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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, May 12
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 12)
Monday, May 12
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Nick on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley) - Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Ryan Reynolds (Two Guys and a Girl) - Ryan stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jon Gabrus (Younger/The Hotwives of Las Vegas) - Jon drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens), Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) and Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie) - Patton, Ed and Sasheer are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) and Jane Seymour (B Positive/Modern Men) - NBC's Today catches up with Rob and Jane in the 9am hour.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito is telling Drew all about the inspiration behind his hilarious new show Overcompensating with co-stars Mary Beth Barone and Wally Baram on 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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