Friday, December 15, 2017
Fri-Yay: The Year in Sitcoms; NBC Sets Premiere for A.P. Bio
by Vincent
As we wind down to the end of 2017, with most networks now off for the season, I thought I take a look back at how 2017 was for sitcoms overall. All in all, there were some genuinely great new sitcoms to be excited over this year. Netflix's One Day at a Time was a wonderful addition to the sitcom slate, and one of the best multi-camera sitcoms in several years. Additionally, Netflix's GLOW was a very different kind of sitcom (arguably something of a dramedy, but it was structured similarly to a sitcom) but still managed to be a worthy addition to the canon. While those are the two major new sitcoms that stand out in my mind as being especially noteworthy, they were pretty excellent additions, ones that I can (hopefully) see myself enjoying for years and years.
However, much of my sitcom enjoyment from the past few years involves returning series. My favorite show of the entire year was The Good Place, which I've raved about enough times, but - to rave again - is the most innovative and unique network sitcom in quite some time. There's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which is going to seriously incredible dark and moving places this season. There's long-running but still great stalwarts like Bob's Burgers and Brooklyn Nine-Nine that continue to impressively chug along producing excellent episodes every week. And then there's left-field, strange but incredible cable comedies like Broad City, Search Party, and Nathan for You that continue to innovate, experiment and keep us on our toes week after week.
There are plenty of great sitcoms on the air. Peak TV has pretty much guaranteed that, at any time, there will be an endless stream of quality content on the airwaves - and if you're not satisfied with that, you have an entire library of old classics waiting for you. All in all, it was another good year to be a sitcom fan.
NBC has set a premiere date for a new comedy. A.P. Bio, from Executive Producers Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels and Mike Shoemaker and starring Glenn Howerton and Patton Oswalt, will have a special preview on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 9:30pm ET/PT. The season premiere will be Thursday, March 1, 2018, after the Olympics conclude, at 8:30pm ET/PT, with a second new episode at 9:30pm ET/PT. The latter will remain its time period through the rest of its season through May 3, 2018. When disgraced Harvard philosophy scholar Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton) loses out on his dream job, he is forced to return to Toledo, Ohio, and work as a high school Advanced Placement biology teacher. As he comes crashing in to Whitlock High School, Jack makes it absolutely clear he will not be teaching any biology. Realizing he has a room full of honor roll students at his disposal, Jack decides instead to use the kids for his own benefit. Eager to prove that he is still king of the castle, Principal Durbin (Patton Oswalt) struggles to control the force of nature that is Jack Griffin.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, June 5
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A House Divided" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Audrey and Mary go to war over CeeCee and Georgie, and Mandy can’t help but take sides.
Ghosts - "Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Thor returns to therapy to work through his angst over being abandoned by his Viking shipmates. Also, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), attempts to help him with the restaurant.
Bob's Burgers - "Snackface" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina, Gene and Louise strike it rich in the illegal snack business at school, but the addition of a new member to their "cartel" threatens to destroy it.
Grimsburg - "The Undies" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
In order to win this year's Undies Award for best undercover operation, Flute infiltrates the Preggo crime family.
Family Guy - "Martian Meg" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Fed up with feeling like she doesn't belong, Meg enlists in a training program for a mission to Mars.
The Great North - "Reservoir Dad Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Beef discovers the thrills of stunt fishing.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 1)
Thursday, June 5
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Seth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10:15pm on Bravo.
- Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie talks about The White Lotus on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Brianne Howey (Dollface) - Brianne talks about Ginny & Georgia on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew-crewer Valerie is joining Drew with chef Bobby Flay to whip up something amazing in the kitchen on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Kerri Kenney (The Four Seasons/Maggie/Superstore/Reno 911!/The Ellen Show) - Kerri is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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