Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Lifetime Moves Variety's Power of Women Special to June 25; Remembering Mary Pat Gleason and Peggy Pope

Lifetime Presents Variety's Power of Women: Frontline Heroes

In deference to recent cultural and societal events Variety and Lifetime have postponed the one-hour special, Lifetime Presents Variety's Power of Women: Frontline Heroes, which celebrates the brave women serving on the frontlines of the pandemic, to now air Thursday, June 25 at 10:00PM ET/PT on Lifetime and Facebook. Virtually hosted by Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, the special will be simultaneously broadcast from Variety's Facebook page, and cross-posted on Lifetime's at 10PM ET/7PM PT. As part of this event, viewers on Facebook will be able to contribute directly to the Equal Justice Initiative using the Facebook donate button in the livestream. The special will also repeat on Monday, June 29 at 10pm ET/PT on Lifetime's sister network, LMN.

Lifetime Presents Variety's Power of Women: Frontline Heroes will celebrate the courageous women on the frontlines of the pandemic - including doctors, nurses, teachers, researchers, among others - who are putting themselves at risk to make a difference and working towards finding a solution in this crisis. The special will take a look at ways women are confronting domestic violence, changes to the way we educate our children, mental health, homelessness and other areas that affect our daily lives. Current and past Power of Women honorees will come together to celebrate these remarkable women, their extraordinary work, and their dedication to their communities during this incredibly challenging time.

The program will also highlight the 2020 Power of Women honorees for their professional achievements and humanitarian efforts to various causes including two-time Academy(R) Award-winning star and executive producer of the miniseries Mrs. America Cate Blanchett (UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency); Tony(R) and Grammy(R) Award-winning star and actor in the new miniseries Hollywood Patti LuPone (Broadway Cares); and eight-time Grammy(R) nominated singer and actress starring in the series Homecoming, Janelle MonĂ¡e (Local Initiative Support Corp).

Previous honorees Laverne Cox, Jennifer Garner, Tiffany Haddish, Gigi Hadid, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nicole Kidman, Blake Lively, Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren and Natalie Portman will also pay tribute to these women through self-shot material. Additionally, the program will include a special performance by Grammy(R) Award-nominated powerhouse vocalist Andra Day.


Mary Pat Gleason

Character actress Mary Pat Gleason, who had a recurring role in Mom and made many sitcom guest appearances, has died. She died from cancer on June 2. Ms. Gleason was 70.

Gleason's sitcom guest appearances in the 1980s and 1990s included What a Country!, Full House, Mama's Family, Frank's Place, Murphy Brown, Day by Day, Dear John, Who's the Boss?, Empty Nest, Night Court, Saved by the Bell, Perfect Strangers, Davis Rules, Nurses, The Golden Palace, Coach, Blossom, Friends, Step by Step, Dave's World, Suddenly Susan and Family Matters.

She had a recurring role as Patty, a presidential assistant, in four episodes of the 2012-2013 NBC sitcom 1600 Penn. She played Mrs. Gosnold in four episodes of the Nick at Nite/TV land sitcom Instant Mom from 2013 to 2014. Some of her later sitcom guest appearances included Sex and the City, Malcolm in the Middle, Good Luck Charlie, The Middle, 2 Broke Girls, Up All Night, Baby Daddy, Dog with a Blog, Will & Grace, American Housewife and Life in Pieces.

Mary Pat Gleason

Gleason had a recurring role as Mary, a fellow AA member who was frequently interrupted by Bonnie (Allison Janney) when she shared her problems with the group, in the CBS sitcom Mom. She appeared in eight episodes from 2014 to 2019.

She starred as Ida in the 2008 ABC Family sci-fi drama The Middleman. Ida was soulless a android from outer space masquerading as a cranky librarian. The series also starred Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Brit Morgan and Jake Smollett.

Gleason won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1986 for her work on the writing team of The Guiding Light. She also appeared in the series as Jane Hogan from 1983 to 1985.

Ms. Gleason may not have been a household name, but she was a familiar face with more than 170 TV and film credits. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment she brought us. She will be deeply missed.

Peggy Pope

We also remember actress Peggy Pope. She starred in several short-lived sitcoms and made many sitcom guest appearances. She died on May 27 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ms. Pope was 91.

Pope starred as Elaine Fusco in the short-lived 1973 CBS sitcom Calucci's Department. The series focused on Joe Calucci (James Coco), the supervisor of a New York City unemployment office. It also starred Candy Azzara, Jose Perez, Jack Fletcher, Bill Lazarus, Bernard Wexler and Rosette LeNoire.

Billy

She played Alice Fisher, the mother of 19-year-old Billy Fisher (Steve Guttenberg), in the short-lived 1979 sitcom Billy. The series also starred James Gallery, Paula Trueman, Michael Alaimo and Bruce Talkington.

Pope had a recurring role as Mrs. David in Soap from 1979 to 1981. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included Bewitched, Rhoda, Mork & Mindy, Barney Miller (six episodes), The Golden Girls, Too Close for Comfort, Night Court, Kate & Allie, Have Faith, Anything But Love, Empty Nest, Nurses, Room for Two and Hope & Faith.

