ION Adds Mr. Cooper in July Now; Three Stooges Minisodes Added

A few weeks ago we gave you details on ION Television's July 2008 schedule and no changes were being made to the line-up...now ION has made a change. Effective Monday, July 7 at 5:00pm & 5:30pm ET/PT, ION will add Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, replacing The Wayans Bros. ION was going to start Mr. Cooper in the fall in that slot but decided to launch it two months earlier than planned.
Last time I mentioned The Drew Carey Show would air after a Thursday movie on July 3 at 10:30pm, now that has been moved to July 17 at 10:30pm. The Drew Carey Show is slated to return to the ION regular line-up this fall airing at 6pm, leading into M*A*S*H at 6:30pm.
Everything else we mentioned last time is the same...so no other changes to July.
Discuss ION July on our message boards. We still hope to have our interview with them soon...I promise it will come, but ION seems to be very busy.

Sony TV's newly revamped multi-platform network brings you the shows you love, only shorter! The Minisode Network offers 5-minute adaptations of favorite television shows that retain the full story arc of the episode. On June 17, today, the network will be launching minisodes of The Three Stooges.
Go to MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/minisodenetwork), Crackle (http://crackle.com/c/minisodenetwork), YouTube, AOL, Hulu, Joost, Verizon V CAST, and Sprint TV to check out minisodes of The Three Stooges and your other favorite shows including Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Married...with Children, Silver Spoons, Charlie's Angels, What's Happening!! and so many more! Now you can laugh at all the funniest moments in 5 minutes and still get the story of Larry, Moe, and Curly!

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.

Family Matters Nick at Nite Launch Delayed; ION Officially Announces April Expansion

You saw the commercials stating that 90s sitcom Family Matters was coming to Nick at Nite in April a few weeks ago, but now that is not happening. We reported this a few weeks back, but Nick at Nite has decided to delay the launch for a better launching pad. The current schedule that is airing currently will continue to air until further notice. They have not announced yet when Family Matters will join the line-up, but we first reported March, then we reported June and then it was reported for April...so it keeps changing. We will not say any other dates until it is official now...but if I were to guess when it is coming, June would be a good guess, since the summer would be an ideal time to launch Family Matters. I don't think any promos have been seen lately?
So, I just wanted to let you all know since I have seen a ton of Google searches for Family Matters coming to Nick at Nite being redirected to our blog, so I owe it you all to let you know it has been delayed, BUT it IS coming, I can tell you that. We will report when Urkel and the gang are coming when it is official now, so we don't cause more confusion.

ION Television has officially announced their April programming expansion. We gave you all the details a week or two ago, but we haven't mentioned this on the blog, but the Thursday night slot from 8-10pm which was to be determined, will be a weekly block called "Total Theatre Thursday." Here is ION's announcement:
ION Media Networks, Inc. today announced an expanded entertainment schedule on ION Television beginning April 7th. Three new series – The Steve Harvey Show, Family Feud and Quantum Leap – along with a selection of blockbuster films will join the lineup, extending the schedule by an additional hour of entertainment programming from 5 to 6 p.m.
On Thursday nights, powered by deals with studios such as Warner Bros, ION Television will launch "Total Theatre Thursday" over the summer, an array of hit motion pictures like Blade Runner, Dirty Harry, Risky Business and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. These blockbuster Hollywood movies feature some of the biggest stars of the industry, including Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson.
With the addition of these three new series and big screen favorites, beginning April 7th, ION Television’s lineup will be: The Wayans Brothers from 5 to 6 p.m. Mon-Fri, The Steve Harvey Show from 6 to 7 p.m. Mon-Fri, Family Feud from 7 to 8 p.m. Mon-Thurs, Mama's Family from 8 to 9 p.m. Mon-Wed, Quantum Leap from 9 to 10 p.m. Mon-Wed, The Drew Carey Show from 10 to 11 p.m. Mon-Wed and "Total Theatre Thursday" from 8 to 11 p.m. Thursdays. Baywatch will now be seen at 6 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
View the entire press release.

ION's upfront is slated for May 1. We will try to do an interview with them (part of our ongoing 7 Questions feature) shortly after that. So keep your fringers crossed!

