IN MEMORIAM: 'GILLIGAN'S ISLAND'S RUSSELL JOHNSON AND 'THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY'S DAVE MADDEN

Yesterday we lost two classic television actors that marked the 1960s and 1970s.

Russell Johnson, mostly recognizable from his role as The Professor on Gilligan's Island, passed away at age 89. Johnson's early acting career began in the movies before transitioning over to guest and starring television roles. In 1964, Johnson was cast as Roy Hinkley, a.k.a. The Professor, on CBS' Gilligan's Island. Former castmate Dawn Wells broke the news yesterday via her Twitter account. Johnson was in a Hospice facility and surrounded by his wife and children when he died.

Dave Madden, who was best known as the The Partridge Family's band manager Reuben Kincaid, also passed away yesterday of congestive heart and kidney failure. Madden was 82. Madden was prominent in the '70s and '80s television landscape, appearing in guest roles on Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and Barney Miller. He also had a recurring role on CBS' Alice as frequent diner Earl Hicks.

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY FOR WEEK OF 12/17!

Read on about this week's new TV-on-DVD releases featuring mostly cable shows...and one animated comedy.

Burn Notice - Season 7

Burn Notice - The Complete Series

USA Network's action packed drama releases both its final season and a complete series set today. Burn Notice's seventh season enters a final endgame that has lasting repercussions for most of the team. Bombings, shootings, and sacrifices laced the final season up to its explosive finale. 

Justified - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD/BD)

The fourth season of the FX crime drama opens with a 30-year old unsolved mystery that eventually leads to a central mafia figure. Meanwhile, Boyd is intent on expanding his empire even if it means double-crossing people, which leads him to a crossroads of destruction.

Shameless - The Complete Third Season

The Showtime dramedy continues following the lives of drunk father Frank Gallagher and his self-sufficient children. The dysfunctional family only gets better with this third season with an ending that finally makes things look promising...we think.

Family Guy - Volume 12

Volume 12 presents all 22 episodes of the FOX animated comedy's eleventh season, including its milestone 200th episode. Traveling via teleportation, mid-life crisis, dating, and the normal Griffin family antics are present in this latest outing.

WINTER 2014: 'REVENGE' CASTS GAIL O'GRADY AS CONRAD'S FIRST WIFE

ABC's Revenge is about to become a little bit more dramatic...devious, dirty, soapy...in the next couple of episodes with the impending arrival of Blake Carrington's Conrad Grayson's first wife.

Gail O'Grady, who had notable roles on NYPD Blue and American Dreams, has been cast as the first ex-Mrs. Grayson. Details are mum about the character, including her name, but she'll come rolling into the Hamptons by the show's 13th episode, which is scheduled for January 19, 2014. The character's unexpected arrival will take Conrad and Victoria, the current Mrs. Grayson, by surprise and Revenge's showrunner teases that the ex-Mrs. Grayson will bring many secrets and bombshells.

WINTER 2014: ABC TRIMS 'SCANDAL'S CURRENT SEASON TO 18 EPISODES

ABC's Scandal has been full of on-the-edge drama this season and with the fall finale airing later this week, we've got news that the Gladiators team will be taking an early summer vacation in 2014.

Due to Kerry Washington's pregnancy, and the show's decision not to incorporate it into the current storylines, ABC has cut Scandal's episode order this season from 22 to 18. The actress' spring due date would make filming of the final four episodes nearly impossible. Producers considered shooting the final four without Washington but knew that they couldn't have Olivia Pope absent and off the canvas for such a long period of time. Expect a lot of close-up shots, heavy overcoats, and Olivia sitting or standing behind furniture as the episodes progress.

The remaining eight episodes of the season will begin on February 27, 2014.

WINTER 2014: 'GLEE' PREPARES FOR ITS 100TH EPISODE

As Glee prepares to celebrate its 100th episode on March 18, 2014, details are beginning to emerge regarding the milestone extravaganza.

According to co-creator Ryan Murphy, all the Glee originals have been invited to return for the 100th episode bash. Amber Riley (Mercedes), Mark Saling (Puck), Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike), and Heather Morris (Brittany) have all been confirmed to appear. While Amber, Mark, and Harry have made appearances on the show this season, Heather Morris has been absent from the canvas (and glaringly during the Cory Monteith tribute episode) since the departing the show last spring. Additionally, Broadway royalty Kristin Chenoweth will reprise her role of April Rhodes.

Update: Another original member, Dianna Agron (Quinn) will also be returning for the 100th episode. Rumors began swirling that there was bad blood within the cast when Agron was absent from the Cory Monteith tribute episode.

