New Ted Danson NBC Comedy Gets Holly Hunter; Mel Brooks Gets New HBO Comedy Special

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

New Ted Danson NBC Comedy Gets Holly Hunter; Mel Brooks Gets New HBO Comedy Special

Holly Hunter, an Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress who recently had a critically applauded recurring role in HBO's drama Succession, will star alongside Ted Danson (The Good Place, Cheers) in NBC's new untitled comedy written and executive produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. The series is about a wealthy businessman (Danson) who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons. Once he wins he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his staff and connect with his teenage daughter, all while humanely controlling the coyote population. Hunter will play Arpi, a longtime liberal councilwoman. Having dedicated her life to the betterment of Los Angeles, she makes no secret of her disdain for the newly elected Mayor Bremer, whom she considers unqualified, sexist, and too tall to be trusted. In addition to Danson and Hunter, Saturday Night Live vet Bobby Moynihan was previously announced in the cast as Jayden, the interim director of communications in the newly elected mayor's office.

Mel Brooks Unwrapped - Mel Brooks and Alan Yentob

From the groundbreaking TV series Your Show of Shows to landmark films like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks has been one of the most influential voices in comedy. Now, this entertainment legend looks back on his remarkable career in Mel Brooks Unwrapped, debuting Friday, Dec. 13 from 9:00-10:10 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on HBO. The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners' streaming platforms.

The HBO comedy special features award-winning actor, writer, producer and director Mel Brooks in interviews past and present with Alan Yentob, former creative director for the BBC. Since 1981, Yentob has filmed the inimitable Brooks for a number of candid conversations and mock interviews, many of which showcase a more reserved Alan as "straight man" to Mel's high-energy, quick-witted, unsparingly sarcastic persona. Combining Yentob's archival material with present-day interviews and verité footage of the now 93-year-old Brooks, the special is filled with the venerated comedian's hilarious anecdotes about his life and illustrious career.

Mel Brooks Unwrapped also shows Yentob following Brooks in his day-to-day life, including a visit with long-time friend and collaborator Carl Reiner - who dubs Mel "the funniest human being in the world" - to share some spaghetti and meatballs and watch some iconic clips from Brooks' 60-plus years in showbiz. The special marks Mel Brooks' fourth appearance on HBO in recent years, following 2011's Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again, 2012's Mel Brooks Strikes Back! and 2014's Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen, all of which have been nominated for Emmy(R) awards. To celebrate the new special, Mel Brooks Live at the Geffen and Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again will return on HBO GO and HBO NOW for viewers.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, December 22

Bob's Burgers - "The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the power goes out two days before Christmas, The Belchers must spend the holiday at Mr. Fischoeder's family's old hunting lodge.

Krapopolis - "Krapocalypse" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tyrannis is stuck in a time loop trying to save the city.

The Simpsons - "The Man Who Flew Too Much" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The new and improved Pin Pals travel to Capital City for their first ever state bowling championship.

Universal Basic Guys - "The Devil You Know" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark insists on teaching his son Darren how to throw a handmade boomerang that was gifted to Darren by his father; the two soon find themselves on a trek deep into the Jersey woods; David is the recipient of a sex doll that he swears he didn't order.

The Great North - "The Lies Aquatic Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While Beef is away, the Tobin fishing boat goes missing; the Tobin siblings wildly speculate on what could have happened.

Krapopolis - "National Lampoon's The Odyssey!" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family takes a vacation to Storgos for Shlub's mother's birthday.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Full-Frontal Dottie" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Excited by her physical therapy progress, Dottie insists she is ready to return to MaxDot, much to Bob, Douglas and Christina's dismay.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)

Friday, December 20

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/HouseBroken/Catastrophe) - Sharon is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Colton Dunn (Superstore) and Diona Reasonover (Clipped) - Colton and Diona are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - NBC's Today catches up with Zachary in the 9am hour.
Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy talks about Mufasa: The Lion King on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about The Six Triple Eight on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
James Marsden (30 Rock) and Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - James and Ben talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about Max's Fast Friends on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit has the best of Henry and Kit Hoover, so check your local listings.
Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - The Talk celebrates 15 seasons with a special finale episode; friend of the show Howie Mandel makes his 21st appearance on the show when he stops by one last time with a surprise for the hosts on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.