer Dustin Lee Abraham and Gary Dourdan. It focuses on the "Cockroaches" episode. They talk about how the idea was pitched to Friedkin, the mob storyline and finding the strip club location.
Disc 4
Deleted Scene for "Grissom's Divine Comedy" (2:16) - A funny scene where Catherine goes to Grissom's house and does a little snooping and investigating. It was probably just cut for time, so it is nice that they were able to include it on the DVD.
Disc 5
So Long, Sara Sidle (15:20) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, George Eads, William Petersen, Jorja Fox, Robert David Hall, Marg Helgenberer and Gary Dourdan. Among the topics covered are how they wanted to give her a dignified and graceful exit, how Jorja Fox originally got the part, her character, her favorite part of the show and what she will miss the most. There are some clips shown from previous seasons and some behind-the-scenes shots from her last day of shooting. They obviously left open the possibility of her returning for more episodes. She's already been in the first couple of episodes this season but probably not many more when William Petersen departs the show.
What Happened In Vegas... (21:12) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Gary Dourdan, William Petersen, Paul Guilfoyle, George Eads, Marg Helgenberger, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall. This provides a good overview of the eighth season. They talk about how the end of season seven defined the eighth season, their first cliffhanger with Sara trapped under the car, the 7 episode goodbye Sara arc, Sara and Grissom's relationship, Warrick's divorce and personal drama, the Lou Gedda/mob storyline, Brass' character, Nick's maturation, how they keep it fresh, and how they always find new and exciting ways to kill people.
Shot In The Dark (9:22) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer/Director Kenneth Fink, Director of Photography Nelson Cragg, Directory of Photography Nathan Hope, and Co-Executive Producer/Director Richard J. Lewis. They talk about the look of the show, how they give it a theatrical look with the lighting, how the look has evolved, how shooting at night takes a lot of planning, making Los Angeles look like Las Vegas, and their favorite part of working on CSI. Each of the looks on the CSI franchise shows is unique, but the original is still my favorite.
TOD: A Bug's Life (21:33) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, William Petersen, Dr. M. Lee Goff - Director of the Foresnic Sciences Program at Chaminade University of Honolulu, Dr. Neal Haskell - Associate Professor - Dept. of Biology at St. Joseph's College, Dr. Richard W. Merritt - Chairperson - Dept. of Entomology at Michigan State University and Olivia Klosternan - Student at St. Joseph's College. It focuses on forensic entomolgy, which is the application and study of insect and other arthropod biology to criminal matters. They talk about Grisson being an entomologist, the various techniques of how they study the decomposing of bodies and the sequence of colonization of bugs over time, how it is difficult for them to identify specific times of death and that's it's not an exact science, and the future of forensic entomology. They show various pig farms at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Michigan State University and in Renesselaer, Indiana. Some fascinating stuff. Gil Grissom's interest in bugs is not really a huge part of CSI, but it's always fun and interesting when they go back to it from time to time. Various clips from previous CSI seasons are also shown.
Final Comments: It was a sad and shocking season of CSI. First, we saw Jorja Fox's Sara Sidle depart from the show after a 7 episode story arc. Then we saw the shocking shooting of Gary Dourdan's Warrick Brown character in the season finale. The strike definitely hurt their momentum, as they made only 17 episodes this season compared to 24 in season seven. This season really had a bit of everything with a sad goodbye, some humorous episodes, an entertaining crossover episode with Without A Trace, and a shocking season finale. It remains the best crime drama on television.
This is another very good release, but I think it's a little overpriced because there were only 17 episodes this season. They cut back on the commentaries from 7 to only 2 this season. There are still 6 featurettes, but they around 30 minutes shorter than the previous season. You are basically paying the same amount as previous seasons to get less material. CSI is still going strong, but I wonder how many major characters they can continue to lose and still continue to draw a huge amount of viewers.
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV.com Page
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Blog DVD Review - CSI: NY - The Fourth Season
CSI: NY - The Fourth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount, $79.99) - The evidence never lies. In this 21-episode collection of CSI: NY - The Fourth Season, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his brilliant team - Stella (Melina Kanakaredes), Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo), Sheldon (Hill Harper), Lindsay (Anna Belknap), and Flack (Eddie Cahill) - get their game on when the clues in a woman's murder lead them to one of the web's most addictive virtual worlds. And as murders in Times Square, Central Park, and even on the Statue of Liberty test their mettle, the whole team battles Mac's nemesis, the mysterious 333 Stalker.
This 6-disc set contains all 21 episodes of the fourth (2007-08) season. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish Stereo. It has a total running time of approximately 14 hours, 45 minutes. Notable season 4 guest stars included Mykleti Williamson, Robert Picardo, Bruce Dern, Arye Gross, Keri Lynn Pratt and Adam Baldwin. Packaging is very attractive as usual. The embossed, holofoil outer slipcase feaures a photo of Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise and the show logo. Unlike previous seasons where they used a Digipak book format inside the box, this time they use three slimcases. CSI: Miami also switched to this format, but the original CSI continues to use the book format. The slimcases have black edges and feature a photo of the cast that is based on "Lunch Atop at Skyscraper" photographed in 1932 by Charles C. Ebbets. It has Anna Belknap, Carmine Giovinazzo, Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes on the front and Eddie Cahill, Hill Harper, Robert Joy and A.J. Buckley on the back cover. On the back of the slimcases, the episode titles and special features are listed by disc. Inside the slimcases, there is just blank black space. It would have been nice to see more photos here. The discs are very plain looking with a silver background and the CSI: NY logo.
Once again, the menus are very stylish and easy to navigate. A series of video clips leads to the animated anamorphic widescreen menus. Some of composer Bill Brown's great music is played in the background. At the bottom of the screen, there are options for "Episode Selection," "Set Up," and "Previews" (only on disc 1). The featurettes are also listed on their respective disc. There is no notation on the menus of which episodes have audio commentaries. You have to select an episode and play the commentary from there. On the Set Up Menu, you can choose either the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Español. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. Like all of the other CSI shows, it is incredbily well shot and lit. While most of it is shot in Los Angeles, the exterior shots of the city really enhance the show. They even occasionally shoot some scenes on location in New York. The episodes are presented in the order of their original airdates. Quite a bit of a music is used in the series. Fortunately, there is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of it had to be replaced. They changed the opening this season to a remixed version of Baba O'Reilly by The Who. I think they should have stuck to the original. The running times vary greatly from 40 to 43 minutes in length, but that is how they originally aired.
The amount and variety of the special features is a little disappointing compared to the prior releases. There were 4 audio commentaries on the third season release, but we only get 1 on this set by CSI franchise creator Anthony E. Zuiker. There are four featurettes that are spread out on discs 2, 5 and 6. Discs 1, 3 and 4 feature only the episodes. Here is the breakdown by disc:
Disc 2
Audio Commentary on "Down the Rabbit Hole" by CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker - He talks about the origin and inspiration for this episode that deals with the Second Life virtual world. This is a pretty good commentary, but it could have benefited by having some of the people that created that the animation on it. Some of the information he discusses overlaps with the featurette.
Art Imitates Second Life (15:25) - This featurette includes interviews with Anthony E. Zuiker, Hill Harper, Writer Sam Humphrey, Carmine Giovinazzo, Frank Dellario - Director of Machinima Production - Electric Sheep-IllClan, A.J. Buckley, Gary Sinise, Anna Belknap, Eddie Cahill, Executive Producer/Writer Peter M. Lenkov, Sunny Cerchie - Lead Creative - Electric Sheep, Matt Dominianni - Machinima Director - Electric Sheep-IllClan, Jason Cerchie - Art Director - Electric Sheep, Kerria Seabrooke - Machinima Director - Electric Sheep-IllClan. It focuses on the "Down the Rabbit Hole" episode, which dealt with the CSI team entering a virtual world called Second Life to solve a real case. It's interesting that most of the cast had no idea about Second Life or virtual worlds. They give a good summary about the basic premise and how they do the avatars and animation. A huge amount of people signed up for the CSI virtual world after this episode aired. I'm not an online gamer, but I can see the appeal for others.
Dante's Infernal Episode (10:05) - This featurette includes interviews with Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Executive Producer/Writer Peter M. Lenkov, Writer Daniele Nathanson, Director Joe Dante, Anna Belknap, and Department Head Make-Up Perri Sorel. It focuses on the episode "Boo." This was really their first Halloween/zombie episode. It aired on Halloween night. They talk about the A and B storylines, working with Director Joe Dante, casting the zombies and doing the make-up. It was nice to see Joe Dante again. I'm a big fan of his movies like Gremlins and The 'Burbs.
Disc 5
Art Attack (4:12) - This featurette includes interviews with Production Designer Vaughan Edwards, Executive Producer Pam Veasey and Artist Clemente Bornacelli. The artwork was seen in the episode "Right Next Door." They talk a little bit why the paintings were chosen and how they picked the style and colors. Unfortunately, the paintings were barely seen in the actual episode, but you can get a closer look here.
Disc 6
Cutting To The Core: Season 4 In The Big Apple (13:33) - This featurette includes interviews with Gary Sinise, Anna Belknap, Executive Producer Peter L. Lenkov, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill, Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Production Designer Vaughan Edwards, Carmine Giovinazzo, Melina Kanakaredes and Eddie Cahill. This provides a good summary of some of the highlights of the fourth season. They discuss the opening of the season at the Statue of Liberty and how they built the sets for it. They talk about the character's personal lives this season and Mac Taylor's 333 storyline. Stella's relationships, Danny and Lindsay's developing relationship, Danny's guilt over Ruben's death, Danny and Sheldon's friendship, and Det. Flack and Det. Angel's blooming relationship are also discussed. Finally, they talk a little about the taxicab/serial killer storyline and some of the other story arcs.
Previews - Over 5 minutes worth of previews for other CBS DVD releases are found on disc 1.
Another very good season of CSI: NY. Some memorable episodes this season included Can You Hear Me Now?, One Wedding and a Funeral, The Thing About Heroes, Child's Play, Admissions, and Personal Foul. I like how they followed the lead of the original CSI with some story arcs that stretched out over multiple episodes. This isn't strictly a procedural show. It has dropped in the total amount of viewers since the first couple of seasons, but it's still a dependable hit and wins its timeslot easily.
