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As George Harrison once said, all things must pass. Which brings us to the fifth and final season of Son of a Critch, the CBC sitcom based on the early life of Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes).
Last June as production wrapped I met with the four main castmates from the series -- Critch, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Claire Rankin and Malcolm McDowell -- at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. There we shared a conversation about how the series ends with young Mark (Ainsworth) graduating from high school and into a very uncertain future, for himself as a budding performer, and for his home province of Newfoundland.
Critch says it is the ending he always had in mind. Ainsworth talks about going from child star to young adult actor with a starring role as Link on The Legend of Zelda. McDowell, now 83, says he will miss the show as well as St. John's which became a second home for the veteran actor.
Look for the final season to begin Tuesday, Sept. 8 on CBC and CBC Gem.

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This week on brioux.tv: the podcast, meet a former child star who continues to impress -- Kathy Garver, best known for playing oldest sibling Cissy on Family Affair. The series premiered on Sept. 12, 1966 -- 60 years ago next month. It ran for five seasons and 138 episodes and starred Brian Keith as Uncle Bill, a Manhattan bachelor.  With the help of his gentleman's gentleman Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot), he was suddenly tasked with raising three kids. 
At 20 (though playing 15), Garver was already a showbiz veteran when the series began. She boasted credits in everything from Our Miss Brooks, The Millionaire, Father Knows Best and "The Ten Commandments." Unlike many former child stars, Garver never stopped working, pivoting to voice work in animated shows such as Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang to a 2025 Grammy nomination for an audio recording. Then there are her books, including one out earlier this year, and several upcoming projects, and Garver enters her eighth decade a true showbiz survivor.

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For Part Two of my conversation with "Programming Insider" Marc Berman, we continue with the back half of the Critics Quiz. What was the scariest thing you ever saw on television? Do you think the era of the late night TV talk show is about done? What was your most memorable Television Critics Association press tour moment?
Questions about those semi-annual network press gatherings dominate, including, "What show did you vote for in the annual TCA Awards as Program of the Year?" and, "Name your most unforgettable TCA character."
All this and more from Berman and Brioux, part deux.

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If you are reading this, you probably already follow Marc Berman, a.k.a. "Mister Television." In 1997, while at Mediaweek, Marc created The Programming Insider, the daily, digital online destination for television and media. We've known each other since then through our affiliation with the Television Critics Association. We've both worked our way through platefuls of scrambled eggs at fancy Pasadena and Hollywood hotels in bi-annual trips to countless network press tours.
Those live tour dates are no more but as readers at Inc. now know, Marc's passion for television remains. In this first of two parts, I ask Marc my "Super 16" TV critic questions, including, Who was the first star you ever interviewed? Who surprised you as the biggest jerk? Who would you choose: Ginger or Mary Anne? And the telling opener: was there a TV series that made you want to become a TV critic? Marc gives a moving response to that and many other questions. This is a nostalgic, heartfelt episode from two dudes who were brought up right -- in front of the TV set.

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 Back in 2008, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Lassally, then winding up his extraordinary career in late night as executive producer of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. For close to an hour, at his office deep within CBS Television City, Lassally regaled me with stories about Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Ferguson and many others.
In listening back to the conversation — for the first time in 18 years — I’m struck not just by his professionalism but also by how generous and candid he was on that day. He truly had Carson’s gift for making the guest look good and feel at home.
Lassally blew my mind when I asked if there was a common thread to Carson, Letterman and Ferguson. The soft spoken TV executive did not hesitate with his answer.
“They have one thread — they all have mothers that didn’t give them enough love.”
Left unspoken was the fact that, in Lassally, they also all had one hell of a father figure. 
I've edited down this interview to share some of the wisdom received on that day. Condolences to his family and friends and to all who value such a first hand connection to late night broadcasting and its roots. 
SUGGESTION: the sound quality for this episode, where a simple digital recorder was used, is sub-standard. Lassally was very soft spoken, so you'll need to crank  up the volume.