Thursday, October 22, 2015

Hulu Brings Back Casual; Remembering Pat Woodell of Petticoat Junction

Casual

Following its successful series debut on October 7, the Hulu Original Casual has already been picked up for a second season with a 13-episode order. Lionsgate Television's critically-acclaimed comedy series will return with creator and executive producer Zander Lehmann and executive producers Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), Helen Estabrook and Liz Tigelaar. Casual has drawn praise for stars Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, Tara Lynne Barr and Nyasha Hatendi, who will all return as series regulars for the second season. Hulu will continue to roll out weekly episodes for its 10-episode straight-to-series order for season one of Casual, launching its fourth episode today. All episodes will be available to stream to subscribers in both Hulu's limited and no commercials plans.

Casual follows the story of a dysfunctional family with a bachelor brother and his newly divorced sister. Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating (on-line and off), while living under one roof again and raising a teenager. New episodes are available every Wednesday. In episode four streaming today, Alex (Tommy Dewey) goes back to work for the first time in weeks. Valerie (Michaela Watkins) slips up and breaks one of his cardinal rules of casual sex, while Laura (Tara Lynne Barr) begins to bond with her photography teacher after class.

The second season of Casual will join 11/22/63, an event series based upon the best-selling Stephen King novel from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions; The Path, a drama series from Jason Katims' True Jack Productions starring Aaron Paul, Michelle Monaghan and Hugh Dancy; The Mindy Project, a comedy series from Mindy Kaling; and comedy series Difficult People produced by Amy Poehler with stars Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner.


Pat Woodell

Actress and singer Pat Woodell, who was best known for her role as Bobbie Jo Bradley in the first two seasons of Petticoat Junction, has died. She died on September 29 at her home in Fallbrook, California, after a long battle with cancer. Ms. Woodell was 71.

Pat Woodell

Woodell starred as the first Bobbie Jo Bradley in seasons one and two of Petticoat Junction from 1963-1965. Her book-loving character appeared in 64 out of 74 episodes. She performed musical numbers in several episodes, including "The Ladybugs." The Ladybugs, a Beatles parody group, consisted of her TV sisters Linda Kaye, Jeannine Riley, together with Sheila James. The Ladybugs also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Woodell was replaced by Lori Saunders after she left to promote her singing career. She was interviewed and provided episode introductions for the season one and two DVD releases of the series in 2008-2009.

She guest starred as Miss Thompson in one of the last episodes ("A Visit from the Teacher") of The Munsters in 1966. Some of her other television guest appearances included Cheyenne, Hawaiian Eye, The Gallant Man, GE True, 77 Sunset Strip, Bright Promise and The New Perry Mason. She retired from acting in 1973.

Melody Patterson

We remember another 1960s sitcom actress. Melody Patterson was best known for her role Wrangler Jane in F Troop. She died on August 20 at a nursing home in Hollister, Missouri, of multiple organ failure. Ms. Patterson was 66.

Melody Patterson

Patterson starred as Jane Angelica Thrift/Wrangler Jane in the ABC sitcom F Troop from 1965-1967. Her hard-riding, fast-shooting cowgirl character owned Wrangler Jane's Trading Post and ran the U.S. post office in town. She was Captain Wilton Parmenter's (Ken Berry) beautiful but tomboyish, feisty, romantically aggressive girlfriend. Patterson was only 16 years old when she first appeared on the show.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Wendy and Me, The Monkees and Green Acres. Her drama guest appearances included Adam-12 and three episodes of Hawaii Five-O. She was married to Hawaii Five-O star James MacArthur from 1970-1975. She is survived by her husband, Vern Miller.

We thank these talented and beautiful actresses for the entertainment they brought us in their classic 1960s sitcoms. They will be deeply missed.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Saturday, June 21

Mind Your Business - "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Aaliyah and Mia try convincing Lucille that the owner of a new nearby lounge is up to no good; Alfonso and Kim deal with AJ's first relationship.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 16)

Friday, June 20

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (FUBAR) - Watch Arnold on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) - Aimee appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) and Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Nick and Andrew are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Tawny Newsome (Space Force) - Tawny is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke discusses her new film The Pickup and her new album on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Mario Cantone (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Mario chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special 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


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

06/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Officially Dead After Not Finding New Home; Weigel Announces New WEST Network
06/20 - Great American Media Announces New Danica McKellar Movie; Jennifer Love Hewitt ID True Crime Series
06/19 - Bad Thoughts Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix; Zarna Garg Gets Hulu Special This July
06/18 - Weigel Broadcasting Announces WEST Network with Classic TV Westerns; Hulu's Season 2 of Such Brave Girls
06/17 - Gary Coleman's Ex-Wife on A&E Series; Digman! Returns July 9 on Comedy Central
06/16 - Hulu's Chad Powers Teaser; Prime Video's Jesse Williams Series
06/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 16, 2025)
06/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Mulls Airing The Paper on Primetime Lineup; Fox Revives Baywatch Reboot Talk
06/13 - My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Renewed for 2 More Seasons; Hanna-Barbera Developing Adult Animated Series
06/12 - Comedy Superstar Jack Black Is the King of Comedy at Nickelodeon; Doc Adds Felicity Huffman
06/11 - Celebrities for Celebrity Family Feud Season 11; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Starts Production
06/10 - Warner Bros. Discovery Separates Company; Peacock's Jennifer Garner Series Adds to Cast
06/09 - Comedian Ms. Pat Gets Season 3 of Courtroom Series; Disney Branded Television Animated Slate
06/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 9, 2025)
06/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels Alert: Missing Persons Unit and The Cleaning Lady; Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Headed to Streaming
06/06 - Hulu's First Look at Amanda Knox Drama; Prime Video Lands Spy Thriller
06/05 - Disney's Electric Bloom Gets Premiere Date; Conan to Guest on NBC's Late Night
06/04 - Netflix Announces Haunted Hotel with Comedic Voices; Prime Video Unveils Trailer for Thriller
06/03 - Netflix's Nobody Wants This Returns October 23; The CW Renews All American for Final Season
06/02 - Remembering Loretta Swit of M*A*S*H, Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon, and The Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen
06/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 2, 2025)
05/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New King of the Hill Reboot Details; CBS Makes Late Night Changes
05/30 - FX's Adults Pilot Available on Social Platforms; BET and BET+ Premiere New Tyler Perry Series in June
05/29 - Netflix's New Chuck Lorre Sitcom Leanne; Apple TV+ Season 4 Premiere of The Morning Show
05/28 - Max Renews Hacks for Season 5; Byron Allen Coming Back to CBS Late Night
05/27 - Antenna TV Summer 2025 Schedule; Rewind TV Summer 2025 Schedule
05/26 - Memorial Day 2025 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 26, 2025)
05/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Zach Braff Joins Scrubs Reboot; 7th Heaven Reboot in the Works
05/23 - Discovery Channel's Shark Week with Tom Bergeron; Apple TV+ Season 2 of Hit Series
05/22 - TV Legend Henry Winkler's New HISTORY Series; The CW Renews Family Law
05/21 - Remembering George Wendt of Cheers; Platonic Season 2 First Look