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Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's looking like a very snowy holiday weekend for a big chunk of the northeastern US, so it's a great time to sit at home and enjoy lots of sitcoms, including some new streaming options! Let's get going!

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Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're learning that some long running (but still popular) sitcoms that were expected to wrap up at the end of the upcoming season may be going on a little longer anyway. Also, we're hearing that NBC has missed a deadline to renew Trial & Error, meaning that a third season could still appear elsewhere. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

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.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! The winter games are almost over, so we're about to get back to normal for all of the TV networks soon. In the meantime, we have a very early look at which series are canceled or renewed (still a lot of unknowns), we're hearing about a new star for Trial & Error (because the star from the previous season, who will be returning in another, can't be accused of murder again), and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

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 revival fever sweeping the networks, I figured I'd take this week's column to think about what shows I think could use a revival. Honestly, for the most part I don't think that most shows really need a revival, but there are certain sitcoms that I've been yearning for more, either because they were taken off the air too soon or just because I think they could work in today's TV climate. A few of those shows are:

Happy Endings - If there's one show I would genuinely love to see come back, it's this one. This was such a smart, rapid-fire and genuinely funny show with an immensely talented cast that deserved more than the three seasons it got on ABC. Its run as it is now is nearly perfect, and it's possible additional seasons would ruin that perfect track record (I'm looking at you, Arrested Development Season 4) but honestly? I don't care. If there's a chance for anything as non-stop hilarious as the first three seasons, I'm willing to take that risk.

Cheers - Cheers is one show whose premise could essentially be recycled over and over again - a bunch of people hang out at a bar. While it's pretty unlikely that the original cast could be reunited in any form, I think a Cheers: The Next Generation or something could actually work. What does the bar look like in the 2010s? What kind of people frequent it? Most revivals have featured the same cast members, but arguably the best one - One Day at a Time - has rebooted the concept entirely. I think this could really work with Cheers.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - It's pretty unlikely that Will Smith would ever consider this, but it'd be interesting to see a Fresh Prince where Will becomes something similar to what he is in real life, and takes on a streetwise kid the way his Uncle Phil and Aunt Vivan did when he was just starting. Essentially, it could be like Fuller House done right. (Unfortunately, it'd have to be without James Avery, who passed away a few years ago.)

Bewitched - A modern Bewitched could be genuinely kind of interesting, which is probably why there was a movie done in a similar vein in the 2000s. The movie, though, never took its concept seriously enough. Bewitched was, at times, a somewhat sly commentary on gender roles in the 1960s, so I'd be curious to see what it could do with modern topics like feminism and gender equality - of course, dressed up in a sparkly magic spell.

All in all, I'd rather see networks come up with original content rather than sputtering out endless remakes. But if they had to remake some of these shows, I wouldn't complain, as long as they were done right.

Did she or didn't she? Multi-talented Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth has been cast as Lavinia Peck-Foster in the second season of NBC's irreverent comedy series Trial & Error. Who is Lavinia Peck-Foster? The first lady of East Peck is a larger-than-life grand dame - at least in her own mind. She is an eccentric heiress known for her flamboyant outfits, large hats and hairless cat, Fluffy, who has not left the confines of Peck Gardens in ages. Lavinia calls on Josh Segal and Associates - the team that got off Owl Murderer Larry Henderson - to defend her after she was found with her husband, Edgar, stuffed into a suitcase in the back of her car. The premiere for the second season of Trial & Error will be announced at a later date, with 10 episodes ordered. The series stars John Lithgow, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sherri Shepherd, Jayma Mays, Steven Boyer and Krysta Rodriguez.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been a crazy and busy week of news thanks to the TCA Tour, and we have a lot here for you, but not even close to all of it. This week we're hearing about new American Dad episodes at TBS, more updates on how the Roseanne reboot and some political views we'll be seeing there, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! The news has died down a bit this week, but we do have one post-upfront renewal for a comedy on NBC, we're hearing about some departures from Saturday Night Live, and we're still trying to figure out what ABC was thinking with that Dirty Dancing revival. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Lauren Adams (Twitter), "Gretchen on Netflix Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. NYC. Pizza. Onassis Comedy. Insta: imlaurenadams."

