Superstation WGN's Munsters Halloween Marathon; RTN in Lafayette, LA

Happy Halloween! Sorry for the late notice but you'll be howling with laughter as Superstation WGN presents "The Munsters Halloween Day Marathon," 12 classic back-to-back episodes featuring television's first family of fright, The Munsters. The six-hour marathon with the odd occupants of 1313 Mockingbird Lane will air today (Wednesday, October 31) from 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) until 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT).
To see the episodes for this stunt, click HERE!

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it plans to launch an RTN affiliate in Lafayette, LA. The new affiliate will launch Nov. 1 on KDCG and will air in Lafayette on COX Communications cable channel 9.
Among the shows the network plans to schedule are Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0, Matlock, Mission: Impossible, and Lafayette viewers will laugh along with Michael J. Fox, as Alex Keaton, in Family Ties and Ron Howard, as Richie Cunningham, in the timeless hit Happy Days.
Our interview with RTN is coming. They are a bit busy but they will make some time for us, so keep checking back. You won't want to miss this, as I ask some very interesting questions that fans will want to read for sure!

Tonight sitcom wise we have two repeats of Back to You and 'Til Death on Fox starting at 8/7 central. Catch up if you missed the premieres of these two earlier this season.

Samantha Who Picked-Up for Full Season; ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule

After just three airings, ABC has ordered a full season of at least 22 episodes of the new sitcom hit Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate, various trades are reporting. So, ABC hasn't released a press release yet, but it is a done deal! This all comes after last night it hit a series high Monday night among adults 18-49 (preliminary 4.9 rating/11 share) and viewers (preliminary 15.4 million), as well as other measurements.
Samantha Who? stars Christina Applegate as a woman who suffers from amnesia after an accident - and is mortified to discover that she used to be a pretty horrible human being. Jennifer Esposito, Kevin Dunn, Melissa McCarthy, Tim Russ, Barry Watson and Jean Smart also star. The show airs Monday at 9:30 PM ET/PT on ABC! Get hooked on it!
Speaking of ABC, tonight they are airing the classic animated special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at 8/7 central, pre-empting Cavemen & Carpoolers. The two sitcoms will return next week, but will again be preempted on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27 (as of now) for two more classic Charlie Brown specials. Thanksgiving on Nov. 20 and Christmas on Nov. 27.

ABC Family Channel has announced their annual 25 Days of Christmas line-up to us and as always it is filled with holiday movies, specials, animated classics, holiday sitcom episodes and two original movies! Among the classic specials are Rudolph's Shiny New Year, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town. The holiday movies include The Polar Express, The Santa Clause 2, Jingle All the Way, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and the classic A Very Brady Christmas! In addition, ABC Family will host the basic cable premiere of The Incredibles. The two original movies are Holiday in Handcuffs and Snowglobe. Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch) and Mario Lopez (Dancing with the Stars) star in the amusing holiday tale of Holiday in Handcuffs, a story about a modern young woman who has a breakdown at Christmas and desperately kidnaps a handsome guy to take home to her parents. Can she keep her misdeed a secret from her family and convince them that they are a happy couple or will their Christmas be ruined? Snowglobe starring Christina Milian (Love Don’t Cost A Thing) and Lorraine Bracco (The Sopranos). A mystical Snowglobe transports Angela (Milian), who longs for the perfect Christmas away from her boisterous family, into an idyllic Christmas winter wonderland. But, when the two worlds unexpectedly collide, Angela struggles to reconcile the situation and ultimately has to make a choice about what really defines her perfect Christmas. Perfection comes in different kinds of packages! The cast also includes Josh Cooke, Matthew Keeslar and Ron Canada. And The Harry Potter weekend returns with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
In addition in their regular timeslots, you'll see holiday episodes of your favorite ABC Family sitcom reruns like Full House, Family Matters, 8 Simple Rules and more!
Click HERE to see the full line-up and to discuss this annual stunt! You won't want to miss this!

More Nick at Nite Halloween Stunts, November Highlights; ION Brings Back Murder; TV Land Goes Frankenstein

All last week Nick at Nite had Halloween stunts 9-10pm with Home Improvement and various shows in the 11pm hour. They had actually a night of Halloween episodes last night from 9pm-12am, with Full House, Fresh Prince, Home Improvement, The Cosby Show, and a full-hour of Roseanne. On Halloween night this Wednesday they will have another block of Halloween episodes from 9pm-12am with Home Improvement, George Lopez, Fresh Prince, another Home Improvement, The Cosby Show & Roseanne.
That is a lot of Halloween episodes this year...very strange but good I guess. Spooky.
Anyway, moving on to November, we have a few stunts as well, as of now. On Sunday, November 18, it's a night of Family Secrets on Nick at Nite and all will be revealed eventually, even if that's not the plan! Did Theo get his ears pierced? Did Benny get a boob job? Find that all out on Nov. 18 from 9pm-12am. Shhhhhh!
Got nothing to be Thankful for? Now you do! Join Nick at Nite for a night of Thanksgiving themed episodes on Wednesday, November 21.
Finally, come join Nick at Nite for a night of family fun theatrical movies of all Rugrats from 9pm-1:30am!
For more on November and to discuss this, click HERE.

ION has made another minor change for November. Starting Tuesday, November 6, Diagnosis Murder will return at 10pm replacing Sue Thomas F.B.eye on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. 48 Hours will still air Monday and Thursdays at 10. Will Diagnosis Murder ever leave? It's been on and off forever on that channel, when it was PAX, i, and now ION.

