Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Antenna TV In Cleveland Soars In Ratings; Remembering All in the Family Director John Rich and Seinfeld's "Mr. Pitt"
On weekends, Adam-12 has done well outperforming programs on WKYC, WBNX, WOIO, WVPX, WEWS, WJW and WUAB! The series airs Saturday nights from 8-9pm and delivers a 0.2/1 rating/share in adults 18-49 and a 0.3/1 rating/share in adults 25-54! Talk about being "hot in Cleveland" as Antenna TV continues to grow. Stay with us for the Antenna TV spring schedule (and not just for Cleveland, but all Antenna TV stations!) that will begin in April and will have the addition of WKRP in Cincinnati, as we mentioned.
We have a couple of recent deaths to tell you about. John Rich, an award-winning television director for The Dick Van Dyke Show and All in the Family, has died. Rich died on January 29 at his Los Angeles home after a brief illness. Mr. Rich was 86.
His nearly 50-year career in Hollywood included directing and producing episodes of many different television series. Rich directed over 40 episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show and won his first Emmy in 1963. He directed over 80 episodes of All in the Family and won two Emmys and two Golden Globes for his work on the series. The memorable scene of Sammy Davis, Jr. kissing Archie Bunker in the episode Sammy's Visit was directed by him. His many other directing credits included episodes of I Married Joan, Where's Raymond?, Our Miss Brooks, Gilligan's Island, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Brady Bunch, That Girl, Good Times, Barney Miller, Newhart, Benson and Dear John. In the 1980s Rich and Henry Winkler formed a production company called Henry Winkler/John Rich Productions and together they produced MacGyver for Paramount Television from 1985-92.
You can view an extensive interview with him at the Archive of American Television. Rich is survived by his wife of 22 years, Patricia; his three children, Catherine, Anthony and Robert; his three stepchildren, Megan Lewis, Kimberly Beres and Dana Benton; and eight grandchildren. We thank him for bringing us many hours of quality television. He will be missed.
Ian Abercrombie, a veteran English actor who played Elaine Benes' boss Mr. Pitt during the sixth season on Seinfeld, has died. Abercrombie died at a Los Angeles hospital on January 26 from complications of kidney failure and recently had been diagnosed with lymphoma. Mr. Abercrombie was 77.
His American stage debut was a 1951 production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards and Jules Munshin. Abercrombie made guest appearances on many television series such as Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Murphy Brown, NewsRadio, Star Trek: Voyager, State of Grace, Birds of Prey, Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother, Happily Divorced and Wizards of Waverly Place. He voiced characters in The Batman, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rango. His film credits included Army of Darkness, Addams Family Values, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties. We'll never forget his memorable and hilarious character on Seinfeld. He was just a very solid and dependable character actor. Mr. Abercrombie is survived by his wife, Gladys, and his brothers Douglas, Donald and Alex. He will be missed.
Who can forget Mr. Pitt eating a Snickers bar with a knife and fork? What are your favorite Mr. Pitt moments? Discuss them on our Seinfeld message board.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, May 20
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)
Tuesday, May 20
- Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Catch Sarah on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Paul W. Downs (Hacks/Broad City) - Paul appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Meghann Fahy (Sirens) - Meghann stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) - Elizabeth and Jessica Biel talk about The Better Sister on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Elizabeth will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Murray Bartlett (Physical/Looking) - Murray, Nicole Kidman and Henry Golding discuss Nine Perfect Strangers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Benito Skinner (Overcompensating) - Benito talks about Overcompensating on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- John Krasinski (The Office) - John talks about Fountain of Youth on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Ilana Glazer (Broad City) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - It's the Breast Show Ever with Drew dedicating the entire show to tackling all breast related topics including the right bra fitting, the best breast products and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, 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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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