Remembering Sitcom Legend Tom Poston; Black Family Channel Will Move to Broadband

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Remembering Sitcom Legend Tom Poston; Black Family Channel Will Move to Broadband

We have some breaking news to report. Veteran actor Tom Poston has passed away. Mr. Poston passed away yesterday after a brief illness. Everyone has seen this man in at least something. The Emmy Award Winning actor is best remembered for his roles on The Bob Newhart Show, Mork & Mindy and Newhart. In his early career he guest starred on sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show before winning the Emmy in 1959 for his role on The Steve Allen Show. After that he guest starred on series such as Get Smart and The Good Guys before landing the role of Cliff "The Peeper" Murdock on The Bob Newhart Show. After his run on that show he guest starred on series such as Alice, CHiPs and was a regular on two short lived sitcoms On the Rocks & We've Got Each Other. In 1979 he got the role of Franklin Delano Bickley on the hit sitcom Mork & Mindy, starring Robin Williams. His next big role was of George Utley in the sitcom Newhart, reuniting him once again with Bob Newhart. Mr. Poston would reunite one more time with Bob in the sitcom Bob for a few episodes. He was also a regular in the Fox sitcom Good Grief in 1990 and more recently on NBC's short lived sitcom Committed. That is not all Tom was in. He guest starred in many many sitcoms in the 80s, 90s and 2000s. He had recurring roles on the ABC sitcoms Grace Under Fire and Coach. He also had a few memorable guest appearances as Mr. Looney (that's Loon-ay!) on the ABC sitcom Family Matters. The man was everything, more sitcom guest credits include Becker, Cosby, 8 Simple Rules, Dharma & Greg, Dream On, George & Leo, Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Malcolm & Eddie, Murphy Brown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, That '70s Show, Love Boat, The Simpsons, Will & Grace and reunited with his wife Suzanne Pleshette in the NBC sitcom Good Morning Miami. And that's just the sitcoms! He has been on dramas, game shows, movies, too. He was last seen in late 2006 on an episode of the Disney Channel sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. He will be dearly missed as he has graced a lot of shows and films. Mr. Poston was 85. We mentioned last week that the Black Family Channel is no more, but now they announced today they are moving to broadband as a free channel! Black Family Channel's slate of original, must-see, award-winning programs will soon be available free as a brand new, feature-rich broadband TV service. Anyone who has access to a broadband connection at home, at school, or at work will be able to get Black Family Channel. The broadband service is launching soon under the leadership of Hollywood actor and director Robert Townsend and Mr. Newberger. In tandem with the launch of the broadband service, Black Family Channel announced a cable partnership with Gospel Music Channel, the nation's first and only 24-hour music television entertainment network dedicated to all styles of Gospel and Christian music.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 1

St. Denis Medical - "Anything to Push Zaluva" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron's teasing makes Joyce question whether her friendship with a pharmaceutical rep is genuine; Alex has trouble letting Serena take on a new task; Matt finds a mentor in Bruce.

Night Court - "Hot to Trot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby's friendship with her ex-boyfriend's mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne's wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Love At First Swipe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
C.J. and Janine receive marital advice from an unlikely source; Peanut seeks help with his newfound online lover.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Failure 2 Launch" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Assisted Living is the new situation comedy by Tyler Perry about three generations who must make a new start in the rural backwoods of Georgia.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Tuesday, April 1

Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Catch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) and Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Chase and Kathryn are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Will Ferrell (The Office) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - E! News has interviews with Will and Jennifer at 11pm on E!.
Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) - Román talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) and Michael Cera (Life & Beth/Arrested Development/I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) - Michael and Michael talk about Sacramento with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) and Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tasha and Tone talk about the new season of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is dishing on her new comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about Netflix's Running Point on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.