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The Thundermans Gets Spinoff Series; Remembering Dabney Coleman

Building on the success of The Thundermans Return, which premiered ranking as cable's #1 entertainment telecast of the year with kids, Nickelodeon Studios announced a spinoff based on characters from the hit live-action superhero comedy. The spinoff series will follow Phoebe and Max, who are sent undercover to handle a new threat in the seaside town of Secret Shores and bring Chloe along to develop her superhero talent. Production on the show will begin in Vancouver in August, with premiere details to be announced at a later date. In the brand-new series, Chloe forms a bond with two classmates while they investigate suspicious activity coming from the local school, who don't realize their new friend has secret powers. As the danger increases, the Thunderman trio must stay in town indefinitely, leaving the squabbling twins in charge of raising their younger sister.

The spinoff show will star original series cast members Kira Kosarin as "Phoebe," Jack Griffo as "Max," and Maya Le Clark as "Chloe." The show will also feature guest appearances from additional original series cast members. The Thundermans Return premiered on Nickelodeon and Paramount+ earlier this year. The feature-length movie, based on the hit live-action superhero comedy series, The Thundermans, follows the superpowered family as they attempt to live a normal life while using their superhuman abilities to stop crime. The Thundermans premiered on Nickelodeon in October 2013 and wrapped its four-season run in 2018. The scripted half-hour series follows superhero twins with opposite personalities, Phoebe and Max Thunderman, as they navigate their way through school, friends and a family of extraordinary superheroes, all while keeping their true identities a secret.

Emmy-winning actor Dabney Coleman, who starred as Bill Bittinger on Buffalo Bill and as Slap Maxwell on The Slap Maxwell Story, has died. He died at his home in Santa Monica, California, on May 16. Mr. Coleman was 92.

Coleman had a recurring role as Dr. Leon Bessemer, a neighbor of Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas) and an obstetrician, in eight episodes of the first season (1966-1967) of the ABC sitcom That Girl. He is the husband of Judy Bessemer (Bonnie Scott), the first person Ann meets as she moves into her new apartment.

He appeared as Merle Jeeter in 148 episodes of the 1976-1977 syndicated satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Merle Jeeter is Fernwood's slightly devious mayor and Jimmy Joe's (Sparky Marcus) father. He played Merle Jeeter in two episodes of Fernwood 2 Night in 1977. He appeared as Merle Jeeter in 130 episodes of Forever Fernwood from 1977-1978.

Coleman starred as "Fast Eddie" Murtaugh, a con man husband, on the short-lived 1978 ABC sitcom Apple Pie, which aired for only two episodes. Rue McClanahan starred as Ginger-Nell Hollyhock, a single and lonely hairdresser who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Great Depression year of 1933. The series also starred Jack Gilford, Caitlin O'Heaney and Derrel Maury.

He starred as Bill Bittinger on the 1983-1984 NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill. The series featured the misadventures of egotistical talk show host Bill Bittinger and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. Coleman received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 1983 and 1984. The cast included Joanna Cassidy, Max Wright, John Fielder, Geena Davis, Charles Robinson, Meshach Taylor and Claude Earl Jones.

Coleman starred as Slap Maxwell on the 1987-1988 ABC sitcom The Slap Maxwell Story. "Slap" Maxwell is an egocentric sportswriter for a newspaper called The Ledger, somewhere in the American Southwest. The title character's nickname comes from the fact that someone else always ends up hitting him in every episode. Coleman won a Golden Globe Award in 1987 for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. The series also starred Megan Gallagher, Susan Anspach, Brian Smiar, Bill Cobbs and Bill Calvert.

He starred as Otis Drexell on the 1991-1992 Fox sitcom Drexell's Class. Otis Drexell is a fifth-grade teacher at fictional Grantwood Elementary School in Cedar Bluffs, Iowa. The cast included Randy Graff, Dakin Matthews, Jason Biggs, Heidi Zeigler, Damian Cagnolatti, Matthew Lawrence, A. J. Langer, Brittany Murphy, Edie McClurg, Cleavant Derricks, Phil Buckman, Jacqueline Donnelly and Matthew Slowik.

Coleman starred as Jack "Madman" Buckner on the 1994-1995 NBC sitcom Madman of the People. Jack "Madman" Buckner is an outspoken newspaper columnist who had written a popular column, Madman of the People, in Your Times magazine for 30 years. The series also starred Concetta Tomei, Cynthia Gibb, John Ales, Craig Bierko and Amy Aquino.

He starred as Bill Rose on the short-lived 2006 CBS sitcom Courting Alex. Jenna Elfman portrays Alex Rose, a successful, single attorney who works with her father Bill at his law firm. The series also starred Hugh Bonneville, Josh Randall, Josh Stamberg and Jillian Bach.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Hazel, The Donna Reed Show, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, I Dream of Jeannie (2 episodes), The Flying Nun, Nanny and the Professor, Room 222, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes (2 episodes) and It's Garry Shandling's Show (2 episodes).

