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The Franchise Launches Sunday on HBO; Remembering John Amos of Good Times

HBO has released the official trailer for the original comedy series The Franchise. The eight-episode season debuts Sunday, October 6 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, followed by one new episode weekly through Sunday, November 24. A hopeful crew finds themselves trapped inside the dysfunctional, nonsensical, joyous hellscape of franchise superhero moviemaking. Starring Himesh Patel as Daniel, Aya Cash as Anita, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Billy Magnussen as Adam, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Darren Goldstein as Pat, and Isaac Powell as Bryson. Recurring guest stars include Richard E. Grant as Peter and Daniel Brühl as Eric.

Actor John Amos, who starred as James Evans Sr. in Good Times, has died. He died of natural causes in Los Angeles on August 21. Mr. Amos was 84.

Amos's first major TV role was as Gordon "Gordy" Howard in 13 episodes of the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970 to 1977. Gordy is the weatherman on the nightly WJM-TV newscast. In 1973, Gordy leaves WJM, and eventually lands a job as host of a New York City talk show.

He appeared as Henry Evans, Florida's (Esther Rolle) husband in three episodes of the CBS sitcom Maude from 1973 to 1974. In the second season episode titled "Florida's Goodbye", Henry gets a promotion at his job, and Florida quits to become a full-time housewife.

Amos starred as James Evans Sr., the husband of Florida Evans, in the CBS sitcom Good Times from 1974 to 1976. Florida and James Evans and their three children live at 721 North Gilbert Avenue, apartment 17C, in a public housing project in a poor, black neighborhood in inner-city Chicago. Throughout seasons two and three, Rolle and Amos grew increasingly disillusioned with the direction of the show and especially with J.J.'s tomfoolery and stereotypically buffoonish behavior. Amos was fired after season three due to disagreements with Norman Lear and the writing staff, which, according to Amos, were often confrontational and heated. The cast for the first three seasons included Jimmie Walker, Ja'Net DuBois, Ralph Carter and Bern Nadette Stanis.

He starred as Ernie Cumberbatch in the short-lived 1994 CBS sitcom 704 Hauser, which was created by Norman Lear. The series is built around the concept of a black family, the Cumberbatch Family, moving into the former Queens home of Archie Bunker after Bunker had sold the house located at 704 Hauser Street. It also starred Lynnie Godfrey, T.E. Russell and Maura Tierney.

Amos starred as Joe Anderson in the 2003-2004 The WB sitcom All About the Andersons. Anthony Anderson is a single father and struggling actor who moves back into his parents' house only to find that his room has been rented out to a nursing student. The series also starred Damani Roberts, Roz Ryan, Aimee Garcia and Lou Meyers (2003).

He had a recurring role as Coach Sam Wilson in 12 episodes of the NBC/UPN sitcom In the House from 1995 to 1997. Some of his sitcom guest appearances included The Bill Cosby Show, Love, American Style (2 episodes), The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Sanford and Son, The Love Boat, The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (3 episodes as Fred Wilkes), Martin, King of the Hill (voice), My Name Is Earl, Two and a Half Men (3 episodes as Ed), 30 Rock, The Ranch (4 episodes as Ed Bishop), Ballers (2 episodes), The Last O.G., The Righteous Gemstones. He appeared as Fred Davis in the Good Times episode of Live in Front of a Studio Audience in 2019.

Amos starred as Officer Bill Bundy in the short-lived 1976-1977 ABC crime drama science fiction series Future Cop. In 1977, he starred as the adult Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries Roots. He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for the role. He starred as Captain Dolan in the first season of Hunter. He had a recurring role as Mayor Ethan Baker in the first season (2000-2001) of police crime drama The District. He starred as Buzz Washington in the 2006-2008 ABC romantic comedy-drama Men in Trees. He had a recurring role as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace in 22 episodes of The West Wing from 1999 to 2004.

