News

If the nostalgia of big hair, neon lights, and trendy fashion is drawing you back to the ’80s, then we’ve just the right thing for you. Considering how it was the era of family-friendly fun and somewhat slapstick humor, we’ve created a list of 10 best ’80s TV sitcoms that can offer you a trip of nostalgia mixed with heartwarming lessons and pure chaos.

Whether it’s about a wise grandma dropping truth bombs or an oddball cousin from a foreign land—get ready to relive the ’80s with our carefully curated list of best sitcoms that still rock after decades. So grab your scrunchie, dust off that VHS player (just kidding—probably), and let’s revisit 10 evergreen sitcoms from the iconic era.

10. One Day at a Time (1975-1984)

Remember the ultimate ’80s TV sitcom about family, independence, and the occasional nosy neighbor? Yes, we’re talking about the...

The Italian Global Series Festival is to launch this June in Riccione and Rimini from June 21-28.

Igsf is billed as a new incarnation of the Roma Fiction Festival, which ran for 10 years until 2016. It is headed by festival director Marco Spagnoli, an Italian film and TV critic.

Igsf is organised by the APA, Italy’s producers’ association APA, in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Culture and Siae (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers).

The inaugural programme this summer will include Italian and international competition selections, first-look screenings, keynotes and Q&As.

Jurors for the 2025 edition include are director...

A splashy Italian TV festival celebrating local and international series has been unveiled this morning with some firepower.

The Italian Global Series Festival (Igsf) will take place in Riccione and Rimini in northern Italy from June 21 to 28, with details revealed at a Rome press conference in the past few minutes by artistic director Marco Spagnoli.

The Igsf is described as an “updated incarnation” of the now-defunct Roma Fiction Festival, which ended after a decade in 2016. It has been given the status of High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, according to the organizers.

The fest’s jury will feature two-time Palme d’Or winner Bille August along with director and screenwriter Cristina Comencini and multi award-winning director/writer Paolo Genovese (Perfect Strangers). They will judge Italian and international series screened across Drama, Comedy, Limited Series and TV Movies. These titles will all be eligible for Best Series,...

A new high-profile event dedicated to global TV series is being launched in Italy with “Bridgerton” star Adjoa Andoh, Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”) and Italy’s ‘Godfather of Disco’ Giorgio Moroder on board to be feted with career awards.

Also set for tributes at the new Italian Global Series Festival (Igsf) are the locally popular Italian comic actor and director Carlo Verdone and beloved actress Elena Sofia Ricci, who recently starred in pubcaster Rai’s top-rated Holocaust drama “La farfalla impazzita.”

Igsf is being touted as a reincarnation of the Roma Fiction Festival, which ran in the Eternal City between 2006 and 2016 and was prompted at the time by an urgency felt by Italy’s TV production community to expand its horizons.

Unlike its predecessor, the new TV event will run in two adjacent Italian seaside resort towns, Riccione and Rimini, with dates set for June 21-28. That slot will add one...

One year after the romantic comedy “Five Blind Dates” premiered on Prime Video, there’s already a remake landing on the same streamer. At first glance, that sort of redundancy might sound egregious, given both films are in the English language and feature the same general premise of a 29-year-old woman facing personal and professional crossroads. “Picture This,” however, more than proves it’s worth revisiting that subject. It’s rooted in the same heartrending themes about tapping into power through passion, but sets itself apart by exploring the story through the specificity of Indian culture. Sweet, silly and sincere, director Prarthana Mohan’s spin has a clear understanding of what makes its source material revelatory and resonant.

London-based photographer Pia (Simone Ashley) has always viewed life through an unconventional lens. She loves work and her independence. But her world is currently in chaos and about to get even more complicated.

If you're a Millennial (especially of the elder variety), it's safe to say that you have some memory of "Family Matters" buried deep down in your psyche. Or perhaps it's not that deep down, and that's okay too. The 1990s-era sitcom was one of the biggest parts of ABC's famous "Tgif" lineup for most of the decade. Like shows such as "Full House" and "Step by Step," "Family Matters" was a lighthearted, low-stakes family sitcom about a big, rowdy family and the misadventures they got into. "Family Matters" was specifically set in Chicago and focused on the Winslow family along with their obnoxious neighbor Steve Urkel. Of course, Urkel very quickly became the biggest part of the show, vastly outshining the Winslow kids and often being paired with harried patriarch Carl. 

In a way, it's kind of funny to think that "Family Matters" only became a big hit thanks in...

Shondaland is giving us another White House scandal this spring. The Residence, a “screwball whodunit” set in the halls of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, will drop its eight-episode first season on Thursday, March 20. And now, we have a full-length trailer, which you can watch above.

Inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s book of the same name, The Residence stars Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp, “the most sought-after detective in the world.” According to her official description, she’s “wry, funny, relentless, supremely confident, an astute observer of human behavior… and a legendary birder.”

