Thursday, June 27, 2019
Remembering Max Wright of ALF; The Office Reruns Move to NBCU Streaming in 2021

Actor Max Wright, who was best known for his role as Willie Tanner in ALF, has died. He died on June 26 from lymphoma at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Mr. Wright was 75.
Wright's first sitcom starring role was as Karl Shub in the 1983-1984 NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill. Karl Shub was the nervous station manager at WBFL, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It also starred Dabney Coleman, Joanna Cassidy, John Fielder, Geena Davis, Charles Robinson, Meschach Taylor and Claude Earl Jones. The series received 11 Emmy Award nominations, including two for Outstanding Comedy Series.
He starred as Willie Tanner in the 1986-1990 NBC sitcom ALF. Willie Tanner was a social worker. He was the husband of Kate and father of Lynn and Brian. The series also starred Paul Fusco (as the voice of ALF), Anne Schedeen, Andrea Elson and Benji Gregory. Recurring cast members included Liz Sheridan, John LaMotta, Josh Blake (seasons 2-3), and JM J. Bullock (season 4). It ran for four seasons and 99 episodes (102 syndicated episodes).
Wright appeared as Paul in the short-lived 1993 CBS sitcom Dudley. Paul was Dudley's (Dudley Moore) business manager and best friend. The series also starred Joanna Cassidy, Harley Cross, Joel Brooks and Lupe Ontiveros.
He starred as Max Denby in the 1999-2001 ABC sitcom Norm (originally called The Norm Show). Max Denby was Norm Henderson's (Norm Macdonald) second boss at the office. The series also starred Laurie Metcalf, Ian Gomez, Amy Wilson (season 1), Bruce Jarchow (season 1), Faith Ford, Artie Lange (seasons 2-3) and Nikki Cox.
Wright appeared in two episodes of Friends in 1994 and 1995 as Terry, the manager of Central Perk. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included WKRP in Cincinnati, Open All Night, Taxi, AfterMASH, E/R (1984), Benson, Cheers, Who's the Boss?, The Powers That Be, Murphy Brown, Roc, Monty, The John Larroquette Show, Mad About You, The Drew Carey Show and A Minute with Stan Hooper.
He starred as Dick Stetmeyer in the short-lived 1985-1986 NBC superhero fantasy series Misfits of Science. Dick Stetmeyer was the uptight director of the Humanidyne Institute. The series also starred Dean Paul Martin, Kevin Peter Hall, Mark Thomas Miller, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Holmes, Diane Civita and Mickey Jones.
Some of his drama guest appearances included Hart to Hart, Code Red, Tales from the Darkside, Code Name: Foxfire, You Are the Jury, Faerie Tale Theatre, Murder, She Wrote, Ghostwriter, Quantum Leap, Early Edition and High Incident. He appeared as Dr. Herbert Denninger in the 1994 ABC mini-series The Stand.
His film credits included All That Jazz, Reds, The Sting II, Fraternity Vacation, The Shadow, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Easter.
He was also known for his stage career in theater and acted at regional theaters around the United States. He received a Tony nomination in 1998 for his role on Broadway's Ivanov. Some of his other theater credits included The Great White Hope, The Twelfth Night, No Man's Land, Winters Tale and Merchants of Venice.
Mr. Wright was a talented character actor. He was one of the better TV dads as Willie Tanner on ALF. He was also very good in the underrated Buffalo Bill and Norm. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.
Share your memories on our ALF message board. View photos in our galleries.
NBCUniversal announced that it has secured the exclusive domestic streaming rights to The Office (away from Netflix). All nine seasons of this beloved NBC sitcom will be available on the company's soon-to-be-launched streaming service for five years, beginning 2021. The Office is the number one series on SVOD. In 2018, it was streamed for over 52 billion minutes, and in April 2019, it was viewed nearly twice as much as the next most-viewed program on SVOD.
Produced by Universal Television in association with Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, The Office takes a hilarious documentary-style look at the humorous, and sometimes poignant, foolishness that plagues the 9-to-5 world. Based on the award-winning BBC hit, The Office is a fly-on-the-wall "docu-reality" parody of modern American office life that delves into the lives of the workers at Dunder Mifflin, a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The show, which premiered on NBC in 2005, created indelible characters like Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute and Pam & Jim, and launched the careers of some of comedy's most celebrated actors, writers and producers, including Steve Carell, Ed Helms, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, Ellie Kemper, B.J. Novak, Craig Robinson, and Mike Schur.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Friday, June 2
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 29)
Friday, June 2
- Will Ferrell (The Office/The Oblongs) - Watch Will on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Francia Raisa (How I Met Your Father/grown-ish) - Francia appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil and David Burtka chat with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. They will also be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Alex Borstein (Family Guy/Bordertown/Getting On and Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Alex and Tony are guests on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Abbi Jacobson (Broad City) - Abbi opens up about her recent engagement, her bestie Ilana Glazer, what it was like co-creating, writing, producing and starring in A League of Their Own and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry and his wife Rebecca Romijn talk all about their show The Real Love Boat on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House/Hollywood Darlings/Full House) - NBC's Today catches up with Jodie in the 9am hour. She talks about Hallmark Channel's The Jane Mysteries: Lost Inheritance on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Dulé Hill (The Wonder Years) and Jazmyn Simon (Ballers) - Dulé and Jazmyn discuss their children's book Repeat After Me: Big Things to Say Every Day on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Michael Urie (Shrinking/Younger/Partners) - Michael sits down to talk about his new projects, including Apple TV+’s comedy series, Shrinking, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Sara Bareilles (Girls5eva) - NBC's Today catches up with Sara in the 9am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)
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)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
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