Friday, March 30, 2018
Fri-Yay: Roseanne Return Sparks Interest; WGN America Acquires Last Man Standing
by Vincent
Tuesday night, Roseanne returned to ABC after over 20 years, and in doing so it set both the internet and TV airwaves on fire. Roseanne's premiere scored 18.4 million viewers and a 5.2 in the demo. That's the best rating for an entertainment series all season (aside from the post-Superbowl episode of This Is Us) and the best ratings point for a sitcom in six years - and given ratings decline, arguably the most impressive ratings point for a sitcom in over a decade. The show, much like its original run, also has been causing some controversy among those who question whether someone like Roseanne Barr, who in recent years has spouted some fairly divisive opinions on her social media accounts and in interviews, should be given such a huge platform. Additionally, many fans of the original series have taken issue with the fact that Roseanne's character is being portrayed as a Trump supporter, when in the original series she seemed like a generally progressive woman advocating for topics such as female and LGBT rights. Needless to say, the Roseanne premiere is sparking a lot of interest, a lot of controversy, and a lot of chatter in general - much like the original run of the series.
While I don't personally agree with Roseanne's real-life politics, I think the show is an excellent way to portray our current political divide in the country. By showing a real family rift caused by the 2016 election and the messy political arguments that came after (and, in many ways, led to the election), people on both sides of the political coin may be able to consider viewpoints aside from their own, and do so while laughing along to a generally funny, well-written and well-acted sitcom. I've highlighted shows like One Day at a Time and The Carmichael Show several times in this column, which in many ways seemed to contribute to a television landscape where a show like Roseanne that deals with controversial topics in funny ways could thrive. And the Roseanne reboot, based on its strong first two episodes, has the potential to live up to these series in its boldness. It may not always be a comfortable viewing experience, but maybe that's what we need right now - to be removed from our comfort zones. Given Roseanne's blockbuster ratings, it seems that this might be exactly what American TV audiences have been craving.
WGN America announced it is expanding its slate to include the popular family sitcom Last Man Standing. The network will be adding the Tim Allen (Home Improvement, Toy Story) comedy to its programming schedule, starting Monday, April 30, 2018. The sitcom has been popular in reruns airing in local broadcast syndication, CMT and Freeform. It will continue on all those outlets when WGN America starts airing it, as we believe WGN has gotten Hallmark's rights, which stopped the series in late 2017. From 20th Century Fox Television and distributed by Twentieth Television, Last Man Standing follows the life of Mike Baxter (Tim Allen), hilarity-ensuing family man and the marketing director for an iconic outdoor sporting goods store. While Mike is "king of the hill" at work, he's the odd man out in a home that is dominated by strong-willed women -- namely his wife, Vanessa (Nancy Travis), and their three daughters, 20- year-old Kristin (Amanda Fuller), 17-year-old Mandy (Molly Ephraim) and 13-year-old Eve (Kaitlyn Dever). After being a stay-at-home mom for years, Vanessa recently returned to the workplace, requiring Mike to be more hands on than he's ever been before.
The Emmy(R)-nominated show starring Tim Allen, Nancy Travis (The Bill Engvall Show, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Hector Elizondo (Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries) is created by Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Frasier, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Tim Allen, Matt Berry (Desperate Housewives, Reba), Marty Adelstein (Prison Break, Teen Wolf), Becky Clements (Aquarius), Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Arrival), Richard Baker (The Santa Clause, The Drew Carrey Show), and Rick Messina (The Santa Clause, The Drew Carrey Show) serve as executive producers of the series.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, October 17
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Memoir" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy get fed up staying with her parents and reconsider their living situation after a fight with Mandy’s mom, Audrey.
Ghosts - "Patience" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
While Sam and the ghosts race to find him, Isaac comes face to face with Puritan ghost Patience (Mary Holland) for the first time since she was lost in the dirt.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 14)
Thursday, October 17
- Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Catch Niecy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kevin Hart (Die Hart/The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Gillian Jacobs (Love/Community) - Gillian is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris and Millie Bobby Brown talk about The Electric State on NBC's Today some time between 7-9am.
- Naomi Scott (Life Bites) - Naomi talks about Smile 2 on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Kathy Bates (Disjointed) - Kathy tells Drew about her dramatic new show Matlock on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Julie tells Sherri about her return to TV in Peacock's upcoming thriller series Hysteria! on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Tamera Mowry-Housley (Sister, Sister/Roommates) - Tamera talks about her latest Hallmark Channel Christmas film Scouting for Christmas on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love/Like Family/Love, Inc.) - Holly and Rodney Peete talk about Peacock's Queens Court on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jason Ritter (The Class) - Jason discusses his hit television series Matlock on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Charlotte Lawrence (Bad Monkey) - Charlotte discusses her series Bad Monkey on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Kim Matula (LA to Vegas) and Tommy Dewey (Pivoting/Casual/The Mindy Project/Roommates) - Kim and Tommy discuss their film Saturday Night on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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