Viewers of Turner Classic Movies have been seeing a lot more of Ben Mankiewicz — whose duties are being increased after a month of filling in for the network’s longtime prime-time host, Robert Osborne.
The 80-year-old Osborne returns to the air tonight — but his abrupt absence, following a five-month leave last year, has triggered concern on social media about his ongoing role.
TCM and Mankiewicz, 45, insist Osborne’s duties are not changing in any major way.
“Robert’s not going anywhere, he’s still the Walter Cronkite of TCM,’’ says Mankiewicz.
This month, Mankiewicz will begin to handle prime-time hosting two nights a week.
On Tuesdays, he will do a weekly series of films about characters with disabilities that he taped while Osborne was on vacation.
And on Fridays, Mankiewicz is hosting a series of political films with guests like CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (on Oct. 26) — not a stretch for Mankiewicz, whose father was Robert F. Kennedy’s press secretary (his grandfather wrote “Citizen Kane’’ and his brother is NBC News’ Josh Mankiewicz).
The Friday gig, which TCM says is temporary until a new guest programmer series begins in 2013, is part of an expansion of Mankiewicz’ duties as the network’s daytime host.
He will also host three films on Saturday evenings following “The Essentials” with Osborne and Drew Barrymore, as well as taking over showcases for silent and foreign films late Saturday nights.
A TCM rep says Osborne’s on-air duties are being reduced so he can spend more time at live events sponsored by the network.
“Part of what we want more from Robert is direct engagement with fans at events like the TCM Classic Cruise, the Road to Hollywood screening series and the TCM Film Festival, and this allows us to do that,’’ said a spokesperson.
“I’m incredibly grateful that my role has expanded,” says Mankiewicz, who recently began hosting the “Hot Set” reality show reality series on Syfy and who acknowledges that it took TCM fans fiercely devoted to Osborne a while to warm up to his younger colleague.
“I think of the TCM audience the same way I think of women I’ve wanted to date,” he says. “Initially they have no interest, but eventually I wear them down.”