The Big Bang Theory lasted for a whopping 12 seasons before wrapping on network TV. It’s so far spawned three spinoffs: two prequels and a zany sci-fi spectacular on HBO Max. It’s the latter that was a big swing for TV vet Chuck Lorre on the 2026 TV schedule, and he recently admitted Stuart Fails To Save The Universe “scared” him to death.

The longtime TV creator, who is also behind such big shows as Two and a Half Men and Mom, has a track record for creating successful sitcoms in particular. A lot of those shows have laugh tracks and a similar joke stride in common, but he’s also taken risks with more dramatic projects like The Kominsky Method, too. So I was a little surprised when he admitted to THR that Stuart Fails To Save The Universe scared him. A lot.

You’d think with a number of successes under his belt he’d be more confident about trying something a little more out there. However, “a little” might be generous. If you’ve watched an episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe you should already know it picks up where Bang left off, but the plot is zany, and most reviews noted the big tonal swing from the other three shows in the Big Bang universe. There was no guarantee people who watched the original or either of the prequels would be into this.

So it sounds like the unknown is really what scared Lorre in his case. There was the risk of doing the show on HBO and not CBS. There was apparently –which I did not realize – a much bigger budget to manage. Of course, he doesn’t expressly state this, but I’d assume the worry would be the show is so tonally different and Big Bang fans wouldn’t be a built-in audience, too.

No one enjoys failure, but without the willingness to take a risk, we never would have known The Big Bang Theory universe could be something completely different than what came before.

Chuck Lorre Really Did Take A Risk

Given it can and has been polarizing for some audiences, I get the fear. In fact, I keep thinking about the fan on Reddit who compared it to Legends of Tomorrow.

Others have used terms like “weird good” and “stupid good,” which is closer to my own feelings. Of course, now the wild Season 1 finale is already out and Season 2 is already being worked on, Lorre can doubtless breathe a sigh of relief. It worked well enough that the cabler is asking for more, and it seems like at least a wide swath of people have checked it out with their HBO Max subscription. This never would have happened if Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and co. hadn’t taken a shot in the dark.

Musical-related films remain quite popular as evidenced by the continued influx of excellent concert flicks and those upcoming music biopics. Now, the 2026 movie schedule is set to play host to a hip-hop-infused title, Rolling Loud: The Movie. As people can probably guess, at the center of the wild and raunchy flick is the titular music festival, which will serve as the backdrop for some wild shenanigans. Interestingly enough, a teenager has a story credit on the movie, and CinemaBlend asked the director about that.

Rolling Loud: The Movie comes from the mind of filmmaker Jeremy Garelick, who is known for directing films like The Wedding Ringer and Murder Mystery 2. His latest film, which stars Owen Wilson and Christian Convery, among others, sees a father take his teenage son to the aforementioned festival, and wild time ensues. When CinemaBlend spoke to Garelick – alongside cast member Chrstine Ko – we questioned him about his oldest son, Zion, supposedly having a writing credit on the comedy flick. Garelick then clarified that:

Honestly, it’s not all that often that you see a teenager get a story credit of some sort on a film, though Garelick was happy to give Zion the credit. That’s because the film’s plot is loosely inspired by the father and son’s own real-life experience at Rolling. Jeremy took Zion to the concert in 2022 when he was 13 years old and even briefly lost the boy. Considering the experience, the older Garelick felt it was only fitting that his son receive that credit. The Plan B producer further explained:

Those are truly sweet sentiments and emphasize the love this father has for his son. On the subject, Garelick also said:

Anyone who wants to know just how much the film’s story aligns with the Garelicks’ should know that just like Zion’s counterpart in the film, he made a PowerPoint to convince his folks to let him go to Rolling Loud. (Talk about really going the extra mile to get what you want.) The only difference between the presentation in the film and the real one is just “two or three” slides, according to Jeremy. The director also shared this:

And now that memory is immortalized on film, with Wilson playing Jeremy Garelick’s counterpart and Convery. Joining them in the film alongside Ko are also Matt Rife, Olivia Luccardi and Henry Winkler along with real-life hip-hop artists like Travis Scott, Sexyy Red and Ty Dolla Sign.

