Tuesday, November 16, 2021

MeTV Network Loses Columbo, Adds Andy Griffith and M*A*S*H Sundays; Remembering Gavan O'Herlihy, the Original Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days

The Andy Griffith Show & M*A*S*H

Columbo will no longer be available on MeTV after Sunday, November 21, as the rights to the series have expired. Mayberry and M*A*S*H, two mainstays of MeTV will come to the rescue on Sundays, too. These brilliant television shows continue to pull our heartstrings and take us to a different place and time. As different as they might be, one thing they do have in common is that they are timeless classics. The Andy Griffith Show and M*A*S*H already delight viewers of all ages on weeknight and now the two series are coming to Sunday evenings as well, beginning Sunday, November 28. Settle down for supper with your loved ones and step back into Mayberry and the 4077th. Catch one full hour of The Andy Griffith Show at 6PM | 5C, followed by a full hour of M*A*S*H at 7PM | 6C. After our visits to Mayberry and the M*A*S*H unit, Monk is stilkl on the case! The neurotic Sherlock solves crimes in San Francisco for two full hours beginning at 8PM | 7C. Afterward, stay tuned for vivacious variety courtesy of The Ed Sullivan Show at 10PM | 9C and Carol Burnett at 11PM | 10C. It's an evening of warmth, whodunnits and wisecracks — only on MeTV starting November 28!


Gavan O'Herlihy

Actor Gavan O'Herlihy, who played Chuck Cunningham in the first season of Happy Days, has died. He died in Bath, England, on September 15 of undisclosed causes. Mr. O'Herlihy was 70.

Happy Days Season 1 Cast

O'Herlihy appeared as Chuck Cunningham in seven episodes of the first season of the ABC sitcom Happy Days in 1974. Chuck Cunningham was the oldest son of Howard (Tom Bosley) and Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross) and older brother of Richie (Ron Howard) and Joanie (Erin Moran). He was a college student and basketball player. After O'Herlihy asked to leave the series, he was replaced by Randolph Roberts for two episodes in the second season. Chuck Cunningham was never mentioned again after the second season. O'Herlihy appeared on the Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion special in 2005.

His first TV credit was as Josh McBride in the 1973 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show titled "Son of 'But Seriously, Folks." Some of his drama guest appearances included Sierra, Lucas Tanner, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Six Million Dollar Man, Police Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Amazing Spider-Man, Matt Houston, Cover Up, Tales from the Crypt, China Beach, Twin Peaks, The Good Guys (1992), Tarzan (1991-1992), Sharpe, Star Trek: Voyager, Jonathan Creek, 18 Wheels of Justice and Midsomer Murders.

O'Herlihy starred as Phil McGee in the 1976 ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man in the episode "Part VIII: Chapters 11 and 12." Some of his other miniseries credits included A Rumor of War (1980), We'll Meet Again (1992), Partners in Crime (1983), A Killing on the Exchange, Lonesome Dove (1989) and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994).

Gavan O'Herlihy in Willow

He starred as Airk Thaughbaer, the military commander of the destroyed kingdom of Galladoorn who shares a mixed friendship with Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), in the 1988 fantasy film Willow. It was directed by his TV brother, Ron Howard. Some of his other film credits included Superman III (1983), Never Say Never Again (1983), Death Wish 3 (1985), Hidden Assassin (aka The Shooter) (1995), Prince Valiant (1997), Top of the World (1997), Seven Days of Grace (2006) and The Descent Part 2 (2009).

Survivors include his wife, Juliette; his children Rogan, Lonan, David and Daniel; and his siblings Cormac, Patricia, Lorcan and Olwen.

Gavan O'Herlihy

Mr. O'Herlihy was a good character actor. He had over thirty screen credits to his name, most of them in villainous or antagonistic roles. Willow was one of his few heroic roles. It was nice to see him work with Ron Howard again. We thank him for the entertainment he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

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


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Sunday, May 28

The Conners - "Possums, Pregnancy and Patriarchy" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris makes a big announcement. Meanwhile, Ben is overwhelmed with family responsibilities.

The Conners - "Hiding In and Moving Out" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris takes her anger out on Darlene. Elsewhere, Dan and Louise spend an entire day in bed together.

The Conners - "The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mark fights for a spot in the Lanford High chamber orchestra. Elsewhere, Jackie puts a lottery machine in the Lunch Box.

The Conners - "Road Trip and Guilt Trip" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan and Jackie take a road trip to a hardware wholesaler in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Darlene heads out of town and leaves behind a plethora of to-do notes for Becky and Ben.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 22)

Friday, May 26

  • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Ali Wong (Big Mouth/American Housewife/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Ali is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (How to Be a Bookie) - Sebastian talks about his new film About My Father on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Ming-Na Wen (The Single Guy) and BD Wong (All-American Girl) - Ming-Na and BD talk about Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Hailee Steinfeld (Dickinson) - Hailee and actor Shameik Moore sit down together to talk about their new film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, in theaters on June 2 on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Leslie Odom Jr. (Love in the Time of Corona/Big Dady) and Nicolette Robinson (Love in the Time of Corona/Perfect Couples) - Leslie and Nicolette chat with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Daniel Wu (American Born Chinese) - Daniel talks about American Born Chinese on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) - Kimberly is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)

Growing Pains - The Complete Series Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Twelve Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI) Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)

01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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05/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 15, 2023)
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05/12 - NBC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Hulu Orders Deli Boys from Onyx Collective
05/11 - CBS Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; The CW Summer Lineup Has Comedies
05/10 - Minx Returns in July on STARZ; Never Have I Ever Final Episodes Premieres June 8, Trailer Drops
05/09 - The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22
05/08 - NBC's Hot Wheels Gets Celeb Judges; Zooey Deschanel's Max Series Premieres May 23
05/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 8, 2023)
05/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Week of Writers' Strike Already Sees Early Casualties; Fox Cancels Call Me Kat
05/05 - BUZZR's Classic TV Moms Week; Fox's Stars on Mars Celebs Announced
05/04 - Dancing with the Stars Returning to ABC in Fall; Conan O'Brien Producing New Podcast Miniseries
05/03 - Roku 2023 NewFront; Peacock Schedules Kaley Cuoco Series
05/02 - COZI TV's Little House Mother's Day "Ma-A-Thon"; Human Resources Returns June 9 on Netflix
05/01 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Drops in July; IFC Dark Comedy SisterS Launching May 17
04/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 1, 2023)
04/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Bob ♥ Abishola to Return with Smaller Regular Cast; CBS Developing Comedy Set in 1700s
04/28 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in June; Apple TV+ Releases Details on Platonic