Monday, April 27, 2020

Apple TV+ Gets Ferrell and Rudd Comedy; Wizards of Waverly Place Cast Reunites

Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd

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.


Worse

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

Sunday, January 11

Universal Basic Guys - "" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Two brothers lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program, allowing them to use their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they're no longer needed.

The Simpsons - "" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Homer and Marge Simpson raise Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie in Springfield, where eccentric residents make everyday life interesting.

Krapopolis - "" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
An animated comedy set in mythical ancient Greece, centering on a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters as they try to run one of the world's first cities without killing each other.

Bob's Burgers - "" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
The working-class Belcher family -- parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene and Louise -- run a seaside New Jersey hamburger restaurant and have exciting adventures interacting with the eccentric members of their community.

Stumble - "Pilot" (NBC, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Courteney Potter is fired from her job after being involved in a cheer scandal; to salvage her reputation and career, she must put together a competitive team in a tiny school with an unpronounceable name and only one cheerleader.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 5)

Friday, January 9

  • Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Watch Regina on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) - Sabrina does day drinking on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) - Gael chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - NBC's Today catches up with Rebel in the 10am hour.
  • Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea can be heard on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
  • Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:10am.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (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)

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

01/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler to Star in NBC Legal Comedy Pilot; First Look at Peacock's The 'Burbs
01/09 - HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! Documentary with Interviews Including Rob Reiner; 83rd Annual Golden Globes Presenters
01/08 - Netflix Orders Nick Kroll Comedy Series; Saturday Night Live January 2026 Hosts and Music Guests
01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
01/05 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; Season 3 of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim
01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule