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

Scrubs - "My Return" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
John “J.D.” Dorian unexpectedly finds himself back at Sacred Heart, reuniting him with new and old faces.

Scrubs - "My 2nd First Day" (ABC, 8:32PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
J.D. navigates a new normal, while Elliot and Turk clash over the budget.

Family Guy - "Bringing Up Buddy" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Meg pursues an unlikely friendship with an NFL great; Stewie and Brian host a dinner party at a home furnishing store.

Universal Basic Guys - "Go Fund Mernft" (F Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark helps Mernft Man build the house of his dreams; Tammy's fundraising campaign reveals a surprising side of Mernft.

American Dad! - "The Flume Flume Room" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Stan struggles to appreciate Francine's niche interest in flume rides.

Family Guy - "Dear Francis" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Peter calls out the name "Francis" while making love with Lois, but she believes he meant his deceased father, leading to a round of therapy; things worsen when Lois discovers "Frances" is the name of the Clam's new, pretty waitress.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 23)

Friday, February 27

  • Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a musical guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Sam Rockwell (F Is for Family) - Sam appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Guy Torry (Good News) - Guy is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael and director Ryan Coogler talk Oscar nomination with ABC News' Chris Connelly on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Eva Marcille (Born Again Virign/Tyler Perry's House of Payne) - Eva talks about Lifetime's Pushed Off a Plane and Survived on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Courteney Cox (Shining Vale/Cougar Town/Friends/Family Ties) - Courteney talks about Scream 7 on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - It's a cooking flashback with Tony in the kitchen on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Tracy Morgan (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Crutch/The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - It's a little bit extra with from Drew's interview with the hilarious Tracy on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Dorian Missick (Zoe Ever After) - Dorian talks about Prime's 56 Days on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, 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)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (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

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02/26 - AspireTV Gets First Ever Original Sitcom; Sullivan's Crossing Returns for Season 4 in April on The CW
02/25 - Scrubs Returns Tonight, Sneak Peek at Title Sequence; Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Reveals Odessa A'zion as Nikki Baxter
02/24 - Netflix's Wednesday Season 3 Adds to Cast; Wonder Pets: In the City Returns March 20
02/23 - Celebrities for ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars; Hallmark's Mistletoe Murders Renewed for Season 3
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02/12 - ABC's Scrubs Revival Trailer and Details; XO, Kitty Returns April 2 on Netflix
02/11 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Post Saturday Night Live Encore; Chris Fleming HBO Special
02/10 - Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars Premiere Shifting by Two Weeks; Virgin River Season 7 Trailer
02/09 - Shoresy Returns with Season 5; HBO Max Acquires Schitt's Creek
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02/06 - Rooster Premieres March 8 on HBO; MGM+ Comedy American Classic Trailer
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02/04 - Netflix Renews A Man on the Inside for Season 3; Apple TV Premiere Date for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
02/03 - NBC Renews St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place for Season 3; Pilot Orders for Comedy Projects on NBC
02/02 - Remembering Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son, Catherine O'Hara of Schitt's Creek, Yvonne Lime of Father Knows Best, and TV Director Bruce Bilson
02/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 2, 2026)
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01/29 - Season 4 of Ted Lasso Premieres This Summer; Shrinking Renewed for Season 4 as Season 3 Premieres