Henry Winkler and More in New NBC Comedy Event Series; Remembering Jack Riley of The Bob Newhart Show

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Henry Winkler and More in New NBC Comedy Event Series; Remembering Jack Riley of The Bob Newhart Show

Well, it's premiering tonight and we're better later than never, but NBC is launching its new comedy event series Better Late Than Never tonight at 10|9c. Based on a popular Korean format, Better Late Than Never is a fish-out-of-water show that follows cultural icons Henry Winkler (Happy Days), William Shatner (Star Trek), Terry Bradshaw (NFL legend) and George Foreman (boxing legend) on their greatest adventure yet. Deciding it's better late than never, these four national treasures embark on the journey of a lifetime, traveling across Asia on their own with no schedule and no itinerary. The only help will come from Jeff Dye, a young tech-savvy comedian with an agenda of his own and who isn't above leading the men off track. Each stop is packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists as our legends take on this unforgettable adventure. The 4 week comedy event starts tonight and will air for the next four Tuesdays at 10|9c through Sept. 13.

Jack Riley

Actor and comedian Jack Riley, who played Elliot Carlin in The Bob Newhart Show, has died. He died on August 19 in Los Angeles due to pneumonia. Mr. Riley was 80.

Riley's television career began with a semi-regular role in the short-lived 1966-1967 NBC sitcom Occasional Wife. He appeared as Wally Frick in seven episodes of the series, which starred Michael Callan and Patricia Harty.

Some of his television guest appearances in the 1960s and 1970s included Gomer Pyle, USMC, The Flying Nun, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, The Partridge Family, Hogan's Heroes, The Good Life, Getting Together, M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, The Girl with Something Extra, Happy Days, Alice and Barney Miller.

Bob Newhart and Jack Riley - The Bob Newhart Show

Riley was best known for his role as Elliot Carlin, the neurotic, sour and selfish patient in The Bob Newhart Show. He appeared in 49 episodes of the series from 1972-1978. Carlin was ranked 49th in TV Guide's List of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time. He reprised the role in a 1985 episode of St. Elsewhere, a 1987 episode of ALF and a 1988 episode of Newhart. In 1991, the cast reunited for The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary.

His later sitcom guest appearances included Too Close for Comfort, Family Ties, One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes (4 episodes), Silver Spoons, Gimme a Break, Punky Brewster, Charles in Charge, My Two Dads, Night Court (7 episodes), Family Matters, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Married with Children, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld, That '70s Show and Yes, Dear. He played Leon Buachanan in the short-lived 1987 CBS sitcom Roxie. He had a recurring role as Chappy in the 2000-2002 FX comedy Son of the Beach.

He was also known for his voice work in animated series and commercials. He voiced Stu Pickles, the father of the main protagonist Tommy, in Rugrats and the spin-off All Grown Up!. He did commercial spots for Country Crock margarine and CompUSA.

Survivors include his wife, Ginger Lawrence, and two children.

Mr. Riley was a fine character actor. His Elliot Carlin character was very funny and memorable. He played him to perfection. We thank him for all the laughs and entertainment he brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed.

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

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 23

The Goldbergs - "Parents Thursday" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
While at school, Erica attempts to fool Beverly into thinking Parents Weekend has been rescheduled to Parents Thursday so the family won’t attend … but the smother knows better! Meanwhile, William Penn is doing “Romeo & Juliet,” the perfect play for Adam to romance Dana until someone else gets the leading lady.

Schooled - "Outbreak" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When a bad flu epidemic hits William Penn, Coach Mellor is sent to his sick bed and Principal Glascott must step it up as the wrestling coach with the Jenkintown Cup on the line. Meanwhile, Lainey thinks she can easily pass a class taught by CB, yet it’s anything but.

Modern Family - "New Kids on the Block" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Haley is determined to follow the advice in her parenting books with the twins, but Phil and Claire think their old methods are better. Meanwhile, Manny is set to direct Jay’s dog bed commercial in the hopes of winning his ex-girlfriend back.

Single Parents - "Sport" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Will is pumped to become the coach of Sophie’s soccer team in order to spend more time with his daughter, especially since she has been distant recently. However, his intentions to focus on Sophie and teach the team that you don’t need to win to have fun slowly shift once he realizes he has a secret weapon on his team – Rory – but allowing him on the team means Will must keep a certain secret about Rory. Meanwhile, Douglas and Angie attempt to navigate what their friendship looks like now that they are roommates for the foreseeable future.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang Texts" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
During their trip to the Philadelphia Zoo, Mac sets up a text group chain for the gang, but confusion sets in and the gang must learn from the meerkats on how to communicate properly in a group.

Family Time - "Black Love" (Bounce TV, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Lisa and Tony appear on a TV show that exposes some of the imperfections in their relationship; Donnie and Brandy use a dating app to play matchmaker for each other.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 21)

Wednesday, October 23

Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Office) - Watch Ellie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - Michael stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kathryn Hahn (Transparent/Happyish/Free Agents) - Kathryn appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Andrea Savage (I'm Sorry/Significant Others) - Andrea is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jesse Plemons (No Activity/Bent) - Jesse visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie on ABC's GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke at 1pm.
Lea Michele (The Mayor/Scream Queens) - Lea drops by A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Tim Robbins (The Brink) - Tim appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Ali Wong (American Housewife/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Ali is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Amanda Seales (Insecure) - Amanda guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings. She also talks about Small Doses on Access Live, so check your local listings.
Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) - Thomas will be on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken talks about The Masked Singer on People Now at 12pm and on the BUILD Series at 1pm..
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/In the House/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso talks about Catch 21 on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT and on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Alan Alda (M*A*S*H) - Alan talks about the Clear + Vivid Podcast on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil is a guest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/The Mindy Project) - Anna talks about Perfect Harmony on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Rob Corddry (The Unicorn/Ballers/The Winner) - Rob is a guest on the BUILD Series at 2pm.