SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Also getting a sampling on a cable network is ABC's freshman drama Nashville, starring Golden Globe-nominees Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. Cable network CMT will air a six episode marathon of the critically acclaimed series on Sunday, January 6, 2013 from 2pm-8pm. That's six of the eight episodes that have aired thus far. Episodes airing are the "Pilot," episode three ("Someday You'll Call My Name"), episode four ("We Live In Two Different Worlds"), episode six ("You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)"), episode seven ("Lovesick Blues"), and episode eight ("Where He Leads Me"). ABC will also give some sampling to the series with a three-night event from Jan. 1-3, with an encore of episode four on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 10pm, an all-new clip show titled "The Whole Story" on its regular night and time on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 10, and a special airing of the "Pilot" on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 8pm. The series is about chart-topping Rayna James (Connie Britton), who is a country legend who's had a career any singer would envy, though lately her popularity is starting to wane. Fans still line up to get her autograph, but she's not packing the arenas like she used to. Rayna's record label thinks a concert tour, opening for up-and-comer Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), the young and sexy future of country music, is just what Rayna needs. But scheming Juliette can't wait to steal Rayna's spotlight. Sharing a stage with that disrespectful, untalented, little vixen is the last thing Rayna wants to do, which sets up a power struggle for popularity. Could the undiscovered songwriting talent of Scarlett O'Connor (Clare Bowen) be the key to helping Rayna resurrect her career?
Nashville returns with all-new episodes on ABC starting Wednesday, January 9 at 10/9c.

For one week only we are moving our Friday edition of "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week to Thursday (as tomorrow we will bring you our annual tribute to the sitcom stars we have lost in 2012). Since it is early, please keep checking back for the latest updates to the list. 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, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of December 31, 2012-January 4, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, December 31, 2012

• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS. She also appears on a repeat on Thursday. These shows were taped in Scotland.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Rashida appears on repeats Monday and Tuesday of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Tune in to see Amy on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• James Van Der Beek (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Ed chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - Alyson appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

• Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings/Life on a Stick) - Catch Zachary on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.

• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Watch the legendary Ms. White on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy appears on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Tune in to see Kirstie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) - Aziz is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Chuck Lorre (Creator of The Big Bang Theory/Two and a Half Men/Dharma & Greg) - Chuck appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Buffalo Bill) - Geena chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Jim O'Heir (Parks and Recreation) - Jim is a guest on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret stops by The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
• Anne Heche (Save Me/Hung) - Anne discusses sun protection on The Doctors, so check your local listings.

• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Catch Tracy on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• John Krasinski (The Office) - John appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - Nene visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Tune in to see Sarah on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Brian Austin Green (Wedding Band, Freddie) - Brian is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Victoria Justice (Victorious/Zoey 101) - Victoria appears on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret talks about her comedy tour on Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Clarissa Explains It All) - Melissa guest co-hosts Anderson Live, so check your local listings.

• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Watch Courteney on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show/Cosby/The Bill Cosby Show) - The legendary Mr. Cosby visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Tempestt Bledsoe (Guys with Kids/The Cosby Show) - Tempestt drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Watch Sarah on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in syndication. Check local listings for time and station.
• Kim Coles (Living Single) - Watch Kim guest co-host on The Talk on CBS Daytime at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Tyler Perry (House of Payne) - Catch Tyler on a repeat of The View on ABC Daytime at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Nadine Velazquez (My Name Is Earl/The League) - Nadine appears on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

Let's move on to the actual regular schedule. Keep in mind that your local COZI TV affiliate has the right to preempt any of this for local programming/Nonstop programming. The line-up starts off with back-to-back episodes of Lassie at 6am. Then at 7amm we have an episode each of The Roy Rogers Show and The Lone Ranger. Classic 90-minute western The Virginian will air weekdays at 8am-9:30am, followed by the half-hour western Tales of Wells Fargo at 9:30am. The 10am hour will have more The Lone Ranger and The Roy Rogers Show, since a few affiliates will not air them at 7am. At 11am, the classic western Alias Smith & Jones will air. At noon, the good doctor is in as COZI will air Marcus Welby, M.D. every weekday. In the afternoons, we have a double feature of movies at 1pm and 3pm, which includes The Munsters Go Home on day one of the launch. In early evening, more dramas will air with Highway to Heaven at 5pm and Bill Cosby & Robert Culp in I Spy at 6pm. At 7pm, some stations will air local programming (like WNBC's local news), but most will air the Nonstop programs 1st Look and Talk Stoop.

In primetime, each night will have something different from 8pm-12am. Monday nights will feature classic '70s detectives, with the 90-minue Banacek starring George Peppard at 8pm followed by the also 90-minute McMillan & Wife at 9:30pm and then McCloud at 11pm. Tuesday nights is classic female '70s crime-fighters with Charlie's Angels at 8pm & 9pm, followed by Lindsay Wagner as The Bionic Woman at 10pm & 11pm. On Wednesdays, it is four episodes in a row of The Six Million Dollar Man starring Lee Majors, which was the parent series for Bionic Woman. On Thursdays, COZI TV heads to Hawaii in the '80s with Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. And on Fridays, movies will be featured at 8pm followed by The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and '50s western Stories of the Century. All of these primetime series are from NBC-owned Universal, except Charlie's Angels, which comes from Sony Pictures Television. We hope other Universal owned dramas like Columbo, Kojak, Ironside, Quincy ME, Baretta, Simon & Simon, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, and A-Team will also migrate to COZI TV soon. Anyway, back to the schedule, in late nights more airings of 1st Look and Talk Stoop will air at midnight. And finally two late night movies will air at 1am and 3am to close the night off. On weekends, Lassie again starts it off at 6am, followed by two episodes of The Lone Ranger at 7am, and back-to-back hours of Hopalong Cassidy. Movies, local programming and Nonstop programming will fill the rest of the weekend out. It's a shame we don't have any sitcoms that are airing regularly. Universal owned ones like Out of this World or Harry and the Hendersons would be cool, as well as something more popular like Charles in Charge.
View the full regular COZI TV launch schedule (right below the soft launch/countdown schedule). Keep it right here for any further updates, so go on and get cozi to watch COXI TV!

