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

Tuesday, August 25

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 24)

Tuesday, August 25

  • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Catch Henry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kevin Hart (Lil Kev/Die Hart/The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Alison Brie (Community/GLOW) - Alison appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Jennifer Garner (Party Down/Camping) - Jennifer talks about The Five-Star Weekend on a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Dave Franco (The Afterparty/Scrubs/Do Not Disturb) - Dave talks about Idiots on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - NBC's Today catches up with Jaleel in the 9am hour.
  • Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul talks about Power Ballad in the 10am hour.
  • Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) and Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show) - NBC's Today has Spy the Lie with Eva and Bryan in the 10am hour.
  • Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show) - Bryan discusses his Dos Hombres line on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining Drew and Ross Mathews to hit the headlines and Drew has a special Adam Sandler story in honor of his birthday on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD) The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray) The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray) Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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

08/25 - Tubi's Horror-Comedy Film Buzzkill Premieres September 25; Peacock's Wendy Williams Show Documentary Launching in 2027
08/24 - HBO Max Orders Comedy Series The People v. Gorilla Grodd; Remembering Shelley Fabares of The Donna Reed Show and Coach
08/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 24, 2026)
08/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Trailer for A Different World; SCTV Headed to Netflix
08/21 - Season 2 of Apple TV's Stick Premieres November 4; Canadian Comedy North of North Returns to Netflix
08/20 - Apple TV's Bad Monkey Season 2 Drops December 2; Hulu's Jamie Foxx Comedy Special
08/19 - The CW Mondays This Fall; Lifetime's Powerful September Movie Events
08/18 - Hollywood Arts Premieres October 15 on Netflix; Remembering Hayden Panettiere
08/17 - Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Renewed for Season 2; Randall Park Joins Minimum Wage
08/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 17, 2026)
08/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Saved for a Second Season; Netflix Renews Seinfeld Rights
08/14 - Hulu's Trailer for Chad Powers Season 2; Freeform's Coven Academy Premieres October 1
08/13 - Trailer for Season 2 of FXX's Adults; Trailer for Season 2 of Peacock's The Paper
08/12 - Brandy to Sing Theme Song for A Different World; Damon Wayans Reuniting with David Alan Grier on St. Denis Medical
08/11 - Peacock's Dig Premieres November 23; Disney+ and Hulu Announce Video Podcasts for Boy Mets World, Scrubs, and Desperate Housewives
08/10 - Conan O'Brien Must Go Season 3; Disney's Hidden Heroes: A Descendants Story
08/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 10, 2026)
08/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Joe Dirt Animated Series in the Works at Fox; First Look at The Varnell Hill Show
08/07 - Disney's Big City Greens Brings Out the Guest Stars; The New SuperKitty Premieres Today
08/06 - The Varnell Hill Show Coming to Paramount+ on September 1; Hallmark's 3rd Installment of Holiday Touchdown
08/05 - Colin from Accounts Final Season Premieres September 10; The X-Files: I Want to Believe Gets Director's Cut on Disney+ & Hulu
08/04 - Amazon MGM Studios Orders Improvised Sitcom; The CW Renews Game Shows for Season 3
08/03 - CBS Announces Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen 20th Anniversary Special; Hulu to Debut Exclusive Bob's Burgers Holiday Short
08/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 3, 2026)
08/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Sequel Series Starring Alicia Silverstone Ordered at Paramount+; Tubi Removing Some Warner Animated Series
07/31 - Netflix's Leanne Season 2 Trailer; Paramount+ Greenlights Clueless Event Series Starring Alicia Silverstone
07/30 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 Premieres August 17 on FXX, FX and Hulu; Chad Powers Season 2 Premieres September 3 on Hulu
07/29 - Ted Lasso Returns to the Pitch August 5 on Apple TV; Hulu Unveils Futurama Season 14 Trailer and Announces Three XXXL-Sized Specials
07/28 - ABC Fall 2026 Premiere Dates; CBS Fall 2026 Premiere Dates
07/27 - Netflix's Tires Season 3 Debuts August 13; Family Guy Halloween and Holiday Specials Return Exclusively to Hulu This Year
07/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 27, 2026)
07/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount and Warner Merger on Hold; Paramount+ Cancels Crutch