SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

This week, NBC released the trailer for the third season of A.P. Bio, which will air exclusively on Peacock. For those who don't know, A.P. Bio aired its first two seasons on NBC Thursday nights, but was cancelled after Season 2 due to low ratings. However, the show, which stars Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton and popular comedian Patton Oswalt, was able to gain something of a cult following, which convinced NBC to bring it back as a flagship streaming exclusive for its budding service Peacock. So is it worth your time? A.P. Bio is probably Peacock's highest caliber original series thus far, so it's worth it to see if the series is worth checking out.

Personally, I'd recommend checking out A.P. Bio on Peacock this fall, for a few reasons. I liked, but didn't love, the first two seasons of the show - I felt it always had the feeling of the show just on the verge of breaking out and embracing its potential. The show had some funny jokes, but it often felt torn between going full out dark like Howerton's other show Always Sunny and grounding itself as a network television show. Some of that was likely the result of being on NBC - there's a limit to how "dark" a series can really get, and that limit sometimes seemed to restrain the show. However, I'm interested to see if the move to a streaming service and subsequent removal of the "rules" of network TV will free the show up creatively and allow it to really be the dark, oddball show it seems to want to be. Another good reason to check out A.P. Bio is...well, sitcoms might be in short supply this fall. Television production is still mostly at a standstill, and so far network sitcoms haven't provided a premiere date or even an idea of when they will return. So if you're looking for new sitcom content this fall, A.P. Bio might be one of your only options. And if it can improve on its solid first two seasons, it just might be a pretty good alternative.

HBO Max has announced that the upcoming seasons of the critically acclaimed comedies The Other Two and South Side from Comedy Central Productions are joining the streaming platform as new Max Original series. The first seasons of The Other Two and South Side will land on the platform in 2021 followed by brand new seasons to stream exclusively as Max Original series. Matching the Max Originals mandate for unique stories that speak to a younger skewing demographic,

The Other Two, created by former Saturday Night Live co-head writers, follows two millennial siblings as they navigate their teenage brother's rise to internet fame and South Side, shot on location in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, is an authentic, comedic look at two friends, ready to take one world, once they stop working at the local rent-to-own. As part of this deal, HBO Max has become the exclusive streaming home to the semi-autobiographical comedy Awkawfina is Nora from Queens, from the Golden Globe Award Winner(R) Awkwafina (Nora Lum). Season one is available to stream now on HBO Max. Season two will premiere and air in its entirety on Comedy Central next summer before becoming available on HBO Max.

Pop TV announced "Visit Schitt's Creek" - an immersive pop-up that will put fans directly into their favorite scenes in Schitt's Creek, including Cafe Tropical, the Rosebud Motel, Rose Apothecary and more, bringing the beloved town to life. The free-but-limited-ticket experience will take place in Los Angeles and New York this holiday season. The pop-up will invite fans into the Emmy(R)-nominated show's world with not just recreations of its most iconic sets, but also interactive photo experiences, takeaways, access to limited merchandise and more. Specific dates, locations, ticketing and more information for Pop TV Presents: "Visit Schitt's Creek" will be available soon on www.visitschittscreek.com.

Schitt's Creek's sixth and final season returns with 14 new episodes on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020 at 9:00 PM, ET/PT, and all five seasons are currently available on the network's app, PopNow, at POPTV.com and via cable and satellite video on demand. Co-created by Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek is a half-hour, single-camera comedy starring an ensemble cast including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy and Karen Robinson.

