SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

At last, ABC has announced its fall premiere dates for Fall 2013. 20/20 will officially kick-off its new season on Friday, Sept. 6 at 10pm. The actual series launches will begin on Monday, Sept. 16, as Dancing with the Stars premieres a week earlier than normal from 8-10pm to try and get a head start on the season and now that it doesn't have a Results Show, likely the first elimination will happen towards the end of the second week on Monday night. Dancing's Monday counterpart Castle will launch its new season a week later on the official start of the TV season on Monday, Sept. 23 at 10pm. ABC will launch their Friday series earlier this season, as the last few years they have used an hour on Fridays for encores. This season, all the 8-10pm series will premiere on Friday, Sept. 20 starting with the season premiere of Last Man Standing at 8pm followed by the new night for The Neighbors at 8:30pm. Then it's time to sink or swim with the sharks on an all-new season of Shark Tank at 9|8c leading into 20/20. ABC Tuesday will be brand new from top to bottom and all the shows will premiere on the same night on Tuesday, Sept. 24. First up, is probably the most anticipated new series of the season in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at 8pm leading into likely the most promising new family comedy of the season (and set in the '80s!), The Goldbergs at 9pm. Fellow new family comedy Trophy Wife will follow at 9:30pm. At 10pm, ABC gambles with Lucky 7, a new drama that is a big swing. The next night, ABC Comedy Wednesday returns on Wednesday, Sept. 25 with a new season of laughs starting with the season premiere of The Middle at 8pm, followed by the series premiere of the new family comedy Back in the Game at 8:30pm. At 9pm, ABC will bring back its tentpole Modern Family with a special one-hour premiere event to launch the second season of the critically-acclaimed drama Nashville at 10pm. ABC's new comedy Super Fun Night starring Rebel Wilson will launch a week later on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 9:30pm.

Onto Thursdays, ABC will launch season ten of Grey's Anatomy with a special two-hour premiere event from 9-11pm on Thursday, Sept. 26. Sizzling drama Scandal will return the following week on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 10pm for its third season. ABC has not announced what will air at 8pm on the first two Thursdays of the season, but the Once Upon a Time spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will premiere on Thursday, Oct 10 at 8|7c to try and help this time period. ABC Saturday Night College Football will air all fall on Saturday nights. And finally on Sundays, returning dramas Once Upon a Time and Revenge both return in their 8pm & 9pm time periods on Sunday, Sept. 29. New drama Betrayal will premiere at 10|9c also on Sept. 29. ABC will once again premiere America's Funniest Home Videos on the second week of the season on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 7pm. Probably a Once Upon a Time clip-show or season finale encore will once again air on the first Sunday of the season at 7pm, but stay tuned for details at a later date.

TBS has picked up Twentieth Century Fox Television's animated hit American Dad! as an original series, beginning with the show's 11th season in 2014. Created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, American Dad! will join TBS's primetime lineup in late 2014. Sister network Adult Swim is set to present encores of each episode after initial airings on TBS. American Dad!, which will begin its 10th and final season on the Fox television network this fall, is executive-produced by MacFarlane, Barker and Weitzman. TBS has ordered 15 episodes for season 11. TBS and Adult Swim are no strangers to the Seth MacFarlane universe, having aired reruns of American Dad! and MacFarlane's Family Guy throughout the networks' lineups. TBS currently airs American Dad! reruns weekdays at 1 and 1:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Adult Swim presents reruns of the show Tuesday-Friday at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), Monday-Friday at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) and Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

This is the second Fox comedy to move to cable. First was of course Futurama going from Fox to Comedy central, but that had a cancelation in between. American Dad! has aired non-stop on Fox and will move to TBS immediately following its run on Fox. Since premiering on Fox in 2005, American Dad! has earned several industry accolades, including two Emmy(R) nominations for Outstanding Animated Program, two Annie Award nominations and seven Teen Choice Award nominations. In 2012, it took home the top television series prize at the ASCAP Film & Television Music Awards. Stay with us for continued updates as we get closer to 2014.

Gladiators unite! BET Networks announced that it has licensed the rights to air current season episodes of the hit series Scandal. Each episode will air on BET no earlier than eight days after its original broadcast on ABC, exclusively starting in Fall 2013. In addition, BET will debut reruns of the first two seasons of the series this Summer (August) on its network, leading into the third season premiere on ABC (in late September), and is also licensing the exclusive off-network cable rights to the series starting in Fall 2014 when three full seasons will be available for play. Scandal, which is heading into its third season on ABC, has proved a ratings success, ascending to a series high in its season two finale, drawing 9.1 million viewers. The series consistently dominated in its 10 PM time period with key female demos and frequently won with adults 18-49, especially from January-May of last season. Attracting an average of 2.8 million African American viewers each week, Scandal is the #1 broadcast series among African Americans.

This is BET's first major drama acquisition. We will have details on the summer launch soon, so stay with us. This could be a huge boost for Scandal when it returns in season three on ABC, as BET reruns will certainly help the series even more to grow in the ratings. BET boosted The Game when it launched on the network after it started airing reruns of the series before its BET original premiere. Scandal stars Kerry Washington (Django Unchained, Ray) as Olivia Pope, a former communications director to the President of the United States, and owner of a prominent crisis management firm. While she and her staff specialize in fixing the lives of the high-powered political set, they struggle to keep their own lives -- and secrets -- in check. The series also stars Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard), Tony Goldwyn (Ghost, The Last Samurai), Jeff Perry (Grey's Anatomy), Guillermo Diaz (Weeds, No Ordinary Family), Darby Stanchfield (NCIS), Katie Lowes (Super 8), and Bellamy Young (Criminal Minds). The show was created by Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice). Rhimes also serves as executive producer alongside Betsy Beers and Mark Wilding. Scandal is produced by ABC Studios and airs Thursdays at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) on the ABC Television Network.

TV Land has partnered with MatchingDonors.com, a leading non-profit organ donation website, it was announced today. Tomorrow (July 17), the episode of the channel's hit sitcom, Hot in Cleveland, actress Victoria Chase (Wendie Malick) makes a life-changing decision to donate her kidney to an ailing young girl. TVLand.com and MatchingDonors.com will also feature an organ donation PSA from Wendie Malick in an effort to increase awareness of the urgent need for organ donations in the United States. TV Land's Hot in Cleveland, now in its fourth season, airs on Wednesday nights at 10pm ET/PT. Every day in the United States there are 19 people who die waiting for an organ transplant. MatchingDonors.com has become the world's largest and most successful nonprofit organization promoting, registering, and finding living organ donors for people needing organ transplants. Organ failure is rampant in all segments, races and ages across the U.S.

Scandal Photo Source: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Hot in Cleveland Photo Source: TV Land

The Cos is back! Bill Cosby's first television concert special in 30 years, Far From Finished, will air on Comedy Central on Sunday, November 24, 2013. Robert Townsend directed the show, which will be compiled from material that Cosby performed at the Cerritos Performing Arts Center earlier this summer in California. Of course, Bill Cosby Himself aired three decades ago and is considered one of the landmark comedy specials of all time. The Cosby Show was in part an evolution of the "Himself" routines. Commenting on his return to the form, Cosby said, "Because . . . funny is funny."

One of America's most beloved comedians of all time, Cosby has captivated generations of fans with his comedy routines, iconic albums and best-selling books such as "Fatherhood." His comedy transcends ages, genders and cultures. Cosby went around television's racial obstacles with "I Spy," becoming the first African American to costar on a weekly, dramatic television series while winning three consecutive Emmys(R). Cosby created and produced the Emmy Award(R)-winning cartoon series Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids, which began airing in the 1970s and was made into a film in 2004. The show, based on Cosby's childhood in Philadelphia, was designed to educate and entertain. Perhaps Cosby's greatest contribution to American entertainment and culture is The Cosby Show, about a close-knit, upper middle income Black family. Cosby has received the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (America's highest civilian honor), the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and the Marian Anderson Award.

Nickelodeon has ordered 20 additional episodes of its top-rated comedy Sam & Cat, raising its first season episode order to a whopping 40 episodes. Sam & Cat is currently the network's number-one live-action series, averaging 3.7 million total viewers since launch. The series airs regularly Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The brand-new episodes of Sam & Cat will continue to roll out this year and debut on Nick channels internationally beginning October. Special upcoming guest stars include iconic comedy duo Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams (Laverne & Shirley), in their first appearance in a scripted series in over 30 years, and Sophia Grace and Rosie of The Ellen DeGeneres Show who reprise their roles as troublemakers Gwen and Ruby. Sam & Cat drew over 4.2 million viewers with its series premiere making it the network's biggest live-action debut in three years. Additionally, since its June 8 launch, Sam & Cat is the number-one live-action series on the Nick App, and the most visited page on Nick.com. The premiere episode of the series hit the number-one spot on the iTunes TV episode chart, and all episodes since consistently rank among the top episodes on iTunes.

Starring Jennette McCurdy (iCarly's Sam Puckett) and Ariana Grande (Victorious' Cat Valentine), Sam & Cat follows the duo as they become best friends and unlikely roommates who start a babysitting service. The series is created by award-winning executive producer Dan Schneider (fellow Nickeodeon networks series: iCarly, Victorious, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101).

Summer has started but there are still sitcom airings, new and repeats. We will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 airings - A summer repeat at 8pm did 2.99 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, which is up four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. A 7:30pm repeat leading in did 2.99 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up one tenth from previous week.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did only 1.64 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, up one tenth in 18-49 with previous week.
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - An encore airing at 8:30pm did 2.59 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up four tenths from previous week.
• Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat at 9 posted 3.41 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, up two tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
• American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 3.04 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat at 8pm did 3.90 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, down one tenth from previous week.
• Raising Hope (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 8pm did 1.73 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, down two tenths from previous week. The 8:30pm repeat did 1.52 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, on par with the series finale of The Goodwin Games last week.
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 4.96 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down four tenths from The Big Bang Theory repeat in this slot.
• 2 Broke Girls (CBS) 2 airings - A repeat at 8:30pm did 4.16 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, up one tenth from the Mike & Molly airing in the slot last week. A repeat at 9pm did 4.78 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up one tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
• New Girl (Fox) - A repeat at 9 did only 1.25 million and just a 0.5 18-49 rating, even with last week. It doesn't repeat well for an anchor at all.
• The Mindy Project (Fox) - A repeat on Fox did 1.37 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating at 9:30pm, up one tenth from previous week.

• None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) - A summer repeat did 3.35 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
• Family Tools (ABC) - The series finale at 8:30pm did 2.51 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, on par with last week's series low.
• Modern Family (ABC) - At 9pm, a summer repeat did 2.79 million and a 0.9 rating, up one tenth from previous week.
• The Neighbors (ABC) - The second summer repeat did 2.23 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating at 9:30pm, up one tenth from previous week.

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 8.16 million and a 2.0 rating, up eight tenths from last week's 4th of the July airing.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 6.80 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up eight tenth's from last week's 4th of the July airing.
• The Office (NBC) - preempted. 
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are repeats of Fox Animation Domination from 7-10pm.

Summing it up. Repeat of the Thursday The Big Bang Theory was impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Two and a Half Men, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of New Girl and The Mindy Project).



Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on TV this summer. Some highlights include: On cable, Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy are all-new this Wednesday beginning at 8pm. TV Land has all-new episodes of the summer season of Hot in Cleveland this Wednesday at 10pm, followed by a new The Exes at 10:30pm and a brand new The Soul Man at 11pm only on TV Land. BET has a new episode of The Game on Tuesday at 10pm. TBS airs an all-new episode of Sullivan & Son Thursday at 10. Nick at Nite has the Scott Baio sitcom See Dad Run every Sunday at 8pm but a repeat is tonight, while Wendell & Vinnie airs at 8:30pm with a repeat this week. FX's Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management airs Thursdays at 9:30pm and is brand new this week. New sitcom airings are the perfect way to beat the summer blues! Look for our daily rundown of what sitcoms are airing each night every day at the bottom of the blog story so you don't miss anything!

Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we've got all of our regular features (including some Netflix news), along with a review of Medical Center - The Complete Third Season. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

CBS announced this week that they have extended their licensing deal with the streaming service Netflix. Under the new deal, CBS content will be streamed instantly to Netflix, adding new titles including the CW's L.A. Complex, 4400 and CSI: NY.

Speaking of Netflix, it wasn't that long ago that they debuted the fourth season of the series Arrested Development, and at the time they made it clear that those episodes would essentially wrap up the series... maybe. It seems, though, that more could be on the way. So will a fifth season materialize? It sounds like all parties are interested, even after the previous insistence that the fourth season would be the last. Of course, this tends to be more or less the course of things when it comes to the series anyway!

TVShowsOnDVD.com brought two news stories of interest to fans of animated comedies, and September 24 is the date to mark on the calendar for those fans. On that date, Fox will be releasing Family Guy - Volume 11 and American Dad - Volume 8. Both of these releases will be DVD only (so still no Blu-ray for either of these series), but we're glad to see them coming nonetheless.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 16) has one sitcom release, with Warner Home Video's release of George Lopez - The Complete Third Season. Additionally, CBS has Matlock - The Ninth and Final Season.



BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
 
 

Blog DVD Review: Medical Center - The Complete Third Season (Warner Archive, $49.95)
by skees53

Warner Archive is paging Dr. Joe Gannon (Chad Everett) and Dr. Paul Lochner (James Daly) once again with their release of Medical Center - The Complete Third Season. The classic series, which ran from 1969-1976 on CBS, follows the two surgeons, each from much different generations, in a Los Angeles hospital as they work hard to save lives each and every day. The third season contains 24 episodes from the 1971-1972 season in a six disc set, available only as a MOD title (with some initial pressed copies) from Warner Archive.

The season kicks off with "Blood Line," where a fugitive who is on the run from the law may be the only hope to save his son's life. A highly respected country doctor may not be what he seems to be in "The Imposter." A heart patient risks her life to protect her sterile husband's pride in "Double Jeopardy." In "Circle of Power," a distinguished surgeon may be losing the use of his hands. A husband is being treated for psychological impotence in "The Shattered Man." In "Albatross," a young man's mental handicap is spawning a family tragedy. A surgeon who also happens to be a once-convicted sex offender is accused of child molestation in "Suspected." A charming fraud is risking the life of a young patient in "The Pawn."

Suzanne Pleshette plays a lung cancer victim determined to keep her nightmare a secret in "Conspiracy." A murder takes place in the two part episode "Shock," and the prime suspect hits a bit too close to home for Dr. Lochner. In "Secret," a doctor is driven back to a past of alcoholism. A doctor is torn between two decisions in "The Choice." In "Deadlock," a surgeon's wife is kidnapped, and she will be saved only if he can arrange the death of a certain patient. A man awakes from a three year coma following a car crash in "Awakening," only to find that there were even more consequences to the car crash than just the coma. The season ends with "Conflict," where a rape-murder mystery ends with a shocking confession by a young intern's fiance.