Some of his other television guest appearances included Police Story, Here's Boomer, The A-Team, Hardcastle and McCormick, Trapper John, M.D. (1984), Murder, She Wrote (1987), Beauty and the Beast (1988), Touched by an Angel, Walker, Texas Ranger (1997), The Outer Limits (2000), Psych, Royal Pains, Lie to Me and NYC 22.

He starred as Cleo McDowell in Coming to America (1988) and Coming to America 2 (2021). Some of his other film credits included The Beastmaster (1982), American Flyers (1985), Lock Up (1989), Die Hard 2 (1990) and Ricochet (1991).

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on December 2, 2014.

Mr. Amos was a talented and versatile actor. He was very funny playing James Evans Sr., who was one of TV's most memorable dads. We thank him for the many laughs and entertainment he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Great Entertainment Television will honor the late John Amos this weekend, October 5 and 6, with marathons of Good Times from 10a-1p.

We also remember actor John Ashton. He starred as Roy in Breaking Away. He died from cancer on September 26 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mr. Ashton was 76.

Ashton starred as Roy, Mike's older brother, in the 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film Breaking Away. He reprised the role in the short-lived 1980-1981 ABC comedy-drama, which was based on the film. The series starred Shaun Cassidy, Vincent Gardenia, Barbara Barrie, Jackie Earle Haley, Thom Bray and Tom Wiggin.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Phyllis, M*A*S*H, Carter Country, Police Squad!, Brothers and King of the Hill (voice).

He had a recurring role as Willie Joe Garr in six episodes of Dallas from 1978 to 1979. He starred as Charlie "C.B." Battles in the 1989-1990 NBC crime drama Hardball.

Some of his other television guest appearances included Kojak, Emergency!, Columbo, Police Story, Barnaby Jones, Police Woman, Starsky & Hutch, The A-Team, The Twilight Zone (1985), Hardcastle and McCormick, JAG, Fantasy Island (1999), Judging Amy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Fairly Legal and The Finder.

Ashton starred as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the first two installments of the Beverly Hills Cop series, alongside Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold. He appeared as Chief John Taggart in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024). Some of his other film credits included Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), She's Having a Baby (1988), Midnight Run (1989), Little Big League (1994) and Trouble in Paradise (1984).

Actor James Earl Jones was known for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and as Mufasa in The Lion King. He died at his home in Pawling, New York, on September 9. Mr. Jones was 93.

During season one of 3rd Rock from the Sun, he provided a voice introduction describing the crew. He guest starred as Norman Royster in a 1997 episode of Frasier. He voiced various characters for three episodes of The Simpsons in 1990, 1994 and 1998. He appeared as himself in a 2003 episode of Will & Grace. He provided the voice of Royal Flush XP Toilet for a 2004 episode of According to Jim. He appeared as himself in Two and a Half Men in 2008 and The Big Bang Theory in 2014.

Jones starred as Detective Capt. Woodrow "Woody" Paris in the 1979-1980 CBS police drama Paris. He starred as Lou Garfield in the short-lived 1985 ABC detective comedy/drama Me and Mom. He starred as Gabriel Bird in the 1990-1991 ABC crime drama Gabriel's Fire. He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1991 for the role. He played Gabriel Bird in the 1991-1992 ABC crime drama Pros and Cons. He starred as Neb Langston in the short-lived 1995 CBS drama Under One Roof.

Some of his other notable films included The Man (1972), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Sneakers (1992), The Sandlot (1993), and Cry, the Beloved Country (1995).

Actor, director and singer James Darren starred as Officer James Corrigan in T.J. Hooker. He died on September 2 from heart failure in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Mr. Darren was 88.

Darren starred as Dr. Tony Newman in the 1966-1967 ABC science fiction series The Time Tunnel. He starred as Officer James Corrigan in the 1982-1986 ABC/CBS police drama T.J. Hooker. In 1999, he had a recurring role as Tony Martin in five episodes of Melrose Place. He had a recurring role as holographic crooner and adviser Vic Fontaine in eight episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1998 to 1999.

Some of his sitcom credits included The Donna Reed Show (2 episodes), The Flintstones (voice of Jimmy Darrock), Love, American Style (1971), The Love Boat (2 episodes) and One Day at a Time.

Some of his televison directing credits included T.J. Hooker, The A-Team, Werewolf (7 episodes), Hunter (7 episodes), Raven (4 episodes), Silk Stalkings (3 episodes), Beverly Hills, 90210 (2 episodes), Savannah (4 episodes) and Melrose Place (2 episodes).

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in films including the youth and beach-culture film Gidget (1959) and its sequels. As a teen pop singer, he sang hit singles including "Goodbye Cruel World" in 1961.

Televison producer and writer Eric Gilliland worked on Roseanne, That '70s Show and My Boys. He died from colon cancer on September 1. Mr. Gilliland was 62.

Gilliand was a writer and producer on Roseanne from 1992 to 1996. He earned Writers Guild of America Award nomination for the show's 1992 episode, “The Dark Ages.”

He was the creator of the short-lived 1998 ABC sitcom That's Life. Some of his other sitcom writing credits included Women in Prison (2 episodes), Live-In, Who's the Boss? (4 episodes), Living Dolls (3 episodes), Married People (2 episodes), The Wonder Years (3 episodes), Doogie Howser, M.D., That '70s Show, My Boys (4 episodes) and Mr. Sunshine (2 episodes).

Some of his other sitcom producing credits included Nurses, That '70s Show (12 episodes), Welcome to New York, My Boys (27 episodes), Mr. Sunshine (4 episodes) and The Conners (2 episodes).

Actress, manager and acting coach Betty A. Bridges guest starred in many sitcoms during her 40-year career. She died on August 27 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ms. Bridges was 83.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Good Times, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (3 episodes), What's Happening!! (2 episodes), Archie Bunker's Place, The Bad News Bears, Sanford, Diff'rent Strokes (2 episodes), Out All Night, Sister, Sister (1996), Payne, Scrubs and 2 Broke Girls.

She was the mother of actors Jimmy, Verda and Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes).

Talk show host Phil Donahue was the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. He died following a long illness at his home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on August 18. Mr. Donahue was 88.

The Phil Donahue Show, later known simply as Donahue, was the first popular talk show to feature a format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television that began in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967 and ended in New York City in 1996. In 1996, Donahue was ranked No. 42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Some of his sitcom credits included Blossom, Who's the Boss?, Ellen and Frasier (3 episodes as the voice of Larry). His other television credits included L.A. Law and The Bold and the Beautiful.

Donahue married actress Marlo Thomas (That Girl) on May 21, 1980. He and Thomas did not have any children together.

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on on May 9, 2001.

Actor Alan Haufrect had a recurring role as Brian in Alice. He died at his home in Century City, California, on August 17. Mr. Haufrect was 83.

Haufrect had a recurring role as Brian, Vera's (Beth Howland) boyfriend and a Mel's Diner regular, in five episodes of the CBS sitcom Alice from 1978 to 1980.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Doc, Barney Miller, The Bob Newhart Show, I'm a Big Girl Now, Ladies' Man (1981), Bosom Buddies, Open All Night, Family Ties, Brothers (1984), The New Gidget, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Perfect Strangers, Night Court (1987), The New Leave it to Beaver, It's a Living, Punky Brewster, Live-In, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class (2 episodes), Singer & Sons, Growing Pains and Roc.

Game show host, television and radio personality, singer and actor Peter Marshall was the original host of The Hollywood Squares. He died of kidney failure at his home in Encino, Los Angeles, California, on August 15. Mr. Marshall was 98.

Marshall hosted the original version of Hollywood Squares that aired on NBC from 1966 to 1980, as well as a nighttime syndicated version that ran from 1971 to 1981. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host four times. He hosted Storybook Squares, a children's version of Hollywood Squares, on NBC in 1969 and the 1976-1977 season.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included The Lucy Show, The Good Life, Love, American Style (3 episodes), WKRP in Cincinnati, The Love Boat (2 episodes), Sledge Hammer!, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Parent 'Hood.

Some of his other television guest appearances included The Millionaire, 77 Sunset Strip, Banacek, Lou Grant, Fantasy Island, CHiPs (3 episodes), Hotel, Automan and Jessie (1984). He was the host of his own short-lived syndicated music and comedy series, The Peter Marshall Variety Show, which aired during the 1976–1977 season in syndication.

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on August 3, 2010.

Actress and comedian Mitzi McCall starred as Miriam Lerner in Alright Already. She died at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on August 8. Ms. Mcall was 93.

McCall starred as Miriam Lerner in the 1997-1998 The WB sitcom Alright Already, which was created by and starred Carol Leifer. Miriam and Alvin Lerner (Jerry Adler) are Carol Lerner's (Carol Leifer) parents. The series also starred Amy Yasbeck, Stacy Galina and Maury Sterling.

Some of her sitcom guest apperarances included The Dennis O'Keefe Show, The Jim Backus Show, Love, American Style (2 episodes), The Girl with Something Extra, Maude, Roseanne, Seinfeld, Madman of the People, Ellen, Almost Perfect, Caroline in the City, Becker, Dharma & Greg, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana.

She appeared as Midge in four episodes of Life Goes On from 1991 to 1992. She had a recurring role as Fran Lipschitz in Silk Stalkings from 1993 to 1999.

Some of her voice credits included The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, The Flintstone Comedy Hour, Snorks, Darkwing Duck, Mother Goose and Grimm, Free for All and American Dad!. She was the voice of Glyptodont in Ice Age (2002).

Actor John Aprea starred as Joseph Montefusco in The Montefuscos and had a recurring role as Nick Katsopolis in Full House. He died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles on August 5. Mr. Aprea was 83.

Aprea starred as Joseph Montefusco on the short-lived 1975 NBC sitcom The Montefuscos. Created by executive producers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, the comedy centered on three generations of an Italian-American family that lived in New Canaan, Connecticut and their weekly gatherings for Sunday dinner. The series also starred Joe Sirola, Naommi Stevens, Ron Carey, Phoebe Dorin, Linda Dano, Bill Cort, Sal Viscuso, Jeffrey Palladini, Robby Paris, Dominique Pinassi and Damon Raskin.

He had a recurring role as Nick Katsopolis in seven episodes of the ABC sitcom Full House from 1988 to 1991. Nick Katsopolis is the father of Jesse (John Stamos). He reprised the role in a 2017 episode of Netflix's Fuller House.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included That Girl, Three's a Crowd, Night Court (1989) and Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

Aprea starred as Lt. Vince Novelli in Matt Houston from 1982 to 1984. He had a recurring role as recurring role as Sheriff Jack North in Falcon Crest in 1987. He had a recurring role as Manny Vasquez in 12 episodes of Knots Landing in 1987. He played Lucas Castigliano in Another World from 1989 to 1992 and Alexander Nikos from 1997 to 1998. In 2007, he starred as Lionel Wakefield in the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress.

He starred young Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather Part II (1974). Some of his other film credits included Bullitt (1968), The Stepford Wives (1975), New Jack City (1991), The Game (1997) and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).

Actress Patti Yasutake starred as Umeki Kazuhiro in Gung Ho and as Fumi Nakai in Beef. She died of a rare form of T-cell lymphoma at the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, on August 5. Ms. Yasutake was 70.

Yasutake starred as Umeki Kazuhiro in the 1986 comedy film Gung Ho, which was directed by Ron Howard and starred Michael Keaton. She reprised the role in the short-lived 1986-1987 ABC sitcom Gung Ho. The series also starred Scott Bakula, Gedde Watanabe, Stephen Lee, Sab Shimono, Clint Howard, Rodney Kageyama, Heidi Banks, Emily Kurodo and Scott Atari.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Hail to the Chief, Take Five, Duet, Mr. Belvedere (2 episodes), Murphy Brown, Rhythm & Blues and Living Single. She was best known for her portrayal of Nurse Alyssa Ogawa in the Star Trek franchise. She appeared in 16 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She starred as Fumi Nakai, George's (Joseph Lee) mother, in the 2022-2023 Netflix comedy-drama minseries.

