'Bob''s Coming to DVD!

As reported on TV Shows on DVD yesterday.

Speaking as a fan of Bob Newhart, I obviously couldn’t have been more thrilled to read this. It’s actually funny because I was saying to myself just the other day that this was a pretty good show and that it’s too bad that we’ll probably never see it on DVD. Shows how much I know, right? Also, nice cover art.

This makes me wonder though. If CBS/Paramount Home Video is willing to release a short-lived show starring Bob, then what is Fox’s hold up with the final two seasons of The Bob Newhart Show and the rest of Newhart? Because I’m thinking with this release, and especially if Bob on DVD is a success in any shape or form, fans who pick this up will most likely want to see the remaining years of his other most famous and memorable characters, Dr. Robert Hartley and innkeeper Dick Loudon.

Empty Nest Marathon This Saturday

So, so excited! Found out earlier today that Hallmark Channel this Saturday (tomorrow) will be giving a big treat: 24 hours of Empty Nest! Yes, that would be the spin-off of The Golden Girls featuring Richard Mulligan as Dr. Harry Weston.

From the looks of the schedule, they'll be airing the first season in its entirety. Starts at 6 am. Ends at 6 am Sunday. It's really nice to see this show back in syndication. It hasn't been on television in a rather long time. 24 hour marathons can be a lot to handle, I'll admit, but this show for some reason is so rarely shown on television these days I think it'll certainly be worth it. The Golden Girls has since been on in reruns and has constantly gained new fans this way; also all of Golden Girls is out on DVD. It's nice to see the spin-off Empty Nest get some of this attention again. It'd also be nice if we could see some DVD releases from Buena Vista regarding this show, too.

There's something else I noticed: both The Golden Girls and Empty Nest are being featured on the same network again. I don't think that's happened in quite a while!

Online Pick of the Week (2/5): Family Ties Finale

The pick this week is a really nice look at the last 3 minutes or so of the original airing of the final episode of Family Ties. We see a lot more here than we do with the syndicated version that's aired for many years. One being a nice curtain call for the cast and other videotaped goodbyes from the cast and crew during the real closing credits.



Family Ties was one of the shows that I thought ended on a high note. I say "high note," because sometimes shows run a bit too long and we end up saying "so and so should have ended one or two years ago." This wasn't the case.

Online Pick of the Week: Bob Newhart Show Promos

A short look but a good look at a couple of promos for The Bob Newhart Show, one featuring Mary Tyler Moore, whose show aired on the same night, which was on Saturday.

Judging from the promo graphics and Suzanne Pleshette’s hair, I’m pretty safe in assuming this is from 1972. As usual with a lot of classic TV, I see the shows themselves, but it’s a rare treat in itself to see how the shows were originally pitched to the viewing audience.


PROMO MARY BOB NEWHART CBS
Uploaded by wny. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

My online pick of the week!

Online Pick of the Week (10/30): Cheers

Time for another pick of the week, this time, Halloween related and a classic, and that classic would be a season 5 episode of the beloved sitcom Cheers.

I actually saw this on television yesterday morning and thought it'd be a good enough idea for this if I could find it online. Here we find Carla having trouble finding a new house. Cliff saves the day by informing her that he found a decently priced old house. The only catch is that it was built on top of a 17th century prison graveyard and appears to be haunted.

This episode is called "House of Horrors with Formal Dining and Used Brick" and was written by the late David Angell and directed by the legendary James Burrows. This also has the distinct notoriety of being the series' 100th episode.

It's my online pick of the week!

More September Classic TV DVD News

2010 is continuing to turn out pretty well for news in regards to classic TV on DVD.

Night Court season 4 is now available at the WB shop. Artwork looks nice and blends in well with previous seasons. It's also worth noting that this is the first season with Marsha Warfield playing baliff Roz, coming after the passing of Florence Halop. It's nice that Warner decided to find a way to keep getting this show out to its fans. Hopefully something can happen with other abandoned Warner shows.

According to TVshowsonDVD.com; the final season of Dallas will be released January 2011. Also Shout! has also just announced that they've just acquired the rights to the '80's hit Webster. It'll be interesting seeing Webster again, it's been so many years since I personally have seen it. It's on that unwritten list of many shows that I thought would have easily been released and completed on DVD by now.

