SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

As we reported last week, The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore were pulled from The Hallmark Channel weekend schedule block. Today we have some further bad news to tell you about. Starting Monday, April 23, both shows will be completely leaving the lineup. Cheers replaces The Bob Newhart Show weekdays between 2-3am. Frasier replaces the two-hour block of The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show between 3-5am. Finally, I Love Lucy replaces The Mary Tyler Moore Show between 5-6am. It's sad to see these shows move from bad timeslots to completely off the schedule. Low ratings is usually the culprit for the many Hallmark Channel schedule changes. It's difficult for these shows to garner an audience when they are placed at these early hours. The Bob Newhart Show has been airing since January. The Mary Tyler Moore Show had just premiered on the network on April 1 with a marathon. In some Hallmark Movie Channel news, Mister Ed is leaving the weekday schedule. The two-hour block that has been airing weekdays between 6-8am is being replaced by a double dose of Matlock. It will still air weekends from 6-8am. Mister Ed has been airing on The Hallmark Channel's spin-off network since March 26. Digital simulcast network This TV also airs the series weekday mornings at 3:30am (following The Patty Duke Show at 3am).



We have some sad news to report. Legendary television and music pioneer Dick Clark, best known for hosting American Bandstand, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the Pyramid game show, has died. Clark died on April 18 after suffering a heart attack following a medical procedure at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. He had suffered a stroke in December 2004. Mr. Clark, known as "The World's Oldest Teenager" for his youthful appearance, was 82.

Clark's television career began at WKTV in Utica, NY. He first hosted a country music program called Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders. In 1952, he relocated to Philadelphia and worked as a disc jockey at the WFIL radio station. WFIL also had a television station where he would work as a substitute host on Bob Horn's Bandstand. In July 1956, he took over the full time hosting duties. ABC picked up the show nationally and renamed it American Bandstand. The show premiered on ABC on August 5, 1957, with an interview with Elvis Presley. American Bandstand was a a huge hit for its over 30-year run. The show introduced national audiences to numerous artists such as Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, and many more.

In 1972, he produced and hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. He presided over the dropping of the Times Square ball in New York City every year since 1972 except in 1999 when ABC preempted it for ABC 2000 Today and in 2004 after he had suffered a stroke. Clark hosted and appeared in a variety of other television series. In 1958-1960, he hosted a 30-minute Saturday night program called The Dick Clark Show. He began hosting the The $10,000 Pyramid on March 26, 1973. The show continued in various formats until 1988. Clark won three Emmy Awards for best game show host and the daytime versions of Pyramid won nine Emmy Awards for best game show.

In 1984, Clark produced and co-hosted with his friend and former neighbor Ed McMahon the NBC series TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. The show aired in various formats and specials on NBC and ABC until 2004. In 1990 and 1991, he hosted the syndicated television game show The Challengers and in 1993 he hosted Scattegories on NBC. In 2001-2003, he co-hosted the NBC daytime talk show The Other Half. Clark worked as a producer for many television series and specials, including the American Music Awards, The Golden Globe Awards, Greed and American Dreams. His sitcom guest appearances included The Joey Bishop Show, The Partridge Family, The Odd Couple, Police Squad!, Blossom, Friends, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Drew Carey Show, Murphy Brown, Dharma & Greg, Just Shoot Me and Baby Bob.

Clark is survived by his wife, Kari Wigton, and his three children, Richard, Duane and Cindy. We thank him for bringing us many quality hours of entertainment over the years. Mr. Clark was a true legend both in TV and music. New Year's Eve will never be the same. He will be deeply missed. For now Dick Clark... so long.

American Idol is planning a tribute for him tonight on Fox. GSN (Game Show Network) will air an original 15-second remembrance of Clark during the network's broadcasts of $25,000 Pyramid over the next several days, and will add an additional hour of the show to its schedule this Saturday, April 21.

GSN's special, original remembrance of Dick Clark will air during each of the following episodes of $25,000 Pyramid (all times Eastern):
· Thursday, April 19 at 3:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
· Friday, April 20 at 3:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and during all 10 episodes of GSN's 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. five-hour $25,000 Pyramid block
· Saturday, April 21 at 3:00a.m.,12:00 p.m., and 12:30 p.m.

What are your favorite Dick Clark memories? Discuss them here.



Emmy-Award winning television and film director Paul Bogart has died. Bogart died of age-related causes on April 15 at his home in Chapel Hill, NC. Mr. Bogart was 92.

He was a prolific director of episodes of television series from 1955-1991. Bogart directed 20 episodes of the acclaimed 1960s dramatic series The Defenders. In 1965, he won his first Emmy Award for his work on the show. He would later win two Emmys for his directing of CBS Playhouse in 1968 and 1970. His sitcom directing credits included Get Smart, All in the Family (97 episodes), Archie Bunker's Place, Mama Malone, The Golden Girls and Bagdad Cafe. In 1978, he won an Emmy Award for his work on All in the Family for the episode Edith's 50th Birthday, an one-hour episode in which a man tries to sexually assault Edith. He shared an Emmy Award in 1986 as a supervising producer when The Golden Girls won for Outstanding Comedy Series. His film directing credits included Marlowe, Skin Game, Class of '44, Oh, God! You Devil, and Torch Song Trilogy.

You can view an extensive inteview with him from 2001 at the Archive of American Television. Bogart is survived by his children, Peter, Tracy and Jennifer; his sister, Jeanette Gavaris; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We loved his work on the iconic All in the Family. He will be missed.