Sunday, August 16, 2009

Summer Week 12 Sitcom Ratings; Blog DVD Review: Eli Stone - The Complete Second and Final Season

Summer continues and everything is still pretty light. We will be back with our normal weekly report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long, along with last year's summer favorite, the coming week preview! Here are our summer ratings:

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 3-9)

  • Til Death (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm only mustered 1.58 million...down slightly week-to-week...after going up ever so slightly every week.
  • The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - We got double dose of repeats this week with the regular 8pm airing getting 3.69 million, but a special 8:30pm repeat did better at 4.15 million. 8pm repeat was up a bit from previous week, while the 8:30pm repeat was down some.
  • King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - 4.52 million for a repeat...the best of the bunch. Again a 2.2 18-49 rating...that is excellent for a summer repeat these days.
  • American Dad! (Fox) - Only 1.72 million for a repeat at 7:30...but up a bit than the previous week.

Summer Week 12 (August 10-16)

Monday Sitcoms

  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 4.69 million for a repeat airing, down just a bit from previous week. 1.6 A18-49 rating was the same as the previous week.
  • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 5.25million for a repeat airing, a bit higher again than previous week and built on the lead-in in A18-49 with a 1.8 A18-49 rating, but that was a tenth down from previous week. Look for Accidentally on Purpose in this slot in the fall...will CBS come knocking on Rules' door early like I'm predicting?
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 8.83 million for a repeat, down a lot from previous week. 2.4 A18-49 rating was also down quite a bit from previous week. Odd.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.64 million for a repeat is up some from previous week...closest retention yet in total viewers from the lead-in for this show! 2.8 18-49 rating is excellent, up a tick from previous week...and a more impressive up .4 from the lead-in!
Tuesday Sitcoms

  • Better Off Ted (ABC) 2 episodes - The season finale did 2.49 and 2.09 million in the 9pm hour. Not good, but better than recent weeks. It needs another sitcom or two airing with it.
Wednesday Sitcoms

  • Old Christine (CBS) - Only 3.59 million for a repeat, down some from previous week again but again it did match the 1.0 A18-49 rating from previous few weeks.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Only 3.75 million...on par really from previous week, but did build a bit in A18-49 from the lead-in doing a 1.2 rating.
Thursday Sitcoms

  • The Office (NBC) - 3.17 million for a repeat at 9pm...on par from recent weeks.
  • 30 Rock (NBC) 2 episodes - 2.86 and 3.07 million for repeats at 8 and 9:30pm...9:30pm seems better than recent weeks, while 8pm seems lower.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC) - A repeat did just 2.25 million at 8:30pm...the lowest of the sitcom repeats.

Friday Sitcoms

  • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 1.41 million. That was up from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • The Game (The CW) - A repeat did a prelim 1.54 million, up down from previous week's prelim numbers.
Saturday Sitcoms

  • None.
Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's 'Til Death and animated comedies from 7-10pm. Elsewhere ABC has the 10th anniversary of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with Regis as night six airs at 8pm leading into a new Shark Tank and an all-new episode of drama Defying Gravity at 10pm. CBS has 60 Minutes & Big Brother followed by a new episode of There Goes the Neighborhood at 9pm, while NBC will have a new Dateline in the 7pm hour, leading into Merlin at 8pm.


Coming Week Preview (Aug. 17-23):

I'm going to have to preempt this section for a blog DVD review, but this week is essentially the same as last week, with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire continuing all-week on ABC at 8pm. New series Shaq Vs. premieres Tuesday at 9 on ABC.



It is time for a special Sunday edition of the "Blog DVD Review." Today we take a look at ABC Studios/Buena Vista Home Entertainment's Eli Stone: The Complete Second Season. Eli Stone is about a lawyer (Jonny Lee Miller) with a special gift of seeing visions of the future, but he has a brain aneurysm that medically says that is the reason why he is zoning out with visions. Is science correct or do you have faith? This show is so great and anything with Natasha Henstridge in it is worth watching! See my mini-DVD review of Eli Stone: The Complete Second Season:

Eli Stone: The Complete Second and Final Season (ABC Studios, $39.99) brings the second and unfortunately final season of the legal drama with lots of comedy, music, science, law and lots of faith on DVD once again! Eli Stone is a man you can believe in. The question is, can he believe himself? He is a lawyer and starts having strange visions, then his job and relationship (and sanity) are in jeopardy. What will he do? Is he getting messages from the divine?
The series was unfortunately canceled after this past season, but that doesn't mean the show wasn't good. It was one of the most unique shows of all-time and it is too bad more people didn't watch. The series starred Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, Natasha Henstridge as Taylor Wethersby, Loretta Devine as Patti Dellacroix, Matt Letscher as Nathan Stone, Sam Jaeger as Matt Dowd, James Saito as Dr. Chen, Julie Gonzalo as Maggie Dekker, Jason Winston George as Keith Bennett, and Victor Garber as Jordan Wethersby. Among the guest stars are Katie Holmes, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Cavanagh, Seal, Taraji P. Henson, Bridget Moynahan, Tom Amandes, Laura Benanti, Debrah Farentino, Gina Torres, Steven Culp, Rachelle Lefevre, Jamie Murray, Gregory Smith, Kurt Fuller and Katey Sagal.

This second season is very good, maybe on par with the first season's greatness. 13 more episodes aired this past season, just like season one. However, the show has been canceled and will not return for a third season, which is not good news. The great Greg Berlanti has done great shows in Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money. Some classic episodes this season include the season premiere, "The Path," where Eli is free from his visions for the past six months after having an operation to remove his brain aneurysm--or so he thinks. In the very next episode "Grace," Eli has his vision back with a beautiful brunette singing to him...the lady is Grace who turns out to be very much real and not just a vision after meeting her, Eli and Grace fall for each other. In "Happy Birthday Nate," Eli envisions himself within his father's body. In "The Two Ministers," Eli finds out more about Nate and Beth's engagement being called off. In the finale "Flight Path," Eli's latest visions lead him to believe someone close to him will die in a plane crash.
The episodes run usually 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. The season premiere runs 39:57, though. There are 8 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good once again, as it did on season one! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2008-09 season, so it had better be good.

Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom, like last time. The outer box has the same cover and back as the case inside...I hate when they give us an outer thin box that is pointless with the same art as the case inside. On the front cover we have a nice blue sky with Eli sitting on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the show logo is in the sky (it's partly cloud with a chance of visions)...the back cover has information on the series & set and has a shot of Eli on the top and a cast photo on the bottom. Henstridge and Gonzalo are stunning women. There is also a section detailing the bonus features and technical specifications in a box that looks like a diploma. Opening the case, we get an inserts for Blu-ray DVDs. There are only two panels, the left side holds disc one and the right side holds discs two & three...and they are overlapping. Each disc is in a blue color with clouds and has artwork that fits the show and Eli's illusions. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of a baseball (reps the baseball game where he saw Grace). Disc two has episodes 5-9 and has artwork of a journal (his father kept a journal of all his visions). Disc three has episodes 10-13 & the bonus features and has artwork of wedding figurines that looks to represent Eli, Nate and Beth. The left panel has disc-by-disc breakdown and three screenshots. The right panel has the list of bonus features and three more screenshots. Both panels are in the setting of a sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge.

The menu screen starts by showing us a law office and then we are behind the desk where see a flat screen monitor and on that monitor we see the menu options! How clever! It is exactly the same as the first season DVD though. But before I get to the options, there is nice background music playing in the background. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three only), 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: ABC on DVD, Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, The Proposal, and Blu-ray DVD. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Scrubs, Samantha Who? and Castle. Set Up section takes us to the phone in that law office and the options on that menu are on the phone screen (like last time)! We have the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot all on a nice yellow folder type document, again like last time. Bonus Features option is only on disc three all the extras listed on a white filler paper style, same as the first season DVD. All of the sub-menus have nice video transitions and different background music.

Moving on the bonus features. We don't get audio commentary this time, which I miss. We do get good featurettes still, though! First up is "Dancin' in the Streets," running 11:37. This is a behind the scenes look at the great song and dance number they did in the season premiere. Interviewed and seen are Blake Neely (composer), Marc Guggenheim (executive producer), Jason George, Andrew Kreisberg (co-executive producer), Zach Woodlee (choreographer), Victor Garber, Perry Lang (director), Loretta Devine, and Sam Jaeger. Seen in the behind the scenes are actors like Jonny Lee Miller and Natasha Henstridge. Then we have the featurette "Good Morning Eli with Sam and Julie." This runs 5:59 and we see what Sam Jaeger and Julie Gonzalo do on the set in mornings. Gonzalo looks good in curls even! Jaeger is a joker. We also see Vincent Misiano (director), Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Victor Garber and Natasha Henstridge along the way!
Then we have three deleted scenes that are always interesting to see. They run 1:04, 0:46, and 2:21. So they are relatively short. Finally, we have some bloopers titled "Circular Files: Bloopers from Season 2." This only runs 2:05 and needs to be longer, that is my only gripe on the extras we have here.

I highly recommend this series and set. It is such a well-written and acted show that is greatly presented. If you have season one on DVD...then get this FOR SURE. And if you don't, get both seasons. It is worth watching. The show only had 13 episodes this season again, but they are great. ABC Studios did a marvelous job and I only have minor complaints that are not worth mentioning again. The biggest complaint is that this show isn't coming back for another season...boo! You're going to start Dancin' in the Street like Loretta Devine after seeing this on DVD! Have faith in me!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Eli Stone TV.com Page

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Blog DVD Review: Dirty Sexy Money - The Complete And Final Second Season (Aug. 18)

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the weekly Blog DVD Review. This week on the Blog DVD Review we take a look at ABC Studios/Buena Vista Home Entertainment's Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete 1st Season Exposed . Dirty Sexy Money is about the absurdly wealthy Darling family of New York City who mix with the wrong people and become embroiled in untenable situations, while their family lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause) is there to take care of their legal needs -- which often run into shady territory. See my Blog DVD reviews of Dirty Sexy Money - The Complete And Final Second Season:

Dirty Sexy Money - The Complete And Final Second Season (ABC Studios, $39.99) brings the second (and unfortunately the final) season of the primetime soap on DVD for the first time! One of TV's wittiest and wildest shows, let's get down and dirty with the deliciously scandalous second season of Dirty Sexy Money. This season the Darling family takes drama to new heights in a year filled with deception, suspense, and even murder.
The series did well in the strike-shortened first season, but when it returned for season two the next fall, viewers either forgot about it or it was too long of a period in between episodes (nearly 10 months). 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, Zoe McLellan as Lisa George, Blair Underwood as Simon Elder, with Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling and Lucy Liu as Nola Lyons. Recurring are Darcy Rose Byrnes as Kiki George, Will Shadley as Brian Jr., Bellamy Young as Ellen Darling, Candis Cayne as Carmelita, Shawn Michael Patrick as Clark the Chauffeur, Laura Margolis as Daisy, and Sheryl Lee as Andrea Darling. Among the guests are John Schneider, Krista Allen, Dan Rather, Sarah Carter, Scott Holroyd, Samaire Armstrong, Kenny G, Ron Glass, Donna Mills and Gina Torres.

