ABC Sets Feb. 2 Premiere Date for LOST Final Season, Chuck Returns for NBC; ABC Family Monday Originals in January

ABC announced that the premiere of the sixth and final season of LOST, will have a special all-night event on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. A recap special will kick off the night at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT, followed by the much anticipated two-hour premiere from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The series will then air in its regular time period Tuesday nights from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET beginning the following week, on February 9.
ABC has not announced anything else for 2010 in terms of schedule changes. LOST airing in the 9pm hour will likely have ABC move Scrubs and Better off Ted to the 8pm hour. Those comedies start airing in the 9pm hour starting Dec. 1 and will likely air there in January as well before LOST takes the hour starting in February. It is unclear what ABC will air at 8pm on Tuesdays in January. My guess? Shark Tank. ABC has some episodes still to air and they announced yesterday that repeats will air on Saturdays in January at 5pm ET starting Jan. 9. ABC will also air repeats of Shaq Vs. on Sundays at 5pm ET starting Jan. 3. Back to primetime, the forgotten will likely air Tuesdays at 10pm still in January and February. In March both Dancing with the Stars: The Results and V will return. They will air at 8pm and 10pm, but either time for each could work. The only other question mark for ABC will be Wednesdays at 10pm starting in January. Could Ugly Betty be on the move to that slot? Stay with us!

NBC's one-hour action-comedy series Chuck returns to the NBC lineup on Sunday, January 10 with all-new missions and two action-packed, back-to-back original episodes in its season premiere from 9-11 p.m. ET before the series -- starring Zachary Levi in the title role -- moves back to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m. ET) beginning Monday, January 11. NBC has 19 hours of Chuck this season, so they are using three hours the first week.
In other programming news, a special two-hour episode of Heroes will be broadcast on Monday, January 4 from 8-10 p.m. ET and then the series moves to its new time slot (actually its old slot) of Mondays at 9 p.m. ET starting January 11. NBC has also announced they have ordered three more episodes of canceled drama Trauma. Why? For inventory reasons as they will need a few more hours to program. Trauma will air 10 episodes in 2009, so 6 episodes will remain to air sometime in 2010. It won't be airing Mondays at 9 in January that's for sure. Looks like it will return when maybe Heroes finishes up its run in February? Don't get too excited Trauma fans, NBC did the same thing by ordering more Lipstick Jungle last year and it remained canceled after that.

Finally, ABC Family will return its two original hit dramas, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Make It or Break It one week earlier, moving to Monday, January 4 at 8:00-9:00PM ET/PT and 9:00-10:00PM ET/PT. The Secret Life of the American Teenager returns (8:00-9:00PM ET/PT) to complete its second season with 12 all-new episodes; Make It or Break It (9:00PM-10:00PM ET/PT) returns to complete its first season with 10 all-new episodes. The two series were initially scheduled to return on Monday, January 11, 2010.
The network has also created its first 3-hour block of original programming on Monday nights by setting the premiere date for the return of Greek on Monday, January 25 at 10:00 PM ET/PT. Greek will join the new Monday line up in the 10 o'clock hour, which will round out its third season with 10 episodes.
We will have more on ABC Family January 2010 at a later date, if anything has changed on the regular daytime schedule (7am-8pm).

The Unit Joins BET, And Coming to Sleuth in January; 2010 Emmy's in August

Action drama The Unit, which aired on CBS from 2005-09, has began airing on cable in repeats on BET since Monday (Nov. 16). The series stars Dennis Haysbert and focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta (a.k.a. Delta Force). BET airs repeats of the series on Monday and Friday nights in primetime from 8pm-11pm ET and encores from 1-3am ET and they have rights through 2011. The Unit of course also airs in broadcast syndication on Wednesday nights in primetime from 8-10pm ET/PT on MyNetwork TV, as we all know. Sticking to BET, they will air an Everybody Hates Chris marathon on "Black Friday" (Friday, Nov. 27) from 10am-6pm. The Game will also get a marathon the following day (Saturday, Nov. 28) from 9am-8:30pm.
We have more news for The Unit! It will be joining Sleuth in January. The series launches on the network on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010 and will have a three-day all-day marathon from 6am-6am through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010. Then starting Monday, Jan. 4, the series will air Mondays from 8am-4pm ET & 8pm-2am ET; Saturdays from 9am-1pm ET & 5am ET; and Sundays at 11pm ET. The Unit will get a 24-hour marathon on Martin Luther King, Jr. day on Monday, Jan. 18 from 6am-6am.
In other Sleuth January 2010 news, starting Friday, Jan. 8 from 8pm-11pm ET/PT will be the "Sleuth Uncovered TV" block that features a stack of short-lived TV series that deserve to be seen. At 8pm we get Blind Justice starring Ron Eldard, at 9pm we get The Handler starring Joe Pantoliano, and at 10pm we get Twin Peaks starring Kyle MacLachlan.
Other series that air regularly on Sleuth are Monk, NCIS, The Dead Zone and Bury the Lead. Airing in blocks like The Unit are series like JAG, Walker Texas Ranger, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and MacGyver.
So, by January we'll have The Unit on MyNetwork TV, BET and Sleuth. Will there be more? Who knows, but stay with us as usual.

NBC will broadcast The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards live on Sunday, August 29 (8-11 p.m. ET; other time zones delayed) in 2010. The Emmy Awards are usually the last Sunday of the summer season, but due to NBC's commitments to NFL on Sunday nights, they cannot air the Emmy Awards on that night. This is the second time that NBC has done this, as last time they had the Emmy Awards was in 2006 and they aired it on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006. The Emmy Awards rotate each year on ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.
Nominations for The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Thursday, July 8 at 5:40 a.m. (PT) from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood, Calif. Still a long way to go!

ION Television December 2009 Highlights; Meet the Browns Heads to Syndication

This December 2009 on ION Television it is time to celebrate the holidays with Christmas movies, including an original movie premiere! There will not be any changes once again to the regular schedule, so you'll know when to find your favorites still like Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, NCIS and in daytime like Family Feud and Reba.
ION Television's first originally produced television film, the holiday themed A Golden Christmas, is set to make its world premiere on on Sunday, December 13 at 9:00 PM, ET. This two-hour film marks the first of a dozen originally produced made-for-television movies that ION Television is slated to roll out throughout 2010. The movie stars Andrea Roth, Jason London, Nicholas Brendon, Bruce Davison, Elisa Donovan and Alley Mills. The film is produced by MarVista Entertainment; directed by John Murlowski; and written by Jay Cipriani.
The movie is about one summer a long time ago, when a little girl and a little boy were brought together by a very special dog. They played all summer long, it was puppy love. Then the summer ended and they never saw each other again until…years later when her parents (Davison and Mills) retire and decide to sell their house. Jessica (Roth), recently widowed, decides she needs to start over and moves back home with her son. She hopes to buy the old house as a Christmas surprise, however, her plan goes awry when she discovers that her parents have already sold it. What she does not know is that the house has been sold to the very same person that she spent that magical summer with years ago.
Elsewhere on ION December 2009, other movie premieres for this month are theatrical premieres of March of the Penguins and Mission to Mars. Encore airings of films include Batman, Miami Vice, Who's Harry Crumb?, Heat, Eraser, Karate Kid II, and The Medallion. Holiday movies airing are 2008 films Christmas Town and The Christmas Clause, joining ION's original movie The Golden Christmas.
View the full schedule and details on ION Television December 2009.

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns is heading to broadcast syndication already starting next September (2010) on stations covering 70% of U.S. TV households, including Fox-owned stations in New York, Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C. In other top ten markets it will air on Weigel (Chicago), Tribune (Philadelphia) or Peachtree (Atlanta) owned stations. Distributor Debmar-Mercury already has Tyler Perry's House of Payne in syndication. Both series air new episodes on TBS on Wednesday nights. Meet the Browns is the top series on TBS this season in the adult 18-49 demo. It debuted on the cable network in May 2009 after a successful ten episode trial run in January. After tonight's episodes, 42 total episodes will have aired with much more to come. About 90 episodes total will be expected to be available by fall 2010.
Debmar-Mercury is poised to launch two more series that will premiere on cable and, if successful, move quickly into first-run syndication like Payne and Browns. The series are Are We There Yet, featuring Ice Cube, for TBS and an untitled project starring Jon Heder that will air on Comedy Central.

