Fri-Yay: Insecure; BET Fall 2017 Lineup Has New Comedies

Friday, August 04, 2017

Fri-Yay: Insecure; BET Fall 2017 Lineup Has New Comedies

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

It's been a bit of a slow summer for sitcoms, even going by typical summer standards. So if you're feeling like you're missing your weekly dose of sitcom fun, I'd highly recommend checking out HBO's sophomore comedy Insecure. Insecure may not be your "typical" sitcom - it's more of a half-hour dramady, true - but it's a genuinely hilarious show that's also capable of some truly moving moments and intricate character work that cuts deep for anyone in their 20s or 30s who's not quite sure about the direction their life seems to be taking them in. Plus, if this season's strong season premiere was any indication, Insecure has only gotten better in its second season, with a more careful blend of both its comedic chops and its lofty dramatic ambitions.

Insecure was created and stars Issa Rae as the titular "Issa," a woman who finds herself at a bit of a crossroads as she enters her 30s. The first season of Insecure dealt heavily with Issa's uncertainty about her career as well as her long-term but stagnant relationship with her boyfriend Lawrence, who (spoiler alert for Season 1) she winds up cheating on towards the end of the season, which ends their relationship. Season 2 picks up in the aftermath of Issa and Lawerence's break-up, and also finds Issa continuing to struggle to make an impact in her career. Issa Rae formerly produced the hit YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl, which was a seriously hilarious and painfully relatable series that showed all of Issa's strengths as a writer and performer. Insecure takes well-crafted "true to life" vibe and mixes it with the glossy and addicting narrative stylings of an HBO series, which creates something that's both relatable but feels thoughtful and high-brow, all of which pays very well to Issa's strengths.

While Issa is certainly the biggest driving force of the series, Insecure is populated with lots of incredibly entertaining supporting characters, the most notable being Issa's best friend Molly. Molly and Issa's friendship serves as the anchor of the series, and their ability to be brutally honest with each other allows us to peer into what's really going on in each other's minds, even when they don't want to admit to themselves what's going on in their minds. Meanwhile, arguably the funniest character on the series is played by Natasha Rothwell's Kelli, who feels like she has the potential to be HBO's beloved breakout character. Rothwell is a comedic mastermind who plays the unpredictable and wild Kelli with just the right balance of comedy and heart to make her a truly memorable comic character. There's a lot to like in Insecure, so if you're feeling the effects of the summer TV drought, I'd highly recommend giving it a chance - it has just the right amount of sitcom and HBO prestige to make it a perfect blend of the two types of shows.

BET

Get ready to clutch your pearls and laugh 'til it hurts as BET Networks unveils its new Fall 2017 lineup! BET is pushing the comedy limits as it debuts series from some of the biggest names in the game including new showcase 50 Central starring the legendary Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson; new boundary-pushing game show Face Value from executive producer Wanda Sykes and starring Deon Cole and Tiffany Haddish; and new weekly satire series The Rundown with Robin Thede from executive producer Chris Rock.

On the scripted side, The Comedy Get Down goes behind the scenes of a mega standup comedy tour with George Lopez, DL Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin and the late, much-beloved Charlie Murphy. Viewers will also get an all-access pass to the hip-hop wedding of the year as rapper Gucci Mane and Keyshia Ka'oir become one in Gucci Mane & Keyshia Ka'Oir: The Mane Event. Irv Gotti's Tales also returns with new episodes, including "song stories" from Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and Fetty Wap's "Trap Queen". And fan favorite tentpole specials return including the biggest night in hip-hop with the Hip Hop Awards and smoothest sounds in R&B with the Soul Train Awards. New programming kicks off Wednesday, September 27, with brand new episodes premiering every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 23

Young Sheldon - "An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sheldon takes matters into his own hands when Meemaw refuses to drive him to a lecture with Dr. Linkletter (Ed Begley, Jr.). Also, Georgie tries to impress Veronica with his new business venture.

The Unicorn - "No Small Parts" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Grace gets the lead in the school musical, Wade realizes that the teachers are giving her special treatment after he hears her sing. Also, Michelle and Ben persuade Delia and Forrest to volunteer for the chaotic snack bar duty at a school function. Tim Baltz guest stars as Mr. Kersey, Grace’s drama teacher.

Young Sheldon - "A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After being released from the mental hospital, Dr. Sturgis unexpectedly breaks up with Meemaw.

Mom - "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalepeño Pepper" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
While Bonnie struggles to enjoy her perfect honeymoon with Adam, Christy makes some questionable changes at the bar while they’re away.

Last Man Standing - "Bedtime Story" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mike tries to avoid hurting Vanessa's feelings due to her snoring.

Outmatched - "Pilot" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Kay and Mike cope with raising three high-IQ children.

Superstore - "Favoritism" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Amy tries to make Mateo her new assistant, leading to accusations of favoritism and a group competition in the store. Meanwhile, Sandra gets caught in a power struggle between Glenn and Dina, and Jonah attempts to show Garrett that he's still "one of the guys."

The Good Place - "Patty" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The group makes some new friends.

Will & Grace - "Lies & Whispers" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Larry (guest star Tim Bagley) warns Will and Grace about the difficult entry process into the elite school they both want their kids to go to, they set out to prove that their child would be the better candidate. While helping Jenny (guest star Demi Lovato) with her ASMR livestream, Jack unwittingly creates problems between Karen and her “booty buddy,” Luke (guest star Chris Thornton).

Perfect Harmony - "Regionals" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Season 1 Finale. At the regional choir competition in Lexington, Arthur relishes the opportunity to finally stick it to his old rival, Magnus, when the unexpected happens. Presented with a surprise job offer, Ginny starts to doubt her worth before her big interview. Adams puts her past to bed with her still very alive dead husband, allowing her to move on.

grown-ish - "Damn" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The crew tries their best to cope with a shocking surprise, but another unexpected bomb sends Zoey into a spiral.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay - "Giant Asian Mantises" (Freeform, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Matilda wants to get white-girl-wasted; Genevieve's low-key birthday party leaves Nicholas, Alex, and Matilda banished to the guest house; in the main house, Tellulah turns things up a notch; Nicholas is stuck being the responsible adult.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Thursday, January 23

Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) - Catch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
David Alan Grier (The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie) - David stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Fortune Feimster (Bless the Harts/Life in Pieces/Champions) - Fortune appears on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC. She will also be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Santino (Mixology) - Andrew is a panelist on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
The Cast of Schitt's Creek - The cast of Schitt's Creek are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry talks about America's Got Talent and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on NBC's Today in the 9am hour. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing/The Kominsky Method/The Bill Engvall Show/Becker/Almost Perfect) - Nancy appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jason George (Eve/Off Centre) - Jason is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris drops by The Real, so check your local listings.
Norman Lear (Producer of All in the Family/Sanford and Son/One Day at a Time/The Jeffersons/Good Times/Maude) - Norman is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Melora Hardin (The Office) - Melora talks about The Bold Type on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Retta (Parks and Recreation) and Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) - Retta and Reno talk about Good Girls on the BUILD Series at 2pm.