Friday, October 01, 2021

Fri-Yay: The Fall 2021 Sitcom Line-up Is Pretty Bare; Bounce Renews Johnson for Season 2

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!

by Vincent

The Wonder Years

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.


Johnson

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

Saturday, February 22

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 17)

Friday, February 21

  • Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Watch Anthony on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class/The Pitts) - Lizzy appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tina Fey (Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Tina and Amy are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - NBC's Today catches up with Jane sometime between 7-9am.
  • Alan Ritchson (Blue Mountain State) - Alan talks about Reacher on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/CafĂ© Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

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

02/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Jury Duty Returning for New Season on Prime Video; New Spinoff of 9-1-1 in the Works
02/21 - CBS Renews 9 Additional Series for 2025-26; Hulu Picks Up Paradise for Season 2
02/20 - 31st Annual SAG Awards Pre-Show Hosts; Hulu's Ellen Pompeo Series Trailer Released
02/19 - Hulu's Am I Being Unreasonable? Returns for Season 2; Apple TV+ New CG Animated Comedy Series
02/18 - Cartoon Network's Iyanu Debuts April 5; Chelsea Handler: The Feeling Premieres March 25 on Netflix
02/17 - Netflix Renews XO, Kitty for Season 3; The Pitt to Return on Max
02/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 17, 2025)
02/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Sets Cast for Potential Backdoor Spinoff of The Neighborhood; Martha Stewart to Co-Host New NBC Cooking Competition
02/14 - FX's Dying for Sex Premieres in April on Hulu; BET+ Announces Lil Kev, Adult Animated Comedy
02/13 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV Celebrate Valentine's Day; The Handmaid's Tale Returns for Final Season
02/12 - Official Trailer for Hulu's Deli Boys; Doctor Odyssey Returns with a 2-Part Event
02/11 - Trailer for Shoresy Season 4; More Stars for SNL50: The Anniversary Special
02/10 - First Ever SNL Episode This Saturday on NBC; FX Renews English Teacher for Season 2
02/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 10, 2025)
02/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: English Teacher Renewed at FX; MeTV Toons to Launch House of Hanna-Barbera Programming Block
02/07 - SNL50's Star-Studded Lineup; Adult Swim Presents Oh My God... Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances
02/06 - Prime Video Iliza Shlesinger Special; Kate Hudson Stars in Netflix Comedy
02/05 - Fox Midseason Tuesday Change; 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Rosters
02/04 - NBC Summer Staples Return in Summer 2025; Gronk Guests on Animal Control
02/03 - The Conners Final Season Premieres March 26; Tyler Perry Gets 2nd Comedy Series for Netflix
02/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 3, 2025)
02/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Little House on the Prairie Reboot Headed to Netflix; George Sr. Set to Return on Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
01/31 - Final Season of The Righteous Gemstones; Kenya Barris and Malcolm Gladwell's Audible Original
01/30 - Netflix's New Little House on the Prairie Series Coming Soon; Sabrina Brier Gets Awesomeness TV Series
01/29 - MGM+ Orders Comedy Series; Peacock's Amanda Seyfried Series Premieres March 13
01/28 - Ellen Pompeo's Hulu Series Gets Premiere Date; The White Lotus Season 3 Launches February 16
01/27 - Hulu's Deli Boys Adds Tan France; Joel McHale Taking Over The 1% Club
01/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 27, 2025)
01/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Righteous Gemstones to End After Upcoming Season; Mid-Century Modern to Pay Tribute to Linda Lavin
01/24 - Prime Video George Lopez Special; Netflix Renews The Lincoln Lawyer for Season 4
01/23 - Tubi's New Comedy The Z-Suite Launches February 6; The White Lotus Renewed for Season 4
01/22 - Fox Announces Animation Domination 2025 Schedule; Abbott Elementary Renewed for Season 5