Fox Upfront 2008-09: Fall 2008 Schedule

Your first look at Fox's official line-up!

Fox 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Runover/Animated Repeats
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM King of the Hill
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad

Mondays
8:00PM Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
9:00PM Prison Break

Tuesdays
8:00PM House
9:00PM Fringe (NEW!)

Wednesdays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM 'Til Death
9:30PM Do Not Disturb (aka: The Inn) (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM The Moment of Truth
9:00PM Kitchen Nightmares

Fridays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
9:00PM Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted


January / Spring 2009:

Sundays
7:00PM King of the Hill
7:30PM American Dad
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM King of the Hill/Sit Down, Shutup (NEW! Spring)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad/The Cleveland Show (NEW! Spring)

Mondays
8:00PM Dollhouse (NEW!)
9:00PM 24 (special two-hour prequel movie on Sunday, Nov. 23 8-10pm)

Tuesdays
8:00PM American Idol
9:00PM Fringe

Wednesdays
8:00PM House
9:00PM American Idol Results Show
9:30PM TBD New Comedy

Thursdays
8:00PM Hell's Kitchen
9:00PM Secret Millionaire (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM 'Til Death
9:30PM Do Not Disturb

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Fox will kick-off the Fall season week of August 25. Coming in mid-season are new series: drama Dollhouse (January, Mondays at 8), reality series Secret Millionaire (January, Thursdays at 9), animated comedies Sit Down, Shutup (March, Sundays 8:30) & The Cleveland Show (March, Sundays 9:30).
To recap, Fox will launch one new drama (Fringe) and one new comedy (Do Not Disturb) in the fall. One new drama (Dollhouse), two animated comedies (Sit Down, Shutup & The Cleveland Show) and one new reality series (Secret Millionaire) will launch in mid-season.
One additional comedy will be announced later for mid-season.

Discuss Fox's 2008-09 line-up here. You'll find the official press release there, too...with more detailed information.

5:30PM UPDATE: As with ABC, I got to see the actual Fox upfront presentation. Didn't get to see CBS or The CW. Here is an outline of what happened at Fox's upfront presentation. They could have another drama or two it seems for mid-season, but they haven't completed production yet. Lie to Me (from the people who made 24) or Courtroom K (from the people who made House) are the top contenders, as crew interview clips were shown at upfront. They haven't decided yet what comedy will air post-Idol next season, but it seems Outnumbered or Boldly Going Nowhere are the best bets. Outnumbered clips were shown, it seems like the new Fox Malcolm in the Middle. And I have to say how eerie similar Fringe seems to be of Lost. Same creator (J.J. Abrams), same type of premise (airplane), except they are not on an island, you see a cow come out of nowhere (we saw cows in the jungle on Lost), and what...Lance Reddick is in it (the mysterious Matthew Abaddon on Lost)?? Hmm...a connection?

CBS Upfront 2008-09: Fall 2008 Schedule; ION Television June 2008 Line-Up

Your first look at CBS's official line-up!

CBS 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Cold Case
10:00PM The Unit

Mondays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM How I Met Your Mother
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Worst Week (NEW!)
10:00PM CSI: Miami

Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Mentalist (NEW!)
10:00PM Without a Trace

Wednesdays
8:00PM Old Christine
8:30PM Project Gary (NEW!)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY

Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Eleventh Hour (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM The Ex List (NEW!)
10:00PM NUMB3RS

Saturdays
8:00PM-10:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery


Mid-Season:

Coming off the bench in mid-season is returning sitcom Rules of Engagement and new drama Harper's Island.

Discuss CBS's 2008-09 line-up here.



Less than two weeks ago we gave you details on ION Television's upfront presentation. ION announced their fall schedule then, but they mentioned ER and The Dead Zone would launch before the fall season starts. Both are launching in June! ER joins the line-up with a four-night, eleven-episode marathon the week of June 9 in primetime! The eleventh episode in the marathon will lead into the ION premiere of The Dead Zone on June 12 at 10pm. ER marathon is 8-11pm June 9-12, except 10pm on June 12 is The Dead Zone premiere.
Then starting June 16, both The Dead Zone and ER will join the primetime line-up and air back-to-back from 9-11pm from Mon-Wed. Quantum Leap will slide over from 9pm to 8pm, replacing Mama's Family which is leaving the line-up. There are no other changes in the line-up, which means The Drew Carey Show is also gone. Now Drew is listed in the tentative Fall schedule for weekdays at 6pm that we gave you two weeks ago. So it will return likely, unless that Fall schedule changes a bit. Boston Legal, M*A*S*H and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper come to the schedule in the Fall as well. Again, check out the Fall schedule if you haven't seen it yet.
Back to ION June, besides the ER marathon and the primetime changes, ION still has Thursday movies and RHI Fri-Sun movies. Classic Warner Bros. movies will air on Thursdays such as The Point of No Return, Dirty Harry and Chisum. RHI movies include the 2006 The Ten Commandments, the 2007 Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde, Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, and the world premiere of ION's The Summit!
For complete details on ION Television June 2008, click HERE!