Online Pick of the Week (9/4): Mary Tyler Moore

Been having a hard time this Labor Day weekend trying to find something for this week's choice, so I went onto Hulu, and after several hours of watching Mary Tyler Moore episodes, I finally decided on this.

Here we find a season 2 ditty, "Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary." Easily one of Edward Asner's best episodes. A news writers' strike leaves it all up to Mary and Lou to prepare their station's newscasts, and a clammy and nervous Lou Grant to do the night's newscasts. As we can see here, it ends up in a complete disaster.

This episode was written by Martin Cohan, future co-creator of Who's The Boss?.

Mary Tyler Moore, my online pick of the week!

September Classic TV DVD News

September is going to mark more DVD releases for classic TV fans, as tvshowsondvd.com reports. Regarding the fourth seasons each of Night Court, Designing Women, and Rhoda. Night Court won't be released in stores though... but the good thing is that the show is still going to be released in some form and it's not going to be abandoned like other shows, and well, like this one between the releases of seasons one and two.

Rhoda will also be sold exclusively through Shout! Factory's website.

Shout's always been pretty dependable when it comes to releasing classic shows on DVD, so it's not surprising on their front, but it is (pleasantly) surprising to hear such news from Warner. They are often criticized for their treatment, or lack thereof, of classics, and in most cases, it's well-deserved criticism. It's nice to see that they're finally starting to realize that there are fans of these shows who want them on DVD, and they're trying to find some way to listen to these fans. It's a shame that the classics don't seem to be available in stores much anymore. Especially in a case with a show like Night Court, which ran for nine seasons and has a loyal fanbase who's waited patiently for more sets of the show to come out.

Online Pick of the Week (7/23): Nurses

A while back I had mentioned there was a special night which aired on a Saturday back in 1991 on NBC. Three of the flagship shows The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and Nurses, all shows created by Susan Harris (also best known for creating Soap and its spin-off Benson) had a similar plot theme. All shows were set in Miami and this particular week dealt with each show going through a hurricane.

This show in particular happens to be Nurses, which aired after Golden Girls and Empty Nest. These shows featured crossovers from each other’s shows. Here we see Betty White from Golden Girls, as of course, none other than Rose Nylund. Park Overall appears as her character Laverne Todd, from Empty Nest.

A very good episode overall. The characters are used to their potential very well. I can tell from the theme song that this episode is from the first season.

Nurses, “Begone with The Wind”, my online pick of the week!

Online Pick of the Week (7/16): Mary Tyler Moore

Another episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show is the pick for this week. This episode comes from the fifth season. In response to WJM newscasts becoming “static,” Lou decides to add a female perspective to the show. Lou has in mind a woman that is exactly like Mary, so much like her that Mary decides to audition for the job herself.

Look for Rosalind Cash in one of her earlier acting roles on this episode, as she plays one of the people auditioning, Enid Berringer. Also a rarity happens on this episode, Ted actually takes a good jab at Murray!

The Mary Tyler Moore episode "A Girl Like Mary," my online pick of the week!

Online Pick of the Week (7/9): Nick at Nite Promos

I've been going around YouTube and I've found a number of old promos for Nick@Nite. And I see that not only was the programming better back then but even the promos were more imaginative and unique. Reminds me how much fun the network used to be.

I guess what really annoys me these days is that I actually like a show like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which is one show that's seen a lot of exposure over the past couple years, a lot. I just don't think it belongs on Nick@Nite. Same especially goes for The George Lopez Show. It's like Nick@Nite evolved over time periods with their history of the network. Showing series from the 1950's and 60's, then 70's, and the '80's started, but they seemed to skip over a lot of the 1980's and a number of the 1990's series and just decided to focus on some of the same few shows. Also back then marathons were seen but other shows did get the proper amount of airtime they deserved.

Popular shows deserve airplay but they also shouldn't air everywhere on multiple networks like Fresh Prince does, and there are also plenty of other shows that did reasonably successfully and don't get much airplay anymore that should be on television too.

Nick@Nite, one of the many networks that quality wise for me has gone down ever since Viacom took over. But the good news for classic lovers is that we have DVD releases. In the meantime, it's nice to enjoy a few older promos, like this one:


Here's another batch for Mary Tyler Moore lovers. Bob Newhart fans will like this one.