"Oh buoy," as Alex Kerkovich (Elisha Cuthbert) would say on Happy Endings! ABC's Tuesday comedies Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 will get an additional airing per week...well, at least for three weeks. The Tuesday comedies will also air Sundays at 10pm & 10:30pm on Jan. 6, 13 and 20, which is in addition to their airings on Tuesdays at 9pm & 9:30pm. Double the laughs! The network is trying the comedies after buzz-worthy drama Revenge on Sundays for "an effort to expose more viewers" to these underrated comedies. As a result of this change, canceled drama 666 Park Avenue will not air its remaining four episodes in its Sunday at 10pm time period. Sources tell SitcomsOnline that 666 Park Avenue's remaining four episodes will be aired in the summer instead. We think that might be too long of a wait and they should perhaps air it on four Saturdays this winter or possibly air all four remaining episodes opposite the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 from 7-11pm where ABC really has nothing to lose opposite something that will do over 100 million viewers.

Back to Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, both comedies are still slated to have their season finales on Tuesday, March 19 at 9, as previously planned, before Dancing with the Stars returns the following week. ABC has more episodes to air of the comedies, so they will try this three week-run on Sundays to fulfill the episode order and to see how they do on Sundays. The Tuesday airings will be all-new in January on Jan. 8 and 15, with both preempted on Jan. 22 (for the premiere of The Taste) and Jan. 29 (for the State of the Union). Both comedies will presumably air uninterrupted from Feb. 5-March 19, for seven straight Tuesdays. Happy Endings has a 23 episode order (since one is leftover from last season), so it would still have four episodes left thru March 19, but ABC could slot those four on Feb. 10 and 17 in the 10pm hour and be done with the season by March 19 after all. As for Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, it has a 19 episode order (six of those are leftover from last season) and wouldn't need a second night airing after those three Sunday airings and would wrap up by March 19 if they air seven weeks in row from Tues, Feb. 5-Mar 19. Stay with us for for further updates, as both comedies are in our top comedy picks (especially Happy Endings).

Onto a bit of sad news, yesterday (December 24, 2012) we lost actor Jack Klugman. He is of course best known to sitcom fans as Oscar Madison on the hit '70s sitcom The Odd Couple, based on the Neil Simon play and film of the same name. The series ran on ABC from 1970-75 and Klugman co-starred with Tony Randall, who played Felix Unger. The series was of course about two divorced men living together -- a neat freak and a slob -- Klugman played Oscar Madison, the slob sportswriter to Tony Randall's overly fussy Felix Unger. The sitcom got solid ratings and received critical acclaim. Klugman won two Emmys for this role (and was nominated three other times) and a Golden Globe, not bad for a man whose first drama teacher told him he was better suited to be a truck driver. The show ran just for five years, but has lived on for decades in syndication. Klugman's co-star Randall passed away in 2004 at age 84. In 2005, Klugman published Tony And Me: A Story of Friendship, a book about his long friendship with Randall which began in 1955 (15 years prior to Odd Couple) when they both appeared on an episode of the CBS series Appointment with Adventure. For Klugman, no cause of death was mentioned, however he battled throat cancer for many years, losing his voice as a result of a 1989 surgery. He spoke in a rasp thereafter.

After The Odd Couple ended, Klugman went on to play another iconic TV character in the NBC drama Quincy, M.E. from 1976-83. In that series, Klugman became just as iconic playing the relentless Los Angeles medical examiner with a talent for forensics. He was nominated four times for an Emmy for this show, but never won. He actually got his start in show business in 1950 and by 1954 he was on the soap opera The Greatest Gift. He had various guest appearances on series in the '50s such as in Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchock Presents, and appeared in major movies like 12 Angry Men (1957), playing juror No. 5; Days of Wine and Roses (1962), starring opposite Jack Lemmon; and Goodbye Columbus (1969), based on the novella by Philip Roth, starring Ali MacGraw and Richard Benjamin. He won his first Emmy Award in 1964 for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in the series The Defenders.

He starred in the short-lived NBC sitcom Harris Against the World in the 1964-65 season. After Quincy, he starred with a then-unknown John Stamos in the short-lived sitcom You Again? on NBC from 1986-87. Some of his other TV appearances were on The Virginian, Naked City, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, I Dream of Jeannie, The F.B.I., Love American Style, The Love Boat, Diagnosis Murder, Brother's Keeper, The Outer Limits, Third Watch, Crossing Jordan and Presido Med. He also appeared on many game shows like Match Game, Hollywood Squares, Password Plus, and $25,000 Pyramid. In 1993, he reunited with Tony Randall for the TV-movie The Odd Couple: Together Again, but this time on CBS. He was married to Brett Somers (Match Game), who also guest starred as his ex-wife Blanche in The Odd Couple, from 1953 until her death in 2007 (though they separated in 1974, they never divorced). His survivors include their two sons, Adam Klugman and David Klugman, and two grandchildren. In 2008, he married his longtime girlfriend Peggy Crosby, the ex-wife of Bing Crosby's son, Phillip Crosby.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive two-and-a-half hour interview with Klugman in 2004 that you can watch. Mr. Klugman will be deeply missed by fans of The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E. for sure and all of his other work. We will keep you up to date of any on-air tributes for him. The Odd Couple is coming back to MeTV Network starting December 31, weeknights at 10pm, as we previously reported. So a best bet marathon for that series will be from them. In New York City, local independent station WLNY-TV (10/55) already had planned a marathon of The Odd Couple on New Year's Eve beginning at 12 midnight lasting through New Year's Day at 9pm. Now that marathon gets bittersweet with the passing of Klugman. We'll keep you up to date of any on-air tributes (hopefully someone will air Quincy which was last on Hallmark in 2003-04), so stay with us! Mr. Klugman was 90.

Share your memories on our The Odd Couple message board. View photos in our The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.E. photo galleries.

Alone in in his apartment, the selfish Slade is visited by three ghosts - Christmas Past, Present and Future - who take him on a late-night journey and reveal the bitter truths of his life to teach him the true meaning of Christmas. This wonderful tale of a 20th-century Scrooge is a moving and heartfelt adaptation that brings new life to a treasured holiday classic.

