Thursday, January 11, 2007
TCA Cable Winter Press Tour Day 3; Remembering Yvonne De Carlo
E! Networks (E!, style, G4), ESPN, Lifetime, Starz!, MTV Networks (MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon/Nick@Nite, TV Land).
We will have updates shortly.
First, we will start with VH1. That have started production on new scripted half-hour comedy I Hate My 30s. VH1's picked up eight episodes of the show, which uses the backdrop of a doctor's office to address issues faced by twenty-somethings reluctantly entering their 30s. Also, at VH1, for 16 years, America has been riveted by the outrageous guests and topics that make up The Jerry Springer Show. It showcases some of America's most colorful characters, wild relationships and truly amazing stories. Now, for the first time, backstage cameras capture life behind the curtain with VH1's new docu-soap, The Springer Hustle, an in-depth, insider's look at how America's most controversial television show is put together. Premiering Sunday, March 4 at 10 PM, the 8 half-hour episodes will
focus on the dedicated team of producers in the eye of the Springer
hurricane; a tight-knit family charged with filling the show with the wildest real American stories possible.
Sister network Spike TV has a new project coming up. Donnie Wahlberg has been signed to star opposite John Leguizamo in Spike TV's new fast-paced, thrilling original scripted eight-hour dramatic event The Kill Pit.
At Lifetime, Mark Gordon, a producer of ABC hit Grey's Anatomy will bring his expertise in large ensemble drama to Lifetime Television this summer with the debut of Army Wives. Army Wives, shot in HD, will begin production in February in South Carolina. Lifetime ordered 13 episodes of the show, which will star Kim Delany and Catherine Bell. So far, only the pilot has been shot. Kirstie Alley will star in and executive produce the upcoming Lifetime Original Movie And She Was, a satiric comedy about a middle-aged screenwriter who learns she is all washed up in Hollywood because she is considered too old. She enlists the help of her 20-something nephew who passes himself off as the writer of her scripts. But when he falls in love with a studio executive, her plan to reveal that she is, in fact, the talented wordsmith, is jeopardized. And She Was will premiere this summer on Lifetime Television.
G4 executives introduced a retro-video-game-inspired animated series, Code Monkeys. G4 will also launch Star Trek: The Next Generation 2.0 on January 15. The show features on-screen live chat and interactive features as a Star Trek episode airs. G4 has aired a similar format for original Star Trek episodes since April 2006.
As for style network, interior design pro Thom Filicia is hosting a new show for the style network. In the half-hour series Dress My Nest, Filicia will help redo a room in someone's house based on seeing one outfit of their clothing. The show debuts March 28. Also, style has renewed both Split Ends and Style Her Famous for second seasons.
An active day indeed. No news yet from TV Land or Nick at Nite yet, if anything will be released at all. If they do release something, check back here in this spot or in tomorrow's blog.
Coming up tomorrow (the last day for cable): TV Guide Channel, NBC Universal Cable Networks (Bravo, Sci-Fi, USA Network)), Sundance Channel, GSN, Rainbow Networks (AMC, WE-TV, Fuse), HBO.
Yvonne De Carlo who played wife Lily Munster on the hit '60s sitcom The Munsters has passed away. De Carlo is best known for that role on the horror spoof sitcom. She was also quite known for her role as Charlton Heston's wife in the movie epic The Ten Commandments. De Carlo died Monday in Los Angeles of natural causes. She also played Lily Munster in the 1966 movie Munster, Go Home; The Munsters' Revenge in 1981; and in a cameo appearance in the 1995 TV movie revival Here Come the Munsters. De Carlo was an actress who acted in the 1940s even in various movies. Her other TV credits include guest spots on Bonanza, Fantasy Island, Murder She Wrote, Dream On, and Death Valley Days. She even had a small role in the highest rated mini-series of all time, Roots, playing a slave owner's wife. Let's hope TV Land does a tribute by airing some Munsters episodes, though they don't have rights to the show anymore. The least they can do is air that Bonanza episode. If there is a tribute, we will let you know. Ms. De Carlo will certainly be missed by sitcom fans. She was 84.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
TCA Winter Cable Press Tour Day 2; Bush Speech Messes Primetime Schedule Tonight
New programming coming up in March on Oxygen ranges from the deathly serious (Who Cares About Girls?) to the frivolous (a reality series about Tori Spelling and her new husband, Dean McDermott. Tori & Dean: Inn Love will follow the couple as they invest Spelling's inheritance from her late father, producer Aaron Spelling, by buying an eight-acre bed-and-breakfast in Temecula, Calif.
TV One said it is going into production on a new theatrical competition series, David E. Talbert's Blackstage, with playwright Talbert and Edmonds Entertainment. Eight contestants and two alternates will compete for the chance to be understudies in Talbert's latest play, a touring production of Love in the Nick of Tyme, which stars Morris Chestnut and R&B singer Avant.
Disney Channel announced updates for its various series such as Kim Possible and Handy Mandy. High School Musical fans can go online starting Friday to determine elements of High School Musical 2, which begins filming in Utah in the spring for an August premiere. At the Web site, they can answer 10 poll questions that will determine such elements as the type of dessert that Zeke bakes for Sharpay and the clever sayings on Chad's T-shirts.
Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez have been tapped to star in the ABC Family original movie Holidays in Handcuffs. Production is underway and is scheduled to air in December 2007 as part of ABC Family's annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming event. ABC Family also touted its new series Lincoln Heights, which airs Mondays at 7 p.m.
And yesterday Hallmark Channel and FX were up late. We have updates on both. Hallmark mentioned it will be doing more romance films in February before converting to a scheduling scheme in March that will see each weeknight devoted to genres. The February lineup will include original fare such as Love Is a Four-Letter Word, starring Teri Polo and Robert Mailhouse as cynical divorce attorneys who find love with each other; and acquisitions such as Green Card with Gerard Depardieu and The In-Laws with Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas.
Originals scheduled later in the year include Sacrifices of the Heart, the Davis-penned drama, starring Melissa Gilbert and Ken Howard; Pandemic, depicting a jetliner bearing a toxic virus headed for Los Angeles; and Marco Polo with Ian Somerhalder.
As for FX, Glenn Close is coming back to the network to star in her own legal thriller. Denis Leary's Rescue Me and comedy series It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia will return this summer for fourth and third seasons, respectively on FX.
Up tomorrow: E! Networks (E!, style, G4), ESPN, Lifetime, Starz!, MTV Networks (MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon/Nick@Nite, TV Land).
Tonight President Bush has scheduled a speech on sending more troops in Iraq at 9 p.m.--which effects the sitcom world in a way. In the east, central and mountain time zones, ABC's The Knights of Prosperity, In Case of Emergency and an abbreviated Primetime Medical Mysteries will air on a half-hour delay. Knights at 9:30 p.m. ET, Emergency at 10:00 p.m. ET and an abbreviated Medical at 10:30 p.m. ET. In the pacific time zone, you'll get the shows in their regular slots of 9-11 p.m. PT. So, don't miss Knights episode two...I've seen it and it is hilarious. Louis the intern will shine in this episode. And episode two of Emergency is funnier than the pilot. Tune in!
Elsewhere, NBC will join Deal or No Deal in progress at 9:30 p.m. ET, but it will be an encore broadcast now (in the pacific time zone, you'll see the full hour encore). CBS will air repeats of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY now instead of all-new episodes, both on a half-hour delay from 9:30-11:30 p.m ET (in the pacific time zone, you'll see the encores in the regular 9-11pm PT slots). And Fox will pre-empt an encore of Bones scheduled 9-10 p.m. ET for an encore of 'Til Death at 9:30 p.m. Not sure what the pacific time zone will air at 9 p.m. PT--I'd image another 'Til Death. See what the President has caused? Anyway go with the ABC comedies...they will be all-new!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
TCA Winter Cable Press Tour Day 1; TV Land Change for This Wednesday, M*A*S*H Scores!
We will give you programming updates, if anything of note is given. So, check back repeatedly. A&E has CSI: Miami and The Sopranos reruns, but now also look to develop 6 original dramas to surround those series. from big creative names including Joel Silver and Steven Bochco. The Bocho series is described as a legal series about a married couple who specialize in divorce cases.
As for CNN, they are developing documentaries and specials. Some include Grady's Anatomy, a second quarter program about the doctors at Atlanta's Grady Hospital where CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is an attending neurosurgeon and Larry King: 50 Years of Pop Culture, a two-hour, second quarter special tracing King's 50 years in the industry.
So, far Day 1 has been a snooze fest...let's hope it picks up later in the day. Check back here for further updates. Hopefully Hallmark has something good to report.
Up tomorrow are: Discovery Networks (Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel), Oxygen, TV One, National Geographic Channel, BBC America, Disney Channel/ABC Family.
TV Land has made a change for this Wednesday. For this Wednesday (Jan. 10), M*A*S*H will air at 9:30pm leading into the premiere of original series Myths & Legends at 10pm. Andy Griffith's 9:30pm episode will now air at 11pm on this night. By the looks of this, it seems M*A*S*H is doing very well. And we can confirm that now:
The launch of M*A*S*H on TV Land proved to be a "major major" smash! The series, which kicked off with a week-long "Major Major M*A*S*H Marathon" on Monday, January 1 through Sunday, January 7, scored spectacular ratings in prime time for the week, attracting an average of 1.3 million total viewers and scored double-digit increases in demo rating and delivery. The marathon showcase also included all the major episodes from the series; the original major motion picture of the same name; the 20th and 30th major reunion specials and the major landmark series finale, all of which scored huge numbers for the network. TV Land's "Major Major" marathon made TV Land a Top Ten ranked network in all of basic cable among Adults 25-54 for the week in prime.
For full details click HERE.
I don't have Nick@Nite's full January 22 schedule just yet, as soon as I do, I will post it. All we know is that Full House will also air Mon-Fri at 8:30 p.m., and Growing Pains will air Mon-Thurs 9 & 9:30 p.m., Fridays & Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 p.m. That could be the only changes, but we will let you know, as soon as we do.
Monday, January 08, 2007
'Growing Pains' Joins Nick@Nite Schedule; In2TV January New Episodes and Series
You saw the promo and on screen scrolls on Nick at Nite shows this weekend saying that the hit '80s sitcom Growing Pains is coming to Nick at Nite, starting Jan. 21...but now we have full details! Nick at Nite will add the popular family comedy Growing Pains to its sitcom line-up beginning Sunday, January 21 at 9:00 PM (ET/PT). The sitcom kicks off with an all-night, nine-episode marathon on Sunday, Jan. 21 from 9:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. which will repeat immediately from 1:30 until 6:00 a.m.
Then, beginning Monday, January 22, the network will air an hour of Growing Pains with two back-to-back episodes every Monday through Thursday from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. Growing Pains will also air Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 p.m. The show will also continue to air on the broadcast channel i Network weeknights 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Full House will be moving to Mon-Fri 8:30 p.m., which I believe is considered Nickelodeon. No idea yet if Full House will remain at 1 & 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. We WILL be back later today with full changes to the Nick at Nite schedule starting that date...if there are any other changes. So you will want to return indeed!
Here are January 2007 new episodes for In2TV that launched on In2TV. New sitcoms joining are The Stones, Twins and My Favorite Martian, and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper continues to joins Chico and the Man with no new episodes this month. There are more new shows joining that are not sitcoms, see bottom, also two more new channels! So, here is a glimpse of what is new this month, including all the sitcom episodes:
Alice
"Love is Sweeping the Counter"
Endearments replace the insults in Flo and Mel's relationship.
"Oh! George Burns"
When George Burns stops into Mel's, Vera believes that he's actually the Deity he played in the movie Oh, God!
"The Eyes of Texas"
Flo's vanity keeps her from getting the eyeglasses she obviously needs.
"Love is a Free Throw"
An amorous high-school basketball star starts putting the moves on Alice.
"Close Encounters of the Worst Kind"
Alice's (LINDA LAVIN) course in psychology causes a lot of friction in the diner, but with a happy ending.
F Troop
"Don't Ever Speak to Me Again"
When the troop is about to be given a citation for the highest morale in the region, arguments flare up among the troopers, the Hekawi, and Jane.
"Too Many Cooks Spoil the Troop"
When the fort's cook leaves, O'Rourke has Agarn take over and pads the supply list in order to sell the excess to the Hekawi. Jamie Farr guest stars.
"The Sergeant and the Kid"
O'Rourke must talk a runaway 10-year-old boy out of joining the cavalry
"What Are You Doing After the Massacre"
Flaming Arrow, the 147-year old chief of the Hekawi, comes down from a mountain to try to reclaim their land, starting by laying siege to Fort Courage.
"Indian Fever"
Everybody thinks Agarn is crazy when he is the only one to keep seeing an Indian in the fort
Gilligan's Island
"Big Man on a Little Stick"
A handsome surfer rides a tsunami all the way from Hawaii to Gilligan's Island.
"Diamonds Are an Ape's Best Friend"
A gorilla kidnaps Mrs. Howell.
"How To Be A Hero"
The Castaways try to make Gilligan feel like a hero.
"Return of Wrong Way Feldman"
The castaways are revisited by 'Wrongway' Feldman.
"The Matchmaker"
Mrs. Howell decides to engineer a romance between Gilligan and Mary Ann.
Growing Pains
"State of the Union"
Maggie fumes over the many irritants that seem to be driving her and Jason apart -- until unexpected news sheds light on the situation. Dennis Haysbert guest stars.
"The Mom Who Knew Too Much"
Maggie and Carol share confidences at the beauty salon, but later Carol learns to her chagrin that a secret isn't safe with Maggie.
"How The West Was Won - Part 1"
Mike and Boner learn that Coach Lubbock has been fired, prompting them to organize a protest.
"How The West Was Won - Part 2"
Jason, Carol, Mike, and Boner are arrested in the demonstration over the dismissal of Coach Lubbock.
"How Could I Leave Her Behind"
Mike's friend Eddie shows up for a double date with Mike's ex-girlfriend
Head of the Class
"The 21st Century News"
Charlie (HOWARD HESSEMAN) must convince his class that the future is not as bleak as they think and must convince Dennis (DAN SCHNEIDER) not to fear competition in the pursuit of his goals.
"Moore Than You Know"
When Charlie (HOWARD HESSEMAN) becomes disenchanted with teaching and resigns, can anyone change his mind?
"The Refrigerator of Fillmire High"
Dennis (DAN SCHNEIDER) joins the football team and learns about courage, while Dr. Samuels (WILLIAM G. SCHILLING) joins the students in a citywide competition and learns about acting.
"Let's Rap"
When the students receive certificates as peer counselors, Sarah (KIMBERLY RUSSELL) is distraught over her apparent inability to help a troubled student (RAIN PRYOR). Leah Remini guest stars in this episode.
Jamie Foxx Show
"Get Up, Stand Up"
Jamie causes problems after advising Fancy to be more confrontational with her inconsiderate friend. Helen and Junior try to find a date for Braxton.
"Super Ego"
Series star JAMIE FOXX reunites with his fellow Any Given Sunday stars, professional football greats LAWRENCE TAYLOR and JAMIE WILLIAMS, along with football players CHARLES WOODSON, FRED WILLIAMSON and DARRELL RUSSELL (all playing themselves). When Fancy parties with the sports heroes, Jamie's ego gets him involved in a serious gridiron game against the professionals.
"Rollin' in the Dough"
Jamie wreaks havoc when he invades Braxton's investment club.
"On Bended Knee"
Jamie balks at proposing to Fancy, so he breaks up with her---but accidentally leaves an engagement ring at her apartment. He and his pals then search her place for the rock, hoping to find it before Fancy does.
"Bachelor Party"
Jamie catches Fancy auditioning male dancers for her bachelorette party after they each promised not to have such gatherings, so he and Mouse plan to get even.
Joey
"Joey and the Road Trip"
When a celebrity judge for a Las Vegas beauty pageant suddenly cancels, Joey is asked to replace him. Gina and Alex want to take a road trip with Joey, and the two women kidnap Michael from school and force him to join them as well. While at the casino, Michael reluctantly uses his math skills to teach Gina how to play blackjack using his math skills. Bob Saget guest stars in this episode.
"Joey and the Taste Test"
Lauren (recurring guest star LUCY LIU), the executive producer of "Deep Powder," orders Joey to stop dating his fellow star Katie (recurring guest star DANNEEL HARRIS). But when Joey refuses to heed the warning, a problem arises. Meanwhile, Gina teaches Alex how to bake her famous lasagna. But does the student's version surpass the teacher's?
"Joey and the Assistant"
Now that he's a big celebrity on a hit TV show, Joey discovers that he can hire a personal assistant and begins the interviewing process. Michael is frustrated when his friend Seth (recurring guest star SIMON HELBERG) decides to patent an idea by himself even though they created the concept together.
