TV Land takes on a new look, new shows and new logo

TV Land for the first time since the launch of the network 16 years ago is unveiling a reimagined logo, redesigned on-air packaging and graphics.

The retro-style logo with the classic TV screen has been replaced with a logo that acknowledges the network's roots but reflects that the network is also programming original series.

At the same time, TV Land is launching a second night of original sitcoms, with the Wednesday night lineup starting June 20. The new series "The Soul Man," starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash, will premiere, followed by the second season premiere of "The Exes." On June 26, "Retired at 35" will return for a second season.

"TV Land has evolved significantly over the past few years," said Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land. "It became clear that the overall look and feel of the channel needed to sync up better with a programming lineup."

ALSO:

Late Night: Rick Santorum, Jon Stewart sound off on gay marriage

"Harry's Law" faces tough fight for renewal

CBS' "Big Bang Theory" tops ratings for first time this season

--Greg Braxton

 Photo: New TV Land logo. Credit: TV Land

TV This Week for Nov. 27 - Dec. 3

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Nov. 27 - Dec. 3 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of Nov. 27 - Dec. 3 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

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SUNDAY

Now departing on Track 1, the “2011 Soul Train Awards.” Cedric the Entertainer is your host; performers include Natalie Cole, Common and Cee Lo Green; and Gladys Knight and Earth, Wind & Fire receive career honors. (BET, 9 p.m.)

So he got the boot on “DWTS”; that’s just part of “Being Chaz.” The transgender son of Sonny Bono and Cher is profiled in this new follow-up documentary, followed by the similarly themed special “I Am Jazz: A Family in Transition.” (OWN, 8 and 9 p.m.)

MONDAY

Ladies, if a stranger approaches you and says he can help you launch a lucrative career as a fashion model, it’s probably an offer you can and should refuse … unless you’ve just been “Scouted,” like the young women featured in this new docu-series. (E!, 10 p.m.)

TUESDAY

There goes the judge: Bill Pullman (above) is one seriously imprudent jurist in “Scott Turow’s Innocent,” a new made-for-cable mystery movie based on the novelist’s sequel to his bestseller “Presumed Innocent.” Marcia Gay Harden also stars. (TNT, 9 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY

After the season premiere of “Hot in Cleveland,” it’s the debut of “The Exes.” “Scrubs’” Donald Faison, “Seinfeld’s” Wayne Knight and “3rd Rock From the Sun’s” Kristen Johnston star in this new divorced-themed sitcom. (TV Land, 10 and 10:30 p.m.)

TV This Week for August 28th - September 3rd

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Aug. 28 - Sept. 3 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of Aug. 28 - Sept. 3 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

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SUNDAY

In the special “George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview,” the 43rd president shares his moment-by-moment recollections – illustrated with previously unreleased archival footage – of that darkest of days in 2001. (National Geographic, 7 and 10 p.m.)

Adore Adele? Gaga over Lady Gaga? Like a little Lil Wayne? The soulful British songstress, the fashion-forward dance-pop diva and the tatted-up rapper are just some of the many performers slated for the “2011 MTV Video Music Awards.” (MTV, VH1, 9 p.m.)

MONDAY

Serious foodies will journey far and wide for the tastes they “Crave,” and host Troy Johnson does likewise, visiting New York, Chicago and San Francisco in search of that perfect slice of pizza in the debut installment of this culinary travelogue. (Food, 8:30 p.m.)

TUESDAY

Ahead of the curves: The new reality series “Big Sexy” follows Nikki, Heather, Audrey, Leslie and Tiffany (above, from left), five shapely young women looking to reshape society's notions of beauty while pursuing their own fashion-biz dreams. (TLC, 10 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY

Hit movies like “The Hangover” often provide fresh plotlines that sitcom writers can then steal … um, borrow, rather… for their own shows, like when Elka (Betty White) goes MIA after her bachelorette party on a new “Hot in Cleveland.” (TV Land, 10 p.m.)

