Friday, May 17, 2019
Fri-Yay: Big Bang Ends With No Hype?; ABC to Air Farrah Fawcett Documentary

by Vincent
Last night, CBS' megahit The Big Bang Theory finally closed out its 12-season run. That makes it one of the longest-running sitcoms on TV, and by far the biggest sitcom ratings-wise of the past 20 years. And yet...there's an interesting lack of discussion about the show's end. When previous smash hit sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld came to an end, there was an endless media parade and countless amounts of chatter and speculation - sort of like what we are seeing around the end of HBO's cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones. But with The Big Bang Theory, it feels as if TV's biggest sitcom is simply quietly riding into the night.
This is partially supported by the show's ratings, which have not held up super well in the final season (of course, even a weaker Big Bang Theory is still the highest rated sitcom on TV). Still, regardless of your opinion on the series, it's hard to not appreciate just how huge the series was. It may not hold the universal love of shows like Friends or Seinfeld, but the show got massive amounts of people watching multi-camera comedy in the 2010s, which is not a small feat. It does make me wonder if Big Bang will be the last traditional sitcom smash hit as comedies continue to go gradually more niche and less widely accessible. The Conners does have the potential to fill that hole, but time will tell if it's here for the long haul or just held up by early Roseanne hype. Either way, last night certainly marked the end of an era for sitcom fans.
ABC News presents a two-hour prime-time special on America's golden girl Farrah Fawcett. From that iconic red bathing suit poster to her role in the hit show Charlie's Angels, Fawcett took the 1970s by storm and captivated the nation with her every move. But in 2006, Fawcett was confronted with her biggest challenge when she was diagnosed with cancer and began an aggressive fight for her life. Now, almost 10 years after her passing, ABC News reports on her life, career, fame and lasting legacy, told through new interviews with those who knew her best, and rare footage from the intimate video diaries of her fight against cancer. This is Farrah Fawcett airs Thursday, May 23 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT on ABC.
The two-hour documentary features new interviews with actress Jaclyn Smith, Fawcett's co-star on Charlie's Angels; Alana Stewart, Fawcett's close friend who helped record her cancer battle for the two-hour documentary Farrah's Story; Bruce McBroom, the Hollywood photographer who shot Fawcett's iconic swimsuit poster; Mela Murphy, Fawcett's confidante and hairstylist; Dr. Lawrence Piro, Fawcett's primary physician; and Dr. Ursula Jacob, Fawcett's physician in Germany who used alternative treatments for her cancer. The documentary also includes Barbara Walters' landmark interviews with Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's partner at the time of her death.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, May 8
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Ladies Love Brunch" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie tries to juggle his mom, his mother-in-law and Mandy on Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, Audrey wants to meet Connor’s girlfriend.
Ghosts - "The Devil Went Down to Woodstone" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay host a big party for the launch of Sam and Isaac’s vampire book. Mary Holland (Patience), Punam Patel (Bela) and Matt Walsh (Elias Woodstone) return as guest stars.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)
Thursday, May 8
- Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) - Natasha appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks about Netflix's Survival of the Thickest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) and Doug Benson (You're the Worst) - Maria and Doug are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- John Benjamin Hickey (HouseBroken/The Big C/It's All Relative) - John stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
- Patricia Clarkson (Davis Rules) - Patricia is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
- Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - E! News has an interview with Kerry at 11pm on E!. Kerry and Omar Sy discuss their highly anticipated new film Shadow Force on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel chats about Juliet & Romeo on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - In A Little Bit Extra Valerie and Ross Mathews are sharing more of their conversation with Al Roker in Charleston at the Food & Wine Classic on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) and Randall Park (Young Rock/Blockbuster/Fresh Off the Boat/Veep/Supah Ninjas) - Morris and Randall talk about Watson on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
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)
07/08 - 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