SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

by Vincent

Next week is the official launch of HBO Max, the latest in a rapidly increasing streaming service wars that's emerging between the major media companies. HBO Max enters a market already pretty crowded by Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Amazon, along with other recent launches like Apple TV, not to mention HBO's own HBO Go (which isn't going away despite the launch of HBO Max, somewhat confusingly.) But can HBO Max carve out its own niche in an increasingly crowded streaming market? It is debuting with a pretty impressive line-up, with shows with large established fanbases like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, South Park and Rick and Morty soon to call the streamer home, along with upcoming originals such as the third season of Search Party (moving over from TBS following two critically acclaimed seasons), a handful of upcoming DC superhero-based projects (an area Netflix couldn't quite make work with its Marvel agreement ending after just a few years). Still, I have some reservations about HBO Max's success.

HBO Max, in a lot of ways, seems like a direct competitor to Netflix, seeming to aim for their mix of high-brow series with mainstream fare. That's different than something like Disney+, which was purely aimed at families and younger audience and has done a good job cornering that demographic. But there's really nothing separating HBO Max from the already-established trilogy of streamers other than their streaming library. Having Friends especially is an admittedly a big get. There's also not a clear brand for HBO Max, and the marketing has been slightly confusing. A lot of people might simply assume HBO Max is some sort of HBO Go extension, but there's really nothing particularly "HBO" about HBO Max other than the fact that you can get it through an HBO Go subscription. Still, in the increasingly competitive streaming wars, a brand for a service is very important. Netflix's brand has basically become "the streaming service" (it's widely the most used and being on Netflix almost gives way to a popularity boost in and of itself). Disney+ has a very strong brand thanks to its Disney content and its family-friendly approach. Hulu (which is now owned by Disney) is becoming Disney+'s more mature and experimental cousin (sort of what FX is to Fox). Amazon and Apple TV+ don't have great brands either, but they're also owned by billion-dollar conglomerates and are treated more as side projects of those mega corporations. But what is HBO Max? The branding so far seems to be "where you can watch Friends," which honestly might be enough given the popularity of Friends, but I remain skeptical. At the highest price point of any streamer ($14.99 a month following the initial $11.99 early deal puts it slightly above Netflix and ad-free Hulu, and well above Disney+'s $4.99 a month and Hulu Basic's $5.99 a month), it's hard for me to see too many people who aren't giant Friends or Big Bang Theory fans rushing to sign up for a subscription. Still, having two of the biggest sitcoms of the past 30 years on your service could be enough to buy the service time to carve a niche for itself. Whatever happens, these are interesting times for streaming services. With this and the launch of NBCUniversal's Peacock later this year, it'll be very interesting to see whether consumers are okay with throwing more money at an increasingly number of streaming services, or if they're okay sacrificing some of their favorite shows and movies for a smaller streaming bill at the end of the month.

Having just solidified its position as the No. 1 network in entertainment among Adults 18-49 for the first time in four years, ABC is announcing its 2020-2021 programming slate, which includes renewals for 19 series and two straight-to-series orders from its current crop of pilots – David E. Kelley's thriller Big Sky and the multi-camera comedy Call Your Mother (formerly My Village) from Kari Lizer (The New Adventures of Old Christine) – as well as the previously announced alternative series Supermarket Sweep with Leslie Jones. Nineteen series were renewed yesterday: American Housewife, The Bachelor, black-ish, The Conners, Dancing with the Stars, The Goldbergs, A Million Little Things, mixed-ish, The Rookie, Shark Tank, Stumptown, 20/20 and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. They join previously announced renewals of America's Funniest Home Videos, American Idol, The Bachelorette, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19 and the series order of Supermarket Sweep. Schedule to be announced at a later date.

Series that didn't make the cut for 2020-21 were Emergence, Bless This Mess, Single Parents, Schooled and Kids Say The Darndest Things. As for the new series pick-ups (so far): From visionary storyteller David E. Kelley comes Big Sky, a thriller created by Kelley, who will write multiple episodes and serve as showrunner in its premiere season. Private detectives Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) and Cody Hoyt (Ryan Phillippe) join forces with his estranged wife and ex-cop Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken. Natalie Alyn Lind and John Carroll Lynch also star. In the comedy, Call Your Mother from Kari Lizer, this multicamera comedy follows an empty-nester mom who wonders how she ended up alone while her children live their best lives thousands of miles away. She decides her place is with her family and as she reinserts herself into their lives, her kids realize they might actually need her more than they thought. Kyra Sedgwick stars.

