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

If I had to pick one sitcom that's been consistently overlooked, it's A.P. Bio, which started its fourth season on Peacock this past week. A.P. Bio started off with a shaky first season on NBC and just barely squeaked out a second season renewal after low ratings and so-so critical reception. But over the course of the second season, the show began to garner a fanbase for the way it brought cable-like humor to a network sitcom environment. The show was cancelled by NBC after Season 2, but NBC Universal noticed the show’s growing fanbase and decided it was a good choice to use the series to help build the company's new streaming service, Peacock.

Since the move to Peacock, the show has gotten even better, feeling more comfortable to explore its dark side and bringing out the best of its characters even more. Sometimes it feels like the show doesn't quite get the hype given its a Peacock exclusive, but it really does deserve to be mentioned along the best sitcoms on TV right now. It's funny, sarcastic but even has a little bit of heart. I really like the series, and I think anyone looking for a good, sardonic modern sitcom won't be disappointed.

Television producer and writer Irma Kalish, who worked on F Troop, Family Affair, Maude, All in the Family, Good Times, Too Close for Comfort, The Facts of Life and 227, has died. She died on September 3 from complications of pneumonia at the Motion Picture & Television Fund cottages in Woodland Hills, California. Ms. Kalish was 96.

Kalish married her husband and writing partner Austin "Rocky" Kalish in 1948. Their writing careers began on radio for The Martin and Lewis Show, which starred Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Some of her early sitcom writing credits included The Millionaire, The Patty Duke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Gidget, My Favorite Martian, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, The Hero, That Girl, F Troop (8 episodes), He & She, The Flying Nun, Family Affair (22 episodes, also a story consultant for 41 episodes) and My Three Sons (8 episodes).

They wrote the 1972 two-part Maude episode titled "Maude's Dilemma," in which Maude contemplates an abortion. They worked on four episodes of All in the Family, including "Gloria the Victim," in which Gloria is the victim of an attempted rape and "Edith's Christmas Story," in which Edith has a breast cancer scare. Some of her other 1970s writing credits included Nanny and the Professor, Anna and the King, The Bob Newhart Show, The Brian Keith Show, Dusty's Trail, Good Heavens, Good Times and Carter Country.

Some of her 1980s writing credits included Too Close for Comfort (8 episodes), Foot in the Door, Oh Madeline, The Facts of Life, 227 and Sugar and Spice (also one of the creators). She was one of the writers of the 1985 TV movie I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later.

Irma and Rocky produced 48 episodes of Good Times from 1976 to 1978. They produced 40 episodes of Too Close for Comfort from 1980 to 1982. She was an executive producer of 46 episodes The Facts of Life for the final two seasons from 1986 to 1988. She was interviewed for the E! True Hollywood Story on The Facts of Life in 1999. Irma was an executive producer of 39 episodes of 227 from 1988 to 1990. Some of her other producing credits included Good Heavens, Carter Country, Out of the Blue (1979), Foot in the Door, Oh Madeline and The Hogan Family.

Irma and Rocky were interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on December 21, 2012. They were married for 68 years until Rocky's death on October 5, 2016.

Survivors include her sister, Harriet Alef; son, television writer-producer Bruce Kalish and his wife and actress Leah Ayres; grandchildren Matthew Biederman Sr. and his wife Cassie Fink, writer-producer Mackenzie Kalish; and great-grandchildren Nicholas and Caden Biederman.

Ms. Kalish was a prolific and pioneering sitcom producer and writer. She worked on around 30 sitcoms in her career. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment she brought us. She will be deeply missed.

Emmy-winning actor Michael Constantine, who starred as high school principal Seymour Kaufman on Room 222, has died. He died on August 31 of natural causes at his home in Reading, Pennsylvania. Mr. Constantine was 94.

Constantine's early television credits included Brenner, The Detectives, The Defenders, Naked City, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, The Untouchables (5 episodes), Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Eleventh Hour, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days, I Spy and The Fugitive.

