SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: Mr. Belvedere

Showing posts with label Mr. Belvedere. Show all posts

Friday, January 17, 2025

Remembering Bob Uecker of Mr. Belvedere, Punky Brewster Creator David W. Duclon, and Others We Recently Lost

Hall of Fame broadcaster, professional baseball catcher, and actor Bob Uecker, who starred as George Owens in Mr. Belvedere, has died. He died in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, on January 16. He was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer in 2023. Mr. Uecker was 90.

Mr. Belvedere

Uecker starred as sportswriter George Owens in the 1985-1990 ABC sitcom Mr. Belvedere. The series is based on the Lynn Aloysius Belvedere character created by Gwen Davenport for her 1947 novel Belvedere, which was later adapted into the 1948 film Sitting Pretty. The series follows posh English butler Lynn Belvedere (Christopher Hewett) as he struggles to adapt to the Owens household in suburban Pittsburgh. It also starred Ilene Graff, Rob Stone, Tracy Wells, and Brice Beckham.

Who's the Boss? - Steve Sax, Bob Uecker and Tony Danza

He appeared as himself in episodes of Who's the Boss? in 1986, D.C. Follies in 1987, and LateLine in 1998. In 2002, he was the voice of the "head of Bob Uecker" in the Futurama episode "A Leela of Her Own". He voiced a parody of himself named Bob Yucker in an episode of the 2021 Disney+ series Monsters at Work.

Uecker hosted two syndicated television shows, Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports and Bob Uecker's War of the Stars. He hosted Saturday Night Live during its 10th season on October 13, 1984. He was a ring announcer for Wrestlemania III (1987) and the ringside announcer, commentator, and interviewer at WrestleMania IV (1988).

He became a regular fixture on late night talk shows in the 1970s and 1980s, facetiously dubbed "Mr. Baseball" by TV talk show host Johnny Carson. He made more than 60 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Uecker appeared in a series of Miller Lite commercials starting in the 1980s. In one commercial from that decade, Uecker was seen preparing to watch a baseball game when an usher informs him he is in the wrong seat. Uecker pompously remarks, "I must be in the front row", which became another of his catchphrases.

Bob Uecker in Major League

He starred as play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle in the film Major League (1989) and its two sequels, Major League II (1994) and Major League: Back to the Minors (1998). He coined the popular sports catchphrase "Juuust a bit outside", to downplay an extremely wild pitch from Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn (played by Charlie Sheen).

Uecker played backup catcher for the Milwaukee Braves (1962-1963), St. Louis Cardinals (1964-1965), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-1967), and Atlanta Braves (1967) for six seasons from 1962 to 1967. He won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964.

He served as the primary broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) for 54 seasons from 1971 to 2024. He called games for ABC in the 1970s and early 1980s and NBC in the 1990s. He was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with its 2003 Ford C. Frick Award in recognition of his broadcasting career.

Mr. Uecker was a national treasure. He was a comedic genius with his self-deprecating wit and deadpan delivery. We thank him for the many laughs and entertainment that he brought us during his legendary career. Mr. Baseball will be greatly missed.

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

David W. Duclon

Television writer and producer David W. Duclon, who created Punky Brewster, has died. He died in Franklin, Illinois, on January 15, after a long illness. Mr. Duclon was 74.

Duclon created the 1984-1986 NBC and 1987-1988 first-run syndicated sitcom Punky Brewster. The series is about a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes) in Chicago. The cast included Cherie Johnson, Susie Garrett, Ami Foster, Casey Ellison (seasons 1-2, guest star season 3), Eddie Deezen (season 1), Dody Goodman (season 1), and T.K. Carter (season 2). He was the maternal uncle of Cherie Johnson.

He served as an executive producer for the 1984-1988 series and the 2021 Peacock revival. He directed four episodes of the original series in 1987. He provided the voice of Spirit Voice in a 1988 episode.

Duclon developed the 1979 CBS sitcom Working Stiffs, which starred James Belushi and Michael Keaton. He developed the 1982-1986 NBC and 1986-1987 first-run syndicated sitcom Silver Spoons with Ron Leavitt and Michael G. Moye. Duclon, Robert Illes, and James R. Stein created the 1984-1985 NBC sitcom Double Trouble. He and Gary Menteer creted the 1987-1988 Fox sitcom Second Chance (later retitled Boys Will Be Boys), which starred Matthew Perry. He created the 1994-1995 ABC sicom On Our Own.

