Happy New Year!; Murphy Brown Star Heads to The Conners

Friday, January 01, 2021

Happy New Year!; Murphy Brown Star Heads to The Conners

Happy New Year to everyone out there! Good riddance to 2020 and hello 2021! Hopefully this year is a little better and things start to get back to normal in the world. Anyway, we have some sitcom news to start the year off! Don't forget to view some New Year's Day marathons such as IFC's Three's Company marathon on today from 2pm-12am!

Candice Bergen - The Conners

5-time Emmy Award-winning television legend Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown) will be guest starring on ABC's The Conners in the of role Barb, the mother of Jay R. Ferguson's Ben. Barb is Ben's mother, and their relationship can best be described as cool. Despite being from Lanford, Barb has a superior air and a sharp tongue, but she's much more agreeable when she's had a few drinks. She's judgmental about Ben's relationship with Darlene, and describes the Conner house as, "Like one of those places they break into on that program Cops." Bergen will first appear on The Conners on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 when the series returns with new episodes for its mid-season premiere as TV's #1 Comedy in Adults 18-49. During its fall run, the series also ranked #1 in Total Viewers its new Wednesday 9pm half-hour timeslot. The Conners airs Wednesdays at 9|8c on ABC.

Candice Bergen shined as the feisty eponymous broadcast news legend of the critically acclaimed CBS comedy series Murphy Brown, for which she received five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards over the 10 year run. She served as an executive producer when she returned to that iconic role in the CBS revival in the fall of 2018. She starred that same year in the box office hit The Book Club alongside Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Mary Steenburgen. She is currently starring alongside Meryl Streep and Dianne Wiest in the HBO Max film Let Them All Talk directed by Steven Soderbergh.

The Conners continue to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford. This iconic family – Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. – grapples with parenthood, dating, financial pressures and aging in working-class America. Through it all – the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails. The series stars John Goodman as Dan, Laurie Metcalf as Jackie, Sara Gilbert as Darlene, Lecy Goranson as Becky, Michael Fishman as D.J., Emma Kenney as Harris, Ames McNamara as Mark, Jayden Rey as Mary and Jay R. Ferguson as Ben. The Conners is executive produced by Tom Werner, along with Sara Gilbert, Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez. The series is from Werner Entertainment.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, January 23

Shifting Gears - "Accommodations" (ABC, 9:02PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.

Only Murders in the Building - "Sparring Partners" (ABC, 9:33PM ET/PT)
Closing in on the killer, Mabel takes her investigative talents into the ring; Oliver and Charles duke it out over a birdcage only to end up confronting their deepest paternal struggles.

Only Murders in the Building - "I Know Who Did It" (ABC, 10:12PM ET/PT)
The question of who did it remains, along with a few more questions that have been raised.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "An Old Mustang" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie worries that he’s leaving Connor out of his new project with Jim. Meanwhile, Mandy and Audrey struggle to decorate CeeCee’s nursery without fighting.

Ghosts - "The Primary Source" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Sam’s book publisher requires source material for her biography on Isaac, she and Jay take a field trip to find a diary he claims he hid when he was alive.

Animal Control - "Baby Kangaroos and Chickens" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria compete to win Fiona's affections at the new kennels' fundraiser; Emily gets some very bad advice from Bettany on her speech; Patel and Shred find themselves facing the world's most charming squatter.

Going Dutch - "Korfball" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Everyone in town is talking about the upcoming Korfball match between the Americans and the Dutch; the colonel refuses to lose to the Dutch and Quinn brings out her high school alter ego "The Rocket" to make her dad proud.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Thursday, January 23

James Marsden (30 Rock) - Catch James on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Fortune Feimster (FUBAR/Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - Denis stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Thomas, Paul and Joe are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez/About a Boy/Gary Unmarried/Welcome to The Captain) - Al appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Jason Biggs (Outmatched/Mad Love/Drexell's Class) - Jason and his wife Jenny Mollen are telling Drew about their new show Dinner and a Movie that features an episode focusing on 50 First Dates on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.