Five Sisters Productions is back with a new six-episode comedic series, Old Guy, starring the Five Sisters' father, Roger Burton (Fargo, Shameless, Baskets), their mother Gabrielle Burton, and Peri Gilpin (Frasier's Roz). Beginning April 23, 2020, one episode will premiere each Thursday through May 31 on Vimeo and YouTube as well as Facebook and Instagram TV. Old Guy is a comedic series about ageism in media. Harry, played by Roger Burton, is going back to acting later in life, after raising his family and retiring from his traditional job. The show looks at his relationships with his wife, played by his real-life spouse Gabrielle Burton, who is a writer and tries to advise him on the value of the jobs he takes, and with his agent, Peri Gilpin, who is more interested in her commission than in what types of roles he plays. In each episode, Harry is challenged by playing an undeveloped character type that humorously highlights different stereotypes about old age. Old Guy will make you laugh, and make you think.

Old Guy is based on the real-life experiences of the Burton sisters' father, a psychology professor and musician who moved to Los Angeles after retirement. Soon after, he was "discovered" at a party and cast in a major motion picture, thus starting an acting career in his 70s. In contrast to his vital and active life as a man embarking on a 3rd career, Roger noticed that most of his parts fell into a limited number of narrow stereotypes - incontinent, impotent, lecherous - and were often not even given a character name other than... "Old Guy". The Burtons' mother, novelist and screenwriter Gabrielle B. Burton, who was in the middle of writing Don't Sit Down Yet, a book about aging and living fully until you die, thought Roger's experience was good fodder for a series and brought the idea to Five Sisters Productions. Looking deeper, Five Sisters found that studies show that television often depicts and thus reinforces a narrow stereotype of old age, and so were inspired to shine a comic light on the issue with the creation of Old Guy.

ABC will encore the first three episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as a marathon for Wednesday, April 29 from 8-11pm. The ABC comedies will be preempted on the night so they can be extended into the May sweep. The ABC Wednesday comedies (The Goldbergs, Schooled, American Housewife, Single Parents) will have their season finales on Wednesday, May 13. All three Millionaire episodes to date hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will encore back-to-back in anticipation of its move to Thursday nights at 8pm on Thursday, April 30 where it will air for five weeks. ABC will air more Shark Tank Wednesdays at 10pm beginning May 6 replacing Millionaire's former slot. In other news, ABC Tuesday comedies (The Conners, Bless this Mess, mixed-ish, black-ish) will have their season finales on Tuesday, May 5. And finally, ABC's American Idol will finally go "live" on Sunday, April 26 for its final 4 episodes of the season. The live broadcasts will all be broadcast remotely. 

ABC is the home for unforgettable holiday programming as the network celebrates the joy of the season. In November, the network serves up a bounty of Thanksgiving-themed episodes and the classic animated special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. In December, ABC decks the halls with special Christmas and Hanukkah-themed episodes - the return of fan-favorite series The Great Christmas Light Fight on Monday, Dec. 2 and The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition on Thursday, Dec. 12; and an all-new holiday movie, Same Time, Next Christmas, starring Lea Michele on Thursday, Dec. 5. Timeless cartoons and beloved holiday films will also return. The fun continues after Christmas with New Year's-themed programming ringing in 2020.

The Conners, Bless this Mess, mixed-ish, black-ish, The Goldbergs, Schooled, Modern Family, Single Parents, Fresh off the Boat, American Housewife and Stumptown are among the series to feature holiday episodes. 'Tis the Season for The Great Christmas Light Fight, The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition and CMA Country Christmas all return with new installments, along with the all-new film Same Time, Next Christmas joins beloved holiday specials and movies, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Sound of Music, Prep & Landing, Shrek the Halls, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, Toy Story Time That Forgot and more! View the ABC lineup of specials.

E! is rolling out fresh pop culture programming in January with new episodes of the Very Cavallari, starring lifestyle tastemaker and entrepreneur Kristin Cavallari, and the series premiere of new reality sitcom Meet the Frasers, following Rhode Island celebrity medium Matt Fraser and his family. The third season of Very Cavallari premieres Thursday, January 9 at 9:00pm ET/PT, and Meet the Frasers premieres Monday, January 13 at 10:00pm ET/PT on E!

Matt Fraser, a 28-year-old psychic medium, and his 21-year-old pageant queen girlfriend Alexa Papigiotis are highly visible local celebrities in their hometown of Cranston, Rhode Island. Matt and Alexa are envisioning big things for their future; Matt's captivating live reading events are growing more popular and his book "When Heaven Calls" will soon be published. And while Alexa supports Matt on his coast to coast tour, she's got big dreams of her own. She's setting her sights on winning her next pageant title and procuring a fabulous engagement ring. This couple is definitely on the rise - as long as their overly-involved families don't get in the way. The eccentric family does everything together, from driving to Matt's readings in an SUV emblazoned with his likeness, to debating if there's such a thing as too much bling when Matt decides they need to wear matching jackets while working his events. Matt and Alexa can always count on their families to give them unwavering support and advice – even when they haven’t asked for it.

