Sunday, February 20, 2011
Week 22 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2010-11 Week 22 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):
Households: N/A
Total Viewers: N/A
Adults 18-49: N/A
Week 22 (Feb. 14-20) Analysis: Week 22 has CBS and Fox battling again in HH/viewers with it being very close, but Fox having a more comfortable lead in 18-49. The first four nights network averages were not made available to us in time for this post, but we can predict CBS or Fox is up in HH/viewers, but Fox is winning in 18-49. CBS is in second in 18-49. ABC and NBC are in third and fourth across the board, respectively like previous week. Fox will likely win the week in 18-49 but CBS could take HH/viewers. Last week, week 21, had CBS win the week over Fox with a last minute push thanks to the Grammy. Fox was in second place across the board and ABC was third. And NBC had a terrible week in the way back fourth place.
Monday saw CBS with the win, with Fox and ABC tied for second. ABC started with The Bachelor doing 9.32 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week on this Valentine's Day night that saw lots of declines from previous week everywhere. At 10pm ABC aired a new Castle and did 8.75 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week. CBS was all-new with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, a new How I Met Your Mother started it off with 9.51 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, which was down a tick from previous week. At 8:30, the series premiere of Mad Love did 8.64 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, down some from an episode of Rules of Engagement the week prior. Two and a Half Men followed with a new airing of its own doing 14.51 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, which was down a bit from previous week. Repeats coming now due to no more new episodes left because of Sheen in rehab. At 9:30, Mike & Molly was new too and did 12.92 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, which was the only series to buck the trend from this night and up from previous week. A new Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 10.73 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, on par really with previous week. Fox was all-new with House doing 9.86 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, down a lot from previous week. The second episode of Chicago Code followed at 9pm with 7.35 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Fox will take these numbers if it remains here, but if not...Lie to Me is a better option. NBC started its night with a new Chuck doing 5.47 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is on par with previous week. At 9pm, the struggling The Cape did 4.07 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, as it keeps going down every single week. At 10pm, a new Harry's Law saw a drop again with 8.51 million and just a 1.7 18-49 rating, but that was on par with previous week. The CW was new with 90210 doing 1.37 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Gossip Girl followed with a new episode doing 1.32 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down some from previous week.
Tuesday had CBS dominate with its dramas in viewers but Fox tied them in 18-49. CBS started with a new NCIS and did 19.39 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, down a lot from previous week. What is going on with TV ratings since last Thursday? Almost everything has been down. NCIS: Los Angeles followed with a new episode and did 16.8 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, also down from previous week. The Good Wife did well in total viewers with 11.43 million but only a 2.0 18-49 rating, down from previous week. For ABC, No Ordinary Family was all-new in the 8pm hour doing 5.03 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. At 9, V was new and did 5.43 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week and one of the few that has gone up this week. Detroit 1-8-7 was new with 5.2 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. Fox had a new Glee on Tuesday and it did 10.53 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week. Concerning, but still number one in the slot. Next Fox disappointed with Raising Hope and did 5.36 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating...a season low. Episode two of new comedy Traffic Light saw a red light with only 3.49 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. This week will make or break the series. Anything lower than a 1.4 will make Fox pull it, I think. NBC aired a two-hour The Biggest Loser doing 7.7 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week. Then at 10pm, Parenthood did a third place 5.11 million but a second place 1.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. The CW was new with One Tree Hill doing 1.64 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. Next at 9pm was a new episode of Hellcats and that did 1.58 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week.
Wednesday had American Idol expand to two-hours so it easily won the night. Idol did 23.2 million and a 8.2 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week when it was only an hour. CBS started the night off with the season premiere of Survivor: Redemption Island doing 11.15 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which is good but its lowest premiere ever. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next with a new episode doing 12.85 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week. At 10pm, the series premiere of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior got off to a promising start with 13.06 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, much better than Blue Bloods. ABC had its Laugh On comedy block and had a new The Middle open the night with a solid 7.85 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, but down some from previous week. Then at 8:30, a new Better With You did 5.88 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, which for the first time (minus the Thanksgiving Eve airing) went below a 2. It needs to climb back up this week. Then ABC aired a new Modern Family at 9pm doing 10.57 million and a 4.3 18-49 rating, which is great buy down from previous week's series high as it faced Idol head-to-head this week. Then at 9:30, Mr. Sunshine was new with 6.93 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, down a lot from the premiere but it faced the last half-hour of Idol. If it stays in the 2.6-3.0 range against it, it should be fine. Cougar Town will return with a special airing on Monday, April 18, and then on Wednesdays starting April 20. At 10pm, a new episode of new drama Off the Map aired and did 4.33 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, for a series low. After the past few weeks were consistent, this week it went way down. NBC aired a two-hour all-new Minute to Win It and did just 3.64 million and a series low 1.0 18-49 rating. Idol killed it and that blockbuster will be two-hours every week until end of March. Uh oh for NBC. At 10pm, Law & Order: SVU was next with an all-new episode doing 7.31 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week and second place now. The CW had repeats, this time with Nikita starting it off at 8pm doing 1.3 million and a 0.3 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. At 9pm a repeat of Vampire Diaries did only 770,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
Thursday saw once again Fox win the night, on a night of lower than usual ratings once again. ABC opened the night with an all-new Wipeout doing 6.02 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week...but for some reason it was preempted in 3% of the country. Then Grey's Anatomy was next with a new episode doing 10.24 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, also down some from previous week. At 10pm, Private Practice was also new and did 6.73 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Declines continued on other nets as well, as CBS opened with a new The Big Bang Theory and it did 12.41 million and a 3.7 A18-49 rating, down some from previous week. Then the season finale of $#*! My Dad Says followed with 9.7 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. Next, CSI was new too and did 13.29 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week's season low. A new The Mentalist did 15.01 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, also up a tenth from previous week in 18-49. OK so onto Fox, at 8pm a new American Idol did 22.18 million and a 7.6 18-49 rating, which was up some from previous week. A new episode of Bones followed at 9pm and did 9.84 million and 3.3 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. NBC was all-new new with its comedies but struggled, as Community did 4.11 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Then new comedy Perfect Couples did only 3.03 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. At 9pm The Office was new and did 6.41 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, which is down some again from previous week. At 9:30pm, a new Parks and Recreation was at 4.33 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, for a season low. At 10, NBC started with 30 Rock doing 4.07 million and a 2.0 18-49, down from previous week and its lowest showing at 10. At 10:30, Outsourced did only 3.2 million and 1.5 18-49 rating, for another series low. The CW was next with a new Vampire Diaries doing 3.07 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. Then a new Nikita did 2.1 million and just a 0.8 18-49 rating, also up a tad from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday had lower ratings again. Kitchen Nightmares and Fringe helped Fox tie for the win, despite the latter being third in its slot. ABC's Primetime: What Would You Do? did second place in 18-49 a bit behind CBS drama CSI: NY. The Friday return of Blue Bloods was soft. Saturday had Fox win with its normal crime reality series with everyone else way behind in 18-49.
Tonight ABC is all-new with its regular Sunday of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters that should be way up from previous week when they faced the Grammys. NBC has a repeat of SNL at 8 then a new special from 9-11pm that should do decent at best, while Dateline will start the night off at 7. CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the season premiere of The Amazing Race at 8 and new episodes of Undercover Boss & CSI: Miami from 9-11pm. Fox is all-new with Animation Domination starting at 7:30pm that should be up from previous week's episodes vs. the Grammys.
As for the week (week 22), CBS will likely win the week in HH/viewers but probably won' t catch up to Fox in 18-49 this week. So, Fox will likely be in second in HH/viewers, with ABC third everywhere and NBC in fourth. And for the coming week (week 23), has February sweeps continuing and it will be interesting to see if the ratings will go up after over a week of lower ratings generally.
Week 22 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 21 -- Feb. 7-13)
- American Dad! (Fox) - A new episode only did 3.39 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating. 18-49 rating is not too bad at 7:30.
- The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - A new episode opposite the Grammys took a hit with 5.49 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating. Earlier, a repeat at 7pm did only 2.94 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - A new episode only mustered 4.15 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating for its lowest ratings yet, but it was on opposite the Grammy Awards on CBS.
- Family Guy (Fox) - An all-new episode did a below normal 5.97 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which was still good enough for the best of the block.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - Closing the night out, a new episode did 4.75 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 9.51 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, which was down a bit from previous week...but still good.
- Mad Love (CBS) - 8.74 million for the series premiere is solid and the 3.0 18-49 rating is solid, too but it was down from previous week's Rules of Engagement airing. It needs to maintain or build on these tomorrow.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.51 million for a new episode is outstanding, but 18-49 is what really counts and the show did a 4.2 18-49 rating, good for second among all sitcoms this week. This was the last new episode for a while as repeats will now air until further notice.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 12.92 million for a new episode and a 18-49 rating of 3.8 is great and the only series from the block to go up from previous week. How will it fare tomorrow with its lead-in being a repeat? A drop is expected, but will it be minimal?
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Raising Hope (Fox) - A new episode only did 5.36 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a good number from previous week.
- Traffic Light (Fox) - The second episode only did 3.49 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. Red light is coming soon if it doesn't go up this week...
- The Middle (ABC) - A new episode of this sitcom did 7.85 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week. Still not too bad vs. Idol.
- Better with You (ABC) - A new episode of this series did 5.88 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, which was down the same percentage as its lead-in. But it needs to be above a 2.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did 10.57 million and a 4.3 18-49 rating. Despite the sizeable drop from previous week, it is still the top scripted series for the week in 18-49.
- Mr. Sunshine (ABC) - Episode two of this series followed with a 6.93 million and a decent 2.6 18-49 rating, against the final half-hour of Idol. It needs to stay at or above this.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode did 12.41 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week.
- S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - The season finale did 9.7 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, down a tad from previous week again. Will this be enough for a return next season?
- Community (NBC) - A new episode did only 4.11 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
- Perfect Couples (NBC) - A new episode did 3.03 million again and a 1.4 18-49 rating, which is down a bit from previous week. This is not going to cut it. Surprised it is still scheduled.
- The Office (NBC) - A new episode did 6.41 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, which is down once again from previous week...after the big return on Jan. 20, it has dropped each week.
- Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A new showing did 4.33 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating...down from previous week.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - At 10pm, a new episode did 4.07 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down from previous week.
- Outsourced (NBC) - At 10:30pm, a new episode of this show was lost again at 10:30 doing just 3.2 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is a series low again. This night was NBC's worst Thursday performance from 8-11pm ever with new programming.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 7-10pm, with new episodes starting at 7:30pm.
Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as $#*! My Dad Says, The Middle) or just plain old terrible (such as Outsourced, Traffic Light, Perfect Couples).
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Digital Digest: Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series DVD Review; A Look Into the Public Domain
Welcome to this week's edition of Digital Digest! We've got a busy news week this week, plus we've got a review of the Warner Archive DVD set Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and a blog feature article (yes, we've finally got one of these after many weeks of not having them!) about public domain DVDs. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
Shout! Factory has been very quiet when it comes to announcing new releases on DVD in recent weeks, but this week, the figurative dam has burst and several releases are flowing through! We'll start with the continuing releases from Shout! Factory. As you may remember, a few weeks ago, we mentioned some discussion regarding special features on a "potential" season eight release of All in the Family. Well, now, that release has gone from "potential" to announced. All in the Family - The Complete Eighth Season is scheduled for May 17 at a $29.93 MSRP.
What may be even more surprising, though, is Shout! Factory's quick turnaround on the series Webster. Webster - Season Two is on the calendar for May 10 at a $29.93 MSRP.
We've also mentioned in the past that Father Knows Best - Season Six would be coming sometime soon, and now we have a date for it! It will, of course, be a Shout! Select title, and is not available for pre-order yet, but it is set to be released on April 19.
Now, that concludes the news on the continuing stuff from Shout! Factory... so let's delve into the new stuff! First up is an announcement on a series that another studio has started, but Shout! is picking up... it is none other than Hazel! Sony released the first season a few years ago, but now Shout! Factory has picked up the rights to it and will be releasing the second season (and hopefully the rest). No details are known on this set just yet.
The other news from Shout! Factory is regarding a current series on ABC Family, the original sitcom Melissa & Joey. The original series, starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, comes to DVD on May 24 in Melissa & Joey - Season One, Part One. It comes at a $29.97 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (February 22) brings us a trio of releases from Lionsgate, including Weeds - Season Six (DVD and Blu-ray Disc), Nurse Jackie - Season Two (DVD and Blu-ray Disc), and House of Payne - Volume 6. We have a review of Weeds here and a review of Nurse Jackie here. Look for House of Payne in the upcoming days on our main review page.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Many Hanna-Barbera series have come and gone over the years, and thanks to the folks at Warner Archive, we are finally seeing many of these rare and lost series on DVD. In the short-lived series Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, we get to see Wheelie, a stunt racing car, and his girlfriend Rota Ree outsmart the motorcycle gang. It's a quirky and weird premise for a series (like many cartoons of the early '70s), but now you can see all 13 episodes on DVD in Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series.
