Friday, February 23, 2018

Fri-Yay: What Show Could Use a Revival?; Trial & Error Adds Kristin Chenoweth for Season 2

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!

Happy Endings

by Vincent

With revival fever sweeping the networks, I figured I'd take this week's column to think about what shows I think could use a revival. Honestly, for the most part I don't think that most shows really need a revival, but there are certain sitcoms that I've been yearning for more, either because they were taken off the air too soon or just because I think they could work in today's TV climate. A few of those shows are:

Happy Endings - If there's one show I would genuinely love to see come back, it's this one. This was such a smart, rapid-fire and genuinely funny show with an immensely talented cast that deserved more than the three seasons it got on ABC. Its run as it is now is nearly perfect, and it's possible additional seasons would ruin that perfect track record (I'm looking at you, Arrested Development Season 4) but honestly? I don't care. If there's a chance for anything as non-stop hilarious as the first three seasons, I'm willing to take that risk.

Cheers - Cheers is one show whose premise could essentially be recycled over and over again - a bunch of people hang out at a bar. While it's pretty unlikely that the original cast could be reunited in any form, I think a Cheers: The Next Generation or something could actually work. What does the bar look like in the 2010s? What kind of people frequent it? Most revivals have featured the same cast members, but arguably the best one - One Day at a Time - has rebooted the concept entirely. I think this could really work with Cheers.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - It's pretty unlikely that Will Smith would ever consider this, but it'd be interesting to see a Fresh Prince where Will becomes something similar to what he is in real life, and takes on a streetwise kid the way his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivan did when he was just starting. Essentially, it could be like Fuller House done right. (Unfortunately, it'd have to be without James Avery, who passed away a few years ago.)

Bewitched - A modern Bewitched could be genuinely kind of interesting, which is probably why there was a movie done in a similar vein in the 2000s. The movie, though, never took its concept seriously enough. Bewitched was, at times, a somewhat sly commentary on gender roles in the 1960s, so I'd be curious to see what it could do with modern topics like feminism and gender equality - of course, dressed up in a sparkly magic spell.

All in all, I'd rather see networks come up with original content rather than sputtering out endless remakes. But if they had to remake some of these shows, I wouldn't complain, as long as they were done right.


Kristin Chenoweth - Trial & Error

Did she or didn't she? Multi-talented Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as Lavinia Peck-Foster in the second season of NBC's irreverent comedy series Trial & Error. Who is Lavinia Peck-Foster? The first lady of East Peck is a larger-than-life grand dame - at least in her own mind. She is an eccentric heiress known for her flamboyant outfits, large hats and hairless cat, Fluffy, who has not left the confines of Peck Gardens in ages. Lavinia calls on Josh Segal and Associates - the team that got off Owl Murderer Larry Henderson - to defend her after she was found with her husband, Edgar, stuffed into a suitcase in the back of her car. The premiere for the second season of Trial & Error will be announced at a later date, with 10 episodes ordered. The series stars John Lithgow, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sherri Shepherd, Jayma Mays, Steven Boyer and Krysta Rodriguez.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Saturday, December 13

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)

Friday, December 12

  • Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) - Taran appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris) and Bruno Gouery (Emily in Paris) - Samuel and Bruno talk about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Alia Shawkat (Search Party/Arrested Development) - Alia talks about Atropia on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • John Stamos (Palm Royale/UnPrisoned/Fuller House/Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House/You, Again?) - John talks about Palm Royale on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Zooey talks about Merv 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 Sherri, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
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 (DVD)
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 (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule
12/09 - 83rd Golden Globe Nominations; Paradise Returns on Hulu in February
12/08 - First Look at Bert Kreischer Netflix Comedy Free Bert; School Spirits Season 3
12/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 8, 2025)
12/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair; Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery
12/05 - FETV Acquires The Carol Burnett Show Uncut; Hey A.J.! Coming to Disney Jr.
12/04 - COZI TV Acquires The Jeff Foxworthy Show; Hulu Renews Chad Powers for Season 2
12/03 - MeTV January 2026 Schedule; Netflix's My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Season 6 Guests
12/02 - MeTV Acquires Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart & Hawaii Five-O; Apple TV's The First Snow of Fraggle Rock Trailer
12/01 - MeTV to Announce Four New Shows; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Draws 25 Million Viewers on NBC
11/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 1, 2025)
11/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Scrubs Reboot; Mad Men Coming to HBO Max
11/28 - Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Encores Tonight (11/28); Hulu's Smash Hit Renewed for Quick 4th Season
11/27 - 2025 Thanksgiving TV Marathons
11/26 - ABC's Scrubs First Teaser During Dancing with the Stars Finale; Eva Green Joins Wednesday Season 3
11/25 - COZI TV Acquires Malcolm & Eddie and The Steve Harvey Show; 53rd International Emmy® Awards Winners
11/24 - Antenna TV's All-You-Can Eat Wings for Thanksgiving Marathon; Rewind TV's Serving Up the Seavers with a Thanksgiving Day Growing Pains Marathon
11/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 24, 2025)
11/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney+ Offers New Simpsons Streaming Channel; Final Eight Unaired Episodes of Joey on YouTube
11/21 - HBO Renews Comedies The Chair Company and I Love LA; Kelly and Mark to Host International Emmy® Awards
11/20 - The CW Midseason 2026 Schedule; Sarah Sherman HBO Max Special
11/19 - Tubi's Comedy Mo' Waffles Premieres December 19; 78th Emmy® Awards Set for September 14, 2026
11/18 - CBS Midseason 2026 Schedule; SNL Closes Out 2025 with 3 Episodes in December
11/17 - NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center Lineup; Prime Video Gets Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson for Sports Talk Show
11/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 17, 2025)
11/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Orders Pilot From Brooklyn Nine-Nine Team; FX Cancels English Teacher
11/14 - Disney's Hulu's Family Guy's Hallmark Channel's Lifetime's Familiar Holiday Movie; Mad Men Coming to HBO Max in 4K
11/13 - Antenna TV Re-Acquires One Day at a Time and Sanford and Son; Season 2 of the Wild Series It's Florida, Man