An American Christmas Carol is a made-for-television film. It aired on ABC on December 16, 1979. Eric Till directed the film. It was written by Jerome Coopersmith. The screenplay was inspired by Charles Dickens' 1843 classic novella A Christmas Carol. The film stars Henry Winkler as Benedict Slade, David Wayne as Merrivale, Chris Wiggins as Mr. Brewster, R.H. Thomson as Thatcher, Kenneth Pogue as Jack Latham, Gerard Parkes as Jessup, Susan Hogan as Helen Brewster, and Dorian Harewood as Matt Reeves. Hagood Hardy provided the music.

The packaging is a clear plastic Viva case. Henry Winkler and Derrick Jones (Harry Barnes) are pictured on the cover art. It has a lighted Christmas tree in the background. On the back of the case, there are three circular snapshots from the movie: Helen Brewster and a younger Benedict Slade, the orphan Harry Barnes, and the older Benedict Slade. A synopsis of the movie, the production credits and the DVD specs are provided. Henry Winkler is featured on the spine of the case. Opening up the case, there are three additional snapshots from the movie of Henry Winkler with Derrick Jones, Dorian Harewood and Susan Hogan. Various pine cones and holiday ornaments are used as a border around the photos. It's a very nice and festive design. The disc has the movie title in white text and a shot of the city street, with snow in the background.

There's only a single menu screen. It has a cropped version of the cover art. There's some animated snow falling in the background. An instrumental version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is played in the background before looping after about 35 seconds. There are options for Play Movie and the Interview with Henry Winkler in a red bar. The option you highlight is yellow that turns light blue upon your selection. Chapter stops are placed at the appropriate places where the commercial breaks were originally placed.

According to the packaging, the picture has been newly remastered. Image Entertainment previously released the movie on DVD in 1999. This new Shout! Factory DVD offers improved video and audio quality. They've also released it on Blu-ray. It's a very nice transfer, with only occasional dirt or digital artifacts. The movie is presented in its original 4x3 (1:33) format. It has a running time of 96 minutes. The audio is a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track. It's not spectacular, but it gets the job done. There is no closed captioning option for this release.

Only a single bonus feature is included, but it's a pretty good one. There's a new interview with Henry Winkler that runs 8 minutes, 40 seconds. He talks about what attracted him to the film. He was very concerned about accepting the role. They show some still shots of the prosthetic makeup design, which was designed by Greg Cannom. It was a lengthy process to put it on and later remove it. He also discusses the process of playing the older Slade. Overall, he seems very proud of the movie and its legacy.

There have been many film and television adaptations of A Christmas Carol over the years, but this Americanized version has always been one of my favorites. This 1979 made-for-TV film doesn't seem to get the same amount of attention or critical acclaim as some of the others. It's just a very well-made and enjoyable movie. There seems to have been less and less television airings of it over the years, but it has continued to live on and be popular on DVD.

Henry Winkler gives an excellent performance as Benedict Slade. This was filmed during a break of Happy Days in March-May 1979. He was concerned that he was be forever typecast as Fonzie, so he accepted this role. He proved here that he's a very versatile and gifted actor. The movie didn't have a huge budget since it was made for television, but it had excellent production values. It was filmed in Ontario, Canada. I thought the costumes and sets looked very authentic for the Depression era and other periods depicted in the movie. The prosthetic makeup design for Henry Winkler, which was done by future Academy Award winner Greg Cannom, was very good. The supporting cast featured many local Canadian actors and really didn't have any big name stars, but they all gave solid performances. Since this movie is seldom shown on television these days, it's definitely worth picking up on DVD or Blu-ray. It's an underrated and overlooked classic that is perfect for the entire family.

(4/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

To purchase it on Blu-ray, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
An American Christmas Carol IMDB Page
An American Christmas Carol Wikipedia Page



FOLLOW ME 

Who to Follow: Alec Baldwin Foundation (Twitter), "Supporting the arts and artists, amateur and professional."
Claim to Fame: The Twitter account is titled "Alec Baldwin Foundation," but this account doubles as Baldwin's personal account. Of course, Baldwin is currently in the final season of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, but he is also well known to TV fans from his many appearances on Saturday Night Live (so many that he is practically a regular) as well as his role on Knots Landing in the mid-80s. And, of course, he is also able to claim dibs on the title of the most well-known Baldwin.
Why You Should Follow Him: Really, Alec Baldwin is one of the most interesting celebrities out there. He isn't the least controversial celebrity either. But whether he is getting kicked off of a airplane after refusing to give up his game of Words with Friends or preparing for another episode of Saturday Night Live where he'll get into character of Tony Bennett (by the way, a rerun of last week's episode where he did just that will repeat at 10:00pm ET on NBC tonight), there is no denying that this man is a here to entertain us (as long as you're not one of the many people he gets angry with). But if you can handle the controversy and his strong opinions on many issues, you'll find that Baldwin is just as funny (and, we'll admit, a bit short-tempered) on Twitter as he is in real-life and in his acting roles. And, by the way, the Alec Baldwin Foundation is, as indicated in Baldwin's Twitter tagline, an excellent foundation that supports the arts and artists, amateur and professional... including, perhaps, up-and-coming sitcom stars.
Pick of the Tweets: "You have to take nearly everything you read in entertainment media with a block of salt. The goal is to mock, rib, reduce..." (October 18, 2012)

Sony Pictures Television has sold the cable syndication rights to the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement to Turner Broadcasting's TBS. The series is currently airing in broadcast syndication in 96% of the country on leading stations in major markets including New York (Tribune), Los Angeles (KCAL9/CBS) and Chicago (WCIU-TV/Weigel). The series will join the TBS schedule on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 airing weekdays at 2:00pm & 2:30pm and also Saturday mornings at 11:00am & 11:30am. As a result, there will be some schedule changes to TBS that will happen either on Jan. 2 or Dec. 31. Among the changes, Home Improvement is being removed from weekdays and will only air weekend mornings from 7-8am, as another My Name is Earl and Fresh Prince will replace it weekdays at 7:30am & 8am. Weekdays from 8:30am-2pm will see timeslot changes, as we have another hour of Fresh Prince at 10:30am & 11am, and According to Jim moving to 12:30pm. Everybody Loves Raymond will be the lead-in (1-2pm) and lead-out (3pm) for Rules of Engagement. In afternoons, Seinfeld at 3:30pm will no longer air, as that airing will move to 6:30pm so Seinfeld will air three in a row from 6:30-8pm. As a result, Friends and King of Queens move up a half-hour.

