Friday, August 13, 2021
New Smurfs Series Premieres Sept. 10 on Nick; HBO Max Orders New Comedy Sort Of

Blue and small, and standing only three apples tall, The Smurfs are set to make their Nickelodeon debut in an all-new series premiering Friday, Sept. 10, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The news was announced by Nickelodeon, the number-one network for kids, and LAFIG Belgium and IMPS, the worldwide licensors for The Smurfs, alongside the official trailer reveal for the CG-animated series, which follows the beloved characters embarking upon rousing adventures. All-new episodes will continue to rollout Friday nights on Nickelodeon and debut internationally in the fall.
The original series marks the return of the globally renowned characters to television for the first time in nearly 40 years and follows Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty, Clumsy and the other inhabitants of Smurf Village on all-new adventures, packed with humor, heart and high-stakes action. In the premiere episode, "Smurf-Fu," when Smurfette rescues Brainy from a giant snake, the other Smurfs ask her to teach them "Smurf-Fu." Next in, "Diaper Daddy," when everyone is tired of changing Baby's diapers, Handy decides to invent a robot that will do the job.
The voice cast pushing the charm and absurdity of the original comics to even greater heights includes: David Freeman (7 Promises) as Papa Smurf, the father figure keeping the other Smurfs in line; Berangere McNeese (Matriochkas) as Smurfette, a curious Smurf who is always ready to take part in new adventures; Lenny Mark Irons (No Man's Land) as Gargamel, a conniving human wizard with a bottomless thirst to capture Smurfs; Youssef El Kaoukibi (NRJ Belgium) as Brainy, who considers himself the smartest of the bunch; and Catherine Hershey (Boundary Games) as Willow, the brave and wise matriarch of a new tribe of girl Smurfs.
HBO Max announced a new eight-episode half-hour comedy series Sort Of, created by Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me). Commissioned by HBO Max and the CBC, the series is produced by Sienna Films, a Sphere Media company with the participation of the Canada Media Fund. Sort Of follows the journey of Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a gender fluid millennial who straddles various identities from sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family. Sabi feels like they’re in transition in every aspect of their life, from gender to love to sexuality to family to career. A coming-of-age story, Sort Of exposes the labels we once poured ourselves into as no longer applicable...to anyone.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Tuesday, September 26
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)
Tuesday, September 26
- Tina Fey (Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Catch Tina on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- J. B. Smoove (Blockbuster/Curb Your Enthusiasm/The Millers/'Til Death), Al Madrigal (Lopez vs Lopez/About a Boy/Gary Unmarried/Welcome to the Captain) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - J. B., Al and Whitney are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her new album and tour, Big Boss Tour, her platform, KeyTV, and new motherhood on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell/Alexa & Katie/Good Morning, Miami/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani discusses her latest cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Pamela is taking over the whole show and telling Drew all about her career and what she's up to now on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sam Jay (Bust Down) - Sam will be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Kerry Washington (Unprisoned) - Kerry talks about her new book Thicker than Water: A Memoir on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny talks about The Masked Singer on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Christopher Knight (The Brady Bunch) - Christopher will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:40am.
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
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts