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Mr. Mayor - Thursdays at 8:00PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 8:00PM & 8:30PM ET/PT

by Vincent

Mr. Mayor follows a retired businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles to prove he's "still got it." Once he wins, he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his biggest critic and connect with his teenage daughter, all while trying to get anything right for America's second weirdest city.

Cast Details:

Ted Danson as Mayor Neil Bremer
Bobby Moynihan as Jayden Kwapis
Holly Hunter as Arpi Meskimen
Mike Cabellon as Tommy Tomás
Vella Lovell as Mikaela Shaw
Kyla Kennedy as Orly Bremer

Ted Danson (Mayor Neil Bremer) is a veteran sitcom actor known, of course, for his iconic role as Sam Malone on the classic NBC comedy Cheers. More recently, he was known as Michael on the critic and fan beloved sitcom The Good Place and his other TV work includes Becker, CSI, Damages and Help Me Help You.

Bobby Moynihan (Jayden Kwapis) is best known for being a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2017. He is also known for his voice work on TV shows and films such as DuckTales, The Secret Life of Pets and Monsters University.

Holly Hunter (Arpi Meskimen) is an actress known for her roles in films such as The Incredibles, Raising Arizona, and Crash, as well as her role in TV shows Saving Grace and Succession.

Mike Cabellon (Tommy Tomás) is a comedian known for his role on shows such as Orange Is the New Black, Crashing, and High Maintenance.

Vella Lovell (Mikaela Shaw) is an actress best known as Heather on the fan beloved musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and for her guest roles on shows such as Younger and Girls.

Kyla Kennedy (Orly Bremer) is an actress best known for playing Dylan DiMeo on the ABC sitcom Speechless. She also starred in the television film Raising Izzie and the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs Thursday, January 7 at 8:00PM ET)

In the series premiere, Neil Bremer (Ted Danson) starts his first day as mayor of Los Angeles, where he faces new challenges on the job and at home. Also starring Holly Hunter, Bobby Moynihan, Mike Cabellon, Vella Lovell and Kyla Kenedy.

Analysis:

Mr. Mayor is one of the most anticipated new shows of the TV season, and not only because this is a TV season fairly light on new TV shows. The sitcom comes from the minds of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, who have been some of the most respected modern comedy writers. They, of course, were the creators of the brilliant 30 Rock, which I'd rank among the best sitcoms of all time, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which I wouldn't rank quite as highly but was still an incredibly creative and hilarious show, and one of the funniest sitcoms of the streaming era. So Mr. Mayor has some pretty big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, at least in its first two episodes, Mr. Mayor doesn't seem able to do that, as it simply doesn't live up to the lofty expectations I had for a Fey/Carlock sitcom. Looked at as a regular broadcast sitcom, it's a solid example of the form, with a killer cast and a handful of funny lines. But whereas 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt felt like unique breaths of fresh air in their own rights, Mr. Mayor feels like a slightly above average NBC sitcom.

The biggest issue I have with Mr. Mayor is the the characters, at this point, simply feel too generic, lacking the funny specificity that made the characters of 30 Rock and Kimmy Schmidt so iconic. Danson's Mayor Brenner specifically is a problem, not due to any fault of his own, but he just doesn't really have much of a point of view other than "guy who is mayor who probably shouldn't be." I do think that part of this is because Mr. Mayor was initially envisioned as a 30 Rock spin-off with Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy in the place of Danson, and it feels like in these early episodes, the writers haven't quite figured out what makes Brenner tick yet. However, some of the other characters are also issues. Holly Hunter's Apri is too screechy and one-dimensional, recalling some of Kimmy Schmidt's most groan-worthy political satire. There is certainly room for satire of the social justice orientated crowd, but as was the issue on Kimmy Schmidt, the satire is just a bit too broad here, nothing more interesting than what you’d find in a Twitter thread. The best character so far is Bobby Moynihan's Jayden (he has the best line in either episode when he declares himself "the first Jayden, the original Jayden," referring to the fact that he's seemingly the only Jaden born before the '90s), who taps into that 30 Rock/Kimmy Schmidt specific weirdness the most. I'd like to see more of that kind of humor, as that's where Fey/Carlock really shine in their writing.

