Major TV Land Schedule Overhaul Starting Monday; NBC Announces January Schedule and March Notices

TV Land has shaked up almost its entire schedule effective this Monday (December 4). The entire weekday mornings from 6am-2pm has been changed. 6-10am has time slot changes for Star Trek, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, while 10am-2pm has the mini-marathons gone replaced by sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, Brady Bunch, Green Acres, All in the Family, and TV Land Originals Encores! TV Land Originals will join the line-up weekdays at 1:30pm and also Mondays at 10 p.m. has been added, in addition to its already scheduled Wednesdays at 10pm & 1am and Saturdays 10am-12pm. 2-5pm will remain the same. The early evening schedule from 5-8pm has been changed a bit, Green Acres is in, while All in the Family replaces Good Times and Little House moves up an hour to 7pm. The 8pm-6am line-up will be seven days a week and it also is a major overhaul. Basically, Good Times, Cosby Show, Three's Company are gone, as well as the 1am-4am marathons. Sanford & Son returns to primetime at 11 & 11:30 p.m., while Star Trek gets 9 pm and 12 midnight. The Jeffersons gets the 10 p.m. hour. And Andy moves and gets the 8 p.m. hour. As for weekends, not many changes, just 6-8am moves, MacGyver and Highway to Heaven switch days, and Bonanza and Gunsmoke air both days now in set slots, rather than one show each day. So, in essence, Good Times, Murphy Brown Cosby Show, Three's Company and Benson are gone. Though, they will air in the Merry-thon and/or Friday Night Christmas Episodes Marathons in December. If I were to guess, Good Times and Three's Company are on hiatus because of contract issues, while Murphy Brown, Cosby Show, Benson are probably a ratings issue or just not enough room for them. Cosby Show will still air on Nick@Nite (TBS, WGN, locals, too)...Murphy will also still be on Nick@Nite.
So, confused? Don't worry, we have mapped out the ENTIRE schedule for you. You can do so by clicking HERE!

NBC has announced some of its mid-season plans. Starting in January, they will have slight changes to Tuesdays and Wednesdays and they also announced its post-NFL Sunday line-up. Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. will be Dateline NBC beginning December 26, replacing Friday Night Lights, which will move to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. starting January 10. Deal or No Deal replaces The Biggest Loser on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. starting January 3. The new post-NFL Sunday line-up is below:
Sundays
7-8 p.m. -- Dateline NBC (February 11)
8-9 p.m. -- Grease: You're the One That I Want (January 7; first two weeks will run from 8-9:30 p.m.)
9-10 p.m. -- The Apprentice (January 7; first two weeks will run from 9:30-11 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. -- Crossing Jordan (January 21)
This will be either a hit or miss for NBC, but ABC and CBS will likely beat it by a large margin.
And NBC has announced two March notices. The Black Donnellys, a new drama, will join the schedule in early March on Mondays at 10 p.m., replacing Studio 60. Studio 60 would have aired 18 episodes by then, leaving 4 unaired episodes for another time. Finally, the new drama Raines will join the line-up in mid-late March on Fridays at 9 p.m., replacing Las Vegas, which would have completed its season order by then. NBC still has not slotted new sitcoms The Singles Tables and Andy Barker, P.I. Both will likely join the Thursday line-up in March or so giving 30 Rock and another sitcom a rest for a few weeks.

TV One Sitcom Holiday Highlights, 'Mr. Cooper' Coming in January; 'War at Home' to Thursdays on Fox

Beginning Saturday, Dec. 9, TV One will present the Merry Merry Marathon Saturdays of Christmas on three consecutive Saturdays from noon–10 PM (all times ET), with select episodes repeating from 2-6AM, showcasing holiday-themed episodes of favorite sitcoms designed to fill the season with joy and laughter.
Also, starting December 13, and especially the week of December 18-22, you can also catch Christmas episodes of your favorite TV One sitcoms in their regular time periods.
The Merry Merry Marathon Saturdays of Christmas kicks-off on Saturday, Dec. 9 with episodes of Amen, 227, Good Times and Roc to bring back memories of Christmases past.
On Saturday, Dec. 16, week two of The Merry Merry Marathon Saturdays of Christmas rings in the events of Christmases present as TV One showcases holiday episodes of newer sitcoms All of Us, Eve, Wanda At Large, For Your Love, and In the House.
On Saturday, Dec. 23, TV One mixes it up with Christmas shows from the past -- such as Good Times, as well as Christmases present such as Martin, On Our Own, and Minor Adjustments and Christmases future, with a sneak preview of a sitcom scheduled to join the TV One schedule in January, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper. We will have more on Mr. Cooper joining the line-up when available, but we can expect it to join the line-up in January!
On Christmas Eve, Sunday, Dec. 24, catch some Christmas sitcom episodes in the day and then all-night from 12 midnight to 6 am. On Christmas Day, Monday, Dec. 25, join TV One for an all-day Christmas Laugh-A-Thon as the network celebrates with an all-day holiday-themed sitcom marathon featuring episodes of Eve, Martin, Good Times, Amen, 227, In the House, Roc, Wanda at Large, For Your Love, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Minor Adjustments, and On Our Own with Christmas storylines. The sitcom marathon airs from 9 AM – noon and 6 PM – 6 AM.
We have ALL the episode info for ALL of these sitcom marathons. You can view that by clicking HERE. You won't want to miss this!