"Joey and the Tonight Show"
Joey gets the chance of a lifetime to be a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" when a major movie star cancels her appearance. However, on his way to the studio, Joey becomes increasingly worried he won't arrive on time. When a big truck overturns on the freeway, Joey really starts to panic. JAY LENO guest stars as himself.
"Joey and the Wrong Name"
Joey gets invited to present an award at the Daytime Soap Awards and finds that it's more difficult than it looks. Meanwhile, Michael unsuccessfully tries to work out at the gym.
Kirk
"Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave"
Elizabeth's parents don't know that she and Kirk are married, so when they visit, she and Kirk pretend to be just engaged.
My Favorite Martian - NEW!
"My Favorite Martian"
In the pilot episode, Martin's spacecraft crash lands on earth. He meets and moves in with Tim O'Hara.
"The Matchmaker"
Tim and Martin find a dog that needs their help. It turns out that the dog is love-struck.
"There Is No Cure for the Common Martian"
Martin loses his powers when he gets sick. He has contracted the common cold, a condition that Martians are not familiar with.
"Russians Are In Session"
Martin finds out about the Government space strategy. He knows from experience that the plans are doomed to failure. But he finds no audience when he attempts to warn them.
"Man or Amoeba'
Martin helps Mrs. Brown's daughter, Angela, with a school assignment about Mars.
"The Man on the Couch"
Martin is believed to be attempting suicide. He is forced into psychiatric therapy.
"Case of the Missing Sleuth"
The Case of the Missing Sleuth: Detective Brennan (Alan Hewitt) dissolves himself with Martin's molecular separator.
"Who's Got The Power"
Martin's powers become impaired during an electrical storm.
"El Senor From Mars"
In Mexico, Tim and Martin witness the opening of an ancient box. Bernie Kopell guest stars.
Pearl
"Dean Cuisine"
Annie sends unsuspecting Pearl and Pynchon on a blind date to dinner at the dean's house. Pynchon, who's running for chairman of his department, gives way to greed when he realizes the dean likes Pearl. Danny DeVito guest stars.
"Billy Returns"
Pynchon's brother Billy returns and asks Pearl on a date, but she's worried that he's just trying to annoy his brother. Meanwhile, Pynchon is acting more than annoyed--he seems jealous.
Perfect Strangers
"You Gotta Have Friends"
Larry has doubts about Balki's new friend's honesty.
"Father Knows Best" Parts 1 and 2
Larry feels responsible for everyone being trapped in the basement.
"Home Movies"
Larry shoots a home movie to be sent to Mypos.
"Three's A Crowd"
Mary Anne stays with Larry and Balki after she has an argument with Jennifer.
The Stones - NEW!
"Pilot"
Barbara and Stan argue over how to break it to their adult kids at their 25th anniversary celebration dinner, that they are happily getting a divorce. Meanwhile, Karly gets evicted from her apartment but refuses to tell her parents, and Winston succeeds in getting Audra, a pretty science colleague, to notice him. Karly decides to move back home, and Stan moves into the guest room above the garage.
"Seamus On You"
When Barbara gives Stan a belated 25th Anniversary gift, he tries to outdo her by giving her a better gift. A fling from Karly's past shows up on the Stones' doorstep. Nobody remembers Winston's 21st birthday, except for Audra.
"The Lawyer Trap"
Stan cancels the family credit cards when he mistakenly assumes Barbara went on a shopping spree. Barbara retaliates by calling off their "friendly divorce" and hiring a lawyer. Winston and Karly do some bonding after Winston realizes he misses his sister.
"The Lonely Goatherd"
Stan hurts his back and Winston stays home to take care of him, while Barbara and Karly attend a "Sound of Music" sing-a-long dressed as characters from the movie. Stan wants to watch basketball, but Winston has other ideas.
"Romancing the Stones"
Barbara and Stan's first forays into the dating scene ends up differently than they anticipated. Stan is taken aback when a pretty female colleague flirts with him and ultimately ends up asking her out. Barbara, meanwhile, joins an Internet dating service and arranges a meeting with one of her matches. As the two prepare to go on their dates, Barbara tries to undermine Stan's confidence while she builds up her own. Meanwhile, Karly interferes in Winston's dating life causing a mix-up that almost costs her a job she loves.
"She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister"
Barbara's previously plump sister comes to visit and attempts to use her hot new looks to take advantage of a new opportunity. Barbara has always felt guilty for growing up the favored daughter over her overweight, irresponsible sister. When Gail comes to visit and shows off a gorgeous new figure, Barbara is thrilled and eager to help her in any way she can. But when she tries to pull one over on Barbara, Gail quickly learns that her straight-laced, goody-goody sister isn't the pushover she thought she was.
"The Perfect Episode"
A comedy about the crazy reality of two adult children living in their childhood home with their divorcing, but friendly, parents.
"Courting the Coopers"
A comedy about the crazy reality of two adult children living in their childhood home with their divorcing, but friendly, parents.
"Howard's End"
A comedy about the crazy reality of two adult children living in their childhood home with their divorcing, but friendly, parents.
Twins - NEW!
"Pilot"
Twin sisters -- one brilliant, the other beautiful -- inherit their parents' lingerie company, Arnold Undergarments. Mitchee, considers leaving the company, but then she meets a new attractive, co-worker.
"Fruit of the Lunatics"
Mitchee and Farrah come to an agreement on not to argue in front of their employees while running their lingerie business. But the sister's truce does not last long as they bicker over the name of an underwear design. Lastly, retirement for Alan is a lot harder than he had originally expected.
"Treat Her Like A Lady"
Mitchee is fed up with Alan always treating her like one of the guys, especially in front of Jordan. Alan respects Mitchee's feelings, but over-compensates when referring to his daughter in the work place, resulting in many rumors among the employees. Meanwhile, Farrah wants to be taken more seriously within the company and boardroom, but Lee tries to convince her to leave the business responsibilities to her sister and father.
"Twist of Fate"
Mitchee follows Lee's advice and sets up Jordan with Farrah so he'll realize that they don't belong together. However, her plan sadly backfires.
"Really, It's The Thought That Counts"
To prove to Farrah that she can have fun, Mitchee throws herself a birthday party. Elsewhere, Alan and Lee decide to make a list of all the reasons they don't like one another and Alan is ashamed that his list is longer than hers.
"Model Student"
Mitchee and Farrah both receive traffic tickets and must attend traffic school at their old alma mater, which brings back unsettling feelings the two have toward each other. Meanwhile, Alan realizes his figure isn't the way it used to be and decides to get into shape. Lee vows to help him lose weight, offering Alan an exercise incentive he can't refuse.
"Halloween, Boo"
Mitchee and Lee bond as they give out Halloween candy while Alan is trying to catch the person who has been egging their house. Meanwhile Farrah drops off a donation of leftover "Golden Rears" to a retirement home where she must confront her fears of aging when she meets a woman on the verge of death.
"Horse Sense"
Farrah's plan to flirt with the landlord to keep their company's rent low falls apart when she finds out that he retired and he has been replaced by his daughter. Meanwhile, Alan realizes he is allergic to Lee's new little horse, Tinkerbell, and confronts Lee about sending the horse to live on a farm.
"I Like You, You're Fired"
Jordan finally asks Mitchee out on a date. However, during dinner, she gets a call from Farrah telling her there is a major problem with an important shipment of undergarments. Turns out the problem is the result of Jordan's actions, meaning Mitchee must make a tough decision for Mitchee. Meanwhile, Alan tells Lee he wants to fire their housekeeper after he declared that her cleaning techniques need improvement.
"Sister's Keeper"
When Alan informs Lee, Mitchee and Farrah that his unexciting sister Judy is joining them for Thanksgiving dinner, the family is clearly less than thrilled. Lee is especially horrified when Judy's creepy new boyfriend hits on her. Meanwhile, in an attempt to cheer Mitchee up and to take her mind off of Jordan. Farrah and her friends take Mitchee out to a bar leading to one crazy evening.
Welcome Back, Kotter
"Oo-Oo, I Do"
Horshack disappears the day before his wedding.
"I'm Okay, But You're Not"
Beau steals Woodman's pants and then sounds the fire alarm to prove to the Sweathogs that he is not stuck-up.
New shows and specials: The Stones, Twins, My Favorite Martian, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Magilla Gorilla, Looney Tunes, and Eyes.
New Looney Tunes Channel:
Featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote, Speedy Gonzalez and Sylvester & Tweety.
New Rock 'n Flix Channel:
Music from the following movies Jimi Hendrix, The Song Remains the Same, Purple Rain, The Bodyguard, Krush Groove, Jamboree, Honeysuckle Rose and Pure Country.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Week 16 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did
Households: CBS: 7.7/11.9; Fox: 6.8/10.6; NBC: 5.9/9.1; ABC: 5.3/8.3; The CW: 1.9/2.8.
Total Viewers: CBS: 11.97 million; Fox: 10.63 million; NBC: 8.93 million; ABC: 8.26 million; The CW: 2.85 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 3.7/9.6; CBS: 3.5/8.9; NBC: 3.3/8.2; ABC: 3.0/7.6; The CW: 1.2/3.0.
Analysis: We're back! After a few weeks off, welcome to the first week of 2007! The 16th week saw repeats filtering in with some new episodes here and there. But the real new stuff really starts next week, where majority of everything is new. CBS has won households and viewers for 15 straight weeks, and will likely win again this week. NBC will likely win Adults 18-49 because of the NFL game yesterday, but it is doubtful if their new Sunday night line-up bombs..if that happens, maybe Fox will prevail, as ABC Sunday will bring ABC up for sure, but not enough to win I think. As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. CBS has the top spot so far with Fox in second because of the BCS Games (which are way down from last year when ABC aired them) and NBC & ABC are almost neck-and-neck through Thursday. On Monday (New Year's Day), everything was in repeats but College Football. The end of the Rose Bowl on ABC did massive numbers in the 8 p.m. half hour doing a stellar 24.03 million. Fox aired the Fiesta Bowl from 8:40 to 12:51am and did 13.78 million, down from last year when it was on ABC. CBS's CSI: Miami was the highest rated repeat doing 12.15 million, and NBC's Heroes encore marathon struggled with it going down each hour (5.43, 5.15, 4.73 million). CBS sitcoms repeats did OK, with 8pm hour doing 7.61 and 6.9 million. Two and a Half Men rose from those numbers and did 12.1 million for a repeat. ABC saw decent numbers for two Supernanny encores following the Rose Bowl, doing 6.74 and 6.97 million. Tuesday was also repeats mainly, but NBC was all-new and won the night. NBC got big numbers from both Law & Order spin-offs doing 13.38 and 15.17 million from 9-11pm, with Dateline kicking the night off with a respectable 9.5 million. Fox was next with the Orange Bowl doing just 10.66 million...not good for a major game. CBS's repeats of three dramas averaged 9.62 million...not bad. ABC saw a AFV repeat open up decently with 8.14 million, but then two episodes of the new sitcom Big Day wasn't so hot, as they did 5.1 and 4.69 million each.Though, that was up from previous week. A repeat of Boston Legal did 4.97 million. Wednesday saw Fox win with the Sugar Bowl doing 14.42 million, on par with last year. Next up was CBS with its nearly all-repeat line-up averaging 10.26 million. King of Queens was the only new episode 8.47 million to start the night off. NBC saw mix results for its new Wednesday line-up, with Friday Night Lights limping in its new night with just 6.28 million, but Deal or No Deal's new slot (yet another!) building big time from that with 11.33 million. Medium followed with a decent 9.33 million. ABC's new comedy block opened up doing OK, but not great. We were expecting more but it didn't happen. The return of According to Jim with two episodes at 8pm did 7.3 and 7.21 million...which is OK. The series premiere of The Knights of Prosperity did 7.2 million, which is also OK, but should be doing more because of how great it is. The series premiere of In Case of Emergency followed with just 6.32 million. The CW looks like has found a replacement for America's Next Top Model in between seasons as the two-hour season premiere of Beauty & the Geek did 4.9 million. On Thursday we saw CBS dominate with all-new episodes, as ABC was in repeats from 9-11pm this week. CBS opened with a CSI repeat winning the hour with 13.01 million followed by a new CSI doing a very good 26.12 million since ABC's Grey's Anatomy was not on, that show did 10.31 million at 9pm for a repeat. ABC did have Ugly Betty all new at 8pm and it did decent with 11.65 million...it will be much higher next week when all of ABC Thursday is new. CBS closed the night off with Shark winning but dropping big from CSI doing 14.42 million and just a 3.7/10 18-49 rating (down big from CSI's 8.4/21). ABC aired another Grey's Anatomy repeat at 10 p.m. and did 9.76 million, but beat Shark in 18-49 with a 4.0/10. NBC aired all-new episodes of comedies from 8-10pm and did decent for the first hour but saw bleeding from Scrubs and 30 Rock. They all did decent though in 18-49 from a 3.0-4.3 in range. ER was new and did just 10.93 million, 30 Rock is not helping it. I wonder if Men in Trees will come close to that next week for ABC? And Fox saw pathetic numbers with 'Til Death, War at Home and The O.C. Countdown to the finale is on...finally they are canceling it!
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS and NBC share the night with CBS's dramas and NBC's game show and dramas. CBS's NUMB3RS was #1 at 10 p.m. and for the night with a 7.8/13 rating. ABC re-aired theWednesday comedies and didn't do too well and 20/20 was down a lot. And The CW and Fox battled for last place. Saturday ratings saw the NFL playoffs on NBC dominate. We don't have numbers yet. As for tonight, ABC and CBS will likely share a win, with ABC's Desperate Housewives dominating 9 p.m. and the rest of its A-class line-up of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition & Brothers & Sisters. NBC's reality premieres will likely not do well and will certainly lose to ABC and CBS. I just wonder if the reality can beat Fox's animation? As for this week in general, I expect NBC to win the demo because of the NFL game and CBS will prevail in total viewers most likely. This week more shows are back with new episodes, including Grey's Anatomy!
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of Dec. 25-31)
- Reba (The CW) 2 episodes - Two repeats on New Year's Eve did 1.79 and 2.2 million.
- The Simpsons (Fox) - 5.62 million tuned in for a repeat on New Year's Eve.
- American Dad (Fox) - 3.98 million for a repeat, still down big from lead-in.
- Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - Two repeats held steady with 3.75 and 3.65 million.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 7.61 million for a repeat on the 1st day of 2007...not bad.
- The Class (CBS) - 6.9 million for a repeat. New episodes from now on until its finale in March.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 12.1 million for a repeat still makes this sitcom the highest rated sitcom...how sad.
- New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) - 9.62 million for an encore broadcast.
- CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends, The Game. Repeat episode of Chris started it off with 2.55 million, the highest of the block. The rest ranged 1.75 to 2.51 million.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Big Day (ABC) 2 episodes - 5.1 million and 4.69 million for two new episodes. Not good, but up from last week's dismal 3.97 and 3.83 million.
- The King of Queens (CBS) - The last episode until its final batch of episodes come in April & May did 8.47 million, beating ABC by over a million.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat performance on a special night and time did 8.36 million.
- According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - The show is back it did 7.3 and 7.21 million for two new episodes. Let's hope with CBS not airing comedies in this hour starting next week, this show can go over 8 million.
- The Knights of Prosperity (ABC) - 7.2 million for the premiere, not great, but not bad either. Let's hope this week it goes over 8 million. WATCH IT! IT IS AWESOME! It did a 3.0/8 in 18-49...which is decent these days for a sitcom.
- In Case of Emergency (ABC) - 6.32 million for the premiere, not good...hopefully this week it will build on that and do better...maybe 7 million or more?
- My Name is Earl (NBC) - 10.03 million for an all-new episode and a 4.3/12 in 18-49...decent stuff!
- The Office (NBC) - 8.8 million...not holding as much as it did before from the lead-in, but 18-49 is great with a 4.3/11 rating.
- Scrubs (NBC) - Freefall continues with 7.29 million.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - More downward trend for NBC Thursday with 5.89 million.
- 'Til Death (Fox) - Wow over 5 million? 5.12 million...bad but good for this show.
- War at Home (Fox) - 4.55 million for a new episode...not good.
- According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - ABC re-aired Wednesday night and it didn't do so well, but Jim did the best of them all, with the first half hour the highest.
- The Knights of Prosperity (ABC) - Let's hope more viewers caught the premiere and flee to Wednesday for the next new episode! Watch it because I've seen episode two and it is flat out good! Watch the intern shine this week.
