ABC, CW and Fox Updates; JustMyShow.com's Podcast with Billy Vera

ABC's sophomore drama Castle and The CW's freshman drama The Vampire Diaries are the latest series to have their initial 13-episode order extended to the full 22 full-season order. Both were not surprises and are doing well in the ratings. Castle is in its second season, but the show only received a 13-episode order for this season after launching with 10 episodes last March.
Also, the CW has ordered more episodes of Melrose Place, ordering five additional episodes instead of the full back nine. The series has really disappointed in the ratings, but they are obviously waiting to see how much of an impact Heather Locklear will have when she joins the show reprising her character Amanda Woodward starting Nov. 17.
Castle and Vampire Diaries join Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle, FLASHFORWARD, Glee, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, and The Cleveland Show getting full season orders. The only official cancelation has been The CW drama The Beautiful Life: TBL. Hank, Eastwick, Community, Mercy, Trauma, Brothers, and the forgotten still have not heard their fates yet beyond the original 13 episodes, as well as sophomore drama Dollhouse. I expect a few of those to get picked-up at least. ABC's Hank will be preempted next week (Oct. 28 at 8pm) for the classic special It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Meanwhile, Fox has announced some schedule changes. After this Friday, the line-up of sitcom Brothers, 'Til Death, and drama Dollhouse will be pulled for November sweeps. So starting Friday, Oct. 30 repeats of House and Bones takes over the night. Freshman sitcom Brothers will air Sundays at 7pm now with new episodes, while 'Til Death has been benched completely...again. And after just four airings, Dollhouse will be benched, but it will return in December to Fridays airing back-to-back at 8pm & 9pm starting Dec. 4. It is not expected Dollhouse will get more than 13 episodes, so it should be finished for good in January.

Our good buddy Eric from JustMyShow.com is back with an all-new podcast! It shot up the charts after being featured in a few classic episodes of Family Ties, now Billy Vera is at JustMyShow.com to talk about the #1 hit "At This Moment" and much more. Billy Vera wrote and performed that #1 hit, which was featured in a few classic episodes of Family Ties. He talked about music and the song, but also about the show and how it helped it take off. In addition, Eric has a bonus chat with Family Ties producer Michael Weithorn (who went on to co-create The King of Queens) about both the song and the episodes. You can hear a comment or two from him in the show and the rest in the "bonus audio" section. Also in the "bonus audio" section are comments from Billy about The King of Queens and Empty Nest opening themes, both of which he performed.
So, head on over to JustMyShow.com for all of this!

Gospel Music Channel Fall 2009; WGN America's Huge 25th Anniversary Bash for Cosby Show

Today we will give you the September schedule for The Gospel Music Channel. First, the Monday comedy line-up will change a bit starting Monday, August 24. Sister, Sister will remain in the 8pm hour. At 9pm Good News will be removed, and will be be replaced by another Amen so Amen will air for the full hour at 9pm. Sister, Sister will encore in the 10pm and 12am hours, while Amen will encore in the 11pm and 1am hours. Sister, Sister will also air on Fridays in the 10pm hour. Amen and Sister, Sister will also get Saturday morning airings starting Aug. 29! Amen will air Saturdays 8-10am and Sister, Sister Saturdays 10am-12pm.
Starting Monday, August 31, Promised Land will now air also on weekdays. It'll air weekdays at 1pm and will also continue to air in primetime on Wednesdays from 8pm-11pm (encore from 11pm-2am). Meanwhile, Dr. Quinn goes from weekdays 5-7pm to 6-8pm, while Doc moves from 7pm to 5pm.
Starting Monday, September 14, Gospel Music Channel has acquired another new series. This time Sue Thomas F.B.Eye. Sue Thomas F.B.Eye will air weekdays at 4pm replacing Christy, which will leave the line-up.
Everything else remains the same basically, with series like Clash of the Choirs airing Sundays at 10pm and weekday afternoon movies at 2pm such as The Dreamer of Oz starring John Ritter (Sept. 23 at 2pm). That is a very rarely seen movie and it will come out on DVD on Sept. 29 part of the Oz The 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition from Warner Home Video.

Early last week we broke the news about WGN America honoring The Cosby Show with a very special 25th anniversary marathon. Now we have the FULL details on it!
Sunday, September 20, 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of The Cosby Show and to celebrate the milestone (to the day) WGN America will be airing a series of tributes to The Cosby Show including the replication of the original NBC Thursday night lineup as it aired on Thursday, September 20, 1984 (the day The Cosby Show premiered) with interviews by Lilly Tartikoff, a Cosby Show Viewer's Choice Marathon, an online contest and an online game.
Following the WGN America broadcast of the Chicago Cubs baseball game at 5:30pm ET, WGN America will be committing the prime and overnight schedule to The Cosby Show and the NBC Thursday night line-up that dominated the 80's. At 5:30pm and 6:00pm ET will see two best-of episodes and at 6:30pm ET WGN America will air a 25th Anniversary Special. Then from 7-10pm ET WGN America will re-air the original Brandon Tartikoff NBC Thursday night line-up EXACTLY AS IT AIRED IN 1984: The Cosby Show: "Pilot Presentation," Family Ties: "The Gambler," Cheers: "I'll Be Seeing You, Parts 1 and 2," and Hill Street Blues: "Eva's Braun."
Additionally, WGN America has interviewed philanthropist Lilly Tartikoff who shares her thoughts on the iconic programs of 1984 and memories of her husband, programming visionary Brandon Tartikoff. Lilly's interviews will air as interstitials in primetime from 7-10pm ET during the WGN America recreation of the 1984 lineup. Also, from 7-10pm ET WGN America will adopt the NBC theme "Let's All Be There" (circa 1984) using original promotional elements (A special thank you to NBC for sharing their archive materials).
In the overnight (11pm-4am ET), WGN America will air a viewer's choice marathon of the top ten Cosby episodes voted by viewers at WGNAmerica.com. Voting for The Cosby Show Viewer's Choice Marathon begins today and runs through Monday, September 14.
The Cosby Show Viewer's Choice Marathon will also have a contest component, all viewers who submit their favorite episode to WGNAmerica.com will be entered to win a complete DVD set of all eight seasons of The Cosby Show autographed by Bill Cosby plus a Cosby Show Prize Pack. Four runners up will receive a complete DVD set.
View the complete press release.

