FamilyNet March 2010 Schedule, Removes Sitcoms; NATPE Syndication 2010: Day 3

FamilyNet, which was bought by ComStar last month or so, is changing their schedule in March 2010. ComStar also owns AmericanLife TV, so FamilyNet and ALN are now sister networks. And because of that, FamilyNet will be airing some series that used to air or air now on ALN. Effective Monday, March 1, 2010, FamilyNet will air Lou Grant, Trapper John M.D., and Color Honeymooners. The Ed Asner drama Lou Grant will air Mon-Thurs at 5pm and 6pm ET. Trapper John, M.D. will follow that and air Mon-Thurs at 7pm and 8pm ET. Both series are spin-offs of popular series Mary Tyler Moore Show and M*A*S*H. FamilyNet Movie Flicks will follow the dramas at 9pm ET and another one at 12am ET. And the Color Honeymooners will air Fridays at 5pm ET. Also airing on Fridays will be FamilyNet Documentary, World Combat League, and ALN Live from 6-9pm. ALN Live also airs on ALN at 8pm on Fridays, so it will be simulcast on FamilyNet.
Merv Griffin's Crosswords and Black Beauty will remain on the schedule and air weekdays at 3pm and 4pm ET. With the addition of these new series, this means Happy Days, My Three Sons, Family Ties, and Early Edition will be off the line-up after their Friday, Feb. 26 airings. They haven't lost rights I believe, but they have been played for 3 cycles each or so and FamilyNet wanted to do something fresh. Since some ALN series have migrated to FamilyNet, you might wonder if these series could migrate to ALN? As of now, that is not happening because they can't. But if it ever happens, we'll let you know!

What about AmericanLife TV in March 2010? There is only one change, Fridays at 10am and 5pm will now be another airing of The Color Honeymooners. So Rhoda and Phyllis will be now cut to Mon-Thurs 10am & 5pm instead of Mon-Fri in March. Not a big deal. And Merv Griffin's Crosswords will air Saturdays at 4pm, as they will share it with sister net FamilyNet. Everything else will remain the same as it is now. Stay with us for updates as usual.

We didn't mention on day one the first-run weekend series up for sale for next fall. The following all-new series are trying to be sold for Fall 2010 on weekends:
The Crook and Chase Hour (one-hour, music talk show from All Media Partners); Curiosity Quest Goes Green (Half-hour kids series from Telco Productions); The Kids Block (Half-hour kids series from Showplace Television Syndication); My Parents, My Sister & Me (Half-hour sitcom starring Jasmine Guy from Showplace Television Syndication); Real Green (Half-hour lifestyle magazine from Telco Productions); Treasure Hunters Road Show (Half-hour reality from Entertainment Concepts International); Wild Limited (Half-hour wildlife series from Litton); Young Icons (Half-hour kids reality from Entertainment Studios, Inc.); Untitled Project With Magic Johnson (Half-hour from sports reality Showplace Television Syndication); World's Funniest Moments (One-hour reality from MGM).
As of now, I have no clearances for any of these. I'm sure a few of these will get cleared. It would be nice to have an first-run sitcom in syndication again like in the days of Charles in Charge and Out of this World! So here's hoping My Parents, My Sister & Me starring Jasmine Guy gets cleared! Debbie Allen is producing that sitcom. Stay with us for updates!

In other NATPE news, Trifecta Entertainment has acquired distribution rights for Hacienda Heights, an original soap opera featuring an all-Hispanic cast. Trifecta hopes to launch it this fall as a weekend block of two half-hours on both English and Spanish-language TV stations, as well as secure a cable run for it if possible. It will be produced for both English and Spanish, B&C reports. The show stars Resurrection Blvd.'s Mauricio Mendoza, and will be shot in San Francisco, where executive producer Desmond Gumbs owns a sound stage and production facility. Gumbs financed the production of the first 11 episodes himself. Those episodes were test-marketed in four Western markets with strong Hispanic demographics: San Francisco; Los Angeles; Yuma, Ariz.; and Santa Rosa, Calif. New York-based Sahara Media has agreed to finance the production's next 89 episodes, bringing the show to 100. Once the companies get enough episodes, they hope to turn the show into a daytime strip.
As of now, no clearances on this yet. If it gets picked-up, we'll let you know.

We shall return if anything else is known today, so come on back and check!

Canada Cable Networks Fall 2009 Schedules; Joan Rivers' Show on TV Land Premieres Well

Today we put our full focus on cable stations up north... Canada, that is. We will take a look at some of the fall 2009 schedules for Canada including TV Land Canada, DejaView, CTS, TVtropolis, and SUN TV.
First up, we'll start with TV Land Canada. They will be adding the Canadian series The Red Green Show. Set in the fictional town of Possum Lake, Canada, this sketch/sitcom comedy series features the feats and foibles of Possum Lodge leader and hapless handyman, Red Green (comedian Steve Smith). Recurring characters include Harold, Red's techno-geek nephew and Bill, the resident naturalist. It will air Mondays through Fridays at 7am & 7:30am; repeats at 11:30am & 12pm, 7pm & 7:30pm, and 4am & 4:30am starting August 31.
Leaving the TV Land Canada line-up for now are 21 Jump Street, Dallas, Adventures in Rainbow Country, Swiss Family Robinson, and Adderly.
Among the highlights are The Red Green Show marathon on Canada's Thanksgiving. If you haven't caught TV Land Canada's latest new series yet, come and get acquainted by celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in the great outdoors with Red Green and his cronies from 6am-12pm with two encores each from 12pm-6pm and 6pm-6am! Next, tune in to TV Land Canada on Christmas Eve starting at 5pm to kick-start the night with a double-bill of Lassie movies, then follow up with special holiday-themed episodes of your favorite programs Lassie, Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, and Hart to Hart. Then finally the next day, Christmas Day is a happy day, so spend with Fonzie, Chachi and the gang with a Happy Days marathon from 6am-5pm with an encore from 5pm-4am!
View the full TV Land Canada Fall 2009 Schedule.

Next up we have DejaView's Fall 2009 schedule. DejaView is removing The Rifleman, The Wonder Years, Good Times, The Ropers, Magnum P.I.. But since shows leave, new shows will join! Joining the schedule are The Rockford Files, Coach, Saved By The Bell, Silver Spoons. The first two are weekdays (Coach is weekends as well), while the latter two will air on weekends only. DejaView staples Three's Company, All in the Family, Who's the Boss?, The Cosby Show, and a few others will remain.

Then we have the TVtropolis Fall 2009 Schedule.
TVtropolis of course was known as PRIME previously. Their line-up features a mix of sitcoms, game shows, reality series, and more. They are a sister station to DejaView. Coming to the network this fall are Three's Company and Dawson's Creek. Yes, Three's Company will air on BOTH DejaView and TVtropolis! Mainstays Seinfeld, Married with Children, King of Queens, That '70s Show, Frasier, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond remain.

Next we have SUN TV and CTS TV. SUN TV will have series such as My Secret Identity, Caroline in the City, Dear John, Taxi, Dave's World, George Lopez, Becker, Alfred Hitchcock, Fame and Jimmy Kimmel Live. View SUN TV's Fall 2009 schedule.
CTS's fall line-up will not have any sitcoms anymore except for Family Matters. Sitcoms of recent years like The Hogan Family, Facts of Life, Family Ties, Full House, Amen, Fresh Prince, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley, are now gone! Replacing these comedies are now dramas Promised Land, Little House on the Prairie and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. View the CTS Fall 2009 line-up.

Finally, Teletoon will add The Yogi Bear Show, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Quick Draw McGraw Show, Top Cat, Captain Caveman, Josie and the Pussycats, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Inspector Gadget and Beetlejuice to their schedule, but Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, The Tom and Jerry Show, Woody Woodpecker, Merrie Melodies, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and The Porky Pig Show are leaving. View the Teletoon Fall 2009 schedule.
And continue to monitor and discuss Canada's fall schedules on our message board with the help of members like Sal from Canada.

