Saturday, September 13, 2008
Blog DVD Reviews: Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete First Seasons (Sept. 16)
Private Practice: The Complete 1st Season - Extended Edition (Buena Vista, $39.99) brings the first season of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh on DVD for the first time! Dr. Addison Montgomery leaves Seattle Grace Hospital for Los Angeles in order to join a private practice that her best friend Naomi runs that has a group of other doctors (Pete, Cooper, Violet, Sam) specializing in various fields.
The series will return to its Wednesdays at 9PM timeslot on ABC this coming season after having its first season cut short due to the writers' strike. The series stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Obstetrics & Gynecology, Genetic Counseling), Timy Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder (Complementary Medicine), Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett (Endocrinology & Fertility), Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman (Pediatrics), KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charolotte King (Chief of Staff at the neaby hospital), Chris Lowell as Dell Parker (Receptionist/Nurse), with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett (Internal Medicine), and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner (Psychiatry). Among the specials guests are James Pickens Jr., Rebecca Mader, Brett Cullen, Valerie Mahaffey, Sara Gilbert, Joy Lauren, and David Sutcliffe.
This first season is somewhat good, but it could be better, however only 9 episodes aired this past season due to the writers' strike. This coming season it'll find its footing and find itself. I have seen the season premiere already and it is the best episode yet. Season premiere is October 1. The show started as a back-door pilot on Grey's Anatomy. Some good first season episodes include the series' first episode , "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else," where Addison resigns from Seattle Grace and heads to the Oceanside Wellness Group in L.A. where she was offered a job. In "In Which Addison Finds the Magic," Addison and Pete treat a recently married couple who are having sexual problems. In "In Which Addison Finds a Showerhead," Naomi's daughter drops by the clinic to see Addison because she thinks she may have an STD...but does she? While Sam answers a dangerous house call, love or at least sex is in the air at Oceanside Wellness as Pete and Addison decide to take their relationship to the next level in "In Which Sam Gets Taken For A Ride." The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes (unless it is an extended episode, which I will discuss a bit later) or just above...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 or 8 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2007-08 season, so it had better be good.
Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the right then you'll see the digipak case inside. The outer box's cover has a nice sunset setting with palm trees and we have shots of all eight of our stars. The show logo is on the top near the sunset sky. The back of the box has that sunset sky with bigger palm trees this time, with information on the set and has some screen shots from episodes that feature all eight of our stars. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also. On the case itself, we have a nice cast photo on the front with the show logo and a nice orange background, that fits a sunset setting. The back of the case has the same style, with a screenshot of Sam and Dell. Opening the case, on the left side we see a pocket that holds inserts and on the pocket itself we see a sunset and palm trees. On the right side, we see screenshots of Charlotte, Naomi, and Addison. There are three inserts in the left side pocket. The first is very cool -- a collectible map in which we see where the doctors work, live, and play. Nice photos and bios of each character are also available, along with an episode breakdown per disc. Then there is an insert for other ABC Studios products like Grey's Anatomy Season 4 and Samantha Who Season 1. That insert also has an ad for the General Hospital on ABC. The last thing enclosed is a Blue-ray disc catalog for such products as Coyote Ugly and Lost Season 3. Then we open the case one final time, in the middle we see discs one & two (overlapping, ugh) and the right side we see disc three. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that sunset color and has nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of Addison & Pete. Disc two has episodes 5-8 and has artwork of Sam & Naomi and Dell. Disc three has episode 9 and the bonus features with artwork of Charlotte & Cooper and Violet. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork.
The menu screen has clips in the background with the closing theme playing in the background audio wise. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Audio Commentary (discs one and two), Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three), and Sneak Peeks (disc three). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: Samantha Who, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, and Lost. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc four on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Desperate Housewives Season 4 DVD and ABC promos of the new season of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice itself. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option is only on disc three and it has all the extras listed, the same goes for Audio Commentary option on discs one and two. All of the sub-menus have different background music.
Moving on the bonus features. We get two extended episodes with never before scenes! Those two episodes are ... the first episode "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else" running 45:38 and "In Which Addison Finds the Magic" running even longer at 47:25. Three episodes get the audio commentary treatment, first on disc one is the first episode "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else," (yes, the extended version) by creator/Executive Producer Shona Rhimes, Executive Producer Betsy Beers and Series Star Kate Walsh. We also get an audio commentary track for "In Which Sam Gets Taken For A Ride," on disc two from Actors Amy Brenneman and Paul Adelstein. The final audio commentary is under Bonus Features on disc three for the season finale "In Which Sam Gets Taken For A Ride," by Taye Diggs and Chris Lowell.
The next extra is an interview featurette titled "Kate Walsh: Practice Makes Perfect," running 32:33. This is a very good detailed extra that gives us the life and career thus far of Kate Walsh...it almost felt like an episode of Biography. Interviewed are Harland & Angela Embree (her parents), Joseph Walsh (brother), Kate Walsh, Jane Hantsinger (best friend), Shira Piven (director/teacher), Joyce Piven (Piven Theatre), Adam McKay (filmmaker), Paul Adelstein, Bruce Helford (executive producer of Drew Carey Show), Mike O' Malley, Tiffany Kuzon (manager), Jesse Dylan (director), Betsy Beers, Chandra Wilson, Justin Chambers, Sara Ramirez, Audra McDonald, KaDee Strickland, Mark Tinker (executive producer/director), Alex Young (husband), Vicki Wagner, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Taye Diggs, Chris Lowell, and James Pickens Jr.
The next featurette is called the "Alternate Ensemble: Behind the Scenes of Private Practice." It runs 14:28 and we get a taste how this show is an ensemble and how great the cast really is. Interviewed are Betsy Beers, Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh, Mark Tinker, Tim Daly, Paul Adelstein, Audra McDonald, Chris Lowell and KaDee Strickland.
Then we have six "Deleted Scenes" that are always interesting to see...longest running 2:50 and shorted at 0:32. Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (3:23)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set!
I recommend this series and set...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good. This series will have potential to really break out this coming season and what better way for you to see that in watching these first nine episodes where the show got started. The show got better a bit by the end of the year, but the writers' strike ruined the season and momentum. It will find its footing this season and I saw the season premiere in advance already and it is very well written episode with good storylines and two great medical stories. You'll want to tune in for sure, but you need to refresh yourself, catch up or get started with these nine episodes first! ABC Studios did a marvelous job as usual, but the extras seemed lower in quantity than other ABC shows, but still an abundant amount. Catch up and move to Los Angeles with Addison, but you better hurry before the second season premieres October 1 at 9/8 central on ABC. The relationships, the cases, this show has it all!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4.5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Private Practice TV.com Page
Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete 1st Season (Buena Vista, $39.99) brings the first season of the new primetime soap that is in the same league as Dynasty and Dallas on DVD for the first time! Keeping America's richest family out of trouble, out of jail, out of the headlines and out of his personal life may be more than lawyer Nick George bargained for when he became entangled in the lives of the Darlings. The Darlings encounter paternity suits, illicit affairs, divorces, extravagant parties, and outlandish spending.
The series will return on air in its Wednesdays at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season after having its first season cut short due to the writers' strike. The sexy series stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Brian Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Samaire Armstrong as Juliet Darling, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, and Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling. Recurring are Daniel Cosgrove as Freddy, Chloe Moretz as Kiki George, Will Shadley as Brian Jr., Bellamy Young as Ellen Darling, Candis Cayne as Carmelita, Shawn Michael Patrick as Clark the Chauffeur, Tamara Feldman as Natalie Kimpton, Laura Margolis as Daisy, and Sofia Vergara as Sofia Montoya. Among the specials guests are Dan Rather and Gina Torres.
This first season is very good. Only 10 episodes aired this past due to the writers' strike, so the show didn't get to flex all of its muscles yet. They actually shot 13 episodes but decided to hold those three episodes for season two, but now the producers have decided to scrap those three and implement some of those storylines into season two itself. I have seen the season premiere, "The Birthday Present," which is #205 (so the fifth one shot, so have they scrapped the first four? Who knows, but this episode I saw was brilliant. I'll get into it a bit later. Anyway, back to season one...some classic episodes include the series pilot, "Pilot," when attorney Nick George's father dies, Nick takes over his law practice and must take care of the Darlings and their problems, including human trafficking, illegitimate children, and illicit affairs. In "The Italian Banker," Nick tries to fix things when the Darlings are blackmailed over a sex tape starring a family member. In "The Chiavennasca," Tripp sends Nick to a vineyard in Italy to get information about his father's death. Karen is getting married, but her strong desire for Nick might be more of a distraction than she could have ever thought, in "The Wedding." In "The Watch," secrets about Dutch (Nick's father) and the relationships he had with Nick, Tripp, and Letitia are revealed via flashbacks. Those episodes really stand out, but they are all very good, I think...anything Greg Berlanti gets his hand on is good. Craig Wright created the series. The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes or at 43...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 or 8 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. As with Private Practice, this is from the 2007-08 season, so it had better be good.
Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the right then you'll see the digipak case inside. The outer box's cover has nice black and white headshots of the cast, with a black background ad lettering in white, pink and green. The show logo is in the middle. The back of the box has a color scheme of black, like the front, with three color screenshots in the pink, white, green borders. Nice details on the show and set is also there along with a nice quote from the New York Times on the top. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications below that out of the box. On the case itself, we have a nice color cast photo on the front with the show logo on top with the word Exposed on the bottom in green. The back of the case is Tripp themed...with three screenshots of Tripp with a family member on the left and a bigger screenshot on the right side of Tripp and wife Letitia. Opening the case, on the left side we see a pocket that holds inserts and on the pocket itself we see that very cool show logo in white,pink, and green. On the right side, we see the twins themed screenshots and a big promotional photo of the twins (Jeremy and Juliet). There are three inserts in the left side pocket. The first is very cool -- a National Enquirer type mini-newspaper titled the DSM Observer. It's "The Darling News You Need to Know," a nice two-pager with scandalous stories, along with an episode breakdown per disc. Then there is an insert for other ABC Studios products like Private Practice Season 1 and Lost Season 4. That insert also has an ad for the General Hospital on ABC. The last thing enclosed is a Blue-ray disc catalog for such products as Coyote Ugly and Lost Season 3. Underneath the inserts we get nice black & white screenshots. Then we open the case one final time, in the middle we see discs one & two (overlapping, ugh) and the right side we see disc three. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, the black with lettering in white, pink & green and has nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of bundles of money. Disc two has episodes 5-8 and has artwork of lots of jewelery. Disc three has episodes 9-10 and the bonus features with artwork of two nice cars. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork.
The menu screen has snapshots of the characters with the theme music playing in the background. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features, and Sneak Peeks (disc three only). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: Private Practice, Samantha Who, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Ugly Betty Season 2 DVD and ABC promos of the new season of Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money itself. Set Up section we have the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish and how to register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music.
Moving on the bonus features. Three episodes get the audio commentary treatment, first on disc one for the pilot episode "Pilot," by creator Craig Wright, executive producers Greg Berlanti & Matthew Gross, actors Peter Krause & Natalie Zea, and director Peter Horton. We also get an audio commentary track for the episode "The Bridge," on disc two from Craig Wright, actors Peter Krause, Seth Gabel & Zoe McLellan and writers Jesse Brickman & Peter Gilkoff. The final commentary track is on third and final disc for the episode "The Watch," with Craig Wright, actors William Baldwin, Glenn Fitzgerald, Candis Cayne, Will Shadley, director Andrew Bernstein, and writer Yahlin Chang.
Then we have eight deleted scenes that are always interesting to see...and we get more scandals in these, with the highest running 3:48 and lowest at 0:40. Then we have four featurettes that are very good. First one is, "The Road to Excess: Making Dirty Sexy Money" (20:24) and it tells us everything we need to know about the series and how it was formed and has interviews with Peter Horton, Peter Krause, Craig Wright, Greg Berlanti, Matthew Gross, Donald Sutherland, Glenn Fitzgerald, Will Shadley, director Tim Matheson, director Michael Grossman, Natalie Zea, Jill Clayburgh, Blair Underwood, William Baldwin, Bellamy Young, Seth Gabel, Tamara Feldman, Samaire Armstrong, and Zoe McClellan. Then we have "Enter the Penthouse: A VIP Set Tour" (7:17) where we see the set and how it was made. The pilot was shot in New York, but the rest of the episodes the penthouse is on a soundstage on a set in L.A. Interviewed are Craig Wright, Greg Berlanti and production designer Steven Wolf. Then we have a neat wardrobe featurette titled "Haute Couture: Dressing the Darlings" (6:49) where we see those nice clothes the cast wears. Discussing it are Craig Wright, costume designer Roberta Haze, wardrobe department's Brian Mahon, Seth Gabel, Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, Samaire Armstrong, Natalie Zea and Jill Clayburgh. We're not done yet...then we have "The Other Woman: Candis Cayne" (5:26). Candis is a real-life transvestite, in case you didn't know. This talks about that and her character Carmelita. Interviewed are Craig Wright, Greg Berlanti, Matthew Gross, Candis Cayne, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, and executive producer Josh Relms. Finally, we have some "Tripp Ups!" (3:04)...yes, bloopers! Clever name!
I highly recommend this series and set. It well-written, well acted show, and scandoulous! It is unfortunate the show only had 10 episodes last season due to the writers' strike and this DVD gives us those, but this coming season we will see the show blossom even more. I saw the season premiere, and it is even more dirtier and sexier than before! It is an amazing season premiere that will keep you guessing and stunned. So tune in October 1 for that. As for season one, ABC Studios did a marvelous job and the special features are great and I think better than Private Practice's extras. Tripp orders you to buy this DVD and get ready for the second season on ABC which will feature the addition of Lucy Liu, the object of all men's affections (she even has a steamy scene in her first episode...dirtier indeed!) So get it 'done' before Tripp or Simon or whoever is behind all this mystery gets you. As many of the characters say, "Done!"
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Dirty Sexy Money TV.com Page
Friday, September 12, 2008
CBS Fall Pilot Review: Worst Week - Premieres September 22; Five Year Anniversary for John Ritter's Passing
Worst Week - Mondays 9:30PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Monday, September 22, 2008 at 9:30PM ET/PT
Worst Week is a comedy about Sam Briggs, an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please his girlfriend's parents ... but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. Sam and his girlfriend, Melanie Clayton, have only one hurdle left to clear as they start their life together: breaking the news to Mel's conservative parents that they have a wedding in the works and a baby on the way. Dick, a stern Judge, and his wife, Angela, are protective of their daughter, and are really trying to let go of the anger they feel toward Sam ... after all, disaster follows whenever he visits their house. But despite his best efforts, every time Sam takes one positive step forward in winning over his future in-laws, he inevitably takes two crushing steps back. But with support and love from Melanie who stands up for him despite his knack for making himself look bad, Sam will hopefully charm his way into her family. It's all a funny week but it is the worst week for Sam! From Universal Media Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television comes Worst Week, a single-camera sitcom based on the BBC series The Worst Week of My Life, airing Mondays at 9:30PM on CBS!
Cast Details:
* Kyle Bornheimer as Sam Briggs
* Erinn Hayes as Melanie Clayton
* Nancy Lenehan as Angela Clayton
* Kurtwood Smith as Dick Clayton
Kyle Bornheimer's (Sam) television credits include guest starring roles on How I Met Your Mother, The Unit and Jericho, all on CBS, as well as the series The Office, Will & Grace, Medium, Monk and Breaking Bad. Movie wise, he appeared on Blades of Glory.
Erinn Hayes' (Melanie) first series regular role was in On The Spot opposite comedy legend Tim Conway. More recently, Hayes appeared as the female lead in the short-lived sitcom The Winner. Her other television credits include Kitchen Confidential, Unhitched, Notes From the Underbelly, Will & Grace and Shark, which was on CBS In addition, Hayes starred as "Pam Dawber aka Mindy" in the television movie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork and Mindy.
Nancy Lenehan's (Angela) television credits include My Name is Earl, Malcolm in the Middle, Grace Under Fire and Ellen. Recently, she appeared as a series regular on Married to the Kellys. Her feature film credits include Catch Me If You Can and Door To Door.
Kurtwood Smith (Dick) is most recognizable to television audiences for his eight seasons playing Red Forman on That '70s Show. His other television credits include appearances in Medium, House, Malcolm In The Middle, The X-Files, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Star Trek: Voyager and Picket Fences, which was on CBS. His television movie credits include A Bright Shining Lie, The Magnificent Seven, While Justice Sleeps, Doorways, The Christmas Gift and The Nightmare Years, for which he received a Cable Ace Award nomination for best supporting actor. Smith's feature film credits include the Academy Award winners Dead Poets Society and Girl, Interrupted, as well as Broken Arrow, Citizen Ruth, A Time to Kill, To Die For, The Crush, True Believer, and in the memorable role of Clarence Boddicker in Robocop. Smith also starred in a short film, 12:01 P.M., about a man caught in a time warp, which was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best Short Film" category.
Pilot Plot:
#1 Pilot
When Sam and Melanie decide to break their life-changing news to her conservative parents, Sam's disastrous antics delay their plans. A lot of very bad things (but funny!) happen! For instance, Sam misses the train when he decides to help a drunk woman go home and so many bad (and pretty wild and funny) things happen after that. Let's just say, at the end he ends up at Mel's house naked. Find out how when you watch the pilot yourself. To top it all off, Dick, who had a concussion earlier from slipping on Sam's urine, collapses on the sidewalk near a funeral home and the undertaker makes him rest inside the funeral home. Sam of course misunderstands the undertaker's phone call and thinks Dick died. All this and more wild and funny stuff on the pilot!
Analysis:
The pilot is for sure funny. I think just about everyone who saw it so far will tell you that. But will people like this type of comedy for the rest of the season? The pilot is very wild and outrageous things happen. Some of these things would never happen in real life, but this is a TV show and things are made for entertainment...and you'll certainly be entertained by this pilot. I laughed out loud a few times actually. When I finished watching the pilot, I thought to myself this is a crazy show. So many wild things happen that that is what this pilot is about. It's like Meet the Parents: The Sitcom. If you like that movie, then you might find some similarities here. It's a simple story: Sam is in love with Mel, but her parents don't know. They want to get married and they also have a child on the way already. And Sam has bad luck. It's as simple is that! So, the plot revolves around Sam's luck.