DVD Review: Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series
by Greg Brobeck
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series (Warner Archive, $24.95) Charge!! All 13 episodes of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch arrive on DVD from the Warner Archive in a new 3-disc set. Wheelie is a red Volkswagen Beetle who is also a professional racing car. He communicates via honks and words displayed on his windshield (despite the fact that all the other characters in the series can talk). His girlfriend, a yellow convertible, is Rota Ree (a pun on rotary engine and actress Ruta Lee).
Wheelie's nemeses are the Chopper Bunch, a gang of motorcycles including Chopper, Revs, Hi-Riser, and Scrambles. Episode plots usually involve the Chopper Bunch trying to cause some sort of trouble for Wheelie, typically trying to steal Rota Ree away from him. However, Wheelie always wins out and Rota's affections never waiver.
The series ran on NBC from 1974-1975 and the episodes are actually pretty cute. It's nice to see a Hanna-Barbera series from that time period that doesn't involve crime-fighting/mystery-solving teenagers and is instead just good old-fashioned fun. It's a shame the series only lasted 13 episodes, but it faced fierce competition from The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show on CBS and ultimately bombed in the ratings as a result. The set is from Warner Archive and is, therefore, a manufacture-on-demand set on DVD-R's. There's a small chance the discs won't play on certain DVD players or drives, but I had no problem with any of the discs.
Each of the thirteen episodes is comprised of three shorts which last around 7 minutes each. Episodes are very cute and have easy to follow and easy to get involved in plots. Some of the funnier episodes: In "Get a Doctor" the Chopper Bunch tries to trick Wheelie into thinking he's sick—even going as far as tampering with his medical test results! In "Our Hero," Wheelie joins the volunteer rescue squad and goes in search of a little girl (a scooter) who is lost... but will Chopper show him up and get there first? In "Wheelie in Paris," Wheelie enters the Grand Prix race in Paris, but so does Chopper and tries to beat him to the finish line. And finally, in "Wheelie's Clean Sweep," Wheelie becomes a street sweeper in order to give Rota's father the day off. Here are all the episodes with the runtimes for each episode on the DVD-R's:
Disc 1:
1. Double Cross Country/The Infiltrator/The Stunt Show (22:05)
2. Get a Doctor/A Day at the Beach/Ghost Riders (22:18)
3. Razzle-Dazzle Paint Job/The Autolympics/The Delivery Service (22:18)
4. Big Bumper/Surprise Party/On the Town (22:16)
Disc 2:
5. Black Belt Fuji/Our Hero/Wheelie Goes Hawaiian (22:16)
6. Inspection/The Old Timer/The Copter Caper (22:08)
7. Dr. Crankenstein/Bulldozer Buddy/Happy Birthday Wheelie (22:13)
8. Wheelie, the Super Star/Down on the Farm/Roadeo (22:18)
Disc 3:
9. Carfucious Says/Mighty Wheelie/Camping With Go-Go (22:30)
10. Lennie Van Limosine/Snow Foolin'/Wheelie in Paris (22:16)
11. Dragster Net/Dragula/Boot Camp (22:11)
12. Dr. Cykll and Mr. Ryde/Johnny Crash/Wheelie, the Smoke Eater (22:15)
13. Friday the Thirteenth/Wings for Wheelie/Wheelie's Clean Sweep (22:08)
The set comes in a black multi-disc Amaray case with one moving page to store the disc. Previous sets from the Warner Archive have come in clear cases with much thinner plastic that is susceptible to breaking. I can gladly say the quality of the actual case has improved with this set. The case features a nice shot of all the characters in the series along with the show logo and "Hanna Barbera Classic Collection." The back has some more shots of the cast and some information on the series. The discs themselves have the show's logo and a picture of Wheelie.
As was not the case with other Hanna-Barbera sets from the Warner Archive, this one features an actual menu screen instead of a generic one. It's a simple one-screen menu with the same picture of the characters as on the DVD case, and options to choose an episode. Unfortunately, you can only choose an episode by number. Episode titles are not provided on the menu or anywhere in the set. There are no audio or subtitle options and there are no closed captions. Chapter marks are better placed in this set as well, with one after the main title, and one after each segment. This makes navigating through the episodes very easy.
The video and audio qualities are mostly good. As this is a MOD set, no remastering work was done. The video is a little on the soft side, but colors are still vibrant and the episodes are very watchable. Audio is clear, if not very dynamic. It is as good as it can be expected. There are no special features, unfortunately...but no one was expecting any, I'm sure.
In general, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch was a cute mid-70s Hanna-Barbera show about talking cars and motorcycles. As this show is rarely rerun on Cartoon Network or Boomerang, I had never actually seen the show prior to getting this set, and considering how bland some of H-B's product was at the time, my expectations weren't that high. However, I was impressed with the writing and the overall cute factor of the show. It's too bad it didn't last longer. I can wholeheartedly recommend the show to both families and animation enthusiasts. It's cute!
(4/5 stars)
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Warner Archive
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch TV.com page
BLOG FEATURE STORY:
A Look Into the Public Domain
by skees53
We've all seen them everywhere; if we go into virtually any store, such as a dollar store, bookstore, various websites, a grocery store, or even big box retailers like Best Buy or Target, we see cheap DVDs (sometimes as cheap as a buck), usually of series that are from the 1960s or earlier, that have been put out by some studio that we've never heard of. Commonly, we'll see series such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, The Lucy Show, and many others among these "value selections." So why are these DVDs so cheap? It's because they are in the public domain. In other words, they are episodes of these series that have fallen out of copyright protection.
We rarely review such series here (although we have on occasion). One major problem is that there are an infinite amount of these releases out there released by studios that seemingly pop up every day (and often vanish after the release), and we can't even keep track of what is coming out because public domain DVDs are rarely released with any publicity. Another problem is that so many of these DVDs contain material that has already available from several other studios releasing the same public domain set. And quality is another issue--many of these sets are among the worst looking DVDs that you'll see out there. So why are we doing a story about this? Because sometimes you can find treasures among these DVD sets that you can not find elsewhere.
One great example of these "treasures" would be the classic series from the 1950s that Betty White starred in, Life With Elizabeth and Date With the Angels. No studio has ever released any "official" set of either series, so for these series, our only option is to go with a public domain release. None of the offerings out there are stellar quality, but they do provide us with a rare opportunity to see the series. We've even reviewed two of these sets, which you can see our reviews for here and here. Neither were great sets, but nonetheless offered a rare opportunity to see the series.
Recently, I stumbled upon a DVD called Lucy's Really Lost Moments for just $2 at Big Lots. I picked it up totally on a whim, but I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found on the set. Essentially, it was a single disc collection of material that could be considered "special features" on an I Love Lucy set (although much of it actually is on the officially released DVD sets). But this DVD stood out, because it contained both black and white AND colorized versions of all of the material on it. This truly was one of the best public domain releases that I ever found.
Another great public domain set is one that I've seen time and time again at the bricks and mortar retailer Half Price Books. It is Mill Creek's collection of one hundred (yes, one 1 and two 0's) episodes of the series The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. Now, it isn't exactly the prettiest looking set out there, but when I was able to pick up a used copy from the clearance rack for $10 (although the new price is still a very reasonable $20), I had to take advantage of that opportunity. This set is about the only way that you can see most of the episodes on DVD, as many releases of the series are scattered and only contain a handful of episodes.
With all that being said, before buying any public domain DVD, remember the phrase "let the buyer beware." For the most part, none of these are perfect and will have technical flaws, and are almost always missing original music or other elements. But for just a few bucks, it is money that you can often afford to burn.
LOOKING AHEAD
We'll be back next week with more news and reviews, and hopefully we'll have more feature articles in the weeks ahead.We have a review of Jabberjaw, another classic Hanna-Barbera series from the Warner Archive collection in the upcoming weeks, as well as a review of an upcoming release of the classic Canadian comedy series (which has aired on PBS in the United States), The Red Green Show. Until then, keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
Shout! Factory has been very quiet when it comes to announcing new releases on DVD in recent weeks, but this week, the figurative dam has burst and several releases are flowing through! We'll start with the continuing releases from Shout! Factory. As you may remember, a few weeks ago, we mentioned some discussion regarding special features on a "potential" season eight release of All in the Family. Well, now, that release has gone from "potential" to announced. All in the Family - The Complete Eighth Season is scheduled for May 17 at a $29.93 MSRP.
What may be even more surprising, though, is Shout! Factory's quick turnaround on the series Webster. Webster - Season Two is on the calendar for May 10 at a $29.93 MSRP.
We've also mentioned in the past that Father Knows Best - Season Six would be coming sometime soon, and now we have a date for it! It will, of course, be a Shout! Select title, and is not available for pre-order yet, but it is set to be released on April 19.
Now, that concludes the news on the continuing stuff from Shout! Factory... so let's delve into the new stuff! First up is an announcement on a series that another studio has started, but Shout! is picking up... it is none other than Hazel! Sony released the first season a few years ago, but now Shout! Factory has picked up the rights to it and will be releasing the second season (and hopefully the rest). No details are known on this set just yet.
The other news from Shout! Factory is regarding a current series on ABC Family, the original sitcom Melissa & Joey. The original series, starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, comes to DVD on May 24 in Melissa & Joey - Season One, Part One. It comes at a $29.97 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (February 22) brings us a trio of releases from Lionsgate, including Weeds - Season Six (DVD and Blu-ray Disc), Nurse Jackie - Season Two (DVD and Blu-ray Disc), and House of Payne - Volume 6. We have a review of Weeds here and a review of Nurse Jackie here. Look for House of Payne in the upcoming days on our main review page.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Many Hanna-Barbera series have come and gone over the years, and thanks to the folks at Warner Archive, we are finally seeing many of these rare and lost series on DVD. In the short-lived series Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, we get to see Wheelie, a stunt racing car, and his girlfriend Rota Ree outsmart the motorcycle gang. It's a quirky and weird premise for a series (like many cartoons of the early '70s), but now you can see all 13 episodes on DVD in Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series.
DVD Review: Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series
by Greg Brobeck
Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch - The Complete Series (Warner Archive, $24.95) Charge!! All 13 episodes of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch arrive on DVD from the Warner Archive in a new 3-disc set. Wheelie is a red Volkswagen Beetle who is also a professional racing car. He communicates via honks and words displayed on his windshield (despite the fact that all the other characters in the series can talk). His girlfriend, a yellow convertible, is Rota Ree (a pun on rotary engine and actress Ruta Lee).
Wheelie's nemeses are the Chopper Bunch, a gang of motorcycles including Chopper, Revs, Hi-Riser, and Scrambles. Episode plots usually involve the Chopper Bunch trying to cause some sort of trouble for Wheelie, typically trying to steal Rota Ree away from him. However, Wheelie always wins out and Rota's affections never waiver.
The series ran on NBC from 1974-1975 and the episodes are actually pretty cute. It's nice to see a Hanna-Barbera series from that time period that doesn't involve crime-fighting/mystery-solving teenagers and is instead just good old-fashioned fun. It's a shame the series only lasted 13 episodes, but it faced fierce competition from The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show on CBS and ultimately bombed in the ratings as a result. The set is from Warner Archive and is, therefore, a manufacture-on-demand set on DVD-R's. There's a small chance the discs won't play on certain DVD players or drives, but I had no problem with any of the discs.
