Tuesday, January 10, 2006
I'm Back; TCA Winter Press Tour: Cable Networks Edition
The TCA Winter Press Tour started today. The cable networks are first up. Here is a breakdown of the networks involved:
* Tuesday, January 10
Disney Channel, Scripps Networks, BET, National Geographic Channel, TV One, Oxygen, Current, E! Entertainment Television
* Wednesday, January 11
Court TV, BBC America, Lifetime, The Weather Channel, Rainbow Networks, MTV Networks
* Thursday, January 12
Hallmark Channel, A&E Networks, SoapNet, Sundance Channel, ESPN, NBCU Cable, GSN
* Friday, January 13
Discovery Networks, HDNet, FX, HBO, The Biography Channel
The networks will announce their programming plans, both original and acquired. Some of the things to expect are details of the new TV Land three-part special That's What I'm Talking About and all the original movies with big name stars on the Hallmark Channel. TV Land is also will unveil what is coming sitcoms wise in 2006 besides Benson (which is in June). So stay tuned, it should be a fun week!
Sitcom Stars Todd Bridges and Dave Coulier on Skating with Celebrities - Premieres on January 18 on FOX
Skating with Celebrities premieres on FOX on Wednesday, January 18th at 9PM ET/PT.
SKATING WITH CELEBRITIES partners six famous personalities with six professional figure skaters to compete for an unprecedented figure skating title. Hosted by Olympic gold medalist and world champion Scott Hamilton and co-hosted by Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders, the show features some of the most recognized and celebrated names in professional figure skating and a mix of celebrities who span a wide spectrum within the entertainment industry. Collectively the participants have won 40 World Championship medals and 11 Olympic medals.
Over the course of these themed episodes, the celebrities and their professional partners will perform figure skating routines that challenge the celebs’ athletic and artistic abilities and push them to prepare and perform in ways they’ve never done before. Each episode will test the pairs’ skills as the degree of difficulty increases and they demonstrate whether they can successfully pull off original and challenging skating sequences – or freeze under pressure.
• Actor/comedian Dave Coulier (“Full House”) with two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan
• Olympic decathlon gold medalist and television personality Bruce Jenner with world champion pairs figure skater Tai Babilonia
• Actor Todd Bridges (“Diff’rent Strokes”) with three-time U.S. national pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist Jenni Meno
• Actress Kristy Swanson (“Dude, Where’s My Car?”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) with two-time Olympic pairs figure skating medalist and world champion Lloyd Eisler
• Singer/songwriter/actress Deborah Gibson with four-time world figure skating champion Kurt Browning
• Television personality, reporter and weather forecaster Jillian Barberie (“Good Day LA,” “FOX NFL Sunday,” “Good Morning, Miami”) with three-time U.S. pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist John Zimmerman
Olympic gold medalist, world figure skating champion and American icon Dorothy Hamill is one of three judges of the unique competition. Hamill, with her extensive expertise in all aspects of the sport and artistry of skating, will help decide which pairs move forward in the competition. Joining her as judges are World Figure Skating Hall of Famer and renowned figure skating coach Sir John Nicks and on-air personality and founder of International Figure Skating magazine Mark Lund.
The six pairs have the benefit of working with a professional figure skating choreographer during the competition. Five-time U.S. national ice dance champion and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Michael Seibert, U.S. and world figure skating champion and director/choreographer Randy Gardner, and three-time U.S. ice dance champion Renee Roca worked with the pairs to help craft the challenging and exciting routines they perform in each episode. SKATING WITH CELEBRITIES is produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions. Arthur Smith and Kent Weed are executive producers.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Gidget and The Flying Nun Coming Sooner Than Expected on DVD; Bewitched S3 and The Bob Newhart Show S3 Announced
March is shaping up to be a big month for 1960's sitcoms on DVD. Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Third Season and I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season (Original Black & White Edition) (also available in a Colorized Edition) were previously announced. Today, TVShowsonDVD.com reported that Gidget - The Complete Series, The Flying Nun - The Complete First Season, and Bewitched - The Complete Third Season will all be available on March 21. The March date for Gidget and The Flying Nun is a lot sooner than the fall 2006 date that was rumored a few weeks ago. Click on the below links to go to the TVShowsonDVD.com news items and view the artwork:
February 11: "The Green Mile"
February 18: "Cast Away"
February 25: "Forrest Gump"
The Wednesday TV Land changes will remain in effect until
the end of the month (Jan 11, 18, 25):
9:30p The Andy Griffith Show
11:00p Good Times
11:30p Good Times
12:00a The Andy Griffith Show
12:30a The Andy Griffith Show
Pavan makes his long-awaited return from his three-week vacation tomorrow. I'm sure he will have lots of news and scoops to report on in the upcoming days. This was my first blogging experience, and I enjoyed it. I hope you found it interesting and informative. I'll continue to send Pavan news, and post some special feature articles from time to time.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Family Ties Airs on the Hallmark Channel Starting January 23rd; Will Family Ties Ever Come To DVD?; Michael J. Fox Returns To ABC
Family Ties will air on the Hallmark Channel in the US
starting Monday, January 23rd. It will air weekdays at 4:00 and 4:30PM ET/PT. Family Ties last aired reguarly in the US on cable on TV Land in November 2004. Before TV Land, it aired on Nick at Nite for awhile. Its longest run on cable was when it aired on TBS for a number of years. Visit our fan site, Family Ties Online, for all you need to know about the series. You can talk about the show on our message board, and discuss whether you liked Steven Keaton with or without the beard.