Wednesday night's premiere of TV Land PRIME's new reality series, How'd You Get So Rich? posted double-digit increases in rating and delivery among Adults 25-54 and Adults 40-54 a well total viewers over recent levels. It also witnessed double-digit gains over its 9:30 p.m. Roseanne lead-in as well as gains among women 25-54. The new series, starring the often outrageous and hilarious Joan Rivers, takes viewers on a journey to meet millionaires who worked hard and struck gold as she tours the most lavish and extravagant homes and introduces them to folks who made a lot of money in really interesting ways the way only Joan can.
According to Nielsen Media Research, How'd You Get So Rich? posted double-digit gains with a 0.3 A25-54 rating and 333,000 viewers among A25-54, up 29% in rating and 33% in viewers 25-54 versus the prior 4 week primetime average. The network averaged 650,000 total viewers, up 16% over the previous four week average. Among the network's core A40-54 audience, the premiere earned a 0.4 A40-54 rating and 203,000 viewers A40-54, an increase of 24% in rating and 26% in viewers 40-54 over the previous 4 week average.
The premiere telecast posted increases among Women 25-54 over recent primetime levels, scoring a 0.4 W25-54 rating 197,000 viewers W25-54, up 37% in rating and 38% in viewers W25-54 versus previous four week primetime average. How'd You Get So Rich? experienced appointment viewing as it lifted 35% among A25-54 over its 9:30 p.m. Roseanne lead-in.

Other TV Land news, The Beverly Hillbillies will air this Sunday night (Aug. 9) from 4-6am instead of The Andy Griffith Show. Andy Griffith has been extended on Tuesday, August 11 from 6-8pm, so it gets an extra half-hour on this date as it was scheduled for 6pm-7:30pm.

SitcomsOnline.com 2009-10 Upfront Preview: ABC; Bio TV Premieres TV Reunions in June

Last fall ABC barely had any new series because of the writers' strike the previous season. That could change in a big way this coming season. I expect ABC to bring in many new shows, with lots of comedies for the first time in years. ABC should focus that 8pm hour to families. The past year ABC focused on launching 10pm series...it is time to redevelop that focus to 8pm.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com ABC 2009-10 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: Modern Family (comedy), Flash Forward (drama), Copper (midseason drama)
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Happy Town (drama), Inside the Box (drama), Romantically Challenged (sitcom), Awesome Hank (sitcom), The Cougar (sitcom), The Middle (sitcom).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Eastwick (drama), The Forgotten (drama), The Law (sitcom), V (event drama).

OUR FALL 2009 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Inside the Box (NEW!)

Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters

Tuesdays
8:00PM Modern Family (NEW!)
8:30PM The Middle (NEW!)
9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
10:00PM Castle

Wednesdays
8:00PM Awesome Hank (NEW!)
8:30PM Romantically Challenged (NEW!)
9:00PM The Cougar (NEW!)
9:30PM Samantha Who?
10:00PM Happy Town (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Flash Forward (NEW!)
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Private Practice

Fridays
8:00PM Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas (NEW!)
9:00PM Ugly Betty
10:00PM 20/20

Saturdays
8:00PM College Football

Comments: This was very hard. So far the hardest prediction I'm doing is ABC...remember this is what I think they could do, not necessarily what I would want them to do. They have many pilots and many of them are getting good testing. I am going with my gut that Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas makes it this year after being redeveloped. I want it picked-up, too. This is what exactly ABC needs on a Friday. I have many new comedies being picked-up, and it could be a stretch, but I think ABC could go out and bring us many comedies this fall. Most have tested so well and we could be in a surprise on how many comedies are airing. ABC could focus on a Wednesday two-hour comedy block and even have room for a comedy hour on Tuesdays.
So let's look at each night. I'll start with Mondays. Dancing with the Stars should be two-hours every week, enough said. The only time it should be 90-minutes is when they need to boost a comedy for a special airing during the week or two before the two dances per star starts. ABC will easily fill the two-hour hole from Jan-Mar with the resurgent The Bachelor and they should move Brothers & Sisters to Mondays all year-round, making ABC Monday strong all year.
On Tuesdays, Modern Family & The Middle are two of ABC's most praised family comedy pilots. They could work well with each other and could work well with family-themed Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 9pm (more so than Cavemen and Carpoolers a few years ago). Castle should move a night over to Tuesday at 10 since there will be no NBC crime show and perhaps CBS will not schedule a crime drama here anymore. ABC really needs to focus on JUST two post-Dancing shows at 10pm: Brothers & Sisters and Castle. That's it, with the exception of a week or two on Mondays with a special comedy airing at 9:30 (or even 8pm). This season it seemed so many shows aired out of it on both nights. So what happens to the 9pm hour from Jan-Mar? ABC could launch some comedies perhaps bringing back Scrubs/Better off Ted for 6-8 weeks or even new comedy The Law. Primetime: What Would You Do? is an option at an earlier time.
Wednesdays I think ABC is going to go all comedy. They could launch as many as 3 new sitcoms and bring back a returning comedy. I think they will start off with two new traditional comedies in Awesome Hank (starring Kelsey Grammar) and Romantically Challenged (starring Alyssa Milano). Perhaps the most buzzed comedy would be next at 9pm in The Cougar starring Courtney Cox and finally ABC needs to give Christina Applegate the comedy slot it deserves by airing Samantha Who? after Cox's show. Both are single camera and could fit with each other like a button. Closing the night I think they should try new drama Happy Town. I know it is very risky to do this, but Happy Town has a two-hour pilot and they could have the two-hour pilot on the first Wednesday of the year from 9-11pm, following a special Dancing Results, since they do a three-night premiere in the fall. So hopefully that would help the show build some type of an audience before all the comedies start the following Wednesday.
As for Thursdays, Betty is likely on the move, and ABC should try the most buzzed about series Flash Forward at 8pm giving ABC some life in this hour. Grey's and Private Practice will return in the 9 and 10pm hours for sure. Lost will return for its final season at the end of January for 16 or 17 weeks, possibly Thursdays at 8...but if Flash Forward does huge, Lost could go to Wednesdays.
I think ABC should go after Fridays with scripted series and I think they will, too. Comedy is an option, but I don't think ABC will try that. New family adventure drama Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is exactly what they should air at 8pm. This could be a new type of TGIF for them using family dramas, and Ugly Betty would follow and that certainly has a family feel to it. Wife Swap and Supernanny were only on because nothing was ready last fall due to the strike. Both of those are too important and could fill key holes on other nights in midseason.
Saturdays will have College Football in the fall. Winter they could have movies or even go with cheap reality series, like Homeland Security USA.
Finally, on Sundays...I would leave 7-10pm alone even though right now the ratings are declining. Remember springtime is always like that and they perk up in the fall/winter. I think new drama Inside the Box would be a great fit out of Desperate Housewives and could reclaim that DH/Grey's early magic. Yes, I keep predicting ABC is going to move Brothers & Sisters, but they never do. Now it is time and with it airing the next night, lots of promos will air on Sundays so fans will for sure know.
Series that will be canceled or are ending include: According to Jim, Boston Legal, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, Opportunity Knocks, Life on Mars, Cupid, The Unusuals, In the Motherhood.
Lost, The Bachelor, Wife Swap & Supernanny will all return for mid-season. Other series like Scrubs, Better Off Ted, True Beauty, Homeland Security USA, Primetime: What Would You Do could be ordered for limited episodes at some point. ABC also has picked-up two new reality series, likely for midseason: The Shark Tank from producer Mark Burnett and an untitled cooking series with celeb Jamie Oliver from producer Ryan Seacrest. Supernanny spinoff SuperManny could also be in the running. As far as new scripted series for midseason, they already ordered Canadian crime drama Copper for midseason. Look for Eastwick, The Law, The Forgotten and perhaps even V in the running for midseason. There is a legal drama from David Hemingson in the works again, perhaps they could pick that up...but they have had so many legal dramas lately it seems.
Looking at the fall line-up prediction, yes lots of new shows. But there is a lot of protection, minus Wednesdays. Wednesdays is the only risk, but risks need to be taken in the fall when there is no American Idol. And if it doesn't work out, ABC has lots of series on the bench for midseason including the final season of Lost. ABC's goal in the fall should be to have strong 9pm shows every night. That is a recipe for success. ABC will have a better fall next season than it did this season for sure.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own.

Remember, next Tuesday (May 19) is the actual date when we will find out ABC's plans for the 2009-10 season. So, come on back next Tuesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong!). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on CBS's upfront.


Bio TV in June will broadcast special reunions of classic TV series from the past for the first time on Bio TV. We get both the 20th anniversary Happy Days reunion from 1992 and the 30th anniversary Happy Days reunion from 2005. The 20th anniversary premieres Tuesday, June 9 at 9pm following a day long theme of classic TV with Biography episodes of The Love Boat, M*A*S*H, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Henry Winkler, Ron Howard and episodes of Shatner's Raw Nerve with guests Scott Baio, Tim Allen and Drew Carey.
On Tuesday, June 16, Bio TV will air the Laverne & Shirley Reunion from 1995 at 10pm. Just like the previous week, episodes of Biography and more will lead into it, such as Ozzie & Harriet, Barbara Eden, Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Cheers, Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals: Cheers/Laverne & Shirley, and the Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion premieres at 12pm and 6pm. We also get Shatner's Raw Nerve episodes featuring Valerie Bertinelli and Kelsey Grammar.
Thursday, June 18 at 10pm will see the premiere of Biography: Billy Crystal. On Tuesday, June 23, it's 90210's turn for a reunion. Beverly Hills 90210: The Final Goodbye from 2000 will first air at 10pm, followed by Beverly Hills 90210: The Reunion Show from 2003 at 11pm. Again before that, we get Biography episodes of Home Improvement, Tony Danza, Jason Priestley, Alyssa Milano, and Teen Heartthrobs.
View more on Bio TV's June 2009 highlights of TV/sitcom related specials, including encores of Biography episodes such as Gary Coleman, Charlie's Angels, and Child Stars: Their Story

Nick at Nite Has Best April Ever; Classic TV Moms on Rachel Ray; Fringe Returns for Second Season

Nick at Nite is total day's number-one basic cable network with Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49 for April, and ranking second only to sister-channel Nickelodeon among total viewers.
April 2009 also marked Nick at Nite's most-watched April in its history with Adults 18-49, Women 18-49 and total viewers. And also, year to date, Nick at Nite is the number-one network with Women 18-49 and is number one with Adults 18-49 (tied in rating with USA Network).
The April 2009 dates were from 3/30/09-4/26/09 and Nick at Nite averaged a 0.6 rating and 697,000 viewers A18-49 and 1.6 million total viewers for the month. With Women 18-49, Nick at Nite averaged a 0.8 rating and 464,000 viewers W18-49 (up 14% year-to-year). Among Men 18-49, Nick at Nite averaged a 0.4 rating and 233,000 viewers M18-49. And in prime time, Nick at Nite averaged a 0.7 rating and 1.7 million total viewers on average per night in April in primetime. Nick at Nite airs 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET/PT in primetime.
And that's not all! For the entire 2009 so far (12/29/08-4/26/09), Nick at Nite is averaging a 0.6 rating and 691,000 viewers A18-49 and 1.5 million total viewers for the year. With Women 18-49, Nick at Nite is averaging a 0.8 rating and 442,000 viewers W18-49 (up 14% year-to-year) for the year. Among Men 18-49, Nick at Nite is averaging a 0.4 rating and 249,000 viewers M18-49 for the year. And in prime time, Nick at Nite is averaging 1.7 million total viewers on average per night for the year in primetime. Nick at Nite's success are from shows like George Lopez and Family Matters, with The Nanny joining the line-up this Sunday!

As we alerted all of you on Sunday on our Twitter page, three classic TV moms were judges on a cook-off on The Rachel Ray Show yesterday. So if you missed that, then you missed our alert. Follow us from now on so you don't miss a beat! Anyway, we have a video clip from this cook-off for you to see. And oh the three classic TV moms are Mrs. Brady, Mrs. Partridge and Mrs. C! Classic '70s fever indeed! Brady Bunch, Partridge Family and Happy Days were three excellent classic family comedies. All three moms look very good still! Watch the video clip!

Meanwhile, the busy network month of pick-ups continues, with Fox. You won't have to wait until May 18 for the fate of one show at least because Fox has renewed creepy thriller Fringe from J.J. Abrams. Fringe has captivated audiences this season, winning its Tuesday time period weekly among key demographics and ranks as the No. 1 new series in primetime among Adults 18-49, as it has followed House in the fall and American Idol this winter/spring.
One thing Fringe couldn't do well was hold a good percentage of those huge lead-ins much. The series has always had a huge lead-in, and that could change this fall with House expected to stay on Mondays. Could that break this series this fall? We shall see, but it get a chance to be tested! Fringe stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown and Jasika Nicole. The series is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Rodney Episodes on CMT; 2009 TV Land Awards Show Details; ABC Note

This coming weekend on CMT (Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26) is Rodney Carrington Weekend on CMT. Included in that weekend will be episodes of his sitcom Rodney, which aired on ABC for two seasons from 2004-2006 and lasted 44 episodes. There were six unaired episodes though, but unfortunately we still do not get to see any of them here. Instead, CMT will air six season one episodes. The episodes will premiere on CMT on Friday from 9pm-12am. Various encores of these episodes will air on Saturday from 5:30-7:30pm and Sunday from 8pm-11pm. The episodes airing are: "Teacher" with guest star Christine Lakin (Step by Step), "Halloween," "Dream Lover" with guest star Sofia Vergara, "It's Up It's Good," "Charity Ball," and "Rodney's Affair."
To kick off the weekend, Rodney Carrington will also host the CMT Top 20 Countdown on Friday, April 24 at 11:00am ET/PT. CMT will also air Rodney's one hour Comedy Central special Rodney Carrington Live at the Majestic at 12 midnight (ET/PT). On Sunday April 26, CMT will air the feature film Beer for My Horses starring both Rodney and Toby Keith at 6:00pm and 11:00lm (ET/PT).
Also, a DVD package consisting of all 22 episodes from the first season of Rodney, will be sold exclusively in Wal-Mart as of May 19. Hopefully that package will soon also be available as a regular DVD!

It was an unforgettable and star-studded evening as celebrities from television, film and music came out tonight for the taping of the 2009 TV Land Awards which will premiere on Sunday, April 26 at 8pm ET/PT on TV Land during a special presentation of TV Land PRIME. Appearances included Will Ferrell (presenter for Pop Culture Award), Matthew McConaughey (presenter for Hero Award), Martin Sheen (presenter for Impact Award), Teri Hatcher (presenter for Future Classic Award), Amy Poehler (presenter for Legacy of Laughter Award), Jimmy Kimmel (presenter for Legend Award), Cyndi Lauper, Angela Bassett (presenter for Entertainer Award), Reba McEntire (presenter for Anniversary Award), Jamie Lee Curtis (presenter for Fan Favorite Award), Dr. Phil McGraw (presenter for Innovator Award) and more. This year's honorees included Don Rickles (Legend Award), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Lucille Ball Legacy of Laughter Award), M*A*S*H (Impact Award), Married With Children (Innovator Award), ER, (Icon Award), Home Improvement (Fan Favorite Award), Magnum P.I. (Hero Award), Sid and Marty Krofft (Pop Culture Award), Knots Landing (30th Anniversary Award), Two and a Half Men (Future Classic Award), and Earth, Wind & Fire (Entertainer Award).
An entertaining videotaped parody/show open by host Neil Patrick Harris which took him through his own version of The Twilight Zone, traveling through TV hits spanning from The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Love Boat, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Happy Days - featuring an appearance by Marion Ross, Baywatch and finally Survivor where he comes face to the show's host Jeff Probst.
There was also a heartwarming taped tribute to Don Rickles by close friend and fellow icon Bob Newhart. Neil Patrick Harris performed the song "I'll Take TV," written by acclaimed Academy Award-nominated composer Marc Shaiman (Hairspray, Sleepless In Seattle).
Read more about the 2009 TV Land Awards, and tune in on Sunday (April 26) at 8PM!

As we mentioned on Friday on our message board and yesterday here on our ratings report, ABC will air two all-new episodes of the comedic cop show The Unusuals this week. ABC will air The Unusuals on a special night of Tuesday (April 21) at 10pm following Dancing with the Stars: The Results. That means new romantic comedy-drama Cupid will be preempted this week, but is slated to return the following Tuesday (April 28). The Unusuals will also air on its regular night of Wednesday this week at 10pm, following a Lost Special. The show has a 10 episode order, and thus far has aired two episodes--so after this week four will air in all. So it is slated to air through June 17, unless ABC decides to double up each week, if it does much better than Cupid. But for now, tune in this week! It is a well done show!

Detroit's WADL New Classic TV Block; Obama Preempts Programming on March 24

WADL TV-38, Detroit's Urban TV station will be adding some exceptional new programming that will include legendary favorites to the station's spring line-up. The new additions to the classic TV programs will include: I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, The Honeymooners, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show.
WADL TV 38 features Detroit's only local dance show Dance Party, and nationally known programming such as Cribs, American Chopper, RENO 911, Dave Chappell's Show, and Cheaters. In addition, the station already specializes in classic programming such as Good Times, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Fat Albert, The A-Team, In The Heat of the Night and up and coming to the lineup, Steve Harvey, Brian McKnight, The Brady Bunch and many others.
Currently the classic TV line-up on weekdays starting at 4PM is The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, The A-Team, The Rockford Files, Fat Albert, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, In the Heat of the Night, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!
So, the new programming will start Monday, March 30. Weekdays starting 4PM: Fat Albert, The Brady Bunch, Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Sanford & Son, Fresh Prince, A Different World, The Honeymooners, In The Heat of the Night, The Jeffersons, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!