Luckily, if NBC gives it a chance, I think there's a lot of potential for Mr. Mayor to eventually work out its kinks and become a great sitcom. The cast is excellent, doing their best with mostly average material, and the concept certainly has promise. It would be fun to see the unique eye that Fey/Carlock had on NYC in their previous sitcoms be transported to LA. And it's important to note that sitcoms, even great ones, often don't come out of the gate swinging. 30 Rock's first few episodes were fairly average as well, and like Mr. Mayor, felt more like a generic broadcast sitcom than what the show would become. (Kimmy Schmidt was weird and proud pretty much right out of the gate, but that's probably why NBC had cold feet about it and sent it to Netflix.) The world could use some great new Fey/Carlock comedy, so hopefully Mr. Mayor sticks around long enough to discover what really makes it work.

Conclusion:

Mr. Mayor is a funny enough distraction during a season with less broadcast content than usual, even if it doesn't live up to the standards of its predecessors 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, at least not yet. There are hints of things that could eventually turn this into must-watch TV in the way those shows were, as long as the show can find a more original and funny pathways for humor with its characters than the first two episodes provide. Still, in a world desperately in need of some laughs, Mr. Mayor can provide those, even if it's not quite as many as I hoped for.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 8:00PM & 8:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Mr. Mayor Photo Gallery

Preview:

The boys are back and...better than ever? Watch James Lafferty and Stephen Colletti in Everyone Is Doing Great, a new comedy series on January 13, only on Hulu. 8 episodes will premiere. Hulu released the first teaser of the comedy, which the former One Tree Hill cast members also wrote and produced. The series follows Seth Stewart (Colletti) and Jeremy Davis (Lafferty), who enjoyed relative success from Eternal, a hit television vampire drama, according to IMDb. Five years after their show has ended, they lean on each other as they struggle to reclaim their previous level of success and relevance, awkwardly navigating the perils of life and love amidst a humorously painful coming of age. The series also stars Alexandra Park (The Royals), as Andrea Cooper-Davis, Jeremy's wife who supports her husband both financially and emotionally.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend — an all-new interactive special premieres May 12 only on Netflix. Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakow­ski, Carol Kane, and Jon Hamm return — plus Daniel Radcliffe joins in on the fun as you get to decide how the story ends! In the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend interactive special, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) sets off on her biggest adventure yet. Three states! Explosions! A dancing hamburger! And you, the viewer, get to decide how the story goes. Will you foil the Reverend's (Jon Hamm) evil plan and get Kimmy to her wedding on time? Or will you accidentally start a war against the robots? So grab your remote and a tray of delicious scrod, 'cause Kimmy's got her own Netflix interactive special!

Hulu's animated comedy Solar Opposites now has a date and trailer! The series premieres May 8. Co-created by Justin Roiland (co-creator of Ricky and Morty) and Mike McMahan (former head writer of Rick and Morty), Solar Opposites centers around a team of four aliens who have escaped their exploding home world, only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Justin Roiland) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambroni, The Goldbergs) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty, while Terry (Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food, and fun stuff. Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth.

Series regulars include Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Mary Mack, and Sean Giambrone. Season 1 Guest Voice Actors: Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Amanda Leighton, Andrew Matarazzo, Andy Daly, Calum Worthy, Chris Cox, Christina Hendricks, Echo Kellum, Eric Bauza, Gary Anthony Williams, Gideon Adlon, Jacob Vargus, Jason Mantzoukas, Jeannie Elias, Jesse Mendel, Jon Barinholtz, Karan Brar, Kari Wahlgren, Ken Marino, Liam Cunningham, Maurice LaMarche, Miguel Sandoval, Nat Faxon, Natalie Morales, Neil Flynn, Phil LaMarr, Rainn Wilson, Rob Schrab, Ryan Ridley, Sagan McMahan, Thomas Barbusca, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Kenny, Vargus Mason, Wendi McLendon-Covey.



Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're almost into Thanksgiving week, and probably a slow few weeks of news as the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry take extended holiday vacations, but we're here nonetheless with lots of game show news and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a VERY busy week, and we've tried to condense our news as much as possible to ensure that you get all of the highlights. This week, we're busy learning about all of the renewals and cancellations of series, ahead of learning what the new fall season will look like. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud premieres on Bounce this Monday, May 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET with episodes every Monday night through the summer. Each episode of the program will feature a curated collection of the award-winning content from Hart's popular and celebrated Laugh Out Loud digital service. The 10-episode season is executive produced by Hart and hosted by comedian Jasmin "Jazzy" Brown who will introduce the funny and highly-entertaining segments. The series is being produced in partnership between Bounce and Lionsgate Television. Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud joins the line-up of Bounce original comedy series that includes the popular sitcoms Family Time, In The Cut and Last Call. Bounce is also the home of the hit original drama series Saints & Sinners whose fourth season premieres this summer. Visit BounceTV.com for more information.

On Thursday, May 9, 2019, the Harvard Lampoon will honor Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - the 18-time Emmy-nominated Netflix series - with a parade and a private initiation ceremony. However, far from any ordinary parade, the event will feature the cast and executive producers of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt sailing through the streets of Cambridge in The Unsinkable Kimmy Ship float. With cast members Ellie Kemper, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, and Jon Hamm and executive producers Robert Carlock (a Lampoon graduate), and Sam Means on-board, The Unsinkable Kimmy Ship will navigate the treacherous waters of Harvard Square as it charts a course towards the Lampoon castle.

Beginning their voyage outside the legendary Hong Kong restaurant at 6pm, the "crew" of the Unsinkable Kimmy Ship will initially cruise along Mass. Ave. towards the epicenter of Harvard Square before turning down Holyoke and onto Bow Street, where it should be smooth sailing to the Lampoon castle - that is, if they can stay clear of various nefarious icebergs impeding their path... As The Unsinkable Kimmy Ship approaches its ultimate port of call, the passengers will be greeted with a choral rendition of the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt theme, as performed by the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones.

Finally, upon dropping anchor in front of the Lampoon, special awards will be presented to the executive producers of the series, as well as to each cast member. Following the award ceremony, the cast and executive producers will undergo a private initiation ceremony inside the Lampoon. As honorary members of the Lampoon, the cast and executive producers of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will join the esteemed ranks of recent celebrity guests, such as Tony Hawk, Elon Musk, Jimmy Fallon, Tiffany Haddish, John Mulaney, the Harlem Globetrotters, Trevor Noah, Nathan Fielder, and most notably, Richard Montaez and the inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

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

Netflix has released the trailer for the final run of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episodes (technically the second half of the fourth season, although the first half of the season aired eight months ago, so this sort of feels more like a fifth season) and it seems as if Kimmy and crew really are gearing up to say goodbye. There were reports of a wrap-up movie that don't seem to be confirmed one way or the other, so for now, these final six episodes serve as the last we'll see of Kimmy and her crazy world of characters - at least for now. I was a little surprised when the show originally was announced as coming to an end, but I do think the show is about at the time where I'm ready for it to come to a close.

The trailer seems to suggest that the show is going to give its characters solid endings, while still providing us with the laughs we know and love from the series. The show's joke-a-minute ratio always remained impressive, even when the storylines seemed inconsistent (which they sometimes did.) Even with all of its flaws, I'll truly miss Kimmy Schmidt. It was a sitcom that always remained fresh and funny - and that's something to be valued in a sitcom. I really hope the talented cast members appear somewhere else, because they were a true joy, and I can't wait to see what's in store for them next.

Freeform announced that it has put into development National Parker, a half-hour comedy from actress and executive producer Jenna Fischer (Splitting Up Together, The Office), and writer Alexandra Henrikson with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. When social media-obsessed Parker Adams' world comes crashing down after a breakup, she decides to put her New York City life behind her and become an adult with a real job - as a national park ranger at Alaska's Hickberry National Park. Jenna Fischer will serve as executive producer. Alexandra Henrikson (Maniac) will serve as co-executive producer and is also set to write the pilot script. Casting is still to be announced. There is still a long way to go for this pilot, including if it will be ordered to series or not. Stay with us for continued updates.

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

Summer has always been known as a slow time for the TV world, and although the advent of streaming has offset that somewhat, it still remains true in the broadcast and cable television world. When discussing TV sitcoms, there isn't a whole lot to look forward to if you've already finished the recent seasons of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Arrested Development. Granted, there are a few promising comedies debuting their new seasons this summer, which I'll get to in the coming weeks. But here's a list of shows that have been quietly killing it all year and are able to easily be streamed so you can catch up before they debut their new seasons in the fall or the winter.