Family Ties on DVD News:
One of the most frequently asked questions (the #1 asked question is: what was the name of the Alex/Ellen song - "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and The Beaters) I get through the site is:
Is Family Ties available on DVD?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. TVShowsOnDVD.com first reported back in September 2004 that Paramount was working on the first season DVD release for the first half of 2005. At some point, the show was dropped from the list of shows that Paramount was planning on and the release never materialized. In the July 8, 2005 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Michael Arkin, senior VP of marketing at Paramount Home Entertainment, was quoted as saying "Although there is no release date confirmed, we are looking into all possibilities and appreciate hearing from the fans about it."
Family Ties is arguably the most popular and successful sitcom of the 1980's that has yet to be released on DVD. With so many '80s sitcoms scheduled to be released this year (Diff'rent Strokes, Growing Pains, Charles in Charge, Gimme A Break, The Golden Girls, The Cosby Show, Kate & Allie, etc.), I hope that the show will be put back on their radar for a possible release.
What can you as a fan do to tell Paramount that you would be interested in purchasing the show on DVD? Here are two suggestions:
1) Vote for it at TVShowsonDVD.com . Registration is free there, and you can vote for shows that you would like to see available on DVD. Family Ties is currently the #12 most requested unreleased show on their site.
2) Sign up on Amazon.com with your e-mail address and they will let you know when the show is available to order. Signing up is also considered a vote for the release. They will let the studios know how many customers are waiting for the title.
Michael J. Fox Returns to ABC
Michael J. Fox makes his first appearance on "Boston Legal" on Tuesday, January 10th at 10PM ET/PT on ABC. He will be in three episodes as a charismatic and dynamic CEO named Daniel Post who's battling stage four lung cancer.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Crumbs Premieres on ABC on January 12th
Family is enough to drive anyone a little crazy. Children keep secrets from their parents so they won't upset them, dads leave for other women, and moms try to run over dads with the car. Actually, that was the point when the Crumb family knew that Mom was crazy. Coming this mid-season to ABC is a sitcom that brings full laughs and nothing predictable happens along the way. The sitcom Crumbs is one of the funniest four-camera sitcoms to hit the airwaves in years. And it's coming to a television near you starting Jan. 12, airing Thursdays at 9:30/8:30 central only on ABC!
"Crumbs" stars Fred Savage ("The Wonder Years") as Mitch Crumb, Jane Curtin (two-time Emmy Award winner for "Kate & Allie," "SNL," "3rd Rock from the Sun") as Suzanne Crumb, William Devane ("Knots Landing," "24") as Billy Crumb, Eddie McClintock as Jody Crumb, Maggie Lawson as Andrea Malone and Reginald Ballard as Elvis. Estranged brothers Mitch and Jody Crumb reunite in their small hometown to deal with their mother, Suzanne, who is being discharged from a psychiatric facility and has yet to discover that her ex-husband is about to have a baby with his new girlfriend. They have issues... major issues.
Read our review of the pilot episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday on our message board.
Related Links:
Friday, January 06, 2006
FOX Pulls Bateman-Bateman Arrested Development Reunion Episode From Schedule; Other TV Notes
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Emily's Reasons Why Not Premieres and Jake in Progress Returns on ABC on January 9th
Based on the bestselling novel of the same title, Heather Graham stars in this comedy about one independent woman’s adventures in life, friendship, love and their infinite possibilities… Coming this mid-season to ABC is a sitcom that will bring both women and men together in a divine way. Emily's Reasons Why Not is a fast-paced sitcom, a la Jake in Progress (which follows Emily at 9:30), that will lure both women and men together. Women because they will want to know the reasons why not about dating and men because, well, Heather Graham is in it.
"Emily's Reasons Why Not" stars Heather Graham as Emily, Nadia Dajani as Reilly, Khary Payton as Josh, and Smith Cho as Glitter. It premieres on Monday, January 9th on ABC at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Mondays at 9:00 PM ET/PT is the regular timeslot.
Read our review of the pilot episode here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.
Related Links:
John Stamos returns to television in a fast-paced new comedy series about a smooth-as-silk celebrity publicist who tries to spin his professional and personal life in the best possible light, but doesn't quite always succeed, in Jake in Progress.
Jake Progress aired for 13 episodes last season on ABC. It returns on Monday, January 9th at 9:30 PM/ET. Mondays at 9:30 PM/ET is the regular timeslot. The series stars John Stamos, Rick Hoffman, Wendie Malick, Charlotte Ross, and Dondre T. Whitfield. Ross and Whitfield are new cast members this season.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.
Related Links:
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
2006 Sitcoms on DVD Preview
Today, we look at some sitcoms that are scheduled to be released on DVD sometime in 2006. We will also offer some of our own predictions of some new and returning sitcoms that we feel will have some chance to be available.
