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The following contains major spoilers for X-Men '97 Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2, "To Me, My X-Men" and "Mutant Liberation Begins," now streaming on Disney+.

X-Men '97 has a very high bar to clear -- and the Disney+ series does so in style. The idea of continuing on from X-Men: The Animated Series is a daunting one, given how X-Men: Tas is one of the best superhero TV series of all time, animated or otherwise. But with many members of the original creative team on board, the sequel picks up effortlessly. There are countless references to familiar places and faces, plunging die-hard fans back into the mutant universe.

However, the most notable thing about the first two episodes is how accessible they are to newer X-Men fans or those who may not know the characters at all. There's clear nostalgia in play, but X-Men '97 isn't just simply another show drumming up new interest for established intellectual property.

X-Men '97 continues the classic animated series, with new actors stepping into iconic roles like Cyclops and Storm. Some original voice actors will return, but in new roles. The Disney+ revival picks up where the original series left off, featuring the beloved group of heroes battling familiar foes.

X-Men ’97 will revive the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series, continuing the story of the classic X-Men adaptation, though not every voice actor from the original series will return in ’97. Amalgamating various X-Men comic runs and featuring a cast of some of the team’s best mutant heroes, X-Men: The Animated Series ran for five seasons, starting in 1992 and ending in 1997 on its own terms. The series is a love letter to the source material and deservedly became known as one of the X-Men’s definitive adaptations.

During X-Men: The Animated Series’ original run, 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to the X-Men intellectual property,...

Abbott Elementary, Atlanta and Better Call Saul are among the winners from the fourth night of the NAACP Image Awards‘ non-televised ceremonies.

Winners during Thursday’s night virtual ceremony encompassed the TV writing, TV directing and podcasting categories.

Brittani Nichols won best writing in a comedy series for Abbott Elementary, while Marissa Jo Cerar took the drama series writing award for Women of the Movement.

Angela Barnes won directing honors for the comedy series Atlanta, while Giancarlo Esposito won an NAACP Image Award for directing Better Call Saul.

Winners in the the podcasting categories included The Daily Show and LeVar Burton.

NAACP recognized winners in non-televised categories in virtual ceremonies over multiple nights. Beyoncé and Rihanna were among the winners from night one; Jennifer Hudson, Trevor Noah and Viola Davis were among those winning during night two; and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Quinta Brunson and Keke Palmer were among the night three winners.

Storm Reid, star of A Wrinkle in Time and The Invisible Man, already has an idea of who she wants to play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the character is a core member of the X-Men. Reid first came into prominence in her appearance as Emily in 12 Years A Slave, before resurging in 2018 as Meg in A Wrinkle in Time. From there, Reid went on to appearances in The Bravest Knight, The Suicide Squad, and became a star figure in Euphoria. The young actor will soon be appearing in The Last of Us as Riley Abel, a major figure in the show, but now, she's ready to join the MCU.

Since Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, Marvel Studios has regained the rights to the X-Men, meaning that Marvel's mutants can finally begin to appear alongside the likes of Doctor Strange and Ms. Marvel. After Professor X's cameo in...

Nominations for the 54th NAACP Image Awards were announced on Thursday, and first-time contender Abbott Elementary is the most nominated series of the year.

The recently renewed sitcom amassed nine nominations (including Outstanding Comedy Series), followed in the comedy race by black-ish (with seven nominations). Dramas P-Valley and Queen Sugar collected six total nominations.

More from TVLineAbbott Elementary Scores Early Renewal for Season 3 at ABCGolden Globes: Abbott Elementary Wins Best Comedy Series; Victory Marks Big Comeback for BroadcastGolden Globes 2023: Quinta Brunson Wins Best Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary

Among limited series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters...

Disney General Entertainment’s directing program is putting its money where its Mouse is: on the actual screen. For the first time, participants in the Disney Directing Program will be given guaranteed slots to direct episodes of some of the studio’s biggest shows, including ABC’s “Black-ish,” Freeform’s “Good Trouble” and FX’s “Snowfall.”

That’s in addition to the program’s offerings of mentorship, shadowing assignments and advanced professional development. Aspiring directors in the program, which launched in 2001, have never before additionally been promised such directing slots. The announcement was made by Tim McNeal, senior vice president, creative talent development and inclusion.

“We are proud to evolve our directing program this season into a dedicated pipeline that will guarantee episodes to first-time TV directors, a critical stepping stone for professional advancement and opportunity,” McNeal said. “We are grateful for the support and partnership of our participating Disney productions,...

X-Men: The Animated Series producer Larry Houston is still hoping for a reboot on Disney+ after an X-Men reference on WandaVision renewed hope for the original cartoon series to return. Originally running for five seasons in the 1990s, the X-Men cartoon has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity in more recent years with Disney+ hosting every episode of the cult classic series.

Since X-Men: The Animated Series has been streaming on Disney+, many fans have been calling for the streamer to update the series with the same team behind the original show. Evan Peters reprising his X-Men role on WandaVision reignited rumors that Disney would soon be doing more with Marvel's favorite mutants. Despite the rumors that a reboot could soon go into production, nothing yet has been made official on that front, and it remains unclear if we'll ever see any new episodes

Giving Marvel fans an update on...

An incredibly sad week full of heavy losses continues, as veteran voice actor and X-Men: The Animated Series star Norm Spencer has passed away at the age of 62. Known to longtime X-Men fans for voicing Cyclops (a.k.a. Scott Summers) on the beloved animated series, Spencer's cause of death has not yet been made clear.. Word of his passing comes from his former co-star Cal Dodd -- the voice of Wolverine -- in a statement posted to his official Twitter account.

"Lost my dear friend and cohort Norm Spencer," Dodd said in the tweet. "What a sad day. Norm was the voice of Cyclops on X-Men the animated series. He was a genuine Character and sweetheart. I will miss you Cyc. Sorry about the 'convertible' Bub. See ya later my friend."

Originally premiering on the Fox Kids Network on Oct. 31 in 1992, X-Men: The Animated Series was a bit hit...

“Mankind has always feared what it doesn’t understand.”

Spoken by Ian McKellen’s Magneto in the first X-Men feature film adaptation in 2000, that pivotal theme has always illuminated a character’s stance in every medium of this particular Marvel universe. In 1992, an approximate version of the line was uttered by Storm (voiced by Iona Morris) in the pilot of the X-Men animated series, which premiered 25 years ago in October.

The Fox series’ influence also included pushing comic book stories into mainstream pop culture, as well as preparing future audiences with a story structure that challenged growing minds. As if pulling this off wasn’t a large enough challenge, X-Men concurrently offered hope and emotional refuge from the adolescent anxieties of its young viewers, which we all know (now) simply turn out to be simply less advanced versions of later adult anxieties.

The X-Men comics, originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963, were a part of...