President Obama is as it again...with preempting primetime programming. This time it will be on Tuesday, March 24 at 8PM ET. I'm all for Obama, but come on this is crazy. Eastern/Central time zones will be mostly affected by this. I'll detail it by network.
First up ABC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. So in the eastern/central time zones, the return of According to Jim will be totally preempted. Dancing with the Stars: The Results and Primetime: What Would You Do? will air as scheduled following the news conference. Out in the mountain and pacific time zones, everything will air as normally scheduled, including According to Jim...but they will be repeats instead ("The Blankie" and "Cabin Boys"). So if you're in the east/central time zones and love According to Jim, you'll have to watch the repeats on abc.com the next day, or if you get ABC onDemand on your cable system. Not sure how this will affect ABC's finale date of May 5 for According to Jim. Will it be pushed back a week or will they air two episodes on a special night to catch up? I was looking forward to the return, because Constance Marie (George Lopez) was going to guest star and the second episode was directed by Penny Marshall.
CBS will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Following the address, they will air all-new episodes of NCIS and The Mentalist at special times of 9pm and 10pm ET/PT. Without a Trace will totally be preempted. Not sure yet what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT, but that could go back to local affiliates or CBS could air a NCIS repeat there leading into a new NCIS.
NBC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT, pushing The Biggest Loser an hour back from 8-10pm to 9-11pm ET/PT. So, Law & Order: SVU is totally preempted. For mountain/pacific time zones at 8pm PT/7pm MT you will see a special Dateline episode leading into The Biggest Loser at a special time.
Finally, most affected by Obama is Fox. Fox will have to totally scrap a two-hour American Idol Tuesday. They will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. A House repeat will follow at 9pm ET/8pm CT. House will also air at 9pm PT/8pm MT. King of the Hill repeats will fill the hour at 8pm PT/7pm MT. The regular Tuesday installment of Idol will be moved to Wednesday 8-10pm ET/PT, so that means an episode of Lie to Me will have to be preempted that week. And the regular results of Idol Wednesday will have to be moved to Thursday, March 26 from 8-9pm ET/PT preempting Bones. Instead of this mess, couldn't Fox just have aired Idol 9-11pm ET on Tuesday and air it in its normal time in the mountain/pacific time zones instead of causing mass confusion? I know Fox doesn't schedule at 10pm, but the local affiliates wouldn't mind, I'm sure.

I'm on my way to a quick trip to Houston in literally minutes, so I'll see you back live on Sunday when I return...but please do come on by tomorrow (great story!) and Saturday (blog DVD review) as I have already done those stories for those days set to post on their own. Ain't technology grand?

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.

Ron Howard Reprises His Opie and Richie Roles for Obama; Minor Changes for Hallmark, ION and CBS Monday

Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham are both back! Ron Howard has reprised both of his classic TV roles for an ad supporting Barack Obama! It is a hilarious salute to those characters and shows, but also supports Obama and he urges Americans out there to vote and to change America. Ron is not the only one in the video either. Ron has reunited with Andy Griffith for his Opie/Andy segment and Henry Winkler for his Richie/Fonzie segment. These characters haven't been done in decades, so it is fun to see them reprise their roles! The Andy Griffith Show segment was even in black and white with Opie in his green/yellow striped t-shirt and fishing rod! The Happy Days segment had Henry Winkler's Fonzie in his trademark leather coat and Richie with his blue sweater outside of Arnold's. Ahyyyay!!! You even see Ron shave off his beard and trim his nose air for this video! He really does want Americans to vote and change this country. See the four-minute video for yourself! It's worth watching...whether you be a Democrat or Republican. Ron Howard has certainly found his "thrill on blueberry hill!"

Effective this weekend (Oct. 25-26), Cheers will not air on weekends anymore on The Hallmark Channel. It was airing Saturday nights 1-3am, Sunday mornings 10am-12pm, and Sunday nights from 1-3am. Cheers will only air weekdays from 4-5pm starting next week (Oct. 27).
Next week on ION Television, we will still not see any ER. ER's Mon-Wed at 10pm airings have been replaced for next week (Oct. 27-31) as well, on Monday we will see an extra NCIS and Tuesday & Wednesday we will see more Boston Legal. Did you know ER has not been seen since its Monday, Oct. 6 airing? ION's November schedule is still not out yet, and I'm sure they are trying to find a permanent replacement for the lower rated ER. As soon as their November schedule is in, I'll let you know. Right now only Nov. 1 and 2 is available, and that's a weekend. Speaking of ION, looks like the Warner Bros. movies are doing well, because they are having another movie marathon tonight from 4pm-11pm.
CBS has made a minor change for this coming Monday only. Wednesday sitcom Gary Unmarried (Pilot Repeat) will air Monday, October 27, 2008 at 9:30pm ET/PT replacing a repeat of Worst Week. The rest of the CBS comedies are also repeats the entire night on Oct. 27.

WGN America Fall 2008 Schedule Sees Lots of New Shows; TV Land Changes for August

Today we will reveal WGN America's Fall 2008 schedule! They will be adding a lot of new and returning series, but there will be a few series expiring/leaving as well. The other day we mentioned Coach marathons on August 29 and August 30, and we hinted the series would also join the line-up this fall. We will get to Coach's slots in a bit, but first we want to tell you all the new or returning series! You'll see Moesha, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, In The Heat of The Night, 7th Heaven, Jury Duty, NewsRadio, Coach, The Bob and Tom Show, and the new syndicated weekend series Legend of the Seeker! Of course, since new stuff is coming or returning, there will be shows leaving and expiring as well. Those departing are Happy Days, Even Stevens, Lizzie McGuire, 24, American Idol Rewind, Soul Train, and DaVinci's InQuest.
Now let's get to the schedule. The new weekday line-up primarily will start Monday, September 8. The first change will occur September 1 though, with Happy Days' contract expiring, so its slot of 4:30am and 5am ET will be replaced by Sister, Sister and Moesha, which returns after a year off on hiatus. Then starting Sept. 8, the bulk of the changes are happening on weekdays, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie join the WGN America line-up airing weekdays at 9 and 9:30am ET, as Matlock will slide to 10am ET. The 11am ET slot will be Nash Bridges, but it will change a week later on Sept. 15, as WGN America brings back In The Heat of the Night after a three year absence, as the show is reacquired. Nash Bridges will air at 12 noon starting Sept. 8, followed by the WGN News at Noon at 1pm ET. Homicide: Life on the Street will slide to 2pm ET starting Sept. 8, followed by back-to-back The Cosby Show episodes at 3pm and Funniest Pets & People from 4-5pm. America's Funniest Home Videos will move to 5pm ET replacing Sister, Sister which will now be airing in the overnight from 4-5am ET, as we mentioned (more on this a bit later). At 6pm and 7pm, WGN America brings back family drama 7th Heaven for two back-to-back hours a night as WGN America welcomes back the Camdens! Primetime will remain the same as it is now until later in the month when Tuesdays from 8-10pm will be Nash Bridges starting Sept. 30 instead of a block of Funniest Pets & People. In the late nights, we mentioned already the Sister, Sister and Moesha slots starting Sept. 1, but Even Stevens/Lizzie McGuire was sharing the 4am slot, and now it will be another Sister, Sister starting Sept. 15, as those series are expiring.
Weekends will not see any real changes until after baseball season is over. So, starting Saturday, October 4, weekends will get a major overhaul--for the good, too! Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie will also air on weekends now. Bewitched will air Saturdays 12-1pm and Sundays 11am-12pm, while I Dream of Jeannie will air from 1-2pm on Saturdays and 12-1pm on Sundays. Great to see classic TV! After two movies on Saturdays, we head to the new 6-8pm Saturday block, where you'll see two new sitcoms! Back-to-back episodes of NewsRadio from 6-7pm on Saturdays followed by the aforementioned Coach from 7-8pm on Saturdays, starting Oct. 4. The rest of Saturday is basically intact, but 24 will be leaving and will be replaced by a movie and Matlock will be added to late night. On Sundays after Bewitched and Jeannie, there aren't many changes. The Outta Sight Retro Night featuring WKRP, Newhart and The Honeymooners will remain intact from 7-10pm ET. In the late nights, some shows are expiring like American Idol Rewind and DaVinci's Inquest, so two Matlock episodes will replace them at 3am and 4am.
Then the week of October 6, WGN America will change their weeknight late night line-up a bit. Corner Gas and Becker will slide to 1-2am ET on Sun-Thurs starting Oct. 6. The Friday late night line-up will be back-to-back Reno 911 at 1am ET and back-to-back Chappelle's Show at 2am ET. Reno 911 will also air Saturdays from 11pm-12:30am ET.
Finally, the last change for the fall is the first-run new syndicated series from Disney/ABC Television Group called Legend of the Seeker. WGN America will air it Saturdays at 4 and 5pm starting November 1 and also Wednesdays at 9pm ET starting Nov. 5, replacing Corner Gas/Becker.
Wow, that is A LOT of changes! I think many will be happier than before with these changes. I advise you to see the full WGN America Fall 2008 line-up on our message boards, where you can also discuss the line-up. Remember this is the national WGN schedule, and not the Chicago local line-up.
Future Outlook: You can expect Classic TV marathons on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Year's Eve/Day. We will tell you more about that in the coming months, as it is way too early to talk about that. It is not even August yet!

