Fri-Yay: Parks & Rec and SNL Stay at Home Specials; ABC's Ryan Reynolds Produced Game Show Premieres June 11

Friday, May 01, 2020

Fri-Yay: Parks & Rec and SNL Stay at Home Specials; ABC's Ryan Reynolds Produced Game Show Premieres June 11

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

Parks and Recreation

Last night, NBC aired a Parks & Recreation special, a special treat for fans of the long-running NBC comedy. It was an interesting move to film a remote episode of a series that has been off the air for 5 years, but it also makes a lot of sense. Despite Parks & Rec being low-rated and on the verge of cancellation for essentially its entire run on NBC, the show has found a second life on Netflix, as many people have binged the series and are now huge fans of the show. The show has a pop culture presence that it didn't have during its original run, and with content running low, it makes sense that NBC would jump at the chance to have a popular series from its recent past do a special episode. At the time of writing this, the special has not aired yet (it will have aired when this posts), but I'm very curious to see where the characters are and how they respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Parks & Rec finale very neatly tied up where all of the characters end up, so it will be interesting to see if the address the endgame for the characters.

Saturday Night Live at Home

SNL is another show doing remote specials in place of its regular live shows. While the first SNL at Home on April 11 was a bit shaky, the second episode on April 25 brought back beloved characters like What Up With That and found the show on much sturdier ground. When the pandemic ends and life goes on, these remote specials will serve as such an interesting portal back to a strange time, and I guarantee they will be talked about in the TV history books for years. We might even see more of these specials, depending on how long TV production is held up for. But until then, it's nice that creators are giving some kind of attempt to keep the show going even when production isn't possible.

Don't

Speaking of Parks & Rec, one of the stars is heading to ABC to host a game show. Executive produced by Ryan Reynolds and hosted by Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies), Don't is a comedic physical game show where doing nothing is what it takes to win (finally!). Contestants are given the opportunity to team up with their family and friends for the chance to win a cash prize of up to $100,000 by tackling hilarious tasks, each with the simple rule: DON'T. From Banijay Studios North America, ABC's newest summer game show premieres Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

In each episode, members of a four-person team strive to accomplish various challenges, such as "Don't Blink," "Don't Look Back" and "Don't Play Ball in the House," as they work together to build their bank. If they fail a challenge, they don't earn money and suffer ridiculous consequences. Along the way, they'll have the choice to take risks by pushing the Don't Push Button or taking a chance on a Don't You Dare, You. In the end, whatever money they have left in their bank - if anything - is theirs to keep. The series is voiced by Ryan Reynolds and features hilarious, unexpected moments that break from the traditional game show format.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, March 19

Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.

Abbott Elementary - "Audit" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ava and the teachers must band together to hide the golf-course contraband.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 17)

Wednesday, March 19

Lauren Graham (The Z-Suite/M.Y.O.B./Conrad Bloom/Townies/Good Company) - Watch Lauren on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Danielle Brooks (Close Enough) - Danielle appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) - Dove appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Paula Pell (Girls5eva/Mapleworth Murders/A.P. Bio) - Paula appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Danny Pudi (Going Dutch/Mythic Quest/Powerless/Community), Jessie Ennis (Mythic Quest) and Ashly Burch (Final Space) - Danny, Jessie and Ashly are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Anthony Carrigan (Barry) - Anthony appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen), Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) and Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Nick, Ben and Quinta are guests on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
Tyler Lepley (Harlem) - Tyler talks about Tyler Perry’s Duplicity on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John talks about Bob Trevino Likes It on ABC News Live Prime at 7pm.
Daniel Stern (Shrill/Danny/Dilert/The Wonder Years) - Daniel talks about Home and Alone on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney appears on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Annaleigh Ashford (B Positive) - Annaleigh talks about Happy Face on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
Dennis Quaid (Merry Happy Whatever) - NBC's Today catches up with Dennis in the 9am hour.
Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley is joining Drew and telling her about why he hates when people wear sweatpants and his 2025 goal of cleaning less on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jessica Hecht (Red Oaks/What About Joan?/The Single Guy) - Jessica is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.
Drew Sidora (Mind Your Business/The Game/That's So Raven) - Drew appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:30am.