Friday, January 29, 2021
Fri-Yay: We Need to Be More Patient with New Sitcoms; Norman Lear to Receive The Carol Burnett Award at The Golden Globe Awards

by Vincent
A few weeks ago, NBC's Mr. Mayor premiered, the latest from the minds of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the brilliant creators of the modern classic 30 Rock and the hysterical Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. As much as I loved 30 Rock and really enjoyed Kimmy Schmidt, I wasn't a big fan of the first few episodes of Mr. Mayor, which you could see in my review for the site a few weeks ago. However, I'm still more than willing to give the show a chance, because I see the potential in the series, both because of its creators and its all-star cast. And yet, I see many people have already given up on the show. It's a trend I've seen with many sitcoms in recent years. So I have to ask: why are we expecting sitcoms to be fully formed out of the gate, when so few are?
A big part of it, I think, is the streaming era, where shows tend to come out of the gate more fully formed, as seasons and sometimes entire series are often planned out from the start. But traditional sitcoms simply don't work that way. They film a pilot, then often don't get to work with new episodes for several months or even a year. During that time, the show is testing what does and doesn't work, sometimes relying on viewer feedback once its earliest episodes roll in, as well as things like focus tests and network suggestions. That's why so many of the best sitcoms, from The Office to Parks & Recreation to Seinfeld, start off so different than what they become. So to those of you giving up on Mr. Mayor, I urge you to give it a chance. If we keep ditching sitcoms early on and not giving them time to grow, we'll only have less and less sitcoms that stick around for more than a season.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced that Norman Lear will receive the Carol Burnett Award at The 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The television pioneer and political activist and philanthropist will become the third-ever recipient and accept the honor during the telecast airing on Sunday, Feb. 28 from 5-8 p.m. PT / 8-11 p.m. ET live on NBC. Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Carol Burnett Award is presented annually to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen. As the television landscape continues to evolve with more thought-provoking programming, diverse roles and best in class content, the HFPA established the Carol Burnett Award to celebrate the medium's new Golden Age. Equivalent to its film accolade counterpart, the Cecil B. deMille Award, the top honor was first introduced at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Previous recipients include Ellen DeGeneres (2020) and its namesake, Carol Burnett (2019).
Lear has had a dynamic career in television and film, and as a political and social activist and philanthropist. He is a World War II combat veteran, 2017 Kennedy Center Honoree, recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 1999, Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award winner in 2016 and a proud member of the inaugural group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. He has won six Primetime Emmy Awards. Lear began his television career in 1950 writing and producing programs, including The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Martha Raye Show before co-founding Tandem Productions where he took on roles as executive producer, writer and director for more than two decades. He was nominated for an Academy Award(R) in 1967 for his script for Divorce American Style. In 1970, CBS signed with Tandem to produce All in the Family, which earned four Emmys for Best Comedy Series, as well as the Peabody Award in 1977. All in the Family was followed by a succession of other television hit shows that include Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Lear's shows were nominated for and won many Golden Globe Awards.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, October 10
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - "First Final" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Vee leaves Transylvania for boarding school to chase her musical dreams. As she keeps her vampire identity a secret, unexpected obstacles threaten to return her to the shadows.
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire - "First Holiday" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Vee leaves Transylvania for boarding school to chase her musical dreams. As she keeps her vampire identity a secret, unexpected obstacles threaten to return her to the shadows.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 6)
Friday, October 10
- Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared) and Aziz Ansari (Master of None/Parks and Recreation) - Watch Seth and Aziz on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Carrie Preston (Crowded/Happyish/Emeril) - Carrie is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats about If I Had Legs I’d Kick You with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Michael discusses his new book Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Kenzi Richardson (Vampirina: Teenage Vampire) - Kenzi talks about Vampirina: Teenage Vampire on ABC's The View at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris sits down for a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE to chat about the Season 2 premiere of Watson on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya stops by the studio to discuss Loot on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Greta Lee (HouseBroken/Russian Doll) - Greta talks about Disney's Tron: Ares on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Dermot Mulroney (The Righteous Gemstones/Four Weddings and a Funeral) - Dermot is a guest on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Idris Elba (Turn Up Charlie) - Idris and Rebecca Ferguson talk about A House of Dynamite on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey talks about her new book Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl stops by to chat with Sherri about the new season of Abbott Elementary on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - TV legend Henry shares details about his 40th book, Detective Duck: The Mystery at Emerald Pond, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Teri Hatcher (The Odd Couple/Sunday Dinner/Karen's Song/The Love Boat) - Teri and her daughter Emerson Tenney talk about the Desperately Devoted podcast on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen/Pride & Joy/The Larry Sanders Show) - Jeremy is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.
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)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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