FYC: The Network Sitcom Makes a Comeback

By Christopher James

ABC's breakout hit "Abbott Elementary" isn't the only network success this season.

When was the last time you anxiously awaited new weekly episodes of a network TV comedy? It’s been nearly a generation since comedies like Roseanne, Friends and Seinfeld ruled the airways. It’s even been a decade since critical darlings like The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation amassed their devout followings. Ratings for network TV comedies have continued to dwindle while critics and the Television Academy lost interest. In the past 10 years, only five shows have been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys: 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, black-ish and The Good Place. In short, the writing was on the wall that the network sitcom was dead.

Everybody loves a comeback, though...

This past TV season, I fell in love with three network TV sitcoms, and it seems like many others did too. ABC’s Abbot Elementary, NBC’s Grand Crew and CBS’ Ghosts each demonstrate the versatility and comfort a network TV can provide. Even better, they do so in different subgenres - the workplace comedy, the friend group comedy and the “odd couple” roommates comedy.

The ensemble of "Abbott Elementary," led by creator Quinta Brunson (center), never disappoints over the show's first season.

The biggest story of this TV season has been the runaway success of Abbott Elementary. Creator and star Quinta Brunson’s workplace comedy arrives as a fully-formed breath of fresh air. The titular workplace in question is an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school. Young teacher Janine Teagues (Brunson) has Leslie Knope style enthusiasm and her desire to make a difference in the lives of her students often gets her in trouble. Idealism can get calloused over time, like an eraser that’s been used too much. Her mentors, the steely kindergarten teacher Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and streetwise second-grade teacher Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), serve as a specter for the future. Nothing phases these women who have seen all the tricks in the books in their decades at the school.

It’s hard not to fall in love with Abbott Elementary. Not only is it wickedly funny, with looks and one-liners coming fast and furious, but it’s also a love letter to teachers. Abbott finds a way to talk about how overworked and underpaid teachers are, while making it charming rather than didactic. This is largely because of how well drawn each character is. Sheryl Lee Ralph manages to take at least two or three surprise diction choices with every delicious line reading. The breakout star of the show is undeniably Janelle James as Ava, the confidently inept principal of Abbott.

Luckily, Abbott Elementary has found its audience as the season went on. According to Variety, “Over its 13-episode first season, the average seven-day delayed viewership for Abbott Elementary has made it ABC’s highest-rated new comedy among adults 18-49  across linear and digital platforms since The Conners debuted as the rebranded Roseanne during the 2018-19 season.” It has already been renewed for a season two!

Who wouldn't want to grab a glass of wine and shoot the shit with these great friends?

Over on NBC, Grand Crew has filled the Cougar Town sized hole in my heart. The latest “friend hangout” sitcom focuses on a group of black friends in Los Angeles swapping stories at their new, favorite local wine bar. The biggest star of the show is Nailed It host Nicole Byer, whose bubbly warmth is a perfect fit for the eccentric realtor Nicky. Still, there are plenty more scene stealing performances from the talented cast. Hopeless romantic Noah (Echo Kallum) serves as the de facto center of the show, as the plots frequently revolve around his quest for love. However, the true sparks are between the hilariously square Anthony (Aaron Jennings) and chic bartender Fay (Grasie Mercedes). Of the cast, the most consistently funny goes to Carl Tart’s Sherm, whose fragile masculinity always comes off as charming and disarming. 

Even when topics turn serious, Grand Crew finds a way to focus on black joy. The seventh episode of the season, “Wine & Headlines,” shows each member of the crew sharing their coping mechanisms for dealing with upsetting news around police brutality. Life presents its fair share of challenges. Grand Crew offers viewers a hilarious, pleasant escape where you can pour a glass of wine and hang out. Also yes, it’s great fun that the show takes place in my exact LA neighborhood and makes frequent reference to the local shops and restaurants.

Turns out having ghosts can be funny, rather than crazy, according to CBS' new sitcom, "Ghosts."

While both Abbott Elementary and Grand Crew succeed due to big laughs in a familiarly structured package, Ghosts is more of a high concept sell. While those can take longer to build a following, Ghosts only takes two to three episodes to become a fully formed and emotional joke machine. Adapted from a British show of the same name, Ghosts supposes that once someone dies they either go directly up (to heaven) or down (to hell) if they’ve lived a clear cut life. For those who left something unresolved, they inhabit the place that they died in a state of purgatory. Young New York couple Samantha and Jay Arondekar (Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) know nothing of this when they inherit a country house and decide to turn it into a B&B. The house they’ve inherited is home to eight ghosts across three centuries (more if you count the Cholera patients in the basement), all of whom don’t want a B&B. A haunting attempt goes wrong and Samantha falls down the stairs, going into a short coma. When she wakes up, she’s blessed/cursed with the power to see and communicate with ghosts. Rather quickly, Samantha develops friendships with the ghosts and becomes their mouthpiece and advocate to the human world. McIver has wonderful spunk and a winning personality as the lynchpin of the show’s conceit. Meanwhile, Ambudkar elevates the “straight man” role, becoming one of the funniest characters as the only person who is consistently left out of the joke and conversation with the ghosts.

