SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Apple and PBS have teamed up for special broadcast airings of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Peanuts specials will stream on Apple TV+, in addition to airing ad-free on PBS and PBS KIDS on November 22, 2020 and December 13, 2020 respectively. Peanuts fans will have even more ways to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang on their holiday adventures as Apple and PBS team up for special ad-free broadcasts of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas. To complement their release on Apple TV+ this holiday season, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will also air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, November 22, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT (check local listings) and A Charlie Brown Christmas will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. local time / 6:30 p.m. CT (check local listings). The classic holiday Peanuts specials will also stream ad-free and in HD on Apple TV+. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is streaming now on Apple TV+ as of November 18, and the special will be available for free from November 25 through November 27. The Peanuts gang will also deck the halls with the premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas, streaming on Apple TV+ on December 4. The holiday special will be available to enjoy for free from December 11 through December 13.

Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Cybill Shepherd (Cybill, Moonlighting) has signed on to star in the half-hour comedy pilot I Love This For You (fka Big Deal), starring and executive produced by Emmy nominee Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). Shepherd will play Patricia Kunken, the icy, enigmatic founder and CEO of a popular home shopping network. She joins the previously announced Molly Shannon (The Other Two). Shepherd won two Golden Globes and was nominated for an Emmy Award for playing Maddie Hayes on the groundbreaking dramedy Moonlighting. Her self-titled sitcom Cybill earned her another Golden Globe along with one other nomination and three more Emmy nominations. She also had a memorable recurring role on the original Showtime series The L Word(R). Her numerous film credits include The Last Picture Show (for which she received her first Golden Globe nomination), The Heartbreak Kid and Taxi Driver. Recent credits include the starring role in the indie film Being Rose and Love is Love is Love, directed by Eleanor Coppola.

Produced by Showtime, I Love This For You is a grounded comedy in which Bayer plays a character, inspired by her own past, who overcame childhood leukemia to achieve her lifelong dream of landing a job as a successful home shopping channel host. Bayer co-created I Love This For You with Emmy nominee Jeremy Beiler (Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer), who will also executive produce. Emmy winner Jessi Klein (Inside Amy Schumer, Black Monday, Big Mouth) will serve as showrunner and executive produce along with Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer, The Lovebirds), who will direct, as well as Annapurna's Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle and Jordana Mollick of Semi-Formal.

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

I've talked a lot about the lack of sitcoms on the air this fall. But one sitcom that's getting the chance of a lifetime due to the lack of new content is One Day at a Time, which gets to air on broadcast television for the first time ever this Monday, October 12 at 9|8c. One Day at a Time was formerly a Netflix series, but was canceled at the end of Season 3 by the streaming giant despite critical acclaim, with low viewership being cited behind the show's untimely end. However, Pop TV noticed the amount of love the series received and ordered the show's fourth season, which aired six episodes before ending prematurely due to the COVID-19 production shutdown. (A seventh episode, which was animated, later aired in June. In an interview with Deadline, the show's creators clarified that they were ending the season with episode 7 and would not be finishing out the show's initial order.) One Day at a Time's future likely heavily depends on how it performs on CBS. Pop TV is moving away from producing scripted content, so a home at CBS is the show's best chance for survival.

Plus, One Day at a Time has always been a perfect show for broadcast TV. It's funny, warm, family-friendly and relatable, and has a lovable cast full of both seasoned actors and talented up and comers. It's the best family sitcom produced in several years, and it would be CBS' best comedy by a long shot if the network picked it up to series. It also, fittingly, is making it to CBS 45 years after the original One Day at a Time premiered on CBS. And wouldn't having the reboot successfully transition to CBS be the perfect way to celebrate the show's legacy?

The acclaimed Peabody Award-winning Apple Original comedy series Dickinson will officially return for its second season on Friday, January 8, 2021, exclusively on Apple TV+. Apple released a first look at season two, and announced that the series has scored an early renewal for a third season! Created, written and executive produced by Alena Smith, and starring Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, who executive produces, the second season of Dickinson will premiere globally on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes on January 8, 2021, followed by new episodes weekly, every Friday. In the second season, Emily Dickinson (Steinfeld) is pulled out of her private literary life and thrust into the public eye, while struggling with the sense that the pursuit of fame might be a dangerous game for her to play.

Season two of Dickinson will reunite Steinfeld with returning ensemble cast members Jane Krakowski, Anna Baryshnikov, Ella Hunt, Toby Huss and Adrian Blake Enscoe, as well as world-renowned rapper, singer and songwriter Wiz Khalifa, who will return as the character of Death. The second season will also introduce brand new guest stars, including Nick Kroll as Edgar Allan Poe, Timothy Simons as Frederick Law Olmsted, Ayo Edebiri as Hattie, and Will Pullen as Nobody. As previously announced, recurring guest stars for season two include Finn Jones as Sam Bowles, and Pico Alexander as Ship.

In celebration of the milestone 70th anniversary of the first Peanuts strip ever published, Apple TV+ unveiled a teaser trailer and the premiere date for The Snoopy Show a new Apple original series hailing from its exclusive partnership with Peanuts and WildBrain. The Snoopy Show will make its global debut February 5, 2021, exclusively on Apple TV+. The Snoopy Show is a new animated series for kids and families that stars the internationally beloved beagle and his feathered best friend Woodstock as they tackle all new adventures. Snoopy may seem like just a happy-dancin', bone-lovin', doghouse-sittin' pup, but he's much more than that. He's Joe Cool: hippest kid in school. He's surfer king and famed arm-wrestler Masked Marvel. He's World War I Flying Ace who battles the Red Baron. All of his bold, beloved personas are on full display in this brand-new animated comedy.

Offering multi-generational viewing for children 4-11 and their caregivers, each episode of The Snoopy Show will consist of three, seven-minute cartoons based on the iconic comic series. Featuring the unique animation style that has entertained millions around the globe for seven decades, the nostalgic new series also showcases everyone's most cherished characters from Peanuts including Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Franklin, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty and more! The Snoopy Show will join Apple Originals, Daytime Emmy award winner, Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10, and Daytime Emmy award nominated Snoopy in Space which are both now streaming globally on Apple TV+.

Speaking of 70th anniversaries...as we hinted a few weeks ago, Antenna TV celebrates the 70th anniversary of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show television premiere in 1950 with a marathon starting on Saturday, October 10. The marathon will feature 70 classic episodes of the sitcom starring the husband and wife comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen. Originally a 30-minute radio program, the show became an immediate success when it transitioned to television. The sets were designed to resemble the couple’s real-life residence. The Burns and Allen Show 70th anniversary marathon starts Saturday, October 10 at 10a.m. ET and continues through 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 11.

Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury announced last year that Fox Television Stations had acquired fan favorite and Primetime Emmy winner Schitt's Creek. All seasons of the acclaimed, ground-breaking, half-hour character-driven comedy created by Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy will begin airing in U.S. broadcast markets starting next week (September 28). A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Pop TV original comedy, Schitt's Creek is Pop's highest-rated series. The two-year deal with FOX stations comes as Schitt's Creek garnered four Primetime Emmy Award® nominations last year and now nine wins this year. In New York City, the comedy will air on Sundays on WWOR from 6-7pm and 11pm-12:30am. In Los Angeles, it will air on KCOP on Saturdays from 11pm-12:30am and Sundays 11pm-12am and on sister station KDOC Monday-Friday at 12:30am & 1am. Meanwhile, Comedy Central has also acquired the series for cable! Schitt's Creek has been added to Comedy Central on Fridays from 8pm-10:30pm, starting Friday, Oct. 2.

The sixth and final season aired on Pop TV and CBC earlier this year. The buzzworthy comedy follows a wealthy family who suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt's Creek, a small town they once bought as a joke. The cast includes Emmy-winners Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy and Karen Robinson. Schitt's Creek centers on an outrageously wealthy video store magnate, Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy); his former soap-star wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara); and their two adult children – the self-described black sheep of the family David (Daniel Levy) and career socialite Alexis (Annie Murphy). With their pampered lives a memory, they struggle to find jobs and relationships, and most importantly, figure out what it means to be a family in the makeshift but loveable town they’ve reluctantly come to call home.

Apple announced a series order for High Desert, a new comedic half-hour series to be produced by Apple Studios that will star Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette (Medium, Boyhood, Escape at Dannemora, The Act), who will also executive produce. The project reunites Arquette with DGA Award winner Ben Stiller (Escape at Dannemora), who will direct the first episode and executive produce through Red Hour Films alongside Nicky Weinstock. Molly Madden and Tom Lassally executive produce on behalf of 3 Arts Entertainment. High Desert follows Peggy (Arquette), a former addict who decides to make a new start after the death of her beloved mother, with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California, and makes a life-changing decision to become a private investigator. The series is created and written by Nancy Fichman (Nurse Jackie, Damages), Katie Ford (Miss Congeniality) and Jennifer Hoppe (Grace and Frankie, Nurse Jackie, Damages), who will also serve as executive producers. 