MTV Acquires Grounded for Life; CW Vampire Week, CBS Sunday Timeslot Changes

MTV has quietly acquired the sitcom Grounded for Life. The sitcom started on the cable network yesterday (Nov. 16) and they are airing it weeknights at 7:00pm & 7:30pm and also next day encores in the mornings at 9:00am & 9:30am. The sitcom is about a thirty-something Irish Catholic couple (Sean and Claudia) that deal with their three children as well as Sean's judgmental father and his carefree brother. Donal Logue and Megyn Price star in this 2001-2005 sitcom that aired on Fox and later The WB. On cable, ABC Family has been airing the series on and off since fall 2005, and they will continue to air it weekdays at 4:00pm & 4:30pm even with MTV acquiring the series.
Grounded for Life joins repeats of South Park (from sister network Comedy Central), which recently started airing on MTV at 8:00pm & 8:30pm. MTV also airs TeenNick's Degrassi: The Next Generation weekdays at 10:00am & 10:30am. It seems MTV is going with more scripted stuff rather than music now? Grounded for Life is the first sitcom airing on MTV that is not borrowed from another Viacom-owned network. Scrubs aired this past summer, but that was borrowed from Comedy Central/TV Land. They have been airing movies, too, such as Addams Family, Not Another Teen Movie, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Halloween: Resurrection, Scream 3, Phone Booth, and airing soon will be movies such as Bad Santa, Addams Family Values, Men in Black II & Dawn of the Dead.
Another scripted series is coming soon to MTV and we will let you know very soon! Hint: It is a classic '90s teen drama. And it is not on other Viacom-owned networks. Stay with us for more news!

The CW Network has announced plans for a special Vampire Diaries Marathon starting on Monday, December 14. This week-long event offers fans the opportunity to relive The Vampire Diaries saga from the very beginning and allows the uninitiated the chance to get into one of TV's breakout hits.
Airing two episodes each night from Monday, Dec. 14 through Friday, Dec. 18 (8:00-10:00p.m. ET/PT) beginning with the season premiere episode, The CW will rebroadcast every episode to date of its smash hit The Vampire Diaries in consecutive order across its entire primetime schedule that week. After just 10 episodes, The Vampire Diaries has become The CW's most-watched and highest-rated series among adults 18-34 this season.
And finally, CBS has swapped the timeslots for Sunday dramas Three Rivers and Cold Case. Three Rivers moves from 9pm to 10pm, while Cold Case goes from 10pm to 9pm. Both will be moved to their new timeslots for this coming Sunday (Nov. 22). As of now, it is only for one week, but the following week (Nov. 29), CBS has a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie airing. If the timeslots improve, I'm sure CBS will keep these new timeslots for both series. Both series have had sluggish ratings this season, especially first year drama Three Rivers.

ABC Family Changes Its Mind; George Segal to Star in TV Land Sitcom Pilot

Last Wednesday we mentioned a few ABC Family schedule changes happening this week, now one of them is not happening anymore. 8 Simple Rules is not coming back to the weekday 6pm hour starting Nov. 18 after all. Instead, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will remain in the hour until further notice. As of now, 8 Simple Rules is not airing at all, but in October it aired on weekends (Sat 10-11am & Sun 11am-12pm). It is not airing now because of holiday movies. Stay with us and we'll let you know if it remains on weekends in January or if it gets a weekday slot. The other change we mentioned last week, will happen starting today, with What I Like About You returning to the schedule and airing weekdays in the 12 noon hour replacing one of the Full House hours (it will remain in the 3pm hour).

TV Land announced that George Segal -- esteemed comedy and drama actor on TV, stage and film -- has been tapped to star in the network's sitcom pilot Retired at 35. The sitcom, which was previously announced in October along with comedy pilot Hot in Cleveland, is TV Land's first foray into scripted comedy series and is being developed for TV Land PRIME.
Retired at 35 follows a successful businessman who decides to leave the rat race of New York City behind and move into his parents' Florida retirement home to reconnect with them, reevaluate his life and live the dream of retirement that so many are working towards. Segal will play the role of the father, who bonds with his son while showing him the glories of his newfound and liberated lifestyle.
Retired at 35 and Hot in Cleveland are in development for 2010 for TV Land PRIME along with the premieres of Everybody Loves Raymond and the reality series High School Reunion; First Love, Second Chance and She's Got the Look. TV Land PRIME is the network's primetime programming block designed to appeal to the attitudes, life stage and interests of people in their 40s.
Recently seen on the popular HBO series Entourage, and in ABC's Pushing Daisies, Segal starred for seven seasons as Jack Gallo in the NBC ensemble comedy Just Shoot Me! On the big screen, he was an Oscar-nominee for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and also starred in A Touch of Class, The Owl and The Pussycat with Barbra Streisand and Fun with Dick and Jane with Jane Fonda. He also starred on Broadway in Art, Rattle of a Simple Man and Gideon.
We'll let you know more casting for this sitcom (along with Hot in Cleveland) and if actually gets picked-up to series. If that happens, it will air for sure, but right now it is just a pilot.

Week 8 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 8 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thurs finals):

Households: #1. ABC 8.7/13.8; #2. CBS 8.7/13.8; #3. Fox 4.6/7.1; #4. NBC 4.0/6.4; #5. The CW 1.6/2.4
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 13.99 million; #2. ABC 13.89 million; #3. Fox 7.72 million; #4. NBC 6.39 million; #5. The CW 2.44 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. ABC 3.9/10.2; #2. CBS 3.7/9.6; #3. Fox 3.0/7.6; #4. NBC 2.3/6.1; #5. The CW 1.2/3.1