Will this series work for CBS? Originally Fox was developing this series in 2006 but it was passed on. The Fox pilot had a completely different cast (Zachary Levi, Jamie King, JoBeth Williams and David Odgen Stiers). This sitcom is based on the hilarious British sitcom The Worst Week of My Life, which aired on BBC for two seasons. This series is a single-camera sitcom, something CBS is not known for at all. They didn't have success this past season in Welcome to The Captain, but in all fairness that was fed to the writers' strike and aired after repeats of their multi-camera sitcoms.
Conclusion:
Honestly, I did enjoy the show despite the wildness. It might be too wild even. I just don't understand how this sitcom can last for a number of years with the title Worst Week? Will they still be on that week in season 4? I guess they'll worry about that when that happens. The BBC series lasted only two seasons and three specials. And their seasons are very short, while our sitcoms get 22 episodes a season usually. So if this show gets 22 episodes this season, it'll pass the BBC episodes already. Also, this sitcom will probably be a bit serialized, something CBS shows are not known for.
The series will air after the highest rated sitcom on television right now...Two and a Half Men. But that is a multi-camera sitcom. I think it will get sampled for sure, though...it's on opposite Dancing with the Stars/Samantha Who, Heroes, Prison Break, and One Tree Hill, so the competition is there but it should be able to beat everything in viewers if it can hold a good portion of the Men audience but Dancing and maybe Heroes. It won't face Samantha Who until the fourth week of the season (Oct. 13), so by then the show should be finding itself and start to have consistent numbers...either good or bad. Can CBS break the mold and find success with a single-camera sitcom and join the other networks in airing these type of sitcoms? We shall see. Give the pilot a try on Sept. 22...if you find yourself liking all this wild stuff, then stick around for more!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 09/12/08
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, September 22 on our message board.
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Yesterday was of course the fifth anniversary of John Ritter's passing and we will pay tribute to one of the best ever today. Actually, everyone heard about John's passing on this day (Friday, Sept. 12, 2003), so it makes more sense to pay tribute to him today. John passed away Thursday, September 11, 2003 at 10:30pm PT or so, so that would make it 1:30am ET on Friday, September 12 anyway. And even more, this is the first time that John's passing will be remembered the same day he passed away. That makes it more special this year.
John was my all-time favorite because he was not only a wonderful actor but a good human being. I admired his work of course but I even admired him more as a person. He genuinely was a real person and didn't have the typical celebrity written on him. He was a huge star and a legend but he thought about others first and made everyone feel special...whether it be a homeless guy or George Clooney.
I will never forget that morning when I found out. I was in utter shock and in denial, thinking how could this of happened? I never want to go through something like that again. Unfortunately, I never got to meet John in person but I have written to him (and of course he responded with a wonderful autographed personal photo) and spoke indirectly to him through his press assistant (the very nice Susan Wilcox). I had the chance to go to his Broadway show in 2000, but I never got around to it. Fortunately, many fans got to meet him and told me the stories and they were ALL positive and John made them feel like they knew him personally for over 20 years. An amazing man. An amazing actor. And the best. His wife actress Amy Yasbeck plans to write a book about John for Simon & Schuster. A month after he passed away, Amy started the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health (http://www.johnritterfoundation.org/). "Through the foundation, people are literally getting their lives saved," she told the Sept. 8-14 TV Guide. I urge you all to visit the website to learn more about aortic health and to view some moving stories about how John's story saved others. Chris Mann, author of the Three's Company book, Come and Knock on Our Door, is also planning on writing a book about John. So two books for John. We will keep you up to date on both projects.
So, today's blog is for John. We miss you and we wish you were still here making us laugh and cry. John would have been 60 next Wednesday (Sept. 17).
Share your memories and stories of John.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
SitcomsOnline.com Exclusive: Interview with ION Television; ABC Moves Samantha Who Season Premiere; TBS Renews Engvall Sitcom
We have a very exciting interview for you today. We finally have the long awaited interview with ION Television, just in time for their new changes that happened this week! As always with our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form!
We had the pleasure to interview Eleo Hensleigh, CMO, ION Media Networks, Inc. Eleo was named Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in February 2008 and develops, manages and implements all marketing and branding activities across the Company in support of the network and digital multiplatform portfolio. Ms. Hensleigh leads all consumer-facing and business-to-business branding and marketing activities company-wide. She is also in charge of leading the expansion of the Company's research organization, providing qualitative and quantitative audience, consumer, sales and media planning insights for all divisions. Previously, Ms. Hensleigh was with Disney-ABC, where, over her tenure, she oversaw the marketing and branding functions of both the Television and Cable Groups. She served as Chief Marketing Officer & Executive Vice President, Marketing & Brand Strategy, and was involved in the marketing, advertising, research, media planning, synergy, creative services and promotion divisions for ABC Television Networks.
ION Television is a general entertainment network which reaches over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION Television features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group.
We thank Eleo and ION Television for taking the time to answer some of the most interesting questions we have for them. So it is time for another installment of SitcomsOnline's Seven Questions Series! We need a jingle...
"Seven Questions with ION Television"
SitcomsOnline: First off, thanks so much for the opportunity and your time! ION has certainly made bold acquisitions to bolster its primetime line-up. The deals for Boston Legal, ER, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Ghost Whisperer were very huge and will change the face of ION to more of a mainstream network. For the shows that are currently airing on broadcast television, will their current seasons be available to ION after the season ends on broadcast? For example, ER was bought for seasons 11-14, but season 15 starts on NBC this fall...will ION have access to season 15 after the 2008-09 season ends?
ION: Starting Monday, September 8th, ION Television has started offering viewers a new, "Positively Entertaining" slate of strategically acquired fall programming that appeals to a younger, broader audience. Regarding currently-airing seasons of off-network series, the arrangements are unique to each show.
SitcomsOnline: What will happen to the older shows ION has aired in the past like Mama's Family, Alice and Who's the Boss? Mama's Family has certainly been the face of ION for the last few years but now ION wants to separate itself from that. Why is that? Couldn't Mama just be moved out of primetime into say an afternoon slot like 4pm since it did so well for the network?
ION: While these classic programs reflected ION Television's traditional audience base, the new network brand is strongly focused on our current identity, which is bold, innovative and "Positively Entertaining" to our growing adult 25-54 audience.
SitcomsOnline: ION's expansion is great, but still plenty of hours are filled with paid programming. Many people want to know why is this and can we expect more paid programming hours to be removed little by little?
ION: ION is currently focusing on its primetime programming. Following the successful launch of ION Television's fall 2008 lineup, the network will move to address a full daytime strategy, with the goal of shifting away from paid programming. In April 2008, ION Television extended its weekday entertainment schedule by an additional hour of programming from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Beginning September 8th, the network plans on expanding its programming lineup by yet another hour, starting at 4:00 p.m.
SitcomsOnline: There have been some shows that never really got a chance to air, like Perfect Strangers and Growing Pains, will they come back? Has ION thought about creating an early afternoon block (or even late nights) filled with older sitcoms from the 70s and 80s leading into their late afternoon/evening block starting at 4pm?
ION: We are considering a lot of possibilities right now. It would be premature to announce anything, but we are looking at a variety of ways to serve our growing audience with the kind of fresh, "Positively Entertaining" programming that fits our brand promise.
SitcomsOnline: ION wants to build on the age 25-54 demographic, correct? I think so far ION has done a good job with the recent pick-ups like ER and Boston Legal, but I don't understand how most of the RHI films will be of that demographic? Most of them, especially the westerns, seem to be for age 55+. Will the RHI films be more younger now, even the library ones?
ION: Many of the RHI library films are Emmy Award winning films that were made for a broad audience. The original films that are being created for ION Television speak to that audience, and hold great appeal for adults 25-54. For instance, the network recently aired Jekyll and Hyde, starring Dougray Scott - who was recently a regular on the contemporary hit show, Desperate Housewives.
SitcomsOnline: ION has also created an African American initiative, which right now has a block of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and Steve Harvey Show from 5-7pm, with Wayans Bros. airing recently as well. What can we expect of this initiative in the future and what exactly is it?
ION: ION Television has a partnership in place with Star Media and OMG to develop diverse programming for an urban audience. The partnership is aimed at providing programming to this audience and re-investing in original programming over time.
SitcomsOnline: Finally, ION certainly has access to various programming libraries it seems, from Sony Pictures Television (shows like Charlie's Angels, Partridge Family), Warner Bros (shows like Perfect Strangers, Wonder Years) and Universal (shows like Amen, McHale's Navy). Would it be possible for ION to create a digital channel, like qubo and ION Life, for classic TV or regular programs? This way these programming libraries could be more used if they don't work or fit on ION Television.
ION: Utilizing its digital multicasting capability and national reach, ION Media Networks' digital TV brands, qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, the country's first multicast network dedicated to active lifestyles, personal growth and positive values, have flourished. Both "diginets," which present branded program offerings on ION Television, serve to educate and engage priming viewers with positive messaging and helpful information. We are constantly innovating and looking for ways to effectively leverage our programming to deepen our engagement with our audience and to grow our audience over time.
Our thanks to to ION Television and Eleo Hensleigh, and best wishes in making ION Television establish itself with their new contemporary hits! We do hope the older sitcoms/shows appear in the daytime or in some way (would fit with M*A*S*H), as ION has announced that they do have plans to remove paid programming in the daytime. Our apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time. For more information on ION Television, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view their newly designed website with a new URL http://www.iontelevision.com/. So, stay tuned right here on the blog for news updates for this network.
