Saturday, April 17, 2010
Digital Digest: Ally McBeal - The Complete Second Season; DVD Packaging Changes on Older Releases
DIGITAL NEWS
We are finally getting some details in on Shout! Factory's upcoming release of Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (June 29), and one thing is for sure: it is going to be one of the most amazing DVD releases ever. Some of the features announced include:
- Never-before-seen footage of the cast, as shot by the cast, including Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers.
- Six radio episodes of Stu's Show from Shokus Internet Radio featuring the cast of the series.
- Featurette focusing on Ken Osmond and Frank Bank.
- Original promos from the series.
- Original pilot from the series.
- Savings bond promo film from the United States Treasury featuring Leave it to Beaver.
- Physical recreation of the Leave it to Beaver board game, manufactured by Hasbro in the 1950s.
We still have more news from Shout! Factory, though! Special features have been announced for the May 4 release of The Facts of Life - The Complete Fourth Season. It isn't a long list, but both are very nice, and include the movie The Facts of Life Goes to Paris and an interactive trivia game. It comes at a $39.97 MSRP. Also, some details have emerged about the June 29 release of Mad About You - The Complete Fourth Season, specifically in regard to special features. It will contain episode introductions on "select episodes" from Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. Hopefully we'll have more details and be able to follow up on that in the future.
Last week, we reported that Virgil Film's release of the series Big John, Little John had been delayed on DVD, and that a new date had not been announced yet. That has not changed. But, we have found out, thanks to a member of our message boards, that the entire series has been released on a legitimate DVD release (not a bootleg) in Australia, and that it has been released in a region-free format! Your best bet is to just wait for Virgil Film's release (it should come eventually), but if you just can't wait to see the series, you can order it now, directly on Amazon.com.
There have been several--at least a dozen--reports of various current network and cable series coming to DVD soon in the past week. After all, DVDs are typically announced about 3 to 4 months in advance, and most of the studios want their product on the shelves just in time for the new season to kick off. We won't even discuss all of them, because there are just way too many of them and most are beyond the general scope of our website. But as far as the sitcoms are concerned, Amazon.com has made available for pre-order DVDs of ABC's The Middle - The Complete First Season and NBC's action-comedy series, Chuck - The Complete Third Season (also for Blu-ray). There are absolutely no details about these releases yet, but you can pre-order them. Other current series that have popped up for pre-order on Amazon.com in the past week include C.S.I. - The Complete Tenth Season, C.S.I.: Miami - The Complete Eighth Season, Criminal Minds - The Fifth Season, The Good Wife - The First Season, NCIS: Los Angeles - The First Season, and Numb3rs - The Sixth Season. Wow! That is a long list of series from CBS! I'm sure that nursing homes nationwide are overflowing with joy with this news... we're only kidding, we love CBS.
Finally, we end our news with some excellent news about MPI's long-anticipated release of The Mothers-in-Law - The Complete Series. MPI has been talking about this series for well over a year now, but they have finally set a street date (July 27). The set is going to contain all 56 episodes of the series and a ton of special features, including interviews, the original pilot, unaired pilots of related series, and more at an incredibly low $39.98 MSRP! We encourage you to check out this report from TVShowsOnDVD.com which gives the rather lengthy list of special features. The set doesn't appear to be available for pre-order just yet, but we'll let you know when it is!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
There is only one lonely sitcom scheduled for release for next week (April 20), and that is Shout! Factory's long-awaited The Bill Cosby Show - Season Two. It is one of their direct-to-consumer titles, although as is the case with the rest of these titles, it can be purchased on Amazon.com. We haven't received a review copy of it yet, and we aren't sure when/if we will receive one. Also, Warner Home Video is bringing out Falcon Crest - The Complete First Season and CBS DVD has Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 1. We will cover both of these titles sometime soon, but you can pre-order all of them now.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
In 1997, a new legal drama hit the air that was nothing like anything that preceded it. This one contained a lot of humor, sexual innuendo, hallucinations (anybody remember the dancing baby?), and many other unique elements in a series about a woman trying to balance her romantic life and her life at work. Ally McBeal - The Complete Second Season is the second of five seasons of this unique series.
DVD Review: Ally McBeal - The Complete Second Season
by Pavan
Ally McBeal - The Complete Second Season (Fox, $39.98) is back on DVD in an individual set featuring all 23 episodes from the series' excellent (and most popular) second season. The series premiered in 1997 on Fox and lasted five seasons, becoming one of the most talked about shows in the late '90s. The series was created by David E. Kelley The cast was brilliant led by Calista Flockhart in the title role as a young lawyer working in the Boston law firm Cage, Fish and Associates with other young lawyers. Also starring on this show are all recognizable names: Gil Bellows as Billy, Courtney Thorne-Smith as Georgia, Greg Germann as Richard Fish, Lisa Nicole Carson as Renée, Jane Krakowski as Elaine, with Peter MacNichol as John Cage and Vonda Shepard as Herself. Portia de Rossi as Nelle and Lucy Liu as Ling Woo join the cast this season.
The second season begins with the episode "The Real World," where Fish and Cage hire a new associate, Nelle "sub-zero" Porter (Portia de Rossi) and Cage tells Ally about his attraction to Nelle. In the very next episode, "They Eat Horses, Don't They?," Lucy Liu joins the cast as Nelle's friend and client, Ling Woo, who sues a radio DJ for making sexually explicit comments on air and to the disgust of Ally, drops the case as a legal tactic. In "It's My Party," Ally defends George Madison (special guest star John Ritter), editor of a feminist magazine fired for his religious views on women and Ally finds herself attracted to George, but Elaine implies that she and George are an item. Later, Ally is told to stop wearing miniskirts in court and when she refuses, she is held in contempt and taken into custody. This is one of the best episodes in the entire series! In the very next episode, "The Story of Love," Ally is arrested after a fight with a young woman angry with her best friend for stealing her boyfriend, meanwhile George (John Ritter) begins to show an interest in Ally, and Elaine begs her not to date him. Cage brings in his pet tree frog, Stefan, whom he is training for a competition. And the frog popularity begins after this!
In "Pyramids On the Nile," Fish agrees to hire Ling, to the annoyance of the firm except Nelle, while Ally and Billy defend a couple fired because they were dating and then Billy admits, after the trial, he still has feelings for Ally and they share a kiss. In "Sex, Lies, and Politics," Cage and Ling help a bookstore owner sue a senator after he falsely accuses her of selling pornography, causing her to lose business, while Ally obsesses over the kiss with Billy, and struggles with the urge to tell Georgia. In "Civil Wars," Georgia finds out about the kiss, and rumors spread through the office, while Ally and Cage oppose Fish and Georgia in court over a date rape case, but as tension increases between Georgia and Ally, the two get into a fight in the bathroom with Ling and Nelle, with Elaine filming. In the season finale, "I Know Him By Heart," Ally becomes increasingly depressed about her love life, until Fish gives her a pep talk, while Ally and Renee decide to go on as many dates as possible until they find the right man. Notable guest appearances for this season include, the aforementioned John Ritter (who was nominated for an Emmy), Wayne Newton, Rob Schneider, Jennifer Holliday, Lara Flynn Boyle, Bruce Willis, Anna Nicole Smith, Barry White, Rosie O'Donnell, Jesse L. Martin, Larry Green, and the Emmy winning performance by Tracy Ullman.
The episodes are unedited and has all the original music! This season was released in the complete series set back in October 2009, so the content is exactly the same as that set. But if you have not gotten that complete set, there is nothing to worry about on this set. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Real World" (45:16)
2. "They Eat Horses Don't They?" (44:56)
3. "Fool's Night Out" (45:25)
4. "It's My Party" (43:21)
Disc 2:
5. "Story of Love" (44:30)
6. "World's Without Love" (42:56)
7. "Happy Trails" (45:25)
8. "Just Looking" (45:18)
Disc 3:
9. "You Never Can Tell" (44:03)
10. "Making Spirits Bright" (45:27)
11. "In Dreams" (45:26)
12. "Love Unlimited" (45:14)
Disc 4:
13. "Angels Over Blimps" (45:21)
14. "Pyramids On The Nile" (44:23)
15. "Side Show" (44:42)
16. "Sex, Lies & Politics" (45:25)
Disc 5:
17. "Civil Wars" (45:26)
18. "Those Lips, That Hand" (45:25)
19. "Let's Dance" (44:51)
20. "Only The Lonely" (44:45)
Disc 6:
21. "The Green Monster" (45:02)
22. "Love's Illusions" (45:01)
23. "I Know Him By Heart" (45:19)
Now I didn't get the complete series set, but the case (and the rest of the packaging) for season two is the same as it was on that set. The cover art has a full body shot of Ally in black with the show logo in the middle in orange and white coloring. The color scheme for the set is orange and white. Also on the cover art we have four small black and white headshots of Cage, Nelle, Billy and Ling Woo. The back of the case has info on the set and series, with a close-up of Ally in black and a strip about five episodic photos. Inside the case are the discs of course. Disc one is on the left panel, while discs two and three are on a plastic holder that you can flip like a book. The same goes true for discs four and five. And disc six is on the right panel. Artwork inside the case is in orange and we have a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles on the panels. When we remove discs one and six, there is some cool artwork, that I won't spoil. Each disc has the same artwork, of a frog, the show logo, and it matches the set's color scheme.
The menus on the set are very nicely done, with different artwork on each disc. The main screen has a different shot of Ally on each disc. The submenus have other castmembers. The main menu has the theme song playing in the background. It is so catchy! The main menu have an option for Play All and the episode titles are listed right on the main menu. When selecting an episode, it takes you to another menu that have the options Play Episode, Language Selection, and Scene Selection. Language tracks are available in English, French and Spanish. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish. In Scene Selection, each episode has about 15 different positions you can start at. Chapter stops have the same selections. It is a bit much for an hour-long series.
