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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, November 19

St. Denis Medical - "Weird Stuff You Can't Explain" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Ron hexes the day to prove superstitions aren't real, things at the hospital start getting weird; Joyce and Matt discover an employee's secret.

Night Court - "The Judge's Boyfriend's Dad" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Suspecting Dan might be her boyfriend's father, Abby does some investigating; a blast from Dan's past resurfaces as the court's new prosecutor.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "All Hands on Deck" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Curtis calls on his family to help work the food truck.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living "Cancel Culture" - (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)

Sandra wants to switch her college major, but she's afraid to tell her parents; Anastasia enlists Philip to help her build her social media presence.

Churchy - "The Fall" (BET, 10:00PM ET/PT)
After a viral video scandal at his father's church, Corey returns home and finds himself facing difficult personal and professional decisions; Rodney explores a new romance.

Churchy - "Easter" (BET, 10:26PM ET/PT)
Rodney contemplates his need to grow independently; after introspection and a heartfelt conversation with his father, Corey makes a big decision about his future as a pastor.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Tuesday, November 19

Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Catch Keke on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
Ted Danson (A Man on the Inside/Mr. Mayor/The Good Place/Bored to Death/Help Me Help You/Becker/Ink/Cheers) - Ted appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He sits down with Kelly and Mark to talk aabout his series A Man on the Inside on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Oscar Montoya (Minx) - Oscar is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Gayle King sits down with Jennifer on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
Melissa Rauch (Night Court/The Big Bang Theory) - NBC's Today catches up with Melissa in the 9am hour.
Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob opens up about being married six times and is sharing all about his new show Landman on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine is telling Drew about her viral wardrobe moment with Kathy Bates and shares behind the scenes moments of filming Succession, revealing the cast member she had a crush on, on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara tells Sherri about her new Sirius XM podcast, The Optimist Project, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) - Jeremy talks about the new season of FBI on CBS on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita talks her new Barbie doll and upcoming 93rd birthday on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.