Fri-Yay: How Much Do Live Ratings Still Mean?; Disney+ Gets Proud Family Revival Series

Friday, February 28, 2020

Fri-Yay: How Much Do Live Ratings Still Mean?; Disney+ Gets Proud Family Revival Series

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

As we enter the mid stretch of yet another network TV season, I realized I hadn't checked ratings nearly as much this season as I had in the past. It's not as if I'm not watching shows on network TV anymore, but it seemed to me like live ratings were just getting so much lower that it was hard to really pay them any real attention to them. And sure enough, when I checked, the numbers had gotten so low, particularly in the 18-49 demo, that it was somewhat comical. Ratings that would've been cause for immediate cancellation even just 2 or 3 years ago are now some of the best ratings on network TV. At this point, so few people are sitting down and watching live television that it's hard to even think of anyone in my life who does watch it, other than for sports and live events.

So how much do these ratings still mean? Truly, they do still have some significance - truly awful live ratings is what got shows like NBC's Sunnyside cancelled - but more and more I see networks citing live plus on demand ratings and Live+7 ratings (calculated after 7 days of DVR usage). Part of this is likely because it makes the numbers sound better from a PR standpoint - but I'd like to also think that some of it is simply because networks realize they need to make money another way, because live ratings simply aren't measuring how most people are watching TV anymore. Hopefully, it makes beloved but little watched series (which describes far more shows today than it did 10 years ago) make it past first year cancellation.

The Proud Family

Disney+ has ordered the long-anticipated revival of the groundbreaking animated series The Proud Family which, 18 years after its Disney Channel premiere, is still beloved for its characters, stories and multilayered humor and for its messages about inclusion and cultural diversity in a smart, modern way. The new animated family sitcom The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is currently in production at Disney Television Animation with Academy Award-winning creator/executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar, who led the original series, at the helm, reuniting them with Calvin Brown, Jr. who is co-executive producer and story editor. All previous seasons of The Proud Family are currently available on Disney+.

Picking up the story of its central character Penny Proud, the new series will also include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be The Proud Family without Penny's loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others. Reprising their voice roles are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, Jo Marie Payton as Suga Mama, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. Cedric the Entertainer will also return as Uncle Bobby Proud.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, December 21

Krapopolis - "Society of Swords" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Before Deliria can become goddess of another city, she and Shlub must win over its exasperating king and queen; Ty gets dating advice from Viscera.

The Simpsons - "Keep Chalm and Gary On" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Homer gets Superintendent Chalmers a job at the power plant; Chalmers discovers huge mutated snails that produce valuable slime, launching his new career.

Universal Basic Guys - "Skyboys" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark buys a jetpack; David wants to serve omakase at a soup kitchen.

Krapopolis - "Plague and Fury" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tyrannis gets a new girlfriend whose job becomes a problem for him; Deliria and Hippocampus deal with a plague.

Bob's Burgers - " Dog Christmas Day After Afternoon" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A family trip to see Christmas lights turns into a rescue mission, in more ways than one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 15)

Friday, December 19

Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Watch Regina on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Bradley Cooper (Kitchen Confidential) and Will Arnett (Murderville/Arrested Development/Flaked/The Millers/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Bradley and Will discuss Is Thing On? on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. Will tells Drew about playing a dramatic role in new film Is This Thing On? working with Bradley Cooper, and his podcast with pals Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James opens up on his cancer battle on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - NBC's Today catches up with Neil in the 9am hour.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul and Jack Black talk about Anaconda on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Robby Hoffman (Hacks) - Robby covers the news with Drew on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) - Zooey and Charlie Cox talk about their new film Merv with the doggie star of the film on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.