Wednesday, May 08, 2013
SitcomsOnline.com 2013-14 Upfront Preview: ABC; Episodic Review: Family Tools - "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" - Airing Tonight on ABC
Our upfront preview week continues! ABC had a tough season in 2012-13 but had some bright spots including sophomore drama Scandal and surging reality franchises Shark Tank and The Bachelor. Everything else, like most shows on TV these days, declined in the ratings. ABC is one hot show away from being back in the game and they might have that in 2013-14 with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com ABC 2013-14 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
Already Renewed Returning Series: Saturday Night College Football.
Likely Returning Series: 20/20, The Bachelor, America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal, Nashville, Dancing with the Stars, Castle, The Middle, Suburgatory, Last Man Standing, Malibu Country, Modern Family, How To Live With Your Parents, The Neighbors, Grey's Anatomy, What Would You Do?, Shark Tank, Body of Proof and Wipeout.
Likely To Be Canceled, Ending or Already Canceled: 666 Park Avenue, Zero Hour, Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23, Last Resort, Private Practice, Red Widow, Happy Endings, Family Tools, Splash, Bet On Your Baby, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Likely New Series Pick-Ups: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.EL.D. (drama for fall), Westside (drama for fall), Gothica (drama for fall), The Goldbergs (comedy for fall), King John (comedy for fall), Super Fun Night (comedy for mid-season), Back in the Game (comedy for mid-season), Mixology (comedy for mid-season), Bad Management (comedy for mid-season), Killer Women (drama for mid-season), Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (drama for mid-season) and Reckless (drama for mid-season).
OUR FALL 2013 PREDICTION:
Mondays
8:00PM The Bachelor
10:00PM Westside (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Shark Tank
9:00PM Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (NEW!)
10:00PM Castle
Wednesdays
8:00PM The Middle
8:30PM The Goldbergs (NEW!)
9:00PM Modern Family
9:30PM How To Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)
10:00PM Nashville
Thursdays
8:00PM NEW Reality
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Scandal
Fridays
8:00PM Last Man Standing
8:30PM King John (NEW!)
9:00PM The Neighbors
9:30PM Suburgatory
10:00PM 20/20
Saturdays
8:00PM College Football
Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Once Upon a Time
9:00PM Gothica (NEW!)
10:00PM Revenge
Comments: ABC needs to bring some life on a few nights this fall and I think they could do it with some promising new pilots. Detailing the fall schedule, I'll start with Mondays. Dancing with the Stars has been declining the last few seasons, so ABC should as much as I hate to do it, go with The Bachelor from 8-10pm in fall. That series surged this winter and could benefit by airing two cycles a season - one in the fall and one in the spring. ABC would then bring back Dancing with the Stars from Jan-Mar. Instead of 10 weeks, they could expand it a bit I think...like 12 or 13 weeks. Perhaps at 10pm, a new younger-skewing drama out of the younger Bachelor could work, like Westside or Betrayal. I'm going with Westside. I think Castle is strong enough to air on another night, I think, like Tuesday nights where they need it a bit more. More on that below. I could very well see them keeping it though on Mondays and I think it would still make sense On Tuesdays, with no Dancing with the Star in the Fall on our schedule, they would really need to put a priority to this night. Shark Tank could be asked to come and launch the night at 8pm into the most promising pilot of the season, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I could see ABC making that a 8pm show but I don't like the flow of drama-reality-drama and that this show could really be a big anchor. Dancing Results would air in Jan-Mar at 8 or 9pm, depending on how S.H.I.E.L.D does. At 10pm, ABC should use the veteran Castle out of its big play at 9. It wouldn't really make sense to air something new following that show since it could be a Lost-type show, where nothing would work following it. Body of Proof will be back once again, I think. It deserves it, too. Perhaps as a Friday or even Saturday option.
For Wednesdays, it's of course family comedies. The Middle will and should continue to lead off and Modern Family will anchor the night at 9pm of course. Suburgatory could be on the move to Fridays or held for mid-season. I would move it to Fridays to help launch a nice two-hour comedy block there. At 8:30pm, they can try their best new comedy and I think that will be The Goldbergs. It sounds like a perfect fit out of The Middle. At 9:30pm, ABC should try and continue with How To Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) because it has done solid this spring and shows promise. They could order 2-3 comedies for mid-season, just in case something fails here or on Fridays. More on that below. And at 10pm on Wednesdays, is the critically acclaimed drama Nashville. I don't think it would be wise to move it, unless they find a compatible lead-in. As for Thursdays, the 8pm slot has been troublesome for ABC in the past few seasons. Word is that they have a reality show in the works for Fall and it would be perfect to start the night off with a reality show at 8pm. Dramas haven't worked her in a while because it's a tough slot and ABC already has 2 big dramas from 9-11pm. I have noticed three hours of the same genre never work for any network. CBS Tuesday dramas at 10pm always struggle, too, airing after two dramas from 8-10pm, if you have noticed. I don't think there is a doubt that Grey's Anatomy is at 9pm entering its tenth season and still by far a top drama. And at 10pm, the biggest 10pm show on television Scandal will return and probably even grow more. It's quality TV.
Onto Fridays, ABC will likely keep comedies at 8pm but their Friday anchor Shark Tank might be on the move, so that will open up the 9pm hour. I think comedies is the way to go. Last Man Standing did very well this season at 8 and should remain here. At 8:30pm, perhaps they should try for a new sitcom like King John starring John Leguizamo. It might fit better than Mailbu Country, which I would being back for mid-season. Then at 9, they could go with two comedies that worked well on Wednesdays: The Neighbors and Suburgatory. Both would fit perfectly on this night. Sadly, I don't think Happy Endings fits the night and if anything ABC Studios should shop it to USA or TBS. It was doing fine after Modern Family, but everyone for some reason kept complaining about its "retention." It did fine. Rounding out the night, 20/20 is at 10pm, of course. I don't think that should change. On Saturdays ABC will have College Football in the fall and then movies and/or repeats for the rest of the season, but they could try some series in the winter/spring. Body of Proof is an option and cheaper reality options, like Bet On Your Baby could work. Finally, on Sundays, of course AFV is at 7, followed by drama Once Upon a Time at 8pm. At 9pm Revenge has done OK but it could fix the 10pm problem for ABC and do decently there. That would leave the anchor slot open to something like Gothica which could be a great fit for the night.
I REALLY think ABC needs to take a chance and do something like this. Who knows, Dancing could come back in mid-season with better ratings and a good crop of celebs. The new pilots do sound better class than last season as really only Nashville and Last Resort were well done. ABC also has a Once Upon a Time spin-off that could help and be a great limited series each season. Short runs like 13 episodes would be great for many of these new series and it would keep the schedule fresh. I understand if something hits big they wouldn't want to limit the show to 13 weeks and lose the ad rates, but for some shows they should. As always, ABC was a tough schedule to predict. Time to solidify Tuesdays and bring some life to it and help weaker hours (Thursdays at 8 and Sundays at 10) with type of shows they haven't kept trying. I'm fairly confident this schedule would help every night.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own.
Remember, next Tuesday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out ABC's plans for the 2013-14 season. So, come on back next Tuesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong!). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on CBS's upfront!
On the next...Family Tools:
By: Pavan
ABC's newest Comedy Wednesday sitcom starring Kyle Bornheimer, airs Wednesday nights at 8:30pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (May 8). In the episode airing tonight, "Now You See Me, Now You Don't," when Jack (Kyle Bornheimer) and Darren (Edi Gathegi) take a job in a corporate office, Jack tries to reconnect with a former high school crush (guest star Maria Thayer), while Darren questions his status after one of his ideas is stolen. Meanwhile, Terry (Leah Remini) meddles in Mason's (Johnny Pemberton) new relationship and Tony (J.K. Simmons) is uncomfortable with the girlfriend's unconventional style.
In this second episode airing (it's actually the fourth produced), Jack and Darren are fixing things at a corporate office and the white-collared workers ignore them as if they weren't there. It's the "tool-belt effect." But as soon as Jack drops his belt by accident he gets noticed. He also realizes his high school crush works there and is a top notch executive (VP of Brand Strategy), so that gives him extra incentive to show-off and drop that tool belt. He lies a bit to try and get the girl - a classic sitcom device. Usually in the end, the guy never gets the girl in these type of plots. The duo of Jack and Darren work together so well and by the end of the episode you'll see many examples of that, including a hilarious dream (daydream) sequence. Kyle Bornheimer shows off his physical comedy skills once again and shines. While he is the star, Edi Gathegi steals the show with his one-liners and facial expressions. He is the perfect sidekick to Bornheimer's Jack.
The B-plot of Terry's son Mason doesn't work as well. He is interested in this "zombie type" goth girl (another thing we've seen in sitcoms before). He asks for advice to Tony, Darren and even Lisa. This plotline didn't really showcase Terry and Tony that well since they were involved in this storyline as well. Back to the other storyline, Darren came up with this phrase "Taste These Sour Balls" and something happens with that. Won't give it away, but that line is hilarious. This episode was solid and simple despite some familiar type of sitcom plots. It shows the world that blue-collared workers are essential and I'm sure they are treated this way in real life. It's a comedic take on this situation and the show does it well. But will Jack still get the girl even after he lies about his job as CEO of Mr. Jiffy Fix? Tune in tonight and watch Jack and Darren drill their way out of this one. B
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
SitcomsOnline.com 2013-14 Upfront Preview: Fox; Episodic Reviews: New Girl - "Winston's Birthday" and The Mindy Project - "Frat Party" Airing Tonight on Fox
Our upfront preview week continues! Today we take a look at Fox, who will present its schedule on Monday. Fox is coming off a a very slow season with its major hits declining like American Idol and New Girl way down from its freshman season. Fox also faltered with its second season of X Factor and the only real bright spot this season was the launch of The Following. Can they find another hit in 2013-14?
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2013-14 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: Dads (multi-camera comedy).
Already Renewed Returning Series: Bones, The Following, Raising Hope, The X Factor, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American Dad!, Glee, New Girl, The Mindy Project.
Other Likely Returning Series: American Idol, Kitchen Nightmare, Hell's Kitchen .
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: Fringe, Ben & Kate, The Mob Doctor, Touch, Cops.
Likely Additional New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Friends & Family (comedy for fall), To My Assistant (comedy for fall), Rake (drama for fall), Human (drama for fall), Gang Related (drama for fall), I Suck at Girls (comedy for mid-season) and Enlisted (comedy for mid-season).
OUR FALL 2013 PREDICTION:
Mondays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM Rake (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Friends & Family (NEW!)
8:30PM Raising Hope
9:00PM New Girl
9:30PM To My Assistant (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM The X-Factor
9:00PM Human (NEW!)
Thursdays
8:00PM The X-Factor Results
9:00PM Gang Related (NEW!)
Fridays
8:00PM Kitchen Nightmares
9:00PM Glee
Saturdays
8:00PM College Football on Fox
Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
7:30PM American Dad!
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Bob's Burgers
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM Dads (NEW!)
