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

It's the season to be thankful, and one thing we are all grateful for is having a long weekend off from work to binge watch some TV show episodes. So what are the best sitcom Thanksgiving episodes? The obvious choice is the Friends Thanksgiving episodes, the gold standard of sitcom Thanksgiving. But there are also some other classic Thanksgiving episodes that deserve recognition as well.

New Girl was another "young professionals in a big city" sitcom that did Thanksgiving well, and its Thanksgiving episodes are a funny mix of humor and heart. Community also had a solid Thanksgiving episode - although it took place during the "gas leak" year without creator Dan Harmon, it's still a decent half-hour that introduces us to Jeff's estranged father. Happy Endings also had a very funny Thanksgiving episode that chronicles the gang's past as reality TV stars.

However, if one show stands out above the rest, it's Bob's Burgers. Nearly every Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving episode is an instant classic, with my favorite being the Season 3 Thanksgiving episode "An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal," which also featured Linda's unforgettable Thanksgiving song. It's a classic episode, just like all Bob's Burgers Thanksgiving episodes, and I highly recommend it.

Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel are back for a third installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience! The first two specials aired before the pandemic in spring 2019 and holiday season 2019, but now 2 years later, we are back with another holiday installment! Previous classic Norman Lear sitcoms featured were All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times, now we are heading into the '80s with Lear's The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes! Yes, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes will air Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 8pm to 9:30pm ET, followed by the series premiere of the previously announced new school comedy Abbott Elementary at 9:30pm leading into the fall finale of new drama Queens at 10pm.

Casting details for Diff'rent Strokes includes John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond, Kevin Hart as Arnold, Damon Wayans as Willis and Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett, with more to be announced. Casting details for The Facts of Life has not been announced yet but Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett will certainly be on both episodes. Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux and Jim Burrows will executive produce. Details on the episodes being recreated will also be announced soon! More to come!

As of a few weeks ago, '90s staple Family Matters is now back on TBS! The series is airing weekdays from 5am-6:30am. It is replacing Married...with Children. The TBS line-up consists of Family Matters in the mornings, followed by blocks of Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld and Friends from 6:30am-4pm. A mix of Bob's Burgers, American Dad! and Family Guy airs in early fringe with Seinfeld on most days in access from 7-8pm leading into The Big Bang Theory in primetime (sometimes Family Guy is in prime). Late fringe has Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl after 12am, check listings for which days they run. And in the overnight 2 Broke Girls airs usually between 3-5am. Back to Family Matters, the Urkel sitcom also airs of course on TV One in the late afternoons and a huge Friday block that runs til late night.

Caroline Rhea (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) will headline More Funny Women of a Certain Age, a new comedy special premiering Saturday, March 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime. Carol Leifer (Seinfeld), Carole Montgomery (Comics Unleashed), Julia Scotti (America's Got Talent), Tammy Pescatelli (Finding The Funny) and Thea Vidale (Last Comic Standing) round out the lineup for the hour-long special. Filmed at the Bell House in Brooklyn, the special features six of the funniest women in stand-up for a night of uninhibited, outrageous comedy. More Funny of a Certain Age is the second installment of the hit comedy showcase from Montgomery and producer Dave Goldberg. Funny Women of a Certain Age became the network's highest-rated premiere of a stand-up special in 2019.

In More Funny Women of a Certain Age, these six celebrated comics tackle the realities of aging with a strong punchline. From nostalgic moments, to parenting adult children, to navigating today's technology, these comics seamlessly poke fun at the stark contrasts between the older and younger generations in this bold and hilarious set. More Funny Women of a Certain Age is a monthly comedy showcase in New York and Los Angeles hosted by creator Montgomery, who is a well-known fixture on the comedy scene, performing for over 40 years. She's made numerous television appearances, including Politically Incorrect and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, starred in two long-running Las Vegas revues and made nearly a dozen tours around the world for Armed Forces Entertainment performing for our troops.

Best known for her role as Hilda Spellman on the ABC hit series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Rhea's 30 year career in stand-up and on television includes starring in Sydney to the Max, and hosting Caroline and Friends, her hit game show with Alec Baldwin. Leifer is an accomplished comedian, author, producer, actress and four-time Emmy(R) nominated writer for shows including Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show and Saturday Night Live and is currently a writer and consulting producer for Curb Your Enthusiasm. Scotti, a teacher, author, speaker and woman of transgendered experience, has toured the country, both as a headliner in comedy clubs and as an opening act for artists such as Lou Rawls, Chicago and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Pescatelli is a comedian with a slew of accolades under her belt including co-creating, executive producing, writing and starring in her own reality show, A Stand-Up Mother. She recently released a comedy special titled Tammy Pescatelli's: Way After School Special. Vidale has received a People's Choice Award nomination for her role in Thea, appeared on Last Comic Standing and recently performed on TV Guide's comedy show Standup in Stilettos.

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

The past few weeks have brought news that Friends and The Office will be leaving Netflix within the next few years. This is a big deal for many people, as Friends and The Office are reportedly the two most-streamed sitcoms in our current era. But while both of these shows deserve titles as classics in their respective decades, there's no reason your search for great comedy needs to end there. If you're someone who has spent all of your time at Dunder Mifflin or at Central Perk, consider giving these similar comedies a try:

Parks and Recreation (streaming on Netflix): Parks and Recreation is another popular mockumentary comedy similar to The Office - in fact, helmed by longtime Office writer Michael Schur and co-created by Office exec Greg Daniels, the series is in some ways a little sister to the show. It's a warm, sunny series about the workers of the Pawnee parks department that, like The Office, puts big stock in its characters and cares deeply about them under its silly exterior.

30 Rock (streaming on Hulu): 30 Rock and The Office were timeslot partners for much of each of their lives, and it makes sense why: both are fast-paced, smart and well-crafted comedies that demonstrate the single-camera, 21st century sitcom at its finest. 30 Rock, like The Office, follows a workplace that seems too ridiculous to be true much of the time. If you like the fly-on-your-seats humor of The Office, you'll love 30 Rock.

New Girl (streaming on Netflix): New Girl follows the relationship/friendship model of Friends very closely - there are definitely parallels between Jess/Nick and Ross/Rachel - and is set up, in many ways, like Friends, following a group of young professionals in the big city (except this big city is LA, not New York). However, New Girl has the humor stylings more in line with The Office or 30 Rock - the characters are all incredibly funny and silly people, who make you laugh, cringe, and cry. The humor is also fast-paced and bizarre in a way similar to The Office, so if you're looking for a show that melds the best of the two worlds, New Girl is a great choice.

Happy Endings (streaming on Hulu): You've probably heard of the other shows on this list, but you may not have heard of Happy Endings. Although the series was cut short after three seasons, its legacy has lived on via internet memes by its most ardent supporters. In many ways, Happy Endings can be thought of as a millennial Friends. The set up is very similar - six friends living near each other in Chicago - but the humor is over-the-top, ridiculous and cutting, in a way that feels very appropriate for our current era. If you love Friends but want something that's a bit more reflective of our times, check out Happy Endings.

Better Off Ted (streaming on Hulu): Another short-lived series (cut down after just 2 seasons), this show is like an even more satirical version of The Office that takes a real look at how the workplace runs. I won't give too much away, but it's the sort of comedy where you can't believe what's happening much of the time, much like the cringiest episodes of The Office. If you like that side of the show, you'll love Better Off Ted.

Winner of a coveted Peabody and a Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series, Mad About You aired its final episode in May 1999. Now, 20 years later, Spectrum Originals reunites stars Paul Reiser and Emmy(R) Award winner Helen Hunt for a new limited series, debuting for the Holidays in late 2019. To set the stage for this comedic return, Spectrum will make all 164 episodes of the original series available free on-demand, exclusively for Spectrum subscribers beginning August 1. Over seven seasons of the beloved original series, Reiser and Hunt played Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple in New York City who mine the gentle humor in domesticity and life's everyday situations. For its limited-series return, Mad About You will explore the fertile ground of modern marriage through the eyes of the Buchmans as empty-nesters. Spectrum Originals is a premier destination for premium original series available exclusively to Spectrum video subscribers on-demand and ad-free. This free service launched with the Sony and Bruckheimer-produced drama L.A.'s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.

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, New Girl began its abbreviated 8-episode final season. I've been a fan of New Girl nearly since it began back in 2011, and over the course of its seven seasons, I've found the series to be an incredibly funny series with some top-notch characters that will certainly go down as one of the primest examples of the early '10s hangout comedy. What began as a Zooey Deschanel star vehicle quickly evolved into a quirky, strange little series about a truly weird group of friends navigating into adulthood. As it begins its final season with a time jump and a revelation that the main characters have moved on from the lost, I've been feeling a little nostalgic about the good times I've had with the show over the years, and how in many ways it already feels like a throwback to a time of sitcoms past, even before it's left the air.

The television industry and sitcoms themselves have transformed so much over the seven years of New Girl's run. When the show began, broadcast sitcoms were still the dominant form of television comedy - sure, cable comedies existed, but this was a world before streaming and before the full extent of cable. This was also a time when there were still multiple broadcast sitcoms bringing in tens of millions of viewers every week. So when the series began, it was a high-profile, hyped up Zooey Deschanel star vehicle, which premiered to huge ratings but mixed reviews. And yet, over the course of the first season, the series gradually toned down Zooey's Jess and expanded the characters of her male roommates, examining their quirks one-by-one until it felt like a real, complete ensemble series. As the show evolved, it became less a star vehicle and more an analysis of this world of hilarious, strange characters and the loft they inhabited. For the most part, the show remained incredibly consistent, as well - other than a slight dip in the third season stemming from too many character changes too fast, the series remained an enjoyable delight by digging deeply into its characters - both for comedy and drama.

So as the series heads into its final season, three years into the future, it feels like the end of an era - both for the series and for television in general. With the current splintering of comedy between cable, network and streaming, it's possible a series like New Girl wouldn't even exist in today's TV climate - most likely, it would be a cable or streaming series, given its young audience and niche sense of humor - but I'm glad it did. New Girl is a show I'll always remember and enjoy watching in reruns and streaming, and I'm ready to savor these final seven episodes.

Toplined by Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, NBC's Trial & Error: Lady, Killer will return to East Peck when the second season debuts Thursday, July 19 at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Last season the 9 p.m. telecast of Trial & Error averaged a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.5 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" ratings from Nielsen Media Research and the 9:30 episode averaged a 1.1 in 18-49 and 4.4 million viewers. The first season of Trial & Error is now available exclusively on the NBC App and Video on Demand.

In the spirit of true crime documentaries, the second season of this outrageous fish-out-of-water comedy centers on bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto), still relatively a newcomer in a tiny southern town, who is sturdily posed for his next big case there. His mission? To defend the eccentric first lady of East Peck, Lavinia Peck-Foster (Kristin Chenoweth), known for her flamboyant outfits, large hats and hairless cat, and who suddenly finds herself accused of the bizarre murder of her beloved husband. As Josh continues to settle into his makeshift office behind a taxidermy shop while working with his quirky team of local misfits, he suspects that winning his second big case this time should be easy (especially when his client is the town favorite), but is it? The cast also includes Jayma Mays, Sherri Shepherd, Steven Boyer and Amanda Payton.

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

With January upon us, sitcoms are going to be getting back into action - in fact, many have already returned. So for the next few weeks, I'll be checking in on some sitcom that I'm particularly enjoying this TV season, the first of which is Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is in its fifth season, and I've rarely seen a TV show remain so consistent through-out its run. Since Season 1, the series has been a go-to for wacky hi-jinks mixed with characters who manage to be both over-the-top funny and relatable. While Brooklyn Nine-Nine's premise of "eclectic weirdos in a nontraditional workplace" may be similar to other Mike Schur-penned comedies such as Parks & Recreation and The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine differentiates itself by having a cast of characters that feel truly different in subtle ways. Jake Peralta may seem like a typical "man-boy who needs to learn how to grow up" leading man, but while that may be an apt description of his character, he's written and played in ways that make him more interesting than that. Peralta's family background describes his man-boyish persona, and the way he supports his friends, keeps an open mind to social issues, and seems unconcerned with traditional standards of masculinity makes him quite an interesting protagonist, particularly for a NYPD detective (a role that might classically be played by a more traditional macho man.) Another groundbreaking in a subtle way character is Captain Holt, an openly gay police captain who is upfront about his struggles to rise in the ranks despite his sexuality and the open racism in the PD. These subtle hints of progression appear in all of the characters - Rosa is a tough police captain who (spoiler alert) comes out as bisexual in a recent episode, and Terry is an extremely tough man who also has a clear and celebrated soft side (he has maybe cried more than any other character on the show.)

Also, the show is just funny. Every episode is a well-written adventure with plenty of comic hi-jinks, and just the right combination of big physical comedy set pieces with subtle and effective character-based humor. It deals with serious issues but always feels light and approachable, making it a show that does provoke thought and analysis but also is fun to just sit and unwind with after a long work day. Brooklyn Nine-Nine's ratings have taken a significant hit this season, and cancellation rumors have begun to swirl. I'm really hoping that Fox sees what a gem they have in the show, though, and either give it a chance to formally wrap things up next year or give it to another network (perhaps TBS, who is expanding their comedy slate and will also begin airing re-runs of the show this month) who can make better use of its charms.

Fox kicked-off the TCA 2018 Winter Press Tour yesterday. We got some news, too. The seventh and final season of New Girl will premiere Tuesday, April 10 at 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox. The eight-episode final season will have a special one-hour finale on Tuesday, May 15 from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. The series stars Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day; Jake Johnson as Nick Miller; Max Greenfield as Schmidt; Lamorne Morris as Winston Bishop; and Hannah Simone as Cece Schmidt. As the series' sixth season came to a close, Jess told Nick of her true feelings for him. Also, Winston and Aly (guest star Nasim Pedrad) got engaged, and Cece and Schmidt received news that they are expecting. When the series returns for its final season, a three-year time jump will have occurred. Jess and Nick are happily together and returning from a whirlwind European book tour; stay-at-home dad Schmidt and working mom Cece are raising their daughter, Ruth; and Winston and Aly are married, with a child on the way. In addition to Nasim Pedrad, the final season will feature the return of many of the series' notable guest stars, including Damon Wayans, Jr., Dermot Mulroney, David Walton, Nelson Franklin, Sam Richardson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner. JB Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) also will make their series debuts in guest-starring roles.

Fox has renewed The Gifted, the family adventure series set in Marvel's X-Men universe, for a second season. In the all-new, two-hour first season finale of The Gifted, "eXtraction/X-roads," airing Monday, Jan. 15 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on Fox, Dr. Campbell (guest star Garret Dillahunt) attends the Humanity Today summit, attempting to take the Hound program national, while some of the team at Mutant HQ go on a dangerous mission to stop his efforts. Then, the Mutant HQ comes under attack. With everything to lose, alliances shift and relationships are put to the test. Moving on, in a Family Guy first, the Emmy Award-winning animated series will air an extended-length episode with limited commercial interruption Sunday, March 11 from 9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT on Fox. In the "Send in Stewie, Please" episode, Stewie (Seth MacFarlane) gets sent to the office of his school's child psychologist, Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (guest voice Sir Ian McKellen), after pushing one of his classmates. During the session, Stewie experiences a series of personal and emotional revelations about himself that fans will not want to miss.

BET Networks and Viacom will rename Centric cable network to BET Her beginning on September 25, 2017. Just a bit of history, Centric was previously called BET on Jazz, then renamed to BET Jazz, then BET J, before turning into Centric in 2009. Now come this fall, Centric turns into BET Her. Targeting African American Women 25-54, BET Her takes its rightful place within the BET family as it more closely aligns with the flagship brand. BET Her will invite viewers on a journey through music, culture, travel and lifestyle - everything that is important to "Her" being. The only network dedicated to African American women 24 hours a day. Currently Centric airs Family Matters, The Soul Man, Eve, Half & Half, and In the House. No word on any programming updates just yet.

Damon Wayans Jr (New Girl, Happy Endings, Big Hero 6), along with his partner, Kris Jones, is featured on the new Apple/Propagate television series, Planet of the Apps, to introduce their new app Special Guest, that allows anyone, anywhere to hire live entertainment on demand. Special Guest takes away the problem for hundreds of thousands of live entertainers struggling to secure work due to the difficult process of securing gigs. The app leverages mobile to remove friction from the traditional talent booking process enabling anyone, anywhere to hire live entertainment on demand, by providing the technology for anyone to seamlessly host live entertainment in their home, backyard or similar non-traditional venues with the push of a button.

Planet of the Apps – POTA is a new weekly Propagate series about apps and their creators, featuring Advisors Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am, and Gary Vaynerchuck. The 10-episode series debuted on June 6, with new episodes premiering exclusively on Apple Music every Tuesday. Each episode features a select number of app developers, who pitch their ideas to the Advisors who then vote as to whether or not the apps can move into the next round for mentorship and funding.

Fox is announcing premiere dates for new comedy The Mick (special premiere Jan. 1; time period premiere Jan. 3), new drama Star (special premiere Dec. 14; time period premiere Jan. 4), new reality My Kitchen Rules (Jan. 12), new drama 24: Legacy (two-night event beginning Feb. 5, following Super Bowl LI, and continuing on Feb. 6) and new drama APB (Feb. 6); and returning series Bones: The Final Chapter (Jan. 3), Sleepy Hollow (Jan. 6) and MasterChef Junior (Feb. 9). In addition, New Girl moves to its new Tuesday night time period of 8:00 PM ET/PT, beginning Jan. 3. Hell's Kitchen moves to Thursdays, beginning Jan. 5, with two all-new back-to-back episodes at 8:00 & 9:00 PM ET/PT. The series then premieres in its regular time period Jan. 12 at 8:00. Rosewood moves to its new Friday night time period (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), beginning Jan. 6.

New comedy The Mick will have a special premiere on Sunday, Jan. 1 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, following the NFL doubleheader on Fox. The series will then premiere in its regular time period with an all-new episode Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 8:30 PM ET/PT, after New Girl, which moves to its new time period of 8:00PM ET/PT, beginning that night. Following The Mick's time period premiere, Bones: The Final Chapter at 9:00 PM ET/PT premieres. The 12-episode run will celebrate the long-running comedic procedural. On an epic night of music and drama, Star, the new drama from Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Lee Daniels (Empire) and Tom Donaghy, will have a special premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, following Empire's shocking Season Three fall finale, airing at a special time at 8:00PM ET/PT. Star will then make its time period premiere with an all-new episode Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The series stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award, Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Queen Latifah, Emmy Award nominee Benjamin Bratt, and newcomers Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny, Brittany O'Grady and Amiyah Scott.

Hell's Kitchen moves to Thursdays, beginning Jan. 5, with all-new back-to-back episodes. The following week, Thursday, Jan. 12, Hell's Kitchen moves into its regular time period at 8:00 PM ET/PT, followed by the premiere of new series My Kitchen Rules at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The series pits celebrity duos against each other as they cook and critique each other's food in Hollywood homes. The celebrity pairs include TV host and *NSYNC member Lance Bass, R&B recording artists Brandy and Ray J, comedian Andrew Dice Clay, country superstar Naomi Judd and reality TV star Brandi Glanville. In addition to being judged by their rival competitors, each team will also be critiqued by two professional chef judges, Curtis Stone and Cat Cora. Rosewood moves to Fridays, beginning Jan. 6 at 8. The series will be followed by Sleepy Hollow at 9:00 PM ET/PT, which returns for a fourth season full of supernatural creatures, mysterious events and the search for the truth about the lives of the Witnesses. The ticking clock restarts when 24: Legacy debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Feb. 5 following Super Bowl LI, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Feb. 6 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Following 24: Legacy's time period premiere on Feb. 6, new police drama with a high-tech twist APB debuts at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

On Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, MasterChef Junior goes back for fifths, with award-winning Chef Gordon Ramsay, renowned pastry chef Christina Tosi and an array of celebrity guest judges. Following The Mick's special premiere on Jan. 1, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has its winter finale with two all-new back-to-back episodes at 8:30 & 9:00PM ET/PT. Gotham and Lucifer air their winter finales on Jan. 30. The 16th winner of Hell's Kitchen will be announced during the series' season finale on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Son of Zorn airs its season finale on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 8:30. Both Lethal Weapon and Star air their season finales March 15. Empire begins Part Two of its third season March 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Return dates for Gotham, Lucifer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine to be announced. And additional premiere dates and schedule details to be announced.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 7-11, 2016, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Saturday, November 5, 2016

• Jamie Lynn Sigler (Guys with Kids) - Jamie Lynn talks about living with multiple sclerosis on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.
• Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Kim talks about her role as a Real Housewife on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.

Monday, November 7, 2016

• Don Cheadle (House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Watch Don on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Daveed Diggs (black-ish) - David is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• John Goodman (Roseanne/Normal, Ohio) - John visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Molly Shannon (Kath & Kim/Cracking Up) - Molly visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) - Ike is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• John Krasinski (The Office) - John appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Judy Greer (Married/Mad Love/Arrested Development) - Judy is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Alice Wetterlund (Silicon Valley/People of Earth) - Alice appears on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Sarah Jessica Parker (Divorce/Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah talks about Divorce on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Mo'Nique (The Parkers) and J. B. Smoove (The Millers/'Til Death/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - The cast of Almost Christmas join the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT. Mo'Nique will also be on The Real, so check your local listings.
• Jason Sudeikis (The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Jason talks about Dead Poets Society on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Sheryl Lee Ralph (Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl is a guest on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Kevin Nealon (Man with a Plan/Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

• Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Jackie Thomas Show) - Paul is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Paul F. Tompkins (DAG, Ron Funches (Undateable) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Paul, Ron and Whitney are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Daveed Diggs (black-ish) - Daveed visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Kevin James (Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Heather Graham (Emily's Reasons Why Not) - Heather chats on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah whips up a heart-healthy mac and cheese on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) - Sarah makes popcorn cupcakes on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Tia Mowry (Instant Mom/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia cook grilled lollipop lamb chops on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Jake Smollett (On Our Own) - Jake makes yakitori chicken meatballs on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• André Holland (1600 Penn) - André is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men/Bosom Buddies) - Holland appears on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
J. B. Smoove (The Millers/'Til Death/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - J. B. is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Wendi McClendon-Covey (The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Wendi appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

• John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the Sun/Twenty Good Years) - Watch John on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Chris D'Elia (Undateable/Whitney) - Chris is a guest on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Julie appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Ricky Gervais (The Office) - Ricky is a guest on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Mary Steenburgen (The Last Man on Earth/Ink) - Mary shares stories about some of her most iconic roles on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe (Second Time Around) - Nicole and Boris rank the ten most popular breakfast sandwiches on the market in a head-to-head taste test on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings. Nicole joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Billy Eichner (Difficult People) - Billy talks about Billy on the Street on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Rob Corddry (Ballers/The Winner) - Rob is a guest on Chelsea on Netflix.
• Yara Shahidi (black-ish) - Yara appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

• Alia Shawkat (Search Party/Arrested Development) - Catch Alia on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Matt Braunger (Up All Night) - Matt appears on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Jennifer is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Desmin Borges (You're the Worst) - Desmin talks about playing Iraq War veteran, Edgar Quintero on FX’s You’re the Worst on the AOL Build Show at 12pm.
• Lori Loughlin (Fuller House/Full House) - Lori and her daughter Bella talk about their new Hallmark Christmas movie, Every Christmas Has A Story, airing November 12 on NBC's Today in the 9am hour and on the AOL Build Show at 2:30pm.
• Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes), Dustin Diamond (Saved by the Bell) and Jaimee Foxworth (Family Matters) - Former childhood stars who hit rock bottom. Have they bounced back? Todd Bridges from Diff’rent Strokes fame opens up about his demons. Has he managed to stay clean? Dustin Diamond from Saved By The Bell opens up about his infamous sex tape scandal and why his castmates will have nothing to do with him. From child star to porn star, why did Jaimee Foxworth from Family Matters turn to adult films? A revealing hour from some of your favorite stars on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch) and David Cassidy (The Partridge Family) - Maureen and David are guests on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Merrin Dungey (The King of Queens) - Merrin will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Molly Ringwald (The Facts of Life/Townies) - Molly talks about Terms of Endearment on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Colin Hanks (Life in Pieces) and Zoe Lister-Jones (Life in Pieces/Friends with Better Lives/Whitney) - Colin and Zoe are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Friday, November 11, 2016

• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) and Albert Tsai (Dr. Ken/Trophy Wife) - Watch Ken and Albert on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Nathan Lane (Modern Family/Encore! Encore!/Charlie Lawrence) - Nathan is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Jake Smollett (On Our Own) - Jake makes a cheesy manicotti on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Mo'Nique (The Parkers) and J. B. Smoove (The Millers/'Til Death/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - The cast of Almost Christmas show you the best cheat foods that won’t wreck your blood sugar on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Merrin Dungey (The King of Queens) - Merrin joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Dan Fogler (Man Up!) - Dan and the cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them are guests on the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
• Lori Loughlin (Fuller House/Full House) Lori and her daughter Bella talk about their new Hallmark Christmas movie, Every Christmas Has A Story, airing November 12 on Access Hollywood Live. Lori will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Put down the dish towel, stop the cooking and cleaning and come get filled up on Freeform's annual "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas" programming celebration, starting Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24 and featuring some of Disney and Disney-Pixar's classic films, including Toy Story and Toy Story 2, as well as Brave, Tangled, Mulan, Wreck-It Ralph and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Additionally, during this year's "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas," Freeform will premiere The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Boxtrolls, and the network premiere of the fourth installment of the hit Cinderella Story franchise, A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits, starring Sofia Carson (Descendants, Adventures in Babysitting).

Other programming for the week-long countdown includes Toy Story of Terror, Dennis the Menace, Little Rascals, Jingle All the Way and the Freeform premiere of The Holiday. The 25 Days of Christmas schedule will be out soon, so stay with us. One more item of news to report, Disney's Academy Award(R)-winning Frozen, the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, will make its network broadcast premiere as part of the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday, December 11 from 8:00-10:04 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network. The Making of Frozen: A Return to Arendelle airs right after from 10:04-11:00 p.m. ET, on the ABC Television Network with an exclusive sneak peek of an all-new, all-original holiday special starring the whole Frozen cast of characters, including Olaf, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Sven. The currently untitled Frozen special will air Holiday 2017 on the ABC Television Network.

New single-camera comedy The Mick will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 1 at 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT, following the NFL doubleheader on Fox. The series will then make its time period premiere with an all-new episode Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 8:31PM ET/PT. Beginning Jan. 3, New Girl moves to its new Tuesday night time period of 8:00PM ET/PT. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has its two-part winter finale on Jan. 1, following The Mick from 9-10pm. The series returns in the spring. The Mick follows Mackenzie, aka "Mickey" (Kaitlin Olson, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), a brash, two-bit hustler from Rhode Island who must assume guardianship of her sister's three high-maintenance children. As irresponsible as Mickey has been her entire life, she may discover that responsibility isn't the buzzkill she always thought it would be. The series also stars Sofia Black D'Elia (The Night Of), Thomas Barbusca (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life), newcomer Jack Stanton, Carla Jimenez (Last Man Standing) and newcomer Scott MacArthur.

Comedy worlds collide this fall when characters from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl meet each other in the Big Apple in back-to-back episodes airing Tuesday, Oct. 11 on Fox. The one-hour crossover event begins with Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 8:00PM ET/PT and concludes with New Girl at 8:30PM ET/PT. Additional details regarding the crossover event to be announced. Season Four of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Season Six of New Girl premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 20 on Fox. In the season premiere of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake (Andy Samberg) and Holt (Emmy Award nominee Andre Braugher) remain in Florida under the Witness Protection Program, with only one human link to their regular lives - U.S. Marshall Karen Haas (guest star Maya Rudolph, Maya and Marty). Then, on New Girl, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) faces Nick (Jake Johnson) for the first time after realizing she has feelings for him, while Schmidt (Max Greenfield) and Cece (Hannah Simone) begin a frustrating hunt for their first house.

The new Fox comedy Son of Zorn will preview on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 8:00PM ET/PT, following the season's first NFL doubleheader on Fox. The series will then premiere in its regular time period with an all-new episode two weeks later on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8:30PM ET/PT. From executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie, 21 Jump Street), and featuring the voice of Jason Sudeikis (The Last Man on Earth, Horrible Bosses, We're the Millers), Son of Zorn is a new hybrid live-action/animated comedy about a warrior from a faraway island in the Pacific Ocean - where everything and everyone is animated - who returns to Orange County, CA, to win back his live-action ex-wife and teenage son.

In the series' special preview episode, "Return to Orange County," airing Sunday, Sept. 11, Zorn (Sudeikis) travels from his native land of Zephyria to California to visit his son, Alangulon, aka Alan (Johnny Pemberton, 21 Jump Street). While there, he learns that his ex-wife, Edie (Cheryl Hines, Nine Lives, Curb Your Enthusiasm), has a fiancé (Tim Meadows, Saturday Night Live). But to reconnect with his son, Zorn stays and obtains a job where, despite his "unique" qualities, he is welcomed by his new boss (Artemis Pebdani, Scandal, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). In the all-new series premiere episode, "Defender of Teen Love," airing Sunday, Sept. 25, Zorn rediscovers the mystical "Stone of Sight" in an old box and uses it to help Alan get closer to his crush, Nancy. Meanwhile, Edie tells Zorn to move his boxes out of her garage and into his apartment.

