Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Fox Announces Winter Premiere Dates for New and Returning Series; ABC Announces Early 2021 Unscripted Premiere Dates

Fox has announced premiere dates for The Masked Singer (Dec. 27), Call Me Kat (Jan. 3), Last Man Standing (Jan. 3), Hell's Kitchen (Jan. 7), The Resident (Jan. 12), Prodigal Son (Jan. 12), 9-1-1 (Jan. 18), and 9-1-1: Lone Star (Jan. 18).
This December, Fox takes TV’s #1 show and adds a little twist. Based on the smash hit FOX series The Masked Singer and inspired by a popular segment featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, all-new celebrity competition series The Masked Dancer will have a special premiere Sunday, Dec. 27 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/5:00-6:00 PM PT, Live to all Time Zones), before having its time period premiere Wednesday, Jan. 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). Hosted by comedian/actor Craig Robinson (Ghosted, The Office) and featuring celebrity panelists Ken Jeong (The Masked Singer, I Can See Your Voice), world-famous choreographer and singer Paula Abdul, actor and the former “Giraffe” Mask on The Masked Singer Brian Austin Green and actress and singer Ashley Tisdale, The Masked Dancer will feature celebrity contestants shaking their tail feathers, while covered from head-to-toe in elaborate costumes and face masks, leaving audiences to guess their identities.
New comedy Call Me Kat, starring Emmy Award nominee Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), and executive-produced by Bialik, Emmy Award-nominated producer Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, The Boys in the Band) and Darlene Hunt (The Big C), will have a special series premiere Sunday, Jan. 3 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), following the NFL on Fox doubleheader. The series then makes its time period premiere Thursday, Jan. 7 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT). Based on the BBC UK original series Miranda, Call Me Kat stars Bialik as a woman who struggles every day against society and her mother to prove that she can still live a happy and fulfilling life despite still being single at 39. Which is why she recently spent her entire savings to open a cat café in Louisville, Kentucky. It was expected of Kat (Bialik) to be married with kids by now, but for many reasons, she’s still single – and totally fine with it. Of course, Kat’s mother, Sheila (Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Swoosie Kurtz, Mike & Molly, Sisters), views her daughter’s single-hood as her own personal failure, but Kat remains determined to live a fulfilling life, and charts her own course to happiness. Working alongside Kat at the café are Randi (Kyla Pratt, One on One), a confident millennial and self-proclaimed “non” cat person; and Phil (Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan, The Cool Kids, Will & Grace), who recently broke up with his longtime partner. Although Kat celebrates her independence, her single-forever plans may begin to veer off-course, when her former crush and good friend, Max (Cheyenne Jackson, American Horror Story, 30 Rock), returns to town and takes a job as a bartender at the piano bar across the street, working with his friend, Carter (Julian Gant, Good Girls).
Entering its ninth and final season, hit comedy Last Man Standing will have a special season premiere Sunday, Jan. 3 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT), following the series premiere of Call Me Kat. Last Man Standing makes its time period premiere Thursday, Jan. 7 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). The series stars Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, a happily married father of three daughters, who finds himself the odd man out in a home dominated by women. The series also stars Nancy Travis, Amanda Fuller, Molly McCook, Christoph Sanders, Jordan Masterson, Jonathan Adams, Krista Marie Yu and Hector Elizondo. After the events of the eighth season finale, during which Kristin (Fuller) went into labor with her baby daughter, while Mandy (McCook) was pregnant with her first child, the series will jump ahead into the near future, when Mike and his wife, Vanessa (Travis), will contemplate their own future, including Mike’s imminent retirement from his lifelong job at Outdoor Man – and who could be his successor.
Also on Thursday, Jan. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), hit culinary competition series Hell's Kitchen returns for its 19th season in a flashy new setting, as Chef Gordon Ramsay takes the show to Las Vegas, the city that’s home to the world’s first Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace. Season Four of The Resident, premiering Tuesday, Jan. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), continues to shine a light on the daily heroism of today’s health care workers. From executive producer Greg Berlanti, Season Two of Prodigal Son premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Prodigal Son follows Malcom Bright (Tom Payne), a criminal profiler with a rare talent for getting inside the minds of killers. Fox’s #1 drama, 9-1-1, and last season’s #1 new scripted series, 9-1-1: Lone Star, will have their back-to-back season premieres on Monday, Jan. 18.
Building on its success as the season’s No. 1 entertainment network among Adults 18-49 and in Total Viewers, ABC will expand its roster of stellar, buzzworthy unscripted programming with the addition of several new shows set to premiere early next year, along with the return of some of the most popular and well-known titles on television.
January will welcome Matt James as The Bachelor for the momentous 25th season of the ABC hit romance reality series. Last season, The Bachelor ranked as Monday’s No. 1 broadcast program in Adults 18-49 and was TV’s No. 1 show among Women 18-34. Matt will start handing out roses on Monday, Jan. 4.
An all-new game show block kicks off Thursday, Jan. 7, with the series premieres of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak and Vanna White; The Chase hosted by ABC's The View's Sara Haines and featuring James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter all from Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time; and The Hustler hosted by Craig Ferguson.
Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris return on an all-new season of To Tell The Truth on Tuesday, Jan. 26; and Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Ryan Seacrest and Bobby Bones return for a new season of the star-making series American Idol on Sunday, Feb. 14.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, September 17
Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.
Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
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 - "Rally" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava and the Abbott teachers go to the district to plead for Ava's job back; Gregory handles duties as interim principal.
Abbott Elementary - "Please Touch Museum" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Abbott Elementary goes on a schoolwide field trip to the Please Touch Museum, which has some of the older kids skeptical.
The Hospital - "Double or Nothing; Make a Wish" (BET, 11:00PM ET/PT)
Apparently the best spot to gamble during your shift, is in the morgue.
The Hospital - "Lyrical Surgery; Get It Poppin" (BET, 11:30PM ET/PT)
Dr. Do-It-To-Em's mixtape has more bars than a nursing student during finals week.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)
Wednesday, September 17
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Watch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) - Ron is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Brett Goldstein (Shrinking/Ted Lasso) - Brett stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Rob Reiner (All in the Family/Morton & Hayes) - Rob appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Paul and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about FX's Necaxa on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon talks about Him on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene talks about The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Mark Duplass (Big Mouth/Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark talks about The Morning Show on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - Kristin dishes on the end of And Just Like That and surprises Drew with an item from the set of Sex and the City on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane talks about Fox's Celebrity Weakest Link on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
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