Nick at Nite, Lifetime Schedule Updates; Flintstones Musical Episodes Marathon on Boomerang

Nick at Nite has made some schedule changes. First off, they removed Home Improvement weekdays at 6am this past Tuesday with more The Nanny, while Roseanne replaced Everybody Hates Chris' 2-3am hour, so Roseanne now airs 2am-6am every night. The rest of the changes are basically to Fridays and Saturdays, and they start this weekend. George Lopez now airs in the 9pm hour on Fridays, which is technically still Nickelodeon, replacing Everybody Hates Chris. George will also still air in the 10pm hour on Fridays. Then we have a block of The Nanny from 11pm-2am, as George's 1am hour is no more on Fridays. On Saturdays, Malcolm in the Middle and Everybody Hates Chris will air in new timeslots, with Malcolm in the 11pm hour and Chris in the 12am hour. George Lopez will be the lead-in and lead-out airing in the 10pm hour still and gaining the 1am hour. So The Nanny doesn't air at all on Saturdays now. Sundays is petty much the same as now, but The Nanny is 11pm-2am. And this Sunday (Oct. 25) there is a marathon of The Nanny all-night long from 8pm-2am and some encores from 2am-6am. As we mentioned, there is a Halloween stunt on Monday, Oct. 26 from 8-11pm, but now we have some time shifting. Glenn Martin and Malcolm in the Middle Halloween episodes are still in the 8pm hour, but now George Lopez's Halloween episodes are airing in the 9pm hour followed by an Everybody Hates Chris Halloween episode at 10pm and an encore of the Glenn Martin Halloween episode at 10:30pm. These three-hours will encore on Halloween night (Saturday, Oct. 31) from 10pm-1am.
So that should catch everyone up. View the updated Nick at Nite schedule and highlights. We'll have November info soon, stay tuned.

Moving on to Lifetime, it seems original sitcoms Sherri and Rita Rocks are underperforming with new episodes in the Tuesday at 10pm hour. So, Lifetime will move Rita Rocks to Mondays with a block of episodes airing 9pm-11pm, as new episodes will air from 10pm-11pm. Sherri will air Tuesdays with a block of episodes airing 9pm-11pm, and new episodes at 10pm. Lifetime is trying to get better ratings and a block of the same show usually does the trick.
Lifetime is also changing their daytime line-up starting Monday (Oct. 26). Reba's two-hour block goes from 10am-12pm to 8am-10am. Less than Perfect is now totally gone and off the schedule. Frasier moves up an hour from 9am-10am to 10am-11am and Will & Grace gets the 11am hour, as that was only airing at 8:30am in the mornings. In the afternoon, we now get three Wife Swap episodes, as 1-3pm remain but also 12pm is added replacing Medium. We also now get three episodes of Desperate Housewives from 3pm-6pm, shifting the three episodes of Grey's Anatomy to 6pm-9pm, as Medium is replaced at 8pm. Medium can now be seen weeknights at 12:30am & 1:30am. All is not lost for Medium, as it will get a Halloween marathon next Friday (Oct. 30) from 11am-8pm.
View the full updated Lifetime schedule.

Finally, In addition to making television history as the world's first prime-time animated series (ABC), The Flintstones also offered viewers many samplings of fun, culturally relevant music that delighted viewers throughout the show's six-year run. On Sunday, Oct. 25, these classic animated musical moments will return for a command performance as Boomerang presents a day-long marathon of the best of The Flintstones musical episodes: Bedrock 'N' Roll. From 8am-11pm (ET), America's favorite Stone-Age families--Fred, Wilma and Pebbles Flintstone plus Barney, Betty and Bamm-Bamm Rubble--will "rock out" to prehistoric beats while they welcome a number of celebrity guests, including Ann-Margaret (Ann Margrock) and James Darren (Jimmy Darrock).
Once again showing the depth and breadth of its incredible classic cartoon library, Boomerang presents a rollicking good time with a commercial-free marathon of 15 jamming episodes guaranteed to get your toes tapping. The seven-and-a-half hour rock block will be followed by an encore presentation so that music aficionados coast-to-coast can join in the fun.
View the highlights of some of the episodes airing.

Nick at Nite Changes Midnight Hour; Season 2 of Durham County Premieres in January on ION

If you were watching Nick at Nite last night, they made a very last minute change. Every night in the midnight hour is now another hour of The Nanny instead of Malcolm in the Middle. So this means The Nanny is now 11pm-1am. Malcolm in the Middle will remain in the 8pm hour every Sun-Thurs and weekends 1-2am. In other changes, it seems Everybody Hates Chris has gained the Friday 9pm hour from Nickelodeon, so now it airs an extra night in primetime since it already was airing Sun-Thurs in the hour.
For the week of October 19, which is next week, Nick at Nite has listed Glenn Martin, DDS in the 8pm half-hour from Mon-Thurs, so that means Malcolm in the Middle is only 8:30pm. We are not certain yet if this is only for that week or until further notice. So stay with us!

The lesson that "love hurts" is well learned by the characters who inhabit the eerie suburb of Durham County when the original scripted primetime series launches its second season on ION Television in January, 2010. The series, which debuted this fall, returns to the bleak and disturbing landscape of an alienated suburbia with a new star villain – Michelle Forbes, known for her intense portrayals on the hit HBO series True Blood and In Treatment this year.
Produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films, Durham County unfolds season two in the aftermath of the devastating impact of serial killer Ray Prager (Romano Orzari) on the lives of its characters, anchored by Homicide Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon), his now estranged wife Audrey (Hélène Joy) and their traumatized teenage daughter Sadie (Laurence Leboeuf). While the true villain of the first season turned out to be Sweeney's former high school classmate and new neighbor, the evil threat in the second season comes from a woman who develops a close bond with Mike, the brilliant, but deeply troubled forensic psychiatrist Pen Verrity (Michelle Forbes). Rejected by her husband and grieving for a daughter we can't be certain she didn't kill, she sets her sights on having Mike Sweeney - at any cost.
The series just completed its first season of six episodes on ION Television on Monday (Oct. 12), but the ratings for the series dropped a lot from first to the sixth episode, with the lowest episodes doing a 0.2/0 HH rating/share.

TV Land Acquires Raymond, Boston Legal for 2010, Borrows Home Improvement, Nanny; Nick at Nite Renews Glenn Martin

TV Land has landed the exclusive primetime broadcast rights for the Emmy® Award-winning comedy, Everybody Loves Raymond, from CBS Television Distribution beginning June 2010. The series ran in primetime for eight seasons, totaling 212 episodes and will premiere in TV Land PRIME, the network's primetime programming block designed to appeal to the attitudes, life stage and interests of people in their 40s. Additionally, the network announced three other new series to hit the airwaves in 2010: Boston Legal, Home Improvement and The Nanny.
Everybody Loves Raymond will be shared with cable network TBS, which airs the series in daytime and will still do so next June. Boston Legal will premiere on TV Land in the first quarter of 2010, while Home Improvement is being borrowed from sister network Nick at Nite and will be either on both networks or will move to TV Land by first quarter 2010. My guess is that it will totally move to TV Land. Home Improvement also airs in the daytime on TBS, so TV Land will only have evening rights. The Nanny will also be borrowed from sister network Nick at Nite and will be either on both networks or will move to TV Land, but this won't happen until third quarter 2010...next fall. Boston Legal is currently not on cable besides the weekend play on WGN America, though ION Television does have broadcast weekday rights.
These four series represent a continued commitment to build TV Land PRIME, the network's primetime programming destination dedicated to 40-somethings - a vibrant group with unmatched purchasing power and living in the most dynamic stage of their lives with relationships at work, with family and with friends all thriving. All of the programming in TV Land PRIME is hand-picked to appeal to the attitudes, life stage and interests of this important demo.

Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite has ordered a second season of 20 episodes of stop-motion animated series Glenn Martin, DDS, the first television series from Michael Eisner's Tornante Animation. The animated comedy series chronicles the offbeat adventures of the Martin family as they crisscross America in their tricked-out RV, encountering an array of bizarre situations and colorful locals. Ranked as the number-one program on Nick at Nite last quarter, the show features an all-star voice cast that includes Kevin Nealon as Glenn Martin, Catherine O'Hara as Jackie Martin and Judy Greer as Wendy Park.
Glenn Martin, DDS ranks as Nick at Nite's number-one program among total viewers average with 2.1 million total viewers each week, in third quarter 2009. In its first week, Glenn Martin, DDS reached a total of 11.3 million viewers and averaged 2.6 million (P2+) total viewers per telecast (Monday-Thursday, Aug. 17-20, 8 p.m.-8:30 p.m. [all times ET/PT]), according to Nielsen. The series also ranked as ad-supported cable's number-one co-viewed entertainment series in prime time for the premiere week with 40% of Adults 18-49 watching with at least one kid per household. Forty percent of Adults 18-49 watched with at least one kid 2-11 per household.
Season one has featured celebrity appearances, including Wendie Malick and Betty White, and will soon feature Bret Michaels, Chrissie Hynde, Gene Simmons, Sean Hayes, Jim Parsons, Estelle Harris and Don Johnson, among others.
Recently, Nick at Nite added hit series Everybody Hates Chris and Malcolm in the Middle, strengthening its slate of popular hit family comedies including the Emmy Award-winning series George Lopez, Home Improvement, The Nanny and Roseanne.

Don't forget ABC Comedy Wednesday starting tonight at 8/7 central! Today's blog is sponsored by Cougar Town, airing 9:30/8:30 central on ABC Comedy Wednesday. Because 40 is the new 20!

Nick at Nite Fall 2009 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 9 Cast

We continue our look at Fall 2009 schedules today with Nick at Nite's Fall 2009 line-up. Joining the schedule will be the comedy Everybody Hates Chris. The sitcom will launch with a marathon on Labor Day evening (Monday, Sept. 7) airing from 10pm-6:30am ET/PT. The series is inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock (who is also the narrator), while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York in the early-mid 1980s. The series stars Tyler James Williams as the young Chris Rock. Tequan Richmond, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Imani Hakim, and Vincent Martella also star. With recurring guest appearances by Todd Bridges, Ernest Thomas, Jackee Harry, and Jason Alexander. The series is also expected to air on sister Viacom network BET this fall (more to come on that).
All 88 episodes of Everybody Hates Chris will air on Nick at Nite as the show will air every night at 10 & 10:30PM ET/PT starting the next night as well as 2 & 2:30AM ET/PT. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will be leaving the schedule, as the contract has indeed expired, as we guessed a few weeks back. The show will air on Disney-owned ABC Family and Disney XD (more on Disney XD soon) on weeknights in September, while continuing to air on TBS in the mornings. As we mentioned Chris will air in the 10pm hour, this is now shifting the second hour of George Lopez back to 1am. The Nanny's weeknight 11pm-3am block is now just the 11pm hour, as Malcolm in the Middle returns to 12 midnight. 3-6am every night will be a rotating wheel of three series: The Nanny (Mon, Thurs, Sun), Family Matters (Tues, Fri) and Home Improvement (Wed, Sat). Also, the 6am half-hour will now be a wheel of these three series as well. This means Family Matters and Home Improvement will not air before 3am, as the 8pm-3am schedule is consistent each night with a few exceptions (Glenn Martin Mondays at 8 and Malcolm in the Middle Sunday nights in the 1am hour).
Other September highlights include a week-long marathon of George Lopez prior to Everybody Hates Chris joining. George week will be Aug. 31-Sept. 6, from 9pm-6am (10pm-6am on Fri-Sat). And of course original series Glenn Martin, DDS continues Mondays at 8pm. The original stop-motion animated series follows the life of Glenn Martin (Kevin Nealon), who yearns for a change of scenery and a deeper connection with his family.
View the FULL Nick at Nite Fall 2009 schedule that begins Sept. 8. As always, especially with Viacom owned networks, this is subject to change. So stay with us for continued updates.

An all new cast of celebrities hits the dance floor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars with the highly anticipated two-hour season premiere on Monday, September 21, 2009 from 8:00-10:02 p.m., ET/PT on ABC. With its biggest season yet, Dancing with the Stars Season Nine introduces us to 16 new stars, including an Osmond and an Osbourne, two Grammy Award ® winning artists, a Cowboy, a model CEO and a former House Majority Leader.
During the first week, eight teams will strut their stuff on Monday night (Sept. 21), while the other eight teams will show off their moves on Tuesday night (Sept. 22) at a special time of 8:00-10:00 p.m., ET/PT. On a special night and time, two couples will learn their fate and be sent home on Wednesday night (Sept. 23) from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT.
The series will regularly air Mondays 8-10 p.m. ET/PT and the results show on Tuesdays from 9-10 p.m. ET/PT. A 90-minute performance finale is scheduled for Monday, November 23 with the two-hour season finale on Tuesday, November 24 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. Four new dance styles -- the Bolero, the Charleston, the Two Step and the Lambada -- are also going to be introduced. The middle stages of the competition feature the return of the "Dance Off" on Tuesday nights, where contestants will perform a dance style of their choosing to fight for their spot in the competition, and three consecutive double eliminations promise the most dramatic period of Dancing with the Stars.
And the stars are: Aaron Carter (singer/actor), Natalie Coughlin (Olympic swimmer), Mark Dacascos (chef, Food Network), Tom DeLay (politician), Macy Gray (singer), Ashley Hamilton (actor, son of George Hamilton), Melissa Joan Hart (sitcom star/actress), Kathy Ireland (model, CEO), Michael Irvin (NFL legend), Joanna Krupa (model, The Superstars), Chuck Liddell (UFC mixed martial arts), Debie Mazar (actress), Mya (singer), Kelly Osbourne (singer/actress, personality), Donny Osmond (singer/actor/host, brother of Marie Osmond), and Louie Vito (professional snowboarder).
View full details on all the cast members for Season Nine and more!

Lifetime Fall 2009 Schedule; Nick at Nite, Spike TV, ION Changes Starting Today

Welcome to our annual look at the Fall 2009 schedules for cable networks! We launch our fall schedule barrage with Lifetime's Fall 2009 schedule! Their schedule will launch on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009 with a totally different weekday line-up! In the 8am hour now will be Less than Perfect and Will & Grace, replacing an hour of Still Standing, which is now totally gone. In the 9am hour we now have Frasier replacing an hour of Less than Perfect. Reba moves to 10am-12pm replacing an hour each of Frasier and Will & Grace. Wife Swap block now moves to 12-3pm instead of 2-6pm, replacing Desperate Housewives. Housewives moves from 12-2pm to 3-5pm leading into the two new additions to weekdays--Grey's Anatomy and Medium! Grey's Anatomy will air weeknights at 5pm & 6pm and late nights at 1:30am. It will also have a weekly airing on Mondays at 11pm. Medium will air weeknights at 7pm & 8pm and will also air in primetime on Tuesdays at 9pm and 10pm. Late nights will still have Will & Grace at 11pm-12am & 1am on most nights and Frasier in the 12am hour on most nights.
Original series wise, Lifetime will continue to air new episodes of Drop Dead Diva and Army Wives on Sundays starting at 9pm with many encores following and during the week and on Thursdays we have Project Runway and Models of the Runway starting at 10pm with also many encores following. The Sunday dramas will last into October, while the Thursday reality will last into November. Coming in October to Mondays will be original sitcoms Rita Rocks for a second season and the new original sitcom Sherri. They premiere Monday, Oct. 5 and we will have more on those soon.
How I Met Your Mother is moving from Mondays 7-8pm to Saturdays 1-2am. Looks like it didn't do well in the ratings? Sitcoms Still Standing and Cybill will totally be off the line-up.
View the full Lifetime Fall 2009 schedule. And stay with us for the next few weeks each weekday for more fall schedules! TCA tour is also on the horizon! Busy, busy time of year!

