Mr. TV: Golden Moment

Just as I was wondering how I could find a way to incorporate new TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, which debuts this week, into this week’s column came word of Rue McClanahan’s untimely passing. She was 76 and is remembered, of course, for her Emmy-winning role as man-hungry Blanche Devereaux on 1985-92 NBC sitcom The Golden Girls. Rue was also Bea Arthur’s best friend Vivian on Norman Lear sitcom Maude and was virginal Aunt Fran in the early seasons of Carol Burnett Show spin-off Mama’s Family. Compare the three characters—Blanche, Vivian and Fran—and you realize what comic range McClanahan had.If you were a fan of Mama’s Family—and I have no shame admitting I was—Betty White appeared sporadically as uppity daughter Ellen, which was quite a stretch because Vicki Lawrence as Mama is in real life 27 years younger than her TV daughter Betty. So Rue, Betty and Bea had all worked together before, which may explain the amazing chemistry the three had on The Golden Girls. The minute you saw the pilot you knew this would become one of the biggest sitcoms in TV history.Years ago, I was asked to do a segment on a now-defunct E! Entertainment show called TV Tales, which focused on The Golden Girls. After spending about 45 minutes in a very hot New York hotel reminiscing about Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia, Rue McClanahan was up next, but I just missed here. And other than a quick autograph signing by the four stars at my first NATPE in 1988, our paths never crossed again.McClanahan’s death means we only have one Golden Girl left, red-hot Betty White, who at age 88 is suddenly at the height of her already amazing career. And one of her many projects is Hot in Cleveland, the story of three best friends from Los Angeles (Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick) who rediscover themselves after their plane unexpectedly lands in Cleveland. Betty plays the snarky but lovable (a typical TV combo) caretaker of the property the women decide to rent. The show premieres June 16 at 10 p.m., and it’s the perfect way for TV Land to combine its nostalgia roots with something original.Call me old-fashioned (I’ve been called worse), but I prefer a good rib-tickler filmed in front of a live studio audience than a single-camera comedy that the critics love but few people watch. Nothing is a guarantee, of course, but the combination of these four women who all know a thing (or two) about a hit TV sitcom sounds like a winning proposition to me. My guess is Betty White will have an ongoing gig into her 90s. Outside of Hot in Cleveland this week, one of this summer’s surprises—there are never many—is ABC’s ambitious slate, which includes three scripted dramas: Scoundrels, The Gates and Rookie Blue. Scoundrels, the story of a family of small-time criminals who try to go straight, and The Gates, a vampire- and werewolf-tinged show that focuses on a metro cop turned small-town police chief, kick-off this Sunday in the 9-11 p.m. block. Crime drama Rookie Blue occupies the Thursday 9 p.m. hour starting June 24.The Gates, of course, sounds like a mashup of Desperate Housewives and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But because of the lack of original scripted options on broadcast over the years, you have to immediately assume these dramas can’t be very good if ABC waited for the summer to air them. Scoundrels could be the best of the three because of the participation of Virginia Madsen, who I will always remember from one of my all-time favorite movies, Sideways. While I am certain Scoundrels is no Sideways, I will try to tackle this new project, along with The Gates and Rookie Blue, with no preconceived notions. But as someone who watches TV for a living, I won’t expect too much. Of these new options this week, my pick is Hot in Cleveland, which I plan on making a viewing habit. Three of the four Golden Girls may be gone, but ageless Betty White is poised to keep us entertained for years into the future.

Convergent TV

Mr. TV: Golden Moment

Marc Berman

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Marc Berman