This second season is very good and is very sexy and juicy. We get 13 episodes for this second and final season. For season one, they aired 10, but they actually shot 13 episodes but decided to hold those three episodes for season two. However, the producers decided to scrap those three and implement some of those storylines into new season two episodes. I wish we could see those three episodes as extras at least. Anyway, back to season two...some classic episodes include the season premiere "The Birthday Present," where six months have passed since the events of last season. Even as Lisa and Nick plan to celebrate his birthday privately and quietly, Tripp and Letitia Darling decide to throw a lavish party for Nick on their yacht. In "The Star Witness," The witness testifying against Letitia Darling shocks Nick George, meanwhile Patrick is participating in a senatorial debate monitored by Dan Rather. In "The Verdict," Nick discovers a dirty little secret about Nola during Letitia's murder trial. In "The Summer House," Karen believes she will be fifth time lucky with her marriage to Simon Elder but Tripp and Nick have other ideas as they try to stop the wedding. In what I think might be one of the best hours of TV from last season, the episode "The Plan," has Senator Patrick Darling inviting Carmelita to his inauguration despite being warned by Tripp and Nick, meanwhile Chase makes threats against the Darlings and the end is a shocker. In "The Unexpected Arrival," Simon follows Karen to a clinic, and finds out that she is pregnant, then Karen has to tell Nick that she is expecting Simon's baby. Patrick decides to have an affair with a wife (Krista Allen) of a Congressman (John Schneider) that he needs support from. And the finale "The Bad Guy," Simon is tortured by Nola to get the truth about her brother with the help of Nick and Patrick takes his arrangement with the Congressman's wife to the next step by getting emotionally involved. Those episodes really stand out, but they are all very good but you have to watch them all in order...anything Greg Berlanti gets his hand on is good.
The episodes run usually 42-43 minutes...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 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 2008-09 season, so it had better be good.

Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the case inside. The outer box's cover has nice headshots of the cast. The show logo is in the middle, with The Complete And Final Second Season wording on top in white lettering. We have sort of have a blue-teal color scheme. The back of the box has a color scheme of blue-teal, like the front, with a nice cast photo by the Darling airplane and two screenshots below that. Nice details on the show and set is also there along with a nice quote from the New York Post 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 the same artwork as the box...nothing different this time. Opening the case, on the left side we see disc one. Discs two and three are on the right side overlapping each other. I hate that. There is an insert for Blu-ray titles such as Coyote Ugly, The Prestige, and Lost. On the panels itself, we get a nice cast photo that extends to both panels. We also have a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles per disc and bonus features details. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, the blue-teal with lettering in white and has nice artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of a woman's legs and high-heel shoes. Disc two has episodes 5-9 and has artwork of jewelery. Disc three has episodes 10-13 and the bonus features with artwork of a gun surrounded by a few piles of money. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork, as I mentioned.

The menu screen starts off paper money bills with the theme music playing in the background, then we get a camera flash and we get negatives of photos. Those are clips in negative photo form with camera flashes happening once a while, and we get background music playing now. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three only), 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: ABC TV DVDs, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, The Proposal and Blu-ray titles. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has previews of many titles. 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 -- with nice buildings at night in New York. Bonus Features has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music. Great job!

Moving on to the bonus features. Before I start, it is disappointing that there are no audio commentaries this time. We still have good featurettes, though. All of them are found on disc three. The first one is titled "Directing the Darlings," and it runs 11:30. Basically this shows us what director Jamie Babbit does in the life of an episode. We get details on the wedding episode from this season. Interviewed are Jamie Babbit, Matthew Gross (executive producer), Craig Wright (executive producer), Seth Gabel, Kelly Van Horn (producer), Zoe McLellan, William Baldwin, Glenn Fitzgerald, and Sheryl Lee. Then we have the featurette "A Total Knockout," that runs 8:40. This is all about the gorgeous Natalie Zea. Cast and crew talk about her and we see spend a day in the life of her on the set. We also get a look at the classic catfight scene between her and Zoe! Interviewed are Natalie Zea, Matthew Gross, William Baldwin, Bob Berlinger (director), Greg Berlanti (executive producer), Bill Chais (supervising producer), Craig Wright, Seth Gabel, Craig Baxley Jr. (stunt coordinator), and Donald Sutherland.
Next up is one last featurette titled "Dirty Sexy Crafty." This runs 9:14 and showcases the craft services crew on the set. How cool they devote an entire featurette on them, especially the the head Josh Kuhn. Interviewed are Bob Berlinger, Josh Kuhn, Craig Wright, William Baldwin, Seth Gabel, Andre Campbell (set production assistant), Glenn Fitzgerald, Matthew Gross, Kelly Van Horn, Zoe McLellan, Patrice Harper (craft services), and Will Shadley. Now I'm hungry, especially for Josh's cookies!
Then we have some "Faux Pas - Bloopers from Season 2." These are outtakes that run only 1:51. Why so short? They just need to put the entire reel in because this is too short. Then finally we have seven deleted scenes that are always interesting to see...and we get more scandals in these, with the highest running 1:11 and lowest at 0:40. The last deleted scene is the most interesting one. I think that is a scene that should have aired after the final scene of the series, which I won't give away if you haven't seen the finale yet.

I highly recommend this series and set. It is so addictive and scandalous! It is unfortunate the show is no more, which is truly a shame. I think it would have worked if it aired after Desperate Housewives. We need a show in primetime like this that just gets us glued to the television and wanting to know what happens next. I hope we see the cast go on to other ABC projects, whether it be guest roles or joining existing series. Natalie Zea needs to be on something! She is amazing. Anyway, complete your collection with this second season set. It is worth it and you'll be wanting to watch the next episode after each one. Need a link to buy it...look below. Done!

-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Dirty Sexy Money TV.com Page

Stay tuned tomorrow for a special Sunday blog review of Eli Stone - The Complete Second and Final Season.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Boomerang Fall 2009 Schedule; ION's Durham County

Today's Fall 2009 schedule is...Boomerang! The classic animated series network from Turner Broadcasting. Boomerang airs classic series such as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo Where Are You?, Tom & Jerry, Pink Panther, Smurfs, and so much more. I just wish I had this network! They will be adding so many series on their fall schedule, which begins Monday, August 31.
The series joining or returning to the schedule are Valley of the Dinosaurs, Gerald McBoing Boing, Krypto the Superdog, Super Globetrotters, Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch, Boomerang Zoo, The Adventures of Gulliver, MGM Cartoons, Secret Squirrel, Those Meddling Kids (Josie & the Pussycats, Speed Buggy, Jabber Jaw), Pebbles & Bamm Bamm, 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo Where Are You?, and The Flintstones Comedy Show.
Unfortunately a few series have to leave as a result. Pound Puppies, Dynomutt, Fantastic Max, Hong Kong Phooey, The Jetsons (80s), Huckleberry Hound, Atom Ant, Thundarr, Centurions, SWAT Kats, and 2 Stupid Dogs will be leaving the schedule.
Among the highlights for September is a Scooby-Doo Labor Day Weekend marathon with Scooby-Doo Where Are You? on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 2-9pm and The New Scooby-Doo Movies on Sunday, Sept. 6. from 2-9pm. Boomerang Theater (Mon-Wed) movies for the month include Popeye the Sailor Meets Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, I Yabba Dabba Do, and The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones.
View the full Boomerang Fall 2009 schedule
. Special thanks to ToonZone.net and NickandMore.com for posting this. That's one schedule I didn't have to post myself at least!

We announced ION Television's September 2009 line-up a few weeks back. It included the premiere of original drama Durham County. It will air Mondays at 10PM starting Monday, Sept. 7 with an immediate encore at 11PM, as we stated already. Now ION has announced they will encore the first episode four more times! They will encore the first episodes all that week at 11PM instead of airing paid programming. So you have six chances to watch the premiere episode --during the premiere at 10PM on Sept. 7 or during the five 11PM encores that week (Sept. 7-11) at 11PM. After the premiere week, only the Monday 11PM encore will remain.
Also, ION has launched a multi-tiered, interactive experience website, durhamcountysecrets.com, that introduces users to the show and its cast. Clips, sound bites and photos provide a sneak peek inside the neighborhood where no secret stays buried forever. In addition, users can upload their own secrets, view secrets from others and send them to a friend. Twitter (www.twitter.com/Durham_County) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Durham-Cunty/117054392149) sites are also created so users can discover hidden and locked clips that require a code in order to view.
The award-winning Durham County follows the troubled world of Homicide Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon). Sweeney becomes personally involved in a murder investigation after moving his family to quiet suburbia for a fresh start when his partner is killed and his wife Audrey (Hélène Joy) is diagnosed with breast cancer. Produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films, the series has received 13 Gemini Award Nominations and five wins.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

TV Land and Spike TV Fall 2009 Updates; Lifetime Original Sitcoms Update; A Personal Message

Today we have a couple of updates to fall schedules we already gave you. Viacom strikes again. Yesterday we mentioned Married...with Children is returning to TV Land effective immediately. So yes this will indeed affect TV Land's September line-up that we originally gave you. Married...with Children will remain on the TV Land schedule this September as well! Starting Sept. 14 it will air weeknights 8-9pm and will join the weeknight 9pm-12am block on Tuesday nights. So this means Andy Griffith Show will not air weeknights 7-9pm anymore, as originally planned. Beverly Hillbillies will still fill the 7pm hour, as that change starts next week. Originally the 9pm-12am block from Mon-Thurs had Andy on Monday, Roseanne on Tuesday, M*A*S*H on Wednesday, and Cosby Show on Thursday. Now it will be Andy on Monday, Married...with Children on Tuesday, Cosby Show on Wednesday, and Roseanne on Thursday.
Also, Married...with Children will air on Saturdays as well in marathon blocks during the day instead of Andy Griffith, but that will remain on Sundays. Late Sunday nights from 4-6am will now be Brady Bunch airings. And since the Cosby Show primetime block goes from Thursdays to Wednesdays, the 25th anniversary marathon moves to Wednesday, Sept. 23.
View the fully updated TV Land September 2009 line-up.

And that's not all for changes! Spike TV's Fall 2009 line-up starts on Monday, Sept. 28, as we told you. There is one change now. Instead of Married...with Children from 9-11am on weekday mornings, we now get a morning movie. Why? You guessed it...sister network TV Land is now airing the show on weekdays and Saturdays as we mentioned above. But on Sundays, Spike TV will still air the show in the mornings and sometimes in the 1am hour on that night. Everything else for Spike TV Fall 2009 is the same as we previously relayed to you, so Unsolved Mysteries is still Mon-Wed nights at 2am.

Moving on to Lifetime, we first announced the premiere date for Lifetime's new original sitcom Sherri as October 5 on our Lifetime Fall 2009 schedule...now we have full details on that and the return of Rita Rocks.
The all-new, multi-camera comedy series Sherri, premieres Monday, October 5, at 7PM ET/PT on Lifetime Television. Sherri will bow as part of a one-hour comedy block paired with the returning Rita Rocks, starring Nicole Sullivan, at 7:30PM ET/PT. Both series will feature stripped original episodes for a full week in the 7PM hour. Sherri will then move into its regular timeslot Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT, followed by Rita Rocks Tuesdays at 10:30PM ET/PT--both starting Oct. 13.
Sherri centers around a newly single mom, paralegal and part-time comedienne/actress who tries to get back into the dating scene and move on with her life after divorcing her cheating husband. Sherri finds solace and support among her girlfriends at the office while juggling her hectic life.
Sherri marks the first comedy series ever to be wholly owned by Lifetime. The Network has picked up 12 episodes of the program, to be produced in New York by Lifetime Television. Also starring in the series are Elizabeth Regen, Kate Reinders, Kali Rocha and Tammy Townsend. Classic TV stars Malcolm-Jamal Warner and James Avery will guest-star in multiple episodes.

Finally, I have a few personal news for you. Tonight's episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is the one I went to! Watch Night 5 tonight at 8pm ET/PT on ABC. Hint: I'm sitting close to where the contestant's spouse/family member sits, but in the third row instead of the first row. And finally, since 1997 I've been raising money for a Walkathon. This year I'm raising money online as well. So I'm asking you readers out there to help me out for my online portion and donate for a great cause that benefits so many causes, including the American Cancer Society. Any amount is good and you'll feel good for donating! So please donate today (I sound like Sally Struthers, don't I?)! You'll find all the info on that link...it is amazing. Please help us out!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

TV Land Brings Back Married with Children; New RTV Station In Northwest Arkansas

We interrupt our fall schedule barrage blog posts for a special announcement! The Bundys are back! TV Land made a very last minute schedule change yesterday and aired a block of Married...with Children last night from 8:30pm-11pm. TV Land will also air the show again on Friday from 7-9pm and on Saturday a 12-hour marathon will air from 12pm-12am, replacing blocks of Green Acres and Andy Griffith. The final Green Acres block is on Aug. 22 from 6am-8:30am, as the contract for the series is expiring. So, after these special airings, Married...with Children will return to the TV Land line-up! Spike TV isn't airing it daily right now, but is scheduled to return it as of now starting Sept. 28...so it seems TV Land will air it daily until then at least. Effective next week, Married...with Children will air Tuesdays 8pm-12am, Wednesdays & Thursdays 8-10pm and Fridays 8-9pm. Essentially replacing Cosby Show and Roseanne slots. The Cosby Show's 7-8pm hour will now belong to The Beverly Hillbillies starting Monday (Aug. 17), while Cosby Show moves to 3-4am instead of another hour of Roseanne.
Also, there will be another 12-hour Married...with Children marathon on Saturday, Aug. 22 from 10am-10pm, replacing the scheduled Bonanza and Andy blocks. The series has done well for TV Land but had to be pulled because Spike TV (a sister network) was putting it back on the daily schedule. Right now Spike is only airing it Sunday mornings.
View the updated TV Land August 2009 changes. So how will this affect TV Land in September starting Sept. 14? We're not sure, but I expect changes to the original Sept. schedule. Looks like we'll have to update our TV Land fall schedule post. Will Married...with Children be a part of it? We shall see. Stay with us, as always!

KPBI-TV the full power MyNetwork TV affiliate in North West Arkansas will drop its MyNetwork TV affiliation this week and become a full-time Retro Television RTV affiliate! According to Greg Fess, President of KPBI, "I am very excited to be bringing the RTV Network to the NW Arkansas area. We love the family friendly programs that we have enjoyed over the years. We know that viewers will embrace this new programming on KPBI which has served the area for many years as a broadcasting leader."
RTV's Neal Ardman pointed to the success many full power primary stations are now having using RTV on the main channel as the primary and often only network. "We have enjoyed tremendous ratings success in several markets including Boston on WMFP, Knoxville on WMAK and WPXS in St. Louis. RTV offers what other networks can't. Along with fantastic shows like Magnum P.I. and Quincy, RTV provides most of its affiliates 24/7 centralized master control on a barter basis. The RTV model has to be the future of TV for the local station to survive," said Ardman. By providing the both the local and nation content on an individual stream the stations have little if any capitol cost in launching and the only ongoing cost is the actual cost of spot sales.

We hope to have a fall schedule for you tomorrow, pending approval. So bear with us, we are trying! We still have quite a few left to deliver.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

WGN America Fall 2009 Marathons; Fox Schedules King of the Hill Finale; Three's Co Bio Tonight on Bio TV

Today on the fall schedules barrage on the blog we will dish out cool marathons on WGN America! Their full fall schedule will come at a later date, but we just couldn't wait to give you details on their fall marathons! First up on Sunday, Aug. 30 we have a marathon of The Honeymooners! Following baseball, the classic sitcom will air from 5:30pm-10pm ET (2:30pm-7pm PT) and continue after the news from 11pm-2am ET (8pm-11pm PT)! The marathon will preempt the regularly scheduled Outta Sight Retro Night programming. Marathon episodes for The Honeymooners are a mix of lost and classic 39 episodes: "Game Called on Account...," "Ralph's Sweet Tooth," "Principle of the Thing," "A Dog's Life," "Here Comes the Bride," "Loudspeaker," "On Stage," "Bensonhurst Bomber," "The Safety Award," "Mind Your Own Business," "Alice and the Blonde," "Love Letter," "The Adoption," "Norton Moves In/Dinner Guest," and "Catch a Star." No word yet if The Honeymooners will return to the regular WGN America line-up.
Next up on Sunday, Sept. 6 from 4-10pm ET (1pm-7pm PT), are you ready for some football? Celebrate the return of football with a marathon of the sitcom Coach! What better way to celebrate than to air Coach? The Jerry Lewis MDA telethon will air after the news starting at 11pm ET (8pm PT). We don't have episode info yet for Coach's marathon.
Then remember the series I kept saying that will be celebrating an anniversary this fall on WGN America? Well that series is The Cosby Show! WGN America will go all out for The Cosby Show's 25th anniversary with a marathon and more! First up on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) catch the 2002 reunion special The Cosby Show: A Look Back for the first time on WGN America. Then on Sunday, Sept. 20 we get a marathon and yet more! From 5:30pm-8pm ET (2:30pm-5pm PT) catch classic Cosby Show episodes with an all-new half-hour special at 7pm ET (4pm PT) titled The Cosby Show: 25th Anniversary Special. Thursday, Sept. 20, 1984 was the EXACT day The Cosby Show premiered on NBC, so WGN America will also air three other series that aired on NBC that night! From 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) catch an episode each of Family Ties, Cheers, and Hill Street Blues! What a nice and creative idea to celebrate this anniversary! We don't have episode info for this day yet, but wouldn't it be cool if the exact same episodes from that night aired? Now Cheers already airs regularly on Sunday nights, but will Family Ties and Hill Street Blues also join? You'll have to stay tuned! But wait, we're still not done with The Cosby Show! More classic episodes will air after the news from 11pm-2am ET (8pm-11pm PT). What a night!
We will certainly have the WGN America Fall 2009 schedule very soon, so stay with us! One hint: Wednesday nights in primetime will be '80s night with some nights having movies and some nights having TV series. Movies include Police Academy, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Octopussy!

After 13 seasons of beer, barbecue, bickering and bonding, the Hill family delivers a Southern-style send-off in a one-hour series finale episode of King of the Hill airing Sunday, Sept. 13 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. The King of the Hill finale will air after Fox NFL Sunday, so the lead-in will be big.
On the back-to-back series finale episodes, "The Boy Can't Help It"/"The Honeymooners," Bobby becomes quite the ladies' man when several girls in his class consider him a potential date for the Homecoming dance. When he realizes the girls are just playing with his emotions and are not really that interested, he asks his pal Connie to the dance. Also in the episode, Hank is shocked when his mother announces she is marrying a man she has only known for a few weeks. Soon after, the newlyweds celebrate by purchasing an RV and heading to Hank's. When Hank's mom and new stepfather have a heated argument, she takes off with the RV and Hank is left to rescue his mother once again.

Just a reminder tonight Bio TV premieres Biography: Three's Company tonight at 10pm ET with an encore at 2am ET. I just got an advanced copy and watched it. It is about the behind the scenes of the show--the sex, how it was developed, casting, history, and the cast after the show. I liked how they used clips of the unaired pilots, but that isn't anything new anymore. Interviewed were Matt Rousch (TV Guide), Robert Thompson (Professor, Syracuse University), Charlton McLivain (Professor, NYU), Fred Silverman, Larry Gelbart (Pilot #1 writer), Dom Taffner, Nancy Ritter, Richard Kline, George Burditt (producer), David Graham (casting director), George Sunga (producer), Carol Summers (script supervisor), and Priscilla Barnes.
It was nice to hear Larry Gelbart talk in detail on camera about this. I don't think he has done any of the other specials on the show. David Graham was also new to these specials and it was interesting on his casting take. This special said John Ritter wanted to stop the show after eight seasons. Everything else was pretty much the same from what we have known. Still worth watching and recording!