We have many schedule changes beginning today. First off, Nick at Nite will edit their schedule a bit. Starting tonight, Mon-Thurs, The Nanny will now air in a three-hour block from 11pm-2am. The 12am hour replaces Malcolm in the Middle and the 1am hour replaces Family Matters, which shifts over to 2am, replacing The Nanny. So now Mon-Thurs have three big marathon blocks of George Lopez from 9-11pm, The Nanny 11pm-2am, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 3am-6am. The only non-marathon block is Malcolm in the Middle from 8-9pm and Family Matters 2-3am. Wouldn't it be better if Family Matters was 1-3am and The Nanny just 11p-1a?
On Fridays, The Nanny will also take over the 12am hour replacing Malcolm in the Middle, so Malcolm will now not air on Friday nights at all. On Saturdays though, it will air in the 10pm hour and 12am hour, in between The Nanny at 11. On Sundays Malcolm will remain at 12am.
View the full schedule starting tonight (Monday, July 27, 2009). And stay tuned for Nick at Nite's August 2009 highlights still. They still haven't fully announced it.

Next up we have minor changes for Spike TV and ION Television. Well Spike TV is not that minor, but we only care about Married...with Children. Spike is removing that from the weekday line-up, and replacing it with all day CSI and CSI NY marathons. This week it is all CSI from 9am-8pm from Mon-Thurs and Spike's Most Amazing Videos on Friday. CSI NY is mixed in next week from 9-11am Mon-Thurs. Married...with Children will still air Sundays 9am-10:30am and at times 1-2am. When will it return to weekdays? We are not sure yet. It could even move back to TV Land? We'll certainly let you know first, so stay with us!
Finally, the last major change starting tonight is for ION Television. They are removing NCIS and replacing it with movies starting tonight. NCIS was airing Monday nights back-to-back from 9-11pm. It is unclear why they are removing NCIS because it was their highest rated program by far. Maybe they are saving it for September when they can air it more? We're not certain, but we'll let you know if it is returning when we announce their full fall line-up. We hinted at their fall line-up on Friday. For now, view the movies airing Monday nights and more in their updated August 2009 schedule. Monday movie premieres include Matrix Revolutions and Matrix Reloaded.

Nick at Nite Revises July Schedule and Stunts; Hallmark Channel Cuts Some Lucy, Adds Murder, Heaven; RIP Farrah

The other day we gave you the Nick at Nite July 2009 schedule, and now Nick at Nite has edited it. So no one gets confused, we edited our story to reflect these new changes, so please view that story again.
To recap the new changes, the biggest changes from the original July schedule to this schedule is that Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is now in primetime, Mon-Thurs at 10pm and Fridays at 11pm. So, Family Matters will not be 10pm now except on Sundays. George Lopez will still be on the move to 9pm to anchor primetime. The Nanny will be every night at 11pm still except on Fridays, as Malcolm in the Middle will be every night in the 12am hour now and will remain in the 8pm hour Sun-Thurs.
The highlights have changed a bit, too. We still have the same dates and times for the Malcolm in the Middle launch, The Assistants encore, SpongeBob Bash, but now the George Lopez marathon slated for July 26 has been moved to August 2. On Sunday, July 26 instead we get the classic summer movie National Lampoon's Vacation from 8-10pm ET/PT. Nick at Nite has also added an encore of VH-1's special Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants on Thursday, July 23 at 10pm.
View and discuss the updated Nick at Nite July 2009 schedule.

Starting this Monday (June 29), the Hallmark Channel will cut the I Love Lucy weekday block of 11am-2pm to 11am-1pm as they will add an extra 7th Heaven in the 1pm hour. This means 7th Heaven will air back-to-back now from 1-3pm. On weekends during late nights 1-3am on both Saturday and Sunday night we will get back-to-back episodes of Murder, She Wrote replacing a two-hour block of I Love Lucy. So Murder, She Wrote makes its way back on the schedule, while I Love Lucy's airings are now reduced to weekdays 11am-1pm and 2:30am.
In other highlights for July, on Sunday, July 5 it is a Little House on the Prairie day with episodes airing from 8am-3pm, including "The Last Farewell" TV-movie from 1-3pm. Then that's not all, as we get the three-part 2005 ABC mini-series from 3-9pm. That mini-series stars Cameron Bancroft and Erin Cottrell and is based on the book by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and tells the story of the Ingalls family as they travel from Wisconsin to the Indian Territory of Kansas.

Finally, ABC has added A Special Edition of 20/20 for tonight at 10pm ET/PT titled "Farrah Fawcett: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Legacy." It is hosted by Barbara Walters will feature the story of Farrah Fawcett and interviews her long time companion Ryan O'Neal, former Charlie's Angels co-star Jaclyn Smith and her doctor. Farrah is battling anal cancer and is currently in the hospital and it is not looking good.
1PM UPDATE: Farrah has passed away. Read for more info. We will be back with a tribute tomorrow. Watch ABC tonight for more on Farrah and her life. Farrah was 62.
UPDATE #2: Farrah Tributes on TV. We will have more on this tomorrow right here on the blog.

Nick at Nite July 2009 with Malcolm in the Middle; Spike has No Scrubs

We finally can release the Nick at Nite July 2009 schedule! Malcolm in the Middle joins the Nick at Nite line-up with an all-night marathon on Sunday, July 5 from 8pm-1am and an encore from 1am-6am! Then the series will join the Nick at Nite line-up the next night airing Sun-Thurs in the 8pm hour and 12am hour (all times ET/PT). On Fridays it will also air in the 4am hour, in addition to 12am. Saturdays and Sundays it will air in the 2am hour as well. Yes, that means on Sundays it is on for three hours (8pm, 12am, 2am) So what does this mean for the rest of the schedule?
George Lopez will still anchor primetime, but now since Nick at Nite starts at 8pm with Malcolm, the anchor will move to the 9pm hour on Sun-Thurs since primetime is now 8pm-11pm instead of 9-11pm! George Lopez will still lead-off Nick at Nite on Fridays & Saturdays in the 10pm hour, as Nick at Nite starts still at 10pm on those two nights. The 1am encore will remain Mon-Fri.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is back in primetime, Mon-Thurs in the 10pm hour and on Fridays in the 11pm hour. It will also air late nights Mon-Thurs in the 4am hour. Who knew this show would come back big? My guess is it is holding the hour for Everybody Hates Chris for the fall.
The Nanny will remain in the 11pm hour every night but Friday (Fresh Prince). The late night hour moves to the 2am hour from Mon-Fri. And on Sat-Sun nights the late night airings are 3-5am.
Family Matters moves to only the 3am hour now on Mon-Fri, with the Mon-Fri at 6am half-hour airings remaining. On Saturdays it is just in the 1am hour and on Sunday nights it will also air in the 1am hour but it will be in primetime as well in the 10pm hour.
Home Improvement is now just every morning in the 5am hour, as it loses all of its slots, including primetime at 9pm.
Anyway, on to the rest of the highlights. We have more than just the Malcolm in the Middle launch marathon. Sister network The N's new series The Assistants (launches Friday, July 10 at 8:30pm on The N) will have a special one-time encore on Nick at Nite on Friday, July 12 at 9pm, sandwiched in between Malcolm in the Middle and George Lopez. Nickelodeon will celebrate the 10th birthday of their megahit SpongeBob SquarePants with "The Ultimate SpongeBob Sponge Bash" from Friday, July 17 starting at 8PM through Sunday, July 19 at 9:30pm ET/PT. That's nearly 50 hours of non-stop SpongeBob! Finally, there will be a George Lopez marathon on Sunday, July 26 from 9pm-4am ET/PT, but we don't have details yet. Stay tuned. Once Nick at Nite officially announces these stunts and what is airing Sunday nights 1am-3am, we will let you know.
For now view our Nick at Nite July 2009 thread and discuss the schedule with others.

