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Preview:

The Cool Kids - Fridays at 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premiered Friday, September 28, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT

by Todd

From executive producer Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and starring Tony Award nominee David Alan Grier (The Carmichael Show, In Living Color), Emmy Award nominee Martin Mull (Veep, Roseanne), Emmy Award winner Vicki Lawrence (Mama’s Family, The Carol Burnett Show) and Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan (Will and Grace, American Horror Story), The Cool Kids is a multi-camera comedy about a rowdy, rag-tag group of friends living in a retirement community who are willing to break every rule in order to have fun – because, at their age, what do they really have to lose?

Hank (Grier) is the leader of this motley crew, a gruff, opinionated, 21st century Archie Bunker who will go to any lengths to have a good time. His loyal, but less than helpful, friends include Charlie (Mull), a bumbling wanderer who constantly goes off on tangents about some bizarre, barely believable episode from his life; and Sid (Jordan), a fun-loving hedonist with a flair for the melodramatic. Complicating matters is Margaret (Lawrence), a brash, confident woman who forces her way into their group and refuses to leave because she’s not going to take crap from anyone – especially not these three.

But what unites them all is their shared belief that they’re not done yet – not by a long shot. Growing old with dignity is for chumps. These self-proclaimed “cool kids” are determined to make the third act of their lives the craziest one yet.

Cast Details:

David Alan Grier as Hank
Martin Mull as Charlie
Vicki Lawrence as Margaret
Leslie Jordan as Sid

David Alan Grier (Hank) is perhaps best known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color. He recently starred in the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show. Some of his previous sitcom starring roles include Bad Teacher, Life with Bonnie, DAG, Damon, The Preston Episodes and All Is Forgiven.

Martin Mull (Charlie) starred as Crawford Whittemore in the Fox sitcom Dads in 2003-04. Some of his previous starring and recurring roles include Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Fernwood 2 Night, America 2-Night, Domestic Life, Roseanne, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Ellen Show and Veep.

Vicki Lawrence (Margaret) is best known for her role as Thelma Harper/Mama in Mama's Family. She won an Emmy Award for her work on The Carol Burnett Show in 1976. Some of her sitcom guest appearances include The Love Boat, Laverne & Shirley, Major Dad, Roseanne, Yes, Dear, Hannah Montana and Great News.

Leslie Jordan (Sid) is best known for his roles as Lonnie Garr in Hearts Afire and as Beverly Leslie in Will & Grace. He won an Emmy Award for his work on Will & Grace in 2006. Some of his sitcom guest appearances include Night Court, Murphy Brown, Newhart, Dharma & Greg, Reba and Raising Hope.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Aired Friday, September 28 at 8:30PM ET)

A group of three retirement home friends are determined to prove that there is still much for them to accomplish in life despite their age.
Guest Cast: Artemis Pebdani as Allison, Jamie Farr as Dudley, Eduardo Franco as Delivery Clerk, Kat Purgal as Party Planner, Charlie Day as Chet the Handyman, Roger Vernon Burton as Phillips

Upcoming Episodes:

"Margaret Turns 65" (Airs Friday, October 5 at 8:30PM ET)
On her 65th birthday, Margaret doesn't feel like celebrating. However, Hank, Sid and Charlie insist on taking her out for a "good old-fashioned young person's night" at the local club, which leaves them all feeling older - and more hungover - than ever.

"A Date with Destiny" (Airs Friday, October 12 at 8:30PM ET)
Charlie and Hank create online dating profiles, and to boost their egos, Sid pretends to be an interested woman. Of course, the plan goes awry.

"The Cool Kids Rig an Election" (Airs Friday, October 19 at 8:30PM ET)
Tired of "Gorgeous George" and his reign as activities coordinator, Hank backs Charlie and Margaret backs Sid for the position in the upcoming election, and it instantly turns dirty.

Analysis:

The Cool Kids comes from the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia team. It's produced by 20th Century Fox Television, in association with FX Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment. Charlie Day, Patrick Walsh (Living Biblically, 2 Broke Girls) and Nick Frenkel (The Mick, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are executive producers. Emmy Award winner Don Scardino (30 Rock, 2 Broke Girls) directed the pilot.

In the "Pilot" episode, we meet the members of the Shady Meadows retirement community. Hank, Charlie and Sid raise a toast at breakfast to honor their departed friend, Jerry. They talk about possible replacements. Hank suggests they honor his legacy with an empty seat at their table. Margaret arrives and takes the seat, but Hank says she can't sit there. Margaret asks who they are and if they are the cool kids. Margaret and Sid decide to arm wrestle for the seat. The guys talk about a service for Jerry. Hank wants to have a farewell party at the center. Sid has Jerry's credit card. A deliveryman rolls in a keg of beer. When he asks for a photo ID, the guys make a run for it. The staff member Allison confiscates the credit card. Sid later talks to Margaret and tells her there are ways that she can earn the seat through him. Margaret shares a story with Sid in her room. Hank attempts to auction off Jerry's seat. Hank says they should drive to the morgue to get Jerry. Hank drives the group before they are pulled over by a cop. Hank puts the vase with Jerry's cremated remains on a table before it falls to the ground and breaks. Margaret puts together a farewell party for Jerry. Hank tells Margaret she should take Jerry's seat on a probationary basis.

The "Pilot" episode is very well put together and entertaining. It provides a good introduction to the characters in a short period of time. The jokes are very rapid fire and are funny for the most part. The only part that I didn't care for is when Hank said that they should pretend to have Alzheimer's when they are pulled over by a cop. As anybody who has or had a loved one with that terrible disease, it's not something that should be joked about. Hopefully they tone down any jokes about losing memory, even though it's a reality of being older. The other jokes are somewhat cheesy and corny, but the delivery and performances by the cast often make them work.

The Cool Kids has assembled an all-star cast of comedy veterans. David Alan Grier has been the most visible on television in recent years. He's only 62 years old, so it's a little hard to buy him as a member of a retirement community. He's made to look older with gray/white hair and a beard. Martin Mull and Leslie Jordan have made regular sitcom appearances in recent years, so they have plenty of experience and bring some good laughs here. Vicki Lawrence has made some guest appearances, but this is her first sitcom starring role since Mama's Family. It's great to see her again in a starring role. She looks many years younger than her real age of 69, so she's another one that it's difficult to believe to be living at a retirement community. The cast has some great chemistry already, especially Grier and Lawrence. The "Pilot" episode has a couple notable guest appearances. Creator and producer Charlie Day plays Chet, the retirement community handyman. M*A*S*H star Jamie Farr makes a funny appearance as Dudley when Hank tries to auction off Jerry's seat.

Conclusion:

The Cool Kids has a very likable, talented and experienced cast. The chemistry between the cast is great already. It seems like they have been working together for years. The scenes between Grier and Lawrence are especially good. It's been far too long since Lawrence has starred in a sitcom, so she makes a welcome return. The cast really gives it their all. Charlie Day, the creator of the series, seems to have given them a lot of energy. The series is similar to The Golden Girls with three men and a woman instead of four women. There haven't been too many series that have focused on older characters, so this provides a good change of pace. It should especially appeal to older viewers, but I think younger generations can enjoy it also. Everybody can relate as either being older or knowing somebody who is older. This is a very watchable series with plenty of laugh out loud lines and moments. The ingredients of a great cast, funny writing and a unique premise are all here to be a sleeper hit this season.

They have a strong lead-in with Last Man Standing, which returned with strong ratings. They held a good portion of the audience, so it seems like it will have a decent chance of success as long as it stays in the same comfortable timeslot. Fox made a great decision to pair multi-camera sitcoms.

It should be fun to watch the further adventures of this rowdy, rag-tag group of friends living at the Shady Meadows retirement community. Jamie Farr makes a funny appearance in the episode when Hank tries to auction off the seat. I would like to see some other classic TV stars make guest appearances. It would be cool to see a Martin Mull and Fred Willard reunion on the series.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

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

Discuss the show on our message board.

Related Links:

Fox Official Site

The Cool Kids Photo Gallery

Preview:

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 1, 2018)

It's Sunday, 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 October 1-5, 2018, 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!

Monday, October 1

Henry Winkler (Barry/Out of Practice/Happy Days) - Watch Henry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jenny Slate (Married/Parks and Recreation/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) - Nick and Megan are guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. They will also be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am, on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Kenan Thompson (Kenan & Kel) - Kenan stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She will also be on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm and on People Now at 12pm.
Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel drops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) - Sabrina appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mary Lynn Rajskub (How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show) - Mary is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
The Cast of The Neighborhood - Tichina Arnold, Beth Behrs, Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield are guests on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
The Cast of Will & Grace - Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes are guests on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (I Love Dick/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn talks about Private Life on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric can be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Joe Morton (Grady) - Joe talks about God Friended Me on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.
Tiffani Thiessen (Alexa & Katie/Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani appears on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. She whips up banana pudding on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT. She also talks about her new cookbook on the BUILD Series at 3pm.
Hal Linden (Barney Miller/The Boys Are Back) - Hal talks about The Samuel Project on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.
Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley) - Michael talks about Food: Fact or Fiction? on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.

Tuesday, October 2

Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Catch Eva on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Together/New Girl/Happy Endings) - Damon visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Minnie Driver (Speechless/About a Boy) - Minnie is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Pete Holmes (Crashing) - Pete drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Illeana Douglas (Action) - Illeana chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Debra Messing and Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Debra and Eric are guests on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour. Debra will also be on Access Live, so check your local listings.
Molly Shannon (Divorce/Kath & Kim/Cracking Up) - Molly talks about Private Life on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on GMA Day at 1pm.
Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Out All Night) - Vivica gives Rach the scoop on her new show, Face the Truth – and she's facing the truth herself with a lie detector test on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Bella Thorne (Shake It Up) - Bella talks about I Still See You on Chatter on PeopleTV at 8pm.
Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood/Survivor's Remorse/Happily Divorced/Everybody Hates Chris/Martin) - Tichina talks about The Neighborhood on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela talks about The Good Place on the BUILD Series at 12pm.

Wednesday, October 3

Bradley Cooper (Kitchen Confidential) - Watch Bradley on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about A Star Is Born on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Kathryn Hahn (I Love Dick/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. She also talks about Private Life on the BUILD Series at 10am.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Molly Shannon (Divorce/Kath & Kim/Cracking Up) - Molly is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) - Constance visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about Fresh Off the Boat on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Jenny Slate (Married/Parks and Recreation/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program/The Big Bang Theory) - Brian drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown) and Faith Ford (Murphy Brown/Hope & Faith) - Candice and Faith are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Paget Brewster (Another Period/Grandfathered/Andy Richter Controls the Universe/The Trouble with Normal/Love & Money) - Paget appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Ron Livingston (Loudermilk) - Ron visits LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Busy Philipps (Camping/Vice Principals/Cougar Town) - Busy is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
The Kids of Young Sheldon - Iain Armitage, Montana Jordan and Raegan Revord try to identify gadgets from the 1980s on Steve, so check your local listings.
Bobby Moynihan (Me, Myself & I and Donald Faison (The Exes/Scrubs) - Bobby and Donald talk about Star Wars Resistance on the BUILD Series at 4pm. Donald will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET and on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.
Sam Elliott (The Ranch) - Sam talks about A Star Is Born on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on the BUILD Series at 12pm.
Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Together/New Girl/Happy Endings) - Damon talks about Happy Together on the BUILD Series at 1pm.

Thursday, October 4

Lena Dunham (Girls) - Catch Lena on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
John Mulaney (Mulaney) - John appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Meredith Hagner (Search Party/Men at Work) - Meredith is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Beth Behrs (The Neighborhood/2 Broke Girls) - Beth drops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Taran Killam (Single Parents) - Taran appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Deon Cole (grown-ish/Angie Tribeca/black-ish) - Deon visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Debra Messing (Will & Grace) - Debra is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Molly Shannon (Divorce/Kath & Kim/Cracking Up) - Molly visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Andrew Dice Clay (Dice/Hitz/Bless This House) - Andrew appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Kathryn Hahn (I Love Dick/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn talks about Private Life on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Teala Dunn (All Night/Are We There Yet?) - Teala talks about Hulu's All Night on Chatter on PeopleTV at 8pm.
Ted Danson (The Good Place/Becker/Cheers) - Ted talks about The Good Place on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
John O'Hurley (Seinfeld/The Mullets) - John talks about his work with The Epilepsy Foundation on NBC's Megyn Kelly Today at 9am.
Hal Linden (Barney Miller/The Boys Are Back) - Hal is a guest on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
John C. McGinley (Stan vs. Evil/Scrubs) - John talks about Stan vs. Evil on the BUILD Series at 12pm. John, Janet Varney and Dana Gould will be on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/In the House/Silver Spoon) - Alfonso talks about America's Funniest Home Videos on the BUILD Series at 2:30pm.

Friday, October 5

Brad Garrett (Single Parents/'Til Death/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Watch Brad on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Office) - Ellie stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Sam Elliott (The Ranch) - Sam appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Kristen appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. The Ellen DeGeneres Show features Ellen's favorite moments of season 16, including Kristen.
Rob Riggle (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/Golan the Insatiable/Gary Unmarried) - Rob is a guest on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Helen Hunt (Mad About You/It Takes Two) - Helen talks about Shakespeare Uncovered on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick talks about Big Mouth on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/In the House/Silver Spoon) - Alfonso is a guest on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) - Ali appears on The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Keith David (Enlisted/Belle's/The Job) - Keith stops by The Real, so check your local listings.
Tiffani Thiessen (Alexa & Katie/Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani dishes up short rib enchiladas from her new cookbook on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
John C. McGinley (Stan vs. Evil/Scrubs) - John talks about Stan vs. Evil on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Cedric Yarbrough (Speechless/Reno 911!) - Cedric talks about Speechless on Chatter on PeopleTV at 8pm.

Sitcoms Airing This Week

Sunday, September 30

The Simpsons - "Gone Boy" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The town puts together a search party after Bart goes missing; Sideshow Bob tries to force his whereabouts out of Millhouse.

Bob's Burgers - "The Trouble with Doubles" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob and Linda's double date takes a disastrous turn when the couples get trapped; Louise hosts a zombie movie night, but when the zombies turn out to be too scary, Tina must take charge.

The Simpsons - "Bart's Not Dead" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bart takes a dare and ends up in the hospital; to cover for himself and Homer, Bart lies about meeting Jesus in Heaven; Christian producers offer the Simpsons a movie deal, but Bart struggles with guilt about lying.

Bob's Burgers - "Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Convinced she's met the love of her life, Tina disguises herself as a boy and sneaks into the Boyz 4 Now auditions to find him; Teddy asks the rest of the Belcher gang to nurse his baby rat back to health.

Family Guy - "Married with Cancer" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Brian meets and falls in love with Jess, who reveals she has cancer; after she receives devastating news regarding her diagnosis, Brian proposes marriage to her.

Rel - "Laundry Room" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Rel invites his Dad, Brittany and Nat to brunch; his plans go awry when his clothes are held hostage in his laundry room by a local gang.

Monday, October 1

The Neighborhood - "Pilot" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Cedric the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Tichina Arnold star in a comedy about what happens when Dave Johnson (Greenfield), a friendly guy from the Midwest, moves his family to a Los Angeles neighborhood next door to Calvin Butler (Cedric), who’s concerned the Johnsons will disrupt the culture on the block and doesn’t appreciate Dave’s extreme neighborliness.

Happy Together - "Pilot" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Damon Wayans Jr., Amber Stevens West and Felix Mallard star in a new comedy about a 30-something, happily married couple who begin to reconnect with their younger, cooler selves when a young pop star drawn to their super-ordinary suburban life unexpectedly moves in with them.

Tuesday, October 2

Wrecked - "Mrs. Stanwick" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
The survivors attempt to turn the tables on the rich and lure them into a trap.

Wednesday, October 3

The Goldbergs - "You Got Zuko'd" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Adam’s girlfriend, Jackie, is back after spending her summer at NYU; she has changed so much, it’s almost like she’s a whole different person. After receiving some not-so-great romantic advice from his loved ones, Adam takes drastic measures to hold on to his relationship. Meanwhile, Beverly is not happy with Lainey’s less-than-ideal domestic skills and decides to teach her future daughter-in-law a thing or two.

American Housewife - "Here We Go Again" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
With her new job taking up more of her time, Katie and Greg try to split up parenting duties. Katie over-involves herself in Taylor’s social life by trying to keep some distance between Taylor and her boyfriend, Trip, to make sure Taylor is her own person aside from him. Meanwhile, Greg tries to convince Oliver to be honest after overhearing Oliver lie to his friends about his less-than-luxurious summer vacation.

Modern Family - "Kiss and Tell" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Haley needs a little help deciding whether or not to tell Arvin about her kiss with Dylan and goes to Mitch and Cam for their advice. Meanwhile, Gloria suspects Manny’s Canadian girlfriend is made up and wants to find out the real truth.

Single Parents - "Sleepover Ready" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Douglas is stuck hosting the kids’ Saturday sleepover, and Will uses this as an opportunity to try to bond with Douglas, something he hasn’t been able to do before. Angie and Graham both struggle with their own fear of sleepovers – Graham is worried to stay the night without his mom and not in his own house, and Angie is worried to sleep over with her man friend Owen. Meanwhile, Poppy helps Miggy come up with potential job ideas in order to help him become more responsible.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang Gets New Wheels" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Dee gets in with a group of cool, rich housewives; Dennis hits it off with some everyday blue-collar bros; Frank struggles to renew his license; Charlie and Mac deal with a new generation of bicycle bullies.

Thursday, October 4

The Big Bang Theory - "The Procreation Calculation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The Wolowitzes’ life gets complicated when Stuart starts bringing his new girlfriend home. Also, Penny and Leonard talk about starting a family while Koothrappali explores an arranged marriage.

Young Sheldon - "A Crisis of Faith and Octopus Aliens" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Mary’s faith is shaken by a tragedy in the community, Sheldon becomes an unlikely ally.

Mom - "Go-Go Boots and a Butt Cushion" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Christy decides she doesn’t need Gambler’s Anonymous anymore, Bonnie vehemently disagrees.

Murphy Brown - "I (Don’t) Heart Huckabee" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
After decades of being banned, Murphy and the team devise an elaborate ruse to sneak her into a White House press briefing. Also, Phyllis hires an enthusiastic college “Dreamer,” Miguel (Adan Rocha), to help out at the bar.

Superstore - "Back to School" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
On their first day back from suspension, Amy (America Ferrera) and Jonah (Ben Feldman) steel themselves for a barrage of jokes and snide comments about their sex video, while Jeff (guest star Michael Bunin) goes to extreme lengths to win back Mateo (Nico Santos).

The Good Place - "The Brainy Bunch" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Michael's grand scheme hits an unexpected snag and forces him to take drastic measures.

Will & Grace - "The West Side Curmudgeon" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Grace's (Debra Messing) accidental run-in with Noah (guest star David Schwimmer), a curmudgeonly man she follows on Twitter, hints at a possible new love interest. Jack (Sean Hayes) wants to look younger before meeting Estefan's (guest star Brian Jordan Alvarez) family on Skype but makes a terrible first impression after overdoing the numbing cream before his facial procedure. Meanwhile, Will (Eric McCormack) helps Karen (Megan Mullally) protect the intellectual property rights of her most prized possession.

I Feel Bad - "I Lie to My Kids" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Emet tells a lie about her son Louie's accomplishments to make her life run more smoothly, it ends up working a little too well... setting up a chain of events that dig her in too deep to come clean.

Friday, October 5

Fresh Off the Boat - "Fresh Off the RV" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
While Honey and Marvin celebrate the birth of their baby, Jessica’s book is finally released, and she’s optimistically looking forward to a book store reading that’s been set up by her publisher to help boost sales. Louis is so excited to promote the book across the country that he buys an RV from Los Angeles Lakers great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who owns an RV dealership which is managed by underappreciated Calvin (Jaleel White, “Family Matters”). Meanwhile, Emery and Evan are concerned about Eddie after Nicole tells him that she’s moving to New York, and he seems completely unfazed about losing his best friend.

Speechless - "L-O-N-- LONDON (Part 1)" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The DiMeos cross the pond so Maya can ask her estranged father, the challenging Martin, for a loan to save their house. Meanwhile, Jimmy puts on his “fun dad” hat to ensure JJ has a great trip, Ray digs deep to summon Californian vibes to endear himself to British girls, and Kenneth reveals a love for all things royal.

Last Man Standing - "Man vs. Myth" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mike finally has the heart-to-heart with Bud that he never had while he was alive.

The Cool Kids - "Margaret Turns 65" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Hank, Sid and Charlie insist on taking Margaret out to the local club to celebrate her birthday.

Raven's Home - "Sleevemore Part Three: Future" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
While preparing for the vision transfer procedure, Booker learns that Jasmine stole the visions from Nia.

Saturday, October 6

Henry Danger - "Up the Stairs!" (Nickelodeon, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A boy procures a job as sidekick-in-training to a super-crimefighter.

Knight Squad - "Fight for Your Knight to Party" (Nickelodeon, 8:30PM ET/PT)
At a magical school for knights in training, two mismatched students form an unlikely alliance to protect each other's secret and pursue their dreams.

Sunday, October 7

The Simpsons - "Heartbreak Hotel" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Marge and Homer's marriage is tested when they travel to a tropical island to compete on Marge's favorite reality competition show.

Family Guy - "Dead Dog Walking" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Brian's marriage to Jess is not what he envisioned; at Peter's suggestion, Brian lets himself go, causing Jess to make a surprising decision.

Rel - "Kids First Visit" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Rel's kids come to visit for the first time since the split, he, Dad, Nat and Jess bring the kids to a Family Fun Center in Chicago.

Complete TV Listings

Saturday, September 29, 2018

SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Gives Presentation Order to Animated Alaska Comedy; Time-Life Brings Lucille Ball Collection to DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We've gone through the first week of the fall season (and getting reactions to some of the new series), and we're already hearing what may be coming in the 2019-2020 season. Also, we're hearing of a new Lucille Ball DVD collection from Time-Life and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

The Great North, an animated sitcom from some of the same people behind Bob's Burgers and featuring voices such as Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Meg Mullaly, Will Forte, and others, has been given a presentation order from Fox. (Deadline)
The season premiere of Murphy Brown included a surprise cameo by Hillary Clinton, and there is word that another surprise cameo from somebody else is to come as well. (Deadline)
Last Man Standing did rather well in ratings when it debuted on Fox last night. (TVLine)
With Bill Cosby now in prison, words that we never imagined we'd be seeing, one journalist has gone back to watch the pilot episode of The Cosby Show and given his thoughts of watching it with this new image of Cosby. (Washington Post)
With Julie Chen gone from The Talk, the show needs a new co-host. Could Rosie O'Donnell be the one? (TVLine)
Fox has already ordered an animated comedy for the 2019-2020 season, with Bless the Harts. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Time-Life has pulled off a surprise release this week with Lucy: The Ultimate Collection, which features selected episodes (though not a complete series of any of them) of I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and even Life with Lucy.
Warner Archive has more Alice on the way, with Alice - The Complete Eighth Season arriving on October 23.

HOME MEDIA RELEASES (OCTOBER 2)

The Beverly Hillbillies - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $29.98): It has been a long and bumpy ride to getting this series out on DVD, but the Clampetts return with the fifth season of the series in this DVD release.

WEEKLY PLANNER (SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 4)

The season premiere of Saturday Night Live, with Adam Driver and Kanye West (and probably Alec Baldwin and somebody playing Brett Kavanaugh, we're willing to bet), will air tonight.
Decades is airing My Three Sons all weekend long.
The Fox Sunday night lineup returns on Sunday, with new episodes of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and the second episode of Rel.
The Neighborhood and Happy Together debut Monday on CBS.
Thursday night marks the return of NBC's sitcoms, with Superstore, The Good Place, Will & Grace, and I Feel Bad.
ABC brings back TGIF... sort of... on Friday, with the season premiere of Fresh Off the Boat and Speechless.

Friday, September 28, 2018

Fri-Yay: Returning Sitcoms This Fall; CBS Fall Pilot Review: The Neighborhood - Premieres Monday (Oct. 1); Fox Fall Pilot Preview: The Cool Kids - Premieres Tonight (Sept. 28)

by Vincent

This week officially kicks off the TV season. A few weeks ago, I took a look at some of the new sitcoms and offered what I'm looking out for in them. However, to be honest, I'm far more interested in returning sitcoms this year. There are a lot of really strong sitcoms on network TV right now, and some others that aren't quite there but show some promise, and I'm really interested to see how everything shapes out as the new season takes form.

The network that I'll be most tuned to is NBC, which sees new seasons of Superstore and The Good Place (which premiered last night). These are my two favorite sitcoms on network TV right now, and two of my favorite shows on TV period. Their previous seasons were extraordinary, and I'm really hoping they keep up the high quality in their upcoming seasons. Both shows ended their last seasons in ways that have left me in baited breath waiting to see what comes next. I'm super pumped for these shows. Also on NBC is Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is slated for the fall - of course, the show famously was cancelled by Fox and was resurrected by NBC last spring. The show fits really well with network mates Superstore and The Good Place, and I can't wait to see on a network that it always sort of felt like it should be on. (It's produced by NBCUniversal, so NBC has always had a stake in it.)

Around the rest of the networks, ABC continues to have a solid comedy line-up with shows like The Goldbergs, black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat continuing to plug along with consistently solid episodes. These are always good "comfort" TV shows, and with the departure of The Middle, they'll be serving as a continuation of ABC's strong comedy fort. Even if The Connors doesn't work out, ABC has a really solid bedrock of family comedy to rely on. CBS also has consistently solid shows like Mom and Life in Pieces to look forward to, and although Big Bang Theory has never exactly been my cup of tea, the excitement of the show's final season will definitely be felt. Over on Fox, things are looking pretty desolate comedy-wise - the network wiped its live action slate clean last season. The only returning sitcom is Last Man Standing, which of course, was resurrected after ABC cancelled it over a year ago. I am, however, looking forward to Bob's Burgers 9th season, which is slowing no signs of dropping off in quality and remains delightfully sweet and funny.

So even if the new slate disappoints, there will be enough great sitcoms on TV every week from our returning slate to make it worthwhile. Let's hope these shows continue to impress!

The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood - Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Monday, October 1, 2018 at 8:00PM ET/PT

by Skees

Welcome to The Neighborhood! One of the newest series on the CBS lineup this fall follows Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield) as he moves his family from Michigan to Los Angeles. But there is something different about this neighborhood compared to his one back home. The Johnsons are the only white family in the all black neighborhood. Much like a throwback to the fish-out-of-water sitcoms of past eras, The Neighborhood follows the Johnsons and their next-door neighbors, the Butlers, as they make the best of the new situation.

Cast Details:

Max Greenfield as Dave Johnson
Cedric the Entertainer as Calvin Butler
Beth Behrs as Gemma Johnson
Tichina Arnold as Tina Butler
Sheaun McKinney as Malcolm Butler
Marcel Spears as Marty Butler
Hank Greenspan as Grover Johnson

Max Greenfield (Dave Johnson) has appeared in recurring roles in Veronica Mars and Ugly Betty, but most recently, he appeared in the Fox series New Girl.

Cedric the Entertainer (Calvin Butler) is best known for his standup comedy work, and has starred in series such as The Steve Harvey Show and most recently The Soul Man. Additionally, he served as host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? for one season.

Beth Behrs (Gemma Johnson) is best known for her role of Caroline Channing on 2 Broke Girls. She has had guest appearances in The Big Bang Theory, Castle, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Tichina Arnold (Tina Butler) began her career as a child actor, and had starring roles in both Martin and Everybody Hates Chris. Most recently, she has appeared in Happily Divorced and Survivor's Remorse.

Sheaun McKinney (Malcom Butler) is known for his roles in Great News and Vice Principals.

Marcel Spears (Marty Butler) is a relative newcomer to TV, but he appeared last season in The Mayor.

Hank Greenspan (Grover Johnson) is another newcomer to acting, but appeared in two episodes of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs October 1 at 8:00PM ET)

The Johnson family has moved from Michigan to Los Angeles and found the nicest house that they can afford, but there is something different about their new neighborhood: they're the only white people in the neighborhood. The next-door neighbors, the Butlers, invite the Johnsons over for a cookout, so what could go wrong?

