SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

We all know that the day of the opening of the Summer 2012 Olympics, Cloo aired a Cloo Classics Olympics marathon of many classic sitcoms to start their Cloo Classics Olympics... now as we promised over a month ago, we have the rest of the classic schedule for you during the Olympics. Yesterday saw the launch of Cloo Classics that will air for the next two weeks on weekdays. Mondays (July 30 and Aug. 6) will feature a Cloo Classics marathon of MacGyver beginning at 6:00am ET/3:00am PT on both days. On Tuesdays, (July 31 and Aug. 7), we have a Cloo Classics Olympics marathon featuring 24-hours of T.J. Hooker beginning at 6:00am ET/3:00am PT on both days. On Wednesdays, August 1 and 8, it's a Cloo Classics Olympics marathon featuring 24-hours of the '70s series Charlie's Angels beginning at 6:00am ET/3:00am PT on both days. Then on Thursday (Aug. 2 and Aug. 9), we have a Cloo Classics Olympics marathon of Mannix at also 24-hours beginning 6:00am ET/3:00am PT. The week ends with a classic sitcom marathon just like the previous Friday during the Opening Ceremonies. We once again get Paramount sitcoms The Odd Couple, Bosom Buddies, Taxi, Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Family Ties and Get Smart on Fridays, Aug. 3 and Aug. 10.
So if you're not into the Olympic Games, then NBC-owned Cloo Classics Olympics is the way to go every weekday until the summer games are over. And the monthly Cloo Classic marathon will air on Saturday, August 25 featuring Get Smart, Mannix and Charlie's Angels, so be sure to catch that as well!

FX has ordered 13 episodes of its hit comedy Louie for its fourth season. The current third season of Louie has eight all new episodes remaining this season airing Thursdays at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Louie will conclude with a special one-hour season finale on Thursday, September 27. Louie is a comedy filtered through the observational humor of Louis C.K. Each episode puts a spotlight on Louis' hectic life as a successful stand-up comedian and newly single father raising his two daughters in New York City.

Stay tuned for news on a pick-up for Charlie Sheen's sitcom Anger Management for a second season (probably for 90 episodes). It is expected that his father Martin Sheen will join the series as his father if there is a second season. Martin Sheen will guest star this season on the ninth episode airing Aug. 16. Anger Management airs Thursdays at 9:30pm through Thursday, August 23. FX will air a marathon of the entire first season of its new hit series Anger Management, running all ten episodes back-to-back on Thursday, Sept. 6 from 6-11pm. Charlie Sheen stars as a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. Prior to his career as a therapist, he was a stalled minor league baseball prospect whose road to the majors was sidetracked by his own struggle with anger issues. Thriving on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues, his life is complicated by his relationships with his own therapist/best friend, an ex-wife with a positive outlook but poor choice in men, and their 13-year-old daughter with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Then today, The CW will be up. Breakfast will be sponsored by the summer reality series Oh Sit! with Jamie Kennedy. After that, there will a panel with the cast and crew of the new drama Arrow, which is coming this fall. Then it is time for the executive session with Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW. If there is anything of note, we will come back and post it here. After that, it's time for more series panels. We have one for the new drama Emily Owens M.D., which stars Mamie Gummer. And finally, the last panel will be for the new version of Beauty and the Best. That concludes The CW, as in the afternoon Showtime will take over with panels for Weeds, Dexter and Homeland.

Weigel Broadcasting Co. and Hearst Television announce an affiliation agreement in which five additional Hearst markets will be adding the MeTV Network to its local stations. Joining MeTV will be WCVB, Boston; KCRA, Sacramento; WBAL, Baltimore; KOCO, Oklahoma City and WXII, Greensboro. This brings the total of Hearst's MeTV Network affiliates to 13. In addition, Hearst has extended its commitment to the network with the renewal of its existing nine MeTV affiliate agreements to 2015. As you know, MeTV features a wide range of programming which audiences and advertisers find comfortable and engaging. Me-TV's library includes almost 100 series from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, CBS Television Distribution, NBCUniversal Television as well as many independent series owners and producers. MeTV's line-up include some of the most beloved television programs ever produced, including: M*A*S*H, The Brady Bunch, Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Perry Mason, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke, That Girl, I Love Lucy, and Hawaii Five-O series.

And finally, the second week (third episode) of TBS's popular new sitcom Sullivan & Son drew 2.5 million viewers on Thursday night, matching previous week's series launch while also outperforming previous Thursday's special two-episode premiere average by +9%. Among TBS' targeted demos, Thursday night's episode of Sullivan & Son brought in 615,000 adults 18-34 (+15% vs. previous week's two-episode average) and 1.2 million adults 18-49 (+5%), with a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating (tying MTV's Snooki & JWOWW head-to-head).
The telecast of Sullivan & Son's third episode also drew +22% more viewers, +35% more adults 18-34 and +15% more adults 18-49 (grew from a 0.8 to a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating) than the series' second episode (previous Thursday at 10:30pm). Sullivan & Son airs Thursdays at 10pm (ET/PT) on TBS, which episode four airing this Thursday (August 2). Ten episodes in all will air, with the finale scheduled for Sept. 13.