ABC has pushed back the second season premiere of sitcom Samantha Who? back a week to Monday, October 13 at 9:31PM ET/PT following Dancing with the Stars. It was previously scheduled to launch on October 6 in that time period. ABC likely did it because of the debate on Tuesday, October 7. On that night ABC has announced it will move the Dancing with the Stars: The Results from 9PM to 8PM, so they can air the Debate from 9-11PM ET. The season premiere of Samantha Who? will be dancing-themed and have guest stars Cybil Shepherd and Dancing with the Stars pro Mark Ballas! It should be fun...I have it in advance and will watch it soon and let you know how it went.
For other recent ABC schedule updates, head on over to our message board for a listing.
After another highly successful run this summer, TBS has ordered a third season of its top-rated original sitcom The Bill Engvall Show. TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the show, which will return to the network in summer 2009.
Set in a Denver suburb, The Bill Engvall Show focuses on family counselor Bill Pearson and his wife, Susan, who strive to raise three well-adjusted children in an ever-changing world. The show offers a humorous look at parenting in the 21st century, a task Susan finds especially challenging because Bill is often as much of a handful as the kids.
Throughout its two seasons on TBS, The Bill Engvall Show has been embraced by viewers. The show's July 2007 series debut was watched by more than 4.1 million viewers and landed among ad-supported cable's Top 3 sitcom telecasts of all-time among adults 25-54 and households, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. This past summer, the show averaged 2.3 million viewers and ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 program in its time period among adults 18-49.
In December, TBS will present two special episodes of The Bill Engvall Show, just in time for the holidays!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
TV One Producing Living Single Reunion; BET Edits Fall Schedule; Fox Sunday Note
Living Single will air weeknights at 8:30pm, 9pm and encore 3-4am after the marathon week, starting Sept. 29. The marathon week will be week Sept. 22-26, 7pm-12am each night.
Head on over to our TV One September/October thread for more details and for discussion.
BET has made some schedule changes to its fall schedule that starts Sept. 22. We originally announced the changes happening, but BET has now altered weekdays 9am-8pm just a bit. Airing 9-10am now will be more Smart Guy followed by a double dose of Girlfriends from 10-11am. Judge Karen and Judge Hatchett will now premiere in the 11am hour, rather than the 10pam hour. The shows will still air in the 11pm hour in late night. Then The Steve Harvey Show moves to 12 noon and 12:30pm, which means it will air there seven days a week since it was already airing in those slots on weekends. A Movie follows at 1pm with BET Now and Rap City moving to 3 and 4pm, in Harvey's old 4pm hour. Smart Guy episodes remain 5-6pm and 106 & Park is now two-hours from 6-8pm.
For more details, head on over to our BET September thread for details and to discuss.
Fox has finally announced what will air in the other 25 minutes this Sunday to go along with the 95-minute encore of last night's Fringe premiere. On Sunday, Sept. 14 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT Fox presents a Sunday night like no other. The evening kicks off with an exclusive first look at an extended scene from the highly anticipated film The Day The Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves, followed by a preview of 24: Redemption, the two-hour special event airing this November on Fox. Immediately after the exclusive previews, the series premiere of Fringe will encore, followed by an exclusive preview of the not-to-be-missed, heart-pounding first four minutes of Fringe's second episode. So three previews will air in those 25 minutes that are needed to be filled. Fringe encore will likely start at 8:15ish.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
ABC Family's 10th Annual 13 Days of Halloween for 2008; Television's Most Memorable Moments Down to Top 20 Finalists
Other movies and specials airing include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, The Witches, Gremlins, The Haunted Mansion, Beetlejuice, Addams Family Values, Casper Meets Wendy, Teen Witch, Hocus Pocus, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Scooby-Doo Movie, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Clue, Godzilla, Scariest Places on Earth and on Halloween night the classic Poltergeist. You can also catch Halloween episodes of ABC Family's sitcoms such as 8 Simple Rules, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Full House, and others in their respective timeslots.
Read the full press release.
Last month we announced that the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (Sept. 21 on ABC) will honor television with the most memorable television moments! Top 40 moments (20 comedy and 20 drama) were posted for viewers to vote on and now it is down to 20! With more than 100,000 votes posted already, television fans have selected their Top 10 Comedic and Top 10 Dramatic moments in the Television Academy's first ever public vote to determine America's number one moment in each category. The voting continues at emmys.abc.com through September 15, and the results will be announced in a special segment on this year's 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards airing live on Sunday, September 21, 8-11pm ET on ABC.
From the original list of 40 moments as selected by representatives from the Academy, the media and the production company, the list now includes many of television's highest rated moments, as well as some of its most emotional, funny and dramatic scenes.
From The Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show to the entire Cosby Show family singing a Ray Charles song, from hearing the Goodnights on The Waltons to the disappearance of the island on Lost, fans have been able to narrow 40 of "Television’s Most Memorable Moments" down to 20, and finally to viewers' favorite comedic and dramatic moment. The original 40 clips to vote on were chosen by Ken Ehrlich Productions (producers of this year's Emmy Awards), Television Academy leadership and a select group of the nation's top television journalists. Among the shows in the top 20 now are top moments from Ellen, Friends, I Love Lucy, All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Dallas, and Roots.
Vote today if you haven't already!
Monday, September 08, 2008
ION Unveils New Look, Website, Line-Up Tonight; Today Reunites Classic Movie Casts; 2 More RTN Affiliates Added
Today, over 94 million households will have the opportunity to tune-in to a reinvented ION Television, repositioned as a compelling new entertainment destination and galvanized by an exciting new brand, ION Television: Positively Entertaining. The new contemporary look and tag line - Positively Entertaining – complement the robust critically acclaimed off-network series – Boston Legal, ER and NCIS – which launch as part of ION Television's strategically acquired fall programming lineup that appeals to a younger audience. The rebranding campaign coincides with the launch of ION Television's new advertisers, distribution partners, shifted viewership, and newly rebranded website, http://www.iontelevision.com/. The new daytime line-up also begins today starting at 4pm with M*A*S*H.
New Website Launch -- iontelevision.com: ION Television extends its breadth beyond television and is launching a newly revamped and rebranded website, www.iontelevision.com. The site will feature numerous new features from streaming video, interactive games, video mash-ups, cast/show information, show trivia, forums and blogs.
ION Television's strategy will focus heavily on expanding its programming offerings in coming television seasons, targeting a strong mix of quality major network TV series, as well as signature originals produced specifically for ION Television. Several key content additions have already been secured, such as the successful Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds franchises, which will infuse the lineup in fall 2009.
For more read the Press Release.
Back in February, NBC reunited classic TV casts in their week-long "Together Again" series on the Today show. This week, Today will reunite the casts of three of America's favorite movies. Beginning Monday, September 8, the famed actors of the hit movies The Big Chill, Airplane! and Footloose will talk about their experiences making the films and what it's like to reunite after more than 20 years.
On Monday, Glenn Close, JoBeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum and William Hurt will talk about their Oscar-nominated movie The Big Chill and the impact it had on their generation. On Wednesday, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Hays, Peter Graves, Leslie Nielsen and Jill Whelan will reunite to chat about their often-quoted, hilarious movie, Airplane! On Friday, Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow and Lori Singer will kick off their Sunday shoes and talk about their dance-filled hit, Footloose. Kenny Loggins will make a special appearance and perform the movie's title song.
More Retro Television Network (RTN) affiliates are coming! Cocola Broadcasting plans to add RTN programming on its Monterey-Salinas, CA and Boise, ID stations. The network will launch next year on KYMB in Monterey-Salinas and KKJB in Boise.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Summer Week 15 Sitcom Ratings; Coming Week Preview
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 25-31)
- 'Til Death (Fox) 2 episodes - Just 1.67 and 1.9 million for two repeats...up from recent weeks but still not good.
- The Simpsons (Fox) - Only 3.3 million for a repeat in its 8pm slot.
- King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted.
- Family Guy (Fox) - 3.82 million for a repeat...seems lower than normal.
- American Dad! (Fox) 2 episodes - 3.23 and 3.08 million for two repeats at 8:30 and 9:30.
- Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - 730,000 viewers this week for a repeat...no more repeats in this slot.
- Aliens in America (The CW) - 600,000 viewers for a repeat...its last network airing.
- The Game (The CW) - 710,000 viewers for a repeat, also its last repeat in this slot.
- Girlfriends (The CW) - 770,000 viewers for a repeat, most likely its last broadcast on The CW.
Monday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 4.74 million for a repeat...not that bad for Labor Day.
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 7.83 million for a repeat, below normal but it was Labor Day.
- Old Christine (CBS) - 5.95 million for a repeat.
- Samantha Who? (ABC) - 2.12 million for the repeat of the final two episodes from season one.
- None...watch Wipeout on ABC, very funny show that is not a sitcom. Two ALL-NEW episodes from 8-10pm...laugh away!
- None.
- None.
Friday Sitcoms
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Tonight you can catch encores Fox's animated comedies from 8:30-10 tonight only.
Coming Week Preview (Summer Week 16) for Broadcast (With Some Cable Notes):
So what is new or notable this week that you might want to catch? Tonight CBS will have Big Brother at 8pm out of a new 60 Minutes at 7pm. NBC will air the first Sunday Night Football game of the year. Fox will launch new game show Hole in the Wall at 8pm following the conclusion of the 4pm NFL game. ABC has a two-hour special supporting our troops from 9-11pm titled America United: In Support of Our Troops. Cable wise, go with Lifetime's Army Wives at 10pm, ABC Family's last part of the mini-series Samurai Girl at 8pm and Mad Men on AMC at 10pm with the VMA Awards on MTV. Notice the nights are getting better now as the new season nears.