Fox has announced that it will "test" struggling Sunday sitcom The War at Home on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. for two-weeks. The test-run will be two new episodes airing after all-new episodes of on the fence new sitcom 'Til Death. Replacing The War at Home Sundays at 9:30 p.m. for these two weeks (Dec. 10 and 17) will be encore broadcasts of the cult hit Family Guy. In other Fox news, second season sitcom The Loop, which will be coming this mid-season, has had its episode order cut from 13 to 10, as Fox has a lot of new entries for mid-season, including two new dramas and a new sitcom, not to mention 24 and American Idol.

More 'People's Choice Awards' Nominees; Shout! Factory to Release Short Lived Sitcom 'Men Behaving Badly' & the CBS 1955 'Johnny Carson Show' on DVD

Queen Latifah will host The 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards, to be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 9 (9:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The second round of nominees have now been announced, and here is the television portion:
FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
30 Rock (NBC)
The Class (CBS)
'Til Death (Fox)

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
Ugly Betty (ABC)

Ugly Betty should be in the comedy portion really. 'Til Death doesn't deserve to be there. So, I'd add Men in Trees in Favorite New TV Drama.
We gave you the first round of nominees earlier this month. Click here to view those, if you missed that.

We have some DVD news for you! The short lived 1996-97 NBC sitcom Men Behaving Badly starring Rob Schneider will be coming to DVD on Feb. 13 from the Shout! Factory. The sitcom was based on a British show. Justine Bateman (Family Ties) also appears on this sitcom. Click here for more info on the series and the set.
And Shout! Factory will release The Johnny Carson Show on DVD...no, not The Tonight Show, but the short lived CBS 1955 series. Click here for more info on the series and the set, which includes special features like an episode of his ABC game show Who Do You Trust?

We will be back with more news, if any, since it is still early in the day. And tomorrow come join us as we give you the details for TV One's holiday programming and a new sitcom that will be joining their line-up in January...come on back!

AmericanLife TV Holiday Highlights; More 'Benson' This Friday; ABC Benches 'The Nine'

The AmericanLife TV Network, the network for baby boomers, has announced its holiday line-up of special episodes. Among the series getting classic holiday episode airings are: The Color Honeymooners, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and I'll Fly Away. You can end the year with the New Year's Eve episode of the '70s sitcom Chico and the Man. If that is not enough, all month long the network will offer sitcom stars on westerns and dramas, such as Alan Hale, Jr. on Cheyenne; Jim Backus on Harry O, and Ed Asner on The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. If you're lucky enough to have this channel, I'm sure you know they air their programs unedited. They air themed nights once a week, check their website for details. And for ALL the details on their holiday programming, keep it with us by clicking HERE.

Meanwhile, in not surprising news, the TV Land Friday Night Movie Encore for this week has been moved once again to 12 noon Saturday, so we get more Benson. Details here.

Finally, ABC's critically acclaimed new drama The Nine has been pulled from the schedule effective immediately. The show has been doing poorly in the ratings. A special 20/20 will air this Wednesday in its 10 p.m. slot. Cheap in America is the topic. Then starting Wednesday, December 5, ABC will put a special series of specials called Primetime: Basic Instincts to the slot. This series asks if you can trust your basic instincts to find an unknown person, do the right thing in life and death situations, get rich or search for a missing person. The Nine is on hiatus and will return later in the season, ABC says, the same thing has been done to Six Degrees.
ABC is expected to announce its January schedule changes this week, if all goes well. New sitcom The Knights of Prosperity is slated for Wednesdays now, instead of Tuesdays...we will have details when available.

And if you missed it yesterday, we put up our review of the new sitcom Big Day. The sitcom premieres TOMORROW at 9 p.m. on ABC.

ABC Sitcom Pilot Review: Big Day - Premieres November 28th

Big Day - Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres November 28th at 9:00PM ET/PT

Each season, the show "24" tackles one very, very bad day in the life of a special agent in charge of national security. Starting November 28 ABC will also present one very, very bad day in someone's life... a young couple's wedding day in the beautiful backyard of a family home. And while no one is defusing a nuclear bomb - they're arguing about when the salad is going to be served - the stakes (as anyone who has been through a wedding knows) are just as high.

"Big Day" tells the stories you don't see on the wedding video -- the father who sits his daughter down on the morning of her big day and tells her he really doesn't think she should marry this guy; the bitter bridesmaid older sister who sleeps with the best man and accidentally drinks his contact lenses, which he left in a glass of water on the nightstand, blinding him for the rest of the proceedings; the groomsman who's secretly in love with the groom; the tightly wound mother of the bride who intimidates the nervous wedding planner into changing the salad (the bride's choice, Caesar, is just so tacky!).

Cast: Marla Sokoloff as Alice and Josh Cooke as Danny - the blushing bride and groom -- Wendie Malick as Jane, Kurt Fuller as Steve, Miriam Shor as Becca, Stephen Rannazzisi as Skobo and the hilariously nervous Stephnie Weir as Lorna.

Read our review of the pilot episode here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Big Day Photo Gallery

Mini-DVD Review: The Best of Clifford the Big Red Dog (Nov. 7)

Welcome to another edition of the Saturday mini-DVD reviews! We continue our Thanksgiving weekend reviews, with Lionsgate's The Best of Clifford the Big Red Dog. Based on the classic children's book series, comes this PBS series voiced by the late legendary John Ritter. So, join Clifford and his friends T-Bone, Cleo and his owner Emily Elizabeth for fun and learning. See my mini-DVD review of the set:

