Tuesday, May 09, 2023
The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22

The CW Network has partnered with CBC and Lionsgate Television for the original comedy series Son of a Critch from acclaimed comedian, actor and writer Mark Critch. From Andrew Barnsley, the Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winning executive producer of Schitt's Creek, and Tim McAuliffe, writer of The Office and Last Man on Earth, and starring Golden Globe® nominee Malcolm McDowell, the 13-episode first season of Son of a Critch will debut on The CW in Summer 2023.
Based on the award-winning, bestselling memoir from Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes), Son of a Critch is the hilarious and very real story of a young Mark coming of age in the 1980s. The series is a heartfelt window in the life of a child—who is much older inside than his 11 years—using comedy and self-deprecation to win friends and connect with the small collection of people in his limited world. The comedy stars Mark Critch as his father, Mike, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio) as young Mark. Claire Rankin (Molly's Game) stars as Mark's mother, Mary, alongside newcomers Sophia Powers and Mark Rivera, who play classmates of young Mark. Colton Gobbo (Ginny & Georgia) plays Mark's older brother, Mike Jr., and Golden Globe® and SAG nominee Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Bombshell) also stars as Patrick "Pop" Critch.
Son of a Critch's premiere season in Canada ranked as the #1 scripted program on CBC in key audience demos. Since its premiere, it has ranked as one of the top 5 most-watched Canadian comedies overall, and Season 2 was the most-watched English-language Canadian comedy series and CBC's most-watched program with 18-49 and 25-54 audiences. The series has received four prestigious Canadian Screen Award nominations and two Directors Guild of Canada nominations. Son of a Critch was recently renewed for a third season and will be produced in association with The CW.
FX's The Bear, the critically acclaimed, award-winning hit series is set to premiere its hotly-anticipated second season Thursday, June 22 exclusively on Hulu. All 10 episodes will be available at premiere. Season 2 of The Bear will be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories at a later date. FX also released the season 2 key art. Season two follows Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they work to transform their grimy sandwich joint into a next-level spot. As they strip the restaurant down to its bones, the crew undertakes transformational journeys of their own, each forced to confront the past and reckon with who they want to be in the future.
Of course, it turns out the only thing harder than running a restaurant is opening a new one, and the team must juggle the insane bureaucracy of permits and contractors with the beauty and creative agony of menu planning. The transition brings a newfound focus on hospitality as well. As the entire staff is forced to come together in new ways, pushing the boundaries of their abilities and relationships, they also learn what it means to be in service, both to diners and each other. In addition to White, Edebiri and Moss-Bachrach, the half-hour series also stars Abby Elliott, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas and Matty Matheson, with Edwin Lee Gibson, Oliver Platt and newcomer Molly Gordon in recurring roles.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, May 8
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Ladies Love Brunch" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie tries to juggle his mom, his mother-in-law and Mandy on Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, Audrey wants to meet Connor’s girlfriend.
Ghosts - "The Devil Went Down to Woodstone" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay host a big party for the launch of Sam and Isaac’s vampire book. Mary Holland (Patience), Punam Patel (Bela) and Matt Walsh (Elias Woodstone) return as guest stars.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)
Thursday, May 8
- Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) - Natasha appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks about Netflix's Survival of the Thickest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) and Doug Benson (You're the Worst) - Maria and Doug are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- John Benjamin Hickey (HouseBroken/The Big C/It's All Relative) - John stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
- Patricia Clarkson (Davis Rules) - Patricia is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
- Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - E! News has an interview with Kerry at 11pm on E!. Kerry and Omar Sy discuss their highly anticipated new film Shadow Force on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel chats about Juliet & Romeo on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - In A Little Bit Extra Valerie and Ross Mathews are sharing more of their conversation with Al Roker in Charleston at the Food & Wine Classic on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) and Randall Park (Young Rock/Blockbuster/Fresh Off the Boat/Veep/Supah Ninjas) - Morris and Randall talk about Watson on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
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)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts