Nick at Nite January 2009 Highlights; BET Adds Family Matters and Proud Family Marathons; 15th Annual SAG Awards Nominees

As we mentioned yesterday, today we will give you highlights of Nick at Nite January 2009! Once again, the regular schedule will remain the same, as we mentioned yesterday the line-up is doing very well in the ratings. Their #1 show George Lopez will get a five-day, all-night marathon from Monday, Jan. 5 through Friday, Jan. 9! It will be called "La Vida Lopez" George Lopez marathon! Can't get enough of George Lopez? Nick at Nite will air back-to-back George Lopez episodes for five nights straight all-nite long from 9pm-6am. Come early and be ready to laugh all-nite into the wee hours.
Also, Family Matters fans take note...Nick at Nite will break into the regularly scheduled episodes starting Monday, January 12, so it can show you season one episodes! Nick at Nite has never showed season one, just three episodes (#4, #17, #21) from stunts. All 22 season one episodes will air in a row before going back to where it last left off on Jan. 11. The last season one episode airs on January 21 at 11:30pm, then it goes back to where it left off on Jan. 11 with #105/106 on Jan. 22.
View more on Nick at Nite January 2009 and also discuss it.

We told you before that BET will be having Christmas marathons featuring their sitcoms. Now BET has revised its Christmas sitcom marathons. Kicking off the sitcom week of marathons now will be Family Matters! Yes, Family Matters! The show will be only airing for a one-time only marathon and is being borrowed from sister Viacom station Nick at Nite. Both BET and Nick at Nite are owned by Viacom. Top-rated Urkel episodes and all the Christmas episodes will air. Family Matters marathon kicks off marathon week on BET on Tuesday, December 23 from 9am-6pm with select episodes being repeated from 12am-4am. Then on Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24), it will now be a marathon of the sitcom One on One from 9am-6pm. On Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25) itself, as we mentioned before, Smart Guy will air from 9am-8pm. A Different World fans can see a Christmas episode of the series that night at 3am. On Kwanza (Friday, December 26) we now get a marathon of the animated sitcom The Proud Family. The series will join the BET line-up in January, and we will have more details on that soon! The marathon will air 9am-8pm leading into the BET premiere of the feature film The Proud Family Movie. The series originally aired on Disney Channel. Finally, the marathons end with Girlfriends on Saturday, December 27 from 9am-4am, as we mentioned.
View episode info for BET Sitcom Holiday Week.

The 15th Annual Screen Actor Guild Awards (SAG) nominees were announced today. Leading the pack were Boston Legal, Mad Men, The Closer and 30 Rock with 3 nominations each. Among the broadcast networks, NBC led with 8 nominations and ABC was right behind with 7. HBO led all networks with 9 nominations. The awards will air Sunday, Jan. 25, on TNT and TBS at 8 PM ET/PT.
Here are the main TV nominees:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane – Boston Legal (ABC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – Dexter (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – Mad Men (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – House (FOX)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – Boston Legal (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson - Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – Saving Grace (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson - Mad Men (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – The Closer (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – 30 Rock (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – The Office (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody – Californication (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – Entourage (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – Monk (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – Samantha Who? (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – Ugly Betty (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – 30 Rock (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – Weeds (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters – Tracey Ullman's State of the Union (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boston Legal, ABC
Dexter, Showtime
House, Fox
Mad Men, AMC
The Closer, TNT

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock, NBC
Desperate Housewives, ABC
Entourage, HBO
The Office, NBC
Weeds, Showtime

View the complete TV portion nominees and to discuss the nominees!

