Friday, February 01, 2019
Fri-Yay: You're the Worst Going Out on a High Note; The CW Picks Up 10 Returning Series for 2019-20
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
There are a lot of sitcoms coming to an end in 2019 - from Broad City to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and also to You're the Worst. Today, I'll be spotlighting the final season of FXX's You're the Worst, which is proving to be an incredibly strong one as the sitcom reaches its conclusion. You're the Worst has been a bit of a quiet favorite over its five season run - it never attracted the amount of viewers of a show like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but those who were on its wavelength were incredibly passionate about it, particularly in the show's strong first and second seasons. The series was an incredibly funny but also heartfelt look at what it's like to be in a relationship when you're kind of broken - and it got a lot more real in its second season, when it revealed one of its central characters of its main couple, Gretchen, suffers from depression. The second season was one of the best TV seasons of the 2010s - funny, heartfelt and intricately written. The show hasn't quite reached those heights since - the third season attempted to look at Jimmy in a similar way that the second looked at Gretchen, but it never quite felt as vital as that season, never quite reaching the level of depth that Gretchen's arc did. In Season 4, the show's couple spent most of the time broken up, which felt like something the show needed to do but also made the show feel a bit split and scattered, struggling to find a central focus as strong as Jimmy and Gretchen's relationship.
Now, though, in its final season, You're the Worst is doing an excellent job of bringing everything to a conclusion, and it's doing it by remembering its characters depths and allowing them to be as real and funny as possible. Ultimately, what makes the show such a special one is its willingness to go to places that other shows wouldn't - whether that's in its characters behavior or in the show's format (such as in the premiere, which centers mostly around a fictional story that Jimmy and Gretchen are telling.) It's great to see the show gain its mojo back and once again focus on the depth of its characters, proving that it's a show we'll really miss once its gone.
The CW Network has given early renewals to ten of its primetime series for the 2019-2020 season. The series being ordered for the 2019-2020 broadcast year include second seasons of The CW's freshman hits Charmed and Legacies, as well as new seasons of Arrow (Season 8), Black Lightning (Season 3), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Season 5), Dynasty (Season 3), The Flash (Season 6), Riverdale (Season 4), Supergirl (Season 5), and the veteran hit Supernatural (Season 15). Specific premiere dates for each series will be announced at a later time.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Friday, July 3
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.
The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.
In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.
In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)
Friday, July 3
- Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (April/May/June/July)
04/07 - Cheers - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
04/14 - Police Squad! - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/14 - The Righteous Gemstones - The Complete First Season
04/21 - Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season (WBShop.com)
05/05 - Kidding - Season 2
05/19 - The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season
05/19 - The Good Place - The Complete Series - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Series
06/02 - Work in Progress - Season 1
06/09 - Head of the Class - The Complete First Season (WBShop.com)
06/09 - How to Be a Gentleman - The Complete Series
06/09 - Letterkenny - Seasons 3 & 4
06/09 - Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season
06/09 - No Activity - Season 1
06/09 - Superior Donuts - Season Two
06/23 - Bob's Burgers - The Complete 10th Season
06/23 - Fresh Off the Boat - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
06/23 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Seventh Season
06/23 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Third Season (Blu-ray)
06/30 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven
07/07 - Will & Grace - The Revival - Season Three - The Farewell Season
07/21 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Tenth Season
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Follow Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
Subscribe to the RSS Feed
Subscribe to the Email Digest
Contact Us