SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

TV Land announced that it has picked up its original sitcom Happily Divorced, starring and co-written by Fran Drescher, for a second season with 12 new episodes tentatively scheduled to premiere in Spring 2012. Drescher shared the news with the Fran Fans on TV Land's Happily Divorced Facebook page. Happily Divorced, inspired by Drescher's own life, also stars acclaimed actors John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris), Rita Moreno (OZ), Robert Walden (All The President's Men) and Valente Rodriguez (George Lopez). According to Nielsen, Happily Divorced is averaging over 2.2 million total viewers, a 1.0 among A25-54 and a 1.3 among W25-54 season-to-date, posting triple digit gains over the network's primetime average.
Drescher, twice nominated for both Golden Globe® and Emmy® Awards and also a New York Times best-selling author of Enter Whining and Cancer Schmancer, will co-write the show alongside her real life ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson. Jacobson previously worked with Drescher as co-creator and writer on The Nanny.
Filmed in front of a live studio audience, Happily Divorced airs on Wednesday nights at 10:30pm ET/PT immediately following new episodes of Hot in Cleveland.

ABC Family's freshman sitcom State of Georgia starring Raven Symone premiered on Wednesday, June 29 at 8:30pm and thus far has aired four episodes of its twelve-episode order (upped from the originally reported ten). Episode 5 will air next Wednesday (July 27) at 8:30pm, but then ABC Family will be airing FOUR all-new episodes (episodes 6-9) during a special 9-11pm block on this night. Melissa & Joey will air two all-new episodes for the full hour at 8pm on this date leading-in. The following week (Aug. 10) is back to normal for a week with an all-new Melissa & Joey at 8 and an all-new State of Georgia at 8:30 (episode 10), but then on Wednesday, August 17, State of Georgia for its season finale will air two all-new episodes (episodes 11 and 12) from 9-10pm following an hour of all-new Melissa & Joey at 8pm. Melissa & Joey will air for a full hour every week hereafter starting Aug. 17, and will be all-new for the full hour. They have 18 episodes to air this summer and that series has aired four so far this summer (thru July 20). If two all-new episodes air from Aug. 17 and on, the season finale would air on Sept. 14 (which is convenient because ABC returns its Wednesday comedy line-up on Sept. 21), but this is just my guess for now. Melissa & Joey was already renewed for a second season, as we reported.
It's hard to tell what ABC Family is doing with State of Georgia, but the ratings for episode three weren't very good last week (July 13, a 0.2 18-49 rating). Perhaps the multiple-episode stunts will help on Aug. 3 and Aug. 17? It's still early, so hopefully ABC Family is not giving up already because the first four episodes have been pretty funny and is a nice throwback to comedies of the early '90s. We'll certainly keep an eye on State of Georgia and hope they stick with it and renew it.

TV Land will bring back M*A*S*H into primetime every weekday starting August 15. Currently the series only airs on TV Land on Sunday nights in primetime and Monday nights in the overnight, but it will be expanded to five days a week at 8:00pm & 8:30pm starting Monday, Aug. 15, 2011. Alan Alda and company will replace an hour of All in the Family. As a result of this change, Sanford & Son's triple shot from 6pm-7:30pm will be reduced to 6-7pm, while All in the Family's triple shot from 7:30pm-9pm will be now the 7-8pm hour. Saturdays will remain the three episodes each of these two comedies, as M*A*S*H in the 8pm hour is Mon-Fri only. Everything else will remain the same in August 2011, as we previously announced.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for TV Land's September 2011 schedule as next week we will start our annual "fall schedules barrage" with networks like Antenna TV, WGN America and more kicking it off! Mark down July 26 as the start of fall schedules every weekday for the rest of the summer!

Our friend Eric of Just My Show has put up episode 62 of his podcast! You may know her simply as Ma'am. Stage and screen star Susan Clark joins Eric's podcast to take us back to her days as Katherine Papadopolis on the classic '80s sitcom Webster. From starring with her real life husband, Alex Karras, to the secret passageways you wish you had, Just My Show covers it all! Plus, Major League, GoBots and more cowbell in the latest edition of New News About Old Stuff.
So without further adieu and without losing track of the days (Webster theme pun), listen to Susan Clark on Just My Show!

Former Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen is planning his return to series television in Anger Management, a new sitcom loosely based on Revolution Studios' 2003 hit comedy feature of the same name. Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury, headed by Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, will distribute the series that will be produced by Lionsgate Television.
Sheen will retain a significant ownership stake in the series inspired by the film, in which a mild-mannered, non-confrontational man is ordered to attend group anger management sessions led by a therapist who could probably use some anger management himself.
"I chose Anger Management because, while it might be a big stretch for me to play a guy with serious anger management issues, I think it is a great concept," Sheen said. "It also provides me with real ownership in the series, a certain amount of creative control and the chance to be back in business with one of my favorite movie producers of all time, Joe Roth."
Roth and Sheen have worked together on five features, including Major League, Young Guns and Three Musketeers. Roth is also currently working with Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury and Ice Cube's Cube Vision on the TBS hit Are We There Yet? It is one of three hugely successful sitcoms (along with Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet The Browns) that are the result of a unique sitcom business model created by Marcus and Bernstein. All three sitcoms air on TBS, but as of now, Anger Management does not have a network home. As soon as we find out, we will let you know, but as with other Lionsgate series, it will be given a 10-episode order and if they like it, they will produce a whole bunch more very quickly (likely 90 more episodes).

Fans of Friday Night Lights will once again be able to recapture the excitement of the Dillon Panthers as ESPN will air the entire series. The series started on ESPN last Tuesday (July 12, 2011) as they celebrated the kick-off of the football-themed drama with episodes one and two from season one and aired it back-to-back in primetime on ESPN at 8pm and 9pm ET.
And then for those who are new to the series, a crash course in Friday Night Lights was offered via a "Season 1 FNL Marathon" on ESPN Classic last Thursday and Friday (July 14 and 15).
Now, beginning Thursday, July 21, ESPN Classic will become the new cable home for Friday Night Lights, airing each season in sequential order beginning with season one/episode one, with "new" episodes each Thursday night at 9pm and 10pm ET. Longhorn Network, the ESPN owned and operated 24-hour network dedicated to Texas athletics in partnership with UT and IMG College, will also air the entire five seasons of Friday Night Lights upon its August launch.