In primetime, repeats of Family Guy and The Big Bang Theory rule, but an all-new season of Cougar Town of course starts on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 10pm! The series will get a Big Bang Theory lead-in from 8-10pm and a lead-out at 10:30pm. Cougar Town will encore at 12 midnight as well following Conan. And before the new season premieres, TBS will host a marathon of the last six episodes from season three (from ABC) on Sunday, Jan. 6 from 1pm-4pm. And the one-hour season three finale will again encore on Monday, Jan. 7 at 12 midnight ET/11pm CT. Penny can! Weeknights in late night remain steady, but My Name is Earl is dropped at 2am. And weekends will pretty much be the same but Rules of Engagement is added on Saturdays from 11am-12pm.
View the full TBS January 2013 schedule. No word yet if Cougar Town will start airing seasons 1-3 episodes regularly, but it doesn't seem like it will happen until season four finishes up. Stay with us!

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, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of December 24-28, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, December 24, 2012

• Bette Midler (Bette) - Bette chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Jami Gertz (The Neighbors/Still Standing/Square Pegs) - Jami joins the Chew Crew on a repeat of The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Brotherly Love/Gimme a Break!) - Joey bakes gingerbread men cookies on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.

• John Goodman (Roseanne) - Catch John on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Katie Aselton (The League) - Katie appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Jon talks about his career on a repeat of The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
• Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney appears on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.

• John Krasinksi (The Office) - Watch John on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jim Parsons (The Bing Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Richard Lewis (Anything But Love) - Tune in to see Richard on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Julie is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) - Peter chats on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland) - Valerie appears on NBC's Today between 10-11am on NBC.

• Ted Danson (Cheers/Becker) - Catch Ted on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Martin Freeman (The Office (UK) ) - Martin appears on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Champs/Hiller and Diller) - Tune in to see Kevin on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Jon is a guest on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy/Reba) - Melissa appears on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.

• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Watch Mindy on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) - Alec appears on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Miranda is a guest on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Tune in to see Miley on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - Phylicia and her daughter, Condola, join the Chew Crew on a repeat of The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Mark Feuerstein (Good Morning, Miami) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) - Keke guest co-hosts a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
• Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family) - Vicki and Tim Conway are guests on a repeat of Marie at 12pm on Hallmark Channel.

We told you about Antenna TV acquiring Diff'rent Strokes for January 2013, now we have the full January 2013 schedule! The new line-up will start on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 and will have Diff'rent Strokes air every Monday and Wednesday in primetime from 9-11pm and Sundays from 10-11pm, but we knew that from last time. Going through the new winter 2013 schedule, Antenna TV will make time changes from 11am-9pm on weekdays. The most notable change is that Three's Company will be on hiatus for now (which we mentioned last time as well) and it will last air for now after its Dec. 27 airing (well currently the rotation is in Three's a Crowd, so that will air). In primetime, All in the Family will kick it off in the 8pm hour but from 9-11pm we now have a two-hour block of sitcoms every weekday. Diff'rent Strokes is Mondays and Wednesdays, WKRP in Cincinnati on Tuesdays, Barney Miller on Thursdays and Good Times on Fridays. All of those shows will have other airings during the week, except WKRP. We have Barney Miller on Sundays from 8-9pm, Good Times weekdays 5-6pm and Diff'rent Strokes Sundays 10-11pm. Back to weeknights, 11pm-3am will now be black & white series such as Leave it to Beaver, Alfred Hitchock Presents, Burns & Allen and Jack Benny.

On Saturdays, Circus Boy returns to the schedule and will air Saturdays from 9-10am, replacing Totally Tooned In, which is now gone. More timeslot changes will occur from 1-4pm, while S.W.A.T. returns to the schedule at 4pm. It Takes a Thief moves out of primetime into the 5pm hour, leading into to an hour each of Adam-12 and Dragnet. Saturday nights will now be movie night as Antenna TV Theater tales over primetime from 8pm-4am. Early in the morning we will see the return of Here Come the Brides at 4am. Three Stooges and Benny Hill are no longer on the regular schedule, as they will be off of the late night Saturday line-up. Moving on to Sundays, Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is also back, airing Sunday from 9-10am leading into the Sunday black & white sitcoms from 10am-1pm. From 1pm-4pm we have the same schedule as Saturday leading into Suspense Theater at 4pm, then from 5-8pm also has the same schedule of shows as Saturdays. In Sunday primetime, Barney Miller remains from 8-9pm, but now Maude will air from 9-10pm into new addition Diff'rent Strokes at 10. That's a two-hour Conrad Bain block replacing WKRP, which is moving to Thursdays. Benson slides to 11pm-12am, as its parent show Soap is off the schedule completely. And finally from 12am-4am we have more black & white series like Leave it to Beaver, all leading into the encore of Suspense Theater at 4am.

View the FULL Antenna TV Winter 2013 schedule, so you can see where ALL of your favorite shows are. We hope to see Three's Company back from its rest soon, as it is one of their top rated shows and it is the most aired show on the network.

ABC Family has cast Lacey Chabert (Party of Five) and Grace Phipps (The Nine Lives of Chloe King) to guest star on the second season of original comedy series Baby Daddy, which will return with new episodes in Spring 2013. We will have an exact date very soon! Chabert will guest star in two episodes as Dr. Amy Shaw, a sports psychologist who begins working with Danny (Derek Theler) when he experiences a hockey slump. Before long, Danny decides he would rather pursue a romantic relationship with Amy, rather than a professional one. Phipps will portray Megan, the assistant manager of a neighborhood daycare who catches Ben's (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) eye when he tries to drop off Emma. Though Megan is initially not interested with Ben, believing he and Tucker (Tahj Mowry) to be a couple, he soon changes her mind. Phipps is currently set for two episodes, with the possibility of more.

The series stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY), Derek Theler (90210), Tahj Mowry (Smart Guy) with Melissa Peterman (Reba) and Chelsea Kane (Dancing with the Stars). Baby Daddy is created and executive produced by Dan Berendsen (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch). Baby Daddy is a multi-camera comedy that shoots in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles.

SitcomsOnline: After Grady was over, the following TV season (1976-77) you were cast as Dwayne on ABC's new sitcom What's Happening!! How did you get the role and how did this change your life? I think females were going crazy over you, for sure! Despite the series only lasting three seasons, it was very popular and was huge in syndication after the network run was over in 1980. The show was as popular in syndication as some other series that lasted three seasons or less like Gilligan's Island, Batman and The Munsters. I certainly think What's Happening!! belongs on that list!
Haywood Nelson: When Grady was canceled Whitman Mayo came to my mother and I and said there was a show he wanted me to audition for. That it was very special and I was perfect for it. They required that we depart for New York ASAP. The audition was packed with hopefuls. The show was the TV series of the movie Cooley High which is an all-time favorite film of mine. That and The Big Chill were two at the top of my list. Auditioning was a breeze since I knew the film characters so well. It was only a matter of weeks and I was back on a stage in Los Angeles. The show was quickly being retitled. They asked for names that were hip. Everyone at the table was shouting out ideas. They wanted something popular and hip, I was from New York and a teenager. The answer was easy for me, "What's Happenin." They loved it and named the show What's Happening!!
My personal life for the most part remained the same. Unless in public. There, all anonymity was gone. That took some adjusting to. I also had a lot less time to play drums, draw, or ride motocross. All that are sacrifices temporarily acceptable to me with that type of career path. Also acting in What's Happening!! I saw as an opportunity to make a difference with break out influence. Hence the "Hay HAY Hay." While the girls went wild I was less interested in driving popularity with them as I was interested in seeing more black faces on television.

SitcomsOnline: It seemed the cast, particularly you, Ernest Thomas, Fred Berry, Shirley Hemphill and Danielle Spencer, had great chemistry on this show. It was definitely an appealing show for all ages, particularly younger audiences. Can you share some memorable moments you had with them during this era? Also, what did you love about the character of Dwayne Nelson (how cool that they named Dwayne's last name the same as yours!)? 
Haywood Nelson: The chemistry on the show was magical. We instantly became family. The best memories are the blooper worthy show stopping laughing fits. What I loved about the character Dwayne was his honesty. He felt his own sense of style and was committed to getting it out. Yet nothing took a backseat to his innocent common sense, unless he got excited where he was prone to cluelessness. Fun to play!

SitcomsOnline: The series was canceled after its third season despite still decent ratings and ratings even going up overall from the previous season. I know there was some behind-the-scenes issues that were going on this season and probably had more of a say ultimately in the cancelation. I don't want to point any fingers at anyone or anything, but how was it like during this time and did you think the show would be actually canceled? I'm sure fans, and the cast as well, were disappointed that there was no fourth season.
Haywood Nelson: I did not think the series would be cancelled. Behind-the-scenes chicanery aside, the show was very popular. I thought at most there would be some measure of conduct regulation imposed. I never thought it would be cancelled with the strong ratings and statistics it maintained.

SitcomsOnline: So after What's Happening!! was finished in 1979, you focused on technology and were quite successful. I know you told me before when we first met that you always were interested in technology. Can you talk about how this interest came about and how you got into that area after What's Happening!! finished its three-season run?
Haywood Nelson: I've always had an interest in technology. Starting with motorcycle, aerospace, and architecture. The architecture drove me into Electronics Engineering which led to Telecommunications, Satellite Broadcasting, and the first Dotcom. By the time the internet bubble burst I had been prominent in several tech start-ups. Over the course of many years struggling to get rebounded I've partnered with others whose journey mirrors my own and we've built two very strong efforts. One in traditional media and the other in 3D gaming and service entertainment commerce.

SitcomsOnline: Then six years after What's Happening!! finished its run, a new follow-up series in 1985 was born titled What's Happening Now!! Everyone came back basically, except Mabel King, and I thought the show was very funny! It was so great to see Raj, Dwayne and Rerun as young adults. How did this show come about and were you reluctant in doing it since you had moved on to the tech side? I think the ratings were so good in syndication, the series deserved coming back. And I really liked that they made Dwayne interested in computers...was that something you suggested since you yourself are interested?
Haywood Nelson: What's Happening Now!! was developed from an effort that Ernest Thomas put out. I was in engineering school when I was contacted. I was very hesitant to leave my junior year of school, yet was not comfortable with anyone else reprising my role. So I decided to make a go of it against my better judgment. It was the producer's idea to make Dwayne a computer technician. Mostly I believe because they didn't know what else to write for the character. So they emulated my life. Not the most creative thing to do but it made for easy moving through the season.

SitcomsOnline: Basically after What's Happening Now!! was over in 1988 you went back into the technology side and are continuing doing great stuff in this area on shows like Dr. Oz Show. Do you keep in touch with the cast these days like Ernest Thomas and Danielle Spencer? It's truly a shame that we lost Fred Berry (next year will be ten years already), Shirley Hemphill and Mabel King all within a few years (1999-2003) of each other. Did you keep in touch with them and can you describe some recent moments you had with them? And finally, would you ever consider doing a sitcom again and do you have some favorite sitcoms that are airing today?
Haywood Nelson: When What's Happening Now!! completed its syndication run I jumped fast into film production camera assisting. That led to screenwriting, and Film Distribution International. Today it's the same, I am a lighting tech, stagehand in general For Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and The Dr. Oz Show. Additionally I am a founding partner in two companies. One as an Executive Producer/Writer for television show creation, and the other as a Creative Executive for a start-up gaming company with a mobile consumer services application.
I'd describe my relationship with the cast of What's Happening!! as a family. I miss Mabel, Shirley, and Fred regularly, and speak with Ernest and Danielle frequently. The three of us were at an autograph signing not so long ago and the fun never stops with us. It was antics and jokes as always. It's nice too to be enterprising together at these signings.
My experience on What's Happening!! was such a good experience that I would most certainly consider doing another show in the future. Perhaps appear on one of the shows we are executive producing at our company. Unfortunately my schedule doesn't allow for much television viewing beyond my research for a project.

We definitely appreciate Mr. Nelson for taking the time to give us an interview! He is a very nice man and we hope nothing but success for his future projects! Follow him on Twitter! That'll do it for this installment of "Seven Questions," stay tuned next time for another brand new interview!

