Friday, November 20, 2020
Fri-Yay: Thoughts on Fresh Prince Reunion on HBO Max; Nick at Nite Renews Friends in Multi-Year Deal

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.

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
Sunday, December 14
Universal Basic Guys - "Two Marks" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark enrolls in a dangerous science experiment to win a Super Bowl ticket.
The Simpsons - "Parahormonal Activity" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Set in the near future, Marge is competently coping with the hormonal onslaught hitting her now teenage kids.
Krapopolis - "Vengeance Will Be Nine" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A determined child enlists Stupendous to track down her father's killer; Tyrannis agrees to pose as Viscera's boyfriend.
Bob's Burgers - "It's a Stunterful Life" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
The kids get caught up in a stunt competition at a Christmas tree farm; Bob decorates cookies for Santa; Linda tries to find every tree a home.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)
Friday, December 12
- Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) - Taran appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris) and Bruno Gouery (Emily in Paris) - Samuel and Bruno talk about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Alia Shawkat (Search Party/Arrested Development) - Alia talks about Atropia on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- John Stamos (Palm Royale/UnPrisoned/Fuller House/Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House/You, Again?) - John talks about Palm Royale on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Zooey talks about Merv on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Mario tells Sherri about his new holiday film The Christmas Spark 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 (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
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