Fox Cancels Jezebel James; ION Picks-Up Family Feud, Quantum Leap, and More in April 2008

Fox has pulled new sitcom The Return of Jezebel James after just two weeks and three episodes airing. The sitcom was just averaging a bit over 3 million on Friday nights. Fox will replace the 8pm hour on Fridays with repeats of Bones, which will lead into new episodes of Canterbury's Law starting this Friday. If Jezebel James was still airing this Friday, Fox would probably have had historic lows on that night as James leading into Canterbury would have been a disaster. Unhitched could be next on the cancelation block as that sitcom also did terrible this week in two airings on Sunday with just 3 million someodd viewers.
Meanwhile, Fox has picked up a fourth season of Prison Break, the action-packed series starring Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller as on-the-lam brothers Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield.
After spending the first season filming on location in Chicago, followed by two seasons on location in Dallas, production on the upcoming fourth season of Prison Break will move to Los Angeles.

ION Television has picked up rights to Family Feud starting April 7. It will be the current version hosted by John O'Hurley. On your marks... let's start The Family Feud! The long- running, popular family-oriented game show is back with a new host and a new look. Hosted by television personality John O'Hurley, Family Feud is a fast-paced game show that pits two families against one another in a contest to name the most popular responses to survey-type questions posed to a 100 people. O'Hurley's quick wit and sophisticated style resonates with viewers who remember the Richard Dawson era. Although the set is now in a theatre in the round setting, it is somewhat of a throwback to the Dawson era when the families posed inside a living room setting.
ION will air Family Feud Mon-Thurs at 7:00pm & 7:30pm, replacing Alice, which will leave the line-up. ION has also picked up the drama Quantum Leap. After theorizing that man or woman could time travel within his or her lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into his Quantum Leap accelerator and was launched into an unknown abyss. It was upon awaking he realized he was trapped in the past, seeing a mirror image that wasn’t his and feeling driven by an unknown force to change the course of history for the better. Guided on this journey by Admiral Al Calavicci, an onlooker from his own time who only appears in the form of a hologram, Dr. Beckett leaps from one life to another, hoping that ultimately his next one will be the leap that takes him home.
Quantum Leap will also start on April 7 and air Mon-Wed at 9:00pm, leading into The Drew Carey Show's new timeslot 10 & 10:30pm Mon-Wed. ION will expand a bit, too! Instead of starting 6:00pm, they will start 5:00pm now...at least Mon-Fri (Saturday and Sundays it will still start at 6:00pm). The Wayans Bros. will move to 5:00pm & 5:30pm Mon-Fri. 6:00pm hour is still to be determined, which was Wayans' old slot. The aforementioned Family Feud follows at 7 Mon-Thurs, followed by Mama's Family for an hour at 8, but only Mon-Wed now. ION has something planned on Thursday nights from 8-10pm, which is still to be determined. Following that on Thursday nights at 10:00pm will be 48 Hours (it will still air Sundays at 6:00pm, too). The qubo kids block on Fridays will move up an hour now from 2:30-6pm to 1:30-5pm now. Baywatch will remain Saturdays at 6:00pm, which it moves to starting this coming Saturday. RHI programming will still air Fri-Sun from 7-11pm, and among the titles we will see in April are all four parts of Return to Lonesome Dove, new movie Praire Fever and Lone Rider, and classics such as Gullilver's Travels.
We will have more on those "to be determined" slots when we find out. Will it be a sitcom or a game show maybe to lead-into Family Feud? Or what is going to on Thursday nights from 8-10pm? We don't know yet, but as soon as we do, we will let you know!
For the entire April schedule in a list form and more highlights, click HERE! Please discuss as well!