Monday, August 10, 2009

FX, USA, TNT, Hallmark, Comedy Central Fall 2009; Hallmark Weekend Change

Today's fall schedule barrage theme is "more of the same." There will be some cable networks who really aren't changing anything this September. They include FX, USA Network, TNT, Hallmark Channel and Comedy Central. USA Network will continue to have
Wings and Becker air on some weekdays in the 6am hour with various late night filler airings also. Drama blocks and movies still air on weekdays for shows such as Monk, NCIS, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Wednesday mornings has Walker, Texas Ranger and JAG.
As for Comedy Central, it's more of the same as well. Just Shoot Me! continues to air in the weekday 8am hour, but Scrubs will move from the 7pm hour to the 8pm hour starting Sept. 14, as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report take the 7pm hour. That's really the only change.
FX, TNT, and The Hallmark Channel have the exact same line-up for September as they do right now, with shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Bernie Mac on FX; Charmed, Law & Order, Bones and CSI NY on TNT; and Golden Girls, Touched by an Angel, and M*A*S*H on Hallmark...all in the same time slots!
We had to cover these because we would get the question if these networks are making any changes in September. But are these the fall line-ups? We're not sure. Changes could be made in October, so stay tuned. However, USA Network is more of the same in October, so don't expect anything from us for that.
Stay tuned for more fall schedules all this week. We still have WGN America, Nick at Nite, The N, BET, WE tv and more to go through.

We didn't get a chance to warn you on Friday but Hallmark Channel has made some weekend changes that started this past Saturday (Aug. 8). The Saturday morning 6-9am episodes of Little House on the Prairie have been replaced by The Golden Girls. The same goes true for the Sunday morning airing from 8-11am as more Golden Girls are added. And if you think that's it, you're wrong because Hallmark will be thanking you for being a friend late nights on weekends as well! Both Saturday and Sunday nights (that's early Sunday and Monday mornings) from 1-3am are now also Golden Girls instead of a late night movie. So they go from no airings on weekends to all of this!

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Summer Week 11 Sitcom Ratings; Coming Week Preview

Summer continues and everything is still pretty light. We will be back with our normal weekly report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long, along with last year's summer favorite, the coming week preview! Here are our summer ratings:

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of July 27-August 2)

  • Til Death (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm only mustered 1.61 million...but slightly up week-to-week once again. Slow climbs.
  • The Simpsons (Fox) 3 episodes - We got triple dose of repeats this week with the regular 8pm airing getting 3.23 million, but a special 8:30pm repeat did way better at 4.24 million. 9:30 repeat did the most with 4.48 million.
  • King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - 4.63 million for a repeat...the best of the bunch. 2.2 18-49 rating is excellent for a summer repeat these days.
  • American Dad! (Fox) - Only 1.61 million for a repeat at 7:30...a bit lower than the previous week though and only held from the lead-in this time instead of building from it.

Summer Week 11 (August 3-9)

Monday Sitcoms

  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 4.72 million for a repeat airing, down a bit from previous week. 1.6 A18-49 rating was a tick down as well from previous week.
  • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 5.13 million for a repeat airing, a bit higher than previous week and built on the lead-in in A18-49 with a 1.9 A18-49 rating.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 9.46 million for a repeat, up 400,000 or so from previous week. 2.8 A18-49 rating was also up a bit from previous week.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.39 million for a repeat is down some from previous week, despite the lead-in going up. 2.7 18-49 rating is excellent, but down a tick from previous week.
Tuesday Sitcoms

  • Better Off Ted (ABC) - preempted...two episode season finale will air this week.
  • Scrubs (ABC) - Just 1.56 million for a rare (and last) summer repeat.
Wednesday Sitcoms

  • Old Christine (CBS) - Only 3.69 million for a repeat, down some from previous week but it did match the 1.0 A18-49 rating from previous week.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Only 3.74 million but did build a bit in A18-49 from the lead-in doing a 1.1 rating again despite going down week-to-week a bit in viewers.
Thursday Sitcoms

  • The Office (NBC) - We don't have finals for Thursday yet, so these Thursday sitcom ratings are prelim. Prelim 2.92 million for a repeat at 9pm...down some from previous week's final number.
  • 30 Rock (NBC) 2 episodes - Prelim 3.27 and 2.65 million for repeats at 8 and 9:30pm, both down in both time periods from previous week's final numbers.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC) - A repeat did just a prelim 2.76 million at 8:30pm...down a tad from previous week's final number.

Friday Sitcoms

  • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 944,000 viewers. That was down from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • The Game (The CW) - A repeat did a premim 998,000 viewers, also down from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • Surviving Suburbia (ABC) - Prelim numbers show only 2.73 million for the last episode at 8pm, but up some from previous week's prelim numbers. This show is now done.
  • The Goode Family (ABC) 2 episodes - Prelim numbers were even worse for the two episode finale of this show with 1.63 million for 8:30pm, that was down a bit from previous week's prelim numbers. Special 9:30pm finale did even worse with 1.48 million.
  • According to Jim (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 2.09 million, up a lick from previous week's prelim rating at 9pm. As always, check out final numbers for Friday for these shows and all the Friday shows on our message board tomorrow.
Saturday Sitcoms

  • None.
Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's 'Til Death and animated comedies from 7-10pm. Elsewhere ABC has the 10th anniversary 11-night event return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with Regis at 8pm leading into the premiere of Shark Tank and an all-new episode of drama Defying Gravity at 10pm. CBS has 60 Minutes & Big Brother followed by the premiere of There Goes the Neighborhood at 9pm, while NBC will have a new Dateline in the 7pm hour, leading into a NFL pre-season game that no one would watch.


Coming Week Preview (Aug. 10-16):

I'm only highlighting the broadcast notables this week. On Monday, ABC has night two of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 8pm leading into an all-new episode of Dating in the Dark at 9pm. NBC has an all-new Great American Road Trip at 8pm, followed by the NBC premiere of USA's Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and a new Dateline at 10pm. Fox has the 2009 Teen Choice Awards from 8-10pm.
On Tuesday ABC continues Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 8pm with night three leading into the two episode season finale of comedy Better off Ted and the season premiere of Primetime: The Outsiders at 10pm. CBS is all-new with Big Brother 11 at 9pm, while NBC is new with a two-hour America's Got Talent from 9-11pm. Fox has Hell's Kitchen and More to Love on this night.
On Wednesday once again the pick is with ABC with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 8pm with night four leading into an all-new Wipeout at a special time of 9pm, followed by an all-new Primetime: Crime at 10pm. NBC has another America's Got Talent at 9pm leading into summer drama The Philanthropist at 10pm.
On Thursday we have night five (I went to this taping!) of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at 8pm! It was so fun! And CBS has Big Brother 11 at 8pm on a repeat filled night.
For Friday, ABC has 20/20 at 10pm, while NBC has Dateline from 9-11pm. Fox has a two-hour all-new Mental from 8-10pm. And MyNetwork TV of course has WWE Friday Night Smackdown from 8-10!
Go read a book or go out on Saturday because it is so quiet. NBC has VISA U.S. Gymnastics Championships from 8-10 and Fox has what else--Cops and AMW.
Finally, next Sunday it is night six of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on ABC at 8pm leading into Shark Tank and Defying Gravity from 9-11pm. CBS has Big Brother and There Goes the Neighborhood from 9-11pm, while NBC has Dateline and Merlin from 7-9pm.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Summer 2009 TCA Tour: ABC

We are preempting our Saturday blog DVD review this week so we can cover the last day of the summer 2009 TCA press tour. Today ABC will be up, and it is a full docket! Kicking it off will be panels starting at 9am PT for Modern Family, Shark Tank, The Middle, Hank, and FlashForward. FlashForward's pilot will be screened during lunch. Then we have the executive session, where we should learn a whole lot. After that, we have more panels for new series, The Forgotten, Cougar Town, Eastwick, and V. ABC is set to announce that V will launch in November. Finally, the night concludes with the Disney-ABC Cocktail Reception!
ABC is promoting their new Wednesday comedy block as "ABC Comedy Wednesday," and starting today promos for Comedy Wednesday will crank up as stars of those comedies join the ABC House! Check out two of those new ABC House promos, featuring Comedy Wednesday casts. As of this writing, the first spot will air today during the ABC Afternoon Movie at 4pm. The Middle and Hank promos begin tonight during the ABC Saturday Night Movie at 8pm!

V will launch on Tuesday, November 3 at 8pm! In other confirmations, ABC has confirmed they have picked-up the sitcom Romantically Challenged for midseason. The show stars Alyssa Milano and Kyle Borneheimer.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Canada Cable Networks Fall 2009 Schedules; Joan Rivers' Show on TV Land Premieres Well

Today we put our full focus on cable stations up north... Canada, that is. We will take a look at some of the fall 2009 schedules for Canada including TV Land Canada, DejaView, CTS, TVtropolis, and SUN TV.
First up, we'll start with TV Land Canada. They will be adding the Canadian series The Red Green Show. Set in the fictional town of Possum Lake, Canada, this sketch/sitcom comedy series features the feats and foibles of Possum Lodge leader and hapless handyman, Red Green (comedian Steve Smith). Recurring characters include Harold, Red's techno-geek nephew and Bill, the resident naturalist. It will air Mondays through Fridays at 7am & 7:30am; repeats at 11:30am & 12pm, 7pm & 7:30pm, and 4am & 4:30am starting August 31.
Leaving the TV Land Canada line-up for now are 21 Jump Street, Dallas, Adventures in Rainbow Country, Swiss Family Robinson, and Adderly.
Among the highlights are The Red Green Show marathon on Canada's Thanksgiving. If you haven't caught TV Land Canada's latest new series yet, come and get acquainted by celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in the great outdoors with Red Green and his cronies from 6am-12pm with two encores each from 12pm-6pm and 6pm-6am! Next, tune in to TV Land Canada on Christmas Eve starting at 5pm to kick-start the night with a double-bill of Lassie movies, then follow up with special holiday-themed episodes of your favorite programs Lassie, Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, and Hart to Hart. Then finally the next day, Christmas Day is a happy day, so spend with Fonzie, Chachi and the gang with a Happy Days marathon from 6am-5pm with an encore from 5pm-4am!
View the full TV Land Canada Fall 2009 Schedule.

Next up we have DejaView's Fall 2009 schedule. DejaView is removing The Rifleman, The Wonder Years, Good Times, The Ropers, Magnum P.I.. But since shows leave, new shows will join! Joining the schedule are The Rockford Files, Coach, Saved By The Bell, Silver Spoons. The first two are weekdays (Coach is weekends as well), while the latter two will air on weekends only. DejaView staples Three's Company, All in the Family, Who's the Boss?, The Cosby Show, and a few others will remain.