Starting tonight, TeenNick will be airing Everybody Hates Chris! The sitcom which also had been airing on sister network Nick at Nite, will premiere at 11:00pm & 11:30pm tonight (Monday. July 18, 2011) following Degrassi. It will then settle into weekdays at 10:00pm & 10:30pm and also 4:00am & 4:30am starting tomorrow (July 19). The comedy will also air on weekends in some blocks in primetime. Nick at Nite has heavily reduced the comedy ever since That '70s Show joined the line-up, in fact effective this week it will be totally off the Nick at Nite schedule (replaced by Home Improvement on Sunday nights from 2-3am). Additionally, another former Nick at Nite acquisition will return to the TeenNick line-up after being dropped. Malcolm in the Middle will return to TeenNick starting tonight airing weeknights at 12:00am & 12:30am for this week only (see below on what will air starting next week). It will also air weeknights at 5:00am & 5:30am, which will be its new time slot. In addition, it will air in blocks on weekends in late nights. Malcolm in the Middle was recently dropped from the FX schedule after June and it seems they have lost rights to the series after 4 years. FX also has stopped running Bernie Mac (its three-year deal will expire), leaving Two and a Half Men the only off-network comedy on FX currently. To fill some of the void, FX has acquired the game show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and started airing it since July 10. Stay with us in the coming weeks for FX's fall schedule.
In March, we mentioned TeenNick will bring back classic '90s series and will air a new late night 12-4am block starting this Fall called "The '90s Are All That." Well now it will be starting earlier! In fact, it will start NEXT week (Monday, July 25)! The block will kick-off at midnight every weeknight with All That, followed by Kenan & Kel at 12:30am, Clarissa Explains It All at 1:00am and the TeenNick premiere of the animated series Doug at 1:30am! The block will immediately encore from 2-4am in the same order. This means recently added series Freaks & Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Undeclared will be moving to weekends only in the late nights. Freaks will air Saturday nights from 2-4am followed by Buffy from 4am-6am. Undeclared will air 4-5am on Sunday nights.
This is just the beginning for The '90s Are All That on TeenNick...stay with us for further changes and we hope they bring in some classic non-Nick '90s series as well like Family Matters and Step by Step. Stay tuned!

In a quiet move, GMC has acquired the rights to the drama Judging Amy. The Amy Brenneman drama premiered yesterday with a launch marathon from 1pm to 11pm, but the series will regularly air weekdays at 2:00pm & 3:00pm starting today after The Waltons. It will also air in primetime on Tuesday nights, its former night on CBS, at 9pm & 10pm. The series aired from 1999-2005 on CBS and also starred Tyne Daly. Tyne's brother Tim currently stars with Amy on ABC's Private Practice.
Amy Gray, an attorney, has found herself a single mother after a recent divorce. With Amy’s young daughter Lauren in tow she moves back to Hartford, Connecticut with her very opinionated mother, a retired social worker. Amy moves back in to her mother’s home where the family issues are plentiful. Amy is selected to become a Juvenile Court Judge, with the new career and family, Amy will be more challenged than she ever dreamed. Amy’s first case involves a child abandoned by a drug addicted mother. Amy quickly finds the politics and shortcomings of the juvenile justice system a bit overwhelming.
Judging Amy will replace Highway to Heaven, which seems to be off the schedule now and an episode of Dr. Quinn, but that will remain in its 7pm & 8pm timeslots.

Summer is heating up so we will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still continue to have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of July 4-10)

• American Dad! (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 7pm did 1.85 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, which was up some from the holiday weekend the previous week. A repeat at 9:30pm did 3.21 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is decent for summer in 18-49.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat at 8pm did 3.54 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, the best it has done in a while in 18-49.
  
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30pm did 1.76 million and 0.9 18-49 rating, holding a good number from the lead-in but it is the loser of the block because it cannot build from the 7pm lead-in, as nearly always the 7:30pm half-hour builds.
• Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat at 9pm did 3.7 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, the best of the block again.
  
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 3.16 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is decent.

Summer Week 7 (July 11-17)

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 3.9 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating for a repeat at 8pm was up from the previous week when it was the 4th of July. Normal summer repeat ratings otherwise.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 5.72 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating for a repeat at 9pm is back to normal after the 4th of July lows.
  
• Mike & Molly (CBS) 2 airings - 5.41 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating for a repeat in its normal 9:30pm slot, up some obviously from previous week when it was the 4th of July. An 8:30pm repeat earlier did 4.37 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, holding on to 100% of its lead-in's ratings.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Raising Hope (Fox) - preempted.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) - The normal 8pm airing was preempted for Charlie Brown. But the 8:30pm repeat aired and did 3.24 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week and below normal.
• Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did a below normal 3.53 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, but on par with previous week.
  
• Happy Endings (ABC) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 2.74 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week for one of the series' best episodes.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat did 6.36 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week but still the best of week 7 thus far for sitcoms.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy followed at 8:30pm with 4.9 million and 1.2 18-49 rating, which was also down from previous week.
  
• Community (NBC) - A repeat only did 2.19 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but it was actually up some from previous week.
• Parks & Recreation (NBC) - A repeat in its 8:30pm slot did only 1.95 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down some from the previous week.
  
• The Office (NBC) - A repeat at 9pm did 2.58 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, best of the low rated block and once again on par with previous week.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 2.4 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, but up from previous week'.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's animated comedies from 7-10pm.

Summing it up. Repeats of The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, and last Sunday's The Simpsons & Family Guy were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Modern Family, Rules of Engagement) or just plain old terrible (such as the very low NBC Thursday repeats especially, Parks & Recreation).

Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable all this summer, with the great Hot in Cleveland on Wednesdays at 10pm, with Doris Roberts guest starring this week, followed by week six (already?) of the decent and getting funnier Happily Divorced starring Fran Drescher this Wednesday at 10:30pm only on TV Land. Also catch the new Comedy Wednesday on ABC Family with the funny Melissa & Joey at 8pm (which has a great new longer opening theme) followed by week four of new comedy State of Georgia starring Raven Symone at 8:30pm! Loretta Devine is very sassy in this series and makes Mrs. Roper look tame! Also of course House of Payne and Meet the Browns are on TBS Wednesdays. New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer repeat blues! Watch them!

[Source: Nielsen NTI Ratings. View Travis Yanan's Ratings Website].

We go from slow weeks to busy weeks and back and forth every single week here at Digital Digest (or so it seems), and this week, we're on a roll with plenty of news for you. And we've also got a two-for-one review full of caviar and catfights with our single review for two recent releases, Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volume 1 and Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volume 2.


DIGITAL NEWS

Barney Miller seemed to have been stalled on DVD for quite some time, but this week, some big news popped up on TVShowsOnDVD.com. Not only will we get to see more of the classic sitcom on DVD, but we'll get to see the entire series! A 25-disc collection of the entire series is coming October 25 from Shout! Factory, containing all eight seasons of the episode, and even the first season of the spinoff series, Fish. One thing that we hope to see on this set is unedited versions of all of the episodes. Some of the previous DVD releases from Sony of the first three seasons included a few syndicated episodes that slipped through the cracks. The only other question that remains is whether or not the other seasons of the series will be released individually. We'll let you know as soon as we know.

Barney Miller, though, isn't the only thing that we'll see on October 25. Also coming the same day is Dennis the Menace - Season Three. They really are moving fast on the releases for that series; Dennis the Menace Season Two isn't even out yet, though it will be soon (and we hope to have a review for that set soon, as well).

That isn't all for this week's Shout! Factory news though. The ABC Family sitcom, Melissa & Joey, makes a return to DVD on October 4 with Melissa & Joey - Season One, Part Two. The set will contain the 18 episodes of the series that have not yet been released on DVD.

Just like Shout! Factory, Lionsgate has had a busy week of announcements as well. On October 4, they will release their "tri-fecta" of series from ABC Studios that seems to have been released together twice before, with Boy Meets World - The Complete Seventh Season, According to Jim - The Complete Fifth Season, and The PJ's - Season Three. These releases will complete the run for Boy Meets World and The PJ's, and although According to Jim has three seasons remaining to be released, they have a total of 18 episodes each, so it could possibly (and we don't know that it will be done this way for a fact, this is just a conjecture) have seasons 6-8 combined in one set.

That isn't all for Lionsgate either, though. Although the seventh season just started, Weeds - Season Seven is already available for pre-order on amazon.com, both on DVD and Blu-ray. No release date or details have been given so far, though, as the season has really only just begun.