His first sitcom starring role was as Jack Ellenhorn on the 1966-1967 NBC sitcom Hey, Landlord. Jack Ellenhorn was a photographer and tenant at a New York City brownstone apartment building in Manhattan's East 30s. The series also starred Will Hutchins, Sandy Baron, Pamela Rodgers, Miko Mayama, Ann Morgan Guilbert and Kathryn Minner.

Constantine's best known television role was as Seymour Kaufman on the 1969-1974 ABC comedy-drama Room 222. Seymour Kaufman was the dryly humorous school principal of the fictional Walt Whitman High School, an extremely racially diverse school in Los Angeles, California. The critically acclaimed series ran for five seasons and 113 episodes. Constantine won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1970. The cast included Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas, Karen Valentine, Howard Rice (1969-1971), Judy Strangis, Heshimu, Pendrant Netherly (1969-1971), David Jolliffe (1970-1974), Ta-Tanisha (1970-1973) and Eric Laneuville (1971-1973).

He next starred as Matthew J. Sirota on the 1976-1977 NBC sitcom Sirota's Court. Matthew J. Sirota was a night court judge in a large metropolitan city. Constantine received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for the role in 1977. The series also starred Cynthia Harris, Kathleen Miller, Fred Willard, Ted Ross and Owen Bush.

Constantine reprised his role of Gus Portokalos from the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding on the short-lived 2003 CBS sitcom My Big Fat Greek Life. Gus and Maria Portokalos (Lainie Kazan) owned a neighborhood restaurant. The series also starred Nia Vardalos, Steven Eckholdt, Louis Mandylor, Gia Carides, Andrea Martin and Victoria Adams.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Hogan's Heroes, The Double Life of Henry Phyfe, My Favorite Martian, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jean Arthur Show, The Good Guys, The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Love, American Style (1972), Benson, Amanda's, The Love Boat, Mama's Family, Free Spirit, Cosby and In-Laws.

His other film credits included The Last Mile (1959), The Hustler (1961), Skidoo (1968), The Reivers (1969), The North Avenue Irregulars (1979), Prancer (1989), Thinner (1996) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).

Mr. Constantine was a talented and versatitle character actor. He was outstanding on Room 222. It would be great if the remaining three seasons would be released on DVD. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Room 222 message board. View photos in our galleries.

Actor and comedian Art Metrano, who starred as Rico Mastorelli on Joanie Loves Chachi, has died. He died on September 8 at his home in Aventura, Florida, of natural causes. Mr. Metrano was 84.

He starred as Nick Marr on the short-lived 1971 CBS sitcom The Chicago Teddy Bears. "Big" Nick Marr was a small-time gangster who wants to take over a Chicago speakeasy. The series also starred Dean Jones, Marvin Kaplan, Mickey Shaughnessy, Jamie Farr, Mike Mazurki, Huntz Hall and John Banner.

Metrano starred as Tom on the short-lived 1977 CBS sitcom Loves Me, Love Me Not. Tom was Dick's (Kenneth Gilman) best friend and his editor at the newspaper. Tom's wife, Sue, was played by Phyllis Glick. Susan Dey starred as Dick's wife, June.

He starred as Lt. Iverson on the short-lived 1986 CBS sitcom Tough Cookies. Lt. Iverson was Det. Cliff Brody's (Robby Benson) tough superior. The series also starred Lainie Kazan, Adam Arkin, Matt Craven, Elizabeth Pena and Alan North.