For over a decade now, RL has served as the basis for some major moments, like Kanye West’s unexpected dance performance and Nicki Minaj’s not-so-smooth set from 2023. So it makes all the sense in the world that Jeremy Garelick would want to make a movie that takes place at the festival, and what makes it even sweeter is that it’s something he can share with his son for years to come. Check out Rolling Loud: The Movie when it opens in theaters on October 2.

Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of Ted Lasso "Mae Rirdes the Bus.

Ted Lasso, which is on the 2026 TV schedule, is one of the most heartfelt, feel-good shows on TV, but it also expertly knows when and how to make you cry. In the penultimate episode of the Season 4, one of the best Apple shows to watch pulled at every heartstring when a beloved character tragically died in its final moments.

While critical response to Ted Lasso Season 4 has been mixed, I went into the new episodes with an open heart and felt like it really started to find its groove again. As the returning cast have easily reminded us why we loved their characters and the new cast have really come into their own, Crown and Anchor pub owner Mae Green has acted as the bridge between them. That’s why it felt particularly special when Mae accompanied Ted and the Lady Greyhounds on their away game bus for a game that ultimately turned out to be a victory for AFC Richmond. Unfortunately the high of the win didn’t last long, when the audience and characters realized Mae died of a heart attack. Actress Annette Badland shared how she learned the news of her character’s fate with Decider:

Life is full of highs and lows, and ups and downs, and Ted Lasso is there to make us feel them all. The huge, hard-fought win that the women’s soccer team desperately needed is then followed by the loss of someone who was always there to cheer them on. Mae wanted nothing more than to see the players go out on the field and win, and they definitely delivered. Watching Coach Ted’s shoulders slump as Rebecca gave him the sad news really said it all; no words were needed. Annette Badland had been bringing Mae to life since the hit series’ debut, so of course it’s a bittersweet moment, but it also might not be the end. She said:

While we wait for the October 7^th finale and for more of the fallout from Mae’s death, it would be great to be able to see the character again in some way. She's been a great voice of reason to help keep Ted and the other characters in check and it would be so much fun to see her pop up again, whether it’s in the Season 4 finale or a possible future season. Maybe it could happen in a flashback or dream sequence. You can check out the full clip of how Annette Badland learned the news and her reaction below:

I, for one, hope that this is not the last we see of Mae in the Emmy-winning comedy, but her regular presence will surely be missed. Along with the loss of a beloved character, Episode 9 also reminded us of the loss of a beloved actor, with a title card honoring the late Anthony Head, who played former AFC Richmond owner (and Rebecca's ex) Rupert Mannion in the show’s first three seasons.

I’m definitely curious and excited to see how everything is tied together in the Season 4 finale, which you can watch with an Apple TV subscription, especially since we don’t know what Ted Lasso’s future will be beyond that.

Tom Cruise’s Digger has become one of those movies where the wildly split reviews are almost as entertaining as the film sounds. Some critics think Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s environmental satire is audacious and hilarious. Others have called it obnoxious, exhausting and flat-out unpleasant. Warner Bros. has already turned that divide into marketing material, so apparently everybody has chosen violence, but now Guillermo del Toro has entered the chat.

The Frankenstein filmmaker responded to an IGN post about Digger on X and took immediate issue with how the story was framed. Calling the headline “Entirely Petty,” del Toro reshared IGN’s post and made it clear that, love it or hate it, he personally digs the movie and admires its scale, ambition and reach.

The interesting part here is that del Toro was not simply objecting to somebody disliking the movie. His points are about a deeper conversation regarding the industry as a whole.

IGN critic Michael Calabro gave Digger a 6 out of 10, praising its performances and finding plenty of laughs while criticizing the satire. His full review actually says the theater is “undoubtedly the best way to experience it,” thanks to the production resources and artists working at that scale. Where things get pricklier is the recommendation that skeptical moviegoers save their money and catch it later on streaming, with an HBO Max subscription. That appears to be what got under Del Toro’s skin.

