Friday, December 17, 2021
Fri-Yay: Latest Edition of Live in Front Is Another Delightful Revisiting of Sitcoms Past; TBS Renews American Dad! Through Season 19

by Vincent
Last week, ABC aired its most recent Live in Front of a Studio Audience edition, which celebrated The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes. As is the case with Live in Front, the show reenacted episodes of these classic sitcoms with modern comedy actors. It continues to surprise me the huge names these shows are able to get, with Jennifer Aniston and Jon Stewart among others participating in the The Facts of Life episode and Kevin Hart in the Diff'rent Strokes episode. The Live in Front reenactments also stay really true to the original episodes, and offer a really fun look back at these classic sitcoms.
Overall, Live in Front is a must watch for any classic sitcom fan. However, it also makes me miss the fun of skilled multi-camera on television. It really is something special to see these huge actors recreating classic sitcom moments they grew up with just like we did. With network TV becoming less and less of a reliable delivery method of high quality scripted entertainment, these live celebrations are a nice reminder of when it was at the heights of its powers.
Cable's #3 comedy American Dad! has been renewed by TBS for seasons 18 and 19. Co-creator Matt Weitzman and executive producer Brian Boyle have inked new deals to continue showrunning and executive producing the additional seasons, from 20th Television Animation. The 17th season of American Dad! premieres on Monday, January 24, on TBS at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT.
American Dad! centers on super patriotic CIA agent Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and the misadventures of his unconventional family in Langley Falls, VA. Stan applies the same drastic measures used in his job at the CIA to his home life, where Stan's blissfully unaware wife, Francine (Wendy Schaal), has an unfaltering loyalty that makes her blind to his unabashed arrogance. His left-wing activist daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), however, doesn't let him off so easily – and knows just how to push her father's buttons. Hayley's brother is the geeky-yet-confident Steve (Scott Grimes), a kid who spends his time playing video games and obsessing about the opposite sex. The Smith cabinet is rounded out by two rather unconventional members: Roger (MacFarlane), a sassy, sarcastic and routinely inappropriate space alien, and Klaus (Dee Bradley Baker), an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German Olympic skier.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, March 26
The Simpsons - "When Nelson Met Lisa" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A future tale of Springfield's most unlikely couple.
The Great North - "Woodfellas Adventure" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The entire town of Lone Moose is determined to win the annual Cavalcade of Ships parade; Wolf uncovers a parade secret that could change everything.
Bob's Burgers - "Show Mama From the Grave" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob takes Linda and the kids to visit his mother's grave, but finding the headstone is harder than he expected; Teddy makes a grave mistake while doing repairs in the Belcher's house.
HouseBroken - "Who's Obsessed? (A Lifetime Original)" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Chief joins a walking group, a beautiful dog named Ruby tries to get close to him, but her intentions are not what they seem; Elsa's quest to make female friends gets derailed when she becomes suspicious of Ruby.
Bunk'd: Learning the Ropes - "Camp Fails and Beaver Tales" (Disney Channel, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Lou, Parker, Noah and Destiny head to Dusty Tush, Wyo., to open up a new camp at a dude ranch that they purchased from The Marshall.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 20)
Saturday, March 25
- Halle Bailey (grown-ish) - Halle appears on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Mae Whitman (Up Here/Arrested Development) and Carlos Valdes (Up Here) - Mae and Carlos talk about Hulu's Up Here on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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