Fri-Yay: Bob's Burgers Tops Sunday Night on Fox; WGN America Gives Thanks with M*A*S*H and More!

Friday, November 10, 2017

Fri-Yay: Bob's Burgers Tops Sunday Night on Fox; WGN America Gives Thanks with MAS*H and More!

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

If there's a show on network TV that is the epitome of the underdog, it's Bob's Burgers. Bob's Burgers debuted in 2011 to relatively little fanfare - at the time, FOX's animation line-up was dominated by Seth MacFarlane shows (and the ever-present Simpsons), and Bob's Burgers stuck out like a sore thumb. Early episodes of Bob's Burgers tried to use some MacFarlane-esque shock humor to blend in with the line-up, but it was clearly it wasn't really what the show was comfortable with. Bob's received a lukewarm critical reception and so-so ratings, but it showed enough promise that FOX renewed it for a second season and some critics began noticing its potential to become something bigger. Seven years later, Bob's Burgers has become something of a low-key phenomenon, a critical and fan darling that's beginning to finally reach mainstream acceptance.

Bob's Burgers started churning out consistently great episodes in its second season, and by its third season it had become established as one of the best comedies on television. The show's blend of off-the-wall humor with sweet family moments yearns back memories of early Simpsons episodes with a bit of an absurdist, Adult Swim-like touch. The show's biggest feature is its relentless optimism and acceptance of just about everyone that turns up in its weirdo family's orbit, and it's that acceptance that has made Bob's Burgers such a hit with its devoted fan-base. It has begun to occupy that same "alternative" young audience space that animated comedies like The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy achieved before it, but with a more pronounced sweet spot than any of those shows. Eight seasons in, Bob's Burgers seems to only be getting more popular - it was FOX's highest-rated program last week (beating out The Simpsons and Family Guy). It's been a long road, but Bob's finally seems to be getting the recognition it deserves as the weird, sweet, and incredibly funny comedy that it is.

WGN America celebrates everyday heroes who serve and protect this Veterans Day weekend with back-to-back airings of Men of Honor, a five-hour M*A*S*H marathon, and fan-favorite episodes of Cops and Blue Bloods. Then WGN America cooks up a "Slapsgiving" mini marathon of How I Met Your Mother and a "Be Thankful You're Not on 'Cops' Marathon." Following WGN America's live coverage of McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade, viewers can continue enjoying the long holiday weekend with two America's Funniest Home Videos marathons, another Cops marathon and a movie marathon filled with extraterrestrial fan-favorites.

On Veteran's Day, Saturday, November 11: "Serving with Honor Weekend" featuring a five-hour M*A*S*H marathon starting at 1pm ET, followed by back-to-back airings of Men of Honor. On Monday, November 20: "Slapsgiving" marathon featuring four back-to-back episodes of How I Met Your Mother starting at 1am ET.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 27

The Goldbergs - "The Hunt for the Great Albino Pumpkin" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Missing his Pops, Adam finds himself disenchanted with his once favorite time of year, Halloween. Beverly tirelessly tries to resurrect Adam’s Halloween spirit from the dead, encouraging Pop Pop (Judd Hirsch) to spend some quality time with his grandson. A night of mishaps and chaos turns out to be just the adventure Adam needs. Meanwhile, with the push and support from Joanne, Barry decides to bring his former alter ego, rapper “Big Tasty,” back to life; and a chance encounter with the legendary Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, brings Barry and Joanne closer together.

The Wonder Years - "Be Prepared" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Coach Long and Bill take the boys on a camping trip as part of their newly formed scout troop, their starkly different approaches to the outdoors show Dean that his father isn’t good at everything. As a thunderstorm threatens an eerie quest through the woods, Bill leans into his expertise to save the day.

The Conners - "Peter Pan, The Backup Plan, Adventures in Babysitting, and a River Runs Through It" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The Conner home is decked out for Halloween despite the leak in the roof that forces Dan and Louise to cancel their honeymoon. But all is not lost when Becky surprises the newlyweds and takes them on a virtual adventure around the world. Meanwhile, Darlene continues her spiritual journey, and Harris introduces Aldo’s children to the family, where more tricks than treats await.

Home Economics - "Box of King-Size Candy Bars, $48.99" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Trick or treat is not the only question on the Hayworths’ minds as they debate the best neighborhood for a spooktacular Halloween. Meanwhile, Connor navigates sharing the holiday with his ex-wife, Emily.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 25)

Wednesday, October 27

Dan Levy (Schitt's Creek) - Watch Dan on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Beanie Feldstein (Harriet the Spy) - Beanie will be on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Norman Lear (Producer of All in the Family/Maude/Sanford and Son/The Jeffersons/Good Times) - Norman is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Linda Lavin (B Positive/9JKL/Sean Saves the World/Room for Two/Alice) - Linda is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Hector Elizondo (Last Man Standing/Down and Out in Beverly Hills/Foley Square/Popi) - Hector will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jane Seymour (Let's Get Physical/Modern Men) - Jane appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat appears on The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?/Romantically Challenged) - Alyssa talks about her new personal essay collection, Sorry Not Sorry, on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina talks about Lifetime's Switched Before Birth on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Kermit the Frog (The Muppets) - Kermit the Frog talks about YouTube's Dear Earth on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice/Shaping Up) - Jennifer talks about USA Network's Chucky on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs/30 Rock) - Elizabeth talks about My Body, My Podcast on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Justine Bateman (Family Ties) - Justine talks about Violet on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.