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Showing posts with label Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

ABC News Live's Martin Lawrence Special; Netflix Renews Outer Banks Before Season 3 Premiere

A Conversation with Martin Lawrence

ABC News Live presents ABC News contributor LZ Granderson's one-on-one interview with comedian and actor Martin Lawrence. The half-hour special, A Conversation with Martin Lawrence, is a wide-ranging discussion that covers the importance of Black culture in storytelling and show business, the evolution of comedy over the years, and Lawrence's multidecade career. Lawrence shares anecdotes from his time in Hollywood during his days as creator of the iconic '90s television show Martin, whether fans of the hit sitcom should expect a reboot, as well as his thoughts on some of the most influential comedians of all time, including what it's like to work with Eddie Murphy. He opens up about his family and how his faith serves as a guiding force throughout his career and personal life. A Conversation with Martin Lawrence premieres Tuesday, Feb. 21, on the Emmy(R) Award-nominated ABC News Live at 8:30 p.m. EST/9:30 p.m. PST and streams on Hulu.


Outer Banks

Live from the stage in Huntington Beach, CA at Netflix's POGUELANDIA, an Outer Banks fan-fueled, immersive music event, Outer Banks cast members Chase Stokes (John B.), Madelyn Cline (Sarah), Madison Bailey (Kiara), Jonathan Daviss (Pope), Carlacia Grant (Cleo), Rudy Pankow (JJ), Austin North (Topper), and Drew Starkey (Rafe) surprised fans by announcing a Season 4 renewal on the eve of the hit series' Season 3 debut. Fans were also treated to a special nine-minute preview of Season 3 which premieres globally only on Netflix this Thursday, February 23. In the third season, after losing the gold and fleeing the Outer Banks, Season 3 finds the Pogues washed ashore on a desert island that, for a brief moment, seems like an idyllic home. Officially deemed "Poguelandia," the island's newest residents spend their days fishing, swimming, and reveling in the carefree lifestyle of their temporary dwelling. But things quickly go south for John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ, and Cleo when they find themselves once again caught up in a race for the treasure, quite literally running for their lives. They're broke and far from home, they can't trust anyone, Ward and Rafe are hungry for revenge, and there's a ruthless Caribbean Don who will stop at nothing to find the bounty. Was the treasure ever within their reach? Or was it all a trap to stop them once and for all? Either way, it's the Pogues against the world - and the only way out is together.

Saturday, June 18, 2022

SitcomsOnline Digest: Donald Faison and Jon Cryer Join NBC Comedy Pilot; Wendy Williams Show Comes to an End

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a slow summer news week, but we're hear with news of a new NBC comedy pilot, the end of Wendy Williams' talk show, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

  • Donald Faison and Jon Cryer are set to appear in an upcoming NBC comedy pilot. (Deadline)
  • The last episode of The Wendy Williams Show aired on Friday, but if you were looking for the host, you'll need to go back about over a year to find her last episode. (Deadline)
  • The End is Nye, Bill Nye's new series about disasters, is set to arrive on Peacock in August. (CNET)
  • Have we reached peak streaming? The CEO of NBCUniversal doesn't seem to think so. (Deadline)
  • Everett Peck, the creator of Duckman, has died. (Yahoo!)
  • ABC has set their fall premiere dates. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (JUNE 18 - JUNE 25)

  • Hill Street Blues is the Decades binge this weekend.
  • There is a Martin reunion available to watch, if you have BET+ anyway.
  • Antenna TV celebrates Father's Day with a special marathon on Sunday.
  • We missed this last week, but the second season of Rutherford Falls has arrived on Peacock.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Martin: The Reunion Premieres June 16 on BET+; Apple TV+ Renews Musical Comedy Schmigadoon! for Season Two

Martin: The Reunion

Wazzup?! Wazzzup?! Wazzzzzup?! The gang is back for the reunion special we've all been waiting for. Martin: The Reunion premieres June 16th, only on BET+.

The cast reunites to celebrate the impact of the iconic sitcom. Few shows defined an era like Martin. From music to movies to fashion, the iconic sitcom was not only a broad mainstream hit, it was a cultural force that went beyond the screen and epitomized an era. The show was a crossover sensation all while providing an honest and refreshing view of the Black experience and to this day, the characters, all created by the comedic genius of the show's namesake, Martin Lawrence, are still some of pop culture's most beloved. Thirty years later, its legacy lives on, and fans will be able to relive all the love, joy and laughter as Martin and the gang come together once again for the first time in decades.

The reunion special, hosted by comedian and actor Affion Crockett, will include Martin Lawrence ("Martin"), Tisha Campbell ("Gina"), Tichina Arnold ("Pamela") and Carl Anthony Payne II ("Cole"), along with surprise guest appearances. Taking a look at the show's origin and evolution, the reunion will feature interviews with the cast, original directors, special musical performances, and behind the scenes commentary on the importance and impact of the show that shaped a generation. The reunion is executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, Rae Proctor and Stacy Lyles through his company Run Tel Dat Entertainment. For Jesse Collins Entertainment, Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon serve as executive producers along with Jeannae Rouzan-Clay who is also the showrunner. The show is executive produced and directed by Stan Lathan. The special is written by Nile Evans as well as Bentley Kyle Evans who also serves as a co-executive producer. Jesse Collins Entertainment's Brittany Brazil is a producer.

Schmigadoon!

Apple TV+ announced that its hit AFI Award-winning musical comedy series Schmigadoon! has been renewed for a second season and will return with new original musical numbers from creator and executive producer Cinco Paul. Stars Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose, Dove Cameron, Jaime Camil, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ann Harada, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short and Aaron Tveit are set to return, with Tituss Burgess and Patrick Page joining the cast for season two.

Having found true love in the town of Schmigadoon, season two of Schmigadoon! will find Josh (Key) and Melissa (Strong) in Schmicago, the world of '60s and '70s musicals.

Following its global debut on Apple TV+ last year, Schmigadoon! was honored with an AFI Award, and has received wide acclaim and accolades, including a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for star Kristin Chenoweth.

The series hails from Broadway Video and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, Schmigadoon! is co-created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Paul serves as showrunner and wrote all of the original songs for the series. Robert Luketic directs and co-executive produces. Lorne Michaels and Andrew Singer serve as executive producers, Micah Frank serves as co-executive producer, and star Cecily Strong and Caroline Maroney serve as producers.

The complete first season of Schmigadoon! is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Monday, February 21, 2022

Martin 30th Anniversary Reunion Coming Later This Year on BET+; Dave Chappelle Forming Comedian Team for Netflix

Martin Reunion

Damn Gina! Martin is returning for a 30th anniversary reunion special on the BET+ streaming service later this year! The cast reunites to celebrate the impact of the iconic sitcom. Few shows defined an era like Martin. From music to movies to fashion, the iconic sitcom was not only a broad mainstream hit, it was a cultural force that went beyond the screen and epitomized an era. The show was a crossover sensation all while providing an honest and refreshing view of the Black experience and to this day, the characters, all created by the comedic genius of the show's namesake, Martin Lawrence, are still some of pop culture's most beloved. Thirty years later, its legacy lives on, and this summer, fans will be able to relive all the love, joy and laughter as Martin and the gang come together once again for the first time in decades.