The video and audio on the set is looks really good. The video is available in a nice widescreen, and if your DVD player upconverts to HD, it looks so nice. The audio is also very good and is presented in Dolby Surround. This season is from 1998-99, so while it is over a decade in age, it is very well presented here in both video and audio. All of the episodes on the set are closed-captioned for those who need them.
One bad thing about this set is that there are no special features available. They should have gave us a seventh disc with some extras. The complete series set had a bonus disc and in that it did have some features for season two. It would be nice if they included the season two material from that on this set. But that would mean more manufacturing for them. So the only way to see bonus features for this season is to buy the complete series set. That is too bad, especially if someone can't afford that or just wanted this season (like me). I basically was a fan for the first two seasons, but I never really watched the show after that much.
This is a good set, but it is exactly the same content that was available for this season in the complete series set. It is good and amazing that all of the original music is intact, though! Kudos to 20th Century Fox for doing that since this show had A LOT of music! Each episode is also unedited in content, so another thing to be grateful for. The packaging and menus are also great. Everything on this set is great, except for the lack of bonus features. It's not like nothing was available. Fox could have given us the same season 2 features on the bonus disc on the complete set, but they didn't. I was hoping they would, because I have not seen those bonus material. Anyway, the episodes are great and this is my favorite season of the show. It has a nice mix of comedy and drama. Ally's short skirts, Cage's frog, wild hallucinations, special guest John Ritter, this season has it all! A must buy if you don't have the complete series set!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Ally McBeal on TV.com
BLOG FEATURE STORY
DVD Packaging Changes on Older Releases
by skees53
About a month or so ago, Target had a really nice deal on the season sets of the series Saturday Night Live that I couldn't resist. I had always liked the series, but never bothered to pick up the DVDs because the MSRP was more than I wanted to pay. I picked up all of the first four seasons without really looking at the packaging, but when I got home, I noticed that the first season had been placed in a newer (and cheaper) standard digipack inside of a slipcase. I hadn't yet opened the set, but was wondering what exactly was going on with this different packaging. As I later found out, the older releases of the series were no longer being printed with the special limited packaging, and I had to go on a hunt all over town to find a USED (yes, USED) copy of the first season in the original packaging--which ended up costing me about $10 more than my new copy from Target in the new packaging.
At the time, I didn't realize that the studios were repackaging TV series on DVD, but in the past few months, it has become a very common practice. In most cases, the original packaging is being shoved aside in favor of the newer Viva packs--you know, the standard plastic DVD cases that can hold multiple discs. Nobody is publicly saying why this practice is occurring, but there are many potential reasons, including cheaper cost of production (perhaps the main reason), lower package weight, smaller package size (beneficial for storage warehouses and store shelves), or perhaps to just make older releases more consistent with newer releases (which are more often than not being released in Viva packs).
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and ABC Studios seem to be spearheading most of these "evolving packages." As I have discovered, 20th Century Fox began the practice with repackaging older releases of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arrested Development, and How I Met Your Mother, all of which were previously released in slimcases, in the regular Viva packs. Now, some other older releases series are starting to show up on store shelves in the new packaging, including American Dad!, Family Guy, King of the Hill, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Remington Steele, and even MGM's releases of The Addams Family and Green Acres. All of the 20th Century Fox titles have the same UPC as the original release, same disc content, same disc artwork (sometimes with a few minor changes), but different packaging. Unfortunately, on some of the sets, the different packaging means losing some very nice things included on the original releases, such as detailed episode descriptions. Even more frustrating is Fox's DVDs of The Simpsons, which, even though they have not changed the packaging itself on these sets, they are no longer including the very nice and detailed episode booklets on older releases, instead opting for an empty pocket where the booklet should be.
ABC Studios has been reissuing many of their older titles that were previously released under the Buena Vista Home Entertainment brand, replacing all references to BVHE with ABC Studios. But that isn't all. They have been repackaging many series in their library in the same standard plastic DVD cases as 20th Century Fox, only there is one exception with the ABC Studios products: they are including cardboard slipcovers for most of the products. Packaging has been updated for series including Alias, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, and more. You can also determine which of these sets are the newer ones, as they have the disc count as a banner on the top of the front of the packaging. Just like 20th Century Fox, these sets carry the same UPC as the original releases. ABC Studios has, in the past, had some of the most unique and creative packaging for a lot of their sets, and these newer packages take away what made a lot of these older sets special. You can even see a comparison of the old vs. new packaging for Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season below. It was originally packaged in a digipack, but has since been replaced with a standard plastic DVD case. Note that the disc artwork (not shown) is the same in both versions.
Old Packaging:
Outside of old packaging for Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season.
Inside of old packaging for Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season.
New Packaging:
Outside of new packaging for Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season.
Inside of new packaging for Scrubs - The Complete Fourth Season.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and ABC Studios aren't the only studios making these changes. HBO Home Entertainment has been re-releasing several older releases of series, including Da Ali G Show and Entourage, in newer (and cheaper) packaging. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is doing the same thing with All in the Family and Soap, releasing them in the cheaper black spindle cases that everybody seems to hate about Sony. One positive note about Sony, though, is that they are at least changing the UPC so that consumers are aware of what they are getting. And Lionsgate, while not making any packaging changes quite yet (that I'm aware of, anyway) has been excluding episode descriptions/booklets and cardboard slipcases on newer copies of older releases. Warner Home Video hasn't changed a whole lot, but some sets (such as The Flintstones) that were originally released with transparent plastic slipcases are being replaced with standard cardboard slipcases. So far, aside from the Saturday Night Live season sets (which were only supposed to be produced in limited numbers for the special packaging anyway), Universal and CBS DVD products haven't been affected... yet.
So is this all a good thing or bad thing? It depends upon what you are looking for. First and foremost, I find the practice of keeping the same UPC on the repackaged products very shameful, because if somebody orders a DVD online, they have no clue which version they will be getting. This issue has even resulted in Amazon.com being forced to put a disclaimer on some products about the packaging. Aside from that issue, though, let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of new packaging for older sets:
Pros:
- Thinner and more compact, thus allowing more shelf space.
- Often less cumbersome than old packaging (particularly folding digipacks).
- Similar style packaging for all releases of a given series rather than having older style packaging for older seasons and more standardized packaging for newer releases.
- Plastic cases often show much less wear and tear.
- Plastic cases usually simply look cheaper.
- Retailer selection of DVDs often includes both older and newer packaging, sometimes meaning only newer packaging available for older sets and only older packaging available for newer sets, thus creating a hodgepodge of packaging between seasons for collectors.
- Creative packaging designs are usually lost in the transition.
- Episode descriptions, and in some cases even general lists, are being lost in the newer designs.
LOOKING AHEAD
We will, of course, return next Saturday with more news and reviews for you. We're still working on what will be on slate for next week, but we will have reviews coming up of The Unusuals - The Complete Series, Perry Mason - Season 5, Volume 1, Marcus Welby, M.D. - Season One, and who knows what else... sometimes we just review random and unexpected things that we stumble upon (and oddly enough those reviews tend to be the most interesting). We are going to have more feature stories in the next few weeks, and among some that we are working on include stories on out-of-print DVDs, an in-depth look at Blu-ray, a look at some rare (as well as some not-so-rare) finds on public domain DVD, and we will even start talking about the online sources for watching TV shows--the legal ones, anyway. We'll also plan to talk about more special deals on home media as we find them (I didn't mention this anywhere else in the blog today as we aren't fully covering deals yet, but I'll just say that you can find some excellent deals on some rather popular Lionsgate releases at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores). That's it for this week, but remember, we do want to hear your feedback about Digital Digest. Tell us on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us. Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, April 16, 2010
ABC Midseason Pilot Review: Romantically Challenged - Premieres April 19; Fox Changes Summer 2010; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 19, 2010)
Romantically Challenged - Mondays 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Monday, April 19, 2010 at 9:30PM ET/PT
From the writer of such irreverent and bold television shows as Family Guy and Politically Incorrect comes a comedy about four romantically challenged friends in their early thirties navigating their way through today's tricky world of dating.
Smart and beautiful Rebecca (Alyssa Milano) is recently divorced after 15 years of marriage. Having never really dated before she was married - and not having been on a date since Clinton was in office -- she finds it scary to start over now. Although a gifted mom and lawyer, she is clueless about dating and hopes to get some help from her equally romantically challenged friends.
Perry (Kyle Bornheimer) is Rebecca's best friend since childhood. He is a rugged man's man and a tremendously successful financial planner -- but also one of Pittsburgh's most sensitive hopeless romantics. When it comes to matters of the heart, Perry is a romance-aholic who falls in love with women 20 minutes after meeting them. After 40 minutes, he's already naming their future children.
A struggling novelist, the witty and affable Shawn (Josh Lawson) has been Perry's best friend and rent-free roommate for six years. Shawn is the emotionally unavailable cynic to Perry's hopeless romantic. He has never had a relationship more serious than a three-night stand - and even those send him running for the door.
Rounding out the group is Rebecca's petite, baby sister, Lisa (Kelly Stables). Behind her deceptively sweet appearance is a sassy pit bull ready to protect her older sister. Although a nurturing kindergarten teacher, she has a wild side too, and sees a "threesome" as "second base."
Will these four romantically challenged friends ever find lasting love? Or even someone who lasts until next Thursday?
