Fri-Yay: Shows I'm Looking Forward to in 2018; Adult Swim Parodies Lifetime Movies

Friday, December 22, 2017

Fri-Yay: Shows I'm Looking Forward to in 2018; Adult Swim Parodies Lifetime Movies

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

2017 was a pretty strong year for comedies, and 2018 promises to continue what made 2017 so great - lots of 2017 favorites will be returning in 2018, and there are also some promising new series that I'll be very curious to check out in 2018. In my final column of the year, I'll be looking forward into the new year and naming which shows whose return I am most anticipating!

If there is a single show I am looking forward to the most in 2018, it would have to be The Good Place. The Good Place was my #1 favorite show of 2017, and every week I never know where the story is going to take me - all while I'm laughing and cheering for the characters I've grown to love. The Good Place really feels like it's on a roll, and I'm hoping it's a hot streak that will continue well into 2018. Additionally, its timeslot partner Superstore is on an absolute roll right now. Its third season might just be its strongest yet - it's somehow managing to combine some of the darkness of the characters' backstories with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and top-notch comedy. It's been a while since a network comedy was able to combine some truly deep and dark material with laughs as much as NBC's Thursday night line-up currently is.

I'm also really looking forward to see what Bojack Horseman has up its sleeve in 2018. The animated horse sitcom had a surprisingly optimistic fourth season (okay, it still had some pretty dark moments...) and I've become so invested in its character and its world that I'm really interested to see where the show goes next. The same could be said for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which has turned the corner from some really dark (and amazing) places into a positive upward trend. Hopefully, these characters we've come to care about will finally get the relief they deserve.

2017 saw a lot of great comedy, and 2018 will see many of those great comedies continue. Hopefully, those comedies will continue to reach the heights they saw in 2018 and give us an equally incredible year of TV comedy.

Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane's Fist: A Lifetone Original Movie for Adult Swim

Adult Swim will be spoofing Lifetime with a new special. Aspiring ballerina Mary Jane Stevens (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) moves to a new town with her emotionally abusive mother (Artemis Pebdani) in hopes of escaping her physically abusive father (Jimmi Simpson). But the abusive abuse doesn't stop there. She begins taking dance classes with the sensually abusive Delice Svensson (Artemis Pebdani) and finds herself DANCING FOR HER LIFE! Will she fall victim to life's thrusting fists, or will the abusee become the abuser? Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane's Fist: A Lifetone Original Movie for Adult Swim was written by and stars Ellis and Pebdani, based on their play.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, November 15

The Big Bang Theory - "The Citation Negation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon and Amy are devastated after learning from a Russian paper that Super Asymmetry has already been discovered and disproven. Also, ultra-competitive Bernadette asks Stuart’s girlfriend, Denise (Lauren Lapkus), to teach her how to beat Howard in a popular videogame.

Young Sheldon - "Family Dynamics and a Red Fiero" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sheldon studies his family for a psychology project, and Thanksgiving dinner turns into a family fight when George Sr. is offered a job in Oklahoma.

Mom - "Jell-O Shots and the Truth about Santa" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Bonnie pushes Christy to mend her relationship with Violet (Sadie Calvano), and Adam prepares for the grand opening of his bar.

Murphy Brown - "The Coma and the Oxford Comma" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
The “Murphy in the Morning” team strives to land a revealing first interview with Corky’s beauty pageant friend, Holly (Brooke Shields), who just woke up from a 10-year coma that made national headlines.

Superstore - "New Initiative" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When a new Cloud 9 initiative forces employees to be friendlier to their customers, Amy (America Ferrera) ends up getting to know Jonah’s (Ben Feldman) parents – and learns he hasn’t been completely truthful with them. The new policy also inspires Garrett (Colton Dunn) and Dina (Lauren Ash) to find out who can hold a smile longer.

The Good Place - "Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Michael and Janet take an important journey. Eleanor ponders whether she should share a secret.

Will & Grace - "Kid 'n Play" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Will (Eric McCormack) discovers that Noah (guest star David Schwimmer) has a child he hasn't told Grace (Debra Messing) about, but is now sworn to secrecy. Karen (Megan Mullally) and Jack's (Sean Hayes) relationship is tested when she fires him from the play she's producing and replaces him with Jon Cryer (guest star).

I Feel Bad - "I Miss Important Moments" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
After missing her baby's first steps, Emet vows not to miss any other important moments. But when a huge, career-making presentation at work comes up at the same time as Lily's dance competition, Emet scrambles to pull off both.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 12)

Thursday, November 15

Steve Carell (The Office) - Catch Steve on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Martin appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) - Brian visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela stops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Busy Philipps (Vice Principals/Cougar Town) - Busy is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House/Hollywood Darlings/Full House) - Jodie guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women) - Annie appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Kym Whitley (Young & Hungry/Animal Practice/Sparks) - Kym is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - Michael talks about Netflix's The Kominsky Method on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am, on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan and on Access Live, so check your listings.
Jason George (Eve) - Jason appears on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Tori Anderson (The Other Kingdom) - Tori talks about her Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original Return to Christmas Creek on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.