TV Land September 2008 Schedule...Again; BET Schedule Updates

OK so we gave you TV Land September details two other times already. The latest one was exactly a week ago and the first one was last month, with a few updates in between those. Now a third major update is done! Could three be the charm?
TV Land has not touched its weekday line-up starting Sept. 2. It will remain the same as it was previously, with Scrubs joining weeknights at 9 & 9:30pm. However, TV Land has touched the Saturday and Sunday line-up a bit starting Sept. 6. For Saturdays, the biggest changes are Andy Griffith in the 9am hour, Scrubs airing 9-10pm and 12-1am, The Cosby Show 10-11pm, with M*A*S*H 1-2am and various marathons from 2-6am. As for Sundays, they will have a two-hour block of M*A*S*H, Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Little House on the Prairie from 8pm-6am. So the regular overnight (1-6am) will now only be weeknights.
In that schedule we announced last month, we stated that there would be changes to the morning line-up starting Sept. 15 with Cheers removed, that will not be the case now. The Sept. 2 schedule will last through Sept. 19. Then on Saturday, Sept. 20, there will be a minor change as The Munsters and The Addams Family are expiring, as we knew already. Then on Monday, Sept. 22 more changes are happening to weekdays. The weekday morning block will be altered a bit. M*A*S*H comes into the weekday 7am hour replacing Night Court/Mad About You. Night Court will shift to 8am, replacing Designing Women followed by Cheers at 8:30am, which is still on (for now)! Now TV Land's October schedule starts the following week on Sept. 29, so Cheers will not be on that as the contract is expiring and the show is moving to The Hallmark Channel on Sundays as we stated yesterday. Back to Sept. 22, an extra Sanford & Son will replace All in the Family at 9am, so Designing Women, Mad About You and All in the Family are gone. They join the previously booted Just Shoot Me! and Murphy Brown, which will leave the line-up in late August.
I really urge you to view the entire line-up for the TV Land September 2008 schedule, so you do not get confused. So is this the Fall schedule? Not quite, as two more series will join the daily line-up in October...3rd Rock from the Sun (as we exclusively announced) and daily plays of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. So we will have the TV Land Fall 2008 line-up (October) in the coming days!
Come back tomorrow for our Canada cable networks fall 2008 line-ups--DejaView, TV Land Canada, CTS, and more!

Now let's move on to BET. We don't have their Fall line-up yet, but before the fall starts they will be doing some notable things. First, just to remind you that this Sunday (Sunday, August 17) from 3pm-7pm ET they will have a farewell marathon for the short-lived sitcom Sanford (1980, starring Redd Foxx). All the Sony Pictures sitcoms they have are all expiring at the end of August and they will not be renewing them, unfortunately. So you will not see Diff'rent Strokes, Thea, Sanford, and Malcolm & Eddie in September. Yes, The Steve Harvey Show is from Sony but that is not part of that package and thus Harvey is not expiring.
Diff'rent Strokes (weekdays 9-11am) will have a missing episode finally aired on BET. The episode "Bulimia" has never aired on BET because the tape they had was damaged...but now BET has gotten a new one and will air it on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 9:30am, so get those VCRs/DVRs ready! Speaking of Diff'rent Strokes, it will have a five-episode block in primetime on Saturday, August 23 from 8pm-10:30pm, followed by a five-episode block of A Different World from 10:30pm-1am. The episodes will be multiple-part storylines. View the episode info for this stunt.
That's not all for Diff'rent Strokes! On its last day of airing, BET will give it a proper send-off with an all-day marathon on Friday, August 29 from 9am-6pm. We don't have episode info yet for that stunt, but should by next week, so keep checking our Diff'rent Strokes message board.
Fans of A Different World will be pleased that all week of August 25, the show will air at 11pm and 11:30pm, as BET has a movie stunt all week at midnight.
As for early September, replacing Diff'rent Strokes starting Sept. 1 from 9-11am will be the sitcom Girlfriends, and Hell Date will air weekdays 3-4pm full time and not share it with any other original.
As for the fall, all we know is new syndicated series Judge Karen is coming to BET on Sept. 22 along with court favorite Judge Hatchett. Judge Karen will actually launch in syndication on Sept. 8, check local listings or JudgeKarenTV.com. Hopefully another sitcom or two come as well, we will let you know.

BET Picks-Up Steve Harvey Show, July Highlights; Bad TV Shows Block Coming in Houston

