E! Acquires Saved by the Bell; Episodic Review: New Girl - "Coach" Airing Tonight on Fox

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

E! Acquires Saved by the Bell; Episodic Review: New Girl - "Coach" Airing Tonight on Fox

E! is heading to Bayside High to bring viewers the fan-favorite 90's classic Saved by the Bell starting next Monday (November 11) at 7:00am ET/PT with a five-hour marathon. Following the premiere, four new episodes of the show will air in a new two-hour morning block on E! every weekday from 7:00-9:00am ET/PT. E! will roll-out out the series in chronological order, starting with the second season, which features the unforgettable introduction to Zack Morris and his always entertaining crew - Kelly Kapowski, Lisa Turtle, Screech Powers, A.C. Slater, Jessie Spano, and of course, their principal Mr. Belding. E! viewers can re-live the magic or meet the gang for the first time to experience all the laughs, tears and triumphs of the 126 episodes that made this popular sitcom one of television's most iconic series.

Saved by the Bell follows the academic and social experiences of six students - charming heartthrob Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), bubbly cheerleader Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen), sassy fashionista Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), lovable nerd Samuel "Screech" Powers (Dustin Diamond), sensitive jock A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), and feminist intellectual Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) - as they maneuver through life at Bayside High School in Palisades, California.

Perk up your mornings with Zack and the rest of the Bayside gang when Saved by the Bell debuts Monday, November 11 from 7:00am to 12:00pm ET/PT, and continues every weekday from 7:00am to 9:00am ET/PT on E! Saved by the Bell will also continue to air on Viacom-owned MTV2. As for E!, it looks like they are trying to bring back the fans of Saved by the Bell when it aired on TBS in the same block for many years.

On the next...New Girl:
By: Vincent

Fox's Tuesday adorkable sitcom starring Zooey Deschanel airs Tuesdays at 9:00pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (Nov. 5). In the episode airing tonight, "Coach," the gang's old alpha-male roommate Coach (Damon Wayans, Jr.) returns to the loft, fresh off a break-up with his girlfriend. Looking to rekindle the wild, drunken times he shared with Nick (Jake Johnson,) Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Winston (Lamorne Morris), Coach invites the guys to a strip club. Meanwhile, on their own night out, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and Cece (Hannah Simone) cross paths with an attractive, cultured man (Taye Diggs) who may be more than they bargained for.

There's a drawback to having a season as strong as New Girl had last year – the next season, you're expected to top it. That's a difficult – maybe even impossible – task. Inevitably, the backlash will set in and legions of people on the internet will loudly declare the show to be past its peak, crying out in nostalgia for what the show was four months ago. We saw this happen to plenty of beloved comedies in recent years, from 30 Rock to Parks & Recreation to Community, and we're seeing it happen again with New Girl. For a while, I was wondering if maybe the backlash had some truth to it. While I've enjoyed every episode of the show so far this year, the first five episodes didn't quite hit the lush heights of the second season. They were funny, entertaining and hit some great character beats, but they felt very much like the show trying to balance the major plot points it came into the season with (the newly formed Nick/Jess relationship, Schmidt's own personal Sophie's Choice) with the New Girl that we all came to love over the course of the first two seasons.

But that all changed with the previous episode, "Keaton." That episode felt like the show had finally figured itself out again and could return to the previous heights we've come to expect from the show. And I'm happy to say that pattern continues in tonight's "Coach," a hilarious and thoughtful installment that brings back Damon Waynes Jr.'s Coach character from the pilot and studies his character dynamics with the current loft crew. It's a lot of fun seeing Coach again, and the show skillfully uses him to pinpoint the rest of the guys' insecurities. I was less sure of the Jess/Nick relationship conflict, but I warmed up to it as the episode progressed – like New Girl's best relationship stories, it managed to avoid typical sitcom relationship clichés, and it makes absolutely brilliant use of guest star Taye Diggs, who is probably one of my favorite guest stars the show has ever had. Coach is apparently going to be sticking around for a while, so I'm hoping future stories let us dig into his relationship with Jess and especially Winston. There's some potentially interesting dynamics there, and I'm hopeful that the show will manage to explore them. After a few episodes where the shows' future looked to be in question a bit, it's really great to see that New Girl knows exactly where it's going again. A-

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 20

Young Sheldon - "A Pink Cadillac and a Glorious Tribal Dance" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon attends his first comic book convention. Also, Mary tries selling make-up.

