Friday, May 06, 2022

Hulu Comedy Maggie Gets Premiere Date; Chad Returns July 11 on TBS, While HBO Max Series Get Second Runs on TBS and TNT; Remembering David Birney of Bridget Loves Bernie

Maggie

Hulu original comedy series Maggie will premiere all episodes on Wednesday, July 6! The Rebecca Rittenhouse series was originally set for ABC, but was moved to Hulu. In the series, dating is hard enough - it’s even harder when you also happen to be a psychic. Maggie's gift allows her to see into the future of her friends, parents, clients, and random people on the street. But when she begins to see glimpses of her own destiny after meeting an unexpected stranger, her romantic life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Can you let yourself fall in love when you think you know how it ends? She probably should have seen this coming... Series regulars include Rebecca Rittenhouse, David Del Rio, Nichole Sakura, Leonardo Nam, Angelique Cabral, Ray Ford, Chloe Bridges, Kerri Kenney and Chris Elliott. Maggie is written and executive produced by Justin Adler and Maggie Mull. Evan Hayes and Jeff Morton also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.


Chad

TBS and truTV announce July premiere dates for Chad, The Big D and 101 Places to Party Before You Die. In addition, the second seasons of Max Originals Titans and Love Life will air on TBS and TNT respectively as part of Front Row, the networks' premium, limited commercial interruption content destination for select Max Original series and key TBS and TNT content. These titles join the previously announced summer premiere of TNT's Animal Kingdom on June 19 with back-to-back episodes starting at 9:00pm ET/PT.

2021's #1 new scripted cable comedy series, Chad returns on Monday, July 11 at 10:00pm ET/PT (it was previously set to return in April), starring creator, executive producer, and showrunner, Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live, Aladdin). The second season of HBO Max's Love Life will launch on Sunday, July 31 at 10:00pm ET/PT on Front Row on TBS. The second season of HBO Max's Titans will launch on Tuesday, July 5 at 10:00pm ET/PT on Front Row on TNT.

David Birney

Actor David Birney, who starred as Bernie Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie, has died. He died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on April 27 at his home in Santa Monica, California, four days after his 83rd birthday.

Bridget Loves Bernie - David Birney and Meredith Baxter

Birney starred as Bernie Steinberg on the 1972-1973 CBS sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. The series depicts an interfaith marriage between an Irish Catholic teacher (Bridget Fitzgerald played by Meredith Baxter) from a wealthy family and a Jewish cab driver who aspires to be a playwright (Bernie Steinberg), whom she had met at a bus stop. It was based loosely on the premise of the 1920s Broadway play and 1940s radio show Abie's Irish Rose. CBS canceled the show after only one season and 24 episodes, despite high ratings. It aired on Saturday nights between All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It finished #5 in the ratings among all shows for the 1972-73 television season and obtained a 24.2 rating, tying The NBC Sunday Mystery Movie. CBS executives canceled the show in response to negative reactions to the characters' marriage. Birney and Baxter married in real life in 1974. The cast included Harold J. Stone, Bibi Osterwald, Audra Lindley, David Doyle, Ned Glass, Robert Sampson, William Elliott and Ivor Barry.

St. Elsewhere

He starred as Frank Serpico, an unorthodox NYPD detective who battles corrupt members of the police force, on the 1976-1977 NBC police drama Serpico. He portrayed Dr. Ben Samuels on the first season of the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 until 1983. He played Sam Dillon, a star reporter at the fictional Glitter magazine, on the 1984-1985 ABC drama Glitter. In 1995, he starred as Harry Chandler Moore ("The Beacon of Truth"), the vain, pompous senior news anchor at KXZX, on the drama Live Shot, which aired on UPN from 1995 to 1996.

He guest starred on four episodes of The Love Boat from 1978 to 1982 and one episode of Love Boat: The Next Wave in 1998.

Some of his television drama guest appearances included The Edge of Night, A World Apart, The F.B.I., Circle of Fear, McMillan & Wife, Police Woman, Bronk, Cannon (2 episodes), Medical Center (2 episodes), The Streets of San Francisco, Police Story (2 episodes), Tales of the Unexpected, Hawaii Five-O (3 episodes), Fantasy Island, Family, The Twilight Zone (1986), Matlock, Murder, She Wrote (4 episodes), Burke's Law, Sliders, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Poltergeist: The Legacy and Without a Trace.

Birney was a classically trained theatre actor who found success on the stage, including on Broadway. He began his career at the prestigious Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, after winning the Barter Theatre Award in 1965. His New York debut was with Joe Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival as Antipholus of Syracuse in William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. In 1968, he played the lead in Summertree at New York's Lincoln Centre, winning the Clarence Derwent Award and the Theatre World Award.

Survivors include his life partner Michele Roberge and his children with Meredith Baxter, his daughters Kate and Mollie Birney and a son, Peter Baxter; a stepdaughter, Eva Bush, and a stepson, Ted Bush, Ms. Baxter's children from a previous marriage; two grandchildren; and his brothers, Glenn and Gregory. He was married to Meredith Baxter from 1974 until they divorced in 1989.

Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series

Mr. Birney was a talented and versatile actor. He was great on Bridget Loves Bernie. The one-year wonder is worth checking out on DVD (read our review). We thank him for the entertainment that he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Bridget Loves Bernie message board. View photos in our galleries.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, November 15

Animal Control - "Stuffed Cats and Goslings" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The precinct hosts the annual Animal Control games and competes against the other precincts.

The Simpsons - "Dream Scenari-Moe" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Moe has trouble sleeping, he enrolls in a brand-new sleep study that gives him the greatest romantic comedy dreams of his life.

Universal Basic Guys - "Meat Cute" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Mark and Tammy try to set up Rhoda with a partner; David works to save the local library.

Grimsburg - "Evidence Locker II" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
The gang reminisces on their past while going through the evidence locker.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 9)

Sunday, November 15

  • Jennifer Lopez (South Central) - Catch Jennifer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Anthony appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD) Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/20/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Brady Bunch - The Complete Original Series (2026 Release) (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - Shrinking - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD)
10/20/26 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Seasons (DVD)
11/03/26 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Ninth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/03/26 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/24/26 - The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete 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

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11/13 - CBS Special I Love Lucy: 75 Years of Laughter; Remembering Stacy Keach of Titus and Anthony Clark of Yes, Dear
11/12 - Fox Winter 2027 Premiere Dates; FX Renews Adults for Season 3
11/11 - Rewind TV's The Hogan Family 40th Anniversary Marathon; Prime Video's Overcompensating Season 2 Details
11/10 - Antenna TV's Thanksgiving on the Eastside: The Jeffersons Marathon; Laverne & Shirley Book Released in Celebration of the Sitcom's 50th Anniversary
11/09 - ABC Midseason 2027 Schedule; Netflix Renews Nobody Wants This for Season 4
11/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 9, 2026)
11/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Nobody Wants This Renewed at Netflix; Grey's Anatomy Spinoff to Be Filmed in New Mexico
11/06 - NBC's New Rockford Files Premieres January 2; Bobby Lee: Finally Drops November 27 on Hulu
11/05 - Three's Company 50th Anniversary NYC Event Recap; Disney+ Reveals Details for A Proud Family Wizmas
11/04 - Mickey's Home Alone on Disney Jr. and Disney+; Pretty Little Liars Duo Reunite for Hulu Christmas Film
11/03 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2026 Schedule; HBO Renews Youth for Season 2
11/02 - Details on Only Murders Season 6; Haunted Hotel Renewed for Season 3
11/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 2, 2026)
10/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Criminal Minds Coming to an End; Baywatch Premiere Date Set
10/30 - VH1 to Bring Back America's Funniest People Starring Ms. Pat; Remembering Barbara Barrie and Patrick Stewart
10/29 - Peacock's Dig Trailer and Artwork; The CW 2026 Holiday Programming with A Very Brady Christmas, A Flintstone Christmas and More
10/28 - ABC 2026 Holiday Programming; Remembering Susan Saint James of Kate & Allie
10/27 - Fox's Baywatch Premieres January 6; aspireTV's First Sitcom Premieres January 7
10/26 - COZI TV's Halloween Schedule with Roseanne, George Lopez, The Munsters and More; Chloe Radcliffe: Eyes Down Here Stand-up Special
10/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 26, 2026)
10/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Reboots in the Works for Coach and Glee; Saturday Night Live Sets November Hosts
10/23 - Prime Video Renews Carrie for Season 2; Remembering Richard Riehle of Grounded for Life
10/22 - Abbott Elementary Returns Big After 7 Day Viewing; BET Renews ComicView: Rooftop Series
10/21 - Charmed Joining Hulu This Huluween; Prime Video's Comedy Variety Series Hosted by Nick Kroll
10/20 - Hulu's Phony Premieres Today; Janelle James Netflix Comedy Special Drops November 10
10/19 - Lil Kev Season 2 Premieres December 9; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2026 Schedule
10/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 19, 2026)
10/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Picks Up Reboot for The X-Files; Roseanne Self-Produces New Sitcom
10/16 - Christa B. Allen in Night of January 16th Play Through Sunday; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Bernie Orenstein
10/15 - Guest Stars for Peacock's Comedy Dig; Apple TV Renews Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for Season 2
10/14 - HBO Brings Back Girls for 5 Episodes; Hulu's The X-Files Picked Up to Series