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
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
Wednesday, February 4
Shifting Gears - "Surprise" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt revs his love life back up only to find the road rockier than expected. Meanwhile, a chance romantic moment has Riley and Gabe questioning the nature of their relationship. Jenna Elfman, Jesse Williams, Angela Kinsey and Mookie Betts guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Candygrams" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
It’s Valentine’s Day at Abbott, and the teachers find themselves meddling in students’ love lives while navigating their own.
The Muppet Show (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Music, comedy and a lot of chaos ensues when Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter.
Abbott Elementary - "Picture Day" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When picture day catches the teachers at Abbott by surprise, chaos ensues.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Good As Gold" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ella imparts wisdom and reassurance to her baby boy. Janine and Jazmine schedule much needed mommy daughter time.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Twenty-One" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sandra and Philip try to find the best way to celebrate their parents' anniversary; the assisted living facility puts on a manhunt for Reginald, who is still missing.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 2)
Wednesday, February 4
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Watch Kate on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Benanti (Life & Beth/Younger/The Detour/Go On/Starved) - Laura makes a special appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Kaley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat talks about BET+'s The Ms. Pat Show on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Miss Piggy (The Muppets) - Miss Piggy discusses The Muppet Show on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha discusses her new Lifetime movie Be Happy on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man talks about Relationship Goals on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Craig talks about Scrabble on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Michael Imperioli (This Fool/Alex, Inc.) - Drew talks to Michael about his new series Memory of a Killer on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) and Avan Jogia (56 Days) - Dove and Avan talk about about Prime Video's 56 Days on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
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