Saturday, June 13, 2009
Blog DVD Review: Perry Mason - Season 4, Volume 1
The verdict is in for Perry Mason: Season 4, Volume 1 (CBS DVD, $49.99), and the verdict is: a great DVD set! Perry Mason, of course, is the classic 1950s/1960s TV series that starred Raymond Burr as a defense attorney that would take virtually any case that you would look at and say "nobody could win that case," yet he got a victory in all but one episode. The series was one of the first prominent law dramas to ever air on TV (and the oldest one that we even recognize these days) and aired for nine seasons on CBS. This DVD set presents the first 16 episodes of the 1960-1961 season in a four disc set.
Robert Redford guest stars in "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee," where a hairpiece may help clear a suspected murderer. A woman and her new lover (her husband's nephew) get involved in an extortion scheme gone wrong in "The Case of the Ill-Fated Faker." In "The Case of The Lavender Lipstick," Perry must defend a woman that is accused of killing her boss--and she was to be the heir of his fortune. A clown discovers that his wife is a bigamist in "The Case of the Clumsy Clown," and soon after, she turns up dead. Who else can prove him not guilty?
A girl's family is lost in "The Case of the Nine Dolls," but her family being lost may be the least of her worries. In "The Case of the Loquacious Liar," a man is threatened by his stepfather, but his stepfather is the one that turns up dead. John Hoyt guest stars in "The Case of the Resolute Reformer," where a land purchase deal ends in murder. In "The Case of the Fickle Fortune," a man hires Perry after it is discovered that another man that stole a large amount of money from him has been murdered.
The packaging on the case is the typical cheap CBS DVD movie style case that we all have a love-hate relationship with. They are nice, thin, and seem to "standardize" our collections, but they also scream "cheap" at the same time. As far as disc artwork, there really isn't any aside from the standard gray CBS DVD background with the show logo on each disc. Each disc contains exactly four episodes.
The menus on the set are very, well, basic. The main menu on each disc has a picture of Perry with a listing of episodes next to him, as well as a Play All option. You can't get simpler than that. Chapters are placed in all of the appropriate places.
As the case has been with previous sets, the video and audio quality on this set is excellent. The picture is crystal clear with very little grain (you can't even notice what is there unless you are paying VERY close attention) and the video is presented in pristine black and white. The audio is perfectly fine too, being presented in glorious mono (hey, it was the early 60s) with closed-captioning available for those that require it. The episodes appear to be unedited, as each one runs at almost exactly 52 minutes. That is further backed up by the fact that the set surprisingly does not have the standard CBS DVD disclaimer about episodes being edited. How often does a CBS DVD not have that?
Sadly, despite the fact that these sets always have great video and audio quality, and are always unedited, this set once again lacks in special features. CBS DVD did release a special anniversary set about a year ago that had some very nice special features, but it would be nice to have those on the season sets too. There has to be some old footage with Raymond Burr that they could include somewhere!
CBS DVD is keeping these sets very basic, but I'm still impressed with the quality of the episodes, and the fact that (as far as I can tell) they have yet to put out any truly inferior sets. The only thing that is frustrating about these sets is the half season model. With this model, it'll take 11 more releases to get the entire series out on DVD! But it has been popular with fans everywhere, and I'm sure that fans will support any number of releases. But there is no need to take CBS DVD to trial over this, because this is a set that fans of one of America's greatest defense attorneys (let us not forget about our good friend Matlock, of course) are sure to appreciate.
-- Reviewed by skees53
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Friday, June 12, 2009
TV Land Schedule Changes Starting June 15; RTN Coming to Los Angeles and Louisville
As for weekends, they have only announced what is airing the weekend of June 20-21, as they have not given an update on the weekend of June 27-28. On Saturday, June 20 we have: 6-8am PRIME Movie, 9am-12pm Beverly Hillbillies, 12pm-10pm Andy Griffith Show, 10pm-12am The Cosby Show, 1am-4am Roseanne, 4-6am Three's Company. And on Sunday, June 21 we have: 6am-8am Gunsmoke, 8am-12pm Bonanza, 12pm-10pm Andy Griffith, 10pm-12am M*A*S*H, 12am-2am Married...with Children, 2-3am Roseanne, 4-6am Little House on the Prairie. Whatever hours that are missing here will be encores of She's Got the Look. If I were to guess, we will see something similar to this weekend schedule the following weekend as well. So it looks like Andy Griffith is removed from weekdays (except for a sighting on Tuesday, June 23 from 8-9pm) but will dominate on weekends, or at least for the weekend of June 20-21.
Technically this schedule is through Friday, June 26...so stay tuned for any updates as usual! View the schedule starting Monday, June 15 in a list form, and also join in on our discussion! And don't forget to tune into the Married...with Children marathon this weekend on both days from 8am-10pm!
RTN (Retro Television Network, now called RTV) announced that it will retrofit KHIZ in Los Angeles beginning TODAY (Friday, June 12). KHIZ is actually located in Barstow, CA. The station, part of the Multicultural group, will begin airing the Retro TV lineup on its digital as well as several hours a day on its primary. Retro Television has secured major markets in recent weeks, as it went live three weeks ago on the Multicultural station WMFP in Boston and announced last week a deal to bring Retro TV to New York via WSAH TV on July 1.
Retro Television celebrates four years on the air on July 1 and now reports a national clearance of 80% of the US, with the Los Angeles market now included. Retro TV's Neal Ardman said "we are thrilled with our growth these last few months. What better market to launch concurrent with the digital switch then Los Angeles. Everyone at Multicultural has been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to a long prosperous relationship."
Also, Retro TV is coming to Louisville, KY! WBNA-DT in Louisville will now also join the Retro TV family. Originally supposed to go on-air on July 1, now WBNA-DT will go on the air as early as this coming Monday, sources say. WBNA, an ION affiliate, is owned by Evangel World Prayer Center (Word Broadcasting Network, Inc.). Retro TV is reportedly going to air on channel 21.2 or 21.4, so check it out on Monday.
If you still don't know by now, Retro TV airs great shows from the past like Adam 12, Leave it to Beaver, Night Gallery and rarely seen shows like Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew and Voyagers. Retro TV now provides both custom local feeds for its affiliates or a typical national network type feed at the stations choice.
And don't forget television makes the switch to digital today at 12:30pm ET! Hope you made the switch!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
BET Acquires Sister, Sister; ABC Removes Scrubs Repeats Slated to Begin June 23
Sister, Sister will still remain on ABC Family as well. They air it weekdays 7-8am and 1-2pm...so another double dose of the twins. BET is picking up the WGN America deal, as they lose rights to the series at the end of this month. So that's how BET is going to air Sister, Sister. WGN America recently only aired the series once a week in the very late nights, then they removed it from the schedule completely.
ABC has removed the Scrubs repeats slated to start on Tuesday, June 23 at 9:30pm. Instead, ABC will expand upcoming new reality-celeb competition series The Superstars to 90-minutes, airing 8pm-9:30pm ET/PT. Airing at 9:30pm now will be the return of Better off Ted with new episodes. That was slated to air at 9pm previously on Tuesdays. Officially ABC has only expanded the first two episodes of The Superstars to 90-minutes, but if it does well, expect all of them that way. The series will last through Tuesday, August 4. If the series is not expanded beyond the first two weeks, I would expect an hour of Better off Ted--new and repeat, instead of a Scrubs repeat mixed in. But like I said, expect Ted to only air at 9:30pm, as The Superstars will likely do very well and continue to air 90-minutes throughout its run. Some drama in the Bahamas!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
ABC Fall 2009 Premiere Dates; Futurama Returns in Mid-2010; TV Land Changes Night and Time for Originals
Premiering out of premiere week will be new comedies Hank and The Middle on Wednesday, Sept. 30 in the 8pm hour. Also, AFV will launch its new season on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7pm, as Home Edition moves back to the regular 8pm hour. Premiering in week three will be the two-hour season premiere of Ugly Betty from 8-10pm on Friday, Oct. 9, before moving to its regular 9pm slot the following week. And Supernanny launches its new season in week four at 8pm on Oct. 16. That's good to launch the Friday series a bit later as Friday ratings tend to be very low until its gets cooler.
So, to recap so far no premiere dates for Brothers & Sisters, Private Practice and new drama Eastwick. Why? I think ABC might be mulling a special preview for Eastwick. If I were to guess, Eastwick would get a special premiere on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 10 following Desperate Housewives, with Brothers & Sisters launching its new season the following Sunday at 10 (Oct. 4). Eastwick would have its Wednesday premiere on Sept. 30 at 10. During premiere week they might have a special at 10pm on both Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 24 to fill those vacant spots, so maybe Private Practice will not launch until week two (Thursday, Oct. 1). Just my guesses. We also don't know yet what is airing on Fridays the first two weeks from 8-10pm? Maybe special encores of something during the week?
View the premiere dates in list form. We'll inform you as soon as we know about the missing premiere dates.
20th Century Fox Television, the animation powerhouse that brought Family Guy back from the dead five years ago, has done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy Futurama will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode. The move comes on the heels of the series' blockbuster performance on DVD and on Comedy Central.
The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on Comedy Central. However, Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network as well.
Futurama was a staple of Fox's Sunday night animation block from 1999 to 2003 before ceasing production on original episodes. In June 2006, Comedy Central acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which the channel began airing in January 2008, and four recently-produced extended length Futurama adventures: "Bender's Big Score," "The Beast with a Billion Backs," "Bender's Game" and "Into the Wild Green Yonder," which enjoyed enormous success both on Comedy Central and in DVD release. This new deal marks the show's return to episodic series production on original episodes. Futurama becomes only the second series in the history of the medium to go back into production based on the strength of its DVD sales and repeat airings on cable.
TV Land announced today that it is making changes to its summer schedule as upcoming original series How'd You Get So Rich? starring Joan Rivers and the comedic hidden camera series Make My Day will now premiere on Thursday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and 9:30 p.m. ET/PT respectively.
It was previously announced that they would premiere on Wednesday, August 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. The series' will premiere in TV Land PRIME, the network's new primetime programming block designed to appeal to the attitudes, life stage and interests of people in their 40s.
Premiering on Thursday, August 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, How'd You Get So Rich? stars the notoriously uncensored gossip diva Joan Rivers as she explores the lifestyles of the fabulously rich and lucky in this 30-minute, six-episode series. Following How'd You Get So Rich? is the premiere of the six-episode show Make My Day at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. This comedic hidden-camera series provides a window into one day in the life of an unsuspecting participant. Tune in as cameras capture the action as they experience weird coincidences, extraordinary situations and surprise celebrity appearances for one whole day.
It seems Thursdays at 9PM is the new hour for TV Land originals, as TV Land also launches the second season of She's Got the Look tomorrow (June 11) on the night and time.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Comcast's TubeTime Brings Back Diff'rent Strokes, What's Happening; WGN Acquires American Gladiators Revivial Reruns
TubeTime still has Facts of Life, Three Stooges, Gidget, Larry Sanders Show and Sanford & Son on their service, too. So fans of those series, not to worry...they will remain. It looks like since we last reported, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Who's the Boss?, One Day at a Time, and Silver Spoons are off the service for now. For those wondering Facts of Life episodes are currently in the sixth season on TubeTime, while Three Stooges are in the fourth season, Gidget at the end of the first season, Larry Sanders Show is in the second season, and as is Sanford & Son. Let's hope they get to season three of Diff'rent Strokes quickly, since starting with that season it is not on DVD yet. What's Happening!! is already complete on DVD, so it would have been better if it was follow-up series What's Happening Now!! instead, since only one season of that is on DVD. In addition to that, I'm hoping the following pop-up on TubeTime in the future: Dennis the Menace, Sanford, Benson, 227, Archie Bunker's Place, Maude, and hoping some return like Silver Spoons. Maybe wishful thinking on some? TubeTime only provides Sony owned series to Comcast.
WGN America has acquired reruns of the revival of American Gladiators that aired on NBC last year. The series will air Thursday nights at 9pm ET starting Thursday, June 25. American Gladiators will follow WWE Superstars on Thursday nights and that should finally give WGN America a good companion to WWE Superstars.
In other schedule news, Around the World for Free will wrap up its season on Monday, June 22, then a series of specials will air in July on Mondays at 9pm ET titled Lance Burton, Master Magician. Once that wraps, a second rerun of AFV will return on Monday nights. The special ASA Action Sports World Tour will air at 9pm ET on Thursday, July 9 (that will shift American Gladiators to Wednesday at 9pm ET for that week only).
And as for classic TV, there will be plenty of it this fall and we will get to that soon! One hint is one show that airs on the network will be celebrating an anniversary, and WGN America will air an anniversary marathon! We will tell you that soon! So keep checking back!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Malcolm in the Middle Coming to Nick at Nite in July 2009; Old Christine Reruns Join Entourage, Curb in Fall 2010 Syndication
Malcolm in the Middle will still remain on cable on FX, where it has been airing since fall 2007. FX has a 5-year deal, that runs though fall 2012. There has to be a time restriction for FX and Nick at Nite now. FX airs the show currently in the weekdays 7am hour and various times in the afternoons, mostly 3-4pm. So, if I were to guess, FX has rights from 7am-7pm, with Nick at Nite 7pm-7am? Just a guess, but it makes sense. The show is also on local broadcast syndication. It has been airing on local channels since fall 2004, but its term is up this fall (2009), so it seems it will leave locals this fall. View the press release and discuss this news! We will have more on Malcolm in the Middle soon, including how this will affect the full Nick at Nite schedule starting in July. Stay tuned!
In other Nick at Nite news, they added a very last minute The Nanny marathon last night (Sunday, June 7), from 11pm-6am ET/PT and a special airing at 9:30pm as well. The show will also get a marathon next Sunday (June 14) from 9pm-4am, in case you didn't see it last night. It seems to me The Nanny is a surprise hit for the network.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has cleared reruns of sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine on local TV stations reaching more than 70 percent of the country, including the Tribune stations in New York and Los Angeles, for a Fall 2010 syndication launch.
The New Adventures of Old Christine, which CBS just picked up for a fifth season, was picked up by Tribune-owned WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles and by Weigel-owned WCIU in Chicago. In addition, the show has been sold to other markets owned by the CBS, Sinclair, Fox, Local TV, Hearst, Raycom, Meredith, Acme, Titan, Roberts, Gannett, Capitol, Grant and Cox station groups. Old Christine will air as a double-run daily strip with two weekend broadcasts at the most on these stations.
As previously mentioned, Warner Bros. has also sold reruns of Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm for a fall 2010 syndication launch as well. Entourage reruns will also air on cable on Viacom's Spike TV and Comedy Central before the syndication launch, in January 2010 as we mentioned.
Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm have also added several more station groups to their clearances, including CBS, Sinclair, Fox, Local TV, Hearst, Raycom, Meredith, Acme, Titan, Roberts, Gannett, Capitol, Grant and Cox. Both shows already were cleared on the Tribune stations in 17 markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Both shows will air as daily strips with one weekend run at most on these stations. And now Entourage also "reportedly" has a run on Tribune's WGN America cable network starting in Fall 2010 as well, according to B&C. So by Fall 2010, Entourage will be in broadcast syndication, Spike TV/Comedy Central, and possibly WGN America. Curb is still looking for a cable home, as is Old Christine.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Summer Week 2 Sitcom Ratings; Coming Week Preview
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of May 25-31)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - 4.94 million for a repeat beats the previous week's not scheduled rain-out NASCAR repeat.
- King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A 7pm repeat did just 2.29 million and a 8:30 repeat did better with 4.44 million.
- Family Guy (Fox) - 5.35 million for a repeat, is 3 million more than the previous week when it aired but wasn't scheduled to due to the NASCAR rain-out.
- American Dad! (Fox) 2 episodes - Only 2.65 million for a repeat at 7:30, but the normal airing at 9:30pm did 4.66 million for a repeat.
Monday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 6.77 million for a repeat...up from previous week when it was Memorial Day.
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 10.1 million for a repeat is excellent for a repeat...actually unbelievable these days.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 8.31 million for a repeat is decent.
- According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - It finally happened. The final two episodes of the series aired and did 3.98 and 3.96 million. Not too good, but better than what it did in recent weeks. I think ABC should have promoted it a little bit at least. The show did last 8 seasons.
- The Goode Family (ABC) 2 episodes - Only 2.44 million for the hour. Not good, now ABC is moving it to Fridays at 8:30pm starting this week. Two new Wipeout episodes this Wednesday! Good night and big balls!
- Old Christine (CBS) - Just 4.49 million for a repeat...could be better.
- Gary Unmarried (CBS) - Just 4.41 million for a repeat. CBS needs to promote this sitcom hour more since it is coming back in tact in the fall and ABC is already promoting their all-new Wednesday comedy block.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted.
- The Office (NBC) - preempted.
Friday Sitcoms
- Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A repeat at 9pm did a prelim 880,000 viewers. This show is canceled anyway.
- The Game (The CW) - A repeat did 1.1 million prelim viewers for this canceled sitcom as well. This should have been brought back for another year I think.
- Samantha Who? (ABC) 2 episodes - Two repeats did just a prelim 2.32 million average for the hour.
- Old Christine (CBS) - A special Saturday repeat only mustered a prelim 2.21 million.
- Worst Week (CBS) - An all-new burn-off episode of this canceled comedy only did a prelim 1.91 million ... ouch!
Coming Week Preview (June 8-14):
For Monday, on ABC, it's an all-new night with new episodes of The Bachelorette from 8-10pm and Here Come the Newylweds at 10pm. NBC will have a two-hour of the crazy I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here at 8pm followed by yet another Dateline at 10pm. On cable among the highlights we have a new episode of Around the World for Free on WGN America at 9pm, Greek on ABC Family at 8pm, season premieres of The Closer and Raising the Bar on TNT starting at 9, WWE Raw on USA Network, Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC, VH1's reality series Rock of Love Charm School, New York Goes to Work & Gotti's Way, and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List at 10pm on Bravo.
On Tuesday, ABC will have Jimmy Kimmel Live! Game Night at 8pm followed by game 3 of the NBA Finals. CBS will have an episode of 48 Hours at 10pm. NBC has Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Fox and The CW at 9pm will have Mental on Fox and The CW airing Hitched or Ditched. On cable, among the highlights are Deadliest Catch and Out of the Wild on Discovery starting at 9pm, MTV has Paris Hilton's My New BFF at 10, TLC has new series 18 Kids and Counting & The Little Couple, BET has College Hill at 10pm, Bravo has an all-new The Real Housewives of New Jersey at 10pm, and FX has an all-new Rescue Me at 10pm.