Metrano starred as Rico Mastorelli on the 1982-1983 ABC sitcom Joanie Loves Chachi, which aired for two seasons and 17 episodes. Rico was Chachi's (Scott Baio) uncle who was the band's manager and helped Joanie (Erin Moran) and Chachi advance in their careers. The series also starred Al Molinaro, Ellen Travolta, Robert Pierce, Derrel Maury and Winifred Freedman.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included The Good Guys, Bewitched, Nanny and the Professor, That Girl, The Partridge Family, The Partners, Adam's Rib, Love, American Style (1972, 1973), Barney Miller, All in the Family, The Ted Knight Show, Benson, WKRP in Cincinnati, Punky Brewster, Lenny, The Golden Girls, Nurses, Empty Nest, The John Larroquette Show, Herman's Head and Police Academy: The Series.

He starred as Detective Rod Pena on the 1974-1975 NBC police drama Amy Prentiss. He played Moose on the NBC adventure series Movin' On from 1975 to 1976.

Metrano starred as Lt./Capt./Cmdt. Mauser in Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) and Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986). Some of his other film credits included They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), The Heartbreak Kid (1972), Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off (1973), History of the World, Part One (1981), Breathless (1983), Teachers (1984) and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998).

Survivors include his wife, Jamie; his first wife, Rebecca; children Harry (and his wife, Melissa), Zoe (Mark), Roxanne and Howard; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mr. Metrano was a solid character actor and comedian. We thank him for his work on many television series and in films. He will be sorely missed.

Share your memories on our Joanie Loves Chachi message board. View photos in our galleries.

Finally, we remember legendary The Today Show weatherman Willard Scott. He had an occasional role as Peter Poole on Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family. He died on September 4 of natural causes in Delaplane, Virginia. Mr. Scott was 87.

His career with NBC began as a 16-year-old, working in 1950 as an NBC page at WRC (AM). From 1959–1962, he portrayed Bozo the Clown in the children's television program on NBC Washington, D.C. affiliate WRC-TV. He was the creator and original portrayer of Ronald McDonald from 1963-1965. He became the weatherman for The Today Show in 1980. He announced his full retirement from television on December 11, 2015.

Scott had an occasional role as Peter Poole on five episodes of the NBC sitcom Valerie's Family/The Hogan Family from 1987 to 1989. Peter Poole was the jovial husband of Patty Poole (Edie McClurg), who was the busybody neighor of the Hogan family.

Mr. Scott was a great televison personality with a career spanning 65 years. His tribute greetings segment for people celebrating their 100th or above birthdays were always fun. It's sad that he didn't make it to his 100th birthday. He will be greatly missed.

Emmy-winning actress Valerie Harper, who starred as Rhoda Morgenstern in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Rhoda, has died. She died on August 30 in Los Angeles. She had battled leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition in which cancer cells spread into the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain, since March 2013. Ms. Harper was 80.

Harper starred as Rhoda Morgenstern, the best friend and upstairs neighbor of Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), in the CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1970 to 1974. Rhoda worked as a window dresser at the fictional Hemphill's department store. Harper appeared in a total of 92 episodes of the series. She was a regular in seasons 1-4 and appeared as a guest star in seasons 6-7. She won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1971, 1972 and 1973. The series also starred Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Cloris Leachman (1970-1975), Georgia Engel (1973-1977) and Betty White (1973-1977).

She continued her role as Rhoda Morgenstern in the spin-off series Rhoda, which aired on CBS from 1974 to 1978. Rhoda was desperately looking for a husband. She moves from Minneapolis back home to New York City. She soon meets and marries Joe Gerard (David Groh). Harper won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 1975. The series also starred Julie Kavner, Nancy Walker (1974-1976, 1977-1978), Harold Gould (1974–1976, 1977–78), Ron Silver (1976-1978), Ray Buktenica (1977-1978), Kenneth McMillan (1977-1978) and Lorenzo Music (voice only as Carlton the Doorman).

Harper and Moore reunited in the 2000 ABC TV movie Mary and Rhoda. The two-hour made-for-TV movie also starred Elon Gold, Christine Ebersole, Bethany Joy Lenz and Marisa Ryan. Harper and Moore reunited with the other women of The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Cloris Leachman, Betty White and Georgia Engel - in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland. The episode was titled Love Is All Around and aired on September 4, 2013.

