SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

NBC Switches 30 Rock and Scrubs Slots; Female TV Stars Give Stess Secrets

Starting next Thursday (April 24) NBC will switch the timeslots for 30 Rock and Scrubs for the last three episodes of the season for both. 30 Rock was airing at 8:30pm on Thursdays but now will be moving to 9:30pm, where Scrubs was airing, while Scrubs will move to 8:30pm. Is this move because of Grey's Anatomy returning with new episodes on ABC? I don't think so. I think NBC is probably trying to bring more of an audience to critically acclaimed 30 Rock following The Office, which does well in the 18-49 rating demo.

A number of female celebrities are participating in Johnson's newest online campaign in the feature "Celebrity Stress Secrets." Johnson's, the skin care expert, has announced the launch of a new online campaign and microsite to promote its award-winning Melt Away Stress line of skin care products. "Celebrity Stress Secrets" features nearly 20 videos of unscripted stress tips and interviews from experts and celebs including Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Dr. Michelle Callahan, psychologist and life coach, and Susan Cernek, Glam Media’s Lifestyle Editor.
Additionally, the site will also include quotes from a range of celebrities including Alison Sweeney (The Biggest Loser), Stacey Dash (Clueless), Roselyn Sanchez (Without a Trace), Constance Marie (George Lopez), Nia Long (Big Shots) and Bonnie Somerville (Cashmere Mafia) on how they deal with stress. Further, the site is hosting the Express Your Stress competition, where women submit their stories on dealing with stress in hopes of winning a Girlfriend's Getaway to Jamaica.
Visit their website for more information! Check out their YouTube page for videos, such as Ana Ortiz's Advice For Young Women and De-stress Techniques.
And don't forget Ana Ortiz and the rest of the hilarious Ugly Betty cast return with all-new episodes starting next Thursday (April 24) at 8/7 central on ABC!

Wings Joins USA Network Again; Celebrity Family Feud Debuts July 1 on NBC

Wings is flying back to USA Network this June! The sitcom aired on USA Network from about 1995 to 2002, if I'm not mistaken. Then it moved to Nick at Nite in March 2003 and didn't do too well in primetime...then it eventually moved to sister station TV Land, which is where it is airing right now weekdays at 7:30am ET until the end of May. The other day we gave you TV Land's June schedule and Wings was not a part of it, because it will be moving to USA Network. So, starting June 2, Wings returns to USA Network! It will be paired with Becker in the 6am hour, with Becker remaining at 6am and Wings airing at 6:30am. That may not sound much but it is better than nothing since TV Land is losing the show at this end of this month. So get ready to watch it an hour earlier on another channel! Maybe Wings will fly to a better timeslot soon after, as the show did pretty well for them in the late 90s.

One hundred people surveyed, top ten answers on the board and celebrity 'families' behind the buzzers. Al Roker will host all the action when Celebrity Family Feud joins NBC's summer primetime line-up premiering Tuesday, July 1 from 8-9 p.m. ET/PT. It will be a star-studded version of the beloved and enduring game show, featuring four celebrity families matching wits each week to raise money for their respective charities. In some cases, competing families will each consist of one celebrity and their real-life relatives, while other episodes will feature nostalgic or current television clans. All celebrities will be announced at a later date...and when it is announced we shall let you know!

BET Schedule Change for Weekends; RTN Officially Announces Website; Under One Roof Premieres Tonight on MyNetworkTV

BET has made a slight schedule change for Saturday mornings starting Saturday, April 26. Thea was preempted last week (April 12) at the last minute for a Spring Bling special and this week (April 19) it was already slated to be preempted for the Malcolm & Eddie marathon from 9am-7pm...and now BET will remove Thea for now from the schedule. Back-to-back episodes of the Nickelodeon sitcom Romeo! will air on BET Saturday mornings from 9-10am starting Saturday, April 26 replacing Thea. Also, returning to BET on Saturday mornings is the Nickelodeon sitcom Just Jordan right after Romeo! on Saturdays from 10-11am, replacing Malcolm & Eddie on Saturdays only. Both former Nickelodeon shows are also currently re-airing on sister Viacom station The N as well.
All is not lost for Thea however. Thea's Mother's Day marathon is still slated for Sunday, May 11 from 12 noon to 5pm ET/PT. We will have episode info shortly. Let's hope Thea returns to the line-up shortly as well, so we can see all 22 episodes...I believe about 11 have aired so far.

We already told you about this, but RTN officially announced their website today. Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it has launched a new network website, www.RTNville.com. The website features extensive content about the network, including detailed show descriptions (for shows like Cheers, Happy Days) and a complete list of RTN affiliates. A large picture of Robin Leach on the welcome page (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) is also featured!
"We are thrilled to have a website that showcases RTN programming," said RTN's Neal Ardman. "I believe that RTNville.com is the perfect next step for our network."

Premiering tonight on MyNetwork TV is original sitcom Under One Roof starring Flavor Flav. We gave you the details back in February on what this show is about. The sitcom will air Wednesdays at 8:00pm ET/PT on MyNetwork TV. Tune in tonight as this is the first sitcom in the history of MyNetwork TV! Airing at 8:30pm ET/PT following Under One Roof episodes will be repeats of the classic Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color! The show currently airs in repeats on cable on BET during late nights but it returns to broadcast television in primetime with repeats on MyNetwork TV. MyNetwork TV is calling it The Best of In Living Color...so you'll have to tune in to see which episode airs. Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Jim Carrey, and Jennifer Lopez are among the stars of the show.
Also airing tonight of note are the returns of Fox sitcoms Back to You and 'Til Death from 8-9pm. ABC has probably the last debate between Obama and Clinton tonight from 8-10pm ET/PT...should be interesting. And TV Land premiere's new original series The Big 4-0 tonight at 10pm ET/PT.

New TV Special: TV's All-Time Funniest Airing on ABC; Two-Hour Season Finales for Grey's and Lost

Sitcom fans take note of a great new two-hour special airing May 9 on ABC! Conjure up a list of your favorite comedy characters from the greatest sitcoms in history... Who would be your favorites? TV fans across the country were asked to choose their funniest characters in the following eight categories:
1. Funniest Comedy Fathers, 2. Funniest Mothers, 3. Funniest Kids, 4. Funniest Relatives, 5. Funniest Neighbors, 6. Funniest Friends, 7. Funniest Boss and 8. Funniest Co-Workers.
Collected by Nielsen Media Research, the results will be revealed in the two-hour TV's All-Time Funniest, a Paley Center for Media special, airing Friday, May 9 from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT on ABC!
Who is America's funniest father? Is it Cliff Huxtable or Homer Simpson? Is the funniest mother Lucy Ricardo or Marion Cunningham? Watch to see if your funniest character is also America's funniest.
Interviews with TV icons such as Rainn Wilson (The Office), Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), David Hyde Pierce (Frasier), Marion Ross (Happy Days), Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show), Valerie Harper (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Rue McClanahan (The Golden Girls) will be highlighted. These comedic stars will offer revealing insight into their funniest sitcom moments, accompanied by hilarious clips.
This is a special you will not want to miss! It will have lots of sitcoms being showcased and for sure one of your all-time favorites will be featured in one of the categories at least! To discuss this special, click HERE!

Meanwhile, ABC announced special two-hour season finales of Grey's Anatomy” and Lost. The Grey's Anatomy season finale airs Thursday, May 22 from 9:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT, and the Lost season finale airs a week later, Thursday, May 29 from 9:00-11:00 p.m., ET/PT on ABC. This marks an additional hour for each show this strike shortened season, for a total of 17 hours for Grey's Anatomy and 14 hours for Lost. (*Note: So Lost will be preempted on May 22 due to the Grey's Anatomy season finale.)
Remember Grey's Anatomy” returns with original episodes on Thursday, April 24 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT, and Lost returns with originals that night as well, when it moves to its new 10:00 p.m. ET/PT time slot.
ABC also announced Lost encores will air on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT opposite the American Idol finale, preempting Wife Swap and Supernanny. These episodes will be encore presentations of both the Thursday, May 1 and May 8 episodes combined. The May 15 Lost encore will air at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, May 29 leading into the two-hour season finale from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.

