SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Three New Mid-Season Sitcoms Profiled

Free Ride - FOX, Sundays at 9:30PM ET/PT

College: you go through it for four years (maybe more), and then once you are done, you realize you really aren't interested in your area of study and the only place you can go is back home to live with your parents in Missouri. The only problem is that even though you can PHYSICALLY go home, you can't MENTALLY go home because things have changed... and that's the story of one of FOX's newest sitcoms, Free Ride.

Free Ride aired as a special preview on March 1st on FOX. If you missed the premiere, you can check it out on MySpace. The timeslot premiere episode is Sunday, March 12th at 9:30PM ET/PT. Sundays at 9:30PM ET/PT is the regular timeslot.

Read our review of the pilot and second episode here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Sunday on our message board.

Related Links:

FOX.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Sitcoms Online Photo Gallery

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The New Adventures of Old Christine - CBS, Mondays at 9:30PM ET/PT

Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld") stars in The New Adventures of Old Christine, a comedy about a single mother and owner of a "30-minute workout gym" who is the portrait of the new American mom, albeit with some unflinchingly candid points of view. For her, every day is an adventure, but life is made easier due to the fantastic relationship she shares with her ex-husband. However, everything changes when her ex's new, younger girlfriend enters the picture, instantly complicating her life.

Premieres Monday, March 13th, at the special time of 8:30 PM/ET on the CBS Television Network. A second bonus episode will air in the regular timeslot of 9:30 PM/ET.

Read our review of the first three episodes here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Tim's TV Showcase

Internet Movie Database

Sitcoms Online Photo Gallery

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The Loop - FOX, Thursdays at 8:30PM ET/PT

Life as an executive at an airline must be pretty boring, considering all of the partying and drinking that you must do... wait, is that what an airline executive really does? Well, that is what an airline executive does if you are Sam, the youngest executive ever at the airline! Life during the day is all business, and life at night is, well, party hearty... but by morning, you have to be back to business again! How can you manage to do that? Find out in The Loop!

The pilot episode will air as a special preview on Wednesday, March 15th at 9:30PM ET/PT on FOX. The second episode will air in the regular timeslot of Thursdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on March 16th.

Read our review of the first two episodes here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday and Thursday on our message board.

Related Links:

FOX.com Official Site

TV.com

Internet Movie Database

Sitcoms Online Photo Gallery

Posted by Todd -- SitcomsOnline.com at 10:25 AM

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NBC Puts 'Joey' on Bench After One Week; TV One's Music Marathon Featuring Sitcoms

NBC has put sitcom Joey on the bench after just one week in its new timeslot of Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., which it was fifth place among adults 18-49 with only a 1.5 rating for the hour, behind even Univision. The WB and UPN aired repeats of Gilmore Girls and America's Top Model, or it would have even been worse for the doomed Joey. The 8 p.m. all-new episode only scored 4.09 million viewers, followed by a repeat episode at an even worse 3.76 million. NBC will now air Most Outrageous Moments in the 8 p.m. hour effective immediately. We might have seen the last of Joey, unless NBC plans to burn off the unaired episodes in the summer, possibly on a Saturday night. But don't count on it returning next fall at all. 99.9% chance I'd say it is done.
NBC also had trouble on Wednesday night with The Biggest Loser at 8 p.m. It too was walloped by American Idol, and scored only 4.6 million viewers and just a 1.5 adult 18-49 rating. We will have more on the ratings in our weekly report on Sunday, so don't forget to come on back!

TV One is having a marathon of its sitcoms tomorrow (Saturday, March 11) from 12 noon to 10 p.m. with an shortened encore from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. It seems to be a music-themed marathon. Here is the line-up, featuring sitcoms 227, Amen, Roc, Good Times, Martin & In the House:

12:00pm 227 Episode 210, Temptations
12:30pm Amen Episode 8822, The First Community Talent Show
1:00pm Martin Episode 125, Variety Show
1:30pm Good Times Episode 324, The Rent Party
2:00pm 227 Episode 304, The Sing Off
2:30pm Amen Episode 8915, The Talent Show
3:00pm Martin Episode 318, All the Players Came
3:30pm Good Times Episode 411, The Judy Cohen Story
4:00pm Roc Episode 124
4:30pm 227 Episode 310, They're Playing Our Song
5:00pm Amen Episode 9508, Gospel Truth
5:30pm Good Times Episode 524, That's Entertainment, Evans Style
6:00pm Roc Episode 318, The Concert
6:30pm 227 Episode 319, Blues
7:00pm Amen Episode 9513, Ernie And The Sublimes
7:30pm In the House Episode 409, Tonia's Big Break
8:00pm Martin Episode 403, Blow, Baby, Blow
8:30pm Roc Episode 219
9:00pm 227 Episode 323, The Big Deal
9:30pm Martin Episode 424, Martin, I Want to Sing

12:00am Good Times Episode 324, The Rent Party
12:30am 227 Episode 310, They're Playing Our Song
1:00am Amen Episode 8822, The First Community Talent Show
1:30am Martin Episode 318, All the Players Came
2:00am Roc Episode 318, The Concert
2:30am Good Times Episode 524, That's Entertainment, Evans Style
3:00am Amen Episode 9513, Ernie And The Sublimes
3:30am In the House Episode 409, Tonia's Big Break
4:00am Martin Episode 403, Blow, Baby, Blow
4:30am Roc Episode 219
5:00am 227 Episode 323, The Big Deal
5:30am Martin Episode 424, Martin, I Want to Sing

Another Season of 'ALF' Coming to DVD; More on Nick@Nite's 90-Second Sitcom

Lionsgate has schedules the third season DVD of ALF for May 30. That date is not that far away, so I wonder when the official announcement will be? Hopefully the date is still accurate. Anyhow, I know TVShowsonDVD.com will give us information as soon it is allowed to be posted. But for now Melmac fans, pencil in May 30 for Season 3 of ALF! Hopefully we have news on both of the animated series, too, as Lionsgate promised they are coming soon, too.

We broke the news a few weeks back that Nick@Nite was going to air a 90-second sitcom for 8 weeks starting in April. Now we have the episode titles with the dates:
Here is the roll out by date and title:
1. "Maggie Quits" 4/11/06
2. "Mr. Boots Goes Too Far" 4/18
3. "Pete's Lost" It 4/25
4. "Cody the Genius" 5/2
5. "Maggie's New Look" 5/9
6. "A Date For Evelyne" 5/16
7. "A Star is Home" 5/23
8. "Maggie's Last Days" 5/30
At the Poocharelli's airs Tuesdays at 9:57 p.m. ET/PT.