WGN America Fall 2009 Marathons; Fox Schedules King of the Hill Finale; Three's Co Bio Tonight on Bio TV

Today on the fall schedules barrage on the blog we will dish out cool marathons on WGN America! Their full fall schedule will come at a later date, but we just couldn't wait to give you details on their fall marathons! First up on Sunday, Aug. 30 we have a marathon of The Honeymooners! Following baseball, the classic sitcom will air from 5:30pm-10pm ET (2:30pm-7pm PT) and continue after the news from 11pm-2am ET (8pm-11pm PT)! The marathon will preempt the regularly scheduled Outta Sight Retro Night programming. Marathon episodes for The Honeymooners are a mix of lost and classic 39 episodes: "Game Called on Account...," "Ralph's Sweet Tooth," "Principle of the Thing," "A Dog's Life," "Here Comes the Bride," "Loudspeaker," "On Stage," "Bensonhurst Bomber," "The Safety Award," "Mind Your Own Business," "Alice and the Blonde," "Love Letter," "The Adoption," "Norton Moves In/Dinner Guest," and "Catch a Star." No word yet if The Honeymooners will return to the regular WGN America line-up.
Next up on Sunday, Sept. 6 from 4-10pm ET (1pm-7pm PT), are you ready for some football? Celebrate the return of football with a marathon of the sitcom Coach! What better way to celebrate than to air Coach? The Jerry Lewis MDA telethon will air after the news starting at 11pm ET (8pm PT). We don't have episode info yet for Coach's marathon.
Then remember the series I kept saying that will be celebrating an anniversary this fall on WGN America? Well that series is The Cosby Show! WGN America will go all out for The Cosby Show's 25th anniversary with a marathon and more! First up on Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) catch the 2002 reunion special The Cosby Show: A Look Back for the first time on WGN America. Then on Sunday, Sept. 20 we get a marathon and yet more! From 5:30pm-8pm ET (2:30pm-5pm PT) catch classic Cosby Show episodes with an all-new half-hour special at 7pm ET (4pm PT) titled The Cosby Show: 25th Anniversary Special. Thursday, Sept. 20, 1984 was the EXACT day The Cosby Show premiered on NBC, so WGN America will also air three other series that aired on NBC that night! From 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) catch an episode each of Family Ties, Cheers, and Hill Street Blues! What a nice and creative idea to celebrate this anniversary! We don't have episode info for this day yet, but wouldn't it be cool if the exact same episodes from that night aired? Now Cheers already airs regularly on Sunday nights, but will Family Ties and Hill Street Blues also join? You'll have to stay tuned! But wait, we're still not done with The Cosby Show! More classic episodes will air after the news from 11pm-2am ET (8pm-11pm PT). What a night!
We will certainly have the WGN America Fall 2009 schedule very soon, so stay with us! One hint: Wednesday nights in primetime will be '80s night with some nights having movies and some nights having TV series. Movies include Police Academy, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Octopussy!

After 13 seasons of beer, barbecue, bickering and bonding, the Hill family delivers a Southern-style send-off in a one-hour series finale episode of King of the Hill airing Sunday, Sept. 13 from 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT on Fox. The King of the Hill finale will air after Fox NFL Sunday, so the lead-in will be big.
On the back-to-back series finale episodes, "The Boy Can't Help It"/"The Honeymooners," Bobby becomes quite the ladies' man when several girls in his class consider him a potential date for the Homecoming dance. When he realizes the girls are just playing with his emotions and are not really that interested, he asks his pal Connie to the dance. Also in the episode, Hank is shocked when his mother announces she is marrying a man she has only known for a few weeks. Soon after, the newlyweds celebrate by purchasing an RV and heading to Hank's. When Hank's mom and new stepfather have a heated argument, she takes off with the RV and Hank is left to rescue his mother once again.

Just a reminder tonight Bio TV premieres Biography: Three's Company tonight at 10pm ET with an encore at 2am ET. I just got an advanced copy and watched it. It is about the behind the scenes of the show--the sex, how it was developed, casting, history, and the cast after the show. I liked how they used clips of the unaired pilots, but that isn't anything new anymore. Interviewed were Matt Rousch (TV Guide), Robert Thompson (Professor, Syracuse University), Charlton McLivain (Professor, NYU), Fred Silverman, Larry Gelbart (Pilot #1 writer), Dom Taffner, Nancy Ritter, Richard Kline, George Burditt (producer), David Graham (casting director), George Sunga (producer), Carol Summers (script supervisor), and Priscilla Barnes.
It was nice to hear Larry Gelbart talk in detail on camera about this. I don't think he has done any of the other specials on the show. David Graham was also new to these specials and it was interesting on his casting take. This special said John Ritter wanted to stop the show after eight seasons. Everything else was pretty much the same from what we have known. Still worth watching and recording!