One Day at a Time (Netflix original) - If you liked the way the Roseanne reboot focused on blue collar problems and economic struggles, then you need to check out the revamped One Day at a Time, which tackles many of the same issues flawlessly and without the baggage of Roseanne Barr's real-life persona. One Day at a Time re-imagines the 1970s sitcom for a 2010s audience, with a Cuban-American family at the helm. The performances of everyone in the cast, from veteran actors Rita Moreno and Justina Malachado to newcomer Isabella Gomez, kills it, and the show's portrayal of real struggles Americans face from financial struggles, mental illness and sexuality are portrayed incredibly.

Bob's Burgers (Fox, entire series available to stream on Hulu) - Bob's Burgers may be TV's most consistent series. Going into its ninth season, the tale of the Belchers has never missed a beat in being heartwarming, funny, and incredibly entertaining - it remains just as strong now as it was in its peak. Rumor has it that a movie is in the works for the series, so now is a good time to catch up with all of the show's delightful antics. But you don't even need that as an excuse - I guarantee this show's spunky sense of humor and big heart will brighten your day, and it's perfect for a summer afternoon binge session.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix original) - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt hasn't always been the most consistent series, but its heights have been fantastic, and the show's recent fourth season (or first half of it, anyway) may be the show's finest yet. Kimmy Schmidt deals with some dark subject matter but never feels overbearing, and manages to treat its characters rather serious trials and tribulations with the respect they deserve.

The Good Place (NBC, Season 1 available on Netflix, Season 2 coming soon) - The Good Place is my personal pick for best show on TV right now. It's funny, thoughtful and suspenseful - it satisfies every TV itch, from incredibly stories to amazing jokes to top-notch acting and writing. The show is entering its third season on NBC, and its pitch-perfect and surprising first season is available to binge on Netflix. The wildly inventive and original second season should also be available soon, so you'll have the opportunity to join the conversation when the series returns this fall.

Detroiters (available to stream via Comedy Central's website) - I'll write more in depth about the series next week, but Comedy Central's Detroiters is one of the most underrated shows on TV right now. Its outlandish sense of humor is weird, wild and funny and kind of unlike anything I've seen on TV before. The second season premiered this week, but you owe it to yourself to catch up with the first season, which had some of the most left-field jokes I've ever seen on a TV show before.

The Conners (working title), a spinoff of the groundbreaking family comedy Roseanne, has been greenlit to series with an order of 10 episodes for fall 2018. After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family - Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. - grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in working-class America. Through it all, the fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns - with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails. The series, featuring John Goodman ("Dan"), Laurie Metcalf ("Jackie"), Sara Gilbert ("Darlene"), Lecy Goranson ("Becky") and Michael Fishman ("D.J.") as their beloved Conner characters, is set to air Tuesdays from 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Additional cast members and a premiere date will be announced later. Roseanne Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the new series.

Tom Werner will executive produce, along with Sara Gilbert, Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan, Bruce Rasmussen and Tony Hernandez. Bruce Helford, Dave Caplan and Bruce Rasmussen are also writers. The series is from Tom Werner and Werner Entertainment. When ABC announced that they were canceling Roseanne thanks to Roseanne Barr's cruel comments, we suggested that they kill her off and retitle the series...and it looks like that is what is happening! The Hogan Family all over again?

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

Despite being one of the funniest shows on television, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has spent a lot of its four-season run defending itself. Although its joke writing and characters are top-notch comedy gems much like on Fey and Carlock's previous show 30 Rock, Kimmy Schmidt has never quite reached the level of widespread acclaim that 30 Rock did due to the show's questionable handling of sensitive topics and especially its tendency to appear tone-deaf when dealing with hot button issues. The show's portrayal of Jacqueline (portrayed by the very white Jane Krakowski) as a Native American was the first aspect of the show to really make headlines, but it was followed in the second season by an episode that seemed to brush off the legitimate criticism of the plotline, followed by several episodes in the third season that had some fairly trite takes on political correctness and "call out culture." The things that Kimmy Schmidt is good at - creating a unique world of characters, amazing jokes, and messages of female empowerment - were often overshadowed by the uproar over the show's tendency to drop the ball when covering these touchy topics. Additionally, like many streaming sitcoms, Kimmy Schmidt sometimes has the tendency to go long (many episodes run 30 minutes or more) without the restraints of the traditional sitcom model, which can result in episodes that feel overstuffed.