It's time to get "cozi" just in time for the holidays as COZI TV is set to have a soft launch on Thursday, December 20 through Monday, December 31, before it officially launches on January 1 with a regular schedule! COZI TV, as we reported, is replacing digital subchannel Nonstop on the NBC Owned Television Stations. So if you're in NBC's ten owned markets and have Nonstop, you'll have COZI TV! The network will be airing some Universal-owned series, Charlie's Angels from Sony Pictures and a lot of public domain series. The soft launch will include six days of Christmas episodes from Dec. 20-25 and will start at 6am on Thursday, Dec. 20 with five Christmas episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet from 6am-8:30am. The holiday fun continues on Dec. 20 with The Lone Ranger at 8:30am, back-to-back Lassie & The Beverly Hillbillies, then The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Ruggles, another The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Christmas episode, and Liberace Christmas at 12:30pm. At 1pm & 2pm, we have two holiday episodes of Highway to Heaven, then catch Betty White in Date with the Angels, followed by another The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Christmas episode. The 4pm hour will have the animated special A Snow White Christmas, followed by Casper's Haunted Christmas from 5-6:30pm. At 6:30pm, catch the COZI TV Preview Show where we will see wacky slow-mo stunts to memorable catchphrases, their all-star panel of hilarious commentators count down the top ten funniest moments from iconic shows. The 7pm hour will feature holiday episodes of Sherlock Holmes and Petticoat Junction.

In primetime on Dec. 20, encores of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet air in the 8pm hour followed by another Christmas episode at 9pm. At 9:30pm, Racket Squad will air its Christmas episode. Another holiday episode of The Lone Ranger followed at 10pm, followed by Roy Rogers Show and Four Star Playhouse. At 11:30pm, the COZI TV Preview Show will get an encore airing. In late night on this night we will have Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Lone Ranger movie, Sherlock Holmes, Petticoat Junction, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and another airing of COZI TV Preview Show at 4:30am. We won't detail the rest of the holiday episodes until Dec. 25, but you'll see shows like The Red Skelton Show, Meet Corliss Archer, He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special, and many movies. From Dec. 26-31, you'll get a preview of what is to come on COZI TV with various episodes of series such as The Lucy Show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Lassie, Roy Rogers Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Red Skelton Show and more. New Year's Eve will see the premieres of The Virginian, Alias Smith & Jones and Marcus Welby in the morning and as part of their New Year's Eve marathon of classics, with Banacek, McMillan & Wife and McCloud in primetime.

View the COZI TV "soft launch" schedule (Dec. 20-31). We will detail the COZI TV actual launch schedule very soon. A hint: Charlie's Angels will air in primetime on Tuesdays, rotating with series like Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man. Stay with us for that! Get cozi!

GMC has rolled out its sitcom holiday episodes plan along with a new weekday lineup that is starting Wednesday, December 26, 2012! First, the holiday marathon is on Saturday, December 22 starting at 11am. Airing in this marathon will be Sister, Sister at 11am, 227 at 11:30am & 12pm, Amen from 12:30-3:30pm, and Moesha at 3:30pm. A Touched by an Angel Christmas episode marathon follows from 4pm-1am. Also, all this week in their regular time periods, you can catch holiday episodes of shows like Amen, 227, Family Ties, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and more. And you can also watch The Waltons - The Homecoming: A Christmas Story on GMC Sunday, Dec. 23 at 9pm with an encore on Christmas Eve at 6pm. This is a GMC exclusive special that hasn't been seen on TV in over 20 years!

As for the new schedule, among the changes, The Waltons will air weekdays at 10 and 11am. 7th Heaven will remain at 12 noon, 5pm, & 6pm but will gain 7pm. Back-to-back Judging Amy and Dr. Quinn will remain from 1-5pm. Touched by an Angel airs weekdays at 8pm and Mon-Thurs 9-11pm. 227 remains in its Mon-Thurs 11pm hour. Sister, Sister returns to the weekday line-up and will air Mon-Thurs at 12 and 12:30am replacing Amen, while a second hour of 227 airs Mon-Thurs 1 and 1:30AM. Family Ties remains Mon-Thurs in the 2am hour. On Saturdays starting Saturday, December 29, we now have Family Ties from 9-11am, leading into 227 from 11am-1pm, Sister Sister from 1pm-3pm and then Moesha the rest of the day! Back to Amen, yes, it will be off the regular schedule actually after its airing this Thursday night and the Christmas episodes marathon on Saturday. Luckily Deacon Frye and company will still be airing on TV One. Stay with us for continued updates on GMC!

It was just last week we told you about the Hallmark Channel January 2013 schedule, now before it even starts they have altered the schedule a bit in the daytime. The lifestyle block will get two-more hours starting Jan. 2 because they will add an encore of Home & Family, now from 8-10am. New episodes will air 10am-12pm. Marie will now air at 12 noon with a repeat at 1pm, both replacing the previously listed The Waltons. One other schedule change will be two more hours of Happy Days, airing weekdays 2-4pm, replacing the previously scheduled Little House on the Prairie. Yes, this means both The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie are not currently listed on the January 2013 schedule. Happy Days will still air Mon-Thurs 8-10pm in addition to this newly added Mon-Fri 2-4pm block. As previously mentioned, The Brady Bunch also joins the schedule starting Jan. 2 airing weekdays 6-8pm.

Discuss this updated Hallmark schedule on our message board and to view the full Hallmark Channel January 2013 schedule. Keep it right here for continued updates on both sitcoms and Hallmark Channel in general!

President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman, Independence Day) is trying to perform the important duties of his job while also doing right by his family -- not an easy task when his place of work just happens to be the Oval Office. First Son Skip (Josh Gad, star of Broadway sensation The Book of Mormon) is one of the administration's biggest liabilities and his clumsy attempts to earn his father’s respect often go awry. Yet, despite his many well-intentioned yet misguided efforts, he is the glue that holds this family together. Stepmom Emily (Jenna Elfman, Dharma and Greg, Accidentally on Purpose) is desperately trying to win over the affections of the kids -- including overachieving daughter Becca (Martha MacIsaac, Superbad), who is facing her first lapse of judgment, and twins, Xander (Benjamin Stockham, Sons of Tucson) and Marigold (Amara Miller, The Descendants) -- but the brood somehow manages to stay one step ahead of Emily.