TV Land has made some last minute changes for August starting Monday, August 4. First off, the primetime marathons will now be 9-11pm rather than 9pm-12am. The Tuesday marathon of The Beverly Hillbillies will now be The Jeffersons from 9-11pm, leading into two encores of Family Foreman at midnight. And as we told you yesterday about The Cosby Show being used to be wrapped around Family Foreman, now TV Land has confirmed it will air The Cosby Show every Wednesday from 8-10pm and 11pm-1am ET/PT leading in and leading out of Family Formeman. Because the primetime marathons are now 9-11pm, M*A*S*H moves from 12-2am to 11pm-1am weeknights (well except Wednesdays and Fridays). TV Land has removed the 2-5am marathons, thus we get more variety in the late nights. From Sun-Fri, TV Land will now air back-to-back episodes of Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons and The Beverly Hillbillies from 1-4am, and at 4am Three's Company returns followed by another returnee in The Brady Bunch at 4:30am! So nice to see those two return!
Check out our TV Land August 2008 thread for updates and to discuss this.

Summer 2008 TCA Press Tour: Fox, Day 1; Happy Days Duo Reunite for Possible New Series; MySpace Adds Krofft Classics

The broadcast portion of the summer 2008 TCA press tour started Saturday with PBS, and among the series they announced were a revival of the classic '70s children's series The Electric Company, returning in January 2009 and a new children's series launching Sept. 1 called Sid the Science Kid. Also, of note from PBS was a comedy special coming in January 2009. Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America is a landmark six-part series that will chronicle the funniest moments in American entertainment, from the pratfalls that entertained immigrants in the early 1900s to the most biting satire and stand-up today, to illuminate how comedy has been a mirror of our changing society. Among those interviewed: Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Dick Gregory, Carl Reiner, Joan Rivers, Shelley Berman, the Smothers Brothers, Jonathan Winters, Mort Sahl, Steve Martin, Jason Alexander, Phyllis Diller, Cheech Marin, Bill Maher, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, and a Who's Who of other groundbreaking comic minds. Should be good.
Today and tomorrow Fox and Fox cable networks are up. Today it is all about the Fox broadcast network. The cast and crew of many hit Fox series and upcoming series will be on hand today on the panel. They started today with a Prison Break themed breakfast called Prison Break-fast. Then it was on to the panels with casts and crews of many Fox shows and entities: So You Think You Can Dance, Fringe, Fox News, Do Not Disturb, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 24, Secret Millionaire, and a panel featuring producers of Fox's animated series.
As of this writing nothing new was really learned. Fox did say the 250th episode of King of the Hill will air in May 2009 and Erica Ash, Matt Braunger, Eric Price and Lauren Pritchard have joined MADtv for its 14th season. Earlier, we found out that Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long and Kevin Michael Richardson were joining the animated Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show. Keep checking back in this spot for new updates or for sure in tomorrow's Fox day 2 notes.

Don Most and Anson Williams, who of course starred as Ralph Malph and Potsie on the long-running sitcom, Happy Days, have reunited to produce a potential new series, Take 2. In addition to executive producing the series, the pair also star in the pilot episode.
"Each episode of Take 2 is like a short independent film," says Williams, "and will reunite different iconic duos of the present and past, but in all-new stories, as completely different characters. They'll still have the established on-screen chemistry that audiences know and love -- but I think people will be stunned when they see just how different they can be." "I thought about Lemmon and Mathau or Tracy and Hepburn. The reason they worked together over and over again was because they had chemistry on-screen. In our favorite TV shows growing up, you saw that same kind of chemistry -- Ralph and Potsie, Will and Grace, Laverne and Shirley. Why not utilize that already established chemistry -- bring together these beloved stars - in these provocative scripts that Frederick Stroppel had written?"
We will have more information on this series should it go forward and get picked-up for a series. Best of luck to them! Read the full press release. Check out clips on YouTube.

Sid and Marty Krofft's classic '70s shows are now on MySpaceTV! H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, Lidsville, Sigmund & the Sea Monsters, Dr. Shrinker and The Bugaloos, will make their exclusive global home on the social-networking platform. The license extends to put condensed versions of Krofft-produced TV episodes as well as taped messages from the Kroffts themselves.
In addition to the condensed episodes, which they are calling "Kwikies," which run 3-5 minutes, the Kroffts are also making available highlight clips. MySpace subscribers will also make theme music from the shows available.
Too bad the whole episode won't be on MySpace, but it is better than nothing. Head on over to the Krofft section to watch these condensed episodes. This is similar to Sony's Minisode Network.

RTN Salutes Get Smart As New Movie Opens; Classic TV Stars Honored at EMA's Home Entertainment Awards

Retro Television Network in Detroit, Michigan will honor Get Smart this Sunday with two classic episodes. The episodes are airing of course because the new Get Smart movie starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway opens in theaters today. RTN in Detroit will run two episodes of Get Smart in primetime at 7:00pm & 7:30pm on Sunday (June 22). It will also be simulcasted on WXYZ, the ABC affiliate in Detroit, preempting ABC network programming for that hour (a repeat of AFV).
RTN in Detroit regularly airs Get Smart weeknights at 11:00pm, but this is huge when two episodes are airing in primetime on ABC Detroit!
We will let you know if any other RTN affiliates are honoring Get Smart with something similar as soon as we know. So you might want to keep checking back here in this spot.

On Tuesday, June 24 in Las Vegas, the EMA Home Media Expo 2008/EMA Home Entertainment Awards will be held. From 9am-5:30pm Exhibits and Conference will be going on and following that will be the Awards Show from 7:30-9pm.
There will be a salute to classic TV stars at the awards. Among the honorees:
Josie Davis - Favorite Television Child Star for Charles in Charge (Arts Alliance America will release the fourth season of Charles in Charge, which starred Scott Baio as a babysitter for the Powell family, on DVD Nov. 18.)
Don Most & Anson Williams - Legendary Television Duo for Happy Days
Paul Petersen - Legendary Television Son for The Donna Reed Show
Charlene Tilton - Legendary Television Bad Girl for Dallas
Jamie Kennedy - Award Show Host
Plus Classic TV Stars Peter Brown (Laredo), Robert Fuller (Laramie), and Denny Miller (Wagon Train).
Visit homemediaexpo.com for more info.

Hallmark Licenses CBS Consumer Products; Network Notes

Hallmark has licensed CBS Consumer Products' Classic TV catalog for various products. The agreement opens the door to more than 150 properties -- among them The Beverly Hillbillies, The Love Boat, Taxi, Beverly Hills, 90210, Happy Days and Rawhide -- not only for greeting cards but also for party goods, collectibles and other gift categories. The CBS property will be labeled Television City, as most of the shows from the CBS-Paramount library did not air on CBS itself.
Several shows are also celebrating anniversaries next year: The Twilight Zone (50th), Rawhide (50th), The Brady Bunch (40th) and Happy Days (35th)...so expect some sort of tribute cards, collectibles or other products by Hallmark for them. Initial licensees include Hallmark, which will be producing cards featuring many classic TV titles.
A Television City logo will be included on Hallmark products and in marketing outreaches.
Television City shows are in the process of being licensed for use in other categories and already have been tapped by University Games for board games and Steve & Barry's and NTD Apparel for T-shirts and other clothing.
I know I will be asked this question, so I will just say it right now...no, these Paramount shows will not be available on television on The Hallmark Channel, this is just for Hallmark products, like cards and collectibles.

MyNetworkTV will launch The Tony Rock Project Wednesdays this fall following episodes of sitcom Under One Roof this fall. 8 episodes have been picked-up thus far. Tony Rock Project is a sketch comedy show starring Tony Rock, the brother of Chris Rock from Everybody Hates Chris, that will fuse reality (streeter interviews, hidden camera footage) with comic examination of race, class and power.
Other new MyNetworkTV shows for the fall are Magic Secrets (Mondays at 9), Funniest Moments (Wednesdays at 9), and WWE Smackdown! will move to the network in October. The network will also air Saturday movies now, in addition to their Thursday movies. Check out the MyNetworkTV Fall schedule.
Today they announced Arsenio Hall will host Funniest Moments.