Each of the thirteen episodes is comprised of three shorts which last around 7 minutes each. Episodes are very cute and have easy to follow and easy to get involved in plots. Some of the funnier episodes: In "Get a Doctor" the Chopper Bunch tries to trick Wheelie into thinking he's sick—even going as far as tampering with his medical test results! In "Our Hero," Wheelie joins the volunteer rescue squad and goes in search of a little girl (a scooter) who is lost... but will Chopper show him up and get there first? In "Wheelie in Paris," Wheelie enters the Grand Prix race in Paris, but so does Chopper and tries to beat him to the finish line. And finally, in "Wheelie's Clean Sweep," Wheelie becomes a street sweeper in order to give Rota's father the day off. Here are all the episodes with the runtimes for each episode on the DVD-R's:
Disc 1:
1. Double Cross Country/The Infiltrator/The Stunt Show (22:05)
2. Get a Doctor/A Day at the Beach/Ghost Riders (22:18)
3. Razzle-Dazzle Paint Job/The Autolympics/The Delivery Service (22:18)
4. Big Bumper/Surprise Party/On the Town (22:16)
Disc 2:
5. Black Belt Fuji/Our Hero/Wheelie Goes Hawaiian (22:16)
6. Inspection/The Old Timer/The Copter Caper (22:08)
7. Dr. Crankenstein/Bulldozer Buddy/Happy Birthday Wheelie (22:13)
8. Wheelie, the Super Star/Down on the Farm/Roadeo (22:18)
Disc 3:
9. Carfucious Says/Mighty Wheelie/Camping With Go-Go (22:30)
10. Lennie Van Limosine/Snow Foolin'/Wheelie in Paris (22:16)
11. Dragster Net/Dragula/Boot Camp (22:11)
12. Dr. Cykll and Mr. Ryde/Johnny Crash/Wheelie, the Smoke Eater (22:15)
13. Friday the Thirteenth/Wings for Wheelie/Wheelie's Clean Sweep (22:08)
The set comes in a black multi-disc Amaray case with one moving page to store the disc. Previous sets from the Warner Archive have come in clear cases with much thinner plastic that is susceptible to breaking. I can gladly say the quality of the actual case has improved with this set. The case features a nice shot of all the characters in the series along with the show logo and "Hanna Barbera Classic Collection." The back has some more shots of the cast and some information on the series. The discs themselves have the show's logo and a picture of Wheelie.
As was not the case with other Hanna-Barbera sets from the Warner Archive, this one features an actual menu screen instead of a generic one. It's a simple one-screen menu with the same picture of the characters as on the DVD case, and options to choose an episode. Unfortunately, you can only choose an episode by number. Episode titles are not provided on the menu or anywhere in the set. There are no audio or subtitle options and there are no closed captions. Chapter marks are better placed in this set as well, with one after the main title, and one after each segment. This makes navigating through the episodes very easy.
The video and audio qualities are mostly good. As this is a MOD set, no remastering work was done. The video is a little on the soft side, but colors are still vibrant and the episodes are very watchable. Audio is clear, if not very dynamic. It is as good as it can be expected. There are no special features, unfortunately...but no one was expecting any, I'm sure.
In general, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch was a cute mid-70s Hanna-Barbera show about talking cars and motorcycles. As this show is rarely rerun on Cartoon Network or Boomerang, I had never actually seen the show prior to getting this set, and considering how bland some of H-B's product was at the time, my expectations weren't that high. However, I was impressed with the writing and the overall cute factor of the show. It's too bad it didn't last longer. I can wholeheartedly recommend the show to both families and animation enthusiasts. It's cute!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Warner Archive
Related links:
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BLOG FEATURE STORY:
A Look Into the Public Domain
by skees53
We've all seen them everywhere; if we go into virtually any store, such as a dollar store, bookstore, various websites, a grocery store, or even big box retailers like Best Buy or Target, we see cheap DVDs (sometimes as cheap as a buck), usually of series that are from the 1960s or earlier, that have been put out by some studio that we've never heard of. Commonly, we'll see series such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Andy Griffith Show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, The Lucy Show, and many others among these "value selections." So why are these DVDs so cheap? It's because they are in the public domain. In other words, they are episodes of these series that have fallen out of copyright protection.
We rarely review such series here (although we have on occasion). One major problem is that there are an infinite amount of these releases out there released by studios that seemingly pop up every day (and often vanish after the release), and we can't even keep track of what is coming out because public domain DVDs are rarely released with any publicity. Another problem is that so many of these DVDs contain material that has already available from several other studios releasing the same public domain set. And quality is another issue--many of these sets are among the worst looking DVDs that you'll see out there. So why are we doing a story about this? Because sometimes you can find treasures among these DVD sets that you can not find elsewhere.
One great example of these "treasures" would be the classic series from the 1950s that Betty White starred in, Life With Elizabeth and Date With the Angels. No studio has ever released any "official" set of either series, so for these series, our only option is to go with a public domain release. None of the offerings out there are stellar quality, but they do provide us with a rare opportunity to see the series. We've even reviewed two of these sets, which you can see our reviews for here and here. Neither were great sets, but nonetheless offered a rare opportunity to see the series.
Recently, I stumbled upon a DVD called Lucy's Really Lost Moments for just $2 at Big Lots. I picked it up totally on a whim, but I was very pleasantly surprised with what I found on the set. Essentially, it was a single disc collection of material that could be considered "special features" on an I Love Lucy set (although much of it actually is on the officially released DVD sets). But this DVD stood out, because it contained both black and white AND colorized versions of all of the material on it. This truly was one of the best public domain releases that I ever found.
Another great public domain set is one that I've seen time and time again at the bricks and mortar retailer Half Price Books. It is Mill Creek's collection of one hundred (yes, one 1 and two 0's) episodes of the series The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. Now, it isn't exactly the prettiest looking set out there, but when I was able to pick up a used copy from the clearance rack for $10 (although the new price is still a very reasonable $20), I had to take advantage of that opportunity. This set is about the only way that you can see most of the episodes on DVD, as many releases of the series are scattered and only contain a handful of episodes.
With all that being said, before buying any public domain DVD, remember the phrase "let the buyer beware." For the most part, none of these are perfect and will have technical flaws, and are almost always missing original music or other elements. But for just a few bucks, it is money that you can often afford to burn.
LOOKING AHEAD
We'll be back next week with more news and reviews, and hopefully we'll have more feature articles in the weeks ahead.We have a review of Jabberjaw, another classic Hanna-Barbera series from the Warner Archive collection in the upcoming weeks, as well as a review of an upcoming release of the classic Canadian comedy series (which has aired on PBS in the United States), The Red Green Show. Until then, keep it digital!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Martin Coming To MTV2, President's Day 2011 TV Marathons; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 21, 2011)
In a surprise move, MTV2 has acquired the '90s sitcom Martin! Detroit radio personality Martin Payne (Martin Lawrence) tries to juggle a job he loves, the girl he loves and whole cast of characters - from his wacky neighbor Shenehneh to "Brotha Man" from the fifth floor - in the hit '90s sitcom, Martin. The sitcom will launch this weekend - on President's Day weekend - with a marathon on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011 from 1:30pm-11pm, with the first 19 episodes airing. The series will then regularly air weekdays from 9am-12pm starting Monday, Feb. 21 (President's Day). Martin is the only scripted series airing on MTV2. It seems MTV has gotten into the scripted game in the last year or two, with series like Grounded for Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and That '70s Show airing recently. Only That '70 Show remains on MTV's line-up, though. It is unclear if Martin will have any special airings on the main MTV network, but enjoy it while you can on MTV2. Let's hope this means more sitcoms will make their way to MTV and MTV2. I guess WKRP in Cincinnati might be too old for MTV or MTV2 to try, though.
Martin of course also airs on cable network TV One every weeknight in the 8pm and 11pm hours. Martin has been airing on TV One since October 2004 and will continue to do so.
We also want to give you a heads up on the 2011 President's Day marathons. President's Day of course is this coming Monday (Feb. 21, 2011). Among the marathons on Monday are an all-day Pretty Little Liars marathon on ABC Family leading into an all-new episode at 8pm. Sitcom wise, there is a Sister Sister marathon on Centric from 8am-10pm. TeenNick has a True Jackson, VP marathon starting at 8am. And CMT will air a marathon of its original comedy Working Class starting at 7:30pm.
Drama wise, there are plenty of choices as usual. In addition to Pretty Little Liars, there is a Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman marathon on GMC starting at 10am. Hallmark Movie Channel will air a series marathon of Murder, She Wrote for 24-hours straight beginning at 6am. Sleuth has an interesting set-up called "Mt. Rushmore Marathon" with four seres airing in six-hour blocks starting at 6am: TJ Hooker, Monk, Walker Texas Ranger and Nash Bridges. ION Television has another Criminal Minds marathon from 3pm-1am. TNT goes into the Supernatural world with a marathon of the drama from 9am-7pm. And USA Network has a marathon of NCIS starting at 6am.
Animation wise, we have a Smurfs marathon on Boomerang from 8am-4pm. There are also plenty of reality options as usual such as a Fear Factor marathon on Chiller, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on CMT starting at noon, and a Jersey Shore marathon (sadly) on MTV2. And finally, for you movie buffs there are also plenty of options. Universal HD had "All the President's Men" movie stunt with movies like Mayday, Time Bomb, and Hostage airing. Spike TV also has a movie marathon beginning at 9am with movies like Swordfish, The Fugitive, and Die Hard. BET will air movies all day as well such as Barbershop. AMC will honor the holiday with Pearl Harbor in primetime. And Lifetime will be airing movies all-day leading into their new original movie premiere of Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial In Italy.
If you're looking for more viewing options, then you should check out these 217 Movies, Marathons and Specials that air during President's Day Weekend from our friends at TV Tango.
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Feb. 21-25, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Martin of course also airs on cable network TV One every weeknight in the 8pm and 11pm hours. Martin has been airing on TV One since October 2004 and will continue to do so.
We also want to give you a heads up on the 2011 President's Day marathons. President's Day of course is this coming Monday (Feb. 21, 2011). Among the marathons on Monday are an all-day Pretty Little Liars marathon on ABC Family leading into an all-new episode at 8pm. Sitcom wise, there is a Sister Sister marathon on Centric from 8am-10pm. TeenNick has a True Jackson, VP marathon starting at 8am. And CMT will air a marathon of its original comedy Working Class starting at 7:30pm.
Drama wise, there are plenty of choices as usual. In addition to Pretty Little Liars, there is a Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman marathon on GMC starting at 10am. Hallmark Movie Channel will air a series marathon of Murder, She Wrote for 24-hours straight beginning at 6am. Sleuth has an interesting set-up called "Mt. Rushmore Marathon" with four seres airing in six-hour blocks starting at 6am: TJ Hooker, Monk, Walker Texas Ranger and Nash Bridges. ION Television has another Criminal Minds marathon from 3pm-1am. TNT goes into the Supernatural world with a marathon of the drama from 9am-7pm. And USA Network has a marathon of NCIS starting at 6am.
Animation wise, we have a Smurfs marathon on Boomerang from 8am-4pm. There are also plenty of reality options as usual such as a Fear Factor marathon on Chiller, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on CMT starting at noon, and a Jersey Shore marathon (sadly) on MTV2. And finally, for you movie buffs there are also plenty of options. Universal HD had "All the President's Men" movie stunt with movies like Mayday, Time Bomb, and Hostage airing. Spike TV also has a movie marathon beginning at 9am with movies like Swordfish, The Fugitive, and Die Hard. BET will air movies all day as well such as Barbershop. AMC will honor the holiday with Pearl Harbor in primetime. And Lifetime will be airing movies all-day leading into their new original movie premiere of Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial In Italy.
If you're looking for more viewing options, then you should check out these 217 Movies, Marathons and Specials that air during President's Day Weekend from our friends at TV Tango.
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Feb. 21-25, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, February 21, 2011
- Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) - Watch Cobie on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Matthew Perry (Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Watch Matthew on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Ed Helms (The Office) - Catch the funnyman on Conan on TBS at 11pm.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Watch Sofia on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Sara Rue (Less than Perfect) - Watch Sara on The Talk as well at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT on CBS.
- David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - Watch David on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly so check local listings.
- Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - See Amy on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Matthew Perry (Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Catch Matthew on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Martin Lawrence (Martin) - Watch Martin on Lopez Tonight on TBS at 12am.
- Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch) - Watch Flo on CBS daytime on The Talk at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) - Oliver is also on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/Golden Girls/Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty will appear on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
- Christina Applegate (Samantha Who/Married...with Children/Jesse) - Watch Christina in her first appearance since the birth of her baby on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Watch Rainn on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm only on CBS.
- Henry Winkler (Happy Days/Out of Practice/Arrested Development) - Watch Henry on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am.
- Joel McHale (Community) - Joel visits Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS at 12:37am.
- Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Amy on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly so check your listings.
- Judy Greer (Mad Love/Miss Guided) - Watch Judy on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:37am on NBC.
- Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Watch the beauty on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Watch Yvette on The Nate Berkus Show so check your listings.
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser) - Catch Neil on the Ellen DeGeneres Show so check your listings.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Science Channel Acquires Firefly; USA Reduces CSI; Remembering Seinfeld's Uncle Leo, Actor Len Lesser
From the creator of the hit TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer sci-fi savant Joss Whedon delves into the final frontier with Firefly, which lands exclusively on the Science Channel on Sunday, March 6 at 8pm ET with the airing of the original 2-hour pilot. Immediately following, episode one of the 15 episode series will air at 10pm ET.
