PHOTO BY: Courtesy Everett Collection
Fernwood 2 Night (1977) and America 2 Night (1978)
Lear continued his satirical work by spinning off Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman into Fernwood 2 Night, a fictional nightly talk show set in the town of Fernwood, Ohio. A loving mock-up of late-night talk shows and local-access television, the show starred Martin Mull and Fred Willard as host Barth Gimble and sidekick Jerry Hubbard, interviewing the lively and colorful Fernwood townsfolk. For the show's second season, Gimble and Hubbard moved to Southern California, where they rebranded the show as America 2 Night and interviewed real celebrities, including Carol Burnett, Burt Lancaster and Charlton Heston.