Three 'Scrubs' Cast Members Pick Their Favorite Episodes; Upcoming New Sitcoms

For a special three-week event, original episodes of the off-kilter comedy Scrubs (Tuesdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET), will be followed by a cast member's favorite episode beginning with Zach Braff's ("Dr. John 'J.D.' Dorian") choice: last season's "My Last Chance," guest starring Heather Graham (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Molly Shannon (Will & Grace), which will air from 9:30-10:00 p.m. ET. The episode aired last night, March 7.
Also beginning on March 7, NBC.com will post audio commentary by cast members, which online visitors can listen to or download on the official Scrubs area of the site (http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/). Subsequent audio commentaries will be posted on March 14 and 21. Since we were a little late with this news, we apologize, but we do have info on the March 14 and 21 "cast favorite" episodes:

March 14, 2006
9:30-10 p.m. - "My Life In Four Cameras" (Sarah Chalke's favorite episode) -- J.D.'s (Zach Braff) imagination is sparked by a patient, a sitcom writer, who is about to receive some very bad news. J.D. ponders how the lives of everyone at Sacred Heart, including his patient, would turn out if left in the hands of the writer. Elsewhere, Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) are struggling to keep the romance in their relationship while Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) continue their one-upmanship over whose job is harder. Portions of this episode were shot in front of a live studio audience in the manner of a traditional sitcom. Clay Aiken guest stars as a talent show participant. Sarah Chalke also stars. (Originally aired 2/15/05)

March 21, 2006

9:30-10 p.m. - "My Lucky Night" (John C. McGinley's favorite episode) -- Sean (guest star Scott Foley) is a bit surprised and disturbed to learn about Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and JD's (Zach Braff) history together, but it turns out his anger is really a cover up for the fact that his "little" work trip is actually six months long and he doesn't want Elliot to explode. J.D., who has been watching their relationship develop, finally acknowledges that he still has feelings for Elliot and that he has to come to either accept her new relationship or do something about it. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox. (John C. McGinley) is forced to swallow his pride and actually ask for help when he decides to throw his hat in the ring for the Residency Director position at the hospital. Carla (Judy Reyes) picks up an extra shift as a surgical nurse, which allows her to spend the day working alongside with Turk (Donald Faison), to his great annoyance. Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn also star. (Originally aired 10/30/03)

Scrubs is produced by Touchstone Television. Bill Lawrence (Spin City) is the executive producer and creator.

With the hilarious Sons & Daughters premiering last night on ABC and a special preview of Fox's Free Ride last week, we not nearly done with the mid-season sitcoms. And that also means pilot reviews from us! CBS will debut the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine on Monday with two episodes -- one at a special time of 8:30 p.m. and the other will be its regular time slot of 9:30 p.m. Fox will debut the sitcom The Loop next Wednesday in a special preview slot following American Idol, then it will air Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. You can expect both of those to get reviews from us by the end of this week. We will also review Free Ride, since we didn't get that in time for the premiere, but not to worry, we have the second episode, too!
But that's not all! The WB is also debuting a new sitcom. They will debut Modern Men a week from Friday (March 17) at 9:30 p.m. NBC still has another sitcom to debut, too. The sitcom Teachers (aka Filmore High) will follow Scrubs on Tuesdays, beginning March 28.

CBS Renews 14 Series for 2006-07; 'George Lopez' and 'Freddie' Cross-Over On March 22

In a surprise move, CBS has already announced 14 series that will for sure be on the line-up for next season. Freshmen series pick-ups for 2006-07 include Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer and How I Met Your Mother--all of which have delivered impressive time period growth. In addition to the three rookies, CBS also will bring back 60 Minutes, Cold Case, NCIS, NUMB3RS, Survivor, Two and a Half Men, Without a Trace, The Amazing Race, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: New York.
However, not making the initial short list were veteran comedies The King of Queens & Still Standing. Their future is up in the air right now. 2005-06 freshmen Close To Home, Courting Alex and Out of Practice also were not on the list. Alex and Practice both will move to Wednesdays later this month and that might tell us what their fate will be next season. CBS looks to have a nice slate of comedy pilots, such as The Class (from executive producer David Crane and starring Jason Ritter) and Sex, Power & Politics (with Jane Krakowski, Jay Harrington and James Van Der Beek)--so Alex and Practice need to do very well in order for them to bring both back next fall. CBS still has The New Adventures of Old Christine to premiere later this month (look for our pilot review very soon!). I think one of those three will only be back next season--so they all are competing for a spot next season.
And CBS announced that veteran sitcom Yes, Dear will indeed not return next season, so the series is officially canceled. The last episode aired last month.
Also, The WB has officially canceled veteran drama Charmed. So, that is one series that will not make it to the new CW line-up. The series finale is in May on The WB.

ABC will crossover two of its sitcoms for a very special crossover episode! Sitcoms George Lopez and Freddie will mark sitcom history with the famous crossover episode. But this time, both shows will crossover with each other--cast of Freddie on George Lopez and the cast of George Lopez on Freddie on the same night in a special two-part episode airing back-to-back on Wednesday, March 22 from 8 to 9 p.m. Here is how ABC describes it:

George Lopez: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 at 8 p.m.:

Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Brian Austin Green from Freddie Guest Star in Their First Crossover Episode with George Lopez
“George Gets Cross Over Freddie” – In the first of a two-part crossover episode with Freddie, George discovers that Max has begun an online romance with a teenage girl from Chicago (Zoey from Freddie). When he assumes his son’s identity to protect him from what he suspects is an internet predator, George comes face to face offline with Zoey’s uncle, Freddie, on George Lopez, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. Guest starring are Freddie Prinze Jr. as Freddie, Brian Austin Green as Chris and Chloe Suazo as Zoey.
“George Gets Cross Over Freddie” was written by Stacey Pulwer and directed by Katy Garretson.


Freddie: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 at 8:30 p.m.:

George Lopez, Valente Rodriguez and Luis Armand Garcia from George Lopez Guest Star in Their First Crossover Episode with Freddie
“Freddie Gets Cross Over George” – After Freddie and Chris’ trip to Los Angeles to investigate whether or not Zoey’s internet friend is genuine or a predator, they realize that George’s son, Max, really is a kid and invite them to Chicago so that Max and Zoey can finally meet face to face. When George sees how well off Freddie is, he teases him that he’s “soft,” so Freddie takes him to a rowdy bar in his old neighborhood to prove he hasn’t lost his edge. But when they get involved in a bar fight and end up in jail, Freddie and George realize that they’ve both lost their edge and don’t mind being a little “soft,” on “Freddie,” WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22 (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.
Guest starring are George Lopez as George, Valente Rodriguez as Ernie, Luis Armand Garcia as Max, Jed Rhein as Judd, Frank Merino as Jesse, Angela Sorenson as Krista, Bruno Amato as bartender and Steve Saucedo as guard. Other guest cast TBD.
“Freddie Gets Cross Over George” was written by Stacey Pulwer and directed by Bob Koherr.

Both shows are from Warner Bros. Television, Mohawk Productions and Fortis Films. Mr. George Lopez is a producer of both series (executive producer for George Lopez and producer for Freddie).