Cast Details:
* Alyssa Milano as Rebecca Thomas
* Kyle Bornheimer as Perry Gill
* Josh Lawson as Shawn Goldwater
* Kelly Stables as Lisa Thomas
Alyssa Milano (Rebecca) has spent almost her entire life in the public eye. At age 10 she landed her breakthrough role on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss? as Tony Danza's daughter, Sam Micelli for eight seasons. She also starred for eight seasons on the hit WB series Charmed, as well as on the Fox cornerstone series Melrose Place. She was most recently seen in a recurring role on the cult favorite, My Name is Earl. And she also recently made a guest appearance on ABC's Castle. Milano's film credits include Hugo Pool, co-starring Sean Penn and Robert Downey Jr., and the Imagine/Universal film Fear, with Reese Witherspoon. She produced and starred as the title character in the Lifetime Original movie Wisegal. Past television movies include playing Amy Fisher on Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story. She will next be seen in the romantic comedy My Girlfriend's Boyfriend.
Kyle Bornheimer (Perry Gill) recently starred as the hapless Sam Briggs in the critically-acclaimed but short-lived CBS comedy series, Worst Week. His performance earned him a spot on Entertainment Weekly's 2009 Dream Emmy Ballot list in the Best Lead Actor (Comedy) category. Bornheimer's additional television credits include guest starring roles on ABC's Better Off Ted, How I Met Your Mother, Party Down, The Office, The Unit, Jericho, Will & Grace, Monk, Weeds and Breaking Bad. On the big screen he starred in Dreamworks' She's Out of My League. Additional film credits include roles in Blades of Glory and the independent feature For Christ's Sake.
Josh Lawson (Shawn Goldwater) is probably best known for his returning guest appearances on his home country of Australia's improvised hit TV comedy, Thank God You're Here. He was also the co-host of Wipeout Australia, which was based on ABC's reality game show of the same name, and was a series regular in Chandon Pictures. In addition to several television series roles in Australia, Lawson's film work includes BoyTown and the upcoming Australian release Kin. From the U.S., he will star in the independent film, Crave, as a troubled photographer whose dangerous visions begin to destroy his relationship with a beautiful young woman. He will also star in the upcoming comedy Freeloaders as one of the slackers who is living for free in a rock star's mansion.
Kelly Stables (Lisa Thomas) is making her mark as one of the most dynamic and busy actresses in television. In addition to starring in Romantically Challenged, Stables continues her recurring role in her second season on CBS' Two and a Half Men, as Melissa, Alan Harper's (John Cryer) girlfriend and receptionist. She also has a recurring role as Janette on ABC Family's hit show Greek. Past television credits include guest starring roles on Life, 'Til Death, How I Met Your Mother, The Bold & The Beautiful, Cavemen and General Hospital. She also starred in Showtime's Pride & Prejudice, Lifetime Network's Together Again for the First Time, ABC Family's Santa Baby 2 and Sci-Fi Channel's Furnace. Stables is active in voice-overs, starring in Disney's animated series W.I.T.C.H. and Too Many Robots. In addition to her current television projects, she produces and stars in the internet horror series Soul Fire Rising. No stranger to the big screen, Stables terrified audiences as the iconic Evil Samara in The Ring 2, starred alongside Jason Flemyng and Mel B. in the British thriller, Telling Lies, and fought dragons as the star of Dragon Hunter.
Pilot Plot:
UPDATE (4/17/2010): ABC has announced it will NOT air "Rebecca's One Night Stand" first, so instead the actual first episode taped will air first "Don't Be Yourself." Due to last minute change, ABC did not put this episode up for review. Ricky Blitt sent this message: HAPPY ANNOUNCEMENT: Premiere episode ABC is airing Monday is now the 1st one we shot - the pilot & the one that sets everything up! -Ricky Blitt
I have seen two episodes that will air on ABC! So this review will be based on these two episodes. Here are the plot details for both episodes:
#1 "Rebecca's One Night Stand" (#104, Airs TBD)
Lisa finally convinces Rebecca to have her first one night stand. But the always polite Rebecca violates Lisa's number-one rule by calling her date, Leo, the morning after. Now Leo is into Rebecca, so Lisa gives her sister her own unusual brand of dating advice so Rebecca can break up with him. Meanwhile, an overworked Perry decides to take a stay-cation. But doing so gets on the nerves of his unemployed roommate, Shawn, to the point that Shawn decides to get a job - any job.
Guest starring are Israel Broussard as Justin, Paul Greene as Leo, Edward Flores as Bob, Emayatzy Corinealdi as Tiffany, Elaine Loh as waitress, Brian Michael Jones as restaurant patron and Donald Li as owner.
"Rebecca's One Night Stand" was written by Ted Cohen & Andrew Reich and directed by James Burrows.
#2 "The Charade" (#103, Airs April 26)
Although Rebecca said she wouldn't meddle in sister Lisa's love life, she can't resist finding out why Lisa would break up with "nice guy" Neil. When Lisa finds out what Rebecca did, she finds a way to get back at her. Meanwhile, as Shawn is on his way to pick up Perry from his dental surgery, he gets distracted by a pretty girl, proving once again that the ladies come first in his life, so a fed-up Perry kicks Shawn out of the apartment and refuses to forgive his BFF.
Guest starring are Daniel G. O'Brien as Neil, Nadine Heimann as Sarah and Nasty Nes as taxi driver.
"The Charade" was written by Ricky Blitt and directed by James Burrows.
Analysis:
The first episode I saw is titled "Rebecca's One Night Stand" but it was actually the fourth episode that was taped. ABC orginally was going to air this one first because it best introduces Alyssa Milano's character Rebecca. It made sense, as the show doesn't have a pilot per say (but ABC later decided to air the first one that was taped to better set up the series). This episode starts off a bit slow I think, but it really picks up half-way through and you'll be loving it after you watched the entire episode. As I mentioned in the plot section, this episode is basically about Lisa convincing Rebecca to have her first one night stand and also Perry decides to take a stay-cation from work, but by doing so gets on the nerves of his unemployed roommate, Shawn. The show may be similar to Friends, but it has its own voice and style. One similarity is that the gang all meet at a coffee shop, though.
There are many laughs in this episode. Josh Lawson, who plays Shawn, steals this episode with the most laughs. He has many funny lines, such as saying Perry looks like one of the Wiggles. Perry and Shawn seem like a great hilarious combo (and it gets even better in episode two). The sister combo of Rebecca and Lisa are also funny. Rebecca is taking her younger sister's advice of having a one night stand with a guy named Leo ("the mansicle"). Rebecca is a lawyer and recently divorced and has a 15-year-old son. She hasn't dated since the Clinton era, so she has been out of the game for quite some time. She tries to win a guy over with "pouty lips and a double hair toss," but that doesn't seem to work so she takes Lisa's advice. Will it work? Let's just say the guy has a bit of a fetish...of mushrooms. Kindergarten teacher Lisa has some hilarious lines as well in this episode, such as comparing Perry and Shawn's relationship as a non-consensual prison romance! And going to back to the Perry and Shawn storyline, Perry is driving Shawn crazy by taking him to places like the Pittsburgh Museum of Fine Arts to look at 18th century buttons (yes, buttons!) and scavenger hunts and also a Revolutionary War battlefield that has musketballs! What will Shawn do? Let's say he goes to a Chinese "company."
The second episode that is airing is titled "The Charade" but it was actually the third episode that was taped. This is a very fun episode. As I mentioned in the plot, Rebecca meddles in her sister Lisa's love life because she can't resist finding out why Lisa would break up with "nice guy" Neil, while as Shawn is on his way to pick up Perry from his dental surgery, he gets distracted by a pretty girl and forgets about picking Perry up. There is lots of physical comedy in this episode, particularly from Perry, played by the comic genius of Kyle Bornheimer. Kyle was excellent at this on CBS's Worst Week last season, one of the better comedies from last season. The scene with Perry in pain after getting his wisdom teeth removed is classic. Boy did he need his pudding. Shawn also shines in this episode, as he did in the first episode. The on going credit card number joke in this episode is funny each time.
The two sisters plotline was also good. Lisa finds out that her date is married, so Rebecca suggests to her that she date the new waiter, Neil, at the coffee shop. So, she does...but after one date she says he is a bit too "nice." Rebecca doesn't buy the excuse, so she meddles and finds out that he is more strange than nice. Lisa finds out about Rebecca's visit to Neil. So what happens? Let's just say Lisa gets her back good. Ah, the sitcom lesson. Fun and practical!
Conclusion:
While this is billed as an Alyssa Milano comedy, it is more of an ensemble. But that is good because this cast is ALL very talented! This is a great ensemble comedy that has a good mix of hilarious dialogue and physical comedy. So far Rebecca was "romantically challenged" in "Rebecca's One Night Stand" and Lisa in the second episode, "The Charade." Maybe Shawn and Perry will get one of those soon, but so far their "buddy" plots have been spot on and hilarious in these two episodes that were made available for review. Well, Shawn did meet that woman in episode two that made him forget about picking Perry up from the dentist!
The series has 6 episodes taped, but as of now only 4 episodes are scheduled to air. Let's hope it hits big and the two episode that don't air are held over for a second season! The series will certainly be sampled as it will air after Dancing with the Stars. Also, the competing CBS sitcom, The Big Bang Theory will be in repeats on April 19, 26 and May 3 (though on May 3 a new episode airs at 9pm of that show leading into a repeat). I urge fans of that show to check out this sitcom while Bang is in repeats. We need more traditional sitcoms like this on the air! It is good and has potential to be even better if given the chance. Usually sitcoms of this nature need some more time to develop to find its footing (like Seinfeld, Cheers, Facts of Life). The mind of Ricky Blitt is genius and the legendary James Burrows is directing. Of all the traditional sitcoms to premiere this season, this is by far the best one (loads better than Accidentally on Purpose, Brothers and Hank). It's not Modern Family, but this is not to be compared to that since this is not a family comedy (nor it is single camera).
Alyssa Milano is still funny and still stunning! I am so glad she is back on TV (see below for some talk show appearances she is doing)! Josh Lawson is a surprise player on this show and should breakout big time. Kyle Bornheimer continues his great comedic timing, especially in the second episode. And the lovely Kelly Stables is perky with big laughs. What more can I say but watch the premiere LIVE on TV this Monday at 9:30pm on ABC. It will help the show if you watch it live (not DVR), especially if you're home at that time. So get out your musketballs and make pouty lips and do a double hair toss right in time for the premiere because you'll enjoy this show! Knowing Perry's credit card number is not needed to watch!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by Pavan on 4/16/10
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, April 19 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Fox has updated its summer schedule with Hell's Kitchen now making its seventh season premiere on Tuesday, June 1 at 8:00 PM ET/PT and culinary competition series Masterchef premiering Tuesday, July 27 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The new summer season of So You Think You Can Dance will air performance shows on Wednesdays and results shows on Thursdays now following the season premiere on Thursday, May 27 form 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. In addition, acclaimed new series, Glee, will air encores throughout the summer on Thursdays at 8:00 PM ET/PT.
Everything else from the original announcement of summer 2010 will remain. View our previous story.
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of April 19-23, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, April 19, 2010
- Alyssa Milano (Romantically Challenged/Who's the Boss?) - Alyssa is making the rounds promoting her new sitcom (which launches on this night at 9:30pm on ABC). First she will be on ABC's Good Morning America in Times Square sometime between 7-9am and then she heads on to W. 66th Street to do ABC's The View at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Tim Allen (Home Improvement) - Tim stops by ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:05am, as he promotes hosting the TV Land Awards.
- Craig Robinson (The Office)- Craig will stop by NBC's Today Show sometime between 7-9am.
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser) - Neil has to see the ladies of The View. Airs 11am ET/10am CT/PT on ABC.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
- Jenna Elfman (Accidentally on Purpose/Courting Alex/Dharma & Greg) - Jenna stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:05am ET on ABC.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends) - Lisa will be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show so check your local listings for time and channel.
- Craig Robinson (The Office) - Craig will be on CNN's Larry King Live at 9pm.
- Ken Jeong (Community) - Ken will be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35pm.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - The sexy Kaley Cuoco stops by The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS at 11:35pm.
- Craig Robinson (The Office) - Craig will be on Colbert Report on Comedy Central at 11:30pm.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
- David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - David will be on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm ET to promote his CBS sitcom.
- Alyssa Milano (Romantically Challenged/Who's the Boss?) - Alyssa stops by to talk about her new sitcom on The Joy Behar Show on HLN at 9pm.
- Anthony Anderson (All About the Andersons/Hang Time/Bernie Mac) - Anthony chats on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live at 12:05am.
- Busy Phillips (Cougar Town) - The sexy Busy stops by to talk on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS at 12:35am.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends) - Lisa stops by Tavis Smiley Show, check local PBS listings for time and channel.
- Chevy Chase (Community) - Chevy stops by NBC's Today show between 7-9am then he will head on to chat with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT/PT.
- Wandy Sykes (Old Christine) - The funny lady stops by another funny lady's show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Check your listings.
- Malcolm Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show/Sherri) -Malcolm stops by BET's Mo'nique Show at 11pm.
- Ken Jeong (Community) - Ken chats it up on Lopez Tonight on TBS at 11pm.
Friday, April 23, 2010
- Kelsey Grammar (Cheers/Frasier/Hank) - Kelsey stops by CBS's Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm.
- Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show) - Drew will appear on his buddy's show, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS at 12:35am.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - This is a repeat from a few weeks ago, but catch Tina on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC at 12:35am.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
ION Television May 2010; BET Upfront 2010: The Game Returns; Sí TV Acquires Prison Break and In Living Color
The Emeril Lagasse Show, which launches this Sunday, will remain airing Sundays at 8pm in May with an encore from previous week leading in at 7pm. Movies will air in the daytime on weekends and also in primetime on Sunday nights. Movies include Die Hard: With a Vengeance, The Godfather Part II, The Godfather Part III, Rudy, Lethal Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon 4.
And finally it's going to be a marathon-filled Memorial Day weekend on ION Television with marathons and movies! The fun begins on Friday, May 28 with a marathon of Ghost Whisperer from 4pm-12am. On Saturday, May 29, spend the day with two classic films from 4pm-11pm: The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III. Then it is back to series TV with a marathon of Shark from 4pm-11pm on Sunday, May 30. Shark has been replaced from the Sunday night weekly schedule recently. And finally on Memorial Day (Monday, May 31) itself, ION will air a marathon of its number one show--Criminal Minds--from 4pm-12am!
View the full schedule and details for ION Television May 2010.
During its annual Upfront presentation to the advertising community, BET Networks revealed its new consumer research, new programming strategy including scripted programs and original movies, and the reinvigorated direction for the company at New York City's Nokia Theatre. Touting the Network's unique understanding of black consumers through its "African Americans Revealed" study, BET reinforced its position as the world's #1 provider of black content with unprecedented reach to all types of African American consumers across all demographics and genres.
The big news from the BET upfront was that the sitcom The Game will go back into production and move to BET! By popular demand, BET answers the prayers of Sabres fans everywhere. New episodes of The Game will be produced by and air exclusively on BET. After enjoying record ratings in syndication, The Game, created by Mara Brock Akil and executive produced by Kelsey Grammer and Salim Akil, will follow the lives of the fictitious San Diego Sabres–and the women who love them. The Game is scheduled to return for its fourth season in Fall 2010 on BET. The previous three seasons aired on The CW from 2006-2009. The CW canceled the series after 64 episodes. It is still unclear how many episodes BET has picked-up for the fourth season.
Other notable items from BET's upfront was Steve Harvey's morning radio show headed to Centric. Award-winning comedian and author, Steve Harvey, and his co-hosts light up weekday mornings with The Steve Harvey Morning Show. The show features the latest in news, entertainment, and celebrity interviews and the offers dating advice through the popular Strawberry Letter segments and is coming to TV via Centric. The series will start on Centric in Fall 2010.
View the full BET upfront press release.
Sí TV has announced the breakout arrival of the acclaimed series Prison Break to the network. The Golden Globe-nominated series will premiere on Sí TV on Monday, April 19, its first airing anywhere since its first-run on Fox. Prison Break will air Monday-Friday nights on Sí TV at 10PM ET/PT (encores at 1am ET/PT).
The 81-episode series ran on the Fox Network from 2005-2009 and continues to have a huge on-line following as evidenced by its 1.5+ million fans on Facebook. In support of the series launch on Sí TV, the network has built a robust, interactive site featuring video extras, games, photos and much more at www.sitv.com/prison-break.
Also joining the Sí TV line-up on Monday (April 19) will be reruns of sketch comedy In Living Color! The series will air weeknights at 9:30PM ET/PT (encores at 12:30am ET/PT) leading into Prison Break. Sí TV also will still air reruns of New York Undercover weeknights at 11pm ET/PT. Other series they have aired includes the short-lived ABC sitcom Freddie starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. They recently stopped airing the series, but hopefully it returns.
Sí TV is available nationwide on Dish Network, and in more than 200 cities and communities across the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco / Bay Area, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Denver, San Antonio and Las Vegas. For more information about Sí TV, please visit http://www.sitv.com/. The network launched in 2004 and was the first media company to reach the millions of 18–34-year-old Latinos who prefer their content in English and seek it across all platforms—including linear television, the Internet, video-on-demand and wireless devices.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
E!, style Acquire Sex and the City; Big Bang Theory Gets Two and a Half Men Slot On May 3, Wife Swap Not Airing Again
Comcast-owned networks E! Entertainment and style have acquired the rights to all 94 episodes of Sex and the City starting in January 2011. Sex and the City of course aired on HBO for six seasons from 1998-2004 and has been airing on TBS in repeats since 2003. Currently on TBS it airs weeknights in the 1am hour, but they will be losing the rights to the show when E! and style's deal starts. The series is not needed on TBS anymore, especially since Conan O'Brien will start his talk show in the fall, giving Sex and the City the boot since one hour (or two since there will likely be an encore of the talk show) of late night will be removed because of his new talk show.
The Comcast deal let's it air on E! and style as well as limited digital, VOD and mobile rights starting in Jan. 2011. In a previously done deal, E! already has the rights to the first Sex and The City movie, which will debut on E! in July 2012.
We have some notable network notes for you. CBS is trying The Big Bang Theory in Two and a Half Men's 9pm half-hour on Monday, May 3 - the first Monday of May sweeps! This is really a forced thing, because Two and Half Men had its episode order cut by two (the Charlie Sheen rehab situation) and doesn't have enough new episodes left in May. As a result, CBS has announced it will air an all-new episode of The Big Bang Theory at 9pm on May 3, followed by a repeat in its regular 9:30pm half-hour. Two and a Half Men will return with its final three episodes of the season starting May 10 at 9pm, with the season finale airing on May 24.
View more CBS schedule updates for May.