THURSDAY

With the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 bringing a flood of disturbing images back to televisions in the coming weeks, “Nick News With Linda Ellerbee” seeks to explain that national tragedy to its audience of young children, many of whom were not yet born on that fateful day. (Nickelodeon, 9 p.m.)

FRIDAY

Legend has it that Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail to ancient Britain and hid it in a mystical place, near the spot where some of today's legendary pop-music acts – including U2, Coldplay and Beyoncé – can be seen performing in the new concert special “Glastonbury 2011.” (11 p.m. VH1)

SATURDAY

Look at that big brain on “Megamind.” Will Ferrell provides the voice of the blue-hued super-villain (below), with Brad Pitt as his superhero archrival, Metro Man, and Tina Fey as a plucky girl reporter in this computer-animated 2010 send-up. (HBO, 8 p.m.)

Photo: "Big Sexy"; credit: James Hercule / TLC

Fran Drescher sitcom 'Happily Divorced' renews vows with TV Land

The critics may have said nay, but TV Land executives have decided to stay wedded to "Happily Divorced."

Fran Drescher's sitcom -- based on her life with ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson, who came out as gay after years of marriage - -got a second-season order for 12 more episodes, the network announced Wednesday. The new shows will appear sometime next spring.

"Happily Divorced," designed as a companion to TV Land's hit sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," got the thumbs-down from many critics when it premiered last month. But fans of Drescher -- best-known as the nasally title character on "The Nanny" -- have enabled "Happily Divorced" to average a respectable 2.2 million total viewers, according to the Nielsen Co.

Photos: TV's romantic comedies -- the hits and misses

"We are thrilled that our viewers have embraced 'Happily Divorced' just like they did with 'Hot in Cleveland,'" TV Land President Larry W. Jones said in a statement.

Trackers, what do you think of Drescher and "Happily Divorced"?

ALSO:

'America's Got Talent': A hum-drum night

New TLC series examines Muslims in America

Bravo will try to do for Iranian Americans what 'Jersey Shore' did for Italian Americans

--Scott Collins
twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Fran Drescher with ex-husband and "Happily Divorced" co-creator Peter Marc Jacobson. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

Fran Drescher's gay ex-factor is a laughing matter on 'Happily Divorced'

Fran Drescher, who became a TV powerhouse thanks to the popularity of "The Nanny," is back with "Happily Divorced," which puts a comedic spin on her emotional real-life journey with Peter Marc Jacobson, her producing partner -- and ex-husband.

In the new show which premieres Wednesday on TV Land, Drescher plays a florist who suddenly discovers Peter (John Michael Higgins), her husband of 18 years, is gay. The premise is inspired by Drescher and Jacobson's marriage and split. The two developed "The Nanny," but separated when that show ended in 1999. They soon divorced, and Jacobson revealed a few years later that he was gay.

Drescher and Jacobson created the new show, and Jacobson is an executive producer. They remain close and are hoping fans of "The Nanny" will find plenty to laugh at with "Happily Divorced."

For more on Drescher and Jacobson and their unusual partnership, read this.

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: Fran Drescher and John Michael Higgins at the premiere of "Happily Divorced."

Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

Cast of 'The Cosby Show' minus Lisa Bonet reunites at TV Land Awards

 

When is a TV show reunion not a real reunion?

When one of the key cast members is missing.

That's what happened Sunday when the cast of the groundbreaking "The Cosby Show" got together to celebrate the series at the TV Land Awards.

Though most of the cast, including Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Sabrina Le Beauf and Tempestt Bledsoe, attended the festivities, there was one notable absence -- Lisa Bonet, who played teenage daughter Denise when the show premiered.

Spokespersons for the event said Bonet was invited but didn't attend "due to a scheduling conflict." However, her absence was not all that surprising: Bonet has had a fractious relationship with the series, declining to participate in previous retrospectives.

In an interview in the Washington Post in 2002 about her decision to skip an NBC retrospective, "The Cosby Show: A Look Back," Bonet said, "The whole experience and energy behind it felt disingenuous and motivated by corporate profit. I felt devalued and disrespected."