Take back the first season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles this August on Fox. Beginning Sunday, Aug. 10 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, encore episodes of the entire first season will air for two weeks Sunday through Wednesday at 9:00 PM ET/PT through Aug. 24. The action-packed season finale cliff-hanger that left Cameron's fate unknown will encore on Sunday, Aug. 24 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
The Season One reboot kicks off the countdown to the Season Two premiere Monday, Sept. 8 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Fox.

Fire! Chachi or Urkel Did It?; Fonz Statue Coming August 19 in Milwaukee; Remembering Mitch Mullany

We are back online! Our server had a fire causing 9,000 servers and 700,000 websites I believe to go offline. We were offline since 6pm ET Saturday and finally came back online 5am ET Monday, but we still did the blog on Sunday, as some of you probably saw on the live feed or one of your news readers. If you didn't, please check yesterday's blog today when you get a chance. Anyway, SitcomsOnline is back and better than ever! This situation is just like a sitcom plot, isn't it? The classic sitcom fire! Arnold's (hangout on Happy Days) and Edna's Edibles (Mrs. Garrett's bakery on Facts of Life) went down and came back with a new look, so why can't we? I think the culprit of this fire could be Chachi or Urkel, I mean they caused Arnold's and Leroy's (the burger joint on Family Matters that later turned into Rachel's Place) to go down, so they have experience in this sort of thing! Seriously, if you want to know what happened really, click HERE.

Back to some real news...
A bronze Fonz statue coming to Milwaukee is finally confirmed! Happy Days stars Henry Winkler (Fonzie), Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham), Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham), Erin Moran (Joanie), Don Most (Ralph Malph) and Anson Williams (Potsie) will return to Milwaukee on August 19 for the dedication of a bronze Fonzie statue on the RiverWalk in downtown.
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, stars of the Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley, are also expected to attend, along with both show's creator, director-producer Garry Marshall.

Mitch Mullany is probably not a name you all know by heart. He was a comic. He died May 25 in Los Angeles from a diabetic-related stroke. Mullany started his standup career in the Bay Area in California and then appeared as a recurring character on The Wayans Bros. as White Mike. He starred in his own sitcom Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher, from 1996-98 on The WB. His only other sitcom credit was a guest appearance in 1995 on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.
In 1999 he wrote and starred in the feature film The Breaks, released by Artisan Ent. He also appeared in the feature film The Sweetest Thing starring Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Selma Blair and then he hosted the short-lived ABC reality series All American Girl in 2003.
Mitch Mullany was only 39.

TV Land Names Vanessa Williams TV Land Awards Host, Honorees Include Golden Girls, Roseanne; New Biography Episodes of Scott Baio and Pee-Wee

TV Land today announced that Vanessa Williams, multi-talented actress, singer and star of the current ABC comedy hit Ugly Betty has been tapped as host of this year's sixth annual TV Land Awards.
The network also announced that this year's show will honor Mike Myers, Garry Marshall, Roseanne, The Golden Girls and Jonathan Winters among others. The show will tape on Sunday, June 8 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA and will premiere on TV Land on Sunday, June 15 at 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET/PT
The TV Land Awards is the network's annual salute to the best and brightest in the world of entertainment. This year, the show will feature reunions of some of the most iconic casts from TV, showcase rousing musical performances and the always-popular television show parody, and for the first time ever, honor favorites in movies. Additional honorees will be announced shortly, including the TV Land Future Classic Award.
Among the awards announced today are:
THE LEGACY OF LAUGHTER AWARD
This is presented to performers who are funny and then funny and then funny again. They create timeless comedy by mixing the strange and the familiar, bringing to life characters, stories and moments that are both comically absurd, and, at some level, completely real. This year's recipient is Mike Myers. Last year, this award was presented to Lucille Ball for her awe-inspiring work, which continues to serve as an inspiration and a guiding force.

THE LEGEND AWARD
This award is presented to an entertainer who has stood the test of time and ranks among the most memorable and celebrated in TV and movie history. TV Land will honor Garry Marshall as this year's recipient.

THE PIONEER AWARD
Given to performers who have distinguished themselves by pushing back the frontiers of the media and bringing true originality to the world of entertainment, this year's Pioneer award is bestowed upon Jonathan Winters.

INNOVATOR AWARD
This award is presented to a series whose influence is still felt and evident in television today; a show that carved our new territory, redefining elements of the genre and opening new pathways for others to follow. TV Land will honor Roseanne as this year's recipient.

THE POP CULTURE AWARD
This award is presented to a show that has crossed the line from television series to pop culture phenomenon. This year's honoree is The Golden Girls.

More awards will be announced soon.

The Biography Channel will air two all-new Biography episodes next week. On Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 10:00 PM, Biography: Scott Baio will air.
He was a teen idol best known for his characters Chachi Arcola on Happy Days and short-lived spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi and Charles on the hit 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge. Scott Baio's good looks, charm and wit helped him maintain success "post-Chachi" as an actor, producer and director...but fame like that of "Chachi" is hard to come by twice. A playboy, who virtually haunted Hugh Hefner's mansion, dating countless centerfolds in addition to blonde bombshells Pamela Anderson and Heather Locklear, Baio has made a comeback with the reality show, Scott Baio is 45...and Single and its spin-off Scott Baio is 46...and Pregnant. Tune in next Wednesday at 10!
Then on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 10:00 PM, Biography: Pee-wee Herman will air. He was everyone's favorite grown-up kid until he was arrested for indecent exposure. This profile looks at the rise and fall and rise again of the career of Paul Reubens. After starting out in a comedy troupe that included Will Ferrell, Reubens created the enormously popular Pee-wee Herman character in the late 1970s. After drawing critical praise for Pee-wee's two movies and TV show, Reubens's career nearly ended when he had his run-in with the law. But he put himself back on track with non-Pee-wee characters, and is now returning to Pee-wee's world with the movie, Pee-wee's Playhouse, now in production.
Tune in next Wednesday and Thursday at 10pm for these two all-new Biography episodes on The Biography Channel!

Family Matters Now Coming to Nick at Nite in April; Biography Acquires Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals; TV Land Greenlights 4 Pilots

Nearly two months ago we got word that Family Matters coming to Nick at Nite got moved to June. Originally it was supposed to come in March, but they moved it to the summer, which made a bit more sense to me, since lots of teenagers and young adults would watch. But now it looks like they changed their minds! Last night during the first night of the George Lopez seven-night Luck o' the Lopez Marathon, a promo aired indicating Family Matters is "coming next month" (April). They showed Urkel, too. We don't have full details yet, but we are working on it. So if we have something more, come back to this spot and find out...if not we will bring it to you in the coming days. It's certainly time to "do the Urkel dance" in primetime!

Sorry for the late notice, but The Biography Channel has acquired the series of specials called TV Guide's Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals. If you all remember or didn't know, these specials aired in 1999 and 2000 on Fox. They had about 5 specials under this name and profiled a lot of sitcoms behind-the-scenes details (some very scandalously) such as Three's Company, The Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, The Jeffersons, M*A*S*H, Diff'rent Strokes, Gilligan's Island, Welcome Back Kotter, Facts of Life, Roseanne and more. Then they changed the name for three more specials called TV Guide's Truth Behind the Rumors and profiled series such as Growing Pains, Charlie's Angels, Cheers, Laverne & Shirley, and Dynasty. Well starting tonight (Tuesday, March 18) The Biography Channel will re-air most of these specials! It will air Tuesdays at 10:00PM and re-air 2:00AM later that night.
Tonight they will air special #3 of Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals. First stop in this episode is a look back at The Love Boat, the series the critics claimed would "sink like the Titanic," but which sailed on for nine years with its Aaron Spelling formula of bikinis, blondes, celebrity guests, and lovable, yet troubled stars. Then we'll hear Loretta Swit as she recalls what it was like to be the only woman on the set with all men in the hugely popular medical comedy M*A*S*H.
Up next week is special #4 of Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals. Stars from Happy Days, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time reveal controversies. We don't have April episode info yet, but keep checking back on our message board's thread on this. To view that and to discuss these specials, click HERE! I remember watching all of these, and I taped a few even originally. If you haven't seen this or need to tape it, I would advise you watch/tape.