• The Simpsons (Fox) - A special repeat at 7pm did 1.96 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, as it was preempted from 8-9pm.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted.
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
• Family Guy (Fox) - A special repeat at 7:30pm did 2.56 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, obviously lower than usual since it didn't air in its normal 9-10pm summer slots.
• American Dad! (Fox) - preempted.

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 3.98 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Finally stopped the up or down trend.
• 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy did 4.57 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up a  tenth from previous week.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat did 5.8 million and only a 1.6 18-49 rating, up four tenths from previous week. Its best showing in the time period in many weeks.
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - 5.19 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating for a repeat was up two tenths from previous week.

• The Middle (ABC) - Tuesday repeats will air for the rest of the summer, in addition to its regular Wednesday airings.  The first Tuesday airing did 3.39 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par with its normal Wednesday summer repeats.
• Last Man Standing (ABC) - A repeat of this sitcom followed with 2.51 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. Could have been a bit higher.
• New Girl (Fox) - preempted.

• The Middle (ABC) - A repeat at 8 did 3.66 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week again.
• Suburgatory (ABC) - A repeat at 8:30 posted 3.01 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par week-to-week. The comedy will be moving to 9:30pm this Fall.
• Up All Night (NBC) - preempted.
• Modern Family (ABC) 2 airings - A repeat did 3.75 million and a 1.3 rating, down a tenth from previous week. Solid. A second airing followed with a similar 4.07 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Good showings.
• Happy Endings (ABC) - preempted.

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 7.88 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down three tenths (and a million total viewers) from the previous week. Still good, but down.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did a solid 6.64 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, thanks to a solid lead-in, but down two tenths week-to-week.
• The Office (NBC) - A repeat at 8 did 2.25 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, which is not good but again on par with previous week. 
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A repeat of this followed at 8:30pm and did only 1.52 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, down a tenth week-to-week. No rewatchability.
• New Girl (Fox) - preempted.

• Whitney (NBC) - preempted, Olympics time.
• Community (NBC) - preempted, Olympics time.

• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - preempted.

The Television Critics Association (TCA) has announced the winners for its 2012 TCA Awards. Bryan Cranston, star of AMC's hit series Breaking Bad, hosted the annual invitation-only event, held at the Beverly Hilton hotel in conjunction with the TCA's summer 2012 press tour. The non-televised ceremony bestowed awards in 12 categories to recipients in comedy, drama, reality, miniseries, news and youth programming for the 2011-2012 television season in this 28th Annual TCA Awards presentation. Members of the TCA, a media organization of more than 200 professional TV critics and journalists from the United States and Canada, voted HBO's celebrated Game of Thrones this season's Program of the Year and honored Showtime's freshman drama, Homeland, with the award for Outstanding New Program. Winning its first TCA Award ever, the FX sitcom Louie took home the award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, and its star, Louis C.K., nabbed the top trophy in the Individual Achievement in Comedy category. AMC's Breaking Bad once again received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama, having previously won the distinction in 2010, and Homeland star Claire Danes was honored with Individual Achievement in Drama for her portrayal of Carrie Mathison. Cable series continues to dominate awards shows.

Below is the complete list of the 2012 Television Critics Association winners.

Individual Achievement in Drama
Claire Danes (Homeland, Showtime)

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Louis C.K. (Louie, FX)

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
60 Minutes (CBS)

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Switched at Birth (ABC Family)

Outstanding New Program
Homeland (Showtime)

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
Downton Abbey: Masterpiece (PBS)

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Breaking Bad (AMC)

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Louie (FX)

Career Achievement Award
David Letterman (Late Show With David Letterman)

Heritage Award
Cheers (NBC)

Program of the Year
Game of Thrones (HBO)

View the full list of nominated programs to see who these winners beat out. Stay tuned tomorrow for our recap of the CBS portion of the TCA Summer 2012 Press tour and we will have an update from The CW as well.