ABC and The CW 2008-09 Upfronts: Fall 2008 Schedules; Fans Create Save Back to You Campaign

Your FIRST look at ABC's official line-up!

ABC 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters

Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
9:30PM Samantha Who?
10:00PM Boston Legal

Tuesdays
8:00PM Opportunity Knocks (NEW!)
9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
10:00PM Eli Stone

Wednesdays
8:00PM Pushing Daisies
9:00PM Private Practice
10:00PM Dirty Sexy Money

Thursdays
8:00PM Ugly Betty
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Life on Mars (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Wife Swap
9:00PM Supernanny
10:00PM 20/20

Saturdays
8:00PM College Football


Mid-Season:

New series for midseason include Scrubs (Tuesdays at 9 in January), The Goode Family (Tuesdays at 9:30 in January) and Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Reality Project (Mondays at 8 in January).
More new mid-season series will be announced at a later date, likely in July during the TCA Tour.
Other returning series include According to Jim, The Bachelor, Lost and ABC News' Primetime: What Would You Do?
5:30PM UPDATE: So, I just watched the actual ABC Upfront Presentation. Good stuff. Clips of Opportunity Knocks, Life on Mars, The Goode Family, were shown. View my thoughts here, which includes an outline of what happened in the presentation that started at 4:08pm and lasted through 5:17pm ET.
Other Notes: This is Boston Legal's last season and the series will have 13 episodes. Series finale will be two-hours in early December. Oprah's Big Give would have been back, but Oprah decided one season was enough. Another Oprah project is in the works still. Here Come the Newlyweds and Dance War will likely return for second seasons either in mid-season or next summer. For those wondering, According to Jim joins Scrubs with 18 episode seasons, as mentioned Scrubs will air Tuesdays at 9 starting in January. During the upfront Steve McPherson stated that ABC has 17 shows in development for mid-season. So the mid-season will be like a fall season this year, as we could see a handful of those make it on air. The shows in development are: Sitcoms - Bad Mother's Handbook, Five Year Plan, Never Better, Roman's Empire, This Might Hurt, Fourplay, Single With Parents (previously My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemmas), with Alyssa Milano) and In the Motherhood (based on an internet series). Clips of Fourplay and In the Motherhood were shown at upfront, though nothing from the actual pilots, since they are not shot yet. Dramas - Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, Castle, Cupid, Finnegan, Good Behavior, Prince of Motor City, Untitled David Hemingson Project, The Unusuals and Section 8.

Discuss ABC's 2008-09 line-up here and also you can view complete program information.



The CW 2008-09

Fall 2008

Sundays
7:00-11:00PM MRC Block (NEW!) (TBA at a later date)

Mondays
8:00PM Gossip Girl
9:00PM One Tree Hill

Tuesdays
8:00PM 90210 (NEW!)
9:00PM Surviving the Filthy Rich (NEW!)

Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM Stylista (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Supernatural

Fridays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM The Game
9:00PM America's Top Model Encore

Mid-Season:

Reaper will return air on Thursdays in mid-season replacing Smallville, which will end its run by then.

Discuss The CW's 2008-09 line-up here and also you can view complete program information.


Fox has canceled freshman sitcom Back to You, as we reported a few days ago, and now fans right here at SitcomsOnline.com have created a campaign to bring back the show! While I'm certainly not a fan of the show, I'm always willing to help to save a show needed to be saved, especially a sitcom. And the way fans think of how to save a show is the most important thing. Sure, an online petition is a good way to gather fans, but I know for a fact that they don't really help. Online petitions are usually ignored by networks. However, really creative ideas do work. We all know that because CBS executives last year canceled freshman drama Jericho after one season, and fans were outraged and they sent "nuts" to the CBS offices. To make a long story short, CBS was pleased how the fans reacted and brought the series back from the dead...but it didn't really help as the show is once again canceled after this season do to low ratings. I don't think nuts will work again.
Fans of Back to You on our message boards were outraged by the cancelation and created a petition. I told them that wouldn't really work...something more creative is needed. So I suggested they come up with one. We recently were all for a fan campaign to bring back October Road, a personal favorite of mine. Some fans from abc.com's message boards contacted me and I was very intrigued by their campaign that I even did a story on it right here on the blog. Basically that campaign was going to help local libraries, which is always a good cause. There was also another campaign to save MEN IN TREES, where fans helped to plant trees to save trees. Another good cause. They don't always work though, as both of those series have been canned, but it is better than not trying.
Well, anyway, the fans took my suggestion and brainstormed a few ideas and came up with a pretty funny (and good) one. Their idea is to send Fox (or even CBS) bottled water! Why bottled water? Because on the last episode that aired, fan TJL (who came up with this idea) says, "as part of the new station manager's cost cutting initiative, she eliminated some things, parking spaces, vacations, and free bottled water in the fridge." So what better way to save costs for Fox (since they canceled Back to You to save costs), then to give free bottled water to Fox.
A leader has emerged on this fan campaign and her name is Julie Somoski. She is big fan obviously and posts on our message boards daily. She has created a webpage for this campaign and you can find all the details there, such as where to send the bottled water and what note to put on it so they know what this is for. So check out her web campaign. She has an address for CBS but not Fox (she should add it on there I think)...I think fans should send bottled water to BOTH networks. CBS should get actual water filled bottles (since fans are trying to persaude them to buy the series), while Fox gets empty water bottles just for canceling the show...since they don't deserve free water! Don't forget to include the note, because I doubt CBS would know what this means, since the show is not on their network. A local Pittsburgh newspaper also published this campaign.