BET has picked-up the cable rights to air the 1996-2002 WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show starring Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer. The show will start this Friday, the 4th of July, airing 4-5pm ET/PT. It will air also that weekend 4-5pm (July 5 and 6) before airing regularly weekdays 4-5pm and weekends 12-1pm ET/PT. The weekdays 4-5pm airings will replace an hour of Malcolm & Eddie, but that show will still air weekdays 10-11am. The Saturday 12-1pm airings will replace Diff'rent Strokes encores, but Strokes will still air weekdays 9-10am & 3-4pm. While the Sundays 12-1pm Harvey airings will replace Sanford, which will now be off the regular line-up. There will be no other schedule changes, so everything else remains the same.
Now Steve Harvey Show will still air on TBS in early morning slots (6-7am and other slots before that sometimes), so it seems BET has the daytime/afternoon rights, while TBS has the very late and early morning rights. ION Television also airs the show, weekdays 6-7pm, but ION is a broadcast channel, not a cable network. So the show will air on two cable networks and a national broadcast channel...so lots of exposure for this show!
Other July 2008 BET highlights include: the A Different World marathon for Sunday, July 6 has been trimmed from 6-11pm to 8-11pm because of this Steve Harvey addition. The marathons continue Sundays in July with a Diff'rent Strokes marathon from 1pm-6pm on Sunday, July 13. Two shows off the regular line-up, Thea and Sanford will get a five episode each marathon on Sunday, July 20 from 3pm-8pm, with Thea from 3-5:30pm and Sanford from 5:30-8pm.
Now this week, people have been asking is Diff'rent Strokes leaving the weekdays 3-4pm slot since it is not scheduled this week (June 30-July 4)? I sort of answered that already earlier in this story. No, it is not leaving afternoons, it is just not on this week. As of now, it is slated to air each weekday in both the 9-10am and 3-4pm weekday slots for all of July, with no preemptions. Of course, BET has a history of making last minute changes, so please keep checking back on our blog and on our message boards for the latest information!


We were informed by reader Michael Dudas that a Houston TV station is looking to create a "Bad TV" Saturday evening block. The TV station is Channel 55 in Houston called Houston's 55, or better known as The Tube.
"We're going to call it a night of Bad TV, and we're going to run it for three hours, maybe four, on Saturdays starting in October," said Channel 55 president Matt Reiff to the Houston Chronicle. "Whether it's three or four hours depends on how successful we are getting the rights to these shows. We're in the process of buying shows now for the fall. We're looking for the worst shows, I'm talking sitcoms and movies, in the history of television."
This is indeed a wonderful idea! I love it. If I were them I would add Small Wonder, Out of this World, Webster, She's the Sheriff, Harry and the Hendersons, etc. for shows that actually lasted a while but were bashed big time...some of those I actually do like, though! And some of the shows that didn't last a season and were terrible such as Emily's Reasons Why Not, Michael Richards Show, Mary (1985), Joanie Loves Chachi, Who's Watching the Kids?, Emeril, Bagdad Cafe, etc.
Can you think of sitcoms that were just plain bad that lasted a while and sitcoms that were so bad they were canceled within a season? Head on www.houstons55.com and leave them a message under "viewer comments."
Regularly Houston's 55 airs "good" shows such as Northern Exposure, Fantasy Island, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, 21 Jump Street, Star Trek, Married with Children, Steve Harvey, and Renegade.
And how will they present this night of Bad TV? "Each night, we'll have three lousy hosts introducing the lousy shows, and we'll let viewers vote off one of the hosts," Reiff said. "We don't know if we're going to vote off the best host or the worst host. "Oh, and we're going to give away prizes to viewers throughout the show. Prizes will be trips to exotic places, like Paris." Paris, Texas, that is. "And we won't send them to Paris without spending money. How's $55 sound? "Bad TV, bad hosts and bad prizes ... this is going to be great." I agree! Head on over to their website and think of bad TV shows that are so bad that you would want to watch...they could be so bad that you like them (like Small Wonder)! Houston fans are very lucky to have this! We will bring you up to date news as soon as we hear something, such as what shows they have acquired.

Celebrity Family Feud Contestants Announced; BET Preemptions and Notes; TV Land Awards Now 2 Hours

NBC revealed the 24 celebrity family teams who will play the Feud when the classic game show hits primetime with an all new celebrity edition premiering Tuesday, July 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by Today show co-host, Al Roker, Celebrity Family Feud will be a star-studded version of the beloved and enduring game show. Each week, four celebrity families match wits to raise money for their respective charities. Two families compete against each other with the winner from each round going into the final round where one team will compete to win up to $50,000 for their charity. Six episodes have been ordered and the stars you'll see are:
The Kardashians, Deion & Pilar Sanders, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, Vivica A. Fox, Mo'Nique, Christopher Knight & Adrianne Curry, Ice T, Melissa & Joan Rivers, Raven-Symone, Wayne Newton, Tiki Barber, Ed McMahon, Vincent Pastore, Kathie Lee Gifford & Frank Gifford, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Cho, and cast members from the hit series American Gladiators, The Office, My Name is Earl, The Girls Next Door and American Chopper.
To see the full cast in each family/team, click HERE!

We have some BET preemptions and notes for you to share. Diff'rent Strokes will not be seen tomorrow (Friday, June 13) at all because of an original series (Hell Date, etc) marathon from 9am-5pm, thus the Saturday Strokes airings at 12 and 12:30pm this Saturday (June 14) will be new and not repeats of the previous day. The 3-4pm airings of Diff'rent Strokes will not be seen June 16-20 because of a BET Movie Week from 3-5pm. The 9-10am airings will be seen except on Friday, June 20 where a special BET Now will air. Also, Saturday, June 21 the 12-1pm Strokes airings will be preempted for an originals marathon from 11am-2pm. For A Different World fans, the show will only air Wednesday, June 18 3-4am and Thursday, June 19 from 11pm-1am that week because of various movies/stunts. Sanford is also preempted on Sunday, June 22. Diff'rent Strokes is preempted from both 9-10am and 3-4pm airings on Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24. Everything will be back to normal on Wednesday, June 25 since the BET Awards are over with...that is the main reason for these preemptions. The 2008 BET Awards air tuesday, June 24 in primetime.
In other BET news, A Different World will get a marathon on Sunday, July 6 from 6pm-11pm.

TV Land has announced that the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards airing this Sunday will be two-hours now instead of 90-minutes. The show was taped this past Sunday and it must have lasted longer for them to add another half-hour. People who went to the taping said it was fun and funny. The parody this year will be funny as usual with stars like Joyce DeWitt and Cindy Williams. Tune in this Sunday from 9-11pm ET/PT on TV Land for the Sixth Annual TV Land Awards hosted by Vanessa Williams.

ION Television July 2008 Highlights; BET Schedules A Different World Marathon for This Saturday

This July, ION Television won't be making any changes to the regular schedule. So the schedule that starts June 16, with the additions of ER and The Dead Zone to primetime, will still be in effect in July.
Highlights for the month include the Total Theatre Thursday for July which will include movies just as Superman: The Movie and The Neverending Story. Drew Carey Show fans take note, a filler airing will air 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 3 following a Thursday movie. The episode title is "The Salon."
RHI movies for the month include four-hour movies such as Youngest Godfather, Bonanno: A Godfather's Story and the 1999 Journey to the Center of the Earth. Two-hour movies include Ransom Of Red Chief, Johnny's Girl and the premiere of Deadly Shooter. ION will also air the six-hour mini-series The 10th Kingdom on three Fridays.
For complete ION July 2008 highlights, click HERE!
As for our ION interview, I have gotten a lot of questions about when it will be published. I have been sent in the questions already, but I'm waiting for ION to give some responses. As soon as they do, I will post it right here on the blog. So thanks all for your patience!

BET has scheduled a Different World marathon for this Saturday (June 7) from 11pm-3am ET/PT. The marathon will follow a block of Girlfriends from 9-11pm. A Different World airs regularly on BET weeknights 12-1am and 3-4am and Sunday evenings at various times (usually between 6-10pm). Last night after Obama's speech and special, the show aired from 11pm-1am instead of its normal times.
The marathon this Saturday will just be a continuation of the regular airings in order.

Memorial Day 2008 Marathons; Remembering Dick Martin

Happy Memorial Day! Let's take some time to remember the troops past and present. Let's celebrate their courage by relaxing and having fun. Whether it be indoors or outdoors. If you are indoors and want to catch some marathons, there is something for everyone today. BET has a huge "Different Laugh Attack" (as we mentioned previously) with Diff'rent Strokes from 9am-7pm then A Different World from 7pm-3am. Wow! That is my bet for the day.
Other marathons include TV Land's I Love Lucy marathon from 8am-7pm, USA Network will celebrate with a NCIS marathon from 6am-7pm, while MTV tries to bring some life back to NBC's new American Gladiators with a marathon from 9am-8pm.
It wouldn't be a holiday without a Law & Order or CSI marathon would it? Law & Order will get a marathon on TNT from 10am-11pm while CSI gets its holiday marathon on Spike TV from 9am-9pm. Spin-off CSI: Miami is airing on A&E from 8am-9pm. Sorry no marathon for CSI: NY on Spike, since CSI is getting one.
FX will head back to the '70s with a marathon of the sitcom That '70s Show from 9am-8pm. Sticking to the '70s, the classic game show Match Game will get a marathon on GSN from 9am-3pm. It will feature contestants from America's Armed Forces, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Star celebrity panelists Joyce Bulifant, Bill Cullen, Richard Dawson, Fred Grandy, Jack Klugman, Jimmy Walker, Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Somers and the late Dick Martin (see our story below), among others.
And if you're in Los Angeles, KTLA will have a Graduation Marathon with lots of classic sitcoms, as I mentioned before...such as Balki graduating on Perfect Strangers and Alex on Family Ties. Sha-la-la-la!
Relive the same day over and over again on the addictive drama Day Break on TV One from 8am-6am.
Various movie marathons are on TBS, Lifetime, Hallmark Channel and other cable channels.
Other marathons include History's MonsterQuest from 8am-8pm and G4's 11am-1am Cops marathon.

Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as "Sock it to me!" has died. Mr. Martin died Saturday night just after 6 p.m. of respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica.
Laugh-In became an instant hit for NBC in 1968 with its anarchic energy, vaudevillian schtick and eccentric performances. Laugh-In forever changed the variety show format and heavily influenced later programs such as Saturday Night Live. The show lasted through 1973.
After Laugh-In, he went on to become one of television's busiest directors after splitting with Dan Rowan in the late 1970s. He still acted on series before and after Laugh-In though...he guest starred on series such as The Lucy Show, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Coach, Blossom, Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder and Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. But directing was his big trademark after Laugh-In. He directed episodes of various series including The Bob Newhart Show, Archie Bunker's Place, Flo, Family Ties, Mama's Family, Newhart, The Bradys, Bob, and In The Heat of Night. So, he directed Bob Newhart in all of his series. He was also a staple of game shows such as Password Plus, Super Password, Tattletales, Celebrity Sweepstakes, and Match Game.
We hope TV Land or another network honors him with a tribute marathon of Laugh-In or his best directorial work on The Bob Newhart Show. I'm sure GSN will put together a game show tribute marathon for him. We will let you know if whatever happens.
He will certainly be missed. He was 86.

TV Land July 2008 Highlights; Mary Tyler Moore Reunion on Oprah; Different World Moves to Midnight on BET

This July on TV Land it's the season finale of She's Got The Look (which premieres in June by the way) and the premiere of Family Foreman, starring George Foreman! But first, let's talk about some schedule changes. TV Land will start some summer marathons on Monday, July 14 airing 9pm-1am Mon-Thurs. On Mondays from 9-11pm Mad About You will remain, but 11pm-1am will be Murphy Brown. Tuesdays from 9-11pm The Beverly Hillbillies remain but 11pm-1am will be The Jeffersons. Wednesdays, from 9-10pm Sanford & Son will lead into Family Foreman, then 11pm-1am it's a block of M*A*S*H. Thursdays is a bit odd, 9-10pm will be I Love Lucy, 10pm-12am is Andy Griffith and 12-1am is Leave it to Beaver.
As for the highlights, take a fresh look at TV Land's original modeling competition series for women ages 35 and older in a 5-hour marathon on Saturday, July 6 starting at 6pm and and catch exclusive bonus footage as TV Land countdowns to the finale on Wednesday, July 9.
4th of July weekend will see marathons of I Love Lucy, Hogan's Heroes, and She's Got The Look.
It's a Night of a Thousand Georges on TV Land. In anticipation of the launch of the newest TV Land original, Family Foreman, starring George Foreman, TV Land brings you a night full of Georges with a 5-hour marathon of everybody's favorite loudmouthed businessman George Jefferson on Sunday, July 13!
Then get an intimate look into the remarkable life of George Foreman - former heavyweight boxing champion, multi-million dollar pitchman, ordained minister, and family man in Family Foreman. Come along for the ride as this tough-love Dad and his wife try to manage their clan of 10 children. For six weeks starting Wednesday, July 16 at 10pm.
Finally, this summer, leave your cares behind and catch some R&R with four nights of M*A*S*H beginning Friday, July 25. Viewer leave begins every night at 8pm. Watch the 4077th combat stress and make the best of a bad situation as they find ways to have fun both on the job and off. Whether it's going away on leave, throwing cocktail parties, pulling pranks or just blowing off steam, it all adds up to 12 hours of inspired recreation that viewers won’t want to miss.
For complete details and episode info on the stunts and more, I advise you to check our TV Land July 2008 Highlights!