Firefly will dominate the airwaves every Sunday with an encore episode of the previous week airing 9pm ET to be followed by the network premiere of the next episode in the series airing at 10pm ET.
As a special treat for Firefly fans, star of Science Channel's Sci-Fi Science, and the cofounder of string field theory, Dr. Michio Kaku, will be commentating on the science behind Firefly for each episode. From terraforming, to anti-matter, Kaku will be explaining why the science fiction featured in the show really isn't that far from science fact.
When Firefly first aired in 2002 on Fox, Whedon's sci-fi western quickly became a cult favorite. Set 500 years in the future, in the aftermath of a universal civil war, the story centers on the renegade crew of a small transport spaceship led by Castle's Nathan Fillion, who directs the ragtag team through adventures into unknown parts of the galaxy, as they try to evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them. In addition to Fillion, the series starred Gina Torres (Alias), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Summer Glau (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Ron Glass (Barney Miller) and Morena Baccarin (V).
Science Channel is part of Discovery Networks, which includes Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Health.
After just a few weeks, CSI will be reduced on USA Network. Law & Order: SVU replaces CSI on Mondays at midnight and Law & Order: CI replaces CSI on Mondays at 1am. And finally, NCIS replaces CSI on Fridays in late night beginning at 12am. So when will CSI now air? Wednesdays at 12am and Fridays 9pm-12am. It looks like the ratings are still not up to par for CSI on USA Network, which is surprising since it fits well with other reruns on the network. Stay with us for any further updates and changes, if any.
We have another TV passing to report. Len Lesser, the veteran character actor best known for his scene-stealing role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld, has died. Lesser's family said in a statement that he died Wednesday (Feb. 16, 2011) in Burbank, CA, from cancer-related pneumonia.
He appeared in about 15 episodes as Seinfeld's uncle on the long running sitcom starting in the second season all the way to the series finale. Lesser's lengthy list of television credits included parts on Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Love on a Rooftop, The FBI, My Favorite Martian, Honey West, Ben Casey, Get Smart, That Girl, The Munsters, The Monkees, The Rockford Files, The Bill Cosby Show, All in the Family, Kojak, Medical Center, The Bob Newhart Show, Bonanza, Ironside, Enos, Quincy, Remington Steele, Simon & Simon, Falcon Crest, Airwolf, thirtysomething, Babes, Boy Meets World, The John Larroquette Show, Caroline in the City, Mad About You, Smart Guy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Son of the Beach, Rock Me Baby, Just Shoot Me!, Quintuplets, Cold Case, ER, 'Til Death, and Everybody Loves Raymond, which featured Lesser in a recurring role as the arm-shaking Garvin. He most recently appeared on the ABC's Castle in 2009.
He will be deeply missed. Fans will be saying "Jerry! Hellooo!" today in his memory. Mr. Lesser was 88.
Firefly will dominate the airwaves every Sunday with an encore episode of the previous week airing 9pm ET to be followed by the network premiere of the next episode in the series airing at 10pm ET.
As a special treat for Firefly fans, star of Science Channel's Sci-Fi Science, and the cofounder of string field theory, Dr. Michio Kaku, will be commentating on the science behind Firefly for each episode. From terraforming, to anti-matter, Kaku will be explaining why the science fiction featured in the show really isn't that far from science fact.
When Firefly first aired in 2002 on Fox, Whedon's sci-fi western quickly became a cult favorite. Set 500 years in the future, in the aftermath of a universal civil war, the story centers on the renegade crew of a small transport spaceship led by Castle's Nathan Fillion, who directs the ragtag team through adventures into unknown parts of the galaxy, as they try to evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them. In addition to Fillion, the series starred Gina Torres (Alias), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Summer Glau (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Ron Glass (Barney Miller) and Morena Baccarin (V).
Science Channel is part of Discovery Networks, which includes Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Health.
After just a few weeks, CSI will be reduced on USA Network. Law & Order: SVU replaces CSI on Mondays at midnight and Law & Order: CI replaces CSI on Mondays at 1am. And finally, NCIS replaces CSI on Fridays in late night beginning at 12am. So when will CSI now air? Wednesdays at 12am and Fridays 9pm-12am. It looks like the ratings are still not up to par for CSI on USA Network, which is surprising since it fits well with other reruns on the network. Stay with us for any further updates and changes, if any.
We have another TV passing to report. Len Lesser, the veteran character actor best known for his scene-stealing role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld, has died. Lesser's family said in a statement that he died Wednesday (Feb. 16, 2011) in Burbank, CA, from cancer-related pneumonia.
He appeared in about 15 episodes as Seinfeld's uncle on the long running sitcom starting in the second season all the way to the series finale. Lesser's lengthy list of television credits included parts on Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Love on a Rooftop, The FBI, My Favorite Martian, Honey West, Ben Casey, Get Smart, That Girl, The Munsters, The Monkees, The Rockford Files, The Bill Cosby Show, All in the Family, Kojak, Medical Center, The Bob Newhart Show, Bonanza, Ironside, Enos, Quincy, Remington Steele, Simon & Simon, Falcon Crest, Airwolf, thirtysomething, Babes, Boy Meets World, The John Larroquette Show, Caroline in the City, Mad About You, Smart Guy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Son of the Beach, Rock Me Baby, Just Shoot Me!, Quintuplets, Cold Case, ER, 'Til Death, and Everybody Loves Raymond, which featured Lesser in a recurring role as the arm-shaking Garvin. He most recently appeared on the ABC's Castle in 2009.
He will be deeply missed. Fans will be saying "Jerry! Hellooo!" today in his memory. Mr. Lesser was 88.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
TV Land Testing All in the Family in Primetime; The First Annual Comedy Awards
From Monday, March 7 through Friday, March 11, 2011, TV Land will air All in the Family from 7:00pm-9:00pm instead of Sanford & Son. No reason for the change was given, but All in the Family already airs on TV Land in the 6pm hour every night and Tues-Fri in the 8am half-hour. The series is gaining the 8am half-hour starting March 1 and the 6pm hour on weekends starting March 5, as we previously mentioned.
This means from March 7-11, you can watch All in the Family in the evenings from 6-9pm! And if you get Antenna TV, you can watch another hour starting at 9pm. That's a whole lotta All in the Family, but the three-hour schedule on TV Land is only for a week. Could this be because it is doing well or that Sanford & Son needed a break? Only time will tell, if this goes beyond a week. Sanford & Son will only air at 8:30am on TV Land from March 7-11, but if you miss it that week in primetime, catch it on Antenna TV in the 8pm hour.
View once again the TV Land March 2011 schedule. Stay with us if anything changes and we should have April 2011 in the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!
Nominations for the first annual The Comedy Awards were announced by Comedy Central and MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom. The Comedy Awards is the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy. Airing on Sunday, April 10, The Comedy Awards has garnered support from some of the most iconic names in comedy history.
The nominees reflect a broad range of comedic talent in film, television, stand-up, animation and digital content. 30 Rock leads the television categories with seven nominations, with The Office and Modern Family each scoring four nominations. These three hit shows are up against cult favorites, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Eastbound & Down in the Comedy Series category. Nominees were selected by the prestigious The Comedy Awards Board of Directors, which include: James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, James Dixon, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Caroline Hirsch, Martin Lesak, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Conan O'Brien, Peter Principato, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal, Michael Rotenberg, George Schlatter, Sharon Sheinwold Jackson, Mitzi Shore, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin and Sandy Wernick.
The winners of each category will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of nearly 1000 members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors.
Following is the list of final nominees for the television portion:
COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock (NBC)
Eastbound & Down (HBO)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
COMEDY ACTOR - TV
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock (NBC)
Danny McBride, Eastbound & Down (HBO)
COMEDY ACTRESS - TV
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock (NBC)
Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland (TV Land)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
LATE NIGHT COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
SKETCH COMEDY/ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SERIES
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim)
Funny or Die Presents (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (Adult Swim)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central)
ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES
American Dad! (Fox)
Archer (FX)
Family Guy (Fox)
The Simpsons (Fox)
South Park (Comedy Central)
COMEDY WRITING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
The Simpsons (Fox)
COMEDY DIRECTING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Community (NBC)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
This means from March 7-11, you can watch All in the Family in the evenings from 6-9pm! And if you get Antenna TV, you can watch another hour starting at 9pm. That's a whole lotta All in the Family, but the three-hour schedule on TV Land is only for a week. Could this be because it is doing well or that Sanford & Son needed a break? Only time will tell, if this goes beyond a week. Sanford & Son will only air at 8:30am on TV Land from March 7-11, but if you miss it that week in primetime, catch it on Antenna TV in the 8pm hour.
View once again the TV Land March 2011 schedule. Stay with us if anything changes and we should have April 2011 in the coming weeks as well, so stay tuned!
Nominations for the first annual The Comedy Awards were announced by Comedy Central and MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom. The Comedy Awards is the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy. Airing on Sunday, April 10, The Comedy Awards has garnered support from some of the most iconic names in comedy history.
The nominees reflect a broad range of comedic talent in film, television, stand-up, animation and digital content. 30 Rock leads the television categories with seven nominations, with The Office and Modern Family each scoring four nominations. These three hit shows are up against cult favorites, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Eastbound & Down in the Comedy Series category. Nominees were selected by the prestigious The Comedy Awards Board of Directors, which include: James Burrows, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, James Dixon, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Caroline Hirsch, Martin Lesak, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Conan O'Brien, Peter Principato, Don Rickles, Joan Rivers, Jay Roach, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal, Michael Rotenberg, George Schlatter, Sharon Sheinwold Jackson, Mitzi Shore, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin and Sandy Wernick.
The winners of each category will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of nearly 1000 members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors.
Following is the list of final nominees for the television portion:
COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock (NBC)
Eastbound & Down (HBO)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
COMEDY ACTOR - TV
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock (NBC)
Danny McBride, Eastbound & Down (HBO)
COMEDY ACTRESS - TV
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock (NBC)
Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland (TV Land)
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
LATE NIGHT COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
SKETCH COMEDY/ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SERIES
Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim)
Funny or Die Presents (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (Adult Swim)
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central)
ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES
American Dad! (Fox)
Archer (FX)
Family Guy (Fox)
The Simpsons (Fox)
South Park (Comedy Central)
COMEDY WRITING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
The Simpsons (Fox)
COMEDY DIRECTING - TV
30 Rock (NBC)
Community (NBC)
Modern Family (ABC)
The Office (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Mork & Mindy Finally Being Used on Syfy; Details on Glee's Fall 2013 Broadcast Syndication Airings
Syfy has aired Mork & Mindy only a few times via a marathon since they got the rights to the series in 2008. The first marathon was in November 2008 on the day after Thanksgiving then another airing didn't occur unil July 2009. It hasn't been seen since. Now, Syfy has scheduled a few filler airings of the sitcom in March. The first filler airing will be on Sunday, March 6, 2011 in the 9am hour with the two-part episode "Mork vs. The Necrotons" airing. Then it will be seen again with three more airings on the late night schedule on Sunday, March 20, 2011 (technically Monday, March 21) from 4am-5:30am. Episodes scheduled are "Stark Raving Mork," "Mork Vs. Mindy," and "Mork Gets Mindy-itis." It looks like it is being used as a filler from time-to-time, but it isn't as frequent as say Wings or Becker on sister network USA Network. Hopefully it will be used more after this, but a regular timeslot would be better, even if it is in the late night/over night time periods. Stay with us for continued updates on Mork & Mindy sightings on Syfy...it's like watching UFO's.
In addition to its airings on cable on Oxygen in Fall 2013, Glee will be airings weekends on local broadcast syndication in Fall 2013 as well. The show has been cleared on Fox stations in top markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando and Baltimore. It will air either once a week or twice a week on weekends, depending on the station's needs.
Reruns of Glee have already begun airing on Oxygen in marathons, which secured the cable syndication rights last year for $500,000 an episode. The Super Bowl weekend marathon brought the network record ratings, but as we first reported Glee will begin airing regularly on Oxygen in Fall 2013. Oxygen's original series The Glee Project will premiere in June.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Hub Switches Family Ties, Happy Days Slots; Remembering Betty Garrett of All in the Family, Laverne & Shirley
The Hub has made some slight schedule changes to its sitcom line-up for the first time. Before we get into that, weekend mornings saw some changes begin this past Saturday (Feb. 12), with the "Huboom" block added to weekend mornings. Classic Batman airs in the 6am hour followed by classic G.I. Joe at 7am and classic Transformers at 7:30am. This block will continue to air Mon-Thurs starting at 11:30pm as well. The 6am weekend Batman airings are just encores of the 3am airings on early Saturday and Sundays. There are some other changes on weekend mornings, but that are just the animated series moving to different times like Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? moving from 9am to 10:30am.
