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.

Actress Erin Moran, who was best known as Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days, has died. She died on April 22 in Corydon, Indiana. The Harrison County (Indiana) Sheriff's Department and medical examiner said in a statement that she likely succumbed to complications of Stage 4 cancer. Ms. Moran was 56.

Moran's first television starring role was as Jenny Jones in the final season (1968-1969) of the CBS adventure series Daktari. She was a seven-year-old orphan who became part of the Tracy household. The series starred Marshall Thompson, Cheryl Miller, Yale Summers (1966-1968), Hedley Mattingly, Hari Rhodes and Ross Hagen (1968-1969).

Some of her early sitcom guest appearances included The Courtship of Eddie's Father, My Three Sons and Family Affair. Her early drama guest appearances included Death Valley Days, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, The Smith Family, Bearcats!, Gunsmoke, The F.B.I. and The Waltons.

Her first sitcom starring role was as Janie Robinson in the short-lived 1972 CBS sitcom The Don Rickles Show. She played the daughter of Don Robinson (Don Rickles) and Barbara Robinson (Louise Sorel). The series also starred Robert Hogan, Judy Cassmore, Joyce Van Patten and Barry Gordon.

She was cast at the age of 13 in 1974 to play Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days. Joanie was the daughter of Howard (Tom Bosley) and Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross), and the younger sister of Chuck (Gavan O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts) and Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard). Fonzie (Henry Winkler) affectionately called her "Shortcake." She was the girlfriend and eventual wife of Charles "Chachi" Arcola (Scott Baio). The popular series ran for 11 seasons and 255 episodes from 1974-1984. It also starred Anson Williams (1974-1983), Donny Most (1974-1980), Pat Morita (1975-1976, 1982-1983), Al Molinaro (1976-1982), Lynda Goodfriend (1977-1982), Cathy Silvers (1980-1983) and Ted McGinley (1980-1984). Moran returned for the Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion in 2005 on ABC.

ABC decided to spin-off Joanie and Chachi into their own series in 1982. Joanie Loves Chachi aired for two seasons (1982, 1982-1983) and 17 episodes before Moran and Baio returned to Happy Days. It starred Al Molinaro, Ellen Travolta, Art Metrano, Robert Pierce, Derrel Maury and Winifred Freedman.

Some of her later television guest appearances included Hotel, Glitter, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2008, she appeared as a contestant on the VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club. She appeared on many game shows, including The Hollywood Squares, Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour, Weakest Link, Hollywood Squares, Pyramid and The Singing Bee.

She made her feature-film debut in 1968 in How Sweet It Is! with Debbie Reynolds. Some of her other film credits included 80 Steps to Jonah, Watermelon Man, Galaxy of Terror, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Broken Promise and Not Another B Movie. Her TV movie credits included Stanley vs. The System, Lisa, Bright and Dark and 1981's Twirl with Lisa Whelchel.

Ms. Moran had fallen on some hard times in recent years. We like to remember her in her happier days. She lit up our TV screens with her smile and brought us many laughs for 11 seasons as Joanie "Shortcake" Cunningham. Other cast members may have been more popular and received more acclaim, but she was a big part of the Happy Days family and the show's success. We lost her far too soon. She will be deeply missed.

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

Stay with us for news on any planned tributes.

Great News - Tuesdays at 9:00PM & 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 9:00PM ET/PT

by Vincent

Great News is a new sitcom centering around Katie Wendelson, a smart, ambitious news producer at national cable news show The Breakdown. After 30 years of being a stay-at-home mom, her mom Carol decides that it's never too late to follow your dreams and lands an internship at her daughter's news show. This is Katie's worst nightmare, until she comes to realize that with her biggest cheerleader at her side, she and her mom both might just make it after all.

Cast Details:

Briga Heelan as Katie Wendelson
Andrea Martin as Carol Wendelson
John Michael Higgins as Chuck Pierce
Nicole Richie as Portia Scotch-Griffith
Adam Campbell as Greg
Horatio Sanz as Justin

Briga Heelan (Katie) is an actress known for her lead role on the TBS sitcom Ground Floor and for recurring/guest roles on shows such as Cougar Town, Happy Endings, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Love.

Andrea Martin (Carol) is an actress and comedian best known for her role on the sketch comedy series SCTV. She has also appeared in a vast amount of other movies and TV series, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock and Different People, and has provided voices for shows such as Rugrats, Spongebob Squarepants and The Simpsons.

John Michael Higgins (Chuck) is an actor known for his leading role on the TV Land series Happily Divorced and as a voice actor on the animated series The Legend of Korra, and has also appeared in guest roles in TV shows over the years, including Community, Glee, Psych and The Good Wife.

Nicole Richie (Portia) is an actress and TV personality best known for her popular reality television series The Simple Life opposite Paris Hilton. She has also appeared as an actress in shows such as Chuck, The New Normal and Empire.

Adam Campbell (Greg) is an actor best known for his recurring role on the Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as appearances on shows such as NCIS, Parenthood and 2 Broke Girls.

