Friday, February 05, 2021
Fri-Yay: Has the Sitcom Revival Bubble Finally Burst?; NBC Announces Rest of Spring 2021 Schedule

by Vincent
A few years ago, it seemed like the only way for a sitcom to get greenlit was to be a revival of a previous hit sitcom. In just a few years timespan, we had revivals for Boy Meets World, Full House, Murphy Brown, Will & Grace, One Day at a Time, Roseanne and some others, as well. Now, a few years later, there is just one revival still left on network TV: the Roseanne spin-off The Conners, and its once-robust ratings have taken a huge hit this season. Recently, even the critically acclaimed One Day at a Time reboot, which was widely considered to be the best reboot done yet, was canceled after a two-network run on Netflix and Pop TV. So has the clock finally run out on reboots?
Truthfully, it does seem like reboots tend to follow a trend of high initial interest followed by a gradual decline in popularity. We could clearly see this with the two most-hyped reboots, the Roseanne and Will & Grace reboots. Both shows started with monster ratings, and Roseanne was able to transfer most of its audience to The Conners, as well. But those ratings have taken a huge hit this season, similar to the hit that Will & Grace took in its last few seasons. And while we don't have viewership data for Fuller House, the hype - and the way Netflix seemed to depriortize it after its first few seasons - suggests that it may have followed a similar path. Whether you liked or hated the reboots, it certainly seems as if their time, for now, has come and gone (though some pilot or script orders were ordered for The Wonder Years, Night Court, Kate & Allie and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman). Now there are more drama revivals/reboots on the air, all on CBS/The CW (MacGyver, Magnum P.I., S.W.A.T., Charmed, Dynasty, Nancy Drew, Roswell, Walker and the upcoming The Equalizer & Kung Fu).
NBC is reuniting two of the most popular members of the NYPD in TV history with a must-watch April 1 crossover that will serve as the launch of the highly anticipated new Dick Wolf drama, Law & Order: Organized Crime. A two-hour television event set for Thursday, April 1, this crossover between Law & Order: SVU (9 p.m.) and Law & Order: Organized Crime (10 p.m.) will finally bring back together Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, played by Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni. The spin-off series will run through May 20, just like SVU. Both series will also encore on Saturdays from 8-10 p.m. beginning April 3 through May 8, before NHL Playoffs take over on May 15. In other scheduling news on the scripted side, Good Girls will make its season four premiere on Sunday, March 7 at 10 p.m. thru June 13 as Beth, Ruby and Annie get together once again as the stakes for everyone gets higher and higher. Manifest is back for season three on Thursday, April 1 at 8 p.m. thru June 24 asking what happened to the passengers on Flight 828. Newly crowned Golden Globe Award nominee Jane Levy and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist returns from their hiatus with a new date and time – Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning March 28 thru May 16. And on the unscripted side, Ellen's Game of Games will shift from Mondays to Sundays beginning March 7 at 9 p.m. before moving to 8 p.m. on March 28 (following a repeat at 7pm) thru May 16.
Comedy wise, with the addition of drama Manifest on Thursdays, this means still no word on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but that series was having issues with production due to COVID-19. Superstore is expected to end its series run at the end of March (tentatively March 25), while Mr. Mayor will wrap its 9 episode run on Feb. 25.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, February 5
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 30)
Friday, February 3
- Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place/Barry) - D'Arcy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary/Go On/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tyler is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Will Arnett (Murderville/Arrested Development/Flaked/The Millers/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Will is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Harrison Ford (Shrinking) - Harrison talks about the prequel series 1923 on NBC's Today some time between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Wendell Pierce (The Odd Couple/The Michael J. Fox Show/The Weber/The Brian Benben Show/The Gregory Hines Show) - Wendell unpacks the new TV series Accused on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Craig Robinson (Killing It/Ghosted/Mr. Robinson/The Office/Lucky) - Craig is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Jennifer Grey (Red Oaks/It's Like, You Know...) - Jennifer talks about taking on the controversial role of religious leader and Christian diet guru in her Lifetime film Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Connie Britton (SMILF/Lost at Home/The Fighting Fitzgeralds/Spin City) - Connie talks about Dear Edward on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony discusses his "Get Real with Diabetes" campaign on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-February)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
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