Fri-Yay: The Amazing Superstore Season 4 Finale; Netflix Has Healing Powers

Friday, June 21, 2019

Fri-Yay: The Amazing Superstore Season 4 Finale; Netflix Has Healing Powers

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!

by Vincent

Now that Upfronts are over, and we have a better idea of the outlook of network sitcoms for the next year, I can take a moment to talk about how much I loved the Superstore finale. I know I talk about Superstore a lot, but I feel it's one of the best (maybe the very best?) example of a great, traditional comedy on the air right now, and I also don't feel it gets nearly enough attention for weaving traditional sitcom stories with relevant character work that feels cutting for our times.

The season finale, in which (spoiler alert if you aren't caught up with the show through the Season 4 finale, you Live+35 days viewers) Mateo's undocumented status is finally discovered, is a great example. In some ways, it's a typical "character has a secret" sitcom plot, with all of the characters struggling and failing to try to get Mateo out of the store and not captured by ICE agents. But then it ends in a very dark place - Mateo is, indeed, taken into detention by ICE agents. It's such a perfect example of how the series plays to conventional sitcom tropes, but then spins them on their head with a dark dose of the reality these characters are living. If you aren't watching Superstore, please catch up over the summer and see where this great, relevant sitcom is going when it returns in the fall for Season 5.

The Healing Powers of Dude

Netflix has ordered 8 episodes of The Healing Powers of Dude, a family live action (single-camera) comedy series co-created by Erica Spates and Sam Littenberg-Weisberg (Coop and Cami Ask the World, Victorious and Mystery Girls) with half of the episodes directed by Richie Keen (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Fist Fight, Teachers). When Noah, an 11-year-old boy with social anxiety disorder, has to start middle school, he turns to a mutt named Dude, a sarcastic emotional support dog who might need Noah as much as Noah needs him. The series stars Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!), Larisa Oleynik (10 Things I Hate About You and The Secret World of Alex Mack), Laurel Emory (Heartstrings), Mauricio Lara (The Conners, Young Sheldon, Teachers), Sophie Jaewon Kim, Dude the Dog, and newcomer Jace Chapman.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, September 30

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 29)

Tuesday, September 30

Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Catch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Reneé Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Reneé is the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about his children's book Detective Duck: The Mystery at Emerald Pond on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Charlie Hunnam (Undeclared) - Charlie stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Monster: The Ed Gein Story on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Chelsea Frei (The Paper/The Moodys) - Chelsea appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) - Glen talks about Chad Powers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Mindy Kaling (Running Point/The Mindy Project/The Office) - ABC's Good Morning America has Deals & Steals with Mindy sometime between 7-9am.
Asher Grodman (Ghosts) - Asher talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - NBC's Today has TODAY Food with Neil and David Burtka sometime between 7-9am.
Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane dishes on the new season of Celebrity Weakest Link on Fox on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina tells Drew all about her action-packed new film One Battle After Another on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Teri Hatcher (The Odd Couple/Sunday Dinner/Karen's Song/The Love Boat) - Teri is whipping up a delicious meal in the kitchen with her Desperately Devoted Podcast Co-Hosts onscreen daughter Andrea Bowen and real-life daughter Emerson Tenney on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
John Corbett (And Just Like That.../Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/United States of Tara/Lucky/Sex and the City) - John talks about Soul on Fire on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.