SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: ABC; Some ABC, NBC Notes; DVD News AND MUCH MORE!

The network with the most talked about pilots will be once again ABC! Again dramas will rule but the one comedy probably getting the most buzz is actually on ABC this year. Will ABC bring back any of their returning comedies? We shall see...
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com ABC 2007-08 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Private Practice (drama, GA spin-off), Dirty Sexy Money (drama), Perfect Gentlemen (drama), Pushing Daisies (drama), Football Wives (drama), Marlowe (drama), Sam I Am (sitcom).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Cashmere Mafia (drama), Eli Stone (drama), Cavemen (sitcom) and Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office (sitcom)

OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Perfect Gentlemen (NEW)

Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
9:30PM Sam I Am (NEW!)
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters

Tuesdays
8:00PM Marlowe (NEW)
9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
10:00PM Dirty Sexy Money (NEW)

Wednesdays
8:00PM October Road
9:00PM Private Practice (NEW)
10:00PM Pushing Daisies (NEW)

Thursdays
8:00PM Ugly Betty
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Football Wives (NEW)

Fridays
8:00PM Men in Trees
9:00PM Boston Legal
10:00PM 20/20

Saturdays
8:00PM College Football

Comments: For the fall ABC is not likely to have a lot of sitcoms. One at most I think, and that is the most buzzed sitcom probably, Sam I Am, starring Christina Applegate. It will probably not debut until a few weeks after the season starts as ABC is likely to run a few two-hour Dancing with the Stars episodes...I think Brothers & Sisters would do well on this night after Stars those few weeks. I think ABC should keep Stars Mondays at 8 ad Tuesdays at 9, and launch a procedural Tuesday at 8. I would have preferred Women's Murder Club, but it doesn't look like that pilot will make it and Marlowe will. Tuesdays at 10 is what ABC should go after. Boston Legal is declining and I think a Friday move would be ideal...it would draw there, as ABC can make headways in the Tuesday at 10 slot with a high power project, so it is worth the risk. Maybe Dirty Sexy Money could take the hour away from the once unstoppable Law & Order: SVU. Wednesday will also be big if Private Practice does at least 75% of GA's numbers. Lost will return in February most likely for 16 straight weeks, maybe Wednesday at 8 would be good. ABC is likely going to air repeat free for most of its shows, so they can test new mid-season shows more than usual. Hope to see Cashmere Mafia, Eli Stone, etc. Will ABC get Scrubs? And do they really need it? The only thing I can see is Wednesdays at 8, followed by something like Knights of Prosperity or the new Cavemen, then Lost and then maybe Private Practice moving to 10PM for the rest of the season to avoid Idol? I guess ABC will worry about that when the time comes, first priority is the fall. Look for Football Wives to do big...they have to pick it up, I guarantee it will be a BIG hit. Series that will be canceled or are ending include: What About Brian, Six Degrees, The Nine, According to Jim, Show Me the Money, Day Break, The Great American Dream Vote, Big Day, In Case of Emergency, George Lopez and Help Me Help You. I will bring back on the bubble sitcoms Notes from the Underbelly & The Knights of Prosperity and try them somewhere. The Bachelor, Wife Swap & Supernanny will all return for mid-season or maybe December. Looking at the fall line-up, ABC has at least one strong show each night (such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy...their 9pm shows are very strong and they anchor the nights well) and hopefully they can build or maintain ratings with new shows such as Dirty Sexy Money and Perfect Gentlemen. It should be another ratings plus for ABC in the fall. They just have to find a way to maintain it for that little lull from December to February. I think they have a plan and will do well, by airing alternate series, movies, and specials in December and January.
Anyway, this season ABC had some decent hits like Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters and to some extent Men in Trees and October Road. But this coming year will be bigger I think. I see Private Practice, Football Wives and Dirty Sexy Money breaking out big time...maybe the way Lost, Desperate Housewives & Grey's Anatomy did in 2004-05 season and Perfect Gentleman will be also pretty big maybe.
Click here to see our detailed information on all of ABC's sitcom pilots. And here for ABC's drama pilots.

Remember, next Tuesday (May 15) is the actual date when we will find out ABC's plans for the 2007-08 season. So, come on back next Tuesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on CBS's upfront.

As for some network news, as we mentioned up top, ABC has decided to air 16 episodes next season of Lost. The series will end in May 2010, so ABC will air three more seasons of 16 straight episodes...that's the final 48 episodes. Everything will be answered and it will not just end without anyone knowing. There is a planned ending. Can't wait, but I surely want the time to go slow so we can enjoy it!
Meanwhile, NBC has picked up Medium for 2007-08, which is no surprise. And in immediate news, NBC has pulled The Real Wedding Crashers from Mondays at 10 and will move Law & Order: Criminal Intent there for its final two episodes of the season. Its current Tuesday at 9 slot will be encores now. So maybe it looks good for that show to return next season and the original will be on the bubble?

Warner Home Video had their annual chat last night at HTF. While there were no definite news on sitcoms, series such as Perfect Strangers & Family Matters are being evaluated for a release in 2008. Finally! Warner will consider season two's of Night Court, Growing Pains, but there are no plans yet. And they flat out said nothing in the works for sitcoms such as Hogan Family & Head of the Class. You can read the full chat transcript here. TVShowsonDVD.com has a good highlight item, if you want to read that instead.

Mother's Day is on Sunday, but the Biography Channel is celebrating the day all-week with bios on your favorite TV moms past and present! The week-long stunt started last night actually with a Biography on Julia Louise-Dreyfus, the mom on The New Adventures of Old Christine. The Bios air all week at 8pm ET/9pm PT: Tonight it is Carolyn Jones from The Addams Family; Wednesday it is Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched; Patrica Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond is Thursday; and Donna Reed of The Donna Reed Show is on Friday.

SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: NBC; TV Land June Change

For NBC it will be all about starting the night off with a reality/game show to set up the dramas. NBC's Thursday comedy block is not what it used to be, but it has a cult audience and maybe another one of those shows will be launched this fall. NBC is looking for a drama hit as some of the older series are running out of gas.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com NBC 2007-08 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Lipstick Jungle (drama), Journeyman (drama), Fort Pit (drama), and The I.T. Crowd (sitcom).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: The Mastersons of Manhattan (sitcom), Life (drama), and Bionic Woman (drama)

OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:00PM Sunday Night Football

Mondays
8:00PM Deal or No Deal
9:00PM Heroes
10:00PM Journeyman (NEW)

Tuesdays
8:00PM 1 vs. 100
9:00PM Fort Pit (NEW)
10:00PM Law & Order: SVU

Wednesdays
8:00PM Thank God You're Here
9:00PM Medium
10:00PM Lipstick Jungle (NEW)

Thursdays
8:00PM My Name is Earl
8:30PM The I.T. Crowd (NEW)
9:00PM The Office
9:30PM 30 Rock
10:00PM ER

Fridays
8:00PM Deal or No Deal
9:00PM Friday Night Lights
10:00PM Las Vegas

Saturdays
8:00PM Dateline NBC
9:00PM Drama Repeats
10:00PM Drama Repeats

Comments: So what about Crossing Jordan, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order? I say they will be benched until January after the NFL ends and they will bring them to Sundays for a repeat free season...but maybe one will be a goner. The Apprentice might not be back until next winter either...I wish that would just die already. The Black Donnellys, Studio 60, Kidnapped, Identity, Raines, 20 Good Years, Andy Barker, and Real Wedding Crashers are all (or will be) canceled or ended. I really think NBC will only go with one comedy night once again, as we saw what happened to Wednesdays 8-9pm last year. Scrubs is probably gone from NBC, and on the way to ABC for next winter. There is a good chance that The Office will be an anchor show on Thursdays at 9, but I don't think it will do as well as it did at 8:30, but they have to move it to 9pm to try and launch another similar sitcom, as 30 Rock is not a strong show to anchor an hour. So NBC will be multi-camera sitcom-less in the fall, but I have them picking up The Mastersons of Manhattan for mid-season. Life and Bionic Woman could get orders for mid-season. Maybe another drama called Chuck could get in. NBC only has a total of eight drama projects, so that means maybe 1/2 or more could get picked up. NBC had a dismal season once again, but Heroes was a bright spot, as the high power project Studio 60 was a bust. Friday Night Lights was not a good either, but I see them bringing it back to try again. They can use Deal or No Deal on Fridays again as Sundays will be Football, and have 1 vs. 100 on another night, say Tuesday. Will NBC revamp the schedule they released at upfront once again after releasing it, like it did last year? We shall see.