New Biography Episodes on Bio TV in August 2009; Hallmark Primetime News

This August on Bio TV we get three all-new Biography episodes related to TV series! First up is Biography: Family Ties on Tuesday, August 4 at 10pm ET. Ronald Reagan's favorite TV show was none other than Family Ties, the 80's comedy about hippies Elyse and Steven Keaton and their Young Republican son, Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox). They explore the show's genesis, the lives of its cast and crew, and the partisan politics of the Keaton's happy and hilarious home.
Next the following Tuesday on Tuesday, August 11 at 10pm ET, we get Biography: Three's Company! What do you get when a bubbly blond, a practical brunette, and a clumsy bachelor all live under one roof? Three's Company -- the sexy sitcom that had audiences laughing (and swooning) throughout the late '70s and early '80s. But for the loveable roommates, the eight-year run wasn't all fun and games. They'll explore Three's Company's ups and downs--from topping the ratings chart to fighting on-set battles over paychecks, and from breaking down cultural boundaries to facing boycott threats from moral watchdogs.
Finally the next Tuesday on Tuesday, August 18 at 10pm ET, we get Biography: Roseanne! She's racked up an Emmy, three ex-husbands (including Tom Arnold), and her own comedy, talk, cooking, reality, and radio shows. Bio TV chronicles the life and times of the loud-mouthed comedienne who can't keep her mouth shut (on or off the screen).
Bio TV also premieres The Andy Griffith Retrospective Special from 1993 on Tuesday, August 25 at 10pm ET. This one-hour special features cast members from The Andy Griffith Show gather to reminisce about the classic 1960s TV series.
Biography encores for August include Kim Fields, Alyssa Milano, Kristy McNichol, Michael J. Fox, Teen Heartthrobs on Aug. 4; Patrick Duffy, Suzanne Somers, John Ritter, Don Knotts on Aug. 11; Ed Asner, Patricia Heaton, Mr. T, Carroll O'Connor on Aug. 18; and Friends, Matthew Perry, Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, Happy Days on Aug. 25. Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals encores for the month are on The Love Boat & M*A*S*H (Aug. 11) and Welcome Back Kotter, The Facts of Life & Roseanne (Aug. 18).

Beginning next Monday (Monday, July 27), the two-week test run is over for Hallmark Channel in primetime...but there will be some reminisce of it! Right now Touched by an Angel is airing 8-10pm, followed by The Golden Girls from 10pm-1am and Cheers 1-2:30am. Now that two-week run will end. Touched by an Angel will be the only show continuing like this and will add an extra hour, airing Mon-Thurs from 8-11pm, while The Golden Girls goes back to 11pm-2am and Cheers sharing the 2am hour with I Love Lucy. Movies will air Fridays from 9-11pm.

Stay with us starting next week as we start our blog fall schedule barrage posts! We will have something different each weekday until we just about get them all! Don't you just love that time of year? The Summer TCA tour also begins next Tuesday, so it's going to be a busy couple of weeks!

ABC Pulls Motherhood, Doubles Up On Samantha Who; Me-Too July Marathons; Nick at Nite's 2nd Quarter Ratings

We were the first ones to mention yesterday (on our message board) that ABC has pulled In The Motherhood after just one episode since its return. The canceled sitcom has two more burn-off episodes left, and only aired once this summer. ABC will now double-pump Samantha Who? instead. Samantha Who? is now scheduled to air new episodes on Thursdays at 8:30 PM ET/PT on July 2 and 9 with the season finale airing on Thursday July 23, 2009 at 8:30. Just to be clear, Samantha Who? will also still be all-new in the 8:00 PM ET/PT time period on these three nights as well, as the series has 6 episodes left (on July 16, ABC has an ABC News special on J.K. Rowling scheduled). Don't forget Samantha Who? fans, to DVR or watch the entire 8pm hour tomorrow!
No word if In The Motherhood will burn-off its final two episodes on another night, but we will certainly let you know. In other ABC updates, ABC has confirmed that the final two scheduled Sunday airings of Just for Laughs will also be at 7:30pm ET/PT on Sundays (July 5 and 12) like it was this past week. An abbreviated repeat of AFV will serve as its lead-in, before going back to its full-hour on July 19. Not sure how many episodes Just for Laughs has this third season, but only four were scheduled to air even before it started airing.

The daily classic TV summer marathons continue on Chicago's Me-Too this July. Continuing this July, Chicago's Me-Too will feature all-day marathons of classic shows! Me-Too, sister station of Chicago's Me-TV and WCIU-TV, showcases a different classic show every weekday from 10AM-10PM. One day you could be arrested by Kojak, the next you could be cruising in the Batmobile through Gotham City!
The schedule for the month in order starting today is: The Greatest American Hero is today, followed by The Adventures of Superman, Black Sheep Squadron, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, In the Heat of the Night, The Untouchables, Kojak, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Batman, The Green Hornet, Get Smart, Eight is Enough, Family Ties, Diff'rent Strokes, The Cosby Show, Little House on the Prairie, Wild Wild West, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide closes the month.
As you can see, each week there is a theme. First week is super heroes, then dramas, crime solving, family, and westerns.
View the schedule section on their website for episode info.

