July 16, 2007

oh. my. god.

This may be the end times. Armageddon is upon us and, given my non-religious life for lo these many years, I am totally screwed.

Several former TV stars will participate in a new reality show in which they will perform the job they pretended to do on their former shows.

Back to the Grind, which will debut next month in the US, will have WKRP in Cincinnati's Loni Anderson working in a radio station, Hanging with Mr. Cooper's Mark Curry coaching a high school basketball team, and The Jeffersons' Sherman Hemsley working in the dry-cleaning business.

Other star who have signed up for the show include Night Court's Harry Anderson, CHiPs' Erik Estrada, Good Times' Jimmie Walker, and St. Elsewhere's Ed Begley, Jr.

Well, this story is from June, so that "next month" is this week. I just heard about it this evening.

Now, I seem to recall reading that Erik Estrada took actual police training for some other "reality" show. And Loni Anderson working at a radio station seems safe enough.

But didn't Ed Begley play a surgeon, for christ's sake?

Posted by Ken S at July 16, 2007 08:48 PM | TrackBack (0) |
Comments

I guess my memory must be failing with age. Did Jimmie Walker's character ever actually do anything?

Posted by: Joel at July 16, 2007 09:24 PM

Um, wasn't Harry Anderson's character a judge?

Last I checked, you need something more than a couple of acting classes to be a judge. Like law school. And ten to fifteen years as a lawyer.

Posted by: KG at July 16, 2007 09:39 PM

This is exactly why, if I ever become "famous" or star on a tv show or in a movie, the very FIRST thing I am doing is hiring a good, competent money-manager. So that when I retire, I can really retire, and don't have to keep whoring myself on reality shows forever.

Or, heck, maybe they're doing it because they enjoy it. I don't know. Personally, I think it's kind of embarrassing and uncomfortable...sort of like seeing your best friend's dad totally sloshed at a party when you're 13.

I, too, am racking my brains to remember if Jimmie Walker ever did anything but hang around and mug.

Posted by: ricki at July 17, 2007 05:29 AM

As far as I can recall, Jimmie Walker played a teenager with no job. But I didn't see the show enough to know for certain, and the only strong memory I have about it is being appalled that John Amos had to lower himself to being on that piece of dreck.

KG, it depends on the state but I'm pretty sure there are places where being a lawyer is not actually a requirement for being a judge.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at July 17, 2007 05:46 AM

Let's hope that Sherman Helmsley doesn't work for Judge Roy Pearson's cleaners.

Posted by: Tainted Bill at July 17, 2007 05:49 AM

I'm still laughing about that one, Bill. And hoping that cretinous bastard gets thrown out of a job.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at July 17, 2007 06:15 AM

Erik took the wrong job. He should be his character from Sealab 2021. I think I'd pay money to watch him try to be a marine biologist.

In other news, William Daniels has signed on to the show to be a car.

Posted by: nightfly at July 17, 2007 07:11 AM

Walker's character painted. He was some kind of ghetto artist genius.

I wish I didn't know that.

Posted by: laura(southernxyl) at July 17, 2007 03:48 PM

... being appalled that John Amos had to lower himself to being on that piece of dreck

And pretend to be married to a woman almost two decades his senior. Even the Howells didn't have as big an age gap.

Posted by: Joel at July 17, 2007 05:17 PM

You just know Martin Sheen is waiting for a phone call.

Posted by: charles austin at July 18, 2007 02:11 PM

Oh, think of the possibilities:

- Farming (Dawn Wells, Gary Burghoff)

- Police officer (Andy Griffith, William Shatner)

- Organized crime boss (James Gandolfini)

- Teacher (Gabe Kaplan)

- Dentist (Bill Cosby)

- Nun (Sally Field)

- Priest (William Christopher)

- Counselor (Marina Sirtis)

- Sports writer, coroner (Jack Klugman)

- Astronaut (Larry Hagman, George Takei, Lee Majors)

- Iraqi troop surge (Jim Nabors, Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Richard Dawson, Dirk Benedict, Mr. T, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr)

Posted by: Alan K. Henderson. Katie Couric's sparring partner at July 19, 2007 10:34 AM

Just remembered - the troop surge needs air support. Let Fred Thompson reprise his Hunt for Red October role and lead the USS Enterprise carrier group into the Gulf.

Thompson: "What's their plan?"
Borgnine: "Their plan?"
Thompson: "Al-Qaeda doesn't take a dump without a plan."

Posted by: Alan K. Henderson. Katie Couric's sparring partner at July 20, 2007 07:02 AM