Friday, January 04, 2019
Fri-Yay: Sitcoms in the Year 2019; Things Get Better Again on FX with Season 3 of Comedy

by Vincent
Now that another calendar year is upon us, what can we expect from sitcoms in the year of 2019? 2018 was a year where a lot of sitcoms continued to surprise me. I'd expect shows like Superstore, The Good Place, Bojack Horseman and One Day at a Time will continue to impress with their 2019 batch of episodes. But what are some other, less covered shows that could take off in 2019, and what else is going on in the world of sitcoms?
Personally, I'm interested to see how things shape up on these sitcoms coming to an end: You're the Worst, Broad City, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. All of these shows are poised to reach their conclusions this season, and I'm really sad to see them go but also feel that it might be the right time for many of them to wrap up, and am interested to see just how they wrap things off. All of these shows will certainly be very missed in the sitcom landscape.
And how about new shows, or shows that haven't quite taken off yet? I'll be keeping an eye on Comedy Central's Corporate, a riotously funny show that I hope doesn't go the way of recent Comedy Central projects. I'm also interested in AP Bio on NBC. I wasn't a big fan of the first season, but I saw potential for greatness, and now that it's getting another shot, I'm interested to see if it can build on its potential in its second season. Elsewhere, I'm interested to see if Netflix has any more interesting comedies in the pipeline. It feels as if sitcoms have taken a bit of a backseat on that platform, and I'd love to see some more great, original comedies come out of the streaming service.
2019 will surely bring some surprises, as well, just as 2018 did with shows like Corporate. Still, I feel 2018 was somewhat of a quiet year for sitcoms (and even for TV in general) - let's hope 2019 brings them back with a vengeance.
Better Things, the acclaimed and award-winning comedy series directed by, produced by and starring Pamela Adlon, will return to FX for its third season on Thursday, February 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Better Things is the story of Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon), a single mother and working actor with no filter, raising her three daughters, Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood) and Duke (Olivia Edward) in Los Angeles. She also looks after her mother, Phil (Celia Imrie), an English expat with questionable faculties who lives across the street. Whether she's struggling to keep her daughters close or trying to push one of them out of the nest, Sam approaches every challenge with fierce love, raw honesty and humor. At the end of the day, Sam's just trying to earn a living, navigate her daughters' changing lives, survive her family, have fun with a friend or two, and also - just maybe - squeeze in some private time.
Season three will welcome several new faces as guests: Sharon Stone, Matthew Broderick, Doug Jones, Glynn Turman, Judy Reyes, Cree Summer, Charlie Robinson, Janina Gavankar and Marsha Thomason to name a few. Additionally, recurring players Diedrich Bader, Greg Cromer, Rebecca Metz, Kevin Pollak and Alysia Reiner will return this season, inhabiting their familiar roles. Adlon, who directs all 12 episodes of the third season, also serves as writer, executive producer and showrunner. Better Things is produced by FX Productions. In its first season, Better Things was one of seven entertainment programs to be honored with a Peabody Award. Additionally, in the first and second seasons, Pamela Adlon was nominated for an Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe(R) Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy in season two.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, April 2
The Conners - "Fame, Flying Fists and Cold Feet" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Conners get a taste of fame when their family restaurant is featured in a reality TV show, which inspires Becky to become an influencer. Meanwhile, Jackie and Dan meet with a lawyer, and Darlene connects with someone at The Lobo Lounge.
Abbott Elementary - "Ava Fest: Tokyo Drift" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The Abbott teachers turn their open house into a carwash to help raise money for the school.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)
Wednesday, April 2
- Adam DeVine (The Righteous Gemstones/Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/Workaholics/Modern Family) - Watch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about Sinners on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Rob Delaney (Bad Monkey/Catastrophe) - Rob appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Sasheer and Greta are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda appears on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
- Jennifer Lopez (South Central) and Jamie Foxx (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Jamie Foxx Show) - E! News has interviews with Jennifer and Jamie at 11pm on E!.
- Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary) - Chris talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Judy Greer (Kidding/Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided/Arrested Development) - NBC's Today catches up with Judy in the 9am hour.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Glen Powell (Scream Queens) and Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - NBC's Today catches up with Glen and Kristin in the 10am hour.
- Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha, who stars in Netflix's Surival of the Thickest, joins Tamron Hall to discuss how she found her freedom by sharing her story on her own terms and learning to embrace self-love, so check your local listings.
- Gabourey Sidibe (Difficult People/The Big C) - Gabourey talks about starring in the new Lifetime movie Give Me Back My Daughter on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared) - Seth is joining Drew to tell her all about his new show The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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