On Wednesday, the best show of the summer is Wipeout and it airs at 8pm and 9pm this week with two all-new episodes and at 10pm a new The Unusuals. NBC will have yet another two-hour I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Fox has a two-hour So You Think You Can Dance. On cable, among the highlights are new episodes of House of Payne and Meet the Browns on TBS starting at 9pm, Discovery has an all-new primetime including MythBusters at 9pm, Comedy Central has a new RENO 911 at 10:30pm, MTV has Real World Road Rules at 10, MonsterQuest on History at 9, Top Chef Masters is on Bravo at 10, and also at 10pm is Ultimate Fighter on Spike.
On Thursday, ABC will have Game 4 of the NBA Finals between Orlando and the L.A. Lakers starting at 8:30pm ET, with Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 8pm. NBC will have another episode of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here at 8pm, and later in the night a new episode of drama The Listener at 10pm. Fox will have a new So You Think You Can Dance at 9pm. On cable, among the highlights are WWE Superstars on WGN America, Burn Notice on USA at 9 followed by Royal Pains at 10, Comedy Central has a new Tosh.0 at 10pm, MTV has a new 16 and Pregnant at 10, TLC has a new American Chopper at 9, TV Land has the premiere of a new season of She's Got the Look at 9pm, The Real Housewives of Orange County at 9 & The Fashion Show at 10 on Bravo, and Southern Belles: Louisville at 10 on SOAPnet.
On Friday, ABC has new episodes of Surviving Suburbia and The Goode Family in the 8pm hour and later a new 20/20 at 10pm. NBC has Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals if it is necessary. Fox will air a new Don't Forget the Lyrics at 8, and MNT is airing WWE Smackdown. Cable wise, among the highlights are MADE on MTV at 10, What Not to Wear & Masters of Reception on TLC and The Soup on E! at 10.
On Saturday, it's slow as usual with NBC airing a burn-off of Kings at 8. ABC has the final burn-off episode of Pushing Daisies at 10pm, while CBS has burn-off of Harper's Island 9pm. Fox is new with Cops and AMW. Cable wise, Nick has a new The Naked Brothers Band at 9.
And next Sunday, ABC will have Game 5 of the NBA Finals starting at 7:30pm ET with Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 7pm. CBS has 60 Minutes & Million Dollar Password starting at 7pm. NBC will have a new Dateline at 7pm. Cable wise, among the highlights are Lifetime's new season of Army Wives at 10pm, In Plain Sight on USA at 10, Daisy of Love & Brooke Knows Best on VH1, Gene Simmons Family Jewels & Hammertime on A&E, UFC Unleashed & Jesse James is a Dead Man on Spike starting at 9, and Bridezillas on WE tv.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Blog DVD Review: The Best of Whose Line is it Anyway (6/9)
The Best of Whose Line is it Anyway (Warner, $24.98) hits store shelves this Tuesday, and contained within you are going to find 10 of the funniest episodes of television imaginable. Whose Line is it Anyway ran from 1998 through 2004 on ABC, before jumping to ABC Family for its final two years of new episodes from 2005-06. Due to the nature of the show, sales of season sets just didn't make financial sense -- but the show was popular enough that some sort of DVD release was still warranted. Here we have what I hope will the first in a great many volumes of "best of" sets.
If you want to know that this truly is the best of the show, you needn't look any further than the first episode on the set. The episode that -- at least in my opinion -- is not only the series' best show but one of the funniest half hours in TV history leads off, the Richard Simmons episode. I have *never* seen a funnier single episode. The episode is in fact a theme show. We start off with people pretending to be different people/things and having to switch off every now and then. One of the assigned things to pretend to be? Richard Simmons. Later on we have fun with the green screen, with Colin (Mochrie) anchoring a news report live from the scene of...one of Richard's workout videos! But the highlight of the episode is a segment called "Living Scenery." In it, two people act out a scene, while two others actually act as the assortment of props. Drew then calls in Richard, who comes out to wild applause. What transpires next is the funniest 5 minutes in television history -- there are thousands of copies of the video online, just search for it. If you've never seen it you may well wind up bowled over in laughter, while those of you who HAVE seen it will still find it hysterical. Other episodes on the set feature fluffing your Garfield, Wayne Brady as that annoying singing fish you used to see in novelty stores everywhere, and a multitude of guest stars including David Hasselhoff, Jerry Springer, and Florence Henderson. The episodes are cherry-picked from the run, with the earliest show being from June 2001 and the oldest being from August 2004.
As this is only a 10 episode set, packaging is rather minimalist. Black plastic keepcase, with two discs inside. The first disc is housed on a plastic tray affixed to the spine, while the second disc is housed on a hub affixed to the packaging itself. There is also an insert detailing the 10 episodes. Disc art is very, very green -- following the theme set by the main package itself. Disc 1 features Drew solo, while disc 2 features Colin, Ryan, and of course Wayne Brady. Menu art features a strip of cast headshots -- six in total. Featured is Drew, Ryan, Colin, and Wayne -- plus semi-regular Greg Proops and show musician Laura Hall. It's interesting -- and extremely nice -- to see Laura Hall included in the menu. She was there just as often as anyone else affiliated with the show, and her music played an integral role in some of the show's classic bits, but she's usually overlooked. Anyway, the menu features their headshots in a strip across the top, while across the center are six chalk-outlined bodies not necessarily matching the cast photo. For example, the body under Ryan is a doctor, while the one under Colin is of a bikini-clad woman.
I should mention, as I head into the audio and video, that this is Whose Line "Uncensored." Any bleeps or such things that might have occurred in the original airings for the benefit of ABC viewers have been removed. You're going to hear what was actually said. As such, this may not be ideal for the extremely young viewer -- but realistically once a child reaches their double digits, they've already been exposed to any words or content mentioned here, so I wouldn't worry about kids 13 and over. The episodes themselves run in the neighborhood of 21:30 with few deviations. For an early 2000's TV series, this is largely consistent with what you should expect. Video quality looks good, keeping in mind that this show was intended as a live-feeling comedy show, and as such may not have been shot on the highest grade tape stock. It's also from the standard-def era, so obviously that's going to knick the video a bit too. Still, what is presented by and large looks great. Audio sounds good and you hear what is most important -- the vocals -- loud and clear. The stereo track does its job well.
As the episodes on the set itself doesn't start until 2001 -- a couple of seasons into the set, there's a special feature included to recap the highlights of seasons 1 and 2. It also includes some uncensored highlights and outtakes (43:59). Still, for a 10 episode collection-style release to have a bonus included is a rare and nice thing to behold. That's how well-done this set is. As it's 10 extremely funny half-hours (and a bonus funny hour), I wholeheartedly recommend this set. This is a good solid several hours of nonstop entertainment, and is worthy of dollars from your entertainment budget.
-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
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Friday, June 05, 2009
TV One July 2009; ABC Moves Goode Family and Suburbia to Fridays
The only highlight worth mentioning for TV One July is on Friday, July 24 beginning at 10pm when TV One presents the "Living Single: Queen For A Day Mega-Thon" featuring episodes of the long-running sitcom focusing on Queen Latifah's character Khadijah James in a 24-hour mega-thon event.
The other highlights are for movies and original series, but that doesn't concern us really. Stay tuned if anything changes, if not see for the August highlights in a month!
ABC has moved animated comedy The Goode Family and sitcom Surviving Suburbia from Wednesdays to Fridays effective next week. This coming Wednesday (June 10) will see two episodes of the summer megahit Wipeout at 8pm and 9pm, before the season premiere of I Survived a Japanese Game Show launches on June 17 at 9pm out of new episodes of Wipeout at 8pm. Japanese Game Show was previously not launching its new season until July 8, so this is 3 weeks ahead of schedule due to the ratings bombs of Goode and Suburbia. I think I was the first one to mention the possibility of Japanese Game Show launching June 17, a few days ago on our message boards. And I was right!
Starting next Friday (June 12), we will now see the remaining new episodes of Surviving Suburbia at 8pm, followed by The Goode Family at 8:30pm, and back-to-back repeats of Samantha Who? are still slated to air on June 12 and 19 from 9-10pm, before According to Jim repeats take over on June 26.
Suburbia is not going to air Fridays at 9:30pm as previously announced starting July 3, at least not on July 3 because ABC announced another According to Jim repeat will air then. After that week, I would guess no, and Jim would continue to air for an hour instead. Nevertheless, Fridays is now a full night of comedies! We like that! Tune in!
In other ABC updates, ABC will launch the third season of the hidden camera comedy Just for Laughs airing a half-hour a week on Sundays at 7pm starting Sunday, June 21. An abbreviated half-hour repeat of AFV will follow each week. It is unclear how many episodes are airing, but the two past seasons had 13 episodes each.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
ION Television July 2009; RTN Coming to New York City, Announces More Shows
Now back to July. Effective Monday, June 29, the 4-6pm weekday hours are changed. Previously we mentioned ER would return weekdays at 5pm starting June 29, with M*A*S*H moving to the 4pm hour. Now that is not happening either. Boston Legal will be airing weekdays at 5pm now! And Boston Legal will remain Tuesdays in primetime from 8-11pm as well. M*A*S*H will however still move to the 4pm hour as previously announced. Everything else will remain the same.
