Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Antenna TV's Massive All in the Family Thanksgiving Marathon; Remembering Robert Guillaume of Soap and Benson

All in the Family

Boy the way Glenn Miller played! Antenna TV makes television history when it broadcasts all episodes of the legendary sitcom All in the Family in one holiday weekend marathon. Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast network, will run all 9 seasons (207 episodes) of All in the Family on Thanksgiving weekend. The "All of All in The Family" Thanksgiving weekend marathon begins with season 1, episode 1 at 5am ET on Wednesday, November 22 and runs through Sunday, November 26, 2017. All in the Family, produced by Norman Lear and starring Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker, originally aired from 1971-79 and won more than 20 prime time Emmy awards. It was also ranked the 4th Best TV Show of all time by TV Guide.

Antenna TV, which currently airs in 133 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 88% of TV households, regularly, airs All in the Family Weeknights at 9:30p ET/6:30p PT, Weekdays at 4:30a ET/1:30a PT and Fri - Sat at 12:30a ET/9:30p PT.


Robert Guillaume

Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Guillaume, who was best known for his role as Benson DuBois in Soap and the spin-off Benson, has died. He died on October 24 at his home in Los Angeles, California, from prostate cancer. Mr. Guillaume was 89.

Guillaume's early sitcom guest appearances included Julia, Sanford and Son, All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times. In 1970, he appeared in an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D..

Soap

His first starring role was as Benson in the ABC sitcom Soap. Benson was the wisecracking cook/butler for the wealthy Tate family. He appeared in 50 episodes of the series from 1977-1980. The series also starred Robert Mandan, Katherine Helmond, Diana Canova, Jennifer Salt, Jimmy Baio, Arthur Peterson, Cathryn Damon, Richard Mulligan, Billy Crystal, Ted Waas, Robert Urich and Jay Johnson. Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1979.

Benson

The Benson character was very popular, so he he got his own spin-off series in 1979. Benson worked for Jessica's (Katherine Helmond) cousin, Governor James Gatling (James Noble), as the head of household affairs. Although his last name wasn't mentioned on Soap, it was revealed to be DuBois in the spin-off. Benson aired for 7 seasons and 158 episodes on ABC from 1979-1986. The series also starred Missy Gold, Inga Swenson, René Auberjonois (1980-1986), Ethan Phillips (1980-1985), Caroline McWilliams (1979-1981), Lewis J. Stadlen (1979-1980), Didi Conn (1981-1983) and Billie Bird (1984-1986). Guillaume won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 1985.

Guillaume starred as marriage counselor Edward Sawyer in the short-lived 1989 ABC sitcom The Robert Guillaume Show. The series was about a single father with two children who begins an interracial relationship with Ann (Wendy Phillips), a white woman who has a daughter of her own. The series also starred Hank Rolike, Kelsey Scott and Marc Joseph.

He starred as Detective Bob Ballard in the 1991-1992 NBC sitcom Pacific Station. Detective Bob Ballard was a wisecracking veteran cop who had been assigned to Pacific Station in Venice, California. The series also starred Richard Libertini, Joel Murray, Ron Leibman, Megan Gallagher and John Hancock.

Sports Night

Guillaume played Isaac Jaffe in the 1998-2000 ABC comedy/drama Sports Night. Isaac Jaffe was the managing editor of the late-night Sports Night program for the fictional Continental Sports Channel (CSC). Guillaume suffered a mild stroke midway through the first season on January 14, 1999. This event was worked into his character and the season's story arc. The short-lived but critically acclaimed series also starred Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, Greg Baker, Kayla Blake, Timothy Davis Reed, Jeff Mooring and Ron Ostrow.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, A Different World, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Goode Behavior, Moesha and 8 Simple Rules.

He was also known for his voice work. He provided the voice of Detective Catfish in the short-lived 1992 CBS animated sitcom Fish Police. His other television voice credits included The Addams Family, Captain Planet and the Planeteers and The Proud Family. He was the narrator for the HBO series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. He was the voice of Rafiki in the movie The Lion King and its sequels and spin-offs.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on March 24, 1999.

Survivors include his wife, Donna Brown-Guillaume; three daughters, Patricia Carpenter and Melissa and Rachel Guillaume; one son, Kevin; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter.

Mr. Guillaume won two Emmy Awards in 1979 and 1985 and a Grammy Award in 1995 for his spoken word performance of a audiobook version of The Lion King during his career that spanned more than 50 years. He was wonderful as Benson DuBois in Soap and Benson, which was of the most underrated sitcoms of the 1980s. We thank him for the many hours of laughter and entertainment he brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed.

Soap and Benson will both return to Antenna TV in January according to their Facebook page. Stay with us for any updates.

Share your memories on our Soap and Benson message boards. View photos in our galleries.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, August 15

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 11)

Friday, August 15

  • Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole guest hosts a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tony Hale (Veep/Arrested Development) - Tony is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Bill Hader (Barry) - Bill is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Brittany Snow (Ben and Kate) - Brittany appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Kat Sadler (Such Brave Girls) and Lizzie Davidson (Such Brave Girls) - Kat and Lizzie are guests on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria appears on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - NBC's Today catches up with Ken in the 10am hour.
  • Tia Mowry (Family Reunion/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia has a big announcement to help you plan your summer vacation on a repeat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. Plus, she catches us up on family and her hit TV show Tia Mowry: My Next Act.


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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

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