On the heels of the premiere of Apple's buzzworthy hit series Ted Lasso, the acclaimed comedy watched by fans around the world has scored a 10-episode second season set to debut next year. The fourth episode of the sports smash comedy will premiere globally this Friday, August 21 on Apple TV+. In this week's new episode, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) hosts the team's annual charity benefit, where Ted stages a reconciliation between Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Jamie (Phil Dunster). Jason Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. In addition to starring, Sudeikis serves as executive producer, alongside Bill Lawrence (Scrubs) via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal Content. Doozer's Jeff Ingold also serves as an executive producer with Liza Katzer as co-executive producer. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.

Late-night host and comedian Lilly Singh is creating a two-episode series for NBC primetime, Sketchy Times with Lilly Singh. Dates for the episodes will be announce in the coming weeks. Sketchy Times will see Singh perform in multiple sketches where she portrays every character and satirize how we're all adjusting to the new normal. Each episode will feature a specific theme and include her signature musical parodies. All production will be shot at Singh's home with minimal crew and proper safety protocols enforced. Singh is a multi-faceted entertainer who has spent the last decade writing, producing and starring in comedic and inspirational videos on her digital channels where she has amassed more than 36 million followers. In May, A Little Late with Lilly Singh wrapped its inaugural season which Singh hosted and executive produced.


One quick note before we end today, we are celebrating 15 years of this blog! Yesterday marked our 15th anniversary of this blog and we have posted every single day for the last 15 years. We will continue to bring you news, schedules, interviews and more for many years to come. SitcomsOnline turned 21 earlier this year and now the blog is 15. Time is flying! Special thanks to Todd Fuller, Skees and Vincent for all their help and hardwork on this blog, as it's a team effort and maybe we will be in the Guinness Book of World Records for most consecutive blog posts? Todd says we are at 5,483 consecutive days already. That has to be a record? Maybe, but we all thank you for making this blog a success and thanks for visiting every single day! Share your comments or memories on our Message Board (another old timer of nearly 21 years)! 

Apple unveiled a first look at Ted Lasso, a new original comedy series from Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence, that will premiere globally on Apple TV+, alongside a slate of acclaimed and award-winning original series and films, on Friday, August 14. Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. In addition to starring, Sudeikis serves as executive producer, alongside Lawrence (Scrubs) via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal Content. Doozer's Jeff Ingold also serves as an executive producer with Liza Katzer as co-executive producer. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt, and is based on the pre-existing format and characters from NBC Sports.

Ted Lasso joins highly anticipated, soon-to-premiere Apple Original series including docuseries Dear... , from Emmy and Peabody Award winner R.J. Cutler; Little Voice, a fresh, intensely romantic tale from the award-winning team of J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson; documentary film Dads from director Bryce Dallas Howard; Greatness Code, a new docuseries that spotlights untold stories from the greatest athletes in the world; as well as award-winning and hit original series now streaming on Apple TV+ including Defending Jacob, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet, and the Golden Globe-nominated and Critics Choice and SAG Award-winning series The Morning Show; as well as Central Park from Emmy Award winner Loren Bouchard alongside Frozen Grammy winner Josh Gad and Emmy winner Nora Smith.

Quibi has picked up a second season of Dishmantled hosted by Tituss Burgess. Take two blindfolded chef contestants. Blast a dish into their face. Then make them recreate it for celebrity judges to win a cash prize. Did we mention it's hosted by Tituss Burgess? Each episode starts with the cannon-blasting of a mystery food dish into the faces of two blindfolded chefs. They'll use their culinary prowess to identify the exploded dish and then race against the clock to recreate it. Whichever chef comes closest to the original dish wins a cash prize. Guest judges for season one included: Dan Levy, Wolfgang Puck, Jane Krakowski, Antoni Porowski, Rachel Dratch, Roy Choi and more. 

Following the overwhelming global fandom around the recent debut of the Apple TV+ shorts Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, Apple announced a new partnership with The Jim Henson Company to reboot the beloved classic series Fraggle Rock. The new Fraggle Rock series will be reimagined as a global Apple Original series for new generations of fans to enjoy together on Apple TV+. Produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with New Regency, the series will reunite the original stars - Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley and Uncle Travelling Matt - for new songs and adventures, with the same spirit as the classic.

