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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, July 3

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Sportsbook and a Breakup" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mandy finds out Meemaw runs an illegal sportsbook and decides she wants in on the action. Meanwhile, Georgie struggles to keep Mandy’s new job a secret.

Ghosts - "His Girl Shiki" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Pete makes good on his promise to find someone for Sasappis by bringing in a wisecracking 1940s screenwriter who also has the ability to roam.

Bob's Burgers - "The Shell Game" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bob competes in a competition to inherit Mr. Fischoeder's 100-year-old tortoise.

Grimsburg - "Molly" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Flute forgets to buy Stan a gift for his birthday, he steals an AI doll from the evidence locker; Wynona is forced to confront her ex-boyfriend.

Family Guy - "Row v. Wade" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Brian wins a boat on "The Price is Right" and decides to sail to Texas to help women seeking legal abortions.

The Great North - "Silence of the Dams Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Honeybee accidentally revives an old Lone Moose curse, sending a terrifying creature after her and the Tobins.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 30)

Thursday, July 3

  • Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) - Catch Steve on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Zach Cherry (Duncanville/I Feel Bad/Crashing) - Zach is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Sandy Honig (Three Busy Debras), Mitra Jouhari (Clone High/Three Busy Debras) and Alyssa Stonoha (Three Busy Debras) - Sandy, Mitra and Alyssa are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) - Rob discusses cancer research and how it changed his life with GMA lifestyle contributor Lori Bergamotto on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Laurence Fishburne (black-ish) - Laurence chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Justin talks about Nuked on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
  • Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down), Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) and Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) - Adam, Britt and Ben talk about Severance on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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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