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
Thursday, September 18
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)
Thursday, September 18
- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Black Rabbit on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Milana Vayntrub (Other Space) - Anna and Milana are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Emayatzy Corinealdi (Ballers) Emayatzy talks about Reasonable Doubt on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene talks about The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Michael Chiklis (Daddio) - Michael talks about The Senior on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly/Crowded/Drake & Josh) - NBC's Today catches up with Miranda in the 9am hour.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is at the news desk to talk about the hottest headlines on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Rob Reiner (All in the Family/Morton & Hayes) - Rob is chatting with Drew about his iconic career and his new movie Spinal Tap II on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Martin Starr (Silicon Valley/Party Down/Freaks and Geeks) - Martin is a guest 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)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (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