It's a little disappointing that the amount of special features and audio commentaries continue to drop from release to release. They weren't affected by the writers' strike as some of the other dramas, so they produced around the same amount of episodes as they usually do every year. Hopefully we will see some more multiple episode story arcs this season. It will be interesting to see how they delve further into the character's personal lives and their relationships in upcoming episodes.
-- Reviewed by Todd
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CBS.com Website
CSI: NY TV.com Page
CSI: NY IMDB.com Page
Tune in tomorrow as we conclude our CSI franchise review odyssey with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season. We'll also have our regular weekly ratings analysis.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Blog DVD Review: Knight Rider - The Complete Collection (Oct. 21); TV Land and ABC Schedule Notes
See my Blog DVD Review of Knight Rider: The Complete Collection:
Knight Rider: The Complete Collection (Universal, $139.98) brings all four seasons and 85 action-packed episodes of Knight Rider together for the first time in one amazing DVD collection! David Hasselhoff is back as charismatic crimefighter Michael Knight, the driver of the world's most dynamic, high-tech talking car, K.I.T.T. As this brave duo take on criminals, crooks and those eager to exploit K.I.T.T.'s impressive technology for their own evil purposes, you'll be blown away by their explosive adventures that set the standard for all TV action series to come. With 24 discs tricked out with an impressive array of bonus features, it's one complete DVD trip you can't afford to miss!
OK, so all four seasons were already released separately. See our season reviews: Season 1 / Season 2 / Season 3 / Season 4
The only difference on this set is the packaging. The packaging is pretty big, but VERY cool. It is like a portfolio type, but much heavier. The cover is all in black with the Knight Rider: The Complete Collection words in grey. Underneath that we see a red bar with a button. The red bar is supposed to be the flashing lights we see on K.I.T.T. Once we press that button the theme song plays for a little bit and he lights flash back and forth in that red bar. It is very cool! Good job by Universal and excellent planning. Batteries are of course used for this. There are instructions on the set if your batteries die on how to replace them. On the back of this nice packaging we have the same black color scheme (fitting) with a shot of Michael, K.I.T.T., and the box art/discs. There is also info on the set and DVD bonus features. Just make sure you don't pull out the back part because it is just an insert really glued on. When we open the box, we open how we do a portfolio...very easy. There is a pocket that holds six slim cases each on a side. So we have 12 slim cases! If you recall from our season one review, the packaging was a digipak case, so we get something different this time for season one. Each slim case holds two discs each. Each slim case has the same artwork that was used for each season box art, with episode info on the back of each slim case. Now on each of the season sets the discs were all double-sided, now this time they are all single-sided. So, I think many people will just buy this set because of that. The artwork for each disc is the same...all black background, with the show logo, season number, and disc number. Simple but effective. Beats the double-sided pain for sure!
Everything else is the same as what we saw on the season sets. The menus, video/audio quality, and special features. There is no new things content wise. See our season reviews again for details on these.
I think a die hard fan would want this set for sure. The packaging alone would do it. It is so cool to press a button and the theme plays and the flashing red lights. I have pressed it so many times already. One of the coolest sets ever. Maybe the best packaging ever. It is just hard to find a spot on your shelf for it because it is so big. It certainly isn't "compact" like the cheap Sony complete series sets which are a waste of money and time. If you haven't bought any season sets, then this would be the way to go. Same content, but the discs problem is fixed as they are all single-sided now. So buy this set before Garth chases you down and makes you watch the new Knight Rider, which doesn't compare at all with this classic series! Long live Michael Knight!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
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We still have news for ya! TV Land has made some changes for this weekend and some changes starting Monday. Some of the changes for this weekend are for only this weekend. Such as Leave it to Beaver Saturday morning from 8-10am and 3rd Rock from the Sun on Sunday from 4-8pm. Everything else is for every week. We will start with weekdays first. From 4-5pm weekdays, The Beverly Hillbillies will air replacing Hogan's Heroes, which moves back to 5-6pm. Two-hours of Andy Griffith moves from 5-7pm to 6-8pm, as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be pulled from 7pm (it will still air 11pm). 12-1am and 1-2am hours will be switched, M*A*S*H will now air 12-1am and Cosby Show from 1-2am, with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's second airing now 2am instead of 7pm.
On weekends Saturdays will see an hour of Andy from 8-9am (sometimes 12-1pm) and Lucy from 9am to 1 or 2pm usually. The movies follow, with now 3rd Rock from the Sun airing 6-8pm instead of Cosby Show which will now air 8-10pm. So, two-hour editions of Home Edition have been pulled. Andy Griffith will air from 10pm-12am instead of Scrubs and Myths & Legends. Sundays will see Gunsmoke have another airing at 7am, while Bonanza gets two airings from 8-10am. TV Land Goes West gets extended from 12-4am usually to now 1-7pm (or 2-8pm sometimes). See the full list of changes.
It's official family game show Opportunity Knocks - from Ashton Kutcher - has been pulled from ABC, but it could return in December on a new night and time to finish out its remaining six episodes. Dancing with the Stars: Performance Recap Show will air this Tuesday ONLY (Tuesday, October 21, 2008) at 8:00PM ET/PT. It will be a condensed airing of Monday's performance.
