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
Monday, July 7
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Yippedy-Dip" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Butlers visit a nostalgic, rundown restaurant from Calvin’s childhood and encounter its owner, Jasper (Garrett Morris). Meanwhile, Dave, Gemma, and Dave’s mother, Paula (Marilu Henner), pay a visit to Lamar (Kevin Pollack) in prison.
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Neighborhood, Daphne" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Marty and Courtney bring baby Daphne home from the hospital and Calvin is surprised to learn that Marty plans to take the paternity leave Dave offered in the employee handbook for the Fuse Box. Also, Tina will do anything to earn Daphne’s love.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Monday, July 7
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Watch Jenny on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie talks about Ballard on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha, who stars in Netflix's Surival of the Thickest, joins Tamron Hall (repeat) to discuss how she found her freedom by sharing her story on her own terms and learning to embrace self-love, 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)
07/08 - 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
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