SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, we are certain to be in for a period of no/slow news weeks. And this week, unfortunately, is one of those. But nonetheless, we are here for you with the news that we do have, including some special deals for bargain hunters out there, and reviews of CSI NY - The Sixth Season and Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

As we mentioned, it has been a very slow news week, perhaps one of our slowest ever here at Digital Digest. The only real news that we have for this week is a date for the fourth season of Spin City from Shout! Factory. Spin City - Season Four (Michael J. Fox's final season) is set for release on February 11 at a $39.97 MSRP. No other details are known at this time, but it doesn't seem that there will be any special features on the set. We'll let you know if that changes.

One last little tidbit about Shout! Factory... Brian Ward has hinted that some 50s/60s TV series have recently been acquired by Shout! Factory on their forum on the website. He won't say which ones (as they have not been officially announced yet), but we are, of course, waiting in anticipation!

We always like to do a little something to make up for slow news weeks here, so if you want to catch up on some older releases that you may not have picked, we're going to tell you where you can get them... cheaply! In the past week, many CBS Home Entertainment products have been making an appearance in the clearance shelves of Big Lots, at $6 a set! Not all stores seem to have these in stock (yet), but shoppers from all parts of the country have been reporting in various online forums finding series such as C.S.I., C.S.I. NY, C.S.I. Miami, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, 90210 (The CW reprisal), Cheers, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Bosom Buddies, The Brady Bunch and literally countless other series for just $6 a season! If you can find these deals, you'll want to jump in on them, for sure! You can check out our thread from the message boards on these deals here.

It is also worth noting that another retailer, Target, will be selling Scrubs - The Complete Ninth and Final Season, for $9.99 beginning on Sunday. But if you own one of the many other recent releases from ABC Studios, you may be able to own this DVD set for free! How, you ask? Many of the ABC Studios releases from August and September include a coupon for $10 off select other DVD sets, and Scrubs is among those! So, if you own the most recent releases of Desperate Housewives or Ugly Betty, check to see if you have that coupon, so that you can pick up your free copy of Scrubs - The Complete Ninth and Final Season!

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (November 16) has a decent slate of DVD sets, beginning with Shout! Factory's release of Mister Ed - The Complete Fourth Season. This set will only be available as a Shout! Factory exclusive, and will not be a general retail release. We'll also be seeing the highly anticipated Warner Archive Classic TV Christmas Collection, containing episodes from classic TV series that have not yet been released on DVD. CBS Home Entertainment will be releasing Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2, which we will review today in Digital Digest. For those of you who are Blu-ray fanatics, The Twilight Zone - Season Two will be coming out in Blu-ray on Tuesday, and if you thought the DVDs of the series were great, the Blu-ray sets are even more amazing. And finally, for fans of The Office, there is Universal's The Office - Overtime Digital Shorts Collection, which contains all of the online digital shorts from the hit series that have been online (so far, anyway).


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



DVD Review: CSI: NY - The Sixth Season (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Video, $62.99)
by Todd Fuller

In this riveting collection episodes from the explosive sixth season of CSI: NY, the shadowy streets of New York have never been darker -- or the crimes bloodier. Detective Mac Taylor (Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Gary Sinise) and his forensics crew match wits with sinister new serial killer Hollis Eckhart (Skeet Ulrich), who leaves behind compasses as his deadly calling card. The team joins forces with the Las Vegas and Miami divisions to crack a terrifying, sadistic crime network. And team members Stella (Melina Kanakaredes), Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo), Sheldon (Hill Harper), Lindsay (Anna Belknap) and Flack (Eddie Cahill) come to terms with their own lives, loves, and dark secrets.

This 7-disc set contains all 23 episodes (plus 2 crossover CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami episodes) from the sixth (2009-10) season of the long-running crime drama. The episodes are presented in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Stereo audio (Spanish Stereo is also available). It has a total running time of approximately 16 hours, 17 minutes. The attractive packaging has a photo of Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes on the cover, with part of New York City in the background. There is an embossed CSI: NY logo at the top of the box. After using Digipak packaging for previous seasons, they've switched to a cardboard box that holds a clear plastic snapcase. Eddie Cahill, Hill Harper, Melina Kanakaredes, Gary Sinise, Anna Belknap and Carmine Giovinazzo are pictured on the back of the box. A short synopsis of the set, a listing of the special features and the DVD specs are given. There is a clear plastic snapcase that slides out from the right of the outer cardboard box. The snapcase has the same cover art, photos and information as the cardboard box. Opening up the snapcase, there is a content locator in the back panel which lists the episodes and the special features on the inside cover. Discs 1-6 are held back-to-back in plastic trays, while Disc 7 is an embedded holder in the back of the case. The discs are just silver, with the CSI: NY logo on them. As an added nice touch, they included the Crime Scene: Do Not Cross tape around the packaging.

The menus are stylish and easy to navigate. There is a series of previews for some other CBS DVD/Paramount TV DVD releases and the CSI: Fatal Conspiracy game which you can play or skip. The main menu opens with some aerial views of New York City that lead to a montage of video clips from the show. A great instrumental cue by composer Bill Brown plays in the background and then the sequence loops. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1) and the various special features by disc. You can choose either English 5.1 Surround or Español audio on the Set Up Menu. Closed captioning is available for all of the episodes, but some of the special features are not rated any may not be closed captioned. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. They do a lot of nighttime shooting and make the show look dark and like a theatrical film. There is no disclaimer on the back of the box about any of the episodes possibly being edited. Episodes are presented in their original broadcast order and numbered by the production number. Running times are between 40-43 minutes in length.

Here is the episode breakdown by disc, including the runtimes:

Disc 1
Episode 601 "Epilogue" (42:08)
Episode 602 "Blacklist" (Featuring "Gravedigger") (43:35)
Episode 603 "Lat 40 Degrees 47' N / Long 73 Degrees 58' W" (41:58)

Disc 2
Episode 604 "Dead Reckoning" (42:39)
Episode 605 "Battle Scars" (42:33)
Episode 606 "It Happened To Me" (43:02)

Disc 3
CSI: Miami - Episode 807 "Bone Voyage" (43:50)
Episode 607 "Hammer Down" (41:44)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Episode 1008 "The Lost Girls" (44:13)
Episode 608 "Cuckoo's Nest" (43:40)

Disc 4
Episode 609 "Manhattanhenge" (40:19)
Episode 610 "Death House" (43:37)
Episode 611 "Second Chances" (43:26)
Episode 612 "Criminal Justice" (42:10)

Disc 5
Episode 613 "Flag on the Play" (42:45)
Episode 614 "Sanguine Love" (40:44)
Episode 615 "The Formula" (41:43)
Episode 616 "Uncertainty Rules" (43:42)

Disc 6
Episode 617 "Pot of Gold" (41:44)
Episode 618 "Rest in Peace, Marina Garito" (43:41)
Episode 619 "Redemptio" (42:17)
Episode 621 "Tales from the Undercard" (43:40)

Disc 7
Episode 620 "Unusual Suspects" (41:35)
Episode 622 "Point of View" (43:31)
Episode 623 "Vacation Getaway" (41:48)

A decent number of special features are spread out over the 7 discs. Once again, there are only 2 audio commentaries on this set like last season. They have really cut back on the number of them from previous seasons for all of the CSI franchise shows. No deleted scenes are included on this release. The 7 featurettes run about 70 minutes total in length. Here is the breakdown by disc:

Disc 1
Better Than Botox (3:57) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Peter M. Lenkov, Visual Effects Supervisor (Lola Visual Effects) Edson Williams and Visual Effects Artist (Lola Visual Effects) Brian Nugent. They talk about the idea for this episode, the flashback scenes and how they made Gary Sinise look younger. Some original and final composite shots are shown for comparison.

Disc 3
Leaving Las Vegas: Langston Heads East (23:29) - This featurette was also available on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami releases. It details the triple crossover event. They started out in Miami, moved to New York and finished in Las Vegas. Inteviews include Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn, Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fishburne, Co-Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Mark Dube, Director/Producer (CSI: Miami) Sam Hill, David Caruso, Omar Benson Miller, Executive Producer (CSI: Miami) Barry O'Brien, Christian Clemenson, Emily Procter, Executive Producer (CSI: NY) Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise.

East Coast Heroes (3:53) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Executive Producer Peter M. Lenkov, Laurence Fisburne and Gary Sinise. They discuss the first meeting between Ray Langston (Laurence Fisburne) and Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), filming in New York at the Statue of Liberty and the East Coast War Memorial, and the character's backgrounds.

Disc 4
Audio Commentary by Director Norberto Barba & Production Designer Vaughan Edwards on "Death House"

A Killer House (8:55) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Special Effects Coordinator David Kelsey, Production Designer Vaughan Edwards, Set Decorator Cindy Coburn, Technical Advisor Bill Haynes, Hill Harper and Melina Kanakaredes. They talk about the idea for the episode, the special effects, the booby traps, and the production design of the various rooms.

Disc 6
Audio Commentary by Executive Producer and Writer Pam Veasey and Director Allison Liddi-Brown on "Rest in Peace, Marina Garito"

Disc 7
Creation of a Crime Scene (7:20) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Melina Kanakaredes, Techical Advisor Bill Haynes, Gary Sinise, Co-Executive Producer Zachary Reiter, Special Effects Coordinator David Kelsey and Hill Harper. They talk about how they create the crime scenes, how the blood is splattered, and the various kinds of blood they use depending on the scene.

Seeing Stars (11:41) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Vanessa Minnillo, Kim Kardashian, Nelly, Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Eddie Cahill, Pat Monahan, Hill Harper and Danica Patrick. This highlights some of the celebrity guest stars for this season.

A Closer Examination: Dr. Sid Hammerback (9:06) - This featurette includes interviews with Robert Joy, Executive Producer Pam Veasey, Hill Harper, Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise. They discuss how Robert Joy got the role of the medical examiner, working with Robert Joy, the character of Sid and the challenges hs faced this season.

The show has slipped a bit in the ratings the last few seasons, but it still is enjoyable and they are always coming up with fresh and interesting storylines. Some of my favorite episodes this season were "Epilogue," "Hammer Down," "Death House," "Criminal Justice," and "Uncertainty Rules." It was sad this was the last season of Melina Kankaredes. She was in many of the special features for this release, so her departure from the show seemed like it was a bit unexpected. Sela Ward has been a fine addition to the cast as Det. Jo Danville. CBS moved the show to Friday nights at 10pm ET/PT, so check out seventh season on the new day.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller

(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: NY CBS.com Official Site
CSI: NY TV.com Page



If you've been charged with murder, you need an attorney, and a good one at that. And who better to defend you than the master himself, Perry Mason? The classic legal drama is back on DVD with the second installment of the fifth season with Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2.

DVD Review: Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2
by skees53

Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 2 (CBS DVD, $49.99) shows how the justice system works for fifteen more wrongfully accused defendants who have been accused of the most serious crimes. In every single case, a defendant is brought before the criminal justice system in a case where all of the evidence clearly points to the defendant being guilty as charged. But enter Perry Mason, who knows that his client is innocent, and always has a way to prove it. And in this four disc set, Mason successfully defends all of his clients.

The set begins with "The Case of the Shapely Shadow," where a secretary is accused of killing her boss over a briefcase full of money. A furniture maker is accused of killing a con artist who promised to build a children's hospital in "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark." A mine foreman ends up dead when the mine runs dry in "The Case of the Mystified Miner." A case of entrapment ends with murder in "The Case of the Crippled Cougar." A comic strip artist is killed in the midst of a romantic breakup in "The Case of the Absent Artist."
A husband suspects that his new wife has killed his first wife and contemplates revenge (which, of course, backfires) in "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman." In "The Case of the Angry Astronaut," a military general is murdered, and a fired astronaut is the prime suspect. Burt Reynolds guest stars in "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank." One of Perry's friend's is accused of murder in "The Case of the Ancient Romeo." A sleazy TV producer is killed and a budding TV writer is accused of the murder in "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox."

Each episode is unedited once again, without any of the typical CBS Home Entertainment disclaimers. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "The Case of the Shapely Shadow" (50:52)
2. "The Case of the Captain's Coins" (50:51)
3. "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark" (50:51)
4. "The Case of the Glamorous Ghost" (50:53)

Disc 2:
5. "The Case of the Poison Pen-Pal" (50:53)
6. "The Case of the Mystified Miner" (50:51)
7. "The Case of the Crippled Cougar" (50:55)
8. "The Case of the Absent Artist" (50:52)

Disc 3:
9. "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman" (50:53)
10. "The Case of the Angry Astronaut" (50:53)
11. "The Case of the Borrowed Baby" (50:54)
12. "The Case of the Counterfeit Crank" (50:54)

Disc 4:
13. "The Case of the Ancient Romeo" (50:55)
14. "The Case of the Promoter's Pillbox" (50:51)
15. "The Case of the Lonely Eloper" (50:55)

The case is packaged in a standard Viva pack, with yet another photo of Perry Mason on the front with some still photos above him. Inside the case, there are the four discs, along with a listing of all of the episodes on each disc, with a description and original airdate for each episode. The disc artwork itself contains the series logo and a listing of all of the episodes on each disc. Each disc contains four episodes, except for Disc 4, which contains only three episodes.

There really aren't any issues with the video or audio, aside from some standard grain and debris here and there. This series always tends to shine on DVD, and that is great. As mentioned previously, there appear to be no edits either. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital mono, and the episodes contain English subtitles. This is a change from previous sets, which contained closed-captions, but no subtitles.

Sadly, there aren't any special features included on the set. I wouldn't expect any future sets to include any either. With all of the fans of the series out there (after all, there must be a lot, with this being the tenth release at a $50 MSRP), you would think that they could do something.

All in all, this is another great standard set of episodes, but as always, the half season model of releasing this series is getting frustrating! I am very anxious to see the remainder of the series, including the one where Perry actually loses a case, and the one color episode (although both have been released on the 50th Anniversary set), and it would be nice to see CBS Home Entertainment follow up with the Perry Mason movies that were made through the 80s and 90s. But for now, this set does justice for fans of Perry Mason, and is definitely worth owning.


