2016-2017 Cancellations, Renewals, And Pick-Ups: Critical Writ's TV Round-Up

Once again, the time has come to dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year's upcoming television news. First, I'm happy to report that the standard networks weren't as cancellation-happy as last year. It especially irked me because a lot of genuinely promising material wasn't necessarily given a full chance. The critically-acclaimed The Office, Parks And Recreation, and 30 Rock didn't necessarily have the best ratings going into the initial season, but with a bit of leeway, they soon became some of NBC's most popular comedy programs.

A lot of quality programs have been axed in the past purely due to ratings, even if the critics adored them. Thankfully, we don't have any Muppet documentaries, awesome shows about a family of lawyers with enough meta content to rival Community, or unconventional follow-ups to sci-fi films to break our hearts by getting cancelled this year. Let's get to the round-up. As a disclaimer, this does by no means cover all of the news, just whatever I find interesting.

Cancellations:

Hell yeah! We're done!

Making History and Son Of Zorn (FOX): Yeah, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. According to many reports, Fox had three shows produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and with ratings lagging for the trio, something had to go. I'll admit, I'm not as saddened by the departure of Son Of Zorn. It never really went past being just okay for my taste, but Making History was great. It had a semi-serialized plot and social commentary.

The Great Indoors (CBS): Starring snark-master Joel McHale, it's a show about a rugged outdoorsman who is pulled back into the office. How can he work with a group of millenials on an outdoors living magazine?! This calls for some irritating, laugh track-infused shenanigans! At the best of times, The Great Indoors simply felt like your average mediocre sitcom. At the worst, an offensive portrayal of the differences between generations. If you want to see a show that has a similar focus, but with a mostly positive manner, try Superior Donuts. It's on the same network and it got renewed earlier in the year.

Renewals*:

The Last Man On Earth (FOX): Thank goodness! As always, the most recent season ended on a massive cliffhanger, so ending the drama-comedy now would be irritating. TLMOE, starring Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, Mel Rodriguez, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mary Steenburgen focuses on a group of survivors after a virus seemingly kills off most of the world's population. Obviously, the title no longer reflects the cast, but it's still a darkly humorous insight into just how to survive and tolerate annoying people. If you don't count Gotham, then it's the closest thing Fox has to a high-concept comedy, and even then, Lucifer definitely beats it in that category.

Gotham (FOX): I'll admit, the show is getting more entertaining. I'm still bored whenever the show focuses on Bruce Wayne or Jim Gordon, but the villains are getting even more entertaining. Riddler finally has his alter-ego up and running, Poison Ivy has been entertaining (Editor's Note: albeit incredibly problematic), and it has one of my favorite live-action portrayals of Mr. Freeze. Really, as long as the bulk of the plot continues to focus on the villains teaming up, I'll be fine. Just, please, ditch the Court Of Owls. They don't even have the proper masks.

Great News (NBC): I'll avoid the obvious joke. From Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, the show is set to return for a thirteen-episode second season. In regards to my earlier rant about networks giving shows a chance, I find that this is a positive example.

The Goldbergs (ABC): Eighties nostalgia is alive and well! Say, I wonder if the upcoming Ready Player One film will cast anyone from the show as an in-joke. I haven't seen a lot of the show, but I like reading about it, especially because it's currently the most prominent example of a Jewish family on tv.

Agents Of SHIELD (ABC): I'm excited to see what the next season brings, especially if they continue with the specialized story arcs. Having three serialized villains over the course of a season really helps get us attached to the villains and really see them as a threat. AIDA is one of the best characters on the show, in that regard.

Timeless (NBC): Alas, the glut of time-travel focused programming didn't help out the noble crew in this program. They traveled throughout time to stop a mysterious organization from changing history for the worse. Sadly, I guess the Agents Of SHIELD-esque cliffhanger, wherein the finale ended with the team somehow working for the bad guys, will never be solved. (Update: Literally the very next day, it was renewed for a second season. Neat! Unexpected, but neat!)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl (FOX): About halfway through the season, I began to suspect that season six of New Girl might be the last wacky offering from the show. It seemed like the plot threads were quickly being wrapped up, especially with an increased amount of references to past episodes. Fox did officially announce that the show would be renewed, albeit for a shortened finale season, a la Parks And Recreation. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return, which is good, because it ended on a massive cliffhanger.