She starred as Valerie Hogan in the first two seasons (32 episodes) of the NBC sitcom Valerie from 1986 to 1987. Valerie Hogan was a mother trying to juggle her career with raising three sons with an absent airline pilot husband. The family lived in Oak Park, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. The series, which was later renamed Valerie's Family and The Hogan Family, also starred Sandy Duncan (1987-1991), Jason Bateman, Danny Ponce, Jeremy Licht, Josh Taylor, Edie McClurg, Steve Witting (1987-1991), Tom Hodges (1986-1989), Christine Ebersole (1986), Judith Kahan (1986-1987), Josie Bissett (1990-1991), Angela Lee (1990-1991) and John Hillerman (1990-1991).

Harper held out in a contract dispute for more money, a larger piece of the syndication revenues and more creative control of the series after the second season. Her husband, Tony Cacciotti, was one of the executive producers. Lorimar eventually fired her from the series. She sued for being wrongfully fired and was awarded $1.4 million plus 12.5 percent of the show's profits. The character of Valerie Hogan was killed off in an auto accident. Sandy Duncan joined the series as Michael Hogan's divorced sister Sandy Hogan, a high school counselor. The series was renamed Valerie's Family for the third season and The Hogan Family for seasons four through six (the last season airing on CBS).

She next starred as Liz Gianni in the 1990 CBS sitcom City. Liz Gianni was the city manager for The Department of City Services of an unnamed American city. The series also starred Todd Susman, Tyra Ferrell, Stephen Lee, Sam Lloyd, Liz Torres, Mary Jo Keenen, James Lorinz, LuAnne Ponce (Danny Ponce's sister) and Shay Duffin. She did an interview with David Letterman on February 13, 1990.

Harper starred as Rita Stone in the short-lived 1995 CBS sitcom The Office. Rita Stone was a divorcée and a 19-year veteran of a secretarial pool at the executive office of a package design company in Chicago called Package Inc. The series also starred Dakin Matthews, Debra Jo Rupp, Lisa Darr, Kristin Dattilo-Hayward, Kevin Conroy, Andrea Abbate and Gary Dourdan.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style (she also co-wrote an episode with her then-husband Richard Schaal), The Love Boat, Sex and the City, That '70s Show, Three Sisters, Less Than Perfect, Committed, 'Til Death, Melissa & Joey and 2 Broke Girls. She voiced various characters in eight episodes of The Simpsons and two episodes of American Dad!.

Harper made drama guest appearances in Columbo, Missing Persons, Touched by an Angel, Promised Land, Melrose Place, Family Law, Desperate Housewives, Drop Dead Diva and Signed, Sealed, Delivered. She competed as a contestant in Season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013.

She received Golden Globe Award nominations for her roles in Freebie in the Bean (1974) and Chapter Two (1979). Some of her other film credits included The Last Married Couple in America, Blame It on Rio, Golda's Balcony and Shiver.

Harper began her career on Broadway as a dancer. She made her debut in the musical Take Me Along in 1959. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped in 2010. Some of her other theater credits included Wildcat, Subways Are for Sleeping, Something Different, All Under Heaven and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife.

She was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on February 26, 2009.

Ms. Harper was wonderful as Rhoda Morgenstern. Rhoda was one of the best sidekick characters of all time. She won a total of four Emmy Awards for the role. We thank her for the many laughs and entertainment she brought us during our long career. She fought a courageous battle with cancer. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda and The Hogan Family message boards. View photos in our galleries.

MeTV Network pays tribute to the career of beloved actress Valerie Harper with a special presentation of select episodes from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, airing on MeTV this Sunday, September 8th beginning at 5:00pm ET/PT through 8:00pm ET/PT.

