Friday, February 16, 2018
Fri-Yay: Is the Era of the "Sadcom" Over?; TBS Lands Pilot from Emmy Winner
by Vincent
You've probably heard the term "sadcom" before. From about 2014 through 2017, it was all of the rage in television comedy - shows that were comedies, and often very funny, but dealt with some dark, depressing topics, and at times seemed to be just as sad as they were humorous. These shows didn't sugarcoat their characters' misery, which earned them the title of "sadcom." The most obvious examples are shows like You're the Worst or Bojack Horseman, comedies that deal head-on with the topic of mental illness. But you could say that a huge slew of TV comedies from the past few years fall into this category - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Mom, even wacky shows like Review can fall into this territory. These shows are very funny, but certainly aren't afraid to get dark when they want to.
However, over the past year or so, I've noticed a resurgence of bright, happy shows that still deal with serious topics, but still do their best to impose a sense of warmth and empathy even in their darkest moments. The best examples of this are some of my favorite shows on television, One Day at a Time, The Good Place and Superstore. These three shows may seem incredibly different from one another, but they all share in common the fact that they go to some sad places, but still make it clear that their characters truly love each other and are there for each other, no matter how bad things get - whether it be the tight-knit Alvarez family on One Day at a Time, the "core four" of The Good Place, and the makeshift family of Cloud 9 in Superstore, these are shows about people who care about each other very much, even if they're going through some pretty rough stuff much of the time. Even when these shows get dark, there's still a warm, comforting aura to them - and as much as I love some of the "sadcoms" that have come out over the past five years, sometimes it's nice to be in a world where even when things get bad, everything winds up being okay.
On the heels of her Emmy(R) win for Best Comedy Writing and the launch of her series The Chi, TBS has picked up writer and Master of None star Lena Waithe's project Twenties to pilot. Twenties is a single-camera comedy that follows the adventures of a queer black girl, Hattie, and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking shit and chasing their dreams. It's a show about friendship, finding love, and messing everything up along the way. Twenties is created, written, and executive produced by Waithe through her production company Hillman Grad Productions and executive produced by Andrew Coles, her manager, for The Mission Entertainment.
TBS, now the #1 comedy network with 3 of the top 5 new cable comedies to date, continues to attract fresh, award-winning talent with new shows The Last O.G. premiering on April 3rd starring Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish, and Miracle Workers starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, July 11
Young Sheldon - "A Frankenstein’s Monster and a Crazy Church Guy" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sheldon helps his roommate try to beat the stock market, Missy and Billy Sparks throw a party, and Mary finds a new church.
Ghosts - "The Perfect Assistant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam and Jay are thrilled when they find a highly qualified assistant for the B&B – however, their new employee comes with some surprising baggage. Also, Thorfinn tries to help his son, Bjorn, deal with a bully.
The Conners - "Stuck in the Middle and Stuck in the Past" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene and Ben get into a fight and ignore Becky's boundaries in the house; Dan accuses Jackie of losing all of their home videos.
The Conners - "New Pipes and Old Secrets" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene has issues with Dan's plumbing work in her new house; Jackie tries to find a caregiver for Bev.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 8)
Thursday, July 11
- Kumail Nanjiani (Only Murders in the Building/Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Catch Paul on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kevin Jonas (Jonas) - Kevin appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Bette Midler (Bette) - Bette talks about The Fabulous Four on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Jimmy Tatro (Home Economics) - Jimmy appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season / The Complete Series
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
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