Claim to Fame: Lauren Adams is not exactly a household name, and you won't find her name in the credits of any broadcast or cable network TV series. But she has found her first claim to fame on the Netflix comedy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as the Hulu comedy Deadbeat. In Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, she plays Kimmy's fellow former cult member, Gretchen, who often finds herself missing the cult lifestyle and wanting to relive it however she can, something that ultimately leads to an unexpected crossover that we won't spoil here in the third season of the series (now streaming on Netflix). We don't know what's next for her character, but of all of the cult members, her story is interesting enough to have her own spinoff based upon the events in the most recent season of the series. While these may be her first roles, we certainly anticipate that they won't be her last, and we'll be seeing her in more comedy series and movies over the years.

The black-ish spin-off didn't get picked up by ABC last week at upfront, but it has now has been ordered to series...on one of their sister networks. Freeform, Disney's young adult television and streaming network, continues to grow its roster of original series by ordering scripted comedy college-ish (working title), a spin-off of ABC's award-winning hit series black-ish, starring breakout star Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson and Deon Cole as Charlie Telphy. Freeform has ordered 13 episodes of the half-hour, single-camera comedy which is set to premiere early 2018 on Freeform and the Freeform App available on connected TV, mobile devices and online.

college-ish follows the Johnson's eldest daughter Zoey (Yara Shahidi) as she heads off to college and quickly discovers that not everything goes her way once she leaves the nest. From black-ish executive producer Kenya Barris comes a contemporary take on the current issues facing both students and administrators in the world of higher education. Yara is joined by black-ish's Deon Cole (Charlie), who moonlights as an adjunct marketing professor, as well as funny new characters both in the administration and student body who all reflect the complex and hilarious points of views that populate college campuses. Chris Parnell as Dean Parker, Mallory Sparks as Miriam, Matt Walsh as President Schock and Trevor Jackson as Aaron round-out the cast.

Trial & Error wasn't picked up last week for a second season by NBC, but now they have ordered that second season after all! NBC has ordered 10 episodes to premiere in mid-season 2018. 13 episodes aired this season. In the spirit of true crime documentaries, this outrageous fish-out-of-water comedy features bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto), who heads to a tiny Southern town for his first big case. His mission? To defend an eccentric "rollercizing" poetry professor (John Lithgow) accused of the bizarre murder of his beloved wife. Settling into his makeshift office behind a taxidermy shop and meeting his quirky team of local misfits, Josh suspects that winning his first big case will not be easy, especially when his client is always making himself look guilty. The comedy stars John Lithgow, Nicholas D'Agosto, Sherri Shepherd, Jayma Mays, Steven Boyer and Krysta Rodriguez.

Trial & Error - Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET/PT on FOX
Premieres Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 10:00PM ET/PT

by Skees

Poetry professor Larry Henderson's wife has just been murdered by being tossed outside of a window, and he is the prime suspect. But did he do it? He couldn't have done it. John Lithgow stars in Trial & Error, NBC's newest series, where he is arrested and charged with the death of his late wife. If you get to know him, you learn that there is no way that he is the type of person who could be a murderer... but then all of this evidence that says otherwise keeps falling into place. It's going to take a solid team of a high priced attorney (a northeastern one!) and his team to find him not guilty against an overzealous prosecutor who "knows" he is guilty, and is willing to make a plea bargain to let him choose the method by which he'll be executed.

Cast Details:

Nick D'Agosto as Josh Simon
John Lithgow as Larry Henderson
Sherri Shepherd as Anne Flatch
Jayma Mays as Carol Anne Keane
Steven Boyer as Dwayne Reed
Krysta Rodriguez as Summer Henderson

Nick D'Agosto (Josh Simon) is best known for his recurring roles in Masters of Sex and Gotham. Additionally, he has appeared in ER, Boston Public, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and The Office, among other series.

John Lithgow (Larry Henderson) is an award winning actor who has found success on stage, the big screen, and the small screen. One of his first roles on Broadway, as a supporting actor in The Changing Room, ended with him earning a Tony Award. He has had film roles in Twilight Zone: The Movie, All That Jazz, Footloose, Harry and the Hendersons, The Manhattan Project, and many others. On television, of course, his best known role was 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Sherri Shepherd (Anne Flatch) is an actress, comedian, and talk show host who is probably best known for her role on ABC's The View. But this is far from her first time appearing in a sitcom, as she previously appeared in Less Than Perfect and the final season of Suddenly Susan, and had recurring roles on other series, such as Everybody Loves Raymond. She also briefly had her own sitcom, Sherri.

Jayma Mays (Carol Anne Keane) found her success in playing Emma Pillsbury on Glee. She has also appeared in Heroes and was among the regular cast on the CBS series The Millers.