ABC is the place for ghoulish good fun as the network counts down to Halloween with special holiday-themed episodes of comedies, plus America's Funniest Home Videos, Dancing with the Stars, Grey's Anatomy and Jimmy Kimmel Live! On daytime, all of Port Charles gathers for a Halloween bash on General Hospital. Classic Halloween specials It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Toy Story OF TERROR! also return for encore performances. The fun begins Sunday, October 20! We will highlight all of ABC's comedies for this stunt:

FRIDAY, OCT. 25
8:00PM American Housewife - "The Maze" - Katie ignores Greg's warning and takes Anna-Kat through a terrifying zombie-themed maze at the annual Halloween carnival. Once inside, Katie quickly regrets her decision and sends Anna-Kat to find help. Meanwhile, Greg has entered a pumpkin carving contest and is ready to go head-to-head against the previous year's winners.
8:30PM Fresh Off the Boat - "HAL-LOU-WEEN" - It's Halloween again, and with Eddie getting closer to college (maybe), the Huang boys are determined to find a group costume they can all agree on. Meanwhile, Louis decides this is the year he'll finally show Jessica why his favorite spooky holiday is so great.

TUESDAY, OCT. 29
8:00PM The Conners - "Nightmare on Lunch Box Street" - Halloween brings nothing but horror for Jackie after she uncovers a shocking secret when trying to reopen the Lunch Box. Meanwhile, Mary gets upset when a woman assumes she is adopted, and Darlene continues to deal with her complicated love life.
8:30PM Bless This Mess - "Scare Night" - Mike and Rio first met on Halloween years ago, so now Mike loves to commemorate the holiday by scaring the wits out of Rio all night. Unbeknownst to Mike, Rio actually hates the scares but is afraid to tell Mike. When Rio turns the tables on Mike and tries to scare him into ending Scare Night, Mike gets bitten by a bat and the night escalates from there.
9:00PM mixed-ish - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - The popular girls at school ask Rainbow to join their group Halloween costume as Tootie from The Facts of Life. She thinks this is finally her opportunity to fit in, but Denise views the situation differently. Meanwhile, Alicia doesn't want the kids to go trick-or-treating after Harrison and his colleagues tell her about all the dangerous things that can happen.
9:30PM black-ish - "Everybody Blames Raymond" - Halloween is around the corner and the Johnsons are definitely not seeing eye to eye on the family costume. The only thing they do agree on is that Jack's new friend Raymond has got to go. Meanwhile, Junior wants Devante's first trick-or-treating experience to be perfect.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30
8:00PM The Goldbergs - "A 100% True Ghost Story" - Beverly scores a bargain on four paintings. Once they make it home, she and Adam determine something supernatural is causing them to be destroyed. Much to Murray's dismay, they call a psychic for help. Meanwhile, Barry decides to throw a huge "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-themed party against Erica's wishes. Their confrontation leads to a visit to the dean's office. Rocky Horror Picture Show alum Barry Bostwick guest stars as Professor Majors.
8:30PM Schooled - "Run, Rick, Run" - Coach Mellor is excited to celebrate Halloween in a couple's costume with Julie, but his plan might be derailed by Principal Glascott's faculty-parent dating rules. Meanwhile, CB uses The Blair Witch Project to attempt to scare the students into not tormenting each other during the school's annual Halloween parade.
9:00PM Modern Family - "The Last Halloween" - Phil is determined to finally scare Claire on Halloween. Meanwhile, for the first time, Gloria is feeling self-conscious about her age when someone correctly assumes she is Jay's wife; and Mitch and Cam head to the WeHo Halloween Carnival after Lily decides to go to her first Halloween party alone.
9:30PM Single Parents - "Welcome to Hell, Sickos!"- It's Halloween night at Hilltop Elementary and the kids head to the school for a spooky celebration with Douglas. Will struggles with whether he should stay with Sophie at the school party or if he should swing by his girlfriend Tracy Freeze's birthday, which results in a stressful night for Will trying to do both. Meanwhile, Poppy and Angie throw a Halloween party for teens at Douglas' house in order to try to prove to themselves that they are cool moms.

truTV's hit series The Carbonaro Effect, starring comedian and prankster Michael Carbonaro, returns with its fifth season on Thursday, November 7 at 10:00pm ET/PT with more hilarious, mind blowing hidden camera magic than ever before. In these all-new eight half-hour episodes, viewers will watch in disbelief as Michael raises the spirt and body of a nun and takes the phrases "cat lady" and "grass fed beef" literally! Whether working at a bookstore, antique shop, or auditioning for his next big role, Michael's hilarious and bewildering illusions leave audiences both scratching their heads and rolling with laughter! In the premiere episode, Michael wows directors with costume changes but cracks when he sings. Plus, things get sticky when he demos flying post-its. Then, Michael's co-worker's jaw drops when a shapeshifting tenant returns while they clean house.

Cast members and creative teams from iconic television series and films reunite on ABC prime time in "Cast from the Past Week," beginning Monday, Oct. 7. Featured will be actors and behind-the-scenes talent from Blues Brothers 2000, Castle, Charmed, Cheers, Crazy Rich Asians, The Drew Carey Show, Girlfriends, House, Think Like a Man and Wet Hot American Summer as they reunite with former castmates on ABC dramas and comedies in an unforgettable week-long event. The following are details about participating shows; all times are EDT:

MONDAY, OCT. 7
10PM The Good Doctor – Robert Sean Leonard (House) checks into The Good Doctor. Both series were created by executive producer David Shore.

TUESDAY, OCT. 8
8PM The Conners – This episode reunites John Goodman and Dan Aykroyd (Blues Brothers 2000) as poker buddies.
8:30PM Bless this Mess – Michael Ian Black is reunited with Wet Hot American Summer's Lake Bell when he guest stars.
9:30PM black-ish – Girlfriends stars Golden Brooks, Jill Marie Jones and Persia White reunite with Tracee Ellis Ross.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9
8PM The Goldbergs – Stars of the iconic '80s hit comedy Cheers Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger and George Wendt reunite.
9:30PM Single Parents – Adam Brody, Leighton Meester's real-life husband and former co-star (Life Partners, The Oranges), returns as Angie's ex-boyfriend Derek.

THURSDAY, OCT. 10
8PM Grey's Anatomy – Charmed stars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs are reunited with executive producers Krista Vernoff and Andy Reaser, who were writers on Charmed.
9PM A Million Little Things – Jerry Ferrara guest stars and is reunited with Think Like a Man castmate Romany Malco.

FRIDAY, OCT. 11
8PM American Housewife – Westport rocks as Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles and Kathy Kinney guest star in an episode that reunites them with Diedrich Bader.
8:30PM Fresh off the Boat – Ken Jeong (Crazy Rich Asians) returns as Louis's brother Gene and to ABC Friday (previously on Dr. Ken).

SUNDAY, OCT. 13
10PM The Rookie – Castle alums Seamus Deaver and Jon Huertas guest star and reunite with Nathan Fillion.

NBC has renewed the epic athletic competition series The Titan Games for a second season. In its first season, The Titan Games scored a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 with 6.0 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" Nielsens, and those figures grew to a 2.6 in 18-49 and 8.6 million viewers after 35 days of digital and linear delayed viewing. The Titan Games improved NBC's Thursday 8 p.m. timeslot by 19% or 1.2 million persons in total viewers versus NBC's results in the timeslot one year earlier.

Inspired by Johnson's desire to motivate global audiences to reach their potential for greatness, The Titan Games gives men and women across the country the opportunity to step inside the Titan arena and achieve the impossible. Competitors push their bodies to the limit by battling opponents in unforgiving head-to-head challenges, designed by Johnson. Winners advance to the ultimate challenge of Mt. Olympus, the consummate athletic test of speed, strength, agility and endurance. The Titan Games not only tests the competitors' physical strength, but also their mental and emotional fortitude.

ABC has set fall premiere dates for its new and returning series for the 2019-2020 season. It all starts with the return of TV's preeminent competition series, Dancing with the Stars, on Monday, Sept. 16 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT. The Good Doctor resumes its residency one week later – Monday, Sept. 23 at 10:00 p.m. EDT. On Tuesday, Sept. 24, The Conners returns at 8:00 p.m. EDT, followed by Bless This Mess at its new time at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Next, the black-ish universe expands with the series debut of mixed-ish at 9:00 p.m. EDT, which tells the story of Rainbow Johnson's (Tracee Ellis Ross) experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the '80s; and black-ish launches its sixth season at its new time at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The night culminates with the series premiere of new drama Emergence, starring Allison Tolman as a police chief trying to unravel a mystery involving a young child at 10:00 p.m. EDT.

The Goldbergs kicks off the night on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, followed by Schooled at 8:30 p.m. EDT; the historic, final season debut of Modern Family at 9:00 p.m. EDT; and the season two premiere of Single Parents at 9:30 p.m. EDT. The series premiere of new drama Stumptown, based on the graphic novel and starring Cobie Smulders, rounds out the night at 10:00 p.m. EDT. The longest-running prime-time medical drama, Grey's Anatomy, launches its 16th season on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, followed by the season premieres of A Million Little Things at 9:00 p.m. EDT and How to Get Away with Murder at 10:00 p.m. EDT. American Housewife bows on its new night and time on TGIF, Friday, Sept. 27 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, followed by the season premiere of Fresh Off the Boat at its new time at 8:30 p.m. EDT, and ABC News' 20/20 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT. On Sunday, Sept. 29, AFV launches its 30th season at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Shark Tank, dives into season 11 at 9:00 p.m. EDT; followed by The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion, which premieres on its new night and time at 10:00 p.m. EDT.

