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-0 (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

Tuesday, April 22

St. Denis Medical - "Bruce-ic and the Mus-ic" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
At the annual fundraiser, Alex and her husband, Tim, try to have a wild, kid-free night; Ron and Joyce butt heads over hosting duties; Bruce sets out to win this year's "Dancing with the Caregivers" competition.

Night Court - "Passing the Bar" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby gets more than she bargained for when she offers to help Wyatt's friend stay sober for the night; Dan and Julianne battle for the best prize in Gurgs' annual evidence locker lottery.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Piece by Piece" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Calvin teams up with his ex-wife Miranda to get to the bottom of why Laura broke off their engagement; Calvin works with Ella to repair his relationship with Calvin Jr.; Curtis and Floyd attempt to get publicity for their barbecue sauce brand.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Tough Love" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Phillip makes a decision, Jeremy rethinks the way he handled the recent argument between them; everybody worries about Phillip's safety; Jeremy wonders if his tough love did more harm than good; Mr. Brown goes through a breakup.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 21)

Tuesday, April 22

  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - Catch Will on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) - Dove appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael makes a special appearance on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Rob Delaney (Bad Monkey/Catastrophe) - Rob appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jon Bernthal (The Class) - Jon talks about The Accountant 2 on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
  • Terry Crews (Everybody Still Hates Chris/Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry is hitting the headlines with Drew and Ross Mathews on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew and Valerie are covering the latest headlines and hearing from a dance group of all senior citizens on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Susan Kelechi Watson (Louie) - Susan talks about Netflix’s unique murder mystery The Residence on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Daniella Pineda (The Detour) - Daniella is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two

11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season

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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04/04 - ABC 2025-26 Season Renewals for Scripted Series; New Season of Phineas and Ferb Returns June 5
04/03 - Fox Renews Animated Hits for 4 Additional Seasons and American Dad! Returns; South Park Season 27 Premieres July 9
04/02 - Rick and Morty Season 8 Premieres May 25; Netflix's Tires Returns June 5
04/01 - Disney Renews Wizards Beyond Waverly Place for Season 2; Prime Video Details Final Season of The Summer I Turned Pretty
03/31 - Prime Video's Dance-World Comedy Étoile; Netflix's Tom Segura Dark Comedy Bad Thoughts
03/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 31, 2025)
03/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Gives Pilot Order to A Different World Sequel; Malcolm in the Middle Reboot Recasts Role of Dewey
03/28 - Pat Sajak's Final Spin on Wheel and Return of Jeopardy! Masters; Remembering George Foreman and Wings Hauser
03/27 - IFC Renews SisterS for Season 2; Netflix Orders Live-Action Scooby-Doo Series
03/26 - Hulu Spring 2025 Slate; The Making of The Americas Special Narrated by Tom Hanks on NBC
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03/24 - Peacock April Highlights Include Three's Company; Antenna TV's 50 Years on the Beat Barney Miller Anniversary Marathon
03/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 24, 2025)
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