Fraggle Rock: Rock On! is now streaming for free on Apple TV+, with new mini-episodes featuring award-winning special guests Alanis Morissette, Common, Jason Mraz, Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffany Haddish and Ziggy Marley. The series aims to show everyone how we are all connected through friendship with new stories and favorite Fraggle songs from the same beloved characters of the classic '80s series. The project is produced by The Jim Henson Company in accordance with the COVID-19 "Safer at Home" guidelines, and is all shot on iPhone 11 phones from the homes of the production team and individual artists from all over the US. Fraggle Rock: Rock On! is executive produced by Halle Stanford and John Tartaglia.

The new Fraggle Rock series will join an award-winning lineup of today's most trusted franchises in kids and family programming, including the Emmy-nominated, Common Sense and Parents Choice Award-winning Helpsters and Ghostwriter from Sesame Workshop; and the Emmy-nominated, Annie and DGA Award-winning Snoopy in Space from Peanuts. With families around the world staying at home, Apple is featuring curated collections of TV shows, movies, music, podcasts, books, apps and games for families and kids of all ages. These collections have been created to help parents inspire and entertain their kids and to assist teachers who are exploring creative ways to facilitate remote learning.

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell and their Bless the Harts castmates unite for virtual table read to benefit Feeding America(r) Monday, June 1 @ 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT on the Animation Domination YouTube Channel! Co-creators and executive producers Emily Spivey, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, along with cast members Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, Jillian Bell and guest stars Ken Jeong, David Herman and Jeremy Rowley to read an all-new episode of Bless the Harts coming this fall to Fox! Join the laughter Monday, June 1 @ 6:00 pm ET/3:00 pm PT on the Animation Domination YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/animationonfox

Apple has unveiled that new documentary and official selection of the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, Dads, is set to make its global premiere just in time for Father’s Day on Friday, June 19, exclusively on Apple TV+.

Dads is a heartfelt and humorous documentary that celebrates the joys and challenges of parenting in today's world. Featuring six extraordinary fathers from across the globe, this film offers a firsthand glimpse into the trials and tribulations of modern-day parenting through revealing interviews, rare home-movie footage, viral videos, and hilarious and thoughtful testimonials from some of Hollywood’s funniest celebrities, including Judd Apatow, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Ron Howard (The Andy Griffith Show/Happy Days), Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community), Jimmy Kimmel, Hasan Minaj, Conan O’Brien, Patton Oswalt (The Goldbergs/The King of Queens), Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and more. Making her feature directorial debut, Bryce Dallas Howard also offers an intimate look at the dads in her own family, including remarkable interviews with her late grandfather Rance, her father Ron and her brother Reed.

 Dads is part of Apple’s exclusive, first-look deal with Imagine Documentaries. The film is produced by Nine Muses Entertainment, in association with Dove Men+Care.

Amazon Studios announced that it has renewed Upload for a second season of the sci-fi comedy series from the award-winning, beloved creator Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation). Season two will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Upload premiered last Friday, May 1, and it has been a worldwide success with Prime Video customers.

Upload takes place in the near future, where people can be "uploaded" into a virtual afterlife of their choice. The series follows a young app developer, Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), who winds up in the hospital following a self-driving car accident, needing to quickly decide his fate. After a rushed deliberation with his shallow girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards), he chooses to be uploaded to her family's luxurious virtual afterlife, the Horizen company's "Lakeview." Once uploaded in Lakeview, Nathan meets his customer service "Angel" Nora Anthony (Andy Allo), who at first is his charismatic concierge and guide, but quickly becomes his friend and confidante, helping him navigate this new digital extension of life. The series was created by Greg Daniels who also serves as executive producer along with Howard Klein, and also stars Kevin Bigley and Zainab Johnson. 