Remember, next Monday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out NBC's plans for the 2007-08 season. So, come on back next Monday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on ABC's upfront.

TV Land has announced that it has changed its late night schedule starting for June. Starting June 4, each weeknight starting at 10pm will have three nightly mini-marathons lasting until 4:30am. Each marathon will consist of four episodes. Mondays will be The Cosby Show, Three's Company & Good Times; Tuesdays will be M*A*S*H, Sanford & Son, & The Jeffersons; Wednesdays will be Sanford & Son, M*A*S*H, & All in the Family; Thursdays will be The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy & Leave it to Beaver; and Fridays will be the Friday Movie, M*A*S*H & Star Trek. Other changes include all Andy Griffith Saturday from 9pm-1:10am with a reairing on Sundays from 7-10pm. So, this means the current 10pm-4:30am line-up will only be on Sundays. The only other change is at 4:30am everynight with The Jeffersons taking over for Sanford & Son. There are no other changes in the daytime and will remain the same as it is now.
What's Happening Now!!, which is airing weekdays at 7am, will get more new episodes starting May 29, but we will let you know when we learn more.
For now click HERE for the list of changes for this nightly marathon changes.

We shall be back with more news, if any.

Week 33 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Sunday blog for an important announcement! Stay tuned all this week for our annual upfront previews! We will take a look at each network all this week and what we think will happen this fall. First up will be NBC tomorrow, followed by ABC on Tuesday, CBS Wednesday, Fox Thursday and The CW Friday. The upfronts start a week from Monday on May 14 with NBC..let's see if we will be close to being right. We now return to the Weekly Ratings post right here on the SitcomsOnline.com News Blog!

Week 33 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox: 8.9/14.1; ABC: 8.3/13.3; CBS: 7.9/12.8; NBC: 5.2/8.3; The CW: 2.1/3.3; MNT: 0.6/1.0.
Total Viewers: Fox: 14.83 million; ABC: 12.66 million; CBS: 12.4 million; NBC: 7.92 million; The CW: 3.29 million; MNT: 0.92 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.6/15.2; ABC: 4.9/12.2; CBS: 4.7/11.6; NBC: 3.4/8.4; The CW: 1.2/3.1; MNT: 0.4/0.9.

Analysis: The 33rd week saw Fox in front again with the usual leader American Idol. Through the first four nights, Fox has the lead, followed by ABC and CBS a close third in HH, viewers and 18-49. NBC still remains a distant 4th place in all categories. As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. Tonight has ABC airing all-new episodes and CBS is also all new, the battle will be with them for viewers with ABC in command for 18-49 for sure. Fox's comedies are also all-new (except 7p & 8:30) and NBC has yet another Dateline & Deal or No Deal and a two-hour special SL: In the '90s. Expect ABC to win.
On Monday Dancing with the Stars continued to take over Mondays for ABC. 18.97 million, slightly up from the previous week. CBS's CSI: Miami was all-new at 10pm and did 17.24 million, up a bit from last week and NBC's Deal or No Deal was way down against Stars, with 12.09 million, but up from last week by over a million. CBS's sitcoms were all-new tonight. 8-9pm sitcoms were hurt the most for CBS, doing 7.24 and 7.32 million, up a bit from last week. Two and a Half Men rose from those numbers and did 13.71 million (up over 1.5 million from last week), followed by an all-new King of Queens doing 13.03 million, also up from last week. Fox aired a repeat of House doing 7.43 million (almost up 3 million from Drive last week), followed by 24 with 10.93 million, slightly up from last week. ABC aired The Bachelor from 9:45-11 and did a decent 9.8 million, up from last week, and NBC aired hit Heroes at 9 with 11.92 million (slightly down from the numbers from last week), followed by second episode of the new reality show The Real Wedding Crashers at just 5.61 million, down over a million from the premiere. The CW's comedies are still under performing on this night, with Chris down from last week's 3.01 million to just 2.42 million.
Tuesday was Fox's night. American Idol did 26.73 million at 8 (up slightly from last week) and House did 21.13 million, slightly up from last week. ABC was on the map thanks to Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 16.26 million at 9 (slightly down from last week), with two George Lopez episodes preceding it with 4.45 and 4.61 million. Boston Legal at 10 was at its normal levels with 9.88 million. CBS was third with new episodes of NCIS, The Unit from 8-10 (13.83 and 9.7 million, both slightly down from last week), and an encore of CSI: NY aired at 10 with 7.73 million. NBC was fourth for for the night with both Law & Order spin-offs doing 7.36 and 11.41 million from 9-11pm, with another Dateline kicking the night off with 5.39 million. The CW aired a new Gilmore Girls (4.08 million) and the return of Veronica Mars (2.35 million).
Wednesday again Fox got the boost from that show called American Idol, doing 28.75 million at 9pm, up nearly 2 million from last week's two-hour edition. Bones returned with 10.56 million at 8. CBS was second for the night with Jericho doing 8.03 million (up from last week's low) followed by a new Criminal Minds and a new CSI: NY doing 13.28 and 13.0 million. ABC followed with According to Jim & Notes from the Underbelly doing OK to open up the night with 6.4 and 6.0 million (both up from last week), followed by a Lost encore from last week doing just 4.02 million (they listened to me, as the encores are gone this week, sitcoms are in!) and an all-new Lost closed the night off with a solid 12.33 million. NBC was again fourth for the night with a new Thank God You're Here doing 6.23 million, Crossing Jordan followed with just 5.95 million for a new episode, down from last week. A new Medium followed built on the lead-in with 7.7 million, up from last week. The CW was in the game at 8 with America's Next Top Model doing a solid 5.23 million, followed by the return of One Tree Hill doing just 3.25 million.
On Thursday we saw ABC dominate with the two hour Grey's Anatomy from 9-11pm with 21.23 million A new Ugly Betty opened the night off with 10.68 million, up from last week. CBS's Survivor: Fiji was first at 8 with 13.74 million, but slightly down from last week. A new CSI and an all-new Shark followed with 19.02 and 12.5 million, both down from last week, especially the latter. NBC was third in viewers with all-new episodes of its comedies and an all-new ER, which just did 7.78 million, a series low as it faced the ABC medical drama head to head. Fox was fourth with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? with 9.02 million, a series low...and they closed the night with the final part of a two-week sweeps episode of Trading Spouses doing just 4.15 million. And CW aired new episodes of its Thursday dramas doing 3.59 and 3.11 million, both down from last week.
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS win the night with its dramas, but not as much as they were doing in the fall and early winter. NBC did much better from 8-10 with Dateline and it looks like that helped Law & Order at 10 which did its best ratings in months and almost won the 10pm hour. ABC aired a repeat of Grey's Anatomy from Thursday and was third and 20/20 built on that and did well, but a better third place at 10pm. The CW did decent for its WWE coverage, but it is not doing as well as in the winter, though up from last week for fourth place. Fox aired encores of Nanny 911 & Bones and they were fifth.
Saturday ratings saw CBS (for viewers) and ABC (for 18-49) do decent, with Fox and NBC way behind. Meet the Fockers did well for ABC. As for tonight, ABC will win with its normal line-up. As for this week in general, it should be like last week as series continue to go up in anticipation of season finales!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 6-22)

• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - 3.51 and 4.14 million for two new episodes.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 7.57 million for a new episode followed by a repeat at 8.23 million
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - 8.13 million for a new episode, slightly down from lead-in, but up in other categories such as HH and 18-49.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - 6.71 million, is OK, but could be better.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 7.24 million.
  
• Old Christine (CBS) - 7.32 million, best in a few weeks.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.71 million...certainly better than the last few weeks.
• King of Queens (CBS) - 13.03 million for a show winding down to its final episodes.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends, The Game. All-new episode of Chris started it off with 2.42 million, followed by new episodes of All of Us at 2.18 million, Girlfriends did 2.48 million and The Game did 2.41 million, all down from last week but Girlfriends.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• George Lopez (ABC) - A repeat at 8 matched last week's new episode at 8 with 4.45 million and a new episode at 8:30 did 4.61 million, short from last week's 4.89 million.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - New episode did 6.4 million, up from last week and its best showing after three weeks in the slot.
  
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - 6.0 million, up well over a million from last week, but down still from two weeks ago's 6.26 million.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.57 million for an expanded episode thru 8:36, slightly up from last week and slowly going up.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 6.99 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating. Both down from last week, as this week it went into the 9pm hour against the big boys thru 9:19.
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - 4.95 million for an expanded episode that started at 9:19 thru 9:53, up slightly from last week.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox comedies.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, and King of Queens were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Office, According to Jim) or just plain old terrible (All of Us, Scrubs).

Remember to come join us for our upfront previews this week, in edition to our news!

ABC Adds More 'Jim', 'Underbelly' for Next 2 Weeks; Warner Home Video Chat at HTF

Mini-DVD Reviews will not be seen today, stay tuned for a special edition of news, right here on the SitcomsOnline.com News Blog (You know it is May sweeps when we bring news on a Saturday)! Mini-DVD Reviews will return next week with an all-new mini-DVD review of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies!

For the next two Wednesdays (May 9 and 16), ABC will drop the previous week Lost encores for a repeat of According to Jim at 9pm and an all-new Notes from the Underbelly at 9:30. Both will be up against American Idol. They will still air out of the path of Idol at 8 & 8:30, with new episodes. Lost will remain at 10 p.m. and will still have the two-hour season finale from 9-11pm on May 23.

Warner Home Video will have its annual TV DVD chat at HTF on Monday from 8-11pm ET! On hand will be: George Feltenstein, SVP Catalog Marketing, Warner Home Video; Dorinda Marticorena, VP, Kid and Sports Marketing, Warner Home Video; Rosemary Markson, VP, TV Marketing, Warner Home Video; and Amit Desai, Exec. Director, Kid Marketing.
Meet the people that bring you your favorite Warner Home Video
product with an opportunity to ask questions regarding past and future releases. And Everwood fans out there...only one total question will be asked about that show. Us sitcom fans want to know where are season sets of Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Step by Step, Hogan Family, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Chico and the Man, Alice, and so many others. And why haven't new sets come out for Night Court, Growing Pains, Murphy Brown, and Life Goes On? Now is our chance to be heard! Click HERE to read the rules and join the chat on May 7. Be there!

Schedule Change For ION and Yet More Changes for Nick at Nite; AmericanLife May Highlights

Yesterday we brought you the ION upfront presentation release. We still don't have any details if more new shows like Perfect Strangers and A-Team are coming but I think June or July look good for new shows. Yesterday we did mention a minor change for Saturdays at 6pm with Diagnosis Murder coming to that slot starting May 26, as Saturdays will add an extra hour now. Today ION released a last week of May change. For at least May 28-31, The Wonder Years will move from 10 & 10:30 to 9 & 9:30pm, replacing Diagnosis Murder. Replacing Wonder Years at 10 is Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker. Yes, weird...it might be just for that week. Or maybe Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker is just a special week stunt holding the slot for a new show in June? We'll find out soon when ION releases its June line-up! Stay tuned! For now view the changes and discuss them here.

As for Nick at Nite, yes more changes to the schedule! Now they have decided they will not encore AFV three-hours later. So, that means Sun-Thurs 12am and Fri-Sat 1am is no more. Cosby Show has been reinstated to Sun-Thurs 12am and now the nightly marathons will be from 1-5am, which means Growing Pains is totally gone! Let's hope ION bring it back soon! Another change is Roseanne and Fresh Prince switching hours. This all takes in effect on Monday (May 7). Click here to view these changes and to discuss this.

AmericanLife TV Network, the only independent network devoted to the Baby Boomer generation, celebrates spring with a line-up of star-studded programming, including Jodi Foster on Kung Fu, John Travolta on Welcome Back, Kotter and Don Rickles on I Spy. It's going to be a star studded May! Highlights for the month of May include:

Special Kung Fu episodes:
Thursday, May 3
* Kung Fu (8-9 p.m. ET/PT): an 11-year-old Jodi Foster plays the title role of “Althea” in this tale of human integrity and healing.

Thursday. May 31
* Kung Fu (8-9 p.m. ET/PT): Barney Miller and Sanford & Son regular Gregory Sierra guests with Moses Gunn.

Special 77 Sunset Strip episodes:
Monday, May 7
* 77 Sunset Strip (9-10 p.m. ET/PT): Silent screen star Doris Kenyon made her last dramatic appearance playing an aging silent screen star, in this first-season episode, “All Our Yesterdays.” The show, also featuring fellow silent star Francis X. Bushman, captured a 1959 Directors Guild of America Award for Richard L. Bare, who later directed 168 consecutive episodes of Green Acres.

Monday, May 28
* 77 Sunset Strip (9-10 p.m. ET/PT): George Tobias, best known for playing neighbor Abner Kravitz on Bewitched, guests on tonight’s episode.

Comedies dominate Saturday and Sunday evenings on AmericanLife TV Network, featuring such classic sitcoms as The Color Honeymooners (Saturday 8 p.m. ET/PT), Welcome Back, Kotter (Saturday 10:30 p.m. ET/PT) and Mayberry RFD (Sunday 8:30 p.m. ET/PT).

Saturday, May 12
* The Color Honeymooners (8 p.m. ET): In a wacky episode, Ralph Kramden, played by Jackie Gleason, meets Art Carney (playing himself), while Ed Norton, played by Art Carney, meets Jackie Gleason (playing himself).
* Welcome Back, Kotter (Saturday 10:30 p.m. ET/PT): John Travolta returned for the fourth and final two-part season premiere, playing his recurring role of Vinnie Barbarino. Part two airs on Saturday, May 19.

Sunday, May 20
* Mayberry RFD (8:30-9 p.m. ET/PT): See how Goober (George Lindsey) and other Mayberry folk deal with “Sensitivity Training” as an encounter group visits the Andy Griffith Show spinoff.

Saturday, May 26
* Our Gang Comedies (5-5:30 p.m. ET): In one of today’s two shorts, “Aladdin’s Lantern,” Buckwheat and Porky provide an off-key rendition of the song “Strolling Through the Park One Day.”

Sunday, May 27
* The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (8-8:30 p.m. ET/PT): Guest is Vic Tayback, later to achieve cult status as diner owner Mel on the Alice sitcom.

Secret Agents lurk Wednesdays on AmericanLife TV, with such series as I Spy (8-9 p.m. ET/PT) and The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (9-10 p.m. ET/PT).

I Spy (8-9 p.m. ET/PT):
* May 9: More than a decade before Fantasy Island, Ricardo Montalban guest stars in this episode.
* May 16: Talk about typecasting! Don Rickles plays an obnoxious American comic on a “Night Train to Madrid .”
* May 23: Wally Cox (Mr. Peepers, The Hollywood Squares, Underdog) guests as a government file clerk wooed by a beautiful secret agent in “Casanova from Canarsie.”
* May 30: In his second acting role, former football star Jim Brown guests on “Cops and Robbers.”

The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (10-11 p.m. ET/PT):
* May 16: Pernell Roberts, in his first role after leaving Bonanza, guests in “The Little John Doe Affair.”
* May 30: Future sitcom icon Tom Bosley (Happy Days) and former movie star Raymond Massey appear together in “The Faustus Affair.”

ION Television's 1st Upfront Presentation, Perfect Strangers, A-Team Coming Soon?; The CW Ends 'Gilmore Girls'

ION Television had its first upfront presentation. They just released the press release to us and it is hot off the press! It doesn't go into detail on what shows and movies are coming actually, but the press release mentioned stars like Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family), Tracey Gold (Growing Pains), and Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers) were on hand at the presentation. While they didn't go ahead and mention any programming titles, it is safe to assume Perfect Strangers is coming to the network soon since Bronson was there! And maybe Growing Pains will return, since Tracey was there. The press release also mentioned The A-Team when touting its series, so maybe that is coming soon, too?
The press release states: The strength of classic programing series is demonstrated in strong audience growth – especially in adults ages 25-54, which experienced a 31 percent gain in Monday to Sunday primetime. And new programming deals are on the horizon. Stay tuned!
Hmmm new deals are on the horizon. Interesting. The press release didn't tell us whether the hours will expand from more than 6-11pm, but I think they will, they just haven't announced it yet.
The highlight of the upfront was of course the RHI deal, which will air Fri-Sun 7-11pm starting June 29. Explosive new programming partnership with RHI Entertainment, the award-winning producer and distributor of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. RHI's exciting lineup of programming for ION will include the creation of exclusive original programming as well as quality library titles & movies. The first of a promised 12 originals per year is Killer Wave, a political-thriller miniseries featuring a multi billion-dollar conspiracy that will have audiences at the edge of their seats.
Finally, the upfront included a sneak peek at ION’s partnership with Firebrand, a first-of-its-kind multi-platform experience that gives consumers interactive access to their favorite brands, products and promotions, set to launch in the fall airing weeknights from 11pm-12am. Firebrand programs only the best TV commercials as a reflection of pop culture in an environment rich with consumer touch points.
We will certainly have more news for you when we hear! Diagnosis Murder is also going to air Saturdays at 6PM, so an hour of expansion on Saturdays, as it was 7-11pm. This will start Saturday, May 26. For now, read the Upfront press release.