NBC Upfront 2008-09; Yet More Upfront Rumblings; More ABC Summer 2008 Series

NBC has already announced their Fall 2008 schedule early last month, along with Mid-season 2009 and Summer 2009 schedules, for some reason, but they still made some announcements at its upfront presentation today.
- NBC has identified the last piece in its late night succession plan, naming Jimmy Fallon as the new host of Late Night when Conan O'Brien moves to The Tonight Show in 2009. The premiere date for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon will be announced at a later date.
- NBC will introduce Momma's Boys, a new reality series to be executive-produced by Ryan Seacrest and Andrew Glassman centering on a group of mothers who must help choose the perfect bride for their complacent sons -- and ultimately, the series poses the question: "Who is really the most important woman in every man's life?" The series will premiere on the heels of NBC's All-American Summer and the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

We will announce more on NBC's upfront, if anything else noteworthy comes out of it.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the Fall line-ups for ABC and The CW!

As for more upfront rumblings, CBS has picked up four new dramas and two new sitcoms, as of now. Dramas are: Eleventh Hour & The Mentalist for the fall and The Ex List (AKA: Mythological Ex) & Harper's Island for mid-season. The Ex-List could be shared with Moonlight on Fridays, which could be benched until mid-season. And the two sitcom pick-ups are Worst Week and Project Gary (starring Jay Mohr), both likely for the fall. There could be another pilot or two picked-up (Tower or sitcom My Secret Public Journal), but right now slim chances. Single White Millionaire with Fred Savage has no shot now. The Unit looks like will be back for another season, possibly on Sundays or Fridays in the fall, while Shark has been killed most likely. CBS announces its line-up on Wednesday.
On the Fox front, animated comedy Sit Down, Shutup has been renamed to Class Dismissed. They have also officially canceled New Amsterdam & Canterbury's Law, which I didn't think had a chance anyway. Fox is shopping canceled sitcom Back to You and the animated pilot The Pitts for new homes, along with the drama pilot The Oaks. None are likely to be bought.
The CW has for sure brought back sitcom The Game, while drama Reaper will be back...but for mid-season (13 episodes). The CW also announced new reality series, Stylista (also from Tyra) will air after Top Model this fall. Filthy Rich Girls joins 90210 as a new drama series order.
On ABC, no surprises so far, Eli Stone has been renewed for 13 episodes, while October Road has been canceled. Life on Mars finally officially got picked-up. Miss Guided is still set to return this fall.

Moving on to ABC summer news, we have more news. We announced ABC's summer slate already, but there is a bit more to announce. Before the NBA Finals begins, ABC Tuesday will feature According to Jim (new on May 27), Samantha Who, and Boston Legal repeats from 8-11pm on May 27 and June 3 (and June 17 if NBA Finals Game 6 is not necessary)
Friday, June 6 and Friday, June 13 from 8-10pm will be repeats of AFV and According to Jim from 8-10pm.
The NBA Finals begins Thursday, June 5 and will air Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays through June 19, if necessary. So up to 7 dates. The NBA Finals starts at 8:30pm ET each night, leading into them will be Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night at 8pm ET. Join Jimmy in primetime for up to seven times! On Sundays when the NBA Finals airs, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition repeats will air at 7pm instead.
After the NBA Finals, starting Sunday, June 22 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will air two-hour encore episodes from 8-10pm, leading into Desperate Housewives at 10pm, which will be its new summer time slot. High School Musical reality series starts on the night on Sunday, July 20 at 8pm.
Effective Tuesday, June 24, all-new Primetime: Crime will air Tuesdays at 10:00PM until further notice. The premieres of Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Game Show launches from 8-10pm on the same night.
Effective Wednesday, June 25, all-new Primetime: The Outsiders will air Wednesdays at 10:00PM Et/PT until further notice.

Upfront Rumblings; Mini-DVD Review: JAG Season 6 (May 20)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Saturday blog for an update on the network upfronts. This is probably the busiest TV weekend of the year--the weekend before the network upfronts start. Latest buzz on scripted series:

ABC:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Life on Mars.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: Bad Mother's Handbook, The Goode Family.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Good Behavior, Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, The Prince of Motor City, Castle, The Unusuals
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: This Might Hurt, My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemmas)
No Shot: The More Things Change, Cedric
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Eli Stone, Boston Legal, Scrubs (from NBC)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: MEN IN TREES (confirmed), Women's Murder Club, October Road
Comments: ABC will probably add just 1-2 new shows in the fall and load up in mid-season, because of the strike causing pilots not to shoot a pilot. The only pilot to shoot so far was Life on Mars, and word is ABC will re-shoot it but it will be picked-up. They have a lot of buzz on more dramas, but they haven't been shot yet. The scripts sound very good on most of those, like Good Behavior, Extraordinary Atlas and Prince of Motor City. Sitcom wise, ABC is very high on Bad Mother's Handbook, but other than that it is very quiet on what could make it. The Goode Family, an animated comedy, has a 13 episode commitment for 2009, so that will likely air. Mix reviews so far for Alyssa Milano's comedy My Brother's Hot (or is it known as Nuclear Family), but I bet it will be picked-up. No word on Cupid yet, the remake of the short lived comedy...ABC would be wise to pick it up...it could be Love Boat style as it will be an hour this time. Word is ABC has passed on Cedric's comedy, so there goes a chance of multicamera comedies returning to ABC. As for current series, ABC has officially axed MEN IN TREES (remaining episodes will air starting May 28) and the word is Women's Murder Club will also get the ax. Meanwhile Eli Stone fans will be happy that the word is it will indeed return. Boston Legal's chances are better to return than to be axed. No news on October Road, but ABC is shopping it. Maybe MRC can get it for that Sunday block on The CW? Scrubs will likely come to ABC in the fall it seems, and According to Jim is taping at least 6 episodes this month and in June, so maybe that will be available earlier this year than the previous two seasons.

CBS:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Eleventh Hour, Mentalist.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Single White Millionaire, Worst Week
No Shot: NY-LON
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: The Unit, Old Christine, Moonlight, Rules of Engagement
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Jericho, Shark
Comments: CBS is very high on Eleventh Hour and The Mentalist, so expect them to be picked-up for sure. CBS also is eying Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower and possibly Harper's Island. Sitcom wise, the picture is not that clear, but CBS seems to have liked quite a few like My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl, and Single White Millionaire. Worst Week seems to have picked up steam and is also in the running with another sitcom or two also possible.
Current series wise, The Unit seems to have gained traction and could return now. Moonlight and Rules of Engagement has a better shot to return, while Shark could be on its way out. Old Christine is tough to figure. It'll be back next season...either on CBS or if CBS cancels it, ABC could pick it up. So maybe CBS will pick it up so ABC can't.

FOX:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Fringe (confirmed), Dollhouse
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: The Inn (confirmed), Sit Down Shutup (confirmed), Cleveland
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Courtroom K
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Spaced, Starting Under, The Pitts
No Shot: The Oaks
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: 'Til Death (confirmed)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Back to You (confirmed)
Comments: Fox is very high on Fringe and Dollhouse. Fringe will be their main show to push as it has been picked-up for the fall, while Dollhouse could come mid-season. Courtroom K is another Fox drama that could be picked-up. Fox has passed on drama The Oaks, and they are shopping it to other studios. Sitcom wise, they have officially picked up The Inn, and a mid-season pickup for animated sitcom Cleveland (Family Guy spinoff) is almost certain. Sitdown Shut Up has been picked up for sure for mid-season. So maybe The Pitts will be passed on now. And another sitcom or two like Spaced or Bernie Mac's Starting Under. Boldly Going Nowhere is also picking up steam. Because of the pick-up of The Inn, the sitcom Back to You is canceled! After a bad performance this past week, it really sealed that deal. The cost of the show is also high as it has two sitcom veterans and the producers/director are also costly. Meanwhile, 'Til Death survives once again for the second straight year for a third season. So Back to You is canceled and 'Til Death is renewed. No word when or if the four unaired episodes of Back to You will air or not. Series finale is this coming week.

The CW:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: 90210, Filthy Rich Girls
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: None
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Austin Golden Hour
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: None.
No Shot: N/A
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Reaper, The Game
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Aliens in America, Girlfriends (both confirmed)
Comments: 90210 is almost certain to be picked up now that Jennie Garth will indeed reprise her role as a recurring character. Filthy Rich Girls is another drama that will be picked-up for the fall, while Austin Golden Hour could be for mid-season. No new sitcoms at all, but they have canned Aliens in America and we already knew Girlfriends was ending. So it looks like Chris and The Game will be the only sitcoms on The CW, possibly Fridays 8-9pm. The CW has given up on Sundays, and will let MRC program from 7-11pm: The CW is aligning with Media Rights Capital to program its Sunday night primetime programming block for the 2008-09 broadcast television season. The strategic alliance between the two companies will take effect in Fall 2008 and feature four new programs--two comedies and two dramas--from top producers and creative talent.
As for returning shows, Reaper will be back most likely. Gossip Girl could be paired with 90210.

Check back periodically as we get more updates all-weekend long! I don't sleep during upfronts week!

Join us all next week (May 12-15) bright and early for the fall schedules. I assure you we will be among the first ones to post the fall line-ups for each network. NBC will be first on Monday, but they have already announced their schedule...so nothing new. No changes are expected either on Monday for NBC's schedule.


