News and notes from the world of classic TV:
- Classic TV diginet Antenna TV will be adding a bunch of sitcoms to their lineup in 2017, mostly 80s and 90s fare along with a couple obscure classics from the 60s. Joining the lineup: 227, Alice, Becker, Good Morning World (1967-68 starring Ronnie Schell and a pre Laugh-In Goldie Hawn), Growing Pains, Head of the Class, The Hogan Family, The Joey Bishop Show (1961-65), Murphy Brown, My Two Dads and What’s Happening!!
- NBC-owned classic TV digital network Cozi TV picks up a trio of NBC classics that last aired on MeTV. Getting Cozi in January: Columbo (Weekends), Emergency! (1PM Weekdays) and The Rockford Files (12N Weekdays).
- The classic black-and-white sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show will follow in fellow B&W sitcom I Love Lucy’s footsteps. CBS will air two back-to-back episodes of DVD in color at 8PM Eastern tonight (Sunday Decemmber 11). “That’s My Boy??” and “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” were chosen by series creator and co-star Carl Reiner.
- There have been more losses of classic TV favorites in recent weeks: actor Don Calfa (guested on Barney Miller, Kojak, Streets of San Francisco), actor Ron Glass (Barney Miller), comic actor Milt Moss (best known for saying “I can’t believe I ate that whole thing” in a classic Alka-Seltzer TV commercial), producer/network executive Grant Tinker (The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, WKRP in Cincinnati), actor Fritz Weaver (guested on such classics as Hawaii Five-0, Mannix, Rawhide, The Twilight Zone) and actor Van Williams (The Green Hornet, Surfside 6).
