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One of the reasons “The Pitt” is so terrific is because it plays out in real time. It’s not the first show to use the immersive storytelling approach, so if you’re craving more real-time rushes like the HBO hit delivers, these shows should fit the bill.

Start with the save-the-world spying heroics of Jack Bauer in “24,” binge Netflix’s nail-biting true crime series “Adolescence,” and maybe catch up with a few TV series like “Grey’s Anatomy” that used the ticking clock device in one memorable episode.

Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub in “24” (Credit: Fox) 24

“Events take place in real time,” Kiefer Sutherland told us in his trademark rasp at the start of every episode of this action-packed series that played out in one day over each season. (Back when TV seasons used to have 24 episodes.) He played Counter Terrorist Unit Jack Bauer for 9 seasons and the 2008 follow-up film “24: Redemption,...

Since their beginning, sitcoms have been an integral part of people's lives. Whether you're tuning in to shows on primetime or binging classics on streaming services, chances are there's a few sitcoms where you feel like you know the characters better than your own family. 

Part of what keeps audiences coming back episode after episode are the characters. For the best sitcoms of all time, the dynamic between their casts has a magic that allows anyone to turn on a random episode and not miss a single joke. And yet, even though sitcoms live and die by their characters, it's not uncommon for these characters to be rather unlikable. 

For these 15 main characters from classic sitcoms, spanning the early 1970's to the late 2010's, to say they're bad people would at times be an understatement. It's almost disappointing how often audiences will forgive their cruel behavior with each episode. However,...

Actor Patrick Adiarte, best known for his role in Season 1 of revered 1970s comedy series M*A*S*H, has died at age 82.

The Daily Mail newspaper reports that Adiarte’s niece confirmed the news that the actor had died of pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital.

Adiarte had a successful career on stage and screen, and was most familiar for his role of Ho-Jon on the first season of M*A*S*H, which he played between 1972-1973. The role had been played on the big screen by Kim Atwood.

Besides that role, which made his face recognizable to millions of fans across the world, the actor also appeared in Bonanza, The Brady Bunch, Hawaii Five-O and Kojak.

Prior to his TV breakthrough, Adiarte appeared on stage in musicals, where he impressed Gene Kelly as a talented dancer, and had a role in the film adaptations of The King and I and Flower Drum Song.

Patrick Adiarte, the Philippines-born actor and dancer best known for his roles in “The King and I,” “M*A*S*H” and “Flower Drum Song,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia. He was 82.

His death was confirmed on social media by friends and family members Wednesday.

Born in Manila, Adiarte was imprisoned along with his sister Irene and their mother Purita by the Japanese in 1945 during World War II. Their father was killed that same year while he was working as a captain for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Over a year later, Adiarte and his surviving family members emigrated to New York. In 1952, he joined the Broadway cast of “The King and I” and toured with the show alongside fellow cast members Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence. When the Broadway production was adapted a few years later in 1956 into a feature film by 20th Century Fox, Adiarte was cast as Prince Chulalongkorn,...

The 2025 Academy Awards will live on as an exciting night for first-time nominees. The ceremony saw a handful of veteran actors getting nominated for the first time in their careers, including Demi Moore ("The Substance"), Guy Pearce ("The Brutalist"), and Isabella Rossellini ("Conclave"), and one actor got a big, shocking boost when first-time nominee Mikey Madison won Best Actress for "Anora." But for every new Oscar nominee that comes along each year, there's still a surprising number of talented performers who have yet to be honored by the Academy with even a single nomination. 

Despite being recognized by the Golden Globes, BAFTAs (basically the British Oscars), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and other distinguished institutions, certain artists just can't seem to get on the Academy's radar. A few famous names received honorary Oscars, despite never getting nominated, while the Academy has completely iced out others with some pretty controversial Oscar snubs.

Larry Gelbart's TV adaptation of the 1970 Robert Altman movie "M*A*S*H" was, it should be remembered, one of the biggest hits of all time. The series debuted in 1972 and ran a chonky 256 episodes over the course of its 11 seasons. The show's finale episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," remains the highest-watched TV event in American history, excluding live broadcasts and Super Bowls. It was such a massive event, in fact, that there has been no attempt to cash in on, re-up, reboot, or make any follow-up shows to "M*A*S*H." Why mess with perfection? The show was an eloquent mix of slapstick gallows humor and wartime melancholy. It was so popular that it lasted longer than the actual Korean War (during which it was set).