Nick at Nite closes second quarter as the number-one basic cable network with Women 18-49 in total day, averaging a 0.8 rating in this demo (448,000 viewers W18-49). Driven by hits like George Lopez, Nick at Nite also ranks as the number-two cable network with Adults 18-49 (behind only USA Network) for the quarter, averaging a 0.6 rating in this demo (668,000 viewers A18-49) and 1.5 million total viewers.
George Lopez is the network's highest-rated program in second quarter, and has posted ratings growth since the show launched in September 2007. George Lopez averages a 0.6 rating in A18-49 (678,000 viewers A18-49) at 10 p.m. for the quarter and has posted gains of 20% with Adults 18-49 launch to date. George Lopez can be seen on Nick at Nite everynight at 10 p.m. and it will be moving to weeknights at 9 p.m. next week.
In prime time (9-11 p.m. ET/PT), Nick at Nite averages a 0.6 A18-49 rating and 1.6 million total viewers for the quarter. Nickelodeon recently announced that it is extending the Nick at Nite programming block to encompass all three hours of prime time (8-11 p.m. ET/PT), providing viewers with a slate of family programming including the upcoming Nick at Nite premiere of Malcolm in the Middle on July 5.
Year to date, Nick at Nite is averaging 1.5 million total viewers, a 0.6 A18-49 rating (679,000 viewers A18-49) and a 0.8 W18-49 rating (442,000 viewers W18-49).

Stay tuned tomorrow for TV Land August 2009! So come on back for that tomorrow!

FamilyNet Now Available On TVUNetworks; TV Land Adds CSI: NY Marathon for Tomorrow

A few weeks back we mentioned FamilyNet had acquired a few CBS Paramount shows (Family Ties, Happy Days, My Three Sons, and Early Edition), now we have gotten word from them if you don't receive the channel on TV...you can watch it online! Yes, FamilyNet's "made-for-families", entertainment programming will now be available to all U.S. broadband users who have downloaded TVUPlayer on http://www.tvunetworks.com/. This is not to be mistaken with TV4U.com. FamilyNet airs this classic programming 6pm-10pm and 11pm-3am, so download that TVUPlayer and search FamilyNet's channel and watch it live! It is channel 735. Among the other channels are Nickelodeon (west feed), CBS and CW affiliates from San Francisco, KNBC from Los Angeles, Comedy Central (west feed), Sci Fi Channel and so much more including international channels! It was interesting to watch George Lopez on The CW San Fran last night at 9pm ET, which is 6pm PT. Now when you're not around a TV, you can watch some real TV channels online!

TV Land keeps changing their primetime schedule with marathons of various shows. Tomorrow (Thursday, March 12), they will try CSI: NY from sister station Spike TV from 10pm-4am. Three episodes will air with encores following. TV Land has aired some episodes of the original CSI previously as well. The TV Land schedule from about 10pm-6am on weekdays is a big mess. Andy Griffith Show has basically taken over from 7-10pm on weekdays (except Cosby Show is Fridays 8-10pm, but 10pm-4am is strange. For example this week: Monday 10pm-12am is Andy Griffith and 12-2am and 3-5am is Cosby Show. Tuesday 10pm-12am and 1am-3am is Cosby Show. High School Reunion is 10pm-12am on Wednesdays, followed by 3rd Rock in the 12am hour, Jeffersons from 2-4am and M*A*S*H from 4-6am. This Thursday it is CSI: NY from 10pm-4am, as originally it was Beverly Hillbillies. And on Friday from 10pm-12am is of course the TV Land Movie.
Check out the minor adjustments for the week of March 9-15 for TV Land. I'm sure changes are coming to the minor adjustments for the rest of the month, so stay tuned.

FamilyNet Adds Classic Sitcoms and Family Drama; BET Removes March Marathons

FamilyNet Television, a trusted leader in providing programming that is focused on the family, reached a three-year agreement with CBS Television Distribution Group to acquire sitcoms Happy Days, My Three Sons, Family Ties and sci-fi drama Early Edition. These titles represent a sampling of CBS-Paramount's Emmy® and Golden Globe® award-winning family sitcoms slated to jump start a new season of prime-time shows on FamilyNet.
Weeknights (this started on Jan. 26) from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (encores from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.), FamilyNet airs sitcoms from CBS-Paramount's vintage library featuring some of America's favorite TV families: the Cunningham's, the Douglas' and the Keaton's. During their long-running seasons, these must-see, classic series preserved "family time" and became standard programming on television sets in homes across America. To drive viewers to the prime-time block, FamilyNet rolled out its new promotional campaign, "Watch Families on FamilyNet." Note the airings of these show are on cable for FamilyNet only. Those who get the network as a broadcast station, they are not available for air.
FamilyNet used to only air public domain stuff, which is why we never covered them. They are still airing public domain episodes of I Spy in the afternoons, though. But now what with the acquisition of these series, this a channel to watch. Can they grow into a full-time channel for family shows? We can all hope! They have said they will continue to expand with entertainment programming as the network grows. I think they can grow and become a great channel for family television. I hope they get more family stuff from CBS Paramount like Webster mixing in with these family classics they have already before going to other studios for shows. There are plenty of shows out there that haven't gotten airplay in quite some time...Mr. Belvedere, Small Wonder are a few.
FamilyNet Television was launched in Atlanta, Georgia on October 25, 2007 and now is in 15.7 million television households. So check your local listings if you do have it, too! Or head on to their website to search by state! Unfortunately, I don't have it yet...but check if you do!