Old Nick@Nite promos, my online pick of the week!

DVD News: Mary Tyler Moore season 7 is coming!

From TVshowsonDVD: the seventh and final season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show will be released this October 5th! Being that this is my number one favorite show of all time I could not have been more happy to read this news.

What always stands out to me is that this is one of those series that was good in really all of its years on the air. There are a number of enjoyable episodes from the final season. Can’t wait to see them all in their glorious re-mastered form! Episodes such as “Mary’s Insomnia”, “Lou Dates Mary”, “Mary Midwife”, “Sue Ann’s Sister,” and of course, one can’t forget “The Last Show!”

Also finding out that the original final curtain call credit roll from the last episode will be included? The same credit call that has only aired once on television since March 19, 1977 that fans like myself have been hoping would see the light of day again on DVD if the show ever got this far in releases? Icing on the cake.

In other MTM-related news, season 4 of the spinoff Rhoda, will be released by Shout!, however, it will be a Shout! Select program, meaning that the set will sell exclusively on their website. Good thing this classic is in the hands of Shout!. It’ll get completed no matter what. Another reason why I favor them so much over many of the other DVD companies. Sure they’ve messed up a few times (unfortunately including season 1 of this particular show), but I love their commitment to finishing a show they start. There's no waiting for years like with other shows.

Ending this post with the Mary finale closing credits is only the best way to go:

Online Pick of the Week (7/2): Taxi

Another classic this week chosen for the online pick, this time it's an episode from from the critically acclaimed and in this day unfortunately under aired Taxi, which ran from 1978-82.

Here, in season 4's "Jim The Psychic", the character Reverend Jim (Christopher Lloyd) has psychic dreams that often come true. This time one of them involves Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) meeting a certain fate. My favorite part is towards the end. Danny DeVito does an excellent job when his character Louie De Palma starts panicking when the elements of said dream start coming true in droves, and it's a hilarious watch.

Taxi, my online pick of the week!

Online Pick of the Week (6/25): Ellen (the sitcom)

With Pride Month soon coming to a close, I thought it’d be a good time to pick something that flows within that theme.

The date was April 30, 1997. The show was Ellen (that’s Ellen, the ‘90’s sitcom) and the groundbreaking two-parter in which both the character Ellen Morgan, as well as the comedienne herself, came out to her viewing audience. The character struggles with the notion of doing so, but in the process it winds up being one of the funniest coming out moments ever on television.

A number of great guest stars appeared on this episode. They would include Laura Dern who played Ellen‘s love interest, Billy Bob Thornton who appears in her dream, Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, and Oprah Winfrey, who played her therapist. Not only was this two-parter well done, but the next several episodes that followed were done so as well. Some of which included “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,” which dealt with Ellen coming out to her parents. “Moving On” focused on issues with her friend Paige’s handling of Ellen’s revelation as well as her boss, Ed.

There were problems like threats from advertisers and sadly some viewer backlash, and Laura Dern said that she couldn’t find work for a year after doing the episode. But in spite of that, the episode was the highest rated of the series and was a huge success. It has been noted that many people have watched the show and were inspired to come out to their own families afterwards. It’s interesting to see how things have evolved. The episodes and all the ones preceding it aired on ABC with lame parental warnings at the beginning of every episode. However 10 years later, the show was in reruns full-swing on Oxygen and it was rated TV-G.

The Ellen season 4 two-parter, “The Puppy Episode”, my online pick of the week!

More Greatness from Shout!

Bunker fans rejoice! Shout! Factory has done it again! 2010 continues to prove to be a great year for TV shows on DVD as it looks as though we’ll finally see the groundbreaking 1970's series All in the Family moving forward towards on DVD after all after three long years!

TVShowsonDVD.com reports that October 5th will be the date for release. I don’t know about anyone else, but this gives me good thoughts about not only the continuations of All in the Family, but possibly The Jeffersons and Maude too. Oh, and let’s not forget Archie Bunker’s Place as well. It could happen.

It's sad that Sony couldn't finish an iconic show like this. So glad for a company like Shout! Factory.

Online Pick of the Week (5/28): The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The pick this week belongs to one of my favorite episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It is “The Snow Must Go On”, which is from the first season.