Then we have the TVtropolis Fall 2009 Schedule.
TVtropolis of course was known as PRIME previously. Their line-up features a mix of sitcoms, game shows, reality series, and more. They are a sister station to DejaView. Coming to the network this fall are Three's Company and Dawson's Creek. Yes, Three's Company will air on BOTH DejaView and TVtropolis! Mainstays Seinfeld, Married with Children, King of Queens, That '70s Show, Frasier, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond remain.

Next we have SUN TV and CTS TV. SUN TV will have series such as My Secret Identity, Caroline in the City, Dear John, Taxi, Dave's World, George Lopez, Becker, Alfred Hitchcock, Fame and Jimmy Kimmel Live. View SUN TV's Fall 2009 schedule.
CTS's fall line-up will not have any sitcoms anymore except for Family Matters. Sitcoms of recent years like The Hogan Family, Facts of Life, Family Ties, Full House, Amen, Fresh Prince, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, are now gone! Replacing these comedies are now dramas Promised Land, Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. View the CTS Fall 2009 line-up.

Finally, Teletoon will add The Yogi Bear Show, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, Top Cat, Captain Caveman, Josie and the Pussycats, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Inspector Gadget and Beetlejuice to their schedule, but Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, The Tom and Jerry Show, Woody Woodpecker, Merrie Melodies, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and The Porky Pig Show are leaving. View the Teletoon Fall 2009 schedule.
And continue to monitor and discuss Canada's fall schedules on our message board with the help of members like Sal from Canada.

Wednesday night's premiere of TV Land PRIME's new reality series, How'd You Get So Rich? posted double-digit increases in rating and delivery among Adults 25-54 and Adults 40-54 a well total viewers over recent levels. It also witnessed double-digit gains over its 9:30 p.m. Roseanne lead-in as well as gains among women 25-54. The new series, starring the often outrageous and hilarious Joan Rivers, takes viewers on a journey to meet millionaires who worked hard and struck gold as she tours the most lavish and extravagant homes and introduces them to folks who made a lot of money in really interesting ways the way only Joan can.
According to Nielsen Media Research, How'd You Get So Rich? posted double-digit gains with a 0.3 A25-54 rating and 333,000 viewers among A25-54, up 29% in rating and 33% in viewers 25-54 versus the prior 4 week primetime average. The network averaged 650,000 total viewers, up 16% over the previous four week average. Among the network's core A40-54 audience, the premiere earned a 0.4 A40-54 rating and 203,000 viewers A40-54, an increase of 24% in rating and 26% in viewers 40-54 over the previous 4 week average.
The premiere telecast posted increases among Women 25-54 over recent primetime levels, scoring a 0.4 W25-54 rating 197,000 viewers W25-54, up 37% in rating and 38% in viewers W25-54 versus previous four week primetime average. How'd You Get So Rich? experienced appointment viewing as it lifted 35% among A25-54 over its 9:30 p.m. Roseanne lead-in.

Other TV Land news, The Beverly Hillbillies will air this Sunday night (Aug. 9) from 4-6am instead of The Andy Griffith Show. Andy Griffith has been extended on Tuesday, August 11 from 6-8pm, so it gets an extra half-hour on this date as it was scheduled for 6pm-7:30pm.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Spike TV Fall 2009 Schedule; Summer 2009 TCA Tour: Fox

We continue our look at Fall 2009 schedules and today it is Spike TV's turn. Spike TV will continue to air nothing but CSI and CSI NY on the regular schedule until Sept. 28. Starting Sept. 28, as of now, Married...with Children will return to the schedule airing weekdays 9-11am. Currently it was only airing Sunday mornings because of the CSI daily marathons. A double shot of Spike's Most Amazing Videos will air at 11am and 12pm. CSI NY follows at 1pm and 2pm, with CSI at 3pm and 4pm. We get yet more CSI NY at 5pm and 6pm and yet more CSI at 7pm and 8pm. From 9pm-1am we get originals, movies and other various programming.
Late nights will have the returns of Star Trek: Voyager and Unsolved Mysteries airing at 1am and 2am respectively. However, these will be only Mon-Wed nights as movies and originals air Thursday and Friday nights. Also airing Mon-Wed nights is Spike's Most Amazing Videos at 3am.
View the full Spike TV Fall 2009 schedule. As always with schedules, especially from Viacom, it could change...so stay with us.

Fox is up today at the summer 2009 TCA press tour. Among the key announcements so far are:
Superstar chef Gordon Ramsay is bringing his culinary expertise to homes across the U.S. as he invites viewers to cookalong with him from the comfort of their own kitchens during Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live. Based on the U.K. smash hit, Ramsay will star in a live one-hour special airing Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed where he'll be giving America a one-on-one cooking lesson, providing viewers with a real-time demonstration and step-by-step instructions on how to cook a delicious three-course meal in just 60 minutes and he's going to do it all LIVE.
In addition to the previously announced seventh season order, Fox has picked up an eighth installment of Hell's Kitchen, the sizzling series that puts aspiring chefs through a rigorous culinary boot camp as Ramsay searches for the one worthy of a life-changing grand prize.
Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Anne Hathaway, Jackie Mason, Neve Campbell, Chris Martin, Sarah Silverman, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Bob Costas, Chuck Liddell, Angela Bassett and the late Eartha Kitt are among the guest voices on the upcoming 21st season of The Simpsons. Also, beginning Monday, Nov. 9 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 15, fans can watch Fox shows to find Simpsons 20-year tributes and clues featured in primetime programming and in on-air promos. Viewers who spot the clues can log on to fox.com for an opportunity to win daily prizes and to enter to win an ultimate grand prize. Additional details to be announced.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

TV One September 2009 Highlights; Summer 2009 TCA Tour: NBC; Donna Reed Show Season 2 DVD Giveaway!

TV One has announced their September 2009 schedule and highlights. There are no changes to the regular schedule, so we are not certain if this is the fall line-up or not. My guess is we will see changes in October and that will be the fall line-up. But anyway, TV One has many stunts in September!
On Labor Day (Monday, September 7) beginning at 10am through 8pm (encores 8pm-6am), TV One proudly introduces the African American drama series Lincoln Heights, to its series roster with an all-day marathon event of all 10 episodes from the first season of this groundbreaking ABC Family original drama series. In the show, when police officer Eddie Sutton packs up his family and moves back to the inner-city neighborhood where he grew up, he faces the struggle to balance the safety and happiness of this family with his desire to change the neighborhood. The series stars Russell Hornsby, Nikki Micheaux, Erica Hubbard, Mishon Ratliff, Robert Adamson, and Rhyon Nicole Brown. We are not sure yet if repeats are joining the regular schedule anytime soon, but it will not be joining the September schedule, that's for sure. The series is entering its fourth season on ABC Family, but not sure why TV One is airing a marathon. Maybe they will pick up the off-net rights when eligible?
On Saturday, September 19 beginning at 1pm through 9pm (select encores from 2am-6am), TV One celebrates September brides with a 'Battle of the Brides' marathon of two classic sitcom viewer favorites Amen and Good Times in the "Battle of the Thelmas" marathon. Which Thelma has the best romance and wedding - Thelma Evans from Good Times or Thelma Frye from Amen? Episodes in this marathon feature the romance and wedding of Thelma and Keith from the classic sitcom Good Times in addition to the romance and wedding(s) of Thelma and Ruben from the classic sitcom Amen.
On the next day on Sunday, September 20 beginning at 12 Noon though 8pm (select encores from 2:30am-6am), it's a "Movin' On Up" Marathon as TV One presents a marathon of the classic sitcom The Jeffersons. Viewers can join George, Weezy, and the rest of the crazy characters in this special marathon of the longest running African American sitcom in the history of television. The series is still not returning to the regular schedule, but maybe a return in October is likely? But for now enjoy this marathon!
Stay tuned for October, because I think we'll see changes and perhaps new additions then!

NBC and its cable networks are up today at the summer 2009 TCA press tour. First up at the panel is Wake Up with Al, the new Weather Channel series with Al Roker. Then we have the executive sesson, followed by panels on new NBC series Community and Trauma. Lunch follows with Bravo's Top Chef Las Vegas. More panels follow of White Collar (USA Network), Syfy's Stargate Universe & Alice, and NBC's Mercy and Jay Leno Show. NBC Universal's All-Star Party follows sponsored by Oxygen's The Naughty Kitchen with Blythe Beck.
Stay tuned for any key announcements.

We have 3 copies of The Donna Reed Show - Season Two DVD for giveaway thanks to the fine folks at Virgil Films and Entertainment. It's now available in stores and from online retailers.
When you hear that ringing of the telephone, you know it is time for more of The Donna Reed Show on DVD! Season Two of The Donna Reed Show brings the 38 episodes from the 1959-1960 season of the series to DVD on a four disc set.
Donna Reed, the title star, plays Donna Stone, a woman that is proud to be a housewife based upon her perception of what a housewife is. Carl Betz plays Alex, her husband, who has a successful career as a physician. She has two children, Jeff (Paul Petersen) and Mary (Shelley Fabares). The series is much like most other sitcoms from the era in a sense, but at the same time, it is different. While it certainly wasn't the first family sitcom or the first sitcom with a female lead, it was among the first successful family sitcoms WITH a female leading character. The episodes mostly centered around Donna and her life, although that doesn't mean that the other characters never got story lines. She always liked to think of herself as more than just a housewife, somewhat of a domestic engineer so to speak, but that doesn't mean that the series was a new wave in feminism or anything like that. It was still a light-hearted late '50s/early '60s family sitcom. But a great family sitcom, for sure.
You can read our review of the DVD, purchase the DVD now, and enter the DVD contest if you're eligible! Make sure you read the contest rules first before entering. Good luck!

