Grounded for Life Returns to ABC Family; Comedy Central Acquires The Goode Family

Grounded for Life is returning to ABC Family in November. They made a last minute change and will return Grounded for Life on Monday, Nov. 2 airing weekdays in the 4pm hour, replacing What I Like About You, which will be leaving the line-up for now. The Donal Logue sitcom was airing on weekends (Saturdays 10-11am and Sundays 11am-12pm) until the end of September, when it was replaced by 8 Simple Rules in October, so now the sitcom returns...in a much better slot and more airings! Now all they need to do is add 8 Simple Rules back to weekdays, and I'll be happy!
View our previous blog post on ABC Family November 2009, which we highlighted the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas (Nov. 10-30).

Comedy Central has acquired the animated sitcom The Goode Family for play starting in January. The series aired for 13 episodes this past summer on ABC and didn't deliver in the ratings on Wednesday nights before quickly being burned off to Friday nights. The Goode Family is from Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, and there is also a slight chance Comedy Central can pick up the show for a second season and produce new episodes!
The series revolves around a family attempting to live an ultra-politically correct lifestyle and stars the voices of Mike Judge, Nancy Carell, Linda Cardellini, Dave Herman and Brian Doyle-Murray. It was pretty good, I thought.
Comedy Central is also in talks to pick-up Sit Down, Shut Up, the Fox animated sitcom that also was short-lived, Variety reports. Stay tuned if they do!

Speaking of animated comedies, look for the classic Halloween special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown tonight at 8pm on ABC leading into ABC Comedy Wednesday comedies The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town from 8:30-10pm. Good stuff!

Ugly Betty Reruns on TV Guide Network Details; TeenNick, Nick at Nite Halloween Programs

Back in July we told you that TV Guide Network has gotten the rerun rights to Ugly Betty starting this October with repurpose rights then daily strip rights starting in fall 2010...now we have details on the repurpose rights!
Thursday nights are about to get a little bit 'Bettyer' as TV Guide Network prepares to telecast encore airings of the new season of Ugly Betty this fall. Longtime fans and curious newcomers that miss the Friday premiere of new Ugly Betty episodes on ABC can get caught up with TV Guide Network Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, beginning October 22.
The season premiere this year is a two-part episode, so part two will air on TV Guide Network on Friday, October 23 at 7:00 p.m. And if you forgot what happened on last season's season finale, then you can catch up on either Thursday or Friday of this week (Oct. 15 and 16) and watch it on TV Guide Network at 7pm both nights, just in time for the two-hour season premiere on ABC from 8-10pm on Friday.
Leading up to the October 22 encore telecast, TV Guide Network will air special Ugly Betty themed programming including a behind-the-scenes look at the set of Ugly Betty, cast interviews, a series overview, scoop on the new season, and fashion tips on how to emulate the characters' signature styles on the show.
Among the specials airing are inFANity: Ugly Betty (October 19 at 7 p.m.); The Fashion Team: Ugly Betty Style (October 20 at 7 p.m.); and Look-A-Like: America Ferrera (October 21 at 7 p.m.). Other specials that will air are Look-A-Like: Salma Hayek, Lindsay Lohan, and Lucy Liu...all who appeared on the show.
TV Guide Network also wants to give Ugly Betty fans a chance to be on television. Fans are invited to share their comments and reactions to the new season by uploading video comments to a new YouTube channel created specifically for them. Fans who visit www.youtube.com/uglybettyfans will have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the show, talk about which characters they love and which they love to hate, give their reactions to the latest episodes, and send a hello to their favorite cast members. A selection of YouTube video posts will air on TV Guide Network leading up to each Thursday Ugly Betty encore telecast.
On Saturday, October 17 between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., Ugly Betty fans in the Los Angeles area are invited to meet in the second floor courtyard area of the Hollywood & Highland Center for a chance to be interviewed about the show. Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite character and should come prepared to talk about their favorite Ugly Betty episodes and stars, and why they love the show. Fan interviews will air on TV Guide Network Thursdays before Ugly Betty encore airings.
Read more about the special Ugly Betty programming TV Guide Network has planned the week of Oct. 19.

TeenNick's (Formerly The N) has a week-long Halloween marathon that will...well scae you! TeenNick's "Now THAT's Scary" programming will include marathons featuring the hair-raising chills and thrills of teendom from Monday, Oct. 26 to Thursday, Oct. 29, starting at 8:00 p.m. (ET) through 12:00 a.m. (ET) and continues Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 with afternoon marathons starting at 3 p.m. (ET) of Degrassi: The Next Generation through 12:00 a.m. (ET). The "nightmare-athons" in primetime (Oct. 26-29) will feature episodes of Full House, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, One on One and What I Like About You with a block of each show each night.
Other Nickelodeon family of networks Halloween programming includes a Glenn Martin Halloween episode on Nick at Nite. On Monday, Oct. 26, Nick at Nite will kick off a night of Halloween-themed programming with a brand-new Glenn Martin, DDS at 8:00 p.m. followed by Halloween-themed episodes of Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris and George Lopez from 8:30-11pm.
And Nickelodeon will have Halloween-themed episodes of its live action series The Troop and True Jackson VP on Oct. 23 and 24 at 8:30pm.