Comments: Fox needs to shake things up and gamble on some new shows because they really didn't launch anything last fall and really only had one hit in 2012-13 with The Following. With American Idol down, and veterans Bones, The Simpsons, Family Guy aging, they will need some fresh blood. They could for starters give New Girl some sort of support in comedy, as it is on an island of its own. Detailing night by night, on Mondays, 8pm will likely remain the same with Bones leading off. They should use the 9pm slot to try and launch a new drama like Rake starring Greg Kinnear, and save The Following for mid-season so it avoids Monday Night Football in the fall and airs repeat-free from Jan-May. The plan worked this season, one of Fox's few good moves this season. Moving on to Tuesdays, I think Fox will try to bring in some new comedies and still go with a four-comedy block. Raising Hope isn't strong enough to lead the block off, so perhaps something like the Jason Ritter/Alexis Beldel comedy Friends & Family based on the UK series Gavin & Stacey is the answer. If Fox plays its cards right, it could be an anchor type show and lead into Raising Hope at 8:30. New Girl of course will anchor the night at 9. Fox should try another new comedy at 9:30pm, perhaps the comedy To My Assistant starring Brittany Snow. That would draw fans of the lead-in, I think...come on it's Zooey Deschanel into Brittany Snow! Mindy Project could be brought in mid-season, since it wasn't pulling in the ratings anyway.
On Wednesdays, unfortunately The X-Factor will likely air on this night and continue to go down for Fox. They should cut the Wednesday edition from 2 hours to an hour and air one of its top drama pilots, like Human starring Minka Kelly and produced by J.J. Abrams. That seems like a good fit and the hour needs a good younger skewing drama, as there are only crime series right now. On Thursdays, X-Factor will likely be at 8pm still for its second night, but perhaps leading into another new drama like Gang Related which has Terry O'Quinn. I think Glee is one of those declining Fox shows and they don't need to air it on Thursdays at 9pm. I think they should rest it and bring it back mid-season or air it on Fridays. Fridays will likely remain the same as it is now at 8pm, with Kitchen Nightmares but then I suggest they air Glee at 9. It can't do any worse than Touch right? Or maybe it could, but I don't think so. Saturdays will be sports in the fall, with College Football most weeks. And Fox announced that Cops is ending on Fox and will move to Spike, so something will be needed in mid-season, but they will likely just air repeats. And on 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 I think Fox will launch a new multi-camera comedy, perhaps at 9:30pm following Family Guy. The comedy is from Seth MacFarlane and is called Dads and it could work on this night. No other night makes any sense. I think Cleveland Show will be the odd show out, as a result.
So, I think this is aggressive for Fox but they could do this. Launching three dramas might be a little much, but I think they will do at least 2. They might just focus on building the comedy block on Tuesday and try and launch a new drama on Monday and Wednesday. If that happens, then Glee will remain on Thursdays and they could air something cheaper on Fridays. In mid-season Idol will be back of course, but will it continue to fall in the ratings? If so, I don't think Fox will schedule it for two-hours every Wednesday, especially if a new drama hits. That's still too far ahead, as our focus right now is the fall. Fox needs to do better and they could with this schedule.
Remember, Monday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2013-14 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!
On the next...New Girl:
By: Vincent
Fox's Tuesday adorkable sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel airs Tuesdays at 9:00pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (May 7). In the episode airing tonight, "Winston's Birthday," Jess' dad, Bob (guest star Rob Reiner), arrives at the loft the morning after Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick's (Jake Johnson) night of passion. Then, Jess finds herself with a huge opportunity for a new job on the day before Cece’s (Hannah Simone) wedding, forcing a nervous Nick to spend the day alone with Bob. Meanwhile, Schmidt (Max Greenfield) must take a look in the mirror and confront his real feelings for Elizabeth (guest star Merritt Wever). Plus, Winston (Lamorne Morris) psyches himself up for his huge surprise birthday celebration, which no one seemed to remember to throw for him.
At this point in sitcom history, a will they/won't they arc is pretty much standard. Just about every sitcom has some variation of this plotline at some point in its run, to the point where many shows seem to put its characters through these obstacles simply because they feel they have to. The great thing about the Jess/Nick arc on New Girl has been that everything about it has felt completely natural. It doesn't feel like the writers are just throwing the two characters together because of some sense of post-Friends obligation. What makes their relationship even more interesting is that the show is constantly questioning it and whether or not it would actually work - Jess and Nick are polar opposites, and while that can be exciting, it can also be disastrous, as we've seen already seen many times on the show (Jess and Nick destroying Schmidt's exotic fish tank in the "Quick Hardening Caulk" episode a few months ago comes to mind).
What I loved about "Winston's Birthday" is that the show really made us think about why Jess and Nick could, indeed, be bad for each other, while also pointing out that those very same things are what could possibly make it work. The show brings back Rob Reiner as Jess's dad, the product of a relationship strikingly similar to Jess and Nick's. But his relationship failed, and he provides extremely legitimate examples as to why Jess and Nick's relationship could be just as much of a failure. And yet, there's undeniable tension between Jess and Nick, a feeling that they have to go for it, even if it might not work - even if it might ruin everything. This feeling translates well into the other plotlines of the episode, from Cece's upcoming wedding to Schmidt rediscovering his past with his college girlfriend Elizabeth. It's this feeling that's been driving New Girl for much of this season, and it's that feeling that makes me extremely excited to see what the show has in store for its season finale next week. A-
On the next...The Mindy Project:
By: Skees
Fox's Tuesday night comedy starring Mindy Kaling airs Tuesday nights at 9:30pm immediately following New Girl and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (May 7). In the episode airing tonight, "Frat Party," Mindy (Mindy Kaling) gets extremely upset when her boyfriend, Casey (guest star Anders Holm, Workaholics), tells her that he is moving to Haiti for a year. To blow off steam, Mindy goes to a frat party with her pre-med student mentee (guest star Francia Raisa, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), where she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Tom (guest star Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live). Meanwhile, Danny (Chris Messina) and Jeremy (Ed Weeks) plot a way to lure Morgan (Ike Barinholtz) away from the midwives.
"Frat Party" picks up where the show left off last week. To give a brief refresher, Mindy and boyfriend Casey (a minister) faced a few difficulties in their relationship when Casey asked Mindy (a follower of Hinduism) to convert to Christianity. Also, Danny fired Morgan when it is revealed that Morgan sent a letter that Danny wrote years ago to his ex-wife. However, if you missed all of that, this episode is still capable of standing alone. Now, after Mindy and Casey have resolved their religious differences issue, there is an even bigger problem: Casey is going away on a missionary trip to Haiti for an entire year. This doesn't settle to well for Mindy's rather selfish ways, and to ease her ego, she goes to a frat party with a pre-med student whom she is mentoring... even if she is a bit too "old" for that. Surprisingly, though, she isn't as old as she thinks when she finds ex-boyfriend Tom (Bill Hader) at the party, fresh off of a bad marriage and with a new eyebrow ring. Mindy tries to interact with Tom, but everything seems to go wrong once an uninvited (and unexpected) guest shows up at the party and turns it into a drunk brawl. Meanwhile, Danny is willing to do whatever it takes to get Morgan back... and in that effort, they also (along with Jeremy) manage to make it to the frat party.
I don't know how many times I have to say it, but here we have another episode of this series about... yes, Mindy's boyfriend(s). We understand that she seems to have some instability in her relationships (although Casey seems to be working out somewhat well, even though there are constantly horrible things happening between them), but I still feel that this sitcom could be coming up with other stories and other plots. I'm assuming we'll see less of Casey from now on, though, and we'll go back to the old "boyfriend of the week" format. It is a shame, because the series has so much potential if it could do without that just once in a while. I know that I'm sounding like a broken record by now, but I'd like to see more episodes focus on the actual character of Mindy and her co-workers, and if there are going to be guest stars, maybe not necessarily make them a boyfriend of Mindy's. Nonetheless, this episode is just another of the typical episodes with a few good moments (particularly at the frat party). C+
Monday, May 06, 2013
SitcomsOnline.com 2013-14 Upfront Preview: NBC; Remembering Sitcom Director Jack Shea
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 13). We will preview NBC today and Fox tomorrow. So let's get right to it!
NBC has a huge hit in The Voice and of course Sunday Night Football in the Fall, but other than that, there is pretty much nothing else that is doing big ratings. Newbie Revolution started strong but has struggled since returning from a big hiatus. Are they better off airing 22 episodes (or something less, like 13-16?) in consecutive weeks? That might happen next season. Here is the SitcomsOnline.com NBC 2013-14 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: MJF (comedy), Dracula (drama), Food Fighters (reality), Renovation Nation (reality), Million Second Quiz (reality) and Crossbones (drama).
Already Renewed Returning Series: Sunday Night Football, Revolution, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Parenthood, Sing-Off & Grimm.
Other Likely Returning Series: The Biggest Loser, The Voice, Parks & Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, Go On, Off Their Rockers, Hannibal, Rock Center with Brian Williams and of course Dateline.
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: Fashion Star, Whitney, Up All Night, Guys with Kids, New Normal, 1600 Penn, Deception, Take It All, Smash, Ready for Love, Do No Harm, Animal Practice, 30 Rock, The Office, and Community.
Likely Other New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Happiness (comedy for fall), Undateable (comedy for fall), About a Boy (comedy for fall), Crisis (drama for fall), The Blacklist (drama for fall), Welcome to the Family (comedy for mid-season), Assistance (comedy for mid-season), Believe (drama for mid-season), and The Hatfields and McCoys (drama for mid-season).
OUR FALL 2013 PREDICTION:
Mondays
8:00PM The Voice
10:00PM Crisis (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Food Fighters (NEW!)
9:00PM The Voice
10:00PM The Blacklist (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM Parks & Recreation
8:30PM Go On
9:00PM Grimm
10:00PM Chicago Fire
Thursdays
8:00PM Happiness (NEW!)
8:30PM Undateable (NEW!)
9:00PM MJF (NEW!)
9:30PM About A Boy (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Fridays
8:00PM Dateline
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
10:00PM Hannibal
Saturdays
8:00-11:00PM Repeats
Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:00PM Sunday Night Football
COMMENTS: NBC had a decent 2012-13 season, helped of course by NFL (and the Super Bowl) and its reality hit The Voice, but they found some marginal hits that they could expand on next season. This past winter NBC was basically closed for the winter with nothing hitting a 3.0 once in adults 18-49 from January to the end of March. They need to make sure that doesn't happen next season (and it won't since the Winter Olympics are on the way). With the Olympics coming in February, NBC could launch some mid-season dramas that could hit big like J.J. Abrams' Believe or The Hatfields and McCoys, but before we get in to all that--there is still fall 2013 to deal with. Mondays in the fall will have a fall version of The Voice and it will be interesting to see who the judges will be. They should keep Shakira and Usher, as they have really made the spring version spike. The Biggest Loser could return in January to hold the timeslot for The Voice, which would return in March. At 10pm, while not doing that great in the spring, Revolution did well in the fall but I think it would not be anywhere near those numbers next fall. Perhaps NBC could split the timeslot between a new drama, like Crisis, in the fall and Revolution in the winter and spring? Any other timeslot or night would be lethal and would kill it. On Tuesdays, The Voice could be used to anchor the night at 9pm instead of airing at 8pm. It would strengthen the night. A new reality show that they have already ordered could air at 8pm, like Food Fighters. In the winter, NBC could air Off Their Rockers from 8-9pm and possibly launch a new reality series at 9pm to keep the slot warm for The Voice in the spring. At 10pm, NBC needs to be aggressive and schedule one of their better pilots, like The Blacklist and that series seems like it would have rewatchability value and could last the entire TV season.