In 2005, the sale of TV Shows on DVD generated more than $2 billion in sales. Currently, there are over 5,400 TV related DVDs on the market. We expect that number to grow to over 6,000 by the end of the year. 2006 looks to be a big year for 1980's sitcoms as there will be several first-time releases as well as shows returning with additional seasons. There are currently over 150 different sitcoms available. It would not surprise us for that number to be near 200 by the end of the year.
The below links go to Amazon.com where you can pre-order these titles at up to 30% off their list price. We are an affiliate of Amazon.com and receive a commission for each sale. Please consider ordering through our links. Thanks for your support!
01/03:
All in the Family - The Complete Fifth Season
1st & Ten - Season 1
1st & Ten - Season 2
Comments: All in the Family returns after a nine-month break. I'm sure fans would like to see more than one season released per year as has been the case so far. I'm not sure why they are offering 1st & Ten season sets when the complete series can be bought at Walmart for under $20. The episodes on the complete series release are on six double-sided discs, and there are reportedly some altered and missing scenes.
01/17:
Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season Three
Good Morning, World - The Complete Series
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Complete Third Season
Titus - Season 3
Comments: Doogie has been released at about the rate of one season every 5-6 months. We have heard April 18th as the date for the final fourth season. Good Morning, World was a one-year wonder that helped give Goldie Hawn her start. I'm sure Mary Tyler Moore fans are excited to see season 3 released only 6 months after season 2. That sure beats the three year wait between the first and second seasons. This is Titus' third and final season. Give this show a try if you like dark comedies.
01/31:
All-American Girl - The Complete Series
Archie Bunker's Place - The Complete First Season
Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete Second Season
Drake & Josh Go Hollywood - The Movie
Comments: Margaret Cho's sitcom All-American Girl, which ran for only one season, brought an Asian-American family to a television series for the first time. I'm a bit surprised that we are seeing Archie Bunker's Place before All in the Family is finished. It ran for four seasons, and there are four seasons left of All in the Family to be released, so maybe we will see some faster releases. Diff'rent Strokes returns after a 16-month break. Whatchoo talkin' bout Sony? This series needs to be released at a much faster rate.
02/07:
Grounded for Life - Season One
Growing Pains - The Complete First Season
Hearts Afire - The Complete Third Season
Comments: Grounded for Life makes it debut on DVD. It ran for five seasons from 2001-2005 on FOX and TheWB. You can show me that smile again as Growing Pains comes to DVD with some nice bonus features, including scenes from the unaired pilot which featured a different Carol Seaver. This is Hearts Afire's third and final season. The series starred John Ritter, Markie Post, and Billy Bob Thornton.
02/14:
The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Fifth Season
Charles in Charge - The Complete First Season
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Third Season
Gimme A Break - Season One
The Golden Girls - The Complete Fourth Season
Living Single - The Complete First Season
Significant Others (2004) - The Complete Series
Comments: Paramount is really flying through The Andy Griffith Show seasons. If only every sitcom were released at their rate! I think there's an excellent chance that all nine seasons will be available by the end of the year. Another 80's sitcom makes it debut on DVD: Charles in Charge. The first season aired on CBS before it moved to syndication several years later. A bonus episode from the second season will also be included. Will Smith and company return for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's third season -- only four months after the last release. This show is enormously popular on Nick at Nite, so I'm not surprised at the quickness of the releases. Gimme A Break is my most anticipated release of February. I remember watching it on the USA Network in the late 1990's, but the episodes were badly cut up. It will be a joy to see them unedited for the first time. The Golden Girls is back after only a three-month break. We could have the complete series by the end of the year at that rate. Living Single aired on FOX for five seasons from 1993-1998. The series starred Queen Latifah, Kim Fields, Erika Alexander, Kim Coles, John Henton, and T.C. Carson. Significant Others was an improv sitcom that ran on Bravo for two seasons in 2004. Only 12 episodes were produced.
02/21:
Action - The Complete Series
3rd Rock From the Sun - Season 3
Comments: Action ran on FOX in 1999. Only 13 episodes were produced. Jay Mohr, Illeana Douglas, and Buddy Hackett starred. 3rd Rock From the Sun returns after only four months since the last release. Fans of these shows must love the short wait between seasons.
02/28:
The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season Three
The Beverly Hillbillies - Ultimate Collection, Volume 2
The Drew Carey Show - Television Favorites
Ellen - The Complete Season Three
NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season
Night Court - Television Favorites
Welcome Back, Kotter - Television Favorites
Comments: The Adventures of Pete & Pete's third season comes just three months after the second season was released. This Beverly Hillbillies release will include 27 episodes of the series. It will be up to Paramount to release the remaining episodes as MPI only had the rights for a limited amount. Ellen's third season comes out nearly a year after the second season release by A&E. NewsRadio's third season was delayed a bit as they wanted to record some commentaries for the episodes. The Drew Carey Show, Night Court, and Welcome Back Kotter are being released as part of Warner Brothers Television Favorites lineup. These releases will include six episodes of that particular series. The Drew Carey Show and Welcome Back, Kotter were Best Buy exclusvies originally, but they will be widely available on this date. If you are a fan of these shows, I think it is important that you support these sets. They are usually very inexpensive. I would think if they have strong sales for these releases, it will increase the chances of season sets greatly. Night Court fans might be disappointed as season 1 was already released, but maybe they didn't sell as well as expected. I think the Markie Post years are more popular. Some early seasons of sitcoms are not the best, and unfortunately if those first season releases don't sell well, studios seem to push off future releases.