TV Land announced that it has greenlit four pilots as part of its ongoing original programming agenda. The channel, which recently rolled out new original series High School Reunion to double digit ratings increases, will continue to rev-up production on programming designed to appeal specifically to viewers in their 40's. The four pilots are all reality based and are:
- First Love, Second Chance -- gives long-lost sweethearts an opportunity to rekindle their romance -- years later.
- Now or Never -- Empty nesters are given the chance of a lifetime to open a new chapter in their lives by pursuing careers that they always dreamed of but never dared to pursue. In each installment, couples try out their dream jobs, a new place to live and a whole new social scene before making the gut-wrenching decision of which path to follow.
- Make My Day -- provides a window into one day in the life of an unsuspecting participant. Hidden cameras capture the action as contestants are put through a series of weird coincidences, extraordinary situations and surprise appearances.
- What's In The Box? -- TV Land's first game show in which individual contestants square off in the ultimate, fast-paced 20 question competition.
For more info about these pilots, and to discuss this, click HERE!
Upcoming TV Land originals after the conclusion of High School Reunion include: The Big 4-0 (launches April 16), She's Got the Look (launches June 4) and Family Foreman (launches July 16). In addition, the 6th Annual TV Land Awards will now air this summer instead of the spring (June 22 is the tentative date).

And don't forget the premiere of sitcom Miss Guided tonight after Dancing with the Stars at 10:30pm ET/PT on ABC. Hope you saw our review on Friday...because this is one of the top 3 sitcoms I think of the season behind Big Bang Theory and Samantha Who? So if you like those, you'll like this. Episode 2 is even funnier, so tune in to that on its regular night and time on Thursday at 8pm.

Network Notes, Includes More According to Jim; WPIX Brings Back Honeymooners; Oprah Talks to Shatner and Winkler

We have some network notes for you today. ABC announced its post-strike schedule and series already, but now we could have two more series return this season with new episodes! ABC will have 6 more According to Jim episodes this season! 12 episodes were shot of the sitcom before the strike ended now 6 more will be shot following the strike (taping resumes March 7)! So, the show will fullfill its 18 episode order for the season. Currently, the show is airing Tuesdays at 9PM on ABC but after March 11, the show will be on the move to another timeslot, as Dancing with the Stars: The Results will take over in that slot. By March 11, 11 of the 12 episodes would have aired. We will let you know when ABC will air the remaining episodes of the season when they announce it. This will likely be the final episodes, so be sure to tune in to Jim and the gang. And as a heads-up, this week the show will announce a major storyline plot...so tune in!
The other ABC show that could return this season with new episodes following the strike is the new hit drama Women's Murder Club. The drama has been a decent hit on Friday nights and ABC has found a new showrunner and thus 3 new episodes will be produced and could be on the air by April. No word when they will launch yet, but I am assuming it will remain Fridays at 9, as ABC certainly needs help 8-10pm on Fridays as repeats of other series are doing nothing there. We will let you know as soon as ABC announces!
Moving on to NBC, they have all but confirmed that Las Vegas will not return this season with new episodes or next season. So, the finale that aired a few weeks ago, could be the series finale. NBC also will not return new series Bionic Woman and Journeyman, as we stated previously. However, we might have some good news for the struggling Lipstick Jungle. NBC has ordered 6 more scripts, so that is a good sign. Maybe NBC will order those scripts to episodes and have it air in the summer, as NBC is going for a 52-week season rather than Sept-May only.

Last week we announced what will happen to WPIX, WWOR and WNYW in New York when Everybody Loves Raymond moves from WPIX to WWOR. There was one TBA timeslot that I couldn't announce until today. The TBA slot was for Sunday nights from 1-2am on WPIX. So, the TBA slot will be...The Honeymooners!
For over 30 years, the WPIX-TV (CW11) has been New York's home for The Honeymooners. Now, the CW11 will begin a year-long Honeymooners Viewer's Choice Hour to run every Sunday night. See all 108 episodes of hamana-hamana-hamana hijinks with Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), Ed Norton (Art Carney), Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph) in a weekly viewer's choice hour commencing Sunday, March 16 from 1-2 am.
Beginning on March 7, Honeymooners fans can visit CW11.com to vote for their favorite episodes. Each week, the two episodes with the most votes will air in the Viewer's Choice Hour on the CW11 on Sunday nights.
Can't remember the title of your favorite episode? CW11.com will feature a short clip from all 108 Honeymooners episodes (with title, cast and summary information) on the voting page. Each week, viewers can log on and vote for the two episodes they want to see on air that weekend. On Sunday nights at 1am the CW11 will air back-to-back-episodes of the top two vote-getters. Once an episode has aired it will be removed from the polls and all episodes will air only once.
Great news and start voting on March 7! To discuss this news with other fans, click HERE!

Oprah gave us a Cosby Show kids reunion a few weeks ago, and she has talked to classic TV stars such as Phylicia Rashad and Valerie Bertinelli about their current projects in the past few days, but now she will have a legends episode with two classic TV legends and a music legend tomorrow (Tuesday, February 26, check local listings for time and channel in your area).
Here is what Oprah says: Our viewers have been asking for him, and now he's rocking out on our stage. It's rock legend Rick Springfield! Watch as Rick makes one unsuspecting fan's big dream come true! Then, Oprah chats with one of the most recognized people on planet Earth, beloved TV icon William Shatner (Star Trek)! He shares what it has meant to him to be loved by millions as Captain Kirk and how he has been able to reinvent himself again and again over his half-century career. Plus, Oprah talks to TV's "coolest" legend..."The Fonz!" Henry Winkler (Happy Days) talks about his place in TV history and how he has managed to use his celebrity to help children with learning disabilities.

Stay tuned tomorrow for some big news (everyday is a big day now it seems, Oprah must be proud of us)...the launch schedules for ME-Too in Chicago and ME-TV in Milwaukee! Lots of Classic TV!

NBC's Today Reunites Classic TV Casts: Happy Days, Growing Pains, Newhart and More; Raymond Moves to Fox Stations in March

There have been some TV reunions already this month (Cosby Show kids on Oprah and Family Ties on Today). But now we will get much more! NBC's Today will bring America's favorite classic television show casts together again starting Saturday, February 23 and continuing through Friday, February 29. "Together Again" reunions will air each day sometime during the 8:00 a.m. hour of Today.
On Saturday, February 23, Weekend Today's Amy Robach will interview the cast of Growing Pains. Kirk Cameron, Joanna Kerns, Alan Thicke, Jeremy Miller, and Tracey Gold will talk about their experience as the Seaver family in the classic 1980's sitcom.
On Sunday, February 24, Peter Alexander interviews the cast of Newhart. Bob Newhart, Julia Duffy, Peter Scolari, William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad are reunited for the first time on television as a full cast.
Happy Days are here again on Monday, February 25 when Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Don Most, and Anson Williams are reunited live in the studio.
On Tuesday, February 26, the cast of the classic sitcom One Day at a Time with Bonnie Franklin, Valerie Bertinelli, Mackenzie Phillips, and Pat Harrington together again live in the studio. Valerie Bertinelli returns later in the show (9am hour) to discuss the book "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time." Gary Coleman is also interviewed in the hour.
Candice Bergen, Faith Ford, Charles Kimbrough, and Joe Regalbuto will be live in studio 1A on Wednesday, February 27 to talk about their time on Murphy Brown.
On Thursday, February 28, Michele Lee, Joan Van Ark, and Donna Mills stop by to talk about one of the longest-running primetime dramas in network history, Knots Landing.
Friday's reunion will be announced soon...Taxi was originally planned this week, so it could be that. We will let you know.
Get those VCR's and DVR's ready at 8am for the next 7 days starting Saturday! To discuss these reunions, click HERE!

The hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond is one of the top sitcoms in off-network syndication. In many markets it airs on a Tribune station. That will change starting March 17, though. The show will be on the move in many markets from Tribune stations to Fox-owned stations. For example, in New York City the show airs currently at 6:30pm and 12am every weeknight on WPIX (CW11), a Tribune station. It will be moving to WWOR (My9), a Fox-owned station, in New York. If you all recall, something similar happened to Seinfeld some years back when it moved from Tribune to Fox-owned stations (in NY that was WPIX to WNYW). The Fox-owned deal for Raymond runs from March 2008 to September 2013.
So how will this Raymond move affect New York? Obviously this will affect WPIX and WWOR, since they are the ones removing and adding Raymond. But this will also effect WWOR's sister station, WNYW (Fox5), as some series will migrate from WWOR to WNYW, and vice versa. First off, WWOR will add Raymond every weeknight at 6:30pm and 12am (the same slots WPIX aired it). The show will also be available in HD! Raymond will also air Saturdays at 6:30pm. WPIX will replace Raymond at 6:30pm with Friends, so it will air back-to-back from 6-7pm now. Friends' late slot will now be gone though as Sex and the City, Will & Grace, Frasier, and George Lopez will move to an half-hour or hour earlier. Joining WPIX's late night line-up are classic sitcoms The Odd Couple and The Jeffersons in the 2am hour...both are now back after a short break! WNYW's changes include moving the 2nd run of TMZ on TV from noon to midnight and adding the second run of Bernie Mac, which was on WWOR. WWOR will air the first run of Bernie Mac now at 4:30pm instead of 6:30pm.
To see a FULL list of the changes on WWOR, WPIX and WNYW, I really urge you to click HERE!

