Random clicking of news and tidbits on current and past television programming in the U.S., as well as what's happening in the TV-on-DVD market. Pop culture on the tube. Reliving our childhood one disc at a time.
September is typically a busy month for TV-on-DVD releases, aiming for the fans and binge watchers before the new season begin. The 2014-2015 television season doesn't officially kick-off until September 22 but many shows are returning and/or debuting before that date.
Season 2 ofChicago Fire and the first season of its procedural spin-off,Chicago P.D. both hit the shelves today.
Grey's Anatomy fans can relive the final season featuring Cristina with the complete tenth season set.New Girl's see-saw romance that defined Season 3 comes out on DVD.
Additionally,The Originals (spin-off ofThe Vampire Diaries) and Person of Interest see multiple format releases today. Fans can pick up the DVD/Blu-ray combo of the freshman supernatural series or repeat the death that shocked viewers on the third season of the CBS drama.
Summer pirate adventure Crossbones releases its first season on DVD. The fate of the show that follows Blackbeard still remains in the air but viewers can repeat that incredible season (or series) finale.
On the retro TV front, Mill Creek Entertainment continues re-releasing previous Sony sets. This time around, 1970s hits Soap and What's Happening!! each receive a Season 1 & 2 combo release. Individual sets of both shows' seasons are also released.
The first and second seasons of Benson become available as well, and in both combo or individual sets. While Season 1 was originally released to retail in 2007, this is the first time Season 2 gets a retail release. A previous set was offered but only as a Sony MOD DVD-R.
Finally, western TV show fans will be anxious to pick up The Official 7th Season of Bonanza.
It was touch-and-go this past fall with renegotiation rumors but Grey's Anatomyfans can breathe a sigh of relief. Meredith and Derek are not going anywhere, anytime soon.
Original cast members Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey have signed new two-year deals that will keep the couple on the show through Season 12. Of course ABC has only renewed Grey'sthrough the end of this current season but with these new deals in place, it definitely is an incentive to keep the medical drama going.
Other original cast members Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens, Jr., as well as Sara Ramirez, have yet to renew their contracts which expire at the end of this season. As reported earlier this fall, Sandra Oh is departing the show in May.
Do you think the show still has some steam left in it after 10 years?
Tonight, we are shown the other side of Wonderland and a drama says farewell to a friend.
Once Upon a Time's much-hyped spinoff, OUAT in Wonderland, premieres tonight with an Alice and Wonderland we were never told. Set in a period after Alice's original adventure in Wonderland, the little girl is a bit older and locked up in an asylum. Sitting before a medical panel, Alice defends the existence of Wonderland and all the characters she encountered. Before she is subject to severe shock treatment, Alice is released thanks to the White Rabbit and Knave of Heart. Alice travels once again down the rabbit hole/portal in search for her lost love, genie Cyrus, and along the way has to contend with the obstacles of the Red Queen and Jafar (Hmmm, genies and Jafar...could this be an Aladdin reference?). 8 pm on ABC.
McKinley High says goodbye to Finn Hudson on Glee. Original cast members reunite to pay tribute to their fallen castmate in an emotional hour packed with a powerful track list. Don't forget your Kleenex. 9 pm on FOX.
Grey's Anatomy celebrates its 200th episode with a big fundraising gala for the deteriorating hospital. Break out the champagne and watch out for Death. He always seems to strike this medical drama, especially during big parties. 9 pm on ABC.
Tonight is the night for the return of big dramas and great comedies!
New and Returning Premieres
Parks and Recreation kicks off its sixth season with an hour-long premiere that sees most of the gang heading to London when Leslie wins an award. Meanwhile, Chris and Ann begin their swan song journey to exiting the show. 8 pm on NBC.
America's favorite nerdy bunch returns for a seventh season. Tonight's double helping of The Big Bang Theory delves further into the Sheldon and Penny dynamic while Leonard is away. Oh and let us say, secrets will be revealed. Later, Leonard returns and his relationship with Sheldon will be put to a test. Good or bad thing? You'll have to tune in. 8 pm on CBS.
Glee returns for its fifth season tonight with the first part of a two-part Beatles tribute episode. Beatles fans will either love it or hate it but rumor has it that Rachel's rendition of "Yesterday" will be the one everyone talks about at the water cooler on Friday. The first two episodes of the musical drama will lead up to the Cory Monteith tribute episode. 9 pm on FOX.
The two-hour 10th season premiere of Grey's Anatomy picks up with the aftermath of the superstorm. Fresh off giving birth to lil' Bailey, Meredith has to make a difficult choice. Girlie just can't catch a break on this show. Callie and Arizona have big issues to resolve, and viewers will finally learn what fate has in store for Richard. 9 pm on ABC.