She was perhaps best known for her role as "the office lush", and later, recovering alcoholic, Margaret Foster, in the 1980 movie 9 to 5. Her character was known for the "atta girl" line. Pope later appeared in the 9 to 5 TV series in 1982. Her other film credits included The Last Starfighter and Once Bitten.

Ms. Pope was a talented and versatile actress. We thank her for the entertainment she brought us from her TV and film roles. She will be greatly missed.




Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, November 3

The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror XXXV" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Giant monsters created by political rage threaten to tear the town apart; a Victorian Mr. Burns is jump-scared on Thanksgiving by the ghosts of his abused workers; Homer bonds with a pair of extra-terrestrial jeans.

Universal Basic Guys - "Poconos" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark, Tammy, Hank and Darren discover a magical board game; David seeks a solution to his writer's block.

Bob's Burgers - "Don't Stop Be-Cheesin" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Louise trains Tina to be the last student standing during a cheese throwing battle against the other eighth graders; Bob and Teddy teach Linda how to successfully eavesdrop on customers' conversations.

Krapopolis - "Krapocalypse" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tyrannis is stuck in a time loop trying to save the city.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 28)

Friday, November 1

  • Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Watch Billy on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) and Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building/Mulaney/I'm a Big Girl Now/The Associates) - Steve and Martin are guests on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Matt Rogers (I Love That for You/Our Cartoon President), Brendan Scannell (Bonding/Heathers) and Greta Titelman (Search Party/Los Espookys) - Matt, Brendan and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jennifer Grey (Red Oaks/It's Like, You Know...) - Jennifer talks about A Real Pain on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
  • Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This/GLOW) - Jackie talks about her Netflix series Nobody Wants This on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) - Mayan talks about NBC's Lopez vs Lopez on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Judy Gold (All-American Girl) - Judy appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (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)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

11/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Simpsons Themed Monday Night Football Alternate Telecast in December; MeTV Planning for Christmas
11/01 - BET+ Renews Churchy for Season 2 and The Ms. Pat Show for Season 5; Remembering Teri Garr
10/31 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Gets Full Season Order; Fox's Going Dutch Trailer
10/30 - Clifton Davis Joins CBS Daytime's Beyond the Gates; Ronny Chieng's 3rd Netflix Special
10/29 - The Simpsons Monday Night Football Disney+ Telecast; Prime Video Announces The Sticky
10/28 - Fortune Feimster Gets 3rd Netflix Special; Cruel Intentions Series for Prime Video
10/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 28, 2024)
10/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Matlock Renewed for Second Season; Happy's Place Off to a Solid Start
10/25 - Peacock's Based on a True Story Returns November 21; CBS to Honor Jerry Mathers at Awards Show
10/24 - Family Guy's Gift of the White Guy Holiday Special; Laid Arrives December 19 on Peacock
10/23 - Bad Sisters Season 2 Returns November 13; Trailer for Hulu's Interior Chinatown
10/22 - Goosebumps: The Vanishing Premieres January 10; Michelle Buteau Gets 2nd Netflix Special
10/21 - Fox Adds Martin Short to Grimsburg; Secret Level Cast Announced by Prime Video
10/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 21, 2024)
10/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Rick and Morty Renewed for Two More Seasons; A Look at Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover
10/18 - Apple TV+ Renews Shrinking for Season 3; Guest Voices for Phineas and Ferb New Season
10/17 - Watson Premieres January 2025 on CBS; Anthony Jeselnik Gets 3rd Netflix Comedy Special
10/16 - Lifetime's It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2024 Schedule; YouTube Sitcom Gets Season 4
10/15 - Tom Papa Is Home Free on Netflix; Apple TV+ Reveals Season 2 Details for Silo
10/14 - ABC Halloween 2024 Schedule; Reba Creates Happy's Place Theme Song
10/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 14, 2024)
10/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Spinoff of The Big Bang Theory in the Works; Velma Canceled by Max
10/11 - Netflix Renews Nobody Wants This; Alicia Silverstone to Lead Acorn TV Series
10/10 - Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls Returns November 21; FETV Acquires Laramie
10/09 - HBO's Seth Meyers Special Debuts October 26; New Late Night Comedy Series Focuses on Crazy Florida
10/08 - Somebody Somewhere Returns for Final Season; Virgin River Season 6 Drops for Holiday Season
10/07 - Vice TV Announces Black Comedy in America Series; Netflix Stars Team Up for Netflix Movie
10/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 7, 2024)
10/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Cancels That '90s Show; Who's the Boss? Reboot Not Moving Forward at Freevee
10/04 - Family Guy Halloween Special: Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Cheater; What We Do in the Shadows Returns for Final Season
10/03 - Jack Whitehall Holiday Comedy Special; Leighton Meester Joins Apple TV+ Series
10/02 - The Franchise Launches Sunday on HBO; Remembering John Amos of Good Times