Our big week continues tomorrow with more big news, including a follow-up on our BET schedule story and some TV One changes. You will not want to miss this!

Day 12: WGA's Strike; KTLA in LA Celebrates 60 Years On-Air with Classic Marathon

We are now in day 12 of the writers' strike. Still nothing new to report at all. According to Jim continues to be the only sitcom still in production. They probably had the scripts done since they didn't start taping until like early October. So they probably will run out soon...it is believe the show has an 18 episode order, so maybe 10 episodes will be done.
Picketing today: elected officials will pick up picket signs and march with film and TV writers on Day Twelve of the Writers Guild of America strike fight for a fair and just contract at CBS Television City. Following his public statement of solidarity with the Writers Guild of America last week, U.S. Senator John Edwards will join striking writers on the picket line today to support the WGA in its ongoing fight to secure a fair and reasonable deal in front of the NBC sign in Burbank.

KTLA in Los Angeles is celebrating 60 years on air and they will celebrate with a 60-hour Retro Marathon to celebrate their 60th anniversary year. The shows they will air will be some of the greatest shows that they have aired in the last 60 years! The marathon begins on Friday, November 23 at 10pm and runs all-day Saturday, all-day Sunday, and lasts until Monday, November 26 at 10am. KTLA will have an awesome variety of shows representing what KTLA has aired in reruns over the past 60 years - The Jack Benny Program, The Honeymooners, Kung Fu, Rawhide, The Big Valley, Hopalong Cassidy, Bonanza, Little House On The Prairie, Lassie, Uncle Waldo's Cartoons, Underdog, Popeye & Friends, Little Rascals, Gidget, Charles In Charge, Doogie Howser, M.D., Dr. Kildare, Emergency!, Highway Patrol, C.H.i.P.s., Dragnet, 21 Jump Street, Wonder Woman, Peter Gunn, I Spy, Hunter, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, McHale's Navy, F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D., The Andy Griffith Show, The Munsters, The Three Stooges, The Monkees, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Family Matters, What's Happening!!, Cheers, Friends, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Please Don't Eat The Daisies, The Partridge Family, Father Knows Best, The Brady Bunch, Leave It To Beaver, The Twilight Zone, Lost In Space, Star Trek, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Tarzan, Gilligan's Island, and Time For Beany! Even KTLA's newscasts will participate by bringing you current and then retro news stories that they've covered during the past 60 years!
Wow! So many classics! Sounds like a great weekend! Lucky people in Los Angeles! To see the schedule grid, head on over to their website!

If we have more news, we will come back later today. Enjoy your weekend.

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 Brings Back Wings, More Night Court; RTN Pittsburgh Launch Schedule; Gossip Girl Picked-Up for Full Season

TV Land has yet made more changes to its October 15 schedule. Originally we were getting Night Court back starting next Wednesday from 7-8am each Wednesday, but now TV Land has announced it will air each weekday at 7am starting Monday (Oct. 15)! They have also re-added Wings to the schedule starting Monday. It will air at 7:30am each weekday morning. M*A*S*H was airing weekday mornings in this hour and will now be moved to 8-9pm in primetime. That means the weekday primetime mini-marathons will be shifted from 8-10pm to 9-11pm. Sanford & Son was airing 10-11pm, now it won't be as the marathons will continue in that slot. M*A*S*H will follow still 11pm-12am. Also, the Wednesday and Friday marathons will be switched. So we will get Sanford & Son on Wednesdays now from 9-11pm and M*A*S*H from 8-10pm (because TV Land Movies air Fridays at 10).
See the full schedule if you are now totally confused on what is airing when by clicking HERE!

We announced previously that WPXI-DT in Pittsburgh, PA will be turning into a Retro Television Network (RTN) starting Monday, Oct. 15. Now we have your first look at the launch schedule! We are so proud that SitcomsOnline.com continues to be the exclusive home for classic TV schedules and news. The digital feed of WPXI will air RTN programming weekdays from 10am-2am, Saturdays 7am-1am, and Sundays 10am-2am. Among the classic programs will we see on weekdays include I Love Lucy, Gomer Pyle, Happy Days, My Three Sons, Laverne & Shirley, and Get Smart. On weekends we will see shows like Mork & Mindy, Brady Bunch, Family Affair, Petticoat Junction, Family Ties, Hogan's Heroes, The Honeymooners and The A-Team! Wow! So many classics! If you live in Pittsburgh and don't have digital cable, get it now!
To see the full schedule for WPXI-DT Pittsburgh, click HERE!
Also, we will have more on RTN in the next week or so, including an exclusive interview with them! So stay tuned for updates!

Acclaimed and much buzzed-about new drama Gossip Girl has become the first new series picked up for a full season of episodes.
With online buzz mounting and the show's success on other platforms like iTunes, the premiere of The CW’s new drama Gossip Girl also gained significant number of viewers in its target demos when DVR usage is factored in, according to Nielsen live-plus 7 day ratings.
Gossip Girl continues to also be a hit on different platforms like iTunes, where the two most recent episodes continue to rank among the top 5 downloaded shows on the site.
As far as live ratings, the show increased a bit in its previous episode over the previous week. The show is watched by just under 3 million viewers each week live. Not good, but not bad for The CW.

Tonight it is week four already for sitcoms Back to You and 'Til Death. Tune in starting at 8/7 central on Fox!
I have seen the third episode already for the new addictive ABC series Dirty Sexy Money, airing tonight at 10/9 central, so I'll comment a bit on it. The episode title is "The Italian Banker." That term has a few meanings one is a sexual position! Anyway, there seems to be a sex tape done by one of the Darlings. And a blackmailer has it and wants a million dollars for it. Darling family lawyer Nick George (Peter Krause) doesn't tell Tripp (Donald Sutherland) about it and gets the money to pay off the blackmailer another way (I won't spoil it). Nick also interviews each Darling children to see who the sex tape belongs to. I'm sure no one will ever guess who it belongs to. We also get a taste of Tripp's nemesis Simon Elder (who will be played by Blair Underwood). Did he kill Nick's father? We will find out. But anyway, tune in tonight for the sex tape episode of Dirty Sexy Money. You'll be saying "Oh My God" like Nick does when you watch this great episode!

Beaver Reunion on GMA Thursday; The Fonz in Bronze?

Leave it to Beaver is turning the big 5-0 tomorrow debuting 50 years ago on Oct. 3, 1957, and ABC's Good Morning America will reunite June (Barbara Billingsley), Wally (Tony Dow), Lumpy (Frank Bank), Eddie (Ken Osmond) and The Beav (Jerry Mathers) himself on the Thursday (Oct. 4) telecast of the morning show. It will air sometime between 7-9am, so either set the VCR/TiVo on or watch while you get ready for work. It will be great to see the living cast together again. As we have mentioned, TV Land will air a 24-hour marathon honoring the 50th anniversary of the show by airing classic episodes including the rarely seen pilot starting Saturday at 8pm thru Sunday at 8pm (and more airings on Monday from 11am-5pm). It is going to be a Beaver-licious week!

Variety is reporting that a Wisconsin civic group called Visit Milwaukee is trying to bring 'happy days' to the city, launching a campaign to create a bronzed statue of the character of The Fonz (Fonzie, Arthur Fonzarelli, whatever you call him) played by the great Henry Winkler.
They have raised about half of the $85,000 needed to get the bust made and presented in the city where Happy Days was set. While TV Land has funded statues of notable TV characters in the past, it won't be financing this one -- to the city's chagrin (The net isn't giving thumbs down to the character; it's just very selective about its statue-funding.).

Tune in tonight for two series premieres of two sitcoms...Cavemen and Carpoolers. We reviewed Carpoolers on Saturday and it is a surprise, so please try it. We have not seen the updated Cavemen pilot (nor has any other critic), so we will be watching that for the first time, too. We will try to do a review of it after we see it.
Both sitcoms will air back-to-back and the laughs start tonight at 8/7 central on ABC!