Week 8 (Nov. 9-15) Analysis: For week 8 we have ABC and CBS neck and neck through the first four days in all categories as ABC was boosted by the CMA Awards on Wednesday. ABC should hang on for an 18-49 win this week, with CBS winning in HH/viewers. NBC could surpass Fox this week for 3rd thanks to a big NFL game tonight between the Pats and Colts. Through the first four days in week 8 ABC and CBS are tied for first in HH, with CBS with a very slight edge in total viewers, and ABC leads in 18-49 by a bit. Fox is third in all categories, while NBC is back in fourth everywhere as usual. Last week, week 7, CBS went by Fox for the week in HH/viewers, while Fox took the 18-49 crown. CBS was second in 18-49, nipping by NBC and ABC. ABC was third in HH/viewers, while NBC was fourth.
On Monday it was ABC on top in viewers and a battle between Fox and CBS for 18-49. A two-hour Dancing with the Stars did 17.62 million for ABC, up a million from the previous week. An all-new Castle followed with a solid 9.82 million, up from the previous week, despite being preempted in Pittsburgh for MNF. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. How I Met Your Mother started it off with 8.67 million, down a tad week-to-week, while Accidentally on Purpose followed doing 7.89 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, both down some from previous week. Two and a Half Men followed doing 14.44 million, up nearly a million week-to-week and The Big Bang Theory followed did a nice 12.8 million, up a tad from previous week. The show also did a 4.7 18-49 rating just like the previous week, building on the lead-in's 4.6 rating. A new episode of CSI: Miami featuring a cross-over did 14.38 million, the best numbers since the season premiere. Fox started with House doing a solid 13.31 million and a night best 5.3 18-49 rating, followed by Lie to Me at only 7.41 million. NBC was next with Heroes doing 5.26 million, down from the previous week. A new episode of Trauma followed and did only 5.35 million and only a 1.8 A18-49 rating, both down from the previous week. The Jay Leno Show followed with only 4.05 million, but actually up a tad from previous week, but it still only did a 1.2 18-49 rating. The CW on Mondays has been a struggle this season, with One Tree Hill doing only 2.67 million and Gossip Girl at an even worse 2.37 million...but both up some week-to-week.
On Tuesday, CBS was in control as usual, but ABC continues to be much improved. CBS had the always reliable NCIS opening the night off with 20.96 million...up some from previous week. A new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles was next and did 16.23 million, up nearly a million from previous week. And finally CBS aired a new The Good Wife and did 13.35 million, also up from previous week. ABC was second for the night with episode two of V doing 10.7 million, though down from the 14.3 million from its premiere...still good! 3.8 18-49 rating was also solid, but down from the 5.2 the week before. Then it was Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 16.23 million, up well over a million week-to-week as we said goodbye to Aaron Carter. They also had Susan Boyle performing. ABC followed with a special titled In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Lights, Bright Stars doing a solid 9.34 million, better than the forgotten the previous week. NBC was next with The Biggest Loser 2-hour show doing 9.65 million, up some from previous week, followed by the The Jay Leno Show at 5.81 million, which was down some from previous week. Fox aired So You Think You Can Dance for two-hours and did only 5.76 million, down from previous week. The CW was next with a new 90210 doing only 2.06 million, but it was up a bit from previous week, followed by a new episode of dud Melrose Place at an even worse 1.27 million. Can Heather Locklear actually help this show this week? What a dud! 0.7 18-49 rating? Come on!
Wednesday it was ABC on top by a big margin thanks to the 43rd Annual CMA Awards doing a solid 17.18 million and a 5.3 18-49 rating. Congrats to Taylor Swift. CBS started with Old Christine doing 7.2 million, up from previous week, followed by Gary Unmarried at 7.3 million, up a million from previous week and looks like a season high. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next and did 12.77 million, up some week-to-week, while CSI: NY also did a cross-over and did 14.51 million, its best showing since the season premiere. ABC comedies return this week, but Hank is canceled, but we will have new episodes of The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town this week along with 10pm drama Eastwick as usual. NBC opened the night with Mercy doing 6.68 million, on par really from previous week and only a 1.7 18-49 rating. Law & Order: SVU followed and did 8.77 million, up from previous week. At 10pm NBC aired The Jay Leno Show of course at just 4.75 million, down again week-to-week. Fox returned their Wednesday schedule with So You Think You Can Dance doing only 5.72 million but Glee returned to 7.53 million and a solid 3.4 18-49 rating. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at 3.2 million, down from previous week and a repeat of Vampire Diaries followed with 1.15 million, which was also down a tad week-to-week.
Thursday it was CBS and ABC battling. ABC opened the night with FLASHFORWARD doing 8.28 million down some from previous week, though kept its 18-49 rating intact from previous week. A new Grey's Anatomy followed with 14.87 million and a great 5.6 A18-49 rating, both up from previous week. And a new episode of Private Practice did a solid 10.25 million and a 3.9 A18-49 rating, both up week-to-week and what an episode that was! CBS opened with Survivor: Samoa at 12.94 million and a 4.0 A18-49 rating, both up from previous week. A new episode of CSI followed with 17.38 million, up a lot from previous week, as the cross-over ended. At 10pm The Mentalist was also new and did 16.17 million, down a bit from previous week despite the lead-in going way up. Fox started with underrated Bones and did a solid 10.22 million, well up from previous week, but Fringe was still lost in the shuffle but up from previous week's series lows of 4.86 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating to 5.91 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating. Still needs to do better. NBC was next with Community at 8pm doing 5.09 million down some from previous week, followed by sitcom dud Parks & Recreation at only 4.58 million, down week-to-week. At 9pm, The Office did 8.05 million and a solid 4.2 18-49 rating, both basically on par from previous week. A new episode of 30 Rock did 6.0 million, down ever so slightly from the previous week. The Jay Leno Show closed the night with only 4.75 million, down some week-to-week. The CW's only consistent player so far is Vampire Diaries and did a great 4.1 million, basically on par week-to-week, followed by a new Supernatural at 2.69 million, up some from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with their dramas as usual. NBC was good with Law & Order at 8pm and 20/20 at 10pm for ABC won its hour in 18-49.
Saturday numbers had Fox's regular line-up and ABC's College Football battle for the win in a close race, with Fox prevailing in a low rated finish in 18-49.
Tonight the full ABC Sunday line-up is airing (AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters), look for solid numbers as usual even despite the big NFL game tonight. NBC has a better than normal NFL game tonight for the second week in a row, so look for it to be above normal again. CBS has its usual players including dud Three Rivers still airing. Fox has an overrun of the late afternoon NFL game which will do big, leading into Animation Domination from 8-10. Look for CBS to win the week likely in HH/viewers over ABC but ABC will likely take 18-49. NBC could overtake Fox in all categories for 3rd place thanks to NFL, or Fox could hand on at least in 18-49 since they have an NFL overrun tonight. Look for Ed Norton and Elizabeth Banks on a hilarious episode of Modern Family this Wednesday on ABC Comedy Wednesday!

Week 8 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 7-- Nov. 2-8)

• Brothers (Fox) - 1.66 million were tuned in in some of the country but then at 7:15om the markets that were airing NFL came in and but even still this show only did 3.42 million, ouch.
• The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - Aired at a special time of 9:30pm and did a series low of 6.45 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating.
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - Two all-new episodes aired at 8 and 9. At 8pm it did 7.26 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating and the regular 9pm airing did 8.0 million and a 4.1 18-49 rating. Not bad, but could have been higher since it was an all Seth MacFarlane night. The comedy special at 8:30 was so-so with 6.73 million.
• American Dad (Fox) - Aired at a special time of 7:30pm and was all-new at 3.87 million. Not good, but this is a tougher slot and no cushy lead-in.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new showing did 8.67 million, decent but a bit off from previous week, 18-49 rating of 3.5 is the same as previous though. Solid, but not great like Big Bang here last season.
• Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) - 7.89 million for a new episode...down from previous week.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.44 million for a new episode. Up nearly a million from previous week and an improved 4.6 18-49 rating.
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 12.8 million is excellent, but surprised it didn't go up more since the lead-in was up a lot. 4.7 18-49 rating was the same as the previous week.

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Old Christine (CBS) - New episode did 7.2 million...up some since there was no comedy competition from ABC.
• Gary Unmarried (CBS) - New episode did 7.3 million...up a million from previous week since there was no ABC comedy competition.
• The Middle (ABC) - preempted for CMA's...returns this week!
• Modern Family (ABC) - preempted for CMA's...returns this week with a major episode!
• Cougar Town (ABC) - preempted for CMA's, as with the above comedies, will return this week.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Community (NBC) - New episode did 5.09 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating. Both down week-to-week. Needs to do better, what happened to the growth from the previous few weeks?
• Parks & Recreation (NBC) - This show did terrible doing only 4.58 million but it held the lead-in's 2.1 A18-49 rating at least.
• The Office (NBC) - 8.05 million for a new episode, down a tad from the previous week. In 18-49 it did a 4.2 rating, up a tick.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - A new episode did 6.0 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating. Down week-to-week in viewership by a bit.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10pm tonight, all-new.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, & How I Met Your Mother were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Gary Unmarried, 30 Rock) or just plain old terrible (such as Brothers from week 7, Parks & Recreation).

Blog Book Review: The Brady Bunch: Super Groovy After All These Years!

