Friday, December 06, 2019

Fri-Yay: The Good Place Nearing the End; TBS Orders More Misery Index

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!

The Good Place

by Vincent

This week, I'd like to give a special shout out to the 4th and final season of The Good Place. I was able to catch up with the excellent series this past weekend, and I was reminded of just how inventive, funny and lovable it is. I'm really going to miss it when it's gone after Jan. 30, but I'm also glad it gets to go out on its own terms on a high note. And so far, this season has been a really high note.

To be fair, the season got off to somewhat of a rough start, at least in terms of Good Place standards. It wasn't a bad stretch of episodes by any means, but it was a little repetitive and "just okay." It felt like the show was repeating some of the same beats from Season 1, and although the characters were still funny, the new characters left something to be desired. And yet, I should've known there was a plan all along. Around the 5th episode, things really started to pick up, and now, the entire world of the show has yet again been busted open. It's incredible just how often the show successfully pulls the rug out from under us at this point. I won't spoil the plot details here, but the show is going to some really exciting and intense places. As we enter the last few episodes of the series, I'm comfortable calling The Good Place one of the shows of the decade. If it sticks the landing, it'll cement its place as that. So far, it really looks like it's going to.


Misery Index

TBS is ordering another dose of misery with a second season of the outrageously entertaining comedy game show The Misery Index hosted by Jameela Jamil (The Good Place). Currently in its first season, the original series is a top-five new cable comedy and has reached nearly 28 million viewers across linear, VOD, and digital platforms. Inspired by the card game Sh*t Happens, The Misery Index is the only game show where contestants can make a fortune out of other people's mis-fortune. Teams compete against each other by attempting to rate hilarious and miserable real-life events based on the "misery index," a ranking system created by a team of therapists. Jameela Jamil will return as host along with stars of truTV's Impractical Jokers, comedy troupe The Tenderloins – Brian "Q" Quinn, James "Murr Murray, Joe Gatto and Sal Vulcano – as panelists.



Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, March 11

St. Denis Medical - "Listen to Your Ladybugs" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Joyce launches a women's health initiative to unexpected results; Ron treats a patient who has all the answers; Bruce has an existential crisis.

Night Court - "A Little Night Court Music" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
At the behest of producer Sy Hoffman, Dan and Abby work together to turn Dan's memoir into a musical; Wyatt tries to help Julianne stay cool when her ex-lover turns up at the courthouse.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 10)

Tuesday, March 11

  • Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Catch Joel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/The Mick) - Kaitlin stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Gillian Jacobs (Love/Community) - Gillian is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Don Johnson (Kenan) - Don talks Doctor Odyssey on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place/Young Sheldon/Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa is joining Drew and Ross to hit the headlines and talk about her new sitcom Happy's Place on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Nico Santos (The Z Suite/Superstore) - Nico talks about his hilarious new sitcom, The Z Suite, streaming now on Tubi, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - Phylicia tells Sherri about her new Broadway play Purpose on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric talks about MGM+'s Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Nik Dodani (Murphy Brown/Atypical) - Nik is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two

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)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season

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

03/11 - The Neighborhood Renewed for Final Season; Max's The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast
03/10 - Netflix Renews Running Point for Season 2; Apple TV+ Trailer for The Studio
03/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 10, 2025)
03/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Tracy Morgan to Star in NBC Pilot from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock; Nobody Wants This Returning for Second Season
03/07 - Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Government Cheese; Remembering Saved by the Bell and TV Producer Peter Engel
03/06 - The CW Spring Premiere Dates; Henry Winkler Heads to HISTORY Channel
03/05 - Hacks Brings Out the Stars in Season 4; NBC Orders Pilot with Tracy Morgan
03/04 - Apple TV+ Side Quest Launches March 26; Krysten Ritter Joins Dexter: Resurrection
03/03 - HBO's The Rehearsal Returns April 20; Sharon Horgan Signs Deal for HBO Comedy Series
03/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 3, 2025)
03/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date for Mid-Century Modern Set; Roseanne Remastered in High Definition
02/28 - Remembering John Lawlor, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lynne Marie Stewart, Alice Hirson, Isaac Ruiz Jr., and Others We Lost in February
02/27 - Fox Orders Season 2 of Doc; Law & Order: Organized Crime Moves to Peacock in April
02/26 - Peacock's Poker Face Season 2 Premieres This Spring; Bert Kreischer Returns with His Fourth Netflix Special
02/25 - Hulu Sitcom Mid-Century Modern Premiere Date; NBC Renews Happy's Place for Season 2
02/24 - Fox Renews Jay Pharoah Game Show; Leighton Meester to Guest Star on Nobody Wants This
02/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 24, 2025)
02/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Jury Duty Returning for New Season on Prime Video; New Spinoff of 9-1-1 in the Works
02/21 - CBS Renews 9 Additional Series for 2025-26; Hulu Picks Up Paradise for Season 2
02/20 - 31st Annual SAG Awards Pre-Show Hosts; Hulu's Ellen Pompeo Series Trailer Released
02/19 - Hulu's Am I Being Unreasonable? Returns for Season 2; Apple TV+ New CG Animated Comedy Series
02/18 - Cartoon Network's Iyanu Debuts April 5; Chelsea Handler: The Feeling Premieres March 25 on Netflix
02/17 - Netflix Renews XO, Kitty for Season 3; The Pitt to Return on Max
02/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 17, 2025)
02/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Sets Cast for Potential Backdoor Spinoff of The Neighborhood; Martha Stewart to Co-Host New NBC Cooking Competition
02/14 - FX's Dying for Sex Premieres in April on Hulu; BET+ Announces Lil Kev, Adult Animated Comedy
02/13 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV Celebrate Valentine's Day; The Handmaid's Tale Returns for Final Season
02/12 - Official Trailer for Hulu's Deli Boys; Doctor Odyssey Returns with a 2-Part Event
02/11 - Trailer for Shoresy Season 4; More Stars for SNL50: The Anniversary Special
02/10 - First Ever SNL Episode This Saturday on NBC; FX Renews English Teacher for Season 2
02/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 10, 2025)
02/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: English Teacher Renewed at FX; MeTV Toons to Launch House of Hanna-Barbera Programming Block