News

Netflix has inked a creative partnership with Lena Dunham and her production company, Good Things Going.

Under the new deal, Dunham and Good Thing Going will develop and create serialized first look projects for Netflix, the streamer announced as part of its Next on Netflix presentation. The news comes as Netflix and Dunham are in the midst of collaborating on a new series, “Too Much,” for which Dunham serves as creator, writer, director and executive producer.

“Lena’s authenticity and singular voice have redefined storytelling for this generation. She’s a creative powerhouse, weaving together complex and nuanced narratives that are as thought-provoking as they are entertaining,” Netflix VP of drama series Jinny Howe said. “We look forward to delighting audiences with more of the deeply relatable stories they love from Lena.”

“Working with Netflix to bring Too Much to life has been a dream; the trust, support and creative...

As 2024 comes to a close, we here at JoBlo.com would like to take a moment to pay tribute to some of the people who sadly passed away this year. Our deepest respect goes out to everyone in the industry we have lost, and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of those who died in 2024. These talented individuals will always be remembered for their impact on the world of film and television.

In Memory Of…

David Soul

David Soul died on January 4th at the age of 80. The actor was best known for playing Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch alongside Paul Michael Glaser.

Although Starsky & Hutch would become one of the most iconic shows of the ’70s, Soul and Glaser had no clue it would become as successful as it did. “We didn’t have a clue it was going to be so successful.

Get the latest scoop on everything you need to know about today’s Jeopardy! episode airing on Thursday, 12 December 2024 including the Final Jeopardy, contestants and today’s winner!

Today’s Final Jeopardy 12/12/2024 (TV Props) – Thursday, 12 December 2024

A prop central to the title character on this ’60s sitcom began as a special Christmas edition whiskey decanter

Today’s Final Jeopardy Answer – Thursday, 12 December 2024

The Final Jeopardy Answer is: I Dream of Jeannie

Final Jeopardy Explanation – Thursday, 12 December 2024

The prop central to the title character on the 1960s sitcom is the iconic bottle from “I Dream of Jeannie.” The bottle used as Jeannie’s home was originally a special Christmas edition whiskey decanter from the Jim Beam liquor company. This decanter was chosen for its unique and decorative appearance, which fit the magical and exotic theme of the show. On “I Dream of Jeannie,” the bottle was further embellished to enhance its mystical look,...

Dallas‘ spin-off, Knots Landing, ran for 14 seasons, from 1979 to 1993, and got a two-part sequel movie in 1997. Dynasty’s spin-off, The Colbys, barely squeaked out two years on the air, from 1985 to 1987. Knots Landing may be streaming on Amazon. But The Colbys is perfectly positioned for a weekend binge. The complete run is available on DVD on Amazon. Here’s why it’s worth your while to give it a watch.

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Super Soap Stars

Dallas launched with The Man From Atlantis and Major Nelson from I Dream of Jeannie in the lead. Dynasty had Bachelor Father and John Derek’s ex-wife, then hired the woman who’d starred in Empire of the Ants. The Colbys, on the other hand, burst out of the gate with a cast that included Katherine Ross, who’d co-starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate,...

The late 1960s was a time of seismic cultural shifts.

The Civil Rights Movement was in full force, demanding change in institutions that had long upheld systemic racism, including the entertainment industry.

Television, often dubbed a mirror of society, lagged in this transformation.

(NBC/Screenshot)

Black characters were mostly absent or relegated to roles of subservience, reinforcing harmful stereotypes. Enter Julia.

Premiering in 1968, Julia broke the mold by centering on a Black woman who was educated, middle-class, and professional.

Played by Diahann Carroll, Julia Baker was a widowed nurse raising her young son Corey after her husband’s death in Vietnam.

She was neither a maid nor a comedic sidekick; she was the star of her own show.

(NBC/Screenshot)

While Julia’s impact might not be as widely recognized today as that of other groundbreaking series, it remains a vital part of TV history.

This editorial explores how Julia reshaped television,...

Ask a non-fan about daytime soap operas, and they’ll say one of two things: “Luke and Laura” or “Susan Lucci.” They might mumble a phrase like “As the World Turns” or “Like sands through the hourglass.” And that’s it. Ask a non-fan about primetime soap operas, and they’ll say only one thing: “Who shot Jr?” And that’s it. This wasn’t a question that just swept the soap world or the English-speaking world. This was a phenomenon that swept the entire world. In the second half of 1980, that was all anyone wanted to know. This is an excellent reason to watch Dallas, which is newly streaming on Amazon. But it isn’t the only one.