The episodes are unedited, including even the original MGM logo at the end (this was one of the many classic MGM series that ended in the hands of Turner in the '80s, which in turn the Turner library ended in the hands of Warner later). Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "Blood Line" (50:16)
2. "The Corrupted" (50:21)
3. "The Imposter" (50:21)
4. "Double Jeopardy" (50:18)

Disc 2:
5. "The Idol Maker" (50:19)
6. "Circle of Power" (50:19)
7. "The Shattered Man" (50:21)
8. "Albatross" (50:15)

Disc 3:
9. "The Martyr" (50:19)
10. "Suspected" (50:19)
11. "The Loser" (50:19)
12. "The Pawn" (50:17)

Disc 4:
13. "Conspiracy" (50:19)
14. "The Nowhere Child" (49:57)
15. "Shock (Part 1)" (50:19)
16. "Shock (Part 2)" (50:19)

Disc 5:
17. "Fatal Decision" (50:21)
18. "Terror" (50:18)
19. "The Secret" (50:18)
20. "The Choice" (50:09)

Disc 6:
21. "Deadlock" (50:18)
22. "The Awakening" (50:13)
23. "Confession" (50:18)
24. "Conflict" (50:18)

The set comes packaged in a SINGLE Viva Case (which is a bit different from the typical Warner Archive practice of doing "Part 1" and "Part 2" sets for these multi-disc drama series). The cover has a photo of Dr. Gannon preparing a syringe, and on the back, there is a descritpion of the series along with a few episode snapshots. Inside the case, you'll find the six discs, all of which have a photo of an operating room scene with a green tint. Episode titles are printed on each disc. Once again, even though Warner Archive titles are typically MOD releases, this multi-disc set is on pressed DVDs for those purchasing some of the initial copies.

The menus on the set are in line with other Warner Archive releases. On the main menu, there is a Play All option along with a list of episodes. The only artwork on the main menu is the same artwork that is seen on the cover. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

Warner Archive claims that the episodes on this set are newly remastered, and based upon what I found on here, I am inclined to believe them. Sometimes, that phrase is thrown around a bit carelessly, but the episodes on this set look excellent, far better than I would anticipate from 40 year old episodes. There is only a very minimal amount of grain and debris, and the colors look fine. The audio is fine as well, but there are no closed-captions or subtitles on this set.

The set contains no special features.

This is an excellent collection of episodes, and an excellent series. Fans of classic medical dramas (even those who haven't seen this) are sure to enjoy it. I really enjoy these late '60s and early '70s medical dramas that deal not only with the medical crisis at hand, but also take time to deal with ethical issues and social issues of the time. The series is a lot like Marcus Welby, MD (which coincidentally ran in the exact same seasons as this series on ABC), even down to the "young doctor, old doctor" theme, with this one focusing on the younger doctor and work at the hospital (as opposed to Welby focusing on an older doctor with a more traditional family practice). Still, fans of that show (as well as the healthy fan base of the recently deceased Chad Everett) are sure to enjoy this series, and this particular season of the series.

(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Medical Center on TV.com


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Carl Reiner (Twitter), "Actor, Film Director, Author, 12 Emmys, 1 Grammy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 3 great kids from 1 great wife"
Claim to Fame: Hopefully, this isn't something that anybody doesn't already know. Carl Reiner has been actively involved in television going all the way back to the earliest days of television in 1950 with Your Show of Shows. Of course, his most memorable claim to fame came in 1961 with the series that he was supposed to star in (but didn't), The Dick Van Dyke Show. He has worked both behind the scenes and on camera on many TV series and movies, and even continues to work actively these days at the age of 92.
Why You Should Follow Him: Hopefully, you don't need too much convincing to know why you should follow a man who could be considered one of the pioneers of television. He is surprisingly active on Twitter and his humor seems to manifest itself naturally. He seems to talk about food quite a bit on Twitter, his career, his professional sidekicks, and occasionally even political and social issues (but he doesn't get too outraged over any of them).
Pick of the Tweets: "If you had told me 10 years ago that one day I'd send out my 200th tweet, I'd have said, "Heavens to Betsy, what the hell is a tweet?" (March 17, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

We have more Cloo news for you today. Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Odd Couple, Taxi, Mork & Mindy and Get Smart will be removed from their regular schedule beginning Monday, July 15. Monk shifts to 6am weekdays, replacing the sitcoms. The Unit will be added at 7am weekdays, replacing Laverne & Shirley on Mondays and Monk on Tuesday-Friday. MacGyver will also now air Mondays from 8am-1pm, replacing the sitcoms. It will be all MacGyver on Mondays, as it already airs from 1pm-6am.

As we mentioned yesterday, they will have a Cloo Classic late night marathon of Happy Days on Saturday, August 24. We are sad to see all the sitcoms leave their regular lineup. Hopefully they will have more Cloo Classic and "Jump the Shark" marathons in the future. Stay with us for continued updates on Cloo.


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 July 15-19, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, July 15, 2013

• Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) - Watch Charlie on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Luis Guzman (How to Make It in America/Luis) - Luis talks about the animated movie Turbo and Latinos in Hollywood on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Monatna) - Miley, Ryan Seacrest and Keith Urban make a surprise announcement on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• Tia and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister) - Tia and Tamera open up about their inspirational blog for moms and women, their new television projects and their new product for new mothers called Milky on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Betsy Brandt (The Michael J. Fox Show) - Betsy dishes about the exciting Breaking Bad series finale and reveals what it's like playing the wife of Michael J. Fox in their new comedy The Michael J. Fox Show on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Catch Zachary on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Georgia King (The New Normal) - Georgia appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob guests on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Mary-Louise stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Yvette co-hosts a celebration of souped-up street food, making bacon-fried, stuffed hot dogs with Michael Symon on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• The Cast of The Exes - Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche and Kristen Johnston share behind-the-scenes secrets and on-set stories on Katie, so check your local listings.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

• Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Watch Jerry on The Colbert Report at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
• Jason Biggs (Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) - Melissa appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Peyton List (Jessie) - Peyton guests on The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) - The View celebrates summer with a performance from the cast of Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie featuring Ross at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob talks about his family and most recent role portraying John F. Kennedy on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy and the cast of Devious Maids are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Catch Mary-Louise on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development/The Larry Sanders Show/The Ropers) - Jeffrey is a guest onThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Bob Saget (How I Met Your Mother/Full House) - Bob visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Jeff drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Tune in to see Olivia on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) - Ross appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris), David Spade (Rules of Engagement/Just Shoot Me!) and Kevin James (The King of Queens) - The cast of Grown Ups 2 are guests on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Aresenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Ty Burrell (Modern Family/Back to You/Out of Practice) - Ty appears on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda drops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Friday, July 19, 2013

• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Watch Miranda on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development/The Larry Sanders Show/The Ropers) - Jeffrey visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jackée (227/Sister, Sister) - Jackée guest co-hosts a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

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

Well that didn't last long. After two weeks, TV Land has quietly pulled 'Til Death from the schedule. The sitcom was airing weeknights from 7-8pm and Saturdays from 5-8pm since June 22. Effective earlier this week, the weekday slot was replaced by another hour of M*A*S*H, while the Saturday block will be replaced by an additional hour of Roseanne beginning this Saturday. Roseanne will now air on Saturdays from 2-8pm instead of the previous 2-5pm hours. As for M*A*S*H, that will now air weekdays from 5-8pm instead of 5-7pm. 'Til Death will still air on other networks, as it airs late nights on WGN America, bright and early on Saturday mornings on Cloo and also airs in local syndication as well, mainly in late night. The series is a half-hour multi-camera comedy about the triumphs and tribulations of marriage and friendship from very different perspectives. It's about the funny and annoying things that happen between husbands, wives, neighbors and friends day after day after day. The series of course stars Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher, and also has Tim Sharp, Eddie Kay Thomas, J.B. Smoove and Kat Foster. The series lasted four seasons on Fox from 2006-2010 with 81 episodes. Stay with us if and when it returns at some point to the TV Land schedule.

Cloo is going to bring in more classic marathon goodness in August. Cloo Classic marathons have been popular on the network it seems and they will air two more in August (in addition to the weekly Monday schedule and early mornings every weekday). First up, a 24-hour Charlie's Angels marathon on Sunday, August 18 starting at 6am ET. Sister network Universal HD aired every single episode consecutively of the '70s drama last week in a marathon titled "Charlie's Angels From the Beginning." On this Cloo marathon, every episode from season two will air and the first seven episodes from the third season. The next Cloo Classic marathon will be on Saturday, August 24, when Cloo airs a late night marathon of the sitcom Happy Days. Join The Fonz and company all-night long beginning at 11pm and ending in the morning at 6am. All the episodes will be Fonzie related episodes and will be assorted episodes from multiple seasons and will not be going in a particular order. Among the episodes airing are "Fonzie Gets Shot," "Fonzie the Father," "They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" and many more. It's going to follow a marathon of the USA Network summer reality series Summer Camp from 9am-11pm. Stay with us for continued updates on Cloo and we hope we get more Cloo Classic marathons every month!

Jenna Elfman is staying at NBC. She has been cast in the upcoming NBC comedy Growing Up Fisher (formerly titled as The Family Guide). Elfman will play the role of Joyce Fisher (replacing the previously cast Parker Posey), the wife of Mel Fisher (J.K. Simmons) - the proud family patriarch who does not let his blindness affect him as a father, husband and breadwinner. Elfman recently appeared on NBC's 1600 Penn this past season as the First Lady and is best known for her role on Dharma and Greg, for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award, three Emmy Award nominations. Elfman also starred on two short-lived CBS sitcoms: Courting Alex and Accidentally on Purpose. Growing Up Fisher is from Universal Television and Aggregate Films. It is executive produced by DJ Nash, Jim Garavente and Jason Bateman, who also serves as narrator. The series will premiere in midseason 2014 for NBC.

On Monday, July 29th, ABC Family launches "Summer Crush," the network's fifth annual 10-day long summer programming event filled with all-day marathons, movies and all-new episodes of its original series Switched At Birth, The Fosters, Pretty Little Liars, Twisted, The Vineyard, Melissa & Joey, Baby Daddy and upcoming series Spell-Mageddon. Plus, the network television premieres of films Prom and So Undercover and the ABC Family premiere of 17 Again. Among the storylines we will see are a new crush fo Mel on Melissa & Joey: When his apartment needs to undergo emergency renovations, Mel invites her new boyfriend Noah (guest star Justin Hartley) to temporarily move in with her, accelerating their relationship. While on Baby Daddy, Ben is doing whatever his girlfriend says: Ben dog-sits for his girlfriend, and the dog is stolen on his watch. Both of those episodes will air on the final day of the ABC Family event on Aug. 7.

With Fall 2013 looming we are gearing up for syndication timeslots for sitcoms and cable network fall schedules, but looking ahead to fall 2014 Raising Hope has locked a cable deal for syndication. The sitcom will not get an exclusive cable home, but instead it will be shared with three cable networks. Yes, three! Raising Hope will be seen on CMT, WGN America and the upcoming FXX, all in fall 2014. The sitcom will of course enter regular local broadcast syndication in fall 2014 as well, but surprisingly no news yet of any clearances. That is strange since fellow fall 2014 entrees Mike & Molly and Hot in Cleveland are nearly complete with their clearances. Also entering syndication in fall 2014 will be Anger Management starring Charlie Sheen. Back to Raising Hope, the Fox sitcom also currently is available on Hulu and Hulu Plus, and its first two seasons are available on Netflix. Episodes are available for purchase on Amazon as well.

The fourth season launches on Fox on a new night and time, Fridays at 9pm beginning November 8. So when the upcoming season is completed, it will be heading to syndication with likely about 88-90 episodes if the series produces 22 episodes in season four (which likely it will). Raising Hope is the critically acclaimed comedy created by Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia and executive-produced by Mike Mariano that follows the continuing comic adventures of the Chance family as they raise an adorable toddler named Hope. Lucas Neff, Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt, Shannon Woodward, Gregg Binkley and Cloris Leachman star. Stay with us for continued updates on the series on CMT, WGN America and FXX, along with any clearances details of it in broadcast syndication. Stay tuned.

Pivot, Participant Media's new cable network targeting Millennials (18-34), announced plans to kick off on August 1 with the premiere of its live midnight talk show, TakePart Live (TPL). Five nights a week, the TakePart team decodes the headlines, dissects the daily memes and engages in irreverent and spirited conversations with a wide range of guests and with the audience itself. In addition to original series, pivot will also feature reruns of series such as the Emmy-winning football drama Friday Night Lights and the sci-fi series Farscape. In addition, Little Mosque, the internationally acclaimed and long-running Canadian series, will make its U.S. TV debut on August 5 at 7pm. The long-running and critically acclaimed series takes a satirical look at a Muslim community living in Canada who has rented the town's Anglican church to start a local mosque. The series has been seen in over 90 countries, except for the U.S. until now.

The new cable network also unveiled launch dates for its primetime originals including the September 14 back-to-back debuts of Meghan McCain's genre-bending docu-talk series, Raising McCain and real-life docu-series, Jersey Strong. And coming January 18, 2014 will be a new take on the variety show hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (titled hitRECord on TV) who directs countless artists from his global open-source online community – hitRECord – to create short films, live performances, music, animation, conversation and more! Each episode focuses on a different theme as Joe invites and encourages anybody with an Internet connection to join him and contribute. That's all we have that is notable for this network, but should they air any sitcom acquisitions, we will certainly let you know. So stay with us.

NBCUniversal has partnered with digital publisher Lion Forge Comics to develop licensed comic books based on popular TV shows from the 1980s and 90s. Under the agreement licensed through the NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group, Lion Forge will write, develop and publish digital comics based on five classic series. From hugely popular characters such as Crockett and Tubbs, Zack Morris and Punky Brewster to highly stylized music and clothing choices, these TV franchises have had a significant impact on pop culture. The five series are: Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Punky Brewster and Saved by the Bell. All of these shows are owned by NBCUniversal. Airwolf actually aired on CBS in its original run from 1984-87, while Knight Rider and Miami Vice aired on NBC in primetime. Punky Brewster aired on NBC in its first two seasons before moving to first-run syndication. The series also had a Saturday morning animated series that also aired on NBC. And finally Saved by the Bell was a staple for NBC Saturday mornings and of course spawned two follow-up series: Saved by the Bell: The College Years and Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

Well-known writers currently signed on to work on the projects include: Joelle Sellner (Teen Titans, Jackie Chan Adventures); Jonathan London (Geekscape); Geoffrey Thorne (Leverage, Ben 10) and David Gorden (Catalyst Prime: Accel and Catalyst Prime: Quincredible). Currently, Jason Johnson (Wetworks, Godstorm) and Lion Forge's own Carl Reed and Lorenzo Lizana are on board as artists. The comics are planned for distribution in Q3 and Q4 2013, and will be available through the Amazon Kindle Bookstore, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble's The Nook Book Store and Kobo. Lion Forge executives will participate on a panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego from 6:30–7:30pm PDT on Saturday, July 20, in Room: 26AB (SDCC), where they will discuss these and other properties in development. So more information and a possible sneak peek will likely come then. Stay with us for continued updates!

ION Television has acquired two more cable dramas to their rotation. ION will now air reruns of USA Network's Burn Notice and White Collar. Both series will join the line-up this fall. These two will join other current or former USA Network series like Psych, Monk and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. They also have aired reruns of TNT's Leverage, but currently it is not on the schedule. ION also has reruns of popular broadcast dramas like Criminal Minds, Cold Case, House and Without a Trace, along with Canadian drama Flashpoint. In addition to all of this drama-rama, ION airs many movies, WWE Main Event and filler airings of the sitcom Married...with Children. But of course the bread and butter of this network now are these TV dramas. Burn Notice is currently airing its seventh and final season on USA, while White Collar will return for season five this fall on USA. Burn Notice is also airing in syndication currently on weekends on local affiliates, while White Collar is airing on Thursday nights on MyNetwork TV. However, White Collar will be off of the MyNetwork TV schedule this fall, replaced by new addition Bones, thus the reruns of Collar will move to ION.

