Friday, November 16, 2018
Fri-Yay: An Appreciation for Mike Schur's Comedies; IFC Acquires Pee-wee's Playhouse
by Vincent
Recently, I've been engaging on a rewatch of Parks and Recreation. It's a show I haven't revisited too much since its end, and it's made me forget just what a delightful little show it was. It was funny, optimistic and filled with likable characters, and while its optimistic view on politics already seems somewhat outdated, the show's strengths more than make up for it. What else I saw it in, though, was a little bit of Mike Schur's future sitcoms - Brooklyn Nine-Nine and especially The Good Place. In many ways, the critical adoration of Parks and Recreation could be directly traced to those two shows. So in this blog post, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge Parks and the world of Mike Schur comedies it created.
Although these three shows seem very different in some ways, one thing remains true about them - after you watch them, you feel good about the state of the world. Even The Good Place, with its huge twists and turns, is ultimately a show about how people can change and get better. This is baked into the DNA of Parks, a show that seems to believe anything is possible if you really work hard enough and surround yourself with the right people. That's evident in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, too, a show about how things are a little easier if you surround yourself with a close group of friends. And The Good Place, for all of its intricate plotting, has a similar sunny message. Watching Parks, I can see the DNA for all of these shows, and I can better understand the state of mind that Mike Schur is keeping in mind when keeping his new shows. If you're into either Good Place or Brooklyn Nine-Nine and want to see where it all began, I highly recommend jumping into Parks and Rec - it is, in many ways, where it all began.
The secret word is "Pee-wee" as IFC announced that it will begin airing the cult Saturday morning classic Pee-wee's Playhouse starring Paul Reubens starting on Thanksgiving. The network will kick off its run of the series during a 24-hour marathon, including the iconic holiday special Christmas at Pee-wee's Playhouse, on Thursday, November 22 starting at 6AM. Subsequently, the show will return to its rightful home on Saturday mornings beginning November 24. Watch, scream out loud and share Pee-wee's return to the silver screen in an all new promo here.
For over 30 years, the enormously popular Pee-wee Herman and innovative television series Pee-Wee's Playhouse, created by, and starring Paul Reubens, has captured a special place in the hearts of millions of viewers, young and old. Since its initial premiere on CBS in 1986, this multiple Emmy(R)-winning children's program became Saturday morning appointment viewing for kids in the 80s and 90s and has been a staple in the pop culture zeitgeist ever since. TV Guide named Pee-Wee's Playhouse "one of the top ten cult television classics of all time."
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, September 18
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 16)
Wednesday, September 18
- Jon Hamm (Grimsburg/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Watch Jon on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - Zachary is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Ashley Park (Emily in Paris/Only Murders in the Building/Girls5eva/Nightcap - Ashley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She will also be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL), Taran Killam (Single Parents) and
- Mary Lynn Rajskub (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show) - Jay, Taran and Mary Lynn are guests on 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.
- Eric Roberts (Less Than Perfect) - NBC's Today catches up with Eric in the 9am hour.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana talks about Once Upon a Mattress on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Brian talks about Transformers One on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am and on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi talks about Child Star on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel is telling Drew all about his new game show Flip Side while hitting the headlines on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. He will also be on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man talks about the final season of Power Book II: Ghost and takes the Tam Fam behind the scenes of his impressive fitness routine on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) - Lucien talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) - Rob discusses his television series 9-1-1: Lone Star and game show The Floor on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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)
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