The change that concerns us more is the sitcom change starting tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 15). Family Ties and Happy Days will be switching timeslots, so Family Ties moves to the 10pm hour with an encore now at 4am and Happy Days moves to an earlier time to the 8pm hour with an encore now at 2am. Tonight, The Hub has Valentine's Day themed episodes from 9pm-11pm of The Wonder Years, Doogie Howser and back-to-back Happy Days. Everything else remains as is, on the Mon-Thurs changes sitcom wise. Friday nights remain the same with the comedies airing from 2am-4am (Doogie Howser, Happy Days and back-to-back Batman). Saturday nights has those still plus The Wonder Years in the 1am hour still. And Sunday nights has all those plus Family Ties in the 12am hour still.
Finally, we have some sad news to report again. Betty Garrett, a veteran actress who started her career on such MGM musicals as On The Town and Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but is more known for her television work on All in the Family and Laverne & Shirley has died. Garrett died early Saturday morning (Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011) at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center of an aortic aneurysm. Just last Wednesday, Garrett went to dinner with friends and afterward taught a weekly musical comedy class at Theatre West, the nonprofit theater she helped found in North Hollywood half a century ago. Her death was first reported by KABC in Los Angeles and then a friend of Betty's confirmed it.
Garrett was best known on TV for her roles on two popular 1970s sitcoms, as landlady Edna Babish on Laverne & Shirley and as Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family. In 1975, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress on Television for All in the Family. She has also guest starred on many other series such as The Fugitive, The Love Boat, Mr. Merlin, Murder, She Wrote, The Golden Girls, Harts of the West, The Good Life, Townies, Union Square, Boston Public, Becker (for which she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003) and Grey's Anatomy in 2006.
We will let you know if there will be any on air tributes to her, but you can catch All in the Family Sun-Thurs at 9pm & 9:30pm and Saturdays 7pm & 7:30pm on Antenna TV, along with airings on TV Land weekdays in the 6pm hour. Coincidentally, TV Land had scheduled the start of season four (when Betty joined the series) starting this Thursday (Feb. 17), so you can catch her first episode then at 6pm. And Laverne & Shirley airs Mon-Thurs at 11:30pm on The Hub. Betty will be deeply missed, especially by her sitcom fans. Ms. Garrett was 91.
The change that concerns us more is the sitcom change starting tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 15). Family Ties and Happy Days will be switching timeslots, so Family Ties moves to the 10pm hour with an encore now at 4am and Happy Days moves to an earlier time to the 8pm hour with an encore now at 2am. Tonight, The Hub has Valentine's Day themed episodes from 9pm-11pm of The Wonder Years, Doogie Howser and back-to-back Happy Days. Everything else remains as is, on the Mon-Thurs changes sitcom wise. Friday nights remain the same with the comedies airing from 2am-4am (Doogie Howser, Happy Days and back-to-back Batman). Saturday nights has those still plus The Wonder Years in the 1am hour still. And Sunday nights has all those plus Family Ties in the 12am hour still.
Finally, we have some sad news to report again. Betty Garrett, a veteran actress who started her career on such MGM musicals as On The Town and Take Me Out to the Ballgame, but is more known for her television work on All in the Family and Laverne & Shirley has died. Garrett died early Saturday morning (Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011) at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center of an aortic aneurysm. Just last Wednesday, Garrett went to dinner with friends and afterward taught a weekly musical comedy class at Theatre West, the nonprofit theater she helped found in North Hollywood half a century ago. Her death was first reported by KABC in Los Angeles and then a friend of Betty's confirmed it.
Garrett was best known on TV for her roles on two popular 1970s sitcoms, as landlady Edna Babish on Laverne & Shirley and as Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family. In 1975, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress on Television for All in the Family. She has also guest starred on many other series such as The Fugitive, The Love Boat, Mr. Merlin, Murder, She Wrote, The Golden Girls, Harts of the West, The Good Life, Townies, Union Square, Boston Public, Becker (for which she was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003) and Grey's Anatomy in 2006.
We will let you know if there will be any on air tributes to her, but you can catch All in the Family Sun-Thurs at 9pm & 9:30pm and Saturdays 7pm & 7:30pm on Antenna TV, along with airings on TV Land weekdays in the 6pm hour. Coincidentally, TV Land had scheduled the start of season four (when Betty joined the series) starting this Thursday (Feb. 17), so you can catch her first episode then at 6pm. And Laverne & Shirley airs Mon-Thurs at 11:30pm on The Hub. Betty will be deeply missed, especially by her sitcom fans. Ms. Garrett was 91.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Week 21 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2010-11 Week 21 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):
Households: 1. CBS 7.8/12.5 rating/share; 2. Fox 7.3/11.4; 3. ABC 5.0/8.0; 4. NBC 3.8/6.1; 5. The CW 1.1/1.7
Total Viewers: 1. Fox 12.89 million; 2. CBS 12.77 million; 3. ABC 7.92 million; 4. NBC 6.24 million; 5. The CW 1.71 million.
Adults 18-49: 1. Fox 4.4/11.7 rating/share; 2. CBS 3.0/8.2; 3. ABC 2.6/7.0; 4. NBC 2.1/5.8; 5. The CW 0.7/2.0
Week 21 (Feb. 7-13) Analysis: Week 21 has CBS and Fox battling in HH/viewers with it being very close, but Fox has a commanding lead in 18-49. Through the first four nights CBS leads the way in HH, but in viewers Fox has the small edge. Fox is winning in 18-49. Fox is second in HH, while CBS is second in 18-49. ABC and NBC are in third and fourth across the board, respectively. CBS will likely win the week in HH/viewers after tonight's Gramy Awards, but 18-49 will be close as CBS will come back to make it close after tonight. Last week, week 20, had Fox win the week of course via the Super Bow. CBS was in second place across the board and NBC was third in HH/viewers, but fourth in 18-49. ABC was the opposite, fourth in HH/viewers but third in 18-49.
Monday saw CBS with the win, with Fox and ABC competitive. ABC started with The Bachelor doing 9.81 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, up some in viewers and the same 18-49 as previous week. At 10pm ABC aired a new Castle and did 9.26 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, its best rating in a month. CBS was all-new with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, a new How I Met Your Mother started it off with 10.0 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, which is nothing to complain about these days. At 8:30, a new Rules of Engagement did a solid 9.41 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating. Two and a Half Men followed with a new airing of its own doing 15.15 million and a 4.4 18-49 rating, which is excellent as always. At 9:30, Mike & Molly was new too and did 12.55 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, which is consistent. A new Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 11.01 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating. Fox was all-new with House doing 12.33 million and a 4.3 18-49 rating, above average thanks to the Super Bowl the previous night. The series premiere of Chicago Code followed at 9pm with 9.43 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is a bit disappointing and the 18-49 rating is around what Lie to Me's recent airings. Fox should have used this post-Super Bowl and have episode two on this night the night after. NBC started its night with a new Chuck doing 5.41 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is on par with previous week. At 9pm, the struggling The Cape did 4.57 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, as it keeps going down every single week. At 10pm, week four of Harry's Law saw a drop with competition doing third place finishes with 9.22 million and just a 1.7 18-49 rating. It probably would flourish on Friday nights. The CW was new with 90210 doing 1.75 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. Gossip Girl followed with a new episode doing 1.62 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
Tuesday had CBS dominate with its dramas in viewers but Fox had a small edge in 18-49. CBS started with a new NCIS and did 20.35 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week. NCIS: Los Angeles followed with a new episode and did 17.16 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, also down from previous week. The Good Wife did well in total viewers with 11.86 million but only a 2.2 18-49 rating once again, on par with previous week. For ABC, No Ordinary Family was all-new in the 8pm hour doing 5.23 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is disappointing. I still hope it returns next season, perhaps on a revamped family-themed Friday? At 9, V was new and did 5.4 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, up some from previous week's season low. ABC has posted a screener for this week and critics are loving the episode, hopefully that translates to better ratings. Detroit 1-8-7 was new with 5.49 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Still low, but grew again. Fox finally had a new Glee on Tuesday and it did 11.58 million and a 4.6 18-49 rating, which was up a lick from its last new episode in December but I was expecting at least a 5.0 since it aired after the Super Bowl on Sunday. Still great, but the Super Bowl airing wasn't needed. Next Fox also returned Raising Hope and did 6.58 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating...which is its normal rating. But the series premiere of new comedy Traffic Light saw a red light with only 4.59 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating. It can't afford to go down more that this. NBC aired a two-hour The Biggest Loser doing 8.44 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week thanks to the increased competition. Then at 10pm, Parenthood did a third place 5.22 million but a second place 1.9 18-49 rating, but still down from previous week. The CW was new with One Tree Hill doing 1.6 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down sharply from previous week's special wedding episode. Next at 9pm was a new episode of Hellcats and that did 1.72 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week.
Wednesday had American Idol win but ABC had solid ratings for its comedies. Idol did 24.05 million and a 8.4 18-49 rating, down from previous week. At 9pm Fox aired Human Target and Idol viewers fled elsewhere again, as the show did 8.13 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down from previous week. This means that Idol viewers went elsewhere and only the fans of this show were watching again. Like I said last week, that's not a bad thing, it's just that Fox should air something else at 9pm. Not good scheduling. CBS started the night off with the finale of Live to Dance doing just 4.71 million and a minuscule 0.9 18-49 rating again. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next with a new episode doing 13.67 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, seems higher than normal. At 10pm, the final special Wednesday airing of Blue Bloods did 11.8 million but only a 2.1 18-49 rating, still up from previous week. ABC had its Laugh On comedy block and had a new The Middle open the night with a solid 8.84 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, very solid opposite Idol. Then at 8:30, a new Better With You did 6.81 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, which is so-so but could certainly be worse. Then ABC aired a new Modern Family at 9pm doing a series best 13.16 million and tied a series best with a 5.1 18-49 rating. Viewers again turned to this show after Idol was over. It will be interesting to see what happens this week. Then at 9:30, Mr. Sunshine had a successful series premiere with 10.52 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, best numbers in this slot since episode two of Cougar Town. Very good start and hopefully stays close to this range in the coming weeks since Idol will be two-hours. Cougar Town will return Monday, April 18, and on Wednesdays starting April 20. At 10pm, a new episode of new drama Off the Map aired and did 5.61 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, on par with the previous week. NBC aired a two-hour all-new Minute to Win It and did 6.06 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down sharply from previous week, which saw 9pm do very well the previous week thanks to no competition. At 10pm, Law & Order: SVU was next with an all-new episode doing 7.89 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, winning the hour in 18-49 but down from previous week. The CW had repeats, this time with Nikita starting it off at 8pm doing 1.44 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating. At 9pm a repeat of Vampire Diaries did only 910,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating.
Thursday saw once again Fox win the night, on a night of lower than usual ratings. ABC opened the night with an all-new Wipeout doing 6.95 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Then Grey's Anatomy was next with a new episode doing 10.47 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, also down from previous week. At 10pm, Private Practice was also new and did 7.26 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. CBS opened with a new The Big Bang Theory and it did 12.78 million and a 3.9 A18-49 rating, down from previous week. Then a new $#*! My Dad Says followed with 10.34 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. Next, CSI was new too and did 12.64 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, for a season low. A new The Mentalist did 14.86 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week in 18-49. OK so onto Fox, at 8pm a new American Idol did 21.94 million and a 7.3 18-49 rating, which is down a bit from previous week. A new episode of Bones followed at 9pm and did 9.94 million and 3.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. NBC was all-new new with its comedies but struggled, as Community did 3.81 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down a bit again from previous week. Then new comedy Perfect Couples did only 3.06 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, but up a tenth actually from previous week. At 9pm The Office was new and did 6.9 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, which is down some again from previous week. At 9:30pm, a new Parks and Recreation was at 5.03 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. At 10, NBC started with 30 Rock doing 4.59 million and a 2.3 18-49, down a tenth from previous week but still acceptable for 10pm. At 10:30, Outsourced did only 3.61 million and 1.7 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth from previous week and a series low. The CW was next with a new Vampire Diaries doing a 2.79 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Then a new Nikita did 1.89 million and just a 0.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday had lower ratings that usual, too. Kitchen Nightmares and Fringe were at season lows. NBC's Who Do You Think You Are did decent in total viewers but not in 18-49, and the same goes true for CBS drama The Defenders. ABC's 20/20 lead the night. Saturday had Fox win but with NASCAR rather than its crime reality series. Every other network was below a 1.0 rating.