We mentioned before that Scrubs was joining the regular schedule for Spike TV starting July 6, weekdays in the 11am hour, now that is not happening. The series had been airing on Thursday nights this month in the 1am hour and was set to join the regular schedule in July, but now instead Spike TV will air Spike's Most Amazing Videos in the 11am hour starting July 6. The other changes we mentioned starting July 6 will remain, including the return of Married...with Children from 9-11am on weekdays. At least Scrubs got to air Thursdays 1-2am on June 18 and will again this Thursday (June 25). It will also air Sunday morning this week.
Scrubs will still be on sister network Comedy Central and also not to mention on WGN America and local broadcast syndication. Starting next week, Scrubs will only be 7-8pm on weekdays on Comedy Central as its 2:30-3:30pm slot will be taken over by MADtv, as Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist returns weekdays in the 8am hour. Just Shoot Me! will remain 3:30-4:30pm. Scrubs will still air in mini-blocks on weekend midday/early afternoons.

Malcolm in the Middle Coming to Nick at Nite in July 2009; Old Christine Reruns Join Entourage, Curb in Fall 2010 Syndication

Nick at Nite is getting the 8pm ET/PT hour back! The last time they had the full 8pm hour was from 1985-1996. The 8pm half-hour was lost starting in Fall 1996. Then they eventually lost the 8:30pm half-hour as well a year or so later. They briefly got 8:30pm back in fall 2000, but eventually that was gone by summer 2001. But now the full 8pm hour is back! What show will Nick at Nite use? Malcolm in the Middle! Nick at Nite has acquired rerun rights to all 151 episodes of the family comedy from Twentieth Century Fox TV. Malcolm will become the anchor of Nick at Nite's primetime sitcom block, airing Sunday-Thursday in the reinstated 8pm hour starting Sunday, July 5. The single-camera comedy ran on Fox for seven seasons from 2000-06 and revolved around a budding teenager (Frankie Muniz), with a genius IQ in a family of misfits. Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston co-starred as parents Lois and Hal. The series will make a nice companion to fellow single-camera sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which will premiere in syndication this fall on Nick at Nite!
Malcolm in the Middle will still remain on cable on FX, where it has been airing since fall 2007. FX has a 5-year deal, that runs though fall 2012. There has to be a time restriction for FX and Nick at Nite now. FX airs the show currently in the weekdays 7am hour and various times in the afternoons, mostly 3-4pm. So, if I were to guess, FX has rights from 7am-7pm, with Nick at Nite 7pm-7am? Just a guess, but it makes sense. The show is also on local broadcast syndication. It has been airing on local channels since fall 2004, but its term is up this fall (2009), so it seems it will leave locals this fall. View the press release and discuss this news! We will have more on Malcolm in the Middle soon, including how this will affect the full Nick at Nite schedule starting in July. Stay tuned!
In other Nick at Nite news, they added a very last minute The Nanny marathon last night (Sunday, June 7), from 11pm-6am ET/PT and a special airing at 9:30pm as well. The show will also get a marathon next Sunday (June 14) from 9pm-4am, in case you didn't see it last night. It seems to me The Nanny is a surprise hit for the network.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has cleared reruns of sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine on local TV stations reaching more than 70 percent of the country, including the Tribune stations in New York and Los Angeles, for a Fall 2010 syndication launch.
The New Adventures of Old Christine, which CBS just picked up for a fifth season, was picked up by Tribune-owned WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles and by Weigel-owned WCIU in Chicago. In addition, the show has been sold to other markets owned by the CBS, Sinclair, Fox, Local TV, Hearst, Raycom, Meredith, Acme, Titan, Roberts, Gannett, Capitol, Grant and Cox station groups. Old Christine will air as a double-run daily strip with two weekend broadcasts at the most on these stations.
As previously mentioned, Warner Bros. has also sold reruns of Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm for a fall 2010 syndication launch as well. Entourage reruns will also air on cable on Viacom's Spike TV and Comedy Central before the syndication launch, in January 2010 as we mentioned.
Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm have also added several more station groups to their clearances, including CBS, Sinclair, Fox, Local TV, Hearst, Raycom, Meredith, Acme, Titan, Roberts, Gannett, Capitol, Grant and Cox. Both shows already were cleared on the Tribune stations in 17 markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Both shows will air as daily strips with one weekend run at most on these stations. And now Entourage also "reportedly" has a run on Tribune's WGN America cable network starting in Fall 2010 as well, according to B&C. So by Fall 2010, Entourage will be in broadcast syndication, Spike TV/Comedy Central, and possibly WGN America. Curb is still looking for a cable home, as is Old Christine.

Nick at Nite June 2009; CBS Summer 2009 Slate; MyNetwork TV Fall 2009

The Nick at Nite June schedule will begin this weekend with some changes to the weekend line-up. The changes begin this Friday (May 29), with now Friday looking exactly like Mon-Thurs, which will remain unchanged. That means, the 2am hour on Friday nights will be Fresh Prince replacing an hour of Family Matters, the 3am hour is now Home Improvement instead of Fresh Prince, 4am hour is The Nanny instead of Home Improvement, and the 5am hour is now Family Matters instead of The Nanny. So, now the schedule is the same 10pm-6:30am on Mon-Fri. Home Improvement remains 9-10pm from Mon-Thurs.
And they have also matched-up Saturdays and Sundays to look the same. On both nights now 1am Family Matters is added instead of Home Improvement. So Urkel and the gang are 12-2am now on weekends. The Nanny also gets a two-hour block from 2-4am, with the 2am hour on Saturdays replacing Home Improvement. Home Improvement is now 4am on both nights replacing The Nanny on Saturdays and Family Matters on Sundays. And once again the only difference between the two nights is that Home Improvement airs on Sundays in the 9pm hour, as that airs Sun-Thurs at 9.
George Lopez continues to dominate for the network every night at 10-11pm and weeknights at 1-2am. I know you want to see the full schedule, so view the full Nick at Nite June 2009 schedule. As of now, there are no special stunts, but that could change. The only thing to report is the new movie Mr. Troop Mom starring George Lopez is airing Friday, June 19 and Sunday, June 21 from 8-10pm for Father's Day. Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite partners with Warner Premiere and George Lopez Presents on Mr. Troop Mom, a film about single dad Eddie Serrano (Lopez), a workaholic lawyer/widower, who must climb mountains, ford streams and more as "Team Mom" in order to bond with his tween daughter in this camp-set comic adventure. The film also stars Jane Lynch (Another Cinderella Story, Role Models) as camp director Ms. Hulka, Daniela Bobadilla as Eddie's daughter Naomi and a special appearance by Nat and Alex Wolff of The Naked Brothers Band.
Looking in the future: Nick at Nite will launch original animated series Glenn Martin, DDS on Monday, August 17 with a week-long premiere at 8pm for a half-hour each night from Aug. 17-20, before settling into its Tuesdays at 9pm half-hour. The series has a 20 episode order. More info soon!