Today at the TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour, ABC will finish up their portion with its second day. Before we get into that, we have the ABC Fall 2012 premiere dates that were announced. But wait, there is one schedule change. New sitcom The Neighbors will premiere on Wednesday, September 26 at 9:30pm following Modern Family, but then it will be moving to its regular time period at 8:30pm starting the following week on Wednesday, October 3. This means The Neighbors and Suburgatory will be switching timeslots. More on Suburgatory in a bit, but onto the premiere dates, ABC will kick off the new season on Friday, Sept. 14 with the season premieres of Shark Tank, What Would You Do? and 20/20. This line-up will run seven weeks in a row before Friday night staple Shark Tank moves to 9pm starting Friday, Nov. 2 to anchor the night. The season premiere of the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing, on its new night, and the series premiere of the new Reba McEntire sitcom Malibu Country will launch in the 8pm hour on that same night. What Would You Do? will return later in the 2012-13 season for more all-new episodes following the initial seven weeks. On Mondays, Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars will premiere on Monday, Sept. 24, the official start of the 2012-13 TV season, from 8-10pm leading into the season premiere of the veteran series Castle. The next night, Tuesday, Sept. 25 will have a special two-hour Dancing with the Stars: The Results leading into the season premiere of Private Practice at 10. The new comedy hour of Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 will have their season premieres about a month later on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 9pm. It is expected that on weeks two and three (Oct. 2 and 9), ABC will air Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 9pm after probably a recap/special at 8pm. There will be a Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, Oct. 16, so ABC will air that live at 9pm ET/6pm PT. No word yet on how ABC will handle that night, but a Dancing recap will likely air at 8pm and Dancing with the Stars: The Results is likely going to air on a special night this week on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 8pm, but we are speculating.

Onto Wednesdays, The Middle will have a special one-hour season premiere from 8-9pm on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Modern Family will have its season premiere on the same night at 9pm leading into the series premiere of The Neighbors at a special time of 9:30pm. As we mentioned, the new family comedy would then move to 8:30pm the following week on Oct. 3 following The Middle. And on Wednesday, Oct. 3, the first Presidential Debate will air live at 9pm ET/6pm PT from Denver, so ABC will be forced to preempt Modern Family after only a week. However, on Wednesday, Oct. 10, ABC will air two all-new back-to-back episodes of Modern Family to fill that void from 9-10pm. And those two new episodes will give them a great launching pad for their new drama Nashville, which will premiere on that night, Oct. 10, at 10pm. ABC has not announced yet what will air on premiere Wednesday (Sept. 26) at 10pm, but word is ABC will be working on a Revenge special in its old timeslot to promote the move to Sundays at 9pm, which would be just a few days later. And finally for Wednesdays, we mentioned Suburgatory will be moving to a new timeslot of 9:30pm and it will premiere on Wednesday, Oct. 17 following Modern Family. On that night due to a debate the previous night (Oct. 16), as we mentioned, ABC could preempt The Middle and The Neighbors to air Dancing Results, perhaps that is why The Middle will have a one-hour premiere on Sept. 26.

Thursdays are not as tough to schedule as ABC will premiere all three of their Thursday dramas on Thursday, Sept. 27 starting with the series premiere of Last Resort, followed by the season premieres of two Shonda Rhimes series: Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. Like on Tuesday, and Wednesdays, there will be a Presidential Debate on Thursday, Oct. 11, that will preempt Grey's Anatomy and Scandal after two weeks, but Last Resort will likely still air on the night at 8pm. There is one final Presidential Debate on a Monday on Oct. 22, but we're not sure what ABC will do yet, most likely they will just air an hour of Dancing with the Stars performance instead of two-hours and Castle would be preempted. And finally on to Sundays, ABC will premiere their new drama block on Sept. 30 with the return of Once Upon a Time, new night and time for Revenge and the series premiere of new drama 666 Park Avenue. At 7pm on the night there will likely be a recap special or a repeat of last season's Once Upon a Time season finale leading into the new season premiere. Veteran series America's Funniest Home Videos would have its season premiere the following week on Sunday, Oct. 7. I think like last season, the ABC fall premiere dates are well mapped out and not jumbled into one week giving ample promo time for every series and scheduling around these four debates (not to mention Election Tuesday coming up on Nov. 6, which would likely have Dancing Results air on a Wednesday possibly for a second time). Take a look at the ABC Fall 2012 Premiere Dates in a list form.

Onto the actual ABC primetime series panels and executive session, up first after breakfast will be the cast and crew of upcoming new drama Nashville. Then it is time for the all-important executive session with Paul Lee, President, ABC Entertainment Group. That session will lead into the Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars panel, where the cast will be revealed! Check back below for the cast at approx. 1:30pm ET. Following that there will be a panel with the cast and crew of new comedy The Neighbors. Then it is off to lunch to refresh and get ready for six panels in a row. First after lunch will be upcoming supernatural drama 666 Park Avenue. Then we have a panel for the new sitcom Malibu Country, with Reba on hand. ABC will also have two panels for two new comedies launching later in the season: How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life) and Family Tools, as both are expected to launch in January. Then we have a panel for the 64th Primetime Emmy® Awards, which will air on Sept. 23 on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. And the final panel, probably saving the best for last, will be for the new drama Last Resort. What a pilot that is! After all that it is time for all-star cocktail party as we join talent, executives and showrunners from ABC and ABC Family for drinks and nosh at the Beverly Hills Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars marks the first time prior contestants will return for another chance at winning the coveted mirror ball trophy for a very special All-Star season. From former champions to fan favorites, including a celebrity voted in by fans, the stars will return and will be paired with some of the world’s most decorated professional ballroom dancers for the most unforgettable season yet. Week to week these Dancing with the Stars alumni will once again compete to impress the judges and the viewers at home in order to be crowned the mirror ball champions.

