Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Remembering Georgia Engel of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; BET Gets Another Comedy Series

Georgia Engel

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.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

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.

The Betty White Show - Georgia Engel, John Hillerman and Betty White

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.

Hot in Cleveland - Betty White and Georgia Engel

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.


BET

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

Wednesday, March 22

The Conners - "Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
It’s Thanksgiving at the Conners and Jackie must come to terms with her mother, Beverly, becoming ill. Meanwhile, Darlene is on the job hunt which proves to be more difficult than anticipated.

The Conners - "Crumbs and Couch Surfers" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene, Ben, Becky and Beverly Rose move into the new house, where Darlene implements a new set of rules. Meanwhile, Harris welcomes a guest at Dan and Louise’s.

Abbott Elementary - "Fight" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine’s students aren’t getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.

Not Dead Yet - "Pilot" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Nell attempts to restart her life in a new place with a new job and a new roommate. She begins writing obituaries at the local paper and starts getting life advice from an unlikely source.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Like New Money" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Curtis suspects his food truck was blown up intentionally, and he starts investigating the incident; Calvin must get to the bottom of Calvin Jr.'s mischievous deeds.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "I Believe" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Philip learns about being accountable for one's actions and putting life's obstacles in perspective; Reginald must pick himself up out of his slump and find the strength to believe in love again.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 20)

Wednesday, March 22

  • Molly Shannon (I Love That for You/The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim) - Watch Molly on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Al Franken (LateLine) - Al guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Jennifer chats about the highly anticipated sequel Murder Mystery 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
  • Mae Whitman (Up Here) - Mae catches up with the hosts to talk about her role in the upcoming Hulu series Up Here on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
  • Zach Braff (Scrubs/Alex, Inc.) - Zach chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry will be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Coco Jones (Good Luck Charlie) and Skai Jackson (Bunk'd/Jessie) - Coco and Skai are guests on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood/New Girl/Modern Men) - Max talks about his children's book on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
  • Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew discusses the mystery of menopause on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Melanie talks about Yellowjackets on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kelly Hu (In Case of Emergency) - Kelly discusses her roles on two television series BMF on Starz and East New York on CBS on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother) - Kyra discusses the film Space Oddity on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Reboot/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael talks about The Super Mario Bros. Movie on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am. Keegan-Michael and Cecily Strong talk about Schmigadoon! in the 9am hour.
  • Sophia Hammons (Up Here) - Sophia talks about Hulu's Up Here on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Ghosts - Season One Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Ten Growing Pains - The Complete Series

11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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03/20 - 2023 90s Con Recap in Hartford; Bel-Air Gets Season 3 on Peacock
03/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 20, 2023)
03/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New Sitcoms for Terry Crews and Wendi McLendon-Covey; Zachary Levi Holding Out Hope for Chuck Movie
03/17 - AXS TV Acquires The Monkees for Retro Night Block; HBO Max's The Other Two Returns in May
03/16 - Monk Returns with One Final Case on Peacock; John Mulaney Gets 3rd Netflix Comedy Special
03/15 - Apple TV+ Orders Comedy with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey; CBS 2023 Season Finale Dates
03/14 - Disney+ Comedy American Born Chinese Premieres May 24; Tim Robinson Comedy to Return May 30 on Netflix
03/13 - New Girl Coming to Hulu and Peacock; Apple TV+ Renews Shrinking for Season 2
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03/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Beavis and Butt-Head Gets Second Season Renewal; Roles Cast in Bedrock Series
03/10 - Act Your Age Opens as Biggest Launch in Bounce History; Starz Comedy Blindspotting Returns April 14
03/09 - Mary Tyler Moore Film Premieres This May on HBO; Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head Returns for Season 2
03/08 - HBO's Barry Returns April 16; Schmigadoon! Trailer for Season 2
03/07 - American Dad! Season 18 Premieres March 27; Hulu's Tiny Beautiful Things Launches April 7
03/06 - Antenna TV Spring 2023 Schedule; Rewind TV Spring 2023 Schedule
03/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 6, 2023)
03/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Rachael Ray to End After 17 Seasons; Fox Renews Krapopolis for Third Season
03/03 - The Thundermans Return; TMZ's New Game Show
03/02 - Fox Renews Krapopolis for Season 3; Disney Channel's New Comedy Saturdays
03/01 - HBO Max Chuck Lorre Comedy Sets Production; New Shonda Rhimes White House Series
02/28 - Apple TV+ Releases Trailer for Ted Lasso S3; More on Chris Rock's Netflix Special
02/27 - Modern Family Star Heads to Season 2 of The Santa Clauses; 29th Annual SAG Awards Winners
02/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 27, 2023)
02/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Goldbergs to End After 10 Seasons; Decades to Rebrand as Catchy Comedy
02/24 - BUZZR's African American Greats Marathon; Hulu and Onyx Collective Comedy Completes Cast
02/23 - Kerry Washington Comedy on Hulu March 10; Mo'Nique's Comedy Special Premieres April 4 on Netflix
02/22 - CBS Renews 9 More Series for 2023-24; Not Dead Yet Scores Big in Delayed 7-Day MP Viewing
02/21 - ABC News Live's Martin Lawrence Special; Netflix Renews Outer Banks Before Season 3 Premiere