Antenna TV Premieres The Ropers on Feb. 15, 2011; Remembering Character Actor Peter Hobbs

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Antenna TV Premieres The Ropers on Feb. 15, 2011; Remembering Character Actor Peter Hobbs

We were the first ones to tell you that both spin-offs of Three's Company would air on Antenna TV within the Three's Company timeslots. Now we have info on the premiere date for the series' first spin-off, The Ropers! The 1979-80 sitcom starring Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, and Jeffrey Tambor will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm ET with an encore at 12:30am ET starting Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 following Three's Company airings. The pilot episode ("Moving On") and the episode where John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers guest starred ("Stanley, the Ladies Man") air as Three's Company episodes in syndication. Those episodes are in the Three's Company package, so they will kick-off the series on Feb. 15 and 16 at 5:30pm ET (encore at 12:30am ET). Antenna TV will then air the other 26 episodes of The Ropers starting Feb. 17.
As mentioned above, The Ropers will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm with an encore on most nights at 12:30am ET. The final The Ropers episode will tentatively air on Monday, April 4, so after that Three's Company will get the full-hour back on Tuesday, April 5. This is such a good way to incorporate The Ropers within Three's Company! As far as I know, they have never aired this way in syndication before.

Looking ahead, after the final episode of Three's Company, the second spin-off series Three's a Crowd will take over the full-hour. This spin-off series focused on Jack Tripper after Three's Company and starred John Ritter, Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan. The dates are subject to change, but as of now the Three's Company series finale is scheduled for Thursday, June 23 and then on Monday, June 27, Three's a Crowd takes over the full-hour for about 2 1/2 weeks until all 22 episodes air. So on or about Wednesday, July 13, Three's Company would return to the schedule starting with the very first episode. Then all of this would repeat again when the Ropers leave for their own series. Very cool and a Three's Company lover's dream to see all three series aired in the same rotation!
View the Three's Company episodes schedule for February and you'll see how The Ropers are incorporated. And of course visit the Antenna TV website on where you can watch the network! It's such a great network, it's vintage... without the funny smell!

Character actor Peter Hobbs, who straddled stage and screen, died on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Santa Monica following a short illness.
In his 50-year showbiz career Hobbs played Captain McLean in the original Rialto version of Teahouse of the August Moon from 1953-56. He also was featured in Billy Budd, Joan of Lorraine as well The Life of Reilly and The Russian People. Frequently portraying authority figures like doctors, lawyers and judges on TV he played Peter Ames in Secret Storm from 1954 to 1962 and had recurring roles on The F.B.I., The Odd Couple, Barney Miller, Knots Landing and Lou Grant.
He also guested on many series such as Perry Mason, The Joey Bishop Show, The Farmer's Daughter, Mister Ed, Donna Reed Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, Good Morning World, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Marcus Welby, Mannix, Dan August, It Takes a Thief, Doris Day Show, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Mod Squad, The Rockford Files, Barnaby Jones, Starsky & Hutch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mrs. Columbo, Rhoda, Kojak, Fish, Streets of San Francisco, All in the Family, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, The White Shadow, Remington Steele, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dynasty, Hart to Hart, St. Elsewhere, Gloria, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, One Day at a Time, Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy M.E., 9 to 5, Private Benjamin, Riptide, Crazy Like a Fox, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Newhart, Hunter, The Colbys, The Paper Chase, The Bronx Zoo, Day By Day, Who's the Boss?, L.A. Law, Amen, Empty Nest, Princesses and True Colors.
While he probably was never a household name, I'm sure everyone has seen him in something. Especially in TV series from the '60s-80s. He retired from acting in 1992. He will be deeply missed for his character parts. Mr. Hobbs was 92.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 9

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Stuffed Monkey and an Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When CeeCee loses her favorite toy, Mandy and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take it as an opportunity to make some money. Meanwhile, Connor contemplates revisiting an old relationship.

Ghosts - "Michael Jackson Goes to HR" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Trevor lands himself in trouble when an inappropriate gift to a co‑worker forces him into an HR meeting only Jay can handle. Meanwhile, Pete unintentionally sparks drama with Alberta after casually mentioning a surprise visit to his ex.

Animal Control - "Scaredy Cats and Card Sharks" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
When Frank and Daisy lose $5,000 in union funds, they try to win the money back by gambling; Shred and Patel cover the late-night shift at the precinct.

Going Dutch - "The Heart Locker" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
After throwing out his back, the Colonel is ordered to bed rest; the base is sent to sweep for landmines at a local farm, where Major Shah suddenly finds himself in serious danger when he steps on one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 6)

Thursday, April 9

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Catch Kerry on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about Scrubs and High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Dany Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan talks about Big Mistakes on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) - Felicity dishes on Doc on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/Help Me Help You) - Bryan, Frankie and Jane talk about Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8) - NBC's Today has "Head or Tails" with John in the 9am hour.
Billy Magnussen (The Franchise/Made for Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Billy in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Kenya Barris (blackAF) - Kenya talks about Prime's Jerry West: The Logo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette tells Drew about her current run in Broadway show The Rocky Horror Show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.