ION Television May 2008 Highlights; CBS Summer 2008 Schedule

ION Television has announced its May 2008 schedule and highlights. As of now, there will be no changes to the regular schedule, which means the schedule that started Monday, April 7, will remain in effect unless there is a last minute change. So, Wayans Bros., Steve Harvey, Family Feud, Mama's Family, Quantum Leap and Drew Carey will remain from 5-11pm. Total Theatre Thursday movies for the month of May are: The Cowboys, Superman, Superman II, Risky Business and Bladerunner. RHI on ION movies for Fri-Sun in May include The Odyssey, Neil Simon's London Suite, Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, and the three-part Larry McMurtry's Streets of Laredo.
Click HERE for the full ION May 2008 highlights and to discuss this month.
ION will have its upfront in about two weeks, on May 1...so hopefully more items will be announced then and we still plan to interview them shortly after that upfront.

CBS today unveiled its 2008 summer schedule comprising nearly 90 hours of original programming, including three new reality series (Greatest American Dog, Million Dollar Password (hosted by Regis Philbin) and Jingles (from Mark Burnett)), two new dramas (Swingtown and Flashpoint), summer stalwart Big Brother, two live mixed martial arts events (CBS Elite XC Saturday Night Fights), The American Theatre Wing's 62nd Annual Tony Awards and AFI's 10 Top 10 special.
The summer lineup will also see rebroadcasts of Without a Trace, NUMB3RS and Cold Case moving to new time periods.

Here is the summer line-up:

Thursday, Effective May 29
8:00-9:00 PM TBA
9:00-10:00 PM CSI (repeats)

Saturday, May 31
9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT CBS Elite XC Saturday Night Fights

Sunday, Effective June 1
7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM Million Dollar Password (Series Premiere...6 episodes ordered)
9:00-10:00 PM Cold Case (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM TBA

Tuesday, Effective June 3
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (repeats)
9:00-10:00 PM Shark (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM Without a Trace (New Time Period, repeats)

Thursday, Effective June 5
8:00-9:00 PM TBA
9:00-10:00 PM CSI (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM Swingtown (Series Premiere...13 episodes ordered)

Sunday, June 15
8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT The American Theatre Wing's 62nd Annual Tony Awards

Tuesday, June 17
8:00-11:00 PM AFI's 10 Top 10

Thursday, Effective July 10
8:00-9:00 PM Greatest American Dog (Series Premiere...TBD episodes ordered)
9:00-10:00 PM CSI (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM Swingtown

Friday, Effective July 11
8:00-9:00 PM Ghost Whisperer (repeats)
9:00-10:00 PM NUMB3RS (New Time Period, repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM Flashpoint (Series Premiere...13 episodes ordered)

Sunday, Effective July 13
7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM Big Brother (Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM Cold Case (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM TBA

Tuesday, Effective July 15
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (repeats)
9:00-10:00 PM Big Brother (Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM Without a Trace (repeats)

Wednesday, Effective July 16
8:00-9:00 PM Big Brother (Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds (repeats)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY (repeats)

Saturday, July 26
9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT CBS Elite XC Saturday Night Fights

Sunday, Effective July 27
7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes
8:00-9:00 PM Big Brother
9:00-10:00 PM Jingles (Series Premiere...8 episodes ordered)
10:00-11:00 PM Cold Case (New Time Period, repeats)

For complete details on the new summer series, click HERE.

Today's blog brought to you by the new hit sitcom Samantha Who? Watch it tonight at 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC!

Week 29 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 29 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox 8.7/13.5, CBS 7.7/12.3, ABC 6.1/9.6, NBC 5.1/8.0, The CW 1.2/1.9, MyNetworkTV 0.8/1.3
Total Viewers: Fox 14.72 million, CBS 12.11 million, ABC 9.06 million, NBC 7.91 million, The CW 1.73 million, MyNetworkTV 1.2 million
Adults 18-49: Fox 5.5/14.3, CBS 3.7/9.8, NBC 2.8/7.4, ABC 2.5/6.7, The CW 0.7/1.9, MyNetworkTV 0.4/1.2

Analysis: Week 29 so far has Fox and CBS dominating...but Fox had American Idol on three nights this week, but it was way down from usual. Through the first four days of week 29, we have Fox on top by a wider margin than this time last week, with CBS in second in HH/viewers, and 18-49. ABC is third in HH/viewers but fourth as of now in 18-49...NBC is the opposite, 4th in HH/viewers and a slim lead in 18-49 for 3rd. Last week, week 28, CBS beat Fox for number one in HH and viewers, but Fox had a slight edge in 18-49, with CBS in a very close second..as CBS was boosted by the return of scripted TV. ABC was 3rd in all categories, with NBC fourth in everything.
On Monday, both ABC and CBS were on top with Dancing with the Stars doing 19.68 million for 92 minutes, down a bit from the 96-minute episode the week before. The return of sitcom Samantha Who did 10.42 million, but it seems down from what it did in the slot in the fall...I think it will rise this week because the NCAA Basketball Championship game must have affected it. The Bachelor: London Calling followed with 6.83 million, down from the previous week. CBS was higher than usual thanks to the NCAA Basketball Championship Game doing 19.5 million, slightly off from last year but slightly up in 18-49 this year at a 7.3 rating. The Big Bang Theory repeat started the night off with 7.13 million...not too bad, and a repeat of Two and a Half Men at a special time of 8:30pm followed with 8.79 million. It did much higher in that slot a year ago before the game. NBC was led by Deal or No Deal at 9pm doing 10.22 million, slightly up week-to-week, but NBC started the night off at 8pm slow with My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad at 4.38 million, on par really from previous week actually. Medium closed the night off with 10.86 million, it also was up week-to-week. Fox aired a repeat of House to start off the night and it did 7.26 million, down a bit from previous week, following at 9pm was a new New Amsterdam doing 7.44 million, up from previous week and built on the lead-in...interesting. The CW had a repeat of Gossip Girl doing 1.18 million and a repeat of One Tree Hill at 1.22 million...the show will move to this slot with new episodes very soon.
On Tuesday, Fox was on top thanks to Idol at 24.67 million at 8pm, but down over a million from previous week. At 9pm Fox aired a new Hell's Kitchen and it did solid with 11.21 million...down a bit from the season premiere the previous week. ABC was next with two new episodes of Just for Laughs at 8pm doing 5.16 and 5.41 million...down a bit from previous week, as these were the final episodes of the season. Then at 9pm, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did a solid 17.02 million, down slightly from previous week as funnyman Adam Carolla got the boot. ABC closed the night at 10pm with the return of Boston Legal at 9.59 million. NBC aired a two-hour Biggest Loser at 9.0 million, up from previous week and it did very well, and a repeat of Law & Order: SVU drew 8.65 million, back up three million viewers, after being down three million last week. CBS was next with the return of NCIS at 14.07 million, very solid as usual, followed by the Tuesday edition of the disappointing Big Brother 9 at just 6.18 million, on par with the previous week. The first episode of Secret Talents of the Stars did just 4.58 million...and the next day they canceled it...talk about fast. The CW aired a new Beauty & The Geek at just 1.91 million, but up from previous week and a repeat of Reaper did 1.71 million, down a bit from previous week.
On Wednesday, it was all Fox again. American Idol was sort of not on, but the special telethon Idol Gives Back 2 aired and it was way down from last year at just 17.75 million...great but not for this show. CBS continues to struggle with Big Brother 9 at just 5.84 million, down a bit from previous week, but Criminal Minds and CSI: NY were new and did solid at 13.33 and 12.38 million...very good, as Minds went up from previous week, but not NY. NBC was next with Deal or No Deal starting the night off with 9.76 million...up a bit from previous week, followed by a repeat of Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 4.94 million, down from previous week, and the original Law & Order was a repeat as well and it did 6.13 million, down from previous week's repeat. ABC's Wife Swap was a repeat and did 4.43 million, down from previous week, a new Supernanny followed with 5.77 million, slightly off from previous week and finally the special Primetime: The Last Lecture did a solid 8.12 million. The CW had an all-new Top Model at a just 2.38 million, way below normal, a new Pussycat Dolls on a new night did just 1.92 million.
On Thursday, CBS was number one for the night. Survivor: Micronesia started the night off with 11.59 million, down from previous week...but CSI followed with a nice 20.09 million, slightly off from previous week and Without a Trace closed the night off with 14.49 million, also off from a bit from previous week. Fox was next with the results of American Idol on a special night and time doing 20.13 million, but that was way below normal...a new Don't Forget the Lyrics! followed at 10.9 million. NBC was next, with an all-new My Name is Earl doing 7.09 million, down from previous week...30 Rock returned with its low numbers at just 5.77 million. The Office returned with solid numbers at 9.33 million and a 4.9 18-49 rating. A new Scrubs did 6.58 million, so-so, and ER returned with just 7.52 million. ABC was well behind as its top guns won't return until April 24. ABC started the night off with two repeat episodes of Desperate Housewives averaging 5.22 million and Eli Stone closed the night with 5.88 million, up from previous week. It will also air this Sunday (TONIGHT!) at 10 following the return of Desperate Housewives with new episodes!
Like usual, no Friday finals yet. CBS was on top on Friday with Ghost Whisperer, a special primetime Price is Right, and NUMB3RS all led its hours. NBC's Miss USA bombed and Amne$ia did even lower at 8pm and ABC's Duel didn't do so well again. Saturday ratings were not available to us.
Tonight will be all ABC thanks to the return of Desperate Housewives! Oprah's Big Give second to last episode of the season will move to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's for the next two weeks..and a new Eli Stone could get series highs tonight. CBS will be a distant second with Big Brother & Dexter the weak spots, but 60 Minutes & a new Cold Case will make it interesting. NBC has a new Dateline, which will do OK or average but repeats of USA Network's Monk and Psych will do terrible from 8-10pm...especially the latter. Fox will have a mix of new and repeats with The Simpsons and King of the Hill all-new.
As for the week, I believe CBS will win in HH & viewers with Fox in 18-49...though HH/viewers will be very close. Fox will be 2nd in HH/viewers and ABC be third in all spots, leaving NBC in 4th. Unless ABC does even better than expected tonight, then it could be 2nd in 18-49.
This coming week sees more shows return from strike hiatus such as Desperate Housewives and Back to You.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 31-April 6)

