Fri-Yay: An Appreciation for Mike Schur's Comedies; IFC Acquires Pee-wee's Playhouse

Friday, November 16, 2018

Fri-Yay: An Appreciation for Mike Schur's Comedies; IFC Acquires Pee-wee's Playhouse

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

Recently, I've been engaging on a rewatch of Parks and Recreation. It's a show I haven't revisited too much since its end, and it's made me forget just what a delightful little show it was. It was funny, optimistic and filled with likable characters, and while its optimistic view on politics already seems somewhat outdated, the show's strengths more than make up for it. What else I saw it in, though, was a little bit of Mike Schur's future sitcoms - Brooklyn Nine-Nine and especially The Good Place. In many ways, the critical adoration of Parks and Recreation could be directly traced to those two shows. So in this blog post, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge Parks and the world of Mike Schur comedies it created.

Although these three shows seem very different in some ways, one thing remains true about them - after you watch them, you feel good about the state of the world. Even The Good Place, with its huge twists and turns, is ultimately a show about how people can change and get better. This is baked into the DNA of Parks, a show that seems to believe anything is possible if you really work hard enough and surround yourself with the right people. That's evident in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, too, a show about how things are a little easier if you surround yourself with a close group of friends. And The Good Place, for all of its intricate plotting, has a similar sunny message. Watching Parks, I can see the DNA for all of these shows, and I can better understand the state of mind that Mike Schur is keeping in mind when keeping his new shows. If you're into either Good Place or Brooklyn Nine-Nine and want to see where it all began, I highly recommend jumping into Parks and Rec - it is, in many ways, where it all began.

Pee-wee's Playhouse

The secret word is "Pee-wee" as IFC announced that it will begin airing the cult Saturday morning classic Pee-wee's Playhouse starring Paul Reubens starting on Thanksgiving. The network will kick off its run of the series during a 24-hour marathon, including the iconic holiday special Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse, on Thursday, November 22 starting at 6AM. Subsequently, the show will return to its rightful home on Saturday mornings beginning November 24. Watch, scream out loud and share Pee-wee's return to the silver screen in an all new promo here.

For over 30 years, the enormously popular Pee-wee Herman and innovative television series Pee-Wee's Playhouse, created by, and starring Paul Reubens, has captured a special place in the hearts of millions of viewers, young and old. Since its initial premiere on CBS in 1986, this multiple Emmy(R)-winning children's program became Saturday morning appointment viewing for kids in the 80s and 90s and has been a staple in the pop culture zeitgeist ever since. TV Guide named Pee-Wee's Playhouse "one of the top ten cult television classics of all time."

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, June 24

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Climb" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Gemma decides to fire a teacher at her school, she’s unprepared for the aftermath. Also, Calvin gets a surprise when he faces off with his newspaper carrier.

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Barbershop" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Dave drops by Calvin’s longtime barbershop, he’s quickly embraced by its owner and patrons, much to Calvin’s consternation.

Raven's Home - "Lost at Chel-Sea" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The kids accidentally get stuck on a cruise ship alone, while Raven and Chelsea desperately try to catch up with them via personal watercraft.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 24)

Monday, June 24

Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Watch Tom on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Pamela Adlon (Better Things/King of the Hill/The Facts of Life) - Pamela appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Bashir Salahuddin (GLOW) - Bashir stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Diallo Riddle (Marlon) - Diallo visits The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Rook on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ramy Youssef (Ramy) - Ramy drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. She will also be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Eliza Coupe (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/Future Man/Benched/Happy Endings/Scrubs) - Eliza is a guest on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine (PEN15) - Anna and Maya are guests on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Rosie O'Donnell (Gimme a Break!) - Rosie stops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony visits LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R) - The Ellen DeGeneres Show has the best moments from the biggest stars, including George, so check your local listings.
Esai Morales (The Brink) - Esai appears on a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
John Ratzenberger (Cheers) - John talks about Toy Story 4 on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!/The Cleveland Show) - Seth talks about The Loudest Voice on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and on the BUILD Series at 10am.
Jason Jones (The Detour) - Jason talks about The Detour on NBC's Today in the 9am hour and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Zendaya (K.C. Undercover/Shake It Up) - Zendaya talks about Spider-Man: Far From Home on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.