Actor Charles Cyphers starred as Hugo Muncy in The Betty White Show and as Al Yaroker in Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. He died after a brief illness in Tucson, Arizona, on August 4. Mr. Cyphers was 85.

Cyphers starred as Hugo Muncy in the short-lived 1977-1978 CBS sitcom The Betty White Show. Joyce Whitman (Betty White), a middle-aged actress, lands the lead in a police series titled Undercover Woman, a parody of Police Woman. Hugo Muncy is Joyce's hunky stunt double. The series also starred John Hillerman, Georgia Engel, Caren Kaye, Barney Phillips and Alex Henteloff.

He starred as Al Yaroker in the 1996-1998 The WB sitcom Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher. Mitch Mullany starred as the title character, an aspiring actor who, while waiting for his "big break," met his expenses as a substitute teacher at Gerald R. Ford Middle School. Al Yaroker is tenured shop teacher. The series also starred Portia de Rossi, Clinton Jackson, Ross Malinger (1996-1997), Jonathan Hernandez (1996-1997), Cara DeLizia (1996-1997), Arjay Smith (1996-1997), Kyle Gibson (1996-1997), Stuart Pankin (1996-1997), Sid Newman, Jane Sibbett (1997-1998), Christina Vidal (1997-1998), Giuseppe Andrews (1997-1998), Andrew Levitas (1997-1998), Blake Heron (1997-1998), Malinda Williams (1997-1998) and Donna D'Errico (1998).

Some of his sitcom guest apperances included Phyllis, The Tony Randall Show, Alice, Benson, Night Court, Roc (2 episodes), California Dreams, The George Carlin Show (3 episodes), Seinfeld, The Geroge Wendt Show and Cousin Skeeter.

Some of his other television guest appearances included The F.B.I. (1973), Cannon (2 episodes), The Six Million Dollar Man (3 episodes), The Bionic Woman, Charlie's Angels, Wonder Woman, Barnaby Jones (4 episodes), Starsky & Hutch (3 episodes), Lou Grant, Hart to Hart, The Dukes of Hazard (2 episodes), Airwolf, Matlock, Dallas (2 episodes), Our House, Hill Street Blues (3 episodes), Simon & Simon, China Beach, 21 Jump Street, Lois & Clark: The New Adventues of Superman, seaQuest 2032, ER, JAG, Murder One (4 episodes) and Any Day Now (2 episodes).

He was known for his role as Sheriff Leigh Brackett in John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween. He reprised the role in the 1981 sequel Halloween II and the 2021 sequel Halloween Kills. Some of his other film credits included Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980), Escape from New York (1981) and Major League (1989).

Writer Patt Shea worked on All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place. She died on April 12 in Sherman Oaks, California. Ms. Shea was 93.

Shea was one of the writers of "Too Good Edith", which was the final episode of All in the Family. It aired on April 8, 1979. She co-created Archie Bunker's Place with Harriet Weiss. She worked as a story editor and/or writer for 25 episodes of the series. Shea, Weiss and Joe Gannon created the 1982-1983 CBS sitcom Gloria.

Some of her other sitcom writing credits included Sanford, Mama Malone, Valerie, Nothing Is Easy, The Golden Girls, I Married Dora, Marblehead Manor (2 episodes) and Bagdad Cafe. She was a three-time Humanitas Award-nominated screenwriter. She was married to director Jack Shea from 1954 until his death in 2013.

We thank them all for their work on television and in films. They will be greatly missed.

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

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Labels: Apple TV+, getTV, Good Times, HBO, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Obits, The Franchise