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Next week is the big week in the TV world--the network upfronts! And as usual, the week prior to the upfronts, we preview on what we think the networks will do! NBC and Fox are up first next Monday (May 16), so we will preview them first. So let's get right to it!

NBC has been stuck in fourth place for a many years now and they are trying to come back but have failed so far with the exception of reality hit The Voice. Will this be the year they finally get a scripted hit? All of their "buzz worthy" shows (Undercovers, The Cape, The Event) this past season fizzled or just plain bombed.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com NBC 2011-12 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: Betty White's Off Their Rockers (reality) - last year at this time, they picked up many scripted pilots.
Already Renewed Returning Series: 30 Rock, Parks & Recreation, Community, The Biggest Loser, Who Do You Think You Are?, The Sing-Off and The Office.
Likely Returning Series: Parenthood, The Voice, Law & Order: SVU, Harry's Law, Minute to Win It, Celebrity Apprentice (pending Trump's Presidential bid) and of course Dateline.
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: Chase, The Event, Undercovers, Outsourced, The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, School Pride, America's Next Great Restaurant, Law & Order: LA, The Cape, Friday Night Lights, Outlaw and yes Chuck.
Likely New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Whitney (comedy for fall), Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea (comedy for fall), Alpha Mom comedy for fall), Smash (drama for fall), Prime Suspect (drama for fall), The Firm (drama for fall), Playboy Club (drama for fall), Metro (drama for fall), REM (drama for mid-season), and Help Wanted (comedy for mid-season).

OUR FALL 2011 PREDICTION:

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

Mondays
8:00PM Minute To Win It / Betty White's Off Their Rockers (NEW!)
9:00PM Prime Suspect (NEW!)
10:00PM Metro (NEW!)

Tuesdays
8:00PM The Biggest Loser
9:00PM Whitney (NEW!)
9:30PM Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood

Wednesdays
8:00PM Smash (NEW!)
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
10:00PM The Firm (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Alpha Mom (NEW!)
8:30PM 30 Rock
9:00PM The Office
9:30PM Parks & Recreation
10:00PM Playboy Club (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Who Do You Think You Are?
9:00PM Dateline
10:00PM Harry's Law

Saturdays
8:00-11:00PM Repeats

COMMENTS: NBC needs major revamping once again. Once again, as with last season, NBC has some buzz-worthy pilots, but as I keep saying, they still need to prove it will work on air. Last season they picked-up five pilots at this time and none of those ended up working. It goes to show you that it is all about scheduling and promotion and NBC has been very poor at that since about 2004. Mondays needs a total revamp (again!). Ideally, they should try and go female, but Dancing will kill that. They tried to go young men and that failed due to Monday Night Football. Perhaps they can go with an older audience and with a game show starting it off, like Minute To Win It and then later in the fall Betty White's Off Their Rockers, which looks like it could do well with the Betty White craze. At 9pm, perhaps one of their best pilots is Prime Suspect. A crime drama might be a good alternative to Dancing and CBS comedies. And this could have more mass appeal than Fox's Chicago Code. At 10pm, perhaps another crime drama such as Metro, but Chase didn't work either, so who knows. On Tuesdays, The Biggest Loser will continue to lead-off, but perhaps it is cut down to just one-hour? Multi-camera comedies might be a good option in the 9pm hour like with Whitney Cummings and a comedy from Chelsea Handler. The women theme would continue at 10pm with Parenthood, which skews well with young women. NBC's big hit The Voice will likely NOT be used in the fall, so it would probably return in February (after the Super Bowl)? Perhaps the comedies or Parenthood will finish their seasons by then.
Wednesdays right now is a hot mess, save for SVU. Perhaps a Glee-like dramedy like Smash is the way to go to lead off the night? Former NBC star Debra Messing stars. At 9pm, I hate to do this, but SVU would leave 10pm again and air at 9pm leading into a new drama, perhaps The Firm, which is near a 22-episode pick-up already. On Thursdays, the comedies are very low rated or declining like The Office and 30 Rock. Without Steve Carrell, this night might be even more down, so perhaps a new comedy could start the night off because Community is not cutting it. The single-camera comedy starring Christina Applegate might be the way to go. Lorne Michaels is involved, so 30 Rock would be a good lead-out. The Office and Parks & Recreation would follow. NBC doesn't have as strong of a comedy block like CBS Monday or ABC Wednesday, so 10pm comedies are likely gone. Perhaps the period drama Playboy Club would air at 10pm. It would repeat horribly, though. Something else could air in mid-season, like REM. Community and perhaps another comedy will be on the bench if needed for 8-10pm. Fridays is likely cheap from 8-10pm, but I think Harry's Law would be a good option for them at 10pm. I don't think it does well enough in 18-49 to air on Mondays at 10 again. And Saturdays is just repeats, like always.
NBC's fall savior Sunday Night Football could be delayed or not airing at all due to the NFL lock-out. I am not sure what NBC could do if the NFL does have a delay or a lock-out. I'm sure the schedule they release next week will not have any shows on Sundays and will have Sunday Night Football. Anyway, with The Voice and the Super Bowl (if there is an NFL season) next season, NBC will likely grow but they still need to find SOME other hits to go anywhere near the leaders. No scripted series have worked in such a long time. Will multi-camera comedies change that?

Remember, next Monday (May 16) is the actual date when we will find out NBC's plans for the 2011-12 season. So, come on back next Monday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for the official fall line-ups for all the networks. I love this time of year!
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own!


Fox is coming off a good season and Glee grew but then slowed down. American Idol is still is the number one show on TV, but they will need some more hits, especially in the fall with House now declining.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2011-12 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: Terra Nova (drama) and The X-Factor (reality).
Already Renewed Returning Series: The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad!, Bones, Glee, Raising Hope, Fringe, Hell's Kitchen, Mobbed, Cops, and of course American Idol.
Likely Returning Series: House, Kitchen Nightmares, Million Dollar Money Drop, Breaking In, Lie To Me, Chicago Code, Cops, and America's Most Wanted.
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: Good Guys, Lone Star, Running Wilde, Traffic Light, Human Target.
Likely Additional New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Family Album (comedy for fall), Weekend at Bellevue (drama for mid-season), Alcatraz (drama for fall), Exit Strategy (drama for mid-season), The New Girl (comedy for fall), Allen Gregory (animated comedy for mid-season), and Napoleon Dynamite (animated comedy for mid-season).

OUR FALL 2011 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Bob's Burgers
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad!

Mondays
8:00PM Alcatraz (NEW!)
9:00PM House

Tuesdays
8:00PM Glee
9:00PM Family Album (NEW!)
9:30PM Raising Hope

Wednesdays
8:00PM The X-Factor (NEW!)
9:30PM The New Girl (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM The X-Factor Results (NEW!)
9:00PM Terra Nova (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM Lie To Me

