Monday, September 04, 2006
FOX Sitcom Pilot Reviews: 'Til Death and Happy Hour - Premiere September 7th
We are proud to present reviews of the new fall sitcom pilots for the second consecutive season. There will be 8 new sitcoms premiering in September and October. There looks to be a number of promising sitcoms this fall, such as The Class, 30 Rock, The Knights of Prosperity, and Help Me Help You. Hopefully we'll see a number of big hits, as we've hit a bit of a dry spell in recent years. It would also be nice if some of last season's new sitcom hits (How I Met Your Mother, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures of Old Christine) don't suffer any sophomore slumps. Look for our other pilot reviews in the upcoming weeks, as we get closer to their premiere dates. We'll also bring you reviews of the mid-season sitcoms, when they are announced at a later date.
'Til Death - Thursdays at 8:00PM ET/PT on FOX
Premieres September 7th at 8:00PM ET/PT
'TIL DEATH is a comedy about middle-aged EDDIE (Brad Garrett, "Everybody Loves Raymond") and JOY STAMM (Joely Fisher, "Desperate Housewives"), who are on day 8,743 of their marriage and have the battle scars to prove it. Their new next-door neighbors are young newlyweds STEPH (Kat Foster, "Law & Order") and JEFF WOODCOCK (Eddie Kaye Thomas, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") - idealistic, passionate, adorable and married for all of 12 days. It's a show about new marriage versus old marriage, about keeping the romance alive - or at least staying together so you have someone to drive you to the hospital for your operations. Eddie is a cynical realist who considers himself an expert on most topics. A high school history teacher, he's learned well the lessons of history and applies the basic principles to his marriage: all fights are about power, land and resources - and women love to kill fun. A veteran of the marriage wars, Eddie freely gives his advice to the younger, idealistic Jeff, who's the new Vice Principal at Eddie's school. Of course, Eddie's little secret all along is that he loves Joy more than anything. And however brash and sardonic Joy herself appears, she loves Eddie right back.
Cast: Brad Garrett as Eddie Stamm, Joely Fisher as Joy Stamm, Eddie Kaye Thomas as Jeff Woodcock, Kat Foster as Steph Woodcock
Read our review of the pilot episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday on our message board.
Related Links:
Happy Hour - Thursdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on FOX
Premieres September 7th at 8:30PM ET/PT
Straight arrow HENRY BECKMAN (John Sloan, "The OH in Ohio") had it all: a great job, a perfect girlfriend and a sweet apartment. He was a big fish in the small pond of Amsterdam, Missouri. And then he let HEATHER (Brooke D'Orsay, "King's Ransom") talk him into moving to Chicago to work in her family business, where it all went wrong. In the space of one morning, Henry gets dumped by Heather, learns he can no longer work for Heather's uncle, and gets kicked out of their apartment. It's in this vulnerable state that he meets his new roommate, a vain, flashy, loveable rogue named LARRY CONE (Lex Medlin, "Still Standing"). Larry is a modern-day Dean Martin who is looking for a new protg to teach the wisdom of staying single and enjoying the good life. Larry's last roommate and best friend, BRAD (Nat Faxon, "Joey"), has gotten engaged to the shrew TINA (Jamie Denbo, "Must Love Dogs"), a cold and controlling fiance who's immune to Larry's considerable charm. Under Larry's tutelage, Henry begins to rebuild his life and goes to work for Larry's childhood friend AMANDA (Beth Lacke, "The Rest of Your Life"), a beautiful mess who's unsuccessfully trying to emulate her perfect ideal of womanhood, Kelly Ripa. Will Henry manage to hold onto his traditional values and remain a hopeless romantic? Or will Larry indeed "build a better Brad"?
Cast: John Sloan as Henry Beckman, Lex Medlin as Larry Cone, Nat Faxon as Brad Cooper, Jamie Denbo as Tina DiFabio, Beth Lacke as Beth Pennington, Brooke D’Orsay as Heather Hanson
Read our review of the pilot episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday on our message board.
Related Links:
Sunday, September 03, 2006
In2TV Month Six Episodes for Sitcoms
It's time to change some episodes for In2TV! The way it works is that they'll have 10 total episodes available each month. Every month, 5 of the 10 will be replaced with new 5 new episodes--so make sure you watch the 10 episodes each month, because you never know which 5 episodes they will replace the following month. This month they will be adding Gilligan's Island, Kirk, Police Academy: The Series, The D.A., The Office (1995) and Real Gilligan's Island. They are also adding two Godzilla movies: King of Monsters and Godzilla Raides Again. And Head of the Class returns after a few months off. Sadly, no new episode for Chico and the Man this month, though. More info on that below.
Here are the list of the 5 new episodes for each sitcom for the sixth month, which will be launching very soon on In2TV:
Perfect Strangers Month 6 Episodes
#65 "Blind Alley" 23:36
#67 "Prose and Cons" 23:36
#68 "Car Wars" 23:36
#111 "Little Apartment of Horrors" 23:35
#116 "Out of Sync" 23:36
En Espanol: "Ten Speed and a Soft Touch," "Beautiful Dreamer," "Snow Way to Treat s Lady, Part 1"
Welcome Back, Kotter Month 6 Episodes
#65 "There's No Business Like Show Business Part 1" 25:11
#66 "There's No Business Like Show Business Part 2" 25:11
#70 "The Kiss" 25:09
#73 "The Drop-Ins, Part 1" 25:45
#74 "The Drop-Ins, Part 2" 25:39
Growing Pains Month 6 Episodes
#33 "Choices" 24:05
#34 "Higher Education" 24:05
#77 "Nude Photo" 24:22
#81 "In Carol We Trust" 23:31
En Espanol: "The Anniversary That Never Was," "Slice of Life II," "Extra Lap"
Chico and the Man Month 6 Episodes
No new episodes this month.
Hangin' With Mr. Cooper Month 6 Episodes
#93 "The Spa" 21:46
#95 "One on One" 21:58
#97 "The Argument" 21:57
#98 "Lifesaver" 21:37
#99 "The Idol" 21:47
En Espanol: "True Romance," "Clothes Make the Man," "My Achy Breaky Back"
Alice Month 6 Episodes
#23 "The Bundle" 25:08
#24 "Mel's Happy Burger" 25:35
#25 "The Second Time Around" 25:24
#59 "A Slight Case of ESP" 23:56
#64 "Tommy's First Love"" 24:11
#136 "Give My Regrets to Broadway" 24:35
#172 "The Robot that Wore Pink" 24:39
F Troop Month 6 Episodes
#18 "Wrong Starr and the Lady in Black" 25:33
#19 "El Diablo" 25:21
#20 "Go for Broke" 25:32
#48 "The Return of Wrong Starr" 25:25
#49 "Survival of the Fittest" 25:23
Head of the Class Month 6 Episodes
#24 "The Write Stuff" 24:25
#25 "The Big Squeeze" 21:40
#27 "Trouble in Perfectville" 24:26
#28 "Coach Charlie" 24:32
#31 "Psyched Out at Fillmore" 24:33
The Jamie Foxx Show Month 6 Episodes
#40 "It's All Good, Fellas" 22:33
#42 "The After School Special" 22:44
#43 "I'm Too Sexy for This Shot" 22:37
#58 "Scareder Than a Mug" 22:40
#60 "Where There's a Will, Go The Other Way" 22:33
Gilligan's Island - NEW!
