Friday, October 05, 2018

Fri-Yay: The Good Place - The Most Innovative Sitcom; Netflix Shoots Hoops with Jake Johnson

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!

The Good Place

by Vincent

Last Thursday, The Good Place returned for its third season. Once again, it completely flipped its premise. SPOILERS for The Good Place Season 3 ahead, so if you haven't gotten there, you might want to stop reading, but...basically, The Good Place Season 3, at least so far, seems to be about the four main characters being given a second chance on Earth. This is completely different than the second season premise (the core four finding out they're in The Bad Place and trying to get into The Good Place) and of course, the original premise, about a woman who thinks she's in The Good Place by mistake. It's hard to think of a show that's changed its premise as drastically in three seasons as The Good Place - and even harder to think of one that's done it so well. The show is still as fresh and excellent as ever, making its innovations and changes even more impressive, and even more exciting to watch.

So where does The Good Place go from here? It's impossible to say, but personally, I'm wondering if we're going to eventually address the morality of the way the afterlife and demons actually treat people. For a show about morals and ethics, it's interesting how morally gray the show's actual afterlife is! Given that the actual demons seem to be taking more of a center stage this season (if the way the show ended is any indication), I wouldn't be surprised if we start to dig into that question. Or maybe not. I've given up trying to predict where this show is going, because I'm always wrong - but hey, that's the beauty of The Good Place. It keeps you guessing and guessing every week.


Jake Johnson

Netflix has gotten yet another series. Now an animated comedy with Jake Johnson. Hoops centers around a hot-headed, foul-mouthed high school basketball coach who thinks turning around his God-awful team will take him to the "big leagues." Jake Johnson (New Girl, BoJack Horseman, Spider Man: Into the Spider-verse) will voice the character of Coach Ben Hopkins. Netflix has ordered ten half-hour episodes from Writer/Creator/Executive Producer Ben Hoffman, Phil Lord & Chris Miller (The Lego Movie), Seth Cohen and Jake Johnson. 20th Century Fox Television is producing.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, December 17

Happy's Place - "Ho-Ho-Howey" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the tavern's health insurance is threatened to be canceled, Gabby has a plan; she'll persuade her friend Danny to host his company party at Happy's, but the catch is everyone must call Bobbie "Gabby" and Gabby "Bobbie."

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 15)

Wednesday, December 17

  • Robby Hoffman (Hacks) - Watch Robby on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He also talks about Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Kate is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about Song Sung Blue on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings), on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT, and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Odessa A'zion (I Love LA/Fam) - Odessa appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Leah Sava Jeffries (Rel) - Leah talks about Percy Jackson and the Olympians on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul and Jack Black talk about Anaconda on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.


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

12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
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