Movie premieres for July are Revenge, Uncle Buck, Wildcats, Batman Returns, Mother Knows Best, Terror in the Family, Passenger 57, and Training Day. Movies encores for July are Assassins, Pacific Heights, True Crime, Best Friends, Falling Down, Lethal Weapon 2, and Just Cause. Movies on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 are still TBD, so stay tuned!
View the full ION Television July 2009 schedule and highlights.
Retro TV is FINALLY coming to the Big Apple! Yes, RTN is coming to the New York market. Retro Television announced today that is has entered into an agreement with Multicultural Broadcasting's WSAH to begin airing RTN starting Wednesday, July 1 in New York. RTN will air on the primary channel of WSAH-TV and will be available to cable, satellite and over the air viewers immediately. WSAH is actually based in Bridgeport, CT, though. So, there will be areas in the NY/NJ market that don't get this station on cable.
The new WSAH will air RTN 24/7 with great shows like Quincy, Dragnet, Alfred Hitchcock, Emergency! and many more. According to RTN's Neal Ardman "WSAH brings millions of cable and satellite viewers to the RTN family and we are beyond excited to launch our custom feed this July. We now New Yorkers will be thrilled with the Prime time all the Time lineup of RTN."
Sean Kim, COO of Multicultural Broadcasting said, "We are very excited to continue our relationship with Retro and looking forward to providing New York viewers with best programming from the '60s, '70s and '80s."
RTN is currently in or under contract in 75% of the US with its unique format of providing custom feeds to most markets.
RTN has also picked-up the rights to air 7 more shows, in addition to the Universal-owned shows they air. All 7 series are from independent production companies. The shows they have picked-up are:
I Spy - starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp (1965-68, 82 episodes)
The Rifleman - starring Chuck Connors (1958-63, 168 episodes)
The Cisco Kid - Starring Duncan Renaldo (1950-56, 156 episodes)
Daniel Boone - Starring Fess Parker (1964-70, 165 episodes)
Peter Gunn - Starring Craig Stevens (1958-61, 114 episodes)
The Adventures of Robin Hood - Starring Richard Greene (1955-60, 143 episodes)
Black Beauty - Starring Black Beauty (104 episodes)
These series will launch on RTN this July across the nation.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Lifetime Brings Back Still Standing; AmericanLife TV Sold to Another Company; Obsessed with TV?
And don't forget to watch Less than Perfect on Lifetime, in the 9am hour and 6pm hour, as it just started this week!
As for Still Standing, for blue-collar Chicago couple and former high school sweethearts Judy (Jami Gertz) and Bill Miller (Mark Addy), raising a family is a huge challenge--especially with clashing parenting philosophies. Judy takes a more serious stance, while Bill holds a more relaxed approach.
Cybill is about Cybill Shepherd starring as Cybill Sheridan, a woman who has it all: two spiteful daughters, two clingy ex-husbands, an outrageous best friend, an unstable future and a house on an eroding LA hillside. But with humor and determination, Cybill braves each new challenge that comes her way, while having the time of her life discovering that life after forty is anything but...
We hinted (on our message board) when we announced the AmericanLife TV June schedule over a month ago that AmericanLife is being sold and now we have the details! ComStar Media Fund, LP, through its subsidiary ComStar Networks, LLC has acquired the popular "baby boomer" network AmericanLife TV Network (ALN) for an undisclosed sum.
ALN thrives as the only independent network devoted to America's baby boomer generation and their families, delivering classic TV, lifestyle, original and socially responsible programming that addresses compelling issues important to today's baby boomer audience. With the acquisition of ALN, ComStar has a vehicle to build out a premiere family-friendly network that will amalgamate television and Internet mediums and fill a void for safe, family programming targeting viewers of all ages.
The network provides a platform for the return of Reverend Robert A. Schuller to the media marketplace. One of the most recognized orators in the world, Dr. Schuller served as Senior Pastor of Crystal Cathedral Ministries and hosted the phenomenally popular global weekly television program The Hour of Power.
Changes at the network will include improving the network's on-air look, revamping syndicated programming and strategically rebranding the network as the destination for family values. The network will develop new original family-friendly based content to compliment an expansive offering of classic programs and films.
The network has gotten a new logo and website look as well since Monday, when their new schedule launched.
We will have more news on ALN in the future for sure, especially if they bring in more new classic shows.
Our friend Chris Mann of Retroality.TV has a new interview posted for June! He sits down with David Hofstede, author of the new super-cool trivia book Obsessed with TV. So who looks better in short-shorts Catherine Bach or Cheryl Ladd? Who are the best comedic duo Laurel & Hardy or Gleason & Carney? The book has 2,500 questions to test your knowledge of TV! There is even an interactive piece on it. Find out how that works and more by reading the two-page interview on Retroality.TV (continues on page 2)!
GSN is even promoting the book and copies were given away on GSN Live.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Just Shoot Me Joins Comedy Central; Scrubs Also Airing on Spike TV; JustMyShow.com Goes Wang Chung Tonight
Just a note, Just Shoot Me! is also still airing on TBS weekdays from 2-3pm. The series lasted 148 episodes on NBC from 1997-2003.
We have some Spike TV news! They have been airing CSI and CSI: NY all day long (9am-8pm) for a while now, but this July finally the regular schedule will return. But before that happens, another show that was on TV Land will make its way to a sister station. We get more Scrubs! Scrubs will air on Spike TV on Thursday nights to start-off in the 1am hour starting June 18, replacing MANanswers and Beavis & Butt-head. Then a few weeks later it will lose that hour to MANswers, but gain so much more. Scrubs will join the Spike TV weekday line-up starting Monday, July 6 airing in the 11am hour, following the daily return of Married...with Children from 9-11am weekdays. So yes, Scrubs will be on two Viacom networks (Comedy Central and Spike TV) along with WGN America and local syndication. That sure is a whole lot! But with this addition, it seems TV Land will not be airing it again. Married...with Children was airing on Sundays from 9am-10:30am on Spike TV since these CSI and CSI NY marathons have been airing lately and the show also has been airing on sister network TV Land. Lots of cross airings on Viacom networks it seems lately.
The rest of the new Spike TV schedule starting July 6 has Spike's Most Amazing Videos at 12 noon, back-to-back CSI NY from 1-3pm, CSI from 3-5pm, more CSI NY from 5-7pm, and more CSI from 7-9pm. This means Unsolved Mysteries is not on the schedule and won't return for now it seems. Primetime has movies and originals. The late night schedule has CSI, Spike's Most Amazing Videos, Disorderly Conduct: Video on Patrol, Star Trek: Voyager, MXC, and The Shield, with the latter two just once a week.
Our good buddy Eric from the wonderful JustMyShow.com is back with another new podcast! Hint: Everybody Wang Chung Tonight! He brought you some of the '80s most memorable hits. Now he's here to tell you how it all happened. JMS chats it up with Wang Chung lead singer Jack Hues. And that's not all! There is a special appearance by Emmy-winning writer Ken Levine! There is a bonus clip that will interest us the most probably. The bonus clip has Ken Levine discussing his famous Cheers Wang Chung line, as that sitcom had an episode ("To All the Girls I've Loved Before") that featured Wang Chung. So head on over to JustMyShow and listen to this podcast and the bonus audio!
Monday, June 01, 2009
TV Land and Hallmark Last Minute June Changes; CBS To Air Unaired Worst Week Episode
In primetime for the week of June 1, we have The Cosby Show in the approx. 8pm hour and Roseanne in the approx. 9pm hour. A different show will air from approx. 10pm-12am each night with Married...with Children returning on Monday, Roseanne on Tuesday and Thursday, and The Cougar/She's Got the Look Preview on Wednesday. Then at approx. 12am we have Married...with Children (just once in the hour, so it won't likely start until late except on Wednesdays when we have two episodes in the hour). At approx. 1am we have another Married...with Children, followed by M*A*S*H at 1:30am, and hour each of Roseanne, Three's Company, The Cosby Show and M*A*S*H follows from 2am-6am. So this week is a major overhaul and Three's Company returns to weeknights, at least for a week.
The Roseanne "launch" marathon is still on from Friday, June 5 to Friday, June 12 from 8pm-6am. However, this weekend (Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7) we have an Andy Griffith Show marathon from 8am-8pm, leading into Roseanne. The week of June 8 has the same daytime line-up as June 1, but primetime and late night is all Roseanne, as mentioned as the marathon continues. The weekend of June 13-14 will have more all-day marathons. Married...with Children will air both days from 8am-10pm, so this show seems like it will stay on TV Land as it is doing well for them. The weekend schedule that was in effect before will remain from 10pm-6am on this weekend of June 13-14. Now starting Monday, June 15, we don't know yet what TV Land will do. Will they have the same daytime schedule as the previous two weeks and the same primetime/late night schedule as week of June 1? Will we see marathons every weekend all-day? We will let you know as soon as we do, but for now view the weeks of June 1 and June 8 schedules for TV Land and discuss this!
As for Hallmark Channel, the June changes are not as drastic. The changes are in primetime starting tonight. The 8pm weekday hour will now have the return of Touched by an Angel. The series was only off for a week or two and now it returns in a much better slot of 8pm replacing two episodes of The Golden Girls. Those two episodes of The Golden Girls will move to the 11pm hour, replacing Murder, She Wrote, which is now off the line-up for now. So if you're keeping track, The Golden Girls now airs from 8am-11am and 11pm-2am every weekday. Nothing else is changing, so expect the schedule as it was. Good news for Lucy fans as they are not messing with the I Love Lucy timeslots so far!
