Friday, February 23, 2018
Fri-Yay: What Show Could Use a Revival?; Trial & Error Adds Kristin Chenoweth for Season 2
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.
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, March 18
St. Denis Medical - "You Gotta Have a Plan" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Joyce asks Alex to be the executor of her estate; Matt and Serena are forced to keep watch over a bickering family; Bruce grapples with unexpected DNA test results.
Night Court - "Age Against the Machine" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan must defend his job after he gets a bad review on one of the city's new satisfaction kiosks; Abby and Gurgs receive some shocking information from Wyatt's daughter.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 17)
Tuesday, March 18
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Catch Bill on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Roy Wood Jr. (Sullivan & Son) - Roy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Melissa Rauch (Night Court/The Big Bang Theory), Jessica St. Clair (Avenue 5/Playing House/Best Friends Forever/In the Motherhood) and Nico Santos (Superstore) - Melissa, Jessica and Nico are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11pm on Bravo. She also talks about The White Lotus on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Garcelle Beauvais (The Other Black Girl/Survival of the Thickest/The Jamie Foxx Show/Merry Happy Whatever) - Garcelle appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11pm on Bravo.
- Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Eva and Paulina Chavez will be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Nina Dobrev (Fam) - Good Morning America celebrates World Recycling Day with Nina sometime between 7-9am.
- Dulcé Sloan (The Great North) - Dulcé joins Tamron Hall for a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE as she serves laughs and looks from her brand-new tour, so check your local listings.
- Debra Messing (Will & Grace/Ned & Stacey) - Debra talks about The Alto Knights on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am. NBC's Today catches up with Debra in the 9am hour.
- Chet Hanks (Running Point) - Chet is telling Drew about staying authentic growing up in Hollywood, being three years sober and making his country music debut on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- RonReaco Lee (Survivor's Remorse/Let's Stay Together/In the Motherhood/Sister, Sister) - RonReaco is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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