Monday, July 21, 2014
TCA Summer 2014 Press Tour: Fox, The CW; Remembering TV Legend James Garner
Yesterday it was Fox's turn at the TCA summer 2014 press tour. Among the key announcements were: this fall, Fox attracts an all-star lineup of guest voices on returning animated series American Dad!, beginning Sunday, Sept. 14 from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, with two back-to back episodes; The Simpsons at 8:00PM ET/PT and a special one-hour broadcast of Family Guy from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, premiering Sunday, Sept. 28; and Bob's Burgers, debuting Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7:30PM ET/PT. Jane Fonda, Willem Dafoe, Nick Offerman, Julie Bowen, Liam Neeson, Allison Janney, Kevin Kline, Zach Galifianakis, Kim Kardashian, Megan Mullally, Bill Hader, Aziz Ansari, Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key are among the guest voices featured this Fall on all four series. Meanwhile, Multiple Emmy Award winner Hank Azaria ( The Simpsons) has been cast as Bud Buckwald, the lead voice role on Bordertown, the new animated comedy from Family Guy's Mark Hentemann and Seth MacFarlane. Azaria joins the previously announced voice cast of Alex Borstein (Family Guy), Missi Pyle (Jennifer Falls), Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Nicholas Gonzalez (Sleepy Hollow) and guest voice Efren Ramirez (Napoleon Dynamite). Among the panels were for new drama Gotham, new sitcom Mulaney, new drama Red Band Society, new drama Gracepoint, returning drama Sleepy Hollow, and a comedy panel with producers of The Simpsons, Family Gut, New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Mindy Project.
As for The CW, they were up on Friday. Among the key news was that they will keep bringing the funny with its hit improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, ordering an additional 24 all-new, half-hour episodes to debut in 2015. A premiere date and time for the new cycle of episodes will be announced at a later date. The panels they had were for new dramas Jane the Virgin, The Flash, and returning drama Supernatural. Premium network Showtime then took over for the rest of the day in the afternoon. Stay with us for continued updates.
Television and film actor James Garner, who starred as Bret Maverick in Maverick and as Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files, has died. He was found dead of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on July 19. Mr. Garner was 86.
Garner's television career began with appearances in Warner Brothers Presents, Zane Grey Theater, Conflict, Cheyenne and Sugarfoot. He got his big break in 1957 when he landed the role of professional gambler Bret Maverick in the western comedy series Bret Maverick. The series ran from 1957-1962 on ABC. It also starred Jack Kelly as his brother, Bart Maverick. Garner left the series after the third season due to a contract dispute. Roger Moore was brought in to play cousin Beau Maverick. Another brother, Brent Maverick, was played by Robert Colbert.
Garner and Kelly reprised their roles in the 1978 TV movie The New Maverick. Garner returned to the role again in the 1981-1982 NBC western Bret Maverick. The show was canceled after only one season despite decent ratings. He played Marshal Zane Cooper in the 1994 film adaptation Maverick, which starred Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster.
He starred in the 1971-1972 NBC western series Nichols. Garner played the motorcycle-riding anti-hero sheriff named Nichols. It was set in the fictional town of Nichols, Arizona, in 1914. The series also starred Neva Patterson, John Beck, Stuart Margolin, Margot Kidder and Alice Ghostley. It ran for one season and 24 episodes.
Garner's next big television role was as private detective Jim Rockford in The Rockford Files. The popular detective drama ran for six seasons on NBC from 1974-1980. The series, which was created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell, also starred Noah Beery, Jr., Joe Santos, Gretchen Corbett and Stuart Margolin. Garner won an Emmy Award in 1977 for Best Actor. There were eight Rockford Files TV reunion movies made for CBS from 1994 to 1999.
In 1991, he starred in the NBC sitcom Man of the People. Garner played Jim Doyle, a con man chosen to fill an empty seat on a city council. The short-lived series, which ran for only 10 episodes, also starred Kate Mulgrew, Corinne Bohrer, Taylor Nichols, George Wyner and Romy Walthall.
He provided the voice of God in the 2000 NBC animated series God, the Devil and Bob. He had a recurring role as Hubert 'Hue' Miller in the final season of Chicago Hope in 2000. In 2002, he starred as Chief Justice Thomas Brankin in the CBS legal drama First Monday. The short-lived series, centered on the U.S. Supreme Court, also starred Joe Mantegna, Charles Durning, Randy Vasquez, Hedy Burgess, Christopher Wiehl and Joe Flanigan.
Garner joined the cast of the ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules after the sudden death of John Ritter in 2003. He played Grandpa Jim Egan, the father of Cate Hennessy (Katey Sagal), in the final two seasons of the series. Suzanne Pleshette appeared as his estranged wife, Laura.
He starred in more than 50 films. Some of his more notable credits included The Great Escape, The Americanization of Emily, Grand Prix, Victor Victoria, Murphy's Romance, My Fellow Americans, Space Cowboys and The Notebook. He received an Emmy Award nomination for his role opposite Sally Field in Murphy's Romance. For a complete listing of his credits, please visit his IMDB page.
The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him in 1999. Survivors include his wife, Lois, whom he married on August 17, 1956; his stepdaughter Kimberly; and his daughter Greta "Gigi" Garner.
Mr. Garner was a true legend on both the small and big screen. He was a very versatile and talented actor. We will forever remember him for his television roles as Bret Maverick, Jim Rockford and Grandpa Jim Egan. He will be greatly missed.
You can catch James Garner on television everyday. The Rockford Files airs regularly on the MeTV Network weekdays at noon and Sundays at 6pm. Maverick airs on COZI TV weekdays at 11am and on Encore Westerns at 2pm. And 8 Simple Rules airs weekdays at 12 & 12:30pm on ABC Family. Stay with us for updates on any tributes planned for him.
Share your memories on our Rockford Files message board. View photos in our galleries.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, May 11
The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Goodbye" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Two joyful wedding celebrations bring loved ones together while old tensions and heartfelt confessions surface one last time. Meanwhile, tough goodbyes loom and the family looks ahead to a new chapter shaped by love, growth and change.
DMV - "Impact Will Be Felt" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A long‑awaited achievement sparks an office celebration that brings unresolved feelings and difficult realizations to the surface. Meanwhile, high‑stakes decisions and unexpected shifts in power shape the future of the workplace, leaving the team to face major change ahead.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 11)
Monday, May 11
- Steve Carell (Rooster/Space Force/The Office/Come to Papa/Watching Ellie) - Watch Steve on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Annaleigh Ashford (B Positive), Christopher Jackson (And Just Like That...) and Bernadette Peters (High Desert/Mozart in the Jungle/All's Fair) - The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has a special Broadway performance featuring Annaleigh Ashford, Christopher Jackson, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt and Patrick Wilson at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth/The Bear) - Ayo is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Comedian CP (Love Life) - Comedian CP appears on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) and Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun/The Girl with Something Extra) - Andy Cohen interviews Lisa and Sally on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo. All Access with Linsey Davis sits down with Lisa Kudrow to talk about her career, including her iconic roles in Friends and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and the series finale of The Comeback on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Katherine LaNasa (Three Sisters) - Katherine talks season two of the hit show The Pitt and helps Drew surprise a deserving nurse on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia talks about Broad Trip on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
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