TV Land is celebrating the Broadway opening of Mel Brooks' new musical Young Frankenstein with a series of events on-air, online and off-air. TVLand.com, the network's revamped website, is offering a trip to New York City to see the highly anticipated production and will feature original interviews with the Broadway cast including Megan Mullally, Andrea Martin and more. TV Land will also show the network premiere of the original 1974 comedic masterpiece, Young Frankenstein, as part of TV Land's Friday night programming block, Movieland, the network will air the classic Oscar-nominated movie Young Frankenstein on Friday, November 2 at 10PM ET/PT, with an encore on Saturday, November 3 at 1PM ET/PT.

Mini-DVD Review: October Road S1 (Oct. 30); Week 5 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Welcome to a special Sunday edition of mini-DVD reviews! If you are looking for our weekly sitcom ratings, you'll still find that today, but it will be below this. Today we take a look at Buena Vista Home Entertainment's October Road: The Complete First Season. October Road is a drama about an author going back home after writing bad things in a book about his friends from that small town. See my mini-DVD review of October Road: The Complete First Season:

October Road: The Complete First Season (Buena Vista, $28.99) brings the first six episodes of the hit mid-season drama on DVD! Nick Garrett's revealing new best-selling book about his hometown of Knights Ridge, MA doesn't buy him many fans when he returns to his circle of friends after a decade on October Road. There are a lot of characters and plots. The show is very addictive. The show stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, Laura Prepon as Hannah Daniels (Nick's girlfriend before he left), Geoff Stults as Eddie Lateka (Nick's best friend before he left), Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan (Nick's friend and band member), Evan Jones as Ikey (Nick's friend and band member), Jay Paulson as Physical Phil (Nick's friend and band member), Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo (the bully), Odette Yustman as Aubrey (Nick's student and love interest), Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels (Hannah's son), Rebecca Field as Janet "The Planet" Meadows (Hannah's best friend), and Tom Berenger as Bob "The Commander" Garrett (Nick's dad). There are other recurring characters such as Nick's brother, Pizza Girl, Owen's wife, the principal, etc.
There are only six episodes for the first season, so it is a quick view and you will want to watch all six!
Packaging on this DVD is similar to Grey's Anatomy S1. We have an outer box (like usual) that holds a snap case. I really don't think the outer box is needed because it is the same art as the case. On both the box and case we have the show's logo, followed by the complete first season line, then we have a nice big photo of Nick & Hannah, followed by head shots of some of the other characters (The Commander, Sam, Aubrey, Big Cat, Eddie and Janet). Then on the bottom it says, "sometimes you've got to look back to see where you're going." The back of the box and the case has synopsis of the series and set, along with a list of bonus features and some nice small screenshots of characters that they didn't get to showcase in the front like Owen, Ikey, Phil, and Pizza Girl. To open the case, we have two little buttons to pull, like Grey's S1, and many movie cases. Inside that we have a spot for an insert on the left, which is an episode listing for both discs, with cool photos and details of the extras. The discs are on the right. Each disc has its own page, like a book. Both discs have blue and white art with the show title in a big size. Episodes 1-4 are on disc one and episodes 5-6 & the extras are on disc six.
This series is excellent. All six aired after Grey's Anatomy last spring on Thursdays and was well sampled. I think only 3 or 4 times though the show was on after new episodes of Grey's, but still it did well. It is so addictive and makes you want to keep watching. The episodes generally run close to 43 minutes. The lowest is 42:38 (episode 6). There are about 7-8 chapter stops for each episode. The video is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The show never looked better or sounded better, unless you watched the series in HDTV on TV last spring. We hear the closing theme for the first time, since ABC doesn't show the ending theme, at least not on analog.
The menu screen starts by showing a car pass on a road...then we see a nice shot of the entire road...and you guessed it, it is October Road! The series is set in Knights Ridge, MA, a fake town. The series is shot in the Atlanta area, as you'll learn in the extras. Disc one has an auto trailer for series such as Lost S3, What About Brian DVD, and Grey's Anatomy Fall 2007 promo. Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set up, Sneak Peaks are the options. Sneak Peaks is on disc one only and Bonus Features option is on disc two only. Each sub-menu has more background music from the show. The Episodes section has the episode number and title...and a cool screenshot. Set Up gives us the option to have Subtitles in English. We can also Register our DVD. Sneak Peeks has the same trailer as the auto trailers on disc one.
Moving on to the bonus features. All of them are on disc two. We get 6 deleted scenes that run: 1:07, 0:57, 1:28, 1:10, 0:38, 1:43. Very cool to see these. Then we get a look at some goofiness in the bloopers that run 1:10. The best extra on the set is a featurette titled "October Road: The Journey Begins." We go behind the scenes with the cast and crew to discover how the show was created, how it is made, and how friendships blossomed on and off the set. This runs 9:38 and is worth it. Then finally we have a Season 2 Preview that runs 2:26. Cast and crew preview what is to come. I can't wait!
I really hope you buy this DVD. This show must not go unnoticed. If you are a fan, you must buy this. If you never saw it, give it a try. You'll be hooked. All the characters are great. The young audience loves it. I really love Aubrey, played by Odette Yustman. She is very good and very attractive. I'm sure Laura Prepon fans also love her on this. The show returns with a second season on Thanksgiving night (Nov. 22) at 10pm, before moving to its new night of Mondays at 10 starting Nov. 26 on ABC! So can you ever really go home again? You'll find out when you watch the first six episodes of this great show!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
October Road TV.com Page


Week 5 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: Fox: 8.9/13.0; ABC: 8.3/13.0; CBS: 8.0/12.5; NBC: 5.2/8.1; The CW: 2.1/3.2; MNT: 0.7/1.0.
Total Viewers: Fox: 14.13 million; CBS: 12.62 million; ABC: 12.45 million; NBC: 8.19 million; The CW: 3.23 million; MNT: 0.94 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 4.8/12.6; ABC: 4.0/10.2; CBS: 3.6/9.1; NBC: 3.4/8.7; The CW: 1.5/3.7; MNT: 0.4/0.9.

Analysis: Week 5 is nearly done...yes already, we're finishing week 5. Last week Fox won the top spot thanks to the ALCS, with ABC and CBS battling for second in HH and viewers, but CBS finished fourth in 18-49. NBC was fourth in all other categories. Through the first four days, Fox the lead in all categories again in week 5 thanks to baseball, with again a close race between ABC and CBS for second, and NBC in fourth.
Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. A 92 minute performance show did an impressive 21.32 million and a 5.5/13 in 18-49, up a lot from the previous week, that lead into week two of new sitcom Samantha Who at an impressive 13.68 million and a 4.5/10 18-49 rating...that was the same as the premiere. The Bachelor followed with 8.92 million, on par from the previous week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 8.81 million, up nearly a million from the previous week and yet again it built on How I Met Your Mother's ratings of 8.5 million. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with decent numbers (13.94 and 10.82 million). Men was up a bit from the previous week, as was Rules. CSI: Miami followed with 15.66 million, on par really from previous week. NBC followed lead by Heroes at 10.81 million and a 4.9 18-49, below its usual average once again. Chuck opened the night with 7.22 million, down over a million from previous week, maybe because Prison Break was back on Fox? Journeyman closed the night with 6.06 million, down from previous week, cancelation clock is ticking. Fox was fourth this week with Prison Break at 7.44 million and K-Ville at 6.04 million...will the latter show last into sweeps? The CW aired their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 2.36 million, but actually up again from previous week, but The Game closed the night with 2.61 million, the highest of the CW comedies once again...but down again.
Tuesday, it was a three network race, with Fox on top. CBS and ABC were also right behind. Fox's huge hit House returned and did 18.11 million and a 7.6 18-49 rating and Bones also returned to start the night off with a solid 8.94 million. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off for CBS with 17.26 million, down slightly from previous week. The Unit followed with 10.84 million, down a lot from previous week, and Cane did 7.98 million, down from previous week ... will CBS bench it soon? ABC's sitcom hour of Cavemen/Carpoolers did OK at 6.21 and 6.94 million (on par from previous week, but slightly down again, but it hasn't gone way way down), Dancing with the Stars: The Results followed with 18.06 million saying goodbye to Mark Cuban. Boston Legal was preempted for a 20/20 Special on California Burning doing similar numbers to that show, doing 10.37 million. NBC was fourth with Singing Bee at just 6.73 million, The Biggest Loser from 8:30-10 did 7.12 million, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 12.31 million, down a bit from previous week. The CW got decent numbers with Beauty & the Geek and Reaper...3.25 and 2.61 million. Both were down though from previous week.
Wednesday it was the first night of the World Series for Fox. Fox is usually fourth with Back to You, 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares, butthe World Series Game 1 was on tonight and did 16.9 million. CBS saw Kid Nation go up a bit to 7.86 million for fourth place, but veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 15.05 (up a tad from previous week) and 13.82 million (down a tad from previous week). ABC saw Pushing Daisies, doing 9.67 million, followed by Private Practice at 11.91 million and a solid 4.5/11 18-49 rating, up from previous week, Dirty Sexy Money followed with 8.26 million, down from previous week a bit. NBC opened the night with a new game show called Phenomenon doing 8.55 million, followed by Bionic Woman at a fourth place 7.81 million...continues to free-fall down each week. At 10pm NBC's Life did 6.87 million, down from previous week once again. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at a decent 4.74 million, Gossip Girl did 2.54 million, both down on par really previous week.
Thursday again it was The World Series on top for Fox, on a night where they again are usually fourth. CBS and ABC were not far behind. Fox preempted 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics, again this week for the World Series, which did 16.95 million for game 2.. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 14.19 million, up a tad from the previous week. CSI followed with 14.96 million for third place, but it was a repeat. Without a Trace returned this week with 12.73 million, below normal. ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing a solid 9.98 million up from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 18.17 million, up from previous week and it did win in 18-49 with a 7.4/18 18-49 rating. Big Shots followed with a last place finish of 7.38 million...down from previous week again...it needs to get back to 8-9 million. NBC was a distant fourth with its comedies My Name is Earl opened the night with 8.2 million, followed by 30 Rock doing 6.5 million, both up from previous week. The Office followed with 8.96 million, up a bit from previous week a bit. The season premiere of Scrubs followed with a so-so 6.95 million. ER closed the night with 9.25 million. Smallville on The CW did 4.65 million, followed by Supernatural at 3.18 million, the latter was up from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but NBC, CBS and ABC battled on Friday. NBC had a solid outing for Deal or No Deal at 8pm. CBS saw decent numbers for its dramas with NUMB3RS doing the best at 10, and ABC did solid business at 9pm with Women's Murder Club. Fox bombed again for The Next Great American Band. They will probably can it starting next week.
Saturday numbers are not available yet. But Game 3 of the World Series should do big for Fox.
Tonight Fox will have Game 4 of the World Series with Boston trying to go for the sweep, and it should do well. ABC Sunday should do well of course too with its all-star line-up. CBS will do decent as well, but NBC will be out of the picture with no NFL game.
As for the week, ABC and CBS will battle for second in HH and viewers, with Fox a clear first place thanks to baseball. ABC will be second probably in 18-49. NBC will have its worst week of the young season.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of October 15-21)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - The CW will air repeats now at 7:30 on Sundays, and the first airing did just 1.29 million, but better than Online Nation, the previous holder of the slot.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.5 million, up from the previous week by like 800k.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.81 million, up from previous week and it still is building on the lead-in, which is a very good sign.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.94 million this week, up from previous week's 13.69 million.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 10.82 million, on par from the previous week's 10.81..consistent.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 13.68 million for episode two, down just 800k from the premiere...and retained all of the 18-49 rating from the premiere, with a 4.5 rating.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. Not doing that well at all. Aliens did a terrible 2.36 million, the lowest of the block but up from previous week again, The Game continues to be the leader of this block now with 2.61 million, down slightly from previous week's 2.86 million.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - 6.21 million, down from previous week...this week will be preempted for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - Down a bit from previous week. 6.94 million this week...as with the lead-in, it will be preempted this week for Charlie Brown.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Back to You (Fox) - preempted for World Series
  