Finally, CBS has scheduled an unaired episode of the canceled comedy Worst Week for this Saturday at 8:30pm. CBS had one leftover episode still yet to air, that is titled "The Party." The episode will have a repeat of Old Christine as its lead-in at 8pm. So get those DVR's rolling Worst Week fans because you have one more episode left and surprisingly CBS is airing it!
In other CBS updates, 48 Hours will air at a special time of 8pm (instead of the usual 10pm slot) on Saturday, July 11, so the two-hour finale of Harper's Island can air from 9-11pm on that night. Harper's Island is not expected back, so that is a series finale.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Final 2008-09 Season Network Ratings; Summer Week 1 Sitcom Ratings; Coming Week Preview
Households: CBS 7.3/12; Fox 5.8/9; ABC 5.7/9; NBC 4.8/8; The CW 1.3/2
Total Viewers: CBS 11.76 million; Fox 9.8 million; ABC 8.95 million; NBC 7.84 million; The CW 2.03 million
Adults 18-49: Fox 3.6/10; CBS 3.0/8; ABC 2.9/8; NBC 2.8/7; The CW 0.9/2
Adults 18-34: Fox 3.2/10; ABC 2.4/7; NBC 2.3/7; CBS 2.1/6; The CW 0.8/2
Adults 25-54: Fox 4.1/10; CBS 4.1/10; ABC 3.4/8; NBC 3.2/8; The CW 0.8/2
(NOTE: The Super Bowl counts in the ratings for NBC, yet they still were down year-to-year. CBS is the only network to go up from previous year.)
And now to summer...
Summer has now started with this past week being the first full week of the summer season. We will be back with our normal weekly report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long, along with last year's summer favorite, the coming week preview! Here are our summer ratings:
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of May 18-24)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - Just 3.26 million for the rain-delayed NASCAR repeat.
- King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A 7:30pm repeat did just 2.88 million and a 8:30 repeat did worse with 2.74 million.
- Family Guy (Fox) - Only 2.55 million for a repeat.
- American Dad! (Fox) - Only 2.36 million for a repeat at 9:30, but a special repeat at 7pm did better with 2.96 million. NASCAR was supposed to air but it was rained out and the animated comedy repeats went down each half-hour.
Monday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 5.94 million for a repeat...not too bad.
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 9.27 million for a repeat is excellent for a repeat.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 7.25 million for a repeat is decent, but once the show returns next winter it won't be in this cushy slot.
- According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - Two ALL-NEW episodes did 3.49 and 3.46 million...could be better. Series finale is this week...it better do more than this! Tune in it will be guest stars galore.
- The Goode Family (ABC) - Only 3.65 million for the premiere episode, very disappointing especially when it lost more than 5 million from the big lead-in. There was a big NBA game on ESPN, so that could have been the case. This week we have two episodes and no NBA to compete with, so it could do better.
- Surviving Suburbia (ABC) - Just 2.76 million for the return episode...now it is pulled for this week. Look for new episodes probably not returning now until July 3, which is a Friday.
- Old Christine (CBS) - preempted.
- My Name is Earl (NBC) - A repeat did only 3.37 million for this canceled series.
- 30 Rock (NBC) 2 episodes - Two repeats only mustered 3.06 and 3.11 million at 8:30 and 9:30pm.
- The Office (NBC) 3 repeats - The regular half-hour repeat at 9 did only 3.26 million and a one-hour repeat at 10pm did slightly better with 3.59 million.
Friday Sitcoms
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Tonight you can catch encores of Fox's animated comedies from 7-10 tonight on a slow night with NBC airing the Stanley Cup Finals Game 2. CBS has one of two remaining burn-off episodes of Million Dollar Password at 8pm. On cable, Law & Order: Criminal Intent is new at 9.
Coming Week Preview (June 1-7):
For Monday, on ABC, it's an all-new night with new episodes of The Bachelorette from 8-10pm and Here Come the Newylweds at 10pm. NBC will have the two-hour season premiere of the new I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here at 8pm followed by the NBC finale of Medium at 10pm. On cable among the highlights we have a new episode of Around the World for Free on WGN America at 9pm, Greek on ABC Family at 8pm, WWE Raw on USA Network, Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC, VH1's reality series Rock of Love Charm School, New York Goes to Work & Gotti's Way, and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List at 10pm on Bravo.
On Tuesday, ABC will have the final two episodes of sitcom According to Jim at 8pm followed by an interesting two-hour ABC News special Earth 2100 from 9-11pm. CBS will have an episode of 48 Hours at 10pm. NBC has a second night of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here in the 8pm hour, followed by the NBC News special Inside the Obama White House Part 1, and season finale of Law & Order: SVU. Again, Fox and The CW launched have new series at 9pm with Mental on Fox and The CW airing Hitched or Ditched. On cable, among the highlights are Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Versus, Deadliest Catch and Man vs. Wild on Discovery starting at 9pm, MTV has Paris Hilton's My New BFF at 10, TLC has new series 18 Kids and Counting & The Little Couple, BET has College Hill at 10pm, Bravo has an all-new The Real Housewives of New Jersey at 10pm, and FX has an all-new Rescue Me at 10pm.
On Wednesday, the best show of the summer is Wipeout and it airs at 8pm on ABC followed by the animated comedy The Goode Family with back-to-back new episodes at 9pm, and at 10pm a new The Unusuals. NBC will have the third night of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, followed by Inside the Obama White House Part 2 leading into the season finale of Law & Order at 10pm. Fox has a two-hour So You Think You Can Dance. On cable, among the highlights are new episodes of House of Payne and Meet the Browns on TBS starting at 9pm, Discovery has an all-new primetime including MythBusters at 9pm, MTV has Real World Road Rules at 10, MonsterQuest on History at 9, The Cougar is on TV Land at 10, also at 10pm is Ultimate Fighter on Spike and Bravo has Make Me a Supermodel at 10.
On Thursday, ABC will have Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Orlando and the L.A. Lakers starting at 8:30pm ET, with Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 8pm. NBC will have another episode of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here at 8pm followed by the two-hour premiere of new drama The Listener from 9-11pm. Fox will have a new So You Think You Can Dance at 9pm. On cable, among the highlights are Game 4 of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Versus, WWE Superstars on WGN America, Burn Notice on USA at 9 followed by the premiere of Royal Pains at 10, Comedy Central has a new Tosh.0 at 10pm, MTV has a new MADE at 8, TLC has a new American Chopper at 9, The Fashion Show at 10 on Bravo, and Southern Belles: Louisville at 10 on SOAPnet.
On Friday, ABC has a new 20/20, NBC has a two-hour Dateline, Fox will air a new Don't Forget the Lyrics at 8, and MNT is airing WWE Smackdown. Cable wise, among the highlights are What Not to Wear & Say Yes to the Dress on TLC and The Soup on E! at 10.
On Saturdays its slow as usual with NBC having Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, if necessary. ABC has a burn-off episode of Pushing Daisies at 10pm, while CBS has burn-offs of Worst Week and Harper's Island starting at 8:30pm. Fox is new with Cops and AMW.
And next Sunday, ABC will have Game 2 of the NBA Finals starting at 7:30pm ET with Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 7pm. CBS has 60 Minutes & The 63rd Annual Tony Awards. NBC will have a new Dateline from 7-9pm. Cable wise, among the highlights are Lifetime's new season of Army Wives at 10pm, Daisy of Love & Brooke Knows Best on VH1, Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A&E, Jesse James is a Dead Man on Spike at 10, and Bridezillas on WE tv.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Blog DVD Review: Boston Legal - Season Five
Boston Legal - Season Five (Fox, $49.98) is now on DVD, and with this release we conclude the series on DVD of one of my favorite television series of the decade. The show's fifth season was its last, having aired on ABC this past fall. Thirteen episodes are presented, and they draw to a close one of the most fun legal dramas in TV history.
With this season, we also bid goodbye to one of what I feel to be the greatest characters in the annals of television in Denny Crane (William Shatner). His "Mad Cow"-induced craziness continues in full swing for the majority of the season, while towards the end of the season his disease (which in actuality is Alzheimer's) begins to progress, and the madness takes on a sadder tone. Alongside Denny as always is his best friend Alan Shore (James Spader). Also on hand for the show's final year is of course named partner Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen), senior partner Carl Sack (John Larroquette), plus associates Jerry Espenson (Christian Clementson) and Katie Lloyd (Tara Summers).
If you're one of those viewers who dislikes when shows have cast members pair into couples towards the end, you may not have been a fan of the way the final episode progressed. All six people I listed wind up in each other's company -- Jerry and Katie gradually move closer, while Shirley and Carl prepare for their wedding...meanwhile in order to assure his proper care and safety as things deteriorates, Denny proposes marriage to who else but his best friend -- Alan. All of this occurs, naturally, at the same time as recurring character Paul Lewiston (Rene Auberjonois) negotiating the merger of the firm with a Chinese outfit. Great fun is still had, while plenty of drama still ensues. Also returning this season is Betty White as the crazed Catherine Piper, plus special guest star Valerie Bertinelli, who plays a cattle rancher who Denny is convinced is Valerie Bertinelli. You can also find interesting guest spots with the various case judges. For example, Williams Daniels -- known to many as Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World but to *me* as Dr. Mark Craig from St. Elsewhere -- appears as a judge. Meanwhile, as an attorney, Christopher Rich from Reba appears. Annie Potts appears in a later episode, "The Bad Seed." Keep an eye out for even more!