On Monday, ABC will have the finale of High School Musical: Get in the Picture at 8pm followed by the CMA: Music Festival from 9-11pm. NBC has an all-new night as well with Deal or No Deal, America's Toughest Jobs, and Dateline. Fox and The CW have their regular season line-ups started with Fox having the season premiere of Sarah Connor Chronicles and an all-new Prison Break. The CW has all-new episodes of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. Cable wise it will be The Closer and Raising the Bar on TNT from 9-11pm. VH1 has more new reality series such as I Want to Work for Diddy, while MTV has The Hills. And Monday Night Football returns on ESPN!
On Tuesday ABC's Wipeout is all new with not one episode, but two episodes...double the fun from 8-10pm followed by an all-new Primetime: Medical Mysteries. NBC has a two-hour America's Got Talent from 8-10, which has gone down since the Olympics ended. And the Tuesday edition of Big Brother airs at a special time of 8pm on CBS because they have the special Fashion Rocks from 9-11pm. Fox launches new drama Fringe with a 95-minute premiere followed by a second preview episode of Hole in the Wall at 9:35pm...I think the new JJ Abrams drama will premiere decently but will fall off a bit when the season starts, it'll be no Lost. And The CW has an all-new 90210, can it keep up the ratings momentum? Followed by the series premiere of Privileged. MNT is even new with Street Patrol and Jail. Wow...best night since the end of last season! Cable wise ABC Family's Secret Life of an American Teenager at 8pm and Greek at 9pm, Sci Fi has Eureka at 9, and at 10pm on Lifetime it is How To Look Good Naked.
On Wednesday NBC has another two-hour America's Got Talent from 8-10pm. CBS has Greatest American Dog finale at 8pm. ABC will be new at 10pm with the special 20/20: They're Not Like Us. And Fox has an all-new Bones at 8pm followed by the season premiere of sitcom 'Til Death at 9 and series premiere of sitcom Do Not Disturb...hope you saw our review on Friday. The CW has an all-new America's Next Top Model at 8. Cable wise Bravo has Project Runway and Top Design starting at 9pm.
On Thursday Fox has the time period premiere of Hole in the Wall followed by an all-new Kitchen Nightmares, which got off to a slow start last week. CBS at 8pm has Big Brother and another episode of the summer scripted series Flashpoint at 10pm, which is doing decent. And NBC has yet another America's Got Talent episode, this time the half-hour results at 8:30pm. Pretty quiet night. On cable, USA Network has Burn Notice at 10pm, VH1 has more reality shows.
On Friday, NBC will have a two-hour Dateline from 9-11. ABC will have the 2008 Alma Awards from 8-10 and of course will have 20/20. WWE Smackdown is on The CW. Fox has all-new episodes of 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics! Cable wise, Monk & Psych on USA from 9-11 and Stargate Atlantis on Sci Fi at 10pm.
Saturday will have Cops and AMW on Fox, two-hour 48 Hours on CBS from 9-11, and the USC-Ohio State College Football game on ABC.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Blog DVD Reviews: Pushing Daisies - The Complete First Season (9/16) and CSI: Miami - The Sixth Season (9/9)
See Pavan's Blog DVD Review of Pushing Daisies: The Complete First Season and Todd's Blog DVD Review of CSI: Miami: The Sixth Season:
Pushing Daisies: The Complete First Season (Warner, $29.99) brings the first season of the new comedic drama that is enchanting, original, different, and entertaining!
Pushing Daisies centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. There are a couple of conditions to this somewhat unwanted talent, however. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute, something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, as a form of balance. Additionally, if he touches the revived thing a second time, it falls dead again - permanently. Ned discovered his gift as a child by resurrecting his Golden Retriever, Digby, after the dog is hit by a truck...now Ned can never touch his dog again. And later he found his childhood sweetheart (Charlotte "Chuck" Charles) dead and resurrected her...and he can never touch her again, either. The pie-maker has now teamed up with private eye Emerson Cod in solving homicides by bringing them back to life for a minute to get clues.
The series will return for a second season in its Wednesdays at 8:00pm timeslot on ABC this coming season and stars Lee Pace as Ned, Anna Friel as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, Chi McBride as Emerson Cod, Ellen Greene as Vivian Charles, Swoosie Kurtz as Lily Charles, and Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook. The series is narrated by Jim Dale. Among the specials guests are Paul Reubens, Raul Esparza, Joe McHale and Molly Shannon.
This first season is very good. However, only 9 episodes aired this past past fall because of the writers' strike. The series did not return following the conclusion of the strike in the spring, as ABC wanted to give it a better promotion platform this fall. The series has been nominated for 12 Emmys including one for Lee Pace and Kristin Chenoweth. Some classic episodes include the series pilot titled cleverly "Pie-lette," where the story begins. It was one of the better pilot episodes of this past season. In "Dummy," in the present, Ned, Emerson and Chuck visit the morgue to inspect the body of a victim of a car accident. In "Smell of Success," Ned, Emerson, and Chuck's next case involves an olfactory assistant who was killed when her scratch-'n'-sniff book combusted. In one of my favorite episodes thus far, "Smell of Success," business at the Pie Hole plummets when a new candy store opens in town. In the first season finale, "Corpsicle," Chuck learns the most shocking secret of her life and refuses to forgive Ned. Those episodes really stand out, but they are all very good. The episodes run usually between 41-43 minutes or so...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 or 8 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2007-08 season, so it had better be good.
Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom. The outer box has we have a nice blue sky with nice white fluffy clouds (show logo in the clouds) setting with Ned & Chuck's head lying down on the nice looking grass with a nice flower in the middle. The back cover has information on the series and has a nice cast photo with our main six and Digby the dog. There is also a section detailing the special features and credits & technical specifications also. Then inside is the nice case itself. The case is like a menu for The Pie Hole! The Pie Hole logo is on the front of the case with a nice tan background, similar to a pie crust. The back of the case lists different types of pies available like apple, cherry, and peach. Opening the case, we get an episode booklet on the left side. The episode booklet is very creative. It is designed exactly like a menu! It has nice photos, episode numbers, titles, original airdates, writers, directors and a synopsis of the episode. But that's not all! It has nice quotes from the press, like real restaurants would with food critics. As for the discs, a little white holder holds discs one and two, then you can flip that and you get disc three on the right panel of the case. The artwork on each disc is very cool! They are shaped in different pies! Very clever, Warner! Disc one has episodes 1-3 with artwork of an apple pie. Disc two has episodes 4-6 and has artwork of I believe a blueberry pie. Disc three has episodes 7-9 and has artwork of I believe a pumpkin pie. Damn I'm hungry now!
The menu screen is basic but it works. The closing theme is playing in the background with Chuck in a red dress and Ned in a suit in a grassy setting with a nice blue sky and fluffy white clouds. There are auto-trailers on discs one and three before the main menu starts...disc one has a pirating disclaimer video and disc three has a season two promo for the show on ABC. The options on the main menu are Play, Episodes, Languages and Pie Time: Time for Pie (disc three only). Languages section has the aunts on disc one, Olive & Emerson on disc two and another shot of Ned & Chuck on disc three. We have the option of audio in English or Portugues and subtitles in English, French, Portugues or Spanish. The Episodes option has three screenshots on the left and the episodes are listed in he middle. We have an option to turn on or off the recaps before episode episode, as they can get annoying if you're watching these straight through. Pie Time: Time for Pie option is only on disc three and it has those extras. All of the sub-menus have different background music.
Moving on to the Pie Time: Time for Pie. It is a very different and interesting way of presenting special features, and like the show, it pulls it off well! Pie Time: Time for Pie is described as a delicious interactive featurette with flavorful , fresh-baked pie slices as your entree as cast/creative team members are dishing forkful of series secrets. There are nine pies on this screen and each of the nine is representing an episode. The pies are rotating in circles clockwise with the theme song playing in the background. The pies are labeled by episode title...and when we select "a pie" a nice phrase from the show is uttered via audio before you get to the pie. When an episode is selected, you see pie slices! Each episode has multiple slices. A fork is your selector. Warner has really done a good job on this. Each slice of a pie has information on the episode you chose. "Pie-lette" has three slices. One about the director Barry Sonnenfeld (3:23) with interviews with creator Bryan Fuller, producer Bruce Cohen, Sonnenfeld himself and producer Dan Jinks. The second slice is about The Pie Hole (1:44) with the designer Michael Wylie. The third slice (2:52) has Lee Pace and Bryan Fuller's favorite scenes from the pilot as they discuss. Episodes 2-6 each has two slices each with similar type of interviews. You'll learn a lot. Episodes 7 and 9 has just one slice, but you should be full by now. Episode 8 has three slices. Among the other people interviewed in all of the remaining slices are Kristin Chenoweth and visual effects gurus Elizabeth Castro & William Powloski.
