Fri-Yay: Status of Sitcoms on Disney+; Gabriel Iglesias Sitcom Launches June 21 on Netflix

Friday, April 26, 2019

Fri-Yay: Status of Sitcoms on Disney+; Gabriel Iglesias Sitcom Launches June 21 on Netflix

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!

Disney Plus

by Vincent

Over the past few weeks, there has been increasing buzz over the launch of the next big streaming platform, the Disney-owned Disney+. Disney+ will launch this fall, and will be home to a large vault of Disney movies as well as Disney-owned television shows - which, as you might remember, expanded drastically after Disney officially bought Fox last year. In addition to Disney movies and Marvel-owned properties, previous Fox-owned series such as The Simpsons will also be on Disney+. The streaming network will be home to all 600+ episodes of the series. Disney+ will no doubt compete with Netflix for being the reigning streaming giant, and will also be able to exist alongside Hulu, which is now also owned majority by Disney (since it was previously owned by Disney-owned ABC, Fox and NBC - now, Disney owns the majority of the streaming service.) Disney claims that Hulu and Disney+ will be able to exist alongside each other and target different audiences.

So, what does this mean for sitcoms? Well, it certainly creates an interesting landscape for sitcoms on streaming networks. Of all of the networks, ABC arguably has made the least presence on streaming networks - big hitters such as The Middle and Modern Family remain unavailable on any streaming platforms. But now with a clear possible home for them, and with Disney having so much stock in several streaming networks, it seems very likely this large library of ABC sitcoms may be streaming once again. Additionally, so many properties that are now ABC-owned are all over different streaming services - The Simpsons streams on "Simpsons World" on FXNow, and many of the other adult animated comedies are on Hulu, for example. Could these shows move services to be part of Disney's new plan? It'll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next few years.

Mr. Iglesias

Teaching is no joke. From stand-up phenom Fluffy to your new favorite history teacher, Gabriel Iglesias (Cristela) stars in the Netflix comedy series Mr. Iglesias launching June 21! In the multi-cam series Mr. Iglesias, Gabriel Iglesias plays a good-natured public high school teacher who works at his alma mater. He takes on teaching gifted but misfit kids to not only save them from being "counseled out" by a bully bureaucrat Assistant Principal (Oscar Nunez), but also to help them unlock their full potential. Sherri Shepherd, Jacob Vargas, Maggie Geha, Richard Gant, Cree Cicchino, Fabrizio Guido co-star. Created by Kevin Hench (Last Man Standing, Cristela) and executive produced by Iglesias, Hench, Ron DeBlasio and Joe Meloche, Season 1 consists of 10 episodes. Mr. Iglesias will be released globally on Netflix on June 21.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 22

Happy's Place - "Happy's House" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie agrees to take Isabella to Happy's house in search of a connection to their late father, leading Bobbie to worry about what they may find; Gabby hopes to strike it rich by searching through Happy's penny collection looking for a rarity.

Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Orlando" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Rosie's spoiled nephew Orlando visits, Mayan sets out to expose Rosie's cultural gender bias; George wants to teach Chance the value of hard work, but, instead, helps him create a toxic work environment.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Whacking the Mole" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Abishola has a romantic dream about Bob, she tries to suppress her feelings for him and pays the price.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Ralph Lauren and Fish" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob and Abishola finally go on a proper date, which is interrupted by Dottie's medical emergency.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Tough Like a Laundromat Washing Machine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob hires Abishola to take care of Dottie in his home while she recovers; Dottie has a hard time dealing with her limitations and takes it out on Abishola.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Useless Potheads" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
With Abishola only helping part-time, Bob, Douglas and Christina struggle to take care of Dottie.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - "Wiz-Taken Identity" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Billie struggles with a spell, Roman says he could do it if he was a wizard: to prove him wrong, Billie uses a Power Glass to transfer her powers to Roman.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - " Ain't Gnome Party Like a Wizard Party" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Justin embraces mortality to live with his family; his new challenge arises when Alex introduces Billie, a wizard-in-training, seeking Justin's mentorship.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Friday, November 22

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Watch Kerry on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jimmy O. Yang (Interior Chinatown/Space Force/Silicon Valley) - Jimmy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe), Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) and Aparna Nancherla (Lopez vs Lopez/Search Party/Corporate) - Andy, Thomas and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her new book Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Drew is joined by the hilarious Andrew to celebrate all things Thanksgiving on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie tells Sherri about her new Apple TV+ psychological thriller Before on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.