SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Remembering Suzanne Somers of Three's Company and Step by Step; Adult Swim Renews YOLO and Orders Women Wearing Shoulder Pads

Actress, author, singer and businesswoman Suzanne Somers, who starred as Chrissy Snow on Three's Company and as Carol Foster Lambert on Step by Step, has died. She died after a long battle with breast cancer at her home in Palm Springs, California, on October 15, the day before her 77th birthday.

Somers starred as Chrissy Snow on the ABC sitcom Three's Company from 1977 to 1981. The story revolves around three single roommates: Jack Tripper (John Ritter), Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt), and Chrissy Snow, who all platonically live together in a Santa Monica, California, apartment complex owned by Stanley (Norman Fell) and Helen Roper (Audra Lindley). Christmas "Chrissy" Snow works as an office secretary. Somers's contract was not renewed after the fifth season following a contract dispute and Chrissy's place in the apartment was taken by her clumsy cousin Cindy Snow (Jenilee Harrison). The cast also included Richard Kline (1978-1984), Don Knotts (1979-1984), Ann Wedgeworth (1979-1980) and Priscilla Barnes (1981-1984).

She starred as Sheriff Hildy Granger on the 1987-1989 first-run syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff. Hildy Granger is a widow with two young kids who decided to fill the shoes of her late husband, a sheriff of fictional Lakes County, Nevada (near Lake Tahoe). Somers wrote an episode in 1989. The series, which aired for two seasons, also starred George Wyner, Pat Carroll, Lou Richards, Guich Koock, Leonard Lightfoot, Taliesin Jaffe and Nicky Rose.

Somers starred as Carol Foster Lambert on the 1991-1998 sitcom Step by Step. It ran on ABC as part of its TGIF Friday night lineup from September 20, 1991, to August 15, 1997, then moved to CBS, where it aired from September 19, 1997, to June 26, 1998. Patrick Duffy and Somers starred as single parents Frank and Carol, respectively; each with three children, who wed and form a blended family. Carol is the matriarch of the Foster family, who works as a beautician and runs a hair salon out of a room in her house, originally with the cooperation of her mother, Ivy, and sister, Penny. Eventually, with Frank's help, she opens a bigger studio at a stand-alone location in the sixth season. The cast included Brandon Call, Staci Keanan, Angela Watson, Christopher Castile, Josh Byrne (1991-1997), Sasha Mitchell (1991-1996), Patrika Darbo (1991-1992), Peggy Rea (1991-1992), Emily Mae Young (1997-1998), Bronson Pinchot (1997) and Jason Marsden (1997-1998).

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Lotsa Luck, One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, Billy (1979), The Ropers (as Chrissy Snow), The Larry Sanders Show, Full House and The Naked Truth. Some of her other television guest appearances included The Rockford Files, Starsky & Hutch (3 episodes), The Six Million Dollar Man and Sisters.

Somers played the "Blonde in the white Thunderbird" in American Graffiti (1973). In the early 1990s, she was the spokeswoman in a series of infomercials for the Thighmaster, a piece of exercise equipment which is squeezed between one's thighs above the knees. She hosted the daytime talk show The Suzanne Somers Show from 1994 to 1995. She co-hosted Candid Camera with Peter Funt on CBS from 1997 to 2000. In the fall of 2012, she hosted The Suzanne Show for 13 episodes on the Lifetime Network. In 2015, she competed on Dancing with the Stars. She wrote several books, including two autobiographies, four diet books, and a book of poetry.

She was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on July 15, 2009.

Ms. Somers was a talented, funny and lovely actress. She had great comedic timing as Chrissy Snow. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment that she brought us on Three's Company, She's the Sheriff, Step by Step and her other television roles. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on Three's Company, She's the Sheriff and Step by Step message boards. View photos in our galleries.

