Friday, November 08, 2019
Fri-Yay: Thoughts on Netflix's Living with Yourself; ABC Orders More Episodes of American Housewife and Bless This Mess
Living with Yourself: A potentially great comedy-drama squandered by some questionable decisions
by Vincent
A few weeks ago, Netflix released its latest "comedy," the half-hour science fiction series about cloning entitled Living with Yourself. Starring Paul Rudd, the series really stretches the definition of a sitcom. But it's being billed as a comedy series, and has a 30 minute running time, so technically, in the eyes of Netflix, it's a member of their "comedy" slate. That speaks to the trouble Netflix has had in establishing itself in the live action comedy brand...but we'll get to that in a second. Living with Yourself is in some ways a very good series. The acting is phenomenal, the concept is very cool, and the series actually does a good job of maintaining the comedy-drama balance. Cloning yourself and having your clone ruin your life is kind of a funny concept (there was a very funny American Dad! episode about it I couldn't stop thinking about during this series), so it's a smart move to combine comedy and science fiction with such a concept, and what better guy to do that than Paul Rudd, who is one of Hollywood's most likable actors?
And yet, like so much of Netflix's programming recently, the show falls just a little bit short. So much of that is because (again, much like a lot of Netflix's slate) the show feels designed to "bingeable" more than "good." The series rushes through a lot of the fun elements of the concept in favor of unexpected twists and turns, resulting in a finish that is less than the sum of its parts. That's why I think Netflix has had such a hard time establishing a truly great live action comedy series that lasts for more than a few seasons. Sitcoms are at their best when they're living in the moment, exploding every inch of their world and characters. The Netflix comedies that understood this are all from the early slate of their original series such as Kimmy Schmidt or Grace and Frankie, or they're cut down before their prime like One Day at a Time. In this new era of Netflix's instant gratification, a truly good comedy just doesn't fit.
ABC comedies American Housewife and Bless This Mess have been given full-season orders. The network has ordered six additional episodes of each show. This means Housewife is now 21 episodes (original order for the season was 15) and Bless this Mess will run for 19 episodes (up from the original 13 ordered). Currently in its 4th season on the network, American Housewife stars Katy Mixon as Katie Otto, Diedrich Bader as Greg Otto, Meg Donnelly as Taylor Otto, Daniel DiMaggio as Oliver Otto, Julia Butters as Anna-Kat Otto, Carly Hughes as Angela and Ali Wong as Doris. Sophomore series Bless This Mess stars Lake Bell as Rio, Dax Shepard as Mike, Ed Begley Jr. as Rudy, Pam Grier as Constance, JT Neal as Jacob, David Koechner as Beau, Lennon Parham as Kay and Langston Kerman as Brandon.
On the next episode of American Housewife, entitled "Flavor of Westport," Katie teams up with Oliver in hopes of growing her lasagna-making endeavor from hobby to serious business venture. Meanwhile, a bout of writer's block forces Greg to look at new career opportunities. When a young YouTube sensation enlists Greg's help to ghostwrite his memoir, Greg is pushed out of his comfort zone on an all-new American Housewife, Friday, Nov. 15 at 8:00 p.m. EST, on ABC.
On the next episode of Bless This Mess, entitled "The Visit," Donna springs a last-minute trip to Nebraska on Mike and Rio, which she claims is to relax, but Mike and Rio soon find out she has other plans in mind when she steps into competitive mode to get them to participate in the harvest. Meanwhile, Constance's son Brandon is driving her crazy working at the store, so she pawns him off on Rudy on an all-new episode of Bless This Mess, Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8:30 p.m. EST, on ABC.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, November 11
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Great Beyond" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Butlers and Johnsons receive shocking news about their neighbor that changes their outlook on life.
Poppa's House - "School Days" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Junior and Nina turn to their parents for help paying tuition when their son gets accepted into a prestigious private school. While Poppa believes the kids will be just fine at public school, his ex-wife, Catherine (Wendy Raquel Robinson), and Nina’s father, JJ (Geoffrey Owens), try to convince him that his grandson’s education is worth the investment.
The Conners - "Three Ring Circus" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ben and Darlene are excited to share their good news with the family, but Neville, Jackie, Aldo and Harris share some very similar news of their own.
The Conners - "A Judge and a Priest Walk into a Living Room..." (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Conners gear up for a megawedding; Jackie and Neville, Darlene and Ben, and Harris and Aldo are planning for a shared big day, but along the way, they discover that some of the couples may not be on the same page about their happily ever afters.
What We Do in the Shadows - "Laszlo's Father" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Laszlo's father's ghost returns to make amends; Nadja and Nandor deal with the shapeshifters who have moved in next door.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 11)
Monday, November 11
- William Stanford Davis (Abbott Elementary) - Watch William on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He will also be on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Wendi McClendon-Covey (St. Denis Medical/The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Wendi stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about St. Denis Medical on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Milana Vayntrub (Other Space), Jessica Lowe (Wrecked) and Jason Ritter (Another Period/The Class) - Milana, Jessica and Jason are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - E! News has an interview with Kyle at 11pm on E!. She will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin talks about Our Little Secret on NBC's Today some time between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
- Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/Catastrophe) - NBC's Today catches up with Sharon in the 9am hour. Sharon and Eve Hewson talk about Bad Sisters on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl joins Kelly and Mark in Greater Palm Springs to talk about the new season of ABC's hit show Abbott Elementary on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair joins the Tam Fam to talk about his new series Celebrity Crime Files on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Donna Mills (The Good Life) and Joan Van Ark (We've Got Each Other/Temperatures Rising) - Donna, Joan and Michele Lee chat about the 45th anniversary of Knots Landing on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Paul talks about his new book Joyful Recollections of Trauma and his upcoming How Did This Get Made tour on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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