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

ABC Family Fall 2009; Me-Too August 2009 Daily Marathons; Summer 2009 TCA Tour: The CW

Our fall 2009 schedules barrage continues today with ABC Family September 2009! We are not 100% sure if it is their fall schedule but there will be a schedule change to the weekday line-up starting Monday, Sept. 14! The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will now also air on weekdays! The show will air weekdays in the 6pm hour replacing My Wife & Kids, which moves to 1pm replacing Sister, Sister. Sister, Sister will still air in the 7am hour (and on BET and Gospel Music Channel). So how on earth is Fresh Prince airing on weekdays when ABC Family only had weekend rights? It is very interesting. It looks to me as Viacom (Nick at Nite and The N) will lose the rights to the series and ABC Family is now picking up the rights for weekday evenings as well. ABC Family will continue to air the series on Saturday nights as well. So it looks like TBS will still have the daytime rights while ABC Family has the evening rights on both weekdays and on weekends now. I'm not 100% sure if Viacom is losing rights, so we will have to see when we announce both the Nick at Nite and The N's fall schedules. The N has already replaced Fresh Prince since last night, as Degrassi now airs Mon-Thurs 2-4am...so is that the reason for removal? There is still a Fresh Prince week-long marathon scheduled on The N for Aug. 17-21 from 7pm-12am. Is that the farewell? Nick at Nite airs the show still Mon-Thurs nights from 3-6am, so no signs yet of removal, but with Everybody Hates Chris coming in September, maybe that is a replacement?
Elsewhere on ABC Family, The Secret Life of the American Teenager has its mid-season finale on Monday, Sept. 7 at 8pm. An all-day marathon will lead into it from 11am-8pm. 10 Things I Hate About You has its season finale the next night on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 8pm. Lincoln Heights will have its season four premiere on Monday, Sept. 14 at 8pm, as Greek continues to air new season three episodes at 9pm. Ruby & the Rockits will air repeats at 8pm leading into new episodes at 8:30pm on Sept. 15 and 22, with the season finale on Sept. 22 at 8:30pm. AFV will air Tuesdays in primetime from 8-11pm starting Sept. 29, shifting the movie to Wednesdays 8-10pm starting Sept. 30. There will be an AFV marathon on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 3-11pm to get ready for the all-new season on ABC.
Movie wise, the ABC Family original movie The Wedding Date starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney premieres Sunday, Sept. 13 at 9pm. Theatrical movies include the premiere of Shanghai Noon and a special edition of Dirty Dancing.
View the full regular schedule for ABC Family September 2009.

The daily classic TV summer marathons continue on Chicago's Me-Too in August! This time with a twist! Every weekday spend the whole day and evening with a different Me-Too Marathon theme! There's never too much TV for Me-Too. One day you may time warp back to 1973, another day you may be enlisting in the military or spending a day on another planet. 10AM-10PM each weekday on Me-Too in Chicago!
The schedule for the month (Aug. 3-Sept. 4) in order is: First Episodes, Detective Day, S.W.A.T., Evil Twins, A Tribute to Norman Lear, 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, A Tribute to Brandon Tartikoff, A Tribute to Fred Silverman, Award Winners, Before They Were Stars, Me-Too Mystery, Suspense Day, Spy with Me, The Fugitive, Me-Too Wants You, Sci-Fi Friday, Classic Kids, The Single Dads of Me, A Tribute to Bill Bixby, Sea Hunt, and Christmas in September. SOME of the shows you will see in this classic must-see month on Me-Too are Dick Van Dyke Show, Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, Who's the Boss?, Benson, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Star Trek, Lost in Space, Get Smart, Bewitched, Barney Miller, Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Hawaii Five-0, Hart to Hart, Police Woman, Kojak, S.W.A.T., I Dream of Jeannie, Mork & Mindy, Knight Rider, One Day at a Time, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, All in the Family, Sanford & Son, I Love Lucy, Burns & Allen, Abbott & Costello, You Bet Your Life, Four Star Playhouse, Dragnet, Ozzie & Harriett, My Favorite Martian, McHale's Navy, Patty Duke Show, Combat, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Lucy Show, Rawhide, Jack Benny, Andy Griffith Show, Alfred Hitchcock, The Partridge Family, Love American Style, The Odd Couple, Streets of San Francisco, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Webster, Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, T.J. Hooker, A-Team, Family Ties, Happy Days, Magnum P.I., and more! And that's the shows only through the 1983 day! They haven't announced from Aug. 14 and on yet. Who needs TV Land or any other classic network when you have a roster of shows like that!
View the schedule section on their website for episode info.

The CW is up today at the summer 2009 TCA press tour. Expected are panels for The Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life, Melrose Place, and Life UneXpected. Stay with us for any key announcements.

Monday, August 03, 2009

ION Television Fall 2009 Schedule; Summer 2009 TCA Tour: CBS; 2009 TCA Awards Winners

ION Television has officially announced their full Fall 2009 schedule. We gave you a preview of what was to come a week or so ago, but now we have the full schedule! The changes will be all made in primetime. The 4pm-8pm schedule will remain the same, so we still have M*A*S*H, Boston Legal, Family Feud and Reba airing every weekday. As we mentioned, Ghost Whisperer goes from Mondays at 8pm to Mon-Thurs at 8pm starting Sept. 7. Criminal Minds joins the schedule and will air Mondays at 9pm, Tuesdays 9pm & 10pm, Wednesdays at 10pm, and Fridays at 10pm...that's five airings a week! New original series Durham County will air Mondays at 10pm and will have an instant encore at 11pm on Mondays as well. So, the 11pm hour on Mondays will not be paid programming anymore! Returning to the schedule after having August off is NCIS airing Thursdays at 9pm and 10pm, replacing Total Theatre Thursday. Boston Legal, which will still air in the daytime schedule, will now only be Wednesdays at 9pm in primetime. The ION Monday & Wednesday movie will be replaced, just like Thursday. ION Movies are now weekends only airing Fridays through Sundays. As far as weekends, the movies continue but instead of M*A*S*H leading into the movies at times, it will now be Reba.
ION Movie premieres for September 2009 are big hits! The Break-Up, Outbreak, A Bronx Tale, Inside Man, and Patriot Games are the premieres. Encores for the month are Matrix Reloaded, The Specialist, The Enforcer, The Gauntlet, and Magnum Force.
View the full ION Television September 2009 schedule and highlights.

CBS is the first broadcast network up at the summer 2009 TCA press tour. It gets underway at 9am PT with the Executive Session. Schedule after that has panels for The Goode Wife & The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, a research presentation on the latest findings about the relationship between TV and the Internet, then lunch time with gourmet lunch packages, a special press conference, panels for Accidentally on Purpose, The Doctors, Medium, and the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. The Stars Party closes things out in the evening with stars of CBS, The CW, Showtime and CBS Television Distribution. Stay with us all day for news here as it happens!
Let's Make a Deal, a new take on the classic game show where audience members dress in outlandish costumes to win cash and prizes by making deals with the host, will premiere Monday, October 5, (check local listings) on the CBS Television Network. Emmy Award-winner Wayne Brady will host the new daytime series produced by FremantleMedia North America. When it joins the CBS Television Network daytime schedule, it will be replacing Guiding Light. Guiding Light will have its last telecast on Friday, September 18, 2009. Programming for this time period from September 21-October 2 will be announced shortly, but starting Oct. 5, it will be Let's Make a Deal.
The original series was a television game show staple during the 1960's and 70's when it was hosted by Monty Hall from 1963-1977. While later versions aired in syndication and primetime, the game show is best remembered for the years hosted by Hall, who will serve as a creative consultant on this latest version.
Up tomorrow at the press tour will be The CW and Showtime! NBC will be Wednesday, Fox on Thursday, FX on Friday, and ABC closes it out on Satuday.

The Television Critics Association marked the 25th anniversary of its awards on Saturday night (Aug. 1) with a ceremony looking back at the history of the organization and its tradition of honoring quality television programs.
HBO led all the networks with three trophies at the Television Critics Association Awards, winning for Outstanding New Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Mini-Series & Specials and Outstanding Achievement in News & Information. Sitcom The Big Bang Theory won Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. Its star, Jim Parsons, received the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy award. Full winners:

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Battlestar Galactica (Syfy)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: True Blood (HBO)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Mad Men (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: The Alzheimer's Project (HBO)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: Grey Gardens (HBO)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
HERITAGE AWARD: ER (NBC)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Betty White

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Summer Week 10 Sitcom Ratings; Blog DVD Review Special: Peyton Place - Part One

Summer continues and everything is still pretty light. We will be back with our normal weekly report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long, along with last year's summer favorite, the coming week preview! Here are our summer ratings:

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of July 20-26)

  • Til Death (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm only mustered 1.53 million...but slightly up week-to-week again.
  • The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - preempted...2 repeats return tonight.
  • King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - preempted.
  • American Dad! (Fox) - Only 1.73 million for a repeat at 7:30...a bit higher than the previous week though and built from the lead-in.

Summer Week 10 (July 27-August 2)

Monday Sitcoms

  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 4.98 million for a repeat airing, down from previous week. 1.7 A18-49 rating was identical from previous week though.
  • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 4.91 million for a repeat airing, lower than previous week again. Matched the 1.7 A18-49 rating from the lead-in for the second straight week.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 9.06 million for a repeat, down some from previous week. 2.7 A18-49 rating was also down a bit.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.48 million for a repeat is down some from previous week. 2.8 18-49 rating is excellent, BUILDING from the lead-in this time...impressive.
Tuesday Sitcoms

  • Better Off Ted (ABC) - preempted...two episode season finale will air Aug. 11.
  • Scrubs (ABC) - preempted...last scheduled repeat airs this Tuesday at 9:30pm.
Wednesday Sitcoms

  • Old Christine (CBS) - Only 4.05 million and a 1.0 A18-49 rating.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Only 3.9 million but did build a bit in A18-49 from the lead-in doing a 1.1 rating.
Thursday Sitcoms

  • The Office (NBC) - 3.1 million for a repeat at 9pm...up some from previous week.
  • 30 Rock (NBC) 2 episodes - 3.65 and 2.99 million for repeats at 8 and 9:30pm, up some in both time periods from previous week.
  • Parks & Recreation (NBC) - First repeat of the summer did just 2.83 million at 8:30pm...worst of the sitcom block.

Friday Sitcoms

  • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 1.24 million. That was up from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • The Game (The CW) - A repeat did a premim 1.43 million, also up a lot from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • Surviving Suburbia (ABC) - Prelim numbers show only 2.6 million for an all-new episode at 8pm, but up some from previous week's prelim numbers. Finale is this coming Friday.
  • The Goode Family (ABC) - Prelim numbers were even worse for an all-new episode of this show with 1.78 million, also up some from previous week's prelim numbers. Two episode finale is this coming Friday.
  • According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - 2 repeats did a prelim 2.06 and 2.25 million, also up from previous week's prelim average. As always, check out final numbers for Friday for these shows and all the Friday shows on our message board tomorrow.
Saturday Sitcoms

  • None.
Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's 'Til Death and animated comedies from 7-10pm. Elsewhere ABC has the special Ty's Great British Adventure at 8pm leading into the two-hour premiere of drama Defying Gravity from 9-11pm. CBS has 60 Minutes & Big Brother, while NBC will have a new Dateline in the 7pm hour, leading into Merlin at 8, and part two of the mini-series The Storm at 9.


