Friday, March 15, 2019

Fri-Yay: Netflix Cancels One Day at a Time; Stana Katic Drama Returns June 14 on Amazon

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!

One Day a Time

by Vincent

Yesterday, Netflix announced it was canceled its critically beloved sitcom One Day at a Time due to low viewership. I have a lot to say about the cancelation - frankly, I think it's a sign that Netflix as a reliable provider of quality content is becoming quite questionable - but I might have even more to say about the odd way Netflix announced the show's cancellation. In a truly bizarre turn of events, Netflix took to Twitter to gush about how much they love the show and how important it is...only to cancel it.

This rings false for several reasons. I'd accept this more from a broadcast or cable network, whose funds are directly tied to a show's performance. But on Netflix, which doesn't even announce viewership totals and has never really explained how they correlate to their overall profit, it seems odd to act as if cancelling the show was a necessity. After all, the third season of the show has only been out for a month. Isn't the point of Netflix that you can watch it anytime, and that it's always available for new viewers to discover? And how can we know just how terrible the show's ratings are without any viewership data at all?

Moving on from the method, though, One Day at a Time's cancellation truly feels like the moment where Netflix stops being the fan favorite service it once was. Netflix was once the network that didn't cancel anything, and whose entire presence was based on pleasing fans. It launched, after all, with the revival of Arrested Development. But more and more, as Netflix has canceled fan favorite series like the Marvel series, American Vandal, Fuller House and now One Day at a Time, it feels as if Netflix is, simply, just another TV network, driven more by money than making anyone other than their own wallets happy. Still, hope remains for me that perhaps the outcry will cause Netflix to revisit their decision. At the very least, maybe another network will notice it and swoop in, similar to what NBC did for Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But if that doesn't happen, at least we'll have those three top-notch seasons to enjoy for all time.


Abesentia Season 2

After tracking down and killing her abductor, former FBI agent Emily Byrne struggles to define her new normal as a mother and a survivor of six years of physical and mental torture. Even while she rebuilds her relationship with her son, Flynn, Emily still cannot shake the darkness of her past. She enlists Boston police detective Tommy Gibbs in a secret investigation of her mysterious history. When the case turns deadly, she risks everything to uncover the truth. Absentia, starring and executive produced by Castle's Stana Katic, centers on FBI agent Emily Byrne (Katic).

In season one, Emily disappeared without a trace and was declared dead after hunting one of Boston's most notorious serial killers. Six years later, Emily was found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive, and with no memory of the years she was missing. Returning home to learn her husband had remarried and her son was being raised by another woman, she soon found herself implicated in a new series of murders. In season two, after tracking down and killing her abductor, Emily struggles for a tenuous new normal with son Flynn and ex-husband Nick. But her obsessive investigation into the questions that haunt her uncovers a serial killer and a spiraling conspiracy that threatens more than just her family. New cast members joining season two include Matthew Le Nevez (The Widow) and Natasha Little (The Night Manager). Watch Absentia Season 2 June 14 on Amazon Prime Video.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, June 20

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 16)

Friday, June 20

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (FUBAR) - Watch Arnold on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) - Aimee appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Tawny Newsome (Space Force) - Tawny is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke discusses her new film The Pickup and her new album on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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

06/20 - Great American Media Announces New Danica McKellar Movie; Jennifer Love Hewitt ID True Crime Series
06/19 - Bad Thoughts Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix; Zarna Garg Gets Hulu Special This July
06/18 - Weigel Broadcasting Announces WEST Network with Classic TV Westerns; Hulu's Season 2 of Such Brave Girls
06/17 - Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife on A&E Series; Digman! Returns July 9 on Comedy Central
06/16 - Hulu's Chad Powers Teaser; Prime Video's Jesse Williams Series
06/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 16, 2025)
06/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Mulls Airing The Paper on Primetime Lineup; Fox Revives Baywatch Reboot Talk
06/13 - My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Renewed for 2 More Seasons; Hanna-Barbera Developing Adult Animated Series
06/12 - Comedy Superstar Jack Black Is the King of Comedy at Nickelodeon; Doc Adds Felicity Huffman
06/11 - Celebrities for Celebrity Family Feud Season 11; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Starts Production
06/10 - Warner Bros. Discovery Separates Company; Peacock's Jennifer Garner Series Adds to Cast
06/09 - Comedian Ms. Pat Gets Season 3 of Courtroom Series; Disney Branded Television Animated Slate
06/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 9, 2025)
06/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady; Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Headed to Streaming
06/06 - Hulu's First Look at Amanda Knox Drama; Prime Video Lands Spy Thriller
06/05 - Disney's Electric Bloom Gets Premiere Date; Conan to Guest on NBC's Late Night
06/04 - Netflix Announces Haunted Hotel with Comedic Voices; Prime Video Unveils Trailer for Thriller
06/03 - Netflix's Nobody Wants This Returns October 23; The CW Renews All American for Final Season
06/02 - Remembering Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon, and The Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen
06/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 2, 2025)
05/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New King of the Hill Reboot Details; CBS Makes Late Night Changes
05/30 - FX's Adults Pilot Available on Social Platforms; BET and BET+ Premiere New Tyler Perry Series in June
05/29 - Netflix's New Chuck Lorre Sitcom Leanne; Apple TV+ Season 4 Premiere of The Morning Show
05/28 - Max Renews Hacks for Season 5; Byron Allen Coming Back to CBS Late Night
05/27 - Antenna TV Summer 2025 Schedule; Rewind TV Summer 2025 Schedule
05/26 - Memorial Day 2025 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 26, 2025)
05/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zach Braff Joins Scrubs Reboot; 7th Heaven Reboot in the Works
05/23 - Discovery Channel's Shark Week with Tom Bergeron; Apple TV+ Season 2 of Hit Series
05/22 - TV Legend Henry Winkler's New HISTORY Series; The CW Renews Family Law
05/21 - Remembering George Wendt of Cheers; Platonic Season 2 First Look
05/20 - The CW Renews Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble; Mike Birbiglia: The Good Life on Netflix May 26