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
Thursday, March 30
Young Sheldon - "A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Missy steals her dad’s truck and hits the road with her friend Paige (Mckenna Grace).
Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.
Animal Control - "Peacocks and Pumas" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria stake out a squawking peacock; Emily and Patel attend to Shred.
Call Me Kat - "Call Me Not Okurrr" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
In the heat of the moment, Zoey kisses Kat at karaoke night; when Randi discovers a secret hideaway in the condo, she hides it from Carter and makes it a place for her to unwind.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 27)
Thursday, March 30
- Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) - Catch Brett on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits-in with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother) - Kyra and Kevin Bacon are guests on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. Kyra will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Animal Practice/Better with You/Reba) and Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - JoAnna and Morris guest co-host The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Katie Lowes (How We Roll) - Katie guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Ike Barinholtz (History of the World, Part II/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project) - Ike appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Julie is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man will be on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Larenz Tate (South Central/The Royal Family) - Larenz appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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