SitcomsOnline.com Exclusive: AOL's In2TV Preview

AOL's In2TV service is launching next Wednesday (March 15) and SitcomsOnline.com has the first look at all the sitcoms included with episode info for each sitcom and also the features In2TV brings. We will only cover the sitcoms that will be available to watch at launch time. There will be a host of other type of shows, like dramas (Lois & Clark, Adventures of Brisco County Jr.), westerns (Maverick, Cheyenne) and animation (New Adventures of Batman, Beetlejuice). But since this is SitcomsOnline.com, we will only cover the sitcoms! Each series will have 10 episodes to start off. The way it will work is that they'll have 10 episodes available each month. Every month, 5 of the 10 will be replaced with new episodes--so make sure you watch the 10 episodes each month, because you never know which 5 episodes they will replace the following month. The following are the sitcoms and their episode info at launch time:

Perfect Strangers Launch Episodes
#3 "First Date" 23:59
#7 "Hello, Baby" 25:21
#8 "Hunks Like Us" 25:25
#15 "Can I Get a Witness?" 25:20
#16 "The Rent Strike" 25:18
#18 "Dog Gone Blues" 25:21
#21 "Beautiful Dreamer" 25:21
#23 "Ten Speed and a Soft Touch" 25:19
#24 "Snow Way to Treat a Lady, Part 1" 22:14
#31 "Sexual Harassment in Chicago" 24:19

Welcome Back, Kotter Launch Episodes
#1 "Welcome Back" Pilot 25:31
#3 "Basket Case" 25:31
#4 "Whodunit?" 25:11
#6 "No More Mr. Nice Guy" 25:11
#10 "Barbarino's Girl" 25:11
#11 "The Reunion" 25:10
#18 "Follow the Leader, Part 2" 25:12
#22 "Father Vinnie" 25:11
#32 "Sweathog, Nebraska Style" 25:10
#85 "Bride and Bloom" 25:07

Growing Pains Launch Episodes
#3 "Jealousy" 24:06
#4 "Carol's Article" 21:52
#6 "Mike's Madonna Story" 23:56
#42 "Born Free" 23:49
#59"The Marrying Kind" 24:19
#72 "Birth of a Seaver" 24:14
#79 "The Nanny" 24:30
#84 "Feet of Clay" 23:48
#138 "Not With My Carol You Don't" 23:49
#159 "Menage a Luke" 23:24

Chico and the Man Launch Episodes
#1 "The Man Meets Chico" Pilot 23:27
#4 "New Suit" 25:53
#6 "E Pluribus Used Car" 25:50
#9 "No Room in the Garage" 25:45
#10 "The Letter" 25:50
#16 "If I Were a Rich Man" 25:34
#37 "The Hypnotist" 24:32
#47 "Chico Packs His Bags" 24:38
#59 "Chico's Padre" 24:37
#62 "Ed Talks to God" 25:21


Hangin' With Mr. Cooper Launch Episodes
#45 "Call Me Irresponsible" 22:43
#46 "My Bodyguard" 22:43
#49 "Matinee" 21:45
#50 "Mo' Money" 22:05
#51 "Instant Replay" 22:05
#52 "House Guest" 22:14
#53 "My Achy Breaky Back" 22:14
#54 "True Romance" 22:15
#55 "Clothes Make The Man" 22:00
#57 "Coach" 22:09

Alice Launch Episodes
#1 "Pilot" 24:16
#2 "Aice Gets a Pass" 25:35
#3 "A Piece of the Rock" 25:32
#4 "Pay the Fifty Dollars" 25:33
#5 "A Call to Arms" 25:04
#6 "The Last Review" 25:33
#88 "My Funny Valentine Tux" 24:42
#115 "Who's Kissing the Great Chefs of Phoenix?" 24:48
#126 "The Wild One" 24:47
#179 "Alice's Hot Air Romance" 24:54

F Troop Launch Episodes
#1 "Scourge of the West - Pilot" 25:32
#2"Don't Look Now, One of our Cannons is Missing" 25:34
#3 "The Phantom Major" 25:33
#4 "Corporal Agarn's Farewell to the Troops" 25:33
#5 "The Return of the Bald Eagle" 25:22
#35 "The Singing Mountie" 25:22
#36 "How To Be F Troop Without Really Trying" 25:23
#37 "Bye Bye Balloon" 25:24
#38 "Reach for the Sky, Pardner" 25:19
#39 "Great Troop Robbery, The" 25:25


Head of the Class Launch Episodes
#1 "Head of the Class" (Pilot) 24:24
#2 "Back to the Future" 23:31
#4 "Love at First Byte" 23:02
#6 "The Teacher's Teacher" 23:16
#7 "Volleyball, Anyone?" 23:27
#8 "Critical Choices" 23:10
#9 "Cold Turkey" 23:31
#10 "You've Got a Friend" 23:22
#18 "Valentine's Day" 21:35
#55 "Arvid's Sure Thing" 24:17

Criteria for the episodes:
-- "Starchives" - Episodes featuring stars before they were stars, including Brad Pitt on Growing Pains, and Jay Leno on Alice
-- "Classic Creme de la Creme" - Showcase of the most memorable episodes of a given series
-- "StarFavs" - Stars' favorite episodes

And I'm sure the rest are randomly picked.


Remember these are just the sitcom episodes. The rest of the series at launch time are: Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Babylon 5, Beetlejuice, Dark Justice, Eight is Enough, The F.B.I., Falcon Crest, Freakazoid, Freddy's Nightmares, The Fugitive, Histeria!, Kung Fu, La Femme Nikita, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Maverick, The New Adventures of Batman, Pinky and the Brain, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Sisters, Spenser: For Hire, V, Wonder Woman.

In2TV only airs Warner Bros. shows that are currently not on cable television (not counting AmericanLife TV, since the shows they air are part of a library deal). I'd like to see the following shows come to In2TV soon: Life Goes On, Our House, Just the Ten of Us, Flo, Getting By, Here's Lucy, Life with Lucy, China Beach, Homefront, It's a Living, Mayberry RFD, Love Sidney, Meego, Odd Man Out, My Sister Sam, Kirk, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Courtship of Eddie's Father, She's the Sheriff--yes, I am going overboard. I would have included The Hogan Family, but we found out that is now licensed by ABC Family Channel.

Features on In2TV's launch include "Karaoke" (sing along with Alice, Chico and the Man, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper's themes); "Punchlines" (classic clips from Perfect Strangers, Growing Pains, Welcome Back Kotter, Chico and the Man, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper); "Betcha Didn't Know" (great facts on Gabe Kaplan, Teri Hatcher); "Where Are They Now?" (what are your fave In2TV stars up to now like Kirk Cameron, Lynda Carter); "Retro Runway" ('70s Fashion); and "Starplay" (clips of stars before they were stars such as Jay Leno on Alice, William H. Macy on Spenser: For Hire, George Clooney on Sisters, Brad Pitt on Growing Pains).