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Comments: Fox will try to take the same timeslots of American Idol in the fall with the Simon Cowell series, The X-Factor. The series is all but set to air on Wednesdays from 8-10pm and Thursdays 8-9pm. The performance show will likely be reduced to 90-minutes in early October, so perhaps a comedy will air at 9:30pm. House has weakened, so I think it will be on the move on Mondays, but moving to 9pm. They should use the 8pm slot to try and launch the JJ Abrams new drama Alcatraz. If you recall, LOST started as an 8pm series as well. As for Tuesdays, I think Glee will remain in the slot leading into two comedies. Raising Hope will be back, but perhaps it will slide to 9:30pm to make room for a new comedy, like the Mike O'Malley vehicle Family Album. On Wednesdays, as mentioned The X-Factor will air in the current 90-minute Idol slot leading into a new comedy, perhaps the Zooey Deschanel series The New Girl. That seems like a good fit. On Thursdays, X-Factor will be at 8pm, perhaps leading into the hyped series Terra Nova. The series was set to preview this May, but it wasn't ready so they will hold it until the fall. Fridays will likely be scripted this time because they have a lot of shows to use, so it looks like Bones will finally make that Friday move. Either Lie to Me or The Chicago Code would make a good companion at 9pm. I don't think Human Target has a chance over those two series. Saturdays will probably remain intact, but Fox is trying repeats of Chicago Code this summer, so maybe that will be an option? A long shot, I'd say. As for Sundays, animation domination will continue of course with a mix of the 5 series they have already, but likely one will be benched to January because of NFL overruns. Perhaps Cleveland Show will be that series. Fox also has two animated series that I believe were ordered for mid-season 2012, so this night could have potentially two new series next winter/spring. I think of the series I mentioned that have a shot of returning, the one with the least chance is Breaking In, because they just don't have the room. But I would bring it back.
So, Fox hopes to do explode in the fall (like they do in mid-season) with reality and trying to duplicate Idol with The X-Factor and not So You Think You Can Dance's one season in the fall. Look for Fringe to likely be benched until January and be used if anything fails or back on to Fridays at 9 out of Bones, like it did on Thursdays. And finally, Fox could also use Mobbed and Million Dollar Money Drop in December or so. Will Fox find major success in The X-Factor or has NBC's The Voice stolen that audience before it could even air? Only time will tell...

Remember, next Monday (May 16) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2011-12 season. So, come on back next Monday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for the official fall line-ups for all the networks.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our prediction for ABC!

2010-11 Week 33 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):

Households: #1. ABC 7.0/11.0 rating/share; #2. CBS 7.0/11.0; #3. Fox 6.9/10.7; #4. NBC 3.8/5.9; #5. The CW 1.1/1.7
Total Viewers: #1. Fox 11.79 million; #2. CBS 11.24 million; #3. ABC 10.85 million; #4. NBC 6.17 million; #5. The CW 1.61 million
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox 3.8/10.5 rating/share; #2. ABC 2.7/7.4; #3. CBS 2.7/7.3; #4. NBC 2.4/6.6; #5. The CW 0.7/2.1

Week 33 (May 2-8) Analysis: Week 33 so far has a three-way battle in HH/viewers (ABC, CBS, Fox) but Fox has a full point lead in 18-49 over ABC and CBS with NBC too far behind actually. Through the first four nights ABC and CBS are tied for first in HH, while Fox is first in viewers, with CBS and ABC slightly off. Fox is a clear first in 18-49, while ABC and CBS are tied for second. NBC is still in fourth place though despite the upswing from The Voice. Fox will win the week in 18-49 and perhaps I think ABC will sneak out a win in HH/viewers again thanks to the NBA Playoffs last night. Last week, week 32, had ABC win the week in HH/viewers, but Fox took the important 18-49 crown again. CBS was second in HH/viewers, followed by Fox in third and NBC still in fourth. Among 18-49, ABC was second then NBC squeaked past CBS for third, leaving the eye network in fourth. It certainly was a better week for NBC, but still a ways to go.

Monday saw ABC get the win again, this time by a larger margin. ABC started with a new Dancing with the Stars back to two-hours rather than 90 minutes, as it did 21.4 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating, down a tad from previous week when it was 90-minutes. At 10pm ABC aired a new of Castle and did a first place 12.11 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, the best of any drama this week in the hour. CBS was next with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. How I Met Your Mother started it off with a new episode doing 6.88 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, below normal again but still solid. Mad Love followed with a new episode doing 5.71 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, up some from previous week when its lead-in was a repeat. Two and a Half Men repeat was next doing 7.68 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, a bit lower than Bang's repeat the previous week in 18-49. A new episode of Mike & Molly at 9:30pm did 8.18 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which was slightly above a repeat the previous week. Is this getting lost because of the lead-in is always a repeat? Hawaii Five-0 was new at 10pm and did 9.83 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, for second place. Fox was all-new with the declining House doing 8.57 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, yet no one really mentions when this show goes down. A new Chicago Code followed at 9pm with 5.6 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. It will be a 50/50 chance for this show to return next season. NBC started with a new episode of Chuck doing 4.1 million and 1.4 18-49 rating. I think this season will be the last one. The Event was next and did 4.14 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, on par week-to-week but it doesn't matter as it has virtually no shot of returning. Law & Order: Los Angeles did just as bad with 4.85 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, but up a tenth from previous week yet it went down in viewers. The CW was all-new with 90210 doing 1.47 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down a lick from previous week and Gossip Girl followed with 1.27 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, also down some from previous week. Both series were actually renewed this past week for next season but they need a better way of showing these rather than a couple long breaks between episodes. I would suggest Sept-March then new series from March-May.

Tuesday had NBC winning the night in 18-49 again with CBS and ABC battling for total viewers. CBS started with a new episode of NCIS and did 17.87 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating which was below normal but did tie for first among 18-49 and of course winning in total viewers. NCIS: Los Angeles followed with a a new episode and did 14.15 million and a below normal 2.9 18-49 rating. At 10pm, The Good Wife returned and did 12.38 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, with the latter at its best in many weeks. Perhaps no Parenthood helped? For ABC, Dancing with the Stars: The Encore special at 8pm did 9.38 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, not bad for somewhat of a repeat. This week's special will have more new content. At 9, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did 16.06 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, down from previous week. At 10pm, a new Body of Proof did a decent 10.23 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down some from previous week and its lowest showing in this timeslot. It still did decent enough. Fox had a new Glee doing 8.85 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, which is up some from previous week's season low. Next Fox aired a new episode of comedy, Raising Hope doing 4.66 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par with previous week when it was at 9:30pm. New comedy Traffic Light keeps seeing red lights but it keeps airing, as this time it did 2.87 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. NBC aired only a one-hour The Biggest Loser again doing 7.52 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, which was up some from previous week again. Perhaps the one-hour format is more watchable? It goes back to two-hours this week. Then from 9-11pm, NBC won the hours in 18-49 again thanks to the young skewing The Voice doing 12.58 million and a strong 5.7 18-49 rating, up from the premiere even. It will be one-hour this week in the 10pm hour. It will be interesting to see if it can do high numbers like this at 10pm with a lower rated lead-in. The CW was all-new on Tuesday with a new One Tree Hill doing 1.24 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. Next at 9pm was a new Hellcats and that did worse with 1.01 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, but it was up a tenth week-to-week. These two might not make it to next season.

Wednesday it was all Fox with American Idol carrying it again. A 90-minute Idol did 21.14 million and a 6.6 18-49 rating, down from previous week and a Wednesday season low. The 90-minute telecast was followed by new comedy Breaking In that did 7.07 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, on par with previous week and stopped the drops (even if the drops were minimal). CBS started the night off with Survivor: Redemption Island doing 10.99 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was new doing 12.9 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, solid. At 10pm, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was also new and did 8.83 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating. ABC had its Laugh On comedy block and had a new The Middle open the night with 7.08 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is a good start to the night. Then at 8:30, Better With You was new doing 5.41 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Then ABC aired a new Modern Family at 9pm doing 9.9 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, the best of scripted TV so far this week. Then at 9:30, Cougar Town was all-new with 5.49 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week when its lead-in was a repeat. At 10pm, new comedy Happy Endings did 3.88 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week's climb. It has been asked to anchor the hour, so it is a little up and down but I think it deserves a chance next season possibly at 10:30 following Cougar Town. A second new episode was next doing 3.26 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. That's a little concerning. NBC started with a new Minute to Win It doing 3.42 million and just a 1.0 18-49 rating. A repeat followed with just 3.53 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. Get ready for more repeat airings on multiple nights this summer. Then NBC aired a new Law & Order: SVU doing a solid 8.53 million and a first place 2.6 18-49 rating. The CW had a repeat of America's Next Top Model start it off at 8pm doing 1.12 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, off some from previous week. New episodes are at 9pm and it did 1.94 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week.

Thursday saw Fox win the night. But first, ABC opened the night with a spring episode of Wipeout doing a below normal 4.79 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. Perhaps a week off hurt it? We'll see this week. Then Grey's Anatomy was all-new at 9pm doing 10.11 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. A new Private Practice at 10 closed the night with 6.89 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Thought the weddings would do better, but still solid. CBS was all-new with The Big Bang Theory at 8pm doing 10.5 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, for a season low for the second straight week. Has the show peaked is the question? Rules of Engagement was next with a new episode doing 7.72 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth also from previous week. At 9, a new CSI did 10.67 million and another series low, this time a 2.3 18-49 rating. And at 10pm The Mentalist was new too and jumped to 14.0 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Onto #1 Fox, it was all American Idol as an one-hour airing did 21.29 million and a 6.3 18-49 rating, up a lot from previous week. Fox then followed with a new Bones at 9pm doing 10.94 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, also up a lot from previous week. NBC comedies were all-new and again low. Community started it off with 3.49 and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth from week's of a 1.4. Then a repeat of The Office did only 2.68 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. A new The Office was next and did 6.9 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, down from previous week. It was the first episode without Steve Carrell. Have we seen the last of top notch 18-49 ratings for this show now? Parks and Recreation was next and did 5.06 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week despite getting a lower lead-in. 30 Rock followed at 10 doing 4.2 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating for its season finale, up some from previous week when it was at 10:30pm. And the likely doomed Outsourced returned with 3.14 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. If this block was stronger, perhaps 10pm comedies could remain next season but NBC is weak in the 8pm hour. The CW was next with all-new episodes of Vampire Diaries doing 2.84 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Then a new Nikita did 2.0 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up the most of any CW series from previous week. Still is on the bubble.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday had CBS win the night with its dramas in total viewers but there was a three-way tie for first place in 18-49 with CBS, Fox and ABC. Flashpoint had its season premiere on CBS but came in third place in 18-49 at 8pm. ABC's 20/20 focusing on the death of Osama bin Laden won 10pm. Fringe season finale on Fox was down from previous week and Friday Night Lights on NBC was barely visivle. Saturday had ABC win the night with big ratings for the NBA Playoff game between the Heat/Celtics that will be in the 3s in 18-49, which is great for Saturday. NASCAR on Fox did well for second place.

Tonight ABC is all-new with AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, & Brothers & Sisters, the latter is the season finale. NBC has a three-hour (way too long for an actual episode) Celebrity Apprentice starting at 8 following Dateline at 7. CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by a two-hour The Amazing Race finale starting at 8 then the season finale of CSI: Miami at 10pm. Fox is all-new with its animated comedies starting at 7:30pm. It should be a tight race among all four networks in 18-49. Anyone can win.

As for the week (week 33), Fox will win the week in 18-49 and ABC should prevail in HH/viewers. ABC will likely be in second in 18-49 thanks to a great NBA showing, with CBS in second in HH/viewers. Fox will be in third, but NBC is certain for fourth in HH/viewers. NBC will likely be fourth in 1849, too, but it could overtake CBS again. And for the coming week (week 34), has week three of reality competition series The Voice on NBC Tuesday but now just in the 10pm hour. We also have some season finales like Better With You on Wednesday.

Week 33 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 32 -- April 25-May 1)

• American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 4.2 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A new episode at 8pm did 5.84 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, which seems normal from recent airings.
  
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
• Family Guy (Fox) 3 episodes - A special double repeat in the 7pm hour averaged 3.4/5 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is decent. The regular 9pm airing was a repeat and did 5.07 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating. Another decent repeat performance.
  
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 4.41 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating. The reason Fox was in repeats from 8:30-10pm was because they pulled the planned "Hurricane cross-over" with three series because of the recent tornadoes in the southern U.S.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new showing did 6.88 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, which is good but below normal again. Daylight savings is a factor.
  
• Mad Love (CBS) - A new episode did 5.71 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, which is up some from previous week. This show will probably not return next season, though it does have somewhat of a chance to.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - Another repeat of this show did 7.68 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating which was a bit lower in 18-49 than previous week's Bang repeat in this half-hour.
  
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - A new episode of this sitcom did 8.18 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which was up some from previous week's repeat. Too close to repeat levels, as it seems Men in repeats is hurting this night.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Raising Hope (Fox) - A new episode did 4.66 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's special 9:30pm airing. Still needs to do better, but it doesn't matter since Fox has renewed it anyway.
  
• Traffic Light (Fox) - A new episode only did 2.87 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. This show is all but done.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) - A new episode of this sitcom did 7.08 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, on par with previous few weeks when it was new, but lower than normal probably due to DST.
• Better with You (ABC) - A new episode did 5.41 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Still think this sitcom would do decently on Fridays if they can find a good pairing for it.
  
• Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did 9.9 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, which is the best for any scripted series for the week.
  
• Cougar Town (ABC) - A new episode of this comedy did 5.49 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, up a tenth week-to-week when its lead-in was new. This proves this show has its own audience as did just about the same with a new and a repeat lead-in. Think this could anchor 10pm next season.
  
• Happy Endings (ABC) 2 episodes - A new episode at 10pm did 3.88 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week at 10pm. A second episode did 3.26 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating at 10:30pm. Disappointing, but still think it will be back next season. One bad week doesn't mean anything, as this week will be key as we head towards upfront.
  
• Breaking In (Fox) - The new comedy aired following American Idol again and didn't hold too much again, doing 7.07 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, on par with from previous week. This comedy is good and deserves to be shown with other comedies.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode of this comedy was below normal again with 10.5 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, off a tenth week-to-week. Still good, though, but it can do better.
  
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A new episode did 7.72 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth also week-to-week.
• Community (NBC) - A new episode did 3.49 million and 1.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week in 18-49 again.
• The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - Before a new episode, a repeat aired at 8:30pm doing only 2.68 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, down from previous week. A new episode at 9pm (the first without Carrell) did 6.9 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, down from previous week. It'll be interesting if this show will do well without Carrell.
  
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 5.06 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up some from previous week despite its lead-in being lower. It was the opposite the previous week.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - The season finale at 10pm did 4.2 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. For a season finale, this is disappointing but given the state of 10pm, it's decent enough.
  
• Outsourced (NBC) - A new episode did 3.14 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which was down a good amount from its lead-in.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 7:30-10pm with all-new episodes.

Summing it up. Modern Family, The Office, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Mad Love, Cougar Town) or just plain old terrible (such as Traffic Light, The Office 830p).

[Source: Nielsen NTI Ratings. View Travis Yanan's Ratings Website].

Happy early Mother's Day, and welcome to Digital Digest, your weekly dose of news for all things digital in the sitcom world! This week, in addition to our regular news, we have a look into ways to save when you are shopping for your favorite series on home media. Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

Anchor Bay released several series from Carsey-Werner a few years ago, including Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Grounded for Life, but in recent years, Anchor Bay has been moving away from the TV-on-DVD business (presumably since they are now owned by Starz!, which is focused on movies). But now, there is good news for those interested in DVDs of those series: Mill Creek Entertainment has acquired the rights to release those series, as well as That '70s Show, which was previously released by Fox! But it gets even better: Mill Creek has promised "original broadcast versions" of all episodes, which is great considering that the first seasons of many of these series had syndicated versions. The only question that remains is whether or not original music will be left intact ("original broadcast versions" may not definitively answer that question in the way that it should), though most likely it will not be intact--but we'll have reviews of all of these when. No details are known about release dates, but this is something that we'll definitely be following up on! You can read more about this announcement here.

Following in the footsteps of other studios releasing "value-priced best-of" collections of series, MPI has some of their own in the works, including best-of releases of Here's Lucy, The Color Honeymooners, and The Honeymooners - The Lost Episodes! Each of these discs, set for a release on July 26, will come at a $9.98 MSRP and include fan favorites of episodes from all of these series. The best part is that the episodes on the Here's Lucy set aren't just limited to the ones that have already been released! Additionally, the original DVDs for The Honeymooners - The Lost Episodes has been out-of-print for some time, so in a sense, it is like it is returning to DVD. Of course, we'll have more on these when the time comes.

We wrap up our news this week with more of the "current series continuing on DVD," and these two DVD sets that we have today are no surprise. August 30 brings two ABC series, Desperate Housewives - The Complete Seventh Season and Cougar Town - The Complete Second Season to DVD. Of course, we'll have reviews on both of these (and many more current series continuing on DVD) around the release date!


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (May 10) brings us "tool time" once more with Home Improvement - The 20th Anniversary Complete Collection, a special set containing every episode of the series in a special tool box. Additionally, from Shout! Factory, we have Webster - Season Two. We have received copies of both of these sets for review, and will have our reviews posted very soon.


BLOG FEATURE STORY

Home Media on a Budget
by skees53

When the studios put out DVDs, the street price (the price that the studio suggests for the set) on every set looks awfully intimidating. Although the street prices have declined lately, when TV-on-DVD first began, even the most basic of sets had a street price of $50 or more. These days, street prices have come down to the $20-40 range for the most part, with some a bit higher and some a bit lower (Mill Creek tends to release a lot of $14.98 sets). But unless you are insistent upon buying every DVD set the day that it comes out at a specialty video store, you should be able to pay less. And depending upon how you buy for your DVDs, you can get DVDs for considerably less.

The basics of bargain hunting begin at the big box stores. Almost always, at places such as Best Buy or Target, you'll find DVD sets slightly under the manufacturer's suggested retail price, often even on the date of the release. But of course, these stores put out advertisements every week, advertising DVDs for less than the MSRP or even lower. And if you go into the stores, you can often find special displays of value-priced DVD that have been significantly marked down. You can even find multi-season packs of series at prices that are less than one season at retail price.

As we've mentioned over and over again, Big Lots is another great place to buy TV-on-DVD sets... that is, whenever they have them in stock. While they don't regularly carry TV-on-DVD sets, they will get a batch in once every few months, and they are typically priced anywhere from $5-10 per set. They once were even selling DVD sets for $3, but those days are long gone now, although it is still possible to find a few $3 DVDs here and there. Most recently, they've received some used, former rental DVD sets from Hollywood Video for $6, including many popular series such as Desperate Housewives, The Simpsons, Weeds, and more. The only drawback, aside from these being used sets (although I did pick up a few and they were all scratch free) is that these do not come in the original retail packaging, and for all of these sets, each disc comes in a rental ready Amaray case, sometimes cases that were created by the studio, but sometimes not.

But if you limit yourself to just those stores, you probably won't find the best bargains out there. For that, you'll have to dig deeper, and a really good place to start is used video stores (or even some used bookstores). Many of these are independently owned or regional stores, but one of my favorites is the national chain Half Price Books, which sells both new and used DVDs at least 50 percent off of the original retail price. Sometimes, if they are overstocked on a certain item, or if you are willing to deal with a set that might have somewhat damaged packing, you can get them even cheaper. The great thing about stores like this is that you can sometimes find things that are nearly impossible to find at other stores, and usually at reasonable prices. Sometimes, you'll even find things that you never knew existed. Not too long ago, I found several brand new season sets of some Sony DVD products for $9.99, but what was special about these sets is that they all came in a nice tin case. Not only was it a great price, but the case was a nice bonus.

You can often find even better deals on DVDs by searching online. Again, if you are willing to go with used DVD sets, you can sometimes find sets very cheap... even pennies on the dollar in some case! That is especially the case for older releases of popular series that were mass produced. Eventually, the interest in the series drops off, and fans who bought the series are eager to sell theirs off, creating a glut of used DVDs for anybody eager to purchase them. But you can even find new DVD sets at great prices if you search around enough online. Obviously, amazon.com is a great place to start, but there are other websites selling used DVDs at very good prices, such as Hastings (which also has regular stores like Half Price Books).

No matter where you look, you'll always find bargains on DVDs, although the more you shop around, the better bargains you'll find. Sure, you could always pay full retail price for any set, but why do that when there are bargains waiting for you all around you? Home media is a business just like any other, and like any other business, the first price that you see isn't the lowest price you can pay.


LOOKING AHEAD

It looks like the news is finally starting to pick up again (somewhat), so we hope to have more news for you next week (and every week) here on Digital Digest. We have several blog reviews coming up in the upcoming weeks, and we hope you'll be here for that. Until next time, keep it digital!

Mother's Day is on Sunday, and to celebrate Mother's Day, The Hub is bringing you a marathon of some of the best episodes featuring America's favorite TV mom, Mrs. Cunningham from the series Happy Days. But Mrs. Cunningham was only a character on the popular series, and behind that character is the award-winning actress Marion Ross, and we recently had the privilege of interviewing Ms. Ross, just in time for this special marathon dedicated to her and her character (which, as I learned in my phone conversation, are very much one and the same). In my interview with Ms. Ross, it became obvious very early in the conversation that she is just as wonderful as the character she played on television decades ago, and that she truly appreciates the legacy that she left by starring in that series and has a deep respect and admiration for her many fans. So, on Sunday, check out the marathon on The Hub, but before you do that, "sit on it" and check out our interview with Marion Ross, better known as Mrs. C.!

"Seven Questions with Marion Ross From Happy Days"



SitcomsOnline: Tell us how you got the role of Mrs. C. from Happy Days, and when you got the role, did you expect that the series and your role would become such a huge part of pop culture as it has become?
Marion Ross: We certainly didn't. We had no idea. It was wonderful. Not only did it have it's wonderful run, but to have it rerun over and over again. And now, The Hub is airing the series, so children will get the opportunity to see it again. It's just wonderful. People everywhere see me on the street and they recognize me as Mrs. C. right away, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We thought that the series could be successful, but it has taken on a life of it's own, and it is just wonderful!

SitcomsOnline: When a lot of people hear your name or see you, they immediately begin to think of Mrs. C. from Happy Days. So in what ways are you like (or not like) Mrs. C. in real life?
Marion Ross: It doesn't bother me that they think of me as Mrs. C., but if you think about it, we all need a handle. They don't think about your whole career and everything that you stand for. Of course, I am pretty much like that. When the guys like a series, they start to like you. It's a really great feeling. I'm not so sure how I'm like or not like her, but I really do enjoy being known to people, especially these guys that I meet out on the street who instantly recognize me as Mrs. C. and they admire and respect the character, and me for that matter.

SitcomsOnline: What were some of your favorite moments from Happy Days? Were there ever any things that you just hated doing for any reason?
Marion Ross: We have one where I'm trying to revive our marriage, and I come down in this outfit and I'm not sure if I can do this. But it is like children at play, and mostly a lot of fun. Sometimes we'd get into fights like a real family, but we'd get along. Garry Marshall, our producer, knew that we didn't want to do certain things and we'd get into little spats but we'd always just end up doing whatever he wanted us to do anyway. You'll see one of those episodes Sunday on The Hub, the "Dance Contest" episode where I take tango lessons from the Fonz. I wasn't so sure about it, but it turned out great.

