Thursday, March 24, 2016

George Lopez Marathon to Air on TV Land on April 23; Remembering Director James Sheldon and Ken Howard from The White Shadow

George Lopez

TV Land will air a George Lopez marathon for the first time on Saturday, April 23 from 4-11pm ET/PT. No word yet if the series will air in a regular timeslot. It currently airs on Nick at Nite in the late night/early morning hours. We will have complete marathon details when they become available.

The new TV Land comedy Lopez will premiere next Wednesday, March 30 at 10pm ET/PT. It's the real George Lopez we rarely get to see as he struggles to find his place among the worlds of race, class and fame. In the series premiere "Slave for a Day," George gets auctioned off at his daughter's elite private school fundraiser attended by his enemies. He doesn't want to embarrass himself or his daughter, or get bought by Snoop Dogg.

As we mentioned yesterday, George Lopez is hosting the TV Land Icon Awards on Sunday, April 17 at 9pm ET/PT. Stay with us for continued updates on all things George Lopez. Sheeow!

James Sheldon

Director James Sheldon, who directed episodes of over 100 series, has died. He died from complications of cancer on March 12 at his home in Manhattan, New York. Mr. Sheldon was 95.

Sheldon's early sitcom directing credits included ten episodes of Mr. Peepers in 1952. He directed a full season of The Bing Crosby show in 1964-1965. In 1967, he directed eight episodes of My Three Sons. Other credits included seven episodes of That Girl, eight episodes of Room 222, eight episodes of Love, American Style and six episodes of Sanford and Son.

Some of his other sitcom directing credits included The Donna Reed Show, Angel, Margie, The Patty Duke Show, My Mother the Car, O.K. Crackerby!, Family Affair, Petticoat Junction, Julia, To Rome with Love, My World and Welcome to It, Bridget Loves Bernie, Alice, M*A*S*H, The Love Boat and Sledge Hammer!.

He was mostly known for his work directing dramas. He directed 44 episodes of The Millionaire from 1957-1960. He worked on 6 episodes of The Twilight Zone in 1961-1962, including the classic "It's a Good Life." Other series he directed multiple episodes of included Zane Grey Theater, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, Naked City, Route 66, The Fugitive, Walt Disney's World of Color, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, Petrocelli, McMillan & Wife, The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, The Dukes of Hazzard and Lottery!.

Survivors include his sons Tony and James, Jr., and three grandsons.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on April 6, 2005.

His "It's a Good Life" episode of The Twilight Zone, which starred Bill Mumy and Cloris Leachman, is considered by some fans to be one of the best of the series. We thank him for the entertainment he brought us over the years. He will be deeply missed.

Ken Howard

Actor Ken Howard, who was best known for his role as Ken Reeves in The White Shadow, has died. He died of a heart attack on March 23 in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Howard was 71.

Adam's Rib - Blythe Danner and Ken Howard

Howard starred in the short-lived 1973 ABC sitcom Adam's Rib. The romantic comedy was based on the Spencer Tracy-Katherine Hepburn 1949 film of the same title. The series starred Blythe Danner, Dena Dietrich, Ron Rifkin, Edward Winter and Norman Bartold.

He later starred as Jack Long in the short-lived 1983 ABC sitcom It's Not Easy. The series starred Jayne Meadows, Rachael Jacobs, Evan Cohen, Carlene Watkins, Bert Convy and Billy Jacoby.

He had a recurring role as Hank Hooper, Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) boss from Kabletown, in nine episodes of 30 Rock from 2011 to 2013. Some of his other sitcom credits included The Golden Girls, Arli$$, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, George Lopez and The McCarthys.

The White Shadow

Howard's best known role was as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in The White Shadow. The 1978-1981 CBS drama starred Ed Bernard, Joan Pringle, Thomas Carter, Kevin Hooks, Eric Kilpatrick, Nathan Cook, Timothy Van Patten, Ken Michelman, Ira Angustain and Byron Stewart.

He earlier starred in the crime drama The Manhunter, which aired on CBS in 1974-1975. He had a recurring role as Garrett Boydston in Dynasty and the spin-off series The Colbys. He appeared in five episodes of Melrose Place as George Andrews. Howard starred as Max Cavanaugh, Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh's (Jill Hennessy) father, in Crossing Jordan. In 2007, he appeared as the villain Joe Samuels in Cane.

His numerous television drama guest appearances included Bonanza, Medical Center, Hotel, Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, The West Wing, The Practice, Family Law, Ghost Whisperer, Huff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Brothers & Sisters, Eli Stone, Boston Legal, Cold Case, The Closer and Blue Bloods. He won an Emmy for his work in the 2009 HBO film Grey Gardens.

Survivors include his wife of 25 years, stuntwoman Linda Fetters Howard, and three stepchildren.