We interrupt our regular weekly Saturday Blog DVD Review to bring you a special Book Review. Today we take a look at The Brady Bunch: Super Groovy After All These Years! by author Mike Pingel. The book includes new interviews with actors, Ann B. Davis, Susan Olsen, Robbie Rist, Geri Reischl and producers, Sherwood Schwartz, Lloyd Schwartz, plus so much more. See my Blog Book Review of The Brady Bunch: Super Groovy After All These Years!:



The Brady Bunch: Super Groovy After All These Years! (BearManor Media, $19.95)

It was 40 years ago when The Brady Bunch family hit the airwaves and is still being shown all around the world today. The Brady Bunch was the story of a widow with three girls who married a widower with three boys, who lived under one roof and solved life's problems within 24 minutes! Author Mike Pingel's new book shares the history, fun facts, full episode guide and interviews with actors, Ann B. Davis, Susan Olsen, Robbie Rist, Geri Reischl and producers, Sherwood Schwartz, Lloyd Schwartz, plus so much more. Brady Bunch fan Charlene Tilton (Dallas) has penned the foreword.

The book opens with A Very Brady History Lesson. This chapter provides information on how Sherwood Schwartz came up with the idea of the show, how the show was cast, highlights from various seasons and the release of the Brady Kids albums, filming at the Paramount Studios lot, the friendships between the cast members, and the end of the show and later spin-off series and reunion specials. There's a good general history of the show, but I've seen more detailed information in previous Brady Bunch books. Various "groovy tips" are sprinkled throughout the book where we learn which Brady kid was the only one to have brown eyes, that First Lady Michele Obama is an avid fan of the show and the Brady kids and Liberace did the limbo on The Mike Douglas Show on June 13, 1973. Groovy indeed!

Next up is a Brady Chat with creator Sherwood Schwartz. He talks about casting Florence Henderson and Robert Reed, about the fights he had with Reed and how Reed had no sense of humor and how the Brady kids were cast. We also learn how Tiger the dog was killed and why Robert Reed refused to act in the final episode of the show. He then shares his favorite episode and memory of the show.

Chapter Two deals with The Brady Actors and includes interviews with some of the cast and crew. This section provides brief bios of the cast members and some of their recent projects. Again, the information isn't incredibly detailed and you won't find a listing of all their credits. Links are provided to the cast member's official websites where you can find more information on them.

Susan Olsen is interviewed talks about many different subjects, including her hairstyles on the show, her relationship with Mike Lookinland, her favorite outfit and favorite/most hated episode, her favorite guest star, working with Robert and Florence and the Schwartz family, why she didn't return for A Very Brady Christmas and her current/future projects.

Ann B. Davis is the next cast member to be be interviewed. She discusses how she was cast in the show, her favorite episode and crazy kid moments, meeting Henry Kissinger, working with Allan Melvin (Sam), working on The Bradys and The Bob Cummings Show and what she most remembers about the show.

The next member of the Schwartz family to be interviewed is Lloyd Schwartz. This is the most comprehensive interview in the book with some detailed responses. He talks about the origins of the show, the typical film week, working with his family, what was behind the Robert Reed fights, his favorite guest star/episode, the Brady Musical, the kids dating and his future projects. I'm surprised how critical the Schwartz family is of Robert Reed, but I guess they are entitled to their opinion.

A short section provides some information on books that were written by the cast, including Growing Up Brady (Barry Williams), Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice (Maureen McCormick), Love to Love You Bradys: The Bizarre Story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (Susan Olsen) and Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook (Ann B. Davis).

Chapter four is titled Brady's Reincarnated. "Fake Jan", Geri Reischl, is interviewed. She talks about how she was cast in The Brady Bunch Hour, her favorite episode, working with the cast, the "Fake Jan" phenomenon, the typical filming day, her favorite guest star and memory, and funny stories from the set. It's cool how she is proud of being called "Fake Jan."

The spin-offs, tv reunion movies/specials and feature films are covered with some short summaries and original airdates. Zach Bostrom, who played Kevin Brady in A Very Brady Christmas, is the next person interviewed. He discusses his favorite memory, working with Barry, funny incidents on the set and why he didn't return on The Bradys.

Hope Juber, daughter of Sherwood Schwartz, is next to chat. She appeared in several episodes as various characters. She talks about working on the show, filming The Slumber Caper episode, working on A Very Brady Musical and her favorite incarnation of the Bradys.

The Brady Effects details some of the references in pop culture and on other shows. This includes the Day by Day episode, Brady Bunch vs. Partridge Family Saturday Night Live skit and references on Family Guy and The Simpsons. It seemed a little unnecessary to mention some adult movies, but I guess this book could be rated PG or PG-13 for some of the content.

Chapter Five is Why We Love The Bradys. This section talks about the opening theme, the hair & clothing, the family cars, the Brady Home and links to some groovy websites. Wendy Winans, creator of the excellent Brady World, is interviewed. She is asked about the the number one question fans write in about the show, how she became a fan of the show and created her website, and her favorite episode.

The Very Brady Characters are profiled in Chapter Six. This section provides details on the characters pulled from the episodes. Honorary Bradys Alan Melvin (Sam the Butcher) and Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver Martin) are listed as well. The replacement Brady Girls and extended Brady tree are noted. Robbie Rist is interviewed and chats about how he landed the gig on the show, the "Cousin Oliver Syndrome", working with the cast and fun stories from the set, and what he is doing today.

Chapter Seven is titled The Brady Stories. This is an episode guide and is the largest section of the book. Episode titles, writing/directing credits, original airdates and short summaries are provided. While the summaries aren't as detailed as some of the previous Brady Bunch books, there are some cool tips, tidbits of trivia about the episodes, and notes on the cast and guest stars included. This would be a pretty good reference for answering trivia questions. There is also a section on various Brady Bunch toys and records and a very short interview with Steve Sandberg who produced new Brady dolls for ClassicTVToys.com .

Final Comments: Overall, I liked the book and it would be a worthy addition to your Brady Bunch library. It's organized nicely and researched well. There are about 15 or so black and white photos scattered throughout the book. It wasn't as detailed as some of the previous books published over the years on the series. Other books have provided more detailed information on the history of the show and behind-the-scenes details on the cast, but this book has a nice mix of all things Brady. The most interesting sections were the interviews with the cast and crew. Some unique questions were asked and it was interesting reading their responses. The book probably could have benefited from even more interviews with the cast. The author is pictured with other cast members who weren't interviewed, so it's a bit surprising they weren't asked any questions. As a fan of The Brady Bunch for over 30 years, I can never have enough information on the show and cast and I recommend you pick up this groovy book for the 40th anniversary of the show.

Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(3.5/5 stars)

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

Related links:
The Official Mike Pingel Website
Brady World
Love to Love You Bradys: the bizarre story of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour

New TV One Daytime Schedule Starting Monday; Retroality.TV Stories on Suzanne Somers, Rod Roddy, and More!

Starting Monday (Nov. 16) TV One will be making last minute schedule changes to its daytime line-up. Short-lived sitcom For Your Love will now air for the full hour at 7am, rather than just the 7am half-hour, as original series Singletary Says is no longer scheduled at 7:30am. Sitcom Half & Half moves to the 8am hour, replacing an hour of original series. Original series will continue to air from 9am-12pm. Then at 12 noon, we now have an hour of Eve replacing short-lived comedies Where I Live and That's My Mama, which are now gone from the schedule totally. In the 1pm hour we now have another hour of Martin, replacing Amen and Like Family. This means Amen is totally gone from the regular schedule, but Like Family remains Saturdays in the 6am hour. In the 2pm hour, we now have back-to-back Living Single instead of Half & Half, since that moved to 8am. New York Undercover and Divorce Court remain in the 3pm and 4pm hours. The final change is to the 5pm hour with two episodes of All of Us replacing original series. Everything else will remain the same such as The Jeffersons in the 6pm hour.