SitcomsOnline: Happy Days is one of the few sitcoms from that era where many of the younger actors went on to continued success in life. How often do you interact with those whom you played the TV mom to?
Marion Ross: The Fonz (Henry Winkler) is in Boston starring in a movie called Here Comes the Boom with Kevin James. They're kind of off doing their own things and they're pretty successful at it. It's great to know that I was such a great mom to them and raised them so well! (laughs)

SitcomsOnline: Here's a question that the TV conspiracy theorists all over the world really want an answer to: what happened to Chuck Cunningham? Or is that a secret that even his own TV mother isn't allowed to have the answer to?
Marion Ross: (laughs) Gosh, I feel so bad about that! We had multiple Chucks, and none of them just seemed to work with the cast. It was a running gag on the set that we'd always say "there's Chuck!" at the most unusual times. One time, we were shooting in Malibu, pretending it was Hawaii, and Tom Bosley said "look over there, it's Chuck!" You know, I really ought to make up with some big story about what happened to Chuck just to have a story to tell and impress people, but there really isn't one.

SitcomsOnline: You've had roles on television going back to some of the earliest days and continue to do roles today, so as TV has evolved, what changes do you think have been positive? And which ones have been not-so-positive?
Marion Ross: Our whole culture has changed really, and I really liked the older culture more. I don't really think that TV has changed so much, but it is more of the culture as a whole. Just the other day, I saw a little girl outside playing a game on a cell phone and I just wondered why don't her parents come to play with her? We've gotten so much into our iPods and everything these days that we just don't take time to relax.

SitcomsOnline: Would you be interested in taking on a regular or recurring role on a TV series these days? Is there any type of character that you have never played on television that you would like to play?
Marion Ross: I would, especially if it was if it was like films and I could work two days or so and be done with it. TV is a lot of work, but in movie roles, you can just work a few days and be done. I've done a few roles like on Brothers & Sisters as the mother of Sally Field's character but that is done with, they killed her off. Then there was Nurse Jackie, which I loved doing, where I played a dementia patient. I have done quite a few roles that are different from who I am, such as a show called Brooklyn Bridge, where I played a Jewish character living in New York City. It was created by Gary David Goldberg, who also created Family Ties, and it won numerous awards but it only ended up lasting a few seasons. Next year though, I'll be on stage in Toronto in the starring role of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, where I'll get to play another Jewish character from New York, so that should be interesting.

Ms. Ross had quite a bit more to say that we couldn't quite fit in our scope of our "seven questions" format, and we love her for the additional contributions that she made. In regards to her other work on TV, she talked quite a bit about her role as the grandmother on the Fox series That '70s Show, where she played a role that was very much different from the role that she played on Happy Days. In fact, she described the role as a "chain-smoking grandmother with bowel problems." As she mentioned in the interview, she very much enjoys playing in these roles that are a lot different from the role that most people associate her with, but she certainly doesn't mind being known as Mrs. C. Also, in regards to the "disappearing Chuck" on Happy Days, she brought up the fact that Chuck definitely wasn't the only kid who disappeared, but Richie Cunningham also disappeared in the later seasons. Of course, any Happy Days fan knows that, but what they may not realize is the extremes that they had to go through to avoid using the on-screen likeness of Ron Howard. She mentioned that after he left the series, his new contract prohibited the Happy Days producers from showing him on-screen in any way, meaning that the most that they could do is talk to Richie on the telephone. Even photos of Ron Howard that could potentially appear on camera couldn't be shown!

We deeply appreciate Ms. Ross for giving us the time and opportunity to interview her, and for continuing to entertain generations of viewers through reruns of Happy Days and her continuing work on the big screen, the small screen, and on stage! Don't forget to catch the "Mom-a-thon," airing 6:00 PM to 12:00 AM ET on Sunday, May 8, on The Hub. You can catch the following episodes of TV's favorite mom:

6:00PM "Dance Contest" - Mrs. Cunningham secretly takes tango lessons from the Fonz.
6:30PM "Marion Rebels" - Mrs. Cunningham takes a job as a waitress at Arnold's to escape her routine.
7:00PM "Marion: Fairy Godmother" - Ralph and Leather are transformed into a fashionable couple for the ROTC Ball.
7:30PM "Marion Goes to Jail" - Marion lands herself in jail when her car crashes through Al's drive-in.
8:00PM "Empty Nest" - Joanie has left the Cunningham house, Marion looks to find ways to cope and occupy her time.
8:30PM "So How Was Your Weekend" - Marion's finicky mother causes rift when she visits the Cunninghams.


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 May 9-13, 2011, 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, May 9, 2011

• Josh Gad (Back to You) - Watch Josh on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Adrian Grenier (Entourage) - Catch Adrian on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• Sinbad (The Sinbad Show/A Different World) - Sinbad drops by Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me) - David visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings for time and channel.
• Tracy Pollan (Family Ties) - Tracy appears on The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
• Marlo Thomas (That Girl) - Marlo talks with Kathie Lee and Hoda on Today on NBC at 10am.
• Will Ferrell (The Office) - Will stops by Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

• Paul Reiser (The Paul Reiser Show/Mad About You/My Two Dads) - Watch Paul on The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
• Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Catch Yvette on The Nate Berkus Show, so check local listings.
• Candace Cameron Bure (Full House) - Candace guest hosts on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Will Ferrell (The Office) - Will continues to make the rounds on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

• Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show) - The legendary Mr. Van Dyke visits The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. His book My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir is now available.
• Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Watch Patricia Good Morning America on ABC between 7-9am and later on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
• Grizz Chapman (30 Rock) - Catch Grizz on The Mo'nique Show at 11pm on BET.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

• Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) - Catch the hilarious Jim on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Norm Macdonald (The Norm Show) - Watch Norm on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick stops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty is the guest on Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time.
• Will Ferrell (The Office) - Will talks about The Office on Today on NBC between 7-9am.

Friday, May 13, 2011

• Paul Reiser (The Paul Reiser Show/Mad About You/My Two Dads) - Paul drops by the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) - Melissa and the cast of Bridesmaides visit the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She will later appear on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS. Bridesmaids opens in theaters on May 13.
• Tina Fey (30 Rock) - The funny lady Tina chats on The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
• Will Ferrell (The Office) - Will concludes his appearances this week on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Today we will give you TV Land's June 2011 schedule and highlights! But before we do that, they have added a special Memorial Day marathon! What do Ron Howard, John Ritter, Laurence Fishburne, Patrick Swayze and Shelly Long have in common? They're all amongst the Hollywood celebrities visiting M*A*S*H's 4077 for an unforgettable weekend of drama, laughs and romance featuring your favorite stars - some of whom were just beginning their careers.
In addition to celebrities, TV Land will also include the M*A*S*H finale (which holds the record as the most watched episode in television history) as well as the 20th and 30th anniversary reunion specials to keep things going for what will be an unforgettable Memorial Day weekend on TV Land. So much to see and catch up on, so little time... don't miss it this Memorial Day Weekend on TV Land. The main stunt airs Sunday, May 29 and Monday, May 30 from 8pm-6am, all night long...but late night on Thursday, May 27 and Friday, May 28 will also have a late night block of episodes to get you you started from 2am-6am.
Back to June, in anticipation of the second 2.5 premiere of Hot in Cleveland on Wednesday, June 15, TV Land is showcasing its Hot in Cleveland programming all weekend long the weekend of Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12. Don't miss this chance to catch up with the hottest sitcom on cable and warm up for more new episodes with TV Land as they'll present full season marathons and premium Hot in Cleveland content like cast favorites, fan favorites and the "Behind the Hotness" special featuring outtakes and special series moments. This weekend marathon will air on Saturday from 6am-8pm and some encores from 2am-6am (Everybody Loves Raymond is sandwiched in between from 8pm-2am). On Sunday it will air from 6am-12:30am. And speaking of the Sunday marathon, in order to generate internet chatter and grow the series' fan base in the days leading up to the new season premiere, Facebook users can vote for their favorite episodes to date which will air in a mini-marathon Sunday, June 12 beginning at 10pm.
The remaining ten episodes of the second season of Hot in Cleveland will begin June 15, which will lead into the new series Happily Divorced starring Fran Drescher. Happily Divorced is based on Fran Drescher's real life and centers around Los Angeles florist Fran (Drescher) as she deals with dating after finding out her realtor husband of 18 years (John Michael Higgins) is gay. The show focuses on how she juggles her new relationships and her ex-husband post-divorce while still living under the same roof. The cast is rounded out by Fran's best friend Judi (Tichina Arnold), her parents Dori and Glen (Rita Moreno and Robert Walden) and her flower delivery employee Cesar (Valente Rodriguez). Additionally, in the pilot, Fran's love interest, Elliot, is played by D.W. Moffett. The series will air for ten weeks in a row on Wednesdays at 10:30pm starting June 15!
The final stunt for June will be the AFI stunt honoring Morgan Freeman, which we mentioned. TV Land Presents: The AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Morgan Freeman will air on TV Land on Sunday, June 26, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT followed by a Red Carpet wrap-up special at 9:30 p.m.
Movies for the month are all encores. Airing are Crocodile Dundee, Analyze This, Top Gun, Made in America, and When Harry Met Sally. These of course air Mondays at 8am and 8pm. There will be no changes to the regular schedule, so it will be the same as May 2011, so the late night marathon madness continues.

