Saturday, January 19, 2013
Digital Digest: New DVD Re-releases from Mill Creek, TMG; Simon & Simon - The Final (Eighth) Season DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! We're here for your weekly dose news and the rest of our regular features, along with a review of Simon & Simon - The Final (Eighth) Season. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
The past week has been a week of re-release announcements, with the first such announcement coming from Mill Creek. As the studio has been re-releasing series from the Carsey-Werner library over the past year or so, new re-releases were announced this week for Roseanne - The Complete Seventh Season, Roseanne - The Complete Eighth Season, That '70s Show - Season Seven, and That '70s Show - Season Eight. For those keeping track, that puts re-releases of Roseanne only one season away from completion, and brings re-releases of That '70s Show all the way to completion.
Meanwhile, Shout! Factory has some re-releases of their own, with some new "best of" releases that will be coming from their new subsidiary, Timeless Media Group. On April 9, look for some value-priced (around $12) releases of Leave it to Beaver, Adam-12, and Route 66. Like many TMG releases, these will come in the embossed tins that the studio so frequently uses.
Warner Home Video hasn't brought us a whole lot of older series lately (usually those are handled through Warner Archive these days), but this week, they announced releases of some animated series. First up is the series Taz-Mania, with a May 14 release of Taz-Mania - Season 1, Part 1. And, according to TVShowsOnDVD, two weeks before that, the studio will release Tom and Jerry Kids - The Complete Season 1. It is a bit surprising to see all of this animation released, but we're sure fans are satisfied to see it!
Finally, we told you just last week about an agreement between Netflix and Warner Bros., but this week, we got some more details. Among other series included in the deal are several series from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and also the current TNT version of the series Dallas.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 22) is another light day for releases, with no sitcom releases. However, Warner Home Video does have one show for fans of classic TV fans, with their release of Scarecrow and Mrs. King - The Complete Fourth Season.
The Simon brothers are back for the very last time in Simon & Simon in Shout! Factory's release of Simon & Simon - The Final Season! The classic detective series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two brother running a detective agency returns with 13 more episodes where crime fighting involves going undercover at a beauty pageant, investigating a modern day Robin Hood, taking the stand at a murder trial, protecting a wealthy Japanese businessman, and more.
The season begins with "Beauty and the Deceased," where Rick and A.J. go undercover at a beauty contest. The business becomes a bit to big for Rick and A.J. to handle in "Simon & Simon and Associates." The Simons protect a Japanese businessman in "Zen and the Art of Split-Finger Fastball." In "The Merry Adventures of Robert Hood," credit cards are being stolen, but not necessarily for bad things. A talk show host hires Rick and A.J. to find out who is sending him threatening letters in "Ain't Gonna Get it From Me, Jack." Abby is attracted to a client of the Simons in "Love Song of Abigail Marsh."
The episodes mostly appear to be unedited, but the episode "Ain't Gonna Get it From Me, Jack" seems to have a suspiciously low run time, about three minutes shorter than the rest. However, it doesn't seem like a syndication print, because it has the original episode preview at the beginning, and also, Shout! has indicated in the past when a syndicated version of an episode was used. For now, we'll put this in the "not sure" column. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Beauty and Deceased" (46:50)
2. "Simon & Simon and Associates" (46:48)
3. "Zen and the Art of Split Finger Fastball" (46:02)
4. "The Merry Adventures of Robert Hood" (46:51)
Disc 2:
5. "Ain't Gonna Get It From Me, Jack" (43:56)
6. "Love Song of Abigail Marsh" (46:51)
7. "Simon & Simon, Jr." (46:52)
8. "Cloak of Danger" (46:52)
Disc 3:
9. "The Richer They Are, The Harder They Fall" (46:51)
10. "Play it Again, Simon" (46:53)
11. "First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers" (46:53)
12. "Photo Finished" (46:13)
13. "Simon Says Goodbye" (46:25)
The packaging art on this set is basically identical to previous releases. In fact, it still has the same photo on the cover that has been used since the release of the fourth season! The only difference is that the bottom row of photos at least has pictures from the eighth season, and a yellow color scheme is used this time. On the back, there is a brief description of the season, along with individual photos of Rick and A.J. Inside, you'll find the three discs, along with a listing of episodes and airdates. Each disc has the series logo imprinted on a yellow background.
I've never been to impressed by the menus on these Shout! Select releases of this series, and this one continues those rather bland menus. Honestly, they don't even look very professional, with a photo of Rick and A.J. (same as the cover art) and a listing of all of the episodes on the main menu. There is also a Play All option. The theme song loops continuously in the background. Each episode does have chapters placed appropriately throughout.
The video and audio quality on these releases is very interesting. Most series improve as new releases come out, but this series somehow seems to get worse, at least on the video front. The picture seems to be a bit faded and blurry at times, but it isn't a very serious issue... it is just strange how the later seasons look worse than the earlier ones. The audio is fine, but there are no closed-captions or subtitles.
The set is devoid of any special features, as has (mostly) been the case in previous releases.
It is great to actually see this series come to completion! It has had a bit of a rocky history, after having one season released by Universal, then moved over to Shout! Factory, where it was moved to a Shout! Select offering beginning with the fifth season. One had to wonder if we'd get all the way to the eighth season, but lo and behold, we did! It is a bit disappointing that we didn't really get much in the way of special features along the way, but the important thing is that we have the series on DVD, with most episodes unedited (there were some issues in one of the earlier releases, and we aren't quite sure about the shorter episode in this season). If you are a fan of the detective series of the '80s, you are sure to want to own this set, along with all of the other seasons of this excellent series.
(4/5 stars)
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Simon & Simon on TV.com
FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: Valerie Harper (Twitter), "The Official twitter page of actress Valerie Harper. Thank you all for your follows! Love, Valerie"
Claim to Fame: "My name is Rhoda Morgenstern..." were the words that she mentioned at the beginning of each episode of the classic series Rhoda, but before she got her own spinoff, she was known for the same role on the series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the '80s, she had another hit sitcom with Valerie, but as we all know, that didn't end quite so well. Most recently, she had a guest appearance (and animated reunion with Rhoda costar Julie Kavner) on The Simpsons.
Why You Should Follow Her: Why shouldn't you follow her? She played Rhoda, which makes her one of the few actresses from the '70s who can be found on Twitter. Harper has recently been making the rounds to promote her book, I, Rhoda, and in the midst of all of this, she has been gaining more public attention and perhaps more fans... and we think those fans will want to follow her on Twitter, where she enjoys Tweeting about her appearances, her career (past and present), and isn't at all adverse to responding to questions and comments from the fans, the very people who helped her make it big.
Pick of the Tweets: "Thought I'd share this photo of Mary and I at Betty White's 90th Birthday celebration! http://fb.me/1HM8VTe4J" (February 27, 2012)
DIGITAL NEWS
The past week has been a week of re-release announcements, with the first such announcement coming from Mill Creek. As the studio has been re-releasing series from the Carsey-Werner library over the past year or so, new re-releases were announced this week for Roseanne - The Complete Seventh Season, Roseanne - The Complete Eighth Season, That '70s Show - Season Seven, and That '70s Show - Season Eight. For those keeping track, that puts re-releases of Roseanne only one season away from completion, and brings re-releases of That '70s Show all the way to completion.
Meanwhile, Shout! Factory has some re-releases of their own, with some new "best of" releases that will be coming from their new subsidiary, Timeless Media Group. On April 9, look for some value-priced (around $12) releases of Leave it to Beaver, Adam-12, and Route 66. Like many TMG releases, these will come in the embossed tins that the studio so frequently uses.
Warner Home Video hasn't brought us a whole lot of older series lately (usually those are handled through Warner Archive these days), but this week, they announced releases of some animated series. First up is the series Taz-Mania, with a May 14 release of Taz-Mania - Season 1, Part 1. And, according to TVShowsOnDVD, two weeks before that, the studio will release Tom and Jerry Kids - The Complete Season 1. It is a bit surprising to see all of this animation released, but we're sure fans are satisfied to see it!
Finally, we told you just last week about an agreement between Netflix and Warner Bros., but this week, we got some more details. Among other series included in the deal are several series from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, and also the current TNT version of the series Dallas.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 22) is another light day for releases, with no sitcom releases. However, Warner Home Video does have one show for fans of classic TV fans, with their release of Scarecrow and Mrs. King - The Complete Fourth Season.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Simon & Simon - The Final (Eighth) Season (Shout!, $24.99)
by skees53
The Simon brothers are back for the very last time in Simon & Simon in Shout! Factory's release of Simon & Simon - The Final Season! The classic detective series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two brother running a detective agency returns with 13 more episodes where crime fighting involves going undercover at a beauty pageant, investigating a modern day Robin Hood, taking the stand at a murder trial, protecting a wealthy Japanese businessman, and more.
The season begins with "Beauty and the Deceased," where Rick and A.J. go undercover at a beauty contest. The business becomes a bit to big for Rick and A.J. to handle in "Simon & Simon and Associates." The Simons protect a Japanese businessman in "Zen and the Art of Split-Finger Fastball." In "The Merry Adventures of Robert Hood," credit cards are being stolen, but not necessarily for bad things. A talk show host hires Rick and A.J. to find out who is sending him threatening letters in "Ain't Gonna Get it From Me, Jack." Abby is attracted to a client of the Simons in "Love Song of Abigail Marsh."
In "Simon & Simon, Jr.," Rick is shocked after finding out he may have a teenage son that he wasn't aware of, but now he may have to protect his life as well. A.J. writes a play that helps to solve a mystery in "Cloak of Danger." A wedding anniversary party turns into a funeral for one of A.J.'s friends in "The Richer They Are, The Harder They Fall." Rick and A.J. are headed to Los Angeles to hunt after a lost manuscript in "Play it Again, Simon." Rick and A.J. face a tough series of attacks from an attorney (and friend of Cecilia's) in court in "First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers." A woman hires the Simons to investigate a politician in "Photo Finished," but things become more complicated when the client ends up dying. The series ends with "Simon Says Goodbye," where Abby's friend hires Rick and A.J. to find an old flame.
The episodes mostly appear to be unedited, but the episode "Ain't Gonna Get it From Me, Jack" seems to have a suspiciously low run time, about three minutes shorter than the rest. However, it doesn't seem like a syndication print, because it has the original episode preview at the beginning, and also, Shout! has indicated in the past when a syndicated version of an episode was used. For now, we'll put this in the "not sure" column. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "Beauty and Deceased" (46:50)
2. "Simon & Simon and Associates" (46:48)
3. "Zen and the Art of Split Finger Fastball" (46:02)
4. "The Merry Adventures of Robert Hood" (46:51)
Disc 2:
5. "Ain't Gonna Get It From Me, Jack" (43:56)
6. "Love Song of Abigail Marsh" (46:51)
7. "Simon & Simon, Jr." (46:52)
8. "Cloak of Danger" (46:52)
Disc 3:
9. "The Richer They Are, The Harder They Fall" (46:51)
10. "Play it Again, Simon" (46:53)
11. "First, Let's Kill All the Lawyers" (46:53)
12. "Photo Finished" (46:13)
13. "Simon Says Goodbye" (46:25)
The packaging art on this set is basically identical to previous releases. In fact, it still has the same photo on the cover that has been used since the release of the fourth season! The only difference is that the bottom row of photos at least has pictures from the eighth season, and a yellow color scheme is used this time. On the back, there is a brief description of the season, along with individual photos of Rick and A.J. Inside, you'll find the three discs, along with a listing of episodes and airdates. Each disc has the series logo imprinted on a yellow background.
I've never been to impressed by the menus on these Shout! Select releases of this series, and this one continues those rather bland menus. Honestly, they don't even look very professional, with a photo of Rick and A.J. (same as the cover art) and a listing of all of the episodes on the main menu. There is also a Play All option. The theme song loops continuously in the background. Each episode does have chapters placed appropriately throughout.
The video and audio quality on these releases is very interesting. Most series improve as new releases come out, but this series somehow seems to get worse, at least on the video front. The picture seems to be a bit faded and blurry at times, but it isn't a very serious issue... it is just strange how the later seasons look worse than the earlier ones. The audio is fine, but there are no closed-captions or subtitles.
The set is devoid of any special features, as has (mostly) been the case in previous releases.
It is great to actually see this series come to completion! It has had a bit of a rocky history, after having one season released by Universal, then moved over to Shout! Factory, where it was moved to a Shout! Select offering beginning with the fifth season. One had to wonder if we'd get all the way to the eighth season, but lo and behold, we did! It is a bit disappointing that we didn't really get much in the way of special features along the way, but the important thing is that we have the series on DVD, with most episodes unedited (there were some issues in one of the earlier releases, and we aren't quite sure about the shorter episode in this season). If you are a fan of the detective series of the '80s, you are sure to want to own this set, along with all of the other seasons of this excellent series.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Simon & Simon on TV.com
FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: Valerie Harper (Twitter), "The Official twitter page of actress Valerie Harper. Thank you all for your follows! Love, Valerie"
Claim to Fame: "My name is Rhoda Morgenstern..." were the words that she mentioned at the beginning of each episode of the classic series Rhoda, but before she got her own spinoff, she was known for the same role on the series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the '80s, she had another hit sitcom with Valerie, but as we all know, that didn't end quite so well. Most recently, she had a guest appearance (and animated reunion with Rhoda costar Julie Kavner) on The Simpsons.
Why You Should Follow Her: Why shouldn't you follow her? She played Rhoda, which makes her one of the few actresses from the '70s who can be found on Twitter. Harper has recently been making the rounds to promote her book, I, Rhoda, and in the midst of all of this, she has been gaining more public attention and perhaps more fans... and we think those fans will want to follow her on Twitter, where she enjoys Tweeting about her appearances, her career (past and present), and isn't at all adverse to responding to questions and comments from the fans, the very people who helped her make it big.
Pick of the Tweets: "Thought I'd share this photo of Mary and I at Betty White's 90th Birthday celebration! http://fb.me/1HM8VTe4J" (February 27, 2012)
Friday, January 18, 2013
More Good News, Hallmark Channel Adds More Sitcom Airings; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 21, 2013)
It was just the other day we told you about The Hallmark Channel adding an extra hour of Happy Days, now we have even more good news! Beginning this Monday (January 21, 2013), the Hallmark Channel is removing the 8-10am episode of Home & Family and will replace it with two hours of The Golden Girls! As a result, now the original talk show block is only from 10am-1pm with Home & Family from 10am-12pm and Marie at noon -- with encores completely gone. But wait, there's even more good news! We get an extra hour each of recently added, new to the schedule sitcoms Happy Days and The Brady Bunch! Where will this extra hour each air? They will air weekdays from 4:00pm-6:00pm, with Happy Days in the 4pm hour and The Brady Bunch in the 5pm hour, both will replace The Golden Girls in the block.
If you're keeping score, it's all Happy Days and The Brady Bunch now from 1pm-10pm. Happy Days weekdays from 1-5pm & Mon-Thurs 8-10pm and The Brady Bunch weekdays from 5-8pm. Wow! As we expected, both sitcoms have been doing pretty well for them so far after a little over 2 weeks of airing on the network. Both comedies are also on other networks (Happy Days on INSP and The Hub, The Brady Bunch on INSP and MeTV), but as not as featured as they are on Hallmark. Will this schedule last for Hallmark? We hope so, but it is promising after 2 weeks! Stay with us for continued updates!
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 January 21-25, 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, January 21, 2013
- Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show) - Watch Jamie on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Sally Field (Gidget/The Flyning Nun) - Sally appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) - Busy visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - NeNe is a guest on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Valerie Harper (Rhoda/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Valerie's Family) - Valerie stops by ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Catch Julie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Angela Kinsey (The Office) - Angela discusses her path to acting and the upcoming series finale of The Office on Marie on Hallmark Channel at 12pm.
- Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen is a guest on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. She will also be on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
- Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Watch Michael on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. Michael also joins the Good Morning America team on ABC in the 8am hour.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally visits The Colbert Report at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
- Jenna Elfman (1600 Penn/Courting Alex/Dharma & Greg) - Jenna is part of the guest panel on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
- Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Kim Coles (Living Single) - Kim is a guest co-host on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Christine Baranksi (Cybill/Happy Family) - Christine appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Catch Tom on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Jennifer appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Anthony Anderson (All About the Andersons/The Bernie Mac Show) - Anthony is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office) - Jenna chats on The Jeff Probst show, so check your local listings.
- Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) - Patrick chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Angela Kinsey (The Office) - Watch Angela on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Katey Sagal (Married with Children/8 Simple Rules) - Katey appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Lena Dunham (Girls) - Lena is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Remembering Conrad Bain, Antenna TV Pays Tribute with Maude, Diff'rent Strokes Marathons; Betty White's 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special on Feb. 5
Veteran actor Conrad Bain, who played Phillip Drummond in Diff'rent Strokes and Dr. Arthur Harmon in Maude, has died. He died of natural causes on January 14 at a retirement home in Livermore, California. Mr. Bain was 89.
Conrad Bain was born on February 4, 1923, in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His career began as a stage actor in a Connecticut production of Dear Ruth in 1947. Bain's other theatre credits included The Iceman Cometh, Candide, Advise and Consent, An Enemy of the People, Uncle Vanya and On Borrowed Time.
Bain's television career began in 1952 with an appearance in Studio One. His early television guest appearances included The Defenders, The Trials of O'Brien and N.Y.P.D.. In 1966, he played Mr. Wells, the town innkeeper, in Dark Shadows. He appeared in four episodes in the first two seasons before his character was killed off by werewolf Chris Jennings. In 1970, he appeared as Dr. Charles Weldon #1 in The Edge of Night. Bain's film credits in the 1960s and 1970s included Madigan, A Lovely Way to Die, Coogan's Bluff, I Never Sang for My Father, Bananas, The Anderson Tapes, Up the Sandbox and C.H.O.M.P.S.
In 1972, he landed his first starring television role in Maude. The All in the Family spin-off aired for 6 seasons on CBS from 1972-1978. The series starred Bea Arthur, Bill Macy, Adrienne Barbeau, Rue McClanahan and Esther Rolle (1972-1974). Bain played the role of Dr. Arthur Harmon, Maude and Walter Findlay's next-door neighbor and the best friend of Walter. Arthur was initially a widower in the series, but he later started dating Maude's best friend, Vivian (Rue McClanahan), at the beginning of the second season. Their characters were married in the middle of the season in February 1974. His identical twin brother, Bonar Bain, played his twin brother Arnold in the 1977 episode Vivian's Surprise.
Bain's best known role was as Phillip Drummond in Diff'rent Strokes. The popular sitcom ran for 8 seasons on NBC from 1978-1985 and ABC from 1985-1986. Philip Drummond was the wealthy father of daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato) and adopted sons Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis (Todd Bridges). Their family lived in an apartment on Park Avenue in Manhattan. He was the president of the huge conglomerate Trans Allied, Inc. Bain also appeared as Mr. Drummond in The Facts of Life pilot episode and the crossover episodes with Hello, Larry. In 1996, he reprised his role and appeared with Gary Coleman as prospective buyers of the mansion in the final episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He reunited with Coleman and Bridges in March 2003 at the TV Land Awards to present the award for "Funniest Food Fight."
Following the end of Diff'rent Strokes, he appeared in the 1987-1988 Fox sitcom Mr. President. He played the affable Charlie Ross, who was the loyal Chief of Staff to President Samuel Arthur Tresch (George C. Scott). In 1990, he played the role of Grandpa in the film Postcards from the Edge. He had been retired from acting since 1996, except for a stage role in Ancestral Voices in 2000.
Survivors include three sons, one daughter and his identical twin brother, Bonar Bain. Conrad was married to Monica Sloan from 1945 until her death in 2009. Jennifer Bain had this to say TMZ about her father: "He was an amazing person. He was a lot like Mr. Drummond, but much more interesting in real life. He was an amazing father." Mr. Drummond was one the greatest dads in TV history. Gary Coleman may have been the big star of the show, but Bain was the glue who held everything together. He had many hilarious lines and scenes. He will be greatly missed.
Share your memories on our Diff'rent Strokes and Maude message boards. View photos in our Diff'rent Strokes and Maude photo galleries.
Antenna TV will pay tribute to Conrad Bain by airing a marathon of some of his finest work on episodes of both of his long-running series. They will air "A Tribute to Conrad Bain" this Saturday (January 19, 2013) from 1-8pm ET, with eight episodes each of Maude (1-4pm ET) and Diff'rent Strokes (4-8pm ET). View the episode info for this tribute marathon. We will let you know if any other network or station is planning a tribute.
