Friday, February 16, 2018
Fri-Yay: Is the Era of the "Sadcom" Over?; TBS Lands Pilot from Emmy Winner
by Vincent
You've probably heard the term "sadcom" before. From about 2014 through 2017, it was all of the rage in television comedy - shows that were comedies, and often very funny, but dealt with some dark, depressing topics, and at times seemed to be just as sad as they were humorous. These shows didn't sugarcoat their characters' misery, which earned them the title of "sadcom." The most obvious examples are shows like You're the Worst or Bojack Horseman, comedies that deal head-on with the topic of mental illness. But you could say that a huge slew of TV comedies from the past few years fall into this category - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Mom, even wacky shows like Review can fall into this territory. These shows are very funny, but certainly aren't afraid to get dark when they want to.
However, over the past year or so, I've noticed a resurgence of bright, happy shows that still deal with serious topics, but still do their best to impose a sense of warmth and empathy even in their darkest moments. The best examples of this are some of my favorite shows on television, One Day at a Time, The Good Place and Superstore. These three shows may seem incredibly different from one another, but they all share in common the fact that they go to some sad places, but still make it clear that their characters truly love each other and are there for each other, no matter how bad things get - whether it be the tight-knit Alvarez family on One Day at a Time, the "core four" of The Good Place, and the makeshift family of Cloud 9 in Superstore, these are shows about people who care about each other very much, even if they're going through some pretty rough stuff much of the time. Even when these shows get dark, there's still a warm, comforting aura to them - and as much as I love some of the "sadcoms" that have come out over the past five years, sometimes it's nice to be in a world where even when things get bad, everything winds up being okay.
On the heels of her Emmy(R) win for Best Comedy Writing and the launch of her series The Chi, TBS has picked up writer and Master of None star Lena Waithe's project Twenties to pilot. Twenties is a single-camera comedy that follows the adventures of a queer black girl, Hattie, and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking shit and chasing their dreams. It's a show about friendship, finding love, and messing everything up along the way. Twenties is created, written, and executive produced by Waithe through her production company Hillman Grad Productions and executive produced by Andrew Coles, her manager, for The Mission Entertainment.
TBS, now the #1 comedy network with 3 of the top 5 new cable comedies to date, continues to attract fresh, award-winning talent with new shows The Last O.G. premiering on April 3rd starring Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish, and Miracle Workers starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, March 18
The Neighborhood - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Worth the Cooties" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Christina kicks Abishola and Dottie out for making light of her pre-pregnancy preparations, Christina bonds with Douglas and Abishola spends a fun day with Dottie. Also, when Bob, Goodwin and Kofo are stumped on a work issue, Bob insists they go out to lunch to loosen up.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 18)
Monday, March 18
- Christina Applegate (Dead to Me/Up All Night/Samantha Who?/Jesse/Married with Children) - Watch Christina on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Carrie Preston (Crowded/Happyish/Emeril) - Carrie is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Rachel Dratch (Grimsburg/Imaginary Mary/30 Rock) - Rachel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) and John Hodgman (Up Here/Married) - Sasheer and John are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa will be on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Married/Go On) - Brett talks about The Terrifying Realm of the Possible: Nearly True Stories on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- William Shatner ($h*! My Dad Says) - NBC's Today catches up with William in the 9am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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