Fri-Yay: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Is Addressing Police Misconduct On Its Way Out the Door; Netflix Renews Never Have I Ever for Season 3

Friday, August 20, 2021

Fri-Yay: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Is Addressing Police Misconduct On Its Way Out the Door; Netflix Renews Never Have I Ever for Season 3

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!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Good Ones

by Vincent

Last week, the 8th and final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered on NBC. It has been 16 months since the show last aired (the 7th season concluded in April 2020 - the show sat out for the regular 2020 - 2021 broadcast season.) Needless to say, a lot has changed in that time, particularly with the topic of police officers. Just a few months after the 7th season ended, the George Floyd video shocked America, and led to a discussion on police brutality and reforming police systems in the US. Brooklyn Nine-Nine threw out all of their previous ideas for the 8th season, hence the long delay in between Seasons 7 and 8. The show's premiere episode last week directly addressed this turmoil. Not only did Rosa quit the police force due to her uncomfortableness helping a system that has wronged so many, but Jake finds himself being called a "pig" and part of the problem.

In some ways, this isn't new territory for the show, which has always depicted the police officers outside of the 99 to be corrupt in many ways. But this was the first time the show seemed to reckon with the fact that its officers could be part of the problem, or at least that its characters reckoned with it. It was an interesting tonal shift for the show, although the second episode of the one-hour premiere was much more traditional Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Still, the final season certainly seems to have a bit of a darker vibe overall. Not only is the show addressing real world issues head on, it broke up Captain Holt and his husband Kevin, in a move that shocked many fans. The show has always been a generally light-hearted sitcom, although it has dipped its toes into serious issues before (such as racial profiling and the Me Too movement), but this feels like the most upfront and personal the show is getting with these issues, and it seems to also be willing to experiment with messing up its characters' personal lives. Typically, planned final seasons of sitcoms tend to be a celebration of shorts, and are often a little lower stakes, meant to celebrate the show that we love and demonstrate where our beloved characters are ending up. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, on the other hand, might be going in another direction. It'll be interesting to see how the show manages to balance these tones as it finishes out its run.

Never Have I Ever

Netflix has renewed Never Have I Ever for a third season. Netflix's Head of Global TV Bela Bajaria broke the news during her TCA remarks. Never Have I Ever is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, Original Langster, and Kaling International. Returning cast includes: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez, Ramona Young with narration from John McEnroe. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming globally, only on Netflix. Never Have I Ever is a coming-of-age comedy about the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. In Season 2, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) continues to deal with the everyday pressures of high school and drama at home, while also navigating new romantic relationships. Never Have I Ever is created by executive producer Mindy Kaling, with Lang Fisher serving as co-creator, executive producer, showrunner and writer. The Universal Television project is also executive produced by 3 Arts Entertainment's Howard Klein and David Miner.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, May 21

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Funky Chili and Friends Who Take Their Clothes Off" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mandy and Jim butt heads when they take over the store for a sick Georgie and Ruben. Meanwhile, Audrey panics when Connor rekindles an old flame.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A New Beau and Someone Else's Mom’s House" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy take matters into their own hands when Mary starts warming up to Fagenbacher (Matthew Letscher). Also, Audrey struggles to cope with Connor’s absence.

Ghosts - "Up the Creek" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Woodstone’s future is put in jeopardy, Sam and Jay join forces with the ghosts to protect the mansion by securing its place in history.

Ghosts - "Across the Pond" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A trip abroad could determine Woodstone’s fate. Meanwhile, a major career opportunity takes Sam out of town, leaving others to step in and help with the ghosts.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 18)

Thursday, May 21

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Watch the series finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jake Johnson (Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed/Minx/New Girl) - Jake appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) and Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Andy Cohen interviews Keke and Brooke on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta) - LaKeith chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (Big Mistakes/The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laure discusses Death of a Salesman on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Niecy Nash (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy is Sherri's special guest on the final Sherri show, so check your local listings.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle stops by for a very special Sherri's Laugh Lounge on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Barrymore Show has a little bit extra from Drew-crewers Ross Mathews, Sunny Anderson and Valerie sharing their tips in the kitchen with knife skills 101, so check your local listings.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) and Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Paul and Nick can be heard on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Judith Light (Who's the Boss?/Phenom/Transparent) - Judith talks about AMC+'s The Terror: Devil in Silver on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) - Utkarsh talks about Ghosts on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.