(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Perry Mason on TV.com

LOOKING AHEAD

This hasn't been an exciting news week, and that is unfortunate, but we hope that you enjoyed our reviews, and we also hope that you can take advantage of the bargains that we mentioned today--good luck if you try to find them (your mileage may vary!). In the meantime, we'll be back next week with more news and reviews in Digital Digest. So until then, keep it digital!

Fox has pulled the struggling single camera comedy Running Wilde off of its schedule immediately. The series airs Tuesdays at 9:30pm and will be replaced by repeats of Raising Hope on Tuesday, Nov. 16 and Tuesday, Nov. 23. As of now, Running Wilde is slated to return Nov. 30, but by then November sweeps will be over. Sweeps ends Nov. 24. Running Wilde stars Will Arnett and Keri Russell. The series has dropped each week in the ratings, with its last two airings under 3 million viewers. Six episodes have aired thus far and it is not likely to return after its 13 episodes are up.

Meanwhile, The Hallmark Channel has pulled Whatever with Alexis & Jennifer from its schedule. The talk show was airing weekdays at 12 noon ET, but starting Monday (Nov. 15), it is off the schedule completely. Hallmark will replace the talk show with back-to-back episodes of From Martha's Kitchen, which returns to the schedule. Ratings were always low for the talk show (and really the entire Martha block from 10am-3pm). Everything else remains the same as it is in the Martha block with The Martha Stewart Show at 10am, Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn at 11a & 11:30a, and encores of The Martha Stewart Show at 1p & 2p.
And don't forget today is the last day of the Hallmark sitcoms/TV series until January because of Christmas movies. Only Little House on the Prairie will air (weekdays at 3pm) until January.


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 15-19, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, November 15, 2010

This is it! Celebrated actors Bonnie Franklin (One Day At A Time), Melanie Griffith (Something Wild), Illeana Douglas (To Die For), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, 3rd Rock From The Sun), John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard), Sherri Shepherd (The View), David Starzyk (The Young and The Restless) and Jack Wagner (General Hospital) will all guest star on the second season of TV Land's hit original sitcom Hot in Cleveland, which returns on January 19, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. They join previously announced guest star Mary Tyler Moore -- who will appear on the season premiere -- on the list of celebrities appearing this season. If you live under a rock, Hot in Cleveland stars acclaimed actresses Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time), Jane Leeves (Frasier), Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) and recent multiple Emmy® Award-winner, Betty White (The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show).
Bonnie Franklin's appearance on Hot in Cleveland reunites her on-screen with Bertinelli after 26 years. The two starred together as mother daughter on the long-running sitcom One Day At A Time from 1975 to 1984.

Fox has renewed The Simpsons, the longest-running comedy in television history, for an incredible 23rd season, bringing the series total to an impressive 515 episodes. The Simpsons of course airs Sundays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. The 500th episode will air sometime next season (2011-2012).
This season (season 22), America's favorite family continues to entertain us with their wild and outlandish adventures as Maggie goes missing, Homer becomes a premier hairdresser, Moe's Tavern is converted into an ultra-trendy bar and the family debates the best way to spend the holiday season. Guest stars paying Springfield a visit in upcoming episodes include actors Halle Berry, Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, Rachel Weisz, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Alyson Hannigan and Joe Mantegna; basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; lifestyle guru Martha Stewart; and pop sensation Katy Perry, who appears in a live-action sequence alongside Simpsons puppets.

The nominees were for The 37th Annual People's Choice Awards are now in. We will only mention the TV categories. Winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of The 37th Annual People's Choice Awards which will be hosted by Queen Latifah from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on CBS. The first awards show of 2011, The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards honors fan favorites in television, movies and music.
Voting begins today at http://www.peopleschoice.com/ for all 44 categories and will end on December 7, 2010, except for "Favorite New TV Drama" and "Favorite New TV Comedy," which will remain open for voting until night of show. The top 5 for both of those categories will be announced on Dec. 8.

New categories voted in by fans are: FAVORITE TV CRIME FIGHTER, FAVORITE TV DOCTOR, and FAVORITE TV FAMILY. Also, FAVORITE TV CHEF is presented By DinnerTool.com.

The main TV nominees are:

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
The Good Wife (CBS)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (Fox)
Gossip Girl (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Modern Family (ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Glee (Fox)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
Hugh Laurie (House, Fox)
Taye Diggs (Private Practice, ABC)
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl, The CW)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Steve Carell (The Office, NBC)
Matthew Morrison (Glee, Fox)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Lisa Edelstein (House, Fox)
Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The CW)
Julianne Margulies (The Good Wife, CBS)
Kate Walsh (Private Practice, ABC)
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Courteney Cox (Cougar Town, ABC)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Fox)
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives, ABC)
Tina Fey (30 Rock, NBC)

FAVORITE TV OBSESSION

Dexter, Showtime
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
Burn Notice, USA Network
White Collar, USA Network
True Blood, HBO

FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Hell's Kitchen (Fox)
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
America's Got Talent (NBC)

FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW
Fringe (Fox)
Smallville (The CW)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
True Blood (HBO)

FAVORITE TALK SHOW HOST
Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately (E!)

Conan O'Brien, Conan (TBS)
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated, CBS Television Distribution)
George Lopez, Lopez Tonight (TBS)

FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR
Betty White, Community (NBC)
Britney Spears, Glee (Fox)
Carrie Underwood, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Demi Lovato, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Neil Patrick Harris, Glee (Fox)

The Griffins, Family Guy (Fox)

The Harpers, Two and a Half Men (CBS)

The Pritchetts/Dunphys, Modern Family (ABC)

The Scavos, Desperate Housewives (ABC)

The Simpsons, The Simpsons (ABC)

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Blue Bloods, CBS
Chase, NBC
The Defenders, CBS
Detroit 1-8-7, ABC
The Event, NBC
Hawaii Five-0, CBS
Hellcats, The CW
Law & Order: Los Angeles, NBC
Nikita, The CW

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
$#*! My Dad Says CBS
Better With You, ABC
Mike & Molly, CBS
No Ordinary Family, ABC
Outsourced, NBC
Raising Hope, Fox
Running Wilde, Fox

View the full press release for the FULL list of TV nominees, along with movies & music.

After giving thanks and enjoying a hearty turkey dinner, have an extra helping of laughs when Fox presents an exclusive sampler of Bob's Burger during network television premiere of The Simpsons Movie on Thanksgiving night (Thursday, Nov. 25) from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on Fox.
Bob's Burger, the new animated series about a man, his family and a burger joint, opens this January on Fox's Sunday "Animation Domination" lineup at 8:30PM ET/PT.
The newest member to join the Sunday "Animation Domination" lineup, Bob's Burger follows a third-generation restaurateur, Bob (H. Jon Benjamin, Archer), as he runs Bob's Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob has big ideas about burgers, condiments and sides, but only a few thoughts on customer service and business management. Despite his greasy counters, lousy location and occasionally spotty service, Bob is convinced his burgers speak for themselves.

