Friday, December 22, 2017
Fri-Yay: Shows I'm Looking Forward to in 2018; Adult Swim Parodies Lifetime Movies
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.
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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, October 22
Shifting Gears - "Danger" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When a raccoon appears in the Parkers’ yard, Matt sees a chance to teach Carter a lesson about facing his fears. Meanwhile, Riley struggles to navigate the world of dating apps and goes on her first post-divorce date.
Abbott Elementary - "Game Night" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Gregory steps in to host game night at his apartment. Mr. Johnson, Ava, Barbara and Melissa head to the DMV to renew their licenses.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 20)
Wednesday, October 22
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear/Girls) - Watch Ebon on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This/Burning Love) - Adam appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Emma Stone (The Curse) - Emma is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) and Keri Russell (Running Wilde/Daddy's Girls) - Andy Cohen interviews Allison and Keri on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Jessica Capshaw (Odd Man Out) - Jessica talks about 9-1-1: Nashville on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Edie Falco (Bupkis/Nurse Jackie) - Edie talks about Mayor of Kingstown on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison talks about Regretting You on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This/Central Park/The Good Place) - Kristen talks about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
- Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine talks about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie/The Last Precinct/Highcliffe Manor) - Ernie talks about his role in the new CBS series Boston Blue on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Husband-and-wife cooking duo Angela Kinsey and Josh Snyder share recipes from their cookbook You Can Make This! on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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