Fri-Yay: Rick and Morty Season 4; ABC Midseason 2020 Schedule

Friday, November 22, 2019

Fri-Yay: Rick and Morty Season 4; ABC Midseason 2020 Schedule

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

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.

For Life

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

Wednesday, July 9

Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.

Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.

Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.

Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)

Wednesday, July 9

Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.