'Jeffersons' First Lionel, Actor Mike Evans Dies; TV Land January Changes

Friday, December 22, 2006

'Jeffersons' First Lionel, Actor Mike Evans Dies; TV Land January Changes

We have some pretty shocking news to let you know. Mike Evans, best known for his role as Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons died on December 14. Evans was suffering from throat cancer. Evans is also famous for co-creating and writing the popular sitcom Good Times with Eric Monte. He has not acted in anything really since The Jeffersons, which he left for and was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) for a few years and then he came back to. In the '70s he guest starred on series such as Love American Style, Streets of San Francisco, and the short lived sitcom The Practice. His last credit (and his first credit since The Jeffersons ended) listed was for a Walker Texas Ranger episode in 2000...but was that him really or not? In recent years he had invested in real estate in Southern California. Mr. Evans will be missed and you can catch The Jeffersons on TV Land every night. Mr. Evans was only 57.

And speaking of The Jeffersons, we have some TV Land schedule updates for January. Due to the recent changes made earlier this week, the January schedule will be altered a bit. The Andy Griffith Show will remain 8-10 p.m. every night. The Jeffersons were scheduled to move to 11 & 11:30 p.m. when M*A*S*H arrives, but that will not happen anymore, and Sanford & Son will keep its 11 & 11:30 p.m. slot. So, The Jeffersons will only air at 3:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. late nights. Everything else that was changed this past week will be incorporated to the January line-up that starts Jan. 8.
M*A*S*H week's (Jan. 1-7) schedule has been announced. As mentioned a lot already, M*A*S*H, the movie, the anniversary specials and the finale will air between 8pm-8am that week. During M*A*S*H week, some of the regular shows weekdays airing between 8am-8pm will be pre-empted: From 12-1pm The Andy Griffith Show will air instead of The Brady Bunch/All in the Family hour; 1-2pm will be a full hour of TV Land's 5-part Top 100 Catchphrases encore; 5pm Gunsmoke will air instead of Green Acres; 6-7pm The Andy Griffith Show will air instead of Leave it to Beaver and 7-8pm The Andy Griffith Show will air instead of Little House. So, Andy will lead-in to M*A*S*H that week.
To view the complete January updates, including episode numbers for M*A*S*H episodes airing in the marathon and which shows are airing when with M*A*S*H stars on other TV Land shows, I suggest you click HERE!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, September 22

The Goldbergs - "The Goldbergs' Excellent Adventure" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The season nine premiere revolves around the iconic ‘80s family paying tribute to Pops. Together they venture down memory lane by visiting Pops’ favorite stomping grounds. Adam Goldberg, forever with camera in hand, captures the outing – theming it to “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Hijinks and hilarity ensue, and we are reminded that there is no bond greater than family.

The Wonder Years - "Pilot" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
As the youngest in the Williams family, Dean is struggling to figure out where he fits in. Between his brother’s athleticism, sister’s popularity, mother’s intelligence and dad’s overall coolness, everyone else seems to have their lane figured out. He decides to pursue his calling as “The Great Uniter” and attempts to organize the first integrated baseball game between his team and his friend Brad’s team.

The Conners - "Trucking Live in Front of a Fully Vaccinated Studio Audience" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Lights, Camera, Action: “The Conners” is going live for both the East and West Coast broadcasts of the season four premiere episode. This iconic TV family continues to deal with the current pandemic while navigating breakups and newfound sobriety, all while planning an upcoming wedding.

Home Economics - "49ers Foam Finger, $7" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Connor invites the Hayworth clan to a San Francisco 49ers game as he tries to close his latest business deal. Desperately trying to prove that he knows the game, Tom gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to showcase his football skills in front of the entire crowd of 49ers Faithful at Levi’s® Stadium. Meanwhile, Denise tries to get Sarah to come to terms with Shamiah’s new interest in cheerleading.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 20)

Wednesday, September 22

Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Watch Steve and Martin on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Scott Foley (The Goodwin Games/Scrubs/A.U.S.A.) - Scott appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kim Fields (The Upshaws/Living Single/The Facts of Life/Baby, I'm Back) - Kim is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Alyson Hanningan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - Alyson will be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about his hit podcast Ever After on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
John Stamos (Fuller House/Grandfathered/Jake in Progrews/Full House/You, Again?) - John talks about his podcast The Grand Scheme on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew appears on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
Martin Lawrence (Martin/Partners) - Martin gets excited for the NFL season by partnering with DraftKings on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Jon Bernthal (The Class) - Jon talks about The Many Saints of Newark on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
The Cast of The Wonder Years (2021) - Elisha "EJ" Williams, Laura Kariuki, Dulé Hill and Saycon Sengbloh are guests on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. Dulé appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. Dulé and EJ will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.