Meanwhile, ION Television announced the acquisition option pick-up of season seven of USA's hit series Psych. The deal with NBCUniversal Cable & New Media Distribution adds all 16 new episodes to ION's existing library of seasons 1-6 of Psych and includes rights to future seasons. The series was just renewed for an eighth season. Stay with us for continued updates and the schedule timings for Burn Notice and White Collar as we get closer to the fall.

Summer has started but there are still sitcom airings, new and repeats. We will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 airings - A summer repeat at 8pm did 2.47 million and a 1.04 18-49 rating, which is down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. A 7:30pm repeat leading in did 1.71 million and a 0.70 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 week-to-week from American Dad! in the time period.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did only 1.48 million and a 0.62 18-49 rating, about on par in 18-49 with previous week.
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - An encore airing at 8:30pm did 2.21 million and a 0.91 18-49 rating, back down three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week.
• Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat at 9 posted 3.1 million and a 1.46 18-49 rating, down under a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
• American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 2.84 million and a 1.34 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 4.21 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week.
• Raising Hope (Fox) - A repeat at 8pm did 2.06 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week.
• The Goodwin Games (Fox) - The series finale at 8:30pm did only 1.49 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, but also on par in 18-49 with previous week.
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 4.42 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, down two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's 2 Broke Girls repeat in this slot.
• 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat at 9pm did 5.01 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week when it aired at 8:30.
• New Girl (Fox) - A repeat at 9 did only 1.29 million and just a 0.5 18-49 rating, back down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. It doesn't repeat well for an anchor at all.
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 5.83 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, down four tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
• The Mindy Project (Fox) - A repeat on Fox, did 1.25 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating at 9:30pm, on par in 18-49 with previous week's Anger Management repeat.

• None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• The Middle (ABC) - A summer repeat did 3.15 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
• Family Tools (ABC) - A new episode at 8:30pm did 2.34 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week for another series low.
• Modern Family (ABC) - At 9pm, a summer repeat did 2.96 million and a 0.8 rating, down three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. Day before 4th of July doesn't help.
• The Neighbors (ABC) - The first summer repeat did 2.24 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating at 9:30pm.

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - It's the 4th of July and final ratings are not available yet for Thursday, so we will go off of preliminary ratings. A repeat at 8 did a prelim 5.41 million and a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating, down a preliminary nine tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did a prelim 4.22 million and a prelim 0.9 18-49 rating, which is down a preliminary four tenths in 18-49 from previous week.
• The Office (NBC) - preempted. 
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are repeats of Fox Animation Domination from 7-10pm.

Summing it up. Repeat of the Monday The Big Bang Theory was impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of 2 Broke Girls, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of New Girl and new airing of The Goodwin Games).



Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on TV this summer. Some highlights include: ABC has the finale of Family Tools on this Wednesday at 8:30pm. On cable, Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy are all-new this Wednesday beginning at 8pm. TV Land has all-new episodes of the summer season of Hot in Cleveland this Wednesday at 10pm, followed by a new The Exes at 10:30pm and a brand new The Soul Man at 11pm only on TV Land. BET has a new episode of The Game on Tuesday at 10pm. TBS airs an all-new episode of Sullivan & Son Thursday at 10. Nick at Nite has the Scott Baio sitcom See Dad Run every Sunday at 8pm but a repeat is tonight, while Wendell & Vinnie airs Thursdays at 8:30pm with a repeat this week. FX's Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management airs Thursdays at 9:30pm and is brand new this week. New sitcom airings are the perfect way to beat the summer blues! Look for our daily rundown of what sitcoms are airing each night every day at the bottom of the blog story so you don't miss anything!

Welcome to Digital Digest! It is a very light news week this week (hopefully due to the holiday), but we have a review of Last Resort - The Complete Series. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

There has been a new addition to Netflix this week, as they have rolled out episodes of the current Fox sitcom New Girl. As part of a multi-year exclusive agreement, Netflix added the first season of the series this past Monday, and will add subsequent seasons following the end of each broadcast season.

Shout! Factory has been wrapping up a lot of series from the Nickelodeon library lately, and the latest one will come in a little over a week as they release Hey Dude - The Final Season. However, this release will not be available as a general release. Instead, it will be available exclusively as a Shout! Select title.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (July 9) has no sitcom releases, but it does include the release of Dynasty - The Seventh Season and Quincy, M.E. - Season Six. We'll have a review of Dynasty in the upcoming weeks in Digital Digest.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



DVD Review: Last Resort - The Complete Series (Sony, $38.99)
by Pavan

Timed to be released in conjunction with the 4th of July, all 13 episodes of the critically acclaimed Shawn Ryan drama Last Resort are now on DVD on a three-disc set filled with behind-the-scenes special features from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In the series, a fugitive crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine seeks to uncover the truth behind suspicious orders. The series is filled with drama with action and suspense.

The drama aired Thursdays at 8PM on ABC last fall and lasted 13 episodes. The show starred Andre Braugher as Captain Marcus Chaplin, Scott Speedman as Executive Officer (XO Sam Kendal, Daisy Betts as Lieutenant Grace Shepard, Camille De Pazzis as Sophie Girard, Dichen Lachman as Tani Tumrenjack, Daniel Lissing as Petty Officer James King, Sahr Ngaujah as Julian Serrat, Autumn Reeser as Kylie Sinclair, Jessy Schram as Christine Kendal and Robert Patrick as Command Master Chief Petty Officer (COB) Joseph Prosser.
Recurring stars include Jay Hernandez, Michael Mosley, Ernie Hudson, Michael Gaston, Jay Karnes, and Bruce Davison.

This series was action-packed and of course heavily serialized. You have to watch them all in order or you'd probably be lost. The show got off to a great start, but I think some of the middle episodes lagged a bit in quality but ended well and the acting was always top notch, especially by the two leads and Daisy Betts and Autumn Reeser. The ratings unfortunately were never high and the pilot was the highest rated episode with a 2.2 18-49 rating. Among the memorable episodes include the first episode, "Captain," where with nowhere left to turn, a nuclear missile sub Captain and his XO will go on the run and bring their crew to an exotic island. In "Voluntold," even as Marcus and Sam learn that they have been charged with treason against the United States, a greater threat within their own crew is brewing, while an old friend of Sam's, Paul Wells (guest star Jay Hernandez), pays Christine a visit and tries to ease her fears about her husband. In "Skeleton Crew," in an attempt to end the standoff on Sainte Marina, Marcus and Sam enter into tense negotiations with the U.S. Government, while when a critical system fails, Grace must take command of the Colorado on a perilous repair operation. In "Nuke It Out," as Marcus and Sam hunt for the traitor in their ranks who stole their nuclear launch key, Prosser disobeys orders and starts a small war he can't control, while Grace and James must work together to defuse a dangerous situation, as back in D.C. Christine is indicted as Sam's co-conspirator. In "Damn the Torpedoes," a typhoon, a mutiny and a Washington coup d'etat will force Marcus and his crew into unlikely alliances, as Sam's grief strains his loyalty to Marcus, will Sainte Marina get the supplies it so desperately needs and how far will Marcus go to ensure the crew's survival -- will it cost him his life? And in the exciting series finale "Controlled Flight Into Terrain," a violent battle for control erupts on the submarine, which leaves the Colorado vulnerable to capture by a third party -- one with an exploitative plan, so can Marcus and Sam take control of the sub before it's too late?

