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

This week, Hulu announced the cancellation of Difficult People. Difficult People was in its third season, and although it was never a huge hit, it had gained a dedicated following and was one of the first Hulu originals that seemed to grab a decent-sized following. After Difficult People came Casual, another half-hour comedy (with dramatic elements) that gained some minor awards attention and a dedicated fanbase. The success of those two shows was combined with Hulu's acquisition of The Mindy Project after it was cancelled by Fox. Hulu seemed to be the home of beloved, if not incredibly well watched, comedies. However, over the past few months, Hulu has quietly announced the end of nearly its entire comedy slate. Casual will end with its next season, The Mindy Project is currently airing its final season, and Difficult People was cancelled without even an announcement.

This is an interesting move considering quirky, off-beat comedies and dramedies were what made Hulu stand out from its streaming competitors. However, Hulu was undoubtedly the little guy in the streaming wars - until it became the first streaming service to take home an Outstanding Series award with The Handmaid's Tale this year. The Handmaid's Tale was a cultural phenomenon that toppled over everything else Hulu had done up to that point, so it's not especially surprising that they would be switching up directions. Still, it's unfortunate to see any service that was once big on comedy turn their back towards it, so let's hope Hulu still has room for some original comedies.

Huddle around your TV New Year's Day for 18-straight hours of friends, football and fun with Antenna TV's "New Year Kickoff with Coach" marathon. Starting at 5am on January 1, 2018, Antenna TV will lineup the best episodes of Coach, starring Craig T. Nelson, as college football coach Hayden Fox, leading his team at home and on the field. Special episodes include Fox and his team's appearances in the "Pineapple Bowl," "Popcorn Bowl," "Patriot Bowl" & "Pioneer Bowl." Kickoff the new year with Coach, Antenna TV's newest lineup addition. As we mentioned earlier this week, beginning January 2, 2018, Coach will air weekdays at 11pm ET and weekends at 4:30pm ET.

Vulture.com, New York Magazine's culture and entertainment site, announced the initial lineup for the 2016 Vulture Festival, a series of high-profile events celebrating the best of today's television, music, film, and more. The Festival will take place May 21-22 primarily at Milk Studios, with select events at other venues, in New York City. Additional events will be announced soon. Among the highlights of the two-day live showcase, curated by Vulture's editors, are: A Happy Endings reunion sponsored by Hulu with creator David Caspe, showrunner Jonathan Groff, and castmembers Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Casey Wilson, Adam Pally, and Damon Wayans Jr., hosted by Vulture editor Jesse David Fox. Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Catch, in conversation with Vulture Hollywood editor Stacey Wilson Hunt, sponsored by OUTFRONT Media. Then, an exclusive interview with HBO's The Sopranos creator David Chase and New York and Vulture television critic Matt Zoller Seitz. Star Krysten Ritter and series creator/showrunner Melissa Rosenberg of Marvel's Jessica Jones, which is currently streaming on Netflix, in conversation with Vulture editor Abraham Riesman. This session is sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Media & Entertainment. Admission will be offered free to the public.

A live table read with the cast and guest cast of Hulu's Difficult People, followed by a panel discussion with Amy Poehler, Billy Eichner, Julie Klausner, James Urbaniak, Nathan Lane, Cole Escola, Shakina Nayfack, Andrea Martin, Megan Hilty, Scott King, and John Early led by Vulture editor E. Alex Jung. TV Land's Younger castmembers Sutton Foster, Miriam Shor, Debi Mazar, Nico Tortorella, and Dan Amboyer go head-to-head with FX's You're the Worst castmembers Stephen Falk, Aya Cash, Chris Geere, Kether Donohue, and Desmin Borges in a pop-culture trivia game show, hosted by actor/comedian Brett Gelman (Another Period, Love). Comedy night featuring Sarah Silverman and Friends at BAM. A jam session with Fred Armisen and Sharon Van Etten. Live tapings in the Casper Podcast Lounge including Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson's "Two Dope Queens;" Chris Gethard's "Beautiful/Anonymous;" "Reply All" hosted by Alex Goldman and featuring guest Paul Scheer; Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas in "How Did This Get Made?;" NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" host Linda Holmes and panelists Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon. Lifetime's UnREAL co-creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, castmembers Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, B.J. Britt, Craig Bierko, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Josh Kelly, and executive producer Carol Barbee in conversation with Vulture editor Gazelle Emami.

AMC's Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould and stars Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean, and Rhea Seehorn in conversation with New York television critic Matt Zoller Seitz. An interview with castmembers of USA's Mr. Robot, including Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Portia Doubleday, and Grace Gummer. In conversation with CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star and co-creator Rachel Bloom and co-creator/executive producer Aline Brosh McKenna, along with the show's executive music producer, Adam Schlesinger, and Vulture Hollywood editor Stacey Wilson Hunt. An exclusive look at TNT's new drama series Animal Kingdom, and a conversation with its executive producers John Wells and Jonathan Lisco. An exclusive early viewing of Disney's Alice Through the Looking Glass, followed by a discussion with the film's costume designer, Colleen Atwood, led by New York and Vulture senior editor Kyle Buchanan. This session is sponsored by Screenvision Media. Actors behind some of your favorite animated voices read classic movie scenes in their animated voices including John Roberts (Bob's Burgers), Larry Murphy (Bob's Burgers), Aisha Tyler (Archer), Carlos Alazraqui (Bordertown, Inside Out, Happy Feet), Lucky Yates (Archer), Elizabeth "EG" Daily (Rugrats, The Powerpuff Girls), Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain, Futurama, Kung Fu Panda, The Powerpuff Girls, Zootopia, Rick and Morty), and Alex Borstein (Family Guy), moderated by Vulture editor Nate Jones. Vulture Festival and Governors Ball present Gary Clark Jr. and Albert Hammond Jr. in concert at Webster Hall. An exclusive interview with Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and New York writer-at-large Rembert Browne, at The Standard High Line. An exclusive first look at TBS' new show Search Party, followed by a conversation with the show's creators Michael Showalter, Sarah-Violet Bliss, and Charles Rogers, along with castmembers Alia Shawkat, John Early, Meredith Hagner, and Brandon Michael Hall.

