SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe arrives on HBO Max on Thursday.
• King of the Hill returns for a new season on Monday, on Hulu.
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is back on ABC on Wednesday.

by Vincent

Since it's a slow time for new sitcoms (both because of the summer and because of the pandemic causing a shortage of new sitcom content), I thought I'd look back at another sitcom of the past that I'm rewatching and finding holds up extremely well. That sitcom is Cheers, one of the biggest sitcoms of the 20th century and also one of the most acclaimed. Cheers is a show I haven't watched in some time, so rewatching the series has really reminded me just how nearly every sitcom made after it can trace its lineage back to the bar where everyone knows your name. Not necessarily in terms of joke structure (Cheers is a very funny show, but it's more rooted in the humor of the '80s and '90s and not the more modern sitcom type humor that was developed in the '00s) but in terms of its character development. Cheers has some of the best and most subtle character development I've ever seen in a sitcom. Character development in sitcoms is trickier than dramas, because the comfort of a sitcom means everything has to (seemingly) remain the same. The humor comes from the familiar situation of the show's situation. And yet, for a sitcom to remain fresh, the best ones do try to push their characters forward, but have to do so gradually.

I think any fan of Cheers would agree the characters in Season 11 were not quite the same people as the characters at the start - they had grown and changed, but they were still recognizably their archetypes. That's because Cheers very slowly evolved its characters over the course of its run. There weren't any real shocking plot twists or huge events happening, but the day-to-day doldrums of life and evolution of their relationships gradually pushed their characters to new places. And I would argue nearly every great sitcom after it - be it Friends or The Office or Parks and Recreation or Community - evolved their characters in similar ways. Prior to Cheers, there were far less sitcoms that had their eye on the gradual character development, but it's become an important part of sitcoms going forward. And as I'm watching Cheers, I'm reminded of just how character development in a sitcom can be done right.

Yesterday we had some changes for CBS and Fox, now we have some changes for Fall 2020 for ABC and NBC. ABC unveiled its fall unscripted premiere dates. Details for the network's scripted series premiere dates will be shared at a later time and will likely have October/November premieres for many of its series. ABC has slotted five nights of programming for September/October, joining the previously announced Dancing with the Stars, which will launch Monday, Sept. 14 from 8-10pm. Game show favorites Celebrity Family Feud, Press Your Luck and Match Game return with the back half of their seasons, with the first half having aired on Sundays earlier this summer. They will move to Thursdays and resume on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 8-11pm until TGIT dramas are ready later this fall. A dramatic new season of The Bachelorette debuts Tuesday, October 13 from 8-10pm. An all-new season of Shark Tank kicks off on Friday, October 16 at 8pm. And finally, Sundays will be more Fun & Games with new series Supermarket Sweep hosted by Leslie Jones joining the Sunday lineup at 8pm, right after an all-new season of AFV. At 9pm, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Jimmy Kimmel returns for a second season followed by the second season of Card Sharks with Joel McHale at 10pm - all premiering Sunday, October 18 from 7-11pm. No date yet for $100,000 Pyramid with Michael Strahan, which also started production this week. Stay tuned for the scripted premiere dates.

NBC is celebrating a November to remember as America's most-loved dramas make their highly anticipated season debuts the week of Nov. 9-13, including a two-hour premiere of This Is Us (Nov. 10, 9-11pm) and all three Chicago series (Nov. 11, 8-11pm). In addition, Law & Order: SVU (Nov. 12, 9pm) will return for its record-extending 22nd season that same week, along with the eighth season of The Blacklist (Nov. 13, 8pm), starring James Spader and Megan Boone. But comedy will launch first! For scripted comedy, executive producer Martin Gero will debut his new scripted comedy Connecting ... on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8:30pm. The series is about a group of friends trying to stay close (and sane) through video chats as they share the highs and lows of these extraordinary times. Superstore, where Cloud 9's unique family of employees work together and share nearly everything about their personal lives as well, returns for its sixth season on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 8pm. On to reality, the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series The Voice, with coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, as well as host Carson Daly, will be back in its swiveling red chairs on Monday, Oct. 19 8-10pm and return for the second night of its season debut on Tuesday, Oct. 20 (8-10pm premiere, then 8-9pm). Host Jane Lynch will kick off the first episode of the worldwide global phenom Weakest Link when the show debuts Monday, Sept. 28 at 10pm. Ellen's Game of Games, one of the most fun shows on all of television, returns Tuesday, Oct. 6 for a two-hour premiere from 8-10 p.m. before shifting the following week on Oct. 13 to its normal 9-10 p.m. timeslot for a few weeks.

