Monday, April 07, 2025

NBC Celebrates Joan Rivers with Special; Remembering Jay North of Dennis the Menace

Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute

NBC will celebrate comedy legend Joan Rivers with Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute on Tuesday, May 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The one-hour all-star comedy special will feature today's biggest comedians as they pay homage to Rivers' razor-sharp humor and impact on pop culture. To celebrate the decade since her passing, the comedy community will revisit Rivers' legendary cabinet of jokes and add their own personal spin to reflect today's social and cultural landscape, along with a dose of their original material.

Filmed at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute will feature appearances, musical bits and standup comedy from today's biggest artists who have been touched by her legacy, including Rachel Brosnahan, Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Chelsea Handler, Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Maher, Howie Mandel, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Patton Oswalt, Aubrey Plaza, Sarah Silverman, Melissa Rivers, Jean Smart and Rita Wilson. On May 14, an extended and uncensored version of Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute will debut on Peacock and will feature additional comics, who will be announced later.


Jay North

Actor Jay North, who starred as Dennis Mitchell in Dennis the Menace, has died. He died of colorectal cancer on April 6 at his home in Lake Butler, Florida. Mr. North was 73.

Dennis the Menace

North starred as the good-natured but mischievous Dennis Mitchell in the 1959-1963 CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace, which was based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. The show follows the Mitchell family – Henry, Alice, and their only child, Dennis, an energetic, trouble-prone, mischievous, but well-meaning boy, who often tangles first with his peace-and-quiet-loving neighbor, George Wilson, a retired salesman, and later with George's brother John, a writer. He called Mr. Wilson his "best friend" or "Good Ol' Mr. Wilson". The cast included Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Joseph Kearns (1959-1962), Sylvia Field (1959-1962), Jeannie Russell, Billy Booth, Gale Gordon (1962-1963), and Sara Seegar (1962-1963). Recurring cast members included Gil Smith (1959-1960), Irene Tedrow, Willard Waterman, Mary Wickes (1959-1962), Kathleen Mulqueen, George Cisar (1960-1963), and Robert John Pittman (1961-1963).

Donna Reed and Jay North - The Donna Reed Show

He made crossover guest appearances as Dennis on such television shows as The Donna Reed Show and The Red Skelton Hour in 1960, and in the feature film Pepe (1960). In 1966, he reunited with Gale Gordon in an episode of The Lucy Show. He guest starred in two episodes of My Three Sons in 1966.

Maya - Jay North and Sajid Khan

North starred as Terry Bowen in the short-lived 1967-1968 NBC adventure series Maya. The series is a follow-up to the 1966 film of the same name, with North and Sajid Khan reprising their roles. Set in the Indian jungle, the series centered on an American boy searching for his missing father, a big game hunter.

Some of his other television credits included Wanted: Dead or Alive, 77 Sunset Strip, Rescue 8, Sugarfoot, The Detectives, Wagon Train, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Jericho (1966).

As an adult, he turned to voice acting for animated television series, voicing the roles of Prince Turhan in the Arabian Knights segment of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, Terry Dexter in Here Comes the Grump, and a teenaged Bamm-Bamm Rubble on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show. He voiced himself in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons.

Some of his other film credits included The Miracle of the Hills (1959), The Big Operator (1959), Zebra in the Kitchen (1965), and The Teacher (1974). He appeared as himself in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003).

After leaving show business, he began working with fellow former child star Paul Petersen and the organization A Minor Consideration, using his experiences as a child performer to counsel other children working in the entertainment industry. He also worked as a correctional officer, working with troubled youth within Florida's juvenile justice system.

Mr. North was a talented child actor. He was funny and memorable as Dennis Mitchell. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment that he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Dennis the Menace message board. View photos in our galleries.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, April 27

The Simpsons - "Abe League of Their Moe" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
After Grampa and Moe recruit a Macedonian slugger to play in Springfield, it strains their friendship and the very integrity of baseball.

Family Guy - "A Real Who's Who" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
The Griffins spoof "Only Murders in the Building," "The Dropout," and "The Bear."

Krapopolis - "Stavros Live and in Concert" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ty's favorite singer Stavros is in town, but he also happens to be the favorite singer of Athena and her radical followers; Deliria goes on a little getaway.

The Great North - "Ham to Lose a Guy Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Judy and Beef interfere with Ham's personal life; Wolf and Honeybee go on a quest to squash a rumor going around town that Wolf eats worms.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 21)

Friday, April 25

  • Kathy Bates (Disjointed) - Watch Kathy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Greta Titelman (Fantasmas/Search Party/Los Espookys) - Paul and Greta are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Yvonne Orji (Insecure) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Yvonne who is now hosting Pop The Balloon Live on Netflix, so check your local listings.
  • Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew and Valerie are joined by Carla Hall in the kitchen to whip up some delicious cozy food on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Amy Schumer (Life & Beth), Jillian Bell (Bless the Harts/Idiotsitter/Eastbound & Down/Workaholics) and Brianne Howey (Dollface) - The cast of the new movie Kinda Pregnant join Drew to dish on their new film on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel talks about Bravo's Love Hotel on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


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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04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series
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04/11 - Bounce TV Renews Mind Your Business; AMC Networks 2025 Upfront Highlights
04/10 - David Spade's Prime Video Comedy Special; Brett Goldstein's HBO Comedy Special Filmed in New Jersey
04/09 - Paramount+ Orders Season 3 of Colin from Accounts; FX's Adults Premieres May 28
04/08 - Prime Video's New Comedy Overcompensating; Nine Perfect Strangers Returns on Hulu in May
04/07 - NBC Celebrates Joan Rivers with Special; Remembering Jay North of Dennis the Menace
04/06 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 7, 2025)
04/05 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Renews Three Animated Series and Brings Back a Fourth for Four More Seasons; ABC Renews Shifting Gears
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)
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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