For the 5th and final season we got a packaging change -- gone are the usual slim cases, and in their place are the fragile clear plastic keep cases that I'm not particularly a fan of. The four single-sided discs are held by two plastic trays in the center. Package art for both the outer box holding the plastic case as well as the case itself feature Denny and Alan posted together in front of the Boston skyline each holding a cigar. Each disc features its own disc art. Disc 1 features the distinctive Crane, Poole, and Schmidt sign in the hallway. Disc 2 features the hands of Denny and Alan on the balcony each with a cigar with the building in the background. Disc 3 again features their hands only -- only this time with a glass of some rather fine alcohol each. Finally on disc 4 you see a wide shot of the balcony, with the two's trademark white chairs, both empty.
Getting to what is on the discs themselves: I have always loved the format of menus from 20th Century Fox, with each episode getting a sub-menu and scene selection options, but the main menus haven't always been lively. With Boston Legal Season 5 though, you get lots of animation -- a still photo of each cast member is in the foreground. Behind them is an animated silver panel, and within that panel is a clip featuring that cast member. After about 5 seconds the cast photo and video clip rotate to the next cast member. It's really a fairly spiffy layout. In front of the all of this is a stationary silver bar with the season and disc number, with a red panel holding the episode list. From there you can access the sub menus, which feature multiple language options plus the ability to access any given scene. The video quality is absolutely flawless. There is no grain, noise, artefacting, or any such debris. The video is simply spectacular. Audio sounds great as well. Vocals are nice and loud, music sounds great. There are numerous chapter stops -- with each one tying to a location from the scene selection menu. Runtimes on the hour long episodes range from 42 to 43 minutes, the standard for a 2008 drama series.
FOUR special features grace this set. Something I wish we'd had far, far more of over the series returns for the final season, deleted scenes. The scenes feature an introduction by showrunner Bill D'Elia. You can also find a featurette regarding the remarkably close friendship enjoyed by Denny and Alan over the years, as well as a feature focused on a dropped story from the episode "Juiced." It begins with an introduction regarding what was cut, and why it was cut -- at which point the video itself is shown in its entirely, essentially giving us a full half-episode extra of the series, as there's a good 20 minutes of footage. The story? Denny in fact has a daughter, who is played in the episode by Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim). The crew felt so bad about cutting her out that's how she wound up as the attorney in the Supreme Court case in the finale. "Finally" is a feature regarding the very, very interesting finale of the show.
And with that, we draw to a close of one of the most interesting and enjoyable TV series of the decade. ABC enjoyed a wave of success with several of its series debuting in 2004-05, and of those, Boston Legal is the first to depart. We got a nice volume of features for the set and between these five DVD sets and the countless reruns on broadcast and cable Boston Legal fans are sure to be able to enjoy Denny Crane and friends for years to come. Strong recommendation.
-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Boston Legal TV.com Page
Friday, May 29, 2009
ION Switches Reba and Feud; ABC Summer Sitcom Changes; Remembering Michael Ross
View the full updated ION Television June 2009 line-up. We will have more on ION next week with their July line-up. We mentioned before ER would return to weekdays starting June 29, but now we hear that is not happening. What will happen? Come on back next week and see!
We have lots of ABC sitcom news for the summer for you today. First off, we have some breaking news. Just premiered animated comedy The Goode Family will air an additional episode at 9:30pm this coming Wednesday (June 3) instead of a new episode of Surviving Suburbia. The Goode Family will also air in its regular 9:00pm Wednesday time slot on this date as well. Why? Ratings. Suburbia did terrible and was pulled right away, but The Goode Family didn't do that hot either losing a lot from the big lead-in from Wipeout, but ABC is giving it more of a chance. If this change does better, expect ABC to double-pump The Goode Family until further notice to perhaps complete more of its 13 episode-run. Originally only 6 were slated to air.
We previously reported that the three remaining episodes of In the Motherhood would air Fridays at 9:30pm starting June 5. Now that isn't happening. ABC will double-pump repeats of Samantha Who? for three weeks in the Friday 9pm hour on June 5, 12 and 19 now instead. Then Samantha Who? will move to Thursdays at 8pm starting June 25, with new episodes (it has 7 episodes left to air). In the Motherhood will air its three remaining episodes at 8:30pm on Thursdays on June 25, July 2 & 9. It is unclear what will air in the 8:30pm slot thereafter, but it will likely be more Samantha Who? ABC has not announced what will air Thursdays 9-11pm yet starting June 25, as I doubt we get both Grey's and Private Practice repeats...maybe just Grey's and something like new crime drama Castle repeats? Then on Fridays at 9 starting June 26, we get According to Jim repeats on a new night and time (Remember the series finale is this Tuesday in the 8pm hour). The following week, July 3, Surviving Suburbia moves to Fridays at 9:30pm with new episodes following repeats of According to Jim at 9. I bet we won't see Suburbia until July 3 now, as I don't expect it to return to Wednesdays following the June 3 Goode Family test.
Elsewhere, 7 new episodes of Better off Ted and repeats of Scrubs will air in the 9pm hour on Tuesdays starting Tuesday, June 23 following episodes of the upcoming competition series The Superstars. This is a good way for the brilliantly done Better off Ted to be sampled before it returns with more new episodes in January 2010.
I applaud ABC in airing all of these comedies this summer! View these changes in a list form, if you get confused. And if we have more updates, we will bring it to you first...so keep checking!
TV producer/writer/director Michael "Mickey" Ross, best known for his work on hit sitcoms All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Three's Company, died Tuesday (May 26) in Los Angeles from complications of a stroke and heart attack. Ross, along with business partners Don Nicholl & Bernie West, made his mark in the 1970's with the breakout CBS TV sitcom, All in the Family, for which he won a writing Emmy in 1973. They were nominated two other times, another one for All in the Family and one for Three's Company. The trio were known as "NRW" until the death of Don Nicholl in 1980. So now only Bernie West remains from this historical team.
Mickey also was part of the creation for ABC's Three's Company spin-offs The Ropers and Three's a Crowd. He also wrote for Maude, another All in the Family spin-off. In 1976 NRW also created and produced the short-lived sitcom The Dumplings for NBC starring James Coco. Mickey also directed many episodes of Three's Company. NRW also wrote the pilot episode for Chico and the Man.
Before all of his hit series were born, he was a part of many shows in the '50s and '60s such as The Garry Moore Show, The Perry Como Show, Sid Ceasar's Hour and The Martha Raye Show. The latter is how he developed a relationship with Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, later forming All in the Family. And decades later in 1998, Mickey appeared on screen for an interview on the E! True Hollywood Story for Three's Company.
Aside from his TV work, Ross and his wife founded the Michael and Irene Ross Program in Jewish Studies at The City College of New York -- Ross's (and Bernie West's) alma mater. Memorial service will be held this Sunday (May 31) at 11 a.m. Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills on 5950 Forest Lawn Dr. in Los Angeles, CA.
Mickey will certainly be missed and my good friend and author of the Three's Company book Chris Mann tells me he loved farce comedy and that's how he viewed Three's Company with John Ritter as the ultimate farceur. Mickey rejoins Don Nicholl now up in the heavens recreating TV comedy. Rest in Peace, Mickey and you'll be deeply missed. Mickey Ross was 89.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Nick at Nite June 2009; CBS Summer 2009 Slate; MyNetwork TV Fall 2009
And they have also matched-up Saturdays and Sundays to look the same. On both nights now 1am Family Matters is added instead of Home Improvement. So Urkel and the gang are 12-2am now on weekends. The Nanny also gets a two-hour block from 2-4am, with the 2am hour on Saturdays replacing Home Improvement. Home Improvement is now 4am on both nights replacing The Nanny on Saturdays and Family Matters on Sundays. And once again the only difference between the two nights is that Home Improvement airs on Sundays in the 9pm hour, as that airs Sun-Thurs at 9.
George Lopez continues to dominate for the network every night at 10-11pm and weeknights at 1-2am. I know you want to see the full schedule, so view the full Nick at Nite June 2009 schedule. As of now, there are no special stunts, but that could change. The only thing to report is the new movie Mr. Troop Mom starring George Lopez is airing Friday, June 19 and Sunday, June 21 from 8-10pm for Father's Day. Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite partners with Warner Premiere and George Lopez Presents on Mr. Troop Mom, a film about single dad Eddie Serrano (Lopez), a workaholic lawyer/widower, who must climb mountains, ford streams and more as "Team Mom" in order to bond with his tween daughter in this camp-set comic adventure. The film also stars Jane Lynch (Another Cinderella Story, Role Models) as camp director Ms. Hulka, Daniela Bobadilla as Eddie's daughter Naomi and a special appearance by Nat and Alex Wolff of The Naked Brothers Band.
Looking in the future: Nick at Nite will launch original animated series Glenn Martin, DDS on Monday, August 17 with a week-long premiere at 8pm for a half-hour each night from Aug. 17-20, before settling into its Tuesdays at 9pm half-hour. The series has a 20 episode order. More info soon!