• 'Til Death (Fox) - preempted for World Series
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 8.2 million tuned in, up almost a million from previous week. I think Alyssa Milano guest started, no wonder....
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 6.5 million, up from previous week's 6.22 million.
  
• The Office (NBC) - The first half-hour edition of the season did a solid 8.96 million, up from previous week's hour edition.
• Scrubs (NBC) - Season premiere did 6.95 million, OK not too good, but the 18-49 is solid with a 3.8.

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, Fox's animated comedies will be off air tonight due to Game 4 of the World Series.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Samantha Who?, The Office, My Name is Earl, Big Bang Theory, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (Cavemen, Aliens in America).

Mini-DVD Review: Tales from the Crypt Season 7; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Roseanne Spin-Off?; Why Does The World Series Only Affect Sunday Night Football

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. Today we take a look at Warner Home Video's Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season. Tales From The Crypt of course is the popular '90s HBO series...that was spooky but cool. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season, just in time for HALLOWEEN:

Tales From The Crypt -- The Complete Seventh Season (Warner, $39.98) brings the final lucky 13 episodes of the hit HBO series from the '90s together in a three-disc set right in time for Halloween. The Cryptkeeper is determined that he won't die without a fight though, as he brings more tales that are sure to make your spine tingle (and some that are just absurd) to your TV screen.
Among the episodes this season, we many great episodes. In "Last Respects," a cursed monkey paw is able to grant wishes--now who would really want those wishes? Ewan McGregor guest stars in "Cold War," where we discover who wins that ultimate fight between zombies and vampires (as if we ever wondered!). A man invents a way of reading memories of the deceased in "Report from the Grave," and it ends with "grave" results. What can a safecracker do when he can no longer hear? Find out in "Ear Today... Gone Tomorrow." And the series ends with "The Third Pig," which is an animated (and more humorous than scary) take on the story of "The Three Little Pigs." Brad Garrett even plays one of the pigs. Once again, the set features just one special feature, a tale from the comic book that the series was based upon, narrated by the Cryptkeeper himself. This time, the tale is "Fatal Caper."
The series began to tape episodes in England this season, meaning that we get lots of tales with British characters... but don't worry, it doesn't "kill" the horror. The only thing it really does to the series is dramatically reduces the number of well-known guest stars, but the series stays true to what it is supposed to be--horror stories. Sure, the earlier seasons were better and the show was ready to end by this time, but don't be mistaken, because there are still some jewels left in the tomb for this season. All of you boils and ghouls out there need to scare up enough money to treat yourself to this DVD set in time for Halloween!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
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Tales from the Crypt TV.com Page


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, October 20, 2007
"Roseanne Spin-Off?; Why Does The World Series Only Affect Sunday Night Football?"
By Solomon Davis

The show The Big Bang Theory has been enjoyable until the actress Sara Gilbert showed up as a guest and her character was intimate with the Leonard character, played by fellow Roseanne alum John Galecki. I have not seen these two together for years since on Roseanne and have no interest in watching them together again on a new show in 2007. Sara Gilbert could have easily guest starred without hooking up with the Leonard character which seems like a Roseanne spin-off called "Revenge of David and Darlene." Laurie Metcalf was another Roseanne actress who appeared as Sheldon's mother and I just want CBS to know that Roseanne ended 10 years ago so what is up with the recycling of old Roseanne cast members? It is too funny because it is not really fresh.

Sunday Night Football is always affected when the World Series starts and I just can't understand why because Monday Football will be on Monday against Game 4 of the World Series. So why wasn't Monday Night Football preempted like Sunday Night football is all the time against the World Series? Every NFL fan doesn't watch the World Series so there really needs to be some kind of adjustment there so that SPORTS FANS can still have a option of watching the World Series or Sunday Night Football. I thought Bye weeks were only for NFL teams not the NFL Sunday Night Football schedule.

My Weird TV Moments of the Week:
Sunday, October 21, 2007: The ESPN Sunday Night Interview between Chad Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson
Monday, October 22, 2007: On Regis and Kelly, all-week guest host Jimmy Kimmel jokes to Kelly, "My goal this week is to get you pregnant."

