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
Thursday, June 8
Young Sheldon - "Pancake Sunday and Textbook Flirting" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mary struggles to make new friends while Mandy pushes Georgie to date another woman.
Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.
Animal Control - "Dogs and Geese" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dispatch radios a report of a goose on the loose; the precinct hosts an adoption day.
Animal Control - "Pigs and Minks" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The team welcomes back Patel even though he is still on suspension; Shred and Victoria are called into the principal's office on a school visit; Rick heads back into the field with Frank.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 5)
Thursday, June 8
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Catch Kaley on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Lea Michele (The Mayor/Scream Queens) - Lea is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) - Janelle appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) - Chris will be on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) - Maitreyi talks about Never Have I Ever Live with Kelly and Mark, (check your listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Eva appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Marcus Scribner (grown-ish/black-ish) - Marcus joins the Tam Fam to discuss the final season of grown-ish on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Nia Long (Uncle Buck/The Cleveland Show/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Nia appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Lauren London (The Game) - Lauren is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Fortune Feimster (Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune appears on a repeat of The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings. She also talks about FUBAR on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Cheers) - Kelsey is telling Rachael about his recent movie, the Frasier revival and what he's got going on next on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
- Marilu Henner (Evening Shade/Taxi) - Marilu talks about Hallmark's Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted by Murder on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Vivica A. Fox (Mr. Box Office/Getting Personal/Arsenio/Out All Night) - Vivica stops by to discuss her involvement with the Tony Awards and her Fox Soul talk show Cocktails with Queens on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Marsha Warfield (Night Court/Empty Nest) - Marsha drops by to talk about her iconic comedy career, her The Book of Marsha comedy tour and finally sees the green room at Sherri that was inspired by her, so check your local listings.
- Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
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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