And finally, Sunday, Oct. 6, marks the series premiere of Kids Say the Darndest Things at 8:00 p.m. EDT. This fresh take on a TV classic is hosted and executive produced by comedic superstar Tiffany Haddish. No word yet on what will air at 8:00 p.m. on this night on Sept. 29.

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Seinfeld at The Shops at Columbus Circle (second floor mezzanine) in New York City with an interactive Seinfeld experience; take the Seinfeld trivia quiz; or have a seat in Jerry's living room (now there's a photo op or social media post). Guests will receive Seinfeld 30th anniversary prizes, including limited-edition Junior Mints and an exclusive Seinfeld 30th anniversary dictionaries survival kit. The Catch (as George would say): None. Nada. Nil. The interactive installation is free and open to the public – no reservations or tickets are required. The celebration lasts Saturday, July 6 until Tuesday, July 9 at The Shops at Columbus Circle - 10 Columbus Circle (59th St., Second Floor Mezzanine) in New York City. Visit www.theshopsatcolumbuscircle.com. Share your experience and tag your experience on Instagram @theshopsatcolumbuscircle @SeinfeldTV and use #Seinfeld30.

In addition to its April finales, as we previously announced, the ABC Television Network has announced season finale dates for series ending their prime-time runs in May. Following is a chronological listing (all times Eastern):

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
8:00-8:30 p.m. The Goldbergs
8:30-9:00 p.m. Schooled
9:00-9:31 p.m. Modern Family
9:31-10:00 p.m. Single Parents

SUNDAY, MAY 12
10:00-11:00 p.m. Shark Tank

THURSDAY, MAY 16
8:00-9:01 p.m. Grey's Anatomy
9:01-10:00 p.m. Station 19
10:00-11:00 p.m. For the People

SUNDAY, MAY 19
7:00-8:00 p.m. AFV
8:00-11:00 p.m. American Idol

MONDAY, MAY 20
10:00-11:00 p.m. The Fix

TUESDAY, MAY 21
800-8:30 p.m. American Housewife
8:31-9:00 p.m. The Kids Are Alright
9:00-9:30 p.m. black-ish
9:30-10:00 p.m. Bless this Mess

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
10:00-11:00 p.m. Whiskey Cavalier

Emily in Paris found its lead. Golden Globe-nominated actress and author Lily Collins (Tolkien, Rules Don't Apply, To The Bone, Extremely Wicked, Shocking Evil, and Vile) announced that she will star as the titular Emily in the half-hour dramedy, which will premiere on Paramount Network in 2020. Collins will also serve as a producer for the new series. Additionally, Emily in Paris will go global as Paramount Network is picking up the series for its international channels.

From perennial hit-maker Darren Star (Younger, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place), Emily in Paris is a dramedy centered on Emily, a driven twenty-something from the Midwest who moves to Paris for an unexpected job opportunity. Tasked with bringing an American point of view to a venerable French marketing firm, cultures clash as she adjusts to the challenges of life in a foreign city, while juggling her career, new friendships and love life. Emily in Paris is created, executive produced and written by Darren Star. Emily in Paris will start production later this year and premiere on Paramount Network in 2020. Paramount Network has quickly become home to high quality scripted series such as Yellowstone, which was 2018's most-watched new cable series and ranked second across all of cable TV series for the year. Season one averaged 5.1 million total viewers per episode and season two returns June 19.

One of the most beloved comedies in television history will light up the airwaves starting on New Year's Eve, Monday, December 31 at 10:00 p.m. and ending on New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1 at 9:00 p.m. when WLNY-TV (Channels 10/55) in New York City presents The Odd Couple marathon. The marathon will include 46 episodes from the classic series, culminating with the 1975 "To Bowl or Not to Bowl" episode, featuring Felix and Oscar's bowling team battling for the championship (8:00 p.m.) and the 1975 "Felix Remarries" episode when Felix convinces his ex-wife to remarry him (8:30 p.m.). WLNY's The Odd Couple marathon will also feature the 1973 "The Ides of April" episode where Felix inadvertently gets Oscar called in for an audit from the IRS (6:30 p.m.) and 1973's "Take My Furniture Please" episode where both Felix and Oscar take turns redecorating their apartment (6:00 p.m.).

The ABC Television Network has ordered additional episodes of many hit comedies. The comedies getting the more than 22 episode treatment are black-ish, The Goldbergs, The Kids Are Alright and Single Parents for the current 2018-2019 season. Additional episode orders are as follows:

black-ish (Tuesdays, 9:00-9:30 p.m.) - 2 episodes (total of 24 episodes)
In its 5th season on the network, ABC's black-ish was created by Kenya Barris and is executive produced by Barris, Jonathan Groff, Kenny Smith, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, E. Brian Dobbins, Gail Lerner, Courtney Lilly and Lindsey Shockley. The series is produced by ABC Studios.

