Fri-Yay: Networks Have a Few Promising Comedies for 2022; Betty White Tribute Marathons on CMT, MeTV, TV Land, Decades, Hallmark, etc.

Monday, January 03, 2022

Fri-Yay: Networks Have a Few Promising Comedies for 2022; Betty White Tribute Marathons on CMT, MeTV, TV Land, Decades, Hallmark, etc.

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay (but today it's on a Monday to open up 2022)! 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

This TV season, there were a handful of new sitcoms on network TV that I was looking forward to. However, nearly all of them (with the exception of CBS' Ghosts) were held for mid-season, as the networks seem to be prioritizing unscripted shows over sitcoms again. That said, there are two sitcoms that I'm interested in: NBC's American Auto and ABC's Abbott Elementary (both had special preview premieres in December).

American Auto technically already premiered (in a preview role), and the first two episodes have been entertaining. The show is very much in vein of Superstore (which it shares a creator with), and like that show, I expect a few episodes for it to really find its voice. I still miss Superstore and felt it really had another good season or two left in it, so if American Auto can take after it, I'd be very happy. The show does need to find its own identity beyond just being "the new Office/Superstore," but solid performances from its promising cast make it one to keep an eye on.

Abbott Elementary

I'm also very interested in Abott Elementary (which also had its preview premiere in December, that encores tonight at 10pm, episode two premieres tommorow at 9). There have been few sitcoms to take place in elementary schools, so it seems like an interesting new setting for a workplace comedy. It also has gotten really solid reviews and seems to have a very talented cast. With so many sitcoms having ended in the past 2 years, there really haven’t been many new sitcoms to step up and fill their shoes. Let's hope the spring 2022 class can reach that goal.

Betty White

Betty White tributes started on Saturday, with TV Land airing the first marathon titled "Celebration of Betty White" with marathon blocks of The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland rotating all weekend starting 6pm on Saturday and continuing to 6am this morning. TV Land Sitcoms channel on Pluto TV has been airing non-stop Hot in Cleveland all weekend. NBC re-aired Betty's SNL guest host appearance from 2010 on Saturday at 11:35pm. The Hallmark Channel aired a tribute last night titled "The Lost Valentine: Remembering Betty White," an encore of their Hallmark Hall of Fame movie from 2011 from 8-10pm, followed by a The Golden Girls block from 10pm-1am. But there are much more tributes and marathons to come! Today (January 3) all-day from 9am-4am ET, CMT will celebrate the iconic Betty White with The Golden Girls All-Day Marathon featuring back-to-back episodes of some of the best Rose Nylund episodes of all-time. DECADES airs the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Betty White on Friday, January 7 at 9pm ET and select episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and encore presentations of her Celebrity Roast all weekend long beginning Saturday, January 8 at 12pm ET.

MeTV will air a Sunday block for Betty White with four episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, two episodes of Mama's Family and a guest appearance from The Love Boat on Sunday, January 9 from 2-6pm ET/PT. There were planned 100th birthday marathons already scheduled, as we mentioned a few weeks back, but MeTV has moved those Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes to Jan. 9 instead and will no longer do a 100th birthday salute on the 16th. As of now, Hallmark Channel is still airing the Golden Girls marathon from Jan. 15-17.

This Saturday, January 8 starting at 9 a.m. ET, Game Show Network will air an 8-hour marathon of Match Game episodes featuring the golden girl of game shows and America's sweetheart, Betty White. Buzzr will begin their celebration of Betty White on Saturday, January 8, at 10:30 am EST with episodes of Match Game and Match Game PM. They will feature more game shows on January 16 and 17. Keep it right here with continued updates as we get more information from other TV networks/services.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 27

Young Sheldon - "A Lot of Band-Aids and the Cooper Surrender" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Sheldon makes friends with his dorm neighbors. Also, George Sr. learns his job is in jeopardy.

United States of Al - "Hunt / Shikar" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Riley, upset that Freddy taught Hazel how to ride a bike while he was deployed, attempts to teach her something new to make up for it. Also, Ariana invites Al to a fundraiser involving spin bikes, where he becomes competitive with Ariana’s handsome cycling instructor, and Art introduces Lois to his favorite secret pastime.

B Positive - "Dagobah, a Room and a Chimney Sweep" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A therapist and newly divorced dad is looking for a kidney donor when he runs into a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past who offers her own kidney.

B Positive - "A Boss, a Bear Claw and a Defibrillator" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
A therapist and newly divorced dad is looking for a kidney donor when he runs into a rough-around-the-edges woman from his past who offers her own kidney.

Call Me Kat - "Call Me Forty" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Oscar attempts multiple surprises to celebrate Kat's 40th birthday, including meeting his mother; Max tries to figure out why he continually strikes out with women.

Pivoting - "Hell on Wheels" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Sarah dips her toes into the dating pool and enlists Amy and Jodie's help in vetting a woman whom she ran across on a dating app; Amy's maternal instincts are tested when she learns Luke isn't fitting in with other kids.

grown-ish - "It Was Good Until It Wasn't" (Freeform, 10:00PM ET/PT)
The gang copes with the fallout of the explosive events that took place at the luau; Aaron deals with the accountability of his actions at the party; Zoey turns to Pops and Ruby for advice; Ana and Vivek keep a secret under wraps.

Single Drunk Female - "I'm Sorry, But…" (Freeform, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Sam tries to win over Brit by making an amends at her birthday party. Unfortunately, Sam wasn't invited, and neglects Felicia. Meanwhile, when Sam's probation officer stops by, Carol struggles to explain Sam's "situation" to her friends.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 24)

Thursday, January 27

Kevin James (The Crew/Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Catch Kevin on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Ilana Glazer (The Afterparty/Broad City) - Ilana appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver and his sister Kate are guests on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kean will be on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
David Cross (Arrested Development/Running Wilde/Oliver Beene) - David appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo.
Tom Selleck (The Closer) - Tom talks about Blue Bloods on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show.
Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette appears on The Real, so check your local listings.
Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Julie is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is talking all about her new memoir and cooking up her mom’s upside-down cake on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Subutagory) - Ana talks about American Auto on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley talks about AMC's La Fortuna on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - Halle talks about Moonfall on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Trevor Jackson (grown-ish) - Trevor talks about grown-ish on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.