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.
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.
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
Wednesday, April 16
The Conners - "Danny Boy, the Interview, the New Hire, and the Hanging Chad" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Dan sidesteps vulnerable emotions surrounding Roseanne’s death ahead of an upcoming deposition. Meanwhile, Becky prepares for a job interview, and Harris impulsively hires a new server at the Lunch Box.
Abbott Elementary - "Please Touch Museum" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abbott Elementary goes on a schoolwide field trip to the Please Touch Museum, which has some of the older kids skeptical.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 14)
Wednesday, April 16
- Rashida Jones (Sunny/BlackAF/Duncanville/Angie Tribeca/Unhitched/The Office) - Watch Rashida on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Kate is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Skylar Astin (Ground Floor), Jason Ritter (Another Period/The Class) and Riki Lindhome (Another Period/Enlightened) - Skylar, Jason and Riki are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Hannibal Buress (Broad City/30 Rock) - Hannibal appears on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
- The cast of Abbott Elementary - E! News chats with the cast of Abbott Elementary at 11pm on E!.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Michael B. Jordan (The Assistants) - Michael talks about Sinners on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - NBC's Today has the Citi Concert Series: Hank Azaria & The EZ Street Band in the 9am hour.
- Yvonne Orji (Insecure) - Yvonne talks about Pop the Balloon on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster/Sabrina the Teenage Witch) - Soleil and Angel Carter Conrad, the late Aaron Carter's twin sister, whose new documentary The Carters gives an intimate look inside the Carter family with never-before-seen footage on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Lake Bell (Bless This Mess/How to Make it in America/Childrens Hospital) - Lake talks about All About Brains: A Book About People on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining Drew for a brand-new Drew's News on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa talks Abbott Elementary on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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