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Oscar-nominated Jesus Camp, Emmy-winning Detropia) will open in New York on July 8 and Los Angeles on July 15, before expanding to markets across the country. The film previously premiered as the opening night film of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Arguably the most influential television creator of all time, Norman Lear indelibly altered America's social landscape, sparking national conversations regarding race, class and politics with his groundbreaking shows All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude. Praised for its structural innovation, Grady and Ewing's film features the 93 year old Lear, as vital and charming as ever, revisiting the most controversial moments from his career and life. Along the way, comedy and TV icons including Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham, George Clooney, Mel Brooks and Carl and Rob Reiner comment on Lear's extraordinary influence.

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You is the definitive chronicle of Mr. Lear's life, work, and achievements, but it is so much more than an arm's-length, past-tense biopic; at 93, Mr. Lear is as vital and engaged as he ever was. Top-notch cinéma vérité documentarians Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing seize the opportunity to fashion a dynamic portrait that matches the spirit of their subject. Breaking down the fourth wall to create an evocative collage where past and present intermingle, they reveal a psychologically rich man whose extraordinary contributions emerge from both his personal story and a dialogue with the world.

Hannah Simone (New Girl) will host Kicking & Screaming, the new eight-episode Fox competition series that teams 10 expert survivalists with pampered partners to face the toughest challenges of their lives. From executive producer Matt Kunitz (Wipeout, Fear Factor), and in association with Lionsgate, the series drops these unlikely duos into a tropical jungle in Fiji, where they must overcome dangerous animals, raging rivers, hunger and extreme weather. While these no-nonsense survivalists are accustomed to fending for themselves, there's one thing for which none of their previous expeditions have prepared them: their nature-phobic partners, who think "glamping" is roughing it. To win the competition, and a cash prize of $500,000, the experts will have to drag their partners, Kicking & Screaming, to the finish line. Production is currently underway in Fiji. No premiere date has been announced just yet.

Antenna TV, Tribune's multicast broadcast network, will celebrate Mom with a 34 episode/17 hour Family Ties Marathon on Mother's Day, on Sunday, May 8, 2016. Antenna TV is celebrating the joys and struggles of mothers everywhere with a Family Ties marathon this Mother's Day, featuring iconic feminist, liberal mom, Elyse Keaton, who is lovingly at odds with her conservative and materialistic kids. The "Family Ties Mother's Day Marathon" will feature 34 of the best episodes from its 7 season run, and begins at 5am ET on Sunday, May 8, 2016. Antenna TV now airs in 128 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 88% of TV households. The episodes for the marathons are below:

5am I Know Jennifer's Boyfriend
5:30am Ooops!
6am The Fugitive (part 1)
6:30am The Fugitive (part 2)
7am Suzanne Takes You Down
7:30am Stage Fright
8am Elyse D'Arc
8:30am The Harder They Fall
9am This Years Model
9:30am Speed Trap
10am Batter Up
10:30a Birthday Boy
11am Lady Sings the Blues
11:30a Working at It
12noon Anniversary Waltz
12:30pm The Gambler
1pm Here We Go Again
1:30pm Birth of a Keaton (part 1)
2pm Birth of a Keaton (part 2)
2:30pm Bringing Up Baby
3pm Remembrance of Things Past (part 1)
3:30pm Remembrance of Things Past (part 2)
4pm The Old College Try
4:30pm Engine Trouble
5pm Once in Love with Elyse
5:30pm Be True to Your Preschool
6pm The Big Fix
6:30pm My Mother, My Friend
7pm Super Mom
7:30pm The Way We Were
8pm The Boys Next Door
8:30pm The Wrecker's Ball
9pm Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore (part 1)
9:30pm Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore (part 2)
All times Eastern.

Family Ties airs on Antenna TV weekdays 10-11 pm ET and Sundays 8-9 pm ET.

Music royalty Prince makes a guest appearance in a special episode of New Girl that originally aired after Fox Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014. In the episode, Jess is ready to paint the town purple when a chance encounter finds her and Cece invited to a once-in-a-lifetime mansion party thrown by music legend Prince, guest-starring as himself. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Nick, Schmidt, Winston and Coach are determined to crash the festivities, building toward an unforgettable ending. The special episode also features cameo appearances by Victoria Secrets' supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio and Ana Beatriz Barros and Los Angeles Dodger and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. The encore broadcast of the "Prince" episode of New Girl airs Tuesday, April 26 at 9:30pm (replacing an airing of The Grinder). Also on this night, Fox will air two original episodes of New Girl at its regular time of 8pm and at a special time of 9pm.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We've had (yet another) busy week with celebrity deaths, including sitcom star Doris Roberts and musician Prince (who had some TV connections that become relevant to our news this week), and we've also stumbled into some more morning show drama, this time over at Live! with Kelly and Michael. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

TUESDAY (APRIL 24) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• The Beverly Hillbillies - The Official First Season (DVD, $29.98): CBS is going slightly backwards with this release, which brings the first season (which was previously released in an authorized, though not by CBS, release from MPI as well as numerous public domain entities) to DVD.
• Hot in Cleveland - Season Six (DVD, $29.98): TV Land's first successful sitcom wraps up on DVD with this release. Complete series also available.

