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Remembering the Legendary Ed Asner of The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Cobra Kai Season 5 Ordered Before Season 4 Premiere

Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, who was best known for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series Lou Grant, has died. He died of natural causes at his home in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 29. Mr. Asner was 91.

Asner made his television debut on Studio One in 1957. Some of his early television guest appearances included Route 66, Naked City, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Untouchables, Dr. Kildare, The Outer Limits, The Defenders, Mr. Novak, Slattery's People, Profiles in Courage, Gunsmoke, The Fugitive, The Invaders, Judd for the Defense, The F.B.I., Ironside, The Name of the Game, Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-0, Police Story and Insight. His early sitcom guest appearances included The Farmer's Daughter, Please Don't Eat the Daisies and Here Come the Brides.

He starred as Lou Grant on the 1970-1977 CBS sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which ran for 7 seasons and 168 episodes. Lou Grant was the tough but lovable boss of Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore). He was the producer (later executive producer) of WJM-TV's Six O'Clock News in Minneapolis. Asner won the award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy three times in 1971, 1972 and 1975. He won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actor – Television in 1972 and 1976. Asner appeared in the 1974 episode of Rhoda titled "Rhoda's Wedding." The Mary Tyler Moore Show also starred Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Valerie Harper (1970-1974), Cloris Leachman (1970-1975), Georgia Engel (1972-1977) and Betty White (1973-1977).

Asner continued to play the Lou Grant character on the 1977-1982 CBS newspaper drama Lou Grant. The spin-off series ran for 5 seasons and 114 episodes. Lou Grant works as city editor of the fictional Los Angeles Tribune daily newspaper called the Los Angeles Tribune, a job he takes after being fired from WJM-TV in Minneapolis at the end The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Asner received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1978 and 1980. He became the first person to win an Emmy Award for both Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for portraying the same character. He won two Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1977 and 1979. Asner later appeared as Lou Grant on Roseanne in 1996.

He starred as Sam Waltman on the short-lived 1985 ABC sitcom Off the Rack. Sam Waltman was the gruff co-owner of a Los Angeles (New York in the pilot episode) garment factory. The series also starred Eileen Brennan, Pamela Brull, Claudia Wells, Cory Yothers, Dennis Haysbert and Sandy Simpson.

Asner had a recurring role as George Lahti in 12 episodes of the first season (1992-1993) of the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire. George Lahti was the cantankerous father of Georgie Anne Lahti (Markie Post). The first season cast included John Ritter, Justin Burnette, Clark Duke, Billy Bob Thornton, Wendie Jo Sperber, Doren Fein, Beth Broderick, George Gaynes, Beah Richards and Adam Carl.

He played Gil Jones on the 1994-1995 ABC sitcom Thunder Alley. Gil Jones was a retired stock car driver who operated Thunder Alley, a specialty racing garage in Detroit. The series also starred Diane Venora (Season 1), Robin Riker (Season 2), Kelly Vint, Lindsay Felton, Haley Joel Osment, Jim Beaver and Ritch Brinkley (Season 1).

Asner appeared as Marshall "Old Man" Russell on the short-lived 1998 Fox sitcom Ask Harriet. Russell was the owner of the New York Dispatch. The series also starred Anthony Tyler Quinn, Willie Garson, Patrick Y. Malone, Lisa Waltz, Julie Benz, Jamie Renée Smith and Damien Leake.

He starred as Carl "Dobbs" Dobson on the short-lived 1998 CBS sitcom The Closer. Carl was the crusty saracastic creative director of an advertising agency. The series also starred Tom Selleck, Penelope Ann Miller, David Krumholtz, Hedy Burress and Beverly Andolini.

Asner starred as Art Barnett on the short-lived 2004-2005 CBS sitcom Center of the Universe. Art Barnett was the combative father of John Barnett (John Goodman). He was married to Marge (Olympia Dukakis). The series also starred Jean Smart, Diedrich Bader, Melinda McGraw and Spencer Breslin.

He starred as Hank Greziak on the short-lived 2011 CMT sitcom Working Class. Hank Greziak was the father of single mom Carli Mitchell (Melissa Peterman). The series also starred Steve Kazee, Patrick Fabian, Lachlan Buchanan, Courtney Merritt and Cameron Castaneda.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included D.C. Follies, Dinosaurs (voice), Mad About You (3 episodes), Soul Man, Maggie Winters, Arli$$, Dharma & Greg, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Ellen Show, Andy Barker, P.I., The Sarah Silverman Program, The Middle, Hot in Cleveland, The Crazy Ones, Men at Work, Mom, Dead to Me (5 episodes), Modern Family and Grace and Frankie (2 episodes).

Asner starred as Principal Joe Danzig in the 1987-1988 NBC drama The Bronx Zoo. He played Walter Kovacs on the second season of the CBS legal drama The Trials of Rosie O'Neill from 1991 to 1992. He had a recurring role as Wilson White in six episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Some of his other drama guest appearances included Highway to Heaven, The Practice, The X-Files, Touched by an Angel, ER, The Dead Zone, The Line, CSI: NY, Royal Pains, Hawaii Five-0 (2012), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Glades, Chasing Life, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, Forgive Me, Bones, Cobra Kai, MacGyver (2018) and Blue Bloods.

Asner was also known for his extensive voice work. Some of his voice credits included Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Fish Police, Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles, Spider-Man, The Boondocks, Freakazoid, The New Adventures of Zorro, Superman: The Animated Series, The Simpsons, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. He was the voice of Carl Fredricksen in the 2009 Pixar animated film Up.

He won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for his role as Axel Jordache in the 1976 ABC miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. His other Emmy Award was for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series for his role as Capt. Thomas Davies in the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots.

Asner played John Wayne's adversary Bart Jason in the 1966 Western film El Dorado. He played Santa Claus in the 2003 film Elf.

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on June 2, 2010.

Mr. Asner was a true TV legend. His seven Primetime Emmy Awards are the most of any male actor. He was wonderful as Lou Grant for 12 seasons on both series. His character was gruff but lovable. The role won him five Emmy Awards. He was a talented and versatile actor. We thank him for the many laughs and the entertainment he brought us during his legendary career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our The Mary Tyler Moore Show message board. View photos on in our galleries.

Netflix has renewed Cobra Kai, the series continuation of the iconic The Karate Kid film franchise, for a fifth season with production set to start in Atlanta this fall. Produced by Sony Pictures Television, Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment. Will Smith, James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett executive produce for Westbrook Entertainment along with Susan Ekins. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka also serve as executive producers. The first three seasons of Sony Pictures Television's Cobra Kai are now streaming with Season 4 premiering in December 2021. Cobra Kai takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka).

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:30 PM

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Labels: Cobra Kai, Hearts Afire, Lou Grant, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Netflix, Obits

SitcomsOnline Digest: Danny Masterson Fired From Netflix Series The Ranch; Disney/Fox Merger a Step Closer?

• Sexual harassment allegations have yet again resulted in another person being fired from another series this week, and this week, Danny Masterson is out from the Netflix series The Ranch. (CBS News)
• It looks like the on-again/off-again flirting that Disney has been doing to try to acquire much of 21st Century Fox is on-again, and we could be hearing something definitive within the next few days, and Deadline has a complete breakdown of what all of this may mean. (Deadline)
• Few details are known so far, but Alec Baldwin could be getting some sort of talk show on ABC. (Entertainment Weekly)
• The nominees are in for the WGA Awards, and broadcast TV was snubbed big time. (Deadline)
• The TV One morning news program NewsOne Now is coming to an end (at least temporarily) while the series retools in an effort to get a larger audience. (Variety)
• The Nanny is getting a new home on COZI. (SitcomsOnline)

• Shout! Factory is getting back on track with a pair of releases of series that seemed to be abandoned, including Peyton Place - Part Three and Lou Grant - The Final Season, both set for a March release.

• Fuller House - The Complete Second Season (DVD, $24.98): The Tanner family returns for more in the second season of this series on DVD.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 2:30 PM

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Labels: Lou Grant, Peyton Place, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Ranch, TV One, WGA

SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Orders Pilot for Sitcom Starring Carol Burnett; Lou Grant to Wrap Up on DVD

• ABC has ordered a pilot for Household Name, a sitcom that would star Carol Burnett and has a little bit of a similar idea to Hot in Cleveland. (TVLine)
• James Burrows isn't any closer to retirement, as he will be directing an upcoming pilot for NBC, and another one for CBS. (Deadline)
• The Big Bang Theory remains a powerful and dominant force on the CBS lineup, but every show has a bad day, and this week, the ratings for the latest episode (though still better than anything else it was competing against) hit a low not seen since the first season. (Hollywood Reporter)
• The ratings decline for The Big Bang Theory, however, probably isn't worth worrying about, as it is close to receiving a renewal for two more seasons. (Variety)
• Netflix has set May 19 as the date for the premiere of the third season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. (Deadline)
• Three's Company is turning 40 years old next month, and Antenna TV is ready to celebrate. (SitcomsOnline)

• We're honestly a little surprised to see that it is being completed on DVD before Rhoda (which has been stalled with no sign that the final season will ever be released), but Shout! Factory will be finishing up another successful spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with Lou Grant - The Final Season on May 9.