The Best of Clifford the Big Red Dog (Lionsgate, $34.98) brings us 42 short episodes on DVD on 5-discs. This set is full of bonus materials as well on each disc, designed for children. The menus are easy to navigate and are also designed for children. The packaging is very good and of course in red. Lionsgate has a clear plastic cover then when we take that out you get to the red packaging, with Clifford's head (like The Simpsons head covers). Parents might want to help children take the plastic out, as it might be a little hard for children. The head packaging is also kind of hard to open. But it sure looks nice! When we open the head, we get a nice case and a booklet. The booklet is designed well for children and easy to read. It breaks down each disc. The case holds the 5-discs. Each disc's art is colorful and has Clifford with his friends. Now, I will break down each disc. But first let me tell you, each disc has menu directions narrated. The episodes automatically play, says the narrator. You can press the Menu button on your remote control to get to the actual menu screen. When we do that, the theme song is playing in the background with nice colorful menus and easy to read for kids. Disc one's options are Choose Episode, Big Fun Features, and Audio Features. Each of those options when selected has narrated directions, like for Choose Episodes we hear John Ritter (Clifford) giving us directions on how to choose the episodes. There are two themed selections on this disc--"Everyone Loves Clifford" and "Good Times, Good Friends." Both have 5 mini-episodes that run approx. 11 minutes each, for a total of approx. 57:52, counting the opening and closing theme. 7 chapter stops for each themed selection (opening theme, 5 mini-episodes, and closing theme). The Big Fun Features on this disc are three "Speckle Stories" that run 90 seconds each. The Speckle Stories usually run at the end of each episode on PBS, but it is an extra on this set. There are also 2:25 worth of Trailers for other Lionsgate products that children might want to buy. The Audio features we can change back and forth between 2.0 English Dolby Digital and 2.0 Spanish Dolby Digital. Moving on to disc two, the options are Scene Index, Audio Features, Big Fun Features. Audio Features is the same as disc one. Scene Index gives us 8 mini-episodes to play. They again run approx. 11 min. each for a total of 1:31:17, counting the opening and closing themes. There are 10 chapter stops on this disc (opening theme, 8 mini-episodes, and closing theme). The Big Fun Features on this disc are "Clifford's Doggy Detective Game," which consists of four games children can play; 3 more "Speckle Stories," that run 90 seconds each; and Previews, where we get yet more trailers for Lionsgate products. The previews this time auto-play before the menu directions come up on this disc. Moving on to disc three, we have Choose Episode and Big Fun Features. Choose Episode, again the directions are narrated by John Ritter, give us two themed selections--"Rock N' Roll Clifford!" and "Team Clifford!" This time each theme has four-mini episodes, again running approx. 11 min each, totaling around 46:38. The Big Fun Features on this set include "Clifford's Big Ideas," with directions narrated by John Ritter, these are 3 ideas followed by text of the ideas that run 60 seconds each. Like the Speckle Stories, these usually air in between the episodes or at the end of the episode on PBS. Then we get a "Tour of Birdwell Island," which is a nice interactive map that children can easily use to find there way around the island. Then we have "Real Life Doggie Friends" that runs 2:45. These are real dog stories. I think PBS runs these after the closing credits on Clifford episodes. There is also a DVD-ROM feature if you have a computer with a DVD drive. Moving on to the fourth disc, we again have Choose Episode and Big Fun Features. Choose Episode, directions narrated by Ritter, have two themed selections--"Big Fun in the Sun" and "Look Out, Clifford!" Each themed selection has four mini-episodes that run approx. 11 min. each for a total around 46:23 each. Big Fun Features include three more "Big Ideas," with directions narrated by Ritter, running 60 seconds each; the "Who's Who Game," which is a nice trivia game for children to test their knowledge of the show; and more "Real Life Doggie Friends," running at 3:16. Finally, the fifth disc has Choose Episodes and Big Fun Features. No directions on this disc for some reason. Choose Episodes have two themed selections--""Clifford's Fluffiest Friend - Cleo" and "Clifford Saves the Day!" Again, four mini-episodes each running 11 minutes each, for a total of 46:26. The Big Fun Features are two more "Big Ideas" running 60 seconds each; "Clifford Dance," which is a nice 35 second promo for the show on PBS; and more "Real Life Doggie Friends," running 3:09. This set is pretty well done and filled with extras that children will like and can learn from. If you have not bought this set already, please buy it for your children as it is something great to buy during the holidays. And if you don't have children, I still suggest you buy it, as I'm sure many of you read the books when you were a child. John Ritter gives the voice of Clifford a new meaning and he was nominated for many Daytime Emmy's for this role. So, grab T-Bone and Cleo and hop on Clifford's back to get this DVD set!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)

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

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Clifford the Big Red Dog TV.com Page

Our Thanksgiving Weekend Review Marathon continues tomorrow, as we preempt the ratings coverage (sorry, we don't have final numbers for Tuesday-Saturday because of the holiday), with a review of the new ABC sitcom Big Day, which will premiere this Tuesday at 9/8 central only on ABC! Is it worth watching? Find out tomorrow!

Special Friday Review of The Great Book: Sitcoms of Norman Lear by Sean Campbell

Welcome to a special "Black Friday" edition of mini-reviews. Today on Black Friday, we will give you a bargain. A review of a great book that looks at the classic sitcoms of legendary producer Norman Lear. We have given you a few news items on the blog on this book before, so I'm sure some of you are familiar with it already. 17-year-old Sean Campbell has written a truly wonderful book and now skees53 has a review for us on The Sitcoms of Norman Lear:



