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Carl Kurlander is a screenwriter (St. Elmo’s Fire) who served as a writer-producer for four of Peter Engel’s NBC series. He also teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, where he has made a series of documentaries including the birth of educational television and how AI is poised to transform the way young people learn. He was mentored by Peter Engel, the man behind the TV fixture Saved by the Bell, who died last week. Here, Kurlander contrasts the wildly different paths taken by Engel and Fred Rogers that led each to generate programming that helped kids cope.

Making Good Attractive: How Peter Engel and Fred Rogers Shaped Young Minds Through Television

I was stunned to hear Peter Engel passed away recently at 88, though he lived a long and interesting life. When I worked for Peter in the 1990s at NBC, he was introduced to crowds before Saved by the Bell...

Peter Engel, who executive produced Saved by the Bell and a host of other teen sitcoms for NBC, died Tuesday at his home in Santa Monica, his son Stephen David Engel announced. He was 88.

The show that became Saved by the Bell began life as Good Morning, Miss Bliss on Disney Channel. The series at the time focused on Hayley Mills, who played the title character, and her students at an Indianapolis junior high school. That show lasted only one season, but after a retooling (and change in setting to Southern California), the NBC-produced show was relaunched as Saved by the Bell and became both a staple of NBC’s Saturday lineup from 1989-93 and a touchstone show for Gen X and millennial viewers.

The show helped launch the careers of its young cast — Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Dustin Diamond and Lark Voorhies — and spawned a...

Peter Engel, a producer known for his work on shows like “Saved by the Bell” and “Last Comic Standing,” died Tuesday in his Santa Monica home. He was 88.

Engel’s death was confirmed to Variety by his family. Throughout his career, Engel executive produced more than 1,000 episodes of television, including shows like “California Dreams,” “City Guys,” “USA High” and “Hang Time” that came along after the birth of the Tnbc Block. Most of his shows were for NBC as part of a long-term partnership.

Carl Kurlander, co-writer of “St. Elmo’s Fire,” shared a tribute to Engel on Facebook, crediting him for getting his first staff TV job on “Saved by the Bell.”

“I was shocked to hear that Peter Engel had passed away,” Kurlander wrote. “He was a rarity in Hollywood — a kind man who treated so many who worked with him as family. We watched his sons Josh and...

Kenan Thompson has carved quite a comedy career for himself, having started on Nickelodeon’s All That to being one of Saturday Night Live‘s most seasoned cast members. As he grew up in the 90s, he starred on Kenan & Kel as a teen and started to venture into movies. Meanwhile, around the same time, Anthony Anderson, who is quite a veteran of many TV and film projects himself, starred in the Saturday morning teen sitcom Hang Time on NBC. Thompson would reveal that when he auditioned for roles in that era, one name that constantly followed him around was Anderson’s.

People Magazine spoke with Kenan Thompson on the podcast, People in the ‘90s, where he explained, “Anthony Anderson, I would always see his name on the list. Whether I would see him at the actual audition or not, he was always in the running.” Thompson added, “We’ve...

Fourteen months ago, we heard that Devon Sawa of Chucky, Final Destination, and Idle Hands had signed on to play the a lead role in the horror film Consumed, coming our way from The Butcher Brothers (a.k.a. director Mitchell Altieri and producer Phil Flores), the filmmaking duo behind The Night Watchmen, The Violent Kind, and The Hamiltons. Now we know that Brainstorm Media will be giving Consumed a theatrical and On Demand release on August 16th – and with that date just one month away, a trailer for the film has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above!

Courtney Halverson of Unfriended and St. Agatha and Mark Famiglietti of Hang Time and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines star in Consumed as Jay and Beth, a married couple taking a celebratory camping trip a year after Beth’s cancer remission. Here’s the synopsis: Trapped...

Former Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, who also appeared in countless films, TV shows and commercials, died Thursday at the age of 80.

TV Stars We Lost in 2023 View Gallery64 Images

Though an official cause of death was not released, Butkus’ family tells the Chicago Tribune that he died “peacefully in his sleep overnight at home” in Malibu, Calif.

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Along with his legendary career with the Bears, which spanned from 1965 to 1973, Butkus also cultivated an impressive acting resume,...

NFL legend Dick Butkus has sadly died.

The former linebacker for the Chicago Bears passed away at his home in Malibu on Thursday (October 5), the Chicago Tribune reports. He was 80 years old.

According to his family, Dick passed overnight, peacefully in his sleep.

He is best known for playing for the Chicago Bears for eight seasons, from 1965-1973, before turning to a career as a sports commentator and actor.