CBS has finally announced their summer 2009 plans. All we knew so far was burn-offs and repeats of Million Dollar Password on Sundays at 8pm, which started May 24. First, Tuesdays at 10pm starting June 2 will now be 48 Hours Mystery replacing the canceled Without a Trace. Trace will get two Sunday repeat airings at 10pm on June 14 and June 21, its last airings likely. The Mentalist will get a feel of its upcoming Thursdays at 10pm slot when it airs repeats following CSI starting June 4. The Mentalist will continue to also air Tuesdays at 9pm through and including July 7, when Big Brother comes, but more on that in a bit. The Big Bang Theory will also move to its upcoming slot of Mondays at 9:30pm for repeat play starting June 8. It will remain in its current 8pm slot as well until June 22, when How I Met Your Mother repeats moves to its new 8pm slot. Airing at 8:30pm on Mondays starting June 22 will be repeats of Rules of Engagement, which will return with new episodes in early 2010. Finally, CBS's only summer original returns on Thursday, July 9...that's reality staple Big Brother. The series will air Thursdays at 8pm starting July 9, Sundays at 8pm starting July 12 and Tuesdays at 9pm starting July 14. On Thursdays it will replace comedy/crime repeats, on Sundays it will replace Million Dollar Password, and on Tuesdays it will replace The Mentalist repeats. So that's basically CBS summer...repeats, 48 Hours Mystery and Big Brother.

Finally, we end with the fall line-up for MyNetwork TV. They will rely a lot on off-network programming more than ever. They will start their fall line-up on Monday, Sept. 28. Airing on Mondays will be off-network reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 8 and 9pm. On Tuesdays, they will air episodes of first-run syndicated series Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? at 8 & 8:30pm and the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal at 9 & 9:30pm. The syndicated version of 5th Grader will launch this fall on local stations and also on Tuesdays on MyNetwork TV. On Wednesdays we have two back-to-back episodes of The Unit, which makes its off-network syndication launch this fall on both local stations and MyNetwork TV. CBS has canceled the series, so this will be your only way to watch the series in primetime, but they are just reruns. Thursdays and Fridays remain unchanged with Movie Night on Thursday and WWE Smackdown! on Fridays. As mentioned before, MyNetwork TV has handed Saturdays back to local affiliates to program, so both The CW and MyNetwork TV will now only focus on Mon-Fri.
View and discuss the full Fall 2009 MyNetwork TV schedule.

Nick at Nite Adds More Nanny; Cosby Show Celebrates 25th Anniversary; More RTN Stations

Nick at Nite, which introduced The Nanny to its line-up on Mother's Day, is going to add more slots for the show. Last weekend, they expanded on the late night airings on weekends for The Nanny, expanding the one-hour slots to two-hours (Saturdays 3-5am and Sundays 2-4am). Now Nick at Nite is doing more. First, they will have an all-night marathon this Sunday (May 24) from 10am-2am (encores 2am-6am) ET/PT. Then The Nanny moves from midnight to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays starting tonight (May 22), bumping Home Improvement. Family Matters takes over the 12 midnight slot on both nights. 1am-3am on Saturday nights will now be two-hours of Home Improvement. This may sound confusing, but the schedule is actually easier to follow a bit now with these changes, as now The Nanny airs every night in the 11pm hour and Family Matters in the 12am hour. View the full updated schedule for Nick at Nite. I don't have anything official yet, but it seems The Nanny is a surprise hit for the network.

The Cosby Show premiered on NBC on Sept. 20, 1984, nearly 25 years ago. This week some of the cast reunited on NBC's Today show. Bill Cosby (Cliff Huxtable), Phylicia Rashad (Clair Huxtable), Earle Hyman (Cliff's dad), Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Theo Huxtable), Geoffrey Owens (Elvin Tibideaux), Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy Huxtable), and Raven Symoné (Olivia Kendall) were together again. On Tuesday, they were heavily featured on the Today show. They spoke to both Matt Lauer and Al Roker. Roker was even in a Cosby sweater! If you missed it, not to worry, we have all the clips for you:
It's the Huxtables!
Behind the Scenes
25 Years Later
Cast Answering Viewer Questions

RTN is coming to more Ohio stations! WAX Channel 35 in Cleveland and WAOH Channel 29in Akron, starting Monday, June 1 will carry RTN. Old favorites such as Magnum P.I., Kojak, Night Gallery and The Incredible Hulk will air between 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week.
Speaking of RTN, it seems like they are changing their name to RTV, according to their website.

So we finished upfront this week, stay tuned tomorrow as we give a full preview to all the new sitcoms on the broadcast networks from Modern Family to The Middle to Accidentally on Purpose. We have about 10 new sitcoms coming in 09-10!

The Nanny Joins Nick at Nite in May 2009; TBS Orders Original Animated Comedy

We have mentioned many times that The Nanny is coming to Nick at Nite in spring 2009. Yesterday we gave you an actual date. That was for the all-night marathon launch on Sunday, May 10 from 9pm-6am ET/PT...now we have the regular airing schedule, along with the rest of Nick at Nite May 2009! Effective Monday, May 11, 2009 The Nanny will join the Nick at Nite line-up airing Sun-Thurs at 11:00pm & 11:30pm ET/PT. That will force Nick at Nite to move Family Matters, which is one of their big guns, to 12:00am & 12:30am ET/PT on Sun-Thurs nights. You might say why are they doing this? Now Nick at Nite will sandwich The Nanny in between big time ratings hits George Lopez (10-11pm) and Family Matters (12-1am). Now if The Nanny does falter, they can always switch it to midnight and move Urkel and company back to 11pm. Family Matters is replacing Home Improvement at 12 midnight. That hour of Home Improvement will move to Mon-Thurs 3-4am ET/PT, replacing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Fresh Prince will now only air Mon-Thurs from 2-3am, instead of the 2-5am block. The Nanny will also air 4-5am on Mon-Thurs nights, followed by Family Matters from 5-6am on Mon-Thurs nights, replacing Roseanne. Family Matters will also remain at 6am as well on weekdays. Now if you noticed the late night airings are Mon-Thurs (1am-6am) rather than Sun-Thurs like primetime (9pm-1am). On Sunday nights at 1am, we get back-to-back Home Improvement episodes replacing The Cosby Show, which is now gone from Nick at Nite. The Nanny airs 2-3am and Family Matters from 3-4am on Sunday nights, with Roseanne closing it out with a two-hour block from 4-6am.
So now that Sun-Thurs is all done, we have Friday & Saturday left. Again it is broken up into two different pieces (10pm-1am and 1am-6am). On both nights we get a change at 12 midnight with The Nanny airing back-to-back episodes, replacing Family Matters. Family Matters moves to 2-3am on Friday nights and 1-2am on Saturday nights, both replacing Home Improvement. Home Improvement moves to 4-5am on Friday nights replacing Roseanne and 2-3am on Saturday nights replacing Family Matters. The Nanny airs 3-4am on Saturday nights replacing Family Matters. Family Matters late night airing on Saturday nights are now 4-5am, replacing an hour of Roseanne, which will only be 5-6am on Saturday nights now. 5-6am on Friday nights will be The Nanny, replacing Family Matters encore.
In other May news, we get a George Lopez marathon on Tuesday, May 5 from 9pm-3am ET/PT called "Cinco de Lopez II." Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Lopez style!
This is the first major schedule change in a while. It is hard to follow, but here is a recap: The Nanny joins, Cosby Show is gone, Fresh Prince & Roseanne are heavily reduced, and Family Matters and Home Improvement get some time shifting, while George Lopez's slots remain unchanged.
Still confused? Don't worry, view the full Nick at Nite May 2009 schedule.