In a highly competitive situation, Apple has given a straight-to-series order to The Shrink Next Door, a new, eight-episode limited comedy series starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, based on the No. 1 new podcast of 2019 by Wondery and Bloomberg Media, hailing from Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television. Directed by Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, The Lovebirds) and based on the script by Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, WGA Award winner Georgia Pritchett (Succession, Veep), The Shrink Next Door is a dark comedy inspired by true events that detail the bizarre relationship between psychiatrist to the stars Dr. Isaac "Ike" Herschkopf, played by Paul Rudd, and his longtime patient Martin "Marty" Markowitz, played by Will Ferrell. Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly takes over Marty's life, even moving into Marty's Hamptons home and taking over his family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an unprecedentedly exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs and dysfunction at its finest. The project will bring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd on screen together for the first time since Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

Hollywood Records / Virgin EM artists Ne Hope Club have released "Worse," a brand-new track, produced by hitmakers The Monsters and Strangerz (Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello, Zedd & Maren Morris's #1 single "The Middle") and co-written by the band with James Alan Ghaleb (Jonas Brothers, Troye Sivan, Charlie Puth), along with a stunning companion video directed by actress Bailee Madison. The video marks the directorial debut of Madison, an alum of the hit TV series Wizards of Waverly Place and she reunited several of her former castmates for the song's love-on-the-rocks storyline - click here to watch the director's cut.

"Worse" sees New Hope Club performing across different eras - a chance for Richardson and bandmates George Smith and Reece Bibby to pay homage to a few of their musical heroes in fashion and form. Fans of Wizards of Waverly Place will have fun spotting guest appearances from the series' cast, including David Henrie, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals Barrera and David DeLuise, as well as Maddie Ziegler, Meg Donnelly, Bart Johnson and Robyn Lively. The song follows the release of New Hope Club's self-titled debut album, which landed Top 5 on the UK's Official Album Chart. The British trio have also been helping fans get through self-quarantine with a series of livestreams featuring original songs, fan-picked covers of songs by The Weeknd, Niall Horan, 5 Seconds of Summer, Rex Orange County and more. 

Apple TV+ series Central Park now has a premiere date, May 29. Central Park is an animated musical comedy from Emmy(R) Award-winner Loren Bouchard (Bob's Burgers) that follows the exploits of a family living in the world's most famous park. The series voice cast includes Josh Gad, Leslie Odom, Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, and Stanley Tucci. A musical walk in the park. Watch Central Park on May 29 on the Apple TV app: https://apple.co/_CentralPark The new series will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on May 29, a new home for the world's most creative storytellers. Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, as well as at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial.

Master Minds, Game Show Network's new expert trivia game show hosted by Emmy®-nominated Game Show Host Brooke Burns (Baywatch; The Chase) and featuring Jeopardy! G.O.A.T./Trivia Legend Ken Jennings. Master Minds will premiere on Monday, April 6 at 4 p.m. ET on Game Show Network and air weekdays. In Master Minds, three contestants square off against three trivia Master Minds in multiple rounds of intense trivia competition. The lowest scoring player on each side is eliminated until the top competitor and top Master Mind are left standing and now must face off, head-to-head, in the Ultimate Trivia Challenge. If the contestant can get more questions correct than the Master Mind, they will win $10,000 and come back to challenge the Masters again. If they win three games in a row, they join the ranks of the Master Minds and will appear in future episodes.

Actress and Emmy®-nominated television host Brooke Burns began her career with breakout roles in Ally McBeal, Baywatch and Melrose Place. In 2002, she made her game show hosting debut on NBC's Dog Eat Dog, and went on to host ABC's You Deserve It with Chris Harrison. From 2013-2015 Burns served as host of Game Show Network's Emmy®-nominated and wildly popular UK-adapted trivia show, The Chase, where she was also nominated for an Emmy® as Outstanding Game Show Host.

We have all of the major updates from the TCA Winter 2020 Press Tour where more cable networks presented Fri-Sun. We'll focus on comedy news, of course. Fresh off of last week's buzzed-about season premiere, grown-ish has been picked up for a fourth season on Freeform. Starring Yara Shahidi, Trevor Jackson, Francia Raisa, Emily Arlook, Jordan Buhat, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Luka Sabbat and Diggy Simmons, the series is a contemporary take on the issues that students face in the world of higher education. Freeform's new comedy Everything's Gonna Be Okay, which The New York Times called "a charming dramedy, with an oddball voice and a bittersweet undercurrent," will have a special airing of its pilot episode on sister network FX on Wednesday (Jan. 22) at 10 p.m. EST/PST.