And now back to our regularly scheduled blog programming:

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews! Today we have we take a look at CBS DVD's 6th Season of JAG. JAG was a huge hit for CBS. If you are a fan of Navy NCIS, you know that NCIS is a spin-off of JAG. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of JAG - The Complete 6th Season:

JAG - The Complete 6th Season (CBS, $55.98) is coming to DVD for the first time on May 20! Enjoy this long running Donald Bellisario classic on DVD -- and I've got great news. If you didn't notice already, the MSRP for this season set has dropped by $9, from $65 to $56. In addition, the SRP for seasons one through four (as of this writing) have dropped significantly. Seasons 1 and 2 are now $30, Seasons 3 and 4 are now $39. Those of you who've read these reviews know that the SRP was EASILY my biggest gripe against the JAG sets, and now the first four sets are available for under $40 -- the first two for just under $30, with the price of the sixth season starting at a lower base. This is great for fans of the show who might have hesitated at the price point.
I'll be completely honest here -- this is around the point in the original run of the show that I lost interest -- about 2/3 of the way through the season to be specific. It wasn't the show itself so much as I just found other things to watch, and sort of drifted away. I didn't begin watching again until the final season. So this IS the first time I've seen a good third of the season. The season starts off with the great two-parter, "Legacy," which once again involves Harm's family life -- this time taking place in Russia. The fifth episode of the season, "JAG TV," is an interesting one. The JAG office has its first televised court martial -- resulting in a circus, not surprisingly. The episode features Lawyer Celebrities Gloria Allred and Johnnie Cochran, plus Mary Hart and then-host of the Late Late Show, Craig Kilborn. The season finale is, of course, a cliffhanger. The episode is titled "Adrift," and I won't reveal much of the plot...but it's a surprisingly good episode. Can't believe I missed it first time through.
Moving to the technical side, packaging is, thankfully, a mere outer box plus slim cases. Many CBS DVD titles are moving to those horrible translucent plastic cases with the fragile disc holders in the center. The number of discs involved with a drama such as JAG makes this a bit prohibitive, a fact of which I'm thankful. Video is presented nice and clear in anamorphic widescreen. The video, being shot in HD, has no defects that I can detect. Audio is great, and I once again have to just say I LOVE the show's theme and how good it sounds here. . The “disclaimer of doom” does appear on the back of the box, indicating possible edits, but honestly I think this is standard operating procedure for CBS DVD. There weren't any glaring edits that I could find, but I don't have original broadcast OR syndication copies to compare to -- and like I said, I stopped watching midseason. The episodes generally run 43:30-44:30, probably on par with the normal 2000-01 shows. There are, unfortunately, no special features that I could find.
I wish I’d kept on watching back then, as there's still quality story for the series left to tell -- the episodes I missed, and the season as a whole, is quite good, and I wholeheartedly recommend the set -- and go back and pick up the earlier seasons now that the prices have gone down.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(4/5 stars)

To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
JAG TV.com Page

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: Fox; Flintstones Mother's Day Marathon on Boomerang

Fox's weak spot of the season is usually the fall line-up, but they could be better next season. They will probably go with stable shows with just a few new shows in the fall and more news shows for mid-season, when American Idol and 24 return.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Starting Under (sitcom) and Fringe (drama)
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Dollhouse (drama), Spaced (sitcom) Sit Down Shutup (animated sitcom) and Cleveland (animated sitcom)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM King of the Hill
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad

Mondays
8:00PM Prison Break
9:00PM Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Tuesdays
8:00PM Fringe (NEW!)
9:00PM House

Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You
8:30PM Starting Under (NEW!)
9:00PM Bones

Thursdays
8:00PM The Moment of Truth
9:00PM Kitchen Nightmares

Fridays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Comments: It'll be once again a tale of two seasons within a season for Fox. Look for their mid-season line-up probably to be a lot different from fall, since 24 and American Idol come in January. Sarah Connor and Prison Break will air Mondays I think in the fall, with both possibly taking a break in January when 24 comes, and Fox can launch Dollhouse, another promising drama they have. That will probably run for 6-9 episodes or so, and then they could being back Sarah for its final batch of episodes from like March-May, paired with 24. I don't think Prison Break will return after the fall ends...it doesn't really deserve to...maybe the potential spin-off could be introduced in an episode sometime in the fall. As for Tuesdays, I think the J.J. Abrams drama Fringe will likely be paired with Fox's House. If it hits, I wonder where Fringe will go in January when American Idol comes? Maybe Thursdays? More on that later. On Wednesdays, I think they will start with two comedies. Right now their best bet is Back to You and the new Bernie Mac comedy Starting Under...with 'Til Death likely a goner or saved for mid-season. I personally wouldn't bring back Back To You, but Fox really doesn't have anything good in the sitcom development, except animated comedies and some single camera comedies. I think Bones could be asked to air at 9:00pm. It could work, too. When January comes, we can expect American Idol's Results Show at 9 and possibly Bones moving down an hour to 8 or the comedies (perhaps one of the mid-season sitcoms in there)? Can they move Bones once again by January? Fox is hard to figure. Thursdays I think Fox will remain reality, but maybe something different. I'm not sure if they have more episodes of The Moment of Truth by the fall, since new airings are coming this summer, but that would be good for the fall at 8 followed by Kitchen Nightmares, which is coming back in the fall for sure. Now by January, if Fringe is indeed a hit, they might move it to Thursdays paired with maybe Bones? I think Fox will have comedies at 8 (maybe a traditional sitcom in The Inn or single camera ones like Spaced or Outnumbered could be aired here with either Back or Under) before Idol or maybe Moment of Truth, if it is not available in the fall. 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics could be on the move to Fridays for the full season. As for Sundays, animation domination will continue, with the same shows in the fall, but perhaps as much as two new animated comedies will come by mid-season, for sure Cleveland, the Family Guy spin-off, and another new one such as The Pitts or Sit Down Shut Up...I hope the latter. They will likely replace King of the Hill and American Dad! for awhile, if not the rest of the season.
As a recap, for Fox January, I'd do: Sundays: Animated Repeats, The Simpsons, Sit Down Shut Up, Family Guy, and Cleveland; Mondays: Dollhouse/Sarah Connor and 24; Tuesdays: American Idol and House; Wednesdays: Sitcoms/The Moment of Truth and American Idol Results; Thursdays: Bones and Fringe; Fridays: 5th Grader and Lyrics.
And so many series are goners next season: K-Ville, Nashville, Search for the Next Great American Band, New Amsterdam, Canterbury's Law, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched, & possibly 'Til Death. I think Hell's Kitchen could likely return sometime in the season or next summer.
So, it looks like Fox will be decent year-round. Will American Idol fall more next season? It might. But before that, let's see how Fox does in the fall. I still think CBS and ABC will share leadership for the fall in viewers/18-49, and Fox will have to rely on mid-season again, but maybe it will be a bit better next season.

