The Big Bang Theory, Community, New Girl, 2 Broke Girls, Among the Shows at PaleyFest; Remembering Paul Ainsley, Jim the Bartender on Three's Company

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

The Big Bang Theory, Community, New Girl, 2 Broke Girls, Among the Shows at PaleyFest; Remembering Paul Ainsley, Jim the Bartender on Three's Company

The Paley Center for Media announced the full lineup of special guest panelists scheduled to appear for the upcoming 30th annual ultimate TV fan festival, PaleyFest: The William S. Paley Television Festival, which takes place at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, March 1-15, 2013. And many sitcoms will be a part of this! The annual celebration of great television will honor members of the Casts and Creative Teams of The Walking Dead, which will serve as the opening night presentation for PaleyFest, Revolution, Once Upon A Time, The Newsroom, Community, whose cast will present a live table read at their unprecedented fourth appearance at the festival; The New Normal, Parenthood, The Mindy Project, Nashville, Arrow, Dallas, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and American Horror Story: Asylum, which will close out the 15-day Festival.

PaleyFest (The William S. Paley Television Festival) is a cavalcade of interactive panel sessions and premiere screenings that connects the worldwide community of television fans and industry insiders alike with the casts and creators of their favorite TV series, and the icons that are changing the face of media. Over the past thirty years, PaleyFest has become a destination event for the worldwide community of television fans who gather each year to connect with the talent, from the stars to the creative teams of the shows, during interactive panel sessions and premiere screenings.
Hulu will expand its relationship with the Festival as the Premier Sponsor for PaleyFest 2013 and will stream full-length panel content and short form clips, exclusively on-demand from each PaleyFest panel on the free ad-supported Hulu, and the Hulu Plus subscription service at www.hulu.com. If you want to go in person, tickets can be purchased at the festival's official website www.paleyfest.org and via its ticket provider www.ticketweb.com.

Here are the sitcom dates: Tuesday, March 5: Community (7:00 pm) Moderator: Michael Schneider, LA Bureau Chief, TV Guide Magazine; Wednesday, March 6: The New Normal (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; Friday, March 8: The Mindy Project (7:00 pm) Moderator: Rob Moynihan, LA Correspondent, TV Guide Magazine; Monday, March 11: New Girl (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; Wednesday, March 13: The Big Bang Theory (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA; and Thursday, March 14: 2 Broke Girls (7:00 pm) Moderator: TBA.

Paul Ainsley

We leave you today with some sad news. Paul Ainsley, best known to sitcom fans for playing Jim the Bartender on the hit sitcom Three's Company, has passed away. Paul had a multi-season guest role on the series from seasons 1-5, playing the main bartender at the Regal Beagle, before being replaced by Brad Blaisdell (who played Mike the Bartender) for the rest of the series' run. He was also a fixture in the theater world. He created the role of King Herod in the original Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Paul passed away on January 19 in Los Angeles from heart-related complications. He was 67.

Among his other guest appearances on TV series were Wings, Babylon 5, and Weird Science. His other select theater career highlights include: originating Thenardier in the first national company of Les Miserables; essaying Mr. Darling/Captain Hook to Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan; succeeding Barry Bostwick and Jim Belushi as the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance and playing Herbie to Karen Morrow's Rose in Gypsy. Back in 2007, Paul spoke to our friend Eric of JustMyShow.com for an episode of his popular podcast. Another one of our friends, Chris Mann, mentioned there was a memorial for Paul Ainsley on Feb. 3 and Joyce DeWitt wrote a very nice note for the Ainsley family. Paul will be deeply missed, especially fans of Three's Company and the theater community.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, January 23

Young Sheldon - "An Entrepreneurialist and a Swat on the Bottom" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sheldon takes matters into his own hands when Meemaw refuses to drive him to a lecture with Dr. Linkletter (Ed Begley, Jr.). Also, Georgie tries to impress Veronica with his new business venture.

The Unicorn - "No Small Parts" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Grace gets the lead in the school musical, Wade realizes that the teachers are giving her special treatment after he hears her sing. Also, Michelle and Ben persuade Delia and Forrest to volunteer for the chaotic snack bar duty at a school function. Tim Baltz guest stars as Mr. Kersey, Grace’s drama teacher.

Young Sheldon - "A Pineapple and the Bosom of Male Friendship" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After being released from the mental hospital, Dr. Sturgis unexpectedly breaks up with Meemaw.

Mom - "Audrey Hepburn and a Jalepeño Pepper" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
While Bonnie struggles to enjoy her perfect honeymoon with Adam, Christy makes some questionable changes at the bar while they’re away.

Last Man Standing - "Bedtime Story" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mike tries to avoid hurting Vanessa's feelings due to her snoring.

Outmatched - "Pilot" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Kay and Mike cope with raising three high-IQ children.

Superstore - "Favoritism" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Amy tries to make Mateo her new assistant, leading to accusations of favoritism and a group competition in the store. Meanwhile, Sandra gets caught in a power struggle between Glenn and Dina, and Jonah attempts to show Garrett that he's still "one of the guys."

The Good Place - "Patty" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The group makes some new friends.

Will & Grace - "Lies & Whispers" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Larry (guest star Tim Bagley) warns Will and Grace about the difficult entry process into the elite school they both want their kids to go to, they set out to prove that their child would be the better candidate. While helping Jenny (guest star Demi Lovato) with her ASMR livestream, Jack unwittingly creates problems between Karen and her “booty buddy,” Luke (guest star Chris Thornton).

Perfect Harmony - "Regionals" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Season 1 Finale. At the regional choir competition in Lexington, Arthur relishes the opportunity to finally stick it to his old rival, Magnus, when the unexpected happens. Presented with a surprise job offer, Ginny starts to doubt her worth before her big interview. Adams puts her past to bed with her still very alive dead husband, allowing her to move on.

grown-ish - "Damn" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The crew tries their best to cope with a shocking surprise, but another unexpected bomb sends Zoey into a spiral.

Everything's Gonna Be Okay - "Giant Asian Mantises" (Freeform, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Matilda wants to get white-girl-wasted; Genevieve's low-key birthday party leaves Nicholas, Alex, and Matilda banished to the guest house; in the main house, Tellulah turns things up a notch; Nicholas is stuck being the responsible adult.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Thursday, January 23

Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) - Catch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
David Alan Grier (The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie) - David stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Fortune Feimster (Bless the Harts/Life in Pieces/Champions) - Fortune appears on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC. She will also be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Santino (Mixology) - Andrew is a panelist on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
The Cast of Schitt's Creek - The cast of Schitt's Creek are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 10:30pm on Bravo.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry talks about America's Got Talent and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on NBC's Today in the 9am hour. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Nancy Travis (Last Man Standing/The Kominsky Method/The Bill Engvall Show/Becker/Almost Perfect) - Nancy appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jason George (Eve/Off Centre) - Jason is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris drops by The Real, so check your local listings.
Norman Lear (Producer of All in the Family/Sanford and Son/One Day at a Time/The Jeffersons/Good Times/Maude) - Norman is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Melora Hardin (The Office) - Melora talks about The Bold Type on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Retta (Parks and Recreation) and Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) - Retta and Reno talk about Good Girls on the BUILD Series at 2pm.