Diagnosis Murder (1993-2001)

This detective show involves a doctor working as a consultant for the police, including his detective son

Summary

-Dr. Mark Sloane (Dick Van Dyke) is a doctor at Community General Hospital who helps his detective son solve crimes

Cast

-Dick Van Dyke: Dr. Mark Slone

-Barry Van Dyke: Steve Sloane

-Victoria Rowell: Amanda Bentley-Livingston

-Charlie Schlatter: Dr. Jesse Travis

-Michael Tucci: Norman Briggs

-Scott Baio: Dr. Jack Stewart

-Delores Hall: Delores Mitchell

-Shane Van Dyke: Alex Smith

-Kim Little: Nurse Susan Hilliard

Did You Know?

-The series was only renewed a few episodes at a time, according to Dick Van Dyke

-There was one episode that required a motorcycle stunt. Since the production team didn't have enough money in the budget to perform it, Dick Van Dyke used LightWave 3-D software on his home computer to create the visual effects, since he is a computer animation enthusiast. They were used on the show and he was paid $200 for creating this sequence

-Some were concerned that Dick Van Dyke was considered too old to play a still-working doctor when the series began

-When the series started, Dick Van Dyke was already 67 years old

-Dick Van Dyke decided to retire from the role, so the series only lasted 8 seasons

-When Victoria Rowell was pregnant, between seasons 2 and 3, her pregnancy was written into the role. It was said Amanda was married to a serviceman never seen on the program

-When Scott Baio left the show, it was explained that his character, Dr. Jack Stewart, had left Community General Hospital to start his own practice in Colorado

-To prepare for their roles, Dick Van Duke, Victoria Powell, Scott Baio and Charlie Schlatter all had to use medical dictionaries to pronounce the medical terminology

-In the episode "Gangland", it was said that Amanda was a foster child. In real life, Victoria Rowell, who played Amanda, was a foster child

-Victoria Rowell is a second cousin of singer / actress Beyonce Knowles-Carter

-Prior to becoming Chief of Internal Medicine and doing consulting work with the police, Dr. Mark Sloan was a doctor who worked with the MASH Unit

-This show helped launch the careers of Barry Van Dyke, Dick's son and Charlie Schlatter

-Dr. Mark Sloan served in the US Army, in a medical unit during the Korean War. Dick Van Dyke spent his time in the US Army Air Force during WWII in real life

Hey Arnold! (1996-2022)

This popular cartoon was on in the mid to late 1990s

Summary

-Arnold is a typical 9 year old kid growing up in the city of Hillwood, Washington, who lives in a multi-ethnic boarding house and has a unique assortment of friends and neighbors

"Stoop Kid"

"Four Eyed Jack"

"Eugene's Bike"

"Arnold Betrays Iggy"

"Heat / Snow"

"Arnold's Christmas". This is a sad, but good episode, where you find out Mr. Hyunh had to give his daughter to a soldier during the fall of Saigon

"Downtown Fruits"

Cast

-Francesca Marie Smith: Helga Pataki / Sheena

-Jamil Walker Smith: Gerald Johanssen

-Dan Castellaneta: Arnold's Grandpa

-Justin Shenkarow: Harold Berman

-Christopher Walberg: Stinky Petersen

-Sam Gifaldi: Sid

-Anndi McAfee: Phoebe Heyerdahl

-Craig Bartlett: Brainy / Radio DJ

-Olivia Hack: Rhonda Wellington

-Tress MacNeille: Arnold's Grandma / Miss Slovak

-Kath Soucie: Miriam Pataki / Marilyn Berman

-Spencer Klein: Arnold (voice)

-Maurice LaMarche: Bob Pataki

-Steve Viksten: Oskar Kokoschka

-Dom Irrera: Ernie Potts

-David Wohl: Principal Wartz / Jerry Berman

-Ben Diskin: Eugene Horowitz

-James Keane: Marty Green

-Adam Wylie: Thaddeus "Curly" Gammelthorpe

-Ashley Buccille: Lila Sawyer

-Nika Futterman: Olga Pataki

-Dan Butler: Mr. Simmons

-Baoan Coleman: Mr. Hyunh

Did You Know?

-The show never really said where Arnold lives. You strongly suspect it might be in New York because of the shots of what looks like the Brooklyn Bridge. But actually the city in which Arnold calls home is a blend of Seattle, Brooklyn and Portland. There also hints that the city is called Hillwood because of the Hillwood Medical Center or Hillwood Zoo. That it's referencing the city of Hillwood, in Washington State

-The girls on the show were based on girls that creator Craig Bartlett knew and liked when he was a kid

-This was said to be the first animated show for children using actual children to provide the voices

-Initially, the show started out as claymation-type animation, one of which appeared on Sesame Street. And, also for a short time, it started out as a Simpsons-style series

-The only person who provided a voice who was not a child between the ages of nine to fifteen was creator Craig Bartlett, who voiced the character Brainy

-This show and The Simpsons have quite a lot in common. Craig Bartlett, who created Hey Arnold! is a brother in law to The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. Also, Dan Castellaneta, who voices Homer Simpson, also provided the voice of Arnold's grandpa. And even Gerald's tall hair resembles Marge Simpson

-It was a running gag throughout the show that Arnold's last name was never revealed. His grandpa always called him "short man". It was eventually revealed in the made for TV movie The Jungle Movie that Arnold's last name was Shortman

-The 2017 made for TV movie The Jungle Movie revealed what happened to Arnold's parents

-Mr. Green is the local neighborhood butcher. His character was based on the Ernest Borgnine character in the 1955 film Marty

-In the episode "Arnold's Halloween", he and his friends make a fake broadcast about a potential alien invasion. The "UFO" ends up being a nearby water tower decorated with lights. The name of the place where the UFO will land being Well's Ridge. This is a reference to Orson Wells, who did an actual broadcast, which was mistaken for an authentic alien invasion, for the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds, where aliens came to Earth

-Former Nickelodeon executive Geraldine Laybourne was the inspiration for Helga Pataki's middle name. It was a running joke throughout the series about Helga's name being Helga G. Pataki. This was confirmed by Craig Bartlett, who verified that he wanted to pay tribute to Laybourne by giving Helga the name Geraldine as her middle name

-On the outside of the Sunset Arms Boarding House, there is a sign that reads "No Children, Pets OK." This sign is also seen at other places, especially at the public pool Arnold and Gerald try to get into in the "Heat / Snow" episode

-The radio DJ in this program is a guy known as Nocturnal Ned who works at the local radio station MJZZ. This is actually a caricature of Craig Bartlett, who also lent his voice to various episodes

-According to the show's creators, Arnold's teacher Mr. Simmons was said to be homosexual

-The character Sid was voiced by two brothers named Sam and Taylor Gifaldi. Taylor for one time and Sam for the rest of the time

-In the episode where Stinky Peterson (Christopher Walberg)  makes a commercial, he walks into a studio called Snee-Oosh Studios. This is the actual name of the studio that made the show

-One of the boarding house residents is an always out of work man named Oskar Kokoschka. The name was taken from a 19th century Viennese painter, whose personality was completely different than this character

-Initially, Ruth P. McDougal was a sixth grader and the object of Arnold's love. Gerald tells him constantly that she is in the sixth grade and that it's hopeless. When Lila was introduced in the episode "Ms. Perfect", Ruth was phased out and reduced to being seen as a background character

-Dino Spumoni was an aging crooner based on Dean Martin

-This program is considered unique in that the music is comprised mostly of instrumental jazz. The show's composer Jim Lang said that the music was inspired by jazz legends such as Kenny Burrell and Thelonious Monk

-Seasons 1-3 were created with traditional cels. Around Season 4, the animators had switched to digital ink and paint, resulting in a slightly different look

-Jamil Walker Smith, who voiced Gerald, was allowed to continue voicing his character, even as he hit puberty. In post-production, his voice was pitched up several levels to sound like a younger voice

-"Eugene the Jinx", a severely unlucky kid whose name was Eugene Horowitz, got his name from actor Michael Landon's actual birth name Eugene Orowitz

-In the episode "Curly Snaps / Pre-Teen Scream", PS 118's resident psychopath Curly locks himself in the principal's office with a bag of kickballs and says "I'm mad as heck, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" This is a tribute to the line "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" from the 1976 film Network

-Arnold's weird cousin Arnie came as a result from a joke people had made about the bad animation they had gotten from another studio

-Many of the stores in the city take their names from writers or directors of the show. Such as Viksten's Pharmacy

