Monday, November 09, 2015

SitcomsOnline Book Club Review - Situation Momedy by Jenna von Oy; TBS Announces Jan. 17 Premiere Date for Angie Tribeca & 10 More Episodes

Situation Momedy

SitcomsOnline Book Club Review - Situation Momedy

by Skees

Jenna von Oy has had many challenges throughout her life and career as a sitcom actress, and is best known for her role on Six on the Blossom and Stevie on The Parkers. But both of those experiences are a little different than her current experiences of being a mother. In her new book, Situation Momedy, she guides mothers through her experiences, in what is described as "a first-time mom's guide to laughing your way through pregnancy and year one."

So one may wonder why von Oy decided to write a book about motherhood. She even acknowledges this herself. What qualifies a former sitcom actress to write a book about motherhood? She addresses this right away in the preface of the book, appropriately titled "The Only Thing I'm an Expert at Is Being a Novice." She acknowledges right from the beginning that she isn't the expert, but rather that her experiences of being a mother were just like those she is writing the book for: she had no clue what she was doing. Her goal is not to tell mothers "how to" be a parent, but to try to guide them through the experiences based upon she handled them.

The question that sitcom fans may be asking at this point is "what does any of this have to do with sitcoms?" Well, it's pretty simple. As the book flows from chapter to chapter, each chapter is broken into three parts: "A Scenic View of My Past," "Cradle Chronicles," and "Moral of the Story." The first part is the part that brings her past (sometimes in relation to her career, but often not) to life, where she discusses anecdotes of her past that relate to the topic of the chapter. The remaining parts of each chapter bring us to the current day and her current experiences with motherhood.

For example, the book begins with the first chapter where she discusses being "different" on the set of The Parkers in the fourth season. But it wasn't a reference to her being the only white cast member. Instead, it was a reference to her being the "child" on the cast, the only one who wasn't a parent. It discusses how she coped with that, which was surprisingly difficult for her.

As the book progresses, over a total of 22 chapters, we get walked through the entire pregnancy experience, from the difficulties of morning sickness, creating the baby registry, and getting everybody prepared, including the father. Then we are brought into the actual birth of the child and how to deal with everything that happens after that, including getting life (and your body) back to normal following birth. The later chapters focus on the experience of going through motherhood beyond those first few days. Currently, her oldest daughter is still a toddler, so as one would expect, this only goes through the earliest days of motherhood.

The book really is a very well-written book, although if you aren't a new mother (I think fathers could possibly get some out of it as well), you may have a difficult time relating to much of it. If you're looking for a book that is about her career or any experiences from Blossom or The Parkers, you won't find so much of that here, although there are some small anecdotes. For that reason, this book has a narrow audience among sitcom fans, but it has a much broader audience among new parents who just need a little soothing and understanding from a real mom, a mom who also happened to be a sitcom actress.

(3/5 stars)

To purchase this book, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com


Angie Tribeca

TBS has announced an airdate for its upcoming comedy Angie Tribeca, which was ordered for 10 episodes, but now 10 more have been ordered. TBS will introduce viewers to its first-ever "comedic" police procedural with a massive, international multiplatform launch on Sunday, Jan. 17, giving subscribers the opportunity to binge on the first 10 episodes of season one commercial-free through a 25-hour on-air marathon (Sunday 9pm – Monday 10pm ET/PT), as well as through TBS's VOD, digital and mobile platforms. Yep, you'll be able to watch the first ten episodes five times each during this marathon. Then on Monday, Jan. 25, TBS will begin rolling out the remaining 10 episodes. The new episodes (episodes 11-20) will launch weekly across TBS platforms each Monday at 9:30pm (ET/PT) followed by an encore (episodes 1-10) that aired during the Jan. 17 marathon at 10pm.

Real, brooding and shockingly alive, Angie Tribeca is the brainchild of Steve and Nancy Carell, who executive-produce the series through their Carousel Television. The series follows a squad of committed LAPD detectives who investigate the most serious cases, from the murder of a ventriloquist to a rash of baker suicides...but not really. OK the cat is out of the bag...Angie Tribeca is TBS's spoof of police procedurals, a comedic take on cop shows. Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation, The Office) stars in this single-camera comedy as Angie Tribeca, a ten-year veteran of the LAPD. Her fellow officers in the squad are an eccentric but brilliant group of people who investigate crime, reveal way too much personal information about themselves and refuse to rest until justice has been served...sort of. A spoof in the tradition of The Naked Gun and Airplane!, you won't be disappointed. Also starring in the series are Hayes MacArthur (Life As We Know It, Go On), Jere Burns (Justified, Dear John), Deon Cole and Andrée Vermeulen.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, May 29

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to What Used to be the Neighborhood" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Calvin’s favorite restaurant closes and is replaced by a flashy pet spa, he worries the community is losing too many small businesses and starts a campaign to only buy local. Also, Tina helps Necie prepare a special surprise for Marty.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Your Father's Kingdom" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Abishola turns to Gloria and Kemi when Bob mortgages their home to pay for a new factory space. Also, Kemi worries that she and Chukwuemeka are losing their spark.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 29)

Monday, May 29

  • Seth Rogen (Platonic/Undeclared) - Watch Seth on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Keanu Reaves (Swedish Dicks) - Keanu appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Melanie is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • James Spader (The Office) - James appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Brett Gelman (Fleabag/Married/Go On) - Brett is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood/Survivor's Remorse/Happily Divorced/Everybody Hates Chris/Martin) - Tichina appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Kristin Chenoweth (Schmigadoon!/Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John talks about MSNBC's Leguizamo Does America on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric talks about Shudder and AMC+'s Slasher: Ripper on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man tells Sherri about his role in Sanaa Lathan’s directorial debut, On the Come Up, on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)

Growing Pains - The Complete Series Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Twelve Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI) Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)

01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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05/23 - CBS Summer 2023 Reality Schedule; Apple TV+ Announces Peanuts Programming
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05/18 - The CW Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Netflix Upfront 2023
05/17 - Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2023; Sarah Silverman HBO Special Premieres May 27
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05/15 - FOX Announces 2023-24 Programming Slate; iCarly Season 3 Premieres June 1
05/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 15, 2023)
05/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Season Finale Brings Back a Familiar Face; Comedy Central Renews Digman! for Second Season
05/12 - NBC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Hulu Orders Deli Boys from Onyx Collective
05/11 - CBS Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; The CW Summer Lineup Has Comedies
05/10 - Minx Returns in July on STARZ; Never Have I Ever Final Episodes Premieres June 8, Trailer Drops
05/09 - The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22
05/08 - NBC's Hot Wheels Gets Celeb Judges; Zooey Deschanel's Max Series Premieres May 23
05/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 8, 2023)
05/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Week of Writers' Strike Already Sees Early Casualties; Fox Cancels Call Me Kat
05/05 - BUZZR's Classic TV Moms Week; Fox's Stars on Mars Celebs Announced
05/04 - Dancing with the Stars Returning to ABC in Fall; Conan O'Brien Producing New Podcast Miniseries
05/03 - Roku 2023 NewFront; Peacock Schedules Kaley Cuoco Series
05/02 - COZI TV's Little House Mother's Day "Ma-A-Thon"; Human Resources Returns June 9 on Netflix
05/01 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Drops in July; IFC Dark Comedy SisterS Launching May 17
04/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 1, 2023)
04/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Bob ♥ Abishola to Return with Smaller Regular Cast; CBS Developing Comedy Set in 1700s
04/28 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in June; Apple TV+ Releases Details on Platonic