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

Monday, May 4

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Kalamazoo?" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Dave and Gemma seriously consider a major life change, it sends ripples through the family and strains relationships. Meanwhile, wedding chaos and unexpected revelations complicate plans for Malcolm and Marty, forcing everyone to confront what’s really ahead.

DMV - "Car-lette" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Colette tries to fix up her run-down car to get it re-registered, Gregg encourages her to buy a new one to save money. Meanwhile, Barb tries to teach everyone DMV robbery protocols.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 4)

Monday, May 4

Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Watch Nicole on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) - Lisa appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Andy Cohen interviews Billy on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Jamie Lynn Sigler (Guys with Kids) - Jamie Lynn talks about And So It Is...: A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) and Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) - Ryan and Rob talk about Welcome to Wrexham on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Damon Wayans (Poppa's House/My Wife and Kids/Damon) - Damon discusses diabetic macular edema with GMA lifestyle contributor Lori Bergamotto on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay chats about The Quiz with Balls on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Goldie Hawn (Good Morning World) - Goldie talks about The After-School Kindness Crew: Pooch on the Loose #1 on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - The Drew Barrymore Show has a little bit extra with Sean, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Barrymore Show has more from Valerie and and Drew in the kitchen on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - The Drew Barrymore Show has a little bit extra with Oliver, so check your local listings.
Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.