Tuesday, November 26, 2019

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

Ted Danson and Holly Hunter

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

Thursday, January 15

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Fan Mail and Old-Timey Organ Music" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie’s upset when Mandy’s new role as weekend weather girl gets her more attention from the men in town, and Connor turns to Jim for help when he’s asked to play the organ at the high school baseball game.

Ghosts - "St. Hetty's Day" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Hetty’s ghost power is revealed when Jay’s cousin Sunil visits Woodstone Mansion on St. Patrick’s Day.

Animal Control - "Bagged Birds and Alley Dogs" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank spends the day with influencer and park benefactor Roman Park ahead of the grand opening of their annex kennel; friction arises within the newly combined precincts when Emily assigns Templeton, Shred and Patel to work together.

Going Dutch - "The Laser's Edge" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
An intense battle of laser tag combat; Captain Maggie avoids third-wheeling Major Shah and Celeste.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 12)

Thursday, January 15

  • Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Chris on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also chats about Unfunny Bunny and Saturday Night Live with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Kirk Fox (Jury Duty/How to Rock) - Kirk is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Sean talks about The Unknown on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kyle MacLachlan (Carol's Second Act/Sex and the City) - NBC's Today catches up with Kyle in the 9am hour.
  • Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones/The Unicorn/Vice Principals) - Walton talks about Fallout on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) and Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) - Gina and Tig talk about their new show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Sherri, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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01/13 - 83rd Golden Globe Winners; Tubi's Upcoming YA Film Slate
01/12 - Peacock's The 'Burbs Trailer; The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch Back on COZI TV
01/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 12, 2026)
01/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler to Star in NBC Legal Comedy Pilot; First Look at Peacock's The 'Burbs
01/09 - HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! Documentary with Interviews Including Rob Reiner; 83rd Annual Golden Globes Presenters
01/08 - Netflix Orders Nick Kroll Comedy Series; Saturday Night Live January 2026 Hosts and Music Guests
01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
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01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)