It looks like The CW's Gilmore Girls will end after its May 15 airing. The series will come to end with a proper series finale. The show started back in 2000 and was a high performer for The WB and still was one of the top shows on the new CW. The CW and Warner Bros. Television released this statement:
"Announcing the final season of Gilmore Girls is truly a sad moment for everyone at The CW and Warner Bros. Television," statement read. "This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television's most memorable, lovable characters."

What's Happening!! Comes to Comcast's TubeTime; Nick at Nite Change; GSN Salutes Bob Barker

We have a busy day of news for you today. First off, the classic '70s sitcom What's Happening!! is now on Comcast On-Demand's TubeTime channel! Yes, you can watch Rerun and the gang anytime you want now! If you don't have the DVDs yet, then this is your chance to watch the show and if you like it, you can buy the DVDs! What's Happening!! will be broken up into two categories: Best of Rerun Episodes and Classic Episodes. I'm sure we will see the episode "Burger Queen" in there. The show joins Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Diff'rent Strokes, and Soap in the TubeTime service. Boy that is better than TV Land! Hopefully TubeTime adds the follow-up series What's Happening Now!! to its service in the future, as that show is not available on DVD yet, but the first season is coming June 12! You can also catch the follow-up series on TV Land weekdays at 7am ET/PT.

Nick at Nite has made a change for this weekend. Yes, they will have another Fresh Prince marathon. Oh boy, aren't you so happy? The marathon will air this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 4-6). Friday & Saturday from 11pm-5am (except 1-2am is America's Funniest Home Videos) and Sunday from 10pm-5am (except 12-1am is America's Funniest Home Videos). Nick at Nite is in the middle of launch week for AFV, as it is airing back-to-back episodes this week with an encore of those episodes three-hours later. It will settle into its Sun-Thurs 9pm & 12am and Fri-Sat 10pm and 1am slots starting next week.

GSN pays tribute to Bob Barker, legendary host of television's longest running game show The Price is Right, with rarely-seen episodes of Barker appearances on classic game shows. GSN SALUTES BOB BARKER includes special episodes of I'VE GOT A SECRET, FAMILY FEUD, MATCH GAME and TATTLETALES featuring Barker and airs Tuesday, May 15 through Saturday, May 19 on GSN.
Barker, the eighty-three year old host of The Price Is Right, recently announced plans to end his 35-year run as host of the iconic daytime game show in June.
To view the schedule of GSN's Bob Barker Salute marathon, click HERE.

And finally as a heads-up, you will want to come back here tomorrow as we will give full details on ION Television's upfront! Will they announce more shows or expansion of the schedule? We'll find out tomorrow. We know they will announce something and the major announcement is probably going to be the details of the RHI programming block (Fri-Sun 7-11pm, starting June 29).

Remembering Sitcom Legend Tom Poston; Black Family Channel Will Move to Broadband

We have some breaking news to report. Veteran actor Tom Poston has passed away. Mr. Poston passed away yesterday after a brief illness. Everyone has seen this man in at least something. The Emmy Award Winning actor is best remembered for his roles on The Bob Newhart Show, Mork & Mindy and Newhart. In his early career he guest starred on sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show before winning the Emmy in 1959 for his role on The Steve Allen Show. After that he guest starred on series such as Get Smart and The Good Guys before landing the role of Cliff "The Peeper" Murdock on The Bob Newhart Show. After his run on that show he guest starred on series such as Alice, CHiPs and was a regular on two short lived sitcoms On the Rocks & We've Got Each Other. In 1979 he got the role of Franklin Delano Bickley on the hit sitcom Mork & Mindy, starring Robin Williams. His next big role was of George Utley in the sitcom Newhart, reuniting him once again with Bob Newhart. Mr. Poston would reunite one more time with Bob in the sitcom Bob for a few episodes. He was also a regular in the Fox sitcom Good Grief in 1990 and more recently on NBC's short lived sitcom Committed. That is not all Tom was in. He guest starred in many many sitcoms in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. He had recurring roles on the ABC sitcoms Grace Under Fire and Coach. He also had a few memorable guest appearances as Mr. Looney (that's Loon-ay!) on the ABC sitcom Family Matters. The man was everything, more sitcom guest credits include Becker, Cosby, 8 Simple Rules, Dharma & Greg, Dream On, George & Leo, Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Malcolm & Eddie, Murphy Brown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, That '70s Show, Love Boat, The Simpsons, Will & Grace and reunited with his wife Suzanne Pleshette in the NBC sitcom Good Morning Miami. And that's just the sitcoms! He has been on dramas, game shows, movies, too. He was last seen in late 2006 on an episode of the Disney Channel sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He will be dearly missed as he has graced a lot of shows and films. Mr. Poston was 85. We mentioned last week that the Black Family Channel is no more, but now they announced today they are moving to broadband as a free channel! Black Family Channel's slate of original, must-see, award-winning programs will soon be available free as a brand new, feature-rich broadband TV service. Anyone who has access to a broadband connection at home, at school, or at work will be able to get Black Family Channel. The broadband service is launching soon under the leadership of Hollywood actor and director Robert Townsend and Mr. Newberger. In tandem with the launch of the broadband service, Black Family Channel announced a cable partnership with Gospel Music Channel, the nation's first and only 24-hour music television entertainment network dedicated to all styles of Gospel and Christian music.

Classic TV "Minisodes" Coming Online Soon; Paul Lynde Halloween Special to DVD in the Fall

The Sony Corporation and its production studio, Sony Pictures Television, which controls the rights to those and many other class television shows, have come up with condensed episodes from three and a half to five minutes of classic Sony TV shows such as Charlie's Angels, T.J. Hooker, Starsky & Hutch and even talk show Ricki Lake! Sony even has a name for these shrunken slices of television nostalgia: minisodes.
Sony Television is planning in June to introduce an Internet-based service called the Minisode Network, initially offering the mini-shows for an exclusive run on MySpace (The company may consider establishing a separate Internet channel called the Minisode Network later.). These are not clips of the shows, but actual episodes with beginnings, middles and ends, all told in under six minutes.
Hopefully we have some sitcoms in there that are currently not airing such as Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, Facts of Life, Benson, etc. Read more at the New York Times. Bill Carter wrote the story.

S'more Entertainment will soon be releasing a lot of DVDs. One of them will be The Paul Lynde Halloween Special from such shows like Bewitched. On October 2, they'll be releasing the amazingly bizarre, iconic and special as a single DVD at $14.99. Not only is the resplendent Lynde in fine form in this October 1976 TV special, he's joined by Margaret Hamilton (who dons the entire costume from The Wizard of Oz for the only time since the original 1939 release, including the green make-up). She is joined by Witchie Poo (Billie Hayes) from H.R. Pufnstuf playing her 'sister', Tim Conway, Donny and Marie Osmond, Billy Barty, Roz "Pinkie Tuscadero" Kelly", Betty White, Florence Henderson and as musical guests...KISS, in their first TV appearance!
KISS performs 3 songs and the footage of them on stage 'talking' with Lynde is priceless.
S'more also has a deal with DiC to release such animated shows as The Littles and The Get-Along Gang. And they will be releasing more series in the future, which I'm sure many of us will be glad to have. We'll let you know as soon as they make it official!
Thanks Arny and S'more!

Week 32 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 32 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox: 9.8/15.5; CBS: 7.7/12.4; ABC: 7.4/11.9; NBC: 4.7/7.6; The CW: 2.2/3.5; MNT: 0.6/0.9.
Total Viewers: Fox: 16.51 million; CBS: 12.06 million; ABC: 11.05 million; NBC: 7.21 million; The CW: 3.28 million; MNT: 0.84 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 6.3/16.7; ABC: 3.7/10.0; CBS: 3.5/9.5; NBC: 2.7/7.1; The CW: 1.4/3.8; MNT: 0.3/0.9.

Analysis: The 32nd week saw Fox in front again with the usual leader American Idol. Sweeps began on Thursday and it is all new stuff until the end of the season! Through the first four nights, Fox has the lead, followed by CBS and ABC battling for second in HH, viewers and 18-49. NBC again remains a distant 4th place in all categories. As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. Tonight has ABC airing all-new episodes and CBS is also all new, the battle will be with them for viewers with ABC in command for 18-49 for sure. Fox's comedies are also all-new (except 8:30) and NBC's has a movie and another two-hour Dateline. Expect ABC to win.
On Monday Dancing with the Stars continued to take over Mondays for ABC. 18.87 million, exact same number as the previous week. CBS's CSI: Miami was all-new at 10pm and did 17.03 million, up a lot from last week's very low number and NBC's Deal or No Deal was way down against Stars, with 10.98 million. To me that show only does really well when their is weak competition, so it really isn't a must-see show. CBS's sitcoms were all-new tonight, except How I Met Your Mother at 8. 8-9pm sitcoms were hurt the most for CBS, doing 5.94 and 6.88 million, down a bit from last week. Two and a Half Men rose from those numbers and did a below average 12.27 million (down from last week), followed by an all-new King of Queens doing 12.63 million, building from the lead-in and up from last week, too. Fox was below average thanks to Drive doing just 4.6 million (down over 1 million from last week, Fox has now pulled this show starting tomorrow), pulling down 24 a bit to a season low 10.41 million. ABC aired The Bachelor from 9:30-11 and did a decent 9.13 million, slightly up from last week, and NBC returned Heroes with 11.96 million (off a bit from its normal numbers), followed by the premiere of new reality show The Real Wedding Crashers at just 6.74 million. The CW's comedies are still under performing on this night, with Chris at 3.01 million, the best of the bunch. Worth noting is The Game is building on its lead-in now at 9:30 and did the second best of the comedies with 2.55 million.
Tuesday was Fox's night. American Idol did 26.55 million at 8 once again and House did 20.81 million, down from last week. ABC was on the map thanks to Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 16.56 million at 9 (slightly up from last week), with two all-new George Lopez episodes preceding it with 4.45 and 4.89 million. Boston Legal at 10 was at its normal levels with 9.54 million. CBS was third with new episodes of NCIS, The Unit from 8-10 (14.17 and 9.83 million), and an encore of Cold Case aired at 10 with 7.89 million. NBC was fourth for its repeats of both Law & Order spin-offs doing just 4.53 and 7.64 million from 9-11pm (down a lot from last week's repeats), with another Dateline kicking the night off with 4.9 million. The CW aired a new Gilmore Girls (3.75 million) and the finale of Pussycat Dolls (3.43million).
Wednesday again Fox got the boost from that show called American Idol, doing 26.93 million for two hours, down 2 million from last week's one-hour edition...hmm. Bones returns this week. CBS was second for the night with Jericho doing just 7.56 million (down from last week's low) but repeats of Criminal Minds and a new CSI: NY followed and did decent with 9.75 and 11.4 million. ABC followed with According to Jim & Notes from the Underbelly doing OK to open up the night with 5.28 and 4.78 million, followed by a Lost encore from last week doing just 3.78 million (they should air Jim/George repeats here) and an all-new Lost closed the night off with a first place 11.86 million, beating CBS. NBC was again fourth with a repeat of Thank God You're Here doing just 4.46 millio, Crossing Jordan followed with just 6.37 million for a new episode. A new Medium followed built on the lead-in a bit with 7.16 million. The CW was down a bit from normal with America's Next Top Model doing 3.87 million for a clip show, followed by an encore of Tuesday's Pussycat Dolls doing 2.88 million.
On Thursday we saw ABC and CBS dominate...but not as much as usual. ABC's Grey's Anatomy was all-new at 9pm with 20.08 million, a bit down from usual. A new Ugly Betty opened the night off with 9.62 million, also down from normal, but up from last week. ABC closed the night with the season finale of October Road with 9.0 million (first in its slot for 18-49), much better than Men in Trees. CBS's Survivor: Fiji was below normal as well with 13.83 million, but slightly up from last week. A new CSI and an all-new Shark followed with 20.2 and 14.1 million. Fox was third with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? with 10.13 million...and they closed the night with the first of a two-week sweeps episode of Trading Spouses doing just 4.76 million, but it still beat NBC's comedies. NBC was fourth in viewers with all-new episodes of its comedies and an all-new ER, which just did 9.52 million, slightly up from last week. And CW aired new episodes of its Thursday dramas doing 3.88 and 3.33 million.
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS win the night with its dramas. Everyone else was very distant. ABC aired a repeat of Grey's Anatomy and an all-new Wife Swap from 8-10 and 20/20 built on that and did was second place at 10pm. NBC did terrible from 8-10 with Identity and Raines; Law & Order at 10 was the highest rated show of the night for them but it was still 3rd in its slot. Fox aired encores of House & Bones and they were fourth. The CW did decent for its WWE coverage, but it is not doing as well as in the winter. Overall a blah night that needs a makeover next fall. Maybe Bingo for ABC will be the answer?
Saturday ratings saw CBS (for viewers) and Fox (for 18-49) do decent, with ABC and NBC did way behind. As for tonight, ABC will win with its normal line-up. As for this week in general, let the first full week of sweeps begin!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 6-22)

• War at Home (Fox) - Just 2.85 million for the series...err season finale.
• King of the Hill (Fox) - Just 3.34 million in its new time period.
• The Simpsons (Fox) - 6.46 million for an all-new episode and a repeat followed with 6.61 million.
• Family Guy (Fox) - 6.23 and 6.72 million for two repeats.

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did just 5.94 million, down from the previous week's repeat of 6.41 million.
  
• Old Christine (CBS) - 6.88 million for a new episode, built from lead-in, but down from previous week's new episode of 6.99 million.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 12.27 million for a new episode, below average, and down from last week's 13.03 million, which was also below normal.
• King of Queens (CBS) - 12.63 million for a new episode and up from last week.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends, The Game. All-new episode of Chris started it off with 3.01 million, followed by new episodes of All of Us at 2.32 million, Girlfriends did 2.34 million and The Game did 2.55 million, wow the latter built on the lead-in again! It'll be back next season I think.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• George Lopez (ABC) - Two new episodes did 4.45 and 4.89 million, that was against Idol though.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - New episode did 5.28 million for down from last week's 6.35 million, but this episode was against Idol.
  
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - 4.78 million for its second airing on its regular night and time. Down from last week's 6.26 million, but this week it was head to head with Idol. This won't happen a lot.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.49 million, slightly up from last week and slowly going up.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 7.56 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating. Both built on from the lead-in.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - Just 4.72 million for the season finale.
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - Ouch just did 4.65 million, down almost a million from last week. What happened?
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox comedies.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, The Office, and King of Queens were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Old Christine, According to Jim) or just plain old terrible (30 Rock, Scrubs).

Mini-DVD Reviews: Beverly Hills, 90210: The First Season and Melrose Place: The Second Season (May 1)

Today we take a look at two classic '90s Fox dramas. Paramount Home Entertainment's Beverly Hills, 90210: The Second Season and Melrose Place: The Second Season. See Shawn Eaton's mini-DVD reviews of both of these sets below:

Beverly Hills, 90210: The Second Season (CBS, $48.99) brings all of your favorite Beverly Hills teens back on DVD! The expanded second season premiered on Fox in the summer of 1991 with 28-episodes (the show always had at least 27 episodes a season throughout its run except for season one which had the normal 22). Beverly Hills 90210 wasn't an instant hit, but with the premiere of a summer series, the show became one of the most popular shows on Fox in the 1990s. The series centers around Minnesota teens Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) as they struggle in every day teen life, surrounded by drama and their best friends, the cool Dylan McKay (Luke Perry), brainy Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris), the sarcastic Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), the bitchy Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), sweet Donna (Tori Spelling) and awkward David (Brian Austin Green).
The second season kicked off with a slew of summer episodes. We kick things off with "Beach Blanket Brandon" in which Brenda has a pregnancy scare. A few episodes later we meet wild Emily Valentine (Christine Elise) in "Wild Fire." In "Necessity Is a Mother" we meet Dylan's estranged mother, played by Dynasty veteran Stephanie Beacham. In "The Next Fifty Years" the gang ins thrown for a loop by the sudden accidental death of David's best friend, Scott Scanlon. In arguably one of the most powerful episodes to feature Shannen Doherty, "Meeting Mr. Pony" is the one in which Brenda is held at gunpoint while working late at the Peach Pit. In "Things to Do On a Rainy Day," '90s band Color Me Badd drops by while Donna discovers something shocking about her mother. As the season winds down, Brenda and Dylan get trapped in Mexico in "Mexican Standoff" while in the season finale, "Wedding Bell Blues," Jim takes a stand and refuses to let Dylan near Brenda.
The box itself is slip-sleeve and features four pull out snap cases that hold the eight discs on the set. The main art features all eight teens. Unfortunately, on the back of the box there is the dreaded "Music Has Been Changed for This Home Entertainment Version. Some Episodes May Be Edited From Their Original Network Versions." Which basically means nearly all (or all) of the music used in cutaway scenes and in the beginning few minutes after the opening credits has been replaced with cheaper, public-domain music. There could be some scenes where music was originally played completely cut out, like on CBS DVD’s Family Ties set. On to the menu itself--it's basic and features a solo shot of one of the stars (such as Disc 1 features Luke Perry). Each menu immediately pops up with the episode listings. The video itself is actually quite good as well as the audio. Each episode runs a good 44 to 45 minutes in length and each episode features chapter skips. Closed captioning is available.
Now, onto arguably the best part! SPECIAL FEATURES! Yes, a set that actually has special features! It's becoming a rarity these days (especially for CBS DVD)! All of the bonus features are on Disc Eight. The first special feature, "Meet The Walshes" (approx. 7 minutes) features in depth interviews with Carol Potter (Cindy Walsh) and James Eckhouse (Jim Walsh), sharing snippets of information and thoughts put together with some clips from the series. The second special feature, "Our Favorite Valentine" (approx. 5 minutes), focuses on Christine Elise and her run as memorable Emily Valentine. It features an interview with Elise herself as she discusses the character, her laughing at the corny lines, her outside then relationship with Jason Priestley and apparently a chilly relationship with Shannen Doherty. Her favorite scenes are the two confrontations with Brenda and her favorite episode is "U4EA" (Episode 3/Disc 4). In the final special feature, "Everything You Need To Know About Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 2" (approx. 17 minutes) has two guys, John Aboud and Michael Colton discussing everything about season two. It also features them in a very weird recreation of the season two opening credits, with the two guys donning wigs and appearing in the credits as all 10 cast members (from Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty to Carol Potter and James Eckhouse)--very weird.
In conclusion, another fantastic set by CBS/Paramount! I was highly impressed with the three bonus features and I really hope we get more of them! My one gripe is that I'd like episode commentary and of course the original music is not there. Overall, a good, solid release and I'd naturally encourage any fan of 90210 to pick it up and add it to their collection despite the music issues!

-- Reviewed by Shawn Eaton
(4.5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Beverly Hills, 90210 TV.com Page


Melrose Place: The Second Season (CBS, $48.99) brings back all of your favorite twenty-something hotties from 4616 Melrose Place with 32 more episodes (like 90210, this show had at least 27 episodes each season...wow)! Moving into the building full-time is Heather Locklear as uber-bitch Amanda Woodward, who wastes no time meddling in the lives of the residents, especially lovebirds Jake (GRANT SHOW) and Jo (DAPHNE ZUNIGA). Now a couple, Billy (ANDREW SHUE) and Alison (COURTNEY THORNE-SMITH, According to Jim) face a crisis when Alison's ex Keith (WILLIAM R. MOSES) blows back into their lives and isn't ready to let Alison go. Also, young married couple Michael (THOMAS CALABRO) and Jane (JOSIE BISSET) find themselves in the midst of a nasty divorce, only made more difficult by Michael's new love, Kimberly Shaw (MARCIA CROSS, Desperate Housewives), and Jane's scheming sister Sydney (LAURA LEIGHTON). Rounding out the cast is everybody's friend Matt (DOUG SAVANT, Desperate Housewives) who finds himself in a midst of change, with Rhonda gone and losing his job. A notable guest-star this season is Linda Gray (Dallas) guest starring as Amanda's estranged mother, Hilary.
The second season kicks off with "Much Ado About Everything" in which we find all of our couples happy and looking to the future, but this is a soap so we know it won't last! In "Long Night's Journey" Keith makes a dangerous move on Alison while Sydney officially moves into Melrose Place. In "Fire Power" Jake's beloved bike shop burns down. In "Flirting with Disaster" Matt gets married to Katya in order for her to stay in the states. In "Collision Course" Michael and Kimberly's engagement ends in disaster. In "The Young Men and The Sea" Michael's addiction to pain killers increases. In "Swept Away" Jo's being held captive by Reed on his boat, while Sydney blackmails Michael for her own twisted pleasure. In "With This Ball and Chain" Billy and Alison decide to marry while Amanda's dirty secret could prevent their "I do's." In "Otherwise Engaged" Jo finds herself with a lasting reminder of her passionate relationship with Reed while Sydney marries Michael, who isn't at all interested. In "Love, Mancini Style" Michael attempts to kill Sydney, twice. In "The Bitch Is Back" the presumed dead Kimberly Shaw returns, very much alive, and a very different person. In "Imperfect Strangers" Jo helps a model deal with her abusive boyfriend (mostly this episode was to set up the show Models, Inc). And in "Devil With The G-String On" Sydney's stripper ways are uncovered while Jake finds out Amanda's been bedding her mother's boyfriend. And finally, in the season finale, "Till Death Do Us Part" this 90-minute episodes finds Kim and Sydney plotting to destroy Michael, Amanda sued for sexual harassment, and Alison and Billy's wedding day is anything but a happy occasion.
The set itself is slip sleeve and features a snazzy looking cover art, with all of the main cast members on the memorable stairs of Melrose Place. Each slip sleeve case features a range of photos with a theme, mostly focusing on certain storylines, such as Jo/Amanda/Jake, Kimberly/Jane/Sydney/Michael, etc. Also, as with 90210 the music has been changed from the popular '90s music to common public-domain songs, although thankfully, the theme song remains in-place. The menu itself is very basic and features either a group shot of some of the cast members or a solo shot along with the episodes immediately listed. The video itself is in excellent shape as is the audio, very very impressive. Each episode runs a good 44 to 45 minutes and features chapter skips and closed captioning.
Moving on to the all important bonus features! And like 90210 ... yes, a CBS DVD set that actually has special features! The first special feature "Melrose Place: Meet the Neighbors" (Disc 2) features a run down of Jake, Matt, Alison, Billy, Amanda, Michael, Jane, Jo, Sydney. What's cool about it is that the menu for this bonus feature is made to look like the MP mail-boxes and the character names are on each box, and the theme song is playing in the background. When you select a character, it features an INCREDIBLY brief list of facts about the character from that season along with a wonderful color photo. It's brief but a neat little feature! In "Melrose Place: The Best of the Worst, Part 1" (Disc 3) features various memorable clips from Season 2 (Keith's suicide over the phone with Alison, Matt marrying Katya, Syd blackmailing Michael, Kimberly catching Michael in bed with Syd, Michael proposing to Kim and their car careening off of a cliff, Syd getting arrested for prostitution by an undercover cop, Reed kidnapping Jo on his boat, Jo shooting and killing Reed with a shotgun, Jake punching Billy for sleeping with Amanda, Jane and Sydney getting into their infamous pool cat-fight, Michael marrying Sydney, Michael trying to kill Sydney -- twice, etc.). In "Melrose Place: The Best of the Worst, Part 2" (Disc 4) features more memorable clips (Amanda and Jo catching the peeping tom, Amanda torturing him, Kimberly returning from the dead spying on Michael and Sydney, Kimberly showing herself to Michael in a thunderstorm, Kimberly famously pulling off her wig and revealing a throbbing scar, Syd getting beat up by hookers, etc.). In "Complex Relationships, Part 1" (Disc 5), that bonus features Billy and Alison's relationship. In "Complex Relationships, Part 2" (Disc 6), that one features Amanda, Jake, Jo and Reed. In "Complex Relationships, Part 3" (Disc 7), that one features Michael, Jane, Kimberly, Sydney and Matt. And finally, also on the set is COMMENTARY! Series creator Darren Starr recorded commentary on the following episodes: "Collision Course" (Disc 3) and "The Bitch Is Back" (Disc 7).
Sorry for the long winded review but it was a very good set! The set is very well designed and features amazing photos, great commentary, awesome bonus features and of course all of the episodes of season two! What more could you ask for? CBS/Paramount did a wonderful job and of course I urge every fan to go out and grab a copy despite some of the music being replaced!