However, in the first half of its fourth season (which dropped last week - the second half will premiere in January), Kimmy Schmidt has seemingly eliminated almost everything that didn't work in the first three seasons and applied a laser focus to the show's strengths. The jokes comes faster and harder than ever, and are funnier than ever (every episode left me with at least a few big belly laughs), and the show's social commentary sticks to the show's strengths, tearing down targets like "Mens Rights Activities" and the militarization of young men via the internet, which is firmly in the show's wheelhouse of female empowerment and tackling the concept of the patriarchy. Perhaps this is because we've only seen six episodes of the season, but these six episodes do an excellent job of capturing everything that works about Kimmy Schmidt and leaving out much of what doesn't. There is an increased focus on the stories of Kimmy and Titus, treating funny supporting characters as the funny supporting characters they are rather than attempting to juggle too much by giving everyone A plots. That keeps the episodes tight and focused rather than stuffed and overlong, and allows characters like Lillian and Jacqueline to function as amazing joke machines rather than saddling them with storylines that never quite click. After the uneven third season, I was somewhat relieved to hear that Kimmy Schmidt would be ending after its fourth season. Now, I'm sad we only have six episodes left, and I hope that the rumored series-ending movie winds up panning out, as I'm not ready to say goodbye to this show as it's functioning at the top of its game.

Netflix announced that it's newest scripted multi-camera comedy series starring Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons, All About the Washingtons will debut August 10, 2018 at 12:01 AM PT with 10 episodes. The series was originally developed for ABC in 2017 but ABC passed on the project. All About the Washingtons is an autobiographical scripted family sitcom that follows Joey Washington (Rev Run aka Joseph Simmons) and his wife Justine Washington (Justine Simmons), playing fictionalized versions of themselves raising a family of family kids. After Joey decides to retire from a long career as legendary hip-hop royalty, his wife Justine, takes advantage of the opportunity to pursue a career of her own now that Joey is available to focus on raising the kids and keeping the house in order. Their kids are portrayed by rising stars Kiana Ledé, Nathan Anderson, Leah Rose Randall and Maceo Smedley.

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

A month ago, Roseanne was on top of the world. Her show was in the midst of a tenth season revival that was setting ratings records and would easily finish the season as the highest-rated show of the year. The popularity and buzz around the new season sparked an interest in Roseanne reruns, and they became available and heavily promoted on various cable networks. Despite being a polarizing media presence, Roseanne Barr herself was once again becoming the most talked about woman on television, over 20 years after the end of the original run of her incredibly popular and acclaimed sitcom. Fast forward to a month later, and things look very different. Roseanne's sitcom has been cancelled, setting a new kind of TV record: the only time in television history that the #1 show on television has been cancelled (TV historians might point out that Seinfeld was #1 during its final season, but that show ended on its own terms with a planned finale and was not 'cancelled' the way that Roseanne was). Roseanne's show was not cancelled due to ratings (while viewership steadily declined over the 9-episode season, the show still ended with ratings that put it ahead of nearly every other show on television) but rather because of a racist tweet that Barr tweeted from her Twitter feed. The tweet was bad enough that several of the show's producers quit the show, and ABC ultimately felt it had no choice but to pull the plug on the series due to the unfathomably bad press that Roseanne was receiving.

Considering how huge Roseanne was and how it's pretty much impossible for ABC to fill the gap in its schedule with anything that will be nearly as big, it stands to reason that Roseanne's tweet must have seriously offended ABC executives, and made them worry that the bad press would ultimately sink the network, even if Roseanne continued to draw in big ratings (certainly questionable given the level of bad press the tweet received as well as the slow but steady audience decline over the course of the show's first season). So now, after a huge revival season that reinvigorated interest in the show, Roseanne is now in a worse place than where it left off before it was revived. Reruns have been pulled from all cable networks and streaming services, and a sitcom that was once praised as a thought-provoking, all-time great sitcom has been blacklisted in just the course of a few months.

It will be interesting, then, to see how the networks respond (other than possibly encouraging controversial stars such as Roseanne Barr to stay off of Twitter.) Remake fervor has hit the TV industry hard, and it came to a crescendo with the giant success of the Roseanne remake. But the quick demise of that remake shows the flip-side of what happens when you resurrect old series, and proves that sometimes, things are better left in the past. I think we all would've preferred to look back on Roseanne as a show that was great during the '90s and felt ahead of its time, rather than seeing it marred by the political division and unfortunate end of the revived 10th season. As fun as it can be to catch up with old characters, I'm really hoping this fiasco contributes to TV realizing that the answer to all of its problems isn't by constantly reaching into the past, but rather developing new, fresh series that can carry us into the future.

