Fri-Yay: The Year in Sitcoms; NBC Sets Premiere for A.P. Bio

Friday, December 15, 2017

Fri-Yay: The Year in Sitcoms; NBC Sets Premiere for A.P. Bio

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

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.

A.P. Bio

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

Friday, December 26

Happy's Place - "Promises, Promises" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Emmett continues his nightly check-ins with Bobbie to ensure her safety, Isabella pays the price as she's kept up by their loud late-night chats, prompting her to tell Bobbie to advance their relationship or at least take it out of the house.

Stumble - "Media Day" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Courteney decides to use media day as a way to recruit new cheerleaders and to push her team to get right back on that mat; DiMarcus proves that not all Buttons are meant to be pushed.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 22)

Friday, December 26

Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Zooey appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jamie Kaler (My Boys) - Jamie is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show/The New Dick Van Dyke Show/The Van Dyke Show) - Dick discusses his new book with ABC News' Chris Connelly on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti cooks on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey talks about Loist in Paradise on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan appears on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) - Sarah is a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Phil appears on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Mo'Nique (The Parkers) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Mo'Nique about her weight-loss journey and the launch of her new fitness brand, Mo'Niques Movement, as well as the emotional moment with her husband that changed it all, so check your local listings.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - NBC's Today has Cocktails and Mocktails with Neil and David Burtka on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Mario tells Sherri about his new holiday film The Christmas Spark on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
Woody Harrelson (Cheers), Dave Franco (The Afterparty/Scrubs/Do Not Disturb), Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me) and Ariana Greenblatt (Stuck in the Middle) - The Now You See Me: Now You Don't cast including Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher Jesse Eisenberg, Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith and Dominic Sessa join Drew to dish all about the third installment of the hit franchise on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.