The cast of the iconic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show got together again at a taping of Oprah recently. And you'll get to see it on Oprah next week! Like always with reunions on Oprah, Oprah has recreated the set! The newsroom and Mary Richards' apartment has been recreated. Joining Mary Tyler Moore are fellow cast members, Ed Asner, Betty White, Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman and Georgia Engel. A toast to the late Ted Knight is also made...very classy! Who knows we might see the crowd get free DVDs!
Tune in Monday, May 19 (check local listings for time and channel...in NY: WABC 4PM) for a historic television reunion! Oprah and the cast o...f The Mary Tyler Moore Show! It's a full circle dream come true. Oprah was a big fan of Mary and the show, so this is a dream come true for her.
Oprah's website has more info...tune in Monday! See the promo.

Starting next week A Different World is moving to midnight on BET. The show currently airs weeknights at 11 & 11:30pm, but now it will move to 12 midnight and 12:30am ET/PT starting Monday (May 19). The late night airing of 3 and 3:30am will remain the same. Encores of The Boot and Hell's Date will move down an hour to 11 and 11:30pm.
And another BET programming note: two episodes of Sanford are scheduled at a special time on Sunday, May 18. The Sanford episodes will air at 6:00pm & 6:30pm this Sunday. It will also air at its normal 12 noon and 12:30pm time as well...both hours will be different episodes. And speaking of Sanford, we mentioned before a Father's Day marathon is planned for the short lived sitcom and now it is indeed confirmed. Sunday, June 15 from 12 noon to 5pm, the same time slots as the Thea Mother's Day marathon this past week. And finally, don't forget to watch the "Strokes-World Memorial Day Marathon" on May 26. It's an all-day event of Diff'rent Strokes (9am-7pm) and A Different World (7pm-3am). Episode info will be available early next week, so check our message boards.

ER Comes to ION Television in June 2008; BET Schedule Changes, Includes Diff'rent Strokes and Different World Memorial Day Marathon

Today is ION Television's upfront! ION Television today announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to air seasons 11-14 of the long-running hit series ER on ION Television. The medical drama, which has earned more Primetime Emmy Award nominations than any other program in history, will debut in primetime on the network beginning this June. The show will enter its 15th and final season on NBC next season. We will have more on ER and ION June 2008 in the next week or so, so stay tuned! We also still have the interview with them planned, and hopefully we will know when next week.

BET has made some more schedule changes. And again it is better than before. First off, fans of Diff'rent Strokes and Malcolm & Eddie take note that the episodes will not encore later in the day anymore...but now we will get two new hours each! This started yesterday, so you need to watch or tape both hours immediately. So, Diff'rent Strokes airing 9-10am will not encore 3-4pm later in the day, but that 3-4pm will be new episodes! The same for Malcolm & Eddie...10-11am and 4-5pm are both new episodes. So we get four episodes a day rather than two! So, watch or tape/DVR both hours now. That is good news, I think.
Then, starting this Saturday (May 3), BET has added a sitcom block on Saturdays from 9am-1pm! From 9-10am it will be The Parkers, the Nickelodeon sitcoms Just Jordan and Romeo! will move up an hour to 10-11am and 11am-12pm, and finally closing out the block is two episodes of Diff'rent Strokes from 12-1pm...and yes, they will be new episodes, so you'll need to watch or tape/DVR these as well! Also on Saturday, May 3, we told you A Different World will get a mini marathon block from 8:30-10pm last week, but now it has been extended to 8-10pm...so an extra episode. The show will get weekly Sunday evening airings, but the times vary as I stated last week.
BET has also added Girlfriends for this Saturday only from 10-11pm and 2-3am, while A Different World will encore this Saturday from 3-4am for one time only, preempting Sanford.
Starting next Saturday night (May 10), In Living Color will return and air Saturday nights from 3-4am, replacing Sanford. Sanford fans don't worry because the show will return again to Sundays 12-1pm replacing The Parkers starting May 18, as The Parkers is now Saturdays 9-10am. Remember there is a Thea Mother's Day marathon on May 11 from 12pm-5pm. The marathon episodes of that will be episodes where they left off in the regular run, so we will get (in production order): #11 "Birthday Girl," #12 "Mama I'm Full," #13 "Good Stock," #14 "A Christmas Story," #15 "Danesha's Project," #16 "Who's Zooming Who?," #17 "Of Fish and Men," #18 "T.C.B.," #19 "Call Me Thea," and #20 "The Pie Queen and the Loan Duck," all from 12pm-5pm. So it seems they have aired about every episode of Thea after this...I think just 1 or 2 haven't been aired, so hopefully we get those soon.
Finally, this Memorial Day (Monday, May 26), BET will present a 'different' (or is it spelled Diff'rent?) kind of marathon for viewers! It is the Diff'rent Strokes and A Different World marathon! Diff'rent Strokes will air from 9am-7pm and A Different World from 7pm-3am. We will have episode info for both marathons in a few weeks, so stay tuned for that!