In it, a barreling blizzard during election night helps put things on the map as a nervous Mary Richards must produce her very first news program. I like this episode because we get to see Mary really stand on her own two feet. It’s hard at first, but it becomes very easy for her to take authority when the time calls for it.

This episode was written by co-creator David Davis, and the late Lorenzo Music, who is perhaps best known for his role as the voice of Garfield; and Carlton the Doorman on the Mary Tyler Moore spin-off, Rhoda.

Mary Tyler Moore... my online pick of the week!

Facts of Life: Season 5 DVD News

According to this TVShowsonDVD article, Facts of Life fans will have much to be happy about as the fifth season of the show will be released before the end of the year, just months after season four’s release. And personally it really makes me happy because my personal favorite seasons are 5-8. I can't wait to revisit the Edna's Edibles era.

This is very nice. At this point, knowing Shout! Factory, the show will actually be completed on DVD in our lifetimes. I am so glad Sony leased the rights of the show to a company that will release it in a timely manner. Hopefully the same will happen with other classics.

Online Pick of the Week (5/21): Empty Nest

I mentioned a while back that in 1991 on NBC during their Saturday Night line-up, that there was a special themed “Hurricane Night” as it were. As all three Susan Harris shows airing at the time, The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, and Nurses, each set in Miami, dealt with the same storm. I’m sure if you’re a Golden Girls fan, you’ve seen “The Monkey Show.” Here is Empty Nest’s take on the night. Basically it’s found out pretty earnestly that now is not the best time for the Weston clan try to sell their house.

Fun episode. I can’t see a network line-up taking advantage of using the same story device this way in television today. Unless someone like Seth MacFarlane did something with the 3 of his shows.

Empty Nest, my online pick of the week!

Online Pick of the Week (5/7): The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Naturally enough I thought this online pick of the week, in honor of this week’s Saturday Night Live, should involve none other than Betty White. Also, again this is going to be a thought on a specific episode of something rather than the show as a whole itself.

Betty’s done many roles in her long career of entertainment; but there are two characters that stand out the most with fans: Sue Ann Nivens and Rose Nylund. Two funny, intriguing, and very different characters. And what’s interesting in seeing these episodes now is knowing what happened years later when The Golden Girls started. Initially the idea was to have Betty play Blanche and Rue play Rose. Both actors definitely could have definitely done it well. But it was absolutely perfect the way it was.

Here she is, Betty White, in one of the best and most known roles of her acting career, her debut as Sue Ann Nivens. The Mary Tyler Moore Show season 4 episode called "The Lars Affair," my online pick of the week!

A Betty White Weekend

What a great weekend showcase for Betty White! Not only will fans of the legendary actress see her host Saturday Night Live for the first time ever, but there will be at least two marathons honoring her.

I was waiting to post this until we knew for sure what exact episodes would be, but since that’s apparently not happening, I am still excited to see that GSN will be having a Match Game marathon featuring Betty. The episodes are from 1974-77. Judging from the promo that's been airing, it looks to be her best episodes from the prime years of the series. From 9 am - 4 pm.

WEtv is also having a marathon of their own Saturday evening, with The Golden Girls from 6 pm - 1 am. The episodes themselves are naturally mostly Rose Nylund-centric:

6:00 pm: “Rose The Prude”
6:30 pm: “In a Bed of Rose’s"
7:00 pm: “Isn’t it Romantic?”
7:30 pm: “Love, Rose”
8:00 pm: “Letter to Gorbachev”
8:30 pm: “Rose’s Big Adventure”
9:00 pm: “Yokel Hero”
9:30 pm: “Rose Fights Back”
10:00 pm: “Dancing in the Dark”
10:30 pm: “Once, In St. Olaf”
11:00 pm: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun… Before they Die”
11:30 pm: “The Bloom is Off the Rose”
12:00 am: “Ro$e Love$ Mile$”
12:30 am: “Rose: Portrait of a Woman”

I say “mostly” because with the episode “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…”, Sophia seems to have the biggest focus of the episode, but Rose is still involved with Miles a good deal and it’s still a goodie. I’m a little surprised they’d air episodes the same time as SNL, but it still looks to be a lot of fun to have stuff like this to look forward to as a countdown to the big night.