Seven-time Emmy Award winner Betty White will be celebrating her 91st birthday in style as a star-studded line up of special guests pays tribute to one of the world's most beloved entertainers in Betty White's 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special, airing Tuesday, February 5 at 8pm ET on NBC in her Off Their Rockers timeslot. Blake Shelton, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Rico Rodriguez, Lily Tomlin and Sarah Silverman will honor America's comedy sweetheart, along with Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. Also on hand to deliver birthday wishes will be Vicki Lawrence -- reprising her popular title role from Mama's Family -- Katie Couric and White's Hot in Cleveland co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, as well as Zachary Levi, Larry King and Kate Flannery. The evening will include special performances - including Shelton singing a tailor-made musical number for the birthday girl - as well as comedy and clips that perfectly capture the irreverent tone, spirit and comedic flair that are the hallmark of White's extraordinary career.
At 91 years old, White is one of the funniest and busiest actresses in Hollywood, currently starring on NBC's Betty White's Off Their Rockers and TV Land's sitcom Hot in Cleveland. With a career that has spanned more than 60 years, the star of classic series like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls has created unforgettable roles in television and film. She has also authored seven books and won numerous awards, including those for her lifelong work for animal welfare.
The first Betty White's 90th Birthday aired last year on Monday, Jan. 16, 2012 as a 90-minute special and delivered solid ratings averaging 13.86 million viewers and a 2.7 18-49 rating.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Hallmark Adds More Happy Days; ABC Pulls Final Sunday Run of Comedies
We were a bit busy earlier this week and late last week with TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour news, so we couldn't mention this next story until today. The Hallmark Channel continues to shuffle their daytime schedule of original shows and now this time they have removed the 1pm encore of Marie and have added another hour of Happy Days from 1-2pm since Monday (Jan. 14). This means Happy Days now airs weekdays 1-4pm and Mon-Thurs 8-10pm. There was no other schedule to the schedule, which is good news for the new comedy block of The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, joining sitcoms such as Golden Girls, Frasier, Cheers, and I Love Lucy. Both Happy Days and Brady Bunch (weekdays 6-8pm) have been airing since Jan. 2 with no removals or moving time slots, so the addition of another hour of Happy Days is certainly good news.
We have even more good news for Happy Days, as the classic sitcom will get a Super Bowl Sunday marathon on Sunday, Feb. 3 from 11am-11pm. Stay with us for more Hallmark Channel updates, as it has only been two weeks for this schedule but so far so good for the two new additions! Groovy and correct-amundo!
ABC has pulled the last week of the Sunday-runs for comedies Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 this coming Sunday (Jan. 20) from 10-11pm. Both comedies have aired the last two weeks in the hour on Sundays, in addition to their regular Tuesday 9pm hour. Now the third and final week on Sunday will not happen due to low ratings, but both series are doing slightly better on Tuesdays (since they have a comedy lead-in, even though they are repeats) and will continue to air Tuesdays from 9-10pm until mid-March, as of now. However, it is not on the schedule next week because of the two-hour premiere of The Taste, but they will return Jan. 29 (now that the State of the Union Address is Feb. 12). A repeat of the durable and reliable Shark Tank will air this Sunday at 10pm in place of the comedies. ABC still hasn't announced what will air 10-11pm on Sunday nights on Feb. 10 and Feb. 17, as new mid-season drama Red Widow isn't premiering until March 3 (a week after the Oscars on Feb. 24). ABC also announced yesterday that against the Super Bowl they will go with durable repeats, with two back-to-back hours of AFV at 7 & 8pm, followed by Shark Tank at 9 and back-to-back episodes of Modern Family in the 10pm hour. Stay with us for updates!
It's a night of big surprises tonight on Modern Family at 9|8c on ABC. Tune in to see what it is!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Everybody Hates Chris Heads to MTV2; Remembering Ned Wertimer, Doorman from The Jeffersons
In more Viacom synergy, the Chris Rock produced sitcom Everybody Hates Chris is heading to MTV2 beginning Thursday (Jan. 17). The sitcom was airing on TeenNick but now will move over to MTV2. It quietly was removed from the TeenNick schedule recently (end of December). Viacom also airs the series on BET and Centric and it will continue to air on both of those networks every weekday. Everybody Hates Chris also was previously on Nick at Nite but they stopped it this past fall. Viacom has had the rights to the series since fall 2009. It will premiere on MTV2 this Thursday and will air most nights from 1-3am following reruns of Martin. MTV2 will also continue to air sitcoms Saved by the Bell, Boy Meets World, The Wayans Bros, The PJs and That '70s Show on the schedule (some more often than others).
Everybody Hates Chris is a period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock (who is also the narrator), while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York (often referred to in the show as Bed-Sty). The show is set from 1982 to 1987. The series aired from 2005-09 on UPN (then The CW) and starred Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, and Vincent Martella. Stay with us for further updates!
Character actor Ned Wertimer, best known for playing Ralph the doorman in The Jeffersons, has died. He died on January 2, 2013, at the Sherman Village Health Care Center in Los Angeles, California. According to his manager, Brad Lemack, he had fallen at his home in Burbank in late November and never recovered. Mr. Wertimer was 89.
Wertimer played Ralph Hart, the doorman, for all 11 seasons of the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons from 1975-1985. His character first appeared in the All in the Family episode titled "The Jeffersons Move on Up," which was the pilot episode of The Jeffersons. He appeared in 51 of the 253 episodes of The Jeffersons, which was one of the longest-running sitcoms in American television history. Ralph was known for always asking for a tip from the tenants of the luxury high-rise apartment on Manhattan's East Side.
He had more than 100 TV credits. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Car 54, Where Are You?, Get Smart, That Girl, Hogan's Heroes, Mayberry, R.F.D., Mary Tyler Moore, Sanford and Son, Happy Days, Welcome Back, Kotter, WKRP in Cincinnati, Mork & Mindy and 227. His other TV credits included Gunsmoke, McMillan & Wife, Starsky & Hutch and Simon & Simon. Wertimer's film credits included Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, The Impossible Years, Mame, The Strongest Man in the World and The Pack.
Survivors include his wife, Dr. Skyne Uku-Wertimer, professor emerita at California State University Long Beach; his sister-in-law Eleanor Walsh; and a niece and three nephews. We loved his work on The Jeffersons. It was funny how he was always holding out his hand for a tip. He will be greatly missed.
Share your memories of Mr. Wertimer on The Jeffersons message board. View photos in our galleries.
Monday, January 14, 2013
TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour: CBS, The CW; 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners
This past weekend had the final two days for the TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour and CBS and The CW were up. We will start with a recap of CBS from Saturday. After breakfast, it was time for an executive session with Nina Tassler (President, CBS Entertainment). Among the things we learned were some of the details for the CBS Summer 2013 schedule. CBS kicks off summer on Wednesday, May 29 with a new baking series based on the hit UK format The Great British Bake Off. The series features skilled amateur Americans competing in baking challenges with one ultimately being crowned the winner. Seven episodes have been ordered and the season finale will air on July 10. Next CBS will premiere Under the Dome, a new 13-episode serialized drama based on Stephen King's best-selling novel and produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. The series opens Monday, June 24 at 10:00PM ET/PT, so summer reruns of Hawaii Five-0 will move to Fridays at 9:00PM ET/PT during the summer. The summer reality hit Big Brother will have a longer edition this summer, premiering two weeks earlier than previous years on Wednesday, June 26 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Big Brother will still be broadcast three nights weekly - Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT, beginning July 2, the LIVE eviction show hosted by Julie Chen will be broadcast on Wednesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT beginning July 3 and Sundays at 8:00PM ET/PT, beginning June 30. The Wednesday live eviction show will move to 8:00PM ET/PT on July 17 after the reality baking series completes its season order. Summer reruns of NCIS: Los Angeles will move to 10:00PM ET/PT on Tuesdays beginning July 2.
And finally, Unforgettable, starring Poppy Montgomery as a police detective with a rare condition that makes her memory so flawless that everything is embedded in her mind, and Dylan Walsh as her ex-boyfriend and partner, returns for its second season on Sunday, July 28 at 9:00PM ET/PT. Unforgettable replaces summer rebroadcasts of The Good Wife. The second season will consist of 13 episodes, so it is likely that Unforgettable will likely air into early fall. Stay tuned for updates. View the CBS summer 2013 schedule.
Among the other items of note, CBS wants to bring back Two and a Half Men for an 11th season next season, but nothing is signed yet. Season nine of How I Met Your Mother is not official, but will likely be sometime this week they said. And CBS still has not announced a premiere date for mid-season comedy Friend Me, but we're not even sure if it ever airs as a showrunner passed away.
Then after the executive session, it was time for series panels and first up was upcoming mid-season crime drama Golden Boy, which premieres Tuesday, Feb. 26. Then CBS had a panel for the upcoming reality series The Job, which premieres Friday, Feb. 8 hosted by Lisa Ling. That series is not to be confused with the ABC comedy of the same name from the early 2000's. Then there was a panel for The 55th Annual Grammy Awards, which air live on Sunday, Feb. 10 hosted by LL COOL J. After that session, CBS had a session with Thursday drama Elementary, which will have a special post-Super Bowl episode after the Super Bowl at approx. 10:15pm ET/7:15pm PT on Feb. 3. Then it was time for lunch and after lunch Showtime took over, so we won't cover that.
On Sunday, it was The CW's turn. After breakfast, there was an executive session with Mark Pedowitz (President, The CW). A couple of noteworthy items from here was that The CW is working on a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries called The Originals. They also discussed other potential pilots for next season, such as Wunderland and Amazon. They have not made a decision yet if Supernatural will return for a ninth season, so stay tuned. We think it will, but I don't think 90210 will be back. Following that, we had panels for upcoming series. First up was The Carrie Diaries, which premieres tonight (Monday) at 8pm. The next panel was for new drama Cult, which premieres Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 8pm starring Matt Davis (What About Brian, Vampire Diaries). And that's it. That was a quick day for The CW. We hope we have some sitcoms actually on this network soon.
The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards were given out last night. It was all cable winners last night, as no broadcast shows got a win for the first time ever (excluding PBS). Here are the full winners for the television portion:
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Episodes (Showtime)
Girls (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
Smash (NBC)
WINNER: Girls (HBO).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl (Fox)
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The Veep (HBO)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
WINNER: Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
WINNER: Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime).