Chris Mann has some very interesting reads up on his wonderful website Retroality.TV that you won't want to miss reading! As you all probably know, Suzanne Somers is much in the headlines these days about cancer and how chemo is not the answer. She has a new book titled Knockout, which boldly slams chemotherapy while promoting controversial treatments. Suzanne has gone back and forth this week with Gerald Posners in dueling blogs on The Daily Beast this week. Chris takes a look at this entire debacle and even has some interesting comments from her Three's Company co-star John Ritter about Suzanne Somers' breast cancer revelation and related liposuction debacle in 2001. Did Suzanne lie again? You won't want to miss this interesting investigative blog story titled "RETROALITY.TV EXCLUSIVE! John Ritter initially questioned if Suzanne Somers really had breast cancer: 'She lies,' he told me ...!"
Chris says he will have even more about this story later this month, so stay tuned! In other updates for Retroality.TV, the cover story is about Price is Right announcer Johnny Olson. GSN's new The Newlywed Game announcer Randy West wrote a great new book about his old friend and mentor Johnny. Chris has an exclusive interview with Randy.
Staying on the topic of The Price is Right, announcer Rod Roddy mysteriously wasn't visible on camera much as used to be in his final years. Why? Chris has an exclusive and interesting story on why from a former Barker's Beauty. Was Bob Barker responsible for this instead of the generic response given by FremantleMedia? Read Chris' very interesting story on Rod Roddy.
All of this is part of cancer month on Retroality.TV.
Also, later this month, he'll have an interview with Dick Van Patten regarding his new book Eighty is Enough. Retroality.TV just gets better and better! I suggest you read all of this, it is good stuff (I was especially interested in the Somers and Roddy blog stories!)!

ABC Cancels and Pulls Hank, CW Finalizes Mondays; TV Land Orders Season 3 of She's Got the Look

ABC has canceled the Kelsey Grammer sitcom Hank and will replace it immediately on the schedule as well. This is no surprise at all, especially since I announced on Tuesday that ABC has pulled all promos for Hank that were set to air during the CMA Awards last night. ABC will place repeats of Modern Family in Hank's Wednesdays at 8pm slot starting next week (Nov. 18). Repeats thus far scheduled in the 8pm slot for Modern Family are "The Bicycle Thief" on Nov. 18, "The Incident" on Nov. 25, and "Run for Your Wife" on Dec. 2. Of course Modern Family will be all-new still in its 9pm half-hour on Wednesdays.
As for Hank, the show aired only 5 episodes, and still has 5 more episodes to air. They had a 13 episode order, but ABC has stopped production. They finished taping an episode (#10) this week. Hank joins The Beautiful Life: TBL, Trauma, and Eastwick in freshman series cancelations. Still yet to hear its fates are Brothers and Three Rivers, everything else has been given additional episodes or full seasons. V just started and is doing great in the ratings, but it will only air for 13 weeks this season no matter what.
In other ABC schedule updates, as we mentioned the other day, Find My Family will launch on Monday, Nov. 23 at 9:30pm following the Dancing with the Stars performance finale. It will be a 30-minute preview, as one-hour episodes will air on Mondays at 9pm starting Nov. 30 through and including Dec. 21. Crime drama Castle wasn't originally scheduled to air on Nov. 23 in its 10pm slot, but it will now for the last Monday in November sweeps. Castle will be getting Saturday at 10pm repeats starting Dec. 12 through at least Jan. 9. And finally, Let's Dance will be scheduled on ABC in 2010, either mid-season or in the summer. It is just delayed due to the celebs other commitments during the holidays it couldn't launch Nov. 23.
Stay tuned for mid-season news very soon, as we find out when Lost airs!

Also, the other day we mentioned The CW's Monday plans, now we have actual dates. The CW Network announced it will air all-original episodes of three series - Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and the new drama Life UneXpected – on Monday nights from mid-January through May 2010. The three series will air in a revolving schedule as follows:
The network's new drama series, Life UneXpected, will premiere Monday, January 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET as we mentioned, following the return of original episodes of One Tree Hill that night in the 8:00 p.m. timeslot. OK, we announced this part already the other day, but we now have it confirmed.
Then as we mentioned, Life UneXpected will move to the 8:00 p.m. timeslot, but now we have a date on that, it will be on March 8. Original episodes of the pop-culture sensation Gossip Girl will return on March 8 in its 9:00 p.m. ET time slot.
And finally, on April 19, after Life UneXpected has completed its initial 13-episode run, the Monday-night schedule will finish the broadcast season with One Tree Hill at 8:00 p.m. and Gossip Girl at 9:00 p.m.

TV Land announced that it has picked up the hit original reality model competition She's Got The Look for a third season and is moving the series production to Los Angeles, CA. Premiering in 2010, this season of She's Got The Look sets out to discover a beautiful, sophisticated and confident woman over the age of 35 who has the potential to transform herself into a model representing some of the most high-profile brands and highly-coveted campaigns in the fashion and beauty industry. Emmy Award-Winner Allison Grodner (Big Brother) returns as executive producer and has teamed up with executive producer Rich Meehan (Big Brother) in their first project together under their new banner, Fly On The Wall Entertainment. The show has also renewed partnerships with SELF Magazine and world-renowned modeling agency, Wilhelmina Models, Inc.
If you want to join the show, open casting calls for She's Got The Look begin Sunday, December 6 in Los Angeles, CA. Additionally, there will also be open casting calls in New York, NY on December 12, in Memphis, TN on December 13 and in Columbus, OH on December 15. Thousands of applications have already been received for the third season. For the most current information on casting, log onto TVLandPrime.com.
Stay with us for the premiere date announcement soon!

ABC Family Schedule Changes Has 8 Simple Rules, Return of Bynes Comedy, Less 'Fresh'; 36th Annual People's Choice Awards Nominees

ABC Family Channel is making some schedule changes effective next week. Starting Monday, Nov. 16, weekdays at 12 noon will now be back-to-back episodes of the Amanda Bynes sitcom What I Like About You, which returns back to the schedule, replacing Full House. Full House will still remain airing in its 3 & 3:30pm slots. Then starting next Wednesday (Nov. 18), 8 Simple Rules returns to weeknights airing weeknights at 6:00pm & 6:30pm replacing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Fresh Prince will still air weekends (usually Saturday nights after midnight) in the late night on most weekends and it will also remain on sister network Disney XD. As for 8 Simple Rules, it came back to the schedule last month on weekends but due to holiday movies it will not be airing on weekends in November and December...but who cares now since it will air weeknights again in its old 6:00pm & 6:3pm slot! Excellent news for the John Ritter, Katey Sagal, and David Spade-led sitcom.
Last month Grounded for Life returned to weekdays (4pm hour)...now more shows return. All in all a good chedule change as nothing is totally leaving the line-up, while two shows return to weekdays.

The nominees were for The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards are now in. We will only mention the TV categories. Winners will be revealed during the live broadcast of The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards which will be hosted by Queen Latifah from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2009 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT) on CBS. The first awards show of 2010, The 36th Annual People's Choice Awards honors fan favorites in television, movies and music.
Voting begins today at http://www.peopleschoice.com/ and www.myspace.com/peopleschoiceawards for all 35 categories and will end on December 8, 2009, except for "Favorite New TV Drama" and "Favorite New TV Comedy," which will remain open for voting until night of show. The TV nominees are:

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (Fox)
LOST (ABC)
NCIS (CBS)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
The Office (NBC)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
Hugh Laurie (House, Fox)
Kiefer Sutherland (24, Fox)
Mark Harmon (NCIS, CBS)
Matthew Fox (LOST, ABC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Steve Carell (The Office, NBC)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men, CBS)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Anna Paquin (True Blood, HBO)
Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The CW)
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer, CBS)
Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU, NBC)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, ABC)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, NBC)
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives, ABC)
Tina Fey (30 Rock, NBC)

FAVORITE TV OBSESSIONDexter
Gossip Girl, The CW
The Hills, MTV
The Secret Life of the American Teenager, ABC Family
True Blood, HBO

FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Survivor: Samoa (CBS)

FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW (Mobile Voting Category)
Heroes (NBC)
LOST (ABC)
Supernatural (The CW)
Vampire Diaries (The CW)
True Blood (HBO)

FAVORITE TALK SHOW (Mobile Voting Category)
Chelsea Lately (E!)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated, CBS Television Distribution)
Live with Regis & Kelly (Syndicated, ABC Studios)

FAVORITE ANIMAL SHOW
Animal Cops
Dog Town
Dog Whisperer
It's Me or the Dog
Rescue Ink Unleashed

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Eastwick, ABC
FLASHFORWARD, ABC
Melrose Place, The CW
Mercy, NBC
the forgotten, ABC
The Good Wife, CBS
The Vampire Diaries, The CW
Three Rivers, CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS
V, ABC

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
Accidentally on Purpose, CBS
Brothers, Fox
Community, NBC
Cougar Town, ABC
Glee, Fox
Hank, ABC
The Cleveland Show, Fox
The Middle, ABC
Modern Family, ABC

View the full press release.

The CW, ABC Make Pick-Ups, Cancelations, New Premieres; JustMyShow Interviews Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) on Her New Book

The CW has announced it will launch new midseason drama Life UneXpected on Monday, January 18 at 9pm, replacing Gossip Girl for a few weeks. Life UneXpected has a 12 episode order, so it will move to 8pm when Gossip Girl returns (probably in March). It will replace One Tree Hill most likely for a few weeks. Life UneXpected stars Britt Robertson, Kristoffer Polaha, Shiri Appleby, and Kerr Smith. The series was previously titled Parental Discretion Advised. We will have more on The CW's midseason plans soon, stay with us!
As for ABC, they have picked-up 5 additional episodes of the forgotten, bringing the total to 18 episodes for the Tuesday crime drama. That is excellent news for the Christian Slater crime drama. The show has been pretty consistent each week in the ratings, though it still needs to do better. Looks like the forgotten is safe until March at least. 10 episodes are likely to air by December's end. Episode 8 airs next week, as the show is preempted this week for a CMA special called In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts. Episodes 9 and 10 are likely to air the first two weeks of December (Dec. 1 and 8). The news wasn't as good though for ABC's Wednesday night 10pm drama, Eastwick. ABC will not produce any more than 13 episodes, but all 13 will air. 7 episodes have aired thus far and episode 8 isn't scheduled until Nov. 25 due to special programming airing the next two weeks. It is too bad, as the show was pretty good. The only other new series yet to hear its fate is sitcom Hank, but I think it will be pulled very soon and might not even get a chance to air all 13 episodes. It's scheduled to air next on Nov. 18 at 8pm.
And finally, ABC is not going to launch new Kathy Griffin hosted dance show Let's Dance on Nov. 23 at 9:30pm (following the final performance show of Dancing with the Stars) after all. Instead ABC will launch a feel-good reality series from the creator of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The series is Find My Family, as you saw the promo last night on ABC. ABC has a six episode order for the series, while Let's Dance had a five episode order. It is unclear if all six will air in Nov/Dec, but we will keep you posted.
ABC has said they will keep us posted on the rescheduled day and time period for Let's Dance, so it is not totally dead. It's just delayed due to a hard time finding quality celebrities. Personally, I think Find My Family is a better fit for the holidays, as that series follows the stories of people desperate to find a long-lost relative, friend, or lover. If you all remember ABC launched both Extreme Makeover and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as specials in December 2002 and 2003 respectively and got huge ratings before turning them into series. Tim Green and Lisa Joyner host. We will keep you posted on the message boards for complete airing schedule for this series and check back with us also for the rescheduled day and time period for Let's Dance. I'm guessing summer 2010? ABC mid-season 2010 should be announced soon (which includes the launch date for Lost), so stay with us for that!

Our friend Eric of JustMyShow.com is back with a new podcast, that is pretty groovy! It's been called one of the worst shows in the history of TV. Susan Olsen (AKA Cindy Brady) is here to talk to JustMyShow.com about the subject of her new book (Love to Love You Bradys), the short lived Brady Bunch Variety Hour as well as the original series The Brady Bunch you grew up watching. Plus Susan gives us bonus audio on the porn rumors and the radio incident. If you want to hear that "story," you'll have to head on over to JustMyShow.com's Susan Olsen podcast!

TV Land Brings Back Married with Children...Again; TV Guide/TV Land Acquire Curb Your Enthusiasm; Lopez Tonight Launches Tonight

TV Land is bringing back Married...with Children once again! Al Bundy and the rest of the Bundy family just love TV Land and will return this Saturday (Nov. 14) with weekly Saturday marathons along with airing Mon-Thurs in the 9pm hour and Mondays from 10pm-12am starting next Monday (Nov. 16). The sitcom has always done well on TV Land, but there are some issues with sister network Spike TV. They were the ones who acquired the series but ever since TV Land has tested the show, it has done well on TV Land. But something prevents it from airing on both networks at the same time...so Spike TV will remove the series again after this week. Spike will air it this week in the mornings (10am-12pm), then effective Saturday, it goes back to TV Land. The TV Land weekday airings will replace Andy Griffith in the 9pm hour and Cosby Show in the Monday 10pm-12a block.
Other changes starting Monday, Nov. 16 are also to weekdays. Leave it to Beaver and The Beverly Hillbillies replace Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in the 9am hour. Home Edition will still weekend mornings at 8am. In the 10am hour we get another The Beverly Hillbillies and All in the Family, replacing an hour of Good Times, which is now off the regular line-up. Sanford & Son remains at 11am, but at 12pm we now have Hogan's Heroes returning to the schedule and airing in the 12pm hour replacing All in the Family and Leave it to Beaver, which move to earlier slots as I mentioned. At 1pm, Gunsmoke takes over the hour replacing Beverly Hillbillies, which also move to earlier slots as I mentioned. Bonanza will air at 2pm instead of Gunsmoke, so Bonanza airs 2pm-5pm. And in the 5pm hour now will be Andy Griffith Show instead of Bonanza. Andy will lead into All in the Family and Sanford & Son hours from 6-8pm, as they are not removing those hours. Andy remains n the 8pm hour leading into Married...with Children at 9.
So, there you have it...the updated TV Land November schedule! View the full updated TV Land November 2009 schedule, if you're confused.

We have even more TV Land news! But this one is shared with the TV Guide Network. TV Land and TV Guide Network announced that they will jointly acquire basic cable rights to Curb Your Enthusiasm, the award-winning HBO comedy series produced by and starring Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. One of the most ground-breaking shows on television, Curb Your Enthusiasm has never before been seen on basic cable television and for the first time ever, this irreverent comedy series will be delivered to millions of new viewers by TV Guide Network and TV Land. In addition, both networks will acquire certain broadband, wireless and video-on-demand rights, bringing Curb Your Enthusiasm to multiple screens for fans to enjoy.
Curb Your Enthusiasm will air on TV Guide Network for a multi-year run starting February 2010. TV Land will begin airing the series in TV Land PRIME immediately following TV Guide Network's term in February 2013 (it could be a year later if HBO renews Curb for an eighth season).
We previously announced that Curb Your Enthusiasm launches in broadcast syndication on Tribune stations in Fall 2010, so TV Guide Network will have a seven month head start. WGN America will also air the series starting in Fall 2010, when locals start it, as we previously announced.

And finally, the wait is over. The time is now. The party starts tonight at 11:00pm, only on TBS, as they launch Lopez Tonight starring George Lopez! George's guests tonight are Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker, talk show host and new American Idol judge Ellen DeGeneres, NBA all-star Kobe Bryant and rock legend Carlos Santana. And you won't want to miss the audience game that everyone will be talking about tomorrow, "Bullet Wound... Not a Bullet Wound?" Other guests for premiere week include Jamie Foxx, Marc Anthony, Queen Latifah, Oscar De La Hoya, Lisa Lampanelli, Kelly Osbourne and Larry David. In the coming weeks you'll see Charlie Sheen, Andy Garcia, Bill Engvall, Ted Danson, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and many more!
Lopez Tonight airs Mon-Thurs from 11pm-12:05am ET (with an encore at 2am ET) starting tonight, as George is bringing the party back to late night! Orale!
Tonight's premiere at 11pm will be simulcast on TNT and truTV as well.

