Friday, November 20, 2020

Fri-Yay: Thoughts on Fresh Prince Reunion on HBO Max; Nick at Nite Renews Friends in Multi-Year Deal

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

This past week, HBO Max released a Fresh Prince reunion special. It's a really great watch for anyone who's a fan of the series, as it reunites nearly all of the cast (who could be reunited - unfortunately James Avery passed away in 2013). It revisits some of the cast's best moments and features some candid talk between the stars of the series. Still, one of the more interesting aspects of the reunion was the meeting of the show's two "Aunt Vivs," and the reconciliation of Will Smith and original Aunt Viv Janet Hubert.

For years, conventional wisdom was that Janet had been fired due to a feud with Smith. However, the reunion revealed that wasn't exactly the case. Hubert cites personal reasons as well as a pay disagreement with the producers as the reason her role was recast. Smith did admit that he also contributed to a difficult environment on set because he wasn't "perceptive" about what she was going through at home. Hubert talked very openly about the conflict and even met with her "replacement," Daphne Reid. It seems the "drama" between Smith and Hubert is firmly in the past. Still, even putting aside the feud, it was a lot of fun watching the cast talk candidly and openly about their time on Fresh Prince, and I highly recommend even casual fans of the show check it out.


Friends

Nickelodeon announced the renewal of the Emmy(R) Award-winning series Friends, from Warner Bros. Television, for its nighttime programming block Nick at Nite. The agreement was part of a multi-year, multi-series deal that included several renewals of top-rated syndicated series from Warner Bros. Television that air across ViacomCBS' portfolio of cable networks. Also included in the deal were the off-network cable premiere rights to Young Sheldon, scheduled to begin on Nick at Nite on Monday, Nov. 30. Year to date, Nick at Nite ranks as cable's top network with Women 18-49 and is also currently delivering its highest share of Adults 18-49 since 2017. The highly successful NAN programming block of family comedies where Friends and Young Sheldon will air, also includes popular Warner Bros Television series such as Mom and Full House.

Beginning Monday, Nov. 23, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), fans can celebrate Thanksgiving with their favorite friends as Nick at Nite presents "Super-Stuffed Friends-Giving," featuring a lineup of classic Friends episodes with beloved funny moments from the series airing throughout the week, and a marathon of Thanksgiving-themed episodes on Thursday. Friends, which debuted in 1994, follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends while they navigate their way through their twenties living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, January 5

DMV - "Don't Kill the Job" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Colette runs into an old friend at the DMV, she pretends to be a fellow customer rather than an employee in order to save face.

DMV - "Stick Shift" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Ceci accuses Colette of only being kind for the credit, Colette anonymously gives Noa the perfect gift.

DMV - "Blindspot" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Colette is crushed to learn that Noa is dating someone. So, Ceci encourages Colette to fight for him using magic. Meanwhile, Barb tries to find out who is defacing DMV property with childishly inappropriate drawings.

DMV - "There Is No I in DMV" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Barb takes the team on a field trip to the rival North Hollywood branch to learn the secrets of their success. She begins to doubt herself after meeting their charismatic manager, Beau (Randall Park). Meanwhile, Gregg and Vic get in Colette’s head that Noa prefers risk-takers.

St. Denis Medical - "You're in His Bubble Space" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron and Matt try to convince a child to get his shot; Alex helps Joyce with wedding planning; Bruce and Serena butt heads over Matt.

Stumble - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Courteney Potter is fired from her job after being involved in a cheer scandal; to salvage her reputation and career, she must put together a competitive team in a tiny school with an unpronounceable name and only one cheerleader.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 5)

Monday, January 5

  • Josh Charles (Best Medicine/Sports Night) - Watch Josh on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks life, career and boosting your energy in the New Year on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
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 (DVD)
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)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule
12/09 - 83rd Golden Globe Nominations; Paradise Returns on Hulu in February
12/08 - First Look at Bert Kreischer Netflix Comedy Free Bert; School Spirits Season 3
12/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 8, 2025)
12/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair; Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery
12/05 - FETV Acquires The Carol Burnett Show Uncut; Hey A.J.! Coming to Disney Jr.
12/04 - COZI TV Acquires The Jeff Foxworthy Show; Hulu Renews Chad Powers for Season 2