- In Case of Emergency (ABC) - See above comment about more viewers. Episode 2 of this sitcom is good too...we see a hilarious heavy-set black woman knock two of our men out...also a hilarious scene between some citizens on the street and Sherman.
Saturday Sitcoms
Airing tonight (Sunday) are a mix of new & repeat episodes of Fox comedies and Reba on The CW.
Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, The King of Queens, My Name is Earl and The New Adventures of Old Christine were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Knights of Prosperity and According to Jim) or just plain old terrible (such as Big Day and War at Home).
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Mini-DVD Review: The New Adventures of He-Man Volume 1 (Dec. 26)
The New Adventures of He-Man - Volume 1 (BCI, $49.98) brings the first 33 episodes from the series only season. BCI did a VERY nice job with the original series, and this set is right on par I think. The series had just one season, and probably isn't as popular as the original series. I don't remember much about this series at all actually. Like the original He-Man, this was a first-run syndicated series and aired weekdays after school in 1990-91, so every day was basically a new episode. BCI will create two volumes for this series, which is a smart move and will be treated in the same manner just like the original series. So, of the 65 episodes, we got them on just two six-disc sets...not bad at all. Plus extras are included. In this series, He-Man heads to the future to the planet Primus. No more planet Eternia, but the villain Skeletor is back! The main villain in this really is Flogg and his mutants. This is certainly a new beginning and different from the original series, but still good! None of the original characters are back but He-Man and Skeletor. The menu screen has the options of Play All, Episodes, and Settings, with nice animated menus. When we select a sub-menu we get a nice transition music or even a nice transition video. When we select Settings, we change from English to Spanish, or vice versa. When we go to Episodes, nice animation and music plays with the episode title listed, you can choose play or select chapters to get to a scene faster. The director and writers of each episode are listed along with a nice long synopsis of the episode. Like the original series DVDs, these are the most informative episode menus I have ever seen. Nicely done! Chapters sub-menu has 4 stops with a nice little video in the box of each and interesting facts from Gleep on the right...again informative! The video is pretty good and the audio is also decent. There is one episode on disc 5 that had to be digitally remastered. I guess it had terrible prints, but the remastered episode looks great! The packaging is the same style as the original series, a nice outer box with a very nice looking digipak. There are nice images on the digipak along with memorable quotes from the episodes on this set. Each disc has its own section, so no overlapping and easy to take out. A nice episode booklet comes with the set that details so much along with two collectible 4 X 6 cards by two wonderful artists. On the episodes itself, each one runs just over 22 minutes or so. The bonus features are all on disc six. All the extras are listed on the main menu. The first option is Documentary Features, there are two of them: "Creating the New Adventures of He-Man" and this runs 28:04. Find out how the show got started and what it is about...great interviews. The next documentary is "The Comic Book Adventures of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and this runs 25:16. This documentary shows us the 1982 comics and more! Then the next extra is called "Character Profiles." 50 detailed profiles of various Characters, Guest Characters and Technologies. When selecting one from each category, you get some text and you can play a little clip related to what you chose. Very cool. Then we have the series bible and scripts from episodes that can be accessed on your computer via DVD-ROM. They are in PDF format, so you will need Adobe Acrobat. Then we have four very short commercial bumpers that was used in first-run syndication. The total run time for all 4 in total is just 15 seconds. I wish they would have just kept this in the actual episodes. Finally, we have an Image Gallery where we can see 19 cool images. There is also a trailers section for other BCI/Ink & Paint DVDs such as She-Ra, Flash Gordon and the original He-Man.
This is indeed a wonderful set and BCI continues the He-Man brand in a great and quality way. I don't remember much about this show, but thanks to BCI, I can relive this and try to remember. Volume 2, which will have the final 32 episodes should be out in early 2007, I would think. They are releasing spin-off She-Ra as we speak and two more sets are still to come! By the power of good and the way of the magic, the battle begins anew, but buying this DVD is still the old way by clicking on the link below!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
The New Adventures of He-Man TV.com Page
Friday, January 05, 2007
Watch 'Knights', 'Emergency' Encores Tonight; TCA Winter Cable Press Tour Preview
Next week is a big week in the world of cable--the TCA Winter Cable Press Tour. Yes, it is that semi-annual time of the year again and we hope to learn some cool programming news! We will like usual cover it in detail. The fun starts on Monday with an evening reception, then the meetings and sessions starts Tuesday and end Friday. And here is the schedule of networks going on what day:
Tuesday: Turner Broadcasting (CNN, TNT, TBS), Weather Channel, Great American Country, A&E/History Channel, Hallmark Channel, FX.
Wednesday: Discovery Networks (Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel), Oxygen, TV One, National Geographic Channel, BBC America, Disney Channel/ABC Family.
Thursday: E! Networks (E!, style, G4), ESPN, Lifetime, Starz!, MTV Networks (MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon/Nick@Nite, TV Land).
Friday: TV Guide Channel, NBC Universal Cable Networks (Bravo, Sci-Fi, USA Network)), Sundance Channel, GSN, Rainbow Networks (AMC, WE-TV, Fuse), HBO.
We will give you details of anything we can next week, but we will try to stay on topic and cover only the TV/sitcom related updates, rather than something from like Animal Planet or something. So, next week this is the place to be for any updates from the press tour!
This blog entry is brought to you by ABC's The Knights of Prosperity. Watch it Wednesdays at 9/8 Central and watch the pilot anytime online:
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Three Shows Canceled; Two Shows Head To Syndication; Watch The New Sitcoms
MGM, New Line Television and Comedy Central announced today that two of the cable network's most popular shows, RENO 911! and Chappelle's Show, will be the first programs to be syndicated by MGM under the new strategic relationship with New Line. Both series are available for syndication for fall of 2007, and MGM will handle all station and national ad sales.
And if you are one of the people who missed the sitcom premieres of laugh-out-loud sitcoms The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency, you will have a second chance to watch them tomorrow (Friday) at 9/8 central on ABC. Then you will be caught up in time for the next new episodes of both on Wednesday. Both shows premiered last night with "could have been better, could have been worse" numbers...but we need next Wednesday to be better, to survive American Idol the week after. So, come on and watch the pilot encores this Friday and PLEASE watch next Wednesday because I have seen both second episodes, and both are very good and better than the pilots even. Don't let the greatness of these shows (especially the Knights) go to waste by not watching.
And you can also watch the pilot for The Knights of Prosperity on abc.com...so no excuse of not giving it a chance!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Win a Knights of Prosperity 'Join the Knights' T-Shirt and Cookies From Us; TVLand.com Adds 20th TV Shows and Clips, TV Land Adds More 'Andy'
This is my first post of 2007! I was off three of the last four days (I only did the weekly ratings post) and like usual Todd did a great job in filling in! While I wasn't posting on the blog, I was still working and did the actual reviews of the new ABC sitcom pilots blog you saw on Monday posted by Todd. And those two sitcoms premiere tonight at 9/8 central! Everyone should watch because they are very funny sitcoms and we need some new sitcom hits, as we have had NONE at all this season. And to get you hyped up and excited for tonight's premiere of The Knights of Prosperity, we are giving away 4 'Join the Knights' t-shirts and some cookies (Rockefeller Butts' favorite snack) to go along with that to four lucky people! Our contest started yesterday and will end at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 17. One entry per person will be only allowed. To view the rest of the rules and to enter the contest if you have not already, please click HERE! We hope you are as excited as us for the premiere of The Knights of Prosperity tonight and also the premiere of In Case of Emergency right after that. That's 9/8 central on ABC tonight. It is a laugh-out-loud hour!
TVLand.com has launched today on their Video Player (www.tvland.com/video) under the "New on tvland.com" section classic clips and some full first episodes of vintage series from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Watch the first episodes of: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Big Valley and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea!
And you can also watch classic clips of: The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Big Valley, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Hill Street Blues, The Bob Newhart Show, Lost in Space, Remington Steele, and Time Tunnel!
You will find links to buy the DVDs of these vintage 20th Century Fox shows via Best Buy!
TV Land, Best Buy and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are proud to bring this to you...but you better watch these episodes & clips fast, before time runs out!