To commemorate the life of Suzanne Somers on what would have been her 77th birthday, Antenna TV will air a Three's Company marathon on Monday, October 16 beginning at 4pm until 4:30am ET.

We also remember actress Phyllis Coates. She was best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men and in the first season of the television series Adventures of Superman. She died on October 11 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Coates was 96.

Coates starred as Lois Lane in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, which starred George Reeves as Superman. The film served as a pilot for Adventures of Superman and prompted the start of production of the first season in August/September of the same year. Coates played Lois Lane in the first season, with Noel Neill, who had previously played Lois Lane in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), stepping into the role in the later seasons.

She starred as Gloria on the short-lived 1954 NBC sitcom The Duke. The series, which was broadcast live, was about Duke London, a professional boxer who was also an accomplished painter. Gloria was his girlfriend. It also starred Allen Jenkins, Claude Stroud and Sheldon Leonard.

Coates starred as Nurse Madge Allen on the short-lived 1955 CBS sitcom Professional Father. The whimsical sitcom involved a child psycholigist named Tom Wilson (Steve Dunne) and his family. It also starred Barbara Billingsley, Ted Marc, Beverly Washburn and Ann O'Neal.

She starred as Clarissa Mae Holliday on the 1958-1959 sitcom This Is Alice, which starred nine-year-old Patty Ann Gerrity as Alice Holliday. The program aired in first-run syndication from October 1958 to August 1959, distributed by the NTA Film Network. The series also starred Tommy Farrell, Kathy Garver, Stephen Wootton, Lucien Littlefield and Nancy DeCarl.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included The Abbott and Costello Show, Topper, Willy, The Great Gildersleeve, It's a Great Life (2 episodes), Leave it to Beaver, Hennesey and The Patty Duke Show (2 episodes).

She appeared as Ellen Lane, Lois Lane's mother, in the first season finale of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1994. Some of her other television guest appearances included The Cisco Kid (4 episodes), The Range Rider (2 episodes), The Files of Jeffrey Jones (2 episodes), The Adventures of Kit Carson (2 episodes), The Lone Ranger (3 episodes), Stage 7 (2 episodes), Lassie, General Electric Theater (3 episodes), Hawaiian Eye, Tales of Wells Fargo (2 episodes), Rawhide (2 episodes), The Untouchables (3 episodes), Perry Mason (3 episodes), Gunsmoke (3 episodes), Death Valley Days (7 episodes) and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (2 episodes).

Ms. Coates had a career spanning over fifty years. We thank her for her work as Lois Lane on Adventures of Superman and her other television roles. She will be sorely missed.

Actor Mark Goddard was best known for portraying Major Don West on Lost in Space. He died from pulmonary fibrosis in Hingham, Massachusetts, on October 10. Mr. Goddard was 87.

Goddard's first starring role was as Cully on the 1959-1960 CBS western Johnny Ringo. He starred as Sgt. Chris Ballard for the second and third seasons (1960-1962) on the ABC/NBC crime drama The Detectives (also known as The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, Captain of Detectives, and Robert Taylor's Detectives).

He starred as Bob Randall on the 1964-1965 CBS sitcom Many Happy Returns. The show starred John McGiver as widower Walter Burnley, the manager of the Adjustments and Refunds Department at the fictitious Krockmeyer's Department Store in Los Angeles. Bob Randall is the husband of Burnley's daughter, Joan Randall (Elinor Donahue). The series also starred Richard Collier, Jesslyn Fox, Mickey Manners, Andrea Sacino and Elena Verdugo.

Goddard starred as Major Don West on the 1965-1968 CBS science fiction series Lost in Space. The series follows the adventures of the Robinsons, a pioneering family of space colonists who struggle to survive in the depths of space. U.S. Space Corps Major Donald West is the pilot of the Jupiter 2. The series also starred Guy Williams, June Lockhart, Marta Kristen, Angela Cartwright, Billy Mumy, Jonathan Harris, Bob May as The Robot and Dick Tufeld as The Robot's voice.