Sunday, September 8, 2019 (All Times are Eastern/Pacific)

5:00pm-5:30pm: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – "Rhoda, The Beautiful"
Rhoda enters a beauty contest but continues to put herself down.

5:30pm-6:00pm: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – "Is a Friend in Need"
Rhoda loses her job, but Mary doesn't tell her about an opening at WJM.

6:00pm-6:30pm: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – "A Girl's Best Mother Is Not Her Friend"
Rhoda's mother visits with the intention of being her daughter's best friend.

6:30pm-7:00pm: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – "Where There's Smoke, There's Rhoda"
Mary and Rhoda are best friends, but can they be roommates too?

7:00pm-7:30pm: Rhoda – "Rhoda's Wedding Part 1"
Rhoda's wedding day has finally arrived and is filled with mishaps.

7:30pm-8:00pm: Rhoda – "Rhoda's Wedding Part 2"
Complications may ruin Rhoda's wedding day.

Antenna TV honored Valerie Harper this past Sunday (September 1) from 1pm-10pm ET with a special marathon of Valerie (aka The Hogan Family). The series airs regularly late Sunday/early Monday at 3am ET/12am PT.

Decades will present a special tribute to Valerie Harper all week beginning Monday, September 9. Stay with us for further updates.

Due to the Democratic Candidates Presidential Debate being extended to three hours on Thursday, Sept. 12, ABC has shifted the finale for summer drama Reef Break to the next night on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9pm (instead of Thurs, Sept. 12 at 10). In the finale, sultry and tough cookie Cat Chambers (Poppy Montgomery) is on the run and fearing for her life and freedom. Hearts are broken and futures are uncertain as Cat faces her toughest case yet - to clear her own name. La La Anthony guest stars as Regina O'Casey in the season finale of ABC's Reef Break, Friday, Sept. 13 from 9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT, on ABC. (TV-PG, SV) Episodes can also be viewed the next day on ABC.com, the ABC app and Hulu.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's the last week of "unofficial summer," as September is right on our doorstep. This week, we have some sad news as we have learned that Valerie Harper has died, we're hearing about a special savings for the new Disney+ steaming service, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

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

This past week, it was announced that NBC's The Good Place will be ending after its upcoming fourth season. I had two district reactions to this news. On one hand, I'm incredibly sad that we are only getting one more season of what has been the best comedy on TV for the past few years, and one of the most creative and imaginative sitcoms of the decade. I'm a bit of a traditionalist with sitcoms - if it were up to me, every good sitcom would air 22 episodes a year and run for 6 or more seasons. I just like the comfort that sitcoms offer, even if the quality of them admittedly gets spotty as they grow long in the tooth. So the selfish part of me wanted The Good Place to stick around for years and years.

And yet, I can't help but feel that this is the right move to preserve the show's legacy. The Good Place is such a unique show, but it can only reinvent the wheel so many times. While I feel the show's quality has remained consistently high in its three seasons that have aired so far, I could also sense some sense of "well, what now?" for the first time ever in the third season. Granted, the show ended on a high note, but I'd imagine it very well could get tiring re-inventing the wheel over and over again. So I do consider it a creative win that the show is going out on top and on its own terms, and the fact that NBC is allowing a solid-rated veteran comedy to do so in a time where it desperately needs comedy hits shows how much network TV has changed recently. 10 years ago, NBC would've milked the show for all they could, but now, there's more respect paid towards shows and their creators - and if you're a fan of good TV, it's a good thing to see.

Antenna TV is making some changes to the weekend afternoon schedule beginning next weekend (Saturday, June 22, 2019) and one minor change on weekdays beginning June 24. As a result of the changes, three shows are returning from hiatus. Webster, What's Happening!! and What's Happening Now!! all return back to the lineup. Webster will air weekends at 1:00pm & 1:30pm, replacing The Hogan Family, which is still on the schedule Sunday late nights at 3:00am & 3:30am. What's Happening!! is replacing Head of the Class at 2:00pm, while spin-off What's Happening Now!! will air at 2:30pm for Head of the Class. Not to worry Head of The Class fans, the sitcom will air an hour later replacing Family Ties at 3:00pm & 3:30pm, but Family Ties will still remain weeknights at 2:30am. What's Happening!! will also return to the weekday line-up, airing weekdays at 3:30pm, replacing Soap. Not to worry Soap fans, Soap will also still remain on the schedule in its Saturday at 9pm & 9:30pm slots.

Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast network, announced the addition of two classic sitcoms to the network's lineup. Coach and Gimme a Break! will join Antenna TV beginning January 2, 2018. Coach, starring Craig T. Nelson as college football head coach Hayden Fox, will air weekdays at 11pm ET and weekends at 4:30pm ET. Gimme a Break!, starring Nell Carter as Nell Harper, the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters, will air weekdays at 4pm ET and Sundays at 7:30am and 3:30pm ET. Antenna TV, which airs in 131 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 86% of TV households, continues to aggressively invest in programming acquisitions. Earlier this year, Antenna TV added Welcome Back, Kotter, with Alice, Benson, Soap, Growing Pains, Silver Spoons, Head of the Class, Murphy Brown and The Hogan Family being added to its 2018 lineup. All join the lineup beginning Monday, January 2. In addition, The Jack Benny Program and McHale's Navy are returning to the schedule. With all these additions and returning series, the following shows will be off the line-up: Newhart, Dear John, The Patty Duke Show, Green Acres, The Jeffersons, All in the Family, One Day at a Time, Gidget, The Flying Nun, It's About Time, Good Times, Sanford & Son, The Addams Family and The Monkees.

Coach will launch with a New Year's Day marathon, as more info on that is to come. The new weekday schedule beginning Jan. 2 is all about similar pairings. Alice airs weekdays at 1pm and paired with Maude. Head of the Class is being paired with Welcome Back Kotter from 2-3pm, Gimme a Break! being paired with Webster, The Hogan Family being paired with Mr. Belvedere, Silver Spoons with My Two Dads, while Growing Pains and Family Ties join forces. In primetime, Three's Company and Soap are paired, while Benson and Wings follow. Murphy Brown airs at 10pm leading into Becker. And Coach at 11pm leading into Johnny Carson's new timeslot of 11:30pm, head-to-head vs. all the late night shows now (watch out ABC, NBC and CBS!). View the full Antenna TV January 2018 schedule with all of these new additions!

Put on those Rose-colored glasses and prepare to laugh through the winter blues with two scripted comedies on Pop that prove (dysfunctional) families rule. Starting Jan. 24, 2018, Wednesday nights on Pop will feature back-to-back comedies, including the critically acclaimed fan favorite Schitt's Creek at 8:00 and 11:00 PM, ET/PT, followed by the original series premiere of Let's Get Physical at 8:30 and 11:30 PM, ET/PT. Pop's Wednesday night comedies boast Emmy(R) Award-winning talent and all-star casts, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy returning as the Rose family in season four of Schitt's Creek, and Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers), Matt Jones (Breaking Bad), Chris Diamantopoulos (Episodes) and AnnaLynne McCord (90210) in the new Let's Get Physical.

As season four of Schitt's Creek begins, it seems the Roses have somewhat adjusted to the simple life in Schitt's Creek, the town that was once a thorn in their side. The family continues to lay down roots in pursuit of love, business and higher education. But of course, what would life for the Roses be without a little self-inflicted crazy? Series co-creators Eugene and Daniel Levy continue as executive producers. Let's Get Physical is a modern-day comedy capturing the zeitgeist of 1980s aerobics. The series revolves around middle-aged slacker Joe Force (Matt Jones), who makes a reluctant comeback in the fitness industry after his dad, the "Godfather of Aerobics," unexpectedly passes away and wills Joe the broke-down family gym with eccentric provisions attached to get his actual fortune and estate. Janet Force (Jane Seymour) is Joe's mom, who takes the reins of the family business in order to maintain their legacy and uses information and manipulation to guarantee that things go her way. Upon coming home, Joe faces his rival, Barry Cross (Chris Diamantopoulos), and his teenage love, Claudia (AnnaLynne McCord), who is now Barry's wife.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we're hearing about yet another popular series that is getting the boot after sexual harassment allegations against the star, some newly colorized episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Who to Follow: Fred Willard (Twitter)

Claim to Fame: Fred Willard has been appearing on TV for over five decades, appearing in countless sitcoms. The list is too long to even mention. But his first starring role came in the syndicated series Fernwood 2 Night, as well as the continuation series America 2 Night. After that, he went on to D.C. Follies, which arrives on DVD on Tuesday. He has done numerous other things since then, including Roseanne and Modern Family, but with 301 acting credits (and counting), it's hard to talk about each individual one.
Pick of the Tweets: "Thanks for all the laughs, Jerry. (pic)" (August 20, 2017)

Spend the holidays with your favorite sitcom stars as Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast broadcast network airing in 131 TV markets across the US, reaching 86% of TV households, airs holiday episodes and themed marathons throughout the season. Each Saturday night in December (Dec. 2, 9 and 16) leading up to Christmas weekend, Antenna TV presents "Merry & Bright Saturday Night," a primetime block of holiday-themed episodes featuring old favorites and new Antenna TV shows from 7-10pm ET. Along with classic Christmas episodes from All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons and Welcome Back, Kotter, viewers will get a sneak peek at some of the funny and bright new shows coming to Antenna TV in 2018, including holiday episodes from Alice, Growing Pains, The Hogan Family, Head of the Class and Murphy Brown.

Then from Dec. 23-25, snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa and your TV remote, Antenna TV is bringing you three full days of classic TV shows celebrating the holiday season. It all starts at 1pm [ET] on Saturday, December 23 with "Christmas Through the Years," where you can see a holiday episode from Antenna TV's library of shows in chronological order from 1954 to 2002. Then at 2:30pm [ET] on Sunday, December 24 and continuing through Christmas Day, viewers can watch a "Classic Christmas Collection," featuring many more of Antenna TV's classic holiday episodes. Included in the collection will be the 1951 film classic, A Christmas Carol, 12am ET and the overnight television tradition of the Yule Log, 5am ET which features a crackling fireplace and soothing Christmas music. Make Antenna TV your home for the holidays! Stay with us VERY soon for the January 2018 schedule!

Two series are coming back to HBO this winter. The HBO comedy series Divorce and Crashing will return with back-to-back season premieres Sunday, Jan. 14, starting at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Divorce, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, kicks off its eight-episode season Sunday, Jan. 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Season two finds Frances (Parker) and her ex-husband, Robert (Thomas Haden Church), dealing with the aftermath of their explosive separation and learning to rebuild their lives. The show also stars Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam, Tracy Letts, Sterling Jerins and Charlie Kilgore. The series was created by Sharon Horgan; season two is executive produced by Jenny Bicks, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson, Sharon Horgan and Aaron Kaplan. Jenny Bicks serves as showrunner.

Crashing, created by and starring Pete Holmes, returns for its eight-episode second season Sunday, Jan. 14 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. Feeling lost in the universe, Pete (Holmes) has an enlightening conversation with an atheist, which sends him into a night of New York debauchery. This marks the beginning of a new season in which Pete starts to question his faith and find his voice. The series is executive produced by Pete Holmes, Judd Apatow and Judah Miller; co-executive producer, Igor Srubshchik; supervising producer, Oren Brimer; producers, Josh Church and Dave Rath.

Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast network, announced the addition of nine classic series to the network's lineup. Antenna TV, which airs in 132 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 88% of TV households, continues to aggressively invest in programming acquisitions and will be adding Welcome Back, Kotter (as we recently mentioned), Alice, Benson, Soap, Growing Pains, Silver Spoons, Head of the Class, Murphy Brown and The Hogan Family to its lineup beginning in fourth quarter of 2017. Yes, Benson, Soap and Silver Spoons are new announcements, as the others were announced a while back. Still no exact premiere dates and times yet for these 9 series, as they will be rolled out between September and December. Stay with us for continued updates!

MeTV will honor the life and legacy of actor Martin Landau by presenting his performances in 11 different timeless and memorable television series, including a special airing of his signature series Mission: Impossible. MeTV will broadcast 11 hours of TV shows featuring his performances. The tribute "MeTV Remembers Martin Landau" begins this Saturday, July 22, at 10:00am ET/PT with his appearance in an episode of Maverick. A tribute presentation of Mission: Impossible will air at Midnight ET/PT. The event concludes with Outer Limits at 2:00am ET/PT on Sunday, July 23. All shows air in their regularly scheduled time periods, except Mission: Impossible, which is a one-time presentation.

Meanwhile, DECADES Network remembers actor Martin Landau in his iconic role as Rollin Hand on Mission: Impossible this week on the "DECADES Weekend Binge." As a tribute to the great talent that was Martin Landau, DECADES will air back-to-back episodes of the classic Mission: Impossible television series starting with the original pilot at 1:00pm ET/PT on Saturday, July 22, continuing all day Sunday, July 23, and concluding at 6:30am ET/PT on Monday, July 24.

We hinted that Antenna TV was going to add a bunch of shows and even named a few, now the announcement is here for most! Antenna TV, Tribune Broadcasting's multicast network continues to invest in programming and will add nine new programs to its schedule in 2017. Antenna TV currently airs in 131 TV markets across the U.S. reaching 87% of TV households. In January 2017, Becker, What's Happening!! and My Two Dads will begin their run on Antenna TV, while Alice, Growing Pains, 227, The Hogan Family, Head of the Class and Murphy Brown will join the network during the year. In 2016, Antenna TV brought Johnny Carson back to late night with a 60-minute classic Carson episodes airing weeknights and a 90-minute episode on weekends, marking the first time Carson is airing in strip since he signed off in 1992. This year, the network also added Webster, Wings and The Addams Family, which launched on September 12.

Alice, Murphy Brown, Growing Pains, Head of the Class, and The Hogan Family join Antenna TV from Warner Bros., Becker joins from CBS, 227, My Two Dads and What's Happening!! join the network from Sony.

TeleXitos, the first-of-its-kind multicast channel for Spanish-language viewers that seek action adventure en Español, announced the network has the rights to air the iconic 1960's television series, Batman, in Spanish. Viewers in the United States will now be able to watch the 120-episode series in Spanish and without subtitles. TeleXitos will kick-off the Batman series premiere with a weekend marathon that will begin on Saturday, September 17 at 1 PM ET / 12 CT. To view a promo of the series in Spanish, click here. Batman, the 1960's television show that was based on DC Comics characters, first aired in the United States on January 12, 1966 on ABC. The fan-favorite series that featured the caped crusader duo, Bruce Wayne as Batman and Dick Grayson as Robin, alongside a cast of supervillains including the Joker, the Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman among others, took the country by storm and spurred a "Batmania" phenomenon. To date, Batman and its legendary onomatopoeia graphics, remains a beloved classic.

To commemorate TeleXitos' debut of Batman and celebrate DC Comics' "Batman Day 2016" on September 17, the network will also offer viewers an opportunity to access special Batman-themed trivia in Spanish on its digital and social media platforms. Viewers can visit TeleXitos.com, as well as the network;s Facebook page at Facebook.com/TeleXitos or its Twitter page at @TeleXitos and use the hashtag #BatmanEnTeleXitos, to access the specially-curated digital content and keep up with the network's Batman debut.