SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

The boys are back! Summer's new broadcast series, Better Late Than Never, is returning for a second season. This past summer award-winning actor, producer, writer and director Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Royal Pains), Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor, director and writer William Shatner (Star Trek, The Practice), celebrated football legend and NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw (Fox NFL Sunday), boxing Hall of Famer and gold medal winner-turned businessman George Foreman and comedian Jeff Dye (NBC's I Can Do That) embarked on the ultimate international excursion to Asia with no assistants, no limousines and no lattes, in search of an intimate life-changing experience. The five navigated their way through Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Hong Kong; and Phuket and Chiang Mai, Thailand - communicating with the local population, immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying exotic food - all the while dealing with the unexpected twists and turns that any trip presents. Winkler, Shatner, Bradshaw, Foreman and Dye will return for the second season. The locale will be announced at a later date. It is expected to air next summer.

GSN, the leader in game shows and competitive entertainment, announced it has obtained telecast rights to 13 episodes of the hidden camera/comedy horror TV show Scare Tactics, hosted by actor/comedian Tracy Morgan. The show will be paired with the network's new horror-themed game Hellevator in a "Friday Night Frights" programming block on Fridays from 9-11pm ET/PT, beginning October 7. Scare Tactics,, which originally aired for five seasons, is a hidden camera/comedy TV series with a Sci-Fi twist. Episodes from season five, featuring actor/comedian Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, Saturday Night Live) take advantage of the age-old practice of friends playing practical jokes on each other. Set up by friends and family members, the show's unwitting "stars" are caught off guard and on camera in elaborately staged horror hoaxes involving movie-style special effects and expert make-up.

Hellevator , produced by Matador and masters of the horror genre Blumhouse Productions, in association with Lionsgate Television, is a terrifying, genre-bending series which dares a team of four friends to ride a haunted elevator into the depths of an abandoned slaughterhouse. With $50,000 at stake, contestants must conquer multiple floors of terrifying chaos and hair-raising challenges in order to move on to the final level - The Inferno. In addition to the psychological terror players will face during their quest, they must also endure the wrath of the show's masterminds, horror film icons Jen and Sylvia Soska, aka the "Twisted Twins," who work in tandem from their secret lair to torment and trip-up players as they struggle to remain sane and keep in mind, "it's just a game."

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about a full season order for a NBC sitcom (something they haven't done for a sitcom in years), a potential reboot (with a twist) of Magnum P.I. at ABC, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Sony is bringing the first season of Dr. Ken to DVD as a MOD release on October 11, with Dr. Ken - Season One.

TUESDAY (SEPTEMBER 27) HOME MEDIA RELEASE

• The Wonder Years - Season Six (DVD, $29.95): For those who "savor" their DVD releases rather than buying them all at once as a complete series, Time Life wraps up this series with the retail release of the final season.

Who to Follow: Minnie Driver (Twitter, Instagram), "Mother/Actress/Singer-songwriter/Darwinian Feminist. Instagram: @driverminnie"

Claim to Fame: Once again, we're featuring another star of one of the new sitcoms for this fall, and this week we have Minnie Driver, who plays Maya DiMeo in the ABC sitcom Speechless. Of course, Minnie Driver is not exactly new to acting, as she has been an accomplished movie actress for over two decades (with her most prominent role being in the film Good Will Hunting), but she has dabbled in television some. She appeared on the FX series The Riches in 2007 and 2008, and most recently she appeared in the NBC sitcom About a Boy.

Well, it's premiering tonight and we're better later than never, but NBC is launching its new comedy event series Better Late Than Never tonight at 10|9c. Based on a popular Korean format, Better Late Than Never is a fish-out-of-water show that follows cultural icons Henry Winkler (Happy Days), William Shatner (Star Trek), Terry Bradshaw (NFL legend) and George Foreman (boxing legend) on their greatest adventure yet. Deciding it's better late than never, these four national treasures embark on the journey of a lifetime, traveling across Asia on their own with no schedule and no itinerary. The only help will come from Jeff Dye, a young tech-savvy comedian with an agenda of his own and who isn't above leading the men off track. Each stop is packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists as our legends take on this unforgettable adventure. The 4 week comedy event starts tonight and will air for the next four Tuesdays at 10|9c through Sept. 13.

Actor and comedian Jack Riley, who played Elliot Carlin in The Bob Newhart Show, has died. He died on August 19 in Los Angeles due to pneumonia. Mr. Riley was 80.

Riley's television career began with a semi-regular role in the short-lived 1966-1967 NBC sitcom Occasional Wife. He appeared as Wally Frick in seven episodes of the series, which starred Michael Callan and Patricia Harty.

Some of his television guest appearances in the 1960s and 1970s included Gomer Pyle, USMC, The Flying Nun, I Dream of Jeannie, Love, American Style, The Partridge Family, Hogan's Heroes, The Good Life, Getting Together, M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, The Girl with Something Extra, Happy Days, Alice and Barney Miller.

Riley was best known for his role as Elliot Carlin, the neurotic, sour and selfish patient in The Bob Newhart Show. He appeared in 49 episodes of the series from 1972-1978. Carlin was ranked 49th in TV Guide's List of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time. He reprised the role in a 1985 episode of St. Elsewhere, a 1987 episode of ALF and a 1988 episode of Newhart. In 1991, the cast reunited for The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary.

His later sitcom guest appearances included Too Close for Comfort, Family Ties, One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes (4 episodes), Silver Spoons, Gimme a Break, Punky Brewster, Charles in Charge, My Two Dads, Night Court (7 episodes), Family Matters, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Married with Children, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld, That '70s Show and Yes, Dear. He played Leon Buachanan in the short-lived 1987 CBS sitcom Roxie. He had a recurring role as Chappy in the 2000-2002 FX comedy Son of the Beach.

He was also known for his voice work in animated series and commercials. He voiced Stu Pickles, the father of the main protagonist Tommy, in Rugrats and the spin-off All Grown Up!. He did commercial spots for Country Crock margarine and CompUSA.

Survivors include his wife, Ginger Lawrence, and two children.

Mr. Riley was a fine character actor. His Elliot Carlin character was very funny and memorable. He played him to perfection. We thank him for all the laughs and entertainment he brought us over the years. He will be greatly missed.

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