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
Friday, July 3
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.
The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.
In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.
In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)
Friday, July 3
- Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (April/May/June/July)
04/07 - Cheers - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
04/14 - Police Squad! - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/14 - The Righteous Gemstones - The Complete First Season
04/21 - Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season (WBShop.com)
05/05 - Kidding - Season 2
05/19 - The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season
05/19 - The Good Place - The Complete Series - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Series
06/02 - Work in Progress - Season 1
06/09 - Head of the Class - The Complete First Season (WBShop.com)
06/09 - How to Be a Gentleman - The Complete Series
06/09 - Letterkenny - Seasons 3 & 4
06/09 - Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season
06/09 - No Activity - Season 1
06/09 - Superior Donuts - Season Two
06/23 - Bob's Burgers - The Complete 10th Season
06/23 - Fresh Off the Boat - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
06/23 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Seventh Season
06/23 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Third Season (Blu-ray)
06/30 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven
07/07 - Will & Grace - The Revival - Season Three - The Farewell Season
07/21 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Tenth Season
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Follow Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
Subscribe to the RSS Feed
Subscribe to the Email Digest
Contact Us