Bonet was one of the most popular characters when "The Cosby Show" premiered on NBC in 1984. The sitcom, which featured Cosby and Rashad as the Huxtables, the upscale parents of five children, was credited with reinvigorating NBC and the sitcom format. It also revolutionized the portrayals of African American families on TV.

The actress was the star of a 1987 spin-off, "A Different World," in which her character went off to attend Hillman College, a fictional black school. But she left following the first season after announcing that she and rocker husband Lenny Kravitz were having a baby. She provoked controversy when she appeared nude in the 1987 film "Angel Heart."

Bonet, who changed her name legally to Lilakoi Moon, has appeared sporadically in films during the last several years, and had a featured role in ABC's "Life On Mars" in 2008. She and Kravitz are divorced, but their daughter, Zoe Kravitz, has appeared in several films.

RELATED:

Photos: Ninth annual TV Land Awards

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: Bill Cosby addresses the audience at the TV Land Awards, accompanied by "Cosby Show" cast members Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press

 

 

 

More funny business at TV Land with two new comedies and 'Retired at 35'

 
TV Land is laughing it up with the announcment of two new sitcoms and a second season renewal of its freshman comedy "Retired at 35."

Joining the TV Land lineup is "Happily Divorced," starring Fran Drescher ("The Nanny") as a florist who re-enters the dating world after discovering her real estate agent husband of 18 years is gay. The series, which is based on Drescher's real-life relationship with former husband and co-writer Peter Marc Jacobson, also stars John Michael Higgins, Tichina Arnold, Rita Moreno and Robert Walden. Ther series is slated to premiere June 15.

Also premiering is "The Exes," starring Donald Faison, Wayne Knight and David Alan Basche as three divorced men who live together in an apartment across the hall from their divorce attorney Holly (Kristen Johnston), who is also their landlord. The series is scheduled to launch next winter.

"Retired at 35," which stars George Segal and Jessica Walter, will return next winter for its second season. The show revolves around a disillusioned Manhattan businessman (Johnathan McClain) who moves back in with his parents.

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: The cast of "Happily Divorced" includes, in the top row from left, Tichina Arnold, Valente Rodriguez, Rita Moreno and Robert Walden, and in the bottom row from left, John Michael Higgins, Fran Drescher and D.W. Moffett.

Credit: TV Land

 

Paging Don Johnson, Cybill Shepherd? 10 stars we'd like to see this pilot season

What, no Tony Danza?

Like spring, television's pilot season is in full bloom, and there are so many starring roles being doled out to actors of yesteryear -- dare we call them "of a certain age" -- that it's looking a lot like the '80s on shows that are elbowing for slots on networks' fall schedules.

Not that the stars have been in mothballs, necessarily -- some have been busy on film and stage -- but if their pilots fly, it'll be their first regular TV gigs in years. A few, film veteran Ellen Barkin and Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston, would be stepping into the medium as newbies.

[For the record, 9:31 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly spelled Anjelica Huston's last name as Houston.]

And in an ironic bit of timing, there are a couple of reformed bad boy actors and "Celebrity Rehab" alums  -- Eric Roberts and Tom Sizemore -- who've landed lead parts.

Here are the top 10 stars we'd love to see next season:

Cybill Shepherd: She's been cast as one of the overbearing parents in ABC's comedy "My Freakin' Family," which deals with the older generation's pull-and-tug on a young couple with a new baby.

Christine Lahti: The Emmy-winner for "Chicago Hope" will return to medicine for CBS' "The Doctor," in which she'll play the matriarch of a family of physicians who will try to work together.

Don Johnson: The NBC show itself, "A Mann's World," deals head-on with age and ageism, with Johnson starring as a Beverly Hills hairdresser and salon owner who's trying to stay relevant in a fast-moving fashion-forward world. The show comes from "Sex and the City's" Michael Patrick King.

Morgan Fairchild: Former soap star, TV movie aficionado and "Falcon Crest" glamazon, she's the lead character in an independently produced comedy called "Workers Comp." The show, looking for distribution, will center on a family insurance business that processes wacky on-the-job injury claims.