Moving on to other network notes, as I predicted, once again ABC will preempt Wife Swap this Friday (April 16) for previous week's rerun of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution at 8pm leading into an all-new episode. I suspect this will happen again next week (April 23), as Food Revolution will have its season finale next week. If that is the case, Wife Swap will return April 30 with back-to-back episodes, as previously scheduled. Then it should air weekly at 8pm, leading into Primetime: What Would You Do? at 9pm starting May 7.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Love Boat Reunion at TV Land Awards; TV Land Daytime Block Changes Starting Starting April 19; Conan O'Brien Joins TBS
TV Land announced recently that it will honor the popular series The Love Boat with the Fan Favorite Award at The 8th Annual TV Land Awards, hosted by Tim Allen. The show is scheduled to tape on Saturday, April 17 on the historic Stage 15 on the Sony Lot in Culver City and will air on TV Land on Sunday, April 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, as we previously mentioned.
This year's Fan Favorite, The Love Boat, was executive produced by Aaron Spelling and was set on a cruise ship where the boat's crew encouraged its weekly guest stars to find romance on the high seas, usually on its voyage between Los Angeles and Puerto Vallarta. Cast members included Gavin MacLeod ("Captain Stubing"), Fred Grandy ("Gopher"), Bernie Kopell ("Adam 'Doc' Bricker"), Ted Lange (bartender, "Issac Washington"), Ted McGinley ("Ashley Covington Evans"), Lauren Tewes (cruise director, "Julie McCoy"), Jill Whelan ("Vicki Stubing") and the popular "cuchi cuchi," guest star Charo. Throughout its ten hilarious seasons, The Love Boat was nominated for five Emmy® Awards and eight Golden Globe® Awards including Best TV Series - Musical/Comedy and two nominations for Best Performance by an Actor to Gavin MacLeod. Previous Fan Favorite Award honorees include Home Improvement and Lindsey Wagner of The Bionic Woman who accepted the Fan Favorite Award for her "bionic speed."
Honorees previously announced for The 8th Annual TV Land Awards include the entire cast of Everybody Loves Raymond who will receive the Impact Award, Glee which will receive this year's Future Classic Award and Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles) and Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show and Ocean's Eleven) will each receive the Legend Award. Stars of the 1970s TV phenomenon Charlie's Angels will be on hand to receive the Pop Culture Award and to pay tribute to their cast member Farrah Fawcett, who passed away in June 2009. Also scheduled to appear are Academy® Award-winner Tom Hanks and Emmy® Award-nominee Peter Scolari who will reunite to accept the Anniversary Award for the 30th anniversary of the comedy, Bosom Buddies, along with fellow cast members Donna Dixon, Thelma Hopkins and Holland Taylor, marking the first time that the cast has been together publically since the show went off the air.
TV Land is changing its daytime marathon block schedule starting Monday.
Effective Monday, April 19, 2010
Weekdays
9:00am-1:00pm (unless noted)
Mondays: Good Times (replaces Leave it to Beaver)
Tuesdays: 3rd Rock from the Sun (replaces Beverly Hillbillies)
Wednesdays: Sanford and Son remains
Thursdays: The Brady Bunch (replaces Hogan's Heroes)
Fridays: 9-11am Gunsmoke, 11am-5pm Bonanza remain
What's back: Good, Times, The Brady Bunch and 3rd Rock from the Sun
What's gone: Beverly Hillbillies, Leave it to Beaver and Hogan's Heroes
Stay with us for further updates, incluing how TV Land May 2010 will be affected.
Comedy icon Conan O'Brien is joining TBS to host a late-night talk show that is expected to debut in November. The Emmy-winning comedian's new program will be followed by Lopez Tonight, which will shift to a midnight time slot.
O'Brien began talks in earnest with TBS just last week, after George Lopez personally called him to ask that he consider joining the network's late-night line-up. "I can't think of anything better than doing my show with Conan as my lead-in," Lopez said. "It's the beginning of a new era in late-night comedy."
Said O'Brien: "In three months I've gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I'm headed to basic cable. My plan is working perfectly."
O'Brien and Lopez will give TBS a dynamic lineup in late-night television. TBS - which has built a programming slate that appeals to a young, diverse audience – expects O'Brien to be a long-term addition to the network's late-night landscape. O'Brien will host his hour-long, yet-to-be-titled show Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. (ET/PT).
With the addition of O'Brien's show, TBS will establish two hours of late-night talk. Lopez Tonight, while just a few months old, has already become a destination show for a diverse audience. The Lopez Tonight audience is young as well, with a median age of just 34.
O'Brien is well-known from his many years in comedy. He grew up in a large, Irish Catholic family in a suburb of Boston. His love of comedy began at an early age and carried on when he entered Harvard University, where he earned a degree in history. During his years at Harvard, he also wrote for the legendary Harvard Lampoon publication, eventually serving as its president.
After leaving Harvard, O'Brien went to Los Angeles, where he found several writing jobs for television, including HBO's Not Necessarily the News. After returning to the East Coast, O'Brien joined the writing team at Saturday Night Live, earning his first Emmy in 1989. He was writing for the hit show The Simpsons when Lorne Michaels approached him about a new late-night series for NBC. In 1993, Late Night with Conan O'Brien launched. The show ran for 16 years, ending when O'Brien briefly took over The Tonight Show.
O'Brien is currently touring the United States and Canada with his live show, Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Remembering Dixie Carter; Hallmark Channel Changes Starting April 14; Me-TV and Me-Too (Chicago) Updates
Carter was born in McLemoresville, TN on May 25, 1939. She made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of Carousel in 1960. In 1963, she moved to New York City and got a part in a production of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. After taking a break from acting, she had a role on One Life to Live in 1974. From 1974-1976, she appeared on the daytime soap opera The Edge of Night as Assistant District Attorney Olivia Brandeis Henderson. Her first sitcom role was in On Our Own from 1977-1978 on CBS. The series also starred Lynnie Greene, Bess Armstrong and Gretchen Wyler. Later she appeared on the short-lived ABC sitcom Out of the Blue which lasted for 8 episodes. In 1982-1983, she appeared as Carlotta Beck on the CBS sitcom Filthy Rich. One of her co-stars was Delta Burke. The series was created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason who went on to create Designing Women and cast her in that. Her next major role was as Maggie McKinney, the girlfriend and later the wife of Philip Drummond, on Diff'rent Strokes for 28 episodes from 1984-1985. When the show moved to ABC for the final season in 1985-1986, she was replaced by Mary Ann Mobley. In 1986, the long-running Designing Women began and produced 163 episodes over 7 seasons. Her real-life husband, Hal Holbrook, had a recurring role as her boyfriend, Reese Watson, on the show. They were married on May 27, 1984.
She had several other television roles after the series ended. In 1999-2000, she appeared as Peaches in 9 episodes of Ladies Man with Alfred Molina, Sharon Lawrence and Betty White. From 1999-2002, she played Randy King on the legal drama Family Law. Her last major TV role was as Gloria Hodge, the surly mother-in-law to Marcia Cross's Bree and mother of Kyle MacLachlan's Orson on Desperate Housewives. She was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her seven-episode stint in 2007. Some of her other television credits included Cassie & Co., Bret Maverick, Best of the West, Quincy, M.E., The Greatest American Hero, Lou Grant, Crazy Like a Fox, Christy, Diagnosis: Murder, Fired Up and Hope & Faith.
In addition to her television series roles, she also appeared in some television movies and theatrical films. She met her husband Hal Holbrook while making the TV movie The Killing of Randy Webster. Some of her other credits included Going Beserk, Gambler V: Playing for Keeps, The Big Day and Comfort and Joy. Her final project was the 2009 independent film That Evening Sun, which was filmed on location with Holbrook in East Tennessee in the summer of 2008. In 2006, she published a memoir titled Trying to Get to Heaven, in which she talked about her life with Holbrook and working on Designing Women. She also appeared in commercials for The Real Yellow Pages and Coffeemate.
Besides Holbrook, Carter is survived by daughters Mary Dixie and Ginna, a sister, Melba Helen Heath and several nephews and nieces. We will miss her unmistakable Southern accent, style and grace. She was a classy lady. Ms. Carter was 70. Please share your memories and condolences here. You can also visit her official website for more information on her life and career. We will let you know if any marathons or on-air tributes are planned. Unfortunately, Designing Women isn't airing nationally at the moment.
As we reported last month, The Hallmark Channel added some Martha Stewart programming at the end of March. Now the weekday schedule is getting another makeover starting Wednesday. A number of shows will be shuffled to different times. Little House on the Prairie and Touched By An Angel will be returning to the lineup.
Effective Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Weekdays
9:00am From Martha's Kitchen (replaces The Golden Girls)
9:30am From Martha's Kitchen (replaces The Golden Girls)
10:00am From Martha's Garden (replaces The Golden Girls)
10:30am From Martha's Home (replaces The Golden Girls)
11:00am Touched By An Angel (replaces From Martha's Kitchen 2x)
12:00pm Little House on the Prairie (replaces From Martha's Kitchen/From Martha's Garden)
1:00pm Little House on the Prairie (replaces From Martha's Garden/From Martha's Home)
2:00pm Little House on the Prairie (replaces From Martha's Home/From Martha's Kitchen)
3:00pm 7th Heaven (replaces From Martha's Kitchen 2x)
4:00pm 7th Heaven (replaces From Martha's Garden 2x)
5:00pm 7th Heaven (replaces From Martha's Home 2x)
6:00pm The Golden Girls (replaces 7th Heaven)
6:30pm The Golden Girls (replaces 7th Heaven cont.)
7:00pm The Golden Girls (replaces 7th Heaven)
7:30pm The Golden Girls (replaces 7th Heaven cont.)