Oh, wait. That's not accurate. The show "Trapper John, M.D.," itself a spinoff of Altman's film, aired for seven seasons from 1979-1986. It...

There’s a universe in which ‘70s sitcom Three’s Company didn’t invite horny viewers to “come and knock on our door.” And even if they did, they probably wouldn’t have recognized John Ritter’s roommates if either of them answered.

Entertainment publicist Danny Deraney recently shared the opening credits from the original pilot of Three’s Company, and it’s like a bizarro-world version of the popular sitcom. Only a few elements remain the same — mainly Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as the Ropers, the meddlesome and undersexed landlords, respectively.

The rest looks familiar yet strange. The theme song has the same bouncy melody, but a cheerful “doo-doo-doo-doo-doo” replaces lyrics that promised “where the kisses are hers and hers and his, three's company too.”

There’s breakout star John Ritter, but he’s “David” instead of the familiar Jack Tripper. As for Chrissy and Janet? Both the characters and...

The VHS cassette was initially developed in 1971 by engineers working for the Jvc corporation. Unlike their old video recording technologies, the nascent VHS machines were given a series of strict mandates by lead engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano, all of them intended to make the new tech as consumer-friendly as possible. The cassettes and players, for instance, had to be compatible with the televisions already owned by the bulk of families. Cassettes needed to be able to hold two hours of recorded material, and the image quality had to be almost as good as broadcast TV. The cassettes needed to be usable in all players, compatible with video cameras, and simple enough that repair wouldn't be terribly difficult. And, most importantly, they needed to be affordable.

Shiraishi and Takano began working with their team, but the project immediately stalled when Jvc experienced a financial hit, forcing them to cut...

A couple’s weekend getaway with their parents takes a supernatural turn in The Parenting, an amusing horror adventure directed by Craig Johnson (Wilson, Alex Strangelove) from a screenplay by Kent Sublette (Saturday Night Live). The film, which bows on Max on March 13, is low on genuine scares, but it does boast an appealing cast, whose comic chops elevate the flick slightly above the standard streamer slush.

Rohan (Nik Dodani, Atypical and Twisters) and Josh (Brandon Flynn, 13 Reasons Why and Manhunt), a sweet couple, are nervous to meet each other’s families. On the drive up to a beautiful countryside mansion, which they have rented for the low cost of $350 a night, the two trade tips and secrets on making the best impression. It’s mostly Rohan trying to prepare his boyfriend for his uptight and judgmental parents. But Josh, a former employee at Rei and aspiring musician, is unfazed.

When actor Fred Williamson and director Jack Arnold came together to make “Black Eye” in 1974, it wasn’t an obvious match.

Williamson was the retired pro football player who, after making his feature film debut in Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H” in 1970, had skyrocketed to blaxploitation stardom in “Hammer” and a pair of Larry Cohen knockouts, “Black Caesar” and “Hell Up in Harlem.” Arnold was a reliable Hollywood journeyman best known for directing Universal sci-fi flicks like “It Came From Outer Space,” “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” and “The Creature From the Black Lagoon” before spending the 1960s knocking around from studio to studio, genre to genre, with a financially lucrative but creatively static sojourn in episodic television.

Williamson was a rising star of the New Hollywood and Arnold a more or less discarded remnant of the old, but their collaboration yielded one of the most underrated films of its era. A...

Lynne Marie Stewart, the TV actress best known for her roles on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” has died. She was 78.

Stewart’s death was confirmed by her friend Cassandra Peterson on Instagram.

“My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend @lynnestewart78 Lynne Stewart’s passing,” Peterson wrote. “One of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. The iconic Miss Yvonne of Pee-wee’s Playhouse: She’ll always be ‘the most beautiful woman in Puppetland’.”

In July 2024 Stewart told People she visited Paul Reubens before his death in 2023 and the pair reminisced about their series.

“I got to be in the hospital with him,” she explained. “He said, I have loved deeply, and I’ve been loved in return. I said, ‘Paul, you’re loved all over the world.’ And I was so glad to be able to tell him that.”

“He was funny to the end,...

Lynne Marie Stewart, who had supporting turns in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” has died, her friend Cassandra Peterson confirmed via Instagram Friday. She was 78.

A lifelong Los Angeles native, Stewart began her career in comedy as part of the Hollywood-based sketch group “The Groundlings,” where she met Peterson and future “Pee-wee” co-star Paul Reubens.

Her early television career included roles as several different nurses on “M*A*S*H”, a guest spot on “Night Court” and a slew of recurring roles on “Laverne & Shirley.” In 1973, she had a brief role as a driver in “American Graffiti,” and in 1987 she appeared in the Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller “The Running Man.”