Previously scheduled It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will air on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 in the time period and ABCNews Vote 2008: Election Night will air on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
Programming for Tuesday, November 11 and Tuesday, November 18 in the time period has not been announced yet (As of now, Tuesday, November 25 is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving). We will keep you up to date.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Many Universal Series Seasons Not on DVD on Netflix.com!; Network Notes
It's time for more wheelings and dealings...it's network notes! CBS has given a full season order to its new drama The Mentalist, the season's top new freshman series in viewers and adults 25-54 so far. No surprise.
The Mentalist is averaging 16.14 million viewers (No. 7 among all primetime programs), 5.3/12 in adults 25-54 and 3.8/9 in adults 18-49. The series stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. The series joins Fringe and 90210 for full season orders for rookie series.
Meanwhile, NBC's veteran drama Medium returns sometime this mid-season (or earlier I bet) and NBC has ordered three additional episodes. Last season the show had 16 episodes, so we are not sure what the original episode order was for this year. Could be 13 or 16 and you can tack on three more for Patricia Arquette's series.
ABC's Eli Stone will have 4 more episodes this season as well. The show was ordered for 13 episodes in its second season, so you can tack on four more to that at least, pending the ratings being decent enough. ABC has been pleased with the quality and direction so far, thus their decision in adding four more. And if you haven't seen the season premiere yet, you missed out on an excellent season premiere with guest Sigourney Weaver. Catch it on abc.com if you missed it and don't forget to tune in for the second episode this Tuesday at 10PM ET, with special guest star Katie Holmes! As I said before, I saw this episode already from a review screener and she is excellent. Gina Torres and Katey Sagal also guest star. Have faith in Eli!
Finally, it seems that Fox will also air the half-hour political ad from Presidential Candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday, October 29. CBS and NBC have already signed on to air it. However, Major League Baseball would have to push back the start of game six of the World Series, if necessary, so Fox can air the Obama. The game was scheduled to have first pitch at 8:20pm, but Fox and MLB could move it to 8:35pm if necessary. ABC is in discussions as well to air it, but maybe on a different night like Tuesday instead, since they air an hour-long sow (Pushing Daisies) in the time period. CBS has two half-hour sitcoms and will preempt Gary Unmarried on the night and shift Old Christine to 8:30 for this night. NBC will preempt Knight Rider altogether and air a TBD show at 8:30.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Lifetime Announces Halloween Programming; Remembering TV Composer Neal Hefti
Lifetime hits the ground running Halloween week beginning Monday, October 27 every day at 11 AM (ET/PT), with five new episodes of Lisa Williams: Voices From the Other Side, featuring the renowned clairvoyant's eerie encounters beyond the grave. Each day's show will feature a lead-in of a quite different brand of terror with themed episodes of Wife Swap at 10 AM (ET/PT). Halloween-themed episodes of the sitcoms Frasier, Reba, Still Standing and Will & Grace will also pepper the week-long schedule.
Over on sister channel Lifetime Movie Network, it's a full weekend of supernatural movies (Saturday, October 25-Sunday, October 26) ranging from the classic scares of The Rage: Carrie 2 and The Unquiet to contemporary paranormal stories like The Watch, You Belong to Me and Nightmare at End of the Hall.
Neal Hefti, a TV composer who composed the memorable themes for the movie The Odd Couple and the campy hit TV series Batman, has passed away. Hefti died Saturday (October 11) at his home in Toluca Lake, said his son, Paul. He did not know the cause of death, but said his father had been in good health.
While known primarily as a film composer, his two TV themes are his most famous work. Among his credits as a film composer are Sex and the Single Girl, Harlow (one of his most famous tunes, "Girl Talk," came out of the score), How to Murder Your Wife, Boeing Boeing, Duel at Diablo, Barefoot in the Park, A New Leaf, Last of the Red Hot Lovers and The Odd Couple, whose theme he reprised for the 1970s ABC TV series. Hefti also gained wide notice for composing the energetic title theme for Batman, the over-the-top 1966-68 ABC superhero series that became an overnight sensation. Hefti's Batman theme became a Top 40 hit and won a 1966 Grammy Award for best instrumental theme.
Hefti retired in 1976. He will be deeply missed but his themes will live on forever. Mr. Hefti was 85.
We'll return with more news, if any...stay tuned!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Lifetime Daytime Schedule Changes; Maureen McCormick Releases Memoir; Network Notes
Don't forget original sitcom Rita Rocks launches this coming Monday at 8:30PM and will air each weeknight all next week before airing Tuesdays at 8:30PM weekly.
Maureen McCormick (Marcia from '70s sitcom The Brady Bunch) has come out with an all-new book called Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice. It has some revealing information. The actress writes of her romance with TV sibling Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady, dates with Michael Jackson and Steve Martin, her addictions, depression, and trading sex for drugs. Things became hot and heavy while she and Barry were filming episodes in Hawaii.
I normally wouldn't write about this kind of stuff as it is too gossipy to me, but this is coming from Maureen herself. I think fans of the sitcom and Maureen will definitely want to pick this memoir up. Why did she want to release it now? Who knows, but she finally admits to having a relationship with Barry Williams.
Read the full CBS Early Show story. And if you haven't already, order the memoir.