TV Land has made a schedule change. In addition to the changes we already announced that will begin Jan. 8 (when M*A*S*H joins the regular line-up), they have also announced that weekdays 5 & 5:30 p.m. will now be The Andy Griffith Show. Green Acres was airing in that slot and now will not be. Green Acres will still air in its other slots of weekdays 11am & 11:30am, every morning at 5am, and Sundays at 11am. The Andy Griffith Show will now air weekdays 5 & 5:30pm, every night 8-10pm, every night 2:20am & 2:55am and Sundays at 11:30am--that's a whole lot of Andy!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
2007 Sitcoms on DVD Preview
TV on DVD is now a $3 billion-a-year business. There are currently over 6,200 TV DVD releases on the market. Over 200 individual sitcoms are available on DVD. According to figures compiled by the DVD Release Report, there were 158 shows that debuted on DVD in 2006. That is up from 137 in 2005, so there doesn't appear to be any slow down in releases. Making their debut on DVD in 2007 will be Martin, Anything But Love, Men Behaving Badly, Family Ties, Girlfriends, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Bosom Buddies, McHale's Navy WKRP in Cincinnati, What I Like About You and George Lopez. That's only what has been announced for the next few months. Hopefully there will be a lot more later in the year. Making their returns after a very long wait will be Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and Mad About You.
The below links go to Amazon.com where you can pre-order these titles at up to 30% off their list price. We are an affiliate of Amazon.com and receive a commission for each sale. Please consider ordering through our links. Thanks for your support!
January 2007:
01/03 - Martin - The Complete First Season
Martin finally arrives on DVD on a 4-disc set. It was one of the most requested shows at TVShowsonDVD.com and looks to be a hot seller. At the time of this writing, it is #16 on the Top 100 list at Amazon.com . You can read our review of the set here.
01/16 - Gimme A Break - The Complete Second Season (Canadian Release)
01/16 - The King of Queens - The Complete Seventh Season
VEI is releasing the second season of Gimme A Break in Canada. You can order it online if you live in the US from Amazon.ca, and it will play fine in your DVD player. This title was previously announced for October 3, 2006, but it was delayed for an unknown reason. Some people that pre-ordered it did receive it, while the old date was still in the Amazon.ca system. No word yet on if/when Universal will release the second season in the U.S. It is nice to have VEI as a fallback. It has been just 4 months between the sixth and seventh seasons of The Kings of Queens. Fans have to love that release rate.
01/30 - I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Third Season
01/30 - Lucky Louie - The Complete Series
01/30 - Three's Company - Capturing the Laughter - Jack's Favorites
It has been about 6 months between releases for I Dream of Jeannie. There will be no extras, just the 26 episodes. HBO releases the complete series of Lucky Louie. The sitcom, which aired on HBO in the summer of 2006, was not renewed for a second season. Anchor Bay releases a 5-episode set that contains some of John Ritter's favorite episodes. For more details on this set, please visit Jack's Bistro. We heard that there was going to be a Janet's Favorites set released exclusively by Best Buy on the same day, but that sets seems to have been delayed. Hopefully Anchor Bay will release the two spin-offs, The Ropers and Three's a Crowd this year.
February 2007:
02/06 - Anything But Love - Volume 1 (Seasons 1-2)
02/06 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Third Season (Canadian Release)
02/06 - Mad About You - The Complete Third Season
A couple of romantic comedies for Valentine's Day. The Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis sitcom, Anything But Love, which aired on ABC from 1989-92, makes its debut on DVD. The set will have several featurettes and commentaries by Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis. FOX plans on having two releases: Volume 1 (Seasons 1-2) - 28 episodes and Volume 2 (Seasons 3-4) - 28 Episodes. Many people, including myself, thought we had seen the last of Mad About You on DVD when Sony released The Mad About You Collection in February 2005. The hope for any more season sets seemed remote... not so fast! Sony surprises us with the 3rd season - nearly 4 years after the second season release. VEI brings us the third season of Kate & Allie. This is a Canadian only release, but you can still order it online if you live in the US from Amazon.ca and it will play in your DVD player. They say that this set will contain all unedited episodes. Their season 1-2 set had some syndicated episodes. No word on if/when Universal will release seasons 2-3 in the U.S. Once again, it nice to have VEI as fallback for series such as Kate & Allie and Gimme A Break.
02/13 - All in the Family - The Complete Sixth Season
02/13 - The Golden Girls - The Complete Seventh and Final Season
02/13 - Men Behaving Badly (US) - The Complete Series
02/13 - Zoey 101 - The Complete First Season
Sony finally brings us the sixth season of All in the Family. Starting in 2002, they've released one season every year. It would be nice if they released them a little faster, but it seems safe to assume they aren't going to abandon the series until it is finished. Buena Vista Home Video releases the seventh and final season of The Golden Girls. All 7 seasons have been released in a little under 2 1/2 years, so that is not too shabby. Will the spin-off series, The Golden Palace be next? Shout! Factory releases the complete series (35 episodes) of the 1996-97 NBC sitcom, Men Behaving Badly, which starred Rob Schneider, Ron Eldard, Justine Bateman, Julia Campbell and Ken Marino. Nickelodeon offers the first season (13 episodes) of the sitcom which stars Britney Spears' little 'sis, Jamie Lynn Spears.
02/20 - Family Ties - The Complete First Season
What would we do, baby, without Family Ties on DVD? Family Ties makes its long-awaited debut on DVD. It has been rumored for the last couple of years, so it is nice to see it finally happen. One of the best and one of my favorite sitcoms of the '80s. Check out our extensive Family Ties fan site.
02/27 - The Doris Day Show - Season 4
02/27 - Girlfriends - The Complete First Season
MPI Home Video releases the fourth season of The Doris Day Show. These sets always have an impressive amount of special features. I only wish MPI had more series to offer, since they always do an excellent job with their releases. Paramount brings us the first season of the sophisticated and popular sitcom, Girlfriends. It began on the UPN in the fall of 2000 and currently can be seen on the new CW Network.
March 2007:
03/06 - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - The Complete First Season
Paramount/CBS DVD releases all 24 episodes of the first season of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. The popular TGIF sitcom starred Melissa Joan Hart, Carolina Rhea, Beth Broderick and Nick Bakay as the voice of Salem the cat. The studio is said to be planning the second season release already.
03/13 - Bosom Buddies - The First Season
03/13 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Seventh-Ninth Seasons (The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour)
Another sitcom which has been rumored to be coming out on DVD for awhile from Paramount, Bosom Buddies, finally has a release date. The series starred Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari and aired on ABC from 1980-82. This set will contain all 19 episodes from the first season. I noticed that the early artwork had labeled the set as "The Complete First Season", but the updated artwork simply says "The First Season". I hope that these episodes will be unedited. Paramount is releasing all 13 hour-long episodes of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour under the title of I Love Lucy - The Complete Seventh-Ninth Seasons. These episodes aired on CBS from 1957-1960. A number of special features including deleted scenes, flubs and commercials will be included.
03/20 - McHale's Navy - Season One
Shout! Factory has just announced today that McHale's Navy will be released on March 20th. See the press release posted at TVShowsonDVD.com for many more details.
03/27 - The Addams Family - Volume 2
03/27 - Family Affair - Season Three
03/27 - Full House - The Complete Sixth Season
Volume 2 of The Addams Family will contain the last 12 episodes of season 1 and the first 9 episodes of season 2. I'm not sure why MGM/FOX just didn't release this series in 2 seasons like Universal did with The Munsters. I think the better alternative would have been to have 2 releases with a slightly higher price.
MPI Home Video brings us Season 3 of Family Affair. It will include "The Family Affair Reunion Special" - a round table panel discussion with Kathy Garver and other crew members. Warner Bros. continues to release Full House like clockwork. The last four releases have come about every 4 months, so they must be selling like hotcakes.
April 2007:
04/03 - WKRP in Cincinnati - Season 1
04/03 - What I Like About You - The Complete First Season
As we first reported on December 11th, WKRP was listed as coming soon. TVShowsonDVD.com has followed up with many more details. The set will have some music replaced. It will include 2 audio commentaries and 3 featurettes: "Don't Touch That Dial - The Making of WKRP", "Turning A 'Turkey' Into A Classic" and "Doctor Johnny Fever, And I Am Burning Up In Here". What I Like About You makes its debut on DVD. It starred the hilarious duo of Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth and aired on TheWB from 2002-2006. This release will contain all 22 season episodes and a gag reel.