Cast Aside

Victoria Principal (Pam) became a star thanks to Dallas. Larry Hagman (Jr), already known for I Dream of Jeannie, became a household name. Patrick Duffy (Bobby) ensured that he...

Toian Matchinga, who guest-starred three times on the 1960s CBS series The Wild Wild West and appeared on such other shows as Death Valley Days, I Dream of Jeannie and The Odd Couple, has died. She was 82.

Matchinga, who later in her acting career went by her birth name, Caryn Matchinga, died Sunday of natural causes at home in Belmont, Massachusetts, her family announced.

In films, Matchinga appeared for Don Siegel in Madigan (1968), for Irvin Kershner in Up the Sandbox (1972) and NBC’s Raid on Entebbe (1977) and, in her final onscreen role, for Costa-Gavras in Mad City (1997).

The Ohio native booked gigs on The Wild Wild West, which starred Robert Conrad and Ross Martin, in 1965, 1967 and 1969. Her résumé also includes episodes of The Wackiest Ship in the Army, The Rat Patrol, The Flying Nun, The Big Valley, Rango, Ellery Queen and Rich Man, Poor Man.

Caryn Lee Matchinga was born in Painesville,...

Remember when television felt like a comforting escape?

Shows like The Love Boat, The A-Team, and Friends offered pure entertainment — a chance to relax, laugh, and forget about real-world problems.

Problems were solved in under an hour, laughs were abundant, and happy endings weren’t just expected — they were guaranteed.

The original Magnum P.I. (CBS/Screenshot)

These days, that carefree spirit seems harder to find, replaced by gritty dramas, morally ambiguous antiheroes, and narratives that demand heavy emotional investment.

While complex storytelling has its place, so does the simple joy of escapism.

So, how did we get here? And is it time for escapist TV to make a comeback?

Escapist TV: Fun, Fantasy, and Feel-Good Heroes I Dream of Jeannie (NBC/Screenshot)

There was a time when TV leaned unapologetically into escapism.

Shows like I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, and Gilligan’s Island didn’t ask audiences to confront tough questions or analyze deep themes.

Danielle Fishel is no stranger to sitcoms. Following her breakout role as Topanga Lawrence on ABC’s Boy Meets World — a role she later reprised on Girl Meets World — Fishel has gone on to direct several multi-cams, including the recently launched Disney Channel comedy Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, as well as NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez.

Ahead of her second Season 3 episode (airing Friday at 8:30/7:30c, following Happy’s Place), TVLine hopped on the phone with the Tgif all-star to discuss the state of network sitcoms, the staying power of Lopez, and the future of her popular Boy Meets World rewatch podcast,...

The late, great Larry Hagman had an extensive filmography, but he's by far best known for playing J.R. Ewing in the primetime soap opera, Dallas (1978-1991), which is responsible for much of his net worth. The actor began his career on stage in summer stock productions. As he made his way to Broadway, Hagman also picked up small television parts. He got his big break when he was cast as Captain Anthony Nelson, Barbara Eden's love interest, in I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970). But it was his role as Dallas' villainous oil baron J.R. Ewing that made him a star.

Hagman was born in Fort, Worth Texas to district attorney Benjamin Hagman and Mary Martin, who would go on to become a Broadway actress after Hagman's birth. Upon graduating high school in Texas, Hagman followed in his mother's footsteps and pursued acting. He enrolled in Bard College...

It was almost midnight on Emmy Awards Sunday. The crowd at the Netflix after-party in Hollywood was thinning fast. Those who were left on that September evening were called to action by the DJ with a “last dance” alert — a Netflix tradition that brought all of the streamers’ remaining staffers to the dance floor for a few final tunes.

As Salt-n-Pepa urged them to “push it,” Bela Bajaria, 53, cut quite a figure, moving around the space in a brightly colored flowing skirt and an off-the-shoulder sheer black blouse.

Bajaria, the chief content officer for the streaming platform that has set the standard for what TV has become in the 21st century, danced in a group that included Netflix programming executives Peter Friedlander and Jinny Howe and communications chief Emily Feingold. Most top executives steer clear of the dance floor at company parties, but Bajaria was the picture of happiness as she danced with easy fluidity.

Great American Family and Frndy TV are still negotiating, but if the channel goes dark on the service there are other ways to watch.

There’s a new carriage dispute brewing in the TV world, and though it may not impact as many customers as the dustup between Disney and Directv which was settled in mid-September, it will nonetheless be disruptive to viewers if it comes to pass. The latest potential eruption is between Frndly TV and the Great American Family channel, which could go dark on Frndly TV as of Oct. 1.