The episode will also feature the ten fan-chosen Glee songs from previous episodes, newly remixed and performed by the current members of New Directions. Voting for the faves has already taken place and closed so you'll just have to wait and see what songs the public requested.

WINTER 2014: 'ONCE UPON A TIME' CASTS RAPUNZEL

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" is probably the most remembered line from the fairy tale. And now, Once Upon a Time is bringing the character to Storybrooke.

The ABC fantasy drama has cast Alexandra Metz as the long-haired maiden locked away in a tower. Metz was recently seen in a short arc on The CW's The Originals as Katie the witch. Rapunzel is scheduled to appear in the 14th episode, which most likely will air in March when the show returns from its winter break.

FALL 2013: 'BREAKING BAD' ALTERNATIVE ENDING REVEALS IT WAS ALL A DREAM

Breaking Bad fans are still missing the hit drama that ended last month. Well don't fret fans, an alternative ending has been released and gone viral.

In true Newhart fashion, it turns out that the five-season run of Breaking Bad was all just a dream by Malcolm in the Middle's Hal Wilkerson (We're going to go with Wilkerson, as it was given in the pilot episode, but the running gag of the show was that the family had no last name). Hal wakes up from his dream and tells his wife Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) of being Walt and running a meth lab. Despite being off the air now for seven years, both Cranston and Kaczmarek pick up their Malcolm characters with ease and begin dropping the inside references of the FOX comedy. Wait for the ending and you'll hear the hook of the catchy theme song.

Life is unfair.

FALL 2013: THE CW TO REBOOT '80s "TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE"

Remaking old shows has become the latest trend for networks. Following previous news of Remington Steele, Murder, She Wrote, and Charmed reboots, it was revealed yesterday that The CW is interested in bringing back Tales from the Darkside.

Tales from the Darkside was a syndicated horror anthology series from George A. Romero. The series ran for four seasons during the mid-1980s and frequented the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Following similar formats seen on The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, each episode of Darkside was an individual short-story that typically ended with a plot twist.

(The episode "Halloween Candy" is considered one of the scariest episodes from the series)

The CW is interested in rebooting Tales from the Darkside to boost its current horror/fantasy line-up that has generated viewers and ratings over the years. Joe Hill (Stephen King's son) has been tapped to pen the project.

FALL 2013: DAMON WAYANS JR.'S 'COACH' WILL CONTINUE ON 'NEW GIRL'

New Girl fans don't fear, Coach isn't leaving anytime soon.

Damon Wayans Jr.'s return to the FOX comedy has just been extended. Wayans Jr.'s original four-episode arc started this past Tuesday, but we are now getting word that Coach will be sticking around for the remainder of the season. But don't worry if you're Team Winston, there are no plans for Coach to be a replacement. It just appears that the foursome will expand to a dynamic fivesome, at least for the rest of this season.

Wayans Jr. will continue to be billed as a "Special Guest Star" despite the extension.

FALL 2013: 'MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D' PLANS 'THOR' CROSSOVER

Marvel really wants box office success when Thor: The Dark World hits the big screen on November 8.

It's been announced that ABC's superhero powerhouse Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will crossover with the Thor sequel two weeks after the movie premieres. Now before you get your hopes up, don't expect Thor or any of the other movie characters to appear on the television show in the November 19 episode. The Agents of SHIELD episode will deal directly with the fallout of the movie's plot which potentially "threatens to destroy a member of the team."

Now time to speculate. The November 19 episode is titled "The Well." Could this be a reference to Agent Coulson's miraculous return to the living after the events of The Avengers? We can't say for sure that anything relating to Coulson will be mentioned in the new Thor movie but since it is the first Marvel movie to premiere since The Avengers, one would expect some kind of explanation even if its after the end credits. One thing's for sure, whatever happened to Coulson in Tahiti will be slowly revealed in the show's freshman season.

FALL 2013: ABC ORDERS MORE 'GOLDBERGS' 'TROPHY WIFE' 'SUPER FUN NIGHT'; CANCELS 'BACK IN THE GAME'

ABC is finally making some decisions on its new comedies, and boy do they look desperate!

The alphabet network has given full-season orders to The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife. The greenlight request for additional episodes would bring each show to 22 episodes. While not necessarily out-of-the-ballpark hits, ABC seems to have been pleased with the ratings. How else could we explain the network's sudden vote of confidence?