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - All-new episode did just 960,000 viewers a series low once again. Under 1 million is just pathetic for a new episode....well even for The CW under 2 million is bad.
  
• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 830,000 viewers...totally terrible.
  
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did 1.26 million, down from previous week...but it built on at least from its lead-ins. This show is being wasted here.
  
• Girlfriends (The CW) - A repeat did 1.2 million, down from previous week.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat did 5.58 million...this show is on a slump since 2008 started it seems.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 7pm did just 3.09 million, down from previous week. A new episode at 8:30 did just 5.28 million...losing a bit from the lead-in and that was a repeat. I don't understand why this keeps getting renewed honestly.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - A one-hour repeat did just 6.19 million, down over a million from previous week's repeat and that was only a half-hour.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.13 million tuned in for a repeat.
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Off-air...returns tomorrow.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 8.79 million for a repeat...not bad.
• Samantha Who (ABC) - A new episode did 10.42 million...good but it is below normal.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.09 million for its second episode back...down from the previous episode.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 5.77 million for its return...same old and same old.
  
• The Office (NBC) - Its return did a solid 9.33 million, but its strength was the 4.9 18-49 rating.
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - 6.58 million for the first of its final NBC episodes.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a mix of new and repeats of sitcoms on The CW from 8-10, and Fox's animated comedies are also a mix of new and repeats from 7-10.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men repeat, Samantha Who? & The Office were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (My Name is Earl, The Big Bang Theory repeat) or just plain old terrible (The CW Sunday (4/6), 30 Rock).

Mini-DVD Review: Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Classic Cartoon Collection Volume 2 (April 15); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. This week we take a look at Universal Home Video's The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2. Woody Woodpecker is of course the classic TV woodpecker that made his mark in the 40s-70s in feature films! Not only do we get Woody cartoons, we also get classic theatrical cartoons of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, some Cartune Classics, and some Music Favorites. See my mini-DVD review of The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2:

The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2 (Universal, $39.98) brings 45 more classic unedited Woody Woodpecker cartoons and 30 other unedited classic cartoons from the legendary Walter Lantz to DVD on another classic 3-disc set! This time three of these shorts were nominated for Academy Awards. The set also goes again to the vault for classic behind-the-scenes with Walter Lantz and some rare Lantz pilots.
On this set we not only get 45 Woody Woodpecker cartoons, but also 5 each of the following: Oswald the Luck Rabbit, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Cartune Classics, Cartune Co-Stars and Musical Favorites. The Woody Woodpecker cartoons generally are between 6-7 minutes. Chilly Willy is about the same as well, and the others are a bit higher, more like 7-8 minutes each. There are no chapter stops once again, which is acceptable here because the episodes are very short. There are 75 total shorts.
The video is digitally remastered and uncut and it looks great! You see some dust and debris here and there, but a bit better than the last set, as that set had more older shorts...but some shorts like Oswald the Lucky Rabbit are still from the '30s. Woody is from 1952-58 on this set. The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it. It is in mono, but very good for its age.
Packaging has a nice brown outer box (like a tree again) with Woody coming out of the whole on the tree holding a sling shot. His nephew and niece, Knothead and Splinter are also on the cover. The back cover has information on the set and has some screenshots of the shorts along with a big photo of Woody pumping up dynamites or something. A box titled Rare Vintage Bonus Features is also listed on the back of the box. Inside the box is a digipak. The front of the digipak has Woody again coming out of a whole on a tree with a sling shot surrounded by more hole on the three with are screenshots from the show like Smedly and Chilly Willy. Woody's "Ha-Ha-Ha-HAAA-Ha!" is also mentioned on the front of the digipak. The back of the digipak has a nice list of characters from Walter Lantz's shows, with details on each such as Woody, Chilly Willy and Space Mouse. Below that are nice photos of each all together! Opening the case once, we get a very nice disc by disc breakdown as we got on the last set, which is very colorful and has lots of pictures. Opening the case one last time, we get to the discs. We have four panels. The first panel, all the way to the far left, has a a nice paragraph each on each disc and what is inside it. The next three panels hold each disc. The artwork has a tree wooden background with niece Splinter on disc one, Woody himself on disc two and nephew Knothead on disc three. Nice classic images from the shorts are in the background on the case itself.
The menu screen has Play All, Cartoon Selection, Bonus, and Languages...exactly the same as the last set. The main menu has Woody pecking to start and then we hear Woody's famous laugh....again exactly the same as the last set, but that is good! Languages section has us in English only, but subtitles can be added for English, Espanol, and Francais. Bonus Features are on each disc, so they are spread out evenly. Cartoon Selection is where we can choose the classic shorts...we get a list of titles in a tree hole.
Moving on to the extras. As I mentioned, they are evenly placed on each disc. The extras are all from the vaults and are not new material once again, which is indeed classic and great. Since this is a classic collection, might as well dig stuff up from the archives. Disc one has more of those "Behind the Scenes with Walter Lantz" episodes. We get six short segments running between 3-5 minutes or so. We have Creating Woody Woodpecker (Episode 2), Timing a Cartoon (Episode 11), Character Movement (Episode 12), Photography Animation Cels (Episode 13), Animator's Job (Episode 14), and Using Backgrounds (Episode 15). These are all so interesting and it was great of Mr. Lantz to do these...we should have all of these finished by the time we get all Woody episodes finished on DVD. On disc two we have six more "Behind the Scenes with Walter Lantz" episodes! We have Inking Department (Episode 17), Painting Department (Episode 18), Drawing with Walter Lantz (Episode 20), Sound Effects in Cartoons (Episode 22), Storyboarding Woody Woodpecker (Episode 24), and Creating New Characters (Episode 26). So we get a dozen of these on this set...we got six last time, so 18 of them are done! Then we have Rare TV Pilot Episodes of other Lantz characters. We get the pilot episode of The Secret Weapon, with Space Mouse that runs 6:04 and Jungle Medias, with Sam 'n Simian that runs 6:01...rare stuff! On the last disc we have a full episode of The Woody Woodpecker Show. It is episode 47 and runs 26:59. It is from 1957-58 when it aired on ABC...we get four classic shorts packaged together: Ballyhooey/Rough and Tumbleweed/Franken-Stymied/Mother's Little Helper. As I said in the last set, it was later revived in 1970 by NBC with more episodes. And in the '80s it was packed together for syndication we saw different themes and stuff in syndication. I love this the best as I stated last time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5zwBBFJ63c (I hope we get that on a future set as an extra and all the theme songs used in syndication).
I highly do recommend any fan of classic cartoons and Woody Woodpecker to pick-up this set...especially if you have Volume 1. If you remember the show from local syndication in the late 80s/early 90s, you'll be fascinated by this because these shorts were made for theatrical cartoons and not television, which I never knew obviously then. This set covers Woody from 1952-1958...so we have still have 12 years or so left. Volume 1 covered 1940-52. Maybe we will need about 4-5 volumes to finish it up. Let's hope we do and we get all of the Woody shorts released and the other Lantz shorts. I want all of the Chilly Willy shorts too...I loved him and Smedly. So start 'guessing who' is coming to DVD once again? Yes Woody Woodpecker and Friends once again!
-- 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 Woody Woodpecker Show TV.com Page



Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, April 12, 2008
"BET Doing Stuff Wrong Now; Enough Spitzer, Leno; Complaining of High Gas Prices"
By Solomon Davis

BET was almost the cable channel of 2008 with its new acquisitions but now the network is just doing stuff wrong. First, the editing STINKS on Diff'rent Strokes and it is actually worse than ION's editing probably because I never seen a network cut from a scene while two characters are dancing and talking. That's called pre-school editing at its best and it is unacceptable. Second they added more airings of Diff'rent Strokes, which is great, but the additional slots are still during the day. So how is airing Diff'rent Strokes at 3pm any different from 9am? Most people are still at work or school at 3pm. No one at BET has enough sense to air additional airings in the evening or regular airings during weekends? And last, why would BET have two marathons of the same show in one month? We just watched an eight hour marathon of Diff'rent Strokes last Sunday and now they have a five hour marathon coming on Sunday, April 20? It is good they are having marathons at least, but I guess no one at BET ever heard of the month of May where the Strokes marathons can be more spread out.

How much longer is Jay Leno going to make fun of former governor of New York Elliot Spitzer? The jokes are no longer funny because the story is now OLD and it is time to move on and joke about something else. No need to keep bringing up an old news story when there is new stuff to make fun of about everyday. Time for Jay to get some FRESH jokes and start leaving the STALE jokes alone.

I get so annoyed when I hear people who have nice salaries talk about high gas prices like they can't afford to pay the increase. I have heard radio talk show hosts, late night TV hosts, and news anchors mention how ridiculous it is that gas is so high in 2008 and we all know they are not affected. The "average working person" definitely doesn't want to hear someone with a six figure salary complain about high gas prices. It's really amazing that these high paid people don't have a clue on how stupid they sound. I guess news anchors have to report it, though...but they shouldn't be complaining.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

TV Land June 2008 Schedule and Highlights; BET Adds More Hours to Strokes Marathon on April 20

TV Land has released their June 2008 schedule and highlights! Joining the line-up will be Hogan's Heroes. The '60s sitcom has not aired on TV Land for quite some time and now it is back in an all-new deal! The show will air weekdays at 5:00pm & 5:30pm and every night at 1:00am & 1:30am ET/PT starting Monday, June 2. Hogan's Heroes will also air Sunday afternoons from 12-2pm ET/PT. The show will get a weekend marathon on June 7 and 8, but not a 48-hour one. It will air late night on Saturday, June 7 (early Sunday) from 1:30am-6am and Sunday, June 8 from 12pm-6pm.
Mad About You and Murphy Brown will also join the TV Land June schedule, as both will move from sister station Nick at Nite to TV Land. Murphy Brown had already once moved over to TV Land and it didn't fair too well. This time TV Land will just air it every night at 3:00am. Mad About You will be its lead-in at 2:30am every night...but Mad About You will also air Monday nights 9-11pm, and have some filler slots after movies and encores of originals from time to time. The show will get a weekend marathon as well, Saturday June 21 (early Sunday) 12:30am-6am and Sunday, June 22 from 9pm-6am.
Other schedule notes include Wings leaving the line-up from weekdays at 7:30am replaced by another slot of Designing Women. And some good news for The Munsters and The Addams Family fans...both shows will continue to air in their weekend airings! They were set to expire after May, but TV Land has renewed them once again. Also, although they haven't aired on the regular schedule for awhile, the Universal library deal (Knight Rider, A-Team, Miami Vice, Simon & Simon) will expire as its contract is up, and TV Land will not renew it.
TV Land premieres new original series She's Got the Look on Wednesday, June 4 for 6 weeks at 10pm. For the first time, TV Land and acclaimed modeling powerhouse Wilhelmina team up to search the country to find the greatest undiscovered models age 35 and older. The aspirants will be flown to New York City to live in a house together where they will face various challenges such as photo shoots and tests on their fashion acumen. Eliminations will occur weekly until the ultimate winner is crowned. Fashion icon and supermodel Kim Alexis is the host. Celebrity stylist Robert Verdi, Wilhelmina president Sean Patterson, and supermodel Beverly Johnson are judges of this six-episode series.
It's awards week on TV Land, as TV Land gets ready for the 6th Annual TV Land Awards on June 15 Beginning Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 13, catch daytime marathons of westerns, Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, Hogan's Heroes and Beverly Hillbillies from 10am-5pm featuring Emmy award winning episodes and actors.
Then on Sunday, June 15 after a seven-hour Andy Griffith Show marathon from 2-9pm, The 6th Annual TV Land Awards show rolls out the red carpet for the biggest shows and the brightest stars of yesterday and today from 9pm-10:30pm, with an immediate encore from 10:30pm-12am. The host is still TBD. So we will announce it when we know. I heard Fran Drescher is in the running. May I suggest Tom Bergeron? Yes, he was never on a classic TV show, but he is a great TV host. Over the years the hosts have gotten worse and worse, although Kelly Ripa was good last year. No one beats John Ritter's hosting on the first awards.
As we mentioned earlier, TV Land is just "Mad About The Buchman's." On Sunday, June 22 TV Land is giving Mad About You the warm TV Land welcome it deserves by dedicating nine solid hours of programming to the lovable couple, their eccentric friends, neurotic family members and even Murray, their dog. Beginning at 9pm, fans of the show will go mad for their all-time favorite episodes as they watch Paul & Jamie tackle obstacles large and small (and usually of their own creation) in the city that never sleeps.
Get "Back in the Saddle" with TV Land on Sunday, June 29 and live your wildest Western dreams vicariously through crazy gunslingers, seasoned cowboys and even inept city slickers. For the fanatical Western-lover, TV Land presents double-headers of Bonanza and Gunsmoke immediately followed by Mel Brooks' infamous Western spoof, Blazing Saddles. Rounding out the afternoon is City Slickers, featuring grit-challenged Mitch Robbins (Billy Crystal) who endeavors to fulfill his cowboy fantasies but ends up being taught by veteran ranch hand Curly Washburn (Jack Palance) what it really takes to be one. It's an afternoon packed with eight fantastic hours of Western fun and one that is sure to please even the crustiest cowboy.
TV Land's MovieLand block this month features movies such as Caddyshack, City Slickers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Big Business.
For COMPLETE TV Land June 2008 highlights, including the full list of schedule changes, I really urge you all to click HERE! You can also discuss these changes and highlights there, too. Get in on the action!

Just a few days ago we mentioned to you all about BET's upcoming marathons. They are still on, but we have a time change for the upcoming Diff'rent Strokes marathon. We mentioned it would be from 8-11pm on Sunday, April 20...well they have added two more hours to it now! It will now start at 6pm and run until 11pm! So we get four extra episodes...such as Kimberly taking a photo of Arnold's behind in "A Case of Overexposure," will the Drummonds get evicted in "Push Comes to Shove?" Arnold is now hall monitor in "Hall Monitor" and former first lady Nancy Reagan guest stars in "The Reporter." For a full list of episodes and times, click HERE!

TV Land's High School Reunion Finale Scores Big, Renewed For Second Season; CBS Pulls Talents of the Stars

The first finale of TV Land's High School Reunion averaged over 1 million total viewers for last night's 10 p.m. telecast, making it the most-watched episode of the season. The episode was also the highest rated of the season, building over last week's episode with double digit increases. High School Reunion is now TV Land's most watched original series ever among A25-54.
The episode posted a 0.5 rating (560,000 viewers) among A25-54, up 42% in rating from last week's episode and up 43% in viewers 25-54. Among the network's core A40-54 audience, the episode earned a 0.5 rating (266,000 viewers), a rise of 32% in rating and 30% in delivery over last week. It also scored double digit gains in total viewers (over 1 million) with a 51% increase over last week.
Throughout the season, High School Reunion averaged 821,000 total viewers, up 89% over the same time period last year with a median age of 45. Among A25-54, it posted a 0.5 rating for the season (487,000 viewers), up 147% in rating and 152% in viewers 25-54 versus last year. Among A40-54, the series averaged a 0.5 rating (275,000 viewers), an increase of 92% in rating and 96% in delivery over a year ago.
All this comes off last week's renewal announcement. Following impressive ratings gains and steady growth of its original reality series High School Reunion, TV Land announced that it has renewed the series for a second season, with Mike Fleiss returning as executive producer. Premiering in first quarter 2009, the second season will reunite high school alumni after 20 years as they gather for two weeks in an exotic vacation getaway.
Come on back tomorrow to the blog as we announce TV Land June 2008 highlights and schedule...which will have the TV Land Awards, Hogan's Heroes joining the line-up, Mad About You & Murphy Brown in the late nights and new original series She's Got the Look premieres.