Fran Drescher: TV Land has been a pioneer in bringing back sitcom icons, starting with Betty White in the channel's first original comedy, "Hot in Cleveland." Also on that hit: Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli, with guest stars such as Mary Tyler Moore. The cable network also put George Segal and Jessica Walter in its newest half-hour, "Retired at 35." Word is executives are likely to order "Happily Divorced" from Drescher and her real-life ex-husband, Peter Marc Jacobson. The show mirrors Drescher and Jacobson's unconventional friendship. (Hint: She found out he was gay after they'd been married 21 years; now they're besties.)

Ted Danson/Mary Steenburgen: This is a combo entry, and it's already a foregone conclusion. The former "Cheers" proprietor, who broke new villainous ground on "Damages," stars in HBO's "Bored to Death," and for the season launching in the fall, his wife will too.

Tom Sizemore: He's had his addiction issues, displayed on "Celebrity Rehab" season 3, and now he'll be starring opposite Ethan Hawke in Fox's "Exit Strategy," about an elite team of CIA agents.

Eric Roberts: Ditto what we just said about Sizemore. (His "Celebrity Rehab" stint is much fresher -- he was there last year.) The 55-year-old Roberts is at the center of ABC's "Grace," an "All That Jazz"-like drama about a philandering dance choreographer.

Tim Allen: The "Home Improvement" maven, after a string of successful movies, including last year's box office champ, "Toy Story 3," could be back in sitcom land with a project written for him at ABC. The show's still untitled.

Wilmer Valderrama: Though probably the youngest in this bunch by a mile, we’re including the former "That '70s Show" star because he's been AWOL from series TV. He's been cast as a detective in "REM," an NBC drama from the short-lived "Lone Star" creator Kyle Killen. The series has been described as an "Inception"-style thriller, part of a larger trend in TV development toward supernatural, mysterious, twisty stories.

Honorable mentions

They might not fit into the top 10, but we'd be interested in these too:

Jean Smart, who's popped up in story arcs everywhere from "Hawaii 5-0" to "$#*! My Dad Says," could be working for NBC on a doctor-centric comedy, and "Six Feet Under" alum Frances Conroy may be part of the "Bad Mom" ensemble if that show moves ahead. Anjelica Huston could turn up on NBC in the musical, "Smash," opposite Debra Messing, another star we'd like to see again (sorry, "The Starter Wife" doesn't really count), and Ellen Barkin is slotted to pay Johnson's ex-wife in NBC's "A Mann's World" if it sees the light of day.

How about it, Show Trackers? Who do you miss and who do you think should get a return engagement on the small screen?

-- T.L. Stanley

Top photo: Don Johnson in 2010. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

Middle photo: Morgan Fairchild in 2004. Credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

Bottom photo: Tom Sizemore in 2011. Credit: Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

The teacher is in: Gabe Kaplan and 'Facts of Life' cast join TV Land Awards

 
Welcome back, Mr. Kot-tah!

Gabe Kaplan, who played "Mr. Kotter" in the iconic high school comedy "Welcome Back Kotter," has signed on to reunite with John Travolta and other cast members to receive the 35th Anniversary Award at the TV Land Awards 2011 presentation. The ceremony, scheduled to take place in New York City on April 10, is to air on TV Land on April 17.

Kaplan, along with Robert Hegyes, who played "Sweathog" Juan Epstein, are to join previously announced co-stars Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Marcia Strassman and Ron Palillo.

Also scheduled for the awards show is a reunion of the cast of the '80s coming-of-age comedy "The Facts of Life," which will receive the Pop Culture Award. Expected to join in the festivities are Charlotte Rae, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon, Mindy Cohn and Lisa Whelchel. 

--Greg Braxton

Photo: Gabe Kablan (center) and the "Sweathogs," left to right, Ron Palillo, John Travolta, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Robert Hegyes. Credit: MTV

 

John Travolta to join 'Welcome Back, Kotter' cast for TV Land honors

John Travolta will reunite with the cast of "Welcome Back, Kotter" to honor the 1970s comedy's 35th anniversary at the TV Land Awards 2011.

