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
Monday, January 20
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Monday, January 20
- Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Watch Don on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical/Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Christian is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Zosia Mamet (Laid/Girls) - Zosia stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Mekki Leeper (St. Denis Medical/Jury Duty/The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Mekki appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie is reminiscing with Drew on the film they worked on together on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Plus, Rosie shares which famous rapper filled in as a last-minute date to an awards show when she got stood up.
- Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta talks about the current season of Abbott Elementary on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - A Tam Fam DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE on Tamron Hall (repeat) with 90s TV star Jaleel White. In his new memoir, Growing Up Urkel, Jaleel talks about his iconic role as Steve Urkel on Family Matters and the impact it’s had on his career. Plus, life with his new wife and daughter.
- Gabriel Iglesias (The Santa Clauses/Mr. Iglesias/Cristela) - Gabriel talks about Netflix's Legend of Fluffy on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita debuts her limited-edition tribute Barbie on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
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