Steven Boyer (Dwayne Reed) has mostly been a Broadway actor, but he has also been appearing on series for over a decade, beginning with a 2004 guest role in Ed. He has also appeared in Louie, Orange is the New Black, and Mom.

Krysta Rodriguez (Summer Henderson) is an actress and singer who has sort of a sitcom connection, having played Wednesday Addams in the Broadway musical, The Addams Family. On television, she has appeared in Gossip Girl, Smash, and even appeared in the pilot that was never picked up for How I Met Your Dad.


Pilot Plot:

"A Big Crime in a Small Town" (Airs March 14 at 10:00PM ET)

The pilot begins in a small town in South Carolina, where Professor Larry Henderson's wife has died at his home. And given that her death came after falling out of a window, foul play is suspected. Specifically, it is suspected that Larry killed his own wife. His brother-in-law, a wealthy tobacco baron, believes that there is no way that Larry killed her, and puts all of his resources together to hire a "northeastern" (he sort of admits that what he means is "Jewish") attorney to put together a team to prove his innocence. Before the big attorney comes in, though, attorney Josh Segal (Nick D'Agosto) arrives on the scene for preliminary hearings and nothing more. But when the first piece of incriminating evidence comes out against Larry, plans start to change for everybody.


"A Wrench in the Case" (Airs March 14 at 10:30PM ET)

In the second episode of the series, Josh continues to work hard (though without the financial support he arrived on) to help Larry prove his innocence. But as always, there are many wrenches in the case, specifically a skate wrench. While facing serious murder charges, Larry is more concerned about a missing skate wrench than he is about his own wife and charges, and the obsession is certainly not helping his case.



Analysis:

Honestly, aside from John Lithgow, who has proven himself to be a quality sitcom star in the past with 3rd Rock from the Sun, I kind of expected this series to be a dud. But in watching the first four episodes of it, I was pleasantly surprised. As it turns out, it is actually a bizarre and somewhat quirky comedy. It was pretty clear from the previews that Lithgow's character of Larry Henderson (side note: it's interesting that his last name is Henderson, given his role in Harry and the Hendersons) was going to be a quirky character, and that didn't seem like quite enough. But as it turns out, pretty much every character on the show has some serious flaws. Sherri Shepherd's character, Anne Flatch, deals with a number of obscure disorders that tend to always cause problems as the case progresses. I feel it is worth pointing out here that this really is one of the best roles I've seen for Shepherd. It isn't the first time that she has appeared in a sitcom, but this is finally a role that fits for her. Steven Boyer's character, Dwayne Reed (he fantasizes about visiting this place in New York that bears his name), is a very inept investigator who just keeps making things worse than they were in the first place. And Jayma Mays' character, prosecutor Carol Anne Keane, is refreshing, as it portrays the prosecutor as being the opportunistic attorney who's willing to do anything at any cost to achieve her goal of becoming the chief prosecutor... although this may be a little more extreme than in the real world, as her only goal is to figure out a way to get Larry Henderson executed by any means necessary, with little regard to ethics.

What I really like about the series, though, is that it sort of keeps us in mystery. In watching it, I didn't initially think Larry killed his wife. But much like those Dateline NBC true crime stories with Keith Morrison, there is always something happening in this series that plants doubt in your mind. And they're very careful, perhaps due to the mockumentary style of the series, to not lead you in telling you exactly what happened. It's not clear that anybody truly knows, for that matter.

It's important to point out that the series is really a serial series, in that you can't just sit down and pick an episode and enjoy it. You really do need to watch the episodes in order, beginning with the first episode, to follow the story line and understand what is going on. It's not exactly impossible to jump in on one and find things funny, but it seems like it would be challenging to fully understand what is going on otherwise. Which leads to another point: the serial nature also makes the viewer curious as to what will happen next, and leads one to want to binge watch the episodes rather than having to wait to see what comes next. That would make it a more natural show for a streaming service like Netflix, but is sort of problematic for linear networks like NBC, where you'll have to wait a week between pairs of episodes (though all six of them, most likely the entire first season, are scheduled to air over the next three weeks).

One problem with the series, though, is that it is centered around this one murder case. It's a good story line, but if the series survives, eventually Larry Henderson is going to have to go to trial and be found guilty or not guilty. It's not quite clear where the series would go from there, but unless the writers are really creative, it seems pretty obvious that he'll need to be found guilty of the murder for the series to have any future (and then the case would have to go to appeals), because otherwise the series would have to be retooled into something very different. And when series get retooled, it rarely works out for the best.