"Welcome to the Repipe" (Airs October 8 at 8:00PM ET)

A leak at the Johnson family home brings neighbors together for a weekend of repair; meanwhile, during repairs, Gemma goes to take a shower at Tina's house, and discovers something she wasn't expecting to find: wigs.

"Welcome to the Spare Key" (Airs October 15 at 8:00PM ET)

Dave gives Calvin a spare key to his home just in case of emergency, and is disappointed when Calvin doesn't give one back to him. Eventually, Calvin does reciprocate... or so it seems.

"Welcome to the Housewarming Party" (Airs October 22 at 8:00PM ET)

The Johnsons are having a housewarming party and everybody in the Butler family is coming. Well, except for one person, and Dave has had just about enough rejection.

Analysis:

This was definitely one of the series of the new season that I was looking forward to, and I'm pleased to say that upon watching the pilot, I'm satisfied with what I saw. It has all of the pieces that a successful sitcom needs: a quality cast, decent writing, and a plot that is actually entertaining to watch. On top of all of that, it has some pretty funny moments. I often lament when watching pilots of other series that the pilot often tends to drag on and spends way too much time explaining the character and situation without much of an entertaining story. This pilot, however, was actually interesting to watch and a good episode. That always helps a series get off to a good start.

Clearly, this is a typical sitcom format in that it is a fish out of water sitcom, with the emphasis being on somebody of a different race moving into the neighborhood. It's been done before, with sitcoms like The Jeffersons, The Hughleys, and most recently black-ish probably being the two most prominent examples. However, this series takes the whole concept and reverses it, with a white family moving into a black neighborhood. It's a fresh idea, which is hard to come by in any sitcom these days, particularly in this current era of "reboot everything."

It's also interesting to see CBS take on a sitcom that deals with racial issues. Of course, there was a time when CBS was the one that was taking on tons of series that dealt with racial issues back in the Norman Lear era, but lately, CBS has not been known for having any sitcoms with a black cast. It'll be interesting to see how this series progresses and if it keeps the issues simple or decides to tackle more complex and controversial racial issues. It almost gets there in the fourth episode, but not fully. I have a feeling it'll keep things more light-hearted and humorous since it is a traditional sitcom, and that may be the best approach for this particular series.

One thing that I wonder about with this series going forward is if it is actually going to be about people in the neighborhood, or just these two families. It probably does make the storylines simpler and easier to follow by having an emphasis on just these two families, but in the episodes that I saw, the only other people in the neighborhood that were featured seemed to be like cardboard background characters. It would be nice to have at least some other neighbors as recurring characters at minimum. A lot of other series that dealt with neighborhood dynamics like this in TV history (like the Norman Lear sitcoms) often focused on one or sometimes two neighbors, but at least had a few other neighbors that appeared on a recurring basis that fans of the series sort of knew. It would also be interesting to see other characters, such as the often mention (but never seen) grandmother who has some pretty strong opinions in her text messages to Grover about where the family is living.

Conclusion:

This is a good show that has some potential. I doubt it will be the big "breakout hit" of the new season or anything like that, but I certainly don't think it is going to be one of those series that gets cancelled in a few weeks. The biggest challenge that this series might... and only might... have is finding an audience on a network that doesn't feature a lot of sitcoms similar to this one. However, to be fair, no other network has any sitcoms quite like this either, so it probably doesn't fit in any better or worse on CBS than it would elsewhere. I really do hope that this sitcom succeeds, and it'll be something that I'll be watching every week for as long as it stays.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

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

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, October 1, 2018 at 8:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

The Neighborhood Photo Gallery

Preview:

The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids - Fridays at 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Friday, September 28, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT

From executive producer Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and starring Tony Award nominee David Alan Grier (The Carmichael Show, In Living Color), Emmy Award nominee Martin Mull (Veep, Roseanne), Emmy Award winner Vicki Lawrence (Mama’s Family, The Carol Burnett Show) and Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan (Will and Grace, American Horror Story), The Cool Kids is a multi-camera comedy about a rowdy, rag-tag group of friends living in a retirement community who are willing to break every rule in order to have fun – because, at their age, what do they really have to lose?

Fox Official Site