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

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

Sunday, December 22

Bob's Burgers - "The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the power goes out two days before Christmas, The Belchers must spend the holiday at Mr. Fischoeder's family's old hunting lodge.

Krapopolis - "Krapocalypse" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tyrannis is stuck in a time loop trying to save the city.

The Simpsons - "The Man Who Flew Too Much" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The new and improved Pin Pals travel to Capital City for their first ever state bowling championship.

Universal Basic Guys - "The Devil You Know" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark insists on teaching his son Darren how to throw a handmade boomerang that was gifted to Darren by his father; the two soon find themselves on a trek deep into the Jersey woods; David is the recipient of a sex doll that he swears he didn't order.

The Great North - "The Lies Aquatic Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While Beef is away, the Tobin fishing boat goes missing; the Tobin siblings wildly speculate on what could have happened.

Krapopolis - "National Lampoon's The Odyssey!" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family takes a vacation to Storgos for Shlub's mother's birthday.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Full-Frontal Dottie" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Excited by her physical therapy progress, Dottie insists she is ready to return to MaxDot, much to Bob, Douglas and Christina's dismay.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)

Friday, December 20

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/HouseBroken/Catastrophe) - Sharon is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Colton Dunn (Superstore) and Diona Reasonover (Clipped) - Colton and Diona are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - NBC's Today catches up with Zachary in the 9am hour.
Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy talks about Mufasa: The Lion King on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about The Six Triple Eight on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
James Marsden (30 Rock) and Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - James and Ben talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about Max's Fast Friends on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit has the best of Henry and Kit Hoover, so check your local listings.
Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - The Talk celebrates 15 seasons with a special finale episode; friend of the show Howie Mandel makes his 21st appearance on the show when he stops by one last time with a surprise for the hosts on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.