CBS has pulled new reality show Secret Talents of the Stars after just one airing. The show just did 4.58 million viewers in its Tuesday at 10pm slot in its premiere and now only airing. You know that was low when it went down from the struggling Big Brother, which was its lead-in. For the next two weeks, CBS will air 48 Hours at 10pm on Tuesdays. Then starting April 29, CBS will move on-the-fence drama Shark to this timeslot. Shark was previously slated to return on this night at 9pm, but CBS will bring back reruns of The Unit in its old slot of Tuesdays at 9 leading into the fresh episodes of Shark. Talents joins series such as quarterlife, Viva Laughlin, and The Return of Jezebel James as shows that got pulled very fast this season. So darn it, we won't get to see Malcolm-Jamal Warner play the bass now!

BET Adds More Marathons; RTN Comes to Pennsylvania Affiliate

Yesterday we gave you the good news that Diff'rent Strokes has been given another hour on weekdays (3-4pm) starting next week, but now have more good news! The Diff'rent Strokes marathon was such a success this past Sunday (April 6) that BET will give us another marathon! The marathon will be on Sunday, April 20...this time the marathon is just three-hours instead of eight, but we will get the three-hours in primetime! The marathon will air from 8-11pm ET/PT, with very special episodes. Willis battles a drinking problem in "A Growing Problem" at 8pm, at 8:30pm in "Indepenent Woman," Kimberly has a new job but her boss tries to go after her...but only so he can get good with Mr. Drummond, then we have the very special 2-part episode "The Bicycle Man" from 9-10pm where Arnold and Dudley are lured by a child molestor. Closing out the night from 10-11pm are "Romeo & Juliet" where Arnold and his nemesis Lisa are assigned the roles of Romeo & Juliet in a play and finally we have "My Fair Larry," where a high school thug is about to "make it" with Kimberly.
BET also will have a Malcolm & Eddie marathon this Saturday (April 19 from 9am-7pm), as we previously announced. Future marathons include a Thea marathon on Sunday, May 11 and another Sanford marathon on Sunday, June 15. Those are still tentative, so we will have full details closer to the airdates for those, such as timings and episode info. But for now enjoy the Malcolm & Eddie full-day marathon this Saturday and the primetime Diff'rent Strokes marathon this Sunday! BET is sure handling these sitcoms well and other networks should follow their strategy because it seems to be working for them.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that COX Television plans to add a 7th RTN affiliate on its Johnstown/Altoona/State College, PA station. The network's "Prime Time All the Time" lineup will launch early next year on a digital stream of WJAC-TV, COX's NBC affiliate in the market.
Also, for those of you wonderding RTN's official website is back online. I am not sure what happened before but it was asking for a username/password and many of you wrote to us about the problem. So, head on over to the RTN website now if you haven't checked it out.

Diff'rent Strokes Gets Additional Slot on BET; Fox Summer Schedule; Network Notes

BET has announced it will add an additional hour of Diff'rent Strokes to their weekday line-up beginning next week, Monday, April 14, 2008. They will repeat the 9-10am hour now from 3-4pm ET/PT. What a nice way to start your afternoons! Maybe kids will watch after school! The 3-4pm hour will replace repeats of Hell Date, which will still remain in its other time slots. No other BET changes will be made besides this...so we get an additional sitcom hour!

Fox has announced its summer plans. All-new episodes of reality shows The Moment of Truth, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Hell's Kitchen, So You Think You Can Dance, Cops and America's Most Wanted will air throughout the summer on Fox. In addition, Don't Forget the Lyrics! will get encore airings starting Sunday, June 1 at 7:00pm. Among the scripted series, we will see repeats of House, Bones, and the Sunday animated comedies. Missing from the Fox summer line-up is sitcoms Back to You and 'Til Death...is this a sign they could be on the bubble for renewal for next season?
Here is the full summer schedule:
Mondays, beginning June 2:
8:00pm Bones repeats
9:00pm House repeats
Tuesdays, beginning May 27:
8:00pm The Moment of Truth (All-New Episodes)
9:00pm Hell's Kitchen (All-New Episodes started April 1 will run into mid-July) Wednesdays, beginning May 28 (As Previously Announced, No Changes):
8:00pm-10:00pm So You Think You Can Dance (All-New Episodes)
Thursdays beginning May 22 (As Previously Announced, No Changes):
8:00pm-10:00pm So You Think You Can Dance (All-New Episodes)
Beginning June 12 on Thursdays:
8:00pm Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (All-New Episodes)
9:00pm So You Think You Can Dance (All-New Episodes)
Fridays will have Movies, as previously announced.
Saturday line-up will remain the same, as previously announced.
Sundays will also remain the same, with animated repeats from 8-10pm, but encores od Don't Forget the Lyrics! will lead off the night in the 7pm hour.

Lifetime Networks and The Weinstein Company have entered into a groundbreaking partnership that will move cable's top reality series, Project Runway, from Bravo to the top network for women, Lifetime Television, beginning November 2008 with the premiere of season six. The deal is a 5-year deal. Bravo still has another season planned sometime this spring/summer.
Bravo is really upset by this and has issued this statement:
NBC Universal has continuing legal rights related to Project Runway, including a right of first refusal to future cycles of the series, which The Weinstein Company unfortunately has refused to honor. NBC Universal regrettably had no alternative but to bring legal action to enforce its rights to this program, including the right to decide whether it is in the best interest of the company to continue to air the show under the proposed financial terms.
Wonder what will happen?

Married with Children Coming to Spike TV, Unsolved Mysteries Also; Save October Road

Spike TV has acquired the rights to all 259 episodes of the hit sitcom, Married ... With Children, which ran 11 seasons from 1987-1997 on Fox. The five year exclusive deal begins September, 2008. The network plans on stripping the series to run in mornings, afternoons, and late night.
As part of the distribution deal with Sony Pictures Television, Spike TV will have broadband rights and can exhibit episodes each week on the network's website at http://www.spike.com/. There are also 40 six-minute minisodes Spike TV can run on broadband or on mobile outlets.
Spike has said to have paid $12 million for the series, coming out to about $50,000 an episode, which is a bargain these days.
The series is currently on the FX cable network and has been airing there since Fall 1999. The series will leave FX this fall, as Spike TV's deal is exclusive.
The series starred Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy, Katey Sagal as Peg Bundy and Christina Applegate as the sexy Kelly Bundy. Later sitcom veteran Ted McGinley joined the series. Discuss this news on our message board. And speaking of Christina Applegate, her sitcom Samanatha Who? returns tonight with new episodes! The first of 6 straight new episodes airing Mondays at 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC! The series is the highest rated new sitcom.
Also coming to Spike TV this fall, is Unsolved Mysteries. They are creating a new collection of 175 re-edited episodes hosted by acclaimed television and film actor Dennis Farina. The new episodes, focusing on more of the dangerous and action-oriented cases, will also be available on Spike's web site, http://www.spike.com/, and mobile outlets. The series will have a five year run on Spike TV starting in October, 2008. Each one-hour episode will feature five stories re-enacted by professional actors, plus brand new show wraps and updates on past stories. The series will be stripped weekday afternoons. Spike TV has said to have paid $26 million for the 175 re-edited episodes, which comes out to about $150,000 per episode.
Related: Since Married with Children is leaving FX this fall, I'll give you a round-up of what is coming to FX and other networks affected by this, this fall. FX will add the sitcom Bernie Mac Show this fall starring Bernie Mac. That '70s Show will still be on FX despite ABC Family and The N also airing the series starting this June. So 3 cable networks will be airing that show. FX has aired the series since September 2005. Also coming to ABC Family this September is My Wife & Kids, the hit sitcom starring Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin.
No word on what else Spike TV has planned this fall (if anything else) besides Married and Mysteries, but another sitcom would be wise to air with Married...with Children. You know what, The Simpsons still doesn't have a cable home, Spike TV could be a good fit.