The Sitcoms of Norman Lear (McFarland, $35) is exactly what it sounds like--a book about the sitcoms of one Norman Lear, the man that changed television forever. Written by Sean Campbell, the book isn't just typical fluff; instead, it is a rather complete history of the successes (and sometimes even failures, believe it or not) of the television mogul and never casts any important details aside as being insignificant.
The book follows Lear's career from just before the days the hit sitcom All in the Family premiered on CBS, and covers all of his other major successes from the 1970s, including Sanford & Son, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time. Not a detail is missing about these shows. In fact, there is a chapter for each one of these shows and includes all of the details of the shows (as well as a chapter dealing with the failures of Lear, even if it is hard to believe that a genius such as Lear could have any failures!), much like an E! True Hollywood Story, including the good things and the bad things that happened on the set. The book extensively covers the background of the show (such as what was going on in the world at the time of the show and how that may have influenced the show), the lives and attitudes of those involved with the show, the important episodes of the shows, and even how these sitcoms have changed the world (and television) into the 21st century. Whether it be Norman Lear writing an episode of All in the Family where Archie dies or CBS demanding that 26 lines be removed from the first episode of One Day at a Time, none of the important details are missing. Everything is well-researched too, with literally hundreds of citations from resources such as articles (from newspapers, magazines, and journals), statistics derived from opinion polls, books, interviews, and of course one of the best primary sources of all--the episodes of the sitcoms of Norman Lear!
The level of coverage varies for each show (All in the Family and Good Times seem to have the most extensive coverage, but that makes sense, because one All in the Family was the show that started it all and Good Times is a pop-culture legend in its own right), but regardless, each and every show seems to be covered rather thoroughly and this book is a must-own for anybody that appreciates the greatest sitcoms of all-time!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

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

Related links:
Official Website of The Sitcoms of Norman Lear by Sean Campbell

Happy Thanksgiving; Cook With Us Using Our 'Desperate Housewives' Cookbook Review

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from all of us here at SitcomsOnline.com! We thank you for coming everyday and even today when you are all with your families. Today we have a treat for you. A review of the Desperate Housewives Cookbook! What a perfect Thanksgiving treat it is to you! It is full of delicious items and it has something for everyone, whether it be Bree's Roast Turkey with Gravy or Lynette's Grilled Cheese. So, without further adieu, read and eat away...


The Desperate Housewives Cookbook: Juicy Dishes and Saucy Bits (Hyperion, $29.95) brings delicious and scrumptious meals and treats from those classy Housewives and their neighbors! The cookbook is by Christopher Styler and Scott S. Tobis. Styler gives us his recipes and the text is composed by Tobis. The cookbook has over 125 recipes and is 267 pages! The cookbook is divided into character sections. Each section has recipes related to a character. You even have a recipe for Susan's famous macaroni & cheese...but don't worry it is not as terrible as she makes it! I will get to more of the dishes soon, but let me tell you what characters are featured. First up we have Bree's recipes, then Susan, Gabrielle, Lynette, Edie, the deceased Mrs. Huber, Mike, Felicia, and good 'ole Mrs. McCluskey. Inside some of the character's recipes are borrowed recipes from other characters, like Mama's Solis' Quesadillas. The last section of the book has information on the food on the set of the series. It is a quick 5-page read and you learn a lot about how the food is used and eaten on the set.
For Bree Van De Kamp, dinner is not about convenience, it is about simmering, braising, pureeing, steeping, chopping, and flambeing. From Basic Puree Soup and Lobster Risotto with Herb Oil, to Blueberry Muffins and Buckwheat Pancakes, Bree's meals are sure to impress.
An earth-mother type with better intentions than kitchen skills, Susan Mayer believes that it's the thought that counts. Here, Susan has gathered some of her favorite, foolproof (even Susan-proof!) recipes to share, including Roasted Peppers and Fresh Mozzarella Topped with Arugula Salad, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Chocolate-Butterscotch Bars.
Left to her own devices, Gabrielle Solis steers towards simple and healthy fare that she can put together on her own. Gaby's recipes include Guacamole with Warm Chips, Shrimp with Chorizo and Bell Pepper, and Rum-Glazed Pineapple.
Whether Lynette Scavo has spent the day taking care of the kids or the climbing the corporate ladder, when it's time to pack the kids' lunch or put a family dinner on the table, she'll take quick over perfect. Her recipes are time efficient and kid-friendly such as Grilled Cheese, French Toast for Breakfast (or Dinner) with Blueberry Syrup, Buttermilk-soaked Fried Chicken, and Potato Casserole.
Although Edie Britt technically isn't a housewife, the neighborhood flirt does have a few recipes that are sure to be crowd-pleasers (especially all-men). Her faves include Oysters Poached in Champagne and Cream, Sausage Puttanesca, and Molten Chocolate Cake.
And some of the neighbors have recipes to offer, too! Whether it's Mrs. Huber's Strawberry Smoothies, Mike's Rib Eye Steak, Felicia's Double Whammy Chocolate Pudding or Mrs. McCluskey's Peanut Brittle.
Those are just a FEW of the items for each character. You will find much more when you browse the book. I get hungry each time I look at it. I'm no cook, but even I can use some of these recipes. So, a real cook out there would love this book even more.

As a Thanksgiving treat, I leave you today with a recommendation for today's meals:
Breakfast: Bree's Buckwheat Pancakes & Blueberry Muffins and Gabrielle's Mexican Hot Chocolate.
Lunch: Lynette's Grilled Cheese & Irresistible Brownies and Susan's Vegetarian Chili.
Afternoon Snack: Gabrielle's Guacamole with Warm Chips and Lynette's Babysitting Cookies
Dinner: Bree has your main courses - Poached Turkey Tonnato, Roast Turkey with Gravy, and Two-Step Braised Duck. Susan has a side dish of Foolproof Macaroni & Cheese and Slow-Roasted String Beans. It's Thanksgiving so let's eat more with Gabrielle's Green Rice and Spicy Paella. We will also need Gaby's Fruit Salad with Yogurt-Honey Dressing. And finally who else do we turn for dessert? Edie of course! Her Molten Chocolate Cake will leave you breathless!
Midnight Snack: After a huge dinner, you are probably stuffed but let's end your day with Felcia's Almond Macaroons! What a perfect snack to end your day!

