Friday, April 09, 2021
Fri-Yay: Fox Cancels Bless the Harts, Leaving Questions About Animated Block; Variety and Lifetime Presents Power of Women Comedians

by Vincent
It's not May just yet, but we're already getting some renewals and cancelations as networks begin looking towards the 2021-2022 TV season. And the most recent cancelation was Bless the Harts, the sophomore Fox comedy series that has been occupying the much-maligned 7:30 slot this spring. Bless the Harts was a so-so ratings performer last year but won a second season renewal as it managed to maintain a decent enough audience, and Fox is likely looking for possible future animated anchors in the case that long-running The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bob's Burgers decide to end their run. Fox's Animated block is still a valuable piece of network TV real estate, drawing decent young male viewership and being very popular in cable syndication.
Still, it seems Bless the Harts will not be part of that block any longer. While the series never quite became what I'd call "great," it was enjoyable enough with some flashes of promise. Fox seems to be much more confident in The Great North, a freshman comedy series from Bob's Burgers creator Loren Bouchard. Bouchard now produces two of Fox's animated sitcoms, and perhaps Fox is trying to turn him into what Seth MacFarlane was for the network back in the 2000s and early 2010s, when he had Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show all in the animated block. It's too bad Bless the Harts couldn't stick around longer and pave the way of the animated block's future, but it'll be interesting to see if there's any more shifts in one of the last reliable blocks of network comedy left on TV.
Variety and Lifetime announced the one-hour special Lifetime Presents Variety's Power of Women The Comedians which will premiere on Monday, May 10 at 8PM ET/PT on Lifetime. The special will be timed to Variety's Power of Women issue, which hits newsstands on Wednesday, May 5. The honorees will all appear on the cover of the issue. Additional content from the special will air on Variety.com and social media channels. The special will honor the comedic impact of Emmy nominated Writer, Actor and Producer Mindy Kaling, Multiple Emmy Award-Winning Actor and Saturday Night Live legend Maya Rudolph, Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe-Winning Actor and Producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus, SAG Award-Winning and Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Actor SofĂa Vergara, BAFTA Award-Winning Actor, Writer, Director and Producer Michaela Coel, and Emmy Award-winning Saturday Night Live Actor Kate McKinnon. Each honoree will be interviewed by a close family member or friend - including Aidy Bryant, Bowen Yang, Nastasha Lyonne, Luis Balaguer, and Charlie Hall.
Previous Power of Women honorees include Cate Blanchett, Patti LuPone, Janelle Monae, Brie Larson, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Aniston, Laverne Cox, Jennifer Garner, Tiffany Haddish, Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nicole Kidman, Blake Lively, Helen Mirren and Natalie Portman, among others.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Monday, October 2
Son of a Critch - "Circus" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark and Fox find themselves on a maybe-date to the fair; Ritchie's family hosts some new Filipino-Canadians who make him feel insecure about his heritage.
Run the Burbs - "Phamily Games Night" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Andrew and Camille use game nights to help Hudson; Ramesh worries Barb doesn't think he's expressive enough; Khia plans a movie night for Mannix.
Children Ruin Everything - "Screen Time" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Astrid and James enact a weekend screen ban; with new work assignments, they soon learn leading by example is more complicated than they originally thought; without the hypnotic power of electronics, they're in for an uphill battle.
American Dad! - "Multiverse of American Dadness" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Hayley searches for a runaway Steve so they can go to a Shaggy concert.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 2)
Monday, October 2
- Garcelle Beauvais (The Jamie Foxx Show) - E! News has an interview with Garcelle at 11pm on E!.
- Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) - Gina is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) - Patrick talks about Making It So: A Memoir on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - Nicole tells Sherri about her starring role in the off-Broadway show The Refuge Plays on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Zosia Mamet (Girls) - Zosia is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - NBC's Today catches up with Mindy sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
- Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica talks about directing First Lady of BMF on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso stops by and chats about hosting the new season of America's Funniest Videos and gives a behind-the-scenes look at his family life on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- The Cast of The Neighborhood - Cedric the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Tichina Arnold, Marcel Spears, Sheaun McKinney and Hank Greenspan celebrate the series' 100th episode on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
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