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Remembering Loni Anderson of WKRP in Cincinnati; And Just Like That... to End After 3 Seasons

Actress Loni Anderson, who starred as Jennifer Marlowe in WKRP in Cincinnati, has died. She died on August 3 at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness. Ms. Anderson was 79.

Anderson starred as Jennifer Marlowe in the 1978-1982 CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. The series is about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional AM radio station WKRP in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jennifer Marlowe is the station's sultry receptionist and highest-paid employee. Contrary to a common assumption that she is merely "eye candy" for the station, Jennifer is informed, wise, connected, and able to handle practically any situation, no matter how absurd, with aplomb.

For her role, Anderson was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards in 1979, 1980 and 1981 and two Emmy Awards in 1980 and 1981. She reprised the role in two episodes of the first-run syndicated sitcom The New WKRP in Cincinnati in 1991 and 1992. The cast of WKRP in Cincinnati included Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, Richard Sanders, Tim Reid, Frank Bonner, Jan Smithers, and Howard Hesseman.

She reunited with WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson in the short-lived 1986-1987 NBC sitcom Easy Street. The series stars Anderson as L.K. McGuire, a onetime showgirl who manages to nab a young wealthy husband, Ned McGuire, only to have him die and leave her fending for herself against his embittered sister, who's out to get L.K. out of the picture and away from her inherited money. The cast included Jack Elam, Lee Weaver, Dana Ivey, James Cromwell, and Arthur Malet.

In 1993, Anderson was added to the third season of the NBC sitcom Nurses. She starred as hospital administrator Casey MacAfee who runs Miami's Community Medical Center under a new HMO. Nurses was created and produced by Susan Harris as a spin-off of Empty Nest, which itself was a spin-off of The Golden Girls. She appeared as Casey MacAfee in three episodes of Empty Nest in 1993. The cast of Nurses in the third and final season (1993-1994) included Arnetia Walker, Mary Jo Keenan, Ada Maris, Kip Gilman, Carlos Lacámara, and David Rasche (1992-1994).

She starred as Mandi Mullet-Heidecker in the short-lived 2003-2004 UPN sitcom The Mullets. The Mullets are blue-collar, wrestling-loving, light-hearted, optimistic brothers who don the hairstyle that bears their surname ("business in the front, party in the back"). Their mother, Mandi Mullet-Heidecker, is a warm, maternal type who couldn't be more proud of her offspring, no matter what they do. The series also starred David Hornsby, Michael Weaver, John O'Hurley, Anne Stedman, Ben Tolpin, and Mark Christopher-Lawrence.

Anderson starred as Candy "Kiki" Spelling in the short-lived 2006 VH1 sitcom So Notorious, which starred Tori Spelling and was loosely based on her life. The series follows the actress as she tries to downplay the fact that she is the daughter of Aaron Spelling (his name is rarely mentioned in series; he is referred to by Tori as "Daddy" and taking a cue from Charlie's Angels is only heard off-camera). Candy "Kiki" Spelling is her self-absorbed mother. The cast included Zachary Quinto, James Carpinello, Brennan Hesser, Cleo King, and Jeannetta Arnette.

In 1975, she made her sitcom debut in an episode of Phyllis. Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The McLean Stevenson Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Three's Company (she auditioned for the role of Chrissy before her season two appearance as Susan Walters), The Love Boat (4 episodes), Women of the House, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Movie Stars, Three Sisters, and Baby Daddy. She starred as Frances in the 2016-2020 web comedy series My Sister Is So Gay.

She starred in the short-lived 1984 NBC detective drama Partners in Crime. The series starred Lynda Carter as Carole Stanwyck and Anderson as Sydney Kovak, two women with little in common except sharing Raymond as an ex-husband.

Some of her television drama guest appearances included S.W.A.T. (2 episodes in 1975), The Invisible Man, Harry O, Police Woman, Police Story, Barnaby Jones (2 episodes), The Incredible Hulk, Fantasy Island (1980), Amazing Stories, B.L. Stryker, Burke's Law, Melrose Place (3 episodes in 1996), and V.I.P..

In 1980, she starred as blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield in the CBS television film The Jayne Mansfield Story. Arnold Schwarzenegger played her bodybuilder husband, Mickey Hargitay. Some of her other television film credits included Sizzle (1981), Too Good to Be True (1988), Sorry, Wrong Number (1989), Coins in the Fountain (1990), White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd (1991), and Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas (2023).

She played Pembrook Feeney in the 1983 action comedy film Stroker Ace, which starred Burt Reynolds. She was married to him from 1988 to 1994. She voiced voiced Flo, a collie, in the 1989 animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven. In 1998, she starred as Barbara Butabi in A Night at the Roxbury.

Ms. Anderson was a talented and lovely actress. She was funny and memorable as Jennifer Marlowe on WKRP in Cincinnati. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment that she brought us on television during her career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our WKRP in Cincinnati message board. View photos in our galleries.

And just like that... the ongoing storytelling of the Sex and the City universe is coming to an end. Michael Patrick King - showrunner, writer and director, says "while I was writing the last episode of And Just Like That... season 3, it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop. Along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Casey Bloys and Sarah Aubrey, we decided to end the popular series this year with a two-part finale and extended the original series order from 10 episodes to 12. SJP and I held off announcing the news until now because we didn't want the word 'final' to overshadow the fun of watching the season. It's with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years."

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

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