Fri-Yay: Superstore to End - What Does That Mean for NBC Comedy?; FXX Gets 4 More Years of Sunny

Friday, December 11, 2020

Fri-Yay: Superstore to End - What Does That Mean for NBC Comedy?; FXX Gets 4 More Years of Sunny

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!

by Vincent

Last week, it was announced that NBC was ending Superstore at the conclusion of its current sixth season. The announcement came as a big surprise, as while Superstore's ratings have taken a hit this season, it's still one of NBC's only remaining comedies, and is still a generally solid performer that gets critical acclaim and fan support. Superstore was undergoing a major shift as its lead actress America Ferrera departed the show at the beginning of the season, and it also was getting a lot of acclaim for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The move makes some amount of sense - losing a lead actor has often spelled the downfall of many sitcoms, such as fellow NBC comedies The Office and Scrubs before it - but it still comes as a surprise to see NBC send off what is arguably its flagship comedy with only a limited amount of time for a goodbye.

It also poses the question of where NBC's comedy brand is headed. Just a few years ago, NBC seemed to have once again have a strong comedy line-up with the acclaimed and popular pairing of Superstore and The Good Place, in addition to the hyped Will & Grace reboot and the fan beloved Brooklyn Nine-Nine, borrowed from Fox. But now, The Good Place has ended on its own terms, Will & Grace was cancelled again due to a huge downturn in ratings, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's future is questionable after the series put its writing on hold after the Black Lives Matter movement, which put a question mark on TV's portrayal of police. Brooklyn 99 announced in the spring it scrapped all of its scripts for Season 8 and is trying to tackle the movement head on, but as of now Season 8 does not have an anticipated premiere date, and it seems possible the show may sit out of the 2020-2021 TV season, or at the very least might not return until late spring. NBC has a few promising comedies premiering in 2021, including Tina Fey's Mr. Mayor (starring Ted Danson) and the Young Rock comedy series. Those two shows will have to hold up the fort as NBC undergoes yet another comedy transformation.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been renewed for four additional seasons. With season 15 due next year, Sunny will set the record as the longest-running live-action comedy series in television history, bypassing The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. Sunny's remarkable run has also racked up more than 1.5 billion hours viewed since its premiere in 2005. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia follows the misguided dreams and blundered schemes of everyone's favorite bar owners - The Gang at Paddy's Pub - Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Charlie (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito).

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, August 17

Abbott Elementary - "Pilot" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.

Abbott Elementary - "Work Family" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Jacob reveals a detail about his personal life, Janine realizes she doesn’t know the other teachers as well as she thought. Meanwhile, as Gregory’s stern teaching approach is causing his whole class to underperform, Barbara and Melissa teach him how to relax and make his lessons more fun.

Abbott Elementary - "Step Class" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Janine is thrilled when Ava asks to help her teach the after-school step class, but the two don’t see eye to eye on how to run the program. Later, when Barbara, Melissa and Jacob plan an “eat-off” to decide who makes the best pizza in Philadelphia, Gregory is forced to reveal a secret.

Abbott Elementary - "Desking" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the students start participating in a new online trend that causes disruption to the school, the teachers band together to put an end to it. Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson provides comforting life advice to Gregory; and later, the teachers finally meet Jacob’s boyfriend, Zach, who joins in to help stop the students “desking”.

Wellington Paranormal - "Mobots" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Officer Minogue meets Officer O'Leary's mom when they use her house for a stakeout to investigate why a mass quantity of obsolete electronics goes missing.

Wellington Paranormal - "The Invisible Fiend" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Minogue and O'Leary investigate a mysterious home invasion with no visible signs of entry, managing to arrest an invisible creature and bring it back to the station for questioning.

grown-ish - "You Don't Know Me" (Freeform, 10:00PM ET/PT)
The girls enlist Junior's help to find their shady roommate, Lauryn, who has a habit of mysteriously disappearing; Junior wonders if Annika is starting to catch feelings for him; Aaron suspects that Doug isn't being honest with him.

Everything's Trash - "Rom-Coms Are Mostly Trash" (Freeform, 10:30PM ET/PT)
After Phoebe suddenly sees Michael in a new light, she attempts to set him up with Malika, who already has her eye on an old flame; Jayden worries that he and Jessie have lost their spark, so they decide to spice things up.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 15)

Wednesday, August 17

Alison Brie (GLOW/Community) - Watch Alison Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke) - Sasheer appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi co-hosts The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan will be on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) - Zazie appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) - Simu chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Susan Walters (Dear John/The War Next Door) - Susan is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Blair Underwood (The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair will be on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Kel Mitchell (Game Shakers/Kenan & Kel) - Kel appears on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Josh Peck (Grandfathered/Drake & Josh) and Rhea Perlman (Cheers/Pearl/Kirstie) - Josh and Rhea talk about Netflix's 13: The Musical on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Murray Bartlett (Physical/Looking) - Murry talks about White Lotus on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.