In a show first, fans will determine who the final All-Star cast member will be. The three celebrities vying to fill the 13th spot on the cast are Sabrina Bryan, Carson Kressley and Kyle Massey. Fans can vote for their favorite Viewers' Choice: All-Star at www.ABC.com/DancingwiththeStars, presented by Diet Pepsi, starting today, Friday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m., PT through Friday, August 24 at 12:00 p.m., PT, to determine which of the three celebrities will be named the final All-Star contestant. Once voting has closed, the final cast member will be announced live on Good Morning America, on Monday, August 27.

The All-Star cast and their professional partners will take to the stage for the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, Monday, Sept. 24 from 8:00-10:00pm, followed by the premiere of Dancing with the Stars the Results Show on Tuesday, September 25 from 8:00-10:00pm on ABC.

As announced today, the 12 out of 13 All-Star celebrities returning to the dance floor this season are:

Kirstie Alley (Season 12 finalist), Pamela Anderson (Season 10 favorite), Helio Castroneves (Season 5 champion), Joey Fatone (Season 4 finalist), Shawn Johnson (Season 8 champion), Drew Lachey (Season 2 champion), Gilles Marini (Season 8 finalist), Kelly Monaco (Season 1 champion), Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4 champion), Bristol Palin (Season 11 finalist), Melissa Rycroft )Season 8 finalist) and Emmitt Smith (Season 3 champion).

As announced, the three celebrity alumnus competing to be the "Viewer's Choice: All-Star" are: Sabrina Bryan (Season 5 favorite), Carson Kressley (Season 13 favorite) and Kyle Massey (Season 11 finalist). The three contestants competing to be the "Viewers' Choice: All-Star" will kick-off their campaign with their first television interview live in-studio on Good Morning America, Monday, July 30.

Professional dancer partner pairings will be announced live on ABC's Good Morning America, on Monday, August 13.

Stay tuned Sunday for TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour: CBS!



It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of July 30-August 3, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, July 30, 2012

• Joel McHale (Community) - Watch Joel on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock From the Sun) - Kristen appears on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
• Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family) - Rico is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
• Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

• Jimmie Walker (Good Times) - Catch Jimmie on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Woody chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. is a guest on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on ABC's Good Afternoon America on Tuesday and Thursday at 2pm.
• Donald Faison (The Exes/Scrubs) - Donald visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kim Coles (Living Single) - Kim drops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse appears on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
• Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Tune in to see Rashida on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• John Stamos (Full House) - John stops by ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.
• Kristin Davis (Sex and the City) - Kristin appears on ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.

• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Watch Jon on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Cybill Shepherd (Cybill) - Cybill chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) - Patrick stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy/Working Class/Reba) - Melissa is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Whoopi appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Catch Rashida on Good Morning America between 7-9am on ABC.

• Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Catch Rashida on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Caroline Rhea (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Caroline visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.

• Marissa Jaret Winokur (Retired at 35) - Watch Marissa on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• David Alan Grier (Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David is a guest on ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.

Stay tuned tomorrow for TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour: ABC Day 2!

Fox will launch The Short-Com Comedy Hour in Summer 2013, building on television's rich past to reinvent comedy for the future. Both a contemporary spin on multi-camera comedy and an alternative development platform, The Short-Com Comedy Hour will feature four unique short-form sitcoms - or "short-coms" - in a fast-paced hour-long broadcast. Each short-com will feature both established and up-and-coming actors and comedians in one-act scenes, creating a comedy showcase brimming with today's best, brightest and freshest voices.
The short-com development process will be as distinct as the end result, featuring hand-picked talent from the world of stand-up comedy. In an effort to open up the traditional development process, Fox will facilitate a creatively open environment for comedy talent to hone their voices and material within the context of their self-produced short-coms. In addition to airing them as part of The Short-Com Comedy Hour, Fox will commission the most fully realized of these scripted vignettes to series, helping to seed the future of the Fox multi-camera brand. Additional details to be announced, stay tuned. If you recall, Fox announced something similar on the animated comedy side for a Saturday late night block. The late-night programming block will air Saturdays from 11:00 PM-12:30 AM ET/PT on Fox and will feature four new animated series per season starting in January 2013.

And finally, Style Media has acquired the off-network rights to the hit young drama series Gossip Girl from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The one-hour drama about the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite, executive produced by Josh Schwartz (Chuck, The O.C., Hart of Dixie) and Stephanie Savage (The O.C., Hart of Dixie) will begin airing Wednesday, August 15 at 8pm ET/PT on Style. Viewers can get caught up from the beginning every Wednesday night from 8-11pm ET/PT; additionally Style will air an all-day marathon on Labor Day, Monday, September 3.
This is their second off-network acquisition in recent weeks, as they also now air '90s sitcom Sister, Sister every weekday morning, as we announced.