A few weeks ago we mentioned BET had scheduled two weekend marathons each of Family Matters and Fresh Prince in March. Now that isn't happening. The sister station Nick at Nite series won't be having marathons on those weekends, instead we get mini-blocks of One on One, The Game, and their original series. One on One is still getting that full day marathon tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 28), though, despite the other March marathons being removed.
A change on weekdays is happening starting next week. BET will add an afternoon movie from 1-3pm in between hours of The Game (12-1pm) and One on One (3-4pm). So, One on One is not two hours anymore, as it was airing 2-4pm. 1-2pm was Hell Date, now it will be replaced by a movie. It will still remain late nights at 3-4am. Rounding out the weekday afternoon schedule is 4-5pm Smart Guy and 5-6pm The Game.
We will keep you up to date if Family Matters and Fresh Prince pop-up on the BET marathon slate again. They did air at the end of December, so it is possible they could air again for another marathon. For now, you can still watch them on Nick at Nite.

WGN America Schedules '80s Week; Remembering Mark Tuttle

As we previously posted about WGN America doing a '70s week a few weeks ago and adding a weekly Sunday night block, we also hinted at a planned '80s week in July. Now we have full details on WGN America's Outta Sight Retro Nights Week: A Flashback to the '80s. The week-long event airs Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 11, 2008 from 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT) each night that week.
Kicking it off on Monday that week is the '80s hit ALF featuring the loveable alien. On Tuesday of that week, Michael J. Fox brings his classic '80s sitcom Family Ties to WGN that week...sha la la la! On Wednesday of that week, WGN America goes to the movies with two showings of the '80s blockbuster hit E.T. The Extra Terrestrial from 8-10:30pm ET and again from 10:30pm-1am ET. On Thursday the 10th, WGN America will show off one of its own regular shows, the all-time classic The Cosby Show starring the legendary Bill Cosby. Finally, the Friday airing that week will be more four episodes of the Tanner family and ALF. These shows are not going to air in the regular line-up on WGN America, except for of course The Cosby Show, which has been airing for some years now.
For episode info for this week and to discuss this '80s week (July 7-11), head on over to our message boards!

Mark Tuttle passed away near his greater Los Angeles-area home on June 2, 2008. He will be missed by all who knew him. Mark's active and successful career as a screenwriter, producer and actor spanned more than 50 years after his start at Filmways in 1957. He wrote and co-produced during six years with The Beverly Hillbillies, and also was on the staff for shows such as the Three's Company, The Facts of Life, Private Benjamin, and Three's a Crowd. Tuttle also wrote an episode or two of series such as 227, What's Happening Now!!, The Practice (NBC), Oh Madeline, What a Country, The Harvey Korman Show, Petticoat Junction and The Tim Conway Show. He wrote over 200 episodes of series television.
He will be certainly missed by fans of The Beverly Hillbillies and his other writing work such the fourth season of Three's Company. A tribute website was created by his family, check it out at marktuttle.info. Mark was 73.

CBS.com Adds More TV Classics, Includes Family Ties; ION Television and ION Life Acquire Two Series

We told you a few months back that CBS.com has added classic TV shows for free, programs such as Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Melrose Place, Hawaii Five-0 and MacGyver are under the "TV Classics" section of cbs.com's Video section. But now more episodes of those are added and more new shows! Among the new series added at CBS.com's TV Classics section are Twin Peaks, Beverly Hills 90210, The Love Boat, Family Ties, and Perry Mason.
All of these shows are from Paramount Television, a division of CBS. So that is how shows like Family Ties (NBC), Beverly Hills 90210 (Fox), and The Love Boat (ABC) are on the CBS.com website.

ION announced that ION Life, its digital network dedicated to active living and personal growth, has reached agreements to add two compelling series to its program lineup. In the network's first commissioned production from NFL Films, ION Life will present the new series, Stories of the NFL, that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the inspirational stories and lives of NFL players on and off the field. The series will air daily on ION Life at 8 p.m., starting Monday, June 2. No, it will NOT air on the regular ION Television.
ION Media Networks has also secured the rights to The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden (MSG), an Emmy Award-winning documentary series from MSG Network presenting some of our most celebrated moments in the world's most famous arena. Episodes will air on ION Life, and ALSO simultaneously as part of ION Life's channel showcase presentation on the ION Television Network, on Sundays at 6 p.m., beginning June 15 for 10 straight weeks.
We still have an interview coming with ION Television, so we hope to bring that to you this week. Our questions were submitted, now we are just awaiting the responses. It will be part of our on-going "Seven Questions" series. You won't want to miss this!

WPIX's 60th Anniversary Marathon and Special, Sex and the City Movie Special/Stunt; KTLA Celebrates Graduation with Classic TV

New York City station WPIX (CW11) is turning 60 this June and WPIX will celebrate it with an on-air marathon featuring some of the most notable shows WPIX has ever aired along with a brand-new special showcasing WPIX's 60 year history! Official announcement will come soon, but I thought I'd give a heads up ahead of time for fans.
On Saturday, June 14, WPIX will showcase various TV shows/sitcoms that they have aired the last 60 years with a retro day marathon! The festivities start at 12 noon and end at 9pm. We will see back-to-back episodes each of Little Rascals, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges, The Adventures Of Superman, Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, I Dream Of Jeannie, The Odd Couple, and the station's all-time favorite The Honeymooners.
We will confirm all that when the official announcement is made, so this is all tentative until then. We will bring you more details, such as episode info, when it is official.
Finally, a retro marathon is not all that will be done! WPIX will create a new one-hour special looking back at the history of WPIX. The WPIX 60th Anniversary Special will be hosted by Jim Watkins & Kaity Tong, of WPIX news. Among the items on the special are: WPIX's sign-on and early years, sports & children's programming, news & local events, movies & syndicated reruns, The Yule Log, promotions campaigns, the web, and The WB & The CW.
KTLA (CW5) in Los Angeles also celebrated their 60th anniversary last fall. They had a much bigger retro marathon, featuring 60 hours of classic TV that they have aired. I don't think they had an on-air special, though.