Who to Follow: Bronson Pinchot (Facebook, Twitter)

Claim to Fame: Bronson Pinchot got his start in several movies from the 80s, such as Beverly Hills Cop and Risky Business, but for sitcom stars, he came to fame playing the role of Balki on Perfect Strangers. He later went on to play the role of Jean-Luc in the final season of the series Step by Step. He has had other small guest roles and movie appearances in between and since then, but these days, his focus is on The Bronson Pinchot Project, a DIY Network show about restoring old homes, which happens to be one of his hobbies and passions.

Bounce TV, the nation's fastest-growing television network designed for African-American audiences, announced that it has ordered a second season of its new mega-hit original drama series Saints & Sinners, currently setting network records for viewership in its inaugural season. The next episode of season one premieres Sunday, April 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET as police scramble to follow new leads and make a discovery that may lead to solving the murder that has viewers guessing. The first season finale - which will answer the question "whodunit?" - will air April 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET. But wait, that's not all! They have renewed three popular sitcoms! Mann & Wife - starring David & Tamela Mann, Tony Rock, Vivica A. Fox and JoMarie Payton - for a third season. New season two episodes of Mann & Wife are currently premiering Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT; season three will debut in the spring of 2017. In The Cut for season three. Dorien Wilson, Ken Lawson and John Marshall Jones star with Kalita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) joining the cast for season two, which debuts this July. Season three will air in the third quarter of 2017. And Family Time for a fourth season, to premiere later this year; Omar Gooding and Angell Conwell star. In addition, they have renewed its stand-up comedy series Off The Chain for a fourth season, coming later this year.

MTV2 is now airing reruns of New Girl, as the series was airing on MTV but was pulled. Now sister network MTV2 will air New Girl in block marathons, like their other sitcoms like My Wife & Kids, Saved by the Bell, Everybody Hates Chris, Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show and Kenan & Kel. MTV started airing the series in Fall 2015, in a shared deal with TBS. New Girl is airing weekdays 3-4pm on TBS. Back to MTV2, check your local listings to see when the next marathon block will be airing (it aired/airs today from 9am-1:30pm).

Fox has renewed comedy series New Girl for its sixth season. In the last all-new episode of New Girl, that aired last night at 8:00PM ET/PT on Fox, Jess (Zooey Deschanel) was served a restraining order by her former boyfriend, Sam (guest star David Walton), and sets out to clear her name with Winston's (Lamorne Morris) help. Meanwhile, Nick (Jake Johnson) and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) plotted against the owner of a trendy new bar (guest star Busy Philipps) that opened on their street. As the series heads toward its Season Five finale and the wedding of Schmidt and Cece (Hannah Simone), additional guest stars appearing on New Girl include Megan Fox, who returns as Reagan; and Damon Wayans, Jr., reprising his role as Coach; as well as Nasim Pedrad (Scream Queens), Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead), Kal Penn (House), Rob Riggle (Fox NFL Sunday), Meghan Rath (Cooper Barret's Guide to Surviving Life), Nora Dunn (Saturday Night Live), Kim Wayans (In Living Color) and Peter Gallagher (Togetherness).

Showtime has debuted the poster art for its highly-anticipated new music comedy series Roadies, from creator, writer, director and executive producer Cameron Crowe. The one-hour ensemble comedy is the first television series from the Oscar(R)-winner and will premiere on Sunday, June 26th at 10pm ET/PT on air, on demand and over the internet. Starring Luke Wilson (Old School, Enlightened) and Screen Actors Guild(R) Award nominee Carla Gugino (San Andreas), the series gives an insider's look at the reckless, romantic, funny and often poignant lives of a committed group of roadies who live for music and the de facto family they've formed along the way. The series chronicles the rock world through the eyes of music's unsung heroes and pays homage to the backstage workers who put the show on the road while touring the United States for the successful arena-level group, The Staton-House Band.

Imogen Poots (The Look of Love), Rafe Spall (One Day), Academy Award(R) nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Peter Cambor (NCIS: Los Angeles), Colson Baker a.k.a. Machine Gun Kelly (Beyond the Lights) and Ron White (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) star in the ensemble cast. Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights), Jacqueline Byers (The Strain), Finesse Mitchell (Saturday Night Live), Branscombe Richmond (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Tanc Sade (Matador, Gilmore Girls) guest star. Roadies is currently in production on ten episodes in Los Angeles.