Don't forget ABC Comedy Wednesday starting tonight at 8/7 central! Today's blog is sponsored by Modern Family, airing 9/8 central tonight on ABC Comedy Wednesday. Funniest episode yet with special guest Shelley Long! The song at the end will have you in tears of laughter!

The N Changes Its Schedule; WGN America Teams with Michael Winslow Every Wednesday Night

It looks like The N changed their mind for their schedule during the last few weeks before the name change to TeenNick. Full House will remain in the 8pm-10pm slot after all for the weeks of Sept. 14 and 21. In fact, there are a lot of changes to the schedule starting Sept. 14. Full House will no longer air in the 6am hour after this week, as Caitlin's Way takes over in the 6am hour, followed by an hour each of Radio Free Roscoe, True Jackson VP, The Assistants, and drama The Best Years. Then we have two hours each of Degrassi and One on One leading into an hour of True Jackson VP at 3pm. Then two-hour blocks will air for the rest of the day, starting at 4pm with What I Like About You, followed by Zoey 101, Full House, One on One, That '70s Show, What I Like About You, and more Full House. Weekends will be filled with a lot of Degrassi, and shows like True Jackson VP and Zoey 101.
We still don't know yet what the TeenNick schedule will be starting Sept. 28. Will it be the same as when it was known as The N? We shall see. Stay with us! For now view the full schedule for the weeks of Sept. 14 and 21 on The N.

As we mentioned on the WGN America Fall 2009 story, they will have an '80s night on Wednesdays starting TONIGHT. Tonight WGN America will debut "Way Back Wednesday with Winslow," a totally tubular 80's movie night. Each Wednesday, from 8-10pm ET, WGN America will air a 1980's themed movie and will kick off "Way Back Wednesday with Winslow" with Police Academy at 8pm ET.
"Way Back Wednesday with Winslow" will be hosted each week by Michael Winslow who appeared in Police Academy 1-7 (as Sgt. Larvell "Motor Mouth" Jones), Gremlins and Spaceballs, and is known as the "Man of 10,000 sound effects." Winslow and his sound effects will be featured each week in the movie night's open, close, bumps and bridges.
"Way Back Wednesday with Winslow" will feature rad 80's classics including: Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Risky Business, Sixteen Candles, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Poltergeist, Lethal Weapon, Uncle Buck, Mr. Mom, Arthur, The Great Outdoors and Spies Like Us.

The N September 2009 Schedule; Criminal Minds Now 5 Days a Week on A&E

Last week we mentioned Full House launches Aug. 31 on The N...now we have the final weeks schedule for The N before the network renames into TeenNick on Sept. 28. We're not sure yet if TeenNick will have any changes to the schedule yet, but we do have the schedule for The N's final weeks.
Full House in primetime will be just for two weeks, the week of Aug. 31 from 8pm-12am and the week of Sept. 8 from 8pm-10pm. It will move to its regular slot of 6-7am starting Sept. 8. One on One returns to the line-up and will air 8pm-12am starting week of Sept. 14. While One on One returns, Moesha will be leaving the schedule as its morning 8-9am airing will be replaced by more Zoey 101 and its late night block will be replaced by One on One from 4-6am. What I Like About You now will air 6-8pm and 2-4am, while That '70s Show remains from 12-2am. The rest of the schedule is filled with Nickelodeon and The N originals: Unfabulous, Zoey 101, Caitlin's Way, Radio Free Roscoe, The Assistants, The Best Years, True Jackson VP, and of course Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Weekends will have various programming and is different each week it seems. Marathons of True Jackson VP (Sept. 13 6am-6pm; Sept. 19 6am-6pm) and Degrassi: The Next Generation (Sept. 12 1pm-10pm; Sept. 13 6pm-11pm) are among the highlights.
Degrassi: The Next Generation will have a Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 7) marathon from 6am-12am. Degrassi: The Next Generation closes The N on its last weeknight as well on Friday, Sept. 25 with a marathon from 6am-12am. There will be a two-night late night block as well that week on Thursday night and Friday night from 2am-6am. And finally, Degrassi: The Next Generation closes The N on the weekend of Sept. 26-27 from 6pm-12am with two-hour episodes. Technically Sabrina the Teenage Witch will be the last show on The N at 5:30am before it turns into TeenNick on Sept. 28. Yes, the rotating wheel on Sundays at 5:30am continues with Clueless, Growing Pains, and Sabrina.
View the full The N September 2009 schedule and stay with us for updates on the transformation of The N to TeenNick! And also stay tuned for fall schedules for WGN America, BET, New York City local stations and more.