He starred as Tyler Cane in the 1986 CBS miniseries Fresno. In 1987, he received an Emmy Award for his role as Martin Costigan in the television film Sworn to Silence. He starred as Burton Fallin on the 2001-2004 CBS legal drama The Guardian. He starred as Commodore Louis Kaestner in seasons 1-2 of Boardwalk Empire. His final role was in 2019 as John Dutton Jr., John Dutton III's (Kevin Costner) dying father, on Yellowstone.

Coleman provided the voice of Principal Peter Prickly on the 1997-2001 animated series Recess and the 2001 animated film Recess: School's Out. Some of his other voice credits included Jumanji (2 episodes) and Pound Puppies (4 episodes).

He starred as Franklin Hart, Jr. in 9 to 5 (1980). He played Ron Carlisle in Tootsie (1982). Some of his other film credits included On Golden Pond (1981), WarGames (1983), Cloak & Dagger (1984), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Short Time (1990), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), You've Got Mail (1998), Inspector Gadget (1999), Moonlight Mile (2002) and Rules Don't Apply (2016).

Mr. Coleman was a talented and versatile actor. He did a great job playing jerks and unlikable characters. He seemed like a very nice guy offscreen in interviews. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us in his career. He will be greatly missed.

We also remember playwright, screenwriter, television producer and actor Samm-Art Williams. He worked as a writer and producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin and Good News. He died on May 13 in Burgaw, North Carolina. Mr. Williams was 78.

Williams was a co-producer and writer/story editor for four episodes of Frank's Place in 1987 and 1988. He worked as a producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1993. Some of his other sitcom producing credits included Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Martin and Good News.

His other sitcom writing credits included The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (9 episodes), Martin (5 episodes) and Good News (2 episodes).

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included 227, Frank's Place, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He played Meurice in Blood Simple (1984).

He was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his play Home (1979), which moved from the Negro Ensemble Company to a Broadway production in 1980.

Mr. Williams was a 6' 8" lefty who was once a sparring partner of boxer Muhammad Ali. We thank him for his work as a writer, producer and actor on sitcoms. He will be greatly missed.

Emmy-winning writer, producer and consultant Bob Ellison worked on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Wings and Becker. He died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on April 8. Mr. Ellison was 91.

Ellison worked as an executive story editor for 48 episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1975 to 1977. He shared an Emmy Award in 1977 for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. In 1971, he won his first Emmy Award with Marty Farrell for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music for his work on Singer Presents Burt Bacharach.

He worked as an executive or creative consultant on Angie, Amen, Bob, Pearl, Wings, Caroline in the City, The Trouble with Normal, Kristin, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, In-Laws, Becker and It's All Relative.

Some of his sitcom producing credits included The Betty White Show, Rhoda, Angie, Dear John and Thanks. He developed Dear John with Peter Noah.

Mr. Ellison was known as an expert joke fixer. We thank him for his work The Mary Tyler Moore Show and many other sitcoms. He will be sorely missed.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and actor O.J. Simpson starred as T.D. Parker on the HBO sitcom 1st & Ten. He died of prostate cancer on April 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Simpson was 76.

Simpson played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 1968, and was selected first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. During his nine seasons with the Bills, he received five consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections from 1972 to 1976. He also led the league in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns twice, and in points scored in 1975. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

He began acting while at USC in 1968 and appeared on Dragnet in an uncredited role as a potential recruit to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). He appeared as Bru Riley in the first episode of Medical Center in 1969. Some of his other early television appearances included It Takes a Thief, Ironside, The Name of the Game, Cade's County and Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law. He played Kadi Touray in the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots.

Simpson appeared as himself in a 1973 Here's Lucy episode. In "The Big Game," he gives Lucy and Harry 50-yard-line stadium tickets to a big football game.

He starred as T.D. Parker on the HBO sitcom 1st & Ten, which aired from 1984 to 1991. He joined the cast in the second season. T.D. Parker is a veteran running back who is forced to make the transition from player to coach. The cast included Delta Burke (seasons 1-3), Cliff Frazier, Prince Hughes, Donald Gibb, Reid Shelton, John Kassir, Tony Longo, Michael Toland, Rick Moser, Shannon Tweed, Paul Tuerpe, Tom Lister Jr., Stan Kamber and Jason Beghe.

Simpson played Det. Nordberg in all three entries of The Naked Gun film trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994) alongside Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, and George Kennedy. Some of his other film credits included The Towering Inferno (1974), The Cassandra Crossing (1976) and Capricorn One (1978).

His professional success was overshadowed by his trial and controversial acquittal for the murders of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. Three years later, he was found liable for the murders in a civil suit from the victims' families, but paid little of the $33.5 million judgment.

Posted by Todd -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Buffalo Bill, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Nickelodeon, Obits, Paramount+, The Thundermans