*Early renewals include Superstore and Lucifer.

Pick-Ups:

Unnamed Deadpool series (FX): Coming as a complete surprise to anyone not in the television industry or actively working on it, FX announced that a Deadpool cartoon would be coming to the airwaves next year. Community's Donald Glover will be working as the executive producer, showrunner, and one of the writers with his brother, Stephen Glover.

As of the time of this writing, ten episodes have been ordered. I don't know where the show stands in terms of rights to use MCU Marvel characters, but I hope that they make the most of whatever they can use. I do know that because the show will air on Fox's grittier network, the writers probably won't have trouble with adapting Deadpool's crass jokes on the air.

Unikitty (Cartoon Network): In even more unexpected news, The Lego Movie will be getting a television spinoff starring the eponymous Unikitty, with Tara Strong set to voice her instead of Alison Brie. I don't know how well a show about the ever-cheerful kingdom will hold up as a full-length show, but you can be sure that it'll be colorful.

Unnamed Black-ish spinoff: Zoey Johnson is set to be spun-off into her own show, but on Freeform, rather than ABC's main network. The show, if it does get picked up, will feature Yara Shahidi's character at college. Seeing as Black-ish is fantastic at covering social issues through a comedic lens, and just plain funny to boot, I see no reason why this potential spin-off wouldn't be just as good.

Krypton and Happy! (Syfy): Really? Okay, they're serious with this. Gotham might be laughably bad at the best of times, but at least it has a bit of a foundation to go on. You have your villains and a young Bruce Wayne training. (Disclaimer: It only has the villains. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.) I get that they're going for a Game Of Thrones-type of vibe, but it's hard to believe that anyone could care about Superman's grandpa. Who are they going to use for villains? I could see Brainiac or even Darkseid, but that's a stretch. Hey, if the show ends with it being revealed to be Ambush Bug telling a bedtime story, then I might give it a chance.

As for Happy!, it's not an adaptation of Pharrell's song, but I predict it might be used in the marketing. It's an adaptation of one of Grant Morrison's weirder comics, and that's saying something. A foul-mouthed cop-turned-hitman survives a life-threatening injury and begins to see a talking blue horse, as voiced by Bobby Moynihan. Together, they fight crime. I promise you, none of that is a joke. I may have disliked the comic, but I'll gladly check out the pilot just to see how they pull this off.

Ghosted and LA To Vegas (Fox): First up, Ghosted stars comedy legends Adam Scott and Craig Robin as paranormal investigators, one cynical and one a believer. It will have a serialized element, but the show is primarily comedy-based. You might be thinking that this sounds like The X-Files, and you're right. It's set to air alongside the next revived season of the famed sci-fi drama. LA To Vegas has a fairly unique premise. Unlike your average cookie-cutter work-com, it takes place on an airline. How much do you want to bet that the pilot will be re-filmed to include a sprinkle of United Airlines jokes? It's being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, leading me to hope that it'll be promising.

Black Lightning (The CW): The CW's adding another superhero program to their venerable lineup, along with a healthy dose of diversity. The show will feature Black Lightning coming back into the superhero game after retiring to be with his family. Formerly picked up as a pilot by Fox, it moved over to the CW. I have a feeling that it'll air after Arrow, due to the similar tones. On a personal note, I hope that this will lead to the DC characters embargo finally being lifted, if only for a Batman And The Outsiders reference.

By The Book (CBS): Fun fact: My synagogue actually has the book that this show is based on. Titled The Year Of Living Biblically, it chronicles the story of a man who attempts to improve his relationship with religion by living his life according to every edict in the Bible for a year. It's a humorous and educational book, and I definitely recommend it. The show is produced by The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki. I'm not so sure how I feel about it being turned into a sitcom, potentially afflicted with a laugh track, but I do appreciate the increased representation for Judaism.

Deception (ABC): I've recently discovered that I'm something of a magic nerd. My nerdy interest was only increased when I heard about this new show from Greg Berlanti. Side note- Seriously, does he ever sleep? I don't know who has more shows in production, him or Ryan Murphy. It stars a disgraced magician who decides to use his powers of illusion for the FBI. I'll definitely watch it and I already hope for a Zatanna joke. Or a cameo, considering that the creator is helming the CW superhero gauntlet. (Now including Black Lightning!)


Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Critical Hits & Misses #180

• Last Sunday was Easter, and even if you're not a person of faith, Patheos has a blog post worth reading, for those of us who care about feminist issues. It has to do with Mary Magdalene, the Biblical figure and follower of Christ, and how she has been wrongly maligned as a prostitute for a long time. Turns out that theologians are trying to right the narrative, and prove that Mary Magdalene has simply been reduced to her sexuality... a story that modern women are familiar with. A fascinating and rather academic read that's well worth checking out. 


• In case you hadn't heard, Fox blowhard Bill O'Reilly is facing the music these days, after several women have accused him of sexual harassment. After tons of advertisers pulled out of supporting his show, O'Reilly has gone on a "two week vacation," although some folks in the know think he won't ever be coming back to Fox. The New York Times has an excellent article on O'Reilly, and how his behavior drove away Megyn Kelly, another former superstar at Fox who is now at NBC. 


• Everything is awesome (sometimes): Steven Universe is getting its first soundtrack album!

For today's musical hit, the super cute dodie and this homemade but adorable video for "you"

Today's critical rolls: Happy Hump Day! How was the week been for you so far?


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Scream Queens S2 E10 Review: "Drain The Swamp"

Note: This review contain spoilers for the episode. You have been warned.

No, to the best of my knowledge, the title isn't a reference to a certain presidental campaign's motto. It relates to a threat that has been made for the entire season thus far. If the swamp next to the C.U.R.E. Institute is drained, then the dead bodies will be discovered, leading to a boatload of trouble for the employees. Buckle up, pledges, it's time for the season finale.

Okay, I'm fairly certain that Scream Queens has a finale problem. So far, both seasons have spent almost every episode building up to something grand only for the finale to run out of steam. Like I predicted earlier, Denise returned as a deus ex machina to save the day. Somehow, she manages to stop Offel's plan of killing everyone with a bomb. Cassidy sacrifices himself by saving Chanel No. 3 from getting skewered, completely getting rid of that plot. As for Brock's struggle with the shadow impulses of his serial killer hand, he's long since discovered that the hand didn't really want to kill Chanel Oberlin, he did. 

Dean Munsch's fatal illness? Turns out that she's just an alcoholic and she needed to start drinking water again. Compounding the plot, Chanel Oberlin narrates the final moments of the episode, showing that she has learned absolutely nothing from the whole affair. Someone dressed up as last season's Red Devil mascot/serial killer shows up in the backseat of her car, but I'm not holding my breath for that to be relevant in the event that the show gets renewed. Just like a similar gag in the last season finale, it'll probably be revealed to be someone pulling a prank on her.

Quite frankly, it's just disappointing. Maybe I was wrong to get my hopes up based on prior evidence, but it's still irritating. I also didn't like the way that Nurse Hoffel ultimately went out. I haven't seen a lot of slasher movies, but I know that horror movie villains typically go out in some amazing way. In this case, she just drowned in a random quicksand patch in the swamp. 

In terms of good parts, well, I don't have a lot to say. The negative qualities definitely outweighed the positives. I did like Hester and Brock's plans to run away and start hunting people for sport on their own private island, as well as Chanel Oberlin's plan to kill Dean Munsch by throwing a pumpkin spice latter at her brain during a surgery. Still, moments of that quality were few and far between. Part of me hopes that Scream Queens will get renewed, but only so the cast and crew can prove to the audience that they can create a season with consistent quality.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Scream Queens S2 E9 Review: "Lovin' The D"

Note: This review contain spoilers for the episode. You have been warned.

Okay, this is what I want the show to be about. The three Green Meanies (Green Threenies?) have finally met and it was glorious. They accidentally interrupted each other's opening kills, letting Chanel No. 1 get away. Just the image of one of them shrugging and giving a "What the heck, dude?!" expression through the mask made me laugh. Aside from the great writing, it was also a golden example of physical comedy.