The reunion special, hosted by comedian and actor Affion Crockett, will include Martin Lawrence ("Martin"), Tisha Campbell ("Gina"), Tichina Arnold ("Pamela") and Carl Anthony Payne II ("Cole"), along with surprise guest appearances. Taking a look at the show's origin and evolution, the reunion will feature interviews with the cast, original directors, special musical performances, and behind the scenes commentary on the importance and impact of the show that shaped a generation. The reunion is executive produced by Martin Lawrence, Robert Lawrence, Rae Proctor and Stacy Lyles through his company Run Tel Dat Entertainment. For Jesse Collins Entertainment, Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon serve as executive producers along with Jeannae Rouzan-Clay who is also the showrunner. The show is executive produced and directed by Stan Lathan. The special is written by Nile Evans as well as Bentley Kyle Evans who also serves as a co-executive producer. Jesse Collins Entertainment's Brittany Brazil is a producer.

The taping took place yesterday, (Sunday, February 20) and will launch on BET+ later this year. In the meantime, fans can get ready for the reunion by re-watching all five seasons of Martin now on BET+. Martin premiered in August 1992 on Fox. BET+ is the premium streaming service for the Black community offering thousands of hours of hit movies, TV shows, stage plays and more.


Dave Chappelle and Earthquake

Team Dave Chappelle is on deck for Netflix. Chappelle's Home Team is a series of stand-alone comedy specials executive produced by Dave Chappelle and featuring comedians chosen and spotlighted by Chappelle. The first comedian to be featured is Earthquake, premiering on Monday, February 28. In the special, titled Earthquake: Legendary, comedian Earthquake shakes up the stage and delivers aftershocks while going in hard on health as wealth, prostate exams and disciplining kids. Chappelle appears in each special to introduce his fellow comedians, all of whom have been in the comedy game for over 30 years. Earthquake: Legendary premieres globally on Netflix next week on Monday, February 28. The details on the remaining comedians will be revealed at a later date.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fuller House Comes to Cable TV; Paramount+ Getting South Park and Beavis and Butt-Head Reboot

 Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! There is a lot of stuff going on this week (we have about twice as much news as we normally do, and we even had to cut some of it out), including the debut of Fuller House on cable, the end of a popular FX series, and a big change that's still a few years away for new episodes of South Park. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

  • Fuller House is about to make a debut on cable, as it joins the GAC Family lineup in a little over a week. (People)
  • It's honestly perplexing that CBS sold the streaming rights to South Park to HBO Max anyway given that they were developing their own streaming service at the same time, but in 2025, South Park will move to Paramount+ not only for the library of episodes but new episodes will also debut there instead of Comedy Central (and the new Beavis and Butt-Head reboot, which was planned for Comedy Central, will air there as well). (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Paul Reiser, who has starred in a TV reboot himself, is set to be part of the cast in the new Hulu comedy Reboot that is about a TV show being rebooted. (Variety)
  • A reunion for Martin is set, for BET+. (TVLine)
  • Season 3 is still over a month away, and season 4 is even further off, but both seasons of the FX series Atlanta have already been completed, and they'll also be the last seasons. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • However, sister network FXX sees "no end in sight" for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which has already dethroned The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet for longest live action comedy) and Archer. (Deadline)
  • CBS has ordered a comedy pilot about high school newspaper reporters who are left as the only news outlet in a small midwestern town after the local newspaper goes out of business. (Deadline)
  • It seems that toxic workplaces have been a theme among daytime talk shows, and now Dr. Phil is the one being accused. (Deadline)
  • How I Met Your Father is getting a second season at Hulu. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (FEBRUARY 19 - FEBRUARY 25)

  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine heads to Comedy Central tomorrow.
  • Decades is doing a Rhoda binge this weekend.
  • Antenna TV has a marathon of The Jeffersons today.

Tuesday, November 02, 2021

ABC Winter Midseason 2022 Schedule; HBO Max Acquires Mr. Cooper, Martin, Jamie Foxx and More

Abbott Elementary

ABC announced the first wave of 2022 midseason premiere dates for new and returning series. Teacher knows best! Workplace comedy Abbott Elementary, starring and executive produced by Quinta Brunson, will air a special early premiere on Tuesday, Dec 7 at 9:30pm. The all-new series is then set to air new episodes in its regular time period starting Tuesday, Jan 4 at 9pm, where it will be joined by Emmy®-nominated black-ish at 9:30pm for a star-studded final season, and the winter return of Queens at 10pm. With the most recent seasons of The Bachelor franchise pulling in a combined 23.8 million Total Viewers after 35 days of delayed viewing on linear and digital platforms [MP+35], the search for love continues when The Bachelor launches an all-new season on Monday, Jan. 3 from 8pm-10pm. Then, on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 10pm, ABC's heart-racing quiz show The Chase will return with new episodes (giving A Million Little Things a breather) alongside the winter returns of The Goldbergs, The Wonder Years, The Conners and Home Economics from 8-10pm. ABC's six-episode limited series Women of the Movement, chronicling the story of Mamie Till-Mobley seeking justice for son Emmett Till, will premiere Thursday, Jan. 6 from 8-10pm for three weeks, as previously announced. The epic, generation-spanning drama Promised Land, following two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California's Sonoma Valley, rounds out January premieres on Monday, Jan. 24 at 10pm giving The Good Doctor a breather. ABC has not announced yet when the 2022 returns of its normal Thursday night line-up (Station 19, Grey's Anatomy, Big Sky) will be, along with The Good Doctor and A Million Little Things. However, additional midseason premiere dates will be shared at a later time.

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House, The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin and The Parent'hood

HBO Max announced a new lineup of Warner Bros. acquisitions are now available on the platform, including the sitcoms Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, In the House, The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin and The Parent'hood. They join other recently added Warner Bros. owned sitcoms such as Full House, Family Matters, and Step by Step on Oct. 1. Perfect Strangers should be coming soon, as they have also a reboot potentially coming of that. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper stars Mark Curry, Holly Robinson Peete, Saundra Quarterman, Nell Carter, Marquise Wilson, Dawnn Lewis, Omar Gooding and Luis Avalos. In the House stars LL Cool J, Debbie Allen, Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Kim Wayans, Maia Campbell, Jeffery Wood, Dee Jay Daniels and Alfonso Ribeiro. The Jamie Foxx Show stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, Garrett Morris and Andy Berman. Martin stars Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Tichina Arnold, Thomas Mikal Ford, Carl Anthony Payne, Jonathan Gries, Garrett Morris and Angelina Estrada. The Parent'hood stars Robert Townsend, Suzzanne Douglas, Carol Woods, Kenny Blank, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Curtis Williams, Ashli Adams, Bobby McGee, Tyrone Dorzell Burton, Faizon Love and Kelly Perine.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

South Park Streaming Specials to Premiere on Paramount+; Martin Stars Return to Host Soul Train Awards

South Park

Paramount+, the streaming service from ViacomCBS, and MTV Entertainment Studios announced two new original South Park exclusive events for Paramount+. The first, titled South Park: Post COVID, premieres Thursday, Nov. 25 and will also roll out on the service in the Nordics, Latin America, Australia and Canada. The second exclusive event will stream in December, the date to be announced. With these exclusive events, Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman make their highly anticipated debut on Paramount+, adding to the service's growing roster of adult animated series. MTV Entertainment Studios' expansive deal with Parker and Stone includes extending South Park on Comedy Central through 2027 and taking cable's longest-running scripted series – August 13, 2022 marks the franchise's 25th anniversary – through an unprecedented 30th season. In addition to the series extension, the new deal includes 14 South Park original made-for-streaming events exclusively for Paramount+.