Mr. Howard was excellent in the classic and underrated The White Shadow. He always gave a solid performance in all of his television and film appearances. He will be greatly missed.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, November 12

St. Denis Medical - "Welcome to St. Denis" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex is torn between her daughter's school play and an "all-hands" situation in the Emergency Department; Joyce spends the hospital's limited funds on a fancy mammography machine; Matt's first day as a nurse isn't going as he'd hoped.

St. Denis Medical - "A Very Robust Personal Life" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Joyce's belief that personal life should stay out of the workplace is tested by unexpected news; Ron thinks a patient has a crush on him; Bruce tries to demonstrate the value of his important work.

Churchy - "Tobe or Not Tobe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Corey gets Pastor Stinney's approval to start a youth service and enlists help from friends and community members, including securing a performance by Tobe Nwigwe.

Churchy - "The Praise Team" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Corey's leadership is tested when Mother Jean's grandson, Teddy, is considered for the pastor role; Rodney causes conflict as he revamps the music department and brings in fresh talent.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 11)

Tuesday, November 12

  • Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Catch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Ben Falcone (God's Favorite Idiot/Nobodies/Joey) - Ben appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jeff Goldblum (Search Party) - Jeff is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Langston Kerman (English Teacher/Bust Down/South Side/Bless This Mess) - Langston is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Bonnie Hunt (Life with Bonnie/Bonnie/The Building/Davis Rules/Grand) - NBC's Today catches up with Bonne in the 9am hour.
  • Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) and Tituss Burgess (Schmigadoon!/Central Park/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Nathan and Tituss talk about Spellbound on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry and Rebecca Romijn join the fun in Greater Palm Springs on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana is sharing her hilarious take on the hottest news topics on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Wendi McClendon-Covey (St. Denis Medical/The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Wendi talks about her new medical mockumentary-style comedy series St. Denis Medical on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Rob Corddry (Bookie/The Unicorn/Ballers/The Winner/Childrens Hospital) - Rob discusses his television comedy Bookie on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - 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

11/12 - ABC Midseason 2025 Schedule; Jim Gaffigan Gets First Hulu Comedy Special
11/11 - We Got Time Today, A New Tubi Talk Show; Bill Maher Gets 13th HBO Special
11/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 11, 2024)
11/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Two New Sitcoms in the Works at CBS; The CW Adds Bob ♥ Abishola to Lineup
11/08 - CBS Orders Full Season for Poppa's House; The CW Acquires Bob ♥ Abishola Reruns; Remembering Alan Rachins of Dharma & Greg
11/07 - A Very Merry MeTV 2024 Schedule; Stranger Things Final Season in 2025
11/06 - Outer Banks to End with Season 5; Nothing to See Here Season 2 on Netflix
11/05 - ABC Holiday Schedule for 2024; NBC Holiday Schedule for 2024
11/04 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule 2024; A Nostalgic Night with Macaulay Culkin at NJPAC
11/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 4, 2024)
11/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Simpsons Themed Monday Night Football Alternate Telecast in December; MeTV Planning for Christmas
11/01 - BET+ Renews Churchy for Season 2 and The Ms. Pat Show for Season 5; Remembering Teri Garr
10/31 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Gets Full Season Order; Fox's Going Dutch Trailer
10/30 - Clifton Davis Joins CBS Daytime's Beyond the Gates; Ronny Chieng's 3rd Netflix Special
10/29 - The Simpsons Monday Night Football Disney+ Telecast; Prime Video Announces The Sticky
10/28 - Fortune Feimster Gets 3rd Netflix Special; Cruel Intentions Series for Prime Video
10/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 28, 2024)
10/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Matlock Renewed for Second Season; Happy's Place Off to a Solid Start
10/25 - Peacock's Based on a True Story Returns November 21; CBS to Honor Jerry Mathers at Awards Show
10/24 - Family Guy's Gift of the White Guy Holiday Special; Laid Arrives December 19 on Peacock
10/23 - Bad Sisters Season 2 Returns November 13; Trailer for Hulu's Interior Chinatown
10/22 - Goosebumps: The Vanishing Premieres January 10; Michelle Buteau Gets 2nd Netflix Special
10/21 - Fox Adds Martin Short to Grimsburg; Secret Level Cast Announced by Prime Video
10/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 21, 2024)
10/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Rick and Morty Renewed for Two More Seasons; A Look at Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover
10/18 - Apple TV+ Renews Shrinking for Season 3; Guest Voices for Phineas and Ferb New Season
10/17 - Watson Premieres January 2025 on CBS; Anthony Jeselnik Gets 3rd Netflix Comedy Special
10/16 - Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2024 Schedule; YouTube Sitcom Gets Season 4
10/15 - Tom Papa Is Home Free on Netflix; Apple TV+ Reveals Season 2 Details for Silo
10/14 - ABC Halloween 2024 Schedule; Reba Creates Happy's Place Theme Song
10/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 14, 2024)
10/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Spinoff of The Big Bang Theory in the Works; Velma Canceled by Max