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

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!

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

Thursday, January 29

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Dirty Hands and a Barbed-Wire Fence" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie and Ruben are forced to get their hands dirty when Fred Fagenbacher (Matthew Letscher) tries to run them out of business. Meanwhile, Mandy grows suspicious of Georgie’s lies.

Ghosts - "Soul Custody" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam, Jay and the ghosts attempt to extricate Jay from his deal with Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh), the devil. Also, Isaac helps Patience (Mary Holland) through a crisis of confidence and Pete and Alberta navigate the fallout from their kiss.

Animal Control - "Lost Dogs and Bar Flies" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Roman Park takes Frank's beloved dog away from him; in an effort to get his dog back, Frank and Shred find themselves on a late-night rescue mission; Patel's house sale spirals.

Going Dutch - "There's No PX Like Home" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
With the celebration of the U.S.'s 250th birthday coming up, the base's festivities are on the line when their supplies are held up by a petty and vengeful Davidson; Team Shiny must pull off a daring undercover mission.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 26)

Thursday, January 29

Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Catch Kaley on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kermit the Frog (The Muppets) - Kermit the Frog appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Patrick Dempsey (Fast Times) - Patrick is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about Memory of a Killer on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Animal Control on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
J.C. Currais (Just Roll with It) - J.C. is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Andy Cohen interviews Kyle, Kathy Hilton and Paris Hilton on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
Katherine LaNasa (Three Sisters) - Katherine appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. She also talks about The Pitt on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael talks about Shrinking on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Kevin James (The Crew/Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin talks about Solo Mio on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women/Goodtime Girls) - Annie tells Sherri about her role in Fox's Best Medicine on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will tells Drew all about his awareness campaign for Huntington's disease on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.