More from TVLineLove Is Blind Season 8 Proves Our Crusade...

ABC’s Tgif programming block had viewers hoping for Friday nights to watch their favorite sitcom.

Over the years, many people believed the acronym stood for “Thank God It’s Friday.” However, in a new interview, Jim Janicek, who help create the programming block, clarified that the letters stood for “Thank Goodness It’s Funny.”

“We were talking about things like the ‘Friday Fun Club,'” Janicek said on Pod Meets World about the names they considered before Tgif. “There’s a whole list somewhere I probably could dig up, but I remember that one. You know, ‘It’s Friday Night.’ Lots of little short-isms.”

Janicek recalled that the network’s executives were initially worried that using Tgif would cause problems with a chain of restaurants.

“We did our first animation, which kinda was more childlike, with a little mouse called Friday the Mouse. We were animating that with a guy...

The incredible and mostly true story of Belle Gibson, the glorious end of Cobra Kai, the return of arguably the world’s most talked about reality show, Kate Hudson flexing her comedy muscles and Robert De Niro leading a prestige TV show are some of the highlights among the new films and series hitting Netflix in February.

On Feb. 5, Amy Schumer’s comedy Kinda Pregnant debuts on Netflix. Director Tyler Spindel’s movie centers on Lainy (Schumer), who wears a fake baby bump while feeling jealous of her best friend’s pregnancy and ends up meeting her perfect guy. Rounding out the cast are Jillian Bell, Will Forte, Damon Wayans Jr., Brianne Howey, Alex Moffat, Joel David Moore, Lizze Broadway, Urzila Carlson and Francis Benhamou.

The name Belle Gibson may not be familiar to many people outside of Australia, but her incredible story, depicted more-or-less in the Netflix drama Apple Cider Vinegar,...

They don’t make ‘em like Love American Style anymore, the ‘70s anthology show that featured out-of-work stars in one-off stories based on the theme of romance. The comedy lasted five seasons but didn’t make much of an impact — unless you count the episode, “Love and the Television Set.” Teenage Ronny Howard, known to viewers as The Andy Griffith Show’s Opie, played a ‘50s kid looking for love. That half-hour episode became the de facto pilot for Happy Days, a show whose 11 seasons more than doubled the run of Love, American Style.

Here are five more sitcoms that began life on another show and outlasted the original…

1 Frasier

Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane seemed an unlikely candidate to lead a spin-off from Cheers. Weren’t Woody and Norm funnier characters? How about Carla and her weird family? But Frasier, with a completely different cast and tone from Cheers,...

Family Matters star Jaleel White shares the story behind Steve Urkel's famous catchphrase, “Did I do that?” Family Matters, which debuted in 1989 as a spin-off from Perfect Strangers, focused on the Winslow family and their interactions with their nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel, played by White. The saying, which became one of the most iconic catchphrases of the 1990s, wasn't the first attempt for the show.

In an interview with Pod Meets World, White explains that the catchphrase was born out of Urkel's natural clumsiness and earnestness. The actor recalls how the phrase wasn’t planned, but came about after a few test catchphrases like "Excuse me" and even "I've fallen, and I can't get up!" were tossed around. White’s portrayal of Urkel resonated with viewers, and the phrase quickly caught on. The line was not just a simple exclamation—it became an integral part of the show’s identity.

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.

Actress Diane Delano, who played Sergeant Barbara Semanski on the CBS television series Northern Exposure, has died. She was 67. Her passing was confirmed by her agent, Dennis Sevier, who told People that Delano died at her home in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, December 13, following a brief illness. An official cause of death has yet to be disclosed. “When Diane entered any room you knew she was there! She was full of life and loved being an actor. She will be missed,” Sevier said in a statement. Born on January 29, 1957, in Los Angeles, Delano graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (Amda) in 1980 and began her on-screen acting career in the 1983 biographical sports film Heart Like a Wheel. That same year, she also made her television debut in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere. She continued to appear in classic TV series throughout the 1980s, including L.A. Law,...

“Gomorrah” writers Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Ravagli are set to explore the string of murders perpetrated by Italy’s so-called White Uno Gang in a gritty crime thriller produced by Riccardo Tozzi (“Gomorrah”) and Pietro Valsecchi (“Quo Vado?”).

The White Uno Gang was a criminal organization made up mainly of police officers with ties to the far right that was active during the 1980’s and the 1990’s. The gang — whose name refers to the Fiat Uno car, which its members frequently used – operated in Italy, mainly in the central Emilia-Romagna region. Between 1987 and 1994, the White Uno Gang pulled off 103 heists, mostly armed robberies, causing 24 deaths and 102 injuries.

Though the gang leaders have been caught and brought to justice, their extreme violence and the fact that many of their heists brought small loot have prompted suspicions that they were in fact terrorists, possibly tied to Italian secret services.

Investigators, including an Italian parliamentary commission,...

Egyptian acting star Mona Zaki did not hold back when she was asked about the new generation of actors in the Arab film industry being consumed by social media and brand deals.

“It’s all fake, from beginning to end,” declared Zaki during a conversation event at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.

“If the new generation relies purely on social media and brand deals for fame, they’re not going to learn anything. Even if they work with big important brands, they’ll be underpaid because they’re just being given a superficial image,” she continued. “They won’t be able to grow in their career as authentic actors.”

“I don’t really deal with social media, I don’t know how to. I think when people become too obsessed with it, they get stuck in a shallow mindset that doesn’t allow for much personal growth.”

Zaki,...

Saudi romantic comedy A Matter Of Life And Death from acclaimed Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy is set to begin shooting in the region next month.

The feature will reunite writer and star Sarah Taibah with director Anas Ba-Tahaf, who previously worked together on groundbreaking TV series Jameel Jeddan. Filming is set to begin in Jeddah on January 18.

Taibah will play a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed while Yaqoub Alfarhan, of Cannes 2024 title Norah, plays a shy heart surgeon. When fate brings them together they find unexpected connections.

Hefzy’s Film Clinic and Front Row Productions have...

Film Clinic and Front Row Productions have teamed up with Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce the offbeat Saudi rom-com A Matter of Life and Death, written by Sarah Taibah (last year’s Red Sea International Film Festival opening film Hwjn, Jameel Jeddan) and directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf (Fay’s Palette, Jameel Jeddan).

Starring Taibah (Mandoob, Jameel Jeddan) and Yaqoub Alfarhan (Norah, Rashash and the upcoming AlGhaid), the film is “a quirky tale involving Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat,” according to a synopsis. “Their fates collide in the most peculiar way: she’s wishing for an end, while he’s wrestling with even darker thoughts.”

The creatives promise “a rollercoaster journey through love, destiny, and the surprising connections

that can sprout from life’s craziest twists all told through the...

Long-time collaborators Cairo-based Film Clinic and Dubai-based Front Row Productions are joining forces with Saudi Arabian companies Arabia Pictures Group and Rotana Studios to produce local rom-com A Matter of Life and Death.

The Jeddah-shot feature will revolve around the romance between two unconventional characters: Hayat, a superstitious young woman who is convinced she’s cursed, and Yousef, a shy heart surgeon dealing with a bafflingly slow heartbeat. Their fates collide as she is wishing for an end, while he is wrestling with even darker thoughts.

The feature will be directed by Anas Ba-Tahaf, whose 2021 drama Fay’s Palette, about a girl cloistered in her home by a controlling brother, was one of the first Saudi features to be made following the lifting of the country’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.

Writer and actor Sarah Taibah, who took co-writing credits on Saudi fantasy drama Hwjn, is lead writer. She and...

The Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) will honor Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) and India’s Aamir Khan (Dangal) at the opening ceremony of its fourth edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia later this week.

The festival, which will run Dec. 5-14, said the stars were picked for honors “in recognition of their illustrious careers and lasting impact on the film industry.”

Previously announced 2024 Red Sea honorees are Viola Davis (The Woman King, Fences) and Egypt’s Mona Zaki (Perfect Strangers).

Blunt and Khan will also join the lineup of speakers for the festival’s In Conversation With strand, which invites guests from all over the world to share insights into their careers, practice and passions.

“I’m incredibly excited to be coming to the Red Sea Film Festival and grateful to be one of this year’s honorees,” said Blunt. “I love all that this festival is doing for innovative and...

A new Disney prequel is on the horizon, Mufasa: The Lion King shocked many when it was first announced. Fans of the original 1994 animated film felt a prequel was unnecessary but the news had many others excited to meet the beloved animals of the Pride Lands once again.

However, one mystery surrounded the prequel ever since it was announced and that was the involvement of Pumbaa in the cast. Since the story follows a young Mufasa, viewers don’t understand what role could the warthog play in it. But fans would be shocked to know that even in The Lion King, Pumbaa’s role was a much-needed surprise, something voice actor Ernie Sabella was worried would not make it to the final script.

The importance of Disney’s only farting character Still from The Lion King | Credits: Walt Disney Studios

The Lion King was the studio’s masterpiece, a movie...

Don’t get too comfortable at a play written or directed by queer Black provocateur Robert O’Hara. Whether it’s original work like Insurrection: Holding History, Bootycandy, and Barbecue, or plays like Jeremy O. Harris’s searing Slave Play, which he directed, you can expect to be shocked or disturbed—often while laughing out loud.

O’Hara has described his latest play, Shit. Meet. Fan., as “a blistering vulgar satire on male toxicity and white privilege.” Now playing at the McC Theater, this explosive drawing-room comedy, which gleefully keeps both its characters and audience off-balance throughout, centers on a group of friends gathered together for drinks on the night of an eclipse. The evening takes a toxic turn when the hostess proposes a game: Everyone must leave their phones in plain view and share any texts or voice messages they receive during their alcohol-fueled gathering.

