SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

NickMom welcomes the acclaimed family comedy series The New Adventures of Old Christine (88 episodes) to its primetime line-up under a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The half-hour series stars Emmy(R) Award-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) as Christine Campbell who attempts to juggle the daily stresses of motherhood and business. The series will regularly air weeknights 11pm-12am and 1-2am (ET/PT) and weekends from 10pm-12am (ET/PT) effective immediately during the NickMom programming block on the Nick Jr. channel. The New Adventures of Old Christine will be replacing Yes, Dear on weeknights, but Yes, Dear will remain airing on weekends from 12-2am following Old Christine. Meanwhile, Old Christine will remain airing on its other cable homes of Lifetime (now just 8am on weekdays) and on WGN America (late nights 4-5am).

Recent additions to the NickMom schedule include the docu-comedy series Take Me To Your Mother starring comic Andrea Rosen. NickMom also recently picked up second seasons of the stand-up comedy series NickMom Night Out (23 episodes) hosted by The View's Sherri Shepherd, talk show Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor (20 episodes) and sitcom Instant Mom (13 episodes), the block's first original scripted comedy series, starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict. We'll give more info on the latter soon. Stay with us for continued updates on NickMom and Old Christine!

Television, film and stage actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Edith Bunker in All in the Family, has died. She died, surrounded by family and friends, on May 31 in New York City of natural causes. Ms. Stapleton was 90.

Stapleton's career began in 1941 in summer stock theater at the Greenwood Playhouse in Peaks Island, Maine. She made her New York debut in the Off-Broadway play American Gothic. Her early appearances on Broadway in musicals and plays included Damn Yankees, Bells Are Ringing, Rhinoceros and Funny Girl. Stapleton's early television work included roles in Starlight Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, Woman with a Past, The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Dr. Kildare, The Doctors and the Nurses, Naked City, The Eleventh Hour and Route 66. In 1962, she guest starred in an episode of The Defenders with her future television husband Carroll O'Connor. Her 1960s sitcom guest appearances included Dennis the Menace, Car 54, Where Are You?, My Three Sons and The Patty Duke Show.

Stapleton auditioned for the role of Edith after creator Norman Lear saw her perform with a nasal tone in Damn Yankees. Two pilots were shot for ABC in 1968 and 1969, but both were turned down. CBS developed All in the Family with the final cast of Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers. The series premiered on January 12, 1971. The highly successful series ran for 9 seasons and 208 episodes from 1971 to 1979. Stapleton appeared as Edith Bunker in all but 4 episodes of the series. O'Connor and Stapleton performed the show's opening theme song, Those Were the Days. She received eight Emmy nominations and won three times in 1971, 1972 and 1978. She also won two Golden Globes for Best Actress in 1972 and 1974. After All in the Family ended in 1979, the spin-off series Archie Bunker's Place ran for four seasons. Stapleton appeared in a recurring role in the first season before she decided to leave the series in late 1979. It was mentioned in the one-hour second season premiere episode that Edith had died of a stroke. CBS aired the All in the Family 20th Anniversary Special on February 16, 1991. Stapleton reunited with O'Connor on Donny & Marie on April 24, 2000.

After tiring of the role and leaving Archie Bunker's Place in 1979, she continued to work in television, film and plays. She appeared as a British spy named Lady Emily Farnsworth in two episodes of Scarecrow and Mrs. King in 1984. She played the Giantess and Fairy Godmother in two episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre in 1983 and 1985. In 1986, she appeared in The Love Boat. She co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990-1991 CBS sitcom Bagdad Cafe. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Grace Under Fire (Emmy nominated), Caroline in the City, Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Style & Substance. Her television movie and film credits included Eleanor, First Lady of the World (Emmy nominated), Something's Afoot, Michael, Chance of a Lifetime (with John Ritter and Katey Sagal) and You've Got Mail.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with her on November 28, 2000. Survivors include her two children, actor and director John Putch and actress Pamela Putch, and several grandchildren. Her husband of 26 years, William Putch, died of a heart attack in 1983.

Edith Bunker was such an amazing and iconic television character. Ms. Stapleton played the beloved character to perfection. She was a great talent. We thank her for bringing us many laughs over the years. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories of Jean Stapleton on our All in the Family message board. View photos in our All in the Family and other photo galleries. Writer Jerry Barmash has posted a nice tribute on his Tuned In blog, please read.

Antenna TV will have a 12 hour marathon of All in the Family celebrating the life of Jean Stapleton tomorrow (June 4), starting at 3pm ET. They will also be airing her guest appearance in a 1962 episode of Dennis the Menace at 2:30pm ET.