Latest BET Schedule Notes, More Sanford; According to Jim Returns April 15, More ABC Notes

We have some more BET schedule notes today for you. Currently the weekend shows Sanford airs Saturday nights at 2:30am and Sundays at 11:30am and Thea airs Saturdays 9-10am, 3am late night and Sundays at 12 noon. Now we are getting some time changes, and it is better actually. Effective this weekend (March 22-23), Thea will now only air Saturdays 9-10am, but it will be two episodes a week still, and no more confusion of the encores (as sometimes BET messes up and airs a different episode then). Sanford will now only air Sundays 12-1pm, but that is also better because we get two episodes instead of an encore! Sanford for some reason didn't air this weekend in its 11:30am Sunday slot, and the 2:30am slot was already supposed to not air because of a special (same for Thea at 3am this past weekend). I think now it is easier to remember...Thea Saturdays 9-10am and Sanford Sundays 12-1pm.
Sanford at 12:30pm will be replacing In Living Color, which will return to weekdays starting March 31, though. In Living Color will air weeknights at 3am and 3:30am starting the week of March 31, replacing the Wayans Bros. Jamie Foxx Show will also be replaced starting March 31 by more Hell Date airings at 12am and 12:30am. Viewers can say goodbye to Jamie Foxx Show and Wayans Bros. with a marathon of both shows on Saturday, March 29 from 10am-8pm. Jamie from 10am-3pm and Wayans from 3pm-8pm. I'm not sure if their contracts expired or what, but both shows joined in October 2005 I believe, as did In Living Color, but that will still be on, so who knows. If I find out anything, I will for sure let you all know. Will any more sitcoms join since Jamie and Wayans are leaving? We will let you know if they do plan on more sitcoms!

According to Jim returns April 15 on ABC. You're probably thinking what do you mean "returns," since it has been airing Tuesdays at 9 since January. But last Tuesday was its last airing in that slot because Dancing with the Stars returns this week. When Jim returns, it will move to Tuesdays at 8:00pm and 8:30pm, replacing Just for Laughs. 7 new episodes remain for the season. If they air one new episode a week that will make it last through the end of May, but I'm sure once or twice, they will air two new episodes in the hour. This might not be the final 7 episodes, because ABC is mulling to bring it back next season for an eighth season. No official news yet, though.
In other ABC schedule news: Lost's pre-strike finale is this Thursday at 9, but ABC has announced Lost will remain in that slot for repeats on March 27, April 3 and April 17 (April 17 is 8-10pm). The show returns with 6 new episodes starting April 24 at 10pm following Grey's Anatomy's return. ABC will stop the Fridays at 8pm encores of Grey's Anatomy starting April 4. An AFV repeat is scheduled for April 4 leading into the return of game show Duel at 9pm (it will air for 10 episodes and won't be serialized like the tournament week was in December). Not sure yet what will air Friday, April 11 at 8pm, but April 18 will be a Desperate Housewives' encore from its first post-strike episode, which will debut Sunday, April 13 at 9pm. To catch up on Desperate Housewives' return, ABC will re-air the final pre-strike episodes on a special night of Thursday, April 10 from 8-10pm. As for Eli Stone, yes ABC will air all 13 episodes! Episode 12 will air on a special night though...Sunday, April 13 at 10pm. It will air right after that new Desperate Housewives return episode. Brothers & Sisters returns the following week with new episodes. The final Eli Stone of the season will air in its normal Thursday at 10pm slot on April 17.
So, ABC will let viewers catch up on Desperate Housewives and Lost with the last two pre-strike episodes, but what about Grey's Anatomy? Nothing announced yet, but it will return April 24 at 9pm with new episodes.

Speaking of returns, tonight is a big night! Scripted TV makes its first return with post-strike episodes tonight with CBS's sitcoms The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. The bad news for that is Dancing with the Stars also returns tonight on ABC. I'm sure both will do well!

BET Adds Diff'rent Strokes, Malcolm and Eddie, Sanford, Thea; Remembering David Groh

Happy President's Day! We salute this holiday with some great sitcom news! I'm not sure if many of you know, but BET does air some sitcoms currently. They air Jamie Foxx Show, Wayans Bros., and In Living Color on weekdays and The Parkers and Girlfriends in blocks and marathons. Now more sitcoms are coming! BET will add the classic '80s sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to their line-up starting TOMORROW (Tuesday, Feb. 19). The show will air weekday mornings at 9:00am and 9:30am. Catch Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson from the beginning as BET will bring you the show in order starting with the first episode. This is not confirmed yet, but starting the week of Feb. 25 the show could also air at 3:00pm and 3:30pm, but we will let you know if that is the case. It won't air in that slot this week, we know that...so catch it in the mornings! Now the world don't move!