Tonight ABC is all-new with its regular Sunday of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters with Valentine's themed episodes. NBC has repeats of Harry's Law (come on, for sweeps?) from 9-11pm following a two-hour Dateline from 7-9pm. CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the 2011 Grammy Awards, which will easily win the night as Undercover Boss & CSI: Miami are preempted. Fox is all-new with Animation Domination starting at 7:30pm that should be good for second or third place in 18-49.
As for the week (week 21), CBS will win the week in HH/viewers but can they catch up to Fox in 18-49 after the Grammy's tonight? That is the only thing to watch, as everything else is about determined. Fox will be in second in HH/viewers, with ABC third everywhere and NBC in fourth I think. And for the coming week (week 22), has February sweeps continuing and it will be interesting to see how week two's of Chicago Code, Traffic Light and Mr. Sunshine do. I think only the latter will do well.
Week 21 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 20 -- Jan. 31-Feb. 6)
- American Dad! (Fox) - preempted for the Super Bowl.
- The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted for the Super Bowl.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted for the Super Bowl.
- Family Guy (Fox) - preempted for the Super Bowl.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted for the Super Bowl.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 10.0 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, which is very good. The show is heavily DVRed the same day (that counts in the numbers you see here), so that helps its ratings.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 9.41 million for a new episode is solid and the 3.2 18-49 rating is solid. It is not much as DVRed as its lead-in, so the live ratings show a better retention than it looks. The series will move to Thursdays starting Feb. 24, so this was its last Monday airing, as of now.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 15.15 million for a new episode is outstanding, but 18-49 is what really counts and the show did a 4.4 18-49 rating, good for second among all sitcoms this week. Still great.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 12.55 million for a new episode and a 18-49 rating of 3.5 is great. It is consistent.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Raising Hope (Fox) - The series returned with its normal ratings doing 6.58 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating out of a new Glee. No Super Bowl bump for that, so no bump here.
- Traffic Light (Fox) - The series premiere didn't do well at all with only 4.59 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating. Disappointing.
- The Middle (ABC) - A new episode of this sitcom did 8.84 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating even against Idol. Great showing.
- Better with You (ABC) - A new episode of this series did 6.81 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, which could be better but could be certainly worse against Idol.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did a series high 13.16 million and tied a series high of 5.1 18-49 rating for a third time. Great numbers!
- Mr. Sunshine (ABC) - The series premiere of this series followed with a very good 10.52 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, better than Cougar Town because it was a series premiere. But remember Cougar Town premiered to a 4.4 in Sept. 2009. I think this show will do fine though and the episodes are getting better in quality even. Ideally having this show stay in this slot next season with Cougar Town at 10 would be for the best.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode did 12.78 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, down from previous week but still good numbers. Oddly skewing older though, as How I Met Your Mother on Monday was close to it in 18-49 with much less total viewers.
- S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - A new showing did 10.34 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, down a tad from previous week.
- Community (NBC) - A new episode did only 3.81 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. Again heavily DVRed on the same day as it only did a 1.2 rating for live numbers (gaining 0.6 from same day DVR).
- Perfect Couples (NBC) - A new episode did 3.06 million again and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is up a tenth from previous week. Still terrible. No one likes this show, as its live rating was only a 1.3, again too.
- The Office (NBC) - A new episode did 6.9 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, which is down once again from previous week...but still by far the best of this block on NBC.
- Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A new showing did 5.03 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating...up a bit from previous week.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - At 10pm, a new episode did 4.59 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down some from previous week.
- Outsourced (NBC) - At 10:30pm, a new episode of this show was lost again at 10:30 doing just 3.61 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is a series low.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 7-10pm, with new episodes starting at 7:30pm.
Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mr. Sunshine, The Office, Mike & Molly, Rules of Engagement, The Middle were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Raising Hope, Better With You) or just plain old terrible (such as Outsourced, Perfect Couples).
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Digital Digest: Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends -100% Complete Bull DVD Review; The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two DVD Review
Welcome to our "big thaw" edition of Digital Digest! We're saying "big thaw" because not only is the snow and ice is starting to melt in many places (but it probably isn't gone for good), but also because our "big freeze" of not being able to bring you much news has come to an end, at least somewhat (though it still isn't a major news week, sadly). Yes, we actually have new news to share this week! And we've got double reviews for you this week, with reviews of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series and The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two. Let's get started!
DIGITAL NEWS
We've been covering scheduled releases of current on-going series on TV (it seems they are being announced earlier and earlier all the time), and it should be no surprise that the current season of the NBC series Community is naturally on the way. As far as "when," we'll just say that is just going to be an unannounced pop quiz for the time being (though I'd bet on September), but you can already pre-order Community - The Complete Second Season from amazon.com. It comes at a $39.99 MSRP.
You'll want to circle your calendar for May 3, because it looks like it is going to be a busy day for Lionsgate in the DVD game. Two of the series that they have already been releasing will see new seasons released on that date, including Boy Meets World - The Complete Fifth Season and According to Jim - The Complete Third Season. Both will come at a $29.98 MSRP. But that isn't all Lionsgate has in store for May 3. They also have a series debuting on DVD for the first time... The PJ's! Few details are known at this time, but you can already pre-order The PJ's - Season 1 from amazon.com. It comes at a $19.98 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
There is only one sitcom set for release on Tuesday (February 15), and that is Shout! Factory's release of Spin City - Season Four. The final season of the series to star Michael J. Fox comes at a $39.97 MSRP. Unfortunately, we haven't received a review copy of this set, at least not yet. There are two other releases of note on Tuesday, including The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume 2 and The Twilight Zone - Season Three (Blu-ray Disc). We have a review of The Fugitive in today's Digital Digest.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Who would have thought that a flying squirrel named Rocky and his dim-witted moose friend Bullwinkle could make a splash in popular culture? That's exactly what happened with the 1960s animated series featuring the two characters, which has run under various different names over the past five decades. Originally airing on ABC in 1959 as Rocky and His Friends, and undergoing many different title changes throughout the original run and syndication, the story stays the same: it's a squirrel and a moose doing their part to take down the evil in the world, particularly the evil from Boris and Natasha. It was even made into a feature film in 2000, although it was a total flop at the box office. Come take a trip back to Frostbite Falls by reading our review of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series.
DVD Review: Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series
by Greg Brobeck
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series (Classic Media, $99.99) features all 163 episodes of the long fondly remembered adventures of Moose and Squirrel and all of the supporting segments. The show debuted on ABC in 1959 as Rocky and His Friends and eventually moved to NBC as The Bullwinkle Show. The show is well remembered for its cold-war era comedy, with Rocky and Bullwinkle getting in one scrape after another, constantly being pursued by the "no-goodniks" Boris and Natasha.
Some great and hilarious Rocky and Bullwinkle storylines (which were broken up into multiple chapters) include "Jet Fuel Formula" in which our intrepid heroes accidentally discover that Bullwinkle's granny's cake recipe is in fact a powerful jet fuel, leading to several trips to the moon and lots of chasing by bad guys. Another favorite is "Wossamatta U" in which Bullwinkle somehow, hilariously, ends up being a college football star.
Other supporting segments include "Fractured Fairy Tales," wacky versions of classic fairy tales; "Aesop and Son," which are wacky versions of fables; "Peabody's Improbable History" in which a genius dog takes his boy back in time in the WABAC machine to learn mixed up history lessons; "Dudley Do-Right" about a good-intentioned but extremely dumb Canadian Mountie; "Bullwinkle's Corner" in which the dumb moose attempts to recite poetry; and "Mr. Know-it-All" in which Bullwinkle tries (usually unsuccessfully) to impart some sort of wisdom.
I grew up watching reruns on Nickelodeon and even though some of the jokes went over my head, I still got caught up in the hilarity and the adventure. And now that I'm older, more of the jokes make sense, and it's like watching them for the first time all over again. This set includes the entire series including the never before released fifth season (which will be released individually on March 29).
Every short from every program segment is included in this set. The first four seasons' discs are identical to the ones that were released individually (including those by now defunct company Sony Wonder.) With the exception of the Rocky and Bullwinkle segments themselves, they are not, however in original broadcast order. The "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Dudley Do-Right" shorts for example are in completely random order from that they were originally broadcast. Every short is present however, some twice as some were rerun during their original broadcasts.
It's great that this entire series is finally available for purchase in any format. A few alterations have been made because of music and/or licensing issues. The main title for each episode has been changed to read Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends instead of Rocky and His Friends or The Bullwinkle Show and second season music is used for the segment openings in each episode. In the liner notes for one of the individual sets it's claimed that this was at the request of the late creator Jay Ward, but it many suspect music licensing issues instead.
Because of the large number of discs and episodes in this set, the disc-by-disc breakdown here is a bit different. Because of the large number of segments, I'm only listing which Rocky and Bullwinkle stories are on each discs, along with the location of bonus features. Each episode runs about 23 minutes.
Season 1 Disc 1:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 1-14
Season 1 Disc 2:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 15-28
Season 1 Disc 3:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 29-40
"Box Top Robbery" Parts 1-2
Season 1 Disc 4:
"Box Top Robbery" Parts 3-12
Bonus Features:
"Dear Bullwinkle" puppet segments (7:12)
Classic TV Promo Spots (1:52)
Rocky & Bullwinkle Savings Stamp Club (5:39)
Sneak Peak - Season 2 (7:24)
Boris Badenov Master of Disguise (1:06)
Season 2 Disc 1A:
"Upsidasium" Parts 1-12
Season 2 Disc 1B:
"Upsidasium" Parts 13-26
Season 2 Disc 2A:
"Upsidasium" Parts 27-36
"Metal Munching Moon Mice" Parts 1-2
Season 2 Disc 2B:
"Metal Munching Moon Mice" Parts 3-16
Season 2 Disc 3A:
"Greenpernt Oogle" Parts 1-12
"Rue Brittania" Parts 1-2
Season 2 Disc 3B:
"Rue Brittania" Parts 3-8
"Buried Treasure" Parts 1-8
Season 2 Disc 4A:
"Buried Treasure" Parts 9-14
"Last Angry Moose" Parts 1-4
"Whaling Whale" Parts 1-4
Season 2 Disc 4B:
"Whaling Whale" Parts 5-14
Bonus Features:
Classic TV Commercials (2:17)
June Foray Interview (9:29)
Sneak Peak - Season 3 (3:54)
Moosecalls: The Best of Bullwinkle Sings (2:36)
Season 3 Disc 1:
"Missouri Mish Mash" Parts 1-18
Season 3 Disc 2:
"Missouri Mish Mash" Parts 19-26
"Lazy Jay Ranch" Parts 1-10
Season 3 Disc 3:
"Lazy Jay Ranch" Parts 11-18
"The Three Moosketeers" Parts 1-8
"Topsy Turvy World" Parts 1-2
Season 3 Disc 4:
"Topsy Turvy World" Parts 3-14
Bonus Features:
Bullwinkle Puppet Intros (6:34)
The Best of Bullwinkle Follies (2:06)
Sneak Peak - Season 4 (3:54)
Season 4 Disc 1:
"Painting Theft" Parts 1-6
"Guns of Abalone" Parts 1-4
"Treasure of Monte Zoom" Parts 1-8
Season 4 Disc 2:
"Goof Gas Attack" Parts 1-8
"Banana Formula" Parts 1-12
Season 5 Disc 1:
"Bumbling Brothers Circus" Parts 1-10
"Mucho Loma" Parts 1-6
"Pottsylvania Creeper" Parts 1-2
Season 5 Disc 2:
"Pottsylvania Creeper" Parts 3-6
"Moosylvania" Parts 1-4
"Ruby Yacht" Parts 1-6
"Bull's Testimonial Dinner" Parts 1-4
Season 5 Disc 3:
"Bull's Testimonial Dinner" Parts 3-6
"The Weather Lady" Parts 1-6
"Louse on 92nd Street" Parts 1-6
"Wossamatta U" Parts 1-4
Season 5 Disc 4:
"Wossamatta U" Parts 5-12
"Moosylvania Saved" Parts 1-4
Bonus Features:
Goof Gas Attack Outtake (8:07)
The packaging is nice, but without extreme care, can cause some damage to discs. The set comes in a cardboard box with Rocky and Bullwinkle's pictures on the outside with the words "100% Complete Bull" but as you look around to the side and back of the box, you see that the word continues with the letters "winkle." Another great tongue-in-cheek joke. The box opens to reveal first a bonus gift: a replica of a an "Exceptional Adequacy Award" ribbon that was sent to actual Bullwinkle fan club members during the original run of the show.