SitcomsOnline.com users can beta test In2TV by watching samples of the features. You will need Windows XP and Windows Media Player 10.0, so upgrade if you want to watch In2TV. And yes, In2TV is for anyone who has the internet, not just AOL users. And the video is streaming online, so you do not have to download anything and that means you can not save the files. Here are the sample clips we have for you:

• Karaoke of Chico and the Man
• Punchline from Perfect Strangers: "Hunks Like Us"
• Betcha Didn't Know: Gabe Kaplan (Welcome Back, Kotter)
• Where Are They Now?: Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains)
• Retro Runway: '70s Fashion
• Starplay: Jay Leno on Alice

For more details on In2TV click here.

In2TV is brought to you by Hershey's Take 5, Pringles and Crest.

Week 24 First Four Day Ratings; How The Sitcoms Did

Sons & Daughters Premieres on ABC on March 7th

Fred Goss (“Significant Others”) stars in this unique hybrid comedy series that offers a mix of improvisational and scripted humor in an unadulterated look at marriage, raising children and living in close proximity to an extended family. Series creators Goss and Nick Holly borrow from their own middle-American, middle-class upbringings to deliver a very real and relatable modern-day family comedy.

Coming this March to ABC is a sitcom that brings the dysfunctional into family. The sitcom Sons & Daughters is a hybrid improv comedy series that has no studio audience or canned laughs. And it's coming to a television near you starting March 7, airing Tuesdays at 9:00/8:00 & 9:30/8:30 central only on ABC!

Read our review of the pilot episode here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday on our message board.

Related Links:

Tree of Nuts - Sons & Daughters Family Tree

Out On A Limb (Fred Goss' Blog)

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

Internet Movie Database

Sitcoms Online Photo Gallery

Video Clips:

Clip #1

Clip #2

Clip #3

'Facts of Life' DVD Extras; Don Knotts on '8 Simple Rules' Rerun Today

We have had so much news this week that we couldn't even fit in The Facts of Life Seasons 1 and 2 DVD news that was made official on Monday. TVShowsonDVD.com announced that it will street on May 9. Here is your first look at the two extras on this set:
• Featurette: Remembering The Facts of Life
• Featurette: After Facts
The runtime of the set has caused a lot of confusion. Sony says 610 minutes on their press website but on the press release they say 707 minutes, which should be the right runtime. 610 minutes would make it less than 22 minutes per episode, hence syndicated episodes. But 707 minutes would be just right at under 25 minutes per episode, which is very right for 1979-81. You can view that press release here. And don't forget to buy a copy when the set comes out because the fans of this show have waited long enough! Visit our Facts of Life page for ordering information and all the details on the set.

Make sure everyone watches a rerun of 8 Simple Rules... today at 4:00 p.m. on Daytime WB. They will be airing the Three's Company-themed episode in which John Ritter's character Paul dreams that his two daughters have moved in with Kyle, a la Three's Company. The late Don Knotts has a cameo at the end of the episode and it is very funny. Yet another way to pay tribute to the legend. And don't forget this weekend on TV Land, it is all Don Knotts as TV Land airs 48 hours of Andy Griffith and Three's Company.

Since it is early, if we have more news, we will come back and add it in. So keep checking back!

'Valerie' Episodes Will Air on ABC Family, But...; The N Acquires Dramas; And the Sitcom Coming to CMT Is...

The other day we posted that The Hogan Family is coming to ABC Family starting April 3. We also stated that they will start with season three, by passing the 'Valerie' years. That is all still true, but ABC Family has informed me that the Valerie years will only be skipped for the first rotation. You will get to watch the Valerie seasons as soon as the first rotation ends. So not to worry Valerie Harper fans! ABC Family has done this with several other shows before, such as when they started Step by Step and Full House--heading to the later years so they don't lose an audience.

CBS will now premiere The New Adventures of Old Christine as a two-episode event featuring original broadcasts at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Monday, March 13.
The pilot of The New Adventures of Old Christine, starring Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a comedy about a contemporary American mom, will be broadcast at a special time at 8:30 p.m. followed by the series' second episode, titled "Supertramp," which will be broadcast in its previously announced regularly scheduled 9:30 p.m. time period.

The N announced yesterday that they have brought reruns of dramas Summerland and Dawson's Creek. Creek is currently on TBS, which has ran reruns since May, 2003. There is no word if The N's contract is exclusive or not. The N will premiere all 26 hour-long episodes of Summerland beginning Monday May 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT and will follow in the fall with the entire library (128 episodes) of the groundbreaking teen drama Dawson’s Creek, on Friday, September 1. Both series originally aired on The WB.

And now we will end today's news with the info on that sitcom that we talked about that is coming to CMT on March 6. The sitcom is...The Jeff Foxworthy Show. It will air weekdays at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT (before The Dukes of Hazzard) with an encore at 2:00 a.m. ET/PT (after The Dukes of Hazzard). Foxworthy will continue to air on sister Viacom-net Nick@Nite weeknights at 5:00 a.m. ET/PT. No offense to Foxworthy Show fans, but we were all hoping for something that was not already seen, like maybe Alice?

A&E and CNN Tributes to Don Knotts; Nick@Nite Has a Record February; Warner Home Video 'TV Favorites' DVD Update

A&E will be re-airing their Biography on Don Knotts today at 2 p.m. A profile of comic actor Don Knotts, whose roles have ranged from lovable sidekick Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show to swinging landlord Ralph Furley in Three's Company. Included are comments from John Ritter, Andy Griffith, Steve Allen and TV Guide critic Matt Roush.
Meanwhile, Ron Howard and Andy Griffith will be on CNN's Larry King Live tonight at 9 p.m. (repeats at 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. if you miss it). It will be a CNN exclusive. Andy Griffith and Ron Howard say goodbye to Don Knotts in their first interview together since his death. The entire hour will be devoted to him, so you might want to keep this one for your archives.

For February 2006, Nick@Nite scored its highest-rated and most-watched February in the network's 20-year history among its target audience of Adults 18-49. Bolstered by the network's roster of modern hit sitcoms such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Roseanne, the network finished the month with double-digit gains in rating and delivery over last year, and was the Number One network in all of basic cable among A18-49, W18-49, A18-34, W18-34 and
W25-54 in total programming day. For full details on this click here.

Today Warner Home Video officially announced the third wave of the "TV Favorites" DVD series. Wave 1 was back in September 2005, Wave 2 was released Tuesday and Wave 3 will be on June 27, as we have said many times before. Wave 3 will consist of sitcoms Step by Step and the episodes YOU helped choose for Alice. TVShowsonDVD.com officially announced the sets for June 27 today. For the Alice cover art and details (we already knew the episodes, since YOU helped choose them), click here. For Step by Step's episode info and details click here. David Lambert brings up a good question in that latter article. He wonders what happened to Perfect Strangers? If you all recall, YOU helped WHV pick the episodes for that set, too. I was told a few weeks back that the set will not be out for this Wave, unfortunately. Then later YOU helped them pick episodes for Full House. After Perfect Strangers was "pushed back," they decided to go with Full House on June 27. And now recently, they decided against that, too. So, for Wave 3 on June 27 we will only get Alice and Step by Step. So when can we expect the TV Favorites for Perfect Strangers, Full House and the already pushed back Family Matters? WHV tells me, "...research and analysis was done. Unfortunately, neither Full House nor Perfect Strangers will be released this year as a TV Favorites release due to financial constraints." I'm sure that also means no for Family Matters, too. I don't think we will see any more TV Favorites for the remainder of the year. But I hope we get those in early 2007, since we all helped choose the episodes.
Let's hope we get season sets soon then for Perfect Strangers and Family Matters. As for Full House, the fans should not worry because they told me some good news for fans of that show: "Please do remember, though, that we are continuing to release full season sets of Full House. Season 3 is set to release in early April of this year and Season 4 will follow in the 3rd quarter."
If we have any further updates on WHV, we will let you know ASAP. We just had to hold back the news on June 27 as there was a lot of "flux." But now it is all known.

Classic '80s Sitcom to Join ABC Family Channel in April; Sitcom News for ABC and Showtime; GSN Honors Knotts, McGavin and Weaver

'Life is such a sweet insanity..." Yes, life IS such a sweet insanity! Because the more you learn, the less you know...well not in this case, because you are ALL about to know what the new sitcom is coming to ABC Family Channel this April! I mentioned last week that a "TBD" slot has been filled in starting April 3 and it clearly had to be a sitcom because ABC Family airs nothing but sitcoms from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. So, if you have not guessed by now with all those clues (and the picture) the sitcom is the 1986-1991 sitcom The Hogan Family. It will air WEEKDAYS @ 12 PM & 12:30 PM starting April 3. They will start with season three, by passing the Valerie years.
The show was titled Valerie in its first two seasons, then Valerie's Family for season three, before being called The Hogan Family by season four. You can read all about that on our Hogan Family website. The series starred Valerie Harper, but she left show by season three. Sandy Duncan replaced her. The series also starred Jason Bateman, who went on to star in Arrested Development.
The series last aired as a regular on PAX some years ago. TV Land aired two episodes this past June for a Warner Bros. 50th Anniversary Weekend marathon. It will be SO good to have this series back on the air again. Now, let's hope we can get '80s gems Mr. Belvedere, Small Wonder, and Perfect Strangers back on the air. For more on ABC Family April 2006, click here!

ABC has announced the return date of third season sitcom Hope & Faith. It will return and air Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. starting March 21. It will replace Rodney, which airs tonight for the last time, since the next two weeks (March 7 & 14) a special According to Jim will air in its slot. No idea yet on when or if ABC will air the remaining 8 episodes of Rodney, as only 14 will have aired by tonight. Hope & Faith has 10 more episodes remaining, as 12 have aired earlier in the season. Still no word yet on when ABC plans to bring back sitcoms Crumbs, Less than Perfect and Jake in Progress. My guess would be in June.
ABC also announced other mid-season plans and changes. Veteran spy-drama Alias will return for its final eight episodes starting Wednesday, April 19 at 8 p.m. replacing sitcoms George Lopez and Freddie, who both would have finished their 22 episode order for the season by then. New J.J. Abrams drama What About Brian has been pushed back two weeks to a Sunday, April 16 premiere following DH, then will air Mondays at 10 p.m. starting the next night. Invasion will return Wednesday, April 19 at 10 p.m., after a four week break to let the new mid-season drama The Evidence air. Invasion is all-new on March 8 and 15--don't miss it, it is by far the best new drama this season! And ABC's new mini-series, a revival of the classic movie The Ten Commandments will air over two nights on Monday, April 10 and Tuesday, April 11 from 9 to 11 p.m. starring Naveen Andrews of Lost. Read all that and more here.

The New York Post is reporting that sitcom Arrested Development is very close to be picked-up by Showtime for 26 episodes. They would divide it by two and have 13 episodes for next season and 13 more the following season. The two-hour finale of the critically-acclaimed series nabbed only 3.3 million viewers when it aired on Feb. 10 on Fox. We certainly will keep you all updated on this as Showtime has not officially said anything on it, but it sure looks good!

In honor of the recent passing of legendary television actors Don Knotts, Darren McGavin and Dennis Weaver, GSN is planning special programming tributes showcasing some of their memorable appearances on classic game shows. GSN is honored to present these acclaimed and award-winning actors as they appeared as themselves on such memorable series as I've Got a Secret (Knotts), Password (McGavin) and Family Feud (Weaver.) To see when these special episodes are airing, click here.

Don Knotts Tributes on TV Land Tuesday and Saturday/Sunday; Remembering Darren McGavin and Dennis Weaver

TV Land will pay tribute to dear friend Don Knotts with a Primetime Tribute Marathon of The Andy Griffith Show on Tuesday, February 28 starting at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) and a 48-Hour Don Knotts Tribute Marathon featuring The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company this coming weekend, March 4-5.
The network will showcase a six episode presentation of Knotts' memorable work on The Andy Griffith Show as the lovable, bumbling small town deputy, Barney Fife on Tuesday, February 28 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT. Additionally, beginning Saturday March 4 at 6 a.m. ET/PT, TV Land will air a 48-hour marathon of both The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company, the latter of which he played the eccentric landlord Mr. Furley. Andy will air 6a-11p & 5-6a both days while Three's Company will air 11p-5a both days.
For the full schedule for both the Tuesday and the weekend tributes, click here.

We have lost two more TV greats, too. Darren McGavin and Dennis Weaver. Darren McGavin something of a patron saint for rumpled old reporters in his role as Kolchak on the original ABC show, The Night Stalker, died on Saturday. McGavin also was known for his role as the father in the holiday movie classic, A Christmas Story. He was the title role in the TV series Mike Hammer. He was also the father of Candice Bergen's Murphy Brown, which earned him an Emmy nomination for a guest appearance. McGavin even had his own sitcom, a short lived 1983 sitcom that lasted six episodes for CBS called Small & Frye. He made the rounds on various TV series such as Grace Under Fire, The Commish, The Love Boat, Love American Style, and Mannix. McGavin was 83.
Meanwhile it was announced today that veteran actor Dennis Weaver also died this weekend. He died Friday. He was best known for his roles on TV classics Gunsmoke and McCloud, died Feb. 24 at his home in Ridgway, Colo. The serious actor was never in a sitcom but had a well respected dramatical TV career. Weaver was one of television’s original sidekicks, playing obtuse deputy Chester Goode (whose twangy "Miiister Dillon!" when addressing James Arness' Matt Dillon became a trademark), in the CBS Western Gunsmoke from 1955-64. He won an Emmy for the role in 1959. From 1970-77, Weaver portrayed the more quick-witted deputy Sam McCloud in McCloud, the sheriff from rural America who joins the NYPD. The series ran on NBC. Weaver reprised the role in a 1989 TV movie, The Return of Sam McCloud. Weaver’s most recent TV role was that of Henry Ritter on the ABC Family series Wildfire. Weaver was 81.

