Friday, February 15, 2019
Fri-Yay: One Day at a Time Is As Charming As Ever in Its 3rd Season; Bounce Acquires Moesha and The Game
by Vincent
Last Friday, Netflix premiered the third season of One Day at a Time, also known as the best traditional sitcom on television. I've talked a lot about the show over the years, and I'm going to be talking about it again, because the remake of the Norman Lear sitcom is just as warm, inviting, funny and vital in its third season. The show once again tackles some big issues, from sexuality to the #MeToo movement and even to drugs - but does so without ever feeling heavy-handed and while always being warm, approachable, and enjoyable.
There's so much to like about One Day at a Time. Its central family is incredibly lovable, the kind of family you kind of wish you were in yourself after a weekend binge of the series. Part of it is the excellent writing, but another part is the portrayal of the cast. The cast is absolutely attuned to their roles by this point - even the younger members of the ensemble, who have shaken off any early series jitters and now feel completely lived into their roles. The entire show - from the writing to the acting - just feels like an incredibly well-oiled machine at this point. It's also a machine that does a great job bringing tribute to the traditional multi-camera sitcom format, a format that increasingly feels as if it's being lost to the wind (especially with The Big Bang Theory in its twilight, although perhaps The Conners can pick up some of the slack.) One Day at a Time is the only proof you need that the multi-camera sitcom can still be a viable and enriching art form when given the proper care and respect. It uses the format for both its jokes and its drama - just like in the best multi-camera sitcoms, the audience laughter in hilarious moments is just as vital as the moment when things get "real" and you can hear a pindrop.
So please, please, please give One Day at a Time a chance if you haven't already. Although we never really know how Netflix shows are doing, the service seems to have gotten the cancellation bug in the past year, with so many shows receiving the ax or announcing their end. While some of those shows (like Kimmy Schmidt or Orange is the New Black) felt like they were near a natural conclusion, One Day at a Time is the type of show that I want to see run for years and years. It has plenty of life left in it, and the Alvarezes are the kind of family I want to spend so much more time with. The series gets critical acclaim, but doesn't seem to have the general popularity of some of Netflix's other shows such as Stranger Things or 13 Reasons Why. So please - give the show a chance and ensure us plenty of more years of this wonderful sitcom to come, especially if you're a fan of the traditional multi-camera sitcom. In 2019, the format doesn't get any better than this.
Bounce has licensed the broadcast television rights to the popular and NAACP Image Award-winning series Moesha and The Game in a multi-year agreement with CBS Television Distribution. Bounce lands all six seasons (127 episodes) of Moesha and all nine seasons (147 episodes) of The Game and will air the shows back-to-back weeknights with Moesha from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. and The Game between 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. effective immediately starting on Monday (Feb. 18, all times Eastern).
Moesha, one of the first sitcoms to center around an African-American teenage girl, stars R&B superstar Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, who's juggling school, friendships and romance in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. After previously being the female head of the household, Moesha must learn to love and trust her father's new wife while doing her best to be the "glue" that helps hold her family together. Moesha also stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Countess Vaughn, Shar Jackson, William Allen Young, Marcus T. Paulk, Ray J, Lamont Bentley and Yvette Wilson. The series aired on UPN between from 1996 until 2001.
The Game follows the wives and girlfriends of pro football players and the power plays they use to get their guys the best agents, the best endorsements, the best merchandising deals - even the "in" charity. Tia Mowry stars as Melanie Barnett whose boyfriend, Derwin (Pooch Hall), is the new third-string wide receiver for the San Diego Sabers. As she deals with egos, groupies and image consultants, Melanie is finding out how "the game" is played among the women behind the athletes. Wendy Raquel Robinson, Hosea Chanchez, Coby Bell, and Brittany Daniel round out the cast. The series, created by Mara Brock Akil, was a spin-off of the long-running hit series Girlfriends. It premiered on The CW in 2006 for three seasons and then moved to BET, where it set cable television ratings records.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, April 18
Young Sheldon - "An Ankle Monitor and a Big Plastic Crap House" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon studies to be Meemaw’s lawyer when she is put on house arrest, and the Coopers have a plumbing emergency.
Ghosts - "Holes Are Bad" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Sam and Jay leave the ghosts home alone for the weekend in an attempt to have a romantic getaway, shocking revelations are made about two of Woodstone’s beloved spirits.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 15)
Thursday, April 18
- Zendaya (K.C. Undercover/Shake It Up) - Catch Zendaya on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sandra Oh (Arliss) - Sandra is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She talks about Sympathizer on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Reid Scott (Veep/My Boys/It's All Relative) - Reid appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Dulcé Sloan (The Great North) - Dulcé hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Chris O'Dowd (The Big Door Prize/Family Tree) - Chris appears on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - NBC's Today catches up with Tony in the 10am hour.
- Jurnee Smollett (On Our Own) - Jurnee talks about We Grown Now on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jay Hernandez (Hang Time) - Jay discusses his new film The Long Game on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel talks about We Grown Now on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Michaela Watkins (Dinner with the Parents/Search Party/The Unicorn/Casual/Trophy Wife) - Michaela is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts