SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's time for another edition of Fri-Yay! That means we will take a look back on some sitcom happenings in recent days or weeks or other fun sitcomy stuff. It's a sitcom lover's paradise! Happy Fri-Yay!

by Vincent

Well, another sitcom on Netflix has bitten the dust -or, rather, will soon. Warner Bros. (WarnerMedia) announced this week it will be launching its own streaming service this fall, so all Warner-related properties will be removed from Netflix and other streaming services and onto the Warner-exclusive app. It's just the latest sitcom to be removed from the site (although to be fair, the service is planning on launching next year, so you still have a few months to get your Friends fix), however, the trend is clear and has been for a while. Netflix is losing much of its streaming library as other companies are looking to cash in on the streaming trend.

Whether or not you're a fan of Friends or The Office or any of the sitcoms that will be leaving the service for greener pastures, this news no doubt has a large effect on the future of streaming services. If you're someone who has gotten used to having so many sitcoms and other TV shows at your fingerprints with just one or two monthly subscriptions, well...that reality may be ending very soon. Currently, most major series of the past 20 years or so are on either Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. In the next year, there are new streaming services planned by Disney, Warner Bros, and NBC - and that may be just the beginning. That brings the "major" streaming services from just 3 to 6, and if you want access to a library on par with the one the current "big 3" streaming services give you, your monthly subscription will double. At one time, streaming TV was thought of as being a revolution, a way for us to cut cords and contracts and watch whatever we wanted with way less money and hassle. It's still a lot easier and cheaper than cable, but things are certainly getting more and more fragmented - let's just hope we don't wind up right back where we started.

Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn, who starred as Artie in The Larry Sanders Show, has died. He died on July 9 at his home in Lakeville, Connecticut. Mr. Torn was 88.

Torn starred as Artie in the 1992-1998 HBO sitcom The Larry Sanders Show. Artie (Arthur) was the producer of the fictional talk show The Larry Sanders Show. Torn was nominated for six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role, winning in 1996. He received two American Comedy Awards nominations for Funniest Male Performance in a Series, winning once in 1994, and two CableACE Awards for his work on the series. The series also starred Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Penny Johnson, Janeane Garofalo (first five seasons), Mary Lynn Rajskub (final two seasons), Jeremy Piven (season one and part of season two), Wallace Langham, Linda Doucett (first three seasons), Scott Thompson (final three seasons), Megan Gallagher (first season and Jeannie's Visit) and Kathryn Harrold (second season).

He appeared as Lionel Banks, a rich bachelor and love interest of Karen Walker (Megan Mullally), in four episodes of the NBC sitcom Will & Grace in 2002. He had a recurring role as Don Geiss, the CEO of GE and Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) boss and mentor, in seven episodes of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock from 2007 to 2009. He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the role in 2008.

Torn was the narrator for The Family Channel horror anthology series Ghost Stories from 1997 to 1998. He appeared in four episodes as Senator Harlan M. Turner, Jack Turner's (Rob Lowe) powerful father, in the short-lived 2003 NBC legal drama The Lyon's Den.

Some of his television drama guest appearances included Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, The Lieutenant, Combat!, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mannix, Rawhide, Bonanza, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Columbo (1991) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He received an Emmy nomination in 1996 for his role as Dr. Warren Shutt in the Chicago Hope episode titled Hello Goodbye.

He was also known for his work in many films. Some of his film credits in the 1960s included Sweet Bird of Earth, Hero's Island, Critic's Choice, You're a Big Boy Now, Beach Red, Coming Apart and Tropic of Cancer. In the 1970s, he starred in Maidstone, Slaughter, Payday, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Coma, The Seduction of of Joe Tynan and Heartland.

Torn received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Marsh Turner in 1983's Cross Creek. He starred as Maax in 1982's The Beastmaster and as Bud Kruger in 1982's Airplane II: The Sequel. Some of his other 1980s and later film credits included Misunderstood, Flashpoint, City Heat, Summer Rental, Extreme Prejudice, Nadine, Defending Your Life, RoboCop 3, Men in Black, Men in Black II, Freddy Got Fingered and DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.

Mr. Torn was wonderful as Artie in The Larry Sanders Show. He was just a solid actor in his many television and film roles. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us during his long career. He will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his wife Amy Wright, six children, four grandchildren and one sister.

Share your memories on our The Larry Sanders Show message board. View photos in our galleries.

We also remember young actor Cameron Boyce. He starred as Luke Ross in the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie and as Conor in the Disney XD sitcom Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything. He died on July 6 in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles due to an epileptic seizure. Mr. Boyce was just 20.

Boyce starred as Luke Ross in the 2011-2015 Disney Channel sitcom Jessie. Luke was the second oldest of the Ross children. The series follows Jessie Prescott (Debby Ryan) working as a nanny for the wealthy Ross family who live on the Upper West Side. It also starred Peyton List, Karan Brar, Skai Jackson and Kevin Chamberlin. The series ran for four seasons and 98 episodes.