Stewart was best known for her role as Miss Yvonne, “the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland,” first originated in the 1981 Broadway stage version of “The Pee-wee Herman Show.” She would continue in the role across film and television, playing Miss...

Lynne Marie Stewart, who was best known as Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Charlie’s mom on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has passed away at the age of 78.

News of Lynne Marie Stewart’s death was shared by longtime friend Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), who wrote on Instagram, “My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend @lynnestewart78 Lynne Stewart’s passing. One of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. The iconic Miss Yvonne of Pee-wee’s Playhouse: She’ll always be “the most beautiful woman in Puppetland”.

Lynne Marie Stewart got her start with the famed Los Angeles-based sketch troupe The Groundlings. It was here that she fell in with both Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman, with the former casting both in his stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show. Stewart would play Miss Yvonne, The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland. She...

Lynne Marie Stewart, the actress known for roles in Pee-wee’s Playhouse and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, has died. She was 78.

Elvira star Cassandra Peterson was one of several to pay tribute to the actress Friday on Instagram after coming up together at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and appearing in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) and The Elvira Show (1993) together.

“My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend @lynnestewart78 Lynne Stewart’s passing,” wrote Peterson on Instagram. “One of the kindest, sweetest, funniest women who ever lived. The iconic Miss Yvonne of Pee-wee’s Playhouse: She’ll always be ‘the most beautiful woman in Puppetland.'”

Born Dec. 14, 1946 in L.A., Stewart was a member of The Groundlings in the ’70s, where she met Peterson, Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman.

Stewart was most known and beloved for playing Miss Yvonne and other roles in Reubens’ Pee-wee franchise,...

Lynne Marie Stewart, who was best known for her roles on Pee-wee’s Playhouse and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, died Friday. She was 78.

The news was confirmed by the actress’s manager, who tells TVLine that Stewart became ill after doctors found a tumor between her liver and gallbladder.

More from TVLinePeter Jason, Deadwood Actor, Dead at 80 - Read Tributes From CastmatesAlice Hirson, Soap Opera Vet and Mom to Ellen, Dead at 95Kim Sae-ron, Star of Bloodhounds and Leverage, Dead at 24

“My heart is breaking upon hearing the news of my dear friend Lynne Stewart’s passing,...

Peter Jason, the prolific character actor best known for his work on Deadwood and his numerous John Carpenter collaborations, died at 80 on Thursday, February 20. Jason's career spanned decades and encompassed everything from Westerns to horror films and video games.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Jason passed away in his West Hollywood home following a long battle with cancer. Jason was born on July 22, 1944, in Hollywood, CA, and began working on stage while he studied drama at Carnegie; his passion for theater continued throughout his life, with participation in over 150 plays. In the 1960s, he began making television appearances with roles in shows including The F.B.I., Cimarron Strip, and Here Come the Brides, with his film debut arriving in 1970, when he briefly appeared in Howard Hawks' western Rio Lobo as Lieutenant Forsythe.

Throughout his decades-long career, Jason amassed over 250 credits across film, television and video games. On screen, Jason often portrayed military and authority figures,...

Robert Altman was the iconoclastic filmmaker and one of the few directors to have an adjective made out of his name. Altman’s work was not limited to films — he began his career by directing episodic television shows (winning an Emmy for directing HBO’s “Tanner ’88”), as well as mounting numerous operas and other stage productions.

But Altman’s love was truly making films. To accomplish his signature overlapping dialogue, he designed innovative sound systems on which filmmakers still rely today. His sets were always a party (some would say a bacchanal), and actors clamored to work with him. Studios, however, would regularly butt heads with Altman, who would promise them a potentially commercial genre picture, then set out to subvert the familiar genre completely. The studios would largely hate it, but his fans would eat it up. Having finally achieved success in film in his 40s, he became a middle-aged wonder boy,...

The 1970s was a decade of legendary sitcoms, dominated by true powerhouse comedies like All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But in the shadows of these television titans, there are some truly hilarious sitcoms that have sadly faded from the cultural consciousness.

The decade saw television writers push the boundaries of the sitcom format. For many shows, this meant telling stories that explicitly addressed racism, sexism, and other topics that were considered sensitive in America's turbulent political landscape. Still, other writers explored the nature of the sitcom itself as prime time began to see series centered on increasingly bizarre circumstances that embraces offbeat humor.

Lucille Ball Starred in a Sitcom With Her Children Here's Lucy

Trailblazing comedienne Lucille Ball stars as Lucy Carter, a widow raising two teenagers on her own in Here's Lucy. Ball's real-life son and daughter, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz,...

Alan Alda is the multi-Emmy winner and Oscar nominee who has received the SAG Life Achievement award on in 2019. Though primarily known for television, let’s take a look back at 15 of Alda’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1936, Alda first came to the attention of movie audiences with his leading performance in “Paper Lion” (1968), which cast him as a sportswriter posing as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions. The role brought him a Golden Globe nomination as Best Newcomer (Male).

It was just four years later that he landed the role of his career: Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H.” Based on Robert Altman‘s iconic film, the series centered on the staff at an Army hospital during the Korean War. Alda received a staggering 25 Emmy nominations for the show, winning five trophies. He won an additional Emmy for his supporting role as a senator on “The West Wing...

In a moment near the end of our interview at the IndieWire Studio at Sundance, presented by Dropbox, Callum Turner gets sheepish about dropping a certain four-letter word. The British actor asks if he’s going to be bleeped. When I say that he won’t — IndieWire is edgy and won’t tolerate censorship! — he says he actually really wants, perhaps desperately, to be bleeped.

Perhaps it’s the kind of American talk show convention the 34-year-old Londoner wants to embrace as he continues to make a mark in the U.S. The rising star has already been in “Green Room,” “Emma,” “The Boys in the Boat,” as well as “Masters of the Air,” but late night show ubiquity still lies ahead for him. And it’s gonna happen.

The frantic desire to be bleeped certainly captures the manic energy of his new, cockeyed rom-com, “Atropia,” directed by Hailey Gates and co-starring Alia Shawkat.

Time works funny on TV. With serialized dramas like "Lost," in which entire seasons take place over the course of just a few weeks, it was a struggle for the writers to figure out how to keep their main child actor around, knowing that he could hit his growth spurt at any moment. For weekly sitcoms, it's easier because they generally take place in real time, with characters experiencing the change in seasons along with the viewers at home. That allows the kids to age naturally on screen, even if it still feels way too fast for comfort. 

Although the early seasons of "Young Sheldon" went at the easy pace of a typical sitcom, with its kid characters aging one year with each season, it switched things up in the later seasons. Suddenly the writers started stretching out the timeline, so that Sheldon stays 13 and 14 for longer than he typically would've.

Art Evans, the actor known for his roles in Die Hard 2 and A Soldier’s Story, has died. He was 82.

The actor’s rep tells Deadline he died on Saturday, Dec. 21 of diabetes, “a condition he courageously managed for many years.” No other details were immediately available.

“Art was not only an incredible actor but a devoted husband, friend, and source of light to everyone who knew him,” his wife Babe said in a statement. “His laughter, passion, and love of life will be deeply missed. While our hearts are heavy, we celebrate the legacy of joy and inspiration he leaves behind.”

His talent reps LyNea Bell and Charleen McGuire remembered him as “a remarkable talent who touched many lives with his work. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”

Born March 27, 1942 in Los Angeles, Evans came up at Frank Silvera’s Theater of Being before landing...

Art Evans, a film and television actor known for his roles in “Die Hard 2” and “Fright Night,” died Dec. 21. He was 82.

Evans’ death was confirmed to Variety by publicist Erica Huntzinger. The cause of death was not disclosed, although the obituary noted he “passed away peacefully” while “surrounded by family.”

In a statement, Evans’ wife Babe Evans said: “We are heartbroken to share that Art has passed away. Please respect our privacy at this time. A memorial will be held for friends and family to attend at a later date. Thank you.”

Evans amassed over 120 credits in film and television over the past 50 years. Starting at Frank Silvera’s Theater of Being in Los Angeles, he took a starring role in “The Amen Corner” which eventually transferred to Broadway in 1965. One of his early credited film roles was the first victim in the John Carpenter 1983 film “Christine.”

Evans went...

The long-running classic sitcom "M*A*S*H" went through quite a few changes throughout its 11 seasons, both in front of the camera and behind it. Even series creator Larry Gelbart left after the fourth season because the show had become all-consuming in his life due to its immense popularity. In fact, there were so many cast change-ups over the years that there is only one episode (albeit a two-parter) that features every single starring cast member. And all in all, only one character, head surgeon Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), appears in every episode. It makes sense that faces would change in a wartime situation, especially when the real-life Korean War lasted for only three years and "M*A*S*H" went on for eleven. 

Over the years, the show lost not only Gelbart but stars Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, and Gary Burghoff, who played Hawkeye's best friend "Trapper" John McIntyre,...

