Friday, December 14, 2018

Fri-Yay: Where Will The Good Place Go Next?; Everything's Gonna Be Okay at Freeform

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!

The Good Place

by Vincent

I know I've talked about The Good Place a lot on this column, but it's the most exciting sitcom - or actually, TV show in general - right now, so I often have a lot of thoughts about it. This column will contain spoilers for last week's Good Place, so if you aren't caught up you might want to stop reading.

Last week, The Good Place seemed to begin to process of doing what I've wanted it to do since the first season - question the ethics of the show's afterlife, where the criteria to get into The Good Place seems nearly impossible. The episode reveals that no one has made it into the good place in 500 years. Now, it's entirely possible the show will walk this back, but it seems to me that the show is finally posting the moral questions it's been hinting at for so long. And what better place to do that than the actual good place? Yep - the show is supposedly in the actual good place at the end of the most recent episode. It's been three years coming, but it seems to finally be happening.

This is a really exciting direction for the show, especially given that parts of this season have felt a little slow, at least by the show's standards. The show spent the large bulk of Season 3 on Earth, which allowed for some interesting character work, but lacked the inventive fun of the first two seasons. Now, though, we seem to be fully back in the afterlife, and the show is once again toying with format, plot, and experimentation the way it did in its first two seasons. As we come to the end of its third season, I can't wait to see where The Good Place goes next.


Josh Tomas

Freeform has picked up Everything's Gonna Be Okay to series with a 10-episode order. From Please Like Me creator, writer and comedian Josh Thomas, and produced by Avalon Television and Freeform, the half-hour comedy introduces Nicholas (Josh Thomas), a neurotic 25-year-old still living at home with his single dad and two teenage half-sisters, one of which has autism. He is not particularly helpful in raising his siblings, but when their dad becomes terminally ill, the girls have to cope with not only a devastating loss but also the realization that Nicholas is the one who will have to hold it all together.

Thomas created the concept, wrote and stars in the pilot and will serve as showrunner with David Martin, Jon Thoday, and Richard Allen-Turner serving as executive producers for Avalon Television. Stephanie Swedlove and Kevin Whyte also serve as executive producers. The series will star Josh Thomas, Kayla Cromer, Maeve Press and Adam Faison.




Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 13

Happy's Place - "Love Birds" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Bobbie is asked on a date by a customer, she's unsure of how to handle this new situation; Steve brings in a baby duck who imprinted on him, and he tries to hide it from Bobbie.

Newlyweds - "Back in Time" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A therapy session with Claudia reveals some surprising secrets about Jeanie and James' whirlwind romance.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 9)

Friday, November 13

  • Bill Hader (Barry) - Watch Bill on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis (Newlyweds/The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Daniel Radcliffe (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Miracle Workers) - Daniel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Paula Pell (The 'Burbs/Girls5eva/Mapleworth Murders/A.P. Bio) - Paula is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Natasha Leggero (Broke/Dice/Another Period/Free Agents) and Tommy Davidson (The Varnell Hill Show/The Proud Family/Malcolm & Eddie/Between Brothers) - Natasha and Tommy will be on a repeat of Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn talks about Madden on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Elle Fanning (Margo's Got Money Troubles) - Elle talks about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Anthony talks about !2, 12, 12 on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD) Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/20/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Brady Bunch - The Complete Original Series (2026 Release) (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - Shrinking - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD)
10/20/26 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Seasons (DVD)
11/03/26 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Ninth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/03/26 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/24/26 - The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

11/13 - CBS Special I Love Lucy: 75 Years of Laughter; Remembering Stacy Keach of Titus and Anthony Clark of Yes, Dear
11/12 - Fox Winter 2027 Premiere Dates; FX Renews Adults for Season 3
11/11 - Rewind TV's The Hogan Family 40th Anniversary Marathon; Prime Video's Overcompensating Season 2 Details
11/10 - Antenna TV's Thanksgiving on the Eastside: The Jeffersons Marathon; Laverne & Shirley Book Released in Celebration of the Sitcom's 50th Anniversary
11/09 - ABC Midseason 2027 Schedule; Netflix Renews Nobody Wants This for Season 4
11/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 9, 2026)
11/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Nobody Wants This Renewed at Netflix; Grey's Anatomy Spinoff to Be Filmed in New Mexico
11/06 - NBC's New Rockford Files Premieres January 2; Bobby Lee: Finally Drops November 27 on Hulu
11/05 - Three's Company 50th Anniversary NYC Event Recap; Disney+ Reveals Details for A Proud Family Wizmas
11/04 - Mickey's Home Alone on Disney Jr. and Disney+; Pretty Little Liars Duo Reunite for Hulu Christmas Film
11/03 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2026 Schedule; HBO Renews Youth for Season 2
11/02 - Details on Only Murders Season 6; Haunted Hotel Renewed for Season 3
11/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 2, 2026)
10/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Criminal Minds Coming to an End; Baywatch Premiere Date Set
10/30 - VH1 to Bring Back America's Funniest People Starring Ms. Pat; Remembering Barbara Barrie and Patrick Stewart
10/29 - Peacock's Dig Trailer and Artwork; The CW 2026 Holiday Programming with A Very Brady Christmas, A Flintstone Christmas and More
10/28 - ABC 2026 Holiday Programming; Remembering Susan Saint James of Kate & Allie
10/27 - Fox's Baywatch Premieres January 6; aspireTV's First Sitcom Premieres January 7
10/26 - COZI TV's Halloween Schedule with Roseanne, George Lopez, The Munsters and More; Chloe Radcliffe: Eyes Down Here Stand-up Special
10/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 26, 2026)
10/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Reboots in the Works for Coach and Glee; Saturday Night Live Sets November Hosts
10/23 - Prime Video Renews Carrie for Season 2; Remembering Richard Riehle of Grounded for Life
10/22 - Abbott Elementary Returns Big After 7 Day Viewing; BET Renews ComicView: Rooftop Series
10/21 - Charmed Joining Hulu This Huluween; Prime Video's Comedy Variety Series Hosted by Nick Kroll
10/20 - Hulu's Phony Premieres Today; Janelle James Netflix Comedy Special Drops November 10
10/19 - Lil Kev Season 2 Premieres December 9; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2026 Schedule
10/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 19, 2026)
10/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Picks Up Reboot for The X-Files; Roseanne Self-Produces New Sitcom
10/16 - Christa B. Allen in Night of January 16th Play Through Sunday; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Bernie Orenstein
10/15 - Guest Stars for Peacock's Comedy Dig; Apple TV Renews Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for Season 2
10/14 - HBO Brings Back Girls for 5 Episodes; Hulu's The X-Files Picked Up to Series
10/13 - Full Cast for Three's Company Live Reading in New York City; High Potential to Air After Super Bowl on ABC