Remember, next Thursday (May 15) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Thursday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for the official fall line-ups for all the networks...will NBC edit anything on upfront day? We shall see. Also, we will try to give you all latest pilot rumblings on Saturday, so you will want to check with us! See if we have any inside buzz on this very slow development season.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

TV Land is having their upfront today...so if they announce anything later today, you can check here. If it is bit late then we will have a write-up for you tomorrow. So check back either way!

Throughout time, mothers have been revered for their love, nurture and support...not to mention their hard work. To celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 11, Boomerang (Cartoon Network's 24-hour commercial-free sister network) gives birth to a 7-hour tribute to that modern Stone-Age matriarch, Wilma Flintstone. During the Wilma Flintstone Mother's Day Marathon, which airs from 12-7 p.m. (ET), viewers will see Wilma Flintstone through the years-as she and Fred first court, during her pregnancy, as a new mother and, finally, as she becomes a grandmother. The holiday marathon kicks off with five and a half hours of Wilma-centric escapades from the original The Flintstones animated series and concludes with the 90-minute animated feature Hollyrock-A-Bye Baby (1993).
To see the episodes, click HERE! Wilmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to the TV special TV's All-Time Funniest airing 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC! It should be a fun special for all sitcom/comedy fans of all eras. I suggest you tune in!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: CBS

CBS continues to be the network that will have the least amount of changes to its fall schedule. I think we will see a few moves and some cancellations though.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com CBS 2007-08 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Eleventh Hour (drama), The Mentalist (drama), Single White Millionaire (sitcom), My Secret Public Journal (sitcom) and Exit 19 (drama).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Tower (drama) and Exit 19 (drama)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Can Openers (NEW!)
10:00PM Cold Case

Mondays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM How I Met Your Mother
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Single White Millionaire (NEW!)
10:00PM CSI: Miami

Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Mentalist (NEW!)
10:00PM Without a Trace

Wednesdays
8:00PM Rules of Engagement
8:30PM My Secret Public Journal (NEW!)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY

Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Eleventh Hour (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM Moonlight
10:00PM NUMB3RS

Saturdays
8:00PM Crime Repeats
9:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery

Comments: CBS will probably have one new show each from Sun-Thurs. Their Monday sitcom block will likely have one new comedy, Single White Millionaire starring Fred Savage seems like it would hold most of Two and a Half Men's numbers. As for Tuesday, there could be a shake up to this night. The Unit has been MIA since the strike, and it probably won't return...so CBS will try something new at 9 following NCIS, like The Mentalist? Exit 19 starring Geena Davis could also be an option (in her old Commander in Chief slot, but that was ABC) ...if not, for mid-season then. The cursed 10pm slot could go to a proven player like Without a Trace, which would move for the third time in three seasons if it were to move. Wednesdays 9-11pm will likely remain intact, but the 8pm hour CBS has had difficulty with. I think two sitcoms are the best option, possibly a returning one like Rules of Engagement paired with a newbie like My Secret Public Journal. CBS Thursdays will have to change if Without a Trace leaves from 10pm, CBS will likely add the Jerry Bruckheimer drama Eleventh Hour following CSI. Fridays will likely remain the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost Whisperer or NUMB3RS move to another night, like Sundays. Moonlight is doing OK, but maybe CBS could pick up new drama Mythological X, as that sounds like it would skew younger after Whisperer. And as for Sundays, CBS always gets screwed with the sports run-over (especially in the fall with the NFL) and they usually are in 30-40 minute delays or even more for the entire country except the west coast. I suggest they just shorten 60 Minutes, or it will kill a new show if they launch one on Sundays, which I think they will. Maybe a medical drama like Can Openers which would skew younger than the normal CBS show probably, especially out of the Amazing Race. I think Amazing Race will be back at 8pm...maybe for two cycles this year. As long as they don't bring back Big Brother in the regular season! What a disaster that was. Cold Case could be on the move to 10pm to better close the night.
Series canceled or will be include The Unit, Shark, Cane, Power of 10, Viva Laughlin, Kid Nation & Jericho. I think CBS will bring back Old Christine for mid-season in case one of the comedies fails. If not, then ABC will sure pick it up...so don't worry fans. Jericho is gone for good...send all the nuts you want, it won't work again. Price is Right will likely return in primetime for some specials...I doubt they would air it as a weekly series. I don't think they will pick-up any new mid-season sitcoms, especially since Jennie Garth is no longer in the My Best Friend's Girl pilot.