Soul Train Awards 2021 - Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell

BET has announced the hosts of the 2021 Soul Train Awards, taking place from a new location, the Apollo in New York City, with co-hosts Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold. Celebrating the best in soul music and the iconic television show's 50th anniversary, the Soul Train Awards recognizes the best in Soul, R&B, and Hip Hop from both established industry legends and the next generation of promising artists. The 2021 Soul Train Awards premieres Sunday, November 28 at 8 pm ET/PT on BET and BET Her. Actor, singer and writer Tisha Campbell (Martin, My Wife & Kids, Last Man Standing, Dr. Ken) will once again join actor, singer, and writer Tichina Arnold (Martin, Everybody Hates Chris, The Neighborhood, Survivor's Remorse) as hosts and co-producers of this year's awards. The legendary best friend duo, both on the 90's hit show Martin and in real-life, will return to the Soul Train Awards stage for the fourth time, bringing their dynamic comedy and infectious personalities to this year's ceremony.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

TCA Winter 2020 Press Tour: Showtime and Pop; Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Talk Hit Sitcoms

Black Monday

Monday's recap from the TCA Winter 2020 Press Tour had Showtime and Pop going. Up first, SHOWTIME has ordered a ten-episode second season of The L Word: Generation Q, the sequel to the groundbreaking drama series The L Word. SHOWTIME has picked up a second season of the critically acclaimed comedy series Work in Progress. Created and written by Chicago improv mainstays Abby McEnany and Tim Mason and co-written by Lilly Wachowski (The Matrix), the series stars McEnany as a fictionalized version of herself whose misfortune and despair unexpectedly lead her to a vibrantly transformative relationship. SHOWTIME has announced that the ten-episode second season of its acclaimed comedy series Black Monday will debut with back-to-back episodes each week beginning on Sunday, March 15th from 10 to 11 p.m. ET/PT. SHOWTIME announced that season five of the hit drama series Billions will premiere on Sunday, May 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Starring Oscar(R) nominee and Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) winner Paul Giamatti and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis.

SHOWTIME has announced that the third season of its drama series The Chi, which will feature series creator and Emmy(R) winner Lena Waithe (Queen & Slim, Boomerang) in a multi-episode arc as a Chicago mayoral candidate, will debut on Sunday, July 5 at 10 p.m. SHOWTIME has announced that the highly anticipated series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, while Emmy(R)-winning documentary series Vice, known for delivering longform, on-the-ground journalism and newsworthy explorations of our world today, will premiere across all SHOWTIME platforms on Sunday, March 29, at 8 p.m. And finally, the network has picked up an 11th and final season of its hit comedy series Shameless premiering this summer.

One Day at a Time

After a celebrated new season pickup following a passionate fan campaign, Pop TV announced that the acclaimed series One Day at a Time, will return on Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, following all new-episodes of the final season of Schitt's Creek before moving to 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting on April 14. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the award-winning comedy inspired by Emmy(R) winner Norman Lear's 1975 series of the same name will continue to tell the story of the Cuban American Alvarez family throughout 13 original episodes. This season will find Penelope (Screen Actors Guild Award(R) winner Justina Machado) exploring a surprising relationship, her mother Lydia (Emmy, Grammy(R), Oscar(R) and Tony(R) winner Rita Moreno) experiencing a religious crisis - as well as revealing the details of her surprise trip to Cuba with Dr. Berkowitz (Stephen Tobolowsky), and Schneider (Todd Grinnell) finding his relationship with Avery (India de Beaufort) growing deeper. Meanwhile, Elena (Isabella Gomez) begins to prepare for college and Alex (Marcel Ruiz) starts to date.
One Day at a Time joins Pop TV's slate of bold comedies with a point of view including the final season of Emmy-nominated Schitt's Creek, the critically acclaimed Florida Girls, and Flack starring Oscar winner Anna Paquin.

#Blessed. Pop TV announced that it has ordered the miraculous new comedy pilot Mother Mary, a modern twist on one of the famous stories ever told. The project is conceived by CBS Television Studios, written by Casey Feigh (What We Do in the Shadows), Dan Gregor (How I Met Your Mother) and Betsy Sodaro (Disjointed) and executive produced by Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) winner Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) along with Tony Hernandez and Brooke Posch of Jax Media (Broad City, Russian Doll, Florida Girls), and Feigh, Gregor and Sodaro. Crisis averted! Pop TV announced the return of the dark comedy Flack, set in the world of a celebrity crisis PR firm, starring Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) winner and Emmy(R)-nominated actress Anna Paquin (True Blood, The Affair). The six-episode season will premiere on Friday, March 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and features new cast members Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor Sam Neill, Screen Actors Guild Award(R) winner Daniel Dae Kim and guest star Emmy-winner Martha Plimpton.


Will Smith & Martin Lawrence - Sneaker Shopping

Season 10 of Complex's longest-running and award-winning series, Sneaker Shopping, returns this week with superstars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Host Joe La Puma takes the dynamic duo through Stadium Goods in NYC where they chat setting trends on their sitcoms (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin), getting their own sneaker collabs and footwear choices in Bad Boys for Life. The episode is now live on Complex's YouTube. As the host of Sneaker Shopping, Joe La Puma gives fans a sneak peek into the personal lives of the biggest names in music, sports, and pop culture from the feet up, sharing their lives, careers, and personal tastes with La Puma through the lens of sneakers and style.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Remembering Martin's Tommy Ford; Fox Picks Up Full Season of Lethal Weapon

Tommy Ford

Actor Tommy Ford, who was best known for his role as Tommy Strawn in Martin, has died. He died on October 12 at an Atlanta area hospital after an aneurysm in his abdomen ruptured. Mr. Ford was 52.

Martin

Ford played Tommy Strawn in Martin, which aired for five seasons on Fox from 1992-1997. Tommy was one of Martin's three best friends. He was the straight man for Martin Lawrence's jokes, but he very often inserted scene-stealing "bald-headed logic" and witty comments in odd situations. There were many jokes regarding his mysterious employment status. He was the only character to physically appear in all 132 episodes of the series. Ford received a NAACP Image Awards nomination in 1996 for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" for the role.

He earlier starred in the short-lived 1990 NBC sitcom Singer & Sons. He played the streetwise Reggie Patterson, the son of Sarah Patterson (Esther Rolle). The series also starred Harold Gould, Bobby Hosea, Brooke Fontaine, Fred Stoller, Arnetia Walker, Anne Berger and Phil Leeds.

Ford had a recurring role as Mel Parker in seven episodes of the UPN sitcom The Parkers from 1999-2001. He was Nikki's (Mo'Nique) ex-husband and Kim's father (Countess Vaughn).

In 1998, he played the role of Lieutenant Malcolm Barker in the fourth and final season of the Fox police drama New York Undercover. He was the commanding officer of the NYPD's Special Investigations Division.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Kate & Allie, A Different World, Uncle Buck (1990), Living Single, The Jamie Foxx Show, Let's Stay Together and Zoe Ever After.