Today we will let you know of the holiday sitcom marathons this year for BET! We mentioned a few weeks ago that Everybody Hates Chris will get a marathon on Friday, Nov. 26, but now the times are changed. The marathon will now air from 9am-7pm instead of 9am-4pm...so more Chris! The same goes true for Bernie Mac on Saturday, Nov. 27, as the marathon has been extended to 9am-7:30pm instead of 9am-2pm!
So all of that was for Thanksgiving weekend, but what about Christmas and New Year's? Well we have that for you today! From Monday, Dec. 20 through Friday, Dec. 24, spend Christmas week with Everybody Hates Chris each day that week from 1pm-6pm, preempting regular programming. Then on Christmas Day (Saturday, Dec. 25), spend the holiday with America's favorite family, the Huxtable family, in a marathon of The Cosby Show from 10am-8pm, which includes the two-hour special The Cosby Show: A Look Back at 6pm. The Cosby Show airs regularly on sister network Centric everyday.
And finally, ring in 2011 with a marathon of The Game! The sitcom will air Saturday, Jan. 1 from 9am-1am and continues on Sunday, Jan. 2 from 1pm-11pm! And remember this is a countdown to the new season of The Game, which returns after 2 years on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 10pm.

NBC has canceled freshman drama Undercovers. As of now, seven episodes have aired, with possibly three more airing until Dec. 1 in its Wednesdays at 8pm timeslot. The series will wrap up production after its 13 episode order is fulfilled. The action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world's most dangerous partnership was from J.J. Abrams.
If all three of those scheduled episodes air, that would mean ten episodes will have aired, with three still on the shelf. NBC could burn those three off on Saturdays, like they are right now with the canceled Outlaw. As previously announced, The Sing-Off will air on Dec. 8 and 15 in this timeslot. NBC also announced that two airings of game show Minute to Win It will air in the timeslot on Dec. 22 and 29. NBC has not announced what will actually replace Undercovers, but it should happen on Jan. 5. NBC has plenty of mid-season series to come with dramas The Cape, Love Bites and Harry's Law along with comedies Friends with Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, and Perfect Couples. NBC also has a new season of comedy Parks and Recreation, new seasons of reality series The Marriage Ref & Who Do You Think You Are and new reality series America's Next Great Restaurant. Perhaps NBC will just stick with Minute to Win It, however in this slot after its Dec. 22 and 29 airings (in addition to its holiday episode airings on Tuesdays at 8 on Dec. 7, 14 and 21). With three new mid-season comedies and a returning comedy to come, perhaps NBC expands its Thursday comedy block until 11pm? Still plenty of updates to come for NBC, as they are still in terrible shape.

Finally, as ABC and NBC are airing holiday themed short series during the month of December (Skating with the Stars for ABC and The Sing-Off & Minute to Win It for NBC), Fox has also announced a four-night event. Million Dollar Money Drop, the ultimate high-stakes game show, created and produced by Endemol, the masterminds behind Deal or No Deal, gives a team $1 million in cold, hard cash and all they have to do to keep it is correctly answer seven multiple-choice questions. Actor and comedian Kevin Pollak will host the suspense-filled game show premiering Monday, Dec. 20 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT and airing on four consecutive nights, Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, Wednesday, Dec. 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT and Thursday, Dec. 23 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. Additional airdates are to be announced (meaning based on if these four episodes do well or not).

We're back again (where else would we go?) for another edition of Digital Digest! It has been another one of those incredibly slow news weeks, but no matter how slow, we're always here to bring you what we do have! And this week, we have two blog reviews for you, including V - The Complete First Season and The Boondocks - The Complete Third Season. Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

We were the first to bring you news of Warner Archive's Classic TV Christmas Collection two weeks ago, and now we have more information, including full episode information, for the set! It will be a three-disc collection containing 420 minutes of yultide joy, scheduled to be released on November 16 at a $34.95 MSRP. Of course, it will only be available as a manufacture-on-demand Warner Archive title, which you can purchase by clicking here. The episodes included on the set are as follows:

The good news here is that every single episode on this set is new to DVD, and none of these are from seasons of any of the series already released! You can see a full description of all of the episodes on the collection here.

While we are on the subject of Warner Archive, a while back, they released Night Court - The Complete Fourth Season. And as you may have read in our review, the set had some serious quality control issues. These issues apparently have not gone unnoticed by Warner. In fact, the title has been pulled and is no longer available for sale, although the exact reasons are unknown, and it is assumed that it'll be available for sale again when/if the problems are resolved. You can read details about it here.

Rules of Engagement seemed to be stalled on DVD for a while, but it seems that it is picking up once again now, and now, Rules of Engagement - The Complete Fourth Season is on the way! The two-disc release will be available on January 11 at a $29.95 MSRP. Hopefully, they'll get on track to release all remaining seasons after they air on TV!

That isn't the only series coming to DVD on January 11, though. Also coming out that day is the first season of the TV Land original sitcom, Hot in Cleveland! All ten episodes from the first season of the hit sitcom will be available in a two disc set at a $26.99 MSRP. Not many details are known about this set yet, but we'll let you know when we have them, because we know that many of you are interested!


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (11/9) is not a big day for releases, with the biggest release of the week being The Golden Girls - The Complete Series. However, other than the new packaging (a wicker purse), this set is essentially the same as the previously released season sets, and may not be of particular interest to some fans. Additionally, The Boondocks - The Complete Third Season (which we will be reviewing today) is being released on DVD. The three disc set contains fifteen episodes from the third season of the animated series. and plenty of special features


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Today we have not one but TWO reviews for you once again! We start off with a DVD review of V - The Complete First Season! They arrive! And you will want to see these "visitors" coming to Earth. Are they really of peace?

DVD Review: V - The Complete First Season
by Pavan

V - The Complete First Season (Warner Home Video, $39.98) brings us all 12 episodes of the remake series on DVD! V was originally a mini-series in 1983 (then later a series in 1984) and is now back as an all-new series in a more post-9/11 time. This version, tells the story of Earth's first alien encounter. The visitors - human-like beings who know our languages and provide other worldly gifts of technology and healing - arrive on massive motherships hovering over 29 major cities worldwide. Some consider them saviors in this post-9/11 world, while others feel differently. A fledgling resistance is on the rise, determined to reveal the shocking truth.
V stars Elizabeth Mitchell as FBI Agent Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie Stevens, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.

All 12 episodes are needed to be watched in order of course. I really enjoy this show. It is good TV. The first four episodes aired as an event in November 2009 over 4 weeks on Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC. The series premiere was the highest rated new series premiere among adults 18-49 last season with a 5.2 rating (14.3 million viewers overall). The remaining eight episodes returned in the spring, but in a later timeslot of Tuesdays at 10pm on ABC, thus ratings were down but DVR usage of the series was higher due to a later timeslot. Among my favorite of the 12 are "Pilot," where Visitor Leader Anna's image secures peace for all, but to some the visitors are a complete threat to the world, while FBI agent Erica Evans and Father Jack make a startling discovery. In the fall finale, "It's Only the Beginning," Anna wants Lisa to bring Tyler up to the Mothership for an important experiment with Lisa, while a warehouse full of vaccine donated by the Visitors explodes. In the spring return, "Welcome to the War," Erica finds her life in danger when she's attacked at home and a dangerous new member is recruited for the Resistance, as the Visitors shore up their defenses, while Anna wonders why Chad hasn't followed up on his diagnosed aneurysm and Ryan's concern grows over Val's "abnormal" pregnancy. In "John May," Erica, Ryan and Jack go on a harrowing mission to find the legendary John May in order to rescue Georgie, while Anna brings Chad aboard the Mothership for a story on her Live Aboard Program, and Tyler confronts his mom about his mysterious past. In "Fruition," Anna's daughter is the victim of a violent attack, while Erica and the team look for a scientist who may have created a weapon that the Visitors fear and Hobbes makes a deal with Marcus. In the season finale, "Red Sky" Val's water has just broken and is captured by Anna's soldier and taken to the mothership, where she serves as bait to draw Ryan to Anna, while Erica seizes an invitation to dinner with Anna and Lisa as an opportunity to destroy Anna's soldier eggs, and Chad begins to catch on to how he is being used. Recurring are David Richmond-Peck as Georgie Sutton, Christopher Shyer as Marcus, Alan Tudyk as Dale Maddox, and Mark Hildreth as Joshua. Guest stars include Michael Trucco as John May.
The episodes on this set are all unedited, obviously, with the episodes around 43 minutes. The pilot episode runs 47 minutes. Here are the runtimes for this set:

Disc 1
1. "Pilot" - 47:05
2. "There Is No Normal Anymore" - 42:52
3. "A Bright New Day" - 43:13
4. "It's Only the Beginning" - 42:57

Disc 2
5. "Welcome to the War" - 42:43
6. "Pound of Flesh" - 43:09
7. "John May" - 43:08
8. "We Can't Win" - 43:16
9. "Heretic's Fork" - 42:47

Disc 2
10. "Hearts and Minds" - 43:11
11. "Fruition" - 42:57
12. "Red Sky" - 43:08

Let's now move on to the packaging. We have a thin outer box holding a keep case. The cover art for both has the scary red V logo with a shot of the spaceship in the sky and the city skyline. There is a mention of The Complete First Season on the top and the tagline "We Are Of Peace. Always" on the bottom. The back of the outer box has the V logo again in the background, but this time we see actual V's inside. We also have info on the series and set as well, with a special features list. The back of the case has the famous Erica and Anna face shot, with it looking like they are one face. Inside the case we go, we have an episode booklet on the left. The front of that has the V logo again with a different shot of the city skyline. This booklet is very detailed and handy as we have episode details, all broken down disc-by-disc, with the episode number, title, writers/director, original airdate, and synopsis. We also have nice episodic artwork. There is also a page with a cast photo and credits. And the back page has a shot of the spaceship and city skyline again. As far as the discs itself go, the first two discs are inside a plastic holder. The plastic holder holds disc one on the front and disc two on the back and we can flip it like a page in a book. Disc three is on the right panel itself. The disc art is the same for each disc, with a V logo. Disc one has episodes 1-4. Disc two has 5-9. And disc three has episodes 10-12.

The menu screen is very cool. Background music from the show is playing in the background, as we have the V logo once again with a shot of the city skyline from the spaceship. We have options for Play, Episodes, Features, and Languages. Play of course plays them all at once for that disc. When we select Episodes, episode titles are listed and if they have a scissor icon, that means we have deleted scenes available for that episode. Features menu lists all the extras on that disc, even the deleted scenes again. And Languages have the option for either audio in English or Portuguese and subtitles in English, French, Espanol, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Thai.

The video is great, as it should be. This is the DVD version, but it still looks great. I am sure the Blu-ray version is even better. My DVD player upconverts to HD, so these episode look great to me. I have watched all 12 episodes on ABC in HD, and it looks just as good here. The audio is very good in Dolby Digital Surround sound. It is loud and clear not low at all. Each episode has 7 or 8 chapter stops.

As for special features, we have a WHOLE lot here. Disc three has the main extras, but each disc has something. We have deleted scenes on six episodes: "Pilot" (2 scenes, 1:35 total), "There Is No Normal Anymore" (6 scenes, 3:57 total), "John May" (2 scenes, 0:57 total), We Can't Win" (5 scenes, 4:43 total), "Hearts and Minds" (3 scenes, 4:37 total), and "Fruition" (3 scenes, 1:25 total).
Disc one has a featurette titled, "The Actor's Journey from Human to V" running 16:53. This features the cast discussing the techniques, challenges, and rewards in bringing this series to a new generation. Interviewed are Morena Baccarin, Christopher Shyer, Laura Vandervoort, Logan Huffman, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Scott Rosenbaum (executive producer), Elizabeth Mitchell, Scott Wolf, and Scott Peters (executive producer).
The rest of the special features are on disc three. First, we have audio commentary for the episode "Fruition" from executive producers Steve Pearlman and Scott Rosenbaum. They give a lot of neat tidbits. Then we have a very nice featurette called "Breaking Story: The World of V" that runs 16:35. We see how the producers were able to create a fresh perspective of the mythology of this new series. Interviewed are Scott Rosenbaum, Gregg Hurtwitz (writer), Steve Pearlman, Scott Peters, Stephen Geaghan (production designer), Morris Chestnut, Logan Huffman, Morena Baccarin, Scott Wolf and Elizabeth Mitchell. The third featurette is titled "An Alien in Human Skin: The Makeup FX of V" and it runs 11:51. We see how makeup and special effects play a big part of this show and how they are used. Interviewed are Scott Rosenbaum, Toby Lindala (makeup FX supervisor), Scott Peters, Benson Musnev (makeup FX technican), Glenn Martin (makeup FX technican), and Andrew Orloff (visual FX supervisor). And the final featurette is "VFX: The Visual FX of V" and it runs 15:06. We see here how visual effects are done on the show including a tour of ZOIC Studios, where the effects come from for this show. Interviewed are Stephen Geaghan, Scott Peters, Scott Rosenbaum, Steve Pearlman, Andrew Orloff, Scott Wolf, Laura Vandervoort, Elizabeth Mitchell, Stephen Chin (visual effects producer, ZOIC Studios), Nate Overstrom (Compositor Leader, Zoic Studios), and Sallyanne Massimini (lead CG artist, Zoic Studios).

I highly do recommend this set for any V fan both of the original and of this series. It might be a remake, but it has its own take and stories to fit today's time. The original mini-series premiered 26 years before this series, so it will obviously be different for today's era. I never really saw the original mini-series or series, but this series looks so much better due to the special effects of today's time. It was the most entertaining new drama of last season. This is really a good show and I hope you all buy this DVD (or Blu-ray) in time for the second season premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at a new time of 9pm on ABC. You don't have to be a V to watch and buy this set, so buy it below! We are of peace...always!

(4.5/5 stars)

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Related links:
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V TV.com Page


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

As promised, we have two reviews for you today, and our second one is of a series of a much different tone than our first one--it is The Boondocks - The Complete Third Season. Will things be different for the Freeman family in this animated series now that they have a black president? Perhaps, so read our review to find out!

DVD Review: The Boondocks - The Complete Third Season
by skees53

The Boondocks - The Complete Third Season (Sony, $49.95) contains 15 more episodes of the Adult Swim series about the African American family that is living in the mostly upper middle class white suburbs--otherwise known as the "boondocks." But the Freemans (Huey, Riley, and Granddad Robert) aren't about to assimilate into this new culture. They're going to be themselves and hope that the neighborhood can get used to them. The three disc set of the hilarious animated series contains all 15 episodes of the third (and perhaps final) season of the series, along with plenty of bonus features.

The season begins with the episode "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman," where the Freeman family is being followed by a German documentary maker for their reaction to the election of Barack Obama. A kickball game could settle some debt with China in "The Red Ball." Riley is having a good time with a juvenile felon in "Smokin' With Cigarettes." Remember the novel The Chocolate War? Well, it's the same thing with Riley in "The Fund-Raiser." Granddad may be joining a cult in "Pause," and it is up to Huey to stop it! Huey and Riley take a trip to jail as part of a "Scared Stiff" program in "A Date With the Booty Warrior," but all goes wrong when they visit. Granddad must get a talk show paternity test when a man claims to be his son in "The Story of Lando Freeman." Granddad discovers the wonders of medical marijuana in "Mr. Medicinal." There's something in the chicken in "The Fried Chicken Flu." Are terrorists coming to Woodcrest? Maybe, in "It's Goin' Down." The season includes many guest stars, including Bill Maher, Billy Dee Williams, and Charlie Murphy.

The episodes are unedited and uncensored, so you will see and hear things that you don't see or hear on Adult Swim. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman" (22:31)
2. "Bitches to Rags" (22:41)
3. "The Red Ball" (22:32)
4. "The Story of Jimmy Rebel" (22:36)
5. "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy" (21:11)

Disc 2:
6. "Smokin' with Cigarettes" (21:48)
7. "The Fund-Raiser" (22:34)
8. "Pause" (22:30)
9. "A Date with the Booty Warrior" (22:36)
10. "The Story of Lando Freeman" (22:34)

Disc 3:
11. "The Lovely Ebony Brown" (22:30)
12. "Mr. Medicinal" (22:11)
13. "The Fried Chicken Flu" (22:37)
14. "The Color Ruckus" (22:36)
15. "It's Goin' Down" (22:38)

Sony has elected to use the same style of packaging that they used for the first two seasons on this set, and that is a good thing. We have three slimcases in this set, with each one containing one disc. The cover art of the outer sleeve is green with a cast snapshot, and the back has some basic information about the season. Inside, the slimcase for Disc 1 has a picture of Huey on the front, Disc 2 has a picture of Granddad, and Disc 3 has a picture of Riley. On the back of each slimcase, there is a listing of all of the episodes with descriptions for each one. Each disc contains five episodes, and the artwork on each disc is another photo of the character on the front of the slimcase.

The menus on the set are basically identical to the previous sets, but that is a very good thing. They are very nicely done animated menus with a lot of video effects, and the theme song playing in the background. The main menu gives options of Play All Episodes, Episode Selections, and Special Features. Once you select an episode or hit Play All, you'll get another menu that asks if you want to watch the episodes with or without them being hosted by Cedric Yarbrough and Gary Anthony Williams (I'll talk more about this in a minute). Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

As was the case with the previous sets, the video and audio quality is virtually flawless. I really couldn't find anything to nitpick on, as the series looked and sounded about as good (if not better) than it does on TV. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, with closed-captioning available. My only minor complaint (and this isn't really an A/V issue) is that this set wasn't released on Blu-ray. This seems to be a series that could really shine in true high-definition.

If you want special features, this set has plenty of them! First of all, each and every episode has the option of being hosted by Cedric Yarbrough and Gary Anthony Williams. Basically, these are approximately two minutes per episode, and are introductions and closings for each and every episode on the set! It is nice that they have done this for every episode, and I always like seeing features like this on DVDs. If you want even more, though, they also provide full episode commentary tracks (and are joined by John Witherspoon for these) on the episodes "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman," "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy," "Mr. Medicinal," and "The Fried Chicken Flu."

There are a few animatic son the set, for the episodes "Bitches to Rags" (2:00), "Stinkmeaner 3: The Hateocracy" (2:23), "The Fund-Raiser" (1:35), and "The Fried Chicken Flu" (2:04). Additionally, on Disc 3, there is a sketch photo gallery with sketches from the series during production.

Disc 2 has a music video from Thugnificent (3:15) that is mentioned nowhere on the package about Obama becoming president. The title and theme of the song is very obscene, but it is very much in tune with the series. There is also a piece about fan reaction to these obscene song and lyrics, and the fan reaction is, well, also obscene. It is fun to watch, of course.

Finally, Disc 3 has a brief featurette about favorite characters from the series (3:22), where people on the street are asked what their favorite episode of the series are. It is a very basic featurette, but it is always nice to see features like this.

The only thing really missing this time in regards to special features is something from Aaron MacGruder. I'm not sure why he didn't participate at all on this set, and it is a little disappointing.

These are some of the best episodes of the series yet, and I hope that this isn't the end of the series. There was word some time ago that this would be the end of the series, but lately, there has been talk that there will be a fourth season. It is hard to tell with this series, as there is a new batch of episodes every other year or so, and seems to be no set production schedule. Still, this is a great set, and I think that fans of political humor will certainly enjoy this series on DVD. It is much more enjoyable on DVD than it is on TV since it is uncensored, as it was intended by the creator. The series may go over the head a little for those who aren't in tune with current world events, but that doesn't really make it much less enjoyable. This is definitely a set worth owning.

(4.5/5 stars)

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LOOKING AHEAD

Don't forget to set the clocks back one hour tonight! That gives you one extra hour of life to enjoy... you can spend it watching some DVDs! Of course, that isn't your only option. We'll be back next week with more news, and in the upcoming weeks, you can expect reviews of Perry Mason, The Commish, and even Hoarders! And as we promised, we will have a preview of black Friday DVD/Blu-ray sales in a few weeks, you won't want to miss that! Until next time, keep it digital!

