Bea Arthur Fought the Same Battle Twice, a Decade Apart
TLDR: Bea Arthur walked away from two hit shows for almost the exact same reason. Both times, she left on her own terms rather than … Read more
The Odd Couple’s Two Stars Were Closer Than Felix and Oscar
TLDR: Tony Randall and Jack Klugman spent five seasons playing two men who could barely stand living together. Off screen, they were the kind of … Read more
Room 222’s Principal Went On to Become a Windex-Wielding Dad
TLDR: Room 222 quietly broke real ground as one of the first network shows built around an integrated cast and a Black lead teacher. Decades … Read more
Rue McClanahan Played Bea Arthur’s Best Friend Twice Over
TLDR: Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur played best friends on television twice, a decade apart, on two completely different shows. By the time The Golden … Read more
Love, American Style Was Where Happy Days Actually Started
TLDR: Love, American Style never had a fixed cast at all, just a rotating troupe and hundreds of guest stars passing through five seasons of … Read more
Estelle Getty Played Bea Arthur’s Mother, But Was Actually Younger
TLDR: Estelle Getty spent decades as a working character actress before Broadway finally noticed her in her late fifties. She then spent seven years playing … Read more
Demond Wilson Traded Hollywood for the Pulpit, and Meant It
TLDR: Demond Wilson beat out Richard Pryor for the role of Lamont Sanford and made it look easy for six seasons. He’d already made a … Read more
Mackenzie Phillips Grew Up Inside a Rock Star’s House, Not a Sitcom
TLDR: Mackenzie Phillips played a rebellious teenager on television while living through something far harder off screen. Her own father, Mamas & the Papas founder … Read more
Pat Harrington Jr. Drank Water Before Every Take, and Never Explained
TLDR: Pat Harrington Jr. spent nine seasons playing the building superintendent everyone eventually loved, even though Schneider’s whole shtick was making unwanted passes at Ann … Read more
One Day at a Time, the Real Story Behind the Romano Family
TLDR: One Day at a Time gave network television its first real look at a divorced single mother raising two teenage daughters. Off screen, one … Read more
Valerie Bertinelli Married Rock and Roll, Then Built a Career Beyond It
TLDR: Valerie Bertinelli was only 15 when One Day at a Time made her a star. She spent the next two decades married to one … Read more
Bonnie Franklin Made Single Motherhood Real, Then Fought for Others
TLDR: Bonnie Franklin insisted Ann Romano be written as a real, complicated woman rather than sitcom fluff. She spent the rest of her life applying … Read more
Redd Foxx’s Death Echoed the Joke He’d Told for Six Seasons
TLDR: Redd Foxx spent six seasons clutching his chest and pretending to die on cue as Fred Sanford. In 1991, the joke stopped being a … Read more
Sanford and Son, the Real Story Behind the Junkyard
TLDR: Redd Foxx built Fred Sanford’s most famous bit around faking his own heart attack. He died of a real one on the set of … Read more
LaWanda Page Got Cast Because Redd Foxx Insisted on His Real Friend
TLDR: LaWanda Page spent decades building a reputation as one of the raunchiest stand-up comics in Black nightclubs, under a nickname involving actual fire. Redd … Read more
Betty White Was Almost Cast as the Wrong Golden Girl Entirely
TLDR: Betty White almost played the wrong Golden Girl entirely, cast against a decade of typecasting rather than into it. She spent her last days … Read more