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

Tuesday, January 28

The Conners - "Mud Turtles, A Good Steak and One Man in a Tub" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Becky thinks that Jackie’s new friend Dawn (guest star Cheryl Hines), a restaurant supplier, is only cozying up to her to sell them things they can’t afford for the Lunch Box. Darlene is thrilled when Harris gets into Central Illinois State, but Harris might have found a better offer on her own. When Dan finds himself in an embarrassing situation nursing an injury, Louise (Katey Sagal) tries to help him out.

Bless This Mess - "The Letter of the Law" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Rio is bummed she can’t afford to go to Iceland for her best friend’s wedding, so the nuptials are moved and brought to the farm. Meanwhile, Rio is forced to take on Deb’s mail route after she quits, and Mike and Jacob help Rudy get over Constance.

mixed-ish - "True Colors" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Paul is shocked to hear from his estranged mother who wants to visit for Rainbow’s 13th birthday and soon learns more about why she abandoned him. Meanwhile, Rainbow sees turning 13 as a huge turning point in her life and wants a big birthday party, but Alicia wants to celebrate all the things Rainbow missed out on over the years while on the commune.

black-ish - "Adventure to Ventura" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Dre worries Diane and Jack don’t know how to fend for themselves and sends them out on an adventure, only to realize it’s his overbearing worries that hold the twins back. Meanwhile, Junior gets into a tricky situation at work when he befriends Josh in hopes of scoring a positive peer review.

Schitt's Creek - "Maid of Honour" (Pop, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Moira shares the newly released "Crows" movie trailer with the Jazzagals; Johnny and Roland find a suspicious bag of money at the new motel.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 27)

Tuesday, January 28

Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Ben on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) - William drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ashton Kutcher (The Ranch/Two and a Half Men/That '70s Show) - Ashton visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Ilana Glazer (Broad City) - Ilana is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Tony Rock (Living Biblically/All of Us) - Tony is a panelist on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Aidy Bryant (Shrill) - Aidy appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 10pm on Bravo.
Miles Brown (black-ish) - Miles is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Fox's The Resident on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Hot in Cleveland/Jake in Progress/Just Shoot Me!) - Wendie talks about Disney Channel's The Owl House on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia talks about Poisoned Love on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Bill Pullman (1600 Penn) - Bill talks about The Sinner on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on the BUILD Series at 12:15pm.
Janeane Garofalo (The Larry Sanders Show) and Grant Rosenmeyer (Oliver Beene) - Janeane and Grant are guests on the BUILD Series at 2pm.