SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

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.

CBS announced finale dates, return dates and special event broadcasts for the remainder of the season, including the returns of Mike & Molly, Person of Interest and Undercover Boss, and three The Price is Right primetime specials. Sunday, May 8 is a full night of finales, beginning with the season finale of Madam Secretary at 8:00PM ET/PT, the series finale of The Good Wife at 9:00PM ET/PT and the season finale of Elementary at 10:00PM ET/PT. Mike & Molly returns Monday, April 25 at 8:00PM ET/PT and will then have new back-to-back episodes on Monday, May 2, Monday, May 9 and Monday, May 16 from 8:00-9:00PM ET/PT each night. The fifth season of Person of Interest returns with two weekly episodes on Tuesdays and Mondays at 10:00PM ET/PT, each night, effective Tuesday, May 3 and Monday, May 9. The Odd Couple expands to two nights a week with a new Monday broadcast beginning May 2 at 9:30 PM ET/PT, in addition to its regularly scheduled Thursday at 8:30PM ET/PT airing. Undercover Boss returns to the schedule Sunday, May 15 at 9:00PM ET/PT. The Price is Right will have three one-hour reality show-themed primetime specials, on Monday, May 23 (Survivor), Tuesday, May 24 (Big Brother), and Wednesday, May 25 (The Amazing Race) at 8:00 PM ET/PT each night.

Moving on to summer, CBS announced its summer schedule with original series across five nights of the week, including the new event series Braindead and American Gothic, the sophomore season of Zoo and the return of the summer reality hit Big Brother. First up, Braindead, premieres Monday, June 13 at 10:00PM ET/PT. The event series is a comic-thriller set in the world of Washington, D.C. politics that follows Laurel (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a young, fresh-faced Hill staffer who discovers two things: the government has stopped working, and bugs are eating the brains of Congress members and Hill staffers. Big Brother will once again have three weekly episodes. It debuts with a special two-hour premiere, on Wednesday, June 22 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, followed by the Thursday broadcast on June 23 at 9:00PM ET/PT, Sunday's installment on June 26 at 8:00PM ET/PT and its regular Wednesday time period on June 29 at 8:00 PM ET/PT). The suspenseful new murder mystery American Gothic premieres Wednesday, June 22 at 10:00 PM ET/PT. The series, from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, is about a prominent Boston family reeling in the wake of the chilling discovery that someone in their midst is linked to an infamous string of murders. As shocking secrets from the past and present are revealed, their mounting suspicion and paranoia that one of them is a killer threatens to tear the family apart. And finally, Zoo returns for its second season with a special two-hour premiere, Tuesday, June 28 from 9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT before moving to its regular Tuesday at 9:00 PM, ET/PT time period July 5.
View the full CBS dates for finales, returns, and summer premieres.


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of March 21-25, 2016, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Monday, March 21, 2016

• Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Watch Chelsea on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Zosia Mamet (Girls/United States of Tara) - Zosia appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Sutton Foster (Younger) - Sutton is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She will also be on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
• Miranda Cosgrove (Crowded/iCarly) - Miranda drops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Jurnee Smollett-Bell (On Our Own/Full House) - Jurnee visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny stops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. She will also be on People Now.
• Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia talks about My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Malin Akerman (Sin City Saints/Trophy Wife) - Malin guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Ariel Winter (Modern Family) - Ariel drops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Debi Mazar (Younger/Entourage/Working) - Debi is a guest on a repeat of The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Greg Poehler (You Me Her/Welcome to Sweden) - Greg talks about AT&T Network's You Me Her on NBC's Today in the 9am hour. Greg, Rachel Blanchard, Priscilla Faia and showrunner John Scott Shepherd discuss the series on the AOL Build Show at 2pm.
• Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally whips up a delicious Pea Pesto & Potatoes with Mario Batali on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Martha Plimpton (The Real O'Neals/Raising Hope) - Martha will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

• Don Cheadle (House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Catch Don on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about Miles Ahead on NBC's Today someitme between 7-9am.
• Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She teams with fellow Greek Michael Symon to make a favorite meal on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Will Arnett (Arrested Development/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Will is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Amanda Peet (Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Lamorne Morris (New Girl) - Lamorne visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy talks about Mr. Selfridge on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael (check your listings), on HuffPost Live at 12pm and the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
• Jane Krakowski (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane chats about the Broadway production She Loves Me on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• William Shatner ($#*! My Dad Says) - William appears on a repeat of The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Zachary talks about the Broadway production She Loves Me on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) - Barbara talks about On the Magic Carpet with Barbara Eden on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/Clarissa Explains It All) - Melissa talks about God's Not Dead 2 on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Sutton Foster (Younger) - Sutton talks about Younger on People Now.
• Lori Loughlin (Fuller House/Full House) - Lori talks about Fuller House on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Soleil is a guest on People Now.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

• Jon Bernthal (The Class) - Watch Jon on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. She also talks about Girls on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Don Cheadle (House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don sits in with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Will Arnett (Arrested Development/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Will appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Max Greenfield (New Girl/Modern Men) - Max is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Louie Anderson (Baskets/The Louie Show/Life with Louie) - Louie appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC and The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Tony Hale (Veep/Arrested Development) - Tony visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) - Melissa stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy talks about Mr. Selfridge on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny is a guest on People Now.
• Christopher Meloni (Surviving Jack/The Fanelli Boys) - Christopher discusses his new series Underground on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Peter Krause (Sports Night/Cybill) - Peter will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am, on HuffPost Live at 11am and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Tori Spelling (Mystery Girls) - Tori is a guest on People Now.
• Sutton Foster (Younger) - Sutton appears on People Now.
• Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show) - Jerrod is a guest on Tavis Smiley on PBS, so check your local listings.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

• Peter Krause (Sports Night/Cybill) - Catch Peter on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. Clinton Kelly cooks with Peter on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Zoe Lister-Jones (Life in Pieces/Friends with Better Lives/Whitney) - Zoe visits The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Malin Akerman (Sin City Saints/Trophy Wife) - Malin appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) - Melissa drops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Rashida Jones (Angie Tribeca/Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Rashida visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia stops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. She will also be on the AOL Build Show at 12pm and HuffPost Live at 1pm.
• Don Cheadle (House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don discusses the film Miles Ahead on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael (check your listings) and on the AOL Build Show at 11am.
• Emeril Lagasse (Emeril) - Emeril serves up tons of new favorite recipes on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly and her husband Rodney talk about For Peete's Sake on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT and on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Laine Kazan (My Big Fat Greek Life/The Nanny/Karen's Song) - Laine talks about My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage/Ellen) - Jeremy discusses Mr. Selfridge on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Debra Messing (Will & Grace) - Debra is a guest on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke is a guest on Essence Live.
• Louie Anderson (Baskets/The Louie Show/Life with Louie) - Louie appears on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.

Friday, March 25, 2016

• Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Watch Gabourey on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Hayes MacArthur (Angie Tribeca/Go On/Perfect Couples) - Hayes is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show/Malcolm & Eddie) - Malcolm-Jamal appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Jake Lacy (Better with You/The Office) - Jake is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) - Peter is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil appears on a repeat of The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Bradley Whitford (Trophy Wife) - Bradley talks about I Saw the Light on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly shares details about her new series For Peete's Sake on People Now.
• David Alan Grier (The Carmichael Show/Less Than Perfect/DAG) - David is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia appears on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

March Madness starts today and BUZZR wants in the game! The network is home to the most iconic game show hosts in history, and to celebrate March Madness they will be holding their own tournament of champions – BUZZR Brackets. Highlighting the most recognizable and cherished game show hosts throughout history, BUZZR talent has the uncanny ability to make deals, wrangle unruly celebrities and create catch phrases that become part of the American lexicon – "Survey Says!" Beginning Tuesday, March 22, viewers will have the opportunity to cheer on the top 16 BUZZR game show hosts as they go head-to-head in the BUZZR Brackets tournament. Who's got better game? Can Joe Garagiola's contagious laugh triumph over Monty Hall's matchmaking? Viewers can head to BUZZR's website to download their very own BUZZR Bracket and set their picks.

