Fri-Yay: The Best Show You Aren't Watching; Baskets Returns Jan. 23 on FX

Friday, November 03, 2017

Fri-Yay: The Best Show You Aren't Watching; Baskets Returns Jan. 23 on FX

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

Of all of the shows on TV right now, the one I look forward to the most may be Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of (if not the?) funniest show on television, stringing together lines of dialogue capable of standing with classic Simpsons episodes or 30 Rock when it comes to all-time great comedy writing. Even if it were just a funny sitcom, it'd be one of the very best shows on TV. However, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has elevated itself not just as a funny sitcom but also as a genuinely deep and dark look into the reality of life with an untreated mental illness - and in its third season (the show's darkest yet), it's better and bolder than ever.

On the surface, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend could easily look like a careless series that makes fun of a mentally ill woman and makes her the butt of the joke. Its title, while meant to be ironic, can certainly give off that vibe. And when it premiered, many critics feared that was exactly what it was. But over the course of its flawless first season, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend proved that it takes its heroine Rebecca Bunch's problems very seriously. The show would often portray her at her lowest (most notably during the heart wrenching musical number "You Stupid Bitch", in which Rebecca tells herself "you ruined everything, you stupid bitch" over and over.) Over the course of the rest of the series, the show would portray Rebecca as trying to use various new goals and new personas to escape the reality of her mental illness and depression.

I won't spoil anything, but events transpired at the end of the second season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend that have made Season 3 the darkest season yet, dealing with Rebecca's issues head on. Yes, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a hilarious show - but honestly, I haven't been on the edge of my seat with dread and anticipation this much with a TV show since Breaking Bad. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is like a funnier, more musical version of Breaking Bad, and it's the best show you aren't watching.

Baskets

Yippie Kie Yay! The third season of Baskets, the acclaimed comedy series starring Zach Galifianakis, will return to FX on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 10 PM ET/PT. Nothing brings a family together like a family business - or at least that was the plan. Welcome to the Baskets Family Rodeo, where Christine is the President and CEO despite never having seen a rodeo before. Chip has his first full-time gig since Arby's, but can barely transfer a phone call, let alone recruit much-needed clowns. And even though Dale is the only one in the family who has run a business, he can't get anyone to listen to him - his family, the employees, or the horses.

Baskets was co-created by Executive Producers Jonathan Krisel (Emmy(R) Award-nominated writer and director, Portlandia, Saturday Night Live, Man Seeking Woman), Louis C.K. (Emmy Award-winner, Louie), and Zach Galifianakis (Emmy Award-winner, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis; Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); The Hangover and its sequels). M. Blair Breard, Dave Becky, Marc Gurvitz, Andrea Pett-Joseph, and Anna Dokoza are also Executive Producers. The series is produced by FX Productions.

The cast of Baskets features Zach Galifianakis as twins "Chip & Dale Baskets," Louie Anderson as "Christine Baskets" (Primetime Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Baskets, and two-time Daytime Emmy winner for Outstanding Performer in an animated Program, Life with Louie and The Louie Show), and Martha Kelly as "Martha."

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, June 8

Young Sheldon - "Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mary struggles to make new friends while Mandy pushes Georgie to date another woman.

Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.

Animal Control - "Dogs and Geese" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dispatch radios a report of a goose on the loose; the precinct hosts an adoption day.

Animal Control - "Pigs and Minks" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The team welcomes back Patel even though he is still on suspension; Shred and Victoria are called into the principal's office on a school visit; Rick heads back into the field with Frank.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 5)

Thursday, June 8

Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Catch Kaley on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Lea Michele (The Mayor/Scream Queens) - Lea is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) - Janelle appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) - Chris will be on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) - Maitreyi talks about Never Have I Ever Live with Kelly and Mark, (check your listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Eva appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Marcus Scribner (grown-ish/black-ish) - Marcus joins the Tam Fam to discuss the final season of grown-ish on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Nia Long (Uncle Buck/The Cleveland Show/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Nia appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Lauren London (The Game) - Lauren is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Fortune Feimster (Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings. She also talks about FUBAR on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Cheers) - Kelsey is telling Rachael about his recent movie, the Frasier revival and what he's got going on next on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Marilu Henner (Evening Shade/Taxi) - Marilu talks about Hallmark's Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted by Murder on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica stops by to discuss her involvement with the Tony Awards and her Fox Soul talk show Cocktails with Queens on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Marsha Warfield (Night Court/Empty Nest) - Marsha drops by to talk about her iconic comedy career, her The Book of Marsha comedy tour and finally sees the green room at Sherri that was inspired by her, so check your local listings.
Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.