Some of his other sitcom writing credits included The Odd Couple (4 episodes), Happy Days (2 episodes), Busting Loose (4 episodes), Laverne & Shirley (4 episodes), Makin' It, Working Stiffs (9 episodes), The Jeffersons (8 episodes), Diff'rent Strokes, Silver Spoons, Built to Last (2 episodes), Family Matters (27 episodes), Malcolm & Eddie (4 episodes, also 1 episode as a director), Yes, Dear (2002), and Eve (5 episodes).

Some of his sitcom producing credits included The Ted Knight Show, Makin' It, Working Stiffs, Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons, Silver Spoons, Second Chance/Boys Will Be Boys, On Our Own (1994-1995), Family Matters, Guys Like Us, Malcolm & Eddie, and Eve.

As an actor, he appeared in three episodes of The Odd Couple and a 1976 episode of Laverne & Shirley.

Mr. Duclon was a prolific sitcom writer and producer from the 1970s to 1990s. We thank him for his work creating, writing, directing and producing many sitcoms. He will be missed.

David Lynch

We also remember filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor David Lynch. He co-created Twin Peaks and the short-lived 1992 ABC sitcom On the Air. He died at his daughter's home on January 15, of complications from emphysema. Mr. Lynch was 78.

Lynch and Mark Frost created the 1990-91 ABC surrealist mystery-horror drama Twin Peaks. He was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. He co-wrote and directed its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), and a third season on Showtime in 2017. He directed six episodes of the original series and all 18 episodes the reivival series. He also portrayed FBI agent Gordon Cole in both series.

On the Air

Lynch and Frost created the short-lived 1992 ABC sitcom On the Air. The series follows the staff of a fictional 1950s television network, Zoblotnick Broadcasting Company (ZBC), as they produce a live variety program called The Lester Guy Show—often with disastrous results. Lynch directed the pilot episode. ABC aired only three of the seven episodes filmed, but the first and only season was broadcast in its entirety in the United Kingdom and several other European countries. The series starred Ian Buchanan, Nancye Ferguson, Miguel Ferrer, Gary Grossman, Mel Johnson Jr., Marvin Kaplan, David L. Lander, Kim McGuire, Marla Rubinoff, and Tracey Walter.

He provided the voice of Gus the Bartender in 23 episodes of the Fox animated sitcom The Cleveland Show from 2010 to 2013. He voiced Gus in a 2010 episode of Family Guy and himself in a 2016 episode. In 2012, he appeared as Jack Dahl in the three-part "Late Show" arc on FX's comedy-drama Louie.

Some of his film directing credits included Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Lost Highway (1997), The Straight Story (1999), Mulholland Drive (2001), and Inland Empire (2006).

Mr. Lynch was awarded numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and an Honorary Academy Award in 2019. We thank him for his work on television and in films. He will be sorely missed.

Leslie Charleson

Actress Leslie Charleson was best known for her role as Monica Quartermaine in the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. She died in Los Angeles on January 12. She had experienced several falls, which caused problems with her mobility, and had been hospitalized from one of them the week before her death. Ms. Charleson was 79.

Charleson's career began on the short-lived ABC daytime soap opera A Flame in the Wind in 1964. In 1966, she joined the cast of As the World Turns as Alice Whipple. She starred as Iris Donnelly Garrison in the CBS daytime soap opera Love Is a Many Splendored Thing from 1967 to 1970.

She joined the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1977. She was a series regular from 1977 to 2010 before becoming a recurring cast member from 2010 to 2023. For her role, she received four Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominations: in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1995. She appeared as Monica Quartermaine in 27 episodes of Port Charles from 1997 to 2001.

Leslie Charleson on Happy Days

Charleson guest starred as Mrs. Dorothy Kimber in the 1975 episode of Happy Days titled "Get a Job". She played Katherine in a 2001 episode of Dharma & Greg. She appeared as herself in a 2004 episode of Friends.

Some of her other television guest appearances included N.Y.P.D., The Wild Wild West, Mannix, Adam-12, O'Hara, U.S. Treasury (1972), Search, The Rookies, Emergency!, Medical Center, Ironside, The F.B.I., Marcus Welby, M.D. (2 episodes), Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law (2 episodes), Kung Fu, Medical Story, Cannon (3 episodes), Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco (2 episodes), McMillan & Wife, The Rockford Files (2 episodes), and Diagnosis: Murder.