Actor Sherman Hemsley, best known for his role as the cranky George Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons, and as Deacon Ernest Frye on Amen, has died. He died on July 24 at his home in El Paso, Texas, apparently of natural causes. Mr. Hemsley was 74.

Hemsley's professional acting career began as a stage actor in New York. He made his Broadway debut in Purlie in 1970 and toured with the show for a year. In 1971, Norman Lear called him and offered him the role of George Jefferson, a neighbor of the Bunkers, on All in the Family. Hemsley declined the offer because of his theatre work, but he joined the cast two years later. He made his debut as the character on October 25, 1973, in the episode "Henry's Farewell." From 1973-1975 he appeared in a total of thirteen episodes of the series, plus two additional episodes after he left for the spinoff. The Jeffersons premiered on CBS on January 18, 1975. The show became an immediate ratings hit and was one of the most successful and longest-running spinoffs in history. It ran for 11 seasons and 253 episodes. At the time of its cancellation in 1985, it was the longest-running primetime scripted series on the air. Hemsley received an Emmy nomination in 1984 and Golden Globe Award nomination in 1985. The actors on the show were nominated for Emmys a total of 13 times. His television wife, Isabel Sanford, was nominated seven times from 1979-1985 and won in 1981. Although they were twenty years apart in real life, Hemsley and Sanford had great chemistry together. They also appeared together in two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1995 and 1996. In the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, they appeared in a series of commercials for The Gap, Old Navy and Denny's. The cast also reunited for a Jeffersons stage-play. Hemsley and Sanford appeared at the 2nd Annual TV Land Awards in 2004. Hemsley's final credited acting appearance was as George Jefferson in a 2011 episode of Tyler Perry's House of Payne. His Jeffersons co-star Marla Gibbs also appeared in the episode as Florence Johnston.

Hemsley's second major role was on the 1986-1991 NBC sitcom Amen. He starred as the fiery Deacon Ernest Frye for five seasons. The series, which co-starred Clifton Davis, Anna Maria Horsford, Roz Ryan, Barbara Montgomery and Jester Hairston, ran for 110 episodes. Hemsley next voiced the character of B.P. Richfield, Earl Sinclair's horrifying boss, on the live-action 1991-1994 ABC sitcom Dinosaurs for four seasons. In 1996-1997, he co-starred with Dorien Wilson on the UPN sitcom Goode Behavior. Hemsley played the role of Willie Goode, a newly paroled con artist, for one season. In 2006, he was a cast member on the celebrity reality series The Surreal Life. His other television guest appearances include The Incredible Hulk, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, E/R (1984 CBS sitcom as George Jefferson), The Twilight Zone (1985), 227, What a Dummy, Designing Women, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Burke's Law, Thunder in Paradise, Lois & Clark: The New Adventure of Superman, Me and the Boys, Family Matters, The Wayans Bros., In the House, Martin, Clueless, Sister, Sister, City Guys, The Hughleys, and Family Guy (voice). Hemsley's film credits include Love at First Bite, Stewardess School, Mr. Nanny, Senseless, and American Pie Presents: The Book of Love.

The Archive of American Television conducted an interview with him on August 17, 2003. No information on any survivors has been released. He never married and had no children. Mr. Hemsley was a very talented and funny actor. George Jefferson was one of the most memorable and iconic characters in the history of television. George wasn't the the most likable character, but Hemsley made him enjoyable and beloved. He's movin' on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky. He will be greatly missed.

Share your Sherman Hemsley memories on our The Jeffersons or Amen message boards. View Sherman Hemsley photos in our The Jeffersons and Amen photo galleries.

Many networks will honor Sherman Hemsley as a tribute to him. First up, Centric will air his episodes of 227 ("The Big Deal") and The Wayans Bros. ("It's Shawn, It's Marlon, It's Super Boys") today (Wednesday, July 25) at 12 noon and 5pm ET. The Wayans Bros. episode will also encore at 9pm ET tonight. On Friday, July 27, TV One will replace this Friday's scheduled Good Times marathon with The Jeffersons from 8pm-12am and 1-2am (Good Times airs 12-1am still, though). This marathon will feature episodes centered around Sherman Hemsley's Emmy-nominated performance of George Jefferson. Episodes airing are: the series premiere "A Friend in Need," "George's First Vacation," "Movin' on Down," "Louise Suspects," "George the Philanthropist," "Once a Friend," "The Ones You Love," and "The List." An hour later from 1-2am, The Jeffersons was already scheduled to air, as was Amen from 2-3am, so the Sherman Hemsley marathon sort of continues in the late night as well! If you want more Amen, the following Friday (Aug. 3), will have Amen (which was already scheduled) from 8-11pm. Both The Jeffersons and Amen airs weekday mornings on TV One in a block from 7-9am.

