Fri-Yay: Cobra Kai Continues to Be a Delight; Fox Announces Premiere Date for Welcome to Flatch, Hulu to Release First 7 Episodes on Same Day

Friday, January 14, 2022

Fri-Yay: Cobra Kai Continues to Be a Delight; Fox Announces Premiere Date for Welcome to Flatch, Hulu to Release First 7 Episodes on Same Day

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

Cobra Kai continues to be one of my most strange loves. The show is extremely cheesy in almost every way. The characters are exaggerated, the situations are unbelievable, and the whole world of the show seems captivated by... teenagers doing karate. And yet, much like the movies it is based on, Cobra Kai's cheesy and goofy dedication to itself is what makes it so delightful.

In a world where every show wants to be an important event, Cobra Kai being dedicated to being silly is actually a breath of fresh air. It's such an easy watch, the type of show where you just turn off your brain and enjoy. While it's not a sitcom in the traditional sense, it really feels like one in the way it has a cast of characters in a crazy and exaggerated world. Plus, it's funny! Every episode gets a few laughs out of me. In its own weird way, Cobra Kai might just be the funniest show on TV right now.

Welcome to Flatch

All-new single-cam docu-com Welcome to Flatch premieres on linear television on Thursday, March 17 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on Fox. That same day, Fox also will unlock the first seven episodes of the series across non-linear platforms, including Hulu, Fox Now and On Demand, so you can binge most of the series before Fox even airs the first episode that day. Inspired by BBC Studios' BAFTA-winning BBC format, This Country, Welcome to Flatch is a half-hour comedy written and executive-produced by Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City, The Greatest Showman) and directed and executive-produced by DGA Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Paul Feig (The Office, Bridesmaids), who also wrote two episodes.

When a documentary crew sets out to explore the lives of residents in a small American town - their dreams, their concerns - they stumble upon the midwestern town of Flatch, which is made up of many eccentric personalities. It's a place you want to visit and maybe even stay. If there was a decent motel. Which there is not. The documentary crew finds worthy subjects in cousins and best friends KELLY MALLET (newcomer Holmes) and LLOYD "SHRUB" MALLET (Sam Straley, "The Kids Are Alright") who let the documentary crew in on their lives and local current events. JOSEPH "FATHER JOE" BINGHOFFER (Seann William Scott, "Lethal Weapon," "American Pie" franchise) is the local minister who also attempts to guide Kelly and Shrub. He moved to Flatch with his former girlfriend, CHERYL PETERSON (Aya Cash, You're The Worst), who is the editor of the local newspaper, "The Flatch Patriot." Other Flatch residents include MICKEY ST. JEAN (newcomer Justin Linville), who relentlessly attempts to become Shrub's best friend; Kelly's frenemy, NADINE GARCIA-PARNEY (Taylor Ortega, Succession), who runs the Flatch Historical Society; and MANDY MATTHEWS (newcomer Krystal Smith), a magnetic force of nature who lives life on her own terms. The first seven episodes of Welcome to Flatch will be released on Hulu, Fox Now and On Demand on Thursday, March 17 at 12:01 AM.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, December 11

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Bitin’, Spankin’ and a Load of Yankee Psychobabble" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy get upset when Audrey disciplines CeeCee without their permission.

Ghosts - "The Life and Times of Esther Greene" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Now a successful podcaster, Todd Pearlman returns to profile Sam and Isaac’s book, but becomes obsessed with Jay. Meanwhile, Pete tries to get to the bottom of why Alberta changed her name, forcing her to admit a hidden truth.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)

Thursday, December 11

Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Catch Jamie Lee on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Rachel Sennott (I Love LA/Call Your Mother) - Rachel appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Elon Gold (Stacked/In-Laws) - Elon is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Andy Cohen interviews Zooey on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo. She also talks about Merv on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) - Lucien talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother/Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kyra and Kevin talk about The Best You Can with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Loretta Devine (Family Reunion/The Carmichael Show) and Lela Rochon (The Wayans Bros.) - Co-host Gayle King sits down with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, original cast of Waiting to Exhale, on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea talks about Broadway's Chess on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am. She also performs in the 10am hour.
Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters - NBC's Today catches up with Daryl in the 9am hour.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Mila tells Drew about her role in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Ashley Park (Emily in Paris) - Emily tells Drew about what to expect in season five of Emily in Paris on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Joey McIntyre (Return of the Mac/The McCarthys) - Joey talks about Roku's Jingle Bell Wedding on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) - Danica is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.