The episodes run usually 42-43 minutes, all unedited of course. They are very consistent except one episode is under 42 minutes. There are 9 chapter stops per episode, but the first one has 7. See the runtimes for each episode below:

Disc one
1. "Captain" 44:08
2. "Blue on Blue" 43:00
3. "Eight Bells" 43:00
4. "Voluntold" 42:59
5. "Skeleton Crew" 43:00

Disc two
6. "Another Fine Navy Day" 41:54
7. "Nuke It Out" 42:43
8. "Big Chicken Dinner" 42:08
9. "Cinderella Liberty" 42:46

Disc three
10. "Blue Water" 43:06
11. "Damn the Torpedoes" 43:10
12. "The Pointy End of the Spear" 43:13
13. "Controlled Flight Into Terrain" 43:10

Packaging has a nice thing cover holding a case and has shot of XO Sam Kendall with a U.S. flag with water, submarine, planes and an explosion in the background. The tagline "Honor In Defiance" appears on the front cover towards the bottom along with the show logo on the top. The back cover has information on the series & set and has five photos of stars (Chaplin, Prosser, Kylie, Sam, and James). There is also a section detailing the special features in a box with technical specifications below. Inside the box is the case. The front of the case has the same artwork as the outer box, and the same goes true for the back of the case. Opening the case, we don't get any inserts, but the panels itself have photos on both panels and we have a disc-by-disc breakdown of episodes. We have episode number, title and a synopsis of the episode. All three discs are stacked on top of each other on the right panel. I don't like that at all, as if you want to watch discs two and three, you have to remove the previous disc(s). It can be easily damaged. Not sure why Sony continues to do this? The discs are in navy blue and has artwork of the show's characters and the disc number is labeled in military time style. Disc 0100 has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Sam. Disc 0200 has episodes 6-9 with artwork of Grace. Disc 0300 has episodes 10-13 and has artwork of Marcus. Disc placement makes the packaging below average.

The menu screen has the same image of Sam with a flag inside the water. It is kind of like the cover art, but not everything in the background from that is present here. There is no music or anything playing the background. The options on the main menu are Play All Episodes, Episode Selections, Languages, and Special Features. The latter option is spread out on all three discs and lists the special feature. The Languages section has the option of audio in English or Spanish and subtitles in English, French, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, or Thai. The Episode Selections option gives us the episode title to choose but no screenshot from the episode. Each submenu has different artwork in the background but no music still. It's average quality for these menus.

The video is amazing as it should be since the series aired in the most recent season (2012-13). It is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and looks excellent. It's HD-like, even though it isn't s Blu-ray release. I have a DVD player that upconverts to HD, so who needs a Blu-ray player? Just kidding, I have one of those and it is flawless. The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. We also get to hear the nice closing theme, as on ABC there are promos at the end of the episode. And as mentioned, we get 9 chapter stops per episode. We have many subtitles, as mentioned in previous section. There should be nothing wrong with audio/video with current series and there isn't on this set. Good job here Sony!

Moving on to the bonus features, each disc has some. We get 13 featurettes that are under the Last Resort: Declassified umbrella. These are all just under 5 minutes in length each and has behind the scenes information and insight. Interviewed throughout are cast members and crew members including Martin Campbell, Shawn Ryan, Jean Higgins, Daniel Lissing, Daisy Betts, Eric Frazer, Scott Speedman, Andre Braugher, Autumn Reeser, Sahr Ngaujah, Kevin Hooks, Karl Gajdusek, Robert Patrick, Jim Spencer, Brenda Meyers-Ballard, Jessy Schram, Jay Hernandez, Jessica Camacho, Will Rothhaar, Camille De Pazzis, David Altenau, and Dichen Lachman. On disc one we have five featurettes. "Making the Pilot" (4:15) is taking viewers behind the scenes for a look at the making of the pilot episode. Then we have "Profiles in Courage" (4:37) where co-creators and executive producers Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek explore the dossiers of the USS Colorado crew members. In "Conn Artists" (4:27) Production Designer Jim Spencer and Set Decorator Brenda Meyers-Ballard reveal the secrets of the nerve center of the USS Colorado. "Anatomy of an Episode - "Voluntold" (4:48) has cast and crew recounting filming the pivotal moments from this episode. Finally on disc one we have "Grace Under Fire" (4:45) where Daisy Betts reflects on the obstacles that her character Grace Shepard confronts in "Skeleton Crew" and how the lieutenant's role is evolving.

On disc two we have "Ties That Bind" (4:54) where we ponder if Christine will defend Sam to the end? The stars discuss the strain on this crucial relationship and how Sophie and Paul are complicating matters. In "Subvirtual" (4:52) we take a look at how the Fuse FX team created the show's stunning computer-generated visual effects. Then in "The Buzzard's Nest" (4:21) the cast and crew talk about constructing Tani's bar and filming the explosive riot scenes in "Big Chicken Dinner." Lastly on disc two, "Turning Point" (4:52) Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek recap the Naval SEAL mission in Pakistan that sets off the chain of events in the series. Onto disc three, we start with "The Mole" (4:36) where Jessica Camacho peels away the layers around Cortez's undercover role aboard the USS Colorado. In "Serrat's Lair" (4:47) we get a look inside the ornate and elaborate estate that serves as Serrat's island compound. In "I, Kylie" (4:59) as troubles at home come to a head, Autumn Reeser recounts the motives and evolution of the outspoken Kylie Sinclair. And finally in "Epilogue" (4:58) cast and crew recount the harrowing events in the finale "Controlled Flight Into Terrain" and speculate on where the characters would go from here.

It's a good show, good set. I wish the show had more than 13 episodes to give us, but what we have here has a beginning and ending. That's good, I guess. I highly recommend this series and if you started and stopped, now is your chance to see the conclusion. The series was very good and even what I thought were some boring episodes, it was one of the best new dramas this season. The DVD itself is good. The special features are good but I wish we had more variety. The featurettes are great, but I would have liked some bloopers and maybe audio commentary on some of these episodes. I would have also liked some deleted scenes. The packaging is decent but the disc placement makes it so hard to say anything positive about the packaging. Everything else is average or above average on this set. I hope we see Daisy Betts and Autumn Reeser on TV again very soon. Both were the stars to watch on this show besides the two leads of course. Anyway, go out and buy this set because you'll get 13 action-packed episodes that has a conclusion, so you won't be left hanging by any means. Honor this series by buying the DVD. Your captain orders you to do so!

(4/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Main Reviews Page
Last Resort TV.com Page


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Chris Pratt (Twitter), "laughing with you, not at you."
Claim to Fame: Chris Pratt first came to be known by TV audiences with his role in the series Everwood, but to sitcom fans, he became known for his role of Andy Dwyer on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Why You Should Follow Him: Pratt is one of those actors that you hear about and think he is just an ordinary guy... and you wouldn't be wrong at all. In fact, he didn't come from a family of fame. He was born in Minnesota, raised in Washington, and was "discovered" while working as a waiter in Hawaii. He really was just an ordinary guy until he was 21 years old, and you can really see that in Twitter. He likes to drop a lot of f-bombs, for sure, but he is also a funny guy who doesn't seem to be obsessed with himself. It'll be interesting to see what direction he goes as he progresses in his career, and following him on Twitter is a good way to watch that.
Pick of the Tweets: "If I played Edward Scissor Hands in paper, rock, scissors every once in a while I'd throw a paper in there so he wouldn't feel too bad." (February 10, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Fox will preview its upcoming new Saturday late night animated comedy block in primetime. Animation Domination High-Def will launch with a special primetime preview on Sunday, July 21 on Fox. The preview will feature the debuts of quarter-hour comedy series Axe Cop from 9:30-9:45 PM ET/PT and High School USA! from 9:45-10:00 PM ET/PT. Vincent Kartheiser, Mandy Moore, Ken Marino, Patton Oswalt, Rob Huebel and Megan Mullally are among the featured voice talent on these two series. The actual block will launch on Saturday, July 27 at 11:00 PM ET/PT, as Animation Domination High-Def premieres with all-new installments of Axe Cop from 11:00-11:15 PM ET/PT and High School USA! from 11:15-11:30 PM ET/PT, followed by encore presentations of the previous week's quarter-hour episodes from 11:30-11:45 PM and 11:45 PM-Midnight ET/PT, as well as repeats of The Cleveland Show from 12 Midnight-12:30 AM ET/PT.

Action-comedy Axe Cop follows the most bad-ass superhero who ever existed! Operating on only two minutes of sleep a night and fueled by a diet consisting solely of birthday cake, Axe Cop and his loyal partner, Flute Cop, unleash their unique brand of vigilante justice on bad guys everywhere - including stopping Hitler from creating an army of evil zombie robots and finding the villain who killed Axe Cop's parents. The series ensemble cast includes Megan Mullally (Childrens Hospital, Will & Grace), Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille), Ken Marino (Childrens Hospital), Peter Serafinowicz (Shaun of the Dead) and weekly guest stars such as Giancarlo Esposito (Revolution); rapper Tyler, The Creator; Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad); Rob Huebel (Despicable Me); and Dan Harmon (Community). In High School USA!, join the super-positive, millennial students of High School USA!, as they confront all the unique challenges of growing up in a modern world. Led by the painfully naïve and always upbeat Marsh Merriwether, there is nothing these kids can't put a positive spin on, from cyber-bullying to Adderall-addiction to embarrassing sexting incidents. The series features an all-star cast including Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) and Mandy Moore (Tangled). 6 quarter-hour episodes of both series have been ordered. Stay with us for continued updates and also a review of both of these closer to the July 21 preview launch.


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 July 8-12, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, July 8, 2013

• Michael Cera (Arrested Development) - Watch Michael on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Mary-Louise appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Heather Locklear (Spin City/Going Places) - Heather is a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Louie Anderson (Life with Louie/The Louie Show) - Louie visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Nick Swardson (Reno 911!) - Nick stops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?/Romantically Challenged) - Alyssa chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. And if you're in New York City, catch her on Good Day New York on WNYW Fox5 at 9am.
• Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Allison guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia drops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Mark Feuerstein (Good Morning, Miami) - Mark appears on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. He will also be on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life) - Lisa discusses her experience on Survivor on Home & Family at 10am on Hallmark Channel.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

• David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - Catch David on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC. He will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) - Mary-Louise continues to make the rounds on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Breckin Meyer (Married to the Kellys/Inside Schwartz) - Breckin is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - Kaley appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Luis Guzman (Luis/How to Make It in America) - Luis will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?/Romantically Challenged) - Alyssa guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

• Tony Hale (Veep/Arrested Development) - Watch Tony on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric stops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Charlie Hunnam (Undeclared) - Charlie is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ken Jeong (Community) - Ken talks about Turbo on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
• Judy Reyes (Scrubs) and Grant Show (Accidentally on Purpose) - Judy, Grant and other Devious Maids cast members will be on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Ricky Schroder (Silver Spoons) - Ricky discusses his respect and admiration for the armed services and reveals how he’s partnered with the United States Army on “Starting Strong;” his wife, Andrea, joins Ricky and talks about her line of candles and how you can make your own candle at home on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

• Kevin James (The King of Queens) - Catch Kevin on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. Kevin, David Spade and the rest of the cast of Grown Ups 2 will be on Katie, so check your local listings.
• Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) - Ben appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) - Charlie visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Eve (Eve) - Eve is part of the guest panel on a repeat of Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
• Jason Biggs (Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason chats with ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Friday, July 12, 2013

• Don Rickles (C.P.O. Sharkey/Daddy Dearest) - Watch Mr. Warmth on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Miranda guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kevin James (The King of Queens) - Kevin visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Dave Franco (Scrubs) - Dave appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Café) - Whoopi chats on Katie, so check your local listings.
• John Goodman (Roseanne) - John guests on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan appears on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

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

Happy 4th of July to all of you out there! We hope you are enjoying the day off on our country's birthday! It's time to relax and watch some TV on this holiday! We are known for letting you know what marathons are airing on TV on holidays and we will do the same for this 4th of July as well! So, bring out your beach towel, BBQ some hot dogs, and stay cool indoors and watch some television!

Among the marathons we have already mentioned include the second annual Gidget Independence Day marathon on Antenna TV starting at 11am with every episode airing today. Locally, we have the second annual I Love Lucy marathon in New York City on WLNY-TV from 9am-9pm. Lucccccccccccy! Universal HD continues its Charlie's Angels "From the Beginning" Marathon all-day today and tomorrow! Cloo TV will have its second "Jump the Shark" marathon featuring many classic TV shows, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow (Friday, July 5) starting at 6am.

Other marathons of note include a Martin marathon on TV One from 7pm-2am (following the scheduled Living Single Wednesday block from 11am-5pm), while TV Land continues its week-long morning The Andy Griffith marathon from 8am-2pm. There is also a Steve Harvey Show marathon on Centric from 11am-9pm. SOAPnet has a Beverly Hills, 90210 Life's a Beach marathon from 10am-6pm if you still receive the network. Of course it wouldn't be the 4th of July without a Twilight Zone marathon on Syfy from 8am-6am. TNT has a marathon of the ratings hit Castle from 11am-8pm, as it continues to do well for TNT. Lifetime will turn the day over to a Real-Life Murder Movie Marathon from 8am-10pm, with stars like Dean Cain, Tom Cavanagh and Amy Davidson starring in these films. LMN will air a Perfect Movie marathon starting at 6am with stars like Josie Davis in The Perfect Assistant. AMC has a Walking Dead marathon from 1pm-3am, while ABC Family will honor the country with a National Treasure movie marathon from 12pm-11pm. BBC America goes into space again with Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon from 8am-6am. UP (formerly known as GMC), will have a Touched by an Angel marathon from 10am-9pm. ION starts the day with Without a Trace with a marathon from 2pm-8pm. And if you're into some reality TV, we have a Keeping Up with the Kardashians marathon starting at 8am on E! and a Tia & Tamera marathon on Style starting at 6am. More marathons include Chiller's 24-hour Fear Factor marathon, Encore's Back to the Future trilogy marathon starting at 6:15am, and USA Network's NCIS marathon from 6am-4am.

Firweworks in primetime are on NBC (Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular) from 8-10pm (with an abbreviated encore at 10pm). But my pick of the night for fireworks is on PBS with A Capitol Fourth live from Washington D.C. at 8pm hosted by Tom Bergeron. It was great last year and Tom returns again for the second straight year. And finally, it wouldn't be Independence Day without the movie by the same name starring Will Smith. It airs on A&E at 8pm tonight.
Our friends at TV Tango have compiled a FULL LIST of marathons today! Bring out your lawn chair, throw some burgers on the BBQ, and watch some television!

TVGN (TV Guide Network) has added a few more series to its line-up. They have quietly added the '90s sitcom The Naked Truth to its weekday line-up and drama NUMB3RS to the Monday primetime line-up. The Naked Truth is airing weekdays at 1:00pm & 1:30pm following a block of Cheers from 11am-1pm. Cheers was added on June 15 and also airs weekdays from 5-7pm, as we previously mentioned. With the addition of The Young & the Restless at 7pm, TVGN has moved Who's the Boss? to 3-5pm following Designing Women from 2-3pm. Designing Women is also airing 9-10am, as a result now Ugly Betty is off of the line-up. The comedy-drama was airing weekdays from 9-11am, but now the aforementioned Designing Women airing is 9-10am and The Young & the Restless is at 10am. As for NUMB3RS, the mathematical drama is airing every Monday night in primetime at 8pm & 9pm. NUMB3RS can also be seen on MyNetwork TV on Wednesday nights and is no longer airing on Hallmark Channel/Hallmark Movie Channel.