#1 "Two on a Raft"
#3 "Voodoo Something to Me" 25:32
"Watching for Watubi"
"The Big Gold Strike"
"Wrong Way Feldman"
"Goodnight Sweet Skipper"
"The Sound of Quacking"
"Goodbye Island"
"Home Sweet Hut"
"President Gilligan"
Sitcoms on Gone But Not Forgotten TV:
All About the Andersons (2003-04 series, 16 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
The Ben Stiller Show (1992-93 series, 13 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
Center of the Universe (2004-05 series, 15 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
The George Carlin Show (1994-95 series, 27 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
Jesse (1998-2000 series, 42 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
Kirk (1995-96 series, 32 total episodes in its run) - NEW!
#2 "Swonderbra" 22:32
#5 "Magna Man vs. Captain Chunks" 22:33
#6 "Smarter and Smart" 22:22
#7 "The Crush" 22:33
#10 "Kirk Unplugged" 22:36
#11 "A Kiss Is Just a Kiss" 29:58
#13 "Spare" 22:18
#14 "The Love Letter" 22:35
#15 "Double Date" 22:24
#16 "Stuck On You" 22:32
The Michael Richards Show (2000 series, 9 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
New York Daze (AKA Too Something, 1995-96 series, 22 total episodes in its run)
#15 "Eric and Donny Get Pink Slips" 22:15 (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
#17 "Legs, Lies & Videotape" 22:16 (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
#18 "The Candidate" 21:41 (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
#19 "The Popcorn Machine" 22:16 (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
#20 "Meter Feeders" 22:23 (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
Off Centre (2001-02 series, 30 total episodes in its run)
#13 "Why Chau Lives Alone" 21:54
#14 "Mission Im-Posse-Ble" 22:01
#15 "Faking the Band" 22:01
#16 "Hear No Evil, See No Package" 22:00
#20 "The Unkindest Cut" 22:01
The Office (1995 series, 6 total episodes in its run) - NEW!
#1 "Pilot"
#2 "Laboring Pains"
#3 "Rita and Frank"
#4 "Power Playing"
#5 "Judgement Day"
#6 "My Guy" (PREMIERE! Was unaired in original run)
Our Gang shorts (The Little Rascals)
Alfalfa's Double 10:48, All About Hash 10:54, Dad For a Day 10:54, Time Out for Lessons 10:55
Tom (1994 series, 12 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
Wanda at Large (2003 series, 19 total episodes in its run)
No new episodes this month.
Note: Remember, five episodes from the previous month will remain, so that is how there will be ten episodes available each month. We do not know which five of each will remain, so it is up to you to watch them all.
Criteria for the episodes:
-- "Starchives" - Episodes featuring stars before they were stars, including Brad Pitt on Growing Pains, and Jay Leno on Alice
-- "Classic Creme de la Creme" - Showcase of the most memorable episodes of a given series
-- "StarFavs" - Stars' favorite episodes
And I'm sure the rest are randomly picked.
Remember these are just the sitcom episodes. The rest of the series for month six are: Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Babylon 5, Beetlejuice, Dark Justice, Eight is Enough, The F.B.I., Falcon Crest, Freakazoid, Freddy's Nightmares, The Fugitive, Histeria!, Kung Fu, La Femme Nikita, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Maverick, The New Adventures of Batman, Pinky and the Brain, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Sisters, Spenser: For Hire, V, Wonder Woman. Recently In2TV added Elimidate, Change of Heart, Moral Court, People's Court, and The Will (Get Real TV); Max Headroom, (Gone But Not Forgotten TV), and Adventures of Superman, Superboy (Superman TV)! In2TV added Presidio Med, Against the Grain, Prince Street and Monkey'd Minutes, New York Daze, Thieves, Off Centre and Our Gang comedies recently. New series joining In2TV this month are Kirk, Police Academy: The Series, The D.A., Gilligan's Island, The Office (1995), and The Real Gilligan's Island.
Currently, there are well over thirty classic series on In2TV. There will be hundreds more very soon. Some of the shows we can for sure expect sometime this year are: My Sister Sam, The Hogan Family (LOL TV); Bret Maverick, Freedom, Guns of Paradise, High Performance, Hunter, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, O'Hara, Pointman, Profiles from the Front Line, Pros & Cons, The Flash, Young Maverick (Rush TV); Flamingo Road, Our House, The Yellow Rose (Dramarama TV); Taz-Mania, The Zeta Project (Toontopia TV); Crusade, Night Visions, Prey, Time Trax, Wizards & Warriors (Heroes & Horrors TV). All of these will not join all at once of course, they will be brought in slowly, but all these are expected at some point during this year.
Features on In2TV's sixth month include "In2TV Star Play" (Matthew Perry, Erik Estrada, Jimmy Smits, William Shatner of Kung Fu, Robert Blake of Our Gang, James Caan of The F.B.I., Jamie Foxx of The Jamie Foxx Show, Ashley Judd of Sisters, Don Johnson of Kung Fu, Diane Keaton of the The F.B.I.); "In2TV Star Favs" (Mark Linn-Baker of Perfect Strangers, Robert Blake of Our Gang, David Carradine of Kung Fu); "Betcha Didn't Know: Bob Denver; "Life on the Set: How I Got the Gig" (David Carradine of Kung Fu); "Where Are they Now: Child Stars" (Adam Rich of Eight is Enough, Robin Givens of Head of the Class, Phillip McKeon of Alice); "Betcha Didn't Know" (Bronson Pinchot of Perfect Strangers).
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes' and Barry Williams Presents One-Hit Wonders of the 70s CD Reviewed
Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes' - Monday, September 4th at 8-10PM ET/PT on NBC
NBC will re-visit one of television's most popular
comedy series -- "Diff'rent Strokes" -- with a movie
that serves as a powerful cautionary tale about the
tragedies and challenges facing the child stars of the
sitcom as well as all child stars in "Behind the
Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent
Strokes,'" premiering on Monday, Sept. 4 (8-10 p.m.
ET). Original cast members Gary Coleman and Todd
Bridges participated in the movie and will also appear
in on-camera interviews.
"Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of
'Diff'rent Strokes'" not only takes viewers behind the
scenes of the popular sitcom, but also follows the
lives of Coleman, Bridges and fellow star Dana Plato
in the years after the series went off the air as
their personal lives spiraled downward. In addition,
it also examines the pitfalls of child stardom.
"Diff'rent Strokes" premiered on NBC on November 3,
1978 and concluded in 1986. Coleman and Bridges
starred as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively --
two orphaned children from Harlem who were adopted by
wealthy businessman Philip Drummond. The brothers'
sudden lifestyle change from poverty to the penthouse
made the comedy an instant hit for NBC.