Adding a devilish touch to its line-up, TBS has greenlit the half-hour animated series Neighbors from Hell, which comes to the network from Fox TV Animation (same people who do Family Guy), DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and Jeffrey Katzenberg (Shrek). Pam Brady (South Park), who wrote the pilot episode, and Mireille Soria (Madagascar) will serve as executive producers. TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the series, marking the network's first foray into original primetime animation. The series should work well with reruns of Family Guy on TBS.
Neighbors from Hell centers on the Hellmans, a typical, all-American suburban family, with Balthazor; his wife, Tina; their two children, Mandy and Josh; and their dog, Pazuzu. The only thing that distinguishes them from the rest of the folks in the neighborhood is that the Hellmans happen to be from Hell. They have been sent to Earth to pose as normal suburbanites with a mission to keep humans from finding their way to Hell. Their task is made all the more complicated by Balthazor's growing affection for humans and their odd but endearing qualities.
TBS has not given a set launch period for this show as of yet.

Nick at Nite Late Night Changes; Spike TV's May 2009 Highlights

Nick at Nite is making some late night changes starting this week. First, weekdays at 6am another Family Matters is replacing Full House, which is leaving the line-up. This started yesterday. The rest of the changes are to late nights on Friday nights and Sunday nights. Effective Friday, April 17 (which is technically early Saturdays) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air replaces Roseanne in the 3am hour with two episodes. Roseanne will still air 4-5am, though. Then Sunday nights starting Sunday, April 19 (which is technically early Mondays), Family Matters will replace Fresh Prince in the 3am hour, while Roseanne is added with a two-hour block from 4-6am replacing an hour each of Fresh Prince and Family Matters.
View these changes in a list form, if you're confused. There are no other changes, so if a show is airing in a time we haven't mentioned, it is still airing in that slot.
This is not all the news we have for Nick at Nite. We have a date for The Nanny launch! The Nanny launches on Sunday, May 10 at 9PM with an all-night Mother's Day marathon! The Nanny will then join the regular schedule the following night (Monday, May 11). When will it air regularly? I won't reveal that (along with the rest of the new Nick at Nite May 2009 schedule) until tomorrow! So come on back tomorrow! What will be dropped or reduced for the addition of The Nanny? You'll see tomorrow.

Also this Mother's Day, Spike TV is actually celebrating the day. Celebrate Mother's Day Spike-style with Spike TV's greatest mom of all time - Peg Bundy in a Married... with Children marathon on Sunday, May 10 from 1pm-5pm. The marathon is being called "MILF Day." Then on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) catch a CSI NY marathon from 9am-7pm. Among the movie premieres in May include Any Given Sunday, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, and two original movies - Kill Switch & Street Warrior. Spike will also have original episodes of its original series.
As a preview to June, you'll see a CSI NY week-long marathon from 9am-7pm the week of June 22-26. The following week it will be CSI vs. CSI NY from 9am-3pm and a Star Wars movies marathon from 3pm-9pm the week of June 29-July 3.

Nick at Nite April 2009: Whole Lotta Lopez Week; New Three's Company Features on Retroality.TV Includes News on a Biography Episode

This April on Nick at Nite, there won't be any changes to the regular line-up...but they do have have "a whole lotta George Lopez." Yes, the week of April 6, is "Whole Lotta Lopez" week! From Mon-Thurs that week from 9:00pm-6:00am ET/PT and Friday of that week from 10:00pm-6:00am ET/PT it's non-stop George Lopez, all-night long!
Nick at Nite is bringing you George Lopez for five full nights! Join Nick at Nite for the kind of laughter and excitement as only George can provide. Watch out!
Catch the first 103 episodes of this hilarious show (but not counting holiday episodes, which means Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day.) So the following episodes are skipped: 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 35, 38, 40, 52, 61, 63, 64, 66, 85, 91 (#52 is actually not a holiday episode but the 3D Disneyland episode).
So if you have never seen the show, now is your chance to get in on the action from the beginning! It is quite funny, too. I got this, as George would say. Sabes que, just watch and see yourself!
And coming this May to Nick at Nite will be The Nanny joining the regular schedule. So stay tuned for news on that very soon! But for now view the Nick at Nite April 2009 schedule and highlights.

About ten days ago Chris Mann posted his interview with Three's Company's Joyce DeWitt and also an interview with me...and now Chris has more Three's Company updates! March 2009 is all about Three's Company at Chris' Retroality.TV as Three's Company celebrated 32 years on the air. Chris is labeling all this as the Three's Company 32nd Anniversary Retrospecial!
First up, on his very creative Quit Yer Kitschin' blog section, Chris sums up all of the "Retrospecial" coverage while offering some "extras" about me, Andy Hermann and a person named Ryan Mooney, who wrote a new Internet sitcom pilot called Something About Ryan that's a bit of a contemporary take on Three's Company's comedy of misunderstandings and sexual innuendo, Chris says.
Chris also use this blog entry to break news about a new, in-the-works Biography episode on Three's Company. Believe it or not, Biography has never done a full special on the show, but they have done Biography episodes on John Ritter and Suzanne Somers. We will keep you up to date on this breaking news. It'll likely air on the Biography Channel instead of A&E, as most of the Biography episodes do now.
Chris also pays tribute to John on this blog entry and shares his journey with him where his book Come and Knock on Our Door is concerned (including all the publicity he did and the documentaries that resulted). It is a great story! I urge you to read this creative, informative and interesting blog story!
And that is not all! Remember our good friends Nick Digilo and Andy Hermann of WGN Radio? Chris also interviews them for the Three's Company Retrospecial! If you don't know, Nick is a host of a popular radio show on WGN Radio on weekends and is a big pop-culture fan. Andy is the producer of that show and is a big Three's Company buff. He even does a semi-regular Three's Company Trivia Throwdowns on-air! He is good! I even sent him questions many times, and he has done good. They have interviewed Priscilla Barnes (Terri from Three's Company) and Richard Kline (Larry from Three's Company) on-air on separate occasions, so they were fun to hear! They also did interviews with Chris Mann on-air a few times. Good stuff! You can hear all that on their website, if you missed it. But first be sure to check out the interview Chris does with both Nick and Andy in the Retroality Radio Q&A!
Wow, that's "a whole lotta Company!" We started the blog today with "a whole lotta Lopez" and end with "a whole lotta Company!"

