Friday, September 01, 2017
Fri-Yay: Returning Fall Sitcoms; The 2017 NBC Primetime Preview
by Vincent
It's been a long summer for sitcom fans. Granted, summer isn't as desolate as it used to be, and we had great shows like Insecure and Rick & Morty to entertain us over the hot summer days, but it'll still be a relief when the fall season arrives and we have a handful of our favorite shows back. Here's a short list of returning shows that I'm particularly excited about this fall that I'd recommend catching up on if you haven't checked them out yet! If you're planning on watching any of these shows but haven't yet, be warned there may be mild spoilers for some of them below.
You're the Worst - This sardonic romantic comedy series returns for its fourth season on September 6. You're the Worst has done an excellent job through-out its three seasons of taking down romantic comedy tropes and satirizing them while still keeping us invested in in its highly flawed lead couple. The show's fourth season will supposedly revolve around the couple's break up and aftermath, so it should be interested to see how the series deals with common break-up tropes and applies them to its zany world.
Bojack Horseman - This dark animated comedy returns with its entire fourth season on Netflix on Friday, September 8. Bojack Horseman has been one of TV's consistently funniest and most engaging comedies (it was actually my #1 favorite show of 2016), so I'm incredibly eager to see the show's latest batch of episodes. The third season ended on a heartbreaking note, with BoJack losing his former TV co-star Sarah Lynn and alienating nearly all of his friends and colleagues. Given how deep the show has gotten with BoJack's loneliness before, and how it still manages to weave in fun and silly jokes and gags about its strange human-animal world, the fourth season should certainly prove to be a hilarious and heartbreaking ride.
The Good Place - Last season, The Good Place became one of the most successful and funniest high-concept network TV sitcoms in years, revolving around a woman named Eleanor who has died and accidentally been sent to heaven (or "the good place") when she really belongs in hell ("the bad place."). The show then created a warm and winning portrayal of the afterlife with a Parks and Rec-ian array of supporting characters (it was created by Mike Schur, who also created Parks and Rec), but what really made The Good Place especially special was the way it weaved an intricate, well thought out plot-line that consistently bended and turned in unexpected ways, the likes of which haven't been seen on network TV since LOST. The show returns on September 20, and while I won't spoil the first season's final twist, let's just say I've been eagerly anticipating the show's next move since the moment it ended its season.
Superstore - The Good Place's timeslot companion Superstore may not be quite as high-concept, but its low-concept workplace vibe has quietly become one of TV's most consistently rewarding half-hours. Superstore picks right up where previous NBC workplace comedies like The Office and 30 Rock left off in creating a warm and funny world of characters with their own quirks and personalities that clash in interesting ways. Season 2 saw the show experimenting with relationships and character pairings in ways that paid off really well emotionally, so the show's third season should hopefully pick up right where it left off - although if you've seen the second season finale, you know that might be easier said than done given the events that went down.
"ABC Funny" sitcoms - It's hard to spotlight just one ABC family sitcom that deserves your attention, because nearly all of them have been doing great work, from the constant boundary pushing and racial examinations of black-ish to the combination of refreshing immigrant stories with surreal humor of Fresh Off the Boat to the always heartfelt and interesting look into lower middle class life on The Middle. The Middle in particular is a show I'll be really interested in watching this year, as the series is finally coming to an end after nine consistently strong seasons. But at this point, ABC can basically do no wrong with their family sitcoms - sure, maybe Modern Family is getting a little long in the tooth, but ABC has really crafted together a line-up for the ages over its now two nights of family-friendly comedy.
NBC is unwrapping its fall lineup with The 2017 NBC Primetime Preview, which will be hosted by the cast of Great News and includes a special appearance by nine-time Emmy Award winner Tina Fey. The half-hour show will begin its run on Sept. 1 and continue through Oct. 8. It is expected to air more than 300 times across a wide horizon of NBCUniversal media platforms and on over 240 participating NBC broadcast affiliates and owned television stations. In addition, the special will run on many stations' D2 channels, NBCU cable channels, NBC.com, station websites and social media pages, as well as sales and marketing events across the country.
The 2017 NBC Primetime Preview will take a peek at the network's new fall offerings, including the return of the landmark comedy series Will & Grace (premiering Sept. 28 at 9 p.m.), producer Dick Wolf's event series Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (premiering Sept. 26 at 10 p.m.) and the powerful new drama The Brave (premiering Sept. 25 at 10 p.m.), which focuses on America's elite undercover military heroes. Other series to be featured in the special include last season's #1 new series, This Is Us, which earned 10 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series; The Voice, featuring coaches Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton for the upcoming season; Superstore, the popular workplace comedy entering its third season; The Good Place, one of last season's most critically acclaimed new comedies; Great News, the hot second-year comedy from executive producers Tracey Wigfield, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock; and Sunday Night Football, the #1-rated show on broadcast television.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, May 29
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 23)
Friday, May 27
- Josh Charles (Sports Night) - Watch Josh on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office/Splitting Up Together) and Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Jenna and Angela talk about their new book, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- David Arquette (In Case of Emergency/Double Rush/Parenthood) - David appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Courteney Cox (Shining Vale/Cougar Town/Friends/Family Ties) - Courteney is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Mayim Bialik (Call Me Kat/The Big Bang Theory/Blossom/Molloy) - Mayim appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Grey (Red Oaks/It's Like, You Know...) - Jennifer talks about her new memoir, Out of the Corner: A Memoir, on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
- Glen Powell (Scream Queens) - Glen talks about Top Gun: Maverick on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (February-May)
02/08 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Ninth Season
02/22 - Everybody Hates Chris - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
02/22 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Eight
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/15 - Head of the Class - The Complete Fourth Season
03/15 - The Proud Family - The Complete Original Series - Anniversary Collection
03/22 - The Honeymooners Specials - The Complete Collection
03/29 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/29 - Young Rock - Season One
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
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