All of the ghosts have wonderfully eccentric personalities. The standouts of the bunch belong to the eldest ghosts. Some of the biggest laughs come from Rebecca Wisocky’s Victorian prude, Hetty Woodstone, a woman stuck in her ways watching time march on. One hilarious episode finds the ghosts voting on who will be the representative to communicate with Sam and the swing vote comes down to Hetty. The only issue is Hetty doesn’t believe women should have the right to vote. Additionally, Brandon Scott Thomas manages to wring laughs from vulnerability as Captain Isaac Higgintoot, a footnote in Revolutionary War history who spent his life and afterlife in the closet. It would be so easy for Ghosts to mock him. Instead, they give Isaac an arc as he learns to be comfortable voicing his affections for a fellow dead Revolutionary War soldier, even if he is British. In fact, Ghosts has plenty of genuinely affecting episodes, as Sam helps each one find closure with how they died and who they left behind. Even some of the more broadly drawn characters, such as the coked out, pantless Wall Street trader Trevor (Asher Grodman), are given believable levels of depth throughout the eighteen episode first season.

A great network sitcom has the runway for many seasons and can pack strong episodic punches. All three shows work great on an episode-by-episode basis, making them perfect for building followings without requiring huge audience investment or time consuming binges. Still, they are consistently enjoyable enough that you won’t want to miss an episode. Ghosts and Abbott Elementary have both been renewed for season two, while Grand Crew is still waiting for a renewal. The network sitcom is back and better than ever.

Abbott Elementary Grade: A
Ghosts Grade: A-
Grand Crew Grade: B+

If there were any justice, "Ghosts" standouts Rebecca Wisocky and Brandon Scott Jones would receive Emmy nominations.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Abbott Elementary

• Outstanding Comedy Series

• Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Quinta Brunson

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Janelle James

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Sheryl Lee Ralph

Ghosts

• Outstanding Comedy Series

• Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Rose McIver

• Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Utkarsh Ambudkar

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Brandon Scott Jones

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Rebecca Wisocky

Grand Crew

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - Nicole Byer

• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Carl Tart

Which show and performance are you rooting for to snag Emmy nominations?

Comments

[Ryan T.]

I really love GHOSTS, really like ABBOTT ELEMENTARY and I haven't checked out GRAND CREW (but I will!). Really glad they're getting notices from critics and audiences.

[Peter]

Give Janelle James ALL the Emmys

[Pam]

Love, love, love ABBOTT ELEMENTARY. Twitter chatter after each episode was the BEST "water cooler" entertainment. So happy it's been renewed.

Enjoyed GHOSTS, but prefer the original BBC version because I adore Charlotte Ritchie (3 seasons available on HBO Max)

The Emmy Comedy categories are ON FIRE this year, but my vote would go to Abbott Elementary as the best of the network comedies. Hope the Emmy voters don't go same ol' like in the past (e.g., giving Julia Louis Dreyfus an award for SEVEN years in a row). Ted Lasso, Hacks, etc. are great, but there are other standouts this year in terms of writing and performances. I think someone on this site suggested adding a new category, like Best New Show, which would be very welcomed.

[Tony Ruggio]

Superstore was the last network sitcom I got into. Unfortunately COVID and America Ferrara leaving forced them to cancel after six seasons.

[Joe G.]

Abbott is really great, and just works really well. It almost feels like a throwback to the Office, except all of the characters are far more likeable and have good hearts (which, I guess, is more of a professional requirement for them). There are endless workplace sitcoms, but this one feels like it could really go the distance. I'd love to see it score in Comedy Series, Writing (Pilot, Desking), Supporting Actress (James, Ralph), and Supporting Actor (Perfetti). I think Brunson could make it in, but her category is tough!

[Glenn Dunks]

Abbott Elementary was a lot of fun. Funny with good characters and solid writing. I think some of the reaction to it as just extraordinarily hilarious are a tad overly zealous—are people really just unable to remember how many laughs classic sitcoms were able to land? But I'm happy for its success. I can already see it being even better by season two or three, which is why so much of the hyperbole feels a bit silly. We know how these things play out!!

I definitely want to catch Grand Crew though. The COUGAR TOWN reference already sold it for me, but the rest sounds entertaining too.

[Val]

GHOSTS and ABBOTT ELEMENTARY are both marvels. Funny, sweet, and just executed perfectly. Maybe it's the 15 year old boy in me talking, but hearing the ghosts talk about "getting sucked off" will never not be funny.

I do not love GRAND CREW. For all of its pluses, the laughs just aren't there for me.