Wednesdays is still a bit of a problem, as the 8pm hour has been low rated for quite some time. NBC could try again with comedies in the hour, but this time they should go with something that isn't new like Parks & Recreation and Go On. At 9pm, SVU. has struggled this season and I think it would be better off airing Fridays and air Grimm here instead. Grimm would be a good lead-in to Chicago Fire, which could benefit from that series. On Thursdays, the comedies are very low rated and keep going down each season. NBC needs to find more broad appealing comedies and they basically should air brand new comedies here. NBC could opt to air even an hour of traditional style comedies to help this night. Depending on where CBS schedules Big Bang (will it be still at 8pm or will they move it to 9pm?), I think they should try the Sean Hayes multi-cam Happiness into another one like Undateable from Bill Lawrence. The single-camera comedy hour of Michael J. Fox's new series and something like About a Boy starring Minnie Driver and Leslie Bibb could work on this night. Which hour will lead-off is the question, right now I'm leaning towards the multi-cams. At 10pm, NBC has struggled badly. Perhaps they could just air 35 weeks of Parenthood (22 new, 13 repeats) on a new night? It can't do any worse than what they have been doing? Fridays will likely need to change since I would move Grimm to Wednesdays. Perhaps Dateline could move down to 8pm, so NBC could try Law & Order: SVU at 9pm. That series originally thrived on Fridays, so it would be a return to the night. At 10pm, perhaps a drama like Hannibal would be a good option for them at 10pm. It could do well on a less competing night like Fridays instead of Thursdays. NBC could also use Dracula or Crossbones on the night at some point. Not sure what NBC will do with Rock Center, but it could always share the slot with Dateline or even air on Saturdays? Dateline usually airs on two nights in the winter/spring anyway.
Rounding out the fall schedule is of course NBC's savior Sunday Night Football. What would NBC do if they didn't have the NFL in all of those terrible seasons? They need to find a better schedule in mid-season on Sundays as right now they have Celebrity Apprentice from 9-11pm, but they have given up 7-9pm with repeats. NBC is in decent shape for next season because they also have the Winter Olympics. They need to take advantage of that platform and premiere some new series out of that. They wasted an opportunity for the summer 2012 Olympics by previewing some weird shows (Animal Practice?). NBC needs to fix Thursdays and make sure they can find at least one hit (averaging over a 3.0 in 18-49) to go along with The Voice and SNF. If that happens, they could be second place in 2013-14, only trailing CBS.
Remember, next Monday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out NBC's plans for the 2013-14 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!
NBC has a huge hit in The Voice and of course Sunday Night Football in the Fall, but other than that, there is pretty much nothing else that is doing big ratings. Newbie Revolution started strong but has struggled since returning from a big hiatus. Are they better off airing 22 episodes (or something less, like 13-16?) in consecutive weeks? That might happen next season. Here is the SitcomsOnline.com NBC 2013-14 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: MJF (comedy), Dracula (drama), Food Fighters (reality), Renovation Nation (reality), Million Second Quiz (reality) and Crossbones (drama).
Already Renewed Returning Series: Sunday Night Football, Revolution, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Parenthood, Sing-Off & Grimm.
Other Likely Returning Series: The Biggest Loser, The Voice, Parks & Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, Go On, Off Their Rockers, Hannibal, Rock Center with Brian Williams and of course Dateline.
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: Fashion Star, Whitney, Up All Night, Guys with Kids, New Normal, 1600 Penn, Deception, Take It All, Smash, Ready for Love, Do No Harm, Animal Practice, 30 Rock, The Office, and Community.
Likely Other New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Happiness (comedy for fall), Undateable (comedy for fall), About a Boy (comedy for fall), Crisis (drama for fall), The Blacklist (drama for fall), Welcome to the Family (comedy for mid-season), Assistance (comedy for mid-season), Believe (drama for mid-season), and The Hatfields and McCoys (drama for mid-season).
OUR FALL 2013 PREDICTION:
Mondays
8:00PM The Voice
10:00PM Crisis (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM Food Fighters (NEW!)
9:00PM The Voice
10:00PM The Blacklist (NEW!)
Wednesdays
8:00PM Parks & Recreation
8:30PM Go On
9:00PM Grimm
10:00PM Chicago Fire
Thursdays
8:00PM Happiness (NEW!)
8:30PM Undateable (NEW!)
9:00PM MJF (NEW!)
9:30PM About A Boy (NEW!)
10:00PM Parenthood
Fridays
8:00PM Dateline
9:00PM Law & Order: SVU
10:00PM Hannibal
Saturdays
8:00-11:00PM Repeats
Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:00PM Sunday Night Football
COMMENTS: NBC had a decent 2012-13 season, helped of course by NFL (and the Super Bowl) and its reality hit The Voice, but they found some marginal hits that they could expand on next season. This past winter NBC was basically closed for the winter with nothing hitting a 3.0 once in adults 18-49 from January to the end of March. They need to make sure that doesn't happen next season (and it won't since the Winter Olympics are on the way). With the Olympics coming in February, NBC could launch some mid-season dramas that could hit big like J.J. Abrams' Believe or The Hatfields and McCoys, but before we get in to all that--there is still fall 2013 to deal with. Mondays in the fall will have a fall version of The Voice and it will be interesting to see who the judges will be. They should keep Shakira and Usher, as they have really made the spring version spike. The Biggest Loser could return in January to hold the timeslot for The Voice, which would return in March. At 10pm, while not doing that great in the spring, Revolution did well in the fall but I think it would not be anywhere near those numbers next fall. Perhaps NBC could split the timeslot between a new drama, like Crisis, in the fall and Revolution in the winter and spring? Any other timeslot or night would be lethal and would kill it. On Tuesdays, The Voice could be used to anchor the night at 9pm instead of airing at 8pm. It would strengthen the night. A new reality show that they have already ordered could air at 8pm, like Food Fighters. In the winter, NBC could air Off Their Rockers from 8-9pm and possibly launch a new reality series at 9pm to keep the slot warm for The Voice in the spring. At 10pm, NBC needs to be aggressive and schedule one of their better pilots, like The Blacklist and that series seems like it would have rewatchability value and could last the entire TV season.
Wednesdays is still a bit of a problem, as the 8pm hour has been low rated for quite some time. NBC could try again with comedies in the hour, but this time they should go with something that isn't new like Parks & Recreation and Go On. At 9pm, SVU. has struggled this season and I think it would be better off airing Fridays and air Grimm here instead. Grimm would be a good lead-in to Chicago Fire, which could benefit from that series. On Thursdays, the comedies are very low rated and keep going down each season. NBC needs to find more broad appealing comedies and they basically should air brand new comedies here. NBC could opt to air even an hour of traditional style comedies to help this night. Depending on where CBS schedules Big Bang (will it be still at 8pm or will they move it to 9pm?), I think they should try the Sean Hayes multi-cam Happiness into another one like Undateable from Bill Lawrence. The single-camera comedy hour of Michael J. Fox's new series and something like About a Boy starring Minnie Driver and Leslie Bibb could work on this night. Which hour will lead-off is the question, right now I'm leaning towards the multi-cams. At 10pm, NBC has struggled badly. Perhaps they could just air 35 weeks of Parenthood (22 new, 13 repeats) on a new night? It can't do any worse than what they have been doing? Fridays will likely need to change since I would move Grimm to Wednesdays. Perhaps Dateline could move down to 8pm, so NBC could try Law & Order: SVU at 9pm. That series originally thrived on Fridays, so it would be a return to the night. At 10pm, perhaps a drama like Hannibal would be a good option for them at 10pm. It could do well on a less competing night like Fridays instead of Thursdays. NBC could also use Dracula or Crossbones on the night at some point. Not sure what NBC will do with Rock Center, but it could always share the slot with Dateline or even air on Saturdays? Dateline usually airs on two nights in the winter/spring anyway.
Rounding out the fall schedule is of course NBC's savior Sunday Night Football. What would NBC do if they didn't have the NFL in all of those terrible seasons? They need to find a better schedule in mid-season on Sundays as right now they have Celebrity Apprentice from 9-11pm, but they have given up 7-9pm with repeats. NBC is in decent shape for next season because they also have the Winter Olympics. They need to take advantage of that platform and premiere some new series out of that. They wasted an opportunity for the summer 2012 Olympics by previewing some weird shows (Animal Practice?). NBC needs to fix Thursdays and make sure they can find at least one hit (averaging over a 3.0 in 18-49) to go along with The Voice and SNF. If that happens, they could be second place in 2013-14, only trailing CBS.
Remember, next Monday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out NBC's plans for the 2013-14 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!
Legendary sitcom director Jack Shea, who worked on Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons and Silver Spoons, has died. He died on April 28 in Tarzana, California from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Shea was 84.
Shea directed episodes of over 30 sitcoms during his nearly 40-year career. He directed 15 episodes of Sanford and Son from 1972-1974. He directed 110 episodes, wrote 3 episodes and produced 24 episodes of The Jeffersons from 1975-1979. In 1979-1980, he directed all 22 episodes of the second season of The Ropers, which was a spin-off from Three's Company. Shea worked as the primary director of Silver Spoons from 1982-1987, for which he directed 91 episodes and wrote 2 episodes. He directed 14 episodes of Designing Women from 1986-1988. In 1987, he received an Emmy nomination for his work on Designing Women. Other sitcoms that he directed multiple episodes of included O.K. Crackerby!, Checking In (The Jeffersons spin-off), The Tortellis, The Charmings, Full House, Sugar and Spice, His & Hers, Sunday Dinner, The Hogan Family, Growing Pains, The Royal Family, 704 Hauser and Sister, Sister. Shea was a three-time president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) from 1997 to 2002.
The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on December 9, 2002. Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Patt Shea, his four children Shawn, Bill, Michael and John Francis III, and grandchildren Amanda, Michael, Dylan, Hudson Patrick, Katie and Jackson. His daughter, Elizabeth, preceded him in death. We thank him for bringing us many laughs and quality hours of television. He will be greatly missed.
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Week 32 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2012-13 Week 32 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thu):
Tonight ABC Sunday is all-new from 7-11pm. All-new episodes of AFV, Once Upon a Time, Revenge and the finale of Red Widow air! Once and Revenge should climb from last week. I think it will be a third place finish for ABC, as 10pm is still troublesome. NBC devotes the night to The Voice repeats from 7-9pm, which will struggle a bit then a new Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars from 9-11. NBC will likely finish in fourth. CBS has 60 Minutes at 7, followed by the two-hour finale of Amazing Race, and The Mentalist, which will likely be a first place finish. Fox's animation block is all-new from 7:30-10pm, and could be enough to for second for the night. Family Guy should top the night over Once, Amazing Race and Revenge.
As for the week (week 32), CBS should take the week in 18-49 over Fox I think because of extra Amazing Race hour tonight. Fox will likely be in second in 18-49, but NBC and ABC will be close behind. For total viewers, CBS will remain first. ABC will be second over Fox, followed by NBC in a competitive fourth, similar to week 31. As for the coming week (week 33), we have a lot of season finales, so be on the look out!
Summing it up. The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as New Girl, The Middle) or just plain terrible (such as The Mindy Project, Family Tools, Community).