Next is the "Frostbite Falls Field Guide," a 70-page book detailing the history of the show, with tons of photos and replicas of fan club memorabilia. It also includes a breakdown of what is on what disc. The discs themselves come in a stylish book design. The pages turn to reveal disc contents. The discs themselves pull out of the sides of the pages and are quite a tight fit. This is the one complaint I have with this set. If great care is not taken pulling out and replacing the discs, they can easily become scratched. As with the individual season releases, seasons 1, and 3-5 are on single sided discs, and season 2 is on double sided discs.
Disc menus vary from season to season, but are very similar. The main menu features animated antics from one or more of the characters with Play All, Select Show, and Audio Setup options. Choosing Select Show then takes you to a list of the episodes on the set (just a list of numbers). Upon choosing one of those, you're taken to a chapter menu where you can choose to either watch the entire show or just one of the individual segments. Chapter marks are placed in between each segment.
The video and audio have been painstakingly restored and look amazing. Colors are vibrant and the audio is crisp and clear. Each episode, however, is briefly bugged for a couple seconds with an "R&B" logo in the corner. This is a bit annoying for fans, but as many of these shows have lapsed into the public domain, I suppose the makers of this set are trying to protect these restored versions. Audio is available in English or Spanish mono for each episode. There are unfortunately no subtitles or closed captions.
The set features a wealth of special features. Season one has a handful of Bullwinkle puppet segments from original broadcasts, some original commercials featuring the cast, a special "Savings Stamp Club" short, and a sneak peak at the next season. Season two includes more original commercials, an interview with June Foray- the voice of Rocky, and "Moosecalls: the Best of Bullwinkle Sings." Season three's bonus features include more Bullwinkle puppet introductions, a best-of clip feature, and a peek at the next season. The season four discs do not include any features. And finally, the season 5 bonus feature, which is new to this set, is a lengthy outtake reel from the episode "Goof Gas Attack." This is hilarious to listen to and provides a great peek into the behind the scenes work that went into producing this great series.
This is an amazing set for fans of Rocky and Bullwinkle. If you didn't buy any of the individual seasons as they were being released, I can wholeheartedly recommend buying this set. The only complaint I have is the tight-fitting nature of the discs, but with extra care, you can keep them from being scratched. However, I cannot recommend buying this set if you have been buying the individual seasons. There is not enough new content to warrant a double dip and the fifth season is going to be released individually.
(4.5/5 stars)
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two
by skees53
Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is still on the run from the law after being able to escape death row from his wrongful conviction of killing his wife, but he can't just run forever. He is still going to help people out and take odd jobs along the way, but it is time for Kimble to finally receive appropriate justice for his wrongful conviction and to start living a normal life that isn't on the run. Could the end of the fourth and final season be that time? Let's hope that happens in The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two.
The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two (CBS Home Entertainment, $39.98) brings us the end Richard Kimble's (David Janssen) running and quest to prove that he is not guilty of killing his wife. The first 15 episodes of the season were previously released in November, and the 15 episodes that are presented on this set are where we finally get to see his four year journey come to an end--hopefully in a way that is favorable to him.
If you don't know the story of the series, starting here may be confusing, so this is a good time to get you caught up (although it is strongly advised that you watch at least the first season of the series to get here, because it'll make little sense otherwise). Richard Kimble, a former physician, was accused of killing his wife some years ago, and in the pilot episode of the series, he was riding on a train to make his way from his housing location in prison to go to his own execution. But luck would strike in the most disastrous way when the train derailed and he was able to escape just minutes before he was to be put to death. Now, with his newly found freedom, he has the ability to race against time to prove that he did not kill his own wife. But it is no easy task, because he has to stay on the run and help others along the way (and providing that help puts him in danger as well).
This set begins with "The Other Side of the Coin," where Kimball becomes involved when the sheriff's son plans to rob the grocery store where Kimball is working. A detective discovers who Kimble really is (while looking for somebody else) in "The One That Got Away." Kimble becomes part of a blackmail scheme when a building contractor is held responsible for the deaths of three children in "Concrete Evidence." In "The Breaking of the Habit," Kimble could be on the verge of finding the one-armed man with the help of Sister Veronica, that is until a delinquent student disrupts the plan. The one-armed man is talking in his sleep in "The Ivy Maze," and what he says may just lead to the beginning of the end for Kimble's run from the law. In "Goodbye My Love," Kimble may just be framed for yet another murder he didn't commit. Kimble and a racist murder manage to escape while being transported to a court arraignment in "Passage to Helena."
In "Death of a Very Small Killer," Kimble's recovery from pneumonia may turn into yet another blackmail scheme from the doctor. Kimble becomes involved with a radio dispatcher who happens to be a convicted embezzlement on a work-release program in "The Walls of Night." Kimble manages to run from the law yet again and into the mountains in "The Shattered Silence." Finally, the running is about to come to an end--except Kimble only has 24 hours now to clear his name--in the two part final episode, "The Judgment."
There is no shortage of guest stars in this set, which include Joseph Campanella, Beau Bridges, Anne Francis, Charles Bronson, Harold Gould, Eileen Heckart, Jack Lord, and Lloyd Haynes, among many others.
The episodes appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Other Side of the Coin" (51:35)
2. "The One That Got Away" (51:36)
3. "Concrete Evidence" (51:36)
4. "The Breaking of the Habit" (51:34)
Disc 2:
5. "There Goes the Ball Game" (51:34)
6. "The Ivy Maze" (51:36)
7. "Goodbye My Love" (51:33)
8. "Passage to Heaven" (51:38)
Disc 3:
9. "The Savage Street" (51:36)
10. "Death of a Very Small Killer" (51:37)
11. "Dossier on a Diplomat" (51:35)
12. "The Walls of Night" (50:34)
Disc 4:
13. "The Shattered Silence" (51:35)
14. "The Judgment (Part 1)" (51:35)
15. "The Judgment (Part 2)" (51:24)
One thing that should be noted about the final episode is that it contains the voice tag that says "Tuesday, September 5th: the day the running stopped" as opposed to the original "Tuesday, August 29th: the day the running stopped" at the end. There is some dispute as to which is the "correct" version, as the episode aired a week later on some ABC affiliates (hence the voice tag was changed). Still, this is a very minor detail.
The set comes packaged in a Viva pack with just a single picture of Dr. Kimble on the cover. There are some episode snapshots on the back of the package, along with information about the season. The set contains four discs (standard no-artwork CBS Home Entertainment style), and there are four episodes on each disc, except for Disc 4, which only contains three episodes. There are airdates and descriptions for each episode inside the case.
The menus are very basic, with just a list of episodes (along with a Play All option and a Set Up option to run English subtitles) on each disc and a different snapshot of Kimble on each disc. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately, although there are plenty of chapters placed throughout the episode.
Like most CBS Home Entertainment products, the video and audio quality is excellent. As mentioned in the previous review of this series, the change to color for this season does allow a few minor imperfections to stand out a bit more, but it really isn't bad at all. The Dolby Digital mono audio is perfectly loud and clear. And there are English subtitles on each episode.
Disc 4 contains a single special feature, "Composer Dominic Frontiere: The Color of Music" (11:38), which is more or less just a continuation of the "Composer Dominic Frontiere: A Season of Change" featurette found on Volume 1. Frontiere again talks about the series, this time focusing a bit more on the musical background of the series. It is disappointing that there couldn't be more as far as special features, but it is good to see this, at least.
I've grown from somebody who thought this series was awful to somebody who has come to love this series in a very short time, and it really is one of those things that will reel you in and keep you in once you get started. But if you don't know the backstory (particularly the first season), the series will be a bit confusing. So you wouldn't want to start watching the series here, although this season is ESSENTIAL for anybody watching the series as it is the climactic end to the whole story. Fans of the series will definitely appreciate this set (it is perhaps the best one of the series), and fans of other similar shows are sure to enjoy this series. It is nice that it has come to an end on DVD and fans can finally see the entire story from beginning to end.
(4/5 stars)
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LOOKING AHEAD
Hopefully, this week is just the beginning of weeks of news... we hate this slow down as much as you do! But we'll be here each and every week to bring you any news that we have, no matter what. We're finally going to get into some more feature stories by the end of the month, so be sure to come back for that. Until then, keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
We've been covering scheduled releases of current on-going series on TV (it seems they are being announced earlier and earlier all the time), and it should be no surprise that the current season of the NBC series Community is naturally on the way. As far as "when," we'll just say that is just going to be an unannounced pop quiz for the time being (though I'd bet on September), but you can already pre-order Community - The Complete Second Season from amazon.com. It comes at a $39.99 MSRP.
You'll want to circle your calendar for May 3, because it looks like it is going to be a busy day for Lionsgate in the DVD game. Two of the series that they have already been releasing will see new seasons released on that date, including Boy Meets World - The Complete Fifth Season and According to Jim - The Complete Third Season. Both will come at a $29.98 MSRP. But that isn't all Lionsgate has in store for May 3. They also have a series debuting on DVD for the first time... The PJ's! Few details are known at this time, but you can already pre-order The PJ's - Season 1 from amazon.com. It comes at a $19.98 MSRP.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
There is only one sitcom set for release on Tuesday (February 15), and that is Shout! Factory's release of Spin City - Season Four. The final season of the series to star Michael J. Fox comes at a $39.97 MSRP. Unfortunately, we haven't received a review copy of this set, at least not yet. There are two other releases of note on Tuesday, including The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume 2 and The Twilight Zone - Season Three (Blu-ray Disc). We have a review of The Fugitive in today's Digital Digest.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Who would have thought that a flying squirrel named Rocky and his dim-witted moose friend Bullwinkle could make a splash in popular culture? That's exactly what happened with the 1960s animated series featuring the two characters, which has run under various different names over the past five decades. Originally airing on ABC in 1959 as Rocky and His Friends, and undergoing many different title changes throughout the original run and syndication, the story stays the same: it's a squirrel and a moose doing their part to take down the evil in the world, particularly the evil from Boris and Natasha. It was even made into a feature film in 2000, although it was a total flop at the box office. Come take a trip back to Frostbite Falls by reading our review of Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series.
DVD Review: Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series
by Greg Brobeck
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - 100% Complete Bull: The Complete Series (Classic Media, $99.99) features all 163 episodes of the long fondly remembered adventures of Moose and Squirrel and all of the supporting segments. The show debuted on ABC in 1959 as Rocky and His Friends and eventually moved to NBC as The Bullwinkle Show. The show is well remembered for its cold-war era comedy, with Rocky and Bullwinkle getting in one scrape after another, constantly being pursued by the "no-goodniks" Boris and Natasha.
Some great and hilarious Rocky and Bullwinkle storylines (which were broken up into multiple chapters) include "Jet Fuel Formula" in which our intrepid heroes accidentally discover that Bullwinkle's granny's cake recipe is in fact a powerful jet fuel, leading to several trips to the moon and lots of chasing by bad guys. Another favorite is "Wossamatta U" in which Bullwinkle somehow, hilariously, ends up being a college football star.
Other supporting segments include "Fractured Fairy Tales," wacky versions of classic fairy tales; "Aesop and Son," which are wacky versions of fables; "Peabody's Improbable History" in which a genius dog takes his boy back in time in the WABAC machine to learn mixed up history lessons; "Dudley Do-Right" about a good-intentioned but extremely dumb Canadian Mountie; "Bullwinkle's Corner" in which the dumb moose attempts to recite poetry; and "Mr. Know-it-All" in which Bullwinkle tries (usually unsuccessfully) to impart some sort of wisdom.
I grew up watching reruns on Nickelodeon and even though some of the jokes went over my head, I still got caught up in the hilarity and the adventure. And now that I'm older, more of the jokes make sense, and it's like watching them for the first time all over again. This set includes the entire series including the never before released fifth season (which will be released individually on March 29).
Every short from every program segment is included in this set. The first four seasons' discs are identical to the ones that were released individually (including those by now defunct company Sony Wonder.) With the exception of the Rocky and Bullwinkle segments themselves, they are not, however in original broadcast order. The "Fractured Fairy Tales" and "Dudley Do-Right" shorts for example are in completely random order from that they were originally broadcast. Every short is present however, some twice as some were rerun during their original broadcasts.
It's great that this entire series is finally available for purchase in any format. A few alterations have been made because of music and/or licensing issues. The main title for each episode has been changed to read Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends instead of Rocky and His Friends or The Bullwinkle Show and second season music is used for the segment openings in each episode. In the liner notes for one of the individual sets it's claimed that this was at the request of the late creator Jay Ward, but it many suspect music licensing issues instead.
Because of the large number of discs and episodes in this set, the disc-by-disc breakdown here is a bit different. Because of the large number of segments, I'm only listing which Rocky and Bullwinkle stories are on each discs, along with the location of bonus features. Each episode runs about 23 minutes.
