SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Tom Hanks in Bosom Buddies Reunion at 8th TV Land Awards; CSI: NY Pulled from Spike; Remembering John Forsythe

TV Land announced that Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks and Emmy® Award-nominee Peter Scolari are among the newest honorees at The 8th Annual TV Land Awards. The network will salute the ground-breaking sitcom Bosom Buddies with the "Anniversary Award" at this year's show, which will be hosted by Tim Allen. Taping on Saturday, April 17 on the historic Stage 15 on the Sony Lot in Culver City, the 90-minute award show will air on TV Land on Sunday, April 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari will reunite to accept the Anniversary Award for the 30th anniversary of the comedy, Bosom Buddies, along with fellow cast members Donna Dixon, Telma Hopkins and Holland Taylor, marking the first time that the cast has been together publicly since the show went off the air. Wendie Jo Sperber passed away in 2005 at the age of 47 after battling breast cancer. The series helped to launch the acting careers of the two up-and-coming actors in 1980. The series ended in 1982 after just two seasons.
The ABC sitcom centered around two bachelors, Kip and Henry, who move into a hotel for women after their apartment is condemned. The pair of advertising designers must live as Buffy and Hildegarde in wigs and heels in order to keep a roof over their heads. Previous honorees for this award have included Knot's Landing, Batman and Roots.

Starting today (Monday, April 5, 2010), Spike TV has pulled CSI: NY from the schedule and will replace it with Unsolved Mysteries every weekday morning from 9am-12pm. Everything else will remain the same as we announced a few weeks ago, including the Spike TV premiere of The Unit tonight at 6pm. Unsolved Mysteries will remain in its other timeslots as well, including most nights at 3am and weekend mornings.
No word yet why CSI: NY was pulled, but I don't think it has ever generated the ratings of parent series CSI on Spike TV. You CSI: NY fans can still catch the reruns on TNT in late nights (usually 1am), as they have the evening rights to the show.

Finally, we pay tribute to the late John Forsythe, who passed away on late Thursday (April 1, 2010). John Forsythe, the handsome, smooth-voiced actor who made his fortune as the scheming oil tycoon in ABC's primetime soap Dynasty and the voice of Charlie on ABC's Charlie's Angels has died after a yearlong battle with cancer. Forsythe died late Thursday at his home in Santa Ynez, CA from complications of pneumonia.
Despite his distinguished work in theater and films, Forsythe's greatest fame came from his role as Blake Carrington in the 1981-89 primetime ABC soap opera Dynasty. Forsythe lent dignity to the tale of murder, deceit, adultery and high finance, which often brought Carrington into conflict with his flashy, vengeful former wife, Alexis Colby, played to the hilt by Joan Collins. Dynasty returned in 1991 with a two-hour reunion movie on ABC. In 2006, CBS produced a retrospective special. Forsythe appeared with Dynasty co-stars Linda Evans, Joan Collins, Pamela Sue Martin, Al Corley, Gordon Thomson and Catherine Oxenberg in Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar.
Forsythe was an important part of another hit series without being seen. From 1976 to 1981 he played the voice of Charlie, the boss who delivered assignments to his beautiful detectives via telephone in Charlie's Angels. Forsythe reprised his role as Charlie for the film version of Charlie's Angels in 2000 and its sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in 2003, but then retired from acting.
Earlier in his TV career, he had a sitcom titled Bachelor Father. In the sitcom he played a Hollywood lawyer who cared for his teenage niece, which lasted from 1957 to 1962, appearing successively on CBS, NBC and ABC. He also starred on the comedy To Rome with Love for CBS from 1969-71 and The John Forsythe Show for NBC from 1965-66.
In 1992, three years after Dynasty, Forsythe returned to series television starring in Norman Lear's sitcom, The Powers That Be for NBC, co-starring Holland Taylor, Peter MacNicol, Valerie Mahaffey and David Hyde-Pierce. The show was canceled after only one season.
Among his other TV work he played Blake Carrington for a few episodes in the Dynasty spin-off series The Colbys, and also guest starred on series such as The Love Boat, Medical Story, Police Story, and Studio One.
John will certainly be missed for all of this TV work and film work. He was a legend. Mr. Forsythe was 92.

Bio TV will honor John Forsythe by airing the Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar on Wednesday, April 7 at 8am & 3pm ET followed by Biography Remembers: John Forsythe at 9am, 3pm & 4am ET.
No word on any other tributes, but it would be nice to have a cable network air Dynasty and Charlie's Angels as a tribute to John. Retro Television (RTV) airs his sitcom Bachelor Father on most of their affiliates weekday mornings, check your local RTV listings. Speaking of RTV, they recently added Archie's Funhouse, US of Archie and The Archie's to the schedule. We'll let you know if any other tributes to John Forsythe are planned.