Fans of on-the-bubble ABC drama October Road are deep into a campaign to save the show from cancelation. Their campaign is called "Pay October Road Forward." The premise of it is that the fans are buying copies of the first season DVD and donating to their local libraries' DVD sections. Along with that, some are donating books. Libraries are sometimes strapped for extra funds to puchase such things so this serves a double purpose. It allows the library to get things they can use at no cost to them and hopefully will produce new viewers for October Road when the DVD is checked out. The second season DVD is not out yet, but hopefully it will be soon.
All who are doing this are having a letter stamped by the library & signed by them and are sending onto ABC. They will be submitting a full report before the end of April to Mr. Stephen McPherson, President of ABC Entertainment about where they are in donations and how they plan to continue with this great campaign. You can view this by clicking HERE! Save the show so it can return for a third season! It really is a nice little show that is addictive. ABC is shopping the series, so they know it must be worth keeping. The series suffered in the ratings this season when it moved out of the post-Grey's Anatomy slot it had in its first season. So far ABC has shopped it to Lifetime, but they passed. I think ABC Family would be a good fit, especially out of their originals such as Greek, Lincoln Heights, Wildfire and Kyle XY. Heck, even The CW would be a good fit. Someone please bring it back! Help out! If Jericho could return, so could this show!

Week 28 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 28 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox 8.1/12.6, CBS 7.8/12.4, ABC 5.9/9.4, NBC 4.6/7.3, The CW 1.3/2.1, MyNetworkTV 0.8/1.2
Total Viewers: Fox 13.45 million, CBS 12.4 million, ABC 8.92 million, NBC 6.99 million, The CW 1.93 million, MyNetworkTV 1.14 million
Adults 18-49: Fox 4.9/12.9, CBS 3.7/9.9, ABC 2.5/6.6, NBC 2.4/6.4, The CW 0.8/2.2, MyNetworkTV 0.4/1.0

Analysis: Week 28 so far has Fox and CBS dominating...as CBS's scripted hits have returned (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Through the first four days of week 28, we have Fox on top by a slim margin, with CBS in second in HH/viewers, and 18-49. ABC is third, with NBC 4th in all categories. Last week, week 27, CBS edged out Fox (thanks to the NCAA) for number one in HH, but it Fox had a slight edge in total viewers. Fox was also first in 18-49, with CBS in second. ABC was 3rd in, with NBC fourth in everything.
On Monday, it was ABC on top with Dancing with the Stars doing 20.56 million for 96 minutes, slightly up from the two-hour episode the week before. The Bachelor: London Calling followed with 7.67 million, up a bit from the previous week. CBS was next with its sitcoms which were all-new! The Big Bang Theory's did 8.43 million, slightly off from the previous week, How I Met Your Mother followed with 9.5 million, down from the 10.67 million the week before, as Britney Spears guest-starred on that one. Two and a Half Men followed with 14.5 million, up slightly from previous week and the season finale of Old Christine followed with a season high 12.57 million, up nearly three million from previous week. CSI: Miami closed the night with a solid 15.65 million, down from its return the previous week. NBC was led by Deal or No Deal at 9pm doing 10.07 million, slightly off week-to-week, but NBC started the night off at 8pm slow with My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad at 4.3 million, but it was a bit up from previous week actually. Medium closed the night off with 9.65 million, it also was up week-to-week. Fox aired a repeat of House to start off the night and it did 7.5 million, down a bit from previous week, following at 9pm was a new New Amsterdam doing 6.6 million, up from previous week. The CW had a repeat of Gossip Girl doing 1.06 million and a new Pussycat Dolls at just 1.29 million...both down from previous week.
On Tuesday, Fox was on top thanks to Idol at 26.12 million at 8pm, up over a million from previous week...and that was 90-minutes, too. At 9pm Fox premiered a new season of Hell's Kitchen and it did solid with 11.85 million...but more impressive was the 5.5 18-49 rating. ABC was next with two new episodes of Just for Laughs at 8pm doing 5.32 and 5.48 million...up from what it normally was doing. Then at 9pm, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did a solid 17.28 million, down slightly from previous week as Steve Guttenberg got shockingly eliminated. He didn't deserve to go...Carrolla or Winkour should have been the one instead. ABC closed the night at 10pm with the special ABC News Special: Live To Be 150 at 9.7 million. CBS was next with a repeat of NCIS at 9.97 million, up from previous week, followed by the Tuesday edition of the disappointing Big Brother 9 at just 6.11 million, but it was up from previous week. A new CSI: Miami on a special night did a very solid 14.23 million for part two of a two-part two-night event. NBC aired a two-hour Biggest Loser at 8.17 million, up from previous week, and a repeat of Law & Order: SVU drew 5.77 million, down nearly three million viewers from previous week...thanks to CBS. The CW aired a new Beauty & The Geek at just 1.6 million and a repeat of Reaper did 1.73 million, ouch it beat a new episode of Geek.
On Wednesday, it was all Fox again. American Idol Results at 9pm did 24.84 million, down from previous week, the season finale of The Moment of Truth at 8pm did 10.16 million, up a bit from previous week. CBS continues to struggle with Big Brother 9 at just 5.94 million, up a bit from previous week, but Criminal Minds and CSI: NY are now back with new episodes, and did solid at 12.81 and 12.85 million...very good, but it seems below normal. NBC was next with Deal or No Deal starting the night off with 9.53 million, followed by a repeat of Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 5.12 million, down from previous week, and the original Law & Order was a repeat as well and it did 6.48 million, down from previous week's repeat. ABC's Wife Swap did 5.69 million for a new episode, down from previous week, a new Supernanny followed with 5.89 million, up slightly from previous week, but that was a repeat and finally a new MEN IN TREES did 5.46 million, down a bit from previous week. The CW had an all-new Top Model at a decent 3.87 million, up a bit from previous week, a repeat of Pussycat Dolls did just 1.47 million, down a bit from previous week but still better than its original Monday airing, sad, isn't it?
On Thursday, CBS was back with its big guns and thus was number one for the night. Survivor: Micronesia started the night off with 12.87 million, seems below normal...but CSI followed with a nice 20.58 million for its return episode and Without a Trace closed the night off with its return episode doing 15.2 million. Fox was next with two Are You Smarter That a 5th Grader? episodes doing 9.88 and 10.41 million, wonder why it went up? NBC was next, with an all-new My Name is Earl hour doing 7.53 million...decent, but again seems below normal. The Office repeat marathon followed from 9-11pm doing not so good, dropping in each half-hour: 5.09, 4.58, 4.34, and 4.3 million...new episodes return this coming week. ABC was well behind as its top guns won't return until April 24, so they will have to suffer a bit the next two weeks. ABC started the night off with two new episodes of the hilarious Miss Guided at 4.6 and 4.34 million, down from the two episodes the previous week, these two were the season finale. Lost repeat followed with just 4.07 million, thus Eli Stone closed the night with only 5.15 million, down from previous week, but the building on a repeat shows this show does have an audience of its own...and is worth returning next season...two more episodes remain for this season on Thursdays and a special one for next Sunday following the return of Desperate Housewives.
Like usual, no Friday finals yet. CBS returned its top Friday shows and won the night, as Ghost Whisperer's return, a special primetime Price is Right, and the return of NUMB3RS all led it shours. NBC's Dateline did well at 10pm as well, but Amne$ia suffered at 8pm and ABC's return of Duel didn't do so well, which is sad to hear because it was really good. Saturday ratings were not available to us.
Tonight will be a toss-up, but ABC will win most likely again, lead by Oprah's Big Give but Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a repeat, so not sure how it will be affected. CBS could be a wildcard and win the night, but with Big Brother & Dexter, it seems unlikely but 60 Minutes & a new Cold Case will make it interesting. NBC has a new Dateline but I'm scared to see how repeats of USA Network's Monk and Psych will do from 8-10pm...I think they will bomb big time. Fox will be in repeats with The Simpsons, Family Guy but King of the Hill is all-new.
As for the week, I believe CBS will win in HH, viewers with Fox in 18-49. Fox will be 2nd in HH/viewers and ABC will hang on for third in all spots, leaving NBC in 4th.
This coming week sees more shows return from strike hiatus such as Samantha Who and The Office.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 17-23)

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - All-new episode did 1.39 million, up from the 990,000 viewers the week before...at least it went over a million.
  
• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 1 million, but it beat the 910,000 the previous week...and that was NEW!
  
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did 1.5 million, up a bit from previous week.
  