Households: #1. CBS 6.8/10.9 (rating/share); #2. ABC 5.6/9.0; #3. Fox 4.8/7.6; #4. NBC 4.5/7.3; #5. The CW 0.9/1.4
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 10.61 million; #2. ABC 8.47 million; #3. Fox 7.76 million; #4. NBC 7.28 million; #5. The CW 1.42 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. NBC 2.4/7.0 (rating/share); #2. CBS 2.4/6.9; #3. Fox 2.3/6.8; #4. ABC 2.0/5.6; #5. The CW 0.6/1.7
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 10.61 million; #2. ABC 8.47 million; #3. Fox 7.76 million; #4. NBC 7.28 million; #5. The CW 1.42 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. NBC 2.4/7.0 (rating/share); #2. CBS 2.4/6.9; #3. Fox 2.3/6.8; #4. ABC 2.0/5.6; #5. The CW 0.6/1.7
Week 32 (April 29-May 5) Analysis: The first full week of May sweep has begun and it's pretty close among adults 18-49 with only four tenths separating first to fourth. Through the final first four night network averages, CBS is in first in HH/total viewers but is tied with NBC in adults 18-49. For third place in 18-49, Fox is only a tenth behind CBS and NBC, while ABC is in fourth only three tenths behind Fox. In HH/viewers, CBS has the lead over ABC, with Fox edging fourth place NBC. When the week is done, CBS could take the 18-49 weekly win thanks to a two-hour Amazing Race finale tonight. The battle for second is anyone's game with Fox, NBC and ABC all in the game and probably in that order but it will be very close. CBS will take total viewers for sure and the others will likely remain in the same position as they are through the first four nights. More on that later. As for the previous week, week 31, Fox took home first in adults 18-49 with a 1.88 rating, compared to a 1.73 for second place CBS, with NBC behind at a 1.61 and ABC trailed with a 1.51. Among total viewers, it was of course CBS on top easily over second place ABC. Fox was a close third, while NBC had to settle for fourth.
Monday had NBC win easily over the other networks. But first, ABC started with a two-hour Dancing with the Stars from 8-10pm and did 13.45 million and a 2.08 18-49 rating, which is basically on par in 18-49 with previous week. Then Castle was all-new at 10 and did 10.53 million and a 2.04 18-49 rating, down around three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week but still good for a first place finish. For NBC, they had the two-hour The Voice from 8-10pm that did 12.67 million and a 4.27 18-49 rating, which is down a sharp six tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, NBC aired Revolution and did 5.49 million and a 1.82 18-49 rating, down around two tenths in 18-49 from previous week for another series low. Not good news. CBS was all-new, with a new episode of How I Met Your Mother starting it off with 7.06 million and a 2.74 18-49 rating, which is bit below average but the top show that was DVRed for the night (gaining 1.14 18-49 points thanks to DVR). At 8:30pm, Rules of Engagement was all-new and did 6.21 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, back up around five tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series low. At 9, a new episode of Broke Girls did 7.85 million and a 2.56 18-49 rating, once again below normal. At 9:30pm, a new Mike & Molly also was lower than normal with 8.14 million and a 2.35 18-49 rating. CBS needs some life on this night next season with a new 9pm anchor, I think. At 10pm, Hawaii Five-0 was new and did 7.76 million and just a 1.71 18-49 rating (and the lowest gain from same day DVR on the big four, with only a 0.21 gain in 18-49). Fox aired the season finale of Bones at 8 and it did 7.36 million and a 2.14 18-49 rating, up around a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9pm, the season finale of new drama The Following at 9pm did 7.82 million and a 2.66 18-49 rating, which is up around two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. It should air like this next season from January-May, repeat free. The CW aired a new Oh Sit! at 8 and did 0.73 million and a 0.27 18-49 rating, which is about on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9, 90210 was new and did 0.55 million and a 0.26 18-49 rating, horrible but on par in 18-49 with previous week. No wonder it is ending.
On Tuesday, NBC took the night as two-hour of The Voice was enough for a win. On CBS, NCIS was new at 8 and did 18.29 million and a 3.11 18-49 rating, which is up around three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week and Tuesday's biggest gainer in same day DVR with a gain of 1.03 18-49 points. At 9pm, a new NCIS: Los Angeles did 13.07 million and a 2.22 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 thanks to the steeper competition from NBC. At 10pm, week ten of Golden Boy in this slot did 7.64 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week and the lowest gainer in same day DVR among the big four nets with only a tenth gained from its live number. On ABC, at 8pm the seventh week of Splash did 4.32 million and a 0.94 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. The season finale is this week and go Nicole Eggert! At 9pm, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did 10.89 million and a 1.54 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a season low and also affected a lot by NBC, as we said goodbye to Andy Dick. At 10pm, Body of Proof was preempted for the Diane Sawyer special Amanda Knox Speaks and did 8.47 million and a 1.71 18-49 rating, which was up about a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's Body of Proof. NBC aired the Tuesday The Voice from 8-10pm this time and did 11.84 million and a 3.85 18-49 rating, easily #1 in the time period but down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's one-hour airing. At 10pm, the new night and time of Grimm did 5.77 million and a 1.89 18-49 rating, which is a bit better than what it does on Fridays, but losing a chuck of its lead-in still. Still way better than Ready for Love, which is pulled. Fox started with Hell's Kitchen at 8 and did 4.79 million and a 2.01 18-49 rating, just about on par in 18-49 with previous week as this is a good option against the NBC juggernaut. At 9pm, New Girl was new finally and did 3.57 million and a 1.95 18-49 rating, which is below normal. At 9:30pm, a new The Mindy Project did just 2.56 million and a 1.31 18-49 rating. The CW aired a new Hart of Dixie and did 1.2 million and a 0.54 18-49 rating, up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. A repeat of America's Next Top Model at 9 did 0.52 million and a 0.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
Wednesday it was Fox with the win over CBS and ABC thanks to American Idol, as it airs two-hours every Wednesday and Fox only programs 2 hours a night. But first, CBS started the night off with a new Survivor: Caramoan at 8 doing 9.25 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season high. Criminal Minds was new at 9 and did 10.13 million and a only a 2.38 18-49 rating, which is way below normal and strange that this show wasn't in the 18 series pick-up. At 10pm, CSI was new and did 9.49 million and a 1.88 18-49 rating, good enough to win in the hour. ABC kicked off the night with a new The Middle doing 7.41 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating, which is decent but below normal. The series premiere of Family Tools was next at 8:30pm and did 5.79 million and a 1.49 18-49 rating and the lowest same day DVR gainer for the night including CW,with just a 0.18 gain in 18-49 from its live numbers. At 9pm, a new Modern Family did the best of the block and the best of the night with 9.64 million and a 3.55 18-49 rating, bit below normal though but the biggest same day DVR gainer for the night with a gain of 1.16 18-49 rating points. The fifth episode of How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) followed at 9:30pm with 6.2 million and a 2.12 18-49 rating, up about six tenths in 18-49 from previous week when it followed a repeat. Needs to do a tad better, but still decent. At 10pm, Nashville was new and did 5.27 million and a 1.67 18-49 rating, nipping by NBC's drama for second place. On Fox, a two-hour American Idol did a solid 11.26 million and a 2.86 18-49 rating, down like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Onto NBC a special countdown episode of The Voice started it off at 8pm with 5.75 million and a 1.68 18-49 rating, which was up like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's Dateline in the time period. Law & Order: SVU followed at 9pm with a new episode that did 5.79 million and a 1.55 18-49 rating, as that was down over three tenths in 18-49 from previous week's episode which didn't air against any new shows. At 10pm, Chicago Fire was a new and did 6.35 million and a 1.66 18-49 rating, which built on its lead-in but good for third place only (basically tied with ABC for second). The CW aired a new episode of its hit Arrow and did 2.89 million and a 0.91 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9pm, a new Supernatural did 2.07 million and a 0.92 18-49 rating, as usual - solid and younger-skewing, but down about a tenth in 18-49 from previous week as well.
On Thursday, it was CBS with the win beating second place ABC by a good margin. Starting with ABC, the season finale of Wife Swap aired and did 3.66 million and a 1.12 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week but the lowest same day DVR gainer for the big four nets with just a 0.18 gain in 18-49. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was all-new and did 8.87 million and a 3.02 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. The nine-year old series still has legs, mustering a sophomore drama on CBS and slumping shows on Fox and NBC. At 10pm, ABC aired an all-new episode of TV's #1 show at 10pm Scandal doing 8.07 million and a 2.62 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series high in adults 18-49. Perhaps the season finale this year will be over a 3 easily. CBS at 8pm had a new The Big Bang Theory did the best of course with 16.29 million and a 4.90 18-49 rating, up four tenths in 18-49 week-to-week and #1 entertainment series of the week. It also had the biggest same day DVR gain of the night with a gain of 1.84 18-49 rating points. Two and a Half Men followed with a new episode at 8:30pm with 12.12 million and a 3.21 18-49 rating, which is up like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season low. At 9, Person of Interest was new at 9pm and did 12.96 million and a 2.44 18-49 rating, on par really in 18-49 with previous week but it still couldn't top the hour with a stronger lead-in. It's just an older skewing series and CBS needs to move it to lower-profile slot like Tuesdays at 10 or Thursdays at 10. At 10pm, Elementary was new and did 9.75 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week but it can't even compete with Scandal anymore. Fox had American Idol from 8-9pm and did 11.27 million and a 2.63 18-49 rating, which was again down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a season low. Glee was new at 9 and did 5.19 million and a 1.85 18-49 rating, up less than a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. It's getting crushed when it has competition. NBC aired new episodes of its comedies, as a new Community did 2.67 million and a 1.22 18-49 rating, which is up over two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's low. A special one-hour airing of The Office at 8:30pm did only 3.51 million and a 1.84 18-49 rating, which is up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's 9pm airing. At 9:30pm, a new episode of Parks & Recreation aired and did 2.99 million and a 1.57 18-49 rating, up about three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, NBC aired week five of new drama Hannibal doing just 2.61 million and a 1.06 18-49 rating, up less than a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's series low. It is Friday-bound if anything next season. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries aired at 8 and was all-new doing 2.17 million and a 0.98 18-49 rating, basically on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9, Beauty and the Beast was also new and did 1.23 million and a 0.46 18-49 rating, also on par in 18-49 with previous week. It was picked-up for a second season, but I bet it will be on the move to another night.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but we have prelim ratings. On Friday, ABC had the top show as usual and also took the night. At 8pm, Undercover Boss on CBS won its slow hour over second place Kitchen Nightmare on Fox. NBC's Fashion Star and ABC's season finale of Happy Endings were way behind. At 9pm, Friday's #1 show was new and of course that is ABC's Shark Tank and it crushed the competition. Dateline was a distant second for NBC, followed by Vegas on CBS and Fox's Touch was way behind. At 10pm, CBS drama Blue Bloods couldn't top 20/20 on ABC, while Rock Center with Brian Williams on NBC was in third.
Saturday was vey slow and CBS and Fox took the night. Fox took the 8pm hour with Cops but a repeat of The Following at 9pm was last place. NBC settled for a new Smash at 8pm that was a distant second. ABC's fourth week of new game show Bet On Your Baby was tied for third at 8pm with CBS' Person of Interest repeat. At 9pm, a repeat of The Voice was tied for second and a repeat of SNL at 10 grew from it but NBC was still second place. From 9-11pm, ABC aired 20/20 and took first at 9 and was second at 10. CBS took the 10pm hour with 48 Hours and was tied for second at 9 with a repeat of 48 Hours.