This production -- which follows previous "Behind the
Camera" movies on NBC that re-created the story and
era surrounding "Three's Company," "Charlie's Angels"
and "Mork & Mindy" -- is produced by Once Upon a Time
Films. Bobb'e J Thompson ("The Tracy Morgan Show")
plays the young Coleman while Verda Bridges, Bridges'
real-life sister, portrays Bridges' mother.
"Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of
'Diff'rent Strokes'" is executive-produced by Stanley
M. Brooks ("Broken Trail") and Scott W. Anderson
(NBC's "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of
'Three's Company'"), with Damian Ganczewski ("Broken
Trail") producing. Robert Iscove ("She's All That")
directs from a script written by Greg Pincus and Susan
Rinehart.
Cast
Character / Actor
Gary Coleman as himself
Todd Bridges as himself
Gary Coleman (10-12 years) Bobb'e J Thompson
Gary Coleman (13-29 years) Robert Bailey, Jr.
Gary Coleman (30-31 years) Alon Williams
Todd Bridges (13-17 years) Brennan Gademans
Todd Bridges (17-37 years) Shedrack Anderson
Dana Plato (13-16 years) Jessica King
Dana Plato (17-34 years) Britt Irvin
Conrad Bain John Innes
Willie Coleman Bruce Young
Sue Coleman Lorena Gale
Betty Bridges Verda Bridges
Kay Plato Teryl Rothery
Kline Jason Schombing
Howard Leeds Jerry Wasserman
Dion Mial Rainbow Sun Francks
Vic Perillo Colin Cunningham
Wayne Newton Winston Reckert
Fred Silverman Saul Rubinek
Al Burton Peter Outerbridge
Brandon Tartikoff Adam Reid
Crew
Executive Producers: Stanley M. Brooks and Scott W.
Anderson
Produced by: Damian Ganczewski
Producer: Chad Oakes
Line Producer: Ian R. Smith
Associate Producer: Cath-Anne Ambrose
Director: Robert Iscove
Writer: Gregory K. Pincus
Director of Photography: David Frazee
Editor: Richard A. Schwadel
Production Designer: Phil Schmidt
Costume Designer: Sheila Bingham
Original Music by: Jeff Rona
Re-Recording Mixers: Cory Mandel and Ian Rodness
Casting by: Coreen Mayrs C.S.A.and Heike Brandstatter
C.S.A.
U.S. Casting by: Sandi Logan C.S.A. and Alyson
Silverberg C.S.A.
Production Company: Nomadic Pictures in association
with Once Upon A Time Films
My Review: I was beginning to wonder if this TV movie was ever going to see the light of day. This movie was greenlight in early 2005 and was produced in the fall of 2005 in Canada. This was NBC's 4th "Behind the Scenes" TV movie. It was by far the most dramatic. If you've seen the E! True Hollywood Stories on Diff'rent Strokes and Dana Plato, then you already know most of the events. It was interesting to see how these events were dramatized. FOX already made a Behind the Scenes Diff'rent Strokes movie in May 2000, but I thought the NBC one was quite a bit better. It went into a lot more details and just seemed to have higher production values. This movie was a bit different from the previous NBC TV movies. While previous installments have focused on the time the shows originally aired, this one also covered what happened after the series ended. About 2/3 of the movie was devoted from 1978-1986. The last 1/3 was about what happened after the series was cancelled.
What did I like?
Involvement of Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges - They were consultants on the project and appear in on-camera interviews throughout the movie. They didn't sugarcoat their comments or cry or make excuses about their problems. They seemed very frank and honest with what they said.
Good Casting - It seems like they didn't try and go out and get exact doubles for the real actors. The two actors who played the young Gary Coleman were fantastic. Not only did they look like him physically, they had some of the same mannerisms. The actresses who played Dana Plato did a good job with the part. The older one is a real cutie. I didn't think the actor who played the young Todd Bridges looked much like him, but the older one looked and sounded more like him. Bruce Young did a fine job as Willie Coleman. He was big and intimidating and showed a lot of emotion. Verda Bridges was excellent as Betty Bridges, Todd Bridges' mother. I just thought she was a bit underutilized and could have been in a few more scenes. Some of the smaller parts went to local Canadian actors.
The Little Details - I like how they included all these details that most people probably wouldn't even notice... like the schedule grids on the walls at the NBC studios and including all the directors, production people, and some later cast members in some scenes. The dates of many events are listed to give you a timeline.
Funny Moments - There were a lot of unintentionally funny moments that will probably give you a laugh. The scene where Johnnie Cochran is questioning a potential jury member will leave you smiling.
What didn't I like?
The main studio set - They got the colors right but not much else. If you were a casual fan and only saw the show a few times, you might be fooled into thinking the set really looked the same. The staircase is completely wrong and spirals up in a different direction. They put the balcony area behind the couch. A lot of the furniture, props, and the general layout of the set was just not like how you saw it on the show.
The theme song - They used a completely modern sounding version that had different lyrics. This is not the theme song that people love and remember. Since this movie is airing on NBC, I don't see why they couldn't use the original theme to add some authenticity.
The casting of the actor who played the adult Gary Coleman - This actor also played Gary in the FOX TV movie. He simply looked too old for the part and didn't sound like him at all. If you look at his imdb.com entry, 2 of his 5 listed roles have been as Gary. I think he's been typecast.
Overall, this is probably not NBC's best "Behind the Scenes" TV movie (that would be Mork & Mindy), but it does a decent job of telling the story. There were even a few fresh revelations that I never knew about. If you are a fan of the show, it would certainly be worth watching or tivoing for later viewing.
-- Reviewed by Todd
(4/5 stars)Related Links:
Barry Williams Presents: One-Hit Wonders of the 70s (Time Life Records, $18.98)
AM radio magic… without the static! This fantastic collection is your one-stop ticket back to the groovy ‘70s, featuring 20 of your favorite songs by "one-hit wonder" artists. And who knows the ‘70s better than Barry "Greg Brady" Williams from the ever-popular sitcom The Brady Bunch. You may not remember the artists, but you’re sure to remember these Top-10 songs, like Afternoon Delight, Please Come To Boston, In The Summertime, Sometimes When We Touch, Play That Funky Music, The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia, Seasons In The Sun and many more.
