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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, July 10
Ghosts - "Smooching and Smushing" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Jay, Sam and the ghosts attempt to fix the ghost trap in hopes of getting Sasappis across the ghost boundary to visit his longtime crush, Shiki.
Bob's Burgers - "Wild Steal-ions" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Tina's lost book of semi-erotic horse-torical fiction lands in the hands of a mysterious stranger with nefarious intentions.
Grimsburg - "How to Lose an Ankle Monitor in 10 Days" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When the criminals of Grimsburg go on strike, the police force gets furloughed.
Family Guy - "Karenheit 451" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Lois becomes the leader of a group of mothers who want to ban books from schools.
The Great North - "Bust a Moon Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Moon makes a big decision after clashing with Beef; Judy and Ham hatch a plot to make some extra cash.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Thursday, July 10
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke is a musical guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rhys Darby (Wrecked/How to Be a Gentleman/Flight of the Conchords), Rory Scovel (Grace and Frankie/Robbie/Ground Floor) and Baron Vaughn (Corporate/Grace and Frankie) - Rhys, Rory and Baron are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jessica Lowe (Wrecked) - Jessica talks about Elixir's Red Flag Green Flag on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
07/22 - 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
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