Also joining BET's weekday line-up tomorrow is the '90s sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. Don't miss the hilarious adventures of Malcolm McGee and his roommate Eddie Sherman...starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin. The show will air right after Diff'rent Strokes in the mornings at 10:00am and 10:30am. It will also air at 4:00pm and 4:30pm, with an encore of the morning airings at 11:00pm and 11:30pm. As with Diff'rent Strokes, you can catch this show in order starting from the very first episode.

So what will happen to BET's other sitcoms because of this? You can catch The Jamie Foxx Show weeknight at midnight-1am and The Wayans Bros. from 3-4am weeknights. While In Living Color will air on weekends in a weekend block with two other new additions (see below). Girlfriends and The Parkers can still be seen in marathons and special blocks. Upcoming marathons for them include: The Parkers will get a President's Day marathon today from 10am-7pm, as BET promises to keep you laughing 9 hours straight with The Parkers BET marathon. Tune in for laughs from funny lady, Mo'Nique. Girlfriends will get a 12-hour marathon this Saturday (February 23) from 9am-9pm.

I mentioned earlier that the sketch comedy In Living Color will move to weekends only now. This change will happen the weekend of March 1. I believe one episode will air with an encore each weekend. Kicking off the weekend block is the BET return of the short-lived 1980 sitcom, Sanford. BET aired reruns of this short-lived sitcom in the past and now it makes its return! Redd Foxx brought back the irascible Watts junkman, Fred Sanford three years after leaving Sanford and Son. With Lamont away in Alaska, Fred was still trading barbs with Aunt Esther, along with a new cast of characters, including his roly-poly business partner Cal and a wealthy widow named Evelyn. 26 episodes were created. You can catch Sanford on BET late nights on Saturdays at 2:30am starting March 1 with an encore on Sunday mornings at 11:30am. Following Sanford, it is another short-lived sitcom and another show from BET's past, Thea! The short-lived 1993 ABC sitcom makes its return on BET with its 22 episodes. The show is about a widow that keeps her four kids in line with discipline and lots of love while holding down two jobs. It was the first series for Brandy Norwood and stars Thea Vidale. Thea will air Saturday nights at 3:00am and Sunday afternoons at 12 noon.
Following Sanford and Thea on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons is the aforementioned In Living Color at 3:30am on Saturday nights and 12:30pm Sunday afternoons.

BET is certainly getting better and we will keep an eye on them. All of its newest acquisitions (Diff'rent Strokes, Malcolm & Eddie, Sanford, Thea) are from Sony Pictures Television, which is a sign maybe they have some sort of deal with them. Let's hope more sitcoms join. If we have any updates, we will bring them to you, but for now discuss this great news HERE!


We leave you today with some sad news. David Groh best known for his role on the 1970's TV sitcom Rhoda as Rhoda's husband, died of kidney cancer last Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Groh became an instant celebrity in 1974 when he starred as the easygoing Joe Gerard opposite Valerie Harper's neurotic Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show spin-off. But by the third season of Rhoda the couple divorced and he was off the show. He has also guest starred on other series (mainly dramas) such as Police Story, Fantasy Island, Trapper John MD, Buck Rogers, Hotel, Simon & Simon, Kate & Allie, Hunter, LA Law, Spenser: Fore Hire, Room for Two, Sisters, Jake and the Fatman, Melrose Place, Baywatch, Law & Order, VIP, Walker Texas Ranger, and was a regular on Black Scorpion. On daytime TV he played D.L. Brock on General Hospital in the 80s. Groh appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon's Chapter Two and in Twilight of the Golds in 1993. He also had film roles in Two-Minute Warning (1976) and A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (1978), among others. One of his last roles was a guest appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends.
David will certainly be missed by fans of Rhoda and other programs he appeared in. Mr. Groh was only 68.