Netflix will launch the remaining six episodes of the fourth season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on January 25, 2019. The first six episodes of the fourth season launched Wednesday, May 30. Show creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock are executive producers alongside Sam Means, Jeff Richmond and David Miner. Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski and Carol Kane star. To date, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has earned 16 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including a best series nom for each of its first three seasons.

In Season 4, Kimmy (Ellie Kemper), Titus (Tituss Burgess), Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski) and Lillian (Carol Kane) are finding new direction in life and career. Kimmy jumps head first into her new job at Giztoob. She's ready to take on anything, except high heels, which she's pretty sure were designed by a man, or a very confused lady. By creating a fake TV show, Titus takes his acting career into his own hands. Which, as always, are covered in maple syrup. As a talent agent working her way up, Jacqueline must deal with clients who are divas, troublemakers, and have no valid social security number. All of these clients are Titus. Lillian continues to "disrupt" and "burst the paradigm," or as it was called in the '70's "general dirtbaggery."

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about the end of a popular Netflix series, more about the reboot of Last Man Standing, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! There has been a lot of Netflix news this week, including one cancellation (an unsurprising one), one renewal, and one premiere date set for a series. Also, we're getting a preview of Tracy Morgan's new TBS sitcom. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

MeTV pays tribute to the career of Adam West with a special presentation of great Adam West performances from a variety of classic television series airing Saturday, June 17, 10:00am to 2:00am Sunday ET/PT. In honor of the television, film, and popular culture icon, "The Best of Adam West" will include beloved and memorable episodes of Batman, Maverick, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Rifleman and The Outer Limits, all featuring Mr. West. Each tribute episode will air in its regularly scheduled MeTV weekend time period.

MeTV's "The Best of Adam West" tribute will feature some of that wonderful body of work in addition to Batman. See schedule below:

Saturday, June 17, 2017 (All Times Eastern/Pacific)
10:00am Maverick, “Two Tickets to Ten Strike”
12:00pm The Big Valley, “In Silent Battle”
1:00pm Gunsmoke, “Ash”
2:00pm Bonanza, “The Bride”
5:00pm The Rifleman, “Stopover”
12:00am Batman, “Hi Diddle Riddle”
12:30am Batman, “Smack in the Middle”
1:00am The Outer Limits, “The Invisible Enemy”
*All shows run in their regular summer schedule time period.

Netflix has renewed the critically-acclaimed comedy series from Universal Television Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for a fourth season. The acclaimed series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt stars the Emmy-nominated Ellie Kemper (Kimmy Schmidt), Tituss Burgess (Titus Andromedon), and Jane Krakowski (Jacqueline White) as well as Emmy Award winner Carol Kane (Lillian Kaushtupper). Executive producers are Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, Jeff Richmond and David Miner. The Emmy nominated series is produced by Universal Television, Little Stranger Inc., 3 Arts Entertainment and Bevel Gears for Netflix

Our Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows weekly report will now move to Sundays, because now we have a new feature from one of our writers, Vincent, that will dive into the week in sitcoms. The new feature is called Fri-Yay, so that means a look back on some of the best of comedy this past week or two! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

These days, sitcoms kind of come in all different shapes and sizes. If you're a sitcom traditionalist, preferring classical multi-camera set up with plenty of silly hijinks and audience laughter, there are plenty of shows for you that still exist - from network comedies like The Big Bang Theory and Kevin Can Wait to "reboots" of classic sitcoms on Netflix such as Fuller House and One Day at a Time. There are also still plenty of smart, slick, modern single-camera sitcoms with in the vein of The Office and Modern Family - some of my favorite contemporary examples include NBC's Superstore and Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But with the rise of streaming and "peak TV" has come with it a new type of sitcom. These sitcoms follow the sitcom mold - they're about 20-30 minutes long, are filled with jokes and lovable characters, and generally tell stories on an episode-by-episode basis. But they're also a little more complex than your average sitcom, are more comfortable telling serialized stories along with their episode-by-episode story lines, and aren't as constructed to the network-mandated act structure of a network (or even cable) sitcom. They're sitcoms designed for streaming services - essentially, they're sitcoms tailor-made for a new age.