-During the first season, the boarding house is home to a mysterious character known only as "Mr. Smith." The creator said he moved out, which is why he was never referenced in later episodes

-Originally Ruth McDougal was meant to have dark blonde hair. But, because it too closely resembled Arnold's hair, it was modified to be more dark red, almost brown

-Arnold's school is PS 118. There is a real life PS 118. It's located in New York City. The one in the cartoon, however, is not a depiction of the actual school

-People think that Arnold is wearing a skirt under his shirt. It's actually a long sleeved plaid shirt with the tails hanging loose under a sweater

-Eugene Horowitz was inspired by Martin Short's character in the 1991 film Pure Luck. He's hopelessly optimistic, but always finding himself on the receiving end of bad luck

-In the beginning of Season 2, Arnold's teacher Miss Slovak was replaced by Mr. Simmons because the principal, known only as Principal Wartz, mentions that Miss Slovak has decided to play golf for a living

-One of Harold's frequent phrases, that he often directs at Helga, is "Madame fortress mommy!" He usually says it under his breath. Justin Shenkarow, who voices Harold, said it one day during a recording session. The show's creator Craig Bartlett asked what it meant and Justin didn't know. Everyone loved it so they kept writing it into the scripts

-Early in the show, the character Lila Sawyer appeared with red hair. Eventually, it was changed to brown hair

-While Lila appears to be sweet and kind, she does develop a slightly darker side. She starts dating Arnold's cousin Arnie in front of Arnold. Fans of the show have considered her to be the most unlikeable character, along with Iggy

Freakazoid (1995-1997)

This cartoon was made by the same people who made the Animaniacs cartoon

Summary

-Dexter Douglas is your typical geeky teenager. Through a computer virus, he is transformed into Washington D.C.'s newest superhero, Freakazoid

Cast

-Paul Rugg: Freakazoid

-Joe Leahy: Narrator

-Tress MacNeille: Debbie Douglas

-Ed Asner: Sgt. Mike Cosgrove

-Jeff Bennett: Cave Guy

-John P. McCann: Douglas Douglas

-Maurice LaMarche: Longhorn

-David Kaufman: Dexter Douglas

-David Warner: The Lobe

-Tracy Rowe: Steff

-Craig Ferguson: Roddy MacStew

-Googy Gress: Duncan Douglas

Did You Know?

-During the initial run of the show, it did very well. Warner Bros tried to sell commercial slots for the show, with the idea that kids would be the main target audience. As it eventually turned out, the people watching it were kids 14 years old or older. It was even considered moving the show to primetime, but it was canceled after only 24 episodes

-The bug infecting Dexter's computer is reminiscent of the FDIV bug that affected the first run of Intel Pentium CPUs in the early part of the 1990s. This made headlines when technical users complained about it, resulting in getting their CPUs put under warranty

-Each member of the Dexter family has a name starting with D: mother Debbie, father Douglas and brother Duncan

-During a 2020 podcast interview for Dread Central at Pensacon 2020, David Warner said one of his favorite acting jobs of all time was playing The Lobe

20 Real Life Deaths That Were Written Into a TV Program

When an actor or actress dies during filming, it's then decided that their death should be written into the show. Of course, the cast will be devastated that they lost a fellow cast member. Acacia Deadrick, writer for MSN.com page Yardbarker, compiled this list of real life passings that were written into the TV shows

1. Cory Monteith

-Glee

-He played Finn Hudson. After he had died from a mixture of heroin and alcohol, resulting in an overdose. The writers of the show chose to honor his life in a touching episode called "The Quarterback". One of the songs the cast sung on that episode was James Taylor's "Fire and Rain"

2. George Cleveland

-Lassie

-He played Grandpa. While the show was still in its early seasons, George Cleveland died of a heart attack. His character was said to have died in the show. The writers honored his life with a funeral episode

3. Glenn Strange

-Gunsmoke

-He played Sam Noonan. He joined the cast later on. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and eventually lost his battle with the disease. The show's writers didn't immediately address that he had died. They chose to reveal that his character had passed

4. John Spencer

-The West Wing

-He played Leo McGarry. While filming the show, he suffered a massive heart attack and died. When fans learned of his death, they were devastated. It was written into the show that his character died during his bid for the presidency

5. John Ritter

-8 Simple Rules

-He played Paul Hennessy. He suffered a massive cardiac event and was rushed to the hospital, but died en route. His death was written into the show. It was turned into a two part episode, one part where his character passes and the other part paying tribute to him

6. Nancy Marchand

-The Sopranos

-She played Livia Soprano, Tony's headstrong, manipulative mother. When she died in real life from lung cancer, her character's death was written into the show. A CGI version of her was used during a final exchange between her and her son Tony

7. Will Geer

-The Waltons

-He played Zebulon Tyler Walton. Will Geer died from respiratory complications in the late 1970s and his death was written into the show. The characters said their tearful goodbyes to Grandpa Zebulon in the season 7 premiere

8. Karl Swenson

-Little House on the Prairie

-He played Lars Hanson. During the show, he suffered a heart attack and passed away. His death was written into the show and stated that Lars died from an undisclosed illness. Since the show was set in a time when people could die from simple illnesses that now have a cure, it was believable

9. Jim Davis

-Dallas

-He played Jock Ewing. In 1981, he lost his battle with cancer. His character was not present on the show for a time, but it was said on the show he died in a helicopter crash

10. Will Lee

-Sesame Street

-He played Mr. Hooper. He was a much beloved character on the show. He passed away from a heart attack in 1982. Several episodes aired without his character, but the writers used his passing as a way to say goodbye to his character and teach children about death and mourning in a very touching way. It turned out to be a very good episode

11. George Segal

-The Goldbergs

-He played Albert "Pops" Solomon. George underwent surgery in 2021 and died as a result of complications that arose. Writers included his passing in the show and wrote it into the season 9 opening episode to pay tribute to him

12. Carrie Fisher

-Family Guy

-She appeared as Angela. While her character was not a recurring one, the show paid tribute to Carrie Fisher by saying her character Angela died in an accidental drowning. Peter Griffin, one of the main characters, gave a beautiful eulogy that paid deep respect to both Angela and Carrie

13. Linda Porter

-Superstore

-She played Myrtle. She passed away in 2019 after a long battle with cancer. Her character was stated to have passed, but the cause was not mentioned. The Cloud 9 employees paid tribute to her with a hilarious but also touching moment when they think about all the moments that they had with Myrtle

14. Luke Perry

-Riverdale

-He played Fred Andrews. Writers wrote in Luke Perry's death as a car accident that kills Fred Andrews in Season 4. In real life, Luke Perry died from a stroke. The rest of the episode has the characters exploring the concept of death, mourning, loss and grief

15. Kristoff St. John

-The Young and the Restless

-He played Neil Winters. He appeared in just under 1,700 episodes of the show, making him a regular cast member. On the show, it was said he died of a stroke on the show. In real life, he passed away from heart disease in 2019

16. Adam West

-Family Guy

-He provided his own voice as Mayor West. Many thought it was in bad taste to pay tribute to Adam West's passing two years on the show after he really died. Adam West died of cancer in 2017, but his character was not written out until 2019

17. Carrie Fisher

-Catastrophe

-She played Mia. Carrie Fisher died in 2016 from a heart attack. Her death was written into the show. It was said her character also died from a heart attack

18. Carol Ann Susi

-The Big Bang Theory

-She provided the voice of Debbie, Howard's mother. You never saw her, but you often heard her arguing with Howard, saying things like "Close the door. You'll let all the bugs in!" with Howard responding back sarcastically "The only reason they would come in is because you're their queen!" or "Who's there? Is that a sex criminal?" and he would respond "Nobody wants to do that to you, ma!" Their arguments were often one of the funniest parts of the show

-Carol Ann Susi died in 2014 from cancer, and writers wrote her death into the show. Howard is at the comic book store with his friends when he gets a call from relatives. He finds out that his mother, who had gone down South to visit relatives, had gone to lay down for a nap and never woke up. The paid touching tributes to Susi and explored how Howard handled losing his mother in addition to how he handled life after losing a parent

19. Christopher Evan Welch

-Silicon Valley

-He played Peter Gregory. Suffering from lung cancer, he finally lost his battle in 2013. His death was written into Season 2 and honors his life with a funeral for the character

20. Christopher Allport

-Mad Men

-He played Andrew Campbell. He died when an avalanche hit him head on. The writers wrote his death into the show, saying he died in a plane crash. The entire episode was dedicated in loving memory to Allport