Fri-Yay: The Good Place's Season Premiere; FXX to Air All Season One Episodes of The Mick on September 23

Friday, September 22, 2017

Fri-Yay: The Good Place's Season Premiere; FXX to Air All Season One Episodes of The Mick on September 23

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

Last week, I gave a spotlight to a comedy that I would call one of the best shows on TV right now - BoJack Horseman. This week, I'd like to give a similar spotlight to a show that I feel may be equally as fantastic - The Good Place, which returned to NBC on Wednesday night for a second season. The Good Place is a high concept comedy about a woman named Eleanor who dies and ends up in the "good place" - only to quickly find out that it may not be where she belongs.

So much of The Good Place has to be seen rather than read - it's one of the most unique and fascinating shows to ever air on network television. In many ways, The Good Place is reinventing what the network sitcom could be. Granted, there are plenty of great, more traditional sitcoms on network television that are excellent, and I don't think the traditional sitcom format will go away or even needs to. But The Good Place offers something genuinely fresh, that neither a traditional network sitcom or traditional cable drama can offer. In many ways, it feels like a marriage of the two forms. It has the quirky and relatable characters of network sitcoms, along with the often hilarious and wide-reaching jokes. It also has the intricate storytelling and carefully mended serialization of a drama on par with a series like LOST or Breaking Bad - the kind of show that's so addicting and full of unexpected twists and turns that you can't help but keep watching. There have been few shows that have seamlessly blended the two types of television, or even attempted it - nevertheless done it as well as The Good Place.

In addition, The Good Place is the rare TV show that actually deals with rather big questions of ethics. Much of the first season revolved around ethical arguments that Eleanor attempted to learn to better fit into the world of The Good Place. As the season continued, those ethical arguments began to occur about the actual world the show was taking place in, and the rigid "good place, bad place" divide the show's afterlife forced humans into. Those questions become more apparent as the series enters its second season - all in a half-hour sitcom on NBC. Quite frankly, there's nothing quite like it.

The Mick

Saturday is Binge Day! FXX will air all 17 episodes from Season One of The Mick on Saturday, September 23 beginning at 3:30PM to 12:00AM ET/PT.

Giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “dysfunctional family,” hit comedy The Mick returns for its second season with all-new outrageous shenanigans – from inadvertent kidnappings to minor crossbow injuries. The series stars Kaitlin Olson as MICKEY, an unapologetic degenerate stuck raising her spoiled niece (Sofia Black-D’Elia) and nephews (Thomas Barbusca, Jack Stanton) amid the lap of luxury in Greenwich, CT. Although constantly pulled between enjoying her lavish new lifestyle and trying to control three monstrous children who have unlimited lines of credit, Mickey is now in it for the long haul. With the help of her on-again, off-boyfriend (Scott MacArthur) and the kids’ live-in housekeeper (Carla Jimenez), she is determined to make it work, or, at the very least, black out during the parts that don’t.

Season Two of The Mick premieres on Fox at a new time on Tuesday, September 26 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT).

In "The Hotel," Mickey and the kids are forced to downgrade from their temporary residence at a hotel after their financial advisor cuts them off due to excessive spending. Mickey and Sabrina refuse to accept the decision and launder up a plan to prevent anyone from stopping their stride. Meanwhile, Jimmy teaches Chip that the tricks to living in a luxurious hotel can be simple.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, February 24

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Getting Lucky" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin and Dave join Lamar (Kevin Pollack) on a road trip to the casino. Also, Tina and Gemma babysit Daphne while Marty desperately tries to spend time with Courtney alone. Series star Tichina Arnold directs this episode.

Poppa's House - "Slumber Party" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Poppa dodges an invitation to a family slumber party, Junior attempts to change his mind by making him jealous of everyone attending. Charo guest stars as herself. Wendy Raquel Robinson returns as Catherine. Geoffrey Owens returns as J.J.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 24)

Monday, February 24

Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Chris on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Drew Carey (The Drew Carey Show/The Good Life) - Drew appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Woody stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Wendell Pierce (The Odd Couple/The Michael J. Fox Show/The Weber/The Brian Benben Show/The Gregory Hines Show) - Wendell appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He talks about the latest season of Raising Kanan on Starz on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Sam Waterston (Grace and Frankie) - Sam makes a special appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Christian is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Zosia Mamet (Laid/Girls) - Zosia appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood/Survivor's Remorse/Happily Divorced/Everybody Hates Chris/Martin) and Essence Atkins (Poppa's House/Marlon/Mr. Box Office/Are We There Yet?/Half & Half/Smart Guy/Under One Roof) - Tichina and Essence are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS. Tichina appers on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Jon Hamm (Grimsburg/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Jon appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11pm on Bravo.
Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Kate Hudson (Running Point) - E! News has an interview with Kate at 11pm on E!.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - NBC's Today catches up with Eric in the 9am hour.
Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons and Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - CBS Mornings has CBS deals with Anthony and Cedric sometime between 7-9am.
Clifton Davis (Amen/That's My Mama) - Nancy Giles goes behind the scenes of CBS' new series Beyond the Gates with actors Clifton Davis, Tamara Tunie, Daphnée Duplaix and Karla Mosley on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank chats with the hosts and performs with the EZ Street Band on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) - Phil talks about the new season of Ted Lasso on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - Halle is hitting the headlines with Drew and Ross and opening up about finding love again on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Then, Halle is opening up about her experience with menopause and the new platform Respin she made to help women through it.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.