Fri-Yay: Is It Time to Lower Our Expectations for Sitcom Ratings?; Antenna TV's Dennis the Menace Thanksgiving Weekend Marathon

Friday, October 18, 2019

Fri-Yay: Is It Time to Lower Our Expectations for Sitcom Ratings?; Antenna TV's Dennis the Menace Thanksgiving Weekend Marathon

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

Well, we're nearly a month into the fall TV season, and it's certainly fair to say that it's been a disappointing one for sitcoms. Not one sitcom has really broken out to be a hit - CBS's slate of sitcoms hasn't quite lived up to the network's high ratings standards, NBC's Sunnyside has gotten critical acclaim but is struggling to beat even CW-level ratings (and now has been pulled from the schedule), and Fox and ABC's limited new comedies haven't exactly lit the world on fire either. Really, ABC's mixed-ish is probably the closest you could call a "hit sitcom" this season, and it's not doing amazingly well - plus, it's a spin-off of the already established hit black-ish.

Still, this isn't the first disappointing TV fall in the past few years, and it's following a trend where we're seeing less and less new sitcoms rising to "hit" status year after year. Yes, last fall we had The Conners, and it remains TV's highest-rated sitcom. But even that show, while still pulling in a strong audience, isn't rising up to the megahit levels of The Big Bang Theory or the earlier seasons of Modern Family. It's been so long since we've seen that kind of dominance from sitcom ratings, and it feels like it's been even longer since a fall sitcom that wasn't a spin-off of another series has broken out in a big way. So, is it time to start accepting that sitcoms are simply heading to a more niche place? Perhaps shows like The Neighborhood, Superstore or The Good Place, neither of which could be called "big hits" but pull in solid numbers and have a stable, consistent audience, are the closest we'll get to having a "hit" sitcom. It wouldn't be the worst thing - and with the way TV is going, catering to niches is likely the future. But it will be interesting to see if networks can conform to this new normal, or if they'll just keep hoping soon, things will turn around.

Dennis the Menace

Gather the family together this Thanksgiving weekend for a whole lot of wholesome fun on Antenna TV with a marathon of everyone's favorite mischief-maker and sitcom series, Dennis the Menace. Antenna TV, Nexstar Media Group's multicast entertainment network, will broadcast all 146 episodes in the Dennis the Menace series beginning at 8pm ET on Wednesday, November 27 and continuing through Sunday, December 1. The show follows the lives of the Mitchell family played by Jay North, Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. Dennis the Menace regularly airs on Antenna TV weekdays 10am ET/7am PT and Saturdays and Sundays 7:30am ET/4:30am PT.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, December 7

Ghosts (UK) - "The Grey Lady" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After a photographer accidentally captures a photo of Fanny and posts it on social media, Alison and Mike try to capitalize on the attention by offering admission to the haunted Button House.

Ghosts (UK) - "About Last Night" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
After a night of partying, Alison tries to figure out why the ghosts are acting so strangely as she and Mike scramble to clean up the house for a wedding planner to view.

Son of a Critch - "The Perfect Storm" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark learns new things about his parents after a historic storm knocks out power to the Critch house; when his father's back goes out, Mike Jr. has to broadcast all night alone.

Children Ruin Everything - "Weekends" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT)
With long days at the office, Astrid cannot shake the feeling that she is missing out on key moments with their kids; Astrid convinces James that what the family needs is an adventure together.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)

Thursday, December 7

Halle Bailey (grown-ish) - Catch Halle on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Sara Bareilles (Girls5eva) - Sara is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) - Gael appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Michelle Pfeiffer (Delta House) - Michelle appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison and writer/director Allison Flom talk about joining forces in their new podcast, Erased: The Murder of Elma Sand, on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. She can also be heard on the Morning Mashup on SiriusXM.
Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - NBC's Today catches up with Tony in the 9am hour.
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey talks about the reboot of Frasier on Paramount+ and opens up about the loss of his friend, Kirstie Alley, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Dennis Quaid (Merry Happy Whatever) - Dennis talks about Paramount+'s Lawmen: Bass Reeves on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jack Cutmore-Scott (Frasier) - Jack talks about Paramount+'s Frasier on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
John Brotherton (Fuller House) - John and Erin Cahill are guests (tentative) on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.