Time for another round of network notes! The CW has ordered 2 more episodes of Gossip Girl, for total of 24 episodes this season. The show has gotten a little boost this season in the ratings. Meanwhile, NBC has ordered four extra scripts for Knight Rider (which is terrible, by the way...nothing like the 80s series) despite so-so ratings. After its Wednesday, November 19 airing (8 or 9 episodes would have aired by then), it will be off the schedule though for holiday specials through the end of December. But with this four additional scripts order, it could return in January. I wouldn't call anything official until additional episodes are ordered, but more scripts is a good sign.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Happy Columbus Day; Sci Fi Channel Mork & Mindy Marathon in November; Tonight's Preview
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Week 3 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did
NOTE: Thursday is not in this week in our averages, but we do have final program numbers in the analysis below:
Households: CBS: 8.0/12.6; ABC: 7.4/11.7; NBC: 4.2/6.5; Fox: 4.0/6.2; The CW: 1.7/2.6; MNT: 0.9/1.4.
Total Viewers: CBS: 12.62 million; ABC: 11.32 million; NBC: 6.54 million; Fox: 6.41 million; The CW: 2.42 million; MNT: 1.33 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 3.7/9.6; ABC: 3.0/7.8; NBC: 2.6/6.8; Fox: 2.4/6.2; The CW: 1.2/3.0; MNT: 0.5/1.3.
Analysis: Week 3 saw the third Presidential Debate, but it was on Tuesday this week. Through the first four days, CBS has the lead in all categories, with ABC second in all categories, NBC in third in HH/viewers (2nd in 18-49) and Fox in fourth in all categories. Remember these are through Wednesday, but Thursday was the same as our rankings above basically with CBS first, then ABC, NBC and Fox. Last week, CBS won week 2 in all categories as ABC won the first week, ABC was second in HH/viewers (and tied for second in 18-49), NBC was third in HH/viewers (but tied for 2nd in 18-49), and Fox fourth across the board.
Monday was all ABC thanks to of course Dancing with the Stars. The two-hour episode did 18.59 million and a 4.3/11 in 18-49...down a tad from previous week. A new Boston Legal followed with 8.75 million, up a tad from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 9.39 million, up from previous week and beat the season premier even and How I Met Your Mother followed with 8.98 million, up a bit from the previous week but the show didn't build on the lead-in in viewers. Two and a Half Men and new single-camera sitcom Worst Week followed with 14.07 and 8.85 million. Men was up from previous week, while Worst Week was down a tad from a week ago...not good. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.88 million, down again from previous week...is that new sitcom before it, hurting it? NBC followed with its drama line-up. Chuck started it off with a weak 5.83 million, down a million from its premiere, Heroes followed with 8.2 million...down over a million from previous week and a series low. A second special preview of Friday night drama Life aired at 10pm with just 5.58 million, down over 1.5 million from previous week. Fox was a distant fourth with Sarah Connor continuing to fall with just 5.73 million, though up from previous week and nearly beat Chuck, and Prison Break did a similar 5.37 million...up a bit from previous week. The CW had repeats tonight with a repeat of Gossip Girl doing 1.82 million and a special repeat of Privileged on a special night did 1.55 million...did that help it for Tuesday? Find out.
Tuesday, the second Presidential debate and third overall took centerstage. ABC won with the debate coverage at 9pm with 13.2 million, but the ratings don't count. The analysis however did at 10:39pm and it did 9.92 million. Dancing with the Stars: The Results aired at a special time of 8pm ET and in its normal time out west at 9pm with 15.06 million...not bad since it aired all over the place. CBS had the always reliable NCIS opening the night off with 16.29 million, down over a million from previous week, new drama The Mentalist and Without a Trace were preempted due to the debate as CBS did 9.44 million, but that doesn't count in the ratings...the analysis at 10:39pm does and it did 7.95 million for third place. NBC was fourth with an abbreviated one-hour The Biggest Loser doing 7.27 million, down a tad from previous week, followed by coverage of the Presidential debate at a second place 10.86 million but that doesn't count in the final ratings, however the analysis following does with 8.35 million. Fox was fourth this week with a House repeat doing 6.36 million, followed by Fox's coverage of the debate at just 5.3 million, which doesn't count in the finals, but the analysis following did with 4.12 million. The CW aired a new 90210 with 3.12 million...down a bit from previous week. A new Privileged did 2.29 million...up week-to-week. Did the Monday repeat help? Or because of the debate it was the only show on?
Wednesday it was CBS with the win b a wide margin. CBS started with sitcoms, Old Christine did 7.53 million, up from previous week and a season high, followed by new sitcom Gary Unmarried at 7.36 million, also up from previous week and a series high despite not building in viewers from lead-in for the first time. However veteran dramas are not being tested by anyone and dominated big time with Criminal Minds and CSI: NY doing 16.19 (up over a million from previous week) and 15.87 million (up from previous week and has gone up on all episodes this season). Fox was next but a distant next, but started well with Bones at a strong 10.56 million, up from previous week. Two 'Til Death episodes did just 4.61 and 3.81 million...both up a bit from previous week, but this is costing Fox to be a closer second place. ABC was a disappointing third with its Wednesday dramas... Pushing Daisies did just 5.5 million for its second episode of the year, down from the premiere. This week its on its own before the debate out east and after the debate out west. Hopefully it helps rather than hurts. Private Practice followed with 7.4 million, very disappointing and down a bit from the premiere. Dirty Sexy Money followed with 5.85 million, down over a million from the premiere. People need to watch this addicting and well written show! The Dynasty of our generation. NBC opened the night with the new cheesy Knight Rider doing just 6.86 million...down over a million week to week, followed by part two of the Biggest Loser 6 from previous night doing just 6.56 million, down from its usual Tuesday airings. At 10pm NBC had the dud Lipstick Jungle at just 4.76 million, down from the previous week. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at a decent 3.94 million, down a tad from previous week...a repeat of 90210 followed with 1.78 million, up a bit from previous week.