Week 7 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 7 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thurs finals):

Households: #1. Fox 8.8/13.7; #2. CBS 8.2/13.1; #3. ABC 7.0/11.1; #4. NBC 4.1/6.5; #5. The CW 1.6/2.5
Total Viewers: #1. Fox 14.53 million; #2. CBS 13.13 million; #3. ABC 10.78 million; #4. NBC 6.38 million; #5. The CW 2.46 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox 4.7/12.3; #2. CBS 3.4/9.1; #3. ABC 3.1/8.1; #4. NBC 2.3/6.1; #5. The CW 1.2/3.0

Week 7 (Nov. 2-8) Analysis: For week 7 we have Fox on top through the first four days in all categories thanks to the World Series again as games 5 and 6 did huge. Will Fox hang on for the win in HH/viewers though after Friday through tonight when the week is over? We shall see, but 18-49 is for sure Fox's this week. Through the first four days in week 7 Fox has the lead everywhere, with CBS in second, and ABC a close third. NBC is back in fourth everywhere as usual. Last week, week 6, Fox won the week in all categories with baseball. CBS was second in HH/viewers, nipping ABC. But ABC was second in 18-49, ahead of CBS. NBC was fourth in all categories and without the NFL, this network is even worse than it already is.
On Monday it was Fox on top with Game 5 of the World Series doing 17.09 million overall and 17.19 million in primetime. A two-hour Dancing with the Stars did 16.69 million for ABC, down from the previous week. An all-new Castle followed with a solid 9.43 million, down a tad from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. How I Met Your Mother started it off with 8.82 million, while Accidentally on Purpose followed doing 8.09 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating, decent, but could be better given the lead-in. Two and a Half Men followed doing 13.51 million and The Big Bang Theory followed did a nice 12.73 million. The show also did a 4.7 18-49 rating building on the lead-in's 4.4 rating, excellent. A new episode of CSI: Miami did 12.52 million, could be better as a repeat the previous week only did one million less. Fox didn't have House and Lie to Me this week due to the World Series. NBC was next with Heroes doing 5.85 million, up a tad from the previous week. A new episode of Trauma followed and did only 5.82 million and only a 1.9 A18-49 rating, but both on par really from the previous week though. The Jay Leno Show followed with only 3.92 million, down nearly a million from previous week and one of its lowest showing yet (1.2 18-49 rating only as well). The CW on Mondays has been a struggle so far, with One Tree Hill doing only 2.32 million and Gossip Girl at an even worse 1.98 million...both down week-to-week.
On Tuesday, CBS was in control as usual, but ABC was much improved. CBS had the always reliable NCIS opening the night off with 20.18 million...yet another 20 million+ episode this season. A new episode of NCIS: Los Angeles was next and did 15.29 million, not bad at all, but could be better with that huge lead-in. And finally CBS aired a new The Good Wife and did 12.74 million, better retention than the lead-in did with its lead-in. ABC was second for the night but started strong with the series premiere of the well received revival of V doing a gigantic 14.3 million and an even more impressive 5.2 18-49 rating, the best of any new premiere this fall! And the highest 8pm scripted drama premiere in 18-49 since 2004 when Lost premiered! Then it was Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 15.05 million, on par really week-to-week as we said goodbye to Michael Irvin and Mark Dacascos. ABC followed with a new episode of the forgotten doing 7.27 million, down nearly a million week-to-week. NBC was next with The Biggest Loser 2-hour show doing 9.11 million, down some from previous week, followed by the The Jay Leno Show at 5.96 million, which was down some from previous week. Fox aired So You Think You Can Dance for two-hours and did only 6.12 million, down some from previous week. The CW was next with a new 90210 doing only 1.92 million, followed by a new episode of dud Melrose Place at an even worse 1.48 million. Heather Locklear where are you?
Wednesday it was Fox on top by a big margin thanks to Game 6 of the World Series. Fox did 22.34 million for the entire game, and 22.66 million in primetime for it. Excellent showing and up nearly 3 million from game one the previous week. Congrats to the Yanks winning their 27th title! CBS started slow with Old Christine doing 6.68 million, followed by Gary Unmarried at 6.29 million. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next and did 12.55 million, while CSI: NY did 12.0 million, both affected by World Series a bit. ABC started the 8pm hour with Hank doing just 5.09 million an a 1.3 18-49 rating, a series low, as Charlie Brown did way better the previous week. The Middle was next and was down week-to-week in 18-49 going from a 2.2 to 1.8 18-49 rating, and an average 6.04 million. Hank is to blame! New episodes of the hilarious sitcoms Modern Family and Cougar Town both did well again with 8.77 and 6.87 million, both down some from previous week though but affected by the World Series, I'm sure. The A18-49 ratings for both were more telling doing 3.5 and 2.8. At 10pm Eastwick did 4.44 million, down from previous week. People need to watch this show...but it won't be o again until Nov. 25 due to specials the next few weeks. NBC opened the night with Mercy doing 6.63 million, as it usually does a bit better overall but the 18-49 this week was a series low of 1.7. Law & Order: SVU followed and did 7.95 million, down from previous week and a season low of 2.4 in 18-49. Looks like World Series affected it again. At 10pm NBC aired The Jay Leno Show of course at just 4.81 million, down again week-to-week. Fox will return So You Think You Can Dance and Glee this week. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at 3.87 million, up from previous week and a repeat of Vampire Diaries followed with 1.35 million, which was also up a tad week-to-week.
Thursday it was CBS and ABC battling. ABC opened the night with FLASHFORWARD doing 8.57 million down some from previous week. What a shocking game changing ending that was! A new Grey's Anatomy followed with 13.95 million and a great 5.1 A18-49 rating. And a new episode of Private Practice did a solid 9.11 million and a 3.4 A18-49 rating, both down some week-to-week. CBS opened with Survivor: Samoa at 12.44 million and a 3.7 A18-49 rating, up some from previous week in viewers. A new episode of CSI followed with 15.6 million, also up some from previous week while The Mentalist was also new and did a better 16.21 million, up from previous week. Fox returned Bones and did a solid 8.66 million, but Fringe was lost in the shuffle with series lows of 4.86 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, ouch. NBC was next with Community at 8pm doing 5.45 million up some from previous week again, followed by sitcom dud Parks & Recreation at only 4.91 million, up some week-to-week. At 9pm, The Office did 8.09 million and a solid 4.1 18-49 rating, but both down a bit week-to-week. A new episode of 30 Rock did 6.15 million, up ever so slightly from the previous week. The Jay Leno Show closed the night with only 4.83 million, but actually up some week-to-week. The CW's only consistent player so far is Vampire Diaries and did a great 4.09 million, down a tad week-to-week, followed by a new Supernatural at 2.64 million, down from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with their dramas as usual. NBC was good with Law & Order at 8 & 9pm but it was 20/20 at 10pm for ABC that was the night's winner.
Saturday numbers had Fox's regular line-up and ABC's College Football battle for the win in a close race.
Tonight the full ABC Sunday line-up is airing (AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters), look for solid numbers as usual. NBC has a better than normal NFL game tonight, so look for it to be a bit above normal. CBS has its usual players but with a NFL overrun mixed in, and why is Three Rivers still airing during Sweeps? Fox has a special night of programs starting with a new Brothers, followed by a Seth MacFarlane themed night of American Dad at a special time of 7:30, Family Guy at a special time of 8pm, Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, another Family Guy at its normal time, and The Cleveland Show at a special time of 9:30pm.
As for week 7, Fox will win in everything thanks to World Series I think...they could hang on overall even. Look for CBS in second in HH/viewers but ABC could take second in 18-49. ABC will be third in HH/viewers. NBC will be fourth in all categories even with the NFL game tonight. Check out V episode 2 this Tuesday at 8 on ABC! It is so cool!

Week 7 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 6-- October 26-Nov. 1)

• Brothers (Fox) - preempted for NFL/MLB World Series.
• The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted for MLB World Series.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted for MLB World Series.
• Family Guy (Fox) - preempted for MLB World Series.
• American Dad (Fox) - preempted for MLB World Series.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new showing did 8.82 million, decent, 18-49 rating of 3.5 is better.
• Accidentally on Purpose (CBS) - 8.09 million for a new episode...could be better but also could be worse. 3.1 18-49 rating is decent.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.51 million for a new episode. Just another day at the job.
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 12.73 million is excellent! 4.7 18-49 rating was a nice build from the 4.4 the lead-in had. Come to think of it, I still need to see this episode.

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Old Christine (CBS) - New episode did 6.68 million...OK, but could be worse.
• Gary Unmarried (CBS) - New episode did 6.29 million...could be better, and seems lower than usual.
• Hank (ABC) - The Thanksgiving episode did only 5.09 million and an even worse 1.3 18-49 rating. It needs to be pulled ASAP. It was scheduled to be preempted this week anyway for the CMA's.
• The Middle (ABC) - 6.04 million and a 1.8 18-49. Below normal numbers thanks to Hank. But yet another solid episode!
• Modern Family (ABC) - Another hilarious episode did 8.77 million and a nice 3.5 18-49 rating, both down some week-to-week though due to World Series Game 6.
• Cougar Town (ABC) - A new episode did 6.87 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, both also down from previous week.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Community (NBC) - New episode did 5.45 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating. Both up week-to-week a bit again...hmm good sign but a ways to go.
• Parks & Recreation (NBC) - This show did terrible doing only 4.91 million and just a 2.2 A18-49 rating, but both up some from previous week.
• The Office (NBC) - 8.09 million for a new episode, down from the previous week. In 18-49 it did a 4.1 rating, down a tick.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - A new episode did 6.15 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating. Down week-to-week in 18-49 by a tick but up in viewership by a bit.

Friday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's comedies from 7-10pm tonight, all-new.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, The Office, & How I Met Your Mother were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Community, Old Christine) or just plain old terrible (such as Hank, Parks & Recreation).

Blog DVD Review: Route 66 - Season Three, Volume Two

Welcome to our weekly Saturday Blog DVD Review. Today we take a look at Infinity Entertainment's Route 66 - Season Three, Volume Two. Route 66 ran from 1960-1964 and starred Martin Milner, George Maharis (1960-1963) and Glenn Corbett (1963-1964). See skees53's Blog DVD Review of Route 66 - Season Three, Volume Two:

Route 66 - Season Three, Volume Two (Infinity, $29.98) brings the final 15 episodes of season three together in a four disc DVD set. The series stars Martin Milner and George Maharis as Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock, two guys that come from different sides of the railroad track but are united in their desire to travel America. Along the way, they meet many people, some good and others not so good, and find odd jobs along the way to survive. Sometimes they get in trouble and struggle to find their way out in the midst of hostile citizens of the towns to which they travel. In any event, they always find a way out in each and every episode.

In the earlier part of the third season, Buz began to disappear from the series as George Maharis became ill and was unable to work on the series on a regular basis. By this part of the season, the character of Buz is completely written out, but no need to worry, because Tod still has a partner to travel the nation with. Glenn Corbett joins the cast as Lincoln Case, an Army veteran who just left Vietnam (a few years before Vietnam became such a political controversy) after a six years of duty. It doesn't change the show much, though. It is still two guys getting into different adventures every week as they travel down Route 66 (as well as numerous other highways and byways of America).

The set begins with "A Gift From a Warrior," where a German man (James Whitmore) is looking for his American father and also happens to have a gun by his side. Why would he be so violent? Robert Duvall and Lois Nettleton guest star in "Suppose I Said I Was the Queen of Spain," where a woman (Nettleton) is able to take advantage of Tod by romancing him. In "Somehow It Gets to Be Tomorrow," two orphans want help in escaping their foster family, and who else would they turn to besides Tod? In "In The Closing of a Trunk," Tod somehow gets in the middle of a dispute between a woman and her uncle who isn't too happy about the fact that his niece killed her own father (his brother). Glenn Corbett joins the cast as Lincoln Case in "Fifty Miles From Home."
Have Linc and Tod met a real, live mermaid? Perhaps, in "The Cruelest Sea of All." The series becomes involved in the politics of Fidel Castro when Linc and Tod meet up with two Cubans who aren't happy with their brother's ties to him in "Peace, Pity, Pardon." Dick York guest stars in "What a Shining Young Man Was Our Gallant Lieutenant," where Linc meets up with one of his Army officers from Vietnam and finds that a brain injury has left him with the mentality of a young child. Linc drives a getaway car for a robbery (by accident) in "Who Will Cheer My Bonnie Bride." A small Florida town wants to hang Linc after he is accused of killing a dog in "Shadows of an Afternoon." Alan Alda and Tom Bosley guest star in the season finale, "Soda Pop and Paper Flags."

Just like Volume 1 of the third season, the packaging is a double-thick keepcase with a cardboard sleeve. Both the sleeve and the case have the exact same artwork, which just has a Route 66 road sign on the highway. The back of the packaging just has the basic series information. Inside, we have the four discs, all of which have the same Route 66 road sign as on the cover art and the road on them. Discs 1-3 all contain four episodes each, while Disc 4 contains three episodes as well as the special features. Once again, there are no episode titles to be found anywhere in this set. Even a sheet that just lists the disc breakdown would have been nice, but instead, we have nothing! This was not a problem at all with the first two seasons.

The menus on the set are very basic, with the theme song playing and options of Play All, Episodes, and Extras (Disc 4 only) on the main menu. When you select Episodes, you go to a menu that lists all of the episodes as text, and it plays as soon as you choose it. There are no scene selection menus, but chapters are placed within each episode.

Despite how old the series is, the video and audio quality on the set seems to be great. There have been some compression issues on past sets, as well as some pixelation and other issues, but this one seems to be the best so far. The video is clean and crisp, with a little bit of the expected issues with grain and debris. I didn't find any issues with the audio at all except for some crackle. Other than that, the audio is loud and clear and presented in mono. Each episode is closed-captioned. All of the episodes appear to be taken from original source material this time (as opposed to syndicated Colex prints from the '80s that have OCCASIONALLY appeared on previous sets), running at about 50 minutes per episode. It was nice to not see any episodes that appeared to have any issues this time!

The only special features on the set are a bunch of commercials, specifically commercials from the series sponsors, bumpers from the series, and promos from the series. They can all be found on Disc 4. We have 12 minutes worth of these, which includes spots from Philips Milk of Magnesia, Bayer Aspirin, and Chevrolet. Which is really amazing is that all of these look and sound great, and have clearly been remastered for the DVD set. Still, it would have been even nicer to have all of these original commercials inserted back into the episodes, as is the case on one of the previous "best of" collections of the series on DVD. But I suppose that just having them is nice enough. As was noted in the Season Three, Volume 1 review, there are no guest star biographies on this set as there were on the first two seasons. Those were nice to have, and I wish that the DVD producers would have continued these for the final two seasons.

I always find myself enjoying this show every time I get a new release of it, and can't wait to go through the episodes. But, this is a volume release, and it is important to note that early next year, Infinity intends to release a set with both volumes of season 3 as one big set, so unless you already have volume 1, it is somewhat hard to justify owning THIS set. That doesn't mean that it is a bad set. In fact, it is a pretty good set, but the full season model works better in collections than the half seasons. If you REALLY can't wait to own the whole third season, Best Buy (as well as a few online retailers) already have that set available. I think that the important thing for Infinity to do for the remaining season (it is hard to believe there is only one season left) is to stay focused on video and audio quality, because they really did pretty good with that on this set, but a few nice special features would be good too. Until then, you'll probably want to wait to get your kicks on Route 66 until you are able to get the entire third season.

Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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