Monday had NBC win easily over the other networks. But first, ABC started with a two-hour Dancing with the Stars from 8-10pm and did 13.45 million and a 2.08 18-49 rating, which is basically on par in 18-49 with previous week. Then Castle was all-new at 10 and did 10.53 million and a 2.04 18-49 rating, down around three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week but still good for a first place finish. For NBC, they had the two-hour The Voice from 8-10pm that did 12.67 million and a 4.27 18-49 rating, which is down a sharp six tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, NBC aired Revolution and did 5.49 million and a 1.82 18-49 rating, down around two tenths in 18-49 from previous week for another series low. Not good news. CBS was all-new, with a new episode of How I Met Your Mother starting it off with 7.06 million and a 2.74 18-49 rating, which is bit below average but the top show that was DVRed for the night (gaining 1.14 18-49 points thanks to DVR). At 8:30pm, Rules of Engagement was all-new and did 6.21 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, back up around five tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series low. At 9, a new episode of Broke Girls did 7.85 million and a 2.56 18-49 rating, once again below normal. At 9:30pm, a new Mike & Molly also was lower than normal with 8.14 million and a 2.35 18-49 rating. CBS needs some life on this night next season with a new 9pm anchor, I think. At 10pm, Hawaii Five-0 was new and did 7.76 million and just a 1.71 18-49 rating (and the lowest gain from same day DVR on the big four, with only a 0.21 gain in 18-49). Fox aired the season finale of Bones at 8 and it did 7.36 million and a 2.14 18-49 rating, up around a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9pm, the season finale of new drama The Following at 9pm did 7.82 million and a 2.66 18-49 rating, which is up around two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. It should air like this next season from January-May, repeat free. The CW aired a new Oh Sit! at 8 and did 0.73 million and a 0.27 18-49 rating, which is about on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9, 90210 was new and did 0.55 million and a 0.26 18-49 rating, horrible but on par in 18-49 with previous week. No wonder it is ending.
On Tuesday, NBC took the night as two-hour of The Voice was enough for a win. On CBS, NCIS was new at 8 and did 18.29 million and a 3.11 18-49 rating, which is up around three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week and Tuesday's biggest gainer in same day DVR with a gain of 1.03 18-49 points. At 9pm, a new NCIS: Los Angeles did 13.07 million and a 2.22 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 thanks to the steeper competition from NBC. At 10pm, week ten of Golden Boy in this slot did 7.64 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week and the lowest gainer in same day DVR among the big four nets with only a tenth gained from its live number. On ABC, at 8pm the seventh week of Splash did 4.32 million and a 0.94 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. The season finale is this week and go Nicole Eggert! At 9pm, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did 10.89 million and a 1.54 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a season low and also affected a lot by NBC, as we said goodbye to Andy Dick. At 10pm, Body of Proof was preempted for the Diane Sawyer special Amanda Knox Speaks and did 8.47 million and a 1.71 18-49 rating, which was up about a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's Body of Proof. NBC aired the Tuesday The Voice from 8-10pm this time and did 11.84 million and a 3.85 18-49 rating, easily #1 in the time period but down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's one-hour airing. At 10pm, the new night and time of Grimm did 5.77 million and a 1.89 18-49 rating, which is a bit better than what it does on Fridays, but losing a chuck of its lead-in still. Still way better than Ready for Love, which is pulled. Fox started with Hell's Kitchen at 8 and did 4.79 million and a 2.01 18-49 rating, just about on par in 18-49 with previous week as this is a good option against the NBC juggernaut. At 9pm, New Girl was new finally and did 3.57 million and a 1.95 18-49 rating, which is below normal. At 9:30pm, a new The Mindy Project did just 2.56 million and a 1.31 18-49 rating. The CW aired a new Hart of Dixie and did 1.2 million and a 0.54 18-49 rating, up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. A repeat of America's Next Top Model at 9 did 0.52 million and a 0.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
Wednesday it was Fox with the win over CBS and ABC thanks to American Idol, as it airs two-hours every Wednesday and Fox only programs 2 hours a night. But first, CBS started the night off with a new Survivor: Caramoan at 8 doing 9.25 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down about five tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season high. Criminal Minds was new at 9 and did 10.13 million and a only a 2.38 18-49 rating, which is way below normal and strange that this show wasn't in the 18 series pick-up. At 10pm, CSI was new and did 9.49 million and a 1.88 18-49 rating, good enough to win in the hour. ABC kicked off the night with a new The Middle doing 7.41 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating, which is decent but below normal. The series premiere of Family Tools was next at 8:30pm and did 5.79 million and a 1.49 18-49 rating and the lowest same day DVR gainer for the night including CW,with just a 0.18 gain in 18-49 from its live numbers. At 9pm, a new Modern Family did the best of the block and the best of the night with 9.64 million and a 3.55 18-49 rating, bit below normal though but the biggest same day DVR gainer for the night with a gain of 1.16 18-49 rating points. The fifth episode of How To Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) followed at 9:30pm with 6.2 million and a 2.12 18-49 rating, up about six tenths in 18-49 from previous week when it followed a repeat. Needs to do a tad better, but still decent. At 10pm, Nashville was new and did 5.27 million and a 1.67 18-49 rating, nipping by NBC's drama for second place. On Fox, a two-hour American Idol did a solid 11.26 million and a 2.86 18-49 rating, down like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Onto NBC a special countdown episode of The Voice started it off at 8pm with 5.75 million and a 1.68 18-49 rating, which was up like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's Dateline in the time period. Law & Order: SVU followed at 9pm with a new episode that did 5.79 million and a 1.55 18-49 rating, as that was down over three tenths in 18-49 from previous week's episode which didn't air against any new shows. At 10pm, Chicago Fire was a new and did 6.35 million and a 1.66 18-49 rating, which built on its lead-in but good for third place only (basically tied with ABC for second). The CW aired a new episode of its hit Arrow and did 2.89 million and a 0.91 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 9pm, a new Supernatural did 2.07 million and a 0.92 18-49 rating, as usual - solid and younger-skewing, but down about a tenth in 18-49 from previous week as well.
On Thursday, it was CBS with the win beating second place ABC by a good margin. Starting with ABC, the season finale of Wife Swap aired and did 3.66 million and a 1.12 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week but the lowest same day DVR gainer for the big four nets with just a 0.18 gain in 18-49. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was all-new and did 8.87 million and a 3.02 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. The nine-year old series still has legs, mustering a sophomore drama on CBS and slumping shows on Fox and NBC. At 10pm, ABC aired an all-new episode of TV's #1 show at 10pm Scandal doing 8.07 million and a 2.62 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series high in adults 18-49. Perhaps the season finale this year will be over a 3 easily. CBS at 8pm had a new The Big Bang Theory did the best of course with 16.29 million and a 4.90 18-49 rating, up four tenths in 18-49 week-to-week and #1 entertainment series of the week. It also had the biggest same day DVR gain of the night with a gain of 1.84 18-49 rating points. Two and a Half Men followed with a new episode at 8:30pm with 12.12 million and a 3.21 18-49 rating, which is up like four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season low. At 9, Person of Interest was new at 9pm and did 12.96 million and a 2.44 18-49 rating, on par really in 18-49 with previous week but it still couldn't top the hour with a stronger lead-in. It's just an older skewing series and CBS needs to move it to lower-profile slot like Tuesdays at 10 or Thursdays at 10. At 10pm, Elementary was new and did 9.75 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week but it can't even compete with Scandal anymore. Fox had American Idol from 8-9pm and did 11.27 million and a 2.63 18-49 rating, which was again down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week for a season low. Glee was new at 9 and did 5.19 million and a 1.85 18-49 rating, up less than a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. It's getting crushed when it has competition. NBC aired new episodes of its comedies, as a new Community did 2.67 million and a 1.22 18-49 rating, which is up over two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's low. A special one-hour airing of The Office at 8:30pm did only 3.51 million and a 1.84 18-49 rating, which is up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's 9pm airing. At 9:30pm, a new episode of Parks & Recreation aired and did 2.99 million and a 1.57 18-49 rating, up about three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, NBC aired week five of new drama Hannibal doing just 2.61 million and a 1.06 18-49 rating, up less than a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's series low. It is Friday-bound if anything next season. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries aired at 8 and was all-new doing 2.17 million and a 0.98 18-49 rating, basically on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9, Beauty and the Beast was also new and did 1.23 million and a 0.46 18-49 rating, also on par in 18-49 with previous week. It was picked-up for a second season, but I bet it will be on the move to another night.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but we have prelim ratings. On Friday, ABC had the top show as usual and also took the night. At 8pm, Undercover Boss on CBS won its slow hour over second place Kitchen Nightmare on Fox. NBC's Fashion Star and ABC's season finale of Happy Endings were way behind. At 9pm, Friday's #1 show was new and of course that is ABC's Shark Tank and it crushed the competition. Dateline was a distant second for NBC, followed by Vegas on CBS and Fox's Touch was way behind. At 10pm, CBS drama Blue Bloods couldn't top 20/20 on ABC, while Rock Center with Brian Williams on NBC was in third.
Saturday was vey slow and CBS and Fox took the night. Fox took the 8pm hour with Cops but a repeat of The Following at 9pm was last place. NBC settled for a new Smash at 8pm that was a distant second. ABC's fourth week of new game show Bet On Your Baby was tied for third at 8pm with CBS' Person of Interest repeat. At 9pm, a repeat of The Voice was tied for second and a repeat of SNL at 10 grew from it but NBC was still second place. From 9-11pm, ABC aired 20/20 and took first at 9 and was second at 10. CBS took the 10pm hour with 48 Hours and was tied for second at 9 with a repeat of 48 Hours.
Tonight ABC Sunday is all-new from 7-11pm. All-new episodes of AFV, Once Upon a Time, Revenge and the finale of Red Widow air! Once and Revenge should climb from last week. I think it will be a third place finish for ABC, as 10pm is still troublesome. NBC devotes the night to The Voice repeats from 7-9pm, which will struggle a bit then a new Celebrity Apprentice: All-Stars from 9-11. NBC will likely finish in fourth. CBS has 60 Minutes at 7, followed by the two-hour finale of Amazing Race, and The Mentalist, which will likely be a first place finish. Fox's animation block is all-new from 7:30-10pm, and could be enough to for second for the night. Family Guy should top the night over Once, Amazing Race and Revenge.
As for the week (week 32), CBS should take the week in 18-49 over Fox I think because of extra Amazing Race hour tonight. Fox will likely be in second in 18-49, but NBC and ABC will be close behind. For total viewers, CBS will remain first. ABC will be second over Fox, followed by NBC in a competitive fourth, similar to week 31. As for the coming week (week 33), we have a lot of season finales, so be on the look out!
Week 32 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 31 -- April 22-28)
- The Simpsons (Fox) 2 airings - A new episode at 8 did 4.54 million and a 2.07 18-49 rating, which seems bit below normal. A repeat at 7pm did 2.11 million and a 0.88 18-49 rating, nearly three tenths better in 18-49 than previous week's Bob's Burgers in the time period.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - Its normal time of 7:30pm was new and did 2.66 million and a 1.21 18-49 rating, up around three tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - The 8:30 airing was new and did 3.5 million and a 1.70 18-49 rating, nearly on par in 18-49 with previous week.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A new showing at 9 did 4.89 million and a 2.56 18-49 rating, which was still the best of the block and the best of the night.