8:00pm Touched By An Angel (replaces 7th Heaven)
9:00pm-4:00am is the same as it is now.
Discuss the Hallmark Channel April schedule here.
Me-TV Chicago and Me-Too Chicago are giving their schedules a spring makeover starting April 12. Joining or returning to Me-TV's classic weekday lineup are My Three Sons, Petticoat Junction, One Day at a Time, Maude, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver, The Munsters, Barney Miller, Hogan's Heroes, Gilligan's Island, Frasier, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family, The Bernie Mac Show, Burns and Allen, The Jack Benny Show, McHale's Navy, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.. Joining or returning to the weekend schedule starting April 17 are Who's the Boss?, Square Pegs, Diff'rent Strokes, The Three Stooges, Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, The Bullwinkle Show, The Underdog Show, The Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Eight Is Enough and The Odd Couple. Leaving the schedule completely will be The Monkees, Reba, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Married with Children, That '70s Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Patty Duke Show, Amen, The Jeffersons, Good Times and That's My Mama.
Me-Too (WMEU) is all drama (except for Saved by the Bell and The Courtship of Eddie's Father)! The schedule is the same except for one minor change on Saturdays. Classic favorites airing on the weekday schedule include Cagney and Lacey, Perry Mason, In the Heat of the Night, Hawaii Five-O, The Streets of San Francisco, Bonanza, Police Woman, Charlie's Angels, The Rockford Files, Dragnet, The Adventures of Superman, The Rifleman, The Wild Wild West, Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Twilight Zone, Naked City and Route 66. Some notables airing on the weekend schedule include Knight Rider, The A-Team, T.J. Hooker, Friday the 13th: The Series, Batman, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Little House on the Prairie, Hart to Hart and many more.
View and discuss the complete April Me-TV and Me-Too schedule.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Week 29 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
We finally have the first four nights in time for the first time in weeks. Pavan is away for a few days, so I'm getting a chance at doing them for my first opportunity. This should be fun!
Households: #1. CBS 8.5/13.9; #2. Fox 7.4/11.9; #3. ABC 5.9/9.6; #4. NBC 3.6/6.0; #5. The CW 1.3/2.1
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 13.6 million; #2. Fox 12.61 million; #3. ABC 9.12 million; #4. NBC 5.69 million; #5. The CW 1.99 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox 4.1/11.8; #2. CBS 3.6/10.4; #3. ABC 2.6/7.3; #4. NBC 2.0/5.8; #5. The CW 0.9/2.7
Adults 25-54: #1. Fox 5.0/12.9; #2. CBS 4.6/12.0; #3. ABC 3.2/8.2; #4. NBC 2.4/6.2; #5. The CW 0.8/2.1
Week 29 (April 5-April 11) Analysis: For week 29, thus far through the first four nights it is a three-network race. So far through the first four days of the week I can project, CBS is first in HH/viewers and second in 18-49, Fox is first in 18-49 and second in HH/viewers, and ABC in third across the board. NBC is in fourth across the board. Last week, week 28, CBS took home first place in HH/viewers, and squeaked by ABC for third in 18-49. ABC took second in HH and tied Fox for second in viewers with 8.47 million. Fox placed third in HH and won in 18-49. NBC was a clear fourth in all categories.
On Monday it was ABC with a big win again with Dancing with the Stars season ten continuing to shine. The changes they have made this season have led to a lot of buzz and a big increase in ratings. ABC aired a two-hour Dancing with the Stars doing 21.21 million and an excellent 5.1 18-49 rating, down a bit from last week's best ever rated non-premiere/finale. It was still ABC's strongest-ever performance against the NCAA title game. At 10pm, the surging Castle had 11.7 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, down over 2 million from last week's series high but that was to be expected airing against the NCAA Basketball Championship Game. Tom Bergeron is among the guests tomorrow. CBS started off the night with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory doing 6.61 million and a 2.2 18-49 followed by a new Rules of Engagement doing 7.04 million and 2.6 18-49, down a bit from the previous week. The thrilling NCAA Championship Game between Butler and Duke started at 9:15pm and had 23.94 million and an impressive 8.2 18-49. Ratings for the title game were up over 31% from last year. It was the highest rated game since 2005. 48.1 million watched at least some of the game. For the entire tournament, CBS averaged a 6.0 rating, up 5% from last year. March Madness indeed! Fox ran 2 hours of 24 and did 7.42 million and a 2.3 18-49, down over a million from last week. NBC was of course in fourth with a new Chuck doing 5.79 million and a 2.1 18-49. It hit a 3 week high in total viewers. Will they save the critically acclaimed show? Trauma followed an did 5.02 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up slightly in viewers from the previous week. At 10pm a Law & Order repeat did only 4.69 million and 1.3 rating, down quite a bit due to the basketball game. Over at The CW, they started with Life UneXpected at 8pm and did 1.73 million, down a tad from the previous week. Then at 9pm Gossip Girl did 1.74 million, up a bit from last week. This is a show that doesn't get many viewers but seems popular on DVD and iTunes.
On Tuesday, Fox took the night. Fox aired an all-new American Idol doing 20.84 million for two-hours, down a million from last week. Its 18-49 rating continued to slide down to a 7.3 this week. CBS had all new episodes. They started with NCIS doing 16.45 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating. Not bad against some stiff competition. The spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles followed with 13.78 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating. And finally The Good Wife closed the night with 12.06 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating - a series low. They have many viewers who are 50+. ABC started off the night with Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 12.43 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating as Buzz Aldrin was sent home, down nearly 2 million in viewers. Then an all-new episode of the final season of LOST was next with 9.55 million and a 3.9 rating, both down from the previous week. V finished the night with 5.79 million and a 2.4 rating, down quite a bit in viewers and finishing second in 18-49 for the timeslot. This is a show that needed to air at 8pm with no repeats. Any momentum they had built in November was lost with such a long break between new episodes. NBC started with a two-hour The Biggest Loser and did 7.69 million and a 3.0 rating, up a bit from the previous week. A new Parenthood was next doing 6.28 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, up slightly from last week. This is a show that I could see NBC bringing back if it continues to hold steady. The CW aired new episodes of 90210 and Melrose Place but they continue to struggle to find viewers. The already renewed 90210 does well with women 18-34 and did 1.33 million and a 0.7 18-49, while Melrose Place did only 0.86 million and 0.4 18-49 rating.
On Wednesday Fox prevailed again. Fox started with a new Human Target and did 7.72 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a bit from the previous week. Renewal chances are up in the air. American Idol Results were next at 9pm and did 20.17 million and a 6.7 18-49 rating, down a bit in both categories The 6.7 matched the lowest in 2002. What will happen when Simon Cowell leaves the show? CBS started with The New Adventures of Old Christine doing 5.97 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, tying a series low in 18-49. Accidentally on Purpose followed with 6.03 million and 1.9 18-49 rating, a series low and down from the last original episode of Gary Unmarried. Wednesday nights seem to be where reasonably successful sitcoms on Mondays like Out of Practice and Courting Alex go to die. Next CBS aired a new backdoor pilot episode of Criminal Minds and did 12.7 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, up a bit from the previous last original episode. CSI: NY closed the night at 10pm with 10.64 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, a series low in 18-49. ABC had a night of comedy repeats and the second to last new episode of Ugly Betty. Modern Family opened the night with 4.81 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. The Middle followed with 5.08 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. The always hilarious Modern Family was up next with 5.06 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating. Next Cougar Town collected 3.6 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. Ugly Betty closed the night with 3.99 million and a 1.4 rating, both down a bit from previous week. ABC should have never moved the show from Thursdays where it was pretty dependable, but 4 seasons is a pretty decent run these days. Betty and company say goodbye in the series finale on April 14. NBC started with A Minute to Win It doing 5.96 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, on par with its Sunday episode. A repeat of Law & Order: SVU was next and had only 4.86 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. An all-new episode of Law & Order: SVU did 8.36 million and a 2.5 rating, down from previous week. The CW aired America's Next Top Model at 8pm doing a solid 3.17 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, nearly identical to the previous week. Fly Girls followed with 1.02 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, down some from last week. High Society closed the night with 690,000 viewers, even lower than the previous week.
Moving on to Thursday ABC and NBC were mostly repeats and CBS and Fox had new episodes across the board. CBS started with the durable Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains at 8pm doing 12.38 million and a 3.8 rating in 18-49, up over a million in viewers and a higher 18-49. CSI returned to its regular timeslot of 9pm and did 14.97 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, up over a million and a half in viewers and up from the series low of a 2.8 rating from the previous week. The Mentalist finished the night with 16.32 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating. It was an interesting test of timeslot switches. Maybe they could try it on a night not affected by a holiday. ABC began the night with FLASHFORWARD at 8pm doing 5.42 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up a bit in total viewers and from the series low in 18-49. A repeat of Grey's Anatomy followed with only 4.79 million viewers and a 1.4 18-49 rating. At 10pm a repeat of Private Practice could only muster 3.56 million viewers a 1.1 18-49 rating. I'm surprised that these two shows don't repeat better, since they are mostly standalone episodes. Fox aired a new Bones and did 9.99 million and a 2.8 rating, up over 1.3 million viewers and way up from the season low i8-49 from last week. A new Fringe garnered 6.33 million and a 2.3 rating, both up thanks to a better Bones lead-in. NBC offered comedy repeats and a new episode of The Marriage Ref. Community started it off only doing 3.28 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. Parks and Recreation followed with a repeat doing 3.14 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating. The Office at 9pm managed 4.16 million viewers and a 1.9 rating. A repeat of 30 Rock was next at 3.7 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. An all-new episode of the crazy The Marriage Ref did 4.79 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, both series lows once again. The CW aired a new Vampire Diaries doing 3.48 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, both up from last week. Supernatural followed with 2.78 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, both up slightly from last week. These shows were both up in their targeted 18-34 demo.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but CBS won in viewers and 18-49 on Friday. Fox both on Saturday thanks to NASCAR. Ghost Whisperer and Medium both rebounded a bit, while the new Miami Medical dropped in total viewers and a preliminary 1.4 18-49 from last week's premiere. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution topped a Kitchen Nightmares recap special at 9pm in total viewers and a slight edge in the 18-49 rating. Saturday was either a movie or repeat on ABC, CBS and NBC. Fox aired NASCAR racing.
