As we anticipate 2021, let’s recall the TV personalities we lost during the past year. Please forgive any omissions in this limited space.
An early writer/performer on “Saturday Night Live,” Buck Henry (Jan. 8) co-created “Get Smart.” Co-creator of PBS’s “NewsHour,” Jim Lehrer (Jan. 23) moderated presidential debates. Fred Silverman (Jan. 30) served as president of ABC, CBS and NBC. Game show fixture Orson Bean (Feb. 7) appeared on Johnny Carson’s couch more than 200 times. “The Wild Wild West” star Robert Conrad died on Feb. 8. We lost “Good Times” star Ja’net DuBois on Feb. 17.
James Lipton (March 2) offered consistently well-researched interviews. Kenny Rogers (March 20) turned his hit “The Gambler” into a series of TV movies. Among COVID-19’s early victims were prolific songwriter Adam Schlesinger (April 1) and Hal Willner (April 7), longtime musical director of “Saturday Night Live.”
Herb Stempel (April 7) was known for the “Twenty-One” quiz show scandal. Film actors Brian Dennehy (April 15) and Shirley Knight (April 22) have decades of TV credits. Jerry Stiller (May 11) was Ben’s father and half of the Stiller and Meara comedy team before he was Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld.” Female sportscasting pioneer Phyllis George died May 14. For decades, Fred Willard (May 15) was the master of saying just the right wrong thing. Prolific producer and director Lynn Shelton died on May 16. Ken Osmond (May 18) was best known as Eddie Haskell.
A pioneer of TV comedy, Carl Reiner (June 29) inspired generations of writers and performers. Hugh Downs (July 1) was the face and voice of “20/20.” Charlie Daniels (July 6) was no stranger to the small screen. Special effects expert Grant Imahara (July 13) illuminated “Mythbusters.” Regis Philbin (July 24) shared top billing like no other. John Saxon (July 25) was one of many fleeting boyfriends on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Appearing on series as varied as “The Waltons” and “Seinfeld,” Wilford Brimley (Aug. 1) is most associated with Quaker Oats. Media mogul Sumner Redstone died on Aug. 11. Among his many achievements, Joe Ruby (Aug. 26) co-created “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” Before he was “Black Panther,” Chadwick Boseman (Aug. 28) had many cameos on TV dramas.
First known as Emma Peel from “The Avengers,” Diana Rigg’s (Sept. 10) many credits include “Game of Thrones” and the recent remake of “Black Narcissus.” Honor Blackman (“Goldfinger”), who preceded Rigg on “The Avengers,” died on April 5. Mac Davis and Helen Reddy both hosted variety series in the 1970s, and both died on Sept. 29.
David Lander (Dec. 4) was perhaps best known for his role as Squiggy from “Laverne & Shirley.”
For decades, centenarians Kirk Douglas (Feb. 5) and Olivia de Havilland (July 26) appeared in notable TV films and miniseries.
Cool, approachable and Canadian, “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek (Nov. 8) consistently rewarded players and viewers for being smart. There were few more polite or welcome guests in America’s living rooms.
May 2021 bring health and happiness and plenty of good television.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Netflix streams the fourth season of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”
— “New Year’s Eve: Escape From 2020” (8 p.m., NBC) looks back.
— Joel McHale and Ken Jeong host “New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2021” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Ryan Seacrest, Lucy Hale and Billy Porter host “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (8 p.m. and 10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Ryan Seacrest hosts “iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-14).
— Two college students share an apartment and a growing mutual contempt on “Fear Thy Roommate” (8 p.m., ID, TV-14).
— The 1974 documentary “That’s Entertainment!” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-G) celebrates MGM musicals.
— Carson Daly hosts New Year’s Eve 2021 (10 p.m., NBC).
— A blogger’s child is kidnapped on “FBI” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Elizabeth Olsen plays a refugee from a cult in the 2011 psychological thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (9 p.m., HBO Signature).
SERIES NOTES
MeeMaw’s choices on “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Drew’s condition worsens on “B Positive” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Bonnie worries about her therapist on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Wade ponders the great thereafter on “The Unicorn” (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
David Oyelowo appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS, r) … George Clooney is booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., r, CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Barack Obama and Liam Gallagher on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC, r) … Billy Porter, David Byrne and Kane Brown appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