Elsewhere, TV Land will have a 4-hour marathon of The Jeffersons this Saturday starting at noon ET through 4pm ET. Episode information will be released shortly. The TV Land Facebook page will also pay tribute to Hemsley, celebrating some of his greatest moments on television.

Antenna TV will commemorate the life of Sherman Hemsley this Sunday, July 29 with "All in the Family - Tribute to Sherman Hemsley." The three hour marathon will begin at 9pm ET/6pm PT and feature six George Jefferson themed episodes of All in the Family. They will include his first appearance ever as that character and The Jeffersons backdoor pilot episode that aired as an All in the Family episode.

9:00pm All in the Family "Henry's Farewell"
9:30pm All in the Family "Lionel's Engagement"
10:00pm All in the Family "Pay the Twenty Dollars"
10:30pm All in the Family "Lionel, the Live-In"
11:00pm All in the Family "George and Archie Make a Deal"
11:30pm All in the Family "The Jeffersons Move Up"

MeToo in Chicago, IL honors the life and career of Sherman Hemsley, best known as George Jefferson on the iconic television series The Jeffersons. On Saturday, July 28, beginning at 11 AM CT, tune in to MeToo for episodes of Amen, All in the Family and The Jeffersons. MeToo is available over the air on 26.4, XFINITY 247/358, RCN 22, WOW 171 and U-VERSE 48. The Jeffersons airs regularly on MeToo Monday through Saturday at 5:00 pm with All in the Family following at 5:30 pm CT. Amen airs on sister station The U Too weekdays at 12 noon CT.

Stay with us as we receive any further TV tribute news. Other possible networks include GMC TV (they also air Amen). We will post it right here, so come on back! Mmm hmm mmm!

Today it is day two for the NBC portion of the TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour. However, NBC will be showcasing their cable networks today, so we won't cover in detail. The day will start out with breakfast with the cable network mun2. Oxygen and Style will showcase some series after that, including reality series Tia & Tamera. Then it will be time for lunch and E! will be showcasing their series. Panels will follow, like for the upcoming talk show Love You, Mean It with Whitney Cummings. E! will have all sessions after lunch. So not much to report, but we do have some NBC updates from yesterday that we will cover now.
NBC will air two live half-hour Saturday Night Live Election Specials on Thursday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8pm ET. These were pretty popular in 2008 when Sarah Palin was in the limelight, but will it be as popular this time? As previously announced, 30 Rock will premiere on Oct. 4 in the time period. Also, NBC and Sky Living announced the co-production of Dracula, a provocative new drama series version of the classic Bram Stoker novel starring Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the title role. Dracula is from the producers behind the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning hit Downton Abbey, Carnival Films & Television, along with Flame Ventures and Playground, and will begin production later this year. The 10-episode series introduces Dracula as he arrives in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who maintains that he wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. In reality, he hopes to wreak revenge on the people who ruined his life centuries earlier. There's only one circumstance that can potentially thwart his plan: Dracula falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.

Stay tuned tomorrow for TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour: ABC Day 1!

The TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour began for the broadcast networks yesterday with Fox. We want to give you a recap of what Fox presented before we get into NBC, which is up today (and tomorrow). First up for Fox was a performance from So You Think You Can Dance? performers. All people on hand got some snacks such as Fox chocolate covered peanut butter pretzel balls--gotta love that! The panels began with So You Think You Can Dance, followed by a panel of upcoming new comedy The Mindy Project. Then it was time for a panel with the cast and crew of another upcoming comedy, Ben and Kate. We have some news on both new comedies below. Then it was the all-important executive session with Kevin Reilly. Among the announcements he made were Mariah Carey, one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, has joined American Idol as a new judge starting in January. She will replace Jennifer Lopez and there has not been a replacement announcement yet for Steven Tyler. Quote of the day from Reilly: "It's going to be a competitive year. They've (CBS) got the Super Bowl this year, they've got the AFC (Championship) playoff game. I think it's going to be a very close year. In fact, we may not win this season this year. We've had a record eight years in a row, but I can tell you at the very least it's going to be close." Reilly also gave us a timetable on when a host (or hosts?) will be announced for The X Factor: "We're pretty close, it could happen next week, it could happen in two weeks." And as for having two hosts: "I really can't say for sure, I think that's going to be about who Simon finally selects." Also, Fox gave an official order for a fourth season of summer entry MasterChef, which is currently in its third season.

After lunch it was back to the panels, with upcoming new drama The Mob Doctor. Fox announced that Terry Kinney will join the cast starting with episode two. Then there was the panel for American Idol, with Britney and company live via satellite. Next there was a panel for the upcoming Gordon Ramsay series (yes another!), Hotel Hell. And finally the last panel is for the last season of Fringe. Then it was off to the Fox after party.