Ms. Charleson was the longest-serving cast member of General Hospital. We thank her for her work on television. She will be deeply missed.

Robert Machray

Actor Robert Machray had a recurring role as Captain Dobbins in Cheers. He died of complications from dementia and two strokes at his home in North Hollywood, California, on January 12. Mr. Machray was 79.

Robert Machray on Cheers

Machray appeared as Captain Dobbins in four episodes of the NBC sitcom Cheers from 1990 to 1993. Captain Dobbins is a fire marshal who is often the victim of pranks at Cheers. He appeared in several "Bar Wars" episodes, in which the Cheers gang thought he was an agent of Gary's Olde Town Tavern, only to be proved wrong.

He had a recurring role as Magistrate in three episodes of the short-lived 1999 CBS sitcom Thanks. Some of his other sitcom credits included Operation Petticoat, Three's Company, Down Home, Roseanne, Love & War, Sister, Sister (1995), Maybe This Time, Suddenly Susan, Townies, The Drew Carey Show, Titus, That's My Bush!, Girlfriends, Kitchen Confidenial, and Parks and Recreation.

Mr. Machray was a familiar face in many sitcoms. We thank for his work on television. He will be missed.

Gwen Van Dam

Character actress Gwen Van Dam guest starred in many sitcoms. She died in West Los Angeles on December 19, 2024. Ms. Van Dam was 96.

Gwen Van Dam on The Brady Bunch

She played Mrs. Watson in the 1971 episode of The Brady Bunch titled "Her Sister's Shadow". Some of her other sitcom credits included Maude, House Calls, Who's the Boss?, 227, Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991), 227, Bakersfield P.D., Malibu, CA (1999), Joey, Wilfred, The League, New Girl, Angie Tribeca, Modern Family, Workaholics, Insecure, and Grace and Frankie. Her final appearances were two episodes as Hazel Carrey in the 2024 Hulu action comedy Interior Chinatown.

Ms. Van Dam was a veteran character actress for 70 years. She had 140 television and film credits during her career. We thank her for work on television. She will be deeply missed.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Antenna TV Adds More Alice in April; Andi Mack Gets 3rd Season on Disney

Antenna TV will make some minor schedule changes for second quarter, beginning Sunday, April 1, 2018 (no, we're not foolin'). New addition Alice is doing red hot and will get three airings per weekday now. Alice will remain airing weekdays at 1pm and 1am, but now it will also air weeknights at 7:30pm! Wow, there's a new girl in town and she's looking good, indeed! It's part of minor weekday early evening changes, with now Growing Pains, Family Ties and Alice airing from 6:30pm-8pm. Other notable changes include Mr. Belvedere and Evening Shade being removed from the line-up, while Dear John returns to the schedule, airing weekends at 4pm. Head of the Class gains airings as well, getting weekends at 2pm while still airing weekdays at 2:30pm, as does Small Wonder now airing weekdays at 5am and remains at 12:30pm. We suggest you look at the April 2018 schedule to see what else has changed, but it's just minor.

Andi Mack

The hit series Andi Mack has been renewed for a third season. The cast - Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Lilan Bowden, Joshua Rush, Sofia Wylie and Asher Angel - got the news while on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday. The series is lauded as a heartwarming, diverse coming-of-age story about the most important things in any young person's life - family and friends, and the journey of self-discovery. It will resume filming soon in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Good Morning America, the Andi Mack cast participated in a book donation to kids in underserved communities through First Book, Disney|ABC Television and Disney Publishing's "Magic of Storytelling" initiative. In March, they will also be featured in a Disney Channel "Magic of Storytelling" interstitial encouraging young viewers to read.

Andi Mack premiered on Disney Channel in April 2017 and ranks among TV's Top 10 series for Kids and Girls 6-11. It reached more than 40 million total viewers and nearly 17 million kids worldwide in the most recent quarter (3Q17) and is the #1 series on Disney Channel VOD and in the DisneyNOW app. A one-hour episode, "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!," premieres Friday, Feb. 23 at 8:00pm EST/PST, and introduces turning points for several characters. Twelve new episodes from season two will debut beginning in June 2018, with episodes from the third season scheduled to debut later in 2018. Andi Mack stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Andi Mack, Lilan Bowden as Bex Mack, Lauren Tom as Celia Mack, Joshua Rush as Cyrus Goodman, Sofia Wylie as Buffy Driscoll and Asher Angel as Jonah Beck. Recurring cast members are Trent Garrett as Bowie Quinn, Stoney Westmoreland as Henry "HAM" Mack, Emily Skinner as Amber, Luke Mullen as T.J. and Darius Marcell as Walker.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Fox Upfront 2017-18: Fall 2017 Schedule; Viewer's Choice for "Top Pop of Antenna TV"

Fox 2017-18

Fall 2017

Mondays
8:00PM Lucifer
9:00PM The Gifted (NEW!)

Tuesdays
8:00PM Lethal Weapon
9:00PM The Mick
9:30PM Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Wednesdays
8:00PM Empire
9:00PM Star

Thursdays
8:00PM Gotham
9:00PM The Orville (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Hell's Kitchen
9:00PM The Exorcist

Saturdays
7:00PM Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football

Sundays
7:00PM NFL on Fox
7:30PM The OT (NFL post-game)/Bob's Burgers
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Ghosted (NEW!)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM The Last Man on Earth

Unscheduled Mid-season 2017 (new and returning):
COMEDY: LA to Vegas
DRAMA: The Resident, 9-1-1
REALITY: American Grit, Beat Shazam, T F Word with Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen, Love Connection, Masterchef, Masterchef Junior, Showtime at the Apollo, So You Think You Can Dance, Superhuman

Returning:
COMEDY: New Girl
DRAMA: The X-Files
REALITY:

NOTES: Four new dramas, two new comedies, and two live music events join the lineup. New Girl will air its seventh and final season. Medical drama The Resident, starring Matt Czurchy, Emily VanCamp and Bruce Greenwood, will premiere midseason. Emergency response drama 9-1-1, from creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, starring Angela Bassett, will premiere midseason. Workplace comedy LA to Vegas, starring Dylan McDermott, will debut midseason. Brand-new chapter of event series The X-Files to return midseason. An all-new musical produciton of perennial holiday classic A Christmas Story will air live in December. An all-new live musical production of Rent, the Tony Award, Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, will air.

Discuss Fox's 2017-18 lineup. You'll find the official press release there, too...with details on all the new series.

The Top Pop of Father's Day Marathon

Antenna TV just had its viewer's choice Bewitched Mother's Day marathon yesterday, now voting has began on another viewer's choice! This Father's Day, viewers choose which show Antenna TV will show a marathon of on Father's Day 2017 - Sunday, June 18! Vote now for your choice of the "Top Pop of Antenna TV." Voting ends on Monday, June 5 and they will announce the winning choice on Father's Day. Your choices are:

George Owens - Mr. Belvedere
Michael & Joey - My Two Dads
Jim Anderson - Father Knows Best
Martin Lane - The Patty Duke Show
Fred Sanford - Sanford and Son
Wood Newton - Evening Shade

Saturday, July 25, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Preview of ABC's New Muppet Series; Candace Cameron Bure Possibly Joining The View

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got a sneak preview of The Muppets, news of a Full House star joining The View on a regular basis, even more Mill Creek re-release news, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

The Muppets are coming soon to ABC, and producers are very eager for fans to get a preview of what is coming. So they have posted a 10 minute preview online. (IFC)
The View can't seem to get things together at all in recent years, and now, there are solid (but not fully confirmed) rumblings about adding Candace Cameron Bure (yes, D.J. from Full House) as a co-host. (Variety)
Sitcoms in the United States have featured gay characters for decades, but in China, such themes still can't be shown on television. But now, a sitcom called Rainbow Family (something being compared to both Will and Grace and Friends) has become a huge hit in China... but it can only be seen online. (Fusion)
Actor Alex Rocco, known to sitcom fans for his role on The Facts of Life, died this week at age 79. (NBC)
It looks as if Syfy is going to milk their Sharknado franchise for as much as they possibly can, as Sharknado 4 has already gotten the greenlight for next year. (Yahoo)
Changes are coming to MeTV this fall, including the addition of Matlock. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Moving ahead with re-releases of things previously released by Sony, it looks as if re-releases of the complete series of both Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie will be coming October 6 from Mill Creek.
Shout! Factory released Mr. Belvedere - Season Four as a Shout! Select release several years ago, but it seems these days that Shout! Select has ceased to exist and that all releases are coming through traditional retailers. While most of the older releases have not been released in such a manner yet, it looks like Mr. Belvedere - Season Four is on the verge of being released in that manner.

JULY 28 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

Mama's Family - Mama's Favorites (Season 6) (DVD, $12.98): The classic Vicki Lawrence sitcom returns to DVD one last time with this "best of" release of episodes of the sixth season.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Twitter), "canadian actor dude"

Claim to Fame: We tend to neglect a lot of the cable sitcom stars on our Follow Me, but this week, we're featuring one, Jean-Luc Bilodeau. He is currently the star of the ABC Family sitcom Baby Daddy, where he plays a young man whose life is turned upside down when a baby (who turns out to be his daughter) shows up on his doorstep... sort of like cable's version of Raising Hope. This isn't the first ABC Family series for the Canadian actor, though. He first appeared as a regular on the series Kyle XY. Between the end of that series and the beginning of this series, he did a few Nickelodeon movies and a Disney Channel movie, and also made guest appearances on No Ordinary Family and Supernatural.

Pick of the Tweets: "Needless to say, we had a good time at the @abcfamily upfronts. #babydaddy shutting it down as usual. " (April 14, 2015)

Monday, January 05, 2015

Antenna TV January 2015 Schedule; Remembering Donna Douglas from The Beverly Hillbillies

Last summer we announced that Antenna TV had acquired many series for 2015. Now some of them are launching right now in January! In fact, the new Antenna TV January 2015 schedule starts today. Six of the eleven series they announced are joining the schedule. The series joining the line-up are Leave it to Beaver, Mr. Belvedere, Newhart, Doogie Howser M.D., Small Wonder and Evening Shade (one note is that Leave it to Beaver is returning to Antenna TV after airing on MeTV). So you'll have to wait later this year for the other series: The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, and Dear John. Anyway, back to the January 2015 schedule, as always there are a lot of time changes. Hazel is also returning to the schedule (airing weekdays 9-10am), while The Ropers and Three's a Crowd get regular weekend airings now (Saturdays 6-7pm and Sundays 12-1pm) instead of airing within the Three's Company rotation. Also returning to Antenna TV is The Three Stooges, airing Sundays 7-8am. As for the new series, Leave it to Beaver will air weekdays from 4-5pm, Saturdays 5-6pm and Sundays 2-3pm. Mr. Belvedere will air weekdays from 5-6pm, Saturdays 11pm-12am and Sundays 6-7pm. Newhart launches tonight with a special finale/pilot episode event, with the series finale airing first at 10pm, followed by the pilot episode at 10:30pm. The Bob Newhart '80s comedy will air weekdays 10-11pm and weekends 9-10pm. Doogie Howser M.D. will air late nights on weeknights from 2-3am, Saturdays 10-11pm and Sundays 7-8pm. Small Wonder and Evening Shade will only air on weekends, with Small Wonder on Saturdays 3-4pm and Sundays 5-6pm. Evening Shade is weekends from 8-9pm.

With all of these additions and returns, some series will be leaving the schedule. Expiring or on hiatus series are: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bachelor Father, Diff'rent Strokes, Flipper, It Takes A Thief, Married...with Children, Partridge Family, Sanford And Son, The Nanny and Tooned In. The weekday morning schedule will consist of black and white sitcoms from 6am-5pm, while the '70s/'80s comedies take over from 5pm-3am. The Saturday primetime line-up features the new '80s additions, as does Sundays from 5pm-9pm. View and discuss the entire Antenna TV January 2015 schedule so you don't miss any of your favorites!

Donna Douglas

Actress Donna Douglas, best known for her role as Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies, has died. She died at Baton Rouge General Hospital in Zachary, Louisiana on January 1 from pancreatic cancer. Ms. Douglas was 82.

Douglas' early sitcom appearances included Bachelor Father, Hennesey, Pete and Gladys and Mister Ed. Some of her drama appearances included Tightrope, U.S. Marshal, Whirlybirds, Lock Up, The Detectives, Route 66, Thriller, Checkmate, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside 6, Dr. Kildare and Twilight Zone. Her film credits included Career, Lover Come Back and Frankie and Johnny (with Elvis Presley).

The Beverly Hillbillies

Douglas was selected from among 500 young actresses for the role of Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies. The popular CBS sitcom ran for nine seasons and 274 episodes from 1962-1971. The series also starred Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Max Baer, Jr, Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp. Elly May was the only child of Jed and Rose Ellen Clampett. She was a tomboy who loved all kinds of critters. Douglas joined Ebsen and Culp in the 1981 CBS TV movie Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. She reunited with Ebsen and Baer in the 1993 CBS TV special The Legend of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Some of her later television appearances included Night Gallery, Love, American Style, Adam-12, McMillan & Wife, Project U.F.O., The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Nanny. Following her acting career, she briefly worked as a real estate agent. She frequently performed as a gospel singer and was an inspirational speaker at many church groups, youth groups and schools. Douglas wrote several children's books and published a cookbook in 2013.

Survivors include her son, Danny P. Bourgeois, and a niece, Charlene Smith. Donna was a talented and beautiful actress. She seemed like a very sweet lady with all of her charity work. She always appeared to be appreciative of her fans. We will deeply miss her.

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

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Antenna TV Acquires 11 Classics for 2015, Includes One Day at a Time, Small Wonder; Amazon Prime Gets Jeffrey Tambor/Judith Light Comedy

Antenna TV announced the addition of eleven classic series to the network's lineup for 2015! Antenna TV, which airs in 89 markets across the U.S. reaching 71% of TV households, will add Newhart, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, Evening Shade, Leave it to Beaver, Doogie Howser MD, Mr. Belvedere, Dear John, and Small Wonder to its existing lineup in 2015. These series are coming from various studios, such as Sony Pictures Television, 20th Century Fox, CBS Paramount and NBC Universal. And these eleven series might not be all that are on the horizon! Sean Compton, President of Strategic Programming and Acquisitions, Tribune Media says, "We are excited to add these shows to the lineup and plan to announce more programming acquisitions for the network in the coming months." Perhaps series like The Facts of Life, Webster, Silver Spoons and What's Happening/What's Happening Now?

Newhart, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, Evening Shade, Leave it to Beaver, Doogie Howser MD, Mr. Belvedere, Dear John and Small Wonder join Antenna TV's lineup of classic favorites: Three's Company, Too Close for Comfort, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Bachelor Father, Hazel, The Partridge Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Diff'rent Strokes, WKRP in Cincinnati, All in the Family, Good Times, The Three Stooges, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Gidget, The Flying Nun, It Takes a Thief and Antenna TV Theater, a movie block featuring MGM and Sony movies. More info on these eleven series' start dates and the potential other series coming soon will be announced closer to 2015. Stay with us for all things Antenna TV as always!

Transparent

Amazon announced it will premiere all ten episodes of the highly-anticipated Jill Soloway dark comedy Transparent on Friday, September 26 exclusively on Prime Instant Video in the US and UK. Starring Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Judith Light (Who's the Boss?), Gaby Hoffmann (Girls), Amy Landecker (Louie) and Jay Duplass (Togetherness), Transparent follows the Pfeffermans--a Los Angeles family forced to deal with their long-held secrets together.

Written, directed and executive produced by Emmy-nominee and 2013 Sundance Best Director winner Soloway, Transparent is a ten episode, half-hour novelistic series that explores family, identity, sex, and love. The series stars Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort--the Pfefferman family patriarch. When she reintroduces herself to her family, everyone's secrets finally start to come out. This includes her ex-wife Shelly (played by Light), and their children--meandering Ali (played by Hoffmann), record producer Josh (played by Duplass), and sexually conflicted Sarah (played by Landecker). Each family member spins in a different direction as they begin to figure out who they are going to become. Amazon Prime members can watch the first episode of Transparent now via the Prime Instant Video apps for Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire tablets, Fire phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, as well as hundreds of other connected devices such as smart TVs--or customers can visit Amazon.com/PIV to watch online. Prime members can add Transparent to their Watchlist and easily access new episodes when they premiere on September 26.