Always in the president's corner is Marshall Malloy (Andre Holland, Friends with Benefits), the savvy and loyal White House Press Secretary, whose biggest challenge is cleaning up after the Gilchrists. Whether it's entertaining foreign dignitaries or sneaking away for a night out, dealing with middle-school crushes or putting out fires, figuratively and sometimes literally, there's never a dull moment inside the Gilchrist White House. It is Modern Family meets The West Wing in this election-year comedy from Emmy-winning executive producer/director Jason Winer (Modern Family). The executive producers are Winer, Josh Gad and Jon Lovett (former White House speechwriter).


Cast Details:

* Josh Gad as Skip Gilchrist
* Jenna Elfman as Emily Nash-Gilchrist
* Martha MacIsaac as Becca Gilchrist
* Andre Holland as Marshall Malloy
* Amara Miller as Marigold Gilchrist
* Benjamin Stockham as Xander Gilchrist
* Bill Pullman as President Dale Gilchrist

Josh Gad (Skip) also serves as an executive producer and co-creator of this series. Gad brings wit, humor and depth to the small and large screens and to theater. He began his career in theater after graduating from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. He then turned his sights to comedy and co-created his own comedy group – The Lost Nomads Comedy Troupe. His television credits include Back to You, and ABC's Modern Family, as well as the animated series Good Vibes, where he voiced the character of Mondo. Gad also starred in the title role in Gigi: Almost American. He also recently guest starred on Fox's hit show New Girl. Gad took Broadway by storm starring as Elder Cunningham in the Tony Award-winning comedy musical Book of Mormon, written by the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Tony winner Robert Lopez. Gad was nominated for a Tony, Drama League and Astaire Award, and won the Outer Critic Circle Award for his performance. On the big screen, he will next be seen starring as Steve Wozniak in the highly anticipated Steve Jobs biopic, Jobs, opposite Ashton Kutcher and co-starring in Fox's film The Internship, opposite Will Ferrell and Owen Wilson, which will be released on June 7, 2013.

Jenna Elfman (Emily) is best known for her role as Dharma in the hit sitcom Dharma and Greg, for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award, three Emmy Award nominations and two TV Guide Awards. Other notable television appearances include guest-starring roles on Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl and Brothers and Sisters. She also starred in short-lived CBS sitcoms Courting Alex and Accidentally on Purpose in recent years. This series marks Elfman's return to situation comedy after critically-acclaimed guest appearances on Shameless and the final season of the award-winning drama Damages, with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. She appeared in the hit comedy film Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and her film credits also include Keeping the Faith, opposite Ben Stiller and Edward Norton and Ron Howar's Edtv, opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.

Martha MacIsaac (Becca) is perhaps best known for her role in Judd Apatow's hit movie comedy Superbad, where she starred alongside Michael Cera. Additional feature film credits include the remake of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, the sci-fi thriller The Thaw opposite Val Kilmer, as well as the recently completed Faith, Fraud and Minimum Wage and Dead Before Dawn 3D. She was born and raised in Canada. She began her acting career at the age of 11 on television in the title role in Emily of New Moon. MacIsaac had a recurring arc on Greek and starred opposite Kelly Rowan in the CTV telefilm In God's Country. Additionally, she has lent her voice to numerous animated series including Family Guy, Spyburbia, Friends and Heroes, Magi-Nation and Di-Gata Defenders.

Andre Holland (Marshall) is a veteran of stage. Holland's recent stage credits include All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure at the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park, and The Whipping Man at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Among his television credits are Damages, Burn Notice, Friends with Benefits, Law & Order, and The Black Donnellys.

Amara Miller (Marigold) got her start as an actress as George Clooney's daughter in the Oscar-nominated film The Descendants. Miller enjoys dancing, swimming and riding her bike to school. She is a purple belt in karate and a talented illustrator. Her current project is to organize a fundraiser with classmate Mackenzie Mangan to benefit the Plastic Pollution Coalition to help raise awareness and spark ideas to reduce single use plastics at home and in school lunches.

Benjamin Stockham (Xander) is perhaps best recognized for his role as Robby Gunderson, opposite Frank Dolce and Matthew Levy, on Sons of Tucson. His other television credits include guest-starring appearances on CSI: New York, Criminal Minds and Rizzoli and Isles. From his very first audition for the feature film Quarantine, where he later earned a small but memorable role, Stockham impressed the director with his drive and desire to work. He appeared in a commercial for the investment firm Fidelity, which still airs today. Since then, he has appeared in numerous commercials that have aired nationally.

Bill Pullman (President Gilchrist) is perhaps best known for his role as Jack Callaghan in While You Were Sleeping. His numerous feature films include Spaceballs, Independence Day, where he starred as President Thomas Whitmore opposite Will Smith, Mr. Wrong, Casper, alongside Ellen DeGeneres, The Last Seduction, Singles, Nervous Ticks, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Lost Highway, Lake Placid, Ignition and Scary Movie 4. His television credits include The Tracey Ullman Show, Revelations and Torchwood. He has also appeared in several television movies including Home Fires Burning, Crazy in Love, Mistrial, Merry Christmas George Bailey and Tiger Cruise.


Pilot Plot:

We received three episodes for review. This review will be based on these three episodes.

#1 "Putting Out Fires" (aka "Meet the Parent," Airs Monday, December 17, 2012)
Following a public mishap, Skip (Josh Gad), the First Son of President Gilchrist (Bill Pullman), is ushered back to the White House so he can be kept under careful watch. Meanwhile, President Gilchrist attempts to keep a cool atmosphere when South American leaders visit to discuss a trade agreement. Elsewhere, Emily (Jenna Elfman) tries to make peace with her stepdaughter Becca (Martha MacIsaac), who has a surprise in store for everybody.

The episode was written by Peter A. Knight and directed by Jason Winer.

#2 "Pilot" (Airs Thursday, January 10, 2013)
This episode deals with the aftermath of Becca's "surprise" and the President (and the rest of the world) find out what it is.

The episode was written by Jon Lovett and based on a story by Josh Gad, Jason Winer and Jon Lovett, and directed by Jason Winer.