Special Note for Today; Week 23 First Four Day Ratings; How The Sitcoms Did; Andy Griffith Remembers Don Knotts

Today is a special day here at SitcomsOnline.com. Yes, it is our founder and owner's birthday! I hope Todd has a great day and many more birthdays to come. Thanks for everything and thanks for this wonderful website that just gets better and better each day! You can wish him a happy birthday and give thanks here.

Week 23 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: NBC: 13.5/20.1; FOX 13.2/19.1; CBS: 7.0/10.4; ABC: 6.3/9.3; The WB: 1.8/2.6; UPN 1.5/2.1.
Total Viewers: FOX: 22.87 million; NBC: 22.17 million; CBS: 10.66 million; ABC: 9.57 million; The WB: 2.62 million; UPN: 2.11 million.
Adults 18-49: FOX 9.7/22.2; NBC: 6.6/15.7; CBS: 3.5/8.3; ABC: 3.5/8.2; The WB: 1.0/2.4; UPN: 0.9/2.0.

Analysis: American Idol aired three times this week and killed The Olympics each time. Idol was two-hours long on Tuesday and Wednesday and a special hour episode on a Thursday. That Thursday 8 p.m. slot this week was very competitive. More on that later. The WB aired movies Mon-Thurs, so their numbers are way down from usual numbers. Monday saw The Olympics winning the night as the competition wasn't that good, but Fox had a strong showing for an all-new episode on a special night and time episode of House, with 14.18 million. Tuesday it was all Fox with American Idol with 30.16 million viewers, but the Olympics on NBC did very well too with 25.08 million, easily its best night in 2006, but still way down from previous Olympics. Wednesday again Fox's Idol ruled with 31.69 million, The Olympics suffered a ton, only 16.01 million, after getting two straight 20+ million nights. ABC was out of the picture tonight as Lost was a rerun. Thursday NBC, Fox, ABC and even CBS had something to write home about. American Idol won the 8 p.m. hour with 23.38 million, followed by the Olympics, Survivor and the first hour Dancing with the Stars. It was the most competitive hour in recent history In normal weeks CBS would rule 9-11pm, but not tonight. CSI and Without a Trace were in repeats AGAIN, so The Olympics and Dancing with the Stars ruled. The Olympics finally did above 30 million for the 10 p.m. hour, but overall the night for The Olympics came out to 25.72 million--its best yet. Friday had the Winter Olympics winning on NBC, but it was not above 20 million. Saturday was all NBC with the Olympics, but like Friday night it was weak. ABC's Dancing with the Stars Finale will battle with NBC's closing ceremonies for The Olympics for Sunday night--and Grey's Anatomy will do an open heart surgery on the ratings for The Olympics at 10 p.m. If only CBS had aired original episodes of CSI, Without a Trace, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami and some others, then The Olympics would have been even worse, but still it beats whatever NBC does in the ratings normally.


Monday Sitcoms

• The King of Queens (CBS) - 8.91 million for a repeat--yes, CBS was scared of the anemic Olympics on NBC.
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Only 7.41 million for a repeat.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A jump from lead-in, to 12.17 million, but was a repeat .
• Courting Alex (CBS) - First repeat of the series did a decent 8.37 million.
• One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends (UPN), Half and Half (UPN) - Steady! Between 3-4 million, like usual for all-new episodes. They did normal numbers, so the Olympics did not effect its ratings.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - 8 p.m. episode against Idol suffered, only 5.86 million, it was a repeat anyway...the 9 p.m. all-new episode did 6.61 million.
• Rodney (ABC) - Much better than last week's terrible 4.61 million, this week it was 6.07 million.
  
• George Lopez (ABC) - A repeat on a special night and time did OK, 6.34 million.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• George Lopez (ABC) - Not too good for a new episode--5.9 million
  
• Freddie (ABC) - 5.05 million for an all-new episode, ouch.
• Still Standing (CBS) - Two all-new episodes barely beat ABC's comedies, 5.91 million and 5.98 million.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Everybody Hates Chris (UPN) - Why did UPN air a repeat? 2.95 million.
  
• Love, Inc. (UPN), Everybody Hates Chris (UPN), Eve (UPN) - Cuts was replaced this week. Eve moved to its slot. Chris aired in Eve's old slot. All were repeats, but Chris jumped up at 9 p.m. to 2.15 million after Love, Inc only did 1.75 million.

Friday Sitcoms

The WB Friday had What I Like About You and Living with Fran in dead last place in the 8 p.m. hour. The 9 p.m. hour was slightly better with Reba and Twins as it beat Fox's repeat of 24.

Summing it up. REPEATS of The King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Courting Alex were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as According to Jim 9 p.m., UPN Monday) or just plain old terrible (such as Freddie, What I Like About You, Living with Fran).


Finally, we leave you today with more on Don Knotts' passing. We don't have a date and time yet for the TV Land marathon tribute, but NBC's Today Show will have actor Andy Griffith on tomorrow morning's show in the 8:30 a.m. ET half hour. So tune in!
Andy Griffith will recall fond memories from his 50 year friendship with Don Knotts.

Breaking News: Don Knotts Passes Away at Age 81; Bernie Mac Hosts Sitcom Marathon on ME-TV in Chicago; Evening Shade Leaving CMT Already?

We have lost a big time legend. Don Knotts has passed away. He passed away Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, said Paul Ward, a spokesman for the cable network TV Land. Don Knotts of course was a big time TV star who co-starred with Andy Griffith as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show in the '60s and joined the cast of the John Ritter sitcom Three's Company in the 1979-80 season as Mr. Furley. Both Fife and Furley were memorable characters. Both different yet so similar in style. He has made tons of memorable movies, too, such as The Incredible Mr. Limpett and The Ghost & Mr. Chicken. He was recently heard on an episode of Nick@Nite's Fatherhood and on the big screen movie Chicken Little. He appeared at the TV Land Awards last year in a Desperate Housewives skit, playing Paul Young. This year's TV Land Awards will for sure pay tribute to the legend. And I'm sure TV Land will air episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company this coming week. So, I will let you know when they decide when to air a tribute marathon. Mr. Knotts also appeared on other shows as a guest star, such as Dobie Gillis, Joey Bishop, Mayberry RFD, Here's Lucy, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, She's the Sheriff, Step by Step, Newhart, with John Ritter again on the 'Three's Company' episode of 8 Simple Rules, last season on Las Vegas, and he had a recurring role on Andy Griffith's other series Matlock. He also was the host of his own show in 1970 titled The Don Knotts Show. Mr. Knotts will be missed by SO many. Fans ranging from all ages, as he had two hits in two different generations. Mr. Knotts was 81.

Bernie Mac usually talks to all of "America" but for one afternoon only he will talk to his hometown of Chicago. Hello Chicago! Spend your afternoon with “The Mac-man” as Bernie Mac hosts "Mac on Me" - four hours of Bernie Mac's all-time favorite Me-TV shows this Sunday, February 26 from 3 to 7 pm. CT. Bernie delivers a line-up of the classics as well as favorites from his own show. You don’t want to miss Chicago’s very own Bernie Mac on Me-TV, with a special simulcast on WCIU-TV channel 26 "The U!"