• Girlfriends (The CW) - A repeat did 1.55 million, up from previous week...and it built on the lead-in...impressive.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A new episode did 7.14 million...seems way below for a new showing.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 7pm did just 3.3 million, but it was up from previous week. A new episode at 8:30 did 6.07 million...typical.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - Just 7.28 million for a repeat...but better than previous week, which was like 3 million less.
  
• Unhitched (Fox) - Just 4.18 million for the finale...a goner for sure.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - Only 3.97 million for a repeat at 7:30pm, but it was up a bit from previous week.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.43 million tuned in, down just a bit from previous week.
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.5 million tuned in for a new episode...down from previous week's 10.67 million. If it can do 9.5 million or so every week now, it will be back for sure next season.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.5 million for a new episode...up a bit from previous week.
• Old Christine (CBS) - 12.57 million for the season finale...two factors...didn't go head-to-head with Dancing with the Stars and it was the season finale.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• None
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Miss Guided (ABC) 2 episodes - Two new episodes did 4.6 and 4.34 million...down from previous week...these two were the last episodes of the season. Hopefully it warrants a return sometime next season.
• My Name is Earl (NBC) - The one-hour return did a solid 7.53 million...seems low though, but maybe next week it will be higher as the rest of NBC's comedies return.
  
• The Office (NBC) 4 episodes - 4 repeats to get ready for the return this week did not so good dropping in each half-hour: 5.09, 4.58, 4.34, and 4.3 million.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a mix of new and repeats of sitcoms on The CW from 8-10, and Fox's animated comedies are also a mix of new and repeats from 7-10.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Old Christine & The Big Bang Theory were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (My Name is Earl) or just plain old terrible (The Office repeats, Miss Guided).

Mini-DVD Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 6 (April 8); Solomon's Weekly Rant

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the mini-DVD review and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at Lionsgate's Season 6 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (actually the ninth DVD release). Ninja Turtles is of course the hit animated series that caused kids and teens to go crazy for in the late '80s and early '90s. See my mini-DVD review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 6:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season 6 (Lionsgate, $19.98) brings all 16 episodes from the series' sixth season on this wonderful two-disc DVD set. Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Splinter, April are all back to battle Shredder, Krang and other villains! Cowabunga! Starting with season four we started getting season releases. Prior to that, we were getting volume releases. Volume 6 had the last 11 episodes from season three, plus the first episode of season four. The third season had a total of 47 episodes, so they decided to split up that season into volumes, so volumes 3, 4, 5, and 6 covered season three. Season one had only 5 episodes, so that was on Volume 1. For season 2 there were just 13 episodes, so Lionsgate released that for volume two...so yes, technically the first two volumes were season sets. Season 4 and Season 5 had their actual full seasons...season 4 had 39 episodes and season 5 had 18.
Season six has a total of 16 episodes, and we get ALL of those on this set, which is a bit cheaper in quality than the last two sets we got.
The packaging started getting very good starting with season four. The first six volumes the packaging was simple (as they were just one-disc sets)...and we are back to that on this set. This set is 2-discs, but the case is very similar to those volume releases. We get a very thin box holding the case, which I don't understand why it is even needed. Both the thin box cover and the case cover has the same cover art...the four turtles in the middle with their respective weapons. The artwork is very colorful, though. We get a shot of Splinter on the upper left and April on the bottom left. It is in comic book style, so it is nicely done. The back of both the thing box and case are also similar. We get a photo of Leonardo with his sword and some details on the set and series. Below that we get an episode listing of each episode for season six in a rectangular yellow box. When we open the case, it is also pretty simple...black backgrounds surrounding the case with two disc holders holding each disc. At least no overlapping occurs! Disc one holds the first 8 episodes of the season and is in blue with Michaelangelo. Disc two has the rest of the episodes from season six, the final eight, and is in reddish/orangeish color with Dontatello.
The menu screen is not as creative as the last set for sure. No pizza menu this time, but still it is decent. First, we get autotrailers before the main menu appears on disc one only. Then after that is done, we see rotating images of each Turtle before we come to the main menu screen. The theme song is playing in the background, and it does loop, and the photo is similar to the box art, but the weapons of each turtle is moving a bit. Nicely done. Also, the background seems to have video clips playing in the background, but it is in blue and looks transparent. The options are: Play All Episodes, Episode Selection, Trailers. Trailers is on both disc for some reason and is I believe the same as the auto-trailers that are on disc one. Episode Selection takes us to a submenu with episode #, title, and a screenshot from the episode.
The video is on par with the other volumes, with dust and debris here and there but I think it is much better than the previous releases...but probably on par with seasons 4 and 5. The audio is also on par with the previous releases, not bad...and listenable. The episodes run a around 23:35-23:40, with the highest being 23:41 and the lowest at 23:35. We get 5 chapter stops per episode...nice.
Seasons four and five had extras...and decent ones, too...but this time we get absolutely nothing! Why??? Was the reason we were getting extras was because of the new TMNT CGI-movie? I hope not. I hope we get more extras in future seasons.
I still urge fans to buy this set even though it is a bit of a letdown from the seasons 4 and 5 sets. I was afraid of the quality dipping by Lionsgate starting with season six...I expressed my worries on my season 5 review about that. Seasons 7, 8, 9, and 10 still remain to be released, so let's hope they come out soon and in good quality. Season seven had 27 episodes and seasons eight through ten had 8 episodes each. Four of the eight episodes on season ten was released on the Volume 1 DVD, the very first DVD, though.
Anyway, this set will be released this Tuesday, click on the link below to purchase all the thrilling season six episodes and you'll like the comic book style packaging! Eat some pizza while you watch this DVD! Cowabunga dudes!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Official Website


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, April 5, 2008
"Nick at Nite Delaying Family Matters; TV One Going Downhill Still; ESPN Wrong Again"
By Solomon Davis

Thank you Nick at Nite for deciding at the last minute to launch Family Matters at a later date when the promos were stating it will be coming "next month" (April). And is this decision all because of Home Improvement improving in the ratings lately? Well that means the promos in March were false advertisement and it's unfair to fans when it was stated April was the month that it would launch (was slated to launch April 20 with airings 9-10pm each weekday, bumping Tim Allen and the gang to just 12-1am). So I guess if Home Improvement continues to "improve," Family Matters will probably start in September or NEVER if Home Improvement becomes a new Nick at Nite HIT! That show is no George Lopez!

TV One is going to air a 24-hour marathon of Martin in May (part of their May Friday marathons) and the show has been on the schedule forever? This makes no sense at all since it's not a new show which is another poor program decision by TV One. And on top of that Amen will resurface on the TV One evening schedule this coming week which should be very exciting since it was already on the schedule two years ago. Holding on to shows for years and adding shows that they already had on the schedule means that TV One is nothing but a LARGER version of the station called ION Television.

ESPN wanted to be the first to report a story this week but just ended up looking like a national joke. Now why would ESPN report that Brett Farve may want to come out of retirement? Was the news that slow that day that the network had to make up something that dumb? Thankfully SI.com reported today that Farve never said that he wanted to come back and I'm still annoyed I have to continue to pay money to watch a network that reports false information.


Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

The N Revamps April Schedule Again; King of the Hill Returns for Season 13; RTN Coming to Palm Springs, CA

On Monday, we gave you details on The N revamping its schedule and adding Brothers Garcia and trimming All That to just one airing a day. Well, it seems The N has once again edited their schedule and All That is NOT being trimmed now. In the previous version, weekdays from 6am-3pm was not being changed at all, but that is not true now. Some minor edits will occur...Brothers Garcia will air at 7am, All That moves to 8am, and the three in a row shots of One on One and Moesha from 9am-12pm is reduced to just back-to-back episodes from 9-11am, as a result, Growing Pains will move back an hour to 11am-12pm. Radio Free Roscoe takes the 12pm hour and Instant Star takes the 1pm hour...so no more Clueless from 1-3pm, but it will remain 2-3pm. 3-4pm will now be Brothers Garcia, instead of the previously announced 4-5pm slot. All That will remain 4-5pm weekdays and will also air on weekends in that slot. Brothers Garcia will remain 9-10am and 12-1pm on weekends as previously announced.
For the FULL schedule click HERE!

