Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Netflix's Lost in Space Gets Final Season; Remembering Sitcom Writer Earl Pomerantz
Lost in Space has been renewed by Netflix for a third season, in which The Robinson Family's epic space journey towards Alpha Centauri will conclude. Netflix confirmed the news on social media. Additionally, Netflix and Lost in Space Executive Producer/ showrunner Zack Estrin have agreed to enter a multi-year overall deal to produce new series exclusively at Netflix. Lost in Space is a Netflix original series, produced by Legendary Television. Lost in Space stars Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, Maxwell Jenkins, Mina Sundwall, Taylor Russell, Ignacio Serricchio and Parker Posey.
Emmy-winning writer and producer Earl Pomerantz, who worked on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, The Cosby Show and Major Dad, has died. He died on March 7 in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Pomerantz was 75.
Pomerantz's writing career began in Canada in 1970 with the variety series The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, which starred his brother Hart Pomerantz and Lorne Michaels. He won his first Emmy Award in 1976 for The Lily Tomlin Special, which was the winner for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Special. He was a writer for the TV specials Flip Wilson... Of Course in 1974 and Lily in 1975.
Some of his 1970s sitcom writing credits included Sanford and Son, Doc, Phyllis, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Tony Randall Show, The Betty White Show, The Bob Newhart Show and Rhoda.
He wrote three episodes of The Cosby Show in 1984. He won an Emmy Award in 1985 when The Cosby Show was the winner for Outstanding Comedy Series. Some of his other sitcom writing credits included Taxi, Best of the West (also the creator), Newhart, Cheers, Trying Times, Family Man (also the creator), Coming of Age, Major Dad, LateLine, Becker and Kristin.
He was the creator, producer, writer and theme song lyrics writer of the 1981-1982 ABC sitcom Best of the West, a spoof of westerns. The series starred Joel Higgins, Carlene Watkins, Meeno Peluce, Leonard Frey, Tom Ewell, Valri Bromfield, Tracey Walter and Macon McCalman.
Pomerantz created the short-lived 1988 ABC sitcom Family Man. The series starred Richard Libertini, Mimi Kennedy, Alison Sweeney, Whitby Hertford and Keeley Mari Gallagher.
He developed and worked as a producer for Major Dad. Some of his other producing credits included The Cosby Show, The Larry Sanders Show, LateLine, The Fighting Fitzgeralds and Kristin. He worked as a consultant on Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Thea, The Larry Sanders Show, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Goode Behavior, LateLine, Regular Joe and According to Jim.
Survivors include his brother Hart, his wife Myra, daughters Anna Pomerantz and Rachel Braude and three grandchildren.
Mr. Pomerantz worked on more than 25 sitcoms during his career. We thank him for his work on these series. He will be greatly missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, October 22
Happy's Place - "Pilot" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Bobbie inherits her late father's tavern, Happy's Place, she's shocked to learn that she also has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew existed.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Final Answer" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jazmine gets caught up in a cheating scandal at school; Curtis enlists the help of a vlogger to promote his food truck.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Complete TV Listings
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 21)
Tuesday, October 22
- Bridget Everett (Somebody Somewhere) - Catch Bridget on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Josh Peck (Grandfathered/Drake & Josh) - Josh is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building/Wizards of Waverly Place) and Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls/What I Like About You) - E! News has interviews with Selena and Jennie at 11pm on E!.
- Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy talks Before on NBC's Today some time between 7-9am.
- Judith Light (Who's the Boss?/Phenom/Transparent) - NBC's Today catches up with Judith in the 9am hour.
- David Henrie (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Wizards of Waverly Place/How I Met Your Mother/The Pitts) and Janice Leann Brown (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place) - David and Janice talk about Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
- Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street/The Tony Danza Show) - Tony talks about Power Book III: Raising Kanan and The Stars of Tomorrow Project on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Anna Kendrick (Love Life) - Anna chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Damon Wayans Jr. (Poppa's House/Happy Together/New Girl/Happy Endings) - Damon talks about Poppa's House on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- David Mann and Tamela Mann (Tyler Perry's Assisted Living/Mann & Wife/Meet the Browns) - David drops into Sherri's Laugh Lounge and talks about his Mann To Man - Love, Your Mind series on YouTube on Sherri, so check your local listings. Tamela performs a song off her new album Live, Breathe, Fight on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) and Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Drew and Valerie Bertinelli are going makeup free for the whole episode in honor of the amazing Pamela Anderson joining them and embracing bare beauty. Plus, Pamela is making a mouthwatering recipe from her brand-new cookbook on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This/GLOW) - Jackie talks about Netflix's Nobody Wants This on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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 Ultra HD)
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)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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