Key Details: Gaf began warning customers via a pop-up message that it could go dark on Frndly TV. Frndly representatives say the two sides are still negotiating. Philo is the cheapest alternative for watching Gaf if it becomes unavailable on Frndly TV. 7-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month frndlytv.com

Over the weekend, Gaf began informing its customers that it...

Some sitcom actors only ever get one really great role, but Jim Backus had several. The actor, who played wealthy Wall Street regular Thurston Howell III on the popular castaway series "Gilligan's Island," had already made a name for himself by the show's premiere in 1964. He'd appeared regularly on the radio before TV was the dominant media of the time, and voiced the nearly blind cartoon character Mr. Magoo beginning in 1949. Backus also played a key role in Nicholas Ray's 1955 teen movie "Rebel Without A Cause," portraying the father who falls short when James Dean's angsty antihero Jim Stark needs him.

A few years before "Gilligan's Island," Backus even got his own show, aptly named "The Jim Backus Show" in the style of the time. In the Backus-led series, which was also called "Hot Off the Wire," the actor played a man named Mike O'Toole, who was attempting...

The culture at large seems to be very ambivalent about Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island." On the one hand, it was massively popular and, thanks to plum syndication deals, remained in the pop culture consciousness for literally decades, feeding its goofy reruns to multiple generations. The seven stranded castaways are all easily recognizable by millions, and kids grew up chuckling to Gilligan's antics. On the other hand, "Gilligan's Island" is often lambasted, critically, as the nadir of television. The series takes place in a lightweight, cartoonish universe, and it doesn't ever reach deeply into the souls of the characters to analyze how they adapt to being stranded on a tropical island. There is no madness or deterioration, just shenanigans. 

Anything as popular as "Gilligan's Island" at least deserves a robust and healthy regard, however. Its seven stars may have been playing broad, slapstick archetypes, but their performances certainly struck a chord.

David Soul's passing left behind a substantial net worth, estimated between $1-6 million despite four divorces and six children. Soul's notable career included starring roles in "Here Come the Brides" and "Starsky & Hutch," as well as a successful music career. A respected singer, David Soul topped the US and UK charts, with hits such as "Don't Give Up on Us" and "Silver Lady."

David Soul was a prolific TV and movie actor best known for his starring role on Starsky & Hutch, all of which led to the man leaving behind a substantial net worth when he passed away. Soul began his acting career in 1966, in a small part on the beloved TV show, I Dream of Jeannie. After that came several smaller roles until his breakout with Here Come the Brides, followed a few years later by his starring performance in the famed '70s cop show,...

Don't call them The Addams Family: "The Munsters" may be remembered as one of two darkly funny monster family sitcoms airing in the 1960s, but it's decidedly not the same as its comic strip-based contemporary. "The Munsters," for one thing, pulled its monsters straight from the Universal back catalog, featuring characters based directly on Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. The series starred Fred Gwynne and Yvonne de Carlo as married couple Herman and Lily Munster, whose household consisted of an endearing vampire grandpa (Al Lewis), wolf-boy son (Butch Patrick), human niece (Beverley Owen and Pat Priest), and a whole host of spooky-fun pets including a bat, a cat, a raven, and a dragon-like reptile named Spot.

Despite its enduring spot in the zeitgeist, "The Munsters" actually only ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966. It was capped off with a movie, "Munsters, Go Home!" that saw the family take a trip to Europe,...

Nancy Kovack's TV and film career may have been short, but she made a significant impact with notable roles in popular shows and movies. Working alongside big names in Hollywood, Kovack showcased her range in both comedic and dramatic roles, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. Kovack's Emmy-nominated performance in Mannix displayed her talent for portraying complex characters with depth and nuance, solidifying her place in Hollywood history.

Nancy Kovack only acted for a short time, but she appeared in some notable TV shows and movies in the years she was performing. Born in Flint, Michigan on March 11, 1935, Kovack got her start acting in 1958, when she appeared in an episode of the TV series, The Verdict is Yours as "Prizefighter's Girl". One-episode appearances on TV shows came to be a staple of Kovack's career, and she appeared in numerous notable and lesser-known series over her career. But even when she was only a guest,...

Few pieces of human anatomy caused quite as much pearl-clutching among conservative media moralists in the 20th century as the uncovered belly button. Marilyn Monroe was barred from exposing her naked tummy up until George Cukor's never-finished 1962 film, "Something's Got to Give," while even Disney fan afoul of Hays Code era censors after threatening to reveal the titular character's navel in 1941's "The Reluctant Dragon." NBC similarly kept a close eye on Barbara Eden's unclothed midriff to ensure there was no funny business with Sidney Sheldon's '60s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" (although Eden later claimed it was a non-issue until members of the press made a fuss about it).