It doesn't end there because Hester interrupts their petty squabbling to call a "Green Meanie summit." Said summit is conducted in the format of a mock game show where she divvies up the remaining kills for Hoffel, Cassidy, and Wes. Cassidy is still in love with Chanel No. 3, making Wes constantly make fun of him and insinuate that the only murder he'll do is "killing her with kisses." He just grumpily responds by saying that he'll kill her. Can we just have a series about competing horror movie killers? Forget the Chanels, I want to see that!

Sadly, the alliance plot was too good to last. Wes betrays Offel by trying to kill Chanel, so Offel and Cassidy push him into a vat of frying oil, turning him into a disgusting corpse. Meanwhile, Cassidy sided with his mom by breaking up with Chanel No. 3. He just wants to be the serial killer that he was groomed to be. True love won't get in the way. As for Zayday, she's still in the clutches of Cassidy's mom, and no one knows about it yet. Uh, oh.

Finally, I actually found the plot of the Chanels to be somewhat tolerable this time. In order to perform a surgery live on a daytime television show called Lovin' The D, they have to pass an important medical exam. Of course, Chanels No. 1 and 3 cheat on the test and pass, unbeknownst to Chanel No. 5, who actually studied and legitimately succeeded. I was impressed by that. If she applied herself and actually became a better person, she might actually become the only good Chanel.

All of these plot developments point to a rollicking season finale, with the Chanels having their own show, and a tense cliffhanger with Zayday. I hope that it'll be good! See you then.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Scream Queens S2 E8 Review: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel"

Note: This review contain spoilers for the episode. You have been warned.

Finally, the overall mystery of the Green Meanie is starting to unravel. Wes Gardner, a character from the first season, has been revealed to be the initial copycat Green Meanie. Due to the emotional trauma that his daughter suffered in the last season, he decided to suit up as the killer and get his bloody revenge on the Chanels. I do wish that we could have actually seen the flashback instead of just having him tell it to Chamberlain before stabbing him, but Grace's actress probably wasn't available.

I hope that this is foreshadowing a possible duel between Hofffel's Green Meanie persona and his in the next two episodes, considering that they both have a strong motive. Then again, maybe there could be another alliance and some traitorous backstabbing involved, especially because Cassidy isn't entirely on board with Hoffel's plans anymore.

The non-murder mystery side of the plot wasn't very interesting. I just don't care about Chanel No. 1's relationship with Dr. Brock. I think that his character is more interested when he's contending with the serial killer hand, but that plot thread seems to be gone. Equally uninteresting is Brock's affair with Dean Munsch because it just feels like a stale love triangle. I would rather have more screentime focused on her disease. Her simultaneous relationship with Wes is slightly more interesting, given his new status as one of the Green Meanies.

My favorite subplot would have to be Zayday's continuing mission to find out who the Green Meanie is. She has no knowledge of Dr. Cassidy, Dr. Offel, or Wes's respective identities, making it very tense when she questions Dr. Cassidy's mother about the ongoing situation. I also like the potential deconstruction of a standard horror movie costume. She actually sets a trap for the Green Meanie and steals a bit of the costume in order to find out who made it. The trip leads her to a creepy costume shop filled with dozens of potential slasher villain personas. I can't help but wonder if any of them will be used on the off-chance that the show gets renewed. Given the unfortunate events of the end of the episode, I hope Zayday survives to see it.

The comedy portion in the horror-comedy was present, but mostly crude in the tone. Raunchiness isn't necessarily something that I don't like in media, but it has to serve some kind of purpose. Lately, it seems as though the off-color references and euphemisms are just there for the sake of being there. Maybe it's me, but I would prefer something else.


Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Scream Queens S2 E7 Review: "The Hand"

Note: This review contain spoilers for the episode. You have been warned.

I wish that the whole season could have been as engaging as this one. It has some surprising new developments on the multiple killers front, as well as some surprisingly fascinating insights into the minds of the characters. I think that the new trend in this season of starting off the episode with some narration by a recurring character vastly improves the quality of the show. Not only does it show their point of view of the events, it also expands their characterization. In this case, Dr. Holt narrated the opening, showing the deeper struggle that he has with his replacement hand. It came from a serial killer and he can hear the voice of the former owner, taunting him. Yes, it's that kind of show. The hand cartoonishly taunts him, keeping him awake and stressing him out. The more awake he is, the more he longs to kill.