I highly recommend you watch this series and buy this DVD set. The show is not nominated for 12 Emmys for nothing. Yes, 30 Rock has 15, but like a handful of those are for special guest stars...so this series really has the most and deserves it. It is such a shame the writers' strike ruined the momentum and limited the episodes to only 9, but I have a great feeling we will get a nice full season worth of great episodes this year that will make up for that! Warner Home Video has done a great job with this set, with the nice disc "pies," the creative episode booklet menu, and the very different pie special feature. I urge you all to buy this DVD because not only you'll like the show, but you'll also eat some nice pie! Don't try to eat the discs, though...use your imagination like Pushing Daisies! You better buy the DVD or Emerson Cod will say, "oh hell no!"
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(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
Official Website
Pushing Daisies TV.com Page
Fan Website
C.S.I.: Miami - The Sixth Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $79.99)
Set against a backdrop of blue skies, turquoise water, and Art Deco hotels, CSI: Miami is hotter than ever, as criminologist Horatio Caine (David Caruso) and his team return for their edgiest season yet, all captured in this 21-episode collection. Horatio battles the mother of his son, a deadly seductress from his past, while the rest of the team (Adam Rodriguez, Eva La Rue, Rex Linn, Jonathan Togo, and Khandi Alexander) works to rescue Calleigh (Emily Procter) from kidnappers! Catch all the action in this provocative Sixth Season of CSI: Miami.
This 6-disc set contains all 21 episodes of the sixth (2007-08) season. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a total running time of approximately 15 hours, 14 minutes. The attractive packaging features a holofoil photo of David Caruso wearing his trademark sunglasses (you can see the Miami skyline on them) on the cover. There is an orange background, and the set has an overall orange and black color scheme. This was the second consecutive season that featured only David Caruso on the cover. For the first time, this set comes with a outer cardboard sleeve and 3 slim cases with black edges. Previous seasons have used digibook packaging. On the back of the cardboard sleeve, there is a large photo of David Caruso without the sunglasses and photos of La Rue, Togo, Rodriguez, Alexander, Linn and Procter standing. A synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are noted. Slim case #1 holds discs 1 & 2 and features a photo of Procter and Caruso with sunglasses. Slim case #2 holds discs 3 & 4 and has a photo of Alexander and Rodriguez. Slim case #3 rounds out the set with discs 5 & 6 and has a photos of Togo, Linn and La Rue. The episodes are listed on the back of the slim cases. Inside the slim cases, there is just black space. Some episode summaries or additional photos would have been nice. The discs are very plain looking with a silver background and just the show logo.
The menus are very stylish and easy to navigate. They have a montage a video clips, with some instrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features (only on Disc 6). On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. This is the second time that the show has lacked "Complete" in the title. The episodes have running times of 42-44 minutes in length. There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the music has been changed, so these episodes appear to be complete.
Unfortunately, there are fewer special features on this set than on the previous releases. There are only 2 audio commentaries this time and 4 featurettes. Here is the breakdown by disc:
Disc 2
Audio Commentary on Episode 608 "Permanent Vacation" by Director Eagle Egilsson and Writers Barry O'Brien and Krystal Houghton
Disc 4
Audio Commentary on Episode 612 "Raising Caine" by Elizabeth Berkley and Rex Linn - Elizabeth Berkley makes her first appearance on the show.
Disc 6
Four-Sight: Directing CSI: Miami (16:46) - This featurette highlights four of the directors of the series: Sam Hill, Matt Earl Beesley, Eagle Egilsson and Gina Lamar. They talk about how they got their start on the series, their directing traits and specialities and the differences between them, and their other duties on the show. Interviews include Producer Don Tardino, Script Supervisor Will Alovis, Supervising Producer Barry O'Brien, Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar, Director Sam Hill, Scripy Supervisor Claudia Yarmy, Rex Linn, Jonathan Togo, Director Matt Earl Beesley, Director Eagle Egilsson, Adam Rodriguez, Director Gina Lamar and Emily Procter.
Playing Dead (6:11) - This featurette details the process of how actors are made to look like they are dead, how they apply the make-up, and how they make the incisions and gunshot wounds. As they say, it isn't easy plaing dead. This is a pretty time consuming process, but the end results look very realistic. Interviews include Department Head Make-up Cheri Montesanto, Producer Don Tardino, Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar, Khandi Alexander, Supervising Producer Barry O'Brien, and Jon Briddell.
The Real Women of the MDPD (16:28) - Emily Procter does a short introduction on this featurette which focuses on the real women of the Miami-Dade Police Department. Many different jobs are detailed, including the units for underwater recovery, marine patrol, k-9, police surivial and firearms. They also show some surivival techniques for female officers and building searches techniques. These are some tough women that can hold their own. More women are becoming parts of specialized units. Inteviews include Sgt. Monica Diaz, Ofc. Grace Green, Ofc. Laurel Huff, Ofc. David Macias, Ofc. Veronica Dixon-Ferguson, Ofc. Yolanda Bloom, Ofc. Marlene Trujillo, Ofc. Victor Gatell, and Det. Roy Rutland.
Analyzing Season 6 (13:20) - This featurette gives an overview of the season. This was a real transitional year, and they talk about how they went into the heart of the characters. They comment on Horatio's son and the introduction of Elizabeth Berkley's character. This was a decent segment, although there won't be anything really new if you've already watched all of the episodes. Interviews include David Caruso, Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar, Supervising Producer Barry O'Brien, Emily Procter, Evan Ellingson (Horatio's son), Rex Linn, Adam Rodriquez, Eva La Rue, Jonathan Togo and Rex Linn. Where was Elizabeth Berkley?
Final Comments: Has it really been six seasons already for CSI: Miami? They continue to make the show fresh and edgy. It's the #1 most watched show in the world, so they must be doing something right. They weren't affected by the strike as much as some other shows, as they were still able to produce 21 episodes this season. Memorable episodes this season included "Bang, Bang, Your Debt," "Stand Your Debt," "Miami Confidential," "Raising Caine," and the explosive season finale: "Going Ballistic."
Although it was a thrilling season, this DVD set isn't as impressive as some of the previous seasons. There are fewer audio commentaries and featurettes. Maybe they are just running out of ideas they haven't already covered. The packaging, while still pretty nice, isn't as attractive as the earlier seasons. At least they include all the original music on these CSI sets, unlike a lot of other CBS DVD shows. Who shot Horatio Caine? Tune in for the season premiere on September 22 on CBS!
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Miami CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Miami TV.com Page
Friday, September 05, 2008
Fox Fall Pilot Review: Do Not Disturb - Premieres September 10; RTN Coming to Knoxville
Do Not Disturb - Wednesdays 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 9:30PM ET/PT
Do Not Disturb is a workplace comedy set at one of New York City's hottest and hippest hotels: The Inn. Named one of the Big Apple's "10 Best Places to Stay," The Inn is just that -- the "in" place to be, with its chic décor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story.
The hotel's top-notch reputation and sophisticated look is due in large part to NEAL (Jerry O'Connell) -- at least in his opinion. Neal is the egotistical, womanizing general manager who will do whatever it takes to make sure the hotel is considered the best party in town. RHONDA (Niecy Nash) is the head of Human Resources who also keeps Neal's demands in check. She's brash, fabulous and brutally honest and runs the HR department from her bullpen downstairs with a set of rules that are all her own. Rhonda does her best to keep the back of the house in line and the front of the house out of trouble.
At the front desk handling check-in while wearing 6-inch Manolos is NICOLE (Molly Stanton), an aging model who is svelte, cynical and slightly starving. The downstairs staff includes MOLLY (Jolene Purdy), a reservations clerk who dreams of pop-singer stardom as much as she craves to be part of the action upstairs; LARRY (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the head of housekeeping, who spends more time on the phone cleaning up his messes at home than he does cleaning up after the guests upstairs; and bellman GUS (Dave Franco), a roadie for a rock band who was left behind when the band left town.
Cast Details:
Stars:
* Niecy Nash as Rhonda Peet
* Jerry O'Connell as Neal
* Molly Stanton as Nicole
* Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Larry
* Jolene Purdy as Molly Poleski
* Dave Franco as Gus
Recurring Stars:
* Brando Eaton as Jason
* Robert Wagner as R.J
I don't know who several of these people are, to be quite sincere. It's not meant to be an offense, but I just don't recognize a lot of the names. There are a few I DO recognize: Jerry O'Connell's TV credits include the series Crossing Jordan, Carpoolers and Sliders. Molly Stanton did the soap Passions and was on the short lived WB sitcom Twins, a generally poor show with a fairly good cast. Robert Wagner is a fairly recognizable name as he has appeared on stage and in screen in many productions (TV's Hart to Hart). Don't recognize anyone else in the cast list, including star Niecy Nash, which is a double-edged sword.
Pilot Plot:
Apparently, the episode I was sent (titled "Work Sex" running 21:54) isn't the pilot but rather the episode Fox is leading off with. The pilot must've really stunk. In "Work Sex," an article about the sexual exploits of the staff -- the staff meaning the Neal character -- appears in a local generic New York magazine. The Rhonda character chides Neal hard for his actions, causing Neal to try to fly the straight-and-narrow when presented with an attractive co-worker. Meanwhile, in typical cliché fashion, Rhonda gets caught up in some office romance herself. Meanwhile, the character Molly (not to be confused with Actress-Molly) helps Nicole (the actress Molly) with her stalled modeling career. Which is guffawingly ironic since character-Molly happens to be...you guessed it...plus-sized. Maybe South Park was on to something a few years ago when they talked about manatees and "idea balls." Actually, the Molly/Nicole stuff provided me some of the biggest chuckles of the episode -- though at no point did I outright laugh. Meanwhile, Gus helps Larry with his love live. And for those of you playing Sitcom Cliché Bingo, yep, Larry's gay.
Analysis:
I couldn't even make it to the analysis before throwing the show under the bus. Seriously, this is the episode they're leading off with? Was the supposed pilot actually WORSE? And they canceled Back to You in order to air this? Really, for goodness sakes? You know if something I see later in the season impresses me I'll be perfectly happy to admit to being wrong. And if the show catches ratings fire of course I'll backtrack since I like to look good. But really, the episode I saw here just wasn't very good. It was taking every played out cliché in the book and just throwing them at the wall. I always reserve the right to change my mind, but what I saw here actually managed to lower my opinion of the show drastically.
It's nothing personal against the folks on the show -- for the roles they're given, they do the best they can though the characters are your usual sitcom throwbacks. The real problem here is the paper-thin writing. It's nothing new. It's all material that we've seen before on a hundred different shows from where I sit. Here's the thing, though: It's still not the worst sitcom on the air. There are other shows on other networks that fit that bill well enough. But at best its background noise that once or twice in 21 minutes might get a chuckle out of you and at worst it's a half-hour jam packed with as many sitcom throwback plot devices and gimmicks as the writers could draw out of a hat.
Conclusion:
When the dirty work needs to be done, that's why I'm brought in. And in less than a thousand words, I hope I've explained exactly why this show just isn't very good. The only bright spot is that it's not very bad either. It is 21 minutes of filler to keep as background noise in between commercials. Which is the minimum you can ask of a TV show anyway. Who knows, if it stays on the air long enough, it might even figure out how to be genuinely funny.
I'll tune in midseason (if it's still on) and give it another look, assuming the show doesn't dive into the CW-inhabited ratings basement within the first three shows. And who knows, the show might catch ratings fire -- that aforementioned show on another network has managed to stay on the air a really long time despite being really bad. But if a great show like Back to You can die on the vine in a year and a thoroughly decent show like ‘Til Death is probably 13 episodes from oblivion, then this show is probably D.O.A. It should at least run for longer than Happy Hour did though -- which at least is a positive. I appreciate that some network is willing to still run multi-camera sitcoms, but come on, try making one of them good (And when you DO make a good one, don't cancel it after one season you fools).
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Funniness: 1.5/5
Watchability: 1.5/5
Overall: 1.5/5
-- Reviewed by Seth on 09/05/08
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday on our message board.
Related Links:
On to some news...
Gold! Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that WMAK-Knoxville, Channel 7, plans to add RTN programming to its lineup beginning Monday.
RTN is of course the first completely customizable, national television network to provide a 24/7 digital feed of hit shows to each of its affiliates. The network's unique design allows each affiliate to remain in complete control while RTN runs the local and national master control from its central hub. RTN also offers customizable news and weather for each market, hosted by network-provided talent.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
BET Schedule Notes; Network Notes
Other BET schedule notes include a Judge Hatchett launch marathon on Saturday, Sept. 20 and Sunday, Sept. 21.
The CW has pushed back the premieres of its new Sunday Night MRC block by two weeks to Sunday, October 5. It is said that The CW/MRC want to avoid The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 21. Also, 4Real and In Harm's Way have switched timeslots. 4Real will now air 5:00 & 5:30pm followed by two episodes (new/repeat) of In Harm's Way from 6-8pm. Dramas Valentine and Easy Money follow and will still air at 8 and 9pm. Bob Saget's new sitcom Surviving Suburbia, was set to premiere on November 2 but now has been pushed back to early 2009.
CBS will encore the premiere episode of new Tuesday drama The Mentalist (premiering Tues., Sept. 23 at 9) on Friday, Sepember 26 at 8pm leading into to the first Presidential Debate between Obama and McCain. ABC will air 20/20 in that slot leading into to the Debate. Fox and NBC have not said anything otherwise, so you can expect an episode of 5th Grader and America's Toughest Jobs in the slot, as of now. This is the first of four primetime debates. The next one will be Thursday, October 2 between VP nominees Biden and Palin, then Tuesday, October 7 will be the second one with Obama and McCain. The final one is Wednesday, October 15, also between Obama and McCain. Programming in the 8pm hour for these three have not been yet announced. All debates will air at 9pm ET followed by an analysis at 10:30pm ET.
Pretty slow day, but stay tuned tomorrow as the sitcom pilot season kicks off with our review of the upcoming Fox sitcom Do Not Disturb, premiering Wednesday at 9:30pm on Fox. Will it actually be good or like the other Fox sitcom duds of recent seasons (Happy Hour, Jezebel James, etc.)? Stay tuned tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
TV Land Announces New Primetime Block; Me-TV and Me-Too Fall Schedules for Chicago
Equipped with a new logo, color scheme and on-air graphics program, TV Land PRIME will air Monday through Saturday, 9pm to 12 midnight beginning October 6 on TV Land. TV Land PRIME's programming is defined as entertaining, engaging, escapist and most importantly -- targeted for this Adult demographic -- a dynamic group with unmatched purchasing power. Moving forward, all of TV Land's original programming, contemporary television series acquisitions and movies will premiere solely in this daypart.
Initially, the line-up will have Scrubs (Mon-Fri 9-10pm & Sat 11pm-12am), 3rd Rock from the Sun (Mon-Tues, Thurs 10-11pm), Season 2 of original series Myths & Legends (Wed 10pm & encores Sat 10-11pm), encores of High School Reunion (Wed 10:30-11:30pm), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Mon-Tues & Thurs 11pm-12am, Wed 11:30p-12:30a, & Sat 8-10pm) and MovieLand movies (Fridays 10pm-12am)...all starting Monday, October 6. Sunday nights will remain classic TV in primetime.
Among the other off-network series coming are Friends (Sept. 2012) and That '70s Show (Sept. 2010). Friends could however come as early as Sept. 2011, as that is when its Nick at Nite deal starts and TV Land might just air it then if Nick at Nite decides not to or wants to share it then. That '70s Show will be shared with sister station The N, which currently airs the series everynight from 12-2am. Other sharings might include the sharing of Nick at Nite's Home Improvement and Roseanne as early as 2009...both could move to TV Land PRIME or air on both Nick and TV Land. Nick at Nite had acquired The Nanny for Spring 2009, but as with Friends, TV Land might just air it instead. However, as of now, TV Land has listed The Nanny for an April 2010 launch.
The original series for sure airing are Myths & Legends Season 2 (October), High School Reunion Season 2 (Early 2009), She's Got The Look Season 2 (Spring/Summer 2009), and new series The Cougar (2009). Each series will air for eight episodes, except Myths & Legends will have seven. No word on renewals yet for other TV Land originals like Family Foreman. TV Land also has seven pilots in development "for consideration." They have not been bought as a series yet, and not all of them will make it to series, but TV Land PRIME has the following in development to choose from:
* First Love/Second Chance -- This pilot gives long-lost sweethearts an opportunity to rekindle their romance -- years later. Whether it is unrequited love or a relationship that ended badly, the couples decide if there's still a romantic link after all these years and answer the question, "What could have been?"
* What's in the Box? -- TV Land PRIME's first game show pilot features individual contestants squaring off in the ultimate, fast-paced 20-question competition. Through a series of pointed yes or no answers to questions like, "Does it move?" or "Is it man-made?," the players must figure out what's in the box without giving their opponent the upper-hand -- all for a cash jackpot and a chance to win a fabulous grand prize.
* Make My Day -- This show provides a window into one day in the life of an unsuspecting participant. Hidden cameras capture the action as contestants are put through a series of weird coincidences, extraordinary situations and surprise appearances.
* I've Got Your Number -- This reality pilot based on a British format proves the theory that there is a 76% chance that you already have the number of the person you're going to marry in your cell phone.
* How Rich Are You? -- We've all driven by an enormous home and asked the question, "Who lives there?" This show unveils the truth about the people who occupy these homes, what else they own and reveals how they went from average Americans to mega-moguls.
* Now or Never -- Empty nesters are given the chance of a lifetime to open a new chapter in their lives by pursuing careers they always dreamed of, but never dared to pursue. In each installment, couples try out their dream jobs, a new place to live and a whole new social scene before making the gut- wrenching decision of which path to follow.
* Boomerangers -- TV Land PRIME explores the exploding occurrence of "boomerang kids," young adults who return home from college to live with their parents. Cameras capture the parents and kids who are, once again, together under the same roof. Cast contingent.
TV Land is trying to move away from the older-skewing series whose average median age on TV Land is over 60 such as The Andy Griffith Show. Currently TV Land's average median age is 55, and TV Land is trying to make it 45 or so and these newer series and original series will certainly help do that in primetime. Not to worry, you'll still see the classics in other dayparts like mornings, afternoons and late nights.
We'll certainly have more on this as it develops, but TV Land PRIME launches Oct. 6 airing 9pm-12am, six nights a week on TV Land. View the complete press release.