It would, of course, be more accurate to say that the exposed female waistline was responsible for most of this hand-wringing. William Shatner spent the '60s flaunting his abs to his heart's content on "Star Trek: The Original Series,...

Dallas actors have largely avoided tragic deaths, allowing fans to remember the original show fondly. Unlike other soap operas, Dallas has a manageable cast, making it easier for viewers to keep track of characters. Dallas characters, like J.R. Ewing played by Larry Hagman, have left a lasting impact on viewers.

Though the show premiered over four decades ago, there have thankfully not been a significant number of Dallas actors who have died. Dallas, the CBS prime-time soap opera, first premiered in 1978 and lasted until 1991 with 14 seasons centering on the Texas-set rivalry between sworn enemies the Ewing and Barnes families. As the series progresses, oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) becomes the focal point of the story, but each character has plenty of screen time to make an impact.

Dallas was rebooted in 2012 for three seasons, but it's the original show that is so fondly remembered. Unlike similar soap operas,...

Elizabeth MacRae, known for her recurring roles in General Hospital and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., has died. She was 88.

MacRae died on May 27 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where she grew up.

After graduating, MacRae pursued a career in acting and auditioned for Otto Preminger’s production of Saint Joan in 1956. Although she didn’t land a role, she continued to pursue acting. She moved to New York City where she studied with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio and gained experience in off-Broadway productions.

MacRae landed her first television role playing a witness in the courtroom series The Verdict Is Yours. Over a career that spanned 25 years, MacRae would be featured in television shows like Route 66, Surfside 6, Rendezvous, The Fugitive, Judd for the Defense, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie, The Andy Griffith Show, and many more.

One of her most prominent roles was in Gomer Pyle,...

Six decades or so ago, television was dominated by "wholesome" American family sitcoms, with shows like "Leave It to Beaver," "The Andy Griffith Show," and "Father Knows Best" serving as not only entertainment but as a model guide for viewers to emulate their own "perfect family." Assimilation was the key to an idyllic existence, but that doesn't make for an exciting TV lineup. Each network had its standard American family show, but in an attempt to motivate viewers not to touch that dial, they started diversifying what a family looked like.

No, that diversity did not come in the form of families of non-white races ("Good Times" wouldn't launch until 1974), but it did come with magical beings like "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched," or monstrously weird like "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters." Both "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters" are so beloved that the shows have been reimagined...

Actor Dabney Coleman, who played many film and TV roles while excelling at portraying villains, has died. His daughter, singer Quincy Coleman, confirmed that her father had died on Thursday at his Santa Monica home. He was 92 years old.

My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity, Quincy said, per The Hollywood Reporter. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery. A teacher, a hero and a king, Dabney Coleman is a gift and blessing in life and in death as his spirit will shine through his work, his loved ones and his legacy eternally."

Coleman can be recognized from a number of roles. Among his most well-known is as the chauvinistic boss in the iconic 1980 comedy movie 9 to 5,...

Don’t miss a special episode of “On the Red Carpet Icons” featuring the legendary Barbara Eden, airing this Sunday at 3:30 Am on ABC. Host George Pennacchio sits down with the iconic actress to delve into her illustrious Hollywood career.

In this exclusive interview, Barbara Eden opens up about her iconic role as Jeannie in the beloved TV series “I Dream of Jeannie.” Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show and hear firsthand stories from Eden about her experiences on set.

But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Eden also shares her thoughts on other Hollywood legends, including Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift, providing insight into her interactions with these iconic figures over the years.

Join “On the Red Carpet Icons” as they celebrate the remarkable career of Barbara Eden, a true Hollywood icon. Tune in this Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 3:30 Am on...

The cancelation of Young Sheldon after season seven despite still being a hit show on CBS and Netflix was surprising. Annie Potts expressed sadness over the cancelation and shared her disappointment with the decision. The producers and some actors agreed to end the show on a high note as Sheldon's life transitions to college at Cal Tech.

In the middle of November 2023, the decision was made to end Young Sheldon with season seven. It was perceived as a strange choice by some cast, crew, and viewers, considering the show was still a hit on CBS. It became an even bigger hit once it arrived on Netflix in the U.S. about 10 days after the cancelation was announced. While some of the cast and producers have come out to say, essentially, that it's time to move on, other cast members like Annie Potts have expressed their disappointment.

Potts portrays Meemaw, or Constance "Connie" Tucker,...