Comedy Central (+5% with P18-49), Paramount Network (+7% with P18-49) and TV Land (+7% with P25-54, +4% with P18-49), led by President Kent Alterman, all recorded share growth for the 2018-19 Viacom fiscal year, which closed on September 30. All three brands also featured top-rated and critically acclaimed original programming throughout the fiscal year (October 2018 - September 2019):

South Park (Comedy Central) is the #1 rated cable comedy of the fiscal year.
Younger (TV Land) is the #1 ad-supported cable comedy among W18-49 and W25-54 during the fiscal year. Season six holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At TV Land, the brand recorded its highest rated fiscal year since 2013 with P25-54. In addition to the strong ratings of Younger, the brand saw great performance among acquisitions including Two and a Half Men and The King of Queens.
Yellowstone (Paramount Network) was the #1 scripted series across cable and broadcast TV in the key P18-49 and P25-54 demos and the most-watched 2019 summer series on cable TV among total viewers. It's also the brand's most-watched scripted series ever and Viacom's most-watched scripted series since 2010. Season two holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
South Side (Comedy Central) is the #1 new cable comedy of the fiscal year among African American viewers. It is 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
I Am Patrick Swayze (Paramount Network) is cable's #1 personality documentary of 2019.
Comedy Central Stand-Up holds six of the top-10 rated stand-up specials from the fiscal year.

Comedy Central ordered a 10-episode second season of hit series South Side, the aspirational, scripted comedy set in and around the working class neighborhood of Englewood on the South Side of Chicago. Season one of South Side, currently airing Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, is garnering universal praise from critics and holds a 100% Certified Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Watch a preview of this week's episode here. Through the first five episodes of season one, South Side is averaging a 1.02 L+3 rating with African American P18-49 viewers, making it Comedy Central's highest-rated new series in that demo since the Key & Peele launch in 2012. It's also the #1 new original primetime cable comedy of the year in the demo and the #1 new cable comedy of 2019 with African American M18-49 (1.23 rating). Overall, South Side is averaging a 0.35 P18-49 L+3 rating, up +13% from the same time slot average in 2018.

The show follows two friends who just graduated community college ... so now they're ready to take over the world! But until they do they're stuck at Rent-T-Own, a retail-rental crossroads where the South Side's vast ensemble of characters come together. Despite the obstacles of inner-city life, these friends and their co-workers all strive to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, this show gives viewers an authentic portrayal of what life on the South Side is all about. It's evidence that what you see on the news is only a small piece of the city. South Side was created by Bashir Salahuddin (Glow), Diallo Riddle (Marlon) and Sultan Salahuddin. Bashir Salahuddin, Riddle, and Michael Blieden - all Late Night with Jimmy Fallon alumni - are executive producers. Kellyn Parker and Kelci Parker are executives in charge of the show for Comedy Central.

HBO has renewed the sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show for a second season. A Black Lady Sketch Show, which debuted August 2, is a narrative series set in a limitless magical reality full of dynamic, hilarious characters and celebrity guests. The show presents sketches performed by a core cast of black women, including creator Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Gabrielle Dennis and Quinta Brunson. Thede executive produces, writes and stars and Issa Rae (Emmy(R) and Golden Globe nominee for HBO's Insecure) executive produces.

Laugh-out-loud funny and not afraid to be controversial, A Black Lady Sketch Show touches on such culturally relevant themes as social norms, anxiety, religion, sex, dating and relationships. Each episode consists of five to six sketches, showcasing the comedic talents of Robin, Quinta, Ashley and Gabrielle portraying an array of dynamic and varied characters, as well as hyper versions of themselves in interstitials featuring four friends stuck in a house during an end-of-the-world event. Unprecedented in sketch comedy TV history, the show is created by, written by, directed by and starring an array of black women.

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, announced that its new scripted series South Side will premiere Wednesday, July 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. South Side is written by and stars Bashir Salahuddin (Glow) and Diallo Riddle (Marlon). Salahuddin, Riddle, and Michael Blieden - all Late Night with Jimmy Fallon alumni - are executive producers.

The aspirational, scripted comedy is set in and around the working class neighborhood of Englewood on the South Side of Chicago. South Side follows two friends who just graduated community college ... so now they're ready to take over the world! But until they do they're stuck at Rent-T-Own, a retail-rental crossroads where the South Side's vast ensemble of characters come together. Despite the obstacles of inner-city life, these friends and their co-workers all strive to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. Brought to life by local Chicagoans, both in front of and behind the camera, this show gives viewers an authentic portrayal of what life on the South Side is all about. Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle star in the series, alongside Sultan Salahuddin and Chandra Russell. First season guest stars include Lil Rel Howery, Nathaniel "Earthquake" Stroman, Jeff Tweedy, LisaRaye McCoy, Kel Mitchell and Ed Lover.

