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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, November 7
Happy's Place - "Promises, Promises" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Emmett continues his nightly check-ins with Bobbie to ensure her safety, Isabella pays the price as she's kept up by their loud late-night chats, prompting her to tell Bobbie to advance their relationship or at least take it out of the house.
Stumble - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Courteney Potter is fired from her job after being involved in a cheer scandal; to salvage her reputation and career, she must put together a competitive team in a tiny school with an unpronounceable name and only one cheerleader.
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - "First Villain" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sophie directs Vee and Elijah in a romantic scene; a new student from Transylvania, Lucien, disrupts the chemistry; Demi and Britney have kitchen duties.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)
Friday, November 7
- Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This/Central Park/The Good Place) - Watch Kristen on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Dave Franco (The Afterparty/Scrubs/Do Not Disturb) - Dave is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) - Janelle dishes on ABC's Abbott Elementary on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn chats about Soul Boom Workbook: Spiritual Tools for Modern Living with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere/Nightcap) - Jeff talks about Lost and Found in Cleveland and Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) and Jenn Lyon (Stumble/Saint George) - Taran and Jenn talk about Stumble on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel, Tabitha Brown and the cast of the new holiday movie Unexpected Christmas stop by Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Drew Drew sits down and chats with Laura on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sydney Sweeney (Everything Sucks!) - Sydney talks about her new movie Christy on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Rachel Sennott (I Love LA/Call Your Mother) - Rachel tells Drew about her upcoming show I Love LA on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listirngs.
New on DVD and 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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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