CBS sitcom "The Bob Newhart Show" was a staple for American TV audiences of the '70s, thanks in large part to clever writing and Newhart's much-loved performance as psychologist and comedic straight man Bob Hartley. The show ran for six seasons from 1972 to 1978, but it had a surprisingly long pop cultural afterlife. Characters from "The Bob Newhart Show" have popped up in everything from "Murphy Brown" to "St. Elsewhere" to "Alf," though their most famous reappearance came in the jokey "Newhart" finale in 1990. In it, Newhart wakes up in bed next to his wife from the previous series and discovers that this entire sitcom was all an elaborate dream. "The Bob Newhart Show," it turned out, was his real world.

When it wasn't being resurrected for increasingly meta crossovers, "The Bob Newhart Show" was a pretty straightforward sitcom about the life of a mental health clinician and the assortment...

Bold dream twists can make or break a story based on how well they align with the themes and tone of the plot. Plot twists in TV shows can either be unforgettable or disappointing, taking viewers out of the story if they fall short. Using the "it was just a dream" device can indicate a cop-out ending in TV shows and movies that may not resonate with audiences.

When a TV show or movie uses the "it was just a dream" twist, it's a bold choice that can either elevate the overall quality of a story or completely ruin it. If the narrative is ruined, it's often because choosing to employ the dream trope doesn't align with the themes and tone of the rest of the plot. TV shows with incredible plot twists are unforgettable, but pieces of media that fall short of audience expectations can take the viewer out of the story.

Growing up with Nick at Nite, there was one classic series that I adored above all others: "I Dream of Jeannie." Comparisons to that other '60s rom-com fantasy about a supernatural lady causing mayhem in the suburbs be damned, Sidney Sheldon's sitcom was just the blast of silliness that I craved as a kiddo. 

As an adult, I've also come to appreciate that easily-rattled U.S. Air Force pilot Anthony "Tony" Nelson (Larry Hagman), his amiable buddy and co-worker Roger Healey (Bill Daily), and Barbara Eden's trouble-making, wish-granting genie ... Jeannie were clearly in a throuple but had to play coy about it to avoid ruffling their neighbors' feathers. Not that they were all that careful about maintaining their cover, what with Roger constantly strolling into Tony and Jeannie's humble abode uninvited with the casualness of someone who definitely doesn't secretly live there. Y'all ain't as slick as you think you are!

Opening TV theme songs have tragically become a lost art. On one level, it makes sense. As the line between television and film has grown increasingly blurry in the 21st century, opening titles have become more and more cinematic. The mix of simple earworms and dialogue-free visuals in the opening titles of shows like "Mad Men" are eloquent works of art in and of themselves. It just wouldn't have the same effect if, instead of David Carbonara's haunting suite accompanied by minimalistic animation of an ad man's world literally falling apart, you had someone singing about that ol' scoundrel Don Draper and how his dastardly, womanizing ways are coming back to bite him (as amazing as that sounds).

Of course, things were different when Sherwood Schwartz created "Gilligan's Island." The show required a tad more exposition than your run-of-the-mill sitcom at the time. Whereas series like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie...

Katy O’Brian is about to be a big star — and for audiences who check out Rose Glass’ “Love Lies Bleeding,” in which the actress stars alongside Kristen Stewart in an audacious, sexy, unpredictable mash-up of body horror, crime thriller, and love story, that concept will prove to be literally true by the film’s wild end. But she’s not slipping into any Hollywood starlet habits just yet.

Case in point: O’Brian signed on to our Zoom interview a full five minutes early this week (practically unheard of!), and offered to spend our extra time “just chatting.” And O’Brian, whose pre-acting resumes includes everything from bodybuilding to a seven-year stint as a police officer in her native Indiana, is a very good conversationalist.

Before joining “Love Lies Bleeding,” which electrified its Sundance audience and seems destined to join the annals of A24’s boldest films, O’Brian spent time on the small screen,...

Before he started filling up the nation's drug store book racks with tawdry tales of romance and suspense, Sidney Sheldon was one of Hollywood and Broadway's most prolific writers. He could write comedies, musicals, musical-comedies, mysteries, dramas, thrillers ... just about everything short of slasher flicks (though he probably would've knocked out one of those had they been a thing during his 1940s - '60s heyday). Clearly, he had an ear for what worked, and he wasn't just knocking out quickie programmers. He won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy-Shirley Temple screwball hit "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," and earned a Best Musical Tony for the Gwen Verdon-led Broadway smash "Redhead."

And when television came calling, rather than turn up his nose as many of his established film and theater colleagues did during the medium's early days, he enthusiastically picked up the phone.

Sheldon...

The "Star Trek" episode "The Apple" contained one of show creator Gene Roddenberry's favorite tropes: a remote, agrarian species living in harmony with nature, overseen by an ineffable technological marvel. In "The Apple," the Edenic planet of Gamma Trianguli VI is the home of a sexually innocent, childlike species that is granted their every wish by an all-powerful computer called Vaal. Vaal appears to be a giant snake-like head carved into the rock, but the Enterprise discovers that it is a machine intelligence that has kept the locals in a perpetual childlike state. They are immortal, but also have never had to work, nor are they allowed to "touch" (that is: have sex). Naturally, it will be up to Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Enterprise to destroy Vaal and teach the aliens that growing up is necessary, and that having sex is okay and super-fun.

The...

It's important to remember that few of the actors on "Star Trek," especially in the early days, were familiar with the universe of "Star Trek." While the trappings and themes of Trek are a deeply embedded part of popular culture in the early 21st century, back in the 1960s, "Star Trek" was merely a middling, mid-budget sci-fi network show. As such, when guest stars signed on to play an alien or a creature, they likely needed the premise of "Star Trek" explained to them by a director or a screenwriter. This is the 23rd century, war is over, and humanity is traveling the stars in military-twinged vessels devoted to study and diplomacy. That man, Bill, plays a starship captain named Kirk who leads by instinct. You play a [insert character description here]. These are basic motivations that an actor would need to hear in order to fall into the "Star Trek" ethos before cameras began rolling.

All titles below begin streaming for free on January 1 unless otherwise noted:

Originals

Action

Prepare To Die

– 1/13-

A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.

Documentary

Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself

-1/17-

How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.

Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant

-1/26-

Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.

TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments

-1/31-

Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.

Horror

Where The Devil Roams

-1/5-

A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.

Actor David Soul, who co-starred with Paul Michael Glaser on the TV series Starsky & Hutch, has passed away.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Soul died on Thursday at the age of 80 years old. His passing was confirmed by his wife, Helen Snell, with a statement from the family. Snell said that Soul died after a "valiant battle for life in the loving company of family." She added, "He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend. His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

As an actor, Soul is very well known for playing Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in Starsky & Hutch, one of the two titular characters alongside Paul Michael Glaser's David Michael Starsky. A buddy cop show, Starsky & Hutch followed two detectives in Southern California. The series ran...

David Soul, who starred alongside Paul Michael Glaser on the 1970s’ ABC buddy cop show Starsky and Hutch and had a No. 1 hit with the song “Don’t Give Up on Us,” has died. He was 80.

Soul died Thursday after “a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family,” his wife, Helen Snell, said in a statement.

“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she said. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

Soul also appeared for two seasons on the 1968-70 ABC show Here Come the Brides, played one of the corrupt young motorcycle cops brought down by Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan in the thriller Magnum Force (1973) and stood out as a terrified vampire hunter in the 1979 Stephen King CBS miniseries Salem’s Lot.

On two...

David Soul, best known for his portrayal of Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on ABC’s Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979, has died. He was 80.

News of Soul’s passing was announced by his wife Helen Snell: “He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she wrote in a statement. “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

More from TVLineNick Carter 'Completely Heartbroken' Over Sister Bobbie Jean's Death - Read His TributeTom Wilkinson, of The Full Monty and John Adams Miniseries,...

Genies, at least in pop culture, have long been comic foils. Way back in 1940, in “The Thief of Bagdad,” Rex Ingram played Djinn, the movie’s larger-than-life genie — 100 feet tall in his ponytail and red diaper ­— as a sly, laughing soul man of lighthearted effrontery. The surrealist ’60s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” featured Barbara Eden, in diaphanous harem silks, as a magical servant/housewife, blinking her eyes to teleport her clueless “master” out of trouble. And Robin Williams’ vocal performance as the Genie in “Aladdin” may have come closer than any of his other film performances to channeling Williams the free-associational joke geyser.

So in “Genie,” when Melissa McCarthy pops out of a jewel box and reveals herself to be an ancient granter of wishes named Flora, it’s hardly a surprise that 1) the character is a complete lark, and 2) the whole joke is that Flora, though she hasn...

Trapper's departure from Mash was the saddest exit because he never had a proper send-off and didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Hawkeye, his best friend. Unlike other characters who were given emotional farewells, Trapper's exit was sudden, leaving no time for a proper send-off, making it even sadder. After leaving Mash, Wayne Rogers, the actor who portrayed Trapper, had a successful career in television, including notable roles in City of Angeles, House Calls, and I Dream of Jeannie... 15 Years Later. He also found success in the stock market and became a finance expert.

Mash featured a lot of character departures, but none were as sad as Trapper John McIntyre's (Wayne Rogers) - especially as it was unclear why Trapper left Mash. The medical show from the '70s is iconic for several reasons. Regarded as one of, if not the best, sitcoms of all time,...

Veteran actress Elaine Devry, who appeared in classic television shows such as Perry Mason, I Dream of Jeannie, and Family Affair, has died. She was 93. According to the funeral home website since1928hull.com, Devry passed away on Wednesday, September 20, at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon. A cause of death was not specified. Born on January 10, 1930, in Compton, California, Devry started her career as a model before moving to Butte, Montana, where she married her high school sweetheart, Dan Ducich. A year later, Ducich was convicted of armed robbery, and the couple divorced in 1952. Duchic died in 1954 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. After moving back to California, Devry met actor Mickey Rooney at a driving range in Woodland Hills; the pair began dating and married in Las Vegas in November 1952. She was his fourth wife. The Everett Collection Devry made her first on-screen acting appearances in the Rooney-starring...

Elaine Devry, who appeared in such films as “The Atomic Kid” and “A Guide for the Married Man” and dozens of television series, died Sept. 20 at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon, according to a notice on a local funeral home website. She was 93.

Devry married actor Mickey Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952, becoming the fourth of Rooney’s eight wives. She made her first onscreen appearances the following year in the comedy film “A Slight Case of Larceny” starring Rooney, as well as an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series “General Electric Theater.”

In the 1954 sci-fi comedy “The Atomic Kid,” directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she played nurse Audrey Nelson opposite Rooney’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry; she was billed as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney)” in the credits.

Devry portrayed divorée Jocelyn Montgomery in the 1967 Gene Kelly-directed film “A Guide for the Married Man.

Elaine Devry, whose career spanned film and dozens of television shows, died Sept. 20 at her home in Grants Pass, Oregon. She was 93 and no cause was given by the funeral home, which listed her under her married name of Davis.

Devry was the fourth wife of actor Mickey Rooney.

After marrying him in November 1952, she first appeared the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series, General Electric Theater.

Devry also appeared in such films as China Doll (1958), Man-Trap (1961), The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961), Diary of a Madman (1963), With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), Bless the Beasts & Children (1971), The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (1973) and Herbie Rides Again (1974).

Her TV resume included many guest starring appearances in the early days of television, including stints on Bourbon Street Beat, Bachelor Father,...

Elaine Devry, an actress who appeared in such films as The Atomic Kid and A Guide for the Married Man and on dozens of TV shows after becoming the fourth of Mickey Rooney’s eight wives, has died. She was 93.

Devry died Sept. 20 in her home in Grants Pass, Oregon, according to a notice placed on a local funeral home website.

Devry married Rooney in Las Vegas in November 1952 and made her first onscreen acting appearances the next year in the Rooney-starring comedy film A Slight Case of Larceny and on an episode of the Ronald Reagan-hosted CBS anthology series General Electric Theater.

In the Republic Pictures sci-fi comedy The Atomic Kid (1954), directed by Leslie H. Martinson, she was introduced as “Elaine Davis (Mrs. Mickey Rooney),” and her character, a nurse, marries her husband’s Barnaby “Blix” Waterberry at the end of the movie.

In A Guide for the Married Man...

It’s Frasier Week at IndieWire. Grab some tossed salad and scrambled eggs, settle into your coziest easy chair, and join us. We’re listening.

Finish these sentences. (1) “Now, this is a story all about how…” (2) “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, they’re all together…” (3) “Mom and Dad and Vicky always giving him…” (4) “Who’s that girl? It’s…“ (5) “Hey baby, I heard the blues a callin’…”

The best TV theme songs simultaneously stick in our brains and serve as chapter markers for the shows we love, both compelling us to keep knocking back more episodes and subtly organizing our thoughts about the many stories in the series they anchor. Some themes hang with us for the worse; what ’90s parent didn’t have “Elmo’s World” burned into their brain? Some others are memorable for their intensely enjoyable earworm qualities; see “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Green Acres” for details.

Anyone who grew up in the 1970s can tell you the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls, and a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. Of course, one day, the lady met this fellow, and the rest is TV history. When Carol Martin (Florence Henderson) married Mike Brady (Robert Reed), all six of their children came together, along with their trusty maid Alice (Ann B. Davis), to become the sitcom family known as "The Brady Bunch."

"The Brady Bunch" is one of the most beloved and memorable sitcoms of all time. The adolescent antics of Greg (Barry Williams), Peter (Christopher McKnight), Bobby (Mike Lookinland), Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb), and Cindy (Susan Olsen) made for plenty of comedy and drama as the bunch dealt with the trials and tribulations of a blended family, sibling rivalries, growing up,...

All titles below begin streaming for free on October 1 unless otherwise noted:

Originals

Documentary

TMZ Presents:

Tragically Viral

– 10/11-

What happens when the quest for clicks goes too far? TMZ examines the dark & sometimes deadly side of social media in Tragically Viral.

Scariest Monsters In The World

-10/18-

Join us as we embark on this international countdown of the scariest monsters in the world – who will be on your list as the most creepy?

TMZ No Bs: Rich, Famous & Terrified Stars

-10/25-

TMZ examines some of the most downright terrifying experiences celebs have faced that prove being a celebrity isn’t all glitz & glamor.

Horror

Dante’S Hotel

-10/13-

When an unknown assailant preys on a haunted hotel’s patrons, an event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant who’s dark past is the key to freeing the cursed hotel

The Devil Comes To Kansas City

-...

Sharon Farrell, whose screen credits include the original “Hawaii Five-o”, several years on “The Young and the Restless” and the cult horror film “It’s Alive”, has died at age 82.

According to Deadline, Farrell died back in May, but her death had only recently been discovered by relatives.

Among Farrell’s extensive credits also included the films “The Stunt Man”, “Lone Wolf McQuade”, “Marlowe”, “The Reivers” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”.

Read More: Mark Margolis, ‘Breaking Bad’ And ‘Scarface’ Actor, Dead At 83

In 1974’s “It’s Alive”, she starred as Lenore, mother of a monstrously deformed baby who goes on a killing spree.

On television, Farrell joined the cast of “Hawaii Five-o” in its final season, playing as Det. Lori Wilson. She also portrayed Florence Webster on “Y&R” between 1991-97.

“Hawaii Five-o” (L-r): Jack Lord, William Smith, Sharon Farrell, Moe Keale, Herman Wedemeyer. Photo: Everett Collection

Following her first screen appearance in the late 1950s,...

Where to Watch Powered by Butch Patrick reflects on his experience as a child star on The Munsters, where everyone at school knew he was Eddie Munster, causing disruptions and a need for thick skin. The Munsters gained popularity and success but was canceled after two seasons despite syndication and later franchise adaptations. Butch Patrick continued his acting career in various shows, including a small role in the Munsters film directed by Rob Zombie.

Butch Patrick, the youngest star of The Munsters, talks fame at 11-years-old. The sitcom, which premiered on CBS back in 1964, observed a family of monsters, including Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s creature, who move from Transylvania to the fictional American town of Mockingbird Heights. Patrick portrayed Eddie Munster, a werewolf and only child of Herman and Lily, and was a main character throughout the series’ brief run. The rest of the show’s cast included Fred Gwynne,...

More than 1,000 artifacts from decades of television will hit the auction block on June 2-4.

Among the items up for bids are The Tonight Show set from which Johnny Carson kept a nation awake and entertained until his 1992 farewell; the desk and New York City skyline from David Letterman’s Late Night; Archie and Edith Bunker’s Queens living room from All in the Family, including the two most famous chairs in sitcom history; and the bar around which the Cheers regulars congregated.

Heritage Auctions is handling what’s termed the “Landmark Comisar Collection.” It was amassed by collector James Comisar for three decades, with the goal of housing the items in a museum.

It began simply enough in 1989, with two hand-painted title cards from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that appeared before commercial breaks and promised “More to Come.” These were the first of more than 10,000 artifacts Comisar acquired.

In the 1970s, no one expected the first "Star Wars" movie to be such a runaway hit, least of all theater exhibitors. Writer-director George Lucas famously shopped around his script to studios like United Artists, Universal Pictures, and even future Lucasfilm owner Disney, according to Vanity Fair, but he couldn't secure financing with any of them. Though Lucas had already earned two Academy Award nominations for his pre-"Star Wars" masterpiece, "American Graffiti," his previous foray into science fiction, "Thx 1138," had fared less successful. It was only 20th Century Fox, led by Alan Ladd Jr. at the time, that was willing to take a chance on Lucas and his space opera.

Getting "Star Wars" made was just the first step for Lucas. Fox had to distribute it next, and as Mental Floss notes, it was afraid the movie would flop if released as part of a packed summer schedule.

For years, Netflix had focused squarely on subscriber growth and becoming the dominant player in the streaming world. That changed last year when, after a big market correction, Netflix made a course correction with a focus on profits, including an ad-supported tier which launched in November.

Six months later, Netflix is holding its first upfront presentation for advertisers, which also marks the first major public speech by top programming executive Bela Bajaria since she was named Chief Content Officer for the streamer in January.

During the virtual event, she spoke about “super serving” the audience — a term frequently used this upfront week — revealing that Netflix members “watch, on average, six different genres a month.”

Because of the unprecedented growth of Netflix’s original slate over the past decade, the streamer has faced criticism that it’s hard to maintain quality control on such large volume. Bajaria indicated that Netflix plans...