He was known as the "Pope of Comedy", due to exposure as a judge on TV One's comedy competition show Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?.

Mr. Ford very funny in Martin. We thank him for all of the laughs he brought us. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Martin message board. View photos in our galleries.

Lethal Weapon

Fox has ordered a full season of the hit action drama Lethal Weapon, picking up an additional five episodes. This brings the total order to 18 episodes for the 2016-17 season. Combining action and drama with ride-or-die friendship and humor, Lethal Weapon reimagines the hit movie franchise, as it follows classic cop duo Riggs (Clayne Crawford, Rectify) and Murtaugh (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, My Wife and Kids, In Living Color), who work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. Grief-stricken after the loss of his young wife and unborn child, ex-Navy SEAL-turned-detective Martin Riggs moves to California to "start over" at the LAPD. He's paired up with Roger Murtaugh, who's just coming back to the job after a near-fatal heart attack. Riggs' penchant for diving headfirst into the line of fire immediately clashes with Murtaugh's prudent, by-the-book technique. One has everything to live for, the other has nothing to lose.

Monday, October 03, 2016

Meet the Browns Heads to BET; Netflix Goes Back to The Ranch

Meet the Browns

Tyler Perry's sitcom Meet the Browns is now on BET in reruns. The sitcom starts today with a marathon from 8am-2am, so it's non-stop laughs to start off October. The series will air weekdays from 11am-12pm and 7-8pm. There will be other airings, sometimes a prime stack once a week or even some weekend play in stacks. The series will follow Tyler Perry's other sitcom House of Payne. BET also airs Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. BET also from time to time brings out Eve, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Game and In the House, but most of these air on sister network Centric. As for Meet the Browns, the series revolves around a senior family living under one roof in Decatur, Georgia led by patriarch Mr. Brown and his daughter Cora Simmons. David Mann and Tamela Mann star and the series aired from 2009-2011, but had a bulk episode order, totaling 140 episodes.


The Ranch

Howdy. The Ranch Part 2 returns with ten new episodes Friday, October 7, everywhere where Netflix is available. The Ranch stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Sam Elliot, Debra Winger and more. The Ranch is executive produced by Don Reo (Two and Half Men, My Wife and Kids) and Jim Patterson (Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly). Kutcher and Masterson also serve as executive producers. As mentioned, The Ranch Part 2 Launches on Netflix Friday, Oct. 7 to conclude its first season 20 episode order.

Life on The Ranch is never easy and things get even more complicated in part two of season one. It seems like ex-football star Colt Bennett (Kutcher) has finally accepted his place on the family ranch, but he and his brother Rooster (Masterson) will have to prove themselves to their father Beau (Elliot) if they ever hope to become partners. Maggie (Winger) has hopes of her own and they may no longer involve her on-again/off-again husband and after finally saving his ranch, Beau might be losing his family. And if life weren't complicated enough, when Colt's high school sweetheart Abby (Elisha Cuthbert) expresses doubts about her fiancé, Colt must choose between his current girlfriend and his first love. Dysfunctional doesn't even cover this family.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

COZI TV Fall 2016 Has Frasier, Little House and Quincy; Martin Lawrence Gets Showtime Special

Frasier

COZI TV announced Dr. Frasier Crane's return to America's airwaves this fall, with the iconic television sitcom Frasier officially debuting on the popular, multicast network starting Monday, September 12, airing weekdays from 7-9 PM ET (check local listings). There will also be a marathon on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10am-11pm ET. Starring Kelsey Grammer and the winner of 37 primetime Emmy® Awards, Frasier has been ranked by TV Guide among the top 50 television shows of all-time. Frasier follows the journey of noted psychiatrist Frasier Crane as he returns home to launch a new phase in his personal and professional lives. Frasier originally aired on NBC starting in 1993, with the series concluding in 2004. Originally launched as an extension of NBC's Cheers, Frasier quickly emerged as one of the most successful spin-off series in television history. Joined by a memorable cast including John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce and Peri Gilpin, fans enjoyed the latest storylines involving the newly-divorced Dr. Crane (Grammer) as he returned to Seattle and embarked on a new career as a radio talk show host.

Frasier joins Little House on the Prairie and Quincy, M.E. as new additions to COZI TV's fall line-up. Originally announced earlier this year, Little House on the Prairie will debut on COZI TV starting Monday, September 19, airing weekdays from 10 AM to noon and again at 5 PM ET. Quincy, M.E. will also debut the same day, airing weekdays at 2 PM ET. (check local listings).


Martin Lawrence

On the heels of a sold-out national tour, comedy great Martin Lawrence hits the stage in this long-awaited stand-up special, Martin Lawrence Doin' Time: Uncut premiering Friday, September 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime on-air, on demand and over the internet. Filmed live at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, Martin Lawrence Doin' Time: Uncut showcases Lawrence's impeccable comedic skills, physicality and engaging wit. Delivering an unforgettable night of impressions and insights, he touches on everything from sex and relationships to President Obama, Bill Cosby, Hollywood and more. Lawrence is back in a big way and will leave viewers in hysterics, from start to finish.

Lawrence, a renowned stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer and writer, came to fame during the 1990s. He quickly established himself as a leading actor, most notably in the hit television sitcom Martin, for which he created such beloved characters as "Sheneneh Jenkins," "Edna (Mama) Payne," "Otis," and "Jerome." For his dynamic performance, he earned two NAACP Image Awards(R) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series two years in a row - 1995 and 1996. Lawrence's box office-topping credits include Bad Boys and its sequel Bad Boys II opposite Will Smith, and the three-film Big Momma's House franchise. Additional film credits include House Party, Boomerang, A Thin Line Between Love & Hate, Nothing to Lose, Blue Streak, Life, Wild Hogs, and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins.

Monday, February 29, 2016

BET Airs Carmichael Show Marathon; Bones to End After Next Season

The Carmichael Show

NBC's second season sitcom The Carmichael Show is returning with a special preview airing on Wednesday, March 9, before moving to its regular night and time on Sunday, March 13, but before that... BET will be airing a marathon of the first season. The season one marathon will air on Friday, March 11 from 7pm-10pm. The sitcom will be sandwiched in between blocks of sitcoms House of Payne (4-7pm) and Martin (10pm-12am). In this sitcom, inspired by the life of comedian Jerrod Carmichael, the series follows Jerrod and his opinionated North Carolina family as they navigate topics that all families face today in America. Nothing is too uncomfortable to explore, including police protests, guns and religion. Jerrod often finds himself debating such issues with his old-school father, Joe (David Alan Grier), his devoutly religious mother, Cynthia (Loretta Devine), his progressive live-in girlfriend, Maxine (Amber Stevens West), his recently separated brother, Bobby (Rel Howery), and Bobby's estranged and outspoken wife, Nekeisha (Tiffany Haddish). And somewhere in the middle of all of their disagreeing is the heart of this family.