The classic sitcom series "M*A*S*H" had a pretty expansive cast of characters as it followed the servicemembers assigned to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, and the main crew had some major changes over the years. In fact, only Captain "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) appeared in every episode. Both Wayne Rogers, who played Hawkeye's roommate and Bff Trapper John, and McLean Stevenson, who played camp commander Colonel Henry Blake, left the series after the third season in large part because they felt like they were playing second fiddle to Alda, and that meant replacing their characters in some way. Both Trapper and Col. Blake were sent home by the army, and that meant the 4077th needed two new surgeons.

Enter Captain B.J. Hunnicutt, a good-natured Californian wife guy who becomes Hawkeye's new roommate and soon his soulmate new best friend, played by Mike Farrell. It had to be...

At one point in the mid-1980s and even into the early 1990s, NBC's Cheers was the biggest and most popular show on television. For 11 seasons and 275 episodes (including three double-length episodes and a triple-length finale!), Cheers was a phenomenon on the same level as Seinfeld and Friends. Unlike those wildly popular television series, however, about halfway through Cheers' lifespan, the entire game changed.

The first few years of Cheers were defined by one central relationship: that of its co-leads, Ted Danson and Shelley Long, who played Sam and Diane, respectively. Their will-they-won't-they romantic tension kept audiences coming back for more every week, right up until Shelley Long decided to say goodbye to the one place where everyone knew her name.

Related Ted Danson Apologizes to Cheers Co-Star Kelsey Grammer for Decades-Long Feud

Cheers actor Ted Danson regrets his long-time issue with co-star Kelsey Grammer, directly apologizing to Frasier's leading man.

The series finale of M*A*S*H, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen," stands as one of the greatest series finales of all time, and to this day reigns as the highest Nielsen rated TV episodes ever. Given the love shown for its finale, it may be surprising to you to know that the first season of M*A*S*H came perilously close to being its last, a similarity it shares with shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation. And like those shows, M*A*S*H took the lessons learned from its first season to right the ship for a second season and beyond. One of the biggest lessons learned was to steer away from episodes like "Major Fred C. Dobbs," a low point and a personal least favorite for Alan Alda, aka "Hawkeye" Pierce.

The 1972 Korean war sitcom "M*A*S*H" has become one of the most beloved television shows of all time, but it's fascinating to watch just how the series evolves over the seasons. The series was based on Robert Altman's 1970 film of the same name, which was in turn based on the novel "Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors" by Richard Hooker, but it was a very different take on the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Altman absolutely hated the series and Hooker hated Hawkeye (Alan Alda), but series creator Larry Gelbart really knew what he was doing, even if he was clearly figuring it out as he went along.

Many of the characters on the show are different versions of their movie counterparts, but a few characters were created just for the series, and the first one was Corporal Maxwell Klinger, played by Jamie Farr. Klinger was an orderly who...

The long-running Korean wartime sitcom "M*A*S*H" is something of a workplace comedy, but since it was set in the 1950s and aired in the 1970s, most of the main characters are men. "M*A*S*H" follows the antics of the personnel of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, especially surgeons Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and his best friend B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). 

Nurses are mostly secondary characters who exist only to serve as romantic interests for the guys, though head nurse Major Margaret Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit, gets to have a pretty fantastic character arc. Swit was responsible for helping to shape Houlihan into a more fully-realized character and even pitched her best story arc herself, leading to Margaret becoming one of the most compelling characters in the whole series. She even had enough agency to shoot down a proposed plot that would have seen Margaret put petty...

Watching the classic 1970s sitcom "M*A*S*H," it's easy to imagine that everyone involved was just as close behind-the-scenes as their characters were onscreen, but that wasn't always the case. Like any workplace, there were occasionally some disagreements and clashing personalities, though they could be exacerbated by the stresses of making a television series. The show achieved wild popularity early on and inflated that stress even more, leading to all kinds of casting change-ups as the actors pursued roles on shows that weren't big ensembles and even leading series creator Larry Gelbart to walk away from "M*A*S*H" after season 4. One of the actors who left the series was McLean Stevenson, who portrayed Colonel Henry Blake, the commanding officer of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. He was frustrated because he felt like he was playing second fiddle to Alan Alda's character, Captain Hawkeye Pierce, and ended up being written out...

The movie with arguably one of the most memorable final shots of any film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, will debut on Prime Video on Nov. 1. The final scene, featuring the late Donald Sutherland, has gone on to become a frequently-used meme, especially during the spooky season.