One more thing to point out that is sort of an aside: the second episode featured a few very brief appearances from Marla Gibbs, who plays one of Larry's neighbors. It's great to see Marla Gibbs is still continuing to make appearances on TV shows rather regularly, and if this show manages to survive past the first six episodes, I'd love to see at least a little more of her. Being the neighbor could potentially make her a good witness in the case, especially for the prosecution.


Conclusion:

Who knew that a comedy series about a man who is accused of murdering his wife could actually be funny? I like the series, but considering that it is not exactly a traditional sitcom and seeing how NBC seems to be eager to burn off six episodes (likely the entire first season) within three weeks, it's unclear what sort of future this series could have. This is definitely another one of those series that probably would have worked better on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but it's happening on NBC, so they'll just have to make the best of it. I hope that they can. If not, these six episodes make a nice short series to enjoy for the time being.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 at 10:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Trial & Error Photo Gallery

Preview:

Long-running reality series The Amazing Race will now premiere in its new time period Thursday, March 30 at 10:00PM ET/PT, replacing the previously announced date on Friday, April 21, on the CBS Television Network. As a result, new drama Training Day will move to Saturday at 9:00 PM ET/PT, beginning April 8, with all seven of the season's remaining episodes broadcast on consecutive weeks following new episodes of Ransom, which airs thru April 8. Undercover Boss returns with four original episodes beginning Friday, April 28 at 8:00PM ET/PT following the season finale of MacGyver on April 21. CBS's Thursday primetime lineup is pre-empted on March 16 and March 23 for coverage of The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Meanwhile, The CW Network has renewed its acclaimed hit sci-fi drama The 100 for the 2017-18 season. The 100 stars Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Isaiah Washington, Henry Ian Cusick, Zach McGowan, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos, Devon Bostick, Lindsey Morgan, Ricky Whittle, and Christopher Larkin.

The world called, and Angie has answered with the most magnificent, masterful and moving third season of TBS's Angie Tribeca yet. Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole, Andrée Vermeulen and Jagger will be back when the powerful police drama (ha!) returns Monday, April 10, at 10:30/9:30c, exclusively on TBS, a division of Turner. TBS's first-ever police procedural, Angie Tribeca is the brainchild of Nancy and Steve Carell, who are executive-producing the series along with showrunner Ira Ungerleider. Spectacular guest star list includes Chris Pine, Natalie Portman, Michelle Dockery, Niecy Nash, Jack McBrayer, Rob Riggle, Heather Graham, Ed Helms, Mary McCormack, Ernie Hudson, Michaela Watkins, Constance Zimmer, John Michael Higgins, Rob Huebel, Liam Carroll, Timothy Omundson, Jessica St. Clair, Rachel Dratch, Jean Smart, Andrew Bachelor and many more.

In season three, Angie Tribeca makes television history by going where few shows dare to go: a third season. In pursuit of an animal rights activist turned serial killer, Tribeca (Jones), Geils (MacArthur) and Tanner (Cole) travel outside of their jurisdiction to New Orleans, New York, Miami, outer space and Universal Studios Hollywood. The season begins with the first episode and ends with the climactic last episode, barely stopping for episodes two through nine. If you liked Angie Tribeca's second season, you may or may not like the third season, which tackles issues such as dating again after divorce (Burns' Lieutenant Atkins), gambling addiction (Vermeulen's Dr. Scholls) and adjusting to life after amputation by a faulty hay baler (no one). One thing's for sure: Angie Tribeca's third season is shaping up to be among the top three seasons of the show so far.

NBC has made some date changes due to the Presidential Address to the Joint Session of Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The season finale of This Is Us is now scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. As a result, the series premiere of comedy Trial & Error is now scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 from 10-11 p.m. with back-to-back episodes. An original episode of Chicago Justice will air on Tuesday, March 7 at 10 p.m., immediately following the penultimate episode of This Is Us. In Trial & Error, in the spirit of true crime documentaries, this outrageous fish-out-of-water comedy features bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto), who heads to a tiny Southern town for his first big case. His mission? To defend an eccentric "rollercizing" poetry professor (John Lithgow) accused of the bizarre murder of his beloved wife. Settling into his makeshift office behind a taxidermy shop and meeting his quirky team of local misfits, Josh suspects that winning his first big case will not be easy, especially when his client is always making himself look guilty. The cast also includes Jayma Mays, Sherri Shepherd, Steven Boyer and Krysta Rodriguez.