Here is the track listing, including the highest Billboard chart position:
1. Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music (3:17) No. 1 1976
2. B. W. Stevenson - My Maria (2:25) No. 9 1973
3. Brewer & Shipley - One Toke Over The Line (3:20) No. 10 1971
4. Starland - Afternoon Delight (3:14) No. 1 1976
5. Reunion - Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me) (3:32) No. 8 1974
6. Billy Swan - I Can Help (2:58) No. 1 1974
7. Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime (3:29) No. 3 1970
8. Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun (3:29) No. 1 1974
9. Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died (3:31) No. 1 1974
10. Climax - Precious and Few (2:47) No. 3 1972
11. Stories - Brother Louie (3:54) No. 1 1973
12. Dave Loggins - Please Come to Boston (4:09) No. 5 1974
13. First Class - Beach Baby (4:59) No. 4 1974
14. The 5 Stairsteps - O-o-h Child (3:14) No. 8 1970
15. Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn The Beat Around (5:31) No. 10 1976
16. Dan Hill - Sometimes When We Touch (4:05) No. 3 1978
17. Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden (2:47) - No. 3 1971
18. Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (2:47) - No. 5 1970
19. Wadsworth Mansion - Sweet Mary (2:40) No. 7 1971
20. Vicki Lawrence - The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia (3:34) No. 1 1973
My Review: As a big movies and soundtracks fan, I recognized a lot of these songs from movies from the last few years. "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry was used in "Undercover Brother." The "Starsky & Hutch" movie used "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band. There was a memorable cast version by Will Ferrell and company in "Anchorman." Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime" was used in a funny bicycling montage scene in "Wedding Crashers." Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" was used in the Molly Shannon movie, "Superstar." Interestingly enough, "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia," was originally offered to Cher, but she turned it down. Vicki Lawrence was already known for her work on The Carol Burnett Show at the time of her big hit. Sitcom fans, of course, would later know her as Mama on Mama's Family.
My favorite tracks on this compilation were the classic hit "Precious and Few" by Climax, "O-o-h Child" by The 5 Stairsteps, and "Sometimes When We Touch" by Dan Hill.
I'd definitely recommend this CD if you are a fan of '70s music. There's a little bit of everything on this CD: Pop, Rock, Funk, Soul, Country, and Disco. I am more of a '60s (music that was used on The Wonder Years and American Dreams) and '80s music fan, so I'd probably enjoy an one-hit wonder compilation for those decades a bit more.
You might ask what is the connection with Barry Williams? He currently hosts a program Sunday-Friday at 2-6PM ET on the Totally '70s channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. Groovy man!
-- Reviewed by Todd
(3/5 stars)To purchase the CD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related Links:
Friday, September 01, 2006
Vote For Your Top 7 'Three's Company' Episodes, Also Watch Classic Bloopers & Clips; Original 'Star Trek' To Locals
Speaking of Three's Company, today is the first day of September and that means the Three's Company classic clips and bloopers have launched on TV Land.com's new video player! They have added four clips that run up to three minutes each from four classic episodes ("A Man About the House," "The Harder They Fall," "The Bake-Off" & "Jack Moves Out") and hilarious season eight bloopers that will be a preview of what is to come on the upcoming season 8 DVD coming October 3 from Anchor Bay/DLT. They will add more clips and bloopers each week this month through Sept. 30, so make sure you watch them each week! For a direct link to the exclusive bloopers, click here. and don't forget the Three's Company Weekend on TV Land Sept. 16-17 that will feature 48-hours worth of Three's Company episodes, plus the two unaired pilots making their TV debuts, along with six episodes each from spin-offs The Ropers & Three's a Crowd. This is not something you want to miss! for more details, check out my website on the show.
I have mentioned on the message boards that the original Star Trek is coming back to weekly play on local syndication this fall. Yesterday Paramount officially announced that. Star Trek will replace Star Trek: Enterprise on your local station starting this fall. This is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the show. CBS Paramount Domestic Television is releasing digitally remastered episodes, with all new special effects and music, to celebrate the groundbreaking series' 40th anniversary. The new episodes also mark the first time in 16 years that the original Star Trek series can be seen in broadcast syndication. The episodes will begin airing on the more than 200 stations that own the rights to the weekend broadcast syndication window starting Sept. 16 (check local listings for station and dates). All 79 episodes of the original Star Trek series will eventually be remastered, with the first batch of episodes chosen from a list of Star Trek fans' favorite shows. The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). That includes: Space ship exteriors, Show opening, Galaxy shots, Exteriors, and Background scenes. If you're in the New York City market, WNBC will air the show on Sunday nights at 3:35am starting Sept. 17. And don't forget Trek will have 40th anniversary celebration on TV Land on Sept. 8, then it will join the network's line-up starting in November.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
ABC Family Adds 'Sabrina, the Teenage Witch' and 'Everwood' in October; NBC Flip-Flops New Sitcom Slots; 3 CW Shows on MSN.com
ABC Family will also still have its 13 Days of Halloween stunt with movies and specials. Movies like Stephen King's It, Scooby Doo 2 and The Sixth Sense will air and specials like a marathon of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. For the FULL details on the changes and Halloween stunts, click here.
NBC is swapping time periods on Wednesday nights for its two new Fall comedies - 30 Rock and Twenty Good Years - with 30 Rock now slotted to air one-half-hour earlier from 8-8:30 p.m. (ET) while Twenty Good Years will be telecast from 8:30-9 p.m. (ET). In addition, the series premieres of both Twenty Good Years and 30 Rock are now scheduled for Wednesday, October 11.
I guess NBC realized that Twenty Good Years isn't going to do too good, while 30 Rock might be a hit. Most critics have already bashed Twenty Good Years (saying Jeffrey Tambor went from the best comedy to the worst in one season) and praised 30 Rock. I think Knights of Prosperity on ABC and 30 Rock on NBC are the best new sitcoms of the season. Both critics and viewers will probably agree.
The CW has become the latest network to preview its fall shows online. The network will stream the premiere episodes of Everybody Hates Chris, Veronica Mars and Runaway on Microsoft's MSN for free the week before each show premieres.
The three CW shows that will stream on MSN are produced by three different studios - Everybody Hates Chris, which will stream on MSN beginning Sept. 24, is from CBS-Paramount, new drama Runaway, which will stream beginning Sept. 25, from Sony Pictures and Veronica Mars, which will stream beginning Sept. 26, from Warner Bros.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
i Network Adds 'Growing Pains', 'The Monkees', & 'Partridge Family'; ABC Fillers
And that is not all! They will be adding The Monkees and The Partridge Family on Friday evenings at 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. starting Friday, September 15! Bonanza will air Mon-Thurs at 6:00 p.m. now. And the Kung Fu launch marathon is still on for Sept. 30, but we still don't know when it will air regularly in October. I told you they would slowly be adding new shows! I can't wait until October to see what else they have in store! We will bring that to you as soon as we know.
With ABC premiering some of its season/series premieres after the official fall launch week, I got questions on what they will be airing in those slots the week(s) before. As of now, this is it:
Wednesday, September 13
9:00 p.m. ABC Sneak Peek: Dramas
9:30 p.m. ABC Sneak Peek: Comedy & Reality
10:00 p.m. Jimmy Kimmel Live's All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live!
--We told you this already.
Monday, September 18
8:00 p.m. Wife Swap (2-hour premiere now)
10:00 p.m. Supernanny (special episode)
--Supernanny is slated for this week only and a new episode, too.
Wednesday, September 20
9:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (two-hour season finale encore)
-- So viewers can catch the finale from last season a day before the big season premiere on Thursday.