Tonight ABC airs all-new episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with Jeff Gordon and a two-hour movie of the heartwarming Brothers & Sisters. CBS has a new The Amazing Race, the surprise hit Undercover Boss and Cold Case. NBC offers a repeat of A Minute to Win It followed by a new Celebrity Apprentice starting at 9pm. Fox has repeats of The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show and new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad.
Week 29 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 28-- March 29-April 4)
- 'Til Death (Fox) - Two all-new episodes were barely on the map again in the 7pm hour doing only 1.53 and 1.84 million...down from previous week. These are just burn-off episodes as the series has been canned finally.
- The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat episode did 3.39 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat episode did 3.67 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat did 4.64 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating.
- American Dad (Fox) - on hiatus - returns this week with new episode.
- Sons of Tucson (Fox) - New episode did 3.13 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, both down from last week.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - preempted
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 7.04 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating for a new episode, down from previous week.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - preempted
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat aired at 8:00pm and did 6.61 million and a 2.2 18-49, well below what it repeats at 9:30pm.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- None.
Wednesday Sitcoms
- Old Christine (CBS) - A new episode did 5.97 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, tying a series low.
- Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) - A new episode did 6.03 million and 1.9 18-49 rating, both series lows as they had a new episode on Wednesdays for the first time.
- The Middle (ABC) - A repeat did 5.08 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat did 4.81 million and 1.5 18-49 rating at 8pm and 5.06 million and 1.9 18-49 at 9pm.
- Cougar Town (ABC) - A repeat did 3.63 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating.
Thursday Sitcoms
- Community (NBC) - A repeat did only 3.28 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating.
- Parks & Recreation (NBC) - 3.14 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating for a repeat, not too good.
- The Office (NBC) - A repeat did 4.16 million viewers and a 1.9 rating.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - A repeat did 3.7 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are repeats of The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show and new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad at 9pm and 9:30pm.
Summing it up. Nothing was impressive this week. Everything was OK (such as a new episode of Rules of Engagement and repeats of The Middle, Modern Family, The Office) or just plain old terrible (such as new episodes of Accidentally on Purpose & The New Adventures of Old Christine).
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Digital Digest: Simon & Simon - Season Four DVD Review; Tenspeed and Brown Shoe DVD Review
DIGITAL NEWS
At the end of our news last week, we briefly mentioned that Warner Home Video would be hosting a chat on Monday to discuss their TV properties. Unfortunately, as we suspected, the chat was a major letdown with most questions being answered with five simple words: "No plans at this time." But there were a few pieces of good news, such as:
- A DVD release of Growing Pains, a series that appeared to be abandoned, is in the works for a second season release sometime in 2011.
- Several short-lived series (though none specifically were mentioned) are under consideration for Warner's manufacture-on-demand format.
- There are plans to release the Dallas movies once they have finished releasing the season sets. Additionally, they plan to release the remaining seasons of Dallas by next year.
- The outlook for releases of Friends on Blu-ray is "very good."
Moving on to other news, we have some more unfortunate news to report regarding future releases of The Donna Reed Show. According to Joe Amodei, president of Virgil Films, no further releases are planned by Virgil Films, as they were not able to come to an agreement over releasing further seasons of the series. The first three seasons have been released with a few hiccups along the way, although fans have generally been satisfied with the sets. You can find out some more interesting information about the series, including an e-mail from Mr. Amodei here. It is very interesting that Mr. Amodei specifically mentions that season 4 and 5 will not be released (suggesting that there never was a plan to release the remaining seasons, which the rights are believed to be held by another company), and also that several fans mention in the thread that the fourth season has mysteriously been withheld from syndication. Hopefully something is worked out that will allow Virgil Films (or some other company) to release the remaining seasons. In the meantime, though, you can check out next week's release of The Donna Reed Show - Family Favorites, containing four episodes selected from the first three seasons.
They say that when it rains it pour, and on that note, we have one other minor piece of bad news. Big John, Little John, the rare 1970s NBC Saturday morning sitcom starring Herb Edelman and Robbie Rist, was scheduled to be released in just a little over a week, but that will not be happening now. Still, Virgil Films has indicated that the series will indeed be released at some point in time, it is just a question of when.
We don't want to leave you with all bad news, though. So we thought that we'd tip you off to some really good DVD deals that can be found at the national closeout retailer Big Lots. One of our posters on our message boards has mentioned finding some new titles from Universal appearing at Big Lots at the low price of just $8.00, including season sets of Coach and Magnum, P.I. Check out our thread from our message boards for some finds at Big Lots in the past. Keep in mind that almost all of the titles mentioned several months ago are not going to be found anymore (they've already sold out), and your mileage will definitely vary as each store tends to stock just random titles. Some will not have any TV titles at all, and others may have a ton of TV titles. By the way, in the upcoming weeks, we hope to tell you about more special DVD/Blu-ray deals that we find both online and in-stores, so be on the lookout for that! Never, ever, ever pay full retail price for any set!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Next week (April 13) brings us The Donna Reed Show - Family Favorites, which contains four episodes from the first three seasons of the series. It is a decent DVD, although serious fans would be more probably prefer the previously released season sets of the series. We also get a chance to head back to Southfork Ranch and see J.R. Ewing go nuts (literally) in Dallas - The Complete Thirteenth Season. Universal brings another season of Jack Webb's series about paramedics in Emergency! - Season Six. Finally, everything is far from quiet on the western front, with two releases of classic westerns from Timeless Media, including Alias Smith & Jones - Seasons 2 & 3 and The Oregon Trail - The Complete Series. If you REALLY enjoy westerns, though, Mill Creek Entertainment has The Definitive TV Western Collection, a collection of an eye-popping SIX HUNDRED episodes of various westerns that are in public domain, with 48 discs of countless different series in a special wooden package. The content is far too extensive to list here, so you should check out this detailed synopsis from Mill Creek Entertainment's website. Even though we don't normally cover public domain releases, this is definitely worth mentioning for western fans. You can order all of these now or pick them up in stores on Tuesday, although Dallas and Emergency! are probably the only two that you will be able to find in stores. You can read our review of The Donna Reed Show - Family Favorites here. The Dallas review will be up shortly.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Rick and A.J. Simon (Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker) are more than brothers... they're best of friends. In the 80s detective drama, Simon & Simon, they're also private eyes. This week, we are going to take a look at the recent release of Simon & Simon - Season Four, from Shout! Factory.
DVD Review: Simon & Simon - Season Four
by skees53
Simon & Simon - Season Four (Shout! Factory, $49.98) is the latest installment in the detective drama about the Simon brothers, Rick and A.J., who run a private detective agency in San Diego and seem to get in deep trouble with each and every case they take on. The series premiered in 1981 on CBS and lasted an impressive nine seasons, becoming one of the most prominent action dramas of the 80s. The series also features Mary Carver as Rick and A.J.'s mother and Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati and Sister, Sister) as Lieutenant Marcel Proust "Downtown" Brown, their friend in the police department.
The fourth season begins with the double-length episode "C'est Simon," where the fiance of A.J. and Rick's mother is kidnapped and the duo ends up in Paris. Rick and A.J. investigate the death of a food critic in "A Little Wine With Murder?" Rick's boat is repossessed and the man who repossesses it turns up dead in "Manna From Heaven," can A.J. get him out of this mess? Daphne Reid (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, also Tim Reid's wife) and Alex Rocco guest star. The duo tries to solve a 20 year old murder case in "Who Killed the Sixties?" Comic books could be the key to solving a murder in "Almost Completely Out of Circulation." Frank Bonner (WKRP in Cincinnati) guest stars in "Deep Cover," where he plays a news reporter who hires a hit man to kill him, and wants A.J. and Rick to stop the hit man. Look for Daphne Reid in this episode as well. John Astin (The Addams Family), Bernard Fox (Bewitched), and Ned Wertimer (The Jeffersons) all guest star in "Revolution #9-1/2."
Rick and A.J. try to play Santa for a little girl wanting to find her father in "Yes, Virginia, There is a Liberace." Some homeless men are mysteriously disappearing in "Almost Foolproof." Rick and A.J. accidentally bust a smuggling operation and become famous--and realize they need to go their separate ways (at least temporarily)--in the two-part episode "Simon Without Simon." Rick and A.J. have to find a girl who has a drug problem in "Slither." Rick and A.J. investigate a dognapping that results in their own dog being dognapped as well in "Marlow, Come Home." Rick and A.J. help clear Lieutenant Brown's cousin of murder in "Out-of-Town Brown."
