TCA Winter 2023 Press Tour: ABC/Freeform; Antenna TV's Designing Women Super Belle Special

Thursday, January 12, 2023

TCA Winter 2023 Press Tour: ABC/Freeform; Antenna TV's Designing Women Super Belle Special

On the heels of its three wins at the Golden Globe(R) Awards ceremony, ABC has renewed hit comedy series Abbott Elementary from Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television for a third season. It was announced at the 2023 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour. Abbott Elementary delivers a 3.58 rating in Adults 18-49 after 35 days of viewing across platforms, growing 31% over its prior season and ranking as ABC's No. 1 series this season. In addition, the sophomore ABC sitcom averages 9.1 million Total Viewers in its second season after 35 days of cross-platform viewing, marking an increase of 13% over last season. New episodes air Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST. In last night's episode, "Fight," during a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine's students aren't getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.

ABC has ordered an embedded pilot episode of The Good Doctor called The Good Lawyer, from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature. In the episode airing March 6, Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) seeks legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising, young lawyer who has obsessive compulsive disorder. The episode is written by co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman, and directed by Ruben Fleischer. Kennedy McMann ("Nancy Drew") is set to guest star as Joni DeGroot, the brilliant, funny and self-aware lawyer who is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun's case. Emmy(R) Award-winning Felicity Huffman (American Crime) is set to guest star as Janet Stewart, a highly regarded attorney and partner at the law firm with a fierce intellect and dry wit.

ABC's Emmy(R) Award-winning daytime drama General Hospital will celebrate its 60th anniversary on April 1, 2023. To honor the milestone, the network is set to present the cast and crew with a stage dedication on the Prospect Studios lot, permanently commemorating the show's legacy and serving as a reminder of the history that has been made in that very spot. The show will kick off its anniversary programming at the end of March with a special episode honoring the late Sonya Eddy, who played GH head nurse Epiphany Johnson on the series since 2006. Then, the beloved Nurses Ball returns starting the week of April 3, a fictional glamorous charity event complete with red-carpet fashion and musical performances from the illustrious citizens of Port Charles dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness. This marks the first time the Nurses Ball has aired since 2020. The festivities will then continue as icons of Port Charles unite to stop a legendary threat from the past. Jane Elliot is set to reprise her role as the legendary Tracy Quartermaine in April.

The second season of the critically acclaimed comedy Single Drunk Female will debut on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, at 10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, with the entire 10-episode second season available on Hulu and on-demand platforms the next day, Thursday, April 13. Ian Gomez (Cougar Town) has been elevated to series regular as Carol's boyfriend, Bob. Busy Phillipps (Cougar Town) and Ricky Velez (The King of Staten Island) will recur as new people in Sam's life, and Charlie Hall (The Sex Lives of College Girls) will once again recur as Sam's ex, Joel. As previously announced, Molly Ringwald will guest star as Carol's sister-in-law Alice. Emmy(R)-nominated grown-ish is being picked up for a sixth season. The series returns for the second half of its fifth season on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 10:30 p.m. EST/PST, next day on Hulu. And finally, Cruel Summer, the highest-rated series in Freeform history, will return for its second season in Summer 2023. The anthology series features a brand new cast and mystery. The series now stars Sadie Stanley, Lexi Underwood, Griffin Gluck, KaDee Strickland, Lisa Yamada and Sean Blakemore. Paul Adelstein will recur.

Designing Women Super Belle Sunday

If you are fed up with football and have had it with halftime shows, Antenna TV calls time out with the all-day "Designing Women's Super Belle Sunday" special, starting Sunday, February 12 at 5am Eastern on Antenna TV. The "Designing Women's Super Belle Sunday" special features a "best of collection" from the sitcom that follows a group of successful women working at an interior design firm in Atlanta. Designing Women originally aired from 1986 to 1993 over seven seasons with 163 episodes. The original cast included Delta Burke, Jean Smart, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Meshach Taylor. Guest stars included Jonathan Banks, Tony Goldwyn, Hal Holbrook, and Gerald McRaney. You can catch Designing Women regularly Mon-Fri 11pm ET | 8pm PT only on Antenna TV!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, September 8

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Sting" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Calvin and Marty send Courtney on a mission to find out information about Fuse Box’s impressive new rival. Meanwhile, Malcolm attends an event for his creative writing program at USC, where he scores a meeting with a book agent, Lisa (Angelique Cabral).

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Your Own Medicine" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Dave’s disastrous attempt to dunk a basketball, Calvin takes care of his injured neighbor. Also, Gemma befriends a cool mom group while babysitting Daphne.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 8)

Monday, September 8

Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel (Family Tree/Morton & Hayes), Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins (Laverne & Shirley), Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls (The Simpsons) and Rob Reiner as Marty DiBergi (All in the Family/Morton & Hayes) - Watch Spinal Tap on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Langston Kerman (English Teacher/Bust Down/South Side/Bless This Mess) - Langston is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/I'm a Big Girl Now/The Associates) - Steve and Martin are guests on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - ABC's Good Morning America has part two of Michael Strahan's interview with Charlie sometime between 7-9am.
Marilu Henner (Evening Shade/Taxi) - Marilu talks about A Husband to Die For: The Lisa Aguilar Story on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Katie Lowes (How We Roll) - Katie and Jamie Ray Newman talk about the summer's most talked about show The Hunting Wives on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn talks about Code 3 on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Oscar Nuñez (The Paper/The Office), Alex Edelman (The Paper) and Gbemisola Ikumelo (The Paper) - Oscar, Alex and Gbemisola talk about Peacock's The Paper on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love/Like Family/Love, Inc.) - NBC's Today catches up with Holly in the 9am hour.
Malin Akerman (Dollface/Sin City Saints/Trophy Wife/Childrens Hospital) - Malin talks about Netflix's The Hunting Wives on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - Halle is celebrating aging helping a viewer over 50 achieve a glow up look on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.