Dick has had roles in movies like The Longest Yard, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Cracking Up, Superdome and more, with TV show appearances on MacGyver, Hang Time, Blue Thunder and even Murder, She Wrote.

In 1963, he married his high school sweetheart Helen Essenberg, and the two had three children, Ricky, Matt, and Nikki.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to Dick Butkus‘ family and friends during this time.

Dick Butkus, the legendary Hall of Fame NFL linebacker and character actor, has died at age 80.

Butkus was a linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1973 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1979.

“The Butkus family confirms that football and entertainment legend Dick Butkus died peacefully in his sleep overnight at home in Malibu, California,” the family’s statement shared to X read. They asked for “prayers and support” for Butkus’ wife, Helen.

He was remembered on social media by Bears chairman George H. McCaskey as “the ultimate Bear” and “one of the greatest players in NFL history.”

The statement shared to the team’s X account read, “He was Chicago’s son. He exuded what our city is about… toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership.” McCaskey went on to say, “Dick had a gruff manner, and maybe that kept some people from approaching him, but he actually had a soft touch,...

Dick Butkus, the ferocious Chicago Bears middle linebacker who brought his reputation as an NFL barbarian to Hollywood for Miller Lite commercials, sitcoms and films, has died. He was 80.

A member of the Screen Actors Guild for more than four decades, Butkus died peacefully in his sleep overnight at his home in Malibu, his family announced Thursday.

From 1987-89, Butkus had a recurring role as cafe owner Ed Klawicki on My Two Dads, an NBC sitcom about two single men (Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan) raising a teenage daughter (Staci Keanan).

Butkus joined the NBC Saturday morning series Hang Time in 1998 as old-school Deering High Tornados basketball coach Mike Katowinski, taking over for former NBA star Reggie Theus, and he worked on that show for its final three seasons.

Earlier, Butkus was a regular on two short-lived, light-hearted network dramas: ABC’s Blue Thunder, which featured Dana Carvey and a gadget-filled helicopter,...

Dick Butkus, a Hall of Famer who was among the greatest, most respected and most feared players in NFL history and also had a long acting career in TV, film and commercials, died overnight in his sleep at his Malibu home. He was 80.

His family confirmed the news on social media.

After back-to-back All-America seasons at the University of Illinois, Butkus was picked No. 3 overall by his hometown Chicago Bears in 1965. A fearsome force on the field and rather gentle giant off of it, he spent his entire injury-shortened nine-season career with the club, redefining the linebacker position in the process.

Dick Butkus circa 1965

Active from 1965-73, Butkus was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for both the 1960s and ’70s and was selected for the All-Time NFL Team in 2000. A six-time All-nfl selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he played in eight consecutive Pro Bowls and...

Some of your favorite shows are now available to watch thanks to Fast (free ad-supporting streaming TV) channels. NBCUniversal and Roku have announced new Fast linear content offerings with shows from across the NBC Global Distribution library are now available on The Roku Channel. (More will be available later this year.) The channels include: Murder, She Wrote; Little House on the Prairie; and Universal Crime, including notable library series of mystery, suspense, and drama like Columbo, Kojak, The Rockford Files, and more. Other Fast channels now available on The Roku Channel include Saved By the Bell; Tnbc (Teen NBC), with series about the highs and lowers of growing up like Punky Brewster, Major Dad, and Hang Time; and Bad Girls Club. Also coming later this year are: Universal Action, which will include action-packed series like The A-Team; Magnum P.I., starring Tom Selleck; and Knight Rider, as well as Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Since the dawn of free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast), classic television has been the backbone of many services offering these types of channels, and now one of the largest ad-supported platforms is bringing more iconic series to its service. On Tuesday, The Roku Channel announced that it was launching channels centered on some of NBCUniversal’s most beloved shows.

Watch Now $0 / month roku.com

Available on the platform now are channels dedicated to “Murder, She Wrote” and “Little House on the Prairie,” with a new channel called Universal Crime which features episodes from series including “Columbo,” “Kojak,” “The Rockford Files,” and more. Other Fast channels hitting the streamer include “Saved by the Bell” and “Bad Girls Club,” and Tnbc (Teen NBC) which features episodes of beloved family series “Punky Brewster,” “Major Dad,” “Hang Time” amongst others. There will be more channels launching later this year.

Today, NBCUniversal (NBCU) and Roku...

NBCUniversal and Roku are expanding their streaming relationship, adding to the roster of classic and nostalgia TV titles available on the Roku Channel.