The Wall and American Ninja Warrior will air for three weeks starting Wednesday, Oct. 21, before the Chicago series return. Ninja will start off on Mondays, as previously announced, before moving to Wednesdays when The Voice returns. Returning series set to debut after Jan. 1 include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, Making It, Manifest, New Amsterdam and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. New series set to launch in 2021 include Kenan, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Mr. Mayor, That's My Jam, Small Fortune, True Story, Who Do You Think You Are? and Young Rock.

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

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

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

Antenna TV is doubling up all of its comedies throughout the day beginning next Monday (March 30). The new primetime lineup from 7-10pm features Archie Bunker's Place, Alice and Three's Company leading into Johnny Carson, now back at 10pm. Late Fringe from 11pm-3am gets a makeover, too, with double runs of Coach, NewsRadio, Becker and Designing Women. Relegated to the overnight is Murphy Brown and It's a Living from 3-5am. Other schedule changes include Mork & Mindy now for a full hour from 5-6am, The Partridge Family also gets a full hour from 6-7am, Gimme a Break! expands to 5-6pm and Barney Miller goes a full hour from 6-7pm. This means with all the doubling up, Sabrina, Welcome Back Kotter, 227 and Benson are off the line-up, as is former prime shows Family Ties and Growing Pains. Leaving the schedule also from late night/overnight are Dear John, Wings, Head of the Class, Hogan Family and Silver Spoons. Some of these shows can still be seen in binge form on weekends, which starts this weekend, as we mentioned.

Twenty years after the prime-time series Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted on ABC in the U.S., celebrated late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is stepping in as host of a special run of episodes featuring celebrity contestants playing for the charity of their choice. The 20th anniversary event kicks off Wednesday, April 8 at 10:00 p.m. EDT, on ABC, with celebrity contestant Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) playing for Building Hope for Autism and Will Forte (SNL) playing for The Pangea Network. For the first time in the history of the U.S. franchise, celebrities playing on Millionaire can invite a guest to help them answer questions. It could be a relative, a beloved teacher or a famed trivia expert – anyone they want – to help them win as much money as they can for the charity of their choice. Additionally, this special run of shows will be introducing a new lifeline, Ask the Host, and a revolutionary, live, play-along app which will allow America to compete to win the same amount of money that celebrities are playing for on the show. 

Yesterday was day two of the TCA Winter 2020 Press Tour and ABC was up. We got many announcements, including the finale date for Modern Family. The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan are ready to say goodbye but not before giving fans one final night of belly laughs as one of television's great family comedies. Currently in its 11th and final season, ABC announced that the Emmy(R) Award-winning series Modern Family will air its series farewell episode on Wednesday, April 8, on ABC. In addition, ABC is giving fans the power to program an entire night filled with their favorite Modern Family episodes that will air Wednesday, March 11 from 8:00-11:00pm EDT. The night will kick off with the episode that started it all - the Modern Family series premiere - followed by five additional fan-chosen episodes, giving viewers a chance to gather their families for the ultimate Modern Family binge and relive some of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan's most hilarious, jaw-dropping and monumental moments. Voting for your favorite Modern Family episodes will begin Monday, Feb. 3, via a daily Twitter poll from the show's Twitter handle and concludes Friday, Feb. 7. Each day, a different selection of episodes will be available for fans to choose from for a curated night of Modern Family fun!

ABC will air a special live episode of top-rated comedy The Conners the night of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 8:00pm EST. The cast will perform the episode live for both the East and West coast broadcasts. ABC News coverage of the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary will be incorporated into the story in real time as the results roll in during the evening. The live episode will find Mark (Ames McNamara) watching the results of the primary for a school report with Harris (Emma Kenney), who is apathetic to the electoral process and believes money's influence in politics means real change is impossible. The rest of the Conners share their differing takes on why they all think everyone should vote, including their working-class perspective that you may have to vote for a candidate you don't love but one that will "screw you the least." All of this happens against the backdrop of romance when Louise (guest star Katey Sagal) gets an opportunity that might send her away from Lanford, prompting the family to interfere in Dan's (John Goodman) complicated relationship with her by throwing Louise a surprise going-away party, creating major new tensions between Dan and his daughters.

Friday nights are about to see some shark-infested waters when Shark Tank, the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy® Award-winning entrepreneurial-themed reality show currently in its 11th season, returns to its Friday time slot on Feb. 28 at 8:00pm EST, while the hit comedy American Housewife moves to a new spot on the ABC comedy block beginning Wednesday, April 15 at 9:00pm EDT, following the conclusion of Modern Family. But before that, American Housewife will air at 9:30pm EDT for a few weeks starting March 18 once Single Parents wraps before moving to 9:00pm EDT on April 15. ABC has not announced what will air Wednesdays at 9:30pm beginning April 15 yet. Multi-camera comedy United We Fall hasn't been scheduled just yet. Other scheduling news: ABC's compelling new modern-day fairy tale, The Baker and the Beauty, will take viewers on a flavor-filled adventure between relatable everyman Daniel and international superstar Noa. The drama premieres Monday, April 6 at 10:00pm EDT. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, which debuted in the U.S. as a prime-time series in January 2000, ABC's celebrated late-night staple and Emmy® Award-winning producer Jimmy Kimmel will be stepping into prime time as host of a special run of episodes featuring celebrity contestants playing for charity. In addition, a new interactive game will allow viewers to play along from home. Millionaire is set to premiere on Wednesday, April 8 at 10:00 pm EDT. The power of love knows no bounds as ABC further expands its hit-making Bachelor franchise with an all-new Bachelor Nation series, The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart, set to premiere Monday, April 13 from 8:00-10:00pm EDT. ABC announced the explosive series finale of How to Get Away with Murder will air Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 p.m. EDT. The critically acclaimed series, which will return for its six-episode killer farewell event on Thursday, April 2, is currently in its sixth and final season.

Finally, ABC is bringing back the classic TV game show Supermarket Sweep, hosted and executive produced by Emmy® Award-nominated comedienne and actress Leslie Jones. Produced by Fremantle, the fast-paced and energetic series follows three teams of two as they battle it out using their grocery shopping skills and knowledge of merchandise to win big cash prizes. The original format aired on ABC from 1965-1967 and went on to become a global sensation. It was adapted in 13 international territories and, most recently, relaunched in the UK. Production on the 10-episode order is set to begin this spring. An airdate will be announced at a later date. thirtysomething(else), a sequel to the groundbreaking series thirtysomething, has received a pilot pickup from ABC. The show will follow an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up, 30-something children of the original cast reprised by Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston) and Patty Wettig (Nancy Weston). Apparently, raising children (even grown children) never ends, but who could have known how hard it would be for them to raise their parents? And finally, ABC announced that the network has picked up The Brides, a new pilot drama from executive producer/writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television to pilot. Maggie Kiley (American Horror Story, Riverdale, upcoming Katy Keene) is set to direct. The Brides, a sexy contemporary reimagining of Dracula, is a family drama with a trio of powerful female leads at its heart.

Fran Drescher's acclaimed sitcom The Nanny has a new television home. Kicking off with a special broadcast marathon on January 1, COZI TV viewers can plan to raise a glass and ring in the New Year with Maxwell Sheffield, Fran Fine and all of their favorite characters. The New Year's Day marathon featuring 22 fan-favorite episodes will air on January 1 beginning at 9:00 AM and ending at 8:00 PM (check local listings). During The Nanny marathon COZI TV will showcase original health and wellness vignettes featuring Fran Drescher and her non-profit organization, Cancer Schmancer. The actress will provide entertaining advice on how viewers can detox their bodies and homes. The series joins Frasier and Will & Grace as part of COZI TV's new comedy line-up. The show will move into regular weekday programming the following day with episodes airing at 10:00 AM, 7:00 PM and 12:00 AM (check local listings).

The Nanny follows Fran Fine, played by Drescher, a cosmetic saleswoman who becomes the nanny to the three children of a wealthy English widower, Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), after being fired and dumped by her boyfriend. Hilarity and plenty of heartwarming moments ensue, as Fran adjusts to caring for Maxwell and his children. Fan-favorite episodes in the New Year's Day marathon include The Nanny (9:00 AM), the series pilot where Fran gets a job with the Sheffield family, and I Don't Remember Mama (7:30 PM), the season one finale where Fran convinces Maxwell and the children to celebrate Mothers’ Day by taking Grace to a mother-daughter beauty pageant.

GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced that it has licensed seasons 14 and 15 of iconic game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, with the show to air Monday through Friday at 3:00pm and 3:30pm ET beginning Monday, December 18. In addition, on Sunday, December 24, fans can catch a stacked marathon airing from 9:00am to 2:00pm ET. Hosted by Chris Harrison, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire features contestants from all over the country and from all walks of life. In the show's classic ladder format, contestants must answer 14 trivia questions correctly with the aid of three lifelines - Ask the Audience, Plus One and 50/50 - to win $1 million. Contestants also can win big as they navigate their way up the ladder, as the tension and difficulty build with each question along with the prize money. Since the show debuted in syndication in 2002, contestants have won more than $95 million.

Now airing its 16th season in national syndication, the Emmy®-nominated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire currently is taped in front of a live studio audience at Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is produced by Valleycrest Productions Ltd. and is distributed by Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. James Rowley serves as executive producer.

CBS announced the comedy sitcom Man with a Plan starring Matt LeBlanc will premiere its second season Monday, Nov. 13 at 8:30PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. Freshman comedy 9JKL moves to 9:30 PM, ET/PT on Nov. 6. Me, Myself, & I has been pulled from the lineup and CBS says it will return to the schedule at a later date (perhaps on Saturdays?). Man with a Plan stars Matt LeBlanc, Liza Snyder, Kevin Nealon, Stacy Keach, Grace Kaufman, Matthew McCann, Hala Finley and Matt Cook. Jeff and Jackie Filgo, Matt LeBlanc, Michael Rotenberg and Troy Zien are executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Here is the CBS Monday line-up now:

CBS Monday, Nov. 6
8:00-8:30 PM Kevin Can Wait
8:30-9:00 PM The Big Bang Theory (rebroadcast)
9:00-9:30 PM Superior Donuts
9:30-10:00 PM 9JKL (NTP)
10:00-11:00 PM Scorpion

CBS Monday, Effective Nov. 13
8:00-8:30 PM Kevin Can Wait
8:30-9:00 PM Man with a Plan (2nd Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM Superior Donuts
9:30-10:00 PM 9JKL
10:00-11:00 PM Scorpion

The nationally syndicated game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is gearing up for the month of November with a series of specialty weeks and celebrity contestants. Each contestant will take on the classic 14-question game opposite host Chris Harrison for the chance to win $1 million. Theme weeks include: Victories for Veterans week, Nov. 6 – 10 and Whiz Kids week, Nov. 13 – 17. There will also be three celebrity episodes starting Nov. 20:

Cameron Mathison, Nov. 20:
Actor and Entertainment Tonight correspondent Cameron Mathison plays for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, which advances the development of multiple myeloma treatments.

Sherri Shepherd, Nov. 23:
Actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd's winnings will go to the Summit View School, which is dedicated to educating young people with learning differences who possess average to superior intellectual capabilities. Sherri's game play continues into Nov. 24.

Ben Higgins, Nov. 30:
Ben Higgins of The Bachelor fame plays for Humanity and Hope United Foundation, which works to assist under-served villages in remote parts of Honduras.

• The Facts of Life - Season Eight (DVD, $29.99): Another release for those who skipped on the previous complete series release, this set brings all of the eighth season episodes together in one set.

• We had news about The Simpsons last week that wasn't necessarily positive (that there may be no future home media releases of the series), but for King of the Hill, things are looking pretty good for the remainder of the series. This week, TVShowsOnDVD.com uncovered that plans are in the works to have the entire series finished by the end of the year.
• Mill Creek isn't giving up on The Cosby Show, and will in fact be re-releasing the final two seasons with The Cosby Show - Seasons 7 and 8 on June 16.
• Mill Creek is also bringing the entire series of Soap back together on DVD, with a June 2 release of Soap - The Complete Series.

• Masiela Lusha Official Website
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Cedric "The Entertainer" will call on some of his famous friends to play Who Wants to Be a Millionaire during a special "Celebrity Week" series, airing next week - November 4-8. Participating celebrities are guaranteed to win at least $10,000 for the charity of their choice. Millionaire airs weekdays in first-run syndication. Check local listings or go to http://www.millionairetv.com for time and channel. "Celebrity Week" will kick off on Monday, November 4 with Boris Kodjoe of BET's Real Husbands of Hollywood. Kodjoe will play Millionaire to benefit Sophie's Voice Foundation. Kodjoe's appearance will wrap up on Tuesday, November 5. Next, fellow comedian and actor Brad Garrett, who is best known for his role on Everybody Loves Raymond, will play Millionaire on Tuesday, November 5 and Wednesday, November 6. Garrett will donate his winnings to Maximum Hope Foundation. Then, Josh Malina, who plays D.A. David Rosen on ABC's hit show Scandal, will test his Millionaire trivia skills on Thursday, November 7, and will play to benefit The Shark Fund. Scandal currently is in its third season and airs Thursday nights at 10:00/9:00C on ABC. And finally, Niecy Nash, Cedric's on-screen wife from TV Land's The Soul Man, will appear on Millionaire on Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8. Niecy will donate her Millionaire winnings to the Amazing Grace Conservatory. An alumnus of Dancing With The Stars, Niecy will also try to encourage Cedric to participate in the dancing reality show by showing him some dance moves on the Millionaire set!