Shit. Meet. Fan, featuring a...

Spike Lee will serve as the president of the main competition jury at the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The fest will see 16 movies compete in the main competition lineup of its latest edition running Dec. 5-14. The titles include Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon, which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon, which debuted at the Locarno Film Festival where it won the special jury prize.

“Having been lucky enough to experience first-hand the incredible filmmaking, atmosphere, and creativity at the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2022, it’s a privilege to be returning this year as president of the jury,” Lee said. “Alongside creating a melting pot for cultures to come together in celebration of our important art form, it’s vital to continue to platform young and emerging filmmakers who...

Jaleel White played Steve Urkel in the ABC sitcom Family Matters for nine seasons, but don’t expect the actor to revisit the role if it’s just a “cash grab.”

In a new interview, White revealed that he shot down reprising his role of the annoying next-door neighbor in a possible reboot of the sitcom that was part of the Tgif block of programming.

“I embrace the Tgif legacy, but I’m also careful to acknowledge that Tgif was a sinking ship, and you cannot make shows like that right now,” White said on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live. “I feel like [Fuller House] got away with it because they have a schmaltzy, kind of vanilla thing that they do that’s very Hallmarkish to be quite honest and it benefits Candace [Cameron Bure] and that’s wonderful, but I just didn’t feel like we could get away with that same brand of humor.

Honors for and onstage appearances by Viola Davis and Egyptian star Mona Zaki (Perfect Strangers, Flight 404, Aserb: The Squadron, The Spider), Johnny Depp’s new movie as a director and a biopic about Robbie Williams will be part of this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, organizers said Monday.

They also unveiled the competition lineup for the fest’s fourth edition. Organizers said that the overall lineup features 49 world and international premieres, also highlighting that six female filmmakers will be featured in the competition program.

Among the 15 competition titles announced are Reema Kagti’s Superboys of Malegaon, which bowed at the Toronto Film Festival, and Kurdwin Ayub’s Moon, which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival where it won the special jury prize.

The Rsiff on Monday also added several galas to its lineup, plus unveiled its International Spectacular and its Families & Children programs.

Netflix has officially boarded “The Sand Castle” that sees Lebanese multi-hyphenate Nadine Labaki reunite on screen with “Capernaum” siblings Zain and Reman Al Rafeea.

The streaming giant has set a Jan. 24, 2025, global drop date for the hotly anticipated thriller.

U.S. director Matty Brown — whose shorts have won accolades — makes his feature film debut with “The Sand Castle” which is the tale of an Arabic family of four stuck on a seemingly idyllic island. There, the family begins to uncover dark secrets that they struggle to keep from their youngest, Jana.

“As events spiral out of control and the line between reality and fiction blurs, the family is forced to confront harsh truths and difficult choices, testing their resilience and their hopes of making it back home,” says the provided synopsis.

The film’s ensemble cast also features Palestinian actor Ziad Bakri (“Meet the Barbarians”).

Brown co-wrote “Sand Castle” with...

Demi Moore and Rob Lowe are counted among the best stars that came out from the Brat Pack genre of films in the 1980s. Brat Pack referred to a group of young actors who co-starred in many coming-of-age films of that time. While Moore and Lowe were a hit on-screen pair after co-starring in St. Elmo’s Fire and About Last Night, they also “had a thing” off-screen.

Demi Moore and Rob Lowe in About Last Night | Credits: TriStar Pictures

Demi Moore has earlier claimed in her memoir Inside Out that her memories with Rob Lowe are clouded due to her past drug addiction. But she thanked the Perfect Strangers actor for beautifully talking about their brief relationship in his memoir Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

Rob Lowe’s confession of brief love with Demi Moore impressed the Ghost actress Demi Moore with Emilio Estevez in Wisdom | Credits: 20th Century Fox

Recently,...

Billy Magnussen has left the Off Broadway production of Robert O’Hara’s Shit. Meet. Fan. due to what producers say is “an unforeseen health concern.”

With Magnussen’s departure – he’ll be replaced by Take Me Out Tony nominee Michael Oberholtzer – the opening date for the play at McC Theater has been moved from Monday, October 28, to Monday, November 18.

Previews began Thursday, October 10, and Oberholtzer will take over the role of “Frank” sometime next week. Understudy Jesse Pennington will temporarily step into the role beginning with tonight’s performance.

The production, which also stars Garret Dillahunt, Genevieve Hannelius, Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Krakowski, Debra Messing, Tramell Tillman and Constance Wu, runs through December 15.

In a statement tonight, producers said, “We are grateful for [Magnussen’s] work in the play and wish him a quick recovery.” Additional details about the nature of the health concern were not released.

“In a true only-in-showbiz moment,...