The NBCU Global Distribution Studio library is backing a number of new channels launching today, including dedicated ones for Murder, She Wrote, Little House on the Prairie, Saved By The Bell and Bad Girls Club. The Universal Crime channel offers a rotation including Columbo, Kojak and The Rockford Files, while Teen NBC packages the likes of Punky Brewster, Major Dad and Hang Time.

Additional offerings launching down the road include the Universal Action channel, featuring The A-Team, Magnum P.I. and Knight Rider; as well as Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

NBCU has already had Roku Channel distribution for NBC News Now, Dateline 24/7, Today All Day, Lx, NBC local channels, Telemundo regional news channels, Sky News International, and The Rotten Tomatoes Channel. NBCU Global Distribution has also licensed select films,...

NBCUniversal has launched new free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels on The Roku Channel for the series “Saved By The Bell,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Little House on the Prairie,” and “Bad Girls Club.”

The Roku Channel will also now offer a “Universal Crime” Fast channel, comprised of notable library series such as “Columbo, “Kojak” and “The Rockford Files,” as well as a “Teen NBC” (Tnbc) channel, which will feature “Punky Brewster,” “Major Dad” and “Hang Time.”

Other channels set to launch later this year include “Universal Action,” which will include “The A-Team,” the original “Magnum P.I.” and “Knight Rider” with David Hasselhoff. There will also be an “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” channel focused on the Emmy-winning anthology series that showcased iconic mysteries, hosted by the legendary filmmaker.

“As Fast continues to gain incredible popularity in the marketplace, we’re excited to bring such terrific content options – including a strong roster of very well-known,...

NBCUniversal is diving back into the free TV realm. Months after the company discontinued its free streaming tier of Peacock, Variety reports that NBCU is launching a bundle of free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels in July, spanning multiple genres and with content from most of NBCU’s channels.

The new Fast channels will initially be available on Amazon’s free streaming platform Freevee, as well as Xumo Play, the joint venture that NBCU’s parent company Comcast is building with fellow cable provider Charter Communications. No specific date was provided for the launch of the channels, but they are slated to be available sometime next month.

Watch Now $0 / month amazonfreevee.com

It’s not yet clear if the new channels will be added to other NBCU streaming platforms, such as Peacock or its new live TV service Now TV. It would certainly make sense, as Now TV already carries...

NBCUniversal is cracking open its TV and movie archives to launch around four dozen free, ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels — significantly expanding its footprint in the free streaming space.

In July, the company said, it will launch the new portfolio of Fast linear channels, with content from across the NBCU Television & Streaming and the NBCUniversal Global Distribution library, on Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play (the streaming platform operated as a joint venture between Comcast and Charter).

The lineup includes dedicated free streaming channels for “Saturday Night Live,” “The Real Housewives” franchises, “Top Chef” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” along with Spanish-language entertainment and news from Telemundo including “Historias de Amor,” “Lo Mejor de Telemundo” and “Telemundo al Día.” NBCU’s Fast channels also include those for older TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Saved by the Bell” and “The Lone Ranger,” plus genre-based channels for sitcoms,...

Fresh off playing three characters across two seasons of the Chucky TV series, Devon Sawa has taken a lead role in the horror film Consumed, coming our way from The Butcher Brothers (a.k.a. director Mitchell Altieri and producer Phil Flores), the filmmaking duo behind The Night Watchmen, The Violent Kind, and The Hamiltons.

Courtney Halverson of Unfriended and St. Agatha and Mark Famiglietti of Hang Time and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines star in Consumed as Jay and Beth, a married couple taking a celebratory camping trip a year after Beth’s cancer remission, who find themselves trapped between a wild madman (Sawa) and a skin stealing monster.

David Calbert wrote the screenplay for the film, which was executive produced by Jeffrey Allard and XYZ Films. XYZ Films is also handling the world distribution sales and will be presenting the project to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Festival this month.

Members of the original ‘Saved By The Bell’ reuniting with their spouses [Tiffani Thiessen/Instagram]

Members of the original Saved By The Bell cast reunited for dinner ahead of the show’s 30th anniversary. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack Morris) and his wife Catronia McGinn, Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater) and his wife Courtney, Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski) and her husband Brady Smith, and Elizabeth Berkley Lauren (Jessie Spano) and her husband Greg Lauren, nephew of famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren.

Gosselaar starred in The Passage which just concluded its first season on Fox. The show was received well by fans and critics, averaging over 6 million viewers per episode. Thiessen currently stars on the Netflix original series Alexa & Katie. From 2009 to 2014, she starred as Elizabeth Burke on the hit USA series White Collar. Lopez is currently a host on Extra, and has hosted several shows over the last decade.

Notable absentees were...

There's no question that there will be a lot of people watching Magnum, P.I. pretty closely when it premires on the evening of Sept. 24, and more than a few of them are likely to be skeptical. Which is not really surprising when you consider how beloved the original Tom Selleck version was during its 1980 to 1988 run. And if anyone understands that particular pressure facing everyone involved, it's actor Jay Hernandez who has assumed the Thomas Magnum character from his predecessor. (Photo Credit: CBS) "It's really kind of surreal," Jay laughs during an interview at San Diego Comic-Con. "I watched an episode of the original Magnum, P.I. probably a month or two before I started shooting. It was a scene where he's in a surf skin in the bay in Hawaii, and two months later I find myself doing that very same thing. But when I was watching the original episode,...

We all have regrets from our college years — Peter Engel’s just happen to be from Zack Morris’ time on campus. During a recent conversation about Engel’s impressive and nostalgia-inducing resume, the author of “I Was Saved By the Bell” told TheWrap the one thing he would take back from the franchise’s less-successful “College Years,” which only lasted 19 episodes as a freshman series. “I should’ve taken all the six kids to college,” the executive producer admitted. “I should’ve insisted we take them all and I didn’t. It was my decision and I made a mistake.

Peter Engel’s probably not interested in your teen athlete sitcom pitch. That’s because the TV producer learned everything he needs to know about filming actors trying to play sports based off one “Saved By the Bell” beach volleyball game. Why he ever signed on to do high school basketball-based “Hang Time” in the late ’90s is beyond us. Of course, Engel actually turned down that latter series back when it was still called “Fast Break” — and for good reason. “The basketball got to be shot separately,” Engel explained of the sizable undertaking. “In addition to doing a regular sitcom,...

“Carmen Luna” might have sung her last note, but Devious Maids star Roselyn Sanchez is staying put at Lifetime with a killer new project.

RelatedDevious Maids Ep Breaks Down Biggest Finale Twists, Imagines Season 5 Mystery

Sanchez star in Death of a Vegas Showgirl, a new movie based on the true story of Debbie Flores, a professional dancer who went missing the night before she was set to make her debut as the lead in a major stage production. She will also executive-produce, along with husband Eric Winter (Witches of East End).

Per Lifetime, “the investigation into [Debbie’s] disappearance reveals the...

NBC’s Hollywood Game Night opened Season 3 on Tuesday with 5.4 million total viewers and a 1.5 rating, up 35 and 36 percent from its sophomore finale (which self-started an off-season Thursday), drawing its second-largest audience ever and matching a series high in the demo.

The episode also featured perhaps the worst “How Do You Doo?” singer in the show’s history. Sorry, civilian lady!

RelatedTeen Wolf Recap: Without a Tracy

Opening the Peacock’s night (and surely goosing Game Night‘s haul), America’s Got Talent (10.4 mil/2.2) was down three tenths in the demo.

RelatedScream Recap: Hang Time

Elsewhere….

CBS | Zoo (7.7 mil/1.2, per...

Guys, what the bleep-bloop happened to Tracy? Less than a week ago, she was merely a sweet, normal high-school student — ignoring her penchant for randomly puking up black gunk and feathers, of course — but after Monday’s Teen Wolf… I don’t know what she is.

RelatedTeen Wolf Boss Previews Scott’s ‘Failure,’ the Return of Braeden (Among Others) and More Season 5 Scoop

Well, that’s not entirely true. I know she’s a Kanima, a fact Scott and his pals discovered after a trip to Doctor Deaton went south — and I mean Tracy’s-back-opened-and-her-spine-became-a-whipping-tail south. (Seriously, that was the...

I remember when Jay Hernandez was best known for the TV show Hang Time, and how Hostel then seemed to be the movie that would launch his career to another level of fame and acclaim. It never really happened, but he’s kept pretty busy, and I’m glad to hear that he’s coming back for another big picture, taking a role in David Ayer’s DC comics movie, Suicide Squad.

The Wrap say they don’t know for sure what part Hernandez has, but from what I understand about the project, their hunch that he might be playing a prison inmate on the same cellblock as The Joker is a good one. There was a casting document that described this character as “latin,” and none of the other roles were specified as such, so it seems at least most likely.

The plot of Suicide Squad seems to be about jail breaks.

