Friday, October 12, 2018

Fri-Yay: Superstore Season 4 At the Top of Its Game; Freeform's New Kickoff to Christmas Event

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!

Superstore

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.


How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, June 20

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 16)

Friday, June 20

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (FUBAR) - Watch Arnold on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) - Aimee appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Tawny Newsome (Space Force) - Tawny is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke discusses her new film The Pickup and her new album on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - 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

06/20 - Great American Media Announces New Danica McKellar Movie; Jennifer Love Hewitt ID True Crime Series
06/19 - Bad Thoughts Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix; Zarna Garg Gets Hulu Special This July
06/18 - Weigel Broadcasting Announces WEST Network with Classic TV Westerns; Hulu's Season 2 of Such Brave Girls
06/17 - Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife on A&E Series; Digman! Returns July 9 on Comedy Central
06/16 - Hulu's Chad Powers Teaser; Prime Video's Jesse Williams Series
06/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 16, 2025)
06/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Mulls Airing The Paper on Primetime Lineup; Fox Revives Baywatch Reboot Talk
06/13 - My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Renewed for 2 More Seasons; Hanna-Barbera Developing Adult Animated Series
06/12 - Comedy Superstar Jack Black Is the King of Comedy at Nickelodeon; Doc Adds Felicity Huffman
06/11 - Celebrities for Celebrity Family Feud Season 11; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Starts Production
06/10 - Warner Bros. Discovery Separates Company; Peacock's Jennifer Garner Series Adds to Cast
06/09 - Comedian Ms. Pat Gets Season 3 of Courtroom Series; Disney Branded Television Animated Slate
06/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 9, 2025)
06/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady; Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Headed to Streaming
06/06 - Hulu's First Look at Amanda Knox Drama; Prime Video Lands Spy Thriller
06/05 - Disney's Electric Bloom Gets Premiere Date; Conan to Guest on NBC's Late Night
06/04 - Netflix Announces Haunted Hotel with Comedic Voices; Prime Video Unveils Trailer for Thriller
06/03 - Netflix's Nobody Wants This Returns October 23; The CW Renews All American for Final Season
06/02 - Remembering Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon, and The Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen
06/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 2, 2025)
05/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New King of the Hill Reboot Details; CBS Makes Late Night Changes
05/30 - FX's Adults Pilot Available on Social Platforms; BET and BET+ Premiere New Tyler Perry Series in June
05/29 - Netflix's New Chuck Lorre Sitcom Leanne; Apple TV+ Season 4 Premiere of The Morning Show
05/28 - Max Renews Hacks for Season 5; Byron Allen Coming Back to CBS Late Night
05/27 - Antenna TV Summer 2025 Schedule; Rewind TV Summer 2025 Schedule
05/26 - Memorial Day 2025 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 26, 2025)
05/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zach Braff Joins Scrubs Reboot; 7th Heaven Reboot in the Works
05/23 - Discovery Channel's Shark Week with Tom Bergeron; Apple TV+ Season 2 of Hit Series
05/22 - TV Legend Henry Winkler's New HISTORY Series; The CW Renews Family Law
05/21 - Remembering George Wendt of Cheers; Platonic Season 2 First Look
05/20 - The CW Renews Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble; Mike Birbiglia: The Good Life on Netflix May 26