Friday, May 10, 2019
Fri-Yay: Upfronts 2019: Questions for Sitcoms; getTV Celebrates All in the Family Ahead of ABC Live Special

by Vincent
It's hard to believe it's that time of year again, but May is here and networks will soon be ending the 2018-2019 television season and making their schedules for the 2019-2020 season. In this column, I'll take a look at the "state of sitcoms" on each network and making some guesses about the fate of some bubble sitcoms and the direction each network will be going in.
ABC: 2019-2020 is going to be a bit of a sad one for ABC's comedy brand, as Modern Family will wrap up its run after 11 seasons. That leaves The Goldbergs and black-ish as the longest-standing veteran sitcoms, and ABC is clearly interested in continuing those stories as both have spin-offs either airing or in the works - Schooled (which premiered this spring and has been a ratings hit) and mixed-ish (the black-ish spin-off set for next season) will be centerpieces of the network's comedy schedule next year. Technically Goldbergs hasn't been renewed yet, but seems very likely to continue given its steady ratings success. The Conners (which had a huge first season) will also be returning. However, Speechless, Fresh Off the Boat and American Housewife, which have seen ratings declines this season, are shows that fans should certainly be somewhat concerned about. Overall, there's still plenty of family comedy to look forward to next year on ABC.
CBS: It'll be very interesting to see what CBS does with its comedy block next year, as its long-running, massive ratings hit The Big Bang Theory is bowing out this month after 12 years on the air. Its spin-off Young Sheldon remains a big hit, so it seems likely that CBS will revolve its comedy laurels on that show's heels. Solid tentpole sitcom Mom has also been renewed for another season. All in all, it's going to be a year of change as CBS adjusts to life after Big Bang.
Fox: Fox hit the jackpot this year when resurrecting Last Man Standing, as the series has done gangbusters on Friday nights for the network, looking even stronger than most of its ABC run. Additionally, Fox's steady and reliable animated slate of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers and Family Guy will be returning. However, it'll be interesting to see if the Disney-Fox merger effects the rest of the network's output. There are rumors floating around that the animated staples may be moved to another part of the Disney umbrella after a few seasons, since they will no longer be owned by the Fox network (which, remember, is operating independently from 20th Century Fox now, which is owned by Disney).
NBC: NBC's acclaimed line-up of The Good Place, Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are all returning next year, which should keep fans of excellent comedy happy. However, the network didn't have a lot of success with its newbies this year (neither I Feel Bad nor Abby's made much of a ratings dent) and sophomore AP Bio also looked ugly in the ratings department this spring. NBC is likely looking for a big ratings hit, since while Superstore, Good Place and Brooklyn are all solid performers, they aren't necessarily world-beaters, and the Will & Grace revival hasn't been the smash hit NBC was likely hoping it would be.
All in all, it'll be interesting to see the networks' moves as we head into Upfront season. It's going to be a very interesting year for many networks!
In advance of the 90-minute primetime event Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons, airing Wednesday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET on The ABC Television Network, getTV will air 30 all-time favorite episodes of the original groundbreaking 1970s comedy series every night May 13-17 beginning at 7 ET. One of television's most popular and acclaimed series, All in the Family starred Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton as Archie and Edith Bunker, with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers as Mike and Gloria Stivic. The show originally aired from January 12, 1971 to April 8, 1979 and won 22 Emmy Awards out of 56 total nominations. Among the episodes airing May 13-17 on getTV are the 1971 pilot, the episode that introduced Bea Arthur as Edith's cousin Maude (who went on to have her own series), the episode guest-starring Sammy Davis Jr. in which its final scene produced the longest sustained audience laughter in the history of the show, and the 1972 two-parter flashback episode, "Mike and Gloria's Wedding."
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Monday, May 29
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to What Used to be the Neighborhood" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Calvin’s favorite restaurant closes and is replaced by a flashy pet spa, he worries the community is losing too many small businesses and starts a campaign to only buy local. Also, Tina helps Necie prepare a special surprise for Marty.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Your Father's Kingdom" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Abishola turns to Gloria and Kemi when Bob mortgages their home to pay for a new factory space. Also, Kemi worries that she and Chukwuemeka are losing their spark.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 29)
Monday, May 29
- Seth Rogen (Platonic/Undeclared) - Watch Seth on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Keanu Reaves (Swedish Dicks) - Keanu appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Melanie is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- James Spader (The Office) - James appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Brett Gelman (Fleabag/Married/Go On) - Brett is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood/Survivor's Remorse/Happily Divorced/Everybody Hates Chris/Martin) - Tichina appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Schmigadoon!/Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John talks about MSNBC's Leguizamo Does America on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric talks about Shudder and AMC+'s Slasher: Ripper on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man tells Sherri about his role in Sanaa Lathan’s directorial debut, On the Come Up, on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
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