SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

We are in the summer season in television. 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! We have some new broadcast sitcom airings this summer, see below. Here are our summer ratings:

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got follow ups about the Emmy Award nominations, a look at a potential new sitcom in which Alec Baldwin could be star and executive producer, and news about WKRP and Wonder Years DVDs. Let's get started!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• There is now not one, but two release dates for WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Series. The general retail release will come on October 28, but if you want it a month earlier, Shout! Factory will begin shipping orders placed on their website on September 25.
• TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that a special announcement will be coming regarding the release of The Wonder Years on Monday, but the announcement will first be sent to those who are signed up for email updates about the release at the official Wonder Years on DVD website from TimeLife. We're guessing that it will be an announcement of a release date, but the only way to know for sure is to sign up for the email updates.

JULY 15 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Diff'rent Strokes - Season 1 and 2 (DVD, $14.98): Mill Creek's first release of the series comes to DVD, although it is a re-release of the sets previously released by Sony, but without the special features (also available in configurations of just the first season or second season).

Who to Follow: Sean Hayes (Twitter), "This is the OFFICIAL Twitter page for Sean Hayes (Actor, Producer & (occasional) Ivory Tickler). I don't wear a piece. It's real."

Claim to Fame: Sean Hayes got an unsuspecting start to his acting career during high school, as an extra in the film Lucas (which was filmed at his high school), but it was 1998 that he first became known to TV audiences with the series Will & Grace. The NBC series was very successful and ran for eight seasons. Since that time, he has formed his own production company and has been busy producing series such as Hot in Cleveland, The Soul Man, and Grimm. Last season, he appeared in the sitcom Sean Saves the World (which he also produced), and this coming season, he will be appearing as a regular on the CBS series The Millers.

Pick of the Tweets: "Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. Here's me on my 19th Birthday. Please tell me this jacket is still in. pic.twitter.com/ZPbl81sLpD" (June 26, 2014)

Blog Book Review - George Burns Television Productions: The Series and Pilots, 1950-1981

by skees53

George Burns Television Productions: The Series and Pilots, 1950-1981 (McFarland, $39.95) takes a deeper look at the George Burns that we all know and love. Many know Burns as the comedic actor who appeared on The Burns and Allen Show, alongside wife Gracie Allen, but he was much more than an actor. He was also a producer, who produced The Burns and Allen Show, along with several other comedies and even dramatic series. Author Richard Irvin, who found his inspiration for learning more about George Burns (the producer) through watching reruns of The Burns and Allen Show on Antenna TV, makes the producer career the focus of this book.

Of course, George Burns is older than television itself... much older, in fact, as he was born on January 20, 1896. The Burns and Allen duo first debuted on stage in 1922, was first heard on radio in 1932, and finally made it to the "new medium" of television in 1950, when Burns was already well into his 50s. Throughout those earlier days, Burns was already a producer, and his new television series would be no exception. In 1952, when The Burns and Allen Show switched from live TV to film, McCadden Productions (named after the street on which his younger brother lived) came into existence, and within a year, McCadden became one of the top production companies in Hollywood.

While the book does take a focus on the career of George Burns as a producer, it does not completely neglect his legendary TV series. In the second chapter of the book, we get a look at the first two seasons of The Burns and Allen Show. These were the live years, as that was how many TV series was done in the early days, and the book goes through each of the seasons in detail, but not necessarily exclusively focusing on the production role of Burns. The third chapter continues the discussion of the series, focusing on the filmed years (which continue to air on Antenna TV to this day).

The fourth chapter of the book switches to another completely different series that McCadden Productions produced, and one that actually turned out to be just as successful as The Burns and Allen Show, The Bob Cummings Show. Debuting in the middle of the 1954-1955 season on NBC (and also making history as the first mid-season replacement series), the series ran for five seasons and 153 episodes. Once again, the book goes into a season-by-season look at the series in general, and talks about the production changes made throughout the series. The fifth chapter takes a look at yet another series that Burns was involved in the production of in the same season-by-season manner, The People's Choice, which starred Jackie Cooper.

The sixth chapter gives fans a deeper view into the pilots that didn't quite make it. It is interesting to read about some of these that were new ideas that just completely died out when they weren't made, but two of the series actually did make it... just not with George Burns. The book talks about how George Burns had been given the rights to produce a TV series version of Dobie Gillis in 1955, but creative differences ultimately meant that he had no involvement in the series once it actually debuted in 1959, after Burns' option on creating the series had run out. Many do not realize, though, that McCadden was also involved in a few dramatic productions, including the series Panic! Although Burns was not taking a direct role as producer in those dramatic series, he did help with these series financially.

Gracie Allen eventually retired from show-business in 1958, but George Burns wasn't ready to give up. Unfortunately, his attempt to continue the series without his wife didn't work quite as well, but he did make other attempts that were more successful. A few years earlier, McCadden had produced a pilot for Mister Ed. That pilot didn't sell, but Filmways tried again later on (with some involvement from Burns, at least initially), and it became a hit series. Other projects were done with Warner Brothers and United Artists, all leading up to his last pilot in 1981, where he served as producer on a series that was essentially a remake of The George Burns and Allen Show. The series appeared to have a chance when ABC picked it up and gave it a timeslot, but things didn't quite work out as hoped, thanks to a last minute renewal of Mork and Mindy.