Continuing news on WPIX, they will have a Sex and the City special and the top three episodes voted by viewers stunt this coming Saturday (May 24) in anticipation of the new movie coming out May 30. Join CW11/WPIX for a special night of sizzle, sex, and the city that inspired it all. At 8pm, get an in-depth look at Sex and the City the Movie with the women (and men) who changed the way we look at fashion, relationships, sex and New York City.
Then watch the 3 most popular episodes of Sex and the City when WPIX counts them down starting at 8:30pm. Visit cw11.com to vote for your favorite episodes then watch the 3 with the most votes immediately after the 8pm airing of the special Bringing Sex Back.
Sex and the City episodes air regularly Monday-Saturday at Midnight on WPIX.

We mentioned KTLA earlier, now we have some current news on KTLA! KTLA (CW5) will celebrate graduations on Memorial Day with a classic TV marathon! On Monday, May 26, 2008, KTLA (CW5) is celebrating Graduation with a Commencement Marathon from 10am-3pm PT of classic TV stars such as The Beaver, Balki, Alex P. Keaton, Greg Brady, and Theo Huxtable!
You're invited to the Commencement Ceremonies of:
Jethro Bodine The Beverly Hillbillies at 10:00am PT
Theodore Cleaver Leave It To Beaver at 10:30am PT
Balki Bartokomous Perfect Strangers at 11:00am PT
Greg Brady The Brady Bunch at 11:30am PT
Betty Anderson Father Knows Best at 12:00pm PT
Mallory Keaton Family Ties at 12:30pm PT
Mike Seaver Growing Pains at 1:00pm PT
Alex P. Keaton Family Ties at 1:30pm PT
Theodore Huxtable The Cosby Show at 2:00-3:00pm PT

You all can get WPIX and KTLA via satellite if you're not in the New York or Los Angeles area.

Fox Post-Strike Line-Up; Boston Legal Coming To ION Television; Gary David Goldberg Interview

Fox has ordered many of its current series back to production following the writers' strike and has announced airdates for spring 2008. Among the series slated to return are Bones, Back to You, 'Til Death and House. 24 will also return to conclude production on its seventh season, but the Emmy-winning series starring Kiefer Sutherland will not premiere until January 2009, allowing the drama to once again run 24 episodes consecutively. Fox's animated series, including American Dad, Family Guy, and The Simpsons, are also returning to production on future episodes.
Here is a recap of what we can expect: Back to You still has two pre-strike episodes left and they will air next week (Feb. 26 and 27 after Idol). The show will then return to close the season with new episodes starting Wednesday, April 16 at 8:30 PM ET/PT every Wednesday at 8:30. 'Til Death has one pre-strike episode left and it will air Tuesday, March 25 following Idol. Post-strike episodes will start on Wednesday, April 16 at 8:00 PM ET/PT every Wednesday at 8:00. Bones will return will all-new episodes on Monday, April 14 airing Mondays at 8. House returns with new episodes on Monday, April 28 moving to a new night of Mondays at 9.
Other premieres are new mid-season entries such as new sitcom Unhitched on Sunday, March 2 at 9:30pm. New drama New Amsterdam will get a special preview airing Tuesday, March 4 at 9 after Idol and again after Idol on Thursday, March 6 before moving to its normal night and time of Mondays at 9 on March 10 (before House takes over in late April). On that same night (Monday, March 10), new drama Canterbury's Law will premiere at 8:00pm (before Bones takes over in mid-April). New sitcom The Return of Jezebel James will debut Friday, March 14 at 8 p.m. for a one-hour premiere before moving to 8:30pm the following week. Finally, returning reality series Hell's Kitchen will air after Idol on Tuesdays at 9 starting April 1. Reality series such as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, The Moment of Truth, and Don't Forget the Lyrics! will continue on without any problems.
There you have it...Fox's plans for the rest of the season. Status on the future of shows like Prison Break and Sarah Connor Chronicles are up in the air until upfront most likely in May. Expect one of them at least to return next season, if not both. K-Ville is 99.9% gone for good.
We now only have ABC left for an official announcement of their plans. Stay tuned for that!

ION Television announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Twentieth Television to air the David E. Kelley hit television series, Boston Legal, on ION Television, beginning this Fall. The agreement marks a milestone in the network's commitment to popular and diverse entertainment.
The acquisition will join M*A*S*H in the line-up this Fall. ION recently launched The Drew Carey Show and will launch Baywatch next month in a plan of popular and diverse entertainment.
Will they be expanding by the fall since they have announced so many new shows? We shall find out...so let's hope they do. Don't judge them until they announce a schedule.
Boston Legal has regularly been a top 20 program on ABC and draws one of the most affluent audiences in television. Kelley and Bill D'Elia are executive producers. The series, which premiered October 3, 2004, currently is in its fourth season on ABC and is produced by David E. Kelley Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Our good buddy Eric from JustMyShow.com continues to get noteworthy guests for his show. On Feb. 5, Emmy winning producer Gary David Goldberg celebrated the release of his new autobiography "Sit, Ubu, Sit" by taking part in a panel discussion at the Paley Center alongside cast members of his most successful shows. But before he spoke to his sold out audience, he sat down with Just My Show to talk about his seven years as creator and executive producer of Family Ties.
You can listen to the very interesting podcast by clicking HERE!