Exclusive: Italian drama ‘La Storia’ has been picked up for the U.S. and Israel. The series, adapted from the iconic Elsa Morante bestseller, is set in Rome during and soon after World War II. It stars Jasmine Trinca (The Gunman) in the lead role.

MHz Choice, the SVOD service that majors in bringing prestige international television to North American viewers, has acquired it for the U.S. and Canada. Elsewhere, Yes and Hot have picked it up for Israel. Beta Film is handling distribution and cut the deals. It has already sold it to Nrk in Norway, Yle in Finland, Svt in Sweden, Dr in Denmark and Ruv in Iceland.

The series is set during World War II and its immediate aftermath. It turns on the story of a Jewish woman, Ida Ramundo, a widowed mother living in Rome, and her two sons. The book was first published in...

Nine Perfect Strangers season 2 is in the works, and it already looks like the show has begun recruiting some talented stars. Season 1 is an adaption of the novel of the same name by Lianne Moriarity, whose other work, Big Little Lies, was also adapted by showrunner David E. Kelly and starred Nicole Kidman in the lead role. The plot for season 1 followed a group of strangers, escaping their lives and attempting to find inner peace at Tranquilliam House, an unorthodox wellness center overseen by an equally unorthodox founder Masha, (portrayed by Kidman).

At the time, Nine Perfect Strangers proved to be a hit with viewers, with its premiere making history as one of Hulus most-watched original series ever and its cast receiving much praise. Though season 1 of Nine Perfect Strangers was a massive hit for the streamer, the fate of the show beyond it's debut outing was never certain. Since...

With nearly 27 or 28 adaptations preceding it, Mudassar Aziz and Akshay Kumar introduce the Bollywood version of the 2016 Italian film Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers), titled Khel Khel Mein. Is it a flawless adaptation? Perhaps not. However, Aziz truly shines in how he collaborates with his cast, giving them ample space to breathe within the narrative, which heightens the intrigue and tension of the plot.

Aziz also uses symbolic shots, such as statues, to visually underscore moments when characters engage in infidelity. But when does the story gain momentum? And how does Khel Khel Mein set itself apart from the original Perfect Strangers? Let’s explore the plot of this Akshay Kumar-led film before delving into those questions.

Spoilers Ahead

Khel Khel Mein (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis: What Was the State of the Relationships Before the Get-Together?

The film opens with Rishabh, a successful cosmetic surgeon, who is eager to reunite with his wife,...

Khel Khel Mein happens to be the nth remake of the popular Italian film Perfect Strangers. The story is about a few couples who are friends with each other, come together for a wedding and begin to play a game that slowly expresses all cracks in their marriages. The uncomfortable truths and secrets that have been hidden for a long time finally come out, which could potentially end their marriages.

Spoilers Ahead

What were the dynamics in Rishabh’s family?

Rishabh was a cosmetic surgeon who was in a hurry to join his wife Vartika in Delhi. He was planning to head to Jaipur for Vartika’s sister’s wedding. On the flight, he meets Kadambari Kapoor, and they casually flirt with each other. He also lets her know about his first wife, Rashmi, and the daughter he had with her. Vartika was his second wife, whom he met in the UK.

New Italian distribution company PiperFilm is launching its international sales unit at Rome’s upcoming Mia Market with veteran sales agent Catia Rossi spearheading the potentially high-powered player’s sales side having secured a small but promising multi-genre film slate.

Rossi is a former head of international sales at Vision Distribution, True Colours, and Rai Com. She launched True Colours and the sales unit at Vision. She’s now joining PiperFilm as director of international sales and will be unveiling the brand new PiperFilm lineup of Italian movies to buyers in Rome.

Domestically, PiperFilm is adopting an innovative distribution model having struck an agreement with Netflix under which the streaming giant will have the first exclusive post-theatrical window for Italy on their titles, while Warner Bros. Entertainment Italia will handle the operational distribution of their lineup in Italian movie theatres.

In Italy, the first PiperFilm to be released is Paolo Sorrentino’s “Parthenope,...

Tom Cruise may be one of the greatest action heroes of this era, pleasing fans from all around the globe with his impeccable charms and incredible acting and stunting chops. But while he seems to have led a successful career spread over the course of many wonderful years, the actor also seems to have pissed off some of his peers while working with them.

Tom Cruise. | Credits: Gage Skidmore/Cca-by-sa-2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

One of these co-stars was none other than Bronson Pinchot, who seemed to have more than just found Cruise annoying while working with him. To say the least, he claimed the action legend pretty much ‘tormented’ everyone while working on their film Risky Business – so much so that when it all came back to Cruise, Pinchot was actually glad about it!

Tom Cruise Reportedly Tormented His Co-Stars On Risky Business

1983’s comedy-crime Risky Business was the film...

