Friday, August 09, 2019

Fri-Yay: Pop TV: The Next Home for Great Sitcoms?; The Tonight Show Gets 5 Sunday Specials and Premiere Week Live Episodes

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!

Pop TV - Florida Girls, Schitt's Creek, One Day at a Time

by Vincent

We live in the age of Peak TV, meaning that there's more television on more platforms than ever before. Yes, everyone is making original programming these days, from cable networks to streaming services and even to social media sites. That means great programming can come from some very unlikely places - and one of the biggest provider of quality sitcoms lately has been from Pop TV, formerly known as the TV Guide Network. Yes, the channel whose main purpose was once to tell you what was on the other channels may be on its way to becoming a home of great, high-quality sitcoms.

Right now, Pop TV's effort is spearheaded by Schitt's Creek, which is a family sitcom that has gradually become a fan favorite and accumulated a fan-base due to its quick wit, strong writing and excellent cast performances. The hype has been gradually building over the past few years, to the point that the series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series this year. It's enough to make Pop TV powerful enough that people are certainly paying attention to it - and that may even increase with the acquisition of One Day at a Time, another fan and critically beloved series that will be airing on the network next fall. Additionally, Pop TV's Florida Girls is another series that has garnered critical attention this summer. The new comedy series, created by Laura Shinn, is a low-key comedy series about working class women in Florida, and yet it also has some of the snappiest comedy writing on television right now. It's another testament to the fact that great comedy could be found anywhere - even, and maybe especially, on the former TV Guide Network.


The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

In a late-night first, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is getting into the gridiron groove with five telecasts that will follow the fall's most exciting sports event, NBC's Sunday Night Football. The first post-Sunday Night Football show will air Sept. 8 at approx. 12:05am ET following a prime AFC match-up when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Foxborough, Mass., to take on the World Champion New England Patriots (and late local news). On the west coat, the specials will air at 10:00pm PT. Guests for the first telecast will include Jamie Foxx and Michael B. Jordan, who will share a clip of their new film, Just Mercy. In addition, Kelly Clarkson will appear to discuss her latest project, the daytime series The Kelly Clarkson Show, and singer Kane Brown will perform. The other four "Tonight Show" Sunday telecasts are Oct. 6, 20, 27 and Dec. 1. The Tonight Show will air all five nights following late local news. Check local listings for specific times/markets.

Additionally, the show will broadcast an entire week live on Sept. 23-27, which is the opening week of the new fall season. Fallon recently hosted two live shows from its home studio at 30 Rock after the first Democratic presidential primary debates on June 26 and 27. Prior to that, live telecasts aired following Super Bowl LII and Super Bowl XLIX.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, July 25

Happy's Place - "Mama Drama" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Isabella's mom, Maritza, arrives, Bobbie tells the crew she's forgiven her for what happened with Happy, only to realize Maritza holds a grudge against her; Emmett and Takoda try to find out why Steve can't return to his home in Colombia.

Happy's Place - "Accountability" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Isabella accidentally implies she doesn't trust Steve's work on the tavern's taxes, Bobbie and Steve decide to have some fun and teach her a lesson; Gabby goes on a health kick enlisting Takoda as her personal trainer.

Electric Bloom - "How We Made a Tiny Mistake" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Follows a girl band since they met in middle school to present day, learning how their pre-famous lives go on to fuel their future musical chart toppers.

Electric Bloom - "How We Found a Howie" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Follows a girl band since they met in middle school to present day, learning how their pre-famous lives go on to fuel their future musical chart toppers.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 21)

Friday, July 25

  • Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Watch Cedric on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) - Jeremy is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Timothy Olyphant (Stick/Santa Clarita Diet) - Timothy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Emily Ratajkowski (Too Much) - Emily is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear/Girls) - Ebon talks about The Fantastic Four: First Steps on a repeat of ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne talks about Neflix's Leanne on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Kristen Johnston (Leanne/Mom/The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen talks about Netflix's Leanne on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - Tony talks about his brand-new show Tony Danza: Sinatra & Stories on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Michael Jai White (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse) - Michael is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

07/25 - TV One Honors Malcolm-Jamal Warner; Comedy Central Season 3 of Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head; Remembering Kenneth Washington of Hogan's Heroes
07/24 - Only Murders in the Building Season 5 Premieres September 9; Apple TV+ Stick Renewed for Season 2
07/23 - Apple TV+ Ted Lasso Season 4 Details; NBC Orders Stumble to Series
07/22 - Remembering Malcolm-Jamal Warner of The Cosby Show and Malcolm & Eddie; Futurama Season 13 Drops September 15
07/21 - Hallmark Channel Acquires Gilmore Girls; Freida Pinto to Star in Netflix Series
07/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 21, 2025)
07/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels The Late Show; Gilmore Girls Headed to Hallmark
07/18 - ABC Fall 2025 Premiere Dates; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to End in May 2026
07/17 - Netflix's Geek Girl Season 2 Starts Production; The CW Picks Up Sullivan's Crossing for Season 4
07/16 - Antenna TV's Still Dreaming of Jeannie 60th Anniversary Marathon; 77th Primetime Emmy Nominations
07/15 - Shark Tank Season 17 Guest Sharks; Tubi YA Comedy Film with Paris Berelc
07/14 - CBS Fall 2025 Premiere Dates; HBO and Larry David Team Up Again
07/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 14, 2025)
07/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Reboot Headed to ABC; New King of the Hill Trailer Released
07/11 - The Office Spinoff The Paper Premieres September 4; Upload Season 4 Returns August 25
07/10 - The Big Bang Theory's Stuart Spinoff Ordered by HBO Max; Long Story Short Premieres August 22 on Netflix
07/09 - New Girl Summer on Hulu; Vir Das Gets Brand New Netflix Special
07/08 - Tubi Comedy Series Demascus Premieres in August; LEGO Masters Jr. Lines Up Celebs for 4-Week Event
07/07 - Digman! Season Premiere Moved to July 23; Hulu's Reasonable Doubt Returns September 18
07/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 7, 2025)
07/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Comedy Central Delays South Park and Digman! Season Premieres; Jackée to Appear in Guest Role in Netflix Series
07/04 - Happy 4th of July; Antenna TV's McHale's Navy Red, White and Navy Independence Day Marathon
07/03 - The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Season 3 Premieres August 6; South Park New Season Moves by Two Weeks
07/02 - FETV Acquires The Rookies; Hulu Renews The Bear for Season 5
07/01 - Bert Kreischer Gets Netflix Sitcom; NBC Gets Into Survival Mode This Summer
06/30 - The Comeback Makes Another...Comeback; First Look at Black Rabbit at Netflix
06/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 30, 2025)
06/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Comeback Returning for a Third and Final Season; South Park to Remain on HBO Max
06/27 - The White Lotus Star Teams Up with Netflix; Remembering Bobby Sherman, Lynn Hamilton, and Rick Hurst
06/26 - The CW's Fall Movie of the Week; First Look at New York Comic Con 2025
06/25 - Netflix Renews Ransom Canyon for Season 2; My Life with the Walter Boys First Look for Season 2