It’s the 2nd Anniversary of the “Back To You Podcast”! I started this special event podcast on April 3, 2019 with the first of 17 episodes (one posted each week) highlighting each episode of the best single season sitcom in television history. The FOX local TV news comedy series starring Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Josh Gad, Ty Burrell, Laura Marano and the late Fred Willard ran from September 19, 2007 to May 14, 2008, during the year of the iconic Writers Strike. Three of the episodes, including the true Series Finale, didn’t even air on FOX. They’re only on the “Back To You” Season 1 DVD.
Throughout these episodes of the podcast, I dissected the series and brought-on guests directly involved with the show, including Willard, writer/EP Chuck Tatham and guest stars Tricia O’Kelley, Coby Ryan McLaughlin and Ian Reed Kesler.
The 18th episode of the podcast, which debuted on July 31, 2019, covered everything that happened since “Back To You” went off the air (up to that point). That included me meeting Grammer, Heaton, Gad, Burrell and Willard and talking about “Back To You” with them.
I wasn’t sure if I would return to the podcast for another edition. (There wasn’t a Season 2 of the series.) But I decided to do a special 1st Anniversary episode, which dropped on April 3, 2020. I talked about everything that happened from July 31, 2019 to April 3, 2020, including Grammer and Heaton’s reunion on CBS sitcom “Carol’s Second Act”.
And because “Back To You” has remained relevant in the TV landscape in some unique and fantastic ways, I decided to do a brand new 2nd Anniversary episode of the podcast, which you can listen to here. This episode pays tribute to Willard (who passed away last May) and previews Kelsey Grammer’s TWO new sitcoms. One’s coming soon to ABC. The other is the highly anticipated “Frasier” revival that will be on Paramount+.