Meanwhile, ABC is really desperately rooting for Rebel Wilson. An additional four episodes have been ordered for Super Fun Night. The new comedy hasn't proven to be ratings gold in spite of the heavy promos focusing on the plus-size popular Australian actress. Aside from a botched pilot episode and poor quality scripts, Super Fun Night has been slammed by critics. ABC, however, still has faith that Rebel Wilson will draw in more viewers. We'll see what happens with this comedy but keep the life-support machine plugged in.

The network has benched the freshman family comedy Back in the Game...permanently. The baseball-themed comedy starring Maggie Lawson has been cancelled. But don't fret fans, ABC will finish airing whatever remains of the show's 13 episodes. Back in the Game was semi-decent, compared to some of the other shows mentioned above, but just couldn't find its footing.

FALL 2013: CBS PREPPING 'HOW I MET YOUR FATHER'?

CBS wants to keep a sure-thing going with its popular hit How I Met Your Mother.

The network is already preparing a shoot-off of the sitcom, but from the female perspective. Tentatively titled, How I Met Your Father, the show would incorporate the same concept but with a new cast led by the female protagonist who tells the story of how she met her future husband and father of children. While none of the current cast would be included in the spin-off, there has been buzz that the character may appear in the series finale of How I Met Your Mother next spring. One element that may crossover to the new sitcom is McLaren's Pub. The frequent watering hole by Ted Mosby and company could also be the setting for the new gang of characters.

We only have one wish for the CBS executives and co-creators to consider: Bring in Barney! Barney Stinson has slept with so many women over the years that it would only be natural that he would have had a one-night stand with the future female Ted Mosby-character. Don't you think so?

FALL 2013: IS 'GLEE' PHASING OUT LIMA, OHIO FOR FULL-TIME NYC?

FOX's Glee has had a difficult year with the passing of original cast member Cory Monteith, who portrayed quarterback Finn Hudson. The loss has forced creators to reexamine the show's endgame in next year's final season.

One idea that is currently being mulled on the set is making a full-time move to New York City. Now before you East Coasters start jumping for joy, it doesn't mean that the show's production is going to move from LA...though on-location shoots most likely will increase. What it means is that the Lima, Ohio setting will be phased out and the show will entirely be set in NYC. The switch is being considered for all of next season but there have been several hints that the change could occur as early as this current season.

Currently, Rachel, Kurt, and Santana are the only McKinley High characters living in NYC. Decisions will have to be made on which Lima characters would make the sojourn to the Big Apple, and exactly how they would fit in.

If the show decides to move in this direction, it would be a refreshing change for the weakening musical drama.

FALL 2013: KERRY WASHINGTON ANNOUNCES PREGNANCY; WHAT ABOUT OLIVIA POPE?

Could a baby storyline surface in the near future for ABC's political drama Scandal?

News broke that actress Kerry Washington and new husband Nnamdi Asomugha are expecting their first child. According to a source, Washington is about four months pregnant. Since several months remain for the taping and production of Scandal, many insiders are wondering if the show will take advantage of Washington's pregnancy and incorporate it to her alter-ego, Olivia Pope. Now that the President's affair has been exposed, it would only be naturally dramatic to have a "Who's your Daddy?" storyline.

It'll be interesting to see what the show plans to do with this news but definitely expect a pregnant Olivia Pope waddling in Prada or a ton of shots of Kerry Washington standing behind a piece of furniture. Congratulations to the expecting parents!

FALL 2013: 'ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND' WILL GET A LITTLE WHOOPI

ABC's struggling spin-off is getting some additional star power. Mr. Rabbit is about to get some major Whoopi.

Actress and current co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, has signed up to guest-voice Mrs. Rabbit on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The furry missus will appear in the current storyline and flashbacks in the show's eighth episode. Goldberg will star opposite series regular John Lithgow (Third Rock from the Sun and Dexter baddie). We expect some sass and backtalk from Mr. Rabbit's significant other.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland airs Thursdays at 8 pm on ABC.

NEW RELEASE TUESDAY (10/22)! IT'S A RETRO KIND OF WEEK WITH COPS, COWBOYS, WAITRESSES, AND VAMPIRES!

This week, the ghost of television past arrives on the TV-on-DVD aisle with some obscure long-forgotten goodies.

Retro-Thriller Pick-of-the-Week

Kindred the Embraced: The Complete Series

Self-touted as "The Original Vampire Saga," Kindred the Embraced was a bet that didn't pay off for the Fox Network. The supernatural drama premiered in 1996 as a mid-season replacement and only lasted 8 episodes. Part of the reason for the show's quick demise was its convoluted premise and cast. Julian Luna is the vampire mobster prince of San Francisco, ruler of the five vamp groups that are known as "The  Kindred." Meanwhile, a police detective discovers the existence of vampires in the city while he investigates Luna. The drama was produced by Spelling Television so expect part spook, part gang busters, and part soap.