The 1978 film, also starring Jeff Goldblum, Leonard Nimoy, and Brooke Adams, was actually a remake of the 1956 film of the same name. Both the remake and the 1978 film version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers were based on the 1955 novel, The Body Snatchers, written by Jack Finney.

While the 1956 version is considered to be one of the greatest sci-fi horror films ever, the remake might be even better. Directed by Phillip Kaufman, who wrote Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981), the film has a Certified Fresh 93% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 82% audience score.

Related 'Its Tough to Make a Good Movie': Jeff...

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For a generation of TV-watching Americans (or two), "Gunsmoke" was can't-miss programming. Adapted from an already wildly popular radio show of the same name, the 1955 TV series got in on the ground level of the newly ubiquitous medium and quickly became a household staple. A Western made at a time when the genre dominated the big and small screens alike, "Gunsmoke" starred James Arness as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, a duty-bound public official living in Dodge City, Kansas sometime after the Civil War.

"Gunsmoke" broke plenty of records in its time, thanks in large part to its impressive 20-season run on CBS. Couple that with the radio show that started three years before the TV drama, and for decades, Marshal Dillon and Dr. Galen Adams (Milburn Stone) were the fictional characters with the longest continuous run in an American TV-based franchise.

The classic wartime sitcom "M*A*S*H" has since become one of the most beloved and important shows in television history, but when it was first being developed in the early 1970s, not everyone involved was sure it could work. Series star Alan Alda, who played Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, had some pretty serious initial concerns early on, though he eventually ended up being perhaps the most influential voice on the entire series, as he both wrote and directed episodes and was the only actor to appear in every episode. Though the show would undergo some pretty major cast changes and would even lose one of the series creators after the fourth season, Alda is sort of a guiding light throughout, the show's heart and soul and moral center.

Over the years, Alda has revealed some of his early hesitations regarding his starring role in "M*A*S*H," and most of it revolved around how war was depicted.

"M*A*S*H" is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, but it wouldn't have ever been the same without star Alan Alda. While the show was ostensibly an ensemble series, Alda's Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce ended up being the central character and Alda took on a bigger role behind-the-scenes by writing and directing episodes. Alda's influence really shaped "M*A*S*H," pushing it to be the progressive, heartwarming, hilarious series that it was. While that irritated the heck out of the rather conservative-leaning author who wrote the original book that the series was loosely based on, it ended up making the show a lot better. Alda is pretty much beloved otherwise — even co-stars like Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson, who left the series because they felt like they were playing second fiddle to Alda's Hawkeye, were generally complimentary about their charismatic co-star. There...

Indie filmmaker Sean Baker lamented the diminishing quantity of films not geared toward the superhero, action flick or horror genres.

“What I miss,” Baker began in a recent interview with the Associated Press, “where are the mature film for adults that had human stories, that didn’t have to have explosions or didn’t have to have superheroes or a horror-based [concept]? Where are those?”

The Anora helmer listed such titles as the multi-Oscar-winning Kramer vs. Kramer, as well as films by Jonathan Demme and Robert Altman.

“Where are they these days? They don’t exist, unfortunately, or they’re very few and far between. And it’s like, let’s get the audience to remember that that stuff is just as worthy of being on the big screen as the big tentpole films, the big blockbusters.”

He continued,...

Nicholas Pryor, whose nearly seven-decade acting career included hundreds of episodes of soap operas, playing Tom Cruise’s dad in Risky Business and Kathleen Robertson’s dad on Beverly Hills, 90210, died October 7. He was 89.

Fellow actor Jon Lindstrom announced the news on social media, saying in part: “Nick was an Actor’s actor, and an exceptional friend. … He was a mentor, a sounding board, a trusted confidant, and even a father-figure beyond, yes, playing my own father on #Gh and #PortCharles.” See his full post below.

Pryor racked up nearly 175 screen credits and half-dozen more on Broadway. After getting his screen start guesting on such 1950s and early ’60s TV series as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Doctors, he played Tom Baxter in more than 75 episodes of the NBC daytime drama Another World. That led to a starring role on The Nurses, a 1965-67 continuation of CBS’ The Nurses, which...

Nicholas Pryor, the busy character actor who portrayed Tom Cruise’s father in Risky Business and Kathleen Robertson’s dad on Beverly Hills, 90210 during a career that spanned seven decades, has died. He was 89.

Pryor died Monday of cancer at his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, his wife, actress Christine Belford, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a note to be delivered to THR after his death, he wrote: “Nicholas Pryor was enormously grateful to have been, for nearly 70 years, a working actor.”