Michael Gottlieb, who wrote and directed such big-screen comedies as Mannequin and Mr. Nanny, died Friday in a motorcycle accident on the Angeles Forest Highway north of La Canada Flintridge. He was 69. Gottlieb also produced several A-list video game titles from 1995 through 2005, including Midway Arcade Treasures 3; Fire Blade; Mortal Kombat: Special Forces; Muppet Monster Adventure; Paperboy; NBA Hang Time; Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero; and Mortal Kombat 4. In addition to his work on Mannequin (1987), which starred Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, and the Hulk Hogan-starring Mr. Nanny (1993), Gottlieb helmed The Shrimp on the

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It's been more than a decade since the 1990s ended, yet the Internet can't seem to go a day without a reminder of the neon slap bracelets that may have been banned from your school.

Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.

Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)

1. Scrunchies

2. "The Wild Thornberries"

3. Dawson and Joey

4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"

5. Mr. Feeny

7. MTV playing music videos

8. Snick

9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"

10. Levar Burton

11. "Daria"

12. "Arthur"

13. "The Powerpuff Girls"

14. "Smart Guy"

15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings

16. "The X-Files"

17. Rosie O'Donnell

18. Bill Nye

19. "Dawson's Creek"

20. The Mighty Ducks"

21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"

22. Cornholio

23. Rachel Green

24. Tim Allen

25. "All That"

26. "Beverly Hills 90210"

27. "Step by Step"

28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"

29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"

30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

Chicago – With all the depth and nuance of a Nike commercial, “Michael Jordan to the Max” probes into the mind of its titular subject, a man as infamous for his astonishing achievements in basketball as he is for his spectacular success as a corporate spokesperson. This 46-minute feature is not about Jordan the person, but Jordan the marketable icon: family man, mentor, role model, eternal optimist.

For someone who grew up in Chicagoland during the six unforgettable championship triumphs of the Chicago Bulls, any footage of Jordan from the 1990s is guaranteed to evoke nostalgic memories. Yet this once popular, decade-old IMAX picture appears to have been made primarily for elementary school field trips. There’s very little substance to be gleaned from Jordan’s inspirational soundbites, and writer/editor Jonathan Hock’s workmanlike assemblage of game highlights.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

Viewed today, “Max” instantly dates itself with a trendy swirling pan around an airborne Jordan,...

When Twitter isn’t down, it can be used for some good or it could be used to gently break some bad news. Coming Soon reports that Lake Bell tweeted last night that she’s dropping out of Scream 4. The reason? Scheduling conflicts probably with the new season of “Jeantourage” (copyright Mark Listanti) aka “How To Make It In America”. However, the Scream 4 cast continues to get interesting.

Last Friday, Entertainment Weekly confirmed (H/T Shock Till You Drop) that Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls” fame was joining the cast of the Wes Craven film along with “Hang Time” star Anthony Anderson.

No word on who will replace Bell, but expect a name soon or perhaps her replacement will be shrouded in mystery until the film’s April 15th release date.

Production on Scream 4 should begin next Monday in the great state of Michigan. Hopefully, Wes Craven...

By Josef Adalian

Jimmy Fallon reunited the cast of "California Dreams" last night, in the process officially putting MoJoe on the Fallon bandwagon.

Ok, so we're not sure if there's a Fallon bandwagon. But when we were tipped to this fact by Twitter's @denisemartin, we got quite giddy. Because, while Fallon has been trying all year to organize a "Saved by the Bell " reunion (yawn), true Tnbc fans know that "Dreams" was a far superior, much underrated show. (Though, truth be told, we're actually all about the "Hang Time" here are MoJoe.)

Feel free to think...

ABC already is making its summer plans, greenlighting an unscripted hourlong series from the producers of Last Comic Standing. Peter Engel and Barry Katz are set to executive produce The Imposter, a search for the best celebrity impersonator in the country, through their shingles, Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment. ABC has ordered eight episodes with an eye on airing Imposter in summer 2007. For Engel, Imposter will be his first non-NBC project in 20 years, having exclusively paired with the peacock on such young-skewing series as Saved by the Bell and Hang Time. His production company was a subsidiary of NBC Enterprises until 2003. With Standing, which NBC has renewed for a fifth season, he recently posted his 1,000th episode of television produced under his auspices.

ABC already is making its summer plans, greenlighting an unscripted hourlong series from the producers of Last Comic Standing. Peter Engel and Barry Katz are set to executive produce The Imposter, a search for the best celebrity impersonator in the country, through their shingles, Peter Engel Prods. and New Wave Entertainment. ABC has ordered eight episodes with an eye on airing Imposter in summer 2007. For Engel, Imposter will be his first non-NBC project in 20 years, having exclusively paired with the peacock on such young-skewing series as Saved by the Bell and Hang Time. His production company was a subsidiary of NBC Enterprises until 2003. With Standing, which NBC has renewed for a fifth season, he recently posted his 1,000th episode of television produced under his auspices.