‘The Odd Couple’ Sets Garry Marshall Tribute With Ron Howard, Penny Marshall

The Odd Couple is lining up an all-star team to pay tribute to the late director Garry Marshall.

Ron Howard and Marion Ross, as well as Marshall’s sister, Penny Marshall, are among those set to appear in a special episode of the CBS reboot dedicated to the acclaimed director, who served as an executive consultant and guest actor on the series.

Happy Days actors Anson Williams and Don Most, Laverne & Shirley star Cindy Williams and Mork & Mindy‘s Pam Dawber also will appear in the Nov. 7 episode, in which Oscar (Matthew Perry) reconnects with many significant people from his father’s life when he agrees to carry out his final wish to spread his ashes behind the candy factory he used to own.

Related Stories

Related Story

Ron Howard Remembers Garry Marshall: "A World-Class Creator, Mentor, Philosopher and Friend"

Marshall appeared as Perry’s TV dad on an Odd Couple episode in April. It would be his last acting role before he died in July from complications of pneumonia after suffering a stroke. In addition to developing and executive producing the 1970 The Odd Couple TV series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, Marshall also was behind several other long-running sitcoms such as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy before he segued into feature films, directing such hits as Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride.

“The writing staff and everyone on The Odd Couple reboot was thrilled when Garry Marshall joined us as a producer because his shows were part of our TV DNA,” executive producer Bob Daily said Monday in a statement. “He was a kind, generous presence on the set, and we loved him dearly. And when we lost him, we knew we had to do something to honor his legacy — something that, like Garry’s work, was both heartfelt and zany. We are so grateful that the stars of these classic shows are able to join us in honoring him.”

The episode will mark the first onscreen appearance in several years for Howard, who has focused on directing, most recently with the Tom Hanks film Inferno, and narrating work on series like Arrested Development. 

The Odd Couple airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.