Bones

Bones, the long-running comedic procedural beloved by millions of fans around the world, will return for a final farewell 12th season on Fox in 2016-17. The 12-episode run will celebrate the inventive series and bring the storylines of Brennan (Emily Deschanel), Booth (David Boreanaz) and the Jeffersonian-FBI team to a close, allowing the show's loyal fans to say goodbye to these indelible characters. When Bones ends its run, the series will have completed 246 original episodes, making it one of the longest running Fox series ever. Bones returns for its spring premiere on Thursday, April 14 at 8:00PM ET/PT on Fox. Picking up after the explosive fall finale, the all-new episode, "The Death in the Defense," finds Hodgins (TJ Thyne) eight weeks into his rehabilitation and forced to navigate life in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Brennan and Booth investigate the death of a public defender who had multiple defendants from previous cases with motives to kill her.

In the series, Brennan, a highly skilled forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington, D.C. and writes novels on the side, and her FBI partner, Booth, have taken on cases other law enforcement can't solve and proven to be a formidable partnership, both at work and at home. Over the course of the series, Brennan has devoted herself to her career, to Booth, with whom she's had two children, and to her team at the Jeffersonian. They include best friend Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin), an artist who specializes in reconstructing facial features and crime scenes; Angela's husband, Hodgins, a conspiracy theorist and expert on insects, spores and minerals, who is affectionately known as "the slime and bug guy"; Dr. Camille "Cam" Saroyan (Tamara Taylor), the street-smart and centered coroner; and Booth's most recent colleague at the FBI, Special Agent James Aubrey (John Boyd), a young, intrepid FBI agent with a voracious appetite for solving crime, junk food and career advancement.

Utilizing a wide swathe of skills, and using human remains as their roadmap, this exceptional team has cracked some of the toughest cases to cross their lab tables and, in the process,escaped near-death experiences on multiple occasions. Inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs, the series also has explored more ways for human remains to have been discovered than ever thought imaginable. With Brennan leading the way as the top professional in the field of forensic anthropology, Bones has inspired young girls around the world to consider a career in science. At the same time, having stacked up more episodes than the number of bones in the human body (206!), the series has helped viewers distinguish between the patella (kneecap) and the phalanges (bones in human fingers).

Monday, October 05, 2015

BET Acquires House of Payne for November; Gilmore Girls Premieres on UP Tonight

Tyler Perry's House of Payne Cast

BET has acquired the off-network cable rights to the Tyler Perry sitcom House of Payne. The sitcom will launch with a launch marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2015 from 12pm-9pm. Then beginning Monday, November 2, the series joins the regular line-up with fellow sitcom Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in daytime. House of Payne will air weekdays 8-9am and 12:30pm-1:30pm, along with some weekend blocks. Recent acquisition Martin will continue to air weekdays 2:30pm & 3pm and evening blocks beginning at 6pm. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is airing weekdays 9-10am and 1:30pm-2:30pm. In late night, BET will continue to alternate with blocks of The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros. starting at 2am. BET is airing Scandal Saturday nights at 1am and 2am and will also air the latest season five premieres on Sundays at 11pm, a few weeks after they premiere on ABC. Keep it right here for continued updates on House of Payne on BET and all things BET.


Gilmore Girls

UP has more, more, more Gilmore Girls. The network's recently announced acquisition of the full 153 episode, seven-season run of Gilmore Girls (#GilMOREGirls) was celebrated with an all-day fan-focused marathon of the award-winning family drama yesterday (Sunday, October 4) at 10am EDT. Starting tonight at 7 p.m. EDT, the series will begin airing back-to-back episodes every Monday through Friday starting with the pilot episode. Gilmore Girls, stars Lauren Graham (Parenthood), Alexis Bledel (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly, Spy), Keiko Agena (Shameless, Transformers of the Dark Moon), Yanic Truesdale (Reumeurs), Scott Patterson (CSI Miami), Liza Weil (How to Get Away with Murder), Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Gun, Pearl Harbor) and Kelly Bishop (Bunheads, The Good Wife), with special appearances by the late Edward Herrmann (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Lost Boys) and recurring guest star Liz Torres (Devious Maids, Scandal).

Gilmore Girls, which aired from 2000-2007, is set in a storybook Connecticut town called Stars Hollow populated by an eclectic mix of dreamers, artists and everyday folk. The multi-generational drama about family and friendship centers around Lorelai Gilmore (Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Bledel). Lorelai owns the town's bed-and-breakfast, the Dragonfly Inn, with best friend/chef Sookie (McCarthy), and contends with weekly dinners with eccentric, well-off parents Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) who always have something to say about their daughter's life.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Martin Coming to BET in Fall 2015; ABC Fall 2015 Preview Special Airs Friday

Martin

Martin is coming to BET in style. The '90s Martin Lawrence sitcom will be joining the BET schedule with a three-day launch marathon that will feature non-stop laughs for 72 straight hours. It all begins on the night of Thursday, October 1 at 11:59pm lasting through Sunday, October 4 at 11:59pm. It's wall-to-wall Martin with 144 airings, which means all 132 episodes will air in the marathon (with a few encores of course). Martin will then join the regular BET schedule on Monday, October 5 airing in the afternoons and evenings. Times vary, but usually afternoons at 2:30pm & 3pm following The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and in the evenings from 6-7pm with some nights of extensions through primetime. Martin will also get some Saturday marathon block play in the mornings/early afternoons, usually 11am-3pm again following The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The other BET off-network series are The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros., usually airing in late night blocks from 2-4am. Scandal will air in late nights on Saturday nights from 1-3am. Back to Martin, the sitcom was set in Detroit and starred Martin Lawrence in the role of Martin Payne, a disc jockey with a girlfriend named Gina Waters played by Tisha Campbell-Martin. The series also airs on sister Viacom network MTV2 and on the cable network TV One. Keep it right for continued updates on BET and all things Martin.


ABC Fall 2015 Preview Special

Tune in and take a look at the exciting new shows coming to ABC this fall as doctor-turned-actor/comedian Ken Jeong hosts ABC Fall Preview Special, airing Friday, September 18 at 8:31pm ET on the ABC Television Network. Shot on location on the set of Ken's new ABC sitcom, Dr. Ken, the funnyman will introduce you to ABC's much anticipated new fall shows, including Blood and Oil, starring Chace Crawford & Rebecca Rittenhouse and veteran actor Don Johnson in his return to network television; Quantico, starring international superstar Priyanka Chopra in her U.S. television debut; the return of The Muppets like you've never seen them before; Wicked City, starring Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick, Erika Christensen and Suburgatory's Jeremy Sisto; as well as Ken's new show, Dr. Ken, executive produced and starring the doctor-turned-actor/comedian. In addition, Ken will reintroduce you to ABC's uproariously funny returning Wednesday night comedies The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family and black-ish, as well as television's most buzzed about night -- the TGIT lineup, which includes Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and last fall's #1 new series How to Get Away with Murder, which is best enjoyed with red wine, popcorn and friends!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Fox Midseason Pilot Review: Surviving Jack - Premieres Thursday, March 27; Martin Lawrence on The Soul Man LIVE Tonight on TV Land

Surviving Jack

Surviving Jack - Thursdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 9:30PM ET/PT


by Vincent

Surviving Jack is a new single-camera comedy set in 1990s Southern California. The series centers on Jack Dunlevy, an ex-military man and no-nonsense guy who becomes a full-time parent when his wife decides to go to law school. He takes an unorthodox approach to keeping his teenagers, Frankie and Rachel, in line.