MeTV Network is making Mother's Day even happier for classic TV fans! MeTV's "Moms on Me" marathon is on Mother's Day itself (Sunday, May 8), beginning at 11:00am ET. Episodes of I Love Lucy, Happy Days and The Brady Bunch will feature the best of classic TV mom-moments! Who can't get enough of Carol Brady, Mrs. C and Lucy? All three comedies will air multiple episodes starting at 11am lasting through 7pm. Don't take your mom out for dinner until you finish MeTV's "Moms on Me" Marathon!
Moving on to more mom fun, which Modern Family mom is your mother most like? Gloria? Claire? Or even Cam (don't tell him we said that!)? This Mother's Day show her just how much you care by sending her a personalized Modern Family video e-card brought to you by Verizon. It's the least you can do. After all, you are her favorite and she did give you life (or at least we hope she did). You can send the card to your mom via Facebook, Twitter or email. You can also create a URL to send it via instant message. And for all the bloggers like us, you can create an embed code to post it on your website. The hilarious (and touching) all-new Modern Family Mother's Day episode – fittingly titled "Mother's Day" – aired last night (Wednesday, May 4) at 9pm ET on ABC. It was well written and now you can bring that great writing to your mom via e-card! Send one to your mom today!

We have been giving your great Mother's Day tidbits all week, but stay tuned tomorrow for the best of them all!

This month on Nick at Nite there will be plenty of stunts! We have been telling you a lot about Mother's Day stunts, but in May 2011 Nick at Nite will have more stunts than just that! Nick at Nite's Mother's Day stunt will be two days. First, on Saturday (May 7) the actual stunt will air with two episodes each of their top three series My Wife & Kids, George Lopez and The Nanny from 10pm-1am. Then on Mother's Day itself, it's the Nick at Nite premiere of the two-part My Wife & Kids season two opener, "Mom's Away" from 8-9pm, which guest starred Raven Symone. Nick at Nite just premiered the My Wife & Kids three-part Hawaiian episode this past Sunday night.
Other stunts for the month has a Friday the 13th stunt on Friday, May 13 with once again episodes of their top three series My Wife & Kids, George Lopez and The Nanny from 10pm-1am. Then on Sunday, May 15 from 8pm-10pm it is the Nick at Nite premiere of the big screen comedy The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy. Nick at Nite hasn't issued highlights yet for the second half of May, so there could be some more stunts to come, such as possibly a week-long marathon (seems to happen once a month) and maybe a Memorial Day stunt. Stay tuned!

It's going to be a battle with Mama from That's My Mama and Mother Jefferson from The Jeffersons this Mother's Day on TV One! The laughs begin at 12 noon ET and will run through 6pm ET with episodes of the two comedies. Select episodes will also encore starting at 3am in the overnight. Just who will be the best mother of them all, tune in to TV One as we all know Mother Jefferson thrives for some attention!
Elsewhere this month on TV One, The Flip Wilson Show is now airing regularly on TV One airing weekdays at 5pm & 5:30pm as of this past Monday (May 2). Also returning to the schedule is Eve airing weeknights at 9-10pm and again 12-1am, replacing A Different World which is now off the schedule for now. At 10pm and 1am, NY Undercover will air instead of Living Single, which is also off the line-up. There is no word on if and when these two comedies will return, but there are no other changes to the schedule.
The only other marathon stunt of note is the Memorial Day marathon of Martin on Monday, May 30 from 11am-9pm with select encores starting at 2am in the overnight. Early birds can also start the fun early with The Jeffersons four-part episode of them going to Hawaii airing from 7-9am on Memorial Day!

It's going to be legendary! WGN America invites fans of How I Met Your Mother to share their Mother's Day messages using social media with a chance to see their post on-air. Viewers can tweet and post their How I Met Your Mother's Day message on WGN America's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MeetatMacLarens and WGN America's HIMYM Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/meetatmaclarens using the #HIMYMothersDay hash tag.
Beginning today (Tuesday, May 3), fan messages will run on WGN America in on-screen snipes in the 9pm ET/6pm PT broadcast of How I Met Your Mother throughout the week, and culminate in the mother of all marathons... a How I Met Your Mother's Day Marathon on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, which will feature six How I Met Your Mother episodes from 7-10pm ET/4-7pm PT.
Earlier this year, WGN America launched a social media campaign for How I Met Your Mother using Facebook and Twitter to great success. In just under 2 months, WGN America's HIMYM fan page has amassed over 150,000 followers.
As part of WGN America's social media strategy, the network has partnered with Story Worldwide, a global content marketing agency, to help create and curate the ideal fan experience and drive tune-in to WGN America on air.
HIMYM currently airs on WGN America Tuesday through Friday (9pm ET/6pm PT), Saturday (11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT) and Sunday (7pm ET/4pm PT). In the coming months, WGN America plans to expand the HIMYM footprint and to develop separate social media campaigns for the new programming coming in September, including 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Futurama. We will have more on WGN America's fall 2011 schedule in the coming months...there will be more shows coming, we'll tell you that!

Sticking with the Mother's Day theme, GMC will have an entire day for mom with The Waltons! The Mother's Day marathon airs on Sunday, May 8 from 11am-7pm leading into the movie Mother's Day on Walton's Mountain at 7pm and again at 9pm. In the movie, Mary Ellen marries Jonesy but they have a tragic start. While on their honeymoon, she suffers an accident that leaves her unable to bear children. Mary Ellen shuts everyone, even Jonesy out. She decides to go to the one person who can understand what she's going through, her mother, who is in Arizona recuperating from an illness.
Anyway, The Waltons now regularly airs on GMC every weekday at 12pm & 1pm and 5pm & 6pm, instead of 9pm & 10pm as it originally started. Sitcoms airing on the network are still 227 (weeknights at 11pm-12am and Saturdays 2pm-7pm), Amen (now earlier, weeknights 12-1am), and Sister Sister (Saturdays from 9am-2pm).

TBS is bringing back Home Improvement out of its hiatus starting TODAY. The series returned to the cable network this morning airing in the 7am hour. The series will air weekdays at 7:00am & 7:30am replacing an hour of Saved by the Bell. Not to worry Saved by the Bell fans, "its alright" because the series will remain in the 8am hour airing back-to-back. Home Improvement has not aired on TBS since the fall when it aired once a week.
Both Home Improvement and Saved by the Bell are shared with other networks, as you know. Home Improvement airs on TV Land and Nick at Nite (both in the late night, with Nick at Nite airing it just once a week), while Saved by the Bell will be returning to TeenNick, after a hiatus as we announced.