The episodes are mostly unedited, but there are two episodes on the set that are the syndicated versions. It is explained that the original masters could not be found, although I have no clue why they couldn't find them. They do, at least, mention this on the menus (although it would have been better to put that on the packaging). The two episodes that are edited are "A Little Wine With Murder?" and "Our Fair City." These do not seem to be too heavily edited, however, and most of the missing material comes from the opening teasers, which are omitted on these episodes. That isn't a huge deal, since it just shows clips from the episode. It is entirely possible, too, that nothing is missing from the episodes and they are merely time-compressed, as was the case with My Favorite Martian - The Complete Second Season. The rest of the episodes are unedited. The original Universal logo can be found at the end of each episode. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "C'est Simon" (1:35:50)
2. "A Little Wine With Murder?" (45:04)
3. "The Dark Side of the Street" (48:05)
Disc 2:
4. "Manna From Heaven" (48:03)
5. "What Goes Around Comes Around" (48:02)
6. "Who Killed the Sixties?" (47:57)
7. "Break a Leg, Darling" (48:03)
Disc 3:
8. "Almost Completely Out of Circulation" (48:05)
9. "Our Fair City" (45:02)
10. "Deep Cover" (48:03)
11. "Revolution #9-1/2" (48:01)
Disc 4:
12. "Yes, Virginia, There is a Liberace" (48:02)
13. "Almost Foolproof" (48:04)
14. "Enter the Jaguar" (48:03)
Disc 5:
15. "Simon Without Simon, Part 1" (48:01)
16. "Simon Without Simon, Part 2" (48:02)
17. "Slither" (47:57)
18. "The Mickey Mouse Mob" (48:02)
Disc 6:
19. "Mummy Talks" (48:00)
20. "Marlowe, Come Home" (48:04)
21. "Out-of-Town Brown" (48:02)
The packaging is similar to the packaging used for seasons two and three, with three dual slimcases. The cover art has the duo sitting in front of the ocean with a green color scheme, and the back has a basic description of the series and a photo of Rick and A.J. with their dog. The slimcases have a photo of Rick and A.J. on each one, with a description and original airdate for each episode on the back of each slimcase.
The menus on the set are very nicely done, with videos showing action clips from episodes on the disc when you first insert the disc. Then, you get a menu that plays the theme song (with more videos in the background) and options of Play All and Episodes. Selecting Episodes takes you to another menu that has the theme song from the first season playing in the background, and all of the episodes on the disc listed with a snapshot from each episode. Chapters are placed appropriately throughout each episode.
The video and audio on the set is by no means perfect, but it does look really good. The biggest issue is a bit of grain and debris, but you almost come to expect it from a series as old as this one. The audio is a bit muffled, but it is nothing too significant. It is worth noting that there is a significant decline in video and audio quality on the two syndicated episodes. Each episode is presented in mono. All of the episodes on the set are closed-captioned for those who need them.
Unfortunately, there are no special features available on the set, and according to Brian Ward at Shout! Factory, it is unlikely that either Gerald McRaney or Jameson Parker will ever participate on this sets. It is too bad, really. It would be nice to at least have some original promos or something along those lines on future sets.
This series has been a pleasant surprise for me on DVD. I had always ignored the series on TV, and decided to take a chance with the series after finding the first season (which was released by Universal, not Shout! Factory) in the discount DVDs at Big Lots, and was hooked after just one episode. I immediately purchased seasons 2 and 3 and have been anxiously awaiting the release of season 4. We never bothered to review this series in the past because none of our reviewers were particularly interested, but now, I regret that I passed up the opportunity to review this excellent series. All in all, Shout! Factory has put out a decent set, although the two edited episodes are a little frustrating. Still, it is no reason to pass up this set, and fans of 80s detective dramas will definitely want to own this set on DVD. If you are unsure, you might even be able to still pick up a copy of the first season at Big Lots to get a taste of the series, and when you are hooked (trust me, you will be), you can come back here and order this set through our link in this review!
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
The Simon brothers weren't the only odd couple of detective dramas in the 80s. Just one year before Simon & Simon premiered on CBS, ABC had a short-lived series from Stephen J. Cannell about an even odder couple of private eyes, accountant Lionel Whitney (Jeff Goldblum) and ex-con/parolee E.L. Turner (Ben Vereen). It is already available on DVD. Check out our review of Mill Creek Entertainment's DVD release of Tenspeed and Brown Shoe.
DVD Review: Tenspeed and Brown Shoe
by skees53
Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (Mill Creek Entertainment, $14.98) was one of the first (and perhaps one of the more unique) entries in the 80s era of detective dramas. There were many series about detectives in the 80s, including Simon & Simon, Moonlighting, Miami Vice, and Hunter. All of these series had one thing in common: they were all series about detective duos, and there was something unique about the duo that made them stand out above the others in their own way. In Tenspeed and Brown Shoe, Lionel Whitney (Jeff Goldblum) is an accountant who is very straight-laced and smart when it comes to crunching numbers. His partner, E.L. Turner (Ben Vereen) is an ex-convict who has to work in order to stay out of prison while on parole who is much more street-savvy than his partner. Together, they form their own detective agency in this light-hearted detective drama from Stephen J. Cannell Productions.
Mill Creek Entertainment's release of Tenspeed and Brown Shoe contains twelve of the thirteen episodes of the 1980 series on a three disc set. The original two hour pilot, unfortunately, is not included, as the rights to the pilot are held by CBS Television Distribution, but every other episode of the series is included on this set.
In the first episode on this set, "Robin Tucker's Roseland Roof and Ballroom Murders," a mysterious man is willing to pay a ton of money to find a woman. Can Lionel and E.L. help? John Pleshette (Knots Landing) guest stars. "The Sixteen Byte Data Chip and the Brown-eyed Fox" is a computer caper with a twist when a woman is looking for her missing brother. Lionel and E.L. inadvertently get involved with the mob in "The Millionaire's Life." Lionel and E.L. help a girl break up with her boyfriend in "Savage Says: The Most Dangerous Bird is the Jailbird," but unluckily for them, he is a mobster. E.L.'s parole officer is trying to find a way to get him back in prison in "Loose Larry's List of Losers." The duo investigates the murder of a mental patient in "The Treasure of Sierra Madre Street." Lionel tries to impress his parents with a luxurious office that isn't his own in "Diamonds Aren't Forever," and as it turns out, the office belongs to diamond thieves!
The runtimes of each episode are variable, and I don't know if anything is missing, but my assumption would be that the episodes are unedited. As an added bonus, the original commercial bumpers are even left intact on every episode. It is very nice to see these intact.
Disc 1:
1. "Robin Tucker's Roseland Roof and Ballroom Murders" (49:21)
2. "Savage Says: There's No Free Lunch" (48:23)
3. "Savage Says: What Are Friends For?" (49:53)
4. "The Sixteen Byte Data Chip and the Brown-eyed Fox" (48:25)
Disc 2:
5. "The Millionaire's Life" (48:46)
6. "The Most Dangerous Bird is the Jailbird" (47:18)
7. "It's Easier to Pass an Elephant Through the Eye of a Needle Than a Bad Check in Bel Air" (47:29)
8. "Loose Larry's List of Losers" (49:22)
Disc 3:
9. "This One's Gonna Kill You" (50:11)
10. "Untitled" (49:45)
11. "The Treasure of Sierra Madre Street" (49:23)
12. "Diamonds Aren't Forever" (48:25)
The set is packaged in the same kind of packaging from Mill Creek Entertainment that we've complained about before: the double-thick keepcase with paper sleeves. I don't know why they continue to use this, it is about the worst kind of packaging imaginable. The cover art has a picture of E.L. and Lionel, and on the back, there are a few snapshots from the episodes and a basic description of the series. There are four episodes on each disc, and each disc has a picture of the duo.
The discs have very nice menus, with the theme song playing and videos from the episode playing on top of the screen, and options of Play All and Episode Select. Choosing Episode Select takes you to a menu that lists all of the episodes. Once you select an episode, it plays right away. Chapters are placed throughout each episode, although they could have included more per episode than they actually did.
The video and audio on the set is a little bit rough, but that is somewhat to be expected from a rare series such as this one. There is grain and debris all over the place, but in a way, it gives the series a nice "vintage" look, and is most certainly an improvement over any other sources from which anybody may have this series. Some episodes do look better than others, however. The audio is presented in mono, and the episodes are not closed-captioned or subtitled.
The set is completely devoid of special features. It would have been nice to have had a little bit more background on the series, or better yet, it would have been great if a deal could have been worked out with CBS Television Distribution to include the original pilot.
This was a fun show to watch, and Mill Creek Entertainment deserves major kudos for even putting this out on DVD. I had never even heard of this show prior to hearing this release being announced, and I am sure that many other classic TV fans have never heard of it either. It is a little quirky and easy to see why the show didn't make it beyond a half season, but seeing it on DVD is an interesting look at a rare show and the plots themselves were honestly pretty decent. It is just too bad that the pilot (which explains the back story of how the duo came together) couldn't be included. This is a nice and inexpensive series that is worth adding to the collection of all fans of detective dramas.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Tenspeed and Brown Shoe on TV.com
LOOKING AHEAD
We'll be back next week with more news (hopefully more good news than bad news, this has been a rough week) and a review of Ally McBeal - The Complete Second Season. We also have a very special Digital Digest feature coming up next week that true DVD collectors are going to want to see regarding a current disturbing practice going on by DVD manufacturers. We're still a work in progress, so we want to hear what you think about Digital Digest. Let us know on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us. Until next week, keep it digital!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, August 29
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Heartbreak and the Refuge of the Downtrodden" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie, Mandy and the family do their best to lift Connor’s spirits during a rough patch while Connor tries to figure out a plan for his life.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 24)
Saturday, August 29 and Auguest 30
- Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) and Will Ferrell (The Hawk/The Office) - Amy and Will bond over their box office bomb on a repeat of The Weekend View on ABC News Live at 7:30am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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