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

The Status of All the New Network Shows

So do you want to know if your favorite new shows will last the season or get canceled? You'll get a sense after reading this post! As we have announced, the following new scripted shows have gotten a full season order, which means at least 22 episodes: Back to You (24 episodes actually), The Big Bang Theory, Gossip Girl, Private Practice, and Pushing Daisies. So, all those are safe at least through the end of the season, unless something crazy happens.
Then a ton of other new series have added additional scripts, which means the network is trying and will see how the show continues to do before picking up additional episodes or a full season. Samantha Who? got an additional six scripts order, which means it is very close for a full season pick-up. The next highest is four scripts, which are Cane and Moonlight. Tons of other series have three scripts such as Aliens in America, Bionic Woman, Carpoolers, Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, Life, Journeyman, and Reaper. It could go either way with these. K-Ville has an additional two scripts ordered, but that was weeks ago, and nothing has been said since, which means, the clock is ticking for that show.
So far no word at all on series such as Big Shots, Cavemen, Life is Wild and Women's Murder Club. That is not good, but Women's Murder Club is doing well and has just started basically, so expect additional scripts or even a full season pick-up very soon. Viva Laughlin was canceled.
Among the new reality shows, it looks like Kid Nation will finish its cycle, but that looks to be it. Kitchen Nightmares was ordered for another season. The outlook is not good for CW Now and The Next Great American Band. Online Nation and Nashville were canceled.

So, here is my take. Among the series with additional scripts, Samantha Who, Dirty Sexy Money, Moonlight, Chuck, Bionic Woman, Reaper, Aliens in America will probably get full season pick-ups or at the very least additional episodes. So shows like Carpoolers, Cane, K-Ville, Life and Journeyman are in danger...so don't get too attached. Among the shows with no status yet, expect Women's Murder Club to get the season pick-up VERY soon, with Big Shots, Cavemen and Life is Wild in danger.

ION Television November, Perfect Strangers Dropped; Fox Picks-Up Back to You for Full Season

ION Television will be removing Perfect Strangers effective this Monday. In fact they have moved the Perfect Strangers Halloween stunt from Monday and Tuesday to Wednesday and Thursday of this week. So, yes, the first night was last night, if you noticed. Starting Monday, we get the old schedule back, which is back-to-back episodes of Designing Women, Mama's Family, Who's the Boss? from 7-10pm. Such a shame Perfect Strangers was only given a few weeks to air...it didn't even get through the second season. At least we got to see a few post season two episodes in the Halloween stunt. Make sure you watch the final night tonight at 8:30 & 9:00 pm. No reason was given to us at the time of this post, so we don't know...but maybe it was the ratings. Oh well, at least the show is selling like hotcakes on Amazon.com right now! Seasons 1 and 2 come to DVD in February and is currently in the top 50 on Amazon's sales rank...which is amazing for a set not coming for another three months!
So, the schedule starting Monday will run into November as well. The only stunt we have is a Mama's Family Thanksgiving marathon on Thursday, November 22 from 6-11pm...it looks like the same exact marathon as last year. We have more on ION November here, including the RHI movies, and you can also discuss your thoughts on the removal of Perfect Strangers. What a shame.

Fox has ordered an additional 11 episodes of the new comedy Back to You, bringing the total number of episodes for its premiere season to 24. Back to You stars Kelsey Grammer as "Chuck Darling" and Patricia Heaton as "Kelly Carr," co-anchors at Pittsburg, PA, news station WURG, who are reunited at the anchor desk after Chuck had an embarrassing and very public fall from grace on-air at his previous post in Los Angeles. The comedy also stars Fred Willard, Ty Burrell, Josh Gad, Ayda Field and Laura Marano. Created and executive-produced by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Back to You airs Wednesdays (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on Fox.

If we have more news, we will be back...so check this spot!

Tonight sitcom wise we have NBC's Comedy Done Right block with My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office and the season premiere of Scrubs. This will be the 7th and finals season for Zach Braff and gang, so let the farewell tour begin! It all starts at 8/7 central on NBC!

TV Land Announces Details on New Original; ABC Friday Change and More; Barry Williams Blog

TV Land has begun production on the new reality series She's Got The Look, the search for the next new face of the fashion industry. In partnership with Wilhelmina Models, Inc., the series previously titled The Next Great Supermodel -- sets out to discover the next star: a woman 35 or older who exudes sophistication, beauty and confidence and wants to be a model. One winner will receive a lucrative modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models, Inc. and a feature in SELF Magazine. Iconic supermodel Kim Alexis, who has graced the cover of more than 500 magazines, will host She's Got The Look. Supermodel Beverly Johnson -- who made history as the first African-American model to grace the cover of American Vogue -- celebrity stylist Robert Verdi and Wilhelmina President Sean Patterson will be featured as judges on the series. The series is executive produced by Emmy Award-Winner Allison Grodner (Big Brother, Blowout) and is scheduled to debut in early summer 2008.
Currently filming in New York City, She's Got The Look follows 20 women -- all over the age of 35 -- vying for a modeling contract. Selected by TV Land and Wilhelmina's Model Search team after months of auditions and regional competitions around the country, the contenders have been flown to New York to live in a house together to see who has what it takes to be the next great supermodel. Through a series of competitions such as photo shoots and tests on their fashion know-how, women will be eliminated weekly until the ultimate winner is crowned.