Retro-Cop Pick-of-the-Week

Silk Stalkings - The Complete Seasons 6, 7, & 8: The Ryan & St. John Cases

The USA Network buddy cop drama enjoyed success with the original pair of detectives. Their replacements, however, were not well received by audiences and were quickly replaced mid-season by the popular Ryan (starring TV staple Chris Potter) and St. John (Janet Gunn). The chemistry existed between former married couple Tom Ryan and Cassie St. John and each season was building up to the ultimate reconciliation. The cliffhanger in Season 8 would leave the two in peril with no resolution due to the network's decision to cancel the long-running series.

Retro-Western Pick-of-the-Week

The Young Riders - Season Two

The Young Riders was ABC's western drama that focused on riders for the Pony Express. The late '80s/early '90s show only lasted three seasons despite its casting of young up-and-coming actors to attract the female audience. The second season incorporated an African-American cast member to its line-up and switched to a guest villain-of-the-week format that was shortly phased out after complaints from cast members

Retro-Comedy Pick-of-the-Week

Alice - The Complete Fourth Season

A last minute update to our New Release Tuesday post is the news that Alice's fourth season is being released through Warner Archives Collection. WAC always posts its Tuesday releases in the afternoon and it was a surprise to see this one. But why not, Alice has generated good sales for WAC from fans who have been waiting to get their hands on this classic comedy. The fourth season marks the last appearance of Flo, who departs mid-season for her own spin-off show. Southern belle Belle fills the vacancy but nobody would ever be able to fill Flo's shoes. Kiss my grits!

FALL 2013: NBC SHAFTS 'PARKS AND RECREATION' TO HELP STRUGGLING 'SEAN SAVES THE WORLD'

Fans of NBC's Parks and Recreation aren't going to be happy about this, and frankly we can't blame them.

The network has placed the Amy Poehler comedy on a brief hiatus until November 14 in order to salvage one of its struggling, underwhelming new comedies, Sean Saves the World. The next three episodes of Parks and Rec, including a Halloween-themed episode that was to air on October 31, will be pushed back to next month as NBC rotates specials in the 8 pm hour. 

The demise of new comedy Welcome to the Family, which was canceled last week, has left a hole in NBC's Thursday night comedy lineup. The poor numbers Welcome attracted is to blame for the weak outing of the 9 pm comedy hour featuring Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show. Or at least that's what they want us to believe. Truth be told, the Sean Hayes and Michael J. Fox comedies have been hit-or-miss this season despite heavy promotion during the summer.

This week, The Voice's Battle Rounds episode will replace Parks and Rec, and a holiday-themed Saturday Night Live special will air on Halloween night. Finally, The Voice's live playoffs show, which was slated to replace Hayes' and Fox's comedies for the night, will be bumped to the 8 pm hour. NBC is hoping that this move will increase viewership for its 9 pm comedies, especially with the numbers The Voice brings in each week.

Will it work for NBC? We'll see this Friday!

FALL 2013: NBC CANCELS 'IRONSIDE' AND 'WELCOME TO THE FAMILY'

It's been a rather busy Friday afternoon in TV land as several networks have made some serious decisions regarding their new shows this season.

On the cancellation front, NBC has axed struggling police procedural remake Ironside and comedy Welcome to the Family. Both shows failed to gather an audience despite posting fairly decent premiere ratings. 

Ironside had considerable amounts of promos and hype to boast its premiere but putting popular star Blair Underwood in a wheelchair just didn't help the cause. The drama faced tough competition in its Wednesday night timeslot with the perennial favorite CSI and ABC's country sudser  Nashville. The real nail in the coffin came last week when FX's American Horror Story: Coven premiered to smashing numbers in the 10 pm timeslot and took a nice chunk of audience away from network television. Ironside also faced some creative backlash for not casting a disabled actor in the role of paraplegic Robert Ironside. The negative press helped detract some audiences from even giving the show a chance. Honestly though, the drama's case-of-the-week format was pretty dull and slow that Ironside's wheelchair moved faster than the plot. The final episode airs October 23.

Welcome to the Family was another unfortunate sacrifice that the network had to make due to low numbers. Stuck in the 8:30 pm timeslot, the family comedy based on unplanned teenage pregnancy couldn't hack it against CBS' new comedy The Millers. While the premise isn't necessarily the best, it was something different but a soft cast didn't help the situation. Don't get us wrong, we love Mike O'Malley but he needed a better co-star foil in this production. Additionally, most of NBC's new comedies are struggling, especially much touted, heavily advertised Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show. If a decision had to be make to stop the network from losing more blood, it was apparent that the show on the bottom of the totem pole was getting cut.

CBS, on the other hand, is doing a little better with its new comedies. The network has just given full-season orders to freshman comedies Mom, The Crazy Ones, and The Millers. Apparently dysfunctional comedies about recovering alcoholics and divorced parents are drawing the audiences. Each show has received the order for the "back 9" episodes, which would make the full season count to 22 episodes.

FOX has also picked up a full-season order for freshman police comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has posted solid numbers since its debut. Additionally it will join New Girl for a special comedy hour after Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014.

Death List

Lucky 7 (ABC)

We are Men (CBS)

Murder Police (FOX)

Us & Them (FOX)

Ironside (NBC)

Welcome to the Family (NBC)

Life Support

Betrayal (ABC)

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)

Super Fun Night (ABC)

FALL 2013: COMING TO TV TONIGHT (10/17)! THE CW PREMIERES A DISASTROUS 'REIGN'

New on TV tonight is a costumed historical period drama gone wrong.

The CW premieres Reign, a historical drama set in 16th Century France. 1557 to be exact. The series follows teenager Mary, Queen of Scots as she is called out of isolation in a French convent and ordered back to the French court to prepare for her arranged marriage to Prince Francis. Francis, however, isn't so pressed for the wedding since he has his own sidepiece but his mother, Queen Catherine, and bastard half-brother Bash have other plans. The opulent setting, lavish location shoots, and period costuming are used to hide the numerous historical inaccuracies of The CW's modified history lesson.

So what exactly is wrong with this story? Well the ages of Mary and Francis are way off since the real royals married at age 15 and 14, respectively. While The CW clearly found a dashing, handsome Francis, the real prince was in fact a sickly, frail boy who expired a short time after the arranged marriage. But of course that story wouldn't generate ratings! Also, Mary, Queen of Scots was never exiled to a French convent; there never existed a half-brother named Bash; and Francis' family actually adored Mary rather than plot against her. But real history is just boring.

Yeah right.

Reign airs tonight at 9 pm on The CW, and will face stiff competition from ABC's Grey's Anatomy and FOX's MLB Playoffs in this timeslot.

FALL 2013: AFTER 21 SEASONS, RICHARD BELZER RETIRES JOHN MUNCH; DEPARTING 'LAW & ORDER: SVU'

Well nothing lasts forever...even on television. After 21 seasons on TV, Sgt. John Munch will be turning in his badge.

On Wednesday night's episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it was revealed that Munch will be submitting his retirement paperwork along with his badge. The character will become recurring as actor Richard Belzer has decided to depart the long-running procedural drama. The move isn't too much of a surprise as Munch's role has diminished on the show in the past couple of years. The show is currently airing its 15th season and Munch has been a staple from its beginning back in 1999 when he was a senior detective.

Prior to joining Law & Order: SVU, Detective John Munch was a central character on Homicide: Life on the Street for all seven seasons. The police procedural centered on a Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit. Though Belzer's acting was still green during his run on Homicide, the show became critically acclaimed for its grittiness and ever-increasing portrayals of African-Americans on primetime television. Homicide had numerous cross-over episodes with the original Law & Order thanks to both being on NBC. John Munch became known in the Law & Order universe thanks to these cross-overs.

When Homicide ended its run in May 1999, Detective Munch retired from the Baltimore PD, taken his pension, and moved to New York to join a sex crimes investigation unit. By the fall of 1999, he was part of SVU.

Aside from the shared universe by the two crime dramas, John Munch has also appeared in numerous other TV shows as either a guest or cameo. He appeared in an episode of HBO's The Wire, which was also set in Baltimore. During the fifth season of The X-Files, Munch made a cameo in the episode "Unusual Suspects" where he was based out of a Baltimore police department. After relocating to New York City, Munch made an appearance on UPN's short-lived one-season wonder The Beat, which focused on the day-to-day occurrences of NYPD officers. Other shows that Detective, and later Sergeant, John Munch appeared in were Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! It is interesting to note that the character crossed genres by appearing in several comedies.

Richard Belzer made television history with John Munch. The character has appeared in more television series than any other fictional character, and has also beaten the record for longest running character with 21 seasons. The record was previously held by Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane and James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillon.

It is speculated that Sgt. Munch's last episode of Law & Order: SVU will air on October 16.