So November is already 6 days old, but we still haven't given you Nick at Nite's November 2010 highlights. Of course the regular schedule remains as is, but there will be plenty of stunts! First, they already started the wall-to-wall The Nanny marathon on Monday (Nov. 1), but it runs through Sunday (Nov. 7), so you still have time to watch from 11pm-6am on these days. On Saturday, Nov. 20 from 10pm-1am, it's Thanksgiving on Nick at Nite as viewers can come celebrate the holiday with the families of Nick at Nite! See four Thanksgiving episodes of George Lopez (including a never before seen episode on Nick at Nite)followed by a Thanksgiving episode each of Everybody Hates Chris (never before seen on Nick at Nite) and Full House. Then from Wednesday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Nov. 28 from 10pm-6am it's a wall-to-wall marathon of George Lopez during Thanksgiving weekend! What better way to celebrate the family holiday with Nick at Nite's favorite family! On Sunday, Nov. 28 at 8pm, Nick at Nite airs a movie encore of FRED: The Movie leading into the last night of the Lopez marathon.
View the complete Nick at Nite November 2010 schedule.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 8-12, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, November 8, 2010

There's no place like home! Two weekends ago Gospel Music Channel (GMC) premiered 227 with a mini-block on Saturday, Oct. 23 from 2pm-5pm. Then it wasn't on the schedule again after that, but now it is! The series will continue to air every Saturday from 2pm-5pm starting this Saturday (Nov. 6). The series will follow Sister, Sister, which airs from 10am-2pm. That means every Saturday from 10am-5pm we will see Jackée! She was on both shows, as Sandra Clark, the sexy neighbor and nemesis of Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs) on 227 (1985-90) and as Tia's (Tia Mowry) mother, Lisa Landry, in Sister, Sister (1994-99).
The only other sitcom GMC airs is Amen, which airs weeknights in the 11pm & 1am hours, as Cosby (1996-2000) was dropped a few months back. Still no word if and when 227 will join weekdays. 227 has been in syndication since 1990 on local stations, then it appeared on cable on BET, TV One and TV Land. 227 stars Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams, Alaina Reed Hall, Regina King, Curtis Baldwin, Helen Martin, and Jackée.
Elsewhere on GMC, they will have a marathon of the drama Joan of Arcadia this Sunday (Nov. 7) from 10am-7pm, starting with the pilot episode. The series was on the regular schedule, but was dropped sometime back and now only appears in marathons.

ABC and Fox have each scheduled a mid-season drama. ABC has come up with a series to replace the canceled The Whole Truth. From executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice) and executive producer/creator Jenna Bans (Grey's Anatomy) comes an uplifting medical drama that explores how far one has to go in order to truly heal. Six doctors who have lost their way will go to the ends of the earth to try to remember the reasons why they wanted to become doctors in the first place, on Off the Map, premiering Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT on ABC. Off the Map stars (in alphabetical order) Jonathan Castellanos as Charlie, Valerie Cruz as Zitajalehrena Alvarez (Zee), Caroline Dhavernas as Lily Brenner, Jason George as Otis Cole, Zach Gilford as Tommy Fuller, Mamie Gummer as Mina Minard, Martin Henderson as Ben Keeton and Rachelle Lefevre as Ryan Clark. Guest starring Michael McKean as Ed.
On Fox, The Chicago Code (formerly titled Ride-Along), the distinctive new police drama from critically acclaimed creator Shawn Ryan (The Shield), will make its series debut Monday, Feb. 7 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. Shot on location in Chicago, The Chicago Code follows the Windy City's most powerful and respected cops as they navigate the city's underbelly to fight crime and expose corruption within Chicago's notorious political machine. Starring Jason Clarke (Brotherhood) and Jennifer Beals (The L Word), the fast-paced series centers on Jarek (Clarke), a local legend and a larger-than-life veteran of the Chicago Police Department who wields considerable power thanks to his relationship with Teresa (Beals), his ex-partner and the city's first female superintendent, now in charge of a 10,000-member police force.
The series will replace Lie to Me on the schedule and Lie to Me will return to the schedule at a later date. Both series have 13 episode orders.

As you know, CBS has scheduled Paula Abdul's new reality series, Live to Dance, for Wednesdays at 8pm from Jan. 5-Feb. 2. The series premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 4 with a two-hour premiere. Many more mid-season updates are to come such as when new comedies Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Mad Love, Perfect Couples, Friends with Benefits, The Paul Reiser Show, Mixed Signals & Bob's Burgers are scheduled, so stay tuned!

For December 2010, TV Land will not make any changes to the regular line-up, but of course we have the annual Merrython, which will be the eleventh year in a row TV Land is doing it. Kick start the holiday season with TV Land's 11th Annual Merrython on Saturday, December 11 starting at 8pm and again on Christmas Eve starting at 4pm running through all day on Christmas Day! TV Land delivers holiday cheer to their viewers during this festive primetime marathon featuring holiday episodes of TV Land's big guns Everybody Loves Raymond, Roseanne, The Nanny, Three's Company, Home Improvement and M*A*S*H on Dec. 11. Then on Dec. 24-25, we get more classics such as The Andy Griffith Show, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Sanford & Son and Bewitched mixed in with the big guns. Tune in with loved ones and celebrate the holiday season with TV Land!
TV Land will also premiere the movies National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation and Independence Day during December, including in the Merrython. Encore movies for the month are My Cousin Vinny, Roxanne, Jerry Maguire, National Lampoon's Vacation and Stripes.
Yesterday we mentioned season two of TV Land original sitcom Hot in Cleveland premieres on Wednesday, Jan. 19, but before that watch an exclusive special on Sunday, December 12 at 9pm! Following a successful first season and with season two currently in production, join Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as they take you behind-the-scenes of their hit sitcom for an 'insiders' peek at never-before-aired bloopers from the first season, along with hilarious clips of their favorite moments and surprise guest star appearances. This one-hour special is sure to remind you of why you fell in love with this show and get you amped up for an exciting second season coming January 19.
And if that's not enough, we have a best of marathon of Hot in Cleveland on New Year's Day! The next season of Hot in Cleveland is almost here! Get caught up on some of the ups and downs of the first season - the time Melanie almost got back together with her ex-husband, Victoria's secret Japanese commercial and Elka and Max's first date. Watch six favorite episodes of Hot in Cleveland on New Year's Day culminating with the hilarious Hot In Cleveland Special (that premiered Dec. 12) that takes you behind the scenes of the first season, bloopers and all. This is a great way to start off the new year. Don't worry TV Land will give you time to recover from the prior night's festivities, this party begins at 8pm.
View the FULL TV Land December 2010 schedule, including the 11th Annual Merrython episodes.

WPIX-11 in New York City will be airing The Odd Couple sitcom marathon on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 25) from 11am-7pm! That's eight hours worth of sixteen classic episodes featuring Oscar & Felix, of course. Episode info is not available yet, so stay tuned to thatt. Leading into the marathon will be the classic 1934 film March of the Wooden Soliders from 9am-11am. The classic comic team of Laurel and Hardy star in this lighthearted version of Victor Herbert's classic operetta about a fantasy world where toys are made and nursery-rhyme characters live. In this rendition, Stan and Ollie help save Toyland from the Bog. After The Odd Couple marathon, WPIX has scheduled a special at 7pm, but we don't know yet what that is. It's probably a Thanksgiving special.
WPIX last aired an Odd Couple marathon last year on Nov. 13, if you recall. We'll try and post the episode info for the Thanksgiving marathon on our Odd Couple message board once we have that.

