GAC Family Acquires Classic Sony Sitcoms; Remembering Betty Lynn from The Andy Griffith Show

Monday, October 18, 2021

GAC Family Acquires Classic Sony Sitcoms; Remembering Betty Lynn from The Andy Griffith Show

As of Sept. 27, cable network Great American Country has rebranded into two networks: GAC Family and GAC Living. Classic Sony Pictures Television sitcoms have joined the lineup on GAC Family! The weekday schedule has blocks of Hazel from 6am-8am, Father Knows Best from 8am-11am, Silver Spoons from 11am-2pm, Bewitched from 2pm-5pm, I Dream of Jeannie from 5-8pm, then a movie double feature from 8pm-12am, with sitcoms returning in late night with more Bewitched from 12am-3am and more I Dream of Jeannie from 3am-6am. Weekends has less sitcoms, but still some airings! Silver Spoons airs 6-10am, Bewitched from 10am-1pm, I Dream of Jeannie from 1-2pm, then movies from 2pm-2am, before closing the night off with Bewitched from 2am-3am and I Dream of Jeannie from 3am-6am.

GAC Family announced the network's first original movies debuting this fall. The star-studded films kick off with An Autumn Romance, starring Chad Michael Murray, Jessica Lowndes, Dennis Andres, Moni Ogunsuyi and Michael Brown, premiering October 23; followed by all-new Christmas movies Much Ado About Christmas, starring Susie Abromeit and Torrance Coombs on October 30; and Christmas Time is Here, starring Dewshane Williams, Rukiya Bernard and Tom Pickett on November 13. A Kindhearted Christmas, starring Cameron Mathison and Jennie Garth premieres Saturday, November 20 at 8pm ET/PT.

Betty Lynn

Actress Betty Lynn, who was best known for her role as Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show, has died. She died on October 16 in Mount Airy, North Carolina, after a brief illness. Ms. Lynn was 95.

Lynn's first sitcom starring role was as June on the first season of the ABC sitcom Where's Raymond? from 1953 to 1954. June was the wife of Jonathan (Allyn Joslyn) and mother of Ginny (Frances Karath). The series was renamed The Ray Bolger Show for the second season. The Where's Raymond? cast included Ray Bolger, Richard Erdman and Sylvia Lewis.

She played Pearl on the short-lived 1958 ABC sitcom Love That Jill. Pearl was the secretary of Jack Gibson (Robert Sterling). The cast included Anne Jeffreys, James Lydon, Polly Rose, Barbara Nichols, Nancy Hadley and Kay Elhardt.

Don Knotts and Betty Lynn

Lynn appeared in the recurring role as Thelma Lou, Deputy Barney Fife's (Don Knotts) girlfriend, on the CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. She appeared as Barney's sweetheart in 26 episodes from 1961 to 1966. She reprised the role in the 1986 NBC TV reunion movie Return to Mayberry. The Andy Griffith Show cast included Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Francis Bavier, Elinor Donahue (1960-1961), Jim Nabors (1963-1964), George Lindsey (1965-1968), Aneta Corsaut (1964-1968), Howard McNear, Jack Dodson (1966-1968), Hal Smith (1960-1967) and Jack Burns (1965-1966).

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Gale Storm Show (aka Oh, Susanna), The Farmer's Daughter, The Smothers Brothers Show (aka My Brother the Angel), Family Affair (4 episodes as Miss Lee) and My Three Sons (1 episode as Lois Bradley, 6 episodes as Janet/Janice Dawson).

She appeared as Viola Slaughter on eight episodes of the ABC western Texas John Slaughter from 1959 to 1960. Some of her drama guest appearances included M Squad, Lawman, Wagon Train, Bronco, Sugarfoot, Tales of Wells Fargo, National Velvet, Mod Squad, Little House on the Prairie, Police Story, Barnaby Jones and Matlock (4 episodes as Sarah).

Lynn appeared in many films during the 1940s and 1950s. Some of her credits included Sitting Pretty (1948), June Bride (1948), Mother is a Freshman (1949), Cheaper by the Dozen (1950), Payment on Demand (1951) and Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).

Betty Lynn

Ms. Lynn was wonderful as Thelma Lou. Thelma Lou was a sweet and kind character. It's surprising that she didn't appear in more than 26 episodes of the series. Lynn had lived in Mount Airy, the home town of Andy Griffith, since 2006. She continued to make monthly personal appearances in town at The Andy Griffith Museum, signing autographs and meeting with her fans. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our The Andy Griffith Show message board. View photos in our galleries.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 9

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Stuffed Monkey and an Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When CeeCee loses her favorite toy, Mandy and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take it as an opportunity to make some money. Meanwhile, Connor contemplates revisiting an old relationship.

Ghosts - "Michael Jackson Goes to HR" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Trevor lands himself in trouble when an inappropriate gift to a co‑worker forces him into an HR meeting only Jay can handle. Meanwhile, Pete unintentionally sparks drama with Alberta after casually mentioning a surprise visit to his ex.

Animal Control - "Scaredy Cats and Card Sharks" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
When Frank and Daisy lose $5,000 in union funds, they try to win the money back by gambling; Shred and Patel cover the late-night shift at the precinct.

Going Dutch - "The Heart Locker" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
After throwing out his back, the Colonel is ordered to bed rest; the base is sent to sweep for landmines at a local farm, where Major Shah suddenly finds himself in serious danger when he steps on one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 6)

Thursday, April 9

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Catch Kerry on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about Scrubs and High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Dany Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan talks about Big Mistakes on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) - Felicity dishes on Doc on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/Help Me Help You) - Bryan, Frankie and Jane talk about Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8) - NBC's Today has "Head or Tails" with John in the 9am hour.
Billy Magnussen (The Franchise/Made for Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Billy in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Kenya Barris (blackAF) - Kenya talks about Prime's Jerry West: The Logo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette tells Drew about her current run in Broadway show The Rocky Horror Show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.