Friday, December 20, 2019

Fri-Yay: Essential Holiday Sitcom Viewing; HBO Comedy Returns for Season 4 in February

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!

Community - Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas

by Vincent

During this time of year, sitcoms tend to get a little bit more festive, a little sappier, and a little more reflective. Yes, I'm talking about Christmas specials, of course. Some people love them, some people hate them. Personally, I fall into the former category, especially when a show does it as well as the shows I'm about to list do. The following shows were exceptionally good at Christmas specials, and if you're a Bah Humbug about them, I implore you to try them out - you just might be turned to the light side.

Community: Community's Christmas specials weren't just episodes, they truly lived up to the name of "Christmas specials." They really celebrated the season, and demonstrated how the holidays brought the study group together. Of all 3 Christmas episodes (no, we don't count Season 4), all are classics, but my personal favorite is Season 2's "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas." This episode feels like the animated Christmas specials of years past, and it's truly something special.

30 Rock: 30 Rock's Christmas episodes perfectly balanced the sweet and the salty. The show didn't abandon its typically cynical, quirky tone, but it let its beating heart show just a bit in all of its Christmas episodes. Of all of the 30 Rock Christmas episodes, though, the one that demonstrates this the best is probably Season 5's "Christmas Attack Zone." This is an episode that has one of the most bizarre Christmas montages I've ever seen that still somehow manages to be moving. It's truly, genuinely unique.

Bob's Burgers: Bob's typically gets acclaim for its Thanksgiving episodes, but its Christmas episodes are no snuff, either. The show's quirky characters really shine in Christmas episodes, as Bob's desperation often hits a peak at Christmas that bounces off the other characters nicely. My personal favorite is the "Nice-capades," a Season 6 episode focused on Louise trying her best to good things for Christmas. It's another funny yet heartwarming story that demonstrates the show's best very well.

Happy Endings: There's only 2 Happy Endings Christmas episodes, but the second one especially deals with a unique problem I've never really seen done much on TV: the dreaded Christmas birthday. Season 3's "No Ho Ho" follows Jane's reveal that her birthday is actually on Christmas, and does the rare Christmas plot that you truly haven't seen before. As usual with Happy Endings, the show goes to some truly bizarre places, and yet all of them are earned and make total sense.


High Maintenance

The HBO comedy series High Maintenance, created by Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, returns for its nine-episode fourth season Friday, Feb. 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The critically acclaimed series uses The Guy (Sinclair), a marijuana dealer, to connect a variety of distinctly authentic, empathetic and insightful stories about the New York community, including his own. The series is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners' streaming platforms. High Maintenance continues to paint a unique and loving portrait of New York City, exploring the often-messy interpersonal moments of everyday people who are looking for meaning, companionship and a little high to make it through the day. The series is executive produced by Katja Blichfeld (Emmy(R)-winning casting director of 30 Rock), Ben Sinclair (Maniac, Home Again) and Russell Gregory.

This season finds The Guy (Ben Sinclair) back traversing the city on his bicycle, having said goodbye to last season's RV. With a new friend by his side, The Guy drops in on a variety of customers whose disparate lives, jobs, identities and circumstances reveal the human connection that we all seek. Playing out over the course of a year, this season focuses on cycles of renewal, webs of human connections, and putting down roots in the ever-changing ecosystem of New York City. Returning guest stars this season include Crystal Monee Hall, Heléne Yorke, Ken Leung, Julianna Luna Vasquez, Avery Monsen, Rob Morgan, Max Jenkins, Chris Roberti, Becca Blackwell, Chris McKinney and Birgit Huppuch. New guest stars include Ira Glass and his team at This American Life, Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens and Calvin Leon Smith.



Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, September 22

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 18)

Friday, September 22

  • Kathryn Newton (Gary Unmarried) - Watch Kathryn on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ralph Harris (On Our Own) and Jimmie "JJ" Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Ralph and Jimmie are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso is a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Sam Jay (Bust Down) - Sam appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/22 - The Santa Clauses Season 2 Launches November 8; CBS Alters Fall Schedule
09/21 - Penn & Teller: Fool Us Gets New Return Date; Netflix's Unicorn Academy Premieres November 2
09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
09/15 - Antenna TV's Bewitched Halloween Marathon; Rewind TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch-O-Ween Marathon
09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable
09/01 - September Is Anniversary Month on Hulu; Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Returns for Its 25th Anniversary
08/31 - Max's Original Comedy Series Starstruck Season 3 and Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Premiere Dates; AXS TV Announces Fall Programming Lineup
08/30 - The Partridge Family Coming to AXS TV Starting Oct. 2; CBS to Air A Tribute to Bob Barker Special Aug. 31, Marathon of Match Game Episodes to Air Sept. 2 on Game Show Network
08/29 - Once Upon a Time Coming to Hulu; Young Love Launches on Max in September
08/28 - Remembering TV Legend Bob Barker; Wolf Like Me Returns in October on Peacock
08/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 28, 2023)
08/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Date Set, With CBS Also Airing First Two Episodes; Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Cancelled
08/25 - Rick and Morty Returns October 15; Switch New Season Begins September 18 on Game Show Network
08/24 - Hulu Fall 2023 Slate; Apple TV+ Series Still Up Debuts Trailer
08/23 - Frasier Returns October 12 on Paramount+; And Just Like That... Renewed for Season 3
08/22 - ABC Fall 2023 Premiere Dates and Revised Schedule; Upload Season 3 Returns October 20