SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

HBO Max Orders Comedy Series The People v. Gorilla Grodd; Remembering Shelley Fabares of The Donna Reed Show and Coach

HBO Max has given an eight-episode, straight-to-series order for a new half-hour comedy The People v. Gorilla Grodd from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television. The Max Original comedy stars Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd, and Superman actors Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. The series also stars Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Dan Perrault, Andrew Leeds, and Tim Baltz. Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault will serve as showrunners, writers, and executive producers with Yacenda set to direct all episodes. James Gunn and Peter Safran also serve as executive producers.

In the series, a superintelligent ape is convicted of murdering his father, the King of Gorilla City. In an eight-part "true" crime docuseries, the Daily Planet's Jimmy Olsen reopens the case, investigating whether Gorilla Grodd was wrongly convicted in one of Metropolis' most famous murder trials.

Actress and singer Shelley Fabares, who starred as Mary Stone in The Donna Reed Show and as Christine Armstrong in Coach, has died. She died on August 22 in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia. Ms. Fabares was 82.

Fabares starred as Mary Stone in the 1958-1966 ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show. The series starred Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-starred as her husband, pediatrician Dr. Alex Stone, with Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary and Jeff. Fabares left the series in season 5 in 1963 to pursue other acting opportunities. She returned seven times as guest star in seasons 6-8. In 1994, she was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for her role as Mary Stone.

She starred as Dr. Anne Jamison in the 1972-1974 NBC sitcom The Brian Keith Show (titled The Little People during its first season). Brian Keith plays Dr. Sean Jamison, a pediatrician running a free clinic for children in Hawaii. Dr. Anne Jamison works alongside her father. The cast also included Victoria Young, Sean Tyler Hall, Moe Keale, Michael Gray (1972-1973), Steven Hague (1972-1973), Roger Bowen (1973-1974) and Nancy Kulp (1973-1974).

Fabares starred as Jenny Bedford in the 1976-1977 NBC sitcom The Practice. The series stars Danny Thomas as Dr. Jules Bedford. Dr. David Bedford (David Spielberg) is his son. Jenny is David's wife. They are the parents of two young boys, Paul and Tony. The cast inclded Dena Dietrich, Didi Conn, Allen Price, Damon Raskin, John Byner (season 1), Sam Laws and Mike Evans (season 2).

She starred as Helen Blacke in the short-lived 1979 NBC sitcom Highcliffe Manor. Helen Blacke is the owner of the mansion that was home to the Blacke Foundation, a scientific research institute with a houseful of sinister characters. It also starred Stephen McHattie, Eugenie Ross-Leming, Gerald Gordon, Audrey Landers, Jenny O'Hara, Christian Marlowe, David Byrd, Luis Avalos, Ernie Hudson and Harold Sakata.

Fabares appeared as Francine Webster in 38 episodes of the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time from 1978 to 1974. Francine Webster is Ann Romano's (Bonnie Franklin) rival co-worker who eventually becomes her advertising business partner. She first guest starred in a season 3 episode in 1978. She had a recurring role in season 7 before becoming a series regular in seasons 8 and 9.

She starred as Christine Armstrong in the 1989-1997 ABC sitcom Coach. The series, created by Barry Kemp, stars Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional NCAA Division I-A Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles football team. Christine Armstrong is a sharp, successful television news anchor. She is Hayden's girlfriend and later wife. For her work, Fabares was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1993 and 1994. The cast also included Jerry Van Dyke, Bill Fagerbakke, Kenneth Kimmins, Clare Carey (1989-1993), Kris Kamm (1989-1991), Katherine Helmond (1995-1997), and Georgia Engel (1991-1997).

In 1977, she had a regular role as Eleanor Major in 37 episodes of the syndicated soap opera Forever Fernwood. Some of her sitcom guest appearances included The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1968), Love, American Style (3 episodes), Hello, Larry (3 episodes), Mork & Mindy (3 episodes), The Love Boat (4 episodes), Newhart and A Whole New Ballgame.

She appeared as Moselle Corey in 15 episodes of Walt Disney Presents: Annette in 1958. Some of her other television guest appearances included The Loretta Young Show (2 episodes), Mr. Novak (2 episodes), The Twilight Zone, Daniel Boone, Lancer, Mannix, McCloud, Police Story, Ironside, The Rockford Files, The Rookies, Medical Story, Medical Center, Barnaby Jones (1975), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1976), Vega$, The Incredible Hulk, Fantasy Island (5 episodes), Matt Houston and Murder, She Wrote (2 episodes). She voiced the role of Martha Kent on Superman: The Animated Series from 1996 to 2000.

In 1962, her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over one million copies and was certified gold.

Her film roles included playing the leading lady to Elvis Presley in Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966) and Clambake (1967). She starred as Ellie Walker in the 1983 CBS television film Memorial Day with Mike Farrell (who would later become her husband in 1984).

Ms. Fabares was a talented actress and singer. She was funny and memorable as Mary Stone and Christine Armstrong. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment from her many television roles. She will be deeply missed.

We also remember actor Jon Cypher. He starred as General Marcus C. Craig in Major Dad. He died at his home in Central Point, Oregon, on August 3. Mr. Cypher was 94.

Cypher starred as General Marcus C. Craig in 69 episodes (seasons 2-4) of the CBS sitcom Major Dad from 1990 to 1993. The series starred Gerald McRaney as Major John D. MacGillis and Shanna Reed as his wife Polly. At the beginning of the second season, the MacGillis family moves to Camp Hollister (based on Marine Corps Base Quantico). Brigadier General Marcus C. Craig is the spirited and commanding head of Camp Hollister. The cast included Marisa Ryan, Nicole Dubuc, Chelsea Hertford, Matt Mulhern, Marlon Archey (season 1), Whitney Kershaw (season 1) and Beverly Archer (seasons 2-4).

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Nanny and the Professor, The Doris Day Show (2 episodes), The Love Boat, House Calls, Brothers (1987), Duet, Open House, The Hogan Family and Love & War.

Cypher was best known for his role as Chief Police Fletcher Daniels in the 1981-1987 NBC police drama Hill Street Blues. In 1962, he appeared as Driscoll in 162 episodes of the NBC daytime soap opera Our Five Daughters. He appeared as Max Van Stadt in 24 episodes of General Hospital in 1981. He had a recurring role as Jeff Munson in 12 episodes of the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing from 1982 and 1983. He had a recurring role as Dirk E. Maurier in 10 episodes ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty from 1983 to 1987. He played Dr. Arthur Donnelly in 57 episodes of Santa Barbara from 1988 to 1989.

Some of his other television guest appearances included Flipper, McMillan & Wife, Mission: Impossible, Bonanza, Mannix (2 episodes), Cannon, The F.B.I., The Rookies, Marcus Welby, M.D. (4 episodes), Barnaby Jones, Bronk, Police Woman, The Rockford Files (2 episodes), The Greatest American Hero (1982), Trapper John, M.D. (2 episodes), Dallas (1982), Knight Rider, Hotel, Hunter, Tour of Duty (2 episodes), Murder, She Wrote (3 episodes), The Commish, Law & Order (2 episodes), The Invaders (2 episodes), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, JAG, Rescue 77 (2 episodes) and Walker, Texas Ranger.

Mr. Cypher was a talented and versatile actor. He had nearly 100 total acting credits spanning a prolific half-century television career. We thank him for his work on television. He will be greatly missed.

Actor Michael DeLano had a recurring role as Johnny Venture in Rhoda. He died on October 20, 2025, from a heart attack at a Las Vegas hospital. Mr. DeLano was 84.

DeLano had a recurring role as Johnny Venture in 11 episodes of the CBS sitcom Rhoda from 1976 to 1978. Johnny Venture is a Las Vegas-based lounge singer who becomes an occasional suitor/friend whom Rhoda (Valerie Harper) begrudgingly tolerates.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Soap, Detective School, Taxi, Angie, The Jeffersons, Checking In, Gimme a Break!, Private Benjamin, Down to Earth (3 episodes), Perfect Strangers and Out of This World.

He starred as Sonny Caputo in the short-lived 1974 ABC drama/adventure Firehouse. Some of his other television guest appearances included Adam-12, Banacek, Barnaby Jones, McCloud, Kojak (3 episodes), Bronk, The Rockford Files (1977), Quincy, M.E. (1978), Wonder Woman Starsky and Hutch (2 episodes), Supertrain (5 episodes), Charlie's Angels, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Flamingo Road (4 episodes), The Fall Guy (2 episodes), Magnum, P.I. (3 episodes), Hardcastle and McCormick, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The A-Team (3 episodes), Hill Street Blues (3 episodes), The New Mike Hammer (2 episodes), Hunter (2 episodes), Hardball (2 episodes in 1989-1990), Chicago Hope, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2 episodes) and Royal Pains (2 episodes).

