SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

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

Since it's a slow time for new sitcoms (both because of the summer and because of the pandemic causing a shortage of new sitcom content), I thought I'd look back at another sitcom of the past that I'm rewatching and finding holds up extremely well. That sitcom is Cheers, one of the biggest sitcoms of the 20th century and also one of the most acclaimed. Cheers is a show I haven't watched in some time, so rewatching the series has really reminded me just how nearly every sitcom made after it can trace its lineage back to the bar where everyone knows your name. Not necessarily in terms of joke structure (Cheers is a very funny show, but it's more rooted in the humor of the '80s and '90s and not the more modern sitcom type humor that was developed in the '00s) but in terms of its character development. Cheers has some of the best and most subtle character development I've ever seen in a sitcom. Character development in sitcoms is trickier than dramas, because the comfort of a sitcom means everything has to (seemingly) remain the same. The humor comes from the familiar situation of the show's situation. And yet, for a sitcom to remain fresh, the best ones do try to push their characters forward, but have to do so gradually.

I think any fan of Cheers would agree the characters in Season 11 were not quite the same people as the characters at the start - they had grown and changed, but they were still recognizably their archetypes. That's because Cheers very slowly evolved its characters over the course of its run. There weren't any real shocking plot twists or huge events happening, but the day-to-day doldrums of life and evolution of their relationships gradually pushed their characters to new places. And I would argue nearly every great sitcom after it - be it Friends or The Office or Parks and Recreation or Community - evolved their characters in similar ways. Prior to Cheers, there were far less sitcoms that had their eye on the gradual character development, but it's become an important part of sitcoms going forward. And as I'm watching Cheers, I'm reminded of just how character development in a sitcom can be done right.

Yesterday we had some changes for CBS and Fox, now we have some changes for Fall 2020 for ABC and NBC. ABC unveiled its fall unscripted premiere dates. Details for the network's scripted series premiere dates will be shared at a later time and will likely have October/November premieres for many of its series. ABC has slotted five nights of programming for September/October, joining the previously announced Dancing with the Stars, which will launch Monday, Sept. 14 from 8-10pm. Game show favorites Celebrity Family Feud, Press Your Luck and Match Game return with the back half of their seasons, with the first half having aired on Sundays earlier this summer. They will move to Thursdays and resume on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 8-11pm until TGIT dramas are ready later this fall. A dramatic new season of The Bachelorette debuts Tuesday, October 13 from 8-10pm. An all-new season of Shark Tank kicks off on Friday, October 16 at 8pm. And finally, Sundays will be more Fun & Games with new series Supermarket Sweep hosted by Leslie Jones joining the Sunday lineup at 8pm, right after an all-new season of AFV. At 9pm, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Jimmy Kimmel returns for a second season followed by the second season of Card Sharks with Joel McHale at 10pm - all premiering Sunday, October 18 from 7-11pm. No date yet for $100,000 Pyramid with Michael Strahan, which also started production this week. Stay tuned for the scripted premiere dates.

NBC is celebrating a November to remember as America's most-loved dramas make their highly anticipated season debuts the week of Nov. 9-13, including a two-hour premiere of This Is Us (Nov. 10, 9-11pm) and all three Chicago series (Nov. 11, 8-11pm). In addition, Law & Order: SVU (Nov. 12, 9pm) will return for its record-extending 22nd season that same week, along with the eighth season of The Blacklist (Nov. 13, 8pm), starring James Spader and Megan Boone. But comedy will launch first! For scripted comedy, executive producer Martin Gero will debut his new scripted comedy Connecting ... on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8:30pm. The series is about a group of friends trying to stay close (and sane) through video chats as they share the highs and lows of these extraordinary times. Superstore, where Cloud 9's unique family of employees work together and share nearly everything about their personal lives as well, returns for its sixth season on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8pm. On to reality, the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series The Voice, with coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, as well as host Carson Daly, will be back in its swiveling red chairs on Monday, Oct. 19 8-10pm and return for the second night of its season debut on Tuesday, Oct. 20 (8-10pm premiere, then 8-9pm). Host Jane Lynch will kick off the first episode of the worldwide global phenom Weakest Link when the show debuts Monday, Sept. 28 at 10pm. Ellen's Game of Games, one of the most fun shows on all of television, returns Tuesday, Oct. 6 for a two-hour premiere from 8-10 p.m. before shifting the following week on Oct. 13 to its normal 9-10 p.m. timeslot for a few weeks.

