Friday, October 12, 2018
Fri-Yay: Superstore Season 4 At the Top of Its Game; Freeform's New Kickoff to Christmas Event
by Vincent
Last week, I talked about one of my favorite sitcoms on network TV, The Good Place. The Good Place's timeslot partner, Superstore, is my other choice for "best sitcom on TV" and, frankly, one of the best shows on TV. In the show's fourth season premiere, it gave a perfect example of why. "Back to School" was one of the absolute best season premieres I've seen in some time. It combined a great Superstore story with current events seamlessly, while progressing the show's story arc. And most importantly, it was packed to the brim with great jokes just as well-crafted as the plot they were a part of. Superstore's Season 4 premiere was the type of episode I would show to someone as an example of what the show is capable of. And unlike The Good Place, Superstore succeeds not by running away from sitcom conventions, but from playing to them and bringing a fresh perspective to them.
In many ways, Superstore is an example of how the traditional sitcom format is still alive and well. It's hard to imagine the show having the same impact in any way that's not a weekly network sitcom. Spending so much time with the Cloud 9 crew is what allows us to relate to their life, and so much of Superstore is about relating to the well-crafted characters, as in many ways, the show intends them to stand in for the rest of America. Sure, plenty of shows covered the #MeToo movement, but only Superstore can bring it to the level of everyday Americans and capture the murky waters that they have to navigate each day, rather than viewing at it from a big, Hollywood level. Superstore isn't the only show that can cover hot topics, but it's truly one of the only shows that cares to cover these topics from the lens of normal, everyday Americans - which in some ways, makes its coverage of these topics feel more valid and more convincing. Also? Superstore is just really funny, with really lovable characters. The premiere ends in a bit of a plot twist that feels so earned and so genuinely thrilling. Ultimately, Superstore is a show that any sitcom fan should be watching - it's a traditional sitcom operating at the absolute top of its game, showing how excellent a sitcom truly can be.
As the Halloween season comes to a close, Freeform will continue to be the home for all holiday programming as the brand-new "Kickoff To Christmas" programming event starts on November 1. Adding a month full of holiday fun, the programming event will also include the premiere of the Freeform original film The Truth About Christmas, from MarVista Entertainment, airing Sunday, Nov. 25 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. EST/PST. In the film, Kali Hawk (New Girl) stars as Jillian, a successful political consultant confident in her ability to put a spin on anything, whose next big project is the upcoming mayoral campaign for her boyfriend George (Damon Dayoub, Freeform's Stitchers). On the way to meet George's family for the first time during the holidays, an unusual confrontation with a toy store Santa results in a drastic change in Jillian where she can’t stop herself from wildly spilling the truth. Ali Ghandour (Freeform's Alone Together) co-stars as George's brother Blake, who believes you should always be true to yourself but thinks Jillian just might be losing it. Jillian must find a way to make it stop before her holidays, her job and her relationship are ruined. View the full month's line-up of holiday magic!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, April 18
The Simpsons - "Diary Queen" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bart finds his old teacher's diary and learns a surprising secret; Lisa discovers an even bigger surprise.
Bless the Harts - "Hoot 'N Haw" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT)
When Wayne finds out he owns extra land, his family unexpectedly moves in on his property; Violet searches for Wayne's "Uncle Tommy" after he goes missing.
The Simpsons - "Panic on the Streets of Springfield" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Lisa gets a new imaginary friend -- a depressed British singer from the 1980s; Homer becomes a truck guy.
The Great North - "Tusk in the Wind Adventure" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Beef and Wolf meet their hero, legendary mountain man Tusk Johnson; Judy and the rest of the Tobin clan become addicted to '80s prime-time soap "Dynasty."
Bob's Burgers - "Some Kind of Fender Benderful" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Bob gets into a four-car fender bender right outside the restaurant, he realizes finding out who is at fault will not be as simple as he had thought.
Family Guy - "Young Parent Trap" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Lois and Peter are mistaken for young parents by another couple at Stewie's school and are invited to live in a millennial apartment complex, leaving Meg and Chris home alone.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 12)
Friday, April 16
- Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Lorraine Toussaint (Where I Love) - Lorraine appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about The Resident on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel will be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany guest hosts The Real, so check your loca listings.
- Maya Rudolph (Forever/Up All Night) - Maya talks about Netflix's The Mitchells vs. The Machines and hosting Saturday Night Live on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-April)
01/22 - Corporate - Season 2
01/22 - Corporate - Season 3
02/02 - Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In - The Complete Series (2021 Retail Release)
02/16 - Fam - The Complete Series
02/23 - Betty White's Pet Set - The Complete Series
03/02 - Blue Mountain State - The Complete Series
03/02 - Happy Together - The Complete Series
03/02 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-4 (DVD) (Blu-ray)
04/20 - 'Til Death - The Complete Series
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