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
The Newsroom (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
WINNER: Homeland (Showtime).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Connie Britton, Nashville (ABC)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Glenn Close, Damages (DirecTV)
Michelle Dockery, Homeland (HBO)
WINNER: Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Damian Lewis, Homeland (Showtime)
WINNER: Damian Lewis, Homeland (Showtime).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville (ABC)
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife (CBS)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC
Sarah Paulson, Game Change (mini-series) (HBO)
WINNER: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Max Greenfield, New Girl (Fox)
Danny Huston, Magic City (Starz)
Ed Harris, Game Change (mini-series) (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
WINNER: Ed Harris, Game Change (mini-series) (HBO).
View the FULL list of television winners and to discuss this.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Week 16 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2012-13 Week 16 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thu):
Households: N/A
Total Viewers: N/A.
Adults 18-49: N/A
Total Viewers: N/A.
Adults 18-49: N/A
Week 16 (Jan. 7-13) Analysis: The first full week of new airings for nearly every series after the holiday break was this week, but the big story was series highs for The Big Bang Theory for the second straight week. We don't have final network average for Thursday, so we we can't bring you the network first four night averages above. But we can project through the first four nights, CBS has the lead in HH/total viewers and adults 18-49 thanks to the huge Bang episode. ABC is probably a few tenths behind for second place in 18-49, and is a distant second in HH/viewers. NBC is likely in third behind ABC in both HH/viewers & 18-49, but Fox looks way back in fourth again. When the week is done, Fox will likely come back and take the week in 18-49 since they had the NFL playoffs in primetime last night (Saturday). Will it be enough though since Mon-Fri was so low? And CBS had an unexpected 50 minute overrun last night for NFL as well. It'll be close. More on that later. As for last week, week 15, NBC took home first in adults 18-49 after coming back big with a huge Saturday Night NFL Playoff game (that did 30.28 million and a 10.53 18-49 rating), just getting by second place Fox, which got a great overrun on Sunday (38.09 million and a 13.40 18-49 rating) for the late afternoon playoff game. Then CBS and ABC were well back. Among total viewers, NBC took that crown as well thanks to the game, while CBS was a very close second. Fox was a distant third and ABC was behind in fourth.
Monday saw NBC and ABC battle with reality, and both were close. Starting with ABC, the two-hour season premiere of The Bachelor from 8-10pm did 6.92 million and a 2.29 18-49 rating, which is decent and almost on par with last season's premiere. It should start building as the season goes along in a few weeks. At 10pm, Castle was all-new and did a first place 8.66 million and a solid 1.94 18-49 rating, nearly tying an NBC series premiere. For NBC, they had part two of The Biggest Loser season premiere from 8-10pm and did 6.39 million and a 2.40 18-49 rating, which is down a bit from the previous night's first part but neck-and-neck with ABC's competing reality series. At 10pm, the series premiere of new drama Deception didn't do much for a series premiere with 5.66 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating. If it can stay in this area, it will be fine, but likely it will drop 15-20% tomorrow night, which is not good news. CBS was in repeats with its comedies, as a repeat of How I Met Your Mother did 5.15 million and a 1.54 18-49 rating, up nearly seven tenths from previous week in 18-49. A repeat of 2 Broke Girls at 8:30pm did 5.07 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating, losing some of its lead-in's numbers, which is not good. A regular 9pm repeat of 2 Broke Girls followed with 6.07 million and a 1.82 18-49 rating, up about nine tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Next, a repeat of Mike & Molly did 5.86 million and a 1.61 18-49 rating, which is up nearly eight tenths or so in 18-49 from previous week. A repeat of drama Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 5.03 million and a 1.05 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Fox aired a repeat of Bones at 8 and did 4.26 million and a 0.93 18-49 rating, which was three tenths better in 18-49 than previous week, while the finale episode of dud The Mob Doctor did 3.27 million and a 0.86 18-49 rating, losing numbers from its lead-in, but up over four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's episode. The CW preempted 90210 as a repeat of Hart of Dixie aired at 8 and did 0.79 million and a 0.34 18-49 rating. At 9, a repeat of Beauty and the Beast on a special night did 0.68 million and a 0.22 18-49 rating, which is poor.
On Tuesday, it was CBS with an easy win as the other networks aired comedies against each other. First for CBS, a new episode of NCIS aired at 8 did 21.11 million and a 3.52 18-49 rating, for a season high in total viewers. Next a new NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 did 17.9 million and a 3.02 18-49 rating, which is also huge in total viewers, but could be better in 18-49 given the large total viewers. And finally at 10pm, a new airing of freshman Vegas did 10.92 million and only a 1.57 18-49 rating. Onto ABC, at 8pm a special repeat of Modern Family did a solid 5.76 million and a 1.69 18-49 rating, beating the competing new Fox comedy in total viewers and tying it in 18-49. A repeat of The Middle at 8:30pm beat the new Fox comedy outright with 4.86 million and a 1.51 18-49 rating. A new Happy Endings got a bit of a bump thanks to the lead-in of comedies and did 3.66 million and a 1.43 18-49 rating, which still could be better but nearly beat the NBC comedy. At 9:30pm, a new Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 didn't do well with just 3.11 million and a 1.11 18-49 rating. Private Practice was new and the first of its final three episodes doing only 4.01 million and a 1.13 18-49 rating. It should go up this week and for sure for the finale. NBC aired new episodes of Betty White's Off Their Rockers from 8-9pm. At 8pm it did 5.64 million and a 1.55 18-49 rating, losing to an ABC comedy repeat. At 8:30pm it did better with 6.15 million and a 1.85 18-49 rating. At 9pm, a new Go On did only 4.26 million and a 1.46 18-49 rating, which is a series low. At 9:30pm, The New Normal was back and did 3.23 million and a 1.29 18-49 rating, for a series low. Without The Voice as a lead-in, they tanked. At 10pm, a new episode of Parenthood did 5.3 million and a 1.94 18-49 rating, which is up nearly two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Fox aired comedies as well as a new Raising Hope at 8pm did 3.74 million and a 1.71 18-49 rating. A new Ben and Kate did horrible with 2.36 million and a 1.15 18-49 rating at 8:30pm. A new episode of New Girl followed at 9 with 3.78 million and a 2.05 18-49 rating, which is the best of the block but clearly lower than last season. At 9:30pm, a new The Mindy Project did 2.85 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating, as this is still a disappointment. The CW aired a repeat of Hart of Dixie at 8 and did 0.79 million and a 0.26 18-49 rating, down nearly a tenth in 18-49 from previous week, while a new episode of new series Emily Owens MD at 9 did 1.09 million and only a 0.26 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
Wednesday had ABC take the night in 18-49 with its comedies, while CBS took the total viewer crown. CBS started the night off with a new episode of the series of specials I Get That A Lot at 8pm doing 7.46 million and a 1.89 18-49 rating, which is no where near the numbers of earlier specials. From 9-11, Criminal Minds and CSI were preempted for the annual People's Choice Awards and did 9.72 million and a 2.67 18-49 rating, which is up a bit from last season. Honestly, that awards show is now a joke and no longer what it used to be. ABC kicked off the night with a new episode of The Middle doing 8.39 million and a 2.42 18-49 rating, which is solid and won its timeslot easily. At 8:30pm a hilarious new episode of The Neighbors did 6.65 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, also winning its timeslot. At 9pm, a new episode of Modern Family did the best of the block with 12.04 million and a 4.73 18-49 rating, which is great and likely could do better this week with a big episode on the way. Suburgatory followed at 9:30pm with 6.84 million and a 2.63 18-49 rating, which is very solid and the retention is better than you think because the lead-in is heavily DVRed and watched later on in the night. At 10pm, Nashville was all-new and did 5.92 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, which is the best it has done since the second episode. Great episode and with a Golden Globe win tonight from either Britton or Hayden, it could spike this week. On Fox, the two-hour special Stars in Danger didn't do much doing 3.33 million and a 1.31 18-49 rating, slightly better than Mobbed. Onto NBC a new Whitney started it off at 8pm with 4.11 million and a 1.42 18-49 rating, down about four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season high. At 8:30pm, a new Guys with Kids did 3.97 million and a 1.32 18-49 rating, which was down over four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Law & Order: SVU followed at 9pm with a new episode as well that did 8.42 million and a 2.09 18-49 rating, which is down around a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, a new Chicago Fire did 8.04 million and a 2.18 18-49 rating, which is down about two and a half tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Solid, but it didn't face its main competition of CSI. The CW aired a repeat of its new hit Arrow and did 1.62 million and a 0.45 18-49 rating, which is on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9pm, a repeat of Supernatural did 0.92 million and a 0.34 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
We don't have final ratings in two decimal points yet for this night. On Thursday, CBS easily took the night in both 18-49 and total viewers. Starting with ABC, a new episode of Last Resort did 5.81 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was new and did a solid 9.34 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating. The surging Scandal at 10pm did a series best 8.37 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, the best 10pm ratings of the week on any network! CBS had a night of new episodes and opened with a new The Big Bang Theory doing 20.00 million and a 6.4 18-49 rating, which is amazing and another series high, up about three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. Now it is in repeats the next two weeks. A new Two and a Half Men was up next and benefited with 14.41 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, but oddly down three tenths or so from previous week's season high. At 9pm, a new Person of Interest followed with 15.67 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth or so from previous week's season high. At 10pm, a new airing of freshman Elementary closed the night with 11.48 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's best number in weeks. Fox had another burn-off episode of Mobbed at 8pm airing doing 3.23 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, which was about a tenth better in 18-49 than previous week. At 9pm, a repeat of Glee did 2.02 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. NBC aired new episodes of its comedies, as a new 30 Rock did just 3.79 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 8:30pm, a special repeat of the 1600 Penn premiere did 3.96 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 9, The Office was new and did 4.54 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, which is not good but better than recently. A new episode of 1600 Penn followed with only 3.86 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, as Parks & Recreation will move to 8:30pm this week. And it got worse at 10pm with a new Rock Center with Brian Williams doing just 3.77 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries and new series Beauty and the Beast were preempted for the Critics Choice Awards that did 1.88 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS and ABC were tied for first in 18-49. New episodes of Last Man Standing and Malibu Country did solid for ABC, but CBS took the hour with Undercover Boss. ABC was back to first at 9pm with a new Shark Tank and it was #1 for the night as well. From 9-11pm Dateline did solid on NBC, growing at 10pm. CBS had season highs for CSI: NY and Blue Bloods and ABC 20/20 did decent. Fringe was a distant fourth for Fox at 9pm.
Saturday obviously had Fox take the night in 18-49 thanks to the NFL Playoffs, but CBS had a 50 minute overrun until 8:50pm ET that helped them a lot. CBS then did OK at 10 with 48 Hours. ABC did solid for Saturday with 2013 Miss America Pageant from 9-11pm. NBC didn't do much with repeats of Biggest Loser and Deception..
Monday saw NBC and ABC battle with reality, and both were close. Starting with ABC, the two-hour season premiere of The Bachelor from 8-10pm did 6.92 million and a 2.29 18-49 rating, which is decent and almost on par with last season's premiere. It should start building as the season goes along in a few weeks. At 10pm, Castle was all-new and did a first place 8.66 million and a solid 1.94 18-49 rating, nearly tying an NBC series premiere. For NBC, they had part two of The Biggest Loser season premiere from 8-10pm and did 6.39 million and a 2.40 18-49 rating, which is down a bit from the previous night's first part but neck-and-neck with ABC's competing reality series. At 10pm, the series premiere of new drama Deception didn't do much for a series premiere with 5.66 million and a 2.03 18-49 rating. If it can stay in this area, it will be fine, but likely it will drop 15-20% tomorrow night, which is not good news. CBS was in repeats with its comedies, as a repeat of How I Met Your Mother did 5.15 million and a 1.54 18-49 rating, up nearly seven tenths from previous week in 18-49. A repeat of 2 Broke Girls at 8:30pm did 5.07 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating, losing some of its lead-in's numbers, which is not good. A regular 9pm repeat of 2 Broke Girls followed with 6.07 million and a 1.82 18-49 rating, up about nine tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Next, a repeat of Mike & Molly did 5.86 million and a 1.61 18-49 rating, which is up nearly eight tenths or so in 18-49 from previous week. A repeat of drama Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 5.03 million and a 1.05 18-49 rating, up three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Fox aired a repeat of Bones at 8 and did 4.26 million and a 0.93 18-49 rating, which was three tenths better in 18-49 than previous week, while the finale episode of dud The Mob Doctor did 3.27 million and a 0.86 18-49 rating, losing numbers from its lead-in, but up over four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's episode. The CW preempted 90210 as a repeat of Hart of Dixie aired at 8 and did 0.79 million and a 0.34 18-49 rating. At 9, a repeat of Beauty and the Beast on a special night did 0.68 million and a 0.22 18-49 rating, which is poor.
On Tuesday, it was CBS with an easy win as the other networks aired comedies against each other. First for CBS, a new episode of NCIS aired at 8 did 21.11 million and a 3.52 18-49 rating, for a season high in total viewers. Next a new NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 did 17.9 million and a 3.02 18-49 rating, which is also huge in total viewers, but could be better in 18-49 given the large total viewers. And finally at 10pm, a new airing of freshman Vegas did 10.92 million and only a 1.57 18-49 rating. Onto ABC, at 8pm a special repeat of Modern Family did a solid 5.76 million and a 1.69 18-49 rating, beating the competing new Fox comedy in total viewers and tying it in 18-49. A repeat of The Middle at 8:30pm beat the new Fox comedy outright with 4.86 million and a 1.51 18-49 rating. A new Happy Endings got a bit of a bump thanks to the lead-in of comedies and did 3.66 million and a 1.43 18-49 rating, which still could be better but nearly beat the NBC comedy. At 9:30pm, a new Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 didn't do well with just 3.11 million and a 1.11 18-49 rating. Private Practice was new and the first of its final three episodes doing only 4.01 million and a 1.13 18-49 rating. It should go up this week and for sure for the finale. NBC aired new episodes of Betty White's Off Their Rockers from 8-9pm. At 8pm it did 5.64 million and a 1.55 18-49 rating, losing to an ABC comedy repeat. At 8:30pm it did better with 6.15 million and a 1.85 18-49 rating. At 9pm, a new Go On did only 4.26 million and a 1.46 18-49 rating, which is a series low. At 9:30pm, The New Normal was back and did 3.23 million and a 1.29 18-49 rating, for a series low. Without The Voice as a lead-in, they tanked. At 10pm, a new episode of Parenthood did 5.3 million and a 1.94 18-49 rating, which is up nearly two tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Fox aired comedies as well as a new Raising Hope at 8pm did 3.74 million and a 1.71 18-49 rating. A new Ben and Kate did horrible with 2.36 million and a 1.15 18-49 rating at 8:30pm. A new episode of New Girl followed at 9 with 3.78 million and a 2.05 18-49 rating, which is the best of the block but clearly lower than last season. At 9:30pm, a new The Mindy Project did 2.85 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating, as this is still a disappointment. The CW aired a repeat of Hart of Dixie at 8 and did 0.79 million and a 0.26 18-49 rating, down nearly a tenth in 18-49 from previous week, while a new episode of new series Emily Owens MD at 9 did 1.09 million and only a 0.26 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
Wednesday had ABC take the night in 18-49 with its comedies, while CBS took the total viewer crown. CBS started the night off with a new episode of the series of specials I Get That A Lot at 8pm doing 7.46 million and a 1.89 18-49 rating, which is no where near the numbers of earlier specials. From 9-11, Criminal Minds and CSI were preempted for the annual People's Choice Awards and did 9.72 million and a 2.67 18-49 rating, which is up a bit from last season. Honestly, that awards show is now a joke and no longer what it used to be. ABC kicked off the night with a new episode of The Middle doing 8.39 million and a 2.42 18-49 rating, which is solid and won its timeslot easily. At 8:30pm a hilarious new episode of The Neighbors did 6.65 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, also winning its timeslot. At 9pm, a new episode of Modern Family did the best of the block with 12.04 million and a 4.73 18-49 rating, which is great and likely could do better this week with a big episode on the way. Suburgatory followed at 9:30pm with 6.84 million and a 2.63 18-49 rating, which is very solid and the retention is better than you think because the lead-in is heavily DVRed and watched later on in the night. At 10pm, Nashville was all-new and did 5.92 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, which is the best it has done since the second episode. Great episode and with a Golden Globe win tonight from either Britton or Hayden, it could spike this week. On Fox, the two-hour special Stars in Danger didn't do much doing 3.33 million and a 1.31 18-49 rating, slightly better than Mobbed. Onto NBC a new Whitney started it off at 8pm with 4.11 million and a 1.42 18-49 rating, down about four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season high. At 8:30pm, a new Guys with Kids did 3.97 million and a 1.32 18-49 rating, which was down over four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Law & Order: SVU followed at 9pm with a new episode as well that did 8.42 million and a 2.09 18-49 rating, which is down around a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. At 10pm, a new Chicago Fire did 8.04 million and a 2.18 18-49 rating, which is down about two and a half tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Solid, but it didn't face its main competition of CSI. The CW aired a repeat of its new hit Arrow and did 1.62 million and a 0.45 18-49 rating, which is on par in 18-49 with previous week. At 9pm, a repeat of Supernatural did 0.92 million and a 0.34 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
We don't have final ratings in two decimal points yet for this night. On Thursday, CBS easily took the night in both 18-49 and total viewers. Starting with ABC, a new episode of Last Resort did 5.81 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. At 9pm, Grey's Anatomy was new and did a solid 9.34 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating. The surging Scandal at 10pm did a series best 8.37 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, the best 10pm ratings of the week on any network! CBS had a night of new episodes and opened with a new The Big Bang Theory doing 20.00 million and a 6.4 18-49 rating, which is amazing and another series high, up about three tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. Now it is in repeats the next two weeks. A new Two and a Half Men was up next and benefited with 14.41 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, but oddly down three tenths or so from previous week's season high. At 9pm, a new Person of Interest followed with 15.67 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, which is down a tenth or so from previous week's season high. At 10pm, a new airing of freshman Elementary closed the night with 11.48 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down about two tenths in 18-49 from previous week's best number in weeks. Fox had another burn-off episode of Mobbed at 8pm airing doing 3.23 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, which was about a tenth better in 18-49 than previous week. At 9pm, a repeat of Glee did 2.02 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. NBC aired new episodes of its comedies, as a new 30 Rock did just 3.79 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 8:30pm, a special repeat of the 1600 Penn premiere did 3.96 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 9, The Office was new and did 4.54 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, which is not good but better than recently. A new episode of 1600 Penn followed with only 3.86 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, as Parks & Recreation will move to 8:30pm this week. And it got worse at 10pm with a new Rock Center with Brian Williams doing just 3.77 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries and new series Beauty and the Beast were preempted for the Critics Choice Awards that did 1.88 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS and ABC were tied for first in 18-49. New episodes of Last Man Standing and Malibu Country did solid for ABC, but CBS took the hour with Undercover Boss. ABC was back to first at 9pm with a new Shark Tank and it was #1 for the night as well. From 9-11pm Dateline did solid on NBC, growing at 10pm. CBS had season highs for CSI: NY and Blue Bloods and ABC 20/20 did decent. Fringe was a distant fourth for Fox at 9pm.
Saturday obviously had Fox take the night in 18-49 thanks to the NFL Playoffs, but CBS had a 50 minute overrun until 8:50pm ET that helped them a lot. CBS then did OK at 10 with 48 Hours. ABC did solid for Saturday with 2013 Miss America Pageant from 9-11pm. NBC didn't do much with repeats of Biggest Loser and Deception..
Tonight ABC Sunday is all-new with its normal line-up of AFV, Once Upon a Time, Revenge and now Happy Endings/Apt. 23 at 10. Look for a third place finish behind NFL driven network CBS and NBC which has the Globes. NBC doesn't have NFL but will finish second likely tonight with the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards. CBS is all-new following NFL Playoff action, with 60 Minutes at a special time of 8pm, followed by new episodes of The Good Wife & The Mentatlist. Fox's animation block is all-new from 7:30-10pm and could battle ABC for third.
As for the week (week 16), Fox will likely take first in 18-49 thanks to the playoff game last night, but CBS could hang on as they had an unexpected overrun last night and also has a scheduled overrun tonight. ABC and NBC will be behind. For total viewers, it should be CBS on top here as well thanks to the overruns, then likely Fox, then ABC and NBC will battle. As for the coming week (week 17), more new episodes return, like CBS Monday, and the season premiere of American Idol is Wednesday and Thursday. Oh boy. I expect it to be down a lot.
Week 16 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 15 -- Dec. 31-Jan. 6)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - A new episode at 8:03 did 8.97 million and a 4.17 18-49 rating following NFL Wildcard Playoff action. So it was obviously above average.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - At 8:33, a new episode did 6.4 million and 3.08 18-49 rating, which is way above normal thanks to the NFL Playoff game.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode at 9:03 did 7.21 million and a 3.57 18-49 rating, which is above normal for this season.