He next starred as Conor in the 2015-2017 Disney XD sitcom Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything. Conor is a professional video game player who goes by the name of Kid Fury. The series also starred Murray Wyatt Rundus, Felix Avitia and Sophie Reynolds. It ran for two seasons and 37 episodes.

Boyce had a recurring role as Michael "Stone" Cates, Jr. in the Soapnet series General Hospital: Night Shift in 2008. He made guest appearances in Good Luck Charlie, Shake It Up, Liv and Maddie, Bunk'd and Code Black.

He made his feature film debut in 1998's Mirrors. He starred as Keithie Feder, Lenny Feder's (Adam Sandler) son, in Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2. His other film credits included 2008's Eagle Eye and 2011's Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.

Boyce starred as Carlos in the Disney Channel's television films The Descendants in 2015 and the sequel Descendants 2 in 2017. Carlos is the son of of Cruella de Vil (Wendy Raquel Robinson). He provided the voice of Carlos in the television shorts Descendants: Wicked World from 2015 to 2017.

He provided the voice of Jake in seasons 2-3 of Disney Junior's Jake and the Never Land Pirates. His other voice credits included a 2014 episode of Ultimate Spider-Man as Luke Ross and a 2017 episode of Spider-Man as Shocker / Herman Schultz.

Survivors include his parents, Libby and Victor, and his sister, Maya.

Mr. Boyce was a talented actor and a rising star. He had a number of upcoming projects including Descendants 3 (which will premiere August 2), the HBO comedy series Mrs. Fletcher, the TV series Paradise City and the independent thriller film Runt. It's a tragic loss for his fans, friends and family. He will be deeply missed.

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

Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's digital multicast channel has expanded to clearances on 125 stations across the country (including the top 35 markets) bringing the network's reach to 88% of TV households. In new affiliate agreements, Antenna TV has partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Tegna Media, Red River Broadcast Company, Deerfield Media and Gocom Media to add 26 stations. New Antenna TV markets include: Pittsburgh – WPGH, Baltimore – WNUV, Nashville – WZTV, Columbus, OH – WSYX, Cincinnati – WSTR, Greenville-Spartanburg – WLOS, West Palm Beach – WTCN, Birmingham – WTTO, Jacksonville – WTLV, Little Rock – KTHV, Tulsa – KTUL, Dayton – WKEF, Charleston-Huntington – WCHS, Green Bay – WLUK, Flint – WSMH, Rochester, NY – WUHF, Toledo, OH – WMNT, Columbia, SC – WLTX, Portland-Auburn – WCSH, Champaign – WRSP, Waco-KCEN, Savannah – WTGS, Sioux Falls – KDLT, Fargo – KVRR and Duluth – KQDS.

In January 2016, Antenna TV brings Johnny Carson back to late night with a 60-minute classic Carson episode airing at 11pm ET/8pm PT, with a rebroadcast at 2am ET/11pm PT each weeknight. On weekends, Antenna TV will run 90-minute episodes at 10pm ET/7pm PT, with a rebroadcast at 1:30 am ET/10:30 pm PT. This is the first time the Carson episodes will air in a strip since he went off the air in 1992. Johnny will join Antenna TV on the network's 5th anniversary. Antenna TV's lineup includes classic favorites such as: I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Newhart, Family Ties, One Day at a Time, Three's Company, The Ropers, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, Good Times, Family Ties, Doogie Howser MD, Leave it to Beaver, Sanford and Son, The Flying Nun, Green Acres, The Partridge Family, Evening Shade, Father Knows Best, Mister Ed, Jack Benny and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Stay tuned for that January 2016 schedule for Antenna TV, but for now view all you need to know about the holiday marathons. And look at the full schedule, too.

Disney XD has ordered a second season of its popular live-action comedy series Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything, starring Cameron Boyce as a teenage pro-gaming phenomenon whose thumb injury forces him off the elite gaming circuit and back to public school. Production on the series will resume in Los Angeles, California, in the spring for a premiere in 2016. The premiere of sitcom Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything (7/22/15) was Disney XD's #1 series debut in the network's over 15-year history (includes Toon Disney) among Boys 6-11, and launch to date, is the network's #2 live-action original series of all time across target Boy 2-11 and 6-11 demographics. Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything was created by Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton (Zeke & Luther, Turbo Fast), who also serve as executive producers. Executive Producer Jim O'Doherty (Grounded for Life, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Kickin' It) also serves as showrunner of the series. Starring alongside Boyce as Conor's friends are Murray Wyatt Rundus as Wendell, Felix Avitia as Franklin and Sophie Reynolds as Ashley.

In season one, airing Wednesday nights on Disney XD, gaming phenom Conor teams up with three unlikely friends to form their high school's first-ever gaming league, and together they encounter everyday challenges in their quest to level up. Popular video game influencers such as Stampy Cat, Markiplier and CaptainSparklez have also made cameos on the show. In season two, the team sets its sights on a global championship, and the foursome will face new challenges and new rivals along the way.