Friday, November 05, 2021
Fri-Yay: black-ish to Debut Final Season in January; Fox's Fantasy Island Gets Holiday Special and 2nd Season
by Vincent
This week, ABC announced the premiere date for the final season of black-ish. The hallmark ABC sitcom, which premiered in 2014, will be concluding its run after eight seasons, with the final season beginning on January 4. The show remained remarakbly consistent through its run, although the recent seasons aren't quite up to the standards set by the first few seasons, it remained a very funny and entertaining series nonetheless. It also helped revitalize the career of Anthony Anderson and had Tracee Ellis Ross's fame rise to new heights.
So what should we expect out of the final season of black-ish? It will be interesting to see if the show does just another regular season or attempts to give closure to its fans. Family sitcoms typically don't have any real overarching storylines to end, but it'll certainly be nice to see where Dre and Bow and the kids wind up. Either way, it'll be the end of an era when black-ish wraps up its run in the first half of 2022.
Fox has renewed aspirational series Fantasy Island for a second season. A modern comedy-drama series, from Sony Pictures Television, Gemstone Studios and FOX Entertainment, Fantasy Island takes place at a luxury resort, where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. Delving into the "what if" questions -- both big and small -- that keep us awake at night, each episode will tell emotional, provocative stories about people who arrive with dreams and desires and depart enlightened and transformed through the magical realism of Fantasy Island. The series stars actress, singer and songwriter Roselyn Sanchez as ELENA ROARKE, a descendant of the iconic Mr. Roarke, who set aside her own ambitions, and the love of her life, to uphold her family's legacy. Sophisticated, insightful and always charming, Elena's calm exterior masks the challenges of the responsibilities she has assumed as steward of this mysterious island. Kiara Barnes also stars as RUBY AKUDA, a young woman with an old soul who arrived on Fantasy Island with a terminal illness and was given a new lease on life as Roarke's right hand.
But wait there's more! On Tuesday, Dec. 21 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on Fox, Fantasy Island returns for a special two-hour holiday episode, "Welcome to the Snow Globe." A businesswoman's (guest star Lindsay Craft) fantasy of a perfect Christmas and meeting "Mr. Right" (guest star Eddie Cahill) tests Roarke in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones (guest star Mackenzie Astin) faces his past, while a new Secret Santa tradition has Ruby and Javier looking to the future. If you like all the previous series, all seasons of the original 1977 Fantasy Island series and the 1998 remake are available to stream on Fox Entertainment's free-streaming platform, Tubi.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, March 19
Night Court - "The Duke's a Hazard" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Gurgs' royal boyfriend pays a surprise visit, she questions their compatibility; Dan defends his family's honor after he discovers a feud that dates back centuries.
Extended Family - "The Consequences of Being Irish" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Jim learns of Trey's St. Patrick's Day fundraiser plans, he offers his expertise in an effort to save Trey and the Celtics from embarrassment.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 18)
Tuesday, March 19
- Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Catch Tracy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso), Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) and Zainab Johnson (Upload) - Brendan, Marc and Zainab are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Hilary Swank (Camp Wilder) - NBC's Today catches up with Hilary in the 10am hour.
- The cast of Girls5eva) - Busy Philipps, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Sara Bareilles are guests on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse talks about his podcast Dinner's On Me on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women/Goodtime Girls) - Annie talks about her legendary career and new film, Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Joe stops by Tamron hall to chat about hosting the new Deal or No Deal Island, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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