Friday, November 17, 2017
Fri-Yay: Is Hulu Moving Away From Comedy?; Antenna TV to Air New Year Kickoff with Coach Marathon
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
This week, Hulu announced the cancellation of Difficult People. Difficult People was in its third season, and although it was never a huge hit, it had gained a dedicated following and was one of the first Hulu originals that seemed to grab a decent-sized following. After Difficult People came Casual, another half-hour comedy (with dramatic elements) that gained some minor awards attention and a dedicated fanbase. The success of those two shows was combined with Hulu's acquisition of The Mindy Project after it was cancelled by Fox. Hulu seemed to be the home of beloved, if not incredibly well watched, comedies. However, over the past few months, Hulu has quietly announced the end of nearly its entire comedy slate. Casual will end with its next season, The Mindy Project is currently airing its final season, and Difficult People was cancelled without even an announcement.
This is an interesting move considering quirky, off-beat comedies and dramedies were what made Hulu stand out from its streaming competitors. However, Hulu was undoubtedly the little guy in the streaming wars - until it became the first streaming service to take home an Outstanding Series award with The Handmaid's Tale this year. The Handmaid's Tale was a cultural phenomenon that toppled over everything else Hulu had done up to that point, so it's not especially surprising that they would be switching up directions. Still, it's unfortunate to see any service that was once big on comedy turn their back towards it, so let's hope Hulu still has room for some original comedies.
Huddle around your TV New Year's Day for 18-straight hours of friends, football and fun with Antenna TV's "New Year Kickoff with Coach" marathon. Starting at 5am on January 1, 2018, Antenna TV will lineup the best episodes of Coach, starring Craig T. Nelson, as college football coach Hayden Fox, leading his team at home and on the field. Special episodes include Fox and his team's appearances in the "Pineapple Bowl," "Popcorn Bowl," "Patriot Bowl" & "Pioneer Bowl." Kickoff the new year with Coach, Antenna TV's newest lineup addition. As we mentioned earlier this week, beginning January 2, 2018, Coach will air weekdays at 11pm ET and weekends at 4:30pm ET.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, April 17
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Two Idiots on a Dirt Bike" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s attempt to break up Missy and her new boyfriend backfires. Young Sheldon stars Zoe Perry (Mary) and Raegan Revord (Missy) return.
Ghosts - "Pinkus Returns" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Trevor’s former co-worker, Pinkus (Richie Keen), and his daughter, Abby (Gideon Adlon), show up at Woodstone Mansion, Trevor gets the surprise of his afterlife.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 14)
Thursday, April 17
- Jon Bernthal (The Class) - Catch Jon on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Asif Ali (Deli Boys) and Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) - Asif and Saagar are guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Joe stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Will Forte (HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Conner O'Malley (Shrill) - Conner appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Gillian Jacobs (Love/Community) - Gillian is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- James Brolin (Life in Pieces) - James talks about Ransom Canyon on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Lake Bell (Bless This Mess/How to Make it in America/Childrens Hospital) - Lake talks about All About Brains: A Book About People on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - It's Drew's spring cleaning show and Valerie is joining her for a special edition of Drew's News with cleaning headlines on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa talks about the latest season of her hit television show Abbott Elementary on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Mike Epps (The Upshaws/Uncle Buck/Survivor's Remorse) - Mike chats about his We Them Ones Comedy Tour on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Contact Us