-- Reviewed by Pavan
(5/5 stars)

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

Related links:
Official Show Website
TV.com Page
Hyperion Books

Jodie Sweetin, Mayim Bialek, & Danica McKellar on 20/20; Boomerang December Highlights, 'Dennis the Menace' Joins in January; Remembering Ruth Brown

NFL Star Emmitt Smith, Stephen Baldwin, Jodie Sweetin (Full House), Jamie Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos), Mayim Bialek (Blossom) and Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) will all be interviewed for this Friday's 20/20 on ABC at 10 p.m. ET/PT. They all will be talking about "The Life After." Life After… Being a Professional Athlete, Life After… Sin, Life After… Addiction, Life After… An Eating Disorder, and Life After… Being a Child Star. To view complete details, click HERE.

Boomerang will make some changes to its line-up starting in December, with the most notable change of bringing The Flintstones back in prime-time at 8 p.m. replacing Garfield & Friends. The changes start December 4 (see below for a link to view the changes). Also in December: The Character of the Month will be Og (From Mike, Lu, and Og). The Character of the Month block airs on weekends from 2-4pm. Boomerang will acknowledge the Christmas holidays by showcasing a variety of classic Christmas specials and movies. airing Saturdays and Sundays from December 2 to 23, 4:00pm-5:30pm e/p; Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve), 10:30pm-5:30am e/p; Monday, December 25 (Christmas Day), 6:00am-8:00pm e/p.
And a sneak peek to January, Boomerang will launch the classic .80s animated series Dennis the Menace on Martin Luther King Day with an all-day marathon! Dennis will also air weekdays starting Tuesday, January 16, but the time has not been set just yet. And if that wasn't enough, the Character of the Month for January is...Dennis of Dennis the Menace! Dennis Mitchell lives at 627 Elm Street with his parents, Henry and Alice. He is the neighborhood’s helpful menace that always seems to cause chaos in all of his escapades. But no matter what he is doing, he is always around to help his best friend, Mr. Wilson, whether he wants help or not. For all the December changes, highlights and the January sneak peek, click HERE.

Finally, Ruth Brown has passed away. She was known mainly for her singing, but she also was on sitcoms. Ms. Brown died last Friday of complications following a stroke and a heart attack in Henderson, Nev. She established Atlantic Records in the 50s and 60s, with lots of hit songs. In all, Brown charted 24 singles, only three of which failed to reach the R&B top 10.
After her split with Atlantic in the early '60s, Brown's fortunes waned; for a time, she worked as a domestic. Under the aegis of comic Redd Foxx, she began a comeback in the late '70s, appearing on such TV sitcoms as Hello, Larry and The Jeffersons. She also was a regular on the short-lived Jeffersons spin-off Checking In.
Ms. Brown will be missed. She was 78.

Remembering M*A*S*H Film Director Robert Altman, More M*A*S*H Notes; 'Arrested Development' Launches on MSN Video

Robert Altman, the man who directed films such as M*A*S*H, Nashville and The Player who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, according to his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company. The director died Monday night. The cause of death wasn't disclosed. A five-time Academy Award nominee for best director, most recently for 2001's Gosford Park, he finally won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006. Perpetually in and out of favor with audiences and critics, Altman worked ceaselessly since his anti-war black comedy M*A*S*H established his reputation in 1970, but he would go for years at a time directing obscure movies before roaring back with a hit.
After a string of commercial duds including The Gingerbread Man in 1998, Cookie's Fortune in 1999 and Dr. T & the Women in 2000, Altman took his all-American cynicism to Britain for 2001's Gosford Park. A combination murder-mystery and class-war satire set among snobbish socialites and their servants on an English estate in the 1930s, Gosford Park was Altman's biggest box-office success since M*A*S*H. Other famous movies he has directed include Popeye in 1980. Though, he has never directed or appeared on a sitcom, his first hit turned into a long running TV series in M*A*S*H. Mr. Altman will be missed. He was 81.
And speaking of M*A*S*H (the TV series, that), it will be coming to TV Land on January 1, with a week-long stunt, as we mentioned before. We will have more details very soon, but I do have news that The Hallmark Channel will have an uncut episode marathon stunt from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on January 1. TV Land will only be able to air the show between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., while Hallmark has 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to view the episodes for the Hallmark Channel New Year's Day 2007 stunt.

As we mentioned a few months back, critically acclaimed but low rated sitcom Arrested Development will be coming to MSN Video in reruns. MSN announced that beginning today episodes of the Emmy award-winning comedy Arrested Development will be streamed on demand on MSN Video and at no cost to viewers. The first five episodes are available today at http://arresteddevelopment.msn.com and, starting Dec. 15, three new episodes will be added every three weeks. All 53 episodes from the three seasons of the show will be rolled out within the next year.

ABC Family, TV Land Change Their Minds; TV One Thanksgiving Weekend

Apparently ABC Family has changed their minds about today's schedule change. Step by Step has been re-inserted to the weekday line-up and will continue to air weekdays at 2 and 2:30 p.m. Last week they announced Boy Meets World was coming to the slot. Boy will still air weekday mornings at 8 & 8:30 a.m. We will keep you up to date of any other news and changes.
Meanwhile, TV Land has announced it has moved the Ghostbusters 2 encore from 12:30am Friday to 12 noon Saturday. Ghostbusters 2 will still premiere 10 p.m. on Friday and will be followed by I Pity the Fool and 5 Benson episodes.