The tournament line-up includes:
· Let's Make A Deal – Monty Hall
· He Said, She Said – Joe Garagiola
· Password Plus – Allen Ludden
· Super Password – Bert Convy and special guest host Pat Sajak
· Tattletales – Bob Barker
· Card Sharks – Jim Perry, Bob Eubanks
· Family Feud – Richard Dawson, Ray Combs
· Match Game – Gene Rayburn
· Press Your Luck – Peter Tomarken
· Body Language – Tom Kennedy
· Now You See It – Jack Narz
· Double Dare – Alex Trebek
· Blockbusters – Bill Cullen

The tournament tips off at 8:00pm ET on Tuesday, March 22 with continued coverage each weeknight. The competition wraps up when the two final hosts battle it out on Sunday, April 3 at 8:00pm ET. Leading up to the finals, BUZZR will host a 14-hour marathon beginning at 6:00am ET on Sunday, April 3, recapping the various match-ups throughout the week. Which host will make it to the championship, and who will witness an upset? Tune in to find out!

Dating a murderous psychopath and figuring out what to wear to your best friend's suicide are typical teen problems for Veronica Sawyer. With a pilot script order for Heathers, TV Land is digging into the pitch-black comedy for their first anthology series, based on the cult classic film. Set in the present day, our heroine will be dealing with a very different but equally vicious group of Heathers. The script is written by Jason Micallef (Butter), and Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi will executive produce for Lakeshore Entertainment. The pilot script order for Heathers comes on the heels of several development announcements TV Land made at their upfront presentation on March 3, including an untitled put pilot based on the life of Kyle Richards (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) with Emmy®-winning executive producers John Wells (ER, The West Wing) and John Riggi (30 Rock, Will & Grace), and a pilot order for an adaptation of hit film The First Wives Club, to be written by Rebecca Addelman (New Girl) and executive produced by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City). The network also renewed Teachers for a 20-episode second season and struck an overall development deal with Darren Star, the creator of the critically-acclaimed show Younger, which has its second season finale on Wednesday, March 23 at 10pm ET/PT. And of course Lopez starring George Lopez premieres on March 30.

Three fan favorite child stars of the '90s - Jodie Sweetin (Full House, Fuller House), Christine Lakin (Step By Step) and Beverley Mitchell (7th Heaven) have signed on to star in Hollywood Darlings, a new unscripted docu-comedy series on Pop. Christine Lakin, of course, is a friend of this very website, as we have interviewed her on multiple occasions. The network ordered eight half-hour episodes, which will follow three lifelong friends who grew up together in "the business," became household names, and now take on even bigger roles as moms, wives and businesswomen. Their social circles include other celebrities, who will make special appearances throughout the series. There is no airdate set just yet for the series, but it could be Fall 2016 or early 2017. Stay with us as soon as we know!

Actor Matthew Perry (Friends, The Odd Couple) will star as Ted Kennedy in The Kennedys - After Camelot, the follow up to the award winning The Kennedys. The new four-hour miniseries is based on the New York Times best seller, "After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family 1968 to the Present" by best-selling author and biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli and will premiere on REELZ in spring 2017. Perry will also serve as an executive producer. Matthew Perry portrays Ted Kennedy in the years following the assassinations of his brothers Jack and Bobby and depicts his very complicated public and private life as he tries to live up to the Kennedy family political ambition and fill a male leadership void in the family itself. Perry joins Katie Holmes, portraying Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who despite her desire for privacy had arguably become the most famous and admired woman in the world. Jackie's ties to the Kennedy family remained strong throughout her life and her relationship with her brother-in-law Ted grew ever closer as they constantly turned to one another for support and as confidantes.

Perry is currently starring on stage in London's West End in The End of Longing, a play which is his playwriting debut. The second season of the CBS comedy, The Odd Couple, in which Perry stars and serves as executive producer, premieres April 7. The Kennedys - After Camelot project was brought to Muse Entertainment by Keri Selig of Intuition Productions (The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe) who serves as an executive producer. Jon Cassar (The Kennedys) and Katie Holmes are directing from scripts by Stephen Kronish (The Kennedys) and Sandra Chwialkowska (Lost Girl). Holmes also serves as an executive producer. The Kennedys - After Camelot is filming in Toronto, Canada this spring.

The MeTV Network thanks you for helping them seed the 64 television shows in their annual tournament bracket. Now the true madness begins. Classic series are going head to head in Round One to determine MeTV's most memorable series. What match-ups! Laverne & Shirley vs. Taxi, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. vs. Rawhide, Mama's Family vs. Perry Mason and 29 more battles! Who will win? You decide! Winners from each round will advance until the champion is crowned. Who will take it all...Happy Days? The Brady Bunch or will Mama trump them all? On Friday, April 1, MeTV will air the champion TV show at 9PM|8C. Play now! And come on back tomorrow for another TV network also getting in on the March madness bracket game.

NBC has announced a series order for Maya and Marty in Manhattan, an hourlong live variety show starring Saturday Night Live veteran Maya Rudolph and comedy legend Martin Short. Lorne Michaels will executive produce. Kenan Thompson, who has been a cast member on Saturday Night Live for 13 seasons, will also star on the show, which will be aired live each week from NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York. The series will premiere Tuesday, May 31 at 10pm, immediately following the two-hour premiere of summer's #1 reality series, America's Got Talent.

The series will feature sketches that spoof current events, celebrities and topical trends, as well as musical performances. Among comedy circles, Rudolph and Short are considered two of the best sketch performers in the business and this collaboration will create a comedy one-two punch unlike any other on television.

Crowded - Sundays at 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Special Premiere Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT, then Sunday, March 20 at 9:30PM ET/PT

by Vincent

Crowded is a timely comedy that proves life is crazy with a full house, especially the second time around. After 20 years of parenting, empty nesters Mike and Martina are finally reclaiming their wild side. But when both of their two grown unexpectedly move back in and Mike's parents scratch their plans to spend their golden years in Florida, their roost is full again.

Cast Details:

Miranda Cosgrove as Shea Moore
Carrie Preston as Martina Moore
Stacy Keach as Bob Moore
Carlease Burke as Alice Moore
Mia Serafino as Stella Moore
Patrick Warburton as Mike Moore

Miranda Cosgrove (Shea) is an actress and singer best known for her work in Nickelodeon sitcoms Drake & Josh and iCarly. She has also appeared on Smallville, Grounded for Life, and The Good Wife, and the hit comedy film School of Rock.

Carrie Preston (Martina) is an actress known for her roles on the hit shows True Blood and Person of Interest, opposite husband Michael Emerson. She has also appeared on Getting On, The Good Wife, The Following, and Royal Pains.

Stacy Keach (Bob) is a comic actor known for his role on the popular SiriusXM radio show The Opie and Anthony Show. He also has a long and distinguished career in television and film, including roles in shows such as Titus, ER, Prison Break, and 30 Rock.

Carlease Burke (Alice) is an actress known for her roles in shows such as Key & Peele, Dads, NCIS, and Switched at Birth.

Mia Serafino (Stella) is an actress who has appeared on shows such as Shameless, NCIS: Los Angeles, Undateable, and Scorpion.

Patrick Warburton (Mike) is known for his role as David Puddy on Seinfeld, and other sitcoms like The Tick, Rules of Engagement, NewsRadio and Less than Perfect. He has also done extensive voice work on animated shows such as Family Guy, Archer, and The Venture Brothers.

Pilot Plot:

We have watched the first two episodes for review and also another episode airing later in the season.

"Pilot" (Airs Tuesday, March 15 at 10:00PM ET)

Like millions of millennials, Mike and Martina's two daughters back home after college and they all have to deal with the new reality.

"Present Tense" (Airs Tuesday, March 15 at 10:30PM ET)

Mike and Martina haven't had sex since the girls moved back in and they're not sure why. Each tries to spice things up in their own way. Meanwhile, Stella coaches Shea on how to snag boys with a dating app.

"Daughter" (tentatively Airs Sunday, May 8 at 9:30PM ET)

TBD

Analysis:

It's no secret that, creatively speaking, the multi-camera sitcom has fallen upon some hard times. For much of the 2000s and early 2010s, the format was marred by lazy writing, an over-reliance on clichés, and a warmed over feeling that paled in comparison to the creatively exciting single-cams dominating the airwaves at the time. But over the past few years, the multi-cam sitcom has been experiencing a quiet quality renaissance. The Carmichael Show (Crowded's timeslot companion) has used the format to throwback to its golden age, focusing on strong characters and a deft understanding of political issues not unlike classic Norman Lear sitcoms. And Mom on CBS has shed its initial Two and a Half Men-esque vibe and become a surprisingly strong character study of what it's like to live in a world when you're recovering from an addiction. With these shows, it seems reasonable to ask: could there be a renaissance of respect for the old multi-camera sitcom? Unfortunately, Crowded, despite a promising cast, is a multi-cam that doesn't seem interested in that renaissance. As a mostly generic bore that relies on tired clichés and obvious punchlines for its humor, it's an unwelcome reminder of how the multi-camera sitcom has fallen so hard from grace over the past 15 years. Crowded's entire premise basically comes down to "millennials are living with their parents because they're lazy and their parents babied them," which is a narrative that has been trite and outdated pretty much from the moment it began circulating. Of course, a show can overcome a bad premise if the writing and characters are strong enough to hold up the fort – all you need to do is look at a show like Cougar Town or New Girl to see how a questionable premise can turn into a great show if all of the other elements are there.

But Crowded's characters never manage to feel like anything more than archetypes. The girls, despite valiant efforts by Cosgrove and Serafino, have exactly one joke to their personas and, in the three episodes I watched, never manage to gain any other traits that make them feel like actual human beings rather than just ideas. The parents fare a little better, but they're still not much more than exactly what you would expect a married couple on this kind of show to be – did you guess that the mother is the rock of the family who struggles to keep it together? You're right! Did you guess that the father tries to bury his emotions and just wants to act manly and have sex with his wife? You got it again! It doesn't speak much to the show when a guest character played by Betty White is the only character I ever had any desire to learn more about. (White is basically playing the stereotypical 'grandma who says things a grandma shouldn't' role she's been playing non-stop for the past ten years, but she plays it well, and she actually gets a little more shading in her one episode than any of the main cast got in three.) If the show has one thing going for it, it's that by the third episode I watched, there were some actual strong punchlines that got some chuckles out of me. Unfortunately, an occasional funny line is not really enough to save a show that's otherwise a generic disaster all-around. I don't see much hope in Crowded, which is a shame because the cast is strong and the joke writing isn't even so bad. But it's going to take a lot of work to get this to be anything more than another multi-camera sitcom that totally misses the mark.

Conclusion:

Crowded is a trite, boring sitcom that feels mass-produced from the same soulless entity that has given us so many painfully bad multi-camera sitcoms over the past 15 years. The format has proven recently that it has some life left in it, demonstrated by the show that airs just a half-hour before this one on the same network. But Crowded, with its lazy premise, paper-thin characters and inconsistent writing, is more of a sign of what the format is trying to leave behind than where it's (hopefully) headed. It would be nice if Crowded could figure itself out, because the jokes are sometimes there and it's got an all-around solid cast, but given how painfully it started out, I don't hold out a lot of hope that it'll get better.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 2/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 at 10:00PM & 10:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Crowded Photo Gallery

Preview:

The CW has picked up and renewed many of the current batch of programming. Returning in 2016-17 are: Arrow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, iZombie, Jane The Virgin, The Originals, Reign, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries and The 100. They will continue their strategy of more proven original series year-round, including Fall 2016, midseason 2017 and summer 2017. Specific premiere dates for each series will be announced at a later time. The CW still hasn't given a status on last summer's comedy Significant Mother starring Krista Allen. New series Containment will premiere April 19 and the final season of Beauty & the Beast starts June 2.

2015-16 Week 25 TV Ratings (first four nights Mon-Thu, LIVE+SD):