We have a big week planned this week on the blog...so you will want to check in everyday. Big stuff!

Day 95: WGA's Strike; Family Ties Reunion on Today; Nick at Nite News; RTN Adds Maryland Affiliate

Well today is day 95 of the strike. Some shows are actually getting ready to go back into production, which a sure sign the strike will end soon for sure. The big hits like Grey's Anatomy, House, Desperate Housewives, CSI will all for sure return to the air, but some new shows like Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, Moonlight could be held back until the fall for more promotional push. Traditional sitcoms like Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Back to You could be back on the air the earliest, as it doesn't take much time for them to get back to work...we could see them back on-air in mid-late March.
As far as single camera sitcoms go, The Office has scripts ready already, so it can get on the air as fast as the traditional sitcoms. Samantha Who has three episodes left, it is a question mark though if ABC will hold on to those until the fall or get back into production right away and get in more episodes for this season. With Dancing with the Stars returning, it makes sense to get Samantha back in production ASAP for this season.
We will certainly know much more when the strike officially ends, on what will return and what won't.

The cast of NBC's Family Ties all gathered for the first time in 18 years on Thursday on NBC's Today show to help promote a new memoir, titled "Sit, Ubu, Sit," by the creator of the iconic 1980's television sitcom, Gary David Goldberg. Joining Gary David Goldberg were Michael J. Fox, Michael Gross, Meredith Baxter, Justine Batemen and Tina Yothers.
"Had it not been for this book, we would not have had this reunion. This is the first time in about 18 years that we have all been on the same piece of real estate at the same time," said Michael Gross.
You can read more about this reunion that took place this morning, and watch the entire video of it by clicking HERE!
And don't forget the third season is on DVD next week. See our review for details on it and how to order! Sha la la la!

Updating our story from yesterday on Nick at Nite's overnight changes, they will indeed make these changes for the rest of the month at least rather than just this week. So, we will see a pattern of Full House, Roseanne and Cosby Show in the overnights. So Fresh Prince will be just 11pm-12am, joining Home Improvement and George Lopez in primetime, while the other three shows are for late owls.
For the schedule of the overnights, click HERE!

Yet more RTN news! Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will launch an RTN affiliate in Salisbury, MD. The network will begin airing on WRDE in the 4th quarter of this year on the station's digital channel. The station is currently being acquired by XBC Broadcasting, LLC, pending FCC approval.

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.

TV Land September Weekends Update; Details on Upcoming I Love Lucy, Family Ties, and Bosom Buddies DVDs

TV Land has announced some changes to the September weekend line-up starting September 1. They have not announced the changes to the weekday line-up yet, but they have for weekends. New weekends will look like this: Gunsmoke starts it off with two back-to-back episodes from 6-8am, sitcom block of Green Acres, Addams Family and two Leave it to Beaver episodes follow until 10am. The I Love Lucy block will remain from 10am-1pm on Saturdays and 10am-12pm on Sundays. Movie encores will remain on Saturdays from 1-5pm, while Bonanza airs from 12-3pm and Gunsmoke from 3-6pm on Sundays. A Gunsmoke block airs from 5-8pm on Saturdays. while a Andy Griffith Show block airs 6-8pm on Sundays. In primetime from 8-10pm we get Andy Griffith on Saturdays and M*A*S*H on Sundays. After that, from 10pm-12:05am on Saturday nights we get more I Love Lucy! On Sundays we get back-to-back Sanford & Son and The Jeffersons until 12:05am. The rest of the late night is as follows: back-to-back The Andy Griffith Show starting at 12:05am, back-to-back Three's Company starting at 1:10am, an episode of The Jeffersons at 2:20am, back-to-back Good Times starting at 2:55am, single episodes of Sanford & Son, Three's Company, Leave it to Beaver, and I Love Lucy air from 4-6am.
That is just weekends in September. The revised weekday line-up will be in shortly and we will bring that to you when released! Come on back!

CBS/Paramount DVD will be releasing subsequent seasons of a few classic sitcoms this fall, including Bosom Buddies and Family Ties, along with a huge complete series set of I Love Lucy. We have some additional details of those sets not yet released anywhere else to share to you!
Bosom Buddies comes out with its second and final season on Sept. 4. We have a special feature even called "Sales Presentation." We also have that disclaimer on the back of the box saying "Some music has been changed for this home entertainment version. Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." Bummer...hopefully it is nothing that huge.
Family Ties comes out with its second season on DVD on Oct. 9. For the first time, we will announce what the special features are! We get three featurettes: The Making of Family Ties, Michael J. Fox: The Best Gig in the World, and The Year of the Beard. That last one sounds hilarious, as this is the first season that Michael Gross had his trademark beard. We were supposed to get Episodic Promos, but no mention of that on the back of the box. Hopefully that is still there. Also on the back of the box we get the dreaded disclaimer: "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions. Some music has been changed for this home entertainment version." Hopefully it is not as severe as the first season.
Finally, I Love Lucy's Complete Series release will come out Oct. 23. All 9 seasons with all 194 episodes! For the first time, we will announce the all-new special features! We get I Love Lucy: The Movie (1953), The First Colorized I Love Lucy episode ("Lucy Goes to Scotland"), I Love Lucy at the 6th Annual Emmy Awards (1954), Highlights of Lucy and Desi's First Joint TV Appearance (1949), and the lost pilot & all 35 first season episodes digitally restored! These extras are all in addition to the extras released in each individual season. So you will want to get this release!
As a bonus, to see the art of back of the box for all three sets click below:
Bosom Buddies: The Second Season
Family Ties: The Second Season
I Love Lucy: The Complete Series
As always with sitcoms on DVD, we will have reviews of those closer to the street dates.