After The Perfect Couples release on Netflix, the talks of a second season could be a concerning sign of a continued Nicole Kidman trend. The series stars Kidman as Greer Winbury, a wealthy author whose family gets wrapped up in a murder case when the maid of honor for her sons wedding is found dead on the Nantucket beach. The Perfect Couple is a six-episode limited series based on the book by Elin Hilderbrand. The book itself does not have a sequel, but rather resolves its mystery in a standalone novel.

Though The Perfect Couples reviews are mixed, the series has had good viewership on Netflix, which understandably could push the streamer to want to make another season. Showrunner Jenna Lamia noted that The Perfect Couple season 2 would be possible should all the elements [come] together and everybody was enthusiastic. While those who enjoyed the intrigue of the Winbury family in...

In recent years there’s been a great deal of ink spilled on the topic of declining attention spans among America’s youth.

It’s tough to quantify or verify such a phenomenon, but if this trend is as real as its loudest alarmists say it is, then there are many possible causes:

Most folks with even a shred of self-awareness would concede that the constant siren song of social media and other smartphone-related diversions has at least somewhat diminished their ability to focus on a single task for an extended period of time.

(Photo by Files/Afp via Getty Images)

And while these temptations have (allegedly) had a negative impact on productivity in schools and offices, they’ve also impacted the entertainment industry in ways both subtle and obvious.

Yes, we’ve spoken before about the decline of family hour in front of the TV and the ways in...

I imagine that, the first time a vocal coach told Jaleel White that years of playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters had done serious damage to his vocal chords, his response would have been a question along the lines of, “Did I do that?” — if speaking wasn’t pure pain at the time.

White’s performance as the nosy, nasally and shit-stirring Urkel on Family Matters is best defined by the catchphrases and high-pitched tones that scored his rise from side character to series protagonist. White didn’t even appear on the show until the 12th episode of its first season, but as soon as audiences heard his heightened squealing and saw his eyes shifting mischievously from behind his comically oversized glasses, it became clear that one character on what was supposed to be an ensemble-led spin-off of Perfect Strangers was destined to outlive the rest of the series in terms of pop-culture relevance.

We’ve got questions, and you’ve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, we’re lobbing queries left and right about Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building, Power Book II: Ghost and Emily in Paris!

1 | As much as we (deeply!) love dogs, wasn’t Selling Sunset‘s handling of Niko’s death/funeral a little over-the-top… even for that show? (Other, bigger losses in past seasons were given less airtime!)

More from TVLineBig Brother Eviction Recap: Who Became the First Jury Member? And How'd Jerry O'Connell Do as Host?Big Brother Host Julie Chen Moonves...

Neil Patrick Harris and Jane Krakowski have joined the high-profile cast of Robert O’Hara’s upcoming Off Broadway play Shit.Meet.Fan., joining a line-up that includes the previously announced Garret Dillahunt, Billy Magnussen, Debra Messing, Genevieve Hannelius, Tramell Tillman and Constance Wu.

The McC Theater production will begin previews on Thursday October 10, with an opening night set for Monday October 28. The engagement at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater runs through Sunday November 17.

Based on the 2016 film Perfect Strangers by Paolo Genovese, Shit. Meet. Fan. unfolds in real time as a group of long-time friends gather to play a game on the night of an eclipse, with each person required to share the contents of their phones – out loud – with the rest of the group. As the synopsis reads, “With the cocktails flowing among grownups who refuse to grow up, outrageous secrets and skeletons begin to emerge… Shit. Meet.

Major League Baseball umpires aren’t typically known for having great senses of humor. In fairness, being an ump requires intense concentration, even as tens of thousands of people are audibly cursing your lack of prescription eyewear. But this week, one umpire showed off their love for a beloved comedy during a game.

In a recent match-up between the Los Angeles Angels and the Atlanta How the Hell Are They Still Named the Braves, a dramatic call confirming that Atlanta’s Whit Merrifield narrowly hit a solo home run in the fifth inning was completely upended by the reveal that second base umpire James Hoye was wearing a Kramer shirt underneath his jacket — presumably because his “Balki from Perfect Strangers” shirt was in the wash.

Despite the fact that this was clearly an important moment in the game, Angels announcers Wayne Randazzo and Mark Gubicza were completely distracted by the...

Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein is an untameable beast of a film. It is funny, yes. But it is also very sad. It reveals the secrets that are locked in our hearts, or rather in our phones, and how we cannot allow the phone to rule our hearts. That unlimited freedom on the phone is actually a terrible slavery to technology that is destroying lives.

All these ideas are not hammered into the script. Rather, Aziz and his co-writer Sara Brodinar, play a perky precious you-show-me-yours-i’ll-show-you-mine peek-a-boo game of infidelity, creating spaces in confined rooms for intelligent dialogue on how far couples need to respect one another’s space in marriages.