- American Dad! (Fox) - A 9:34pm airing was new and did 5.65 million and a 2.76 18-49 rating, which like the other comedies preceding it, is above normal.
- Happy Endings (ABC) - A special 3 week run on Sundays started but didn't do much with only 2.4 million and a 0.97 18-49 rating, for a series low. Too bad...great episode.
- Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23 (ABC) - A new episode at 10:30pm did 2.21 million and a 0.89 18-49 rating.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 5.15 million and a 1.54 18-49 rating, which is up a good number from previous two weeks when it was repeats on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- 2 Broke Girls (CBS) 2 airings - A repeat at 9 did 6.07 million and a 1.82 18-49 rating, which is not bad for a repeat these days. A repeat leading in at 8:30 did OK with 5.07 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 5.86 million and a 1.61 18-49 rating, which like the other CBS comedy repeats, is way better than previous two weeks on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Raising Hope (Fox) - A new episode at 8 pulled 3.74 million and a 1.71 18-49 rating, which is not too bad but only good enough to tie an ABC sitcom repeat in the half-hour.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A special 8pm repeat did 5.76 million and a 1.69 18-49 rating, beating the new Fox airing in total viewers and literally tying it in 18-49. Wow.
- Ben and Kate (Fox) - A new 8:30pm airing did only 2.36 million and a 1.15 18-49 rating, which lost big to an ABC sitcom repeat in the half-hour.
- The Middle (ABC) - A special repeat at 8:30pm did 4.86 million and a 1.51 18-49 rating, which is good for a repeat and beat a new Fox sitcom airing. Nice.
- New Girl (Fox) - A new showing at 9 did just 3.78 million and a 2.05 18-49 rating, which is best of the block but what has happened to this series in the ratings?
- Go On (NBC) - A new episode at 9 tanked without The Voice as a lead-in and did only 4.29 million and a 1.46 18-49 rating.
- Happy Endings (ABC) - A new episode at 9pm got a bit of a bump airing after comedies and did 3.66 million and a 1.43 18-49 rating, nearly tying the competing NBC comedy. I think this show deserves to air after comedies instead of on an island.
- The Mindy Project (Fox) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 2.85 million and a 1.50 18-49 rating. Continues to be a huge disappointment.
- The New Normal (NBC) - Like its lead-in, it was way down as a new episode did 3.23 million and a 1.29 18-49 rating.
- Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (ABC) - A new airing at 9:30pm didn't do much with just 3.11 million and a 1.11 18-49 rating. At this point, I would just save Happy Endings.
- The Middle (ABC) - A new episode at 8 did 8.39 million and a 2.42 18-49 rating, which easily won its time period. Great episode!
- Whitney (NBC) - A new episode at 8 did 4.11 million and a 1.42 18-49 rating, which is down around four tenths in 18-49 from previous week's fool's gold season high.
- The Neighbors (ABC) - A new showing of this new comedy did 6.65 million and a 2.06 18-49 rating, which also won its timeslot in 18-49. One of the surprises of the season.
- Guys with Kids (NBC) - At 8:30pm, a new episode of this series did 3.97 million and a 1.32 18-49 rating, which is a down over four tenths in 18-49 from previous week as I mentioned last week it was playing with fool's gold since there was nothing new!
- Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode at 9 did 12.04 million and a 4.73 18-49 rating. I thought it would be in the 5's, but perhaps this week with the big episode. Baby on the way this week? We shall see!
- Suburgatory (ABC) - A new episode at 9:30pm did 6.84 million and a 2.63 18-49 rating, which is solid.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - At 8pm, a new episode did 20.00 million and a 6.4 18-49 rating, wow, for another series high. It was up about three tenths in 18-49 from previous week. Amazing. But now it is in repeats until the 31st.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A new episode took advantage of the higher lead-in and did 14.4 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, down around three tenths in 18-49 from previous week's season high.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - A new episode at 8 only mustered 3.79 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, as we get ready for the series finale on Jan. 31.
- 1600 Penn (NBC) 2 airings - A repeat of the premiere at 8:30 did 3.96 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. A new episode at 9:30pm didn't do well with 3.86 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating.
- The Office (NBC) - A new episode did 4.54 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, which is up from recent airings but still low.
- Parks & Recreation (NBC) - preempted, moves to 8:30 this week.
- Last Man Standing (ABC) - A new episode did a prelim 7.05 million and a prelim 1.5 18-49 rating, about a tenth better in 18-49 from previous week's prelim ratings.
- Malibu Country (ABC) - A new episode of this new comedy did a prelim 6.15 million and a prelim 1.4 18-49 rating, up two tenths or so in 18-49 from previous week's prelim ratings.
- 1600 Penn (NBC) 2 airings - The first two episodes repeated, with the 8pm airing doing a prelim 3.13 million and a prelim 0.8 18-49 rating. A second repeat did a prelim 2.92 million and a prelim 0.9 18-49 rating.
- None
Summing it up. The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Middle, Suburgatory, 2 Broke Girls were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as New Girl, The Neighbors) or just plain terrible (such as Ben & Kate, Apartment 23, New Normal).
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Digital Digest: New Offerings on Online Streaming Sites; Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2 DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we've got a review of the latest release of Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2, as well as all of our regular features. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
This week, we don't have a lot of DVD news, but we do have several items about new offerings on online streaming sites. We start with Hulu, which has slowly been adding some of their new material from the CBS library. Among their more recent editions, you can now watch every episode of series such as Family Ties, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Twilight Zone, MacGyver, and more for absolutely free! Also, they have added The Game and Frasier, but unlike the other series, these require a subscription to Hulu+.
Meanwhile, Netflix and Warner Bros. recently made an agreement, which already brought the series The West Wing to the service not too long ago. But more is to come, mostly in the form of dramas, as the service adds series including Revolution, Chuck, The Following, Longmire, Political Animals, 666 Park Avenue and Fringe. Hopefully, they'll eventually add some sitcoms from the Warner library... we know we'd sure love to see some!
Of course, if standard sitcoms and dramas don't interest you, there is also the option of watching some of the "unscripted" (that is a little debatable, of course) series from A&E Networks... and even though these recently disappeared from Netflix, a new deal is in place with Amazon Prime. New additions in this deal include Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Dance Moms.
We do have one piece of DVD news this week, courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com. According to them, the MOD release of Rob - The DVD Edition will begin shipping on Tuesday. However, there is not a whole lot of other information known about this release just yet.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 15) has has no sitcom releases, but there are two releases of note. First, CBS has Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2. We have a review of this set today in Digital Digest. Additionally, Shout! Factory has the final season of an '80s detective drama with Simon & Simon - The Final (Eighth) Season. We hope to have a review of this set soon.
Perry Mason is back to bring order to the court room 15 more times in Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2. The latest release from CBS brings the final 15 episodes of the 1964-1965 season to DVD in a four disc set. And of course, just like all of the previous releases, you'll once again see Perry Mason take on some of the worst looking cases, where there is absolutely no hope of a defendant being found not guilty on their charges... but you can always count on Mason to come through and prove it.
A con man is in trouble after trying to swindle his wealthy aunts out of their fortune in "The Case of the Thermal Thief." In "The Case of the Golden Venom," Perry loses a case, and must now rush to save his client from being executed. A man may have gotten away with the perfect crime... may have, at least... in "The Case of the Telltale Tap." In "The Case of the Feather Cloak," Perry is embroiled in a case involving fraud, gold, and (of course) murder. Perry gets involved in a murder case involving a prep school in "The Case of the Lover's Gamble." In "The Case of the Fatal Fetish," Perry takes on a murder that results from art fraud. A door to door saleswoman is accused of doing more than selling goods door to door in "The Case of the Sad Sicilian." When a woman goes searching for her late grandfather's missing stash of stolen diamonds, she ends up becoming a murder suspect in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid."
The episodes appear to be unedited. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Case of the Thermal Thief" (51:33)
2. "The Case of the Golden Venom" (51:36)
3. "The Case of the Telltale Tap" (51:28)
4. "The Case of the Feather Cloak" (51:37)
Disc 2:
5. "The Case of the Lover's Gamble" (51:33)
6. "The Case of the Fatal Fetish" (51:34)
7. "The Case of the Sad Sicilian" (51:33)
8. "The Case of a Place Murderous Mermaid" (51:36)
Disc 3:
9. "The Case of the Careless Kitten" (51:35)
10. "The Case of the Deadly Debt" (51:35)
11. "The Case of the Gambling Lady" (51:41)
12. "The Case of the Duplicate Case" (51:36)
Disc 4:
13. "The Case of the Grinning Gorilla" (51:03)
14. "The Case of the Wrongful Writ" (51:38)
15. "The Case of the Mischievous Doll" (51:34)
The packaging for this set doesn't deviate from previous releases, with a large photo of Perry on the cover (who else?), and some color still photos of other cast members above him. On the back, there are some black and white cast photos, along with a brief series description. Inside the case, you'll find episode titles, descriptions, and airdates for each episode. Of course, you'll also find the four discs, each of which has the logo printed on the silver background (the CBS standard). Episode titles are also printed on each disc.
The menus are very plain, but functional. The main menu has a large photo of Perry on it, along with a listing of episodes on the disc, a Play All Option, and Subtitles option. There are no other menus on the set, at all. Each episode has chapters placed in all of the appropriate places.
There is absolutely no problem with the video and audio quality on this set, and that is no surprise. We've had perfection through all of the previous sets, and we have it again. Of course, there is some grain and debris here and there, but you would expect that for a series this old. Each episode contains English subtitles.
DIGITAL NEWS
This week, we don't have a lot of DVD news, but we do have several items about new offerings on online streaming sites. We start with Hulu, which has slowly been adding some of their new material from the CBS library. Among their more recent editions, you can now watch every episode of series such as Family Ties, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Twilight Zone, MacGyver, and more for absolutely free! Also, they have added The Game and Frasier, but unlike the other series, these require a subscription to Hulu+.
Meanwhile, Netflix and Warner Bros. recently made an agreement, which already brought the series The West Wing to the service not too long ago. But more is to come, mostly in the form of dramas, as the service adds series including Revolution, Chuck, The Following, Longmire, Political Animals, 666 Park Avenue and Fringe. Hopefully, they'll eventually add some sitcoms from the Warner library... we know we'd sure love to see some!