The new comedy Happy Endings has a happy ending to the season! The new comedy will be aired back-to-back now for the rest of the season gaining 10:30pm after positive buzz and a ratings climb last week. We first announced this news on Thursday night. The comedy will air back-to-back at 10:00pm & 10:30pm with all-new episodes through May 18 and the season finale will air at 10:30pm on Wednesday, May 25 (after the one-hour Cougar Town Hawaii season finale from 9:30-10:30pm). Happy Endings produced 13 episodes, but as of now 12 are scheduled. Not sure yet if that one left-over episode will be aired this season or saved for next season. The only slot open is Wednesday, May 25 at 8:30pm, but that could be very well be a repeat of The Middle, like it will be on May 18 (Better With You has its season finale on May 11). As of now, chances for a second season are good. Happy endings, indeed!
Moving on to some NBC scheduling news, a whole bunch of updates were announced on Friday. The new reality competition series The Voice got off to a hot start for its two-hour premiere last week and it will still be two-hours this week (May 3) as well, as planned. The Voice will not move to the planned 8pm hour starting Tuesday, May 10 until after sweeps and The Biggest Loser isn't moving to 9-11pm for the final three weeks now. This means starting next Tuesday (May 10), The Biggest Loser will air from 8-10pm and The Voice at 10pm. Will that hurt the new series airing in a later hour? We shall see. The Voice at 10pm is just for three weeks, because in its summer airings it will move to 8pm to make room for America's Got Talent starting May 31. The other NBC change of note is in summer with repeats of 30 Rock moving to 8:30pm starting Thursday, June 2, as the one-hour comedy Love Bites will finally air, airing Thursdays at 10pm. It's just a burn-off, though. Becki Newton stars.

2010-11 Week 32 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):

Households: #1. ABC 6.9/10.9 rating/share; #2. Fox 6.6/10.3; #3. CBS 5.8/9.1; #4. NBC 3.9/6.1; #5. The CW 1.1/1.7
Total Viewers: #1. Fox 11.31 million; #2. ABC 10.83 million; #3. CBS 9.28 million; #4. NBC 6.43 million; #5. The CW 1.71 million
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox 3.6/9.7 rating/share; #2. ABC 2.6/6.8; #3. NBC 2.5/6.5; #4. CBS 2.2/5.8; #5. The CW 0.8/2.1

Week 32 (April 25-May 1) Analysis: Week 32 so far has NBC with some climbs thanks to the debut of The Voice and an above average The Office, but NBC will likely be in fourth place still. Through the first four nights ABC and Fox are battling in HH/viewers, with ABC with the edge in HH and Fox in viewers. Fox is a clear first in 18049, while ABC is in second. CBS is in third place in HH/viewers and a rare fourth place in 18-49, as NBC is in third in 18-49. NBC is still in fourth place though in HH/viewers despite the upswing. Fox will win the week in 18-49 and perhaps ABC will sneak out a win in HH/viewers. The question is will NBC remain in third in 18-49 or will CBS overtake them? We shall see. Last week, week 31, had CBS win the week in HH/viewers, but Fox took the important 18-49 crown again. ABC was second in HH but third in viewers again, while Fox was third in HH but second in viewers. ABC was second in 18-49, leaving CBS in third in 18-49. And of course NBC was in a distant fourth place. This was exactly the same as week 30.

Monday saw ABC get the win again. ABC started with a new Dancing with the Stars but in 90-minute form rather than two-hours again, as it did 22.38 million and a 4.7 18-49 rating, up A LOT from previous week and #1 for the week in total viewers. At 9:30pm, a special airing of Better With You followed with 11.22 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, which was above previous week's special Cougar Town episode, which isn't surprising since Better fits better out of Dancing and had Derek Hough guest starring. It wouldn't do this every week, so a special airing or two is the only way to go for comedies to air after Dancing. Not a regular thing. At 10pm ABC aired a repeat of Castle and did 7.43 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. Look for a special Castle in L.A. episode tomorrow night that looks hot with Beckett in a swimsuit. Can't go wrong with that. CBS was next with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. How I Met Your Mother started it off with a repeat doing 5.22 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. Mad Love is still not a winner as it did 5.53 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, but on par with previous week when its lead-in was new, so that is a positive at least. Two and a Half Men repeat was preempted by a Big Bang Theory repeat doing 7.68 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, a bit higher than Men's numbers the previous week. A repeat of Mike & Molly at 9:30pm did 7.86 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, which is decent for a repeat. Hawaii Five-0 was a repeat at 10pm and did 7.19 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. Look for second place finishes for tomorrow's new episode. Fox was in repeats with House doing 4.89 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, as this show used to repeat better than this. A repeat of Chicago Code followed at 9pm with 4.07 million and only a 1.0 18-49 rating. NBC started with a repeat (gulp) of Chuck doing just 2.77 million and only a 0.9 18-49 rating. The Event was next and did 4.62 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up some actually week-to-week. Law & Order: Los Angeles did just as bad with 5.79 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, but also up some from previous week. The CW was all-new with 90210 doing 1.74 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, up some from previous week and Gossip Girl followed with 1.55 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. Both series were actually renewed this past week for next season. How?

Tuesday had ABC and NBC battle, as NBC won the night in 18-49. But first, CBS started with a repeat of NCIS and did 11.21 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating which was old skewing given the amount of total viewers. NCIS: Los Angeles followed with a repeat and did 10.29 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. A special repeat of The Mentalist followed instead of The Good Wife and did 7.94 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, lower than previous week's NCIS: LA repeat. For ABC, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution was preempted for a brand new special Dancing with the Stars: The Road to the Finals and it did 13.08 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, which was done to boost the rest of the night because of the premiere on NBC. At 9, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did 18.28 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, up a lot from previous week. At 10pm, a new Body of Proof won its hour in total viewers with 11.86 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down some from previous week in 18-49 but up in viewers. Fox had a new 90-minute Glee but disappointed with 8.62 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, which is good but down from previous week. Next Fox aired a new episode of comedy, Raising Hope at a special time of 9:30pm doing 4.53 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down from previous week when it was at 9pm. New comedy Traffic Light saw a red light and didn't air. NBC aired only a one-hour The Biggest Loser doing 7.45 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, which was up from previous week's season low. Then from 9-11pm, NBC won the hours in 18-49 thanks to the young skewing premiere of The Voice doing 11.77 million and a strong 5.1 18-49 rating, saving NBC. It will be two-hours again this week, but after that it will be in the 10pm hour. It will be interesting to see if it can do high numbers like this at 10pm. It should be fine this week, probably in the 4s. The CW was all-new on Tuesday with a new One Tree Hill doing 1.44 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Next at 9pm was a new Hellcats and that did worse with just 998,000 viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, down a tenth week-to-week. These two might not make it to next season.

Wednesday it was all Fox with American Idol carrying it again. A 90-minute Idol did 22.32 million and a 7.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week and #1 for the week in 18-49. The 90-minute telecast was followed by week four of new comedy Breaking In that did 7.01 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down some again from previous week. It has only gone down a bit the past few weeks, but this is on an island on its own. Air it with Family Guy and it will be better. CBS started the night off with Survivor: Redemption Island doing 11.32 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was a repeat doing 9.11 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. At 10pm, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was also a repeat and did 7.45 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. ABC had its Laugh On comedy block and had a repeat of The Middle open the night with 5.01 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating. Then at 8:30, Better With You was new doing 4.64 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week when its lead-in was new. So not too bad, but not good either. Then ABC aired a repeat of Modern Family at 9pm doing 5.94 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is decent for a repeat. Then at 9:30, Cougar Town was all-new with 5.62 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, down some from previous week but its lead-in was a repeat and it did grow by a tenth. At 10pm, new comedy Happy Endings did better with 5.17 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up from previous week at 10pm. Promising and the future looks bright I think. Last week I said, "keep it right here or even go up, and ABC will renew." And it did go up, so I think a renewal is likely given the state of 10pm. A special repeat of Modern Family was next doing 4.29 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. Look for Happy Endings to be doubled-up in the 10pm hour every week starting this week. That is happy news, indeed. NBC preempted Minute to Win It for an Inside the Royal Wedding special that did 5.17 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, improving the time period. Then NBC encored the previous night's premiere of The Voice and did decent with 6.15 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, once again skewing young. Law & Order: SVU returns this week. The CW had a repeat of America's Next Top Model start it off at 8pm doing 1.15 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. New episodes are at 9pm and it did 2.39 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, up a lot from previous week's low as it looks like people now know it airs at 9pm.

Thursday saw Fox win the night on the first night of May sweep. But first, ABC opened the night with a repeat of a A Special Edition of 20/20: A Modern Fairytale doing 7.01 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, skewing older. Wipeout returns this week. Then Grey's Anatomy was all-new at 9pm doing 10.67 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating. A new Private Practice at 10 closed the night with 6.68 million and a below normal 2.2 18-49 rating. Both shows will be higher this coming week with weddings, as ABC promoted them heavily during the Royal Wedding on Friday. CBS was all-new with The Big Bang Theory at 8pm doing 10.71 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, for a season low. Rules of Engagement was next with a new episode doing 7.86 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which could be better. At 9, a new CSI did 10.84 million and a series low 2.4 18-49 rating. Is this show on the move next season? And at 10pm The Mentalist was new too and jumped to 13.53 million and a a below normal 2.6 18-49 rating. Weird that the 10pm hour this week on both ABC and CBS were down a few tenths from normal. Onto #1 Fox, it was all American Idol as an one-hour airing did 19.6 million and a 5.7 18-49 rating, but down some from previous week. Fox then followed with a new Bones at 9pm doing 9.7 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, down again from previous week. I think this is Friday bound next season and it will do well there. NBC comedies were all-new and supersized starting at 9. Community started it off with only 3.35 and a 1.4 18-49 rating, tying a series low again. Then a repeat of The Office did 3.08 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. A new The Office was next and expanded to 53 minutes doing 8.42 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, up a lot from previous week. It was Steve Carrell's last episode, many thought it would do much higher than that but with NFL Draft I knew it wouldn't be that high. Parks and Recreation was next and expanded from 9:53-10:30pm with 4.71 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down a tad from previous week despite getting a bigger lead-in. It did air in a later time period. 30 Rock followed at a special time of 10:30 doing 3.95 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, down from previous week's one-hour episode. And the likely doomed Outsourced was preempted again. The CW was next with all-new episodes of Vampire Diaries doing 2.68 million and only a 1.2 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Then a new Nikita did 1.72 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, down from previous week. The latter is on the bubble.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday had CBS win the night with its dramas and the 8pm special Royal Wedding: Modern Majesty, while ABC's two-hour 20/20: A Modern Fairy Tale did well from 9-11pm. Fringe on Fox and Friday Night Lights on NBC were low. Saturday had Fox win the night with NASCAR while ABC's movie Batman Begins was a distant second. CBS had a historic low at 8pm with Fight Camp 360 a prelim 1.19 million and only a prelim 0.3 18-49 rating.

Tonight ABC is all-new with AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, & Brothers & Sisters, which will win the night likely among 18-49. NBC has a new episode of ratings challenged America's Next Great Restaurant & another two-hour Celebrity Apprentice, all starting at 8 following Dateline at 7. CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by The Amazing Race at 8 then Undercover Boss & CSI: Miami from 9-11pm. Fox is in repeats with Animation Domination starting at 8:30pm because they had to pull the "Hurricane" crossover event because of the recent tornadoes in the south.

As for the week (week 32), Fox will win the week in 18-49 and ABC should prevail in HH/viewers. ABC will likely be in second in 18-49, with CBS or Fox in second in HH/viewers. NBC is certain for fourth in HH/viewers, but could beat CBS in 18-49. And for the coming week (week 33), has week two of reality competition series The Voice on NBC Tuesday from 9-11pm. Can it retain most of its premiere ratings before settling into 10pm starting next week? First full week of sweeps starts this week, as we wind down the 2010-2011 season.

Week 32 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 31 -- April 18-24)

• American Dad! (Fox) - preempted.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) - Fox gave the whole night to this family with two repeats in the 7pm hour doing 2.08 million/2.54 million and a 0.8 & 1.0 18-49 rating only. That lead into the big screen movie repeat from 8-10pm doing 3.63 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating.
  
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
• Family Guy (Fox) - preempted.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted.

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 5.22 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is OK for a repeat.
  
• Mad Love (CBS) - A new episode out of a repeat did 5.53 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is basically on par with previous week when its lead-in was new.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A special repeat of this show instead of the regular Men did 7.68 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating which was a bit higher than previous week's Men repeat.
  
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - A repeat of this sitcom did 7.86 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, which is a good repeat number.
• Better With You (ABC) - A special all-new episode on a special night did a series high 11.22 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, better than previous week's Cougar Town because of special guest star Derek Hough from Dancing. It also helps when the lead-in was up big from previous week.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Raising Hope (Fox) - A new episode did 4.53 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating at a special time of 9:30pm as it seemed to have gotten lost in the battles going on this night. It was lower than previous week's 9pm airing.
  
• Traffic Light (Fox) - preempted, thankfully.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) - A repeat episode of this sitcom did 5.01 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, as the latter seems a bit lower than normal.
• Better with You (ABC) - A new episode did 4.64 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week when its lead-in was new. Not bad to be down just a tenth, but ABC can do "better" here next season. Think this sitcom would do decently on Fridays.
  
• Modern Family (ABC) 2 episodes - A repeat episode did 5.94 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is good numbers for a repeat, especially single-camera. A special repeat at 10:30pm did decent as well with 4.29 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating.
  
• Cougar Town (ABC) - A hilarious new episode of this comedy did 5.62 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, down some from previous week when its lead-in was new...but it did build a tenth from its lead-in, which I don't think has ever happened.
  
• Happy Endings (ABC) - A new episode at 10pm did 5.17 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up some from previous week at 10pm. This is promising news for this comedy, as it improved the time period for ABC from just about anything this season in this slot.
  
• Breaking In (Fox) - The new comedy aired following American Idol again and didn't hold too much again, doing 7.01 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down some again from previous week. This comedy can do better not airing after the juggernaut.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - May sweeps starts, but a new episode of this comedy was below normal with 10.71 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating. Still good.
  
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A new episode did 7.86 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, really $#*! My Dad Says was doing similar retention even.
• Community (NBC) - A new episode did only 3.35 million and 1.4 18-49 rating, on par with previous week in 18-49 again. It's been stuck at a 1.4 for a few weeks now.
• The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - Before a new episode, a repeat aired at 8:30pm doing 3.08 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. A new expanded episode from 9-9:53pm did 8.42 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, up quite a bit from previous week as Steve Carrell said goodbye. Ratings could have been better, but good enough.
  
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A new episode from 9:53pm-10:30pm did 4.71 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down a lick from previous week despite its lead-in being higher.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - A new episode at a special time of 10:30pm did 3.95 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week's one-hour episode.
• Outsourced (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 7-10pm, but in repeats.

Summing it up. The Office, The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly (R), Modern Family (R), Better With You (Mon), Happy Endings were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Mad Love, Breaking In) or just plain old terrible (such as Better With You (Wed), Community).

[Source: Nielsen NTI Ratings. View Travis Yanan's Ratings Website].