Thursday CBS won with a big premiere. CBS opened with Survivor: Gabon at 13.28 million, up a bit from previous week. The season premiere of CSI followed with a big 23.49 million, down a few million though from last fall's premiere...but still good. Series premiere of Eleventh Hour followed and dropped badly before it even started doing 12.29 million in the 10pm half-hour and 11.37 million overall for the hour. I think it will fall below 10 million either this week or next week...bad reception from viewers watching. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing 8.52 million, up a bit from previous week when it aired on its own. Grey's Anatomy followed with 14.8 million and a 5.6 18-49 rating...both below average and should spike up next week. I think it will beat CSI in 18-49. Series premiere of Life on Mars got off to a decent start with 11.33 million and beat Eleventh Hour in households (7.5/13 to 7.2/12) and 18-49 (3.7/10 and 3.2/9)despite the bigger lead-in. NBC was third with a new My Name is Earl doing 7.17, up from previous week. Series premiere of new sitcom Kath & Kim followed with 7.52 million...not bad, but will it build on the lead-in this week? The Office followed with a solid 9.25 million, but the SNL Thursday Update special did better following it with 10.85 million and a surprising 5.1 18-49 rating. It was the surprise of the night. Two more specials left...let's see if it can keep it up before low rated but acclaimed 30 Rock returns. ER benefited from that higher lead-in and did a third place 9.41 million but a first place 3.9 18-49 rating. Fox had an above average Thursday with coverage of the MLB NLCS Game #1 doing 7.74 million...not great, but good enough. Smallville on The CW did 4.12 million, up a bit from previous week, followed by Supernatural at a decent 3.15 million...down from previous week...too much competition tonight.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with their dramas, as Ghost Whisperer did very solid but The Ex-List dropped more and fell out of the lead at 9. NUMB3RS at 10pm saw year-to-year declines, possibly thanks to the bad lead-in as 20/20 on ABC nearly beat it. Reality on ABC, NBC, and Fox from 8-10 saw bad numbers, but better than previous week.
Saturday numbers saw CBS win in the preliminaries overall and also in 18-49 with college football as ABC aired NASCAR.
Tonight should be a victory for ABC Sunday (AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters) and they will win the night in viewers. CBS will be solid, but has no NFL lead-in tonight, and NBC will do well in primetime with NFL, but can New England draw without Brady? Fox will air the NLCS Game #3 and it will get a boost from the NFL overrun and its the Cowboys.
As for the week, CBS should win in HH, viewers and even 18-49. ABC will be second across the board. Followed by NBC, Fox, CW and MNT. This week will see the final debate...this time on Wednesday. That will hurt CBS as they dominate the night, and now ABC could win the night as its debate coverage has won all three so far. Can Pushing Daisies gain some viewers back with Bones in a repeat this week? Can the debate out west help it? Tune in!
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of September 29-October 5)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - 7.41 million, down two million from the NFL driven premiere.
- King of the Hill (Fox) 3 episodes - 6.59 million for the normal episode, down a bit from the premiere. Two repeats in the 7pm hour did just 2.9 and 3.99 million.
- Family Guy (Fox) - 8.38 million for a new episode...down from the premiere.
- American Dad (Fox) - Only 6.85 million...but only down a tad from previous week.
Monday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.39 million for a new episode, up from previous week and it nipped the season premiere numbers. Excellent!
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.98 million for a new episode, up week-to-week, but it didn't build on the lead-in in viewers as it usually does...
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.07 million...up a nice 1/2 million or so from previous week.
- Worst Week (CBS) - Just 8.85 million...not good retention at all and down a bit from previous week. I said it would do lower than the 8-9pm sitcoms this week...and look it did. Not good news.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- None.
- Old Christine (CBS) - 7.53 million for a new episode...up from previous week and season high. Not great, but good enough in this very weak slot.
- Gary Unmarried (CBS) - I said last week it will start not to build on the lead-in and that happened this past week as the show did 7.36 million, but a series high still. Has gone up on all three airings.
- 'Til Death (Fox) 2 episodes - Two episodes did a weak 4.61 and 3.81 million...both up a bit from previous week. But Fox can do better in this hour.
- Under One Roof (MNT) - Repeat airing did 820,000 viewers...after an all-new premiere of reality comedy series Tony Rock Project doing 1.0 million.
Thursday Sitcoms
- My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.17 million for a half-hour showing, up from previous week.
- Kath & Kim (NBC) - 7.52 million for the premiere is OK, nice that it built from the lead-in. Will it this week, though?
- The Office (NBC) - New episode did 9.25 million and a solid 4.8 18-49 rating.
Friday Sitcoms
- Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - Final numbers are not in yet...but the prelim numbers show just under 2 million. That's the best it will do I think.