Lifetime December 2008 and January 2009 Changes; Cincinnati Station Changes Name to WKRP

We didn't get a chance to mention it, but effective last week (Nov. 24), Lifetime removed The Nanny from the line-up. The contract for the show expires later this month, and TV Land and Nick at Nite gain access to it starting this spring, but not sure yet when and where it will air. We'll let you know. The Nanny was airing weeknights at 2am, and Lifetime replaced it with an extra episode of The Golden Girls. Also, The Golden Girls is now airing in the 8am hour replacing Still Standing's morning airings...it will still air weekdays 7-8pm. So The Golden Girls as of now is airing 8-9am, 9-10am, and 1-am-2:30am...7 airings a day. It will be cut to 6 in January, more on that below.
As we mentioned previously, effective today (Dec. 1), Lifetime will add the original series Mom's Cooking in the weekday 11am hour (20 episodes have been ordered) and will add another Wife Swap episode at 10am leading into the series...so Will & Grace and Frasier are off of the daytime line-up until further notice (thru end of January at least), but remain in late night. No other changes are being made in December, so the rest of the line-up is the same as it is now.
Starting in January we get a few more changes. Lifetime will start airing How I Met Your Mother on Monday evenings from 7-8pm starting Monday, January 5, 2009. This is its pre-syndication start before Lifetime can air it daily starting in fall 2010, as we mentioned before. Reba will be the lead-in (6-7pm) and lead-out (8pm) to the How I Met Your Mother airings, while original sitcom Rita Rocks moves from Tuesdays at 8:30pm to Mondays at 8:30pm. Lifetime will move the primetime airing of Wife Swap from Tuesdays at 10pm to Mondays at 9pm leading into their new original series DietTribe, airing Mondays at 10pm starting January 5 thru Feb. 2. Rita Rocks and DietTribe will repeat later on Mondays starting at 1am. So Mondays is a big night for Lifetime in January.
Also, starting Jan. 5, Will & Grace will expand to three episodes airing 11pm to 12:30am, while the Frasier hour slides to 12:30am-1:30am, and the The Golden Girls airs 1:30-2:30am, so it loses an airing. The Golden Girls is moving to Hallmark Channel and WE tv in the spring, so we are down to the last months of the series on Lifetime. Frasier will get an additional slot in January, airing Sundays 12-1am after Grey's Anatomy. There will be no other changes, as of now.

WKRP is actually on the air! No, I don't mean the TV series is on TV, but a local station in Cincinnati has changed its call letters to WKRP! Low-power Channel 38 known as WBQC-TV since 1995, has changed its call letters to WKRP-TV to promote its new digital TV signal.
This is the first time a station here has been known as WKRP since the CBS premiere 30 years ago of WKRP in Cincinnati, a TV sitcom about a wacky rock radio station fictionally set in Cincinnati. Elliott Block, general manager and chief engineer for WKRP-TV says, "When I call someone out-of-town and say we're a TV station in Cincinnati, the response usually is, 'WKRP in Cincinnati?' This gives us recognition." He also has tried to acquire the TV series to air on WKRP-TV, but says "We've checked, but WKRP in Cincinnati is not available for broadcast. It's only available for cable." He is correct, it airs Sunday evenings on WGN America and Monday nights on AmericanLife TV.
So what does WKRP-TV air? Right now just stuff like Matlock, One on One, Punk'd, Cops, and first-run syndicated stuff like Cold Squad and Jury Duty. Nothing out of the ordinary, but still the name change is cool. So baby, if you've ever wondered if there was a real WKRP, now you know there is! Check out WKRP-TV's website. "I'm at WKRP in Cincinnati..."

Nick at Nite October 2008 Has Urkel Week and Halloween Week; Lifetime Acquires How I Met Your Mother for Fall 2010

This October on Nick at Nite will have various stunts such as an Urkel week hosted by Jaleel White and the 1st Annual Worldwide Fido Awards. At last an award show for real dogs! Forget the pedigree, purebreds and professional judges! The dogs on this show are chosen by you the viewer! The one-hour special event hosted by actor/comedian Fred Willard will showcase the six Fido finalists and best of WorldwideFido.com's user-generated videos, where one lucky dog will ultimately be crowned the 2008 Worldwide Fido winner. It will air Sunday, October 5 from 8-9PM.
On Columbus Day (Monday, October 13), Nick at Nite will bring out the stars on George Lopez with a marathon from 9pm-4am. Got a favorite guest star? Check out the special line-up of hand picked celebrities all of whom have graced the George Lopez stage to see if your favorites made the cut! Eva Longoria, Mario Lopez, Jerry Springer, Adam West, Barbara Eden, Jim Belushi, Sandra Bullock, Lou Diamond Phillips, Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Richard Lewis, Kimberly Williams, Laila Ali, Andy Garcia, who made the cut? Find out on October 13!
Get up close and personal with Steve Urkel himself (Jaleel White) as he reminisces with Nick and Nite on what it was like to play one of America's favorite nerds and his favorite episodes. Jaleel White hosts an hour a night from Oct. 20-26 featuring classic Steve Urkel-themed episodes of Family Matters. Classic episodes include his very first episode, Jaleel as Myrtle Urkel, the Urkel dance episode, Urkelbot, Urkel & Grandmama, and classic Stefan episodes.
Finally, it's a spooktacular week for Nick at Nite the week of October 27-31. Tune in all-week long to catch Halloween themed episodes of your Nick at Nite favorites (Fresh Prince, George Lopez, and Home Improvement) in the 9pm hour and also in regular timeslots for more Halloween fun. It will be capped off with a Halloween marathon on Halloween night from 10pm-1am featuring George Lopez, Home Improvement and Family Matters. Be ready for the scary Stevil!
View the full Nick at Nite October 2008 schedule and highlights.

Continuing the aggressive expansion of its comedy programming, Lifetime Television has acquired the exclusive basic cable rights to the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother from Twentieth Television, beginning in the fall of 2010.
How I Met Your Mother joins Lifetime comedy mainstays such as Reba, Still Standing, Will & Grace and Frasier. So far in 2008, Reba ranks #1 in cable comedies among W18+ and W25-54 in the Monday-Friday, 8-9PM (ET/PT) time period.
Both Lifetime and Twentieth Television declined comment on the financial terms of the deal, but sources said the sitcom fetched around $725,000 per episode in a highly competitive bidding situation that included at least six interested cable nets, including TBS, ABC Family and FX. The deal will be a four-year deal and could add on a year each time it gets renewed on CBS. The deal can reach as high as eight years. Lifetime's deal is the second biggest license fee ever by a cable network for a sitcom in the first cycle, beaten only by the near $800,000 an episode that FX did for Warner Bros. Domestic's Two and a Half Men. Lifetime can also reportedly air two episodes a week by early next year before it can be stripped for daily play in fall 2010.
Last week, Twentieth TV scored deals with the Fox-owned TV stations in N.Y. (WNYW), L.A. (KTTV) and Chicago (WFLD) for reruns of How I Met Your Mother for local station play starting in fall 2010. Stations in five other major markets, including CBS-owned outlets in Philadelphia (WPSG) and Dallas (KXTA) bought the series. WLVI Boston, KQCA Sacramento, and Seattle's KCPQ/KMYQ round out the additional five.
Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, Jason Segal and Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother debuted on CBS in 2005 and currently airs Mondays at 8:30PM (ET/PT) on CBS in its fourth season.
In other Lifetime news, just a reminder that original sitcom Rita Rocks launches with five new episodes airing in a one week strip, beginning Monday, October 20, through Friday, October 24, at 8:30PM (ET/PT), following Reba repeats. Then starting Tuesday, October 28, Rita Rocks will air regularly Tuesdays at 8:30PM (ET/PT). Also, starting Monday, October 5, The Nanny will return to weekdays at 8-9am replacing a Desperate Housewives airing. The Nanny had been airing only weeknights at 2am and will still retain that slot. Both The Golden Girls and The Nanny will be expiring from Lifetime in early 2009, so Lifetime will have some slots to fill. We'll let you know what happens.

Tonight it is the season premieres of Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy on ABC. I have watched both premieres already and both are very good, especially the two-hour Grey's Anatomy premiere. On Ugly Betty, a month has passed and Betty has made her choice. When she returns, she finds out what happened to Mode and Daniel. Meanwhile, Betty's dad is now working at a local hamburger place...where Betty's high school bully Kimberly (Lindsay Lohan) is the manager. Very fun scenes with Betty and Kimberly. And Hilda's romance with Coach Diaz continues, despite his marriage. Without giving anything away, the premiere is funny and it's a fresh start with lots of changes. The move to New York in production has paid off!
As for Grey's Anatomy, the premiere is fantastic. It also has change. It seems many ABC shows this fall has changes, and it is for the good. A freak fall ice storm has hit Seattle and Seattle Grace Hospital has moved out of the top 5 in the rankings of best teaching skills. Chief Webber has to make changes and decisions to get the hospital back to its credibility. Making quite the entrance in this episode is the very talented Kevin McKidd, who plays General Hunt, a doctor in the military. He has excellent scenes with Cristina...and steamy ones. There are a few dream sequences, some shocking and some touching...not giving it away though. Also, I won't give it away, but the keyword for the episode is "icicle." It's a premiere you will want to watch for sure.
I have seen many of the premieres for ABC, so check my thoughts on them if you want to read it. More is on the way, so keep checking back.

