Remembering Martin's Tommy Ford; Fox Picks Up Full Season of Lethal Weapon

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Remembering Martin's Tommy Ford; Fox Picks Up Full Season of Lethal Weapon

Actor Tommy Ford, who was best known for his role as Tommy Strawn in Martin, has died. He died on October 12 at an Atlanta area hospital after an aneurysm in his abdomen ruptured. Mr. Ford was 52.

Martin

Ford played Tommy Strawn in Martin, which aired for five seasons on Fox from 1992-1997. Tommy was one of Martin's three best friends. He was the straight man for Martin Lawrence's jokes, but he very often inserted scene-stealing "bald-headed logic" and witty comments in odd situations. There were many jokes regarding his mysterious employment status. He was the only character to physically appear in all 132 episodes of the series. Ford received a NAACP Image Awards nomination in 1996 for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series" for the role.

He earlier starred in the short-lived 1990 NBC sitcom Singer & Sons. He played the streetwise Reggie Patterson, the son of Sarah Patterson (Esther Rolle). The series also starred Harold Gould, Bobby Hosea, Brooke Fontaine, Fred Stoller, Arnetia Walker, Anne Berger and Phil Leeds.

Ford had a recurring role as Mel Parker in seven episodes of the UPN sitcom The Parkers from 1999-2001. He was Nikki's (Mo'Nique) ex-husband and Kim's father (Countess Vaughn).

In 1998, he played the role of Lieutenant Malcolm Barker in the fourth and final season of the Fox police drama New York Undercover. He was the commanding officer of the NYPD's Special Investigations Division.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Kate & Allie, A Different World, Uncle Buck (1990), Living Single, The Jamie Foxx Show, Let's Stay Together and Zoe Ever After.

He was known as the "Pope of Comedy", due to exposure as a judge on TV One's comedy competition show Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?.

Mr. Ford very funny in Martin. We thank him for all of the laughs he brought us. He will be greatly missed.

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

Lethal Weapon

Fox has ordered a full season of the hit action drama Lethal Weapon, picking up an additional five episodes. This brings the total order to 18 episodes for the 2016-17 season. Combining action and drama with ride-or-die friendship and humor, Lethal Weapon reimagines the hit movie franchise, as it follows classic cop duo Riggs (Clayne Crawford, Rectify) and Murtaugh (Emmy Award nominee Damon Wayans, My Wife and Kids, In Living Color), who work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. Grief-stricken after the loss of his young wife and unborn child, ex-Navy SEAL-turned-detective Martin Riggs moves to California to "start over" at the LAPD. He's paired up with Roger Murtaugh, who's just coming back to the job after a near-fatal heart attack. Riggs' penchant for diving headfirst into the line of fire immediately clashes with Murtaugh's prudent, by-the-book technique. One has everything to live for, the other has nothing to lose.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, February 26

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A New Hobby, a Pervert and a Part-Time Job" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Audrey and Mandy urge Jim to find a new hobby now that he’s retired and driving them crazy.

Ghosts - "The Others" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and the ghosts face The Others, a new group of spirits from one ghost’s past. Meanwhile, Trevor tries to deal with a demanding Patience, who seeks a committed relationship in the wake of their holiday hookup.

Animal Control - "Roosters and Moles" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Templeton is nominated for Animal Control officer of the year, Frank sets out to rescue 24 animals in 24 hours; Victoria steps in for Shred after he's bitten by a kitten; Templeton tries to sabotage Frank's mission.

Going Dutch - "Swapadakis" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Major Shah needs the weekend off to celebrate his anniversary with Celeste; Capt. Maggie makes an emotional hair choice.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 23)

Thursday, February 26

Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Catch Sterling on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. He also talks about Hulu's Paradise on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Dave "Lil Dicky" Burd (Dave) - Dave is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Bobby Cannavale (Angie Tribeca/Will & Grace) - Bobby appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Jon Hamm (Grimsburg/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Jon stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hoppers on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Christa Miller (Shrinking/Cougar Town/Scrubs/The Drew Carey Show) - Christa talks about Shrinking on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Amy Landecker (Transparent/The Paul Reiser Show) and Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Amy and Bradley talk about For Worse on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. NBC's Today catches up with Bradley in the 9am hour.
Jackson White (Mrs. Fletcher) - Jackson talks about Tell Me Lies on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Gina Gershon (Red Oaks/How to Make It in America) - NBC's Today catches up with Gina in the 10am hour.
Kym Whitley (Act Your Age/Young & Hungry/Animal Practice/Sparks) - Sherri's BFF Kym stops by to introduce her to some single men on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Emeril Lagasse (Emeril) - It's a cooking flashback when Emeril surprises Sunny on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kristin Davis (And Just Like That.../Bad Teacher/Sex and the City) - It's a little bit extra with Kristin who reminisces about her favorite moments playing Charlotte on Sex and the City on The Drew Barrmyore Show, so check your local listings.
Piper Curda (I Didn't Do It) and Bobby Moynihan (Mr. Mayor/Me, Myself & I) - Piper and Bobby talk about Hoppers on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about her film Operation Taco Gary on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi talks about her It's Not That Deep tour on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.