Thursday, September 21
8:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy Recap Special
-- Leading up to the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy and series premiere of Six Degrees; Ugly Betty takes this slot the following Thursday.
Friday, September 22
8:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (season premiere encore)
-- Leading up to the third episode of Men in Trees. It seems Grey's will repeat next day in this slot until further notice, so no AFV afterall.
Monday, September 25
9:00 p.m. Lost (two-hour season finale encore)
--The Bachelor: Rome premiere will air the week after from 9-11pm. (What About Brian premieres the week after that at 10 p.m.)
Wednesday, September 27
9:00 p.m. Lost Recap Special
10:00 p.m. Men in Trees (encore from previous Friday)
-- Lost's recap is airing a week before its season premiere. Another sampling for Men in Trees.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Spike TV Fall; Mini-DVD Reviews: TaleSpin Vol. 1 and Darkwing Duck Vol. 1 (Aug. 29)
Welcome to a special Tuesday edition of the Saturday mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at Walt Disney Home Entertainment's TaleSpin: Volume 1 and Darkwing Duck: Volume 1. Both series were very popular in the early '90s on Disney's very popular syndicated block called The Disney Afternoon. TaleSpin was about a bear working for a cargo company while Darkwing Duck was a crime-fighting duck. As with all of the shows in the Disney Afternoon, they were action and adventure filled! See my mini-DVD reviews of both sets:
TaleSpin: Volume 1 (Walt Disney, $34.99) brings the first 27 half hours of the high flying animated series to DVD. The episodes are in airdate order, which is sort of a surprise since DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale last fall were in production order. That's why the 5-part pilots for both of those sets were not included, as the pilots were produced much later. The four-part pilot for this set is included, since it is in airdate order. There is one problem though. The pilot episode would have been better as the original TV-movie version, because the four-part pilot cuts about 30 seconds from each episode because of the "last time on TaleSpin" introduction. The episodes all run just under 23 minutes, all unedited except probably for the 4-part pilot. The episodes are all high class and we see Baloo and Kit work for Rebecca Cunningham. They also battle villains like Don Karnage. Other characters include Rebecca's daughter Molly, Baloo's best friend King Louie, Wildcat the fix-it-man, and coroporate big shot Shere Khan. The menu screen has Play All, Set Up, and Episode Selection, with the theme song in the background. Disc one also has a Previews option, where see sneak peeks at other Disney movies/DVDs. When we go to episode selection, the episodes are listed with a screenshot from the episode. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate. The video and audio are both very good. I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set, even though the 4-part pilot situation is not good. If you never saw the show, pick it up! It is great fun! Hurry today and order the DVD before Don Karnage and his evil Air Pirates pick it up before you!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(3/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
TaleSpin TV.com Page
Darkwing Duck: Volume 1 (Walt Disney, $34.99) brings the first 27 half hours on DVD for the very first time. Like TaleSpin, the episodes are in airdate order, which is sort of a surprise since DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale last fall were in production order. That's why the 5-part pilots for both of those sets were not included, as the pilots were produced much later. This series had a two-part pilot that aired as a one-hour special originally. Unfortunately, we get the two-part version of that. I am not sure if anything is cut out though, because there is no recap on part two. TaleSpin's pilots had recaps. As for DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale, when volume two is released the five-part pilots will be on those sets and I hope they are in the 5-part pilot forms actually, because on those we get additional scenes, unlike TaleSpin and possibly Darkwing. The episodes all run just under 23 minutes. Join Drake Mallard turn into Darkwing Duck, along with help from Launchpad (from DuckTales), and Darkwing's adopted nine-year old daughter Gosalyn keep the city of St. Canard safe from villains like Bushroot and Negaduck. Gizmoduck from DuckTales even pops in from time to time to help out. The menu screen has Play All, Set Up, and Episode Selection, with the theme song in the background. Disc one also has a Previews option, where see sneak peeks at other Disney movies/DVDs. When we go to episode selection, the episodes are listed with a screenshot from the episode. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate. The video and audio are both very good. I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. If you never saw the show, pick it up because it is very fun! Hurry today and order the DVD before Megavolt electrically charges you and The Liquidator covers you in water!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Darkwing Duck TV.com Page
Monday, August 28, 2006
And the Winners of the 58th Annual Emmy Awards Are; TBS Repurposes New Syndicated Show
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Arrested Development (FOX)
The Office (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Scrubs (NBC)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
WINNER: The Office
BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Kevin James, The King of Queens (CBS)
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
WINNER: Tony Shalhoub
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO)
Jane Kazcmarek, Malcolm in the Middle (FOX)
Julia-Louise Dryfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice (CBS)
Debra Messing, Will & Grace (NBC)
WINNER: Julia-Louise Dryfus
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Will Arnett, Arrested Development (FOX)
John Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle (FOX)
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace (NBC)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)
WINNER: Jeremy Piven.
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds (Showtime)
Jamie Pressly, My Name is Earl (NBC)
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace (NBC)
WINNER: Megan Mullally
BEST DRAMA SERIES
House (FOX)
The West Wing (NBC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
The Sopranos (HBO)
24 (FOX)
WINNER: 24
BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Denis Leary, Rescue Me (FX)
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, 24 (FOX)
Martin Sheen, The West Wing (NBC)
WINNER: Kiefer Sutherland.
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Geena Davis, Commander in Chief (ABC)
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under (HBO)
Allison Janney, The West Wing (NBC)
WINNER: Mariska Hargitay.
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos (HBO)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
Alan Alda, The West Wing (NBC)
Gregroy Itzin, 24 (FOX)
Oliver Platt, Huff (Showtime)
WINNER: Alan Alda.
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Candace Bergen, Boston Legal (ABC)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Jean Smart, 24 (FOX)
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Blythe Danner, Huff (Showtime)
WINNER: Blythe Danner.
Like the nominations itself, my picks for the winners were off. Hopefully the Emmys are back on track next year. This was terrible, if you ask me. Here is the full list of winners.
Besides the Emmy stuff, it has been a very slow Monday. I have been busy all day basically trying to get this full DVD review of Desperate Housewives in for you all, as well as two mini-reviews for tomorrow. But I do have some facts to share. TBS will be repurposing The Megan Mullally Show a day after it airs in syndication, starting Tuesday, September 19 at 8 a.m. So, if you miss a show you always have the next day on TBS as a back-up. Mullally of course won an Emmy last night for Will & Grace. Stay tuned in the coming days or so for more news on the TBS mystery sitcom(s) coming this October that I mentioned before. And no it is just not King of Queens...it is in addition to King of Queens!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Summer Week 13 Sitcom Ratings; My Emmy Picks For TONIGHT
Monday Sitcoms
- Two and a Half Men
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 6.19 million for a repeat.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A second helping did 8.42 million, down from what it usually does for a repeat.
- The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) - Big drop from lead-in, 6.78 million.
