The Monkees join the MeTV lineup starting this Sunday

The Bradys and Gilligan welcome some new neighbors starting this March.

The Everett Collection

Starting Sunday, March 3rd, television viewers and fans of The Monkees can relive the iconic music and psychedelic high jinks of the Emmy Award–winning series from its very first episode, now on MeTV, America’s No. 1 classic television network.

Following an overwhelming response to MeTV’s Peter Tork tribute this past Sunday, The Monkees will join MeTV’s groovy counterparts, The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island, on the network’s Sunday afternoon lineup, airing at 5PM | 4C and 5:30PM | 4:30C.

The Monkees originally aired from 1966–68, employing avant-garde film techniques like improvisation, jump cuts and breaking the fourth wall. The series earned two Emmy Awards in 1967 for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy.

Inspired by the Beatles’ classic films A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, the made-for-TV pop band soon rose to international stardom. The beloved cast included the late Peter Tork, who passed away on February 21, as the band’s "loveable goof," keyboardist, bass guitarist and eventual songwriter.

To round out the foursome, Micky Dolenz was cast as the "funny" drummer, Michael Nesmith as the "deadpan" guitarist and former child actor Davy Jones was the resident "teen heartthrob" and lead vocalist.

"The Monkees is a truly memorable series, the first TV comedy of the 1960s to showcase musician characters with original popular music that charted, combined with zany comedy and the teen heartthrob phenomenon," said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co. "Our recent tribute to Peter Tork sparked a significant amount of positive viewer feedback and delivered a very large national audience. Adding The Monkees as part of our Sunday afternoon line up alongside The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island gives our MeTV audience even more to cheer about."

In spite of being dismissed by critics for their "Hollywood" beginnings, the Monkees’ music struck a chord with the emerging youth culture, catapulting the group into one of the most influential bands of the decade and birthing "Monkeemania" — a flurry of merchandising and record sales. A young Jimi Hendrix even opened for them on tour.

In 1967, the band sold 35 million albums, reportedly twice as many as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined, and songs "Daydream Believer," "I’m a Believer" and "Last Train to Clarksville," all reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

In the late 1980s, the Monkees experienced a resurgence in popular culture and embarked on several reunion tours. After the 2012 death of Davy Jones, the surviving members released Good Times! in 2016 and earned their first Top 20 album in 25 years. Overall, the Monkees have sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the bestselling groups of all time.

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37 Comments

Lamplisa 11 months ago
Would love to see The Monkees return to MeTV!!! and at a good time not during church on Sunday. Axs is not carried by my cable company, but almost every system has MeTV. Please if at all possible consider carrying The Monkees again.
timothys71 11 months ago
I saw that The Monkees will be airing Friday evenings on some obscure cable channel that I've never heard of (and that I won't watch anyway because I can't afford cable or satellite TV). Does that mean that Weigel has given up their rights to air this show and that we won't see it rotate back onto MeTV's weekend schedule? Oh no, say it ain't so!
SheilaFields 22 months ago
Please please bring back the monkess! Half the shows you play I don't watch please bring back the Monkees 🙏🙏🙏 and sammy Terry!
DorothyQuinn 58 months ago
What would make it all too perfect of a Sunday evening is... if you were to throw some Partridge Family into the mix🎶🎼🎵
Don't get me wrong... I'm pleased as punch with my Monkees 😍
DorothyQuinn 58 months ago
Words can't describe how happy I AM that you have decided to show THE MONKEES. Perfect timeslot too.
THANK YOU MeTV
ozarksled 61 months ago
my geographical location doesn't allow the Monkees. I get 6 episodes of Gilligans Island on MEtv, then the CW network takes over at 4 pm central and gives us an hour of paid programs instead of the Monkees then it's back to MEtv. I don't understand this and I don;t understand why a couple episodes of Gilligan can't be dumped to let the Monkees run a couple episodes. I guess the CW network doesn't allow it, bummer, grew up with the Monkees, such happy show

JosephMatthews ozarksled 60 months ago
that is up with your local affiliate. The affiliate by me isn't a full time MeTV station either
Valenaann68 61 months ago
Yes!!!! Now if only they would bring back Remington Steele.....
JosephMatthews Valenaann68 60 months ago
That would be up to Disney/21st Century Fox in allowing MeTV to air Remington Steele again.
NormHinderliter 61 months ago
In my personal opinion, The Monkeys were, at best, "challenged". I watched very FEW of their shows. To me, the Monkeys were like H.R. Puffenstuff. If the decision, of which show should be brought BACK, to MeTV were left to me, I would bring back MacGyver. Maybe even some more Irwin Allen shows. Mr. Allen was, truly, a genius, with his creations.
Their are some Irwin Allen shows that are still airing on Saturday overnights on MeTV. It is a possibility that MacGyver could return to MeTV unless CBS is still halting the rights.
Lucyneenah19701 61 months ago
The Monkees is a cute show. It's also on FeTV. Please put I Love Lucy back on!
I think Decades Channels has the rights to Lucy at this time
BarneyFice 61 months ago
Thank you, MeTV! You folks know what your audience wants! First, The Twight Zone season 4 episodes, now The Monkees! I thought Antenna tv squandered The Monkees- showing the episodes at 5am on sundays😒. Keep up the good programming!
JosephMatthews BarneyFice 60 months ago
AntennaTV is not renewing rights to Sony Shows. AntennaTV is slowly letting the contracts to each Sony Shows run out. MeTV may eventually get more Sony shows.
DannyEstridge 61 months ago
I just hope I remember. I like what MeTV does, I just ain't into some of the programs, except Saturday night with Sven and the rest of the line up, but most times I can't stay up that late (in my younger years, this would have been great to stay up this late).
Gene 61 months ago
I thought Mickey was for the most part the lead singer?
JosephMatthews Gene 60 months ago
each member had shared lead vocals to songs.
ErinWard 61 months ago
When is the new line-up going to be shared? Doesn't MeTV show a new line-up around this time, or is it just the summer and fall time?
lnieting ErinWard 61 months ago
Dunno...was thinking the same thing.
JosephMatthews ErinWard 60 months ago
Usually Memorial Day and Labor Day for the most part.
SuzyQ 61 months ago
This is awesome! Thank you guys for listening to the feedback and putting them back in the lineup! This is literally the only channel you'd ever get a chance to watch them. Thank you for bringing back my Monkees.
gatorgirl 61 months ago
METV seems to be turning into retro for the teens......especially Sundays. I much rather have more westerns and detective oldies.
boopinbama gatorgirl 61 months ago
do you have insp network?lotsa westerns there
ErinWard BettyMcauliff 61 months ago
So does Starz Westerns.
lnieting gatorgirl 61 months ago
Not enough Westerns?!? Have you looked up the SHOWS listed? Not to mention INSP, GRIT, ...

https://metv.com/shows/
JosephMatthews gatorgirl 60 months ago
MeTV airs a handful of westerns but they cannot air the westerns GRIT & CoziTV are airing however.
AmyPieren 61 months ago
This is great! It's been a great joy to introduce the Monkees to my too-cool 13 year old and find out that she thinks they're funny and wonderful too. Thank you so much for adding them to the line up!
TVFF 61 months ago
Wow......my wish came true! Usually, my wishes gather dust and get blown away by the wind, but it must have been the spirit of Peter Tork that touched my wish this time and made it come true. Thank you, Peter! And thank you, MeTV!
BrianReber 61 months ago
Thanks, Metv! Now, how about adding the Munsters!?
MrsPhilHarris BrianReber 61 months ago
Oh that would be excellent!
SuzyQ BrianReber 61 months ago
Yes! Love me some Grampa Munster!
JosephMatthews BrianReber 60 months ago
The bad news is that CoziTV has long-term rights to The Munsters. CoziTV & the Munsters are both Universal products. MeTV will not be able to get the Munsters anytime soon.
timothys71 JosephMatthews 11 months ago
Cozi TV is also available over the air in many parts of the country, so I guess that's really only "bad news" if that channel isn't available in your area. They also air Columbo now. I understand that the 2 incarnations of Columbo previously reran on different networks (the original 70's version on MeTV, and the 1989-2003 reboot on Cozi TV). My understanding is that the company that owns that show's distribution rights wanted the whole thing on one network, and when the contract was up Cozi won the bidding war.
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