National Geographic Global Television Networks President announced additional season pickups of hit franchise series Brain Games, Running Wild with Bear Grylls and Life Below Zero. It was also announced that the second season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted will premiere on Sunday, May 10, at 10/9c on National Geographic. Family entertainment network BYUtv announced its new comedy competition series Wayne Brady's Comedy IQ, created and hosted by multiple Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated Wayne Brady and his producing partner, Mandie Taketa. The show, which counts Queen Latifah among its executive producers, will premiere on April 6, 2020. Meanwhile, Apple announced that Central Park, an animated musical comedy from Emmy Award winner Loren Bouchard (Bob's Burgers), executive producer Josh Gad (Frozen) and executive producer Nora Smith (Bob's Burgers), will premiere exclusively on Apple TV+ this summer. Central Park is an animated musical comedy about the Tillermans, a family that lives in Central Park. Owen, the park manager, and Paige, his journalist wife, raise their kids Molly and Cole in the world's most famous park, while fending off hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham and her long suffering assistant Helen, who would love nothing more than to turn the park into condos. The series voice cast includes Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs and Stanley Tucci.

Apple announced that Trying, its first original series from the UK to debut on Apple TV+, will premiere Friday, May 1 around the world. All Jason and Nikki want is a baby. But it's the one thing they just can't have. Starring Rafe Spall and Esther Smith, Trying is a new comedy series about growing up, settling down and finding someone to love. BAFTA Award winner Imelda Staunton also stars. The series, featuring eight half-hour episodes, hails from BBC Studios and is written by Andy Wolton. The new series will premiere globally on Apple TV+, a new home for the world's most creative storytellers. Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, as well as at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented its coveted Actor® statuettes for the outstanding motion picture and television performances of 2019 at the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, held Sunday, Jan. 19 at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall. The television winners are below:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
SAM ROCKWELL / Bob Fosse – FOSSE/VERDON

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Gwen Verdon – FOSSE/VERDON

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister – GAME OF THRONES

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
JENNIFER ANISTON / Alex Levy – THE MORNING SHOW

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
TONY SHALHOUB / Abe Weissman – THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE / Fleabag – FLEABAG

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
THE CROWN

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
GAME OF THRONES

Apple announced that the highly anticipated comedy series, Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet from Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) will debut globally on Friday, February 7, exclusively on Apple TV+. All nine, half-hour episodes of the live-action comedy, co-created by McElhenney and Megan Ganz, will be available on Apple TV+ the day of premiere. The series is produced by Lionsgate, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ubisoft. Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game. In addition to McElhenney, who stars as the fictional company's creative director, Ian Grimm, the ensemble cast also includes Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, David Hornsby, Ashly Burch, and Jessie Ennis.

This Christmas Eve, HGTV has a special pre-holiday gift for Brady Bunch fans and everyone who made A Very Brady Renovation the highest-rated series on the network. Eve Plumb will be back to star in Generation Renovation, a pilot set to air on Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 11 p.m. ET/PT. Eve is an expert home renovator and an avid collector of vintage décor and memorabilia. She also is a talented painter with a keen design sense. In the pilot, she teams up with preservationist Brett Waterman, star of DIY Network's Restored, and her husband and renovation partner Ken Pace to modernize dilapidated cabins and cottages that have been in families for generations. As Eve, Brett and Ken transform the well-loved but worn properties, they also give a nod to the homes’ rich histories and ensure they will be enjoyed by future generations to come.

Some major news for TV series were announced this past weekend at New York Comic Con, where we were on hand of course for about the 6th straight year. We were in press rooms for Tell Me a Story, Big Mouth, Emergence, Daybreak, Coyote Peterson, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, For All Mankind, Castle Rock, Lincoln, The Expanse, Lost in Space, neXt, Roswell New Mexico, Batwoman, Riverdale and Manifest (pictured). More to come soon, but new news items that were announced at New York Comic Con include:

Netflix's Big Mouth and Human Resources
Human Resources: We manage people. The next great animated series from the creators of Big Mouth. Coming soon. As just announced at New York Comic-Con, Netflix has ordered Human Resources, a workplace comedy set in the world of the monsters from Emmy nominated series Big Mouth. Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett, and Kelly Galuskawill serve as creators and executive producers.

FX's Devs
Alex Garland's highly-anticipated television debut, FX's upcoming limited series Devs premiered its first teaser during a panel discussion at New York Comic Con featuring Garland, executive producer Allon Reich and cast members Sonoya Mizuno ("Lily"), Jin Ha ("Jamie"), Zach Grenier ("Kenton"), Stephen McKinley Henderson ("Stewart"), Cailee Spaeny ("Lyndon") and Karl Glusman ("Sergei"). New York Comic Con fans were also treated to a sneak peek at an extended trailer of the series, as well as two pivotal scenes featuring a first look at the mysteries that await viewers inside the Amaya Corporation's top-secret Devs building. Additionally, FX released three new images from the eight-episode limited series set to debut in Spring 2020. The brand new teaser and images give fans their first glimpse of Nick Offerman as Amaya's enigmatic CEO, Forest, alongside series lead Sonoya Mizuno.

