Friday, January 17, 2020
Fri-Yay: Sitcoms in 2020; Peacock Streaming Services Programming Update

by Vincent
As we enter a new decade, it's reasonable to ask: what direction are sitcoms headed in? The last few years of the 2010s saw the end of many long-running and beloved comedy series. This year we will see more sitcoms ending, such as The Good Place, BoJack Horseman and Modern Family. It might be the end of an era in many ways, but here’s a few notable events coming up this year that I'm looking forward to.
1. The finales of BoJack Horseman and The Good Place. As sad as I am to lose two of my favorite shows on TV, if there's any shoes that I think could pull off an amazing ending, it's these two. These shows are not only extremely funny, but their plotting and character development was out of this world. I'm really interested to see where they go next.
2. One Day at a Time's debut on Pop TV. We've seen plenty of examples of TV sitcoms going to streaming services - but this will be the first time seeing the reverse happening. One Day at a Time always felt a little out of place on Netflix and more like it would be at home on old-fashioned TV anyway - let's see if it’s still the extremely funny, thoughtful and lovable series when it moves to cable this March.
3. AP Bio's move to NBC's Peacock (more news on this below). I liked but didn't love AP Bio on NBC, and felt like it never quite lived up to its potential. I'm interested to see if the series can take off to the level I know it’s capable of on its new home without as much network influence. It hasn't always worked that way when sitcoms move to streaming networks, but maybe this will work out for the show.
4. The new Ted Danson series being directed by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock on NBC. As a 30 Rock super fan I'm really excited for this, especially given how good Danson was on The Good Place.
These are just some of the most exciting sitcom events I'm pumped for this year. I'm really interested to see what else this year has in store for sitcoms!
At a Comcast investor presentation held in the iconic Studio 8H of 30 Rock, NBCUniversal unveiled Peacock, a free premium ad-supported streaming service with subscription tiers offering more than 600 movies and 400 series, as well as compelling live and on-demand content across news, sports, late night, and reality. From world-class originals and treasured hits, to blockbuster films and streaming channels, Peacock will offer consumers everything fans love to watch, all in one place. Xfinity X1 and Flex customers will have early bird access to Peacock Premium starting April 15. And beginning July 15, taking full advantage of the massive promotional opportunity of the Tokyo Olympics, Peacock Free and Peacock Premium will be available nationally on popular web, mobile and connected-TV devices. The company expects to reach 30-35 million active accounts by 2024.
Taking a different strategic approach, the company announced a tiered offering that gives consumers broad access to Peacock across web, mobile and connected-TV devices:
· Peacock Free: This free, ad-supported option will provide fans everywhere with more than 7,500 hours of programming. Peacock Free includes next day access to current seasons of freshman broadcast series, complete classic series, popular movies, curated daily news and sports programming including the Olympics, Spanish-language content, select episodes of marquee Peacock originals and tent-pole series, as well as curated Peacock streaming genre channels such as "SNL Vault," "Family Movie Night" and "Olympic Profiles."
· Peacock Premium: Bundled at no additional cost to 24 million Comcast and Cox subscribers, this ad-supported option will additionally include full season Peacock originals and tent-pole series, next day access to current seasons of returning broadcast series, early access to late night talk shows, and additional sports - such as the Premier League - totaling more than 15,000 hours of content. Also available for $4.99 per month on all popular connected mobile and web devices for non-bundled customers.
Peacock will stream the ratings juggernaut brands from Dick Wolf's Wolf Entertainment, including Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med. These dramas are consistently among the top-rated shows on television and among the most-streamed shows across platforms. Peacock will also stream Paramount Network hit series Yellowstone, the record-breaking drama, licensed from ViacomCBS. Yellowstone is co-created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, and is co-produced by David Glasser's 101 Studios. Additionally, Two and a Half Men and The George Lopez Show from Warner Brothers were announced. As previously announced, Peacock will offer some of the most popular NBC and classic TV series of all time, including 30 Rock, The A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cheers, Covert Affairs, Crossing Jordan, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Friday Night Lights, House, Jeff Foxworthy Show, King of Queens, Leave it to Beaver, Magnum P.I., Married... With Children, Miami Vice, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Parenthood, Psych, Roseanne, Saturday Night Live, Saved by the Bell, Superstore and Will & Grace. Peacock will feature a library of top kids shows that range from new friends to characters beloved for generations including Care Bears, Curious George library, He-Man & Masters of the Universe, Punky Brewster (Animated), Sabrina the Teenage Witch, She-Ra and Woody Woodpecker.
Additional newly announced Peacock originals include Tina Fey-produced original series Girls5Eva, about a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 90's that reunites to give their pop star dreams one more shot; international series from NBCUniversal International Studios, including drama thriller The Capture, fresh off its rating success on the BBC in the UK, and comedy Lady Parts, launching on Channel 4 in the U.K., as well as three highly anticipated new comedies from Sky Studios: Intelligence starring David Schwimmer, Code 404 and Hitmen; a racing series from Dale Earnhardt Jr.; and a behind-the-scenes documentary series that follows USA Basketball superstars on their journey to Tokyo, produced in partnership with the NBA. Previously announced Peacock scripted originals include comedies such as Rutherford Falls, Saved by the Bell, A.P. Bio, Punky Brewster and the movie spinoff Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, as well as dramas Dr. Death, Battlestar Galactica, Brave New World, Angelyne and Armas de Mujer.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Friday, May 27
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 23)
Friday, May 27
- Josh Charles (Sports Night) - Watch Josh on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jenna Fischer (The Office/Splitting Up Together) and Angela Kinsey (The Office/The Hotwives of Orlando) - Jenna and Angela talk about their new book, The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- David Arquette (In Case of Emergency/Double Rush/Parenthood) - David appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Courteney Cox (Shining Vale/Cougar Town/Friends/Family Ties) - Courteney is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Mayim Bialik (Call Me Kat/The Big Bang Theory/Blossom/Molloy) - Mayim appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood/The Last O.G./The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Grey (Red Oaks/It's Like, You Know...) - Jennifer talks about her new memoir, Out of the Corner: A Memoir, on a repeat of Access Daily, so check your local listings.
- Glen Powell (Scream Queens) - Glen talks about Top Gun: Maverick on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (February-May)
02/08 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Ninth Season
02/22 - Everybody Hates Chris - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
02/22 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Eight
03/08 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/15 - Head of the Class - The Complete Fourth Season
03/15 - The Proud Family - The Complete Original Series - Anniversary Collection
03/22 - The Honeymooners Specials - The Complete Collection
03/29 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
03/29 - Young Rock - Season One
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
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