Monday, May 24, 2021

TBS Launches Best of Friends Awards; AMC Networks Adds to All-Star Cast of Ultra City Smiths

The Best of Friends Awards

TBS announced the launch of of the first-ever "Best of Friends Awards" hosted by Schitt's Creek star and #1 Friends fan, Sarah Levy. Fans can vote for their favorite moments from the iconic series in a variety of categories – including Best Cellebrity Cameo, Best Musical Moment, Best Romantic Moment and more – by visiting www.TBS.com . Winners will be announced during a livestream on TBS' YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages on Wednesday, May 26 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT, with a special guest appearance from a Friends fan favorite. Fans who vote will be entered to win a Friends merchandise prize pack.

Additionally, in support of the highly anticipated premiere of Friends: The Reunion streaming on HBO Max Thursday, May 27, TBS is running a bracket on Instagram and Twitter to select the #1 fan moment of all time, having already achieved 800k votes and counting. This joins the previously announced Friends: From the Beginning marathon currently airing on TBS until June 4.

Friends: The Reunion

HBO Max debuted the official trailer and key art for Friends: The Reunion, debuting Thursday, MAY 27 on HBO Max. Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer return to the iconic comedy's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.

Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with Friends executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. The special hails from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions and Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special. Emma Conway, James Longman and Stacey Thomas-Muir co-executive produced.

In celebration of the special, HBO Max will launch the following activations, inspiring friends to reunite nationwide to watch Friends: The Reunion:

  • "Friends Reunite for Friends" Screening Events: On Wednesday, May 26th, HBO Max will invite select guests and super-fans for an exclusive screening to experience the reunion special with their friends IRL. The experience will include tailored pre-show entertainment and outdoor screenings before its HBO Max debut in two iconic locations: The Greens at Pier 17 in New York City, NY and at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA. Fans will have the opportunity to attend through a #SuperFriendsFan UGC sweepstakes via HBOMax, HBOMaxPop and Friends social channels.
  • Scener Watch-Along Partnership: Fans can reunite with their friends virtually to enjoy the reunion special together with Scener. Starting premiere day, fans will be able to see their favorite cast reunite on their own custom virtual couches with video and chat capabilities on scener.com. Fans can share watch party experiences using the #CentralPerkWatchParties hashtag.
  • Digital & Social Red Carpet: To further celebrate the long-awaited reunion special, HBO Max is hosting a live-streamed digital and social red carpet on Wednesday, May 26th from 7:30pm to 8:30pm PST. This event will feature exclusive programming, guest-star appearances and live segments from the "Friends Reunite for Friends" screening events in New York and Los Angeles leading up to the reunion special.
  • To celebrate the must-stream event of the summer, HBO Max will launch the "For Fans Of Friends" spotlight page on May 27, offering customized Friends-themed content to invite viewers to immerse themselves in curations centered around everyone's favorite group of six. The page will include a myriad of themed episodic collections from fan favorites, guest stars, iconic moments and fashion to custom talent-driven curations. Collections include "Best of Rachel," "The Ones With Celebrity Guests" and the most-watched episodes.

    Ultra City Smiths

    AMC Networks announced the second round of voice casting for its new half-hour, stop-motion, animated baby doll series, Ultra City Smiths, created by Steve Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace), who serves as showrunner, and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (Robot Chicken, Crossing Swords). The first two episodes of the series will premiere on AMC+ on Thursday, July 22 with subsequent episodes dropping weekly, every Thursday. The six-episode first season will air on AMC this fall.

    Rounding out the cast are Kristen Bell (Queenpins, The Woman in the House) as Donella Pecker, Dax Shepard (Parenthood, The Ranch) as Congressman Chris Pecker, Alia Shawkat (Seach Party, Duck Butter) as Little Grace, Tim Meadows (Schooled, No Activity) as Deputy Mayor Jeff Thumb, Terry O'Quinn (Lost, Patriot) as Captain Krieger, Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment, Shadowlands) as Trish McSapphire, Guzmán (Shameless, Traffic) as Rodrigo Smalls, Julian Barratt (Truth Keepers, Killing Eve) as The Most Dangerous Man in the World, Sunita Mani (Evil Eye, Save Yourselves!) as Detective Jaya Mukherjee, and Tom Waits (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Dead Don't Die) as The Narrator.

    Ultra City Smiths

    These all-star cast members join the previously announced Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, Black Mirror), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name, The United States vs Billie Holiday), John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8, Ralph Breaks the Internet), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago, Cheers), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth, Infinite), Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Underground Railroad), Melissa Villaseñor (Saturday Night Live, Toy Story 4), Kurtwood Smith (That '70s Show, RoboCop), Tim Heidecker (Moonbase 8, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!), Chris Conrad (Patriot, Perpetual Grace, LTD) and Hana Mae Lee (Patriot, The Babysitter: Killer Queen).

    From AMC Studios and created by Conrad, the Ultra City Smiths story unfolds via the stop-motion animation of baby dolls repurposed as a grown-up cast of characters. The series hinges on an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of fictional metropolis Ultra Cit's most famous magnate (Smith). Two intrepid detectives (Simpson and Randolph) follow the case, rallying to fight against their city's dangerous corruption, at a high cost to themselves and their families, all in pursuit of a gentler place to call home.

    Stoopid Buddy Stoodios' Seth Green, John Harvatine IV, Matthew Senreich, Eric Towner and Chris Waters serve as executive producers along with Jennifer Scher. Jeff Dieter and Thomas J. Glynn are producers.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Tuesday, September 23

    none scheduled

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 22)

    Tuesday, September 23

    • Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Catch Regina on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Bobby Cannavale (Angie Tribeca/Will & Grace) - Bobby appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) and Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Matt and Bowen are Day Drinking on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Helen Hong (The Thundermans/The Unicorn) and Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried/Action/Camp Wilder) - Helen and Jay are guests on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane appears on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
    • Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - Zachary is a guest on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
    • Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane appears on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
    • Brett Goldstein (Shrinking/Ted Lasso) - Brett is telling Drew about his new movie All of You on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika talks about her new podcast ReLiving Single and shares an EXCLUSIVE first look at the new season of Invasion on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
    • Kym Whitley (Act Your Age/Young & Hungry/Animal Practice/Sparks) - Kym pitches all the reasons why eligible bachelors should date her bestie, Sherri, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
    • Tembi Locke (Like Family/Raising Dad/Claude's Crib) - Tembi talks about Someday, Now: A Memoir of Family, Reclaiming Possibility, and One Sicilian Summer on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
    • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry chats about his children's book Detective Duck: The Mystery at Emerald Pond on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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)
    07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

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