With comedies Trial & Error and Great News both being given a Tuesday lead-in from The Voice, and Powerless launching on Thursdays immediately following hit comedy Superstore, NBC's midseason lineup will build aggressively on the strength and stability of all areas. Following a 90-minute telecast of The Voice on Tuesday, March 7, Trial & Error - co-starring five-time Emmy Award winner John Lithgow - will debut at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT and return the following week with back-to-back episodes beginning at 9 p.m. At the conclusion of Trial & Error, NBC's Great News - starring Briga Heelan and from executive producers and 30 Rock Emmy winners Tracey Wigfield, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock - will debut in its own hour-long block with back-to-back episodes beginning Tuesday, April 25 at 9 p.m.

Powerless, based on characters from DC Comics and starring Vanessa Hudgens, begins Thursday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. following Superstore, one of the most critically applauded comedies on all of television and a solid rating performer that has helped NBC establish a promising comedy beachhead this fall on Thursday nights. In addition, as part of its comprehensive midseason schedule, NBC is debuting a powerful new Sunday lineup beginning March 5 with the return of Little Big Shots at 8pm; Chicago Justice with Philip Winchester, the latest installment of the highly successful Chicago franchise from super-producer Dick Wolf at 9pm; and the second season of hit drama Shades of Blue, which stars Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta at 10pm. Also, NBC has set Thursday, Feb. 23 as the premiere for the highly anticipated spinoff The Blacklist: Redemption starring Ryan Eggold, which will seamlessly air in the same 10 p.m. timeslot as The Blacklist for eight weeks. At the conclusion of The Blacklist: Redemption, James Spader and The Blacklist will return at 10 p.m. Thursday, April 20 with a two-hour episode. As previously announced, the spring cycle of The Voice will premiere with a two-hour telecast on Monday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.

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 Dec. 12-16 , 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, December 10, 2016

• Dennis Haskins (Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The New Class) - Dennis will be featured on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.

Monday, December 12, 2016

• Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Watch Jennifer Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also chats about the film Why Him? on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• John Goodman (Roseanne/Normal, Ohio) - John appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. She joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Matthew Perry (The Odd Couple/Go On/Mr. Sunshine) - Matthew stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Kevin Nealon (Man with a Plan/Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Will talks about Collateral Beauty on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Henry Winkler (Happy Days/Out of Practice/Arrested Development) - Henry will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) - Megan is a guest on the AOL Build Show at 4pm.
• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

• Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Catch Rami on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Jennifer is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. stops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Tom Papa (Come to Papa) - Tom visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage) - Emmanuelle joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Lori Loughlin (Fuller House/Full House) - Lori is a guest on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• David Cassidy (The Partridge Family) - David performs on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) - Chris talks about his new film Live by Night on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin and Andrea Barber (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace, Lori and Andrea dish on John Stamos, Bob Saget and Dave Coulier’s bromance – and Stamos’ girlfriend on People Now at 8:30am.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan talks about Why Him? on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Henry Winkler (Happy Days/Out of Practice/Arrested Development) - Henry will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Rob Corddry (Ballers/The Winner) - Rob is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Ana Gasteyer (People of Earth/Suburgatory) - Ana visits Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

• David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me) - Watch David on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Megan Mullally (Will & Grace/Breaking In) - Megan is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She will also be on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC and Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Milana Vayntrub (Other Space) - Milana appears on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• The Cast of People of Earth - Ana Gasteyer, Ken Hall, Alice Wetterlund, Luka Jones, Bjorn Gustafsson, Michael Cassidy, Oscar Nunez, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Brian Huskey are guests on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• William Shatner ($h*! My Dad Says) - William shares his tips to live long and prosper on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• Carolyn Hennesy (Jessie/Cougar Town/Jenny) - Carolyn talks about Netflix's Gilmore Girls on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air) - Will and the cast of Collateral Beauty will be on People Now at 8:30am.
• Jussie Smollett (On Our Own) - Jussie is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

• Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Seth on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Rob Corddry (Ballers/The Winner) - Rob is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
• Andy Richter (Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe/Andy Barker, P.I.) - Andy appears on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Billy Eichner (Difficult People) - Billy visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Megan Mullally (Will & Grace/Breaking In) - Megan drops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Lauren Graham (The Odd Couple/Conrad Bloom/Townies) - Lauren is a guest on Chelsea on Netflix.
• Gregory Harrison (The Family Man) - Gregory talks about the Hallmark Channel original movie My Christmas Love on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Zach Braff (Scrubs) - Zach will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He is tentatively scheduled to appear on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Nick Kroll (The League/Cavemen) - Nick talks about Loving on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) - Jane will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric talks about Travelers on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air) - Will and the cast of Collateral Beauty are guests on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Gabriel Iglesias (Cristela) - Gabriel discusses his new Netflix original, I’m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry, streaming December 20, on the AOL Build Show at 2pm.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric is a guest o The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) - Alan appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Buffalo Bill) - Geena is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Friday, December 16, 2016

• T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - Watch T.J. on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Jennifer is a guest on Chelsea on Netflix.
• Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - Mark guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Tim Daly (Wings) - Tim stops by Harry, so check your local listings.
• Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) - Josh will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET
• Hilary Duff (Younger/Lizzie McGuire) - Hilary guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Zach Braff (Scrubs) - Zach is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

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!

Antenna TV, Tribune's multicast broadcast network, will celebrate the unofficial start of summer with sun, surf, and sand during the 16 hour Gidget marathon airing this Memorial Day. Viewers will be able to watch the entire series and catch a wave with Gidget, Larue, and the Big Kahuna beginning at 7am ET on Monday, May 30, 2016. Antenna TV, which now airs in 128 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 86% of TV households, will air the following Gidget episodes:

07:00 AM Dear Diary...et Al
07:30 AM I God and Nobody Else We Trust
08:00 AM Great Kahuna Story, The
08:30 AM Daddy Come Home
09:00 AM The Gidget Gidget
09:30 AM Hearse, A Hearse, A
10:00 AM Gidget is a Proper Noun
10:30 AM Image Scrimmage
11:00 AM Is It Love or is It Symbiosis
11:30 AM All the Best Diseases are Taken
12:00 PM My Ever faithful, Long Lasting Friend
12:30 PM Chivalry Isn't Dead, It's Just Hiding
01:00 PM War Between Men, Women and Gidget
01:30 PM Gidget's Foreign Policy
02:00 PM Now There's a Face
02:30 PM Too Many Cooks
03:00 PM I Love You, I Love You, I Love You
03:30 PM Like Voodoo
04:00 PM Gidget's Career
04:30 PM Ego a Go-Go
05:00 PM In and Out with the In-Laws
05:30 PM We Got Each Other
06:00 PM Operation Shaggy Dog
06:30 PM Ringa-Ding Dingbat
07:00 PM Love and the Single Gidget
07:30 PM Take a Lesson
08:00 PM Independence Gidget Style
08:30 PM One More for the Road
09:00 PM Ask Helpful Hannah
09:30 PM Hard Night's Night, A
10:00 PM I Have This Friend Who...
10:30 PM Don't Defrost the Alligator
All times Eastern.

Gidget airs regularly on Antenna TV Sundays 7am ET / 4am PT.

NBC has picked up their first new series orders for 2016-17, and both are comedies! And both are single-camera comedies. The first one is titled Powerless. In the first comedy series set in the universe of DC Comics, Vanessa Hudgens (Grease: Live!, High School Musical) plays Emily, a spunky young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused by the crime-fighting superheroes. It's when she stands up to one of these larger-than-life figures (after an epic battle messes with her commute) that she accidentally becomes a cult "hero" in her own right ... even if it's just to her group of lovably quirky co-workers. Now, while she navigates her normal, everyday life against an explosive backdrop, Emily might just discover that being a hero doesn't always require superpowers. The cast includes Vanessa Hudgens, Alan Tudyk, Danny Pudi and Christina Kirk. The second order is for Trial & Error. In this outrageous fish-out-of-water comedy, bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D'Agosto, Gotham) heads to a tiny Southern town for his first big case. His mission? To defend an eccentric, "rollercizing" poetry professor (John Lithgow, 3rd Rock From the Sun) accused of the bizarre murder of his beloved wife. Settling into his makeshift office behind a taxidermy shop and meeting his quirky team of local misfits, Josh suspects that winning his first big case will not be easy, especially when his client is always making himself look guilty. "Making a Murderer" can be funny! The cast includes John Lithgow, Nicholas D'Agosto, Jayma Mays, Sherri Shepherd, Steven Boyer and Krysta Rodriguez. Keep it right here for continued updates, as NBC will likely announce their fall schedule on Sunday in time for Monday morning's upfront presentation.