03/07:
The Brady Bunch - The Complete Fifth Season
The Cosby Show - Season 2
The Flintstones - The Complete Fifth Season
Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Third Season
Three's Company - Season 6
Comments: This is The Brady Bunch's last season. Kudos to Paramount for releasing the entire series in a little over a year! It was a bit disappointing, however, that only the first season had any special features. The Cosby Show returns after a seven-month break. These episodes will be the original network versions and not the syndicated versions that they used on the first season set. Hogan's Heroes continues to be released about every six months. Three's Company has also been released at about the rate of one season every six months. You can expect the usual big amount of extras on this set.
03/14:
I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season (Original Black & White Edition)
I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season (Colorized Edition)
Comments: This was recently announced by Sony. There will be two versions available for this release just like Bewitched: original black & white and colorized. Special features will include commentaries on the pilot episode and other cast interviews. An I Dream of Jeannie theatrical movie, starring Jimmy Fallon, will be released in September 2006. We could see the second season then.
03/21:
Roseanne - Season 3
Comments: Roseanne's third season is on the schedule after about only five months since season two was released. We can once again expect the original network versions, just like season 2.
04/04:
Full House - The Complete Third Season
Comments: Full House is hugely popular as new generations discover it on Nick at Nite. I'm sure these sets sell like hotcakes. It will only be a four-month break since season two was available.
05/02:
That Girl - Season 1
Comments: Nine episodes of That Girl were released in 2001 by Anchor Bay. That seems like quite a rare set. It would cost you an arm and a leg (currently $210) to buy that release now from Amazon.com marketplace sellers. A better bet would be to rent it from Netflix. Shout! Factory will release all 30 episodes from the first season on this date.
05/30:
A Different World - Season 2
The Doris Day Show - Season 3
Comments: A Different World will return after about a six-month break between releases. We can expect this set to have the original broadcast versions and not the syndicated versions which were used on the first season release. The Doris Day Show will be released by MPI. A Doris Day Special will be available on the same date. The first two seasons of this series had some nice bonus features.
06/27:
Alice - Television Favorites
Perfect Strangers - Television Favorites
Step by Step - Television Favorites
Comments: Alice will be a 6-episode release as part of a Television Favorites set. Visitors to SitcomsOnline.com helped select some of the episodes that were chosen for this set. The episodes are listed here. Perfect Strangers is another 6-episode Television Favorites release. SitcomsOnline.com visitors helped vote for episodes that they would like to see on this set, but we haven't heard which episodes the studio has selected yet. Step by Step is the third Television Favorites release set scheduled for this date. If these sets sell enough, it seems possible we could see season sets in the future.
Other Sitcoms Expected On DVD In 2006:
No official dates have been announced yet, but these are expected to be released in 2006.
New Shows:
Returning Shows:
Predictions:
These are my predictions and opinions only. Some of them probably have zero chance, but I still have them on my wishlist. None of these titles have been announced.
Returning and New Shows:
I would also predict that we will see additional seasons for ALF, All in the Family, Arrested Development, The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, The Bob Newhart Show, Charles in Charge, The Cosby Show, Diff'rent Strokes, Ellen, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Full House, Gimme A Break, The Golden Girls, Green Acres, Grounded for Life, Growing Pains, Hogan's Heroes, Home Improvement, The King of Queens, Leave it to Beaver, Married with Children, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, My Favorite Martian, The Nanny, NewsRadio, Night Court, The Partridge Family, Reba, Scrubs, The Simpsons, That '70s Show, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Too Close for Comfort, and Who's the Boss?.
Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Post your predictions here.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Four Kings Premieres on NBC on January 5th
Barry, Bobby, Ben and Jason couldn't imagine life without one another. Since childhood, these bosom buddies haven't spent so much as a birthday apart, but when Ben's grandmother, who dubbed them the "Four Kings of New York," passes away, Ben inherits her apartment and decides to share it with his lifelong friends. But despite the comfort of their posh new surroundings and efforts to cling to their youth, adulthood begins drawing these Four Kings knee-deep into situations that aren't always easy to escape in this honest exploration of life-term friendship.
Four Kings stars Josh Cooke, Seth Green, Todd Grinnell, and Shane McRae. It is from David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the creative team behind Will & Grace. The series debut is on Thursday, January 5th at 8:30 PM/ET on NBC.
Read our review of the pilot and first two episodes here.
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday on our message board.
