Splitsider

 

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week has some huge season and series finales in the comedy TV world that you won't want to miss! The Office is ending it's nine-season run with a 75-minute finale that will see the return of Michael Scott, while Saturday Night Live is set to air a season finale that is sure to be saying goodbye to some familiar faces. We also have season finales from How I Met Your Mother, The Mindy Project, New Girl, The Simpsons, and many more! In the late night world, Zach Galifianakis, Jim Gaffigan, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Adam Sandler, Bill Hader, Will Arnett, and a ton of other lovely people will [...]

A Master's Degree in Comedy: The Evolution of 'Community'

This Thursday, Jeff Winger’s four-year run as a college student culminates in his (probable) graduation from Greendale Community College. Since its inception, Community has been a polarizing underdog; the internet’s version of a water cooler show. The series possesses an interesting combination of self-assurance and lovable tenacity; kind of like a more articulate Rocky Balboa. Despite numerous timeslots, highly publicized inner turmoil amidst frequent threats of cancellation, Community retained a rabid fan base that identified with its intrepid ambition. We’ve come a long way since Jeff Winger, curiously sporting the unlikely combination of a blazer and track pants, attempted to use his rudimentary foreign language skills to create a [...]

'Parks and Rec' Showrunner Mike Schur Says a Season 6 Is Likely

While Parks and Recreation is pretty much NBC's only comedy that's guaranteed to come back this fall, the network has yet to officially announce its renewal. Part of the reason the show's considered to have a good shot at renewal is that it's the highest-rated NBC comedy this year besides The Office, which is ending its run. Parks and Rec co-creator/showrunner Mike Schur is confident about the series' chances too. He tells EW, "I've been cautiously optimistic for five straight years, that's not going to change. I fully believe that we will be back next year, but until they actually make that phone call, I never like to say [...]

Lorne Michaels Isn't Leaving 'SNL' Anytime Soon

"I’ll do it as long as I possibly can," said longtime SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels about his future with the show at a Radio and Television Society luncheon yesterday. He added, "I think that there will be a day when I’ll look at it and say I don’t have the edge I used to." SNL's current and previous head writer, Seth Meyers and Tina Fey, have each said recently that the long-running, iconic sketch show should end when Michaels eventually chooses to retire.

At the event, Michaels barely spoke about Jimmy Fallon's impending takeover of The Tonight Show, which he will produce. He only commented on [...]

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week, we have some great late night guests like: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Max Greenfield, Kelly Oxford, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, Rebel Wilson, Adam Scott, Drew Carey, Vince Vaughn, Amy Schumer, and many more. This week we also say goodbye to Cougar Town, Archer, and Legit. This week we also say hello to a brand new stand up special from Louis C.K. and Jeff Dunham and the premiere of the 2nd season of Veep! Please check out the rest of the listings below and have a great week!

Why NBC Will Regret Not Picking Up 'Mulaney'

Late Friday afternoon, NBC announced that it has declined to pick up John Mulaney's sitcom, Mulaney. It was a surprising move, given that the highly anticipated and already buzzy show had Lorne Michaels as a producer and an incredible cast. Having seen a version of the script, and based on Brad's on-the-scene reporting, I can say that it was a good pilot and that the series had enormous potential. It's a shame that it won't be on NBC's schedule this fall. But in the long run, what NBC will really regret is not just picking up the show Mulaney, but adding John Mulaney to its primetime ranks.

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The Season of the Not-Quite-There Sitcom

Sitcoms are tricky shows to invest in. They need a little time and a few episodes to grow into the shows they’re meant to be — for 30 Rock to find its manic energy or Community to really let itself be weird. On rare occasions, a comedy’s auspices are clear and realized enough that the tone and thrust of its run makes itself clear from the get go: Modern Family — the overtly affluent, opaquely progressive, and broadly slapstick ensemble that debuted in 2009 — is ABC’s proudest, most lucrative example.

The network sitcoms that survived the initial ratings bloodbath and its subsequent wave of early cancellations, specifically [...]

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week is full of premieres and finales in the TV comedy world, as we say hello to new shows and goodbye (for the season) to old ones. Parks and Recreation and Happy Endings are both airing their season finales, a little earlier than other network shows. Hopefully, this won't be a series finale for Happy Endings, which has been experiencing low ratings lately. A trio of new comedies are premiering on cable: Marc Maron's podcaster-centric sitcom Maron on IFC, sketch show Inside Amy Schumer on Comedy Central, and Bo Burnham's mockumentary Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous on MTV. In the late night world, Martin Short, Zach Galifianakis, Jim [...]

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week, we have some great late night guests like: Bob Saget, Chelsea Handler, Nathan Fielder, Russell Brand, Jimmy Pardo, Ricky Gervais, Ken Jeong, and many more. This week we also say goodbye to Nathan For You and The Ben Show, and say hello to Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell. This week we also have a brand new Stand Up Special from Jimmy Norton and a new 420 Showcase presented by Tommy Chong! Please check out the rest of the listings below and have a great week!

Here's How Louis CK Got David Lynch to Do 'Louie'

In a season full of amazing performances from guest stars like Parker Posey and Maria Bamford, filmmaker David Lynch had perhaps the most memorable role out of anyone in the last season of Louie. The NY Times has an extended excerpt from an interview with Louis C.K. they published yesterday in which he explains how he got Lynch to do the show and includes every single detail he could possibly share about the situation.

Splitsider's Summer Comedy Preview: TV

This is the first Louie-less summer since Louis C.K.'s acclaimed FX series began, but there's plenty to look forward to this May-August as a lot of high-profile shows are coming back and some promising new shows on the way too. Of course, the biggest deal amongst this summer's batch of new and returning series is Arrested Development's return on Netflix later this month with a 15-episode fourth season. Despite the much-hyped Arrested Development reunion, there's plenty of other exciting stuff to watch too, including a new series from Christopher Guest, the launch of Fox's late night Saturday animated block ADHD, and the returns of Childrens Hospital, Whose Line Is [...]

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week has finales in the TV comedy world and premieres in the world of standup specials. Community and Bob's Burgers are both airing their season finales. We also have new standup specials from Bob Saget and Pete Holmes. In the late night world, Steve Martin, Jim Gaffigan, Marc Maron, Jane Lynch, and a ton of other lovely people will be stopping by various talk show couches. Check out the rest of the listings below and have a great week!

What to Watch/DVR This Week

This week, we have some great late night guests like: Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, Amy Poehler, Ricky Gervais, Rainn Wilson, JB Smoove, Trevor Moore, and many more. This week we also say goodbye to The Jeselnik Offensive and hello to a brand new stand up special from Al Madrigal! Please check out the rest of the listings below and have a great week!

The Understated, Absurd Comedy of 'Nathan for You'

Comedy Central’s new show, Nathan For You, has almost totally flown under our cultural radar. It received few reviews, and no review from a popular outlet. This is a mistake not only because the show is consistently funny and intelligent, but because it features a type of comedy rare these days: a sort of absurdist, incoherent, and mundane humor that actually works. In a sense, I'd describe this as pure comedy with no ulterior or secondary motives besides getting a laugh. Humor, even if we like to think otherwise, most often works within an ulterior purpose or function. Some find humor insightful, others wise, cathartic or satirical, and others [...]

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