2016 was a year filled with tragedy when it came to iconic celebrities passing away, and the world lost showbiz greats like David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Carrie Fisher within the span of a year. Unfortunately, 2017 has gotten off to a pretty rotten start on that front as well, as beloved actor Bill Paxton died on February 25 at the far-too-young age of 61. His latest project was CBS' action-packed drama Training Day, which is currently still airing Season 1. In a lovely gesture, CBS took a moment out of the front of this week's episode to honor Paxton with a special image. Take a look:
Bill Paxton's character on Training Day wasn't exactly somebody who many would describe as a solid friend or a reliable colleague, but Paxton himself has clearly left a much stronger impression on the people who worked with him at CBS. Kudos to the network for taking the time to linger on the tribute to Paxton at the beginning of the latest episode. The image didn't simply flash across the screen for a second or two before disappearing; it remained on screen long enough for viewers to get a good look at what CBS had to say about Bill Paxton.
The genuine smile on his face was certainly nice to see before the action of the episode kicked off. Frank Rourke has been known to smile on Training Day, but not with nearly as much warmth as Bill Paxton in the photo chosen by CBS. Paxton actually finished filming Season 1 of Training Day prior to his passing on February 25, so unless CBS decides to cancel the show without airing all 13 episodes, we'll at least get to see him finish one season as Frank.
Training Day debuted on February 2 as an explosive and intense midseason replacement for CBS. The show was introduced as a sequel to the 2001 movie of the same name, and it was filled with shootouts and action sequences from the very beginning. That said, the strongest elements of the series were the performances from Bill Paxton and Justin Cornwell, especially in their scenes together. They made for a compelling team on the small screen, and it was worth tuning in to Training Day just to see what kind of trouble Paxton's Frank would get Cornwell's Kyle into that week.
You can catch the rest of Training Day Season 1 on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Take a peek at our midseason TV premiere schedule for a look at what else you can watch in the coming weeks, and don't forget to stop by our 2017 Netflix premiere schedule. For a blast from the past, take a look at how CinemaBlend honored Bill Paxton in our picks of his six best characters and explanations of why we love them so much.