Speaking of killers, Chanel No. 3 actually finds out that Dr. Cassidy is one of the Green Meanies. This not only causes an interesting conflict in their budding romance but also strains his already-uneasy alliance with Hoffel. I genuinely liked the character developments in this episode. It had a good balance of seeing how everyone reacts to the tense situations and cases.

In terms of humor, it's finally back to the point of manageable idiocy. It's just implausible enough to be wacky but also grounded enough to keep me invested in the plot. A highlight of the episode featured S.K.H. (Serial Killer Hand) saving Dr. Holt from one of the Green Meanies through inexplicable kung fu action. Additionally, S.K.H. tortures Dr. Holt and keeps him from sleeping by forcing him to watch religious telethons at ungodly hours in the morning.


Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Scream Queens S2 E5-6 Review: "Chanel Pour Homme-icide" and "Blood Drive"

Note: These reviews contain spoilers for the episodes. You have been warned.

"Chanel Pour Homme-icide"

I think that part of my frustration with this episodes comes from the stagnancy of the plot. I first became interested in Scream Queens because of the surprises that almost every episode had to offer. Anyone could die, almost every character had an underlying motivation, and plot twists would actually mean something. Unfortunately, this episode partially negated almost all of the previously introduced and new cliffhangers.

Firstly, a recurring element has revolved around Dean Munsch's anxiety about the murders being discovered by the public, and with good reason. If any reporters learned that patients were being slaughtered like cattle, they would pounce like a hungry tiger and close the C.U.R.E. Institute down. Sure enough, in this episode, the information is leaked, but after a few minutes, the Dean's narration merely reveals that it made the hospital more popular than ever. Who cares about the gruesome murders? They were cured, so let's go. 

It's similar to a fault that I had near the end of the first season. I understand that you have to have a healthy suspension of disbelief when watching programs of this type, but the ludicrous plot developments are starting to get irritating. A little dose of realism wouldn't hurt the show. In fact, it might just make it funnier and more entertaining in the long run.

Next, the end of the previous episode had the Green Meanie seemingly kill both Chanel Number Five and FBI agent Denise Hemphill. Almost immediately, the episode reveals that the Green Meanie's machete attack didn't kill the former and that the electrocution didn't completely kill the latter. Instead, Chanel Number Five is a reluctant ally of Zayday and Denise is in a coma, stuffed in a cryogenic freezer. Because of the nature of the show, she'll probably inexplicably wake up later in the series.

Finally, this episode raised more suspicion on Chamberlain Jackson, revealing that he's not actually a candy striper at the hospital. After a confrontation with Zayday, he just reveals that he's a random person who enjoys helping people. He only goes there to cheer people up. My issue with this plot development is that no one in the show is likable. Everyone has some moment that makes them irritating. Because of all of this, I can't find myself trusting his excuse.

As for this week's medical case, it's about Foreign Accent Syndrome. I just wasn't interested in it, as it felt like a poor excuse to have some of the actors put on different accents just to get a laugh. The character of Hester Ulrich saved the episode from being completely awful, mostly because she was actually funny. It's really cool to have a former serial killer on the show, someone who could be a potential ally, but also still pose a threat. The very end of the episode also reveals some interesting information, making Dr. Cassidy Cascade more of a suspect in the murder mystery. I can only hope that the next episode doesn't ruin it.

"Blood Drive"

Thankfully, this episode has vastly improved over the quality of the last one. I'm actually surprised at how many new plot developments were revealed. Firstly, we officially have the identity of one of the killers. At the end of the last episode, it was revealed that Dr. Cassidy Cascade was the mysterious baby from the pregnant woman, one of the only survivors of the rampage at the hospital. Said baby is a prime suspect in the case. While talking to Ingrid Hoffel, he revealed that he was only responsible for some of the murders. He also agreed to team up with her in an alliance.

Some key narration and a flashback also finally gives us a glimpse into Ingrid's past and why she has a vendetta against the Chanels. Her sister was accidentally killed by Chanel Number One all the way back in the first episode of the first season. After learning that the Chanels were going to become interns at the C.U.R.E. Institute, she vowed to make them suffer out of a need for vengeance. As for Brock, he was accused of being the killer and denied everything, insulting everyone in the room. It's possible that he could be the mysterious other killer.

