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

In addition to previously announced series endings like Superstore and Brooklyn 99, CBS's Mom announced it would be ending after 8 seasons this past week. It is still somewhat unclear whether the end was due to CBS canceling the series or a decision made by its creators, but it was a move that was seen as unsurprising given that the series lost one of its key stars Anna Faris this season, and the fact that ratings for the show have fallen recently.

Mom was a landmark series that was a critical and commercial success, easily the most acclaimed series Chuck Lorre created. It was a network multi-camera sitcom that managed to achieve critical and fan adoration as well as high viewership numbers. It also signals the end of yet another hallmark network comedy, joining the likes of Superstore and The Good Place as well as Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory in the few years prior. Without clear successors, Mom will leave yet another hole in the network sitcom landscape.

During the Television Critics Association's Winter Press Tour, Hulu presented the company's lineup of upcoming original programming including the fourth season of Emmy(R), Golden Globe(R) and Peabody Award-winning series The Handmaid's Tale, the third and final season of comedy series Shrill starring Aidy Bryant, and new adult animation series Marvel's M.O.D.O.K., all of which join the company's collection of premium original content.

The third and final season of Shrill premieres all eight episodes on Friday, May 7. The new season finds Annie (Aidy Bryant) energized by her breakup with dud boyfriend Ryan (Luka Jones) and her newfound momentum at work. Annie feels like everything is finally falling into place for her, but does she actually know how to get what she wants? Shrill stars Aidy Bryant, Lolly Adefope, Ian Owens and John Cameron Mitchell. Elsewhere, the fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale premieres with three episodes on Wednesday, April 28. Following a successful first season and practically blowing up the internet, Animaniacs has been renewed for a third, zany season on Hulu consisting of 10 episodes. And finally, the popular teen dramedy Love, Victor returns with all 10 episodes on Friday, June 11.

FXX has set the premiere date for the 10th season of the Emmy(R) Award-winning animated comedy series Archer, it was announced by the network. Archer: 1999 will debut Wednesday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FXX. FXX also released the first trailer for Archer: 1999, which can be viewed here. Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that follows Sterling Archer, Lana Kane, and their crew of acid-tongued misfits onboard the M/V Seamus salvage ship. An important question arises as they explore deep space and try to outsmart giant aliens, intergalactic pirates, and vicious bounty hunters: how do they survive each other? Welcome to the space-tastic world of Archer: 1999.

The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin as the hard-drinking Captain, "Sterling Archer;" Aisha Tyler as Archer's Co-Captain and short-tempered ex-wife, "Lana Kane;" Jessica Walter as Archer's mother and ball of energy, "Malory Archer;" Judy Greer as the eagle-eye fighter pilot, "Cheryl/Carol Tunt;" Chris Parnell as the attention-seeking First Mate, "Cyril Figgis;" Amber Nash as the crew's rock monster muscle, "Pam Poovey;" Adam Reed as the out-of-place-in-space courtesan, "Ray Gillette;" and Lucky Yates as the synthetic human with questionable morals, "Algernop Krieger."

Hulu has renewed comedy series Shrill for a 8-episode second season. The series is executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Elizabeth Banks, showrunner Ali Rushfield, Lindy West, Andrew Singer of Broadway Video, Max Handelman of Brownstone Productions, and Aidy Bryant. Dannah Shinder of Brownstone Productions will serve as a producer. Season one followed Annie (SNL's Aidy Bryant), a fat young woman who wants to change her life - but not her body. Annie is trying to start her career while juggling bad boyfriends, a sick parent, and a perfectionist boss. The first season starred Bryant, Lolly Adefope, Luka Jones, Ian Owens, John Cameron Mitchell, Patti Harrison, Julia Sweeney, and Daniel Stern. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Broadway Video and Brownstone Productions. Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will serve as the international distributor. Season two will premiere in 2020. More info to come!