SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

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

This fall, Disney is set to premiere its first major streaming service (it also now owns Hulu, but that was previously a joint venture between NBCUniversal, Fox, and Disney-ABC). It'll be a big moment for entertainment fans of both TV and film, as there are many Disney-owned movies and TV shows set to land on the new streaming channel, as well as a slew of original programming, many of which feature popular Marvel/Disney characters. But Disney owns a whole lot of sitcoms now, too, especially since it recently bought 20th Century Fox's entire output. So what Disney-owned sitcoms will be available to stream on day one (November 12, 2019) of Disney+?

It's not quite as much as you might imagine. While Disney now owns every property that was either owned by Disney ABC studios and 20th Century Fox (that's a lot of sitcoms), many of these shows have licensing deals with other streaming services at the moment and will have to wait for those deals to expire before they land on Disney+. Not to mention that Disney does also completely own Hulu now, and has stated that Hulu will cater to adult audiences while Disney+ will be more family-geared. So it's certainly possible that some of the series that are geared more towards adults (such as Family Guy, American Dad!, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc) will remain on Hulu. However, there is one major animated sitcom set to move to Disney+ on launch day, and that's The Simpsons. That's noteworthy as this will be the first time the entire run - yes, all 30 seasons and counting - of The Simpsons will be available on an ad-free streaming service. That alone might make the sticker price ($7/month, considerably cheaper than Netflix) worth it if you're a Simpsons fans as I am. Other than The Simpsons, though, the initial sitcom offerings are somewhat limited. Perhaps the most noteworthy is some '90s and '00s ABC, Fox and Disney Channel sitcoms such as Malcolm in the Middle, Boy Meets World and That's So Raven (the former two series are on Hulu, but That's So Raven currently doesn't have a streaming home). This does suggest that Disney+ will be stocking its back catalog with some past favorites as well as current properties. So if you're a sitcom fan, Disney+ might be a bit of a "wait and see", but there are certainly interesting prospects on the horizon.

In honor of the ladies who define the term "Squad Goals," ABC Studios and PopSugar are celebrating national Golden Girls Day and National Cheesecake Day with an exclusive one-day-only The Golden Girls pop-up event at Vicky's House in Coconut Grove, Florida, on Tuesday, July 30, from 12:00–10:00 p.m. Fans and their friends are invited to stop by for a limited edition cheesecake milkshake inspired by The Golden Girls, pose for themed photo ops – including a scenic recreation of the ladies' iconic lanai – and shop 'til they drop on new and unique branded merchandise at the retail pop-up store! The pop-up store will offer fans the opportunity to purchase The Golden Girls-themed merchandise. Among the unique merchandise are books, party supplies, pins, dolls, tees, car sunshade, shower curtain and poster. All items can be purchased at https://www.toynk.com/collections/golden-girls.

THURSDAY, JULY 30
Location: Vicky's House
3190 Commodore Plaza
Coconut Grove, FL 33133
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Press preview
1:00 – 10:00 p.m. Open to the public