SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

This season, with a handful of unexpectedly popular shows on network television, I've been seeing a lot of articles touting ratings for new shows. For example, it often gets shared that Abbott Elementary is ABC's highest rated sitcom in years, outrating even the last few seasons of Modern Family after all platform data is in. The ratings that typically get shared include multiplatform delivery a month out (L+35/MP35 ratings) and seem to be the most common audience delivery used in network "fluff" pieces touting their shows' ratings. There are also a lot of articles quoting Hulu audience delivery. However, how relevant are these numbers? At one time, digital/streaming and DVR ratings were considered inferior to live broadcast ratings due to the fact that viewers could skip or watch less ads, making those views less profitable to advertisers.

However, linear live+same day broadcast ratings have gotten so low that it seems like perhaps the days of that being true are over. So what do networks use to determine what shows to renew and cancel? At one time, you could predict pretty easily what shows would be making the cut next year based on their ratings, which occasional "in between" shows (once called "bubble shows"). Now, though, it isn't as simple. There are so many factors to ratings, from digital/streaming numbers to live+SD numbers to DVR numbers to licensing agreements to critical acclaim to what company owns each show, that it's a bit of a mystery sometimes what shows make it and what shows don't. Ratings certainly aren't irrelevant, and they still make probably the bulk of the decisions. But much like with streaming series, predicting what shows will be renewed and what shows are cancelled is much less if an exact science than before. And networks are looking at broadcast series as streaming series as well.

Netflix's upcoming new comedy Blockbuster has started production and has added new cast members! Tyler Alvarez, Madeleine Arthur, and Olga Merediz join as series regulars, while JB Smoove and Kamaia Fairburn are recurring. They all join series stars Randall Park and Melissa Fumero in the new comedy series. Ten episodes have been ordered. An ensemble comedy that takes place in the last Blockbuster Video in America, that explores what it takes - and more specifically who it takes - for a small business to succeed against all odds.

Actress Farrah Forke, who starred as Alex Lambert on Wings, has died. She died of cancer at her home in Houston, Texas, on February 25. Ms. Forke was 54.

Forke starred as Alex Lambert on 35 episodes of the NBC sitcom Wings from 1992 to 1995. Alex Lambert is a helicopter pilot who moves to Nantucket to start her own helicopter tour business. She has a relationship with Brian Hackett (Steven Weber). Forke joined the series as a recurring cast member in the fourth season (1992-1993) before becoming a regular in the fifth season (1993-1994). She made a final guest appearance in the sixth season. The cast also included Tim Daly, Crystal Bernard, David Schramm, Rebecca Schull, Thomas Haden Church (1990-1995), Tony Shalhoub (1991-1997) and Amy Yasbeck (1994-1997).

She starred as Carey on the short-lived 1995 CBS sitcom Dweebs. Carey is an office manager for a Seattle computer software company called Cyberbyte. The series also starred Peter Scolari, Corey Feldman, David Kaufman, Stephen Tobolowsky and Adam Biesk.

Forke starred as Nikki Harkin on the short-lived 1996-1997 NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes. Nikki Harkin is Tom Rhodes (Tom Rhodes) high school fantasy girl who is a guidance counselor at Harkin Academy, a small-town prep school. The series also starred Stephen Tobolowsky, Ron Glass, Jessica Stone, Shaun Weiss, Lindsay Sloane, Travis Wester and Alexandra Holden.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included A Whole New Ballgame, Ned and Stacey and Jenny.

She had a recurring role as Mayson Drake, an attorney who considers Superman (Dean Cain) a vigilante, but holds a candle for Clark Kent (Dean Cain), on four episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman from 1994 to 1995. Her other drama guest appearances included Fantasy Island (1998) and three episodes of Party of Five as Tracy in 1999.

Forke provided the voice of Big Barda / Barda Free on two episodes of Batman Beyond in 2000 and one episode of Justice League Unlimited in 2005. She provided a voice for a 1997 episode of Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man. She was the voice woman of several companies, including Cadillac and Arby's.

Her film credits included Disclosure (1994), Heat (1995), Ground Control (1998) and Hitman's Run (1999).

She is survived by her two sons, Chuck and Wit Forke; her mother and stepfather, Beverly and Chuck Talmage; her three sisters, Paige Inglis, Jennifer Sailor and Maggie Talmage; and her best friend, Mike Peterson.

Ms. Forke was funny and memorable as Alex Lambert on Wings. She later took a break from the acting community to raise her twin sons in Houston. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment she brought us on television. She will be deeply missed.

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