04/17 - George Lopez - The Complete First and Second Seasons
04/17 - Happy Days - The Complete Second Season
04/17 - Laverne & Shirley - The Complete Second Season
04/17 - Mork & Mindy - The Complete Second Season
Warner Bros. releases the first and second seasons of George Lopez. The show was originally called The George Lopez Show. This set will contain all 4 episodes from season 1 and and 24 from season 2. It will also have a "Inside the Comedic Mind" featurette and Gag Reel. Paramount brings back three of their popular sitcoms after a very long wait. Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley had their first seasons released way back on August 17, 2004. Will Happy Days have some replaced music? That remains to be seen. The first season of Mork & Mindy was released on September 7, 2004. This time all three will be released on the same day. Hopefully these sell well, and they can clear any music licensing rights issues and release more seasons at a much faster rate.
04/24 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete First Season
04/24 - The Odd Couple - The Complete First Season
Warner Bros. previously released a Television Favorites 6-episode compilation of The Drew Carey Show on February 28, 2006. This time they release the complete first season. It will include all 22 episodes from season one, a "Life Inside a Cubicle" featurette and Gag Reel. Paramount will release The Odd Couple in stores on April 24th. This set will likely be the same one that Time-Life sold exclusively through their website and on TV last August.
Other Sitcoms Expected on DVD in 2007:
No official dates have been announced yet, but these are expected to be released sometime in 2007.
New Shows:
Sister, Sister - "The Premiere Episodes" Collection is expected to be released by Paramount/CBS DVD... possibly in March. This won't be a complete season release apparently.
Returning Shows:
The Cosby Show - First Look Home Entertainment is said to have acquired the rights to release more seasons. Season 3 is expected to be released soon... possibly in April.
A Different World - Season 2 was announced for last year. Artwork was available, and it was listed on Amazon.com . UrbanWorks was bought by First Look, so the rights had to be renogiated. First Look Home Entertainment is said to have acquired the rights to release more seasons. Season 2 is expected to be released soon... possibly in April.
Predictions:
First, let's take a quick look back at my 2006 Predictions. I was not too far off on most of them. 2007 is really shaping up to be a big year for sitcoms to debut on DVD.
Bosom Buddies - I was a bit off on this one, but it is coming on March 13th. Better late than never.
Chico and the Man - A first season release hasn't happened yet.
Dharma & Greg - The first season was released on June 13, 2006.
The Facts of Life - Not just 1 release, but 2 in 2006.
Family Ties - A bit off on this one also. Season 1 arrives on February 20th.
Happy Days - I thought we'd see Season 2 in 2006, but it is coming on April 17th.
Here Come the Brides - Season 1 was released on May 16, 2006.
Laverne & Shirley - It was likely being delayed along with Happy Days. Season 2 finally arrives on April 17th.
The Lucy Show - Probably coming sometime in 2007. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour is up first.
Mork & Mindy - Probably connected with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley's delay. Season 2 will be released on April 17th.
One Day at a Time - Season 1 still hasn't happened. I really think it is only a matter of time now...
The Phil Silvers Show - The 50th Anniversary Edition was released on May 9, 2006.
The Ropers - I really thought we'd see the Three's Company spin-offs in late 2006, but there probably wasn't enough time after Three's Company was finished. I'm hoping we still see them in 2007.
Silver Spoons - Still hasn't happened. Silver Spoons has to be at least as popular as Punky Brewster, right? You can watch Silver Spoons on Comcast's On Demand Tube Time service while we wait.
Three's a Crowd - Probably too soon after Three's Company has wrapped up. Would be nice paired up with The Ropers.
WKRP in Cincinnati - Many people thought it would never come to DVD.. but it is finally being released on April 3rd. It will have some music subsititutions, but that seems better than not releasing it at all.
The Wonder Years - It probably has more music licensing issues than WKRP or any other series that has been released. I'd love to see Shout! Factory release it. They did such a wonderful job with Freaks & Geeks.
Unfortunately, we didn't see any additional seasons of Charles in Charge, Gimme A Break (though Season 2 will be released in Canada), Growing Pains, My Favorite Martian, Night Court, Too Close for Comfort or Who's the Boss?.
2007 Predictions:
These are my predictions for 2007 and opinions only. Some of them probably have zero chance, but I still have them on my wishlist. None of these titles have been announced. I predict we'll see these debut or have additional seasons released.
Returning and New Shows:
According to Jim - George Lopez is being released, so I think it will not be far behind.
The Addams Family - I'd expect the 3rd and final volume in 2007.
Alice - I'm hoping the Television Favorites Compilation sold enough to warrant a Season 1 release.
All in the Family - It would be nice if Sony released these a bit faster.
Archie Bunker's Place - Season 1 was released in January 2006. I think we'll see Season 2 sometime in 2007.
Bewitched - I'd expect another season or two this year.
The Bill Cosby Show - Season 1 was released on August 22, 2006. I'd expect to see the second season.
The Bob Newhart Show - I think we'll see another season or two this year.
Bosom Buddies - Hopefully the complete series will be available in 2007.
Charles in Charge - It has been awhile since Season 1 has been released. I hope Universal won't abandon it.
Cheers - We will likely see a season or two, but I'm not expecting the entire series by the end of the year.
Chico and the Man - A very popular show here at Sitcoms Online. I think it would be a popular release.
Coach - I predict we'll see Season 2.
Designing Women - Has been rumored forever. I think we'll finally see Season 1.
Dharma & Greg - I hope we will see a second season release.
Diff'rent Strokes - I wish Sony would release these faster.
Dinosaurs - Seasons 1-2 were released last May. I think we'll see more.
The Doris Day Show - MPI has released these at a pretty good rate.
8 Simple Rules - I think it would do well on DVD.
F Troop - I predict we'll see more of it.
The Facts of Life - A very popular show. 2 releases in 2006, the same in 2007?
Family Affair - Another season or two from MPI.
Family Matters - A Television Favorites Compilation was released last year. It would be nice to see the first season.
The Flying Nun - One season to go to complete the series.
Frasier - 3 seasons to go to complete the series.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air - A Nick at Nite staple.
Full House - These seem to sell like hotcakes.
Gimme A Break - Season 2 is being released in Canada by VEI. I hope Universal will do the same in the U.S.
The Golden Palace - The Golden Girls is very popular, so I think it only natural that the spin-off series could be released.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Should be popular enough for more seasons from Paramount.
Green Acres - These haven't been released as fast as I expected.
Grounded for Life - Only 1 season to go I think.
Growing Pains - I hope it isn't abandoned.
Hazel - I'd expect another season season this year.
Hogan's Heroes - Only 1 season to go to complete the series.
Home Improvement - Another season or two this year.
How I Met Your Mother - I'd expect the second season in the fall.
I Dream of Jeannie - Another season or two this year.
The Jeffersons - It would be nice if Sony released these a bit faster.
Kate & Allie - It would be nice if Universal released the second season and more, but there is still VEI in Canada as a backup.
The King of Queens - Pretty close to being finished.
Leave it to Beaver - Hasn't been released as fast as I would like.
Living Single - Should be popular enough for a second season.
The Love Boat - Was rumored for last year. Is this the year?
The Lucy Show - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour is up next with The Lucy Show likely to follow it seems.
Mama's Family - I think we'll see Season 2.
Married with Children - These have been released at a pretty good clip.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - We should see another season or two this year.
Maude - Would be nice paired with an All in the Family release.
Murphy Brown - A bit of a longshot, but I think we'll see season two this year.
My Favorite Martian - Hopefully we get the third season to complete the series.
My Living Doll - Lots of rumors posted about this one-year wonder on our message board.
My Name Is Earl - Season 2 should be released in the fall.
My Wife and Kids - Popular in syndication. Can a DVD release be far behind?
The Nanny - I think we'll see Season 3 this year.
NewsRadio - I'd expect more seasons.
Night Court - A Season 2 release would be nice.
The Odd Couple - I'm not sure why they didn't release this as a complete series set like Get Smart, but I'd expect that we see more seasons.
The Office - Season 3 should arrive in the fall.
One Day at a Time - I say every year is the Cubs year to win the World Series. I say the same about One Day at a Time coming to DVD. It has been rumored as far back as 2004. Along with Maude, I think it has a good chance at a release by Sony... someday.
The Partidge Family - I predict we'll see Season 3 this year.
Perfect Strangers - A Television Favorites Compilation never materialized last year. I think it would do great on DVD. Currently the #9 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com .
Punky Brewster - One season to go I believe.
The Ropers - Hopefully Anchor Bay will release it.
Roseanne - We should see another season or two this year.
Scrubs - Still going strong on NBC, but it seems like this could be the last year.
Seinfeld - A couple more seasons to go. We only saw 1 season in 2006.