Season 1 Disc 1:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 1-14
Season 1 Disc 2:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 15-28
Season 1 Disc 3:
"Jet Fuel Formula" Parts 29-40
"Box Top Robbery" Parts 1-2
Season 1 Disc 4:
"Box Top Robbery" Parts 3-12
Bonus Features:
"Dear Bullwinkle" puppet segments (7:12)
Classic TV Promo Spots (1:52)
Rocky & Bullwinkle Savings Stamp Club (5:39)
Sneak Peak - Season 2 (7:24)
Boris Badenov Master of Disguise (1:06)
Season 2 Disc 1A:
"Upsidasium" Parts 1-12
Season 2 Disc 1B:
"Upsidasium" Parts 13-26
Season 2 Disc 2A:
"Upsidasium" Parts 27-36
"Metal Munching Moon Mice" Parts 1-2
Season 2 Disc 2B:
"Metal Munching Moon Mice" Parts 3-16
Season 2 Disc 3A:
"Greenpernt Oogle" Parts 1-12
"Rue Brittania" Parts 1-2
Season 2 Disc 3B:
"Rue Brittania" Parts 3-8
"Buried Treasure" Parts 1-8
Season 2 Disc 4A:
"Buried Treasure" Parts 9-14
"Last Angry Moose" Parts 1-4
"Whaling Whale" Parts 1-4
Season 2 Disc 4B:
"Whaling Whale" Parts 5-14
Bonus Features:
Classic TV Commercials (2:17)
June Foray Interview (9:29)
Sneak Peak - Season 3 (3:54)
Moosecalls: The Best of Bullwinkle Sings (2:36)
Season 3 Disc 1:
"Missouri Mish Mash" Parts 1-18
Season 3 Disc 2:
"Missouri Mish Mash" Parts 19-26
"Lazy Jay Ranch" Parts 1-10
Season 3 Disc 3:
"Lazy Jay Ranch" Parts 11-18
"The Three Moosketeers" Parts 1-8
"Topsy Turvy World" Parts 1-2
Season 3 Disc 4:
"Topsy Turvy World" Parts 3-14
Bonus Features:
Bullwinkle Puppet Intros (6:34)
The Best of Bullwinkle Follies (2:06)
Sneak Peak - Season 4 (3:54)
Season 4 Disc 1:
"Painting Theft" Parts 1-6
"Guns of Abalone" Parts 1-4
"Treasure of Monte Zoom" Parts 1-8
Season 4 Disc 2:
"Goof Gas Attack" Parts 1-8
"Banana Formula" Parts 1-12
Season 5 Disc 1:
"Bumbling Brothers Circus" Parts 1-10
"Mucho Loma" Parts 1-6
"Pottsylvania Creeper" Parts 1-2
Season 5 Disc 2:
"Pottsylvania Creeper" Parts 3-6
"Moosylvania" Parts 1-4
"Ruby Yacht" Parts 1-6
"Bull's Testimonial Dinner" Parts 1-4
Season 5 Disc 3:
"Bull's Testimonial Dinner" Parts 3-6
"The Weather Lady" Parts 1-6
"Louse on 92nd Street" Parts 1-6
"Wossamatta U" Parts 1-4
Season 5 Disc 4:
"Wossamatta U" Parts 5-12
"Moosylvania Saved" Parts 1-4
Bonus Features:
Goof Gas Attack Outtake (8:07)
The packaging is nice, but without extreme care, can cause some damage to discs. The set comes in a cardboard box with Rocky and Bullwinkle's pictures on the outside with the words "100% Complete Bull" but as you look around to the side and back of the box, you see that the word continues with the letters "winkle." Another great tongue-in-cheek joke. The box opens to reveal first a bonus gift: a replica of a an "Exceptional Adequacy Award" ribbon that was sent to actual Bullwinkle fan club members during the original run of the show.
Next is the "Frostbite Falls Field Guide," a 70-page book detailing the history of the show, with tons of photos and replicas of fan club memorabilia. It also includes a breakdown of what is on what disc. The discs themselves come in a stylish book design. The pages turn to reveal disc contents. The discs themselves pull out of the sides of the pages and are quite a tight fit. This is the one complaint I have with this set. If great care is not taken pulling out and replacing the discs, they can easily become scratched. As with the individual season releases, seasons 1, and 3-5 are on single sided discs, and season 2 is on double sided discs.
Disc menus vary from season to season, but are very similar. The main menu features animated antics from one or more of the characters with Play All, Select Show, and Audio Setup options. Choosing Select Show then takes you to a list of the episodes on the set (just a list of numbers). Upon choosing one of those, you're taken to a chapter menu where you can choose to either watch the entire show or just one of the individual segments. Chapter marks are placed in between each segment.
The video and audio have been painstakingly restored and look amazing. Colors are vibrant and the audio is crisp and clear. Each episode, however, is briefly bugged for a couple seconds with an "R&B" logo in the corner. This is a bit annoying for fans, but as many of these shows have lapsed into the public domain, I suppose the makers of this set are trying to protect these restored versions. Audio is available in English or Spanish mono for each episode. There are unfortunately no subtitles or closed captions.
The set features a wealth of special features. Season one has a handful of Bullwinkle puppet segments from original broadcasts, some original commercials featuring the cast, a special "Savings Stamp Club" short, and a sneak peak at the next season. Season two includes more original commercials, an interview with June Foray- the voice of Rocky, and "Moosecalls: the Best of Bullwinkle Sings." Season three's bonus features include more Bullwinkle puppet introductions, a best-of clip feature, and a peek at the next season. The season four discs do not include any features. And finally, the season 5 bonus feature, which is new to this set, is a lengthy outtake reel from the episode "Goof Gas Attack." This is hilarious to listen to and provides a great peek into the behind the scenes work that went into producing this great series.
This is an amazing set for fans of Rocky and Bullwinkle. If you didn't buy any of the individual seasons as they were being released, I can wholeheartedly recommend buying this set. The only complaint I have is the tight-fitting nature of the discs, but with extra care, you can keep them from being scratched. However, I cannot recommend buying this set if you have been buying the individual seasons. There is not enough new content to warrant a double dip and the fifth season is going to be released individually.
(4.5/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two
by skees53
Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is still on the run from the law after being able to escape death row from his wrongful conviction of killing his wife, but he can't just run forever. He is still going to help people out and take odd jobs along the way, but it is time for Kimble to finally receive appropriate justice for his wrongful conviction and to start living a normal life that isn't on the run. Could the end of the fourth and final season be that time? Let's hope that happens in The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two.
The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume Two (CBS Home Entertainment, $39.98) brings us the end Richard Kimble's (David Janssen) running and quest to prove that he is not guilty of killing his wife. The first 15 episodes of the season were previously released in November, and the 15 episodes that are presented on this set are where we finally get to see his four year journey come to an end--hopefully in a way that is favorable to him.
If you don't know the story of the series, starting here may be confusing, so this is a good time to get you caught up (although it is strongly advised that you watch at least the first season of the series to get here, because it'll make little sense otherwise). Richard Kimble, a former physician, was accused of killing his wife some years ago, and in the pilot episode of the series, he was riding on a train to make his way from his housing location in prison to go to his own execution. But luck would strike in the most disastrous way when the train derailed and he was able to escape just minutes before he was to be put to death. Now, with his newly found freedom, he has the ability to race against time to prove that he did not kill his own wife. But it is no easy task, because he has to stay on the run and help others along the way (and providing that help puts him in danger as well).
This set begins with "The Other Side of the Coin," where Kimball becomes involved when the sheriff's son plans to rob the grocery store where Kimball is working. A detective discovers who Kimble really is (while looking for somebody else) in "The One That Got Away." Kimble becomes part of a blackmail scheme when a building contractor is held responsible for the deaths of three children in "Concrete Evidence." In "The Breaking of the Habit," Kimble could be on the verge of finding the one-armed man with the help of Sister Veronica, that is until a delinquent student disrupts the plan. The one-armed man is talking in his sleep in "The Ivy Maze," and what he says may just lead to the beginning of the end for Kimble's run from the law. In "Goodbye My Love," Kimble may just be framed for yet another murder he didn't commit. Kimble and a racist murder manage to escape while being transported to a court arraignment in "Passage to Helena."
In "Death of a Very Small Killer," Kimble's recovery from pneumonia may turn into yet another blackmail scheme from the doctor. Kimble becomes involved with a radio dispatcher who happens to be a convicted embezzlement on a work-release program in "The Walls of Night." Kimble manages to run from the law yet again and into the mountains in "The Shattered Silence." Finally, the running is about to come to an end--except Kimble only has 24 hours now to clear his name--in the two part final episode, "The Judgment."
There is no shortage of guest stars in this set, which include Joseph Campanella, Beau Bridges, Anne Francis, Charles Bronson, Harold Gould, Eileen Heckart, Jack Lord, and Lloyd Haynes, among many others.
The episodes appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Other Side of the Coin" (51:35)
2. "The One That Got Away" (51:36)
3. "Concrete Evidence" (51:36)
4. "The Breaking of the Habit" (51:34)
Disc 2:
5. "There Goes the Ball Game" (51:34)
6. "The Ivy Maze" (51:36)
7. "Goodbye My Love" (51:33)
8. "Passage to Heaven" (51:38)
Disc 3:
9. "The Savage Street" (51:36)
10. "Death of a Very Small Killer" (51:37)
11. "Dossier on a Diplomat" (51:35)
12. "The Walls of Night" (50:34)
Disc 4:
13. "The Shattered Silence" (51:35)
14. "The Judgment (Part 1)" (51:35)
15. "The Judgment (Part 2)" (51:24)
One thing that should be noted about the final episode is that it contains the voice tag that says "Tuesday, September 5th: the day the running stopped" as opposed to the original "Tuesday, August 29th: the day the running stopped" at the end. There is some dispute as to which is the "correct" version, as the episode aired a week later on some ABC affiliates (hence the voice tag was changed). Still, this is a very minor detail.
The set comes packaged in a Viva pack with just a single picture of Dr. Kimble on the cover. There are some episode snapshots on the back of the package, along with information about the season. The set contains four discs (standard no-artwork CBS Home Entertainment style), and there are four episodes on each disc, except for Disc 4, which only contains three episodes. There are airdates and descriptions for each episode inside the case.
The menus are very basic, with just a list of episodes (along with a Play All option and a Set Up option to run English subtitles) on each disc and a different snapshot of Kimble on each disc. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately, although there are plenty of chapters placed throughout the episode.
Like most CBS Home Entertainment products, the video and audio quality is excellent. As mentioned in the previous review of this series, the change to color for this season does allow a few minor imperfections to stand out a bit more, but it really isn't bad at all. The Dolby Digital mono audio is perfectly loud and clear. And there are English subtitles on each episode.
Disc 4 contains a single special feature, "Composer Dominic Frontiere: The Color of Music" (11:38), which is more or less just a continuation of the "Composer Dominic Frontiere: A Season of Change" featurette found on Volume 1. Frontiere again talks about the series, this time focusing a bit more on the musical background of the series. It is disappointing that there couldn't be more as far as special features, but it is good to see this, at least.
I've grown from somebody who thought this series was awful to somebody who has come to love this series in a very short time, and it really is one of those things that will reel you in and keep you in once you get started. But if you don't know the backstory (particularly the first season), the series will be a bit confusing. So you wouldn't want to start watching the series here, although this season is ESSENTIAL for anybody watching the series as it is the climactic end to the whole story. Fans of the series will definitely appreciate this set (it is perhaps the best one of the series), and fans of other similar shows are sure to enjoy this series. It is nice that it has come to an end on DVD and fans can finally see the entire story from beginning to end.
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LOOKING AHEAD
Hopefully, this week is just the beginning of weeks of news... we hate this slow down as much as you do! But we'll be here each and every week to bring you any news that we have, no matter what. We're finally going to get into some more feature stories by the end of the month, so be sure to come back for that. Until then, keep it digital!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, November 4
Scrubs - "My Story" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
J.D. and Elliot reconnect while managing a difficult parenting conversation; the interns grapple with work-life balance.
Abbott Elementary - "Courtney" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Gregory and Melissa come together to address an issue with a teacher; Janine spends time with Courtney.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 2)
Wednesday, November 4
- Timothy Simons (Nobody Wants This/HouseBroken/Veep) - Watch Timothy 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 appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Bill Hader (Barry) - Bill is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about The Cat in the Hat on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
- Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) and Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Sarah, Niecy, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Watts talk about All's Fair on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Sarah will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Denise Richards (Blue Mountain State) - Denise talks about All's Fair on ABC's GMA3 at 1pm.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining the Drew's news desk to hit the headlines with Drew and Ross on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
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