Friday, May 21, 2021
Fri-Yay: First Look at the 2021-2022 Sitcom Slate; NBC Books Eighth and Final Season Premiere of Brooklyn Nine-Nine for August 12
by Vincent
This week was Upfronts week for broadcast TV, and it was a particularly notable Upfronts season given the turbulence of the past year. Last season's new shows were limited due to the pandemic, and the few freshman series we had were greatly effected by production delays and shutdowns. This year, we hate a sitcom slate that looks a bit more "normal." Although most comedies have been held for midsession, there are a handful of shows I'm interested in seeing. In fact, I'm looking forward to this upcoming sitcom slate more than any new sitcom slate in recent years. There's quite a few trailers of new series that caught my eye.
Of the new comedy trailers, there's four that really stood out to me: Welcome to Flatch on FOX, Abbott Elementary as well as the The Wonder Years reboot on ABC, and American Auto on NBC. Welcome to Flatch, which stars Aya Cash of You're the Worst, is a new mockumentary series that chronicles the life of a silly small town. It looks from the trailer like a mix of The Office and Schitt's Creek, and likely is trying to capitalize on the streaming-borne popularity of both series. Abbott Elementary looks to be a solidly funny workplace sitcom with a talented cast, and American Auto (created by Superstore creator Justin Spitzer) seems to be the same. The Wonder Years, meanwhile, is a show I am very interested to see rebooted with its comedy-drama mix that should fit nicely with ABC's family lineup. In general, many of these shows seem more interesting than most current network comedies, and more tailored towards young, streaming-hungry audience. Perhaps networks have finally started thinking long term about producing shows that can have long, Office or Schitt's Creek esque streaming lives. It would be a smart direction, and I hope these promising shows can live up to their interesting trailers and premises.
The eighth and final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine will premiere on NBC on August 12 at 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. It will air back-to-back every Thursday at 8:00–8:30 and 8:30–9:00pm ET/PT through September 16, except for September 9 when they will air the NFL Kickoff.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows the exploits of hilarious Det. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and his stoically ever-professional Capt. Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), along with their diverse, lovable colleagues as they police the NYPD's 99th Precinct. In this final season of the series, Jake and the squad must try to balance their personal lives and their professional lives over the course of a very difficult year.
Rounding out the ensemble is Sgt. Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), who has a passion for organization and a weakness for dork dancing; Lt. Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews), a mountain of a man whose most powerful muscle is his sweetheart; JakeĆ¢€™s best friend and human puppy dog, Det. Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), and the incredibly secretive, tough-as-nails Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). Also part of the Nine-Nine are veteran officers Det. Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) and Det. Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker), whose only skill as police officers is their ability to make a passable pot of coffee.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, January 20
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Monday, January 20
- Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Watch Don on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical/Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Christian is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Zosia Mamet (Laid/Girls) - Zosia stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Mekki Leeper (St. Denis Medical/Jury Duty/The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Mekki appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie is reminiscing with Drew on the film they worked on together on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Plus, Rosie shares which famous rapper filled in as a last-minute date to an awards show when she got stood up.
- Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta talks about the current season of Abbott Elementary on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - A Tam Fam DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE on Tamron Hall (repeat) with 90s TV star Jaleel White. In his new memoir, Growing Up Urkel, Jaleel talks about his iconic role as Steve Urkel on Family Matters and the impact it’s had on his career. Plus, life with his new wife and daughter.
- Gabriel Iglesias (The Santa Clauses/Mr. Iglesias/Cristela) - Gabriel talks about Netflix's Legend of Fluffy on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita debuts her limited-edition tribute Barbie on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
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