Friday, November 30, 2018
Fri-Yay: The Prevailing Brilliance of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; CBS Winter 2018 Comedy Plans
by Vincent
Recently, I caught up with the most recent season of FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Always Sunny is currently the longest-running live action sitcom on TV, having just finished its 13th season. The show premiered in 2005, an age that seems so far long and feels extraordinarily different from the current era, and yet, Sunny still fits seamlessly into the current TV landscape. In its 13th season, the show still feels vital and relevant - sometimes, in new ways than it did previously.
The buzziest episode of the 13th season was the finale, in which long-closeted gay character Mac performs an elaborate dance sequence, expressing his feelings about his sexuality. It was, by far, the most emotional Sunny has ever gotten, and many fans were put off by it. Personally, I'm happy that Sunny keeps experimenting and innovating its own process, even 13 seasons in. It's part of why the show has lasted the test of time, and why 13 seasons in, I'm still not waiting for the end. Granted, there were some signs of wear within Sunny's 13th season - not every episode was a hit, and the show missed Dennis who was only in the season sporadically - but the show is still brave, often hilarious, and still truly giving it its all. It's not a show that's resting on its laurels for easy laughs, the way many long-running sitcoms do. It's really hard to find many sitcoms that have remained relevant and hilarious as long as Sunny has - and it's why it remains a special part of the sitcom landscape.
CBS announced the comedy portion of its winter 2019 scheduling moves, including the series premiere of Fam and the return of Man with a Plan. CBS will premiere the new comedy Fam on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 9:30PM, ET/PT after Murphy Brown completes its season order. Fam stars Nina Dobrev and Tone Bell in a comedy about a woman whose vision of a perfect life with her adoring fiancé and his wonderful parents is radically altered when her 16-year-old, out-of-control half-sister unexpectedly comes to live with her. As the family Clem (Dobrev) chose and the family she has blend, Clem realizes that this new happy fam may be the perfection she's always been seeking. Odessa Adlon, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sheryl Lee Ralph also star.
Also, Man with a Plan will return for its third season on Monday, Feb. 4 at 8:30PM ET/PT after Happy Together completes its season run. Man with a Plan stars Golden Globe Award winner Matt LeBlanc in a comedy about an old-school guy confronting the modern challenges of parenting, marriage and family. Liza Snyder, Kevin Nealon, Stacy Keach, Grace Kaufman, Matthew McCann, Hala Finley, Matt Cook and Kali Rocha also star. The season premiere of Life in Pieces will be announced at a later date.
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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