This September, A&E will expand Criminal Minds to 5 days a week! Right now it was just airing two nights a week in primetime but starting Monday, August 31 Criminal Minds will air weekdays at 1pm and 7pm ET/PT.
The weekday schedule will now look like this starting at 7am with Crossing Jordan, The Sopranos, American Justice, Cold Case Files, double shot of CSI: Miami at 11am & 12pm, Criminal Minds at 1, more The Sopranos, American Justice, Cold Case Files, another double shot of CSI: Miami at 5pm & 6pm, and Criminal Minds at 7pm. Original programming airs from 8pm-4am on weeknights.
Criminal Minds will continue to air on Friday and Sunday nights in primetime as well. CSI: Miami will continue to air on weekends and primetime as well, as well as The Sopranos. And finally, Criminal Minds will have a Labor Day (Sept. 7) marathon from 8am-8pm.

Barney Miller Coming to WGN America on Sundays' Outta Sight Retro Night; The N Schedule Changes for July 2009

As I promised, we will reveal what classic TV sitcom is joining WGN America in a few weeks! The '70s ABC sitcom Barney Miller is joining WGN America's Sunday night line-up, part of Outta Sight Retro Night. Barney Miller will air Sundays back-to-back from 9-10pm ET (6-7pm PT), replacing an hour of Newhart. Newhart will still remain in the 8-9pm ET (5-6pm PT) time slot, so fans of that have no need to worry.
We still have lots more to cover on WGN America in the coming months, and it is promising! They will add more series to the Outta Sight Retro Night block in September and they will also add a Wednesday '80s night with classic '80s movies and TV comedies from time to time. Radical! We also mentioned one show will be celebrating an anniversary this September, and WGN America will celebrate with a marathon on both the Wednesday '80s night and the Sunday Outta Sight Retro Night block. There's clue #2 for that one! We will have more on WGN America soon, so keep checking back as always!
View more on Barney Miller on our mini-page.

Last week we told you that Growing Pains was returning to The N schedule starting July 6, but now that isn't happening "actually." The N has altered that schedule quite a bit now and Growing Pains isn't returning to the schedule as a regular but it WILL be a part of a rotating wheel on Sunday nights at 5:30am. Airing first on Sunday, July 12 at 5:30am is Sabrina the Teenage Witch, then Clueless on July 19, and Growing Pains on July 26. Then the cycle starts over, for example Sabrina on August 2. This is a three-week cycle. It is too bad Growing Pains is being wasted like this. Why not try it on sister network TV Land? It wouldn't hurt them to try.
Also leaving the schedule totally for now is Saved by the Bell. It was airing weekdays in the 4pm hour, but after this coming Thursday it seems to be gone for now. It was removed once before but it eventually returned, so it could return. Also the return of Kenan & Kel will now be just the 8-9am hour every morning and it won't have an afternoon airing now, since Degrassi is taking over afternoons from 3-5pm. Degrassi is getting lots of airings it seems. Among the other changes are The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's 10pm hour being replaced by another hour of What I Like About You, since sister network Nick at Nite will be airing it in that hour starting July 6 from Mon-Thurs. Fresh Prince will remain in the 11pm hour on Mon-Thurs on The N and will also gain 2-4am on Mon-Thurs on The N. Nick at Nite will air it in the 4am hour on late nights Mon-Thurs, so that won't interfere with The N either.
View the full updated The N July 2009 schedule.

What I Like About You Joins The N in January 2009; More RTN Affiliates Added

The N has released their January schedule and it will have a new sitcom added. Starring Amanda Bynes, What I Like About You joins The N with a 24-hour premiere marathon that begins on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 12:00pm ET/PT (First 49 episodes, except #9 will air in the marathon). When her widowed father moves to Japan, Holly (Amanda Bynes) is forced to move in with her straight-laced older sister Valerie (Jennie Garth), who's a promising public relations upstart living in Manhattan. It's not long before Holly's antics turn Valerie's regimented life upside down!
And that's not all! The excitement continues all week long with a week of primetime marathons of What I Like About You every night from 8pm-12am ET/PT from Friday, January 2 through Sunday, January 11.
Then the show will join the regular line-up after the 11 days worth of marathons. Beginning Monday, January 12, What I Like About You will air regularly on The N every night at 10pm-12am ET/PT. Among the other changes on The N are now four episodes in a row blocks of your favorite sitcoms from 6pm-6am: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Zoey 101, What I Like About You, That '70s Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Moesha...with a mix of Degrassi on weekends.
View the full schedule and highlights for The N January 2009.

Coming tomorrow we will take a look at TV Land January 2009. Will paid programming continue? What will replace I Love Lucy? All that and more will be answered!

Retro Television Network is coming to more affiliates! RTN's coming to Eureka, Odessa-Midland, Huntsville and Albuquerque.
RTN has signed KIEM-DT, Eureka, CA as its newest RTN affiliate. KIEM is the second Pollack Broadcasting station that RTN has signed as an affiliate. The first, KWCE‐TV, Alexandria, LA was one of the first RTN affiliates to sign on the air in 2006.
RTN has also announced that it has signed KWWT-DT, Odessa-Midland, TX as an affiliate. KWWT-DT is owned by Camino Real Communications.
RTN is also coming to Alabama on WHNT-DT in the Huntsville-Decatur-Florence, AL market, as they will be signing on as an RTN affiliate. WHNT is owned by Local TV LLC.
Finally, RTN has signed Ramar Communication's KTLL-DT/KFAC-LP, Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM as RTN affiliates.
This is great news, and you can view the full press releases for these four new RTN markets. RTN can be found on the web at www.rtnville.com.

Day 25: WGA's Strike; ABC Family Acquires What I Like About You; TV Land Scores in November

We are in day 25 of the strike. Non-writing staffers of The Tonight Show are being laid off on Friday we hear, but Letterman's production company will pay its nono-writing staff from their own pockets. Conan O'Brien is also paying out of his own pocket for his non-writing staff.
Meanwhile NBC has made a schedule move that seems like it was done for the strike. NBC's new dramedy Lipstick Jungle, based on the best-selling novel by Candace Bushnell - and starring Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price - will premiere on Thursday, February 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET. ER will continue in the Thursdays 10:00 p.m. ET time slot through January when the Emmy Award-winning drama series completes its current run of original episodes.
Fox finally announced its holiday line-up. Nothing really except on Christmas Eve we get the movie Cheaper by the Dozen and on Wednesday, December 26 we get the broadcast premiere of Christmas with the Kranks starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. But why a day after Christmas?

I guess trying to bank on the success of Jennie Garth on Dancing with the Stars, cable network ABC Family will begin airing reruns of the sitcom What I Like About You in January. The sitcom starred Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth as sisters. The show had a decent four season run on The WB/CW from 2002-06. The show will air weekday afternoons at 4:00pm & 4:30pm ET/PT starting Monday, January 7, replacing 7th Heaven. We asked ABC Family if 7th Heaven would return and they said no, as the show will be moving to The Hallmark Channel. So that answers that. As for What I Like About You, The CW Daytime will still air it at 3:30pm in January from what we see in their listings. We'll keep you posted if that changes. So fans can watch it basically from 3:30-5pm on two channels!
Elsewhere on ABC Family January, the second half of season two of the hit original drama Kyle XY will return on January 14 airing Mondays at 8pm for 10 episodes! A marathon of 9 of the 13 episodes from the first half of the season will air before it from 11am-8pm. The fourth season of another original drama, Wildfire will start a week later, Monday, January 21, and air Mondays at 9pm. Other highlights include, the annual The 700 Club Special Programming will air from 9am-11am for two weeks, week of Jan. 14 and 21, thus Step by Step will be pre-empted for those two weeks at 9am. A marathon of the 700 Club will air on Sunday, January 27 from 12pm-12am. As for movies, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants will get a basic cable premiere on Jan. 6, and a lot of movies will be airing on the ABC Family for the first time, such as Mean Girls, Pleasantville, Bring It On Again, and the TV premiere of Bring It On: In It To Win It.

TV Land scored huge gains among its target demo of Adults 25-54 as well as its core audience of Adults 40-54 for the month of November (10/29/07-11/25/07). The success of the network's regularly scheduled Friday Night Movie Block, a M*A*S*H Mail Call Marathon, the original special Entertainment Weekly and TV Land Present: The 50 Greatest TV Icons and the network's "Overstuffed Thanksgiving Weekend" led the network to score double-digit gains in rating and delivery among A25-54 and total viewers over last year. November was also the most-watched month among A25-54 for the year.
TV Land's November prime time line-up scored a 0.4 rating, 406,000 viewers, up +33% in rating and +24% in viewers among A25-54. Among total viewers in primetime, TV Land delivered nearly 944,000 total viewers, up +15% over last year. In total programming day, TV Land averaged a 0.3 rating and 295,000 viewers among A25-54 for the month, representing a +50% gain in rating and a +19% climb in viewers versus November 2006. It was also the most-watched month among A25-54 in total day this year. Additionally, the network attracted an average of 633,000 viewers for the total programming day, an increase of +13% over November 2006. Among its core audience, Adults 40-54, TV Land averaged a 0.6 rating, 317,000 viewers in prime time, up +50% in rating and +39% in viewers versus last year. In total programming day, the network posted a 0.4 rating, 227,000 viewers, up +33% in rating and +26% in viewers.
Click HERE for the full highlights.