The MeTV Network celebrates Ed Asner
August 30, 2021 – The MeTV Network will celebrate legendary actor Ed Asner with a special presentation of four episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show showcasing the seventime Primetime Emmy Award winner in his most iconic role.
The tribute begins this Sunday, September 5th at 2pm ET/PT, followed by a special episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour starring Asner, airing late Sunday at 1am ET/PT.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Ed Asner served in the U.S. military before landing in Chicago, where he eventually made his mark on the emerging improv scene and became one of the first performers to come out of Second City. The stocky actor also performed on Broadway before taking his chops to LA where he became a noted character actor before taking on the role that made him a household name.
Ed Asner will forever be remembered as gruff newsman Lou Grant, the beloved foil to the spunky and optimistic Mary Richards in iconic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Debuting on CBS in 1970, the series showcased one of the best workplace friendships of all time, due to the undeniable chemistry between stars Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner.
Asner won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his work on the series, and eventually earned his own spin-off, Lou Grant, a one-hour drama that ran for five seasons. Asner earned an additional two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the drama series, making him the only actor to ever win a Primetime Emmy in both comedy and drama for the same role. Asner also has the distinction of being the most awarded male performer in Primetime Emmy history with seven wins, five for his role as Lou Grant, and two others for his work in 1976 mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and 1977 miniseries Roots.
Following the landmark success of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Asner continued to appear on television and film throughout the next 40 years, appearing in series including Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, ER, The X-Files, Hot in Cleveland, The Good Wife, Modern Family, Dead To Me, Grace and Frankie and Cobra Kai. He also played Santa Claus in 2003 film Elf and voiced the beloved and grief-stricken widower Carl Fredricksen in Pixar’s 2009 animated film Up.
Asner passed on August 29th at the age of 91. He is survived by four children.
“MeTV Celebrates Ed Asner” Schedule
Sunday, September 5th
2pm ET/PT: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – “Love Is All Around”
In the pilot episode, Mary Richards relocates to Minneapolis after a breakup and soon
finds a new apartment, a new job and new friends at WJM-TV.
2:30pm ET/PT: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – “Once I Had a Secret Love”
When Lou confesses to having a fling with Sue Ann, Mary has a hard time keeping his
secret.
3pm ET/PT: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – “Lou Dates Mary”
Following advice from Georgette, Lou and Mary go out on a date.
3:30pm ET/PT: The Mary Tyler Moore Show – “The Last Show”
In the finale episode, the new owners of WJM-TV evaluate the news operations and its
staff.
1am ET/PT: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour – “To Catch a Butterfly”
When a young couple moves into a new neighborhood, they find their lives threatened by
the little boy next door. Asner appears as the boy’s father Jack Stander.