Cast Details:

Christopher Meloni as Dr. Jack Dunlevy
Rachael Harris as Joanne Dunlevy
Connor Buckley as Frankie Dunlevy
Claudia Lee as Rachel Dunlevy

Christopher Meloni (Dr. Jack Dunlevy) is best known for his long-running role as Detective Elliott Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. He is also known for his work on dramas such as Oz and True Blood. Surviving Jack will be his first time headlining a comedy.

Rachael Harris (Joanne Dunlevy) has an extensive list of guest star credits, including Pushing Daisies, Desperate Housewives, Cougar Town, Archer, Happy Endings, New Girl, Party Down, The Office, Suits and Modern Family. Surviving Jack will be her first starring role in a series.

Connor Buckley (Frankie Dunlevy) has previously appeared in the film The Abduction of Zack Butterfield and in the series Mafia Diaries.

Claudia Lee (Rachel Dunlevy) is best known for her role as Magnolia Breenald on the CW drama Hart of Dixie. She also appeared in the films Kick-Ass 2 and the series Zeke and Luther.


Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Thursday, March 27 at 9:30PM ET/PT)

In the pilot episode of the series, Jack Dunlevy (Christopher Meloni) is left as the main caregiver of the Dunlevy household after his wife begins law school. While it seems simple at first, things become more complicated when his teenage son Frankie develops a crush, and his daughter Claudia gets a bit too far with her boyfriend. It's up to Jack to reel everyone in, the best way he can.

Analysis:

Surviving Jack is the latest in a wave of 80s/90s "nostalgia" sitcoms this season - the others being ABC's The Goldbergs and NBC's Growing Up Fisher. This is a trend that tends to pop up every so often, and with good reason - nostalgia is a powerful, powerful drug. Just look anywhere on the internet, and you'll be bombarded with endless reminders of just how amazing the '80s and '90s were and how much happier we'd all be if we could just live in that time period. Dating back to Happy Days' dominance, nostalgia-laced sitcoms have attempted to dig into this mindset, but the truth is that it's a hard thing for a sitcom to get right. There have been only a handful of sitcoms since Happy Days to successfully recapture its magic. This is because it's very easy for a sitcom set in the past to feel overly gimmicky and ultimately fast, especially since a sitcom isn't likely to delve into the complex fabrics of the era in a way a show like Mad Men can. When a show becomes more about the time period and less about the characters its placed in that time period, everything starts to look and feel artificial. For a show like this to work, the show has to place a stronger focus on the characters than it does on the "hey, look, it's 1990!" gimmicks. Otherwise, why go through the trouble of watching a half-hour sitcom when you can simply look at a list of gifs on Buzzfeed?

Luckily, the pilot episode suggests Surviving Jack is well aware of this. Helmed by veteran sitcom scribe Bill Lawrence (previous showrunner of Spin City, Scrubs and Cougar Town and current producer of TBS's Ground Floor), Surviving Jack boasts a handful of well-defined - if somewhat stereotypical - characters. Lawrence's experiences shows in the Surviving Jack pilot, which is bursting with the witty dialogue and subtle character moments that we've come to expect from his shows. The characters, as I noted, don't feel exactly original, and that goes for the plots, too - "hard-ass dad and his soft teenage son" is a situation we've seen time and time again, and the pilot uses a groan-worthy school dance plot that would've felt repetitive even back in 1991. But there's a level of earnestness to Surviving Jack that makes me think this is a show that will eventually allow its characters to rise above their stock types, and there are enough funny, charming moments through-out the pilot that it earns the pedigree of its producer. Surviving Jack is not the most interesting or refreshing new comedy of the season, but it's a simple pleasure, and there's always room for that on TV. As long as the show is able to rise above some of the assembly-line stock plots that existed in the pilot, it could become a solidly enjoyable family sitcom.

Conclusion:

Surviving Jack is a little too familiar for its own good, and some of the early '90s gimmicks are a bit too overdone. But with solid writing, strong performances, and a clear sense of direction, Surviving Jack still comes out looking like a pretty decent family sitcom. If the show allows itself to break out of its shell and experiment with some character types that don't feel straight out of 1991, it could grow into something even more.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

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

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

  • Fox.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • Surviving Jack Photo Gallery

    Preview:




  • The Soul Man Live on TV Land

    Comedic legend Martin Lawrence and hip-hop artist B.o.B will round out The Soul Man guest cast for the LIVE season premiere TONIGHT (Wednesday, March 26) at 10:30pm ET/PT. Previously announced guest stars include singer/actress Brandy Norwood (Moesha) and Betty White, who will cross over to The Soul Man following the live episode of Hot in Cleveland. The LIVE season three premiere will simulcast on TV Land, BET and CENTRIC, as we mentioned. Martin Lawrence (Martin) will appear in the LIVE episode as Rudy, Boyce's (Cedric "The Entertainer") scatterbrained drummer pal who helps to bring Boyce's band back together. At the end of the night, GRAMMY-nominated artist B.o.B hits the stage live to close out the show with a performance that will include The Soul Man himself, Cedric "The Entertainer." In the LIVE season premiere episode, Brandy Norwood will play Rita, one of Boyce's old back-up dancers who's hiding an obvious secret; Betty White appears as Elka Ostrovsky, her Hot in Cleveland character whom Boyce counted as a former parishioner; and Kellee Stewart, returns as Lolli's (Niecy Nash) sister, Kim, who takes her relationship with Stamps (Wesley Jonathan) to the next level. Tune in LIVE for the The Soul Man premiere and also for the Hot in Cleveland LIVE episode, all starting at 10|9c on TV Land!

    Thursday, August 01, 2013

    FX Fall 2013 Schedule with Buffy and Ellen; Sabrina the Teenage Witch Now on MTV2

    Ellen

    It's day four of our look at the fall 2013 cable and digital TV schedules, and today we will bring you the FX fall schedule. They will be actually adding some older series for a change. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 3, FX turns back the clock and brings back a series that they aired before -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer! The hit Sarah Michelle Gellar drama will air every morning (seven days a week) at 7am & 8am (unless a movie preempts an airing), as it returns for the first time on FX since 2008. Even more surprising is the next acquisition. FX has picked-up the cable rights to the 1994-98 sitcom Ellen starring Ellen DeGeneres! This will be an FX premiere as the series has never aired on the network. Ellen will air mornings Mon-Sat from 9-11am, but also a movie could preempt and airing or two on random days. Ellen has aired on other networks like Lifetime and Oxygen, but hasn't aired anywhere in quite some time. Back to Buffy, the series has aired on many networks since it left FX, including the Viacom world (MTV, TeenNick, Logo) and NBCUniversal (Chiller and Oxygen). The series continues to air on Chiller and will continue to air, but it seems that Viacom networks will lose the drama to FX.

    Elsewhere on the FX fall schedule it will be status quo. From 11am-8pm will be movies, How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, with no real set schedule. Ideally, FX likes to air How I Met Your Mother from 5-7pm and Two and a Half Men from 2-3pm and 7-8pm, but that's not always the case. In primetime, there are movies and original series (like Anger Management) thru 11pm. Encores of originals or a movie fill the rest of the schedule out from 11pm to the wee hours. We mentioned that How I Met Your Mother will be airing on the new FX spin-off network FXX, but as you can see it will still be on FX as well. You'll find the sitcom on both FX and FXX this fall. We will announce the FXX schedule sometime next week and it will have some older series that will surprise you as well. Stay tuned! Highlights for FX Fall 2013 include a Two and a Half Men Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 2 from 7am-5:30pm. The season finale of Wilfred is on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 10. The 90-minute season premiere of Sons of Anarchy on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 10 following the broadcast premiere of the movie X-Men: First Class. The broadcast premiere of Moneyball on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7. The season premiere of American Horror Story: Coven is on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10 following the broadcast premiere of Paranormal Activity. The following week as the broadcast premiere of Paranormal Activity 2. Other movie premieres include The Green Lantern.

