Fri-Yay: Shows I'm Looking Forward to in 2018; Adult Swim Parodies Lifetime Movies

Friday, December 22, 2017

Fri-Yay: Shows I'm Looking Forward to in 2018; Adult Swim Parodies Lifetime Movies

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

2017 was a pretty strong year for comedies, and 2018 promises to continue what made 2017 so great - lots of 2017 favorites will be returning in 2018, and there are also some promising new series that I'll be very curious to check out in 2018. In my final column of the year, I'll be looking forward into the new year and naming which shows whose return I am most anticipating!

If there is a single show I am looking forward to the most in 2018, it would have to be The Good Place. The Good Place was my #1 favorite show of 2017, and every week I never know where the story is going to take me - all while I'm laughing and cheering for the characters I've grown to love. The Good Place really feels like it's on a roll, and I'm hoping it's a hot streak that will continue well into 2018. Additionally, its timeslot partner Superstore is on an absolute roll right now. Its third season might just be its strongest yet - it's somehow managing to combine some of the darkness of the characters' backstories with a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and top-notch comedy. It's been a while since a network comedy was able to combine some truly deep and dark material with laughs as much as NBC's Thursday night line-up currently is.

I'm also really looking forward to see what Bojack Horseman has up its sleeve in 2018. The animated horse sitcom had a surprisingly optimistic fourth season (okay, it still had some pretty dark moments...) and I've become so invested in its character and its world that I'm really interested to see where the show goes next. The same could be said for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which has turned the corner from some really dark (and amazing) places into a positive upward trend. Hopefully, these characters we've come to care about will finally get the relief they deserve.

2017 saw a lot of great comedy, and 2018 will see many of those great comedies continue. Hopefully, those comedies will continue to reach the heights they saw in 2018 and give us an equally incredible year of TV comedy.

Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane's Fist: A Lifetone Original Movie for Adult Swim

Adult Swim will be spoofing Lifetime with a new special. Aspiring ballerina Mary Jane Stevens (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) moves to a new town with her emotionally abusive mother (Artemis Pebdani) in hopes of escaping her physically abusive father (Jimmi Simpson). But the abusive abuse doesn't stop there. She begins taking dance classes with the sensually abusive Delice Svensson (Artemis Pebdani) and finds herself DANCING FOR HER LIFE! Will she fall victim to life's thrusting fists, or will the abusee become the abuser? Mother May I Dance with Mary Jane's Fist: A Lifetone Original Movie for Adult Swim was written by and stars Ellis and Pebdani, based on their play.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, April 2

Young Sheldon - "A House Sale and Serious Woman Stuff" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Sheldon learns the house next door is for sale, he takes it upon himself to find the perfect neighbors. Also, Missy is torn when she’s forced to pitch against her boyfriend at the baseball game.

Man with a Plan - "The V-Word" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Andi’s doctor advises her to stop taking birth control pills, Adam and Andi disagree on an alternate option.

Mom - "Texas Pete and a Parking Lot Carnival" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Bonnie worries about her therapist, Trevor (Rainn Wilson), when his life hits a serious rough patch. Also, Christy comes to Marjorie’s aid when she has trouble adjusting to a new job.

Broke - "Pilot" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Jaime Camil and Pauley Perrette star in a new comedy about a single suburban mother, struggling to make ends meet, who finds her estranged sister and her sister’s outrageously wealthy husband in need of a place to live after the couple’s money dries up.

Last Man Standing - "Keep the Change" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Mike and Vanessa invite Jen's father to her graduation, Jen struggles with accepting his "plus one" -- his girlfriend Fiona; the Outdoor Man crew debates over which word was said in a viral audio recording that's been tearing the internet apart.

Last Man Standing - "Mysterious Ways" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Vanessa is secretly obsessed with Jen's new video game.

Superstore - "Customer Safari" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Amy joins Jonah for lunch with his parents and brother, but she's caught off guard by their family dynamic. Dina worries about being fun and spontaneous when her new boyfriend surprises her at work. Meanwhile, Garrett and the other employees create a game around the store's weird customers, with a suspicious Glenn hot on their tails.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - "Admiral Peralta" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Jake and his father deal with unsettled family business. Amy and Rosa work a high-profile case. Terry wants to join the NYPD band.

Will & Grace - "Bi-Plane" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Will and Grace decide to intervene when they discover Grace’s niece (guest start Billie Lourd) is dating a bisexual man (guest star Peter Graham). Jack gets permission from his husband, Estefan (guest star Brian Jordan Alvarez), to sleep with his celebrity hall pass, guest star Ryan Phillippe. Karen struggles to adapt when her assistant, Friday (guest star Vanessa Bayer), books them on an economy flight.

Indebted - "Everybody's Talking About Neighbors" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
After realizing Debbie and Stew are forcing the neighbors to socialize, Dave and Rebecca try to convince them to keep to themselves, insisting neighbors should just be neighbors.

Better Things - "New Orleans" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Sam goes to a wedding.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 30)

Thursday, April 2

Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Catch Jennifer Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:05am on ABC.
Amy Poehler (Bless the Harts/Parks and Recreation) - Amy is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Rob Huebel (Medical Police/Transparent/Burning Love) - Rob is a guest on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Sean stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Kyle is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Jaime Camil (Broke) and Pauley Perrette (Broke) - Jaime and Pauley talk about Broke on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT. Jaime will also be on People Now at 1pm.
Mario Cantone (Sex and the City) - Mario appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa is a guest on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Tisha Campbell (Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha talks about Outmatched on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Marsai Martin (black-ish) - Marsai appears on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.