Two of these streaming sitcoms - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Master of None, both Netflix originals - released new seasons this past few weeks. And both of these seasons featured plenty of examples of why both have become buzzed about and beloved cultural hits. Master of None featured two episodes in its season that may wind up being my two favorite episodes of television of this entire year - "New York, I Love You" (a series of disconnected vignettes about peripheral characters on the outskirts of its protagonist Dev's New York life) and "Thanksgiving" (a coming out story of Dev's best friend Denise that's perhaps the most raw and honest coming out story I've ever seen on TV.) These two episodes feature very little of Master of None's protagonist and have nothing to do with the show's central premise or storyline – they’re entirely experimental. And yet, they're some of the most fascinating and refreshing TV you'll find right now. Similarly, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's third season has some of the best joke writing you could possibly find, and there were several moments where I had to pause my TV because I was laughing so hard. What's even more impressive is the way the show weaves some very dark subject matter between these jokes, revolving around the horrors of Kimmy's past, which she spent being held captive by a madman who convinced her the world had ended. Kimmy started out as a network sitcom (the first season was written for NBC before they sold it to Netflix), but the show's Netflix home has allowed it to gradually uncover the horror of Kimmy's past while still keeping its joke-a-second pace rolling.

Still, while the freedom of Netflix allows these shows to flourish in many ways, there are also some ways where I feel these sitcoms could actually benefit from some of the tightness of network programming. The second season of Master of None spends a large amount of its time on a humdrum romance arc between Dev and a woman he meets in Italy named Francesca, cultivating in an episode that's 45 minutes long and entirely devoted to their relationship. The story is never as interesting as the show thinks it is, and I have to wonder if perhaps some creative restraints may have guided Ansari to either developing the story better or at least shortening it in places (like, maybe a 25 minute episode instead of 45 minutes?). Similarly, there are parts of Kimmy Schmidt's third season that feel like total misfires, particularly in the show's largely unfunny satire of college students that never quite finds its target. And yet, without any real network notes or ability for audience response to influence creative direction, the shows keep going with plotlines and beats that clearly aren't working. I wouldn't want Master of None or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to be network sitcoms, as I wouldn't want to lose their heir of experimentation, even if it means they sometimes lack consistency. But they're also signs that the traditional method of doing television may not be completely dead yet.

CBS has announced Fall 2017 primetime premiere dates. Premiere week opens with The Big Bang Theory at 8:00 PM, leading into the Special Series Premiere of Young Sheldon at 8:30 PM, and the New Comedy Me, Myself & I at 9:30 PM, on Monday, Sept. 25. New Drama SEAL Team joins Survivor and Criminal Minds when they premiere Wednesday, Sept. 27. Wisdom of the Crowd debuts Sunday, Oct. 1 at approx. 8:30 (after NFL), followed by the Season Premiere of NCIS: Los Angeles at approx. 9:30 PM. On Monday, Oct. 2, New Comedy 9JKL premieres at 8:30 PM, following The Big Bang Theory. CBS' Thursday Night Entertainment Lineup returns following the conclusion of Thursday Night Football on Nov. 2 with The Big Bang Theory at 8:00 PM, New Comedy Young Sheldon at 8:30 PM, Mom at 9:00 PM, Life in Pieces at 9:30 PM and New Drama S.W.A.T. at 10:00 PM. Full premiere dates are below:

Sunday, Sept. 24
7:30-8:30 PM — 60 Minutes (50th season premiere)

Monday, Sept. 25
8:00-8:30 PM — The Big Bang Theory (11th season premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM — Young Sheldon (special series debut)
9:00-9:30 PM — Kevin Can Wait (2nd season premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM — Me, Myself and I (series debut)
10:00-11:00 PM — Scorpion (4th season premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 26
8:00-9:00 PM — NCIS (15th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM — Bull (2nd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM — NCIS: New Orleans (4th season premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 27
8:00-9:00 PM — Survivor (35th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM — SEAL Team (series debut)
10:00-11:00 PM — Criminal Minds (13th season premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 28
7:30 PM ET — Thursday Night Football Pre-Game Show
8:25 PM ET — Thursday Night Football (Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers)

Friday, Sept. 29
8:00-9:00 PM — MacGyver (2nd season premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM — Hawaii Five-0 (8th season premiere
10:00-11:00 PM — Blue Bloods (8th season premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 30
10:00-11:00 PM — 48 Hours (30th season premiere)

Sunday, Oct. 1
8:30-9:30 PM — Wisdom of the Crowd (series debut)
9:30-10:30 PM — NCIS: Los Angeles (9th season premiere)

