Friday, October 06, 2023
Only Murders in the Building Returning for Season 4 on Hulu; Wipeout Season Premiere This November on TBS; Remembering Dick Butkus
Only Murders in the Building is returning for Season 4 on Hulu! The trio's journey is far from over. The recently ended season three found Charles, Oliver & Mabel (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez) investigating a murder behind the scenes of a Broadway show. Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) is a Hollywood action star whose Broadway debut is cut short by his untimely death. Aided by co-star Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep), our trio embarks on their toughest case yet, all while director Oliver desperately attempts to put his show back together. Curtains up! CAST: Series regulars include Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.
Fan-favorite hosts John Cena (Fast X, Peacemaker) and Nicole Byer (Nailed It!, Grand Crew) headline the second season of television's most hilarious extreme sport, Wipeout, returning to TBS on Tuesday, November 7 at 9:00pm ET/PT. With updated courses that are bigger and wetter than ever and a special appearance from someone Wipeout fans will be sure to recognize, each episode features a collection of new contestants racing their way through water, slime, mud, and the series' iconic big red balls for the chance to win a grand prize of $25,000. Field host Camille Kostek (Free Guy) returns to provide interviews and commentary from the sidelines of the three main courses: The Qualifier, The Gauntlet, and The Wipeout Zone. New season two challenges include the "Ding Dong Damage" trap door, the "Face Time with Nicole" heavy hammer, and the "Backboned" moving bridge. As competitors try to display athleticism, endurance, and balance, Cena and Beyer offer comedic commentary for every epic fall and spectacular save. At the end of each episode, one team will claim the top prize.
Hall of Fame football player and actor Dick Butkus, who starred as Ed Klawicki on My Two Dads and as Coach Mike Katowinski on Hang Time, has died. He died in his sleep at his home in Malibu, California, on October 5. The cause of death was a stroke, with atrial fibrillation, atherosclerosis, and hypercholesterolemia listed as underlying causes. Mr. Butkus was 80.
Butkus starred as Ed Klawicki in the first two seasons (1987-1989) of the 1987-1990 NBC sitcom My Two Dads. Ed Klawicki managed Klawicki's diner on the apartment building's first floor. In the third season, when Butkus left the series, the diner was then run by cook Julian (Don Yesso), but there was no explanation as to what happened to Ed Klawicki. Ownership of the diner was explained to have been taken over by Judge Wilbur (Florence Stanley) at this point, and it was renamed The Judge's Court Cafe. The cast also included Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan, Staci Keanan, Giovanni Ribisi (credited as Vonni Ribisi), Chad Allen (seasons 2 and 3), and Amy Hathaway (seasons 2 and 3).
He starred as Coach Mike Katowinski in seasons 4-6 (1998-2000) on the NBC sitcom Hang Time. The series aired from 1995 to 2000 as part of the network's Saturday morning program block for teenagers, TNBC. Butkus joined the cast in the fourth season as Mike Katowinski, the new coach of the Deering Tornados boys' varsity basketball team of the fictional Deering High School in the fictional Midwestern town of Deering, Indiana. The seasons 4-6 cast included Daniella Deutscher, Megan Parten, Adam Frost, Amber Barretto, Mark Famiglietti, Danso Gordon, James Villani (season 4), Jay Hernandez, and Phillip Glasser (seasons 5 and 6).
Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Taxi, The Lovet Boat, Night Court (2 episodes), Growing Pains, D.C. Follies, Kate & Allie, Chicago Sons, Coach (2 episodes), Malibu, CA (2000), Inside Schwartz, The Bernie Mac Show, and I Didn't Do It. He portrayed Officer Alvin Dimsky in Cass Malloy, the 1982 CBS pilot for what later became the syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff.
Butkus starred as Richard "Ski" Butowski, a cop who is a member of the "Rolling Thunder" ground crew, on the 1984 ABC action drama Blue Thunder. He starred as Beau on the short-lived 1985 NBC detective comedy-drama Half Nelson. He served as the referee on the 1985-1986 syndicated reality competition series The Star Games. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, he appeared alongside fellow former NFL star (and later Blue Thunder and Half Nelson co-star) Bubba Smith in a series of ads for Miller Lite, which were released to high acclaim.
Some of his television drama guest appearances included Emergency!, McMillan & Wife, Police Story (2 episodes), Bronk, The Six Million Dollar Man, Joe Forrester (2 episodes), Petrocelli, The Rockford Files, Wonder Woman, Fantasy Island (2 episodes), Vega$, Magnum, P.I. (1982), Matt Houston, The Greatest American Hero, Simon & Simon (1982), Murder, She Wrote (1985), Blacke's Magic, Matlock (1987), MacGyver (3 episodes from 1990-1991), Burke's Law, and Early Edition.
He starred as Arthur in Johnny Dangerously (1984). Some of his other film credits included The Longest Yard (1974), Cry, Onion! (1975), Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976), Gus (1976), Superdome (1978), Cracking Up (1983), Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986), The Stepford Children (1987), Spontaneous Combustion (1990), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Necessary Roughness (1991), and Any Given Sunday (1999). He portrayed himself in both the critically acclaimed TV movie Brian's Song (1971) and the comedy Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002).
Butkus played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He was invited to eight Pro Bowls, named a first-team All-Pro six times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. He was renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in professional football history. In 1979, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His No. 51 jersey is retired by the Bears.
Mr. Butkus was a NFL legend. He was named the tenth-best player by the NFL Network in its The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players series in 2010. After retiring from football, he had a solid career as an actor. We thank him for his work on the football field and the entertainment he brought us on television and in movies. He will be greatly missed.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, January 22
Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.
Abbott Elementary - "Strike" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)
Wednesday, January 22
- Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Watch Lucy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts/White Famous), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Utkarsh, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Andrew, Nick and Lin-Manuel Miranda are chatting with Drew about their Broadway show All In: Comedy About Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also talking to Drew about parenting advice, how they were raised and how comedy brings people together.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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
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