The Wall and American Ninja Warrior will air for three weeks starting Wednesday, Oct. 21, before the Chicago series return. Ninja will start off on Mondays, as previously announced, before moving to Wednesdays when The Voice returns. Returning series set to debut after Jan. 1 include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, Making It, Manifest, New Amsterdam and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. New series set to launch in 2021 include Kenan, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Mr. Mayor, That's My Jam, Small Fortune, True Story, Who Do You Think You Are? and Young Rock.

TBS will premiere Miracle Workers: Dark Ages on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 10:30 PM. Created by Simon Rich and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, the second season of the anthology comedy series is a medieval story about friendship, family and trying not to be murdered. The first season of Miracle Workers, based on Rich's book, What in God's Name, ranks as 2019's #1 new cable comedy reaching more than 26 million viewers across linear, VOD, and digital platforms.

Miracle Workers: Dark Ages centers upon a group of medieval villagers trying to stay positive in an age of extreme income inequality, poor healthcare, and widespread ignorance. This 10-episode installment will feature Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, Jon Bass, and Lolly Adefope returning in new roles and facing new challenges.

Following a wildly successful run last summer that propelled ABC to rank No. 1 across all key adult demos, the network has announced the return of seven shows from its popular "Summer Fun & Games" lineup, including The $100,000 Pyramid (season five), Card Sharks (season two), Celebrity Family Feud (season six), Match Game (season five), "Press Your Luck" (season two), To Tell the Truth (season five), and as previously announced, the second season of Holey Moley. All of these shows will air in Summer 2020.

ABC ranked as the No. 1 network of the summer among Adults 18-49 (1.0/5 - tie with NBC), marking the first time the Net ranked No. 1 during the summer in 24 years - since summer 1995. In addition, ABC finished as the summer's No. 1 network with Adults 18-34 and among key female demos (W18-34/W18-49). Additionally, ABC claimed a network-leading 9 of the Top 20 entertainment broadcast series over the summer in Adults 18-49, including the summer's No. 1 show with The Bachelorette.

Building on the previous success of the "Summer Fun & Games" brand, The ABC Television Network is expanding its slate of game shows and competition series to three nights, adding four new exciting series to the upcoming schedule. In addition to bringing back the iconic game shows Press Your Luck and Card Sharks to TV, ABC will launch two new alternative shows – Holey Moley, an epic mini-golf competition featuring NBA superstar Stephen Curry as resident golf pro; and Family Food Fight, hosted by renowned restaurateur and New York Times best-selling cookbook author Ayesha Curry (wife of Steph Curry). All of these shows are part of the summer premiere dates schedule announced by the network.

On the scripted drama side, the new series Reef Break, starring Poppy Montgomery, will premiere Thursday, June 20 at 10:00 p.m. EDT. And don't forget to make reservations for Grand Hotel, the glamorous and provocative new series from executive producer Eva Longoria, premiering Monday, June 17 at 10:00 p.m. EDT. Also as previously announced, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns Friday, May 10 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Fans of The Bachelor franchise will have a date every Monday night this summer, starting with the previously announced Bachelorette Reunion: The Biggest Bachelorette Reunion in Bachelor History Ever!, airing Monday, May 6 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT, and The Bachelorette, premiering the following week, Monday, May 13 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT. Once Hannah B.'s journey ends, another one begins on the beaches of Mexico when the highly anticipated Bachelor in Paradise debuts Monday, July 29 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT.

Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid and To Tell the Truth return Sunday, June 9 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. EDT; and Match Game returns, following the premieres of Press Your Luck and Card Sharks on Wednesday, June 12 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. EDT. Other dates set for summer include a new season of ABC News' What Would You Do? on Friday, May 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT, and The 2019 ESPYS on Wednesday, July 10 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. EDT. And finally, beginning Tuesday, May 28, a two-hour block of fan-favorite episodes of ABC comedies will air from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT, expanding to three hours starting the following week on Tuesday, June 4 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. EDT. A full schedule will be announced at a later date but it will include comedies such as Modern Family, The Goldbergs, black-ish and more.

Following its recent second-season premiere, HBO has renewed the hit comedy series Barry for a third season. Created by Alec Berg & Bill Hader, who stars in the title role, Barry launched its eight-episode second season March 31. This season, Barry is attempting to untangle himself from the world of contract killing and fully immerse himself in acting. But while Barry has eliminated many of the external factors that pushed him towards violence, he soon discovers they weren't the only forces at play. What is it about his own psyche that led him to become a killer in the first place? Other Season 2 cast regulars include: Stephen Root as Barry's handler, who is alarmed to contemplate a future without his primary source of income; Sarah Goldberg as a dedicated acting student who becomes the object of Barry's affection; Anthony Carrigan as an unfailingly polite mobster; and Henry Winkler as a pompous yet endearing acting teacher who takes Barry under his wing. Barry received three Emmys(R) for its first season last September: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Bill Hader); Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Henry Winkler); and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation.

ABC Entertainment has picked up fan-favorite game shows Press Your Luck and Card Sharks for a return to television. The Fremantle-produced game shows will go into production this spring with exciting updates that everyone in the family will enjoy. Hosts and premiere dates will be announced soon. Press Your Luck is a game of wits, strategy and even higher stakes as contestants try to avoid the iconic and devilish WHAMMY for a chance at life-changing cash and prizes. During each game, three contestants compete against each other answering questions to earn spins on the Big Board. Contestants then use their spins to win cash and prizes while trying to avoid the WHAMMY, who could take all of their winnings and leave them with nothing. The winning contestant moves on to the All-New Bonus Round to face the WHAMMY in a final battle for the chance to win a fortune. John Quinn is the showrunner for "Press Your Luck," in addition to serving as an executive producer, along with Fremantle's Jennifer Mullin.

Card Sharks is a game where one turn of a playing card can make you a winner or a loser! The road to glory and riches begins with two players who face off in a head-to-head elimination game with the goal of one player making it to the grand prize winning deck. The anticipation builds as each contestant has to decide if the odds are worth the risk of losing it all and making it to the big game. Ultimately, players can either take their earned cash and quit or continue betting with the hope of reaching the top for a chance to take home a life-changing cash prize. "Card Sharks" showrunner and executive producer is Scott St. John. Jack Martin and Jennifer Mullin are also executive producers. Press Your Luck and Card Sharks will air in summer 2019 on The ABC Television Network. These game shows join other ABC Summer Fun & Games series $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, Match Game and To Tell the Truth. The fate is unknown for a third season of The Gong Show.

It turns out Jimmy Fallon's viral smash "Wheel of Musical Impressions" was only the beginning. Drawing inspiration from the wildly popular, celebrity-fueled musical segments made famous on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC has hit play on a 10-episode order for the new unscripted series That's My Jam. Executive produced by Jimmy Fallon, the hourlong competition series will be infused with Fallon's one-of-a-kind comedic style, feel-good energy, and a carousel of his classic and brand-new music-based games, featuring a new group of celebrities each week. Fallon is the late night pioneer in viral celebrity games and moments. With over 20 million YouTube subscribers, his musical games, sketches, and challenges have made an indelible mark on late night TV. From "Wheel of Musical Impressions" and "Musical Genre Challenge" to "History of Rap," viewers around the globe love watching their favorite celebrities take part in some of these unforgettable music-infused moments. The format was brought to Universal Television Alternative Studio by Fallon, longtime Tonight Show producer Jim Juvonen and writer Josh Knapp. Jeff Apploff will serve as showrunner.