Kudrow's The Comeback to Make a Comeback on HBO; Bounce Brings Back Family Time and Adds 2 More Sitcoms

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Kudrow's The Comeback to Make a Comeback on HBO; Bounce Brings Back Family Time and Adds 2 More Sitcoms

A comeback is happening for The Comeback after nearly a decade. "B level" TV star Valerie Cherish was a pioneer of reality television. Now, it's ten years later - there's more TV than ever and she wants back in. Lisa Kudrow (Emmy(R) winner for Friends) returns to star as the embattled Valerie Cherish, a fading TV "It Girl" who was once so desperate to stay in the spotlight that she allowed cameras to follow her every move as she appeared on a new sitcom - with disastrous results. When the comedy series The Comeback returns as a new six-episode limited series this fall, exclusively on HBO, Valerie thinks she has it all figured out this time. She doesn't. Scheduled to begin production in Los Angeles this month, the show was created by Michael Patrick King (Emmy(R) winner for HBO's Sex and the City) and Lisa Kudrow, who will serve as executive producers along with producing partner Dan Bucatinsky (Emmy(R) winner for Scandal).

The first season of The Comeback, which debuted in 2005 on HBO, explored the madness of television, a Beverly Hills lifestyle, the dual roles of wife and stepmom, the trouble with growing older in Hollywood, and the bravery of a comic-tragic 40-year-old actress who was desperate to look like she was keeping her head above it all. The series was singled out by both TIME and Entertainment Weekly as one of the ten best shows of the decade. In the new episodes, Valerie continues her search to attain the spotlight, but this time around, it illuminates a whole new series of problems when she achieves the visibility she wants.

Family Time

Bounce TV has renewed the half hour situation comedy Family Time created by Bentley Kyle Evans (The Jamie Foxx Show, Martin, Love That Girl!) for a second season. The first season ended in summer 2012, so after two years this show will return to production. Family Time centers around the life and times of The Stallworths, a working class African American family who wins the lottery and jumps from the 'hood to "all good" overnight. This family-next-door consists of two loving parents: Anthony (Omar Gooding) and Lisa (Angell Conwell) Stallworth and their children Ebony (Jayla Calhoun) and Devin (Bentley Kyle Evans, Jr.). Trenton Gumbs (Love That Girl!) serves as a producing partner and season two premieres Fall 2014. In addition, Bounce TV has ordered two new sitcoms. The first is Mann & Wife. Husband and wife team David Mann (Madea's Big Happy Family) and Tamela Mann (Sparkle), stars of the hit Tyler Perry sitcom Meet The Browns, reunite for a new show which series creator and director Roger Bobb (The Rickey Smiley Show) calls "a black Brady Bunch." The new sitcom will premiere in Winter 2015. Casting is to be announced. And finally, new sitcom Sisters is an all-new original sitcom centered around a once-famous R&B group called the "Ladies of Essence" who, after life has thrown each of them a few curve balls, find themselves fabulous, forty and forced to live under the same roof. Produced by Roger Bobb's BobbCat Films, Terri J. Vaughn and Cas Siger's Nina Holiday Entertainment and Chip Hurd, this sitcom will premiere in Summer 2015.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, May 22

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Diet Crap" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tensions rise when Georgie intrudes on Mandy’s new sales gig. Meanwhile, Audrey’s conflicted when Jim makes it a point not to coddle Connor.

Ghosts - "Sad Farnsby" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam accidentally creates a rift between Sam and Jay’s neighbors, the Farnsbys, Henry Farnsby moves into Woodstone B&B. Also, Isaac and Nigel battle over a belated wedding present.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)

Thursday, May 22

Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Catch Miley on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. Featured host Vlad Duthiers sits down with Ronny on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) and Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Elizabeth and Amanda are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Hugh Jackman (Human Resources) - Hugh chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill brings the laughs to the third annual cookout on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Finola Hughes (Blossom) - Finola dishes on General Hospital on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Jason Schwartzman (Blunt Talk/Mozart in the Jungle/Bored to Death) - Jason talks about Mountainhead on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Sterling is telling Drew all about playing a secret service agent in the thrilling new show Paradise on a repaet of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Midori Francis (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Midori is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.