18.52 million total viewers (Live+Same Day) watched the series finale of The Big Bang Theory on Thursday night and it also delivered a 3.2 Adults 18-49 rating. Now CBS will encore the final episodes tonight back-to-back from 8-9pm if you missed it, replacing comedy encores originally scheduled. In the first one, "The Change Constant," Sheldon and Amy await big news as changes occur in the first episode at 8:00pm. In the finale, "The Stockholm Syndrome," Bernadette and Wolowitz leave their kids for the first time, while Penny and Leonard try to keep a secret, as Sheldon and Amy stick together and Koothrappali makes a new friend, as the gang travels together into an uncharted future in the 8:30pm airing. The Big Bang Theory of course stars Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Wolowitz), Kunal Nayyar (Koothrappali), Mayim Bialik (Amy) and Melissa Rauch (Bernadette).

Take a vow to watch Antenna TV this Valentine's Day! All day long your favorite characters will fall in love and get married during the Antenna TV Wedding Party Marathon. Antenna TV's program schedule will air in regular pattern from 5am–4am on Thursday, February 14 but will feature special wedding-themed episodes of Coach, I Dream of Jeannie, Alice, Archie Bunker's Place, Three's Company, Welcome Back Kotter and many more. Cozy up with your loved ones and watch the Wedding Party on Antenna TV, this Valentine's Day, February 14. Full list of series and episodes are below:

5:00 am Three's Company "Larry Loves Janet"
5:30 am Three's Company "Larry's Bride"
6:00 am The Burns and Allen Show "Gracie Gives Wedding in Payment of a Favor"
6:30 am The Burns and Allen Show "Alice Gets Married"
7:00 am The Joey Bishop Show "A Young Man's Fancy"
7:30 am The Joey Bishop Show "The Honeymoon"
8:00 am McHale's Navy "Operation Wedding Party"
8:30 am McHale's Navy "One Enchanted Weekend"
9:00 am Father Knows Best "Bud the Bridesmaid"
9:30 am Father Knows Best "Cupid Knows Best"
10:00 am Dennis the Menace "Dennis and the Wedding"
10:30 am Dennis the Menace "Dennis, the Confused Cupid"
11:00 am Hazel "So Long Brown Eyes"
11:30 am Hazel "Piccolo Mondo"
12:00 pm The Partridge Family "Promise Her Anything But Give Her a Punch"
12:30 pm The Partridge Family "A Penny for His Thoughts"
1:00 pm I Dream of Jeannie "Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride?"
1:30 pm I Dream of Jeannie "Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride?"
2:00 pm Bewitched "Samantha's Wedding Present"
2:30 pm Bewitched "Marriage, Witches' Style"
3:00 pm Welcome Back, Kotter "OO-OO, I Do"
3:30 pm Welcome Back, Kotter "OO-OO, I Do"
4:00 pm Benson "Marcy's Wedding"
4:30 pm 227 "Fifty Big Ones"
5:00 pm 227 "Double Your Pleasure"
5:30 pm Gimme a Break "Eddie Gets Married"
6:00 pm Maude "Mrs. Naugatuck in Love"
6:30 pm Maude "Mrs. Naugatuck's Wedding"
7:00 pm Archie Bunker's Place "The Second Time Around"
7:30 pm Archie Bunker's Place "The Boys' Night Out"
8:00 pm Alice "Carrie's Wedding"
8:30 pm Alice "Vera's Wedding"
9:00 pm Barney Miller "Grand Hotel"
9:30 pm Barney Miller "Old Love"
11:00 pm Three's Company "Friends and Lovers"
11:30 pm Three's Company "Friends and Lovers"
12:00 am Coach "One for the Road"
12:30 am Murphy Brown "Rumble in the Alley"
1:00 am Becker "V-Day"
1:30 am Wings "Here It Is: The Big Wedding"
2:00 am Growing Pains "Mike and Julie's Wedding"
2:30 am Family Ties "Anniversary Waltz"
3:00 am Bewitched "The Cat's Meow"
3:30 am I Dream of Jeannie "The World's Greatest Lover"

