Thursday, May 20, 2021

TNets Upfront: Chad and Wipeout Renewed for Second Seasons in 2022; The Dick Van Dyke Show in Color on CBS Friday (May 21)

Chad and Wipeout

The TNets (TBS, TNT and truTV) underscore their commitment to original unscripted and scripted programming in 2022, announcing second season renewals for freshman series Wipeout, Fast Foodies and Chad. These recent pickups join critically acclaimed scripted series, Snowpiercer, which was previously greenlit for a third season, the fifth and sixth seasons of Animal Kingdom, and unscripted series The Cube, The Big D, Rat in the Kitchen and Rhodes to the Top.

The TNets continue to grow from strength to strength dominating comedy in 2021 with four of the top five slots (Wipeout, Impractical Jokers, Go-Big Show and Chad). Wipeout premiered as the #1 New Cable Unscripted Series; Chad premiered as the #1 Scripted Cable Comedy; Go-Big Show ranks as the #3 Cable Comedy reaching more than 34 million viewers; and Impractical Jokers currently ranks as the #1 Cable Comedy for 2021.

Cable's #1 Scripted Comedy Series, Chad is a single-camera comedy that follows a 14-year-old pubescent Persian boy, played by Nasim Pedrad (SNL, New Girl, Aladdin) as he navigates his first year of high school on a mission to become popular. Chad's friendships and sanity are pushed to the limits as he uses every tactic at his disposal to befriend the cool kids, while enduring his mother's new dating life and reconciling with his cultural identity. Chad is currently airing on TBS on Tuesdays at 10:30pm ET/PT.

The TNets announced the July premiere dates for new and returning unscripted and scripted series. Kicking off July 1st, truTV fans can join The Tenderloins for their first-ever Awards Special, Impractical Jokers Awards Show celebrating the most iconic moments from the franchise's 200+ episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT, followed by the network premiere of Impractical Jokers: The Movie at 10:30pm ET/PT. On July 8th, new episodes from the ninth season of Impractical Jokers return at 10:00pm ET/PT on truTV, followed by, the series premiere of Backyard Bar Wars at 10:30pm ET/PT.

These shows join the previously announced launches of TBS' new high-stakes game show The Cube with host Dwyane Wade on Thursday, June 10th at 9:00pm ET/PT; the fifth season of TNT's critically acclaimed crime drama Animal Kingdom on July 11th at 9:00pm ET/PT; and a new installment of TBS' top-rated anthology, Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail on July 13th at 10:30pm ET/PT.

Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail

The third season of the top-rated anthology comedy series Miracle Workers, this time transporting cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni and Jon Bass to the American Old West will premiere on July 13th. Set in the year 1844, Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail follows an idealistic small-town preacher (Radcliffe) who teams up with a wanted outlaw (Buscemi) and an adventurous prairie wife (Viswanathan) to lead a wagon train west on the Oregon Trail across an American landscape which, much like today, is fraught with both promise and peril.




The Dick Van Dyke Show - Baby Fat & The Bottom of Mel Cooley's Heart

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Now In Living Color! is a new, one-hour special featuring two freshly colorized classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series airing back-to-back on Friday, May 21 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network. The special features the season four episode "Baby Fat," written by Garry Marshall and Jerry Belson, and the season five episode “The Bottom of Mel Cooley's Heart," written by John Whedon. The main titles and end credits of the two episodes are seamlessly combined into one set —at the beginning and end of the hour—with no interruption between each. The Emmy Award-winning series starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as television comedy writer Rob and his wife, Laura Petrie; Larry Matthews as their son Ritchie; Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie as Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers, co-writers on the fictional The Alan Brady Show; Carl Reiner as Alan Brady; Richard Deacon as Mel Cooley; Jerry Paris as Dr. Jerry Helper; and Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Krumbermacher Helper.