Remember, next Wednesday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out CBS's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Wednesday 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 Fox's upfront.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

Slow news day so far...if we have anything (which I'm sure we will have SOMETHING), we'll post it, so check back!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: The CW; Family Matters Coming To Nick at Nite June 29, More Nickat Nite News; CW Daytime Adds Wayans, Jamie

The CW is dying for some shows that do well, with one of their best shows actually in WWE Smackdown! leaving, they will need to find something that does 4 million. Their development slate seems to be very weak this season...the strike could be to blame, as there are actually no sitcoms ordered to pilot. Will America's Next Top Model rebound in the fall after a slow spring?
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com The CW 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: 90210 (drama), How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls (drama), and Styledome (reality).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Austin Golden Hour (drama) and Fashion Magazine Assistants (reality).

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
5:00PM Various Repeats
6:00PM Various Repeats
7:00PM America's Next Top Model Encores
8:00PM Styledome (NEW!)
9:00PM The Game
9:30PM The Game Encores

Mondays
8:00PM 90210 (NEW!)
9:00PM Gossip Girl

Tuesdays
8:00PM One Tree Hill
9:00PM Reaper

Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Supernatural

Fridays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM Everybody Hates Chris Encores
9:00PM Reaper Encores

Comments: The CW has barely anything in production. Whatever they have ordered to pilot will be picked-up...that's how bad it is. The strike might be the reason, as they also have no sitcom pilots ordered to pilot. They have a script order for a Sherri Shephard sitcom, that would work well with The Game, so they should order it to pilot ASAP so it can be ready for mid-season. 90210 remake is their best shot at new success, and it would do well leading off Mondays and possibly can give Gossip Girl a bit of a bump...maybe over 3 million? Tuesdays should have One Tree Hill and Reaper, because they are both actually decent performers, as Reaper has proved itself this spring airing in multiple slots. Wednesday will of course have Next Top Model followed by How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls maybe. How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls would also fit with One Tree Hill, I think. Thursday with Smallville and Supernatural shouldn't be changed, as it does decent enough. Fridays will be changed and of course I don't think they can replace the 4 million that Smackdown! got. I would just double pump on Everybody Hates Chris and maybe encore Reaper on the night. Aliens in America would do terrible on this night, so I don't think The CW will bring it back. Repeats of Chris would do better...maybe for mid-season, they can develop another single camera comedy to pair with Chris. Or maybe by midseason Chris will be back to Sundays anyway. As for Sundays, maybe a reality show (Styledome) would be best to start at 8pm out of an encore of Top Model? This would lead into back-to-back episodes of sitcom The Game. Once Styledome wraps, they could always move Chris to 8-9pm if the Friday airings are bad. As for mid-season they could bring in a drama like Austin Golden Hour which is a medical drama, if anything fails... and the Fashion Magazine Assistants reality show maybe in between cycles of Top Model? Beauty & the Geek and Pussycat Dolls don't deserve to return.
You can say goodbye to the following shows Aliens in America, Beauty & the Geek, Girlfriends, Life is Wild, Pussycat Dolls, CW Now, Online Nation and Farmer Wants a Wife.
The CW needs help for sure, I think they should start each weeknight with a proven show (One Tree Hill, Top Model, Smallville, Chris) and 90210 would probably fall into those shows once it airs. Sophomore shows such as Gossip Girl and Reaper will be brought back to prove itself and grow. But without any new sitcoms, they are in a mess.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

Remember, next Tuesday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out The CW's plans for the 2008-09 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 our preview of CBS' upfront.
And as a reminder, stay tuned next week for all the final schedules released by all the networks! We will put them up as soon as they are released by the networks, so this will be your home to see them first!