He starred as Ted Clayton in 10 episodes of One Life to Live in 1981. He played Lt. Paul Reed in six episodes of The Doctors in 1982. He starred as Derek Barrington in 11 episodes General Hospital from 1985 to 1986.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Fair Exchange, The Bill Dana Show, The Beverly Hillbillies and Benson. Some of his other television guest appearances included The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Rebel, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, The Rilfeman, Burke's Law, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason (2 episodes), The Fugitive, Mod Squad (2 episodes), Adam-12, Switch, Petrocelli (2 episodes), The Streets of San Francisco, Quincy, M.E. (1977), B.J. and the Bear, Barnaby Jones (4 episodes), The Fall Guy and Jake and the Fatman.

Goddard starred as politician Edward Fleming in the 1977 film Blue Sunshine. He briefly appears as the military general who gives Major Don West his orders for the mission in Lost in Space (1998).

Mr. Goddard was very good as Major Don West on Lost in Space. In 2009, he released an autobiographical memoir To Space and Back. We thank him for his work on television. He will be greatly missed.

At New York Comic Con, Adult Swim announced a new stop-motion series Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, which follows a wealthy Spaniard living in Ecuador as she journeys through the complicated world of love, family, commercials, and cuyes, a.k.a. South American guinea pigs. The new series will mark Adult Swim's first-ever Spanish-language series along with its return to the stop-motion animation format. During the panel, Adult Swim also announced the third season renewal of the animated comedy YOLO from Smiling Friends co-creator Michael Cusack. With a second season that ranked #2 in its timeslot across cable in key demos, the third installment, YOLO: Rainbow Trinity, will follow a pair of Australian best friends through absurd and fantastical adventures.

Women Wearing Shoulder Pads is a quarter-hour comedy that features an all-female cast and centers on Marioneta, an extremely wealthy and ambitious Spaniard living in South America pursuing business and pleasure. Produced entirely in Spanish, with English subtitles, the series comes from creator Gonzalo Cordova (Tuca & Bertie, Adam Ruins Everything) in partnership with Mexico City-based studio Cinema Fantasma (Frankelda's Book of Spooks).

Hallmark Original Series Sets Cast; Remembering Pat Carroll, Roger E. Mosley and Vin Scully

Chyler Leigh (Supergirl, Grey's Anatomy) has been cast in The Way Home, the network's new, original primetime series slated to begin production later this month for a 2023 premiere on Hallmark Channel. Leigh plays Kat Landry, who moved away from her small, Canadian farm town of Port Haven many years ago following a family tragedy, and remains estranged from her mother Del (Andie MacDowell) to this day. With her marriage coming to an end and having just been laid off from her job, Kat decides to return home after receiving an unexpected letter from Del urging her to come back. Although her 15-year-old daughter Alice is none-too-thrilled, Kat and her daughter arrive at her family's farm, though the reunion isn't what Kat had envisioned. As the three generations of women slowly work on finding their footing as a family, they embark on an enlightening - and surprising - journey none of them could have imagined.

Emmy-winning actress Pat Carroll, who starred as Bunny Halper on The Danny Thomas Show, has died. She died of pneumonia at her home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on July 30. Ms. Carroll was 95.

Carroll made her television debut on the CBS variety show/sitcom The Red Buttons Show in 1953. She appeared in 45 episodes of the NBC sketch comedy series Caesar's Hour from 1954 to 1957. In 1957, she won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Performance by an Actress for playing various roles. She appeared on The Saturday Night Revue in 1954. She was a regular on the game show Keep Talking from 1958 to 1960.

She starred as Bunny Halper in 40 episodes of The Danny Thomas Show on CBS from 1961 to 1964. Bunny Halper is the wife of Charley Halper (Sid Melton), the owner of the Copa Club where Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) frequently performed. The cast from seasons 9 to 11 included Danny Thomas, Marjorie Lord, Rusty Hamer, Angela Williams and Amanda Randolph.