    Discuss the FX Fall 2013 schedule on our message board. And stay with us for the FXX launch schedule very soon!

    Sabrina the Teenage Witch


    MTV2 has added the Melissa Joan Hart sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to its line-up to compliment similar series Boy Meets World and Saved by the Bell as of July 27. The sitcom is primarily used on Saturdays from about 7-11am. It will pop-up on some weekdays as well in the mornings from 9am-12pm to lead into the regular Saved by the Bell (12-2pm) and Boy Meets World (2-4pm) airings. Other sitcoms MTV2 airs are Wayans Bros., Everybody Hates Chris, Martin and the sketch comedy In Living Color. They have quietly removed Smart Guy and Living Single after being added in April, while Martin has been reduced heavily. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch continues to air on The Hub, airing Mon-Thurs at 2am so this is a shared deal with The Hub. Smart Guy continues to air on Up, while Living Single is still on TV One with Martin. Stay with us for continued updates and to see what MTV2 looks like in the fall, if any changes.

    Monday, April 22, 2013

    MTV2 Adds Smart Guy, Living Single; MeTV Network Adds 7 More Affiliates, Win a Trip to Cancun, T-Shirts from MeTV!

    Living Single

    Last month we mentioned that MTV2 has acquired '90s comedy Living Single, but now we have more details and when it is airing! It will quietly premiere next Saturday night/Sunday morning (April 27-28) from 4-8am. That is not its regular slot, as the sitcom will regularly air Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights from 1am-3am beginning on April 29. It will replace Everybody Hates Chris, which was airing on those days from 1-4am. Chris will still air on weekends, while the 3-4am hour on those nights will now be The P.J.'s. As for Living Single, it will follow Martin, which airs 11pm-1am on those nights. Living Single will also air Sunday mornings around 9-11am following The Wayans Bros., but there is no set schedule.

    The second addition to the schedule is brand new and was not previously announced. MTV2 has acquired the rights to the Tahj Mowry sitcom Smart Guy. The sitcom launched on April 13 and is airing every Saturday morning from 8am-12pm. Yes, that sounds a little familiar because GMC has been airing in on Saturdays as well from 9am-12pm and will continue to do so. For a show that lasted just three seasons in the late '90s, this show sure does get around, as it also has been seen in the past on Disney, BET and Centric. Back to Living Single, yes it will continue to air on TV One as well. We're not sure when TV One loses rights and if MTV2 will have exclusive rights or not yet. Stay with us for continued updates on the sitcoms coming to MTV2, BET and Centric.


    The MeTV Network is getting even more affiliates! The MeTV Network has signed seven new affiliation agreements with stations in these markets: Nashville (DMA #29); Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Michigan (DMA #38); Rockford, Illinois (DMA #135); Monroe, Louisiana (DMA #137); Sioux City, Iowa(DMA #147); Bismarck-Minot, North Dakota(DMA #151); and Bluefield-Beckley, West Virginia (DMA #156). These new affiliates bring MeTV to 147 markets; the network now clears a whopping 89% of the country. Word Broadcasting-owned WJDE-Nashville will launch on June 1, 2013 and will be seen on channel 31.1. Christian Faith Broadcast-owned WLLA-Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek will launch on July 4, 2013 and will be seen on channel 64.2. Quincy-owned WREX-Rockford launched on April 4, 2013 and can already be seen on channel 13.3. Sonrise Communications-owned KWMS-Monroe launched on April 1, 2013 and can already be seen on channel 18.1. Quincy-owned KTIV-Sioux City will launch on July 1, 2013 and will be seen on channel 4.3. Hoak Media-owned KFYR-Bismarck-Minot will launch on May 1, 2013 and will be seen on channel 5.2. Quincy-owned WVVA-Bluefield-Beckley launched on April 4, 2013 and is seen on channel 6.3. So, now in addition to being available in all top ten television markets, the network can be found in 28 of the top 30 markets in the U.S., with the addition of Nashville.

    In other MeTV news, watch The MeTV Sunday Showcase (Sundays 3-7pm ET) on Sunday, April 28 at 3pm ET/2pm CT to see if you can catch the connection between the showcase episodes in that day's lineup of seemingly unrelated shows. If you know how each show is related to the others, you could be a winner! Log on to MeTVNetwork.com after you say "ah ha!" and give them your best guess! From all eligible entries, they will randomly select 100 winners to receive a MeTV t-shirt and one lucky grand prize winner will get to spend five days and four nights at the fabulous Hard Rock Cancun all inclusive resort! The shows airing will be an episode each of: Get Smart, The Odd Couple, The Mod Squad, The Wild Wild West, and The Untouchables. The grand prize is sponsored by FunJet Vacations and New Lenox Travel in New Lenox, Illinois

    Thursday, March 21, 2013

    BET/Centric Acquire Fresh Prince, Martin, Plus Renewals; ABC Season Finale Dates for 2012-13 Season



    BET Networks announced that it has licensed an extensive package of iconic, successful off-net programming from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. And the off-network programming are '90s sitcoms! The series, which features such world-recognized and award-winning actors such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Martin Lawrence, includes The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros. to air on BET and Centric. In addition, Viacom sibling Nick at Nite has retained the rights to continue airing Full House, while another sibling, MTV2, has acquired the rights to air Living Single. As for the current schedule, Family Matters already started airing on BET earlier this month, as we previously mentioned. The sitcom was borrowed from sister network Nick at Nite and has made the move to BET. In regards to the other sitcoms we mentioned, Martin currently is on sibling MTV2 (shared with TV One), while The Jamie Foxx Show and The Wayans Bros. have already been airing on BET/Centric for sometime now, so these are more renewals than anything. The Wayans Bros. sometimes even pops-up on sister net MTV2. Martin will start on BET/Centric soon and it will be exclusive to BET Networks in the next few years (by Fall 2015), Barbara Zaneri (Executive Vice President, Program Strategy, Scheduling and Acquisitions, BET Networks) tells us. Stay tuned for updates on that.



    The real new deal for BET/Centric is for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Currently, it is not airing on any Viacom-owned network, as it is airing on TBS and ABC Family. Barbara Zaneri has told us exclusively that The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will be exclusive to BET Networks and Viacom Media Networks and will begin airing in Fall 2014. MTV2 also has a brand new deal. It has acquired Living Single, which like Fresh Prince, is currently not on a Viacom-owned network. Living Single currently airs on TV One and we'll have news on its launch date on MTV2 shortly. Barbara says it won't pop-up on BET/Centric for now, but she loves the show, so you never know. Like Martin, Fresh Prince, Barbara tells us the series will be exclusive to BET/Viacom Networks. And finally, Full House is a renewal for Nick at Nite (it's being shared with ABC Family), so you'll continue to see that in primetime on Nick at Nite. We're not sure if this renewal will be now exclusive to Viacom, but we'll find out soon. Stay with us as we will bring you premiere dates and the schedule for these shows (especially Fresh Prince and Living Single, since they are brand new deals) on BET, Centric, and MTV2. There could be more shows in this deal, but these are a lot of shows and deals. We mentioned Roc to Barbara, since that would go well with The Jamie Foxx Show, since Jamie had a recurring role on that series. Special thanks to Barbara Zaneri for all key exclusive and launch information!