Among the major announcements announced by Fox, fans will be able to preview new Fox comedies Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project in advance of their fall primetime debuts on Facebook and other online sites for two weeks from Monday, Aug. 27 at 5:00 PM ET through Sunday, Sept. 9 at 5:00 PM ET. Beginning Aug. 27, Facebook fans can preview the series premiere episodes of both Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BenandKate and www.Facebook.com/TheMindyProject. On Facebook, fans will be able to watch the series premiere episodes, share their opinions and encourage their friends to watch. Fans who don't want to miss the Facebook preview should "like" both series on Facebook. The premiere episodes will also preview on numerous websites, including Yahoo!, Hulu, AOL, MSN, Fox.com and Xfinity, among others, and via participating cable, satellite and telco distribution partners, on both VOD and online platforms. As part of the all-new "Laugh Your Fox Off!" Tuesday comedy block, Ben and Kate (8:30 PM ET/PT) and The Mindy Project (9:30 PM ET/PT) debut Tuesday, Sept. 25 on Fox. In other Fox Tuesday news, this summer Fox is giving fans additional opportunities to catch up with the Emmy Award-nominated New Girl before the special Season Two debut on Tuesday, Sept. 25 (at 8:00 PM ET/PT and 9:00 PM ET/PT), including free streaming of all 24 Season One episodes on the "New Girl Summer Catch-UP" on Yahoo! TV, and a new interactive fan website www.addtothejar.com, beginning July 30 through August 26. Six or seven episodes will be rolled out every week through Aug. 26.

Today it is NBC's turn at the TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour. The first day of NBC will start off with an executive sessions with Robert Greenblatt after breakfast. Then it will be time for show panels with upcoming sitcom Guys with Kids kicking it off. A panel with the cast and crew of the upcoming drama Chicago Fire will follow, followed by a panel with new comedy Animal Practice. After lunch, NBC will showcase hyped new drama Revolution. New comedies The New Normal and Go On (starring Matthew Perry) will follow. Then NBC will have sessions with reality entries Ready for Love and Stars Earn Stripes. And the first day ends with a cocktail reception.

Among the important announcements was a chance to sneak peek their new series. NBC again will offer full-episode, pre-sampling versions of its new fall series prior to the network time-period premieres as each new primetime program will receive a digital sampling window for marketing and promotional purposes over multiple platforms leading into the regular series premiere. As NBC takes advantage of the Summer Olympics springboard to provide a full-episode and commercial-free network preview of the new comedies Go On (Wednesday, August 8) and Animal Practice (Sunday, August 12), the online preview for those shows will be available over a wide spectrum for viewing immediately following their initial broadcasts beginning August 9 and 13, respectively. All other new new fall series will receive a two-week digital sampling period leading up to the broadcast series premiere.
In addition, NBC will further maximize its Olympics platform by unveiling a special six-minute tease of the new fall drama Revolution on Saturday, August 4 at approximately 10:54 p.m. (ET) following the swimming competition that is expected to feature U.S. gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. Platforms where these shows will be available include: on demand and online through cable, satellite and telco providers; NBC.com; NBC Owned and affiliate station websites (should they choose to opt in); Hulu (including Hulu's online distribution partners); iTunes, Amazon and Xbox. Select shows will be available on the Hulu Plus subscription service as well.

Here are the online sampling dates: The New Normal [August 29; TV premiere is September 11], Go On [August 9, TV sneak peek is Aug. 8 and TV time period premiere is September 11], Guys with Kids [September 13, TV premiere is September 26], Revolution [September 13, TV premiere is September 26], Animal Practice [August 13, TV sneak peek is Aug. 12 and TV time period premiere is September 26], and Chicago Fire [September 27, TV premiere is October 10].

Stay tuned tomorrow for TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour: NBC Day 2!

We mentioned a few months ago that Nick at Nite had ordered 20 episodes of original comedy Daddy's Home starring Scott Baio, now we have some more details! The upcoming sitcom has started production and taping began on July 13. A multi-camera, half-hour comedy for Nick at Nite, Daddy's Home follows David Hobbs (Baio) an actor who, after ten years of starring as America's favorite TV dad, becomes a stay-at-home father to honor the deal he made with his soap star wife so that she may return to the limelight. We have some casting news, too. Joining Baio will be veteran TV star Mark Curry (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper), in his return to TV. Other stars on the series include the rest of the Hobbs family: Alanna Ubach, Ryan Whitney Newman, Jackson Brundage, Bailey Michelle Brown and Ramy Youssef. Directing will be Andrew Weyman. Creators/executive producers are Tina Albanese and Patrick Labyorteaux. More executive producers are Scott Baio, Nat Bernstein, Mitchel Katlin, Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey.

