Benson Coming to TV Land in June

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

TV Land has finally made a mention that '80s sitcom Benson is coming! This is the fourth new sitcom that will make its debut since this past July. Benson will premiere on TV Land in June, 2006. I have said many times that TV Land had bought six sitcoms for 2005 and 2006, and now only two sitcoms remain to be announced. TV Land will launch the sitcom with a 48-hour marathon. June is still far away, so more details will follow in the coming months. But this is very good news as Benson has been rarely seen in recent years. It last aired briefly on the syndicated one-hour block The Screen Gems Network a few years back. Share your thoughts and find more information when available right here.

Benson, the popular butler from Soap, takes on a new, challenge—maintaining order in the household of a widowed governor—and the result is a hilarious. Benson has agreed to help Gov. Gatling and his young daughter, Katie, settle into the executive mansion as a favor to Jessica Tate, the governor's cousin. In effect, Benson, who for years has been the only thoroughly sane adult in the Tate household, moves from one very mixed up family to another.

In his new position, Benson, as always, will be his own man and, besides coping with the wild and wonderful interrelationships in the executive mansion, will have time for a personal life of his own. Benson even falls in love. He confronts a lot of bureaucracy, and because of his close friendship with the governor, he often will have the enviable opportunity to cut through overwhelming red tape. By season six, Benson is being elected lieutenant governor, Gretchen Kraus becoming his aide, noted character actress/comedienne Billie Bird joining the cast, and the filming of a special two-part episode in Hong Kong. Although Benson will became the lieutenant governor, he still remains involved in the uproarious activities of the state chief executive's household.

Robert Guillaume stars as Benson. Other stars are James Noble as Gov. Gatling; Missy Gold as his precocious daughter, Katie; Inga Swenson as the formidable housekeeper, Ms. Gretchen Kraus; and Caroline McWilliams as the governor's secretary, Marcy. Rene Auberjonois as Clayton, Ethan Phillips as Pete, Didi Conn as Denise, and Billie Bird as Mrs. Cassidy also star later in the series.

Now that Benson has been announced. As I said before, two other sitcoms remain for 2006. What do you think they will be? I will only give one hint. It will be in the same era as the four that have already been announced (Good Times, Night Court, What's Happening!!, Benson). To share what you think will be coming, click here. Now if Sony can only bring on the DVD of Benson, all will be be even more well!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, November 29

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Family Business" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Tina struggles to keep up with her job at Calvin’s auto shop, due to her burgeoning baking business, he faces a tough decision: should he fire his own wife? Also, Malcolm delays breaking up with a girlfriend when her son becomes an unexpected asset to his youth baseball team.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Light Duty" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abishola and Kemi take a directionless Christina to see a Yoruba priest, where she learns that her toxic relationship with her mother may be stifling her growth. Also, Bob deals with the fallout of promoting Kofo over Goodwin when Goodwin has a panic attack at work.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 29)

Monday, November 29

Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Watch Kathy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Alan Ruck (Spin City/Muscle/Going Places) - Alan appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Vanessa Lachey (Truth Be Told/Dads) - Vanessa will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT. NBC's Today has Make Ahead Monday with Vanessa in the 9am hour.
Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait/The Exes/Family Tools/The King of Queens/Fired Up) - Leah guest co-hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice) - Jennifer appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jane Levy (Suburgatory) - Jane will be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
AnnaLynne McCord (Let's Get Physical) - Anan discusses her childhood sexual abuse, trauma and dissociative identity disorder diagnosis on a repeat of The Doctors, so check your local listings.
Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin talks about True Story on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita talks about West Side Story on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with Julie in the 9am hour.
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Tituss talks about NBC's Annie Live! in the 9am hour.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke talks about Castle for Christmas in the 10am hour.
Kim Fields (The Upshaws/Living Single/The Facts of Life/Baby, I'm Back) - Kim talks about VH1's Adventures in Christmasing on Access Live, so check your local listings.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Kyle is a guest on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.