In "Baby Fat," Alan Brady calls on Rob to ghostwrite some new material for a troubled Broadway play he's starring in. The episode is based on an incident that actually happened to co-writer Garry Marshall: he was tapped to fix a play for comedian Jack Carter, who insisted that the ghostwriter make himself scarce whenever the official playwright showed up. The episode first aired on April 21, 1965, during season four. "The Bottom of Mel Cooley's Heart," which aired late in the show's final season, served as a kind of "curtain call" for longtime supporting actor Richard Deacon, who finally got to take center stage when Mel Cooley stands up to brother-in-law/employer Alan Brady (played by Dick Van Dyke Show creator Carl Reiner). The episode first aired on Feb. 9, 1966. The Dick Van Dyke Show originally aired on CBS from Oct. 3, 1961, through June 1, 1966, finishing in the Nielsen Top 10 in three of its five seasons, and peaking at #3 during the 1963-1964 season. The show received 15 Primetime Emmy Awards, including three Emmys for Dick Van Dyke, five for Carl Reiner and two for Mary Tyler Moore.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, May 7

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Doing the Work" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
House of Payne is the hilarious comedy about Retired fire chief Curtis Payne and his lovely wife Ella.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Wobblewham" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Reginald must face a daunting truth with his son Brandon; Vinny starts a business venture that throws Pleasant Days into a chaotic spiral.

The Ms. Pat Show - "The Book of Denise" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Denise and Junebug can't stop looking for love in all the wrong places, and both aunt and nephew are in for rude awakenings when the objects of their affection aren't all they seem to be.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)

Wednesday, May 7

  • Lunell (Lopez) - Watch Luenell on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory/Happy Family/Welcome to New York/Cybill) - Christine is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) and Anna Kendrick (Love Life) - Paul is a guest and Anna makes a special appearance on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) - Geena talks about The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim stops by for a chat about his new comedy special The Skinny on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) - NBC's Today catches up with Natasha in the 9am hour.
  • Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana drop by with a rousing round of fast five questions for Martha Stewart on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny talks about Fox's The Masked Singer on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Carrie Preston (Crowded/Happyish/Emeril) - Carrie talks about CBS's Elsbeth 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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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

05/06 - Netflix's Long Story Short Announces Cast; NBC Renews All Chicago Series for 2025-26
05/05 - Antenna TV's The Partridge Family Mother's Day Marathon; Rewind TV's 227 40th Anniversary Marathon
05/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 5, 2025)
05/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels The Equalizer; Wisteria Lane Offshoot of Desperate Housewives in the Works
05/02 - USA and SYFY Announce Summer Premieres; CBC in Canada Renews 5 Series, Including Wild Cards
05/01 - ABC Summer 2025 Schedule; Audible Scripted Comedy Podcasts for Summer
04/30 - The Carol Burnett Show Mother of All Marathons; Netflix Renews North of North
04/29 - Lifetime Adds New Ripped from the Headlines Movie; BET+ Orders Season 2 of Series
04/28 - Fox Summer 2025 Schedule; Final Guest Hosts for Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Season
04/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 28, 2025)
04/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels Poppa's House; Final Season 50 Hosts for Saturday Night Live Set
04/25 - Classic TV's Biggest Auction; Remembering Will Hutchins and Wink Martindale
04/24 - Jerrod Carmichael's 4th HBO Comedy Special; HBO's Pee-wee as Himself Premieres May 23
04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series
04/21 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Returns July 31; Poker Face Lines Up Big Guests for Season 2
04/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 21, 2025)
04/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Reboot in the Works at Peacock; King of the Hill Cast Reunion and Revival Preview at ATX TV Festival Next Month
04/18 - 2025 TIME100 on ABC; Atsuko Okatsuka: Father Premieres June 13 on Hulu
04/17 - BET+ Orders Martin Spinoff Varnell Hill; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in July
04/16 - And Just Like That... Season 3 on Max This May; MGM+ Comedy Series Adds Big Stars
04/15 - HBO's Harry Potter Series; Classic TV Comes to Life in NYC
04/14 - TV Stars Lineup for Summer of 69 Hulu Film; Jessica Kirson Comedy Special
04/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 14, 2025)
04/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: FX Sets Premiere Date for Adults; Netflix Picks Up Monopoly Themed Reality Competition Series
04/11 - Bounce TV Renews Mind Your Business; AMC Networks 2025 Upfront Highlights
04/10 - David Spade's Prime Video Comedy Special; Brett Goldstein's HBO Comedy Special Filmed in New Jersey
04/09 - Paramount+ Orders Season 3 of Colin from Accounts; FX's Adults Premieres May 28
04/08 - Prime Video's New Comedy Overcompensating; Nine Perfect Strangers Returns on Hulu in May
04/07 - NBC Celebrates Joan Rivers with Special; Remembering Jay North of Dennis the Menace
04/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 7, 2025)