Freeform Acquires The Office Starting January 2022; 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards Nominees

Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Freeform Acquires The Office Starting January 2022; 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards Nominees

Freeform announced that it has licensed all nine seasons of The Office from NBCUniversal Global Distribution in a non-exclusive deal and will begin airing the series beginning on Jan 1, 2022. Comedy Central will continue to air on cable through 2025. To celebrate this new addition, Freeform will air two marathons over New Year's weekend, starting with a countdown of the 30 Best Episodes, as determined by fans and multiple publications, on Saturday, Jan 1, from 1 p.m.-12 a.m EST/PST. On Sunday, Jan. 2, Freeform will air a second marathon of episodes showcasing cast favorites, based on interviews with the cast of The Office, from 1 p.m.-11 p.m EST/PST. In celebration of the news, The Office star Melora Hardin recorded a video announcement as well.

The addition of the beloved show also signals a change in Freeform's weekday program lineup. The Office will air Monday-Thursday from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST/PST. The network will continue airing its originals throughout the week (such as grown-ish/Single Drunk Female on Thursdays from 10-11pm), as well as episodes of Family Guy on Fridays from 1pm-1am and movies now airing exclusively on weekends. This updated program schedule reflects Freeform's shift toward more irreverent, adult comedy and content while still providing family favorites on the weekends. The rest of the schedule on weekdays has black-ish from 7-9am, The Middle from 10:30am-2pm (Fridays it is 10:30am-1pm), Movies from 2pm-6pm, and The Simpsons from 12am-2am.

27th Annual Critics Choice Awards

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced the TV category nominees for The 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards. The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics Choice Awards gala, which will broadcast LIVE on The CW and TBS on Sunday, January 9 from 7:00 - 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT). HBO's Succession leads this year's TV contenders with eight nominations. In addition to Best Drama Series the show racked up a slew of acting nominations including nods for both Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Several of their co-stars also find themselves vying with each other, as Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen all scored nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while J. Smith-Cameron and Sarah Snook are both up for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Mare of Easttown (HBO) and Evil (Paramount+) impressed with five nominations each. Mare of Easttown is up for Best Limited Series, with Kate Winslet nominated for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, Evan Peters for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, and both Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. Evil is nominated for Best Drama Series, Mike Colter for Best Actor in a Drama Series, Katja Herbers for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and both Andrea Martin and Christine Lahti are up for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Several programs earned four nominations each, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), The Good Fight (Paramount+), This Is Us (NBC), and WandaVision (Disney+).

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, April 20

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Purse Dog" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin reluctantly agrees to dog-sit a glamorous little companion, only to face an awkward twist when someone else lays claim to it. Meanwhile, a joint celebration prompts Malcolm to question whether he and Mercedes are moving too fast. Amber Stevens West guest stars as Mercedes, Malcolm's Girlfriend.

DMV - "Drive-ory Tower" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette tries to bridge a growing divide at the office by bringing the driving examiners and counter clerks together. Meanwhile, Vic stubbornly avoids seeing a doctor after an unusual injury, forcing Barb to get creative to help him.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 20)

Monday, April 20

Kal Penn (The Santa Clauses/Sunnyside/We Are Men) - Watch Kal on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hazardous History with Henry Winkler on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Aaron Tveit (Schmigadoon!) - Aaron is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
B.J. Novak (The Office) and Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Andy Cohen interviews B.J. and Jim on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
William Stanford Harris (Abbott Elementary) - William talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (Big Mistakes/The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie talks about Big Mistakes on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - NBC's Today catches up with Jane in the 9am hour.
Christopher Briney (Hacks) - Christopher talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair tells Sherri about his new memoir A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Phoebe Dynevor (Younger) - Phoebe is telling Drew about her new movie Thrash on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Dan Bucatinsky (The Comeback/Marry Me/Web Therapy) - Dan appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.