Day 74: WGA's Strike; ION Initiative for African-American Programming

Welcome to day 74 of the strike. I can't believe I said welcome. Welcome to hell would be more like it. The Directors Guild of America just sealed their deal with producers already! The current deal was set to expire at the end of June. But after just five days of formal negotiations the Directors Guild of America has reached agreement with the producers on a new three-year contract. The deal turns the spotlight again on the striking film and TV writers who must now examine the directors' deal and decide if they will accept a similar contract. Let's hope! Screen Actors Guild's current contract expires at the end of June, so that is another deal let's hope that gets resolved.

ION Media Networks, Inc. in collaboration with African-American TV syndicator Star Media and Omnicom's OMG Entertainment & Sports unit, announced today a strategic partnership for the creation and exhibition of African-American programming on the ION Television Network. The initiative already has backing from major charter sponsors McDonald’s, State Farm and P&G, with others expected to follow.
Initially, the partnership will use the syndication marketplace and TV libraries of Warner Bros. and other major television studios to program urban and diverse content. The longer term goal is to reinvest net proceeds from this enterprise into an original programming fund that can help create new African-American and diverse content to be aired on ION Television. The initiative launched on Monday, January 14 in the 6-7 p.m. ET timeslot on ION Television, with the return of The Wayans Bros. to broadcast television. Warner Bros. Domestic Television is the programming partner for this series.
This might be some good news. Since initially they will use reruns, maybe they will expand the hours a bit, say the daytime, and we could get more shows in. Hopefully shows like Diff'rent Strokes, Hangin' with Mr Cooper, Webster could air and maybe Amen can return once again. To discuss this news, head on over to the ION January thread.

Day 68: WGA's Strike; ION Television February 2008 Highlights

It is day 68 of the strike. Nothing really new to report, but the WGA will not be picketing the Golden Globe press conference this Sunday they announced:
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced that instead of the usual televised three-hour gala on NBC, the HFPA will take complete control of its 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Announcement and host a press conference open to all media to announce the winners of the Golden Globes. In light of this change to the program, the WGA gave the HFPA our assurances that there would be no picket of their press conference on Sunday.
In other news, ABC looks to have picked-up a season of The Bachlorette for possibly the summer or late spring. This is to bolster their summer line-up or just in case this strike goes long and the season is wiped out, they can air cheap hits. We'll have the official news, when announced.

As I promised yesterday, I will give you details on ION Television's February schedule! As of now no regular changes are being made to the line-up. The same schedule that will take in effect on Jan. 14 will continue in February...which is of course back-to-back episodes of The Wayans Bros, Alice, Mama's Family, The Drew Carey Show and Who's the Boss? from 6-11pm Mon-Thurs.
Among the highlights in February include a Valentine's Week. It is a four evening stunt from Feb. 11-14 that will feature love and romance themed episodes of your regularly scheduled ION sitcoms. See Mama, Drew, Marlon, Mona, Vera, and all your favorite ION characters battling the ups and downs of love, which includes some actual Valentine's Day episodes.
RHI movies for the month include an encore airing of the new original movie Journey To The Center Of The Earth. Other movies include The Temptations, Moby Dick, Tidal Wave: No Escape and Aftershock: Earthquake in New York.
For FULL details on ION February and to discuss this month, click HERE!

Day 61: WGA's Strike; Wayans Bros. Coming to ION Television; Veoh.com Adds Full Episodes of TV Series

Today is the 61st day of the writers' strike. Jay Leno might be in a bit trouble for writing his own jokes this week. The WGA released this statement:
"A discussion took place today between Jay Leno and the Writers Guild to clarify to him that writing for The Tonight Show constitutes a violation of the Guilds' strike rules."

The hit '90s sitcom The Wayans Bros. starring Shawn and Marlon Wayans is coming to ION Television starting Monday, January 14, 2008. The sitcom will air back-to-back each weeknight at 6:00pm & 6:30pm ET/PT replacing Amen. The series also starred Anna Maria Horsford, who was also on Amen. So you'll still get your daily Anna Maria Horsford fix. No other changes will be made as of now. So we have back-to-back sitcoms each weeknight with The Wayans Bros, Alice, Mama's Family, Drew Carey Show, and Who's the Boss from 6-11pm.
To discuss this last minute change change, click on our ION Television January thread.