Coming Week Preview (Aug. 3-9):

We are preempting this week's preview again so we can you bring you another special blog DVD review on a special day! So enjoy that below.

Welcome to a special edition of the Blog DVD Review. Today we take a look at Shout! Factory's Peyton Place - Part One. Peyton Place ran from 1964-1969 on ABC and had over 500 episodes! See skees53's Blog DVD Review of Peyton Place - Part One:

Peyton Place - Part One (Shout!, $39.99) is the beginning of the continuing story of the series Peyton Place. Peyton Place was the series that brought scandalous family drama to primetime in the 1960s. The series was a serial drama that aired for a half hour multiple times every week on ABC from 1964 to 1969. The series ran continuously and never took a summer break, resulting in over 500 episodes by the end of the series. Now, Shout! Factory has released the first 31 of these episodes in a five-disc set.

Peyton Place is a small New England town where they say that nothing exciting ever really happens. The story of Peyton Place may seem rather typical on the outside, but as one gets to know the people of Peyton Place, it is discovered that even a town where supposedly "nothing exciting ever happens" can be full of drama. Constance MacKenzie (Dorothy Malone) owns a small bookstore in Peyton Place and has an intelligent and intellectual teenage daughter, Allison (Mia Farrow). There is no "man of the house" in the MacKenzie house, as it is said that Constance is a widow. Without a man in the house, Matthew Swain (Warner Anderson), the newspaper editor, fills this role in a sense.

Allison has a love interest in town, and it is the popular Rodney Harrington (Ryan O'Neal). Actually, Rodney's younger brother, Norman (Christopher Connelly) is a friend of Allison's from school, and he too is interested in Allison. Rodney is actually on the rebound from a previous relationship with a girl from the "wrong side of the tracks," Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins), and her constant tactics to woo him once again. As if that isn't bad enough, Rodney's father, Leslie (Paul Langton) is having an affair with Betty's mother, Julie (Kasey Rogers). As if that wasn't enough drama, Julie was having some serious problems at home with her husband, George (Henry Beckman). And that is only how the continuing story of Peyton Place begins.

Before I go any further, if you have never seen the series, you may want to skip the next two paragraphs. Like many serial dramatic series, it is difficult to talk about episodes of the series without spoiling something, and this one is no exception. The series begins with a new doctor in town, Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson). Dr. Rossi has just moved to Peyton Place for mysterious reasons after practicing in New York City. Everybody in town wonders why he would come to Peyton Place, as it is explained that Peyton Place is the type of place that people usually try to get away from, but at this point in time, nobody really knows for sure. Rodney and Allison meet up and share their first kiss, but he hasn't exactly broken things off with Betty, at least not yet. Rodney is actually content with his girlfriend Betty, but everything takes a sudden turn for the worse when he finds his father in the arms of Julie, Betty's mother. This leads to Rodney going back to Allison, which may or may not work out in the long run.
Julie's affair with Leslie may actually be a positive thing for her, as it is revealed that her marriage at home is not only in terrible shape, but her husband, George, has some serious mental health issues, and engages in domestic abuse against his own wife. When it comes to Rodney, Betty is not going to go down without a fight, and is going to do whatever it takes to split up Rodney and Allison. So in a storyline which goes on for several episodes, she tries to break the news to Rodney: she is going to have a baby, in what is most likely the very first unwed and unplanned teenage pregnancy plot to ever make it to primetime on the American airwaves. Naturally, this causes a rift in the relationship between Rodney and Allison. And just when it seems that nothing else can happen, Elliot Carson arrives in town after spending 18 years in prison. Who is he and why is he in Peyton Place?

The DVD set, unlike most other Shout! Factory releases, comes in a standard DVD snapcase with an outer sleeve. The cover has a color snapshot of the cast in front of the bookstore, and the back of the case has three black and white series snapshots, along with a description of the season. Inside the case, we have the four discs, which again have black and white cast photos on each of them. There is a sheet of paper inside the case that describes the episodes on the set in general, but it does not go in to any specifics. There are absolutely no episode descriptions or listings anywhere to be found on this set, although in a way, that isn't fully necessary. There were no episode titles, and most of the stories carried over several episodes. Still, episode listings would have been nice. The set contains five discs, with each disc containing six episodes, except for Disc 5, which contains seven episodes.

The menus on the set are very nice, with the theme song playing on the main menu of each disc, and various random quotes from the series being read from the cast members. The main menu on each disc has options of Play All and Episodes. Selecting Episodes takes you to a menu where each episode number is listed (there weren't any episode titles). Next to each episode, there is a Preview option, which actually appears to just be the "teaser" for the next episode from the previous episode. These are all about 30 seconds long.

When I first started watching the set, I was impressed with the video (which is in black and white, by the way) and audio quality. And then I got to Disc 2. It seems that beyond the first few episodes, the series wasn't exactly the most well preserved series out there. That isn't to say that the series is unwatchable, but there is grain and debris everywhere and the contrast levels are very problematic. To be honest, don't expect to be able to see anything that happens in a dark room our outside at night on some of the episodes, as all you can really see is mostly a black screen. It isn't this way on every episode, though. It seems to come and go. Just to be fair, however, it is worth noting that many serial dramas such as this were not even intended to be preserved, at all. Who would have thought that this series would have any interest beyond the original airing? The very fact that it was preserved at all is a positive thing. The mono audio has a little bit of crackling in it, but that shouldn't deter anybody, as it is generally loud and clear and everything can be heard in the episodes. The episodes are neither closed-captioned nor subtitled. Each episode appears to be unedited, running around 25:30.

The set really doesn't have any special features, although honestly, I don't know that I would even expect to see them on a series such as this. The problem with putting special features on something like this is that it would take up more space on the disc (leaving fewer episodes) and it would increase the price of the set (making the cost of owning multiple sets too expensive). I normally wouldn't say that it is OK to skip on the special features, but in this case, I think that it is.

So, will Allison MacKenzie ever know the truth about her father? Is there happiness in store for the Harringtons? Can Betty Anderson rise above her past? Can Elliot Carson clear his name? And will Allison MacKenzie find true love? Actually, you won't find the answer to any of those questions on this set, but those are the questions that you'll be asking once you see these episodes. All of those are questions raised here, which will be answered on the next release (which has actually already been released, and we will be reviewing in the future on here). The question for Shout! Factory, though, is will they continue to release the series on DVD? With 514 episodes, that'll mean quite a few releases, but fans are sure to appreciate it if they all do indeed make it onto DVD. But for now, I think fans of this series and serial family dramas will enjoy this DVD set, the beginning of the continuing story of... Peyton Place.

Reviewed by skees53
(3.5/5 stars)

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

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

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Blog DVD Review: Flight of the Conchords - The Complete Second Season (Aug. 4)

Welcome to our weekly Blog DVD Review. Today we take a look at HBO Home Video's Flight of the Conchords - The Complete Second Season. Flight of the Conchords is the recently Emmy nominated comedy starring Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement as a folk singing duet from New Zealand making their way across a couple of continents and into New York City. See skees53's Blog DVD Review of Flight of the Conchords - The Complete Second Season:

Flight of the Conchords - The Complete Second Season (HBO, $29.98) brings the ten episodes of the hilarious second (and likely final) season of the HBO series to DVD on a two-disc set. For those unfamiliar with the series, Flight of the Conchords is a comedy series from HBO starring Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement as a folk singing duet from New Zealand making their way across a couple of continents and into New York City where they hope to translate their success. There is only one problem, though: their success as being the "fourth most popular folk parody duo" in New Zealand seems to be meaningless in New York City. Murray (Rhys Darby), their manager (who also has a day job in the New Zealand consulate office), is pretty sure that they are going to make it big in the future, but for now, he seems pretty pleased with getting the duo gigs at places such as airport lounges, libraries, and elementary schools. Bret and Jermaine do have a fanbase, but technically, it only consists of one fan, Mel (Kristen Schall), who happens to be a psychotically obsessed stalker who just so happens to be astonished at the unlikely odds when she happens to "bump in" to Bret and Jermaine as they walk out of their apartment every morning (while her husband Doug waits in a car across the street for several hours). Rounding out the cast is Dave Mohumbai (Arj Barker), a friend of Bret and Jermaine who is grown, but still lives with his mom and dad and works at Mohumbai & Son, his father's pawn shop. He is always there to help out Bret and Jermaine and tell them how things are done in America, and how they are different from Newfoundland, Australia, or whatever country he thinks they are from in any given episode. A lot (but certainly not all) of the comedy of the series comes from the hilarious songs that the duo performs in every episode.

At the end of the first season of the series, Murray decides to add Todd Barry (playing himself) a third member to the duo. This doesn't work out very well, but somehow, Todd ends up getting with Demetri Martin (also playing himself) to form their own duo, and Murray gets the honor of being their manager as well. Unfortunately for Bret and Jermaine, the "Crazy Dogggz" as they are called ends up being a smash hit worldwide and Murray begins to move all of his attention to them. This leads to Bret and Jermaine firing Murray in "A Good Opportunity," but the firing is short-lived when Bret and Jermaine do a women's toothpaste (although it isn't explained why it is only for women) commercial and need Murray to get them out of the deal once they remember that they are illegal immigrants. Murray is only more than eager to help, because his Crazy Dogggz band has been involved in a plagiarism lawsuit, and guess who is living in his car as a result of the lawsuit? In "The New Cup," Bret and Jermaine are so poor that they can only afford to have one teacup in their apartment that they must share, but Bret takes matters into his own hands and buys a teacup of his own for $2.79, which causes financial chaos and even leads to the guys trying to sell themselves as prostitutes! Bret is scared to death after he performs a song in a library where he "disses" rappers such as 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg and forms his own gang in "The Tough Brets," but will a gang consisting of Bret, a senior citizen, two Asian Internet café owners, and Dave really be able to protect anybody? Jermaine has found new love in "Unnatural Love," but she has a nasty little secret: she is Australian!

