Friday, November 30, 2018
Fri-Yay: The Prevailing Brilliance of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; CBS Winter 2018 Comedy Plans
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!
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
Friday, December 9
Lopez vs. Lopez - "Lopez vs Gaslighting" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mayan discovers Rosie has spent years secretly blaming George for parenting mistakes she made; George coaches Chance's T-ball team to always play fair… unless you're losing.
Young Rock - "Five Days" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Miami, 1997: Dwayne anxiously waits to see if his surprise heel turn will connect with the audience; as he finally gets to show off his personality in the ring, Dwayne struggles with the public attention from his growing fanbase.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 5)
Friday, December 9
- Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Watch Don on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Zoey Deutch (The Suite Life on Deck) - Zoey appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun/The Girl with Something Extra) - Sally appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Bobby Cannavale (Angie Tribeca/Will & Grace) - Bobby is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Retta (Parks and Recreation) - Retta will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Liza Lapira (9JKL/Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life/Super Fun Night/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23/Traffic Light) - Liza appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim and Spoiler Alert co-star Ben Alridge talk about relationship red flags, how they would spend their final days and more on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Zoey Deutch (The Suite Life on Deck) - Zoey is joining Drew and taking part in an engagement redo on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Michelle Buteau (Enlisted/China, IL) - NBC's Today catches up with Michelle in the 10am hour.
- Casey Wilson (Black Monday/Marry Me/The Hotwives/Happy Endings) and Danielle Schneider (The Hotwives) - Casey and Danielle talk about the Bitch Sesh podcast on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Danny Trejo (Saint George) and Eduardo Franco (Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything) - Danny and Eduardo talk about Hulu's It's a Wonderful Binge on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:37am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)
09/06 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/20 - Kim's Convenience - The Complete Series
09/27 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Five / The Complete Season Six
10/04 - Mr. Mayor - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/04 - The Munsters - Marineland Carnival with The Munsters TV Cast
10/18 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete First Season
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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