Carroll starred as Rita Simon on the short-lived 1971-1972 ABC sitcom Getting Together. It starred Bobby Sherman and Wes Stern as Bobby Conway and Lionel Poindexter, a songwriting duo. Jennifer Conway (Susan Neher) is Bobby's 12-year-old sister. Rita is the motherly landlady at an antique shop. Officer Rudy Colcheck (Jack Burns) is her policeman boyfriend.

She portrayed Pearl Markowitz, the mother of Lenny Markowitz (Adam Arkin), on the 1977 CBS sitcom Busting Loose. The series centers on a young man in New York City who has moved out of his parents' house to live on his own for the first time. The cast included Barbara Rhoades, Jack Kruschen, Danny Goldman, Steve Nathan, Greg Antonacci, Paul Sylvan, Paul B. Price, Ralph Wilcox and Louise Williams.

Carroll starred as Gussie Holt, the bubbly mother of Sheriff Hildy Granger (Suzanne Somers), on the 1987-1989 first-run syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff. The cast included George Wyner, Nicky Rose, Taliesin Jaffe, Lou Richards, Guich Kooch and Leonard Lightfoot.

She starred as Hope Stinson on The Ted Knight Show in first-run syndication from 1986 to 1987. Too Close for Comfort was retitled to The Ted Knight Show for the sixth and final season. Hope is the co-owner the local weekly newspaper, the Bugler. The cast included Ted Knight, Nancy Dussault, Jim J. Bullock (as Jm J. Bullock) and Lisa Antille.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included The Dennis Day Show, The Mickey Rooney Show, The Ann Sothern Show, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Arnie, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, My Three Sons, Love, American Style (2 episodes), Calucci's Department, Laverne & Shirley (as Lily Feeney, Shirley's mother), Good Heavens, C.P.O. Sharkey, The Love Boat, The New WKRP in Cincinnati, Evening Shade and Designing Women.

She appeared as Rebecca Chadwick in three episodes of ER in 2005. Some of her other drama guest appearances included Police Story, Police Woman, Flying High, Trapper John, M.D. (1985) and Crazy Like a Fox

Carroll was also known for her voice-over work. She portrayed the sea witch Ursula in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989). Some of her television animated series credits included Galaxy High School, Foofur and Pound Puppies.

Survivors include daughters Kerry Karsian, Tara Karsian and granddaughter Evan Karsian-McCormick.

Ms. Carroll was a talented and funny actress. She had more than 100 television and film credits. We thank her for the laughs and entertainment that she brought us during her long career. She will be deeply missed.

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

Actor Roger E. Mosley, who was best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on Magnum, P.I., has died. On August 4, he was involved in a car accident in Lynwood, California, becoming paralyzed from the shoulders down. He died three days later on August 7 from his injuries at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Mosley was 83.

Mosley starred as Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the crime drama Magnum, P.I., which aired on CBS from 1980 to 1988. Theodore "T.C." Calvin runs a one-person local helicopter charter and tour van service called "Island Hoppers", and often finds himself persuaded by Magnum (Tom Selleck) to fly him during various cases. Mosley directed an episode in 1984 and wrote an episode in 1986.

He starred as Michael Kirkland on the short-lived 1990-1991 CBS sitcom You Take the Kids. The series starred Nell Carter, who also performed the theme song "Nobody's Got It Easy". Nell's husband Michael worked as a school bus driver while Nell gave piano lessons at the family home for extra money. It also starred Dante Beze, Caryn Ward, Marlon Taylor, Trent Cameron and Leila Danette.

Mosley had a recurring role as Coach Ricketts in 10 episodes of the first season (1992-1993) of the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He is the coach of the Oakbridge Penguins boys' basketball team. The cast of the first season included Mark Curry, Holly Robinson (Peete), Dawnn Lewis, Omar Gooding, Marquise Wilson, George Lemore and Christopher Carter.

He starred as Milton 'Milt' Johnson on the second season (1999-2000) of the Showtime comedy Rude Awakening. The cast included Sherilyn Fenn, Lynn Redgrave, Jonathan Penner and Rain Pryor.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included Sanford and Son, That's My Mama, The Love Boat, Night Court (2 episodes), The Sinbad Show, In the House and Arli$$.

He appeared as John Booky, T.C.'s (Stephen Hill) barber, in two episodes of the Magnum, P.I. reboot in 2019 and 2021. Some of his other television drama guest appearances included Cannon, Night Gallery (2 episodes), The Streets of San Francisco, Kung Fu, Kojak, McCloud, Baretta, The Rookies, Delvecchio, The Rockford Files, Starsky and Hutch (2 episodes), RoboCop (1994), Walker, Texas Ranger (2000), The District and Las Vegas.

Some of his film credits included Hit Man (1972), The Mack (1973), Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973), Terminal Island (1974), McQ (1974), Leadbelly (1976), The Greatest (1977), Semi-Tough (1977), Heart Condition (1990), Unlawful Entry (1992) and Pentathlon (1994).

Survivors include his wife, Antoinette (“Toni”) — they were together for nearly 60 years — son Brandonn; daughter Ch-a; grandson Austin; and Rahsan, among his many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Mosley was a solid and dependable actor. He was likable and memorable as T.C. on Magnum, P.I.. Though he was a certified helicopter pilot, he was not allowed to do his own stunts. We thank him for the entertainment that he brought us on television. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Magnum, P.I. message board. View photos in our galleries.

Hall of Fame sportscaster Vin Scully was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located in Brooklyn) and ending in 2016. He died on August 2 at his home in Hidden Hills, California. Mr. Scully was 94.

Scully was the uncredited narrator for the 1966-1967 NBC sitcom Occasional Wife. The lead character was Peter Christopher (Michael Callan), a bachelor who enjoyed the single life, but was blocked from professional advancement by not having a wife. Christopher asked a young hat check girl, Greta Patterson (Patricia Harty), to pose as his wife at company functions. Scully commented on the increasingly complicated problems created by the arrangement between Peter and Greta.

His voice as an announcer was heard in episodes of Mister Ed, The Joey Bishop Show and Brooklyn Bridge. Some of his other television voice credits included General Electric Theater, Michael Shayne, The New Breed, Alcoa Premiere, The Fugitive, Highway to Heaven and The X-Files.

He served as the host for the NBC game show It Takes Two in 1969-1970. He hosted The Vin Scully Show, a weekday afternoon talk-variety show on CBS in 1973. In 1977, he hosted the prime-time Challenge of the Sexes for CBS.

Survivors include his children, Kevin, Todd, Erin, Kelly and Catherine; 21 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Mr. Scully was one of the best baseball announcers of all time. He had so many memorable calls over the years. He was a true professional and a great storyteller. He will be sorely missed.

Share your memories on our message board.

Memorial Day Marathons, Include Growing Pains On The N; Flo and She's the Sheriff Among the New In2TV Programming; Remembering Charles Nelson Reilly