#3 "Everything's Nice in the Pool" (Airs TBD)
The President tracks down Becca's "baby daddy." Rene Auberjonois guest stars.

The episode was written by Mike Royce and directed by Jason Winer.

Analysis:

The show is about your average family, but they happen to be living inside the White House. The plots are really about family matters and the White House is just a nice backdrop. This is a comedic look at what a large family would do if they were living in the White House. Every family has their ups and downs, and we see that here. We have basically two pilot episodes for this series. The actual pilot will not air until the second airing because NBC made a decision to have a "sneak peek" premiere following the Monday finale of The Voice, so the pilot episode will air as the timeslot premiere in January. Thus, it seems the producers made another episode that sets-up like a pilot in the episode "Putting Out Fires" (aka "Meet the Parent"). I actually like this episode better than the pilot episode itself. It explains everything better and we actually get to know who the characters are. I didn't see this episode before the actual "Pilot" so I was a bit confused on why we are going backwards. But after watching "Putting Out Fires" first, the "Pilot" makes more sense. We get to see how first-son Skip came to the White House from college, where he has been the last seven years. We also get a better sense who the two younger kids are. I also had no idea that Emily is actually the President's second wife, so she is the step mother of all four kids. "Putting Out Fires" makes that more clear. The "Pilot" episode revolves a lot around Becca's pregnancy, and "Putting Out Fires" shows us how it got "leaked." And that episode shows the comedic skills of Josh Gad better.

There is another episode we got for review as well titled "Everything's Nice in the Pool." I assume this will be aired third. It continues the central plot of Becca's pregnancy and we see the President having tracked down the "baby daddy" (that's two words). Rene Auberjonois guest stars in this episode and I kept thinking of his character from Benson, where he worked at the Governor's mansion...now he is working at the White House, but unfortunately he isn't playing Clayton Endicott III. He plays an aide to First Lady Gilchrist in this episode and as always he does a fine job. I really like the performances of Josh Gad as Skip and Martha MacIsaac as Becca in this series so far. Gad steals every scene he is and is very wacky. I just can't imagine a first-son being like this. Fortunately the second son Xander is more sane. Anyhow, Gad is definitely the funniest on this show and you can tell it is more about him than the President. He is especially funny in "Putting Out Fires" and "Everything's Nice in the Pool." Since I saw the "Pilot" first I kept thinking 'who is this guy and why is he so weird?' but he will grow on you. And since you all will see "Putting Out Fires" first, you'll love him at first sight.

I would like to see more chemistry between The President and First Lady. They don't have much interaction yet, which doesn't seem that realistic. We see the President interacting with the kids more and the same goes for The First Lady. Jenna Elfman is however doing a good job in this series so far and Bill Pullman looks exactly like a President type (come on he was also President in Independence Day!). I also think the press secretary Marshall Malloy (one episode said his name was Marshall Mathers through) is very good on this show. He is funny, smart and gets things done. Hopefully the actual press secretary we have at the White House in real life is like him!


Conclusion:

First off, today is Bill Pullman's 59th birthday, so Happy Birthday, Mr. President! This series is NBC's answer to Modern Family but I just don't think it will do anywhere near that series in ratings. It will have a solid sampling following The Voice tonight, but come January it is getting the low-rated and tired The Office as its lead-in. This comedy is going for more of a broad audience and nothing on NBC Thursday goes after a broad audience. NBC would have been better off launching this in September after Go On rather than The New Normal. It would have had a nice two months or so of great press thanks to the Election. I think that was a missed opportunity. Now it is likely going to get lost in NBC's dead schedule this winter, which is a shame.

As for the Modern Family meets The West Wing, that is a fair tagline. However, the show is not there yet in quality of those shows and rightfully so. It has potential but it could get tiresome really quick (think That's My Bush!). Right now the best series dealing with the White House is Scandal and probably Veep. The latter is a comedy so that is more of a fair comparison, but I don't think this show is going after awards like those shows. This show is more broad and wackier. This show knows what it is and NBC is banking on it being a broad success. It is much better than the first-run syndicated sitcom The First Family by a lot, though. I personally did like the show a lot, especially the episodes "Putting Out Fires" and "Everything's Nice in the Pool." The "Pilot" is a little confusing at first, but still had solid laughs. Josh Gad is a star in the making on television and it will be nice to see him shine on this vehicle. I loved his performance last season on the Modern Family episode "Punkin Chunkin" and he will bring that type of energy on this show. The First-Son is front and center of this show! Skip for President!


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, December 17 on our message board.

Related Links:

1600 Penn Photo Gallery

Preview:

From the Gotham Bus Company depot to the Raccoon Lodge, WPIX11 is NY's home for The Honeymooners. New Yorkers have been ringing in the New Year with Ralphie Boy on WPIX11 since 1996, when The Honeymooners Marathon (which began airing on the station in 1976) moved to New Year's Eve. This year, the WPIX11 Honeymooners Marathon of 26 classic episodes begins Monday, December 31, 2012 at 11pm and runs until 4am – with a break for WPIX11 Morning News – then resumes at 9am and runs until 5pm on January 1, 2013 for a total of 13 total hours.

The WPIX11 Honeymooners Marathon featuring our favorite Brooklyn residents Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), Ed Norton (Art Carney), Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph) will include the following episodes in order of airing: "T'was the Night Before Christmas, "Man From Space," "Pal O'Mine," "Brother Ralph," "Hello Mom," "The Baby Sitter," "A Dog's Life, "Pardon My Glove," "Head of the House," and Alice and the Blonde" from 11pm-4am. Then a five-hour break for the PIX11 Morning News from 4am-9am before more classic episodes air: "TV or Not TV," "Funny Money," "The Golfer," "A Woman's Work is Never Done," "A Matter of Life and Death," "The Sleepwalker," "Better Living Through TV," "A Matter of Record," "The $99,000 Answer," "Mama Loves Mambo," "Please Leave the Premises," "The Worry Wart," "Unconventional Behavior," "Dial J for Janitor," "A Man's Pride," and "Young at Heart." So ring in the new year with Ralphie Boy, New York! The Honeymooners regularly airs on WPIX every Sunday night (early Monday mornings) from 2-4am and the sitcom just had a marathon on Thanksgiving Day.