-- Reviewed by Shawn Eaton
(4.5/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Melrose Place TV.com Page

New Shows for In2TV; VB Article on TV-DVDs; 'Studio 60' Burns Off Post-Sweeps on NBC

In2TV, the online TV channel airing tons of TV shows, has added some new shows this month. New shows and specials: Freddie, Wally Gator, Mr. Bill, Gumby, The Zeta Project, and The Growing Pains Movie. A short Growing Pains Blooper Reel has also been added.
And of course more episodes of your favorite In2TV shows are added. Have fun watching!

Video Business just posted an article on TV DVDs. Susanne Ault wrote the piece and it talks about classic TV on DVD. It tells us if sales are not good, they put shows on hold for future seasons. Also, this confirms what we first reported that Warner Home Video has put the TV Favorites campaign on hold and will release full season sets only! Read the article here.

NBC will return freshman drama Studio 60 from the Sunset Strip on Thursday, May 24. It will burn-off all six of its remaining episodes likely. The show is returning after May sweeps ends, so it doesn't seem likely it will return next season with new episodes. The show will air at 10 p.m. on May 24.

Mama's Family Week on CMT, Laugh 'n Sniff with 'Earl'

Mama's Family, which was airing on CMT at all different times, hasn't been airing recently on CMT, but the week of May 7 you can catch a week-long stunt. Watch Mama's Family Monday, May 7 through Thursday, May 10 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. each afternoon. This won't be a regular thing because after this week, it isn't on the schedule for a few weeks at least.
Of course you can catch Mama's Family weeknights at 8pm & 8:30pm on ION Television if you miss the CMT week.

NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl will air the first-ever original "Laugh 'n Sniff" interactive episode on NBC on Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. Viewers will have an interactive experience with the episode by using a special scent card available exclusively in TV Guide's April 30 issue, available on newsstands on today (April 26).
During the episode, NBC will prompt viewers via on-air graphics to rub one of six corresponding numbered boxes on TV Guide's "Laugh 'n Sniff" scent card, which will release aromas pertaining to the My Name Is Earl storyline. The special scent card, sponsored exclusively by Oreo, Milk's favorite cookie, is available only in TV Guide's April 30 issue. Oreo cookies will be one of the six scents featured in the episode’s storyline along with other scents, including "new car smell" and "obnoxious cologne."
Yes, weird...the episode will be super-sized too, airing for 35 minutes. Storyline: When Earl lands his first real job, at an appliance store, the unseemly truths about class differences bubble to the surface. Meanwhile, the stress of Joy's impending trial causes her to make an irrational decision.

Broadcast May Upfront Highlights; Black Family Channel Ceases

We told you about the CBS season finale dates a few weeks back, but CBS hasn't issued an actual May sweeps press release. We do however have ABC, NBC and Fox's for you!
ABC will have high-power episodes of its signature series Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing with the Stars and more! There are no stunt programming except a special sneak peek on the summer series Traveler on May 10 at 10pm. National Bingo Night, another summer series, will get a preview during the last Friday of sweeps (May 18 at 9). Its all about its series on ABC, so viewers will be glued all month long. To view the May sweep ABC highlights, click HERE.
For fourth place NBC, it is all about stunt programming. NBC will launch a special blockbuster movie night on Sundays for sweeps, such as Along Came Polly. They will also have two SNL specials in primetime, along with two super-sized Thursdays. The NBC signature series will finish with a bang such as Heroes, Deal or No Deal, The Office, My Name is Earl, ER, and Law & Order: SVU. Click HERE for NBC's highlights.
For Fox it will be a mix of series and stunts this May. Fox has announced it has canceled new drama Drive and have replaced it with more House encores (Mondays at 8). The Fridays at 8 House encores will cease on May 4 with encores of Nanny 911 airing instead. Fox has two NASCAR races on two Saturdays, the world broadcast premiere of the movie The Day After Tomorrow, The Simpsons' landmark 400th episode, and of course the finale of American Idol. Fox will also preview summer reality series On the Lot after the first part finale of American Idol. It looks to be a good May for Fox, click HERE for highlights.
May sweeps starts tomorrow! Watch all you can because your favorite series will go on a summer break after the sweeps ends on May 23.

The low-rated cable channel Black Family Channel will go off-air on April 30. The network never really took off after eight years on air. Black networks such as TV One and BET do much better in the ratings. It used to air reruns of the sitcom Roc and the animated Dennis the Menace. Currently it was airing reruns of the animated The Bullwinkle Show and King Leonardo on Saturday mornings.
The network was in 16 million homes, which is not that much really compared to other cable networks.

TV One May Highlights; Simpsons: The Ride at Universal Orlando

The month of May is blooming for TV One as they celebrate Mother's Day, Janet Jackson's Birthday, and Memorial day!
On Sunday, May 13 beginning at 1pm, join TV One in a salute to Mother's Day as they present a "Favorite Black TV Moms" sitcom marathon. Mom related episodes in this marathon come from black series such as Amen, All of Us, All About the Andersons, Eve, Martin, Good Times, 227, and For Your Love. The marathon runs from 1pm to 8pm and resumes from midnight to 6am.
On Saturday, May 19 beginning at 1pm, TV One says Happy Birthday to superstar singer/actress Janet Jackson in an all-day Good Times marathon showcasing episodes featuring Miss Jackson's character Penny. This special marathon which also marks the 30th anniversary of Janet joining the Good Times cast in 1977 has an encore play beginning at 2am.
On Monday, May 28 beginning at 12 Noon, It's Mama Payne vs Sheneneh as TV One presents an all-day Martin Comedy Showdown marathon of two of the funniest characters in the history of television. This special Martin marathon features Mama Payne and Sheneneh caught in their most hilarious situations and gives viewers the chance to vote on which character they think is the funniest at www.tvoneonline.com.

"Woo Hoo!" Universal's theme parks add animated fun and excitement to their roster as FOX's blockbuster hit series, The Simpsons, becomes the inspiration for the world's most highly anticipated new theme park ride.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson - stars of TV's longest running series - will ride along with guests in a new mega-attraction opening at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood in Spring 2008.
Guests will be rocketed along with the Simpson family on a hysterical, almost unimaginable adventure. They'll experience a side of Springfield previously unexplored as they enjoy the new ride's interpretation of thrill rides, dark rides and "live" shows that make up a new fantasy amusement park dreamed up by the show's cantankerous Krusty the Clown.
It will feature the show's classic humor and many of its instantly recognizable characters - all voiced by the original actors.
The ride will be replacing the Back to the Future Ride. Universal says more TV show rides could be announced soon.

More on This Week's 'Cosby' Marathon; Sony Continues to Release New Sitcom DVDs

Due to popular demand, people wanted to know what night each of the Cosby Show kids will be hosting in the Huxta-palooza marathon we announced last week. Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable) starts the event with "Denise Monday," which runs from 9 p.m. to midnight and encores immediately. Then it is "Rudy Tuesday" (mocking the restaurant Ruby Tuesday?) with Keisha Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable) doing the honors from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and encores immediately. "Vanessa Vednesday" lets Tempestt Bledsoe (Vanessa Huxtable) take center stage from 9 p.m. to midnight with an encore immediately following until 3 a.m. "Theo Thursday," is a showcase for Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Huxtable) from 9 p.m. to midnight with an encore immediately following. "Sondra Friday" lets Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra) share her memories from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
And as we mentioned last week, the fun doesn't end there. The marathon will share never-before-seen interviews with the actors. Saturday and Sunday the gang all come together for the weekend.
"Saturday Night Dance Party" gathers the five episodes with the best dancing; they screen from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. And "Guest-Star Sunday" on April 29, the actors recall their five favorite episodes with guest stars. Those installments will screen from 9 to 11:30 p.m. It should be a fun week with nice treats!

