Friday, August 16, 2019
Fri-Yay: Fall Sitcom Slate Check-In: CBS; E! Gets Reality Sitcom Meet the Frasers

by Vincent
Believe it or not, but summer is coming to an end and in just a few weeks, the fall TV season will be upon us. I'll be spending the next few weeks looking at each network's sitcom slates and making some early judgement calls about how the TV season is going to go for these new and returning sitcoms. First, let's take a look at CBS!
Returning sitcoms: CBS is a network in search of their next big comedy hit, now that The Big Bang Theory has retired. The network will be banking on spin-off Young Sheldon (which has also proven to be a big hit much like its parent series, if not quite Big Bang-level) and Mom (which has never reached the level of previous Chuck Lorre successes Big Bang and Two and a Half Men but nevertheless remains a solid performer) to anchor its Thursday line-up in the 8:00 and 9:00 hours. On Monday, promising sophomore The Neighborhood, which didn't light the world on fire but did better than many expected to as a rookie last year, gets the nod to anchor a line-up full of newbies on Monday.
New sitcoms: CBS has three new sitcoms on the fall line-up - the most of any network this fall - which I previewed back in May during Upfronts time, but just to reiterate, we have Chuck Lorre's latest project Bob ♡ Abishola on Mondays (which centers around a man falling in love with his nurse), single-camera The Unicorn on Thursdays at 8:30 (which centers around a recently widowed man entering the dating scene), and Patricia Heaton-fronted Carol's Second Act at 9:30 (which centers around a woman in her 50s becoming a doctor). All of these sitcoms make some sense with their placement, and they seem fairly on brand for CBS's audience (though The Unicorn being single-camera is somewhat interesting.)
The bottom line: CBS comedy is definitely in a transitional state right now, but CBS is smart to be testing out so many new sitcoms, and even riskier choices like single-camera The Unicorn. Most of these sitcoms seem on brand, but the success of CBS comedy this year lies a lot on questions we don't know the answer to yet, like if Young Sheldon can hold up its strong ratings without its parent series, or if The Neighborhood will either grow or collapse in Season 2. With Mom entering its later years, it's time for some new blood to step up and take the CBS comedy crown. Perhaps it'll be one of CBS's new sitcoms they're trying - they certainly hope so.
E! Entertainment will make a big splash in the tiny state of Rhode Island with the half-hour reality sitcom Meet the Frasers, produced by MGM's Evolution Media, premiering in 2020. Following Rhode Island’s local celebrity couple, 28-year-old psychic medium Matt Fraser and his pageant queen girlfriend, 21-year-old Alexa Papigiotis, the docu-series will showcase their lives, careers, and their very involved extended families. As Cranston's emerging golden couple, the duo is recognized everywhere from their local Italian restaurant to the latest stop on Matt's coast to coast tour. It doesn't hurt that they're often seen in an SUV branded with Matt’s face and name. This twosome is climbing their way to the top, with the biggest challenge being the opinionated loved ones who want to have a say in everything they do.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, May 9
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)
Friday, May 9
- Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Watch Paul on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Matt Bomer (Mid-Century Modern) - Matt appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Asif Ali (Deli Boys) and Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) - Asif and Saagar are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Busy Philipps (Girls5eva/Vice Principals/Cougar Town/Love, Inc.) - Busy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory/Happy Family/Welcome to New York/Cybill) - Christine talks about Nine Perfect Strangers on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love/Like Family/Love, Inc.) - Holly swings by for a chat about her new film Hats Off to Love on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) and Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - NBC's Today catches up with Sarah and Alyson in the 9am hour.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - In this a little bit extra episode Drew shares more of her conversation with Brooke at the news desk on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel joins Sherri to talk about starring in the new film Juliet & Romeo, so check your local listings.
- Terri J. Vaughn (She the People/Mann & Wife/Meet the Browns/All of Us/The Steve Harvey Show) - Terri talks about starring in the new Netflix series She the People on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Julia Sweeney (Shrill/Work in Progress/Maybe It's Me/George and Leo) and Marsha Mason (Grace and Frankie/The Middle/Sibs) - Julia and Marsha talk about My First Ex-Husband on PIX11 Morinng News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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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