AMC's Walking Dead
In front of more than five thousand New York Comic Con fans, AMC confirmed the renewal of The Walking Dead for an eleventh season and the return of Lauren Cohan, who plays fan favorite character Maggie Greene, as a season 11 series regular. The Walking Dead executive producers Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang announced the news at the show's annual NYCC panel, surprising fans by bringing out Cohan to join the show's executive producers and cast on stage. The series' renewal came one day ahead of the show's season 10 premiere yesterday (Sunday, October 6). In addition, AMC released first-look images from the upcoming third series in The Walking Dead Universe. The series made its panel debut at New York Comic Con on Saturday with participants including co-Creators Scott M. Gimple and Showrunner Matt Negrete, along with cast members Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston and Nico Tortorella. The third installment of the franchise will feature two young female protagonists and focus on the first generation to come-of-age in the apocalypse as we know it. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. In the end, all of them will be changed forever. Grown-up and cemented in their identities, both good and bad. Produced and distributed by AMC Studios, the series will premiere on AMC in spring 2020.

CW's Roswell, New Mexico
In the aftermath of the tragic sacrifice of Max Evans (Nathan Dean) and return of Rosa Ortecho (Amber Midthunder) in the season one finale of Roswell, New Mexico, the mysterious town seemed like a place where anything could happen. It's only fitting then that the second season will see two surprising recurring guest stars: Gaius Charles from Friday Night Lights and Jason Behr, the actor who portrayed Max Evans in the original Roswell series. Cast and producers of The CW/Warner Bros. Television's sophomore series announced the cast additions during Roswell, New Mexico's New York Comic Con 2019 panel on Sunday, October 6.

Gaius Charles, who played Smash on Friday Night Lights, will recur as Bronson, a local farmer with a strong moral compass that leads him to see the good in people -- and aliens -- in a time of great prejudice. Ultimately, his quest to protect those he loves pits him against forces far more powerful than he is. Jason Behr, who played Max Evans on 1999's Roswell, also has a recurring role, which has yet to be revealed. Roswell, New Mexico returns for its second season midseason on The CW.

Apple TV Plus' Servant
At New York Comic Con 2019, Apple announced that M. Night Shyamalan's highly anticipated psychological thriller Servant, will premiere globally on Apple TV+, a new home for the world's most creative storytellers, on Thursday, November 28. Apple's Servant follows a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home. Academy Award-nominated Executive Producer M. Night Shyamalan directs along with BAFTA-nominated Executive Producer and Writer Tony Basgallop, who created the series. The celebrated cast of Servant includes Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under), Toby Kebbell (Kong: Skull Island, Fantastic Four, Black Mirror), Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter franchise, Snatch).

Around the Horn at NYCC
Netflix announced that Lost in Space season two will begin to stream on Tuesday, December 24. It was announced that the highly anticipated series Star Trek: Picard will premiere on CBS All Access in the U.S. on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Following the premiere, new episodes of Star Trek: Picard's 10-episode first season will be available weekly on Thursdays, exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers in the U.S. Netflix's animated comedy The Dragon Prince returns to Netflix on November 22 for a third season. The stakes are higher than ever before in the all new season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power! Coming to Netflix November 5 for a fourth season. And finally, trailers and sneak peeks were revealed for current series such Warner Bros' Riverdale and Manifest, the latter which return to the air in Spring 2020, along with many other series such as TNT's Snowpiercer (also coming in Spring 2020) and Amazon's The Expanse.