Mr. DeLano was best known for portraying the casino manager in the films Ocean's Eleven (2001) and Ocean's Twelve (2004). He was a familiar face with over 80 television and film credits. We thank him for his work on television and in films. He will be sorely missed.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 1:00 PM

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Labels: Coach, Donna Reed Show, HBO Max, Major Dad, Obits, One Day at a Time, Rhoda, The People v. Gorilla Grodd

NBCUniversal to Launch FAST Channels, Sitcoms & More; Tracy Morgan's Max Special Debuts Aug. 17

NBCUniversal announced new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) linear content offerings from across the NBCU Television & Streaming portfolio and NBCUniversal Global Distribution library. For the first time ever, viewers can access programming across all NBCUniversal genres centered on popular titles and categories available anytime at no additional cost. Curated with content from past seasons of iconic series including Saturday Night Live, The Real Housewives franchises, Top Chef, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians, along with hit library television series including Little House on the Prairie, Murder, She Wrote and Saved by the Bell, along with genre-based sitcoms, action, crime, westerns, and monster movie content will also launch as dedicated FAST channels.

NBCUniversal has inked agreements with Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play for the entire FAST content portfolio. Xumo Enterprise, the business-to-business arm of Xumo that provides content owners, distributors and advertisers with tools and services to succeed in FAST, will power the distribution of NBCUniversal's new FAST channels on third party services starting with Amazon Freevee. With the new launches, NBCUniversal is adding to its industry leading lineup of current channels including Dateline 24/7, NBC News NOW, and Local NBC and Telemundo news stations. The new entertainment, news, sports, and Spanish Language FAST channels include: Bravo Vault, E! Keeping Up, Million Dollar Listing Vault, Oxygen True Crime Archives, Real Housewives Vault, SNL Vault, Top Chef Vault, News, Sports, Telemundo Channels, Rotten Tomatoes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bad Girls Club, Lassie, Little House on the Prairie, Murder, She Wrote, Saved by the Bell, TNBC (Punky Brewster, City Guys, Hang Time, Major Dad and more), The Lone Ranger, Universal Action (Magnum P.I., Knight Rider, The A-Team and many others), Universal Crime (Columbo, Kojak, The Rockford Files and more), Universal Westerns (The Virginian, Tales of Wells Fargo among many others), and Universal Monsters (movies). These channels join NBCUniversal’s lineup of previously announced FAST channels including NBC News NOW, TODAY All Day, Dateline 24/7, LX, NBC and Telemundo Local Stations, and Sky News International. Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming service, also has a robust FAST channels offering featuring content from across the company's portfolio.

The Max Original stand-up comedy special Tracy Morgan: Takin' It Too Far debuts Thursday, August 17 on Max. Two-time Emmy®-nominated actor and comedian Tracy Morgan (30 Rock, The Last O.G.) leaves it all on the stage in his first Max stand-up special taped live from the Wilbur Theater in Boston, Massachusetts. Grateful and hyped, the comedian owns his set and unabashedly tackling topics such as dating in his 50s (along with the unexpected side effects that comes with it), his dysfunctional family, attempting to reverse gentrification in Brooklyn, and the very public 2014 car accident that left him with multiple broken bones, a traumatic brain injury, and a substantial settlement. Executive produced by Emmy and GRAMMY® winner Rikki Hughes, Tracy Moran: Takin' It Too Far showcases a seasoned comedy veteran in his most edgy and fearless special yet.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, City Guys, Hang Time, Lassie, Little House on the Prairie, Major Dad, Max, Murder She Wrote, NBC, Punky Brewster, Saturday Night Live, Saved by the Bell

Seven Questions with Beverly Archer of Mama's Family and Major Dad, Plus a Video Message; The Munsters Halloween Marathon in New York City on WLNY

Earlier this month, we learned a valuable lesson here on our own blog: you can't always believe everything that you read on the internet. A hoax was being spread over the internet and eventually made it onto sites such as Wikipedia and IMDb claiming that actress Beverly Archer, known for her supporting roles on the sitcoms Mama's Family and Major Dad (and a long list of guest appearances on other series throughout the '80s and '90s), had died. We reported the "news," believing it to be factual. We thought, after all, that IMDb carefully verifies everything.

Fortunately, as we've already stated, it was only a hoax, and as soon as we reported it, Ms. Archer was quick to contact us to let us know that she was not only still alive, but still doing very well and enjoying life just as much today (if not more) than she was when we last saw her on TV over a decade ago. Although she is still rather young, she is now retired from the entertainment business by choice, and simply taking the time in her life to enjoy doing what she wants, which includes arts and crafts (don't worry, she is doing sculpting... not making those silly "cozies" like Iola made on Mama's Family) and travel around the world, including her most recent trip to the beautiful city of Florence in Italy.

In the midst of all of this, we asked Ms. Archer if she would be kind enough to allow us to do an interview with her, and she agreed to do it. We were glad to get this interview, because we know that fans want to hear from her, especially since she has stayed away from the limelight for over a decade... and, as she learned (though it didn't exactly surprise us) during the hoax a few weeks ago, she has a lot of fans out there. So she decided to give us a friendly "knock, knock" (well, actually it was a telephone ring) and take a few minutes to give us this interview.


"Seven Questions with Beverly Archer From Mama's Family and Major Dad"



SitcomsOnline: So we're going to, pardon the pun, "bury" this whole death thing in our first question. As you know, many sources such as IMDb and Wikipedia, and of course ourselves, were reporting this false story that you had died. How exactly did you find out that online sources were reporting your death, and what was your reaction when you first discovered this?
Beverly Archer: When I emailed them (IMDb) to ask them to change it, I got back a note from them that said something like "well, we'll look into it and let you know," and I thought "well, you didn't investigate it." I was out of the country, and I was in Italy, and the nine hour time difference kind of made things difficult. I came to the studio one morning, and I can't say which day it was, and I checked my email and my sister had sent me an email that said a friend of mine had called her to tell her what was happening. I realized later that I had also gotten an email from Matt Mulhern, but he didn't mention it. He just said in the email "are you there?" It was kind of cryptic. And my sister heard from a friend of mine. My first reaction was that it was some kind of mistaken identity, that in fact somebody did die in Santa Monica with a name similar to mine. It didn't occur to me that it was a hoax for quite a while. It took me a few days to realize that it was deliberate. But all the way up to now, it doesn't bother me that much, except I was upset at the possibility  that someone would call my mother with condolences and they wouldn't know what was going on. That would be the only thing that kind of got me worried.

SitcomsOnline: One of your first roles on TV was on the almost completely forgotten The Nancy Walker Show in 1976. How did you manage to find this first role, and what were you doing in your career at that time to lead up to this role?
Beverly Archer: Well, I wasn't doing much. I considered myself an actor and I was doing commercials and whatever else and I ran into a fellow that I had done a little theater production with up in northern California, and it turned out that he was an agent. He signed me, and not too long after he got this call for someone to play the daughter on The Nancy Walker Show. Now they had a great deal of trouble casting it, and later I learned it was because they were stuck on the physicality. Nancy was a little thing, and they were having trouble casting it. So he got me this audition, and the only thing I remember about it really was that I went there and was given the script and sat there with six or seven other gals and I was reading this thing and I thought "oh, this is so funny!" I really thought it was a funny scene, and I was listening to the conversation in the room, and three of the other women were talking about how bad it was. They were talking about how bad the writing was, how it wasn't funny. I thought there was something wrong with me because I thought it was really funny. It turned out that I got it. I read right away with the producers and they got Nancy in to read with me. Then I think it dawned on them that the weird physicality would probably be an asset. So I was just lucky, in the right time and the right place.

SitcomsOnline: In 1986, you first appeared in what is probably your most memorable role as Iola Boylan on Mama's Family when it debuted in first run syndication, partially filling the void left by Betty White and Rue McClanahan who went on to The Golden Girls after NBC had originally canceled Mama's Family a year earlier. Did you have any clue at the time that essentially "replacing" two already well-known actresses in a series would lead to you creating a character who ended up being more enjoyed and remembered than those who had previously been among the main cast? What were some of your favorite moments from your years on Mama's Family? 
Beverly Archer: Well, that was a very individual circumstance, because the network version, as you know, was canceled, and it was only because Joe Hamilton was the businessman he was, and he decided to recreate it in syndication. And at at that time, nobody even knew what syndication was. He was really a pioneer in making it syndicated. The cast that I came in with really had nothing to do with the NBC series. They were completely separate entities. It is not as if they thought "oh, Betty and Rue aren't working right, let's do something different." They canceled that show and Betty and Rue moved on to bigger and better things. They basically recreated Mama's Family for the version that I came in to. I don't think I can exactly iterate exact moments, but there wasn't a week that went by that Ken Berry didn't make me goof off. Ken Berry is like the funniest person on the planet. There was almost always something that ended up on camera, but he is just intrinsically a hilarious guy.

