Friday, July 05, 2019
Fri-Yay: Netflix's One Day at a Time Revived By Pop TV; WarnerMedia OTT Gets Gremlins Series

by Vincent
Well, just when it seemed like all hope was lost for One Day at a Time, it finally happened. The beloved yet cancelled revival of the 1970s sitcom was miraculously resurrected by Pop TV - yes, the former TV Guide Network - for a fourth season, set to air in 2020. This is a landmark deal not just for fans of One Day at a Time - although the fact that we will get to see more of the Alvarez family is seriously exciting - but also for TV in general. Over the past 5-6 years, we've gotten used to streaming services swooping in and saving network and cable TV shows from cancellation. Now, we have the opposite happening - a cable network has saved a cancelled streaming series. It seems we've come full circle, haven't we?
One Day at a Time going to Pop TV - an admittedly lesser known cable network - seems strange at first, but makes more sense the more you think about it. After all, Pop TV is home to Schitt's Creek, another little watched but critically cherished family sitcom. More importantly, the network is owned by CBS, who previously expressed interest in the show for its CBS All Access streaming service but was denied the ability by Netflix due to the platform's (frankly ridiculous) rules about its originals switching streaming services. One Day at a Time will premiere its new episodes on Pop, but will also rerun them on CBS, which should give the series a chance to reach new fans. Frankly, One Day at a Time has always felt like it would do best on a traditional TV network, and CBS's audience could very well eat the show up (it would fit well with Mom). I really hope this series works out for the show, as there's nothing quite like it on TV. But I'm also interested to see just what this means for streaming services going forward. With Netflix going on a cancellation spree lately, could some of its other casualties find a new home? In this new "cable network saves streaming services" world, it seems like anything's possible.
WarnerMedia has ordered Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, a 10-episode, half-hour prequel to original Gremlins, for it OTT streaming sertvice. In the animated television adaptation, we travel back to 1920s Shanghai to reveal the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing (future shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 movie) met the young Mogwai called Gizmo. Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, May 31
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)
Friday, May 30
- Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal/The Curse) - Watch Nathan on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ralph Macchio (Eight Is Enough) - Ralph swings by for a chat about Karate Kid: Legends on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about Broadway's Real Women Have Curves: The Musical on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara is telling Drew about the new venture she's taking on, where she's currently at with dating and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Don Darryl Rivera (Only Murders in the Building) - Don talks about Broadway's Aladdin on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
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)
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