From 1997-2002, Pryor played the former spy Victor Collins on the General Hospital spinoff Port Charles, culminating a long career in daytime soap operas that included stints on The Secret Storm, The Edge of Night, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, All My Children and Another World.

Pryor recurred on Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 as A. Milton Arnold, the chancellor of California University and father of Robertson’s Claire Arnold,...

Warning: The following contains major Spoilers for the premiere of The Simpsons Season 36.

The Season 36 premiere of The Simpsons left a lot of fans confused when the series opener seemingly ended the long-running animated sitcom with a series finale. Hosted by a Simpsons-ified version of former writer and comedy icon Conan OBrien, the episode claimed to be the last ever episode of the show, something many fans never thought would happen. OBrien began the perplexing episode with a monologue stating that Fox had now decided to end The Simpsons, bringing back several celebrities to celebrate this momentous moment.

Its such an honor to be with you all for the series finale of The Simpsons. I knew I was the right man for the job because Ive hosted the last episode of three of my own shows and counting Well, its true. Fox has decided to end the Simpsons. This...

Beverly Hills Cop star Judge Reinhold has paid tribute to his longtime friend and colleague John Ashton, who has passed away at 76 following a battle with cancer.

The duo memorably played the ‘by the book’ police partners Taggart and Rosewood in the hit comedy franchise starring Eddie Murphy. Ashton was the straight man and Reinhold the clown in what became a beloved comedy pairing in the movies.

Reinhold said last night: “Thursday night John seemed like he was sleeping but the Yankees were on. They won the game, clinched the division then John made it to home. Forty years of laughs on screen and off. John Lived his life! My brother, my partner, my Sarge – I love you. There’s no smoking in Heaven, John.”

Thursday night John seemed like he was sleeping but the Yankees were on. They won the game, clinched the division then John made it to home.

John Ashton, known in part for his role as Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, has passed away. He was 76 years old.

Per TMZ, Ashton "died peacefully" at his Ft. Collins, Colorado home on Thursday. He had been living with cancer, which contributed to his death. The actor's family has requested donations in Ashton's memory be made to Pathways Hospice Care. Ashton's rep, Alan Somers, also shared a statement confirming his death.

"John leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and service," Somers said. "His memory will forever be treasured by his wife, children, grandchildren, as well as his brother, sisters, his extended family and all who loved him. Johns impact on the world will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come."

John David Ashton was born on Feb. 22, 1948, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His first movie role was in the 1973 movie The Psychopath, which he followed up with films like So Evil,...

John Ashton, the actor known for playing Sgt. John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop films, has died. He was 76.

A rep for Ashton tells Deadline that the Some Kind of Wonderful actor died “peacefully” on Thursday in Ft. Collins, Co after a battle with cancer.

“John was a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather who will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” reads a statement shared by the rep.

“John leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and service. His memory will forever be treasured by his wife, children, grandchildren, as well as his brother, sisters, his extended family and all who loved him. John’s impact on the world will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.”

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After first portraying Sgt. Taggart in 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold, Ashton returned for the 1987 sequel and most recently reprised...

John Ashton, the character actor who starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the Beverly Hills Cop series, has died at the age of 76.

The actor’s rep confirmed his death to TMZ, adding that Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado after a battle with cancer.

Ashton was best known for portraying Sgt. John Taggart alongside Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley and Judge Reinhold’s Det. Billy Rosewood in three of the four Beverly Hills Cop films: 1984’s original, the 1987 sequel Beverly Hills Cop II, and this year’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,...

John Ashton has sadly passed away.

The actor, best known for his role as Detective Sergeant John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, died at 76, TMZ reported Sunday (September 29).

He died peacefully on Thursday (September 26) in Ft. Collins, Colorado after a battle with cancer, his rep told the outlet.

Keep reading to find out more…

John had appeared in three of the four Beverly Hills Cop movies, including the most recent one that premiered on Netflix earlier in 2024.

His many TV and movie credits also include M*A*S*H” and Some Kind of Wonderful, as well as Midnight Run. Most recently, he co-hosted the Ashton and Davis Show on 870 ESPN Radio.

John‘s rep Alan Somers said in a statement to TMZ: “John leaves behind a legacy of love, dedication, and service. His memory will forever be treasured by his wife, children, grandchildren, as well as his brother, sisters, his extended...