• Grace and Frankie - Season Two (DVD, $29.98): The Netflix series returns to DVD in this release.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:30 PM

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Labels: Carol Burnett, Lou Grant, SitcomsOnline Digest, The Big Bang Theory, Three's Company, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

SitcomsOnline Digest: Potential Will & Grace Limited Revival on NBC?; New DVDs for The Middle and Lou Grant

• If it seems like a very odd show to revive, that is because it is, but NBC is looking at potentially bringing back Will & Grace for a limited 10 episode run. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Raven-Symone announced she was leaving The View this week, but she has a pretty good reason for leaving, as it seems she will be going back to her That's So Raven roots with a sequel to that series on The Disney Channel. (Deadline)
• In case you want to go ahead and skip past Halloween and Thanksgiving, Hallmark has already started their nonstop Christmas movies , which will last into the new year. (Yahoo! TV)
• While he'll be spending the actual evening of Election Day on Showtime, Stephen Colbert is going to be live on CBS both the night before and the night after. (Deadline)
• Even though this year's live winter musical Hairspray Live! isn't airing for over another month, NBC is continuing their tradition by already preparing for their winter musical for next year, with a version of Bye Bye Birdie starring Jennifer Lopez. (Playbill) 
• Sundance is bringing some classic TV favorites to their lineup. (SitcomsOnline) 

• The IT Crowd - The Complete Series (DVD, $59.98): The British comedy, which has tried to inspire an American counterpart and failed (although it is reportedly being looked into again), arrives in one box set in this release from MPI.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 3:30 PM

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Labels: Lou Grant, SitcomsOnline Digest, That's So Raven, The Middle, Will & Grace

SitcomsOnline Digest: Nathan Fillion to Recurring Role on Modern Family; Logo Adds Silver Spoons and More

• Nathan Fillion may not have a Castle to call his home in the fall, but he will be appearing in a recurring role on Modern Family. (Hollywood Reporter) 
• Logo, the LGBT-themed network that has somehow evolved into a network that airs sitcoms all day with an occasional airing of RuPaul's Drag Race, has added a sitcom that hasn't been seen in years this week: Silver Spoons. (SitcomsOnline)
• David Huddleston is best known for his role in the movie The Big Lebowski, but he also appeared in several TV series including guest roles in Bewitched and playing the recurring role of Grandpa Arnold on The Wonder Years. He died this week at age 85. (LA Times) 
• A&E is developing a marijuana-themed family crime drama, which may sound familiar to at least other series that has aired on another network in the past decade. (Deadline)
• ABC decided to make game shows a big part of their summer lineup this year, and it seems that it brought in the viewers, as new seasons were announced for four of them. (SitcomsOnline) 

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Shout! Factory is proving that they are committed to Lou Grant by already announcing the release of the third season of the series.

TUESDAY (AUGUST 9) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• Maude - The Complete Final Season (DVD, $26.99): The sixth and final season of the All in the Family spinoff starring Bea Arthur arrives in this release.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 2:00 PM

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Labels: Logo, Lou Grant, Modern Family, SitcomsOnline Digest, Wonder Years

SitcomsOnline Digest: Sketch Comedy Returning to Fox Saturday Nights; Pair of MacGyver Reboots in the Works; New Shout! Factory May Releases

• Fox is bringing sketch comedy back to Saturday nights next month with Party Over Here, which comes from The Lonely Island (best known for their Saturday Night Live fame). However, the series will only air for a half hour at 11:00 PM, to avoid going head-to-head with Saturday Night Live (which has a lot to do with the fact that The Lonely Island, which included Andy Samberg, owe their career to Saturday Night Live and wouldn't feel right becoming the competition). (Hollywood Reporter)
• MacGyver is set to get two reboots, one in the form of a potential new series on CBS and the other in the form of a theatrical release. (/FILM)
• Netflix is going big on what is perhaps their biggest series, Orange is the New Black, by sentencing it to three more seasons, not including the fourth season that begins in July. (CNNMoney)
• Joe Alaskey, known for playing many cartoon voices (including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in recent years), died this week. (CNN)
• ASPiRE has added the sitcom Room 222 to their lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Shout! Factory made a very surprising announcement this week, by announcing that they will be releasing Cop Rock on DVD. Cop Rock - The Complete Series is due to arrive on May 17.
• That wasn't the only surprise announcement this week. The other surprise announcement from Shout! Factory this week was the spinoff of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant. Lou Grant - The Complete First Season will arrive on May 3.
• Finally, Shout! has announced one other release that is much less of a surprise (but it is a continuation of a series that hasn't seen a release in a while), with Newhart - The Complete Fifth Season on May 10.

TUESDAY (FEBRUARY 9) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

• The Carol Burnett Show - Treasures From the Vault (DVD, $59.95): Available as a retail release for the first time, this six disc set brings 15 classic episodes from the earlier years of The Carol Burnett Show to DVD. Also available (with fewer episodes) in a three disc and single disc configuration.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 3:00 PM

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Labels: Cop Rock, Lou Grant, MacGyver, Newhart, Party Over Here, SitcomsOnline Digest