SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

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

by Vincent

Last week, Netflix premiered Space Force, a new comedy starring Steve Carell and created by Greg Daniels, whose last major TV project was The Office, arguably the most influential TV comedy of the 21st century - and also starred Steve Carell. Needless to say, there was a lot of hype for this project. The series follows around the space division of the air force (based on the real-life space force). At 10 episodes, each running about 30 minutes long, it sometimes feels plotted more like a drama than a comedy (not uncommon for streaming comedies). And although there are plenty of things to like about the series, it ultimately feels a bit disappointing.

Space Force isn't a bad show, and it gets by quite a bit on the charm of its likable cast. But like many Netflix comedies (with the exception of a few like BoJack Horseman and Grace and Frankie, or the recent Mindy Kaling produced comedy Never Have I Ever), the show just feels a bit unfocused, going in all kinds of different directions at all times, and rarely finding a central comedic point. When you compare it to The Office (which like many people I have on a near constant loop), it really does falter. The Office was a show that had such a specific comic point of view for each character, which was part of what made it work. My biggest criticism of Space Force is the same issue I have with many streaming-era comedies: there's never a question of why? Why is this character acting this way? Why are you doing this plotline? There are a handful of really great Twitter comedies, but they lack the brevity of the very best network and cable comedies, partially because their huge creative freedom often robs them of a specific point of view.

BET+ announced that its new comedy series All the Way Black, hosted by actor/comedian Chris Spencer (@therealchrisspencer), launched exclusively on the streaming service yesterday (Thursday, June 4) across all platforms. Viewers can binge the first half of the season available now, with the second half being released at a later date. Rich in nostalgia, half-hour episodes string together clips that focus on a theme and are punctuated by hilarious color commentary of iconic moments in black pop culture from the '70s, '80s and '90s. This season boasts a bevy of guest appearances including Kevin Frazier (@kevinfrazier), Donnell Rawlings (@donnellrawlings), SlinkJohnson (@slinkjohnson), LisaRaye McCoy (@threallraye1), Affion Crockett (@affioncrockett), Tony Baker (@tonybakercomedy), Torrei Hart (@torreihart), Alex Thomas (@funnymanalexthomas), Walter Emanuel Jones (@walterejones), Arnez J. (@arnezjcomedy), Chaunte Wayans (@cwayans), Red Grant(@redgrant), Pretty Ricki (msprettyricki), Flex Alexander (@FlexAforreal) and more! To binge All the Way Black, sign up for a free 7-day trial at www.bet.plus. Follow @betplus on social media and join the conversation using the hashtag #AllTheWayBlack.

A sort of reunion of The Office? Steve Carell, and producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein will reunite for the Netflix original comedy series Space Force. Workplace comedy centered around the people tasked with creating a sixth branch of the armed services... Space Force. Steve Carell, who co-created the series, will star and executive produce Greg Daniels (The Office (U.S.), King of the Hill, Parks and Recreation), is the co-creator of the series and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Howard Klein/3Arts (The Office (U.S.), The Mindy Project, Parks and Recreation) will also serve as executive producer. More info is still yet to come, such as how many episodes and when we can expect this comedy to premiere.

Television's highest-rated home renovation series of all time - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - is coming to HGTV, with the network planning to produce 10 fresh episodes. While it has not yet revealed the cast for the new episodes, HGTV will showcase its own superstar experts in the weekly race to complete a custom, whole home renovation for one deserving family. The new episodes are expected to premiere in early 2020. HGTV also secured the rights to air 100 existing episodes of the original series that ran on The ABC Television Network for nine successful seasons from 2003-2012. At its peak during the 2004-05 season, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition averaged nearly 16 million viewers on Sunday nights. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be available on demand across all authenticated platforms and on the HGTV app.

The HGTV episodes of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will be produced by Endemol Shine North America with Sharon Levy and DJ Nurre serving as executive producers. The company also produced the original version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for ABC.