We do, however, have a date for The Simpsons - The Fourteenth Season. It isn't available to pre-order just yet, but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, we should see this set on December 6, just in time for Christmas.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 19) is a light release date for most studios, but being the third Tuesday of the month makes it Mill Creek's day to shine with their best-of releases of series previously released by Shout! Factory, including Punky Brewster - The Best of Season 2, Punky Brewster - The Best of Season 3, and The Best of California Dreams, and Simon & Simon - The Best of Season 3. We've covered many of the full season versions of these sets in the past in our reviews; check out our main review page for the original set reviews (these sets contain fewer episodes, of course, but are very similar to the original releases in regards to quality). Tuesday also brings Hey Dude - Season One from Shout! Factory, which we will have a review of soon. Finally, Warner has The Smurfs - A Magical Smurf Adventure, which we'll have a review of next week in Digital Digest.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

DVD Review - Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volumes 1 and 2
by Pavan

Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volumes 1 and 2 (CBS Home Entertainment, $36.98 each; $79.99 two-pack) brings all 29 episodes of season five in two sets, but this time they come out on the same date, so we don't have to wait for the second half this time! The only thing is they are actually two different volumes, that you might have to buy separately, but there is a two-pack available! John Forsythe, Linda Evans, Joan Collins and the glamorous new star Catherine Oxenberg continue to heat up the show in the fifth season as we get to the one of the most "talked about" season finale cliffhangers ever--the Moldavian massacre! This is the season where it reached #1 in the ratings, besting the #3 in the fourth season. Seasons 3-6 all were in the time of the height of the popularity, with season five hitting being the peak. The series lasted 9 seasons on ABC, from 1981-89. We get the the entire fifth season (1984-85) on this two-pack set. I'm just glad we don't have to wait for the conclusion of the fifth season, but they are still splitting the seasons in half. It's just time they are out on the same day! Anyway, the drama in Denver continues whether it is at the mansion, the LaMirage hotel or even .

Diahann Carroll joined the cast in the final two episodes of season four as the very mysterious Dominique Deveraux and she is back for an entire season this time. We now know who she really is. Heather Locklear is also back, as she returned for the second half of season four as Sammy Jo Carrington. The fifth season begins with "Disappearance," as the fourth season cliffhanger is sort of answered about Fallon (that's all I will give away). We learn more about what happened to Fallon in the third episode, titled "Fallon." The classic episode "The Trial" has Alexis on trial for the murder of Mark Jennings kicking off. The next episode is "The Verdict." Will Alexis be guilty or innocent? In "Amanda," Catherine Oxenberg joins the cast as Alexis' secret daughter Amanda. In "Krystina," after falling down the stairs, Krystle goes into premature labour and gives birth to a baby girl who they name Krystina. In "The Ball," Amanda meets Prince Michael of Moldavia whilst Krystle kisses Daniel Reece (guest star Rock Hudson). In "Sammy Jo,", Sammy Jo finds out who her real father is. In "The Heiress," Alexis, Michael and Amanda go to Moldavia to prepare for the big wedding. Who needs William & Kate, as Dynasty already had a Royal Wedding in the season finale "Royal Wedding," where the entire family gathers to watch Amanda and Michael get married, but as the couple are proclaimed man and wife, armed revolutionaries attack the chapel, leaving all in attendance blood-soaked on the floor, in one of the most talked about cliffhangers in the history of television! You'll have to wait until season six to find out what happens next!

Each episode on this set is just around 46-47 minutes on average, with most of the episodes around 46:50. Nearly every CBS DVD has a disclaimer on the back of the box saying, "Some episodes maybe be edited from their original network versions." So there is a chance something could be edited, but I didn't see anything, as the runtimes were fairly consistent, lowest was 45:44 and highest was 47:01. Runtimes are as follows:

Volume 1

Disc 1:
1. "Disappearance" (46:49)
2. "The Mortgage" (46:39)
3. "Fallon" (46:18)
4. "The Rescue" (46:48)

Disc 2:
5. "The Trial" (46:32)
6. "The Verdict" (46:50)
7. "Amanda" (47:01)
8. "The Secret" (45:44)

Disc 3:
9. "Domestic Intrigue" (46:51)
10. "Krystina" (46:35)
11. "Swept Away" (46:33)

Disc 4:
12. "That Holiday Spirit" (46:52)
13. "The Avenger" (46:44)
14. "The Will" (46:52)

Volume 2

Disc 1:
1. "The Treasure" (46:48)
2. "Foreign Relations" (46:38)
3. "Triangles" (46:38)
4. "The Ball" (46:49)

Disc 2:
5. "Circumstantial Evidence" (46:47)
6. "The Collapse" (46:37)
7. "Life And Death" (46:27)
8. "Parental Consent" (46:33)

Disc 3:
9. "Photo Finish" (46:44)
10. "The Crash" (46:30)
11. "Reconciliation" (46:32)
12. "Sammy Jo" (45:52)

Disc 4:
13. "Kidnap" (46:15)
14. "The Heiress" (46:33)
15. "Royal Wedding" (46:23)

Packaging for both volumes once again is a snap case holding the discs inside, similar to previous sets. Again the discs don't overlap each other, which is great. We have two plastic holders on both volumes. Discs one and two are in the first plastic holder, while discs three and four are in the second plastic holder. That little holder is cheap, but I guess it works. The cover art of the first volume has Blake surrounded by the women of the series (Amanda, Krystal, Alexis and Dominique) with the Dynasty logo below them. Volume two's cover art has Blake and the men in similar style. The color schemes are light blue for volume one and light red for volume two. The back of the case's on both volumes has synopsis of the show, the set, and technical information. We also have two episodic photos and a feature photo. The feature photo on volume one is Alexis & Dex and volume two has Amanda & Michael. Back inside the cases, there is a disc-by-disc breakdown on the left and right panel for every episode on this set. We get episode titles and a synopsis of each episode. It seems like they removed the original airdates for some reason...anyway, don't be reading it before watching the episode now! Artwork on the discs is just plain again. It is plain silver for each one. Dynasty logo and whatever disc number it is on the disc, and episode titles are listed. Disc-by-disc breakdown is available above in episode runtimes, but basically we either have 3 or 4 episodes on each disc. There is nothing different about the packaging here, except they expanded to 4 discs per volume instead of 3. It is always consistent.

And the consistency continues for the menus. CBS DVD is terrible in menus, as you all know. Each menu has different artwork but it is so plain again. The episodes are listed right on the main menu once again. Subtitles option is also available below the list of episodes, but it is only English this time and not Spanish. Main menu artwork has three shots of the same image. For volume one, disc 1's main menu has three shots of Blake & Krystal, disc two has three shots of Alexis, disc three has three shots of Blake & Krystal again and disc four has three shots of Blake. For volume two, disc 1's main menu has three shots of Dominique, disc two has three shots of Krystal, disc three has three shots of Amanda and disc four has three shots of Blake & Krystal. It is very similar to the previous sets. No theme music or any music in the background once again. Before the main menu on both disc one's, there is an option for previews...we get previews such as 90210 S1 DVD, CBS Home Entertainment series and Melrose Place S3 DVD...AGAIN. But you can skip to the main menu if you wish.

