Wednesday, June 24, 2020
REELZ Announces New Specials on John Ritter, Bernie Mac, David Cassidy, Larry Hagman & More; Netflix Releases Unsolved Mysteries Trailer

REELZ announced new programming for summer 2020 led by new series In My Own Words chronicling the lives of Valerie Bertinelli, Fran Drescher, Bo Derek and the late Bernie Mac with each sharing intimate stories about their life-changing experiences on their journey to stardom. The network will also premiere its 100th episode of original series Autopsy: The Last Hours of... with a look at showbusiness luminary Walt Disney with additional new episodes celebrating the lives and examining the untimely deaths of John Ritter, Gilda Radner, David Cassidy, Larry Hagman, Dick Clark, Billy Mays, Burt Reynolds, Marlon Brando and Debbie Reynolds. Summer 2020 premieres on REELZ also include four new original specials starting with Aaron Hernandez: Jailhouse Lover Tells All with the NFL star's former prison cellmate Kyle Kennedy sharing his story of befriending and ultimately having an intimate relationship with Hernandez. Rounding out summer 2020 premieres are three new original Behind Closed Doors specials with host Natalie Morales giving viewers a look at the real lives of beloved stars Olivia Newton-John, John Candy and Valerie Harper.
Some key highlights include: On Sunday, July 19 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT it's Autopsy: The Last Hours of...John Ritter examining the life and tragic passing of the beloved TV and movie star whose relative youth and reputation as a fit physical performer is seemingly at odds with such a sudden death at just 54 years old. Sunday, July 19 also marks the series premiere of In My Own Words with Valerie Bertinelli: In My Own Words at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT featuring the multiple Emmy Award® winning actress in a candid and revealing interview about her stellar career and family life.
August premieres begin with two new episodes of Autopsy: The Last Hours of... on Sunday, August 2 exploring the lives and untimely deaths of two massively popular TV stars in David Cassidy and Larry Hagman. Autopsy: The Last Hours of...David Cassidy premieres at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT with the real story of The Partridge Family star whose acting and music for the show catapulted him from obscurity to popularity rivaling The Beatles but Cassidy's death would leave more questions than answers for his fans. Then at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT it's Autopsy: The Last Hours of...Larry Hagman about the biggest primetime soap star in the world on the hit show Dallas whose life of excess brought illness. Hagman battled back only to ultimately succumb to Leukemia shortly after diagnosis. August premieres wrap on Sunday, August 30 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT with Valerie Harper: Behind Closed Doors about the star who TV audiences first fell in love with on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as her pitch perfect wisecracking sidekick character Rhoda became the high bar for supporting roles. Harper would parlay her strong performance into a successful spin off show and a long career in TV until a terminal cancer diagnosis rocked her world and led her to a new calling in life.
Finally, in Bernie Mac: In My Own Words premiering September 2020 (time TBD) see the powerful story of the late king of comedy with never-before-heard personal recordings from Mac himself discussing his childhood, family, marriage and his relentless drive to make it big in comedy. Enriched by interviews with Mac's wife Rhonda McCullough, daughter Je'Niece McCullough and friend Cedric the Entertainer among others the story of Bernie Mac comes to life with rare footage of his open-mic performances as well as his triumphs headlining comedy shows and writing and starring in the hit sitcom The Bernie Mac Show.
The original creators of Unsolved Mysteries and the Producers of Stranger Things invite you to solve new mysteries. Follow the clues. Solve the cases. Only on Netflix July 1. Fusing signature elements from the original series with contemporary immersive, character-driven storytelling, the six new episodes are rooted in the experiences of ordinary people who have lived the unthinkable - from the trauma of a loved one's unexplained disappearance or horrific death, to the shock of a bizarre paranormal encounter. Alongside detectives and journalists, family members offer clues, present theories, and identify suspects, hoping one viewer holds the key to solving the mystery.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, July 12
Mind Your Business - "Love Child" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alfonso and Aaliyah's world is flipped upside down when their mother's secret love child comes into town, while Mia tries to figure out who is sending her gifts every hour on the hour.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Friday, July 11
- Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
- David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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