Related Links:
Monday, January 02, 2006
One Day at a Time Coming to Comcast's On Demand Service; I Dream of Jeannie, The Doris Day Show, and A Different World DVD Updates
One Day at a Time is set to be available on Comcast's On Demand Service on January 4th. It looks like the first four episodes will be available at the start with another episode added each week. Comcast currently offers Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, and The Three Stooges on the free service to Digital subscribers in their TV Entertainment/Tubetime section. They generally rotate the episodes every 4-6 weeks or so. Currently, they have Season 3 of Diff'rent Strokes and Season 2 of The Facts of Life. You can search for shows here. It looks like they might be taking off Barney Miller. They've previously offered shows like The Partridge Family, Maude, and S.W.A.T.. This is a great service offered by Comcast as most of the episodes are completely unedited. I'm not sure if it varies from cable system to system, but the On Demand service is available on Channel 1 in my area. You can watch the episodes whenever you want. You can even fast forward, rewind, and pause them. Will this be good news for possible DVD releases of The Facts of Life and One Day at a Time? The shows they offer are all from Sony. It seems like they could be gauging interest for these series.
TVShowsonDVD.com has reported on Sony's announcement of I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete First Season coming to DVD on March 14th. There will be two versions available. One will be colorized and the other in the original black & white. Bewitched's first two seasons were also available on DVD in these two versions. Extras for I Dream of Jeannie will include commentaries by Larry Hagman, Barabara Eden, and Bill Daily on the pilot plus new interviews in a featurette. Check out their news item for more details and artwork for the colorized version.
The third season of The Doris Day Show will be released on May 30th according to TVShowsonDVD.com . A separate release of "The Doris Day Special", which aired in 1971 on CBS as The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special, will be available on the same date. Read their news item for more information. The first two releases for The Doris Day show were excellent and offered a lot of special features. Check out our reviews for Season 1 and Season 2.
A Different World - Season 2 will be released on May 30th according to TVShowsonDVD.com . All 22 episodes will be on the set for a suggested retail price of $24.99. You can pre-order it now at Amazon.com at 28% off. UrbanWorks Entertainment used syndicated prints for the first season like they did for the first season release for The Cosby Show. They told us back in September that they will use the original network versions for seasons 2-6 of A Different World. They will do the same for The Cosby Show staring with season 2.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Welcome in 2006 with TV Land and Sleuth TV; Daytime WB Starts Tomorrow!
Happy New Year! I know everyone will be sleeping in today after celebrating the end of 2005 last night and the beginning of 2006. But nevertheless, we move on! TV Land will celebrate today with 1st episodes of classic TV series. You will see the two-hour first episodes of classic dramas Knight Rider, The A-Team, & Miami Vice. Classic laughers What's Happening!!, Andy Griffith, Good Times, Sanford & Son and All in the Family. That is just some of what you'll see today. So get up from that bed and head to the couch to watch some classic first episodes!
And a reminder, Sleuth TV debuts today. You can see classic Universal dramas all day and night. Simon & Simon, Knight Rider, A-Team, Miami Vice, Homicide, and The Equalizer are just some of the shows they will air. Don't forget the Miami Vice marathon tomorrow and Tuesday in primetime. And the pilot marathon in primetime of shows like JAG, Columbo, Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I. the rest of thre week.
Finally we leave you today reminding you to tune in to The WB tomorrow afternoon and every afternoon starting tomorrow. Weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m., a new block called "Daytime WB" will replace the weekday showing of "Kids' WB." The launch schedule has the drama ER at 3 p.m. and two back-to-back episodes of sitcom 8 Simple Rules at 4 & 4:30 p.m. Both shows will start with the pilot episode and air in order. Yes, the John Ritter 8 Simple Rules episodes will be seen once again! Get those tapes ready!
--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
New Year's Eve Brings Marathons
Wow! What a year it has been. 2005 went by so fast and it felt like 2005 just started. A lot has happened this year sitcom wise. Good and bad. So on this last day of the year we hope everyone will take a look what has happened in 2005 and think of what you think will happen in 2006.
New Year's Eve brings marathons. Sure we have our old friend Dick Clark ringing in the new year on ABC and now Regis this year on Fox, but there are marathons of classic series, too! WPIX in New York will ring in the new year with the classic sitcom The Honeymooners. Tune in right after the WB11 News, which will air at a special time of 11 p.m. The Honeymooners start right after that, at approx. 11:30 p.m. and runs through 5 p.m. on New Year's Day. What a way to end 2005 and start 2006!
Other marathons that we know of are The Three Stooges Marathon on WCIU in Chicago. Tune in from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve for those hilarious Three Stooges. No, Philadelphia we have not forgotten about you! WPSG (UPN57) will air their own Three Stooges marathon on New Year's Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Start off 2006 with a good laugh, with the crazy antics of the Three Stooges! Join Ashley, Justin and Sean from the U-Crew as they roll out six straight hours of Larry, Moe & Curly!
And it would not be New Year's Eve without The Twilight Zone. Sci-Fi Channel will present two all-day events for this classic series. Starting 9 a.m. on Dec 31. running all the way to 6 a.m. on January 2.
