Fri-Yay: Fall Sitcom Slate Check-In: CBS; E! Gets Reality Sitcom Meet the Frasers

Friday, August 16, 2019

Fri-Yay: Fall Sitcom Slate Check-In: CBS; E! Gets Reality Sitcom Meet the Frasers

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

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.

Meet the Frasers

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.

SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Friday, August 16, 2019

Fri-Yay: Fall Sitcom Slate Check-In: CBS; E! Gets Reality Sitcom Meet the Frasers

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