This is assuredly Mudassar Aziz’s most intelligent work, though not all of it works. Akshay Kumar’s roving-eyed oversmart character is a trimmer version of Sanjeev Kumar in Pati Patni Aur Woh.

Perhaps Kumar feels greying...

Baby Talk was a notorious flop TV series due to numerous issues. The cast and crew faced turmoil, leading to multiple re-castings and executive disappointments. The show suffered from lackluster writing and a flawed premise, failing to resonate with audiences.

The 1989 family film Look Who's Talking demonstrated the appeal of a good comedy gimmick if done correctly. The television show it spawned, Baby Talk, exposed all the limitations, selected by critics as the most objectionable TV show for 1991. If you grew up in the '90s, you are probably more than a little familiar with the tried and true TV viewing block called Tgif (Thank Goodness It's Friday).

The venerable, family-friendly schedule consisted of a lot of various half-hour comedies. Schmaltzy perhaps, they earned extended runs through solid writing and endearing characters, the foundation laid by the classic roster of Full House, Family Matters, and Perfect Strangers. If youre wondering...

Fledgling Saudi production company Alamiya Filmed Entertainment (Afe) has partnered with Dubai-based Front Row Productions to make female-led road trip comedy feature My Treat (Mahmool Makfool).

Directed by Egypt’s Karim Abu Zeid, filming is set to begin this September in Riyadh and Istanbul, and is billed as the first time a major Saudi feature has shot in Turkey. A theatrical release across the Middle East is being scheduled for 2025.

The story follows three superfans of Turkish soap operas who travel from Saudi to Istanbul in a bid to meet their favourite actor. But the trip takes an unexpected turn...

Prime Video is the place to be in August with an incredible month of new releases. The month kicks off with the premiere of the animated series Batman: Caped Crusader on Aug. 1. The series was produced by J.J. Abrams and The Batman‘s Matt Reeves. We also return to Middle Earth this month with the premiere of The Rings of Power season 2 on Aug. 29.

As far as movies go, the Amazon original Jackpot! arrives on Aug. 15 starring Awkwafina and John Cena. This comedy is set in a world where Lottery winners have to survive until sundown in order to claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot – anyone who kills them before that gets to claim their prize.

The Hobbit trilogy also joins the Prime Video library this month, as do 21 and 22 Jump Street, Superman I-iv, Superman Returns, Night Swim, Drive Away Dolls, and 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Here’s everything coming...

Qatari beIN media group and Dubai-based film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment have renewed an ongoing first run deal for another three years until 2027.

Under the accord, beIN has secured exclusive pay one window rights to up to 300 movie titles for its linear and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services across the Middle East and North African region.

Titles covered by the deal include Better Man, Priscilla, Anatomy of a Fall, The Night of the Zoopocalypse, La Cocina, Ezra, Mother’s Instinct, Bad Genius, Riddick: Furya; The Smashing Machine, Parthenope, and the upcoming Cliffhanger reboot, on which Front Row is a backer.

“Front Row Filmed Entertainment has been an important partner ever since beIN expanded its portfolio to include entertainment content, so we are very pleased to be continuing this relationship,” said Esra Altop, Chief Entertainment Content Officer at beIN.

“The partnership with Front Row Filmed Entertainment aligns with beIN’s continued strategic...

The 81st Venice International Film Festival has announced the opening night films for its Horizons and Horizons Extra competition sections.

Nonostante, the second feature from Italian director Valerio Mastandrea (2018’s Ride) will open the Horizons competition section on August 28. The Horizons Extra competition section will kick off on August 29 with September 5, Tim Fehlbaum’s historical drama about the 1972 Munich Olympics starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro and Ben Chaplin.

September 5 focuses on a sports broadcasting team who suddenly find themselves covering a hostage crisis when the Palestinian militant organization Black September infiltrates the Olympic Village, kills two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and takes the other nine hostage. The Teacher’s Lounge breakout Leonie Benesch also co-stars. Fehlbaum is best known for his sci-fi features Hell (2011) and The Colony (2021).

September 5 was produced by BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion and Projected Picture Works, in co-production with Constantin Film and Erf Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion. Fehlbaum,...

Principal photography has commenced on the Arab underworld thriller “Boomah” (“The Owl”), written and directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan and marking the Jordanian filmmaker’s second feature following his critically acclaimed “Daughters of Abdul Rahman.”

Previously announced in December, Rakeen Saad is set to play the titular role of the female thug Boomah. Saad rose to acclaim for her central roles in hit shows “The Giza Killer” and the Netflix original “Al Rawabi School for Girls,” and will next be seen as the lead in a new Netflix series production “Echoes of the Past” and “The Way of the Wind,” the biblical drama by Terrence Malick.

“Boomah” — now shooting in Jordan — reunites Saad with Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida who will play the role of her best friend and confidant Anoud. Arida will next appear in “Laura H,” a Dutch TV series based on the bestseller by journalist Thomas Rueb. Rounding...

Zaid Abu Hamdan has begun principal photography in Jordan on new film Boomah which is being positioned as an Arab world thriller with a similar gritty edge as City of God, Gomorrah and La Haine.

Boomah marks Jordanian director Abu Hamdan’s second feature after his critically acclaimed female focused drama Daughters of Abdul Rahman.

The Giza Killer and Al Rawabi School For Girls actress Rakeen Saad stars in the titular role of a female thug, who goes by the name of Boomah. The actress is also soon to be seen as the lead in new Netflix series production Echoes of the Past, as well as in Terrence Malick’s biblical drama The Way of the Wind.

She will be joined by Rawabi co-star Joanna Arida in the role of Boomah’s best friend and confidant Anoud. Rounding out the cast are Majd Eid, Nabil Al Raee and Hanan Al Hilo, who previously starred in Daughters of Abdul Rahman.

The new film is billed as an “expansive crime thriller” set against the backdrop of Jordan’s underworld. Protagonist Boomah is notorious and knife-savvy female gang member who becomes embroiled in a power struggle between street thugs and religious extremists while battling the traumas of her harrowing orphaned past.

The film is produced by Front Row Productions with Ahmad Abu Koush and director Abu Hamdan’s Jordan-based Bounce Productions.

Also on board is Amman-based production company Bayt Al Shawareb, which worked on 2014 Oscar-nominated film Theeb and the 2023 Cannes Critics’ Week breakout Inshallah a Boy.

A joint venture between Mena distributors Front Row Filmed Entertainment and Empire Entertainment, Front Row Productions’ previous credits include Netflix originals Perfect Strangers, The Sandcastle, starring Nadine Labaki and Ziad Bakri, and the upcoming Cliffhanger reboot.

“We’re proud to be a part of this project, supporting Jordanian and Levantine talent during this extremely difficult and trying period, with so much risk inherent in cinema and arts coming out of this region,” said Front Row Productions partners Gianluca Chakra and Mario Jr. Haddad.

“Zaid is an outstanding young and ambitious director with a very bright future ahead, a true visionary and difference-maker. His understanding of the nuances of Jordanian street culture is exceptional,” they added.

“We are concentrating on a script and storytelling that transcends borders and nationality while looking to break the limits of background and identity to bring Boomah to a wide Arab audience and beyond. We see Boomah positioned as a film with Arab and international appeal, as a crime thriller reminiscent of great underworld juggernaut works like City of God, Gomorrah, La Haine and others.”...

A few weeks ago, something absolutely incredible happened. On behalf of JoBlo.com, I was invited to attend the world premiere of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F in Beverly Hills! While there, I got to interview the entire cast, including Eddie Murphy. To give this a little context, I was born in ’81, and I grew up idolizing Murphy and watching all of the Beverly Hills Cop movies over and over. And yes, I said All – even 3. So, being invited to the glamourous premiere was pretty heady stuff. Heck, when I was there, I even got to meet another childhood hero of mine, Bronson Pinchot, from Perfect Strangers.

I’ve already posted my Eddie Murphy interview (check it out here), but today, I’m getting to post a lot more. In the video above, you can see me interviewing the whole cast, but here are my thoughts on each of them.

Family Matters' cast changed during its final season when Jo Marie Payton left, and Judyann Elder replaced her as Harriette Winslow. The show's ratings declined after the cast change and a timeslot switch, leading CBS to cancel Family Matters after season 9. Other TV shows like Fresh Prince, That '70s Show, Roseanne, and Batwoman also experienced significant cast changes that affected their storylines.

The classic Tgif sitcom Family Matters had a consistent main cast until mom Harriette Winslow changed when Jo Marie Payton left during the final season. The network TV landscape of the 1980s and the 1990s was all about family-oriented sitcoms; one such wholesome sitcom was Family Matters, which debuted in 1989 on ABC and ended in 1998. By the end of its run, Family Matters had fled ABC's Tgif line-up and moved to CBS.

Despite CBS paying big money to acquire the long-running show for season 9 after its Tgif run on ABC,...

HBO’s The Leftovers starts with 2 percent of the world’s population suddenly disappearing for reasons unexplained — and the plot just gets more bizarre from there. Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta — and based on Perrotta’s novel of the same name — The Leftovers starred Justin Theroux, Christoper Eccleston, Carrie Coon, and Amy Brenneman, among others, as the ones left behind when the Sudden Departure strikes. The series debuted on June 29, 2014, and ran for three critically acclaimed seasons, topping critics’ year-end lists of top 10 TV shows more than 20 times. And as The Leftovers attests, there’s no telling what will happen after one of every 50 persons on this planet — and three out of four Perfect Strangers cast members — vanish into thin air. Some people want to be (non-fatally shot) in the chest. Some opt for orgies aboard ferries. And some start heralding the return of Gary Busey. Here are...