- American Dad! (Fox) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 4.03 million and a 1.94 18-49 rating, which is up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode averaged 7.06 million and a 2.74 18-49 rating, which is below normal but the best of the CBS block.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A new showing did 6.21 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, which is up about five tenths in 18-49 from previous week's series low.
- 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A new episode struggled with 7.85 million and a 2.56 18-49 rating, as perhaps it might be time for it to go back to 8:30pm next season?
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - At 9:30pm, a new airing of this show built on its lead-in in total viewers with 8.14 million but didn't in 18-49 with a 2.35 18-49 rating.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- New Girl (Fox) - A new episode did 3.57 million and a 1.95 18-49 rating, which is below what it normally does.
- The Mindy Project (Fox) - A new airing of this show did only 2.56 million and a 1.31 18-49 rating. Perhaps this show needs to move its time period next season.
- The Middle (ABC) - A new episode posted 7.41 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating, which is a bit below normal but will probably go up the next two weeks as the season ends.
- Family Tools (ABC) - The series premiere didn't do so well with 5.79 million and a 1.49 18-49 rating. Not good news, but it did premiere in May, which is odd.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A new airing at 9 did 9.64 million and a 3.55 18-49 rating, which is the best of the block and for the night.
- How To Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) (ABC) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 6.2 million and a 2.12 18-49 rating, up over six tenths in 18-49 from previous week when it followed a repeat. Needs to do a bit better, but decent still.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode at 8pm posted 16.29 million and a 4.90 18-49 rating, which is excellent and up around four tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A new episode followed with 12.12 million and a 3.21 18-49 rating, which also grew about four tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
- Community (NBC) - A new episode did just 2.67 million and a 1.22 18-49 rating, up over two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. I still don't think NBC will bring it back. Perhaps Comedy Central?
- The Office (NBC) - A special one-hour airing from 8:30pm-9:30pm was all-new and did a forgetful 3.51 million and a 1.84 18-49 rating, up over a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's 9pm airing.
- Parks & Recreation (NBC) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 2.99 million and a 1.57 18-49 rating, up around three tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
- Happy Endings (ABC) 2 episodes - An all-new episode at 8pm struggled with just a prelim 2.72 million and a prelim 0.8 18-49 rating, but up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week's prelim ratings. The season finale followed with just a prelim 2.13 million and a prelim 0.7 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's prelim ratings. If ABC passes, I hope USA or TBS or anyone picks it up. It's such a good show.
- None.
Summing it up. The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, 2 Broke Girls were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as New Girl, The Middle) or just plain terrible (such as The Mindy Project, Family Tools, Community).
Saturday, May 04, 2013
Digital Digest: More Eight is Enough on DVD; Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! This weekend, we've got a review of Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season, along with all of your other regular features. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
It took years for the classic series Eight is Enough to appear on DVD, but once it finally did come, it seems that it started to fall into a rather steady release pattern. And that pattern holds again, as Warner Archive released Eight is Enough - The Complete Third Season on Tuesday. Although it is divided into two "volumes," the DVDs are only available to be purchased together at a $49.95 MSRP. We hope to have a review of this set very soon.
It was discovered this week by TVShowsOnDVD.com that a pre-order listing recently popped up on amazon.com for Perry Mason - Season 9, Volume 2. While no release date has been given yet, this set will mark the end (the 18th release, to be precise) of the long running series on DVD. We anticipate, though, that the release shouldn't be too far off.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (May 7) is a busier than usual day for releases. These begin with the end of two series, with Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season and 30 Rock - Season 7. The Dick Van Dyke Show continues on Blu-ray with The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season Two (Blu-ray). Finally, from eOne, we have Rookie Blue - The Complete Third Season.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Private Practice - The Complete Sixth and Final Season (ABC, $39.99)
by Pavan
From the creators of Grey's Anatomy comes the sixth and final season of ABC's emotional, sexy medical drama, Private Practice. Addison and the practice are faced with challenges, joys, and heartaches when loved ones are lost and new life begins. The team at Seaside Health and Wellness have gathered together for the final round of laughter, tears, and unexpected moments in the most no holds barred season yet. Relive all the excitement, tragedies, and triumphs in this 3-disc collection featuring all 13 episodes!
The sixth season stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Neonatal Surgery/Obstetrics & Gynecology), Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman (Pediatrics), KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King (Urology & Sexology, Chief of Staff at the nearby hospital), Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd (Neurosurgery), Brian Benben as Dr. Sheldon Wallace (Psychiatry), Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett (Internal Medicine/Cardiothoracic Surgery), with Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner (Psychiatry) and Benjamin Bratt as Dr. Jake Reilly (Obstetrics and Gynecology/Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
Among the recurring stars are Griffin Gluck as Mason Warner, Matt Long as James Petersen, and Justina Machado as Stephanie. Among the special guests this year are Alfre Woodard, Alex Rocco, Mackenzie Astin, Marisol Nichols, Diane Farr, and Audra McDonald.
The sixth season is unique and different from what we expect from this series. There are a lot of different style episodes this season, but I'm not sure if fans like that or not. The season was still very well written once again. Anyway, as for season six, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "Aftershock," where Addison's choice is revealed to be Jake, while Sam has started a new relationship with a nurse, and Violet believes that Pete has skipped out on bail until she gets a phone call from Pete's phone, from a man, telling her that Pete had a fatal heart attack while he was on his run. In "Good Grief," Addison continues to grieve over Mark's death, and doesn't know if she should talk to Jake about it or not, but eventually decides to tell him everything about her past; this prompts Sam to tell everything to his new girlfriend so that he can't start of everything new. In "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone," Charlotte hires a new ER attending, Dr. James Peterson to replace Pete, promising him a quiet ER only to have a rainy night in LA, while Addison has to deal with a pregnant woman having her fourth child, and her husband who seems to always have the same symptoms as her only to find out the husband has an infection in his spinal cord, so Amelia and the new ER doctor race to save the man's life. In "The Next Episode," after Sam is asked to be shot in a reality show pilot for revolving around his life, he is followed around for days to see what his life is really about, as Sam's mom comes into town, and sees Addison with an awkward encounter as she knows everything, with her boss and his husband when he needs heart surgery, after giving him the bad news, Sam finds out that his mother and her boss have been having an affair for forty years.
In "I'm Fine," after Sheldon tells his ex-wife about his cancer and she decides to leave him, he begins going to chemotherapy and therapy to help him through the rough time, while he's going to chemo and going to therapy the search for the missing little girl is continuing and Sheldon believes that his patient has taken her and is fighting to get him to confess. In "Georgia on My Mind," after Charlotte is put on bed rest, she hopes to go two days without having any contractions so that she can get out of the Trendelenburg position, while Cooper continues to stay in the NICU to make sure that no one misses anything with the new born baby girl. In "Full Release," as Charlotte goes into labor with the other two babies everyone begins to pick out baby names that they think should be the babies names, until Charlotte comes out saying that only Mason and Cooper are picking them with her. In the series finale, "In Which We Say Goodbye," Naomi returns to stand by Addison's side on her wedding day, while Cooper struggles with the hardships of being a stay-at-home father, and Violet begins a new project close to her heart.
The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. View the episode runtimes:
Disc 1:
1. "Aftershock" (42:59)
2. "Mourning Sickness" (43:01)
3. "Good Grief" (43:01)
4. "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone" (42:59)
5. "The Next Episode" (43:00)
Disc 2:
6. "Apron Strings" (43:01)
7. "The World According to Jake" (43:00)
8. "Life Support" (43:00)
9. "I'm Fine" (43:01)
10. "Georgia on My Mind" (43:00)
Disc 3:
11. "Good Fries Are Hard to Come By" (43:00)
The sixth season stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Neonatal Surgery/Obstetrics & Gynecology), Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman (Pediatrics), KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King (Urology & Sexology, Chief of Staff at the nearby hospital), Caterina Scorsone as Amelia Shepherd (Neurosurgery), Brian Benben as Dr. Sheldon Wallace (Psychiatry), Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett (Internal Medicine/Cardiothoracic Surgery), with Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner (Psychiatry) and Benjamin Bratt as Dr. Jake Reilly (Obstetrics and Gynecology/Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
Among the recurring stars are Griffin Gluck as Mason Warner, Matt Long as James Petersen, and Justina Machado as Stephanie. Among the special guests this year are Alfre Woodard, Alex Rocco, Mackenzie Astin, Marisol Nichols, Diane Farr, and Audra McDonald.
The sixth season is unique and different from what we expect from this series. There are a lot of different style episodes this season, but I'm not sure if fans like that or not. The season was still very well written once again. Anyway, as for season six, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "Aftershock," where Addison's choice is revealed to be Jake, while Sam has started a new relationship with a nurse, and Violet believes that Pete has skipped out on bail until she gets a phone call from Pete's phone, from a man, telling her that Pete had a fatal heart attack while he was on his run. In "Good Grief," Addison continues to grieve over Mark's death, and doesn't know if she should talk to Jake about it or not, but eventually decides to tell him everything about her past; this prompts Sam to tell everything to his new girlfriend so that he can't start of everything new. In "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone," Charlotte hires a new ER attending, Dr. James Peterson to replace Pete, promising him a quiet ER only to have a rainy night in LA, while Addison has to deal with a pregnant woman having her fourth child, and her husband who seems to always have the same symptoms as her only to find out the husband has an infection in his spinal cord, so Amelia and the new ER doctor race to save the man's life. In "The Next Episode," after Sam is asked to be shot in a reality show pilot for revolving around his life, he is followed around for days to see what his life is really about, as Sam's mom comes into town, and sees Addison with an awkward encounter as she knows everything, with her boss and his husband when he needs heart surgery, after giving him the bad news, Sam finds out that his mother and her boss have been having an affair for forty years.
In "I'm Fine," after Sheldon tells his ex-wife about his cancer and she decides to leave him, he begins going to chemotherapy and therapy to help him through the rough time, while he's going to chemo and going to therapy the search for the missing little girl is continuing and Sheldon believes that his patient has taken her and is fighting to get him to confess. In "Georgia on My Mind," after Charlotte is put on bed rest, she hopes to go two days without having any contractions so that she can get out of the Trendelenburg position, while Cooper continues to stay in the NICU to make sure that no one misses anything with the new born baby girl. In "Full Release," as Charlotte goes into labor with the other two babies everyone begins to pick out baby names that they think should be the babies names, until Charlotte comes out saying that only Mason and Cooper are picking them with her. In the series finale, "In Which We Say Goodbye," Naomi returns to stand by Addison's side on her wedding day, while Cooper struggles with the hardships of being a stay-at-home father, and Violet begins a new project close to her heart.