SitcomsOnline: So right after Mama's Family ended, you went almost directly into Major Dad. How did you manage to go from one series to the next so quickly?
Beverly Archer: That was because of Rick Hawkins. Rick Hawkins produced Mama's Family and he left Mama's Family with Jim Evering to produce Major Dad, and he produced the first year that I wasn't in. Then, they made major changes and got rid of a couple of characters and brought in new characters, and that was when he came on board to produce the second season that I was in. So he created the role of Gunny and the others. Gunny really wasn't quite out of the blue as it seems. I did a very short-lived series called Washingtoon, it aired on Showtime and it was one of the first cable sitcoms. It didn't last long, but it was this political thing where there was a senator who was kind of an idiot and I played his secretary. That is really where I created the role, and Rick had seen a clip of that and he liked the character, so he tried to recreate that.

SitcomsOnline: Later, in the '90s, you had a lot of memorable roles as tough as nails librarians and teachers in series like Married… with Children, Full House, and of course a very memorable role in The Brady Bunch Movie. These were great roles, but they were much different than the character you played on Mama's Family just a few short years earlier. Do you feel that you were somewhat typecast in the 90s?
Beverly Archer: Oh sure. Most character actors are, especially ones as tall as I am, and I was no exception.

SitcomsOnline: You tell us that you are retired, so how exactly are you spending the free time that is available to you these days?
Beverly Archer: I'm very involved in my study. I'm studying sculpting, and that is what I was doing in Italy. I do a lot of traveling. I did have my shop in upstate New York. That was the first thing I did after I retired. It was an antique store in the Catskills. And that was what I did for about eight years, and I was bi-coastal, spending May through October up there and the rest of the year here, but the bi-coastal thing began to be too much. I gave that up and did the same thing here. I had the antique store for a short time, but the more I got involved with clay, the more I wanted to spend time with it, so I gave up the shop. And now, my focus really is the clay.

SitcomsOnline: Finally, we know that you are retired by choice and intend to stay retired… and that is a perfectly fine choice. But if you hadn't retired, have you considered what type of work or what type of roles you'd like to see yourself in these days? 
Beverly Archer: (laughs) Whatever kind of role they'd give me a paycheck for! That was the only kind of role I ever sought, was the one I got paid for. I certainly enjoyed doing comedy, but I would have enjoyed doing dramatic roles as well. But in our version of Hollywood, people who look like me don't do that. So, once you get into comedy, that is where you stay, which was fine with me. I loved doing comedy, and there is no greater gift than coming to work laughing everyday.

We definitely appreciate Ms. Archer for taking the time to give us an interview, especially considering that she was willing to do this interview for her fans, and not for publicity for herself. And of course, we would like to Ms. Archer and her fans once again apologize for spreading the hoax, but in the end, I think that we can all say that we are glad to know that she is not only still with us, but is in fact doing well and enjoying life to the fullest... and probably will be for decades to come. She very much appreciates the love and admiration that her fans have for her work over the years, and told us that she was pleased and surprised (although we don't know why, she was one of TV's funniest neighbors of all time in Mama's Family) to know how many of her fans out there truly care about her. And finally, as a side note, we certainly do respect her decision to stay retired and enjoy life as she sees fit... but if she should ever decide to change her mind, her fans would certainly support her.

Before we move on completely, we have this video message that Ms. Archer provided to us with a message to her fans:

Moving on to other news, WLNY TV-10/55 in New York City will have another classic TV marathon for a holiday. Back on 4tgh of July and I Love Lucy marathon was featured followed by an Andy Griffith Show marathon on Labor Day, and now another classic sitcom will be featured! The spooky 1964-66 sitcom The Munsters will have a marathon on WLNY-TV on Sunday, October 28, 2012 from 1pm-7pm. Unlike the other two, this won't be on the holiday itself, but it's still good enough! Every since CBS bought the station, it seems marathons are airing on each holiday. We can't wait to see what is up their sleeve for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. If anything should surface, we'll let you know.

Not in New York, well you can watch The Munsters all this month on Boomerang, as we mentioned. And of course the new version of The Munsters is getting a test on NBC this coming Friday at 8pm.

Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Beverly Archer, Major Dad, Mama's Family, Seven Questions, The Munsters, WLNY