The video is on par with the previous season and it looks good. Just some debris here and there in the opening credits, like flashing black dots, but it is still good quality. It isn't in widescreen, obviously. The audio is decent, a nice sounding mono...that is crisp and clear. No problems here at all. It seems the video and audio get better as the seasons go on, which makes sense. There are 6 chapter stops each for every episode, counting the opening and closing credits stops. This is all consistent again from previous sets.

We get ONE special feature actually! The second season had a little family tree thing, which was something at least and the first season was done by 20th Century Fox, and they did a decent job with some featurettes and commentaries, but CBS DVD has done basically nothing...which is typical. But for the second volume of season five we get something archival! It is a clip from Entertainment Tonight in 1985 as Leeza Gibbons interviews guest star Rock Hudson and we also have Linda Evans talking about Rock. It only runs 2:04, but it is better than nothing. I wish they cleared more archival stuff like this. One is good, but not enough!

Season five is a wrap and all in one day and no waiting for months to continue! I highly do recommend any fan of the show to pick-up these two volumes, because the episodes are so good and addictive and you'll want to see the cliffhanger in the finale. That cliffhanger scene might be tame now, but it still gets you. I cannot stop watching whenever I put the DVD in. This is the mother of all primetime soaps (sorry never was big into Dallas, but the upcoming TNT series looks great)! If you have the first four seasons, then you have to get this to continue your collection of course because it wouldn't make sense if you didn't continue. If you haven't gotten those yet, what are you waiting for? It won't make sense buying these two volumes for your first buy of this series, as the episodes are heavily serialized and you'll be so lost. I hope CBS reconsiders and gives us the ENTIRE sixth season instead in one volume instead of splitting it up into two volumes, but they won't. At least both volumes for season five came out on one day. Still, I urge fans to buy it so we keep getting more sets. CBS DVD is at least consistent with their sets. They are very predictable as the sets are nearly identical to each other (it makes the reviews boring). But like I said last time (and the time before that), complain to CBS DVD for the lack of extras and splitting the seasons in half. We did get something extra on this set, so it's a start! Anyway, you're going to get glued in this fifth season and especially after the finale you'll be stunned. You don't have to travel to Moldavia to buy these two volumes, just click below and Blake will be pleased!

(4/5 stars)

To purchase Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volume 1, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

To purchase Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volume 2, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

To purchase Dynasty - The Fifth Season, Volumes 1 and 2 TOGETHER, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com


Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Dynasty on TV.com


LOOKING AHEAD

Come back next week, as we have animation reviews of The Smurfs - A Magical Smurf Adventure and Rocko's Modern Life - Season One. We've got busy weeks ahead for reviews, and we hope that you'll be here for all of them. Until then, keep it digital!

Yesterday we shared our interview with Joyce DeWitt, who is now starring in the off-Broadway comedy Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage. I went to see this play last Saturday and today I'll share some of my thoughts on this comedy that is hilarious, fun and has a lot of heart. Before I start, I'll give some historical facts. The play actually opened in this location (Sofia's Downstairs Theater on W. 46th Street in New York) in October and starred Eve Plumb as Miss Abigail and Manuel Herrera as her assistant Paco. Now as of last month (June 1), Joyce DeWitt and Mauricio Perez have taken over these roles (Mauricio previously played Paco when the play started in Tampa last year). The play is written by Ken Davenport & Sarah Saltzberg and directed about by Davenport.

Basically the story is about relationship expert Miss Abigail and her assistant Paco giving people out there advice on, as the title says, 'dating, mating & marriage.' The play runs a little less than 90 minutes (no intermission) and it will have you laughing off of your chair. You might even get to get up out of that chair and join DeWitt and Perez on the one-set stage, as the audience gets involved. The audience is involved because they are part of Miss Abigail's class. As you can tell, this comedy is not your average theater experience and it is a refreshing change. It mixes some improv as well since the audience gets to be involved and not everyone is the same, but both DeWitt and Perez are spot-on in this and they make it work. DeWitt told me she almost didn't take this role because of the improv: "I'm a classically trained theater actor, I'm not used to crossing that fourth wall. That was one of the many conversations that I had with the writer, director, producer of the show, Ken Davenport, because you know, it's not my comfort zone. I'm not naturally witty, John (Ritter) was naturally witty, Don (Knotts) was naturally, I'm not. I'm just kind of an actor. It's very new territory for me. I have no background in improv, I have no stand-up background, I'm a classic theater actor. So it took me a couple of weeks to get unscared about doing that, because I'm so used to doing a play." So, DeWitt is a quick-learner or just naturally good, because she was very sharp, witty and had a lot of heart doing the improv with the audience when anyone was called on to the stage.
Moving on, the audience went wild for Perez's one-liners and sharp wit. Even though it is a two-person act, it holds up very well and works with just these two. In the vein of famous duos like Penn & Teller, Lucy & Desi, or Batman & Robin, Miss Abigail & Paco work well with each other as well. Speaking of Batman, there is even a red phone that reminded me of the bat-phone from the '60s series, holy coolness Batman! DeWitt is very charming in this role and it makes you think of her character from Three's Company, as she still has the comedic skills, timing, and her trademark voice.

You even get to go home with some of Miss Abigail's advice that she gives in little cards that she has made for everyone so you don't forget what you have learned. What a teacher! Miss Abigail is a professional relationship expert and she has given advice to celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, who she talks to a lot on the phone. Miss Abigail goes through each stage (dating, mating & marriage) carefully and it is well-done with the help of Paco. Paco also has a secret crush on Miss Abigail, who is older than he is. Miss Abigail is a widow, as her husband Robert passed away, so it is ironic that Miss Abigail can't learn from her own teachings what Paco really thinks. It is sweet and you'll want to know what happens.



It really is a fun experience and if you're in the New York City area, you'll definitely want to check this one out because it is comedy gold with a lot of heart. If you like Three's Company, then you'll like this because it has pure laughter and a lot of heart. You'll be invested in these two characters. Whether you're dating, married, or even single, this comedy is for everyone, because you truly do learn from her and you'll also laugh your pants off while doing it. It's simple, fun, and worth every penny and minute of your time. Go out and buy tickets today and if you still haven't entered our contest, you can win two free tickets to see the show...but the deadline is tonight at 11:59pm ET, so hurry!


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of July 18-22, 2011, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, July 18, 2011

• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Watch Neil on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) - Roseanne drops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings and later on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jenna Fischer (Tavis Smiley) - Jenna stops by Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jenny McCarthy (Jenny/The Bad Girl's Guide) - Jenny appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

• Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve stops by The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jenna Fischer (The Office) - Catch Jenna on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Seth Green (Four Kings/Greg the Bunny) - Watch Seth on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory/Blossom) - Mayim visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven (Entourage) - They talk about their show Entourage on NBC's Today between 7-9am ET/PT.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Watch Jeremy on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• John Stamos (Full House/Jake in Progress) - John is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg/Courting Alex/Accidentally on Purpose) - Jenna appears on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Breckin Meyer (Inside Schwartz/Married to the Kellys) - Breckin stops by the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve continues to make the rounds on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• John Goodman (Roseanne) - John chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Jerry O'Connell (My Secret Identity/Carpoolers/Do Not Disturb) - Catch Jerry on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) - Roseanne drops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan appears on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Tune in to see Brooke on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Friday, July 22, 2011

• John Goodman (Roseanne) - Catch John on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Kevin Connolly (Entourage/Unhappily Ever After) - Watch Kevin on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy visits LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly/Drake & Josh) - Tune in to see Miranda on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds) - Kevin appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

We have another very exciting interview for you today. We have an extensive interview with classic TV star Joyce DeWitt (Janet from Three's Company) about her brilliant career and with roles ranging of course from Three's Company to her new off-Broadway play Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage. I went to see the play last Saturday and got to meet Joyce and both her and the play were great (I'll give my thoughts on the play tomorrow, so come on back for that!)!
We get answers to various questions that you will all want to know about, including how she got her start in theater, the gift of being an actor, details on her new off-Broadway play, a possible Three's Company off-Broadway play and if how she would do Dancing with the Stars if they asked! As always with all of our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form. So let's first tell you a little bit about Joyce DeWitt (as if you didn't know!).



Joyce DeWitt is most widely known to generations of audiences for her starring role as Janet Wood in the ABC Television hit series Three's Company, which ran from 1977-84. She also has an extensive background in the theater, working both as actress and director in a stage career which spans over forty years. Miss DeWitt has starred in numerous theatrical productions including most recently the Canadian premieres of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner With Friends and Alfred Uhry's Tony Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Other recent stage performances include the North American premiere of the Australian comedy Daylight Savings, the British farce Noises Off, the revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, and the Broadway musical Olympus on My Mind, for which she completed the cast recording - her first record album. She now stars in the hilarious new off-Broadway play Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage.
Her television credits include singing and dancing in numerous specials having had the pleasure of appearing with such wonderful talents as Greer Garson, Ann Miller, Perry Como, Bill Cosby, Anne Murray, Tony Randall, Rich Little, Cheryl Ladd, John Ritter, and Steve Martin. She has also made numerous guest-starring appearances on popular television programs including Baretta, The Love Boat, The Osmonds, Hope Island, Cybill, Twitch City, and Living Single, as well as starring in the television movies With This Ring and Spring Fling!
Miss DeWitt holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Ball State University and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from UCLA where she was awarded the Master of Fine Arts Fellowship as well as the Clifton Webb Scholarship.
Having had the good fortune to work with such wonderful human beings as Valerie Harper and Dennis Weaver, whose dedication to ending hunger and homelessness in our world and support of environmental issues is boundless, Miss DeWitt participated with members of the House and Senate at the Capitol Hill Forum on Hunger and Homelessness and has hosted presentations for the Family Assistance Program of Hollywood. She is most grateful for having been allowed the privilege of hosting the International Awards Ceremony at the White House for the Presidential End Hunger Awards, as well as co-hosting, with Jeff Bridges, the World Food Day Gala at the Kennedy Center.



"Seven Questions with Joyce DeWitt"

SitcomsOnline: This is truly an honor to meet you and I even get to interview you on our first meeting. This is a dream come true, as Three's Company is my favorite show of all-time! I just finished interviewing Richard Kline earlier this week, so I'm on cloud nine right now. Anyway, you were cast in the second pilot of Three's Company and the rest of course is TV history. What were some of your most memorable experiences on the show (on or off camera)? And is there a storyline you would have liked to do that wasn't done?
Joyce DeWitt: You know honey, every time we did the show, you know there are always complications in life and people have their personal issues and whatever, but every time we did that show, curtain up, light the lights, audience in, here we go, and it was never anything but pure ecstasy. And so the most memorable moments would be every time we did that show for a live audience. Because we were playing as hard as we could possibly could to share joy and silliness and fun with the audience and we were lucky most of the time that played out. So my most memorable moments probably were every single time we did the show. We had great writing, marvelous staff, an incredible crew, we were so lucky, you know that whole process of having a "hit show" has not just to do with the actors playing these characters but everyone works all week to put together an episode, week after week and we had an extraordinary crew at CBS Television City, even though we were an ABC show, and we had amazing writers, fabulous producers, great costumers. We were just blessed being surrounded by an extraordinary support system and they were all professionals who were doing their jobs as well as we were trying to do ours and it ended up being a good thing, it ended up people had a good time with us. John used to say, we were not trying to make somebody laugh, we're trying to make someone laugh so hard they fall off their couch laughing. And we were willing (laughs) to do anything silly and ridiculous in an attempt to get that to happen (laughs).

In terms of storylines with the show, I think we would have enjoyed going to the (Janet's) flower shop more often. I think it would have been fun to go to Larry's used car lot where Richard Kline could show his lairs. I loved that we got to go to the hospital where Terri worked several times. I think those stories involving the character's individual personal lives we could have explored more and that would have been fun, but I have no complaints about what we did because what we did was such fun and we had such a good time doing it.

SitcomsOnline: We all miss John Ritter so much. I still regret to this day not ever meeting him and regret not getting a chance to see him on Broadway in 2000. Everyone knows John was very nice and a very funny man. Can you tell us something about John that we don't know about from your days working with him on Three's Company or even after the series ended? I wish you got to work with him on his last show 8 Simple Rules, as it would have been fun to see you reunited with him!
Joyce DeWitt: I suppose that, I mean we all know that he was so creative and so funny, and truly Pavan, there were days you'd go home from work at the end of the rehearsal day and your face would hurt from laughing because John would just break you up constantly and so we all know what a great talent he was. And how much his heart was to create joy and also thanks to Sling Blade and other films we got to see his talent ranged the full gamut and I'm grateful that we had the opportunity for that to be known before he went up to heaven. He was a great brother; he was a really caring, committed and dedicated dad, and maybe people don't know that about him. He had, like everyone has, a serious side and a playful side. John was someone that really, really cared about everyone feeling comfortable and feeling safe in the environment and so whenever we would do huge fundraisers or whatever, he would spend most of his energy making sure everyone was feeling comfortable, and OK, and having a good time, that was so much a part of who he was as a human being not just who he was as a performer. But he was truly a good guy and a really, really good heart.

Yes, he and I were in conversations about my doing a guest spot on 8 Simple Rules and in fact they had sent me a script and they had wanted us to play Janet and Jack and do this episode, and I said, "John, you know, it just doesn't feel right, I mean the idea seems really cool but it doesn't feel right, I don't quite know what to say about that." And eventually the wonderful writers of 8 Simple Rules sat down, and reconsidered it and the episode that came out was that his children on the show ended up playing our characters, as he like falls asleep and has a dream and here are his children playing the Three's Company people and it was such a wonderful episode, and the writers were so terrific when they saw both John and I were a little hesitant about the material they had suggested, they went back to the drawing board and came up with a WONDERFUL, wonderful episode, so that was really cool and we were you know in fact talking about, 'what else, how else can we bring you in?' Am I going to be like your sister that comes to visit or whatever but unfortunately time ran out and we didn't get to do it, but we were definitely you know talking about it, but the original episode that I would have been in turned out to be so much better that I wasn't in it because it was such a wonderful--the kids, the young co-stars on the show, they played the characters so well, so it turned out quite beautifully.

SitcomsOnline: You have done a number of theater work in your career from the '70s to today from plays in Canada to Broadway, what is it about theater that draws you? How long do you plan on doing this wonderful and funny play (Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage) here in New York? We all know "real actors" come from a theater background, and you certainly have that!
Joyce DeWitt: Oh honey thanks, well I actually started on stage when I was 13 and I had plan to go to New York and I never even thought about going to Hollywood. I did a summer stock season in Chicago right after I finished my undergraduate (degree). A guest director for that summer season was one of the senior professors at UCLA Department of Theater and he was just relentless the entire summer that I needed to go out to California and I should do the MFA program at UCLA and was like you know the little energizer bunny that never stopped feeling, well he never stopped talking, and so he spengolyed me to go to California instead of going to New York, so I finally relented and said 'I'll go for quarter (because UCLA is in the quarter system, not semester system), OK fine...', you know and life unfolded and within a couple of years there was Three's Company and I had this MFA and life just unfolded. It's kind of like, your life will lead you, if you don't try to figure it out too much and you just kind of follow your heart and that's what happened, I ended up in Hollywood, I was never going there (laughs). And I got very lucky; I got very lucky indeed (laughs).