Monday, Oct. 2
8:30-9:00 PM — 9JKL (series debut)

Sunday, Oct. 8
10:00-11:00 PM — Madam Secretary (4th season premiere)

Monday, Oct. 30
8:00-8:30 PM — Kevin Can Wait (regular time period)
9:00-9:30 PM — Me, Myself and I (regular time period)
9:30-10:00 PM — Superior Donuts (2nd season premiere)

Thursday, Nov. 2
8:00-8:30 PM — The Big Bang Theory (regular time period)
8:30-9:00 PM — Young Sheldon (regular time period)
9:00-9:30 PM — Mom (5th season premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM — Life in Pieces (3rd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM — S.W.A.T. (series debut)

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about some of the new pilots for the fall season, we're getting a preview of the upcoming season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and we're learning of a DVD release for a series that seemed to be abandoned and a somewhat surprising Blu-ray release of an older classic TV series. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Allison Tolman (Twitter), "A flibbertijibbet. A will-o'-the wisp. A clown. (You may know me from: Fargo. Krampus. Mad Dogs. That Texas Lottery ad where I held some canned ham.)"

Claim to Fame: Allison Tolman is a name that may not be familiar to some, but she has appeared in series such as Fargo and The Mindy Project. But she is hoping to become slightly better known with a new series that is coming to ABC next month, Downward Dog. In that series, she will play the starring role of Nan.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're learning (a little bit) about the pilots for the fall, some news of a big renewal that is supposedly in the works for The Big Bang Theory, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Tim Conway (Twitter), "I used to be Tim Conway: co-star of The Carol Burnett Show, McHale's Navy & The Kardashians. I am 6'-2, the camera shortens me."

Claim to Fame: Tim Conway first became known to TV audiences on The Steve Allen Show and eventually made his way over to a regular role on McHale's Navy. His next role (which was one his biggest ones) came in 1975, when he was added to the cast of The Carol Burnett Show. Even though he was only a regular for the final three (out of eleven total) seasons, it was in that role where he gained some of his greatest fame and earned five Emmy Awards. Since then, he has done more along the lines of guest roles, with prominent ones including playing Peggy Bundy's father on Married... with Children, a recurring role on Yes, Dear, and to this day, he continues to do the voice of Barnacle Boy on Spongebob Squarepants. His role in Spongebob Squarepants allowed him to reunite with his McHale's Navy costar, Ernest Borgnine, until Borgnine's death.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This is the last time we'll be here for 2016 (we'll be back for 2017, of course) with news of a Disney Channel sitcom that may (or may not) be cancelled, some opinion pieces on how DVD and Blu-ray are keeping classic TV alive, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Caitlin Barlow (Twitter), "I used to be a teacher in Chicago. Now I write, act in and produce Teachers on TVLand with The Katydids, where I pretend to be a teacher in Chicago. LIFE"

Claim to Fame: Caitlin Barlow has found her success in entertainment almost exclusively through Teachers, her TV Land series that she stars in. Originally a teacher herself in Chicago, she wasn't getting much satisfaction from the job and began working in improv and sketch theater. This ultimately led to becoming part of a comedy group called The Katydids, and with internet fame, one of their projects evolved into a TV Land comedy series, which will return for a second season on January 17.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It hasn't been an incredibly busy week this week, but we do have news of the end of a CBS series (that wasn't completely unexpected), a preview of the next season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and news of new Family Matters DVDs. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• It looks like Warner Archive is planning to push Family Matters to completion as quickly as possible, as TVShowsOnDVD.com discovered this week that the sixth season will arrive on DVD on April 12.

TUESDAY (MARCH 29) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Maude - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, $26.99): Shout! Factory continues the All in the Family spinoff on DVD with this release.

Who to Follow: Rider Strong (Twitter), "Actor. Now director. Sometimes author. Whatever: I make believe for a living."

Claim to Fame: Rider Strong got his start on television in guest roles on series such as Home Improvement, Evening Shade, Empty Nest, and Nurses, as well as a recurring voice on Bobby's World, but it goes without saying that his best known role is that of Shawn Hunter, which he played on the series Boy Meets World. Since then, he has gotten more involved with the independent film scene (rather successfully, it seems), though he did appear on the short-lived WB series Pepper Dennis, and has made appearances on Girl Meets World.