In the end, it is clear that George Burns was not necessarily as successful as a producer as Norman Lear or Garry Marshall (both of whom were capable of cranking out hit after hit with their names attached to them), but considering the success that Burns had as a comedian and actor, the fact that he was capable of even having a production career that included his series and many others that were successful enough to make it to television is a part of his career worth learning more about, and this book satisfies that goal.

(4/5 stars)

The 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations were made earlier this morning. Here are the nominees for the main categories:

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Ricky Gervais, Derek (Netflix)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Fred Arminsen, Portlandia (IFC)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Detective (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Kerry Washington, Scandal (ABC)
Julia Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt, Downtown Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)

View the full list of nominations. The 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs LIVE Monday, August 25 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on NBC.

The Hallmark Channel announced a lot of news on upcoming series and movies during their 2014 TCA Summer Press Tour. First, Hallmark Channel's two-time Daytime Emmy® nominated Lifestyle Series, Home & Family, will continue to deliver fresh, fun and informative segments in its third season premiering Fall 2014 airing Monday -Friday (10am-12pm ET/PT, 9am–11am CT). Hallmark Channel announced its new Original Scripted Primetime Series, The Good Witch, based on the network's most successful original movie series of all time and starring Catherine Bell (Army Wives, JAG), will start production on Season One this fall in Toronto. The network is also proud to add Critics Choice Movie Award nominee Bailee Madison (Hallmark's upcoming movie Northpole, Trophy Wife) as a series cast regular and Academy Award® nominated producer, writer and director Dan Petrie Jr. (Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II) as show runner. Season one will have 10 episodes and is slated for a Q1 2015 premiere. And Hallmark Channel's beloved postables return in a Special, two-hour event, Signed, Sealed, Delivered Christmas, airing in Holiday 2014.

And finally, the stars are out in upcoming new original movies. Morgan Fairchild and Lindsay Hartley star in Perfect On Paper, World Premiere September 20. Danielle Panabaker & Shawn Roberts mix a pinch of romance with a dash of delicious cuisine in Recipe For Love, October 11. Autumn Reeser, Christopher Russell and Richard Burgi star in Midnight Masquerade On October 18. There's more mystery brewing in Middleton for Catherine Bell in The Good Witch's Wonder, World Premiere October 25. Then it's time for the holiday season! Tiffani Thiessen, Josh Hopkins, Bailee Madison & Max Charles star in Northpole, November 15. Brandon Routh, Kimberley Sustad and Gregory Harrison star in The Nine Lives Of Christmas, Holiday 2014. Sarah Carter in One Starry Christmas, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, World Premiere Holiday 2014. Lacey Chabert stars with Jane Seymour in a majestic holiday story fit for a queen, A Royal Christmas. Jessalyn Gilsig meets a heaven-sent matchmaker in Angels And Ornaments this holiday season. When Calls The Heart star Erin Krakow stars alongside Emmy® Nominee Alan Thicke, in A Cookie Cutter Christmas this Holiday 2014.

Previously announced were The Facts of Life stars Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields reuniting in For Better Or Worse, premiering next Saturday (July 19), Stranded in Paradise starring Emmy® Award winner Vanessa Marcil and James Denton premiering August 9 and My Boyfriends' Dog on Sept. 6 starring Erika Christensen and Joyce DeWitt.

Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes has joined the cast of The Millers as a series regular. His character will be introduced during the comedy's second season premiere, Thursday, Oct. 30 at 8:30PM ET/PT on CBS. Hayes will play Kip Withers, Carol Miller's (Margo Martindale) new best friend and a new source of friction for Carol's son, Nathan (Will Arnett). Sean Hayes is an actor, producer and Emmy Award winner for his role as Jack McFarland for eight seasons on the sitcom Will & Grace. Most recently, Hayes starred in and executive produced the comedy series Sean Saves the World. His additional television credits include Smash, Up All Night and playing icon Jerry Lewis in Martin & Lewis.

The Millers stars Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, Margo Martindale, Jayma Mays, JB Smoove, Nelson Franklin and Lulu Wilson. Greg Garcia and James Burrows serve as executive producers.

Actor Bob Hastings, who starred as Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter in McHale's Navy, has died. He died from prostate cancer on June 30 in Burbank, California. Mr. Hastings was 89.

Hastings' early television appearances included Captain Video and His Video Rangers, Atom Squad, The United States Steel Hour, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, The Edge of Night, The Big Story and Deadline. His first recurring role was as a lieutenant in The Phil Silvers Show (aka Sergeant Bilko). He appeared in a total of eight episodes.

He made guest appearances in many sitcoms in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including The Real McCoys, Hennesey, The Donna Reed Show, Window on Main Street, The Gertrude Berg Show, Car 54, Where Are You?, Pete and Gladys (three episodes), Room for One More, Dennis the Menace (five episodes) and Petticoat Junction.