Aw honey, thank you for saying the play is wonderful. It truly is a wonderful piece of writing and it has the same spirit as Three's Company, which is that we're just trying to be silly and fun and make people laugh and every once in a while we might say something that touches your heart or moves you, your into that place of heart-felt human being and I love that sort of material and it is SO well written. I mean Ken Davenport and Sarah Saltzberg they really wrote such a FINE piece of material, so it is a joy ride just to do it. And I'm here until the end of September and the play closes on October 2 and then they're going to do Godspell, so we're here for a while (laughs).



SitcomsOnline: How did you come to know about Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage and what made you take this role? It certainly was a good decision, as the play has gotten great reviews and exposure! You even got to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ a few weeks ago! How was that like?
Joyce DeWitt: They sought me out. The producers, the director, and writers came looking for me and asked if I would step-in when Eve Plumb was leaving and I flew in and saw it and Eve was wonderful in the role, I really had to think about it, I didn't know if I could hold up what she had done. I guess she was very wonderful in the role and then we had conversations about transitioning the show in terms of how I would play Miss Abigail and eventually we all sort of agreed, 'OK we're going to do a lighter, more playful version,' and so we all jumped in the pool of the deep end together (laughs)!

Well that (ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ) was amazing! When they bring someone in to do that, they make a very large event out of it, I mean huge, huge event, different people speaking and it's like wow-fie (laughs), it was like cool and a tiny bit nerve wrecking. I had this wonderful woman that was giving signals off-camera because you have to ring that bell at exactly the right moment for it all to be legal, so it was very exciting and I would've never imagined that I was going to end up at NASDAQ, that was quite surprising (laughs)! I was delighted to be invited and I like stunned that they would even think of me. We had a very wonderful experience that day and really sweet people but it was really large and I was expecting I was going to walk in and ring a bell and leave. But it was an EVENT, so it was very fun, very fun indeed.

SitcomsOnline: James Franco did a short film on Three's Company for the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and Richard Kline went to screen it and loved it. There is talk that Franco could develop a feature film or even a Broadway play on Three's Company. Richard told me he would work with James Franco in a heartbeat. If a film does happen, would you take part in it? It would be a fan's dream come true to see a film, as it doesn't look like a reunion retrospective will ever happen, since we lost John, Don, the Ropers and you know Suzanne being Suzanne.
Joyce DeWitt: Yeah a reunion without John you know that is pretty impossible and most of our partners in crime or whatever (laughs) are you know up there entertaining angels now, so that pretty much can't happen. Actually the owner of Three's Company, Don Taffner--DLT Entertainment, Don & Eleanor Taffner, great friends and beautiful human beings, and the most spectacular people you would hope to know, they're the ones who bought the rights from the British series, Man About the House, to create an American television show, and DLT is actually in the process of preparing an off-Broadway play and I read the first draft of it and it is awfully good. So they probably will do the Broadway thing on their own. I was invited to come to Sundance when James' film was screened, but I was doing a play in Toronto so I obviously couldn't fly in for the night. So I haven't seen it but I don't know what he exactly did with that or what his intentions are but he's such a talented, wonderful, young professional that I'm sure if he decided to do something, it would probably be pretty wonderful. But I didn't see him or I don't know him but I do know his work, and as an actor I enjoy his work enormously, I think he's very talented. But I didn't get to see the film so I can't tell you what he did, I can't comment on that. If Richard said he loved it, I'm sure it was excellent. Absolutely.

SitcomsOnline: You took about seven years off from acting after Three's Company ended. When you came back to acting you did some guest roles on sitcoms like Living Single and Cybill, along with TV movies like Spring Fling for ABC, and independent movies. How was it like coming back after all those years away from acting? Was it tougher than you thought it would be? (Fun fact: I know one of your first acting jobs after you returned in 1991 was the play Noises Off. Did you know, John Ritter starred in the feature film a year later?)
Joyce DeWitt: Actually I took about 15. Oh gosh, no, you know I was very little when I knew that the work in my life would be out of an actor and the first time in my life I stepped away from that intense commitment was after Three's Company. I was going to take 6 months off to kind of decompress (I can't think of the right word), chill and rest but I was drawn quite naturally as my life has unfolded always into the next moment and the next moment was I started traveling the world and studying the great religions of the world and working with different spiritual teachers around the world and that became all-consuming very precious, opportunity, a very sort of spiritual odyssey, an inner-quest, and thanks to Three's Company I had the money in the bank to do be able to do that. When I left it was time to go back out to the world again, my business manager said, "thank you, there is nothing left to sell" (laughs). I was pursing what I in retrospect I call, "The Art of Being Human," you know where not born with an instruction manual and all human beings I think are doing their best to be the best human being they can. But they don't have a guidebook for that, so I was looking and studying and learning about that process and about how you know what is our responsibility one to the other, what is our responsibility to planet Earth, to the universe, to this place that we live in, to our fellow man, if we indeed have one, and if we have one, what is that, until I was looking for an understanding of the bigger picture of an individual life. People have asked me to write a book for so long and in my head I think to myself, 'well if I ever did the title would probably be The Art of Being Human and How the Heck Do We Figure That One Out' (laughs). That's kind of the working title (laughs). But going back to work there were occasions like Living Single, where they would you know call me or call my agent and ask me to come in and do this, so I would sort of go out of my hermitry into Hollywood on occasions, for the most part I would only leave it to and go do theater, because that was my home. But on occasions, like with Living Single, it was pretty extraordinary the day I walked in there, you know she was so amazing, she like got up and bowed down. And I was like, 'Holy God Queen Latifah, are you kidding?' (laughs). And I have watched her career evolved, my goodness...oh my god, so much talent and the beauty of watching her keep moving through each step of her life and sharing with the audience, and evolving herself as a performer, I'm quite a fan. And the day that I walked into rehearsal hall, to start rehearsing that show, the way in which she greeted me, I tell you I definitely started crying, I was like 'oh my god, you even know that Queen Latifah would even know who I was?' (laughs) So it was pretty darn cute...very sweet. And I have had many experiences like that, where there were people that I have admired greatly and I had no idea they'd even know who I was and there it was. They were very unexpected. I was actually on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry one night, not expecting to, I mean I thought they were just inviting me to come. I was doing a play in Nashville and so I went, and it was the night that the Grand Ole Opry that was live and all of a sudden I got out of the car, I went through hallways and they took me in and I ended up backstage, I was like 'oh, my goodness.' And then the amazing Miss Judd comes stepping out of her dressing and the two of us are like face-to-face, and I'm like 'oh my God,' and she's like 'oh my God,' and we're like 'oh my God' (laughs). And if you think about this, that Wynona Judd would even know who I was, hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm the same with Frank Sinatra, I mean Princess Grace, I mean I've had opportunities where I was just like kind of walking along as a walking actor and these amazing people that I respected and admired, their work, how they lived, and what their lives are about, um I was shocked that they were getting to meet me. So I've had a very blessed life, things that you could never expect coming from getting to have great joy of doing a sitcom in the '70s and '80s. Who would have thunk it (laughs)? Anytime an actor is giving an opportunity to do something that creates joy, causes laughter, it's a gift, you are fortunate as an actor to be given that role and if you do something that does that, and then 35 years later it is still doing it, you just kind of go, "Thank you, thank you" (laughs). So very lucky.