- One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends, Half & Half (UPN) - UPN is winding down and repeats of these sitcoms did beween 1.37 and 1.68 million.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- According to Jim
- UPN Comedies: Special airings of All of Us and Half & Half...9-10pm did 1.39 and 1.28 million.
- George Lopez (ABC) 4 episodes - Not as good as Jim, but did respectable numbers and did build each half hour: 4.51, 4.6, 4.81 and 5.16 million.
- Scrubs (NBC) - Scrubs is back on the schedule and two repeats did OK: 4.58 and 4.2 million...drop at 9:30 is not good.
- The Office (NBC) - 4.14 million this week. Get ready for some Emmy's tonight, but viewers will be a problem I think this season.
- Everybody Hates Chris, Love Inc, Eve, Cuts (UPN) - Chris only did well with 2.36 million...the rest were anemic like usual.
Speaking of the Emmys, here are my picks for the main awards:
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Arrested Development (FOX)
The Office (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Scrubs (NBC)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
My Pick: The Office
BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Kevin James, The King of Queens (CBS)
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
My Pick: Steve Carell
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO)
Jane Kazcmarek, Malcolm in the Middle (FOX)
Julia-Louise Dryfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice (CBS)
Debra Messing, Will & Grace (NBC)
My Pick: Jane Kazcmarek
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Will Arnett, Arrested Development (FOX)
John Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle (FOX)
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace (NBC)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)
My Pick: Jeremy Piven.
BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds (Showtime)
Jamie Pressly, My Name is Earl (NBC)
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace (NBC)
My Pick: Elizabeth Perkins.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
House (FOX)
The West Wing (NBC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
The Sopranos (HBO)
24 (FOX)
My Pick: Grey's Anatomy
BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Denis Leary, Rescue Me (FX)
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, 24 (FOX)
Martin Sheen, The West Wing (NBC)
My Pick: Denis Leary.
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Geena Davis, Commander in Chief (ABC)
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under (HBO)
Allison Janney, The West Wing (NBC)
My Pick: Geena Davis.
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos (HBO)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
Alan Alda, The West Wing (NBC)
Gregroy Itzin, 24 (FOX)
Oliver Platt, Huff (Showtime)
My Pick: William Shatner.
BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Candace Bergen, Boston Legal (ABC)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Jean Smart, 24 (FOX)
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Blythe Danner, Huff (Showtime)
My Pick: Sandra Oh.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Mini-DVD Review: Alvin & the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason (Aug. 22)
Alvin & the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason (Paramount, $14.99) brings a classic Halloween special and four spooky animated episodes. This is the second set from Paramount featuring the Chipmunks. The last set was the Christmas special release along with a few holiday-themed episodes. Both releases have episodes only when the show was renamed to The Chipmunks in 1988 and 1989. DiC designed the show then and they don't look the same as from 1983-87, but they still look great! Paramount has also released the Chipmunk feature film from 1987 on a separate set. This set has a 1994 half-hour Halloween special that aired on cable, titled "Trick or Treason," hence the title of this DVD. Alvin wants to join the Monster Club this Halloween and you will get to see them perform a great rendition of the hit tune "Monster Mash." The set also has spooky episodes, like I mentioned. On this volume are all mini episodes, meaning each half hour had two episodes when they originally aired, and we get one of them here. The episodes on this set are: "Babysitter Fright Night," "Theodore's Life as a Dog," "Nightmare on Seville Street," and "No Chipmunk is an Island." Two of the four episodes do not have closing credits, as they probably were the first episodes of the half-hour; runtimes range from about 10-12 minutes each. The menu screen has Play All and Episode Selection, with a song from the Chipmunks in the background. When we go to episode selection, the episodes are listed with a screenshot from the episode. The menu is designed quite well and is easy to navigate. The video and audio are decent and very watchable. I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. New fans might also want to, but I am hoping Paramount (or any other studio) releases the series on DVD in order, and not just select episodes from The Chipmunks years. So, hopefully that happens, but for now go out and buy this set to make that happen before Dave says "Alvinnnnn!"
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Alvin & the Chipmunks TV.com Page
We might have two special mini-DVD reviews during the week this week. So stay tuned for that. And if all goes well, next Saturday we will have a special mini-review of not a DVD, but a TV-movie, about Diff'rent Strokes, which will premiere on Labor Day on NBC. We also will have a review of Barry Williams' (Greg Brady on The Brady Bunch) new CD. Should be fun!
Friday, August 25, 2006
AOLVideo.com Launches Sony and Fox Channels; James Noble Interview on JustMyShow.com
As for the Fox channels, they will create five channels, but will be for pay only. Among the channels include a Fox Classic channel with shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Hill Street Blues.
To read the COMPLETE press release, click HERE.
And our friend Eric from JustMyShow.com has put together his eighth episode and it features two classic TV stars. The new podcast features interviews with Robert Pine (Sgt. Getraer on CHiPs) and James Noble (Governor Gatling on Benson). Noble talks about who he thought won the election on the finale of the show and his new movie company. It is a good interview and I suggest all fans to watch! You even hear his thoughts on where Benson could have taken place! There is a bonus clip as well as Noble talks about his guest shot on Perfect Strangers. Click here to listen.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
'House of Payne' Coming to TBS And Locals With New Episodes; TV Land October Highlights; More Notes
According to TBS's deal with Debmar-Mercury, TBS will begin airing episodes in primetime beginning in June of 2007, with the network having exclusive rights to the episodes before they become available to local stations through syndication in September 2008.
Another test of a Perry series, expected to be based on his theatrical play Meet the Browns, could take place in 2007 or ’08, according to Debmar-Mercury President Mort Marcus. While the plans haven’t been finalized, Marcus said if they wait to fall 2008, it would likely be a 10-day replacement test on some stations similar to the one for House of Payne.
TV Land has announced their October schedule. There is no change to the regular schedule except I Love Lucy replaces Addams Family, which expires after September. Among the higlights for the month include a 48-hour A-Team marathon to help promote Mr. T's new show I Pity the Fool which will air Wednesdays at 10 starting October 11. and finally spend Halloween and the end of Daylight Savings with The Munsters in a 25-hour marathon on Oct. 28. The Munsters is expiring at the end of the month, so if they don't renew this could be sort of like a farewell marathon. We will have more on its future status at a later date. Click HERE to view all the October highlights for TV Land.
We mentioned that CBS was adding about six series to its innertube website, now they have announced six more, and a few sitcoms included, too! To gain additional exposure for some key freshman and sophomore series during the important fall launch period, CBS announced plans to stream episodes of several of the Network's primetime shows produced by Warner Bros. Television and Twentieth Century Fox Television free of charge on CBS's broadband channel innertube.
Starting in September, the series being offered on innertube include: from Twentieth Century Fox Television, the freshman series Shark, as well as the sophomore sitcom How I Met Your Mother and drama The Unit; and from Warner Bros. Television, the freshman series The Class and new drama Smith, as well as the sophomore sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, starring Emmy nominated Julia Louis-Dreyfus. With all six shows, each of the first four original episodes of the season will be available for viewers to watch for free on innertube for a week following its Network broadcast.
