Wednesday, October 09, 2019

Remembering TV Legend Diahann Carroll; Marvel and Hulu Bring New Series

Diahann Carroll

Actress, singer, model and activist Diahann Carroll, who starred as Julia Baker in Julia and as Dominique Deveraux in Dynasty, has died. She died of cancer on October 4 in Los Angeles, California. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. Ms. Carroll was 84.

Carroll made her television debut at age 18 on January 8, 1954, as a singing contestant on the Dumont Television Network's talent show Chance of a Lifetime. She appeared four consecutive weeks, winning three times. She made guest appearances on variety series and talk shows including The Red Skelton Hour, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show, The Mike Douglas Show and The Carol Burnett Show.

Some of her early television drama guest appearances included General Electric Theater, Peter Gunn, Naked City and The Eleventh Hour. She received her first Emmy nomination in 1963 for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her appearance in Naked City.

Julia

She was the first black woman to star in a weekly series in a non-stereotypical role in the 1968-1971 NBC sitcom Julia. Carroll played widowed single mother Julia Baker. She worked as a nurse in a doctor's office at a large aerospace company called Astrospace Industries. Carroll won a Golden Globe Award in 1969 for Best TV Star - Female for the role. She received an Emmy nomination for the Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series category in 1969. The single-camera series also starred Lloyd Nolan, Marc Copage, Michael Link, Betty Beaird, Mary Wickes, Ned Glass (1968-1970) and Lurene Tuttle (1968-1970).

Diahann Carroll as Dominque Deveraux - Dynasty

Carroll starred as Dominique Deveraux in the ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty. She appeared in 74 episodes from 1984 to 1987. Dominique Deveraux was the mixed-race jet set diva and half-sister of Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Billy Dee Williams played her onscreen husband, Brady Lloyd. She also appeared in seven episodes of the spin-off series The Colbys.

A Different World - Jasmine Guy and Diahann Carroll

She had a recurring role as Marion Gilbert, Whitley's (Jasmine Guy) mother, in nine episodes of the NBC sitcom A Different World from 1989 to 1993. She received her third Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 1989.

Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, Webster, The Sinbad Show, Evening Shade, Half & Half, Whoopi and Back to You.

Carroll had a recurring role as Ida Grayson in seven episodes of the syndicated western drama Lonesome Dove: The Series from 1994 to 1995. She starred as Justice Angela DeSett in the short-lived 2002 ABC legal drama The Court. She had a recurring role as Jane Burke, the demanding mother of Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington), in five episodes of Grey's Anatomy from 2006 to 2007. Carroll played an elderly widow named June Ellington in 25 episodes of USA Network's White Collar from 2009 to 2014.

Some of her other television drama guest appearances included Burke's Law, Touched by an Angel, Twice in a Lifetime, Strong Medicine, Soul Food and Diary of a Single Mom.

She made her film debut in 1954's Carmen Jones. Some of her other film credits included Porgy and Bess, Paris Blues, Hurry Sundown, The Split, Claudine, The Five Heartbeats, Eve's Bayou, Peeples and The Masked Saint. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the film Claudine (1974) in 1975.

Carroll won a Tony Award for best actress, a first for a black woman, in 1962 for her role as Barbara Woodruff in the Broadway musical No Strings. Some of her other theater credits included House of Flowers, Agnes of God, Love Letters and Sunset Boulevard.

She was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on March 3, 1998.

Ms. Carroll was a true TV legend and pioneer. She was wonderful in Julia, Dynasty and her many other television and film roles. We thank her for the many hours of entertainment she brought us during her long career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Julia message board. View photos in our galleries.

Aspire is airing Julia all day Saturday in remembrance of star Diahann Carroll. The series airs on their regular schedule. View a listing of upcoming episodes.





Marvel's Helstrom

Marvel Television and Hulu have announced casting for Marvel's Helstrom - the live-action series based on the popular Marvel comic book. The series will mark Marvel's first foray into terror and is slated for debut in 2020. In Marvel's Helstrom, Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer. The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity - each with their attitude and skills. Tom Austen as Daimon Helstrom - A professor of ethics who moonlights as an exorcist, Daimon has no illusions about saving a world he has no patience for; he just hopes he can help a few of the people closest to him. In his battle against a hidden world, Daimon is determined to root out demons as they arise, and will not stop until they're vanquished.

Sydney Lemmon as Ana Helstrom - By day, Ana runs a successful auction house and suffers no fools, but her true interest lies in hunting down those who hurt others. Traumatized by her father as a child, Ana is driven to rid the world of those like him, even as she secretly worries her father will return. Elizabeth Marvel as Victoria Helstrom - Plagued by demons both real and imagined, Victoria has been institutionalized for twenty years. While she struggles to be herself, she hopes to repair her relationship with her children. Robert Wisdom as Caretaker - Caretaker is a guardian of knowledge of the occult. He uses his knowledge and his relationship with Ana to help keep demonic forces at bay.