SitcomsOnline: Finally, I asked Richard Kline this as well, but do you see yourself returning to sitcoms as a series regular or perhaps even doing Dancing with the Stars? We need to see Joyce DeWitt back on our TV screens every week again, whether it is a sitcom or hitting the ballroom! Don't worry that creep dance instructor Michael, from episode 107 ("All That Jazz") of Three's Company, must have long retired so he won't be hitting on Janet again! So you can come and dance on ABC's floor!
Joyce DeWitt: Aw Pavan that is so sweet, thank you! You know I'm so happy to be doing my work, and you know I took such a long hiatus and so grateful that opportunities are coming to me indeed, we have looked at any number of series over the last many years, if one is presented and they would invite me to come to it that I felt like I could make a contribution that would be a value to the show and a value to the audience who watch it, I would do it in a heartbeat. For me when I look at a piece of material, one thing that I want to know is, 'what is the gift? What is that we are giving the audience?' When we end the episode and they turn the channel, or when we send them out from the movie theater with their, you know, buttered fingers (laughs), or when we send them out of the theater, what is that we have given to them, what is that we have said from my heart to your heart I send you with it...and sometimes that's just that we all celebrate in joy, and it's a good time and pure entertainment, and sometimes it's that we you know talk about an issue that matters and we want cause each other to think about something, there are all different reasons to be in the theater, to have the opportunity to share in the performance modality with an audience. But for me the first question, and the only question, before I get deeper into can I serve the piece is, 'what's the gift? What are we giving?' And then the next thing I have to know is whether or not the role that I'm being asked to play--and quite often I've said, 'you know what, I should play this role instead. I can serve this play better, if you let me do this.' For most of the time, that has occurred, I've moved over to a supportive role as opposed to the central role because I knew that the piece of the puzzle that I could put in, would support the whole and that I believed in what the whole of the piece was trying to say. You know if you ask people to sit down and be quiet, turn out the lights, and look at the other end of the room where there's lights on, you best have something of value to give to them, I think. Whatever your sense of value is, from my perspective, that's where the choice is made. If I can join this circumstance, it has to be because I know we're going to share something of value that I believe that my heart would want to share with your heart. And I'm happier when that is about joy, and every once in a while a little bit of wisdom slips in there, and every once in a while one's heart gets touched deeply, and that's what this play does here, Miss Abigail does that, we just go out there and make them laugh and laugh and laugh and touch their heart on occasion and that's the same thing Three's Company did. That's my favorite kind of material. I'm a very fortunate actress who is given an opportunity many times to do that, very fortunate actress. Very lucky that's for sure.

(As for Dancing with the Stars) Well I'm pretty old (laughs). That's a lot of work. If they would invite me to do it, and I thought I had the stamina, I would jump in. I mean, it's such a spectacular show; it's ridiculous that they would even bother with me. But yes, if I were invited to do it, I would definitely jump in there because music and dance, there such beautiful expressions of the human heart and the human soul and when they're performed for an audience, the audience get to have that experience. So oh, absolutely, it would able a joy and a pleasure (laughs), an unexpected one, I doubt they would come looking for me. But yeah it would be a joy and pleasure...you never know (laughs).


Our sincere thanks to Joyce DeWitt. We are VERY grateful she gave a lot of her time just for us! We wish her continued success on the excellent off-Broadway play Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage. For more information on Joyce DeWitt, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view the official website for Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage. And if you're in the NYC area, you can win two free tickets to the show by entering our Facebook contest. Hurry, time is running out!
Stay tuned tomorrow for a recap of what I thought of Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage and maybe some more quotes from Joyce! She even gave us more details on how she was worried about doing the improv bits in this new play, as there is a lot of interaction between the audience and the cast, and some other items as well. Anyway, stay tuned right here on the blog for continued news and updates for Joyce and everything Three's Company and Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage! She is truly a wonderful human being, so please go out and watch her play and meet her!


Back to some news, The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations were made earlier this morning. Here are the nominees for the main categories:

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Glee (Fox)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
The Office (ABC)
Modern Family (ABC)
30 Rock (NBC)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Community was deserving in this very competitive category.

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Charlie Sheen wasn't nominated this year because he didn't submit his name.

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Laura Linney, The Big C (Showtime)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope (Fox)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: No Toni Collette, Lea Michele, Courteney Cox or Patricia Heaton. Melissa McCarthy and Martha Plimpton receive their first Emmy nominations.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Chris Colfer, Glee (Fox)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family (ABC)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family) (ABC)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: No Neil Patrick Harris this year. Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation could have also been nominated. Ed O'Neill receives his first Emmy nomination.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland (TV Land)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock (NBC)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Busy Philipps from Cougar Town wasn't nominated.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Mad Men (ABC)
Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)
Dexter (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: True Blood was a surprise last year, but it wasn't nominated this time. The Killing and Justified were left out.

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
Timothy Olyphant, Justified (FX)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Some were surprised when Ray Romano from Men of a Certain Age wasn't nominated last year and he was left out again this time.

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Mireille Enos, The Killing (AMC)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law (NBC)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Kyra Sedgwick had been nominated for each year of The Closer.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
John Slattery, Mad Men (AMC)
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
Walton Goggins, Justified (FX)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife (CBS)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: No real surprises here.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Christine Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Michelle Forbes, The Killing (AMC)
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife (CBS)
Margo Martindale, Justified (FX)
Christine Baranski,The Good Wife (CBS)
SURPRISE OMISSIONS: Surprised to not see Sara Ramirez from Grey's Anatomy or KaDee Strickland from Private Practice. Both were very deserving.

View the full list of nominations. The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs LIVE Sunday, September 18 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on Fox.

ABC Family's hit original comedy Melissa & Joey, starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, has been picked up for a second season! The series, currently completing its first season of 30 episodes with 18 all-new episodes throughout this summer and fall, will return for its 2nd season in 2012. We will let you know as soon as know how many episodes will air in season two. Maybe it will be 30 like season one?
Melissa & Joey, premiering Wednesday nights at 8:00PM ET/PT, is a half-hour multi-cam comedy executive-produced by Bob Young & David Kendall, Paula Hart, Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. As part of ABC Family's new original one-hour comedy block, the network launched its half-hour sitcom, State of Georgia, starring Raven-Symoné, Majandra Delfino and Loretta Devine, on Wednesday nights at 8:30PM ET/PT.
Melissa & Joey launched in summer 2010 as ABC Family's No. 1 comedy debut ever in Total Viewers, Viewers 12-34 and across Key 18-34 and 18-49 demos. The season 1B summer premiere on June 29 delivered the series' No. 2 telecast of all time in Teens 12-17, ranked as Wednesday's No. 1 telecast in Prime in Females 12-34, and was the No. 1 cable telecast in its time period in Adults 18-34, Women 18-34, Women 18-49 and Females 12-34. The 1B debut outperformed its season 1A fall finale across the board, including by 18% in Adults 18-34, by 29% in Women 18-34, by 18% in Women 18-49, by 23% in Viewers 12-34 and by 44% in Females 12-34. Moreover, Melissa & Joey doubled and tripled year-ago time period averages among key demos.
In week two of the summer season it did 1.08 million total viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, which lead into week two of State of Georgia, which did 807,000 total viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating.

