Friday, January 19, 2018
Fri-Yay: The Return of NBC Thursday Night Sitcoms; Everything Sucks at Netflix
by Vincent
Although this hasn't been the best season for network television, there have been a few bright spots, even in a year with a rather underwhelming freshman class, particularly for sitcoms (the fall's only promising sitcom The Mayor was just cancelled, before it could really live up to its potential). In terms of network comedy, the ultimate bright spot is one that started last year but has expanded this year - the return of NBC's Thursday night comedy line-up. For television fans, NBC Thursdays was long known as the night where you could go to watch smart and high-quality sitcoms, starting with when the night featured shows like Cheers and The Cosby Show in the mid-late 1980s, continuing into the '90s with Friends and Seinfeld, into the 2000s and early 2010s with The Office, 30 Rock, Community, and Parks and Recreation. However, over the course of the 2010s, the power of the night gradually began to fade. NBC attempted to replace departing veterans The Office and 30 Rock with shows that mimicked their sensibilities without quite capturing them - shows like Go On, The Michael J. Fox Show, and A to Z. (If you remember any of those shows, you're in the minority.) Finally, during the 2014 - 2015 TV season, NBC nixed comedy on Thursdays altogether, replacing it with The Biggest Loser and The Blacklist.
However, for the first time in nearly five years, NBC once again has a full slate of sitcoms airing on Thursday nights - and for the first time in even longer, all of them are worth watching! From the consistently funny and charming Superstore to the "possible best show on TV" The Good Place to the uneven but generally worth watching Will & Grace revival to worthy 30 Rock heir Great News, NBC has once again put together a Thursday night line-up full of comedies worth watching. Sure, unlike the line-ups glory days, most of the people watching are likely doing so on demand or on streaming, not on Thursday nights, but it still feels "right" to have Thursday night be a home of great comedy again on NBC. Also encouraging is that the night, with the exception of poor Great News, seems to be catching on with audiences. Maybe the secret to saving NBC's Thursday nights after all was just - surprise - putting in funny, interesting sitcoms that people want to watch.
It's awkward. It's exciting. It's heartbreaking. It's high school. Everything Sucks! launches globally on Netflix on February 16, 1996 2018. The 90s high school experience: Desperate, heartfelt, awkward, exciting, and free of smartphones. Set in the real life town of Boring, Oregon in 1996, Everything Sucks! is a quirky, funny coming of age story that revolves around Boring High School's A/V Club and Drama Club - two crews of nerdy-edgy outsiders, who join forces to make a movie and endure the purgatory known as high school. The series stars Peyton Kennedy (American Fable, The Captive) and Jahi Winston (The New Edition Story) as students Kate Messner and Luke O'Neil, with Patch Darragh (Sully, Boardwalk Empire) and Claudine Nako (Grimm) as their respective parents. The 10-episode, half-hour dramedy is created by Ben York Jones (Like Crazy, Newness) and Michael Mohan (Save the Date, Pink Grapefruit), who will both serve as executive producers.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, May 13
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)
Tuesday, May 13
- John Krasinski (The Office) - Catch John on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Reba McEntire (Happy's Place/Malibu Country/Reba) - Reba appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Bento Skinner (Overcompensating) and Mary Beth Barone (Overcompensating) - Benito and Mary Beth are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself/Schitt's Creek) - NBC's Today catches up with Annie in the 9am hour.
- Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay talks about The Quiz with Balls on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Mindy Kaling (Running Point/The Mindy Project/The Office) - In this a little bit extra episode Drew shares more of her conversation with Running Point creator Mindy Kaling on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justine talks about her play Real Women Have Curves on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim tells Sherri about his Hulu comedy special, The Skinny, and his new bourbon line on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Camille Guaty (The Help/Raising Dad) - Camille is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
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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