Fri-Yay: Why Brooklyn Nine-Nine Deserves a Renewal; Celebrity Version of Undercover Boss Starts May 11

Friday, April 27, 2018

Fri-Yay: Why Brooklyn Nine-Nine Deserves a Renewal; Celebrity Version of Undercover Boss Starts May 11

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

It's the end of April, which means in the next few weeks TV networks will be making final decisions on what will or won't be making their schedules next year. One of the many shows on the bubble is delightful sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is ending its fifth season and remains as delightful as ever. And yet, ratings for the series have been steadily declining at a rate even faster than most network TV shows of the era. Even though ratings have perked up some since the show returned to the Sunday slot where it once stood tall, Brooklyn Nine-Nine still remains firmly on the bubble as we head into May upfronts. In fact, creator Dan Goor said that he wrote this year's finale as a "possible series ender" if need be (typically, Brooklyn seasons have ended with cliffhangers each year.)

It would be a real shame if Brooklyn Nine-Nine was cancelled without being given a proper goodbye, especially since the show has shown little signs of decline, a rarity for a sitcom this long into the game. Network sitcoms aren't as plentiful as they were, especially good network sitcoms, and we need to hold onto the great ones for as long as we can. Brooklyn is not only a consistently funny show with a winning cast with the likes of Andy Samburg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, Chelsea Peretti and...well, basically everyone, but it's quietly become a progressive one too, with several LGBT characters and excellent diversity representation. And it manages to do so without ever feeling preachy or pandering, but rather just by making these ideals ingrained in the fabric of the show. Plus, Brooklyn's characters are just so damn likable. There's few makeshift families on TV I'd rather spend time with than the quirky oddballs of the 99th precinct. Fox will likely make its final decision on the show's fate within the next few weeks, and whether it has a 6th season on Fox or somewhere else, the show deserves at least another season to properly send off its characters. It would be a shame to let a show like Brooklyn 99 end on a whimper when it deserves to be celebrated and cheered.

Undercover Boss: Celebrity Edition

CBS announced that the first season of Undercover Boss: Celebrity Edition, from the team behind the two-time Emmy Award-winning series Undercover Boss, will premiere Friday, May 11 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Celebrities at the top of their chosen fields are going undercover to find talented people and make dreams come true. The nation's best singers, athletes, models and business icons embark on talent searches to pay it forward to deserving yet-to-be-discovered individuals. The first four celebrities appearing this season are: Gabby Douglas (Olympian), Idina Menzel (singer and actress), Bethany Mota (YouTube sensation), and NFL legend Deion Sanders. (Additional stars and airdates will be announced at a later date.) The celebrities were each disguised with state-of-the-art prosthetic makeup and custom-made wigs, which took an average of two and a half hours to apply.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, January 16

The Goldbergs - "The Pina Colada Episode" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Murray and Geoff team up to pull Beverly, Barry and Erica out of their shared misery that Lainey has left town. Adam’s dread of gym class is amplified when Coach Mellor’s brother, Coach Nick (guest star Bill Goldberg), arrives and uses fear as a motivator. Meanwhile, Coach Mellor (guest star Bryan Callen) prepares for the next step of his life.

Schooled - "Lainey's All That" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Hoping to gain respect among her colleagues at school, Lainey comes up with a misguided plan to give an awkward and insecure student a full makeover. Meanwhile, Principal Glascott and Coach Mellor take friendly competition to a new level when they are both romantically interested in the math teacher.

Modern Family - "Blasts from the Past" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Phil and Claire decide to take a cycling tour through Italy before they become grandparents, and Dylan (guest star Reid Ewing) introduces them to his mom who has an interesting past. Meanwhile, Cameron and Mitchell discover some interesting reading material in Lily’s room and decide to confront her about it, while Gloria and Jay discover their respective great uncles may have fought on opposing sides of a war.

Single Parents - "All Aboard the Two-Parent Struggle Bus" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Will’s ex, Mia (Vanessa Bayer), shows up unexpectedly for Sophie’s birthday, Will gets frustrated that she undermines his rules with Sophie. Angie tries to help Will cope by having a fun girls’ night at her place and by giving some co-parenting advice, but Poppy reveals and Will quickly learns that Angie isn’t the best advice giver. Meanwhile, inspired by Mia’s humanitarian work, Miggy and Graham decide to give some items to charity but regret it immediately and seek out help from Douglas to get the items back.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Grant Allocation Derivation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leonard is caught between a rock and a hard place when he’s responsible for distributing extra grant money. Also, Bernadette turns the backyard playhouse into a hideaway from her husband and kids.

Young Sheldon - "A Mother, a Child, and a Blue Man’s Backside" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mary bans Sheldon from reading a mature comic book, and Sheldon decides it’s time to stop living under Mary’s thumb.

Schitt's Creek - "The Crowening" / "Love Letters" (Pop, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Moira films a movie in Bosnia, hoping to revive her career, while David tries to take his relationship to the next level; Moira loses sleep stressing over old love letters, while David and Stevie get held up at the store.

grown-ish - "In My Feelings" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The gang waits for the mysterious drop of a modern-day musical genius.

You're the Worst - "The Pin in My Grenade" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Jimmy and Gretchen reveal that they're forgoing a traditional wedding, opting instead for a courthouse elopement.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 14)

Wednesday, January 16

Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie/Malibu Country) and Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - Watch Lily and Jane on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Don Cheadle (Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about Black Monday on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Pete Holmes (Crashing) - Pete is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Frankie Shaw (SMILF/Blue Mountain State) - Frankie stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. Frankie and Rosie O'Donnell (Gimme a Break!) also talk about Showtime's SMILF on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Cobie Smulders (Friends from College/How I Met Your Mother) - Cobie appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Keegan-Michael Key (Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael stops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Lena is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Andy drops by E!'s Busy Tonight at 11pm.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Molly Ringwald (Townies/The Facts of Life) - Molly talks about All These Small Moments on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings. She will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Allison is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl visits The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
The Cast of Schitt's Creek - Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Sam Richardson (Champaign ILL/Detroiters/Veep) - Sam talks about the YouTube original Champaign ILL on the BUILD Series at 5pm.