Thursday, February 17, 2011
Science Channel Acquires Firefly; USA Reduces CSI; Remembering Seinfeld's Uncle Leo, Actor Len Lesser
Firefly will dominate the airwaves every Sunday with an encore episode of the previous week airing 9pm ET to be followed by the network premiere of the next episode in the series airing at 10pm ET.
As a special treat for Firefly fans, star of Science Channel's Sci-Fi Science, and the cofounder of string field theory, Dr. Michio Kaku, will be commentating on the science behind Firefly for each episode. From terraforming, to anti-matter, Kaku will be explaining why the science fiction featured in the show really isn't that far from science fact.
When Firefly first aired in 2002 on Fox, Whedon's sci-fi western quickly became a cult favorite. Set 500 years in the future, in the aftermath of a universal civil war, the story centers on the renegade crew of a small transport spaceship led by Castle's Nathan Fillion, who directs the ragtag team through adventures into unknown parts of the galaxy, as they try to evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them. In addition to Fillion, the series starred Gina Torres (Alias), Adam Baldwin (Chuck), Summer Glau (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Ron Glass (Barney Miller) and Morena Baccarin (V).
Science Channel is part of Discovery Networks, which includes Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Discovery Health.
After just a few weeks, CSI will be reduced on USA Network. Law & Order: SVU replaces CSI on Mondays at midnight and Law & Order: CI replaces CSI on Mondays at 1am. And finally, NCIS replaces CSI on Fridays in late night beginning at 12am. So when will CSI now air? Wednesdays at 12am and Fridays 9pm-12am. It looks like the ratings are still not up to par for CSI on USA Network, which is surprising since it fits well with other reruns on the network. Stay with us for any further updates and changes, if any.
We have another TV passing to report. Len Lesser, the veteran character actor best known for his scene-stealing role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld, has died. Lesser's family said in a statement that he died Wednesday (Feb. 16, 2011) in Burbank, CA, from cancer-related pneumonia.
He appeared in about 15 episodes as Seinfeld's uncle on the long running sitcom starting in the second season all the way to the series finale. Lesser's lengthy list of television credits included parts on Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Love on a Rooftop, The FBI, My Favorite Martian, Honey West, Ben Casey, Get Smart, That Girl, The Munsters, The Monkees, The Rockford Files, The Bill Cosby Show, All in the Family, Kojak, Medical Center, The Bob Newhart Show, Bonanza, Ironside, Enos, Quincy, Remington Steele, Simon & Simon, Falcon Crest, Airwolf, thirtysomething, Babes, Boy Meets World, The John Larroquette Show, Caroline in the City, Mad About You, Smart Guy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Son of the Beach, Rock Me Baby, Just Shoot Me!, Quintuplets, Cold Case, ER, 'Til Death, and Everybody Loves Raymond, which featured Lesser in a recurring role as the arm-shaking Garvin. He most recently appeared on the ABC's Castle in 2009.
He will be deeply missed. Fans will be saying "Jerry! Hellooo!" today in his memory. Mr. Lesser was 88.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, August 13
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang Gets Ready for Prime Time" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Upon learning that Frank's making a "Hometown Visit" with his Golden Bachelor partners, the Gang rehearses their family dinner to appeal to America.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 11)
Wednesday, August 13
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Watch Terry on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - Ben appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Meghann Fahy (Sirens) - Meghann stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/Luis) - NBC's Today catches up with Charlie in the 9am hour.
- Regina King (The Boondocks/Leap of Faith/227) - Regina talks about Caught Stealing on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Harry Hamlin (Home Movies) - Harry shares his new pasta recipe on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Bill chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Halle Berry (Living Dolls) - Halle is hitting the headlines with Drew and Ross and opening up about finding love again on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Then, Halle is opening up about her experience with menopause and the new platform Respin she made to help women through it.
- Dylan Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Dylan discusses his film Under Fire on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
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