Classic TV Comes to Utah, Includes Silver Spoons, Dennis, Facts of Life, Bewitched; New Saturday Feature Starts Tomorrow

KCSG in southern Utah (like St. George, UT) is revamping its afternoon and evening line-up by adding classic TV! What else is better than that? In fact, the network has struck a deal with Sony Pictures Television for the bulk of the programming. The only non-Sony shows that will air in the block are Family Ties & Cheers, which are both from CBS Paramount Television. The block will run from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (with a break in action in the 5:30 p.m. half-hour for news).
The following is the line-up that will take in effect this coming Monday (June 4):
3:30PM - Dennis the Menace
4:00PM - The Facts of Life
4:30PM - Silver Spoons
5:00PM - Family Ties
5:30PM - News
6:00PM - Party of Five (MWF) Starsky & Hutch (Tu), Charlie's Angels
(Th)
7:00PM - Who's the Boss?
7:30PM - Bewitched
8:00PM - I Dream of Jeanie
8:30PM - Cheers

This classic TV block is officially being called "Family Block Party." Some of these shows such as Silver Spoons have not been airing at all on local or national television for years. Some of SitcomsOnline's favorites are on this line-up, including the aforementioned Silver Spoons, Family Ties and The Facts of Life.
You will notice that the block is all sitcoms except the 6 p.m. hour which will be rotating dramas. That's the way we like it...all sitcoms, especially from the 50s-80s!
Our special thanks to "vcrfan" from our message boards. If not for him, we would have not known probably for awhile (as this schedule is not listed on TV listings yet) and I would have not gone out and researched this wonderful news. Hopefully more stations around the country learn from KCSG!
Discuss this line-up by clicking here. It doesn't matter if you're from southern Utah or not.

We know many of you love our Saturday feature of DVD Mini-Reviews, now we will also have an ADDITIONAL Saturday feature starting tomorrow! One of the most popular members of our message boards is a person named Solomon Davis, or you may know him by his username of TheAnalyzer. Solomon always has his views and opinions on everything. Whether it be sitcoms, TV in general, sports, or anything in the news, Solomon has his own views on the topic. He is known for his ranting. Some find it very entertaining whether you agree with him or not. Most never agree with him, but there are times you wonder and say, hmm that actually makes sense. I myself do not agree with him in certain topics, but am always intrigued that this guy always has something to say.
Well, now he will have something to say each week for us right here on the SitcomsOnline.com News Blog! He will give us his "weekly rant" on topics dealing with TV, sitcoms, sports, or anything in his life. This will certainly be a hit because curiosity always follows this man from Philadelphia. So come on and join us tomorrow for the launch of "Solomon's Weekly Rant," every Saturday following the Mini-DVD Review, right here on the SitcomsOnline.com News Blog! Saturdays just got even bigger here!

Chicago's ME-TV Spring Line-Up; TV Land Awards Date Change

ME-TV in Chicago changes its schedule every season. Spring has now sprung and they will change their line-up a bit on Monday. Usually a whole lot changes but this season it isn't as much. This season will be called "Spring into Me." '80s Hawaiian drama Magnum, P.I. joins the line-up every afternoon at 1 p.m., but before it does, ME-TV will have a Hawaii marathon on Sunday featuring Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum, P.I. Also coming to the spring line-up on Monday are the returns of dramas Cagney & Lacey, Charlie's Angels and Eight is Enough to weekdays. Sitcoms Family Ties, Who's the Boss?, Diff'rent Strokes, and The Facts of Life will be off of weekdays, but they will move to Sundays. Webster and Gimme a Break! will remain on the weekday line-up.
Not many changes on Saturdays but the prime-time line-up will now be western themed. Sundays has a sitcom line-up from 1 to 7 p.m. featuring Leave it to Beaver, Dennis the Menace, My Three Sons, Father Knows Best, Partridge Family, Brady Bunch, Diff'rent Strokes, Facts of Life, Eight is Enough, Family Ties, Who's the Boss.
For the full line-up, click HERE.

TV Land has announced that they have changed the date of the TV Land Awards from Wednesday, April 25 to Sunday, April 22. No reason was given, but usually award shows are on Sundays, so maybe that is why they changed the day. This will be the network's fifth award show. This year it will be hosted by Kelly Ripa. More info will come soon on the awards but among the honorees will include a tribute to Lucille Ball and the cast of The Brady Bunch. My guess is Legend Award for Lucy and Pop Culure Award for the Bradys.
Also, don't forget to come back tomorrow afternoon or so for the TV Land Upfront news! Hopefully we have some acquisitions to announce and not just original series news!