The ceremony will be taped April 10 in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for broadcast on April 17 on TV Land.

Other "Kotter" co-stars scheduled to participate in the reunion include Lawrence Hilton-Jabobs, Ron Pallilo and Marica Strassman.

Travolta, who played Vinnie Barbarino, was starring in the series when he was cast in "Saturday Night Fever," the disco movie that launched his movie career.

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: John Travolta in "Welcome Back, Kotter." Credit: ABC Television

 

'Hot in Cleveland' sizzles in season premiere and as 'Retired at 35' lead-in

 

“Hot in Cleveland,” TV Land’s first original sitcom that features a cast of prime-time veterans, scored nearly 3 million viewers in the premiere of its second season on Wednesday night.

“Hot in Cleveland,” which airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays, did best among viewers ages 25 to 54, ranking as the most-watched scripted show on cable among that age group.

The show, boosted by being a stop on Betty White’s white-hot octogenarian tour, also features a cast of sitcom alums, including two from NBC’s Must See TV 1990s glory days: Jane Leeves (“Frasier”) and Wendie Malick (“Just Shoot Me”). The Jenny Craig-skinny Valerie Bertinelli (“One Day at a Time,” “Touched by an Angel,” a score of TV movies) is also on the cast of spurned middle-aged Hollywood types who — through the magic of televison — forge new lives for themselves among the less image-conscious people of flyover country. White (“The Golden Girls”) plays the spunky, wisecracking native who lives with them.

“Hot in Cleveland” also provided a significant lead-in for TV Land’s second entry into the genre of the old-school multi-camera sitcom. “Retired at 35” — which stars Malick’s “Just Shoot Me” costar, George Segal — average more than 2 million total viewers, a 104% increase over TV Land’s prime-time average, the network said.

“Retired at 35” is the story of a hotshot New Yorker (Johnathan McClain) who opts to leave the rat race of the Big Apple to live with his parents (Segal and Jessica Walters) in their Florida retirement community.

 

— Rick Rojas

Midseason TV Preview: Where we left off and what's new

A slew of new shows kick off this winter, and a bunch of series pick up where they left off.

In our Midseason TV Preview, we have a gallery to help you catch you up on forgotten plotlines for returning shows like "Big Love" and "Parks and Recreation," and photos from the set of FX's "Justified." There's also a guide to what to watch from critic Robert Lloyd.

One show returning to the air this month with question marks hanging over it is "American Idol." Scott Collins mulls the high stakes and prospects for "American Idol" after Simon Cowell. There's also a guide to new reality series, with a few familiar faces (think Kardashians).

"Hot in Cleveland," the comedy starring Betty White and fellow sitcom vets Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, was a surprise hit for TV Land, becoming the top-rated cable sitcom of the year. (Just for reference, its June premiere pulled in roughly double the audience of the "Mad Men"  season opener last year.) T.L. Stanley looks at TV Land's strategy of catering to an under-served older demographic with a slate of upcoming scripted series. Along with it, there's a gallery that goes behind the scenes with Betty White and crew on "Hot in Cleveland."

Much of the preview section in this Sunday's paper is dedicated to new shows. Joe Flint profiles Holt McCallany, who stars as a washed-up boxer stuck between two New Jersey worlds -- the gritty Bayonne neighborhood of his youth and professional life and the cushy Far Hills mansion he lives in with his wife and three daughters -- in FX's new drama "Lights Out."

Several new shows come with familiar faces attached. Greg Braxton profiles Matt LeBlanc, who stars as himself (kind of?) in the new Hollywood-skewering Showtime comedy "Episodes."(Among the differences between the show's "Matt LeBlanc" and the real one: The fictional Matt brags about his gargantuan male member, whereas the real actor claims, "My anatomy is very proportional.") And Queen Latifah talks about her producing role in the new series "Let's Stay Together," part of a block of all-black comedy premiering on BET.