Nearly 40 years later, there are still bits of Back to the Future that are easy to miss, including a sitcom star's cameo in its opening minutes. Back to the Future's cast is rounded out by some iconic stars, from Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd to Billy Zane, Crispin Glover, and more. However, there are also some well-known actors from the era that might not be as recognizable to modern audiences, including Deborah Harmon, star of the 1980s sitcom Just the Ten of Us.

Back to the Future is regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, with filmmaker Robert Zemeckis bringing a fun, comedic approach to the genre. Decades after its release, Back to the Future still holds up well due to the simple plot, outstanding performances from its stars, and easy-to-love aesthetic. Even the small roles in a movie like this are worth noting,...

Quick Links The History of Sitcom Domination The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon's Time to Shine The Dominance of Streaming

Believe it or not, there was once a time when tens of millions of people would watch network television. The "Big 4" networks dominated in the pre-streaming era, with sitcoms usually near the top of the viewership charts. In the '80s, it was Cheers, followed by Seinfeld and Frasier in the '90s. Friends and The Big Bang Theory ruled the 2000s, with Modern Family and Young Sheldon closing out the 2010s and 2020s. For at least the last 40 years, a comedy has been one of the most-watched shows on American television, though that could be about to change.

The Big Bang Theory was the last sitcom that could pull 10, 15, and even 20 million viewers. As times changed, so did viewership methods. Throughout its seven seasons, Young Sheldon was one of the most-watched network shows.

Alan Alda is a wonderful actor adept at both comedy and drama. He gained major fame in the 1970s as the lead character on the Korean War TV series M*A*S*H, a performance that earned him six Emmys and a Golden Globe. From there, he broadened out into film, playing the lead in several comedies in the 1980s before finding his niche as a supporting player in big projects like The West Wing and The Aviator.

Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Disney) grossed $38.5 million in Thursday previews. Though not a record (“Avengers: Endgame” took in $60 million), it suggests an opening above the projected $150 million-$200 million. However, it guarantees the easiest of predictions: This will make it the best opening for an R-rated film ever.

“Deadpool and Wolverine” will be the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film as not only an unadjusted gross, but also adjusted to relative ticket prices. It should also easily score the biggest domestic total for an R-rated release, but it will remain far down the list of R-rated hits based on attendance.

At $371 million, it will become the highest grossing R-rated film. But it will need to gross $464 million — $100 million more than either of the two earlier “Deadpool” films — to even make the top 15 when comparing adjusted ticket prices.

We reviewed the top 10 films from every year since the MPA initiated...

The legendary actor, Donald Sutherland, has passed on and even though his passing is something to mourn, his legacy will live on and that is something to be most grateful for. Early life Donald McNichol Sutherland was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada in 1935. Sutherland worked in several different jobs before beginning his acting career, one of them being a radio DJ in his youth. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in engineering and was almost set on becoming an engineer. However, he also graduated with a degree in drama, and he chose arts over applied science. And aren’t we all so glad that he did? 1960s: Career starter Sutherland's first roles were very small parts in films such as the 1965 horror film ‘Dr. Terror's House of Horrors’, starring Christopher Lee. He also appeared on the small screen doing episodes of shows such as...

Actor Whitney Rydbeck, who was popular with horror fans for his unforgettable role in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, has died. He was 79 years old.

Per THR, Jason Lives director Tommy McLoughlin confirmed that Rydbeck passed away. The actor died on Monday due to complications from cancer while in hospice care in Chatsworth, California. McLoughlin also shared a tribute to Rydbeck on social media, including some screenshots of Rydbeck's role in the Friday the 13th franchise film along with the poster for Jason Lives.

McLoughlin shared a statement that said, "We lost not only a truly funny comedian and actorbut one of the most good hearted human beings Ive ever known. God Bless You and Rest in Peace Whitney Rydbeck. Our Loss is Heavens Gain."

In Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Rydbeck played Roy, a steroypically-nerdy man who comes across Jason Voorhees (C.J. Graham) during...

Heartbreak comes frequently for Friday the 13th fans. The franchise has had a rough ride over the last couple decades, getting bogged down in legal issues and creative false stars. We get a video game, then the rug is pulled out from under it when it’s just getting started. A movie almost happens, then gets scrapped just weeks before filming was scheduled to begin. The Crystal Lake TV show was just a couple months from filming, then the showrunner gets fired. But worse than all of that is the fact that we’re in a time when actors from our beloved films are passing away very often. Just last month, we lost Erich Anderson, who was in the cast of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Now Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI director Tom McLoughlin has broken the news that Whitney Rydbeck, who played the ill-fated paintball player Roy in his film,...