Fox has ordered an additional season (season 13) of the animated series King of the Hill. One of the longest-running comedies currently on primetime television, the series depicts the life and times of Hank Hill, his family and his neighbors in the fictional town of Arlen, TX. King of the Hill currently airs Sundays at 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox.
Since the episodes are done well in advance, we will likely not see these 13 episodes start until February 2009 or March 2009 because still a lot of episodes from season 12 are left to air. I even heard some that were produced for season 11 still remain, too...don't quote me on that, though.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will add a Palm Springs, CA affiliate next month on KDPX-TV. The station is available over-the-air on Channel 45 and on Time Warner Cable on Channel 14.

Don't forget BET's 8-hour star-studded Diff'rent Strokes marathon this Sunday from 1-9pm ET/PT. BET has even put some fun facts on their website for it!

Family Matters Nick at Nite Launch Delayed; ION Officially Announces April Expansion

You saw the commercials stating that 90s sitcom Family Matters was coming to Nick at Nite in April a few weeks ago, but now that is not happening. We reported this a few weeks back, but Nick at Nite has decided to delay the launch for a better launching pad. The current schedule that is airing currently will continue to air until further notice. They have not announced yet when Family Matters will join the line-up, but we first reported March, then we reported June and then it was reported for April...so it keeps changing. We will not say any other dates until it is official now...but if I were to guess when it is coming, June would be a good guess, since the summer would be an ideal time to launch Family Matters. I don't think any promos have been seen lately?
So, I just wanted to let you all know since I have seen a ton of Google searches for Family Matters coming to Nick at Nite being redirected to our blog, so I owe it you all to let you know it has been delayed, BUT it IS coming, I can tell you that. We will report when Urkel and the gang are coming when it is official now, so we don't cause more confusion.

ION Television has officially announced their April programming expansion. We gave you all the details a week or two ago, but we haven't mentioned this on the blog, but the Thursday night slot from 8-10pm which was to be determined, will be a weekly block called "Total Theatre Thursday." Here is ION's announcement:
ION Media Networks, Inc. today announced an expanded entertainment schedule on ION Television beginning April 7th. Three new series – The Steve Harvey Show, Family Feud and Quantum Leap – along with a selection of blockbuster films will join the lineup, extending the schedule by an additional hour of entertainment programming from 5 to 6 p.m.
On Thursday nights, powered by deals with studios such as Warner Bros, ION Television will launch "Total Theatre Thursday" over the summer, an array of hit motion pictures like Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, Risky Business and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. These blockbuster Hollywood movies feature some of the biggest stars of the industry, including Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson.
With the addition of these three new series and big screen favorites, beginning April 7th, ION Television’s lineup will be: The Wayans Brothers from 5 to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri, The Steve Harvey Show from 6 to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri, Family Feud from 7 to 8 p.m. Mon-Thurs, Mama's Family from 8 to 9 p.m. Mon-Wed, Quantum Leap from 9 to 10 p.m. Mon-Wed, The Drew Carey Show from 10 to 11 p.m. Mon-Wed and "Total Theatre Thursday" from 8 to 11 p.m. Thursdays. Baywatch will now be seen at 6 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
View the entire press release.

ION's upfront is slated for May 1. We will try to do an interview with them (part of our ongoing 7 Questions feature) shortly after that. So keep your fringers crossed!

NBC Announces 2008-09 Season Schedules; RTN Announces 3 More Affiliates, Launches Official Website

NBC today unveiled its new lineup for the 2008-09 television season, introducing a schedule earlier than ever. All the other networks will continue announcing the schedule in the annual upfronts in mid-May, but NBC has decided to break that tradition and announce the schedule 6 weeks earlier than normal. Also, they have actually made actual timeslots for the entire year, going with a 52-week schedule. Among the series they have picked-up for the fall are sitcom Kath & Kim, and new dramas Knight Rider, My Own Worst Enemy and Crusoe. Coming in mid-season are The Office spin-off, new dramas The Philanthropist, Merlin and Kings.
Returning to the NBC schedule next season will be ER, the most-nominated series in Emmy Award history, returning for its 15th and final season on NBC's Thursday night lineup, and the acclaimed Friday Night Lights, slated to re-join the Friday schedule in February as part of a unique broadcast partnership between NBC and DIRECTV. NBC would begin broadcasting the Season 3 episodes on Fridays (9-10 p.m. ET), starting soon after NBC's telecast of the Super Bowl in 2009. DIRECTV would have exclusive rights to the season's 13 new episodes beginning Wednesday, October 1 on DIRECTV's entertainment channel "The 101."
NBC also announced today that the post Super Bowl slot, will be used to launch a spinoff of the network's hit comedy series, The Office. Immediately following NBC Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLIII, the network will first present an original episode of The Office, followed by the debut of the new Greg Daniels comedy.
Also, a surprise on the schedule is the return of Lipstick Jungle, which will move to Wednesdays now. Law & Order will return in the winter for an all-new season. No sign of Scrubs returning, so it could be very well moving to ABC next season.
Here are the schedules:

Fall 2008
(New programs in CAPS, except ER)
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. Chuck
9-10 p.m. Heroes
10-11 p.m. MY OWN WORST ENEMY
TUESDAY
8- 9:30 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Families
9:30-10 p.m. KATH & KIM
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER
9-10 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10-11 p.m. Lipstick Jungle
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. My Name Is Earl
8:30-9 p.m. 30 Rock
9- 9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. The Office/ SNL THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
10-11 p.m. ER
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. CRUSOE
9-10 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10-11 p.m. Life
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m. KNIGHT RIDER (Encores)
10-11 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. Football Night in America
8:20-11 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

For the winter and summer 2009 schedules, and more on all these new series, I advise you to click HERE! You wanna bet we will see changes to the winter and summer 2009 right? Maybe even Fall 2008 will see changes. It makes no sense to release winter and summer 2009 already.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Citadel Communications Company to launch RTN programming in three markets. The new affiliates will air on the digital streams of WOI-TV (Des Moines-Ames, IA), KLKN-TV (Lincoln, NE) and WHBF-TV (Davenport, IA/Rock Island-Moline, IL).
Meanwhile, their official website is now up! RetroTelevision.net is their website. The website has details on RTN, their programming, shows, affiliates, how to advertise and how to contact them. It's 'primetime all the time' has now hit the web! The Fonz, Mr. T, Andy, Lucy, Matlock and the rest of RTN's finest are now online! Take a peek...it is pretty well designed, too!

TV One Brings Amen to Evenings Starting in April Now; Nick at Nite Sees 1st Quarter Ratings Do Big; TNT Loves Romano

Beginning on Monday April 7, TV One has made a change to their line-up. The Sherman Hemsley sitcom Amen will air one hour of back-to-back episodes in the weekday 5pm & 5:30pm timeslot. For Your Love and Eve, previously airing in these time periods will no longer air. This change was set to happen on Monday, May 5, as we said late last week, but TV One has decided to do it a month earlier!
As also stated late last week on the TV One May highlights, TV One will be airing 24-hour sitcom marathons during the month of May beginning on Friday nights. The first of these special marathons will actually begin now on Friday, May 2 at 8pm with a special Martin marathon continuing on the theme of TV One's election year slate of 'Martin for President' marathons that originated over President's Day weekend. This time, the "Martin 'HaterNation' Marathon" takes on the sniping that usually happens in election campaigns with a full 24 hours of Martin Payne & his host of wacky alter egos battling Pam, Sheneneh and all the other Martin-haters who would try to take Martin down.

Nick at Nite, fueled by the performance of George Lopez and Home Improvement, scored double digit increases during the 1Q08 (Jan-Mar) among total viewers (P2+) and Adults 18-49 in both primetime and total day. In primetime, Nick at Nite was up +32% over first quarter 2007 (1Q07), and was +37% higher among Adults 18-49. George Lopez has been the network's highest rated program in 2008, with ratings growing consistently since it joined the schedule, while Home Improvement ratings have also increased each month. The recent George Lopez marathon did huge as the ratings were the best week ever for Nick at Nite.

TNT has ordered a one-hour pilot of Men of a Certain Age, a new character-based drama from Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy winners Ray Romano and Mike Royce. Romano will star in the project that takes a wry look at what it means to be a guy approaching mid-life while also exploring the unique bonds of male friendship. Romano wrote the pilot script with Royce and will executive-produce with Royce (who will serve as show runner), Rory Rosegarten and Cary Hoffman. The show is about the highs and lows of being a guy in the modern era. It's about three best friends, each hoping to fulfill his dreams before the clock starts running out.
This is the latest project to emerge as part of TNT's aggressive plan to change most of the network's weekday, primetime schedule to originals by 2010. The network currently has 15 projects in various stages of development, including both scripted dramas and unscripted programs.