- The Game (The CW) - No final numbers yet for Friday, but just under 2 million and it did build from the lead-in so far.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are no sitcoms.
Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Kath & Kim, My Name is Earl) or just plain old terrible (such as 'Til Death, Everybody Hates Chris).
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Blog DVD Review: Lil' Bush Season 2 (Oct. 14)
Lil' Bush: Season Two (Comedy Central DVD, $26.98) brings us ten more episodes of the Comedy Central animated sitcom about the life of George W. Bush as a child. If you ever wondered how George W. Bush got to where he is today, you can find out exactly how with this series, along with his friends--although in all fairness, the series isn't exactly biographical. Technically, Lil' Bush is a parody of Bush's childhood, but much of the events are events that are taking place in the current day, or very similar events. But in any event, it is hilarious political humor.
The season has many great episodes, and is honestly better than much the first season. In the first episode of the season, "St. Patrick's Day," we get to meet Lil' Karl Rove (played by... Kevin Federline... yes, the former Mr. Britney Spears) as he helps destroy the Lil' Dems St. Patrick's Day parade. And oh yeah, Barbara buys a tanning bed and cooks some liver in it... her own. The Lil' Cronies get a hold of some prescriptions that don't set well with them in "Big Pharma." The home mortgage crisis in America hits the Bush family as George Sr. and Barbara can't afford their mortgage payments on the White House (don't ask) in "Katrina." In Weekend at Saddamy's," the gang goes on a camping trip in Baghdad. Lil' Cheney has a heart, and apparently Osama bin Laden can use it, in "Afghanistan." Lil' Bush is going to have his own wedding, well getting married to his father, in "Wedding." The season ends with "Anthem & China," where the guys take on all of China.
With more episodes in this season than there were in the first season, the set expands to two discs this time. The set is presented in a standard DVD style case, with an extra tray inserted for the second disc. There are five episodes on each disc, but you wouldn't know that, as they neglected to include any sort of episode guide or list on this set, anywhere. I don't know how they expect people to know where to find the episodes.
The video and audio quality on this set are basically fine, with no real problems to note. Of course, that is expected, as these episodes aired only a few months ago on TV. It is usually pretty difficult to go wrong on quality with such recent shows, as there is never really much to "clean up" on the prints from the time of airing to the DVD. Of course, these were also rushed to DVD, which means that we have closing credits from Comedy Central left intact on all of the episodes. It isn't that bad, though. Each episode runs around 22 minutes.
The set has a great selection of special features, beginning with "Lil' Bush Viral Video" (2:42), which is basically a parody of those videos that many people put on YouTube, such as the "Obama Girl" video, supporting their presidential candidates. There are web clips (6:47), which are essentially just short little videos related to the series that can be found on the series website (gopharmony.com). They are very fun to watch. A commentary can be found on the episode "Big Pharma" on Disc One, as well as all five episodes on Disc Two, although they aren't as creative as the commentaries found on Season One. Instead, we just have commentary from the directors and producers of the series here. Finally, there are some animatics on Disc Two. (20:50), which gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the episodes.
This is a funny series to watch, although it isn't quite as good as the earlier Comedy Central sitcom about Bush, That's My Bush. Of course, it isn't exactly fair to compare the series, as they are completely different series with different objectives, but both are sitcoms about George W. Bush. The real question is this: is this the final season of the series? With no plans for a third season so far and less than four months left of Bush's tenure in office, the entire premise of the series will be outdated before new episodes could be made. Of course, they could make a Lil' Obama or Lil' McCain spin-off, as these are already characters on the series already, but those characters honestly aren't quite as funny. In any event, for now, you can give a hail to the little chief by checking out this DVD set.
-- Reviewed by skees53
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Friday, October 10, 2008
ABC Family November Highlights, Two New Sitcom Pilots Picked-Up; TBS Orders Third Season of My Boys
Lincoln Heights will have an all-day marathon on Tuesday, November 11 from 12-8pm leading into an all-new two-hour finale from 8-10pm. After the finale, original encores airing weeknights at 12 midnight will be off and Whose Line is it Anyway? will air regularly on Mon-Thurs 12-1am.
Movie premieres include Garfield, Curious George, Dr. Dolittle 2, Dr. Dolittle 4: Tail to the Chief, The Bodyguard, and Aladdin. Holiday movie premieres include A Carol Christmas, Unlikely Angel, Snow Dogs, Mrs. Santa Claus, The Family Man and A Dennis the Menace Christmas.
Finally, ABC Family will get a jump start to "25 Days of Christmas" on Sunday, November 16 with a "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas." The countdown airs Nov. 16-30. Movies like Holiday in Handcuffs, Christmas Caper, Home Alone 3, Home Alone 4, and more. View the full "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" schedule.
We will return in the coming weeks with the actual "25 Days of Christmas" schedule for Dec. 1-25....stay tuned! I can't believe we are nearing the holiday season already.
Meanwhile, ABC Family has greenlit two sitcom pilots: Ruby and The Rockits and 10 Things I Hate About You.
