From The Small Screen To Streaming

Maria Lebedev | Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Fritz Coleman.

Five-time Emmy-Award-winning stand-up comedian and former NBC weathercaster Fritz Coleman retired from television in 2020 at the age of 72. During his long and impressive career, Coleman has served as an opening act for stars such as George Benson, Ray Charles, and Debbie Reynolds. He’s made eight appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno and spent 40 years as the main weathercaster for NBC Los Angeles until his retirement. 

However, just because he is leaving the world of broadcasting, it doesn’t mean that Coleman is withdrawing from comedy as well. His new solo comedy show “Unassisted Living” is currently airing on the online streaming platform Tubi. “This one is about getting older in an era of social distancing and social media. And, as always, it’s just the truth of my life lately,” he said. 

Coleman’s career as a weathercaster began right after he graduated from high school. “After graduation, I joined the US Navy, and I worked for the Armed Forces radio and television. I was a disk jockey, a newscaster, and a weatherman,” he said.

In 1980, Coleman moved to Los Angeles to try his luck at The Comedy Store, a notable comedy club located on the Sunset Strip. One day, a news director from NBC saw his performance and offered him a job with the network.

“I was given an opportunity to come and do weekend folding work as a weatherman at Channel 4, so I gladly accepted it. I did vacation relief and fill-in work for two years, after which I was bumped up to the main weather job. I had a fantastic career that I am eternally grateful for,” said Coleman.

When asked why he chose to finally retire, the former weathercaster said there are two reasons. “I retired because of climate change. I don’t think comedians can do weather anymore, because people are starting to take it too seriously. And second of all, I’m old. I’m 74, I have grandchildren. It’s just time for me to step aside and let a younger person take over.”

Now that he’s hanging up the gloves, Coleman is delighted to have time to spend with his grandchildren. That is a luxury he never got to have when two of his oldest children were in high school because he had to work so much. “Although I tried really hard, I couldn’t go to all of their sporting events. I always had this low-grade guilt about having missed a great deal of their growing up so now that I’m retired, I get to sort of really relive that, but do it in a better way with my grandchildren. I’m always there for them, and I’m trying to make up for lost time,” he said.  

While he is happy to retire, Coleman will always remember his time with NBC News fondly. “I just loved being on TV every day. After you’ve worked for a while, people begin to tune in to look forward to what you have to say every day. And when people are watching you every day for almost 40 years coming on TV at 5:18 p.m. every night, you become part of their families. It’s sort of an odd intimacy that you develop with these people,” said Coleman.

“Fritz Coleman: Unassisted Living” is available at FritzColemanComedy.com