Friday, June 09, 2017

Fri-Yay: Surprise Sitcom Cancellations; Cozi TV's Frasier Father's Day Marathon

Our Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows weekly report has moved to Sundays, as now we have a new feature from one of our writers, Vincent, that will dive into sitcoms. The new feature is called Fri-Yay, so that means a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks. Happy Fri-Yay!

ALT= 2 Broke Girls

by Vincent

This year's Upfronts saw a lot of surprising moves made by the networks, from the sudden revival of American Idol by ABC to the cancellation-than-uncanellation of Timeless by NBC to countless befuddling schedule changes – but of particular note to sitcom fans may have been the cancellation of two long-running sitcoms that had star casts and vocal fan support, Last Man Standing and 2 Broke Girls. While nether show was a particularly huge hit, both were generally solid performers that seemed like staple series for their networks. And yet, both were unceremoniously cancelled after six seasons of service, without even a planned ending to wrap up their storylines.

The cancellation of Last Man Standing caused a mild ruckus in the media, as many conservative media pundits wondered if the show's right-leaning politics had a hand in the show's demise. And many fans of 2 Broke Girls wondered if, considering CBS renewed lower-rated series like Superior Donuts and Man With a Plan, perhaps the network simply just had a vendetta against their favorite sitcom. It makes sense that fans would jump to conclusions like these, since looking solely at ratings, there didn't seem to be much of a case giving these shows such a sudden, cruel end.

However, we've entered a strange time on network television, where live ratings are rapidly dwindling as viewers gravitate towards DVR and on demand viewing, yet the networks haven't found a way to fully profit from them yet. So they're forced to look at other forms of revenue - syndication, streaming deals, and international sales. However, the network airing a show doesn't profit from these forms of revenue – rather, the studio that produces the series does. Each network has an in-house studio which produces some of their series, which means that if a network's studio owns one of their shows, they are able to make money on all of those syndication, streaming and international sales deals. Last Man Standing and 2 Broke Girls were not owned by their network's studio, and both shows were in their sixth season, meaning that their actors were beginning to demand more money as the series grew older – therefore, the shows were growing more expensive. So these shows were getting increasingly expensive, and the only profit the network was making on them were their good-not-great live ratings. So as a result? Both shows were cancelled.

So what does this mean? It means that we can expect a lot more "surprise" cancellations (and renewals!) in the coming years, and if you're concerned about your favorite show's fate, you may need to start looking a little deeper than its ratings to figure out if it's going to survive.


Frasier

COZI TV is offering a special Father's Day gift to fans, complete with 20 memorable episodes of the Emmy-award winning sitcom Frasier. The national multicast network announced a special Frasier's Day marathon, which will kick off on Sunday, June 18 at 1 PM ET (check local listings). The marathon includes 1994's "Give Him the Chair!" episode in which Frasier searches Seattle for his dad's infamous recliner, as well as 1997's Emmy-award winning "Dad Loves Sherry, the Boys Just Whine" episode in which Frasier and brother Niles discover their father is dating two women simultaneously. The marathon will also include 2002's "War of the Words" in which Frasier attempts to prep his son for the National Spelling Bee finals.

Episodes featured in the "Father's Day is Frasier's Day" marathon include:
01:00 PM: “Dinner at Eight”
01:30 PM: “Give Him the Chair!”
02:00 PM: “Burying a Grudge”
02:30 PM: “Breaking the Ice”
03:00 PM: “Chess Pains”
03:30 PM: “A Lilith Thanksgiving”
04:00 PM: “Our Father Whose Art Ain't Heaven”
04:30 PM: “Dad Loves Sherry, the Boys Just Whine”
05:00 PM: “The Unnatural”
05:30 PM: “The Gift Horse”
06:00 PM: “Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do”
06:30 PM: “Dial M for Martin”
07:00 PM: “Good Samaritan”
07:30 PM: “Our Parents, Ourselves”
08:00 PM: “A Tsar is Born”
08:30 PM: “The Apparent Trap”
09:00 PM: “The Bad Son”
09:30 PM: “Cranes Unplugged”
10:00 PM: “War of the Words”
10:30 PM: “Star Mitzvah”


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, July 9

Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.

Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.

Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.

Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)

Wednesday, July 9

  • Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

07/09 - New Girl Summer on Hulu; Vir Das Gets Brand New Netflix Special
07/08 - Tubi Comedy Series Demascus Premieres in August; LEGO Masters Jr. Lines Up Celebs for 4-Week Event
07/07 - Digman! Season Premiere Moved to July 23; Hulu's Reasonable Doubt Returns September 18
07/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 7, 2025)
07/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Comedy Central Delays South Park and Digman! Season Premieres; Jackée to Appear in Guest Role in Netflix Series
07/04 - Happy 4th of July; Antenna TV's McHale's Navy Red, White and Navy Independence Day Marathon
07/03 - The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Season 3 Premieres August 6; South Park New Season Moves by Two Weeks
07/02 - FETV Acquires The Rookies; Hulu Renews The Bear for Season 5
07/01 - Bert Kreischer Gets Netflix Sitcom; NBC Gets Into Survival Mode This Summer
06/30 - The Comeback Makes Another...Comeback; First Look at Black Rabbit at Netflix
06/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 30, 2025)
06/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Comeback Returning for a Third and Final Season; South Park to Remain on HBO Max
06/27 - The White Lotus Star Teams Up with Netflix; Remembering Bobby Sherman, Lynn Hamilton, and Rick Hurst
06/26 - The CW's Fall Movie of the Week; First Look at New York Comic Con 2025
06/25 - Netflix Renews Ransom Canyon for Season 2; My Life with the Walter Boys First Look for Season 2
06/24 - Marc Maron Gets Second HBO Comedy Special; Outlander Prequel Renewed for Season 2 Ahead of Series Premiere
06/23 - MeTV Summer Changes, Adds Adventures of Superman; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Summer Guest Hosts
06/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 23, 2025)
06/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Officially Dead After Not Finding New Home; Weigel Announces New WEST Network
06/20 - Great American Media Announces New Danica McKellar Movie; Jennifer Love Hewitt ID True Crime Series
06/19 - Bad Thoughts Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix; Zarna Garg Gets Hulu Special This July
06/18 - Weigel Broadcasting Announces WEST Network with Classic TV Westerns; Hulu's Season 2 of Such Brave Girls
06/17 - Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife on A&E Series; Digman! Returns July 9 on Comedy Central
06/16 - Hulu's Chad Powers Teaser; Prime Video's Jesse Williams Series
06/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 16, 2025)
06/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Mulls Airing The Paper on Primetime Lineup; Fox Revives Baywatch Reboot Talk
06/13 - My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Renewed for 2 More Seasons; Hanna-Barbera Developing Adult Animated Series
06/12 - Comedy Superstar Jack Black Is the King of Comedy at Nickelodeon; Doc Adds Felicity Huffman
06/11 - Celebrities for Celebrity Family Feud Season 11; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Starts Production
06/10 - Warner Bros. Discovery Separates Company; Peacock's Jennifer Garner Series Adds to Cast
06/09 - Comedian Ms. Pat Gets Season 3 of Courtroom Series; Disney Branded Television Animated Slate