The Goldbergs (Wednesdays, 8:00-8:30 p.m.) - 1 episode (total of 23 episodes)
Adam F. Goldberg, Doug Robinson, Alex Barnow, Chris Bishop, Lew Schneider, David Guarascio and Andrew Secunda are executive producers of The Goldbergs, in its 6th season on the network. "The Goldbergs" is produced by Happy Madison, Doug Robinson Productions and Adam F. Goldberg Productions, in association with Sony Pictures Television.

The Kids Are Alright (Tuesdays, 8:31-9:00 p.m.) - 1 episode (total of 23 episodes)
New series The Kids Are Alright is from ABC Studios. From creator and executive producer Tim Doyle (Last Man Standing, The Real O'Neals), the series is inspired by Doyle's childhood. Randall Einhorn is also an executive producer.

Single Parents (Wednesdays, 9:31-10:00 p.m.) - 1 episode (total of 23 episodes)
Freshmen comedy Single Parents is from 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. JJ Philbin and Elizabeth Meriwether are creators and executive producers. Katherine Pope, Erin O'Malley and Jason Winer are also executive producers.

American Housewife already had an extra episode picked-up earlier this season, for a total of 23 episodes, while Splitting Up Together got 5 extra episodes on its original order (18 total episodes). The other ABC comedies, which includes Modern Family, Fresh off the Boat and Speechless will air 22 episodes each. The Connors ends its first season 11-episode run in late January. ABC has two all-new mid-season comedies coming in Schooled (13 episodes) and Bless this Mess (6 episodes).

Hit freshman comedy Single Parents has been given a full-season order. In the Live + 3 Day ratings, ABC's Single Parents is the No. 2 new comedy of the season in Adults 18-49, behind only ABC's The Conners, and ranks No. 2 in its highly competitive Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. half-hour. On average through its first three episodes, the ABC freshman comedy is drawing an audience of 5.6 million viewers and is delivering a 1.6/7 in Adults 18-49. The series is from 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. JJ Philbin and Elizabeth Meriwether are creators and executive producers. Katherine Pope, Erin O'Malley and Jason Winer are also executive producers. The series stars Taran Killam as Will Cooper, Leighton Meester as Angie D'Amato, Kimrie Lewis as Poppy Banks, Jake Choi as Miggy Park, Marlow Barkley as Sophie Cooper, Tyler Wladis as Graham D'Amato, Devin Trey Campbell as Rory Banks, Mia Allan as Emma Fogerty, Ella Allan as Amy Fogerty and Brad Garrett as Douglas Fogerty. Single Parents airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on The ABC Television Network.

Netflix today announced that Emmy Award winner Loretta Devine (Grey's Anatomy, The Carmichael Show) and Tia Mowry (Sister, Sister, Instant Mom) are headlining the all-new, multi-generational live action comedy series Family Reunion, which recently kicked off production in Los Angeles. Family Reunion is executive produced and created by Meg DeLoatch (Fuller House, Eve) and directed by Eric Dean Seaton (Prince of Peoria, Modern Family). In the Netflix original series, Mowry plays Cocoa McKellan, a free spirited mother from Seattle. When she and her former football-playing husband Moz and their four children travel from their home in the big city to the small town of Columbus, Georgia for the McKellan Family Reunion, they get to know an extended family they didn't even realize they were missing. Devine plays the loving but strict matriarch of the family, M'Dear. Anthony Alabi (Raven's Home, Insecure) plays Mowry's husband. Rounding out the cast as the McKellan children are Talia Jackson as 14-year old Jade, Isaiah Russell-Bailey as 12-year old Shaka, Cameron J. "CJ" Wright as 10-year old Mazzi, and Jordyn James as 8-year old Ami. 

Single Parents - Wednesdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 9:30PM ET/PT

by Pavan

This ensemble comedy follows a group of single parents as they lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain some kind of personal lives outside of parenthood. The series begins when the group meets Will Cooper, a 30-something guy who's been so focused on raising his daughter that he's lost sight of who he is as a man. When the other single parents see just how far down the rabbit hole of PTA, parenting and princesses Will has gone, they band together to get him out in the world and make him realize that being a great parent doesn't mean sacrificing everything about your own identity.

