Friday, February 21, 2020

Fri-Yay: Single Parents Quietly Becoming ABC's Best Sitcom; BET+ Gets Bigger with Comedy

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!

Single Parents

by Vincent

ABC is generally very good at developing sitcoms, but it's been a while since they've had a knock-it-out-of-the-park show. They've hit a level where they can churn out fairly decent sitcoms faster than any other network, but since the era of black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat I haven't fell in love with any of their new offerings the way I did with shows like those or The Middle. However, Single Parents has very quietly been getting better over the course of its run, to the point where I'd now call it quietly one of the best sitcoms on TV.

Single Parents is in its second season, and when it started it was a likable but ho-hum family sitcom. Over the course of its two seasons, though, the show has progressive been getting a little more interesting, exploring topics such as sexuality and family in interesting ways and also becoming funnier and more cutting with its humor. The show is created by former New Girl writer JJ Philbin (daughter of Regis), and you can feel some of that show's likable character humor with an edge creeping into Single Parents slowly but surely. Like many ABC sitcoms of recent years, it's fairly basic in structure but is taking some real creative risks that are causing it to be the type of show you definitely want to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, like many great sitcoms of recent times, the ratings aren't great - so hopefully ABC sees a developing gem and sticks with it.


Bigger

BET+ announced the second season pickup of the Will Packer and Will Packer Media executive produced series, Bigger. The provocative comedy created by Felischa Marye will continue to stream exclusively on BET+. Returning series regulars include Tanisha Long (Layne Roberts), Angell Conwell (Veronica Yates), Rasheda Crockett (Tracey Davis), Chase Anthony (Deon Lewis), and Tristen Winger (Vince Carpenter). The full first season of Bigger is currently available to stream on BET+. Production specifics and the premiere date are forthcoming.

Season one of Bigger follows Layne, a single-black-woman and her close-knit group of 30-somethings as they navigate love, friendships, career ambitions, and the journey to getting BIGGER, together. When a college acquaintance suddenly dies, the group is forced to take a deeper look at their messy lives, while asking themselves - is this it or is there something bigger and better?

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, July 14

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 13)

Tuesday, July 14

  • Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Eric Andre (Man Seeking Woman/2 Broke Girls/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Eric appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Billy Ray Cyrus (Still the King) - Billy Ray will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Paul appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
  • John Lithgow (Trial & Error/Twenty Good Years/3rd Rock from the Sun) - John will be on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
  • Marlo Thomas (That Girl) - Marlo and her husband Phil Donahue are guests on on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:15pm on Bravo.
  • Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Tom Lennon (Reno 911!/The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World) - Tom will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - David appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
  • Miles Brown (black-ish) - Miles is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
  • David Schwimmer (Intelligence/Friends) and Nick Mohammed (Intelligence) - David and Nick talk about Peacock's Intelligence on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Joey King (Bent) - Joey appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Bernadette Peters (Mozart in the Jungle/All's Fair) - Bernadette shares important rules that viewers should know when adopting a rescue dog on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
  • Nia Long (Uncle Buck/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - NBC's Today catches up with Nia on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke is a guest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory/Blossom) - Mayim talks about TBS' Celebrity Show-Off on Access Daily, so check your local listings.

New on DVD/Blu-ray (April/May/June/July)

Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season Head of the Class - The Complete First Season Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven

04/07 - Cheers - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
04/14 - Police Squad! - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/14 - The Righteous Gemstones - The Complete First Season
04/21 - Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season (WBShop.com)
05/05 - Kidding - Season 2
05/19 - The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season
05/19 - The Good Place - The Complete Series - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Series
06/02 - Work in Progress - Season 1
06/09 - Head of the Class - The Complete First Season (WBShop.com)
06/09 - How to Be a Gentleman - The Complete Series
06/09 - Letterkenny - Seasons 3 & 4
06/09 - Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season
06/09 - No Activity - Season 1
06/09 - Superior Donuts - Season Two
06/23 - Bob's Burgers - The Complete 10th Season
06/23 - Fresh Off the Boat - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
06/23 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Seventh Season
06/23 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Third Season (Blu-ray)
06/30 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven
07/07 - Will & Grace - The Revival - Season Three - The Farewell Season
07/21 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Tenth Season
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest

Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

07/13 - Get Woke on Hulu with New Comedy; Trailer for Tig n' Seek Released by HBO Max
07/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 13, 2020)
07/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Renews The Moodys for Second Season; NBC Preparing to Put Peacock Into Flight
07/10 - Fri-Yay: Never Have I Ever, Netflix's Best Sitcom; Ramy Gets Season 3 on Hulu
07/09 - NBC Reviving Weakest Link; truTV's I'm Sorry Gets Charitable
07/08 - HBO Max Orders Series Based on Hair Love; Comedy Central Inks Deal with John Mulaney
07/07 - Dead to Me Picked Up for Final Season on Netflix; CBS All Access Orders Star Trek Animated Comedy
07/06 - ABC to Rebroadcast Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times Episodes on Tuesday (July 7); Anthony Anderson and Billy Eichner to Guest Host ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! This Week
07/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of July 6, 2020)
07/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Amazon Gets Streaming Rights to Mad Men; Too Close for Comfort on Pluto TV
07/03 - Fri-Yay: Streaming Services Remove Episodes of Sitcoms Due to Racial Jokes; The Kominsky Method Final Season Announced
07/02 - Netflix Renews Never Have I Ever for Season 2; Comedy Central Reviving Beavis and Butt-Head
07/01 - Remembering Comedy Legend Carl Reiner, MeTV and Decades to Air Tributes; HBO Orders Season 11 of Curb
06/30 - Decades 3rd Annual Rod, White & Blue: A Twilight Zone Celebration; Love in the Time of Corona Announces Cast
06/29 - BET Picks Up 2nd Season of Twenties; Vivica A. Fox Teams Up with Krista Allen, Jackée & More for More Wrong TV Movies
06/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 29, 2020)
06/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Sitcoms Present and Past Deal with Current Racial Issues; Binge Watch Past Favorites on Roku Channel
06/26 - Fri-Yay: Search Party Season 3 Thoughts; HBO Max Teams Up with Marlon Wayans
06/25 - CNN and HLN Announce Slate, with History of Sitcom; Lil Rel Set to Host NBC Game Show
06/24 - REELZ Announces New Specials on John Ritter, Bernie Mac, David Cassidy, Larry Hagman & More; Netflix Releases Unsolved Mysteries Trailer
06/23 - Fox Renews Animated Comedy for 2nd Season Before Series Premiere; Cobra Kai Moving to Netflix
06/22 - Antenna TV Summer 2020 Schedule; USA Network's Cannonball to Sneak Peek on NBC
06/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 22, 2020)
06/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Comedy Central Picks Up Daria Spinoff; Networks Finally Set Fall Lineup
06/19 - Fri-Yay: Expectations on 30 Rock Remote Special; ABC Schedules Sitcom United We Fall for Summer
06/18 - ABC Upfront 2020-21: Fall 2020 Schedule; Debra Messing Heads to the East Wing on Starz
06/17 - NBC Upfront 2020-21: Fall 2020 Schedule; 30 Rock Returns for Upfront Special on July 16
06/16 - NBC Cancels Indebted, Picks Up Manifest; ABC's For Life Gets 2nd Season, The Baker and The Beauty Doesn't
06/15 - truTV Announces Tacoma FD Return and More; NBC Brings Back Freshman Drama, Cancels Two Others
06/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 15, 2020)
06/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist Renewed for Season 2; Cops and Live PD Cancelled