On April 15, 2019 TBS will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Family Guy with a marathon of Seth MacFarlane's top 20 episodes. The anniversary celebration will continue throughout the month of April on tbs.com and the TBS app, where fans can enter to win Family Guy swag. Featured episodes will also be released weekly throughout the month of April. The marathon is set to run from 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM on TBS, leading into a new episode of American Dad! and a re-run of the Family Guy / American Dad! / Cleveland Show crossover episode. With MacFarlane's commentary on each episode, the linear schedule is below.:

Family Guy
10:30 AM - "Road to Rhode Island"
"This was the first Stewie/Brian road show we ever did, and it's the first episode that firmly established their unique relationship. It was our fresh take on that classic old trope of a dog and a baby hitting the road together."
11:00 AM - "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows"
"This episode won us an Emmy for its musical number. Before that, none of us had never seen an Emmy before."
11:30 AM - "North by North Quahog"
"Our first episode back from cancellation. It was a comedic riff on a Hitchcock classic, complete with a Bernard Herrmann score. This is the type of whip-smart, nuanced writing I was capable of 10,000 drinks ago."
12:00 PM - "Petarded"
"This is a brilliant episode and just so Twitter knows, I was out with the flu the day they came up with the title."
12:30 PM - "PTV"
"This episode was the culmination of our completely wholesome, non-sexual relationship with the FCC."
1:00 PM - "Brian Sings and Swings"
"This episode featured our dear friend, the wonderful Frank Sinatra Jr. It's also when I realized that if you have songs in an episode, you have to write way less."
1:30 PM - "Patriot Games"
"One word: Shipoopi."
2:00 PM - "The Griffin Family History"
"A fun premise and a great-looking episode. This was our first real foray into a non-traditional format."
2:30 PM - "Road to Rupert"
"Stewie dances with Gene Kelly. Enough said."
3:00 PM - "Blue Harvest Pt. 1" & "Blue Harvest Pt. 2"
"This episode is what finally put Star Wars on the map."
4:00 PM - "I Dream of Jesus"
"The bird is still the word."
4:30 PM - "Road to Germany"
"This was our homage to Herman Wouk's 'The Winds Of War.' And sadly, if you’re an American male under age 35, studies show this episode is all you know about World War II."
5:00 PM - "Road to Multiverse"
"Back before Walt Disney's Family Guy was a real thing, it was a fake thing."
5:30 PM - "Extra Large Medium"
"Psychics are frauds. You’re welcome."
6:00 PM - "Brian Griffin’s House of Payne"
"An amazing opening sequence with great visual effects scored by a 75-piece orchestra. Fun trivia: Family Guy employs more full-time tuba players than the rest of Hollywood combined."
6:30 PM - "Brian and Stewie"
"We wanted to see if our characters were interesting enough to sustain a full episode in one room, without gags or cutaways. In Hollywood, this is called a "bottle episode,” because it only utilizes one set, and also because the writers were drunk."
7:00 PM - "And Then There Were Fewer Pt. 1" & "And Then There Were Fewer Pt. 2"
"I think this is my favorite episode of the series. A classic format, great-looking direction, and, I hope, a genuinely surprising ending. It was also the first episode to air in HD. It was really cool to finally see Lois’s pores."
8:00 PM - "Road to the North Pole Pt. 1" & "Road to the North Pole Pt. 2"
"My dad’s in this one."
9:00 PM - "The Big Bang Theory"
"This was based on a story I wrote in college. The A.V. Club gave this episode a B, which is their highest rating I think."
9:30 PM - "Back to the Pilot"
"It was fun to re-visit an era before I hired people who could draw better than me."
American Dad! - New Episode
10:00 PM - "Fantasy Baseball"
CROSSOVER EPISODE: Family Guy / American Dad! / Cleveland Show
10:30 PM - "Hurricane"

Apple announced Apple TV+, the new home for the world's most creative storytellers featuring exclusive original shows, movies and documentaries, coming this fall. Apple TV+, Apple's original video subscription service, will feature a brand new slate of programming from the world's most celebrated creative artists, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and more. On the Apple TV app, subscribers will enjoy inspiring and authentic stories with emotional depth and compelling characters from all walks of life, ad-free and on demand.

Additionally, Apple debuted the all-new Apple TV app and Apple TV channels coming in May 2019. The all-new Apple TV app brings together the different ways to discover and watch shows, movies, sports, news and more in one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices. Users can subscribe to and watch new Apple TV channels - paying for only services they want, like HBO, SHOWTIME and Starz - all on demand, available on and offline, with incredible picture quality and sound; enjoy sports, news and network TV from cable and satellite providers as well as purchase or rent iTunes movies and TV shows all within the new, personalized Apple TV app.

Beginning in May, customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels à la carte and watch them in the Apple TV app, with no additional apps, accounts or passwords required. Apple TV channels include popular services such as HBO, Starz, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, Smithsonian Channel, EPIX, Tastemade, Noggin and new services like MTV Hits, with more to be added over time around the world.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about a renewal of an ABC comedy, some new Peanuts content, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB