Yesterday, the one and only announced of Saturday Night Live, Don Pardo, passed away at the age of 96.
It really won’t be the same on SNL when we won’t hear the magnificent voice of Pardo calling out the names for an episode.
Here are SNL cast members offering their thoughts on his passing.
(via Entertainment Weekly)
In the midst of all of the awards dedicated to entertainment on a screen, Entertainment Weekly has put forth their own EWwy Awards based on votes from their readers on what’s best on their TVs.
So, Parks and Recreation took Best Comedy Series, Best Actor [Adam Scott], Best Supporting Actor [Nick Offerman] while Drunk History took Best Variety Series. Of course, perennial award winner Modern Family had to sneak in a win as well with Best Guest Actress [Elizabeth Banks].
In the upcoming coverage of soccer/football by NBC, Jason Sudeikis is reprising his role as Coach Ted Lasso who somehow gets to coach soccer without knowing much beyond the fact that there is flopping involved.
So, there will be plenty of fun ads like this one.
(via Deadline)
A sitcom centered bringing Bill Cosby back to NBC has been in negotiations for months now, but a deal between NBC and Sony TV has now the project apparently set on track currently with a script commitment.
Cosby will be the patriarch of an extended family and pass down his wisdom to them, one of which will be Mike O’Malley. There’s a big penalty for NBC to pay if they don’t order a pilot, but that possibility is hard to imagine even though TV is a different landscape than when The Cosby Show was in its heyday.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)
Following suit by being picked up for a second season in Sweden, Welcome to Sweden has now been picked up for a second season at NBC. It’s been a good sign for some of NBC’s freshman comedies with this renewal along with NBC renewing Undateable last week.
Still, NBC’s fall comedy line-up (Bad Judge, Marry Me, Mysteries of Laura, A to Z) has yet to premiere and survive the gauntlet of their first season.
(via Deadline)
Ed Helms, Claudia Lonow, and, of course, the hilarious Joe Wengert are together developing a family comedy for NBC that will be loosely based on Wengert’s life. Called Big Kids, Wengert isn’t set to star in it, but the series will focus on a guy feeling the need to help his little sister and parents too much.
If you’re familiar with how funny Wengert is or his character Mr. Girardi, etc., you should, like us, hope this goes to series.
(via Entertainment Weekly)
After the cancellation streak NBC had several weeks ago, Undateable comes through to get a 2nd season.
So, you’ll get to see more of Brent Morin, Rick Glassman, Ron Funches (who you might remember from his Tonight Show set earlier today), and Chris D’Elia on your TV and the side of your local buses.
Being the ringleader behind Comedy Bang! Bang! and Between Two Ferns, Scott Aukerman has had his fair share of chaos to deal with.
He stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to talk on the working parts behind Comedy Bang! Bang! and the extent of planning that goes into each episode as well as what the experience was like having POTUS Barack Obama on Between Two Ferns or, as Obama initially called it, Two Ferns.
(via Deadline)
With the announcements of which pilots have been picked up for the next year well behind us, there is still hope for a handful of projects at other networks.
Jim Gaffigan’s pilot might have a chance a TV Land after going through a few rounds at CBS while Jerrod Carmichael is getting another shot at NBC. Also, Rob Lowe and Rob Riggle’s tennis comedy pilot The Pro and legal comedy Sober Companion starring Nick Frost and Justin Long are still being considered at Fox.
We’re glad to hear that all these projects are still in play and will keep our fingers crossed as long as we can in hopes that they get picked up.
(via Deadline)
The contracts of Noel Wells and John Milhiser, much like Brooks Wheelan, were not renewed for the next season of Saturday Night Live. Nasim Pedrad is also leaving for Mulaney, which is making its series premiere this Fall on Fox.
With three cast members gone and the fate of the cast member who got bumped up from staff writer, Michael Patrick O’Brien, up in the air, one has to wonder if SNL will do a large casting overhaul for next season just like they did for this season.
(via Deadline)
Following a solid showing by a one-off special, The Maya Rudolph Show is apparently in contention to go to series. It might be retooled in its structure perhaps, especially in regards to the balance between music versus comedy.
Still, it would be nice to see a fresh, new variety sketch show apart from SNL, even if Lorne Michaels is producing and many SNL alums including Rudolph herself are at the core of the show.
If this somehow gets Rudolph’s Prince tribute band Princess back on national TV, then we definitely hope this goes to series.
(via Deadline)
Bill Cosby may be returning to a multi-sitcom as soon as next year at NBC.
Coming in the summer or fall of 2015, Mike Sikowitz and Mike O’Malley along with Sony TV are set to create the show and O’Malley might be part of what’s to be an ensemble cast.