CBS has finally announced their summer 2009 plans. All we knew so far was burn-offs and repeats of Million Dollar Password on Sundays at 8pm, which started May 24. First, Tuesdays at 10pm starting June 2 will now be 48 Hours Mystery replacing the canceled Without a Trace. Trace will get two Sunday repeat airings at 10pm on June 14 and June 21, its last airings likely. The Mentalist will get a feel of its upcoming Thursdays at 10pm slot when it airs repeats following CSI starting June 4. The Mentalist will continue to also air Tuesdays at 9pm through and including July 7, when Big Brother comes, but more on that in a bit. The Big Bang Theory will also move to its upcoming slot of Mondays at 9:30pm for repeat play starting June 8. It will remain in its current 8pm slot as well until June 22, when How I Met Your Mother repeats moves to its new 8pm slot. Airing at 8:30pm on Mondays starting June 22 will be repeats of Rules of Engagement, which will return with new episodes in early 2010. Finally, CBS's only summer original returns on Thursday, July 9...that's reality staple Big Brother. The series will air Thursdays at 8pm starting July 9, Sundays at 8pm starting July 12 and Tuesdays at 9pm starting July 14. On Thursdays it will replace comedy/crime repeats, on Sundays it will replace Million Dollar Password, and on Tuesdays it will replace The Mentalist repeats. So that's basically CBS summer...repeats, 48 Hours Mystery and Big Brother.
Finally, we end with the fall line-up for MyNetwork TV. They will rely a lot on off-network programming more than ever. They will start their fall line-up on Monday, Sept. 28. Airing on Mondays will be off-network reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 8 and 9pm. On Tuesdays, they will air episodes of first-run syndicated series Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? at 8 & 8:30pm and the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal at 9 & 9:30pm. The syndicated version of 5th Grader will launch this fall on local stations and also on Tuesdays on MyNetwork TV. On Wednesdays we have two back-to-back episodes of The Unit, which makes its off-network syndication launch this fall on both local stations and MyNetwork TV. CBS has canceled the series, so this will be your only way to watch the series in primetime, but they are just reruns. Thursdays and Fridays remain unchanged with Movie Night on Thursday and WWE Smackdown! on Fridays. As mentioned before, MyNetwork TV has handed Saturdays back to local affiliates to program, so both The CW and MyNetwork TV will now only focus on Mon-Fri.
View and discuss the full Fall 2009 MyNetwork TV schedule.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
TV Land Updates June 2009 Schedule; TV Land July 2009 News; Susan Olsen's New Book and Website
View the complete updated TV Land June 2009 schedule.
Moving on to TV Land July 2009, the schedule for June will spill into July as well...but with one thing removed: off-the-clock programming. It seems everything will be back to normal times starting the week of June 29, but of course that can change.
As for July highlights, season 2 of She's Got the Look continues to air Thursdays at 9pm on TV Land PRIME. They're back again... and this time the stakes are bigger and better as 12 gorgeous women 35-and-over grace TV Land PRIME in season 2 of the modeling competition series that's like no other...She's Got the Look! For one very lucky winner, a second chance for a supermodel career, a life changing contract with the world famous Wilhelmina Modeling Agency, and a spread in Self magazine awaits. Watch the nationwide search, follow the drama as the number of contestants dwindles, and root for your favorite to win it all. Join in on the fun on a new night and time starting Thursday June 11, 2009 at 9pm for eight straight weeks through July 30.
This 4th of July, spend your evening with Roseanne! It's the Roseanne "4th of July Feuds & Fireworks" marathon! Spend 4th of July with Roseanne and you'll get different types of fireworks on this 4th of July weekend. The fireworks begin Saturday, July 4 at 8pm to 6am and the same on Sunday, July 5.
For the first time ever, TV Land will broadcast a new AFI Life Achievment Award special. The 37th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film, which will be presented to Michael Douglas at a gala tribute in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 11, 2009. The program will air Sunday, July 19, 2009 from 9pm-10:30pm on TV Land PRIME.
TV Land PRIME movies on Friday nights includes encores of National Lampoon's Vacation Movie, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Another 48 Hours, and Doc Hollywood. Meanwhile, TV Land will premiere the movie Born on the 4th of July on Friday, July 3 from 12pm-3pm with an encore on Sunday, July 5 from 9am-12pm. Other than all this, it is a quiet July for TV Land with no regular schedule changes...as of now, that is.
View more on TV Land July 2009.
Cindy Brady now has a website! Yes, The Brady Bunch kid is now on the internet. Susan Olsen announces the launch of a new website to promote her upcoming coffee table book, Love to Love You Bradys, which will be released in September by ECW Press (www.lovetoloveyoubradys.com). This new publication focuses on the rarely seen Brady Bunch Variety Hour and dares to ask: "How does America's favorite family end up in history's worst show?" It features over 80 exclusive interviews with cast, crew, and production staff including the Brady Bunch, Sherwood and Lloyd Schwartz, Sid and Marty Krofft, Bruce Vilanch, Rip Taylor, and Paul Shaffer. Susan's co-author is Ted Nichelson with art direction by 'Bradyologist' Lisa Sutton.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
ABC Summer Pilot Review: The Goode Family - Premieres May 27; TV's 50 Funniest Phrases Airs Tonight
The Goode Family - Wednesdays 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at 9:00PM ET/PT
The Goode Family is a new animated series from Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-head), John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill, Blades of Glory).
With standards always changing, no matter how hard you try to be good, it's virtually impossible these days... especially for the Goode family.
Meet Gerald and Helen Goode, a couple who live by the motto WWAGD ("What Would Al Gore Do?"). Gerald, a college administrator, and Helen, a community activist, are determined to obliterate their carbon footprint on the planet: They're zealous vegans, they drive a hybrid, and they recycle everything possible. Even the family dog, Che, is vegan. In the words of Helen, all the Goodes want to do is buy organic apples and call minorities by their right names. But despite their best efforts, something always goes haywire with their politically correct plans.
Like adopted son Ubuntu - Gerald and Helen thought they were doing the right thing by adopting a baby from Africa, only to learn that Ubuntu was South African... and white. Now a teenager, he eagerly tries to embrace the Goodes' love of things like crafts and organic gardening, even though deep in his gene pool is a drive towards more blue collar pursuits like driving fast, using tools and violent sports. Teenage daughter Bliss is constantly mortified by her parents (especially her mom's efforts to talk openly, girlfriend-to-girlfriend, about sex). Even Che is rebelling against his owners - he's secretly depopulating the neighborhood of every stray squirrel, cat, rabbit and bird in search of a square meal.
Their kids and dog aren't the only ones who find the Goodes hard to understand. Helen's SUV-driving, meat eating dad, Charlie, thinks her efforts to save the planet are just a waste of time. Neighbor Ray Johnson (recurring star Gary Anthony Williams) is bemused at the Goodes' attempts to refer to him by the right ethnic catch phrase ("African American?" "Person of Color?") and the constant drama unfolding right next door.
Cast Details:
* Mike Judge as Gerald Goode
* Nancy Carell as Helen Goode
* David Herman as Ubuntu Goode
* Linda Cardellini as Bliss Goode
* Brian Doyle Murray as Charlie
* Gary Anthony Williams as Ray
The Goode Family is voiced by Mike Judge as Gerald, Nancy Carell as Helen, Dave Herman as Ubuntu, Linda Cardellini as Bliss and Brian Doyle Murray as Charlie. Gary Anthony Williams is recurring as their black neighbor Ray.
Mike Judge (Gerald Goode) considered cartooning a hobby while he toiled as bassist for Anson Funderburgh and Doyle Bramhall, but when MTV picked up his 1992 short, Frog Baseball, animation history was made. The network simultaneously decided to spin-off Beavis and Butt-Head into a show of its own, making him the premier animator of the 1990s. The creation of these two teenage icons led to his next equally successful project, Fox TV's King of the Hill. Judge expanded his artistic endeavors into directing films such as 1999's cult classic, Office Space, featuring Jennifer Aniston, and his underrated Idiocracy, with Luke Wilson, as well as doing voices for South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut and acting in Robert Rodriguez' Spy Kids series. Writer, actor, producer, director, composer, animator, musician... Mike Judge is many things, but nothing beats making it okay for grownups to hold up their hands and proclaim, "I am Cornholio!"
Nancy Carell (Helen Goode) got her start in comedy at The Second City, and from there went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. She appeared for three years as a correspondent and guest host on The Daily Show. Carell has been a recurring character on the comedy series The Office as Carol Stills, the real estate agent and former girlfriend of Michael Scott. Her feature film work includes The 40 Year Old Virgin and Anger Management. She and her husband, Steve Carell (The Office), have two children.
David Herman (Ubuntu Goode) was one of the eight original cast members of Fox's late night sketch comedy show, Mad TV. In 1997 he began doing voice work on the Fox animated sitcom King of the Hill" where he met writer/director/actor Mike Judge. He was so impressed with Herman that he cast him as Michael Bolton in his critically acclaimed cult hit, Office Space. He also began doing voices for the Fox animated sitcom Futurama.