Comedy Central, the #1 brand in comedy, announced a new late night series with David Spade; the return of Crank Yankers; a second season order for new, hit scripted series The Other Two; the first look at new scripted comedy South Side; and scripted projects in development with Naomi Ekperigin, Matteo Lane and Samantha Irby. The announcements come on the heels of Comedy Central's seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year share growth. While Comedy Central remains the #1 full-day cable entertainment network with people 18-34, in 2018 the brand recorded its highest-rated year among women 18-49 since 2014, up +13% from the previous year. To start 2019, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah is the highest-rated late night series across all of TV among men 18-34.

Comedy icon David Spade will lead a new 11:30 p.m. series featuring his signature take on the pop culture news of the day (watch his announcement here). The yet-to-be-titled nightly series will include a rotating group of Spade's comedian and celebrity friends, while also incorporating field segments that mirror his popular Instagram stories. The show will follow The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Monday through Thursday nights starting later this year. The show is executive produced by Spade, Alex Murray and Marc Gurvitz. Brad Wollack and Tom Brunelle of Free 90 Media serve as executive producers and showrunners. Comedy Central ordered 20 episodes of 30-minute comedy Crank Yankers, marking the beloved series' return to the brand.

The brand ordered a second season of the critically-adored 30-minute series The Other Two, which is already "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. Created and written by former Saturday Night Live head-writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, the Emmy-contending series stars Drew Tarver as a 28-year-old actor struggling to get better auditions than "Man At Party Who Smells Fart," and Heléne Yorke as his 30-year-old sister, who is struggling in general. As the two work toward finding themselves, their lives are completely upended when their 13-year-old brother, ChaseDreams played by Case Walker, becomes incredibly famous overnight. The Other Two also features Molly Shannon, who plays the siblings' fame-ready mother, Ken Marino as ChaseDreams' newly-hired manager and Wanda Sykes as Chase's publicist. The series airs Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Scripted comedy South Side debuted its first look ahead of a summer premiere and teased the first season guest stars, which includes Lil Rel Howery, Nathaniel "Earthquake" Stroman, Jeff Tweedy, LisaRaye McCoy, Kel Mitchell and Ed Lover. The aspirational, scripted comedy is set in and around the working class neighborhood of Englewood on the South Side of Chicago.

Comedy Central is working with ascendant multi-hyphenate Awkwafina, as the #1 brand in comedy ordered 10 episodes of her self-titled scripted series. Awkwafina is a half-hour scripted narrative starring writer, actor and rapper Awkwafina (Ocean's 8, Crazy Rich Asians) as a twenty-something living in Queens, striving for a larger than life existence while living with her father and grandmother. Awkwafina, Karey Dornetto (SMILF, Portlandia) and Teresa Hsiao (Family Guy, American Dad) wrote the pilot directed by Lucia Aniello (Broad City, Rough Night). The cast is rounded out by Bowen Yang as Awkwafina's more successful cousin, BD Wong as her father, and Lori Tan Chinn as her grandmother.

Looking ahead, Comedy Central has a stacked year to offer fans with a programming slate that will feature new and returning series including: the premieres of scripted half-hour series Robbie, The Other Two and South Side; sketch-comedy series Alternatino with Arturo Castro; stand-up series This Week at the Comedy Cellar and The New Negroes; new series from Jordan Klepper and Anthony Jeselnik; along with the final season of Broad City, the return of the critically acclaimed Corporate, and new seasons of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Tosh.0, Drunk History, The Jim Jefferies Show and much, much more.

Actor Ken Berry, who starred in F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D. and Mama's Family, has died. He died on December 1 in Burbank, California. Mr. Berry was 85.

