Friday, November 22, 2019
Fri-Yay: Rick and Morty Season 4; ABC Midseason 2020 Schedule

by Vincent
After a long, long wait, the fourth season of Rick and Morty is finally airing on [adult swim]. In some ways, it's a miracle that the show, after all of its long hiatuses, still has as dedicated of a following as it does. The show started in 2014 but is just now starting its fourth season, as other comedies from the 2014 class such as Broad City, You're the Worst and BoJack Horseman are all ended or ending. But the show has an extremely dedicated fanbase, a testament to how well-written and perfectly crafted the series in. Four seasons in, the series still feels fresh, a sign of just what a well-constructed series it is.
Season 4 of Rick and Morty, which premiered last week and just aired its second episode, is as fresh as ever. Yes, the series has lost some of that "wow" factor it had in its first two seasons, but that's likely just a result of us adjusting to the show's wavelength. The show is still able to creatively mix comedy and time travel, and do so effortlessly. It's remarkable that even with so much time passing in between seasons (it's been over 2 years since the end of Season 3), I'm still just as drawn in by the show as ever. Even if it takes another two years, I'll always be down for more Rick and Morty.
ABC has announced its 2020 midseason schedule. Among the highlights include the new drama For Life, from Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 10:00 p.m. EST and launches a new season of American Idol on Sunday, Feb. 16 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, following The Oscars® a week prior on Sunday, Feb. 9. On Thursday, Jan. 23 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy” start the evening with a powerful two-hour crossover event followed by the highly anticipated return of A Million Little Things at its new time period of 10:00 p.m. EST. Station 19 debuts in its new time period at 8 p.m. EST followed by Grey's Anatomy moving back to 9 p.m. EST, in its powerhouse timeslot of many years.
As previously announced, The Bachelor kicks off Monday, Jan. 6 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. EST, with a three-hour premiere, with The Good Doctor returning with brand new episodes on Jan. 13 at 10:00 p.m. EST. The multiple, consecutive night event JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time premieres Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 8:00 p.m. EST. As far as ABC comedies, mixed-ish and black-ish return with winter premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9:00 p.m. EST, while Modern Family & Single Parents return on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 9:00 p.m. EST. ABC's 8:00 p.m. EST comedies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (The Connors, Bless this Mess, The Goldbergs, Schooled) will return following the conclusion of the JEOPARDY! primetime event (the returns could be Jan. 15 and Jan. 21). Friday comedies American Housewife and Fresh off the Boat return on Friday, Jan. 17, with Fresh ending its run on Friday, Feb. 21.
Other returning series dates include Emergence on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 10, Stumptown on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 10, The Rookie on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 10 and the final episodes of How to Get Away with Murder on Thursday, April 2 at 10. Additional premiere dates (such as new comedy United We Fall and new drama The Baker & the Beauty) and schedule details will be announced at a later time (AFV, Kids Say, Shark Tank are expected to continue to air on Sundays this winter).
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, July 12
Mind Your Business - "Love Child" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alfonso and Aaliyah's world is flipped upside down when their mother's secret love child comes into town, while Mia tries to figure out who is sending her gifts every hour on the hour.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Friday, July 11
- Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
- David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning 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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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