The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 20, with an exclusive opening-night party at the Top of the Standard, co-hosted by DIRECTV. Tickets costs will range from free events to $150 and are on sale to Citi ThankYou card members and went on sale to the general public on April 20, 2016 at www.vulturefestival.com.

ABC has picked up new drama Designated Survivor for the 2016-17 season. It is the night of the President's State of the Union address. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), the secretary of HUD, is the only cabinet member watching from another location. He has been chosen to be the Designated Survivor for the night, which ensures continuity of government in the unlikely event that a catastrophic attack on the capital kills everyone above him in the presidential line of succession. As he watches with his wife Alex (Natascha McElhone), a savvy pro bono attorney, the television signal suddenly cuts out and the Secret Service rush in. The Capitol Building has been blown up, the President and Cabinet members are dead, and Kirkman is about to become the President of the United States. He and Alex are taken to the White House immediately while Secret Service rush to get his 9 year-old daughter and search for his 16 year-old son, who is not where he said he would be. There is no time to process how their lives are about to change.

FBI Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) is alerted immediately and runs out on a disastrous blind date. When she gets to the Capitol and starts the investigation, she makes the startling revelation that this attack might only be the beginning. Tom, now President Kirkman, meets with everyone left at top-level security clearance. Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Shore helps Kirkman gain command over the panicked and chaotic room. Tensions rise when they receive word that Iran has deployed its Navy into the Strait of Hormuz. Hawkish General Cochrane, convinced that Iran is taking advantage of the attack to cut off America's source of oil, wants to bomb Iran immediately without substantiated evidence. President Kirkman refuses to head into military action without assessing the situation and meets with the Ambassador of Iran. While many doubt he has the strength and experience to take on these kinds of challenges, he proves himself surprisingly worthy. Speechwriter Seth Wright (Kal Penn), who Kirkman caught earlier trashing him for being a follower instead of a leader, will now have 45 minutes to write a formidable speech to launch his new presidency. With the Cabinet in shambles, the military pressing for action, the terrorists still at large, and the entire country searching for answers, Kirkman will struggle to prevent America, and his own family, from falling into chaos as he is thrust into one of the most difficult presidencies in history. Stay with us for continued updates, as the upfront schedules start next week!

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're still in the summer slowdown as the broadcast networks prepare for their fall season in just a few short weeks, but we're here with news about The Grinder, new seasons of American Dad! for TBS, and some news on DVD releases for CPO Sharkey and Grace Under Fire. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Time-Life will be wrapping up CPO Sharkey with CPO Sharkey - Season Two on September 22.
• TVShowsOnDVD.com reports that Grace Under Fire - The Complete Series will arrive on DVD in September, though an exact date is not yet known. The set is up for pre-order at Amazon's Canadian site, amazon.ca, which is showing a release date of October 6 (though there has been a lot of misleading info for VEI releases on Amazon's various sites in the past).

Who to Follow: David Alan Grier (Twitter), "Gentleman of leisure, raconteur, liar, con man, teller of tall tales."

Claim to Fame: David Alan Grier's true intention was to be a dramatic stage actor, and he did just that at first. In fact, he was so dedicated to that goal that he actually received a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1981. But a few comedy guest appearances, along with some comedy movie appearances, eventually steered him into a different direction, and he took a hard turn to comedy with In Living Color. His work is almost solely in comedy these days, and he is currently starring in the NBC series, The Carmichael Show.

TBS has ordered a new 22-episode season of Twentieth Century Fox Television's animated hit American Dad!, which is currently in the midst of its first season as a TBS original. Created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, American Dad! is executive-produced by MacFarlane, Weitzman and new showrunner Brian Boyle. The series airs Mondays at 9pm (ET/PT) on TBS, with encores presented by sister network Adult Swim. Since coming to TBS in mid-October, American Dad! has ranked as one of basic cable's Top 3 entertainment programs in the Monday 9pm timeslot with adults 18-34 and one of the Top 5 entertainment programs in its timeslot with adults 18-49. The current season is averaging 3.1 million viewers in combined audience for each week's premiere on TBS and encore on Adult Swim.

Hulu announced a straight-to-series pick-up of Difficult People from executive producers Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation) and Dave Becky (Louie). The half-hour comedy series marks the first collaboration between Hulu and Universal Cable Productions and is set to start production early next year. Difficult People hails from Julie Klausner (Billy on the Street) who stars alongside Emmy(R)-nominated Billy on the Street host Billy Eichner. As best friends living in New York City, their typical, irreverent behavior lands them in some very awkward situations. Klausner wrote the pilot and will also serve as an executive producer for the series. In addition to the 7th (and final) season of Parks and Recreation, Poehler and recently announced new partner Brooke Posch's Paper Kite Productions produces the hit shows Broad City on Comedy Central and NBC's Welcome to Sweden. Difficult People joins Hulu's growing slate of original programming, including recent straight-to-series pick-up orders for Casual, a comedy series from Jason Reitman and 11/22/63, an original event series from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, based on Stephen King's best-selling book.