Friday, October 20, 2017
Fri-Yay: How Are This Season's Sitcoms Doing?; COZI TV's 3rd Annual Munster-thon
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
A few weeks ago, I outlined the most promising new sitcoms of the season, while acknowledging that it was a bit of a disappointing season for new sitcoms. Since then, there's been a little movement on the sitcom front - shows have premiered, had their ratings measured, and had time to develop a critical consensus. And since then, it's become even more clear: this is an "off" season for network TV sitcoms. The most promising sitcom of the season, quality-wise, is The Mayor, and yet it's also the lowest-rated, falling to a measly 0.8 rating in its most recent airing. CBS's 9JKL and Me, Myself and I ratings also aren't particularly impressive, and quality-wise, neither show has really taken off in a way that would make either one of them particularly promising. In fact, the only two sitcoms this season that seem to be doing well are Will & Grace and Young Sheldon, both of which obviously are coming from previously loved and established successful brands, the original Will & Grace and The Big Bang Theory.
This is especially a bit surprising because the last few years have really been quite good for sitcoms - shows like Superstore, The Good Place, Speechless, The Mick, Great News and Life in Pieces are all worthwhile additions to the network sitcom canon, on various different networks. Truthfully, sitcom quality tends to be a bit of a continuous cycle. Much of the good "talent" (on and off camera) gets used during a "hot streak," so the following year or two tends to be a little lighter. That could be why we saw so much reliance on past brands when networks were putting together their 2017-2018 TV slate: from Will & Grace to Young Sheldon to the upcoming Roseanne relaunch.
So it's not time to be declaring the end of network television yet. After all, there are plenty of truly excellent sophomore and third-year sitcoms at the height of their powers that can be enjoyed. Plus, we have some interesting shows coming up mid-season, such as the much-discussed Roseanne reboot to Glenn Howerton of Always Sunny fame's network TV debut on NBC's AP Bio. The state of the sitcom is still in pretty good hands, even if it's a bit of a weak fall.
by Vincent
A few weeks ago, I outlined the most promising new sitcoms of the season, while acknowledging that it was a bit of a disappointing season for new sitcoms. Since then, there's been a little movement on the sitcom front - shows have premiered, had their ratings measured, and had time to develop a critical consensus. And since then, it's become even more clear: this is an "off" season for network TV sitcoms. The most promising sitcom of the season, quality-wise, is The Mayor, and yet it's also the lowest-rated, falling to a measly 0.8 rating in its most recent airing. CBS's 9JKL and Me, Myself and I ratings also aren't particularly impressive, and quality-wise, neither show has really taken off in a way that would make either one of them particularly promising. In fact, the only two sitcoms this season that seem to be doing well are Will & Grace and Young Sheldon, both of which obviously are coming from previously loved and established successful brands, the original Will & Grace and The Big Bang Theory.
This is especially a bit surprising because the last few years have really been quite good for sitcoms - shows like Superstore, The Good Place, Speechless, The Mick, Great News and Life in Pieces are all worthwhile additions to the network sitcom canon, on various different networks. Truthfully, sitcom quality tends to be a bit of a continuous cycle. Much of the good "talent" (on and off camera) gets used during a "hot streak," so the following year or two tends to be a little lighter. That could be why we saw so much reliance on past brands when networks were putting together their 2017-2018 TV slate: from Will & Grace to Young Sheldon to the upcoming Roseanne relaunch.
So it's not time to be declaring the end of network television yet. After all, there are plenty of truly excellent sophomore and third-year sitcoms at the height of their powers that can be enjoyed. Plus, we have some interesting shows coming up mid-season, such as the much-discussed Roseanne reboot to Glenn Howerton of Always Sunny fame's network TV debut on NBC's AP Bio. The state of the sitcom is still in pretty good hands, even if it's a bit of a weak fall.
COZI TV is inviting viewers to tune in for a pre-Halloween special broadcast marathon of the iconic sitcom, The Munsters. The 10-hour marathon will run on Saturday, October 28 beginning at 12 PM and ending at 10 PM (check local listings). This is the third year the popular national multicast network will broadcast the marathon. The marathon will feature the first 19 fan-favorite episodes of season one, along with the special Auto-Tune The Munsters – a musical version of the episode "A Man for Marilyn." The Munsters follows the hilariously spooky Munster family as they try to lead a regular life at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Featuring Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster and Al Lewis as Grandpa Munster, The Munsters regularly airs Monday to Friday at 7 PM on COZI TV. Episodes in COZI TV's October 28 Munster-thon are:
Munster Masquerade (12:00 PM)
My Fair Munster (12:30 PM)
Walk On The Mild Side (1:00 PM)
Rock-A-Bye Munster (1:30 PM)
Pike's Pique (2:00 PM)
Low Cal Munster (2:30 PM)
Tin Can Man (3:00 PM)
Herman The Great (3:30 PM)
Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie (4:00 PM)
Autumn Croakus (4:30 PM)
Auto-Tune The Munsters (5:00 PM)
Ride Of Herman Munster (5:30 PM)
The Sleeping Cutie (6:00 PM)
A Family Portrait (6:30 PM)
Grandpa Leaves Home (7:00 PM)
Herman's Rival (7:30 PM)
Grandpa's Call of the Wild (8:00 PM)
All Star Munster (8:30 PM)
If A Martian Answers (9:00 PM)
Eddie's Nickname (9:30 PM)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, September 26
The Simpsons - "The Star of the Backstage" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A musical comes to life in Springfield as Marge stages a revival of her beloved high school show -- but her wonderful memories are threatened by the return of a rival from the past.
The Great North - "Brace/Off Adventure" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Judy embarks on a journey after getting some unexpected news from the dentist.
Bob's Burgers - "Manic Pixie Crap Show" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Louise must pay a debt to Millie by attending the Pixie Princess Promenade; a bouquet in the shape of a dog forces Linda to confront her past.
Family Guy - "LASIK Instinct" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
With her vision waning, Lois elects to get LASIK surgery but exploits her new disability for monetary gain; Peter, Chris and Stewie must partake in all the activities with Doug that his father neglects.
Wellington Paranormal - "Mobots" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Officer Minogue meets Officer O'Leary's mom when they use her house for a stakeout to investigate why a mass quantity of obsolete electronics goes missing.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 20)
Friday, September 24
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Watch Jennifer on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. She will also be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Dave "Lil Dicky" Burd (Dave) - Dave appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Phil Dunster (Ted Lasso) - Phil appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Liza Koshy (Liza on Demand) - Liza chats about My Little Pony on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio guest hosts The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Together/New Girl/Happy Endings) - Damon talks about Peacock's Frogger on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-September)
06/08 - The Critic - The Complete Series
06/08 - Fuller House - The Fifth and Final Season
06/08 - Fuller House - The Complete Series
06/08 - Our Cartoon President - Season 3
06/15 - The Office - Season 1 (Blu-ray) / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9
06/15 - Parks and Recreation - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/07 - No Activity - Season 2
07/13 - The Unicorn - Season 2
07/20 - Head of the Class - The Complete Third Season
07/27 - Family Ties - The Complete Series (2021 Release)
07/27 - Hot in Cleveland - The Complete Series (2021 Release)
07/27 - The Neighborhood - Season Three
08/20 - The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - Deluxe Edition (100 Episodes) (Time Life)
08/20 - The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - Standard Edition (50 Episodes) (Time Life)
08/24 - The Jim Gaffigan Show - Season 2
09/07 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray)
09/21 - I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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