Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Season 2 Launch Date of TV One Sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show; Remembering George Burditt, Writer/Producer of Three's Company
We mentioned a few months back that TV One has picked up a second season of original sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show, but now we have the exact premiere date. TV One will premiere the second season of the network's original hit sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show on Friday, July 26 at 9:00pm ET. Loosely inspired by the real-life experiences and antics of lauded comedian, TV, and radio personality Rickey Smiley, the series pulls TV One viewers even deeper into "Rickey's World" this season, introducing two additional alter egos to his already beloved, wacky troupe of trademark personalities. Season one introduced audiences to leading man Rickey, a popular, Atlanta-based national radio personality juggling career and life as a single father of three. Fatherhood and radio station duties were often complicated by appearances from hilarious alter egos made popular by the star in his radio and TV routines, including church lady Sister Bernice Jenkins, gospel crooner Joe Willie, and Rickey's Southern Baptist church leader, Pastor Watkins. Joining the chaos in Season Two are Smiley personas Lil' Darryl, a boy in coke-bottle glasses who's been in the fourth grade for nearly 12 years and often shows up at Rickey's door unannounced, and Clarence the Janitor, a Birmingham-area school custodian who wears an elevated orthopedic boot to combat his uneven leg condition and claims to be a "professional soft shoe dancer."
Rejoining Smiley for the 13-episode second season is a stellar ensemble cast including: Ray J as Kenny, Rickey's morning show producer and protégé; J. Anthony Brown as Rickey's radio station manager Maurice, aka "Mo-Sweets" from his earlier rap career; veteran actress Roz Ryan as Aunt Sylvia; Jay Lewis (Lil JJ) as Rickey's 18-year-old son Brandon; Ajiona Alexus as Rickey's 16-year-old daughter De'Anna; Gabriel Burgess as his youngest son Aaron; Noree Victoria as his business manager Simone Renee Jackson; and Demetria McKinney as Rickey's uber-career oriented ex-wife, Monica. Additionally, Season Two will feature a jam-packed lineup of celebrity guest stars and special appearances including: Kenya Moore, Cynthia Bailey, Syleena Johnson, Angie Stone, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, Antonia "Toya" Carter, Porsche Stewart, Creflo Dollar, Benji Brown, Dottie Peoples, Ann Nesby, Carl Payne, Corey Holcomb, Charlie Murphy, David Banner, Pierre, Joe Claire, Lil Scrappy, Momma Dee, and Doug E Fresh among others.
Television writer and producer George Burditt, who worked on Three's Company, has died. He died on June 25 in Burbank, California. Mr. Burditt was 89.
Burditt wrote over thirty episodes of Three's Company. He also worked as an executive story consultant on over fifty episodes from 1976-1979. He served as a producer on the show for the final three seasons from 1981-1984. In addition to his credits on Three's Company, he worked on the spin-off series. He wrote eight episodes of The Ropers and three episodes of Three's a Crowd, which he also served as an executive producer on for its one season. He was interviewed for the E! True Hollywood Story in 1998 and the A&E Biography special on Three's Company in 2009.
His other sitcom writing credits included All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons and Doc. He earned four Emmy nominations for his writing on the variety series The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour (1972 and 1974) and Van Dyke and Company (1976 and 1977). His other production credits included Silver Spoons and 227.
Survivors include his wife Joyce, a television writer and one of the creators of Diagnosis Murder; three children; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. His son Jack Burditt is an Emmy-winning producer and writer of Frasier and 30 Rock and the creator of Last Man Standing. We thank him for the laughs he brought us on Three's Company. It's always sad when we lose a member of the Three's Company family. He will be missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, July 26
The Conners - "Keep on Truckin'" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.
The Conners - "Tangled Up in Blue" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene gets one surprise after another when David introduces his girlfriend at a parent-teacher conference and mentions that Mark & Harris will be spending the weekend with them.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 22)
Friday, July 26
- Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Watch Nick on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - Michael appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Sasheer Zamata (Home Economics/Woke/Robbie), Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Burning Love/Reno 911!) and Aparna Nancherla (Corporate) - Sasheer, Joe and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls/What I Like About You) - Jennie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. NBC's Today catches up with Jennie in the 10am hour.
- Marcus Scribner (grown-ish/black-ish) - Marcus talks about his coming-of-age film How I Learned to Fly on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Delroy Lindo (UnPrisoned) - Delroy talks about UnPrisoned on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Dylan Sprouse (The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody/Grace Under Fire) - Dylan talks about Lionsgate's The Duel on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season / The Complete Series
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
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