Finally Family Matters has been officially announced for Nick at Nite! A press release just came out! Nick at Nite will add Family Matters, a laugh-out-loud hit series for the whole family, to its sitcom line-up this summer, launching the show with a seven–hour marathon on Sunday, June 29 from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., before it lands in its regular time period, Sunday through Thursday at 8:30 p.m. & 11:00 p.m.; and Friday & Saturday at 12 a.m. (all times ET/PT). Family Matters ran for nine seasons (1989-98) and 215 episodes on broadcast networks ABC (first eight seasons) and CBS (for its last season), catapulted Jaleel White's archetypal nerd-next-door, Steve Urkel, into the pop culture, and the actor captured three Image Awards for his portrayal. In this long-running comedy – a spinoff of Perfect Strangers via wisecracking elevator operator Harriette Winslow – nosy, good-hearted Steve Urkel pesters and wreaks havoc on his neighbors, the Winslows of suburban Chicago. Starring Reginald VelJohnson, Jo Marie Payton, Darius McCrary, Kelly Shanygne Williams, Jaimee Foxworth, Rosetta LeNoire, Bryton McClure, with Telma Hopkins, and Jaleel White.
There will be no other changes to the June line-up. So, everything else will remain the same. Family Matters will replace a Nickelodeon airing at 8:30 on Sun-Thurs and a Fresh Prince airing at 11pm on Sun-Thurs...on Fri-Sat it will air at 12am replacing a Fresh Prince airing on Friday & a Home Improvement airing on Saturday. The only other change that will happen is at 6am, Full House will air Mon-Thurs replacing a Nickelodeon airing. Now this could be just a rough schedule...we shall know more soon when we announce Nick at Nite June in the coming weeks...so come on back!
In other Nick at Nite news, they will revive the classic Nickelodeon game show GUTS, with a family twist. GUTS, the groundbreaking, original hit game show from the '90s, is being recreated for a new generation of families as Nick at Nite greenlights My Family's Got GUTS, a new extreme sports competition series. Nick at Nite will commence production on two 10-episode tournaments, (20 new half-hour episodes and two hour-long specials), created and executive produced by the digital entertainment studio Worldwide Biggies. The series will be shot on location at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., beginning in August and is scheduled to premiere in prime time on Nick at Nite in fall 2008 with the finale on the Worldwide Day of Play. The original GUTS was hosted by Mike O'Malley (Yes, Dear, Get the Picture) and aired on Nickelodeon from September 28, 1992, until October 1995. A spin-off was created called Global GUTS.
Finally, Nick at Nite is going to the dogs...literally! For the first time ever, Nick at Nite will give dog owners everywhere the chance to showcase the unique charms of their canine companions by entering them online as contestants for The First Annual Worldwide Fido Awards premiering on Sunday, July 27, and Monday, July 28, 9-10 p.m. (ET/PT). The competition kicks off on May 19, when viewers can upload videos of their dogs to the popular online dog video community site www.WorldwideFido.com, created by digital entertainment studio Worldwide Biggies, to compete in six categories and vote online for their top picks. The contest culminates in a two-night television event that will reveal the winners in each category and ultimately the 2008 Worldwide Fido Award for best in show. The pooch fest will also feature canine friendly celebrities and their four-legged best friends. The categories include "Cutest Dog," "Best Dressed," "Best Voice," "Most Outrageous," "Best Trick" and "Dog/Owner Look-Alike."

The CW Television Network is teaming up with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to create a daily two-hour afternoon programming block that will bring a new court television series from Telepictures Productions and two hit comedies from Warner Bros. Television to The CW from 3:00–5:00 p.m. each weekday.
Judge Jeanine Pirro, a new original one-hour court program featuring Jeanine Pirro – regular contributor to Fox News Channel, former Westchester County (N.Y.) District Attorney and County Judge, nationally known legal commentator and author – as the presiding jurist will air Monday–Friday back-to-back at 3:00 p.m., followed by a one-hour comedy block of classic urban 90s sitcoms The Wayans Bros. at 4:00 p.m. and The Jamie Foxx Show at 4:30 p.m. The new programming schedule will debut Monday, September 22, 2008.
These shows will replace the current CW Daytime block of All of Us, What I Like About You and back-to-back Reba episodes.
Eventually, The CW would like to have two full hours of first-run product, rather than one, in the block by next year. Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Television and The CW originally discussed doing that immediately, but decided to just start with one hour for now. So this block will be fully Warner Bros. owned shows, and not other studios. They have aired shows from other studios before such as ABC Studios' 8 Simple Rules, 20th Century Fox's Reba and CBS Paramount's All of Us, with Warner owned shows in the mix as well such as ER and What I Like About You.

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: ABC; Sci Fi and WE tv Acquire Ghost Whisperer, Classics Coming to Sci Fi Such As Mork & Mindy

NBC is the first network going at upfront, which will be next Monday, but they have already announced their 2008-09 schedule last month so we can't preview and make predictions for NBC...so we decided to go with the next network ... ABC (which will go next Tuesday). With the writers' strike causing a lot of delays to the pilot season, many pilots won't be ready before the upfronts, thus we won't see many new shows this fall, unfortunately. I think mid-season will see a lot more shows than normal.
So, ABC will likely build on their sophomore shows (the current freshman series such as Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, and Samantha Who?). Most of those have not returned after the strike ended, so they will likely do large return promotions for these. New shows wise, I expect maybe 1-2 new dramas or 1-2 new sitcoms on ABC this fall, with lots of new shows being ordered for mid-season.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com ABC 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: Section 8 (6 episode order, but doesn't mean it will be on in the fall).
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Good Behavior (drama), Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas (drama), My Brother's Hot And Other Dilemas (wt for Milano series) (sitcom).
New Series