Warm up the sweet potato pie ready and get ready to laugh this Thanksgiving weekend as TV One presents four days of comedy centered around family and fun. TV One will feature four marathons this weekend part of their "Let's Talk Turkey" marathon weekend.
On Thanksgiving Day, TV One kicks off the family holiday weekend with visits from the outrageous family members of TV One's most hilarious sitcom characters from 10am-8pm and again from 11pm-6am. The marathon features special Thanksgiving episodes of Good Times, Martin and In the House commemorating this special time of year when visiting family, whom we all love dearly, can sometimes try your patience.
The world television premiere of "Preaching to the Choir" starring Lost's Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Darien Sills-Evans, Tichina Arnold, Eartha Kitt, and Patti LaBelle follows this marathon.

On Friday, Nov. 24 from 10am-6pm, viewers can catch up with all the comedians they've missed with a back to back recap of all Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes? episodes that have previously aired.

Things are heating up on TV One on Saturday, November 25 from noon - 8 PM, as TV One salutes "The Hottest Hunks of Sitcoms" in a marathon that features episodes of TV One sitcoms with a high hunk factor. The marathon continues from 2 AM - 6 AM. TV One hunks include Dancing with the Stars' Mario Lopez, Malik Yoba, Boris Kodjoe, Shemar Moore, Billy D. Williams, Philip Michael Thomas, Eddie George, Eric Benet, Will Smith, Lennox Lewis, and more. Sitcoms featured include All of Us, Eve, Martin, Good Times, For Your Love, 227, Amen and In the House. Episodes for the all-day marathon include:
For Your Love #310 - Eric Benet, Eric Dickerson
For Your Love #315 - Boris Kodjoe
227 #209 - Billy D. Williams
Amen #8911 - Richard Roundtree
In the House #307 - Lennox Lewis, LL Cool J
In the House #317 - Eddie George
Good Times #107 - Phillip Michael Thomas
All of Us #112 - Allen Payne
Eve #109 - Mario Lopez
Eve #113 - Boris Kodjoe
Martin #108 - Keith Washington
Martin #214 - Martin Payne (Comedic)
For Your Love #202 - Malik Yoba
For Your Love #222 - Shemar Moore
All of Us #110 - Will Smith
All of Us #106 - Boris Kodjoe

The last marathon airs Sunday, November 26. On Sunday, November 26 from 1 to 8 PM, the paparazzi will be out in full force, as TV One spends a day with Eve and its most famous guest stars in an all-day sitcom marathon. DMX, Tichina Arnold, Mario Lopez, Queen Latifah, Cedric the Entertainer, Kelly Rowland, and Vivica A. Fox are just a few of the famous faces dropping by.

Week 9 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 9 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: ABC: 9.6/14.8; CBS: 9.3/14.4; NBC: 6.5/10.1; Fox: 4.7/7.1; The CW: 2.3/3.5.
Total Viewers: CBS: 14.65 million; ABC: 14.54 million; NBC: 10.25 million; Fox: 7.45 million; The CW: 3.6 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.8/12.4; CBS: 4.6/11.9; NBC: 4.0/10.4; Fox: 3.0/7.6; The CW: 1.6/4.0.