Bret and Jermaine both fall for a woman that has a dog with epilepsy in "Love is a Weapon of Choice," but will their love keep her dog from going into a seizure? Murray has found work for Bret and Jermaine as Simon and Garfunkel impersonators in "Prime Minister," which leads Jermaine finding a woman that is passionately in love with him... but only if he will "Garfunkel" with her (you'll have to watch to see what she means). Meanwhile, Murray is determined to do everything possible to arrange a meeting between the New Zealand Prime Minister and Barack Obama. Art Garfunkel portrays himself in the episode. Addiction is no laughing matter, but it is when Bret and Jermaine become addicted to hair gel in "NewZealandTown." Lucy Lawless guest stars. Bret finds a new girlfriend at the pet shop in "Wingmen," and decides to get to know her by using the same type of stalking tactics that Mel uses against him. When he discovers that she likes tough guys, he decides to "protect" her as Jermaine steals her purse in a staged purse-snatching incident gone totally wrong. The season (and perhaps series) ends with "Evicted," where Bret and Jermaine lose their apartment because they have been paying their rent in New Zealand dollars instead of American dollars. This leads to them moving in with Mel and her husband, but when they get separated, they must split custody of Bret and Jermaine. Will the Conchords get back together or is this the end? I won't spoil the ending of this episode!

The packaging for the set is very creative, using a standard snapcase and a sleeve over the snapcase. On the snapcase itself, we have a sketch of a few buildings in New York City with several clouds above it, and on the transparent sleeve, we have Bret and Jermaine flying among those clouds. When you remove the sleeve, Bret and Jermaine are no longer on the cover. This is a very nice touch, and is very similar to the previous release. The back of the box has the cast members dancing, along with the basic show information. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes with writing and directing credits, although there are no descriptions to be found here. Disc 1 has a picture of Bret sitting on the couch and Disc 2 has a picture of Jermaine sitting on the couch. Disc 1 contains episodes 1-6 and Disc 2 contains episodes 7-10, as well as the special features.

The menus on the set are very nicely done, with the main menu playing the theme music and showing Bret and Jermaine "flying" through the city (similar to the cover art). The options on the main menu are Episodes and Languages. Disc 2 also has a Special Features option. When you select Episodes, you get a list of the episodes on the disc as well as a Play All option. When you select an episode, you get a menu that has a brief episode description, as well as options for Preview, Play Episode, Episodes, and Main Menu. The Preview option takes you to a brief (invariably 27 seconds) promo for the episode from HBO. Every other option is basically self-explanatory. There are no scene selection menus, but chapters are placed appropriately within each episode.

The video and audio quality of the set is basically what you would expect from a series that aired just earlier this year. I'm sure that there are some flaws here and there, but it would take some very nitpicky viewing to really pick up on those flaws. The episodes are all in their original 16:9 aspect ratio and the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. There is also a Spanish audio track, as well as English, Spanish, and French subtitles. Each episode is closed-captioned. As one would expect, each episode on the set is unedited, although that means highly variable runtimes as this is an HBO series. Runtimes for each episode are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "A Good Opportunity" (26:22)
2. "The New Cup" (26:55)
3. "The Tough Brets" (27:36)
4. "Murray Takes it to the Next Level" (27:24)
5. "Unnatural Love" (26:07)
6. "Love is the Weapon of Choice" (27:17)

Disc 2:
7. "Prime Minister" (27:52)
8. "NewZealandTown" (24:59)
9. "Wingmen" (26:57)
10. "Evicted" (27:46)

Many fans of the series were disappointed with the first season being completely devoid of special features, but there is good news this time--there actually are some special features. These can be found on Disc 2, although I guess one could argue that the episode promos are special features too in a sense. We begin with "Flight of the Conchords: An On-Air Documentary" (25:00), where we have a very nice interview with Bret and Jermaine about the series. They talk a lot about how they came up with the idea for the series, how they ended up in the United States, and how they got started (by getting lucky and having an HBO comedy special). It also includes interviews with others involved in the series, such as cast members Arj Barker, Rhys Darby, and Kristen Schall and producers James Bobbin and Stu Smiley. A lot of the interview talks about the history of the Conchords before the series, and their hopes for another season of the series (something that everybody seems to want, but isn't going to be easy logistically). It is fun to watch, and it seems that most of the cast members are very down-to-earth and legitimately enjoy working on the series. Deleted Scenes (25:02) takes you through a lengthy set of deleted scenes from episodes throughout the first season. There are a lot to describe here, and I won't attempt to do that, but they are very fun to watch.

Outtakes (7:06) gives you even more hilarious moments from the episodes where things didn't quite go as planned. Dave's Pawn Shop Commercials (3:06) is one of my favorite things on this set. These are fake commercials for Mohaumbai & Son, the pawnshop that Dave's father owns and Dave works for. I believe, though I may be mistaken, that these were produced as a special Internet feature for the series. There are three of these promos, and they look very good, in the typical cheesy low production value local pawnshop commercial fashion. Dave even raps in these commercials, with his father (a very traditional man from India who dresses professionally and has a full Indian accent) comes in at the end of the commercial and shouts "What you want we got it!" I've seen far too many pawnshop commercials that are very similar to these, and these are hilarious spoofs. In the same line as these commercials, we have "New Zealand Consulate Meetings with Murray & Greg" (3:33). These are just a bunch of fake meetings with Murray regarding his duties of working at the New Zealand Consulate, which really aren't very many duties at all. There are two of these, and again, these were features produced for the Internet
viewers.

I honestly believe that this is one of the most clever, creative, and funny series to hit the airwaves in a very long time. Unfortunately, the creativeness of the series is why it would be difficult to proceed to a third season--basically, Bret and Jermaine (the real ones, not the characters) only have so much music material that they have created, and a new season would require writing all new songs, something that can't simply be squeezed in between television seasons. But who knows, maybe the series will be back again some day. The series received a handful of Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Whether or not it will win is another question, but to be nominated is a big honor by itself. As far as this DVD set is concerned, it would have been nice to have some commentaries and some more interviews, but at least it is better than the release of the first season, which had no special features at all. This is a hilarious series that fans of any type of comedy will definitely enjoy. So get out and pick up this Dubbed Video Dub (you'll have to watch the show to know what I mean by that) today, along with the first season if you don't already have it!

Reviewed by skees53
(4.5/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Flight of the Conchords TV.com Page


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, February 23

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to the Zhuzh" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin secretly coaches Dave during a big job interview. Meanwhile, Marty plans his proposal and Malcolm’s secret romance hits the tabloids.

DMV - "Hot Gurlz" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette goes on a date with Ceci’s cousin Miguel (Eddie Ramos) and discovers he may be the key to Ceci’s heart. Meanwhile, Barb finds out about Gregg’s lawsuit against the DMV while Vic helps Noa deal with rude customer Brent (Mark Feuerstein).

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Twenty years after a career-ending scandal, former running back Reggie Dinkins enlists filmmaker Arthur Tobin to make a documentary he hopes will rehabilitate his image.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins - "Nittany Means Big" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Tobin spends the day with Monica and uncovers the truth about Reggie's famous food poisoning game; Reggie struggles to apologize to Brina.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 23)

Monday, February 23

  • Christina Applegate (Dead to Me/Up All Night/Samantha Who?/Jesse/Married... with Children) - Watch Christina on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tracy Morgan (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Crutch/The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
  • Ray Romano (No Good Deed/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Ray appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He sits down with Sherri to talk about his star turn in Broadway's All Out on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Sterling discusses Paradise on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Isabel May (Alexa & Katie/Young Sheldon) - Isabel talks about Scream 7 on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Laura Linney (The Big C) - NBC's Today catches up wit Laura in the 9am hour.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Drew is sharing more of her sit-down interview with Jennifer on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

02/23 - Celebrities for ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars; Hallmark's Mistletoe Murders Renewed for Season 3
02/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 23, 2026)
02/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Orders New Adult Animated Comedy From Creator of Bluey; Casting News for Upcoming CBS Comedy Regency
02/20 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Find Valentine's Magic; Netflix Announces Dang!
02/19 - The Golden Girls Coming to MeTV in March; Adult Swim Announces My Two Cars
02/18 - Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special Coming to Disney+; Fox Spring 2026 Schedule and Finale Dates
02/17 - New Animated Comedy from Big Mouth Creators Coming May 22; Scottish Comedy Returns to Hulu February 25
02/16 - Saturday Night Live Returns Following the Olympics on February 28; Fox Pays Tribute to James Van Der Beek on Wednesday
02/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 16, 2026)
02/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Trailer Released for Scrubs Reboot; Tubi to Add 100 Cartoon Series from Warner and Cartoon Network Library
02/13 - Remembering James Van Der Beek of Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23; The Way Home Returns for Final Season in April on Hallmark
02/12 - ABC's Scrubs Revival Trailer and Details; XO, Kitty Returns April 2 on Netflix
02/11 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Post Saturday Night Live Encore; Chris Fleming HBO Special
02/10 - Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars Premiere Shifting by Two Weeks; Virgin River Season 7 Trailer
02/09 - Shoresy Returns with Season 5; HBO Max Acquires Schitt's Creek
02/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 9, 2026)
02/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Roku Adds New Channels for Bernie Mac, Blossom, and Cougar Town; Catchy Comedy Introduces Catchy Loves Lucy
02/06 - Rooster Premieres March 8 on HBO; MGM+ Comedy American Classic Trailer
02/05 - NBC Unveils Trailer and Guest Stars for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins; Adult Swim's Anime Series Rooster Fighter Premieres March 14
02/04 - Netflix Renews A Man on the Inside for Season 3; Apple TV Premiere Date for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
02/03 - NBC Renews St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place for Season 3; Pilot Orders for Comedy Projects on NBC
02/02 - Remembering Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son, Catherine O'Hara of Schitt's Creek, Yvonne Lime of Father Knows Best, and TV Director Bruce Bilson
02/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 2, 2026)
01/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Orders Pair of Comedy Pilots; Final Episode Airdate Announced for The Late Show
01/30 - Jury Duty Returns March 20 on Prime Video; Katt Williams 4th Netflix Special
01/29 - Season 4 of Ted Lasso Premieres This Summer; Shrinking Renewed for Season 4 as Season 3 Premieres
01/28 - Nikki Glaser's New Hulu Special Premieres April 24; HBO Announces Late-Night Series
01/27 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; New Evolution of The Handmaid's Tale Series
01/26 - FETV Acquires '70s S.W.A.T. Series; Paramount+ Releases Date for Can You Keep a Secret? Comedy Series
01/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 26, 2026)
01/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Kenan and Kel Back Together for Upcoming Movie; Amazon Barbershop Series Adds to Cast
01/23 - CBS Renews 10 More Series for 2026-27; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Return Big in January