Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Remembering Georgia Engel of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; BET Gets Another Comedy Series

Actress Georgia Engel, who was best known for her role as Georgette Franklin Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died. She died on April 12 in Princeton, New Jersey. Ms. Engel was 70.

Engel starred as Georgette Franklin Baxter in 57 episodes of the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 to 1977. Georgette was the ditzy but sweet-natured girlfriend and later wife of Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). They adopted a 8-year-old son named David (Robbie Rist) and had a baby girl of their own named Mary Lou. The series also starred Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Valerie Harper (1970-1974), Cloris Leachman (1970-1975), John Amos (1970-1973) and Betty White (1973-1977). Engel received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 1976 and 1977. She appeared as Georgette in the two Rhoda's Wedding episodes of Rhoda in 1974 and an episode of Hi Honey, I'm Home in 1992.

After The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, she starred as Mitzi Maloney in the 1977-1978 CBS sitcom The Betty White Show. Mitzi Maloney was Joyce Whitman's (Betty White) naive best friend/roommate. The series also starred John Hillerman, Caren Kaye, Alex Henteloff, Barney Phillips and Charles Cyphers.
She appeared as Loretta Smoot in the short-lived 1980 ABC sitcom Goodtime Girls, which was set in Washington, D.C., during World War II (1942). Loretta shared a one-room apartment with Edith Bedelmeyer (Annie Potts) and Betty Crandall (Lorna Patterson). The series also starred Francine Tacker, Marcia Lewis, Merwin Goldsmith, Peter Scolari, Adrian Zmed and Sparky Marcus.
Engel starred as Susan Elliot in the 1983-1984 NBC sitcom Jennifer Slept Here, which starred Ann Jillian as a ghost named Jennifer Farrell. Susan Elliot was the wife of George (Brandon Maggart) and the mother of Joey (John P. Navin, Jr.) and Marilyn (Mya Akerling). Glenn Scarpelli played Marc, the next-door neighbor and friend of Joey.

She had recurring roles in several sitcoms. She appeared as Shirley Burleigh in 17 episodes of Coach from 1991 to 1997. Shirley Burleigh was the cheerful wife of Minnesota State athletic director Howard Burleigh (Kenneth Kimmins). She played Pat MacDougall, Robert Barone's (Brad Garrett) mother-in-law and the wife of Hank MacDougall (Fred Willard), in 14 episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005. Engel received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 2003, 2004 and 2005. She reunited with Betty White once again in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland in 2012. She appeared as Mamie Sue Johnson, a naive friend of Elka's (Betty White), in 18 episodes from 2012 to 2015.
Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Mork & Mindy, The Associates, The Love Boat, Working, The Office, Two and a Half Men and One Day at a Time (2018).
She was also known for her voice work. Her voice film credits included The Magic of Herself the Elf, The Care Bears Movie, Dr. Dolittle 2, Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run, Open Season, Open Season 2 and Open Season 3. Her TV voice credits included Hercules and Hey Arnold!.
Ms. Engel was a funny actress with a sweet voice. She was perfect in her role as the lovable Georgette Franklin Baxter. It was great to see her work with Betty White so often. We thank her for the many laughs and entertainment she brought us during her career. She will be deeply missed.
Share your memories on our The Mary Tyler Moore Show message board. View photos in our galleries.

On the heels of the second season pick up of critically-acclaimed Boomerang series BET Networks announces continued partnership with Lena Waithe as it green lights her single-camera comedy series Twenties. Created and written by Waithe when she was in her early 20s the eight-episode half-hour series, follows the adventures of a queer black girl, Hattie, and her two straight best friends, Marie and Nia, who spend most of their days talking 'ish' and chasing their dreams. Twenties is a scripted show about friendship, finding love, and messing everything up along the way. The project was originally developed by TBS but didn't move forward.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, February 4
Shifting Gears - "Surprise" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt revs his love life back up only to find the road rockier than expected. Meanwhile, a chance romantic moment has Riley and Gabe questioning the nature of their relationship. Jenna Elfman, Jesse Williams, Angela Kinsey and Mookie Betts guest star.
Abbott Elementary - "Candygrams" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
It’s Valentine’s Day at Abbott, and the teachers find themselves meddling in students’ love lives while navigating their own.
The Muppet Show (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Music, comedy and a lot of chaos ensues when Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter.
Abbott Elementary - "Picture Day" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When picture day catches the teachers at Abbott by surprise, chaos ensues.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Good As Gold" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ella imparts wisdom and reassurance to her baby boy. Janine and Jazmine schedule much needed mommy daughter time.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Twenty-One" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sandra and Philip try to find the best way to celebrate their parents' anniversary; the assisted living facility puts on a manhunt for Reginald, who is still missing.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 2)
Wednesday, February 4
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Watch Kate on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Nick is a musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Benanti (Life & Beth/Younger/The Detour/Go On/Starved) - Laura makes a special appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Kaley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat talks about BET+'s The Ms. Pat Show on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Miss Piggy (The Muppets) - Miss Piggy discusses The Muppet Show on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha discusses her new Lifetime movie Be Happy on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man talks about Relationship Goals on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Craig talks about Scrabble on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Michael Imperioli (This Fool/Alex, Inc.) - Drew talks to Michael about his new series Memory of a Killer on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) and Avan Jogia (56 Days) - Dove and Avan talk about about Prime Video's 56 Days on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
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