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
Monday, September 16
English Teacher - "School Safety" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Evan tries to get a new school club to shut down.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 16)
Monday, September 16
- Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Watch Don on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - E! News has an interview with Demi at 11pm on E!.
- Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) - Lily talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am. She chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer talks about An American Story: Everyone's Invited on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - Tony about his brand-new show, Tony Danza: Sinatra & Stories on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Eve (Eve) - Eve opens up in her new memoir, Who's That Girl?, on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke discusses the Thrive@50+ campaign on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Justina, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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