SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Buys Rural Comedy From "Liberal Redneck" Trae Crowder; Crossover Event Planned for Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon

Saturday, November 17, 2018

SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Buys Rural Comedy From "Liberal Redneck" Trae Crowder; Crossover Event Planned for Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're already in to Thanksgiving week, and after Thursday, it's going to be all Christmas everywhere! But before that, let's take a moment to sit back and breathe and enjoy these last few moments of fall, as this week, we're hearing about a new comedy from ABC featuring a man known as the "Liberal Redneck," a crossover for The Big Bang Theory, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It's been under consideration for over a year, but now, ABC has bought a rural comedy that features Trae Crowder, who is known for his stage persona of the "Liberal Redneck." (Deadline)
It probably isn't a big surprise that there is going to be a crossover event between The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. (Vulture)
Roy Clark, host of the long-running series Hee Haw, has died at age 85. (New York Times)
One has to wonder how much of a future awards shows have on TV, as they are all collectively getting lower and lower ratings every year. This week, it was the Country Music Awards that saw record low ratings. (Deadline)
It just wouldn't be Christmas without a newly colorized I Love Lucy episode, and CBS will be doing that yet again this year, along with some newly colorized episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show. (SitcomsOnline)

TUESDAY (NOVEMBER 20) HOME MEDIA RELEASE

Step by Step - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $29.99): Warner Archive brings the third season of the classic TGIF show to DVD, just in time for Thanksgiving.

WEEKLY PLANNER (NOVEMBER 17 - NOVEMBER 23)

Decades has a binge marathon of Barnaby Jones this weekend.
Steve Carrell makes his return to comedy as host of Saturday Night Live tonight.
ABC will have A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Wednesday night.
You can spend all Thanksgiving weekend with the Seavers, as Antenna TV will be airing every single episode of Growing Pains all weekend long, starting Wednesday night.
We don't normally point out the airing of a single episode of a classic series that regularly airs on a network anyway, but we'll make an exception for this one since it's a timely favorite: the "Turkey's Away" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati will air both Sunday at 7:30PM ET and Thursday at 9:30PM ET on MeTV.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 23

Young Sheldon - "An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sheldon takes matters into his own hands when Meemaw refuses to drive him to a lecture with Dr. Linkletter (Ed Begley, Jr.). Also, Georgie tries to impress Veronica with his new business venture.

The Unicorn - "No Small Parts" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Grace gets the lead in the school musical, Wade realizes that the teachers are giving her special treatment after he hears her sing. Also, Michelle and Ben persuade Delia and Forrest to volunteer for the chaotic snack bar duty at a school function. Tim Baltz guest stars as Mr. Kersey, Grace’s drama teacher.

Young Sheldon - "A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After being released from the mental hospital, Dr. Sturgis unexpectedly breaks up with Meemaw.

Mom - "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalepeño Pepper" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
While Bonnie struggles to enjoy her perfect honeymoon with Adam, Christy makes some questionable changes at the bar while they’re away.

Last Man Standing - "Bedtime Story" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mike tries to avoid hurting Vanessa's feelings due to her snoring.

Outmatched - "Pilot" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Kay and Mike cope with raising three high-IQ children.

Superstore - "Favoritism" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Amy tries to make Mateo her new assistant, leading to accusations of favoritism and a group competition in the store. Meanwhile, Sandra gets caught in a power struggle between Glenn and Dina, and Jonah attempts to show Garrett that he's still "one of the guys."

The Good Place - "Patty" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The group makes some new friends.

Will & Grace - "Lies & Whispers" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Larry (guest star Tim Bagley) warns Will and Grace about the difficult entry process into the elite school they both want their kids to go to, they set out to prove that their child would be the better candidate. While helping Jenny (guest star Demi Lovato) with her ASMR livestream, Jack unwittingly creates problems between Karen and her “booty buddy,” Luke (guest star Chris Thornton).

Perfect Harmony - "Regionals" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Season 1 Finale. At the regional choir competition in Lexington, Arthur relishes the opportunity to finally stick it to his old rival, Magnus, when the unexpected happens. Presented with a surprise job offer, Ginny starts to doubt her worth before her big interview. Adams puts her past to bed with her still very alive dead husband, allowing her to move on.

grown-ish - "Damn" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The crew tries their best to cope with a shocking surprise, but another unexpected bomb sends Zoey into a spiral.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay - "Giant Asian Mantises" (Freeform, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Matilda wants to get white-girl-wasted; Genevieve's low-key birthday party leaves Nicholas, Alex, and Matilda banished to the guest house; in the main house, Tellulah turns things up a notch; Nicholas is stuck being the responsible adult.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Thursday, January 23

Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) - Catch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
David Alan Grier (The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie) - David stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Fortune Feimster (Bless the Harts/Life in Pieces/Champions) - Fortune appears on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC. She will also be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Santino (Mixology) - Andrew is a panelist on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
The Cast of Schitt's Creek - The cast of Schitt's Creek are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry talks about America's Got Talent and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on NBC's Today in the 9am hour. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing/The Kominsky Method/The Bill Engvall Show/Becker/Almost Perfect) - Nancy appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jason George (Eve/Off Centre) - Jason is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris drops by The Real, so check your local listings.
Norman Lear (Producer of All in the Family/Sanford and Son/One Day at a Time/The Jeffersons/Good Times/Maude) - Norman is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Melora Hardin (The Office) - Melora talks about The Bold Type on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Retta (Parks and Recreation) and Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) - Retta and Reno talk about Good Girls on the BUILD Series at 2pm.