Effective Friday, November 2, 2007 Men in Trees will move from 10:00 PM ET/PT Fridays to 8:00 PM ET/PT Fridays, while 20/20 will move from 8:00 PM ET/PT Fridays to 10:02 PM ET/PT Fridays. So this is a switcharoo. This Friday (Oct. 26) 20/20 will be pre-empted at 8:00 PM for an encore of Grey's Anatomy.
ABC is bringing back October Road and Notes from the Underbelly back this November for second seasons. October Road will launch its new season on a special night (Thursday, November 22) at 10 PM ET/PT, following Grey's Anatomy. Then it will move to Mondays at 10:00 PM ET/PT starting the following Monday (Nov. 26). Also launching its new season that Monday will be the sitcom Notes from the Underbelly, which will air Mondays at 9:30 PM ET/PT, which means Samantha Who? will move to 9:00 PM ET/PT. That night will be the first part of the huge Dancing with the Stars season finale, which will air 8-9 PM ET/PT that night. So the lead-in will be great for these two returning series.
Also starting January 7, the Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/PT slot will be the Dancing with the Stars spinoff Dance War, which will have judges Bruno and Carie Ann from the mega hit with a dancing team and will compete against each other.

Barry Williams (Greg from The Brady Bunch) is getting ready to launch his own blog and is looking for writers/fans to contribute to it on a regular basis. He is looking for six co-authors to write with him on his soon to be launched blog - The Greg Brady Project. They are looking for fans from all over to share views on Brady related and non-Brady related topics. Each co-author will be asked to contribute on a range of perspectives twice a week. No experience is necessary and this is a non-paid position. Bloggers will enjoy special benefits. Think you would be great for this? Email them and tell them why in 500 words or less. They will need your submission on or before November 1. So hurry! They will interview the top 20 entrants and make their selections by November 15, 2007. Be a part of the excitement! Submit your entry today! Contact Derrick Daye at: ddaye@barrywilliams.com

No sitcoms tonight, as the World Series will air and pre-empt the Fox sitcom hour at 8/7 central.

TV One December Highlights; TV Land Minor Change in November; Daisies Gets Full Season

December has been officially christened the most "TV One-derful Time of the Year," as TV One presents a whole lineup of exciting holiday programming throughout the month, including premiere specials, beloved movies, and holiday-themed episodes of our favorite sitcoms. Starting Monday, December 17, in fact, TV One's primetime programming hours from 7pm until 11pm each night through Tuesday, December 25 will be largely turned over to non-stop Christmas programming, in addition to holiday programming all-day long on December 24 and December 25. Week of Dec. 17 follows:
Monday: Holiday episodes of Parent'Hood, Good News and All Of Us run from 7pm until 10pm
Tuesday: Holiday episodes of Cedric the Entertainer Presents, The PJs, and Good Times from 7-10pm lead into Ray Charles Celebrates A Gospel Christmas at 10pm.
Wednesday: Holiday episodes of Wanda At Large and For Your Love from 7-8pm lead into an airing of the classic movie Soul Food at 8pm and holiday cooking from Chef G. Garvin and comedienne Mo’nique on a special hour episode of Turn Up the Heat at 10pm
Thursday: Holiday episodes of Eve and Martin from 7-10pm lead into a rebroadcast of the special Get Together with John Legend at 10pm.
Friday: Holiday episodes of 227 and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper air from 7-10pm.
Before all that we have on Saturdays December 8, December 15 and December 22, each week beginning at 12 Noon and lasting until 8pm, TV One celebrates holiday humor with all-day marathons of classic Christmas sitcom episodes. On December 8, the lineup features Martin, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Eve, Wanda at Large, Cedric the Entertainer Presents. On December 15, the lineup focuses on family, with holiday stories from 227, Good Times, All Of Us, Roc, The PJs. And on December 22, it's an encore of all the best holiday episodes.
On Saturday, December 15 at 12 midnight, TV One offers a special Saturday Midnight Movie with a presentation of Bill Cosby: Himself, a comedy concert movie featuring some of the routines that ultimately formed the basis for the legendary The Cosby Show.
On New Year's Day Tuesday January 1 beginning at 10am, TV One presents an all-day marathon event of the Eddie Murphy claymation series The PJs including two never before seen on television episodes that air at 8pm and 8:30pm and again at 11pm and 11:30pm.

TV Land has made a minor schedule change to its Tues-Fri 4pm hour. Cheers and All in the Family will be replaced by an hour of Sanford & Son starting Tuesday, November 6. No other changes will be made and morning airings of those two sitcoms will still remain.

ABC has reportedly picked up a full season of the wonderful and unique new show Pushing Daisies. The show wins its timeslot each week in viewers 18-49 and is a strong second in viewers in its Wednesday 8pm time slot. If you haven't tuned in yet, it is not too late! If you like what you see, catch up with previous episodes on abc.com.

Tonight it is a sitcom hour on ABC starting at 8/7 central with Cavemen followed by an the hilarious Carpoolers. Don't miss the laughs on both shows! Don't make sitcoms extinct! Speaking of Carpoolers, ABC has ordered three extra scripts of the sitcom. Could additional episodes or a full season be next? We'll let you know!