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has been pretty good in 2007 with new sitcom DVDs. We have gotten first season sets of Maude, One Day at a Time, Mary Hartman, and both What's Happening Now!! and Silver Spoons are coming in June. They are pretty slow to release second seasons or subsequent seasons still, though. But more new DVDs are on the way in July with the '80s classic Benson (July 24)! Bewitched returns with its fifth season DVD on July 10 and the police drama The Rookies comes to DVD for the first time on July 17.
They have been pretty quick with shows like Seinfeld, The Facts of Life Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and have finished series such as Sanford & Son, Good Times, Soap, and What's Happening!! but there are some series which they are so slow on such as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Partridge Family, The Nanny, and Diff'rent Strokes. And then there are the series that they seemed to have abandoned after just one set, such as 227, Who's the Boss?, Barney Miller, and Archie Bunker's Place. Let's hope the new sets of 2007 do not go that route.

It has been a good 2007 for new Sony sets, and let's hope we get some more as well in addition to the first sets. I personally am hoping for: Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, My Two Dads, Square Pegs and Designing Women. Most of my favorites came in 2007 or are coming (What's Happening Now!!, Silver Spoons, Benson, One Day at a Time), so I'm pumped! And as for series spin-offs, cross-over series, follow-up series, and shows like that, I'd like to see these come to DVD: Checking In (Jeffersons spin-off), Fernwood2Night (Mary Hartman spin-off), Fish (Barney Miller spin-off), Gloria (Archie Bunker's Place spin-off), Grady (Sanford & Son spin-off), Hello Larry (Diff'rent Strokes cross-over series), One in a Million (What's Happening!!'s Shirley Hemphill starred), Sanford (new show starring Redd Foxx from Sanford & Son), Sanford Arms (Sanford & Son spin-off). Some of those are long shots.
And of course it wouldn't hurt to get more sets of the shows they have already released...like Diff'rent Strokes Season 3!

Week 31 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 31 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox: 8.9/13.8; ABC: 7.7/12.2; CBS: 6.9/11.1; NBC: 4.7/7.4; The CW: 2.2/3.4; MNT: 0.6/0.9.
Total Viewers: Fox: 14.7 million; ABC: 11.66 million; CBS: 10.61 million; NBC: 7.04 million; The CW: 3.24 million; MNT: 0.85 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.6/14.8; ABC: 4.0/10.6; CBS: 3.1/8.3; NBC: 2.5/6.7; The CW: 1.5/3.9; MNT: 0.3/0.9.

Analysis: The 31st week saw Fox in front with the usual leader American Idol. Through the first four nights, Fox has the lead, followed by ABC and CBS in HH, viewers and 18-49. NBC is a distant 4th place in all categories. They sure miss Sunday Night Football. As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. Tonight has ABC airing all-new episodes (but Brothers & Sisters is a repeat), and CBS is all new, though it is airing a Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie at 9 instead of the usual crime guns. Fox's comedies are a mix of new and repeats and NBC's reality is all-new with finally the finale of The Apprentice. Expect ABC to win because CBS is pre-empting Cold Case & Without a Trace.
On Monday Dancing with the Stars continued to take over Mondays for ABC. 18.87 million, on par with the previous week. CBS's CSI: Miami was all-new at 10pm and did 15.36 million which could be a series low for a new episode and NBC's Deal or No Deal was way down against Stars, with 11.19 million. CBS's sitcoms were all-new tonight, except How I Met Your Mother at 8. 8-9pm sitcoms were hurt the most for CBS, doing 6.41 and 6.99 million. Two and a Half Men rose from those numbers and did a below average 13.03 million, followed by an all-new King of Queens doing 12.22 million. Fox was below average thanks to Drive doing just 5.66 million, pulling down 24 a bit to 11.32 million. ABC aired The Bachelor from 9:30-11 and did a decent 9.03 million and NBC's Thank God You're Here went down from the premiere and did just 6.76 million, followed by a special Dateline on the Virgina Tech shootings did just 6.26 million. The CW's comedies are still under performing on this night as they still can't get 3 million. All four were close to each other though and were in repeats.
Tuesday was Fox's night. American Idol did 26.55 million at 8 and House did 22.14 million (Idol was down a bit). ABC was on the map thanks to Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 16.54 million at 9, with a special encore from last night doing 6.91 million at 8. A special Primetime on the Virgina Tech shootings was number one at 10pm, but didn't count in the ratings because of no ads. Boston Legal returns this Tuesday, with new episodes for the rest of the season. CBS was third with repeats of NCIS, The Unit from 8-10 (11.14 and 7.32 million), and a special 48 Hours on Virgina Tech aired at 10 with 8.36 million, not even close to ABC's Primetime. NBC was fourth for its repeats of both Law & Order spin-offs doing just 5.55 and 8.36 million from 9-11pm, with another Dateline on Virgina Tech kicking the night off with just 5.05 million. The CW aired a new Gilmore Girls (3.79 million) and a new Pussycat Dolls (2.98 million).
Wednesday again Fox got the boost from that show called American Idol, doing 28.93 million at 9pm. Bones opened the night off for Fox with 8.08 million for a repeat. CBS was second for the night with Jericho doing just 7.66 million (a series low?) but repeats of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY followed and did good with 10.59 and 11.13 million. ABC followed with According to Jim & Notes from the Underbelly doing decent to open up the night with 6.35 and 6.26 million, followed by a Lost encore from last week doing just 3.84 million (they should air Jim/George repeats here) and an all-new Lost closed the night off with a first place 12.08 million. NBC was again fourth with another Thank God You're Here doing 7.04 million (up a bit from the usual show in this slot), Crossing Jordan followed with just 6.8 million. A repeat of Medium followed with just 6.05 million. The CW was on the map thanks to America's Next Top Model doing a decent 5.2 million...not bad at all, followed by an encore of Tuesday's Pussycat Dolls doing 2.96 million.
On Thursday we saw ABC dominate. ABC's Grey's Anatomy was all-new at 9pm with 21.12 million, a bit down from usual. A new Ugly Betty opened the night off with 9.46 million, also down from normal. ABC closed the night with October Road with 9.6 million (second place in viewers, HH and first in 18-49), much better than Men in Trees. CBS's Survivor: Fiji was below normal as well with 13.33 million. A repeat of CSI and an all-new Shark followed with 12.45 and 12.54 million. Fox was third with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? with 10.1 million.and they closed the night with a repeat of Trading Spouses doing just 4.26 million. NBC was fourth in viewers with all-new episodes of its comedies (except The Office) and an all-new ER, which was third in its slot with just 9.31 million. And CW aired new episodes of its Thursday dramas doing a normal 3.98 and 3.25 million.
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS win the night with repeats of its dramas. Everyone else was very distant. Fox aired encores of House & Bones and that was good enough for second...pathetic. NBC did terrible from 8-10 with Identity and Raines; Law & Order repeat at 10 was the highest rated show of the night for them and that low. ABC aired a repeat of Grey's Anatomy and a repeat of Wife Swap from 8-10 but 20/20 built on that and did a bit better, but still not good. The CW did decent for its WWE coverage, but it is not doing as well as in the winter. Overall a blah night that needs a makeover next fall.
Saturday ratings saw CBS and Fox do decent, with ABC a distant third and NBC did VERY bad for a Heroes marathon around 2.5 million. As for tonight, ABC will win with its normal line-up. As for this week in general, look for more new episodes now as May sweeps starts Thursday!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 9-15)

• The Simpsons (Fox) - 2 repeats before the premiere of Drive did OK with 4.38 and 5.25 million.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did just 6.41 million, but up a bit from the repeats in the past few weeks.
  
• Old Christine (CBS) - 6.99 million for a new episode, built from lead-in, but should have been higher.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.03 million for a new episode, below average, but yet still the best of the sitcoms.
• King of Queens (CBS) - 12.22 million for its second episode since its return, down from last week's return of 13.41 million
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends, The Game. Repeat episode of Chris started it off with 1.89 million, followed by repeats of All of Us at 1.7 million, Girlfriends did 1.93 million and The Game did 2.05 million, wow the highest of the block! It'll be back I think.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - New episode did 6.35 million for its new time...on par with George.
  
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - In its regular night and time premiere the show did better than I thought it would...6.26 million. If it continues to do around that, it'll get renewed.

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.15 million, slightly up from last week's low of 6.67 million, but still low.
  
• The Office (NBC) - A repeat did 6.26 million, not bad.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 5.16 million, slightly up from last week's 5.07 million.
• Scrubs (NBC) - Built on lead-in and did 5.61 million, up from last week's 5.05 million.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox comedies.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Old Christine, Notes from the Underbelly) or just plain old terrible (none, because not many sitcoms aired this week).