SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Renews Trial & Error; Three Cast Members Exit Saturday Night Live

Saturday, May 27, 2017

SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Renews Trial & Error; Three Cast Members Exit Saturday Night Live

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! The news has died down a bit this week, but we do have one post-upfront renewal for a comedy on NBC, we're hearing about some departures from Saturday Night Live, and we're still trying to figure out what ABC was thinking with that Dirty Dancing revival. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It took a little while to happen, but NBC ultimately decided to renew Trial & Error for a second season. (Entertainment Weekly)
Viacom's cable networks (which have had significant woes in recent years with declining ratings and being moved to cable packages that few people subscribe to) are going through a realignment, and Deadline has a guide to where you can find some of the original programming that has been or will be moved. (Deadline)
When Saturday Night Live returns in the fall, it will be without three cast members who've been a significant part of the show for several years. (Daily Mail)
ABC hyped their remake of Dirty Dancing one of their highlights for the season, and it did bring in viewers, but it was not very well received by viewers at all. (Vox)
The past few months have caused quite a shakeup in cable ratings, with long-time number three network MSNBC taking top honors and long-time number one network Fox News falling to number three. (Variety)
Jared Martin, best known for his role of Dusty Farlow on Dallas, died this week at age 75. (Hollywood Reporter)
The timing seems a little odd, given that the trial for the star of the series is set to begin soon and jury selection happened this week, but The Cosby Show has returned to cable on TV One (after first returning to the broadcast digital network Bounce TV a few months ago) for the first time in years this week. (SitcomsOnline)

TUESDAY (MAY 30) HOME MEDIA RELEASE

Hart to Hart - The Complete Series (DVD, $159.99): Shout! Factory brings together every season of the classic series (though not the post-series reunion movies) in this set.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Lauren Adams (Twitter), "Gretchen on Netflix Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. NYC. Pizza. Onassis Comedy. Insta: imlaurenadams."

Claim to Fame: Lauren Adams is not exactly a household name, and you won't find her name in the credits of any broadcast or cable network TV series. But she has found her first claim to fame on the Netflix comedy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as the Hulu comedy Deadbeat. In Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, she plays Kimmy's fellow former cult member, Gretchen, who often finds herself missing the cult lifestyle and wanting to relive it however she can, something that ultimately leads to an unexpected crossover that we won't spoil here in the third season of the series (now streaming on Netflix). We don't know what's next for her character, but of all of the cult members, her story is interesting enough to have her own spinoff based upon the events in the most recent season of the series. While these may be her first roles, we certainly anticipate that they won't be her last, and we'll be seeing her in more comedy series and movies over the years.

Pick of the Tweets: "Happy unbreakablekimmyschmidt day! So honored to be a part of this show! Enjoy some #bts photos… (link)" (May 19, 2017)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 2

The Conners - "Fame, Flying Fists and Cold Feet" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Conners get a taste of fame when their family restaurant is featured in a reality TV show, which inspires Becky to become an influencer. Meanwhile, Jackie and Dan meet with a lawyer, and Darlene connects with someone at The Lobo Lounge.

Abbott Elementary - "Ava Fest: Tokyo Drift" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The Abbott teachers turn their open house into a carwash to help raise money for the school.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Wednesday, April 2

Adam DeVine (The Righteous Gemstones/Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/Workaholics/Modern Family) - Watch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about Sinners on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rob Delaney (Bad Monkey/Catastrophe) - Rob appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Sasheer and Greta are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda appears on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
Jennifer Lopez (South Central) and Jamie Foxx (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Jamie Foxx Show) - E! News has interviews with Jennifer and Jamie at 11pm on E!.
Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary) - Chris talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Judy Greer (Kidding/Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided/Arrested Development) - NBC's Today catches up with Judy in the 9am hour.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Glen Powell (Scream Queens) and Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - NBC's Today catches up with Glen and Kristin in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha, who stars in Netflix's Surival of the Thickest, joins Tamron Hall to discuss how she found her freedom by sharing her story on her own terms and learning to embrace self-love, so check your local listings.
Gabourey Sidibe (Difficult People/The Big C) - Gabourey talks about starring in the new Lifetime movie Give Me Back My Daughter on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared) - Seth is joining Drew to tell her all about his new show The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.