--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Scrubs Fifth Season Set To Begin on January 3rd
NBC will finally start airing Scrubs fifth season starting on Tuesday, January 3rd. They will air back-to-back episodes throughout January on Tuesdays at 9:00 and 9:30PM ET/PT. Mandy Moore and Jason Bateman will be appearing in guest spots. The 100th episode of the series, airing January 14th, will be directed by Zach Braff and feature an extended homage to The Wizard of Oz. I believe the show was renewed for a full 22-episode order last spring, so it should be shown a lot in the second half of the season. Scrubs will be shown in local syndication and on cable on WGN and Comedy Central starting in the fall of 2006. The first and second season are available on DVD and have reportedly had strong sales. Check out our reviews of Season 1 and Season 2. You can discuss Scrubs on our message board.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Sitcom Actor Deaths in 2005
Don Adams - He became famous for his role as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) on the popular Get Smart. Don won three consecutive Emmy Awars for Best Comedy Actor from 1967-1969. His other sitcom roles and appearances included The Partners, The Love Boat, Empty Nest, and Check It Out. He was a voice actor for characters such as Tennessee Tuxedo and Inspector Gadget. Mr. Adams died September 25, 2005 at 82 of a lung infection.
Mason Adams - His most famous role was as Managing Editor Charlie Hume on Lou Grant. He was the long-time voice of the Smucker's Jam commercials. His sitcom roles included The Love Boat, Family Ties, Family Matters, and Knight & Daye. He passed away April 26, 2005 of natural causes at the age 86.
Eddie Albert - He is perhaps best-known for his role as Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres. He appeared in many movies and other tv series, and he was twice nominated for Oscars for Roman Holiday and The Heartbreak Kid. Albert was a tireless conservationist and active in a number of causes. He passed away at the age of 99 on May 26, 2005 of pneumonia.
Leon Askin - He is best-known as the stern Nazi General Albert Burkhalter on Hogan's Heroes. His other sitcom appearances included My Favorite Martian, It's About Time, The Monkees, Happy Days, Three's Company, and Diff'rent Strokes. He died on June 3, 2005 at age 97 of natural causes in his native Vienna, Austria.
Lamont Bentley - He was probably best-known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha. His other sitcom appearances included South Central, Family Matters, The Parent 'Hood, Clueless, and The Parkers. He was killed in an accident on January 18, 2005 when his vehicle ran off the San Diego Freeway. He was only 31 years old.
Hamilton Camp - He started off as a musician as part of Gibson & Camp and later found many roles as a character actor. His many sitcom apparances included The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, Bewitched, The Good Guys, Love American Style, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Alice, M*A*S*H, WKRP in Cincinnati, Laverne & Shirley, Soap, Three's Company, and Too Close for Comfort. He died of a heart attack on October 2, 2005 at age 70.
Bob Denver - He is best-known as the lovable castaway Gilligan on Gilligan's Island. He had earlier played beatnik wannabe Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. His other sitcom roles include The Good Guys and Dusty's Trail. You can read a lot more information about him on his official website. He passed away on September 2, 2005 at age 70 from complications from throat cancer treatment.
John Fiedlder - He was the voice of Piglet in the Winnie the Pooh productions. John played the nervous patient, Mr. Peterson, on The Bob Newhart Show. His other sitcom roles included The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Pete and Gladys, Dennis the Menace, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Odd Couple, and many more. He died June 25, 2005 at age 80 of cancer.
Elisabeth Fraser - Her best-known role was as Sgt. Joan Hogan, Sgt. Blko's longtime girlfriend on The Phil Silvers Show. Other sitcom roles included Car 54, Where Are You?, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Addams Family, Bewitched, Hey Landlord, The Monkees, and Maude. She passed away on May 5, 2005 at age 85 due to congestive heart failure.
Paul Henning - Mr. Henning was a writer and producer for some popular 1960's sitcoms. He served as the producer for The Bob Cummings Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres. His writing credits included The Bob Cummings Show, The Real McCoys, The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Petticoat Junction. As if producing and writing weren't enough, he also wrote the lyrics for The Beverly Hillbillies theme song. He passed away of natural causes at age 93 on March 25, 2005.
Barney Martin - He was a character actor who is known for his role of Morty Seinfeld, Jerry's father, on Seinfeld. His other sitcom guest appearances included Car 54, Where Are You?, The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Barney Miller, Archie Bunker's Place, Benson, At Ease, Night Court, Diff'rent Strokes, Punky Brewster, Mama's Family, Murphy Brown, The Golden Girls, Full House, The Wayans Bros., and George & Leo. He was a regular on The Tony Randall Show, Zorro and Son, Sydney, and Daddy Dearest. He died of cancer on March 21, 2005 at age 82.
Macon McCalman - He was a versatile character actor with many film and tv credits. His many sitcom guest appearances included The Jeffersons, Maude, The Bob Newhart Show, Three's Company, Soap, Diff'rent Strokes, Cheers, Newhart, Family Ties, Designing Women, Perfect Strangers, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Wonder Years. He died on November 29, 2005 at age 72 following a series of strokes.
Pat Morita - He played Arnold (Matsuo Takahashi) on Happy Days in 1975-76 and 1982-83. He is probably best known for his role of Mr. Miyagi in the four Karate Kid movis. He was nominated for an Oscar for the first Karate Kid film. His many other sitcom roles included The Odd Couple, Love American Style, Mr. T and Tina, Blansky's Beauties, M*A*S*H, and Sanford and Son. He passed away November 24, 2005 at age 73 of natural causes.
