Friday, May 29, 2020
Fri-Yay: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Continues to Delight and Improve; Remembering Richard Herd of Seinfeld
by Vincent
The past few weeks, I've gotten the chance to catch up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a show that I really enjoy, but sometimes forget to watch for a bit, so I wind up having a long string of episodes to catch up on. In a way, I like it that way, because Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the type of show whose upbeat, cheerful world I like to get lost in for a while, and the world of Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been a constant source of joy in these trying times. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a show that has been so good for so long that it's easy to take its consistent for granted. But we should remember that a comedy being great for so long is certainly not the norm. By Season 7, most comedies have shown signs of wear and tear. Instead, Brooklyn Nine-Nine just keeps getting better.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a really solid show in its early seasons, but it didn't necessarily rise to the level of "great" in its first couple of seasons, seeming content at being an entertaining workplace comedy without much depth. But slowly but surely, the show began to quietly really focus on developing its characters, and by Season 4, the characters had grown past their original archetypes and become something more real. That has made the show even more rewarding as it enters its later seasons, as the relationship between its characters - such as Jake and Amy, which started out as a typical will they/won't they but accelerated in a way that they feel like a truly real couple. It's really rare for a show to give its characters more depth as it progresses, but that's what's happened with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and it's truly a joy to watch.
Actor Richard Herd, who appeared as George Costanza's boss Mr. Wilhelm in Seinfeld, has died. He died from cancer at his Los Angeles home on May 26. Mr. Herd was 87.
Herd starred as Captain Dennis Sheridan in the police drama T.J. Hooker. Captain Sheridan was the by-the-books superior at the fictional Lake City Police Department (LCPD) Academy Precinct. He was the father of Officer Stacy Sheridan (Heather Locklear). Herd was a regular in the first two seasons before becoming an occasional guest star in seasons three and four. The series aired on ABC for four seasons from 1982 to 1985 before moving to CBS for the final season from 1985 to 1986. It also starred William Shatner, Adrian Zmed (1982-1985), Lee Bryant (1982-1983), April Clough (1982) and James Darren (1983-1986).
He played John, the Visitors' Supreme Commander, in the 1983 NBC sci-fi miniseries V and 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle. He starred as Admiral/Secretary General William Noyce in the NBC sci-fi series seaQuest DSV from 1993 to 1994. He appeared as Mike the in the short-lived 1994 NBC drama Winnetka Road.
Herd appeared as Mr. Wilhelm, George Costanza's (Jason Alexander) baffled boss, in 11 episodes of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld from 1995 to 1998. Matt Wilhelm was George's supervisor at the New York Yankees. He later leaves the Yankees to become head scout for the New York Mets.
Some of his sitcom guest appearances included M*A*S*H in 1980, The Golden Girls in 1989, Grace Under Fire in 1996 and Caroline in the City in 1998.
He played Admiral Owen Paris, the father of helmsman Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill), in three episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. Some of his many drama guest appearances included Kojak, The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco, Starsky and Hutch, Dallas, Hart to Hart, Falcon Crest, Matt Houston, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Hardcastle and McCormick, Dynasty, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Beauty and the Beast, Simon & Simon, Matlock, Knots Landing, China Beach, Murder, She Wrote, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, ER, Walker, Texas Ranger, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pacific Blue, JAG and CSI: Miami.
Herd's first major film role was in the thriller The China Syndrome (1979) alongside Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas, where he played the character Evan McCormack, the corrupt Chairman of the California Gas & Electric Board. Some of his other film credits included Private Benjamin (1980), Lovely But Deadly (1981), Trancers (1985), Summer Rental (1985), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Gleaming the Cube (1989), Get Out (2017) and The Mule (2018).
Mr. Herd was a very good character actor. He was mostly known for his dramatic roles, but he showed his comedic chops in Seinfeld as Wilhelm. He will be greatly missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, September 8
Universal Basic Guys - "Pet Projects (Pilot)" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Threatened by a doctor's kindness toward Tammy, Mark tries to get her an exotic animal; Hank bonds with the chimpanzee via its bluetooth; David's dog saves David and Mernft Man from a pet snake.
Bob's Burgers - "The Big Stieblitzki" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The family gets invited to Rudy's father's birthday party; Tina attempts to convince a woman to commit to a relationship with Rudy's father.
The Great North - "Welcome To Miami Adventure" / "Worst Drives Club Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Coming off the heels of her break-up, Judy is taken on a wild adventure with Honeybee and Aunt Dirt; Judy tries to learn to drive.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 2)
Friday, September 6
- Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Watch Kumail on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Michael Keaton (Report to Murphy/Working Stiffs/All's Fair) - Michael appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Conner O'Malley (Shrill) - Conner is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Edie Falco (Bupkis/Nurse Jackie) - Edie talks about her film I'll Be Right There on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh is joining Drew and telling her about getting denied from his college's musical theater program and making his return to Broadway after eleven years with bestie Andrew Rannells on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Diane Farr (Splitting Together/Like Family/The Job) - Diane discusses the CBS drama series Fire Country on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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)
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