SitcomsOnline Digest: Spinoffs for The Big Bang Theory and The Goldbergs in the Horizon?; ABC Brings First Cancellation of the Season

Saturday, November 12, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: Spinoffs for The Big Bang Theory and The Goldbergs in the Horizon?; ABC Brings First Cancellation of the Season

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're learning that two popular sitcoms may be getting spinoffs, hearing of the death of a TV star from the past, and gearing up for the first cancellation of the 2016-2017 season (it wasn't a sitcom). Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Reboots have been all of the rage lately, but this week, we learned that a new trend that we haven't really seen in sitcoms in recent years (and one that really hasn't been successfully implemented in sitcoms since Frasier nearly 25 years ago) may be on the horizon: spinoffs. This week, it was announced that both The Big Bang Theory and The Goldbergs may both be getting spinoffs. (Hollywood Reporter)
Robert Vaughn, best known for his roles on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and later the final season of The A-Team, died this week at age 83. (NY Times)
Saturday Night Live temporarily added Alec Baldwin to the cast this season to play Donald Trump, a pick that the producers expected to not need after Election Day. But with Trump winning the presidency, the series is now in search of a new person to play the character, and the search is already on as Baldwin says that he won't even be returning tonight to fill that role. (NY Daily News)
Also surprised by the election were the producers of South Park, who had less than 24 hours to redo an entire episode that had been planned based upon a different election result. (Deadline)
Steve Harvey's talk show will be ending, but not quite, as a new "revamped" version of the series with a different production company and taping location (but still the same Steve Harvey) will replace it in the fall. (Deadline)
It was only a matter of time, but this week, we finally saw our first cancellation of the 2016-2017 season, with ABC's Conviction quietly getting the axe on Tuesday, though the remaining episodes will reportedly continue to air. (Variety)
Things are still going smoothly for the new sitcoms of 2016, though, as ABC has given a full season to one of their new sitcoms. (SitcomsOnline)

TUESDAY (NOVEMBER 15) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01M0F9Z8P/happydaysonline5-20

The Lucy Show - The Complete Series (DVD, $63.98): CBS bundles all six seasons into one release with this set.
The Middle - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD, $34.99): The long-running ABC sitcom returns to DVD with this release from Warner Archive.
The Mindy Project - Season Four (DVD, $22.98): The Hulu series returns to DVD in this release from Universal.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Ed Weeks (Twitter), "That British one on #TheMindyProject. New episodes every Tuesday on @hulu. Instagram: @edwardweeks"

Claim to Fame: Ed Weeks was born and raised in England, and had started a career in the United Kingdom as a writer of various TV series on BBC. In 2012, though, he made a move to the United States and took on a starring role in the Fox (and now Hulu) series, The Mindy Project, where he plays the role of Jeremy Reed. That isn't all, though, because it was also announced this week that he is filling the executive producer role (along with Mindy Kaling) for a pilot for ABC about a lesbian couple with a teenage son who moves to a conservative part of Kansas.

Pick of the Tweets: "So excited to be working on this with my old mucker @hannymacoy! And of course the splendid @mindykaling (link)" (November 4, 2016)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, December 9

Young Sheldon - "The Yips and an Oddly Hypnotic Bohemian" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon gets the science yips and has to learn how to not think. Also, George Sr. plays handyman at Brenda Sparks’ house.

United States of Al - "Christmas / Krismis" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Vanessa becomes upset when Riley invites his new girlfriend to a family Christmas party. Also, Art is uncomfortable when Lois gets him an incredibly expensive sweater as a gift.

Ghosts - "Possession" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Hetty accidentally possesses Jay’s body just as he and Sam are to about show Woodstone Mansion to a renowned wedding planner.

B Positive - "A Dog, a Mousse and a Bat" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Gina promises to help Harry give his ailing wife a special anniversary dinner. Also, Drew connects with a charming young woman while on the road.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 6)

Thursday, December 9

Will Forte (MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Will on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He talks about his new movie A Journal for Jordan on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your local listings. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) - Hannah will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Rachel Dratch (30 Rock) and Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Rachel and Ana are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo.
Nicholas Braun (10 Things I Hate About You) - Nicholas is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Eugenio Derbez (Acapulco/Rob) - Eugenio appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) and Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Kristin and Nicole talk about the next chapter of the iconic TV series Sex and the City on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!) - Ariana discusses playing Anita in the highly anticipated new film West Side Story on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke is a guest on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela talks about Lifetime's Holiday in Santa Fe on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman (And Just Like That...) - Sara, Sarita, Nicole and Karen talk about And Just Like That... on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.