“Laverne & Shirley” still lives in the hearts of viewers everywhere and is the recipient of this year’s Fan Favorite Award, which goes to a series that’s an All-American classic, with characters who became our friends, stories we could all relate to and irresistible laughs. This is the first time the cast of “Laverne & Shirley” will be reunited on television in nearly a decade. “Laverne & Shirley” aired on ABC for eight seasons from 1976-1983 and was a spinoff of the Garry Marshall hit “Happy Days.” But the show soon found its own avid fans, thanks to loveable stars Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, who play best friends and roommates working in a Milwaukee brewery. Constantly annoyed by their neighbors, Leonard “Lenny” Kosnowski (Michael McKean) and Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman (David L. Lander), Laverne and Shirley learn to navigate their lives as two single young women in 1950s Milwaukee – and later in the series, 1960s Los Angeles.
“One Day At A Time” is being presented with the Innovator Award, which is given to a television series that carved out new territory, tackled important issues of its day and helped re-defined its genre. The series, which was a hybrid drama/comedy, addressed such taboo topics as pre-marital sex, suicide, sexual harassment and more, breaking barriers and paving the way for future shows to tackle these issues as well. Developed and written in part by TV visionary Norman Lear, “One Day At A Time” aired on CBS for nine seasons from 1975-1984. Starring Bonnie Franklin, Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips as Ann Romano, Barbara Cooper and Julie Cooper, the series revolved around a family headed by a single mother (Franklin) that relocates to Indianapolis, where their new apartment building super, Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.), befriends them. Also taking part in the cast reunion is Glenn Scarpelli, who joined the series in 1980 as the son of Ann’s boyfriend, Nick.
The 22-time Emmy® Award-winning children’s series, "Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” ran on CBS for five seasons from 1986-1991 and has been a staple in pop culture for over 25 years. The title character is portrayed by actor and comedy icon, Paul Reubens, who created what is widely considered one of the most innovative and ground-breaking children's programs in television history. Reubens' wonderfully diverse and colorful playhouse filled with puppets, genies, robots, cowboys and pterodactyls sparked countless imaginations and brought joy and laughter to children and adults alike. The show has been named one of “Top 25 Cult Shows Ever” by TV Guide Magazine, and Pee-wee is more popular than ever with a hit Broadway show, HBO Special, and enormous social media following with millions of followers on Twitter and Facebook. Fittingly, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” will receive the Pop Culture Award at the “TV Land Awards” 10th Anniversary ceremony.
The "TV Land Awards" pays tribute to classic and contemporary luminaries of television, music and movies. The 90-minute telecast will feature exhilarating musical performances and will reunite some of the most iconic celebrity TV casts.