TV Land's original sitcom Happily Divorced is a huge success for the network! Fran Drescher, John Michael Higgins, Rita Moreno, Tichina Arnold, Valente Rodriguez and the entire cast continue to draw millions of viewers to TV Land every week. According to Nielsen, Happily Divorced is attracting 2.3 million total viewers and is averaging a 1.0 rating among A25-54 and a 1.3 rating among W25-54 season-to-date, posting triple digit gains over the network's primetime average. In week four of the season, Happily Divorced scored its best ratings yet among A25-54 and W25-54. Episode four averaged 1.82 million total viewers, coming out of 2.25 million from its leas-in, holding a good chuck of its lead-in's ratings.
Happily Divorced airs on Wednesday nights at 10:30pm ET/PT immediately following new episodes of Hot in Cleveland. Inspired by Fran Drescher's own life, Happily Divorced is filmed in front of a live studio audience and follows Los Angeles florist Fran (Drescher) whose 18-year marriage ends suddenly when her husband (Higgins) announces he's gay. And if that weren't enough, he can't afford to move out. They figured out how to be Happily Divorced, but her being single and his being gay, while living under one roof, is a whole other story. The series also features Fran's best friend Judi (Arnold), her parents Dori and Glen (Moreno and Robert Walden) and her flower delivery employee Cesar (Valente Rodriguez).

FamilyNet is bringing back Lou Grant to their schedule! Lou Grant was a spinoff from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and premiered on CBS 1977, but unlike The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was a 30-minute sitcom, Lou Grant was a one-hour drama. It lasted 5 seasons with 114 episodes. The classic Ed Asner series was removed from the line-up this past fall for The Big Valley, but starting in August, Lou Grant is back and The Big Valley is gone.
Lou Grant will air Mon-Thurs at 7pm & 8pm ET (4pm & 5pm PT) starting Monday, August 8, 2011 following back-to-back Lost in Space, which remains in its time slots.
Could more series be coming in the fall on FamilyNet? You'll have to stay with us and find out when we do our annual fall schedules for cable networks!

TNT has given the greenlight to Dallas, an all-new series based upon one of the most popular television dramas of all time, about the bitter rivalries and family power struggles within a Texas oil and cattle-ranching dynasty. Famous for its ratings-grabbing cliffhangers, the original series was known for its wealth, seduction, scandal and intrigues. Set in the big state of Texas, TNT's new Dallas - from Warner Horizon Television - also lives life large and in the fast lane and brings a new generation of stars together with cast members from the original drama series.
The new Dallas stars Josh Henderson (90210, Desperate Housewives), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives, John Tucker Must Die), Jordana Brewster (Fast & Furious), Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone, Veronica Mars) and Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives), and they will be joined by iconic stars from the original series Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing.
TNT has ordered 10 episodes of Dallas, which is slated to premiere in summer 2012. TNT will give viewers their first look at the new Dallas TONIGHT with a special sneak peek during the season premieres of the network's Monday series The Closer, which starts at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), and Rizzoli & Isles , which airs at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). TNT also has unveilied a website dedicated to the new Dallas series, where fans can view an online photo gallery that features a first look into the show's new and returning cast. Fans can visit the new site, http://www.dallastnt.com, to watch sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes videos. The website will be periodically updated with new materials.
The original Dallas aired from 1978 to 1991 and centered on the Ewing family, a cattle and oil dynasty occupying the expansive Southfork Ranch in Texas. A long and bitter rivalry between brothers J.R. Ewing (Hagman) and Bobby Ewing (Duffy) eventually led to J.R. losing control of most of the Ewing industries. In the new Dallas, this explosive rivalry now lives on through another generation, with the future of the family fortune in the hands of the Ewing offspring: cousins John Ross Ewing (Henderson), the son of J.R. and ex-wife Sue Ellen (Gray), and Christopher Ewing (Metcalfe), the adopted son of Bobby. Brewster stars as Elena, who is involved in a love triangle with Christopher and John Ross. Gonzalo stars as Christopher's fiance, Rebecca. And Strong stars as Ann, Bobby's wife.

Summer has started so we will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of June 27-July 3)

• American Dad! (Fox) - Final ratings for this night aren't available due to the holiday weekend. A repeat at 7pm did a prelim 1.48 million and a prelim 0.6 18-49 rating, which was very poor and but basically on par with previous week.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat at 8pm did a prelim 2.39 million and a prelim 1.1 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. Pretty low, but it was 4th of July weekend.
  
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30pm did just a prelim 1.61 million and a prelim 0.6 18-49 rating, on par really from previous week but still the loser of the block again because it cannot build from the 7pm lead-in.
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 2.53 million and a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating, the best of the block again but down from previous week. A second repeat aired at 9:30pm and did a prelim 2.61 million and a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating, basically the same as the first repeat.
  
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 8:30pm did a prelim 2.13 million and a prelim 1.0 18-49 rating, down from previous week.

Summer Week 6 (July 4-10)

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 2 airings - 2.91 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating for a repeat in its normal slot on 4th of July was on obviously lower than the previous week. A repeat at 8:30pm did 3.1 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down week-to-week.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 4.26 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating for a repeat is down from previous week, due to the 4th of July.
  
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - 4.39 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating for a repeat, down from previous week like the previous 3 half-hours.Weird seeing a 1.1 being the highest of this block, even in repeats on 4th of July.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Raising Hope (Fox) - preempted.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) 2 airings - A repeat at 8pm did 4.16 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. The 8:30pm repeat did a similar 3.86 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
• Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did a below normal 3.87 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week.
  
• Happy Endings (ABC) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 2.44 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down a tad week-to-week, but not bad considering the lead-in was lower than normal.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat did 6.79 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, which was up from previous week.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy followed at 8:30pm with 5.16 million and 1.4 18-49 rating, which is its best showing in weeks.
  
• Community (NBC) - A repeat only did 2.03 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, which is not good at all but on par with previous week.
• Parks & Recreation (NBC) - A repeat in its new 8:30pm slot did only 2.13 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but up a lick from 30 Rock the previous week.
  
• The Office (NBC) - A repeat at 9pm did 2.37 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, best of the low rated block and on par with previous week.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - A repeat in its new 9:30pm slot didn't do well, doing 1.96 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, lower than Parks & Recreation the previous week and basically all summer.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's animated comedies from 7-10pm.

Summing it up. Repeats of The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement, and that's about it, were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Modern Family, The Middle) or just plain old terrible (such as the very low NBC Thursday repeats especially, 30 Rock).

Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable this summer, with the great Hot in Cleveland on Wednesdays at 10pm followed by week five of the decent and getting funnier Happily Divorced starring Fran Drescher this Wednesday at 10:30pm only on TV Land. Also catch the new Comedy Wednesday on ABC Family with the funny Melissa & Joey at 8pm followed by week three of new comedy State of Georgia starring Raven Symone at 8:30pm! Loretta Devine is very sassy in this series! Also of course House of Payne and Meet the Browns are on TBS Wednesdays. New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer repeat blues! Watch them!

[Source: Nielsen NTI Ratings. View Travis Yanan's Ratings Website].