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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, May 18
The Simpsons - "Estranger Things" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Bart and Lisa stop watching Itchy and Scratchy together, Marge fears that they'll start to drift apart.
Family Guy - "The Fat Lotus" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Peter suspects Lois of betraying his trust with Quagmire at a swanky vacation resort.
Krapopolis - "Ty Died" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Ty is tired of his family thinking he's not important enough to be assassinated.
Bob's Burgers - "Mr. Fischoeder's Opus" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tina becomes the new advice columnist for the school newspaper; Teddy takes on more than he can handle when he volunteers to build a float for the Bounty of the Bay Parade.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)
Friday, May 16
- Lunell (Lopez) - Watch Luenell on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. She will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:39am.
- Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) and Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Mayan and Jerry are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Luke Kirby (Étoile) and Gideon Glick (Étoile/The Other Two) - Luke and Gideon talk about Étoile on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley talks about his new series Tucci in Italy with GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. He will also be on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - Howie talks about America's Got Talent on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your lcoal listings.
- Marissa Jaret Winokur (What We Do in the Shadows/Retired at 35/Stacked) - Marissa talks about her latest project Mama I'm a Big Girl Now on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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