A Different World Joins BET Line-Up On April 28; ION and A&E Acquire Criminal Minds for Fall 2009

BET will add another sitcom to its line-up this Monday (April 28)! The sitcom is the late '80s/early '90s sitcom A Different World. The popular spin-off of the Cosby Show will air weeknights at 11:00pm & 11:30pm with an encore later that night at 3:00am & 3:30am ET/PT. The 11pm-12am airings will replace an hour of Malcolm & Eddie, but not to fear that show will still air weekdays 10-11am and 4-5pm. The 3-4am encore will replace In Living Color, which will now be off the schedule. A Different World spun-off Denise Huxtable into Hillman College, but that only lasted one season and the show changed by season two and became more popular even.
A Different World comes from the same deal that Nick at Nite/The N had, so it is all Viacom related, as BET is also part of Viacom. The show will get a mini-marathon as well on Saturday, May 3 from 8:30pm-11pm. In addition to the weeknight airings, the show will also get a weekly three episode evening block on Sundays. The times vary, but the first Sunday (May 4) it will be 8p-9:30p. Future Sunday times are tentative, but here are the times as of now for May: 7p-8:30pm on May 11, 6:30p-8pm on May 18 and 8:30p-10:00pm on May 25.
There is one slight other change to the schedule as well. BET will remove the Sundays 12-1pm Sanford airings starting Sunday, May 4. Instead two episodes of The Parkers will air Sundays 12-1pm. Not to fear, Sanford will still air late Saturday nights (early Sunday mornings), usually 3-4am.

ION Television today announced it has entered into a content agreement with CBS Television Distribution for the broadcast syndication rights to the hit television drama series, Criminal Minds starring Mandy Patinkin and Joe Mantegna. ION Television will debut this popular show in prime time beginning in Fall 2009. The deal continues the network's positioning momentum as a general entertainment destination.
Criminal Minds joins recent additions, including Boston Legal & M*A*S*H coming to ION off-network this Fall, as well as The Steve Harvey Show, Family Feud and Quantum Leap, currently airing in ION Television's expanded entertainment schedule.
ION will have their annual upfront presentation a week from today (Thursday, May 1). We will bring you the latest from that next week...and we hope to get an interview with them regarding their future. Also, B&C is reporting in addition to Criminal Minds, ION will also acquire off-network reruns of Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt from CBS Television Distribution also starting in Fall 2009. We will bring you the official announcement on that when available! It'll probably be at upfront.
In addition to coming to ION in Fall 2009, Criminal Minds will also get a cable home! A&E Television has bought the cable rights to the series beginning in Fall 2009, where it will air five-days a week. However, before that, A&E has rights to air the series once a week starting with season one and through season three. The once a week play starts next month (May) on A&E. We will bring you the exact times and dates as soon as A&E announces that. A&E will have their upfront presentation next week as well, so we should know very soon.

