Friday, August 21, 2020

Fri-Yay: The Lasting Impact of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; BET Sets Premiere Date for Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Assisted Living

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!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

by Vincent

Recently, as I've been stuck in the house more often, I've been rewatching some old sitcoms in syndication since I've watched many of the sitcoms on streaming services over and over again. I've also been browsing the app TikTok, which as you probably know is very popular with teenagers and young adults. I've noticed that some sitcoms that are aging remain very popular with younger generations today, and one of those sitcoms is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I've been watching Fresh Prince in reruns on VH1, for the first time in about a decade, and I'm struck by how timeless the show feels, which is likely why it remains so popular.

Fresh Prince was at its heart a "fish out of water" story that smartly dealt with class differences. The show was upfront about these differences in a way sitcoms typically aren't, never forgetting how Will's background was so different than his uncle, aunt and cousins. Class issues are a very relevant and popular topic among the younger generation today, and Fresh Prince's upfront stance on these issues might be a reason why it's endured. Additionally, Fresh Prince was a sitcom with an entirely black cast (which is actually less common on TV today than it was 25 years ago) and was also very upfront in issues dealing with race - issues such as racism and police profiling were covered on Fresh Prince in raw and real ways. These are obviously issues that have been very "front and center" in today's society and this year especially, so for a 25 year old sitcom to be tackling those issues, again, helps it stay fresh for future generations. And, not to forget - the show's humor genuinely still feels fresh. Will Smith is a strong comedic actor (something he himself has seemingly forgotten) and the jokes are fast and furious. Sometimes they don't flow too well with the dramatic moments, but this was a common issue in '90s sitcoms, and it can be forgiven. I spend a lot of time talking about modern sitcoms on this blog, but sometimes it's worth it to take a look back at the shows that did and didn't stand the test of time, and Fresh Prince is one that definitely did. I might make this a regular feature and look back every so often at some past sitcoms and analyze why they did - or didn't - stand the test of time.


Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Tyler Perry's Assisted Living

Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Tyler Perry's Assisted Living will premiere on BET Wednesday, September 2nd at 9 PM ET and 10 PM ET, respectively. Two half-hour episodes will air for each show. Tyler Perry's House of Payne, returning for its seventh season, is a hilarious comedy about retired fire chief Curtis Payne (LaVan Davis) and his lovely wife Ella (Cassi Davis Patton) that picks up five years later, as they continue to navigate the problems of life with their quirky modern-day family. Tyler Perry's House of Payne stars LaVan Davis as Curtis Payne, Cassi Davis Patton as Ella Payne, Lance Gross as Calvin Payne, Demetria McKinney as Janine Payne, China Anne McClain as Jazmine Payne, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Miranda and Allen Payne as CJ Payne.

In the new sitcom Tyler Perry's Assisted Living, Jeremy (Na'im Lynn), a patriarch of a young family with teenage children, loses his job and decides to move to the backwoods of Georgia to help his crazy grandfather. Grandpa Vinny (J. Anthony Brown) has foolishly purchased a terribly run-down home for the elderly and he is in way over his head, but comedy ensues as Mr. Brown (David Mann) and Cora (Tamela Mann) show up at the right time as needy investors. Tyler Perry's Assisted Living stars David Mann as Mr. Brown, Tamela Mann as Cora, J. Anthony Brown as Vinny, Na'im Lynn as Jeremy, Courtney Nichole as Leah, Tayler Buck as Sandra and Alex Henderson as Phillip.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, December 11

American Dad! - "A Little Extra Scratch" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
A CIA agent does anything to protect his homeland and family.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 11)

Monday, December 11

  • George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - Watch George on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Kal Penn (The Santa Clauses/Sunnyside/We Are Men) - Kal guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Drew is on location in London to chat with the cast of Wonka including Keegan-Michael on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian talks about Bookie on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela discusses her comedy tour on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Glen Powell (Scream Queens) and Sydney Sweeney (Everything Sucks!) - Glen and Syndey talk about Anyone But You on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • The Cast of Taxi - The View celebrates the iconic television series Taxi, welcoming stars Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Tony Danza, Marilu Henner and Christopher Lloyd for an exclusive reunion marking 45 years since the beloved series premiered. The View airs on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)

Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

12/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 11, 2023)
12/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Remembering Norman Lear; Fox to Air M*A*S*H Retrospective
12/08 - CBS Norman Lear Tribute Special Tonight (December 8); Peacock Renews Twisted Metal
12/07 - Harlem Renewed for Season 3; Netflix Orders Drama Ransom Canyon
12/06 - Remembering TV Legend Norman Lear; Critics Choice Awards Nominees
12/05 - Who's the Boss? Now on Hulu; The CW Announces New Series Wild Cards
12/04 - The Upshaws Renewed for Season Prior to Season 5 Launch; Fox Holiday Movie with Justin Long
12/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 4, 2023)
12/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Bob ♥ Abishola Coming to an End; Only Murders in the Building Gets Limited Run on ABC
12/01 - Abbott Elementary Post-Oscars Airing, Only Murders on ABC; Remembering Frances Sternhagen, Marty Krofft and Others We Recently Lost
11/30 - Bob ♥ Abishola Ending After This Season; NBC Renews Rookie Dramas
11/29 - Antenna TV January 2024 Schedule; Max December Comedy Specials
11/28 - Prime Video's Hazbin Hotel; Lacey Chabert Gets Hallmark Unscripted Series
11/27 - Sundance Now Gets Original Comedy; Hallmark Original Returns for Season 2 in January
11/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 27, 2023)
11/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Kelsey Grammer Ready to Do 100 Episodes of Frasier; TBS Cancels Miracle Workers
11/24 - Fox Winter 2024 Schedule; An Evening From the Heart John Ritter Foundation NYC 2023 Event
11/23 - 2023 Thanksgiving TV Marathons
11/22 - Kerry Washington's UnPrisoned Gets Season 2; Classic Comedy Shorts Celebrate 40th Anniversary
11/21 - NBC Winter 2024 Schedule; Netflix Renews Rob Lowe Comedy
11/20 - BUZZR Celebrates Bob Barker's 100th Birthday; Ted Prequel Series on Peacock Gets Premiere Date
11/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 20, 2023)
11/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Young Sheldon Coming to an End After Seven Seasons; The CW International Sitcom Approach Not Going So Well
11/17 - ABC Winter 2024 Schedule; CBS Celebrates 98th Birthday of Dick Van Dyke
11/16 - Whoa Mama! Urkel Is Back for the Holidays!; Hulu Gets Such Brave Girls Comedy
11/15 - COZI TV's A Very COZI Christmas Schedule; Young Sheldon to End This Season on CBS
11/14 - CBS Winter 2024 Schedule; The CW Pulls 2 Comedies
11/13 - Antenna TV 2023 Holiday Marathons Schedule; Rewind TV 2023 Holiday Marathons Schedule
11/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 13, 2023)
11/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: SAG-AFTRA Strike Finally Ends; New Digital TV Broadcast Networks Coming
11/10 - AXS TV's The Partridge Family Thanksgiving Marathon; AspireTV Holiday Programming