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

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 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.
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)
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
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