Horatio Sanz (Justin) is a comedian and actor best known as a long-running cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. He has also appeared in various other TV series and films, including Year One, Modern Family, Love, Parks and Recreation and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs Tuesday, April 25 at 9:00PM ET)

Katie (Briga Heelan), a frustrated cable news producer, is horrified when her mom, Carol (Andrea Martin), gets an internship at The Breakdown. Despite Katie's best efforts, Carol is instantly beloved by the entire office, including blowhard veteran anchor Chuck (John Michael Higgins). But when Katie hits a roadblock while producing a big story, she realizes that maybe having a mom at work isn't such a bad thing.

"Bear Attack" (Airs Tuesday, April 25 at 9:30PM ET)

Katie (Briga Heelan) tries to set workplace boundaries with Carol (Andrea Martin), but when a big story about an escaped bear lands in her lap, her mom can't help but meddle. Meanwhile, Greg (Adam Campbell) tries to get Chuck (John Michael Higgins) and Portia (Nicole Richie) to do a little friendly banter at the end of the show.

Analysis:

Great News is the latest Tina Fey-produced sitcom to hit the airwaves. While Fey isn't the day-to-day showrunner on Great News as she was with 30 Rock and is with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (that goes to Tracey Wigfield, a long-time 30 Rock writer who created and executive produces the series) the show still boasts her touch and feels very much in line with those two shows in terms of humor and character writing. It's a quick, snappy series with silly, over-the-top characters and a lot of subtle punchlines mixed with broader comic setpieces. While 30 Rock's primary focus was satirizing the entertainment industry and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's mission statement is to bring light-hearted laughs to sensitive subject material, Great News seems to focus a bit more on parental relationships and generational divide, with the heart of the series being the mother/daughter relationship between Katie and Carol, mixed with some fun hijinks from the news staff to keep the show's engine and joke machine going. The Katie/Carol relationship is well-developed and surprisingly complex, and is also aided by strong performances by Heelan and Martin. Frankly, Martin's Carol is the most fascinating character on the show – she's one of those characters that's so funny and interesting that a character having a scene with her makes that character funnier and interesting, and a big part of that is in Martin's excellent performance.

The rest of the show isn't quite on that level, but it's getting there. The office/newsroom hijinks are probably the weakest aspect of the show, and they don't have the same grounding that the more familial material does. Still, everyone in the cast is committed, and there are occasional glimmers of interesting material with dynamics such as Chuck's old-time newscaster style being at odds with Portia's ultra-millennial approach, which ties in nicely to the generational differences that set the groundwork for the Katie/Carol materials. Early episodes rely a bit too much on "old-timer" and "millennial" stereotypes, but later episodes begin to find the humans underneath those archetypes, and the show is better for it. The show could also stand to define Katie a bit more than what she is to her mother and her workplace – she's great in scenes where she's bouncing off of Carol or Greg, but we don’t have much reason to root for her other than the fact that she's the protagonist. Still, Great News is on the path to figuring itself out, and given the creative team and the potential the show already has, I could certainly see this going from good to...well, great fairly soon.

Conclusion:

Great News is a very solid and reliably funny new sitcom that has already found an excellent sitcom character in Andrea Martin's Carol. The rest of the show still has some work to do to catch up to Martin's level, but there is enough promise in both the cast and the writing that it seems fair to reason that it's up to the task. With one already great characters and a few others with potential to be great, combined with writing that's already assured, confident and genuinely hilarious at times, Great News shows a lot of signs of being a potentially great comedy if it can find a bit more of a unique angle with its workplace scenes.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 9:00PM & 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Great News Photo Gallery

Preview:

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got news about new (as in brand new to everybody) series on amazon.com, more on even more series in development, news of new In the Heat of the Night DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• It seems very rare that we hear about a big surprise release of a lesser known classic TV series from one of the major studios, but CBS did just that this week with their announcement of Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series. Every single episode of the Happy Days spinoff will be available on DVD on February 4.
• Joanie Loves Chachi isn't the only Happy Days spinoff headed to DVD on February 4. On the same date, fans will also see more of a well-known Happy Days spinoff with Laverne & Shirley - The Seventh Season.
• TGG has been releasing a lot of episodes of the series In the Heat of the Night on DVD in various forms, and now after releasing the first season, a "best of" release from seasons 2-7, and the eighth season (in that order), they are now skipping around yet again to release In the Heat of the Night - Season 4 and In the Heat of the Night - Season 5. However, neither of these are complete seasons, as season four will be missing two episodes and season five will be missing three episodes (both due to clearance reasons, likely involving music). Still, the releases are better than nothing.

Who to Follow: Alfonso Ribeiro (Twitter), "Actor, Director, Host, & Singer."

Claim to Fame: Alfonso Ribeiro's "breakout" role in which Americans were first introduced to him came in the form of dancing, a skill which eventually landed him in a famous Pepsi commercial with Michael Jackson, but his first exposure to sitcom fans came in 1984 when he was cast as Alfonso Spears in the NBC (and later syndicated) sitcom Silver Spoons. After that series ended, he didn't do a whole lot for three years, until 1990 when he gained what has become his most iconic acting role, playing Carlton Banks on the NBC series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Lately, he has become known as a game show host, hosting Catch 21 on GSN and Spell-Mageddon on ABC Family, and recently became a father (again) to Alfonso Jr.

Pick of the Tweets: "First shoot day on Let's Stay Together. And off to a good start. Gonna work with my Fresh Prince mom Daphne Maxwell-Reid. Good old days." (April 4, 2013)