Robin Williams' heralded return to the world of sitcoms occurs tonight with the premiere of The Crazy Ones. Co-starring Buffy's Sarah Michelle Gellar, the comedy focuses on a dynamic father-daughter advertising team (i.e. they're polar opposites...can you imagine the comedy?). The one thing this pilot episode has going for it is that Davide E. Kelley wrote it. It'll be interesting to see Williams back on television, and moderated...hopefully, and Gellar in a comedic format. 9 pm on CBS.
The Michael J. Fox Show premieres tonight and we have to say that this is our pick of the night. Whether it's seeing Michael J. Fox back on television or just loving the premise of the half-hour sitcom, we have been looking forward to this show. Read here why we already love this new show. Fox plays a news anchor who returns to work after several years away dealing with Parkinson's disease. Plus we get two episodes tonight, what more could we ask for? 9 pm on NBC.
Change is afoot when Two and a Half Menreturns for its 11th season. Angus T. Jones is out and Amber Tamblyn is in as the new "half" of the show. Tamblyn makes her debut as Jenny, Charlie's long-lost lesbian daughter who is definitely a chip off the old, dead block. Cue the laugh track. 9:30 pm on CBS.
The modern-day re-imaging of Sherlock Holmes and Watson returns for its sophmore season. Elementary starts the night with Holmes and Watson traveling to London to help solve a puzzling case. The trip also fuels a family reunion of sorts as Holmes reunites with his estranged brother, Mycroft. 10 pm on CBS.
Home is where the heart is, and everything if anything is about family. The fifth season of Parenthood begins with the household shake-up brought on by a certain recent newborn. Also, an old flame returns to Sarah's life and literally takes her by surprise. 10 pm on NBC.
Also on TV Tonight
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. repeats its premiere episode on ABC, meanwhile The X Factor continues its auditions. The CW repeats its season ending episodes in preparation for their fall premieres.
Sandra Oh has given her notice. She and her character, Dr. Cristina Yang, will be exiting the long-running ABC drama at the end of the upcoming 10th season. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Grey's Anatomy star stated, "Creatively, I really feel like I gave it my all, and I feel ready to let her go...We have to start the process, story-wise, for the Grey's writers to think of why she's going to go."
Speculation regarding most of the original castmembers status on the show came into question after Patrick Dempsey's comments last month. The two-year contracts, which were extensions from the actors' original contracts, for Oh, Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson are up at the end of the 10th season. While Oh is the first castmember to announce a decision for this upcoming season, it can't be ruled out that we'll hear future updates on the status of her co-stars. Grey's Anatomyhas also gained famed for its revolving casting door and has had no difficulties in writing off major characters.
Oh announced her decision to cast and crew at Tuesday's table read for the 200th episode. Creator Shonda Rhimes is taking the departure personally since she has stated that she sees much of herself in the character of Cristina Yang. It's definitely too early to tell how Dr. Yang will be written off the show.
Grey's Anatomy returns with a two-hour premiere on September 26. Here is the link to The Hollywood Reporter article.
Keep it locked to Stay Tuned for future updates on anything and everything television.
Could the upcoming fall season be the last for a major star of ABC's Grey's Anatomy?
Hints have been dropped at this year's Television Critics Association Press Tour that Patrick Dempsey may be leaving the medical drama after this season. After 9 years and almost 200 episodes, Dempsey is looking to his future and in particular, his new racing documentary series Racing LeMans. Dempsey appears to be losing interest in the role. Though no official word has been given, Dempsey is under contract until the end of season 10, which begins in September. He isn't alone since several other original cast members signed similar two-year contract extensions. Our bet, however, is that he will depart next spring.
Entertainment Weeklyhas released a special double issue for the first week of July with a countdown of The 100 All-Time Greatest Movies, Albums, Novels, and of course, TV Shows.
EW's list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all-time already has generated a lot of buzz with the typical complaints of "Where's this show?" and "Why is this show included?" and even the "This show should have been ranked higher/lower!"...nobody is ever happy, right?
Well STAY TUNED just wants to give some exposure to this wonderful issue (including an excellent tribute to the late James Gandolfini) and hopefully generate some talk in the TV Den. So grab your bean bag chair and glance at the countdown.
Today we'll highlight the bottom ten shows, #91 - 100, on EW's all-time list.
#100 - The Brady Bunch
Who could forget that addicting theme song? The Bradys showed us that families can blend together through the bonds of a second marriage.
#99 - Alias
Sydney and Vaughn. Spy Daddy and Spy Mommy. Francie and Doppelganger Francie. Huge, gaping 2-year flash-forward. Alias brought the spy game to television viewers and probably was the first show to implement the flash-forward technique halfway through its run. Part of us wanted to be part of the Bristow family. The other part thanked reality for not having a zany family.