10 Things I Hate About You, a half-hour, single-cam series is directed by Gil Junger (who directed the movie as well) and executive produced by Carter Covington, who also penned the pilot script. Based on the hit movie 10 Things I Hate About You, the Stratford sisters are two very different people and that is evident as they start at their new high school with very contradictory goals. Kat is a strong-willed, in-your-face feminist who is looking to save the world and get out of high school as fast as she can. Bianca is a social butterfly whose only concern is that she is popular, by any cost. As they both start the year out bumpy at Padua High, can each girl get what she wants in the end as they navigate the popular crowd, boys and their over-protective Dad? The series is produced by Prodco, Inc.
Ruby and The Rockits, is an ABC Studios' half-hour multi-cam comedy series executive produced by Shaun Cassidy (Invasion) and Marsh McCall (Carpoolers), and directed by Ted Wass. The series follows Patrick Callahan, a former teen idol who has chosen to lead a quiet life with his wife and two sons. But when his former Rockits band mate and brother, David, shows up unexpectedly with his new-found teenage daughter in tow, the Callahan family's life becomes anything but normal. David, who refuses to give up his past glory days, comes to Patrick for help raising Ruby while he continues to tour. Patrick must now put the past with David behind them in order to help raise Ruby and keep order within the rest of the Callahan clan. Ruby and The Rockits was written by former teen idol Shaun Cassidy and Ed Yeager, with teleplay by Ed Yeager. Alexa Vega, Austin Butler, Patrick Cassidy and former Partridge Family teen idol David Cassidy star
New ABC Family original series previously announced are the comedy half-hour series Roommates (multi-cam) and Sophie (sine-camera), both scheduled to debut in early 2009. If these two new pilots make it on air, they will join Roommates and Sophie.
TBS's single camera comedy My Boys is stepping up to the plate again as the network orders a third season of the critically acclaimed original sitcom. TBS has ordered nine episodes of the series, which is set to return first quarter 2009.
The series stars Jordana Spiro as PJ Franklin, a 20-something sportswriter looking for love in Chicago. Surrounding PJ is her mostly male group of friends, played by Kyle Howard, Reid Scott, Michael Bunin, Jamie Kaler, with Jim Gaffigan and Kellee Stewart co-stars as essentially the only female influence in PJ's life.
My Boys premiered to critical praise on TBS in November 2006. When the show returned to complete its first season in summer 2007, it scored 22% growth among adults 18-34. The series' second season grew its audience to more than 1.5 million viewers, a 14% increase over the first season.
While that is true, it was losing a lot of its Bill Engvall Show lead-in numbers, so I'm a bit surprised it was renewed for a third year.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Hallmark Channel November 2008 Sees More Cheers; Network Notes
Among the other highlights in November are holiday movies starting Saturday, November 22 everyday. Movies include Angel in the Family, The Christmas Card, A Season for Miracles, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, and The Note. On Thanksgiving Day you can enjoy family movies with your family like Mighty Joe Young, The Rookie, and Iron Will. The day after Thanksgiving will see more holiday movies.
The premiere date for NBC's upcoming reality dating series Momma's Boys has been moved back two weeks to Wednesday, November 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. The previously announced premiere date was Wednesday, October 29 from 9-10 p.m. ET/PT. The show will air for 6 weeks through December 17. Deal or No Deal will air in the timeslot on October 22, 29 and November 5.
At ABC, on Wednesday, November 5, 2008, a special Dancing With The Stars: The Results will air from 8:00-9:02 PM ET/PT because it will be preempted on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 due to ABCNews' Presidential Election Coverage from 7PM-2AM ET on that night. So, Private Practice will air off the clock from 9:02-10:02 PM ET/PT and Dirty Sexy Money will also air off the clock from 10:02-11:00 PM ET/PT on this date (Nov. 5) only. Pushing Daisies will be preempted on that night.
Also, the back-door pilot episode for the Supernanny spin-off series, Super-manny will air in the Supernanny timeslot on Friday, November 14 at 9:00PM.
We are still waiting for CBS to pick up the new drama The Mentalist for a full season. CBS has ordered six additional scripts, though. So the back-nine should be next.
Three new shows launch tonight. Sitcom Kath & Kim at 8:30PM on NBC, and two new dramas battle at 10PM on ABC and CBS with Life On Mars and The Eleventh Hour. Both will get good sampling, but Life On Mars is getting the better reviews. I've also seen an advanced preview of the pilot and it is great. Check out abc.com for a 1973 look in honor of the premiere of Life On Mars tonight!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
SitcomsOnline.com Exclusive: Interview with WGN America; Lost 80s Week and Halloween Marathon for WGN America
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.
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!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, October 21
Scrubs - "My Best Friend's Birthday" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Turk is determined to have a fun birthday with J.D. and Elliot; the interns are challenged during the night shift.
Abbott Elementary - "The Tryouts" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The step team tries out for a major competition; Melissa and Barbara take a special ed certification course; Janine, Gregory and Jacob welcome a new substitute.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 19)
Wednesday, October 21
- Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Watch Billy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Josh Charles (Best Medicine/Sports Night) - Josh appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Kate Berlant (Ghosted/Search Party) - Kate is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Natasha Leggero (Broke/Dice/Another Period/Free Agents) and Jimmie Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Natasha and Jimmie will be on a repeat of Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia appears on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo talks about The Only Living Pickpocket in New York on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Max Casella (Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Max talks about Jimmy on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Sara and Erin Foster (Producers of Nobody Wants This) - Sara and Erin talk about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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