Howard Morris - He is best remembered for playing the outrageous mountain man character Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Howard was a regular voice actor on various Hanna-Barbera cartoons. He was a director for The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, and One Day at a Time. Mr. Morris died of a heart ailment on May 21, 2005 at age 85.
Sheree North - She was a versatile character actress and singer. Some of her sitcom credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Archie Bunker's Place, The Golden Girls, and Seinfeld as Kramer's mother Babs. She earned Emmy nominations for her roles on Archie Bunker's Place. Sheree died at age 73 on November 4, 2005, from complications during cancer surgery.
Nipsey Russell - He was a comic actor known for his many talk show and game show appearances where he earned the nickname "the poet laureate of television." In 1961-62, he appeared on Car 54, Where Are You? as Officer Wilson. His other sitcom roles included Barefoot in the Park, The Love Boat, 227, and Spin City. He passed away October 2, 2005 at age 80 from stomach cancer.
Vincent Schiavelli - He had a very recognizable gloomy, droopy-eyed look. He appeared in some 150 film and television productions. You might know him best as Mr. Vargas in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He would reprise the role in the 1986 sitcom Fast Times. His other sitcom appearances included The Corner Bar, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Night Court, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class, Married People, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Dharma & Greg, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He died at age 57 on December 26, 2005 in his native Sicily of lung cancer.
Debralee Scott - She played Cathy Shumway in the soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She appeared in multiple episodes of Welcome Back, Kotter as Rosalie 'Hotsy' Totsy and played Marie Falco in Angie. She died of natural causes at age 52 on April 5, 2005.
John Spencer - He was one of the stars of the NBC drama "The West Wing." The Emmy award winning actor played the role of Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. John got his start as an actor on The Patty Duke Show as Henry Anderson in the 1964-65 season. Mr. Spencer died on December 16, 2005 at the age of 58 due to a heart attack.
Wendie Jo Sperber - She had many appearances in films and tv series. Wendie Jo is probably best known for her supporting role on Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks. Her other sitcom roles included Designing Women, Who's the Boss?, Married with Children, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Murphy Brown, 8 Simple Rules, Private Benjamin, Babes, and Hearts Afire. In 2001, she founded the weSpark Cancer Support Center to advance and help support individuals and their families fighting various forms of cancer through free emotional support, information and social events/activities. She died following a courageous battle with breast cancer on November 29, 2005 at age 47.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Good News If Your Name Is Earl; Dick Van Dyke Returns To The Small Screen; I Love Lucy's Final Season Coming To DVD
Some good news if your name happens to be Earl. Universal Studios Hollywood is offering free admission, starting January 5th and running through the end of January, to anyone named Earl. All Earls will also receive free t-shirts. My Name Is Earl is being shifted from Tuesdays to Thursdays on NBC at 9PM ET/PT starting January 5th. Read their press release here. Discuss this freshman sitcom on our message board.
Dunkin' Donuts commercial star Michael Vale has died. He passed away on Saturday, December 24 in New York City at age 83 due to complications from diabetes. He did the ads from 1982 until he retired in 1997. He said "Time to make the donuts." His sitcom roles included 3 appearances on Car 54, Where Are You? and a 1987 episode of The Cosby Show.
Television icon Dick Van Dyke returns to the small screen in “Murder 101” premiering on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 7 (9/8c). Van Dyke is joined by his real life son, Barry Van Dyke, and grandson, Wes Van Dyke, in the new murder mystery that also reunites the Van Dykes with Dean Hargrove, the Emmy® Award-winning executive producer of “Murder 101,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and “Columbo.”
Dick Van Dyke stars as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, a bumbling professor of criminology who happens to be one of the sharpest crime-solving minds in the world. Although sometimes forgetful in his ordinary life, when it comes to solving a whodunit, Dr. Maxwell is talented in using psychology and evidence to uncover the truth with a little help from his protégé private investigator Mike Palmer played by real life son, Barry Van Dyke. Grandson Wes Van Dyke makes a cameo appearance as one of Dr. Maxwell’s criminology students.
I Love Lucy's sixth and final season will be released on May 2nd. Click here to read the info and see the artwork at TVShowsonDVD.com . Will we see the start of The Lucy Show season sets after I Love Lucy wraps up? Or maybe The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour? Click here to read one rumor thread that was posted on our Lucy Show message board. There is still lots of Lucy material that could be released in the future.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Police Squad! Finally Coming to DVD; Yahoo! Offers Episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men Online
Another sitcom on DVD has been announced by TVShowsonDVD.com . Paramount is expected to release the show sometime in 2006. Police Squad! aired on ABC in the spring of 1982. Only six episodes were produced. Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Ed Williams, Peter Lupus, and William Duell starred. There were a number of guest stars including Florence Henderson. Although the episodes were previously released on VHS awhile back and re-run on CBS in 1991, it will be nice to have them in the DVD format. It will be interesting to hear if there are any audio commentaries, interviews, or other special features included. A few bits of trivia. This sitcom didn't have a laugh track. ABC wanted them to use one, but the show creators didn't want it. John Belushi filmed a cameo guest star appearance for the sixth episode, but he died before it aired. We might not see this scene on the DVD as it has been presumed to have been lost or destroyed. The producers wanted to use it when the episodes were re-run on CBS in the summer of 1991, but they couldn't find the footage.