3:00 pm Bernie Mac "Keep it on the Short Grass”

3:30 pm Green Hornet “Praying Mantis”

4:00 pm The Honeymooners “TV or not TV”

4:30 pm All in the Family “Sammy’s Visit”

5:00 pm What’s Happening!! “Disco Dollar Disaster”

5:30 pm Sanford and Son “Mama’s Baby, Papa’s Maybe”

6:00 pm Good Times “The Debutante Ball”

6:30 pm Bernie Mac “Nut Job”
Don't forget Chicago - you can catch The Bernie Mac Show weeknights at 6:30 & 10:30 p.m. on Me-TV's sister station - WCIU, Channel 26, "The U!"

Moving on to national news, CMT looks like has made last minute changes. Apparently Evening Shade has not done too well in the ratings. It will air three more times next week at only 6-7 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before being completely gone by March 2, replaced by CMT Music--only lasting 2 full weeks. The Dukes of Hazzard will get new timeslots, too starting the 2nd. Weekdays 6 p.m. & 7 p.m. and midnight and 1 a.m. So what about that "TBD 30 Minutes" slot that I mentioned the other day? It looks like that is still happening, but now starting Monday March 6 at 5:30 p.m. (before Dukes of Hazzard) and 2 a.m. (after Dukes of Hazzard). Let's all hope it is a sitcom, but I am not holding my breath on it much now, since what just took place with Evening Shade. Pray that Alice is that sitcom! Enjoy Evening Shade for three days next week because then it seems it is gone again.

Nick@Nite To Premiere 90-Second Sitcom; MPI Home Video Answers

Nick@Nite will premiere a new sitcom starting April 4. The catch is it WON'T be a half hour sitcom, it will be a short sitcom running 90 seconds! The sitcom is titled At the Poocharelli's. This 90-second sitcom will air Tuesday nights at 9:57 p.m. immediately following premiere episodes of Nick@Nite's Search for America's Funniest Moms II. Details on this sitcom:
Finally, a sitcom that really knows how to sit? and stay and fetch! Maggie Poocharelli is the center of the family and the chaos of this classic sitcom, with loveable if sometimes dim husband Pete, forever-dating sister Evelyne, irascible Gramps and the kids: spunky twelve year old Cody, teen
socialiate Brittany, and the puppies. In each episode, they face traditional sitcom issues -from lost homework to mis-fired makeovers to special celebrity guest stars. Tune in each Tuesday at 9:57 p.m. for all the fun with the Poocharelli family!

MPI Home Video has let us know when we can expect the '60s sitcom Family Affair on DVD. They said to expect the first season (30 episodes on 4 discs) on June 27. MPI is known for great bonus features and this set will also have some. The exact contents will be announced later. Also, there is no further information on The Color Honeymooners DVD. I think we can expect that later in the year, as I mentioned sometime back. And we all know season three of The Doris Day Show is coming this May, but we can also expect season four of this series sometime in the 4th quarter (Oct-Dec) this year. I'm sure our friends at TVShowsonDVD.com will have news on all this, when announced. It is too bad MPI doesn't have rights to release more episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction! They have done a great job on those and all the other series they have released!

Turner South Sold to Fox; More Classic Sitcoms Coming?

Turner South, a regional cable network for outlets in the southeast, has now been sold to Fox. Turner South airs classic movies, sports (Braves, Hawks and Thrasher games), original programming, and some series as well (Major Dad, In the Heat of the Night). But now Fox has bought the channel and has plans to create it to an all-sports channel. They could treat it like a "Fox Sports Net" channel. While I am a sports fan, I don't like this because shows like Major Dad are rare to find these days.

As I mentioned, Fox could convert Turner South into an all-sports network by dropping its other programming, but regardless, the second channel gives Fox the opportunity to purchase more regional sports. Fox operates two separate regional sports networks in L.A. and now could have two in the southeast.
In a statement, TBS Inc. CEO Phil Kent called the sale “a win for Turner Broadcasting and for viewers of the Fox Cable Networks. It creates significant financial return for our company, adds quality programming to Fox’s portfolio and enhances the value for consumers of a popular cable service.”

OK, now for the sitcom story. As I mentioned last week, Evening Shade is now on CMT. But starting maybe next week (March 1) we might get another sitcom. They have not officially announced it yet but I have a strong feeling we will get another sitcom on CMT. Right now Evening Shade airs 6-7am, 1-2pm and 11p-12a. The 6:00am, 1:30pm and 11:00pm slot as of March 1 is now listed as "TBD 30 Minutes." That has to be a sitcom. What else could lead-in or lead-out of Evening Shade? We hope to have news on this VERY soon. So come on back.
Also, if that is not all, we have another cable network that now lists a "TBD" (stands for To Be Determined, if anyone didn't know) block. ABC Family Channel released their April line-up to us last week and we didn't post it right away because we saw that TBD slot. The TBD slot is listed for 12 noon and 12:30 p.m. The current occupant of that slot is Full House. Full House will slide over to 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. starting April 3, and Step by Step will move from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. starting April 3. So what will air at noon and 12:30 p.m.? We just don't know yet, but indication again is it could be a sitcom. Hopefully a sitcom that doesn't air on that channel right now. Maybe Perfect Strangers? Hangin' With Mr. Cooper? Or the return of Growing Pains? We will let you know as soon as we know!
And finally, in local channel news, a Webster marathon is in the works for Chicago's ME-TV. It has not been confirmed yet, but all indications list March 7 as the date. As soon as we have full details we will let you know on the pint-sized kid's return! We just hope that show returns nationally sometime soon, too (and DVD--come on Paramount!).

TV Land Honors 'Cheers', 'Dallas', 'Good Times' & 'Batman' at 2006 TV Land Awards; Fox-Owned UPN Stations Get New Mini-Network

TV Land announced today that Cheers, Batman, Good Times and Dallas are among the shows that will be honored at the fourth annual TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV, being taped at The Barker Hangar on Sunday, March 19. The two-hour special will premiere with a special simulcast on TV Land and Nick@Nite on Wednesday, March 22 beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The annual celebration recognizes shows and stars from television’s rich history, is hosted by Will and Grace’s Megan Mullally and is sponsored by M&M'S(r) Brand Chocolate Candies.
Several awards will be bestowed upon some of television’s legendary series’ and stars. The cast and crew of Cheers will be recognized with the Legend Award; Batman will be honored in celebration of its 40th Anniversary; Good Times will receive the Impact Award; and Dallas will receive the Pop Culture Award. TV Land will also present awards in several other categories, including the 2005 Future Classic Award – which TV Land unveiled in 1998 and is presented annually to the one new show from the past calendar year which best exemplifies the qualities of an emerging television classic. Last year’s recipient was ABC’s hit series, Desperate Housewives. Who will it be this year? Grey's Anatomy, My Name is Earl, House, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, Commander in Chief, or another series? My bets are on Grey's Anatomy.
Slated to appear at the show include: cast members from Cheers – Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Shelley Long, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt and Rhea Perlman; Batman’s Adam West and Burt Ward; John Amos, Jimmy “JJ” Walker, Ja’net Dubois, BernNadette Stanis, Johnny Brown and Ralph Carter from Good Times and Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, Charlene Tilton, Steve Kanaly, Susan Howard, Ken Kercheval and Mary Crosby from Dallas.
To read the full details, click here.