Nick at Nite Adds Halloween Stunts; CBS Pulls Viva Laughlin

Nick at Nite is getting ready for Halloween this week! They have added Home Improvement Halloween episodes all this week from 9-10pm. The 11pm hour this week will be like a Halloween Candy Bag, you'll never know what you'll find. They will be all Halloween episodes, though. Catch episodes of Home Improvement, Roseanne, Full House, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Cosby Show.
Also, Nick at Nite doesn't want you to be watching horror movies late at night, so instead, all this week from 3-6am find yourself watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Many viewers are probably scared by the overplaying of that show, though.
They will have some more Halloween stunts, which we will detail later on. This is just for Mon-Thurs of this week. Come on back!

New CBS musical drama Viva Laughlin didn't live long. The network announced Monday that it was canceling the show after it garnered a most unimpressive 2.3 rating in the 18-49 demo with its premiere Thursday night and a 1.2 overnight rating in what was to be its regular time slot Sunday at 8 p.m.
In its place, CBS said The Amazing Race will start its engine Nov. 4. On Oct. 28, Laughlin will be replaced by a repeat episode of CSI.

Tonight is sitcoms galore on three networks--CBS, The CW and ABC. CBS and The CW have their four comedies each tonight starting at 8/7 central and on ABC it is the #1 comedy on television after one week, Christina Applegate in Samantha Who. The addictive new comedy airs at 9:30/8:30 central on ABC!

Week 4 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 4 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: ABC: 8.3/13.0; CBS: 8.2/12.8; Fox: 7.2/11.5; NBC: 5.6/8.8; The CW: 2.3/3.5; MNT: 0.7/1.1.
Total Viewers: CBS: 12.86 million; ABC: 12.19 million; Fox: 10.95 million; NBC: 8.82 million; The CW: 3.43 million; MNT: 1.02 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 3.9/10.3; CBS: 3.8/10.0; Fox: 3.5/9.5; NBC: 3.4/9.0; The CW: 1.5/4.0; MNT: 0.4/1.0.

Analysis: Can you believe we're in the fourth week already for the 2007-08 season? Yes, a whole month! Last week CBS won the top spot in HH and viewers with ABC in second, while ABC nipped CBS for 18-49. Through the first four days, ABC and CBS have the lead in all categories again in week 4, with Fox in third thanks to baseball and NBC in fourth.
Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. A 92 minute performance show did an impressive 19.4 million and a 4.7/12 in 18-49, a tad down from the previous week, that lead into the series premiere of new sitcom Samantha Who at an impressive 14.42 million and a 4.5/10 18-49 rating. The Bachelor followed with 8.93 million, up a tad from the previous week, even without DWTS as a lead-in! Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. The Big Bang Theory did 7.94 million, down from the previous week a bit, but yet again it built on How I Met Your Mother's 7.71 million. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with decent numbers (13.69 and 10.81 million). Men was up a bit from the previous week, as was Rules. CSI: Miami followed with 15.595 million, finally went up, and by over a million from previous week. Fox was third this week thanks to the ALCS Game 3 doing 9.91 million in primetime, better than what Prison Break and K-Ville do. NBC followed lead by Heroes, at 11.41 million and a 5.2 18-49, below its usual average once again, but up 1/2 million from previous week? Chuck opened the night with 8.36 million, up a million from previous week...is it because Prison Break was off-air on Fox? Journeyman closed the night with 6.75 million, down from previous week, cancelation clock is ticking. The CW aired their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 2.25 million, but actually up from previous week, but The Game closed the night with 2.68 million, the highest of the CW comedies once again.
Tuesday, it was a three network race, with CBS on top in HH & viewers and Fox in 18-49. ABC was also right behind. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off for CBS with 17.55 million, up over a million from previous week. The Unit followed with 12.35 million, up nearly 1.5 million from previous week, and week three of Cane did 8.54 million, down a from previous week despite the lead-in shows going way up. Fox's huge hit House and Bones were pre-empted tonight for Game 4 of the ALCS, which did good but not as good as Fox usually does on this night. The game did 12.37 million. ABC's sitcom hour of Cavemen/Carpoolers did OK at 6.91 and 6.99 million (on par from previous week, but slightly down), Dancing with the Stars: The Results followed with 17.3 million saying goodbye to Floyd. Boston Legal closed the night with 9.78 million, down from the previous week. NBC was fourth with Dateline Presents Matt Lauer at just 5.73 million, The Biggest Loser at 9 did 6.95 million, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 12.51 million, up a bit from previous week. The CW got decent numbers with Beauty & the Geek and Reaper...3.6 and 3.27 million. Both did above 3 million, not bad at all.
Wednesday it was a battle between CBS and ABC. ABC saw Pushing Daisies, doing 9.86 million, followed by Private Practice at 11.78 million and a first place 4.3/11 18-49 rating, down from previous week, Dirty Sexy Money followed with 8.67 million, up from previous week a bit. CBS saw Kid Nation do 7.35 million for third place, but veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 15.03 (up from previous week) and 13.99 million (also up from previous week). NBC opened the night with Deal or No Deal doing 12.41 million, followed by Bionic Woman at a third place 8.62 million...free-falling down each week. At 10pm NBC's Life did 7.64 million, down from previous week. Fox was fourth with Back to You at 7.06 million and 'Til Death 7.01 million, both went up from previous week. Kitchen Nightmares was up to 6.87 million this week. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model at a decent 4.94 million, Gossip Girl did 2.41 million, both down a bit from previous week.
Thursday it was CBS on top, but ABC and Fox were not far behind. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 14.03 million, down ever so slightly from the previous week. CSI followed with 21.22 million for first place, up from previous week. No Without a Trace this week, because CBS aired a sneak peek of the new series Viva Lauglin and viewers laughed at it because it did just 8.39 million and an even worse 2.3 18-49 rating. It was way worse at 10:30. The show will air Sundays at 8, but for how long? ABC opened the night with Ugly Betty doing a solid 9.84 million, for second place, down from previous week. Grey's Anatomy followed with 18.04 million, down from previous week and it did win in 18-49 with a 7.3/17 18-49 rating, for #1 for the week thus far. Big Shots followed with a third place finish of 7.64 million...down from previous week. Fox was third actually but not because of its normal schedule of 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics, because they were pre-empted for Game 5 of the ALCS doing 13.1 million. NBC was a distant fourth with its comedies My Name is Earl opened the night with 7.25 million, followed by 30 Rock doing 6.22 million, both down from previous week. A one-hour The Office followed with 8.61 million, down a bit from previous week a bit. ER closed the night with a rare first place (among the big 3) at 10.12 million, since there was no competition at 10 this week. Smallville on The CW did 5.18 million, followed by Supernatural at 3.03 million, former was up from previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS and ABC battled on Friday. NBC had a solid outing for Deal or No Deal at 8pm, but it was downhill from there. CBS saw decent numbers for its dramas with NUMB3RS doing the best at 10, and ABC had the night's top show with Women's Murder Club at 9pm. Fox bombed big time for The Next Great American Band at a dead last 2.0 rating. That might cost them a chance of winning the week.
Saturday numbers are not available yet. But Game 6 of the ALCS should do big for Fox.
Tonight Fox will have Game 7 of the ALCS, and it should do very well. ABC Sunday should do well of course too. CBS and NBC will do decent as well, but NBC's NFL game might not do as well, but certainly better than last week's match. CBS will bomb at 8pm with Viva Laughlin, the question is will it hurt the next two dramas from 9-11pm?
As for the week, ABC and CBS will battle in HH and viewers (CBS will probably win it), with Fox probably a sure winner in 18-49, thanks to the ALCS. Fox might have had a chance in HH/viewers, but the poor Friday killed that probably.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of October 8-14)

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 8.7 million for a new episode, up from previous week. A repeat before that at 7:30 did 4.84 million, down from last week.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - 7.53 million for a new episode, a jump of a million from the previous week. A repeat at 7pm did just 2.4 million, way down from the previous week.
• Family Guy (Fox) - Only 7.09 million this week, but it was a repeat for some reason.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - 6.2 million, down from previous week obviously since the lead-in was a repeat.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 7.71 million, down a bit from the previous week.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.94 million, down from the first three episodes, but it still is building on the lead-in, which is a very good sign. Though the 18-49 was a 3.1, it didn't build this week on that, it was on par with the lead-in.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.69 million this week, up from previous week's 13.02 million.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 10.81 million, a bit up from the previous week's 10.68.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 14.42 million for the premiere, making it the highest rated new series premiere this season in viewers...wow!.
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. Not doing that well at all. Aliens did a terrible 2.25 million, the lowest of the block but up from previous week, The Game continues to be the leader of this block now with 2.68 million, down slightly from previous week's 2.86 million.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - 6.91 million, on par with previous week's 6.96 million, but the 18-49 went up tis week.
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - Down a bit from previous week. 6.99 million this week.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Back to You (Fox) - The last two weeks the viewers have gone up, 6.58, 6.2 million, now 7.06 million this week, but now the show will be on hiatus the next 2 weeks for the World Series.
  
• 'Til Death (Fox) - 7.01 million, obviously up from previous week. The show continues to build from the lead-in in 18-49...World Series break the next 2 weeks now
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.25 million tuned in, down a bit from previous week.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 6.22 million, down from previous week again.
  
• The Office (NBC) - Another one-hour episode did 8.61 million, down a bit from previous week, the 18-49 is still doing very good.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms
None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, Fox's animated comedies will be off air tonight due to Game 7 of the ALCS.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Samantha Who?, The Office, Big Bang Theory, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as My Name is Earl, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (Aliens in America).

Mini-DVD Review: NCIS - Season 4 (Oct. 23); Solomon's Weekly Rant: The New Price is Right Is All Wrong

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up of course is the mini-DVD review. Today we we take a look at CBS DVD's Fourth Season of Navy NCIS. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of NCIS - The Fourth Season and:

NCIS - The Fourth Season (CBS, $64.99) brings us the wonderful but overpriced 4th season onto DVD. NCIS follows the thrilling adventures of a cutting-edge crew of special agents who operate under the command of Letor Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a former Marine whose skills as an investigator are unmatched. This highly trained, tight-knit team travels the world investigating murder, espionage, and terrorism. This 6-disc set includes all 24 action-packed episodes along with quite a few special features, from this one of a kind series.
I love this show; though not having access to a DVR did inhibit my ability to view the 4th season. As a result, some of these episodes are new to me. Most are familiar, however, and all are classic NCIS – a wonderful mix of drama, comedy, technology, puzzle-solving...it truly is one of the best shows on TV. The team starts the season without the help of Gibbs, whose retired in Mexico. And Ziva's the prime suspect in an assassination attempt. Not good. Gibbs would eventually return to the team, and Ziva is obviously cleared, and order is restored. Over the course of the season, the team has quite a few interesting adventures that you're sure to love.
Once again, the video and audio of the set is extremely well done. Yet another DVD release of a new show that benefits solely from the age of the series. All episodes are in anamorphic widescreen and feature 5.1 Surround Sound. Even with NCIS not really being a scenery-intensive sho