Back to The Naked Truth, the series lasted three seasons (first on ABC then the last two seasons on NBC) but it has aired on cable in reruns in the past. It aired on USA Network in the late '90s before popping up on WE tv in the early 2000's. The series starred Téa Leoni and co-starred Holland Taylor. The show took place at the office of a tabloid news publication. Stay with us for continued updates on TVGN and we hope even more sitcoms are added soon!

Nickelodeon conjures up some supernatural fun in the brand-new live-action multi-camera comedy series, The Haunted Hathaways, debuting Saturday, July 13, at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Created by veteran comedy writer-producer Robert Peacock (Reba, The Jeff Foxworthy Show), the scripted half-hour series features a talented ensemble cast and chronicles the journey of Michelle Hathaway and her two daughters Taylor and Frankie, as they move to New Orleans only to discover that their new home is already being occupied by a dad and his sons... who happen to be ghosts. New episodes of The Haunted Hathaways will air regularly Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, and will also be available the day after air on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, Vudu and other Download To Own storefronts. The Haunted Hathaways follows the adventures of a not-so-typical blended family. When Michelle Hathaway (Ginifer King) relocates to New Orleans, LA., to open a bakery with her daughters Taylor (Amber Montana) and Frankie (Breanna Yde), they quickly learn that life in the "Big Easy" is very different. Unbeknownst to them, their new home is already occupied by a ghost family comprised of jazz musician father Ray Preston (Chico Benymon), and his sons Miles (Curtis Harris) and Louie (Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores Jr.). After agreeing to live under one roof, they come to care about and rely on one another while driving each other crazy-- just like any normal family would. Though leery at first, the Hathaways soon discover how much fun life can be when living with ghosts. 20 episodes have been ordered.

We mentioned a few months back that TV One has picked up a second season of original sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show, but now we have the exact premiere date. TV One will premiere the second season of the network's original hit sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show on Friday, July 26 at 9:00pm ET. Loosely inspired by the real-life experiences and antics of lauded comedian, TV, and radio personality Rickey Smiley, the series pulls TV One viewers even deeper into "Rickey's World" this season, introducing two additional alter egos to his already beloved, wacky troupe of trademark personalities. Season one introduced audiences to leading man Rickey, a popular, Atlanta-based national radio personality juggling career and life as a single father of three. Fatherhood and radio station duties were often complicated by appearances from hilarious alter egos made popular by the star in his radio and TV routines, including church lady Sister Bernice Jenkins, gospel crooner Joe Willie, and Rickey's Southern Baptist church leader, Pastor Watkins. Joining the chaos in Season Two are Smiley personas Lil' Darryl, a boy in coke-bottle glasses who's been in the fourth grade for nearly 12 years and often shows up at Rickey's door unannounced, and Clarence the Janitor, a Birmingham-area school custodian who wears an elevated orthopedic boot to combat his uneven leg condition and claims to be a "professional soft shoe dancer."

Rejoining Smiley for the 13-episode second season is a stellar ensemble cast including: Ray J as Kenny, Rickey's morning show producer and protégé; J. Anthony Brown as Rickey's radio station manager Maurice, aka "Mo-Sweets" from his earlier rap career; veteran actress Roz Ryan as Aunt Sylvia; Jay Lewis (Lil JJ) as Rickey's 18-year-old son Brandon; Ajiona Alexus as Rickey's 16-year-old daughter De'Anna; Gabriel Burgess as his youngest son Aaron; Noree Victoria as his business manager Simone Renee Jackson; and Demetria McKinney as Rickey's uber-career oriented ex-wife, Monica. Additionally, Season Two will feature a jam-packed lineup of celebrity guest stars and special appearances including: Kenya Moore, Cynthia Bailey, Syleena Johnson, Angie Stone, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, Antonia "Toya" Carter, Porsche Stewart, Creflo Dollar, Benji Brown, Dottie Peoples, Ann Nesby, Carl Payne, Corey Holcomb, Charlie Murphy, David Banner, Pierre, Joe Claire, Lil Scrappy, Momma Dee, and Doug E Fresh among others.

Television writer and producer George Burditt, who worked on Three's Company, has died. He died on June 25 in Burbank, California. Mr. Burditt was 89.

Burditt wrote over thirty episodes of Three's Company. He also worked as an executive story consultant on over fifty episodes from 1976-1979. He served as a producer on the show for the final three seasons from 1981-1984. In addition to his credits on Three's Company, he worked on the spin-off series. He wrote eight episodes of The Ropers and three episodes of Three's a Crowd, which he also served as an executive producer on for its one season. He was interviewed for the E! True Hollywood Story in 1998 and the A&E Biography special on Three's Company in 2009.

His other sitcom writing credits included All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons and Doc. He earned four Emmy nominations for his writing on the variety series The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1972 and 1974) and Van Dyke and Company (1976 and 1977). His other production credits included Silver Spoons and 227.

Survivors include his wife Joyce, a television writer and one of the creators of Diagnosis Murder; three children; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. His son Jack Burditt is an Emmy-winning producer and writer of Frasier and 30 Rock and the creator of Last Man Standing. We thank him for the laughs he brought us on Three's Company. It's always sad when we lose a member of the Three's Company family. He will be missed.

After recently announcing over 200 hours of original programming, Ovation TV, America's only arts network, has additionally acquired all episodes of critically acclaimed series Smash from NBCUniversal Cable & New Media. Ovation will debut the series beginning Friday, July 19 at 8pm ET. Ovation will air Smash every Friday at 8pm. Season two is set to debut on Ovation in November. Following the struggles of a New York theater company, Smash brings to life the drama surrounding the creation of a new Broadway musical, "Bombshell," based on the life of the legendary Marilyn Monroe. Smash features a multi-talented, all-star ensemble cast, led by Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan and Anjelica Huston. The first season received the Primetime Emmy Award(R) for Outstanding Choreography and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award(R) and a Grammy Award(R). All 32 episodes will air on Ovation. The series was recently canceled and the last episode aired on Sunday, May 26.

Ovation also had been airing reruns of So You Think You Can Dance on Friday nights. Back in March, Ovation aired the mini-series Ben Hur on Sunday, March 31. The epic four-hour miniseries aired during an Easter weekend programming event and was based on the novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ" by Lew Wallace, the miniseries, which was filmed in Morocco, starred Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries) as Judah Ben Hur and Emily VanCamp (Revenge) as Esther. Stay with us for continued updates on Ovation and Smash.

They're tiny, they're toony...they're all a little loony and in this cartoony, they're invading your TV (again)! Yes, they are as The Hub Network, a destination for kids and their families, continues to add to its summer lineup by presenting the hilariously funny animated series from Steven Spielberg Tiny Toon Adventures, starting today (Monday, July 1), at 6 pm ET/PT. The series will air weekdays at 6:00pm and 6:30pm ET (along with weekday mornings from 10am-11am ET/PT). The series will also air on weekends with airing sat 6:30am and 12 noon. Tiny Toon Adventures hasn't been on cable TV in about 8 years since it aired on the Nickelodeon networks (Nick and Nicktoons). Tiny Toon Adventures will lead into Animaniacs every weekday at 7 & 7:30pm.

In the hit series, a new generation of young cartoon characters attend Acme Acres Looniversity, where they embark on a series of off-the-wall adventures while learning the basics of comedy from their Looney Tunes mentors. Popular characters include Buster Bunny, Babs Bunny, Plucky Duck, Hamton J. Pig, Fifi La Fume, Dizzy Devil, Calamity Coyote, Sweetie Bird and the mischievous, Elmyra. Stay tuned right here for more updates on The Hub, including their sitcom airings (Sabrina, Family Ties, Mork & Mindy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, ALF and Who's the Boss?) and dramas (Lois & Clark, Sliders and Hercules).