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Remembering Peter Scolari of Bosom Buddies and Newhart; Mythic Quest Gets 2 Season Renewal

Emmy-winning actor Peter Scolari, who starred as Henry Desmond on Bosom Buddies and as Michael Harris on Newhart, has died. He died from leukemia in Manhattan on October 22. He had been diagnosed with the disease two years earlier. Mr. Scolari was 66.

Scolari's first sitcom starring role was as Benny Loman on the short-lived 1980 ABC series Goodtime Girls. The comedy was set in 1942 in Washington, D.C., during World War II. Benny Loman was a street performer whose pantomime, juggling and unicycle acts were part of the regular physical comedy and pratfalls seen in every episode. He was the roommate of macho hustler cabbie Frankie Millardo (Adrian Zmed). The series also starred Annie Potts, Lorna Patterson, Georgia Engel, Francine Tacker, Marcia Lewis, Merwin Goldsmith and Sparky Marcus.

He next starred as Henry Desmond with Tom Hanks (Kip Wilson) on the 1980-1982 ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies. The show features the misadventures of two single men, working in creative advertising, struggling in their industry while disguising themselves as women (Hildegarde and Buffy) in order to live in the one apartment they could afford. Henry Desmond was a junior copywriter (and aspiring painter) working at a New York City advertising agency. The series also starred Wendie Jo Sperber, Donna Dixon, Telma Hopkins, Lucille Benson (1980-1981) and Holland Taylor.

Scolari starred as Eddie Riddle on the short-lived 1983 ABC sitcom Baby Makes Five. Eddie Riddle was an accountant who found his family growing faster than expected. The series also starred Louise Williams, Janis Paige, Prsicilla Morrill, Andre Gower, Emily Moultrie and Brandy Gold.

He starred as Michael Harris on the CBS sitcom Newhart from 1984 to 1990. Michael Harris was the yuppie producer of Dick Loudon's (Bob Newhart) television show and Stephanie Vanderkellen's (Julia Duffy) husband. Scolari joined the cast a recurring cast member in the second season before becoming a main cast member in the third season. He received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 1987, 1988 and 1989. He also directed one episode of the series in 1990. The cast included Mary Frann, Tom Poston, Jennifer Holmes (1982-1983), Steven Kampmann (1982-1984), William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss and John Voldstad.

Scolari starred as Dr. Jonathan Lerner on the short-lived 1993 CBS sitcom Family Album. Jonathan and Denise Lerner (Pamela Reed) and their three children move from California to Philadelphia to be closer to their relatives. The cast included Ashlee Levitch, Christopher Miranda, Philip Van Dyke, Doris Belack, Alan North, Rhoda Gemignani, Nancy Cassaro and Giovanni Ribisi.

He starred as Warren Mosbey on the short-lived 1995 CBS sitcom Dweebs. Warren Mosbey was a young computer software writer who owned the highly successful software company named Cyberbyte in Seattle. The series also starred Farrah Forke, Corey Feldman, David Kaufman, Stephen Tobolowsky and Adam Biesk.

Scolari starred as Wayne Szalinski on Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The 1997-2000 syndicated series was based on the 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Wayne Szalinski was a wacky inventor in Matheson, Colorado. Scolari directed five episodes of the series. The science fiction comedy series also starred Barbara Alyn Woods, Hillary Tuck, Thomas Dekker, George Buza (1998-2000) and Andrew T. Grant (1998-2000).

He had a recurring role as Tad Horvath, the father of Hannah Helene Horvath (Lena Dunham), in 21 episodes of the HBO comedy-drama Girls from 2012 to 2017. He won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 2016.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Angie, Happy Days, Family Ties, The Love Boat (3 episodes), Trying Times, Nurses, Empty Nest, The Mommies (2 episodes), A Whole New Ballgame (2 episodes), Can't Hurry Love, Dave's World (2 episodes), The Home Court (2 episodes), The Drew Carey Show, The Nanny, George & Leo, Reba, The King of Queens, What I Like About You, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2003), Listen Up (2 episodes), Odd Mom Out and Murphy Brown (2018).

Scolari had a recurring role as Gillian B. Loeb, Gotham City’s corrupt police commissioner, in five episodes of Gotham in 2015. He appeared as Bishop Thomas Marx in nine episodes of Evil from 2019 to 2021. Some of his other drama guest appearances included Remington Steele, Finders of Lost Loves, Hotel, The New Mike Hammer, The Twilight Zone (1988), Burke's Law, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Touched by an Angel, Ally McBeal, ER, The West Wing and White Collar.

Some of his voice credits for animated series included Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Gargoyles, Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, Pinky and the Brain, Hey Arnold!, What's New, Scooby Doo? and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Mr. Scolari was a talented and versatile actor. He was also an avid juggler who occassionally showcased his talents on Circus of the Stars and on TV talk shows. He was funny and memorable on Bosom Buddies, Newhart and many other television series. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Bosom Buddies and Newhart message boards. View photos in our galleries.

Actor James Michael Tyler, who was best known for his role as Gunther on Friends, has died. He died from prostate cancer at his home in Los Angeles on October 24. Mr. Tyler was 59.

Tyler played the recurring role of Gunther in 148 episodes of the NBC sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004. Gunther was the manager of the Central Perk coffee house who had unrequited love for Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). He appeared in more episodes than any other recurring character. In 2021, he appeared via Zoom on the Friends: The Reunion HBO Max special.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Just Shoot Me!, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (2001) and Scrubs. He played himself in a 2012 episode of Episodes, in which Matt LeBlanc tries unsuccessfully to get the other main stars from Friends to appear in the promotional video for the fictional television show Pucks. He appeared as Chad Levitz in the 2013 web series Modern Music.

Mr. Tyler was a familiar face and a fan favorite on Friends. It was nice that he was able to appear on the Friends: The Reunion special earlier this year. He will be sorely missed.

Share your memories on our Friends message board. View photos in our galleries.

Apple TV+ announced a season three and four pick up of Mythic Quest, the hit sitcom from creators Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, which has been hailed by critics as "hilarious and endearing," "a ton of fun," and "the best workplace comedy on TV." McElhenney, who also stars, shared the news in his signature comedic style with a video featuring fellow Apple TV+ star and Emmy Award-winner Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), and Academy Award-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins, who recently earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Narrator for his guest star role in the Mythic Quest special, "Everlight." Boasting a 100% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, the series is set to open the writers' room for season three later this year.

Mythic Quest follows the team behind the biggest multiplayer video game of all time. In addition to McElhenney, who stars as the fictional company's creative director, Ian Grimm, the ensemble cast includes Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis and David Hornsby, who also executive produces. Additional cast includes Naomi Ekperigin, Caitlin McGee, Humphrey Ker, Chris Naoki Lee and Jonathan Wiggs. The series is produced for Apple TV+ by Lionsgate, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ubisoft Film & Television.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:40 PM

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Labels: Apple TV+, Bosom Buddies, Friends, Girls, Mythic Quest, Newhart, Obits