Berry's early television guest appearances included Talent Patrol, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, Playboy's Penthouse and Harrigan and Son. He had a recurring role as Woody, a bellhop at a New York hotel called the Bartley House, in the CBS sitcom The Ann Sothern Show from 1960 to 1961. He appeared in seven episodes of Ensign O'Toole as Calucci / Lt. Melton from 1962 to 1963. Some of his other 1960s sitcom guest appearances included The Jim Backus Show, Peter Loves Mary, Hennesey, The Gertrude Berg Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show (two episodes), Hazel, No Time for Sergeants (three episodes), The Lucy Show and The Andy Griffith Show (four episodes as Sam Jones).

His first sitcom starring role was as Captain Wilton Parmenter in the 1965-1967 ABC sitcom F Troop. He was the gallant although laughably clumsy military governor of the territory and commander of Fort Courage. The series, which ran for two seasons, also starred Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Melody Patterson, Frank de Kova, Don Diamond, James Hampton, Bob Steele and Joe Brooks.

He appeared in the last few episodes of The Andy Griffith Show as Sam Jones, a widowed farmer with a young son, in 1968. Berry continued to play the character in the spin-off series Mayberry R.F.D., which premiered on CBS on September 23, 1968. It ran for three seasons and 78 episodes until the rural purge of 1971. The series also starred Frances Bavier (1968-1970), George Lindsay, Jack Dodson, Paul Hartman, Arlene Golonka, Buddy Foster and Alice Ghostley.

Berry had a long working relationship with Carol Burnett. He made 19 guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show from 1968 to 1978. They appeared together in the 1972 CBS color remake of Burnett's Broadway hit, Once Upon a Mattress. He played Phillip, Eunice's brother, in the 1982 CBS TV movie Eunice, which was based on The Carol Burnett Show sketch, The Family.

He starred as Vinton Harper in Mama's Family, which was a spin-off from The Carol Burnett Show. Vinton was the youngest of Thelma Harper's three children. He was married to Naomi Oates Harper. The series aired for two seasons on NBC from 1983 to 1984 and four seasons in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1990. It starred Vicki Lawrence, Rue McClanahan (1983-1984), Dorothy Lyman, Eric Brown (1983-1984), Karin Argoud (1983-1984), Betty White (1983-1984, 1986), Allan Kayser (1986-1990) and Beverly Archer (1986-1990).

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style, The Brady Bunch, The Love Boat, Gimme a Break!, Small Wonder, The Golden Girls and Maggie Winters.

He appeared in television dramas. He provided comic relief as Dr. John Kapish in 25 episodes of Dr. Kildare, which starred Richard Chamberlain, from 1961 to 1964. Some of his drama guest appearances included Michael Shayne, General Electric Theatre, Mr. Novak, Burke's Law, Combat!, The Rogues, Rawhide, 12 O'Clock High, Medical Center, Ellery Queen, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, Little House on the Prairie, CHiPs and Fantasy Island.

Some of his film credits included the 1969 musical comedy Hello Down There, Guardian of the Wilderness and Disney's Herbie Rides Again and The Cat from Outer Space.

Berry was also an accomplished dancer and singer. He appeared on Broadway in The Billy Barnes Revue and headlined as George M. Cohan in the musical George M!. Some of his other theater credits included The Music Man, I Do! I Do!, Sugar and 1993's From the Top with Carol Burnett. In 1970, he released an album called Ken Berry RFD. He appeared in two episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1964 as dance instructor Tony Daniels. He had his own short-lived summer musical variety series called The Ken Berry "Wow" Show on ABC in 1972. He worked as a choreographer on several episodes of Mama's Family.

He was interviewed for the Archive of American Television for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on March 7, 2012.

Mr. Berry was a man of many talents as an actor, dancer and singer. He stated in interviews that he was most proud of his work on F Troop, but he made everything he appeared in much better. He just seemed like a genuine, likable man. We thank him for the many laughs and hours of entertainment that he brought us during his long career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D. and Mama's Family message boards. View photos in our galleries.