Me-TV Chicago and its spin-off station Me-Too have announced their Fall 2008 schedules! The schedule started yesterday but some series will be launched gradually in coming weeks. New to Me-TV Chicago on weekdays are dramas Hart to Hat, Dragnet, Police Woman and sitcoms Married...with Children, That '70s Show, Steve Harvey Show, and Happy Days. Batman will also air on Me-TV airing weeknights at 7pm in addition to its Saturday morning airings on Me-Too. While the early evening line-up on Me-TV from 5-7pm may seem a bit new, weekends will be all classics. Saturdays will see classic action series in Spanish in mornings, followed by police shows, then Star Trek at 6pm, followed by all-time sitcom classics from 7pm-1am with the likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy and All in the Family. Sundays on Me-TV will have more classics...in the mornings are more action-adventure series in Spanish, followed by an all-era sitcom block from 11am-7pm with shows such as One Day at a Time, Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, Family Ties and Who's the Boss. Following that is a primetime block starting at 9pm of classic '70s sitcoms like Good Times, The Jeffersons, Barney Miller and Sanford & Son. Later in the night are Love American Style McHale's Navy and Patty Duke.
As for sister station Me-Too, it is all about blocks...they will kick-off weekdays with a two-hour 80s sitcom block of Saved by the Bell, The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, and Webster from 9-11am. 11am-2pm will see classic '60s sitcoms such as Mister Ed, McHale's Navy and Gomer Pyle. Then it is time to saddle up for an afternoon of westerns from 2-5pm with the likes of Gunsmoke and Wild, Wild, West. Then its the all-time classics from 5-9pm with I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore and the classic Me-Too Movie. Then its mystery and suspense from 9-11:30 with Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchock Hour and more. Late night comedy follows starting at 11:30 with Cheers & Carson's Comedy Classics. On Saturdays, start your Saturday mornings with classic superheroes! Batman, Adventures of Superman and Green Hornet from 9a-12p! From 12-6pm it is family-friendly stuff with Family Affair, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons and the family feature movie. Saturday nights get a makeover with a new block called "Saturday Night Black & White," with the likes of I Love Lucy, Perry Mason and Route 66. On Sundays, it is mystery Sunday staring at 10am through 7pm with Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, It Takes a Thief, Mrs. Columbo, and the mystery movies.
View the full Me-TV Chicago and Me-Too Fall 2008 schedules.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
TV One October 2008 Includes Two Short-Lived Sitcoms; Atlanta's PeachTree TV Fall 2008 Schedule
On Saturday, October 11 beginning at 6am, Saturday mornings get a makeover on TV One with the addition of an all-new comedy block to let viewers awake to laughter on their day of rest. From 6am-11am it will be back-to-back episodes each of All About the Andersons, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Good Times and The PJ's.
As for marathons and stunts...on Sunday, October 5 beginning at 1pm, TV One presents a New York Undercover mini-marathon consisting of 5 episodes of the crime drama series focusing on hate crimes and racial issues that will keep viewers demanding that justice be served, part of TV One's "Justice for All" marathon.
On Saturday, October 11 beginning at 11am through 10pm, celebrities take TV One by storm in a "Living Single: Celebrity Edition" Marathon that features episodes of the sitcom with guest appearances from celebrities including Nia Long, Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Arsenio Hall, Shemar Moore, Vivica A. Fox, and Deion Sanders.
Then on Saturday, October 18, at beginning at 12 Noon through 8pm, the critically-acclaimed short-lived 1994 sitcom South Central comes to TV One in an all-day marathon event. South Central is a comedy series with dramatic undertones about the struggles of a family residing in South Central Los Angeles that stars Larenz Tate, Tina Lifford, Earl Billings, and a then unknown Jennifer Lopez. The series lasted 10 episodes and aired on Fox following Roc and was known as the 'Good Times of the 90s' when it aired. The series will air Sundays at 6pm starting Oct. 19 and have encore airings on Saturdays at 11am in the Saturday morning sitcom block beginning on Oct. 25.
The second short-lived sitcom will join on Sunday, October 19, at 6:30pm, as the critically-acclaimed coming of age 1993 sitcom Where I Live makes its bow on TV One. Where I Live is a sitcom focused around a teen named Doug, who is a student from urban New York, his two friends, and his Jamaican parents. Most of the story revolves around the neighborhood where Doug and his friends are always getting into crazy situations and then playing basketball after each adventure. The series lasted 14 episodes, but had 7 more unaired episodes (for a total of 21) and aired for two short seasons on ABC, and the first season aired on ABC's popular TGIF block. Bill Cosby liked the show and was a consultant on the series. The series stars Doug E. Doug (Cosby 1996), Flex Alexander, and Lorraine Toussaint and will air Sundays at 6:30pm with encores on Saturdays at 11:30am...both airings following South Central.
South Central and Where I Live's Sunday airings will follow an episode each of Wanda at Large and For Your Love from 5-6pm. There will be no other schedule changes to the TV One October schedule, and for those of you wondering short-lived sitcom Good News will now only air Sundays 6-7am. See the September schedule story for details on the changes happening this month.
Finally, Friday October 31 is of course Halloween and TV One is celebrating with a "Scarefest" sitcom marathon from 11am-4pm and again from 6:30pm-10pm with Halloween themed episodes of Martin, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, The Hughleys, Parent'hood, and Living Single. The "Scarefest" marathon will also air on Saturday morning November 1st from 6am- 11am in the Saturday morning sitcom block.
PeachTree TV in Atlanta (WPCH, formerly known as WTBS-17) has announced their fall 2008 schedule. Tyler Perry's House of Payne, which ranks as ad-supported cable's #1 sitcom of all time on TBS and television's #1 summer series among African-American adults 18-49, is coming in syndication to Peachtree TV Atlanta, beginning Wednesday, Sept. 24. The comedy about multiple generations of one Atlanta family living under the same roof will air six days a week, Mondays through Saturdays, with back-to-back episodes at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Other new arrivals to WPCH includes the long-running game show Family Feud (weekdays at noon and 12:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 8). Family Feud has been extremely popular in Atlanta and is moving to Peachtree TV as the show's exclusive home in this market. Peachtree TV also will be home to the all-new audience-participation game show Trivial Pursuit: America Plays (weekdays at 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., beginning Sept. 22) and the hit reality series American Chopper (Saturdays at 5 p.m., beginning Sept. 27). The station will also add Best of Montell Williams in the 10am hour. Leaving WPCH on Sep. 8 are The Nanny, Mad About You, Diff'rent Strokes and the canceled Temptation. All in the Family leaves the week of Sept. 22, while Sanford & Son moves to late night.
View the full Peachtree TV (WPCH) Fall 2008 schedule.
Come back tomorrow as Chicago viewers will see the fall 2008 schedules for Me-TV Chicago and its spin-off network Me-Too right here.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Happy Labor Day! Time for Marathons
Non-sitcom marathons include a Monk marathon from 6am-7pm on USA Network. Lifetime will bring us an Army Wives marathon starting at 12 noon with a 10-hour run of the series that starts with Denise bonding with a wounded soldier who leaves his motorcycle to her. Sci-Fi has a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon from 8am-11pm. Starting at 8am, solve some mysteries with Jessica Fletcher on the Murder, She Wrote marathon on The Hallmark Channel. Whammy up on GSN with the Press Your Luck marathon starting at 9am. It's a CSI battle on A&E and Spike TV with A&E having a CSI: Miami marathon starting at 12 noon and Spike TV having the original CSI starting at 9am. TNT will have a marathon of its mega-hit original The Closer with a marathon that starts at 9am on TNT. And Beverly Hills 90210 will have "The BFF's of 90210" marathon on SOAPnet starting at midnight through midnight tonight.
Other marathons include G4's Cops marathon, TCM's courtroom movies marathon starting at 6am, Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations marathon starting at 9am, Food Network's Unwrapped stunt starting at 12 noon, National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer marathon also at noon, Bravo has a Project Runway marathon at 3pm, MTV has yet another America's Next Top Model marathon, and Discovery Channel will get into dirty jobs with a Dirty Jobs marathon from 9am-11pm.
I'm sure there are more, but these are the notables ones, we think.
Enjoy the day and see you tomorrow as we get back into the news!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, September 3
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Bus Bench and Faith out the Wazoo" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Audrey and Mary’s (Zoe Perry) feud rears its head when Georgie needs their help with the tire store, and Jim’s forced to confront his age after a visit to the DMV.
Ghosts - "Up the Creek" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Woodstone’s future is put in jeopardy, Sam and Jay join forces with the ghosts to protect the mansion by securing its place in history, on part one of the two-part fifth season finale.
Adults - "Talia" (FX and FXX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Anton learns that his sister is starting a family, while Issa begins thinking about her own fertility. Written by Shaun Menchel; Directed by Maggie Carey.
Adults - "Raccoon" (FX and FXX, 9:32PM ET/PT)
Issa and Paul Baker host Acid Night. Written by Sanaz Toossi; Directed by Oz Rodriguez.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 31)
Thursday, September 3
- Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Catch Olivia on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey appears on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Stephen Root (Barry/Ladies Man/NewsRadio) - Stephen is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) and Steve Zahn (Chad Powers/The Righteous Gemstones) - Glen and Steve talk about Chad Powers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Steve and Frankie Rodriguez will be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia guest co-hosts a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - NBC's Today has the Best of Fun & Games with "Queen of Quips" with Michelle in the 10am hour.
- Casey Wilson (The Righteous Gemstones/Black Monday/The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - NBC's Today has the Best of Fun & Games with "Beat the Box" with Casey, Andrew and Prue Leith in the 10am hour.
- Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere/Nightcap) - Jeff talks about Apple TV's Widow's Bay on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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