There are no details as to what sweaters Cosby would be wearing, but given his last few TV appearances, a shawl collar cardigan would be a good guess.
NBC Renews Last Comic Standing for 9th Season
Last Comic Standing did well enough in its return that NBC has decided to bring it back next summer for a ninth season. There are no details as to whether it will be different this next time from the current season, but we’ll see who the judges will be in the next few months.
Myq Kaplan has pretty much done stand up, and deservingly so, on almost every late night talk show you can do. Conan, Letterman, Ferguson, and now, Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Watch his set from last night here.
Jerrod Carmichael Comedy To Get New Pilot At NBC
While they’ve passed on his first pilot, NBC is wisely keeping Jerrod Carmichael around for another pilot. We’re glad this is happening instead of letting him go to some other network like John Mulaney.
Hopefully, in this case, the saying will go, the second time is the charm.
Marry Me with Casey Wilson and Ken Marino Premieres in October on NBC
Of the new crop of sitcoms coming this fall, one of the most promising ones seems to be David Caspe’s Marry Me starring Casey Wilson and Ken Marino.
While it’s a romantic comedy like so many of the others, it’s concept new and that cast, as you might have already surmised, is pretty damn good. Look out for the series premiere of Marry Me on Tues. Oct 14th at 9PM on NBC.
Undateable Premieres Tonight on NBC
Ron Funches, Chris D’Elia, Brent Morin, and Rick Glassman will have a network TV debut as a cast together tonight on NBC. Bill Lawrence‘s Undateable, which they all star in, premieres tonight at 9PM.
Our prediction is that there will be plenty of .gifs made from Ron Funches quotes from this show.
Last night, big stage production, dance numbers, comedy bits, sketches, singing, and more all got wrapped up in The Maya Rudolph Show. On top of good ratings, Rudolph and company showed that the old school format of a comedy variety show can work in 2014.
Watch the opening number and “small dancing” to what we’re talking about.
Even Though Community Got Cancelled, There Will Be a CommuniCon 3
NBC axed Community last week and, while that’s sad to hear, the Community faithful are still pushing forward with their fan organized convention, CommuniCon, now in its 3rd year.
Set for Oct. 25th in the Embassy Suites in Glendale, CommuniCon 3 tickets have been on sale and are already going quite fast. Undoubtedly, this should be a pretty significant edition of this convention.
Dan Harmon Explains Being in The “Eh” Column About Community Going Elsewhere
This morning, Dan Harmon, the creator of Community, gave his expanded thoughts on the cancellation of Community by NBC, not being hyped for it going off-network, and the love of his fans.
Disregard any “talks” or “rumors” about Community in place of reading this.
Jane Krakowski Joins Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Jane Krakowski joins up with Tina Fey again in her and Robert Carlock’s series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt over at NBC. Ellie Kemper is set to topline as a former cult member with Jane Krakowski playing a mother who hires her as a nanny, but we’re excited at the prospect of Fey and Krakowski having a sort-of real life version of the Lemon-Maroney dynamic they had on 30 Rock.
We’re sure there will be plenty of side-by-side memes between this and 30 Rock when we get to see a teaser, etc.
Amidst the giant row of cancellations, this trailer for Marry Me seems like it could be a diamond in the rough. With Casey WIlson and Ken Marino starring and the series from the mind of Happy Endings’ David Caspe, has potential.
Parks and Recreation 7th Season To Be Its Last
Parks and Recreation has had a great run at NBC, but the network has decided to make its upcoming 7th season the final one for Leslie Knope and co.
With both Community and Parks and Recreation out, NBC is definitely rebranding their comedy. We’ll see how that will play out with bringing in Bad Judge, Marry Me, Mission Control, A to Z, and Mysteries of Laura.
NBC Orders 3 Female Led Comedies ‘One Big Happy,’ ‘Mission Control,’ ‘Bad Judge’
Now that space is cleared out after so many shows got the chop this week, NBC has ordered 3 comedy series, all led by women. Liz Meriwether’s comedy One Big Happy focused on a lesbian starting a family, Gary Sanchez Productions’ 60’s space program workplace comedy Mission Control starring Krysten Ritter, and Bad Judge starring Kate Walsh as an edgy judge all got series orders yesterday.
We do miss Community dearly, but we are excited to see what comes from this new crop.
It shouldn’t surprise any of you, but Will Ferrell, Bill Hader, Key & Peele, Maria Bamford, Amy Poehler, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Jim Gaffigan, Parks and Recreation, This Is The End, Modern Family, and Louis C.K. all went home with last night’s American Comedy Awards.
You can watch the whole special here.