Finally, ABC has announced plans for the post Dancing with the Stars Wednesday slot for Sept. 13 and 20. ABC will air two fall preview specials on Sept. 13 at 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. The 9 p.m. airing will showcase the dramas titled, ABC Sneak Peeks: The Dramas. At 9:30 p.m. will be ABC Sneak Peeks: Comedy & Reality. Make sure you watch these and the half-hour affiliate specials of Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Lost premiering this weekend on your local ABC affiliates. Check local listings for time and day for those. After the two half-hour specials on Sept. 13 will be Jimmy Kimmel Live’s All-Star Salute to Jimmy Kimmel Live at 10 p.m.
On September 20, ABC will re-air part two of the second season finale for Grey's Anatomy from 9 to 11 p.m. Part one of the finale is re-airing Thursday, September 14 at 9 p.m. It is a good move reairing the finale a day before the season premiere (Thursday, September 21). So what is airing in these slots on September 27? They haven't announced that yet, but I would assume the two-hour Lost season finale? Lost returns to its slot on October 4 with all-new episodes.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
New Fox Special Comes to Fans of SitcomsOnline for Help; Rest of i Network September Schedule
Last week we gave you basically all the details on i Network's September line-up. Now, we have the schedule for the second half of the month. There will be no regular schedule changes, so the same changes in effect starting Sept. 4 will be for the rest of the month. However, Bonanza will be expanded from just a few times a week to five days a week at 6 p.m. starting Sept. 11. We gave you details last week on the Saturday marathons from Sept. 2-16, now we have the details for Sept. 23 and 30! Sept. 23 will have another Mama's Family Mama-thon! And on Sept. 30 we get a tase of the October schedule, as Kung Fu will get a launch marathon. The classic early '70s drama Kung Fu will join the line-up in October. The i network is slowly phasing out its old shows and bringing in new ones, so they are getting better and I think we might see some more shows in October, too. Let's hope this Saturday marathon continues! I will have details on the i Network's October schedule soon. So come on back!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
TitanTV To Stream Fox Shows Online; Champion Named Weather Anchor for 'GMA'
The first opportunity for TitanTV members to stream these programs will be today, Tuesday, August 22 with episodes of Prison Break and Vanished. The episodes will mark the beginning of season two for Prison Break and will kick- off the first season of Vanished. As a part of its free TV listings guide, TitanTV has been promoting FOX programs via video previews on its home page for a year. This is the first time members will be able to watch entire episodes of original network content. TitanTV members have been able to point, click, and record for many years, but now for the first time they can point, click and watch.
And TitanTV is not just all! They will be on more sites as well, including the network's own FOX.com as well as AOL.com, Google Video, Yahoo!, TVGuide.com and IGN.com, among others.
More than 50 portals and websites will stream the first three episodes of Prison Break and the first three episodes of Vanished, which will be available online as early as the morning following their initial broadcasts on FOX. The episodes will be available for approximately one week - through 3:00 p.m. ET the afternoon of the next week's broadcast. Prison Break and Vanished premiered last night on FOX.
This could help Vanished maybe as the show declined in its second half hour last night.
While this is not sitcom news, ABC has announced that WABC weatherman Sam Champion will fill the position of "weather anchor" on Good Morning America Sept. 5 left in December by Tony Perkins, who moved on to D.C. to do weather for the local news he used to do for. Champion has regularly pinch-hit as GMA's weatherman. He has also pinch-hit for Regis on Regis & Kelly and Larry King on Larry King Live. Champion has spent the past 18 years at New York City's ABC flagship station, WABC-TV, having joined in 1988. Before that, he held weather and news reporting positions at WJKS-TV in Jacksonville, FL and WPSD-TV in Paducah, KY. As weather anchor, Sam Champion will be based at Good Morning America's Times Square Studios in the heart of Manhattan. Champion will report the latest national weather throughout the program and will travel to weather-related stories around the country and globe. In addition, he will also contribute feature reports on the environment and weather-related issues. In addition to his duties at GMA, Champion has also been named weather editor of ABC News.
It is expected that Champion will do double duty next month (at GMA and WABC News)at least, until WABC fills his position. WABC already has two great meterologists on its staff Bill Evans (morning/noon news) and Lee Goldberg (weekend evening news). They also have Heidi Jones who does the weekend morning news.
Yesterday, GMA named Chris Cuomo as its new news anchor, joining anchors Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts.
Sam is a great guy and I wish him best of luck at GMA. He will be missed on WABC's Eyewitness News, as he has been my fixture for weather the last 18 years. That is why I'm posting this. He is very popular here in NY.
Monday, August 21, 2006
TV One Makes Some Changes to September Line-Up
Now, these changes in September are NOT their fall line-up schedule. The fall line-up will be in effect probably week of September 25 or early October, and we will give it to you as soon as they announce it. But we do know that sitcoms All of Us and Eve will be airing! Let's also hope we get some older sitcoms on the line-up, such as Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Fox To Offer Shows For Free Online
Fox Entertainment Group is offering free prime-time programming on the web sites of nine of its 24 biggest owned and operated stations, marking the first time ever that local stations will stream network programming on their web sites, Broadcasting & Cable reports. Fox Digital Media has teamed with Toyota to be the exclusive ad sponsor for select episodes of Fox entertainment series from Fox's 20th Century Fox Studios, including returning shows Prison Break and Bones, and comedies such American Dad, The Loop and Stacked. They are available for free through the new "Fox on Demand" on the station web sites in New York (WNYW), Los Angeles (KTTV), Boston (WFXT), Dallas (KDFW), Washington, DC (WTTG), Tampa Bay (WTVT), Orlando (WOFL), Birmingham (WBRC) and Greensboro (WGHP). Fox is also in talks with its affiliates to offer them a similar streaming video player.
New episodes of Prison Break and Bones will be available the day after they air on TV. Additionally, the stations' sites will feature several episodes from each of those series' first seasons, as well the entire first season of The Loop and a handful of episodes from Stacked and American Dad.
I find it very strange that Stacked will be on it, since the show is canceled. The Loop returns mid-season I believe. Also, I'm in NJ, clearly my local Fox is WNYW, yet the streaming player says I'm not in the NY market? Very strange. Fox needs to fix this.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Our First Anniversary; Mini-DVD Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 5 (August 29)
We thank you again for visiting and please continue to visit and we will try to bring the best sitcom news and more exclusives, too!
Let's celebrate by giving quotes from you the readers! RBryanA says: "I most like your summaries and opinions on topics. I like to see what you think and have to say (it is really good). The blog does a good job of summing up the news of the day, plus it gives some news that might not be as big to post about on the boards and it goes to the blog. I would like to see ratings from the previous Sunday on the Sunday ratings part of the blog. So far, the only sitcoms on Sundays have been on FOX, but this fall the CW will have a block of them, so it would be nice to see how they are doing every week." -- That is a great suggestion and we will certainly do that this fall! Thanks for the input RBryanA!
