Paley Center and NBC to Air Will & Grace Special; grown-ish Gets Full Cast

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Paley Center and NBC to Air Will & Grace Special; grown-ish Gets Full Cast

In anticipation and celebration of the triumphant Sept. 28 return of Will & Grace on NBC, the network and The Paley Center for Media are collaborating on the hour-long special The Paley Center Salutes the Best of Will & Grace, scheduled to air Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Comprised of the best moments from the show's original eight seasons in which it received 16 Emmy Awards from among 83 nominations, The Paley Center Salutes the Best of Will & Grace will also feature new and exclusive interviews with the show's stars - Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally - as well as creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, and legendary director James Burrows. Also included is never-seen-before behind-the-scenes footage of the landmark series that altered the television landscape with its brilliant comedy and groundbreaking focus on gay characters and their life experiences. Will & Grace rejoins the NBC lineup Thursday, Sept. 28 at 9 p.m. for a 16-episode run. The network also recently ordered a second 13-episode season.

grown-ish

Freeform, Disney's young adult television and streaming network, has added two series regulars and two recurring characters to grown-ish, a spin-off of ABC's award-winning hit series black-ish, starring breakout star Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, from ABC Signature Studios. The 13-episode, single-camera comedy will start production next week and is set to premiere early 2018 on Freeform and the Freeform App, available on connected TV, mobile devices and online. Francia Raisa (The Secret Life of the American Teenager") and Jordan Buhat (Summer of '84) join the previously announced cast of Yara Shahidi (black-ish), Deon Cole (black-ish), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live), Emily Arlook (The Good Place, Hand of God) and Trevor Jackson (Burning Sands, American Crime). Singing duo Chloe x Halle (Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey), who recently served as one of Beyoncé's opening acts for the European leg of The Formation World Tour, have also joined the cast in recurring roles.

From black-ish executive producer Kenya Barris comes a contemporary take on the current issues facing both students and administrators in the world of higher education. Yara Shahidi portrays Zoey - Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow's (Tracee Ellis Ross) popular, entitled, stylish and socially active 17-year-old daughter - as she heads off to college and quickly discovers that not everything goes her way once she leaves the nest. Raisa will portray Ana, an outspoken conservative freshman at Southern California University. Buhat will portray Vivek, a first generation Indian-American freshman at Southern California University with an endearing lack of self-awareness. Singing sisters Chloe x Halle will portray twin sisters Sky and Jazz, who are on the track team at the college.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, November 19

The Conners - "Slappy Holidays" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Chaos ensues when Dan finally gets the entire family together for Thanksgiving dinner. Mixed feelings about the Lunch Box continue to build tension in the house, and Harris makes an unexpected move. Guest starring is Eliza Bennett as Odessa.

Bless This Mess - "Six Out of Six" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mike and Rio are at odds with each other when they consider having a kid of their own; and they soon get a taste of the parenting life when they are forced to take care of Portia’s six piglets. Meanwhile, Kay and Beau may have found common ground during the annual Euchre tournament party.

mixed-ish - "Weird Science" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Rainbow’s passion for science deflates when her peers convince her that science isn’t cool. During Career Day, Rainbow code-switches and pursues journalism in order to fit in, only to find that the local news anchor attending the fair has also been hiding a part of herself. Meanwhile, Harrison works to mold a testimony from Denise who struggles to be anyone but herself, and Santamonica tries to steal the spotlight back after Johan suffers an injury.

black-ish - "O Mother Where Are Thou?" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Dre discovers that Lynette (guest star Loretta Devine) is an art aficionado like himself, the two quickly bond and become close, but he begins to feel guilty since he is spending more time with her than Ruby. Meanwhile, Junior introduces Bow to virtual reality.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Tuesday, November 19

Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - Catch Michael on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Josh Gad (The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh stops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/The Mindy Project) - Anna appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn visits A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Ron Funches (Powerless/Undateable) - Ray and Ron are panelists on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) - Thomas drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. She will also be on The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara is a guest on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Helen Hunt (Mad About You/It Takes Two) and Paul Reiser (Mad About You/Red Oaks/The Paul Reiser Show/My Two Dads) - Helen and Paul are guests on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Son of Zorn/Suburgatory) - Cheryl visits The Real, so check your local listings.
Olivia Holt (I Didn't Do It/Kickin' It) - Olivia appears on The Real, so check your local listings.
Tisha Campbell (Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings.
James Wolk (The Crazy Ones) - James stops by The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) - Kristin is a guest on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Ashley Williams (The Jim Gaffigan Show/Good Morning, Miami) - Ashley talks about Holiday Hearts on People Now at 12pm.
The Cast of black-ish - The cast of black-ish are guests on a repeat of ABC's GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke at 1pm.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom talks about A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Tamera Mowry-Housley (Sister, Sister/Roommates) - Tamera will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Nicole Byer (Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Andrea Barber (Fuller House/Full House) - Andrea appears on the BUILD Series at 1pm.
Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Soleil appears on the BUILD Series at 4pm.
Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Lena will be on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.