Friday, March 12, 2021
Fri-Yay: Paramount+ to Launch with More Revived Sitcoms; CBS Shifts New Comedy to Earlier Slot

by Vincent
It's hard to believe, but there's yet another streaming service on the horizon, although it's not quite new as much as revamped. CBS has rebranded its streaming service CBS All Access as Paramount+. Although it's technically not a new service, CBS is clearly trying to make a more serious play at the streaming wars, rebranding their (not very successful) service as Paramount+, hoping to attract the same kind of brand interest that (wildly successful) Disney+ has done, and that NBC is clearly also hoping to emulate with Peacock. Of note for sitcom fans, though, is that the service is promising two revivals to help draw interest to its service: one of a beloved and critically acclaimed sitcom, and one of a 2000s Nickelodeon series that holds a special place in younger millennials and Generation Z's heart - Frasier and iCarly.
It's a pretty clever move given the two series are basically polar opposites, so Paramount+ is clearly trying to attract many different types of viewers to its streaming service. And the projects do sound intriguing. Frasier was a big hit on Netflix and still has a large following, and iCarly will "age up" with its viewers as a sitcom geared towards young adults. These sound like possibile ways to get a lot of people to check out your service, and at $4.99/month it'll be cheaper than many other services out there. Still, given the fading of once hyped revival projects like The Conners and Fuller House, I do wonder if the time has run out for revived sitcoms, especially ones that are being asked to help launch a streaming service. Time will tell - and Paramount+ is certainly hoping it goes as well as it can.
The series premiere of new CBS comedy United States of Al on Thursday, April 1 will now debut in its new time period, 8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT. Thursday's freshman comedy B Positive will shift to 9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT. United States of Al stars Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young in a comedy about the friendship between Riley (Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir ("Al") (Kalyan), the Interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America. The series also stars Elizabeth Alderfer as Lizzie, Riley's sister; Dean Norris as Art, Riley's father; Kelli Goss as Vanessa, Riley's ex-wife; and Farrah Mackenzie as Hazel, Riley and Vanessa's daughter. Chuck Lorre, David Goetsch & Maria Ferrari, Reza Aslan and Mahyad Tousi are the executive producers. The series is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, June 24
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 23)
Tuesday, June 24
- Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Catch Tiffany on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) - Alan appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Frankie Grande (Henry Danger/Danger Force) - Frankie stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth/No Activity/The League) - Jason appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jason Ritter (Another Period/The Class) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Jason and Joel are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Matty Matheson (The Bear) - Matty chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Brandy Norwood (Zoe Ever After/The Game/Moesha/Thea) - Brandy and Monica talk about The Boy is Mine Tour on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison talks about M3GAN 2.0 on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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