Happy Memorial Day from everyone here at SitcomsOnline! If you are not out in the sun enjoying the weather then head to your TV to watch tons of marathons! We will give you a breakdown on who is airing what.
First, let's start off with The N. They will air a marathon of Growing Pains after all the festivities are over for Memorial Day, so you can actually go outside if you want because the marathon will air from 12 midnight to 6am of this show. The N is one of the sister stations of Nick at Nite, so that is how the network is airing this show. The show will air Mon-Thurs at 12 & 12:30 a.m. for the rest of the week, but it is unclear if it will continue after this week. We will let you know as soon as we do.
Imagine the joy of a road trip without leaving the comfort of your own home -- no overheated cars, no flat tires and no getting ripped off at the pump. Beginning Monday, May 28 from 6:00am to 8:00pm (all times ET/PT), TV Land takes viewers on an excursion to cool and exotic places when the network presents Memorial Day Roadtrips, a fourteen-hour marathon of vacation episodes from the network's line-up, culminating with the hilarious pop culture hit movie, National Lampoon's Vacation. Join The Munsters for a frightful night of camping, the Ricardos and the Mertzes on their comedic cross-country journey to Hollywood, the Sanfords for some sun and surf in Hawaii and top off the day's adventures with The Griswolds at the famed Wally World Amusement Park.
FX will travel back to the '70s with That '70s Show's Memorial Day Marathon. Twenty episodes of the 1998-2006 sitcom begin with a 1998 outing in which the gang's finding of a keg of beer demands a party. But tapping the keg proves problematic, and there are parents in pursuit. Airs from 7am-5pm.
Hallmark Chanel will have a M*A*S*H marathon, as we stated before. And as we stated before spend the day with Martin on TV One.
BET will have an epic block for Memorial Day featuring 10 episodes of Run's House, followed by six episodes of The Wayans Bros. and six episodes of The Jamie Foxx Show. Al from 9am-8pm.
G4 will air a marathon of the original Star Trek from 9am-4pm, while Oxygen will air a marathon of the hit sitcom Roseanne from 11am-4pm.
TNT has an all-day Law & Order marathon starting at 10am through 11pm, while the spin-off Law & Order: Criminal Intent will get a marathon on USA Network from 6am-8pm.
A&E will send out the mob for an all-day The Sopranos marathon from 9:24am to 11:37pm. Spike TV will do some investigating this Memorial Day with a CSI marathon from 9am-11pm.
Other notable marathons: VH1's Flavor of Love, style's Biggest Loser marathon, Bravo's Shear Genius, History Channel's Band of Brothers, CourtTV's Beach Patrol: San Diego, Animal Planet's Planet's Funniest Animals, and MTV will also air a Run's House marathon along with some Real World. TBS and Comedy Central will go to the movies all-day.
Wow! I think I covered it all. Something for everyone will air I hope.

In2TV, the online TV channel airing tons of TV shows, has added two short lived sitcoms this month! Flo, the spin-off of the hit sitcom Alice was added earlier this month and just recently the short lived first-run syndicated sitcom She's the Sheriff was added. That sitcom starred Suzanne Somers in the title role. Flo joins Alice on In2TV, so both shows are now on the online network. 8 episodes of Flo have been added thus far. And thus far 10 episodes have been added of She's the Sheriff. There is an episode of She's the Sheriff titled "Hair" that has Suzanne Somers' Three's Company co-star Don Knotts in it, along with Jenilee Harrison, who replaced Suzanne Somers on that show...interesting right? That is the episode I'm watching first and you should, too! Click HERE to view it. Also of note, after just one episode was added to In2TV last year, The Ben Stiller Show will now have all 13 episodes online for viewers to view!
And of course new episodes of your favorite In2TV series such as Martin, Head of the Class and Veronica's Closet will have new episodes this month!

Finally, we leave you with some sad news. TV legend Charles Nelson Reilly has died. Reilly was famous for being one of the celebrity panelists on the '70s game show Match Game. He also appeared on The Tonight Show many times. Reilly died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times. He wore his trademark giant glasses and colorful suits with ascots on Match Game and Hollywood Squares.
The actor appeared on many sitcoms as well. He appeared on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir from 1968-70. He has guest starred on The Patty Duke Show, Car 54 Where Are You?, The Farmer's Daughter, Nanny and the Professor, Here's Lucy, Arnie, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Love American Style, Charles in Charge, Evening Shade, New WKRP in Cincinnati, Family Matters and The Drew Carey Show. He had done a lot of TV voice work such as SpongeBob SquarePants. Mr. Reilly will be missed. He was 76.