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
Thursday, March 14
Young Sheldon - "A Frankenstein’s Monster and a Crazy Church Guy" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon helps his roommate try to beat the stock market, Missy and Billy Sparks throw a party, and Mary finds a new church.
Ghosts - "The Silent Partner" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A big investor backs out of Sam and Jay’s restaurant, leaving them to turn to the one ghost who has money – Isaac.
The Conners - "Tats and Tias" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris is newly unemployed, depressed and has moved back into the house, while Becky struggles to find affordable childcare; Jackie suggests Becky reach out to Emilio's family for support; the family contemplates tattoos.
The Conners - "The Icewoman Cometh" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bev is back from Arizona and realizes she'd like to use her finances to spread happiness; Bev decides to fund Mark's tuition to a prestigious coding camp, but Darlene tries to convince her to give the money to Harris instead.
Son of a Critch - "My Funny Valentine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Mark is elated to find he has not one, but two valentines; juggling two girls turns out to be harder than he expected, and so instead of two plus-ones, Mark ends up with none.
Children Ruin Everything - "Careers" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT)
After an unexpected change at Gero's, James tries to busy himself with fixing a broken toilet; Astrid thinks she's due for a raise.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 11)
Thursday, March 14
- Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Paula Pell (Girls5eva/Mapleworth Murders/A.P. Bio) - Paula appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) - Paul is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Regina King (227/Leap of Faith) - Regina talks exclusively with Robin Roberts on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- David Alan Grier (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - NBC's Today catches up with David in the 9am hour.
- Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane talks about Weakest Link on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Dan Aykroyd (Soul Man/Coming Up Rosie), Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie/The Last Precinct/Highcliffe Manor), Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women/Goodtime Girls) and Mckenna Grace (Young Sheldon/Crash & Bernstein) - The cast of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is on set including Billy Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Paul Rudd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and McKenna Grace on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is joining Drew and Ross Mathews at the Drew's News desk to cover the news sunny-side up on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- The cast of Girls5eva - The cast of Girls5eva will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:45am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (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)
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