United States of Al - "Poker / Pokar" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Art grows concerned when Al gets hooked on playing poker, misses a class and is late for work. Also, Lizzie and Brett’s relationship grows stronger, but she struggles with dating again for the first time in a few years.

Ghosts - "The Vault" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Just as Sam and Jay are set to host a friend’s wedding that could get their B&B business off the ground, the ghost of Hetty’s husband, Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh), tries to ruin it.

B Positive - "Louisville, Bubbaroo and Sully" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Gina hires Peter’s son to be her lawyer, but things get complicated when he asks her out. Also, Drew and Harry’s van breaks down during their road trip.

Call Me Kat - "Call Me a Sporty Giant" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While staying in Kat's apartment, Randi starts to feel overwhelmed by Kat's quirks; Max and Carter try to teach Phil how to ride a bike.

Pivoting - "The Giving Tree" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Sarah drags Amy and Jodie out on a night of hijinks; Amy struggles to balance a work crisis and her new dedication to motherhood; Jodie's anxiety takes over after sending a flirty text to Matt and doesn't get a response.

Single Drunk Female - "Pilot" (Freeform, 10:00PM ET/PT)
A public flameout forces 20-something alcoholic Sam to move back home with her overbearing mother, Carol; surrounded by all the triggers that made her drink, Sam tries to move past her worst self and figure out her best self.

Single Drunk Female - "One Day at a Time" (Freeform, 10:00PM ET/PT)
An awkward run-in with her former best friend and her ex inspires Sam to own up for her past mistakes, both emotionally and financially; as she resets her relationship with her mother, Sam is horrified to learn Carol is dating.

Warped! - "Pilot" (Nickelodeon, 7:30PM ET/PT)
Milo, the beloved head geek at a comic book shop, finds his world disrupted after his boss hires the quirky and excitable Ruby.

Warped! - "Challenged!" (Nickelodeon, 8:00PM ET/PT)
After Milo's nemesis Carl beats his world record, Ruby helps him try to reclaim it.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 17)

Thursday, January 20

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Catch Jason on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - Jennifer is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
David Cross (Arrested Development/Running Wilde/Oliver Beene) - David appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Laura Linney (The Big C) and Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Laura and Kristin are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo. NBC's Today catches up with Laura in the 9am hour.
Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Ricky chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Sharon Gless (House Calls/Turnabout) - Sharon chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones/Vice Principals/Partners) - Edi will be on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) and Randall Park Fresh Off the Boat/Veep) - Ed and Randall talk about Peacock's True Story with Ed and Randall on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT and on PEOPLE in 10 at 8am.
Kym Whitley (Young & Hungry/Animal Practice/Sparks) and Finesse Mitchell (Outmatched/A.N.T. Farm) - Kym and Finesse guest host The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Wendy talks about Paramount+'s The Game on The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie talks about her new book Enough Already on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Chris Kattan (The Middle) - Chris is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kyle Mooney (Arrested Development) - Kyle appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
John Early (Search Party) - John talks about the final season of Search Party on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Kristen talks about The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Bridget Everett (Somebody Somewhere/Camping/Lady Dynamite>) - Bridget talks about Somebody Somewhere on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Sofia Black-D’Elia (Single Drunk Female/The Mick) and Ally Sheedy (Single Drunk Female - Sofia and Ally talk about Freeform's Single Drunk Female on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Marsai Martin (black-ish) - Marsai talks about Remix My Space on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.