Analysis: The ninth week saw the first second full week of sweeps and ABC and CBS are again neck and neck! Last week we saw CBS win for the 8th straight week in HH and total viewers, just edging ABC (which had a very slow Friday and Saturday) but that is in jeopardy this week as ABC, had a stronger Friday and Saturday, and will likely come very close to win it...photo finish. ABC will also likely get the 18-49 demo for the 9th straight week (week 7 NBC virtually tied ABC thanks to the Colts/Patriots game). As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. ABC and CBS lead a close race for the top spot so far with NBC a distant third and Fox well back in fourth. On Monday, CBS's CSI: Miami shined with 18.77 million, and NBC's Heroes at 9 p.m. was again strong in the 18-49 demo with a 6.5/16 and decent in total viewers with 15.08 million. NBC's Deal or No Deal lead the night off for NBC with a dominating first place finish and did 18.07million, almost up 4 million from last week! NBC's Studio 60 is still not doing good with just 7.58 million..a series low. CBS sitcoms rebounded just a bit last week after going up against the CMA's, as The Class at 8:30 was up from last week's 7.57 million to 8.44 million, and the number one sitcom Two and a Half Men rose from that and did 15.83 million. Fox did usual business for Prison Break but did better at 9 p.m. with a repeat of House instead of Justice. ABC saw a distant fourth for the night, compared to last week's #1. Tuesday, again it was ABC on top as Dancing with the Stars Final Dance did a stellar 26.8 million! The sitcom Help Me Help You was pre-empted as ABC aired a special 90-minute preview of the new game show Show Me the Money which did a solid 12.39 million, ABC will take that on Wednesdays at 8 come this week. Fox is doing bad with Standoff leading off but House came back strong and did 14.6 million, building almost 10 million from its lead-in. NBC was strong at 10 p.m. as Law & Order: SVU did a nice 14.76 million while Friday Night Lights continues to under-perform at just 5.48 million. Law & Order: CI was just 9.14 million, but up from last week. CBS did decent with NCIS and The Unit, but the 3LBS premiere did not perform well with just 9.86 million. Wednesday saw CBS and ABC battle it out, with ABC edging CBS in viewers this time and ABC winning in the demo again. ABC won the opening hour again with the season finale of Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 17.7/27 rating and 27.52 million. CBS's Jericho did 9.34 million, a series low, of note the last three weeks the show has hit a series low...not good for a show going on hiatus. NBC had a better Wednesday than usual with The Biggest Loser 3 doing just 6.37 million but the two-hour season premiere of Medium was much better with 9.44 million. ABC's Day Break premiere didn't do as well as ABC expected, but did decent with 10.16 million from 9-11pm...watch the show this week, it is a solid new show and very fast paced and promises to answer every question by episode 13. CBS won from 9-11pm with Criminal Minds and CSI: NY both doing over 16 million (16.48 and 16.18 million). CBS's Criminal Minds. was lower than last week against Lost ... very strange, the ABC hit will return February 7. The CW's America's Next Top Model was down from last week's 5.37 million to 4.71 million as ABC for sure affected it. Fox did better with a Bones repeat at 9 following an all-new Bones, which did 7.83 million. On Thursday we saw CBS and ABC dominate. ABC's Grey's Anatomy had 20.92 million at 9pm (up from last week) and in the same slot CSI had 24.11 million, also up from last week...really up (CSI won in HH 14.8/22 to 13.6/20 but GA still wins in A18-49 8.7/21 to 8.0/19). NBC aired comedies at 9 p.m. and probably the Deal or No Deal older viewers fled to CSI. At 8 p.m. ABC continues to do well with Ugly Betty, as the one-hour comedy did decent again with 12.95 million, slightly up from previous week; Survivor was also up and did 15.35 million though.When Survivor finishes, look for the best new comedy to do even better. At 10 p.m. newbie Shark did 15.24 million. ER was down from last week's 14.56 million to just 12.52 million, thanks to low rated 30 Rock from 9:20-10pm. ABC saw second place at 10 p.m. with Barbara Walters 30 Mistakes in 30 Years Part 1 special doing a solid 12.91 million..but better than the usual in the slot. And Fox saw pathetic numbers with 'Til Death and another (save us!) episode of The O.C.
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS's dramas doing well and NBC was a solid second Deal or No Deal special on Friday was #1 for the night), but Las Vegas is out of place on Fridays. ABC was a solid third this week rather than a distant third, thanks to a special 20/20 at 9 and Barbara Walters 30 Mistakes in 30 Years Part 2 tying Law & Order on NBC for 2nd place. And The CW beat Fox yet again on Friday. Saturday ratings saw ABC win the night with CBS, NBC and Fox doing usual business as the College Football game did good for ABC with USC beating Cal for the Pac-10 title...next week it is USC vs. Notre Dame, so it should be even better. As for tonight, ABC and NBC will dominate, especially Desperate Housewives. Look for ABC to win the demo tonight and total viewers, as new series Brothers & Sisters is consistent and steady. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is also solid for ABC and NBC might get high numbers for their football game, but not enough to win the night. I again expect ABC to win the week in the demo and yes, ABC in total viewers..though it will be close but unlike last week, ABC had a better Friday and Saturday. As you can see from our numbers above (Mon-Thurs), ABC has a decent lead in everything (with CBS edging in viewers). NBC should be third in everything. What to look for this week is how Thanksgiving night will do...will it be ABC's special 70-minute Grey's Anatomy followed by the Mel Gibson interview or CBS's CSI or the special two-hour NBC Deal or No Deal? Finally the networks are programming new material on the night! I think it will be the usual winners, ABC and CBS, with NBC coming in at closer third.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of Nov. 6-12)

• The Simpsons (Fox) - With the NFL as its lead-in, an all-new episode did a solid 11.43 million.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - 8.48 million, better than last week's 7.71 million...but still down from lead-in. Move this back to 9:30 in January and have the return of King of the Hill here at 8:30.
• Family Guy (Fox) - Built back up from lead-in with 9.05 million...though Fox should be doing better with this show
  
• War at Home (Fox) - Fox was up from 8-9:30 from last week, so this show should be too right? WRONG! Down to 5.96 million.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.22 million last week...up to 9.33 million this week...much better.
  
• The Class (CBS) - 7.57 million last week...up to 8.44 million this week. CBS ordered a few more episodes, but back nine is not likely.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 15.83 million, up from last week...number one sitcom still.
• New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) - 11.87 million for an all-new episode, slightly up from last week, but should have been a little higher as its lead-in went up by a lot.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends, The Game. All new episodes of Chris started it off with 3.22 million, the highest of the block. The rest ranged 2.43 to 3.1 million.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• None.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - A super-sized episode did 9.12 million, down a bit from last week's 9.13 million.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 8.43 million tuned in for a 40-minute episode, up from last week.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 40 minutes of this show did just 5.19 million...not good news for NBC.
  
• 'Til Death (Fox) 2 episodes - 4.55 million tuned in at 8pm for a new episode, up from last week a bit. The repeat at 8:30pm held steady and did 4.54 million, but down from last week.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox comedies and Reba on The CW.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl and The New Adventures of Old Christine were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Office and The Class) or just plain old terrible (such as 'Til Death and 30 Rock).

Mini-DVD Reviews: Perry Mason: Season 1 Volume 2 (Nov. 21); CSI: The Complete 6th Season (Nov. 14)

Welcome to another edition of Saturday mini-DVD reviews! Today we take a look at CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment's Perry Mason: Season 1, Volume 2 and CSI: The Complete 6th Season.
See skees53's mini-DVD review of Perry Mason: Season 1, Volume 2.