Video site Veoh.com will offer free full-length streamed videos today from NBC and Fox, including Heroes, The Office, The Simpsons and 24. Also new to the site: Battlestar Galactica and Monk from NBC Universal's Sci Fi and USA Networks. The site also plans to add to its CBS catalog which includes CSI: Miami and The Unit. A new "TV Shows" tab on the home page will reveal the hundreds of TV series available. Among the classic shows available are The A-Team, Kojak, Doogie Howser, Lou Grant, Mary Tyler Moore, Chicago Hope, WKRP, Remington Steele and more! Click HERE to watch!

4th of July Marathons; TV Land Summer Cocktail Marathons Extended; Vacation Note

Well tomorrow is the 4th of July and if you for some reason want to spend it indoors rather than outdoors, you'll have a lot of marathon choices! Like all major holidays, we give our readers a taste of what the marathons are for the holiday. Here are among the highlights and marathons of note:
As we mentioned late last week, Boomerang will have a 3 1/2 day marathon featuring every single episode of The Flintstones! That is clearly the best choice. A close second is Sci-Fi Channel's Twilight Zone two-day event that started today and will run all day and night on July 4. Other notables:
Cartoon Network: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Marathon starting at 6am, Twenty-nine episodes and the movies "House of Bloo" and "Good Wilt Hunting" air. First up:, Eduardo breaks the "no dogs in the house" rule.
USA Network: Monk Marathon starting at 6am, A 22-hour block of the cautious crime solver begins with Monk looking for Sharona's replacement and running into Natalie, who asks him to investigate a break-in at her house, where she lives with daughter Julie.
TNT: Law & Order Marathon starting at 8am, a 15-episode block of the police procedural. In the first hour, "black rage" is used as a defense in the case of a Wall Street broker (Courtney B. Vance) who's accused of killing his mentor.
FX: Married...with Children/King of the Hill Marathon, starting at 8am, Thirty-two episodes of the two Fox comedies. First up: Eight episodes of Married...With Children, beginning with Part 1 of a 1991 two-parter in which the Bundys
break down en route to L.A., and a prospector (John Byner) trades his gold mine for their car.
BET: Wayans Bros. Marathon starting at 9am, an 18-episode block of the sitcom, a witty look at the misadventures of fast-talking siblings and their moneymaking schemes.
Bravo: Project Runway marathon starting at 10am, twelve third-season episodes of the reality series air in succession. In the first episode, 15 blossoming designers plunge into their first challenge when they
must create a garment using only materials found in their apartments.
TBS: House of Payne marathon starting at 5pm, a 10-episode block of the sitcom opens with young Malik being bullied at school. It turns out his tormentor is a girl with a blustery foster mother (creator and executive producer Tyler Perry, in drag). Perry also directed the episode.
G4: Cheaters marathon starting at 9am
Spike TV: Rocky movies marathon from 9am-6pm followed by CSI from 6pm-1am.
TV Land: The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii, the four-part episode airs from 8-10pm.
Comedy Central: Following movies from 9am-7pm, a mini-thons of Scrubs, South Park and 'Lil Bush will air.

TV Land will extend the Summer Cocktail Marathons, which air weeknights from 10pm-4am, until August 3. It was slated to end after July 20, but now it has been extended by another two weeks. So now you can enjoy more Cosby Show, Three's Company, and others in a little marathon each week. The regular 10pm-4am schedule will return August 6.

I will be going on vacation after my Thursday blog post. Todd will take over until July 15. I will return to the blog on July 16. I won't be checking e-mail or the boards likely, as I will be out of state. Todd will bring you news and some features that will be done by our review team. Among the features to look for is a special one time rant done by Seth (in addition to Solomon's Weekly Rant) and a handy special report called the DVD Wall of Shame by skees53...find out what TV DVDs you should avoid. We hope you continue to visit.

Preview of my final two days before my vacation: Tomorrow we will preview TV One August and on Thursday I hope to post ION August (if not Todd will do it later on).