And remember the Fox-owned UPN stations that will turn independent because of The CW situation? Well, Fox has just announced what they plan to do with those Fox-owned UPN stations. And frankly, I'm not too happy with it. They will create a mini-network for these ten stations called "My Network TV." I was hoping for a return of classic sitcoms/dramas in primetime, but guess not, hopefully we see those types of shows during the day at least. Here are the full details of My Network TV:
FOX will launch My Network TV, a new primetime program network scheduled to debut this fall. Fox Television Stations, Inc., and Twentieth Television will operate the new venture.
Upon launching on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006, My Network TV will feature quality primetime programming from 8:00-10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) Monday through Saturday, totaling 12 hours of original content per week. Providing broadcasters a viable and station-friendly option for primetime, involving no reverse compensation, My Network TV will position stations with operational flexibility through an appealing affiliation term and attractive inventory split, further building asset value.
Fox Television Stations’ WWOR/New York, KCOP/Los Angeles, WPWR/Chicago, KDFI/Dallas, WDCA/Washington, D.C., KTXH/Houston, WFTC/Minneapolis, KUTP/Phoenix, WRBW/ Orlando and WUTB/Baltimore will serve as anchor affiliates of My Network TV, representing 24% of the United States.
And the first two shows will be all-new primetime soaps running six days a week:
Twentieth Television’s new hour-long scripted dramas Desire and Secrets will inaugurate My Network TV. Structured in a 65-episode story arc stripped Monday through Friday for 13 weeks, Desire and Secrets are based on the worldwide success of the telenovela format. Desire chronicles the destruction of a family and the bonds of brotherhood take center stage when two brothers on the run from the mafia find themselves in a heated battle of passion, betrayal, deceit and murder over the woman they both love. Secrets goes deep behind-the-scenes to focus on the glamorous, yet sometimes brutally ruthless fashion industry, in which greed, lust and blind ambition surround a violent corporate takeover of the business’ hottest company.

They will also develop other shows when needed. Programs currently in development include:

• Catwalk (Twentieth Television) -- The ultimate search for the next “It” supermodel begins by crossing the country to discover 30 of the hottest, hippest and freshest faces who will compete for the once in a lifetime opportunity to be catapulted into stardom.
• Celebrity Love Island [Granada (Nanny 911)] -- Six gorgeous celebrity and six non-celebrity singletons are thrown together in a fantasy island setting, where a star-studded search for love takes place.
• On Scene (Fox News) -- This crime investigative series will cover all angles, examine all of the evidence and trace every single clue of the most compelling crimes committed today.
• America’s Brainiest (working title) [Celador (Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?)] -- This quiz show, based on the hit British program, will find the country’s smartest individuals and reveal them in an exciting format.
• In addition, Twentieth Television is in advanced negotiations with FremantleMedia North America (American Idol) on an international format.

What was wrong with Diff'rent Strokes, Small Wonder and Mr. Belvedere? :(

Felicity Huffman in Leave it to Beaver, The Munsters and The Brady Bunch?; In2TV Launches March 15 on AOL.com

If you all saw Desperate Housewives this past Sunday, then you saw a commercial starring Felicity Huffman promoting Dove Night's Calming Night product. She mentions to go online to dovenight.com and watch her in all-new "webisodes" of classic TV shows. Here is the info on it:

Beginning Feb. 20 women can follow Felicity Huffman into a dream state as she has mom-to-mom chats with America's beloved TV moms -- Carol Brady, Lily Munster and June Cleaver. Dove, the global beauty brand, is premiering three groundbreaking Webisodes to launch its new Calming Night product collection. Directed by Penny Marshall, each Webisode shows Huffman as she is literally transposed into the Brady, Munster and Cleaver households. The Webisodes are available at http://www.dovenight.com through Apr. 9, 2006.
Thanks to an evening shower with Dove Calming Night body wash, Huffman drifts off to a dream world where she finds herself living in classic episodes of The Brady Bunch, The Munsters and Leave it to Beaver. As Alice departs for vacation, Huffman arrives on scene to take care of the Brady sextet. At 1313 Mockingbird Lane, she discovers her own little monsters are not nearly as creepy as the Munster family. After meeting 'the Beav' she learns that he is not as charming as he seems. Sometimes it takes being in someone else's shoes to realize that life is not always as easy as it looks. For the full press release, click here.

And we have the official date now for AOL's In2TV service. The service will begin on Wednesday, March 15. So you have three weeks to get ready. You have to have Windows XP and Windows Media Player 10.0 to play the full episodes I'm told. So, if you have not already, please upgrade!
On March 15, watch full-length episodes of popular TV series like Freddy's Nightmares, Chico and The Man, and Wonder Woman. In2TV is the first ever broadband network offering thousands of hours of full-length TV shows -- all free, and on-demand. Don't miss out.
A perfect way to test the system is to watch their first sneak peek video of In2TV, which is a "Where Are They Now?" feature on Linda Carter (Wonder Woman). You can view that here.

Stay tuned as we hope to have a list of episodes and more details on all the series at launch time!

President's Day Black History Sitcom Marathon on BET; TV Land Schedule Change Starting March 13

Happy President's Day! BET will be celebrating this day with a full day marathon of The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show and In Living Color, part of their Black History Month celebration. Tune in bright and early at 9 a.m. starting with Wayans and ending with Wayans as well at 4 a.m. In between we get two blocks of Jamie Foxx and a nice evening block of the sketch comedy In Living Color. To view the full line-up with episode information, click here.

Meanwhile TV Land has announced that they will be making some minor changes starting Monday, March 13. They will be making use of that Universal library drama deal (four shows) that started last month. Every weekday from 1 to 3 p.m., we get back-to-back episodes of action dramas in TV Land Crimestoppers. Mondays we get The A-Team, Tuesdays we get Miami Vice, Wednesdays we get Simon & Simon, Thursdays we get Knight Rider, and Fridays MacGyver. And on the weekends, the crimestoppers dramas air from 12 to 2 p.m., with MacGyver at 12 p.m. and Hunter at 1 p.m. Other changes are Highway to Heaven moving to 6 a.m., Gunsmoke's morning slot moving from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., and Gunsmoke's afternoon slot moving from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Hunter and MacGyver will now only air in the crimestoppers block.
For the full list of changes in a list format, head on over here.