Fri-Yay: Paramount+ to Launch with More Revived Sitcoms; CBS Shifts New Comedy to Earlier Slot

Friday, March 12, 2021

Fri-Yay: Paramount+ to Launch with More Revived Sitcoms; CBS Shifts New Comedy to Earlier Slot

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!

iCarly

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.

United State of Al

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

Thursday, June 19

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Typhoid Georgie" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie worries he’s letting his family down when he’s forced to stay home with a cold, and Mandy worries about how her career will affect her marriage.

Ghosts - "Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jay becomes obsessed with the success of a fellow chef, Isaac serves up a cautionary tale about his own rivalry with Alexander Hamilton (Nat Faxon). Also, Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh) returns from hell with a limited-time offer for the ghosts.

Bob's Burgers - "The Lost City of Atlantic" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Belchers have a wild night at a casino and Linda learns more about her late grandfather than she wanted to know.

Grimsburg - "Evidence Locker" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Memories are sparked when Grimsburg PD cleans an evidence locker.

The Great North - "Super Smash Lovers Adventure; Serendipi-Beef Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Honeybee and Wolf renovate the guest cabin; after an extreme experience, Ham, Judy and Moon get whole new outlooks on life; on a field trip to view Curlew's Kissin' Comets, Beef rushes to stop his kids from suffering a terrible fate.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 16)

Thursday, June 19

Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared) - Catch Seth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Lionel Boyce (The Bear) - Lionel appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kurt Braunohler (Bob's Burgers) and Brendan Scannell (Bonding/Heathers) - Kurt and Brendan are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House/Hollywood Darlings/Full House) - Jodie talks about Dateless to Dangerous: My Son's Secret Life on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Owen Wilson (Stick) - Owen talks about Stick on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary) - Chris talks about Abbott Elementary on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls/What I Like About You) - In a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with actress Jennie Garth, she shares her formula for fulfillment and how she created the “I Choose Me” movement on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) and Lauren Ambrose (The Return of Jezebel James) - Drew is chatting with Yellowjackets cast Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress and Lauren Ambrose about working as cast of women in their forties, supporting each other as working moms and the newest season of their thrilling show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Plus, they're playing a rousing round of confession session and Drew is trying to match their fun revealing facts to the right person.