Friday, January 31, 2020
Fri-Yay: The Good Place Officially Ends; Starz Picks Up Comedy with Amber Stevens West
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
Yesterday, The Good Place ended its four year run on NBC. While I haven't seen the finale yet at the time of writing this blog post, I have a lot to say about the season up to this point and particularly about last week's amazing penultimate episode.
The Good Place has always been a very philosophical series, but it honestly really surprised me with how deep it got last week in its discussion of the afterlife and "Heaven" (or the good place.) The show essentially argued that human life is shaped by the knowledge that we're going to die, so the "good" place is really not so good after all - without that strive to do great, it becomes a big pile of mush. Frankly, part of me wishes this concept had been explored a little longer. I could've done a whole season watching the good place crew fix...well, the good place. But nevertheless, I'm happy the show appears to be going out high and on its own terms. The show has always remained an absolute mind-bending delight, stretching the sitcom form as wide as it could possibly go. Now I'm interested to see if any series steps up in its place. I certainly hope so - the show is leaving behind a big gap in its absence. There's really no series with the level of humor and insight that The Good Place has right now. Still, I'm beyond overjoyed that the series was able to make it this long at all, so cheers to The Good Place and the end of one of TV's very best sitcoms.
Starz announced it has given an eight-episode series order for Run the World. The half-hour comedy is created and written by Leigh Davenport (The Perfect Find, untitled Wendy Williams biopic) who will executive produce with showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser (Lionsgate's Dear White People, Living Single) and Lionsgate Television, where Bowser's SisterLee Productions is under an overall deal. Millicent Shelton (black-ish, P-Valley) directed the pilot. Run the World is the story of a group of Black, vibrant, fiercely loyal best friends who work, live and play in Harlem as they strive for world domination. At its core, it's an unapologetically female show about enviable friendship and not only surviving - but thriving together.
The previously announced cast include Amber Stevens West (The Carmichael Show, Happy Together) as "Whitney," Andrea Bordeaux (NCIS: Los Angeles) as "Ella," Bresha Webb (A Fall from Grace, Marlon) as "Renee," Corbin Reid (Valor) as "Sondi" and Stephen Bishop (Moneyball, Imposters) as "Matthew."
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, May 11
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Goodbye" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Two joyful wedding celebrations bring loved ones together while old tensions and heartfelt confessions surface one last time. Meanwhile, tough goodbyes loom and the family looks ahead to a new chapter shaped by love, growth and change.
DMV - "Impact Will Be Felt" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A long‑awaited achievement sparks an office celebration that brings unresolved feelings and difficult realizations to the surface. Meanwhile, high‑stakes decisions and unexpected shifts in power shape the future of the workplace, leaving the team to face major change ahead.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 11)
Monday, May 11
- Steve Carell (Rooster/Space Force/The Office/Come to Papa/Watching Ellie) - Watch Steve on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Annaleigh Ashford (B Positive), Christopher Jackson (And Just Like That...) and Bernadette Peters (High Desert/Mozart in the Jungle/All's Fair) - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has a special Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt and Patrick Wilson at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth/The Bear) - Ayo is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Comedian CP (Love Life) - Comedian CP appears on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) and Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun/The Girl with Something Extra) - Andy Cohen interviews Lisa and Sally on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo. All Access with Linsey Davis sits down with Lisa Kudrow to talk about her career, including her iconic roles in Friends and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and the series finale of The Comeback on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Katherine LaNasa (Three Sisters) - Katherine talks season two of the hit show The Pitt and helps Drew surprise a deserving nurse on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia talks about Broad Trip on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and 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)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (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
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Contact Us