Friday, October 01, 2021
Fri-Yay: The Fall 2021 Sitcom Line-up Is Pretty Bare; Bounce Renews Johnson for Season 2
by Vincent

Last week officially began the 2021-2022 television season. And if you're like me, you’ve wondered...where are the sitcoms? This fall's line-up is pretty light on sitcoms, with NBC dropping its comedy block entirely (for now - Mr. Mayor, Young Rock and Kenan are all set to return midseason), and Fox sticking with only its animated line-up for now. CBS and ABC will be premiering their sitcom line-ups this fall (ABC already did last week) but it certainly seems like the lightest year for new sitcoms in quite some time. The only new sitcom that has any kind of buzz is ABC's Wonder Years reboot, which did premiere to decent ratings and reviews last week. But overall, it's certainly a light fall for sitcom fans.
Truthfully, it does seem to be getting to the point where sitcoms are becoming less common on broadcast TV and more common on steaming services. NBC seems to be moving much of its comedy content to Peacock, such as AP Bio, and the buzziest new sitcom of the year is Ted Lasso on AppleTV. Is there hope for the broadcast sitcom? The next few years will be very telling.
Bounce, the leading broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, announced that the hit new original series Johnson will be returning for a second season in 2022. Johnson earned more than two million viewers across its debut in August 2021, setting a Bounce viewership record for a half-hour series. Johnson's first season finale will air this Sunday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. ET with a primetime play for the west coast at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. All episodes are available on Bounce's streaming service Brown Sugar.
Johnson is a dramedy that focuses on life-long best friends, all of whom share the same last name, centering around their intriguing and sometimes complicated journey of love, friendship, heartbreak and personal growth. Told from the Black male perspective, but inclusive of all men, the series looks to shine a new light on hot-button stereotypes and misconceptions. Shot in Atlanta, the show integrates the culture of the city by featuring some of its most popular landmarks into storylines. The series is produced in partnership with Eric C. Rhone and Cedric The Entertainer's A Bird & A Bear Entertainment, Deji LaRay (the show's creator) and Thomas Q. Jones' Midnight Train Productions. Johnson's ensemble cast is led by D.L. Hughley, LaRay (Bosch, Greenleaf), Jones (P. Valley, Luke Cage), Philip Smithey (Switched At Birth, The Rookie) and Derrex Brady (NCIS, First). LaRay and Jones serve as showrunners and executive producers; Rhone, Cedric The Entertainer and Reesha L. Archibald serve as executive producers.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, May 12
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)
Monday, May 12
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Nick on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley) - Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jon Gabrus (Younger/The Hotwives of Las Vegas) - Jon drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens), Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) and Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) - Patton, Ed and Sasheer are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) and Jane Seymour (B Positive/Modern Men) - NBC's Today catches up with Rob and Jane in the 9am hour.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito is telling Drew all about the inspiration behind his hilarious new show Overcompensating with co-stars Mary Beth Barone and Wally Baram on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
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