Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Decades Network Launches; Remembering Anne Meara

Decades

Decades, a new network where entertainment and history come together, launched yesterday and features original series Through the Decades, a daily time capsule showing how television captured historically significant events on that day throughout history. With the day's historical events covered in Through the Decades, a series of films and television programs relating to those events is shown next with commentary on the historical and cultural significance of each. So, there is no set schedule during weekdays as each day will focus on different types of programming. Each weekday starting at 7 AM | 6 C their six-hour daily programming block kicks off with Through the Decades, repeating four times per day. Saturdays and Sundays feature "binge" programming from their library of iconic television series. The first weekend (May 30-31) will have marathons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, followed by The Beverly Hillbillies (June 6-7) and That Girl (June 13-14). Further binge programming is to be determined.

Back to weekdays, among the shows you'll see pop-up during the first few weeks are some episodes of Hogan's Heroes, The Rat Patrol, I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Doris Day Show, Family Affair, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Daniel Boone, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Petticoat Junction, Bonanza, The Mod Squad, Batman, Naked City, Combat!, Gunsmoke, Car 54 Where Are You?, Love American Style, Hawaii Five-0, The Fugitive, The Saint, Route 66, and Have Gun Will Travel. Keep it right here for continued updates on Decades. In the meantime, find out if you receive the network.


Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller

Actress and comedian Anne Meara, who starred as Veronica Rooney in Archie Bunker's Place, has died. She died on May 23 in Manhattan, New York. No cause of death has been announced. Ms. Meara was 85.

Meara met actor-comedian Jerry Stiller in 1953. They were married in 1954. After leaving the improvisational company The Compass Players (which later became The Second City), they formed the comedy team of Stiller and Meara. They were regulars on The Ed Sullivan Show, with over 30 appearances from 1963-1971. They also appeared together on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Meara's first starring television role was as Harriet in the 1954 soap opera The Greatest Gift. Her early sitcom guest appearances included The Courtship of Eddie's Father (2 episodes with Jerry), Love, American Style and The Paul Lynde Show. She had a starring role as Mae in the second season of The Corner Bar in 1973. She played Rhoda's friend Sally Gallagher, a divorced airline stewardess, in 7 episodes of the third season of Rhoda in 1976-1977. Meara received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1977. Stiller appeared as her ex-husband, Lloyd Zimmer. Meara made 3 guest appearances in The Love Boat from 1979-1983.

Anne Meara - Archie Bunker's Place

She starred as Veronica Rooney, the bar's wisecracking cook, in the first three seasons of Archie Bunker's Place from 1979-1982. She received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981 and 1982. Stiller appeared in 2 episodes as her ex-husband, Carmine.

Stiller and Meara had their own short-lived sitcom The Stiller and Meara Show in 1986. Meara had a recurring role as Kate Tanner's (Anne Scheeden) mother in 7 episodes of ALF from 1987-1989. She also wrote the episode "Break Up to Make Up" in 1989. Some of her later sitcom guest appearances included Murphy Brown (2 episodes), Will & Grace, Good Morning, Miami, Charlie Lawrence, Sex and the City (4 episodes) and Four Kings. She made her first guest appearance as Mary Finnegan in a 1999 episode of The King of Queens, which reunited her with Jerry. She had a recurring role as Veronica Olchin, Spence's mother and Arthur's wife in the final season, in 9 episodes from 2003-2007.

Meara was also known for her work in dramas. She starred as Kate McShane in the 1975 CBS legal drama Kate McShane. It was the first network series to feature a female lawyer in the lead role. She received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the role in 1975.

She had a recurring role as Erica Kane's maid Peggy Moody in All My Children from 1992-1999. Some of her other television drama guest appearances included Medical Center, Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes), In the Heat of the Night, Homicide: Life on the Street (Emmy-nominated for her role as Donna DiGrazi in 2 episodes), Oz, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2 episodes) and Mercy. She starred in the 1983 TV movie The Other Woman. She won a Writers Guild Award as a co-writer of the romantic comedy, which also starred Hal Linden.

Survivors include her husband, Jerry; two children, actress Amy and actor and director Ben; and two grandchildren.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with her on December 12, 2005.

Stiller and Meara were a great team on and off the screen. They were married for 61 years. That's very rare to see in Hollywood. We thank her for the many laughs she brought us over the years. She will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our message board. View photos in our galleries.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 14

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 13)

Tuesday, April 14

  • Zach Galifianakis (Baskets) - Catch Zach on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Dan Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Joel Kim Booster (Scrubs/Loot/Shrill) - Andy Cohen interviews Joel on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo. He also talks about Scrubs on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) and Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Jean and Hannah talk about Hacks on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and chat with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) - Elizabeth and Matthew Macfadyen talk about The Miniature Wife on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Selma Blair (Anger Management/Kath & Kim/Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane) - NBC's Today catches up with Selma in the 9am hour.
  • Anthony Norman (Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat) - Anthony talks about Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
  • David Cross (Arrested Development/Running Wilde/Oliver Beene) - David Cross tells Sherri about his latest stand-up special, The End of the Beginning of the End, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Jalyn Hall (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins) - Jalyn talks about starring in The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins on NBC and Peacock on Sherri, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (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)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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