Linda Cardellini (Bliss Goode) is well known for her portrayal of Nurse Samantha Taggart on the NBC series ER. She has reprised her role, which she originated in 2003, in its 15th and final season. Cardellini first came to prominence starring as academic decathlete Lindsay Weir on the Emmy Award-winning series Freaks and Geeks, which has recently enjoyed a renaissance on DVD. In 2005 Cardellini delivered a heartfelt performance as a jilted lover in Ang Lee's highly acclaimed, award-winning drama, Brokeback Mountain. Last year she starred with Val Kilmer and Steve Zahn in the epic CBS miniseries Comanche Moon. Cardellini captured the hearts of young girls, boys and teenagers worldwide for her portrayal of Velma in Warner Bros.' popular Scooby-Doo and Legally Blonde, as well as in the Adam Sandler produced comedy, Grandma's Boy.
Brian Doyle Murray (Charlie, Helen's father) has appeared in such films as Daddy Day Camp, Nearing Grace, Snowdogs, Bedazzled, Drowning Mona, Stuart Little, As Good As It Gets, Waiting for Guffman, Jury Duty, Cabin Boy, Coneheads, Groundhog Day, Wayne's World, JFK, Nothing But Trouble, Christmas Vacation, How I Got Into College, Ghostbusters II, The Experts, Scrooged, Club Paradise, Legal Eagles, The Razor's Edge, Sixteen Candles and National Lampoon's Vacation. His television work includes Yes, Dear, Lucky, Family Guy, King of The Hill, Seinfield, Ellen, The Martin Short Show, Married with Children, Roseanne, Bakersfield PD and many others. In addition he appeared in over 50 episodes of Saturday Night Live and was nominated for three Emmy Awards for writing for the series. As a writer, he also co-wrote the hit comedy film, Caddyshack.
Pilot Plot:
We have received the first three episodes for air for review!
#1 (PROD #101) "Pilot" (Airs Wednedsay, May 27, 2009)
In the premiere episode, "Pilot," Helen is distraught when Bliss, fed up with her mom's trying to talk to her about sex, joins an abstinence group. Things go from bad to worse when Bliss asks her father, Gerald, to take her to the group's purity ball. Meanwhile Ubuntu turns 16 and wants to learn how to get his driver's license.
Guest voice cast: Gary Anthony Williams as Ray/the DMV Person/Ted, Mo Collins as the Checker/Lucy, Dee Bradley Baker as Che, and Julia Sweeney as Margo.
"Pilot" was written by John Altschuler, Mike Judge and Dave Krinsky, and directed by Wes Archer.
#2 (PROD #106) "Pleatherheads" (Airs Wednesday, June 3, 2009)
Gerald and Helen have a tough time adjusting to the demands of being a football family after Ubuntu unexpectedly becomes a star on high school football team. Meanwhile, Bliss tries some unorthodox ways to improve her college prospects.
Special Guest Voice: Adam Carolla. Guest voice cast: Bob Odenkirk as Brian Kennedy, Gary Anthony Williams as Ray/Coach/Mr. Alvarez, Amy Hill as Jacki/Kiki, Phil Lamarr as Mr. Whitmore/Solosolo and Laraine Newman as Mo/Nice Old Lady.
"Pleatherheads" was written by Dave Jeser & Matt Silverstein and directed by John Rice.
#3 (PROD #102) "Goodes Gone Wild" (Airs Wednesday, June 10, 2009)
Helen sees a way to win her father's approval when he takes a shine to one of the rescues at her pet adoption. Unfortunately, it's a disgusting animal of unknown origin named Gutterball who has to stay with the Goodes because Charlie's "home" doesn't allow pets. While Helen copes with Gutterball, their dog Che gives Gerald a hand with the college's squirrel problem.
Guest voice cast: Gary Anthony Williams as Ray/the Animals First Leader, Dee Bradley Baker as the Animals First Leader/Che/Gutterball, Lori Nasso as Penny and Julia Sweeney as Margo.
"Goodes Gone Wild" was written by Jordana Arkin and directed by John Rice.
Analysis:
I received for review the first three episodes airing. This animated comedy is produced by Media Rights Capital (MRC). It is about a family who wants to do good for the world, but they just can't get it right. They are learning on the way, though. This family is certainly a 21st century family, as they are vegans and an energy saving family. The father and mother (Gerald and Helen) are trying their very best to practice what they believe in, but you'll see not always what they believe is what they actually believe in.
The family is pretty likable. If you like current animated comedies like The Simpsons and King of the Hill, and animation styles of King of the Hill and Beavis & Butt-head then you'll certainly will want to watch this show. Mike Judge has created a show about a family that we can all relate with. It honestly reminds me of a live-action comedy. It is a great family comedy that you'll enjoy. This show has a lot of pop-culture related jokes to make it even more hip.
The characters are pretty interesting. The father, Gerald is probably the one who wants to do the most "good." He works for the local college as an administrator. His wife, Helen also believes in "good" but sometimes her inner bad comes out, as you'll see in many episodes. They have a teenaged daughter, Bliss, that is pretty smart and attractive as well (she reminds me of the type of girl on Beavis & Butt-head). She doesn't really like the "good" way, but still does it. They also have an adopted son named Ubuntu. He was adopted from South Africa, but he is white. He dresses like an African as well. He is a bit eccentric and likes to do good, but as you'll see even he tries to be wild at times. The family also has a dog named Che. He is a vegan dog, but hates it. Gerlad and Helen have no idea that he eats wildlife when they are not looking. Rounding out the characters are Helen's father Charlie, who does not like at all what this family practices and their neighbor Ray, who is black and the family tries to be "politically correct" with him.
In the first episode, it is basically about Helen and Bliss, as Bliss is fed up with her mom's trying to talk to her about sex so she joins an abstinence group. She even goes to a purity ball, but it doesn't work out. Also in the episode Ubuntu turns 16 and wants to learn how to get his driver's license.
In the second episode airing, Ubuntu joins the high school football team, but his parents sees the demands of being a football family are not good and they do some not so "good" things. Also in the episode Bliss tries ways to get into college.
In the third episode airing, Helen never has had her father's approval, but when he takes a shine to one of the rescues at her pet adoption...she tries to take advantage. The catch is it's a disgusting animal of unknown origin named Gutterball who has to stay with the Goodes because Charlie's "home" doesn't allow pets. Also in the episode their dog Che gives Gerald a hand with the college's squirrel problem as he goes wild without them knowing again. The episodes get better and better...maybe because we are now engulfed with the family.
Conclusion:
This show is pretty funny. It is a show about the family itself and not a show about to be a vegan or drive hybrid cars. So don't get freaked out by them saying "What Would Al Gore Do?" This family wants to do "good," but it is so hard to do that, as you'll see with every episode. The show premieres after last summer's biggest hit Wipeout, so the premiere should be sampled in the ratings. Promos have been airing a lot over the past few months, so this is not just a summer burn-off. ABC has ordered 13 episodes, but only 6 are airing this summer (and wow, I've seen 3 of them already). I'm thinking if this show does well, you could see it in the regular season perhaps in the winter on Tuesday nights with Scrubs and Better Off Ted? I've never really watched much of King of the Hill, but I do like The Simpsons and the family element of that show makes it so likeable and it is shown here as well. I did like Judge's other show Beavis & Butt-head, though the only thing similar about that show with The Goode Family is the animation style.
I think if you're going to give this a try, give it a few episodes. I think I liked it more and more because I saw more than one episode. Think about it, sampling something with just one episode is not a good sample. This is the summer, so there won't be much new scripted programming anyway...so stick with it! The episodes get better and better. We need a good animated comedy that is not on Fox. It is very watchable and the laughs are also there. The Goode Family is a "goode" show and I was surprised!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 05/26/09
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, May 27 on our message board.
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Tonight on NBC from 8-10pm ET, get ready to laugh your way down memory lane with an array of amazing stars both past and present.
From "No soup for you" to "We are two wild and crazy guys" to "Hug it out," catch phrases are instantly recognizable and become part of popular culture. Actress, dancer, singer and Tony Award-winner Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) hosts. Jeremy Piven, Regis Philbin, Gabe Kaplan, Dana Carvey, Neil Patrick Harris, Jean Stapleton, Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Jackie Gleason, Bob Newhart, Penny Marshall, Polly Holliday, and Redd Foxx are among some of the legendary stars featured when The Paley Center for Media and NBC count down fifty of the all-time funniest catchphrases said on television in a two-hour special. With great scenes from the shows and interviews with the stars who brought the lines to life, this program will celebrate the history and humor of catchphrases. The Paley Center for Media's TV's 50 Funniest Phrases airs tonight from 8-10pm ET on NBC. See who made it to the top 10 and what phrase is #1.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, October 23
Happy's Place - "Office/Space" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie surprises Isabella with her own office upstairs and reassures her that they'll still see each other plenty; Steve and Takoda try to convince Emmett to stop giving Bobbie so much space after their relationship has moved into the friend zone.
Newlyweds - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Over six weeks and two continents, total opposites Jeanie and James go from blind date to wedded bliss.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 19)
Friday, October 23
- Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Watch Dakota on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Doug Benson (You're the Worst) - Doug is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Natasha Leggero (Broke/Dice/Another Period/Free Agents) and Tommy Davidson (The Varnell Hill Show/The Proud Family/Malcolm & Eddie/Between Brothers) - Natasha and Tommy will be on a repeat of Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
- Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This/Burning Love) - Adam talks about Nobody Wants This on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Téa Leoni (Newlyweds/The Naked Truth/Flying Blind) - Téa talks about Newlyweds on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle/Richie Rich) - Jenna, Taika Waititi and Amy Adams and dish on their new movie Klara and the Sun on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) - NBC's Today catches up with Constance in the 9am hour.
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)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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