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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, November 22
Happy's Place - "Happy's House" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie agrees to take Isabella to Happy's house in search of a connection to their late father, leading Bobbie to worry about what they may find; Gabby hopes to strike it rich by searching through Happy's penny collection looking for a rarity.
Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Orlando" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Rosie's spoiled nephew Orlando visits, Mayan sets out to expose Rosie's cultural gender bias; George wants to teach Chance the value of hard work, but, instead, helps him create a toxic work environment.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Whacking the Mole" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Abishola has a romantic dream about Bob, she tries to suppress her feelings for him and pays the price.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Ralph Lauren and Fish" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob and Abishola finally go on a proper date, which is interrupted by Dottie's medical emergency.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Tough Like a Laundromat Washing Machine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob hires Abishola to take care of Dottie in his home while she recovers; Dottie has a hard time dealing with her limitations and takes it out on Abishola.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Useless Potheads" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
With Abishola only helping part-time, Bob, Douglas and Christina struggle to take care of Dottie.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - "Wiz-Taken Identity" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Billie struggles with a spell, Roman says he could do it if he was a wizard: to prove him wrong, Billie uses a Power Glass to transfer her powers to Roman.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - "
Ain't Gnome Party Like a Wizard Party" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Justin embraces mortality to live with his family; his new challenge arises when Alex introduces Billie, a wizard-in-training, seeking Justin's mentorship.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)
Friday, November 22
- Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Watch Kerry on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jimmy O. Yang (Interior Chinatown/Space Force/Silicon Valley) - Jimmy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe), Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) and Aparna Nancherla (Lopez vs Lopez/Search Party/Corporate) - Andy, Thomas and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her new book Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Drew is joined by the hilarious Andrew to celebrate all things Thanksgiving on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie tells Sherri about her new Apple TV+ psychological thriller Before on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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