    ABC has announced its season finale dates for 2012-13 series. The finales begin this Friday (Friday, March 22) with the season finales for sitcoms Last Man Standing and Malibu Country beginning at 8pm. Look for our reviews of both tomorrow before they air! Happy Endings will then move into the hour with back-to-back episodes for at least the next three weeks (March 29, April 5, and April 12). The Neighbors wraps up its freshman season next Wednesday (March 27) at 8:30pm, as we knew. Then the remaining finale dates are new news. Suburgatory, which moves back to 8:30pm on April 3, will conclude its second season on Wednesday, April 17 with a 2-episode finale starting at a special time of 8pm. The remaining season finales will air in the May sweep primarily, with Wife Swap (which has its season premiere tonight) on Thursday, May 2 at 8 (summer series Wipeout premieres May 9). The other ABC Thursday finales will be on Thursday, May 16 with Grey's Anatomy at 9 and Scandal at 10. On to Sunday, new drama Red Widow will conclude on Sunday, May 5 at 10 (if it doesn't get pulled due to low ratings). The big Sunday guns of Once Upon a Time and Revenge will end their seasons the following week on May 12 from 8-11pm, with Revenge having a two-episode finale from 9-11pm. America's Funniest Home Videos will conclude its season on the final Sunday of the season on Sunday, May 19 at 7pm (leading into the Billboard Music Awards).

    New celebrity competition series Splash, which premiered to good ratings this week, will end its first season on Tuesday, May 7 at 8pm. Dancing with the Stars will end its season with a two-night finale event, with The Finals airing Monday, May 20 from 8-9pm and The Finale on Tuesday, May 21 from 8-10pm. No word what will air May 14 at 8 or May 21 at 10 (the latter could be regularly scheduled Body of Proof as usual, but I don't think it will be). Speaking of Body of Proof, it will have its season finale the following Tuesday on May 28 at 10, which is the first Tuesday of the summer. Back to Monday, Castle will have its season finale on Monday, May 13 at 10, since The Bachelorette will premiere May 20 from 9-11pm, as previously announced. On Friday, May 17, Shark Tank will end its series high 26-episode season at 9pm. Happy Endings is scheduled for Fridays at 8, but that is just for three weeks, as of now. ABC could opt to air it Wednesdays at 8:30pm for May sweep to finish off its remaining four episodes, however ABC had previously announced new sitcom Family Tools for that slot, though we haven't heard anything more on it since. They could air that series in the summer instead. Back to the finales, ABC ends the season with the Wednesday finales on Wednesday, May 22: The Middle at 8, Modern Family at 9, and freshman drama Nashville at 10. ABC will premiere How To Live with Your Parents on April 3, but no finale date has been announced yet, but it will likely be on May 22, too. That would mean that only 8 episodes will air out of its 13 episode order, but ABC could hold on to the remaining five for next season, should it do well in the ratings. View the ABC 2012-13 season finale dates. That's it, stay with us for further information as always!

    Tuesday, January 15, 2013

    Everybody Hates Chris Heads to MTV2; Remembering Ned Wertimer, Doorman from The Jeffersons

    Everybody Hates Chris

    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!


    Ned Wertimer

    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.

    Ned WertimerMarla Gibbs and Ned Wertimer

    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.

    The Jeffersons

    Share your memories of Mr. Wertimer on The Jeffersons message board. View photos in our galleries.

    Wednesday, December 12, 2012

    TV One's 2012 Christmas Episodes Sitcom Marathon; FEARnet's Comedy Series Holliston Books Christmas Special

    It is 12/12/12, and usually in December when we think of 12 we think of 12 days of Christmas. We're not quite at 12 days yet, but we're close! TV One is getting into the holiday spirit with laughs again! They will celebrate the holidays with two Christmas marathons featuring holiday episodes of sitcoms! First up on Saturday, Dec. 22, wake up early to watch a full day of sitcom Christmas episodes beginning at 6am through 8pm. Airing will be The Jeffersons from 6-8am, followed by more Sherman Hemsley, but this time in Amen from 8am-10:30am. Then we get even more The Jeffersons from 10:30am-1pm, followed by Eve from 1-2pm, and A Different World from 2pm-4:30pm. Then it's Living Single from 4:30pm-6pm and Martin from 6-8pm to close the marathon out. And if you missed any of the marathon, they will encore some of it in the late night from 12-6am with Martin from 12-2am, Living Single from 2am-3:30am and A Different World from 3:30am-6am.
    But wait, that's not all! You'll have another chance on Christmas Day itself - Tuesday, December 25 - from 6am-8pm to watch these holiday episodes on Christmas! What a present! A Different World will air first this time from 6-8am, then it's Amen from 8am-10:30am, and The Jeffersons from 10:30am-1pm. In the afternoon, it's Eve from 1-2pm, then A Different World from 2pm-4pm, Living Single from 4pm-5:30pm and Martin from 5:30-8pm. Missing from this list is Good Times, which was quietly removed from TV One recently along with Half & Half. Stay with us for continued updates!



    FEARnet's first original television series, Holliston, created by and starring modern genre master Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet), returns with a brand new one-hour Christmas special and a season 1 marathon on Tuesday, December 18 to whet viewers' appetites for the premiere of season 2 in June 2013. Catch up on all the Holliston hijinks with the complete season 1 Holliston marathon at 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT. Tune in as aspiring horror filmmakers Adam and Joe (Joe Lynch) - along with Joe's girlfriend, Laura (Laura Ortiz) and Adam's childhood sweetheart, Corri (Corri English) - deal with life, love, and Lance Rockett (Dee Snider), while having run-ins with genre legends Kane Hodder, Tony Todd and John Landis, and receiving sincere-yet-terrible advice from GWAR's Oderus Urungus, who lives in Adam's closet.

    Directly following the marathon at 8pm ET/5pm PT on Tuesdy, Dec. 18, the most wonderful time of the year quickly turns into "Silent Night, Deadly Night," when a blizzard strikes the town of Holliston, trapping Adam, Joe, Corri and Laura inside with no power in the Holliston Christmas Special. To make matters worse, a crazed serial killer has just escaped and is said to be lurking somewhere in the area. Fearing for their lives and having nothing but flashbacks to entertain them, the gang reminisces about the moments in their past that brought them all together. Derek Mears (Friday the 13th) guest stars.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Friday, September 13

    none scheduled

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 9)

    Friday, September 13

    • Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Watch Brian on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) - Dax appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Al Franken (LateLine) - Al is a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO.
    • Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
    • Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
    • Dana Delany (The Comedians) - Dana discusses her television series Tulsa King on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
    • Josie Davis (Charles in Charge) - Josie will be on Good Day LA on FOX 11 in Los Angeles at 11:30am.


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    04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
    05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
    06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
    06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
    07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
    07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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    09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
    09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
    10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
    10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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