TV Land Announces New Primetime Block; Me-TV and Me-Too Fall Schedules for Chicago

TV Land has announced the launch of TV Land PRIME, a new primetime programming block designed to appeal to the attitudes, life stage and interests of people in their 40s and 50s, catering specifically to people in their mid-40s. Debuting Monday, October 6, this primetime destination will feature original programming such as TV Land hit franchises High School Reunion, She's Got The Look, Myths & Legends and the upcoming series The Cougar, acquired television series such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Scrubs, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Friends and That '70s Show and theatrical releases including Analyze This, Titanic, Ray, A River Runs Through It, Love Actually, Jerry Maguire and Independence Day.
Equipped with a new logo, color scheme and on-air graphics program, TV Land PRIME will air Monday through Saturday, 9pm to 12 midnight beginning October 6 on TV Land. TV Land PRIME's programming is defined as entertaining, engaging, escapist and most importantly -- targeted for this Adult demographic -- a dynamic group with unmatched purchasing power. Moving forward, all of TV Land's original programming, contemporary television series acquisitions and movies will premiere solely in this daypart.
Initially, the line-up will have Scrubs (Mon-Fri 9-10pm & Sat 11pm-12am), 3rd Rock from the Sun (Mon-Tues, Thurs 10-11pm), Season 2 of original series Myths & Legends (Wed 10pm & encores Sat 10-11pm), encores of High School Reunion (Wed 10:30-11:30pm), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (Mon-Tues & Thurs 11pm-12am, Wed 11:30p-12:30a, & Sat 8-10pm) and MovieLand movies (Fridays 10pm-12am)...all starting Monday, October 6. Sunday nights will remain classic TV in primetime.
Among the other off-network series coming are Friends (Sept. 2012) and That '70s Show (Sept. 2010). Friends could however come as early as Sept. 2011, as that is when its Nick at Nite deal starts and TV Land might just air it then if Nick at Nite decides not to or wants to share it then. That '70s Show will be shared with sister station The N, which currently airs the series everynight from 12-2am. Other sharings might include the sharing of Nick at Nite's Home Improvement and Roseanne as early as 2009...both could move to TV Land PRIME or air on both Nick and TV Land. Nick at Nite had acquired The Nanny for Spring 2009, but as with Friends, TV Land might just air it instead. However, as of now, TV Land has listed The Nanny for an April 2010 launch.
The original series for sure airing are Myths & Legends Season 2 (October), High School Reunion Season 2 (Early 2009), She's Got The Look Season 2 (Spring/Summer 2009), and new series The Cougar (2009). Each series will air for eight episodes, except Myths & Legends will have seven. No word on renewals yet for other TV Land originals like Family Foreman. TV Land also has seven pilots in development "for consideration." They have not been bought as a series yet, and not all of them will make it to series, but TV Land PRIME has the following in development to choose from:
* First Love/Second Chance -- This pilot gives long-lost sweethearts an opportunity to rekindle their romance -- years later. Whether it is unrequited love or a relationship that ended badly, the couples decide if there's still a romantic link after all these years and answer the question, "What could have been?"
* What's in the Box? -- TV Land PRIME's first game show pilot features individual contestants squaring off in the ultimate, fast-paced 20-question competition. Through a series of pointed yes or no answers to questions like, "Does it move?" or "Is it man-made?," the players must figure out what's in the box without giving their opponent the upper-hand -- all for a cash jackpot and a chance to win a fabulous grand prize.
* Make My Day -- This show 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.
* I've Got Your Number -- This reality pilot based on a British format proves the theory that there is a 76% chance that you already have the number of the person you're going to marry in your cell phone.
* How Rich Are You? -- We've all driven by an enormous home and asked the question, "Who lives there?" This show unveils the truth about the people who occupy these homes, what else they own and reveals how they went from average Americans to mega-moguls.
* Now or Never -- Empty nesters are given the chance of a lifetime to open a new chapter in their lives by pursuing careers 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.
* Boomerangers -- TV Land PRIME explores the exploding occurrence of "boomerang kids," young adults who return home from college to live with their parents. Cameras capture the parents and kids who are, once again, together under the same roof. Cast contingent.
TV Land is trying to move away from the older-skewing series whose average median age on TV Land is over 60 such as The Andy Griffith Show. Currently TV Land's average median age is 55, and TV Land is trying to make it 45 or so and these newer series and original series will certainly help do that in primetime. Not to worry, you'll still see the classics in other dayparts like mornings, afternoons and late nights.
We'll certainly have more on this as it develops, but TV Land PRIME launches Oct. 6 airing 9pm-12am, six nights a week on TV Land. View the complete press release.

Me-TV Chicago and its spin-off station Me-Too have announced their Fall 2008 schedules! The schedule started yesterday but some series will be launched gradually in coming weeks. New to Me-TV Chicago on weekdays are dramas Hart to Hat, Dragnet, Police Woman and sitcoms Married...with Children, That '70s Show, Steve Harvey Show, and Happy Days. Batman will also air on Me-TV airing weeknights at 7pm in addition to its Saturday morning airings on Me-Too. While the early evening line-up on Me-TV from 5-7pm may seem a bit new, weekends will be all classics. Saturdays will see classic action series in Spanish in mornings, followed by police shows, then Star Trek at 6pm, followed by all-time sitcom classics from 7pm-1am with the likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Dick Van Dyke, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy and All in the Family. Sundays on Me-TV will have more classics...in the mornings are more action-adventure series in Spanish, followed by an all-era sitcom block from 11am-7pm with shows such as One Day at a Time, Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, Family Ties and Who's the Boss. Following that is a primetime block starting at 9pm of classic '70s sitcoms like Good Times, The Jeffersons, Barney Miller and Sanford & Son. Later in the night are Love American Style McHale's Navy and Patty Duke.
As for sister station Me-Too, it is all about blocks...they will kick-off weekdays with a two-hour 80s sitcom block of Saved by the Bell, The Facts of Life, Diff'rent Strokes, and Webster from 9-11am. 11am-2pm will see classic '60s sitcoms such as Mister Ed, McHale's Navy and Gomer Pyle. Then it is time to saddle up for an afternoon of westerns from 2-5pm with the likes of Gunsmoke and Wild, Wild, West. Then its the all-time classics from 5-9pm with I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore and the classic Me-Too Movie. Then its mystery and suspense from 9-11:30 with Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchock Hour and more. Late night comedy follows starting at 11:30 with Cheers & Carson's Comedy Classics. On Saturdays, start your Saturday mornings with classic superheroes! Batman, Adventures of Superman and Green Hornet from 9a-12p! From 12-6pm it is family-friendly stuff with Family Affair, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons and the family feature movie. Saturday nights get a makeover with a new block called "Saturday Night Black & White," with the likes of I Love Lucy, Perry Mason and Route 66. On Sundays, it is mystery Sunday staring at 10am through 7pm with Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, It Takes a Thief, Mrs. Columbo, and the mystery movies.
View the full Me-TV Chicago and Me-Too Fall 2008 schedules.