June Carryl as Dr. Louise Hastings - A psychologist with a strong faith but an open mind, Hastings is head of the psychiatric hospital where Victoria is being monitored. She has watched over the Helstrom family for years, caring for them as best she can. Ariana Guerra as Gabriella Rosetti - A woman balancing logic and faith, Gabriella arrives from the Vatican to help Daimon and Hastings uncover cases of demonic possession. She wants to save everyone she can, including Daimon. Alain Uy as Chris Yen - Yen is Ana's business partner and her closest friend -- some would say surrogate brother. He carries out the bulk of the auction house's responsibilities and assists Ana with whatever she needs.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, June 6

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 5)

Tuesday, June 6

  • Mayim Bialik (Call Me Kat/The Big Bang Theory/Blossom/Molloy) - Catch Mayim on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show) - Bryan is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rockstar) - Oliver and his sister Kate are guests on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - Mark appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 10pm on Bravo.
  • Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face/Russian Doll) - Natasha talks about Poker Face on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Mädchen Amick (Freddie) - Mädchen breaks down what's coming up on the series Riverdale on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Poorna Jagannathan (Never Have I Ever) and Richa Moorjani (Never Have I Ever) - Poorna and Richa give the Tam Fam the scoop on the final season of Never Have I Ever on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette appears on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Ron Funches (Loot/Poweless/Undateable) - Ron is a guest on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Luna Blaise (Fresh Off the Boat) - Luna talks about Manifest on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Patricia Arquette (High Desert) - Patricia talks about High Desert on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Tammy Townsend (K.C. Undercover/Sherri/Rock Me, Baby) - Tammy discusses her starring role in the new BET+ series Average Joe on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Eva will be on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Clarissa Explains It All) and Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster/Sabrina the Teenage Witch) - NBC's Today catches up with Melissa and Soleil in the 9am hour.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)

Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI) Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI) Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series

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
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

06/06 - New Superman Animated Series Coming to Adult Swim; TV Stars Come Together in Netflix Film
06/05 - Shout! TV's ALF Reunion; Hulu's This Fool Season Two Premieres July 28
06/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of June 5, 2023)
06/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Declares Rating Victories for 22-23 Season; Australian Version of The Office in the Works
06/02 - HBO Renews Somebody Somewhere for a Third Season; Remembering Marlene Clark of Sanford and Son and Other Sitcom Stars We Recently Lost
06/01 - MeTV's Marry Me Block on June 4; TBS Sets Miracle Workers: End Times Premiere Date for July 10
05/31 - Amazon Freevee's Jury Duty Gets Special Release; Stars on Mars Fan Experience
05/30 - 75th Emmy Awards Nominations on July 12; Final Season of HBO's How to with John Wilson
05/29 - Memorial Day 2023 TV Sitcom Marathons
05/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 29, 2023)
05/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Wins 2022-2023 Ratings Game; Netflix Ends Sharing of Passwords
05/26 - Prime Video Renews Priyanka Chopra Series; Sex and the City 25th Anniversary Event in NYC
05/25 - Brady Bunch House on the Market; The Family Stallone Gets 2nd Season
05/24 - Antenna TV's Father Knows Best Father's Day Fest Marathon; Netflix Gets Glamorous This June
05/23 - CBS Summer 2023 Reality Schedule; Apple TV+ Announces Peanuts Programming
05/22 - More Details on Zoey 102; New Lifetime Movie Series Coming July 8
05/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 22, 2023)
05/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Showtime Looking to Bring Back Two Old Favorites; Disney+ Removing Content
05/19 - Futurama Triumphantly Returns July 24; Final Season of Physical Drops August 2; Primo Premieres May 19 on Amazon Freevee
05/18 - The CW Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Netflix Upfront 2023
05/17 - Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2023; Sarah Silverman HBO Special Premieres May 27
05/16 - ABC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; FX's Summer 2023 Slate
05/15 - FOX Announces 2023-24 Programming Slate; iCarly Season 3 Premieres June 1
05/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 15, 2023)
05/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Season Finale Brings Back a Familiar Face; Comedy Central Renews Digman! for Second Season
05/12 - NBC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Hulu Orders Deli Boys from Onyx Collective
05/11 - CBS Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; The CW Summer Lineup Has Comedies
05/10 - Minx Returns in July on STARZ; Never Have I Ever Final Episodes Premieres June 8, Trailer Drops
05/09 - The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22
05/08 - NBC's Hot Wheels Gets Celeb Judges; Zooey Deschanel's Max Series Premieres May 23
05/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 8, 2023)
05/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Week of Writers' Strike Already Sees Early Casualties; Fox Cancels Call Me Kat