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

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.
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
Sunday, January 17
The Simpsons - "The Road to Cincinnati" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Odd couple Skinner and Chalmers embark on an 800-mile car ride to Cincinnati to attend an administrator's convention.
Bob's Burgers - "Mommy Boy" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Linda joins a women's business group, Gene gets possessive of her time; Louise and Tina want to learn how to fight.
The Simpsons - "Sorry Not Sorry" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Lisa calls her teacher, Ms. Hoover, a hack and refuses to apologize; Lisa learns Ms. Hoover's private pain.
The Simpsons - "The Dad-Feelings Limited" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Comic book guy and his wife, Kumiko, debate having a baby; his origin story is revealed.
Bob's Burgers - "Yachty or Nice" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the Belchers get an unexpected invitation to cater the Glencrest Yacht Club's holiday boat parade, Bob wonders if there's a catch; Louise has her eye on the present-loaded Santa Schooner.
Family Guy - "CutawayLand" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Peter and Lois accidentally set up a cutaway gag together, which somehow transports them into the cutaway itself.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 11)
Friday, January 15
- Cole Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Watch Cole on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Amy is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt (Shaky Ground) - Jennifer appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Regina King (The Boondocks/227) - Regina talks about One Night in Miami on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch/The Brady Brides) - Maureen and Dan Vicky talk about about the nostalgic HGTV home renovation series Frozen in Time on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. They will also be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle) - Jenna talks about her uplifitng book It's All Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show/Here and Now/Malcolm & Eddie/Listen Up!) - Malcolm-Jamal talks about Fox's The Resident on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
- George Lopez (Lopez/Saint George/George Lopez) - George chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-January)
09/01 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 14
09/01 - What We Do in the Shadows - The Complete Second Season
09/01 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray)
09/15 - Mom - The Complete Seventh Season
09/15 - South Side - Season 1
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Second Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Third Season
09/22 - Brockmire - The Complete Fourth Season
09/22 - Man with a Plan - Season Three
09/29 - The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
10/13 - The Jetsons - The Complete Series (Diamond Collection)
10/13 - Our Cartoon President - Season Two
10/23 - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - The Complete Collection
10/27 - The Flintstones - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/27 - Head of the Class - The Complete Second Season (WBShop.com)
11/10 - Letterkenny - Seasons 5 & 6
11/10 - The Office - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/10 - Schitt's Creek - The Complete Collection
11/17 - Carol's Second Act - The Complete Series
11/17 - Robbie - Season 1
11/24 - Corporate - Season 1
11/26 - Man with a Plan - Season Four
12/01 - The Neighborhood - Season Two
12/15 - Avenue 5 - The Complete First Season
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