Hastings starred as the yes-man Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter in ABC's McHale's Navy. The popular sitcom ran four seasons from 1962-1966. His character was Binghamton's (Joe Flynn) sycophantic aide. He was humorously called "Carpy" and "Little Leadbottom" by McHale and his men. Hastings reunited with other cast members for "The Crew Remembers" special feature on the McHale's Navy - Season One DVD release in 2007.

Some of his other sitcom work included the voice of The Raven in The Munsters. He also played "Cousin Phantom of the Opera" in the TV movie The Munsters' Revenge in 1981. Hastings made guest appearances in Hogan's Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, The Good Guys, The Flying Nun, Here's Lucy, Green Acres, Nanny and the Professor, My Three Sons, Love, American Style and The Odd Couple.

He had a recurring role as bar owner Tommy Kelsey (or Kelcy) in All in the Family from 1973-1977. His other sitcom guest appearances in the 1970s included Karen, The Love Boat, Szysznyk, Operation Petticoat, Alice and Three's Company. He provided voices for many animated series, including Beany and Cecil, The New Adventures of Superboy, Jeannie, Clue Club, Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. For a complete listing of his credits, please visit his IMDB page.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Joan, four children, ten grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. Mr. Hastings was a terrific on-screen and off-screen character actor. He seemed to drop in almost every major sitcom in the 1960s. We thank him for entertaining us for many years. He will be greatly missed.

Antenna TV commemorated the life of actor Bob Hastings with a marathon of his work on Saturday, July, 5 featuring episodes of McHale's Navy as well as other sitcoms where he had guest appearances like Dennis the Menace, I Dream of Jeannie, The Flying Nun, Green Acres and All in the Family.

Share your memories on our McHale's Navy message board. View photos in our galleries.

Crown Media Family Networks, the country's most trusted source for quality wholesome entertainment, debuted the new look and logo for Hallmark Movie Channel's imminent rebrand to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The brand repositioning, which will come to life across digital and linear platforms on October 1, follows the successful brand redesign for sister network, Hallmark Channel 2 years ago.

Maintaining parent company Hallmark Cards' iconic moniker and emblem, Hallmark Movie Channel's new name and logo design emphasize the exciting next phase in the network's evolution, as it expands and redefines its mix of original programming and stakes an ownership claim on the sofside of the mystery genre. In addition, by dropping the word "channel" from its name, the network is better positioned for long term growth in a rapidly changing landscape that includes traditional linear, as well as digital platforms. The network's enhanced programming slate will include three Mystery Wheel movie franchises, which will debut in 2015.

Disney Channel has ordered a second season of the single-camera comedy series I Didn't Do It, starring popular actress and recording artist Olivia Holt (Disney XD's Kickin' It), Austin North, Piper Curda, Peyton Clark, and Sarah Gilman. The series premiered in January and season to date is Disney Channel's #1 series among Tweens 9-14 (a tie) and ranks among the network's Top 5 series with both Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11. New episodes of I Didn't Do It premiere Sundays at 8:30pm ET/PT on Disney Channel. Each episode begins with the close-knit group of five teenagers in the midst of a wild occurrence - something incredible, something so comically absurd, it has them trying to explain away the craziness. Through a series of flashbacks, they recount the various and sometimes random moments leading up to their present predicament. And speaking of Disney Channel, don't forget the second episode of Girl Meets World airs this Friday at its normal time of 8:30pm.

As we mentioned on our 4th of July marathons story, Batman is now on IFC and aired in a 4th of July marathon on Friday (Holy Marathon!). The campy '60 series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin is airing weekdays at 7:30am & 8am and again in the afternoon usually around 3:30pm and 4pm. The times vary, but you'll get four episodes every weekday, so check your listings for exact time. The series will also air on weekends, airing in a block format around 8-11am, with once again times varying. Batman joins the line-up of other comedies and series such as The Three Stooges, Malcolm in the Middle and original comedies like Portlandia and Maron. Upcoming new comedy Garfunkel and Oates premieres Thursday, Aug. 7 at 10. Garfunkel and Oates centers on the aspirations and misadventures of the female comedy-folk duo Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) and Kate Micucci (Oates), and will spotlight the personal and professional lives of the duo whose career choices – singing satirical and sometimes dirty songs – leaves them with little in common with their peers, and no one but each other to turn to for support and understanding. Fred Savage is producing and directing. Stay with us for more on that and of course more on Batman on IFC. Batman was last on cable on The Hub and still airs on digital broadcast network MeTV.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) present The Wayans Brothers on Friday, August 1, 2014 at 8PM. Don't miss this only area performance when Hollywood's First Family of comedy, Keenen, Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans share one stage in an evening of hilarious stand-up comedy. Get your tickets now at NJPAC.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722). The brothers have enjoyed success as directors, screenwriters, comedians and actors. Shawn, 43, and Marlon, 42, are best known for the sitcom The Wayans Bros., which aired from 1995-1999 on the WB. Keenen, 56 – the oldest of 10 siblings – and Damon, 54, created, wrote and starred in the Fox Network program In Living Color, which ran from 1990-1994. In addition, Damon Wayans wrapped five seasons of the ABC series My Wife and Kids, which he co-created and executive produced.