Two's Company Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby played tennis pro Alexander Scott on "I Spy" from 1965 to 1968, opposite Robert Culp; but it was a cover-up for their real jobs as spies for the Pentagon. This was the first TV show which featured a black actor in a lead role.
After "The Cosby Show" and Cliff Huxtable, did you know there was another show called "Cosby"? The sitcom ran from 1996 to 2000 and featured Bill Cosby as Hilton Lucas. He was a retired airline executive who was forced by his boss to retire. He winds up staying at home and annoying his wife played by...Phylicia Rashad. Deja vu, anyone?

Answer: Michael Landon

Without Charles Ingalls there would be no Laura Ingalls Wilder and no books or shows about life in the "Little House on the Prairie" (1974-1983). Michael Landon grew up, after Little Joe, to become the loving Pa to Laura and her siblings.

After playing Pa Ingalls, Landon went on to an ever 'higher' role. He was Jonathan Smith on "Highway to Heaven" (1984-1989). Jonathan Smith was a probationary angel sent back to Earth to help people in trouble.

Answer: Betty White

Vicki Lawrence (from "The Carol Burnett Show") went on to play Thelma Harper on "Mama's Family" from 1983 to 1990. So what does this have to do with the wonderful Betty White? Well, it seems Thelma had two daughters, i.e., ornery Eunice (Carol Burnett) and her snobbish sister Ellen Jackson played by Betty White. BTW, Thelma had a sister played by...Rue McClanahan.

A nice segue into Betty White as Rose Nyland, don't you think? Rose was the somewhat "less than bright bulb" from St. Olaf on "The Golden Girls" (1985-1992).

Answer: Dick Van Dyke

Were you aware the Dick Van Dyke had another show? It was named "The New Dick Van Dyke Show"; it ran from 1971 to 1974. This time Rob went in front of the camera and became Dick Preston, the host of an Arizona talk show who wound up moving to California. The creator of the show was Carl Reiner.

Yes, there was another Dr. Mark Sloan - this was NOT the one from "Grey's Anatomy" (Eric Dane as McSteamy). This Dr. Mark Sloan was from "Diagnosis: Murder" (1993-2002). Dick Van Dyke played the Chief of Internal Medicine (at Community General Hospital) who wound up solving crimes in his spare time.

Answer: Ted Danson

Did you want to see Sam Malone? Well, that bar is closed! Ted Danson moved on and, apparently, was able to get his medical degree to become John Becker, a talented, curmudgeonly doctor in the Bronx, New York. The show was (appropriately enough) called "Becker" and ran from 1998 to 2004.

D.B. Russell (not to be confused with DB Cooper), i.e., Diebenkorn Russell, was brought in to the Las Vegas Crime Lab on "C.S.I." on its 12th season, and he remained until after the crime lab turned "Cyber" (2011-2016).

Answer: Katherine Helmond

If you can remember back that far, you will be rewarded by your memories of the ground-breaking sitcom "Soap", which aired from 1977 to 1981. The comedy revolved around the affluent Tates and the not so well-to-do Campbells. Katherine Helmond played Jessica Tate; Cathryn Damon was her sister, Mary Campbell. "Benson" got his start here and so did Billy Crystal.

Helmond went on to play Mona Robinson, Angela Bower's oversexed mother, on "Who's the Boss" (1984-1992). "Soap" was in Dunn's River, CT; "Who's the Boss" was set in Fairfield, CT.

Answer: Sherman Hemsley

Sherman Hemsley seems to have been "movin' on up" from his "deluxe apartment in the sky" in order to play Ernest Frye, a lawyer and a deacon of the First Community Church of Philadelphia on "Amen" (1986-1991).

Hemsley also appeared in the form of muppet B.J. Richfield, a tyrannical triceratops, and the boss of Earl Sinclair on the Jim Henson created series "Dinosaurs", from 1991 to 1994. ("Not The Mama"!)

Answer: William Shatner

Only 'inner space' roles here; Shatner was... Denny Crane, a founding partner of the law firm of Crane, Poole and Schmidt on "Boston Legal" (2004-2008). He was a bloated, self-important civil attorney who claimed to have won every case he ever tried.

Before getting his law degree, Shatner played T.J. Hooker, a 15 year veteran police sergeant on "Hooker" who demotes himself to street patrol after being in charge of training police rookies (1982-1986).

(Uh, oh...is that something out on the wing of that spaceship?)

Answer: Don Knotts

After Barney Fife retired... Don Knotts was Ralph Furley, the homophobic landlord of the Santa Monica apartment building on "Three's Company" in season four, after the Ropers left. He played the role from 1979 to 1984.

Well, Don must have missed his friend Andy because we once again find him next door to Andy Griffith. This time Knotts was Les Calhoun, the new neighbor of attorney Ben Matlock on "Matlock" from 1988 to 1992.

Answer: Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear moved on from playing Officer Stacey Sheridan on "TJ Hooker" to being Sammy Jo Dean Carrington. She was the niece of Crystal Carrington (Linda Evans) on "Dynasty" beginning in 1981, and Sammy Jo married and had a son (Danny) with Steven Carrington (Al Corley/Jack Coleman).

On to the pièce de résistance, i.e., Amanda Woodward-Burns, the manipulative bitch brought on the the show "Melrose Place" in 1993 specifically to boost ratings - it worked! Amanda was included on "TV Guide's" 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time.

Answer: Bea Arthur

"...and then there's "Maude." Maude Findlay's character was spun off from "All in the Family" where Maude was Edith Bunker's liberal cousin. Bea Arthur played the very outspoken Maude from 1972 to 1978. The Norman Lear sitcom focused on serious ground-breaking topics, e.g., abortion.

In 1983 Bea (figuratively) left Tuckahoe, NY to become owner of a small hotel, i.e., Amanda's By the Sea, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. She had a brief stay as Amanda Cartwright (no relation to Ben) on the short-lived sitcom "Amanda's", before heading back east to Miami.

Answer: Tom Selleck

"Jesse Stone" was the lead character, i.e., police chief from Paradise, Massachusetts, based on the novels of Robert B. Parker (remember "Spencer: For Hire"?). Tom Selleck began playing the character in his post-Magnum days, beginning in 2005.

Tom Selleck went from playing a police chief to playing Frank Reagan, the Police Commissioner of New York City - a big promotion! Frank is the patriarch of the legal-centric Regan family on "Blue Bloods", which first aired in 2010.

Answer: Kate Jackson

Kate Jackson played Nurse Jill Danko, the wife of Officer Mike Danko on the crime drama "The Rookies". The show was set in Southern California and ran from 1972 to 1976. (No scarecrows there)

Sabrina Duncan, the 'smart angel', was portrayed by Jackson as one of the original three "Charlie's Angels" (1976-1981), as she moved from being married to a crime-fighter to becoming one herself. You go, girl!

Answer: Lee Majors

Lee Majors was Heath Barkley, the illegitimate son of Victoria Barkley's late husband, Tom on "The Big Valley". Victoria (played by the wonderful Barbara Stanwyck) was matriarch of the Barkley Ranch in Stockton, California. Heath had to literally fight his way on to the Barkley Ranch. The show ran from 1965 to 1969.

Majors also played Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt man and bounty hunter (in his spare time) on "The Fall Guy" (1981-1986). I guess Majors enjoyed the California climate.

Answer: Carroll O'Connor

"Stifle yourself!" There was no way I was going to give you Archie Bunker; I think much too highly of you for that. Carroll O'Connor was Sparta, Mississippi's Police Chief Bill Gillespie on the TV show "In the Heat of the Night" from 1988 to 1995 (at least for a while). The role was originally played by Rod Steiger in the 1967 film.

You may or may not remember O'Connor as Gus Stemple, a successful butcher of 34 years, and the father of Jaimie Stemple Buchman (Helen Hunt) on "Mad About You" (1992-1999).