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.
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
Wednesday, May 21
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "The Talk" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
House of Payne is the hilarious comedy about Retired fire chief Curtis Payne and his lovely wife Ella.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Dyna Woman" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Anastasia relives her childhood and springs into action to combat criminal activity; the family must prepare for the increase in crime.
The Ms. Pat Show - "The Guilt Trip" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
When the family gets derailed on their way to Atlanta for Pat's big show, they wind up at an unusual resort where they all learn a powerful lesson about listening and learning from the past.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)
Wednesday, May 21
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Watch Henry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tina Fey (The Four Seasons/Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- John Krasinski (The Office) - E! News has an interview with John at 11pm on E!.
- Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - Kristin talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - NBC's Today catches up with Howie in the 10am hour. He also talks about NBC's America's Got Talent on Access Hollywood with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - It's Drew's big 50th birthday show an entire show filled with surprises as Drew celebrates this big milestone on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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