Sean Snow says, "I lobsterlurve it (the blog)." -- Wow! I've never even heard of that word!
Matt Troop says, "I like the fact that there is a ratings post every week along with news that other people don't post..." -- Thanks Matt!
Finally, Raisingdad2004 says, "The extensive news coverage and the 'insider' feel (is what I like the most), a lot of the news posted on the blog can not be found elsewhere."
We thank all those people and the many others who have commented! Here is to another year and many more!
So you thought since this is our anniversary, we wouldn't be working today? Wrong! We have a mini-DVD review today for you!
This week we take a look at Lionsgate's Volume 5 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ninja Turtles is of course the hit animated series that caused kids and teens to go crazy for in the late '80s and early '90s. If you were growing up in that era, you were certainly a fan of this cult favorite. See my mini-DVD review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 5:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 5 (Lionsgate, $14.98) brings 12 more episodes from the series' third season. The third season had a total of 47 episodes, so there was no way to do this show in season format. Season one had 5 episodes, so that was on Volume 1. For season 2 there were just 13 episodes, so Lionsgate released that for volume two. But starting in Volume 3 they I guess decided they would release 12 episodes for a set. Volumes 3, 4 and 5 have 12 episodes each from season three. So, 11 remain from that season and will probably be released on volume 6. Then they have season four to go through which has 39 episodes. Seasons 5-10 do not have as many episodes as seasons three and four, so it will get better if we get that far. The episodes on this volume are: "Corporate Raiders from Dimension X," "Pizza by the Shred," "Super Bebop and Mighty Rocksteady," Beware the Lotus," "Blast from the Past," "Leatherhead," "Michaelangelo's Birthday," "Usagi Yojimbo," "Case of the Hot Kimono," "Usagi Come Home," "The Making of the Metalhead," "Leatherhead Meets the Rat King." Each episode runs approx. 22:15. The menu screen has Play All Episodes and Episode Selection, with the theme playing (loops) in the background. When we go to episode selection, there is a cool fade with music. If you have the first four volumes, there is no stopping you in buying this volume. The video is on par with the other volumes, with little dust and debris here and there, but the audio is decent. Hopefully Lionsgate releases the episodes a bit faster since we are only getting one-disc sets. So, head on over to New York City and see the Turtles, Splinter and April battle Shredder, Krang, Rocksteady, Bebop, Leatherhead and even The Rat King in 12-must see episodes from season three! Time to "Cowabunga Dude" on August 29!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV.com Page
Friday, August 18, 2006
Nick@Nite, Boomerang, i Network September Changes; Friday Notes
Last week we mentioned Boomerang will return Heathcliff & Marmaduke on Sept. 4, looks like that is not happening anymore. Garfield & Friends is still slated to come every night at 8 p.m. starting Sept. 18. They have also announced the returns of Jonny Quest, The Fantastic Four, and Wait Til Your Father Gets Home. All three will be airing in a late night block. They will also air the '60s animated cartoon Batfink on weekends at 12 noon. Due to popular demand, here is the full schedule.
The i Network will be making some changes in early September. Starting September 4, Family Feud and Doc will leave the weekday line-up. Another episode of Green Acres will replace Family Feud at 7:30 p.m. weekdays, while Mon-Thurs at 9 p.m. another episode of Diagnosis Murder will replace Doc. Doc will still air Fridays at 10 p.m. The new NBC kids block premieres Saturday, Sept. 9 on NBC. The i network will re-air that block on Friday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. starting Friday, September 15. Shows like Veggie Tales, Dragon, and Babar are airing. There are no other changes yet, but hopefully we will get some more later in September. I do know that Saturday marathons are being planned. So far we know Green Acres is having one on Aug. 26 and Sue Thomas F.B.Eye is having one on Sept. 2. Bonanza is being planned for Sept. 9 and Doc on Sept. 16. Hopefully they air some marathons from shows from the Sony/Warner library after that. And let's hope we get some changes later in September with more new shows.
Speaking of the i Network, last week's Mama's Family launch marathon did very well for i. The six episodes averaged 830,000 viewers, peaking at over 1 million for 10 p.m. In comparison the rest of the week averaged just 650,000 viewers. Hopefully they will realize now that these reruns will do well for them. I will keep you posted if there are any other changes on the i Network.
Well, today is Friday and I want to wrap the work-week in style. So, let's get to "the chase" (think Carmen Sandiego's fast 'chase' round) in the Friday notes! Former Ally McBeal co-star Jane Krakowski (or as Regis would call her "Krackow"), is joining NBC's new sitcom 30 Rock this fall. Krakowski will be playing the star of The Girlie Show, a network variety show that serves as the backdrop for the workplace comedy. 30 Rock debuts on October 11 and will air on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Scrubs stars are now playing golf while they wait for their series to come back for new episodes in mid-season! Five of the show's stars will take part in the The Big Break All Star Challenge, a one-hour special airing Tuesday, Aug. 22 on The Golf Channel. The show will feature actors Ken Jenkins (Doctor Kelso), Robert Maschio (The Todd), Neil Flynn (Janitor), Judy Reyes (Nurse Carla) and Johnny Kastl (Doug) participating in a golf event to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The network’s Stephanie Sparks will serve as host. The event features the actors taking part in golf challenges, including breaking glass with golf balls and a long-drive competition, competitions that are a regular part of the network’s Big Break reality series, which launches its sixth season September 26.
Actor Bruno Kirby passed away on Monday. He was battling leukemia. Kirby was best remembered for his movie roles in City Slickers, Harry Met Sally, and The Godfather: Part II, but he was also on TV. He guest starred on sitcoms such as M*A*S*H, Room 222, Detective School, Frasier, Mad About You, and It's Garry Shandling's Show. He was last seen this past season on an episode of HBO's Entourage. Mr. Kirby was only 57.
Stay tuned tomorrow for our first anniversary special!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, November 11
Scrubs - "My Emergency" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When an overflowing ER sparks chaos within the hospital, J.D. is surprised to learn the reason why; Turk mentors Dashana in her personal life.
Abbott Elementary - "Competition" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ava recruits Janine to prepare the step team for a competition; Melissa calls in a favor for Gregory.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 9)
Wednesday, November 11
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (FUBAR) - Watch Arnold on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Caroline Rhea (Sydney to the Max/Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Pride & Joy) - Caroline will be on Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
- Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn talks about Madden on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) - Ali talks about Quarter on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about The Gilded Age on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Sam Nivola (Phony) - Sam talks about Phony on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) - NBC's Today catches up with Ron in the 9am hour.
- Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - Mariska and Ice-T talk about the 600th Episode of Law & Order: SVU on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
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)
09/29/26 - Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/20/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Brady Bunch - The Complete Original Series (2026 Release) (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - Shrinking - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD)
10/20/26 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Seasons (DVD)
11/03/26 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Ninth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/03/26 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/24/26 - The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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