Recurring guest stars in Transparent include Melora Hardin (The Office) as Tammy, Bradley Whitford (Trophy Wife, The West Wing) as Marcy, Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) as Syd, Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation) as Raquel, Alexandra Billings (Grey's Anatomy) as Maura's friend Davina, and Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital) as Len. Guest starring roles include Michaela Watkins as Connie, Kiersey Clemons as Bianca, comedian Ian Harvie as Dale, and Cleo Anthony as Derek.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

FamilyNet Merges with Rural TV on January 1, 2013; ABC Picks Up Full Season of Nashville

Rural Media Group, Inc., the parent company for both RFD-TV/RFD HD and Rural TV, is proud to announce that it has purchased FamilyNet, a 32-year-old basic cable channel currently distributed into 14.8 million U.S. homes, from Interactive Television And Gaming Networks, LLC (formerly Comstar Media). The move takes RMG's total distribution into over 61,000,000 homes through its cable and satellite carriers in all 50 states. The program schedules of Rural TV and FamilyNet will be formally merged into one network on January 1, 2013. As of now, some of the series from FamilyNet have already started popping-up on Rural TV, including primetime sitcoms Mr. Belevdere, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart from 8-10pm ET, airing right now on both networks. Rural TV also airs Highway to Heaven weeknights at 10pm and Bonanza on Saturday nights.

The acquisition of FamilyNet brings, for the ﬁrst time, Rural Media Group's popular rural-themed program library to many major U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles, plus the countryside of Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and California. In addition, the expanding list of quality advertisers and sponsors who seek family-oriented programming and demographics now have another choice with a proven track record that delivers a large, and growing, Nielsen-rated audience. FamilyNet was bought by Comstar in December 2009, after Comstar bought AmericanLife TV Network. It later reprogrammed AmericanLife into YouToo TV, with a social media focus, allowing viewers to upload their own videos.

Stay with us for further information on Rural TV and to see if any more series programming will air on the network after the merger is complete on January 1! Will we see other FamilyNet series like Remington Steele? Stay tuned!

ABC has picked up a full season of new drama Nashville. Nashville joins previously announced full season orders for new comedy The Neighbors and returning second-year drama series Scandal. No decision yet on fellow ABC new dramas Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue, while new comedy Malibu Country is only in its second week, but is headed for a full-season pick-up. Stay tuned. Nashville airs Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.
Nashville stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Eric Close as Teddy Conrad, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Robert Ray Wisdom as Coleman Carlisle and Powers Boothe as Lamar Wyatt.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

FamilyNet Fall 2011 Schedule Part II With Sitcoms Like Mr. Belvedere; The Parkers Returns to BET

Last month we gave you FamilyNet's Fall 2011 schedule that started Sept. 1, but that was just part one! Part two will begin on Saturday, Oct. 1 and sitcoms will join the line-up beginning Monday, Oct. 3! The weekday line-up from 4pm-1am will get a makeover! 20th Century Fox series, including sitcoms, dramas and even a game show will be coming! The '80s classic Mr. Belvedere makes its first regular appearance in years airing weekdays at 4pm and 8pm! Belvedere last aired during a Christmas episodes marathon in 2009 on sister network ALN. Other than that, Belvedere hasn't been seen since it aired on FoxNet (for markets who didn't have a Fox affiliate) over a decade ago. It has never to my knowledge ever aired on a cable network, so this will be the first time. Back to the FamilyNet schedule, the classic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show will air weekdays at 4:30pm & 8:30pm. The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart will follow from 5-6pm and 9-10pm. Mary Tyler Moore & Bob Newhart Show currently air on digital network MeTV, but they were last on cable on FamilyNet's sister network ALN from 2007-09, along with Newhart. Another former ALN series, the drama Remington Steele will follow weekdays at 6pm and 10pm.
FamilyNet has also acquired the rights to the recently canceled game show Don't Forget the Lyrics! airing it weekdays 7-8pm and 3-4am. It will also air Saturdays at 5:30pm. Current series airing in weekdays The New Flipper, Lost in Space and Lou Grant will be leaving the line-up. Now the series they added in September will still remain in October as well. I Spy, the Robert Culp-Bill Cosby '60s series will air weekdays at 8am ET still but the 1am ET will move to 11pm ET after Remington Steele. The fun series will still air Saturdays at 3pm and late night on Sundays at 2am. Half-hour series The Lone Wolf from the '50s will air weekdays at 6:30am and British series The Saint from the '60s will air weekdays in the 7am ET and 12am ET hours, paired with I Spy. Canadian series The Beachcombers will remain weekdays in the 3pm ET hour and The New Zorro, which ran from 1990-93, will continue to air Saturdays at 4-5pm ET.
View the FULL FamilyNet Fall 2011 schedule. Stay tuned for any further updates on FamilyNet, as we are certainly happy that sitcoms have returned to the network. Sister network AmericanLife Network (ALN) will be rebranding and changing their name on Sept. 19. We still cannot reveal what the name is yet so you'll have to stay with us! We can tell you they will be adding some classic series programming again! Stay tuned!

Last Thursday we mentioned a BET sitcom stunt happening on Saturday, Oct. 1 from a sitcom that last aired on BET in 2008. That is still happening, but the series will join the schedule now starting TODAY (Tuesday, Sept. 6)! So we will reveal that series right now. The sitcom The Parkers will return to BET and air weekdays in the 11am ET hour replacing an hour of The Jamie Foxx Show, which remains at noon. The Parkers will also air weekdays in the 5pm ET hour and BET will begin with season three episodes. "Heeyyy!" The marathon that we hinted last week is indeed The Parkers and will air Saturday, Oct. 1 from 8am-8pm. The Parkers aired on UPN from 1999-2004 and was a spin-off of Moesha that starred Mo'Nique and Countess Vaughn.
We are not revealing the BET Fall 2011 schedule yet, because they have a new series joining the line-up in October. We will reveal what that is soon, but we can tell you that they have never aired the series before! Also, we will reveal sister network Centric's Fall 2011 schedule soon, too. Stay with us!

Thursday, November 05, 2009

AmericanLife Network Celebates Christmas with Classics like Mr. Belvedere; Animated Classics on Jaroo.com

This December every weekday in the 5pm hour on AmericanLife TV they will have classic Christmas episodes of many classics all month long! The holiday fun begins Monday, November 30 and lasts every weekday through Thursday, December 24 all in the 5pm hour. Classics in order of airing are Lou Grant, The Big Valley, WKRP In Cincinnat, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, Remington Steele, Trapper John M.D., Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Mr. Belvedere! Yes, Mr. Belvedere makes an appearance on TV for the first time in years! Mark your china...err calendars for Thursday, December 17 at 5pm & 5:30pm for all two Christmas Mr. Belvedere episodes! They originally didn't have Mr. Belvedere and Ghost and Mrs. Muir on the holiday schedule, as they just added it...but it is a good thing they did! They originally had a Phyllis Christmas episode on the schedule, but just removed it. Hopefully they change their mind and air it. Most of these series are from 20th Century Fox, so I wish they would air some holiday episodes of other series as well from their library. Hooperman starring John Ritter would be great to see! I know Small Wonder didn't have a Christmas episode, but anything to see that show again!
Elsewhere on ALN December 2009, there are no regular schedule changes...but we have many holiday specials other than the 5pm weekday hour. Among the specials are Christmas Music Specials, Skating Specials, and movies such as New Adventures Of Heidi, Christmas Without Snow, Christmas at Cadillac Jack's and Love's Pure Light.
View episode info for the ALN Holiday episodes for the month! If there are any changes, we'll let you know!

Jaroo.com has launched with one of the largest selections of full-length episodes of popular kids television programming and movies, both current and classic. The new free premium video destination for kids of all ages will initially offer over 50 popular TV series with more than 500 episodes available on-demand, any time, making entertaining your child or inner-child just a simple click away. Full episodes of such longtime favorites as Inspector Gadget, The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Johnny Test, Super Mario Bros., Zelda and Madeline as well as the exclusive U.S. premiere of Mona the Vampire are available on Jaroo.com. Additional shows include Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Horseland, Liberty's Kids and live-action favorite, Cake, plus many more. New episodes and shows will be added daily, with over 2,000 episodes offered over the next three months to ensure Jaroo.com will always remain fresh.
All of the series are from Cookie Jar Entertainment. Cookie Jar Group is a global children's entertainment, consumer products and education company dedicated to excellence. Through Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company is a leader in the creation, production, marketing and licensing of evergreen character brands that appeal to kids and families worldwide. Cookie Jar Entertainment's library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes features some of the world's most recognizable brands, including Dennis the Menace, Heathcliff, Caillou, Inspector Gadget, The Doodlebops, Arthur and Johnny Test.
Let's hope Dennis the Menace (80s animated series) and Heathcliff end up on Jaroo.com very soon! Head on over to Jaroo.com right now to watch stuff like Inspector Gadget and the animated movie Inspector Gadget's Last Case!

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