The sitcom comes from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment and will premiere on Nick at Nite this Fall! Stay tuned for a premiere date and much more information as soon as we get it. The cable portion of the 2012 TCA summer press tour will be held Aug. 1-3, so we could have some more details by then on this sitcom. The series is being taped on stage 19 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, CA. That is the same stage where Scott Baio taped Happy Days (Chachi!) in the '70s! Waa waa waa!

Last Thursday (July 19), 2.5 million total viewers cozied up to the bar for the series premiere of TBS's new sitcom Sullivan & Son. The series, starring popular comedian Steve Byrne, also nabbed 1.3 million viewers adults 18-49 (1.0 adults 18-49 rating) and 612,000 viewers adults 18-34. TBS followed the series premiere with a second episode, which averaged more than 2 million viewers, 1.0 million viewers adults 18-49 (0.8 adults 18-49 rating) and 456,000 viewers adults 18-34. In comparison, the TBS premiere of original sitcom Men at Work, which was renewed for a second season, opened similarly (but a tad higher) with 2.65 million total viewers for its premiere episode on May 24, along with 1.63 million viewers adults 18-49 (1.3 adults 18-49 rating) and 851,000 viewers adults 18-34. If Sullivan & Son remains steady in the ratings, it will likely be picked up for a second season as well. But it is still too early to tell.
TBS's Sullivan & Son stars Steve Byrne as a corporate attorney who finds new life behind the bar when he leaves his Manhattan lifestyle and moves to Pittsburgh to take over his parents' pub. Byrne is joined by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Dan Lauria, Jodi Long, Christine Ebersole, Owen Benjamin, Valerie Azlynn, Vivian Bang and Brian Doyle-Murray. Sullivan & Son is executive-produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and showrunner Rob Long. Created by Long and Byrne, Sullivan & Son comes to TBS from Wild West Picture Show Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Television. Sullivan & Son airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on TBS.

Stay tuned for updates from the TCA Summer 2012 Press Tour. First up will be Fox today, followed by two days of NBC on Tuesday and Wednesday. ABC will be up on Thursday and Friday (with their fall premiere dates still to be announced, likely will be on one of these days). The TCA Awards will be held on Saturday followed by CBS on Sunday. The CW will go next Monday leading into the cable portion on next Wed-Fri (Aug. 1-3). Stay with us for full coverage on all of this!

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 8pm did 3.58 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, which is up a nice four tenths from previous week. Good showing for a repeat. A second repeat followed at 8:30pm doing a similar 3.63 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up three tenths week-to-week.
• The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30 just did 2.19 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week.
• Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 9 did 3.67 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is on par with previous week. Could have been higher since the lead-in increased, but still great. A second repeat followed at 9:30pm doing 3.67 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week. Probably second to Big Bang in repeats this summer.
• American Dad! (Fox) - The normal 9:30 airing was preempted. A repeat earlier in the night at 7 did just 1.91 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up a tenth week-to-week.

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 3.95 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, down two tenths from previous week. Up and down it goes every week. It is amazing how true that is.
• 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy did 4.13 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, down a  tenth from previous week.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat did 5.12 million and only a 1.2 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. This is very low for this show.
• Mike & Molly (CBS) - 4.73 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating for a repeat was on par with the previous week. Not bad, as it matched its lead-in.

• Last Man Standing (ABC) - preempted.
• New Girl (Fox) - Repeats are on Thursdays.

• The Middle (ABC) - A repeat at 8 did 3.86 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. Could be higher.
• Suburgatory (ABC) - A repeat at 8:30 posted 3.12 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down two tenths week-to-week. This show usually builds or matches its lead-in.
• Up All Night (NBC) - A repeat did 2.82 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week and tied the ABC competing sitcom in the time period.
• Modern Family (ABC) 2 airings - A repeat did 3.94 million and a 1.4 rating, on par with previous week. Solid. A second airing followed with a similar 4.02 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Good showings.
• Happy Endings (ABC) - preempted.

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 8.99 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up two tenths (and a million total viewers) from the previous week. How great is that! 
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did a solid 7.43 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, thanks to a solid lead-in.  However, CBS is better off repeating Big Bang in the slot, as Men was down seven tenths from previous week's Bang!
• The Office (NBC) - A repeat at 8 did 1.93 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, which is not good but again on par with previous week. 
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A repeat of this followed at 8:30pm and did only 1.57 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, but up a tenth week-to-week. No rewatchability.
• New Girl (Fox) 2 airings - A Thursday repeat at 9 did 2.26 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, followed by a second airing doing a similar 2.16 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. Low total viewers, but 18-49 is not bad.

• Whitney (NBC) - A repeat at 8 did a prelim 2.33 million and a prelim 0.6 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week's prelim ratings. Not good really. This show just repeats OK but originals do horrible. Maybe this show should be repeats all the time, ha.
• Community (NBC) - A repeat of this at 8:30pm did just a prelim 1.3 million and a prelim 0.3 18-49 rating, down two tenths from previous week's prelim ratings. So low!

• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - preempted.
• How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) - preempted.