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

Last night, NBC aired a Parks & Recreation special, a special treat for fans of the long-running NBC comedy. It was an interesting move to film a remote episode of a series that has been off the air for 5 years, but it also makes a lot of sense. Despite Parks & Rec being low-rated and on the verge of cancellation for essentially its entire run on NBC, the show has found a second life on Netflix, as many people have binged the series and are now huge fans of the show. The show has a pop culture presence that it didn't have during its original run, and with content running low, it makes sense that NBC would jump at the chance to have a popular series from its recent past do a special episode. At the time of writing this, the special has not aired yet (it will have aired when this posts), but I'm very curious to see where the characters are and how they respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Parks & Rec finale very neatly tied up where all of the characters end up, so it will be interesting to see if the address the endgame for the characters.

SNL is another show doing remote specials in place of its regular live shows. While the first SNL at Home on April 11 was a bit shaky, the second episode on April 25 brought back beloved characters like What Up With That and found the show on much sturdier ground. When the pandemic ends and life goes on, these remote specials will serve as such an interesting portal back to a strange time, and I guarantee they will be talked about in the TV history books for years. We might even see more of these specials, depending on how long TV production is held up for. But until then, it's nice that creators are giving some kind of attempt to keep the show going even when production isn't possible.

Speaking of Parks & Rec, one of the stars is heading to ABC to host a game show. Executive produced by Ryan Reynolds and hosted by Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies), Don't is a comedic physical game show where doing nothing is what it takes to win (finally!). Contestants are given the opportunity to team up with their family and friends for the chance to win a cash prize of up to $100,000 by tackling hilarious tasks, each with the simple rule: DON'T. From Banijay Studios North America, ABC's newest summer game show premieres Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

In each episode, members of a four-person team strive to accomplish various challenges, such as "Don't Blink," "Don't Look Back" and "Don't Play Ball in the House," as they work together to build their bank. If they fail a challenge, they don't earn money and suffer ridiculous consequences. Along the way, they'll have the choice to take risks by pushing the Don't Push Button or taking a chance on a Don't You Dare, You. In the end, whatever money they have left in their bank - if anything - is theirs to keep. The series is voiced by Ryan Reynolds and features hilarious, unexpected moments that break from the traditional game show format.

CW Seed, The CW's free, ad-supported digital network, has acquired off-season streaming rights to Pop TV's Primetime Emmy Award nominated comedy series Schitt's Creek. Seasons one through four of Schitt's Creek is now available to stream on the CW Seed App and CWSeed.com as of yesterday, Sunday, August 4. In Schitt's Creek, a character-driven, half-hour, single-camera scripted comedy series, is co-created by two-time Emmy Award winner Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy. The series' ensemble cast includes Eugene Levy, Emmy Award winner Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, four-time Emmy Award winner Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah and Karen Robinson. The series 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. Schitt's Creek will premiere its sixth and final season only on Pop TV in the US in early 2020.

ABC Entertainment and Banijay Studios North America announced that comedy actor Adam Scott is set to host Don't on ABC. Executive produced by Ryan Reynolds, Don't is a comedic physical game show that offers contestants the opportunity to team up with their family and friends for the chance to win a cash prize of up to $100,000 by tackling hilarious tasks each with the simple rule of "DON'T." In each episode, members of the four-person team will strive to accomplish various challenges, such as "Don't Laugh," "Don't Blink" or "Don't Look Back," as they work together to build their bank.

Adam Scott is an award-winning actor, director and producer. Known for his role as Ben Wyatt in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation," he also starred as Derek in the film Step Brothers and Henry Pollard in the acclaimed Starz sitcom Party Down. Adam can currently be seen in the award-winning HBO series Big Little Lies, which was nominated for a 2017 TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials. He's also recurring in NBC's The Good Place, for which he received a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Villain. This past season, he starred opposite Craig Robinson in the 20th Century Fox TV paranormal-comedy series, Ghosted, that his Getting' Rad Productions also produced.

Younger is making its big return this summer (and staying on TV Land and not moving to Paramount Network)! The critically acclaimed, smash-hit series from the Emmy winning writer-producer Darren Star will remain at TV Land when it debuts its upcoming sixth season on Wednesday, June 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. In season six, Kelsey (Duff) is leaning into her new role as publisher at the freshly minted Millennial Print, while Liza and Charles get acclimated to their new normal now that Charles (Hermann) is no longer running the business.

Guest stars Tony(R) winner Laura Benanti, Phoebe Dynevor, Michael Urie and recurring cast member Chris Tardio make their returns, and Nicole Ari Parker (Empire) will play Maggie's (Mazar) love interest in a multi-episode arc. Other notable guest stars this season include novelist and screenwriter Michael Cunningham (The Hours), novelist Meg Wolitzer (The Wife) and actresses Becky Ann Baker (Girls), Willa Fitzgerald (Dare Me) and Tony(R) winner Beth Leavel. Additionally, 2018 Critic's Choice supporting actress nominee Miriam Shor, who plays Diana, is confirmed to direct an episode this season. This will be Shor's second time directing the series. Younger stars two-time Tony(R) winner Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar, Miriam Shor, Nico Tortorella, Peter Hermann, Molly Bernard and Charles Michael Davis and follows Liza Miller (Foster), a talented editor navigating the highly competitive world of publishing - while juggling the complications of mixing business with pleasure and facing the lie she created about her age to land her dream job.

ABC announced that the network has picked up Don't, a new original game show created by Banijay Studios North America and produced by Ryan Reynolds. This comedic physical game follows one family of four who must work together throughout five mental and physical challenges with only one rule: Don't. For example, "Don't Slip," "Don't Forget," "Don't Laugh," "Don't Say It," "Don't Scream" and a slew of "Don't" challenges you didn't even know existed. In each episode, one family will have a set amount of time to succeed in each hilarious task and win a cash prize. When they fail a challenge, they don't earn money and one of them will be eliminated from the game. Family members can be eliminated until only one remains. The last standing relative must complete the rest of the challenges on their own to win money for the family. At the end of the final "Don't" challenge, the money they have been able to earn, if any, is theirs to keep. No word on the premiere date or timeframe, but ABC of course has a slew of game shows for Summer Fun of Games including Celebrity Family Feud, $100,000 Pyramid, To Tell the Truth and the upcoming Card Sharks & Press Your Luck.