Almost 2 weeks ago we gave you the regular schedule for Antenna TV, which begins Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, but we now have the special Jan. 1-2 schedule! Antenna TV will launch at 12:00am ET on Saturday, Jan. 1 as soon as 2011 starts! Ring in the new year with a new network that will feature series of yesteryear! Originally the plan was to air first episodes on the first day of the launch (and new year), but they have decided to launch the network with two classic marathons.
Antenna TV launches with a Three Stooges marathon that starts at 12am on early Saturday, Jan. 1 through 3am on early Sunday, Jan. 2. That's 26 hours of non-stop hijinks from Larry, Moe & Curly! Taking over at 3am on that night will be the British comedy Benny Hill! The sketch comedy will run until 10am for an E/I series break, then Benny Hill is back for more comedy from 1pm-5am, before the regular schedule launches at 5am Monday, Jan. 3 with a movie. If you're counting, Benny Hill gets 23 hours worth of episodes (7 on Saturday night/Sunday morning and 16 hours Sunday afternoon to overnight).
Remember to view our story from two weeks ago to see what Antenna TV is airing regularly starting Jan. 3. You'll see classics like Burns & Allen, Hazel, Farmer's Daughter, Father Knows Best & Dennis the Menace to '70s hits like Partridge Family, Three's Company, Maude, Good Times, Sanford & Son, & All in the Family, and to weekend shows like Too Close for Comfort, The Monkees, The Three Stooges, Benny Hill, Here Come the Brides, Totally Tuned In, Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and more, plus more of your favorites from weekdays!
View the Antenna TV website for more info and to see if your market will carry this over-the-air network!

TV Land announced today that production has started on cable's highest-rated sitcom, Hot in Cleveland. The series, which garnered unprecedented ratings not only for the network but across cable, started production yesterday (Monday, November 1) and will return to the air with 20 fresh episodes starting Wednesday, January 19, 2011 in its 10:00 p.m. ET/PT timeslot. Hot in Cleveland stars acclaimed actresses Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time), Jane Leeves (Frasier), Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me) and recent Emmy® Award-winner, Betty White (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls). The sitcom is the highest-rated and most-watched series in the history of the network and during its first season, it out-delivered big cable hits like Mad Men, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Army Wives, Project Runaway and more.
Season two picks up right where season one left off with Melanie, Joy and Victoria (Bertinelli, Leeves and Malick) trying to desperately "free Elka" (White) who was arrested after a stash of valuable jewels and goods - fenced by her mob-employed deceased husband - was found in her storm cellar.
In addition, Season One will be available on DVD on January 11, just in time to relive all ten hilarious episodes from the first season before the second season kicks off. The two-disc set is loaded with uproarious bonus material including: the original full-length pilot, bloopers, wardrobe featurette, we love our age featurette, a set tour, Victoria's (Malick) full-length Japanese "Lady Pants" commercial and more. The Hot In Cleveland Season One DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $26.99. Look for our DVD review closer to the release date!
And finally TV Land also announced today that beloved and acclaimed Emmy® award-winning actress and Oscar nominee Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show) will guest star on the second season premiere of the sitcom on Wednesday, January 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Moore will join the sensational veteran cast of Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. The season premiere episode will be taped at CBS Radford, the same studio where The Mary Tyler Moore Show was taped 33 years ago (the series ended in 1977).
Moore's guest appearance will be the first time in 33 years that she and Betty White have acted on screen together since the groundbreaking hit The Mary Tyler Moore Show went off the air. Moore's role in the sitcom will involve White's character Elka, who in the season one cliffhanger, was arrested. Just who will Moore play? You'll gave to tune-in to see on Jan. 19! But one thing for sure is that, love is all around and Mary Tyler Moore is going to make it after all!

We gave you ABC Family's Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas (Nov. 21-30) schedule, now it's time to give you the actual 25 Days of Christmas (Dec. 1-25) schedule for 2010! The 25 days of holiday programming starts on Wednesday, December 1at 6pm with a Dr. Seuss night with four animated half-hour specials (Dr. Seuss on the Loose, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Grinches The Cat in the Hat) and the Jim Carey movie Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The next night (Thursday, Dec. 2), has the ABC Family premiere of the 1994 classic The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen. Friday, December 3 has two animated short premieres in between The Polar Express airings: Disney Pluto's Christmas Tree from 8:23-8:30pm and Disney's A Night Before Christmas from 10:51-11pm. Saturday, Dec. 4 at 11pm has the ABC Family premiere of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sunday, December 5 has a Harry Potter full-day event from 7am-12am with the first five films. On Monday, December 6, ABC Family premieres another animated short titled Disney's Toy Tinkers from 10:52pm-11pm following Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. On Tuesday, December 7, it is the TV world premiere of the new special Mickey's Christmas Special at 7pm following Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. Moving on to Thursday, December 9, ABC Family's original special The Gruffalo premieres from 7pm-7:40pm.
On Sunday, December 12, ABC Family premieres the ABC Family original movie Christmas Cupid at 8pm starring Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson and Christina Milian. Tuesday, December 14 sees the ABC Family premieres of two specials: Dr. Seuss' Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? at 6:30pm and Puff the Magic Dragon at 7:30pm, both airing after Dr. Suess specials (Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Grinches The Cat in the Hat). Starting Thursday, December 16, ABC Family expands the 25 Days of Christmas on weekdays to mornings as well starting at 7am, with the ABC Family premiere of Meet the Santas at 9am. On Friday, December 17, 2010, it is the ABC Family premiere of Disney-Pixar's Wall-E at 8:30pm. On Monday, December 20 at 8pm, ABC Family has the premiere event of Santa Buddies starring the voice of the late Tom Bosley, Richard Kind & Tim Conway.
Among the movies I didn't mention airing include Jack Frost (1979), Jack Frost (1998), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Home Alone 4, Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Santa Clause 2, Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Snow, Snow 2: Brain Freeze, Santa Baby, Santa Baby 2 Christmas Maybe, Holiday in Handcuffs, Disney-Pixar's Finding Nemo, Disney-Pixar's The Incredibles, A Very Brady Christmas, Richie Rich's Christmas Wish, A Dennis the Menace Christmas, Christmas Do-Over, and Ice Age. And among the specials I didn't mention include A Flintstone Christmas, Cranberry Christmas, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas in July, The Year Without a Santa Claus, A Miser Brothers' Christmas, Frosty's Winter Wonderland, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Disney Prep & Landing, The Little Drummer Boy, The Little Drummer Boy Book II, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, Pinocchio's Christmas, Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too, Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, The Story of the First Christmas Snow and The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus. Holiday episodes of That '70s Show are airing on Monday, Dec. 20 at 9am, 11am & 11:30am.
Other ABC Family December 2010 highlights includes the ABC Family premiere of the Jennifer Aniston-Ben Stiller movie Along Came Polly on Sunday, Dec. 26 and an America's Funniest Home Videos marathon on New Year's Eve from 11am-11pm, as we close out 2010 with laughs!
View the FULL ABC Family 2010 25 Days of Christmas schedule.

We already told you that Modern Family is coming to syndication in Fall 2013 on USA Network, now it will also air in syndication on broadcast stations also in Fall 2013. Fox Owned Television Stations and Twentieth Television have reached an agreement for the broadcast syndication rights to Twentieth Century Fox Television's Emmy Award–winning sitcom Modern Family, which airs on ABC every Wednesday night.
Modern Family has been sold to the Fox Television Stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Orlando and Baltimore for broadcast syndication rights starting Fall 2013. More clearances for other station groups will follow as we get closer to Fall 2013. Modern Family joins upcoming newcomer The Big Bang Theory, which starts next fall (2011), in broadcast syndication on the Fox owned stations. Big Bang will be on TBS on cable.