The case of the week was much more interesting than last week's. It revolved around a man who believed that he was a vampire. Dean Munch assigned Hester to his case, now knowing that she was being harbored in the hospital and unable to think of a different way to keep her out of trouble. Her "brilliant" plan to cure him of the desire to drink blood was to take the blood from the blood drive and cook it into various foods, thus making him completely and utterly sick of it.

The blood drive itself also lead to quite a few funny moments in the episode, accompanied by inappropriately dramatic music during one of Chanel Number One's temper tantrums. It also lead to some more detective work from Zayday and her new ally, Chamberlain, having proven himself to not be one of the killers. Unfortunately, it also lead to one of the more nauseating scenes in the episode. In order to win the blood drive contest, Chanel Number One forces Chanel Number Nine to donate blood, genuinely terrifying me. I have a phobia of getting shots in general, so hearing her scream made me shudder. Her death scene made me even more uncomfortable, with Hoffel and Cascade draining all of the blood from her body. Despite my squeamishness, the episode was much better and I hope the quality stays at this level for the rest of the season.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Critical Hits & Misses #34, Bunday September 26, 2016

Palmer Luckey, who founded and later sold Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion, has been secretly funding a non-profit called Nimble America. This non-profit supports U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by creating and proliferating anti-Hillary memes. That's right: people are being paid to make shitty posts. (Adrian)

Bustle discusses the depressing fan theory that Harry Potter never actually left the cupboard under the stairs, and that Hogwarts was just his mad escapist fantasy. A theory, by the way, that J.K. Rowling has not shot down… just sayin’ (Ivonne)

The executive producers on Fox’s Gotham have stated that Maggie Geha’s physically aged-up Poison Ivy will not be a sexual character—whilst also saying that she will retain her comic counterpart’s seductive powers. (John)

It's Monday Bunday! Here is your daily dose of cute to start the week off right! 

Today's musical hit strikes a folk rock chord: Typhoon frontman Kyle Morton just surprised the Interwebs by releasing a solo album, What Will Destroy You. "Gestalt of Original Pain" reminds us of some of the best  songs by Simon and Garfunkel.

Today's critical roll:

Hogwarts? Westeros? Panem? Middle Earth? The MCU? What is your mad escapist fantasy? Maybe it's one of your own creation? Tell us what fantasy/sci-fi world you would escape to if you could, and why!

—Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: behave.

Fox Will Get Intergalactic With 'Son Of Zorn'

Wow. This is a thing that exists. Sometime this year, Son Of Zorn will be on the airwaves. Jason Sudeikis will voice a barbarian from Zephyria named Zorn who returns to visit his ex-wife and son. He gets a job where he has to sell industrial soap dispensers (PLEASE be a door-to-door salesman) and has to deal with the “minutia of daily life.” Seinfeld meets Conan The Barbarian or He-Man.

I had a conversation with my fellow Critical Writ contributors that can best be shown in this format.

In case you haven’t guessed, I’m the one with the creepy smile. This idea could be either really good or really bad. I heard rumors about the series last year, but I just disregarded them. I guess Fox really liked the pilot, so it’s becoming a series.

Face it, Fox might finally transform from the channel with awful McFarlane-esque cartoons to the premiere place for high-concept sitcoms. Someday, viewers can have their pick of seeing a comedy-sitcom drama about the final group of survivors on Earth after the apocalypse (made before NBC’s You, Me, And The Apocalypse, I might add), a sitcom featuring a thirty-four year-old woman playing a teenage boy, and a live-action/animation sitcom about a barbarian warrior coming to Earth to spend time with his son.

Despite my shock at something as bizarre as this making it to a series, I’ll be checking it out. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The Last Man On Earth, The Lego Movie) are producing the series. At worst, maybe it’ll just feel like a slightly lengthy SNL skit. At best, it could be a polished sitcom, worthy of three or four seasons.

Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire a new genre. Over at NBC, a sitcom is being developed about a woman reuniting with her long-lost imaginary friend, featuring a combination of live-action shots and CGI animation. Let’s hope that it’s not as much like Drop Dead Fred as it sounds.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or the Harry Potter books.