ATLANTA, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LAFF, the country's first-ever, over-the-air broadcast television network devoted to comedy around-the-clock, added to its lineup of the most popular and biggest EMMY-winning sitcoms in contemporary television acquiring the broadcast television rights to five hit series from Carsey-Werner Productions.
In the multi-year licensing agreements announced today, LAFF acquires: Roseanne (Nine seasons, 222 episodes), That '70s Show (Eight seasons, 200 eps), 3rd Rock from the Sun (Six seasons, 139 eps), Grounded for Life (Five seasons, 91 eps) and Cybill (Four seasons, 87 eps).
"With comedy-driven cable networks now focused on producing original series for millennials, LAFF is positioned to become the new leading comedy destination for adults 18-49. LAFF now boasts an impressive line-up of hit sitcoms with broad consumer appeal including Roseanne, That '70s Show, The Drew Carey Show, Spin City, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Grace Under Fire, Night Court, Ellen, Cybill, Grounded for Life and Empty Nest," commented Jonathan Katz, President and CEO of Katz Broadcasting, LAFF's parent company.
Rated as one of the greatest shows of all time by TV Guide, Roseanne was the most-watched television show in the United States in the late 1980s - early '90s and was a top five show for the majority of its run on ABC. Starring comedienne Roseanne Barr, who won an EMMY for her performance, the show revolved around the Conners, a blue collar Illinois family struggling to get by. John Goodman (Multiple EMMY nominations), Laurie Metcalf (Several EMMY wins) and Sara Gilbert also star.
That '70s Show was a flagship show for FOX between 1998-2006. The multiple EMMY-winning series focuses on the lives of a group of Wisconsin teenage friends in the disco decade and helped its stars including Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace become household names.
John Lithgow won EMMY Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series every year 3rd Rock from the Sun was on the air (1996-2001, NBC). Kristen Johnston won three EMMY Awards for Best Supporting Actress during the run as well. The unique show centers around four extraterrestrials posing as human beings on an expedition to Earth, which they consider an inferior planet; Jane Curtin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and French Stewart co-star.
Grounded for Life aired for five seasons, starting on FOX and then moving to The WB. An Irish Catholic family living in Staten Island is at the heart of the series, with Donal Logue and Megyn Price playing the high school sweethearts who went on to get married and raise a family in one of New York's five boroughs.
Created by Chuck Lorre, Cybill stars Cybill Shepherd as a twice-divorced single mother struggling as a middle-aged actress in Hollywood. The show was a favorite of critics and earned 12 EMMY nominations across its four season run. Christine Baranski won EMMY, SAG and American Comedy Awards for her portrayal of Cybill's hard-drinking best friend Maryann.
LAFF serves adults 18-49 with a mix of contemporary off-network sitcoms and popular movies and is available in 86.5 million households across the country. The LAFF brand crosses multiple platforms, with the linear network carried on the signals of local broadcast stations with corresponding cable carriage and digital content being curated, aggregated and available at LAFF.com and on mobile via the LAFF app, which is available for free in the Apple iTunes Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Android devices.
LAFF is part of Katz Broadcasting which also includes GRIT, the action-oriented network targeting men 25-54, and ESCAPE, which reaches women 25-54 with a brand of programming anchored in stories of crime and mystery. Katz Broadcasting was established in 2014 by former Turner Broadcasting executive Jonathan Katz, who still serves as COO of Bounce TV, the fastest-growing African-American targeted network on television.
Contact: Jim Weiss 770-655-6504 JWeiss@KatzBroadcasting.com
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352756
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160407/352757
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laff-lands-roseanne-that-70s-show-3rd-rock-from-the-sun-grounded-for-life-and-cybill-in-multi-year-licensing-agreements-with-carsey-werner-300248004.html
SOURCE Katz Broadcasting
Share this article