Cast Details:

Christmas is coming early this year! Lifetime sleighs the 2018 holiday season this year with the network's It's a Wonderful Lifetime lineup, featuring 14 all-new original movies and nine acquired films. Kicking off on November 21 with a special week featuring five nights of premieres, each week of the holiday season will feature new movies every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bringing together cast members from fan favorite shows like One Tree Hill, Sister, Sister, 7th Heaven, The Cosby Show and A Different World, Lifetime is making a list and checking it twice to create new movies that will soon become holiday classics. Featuring all-star casts headlined by names such as Toni Braxton, Melissa Joan Hart, Megan Hilty, Tia Mowry-Hardict, Sarah Drew, and Vanessa Lachey among many others, its snow wonder audiences are going to be ready to deck the halls and sing joy to the world all season long! Lifetime will also present the special, 'Tis the Season: A One Tree Hill Reunion on November 22, following the premiere of the original movie, The Christmas Contract starring OTH cast members. A preview special of the slate for It's a Wonderful Lifetime will air on November 17 at 10pm ET/PT. Highlights include:

It all starts off with the preview special on Nov. 17. What if Lifetime never made Christmas movies? In this special, hosted by Melissa Joan Hart, we will be taken on a journey that explores how terrible life would be without Lifetime Christmas movies to bring us holiday cheer. Melissa will be visited by the "host" of Lifetime Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and along the way, she will preview the 14 exciting movies that are coming to Lifetime this holiday season. It's a Sister, Sister reunion in My Christmas Inn, starring Tia Mowry-Hardict, Jackée Harry, and Tim Reid on Nov. 21. Rob Mayes & Erin Gray also star. In The Christmas Contract on Nov 22 starring One Tree Hill alums Hilarie Burton, Robert Buckley, Danneel Ackles, Antwon Tanner and Jordan Ladd, Cheryl Ladd, Bruce Boxleitner, Jason London, Hunter Burke, Teri Wyble & Ritchie Montgomery with special musical appearance from Tyler Hilton. Then the actual reunion special airs at 10pm. The Tree Hill Ravens are back together to celebrate the Christmas season on Lifetime. In this special one-hour reunion, Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Danneel Ackles, Antwon Tanner of The Christmas Contract and Stephen Colletti of Hometown Christmas, reunite for a special evening that will include a few surprise special guests.

Two members of The Cosby Show cast reunite on Nov. 25 in Jingle Belle starring Tatyana Ali, Cornelius Smith Jr., Loretta Devine, Valarie Pettiford, Obba Babatunde, and Cosby Show stars Keshia Knight Pulliam & Tempestt Bledsoe. Then A Different World cast members Kadeem Hardison & Jasmine Guy reunite in The Christmas Pact on Dec. 2 starring Kyla Pratt and Jarod Joseph. Other stars featured include Barry Watson, Beverley Mitchell, Marissa Winokur, Alexandra Breckenridge, June Squibb, Sharon Lawrence, John Schneider, Jason London, Towanda Braxton, Conchata Ferrell, Gloria Reuben, Rachel Boston, Patricia Richardson, Caroline Rhea, Michael Gross, Melissa Gilbert, Bethany Joy Lenz and more. See complete movie info for all of Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime!

by Vincent

It's fall (or at least almost fall), which means a few things: cooler weather, pumpkin spice flavored everything, and...a brand new slate of network sitcoms! Now, that was a much more exciting prospect even 5 or 10 years ago. As cable and streaming services have boomed, it feels increasingly less like there's a real "TV season - even the networks themselves aren't always restricting themselves to the old September to May model, with many promising shows being held for mid-season and airing shorter seasons. Yet, the networks will still trot out a whole bunch of new shows this fall. I'll be taking a closer look at each show over the next few weeks, but I thought I'd take this week's column to give my opinion on the overall slate of sitcoms and what shows I'm particularly keeping an eye on.

Last fall was a pretty weak one for new sitcoms, and frankly, this fall isn't all that much better. You can very clearly see the response to the success of the Roseanne reboot in this fall's sitcom slate, as many of the buzziest prospects on networks are actually revivals - from the revived Murphy Brown to the "re-imagined" version of the Roseanne reboot The Conners to the also "revived" Last Man Standing. Expect these shows to get a lot of buzz regardless of quality - especially since, frankly, the rest of the slate is pretty weak. Still, there's a couple of shows I'll be keeping my own. Fox largely destroyed its comedy block at Upfronts this past spring, but it is premiering new series Rel, starring The Carmichael Show's Lil Rel Howery. Howery was a strong part of Carmichael, so it'll be interesting to see him in a new role. I'll also be keeping an eye on ABC's Single Parents, which gets the post-Modern Family slot and stars SNL alum Taran Killam. That suggests it should at least be watchable if ABC is giving it that plum slot, right? Plus, Killam is a great comedic talent who should bring liveliness to the role regardless of the quality of the rest of the show. I'm also interested in NBC's I Feel Bad, which is produced by Amy Poehler and stars Sarayu Blue in her first TV role. It's interesting to see Poehler giving a chance to a fresh voice, and I'll be keeping an eye out. Finally, Fox will be pairing its revived Last Man Standing with The Cool Kids, a multi-camera sitcom about a retirement home...which sort of shows you the audience they'll be courting for their Friday night comedy block. Oh, and CBS is premiering a drama called God Friended Me, about...a podcast host who becomes friends with God. It certainly has the potential to be the most, uh, interesting show of the fall.

Frankly, if you're someone who believes network sitcoms are losing their relevancy, this slate of sitcoms may not change your mind. But I'm an optimist who believes great shows like The Good Place, Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are proving the network sitcom can still be excellent, so I'll be hoping these shows defy the odds and step up to the plate.

TV Guide has launched its first-ever 100 Best Shows list. Ahead of the fall TV season, TV Guide's team of editors and pop culture experts have curated the site's first annual ranking of the best shows available to watch right now. TV Guide's 100 Best Shows ranking focuses on highlighting what the editorial team believes to be the most outstanding shows right now. Eligibility is limited to ongoing shows that have at least one more season slated to air.

The top 10 highest-ranked shows include:

The Good Place (NBC)
Atlanta (FX)
Better Call Saul (AMC)
One Day at a Time (Netflix)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Big Little Lies(HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
Bob's Burgers (FOX)

Out of all the outlets and streaming services, Netflix racked up the most mentions with 20 shows on the list; HBO followed with 10, and FX had seven. Several TV creators stood out among their peers with more than one show on the list, including Michael Schur (The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag and Killing Eve). TV fans can visit tvguide.com/100BestShows to view the full list, learn more about the featured series, take a personality quiz to recommend their next binge and watch behind-the-scenes footage from the stars of top-ranked shows, including Sterling K. Brown, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Brian Tyree Henry, Patrick Fabian and more.

The ABC Television Network will launch an exciting 2018-19 season with a slate of returning hit shows and several new series, beginning with the premiere of the 27th installment of Dancing with the Stars on Monday, Sept. 24 from 8-10pm, immediately followed by the highly anticipated season premiere of last year's No. 1 new drama, The Good Doctor at 10. This fall's new dramas A Million Little Things, which is about a group of friends coping with an unexpected loss, premieres Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 10pm; and The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion as one of the newest - and oldest - police trainees in Los Angeles, premieres Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10pm. That same night, ABC will launch two new comedies - The Conners, a spinoff of the groundbreaking show Roseanne at 8, and The Kids Are Alright at 8:30, inspired by creator Tim Doyle's Irish-Catholic upbringing in the turbulent '70s. Single Parents, which is about a group of adults who lean on each other to raise their children while trying to hold on to their personal lives, rounds out the new comedy slate, and premieres Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 9:30pm.

Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, which will pair celebrity kids with professional junior ballroom dancers, launches with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, Oct. 7 from 8-10pm. Rounding out the roster of new fall titles is The Alec Baldwin Show, featuring in-depth conversations with some of today's most intriguing personalities. Starring the three-time Emmy(R) winner, the hour-long show, which first aired as a sneak preview last March, will premiere Sunday, Oct. 14 at 10pm. Friday nights herald the return of TGIF on ABC, which first launched the iconic programming block nearly 30 years ago. The new TGIF premieres Oct. 5 and will feature Fresh Off the Boat at 8 and Speechless at 8:30pm on their new night, followed by Child Support with Ricky Gervais and Fred Savage, at its new time at 9pm.

Shark Tank celebrates its 200th episode and 10th season premiere on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 10pm, before moving to its regular timeslot the following Sunday, Oct. 14 at 9pm. ABC's longest-running prime-time drama series, Grey's Anatomy, kicks off its record-breaking 15th season with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 8-10pm, followed by the fifth season premiere of How to Get Away with Murder at 10. Station 19 returns to the TGIT lineup the following Thursday, Oct. 4 at 9pm. American Housewife returns Wednesday, Sept. 26, at a new time at 8:30. Fan favorites America's Funniest Home Videos, black-ish, The Goldbergs, Modern Family and Splitting Up Together complete the fall lineup.

TBS comedy Wrecked premieres its third season on Tuesday, August 7 at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). This season, the Wrecked gang find themselves shipwrecked on a mysterious billionaire's private island where they're forced to hunt each other to the death in a basic-cable battle royale. Last season, pirates invaded the island. This was bad news for Danny, Owen and the other stranded airline passengers, who've only recently recovered from the loss of wi-fi, indoor plumbing and Steve's attempted takeover of the island. Season three stars Ally Maki, Asif Ali, Brian Sacca, Brooke Dillman, Jessica Lowe, Rhys Darby, Will Greenberg, and Zach Cregger, along with guest stars Rob Corddry, Eugene Cordero, Jonno Roberts, Karan Soni, Rachel House, Robert Baker, and Will Hines.