Silver Spoons - Looks like a good year for '80s sitcoms. Currently can be seen on Comcast's On Demand Tube Time service. Vote for it at TVShowsonDVD.com!
The Simpsons - Many seasons to go, but they've been released at a good rate.
Square Pegs - A one-year wonder that would be perfect for a DVD release.
Taxi - These releases have been sort of sporadic, but I'd expect we'd get the complete series at some point.
That Girl - Shout! Factory has done a nice job with the releases so far.
That '70s Show - Another season or two this year.
Three's a Crowd - Tons of new Three's Company fans in recent years that haven't seen it that I'm sure would like to someday.
Two and a Half Men - Network TV's currently #1 ranked sitcom should see a DVD release soon.
Welcome Back, Kotter - I hope we'll see a Season 1 release.
What's Happening Now!! - It is listed on Sony's latest DVD Poll. Tons of What's Happening!! fans out there.
Will & Grace - Still some seasons left to release.
Wings - We should see another season or two.
The Wonder Years - The first season had like only six episodes. Music licensing rights are a major issue, but hopefully a company like Shout! Factory could work on this set. Currently the #1 most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com .
What do you think we'll see on DVD in 2007? Post your predictions on our message board.
Monday, January 01, 2007
ABC Sitcom Pilot Reviews: The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency - Premiere January 3rd
Today we profile and review two new ABC sitcoms that premiere this week. Will they be the solid hits that ABC is looking for? Tune in Wednesday to find out!
The Knights of Prosperity - Wednesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres January 3rd at 9:00PM ET/PT
Eugene Gurkin's (Donal Logue) dreams always have exceeded his means. In fact his dead end job on the late, late janitorial shift won't even fund a bottle of premium booze. In a serendipitous moment, he catches an episode of an entertainment news show and his passion is ignited. Soon Eugene excitedly recruits a group of "average joes" into his "gang" - the Knights of Prosperity -- for a heist to finance all of their long-held, heart-felt dreams. The target: Rock icon Mick Jagger's super-luxe Central Park West apartment.
Society might disregard the Knights and give them short shrift, but this group of upstarts refuses to be ignored: Beauty bombshell Esperanza Villalobos (SofÃa Vergara), a diner waitress in Queens, is more than just a pretty face. The only female member of the gang, she sees the celebrity heist as an opportunity to control her own fate - something men have normally done for her.
Working as a janitor alongside Eugene on the overnight shift, Francis "Squatch" Squacieri (Lenny Venito) relates to Eugene's desire for more out of life than mopping up after millionaire executives. The one married Knight, his motivation is to provide a better life for his wife and children.
Back home in India, Gourishankar "Gary" Subramaniam (Maz Jobrani) was a superstar lawyer, but here in New York City he drives a cab to make ends meet. Reluctant to join the group at first, Gary has a change in heart when Eugene reminds him that, although he was a winner at home, here he chauffeurs old ladies to Broadway matinees.
Warehouse security guard Rockefeller Butts (Kevin Michael Richardson), a mountainous, cigar-chewing man, has one simple request in order to join the Knights -- cookies.
A college Communications student, ultra-nerdy Louis Plunk (Josh Grisetti) finds himself at rock bottom after being rejected for an internship by the Montel Williams show. A chance ride in Gary's taxi turns into an offer for Louis to serve an "internship" on a movie. When he discovers the truth about his golden opportunity, he still decides to stay.
Working together, this band of affable, new-age Robin Hoods, who have never even shoplifted a candy bar, are soon casing the joint and prepping for their crime. Their scheme is to steal from the rich and give to the poor - namely, themselves. What they don't realize is that there's a much richer target for them... the chance to find hope, self-esteem and self-confidence.
Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, producers of "Late Show with David Letterman" and creators of "Ed," are the co-creators and executive producers of "The Knights of Prosperity." David Letterman, Mick Jagger -- who will appear in a cameo -- and Victoria Pearman are also executive producers. Merrill Karpf, Steve Tompkins and Eric Horsted are co-executive producers. "The Knights of Prosperity," a single-camera comedy, is a production of Touchstone Television.
Cast: Donal Logue as Eugene Gurkin, SofÃa Vergara as Esperanza Villalobos, Lenny Venito as Francis "Squatch" Squacieri, Maz Jobrani as Gourishankar Gary Subramaniam, Kevin Michael Richardson as Rockefeller Butts and Josh Grisetti as Louis Plunk.
Read our review of the pilot and second episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday on our message board.
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In Case of Emergency - Wednesdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres January 3rd at 9:30PM ET/PT
There's a question on every job application, every health questionnaire, every insurance form that we’ve all answered a million times -- whom to contact in case of emergency? Most of the time we all know the answer. But there are times in all of our lives when the answer isn’t so obvious.
Harry (Jonathan Silverman), Jason (David Arquette), Sherman (Greg Germann) and Kelly (Kelly Hu) are old friends from high school who find themselves at that stage where they realize that their lives didn’t turn out exactly the way they’d planned. Unhappily divorced greeting card writer Harry goes for a relaxing “massage” only to discover his scantily clad “therapist” is Kelly, their high school valedictorian, who’s had her own fall from grace. Diet Guru Sherman returns home to discover his wife has left him and taken everything he owns; devastated by the loss, he hijacks a bakery truck and binges on all its contents. Faced with imprisonment for his role in a corporate scandal, financial whiz Jason botches his suicide attempt only to shoot himself in the foot literally. Over the course of one crazy evening, a series of calamities reunites this hapless brood at Los Angeles Westside Hospital, where they all find themselves under the care of a reluctant Dr. Joanna (Lori Loughlin). This band of misfits must now start their lives over with the new realization that they’ve only got each other, “In Case of Emergency.”
Did you know: The concept for “In Case of Emergency” sprang from the real lives of both Howard J. Morris (creator, executive producer) and Emile Levisetti (executive producer) over a lunch in 2005. Morris, a forty-year old newly divorced single father, had just come from the doctor’s office, where for the first time in his life he had not known whose name to write down as his emergency contact. This resonated with Levisetti, a forty-year old life-long bachelor, who volunteered that he had faced the same uncertainty for the last twenty years. The two marveled over the fact that even though they had completely opposite life experiences to date, they both had reached the same common ground. Morris’ vision was to showcase the comedic, high-stakes emotional lives of four friends who reunite and bond in the same way he had done with Levisetti. Through these four characters, the show also explores some universal truths that come with age -- when things get bad, they can always get worse; and that what doesn’t kill you will certainly bring laughter to your friends.
This unique laugh-out-loud comedy proves that any colossal mistake can be overcome with a lot of help from your friends… and pain killers.
Created by Howard J. Morris, “In Case of Emergency” is a production of Touchstone Television, Bushwacker Productions and Howard J. Morris Productions.
Cast: Jonathan Silverman as Harry Kennison, Kelly Hu as Kelly Lee, David Arquette as Jason Ventress, Greg Germann as Sherman Yablonsky, Lori Loughlin as Dr. Joanna and Jackson Bond as Harry’s young son, Dylan.
Read our review of the pilot and second episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday on our message board.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, February 23
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to the Zhuzh" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin secretly coaches Dave during a big job interview. Meanwhile, Marty plans his proposal and Malcolm’s secret romance hits the tabloids.
DMV - "Hot Gurlz" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette goes on a date with Ceci’s cousin Miguel (Eddie Ramos) and discovers he may be the key to Ceci’s heart. Meanwhile, Barb finds out about Gregg’s lawsuit against the DMV while Vic helps Noa deal with rude customer Brent (Mark Feuerstein).
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Twenty years after a career-ending scandal, former running back Reggie Dinkins enlists filmmaker Arthur Tobin to make a documentary he hopes will rehabilitate his image.
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "Nittany Means Big" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Tobin spends the day with Monica and uncovers the truth about Reggie's famous food poisoning game; Reggie struggles to apologize to Brina.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 23)
Monday, February 23
- Christina Applegate (Dead to Me/Up All Night/Samantha Who?/Jesse/Married... with Children) - Watch Christina on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tracy Morgan (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Crutch/The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
- Ray Romano (No Good Deed/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Ray appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He sits down with Sherri to talk about his star turn in Broadway's All Out on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Sterling discusses Paradise on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Isabel May (Alexa & Katie/Young Sheldon) - Isabel talks about Scream 7 on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Laura Linney (The Big C) - NBC's Today catches up wit Laura in the 9am hour.
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Drew is sharing more of her sit-down interview with Jennifer on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
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