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!
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
Wednesday, March 25
Scrubs - "My V.I.P." (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
J.D. and Dr. Park are forced to work together when a member of the hospital board experiences a mysterious health crisis. Turk helps Elliot navigate a newfound romance, while the interns practice vulnerability with patients.
Abbott Elementary - "No Homework" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ava implements a no-homework policy at Abbott, sparking debate amongst the teachers.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "A Split Tree Grows" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Efe has a mock teaching session with the assisted living facility to prepare him for the classroom; Jeremy is on the fence about the court system's harsh punishment of the young robbers.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "A Rolling Stone" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mr. Brown receives a surprise that brings up his sinful past; Reginald and Jeremy are at odds with the court system.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 23)
Wednesday, March 25
- Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!) - Watch Ariana on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Robert Smigel (Let's Be Real) - Robert is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Rocky Carroll (Roc/Welcome to New York) - Rocky talks about NCIS on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Patricia Arquette (High Desert) - NBC's Today catches up with Patricia in the 9am hour.
- Heather Graham (Californication/Scrubs/Emily's Reasons Why Not) - NBC's Today catches up with Heather in the 10am hour.
- Sterling K. Brown (Starved) and Ryan Michelle Bathe (First Wives Club/Retired at 35) - Sterling and his wife Ryan Michelle tell Sherri about the highly anticipated new season of Paradise now streaming on Hulu & Disney+ on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie joins Drew and Ross to cover the news with a special cleaning theme on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Melissa Peterman (Happy's Place/Young Sheldon/Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa talksa about Happy's Place on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Contact Us