Yahoo! TV is offering an exclusive for two CBS Monday night sitcoms. They are offering streams of two episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. The episodes of How I Met Your Mother are "The Sweet Taste of Liberty" and "The Pineapple Incident." The episodes of Two and a Half Men are "Madame and Her Special Friend" and "We Called It Mister Pinky." They will be avilable for free without any commercials this week, beginning today through Monday afternoon, at http://tv.yahoo.com/feature/cbscomedybowl.html . Two and a Half Men is currently the highest rated sitcom on television with over 15 million viewers per week. You can discuss these shows on our How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men message boards.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Nick@Nite/TV Land in February; Here Come the Brides and Dinosaurs May Be Coming to DVD in 2006; Vincent Schiavelli Dies; End of An Era on ABC
Pavan has posted the schedule for Nick@Nite in February. The regular schedule will remain the same as January with some specials and marathons airing. Click here to view the Nick at Nite's February schedule.
TV Land's regular schedule in February will remain the same as January. TV Land Originals will air as encores on Saturday mornings. A TV Romances Marathon and Top 10 Greatest TV Romances will air on Thursday, February 9. There's Sam & Diane, Mike & Gloria... and who could forget David and Maddie's Moonlighting? Who'll make the list? Tune in to find out as TV Land takes a look at the most-loved television couplings in the hour long original, Top Ten: TV Couples. TV Land honors Black History Month with the debut of the original special "That's What I'm Talking About", a three-part, 1-hour series featuring celebrities from all fields discussing and debating who made the greatest contributions to African-American pop culture in a free-wheeling, fast-paced, quick-witted show. It will air Wednesdays at 10PM ET/PT on February 1, 8, and 15. Click here to view TV Land's February schedule. In March, they will have the 4th Annual TV Land Awards Show and new Living in TV Land episodes.
TV Land has made some changes to their Wednesday, December 28 and Wednesday, January 4 schedules. Click here to view them.
Our friends at TVShowsonDVD.com have reported on two sitcoms that may be coming to DVD in 2006. Here Come the Brides was a comedy/adventure one-hour series that aired on ABC for two seasons in 1968-1970. I'm not sure if it was really a true sitcom. It might be what we now call a dramedy. Bobby Sherman and David Soul became pop stars due to the popularity of the series. Click here to read their full news item.
Their news item on Dinosaurs seems a bit more definite. Dinosaurs aired for four seasons on ABC from 1991-1994. A total of 65 episodes were produced. Industry sources have told them it is headed to DVD sometime in 2006, possibly in the second quarter. We may see the first and second seasons released as one set as the first season had only 5 episodes.
Character actor Vincent Schiavelli has died at age 57 of lung cancer. He had a very recognizable gloomy, droopy-eyed look. He appeared in some 150 film and television productions. You might know him best as Mr. Vargas in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He would reprise the role in the 1986 sitcom Fast Times. His other sitcom appearances included The Corner Bar, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Night Court, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class, Married People, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Dharma & Greg, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Click here to view his Internet Movie Database entry.
The party is over for Monday Night Football on ABC. Tonight's New England Patriots at New York Jets game is the 555th and final broadcast. After 36 seasons on ABC, it moves to ESPN next season. Al Michaels will do the play-by-play with Joe Theismann doing the commentary. ESPN is paying $1.1 billion per year in an eight-year-deal. It will be interesting to see what kind of ratings they get on ESPN as they are available in far fewer homes. ESPN NFL Primetime will move from Sundays to Mondays.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas from Everyone at SitcomsOnline.com; Tune Into TV Land All-Day
And in case you missed it, TVShowsonDVD.com posted a few days back that Mama is coming to DVD! Yes, Mama's Family. They also say to expect the release to be in a season format, rather than the TV Favorites format. Wonderful news and here it is again if you missed it. Now go back to "your" Mama, or anyone from your family and spend the holiday with them. Happy Holidays!
Note: Weekly ratings and how the sitcoms did analysis will return on Sunday, Jan. 15.
--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
We Post Even on Christmas Eve! Who's the Boss E! True Hollywood Story
TV One is reairing some of the best Christmas episodes today of their reruns. Amen, 227, Martin and Good Times will be airing.
And don't forget to check TVShowsonDVD.com during the holidays. They promise big news DVD wise that you won't find anywhere else. I sure wish I could be checking with all you guys, as I probably won't get to check until I come back from my special assignment.
--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.
Friday, December 23, 2005
I'm Off On a Vacation, But the Blog Continues
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Saturday, August 29
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Heartbreak and the Refuge of the Downtrodden" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie, Mandy and the family do their best to lift Connor’s spirits during a rough patch while Connor tries to figure out a plan for his life.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 24)
Saturday, August 29 and August 30
- Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) and Will Ferrell (The Hawk/The Office) - Amy and Will bond over their box office bomb on a repeat of The Weekend View on ABC News Live at 7:30am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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