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
Saturday, January 25
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Friday, January 24
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Watch Bill on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) - Ben is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Pauline Chalamet (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Pauline appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Lucy talks about her film Presence on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Topher Grace (Home Economics/That '70s Show) - Topher talks about Flight Risk on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Broad City/Baby Boom) - Drew is chatting with best friend duo Susie and Joy Behar on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also doing an audience Q & A about love.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Drew is chatting with Morris about starring in Watson on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Martin Lawrence (Partners/Martin/What's Happening Now!!) - Martin stops by to talk about his new standup tour on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
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