Of course, if standard sitcoms and dramas don't interest you, there is also the option of watching some of the "unscripted" (that is a little debatable, of course) series from A&E Networks... and even though these recently disappeared from Netflix, a new deal is in place with Amazon Prime. New additions in this deal include Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Dance Moms.
We do have one piece of DVD news this week, courtesy of TVShowsOnDVD.com. According to them, the MOD release of Rob - The DVD Edition will begin shipping on Tuesday. However, there is not a whole lot of other information known about this release just yet.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 15) has has no sitcom releases, but there are two releases of note. First, CBS has Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2. We have a review of this set today in Digital Digest. Additionally, Shout! Factory has the final season of an '80s detective drama with Simon & Simon - The Final (Eighth) Season. We hope to have a review of this set soon.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2 (CBS DVD, $49.99)
by skees53
Perry Mason is back to bring order to the court room 15 more times in Perry Mason - Season 8, Volume 2. The latest release from CBS brings the final 15 episodes of the 1964-1965 season to DVD in a four disc set. And of course, just like all of the previous releases, you'll once again see Perry Mason take on some of the worst looking cases, where there is absolutely no hope of a defendant being found not guilty on their charges... but you can always count on Mason to come through and prove it.
A con man is in trouble after trying to swindle his wealthy aunts out of their fortune in "The Case of the Thermal Thief." In "The Case of the Golden Venom," Perry loses a case, and must now rush to save his client from being executed. A man may have gotten away with the perfect crime... may have, at least... in "The Case of the Telltale Tap." In "The Case of the Feather Cloak," Perry is embroiled in a case involving fraud, gold, and (of course) murder. Perry gets involved in a murder case involving a prep school in "The Case of the Lover's Gamble." In "The Case of the Fatal Fetish," Perry takes on a murder that results from art fraud. A door to door saleswoman is accused of doing more than selling goods door to door in "The Case of the Sad Sicilian." When a woman goes searching for her late grandfather's missing stash of stolen diamonds, she ends up becoming a murder suspect in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid."
An attorney ends up dead when the reading of a will doesn't go the way the family hopes in "The Case of the Careless Kitten." In "The Case of the Deadly Debt," an innocent (well, as innocent as it gets compared to murder) liquor store robbery becomes much more for a troubled youth when it takes a fatal turn. A real estate swindle turns to murder in "The Case of the Gambling Lady." In "The Case of the Duplicate Case," a fight over a family business leaves one brother being accused of stabbing the other in the back. Literally. A woman tries to protect her husband who is released from parole in "The Case of the Grinning Gorilla," but how much can she do when he is accused of a new crime? A man suspects his boss of embezzlement in "The Case of the Wrongful Writ," but of course, when his boss turns up dead, who is going to be accused? The season ends with "The Case of the Mischievous Doll," where a fashion model is accused of shooting a photographer who had been blackmailing her sister.
The episodes appear to be unedited. Runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Case of the Thermal Thief" (51:33)
2. "The Case of the Golden Venom" (51:36)
3. "The Case of the Telltale Tap" (51:28)
4. "The Case of the Feather Cloak" (51:37)
Disc 2:
5. "The Case of the Lover's Gamble" (51:33)
6. "The Case of the Fatal Fetish" (51:34)
7. "The Case of the Sad Sicilian" (51:33)
8. "The Case of a Place Murderous Mermaid" (51:36)
Disc 3:
9. "The Case of the Careless Kitten" (51:35)
10. "The Case of the Deadly Debt" (51:35)
11. "The Case of the Gambling Lady" (51:41)
12. "The Case of the Duplicate Case" (51:36)
Disc 4:
13. "The Case of the Grinning Gorilla" (51:03)
14. "The Case of the Wrongful Writ" (51:38)
15. "The Case of the Mischievous Doll" (51:34)
The packaging for this set doesn't deviate from previous releases, with a large photo of Perry on the cover (who else?), and some color still photos of other cast members above him. On the back, there are some black and white cast photos, along with a brief series description. Inside the case, you'll find episode titles, descriptions, and airdates for each episode. Of course, you'll also find the four discs, each of which has the logo printed on the silver background (the CBS standard). Episode titles are also printed on each disc.
The menus are very plain, but functional. The main menu has a large photo of Perry on it, along with a listing of episodes on the disc, a Play All Option, and Subtitles option. There are no other menus on the set, at all. Each episode has chapters placed in all of the appropriate places.
There is absolutely no problem with the video and audio quality on this set, and that is no surprise. We've had perfection through all of the previous sets, and we have it again. Of course, there is some grain and debris here and there, but you would expect that for a series this old. Each episode contains English subtitles.
After releasing 15 volumes of releases with no special features at all, they finally included one this time! Unfortunately, it isn't much. On Disc 4, there is a "Law Day promo" (0:34), where Raymond Burr does a commercial for Law Day. In case you don't know what that is... and I know that I sure didn't... it is a day (May 1) that Dwight D. Eisenhower declared to celebrate laws and rights. Apparently, it is a day that pretty much only attorneys and others in the legal system are even aware of.
I have to wonder how many fans out there have actually gotten through all of the first 230 episodes already and are ready for this set... that is an awful lot to watch, and this CBS is releasing these so fast that it would be hard for anybody to keep up! Even so, it is almost sad to see that we're getting closer and closer to the end of this series. We've just got two more sets to go (both season nine), and it seems likely that we'll see the rest this year. But the funny thing is that these sets are consistently great... great episodes, great video quality, great audio quality, etc. And if this keeps up, Perry Mason may be one of the few series to be released all the way through without flaws.
(4/5 stars)
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FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: B.J. Novak (Twitter), "One time Larry David was seated at a table behind me at a restaurant"
Claim to Fame: Benjamin Joseph Novak, or "B.J." as his fans know him, is best known for being a writer, director, executive producer, and an actor playing Ryan Howard on the NBC series The Office... at least until the end of last season. These days, he is taking a little breather from all of that... but that doesn't change the fact that he has already made a name for himself.
Why You Should Follow Him: Sometimes, when we think of Twitter, we think of stereotypical pretentious hipsters. And I think that we can all agree that Novak's character of Ryan was just that... well, at least in the later seasons of the series. While we won't stereotype Novak in that way, his Twitter feed is a fun one to follow. Much like his fellow cast members from The Office, he maintains a Twitter feed where he just tries to be himself, and isn't always out there constantly hyping how great he is or reminding people to watch such and such (although he does at times). Instead, what you'll find is a very down-to-earth Harvard graduate who just so happened to make it to fame keeping a fun and often funny Twitter feed.
Pick of the Tweets: "Numbers are our friends. For example, Six from Blossom" (September 12, 2012)
I have to wonder how many fans out there have actually gotten through all of the first 230 episodes already and are ready for this set... that is an awful lot to watch, and this CBS is releasing these so fast that it would be hard for anybody to keep up! Even so, it is almost sad to see that we're getting closer and closer to the end of this series. We've just got two more sets to go (both season nine), and it seems likely that we'll see the rest this year. But the funny thing is that these sets are consistently great... great episodes, great video quality, great audio quality, etc. And if this keeps up, Perry Mason may be one of the few series to be released all the way through without flaws.
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FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: B.J. Novak (Twitter), "One time Larry David was seated at a table behind me at a restaurant"
Claim to Fame: Benjamin Joseph Novak, or "B.J." as his fans know him, is best known for being a writer, director, executive producer, and an actor playing Ryan Howard on the NBC series The Office... at least until the end of last season. These days, he is taking a little breather from all of that... but that doesn't change the fact that he has already made a name for himself.
Why You Should Follow Him: Sometimes, when we think of Twitter, we think of stereotypical pretentious hipsters. And I think that we can all agree that Novak's character of Ryan was just that... well, at least in the later seasons of the series. While we won't stereotype Novak in that way, his Twitter feed is a fun one to follow. Much like his fellow cast members from The Office, he maintains a Twitter feed where he just tries to be himself, and isn't always out there constantly hyping how great he is or reminding people to watch such and such (although he does at times). Instead, what you'll find is a very down-to-earth Harvard graduate who just so happened to make it to fame keeping a fun and often funny Twitter feed.
Pick of the Tweets: "Numbers are our friends. For example, Six from Blossom" (September 12, 2012)
Friday, January 11, 2013
Cougar Town TBS Premiere Debuts Well; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 14, 2013)
The move from ABC to TBS was off to a decent start for one sitcom. TBS's Cougar Town scored solid deliveries among the network's target demos this past Tuesday night at 10pm, drawing more than 1.3 million adults 18-49 (1.1 rating) and 613,000 adults 18-34 (0.9 rating) in Live + Same Day following a syndicated repeat of The Big Bang Theory at 9:30. The season opener also welcomed a total of 2.18 million viewers and a 1.5 household rating, as it launched in its new network home and skewed very young. All this is lower than the last two comedy premieres -- Men at Work: 2.65 million total and 1.63 million adults 18-49 -- Sullivan & Son: 2.5 million total viewers and the same 1.3 million adults 18-49. However, those were brand new series, while Cougar Town was a fourth season debut. And those shows were multi-camera and dropped some in subsequent weeks, but TBS still picked them up for second seasons. Cougar Town was picked-up for a fourth and fifth season on TBS and if it keeps these ratings up, it will be fine with less pressure here on TBS.
Cougar Town - which stars Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, Busy Philipps and Dan Byrd - airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on TBS. The series follows a family of friends who keep things funny as they support each other through the challenges and pitfalls of life - with a little dysfunction and a whole lot of wine.
Home Improvement reunion tonight on Tim Allen's Last Man Standing at 8|7c on ABC. Richard Karn guests.
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 January 14-18, 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, January 14, 2013
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men/Spin City) - Watch Charlie on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Billy Connolly (Head of the Class/Billy) - Billy appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen) - Ellen is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jenna Elfman (1600 Penn/Courting Alex/Dharma & Greg) - Jenna visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) - Beth stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Tune in to see Jada on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Tia Mowry (The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia appears on The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
- Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life) - Lisa will be the guest co-host of The Jeff Probst Show for the foreseeable future, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Harper (Rhoda/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Valerie's Family) - Valerie discusses her book, I, Rhoda, on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am. She also chats on Joy Behar: Say Anything! at 9pm on Current TV.
- Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Catch Jennifer on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. is a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Rob appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Lena Dunham (Girls) - Tune in to see Lena on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Bill Pullman (1600 Penn) - Bill drops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie continues to make the rounds on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Valerie Harper (Rhoda/The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Valerie's Family) - Valerie is a guest on The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
- Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show) - Carl appears with Mel Brooks on Joy Behar: Say Anything! at 9pm on Current TV.
- Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin stops by The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) - Watch Ray on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ted Danson (Cheers/Frasier) - Ted appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie drops by ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am. He will also be on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Harper (Rhoda/Valerie's Family) - Valerie will speak out about her lung cancer diagnosis on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle - Frankie talks about his "mini-stroke" on Katie, so check your local listings.
- Luis Guzmán (How to Make it in America/Luis) - Luis visits The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Busy Philipps (Cougar Town) - Busy appears on Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
- Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Rob on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Lena Dunham (Girls) - Lena continues to make the rounds on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
- Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) - Josh is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men - Charlie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Josh Gad (1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh appears on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Josh Gad (1600 Penn/Back to You) - Watch Josh on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Chris Elliott (Get a Life) - Chris appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
- D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. guest co-hosts Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
- Tom Arnold (Tom/Roseanne) - Tom guest co-hosts "Guy Day Friday" on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour: ABC; 39th Annual People's Choice Awards Winners
Today it is ABC's turn at the TCA Winter 2013 Press Tour. The festivities began with the Oscar nominations bright and early. Then back at the Langham hotel a few hours later, the press tour began with breakfast followed by two sessions with ABC Family dramas: Bunheads and Pretty Little Liars. Both dramas are airing new episodes currently and Tuesday's winter premiere of Pretty Little Liars dominated the young 18-34 demos (adults and women) in the 8pm hour, winning the hour - beating everything on broadcast. Following those sessions, it was time for an executive session with Paul Lee (President, ABC Entertainment Group). There wasn't any real announcements that were noteworthy. Among the items discussed were ABC will continue to bring in two cycles a season of Dancing with the Stars, which despite a ratings drop has continued to bring audiences of all ages. Also of note is that ABC loves Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- despite the low ratings and that they are working on bringing the Marvel production S.H.I.E.L.D. from Joss Whedon hopefully on TV by next fall.
Then following the executive session, we kicked-off the ABC series portion with two sessions for two upcoming dramas: Red Widow (premiering Sunday, March 3) and Zero Hour (premiering Thursday, Feb. 14). Then it was off to lunch with the producers and judges of upcoming reality entry The Taste, which premieres Tuesday, Jan. 22. After lunch, the panels continue, with the surging reality series Shark Tank getting the first session. Four of the six sharks are on hand (Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary) along with producer Clay Newbill. Then it was time for a session with the cast and producers of upcoming drama Mistresses starring Alyssa Milano. The series premieres this May on ABC and will run into the summer. Then it was time for a pie break with Jami Gertz, Toks Olagundoye and producer Dan Fogelman of the comedy The Neighbors.
The day concludes with two more sessions, first for the third season of Body of Proof, which returns Tuesday, Feb. 5 and the final session is for comedy hit The Middle, which just gets better and better each season. And finally, the day is capped off with the Disney-ABC All-Star Cocktail Reception!
Look ahead: Up tomorrow at the TCA Winter 2013 press tour will a set day visit for ABC and ABC Family. Then on Saturday, CBS will be up, with The CW concluding it on Sunday.
The 39th Annual People's Choice Awards were held last night. Here are the main winners for the television portion:
FAVORITE TV DRAMA
Revenge (ABC)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
Gossip Girl (The CW)
Grimm (NBC)
WINNER: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Modern Family (ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
New Girl (Fox)
Glee (Fox)
WINNER: The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The CW)
Jared Padalecki (Supernatural, The CW)
Nathan Fillion (Castle, ABC)
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Paul Wesley (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
WINNER: Nathan Fillion, Castle (ABC)
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family, ABC)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family, ABC)
Chris Colfer (Glee, Fox)
WINNER: Chris Colfer (Glee, Fox)
FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time, ABC)
Emily Deschanel (Bones, Fox)
Stana Katic (Castle, ABC)
Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
WINNER: Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Lea Michele (Glee, Fox)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family, ABC)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Fox)
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl, Fox)
WINNER: Lea Michele, Glee (Fox)
FAVORITE CABLE TV DRAMA
Burn Notice, USA Network
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
The Walking Dead, AMC
White Collar, USA Network
Leverage, TNT
WINNER: Leverage, TNT
FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
The Walking Dead, AMC
White Collar, USA Network
Leverage, TNT
WINNER: Leverage, TNT
FAVORITE CABLE TV COMEDY
Hot in Cleveland, TV Land
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, FX
Awkward, MTV
Psych, USA Network
Melissa & Joey, ABC Family
WINNER: Awkward, MTV
FAVORITE PREMIUM CABLE TV SHOW
Dexter (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Spartacus (Starz)
True Blood (HBO)
WINNER: True Blood (HBO))
FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
The Voice (NBC)
The X Factor (Fox)
America's Got Talent (NBC)
WINNER: The X Factor (Fox)
FAVORITE CRIME DRAMA
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, FX
Awkward, MTV
Psych, USA Network
Melissa & Joey, ABC Family
WINNER: Awkward, MTV
FAVORITE PREMIUM CABLE TV SHOW
Dexter (Showtime)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Spartacus (Starz)
True Blood (HBO)
WINNER: True Blood (HBO))
FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
The Voice (NBC)
The X Factor (Fox)
America's Got Talent (NBC)
WINNER: The X Factor (Fox)
FAVORITE CRIME DRAMA
Bones, Fox
Castle, ABC
Criminal Minds, CBS
CSI, CBS
NCIS, CBS
WINNER: Castle (ABC)
FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW
Doctor Who (BBC America)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Once Upon A time (ABC)
WINNER: Supernatural (The CW)
FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST
George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer, Good Morning America (ABC)
Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, The View (ABC)
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, LIVE! With Kelly & Michael (Syndicated, Disney-ABC)
Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Al Roker, The Today Show (NBC)
WINNER: Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV HOST
David Letterman, Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
Conan O'Brien, Conan (TBS)
Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately (E!)
Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
WINNER: Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
FAVORITE NEW TALK SHOW HOST (NEW!)
Jeff Probst
Katie Couric
Ricki Lake
Michael Strahan
Steve Harvey
WINNER: Steve Harvey
FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Arrow, The CW
Beauty & The Beast, The CW
Nashville, ABC
Elementary, CBS
Revolution, NBC
WINNER: Beauty & The Beast, The CW)
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Go On, NBC
Guys With Kids, NBC
The Mindy Project, Fox
The Neighbors, ABC
The New Normal, NBC
WINNER: The New Normal, NBC
Castle, ABC
Criminal Minds, CBS
CSI, CBS
NCIS, CBS
WINNER: Castle (ABC)
FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW
Doctor Who (BBC America)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
Once Upon A time (ABC)
WINNER: Supernatural (The CW)
FAVORITE DAYTIME TV HOST
George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer, Good Morning America (ABC)
Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, The View (ABC)
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, LIVE! With Kelly & Michael (Syndicated, Disney-ABC)
Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Al Roker, The Today Show (NBC)
WINNER: Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
FAVORITE LATE NIGHT TV HOST
David Letterman, Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
Conan O'Brien, Conan (TBS)
Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately (E!)
Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
WINNER: Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
FAVORITE NEW TALK SHOW HOST (NEW!)
Jeff Probst
Katie Couric
Ricki Lake
Michael Strahan
Steve Harvey
WINNER: Steve Harvey
FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Arrow, The CW
Beauty & The Beast, The CW
Nashville, ABC
Elementary, CBS
Revolution, NBC
WINNER: Beauty & The Beast, The CW)
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Go On, NBC
Guys With Kids, NBC
The Mindy Project, Fox
The Neighbors, ABC
The New Normal, NBC
WINNER: The New Normal, NBC
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Modern Family Celebrates Classic TV; Jennie Garth to Star in ABC Family TV Movie
Don't do a double take, yes those pictures are NOT the actual casts of I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Bewitched and Gilligan's Island... but it sure is nicely done! One day the current megeahit comedy Modern Family will become a classic TV staple and the cast recently celebrated classic TV by dressing up as some of the TV's most enduring sitcoms ever! Each member of the main cast is featured in this new photo shoot that features classic sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Bewitched and Gilligan's Island. The characters that the cast of Modern Family portray is pretty spot on, as we have Sofia Vergara and Ed O'Neill dressed up as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy with Rico Rodriguez as...Little Ricky! Another cast they portrayed was from the hit '60s ABC comedy Bewitched, with Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen as Darrin and Samantha Stephens! Perfect choice! Meanwhile, Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are posing as... The Honeymooners! Stonestreet is dressed up as Ralph Kramden and Ferguson as Ed Norton. To the moon! Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who plays their daughter Lily on Modern, is also featured, but we're not sure who she is playing. Maybe it's a homage to The Flintstones as well? Because she sure looks like Pebbles Flintstone in that photo! And finally, the Dunphy kids are portraying characters from Gilligan's Island! Ariel Winter is playing the smart Mary Ann Summers, while Sarah Hyland is "the movie star" Ginger Grant and Nolan Gould as Gilligan himself. But no Skipper, too?
Modern Family returns tonight with all-new episodes to start 2013! Tonight at 9|8c on ABC!
We have news on a new ABC Family movie starring two TV veterans, including a former sitcom star! Muse Entertainment, in association with ABC Family, will begin production this week on the new original Thanksgiving movie Home Again (working title). Jennie Garth (What I Like About You) and Cameron Mathison (All My Children) will star in the movie, which is set to premiere as part of the network's annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" programming event in November 2013. Also cast in the movie is Mary Kay Place (The West Wing). In the movie, Melody (Garth), a high powered corporate workaholic for a retail conglomerate, is happy to spend the holidays jet-setting with her girlfriends. However, she's in for an unpleasant surprise when her boss sends her to her sleepy hometown to convince the reluctant townspeople to allow them to build a new discount store. Now, forced to reconnect with her family and her childhood sweetheart Carter (Mathison), her task is not so simple, as all are vehemently opposed to everything Melody’s company stands for. Desperate to get out of town and back to her "real" life, Melody takes a spill and wakes up in an alternate universe where she never left home and is married to Carter! Once determined to leave her small town life behind, Melody must make sense of her new life and decide if you truly can go home again.
We'll be back tomorrow to cover our continued coverage from the TCA Winter 2013 press tour as ABC starts their portion! Stay with us!
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, August 28
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 24)
Friday, August 28
- Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) - Watch Glen on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Donnell Rawlings (Twenties) - Donnell is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
- LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta) - LaKeith appears on a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Drew chats with the legendary Laura Dern on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
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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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