Friday, March 22, 2019
Fri-Yay: Original Comedies at Netflix; ABC Announces April Finales, Including TGIF

by Vincent
With the cancelation of One Day at a Time last week, one can stand to wonder what the state is of sitcoms on Netflix. Frankly, sitcoms are the one area that it feels like the streaming giant hasn't necessarily figured out yet at this point in time. When it comes to animated comedies, the streaming service has done a lot better - Bojack Horseman and Big Mouth being two examples. But it feels as if none of the service's sitcoms have reached the height of its dramas. Sure, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was very popular for a while, but it didn't last - the show will be ending after four seasons. The same could be said for Fuller House, which started off with a lot of hype but couldn't quite become a long-running smash the way its predecessor was. So will we ever see a streaming sitcom blow up the way network comedies have the potential to?
Honestly, I do have my doubts. Part of me feels as if the Netflix model just doesn't work as well for sitcoms. A sitcom is a show that gives you comfort - it's a show that you unwind with weekly at the end of a long day. It's not a show you feel the need to dust off in a 72-hour binge and then forget about for a year. Yet, that's what the Netflix algorithm demands, and it's shows that are well-suited to that kind of viewing that tend to stick around on the service. But maybe I can be proven wrong - maybe the right show just hasn't been discovered yet. Still, with a great show like One Day at a Time apparently not succeeding on the service, it's hard for me to get my hopes too high up.
The ABC Television Network has announced season finale dates for scripted series ending their prime-time runs in April. The first finale is on Tuesday, April 9 with the season finale of Splitting Up Together at 9:30pm. The series premiere of Bless This Mess premieres the following week (Tuesday, April 16), as we previously mentioned. Then on TGIF, on Friday, April 12, Fresh Off the Boat has its season finale at 8:00pm. That is followed by the season finale of Speechless at 8:30pm. No word yet on what ABC will air 8-9pm on Friday nights in May, but the NBA Playoffs are on April 19 and the 2019 NFL Draft is on April 26. Finally, ABC's hit freshman drama The Rookie will have its first season finale on Tuesday, April 16 at 10pm. ABC has not announced yet what will air Tuesdays at 10pm for the reminder of the season. Stay tuned for the other season finale dates for May when ABC announces them.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, October 21
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 20)
Tuesday, October 21
- Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Catch Kumail on a repet of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Reneé Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Reneé is a musical guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Michael appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Larry David (Curb Your Entusiasm/Seinfeld) - Larry stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Andy Cohen interviews Allison on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Brie Larson (United States of Tara/Raising Dad) - Brie talks about Party People: A Cookbook for Creative Celebrations with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This/GLOW) - Jackie dishes on Nobody Wants This on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This/Burning Love) - Adam talks about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Angela and her husband Josh Snyder talk about You Can Make This in the 9am hour.
- Brittany Snow (Ben and Kate) - Brittany is telling Drew about her new crime series Murdaugh Murders and her hit show The Hunting Wives on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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