Rich Heldenfels, Pop Culture Wanderer

As you know, I write a question-and-answer column about entertainment which runs in newspapers around the country. And some time back I received a letter asking this: I know it is a delicate question to be asked these days, but one that I'd like to have answered. Is there are regulation out there that says gays must be represented on television shows? I quit watching three shows because they made me sick seeing gay men dating, kissing, etx. At first I decided not to answer the question, either directly (as I sometimes do) or in my column. I did not want to give this person a voice. But, as time passed, it seemed more appropriate to answer it, especially considering the backlash against the children's show "Arthur" over its inclusion of a gay couple, and over Gillette having a young transgender man in an ad.  I may also have gone back to it because of Pride Month. After all, in recent days there have been even more issues in that time: the White House bannin...

CBS today unveiled its new year-round 2019-2020 primetime programming lineup featuring four new comedies, four new dramas and 24 returning series. The five new shows for fall include three comedies: BOB  ♥  ABISHOLA from award-winning executive producer, writer and creator Chuck Lorre, starring Billy Gardell and Folake Olowofoyeku; CAROL’S SECOND ACT, starring three-time Emmy Award winner Patricia Heaton; and THE UNICORN, starring Walton Goggins. The two dramas are EVIL, a psychological mystery from acclaimed producers Michelle and Robert King, starring Katja Herbers and Mike Colter; and the courthouse ensemble ALL RISE. The new shows debuting later in the season include the dramas FBI: MOST WANTED from producer Dick Wolf, starring Julian McMahon; and TOMMY starring Emmy Award winner Edie Falco; as well as the comedy BROKE, from producer Jennie Snyder Urman, starring Jaime Camil and Pauley Perrette. Returning favorites include BIG BROTHER, CRIMINAL MINDS, MACGYVER, MAN WI...

He was one of the funniest, if not the funniest, people I've ever met, as well as one of the nicest. I talked to him solo, in person and on the phone; with others, including by phone with Harvey Korman, and at a press conference where he effortlessly cracked up other people on the panel. He was extremely helpful when Tom Feran and I were doing our Ghoulardi book. I wrote a tribute to him last year, when news came out that he was ailing. You can read that again, and relish the accompanying clips, here.

In her inaugural upfront presentation as president of ABC Entertainment, Karey Burke will unveil a slate of programming for the 2019-2020 season that is bolstered by the strength of established, fan-favorite shows and captivating new programs energized by bold characters and storytelling. Burke will present her plan to the advertising and media communities this afternoon as part of the first Disney Upfront Experience, which brings together the networks of Walt Disney Television and ESPN at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City. “Since the beginning of the year, ABC has been the No. 1 network with a schedule that is working, and we are going to nurture it,” said Burke. “Going into next season, our priorities are stability and launching shows in a way our audience will know we are committed to them. Add to that some of the most buzzed-about titles and top talent of the recent pilot season, and we have an enviable combination that sets the stage for us ...

Charlie Collier, CEO, FOX Entertainment, today will unveil the FOX primetime slate for the 2019-2020 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Upfront Presentation at the Beacon Theatre. “Today marks a new beginning for FOX Entertainment. So it is with a start-up mindset and, upon an incredible foundation of assets, that we deliver our first slate of new comedies, dramas and unscripted series,” said Collier. “Alongside top creators and talent, and through innovative partnerships across the industry, we are redefining what it means to be an entertainment company, and what it means to be FOX, for 2019 and beyond.” The new dramas joining the lineup this fall are NOT JUST ME and PRODIGAL SON. Executive producer Jason Katims (“Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”) and writer Annie Weisman (“About A Boy,” “Desperate Housewives”) bring you NOT JUST ME, the story of an unusual family formed through extreme odds, exploring such hot-button issues as ide...