Friday, August 18, 2017

Fri-Yay: Sitcom Reboots; ABC and CBS Set Fall Preview Specials

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!

Fuller House

by Vincent

It's no secret that networks have gotten into a little bit of "remake frenzy" over the past couple of years. From Girl Meets World to Fuller House to One Day at a Time to the upcoming relaunches of Will & Grace and Roseanne, networks seem desperate to recapture the hits of yesterday rather than coming up with...well, new hits. Granted, maybe that's not totally fair - there are plenty of beloved modern sitcoms that have found audiences, particularly now that streaming services have entered the mix. And yet, networks currently seem obsessed with the past. Business-wise, it makes sense - a service like Netflix is inviting tons of potential new subscribers by bringing back past favorites with built in fanbases like Full House and Gilmore Girls, and network television would be lucky if even half of the audiences of hits like Will & Grace and Roseanne returned to their reboots. (Of course, that was before alternatives like DVR and streaming services effected ratings, but I digress...). But are these relaunches worth your time? Do they actually have potential, or are they just desperate attempts to relive the past?

The answer is a bit of a mixed bag. Of all of the relaunches, the most successful creatively has been, by far, One Day at a Time. Not coincidentally, One Day at a Time is the remake that is least like its original series - the cast and characters are entirely new, and the only elements that remain are the show's basic structure (a divorced mom raising her kids) and the theme song (which has been given a Cuban flair). Other than that, though, the series is very different, following a Cuban-American family through issues like sexuality, immigration, and post-traumatic stress disorder. One Day at a Time may be a remake, but it feels wholly original, while still retaining the spirit of classic Norman Lear sitcoms.

The other remakes, on the other hand, feel a little bit more like desperate attempts to relive the past. Girl Meets World generally did well as a modern Disney Channel sitcom, but fans expecting it to be a continuation of Boy Meets World may have been disappointed. Fuller House likely appeals quite well to Full House fans, but there's not much else beyond "Full House continued" to make it appealing to anyone else. And while the jury is still out on Will & Grace and Roseanne, it'll be an uphill battle for 15 and 25 (respectively) year old shows to seem relevant in today's television landscape. It's fine if networks want to reach into the past for profit - but hopefully the future is more like One Day at a Time, bringing new ideas to an old premise.


ABC Fall Preview Special



The ABC Fall Preview Special will air Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7:00pm on ABC and will be hosted by the stars of Speechless and American Housewife. Diedrich Bader and Cedric Yarbrough host the special with appearances from the new stars of ABC such as Jason Ritter (Kevin (Probably) Saves the World), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor), Brandon Micheal Hall and Lea Michele (The Mayor)! The special has been airing on ABC affiliates already on the weekend. There will be clips and features on all of ABC's new shows, ABC's comedy brand and the final season of Scandal.

CBS Fall Preview

CBS Fall Preview, hosted by new series stars Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon), David Boreanaz (Seal Team), Mark Feuerstein (9JKL), Shemar Moore (S.W.A.T.), Bobby Moynihan (Me, Myself & I) and Jeremy Piven (Wisdom of the Crowd), is a primetime special highlighting the Network's six new fall series. It will be broadcast Monday, Sept. 4 at 8:30PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and CBS All Access, the Network's digital subscription video on demand and live-streaming service.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, June 24

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 23)

Tuesday, June 24

  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Catch Tiffany on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) - Alan appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Frankie Grande (Henry Danger/Danger Force) - Frankie stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth/No Activity/The League) - Jason appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Jason Ritter (Another Period/The Class) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Jason and Joel are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Matty Matheson (The Bear) - Matty chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Brandy Norwood (Zoe Ever After/The Game/Moesha/Thea) - Brandy and Monica talk about The Boy is Mine Tour on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison talks about M3GAN 2.0 on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.


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)
07/08 - 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

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
06/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 9, 2025)
06/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady; Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Headed to Streaming
06/06 - Hulu's First Look at Amanda Knox Drama; Prime Video Lands Spy Thriller
06/05 - Disney's Electric Bloom Gets Premiere Date; Conan to Guest on NBC's Late Night
06/04 - Netflix Announces Haunted Hotel with Comedic Voices; Prime Video Unveils Trailer for Thriller
06/03 - Netflix's Nobody Wants This Returns October 23; The CW Renews All American for Final Season
06/02 - Remembering Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon, and The Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen
06/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 2, 2025)
05/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New King of the Hill Reboot Details; CBS Makes Late Night Changes
05/30 - FX's Adults Pilot Available on Social Platforms; BET and BET+ Premiere New Tyler Perry Series in June
05/29 - Netflix's New Chuck Lorre Sitcom Leanne; Apple TV+ Season 4 Premiere of The Morning Show
05/28 - Max Renews Hacks for Season 5; Byron Allen Coming Back to CBS Late Night
05/27 - Antenna TV Summer 2025 Schedule; Rewind TV Summer 2025 Schedule
05/26 - Memorial Day 2025 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 26, 2025)
05/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zach Braff Joins Scrubs Reboot; 7th Heaven Reboot in the Works
05/23 - Discovery Channel's Shark Week with Tom Bergeron; Apple TV+ Season 2 of Hit Series