#98 - Bewitched
Samantha Stephens was one foxy witch. It was the twitch of the nose that set things off. Bewitched introduced the world to witchcraft in a comedic setting and it hit the ball right out of the park. The effects were top notch for its time and made the show believable. It also spawned the eternal debate that remains to this very date, Darrin #1 vs. Darrin #2. Each actor brought a uniqueness to the role but it's ultimately Darrin #1 (Dick York) that was the better Darrin. And let's not forget Endora, Samantha's mortal-hating mother. Endora stole the show every single time she appeared on screen.
#97 - The Comeback
Lisa Kudrow's show was on the air for a short amount of time. I mean if you blinked you would have never known that Kudrow had returned to television with this witty show on HBO. Probably the strongest vehicle for Kudrow post-Friends, it received praise and positive reviews but failed to capture the fickle audience. HBO made a mistake in not renewing the show for a second season.
#96 - Malcolm in the Middle
Malcolm in the Middle was a refreshing comedy that brought the family back to the core. The show featured a typical American family with the internal dysfunction and problems most of our families have experienced. Malcolm had the ability to showcase family strife without vulgarity, as was the case of similar shows during the 2000s. Sympathizers and sufferers of middle-child syndrome related to Malcolm and the pains of growing up in that family environment. It's also great to see Bryan Cranston pre-Breaking Bad.
#95 - Grey's Anatomy
It's drama. It's soapy. It's a dramedy...of sorts. However you want to define it, Grey's Anatomy has been one roller coaster of a show. Hospital dramas can sometimes get boring and bogged down in the depths of dull if there is more medical jargon than storyline. This show has managed to overcome that hurdle and provide outstanding, eye-opening, mouth dropping stories for the last nine years. Just when it seems that Grey's can't top itself, it always finds a way to go over the top. Shootings, plane crashes, deaths, deaths, and more deaths. Most of the audience has been torn between McDreamy and McSteamy, while others root for McBreathy (as in "I hope my favorite character makes it to next week's episode"). Whatever your feelings are about the show, you have got to give it up to homegirl Grey for getting through all the ish she's been through in almost a decade on the air.
#94 - Project Runway
I really have nothing to add to Project Runway. I'm not going to say anything too horrible because my friend Chanelle watches this program religiously when she's working out at her gym. The show has provided an outlet for talented designers to demonstrate their ideas and gain entry into a difficult industry. If anything, the cattiness of the contestants and harsh, honest creative criticism of the judges make this show worth watching.
#93 - The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a variety show that pushed the buttons and limits with its frequent political humor. Airing during a time when variety shows were hot commodities, audience grabbers, and ratings winners, the Smothers Brothers mixed comedic skits with musical acts, most times by the actual Smothers Brothers themselves but other times bringing in hot (what we would consider indie these days) artists of the late '60s. After reviewing some clips of the show, it makes one wish variety shows would make a comeback.
#92 - Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son was a groundbreaking comedy on many levels. It became a popular show featuring an entire cast of African-Americans, including the lead characters of Fred Sanford and his son Lamont.The setting of the show was the Sanford junkyard, the family business which was another rarity at the time. The show centered around an African-American-owned business, a huge leap from the supporting television roles of house cleaners, maids, butlers, and menial employees in the late '60s through the '70s. Fred Sanford (played brilliantly by the late Redd Foxx) Controversial material was almost the norm as the show consistently tested the boundaries in its half-hour format. In fact, Sanford and Son helped pave the road for future African-American television.
And who could forget the Sanford and Son theme?!?
#91 - Star Trek
Space...the final frontier. Star Trek wasn't exactly a ratings winner but it gained a loyal following and has increased its cult status thanks to syndication, spin-offs, movies, and books. In retrospect, Star Trek was following the trend of space-centered television shows in the mid to late '60s. The premise was fascinating: space in the future, advanced technology, and traveling to different worlds and encountering strange beings and alien life forms. And let's be honest, that space ship was neat-o. As the show continued on during its three year run, it became a habit to wonder how exactly the extra in the red shirt would meet his or her demise. Because let's face it, if you wore a red shirt on the shirt then you pretty much were going to die. Star Trek also made television history by being the first American show to feature an interracial kiss (Cap. Kirk and Uhura). That jungle fever kiss, Spock's pointer ears and hand sign, alien green women, and furry little balls called Tribbles were just some highlights associated with this cult classic.
Well there you go. EW's list has opened the floodgate of memories. There were some surprises so far. I wouldn't consider The Comeback and Grey's Anatomy as part of the 100 greatest shows of all-time. They're good shows, but deserve an honorary mention status.
What do you think of the EW's list so far? Chime in if you loved, hated, watched any of these shows mentioned. Stay Tuned will be back with the next set #90-81!