Perry Mason: Season 1, Volume 2 (CBS DVD, $49.99) contains all 20 episodes from the second half of the first season of the classic courtroom drama. Raymond Burr stars as the all-star attorney Perry Mason that'll help the underdog client prove their innocence no matter what odds are stacked against them. This 5-disc set contains the 20 episodes from the second half of the first season beginning with the February 1, 1958 episode, "The Case of the Lonely Heiress," and going until the final episode of the first season, "The Case of the Rolling Bones."
In the second half of the first season, Perry has the daunting tasks of defending a woman when a con artist that caused her sister to commit suicide is suddenly poisoned ("The Case of the Lonely Heiress"), working with an important witness that has multiple personalities ("The Case of the Deadly Double"), working with a witness that claims to be able to identify somebody by the shoes they are wearing ("The Case of the Daring Decoy"), and many more cases where the person that should have done it, well, didn't do it! These particular episodes, despite its age of the series, has guest stars that many classic television fans will recognize, including Denver Pyle, Yvonne Craig, John Hoyt, Nancy Kulp, and more. Sadly, despite the fact that Perry Mason has an unusually large fan-base for a show as old as it is, the set is totally void of any special features, but the excellent presentation of the episodes along with the excellent video and audio quality requires that I give this set a verdict of not-guilty (or if it makes more sense this way, it is just a pretty good set!).
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Perry Mason TV.com Page

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CSI.: Crime Scene Investigation - The Complete Sixth Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $89.99)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is a fast-paced drama about a passionate team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes the old-fashioned way – by examining the evidence. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is on the case 24-7, scouring the scene, collecting the irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery.

My Review: CSI remains my favorite series in the CSI franchise. It just is consistently good every week, and they keep it fresh with interesting storylines.
While some of the original characters like Grissom have had less of a role in recent seasons, the entire cast is outstanding. I'm not sure if the show has reached its peak. Grey's Anatomy has presented a strong challenge, but CSI has continued to put up impressive numbers.

This 7-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the sixth (2005-06) season. The episodes are presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround audio. It has a running time of 17 hours, 21 minutes. C.S.I's packaging has remained pretty consistent throughout all the seasons. The faces of the 5 main cast members are featured on the cover. The inside case is in a book format that you can flip through to get to the discs. Each disc features a different half-photo of one of the cast members and the CSI logo. The menus are very stylish and easy to navigate. They have a montage of video clips, with some intrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features. On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is availble for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding.

Like the other CSI releases, this set includes an impressive amount and variety of special features. There are 7 audio commentaries available for 6 of the episodes by the crew and one of the cast members. They are insightful and interesting and add a lot of trivia facts. I would have liked to hear more commentaries from the cast. Six exclusive featurettes are found on Disc 7.

"Shooting Stars" - Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Danny Cannon
"Gum Drops" - Audio Commentary by Writer Sarah Goldfinger and Director Richard J. Lewis
"A Bullet Runs Through It, Part 1" - Audio Commentary by Showrunner/Co-Writer Carol Mendelsohn and Technical Advisor/Writer Rich Catalani
"A Bullet Runs Through It, Part 1" - Audio Commentary by Danny Cannon
"A Bullet Runs Through It, Part 2" - Audio Commentary by Carol Mendelsohn and Director/Producer Kenneth Fink
"Killer" - Audio Commentary by Executive Producer Naren Shankar, Writer Dustin Lee Abraham and Kenneth Fink
"Poppin' Tags" - Audio Commentary by Dustin Lee Abraham and Actor George Eads

The Scene of Sound (26:42) - Follow the process of creating final sound for Episode 607 "A Bullet Runs Through It, Part 1." This was a fascinating featurette that has
a lot of behind the scenes type footage. They show how they do the mics, the spotting session, music score, foley artists, ADR stage/looping and the final mix. There's a lot of work for them to do in a short period of time.

Gadgets & Gizmos - This featurette is hosted by Technical Advisor Rich Catalani and divided into six sections: Borescope with Fiberoptic Camera (:53), Forensic Buddy (1:15), Scanning Electron Microscope (:47), Nicolet Almega (Laser Ablator) (:53), Camlite (1:15), Micro FTIR (1:29). It was cool to see how all these gadgets are used to create the various shots.

Coroner Reports - David Berman and Robert David Hall are interviewed. This featurette is divided into four sections: Respecting the Dead (1:06), Stomach Contents (:51), Special Handlings (1:21), Surprise Findings (:39). I would have liked to see this as a longer segment. It is hard to overlook these guys contributions to the show. They always add some humor.

Apparent Cause of Death (6:52) - Special Effects Make-Up artist Matthew W. Mungle takes us through the process of turning a perfectly healthy actor into a corpis, complete with an exposed chest cavity and a sawed-off skull cap. I know that the
make-up and effects aren't real, but they could sure fool me many times.

Season Six Trajectory (19:18) - CSI's Cast & Crew discuss where CSI is going in Season Six. They talk about the characters, their backgrounds, and the themes of this season. There seemed to be less details on the characters this season than in the past, but when they do it seems to make more of an impact. Melinda Clarke (Lady Heather) returned this season, and she is interviewed as well. This featurette gives a pretty good summary of the season, but where was the mention of the relationship between Grissom and Sara?

The New Title Sequence - CSI's Producers and Visual Effects Artists discuss the process of creating a new opening sequence. They used basically the same opening credits for the first 5 seasons (with only a few new shots tossed in each year). This season they completely re-did it. There are still a lot of the classic scenes used like the exploding apple and Grissom using the sledgehammer on the head.

Final Comments: There are so many crime shows on TV today, but CSI remains the best. I think one of the keys to the success of the show is that they've been able to keep all of the original six cast members. The cast has great chemistry, and they have a great production crew to put it all together. There are no shortage of special features on this set that will give you some interesting details on how much work goes into making an episode. You will definitely want to pick up this set to add to your collection.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(5/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS.com Official Site