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

Wednesday, June 3

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 1)

Wednesday, June 3

  • Kevin Hart (Lil Kev/Die Hart/The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Amy Sedaris (No Activity/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/Strangers with Candy) - Amy appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Ahmed Ahmed (Sullivan & Son) and Rondell Sheridan (Raven's Home/Cory in the House/That's So Raven/Cousin Skeeter/Minor Adjustments) - Ahmed and Rondell are guests on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Will stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Alison Brie (Community/GLOW) - Alison appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Tina Fey (The Four Seasons/Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Tina chats about The Four Seasons on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Josh and Andrew discuss the 15th anniversary of The Book of Mormon on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between7-9am.
  • Colman Domingo (The Four Seasons) - Colman talks about Disclosure Day on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kevin Nealon (Man with a Plan/Weeds/Hiller and Diller/Champs) - Kevin chats about his movie Mermaid on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey talks about Luna and the Witch Throw a Halloween Party on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD) The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)

11/04/25 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11/25 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02/25 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16/25 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16/25 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (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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05/06 - King of the Hill Season 15 Premieres July 20; The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Renewed for Season 2
05/05 - Son of a Critch Renewed for Final Season; The Four Seasons Trailer for Season 2
05/04 - Hulu's Lisa Ann Walter: It Was An Accident Trailer; Netflix Announces Season 2 of Bad Thoughts
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