Monday, April 27, 2020
Apple TV+ Gets Ferrell and Rudd Comedy; Wizards of Waverly Place Cast Reunites

In a highly competitive situation, Apple has given a straight-to-series order to The Shrink Next Door, a new, eight-episode limited comedy series starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, based on the No. 1 new podcast of 2019 by Wondery and Bloomberg Media, hailing from Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television. Directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Lovebirds) and based on the script by Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, WGA Award winner Georgia Pritchett (Succession, Veep), The Shrink Next Door is a dark comedy inspired by true events that detail the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist to the stars Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf, played by Paul Rudd, and his longtime patient Martin "Marty" Markowitz, played by Will Ferrell. Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly takes over Marty's life, even moving into Marty's Hamptons home and taking over his family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an unprecedentedly exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs and dysfunction at its finest. The project will bring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd on screen together for the first time since Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
Hollywood Records / Virgin EM artists Ne Hope Club have released "Worse," a brand-new track, produced by hitmakers The Monsters and Strangerz (Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Zedd & Maren Morris's #1 single "The Middle") and co-written by the band with James Alan Ghaleb (Jonas Brothers, Troye Sivan, Charlie Puth), along with a stunning companion video directed by actress Bailee Madison. The video marks the directorial debut of Madison, an alum of the hit TV series Wizards of Waverly Place and she reunited several of her former castmates for the song's love-on-the-rocks storyline - click here to watch the director's cut.
"Worse" sees New Hope Club performing across different eras - a chance for Richardson and bandmates George Smith and Reece Bibby to pay homage to a few of their musical heroes in fashion and form. Fans of Wizards of Waverly Place will have fun spotting guest appearances from the series' cast, including David Henrie, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals Barrera and David DeLuise, as well as Maddie Ziegler, Meg Donnelly, Bart Johnson and Robyn Lively. The song follows the release of New Hope Club's self-titled debut album, which landed Top 5 on the UK's Official Album Chart. The British trio have also been helping fans get through self-quarantine with a series of livestreams featuring original songs, fan-picked covers of songs by The Weeknd, Niall Horan, 5 Seconds of Summer, Rex Orange County and more.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, May 30
Happy's Place - "Don't Sweat It" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bobbie asks Isabella to move in with her, but when Isabella sees that Bobbie likes to address conflict head on, Isabella decides it might not be the best idea.
Happy's Place - "Fish Fry Monday" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Emmett sees Bobbie drowning in work, he devises a clever ruse to give her a much-needed day off fishing, all under the guise of reviving the tavern's Fish Fry Mondays; Isabella dives into the world of bartending with Gabby.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)
Friday, May 30
- Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal/The Curse) - Watch Nathan on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ralph Macchio (Eight Is Enough) - Ralph swings by for a chat about Karate Kid: Legends on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about Broadway's Real Women Have Curves: The Musical on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara is telling Drew about the new venture she's taking on, where she's currently at with dating and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Don Darryl Rivera (Only Murders in the Building) - Don talks about Broadway's Aladdin on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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