Day 43: WGA's Strike; The N's 24/7 Launch Schedule, Saved by the Bell Coming

We are now on day 43 of the strike. It looks like the strike could be over soon. David Letterman could strike a deal with the WGA via an independent deal to bring his show back on-air. Letterman's studio is called Worldwide Pants, and the production company produces his show on CBS and Craig Ferguson's late night CBS show. Other major studios could work out independent deals with the WGA, too. This would mean we might get some of our favorite shows back on air with new episodes! Let's hope this happens, and if it does, maybe this will bring total resolution to the strike.
Meanwhile, NBC has announced that The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien will both return to the line-up with new episodes starting Wednesday, January 2! Both shows will not have any writers for these shows, unless of course they make an independent deal with the WGA. Even if they don't, both shows will go on without writers. Here are their statements:
Jay Leno - "This has been a very difficult six weeks for everybody affected by the writers' strike. I was, like most people, hoping for a quick resolution when this began. I remained positive during the talks and while they were still at the table discussing a solution The Tonight Show remained dark in support of our writing staff. Now that the talks have broken down and there are no further negotiations scheduled I feel it's my responsibility to get my 100 non-writing staff, which were laid off, back to work. We fully support our writers and I think they understand my decision."
Conan O'Brien - "For the past seven weeks of the writers' strike, I have been and continue to be an ardent supporter of the WGA and their cause. My career in television started as a WGA member and my subsequent career as a performer has only been possible because of the creativity and integrity of my writing staff. Since the strike began, I have stayed off the air in support of the striking writers while, at the same time, doing everything I could to take care of the 80 non-writing staff members on Late Night.
Unfortunately, now with the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision. Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for fourteen years, to lose their jobs. If my show were entirely scripted I would have no choice. But the truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and non-written content. An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible - and no one has to be fired.
So, it is only after a great deal of thought that I have decided to go back on the air on January 2nd. I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances. Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible. My sincerest hope is that all of my writers are back soon, working under a contract that provides them everything they deserve."
No word yet if ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live will follow, but he likely will.

The N takes a monumental step forward on New Year's Eve as the network moves onto new channel space and expands from a 12-hour programming block into a 24-hour teen network, beginning Monday, Dec. 31, at 6:00 a.m. (ET). The newly 24/7 network will feature a daytime block of hit TEENick programming and will welcome new shows to its nighttime schedule of originals including Queen Bees, The N's Student Body and The Assistants, among others. To celebrate its expansion, The N will count down "24 Reasons to Love The N in 2008" in a 12-hour programming marathon premiering Monday, Dec. 31, at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
"24 Reasons to Love The N in 2008" will be hosted by Degrassi's Aubrey Graham, Shenae Grimes and Cassie Steele, along with TEENick's Lil' JJ of Just Jordan and Malese Jow and Raja Fenske of Unfabulous. The marathon takes a look back at favorite episodes from the network’s five-year history and gives viewers a sneak-peek at upcoming programming for 2008 including the season return of Degrassi: The Next Generation which premieres on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 8:00 p.m. (ET); the return of the original teen comedy, About A Girl on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 8:00 p.m. (ET); the February premiere of Degrassi in Kenya, a new half-hour documentary special featuring cast members from the hit series; and the season return of the critically acclaimed series, South of Nowhere, premiering April 2008. At 11:30 p.m. (ET), the marathon concludes with a half-hour special revealing the number-one reason to love The N in 2008 along with the debut of the network's first on-air screening party.
With a brand-new 24-hour schedule for teens, The N will roll out the return of Degrassi (Season Seven) and South of Nowhere (Season Four); three originals and two acquired series in 2008. Saved by the Bell will begin airing on Monday, Jan. 14 and the award-winning That 70's Show will begin airing in June. The N will also debut two new reality series, Queen Bees and The N's Student Body, both scheduled to premiere in summer, 2008 as well as a new scripted comedy, The Assistants, in the fall. Additionally, popular favorites from the TEENick line-up including Kenan & Kel, Unfabulous and Just Jordan will join The N's new daytime schedule.
The schedule also has sitcoms such as Moesha, One on One, A Different World, and Growing Pains in the midday line-up. While primetime has the TEENick shows, Degrassi, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Saved by the Bell will not join the line-up for the launch week (week of Dec. 31), but the show will launch on Jan. 14, as mentioned earlier. Between 5-8pm (Degrassi and Kenan & Kel) and 10pm-1am (Fresh Prince and Kenan & Kel) there are a block of two shows airing three times each...if I were to GUESS, Saved by the Bell will get in sometime in those slots...say 7-8pm and 10-11pm? They can easily have those two shows airing three times each be cut down to two times and add in two Saved by the Bell airings. I'll find out and will let you all know. And before I get the questions, yes TBS will still air Saved by the Bell weekday mornings from 7-9am.
For the COMPLETE launch schedule for The N 24/7, click HERE!
So what about Noggin? That was the channel The N shared a channel with. Noggin will also get a new 24/7 channel. Their schedule and details can be found on this thread.