The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. View the episode runtimes:
Disc 1:
1. "Aftershock" (42:59)
2. "Mourning Sickness" (43:01)
3. "Good Grief" (43:01)
4. "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone" (42:59)
5. "The Next Episode" (43:00)
Disc 2:
6. "Apron Strings" (43:01)
7. "The World According to Jake" (43:00)
8. "Life Support" (43:00)
9. "I'm Fine" (43:01)
10. "Georgia on My Mind" (43:00)
Disc 3:
11. "Good Fries Are Hard to Come By" (43:00)
12. "Full Release" (43:01)
13. "In Which We Say Goodbye" (43:00)
Like the last few seasons, packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the keep case inside. For seasons one and two, we had a digipak, but ABC Studios changed it to a keep case starting with season three. Both the outer box and keep case have the same cover, a cast photo of them at the beach, with everyone standing but Addison and Jake. The show logo is on the top in white wording in a blue background. The back of the box and keep case has that blue background with information on the set and has head shots that feature all eight of our stars plus Mason (Griffin Gluck). There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also. This is very similar to the previous release. Opening the case, on the left and right panels itself we have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode titles and bonus features and nice episodic photos. We have a little plastic holder, that we can flip like a page on a book. The holder holds disc one in the front and disc two in the back. Disc three is on the right panel itself. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that blue background and the discs have nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Sam, Addison & Jake. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Violet, Charlotte & Cooper. Disc three has episodes 11-13 plus bonus features and has artwork of Amelia & Sheldon.
The menu screen has clips playing in the background with the closing music from the series playing audio wise, similar to previous sets. It's a nice sunny style menu. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three), and Sneak Peeks (disc three). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks: Once Upon a Time Season 2 and the classic The Muppet Movie on Blu-ray. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has the same previews as the ones popping up before disc one's menu. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese or Thai and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option is only on disc three and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music once again. Consistent with its previous releases, but that is good!
The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! It is just as good as the previous releases, if not better. The audio is also great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the just completed 2012-13 season, so it had better be good and it is. Crystal clear. The series is over and will be missed.
Moving on the bonus features. All of the extras are on the final disc again, this season that is disc three. However, we don't have much this time. Only Deleted Scenes and Bloopers. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 21 deleted scenes, up nine from the previous DVD! There are five episodes that have deleted scenes. "Mourning Sickness" (1:35, 0:45, and 1:20), "Good Grief" (0:59 and 0:38), "The Next Episode" (0:38, 1:13, 0:52, 0:52, and 0:46), "Full Release" (0:25, 1:09, 1:06 and 1:18) and "In Which We Say Goodbye" (0:56, 1:10, 0:49, 1:18, 1:20, 1:16 and 0:31). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (3:00)...yes, always great to see bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! The timing is down less than a minute from the last set, but that's fine. Wish we had more extra, but this is better than nothing at all.
And the show is now over. It's a good set with less bonus material and episodes, but everything else is similar to previous sets. There was supposed to be a featurette on this set, but not sure what happened? It's certainly not on here. The packaging is good and consistent to some of the previous sets. This season was unique and different, where we had a lot of character centric episodes. Shonda Rhimes always likes to freshen things up and usually it always works. All fans should definitely buy this set. I mean if you have the previous five sets, why wouldn't you get this one? See how the show ends and continue your collection with the last piece of the puzzle!
(4/5 stars)
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Private Practice on TV.com13. "In Which We Say Goodbye" (43:00)
Like the last few seasons, packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the keep case inside. For seasons one and two, we had a digipak, but ABC Studios changed it to a keep case starting with season three. Both the outer box and keep case have the same cover, a cast photo of them at the beach, with everyone standing but Addison and Jake. The show logo is on the top in white wording in a blue background. The back of the box and keep case has that blue background with information on the set and has head shots that feature all eight of our stars plus Mason (Griffin Gluck). There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also. This is very similar to the previous release. Opening the case, on the left and right panels itself we have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode titles and bonus features and nice episodic photos. We have a little plastic holder, that we can flip like a page on a book. The holder holds disc one in the front and disc two in the back. Disc three is on the right panel itself. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that blue background and the discs have nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Sam, Addison & Jake. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Violet, Charlotte & Cooper. Disc three has episodes 11-13 plus bonus features and has artwork of Amelia & Sheldon.
The menu screen has clips playing in the background with the closing music from the series playing audio wise, similar to previous sets. It's a nice sunny style menu. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc three), and Sneak Peeks (disc three). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks: Once Upon a Time Season 2 and the classic The Muppet Movie on Blu-ray. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has the same previews as the ones popping up before disc one's menu. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese or Thai and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option is only on disc three and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music once again. Consistent with its previous releases, but that is good!
The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! It is just as good as the previous releases, if not better. The audio is also great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the just completed 2012-13 season, so it had better be good and it is. Crystal clear. The series is over and will be missed.
Moving on the bonus features. All of the extras are on the final disc again, this season that is disc three. However, we don't have much this time. Only Deleted Scenes and Bloopers. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 21 deleted scenes, up nine from the previous DVD! There are five episodes that have deleted scenes. "Mourning Sickness" (1:35, 0:45, and 1:20), "Good Grief" (0:59 and 0:38), "The Next Episode" (0:38, 1:13, 0:52, 0:52, and 0:46), "Full Release" (0:25, 1:09, 1:06 and 1:18) and "In Which We Say Goodbye" (0:56, 1:10, 0:49, 1:18, 1:20, 1:16 and 0:31). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (3:00)...yes, always great to see bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! The timing is down less than a minute from the last set, but that's fine. Wish we had more extra, but this is better than nothing at all.
And the show is now over. It's a good set with less bonus material and episodes, but everything else is similar to previous sets. There was supposed to be a featurette on this set, but not sure what happened? It's certainly not on here. The packaging is good and consistent to some of the previous sets. This season was unique and different, where we had a lot of character centric episodes. Shonda Rhimes always likes to freshen things up and usually it always works. All fans should definitely buy this set. I mean if you have the previous five sets, why wouldn't you get this one? See how the show ends and continue your collection with the last piece of the puzzle!
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FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: Tichina Arnold (Twitter), "It's nice 2 B IMPORTANT but it's more important 2 B NICE!
Live your life 2 the fullest. I do!"
Claim to Fame: Tichina Arnold is one of those people who could be described as a "queen of sitcoms." Although her earliest "regular role" was in the soap opera Ryan's Hope, she has since had major roles in sitcoms such as Martin, Everybody Hates Chris, and most recently Happily Divorced.
Why You Should Follow Her: We love sitcom stars, and even more, we love those who appear in multiple sitcoms. Tichina Arnold has, at this point in her life, established herself as an actress that we will see in sitcoms for years to come. What I like most about her, though, is that it seems that she hasn't been typecast as any particular sort of character, and has played characters that have a wide range of personalities. She maintains a very active presence on Twitter (and Instagram, while we're at it), and seems to have a very positive outlook on life and her family... although she does get a bit worked up at times about issues important to her personally.
Pick of the Tweets: "2day is last tape day of season on #HappilyDivorced @tvland Its been a gr8 run! Thnx 4all ur support. Now Pray 4a 3rd season! Lol!" (January 25, 2013)
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, May 03, 2013
Episodic Review: American Dad! 150th Episode - "Lost in Space" Airing Sunday on Fox; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 6, 2013)
On the next...American Dad!:
By: Skees
Fox's Sunday night animated comedy that centers on the Smith family airs Sundays at 9:30pm and we have just watched the 150th episode that airs Sunday (May 5). In the episode, "Lost In Space?," we pick up with Jeff on the alien spaceship, where he is a slave, alongside a myriad of other creatures that have been abducted across the galaxy by the evil Emperor Zing (voiced by a fantastic Michael McKean). Although Jeff is a relatively minor character in our show’s universe - when compared to the main cast – he is very deeply beloved by our fans. I wanted to do this episode so we could get a more fully realized glimpse into Jeff as a character. And Jeff being held prisoner on a hostile alien ship gave us a great crucible to test his mettle. Director Chris Bennett takes us on a fastidiously detailed and mind-blowing visual odyssey. Louisville rock band, Wax Fang, helps create the emotional tone of the piece by providing an outstanding, nearly wall-to-wall score.
In this special 150th episode, we begin the episode with a "previously on..." clip, but this won't make sense to viewers unless they've been watching throughout the season. To (briefly) explain the back-story, the story begins with the February episode "Naked to the Limit, One More Time." In this episode, Roger had Jeff abducted by aliens and sent to his home planet after Jeff decides to let others know about the family alien. Since that time, Jeff has been gone into outer space and we haven't seen much of him. That is, until now, where we get an entire Jeff episode. Not only do we get to learn where he is, but what has happened to him since his abduction and how (or if) he'll make it back home safely. Now a slave on his new planet (a place full of Rogers), his only hope to get out of it and make it back home is to prove his true love for Hayley. The question is, can he do it before it is too late?
When I noticed that this was the 150th episode, I expected something big. Unfortunately, I feel that this episode just went deep in the other direction. Not only was this a Jeff episode, but we didn't even get to see the rest of the characters in this episode except briefly in the flashback at the beginning. I like Jeff's character, but to do a whole episode about him and completely ignore ALL of the regular characters (literally, don't expect to find Stan, Francine, Hayley, Steve, Roger, or anybody else that you know in this episode) makes this one of those episodes that I believe I will find less than memorable in the future. The humor in the episode was all science-fiction based humor, which I can tolerate in some series, but that doesn't provide me with what I expect in this series. While this episode isn't a complete disaster, it really doesn't feel like an episode of the series as we know it, and that took some of the enjoyment out of watching it. C
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, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of May 6-10, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. 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 6, 2013
- John Krasinski (The Office) - Watch John on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. He also talks about The Office series finale on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
- Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) - Edie visits Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jim Rash (Community) - Jim appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office) - Jenna stops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls) - Kat is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
- Max Greenfield (New Girl) - Max drops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) - Eric chats on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Sherri is a guest on Joy Behar: Say Anything! at 9pm on Current. She also guest co-hosts Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- David Alan Grier (Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David will be on NBC's Today in the 10-11am hour.
- Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) - Catch Zooey on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. She will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim is a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ken Jeong (Community) - Ken appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- John Krasinski (The Office) - John continues to make the rounds on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy drops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm. She will also be on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) - Edie appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS. She will also be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Maya Rudolph (Up All Night) - Tune in to see Maya on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Marilu Henner (Taxi) - Marilu is a guest on Joy Behar: Say Anything! at 9pm on Current. She will also be on NBC's Today in the 10-11am hour.
- Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia stops by The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
- Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire) - Hilary visits Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- George Lopez (George Lopez) - George talks about I'm Not Gonna Lie on NBC's Today between 7-9am. He will also be on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy guest co-hosts The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - Watch Alyson on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Craig appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. He will also be on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Zach Braff (Scrubs) - Zach is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Brad Garrett (How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)/'Til Death/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Brad stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy/Reba) - Melissa discusses her marriage, parenting skills and a new game show she hosts called Bet on Your Baby on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
- Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) - Stylist Brad Goreski gives a viewer a makeover and a chance to meet actress Zooey on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Kym Whitley (Sparks/The Parkers/Animal Practice) - Kym gives a tour of the Modern Family home on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Patricia chats on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- Bob Saget (How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Watch Bob on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Sarah stops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) - Edie is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia talks about the gift of finding her daughter through the foster care system, the adoption process and the joys that motherhood brings on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
- George Lopez (George Lopez) - George visits Katie, so check your local listings.
- Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Niecy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She will also be on Joy Behar: Say Anything! at 9pm on Current.
- Brandy Norwood (The Game/Moesha) - Brandy guest co-hosts Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
- Craig Robinson (The Office) - Craig is a guest on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Catch Sherri on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. She will also be on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
- Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - Alyson appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - Phylicia is a guest on Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time. She will also be on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Niecy joins Mario Batali and Michael Symon to prepare a magnificent meal and talk about her new book, It's Hard to Fight Naked, on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Tune in to see Patricia on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Cheryl Hines (Suburgatory/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Cheryl stops by Katie, so check your local listings.
- Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch) - Florence appears on Katie, so check your local listings.
Thursday, May 02, 2013
Antenna TV's Hazel Mother's Day Marathon; Episodic Reviews: Community - "Heroic Origins" and Parks and Recreation Season Finale - "Are You Better Off? - Both Airing Tonight on NBC
Antenna TV will air a marathon of the classic sitcom Hazel this Mother's Day! The marathon titled "Maid-For-A-Day Marathon with Hazel" airs Sunday, May 12, 2013 on Mother's Day from 9am-3am ET. That is 16 hours of non-stop sitcom fun with 32 glorious episodes. The marathon will begin with the very first episode and will continue with episodes centering on Hazel herself. Episodes are airing in the following order: "Hazel and the Playground," "A Matter of Principle," "What'll We Watch Tonight?," "Winter Wonderland," "Hazel's Secret Wish," "Heat Wave," "Hazel's Day," "Hazel's Cousin," "The Natural Athlete," "New Man in Town," "Hazel and the Lovebirds," "The Sunshine Girls Quartette," "Hazel and the Stockholders Meeting," "Hazel's Day Off," "Hazel's Navy Blue Tug-Boats," "Hazel's Luck," "Maid of the Month," "Cheerin' Up Mr. B," "The Vanishing Hero," "Call Me Harve," "The Retiring Milkman," "Hazel and the Halfback," "Hazel and the Model T," "The Fashion Show," "George's Ordeal," "Democracy at Work," "Never Trouble Trouble," "The Flagpole," "Mind Your Own Business," "Mixup on Marshall Road," "To Build or Not to Build," "Stop Rocking Our Reception," "Hazel's Day in Court," "George's Man Friday," "Who's in Charge Here?" and "My Son, the Sheepdog."
You can watch Hazel regularly on Antenna TV every weekday at 3:00pm & 3:30pm ET. The sitcom, based upon the Saturday Evening Post comic strip by Ted Key, follows Hazel (Shirley Booth) and her everyday dealings with the Baxter family, George (Don DeFore), Dorothy (Whitney Blake), and Harold (Bobby Buntrock). The series aired from 1961-66 and lasted five seasons and 154 total episodes. Stay with us for continued updates on all things Antenna TV and Hazel!
On the next...Community:
By: Vincent
NBC's Thursday night comedy that stars Joel McHale airs Thursdays at 8|7c and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (May 2). In the episode airing tonight, "Heroic Origins," Abed (Danny Pudi), becomes convinced that the study group was destined to meet at Greendale and pieces together everyone’s past – revealing that their lives have been intertwined for years. Meanwhile, Chang (Ken Jeong) plots to destroy Greendale once and for all.
This episode of Community may very well be one of the craziest they've ever done. Sure, it doesn't stage a zombie attack or a paintball war, but it actually suggests that the study group was "meant" to meet each other and that their paths crossed before they met at Greendale. Community may have no problem turning its characters into video game characters or stop-motion figures for a week, but it always found a way to somehow make all of this seem believable within its universe. Having the group's fate be connected in the way that this episode suggests it is, though, stretches credibility even for this show. It doesn't feel organic or carefully planned out- it feels like the show forcing its characters into a back-story that hadn't even been touched upon previously just because they thought it'd make an entertaining episode.
They weren't necessary wrong - "Heroic Origins" is a fun time, to be sure. Seeing where everyone was 5 years ago is pretty cool, and there's a handful of good jokes sprinkled through-out the episode. It also has a genuinely sweet ending - a lot of the show's happy endings have felt forced this season, but this felt really natural. There's a lot of stuff to appreciate in this episode, but I ultimately just couldn't get past the fact that the actual story the show was trying to tell rang false to me. I could accept an origins story like this one if it seemed like the show had actually built up to it and thought it out meticulously. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and instead this episode felt like the show doing an origins story just to do an origins story, rather than using it to say anything interesting about the characters. Still, even though I couldn't quite get on board with the concept, there's enough here to make this fairly enjoyable, if flawed, outing for Community. B-
On the next...Parks and Recreation:
By: Skees
NBC's Thursday night comedy that stars Amy Poehler airs Thursdays at 9:30pm and we have just watched the season finale that airs tonight (May 2). In the episode airing tonight, "Are You Better Off?," Leslie (Amy Poehler) celebrates her first year as a city councilor. A surprise discovery leads Andy (Chris Pratt) to call the only man he knows who can help with the investigation: retired Special Agent Burt Macklin. Meanwhile, April (Aubrey Plaza) gets some life-changing news, and Tom (Aziz Ansari) debates a big business opportunity.
In politics, the following question often comes up: "Are you better off today than you were before?" That is the theme of the latest episode of Parks & Recreation, where Leslie Knope is ready to get an assessment of her first year on the city council. She expects nothing but positive feedback, but instead, she is confronted with those whom she has angered over the past year (along with some flashbacks), and the sudden attack make it seem as if things really can't get worse... that is, until they do. Meanwhile, Andy finds a positive pregnancy test while digging through the garbage at Ron's cabin and is determined to find out who it belongs to (and along the way, he finds out another surprise that has a significant effect upon him). But that isn't all... Tom faces a big decision that could make him money instantly, and has to decide what to do. It is an episode full of questions, and all of them may or may not be answered in 20 minutes.
I really enjoyed this episode of the series. To me, it seems that this series keeps getting better and better as it moves along, and I have yet to see an episode from this season that I haven't enjoyed. This episode, while it initially appeared that it might be some sort of "clip show" rehashing the season, turned out to have quite a bit of substance, and the brief clips really did set up what was about to happen for those who may have missed those events (such as the Pawnee "soda controversy" and the new and improved "video store") without becoming overbearing. In a way, the turn of events was a bit surprising, but not so much in light of what actually had happened in Pawnee in the past year. The other stories going on in the episode were all pretty good as well, especially Andy's pregnancy test witch hunt (and without spoiling the episode, we should say that the answer the question is actually not obvious). I feel that this episode was a proper way to close the season and, as is typical with this series, is going to leave fans wondering what is next since just about everybody is left with some sort of cliffhanger at the end of the episode. A
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
ABC Family's Memorial Day Marathon Is Baby Daddy; Episodic Review: How to Live with Your Parents - "How to Run the Show" Airing Tonight on ABC
Grab your favorite blankie and cozy up on the couch for a Memorial Day Baby Daddy marathon on ABC Family. On Monday, May 27, viewers can catch up on all ten episodes from Season 1 that aired last summer of this freshman sitcom, airing in order from 2:00pm– 7:00pm ET/PT. And it's the perfect chance to do so because the second season of Baby Daddy premieres two nights later on Wednesday, May 29, at 8:30 pm ET/PT, following the season premiere of Melissa & Joey. The series is a multi-camera comedy that shoots in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles. If you like shows like Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell, you'll certainly like this show, as it is hip and has a young cast. Look for our review of the first two episodes of the second season closer to the season premiere. Hint: Kyle XY star Matt Dallas will guest star on the season premiere, reuniting him with his former Kyle XY buddy Jean-Luc Bilodeau!
Baby Daddy, which launched as the network's #1 comedy series in ABC Family history, follows Ben (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), a young man in his early 20s living the life of a bachelor as a bartender in New York City with his buddy, Tucker (Tahj Mowry), and his brother, Danny (Derek Theler), a professional hockey player. Their lives are turned upside down when they come home one day to find a baby girl left on the doorstep by an ex-girlfriend of Ben's. After much deliberation, Ben decides to raise the baby with the help of his friends and his protective and sometimes over-bearing mother, Bonnie (Melissa Peterman), and his close female friend, Riley (Chelsea Kane), who has had a secret crush on him since childhood. Riley is hopeful that Ben will finally take notice, but she doesn't realize that Ben's brother, Danny, is harboring a secret crush on her.
On the next...How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life):
By: Skees ABC's Comedy Wednesday sitcom starring Sarah Chalke, Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett and airs Wednesday nights at 9:30pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (May 1). In the episode airing tonight, "How to Run the Show," Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) and Max (Brad Garrett) encourage Polly (Sarah Chalke) to put her needs first, as they did when Polly was growing up, and offer to babysit Natalie (Rachel Eggleston) so Polly can spend time out with Scott (guest star Reid Scott). But they get a quick lesson in parenting the middle ground between letting kids run the show and ending up on a milk carton. The episode begins with a typical parent-child struggle, where Polly and Natalie just can't seem to find common ground (specifically, Polly has no authority over her own daughter). The struggle ends with Polly taking Natalie to work after she refuses to go to soccer practice. But with Polly constantly putting Natalie first, this creates a problem when she wants to go on a date. Max and Elaine decide to put their own daughter first and agree to babysit Natalie so that Polly can go on the date, but the plans that they have truly do put the grandparents first. Meanwhile, Polly's surprise date with Scott turns out to be an even bigger surprise when she his kids tag along on the date, and they too are determined to have all of the control in the parent-child relationship.
I've been enjoying this series, but this episode isn't really one of the strongest ones that I've seen. It seems that the overall theme of the episode was just the battle of control between parents and children, but there didn't seem to be much explanation behind the battles (and this seems to actually be an on-going criticism that I have of the series, the lack of a full back-story). Polly's date introduced another battle (with different kids), but again, it just seemed to be parent vs. child without much of an explanation. Perhaps the best part of the episode, though, was the day that Natalie spent with Max and Elaine. As always, they have their own (somewhat irresponsible) views of raising children, and that irresponsibility results in a nightmare at the wine and jazz festival (the "family friendly" event that they take her to). As much as I like Polly, I feel that Max and Elaine have had some of the best moments in the series so far, and this episode is no exception. Unfortunately, though, I don't feel that the day of "family fun" at the wine and jazz festival was enough to make up for the shortcomings of this episode. C
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, September 3
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Bus Bench and Faith out the Wazoo" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Audrey and Mary’s (Zoe Perry) feud rears its head when Georgie needs their help with the tire store, and Jim’s forced to confront his age after a visit to the DMV.
Ghosts - "Up the Creek" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Woodstone’s future is put in jeopardy, Sam and Jay join forces with the ghosts to protect the mansion by securing its place in history, on part one of the two-part fifth season finale.
Adults - "Talia" (FX and FXX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Anton learns that his sister is starting a family, while Issa begins thinking about her own fertility. Written by Shaun Menchel; Directed by Maggie Carey.
Adults - "Raccoon" (FX and FXX, 9:32PM ET/PT)
Issa and Paul Baker host Acid Night. Written by Sanaz Toossi; Directed by Oz Rodriguez.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 31)
Thursday, September 3
- Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Catch Olivia on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey appears on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Stephen Root (Barry/Ladies Man/NewsRadio) - Stephen is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) and Steve Zahn (Chad Powers/The Righteous Gemstones) - Glen and Steve talk about Chad Powers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Steve and Frankie Rodriguez will be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia guest co-hosts a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - NBC's Today has the Best of Fun & Games with "Queen of Quips" with Michelle in the 10am hour.
- Casey Wilson (The Righteous Gemstones/Black Monday/The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - NBC's Today has the Best of Fun & Games with "Beat the Box" with Casey, Andrew and Prue Leith in the 10am hour.
- Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere/Nightcap) - Jeff talks about Apple TV's Widow's Bay on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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