And I get it. A critic is completely entitled to tell readers a movie is bad, mediocre or not worth the ticket price. That is literally the job. Del Toro is equally entitled to look at a movie made by one of his peers, shot entirely in VistaVision and designed for IMAX, and say maybe reducing the conversation to “wait for streaming” misses something about the experience.

The debate is almost perfectly suited to Digger, because everybody seems to be seeing a different movie. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an enormously powerful oil tycoon whose drilling helps unleash an environmental catastrophe. He is buried under prosthetics, sporting a Southern accent and playing considerably further from Ethan Hunt than we are used to seeing. Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons and Michael Stuhlbarg round out the cast.

Critics have been all over the place. Its Rotten Tomatoes score has hovered around the low-50% range as more reviews have arrived. Warner Bros. apparently looked at that divided reception and decided to bottle it. A new ad flashes contradictory reactions like “unpleasant” and “masterpiece” before cutting to Digger himself saying, “F--- those people.”

Del Toro, meanwhile, has been defending the movie since before this latest dust-up. When the internet briefly became convinced Digger was secretly a musical, he stepped in to say it was not, while also calling the film “great.”

So his latest defense should not be particularly surprising. I still have to see Digger for myself, and with reactions this scattered, that now feels like half the fun. Maybe I’ll love it. Maybe I’ll hate it. But if Guillermo del Toro is standing outside the theater, metaphorically pointing at the door and telling everybody to go inside, I’m at least curious enough to buy the ticket.

Digger hits the 2026 movie calendar, opening in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 2.

Some of the best Christmas movies are various versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. We're getting another book to screen adaptation with Ti West's Ebenezer, which is Johnny Depp's big return to Hollywood following the Amber Heard defamation trial verdict. We just got a new trailer for the movie, and I was shocked at how much I laughed at Depp's performance. Let's break it all down.

Ebenezer Scrooge is an iconic literary villain, one who learns the error of his ways after being haunted by ghosts on Christmas Eve. I've seen plenty of versions of this character throughout the years, with my favorite being Michael Caine's performance in A Muppet Christmas Carol (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). He might have some competition now, as Johnny Depp is wildly charismatic and mischievous in the above footage.

The laughs came very early into this trailer for Ebenezer. It opens with him throwing a snowball at a couple and laughing maniacally in their face. Afterward he's shown mocking people who can't see him, including blowing a raspberry when they wish each other a Merry Christmas. Add in his delighted reaction and phony smile when rejecting charity collectors, and it looks like Johnny Depp was having a blast playing Scrooge. As a result, I felt a ton of joy watching this trailer.

Of course, there are going to be some scary moments as well. After all, A Christmas Carol features a set of ghosts that are there to scare Scrooge into changing his ways. The design of those ghosts is pretty impressive, too. First up is Jacob Marley, played by the great Sir Ian McKellen. We also see glimpses of the three ghosts, some of which are looking terrifying.

The Ghost of Christmas Past (portrayed by Andrea Riseborough) has chilling white eyes, pale skin, and a creepy veil. The Ghost of Christmas Present is played by Severance breakout star Tramell Tillman, and appears to have a face full of scars. Then there's the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, who is cloaked with bone-like fingers. The latter is usually always scary, but I was shocked that the the first two were also given chilling designs.

Regardless, it's clear that Ebenezer is going to bring the funny, especially where Johnny Depp is concerned. I'm sure he'll bring hear to the role in order to properly bring his redemption to life, but seeing him chew the scenery in this trailer was a lift that I didn't know I needed. Welcome back to Hollywood, Mr. Depp!

Ebenezer will hit theaters on November 13th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Only time will tell how this movie is received, and if it helps to reintroduce the actor to moviegoing audiences. It look like a total blast to me.

Spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, “Spoiler: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience,” lie ahead.

The inaugural season of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe – the latest spinoff from the Big Bang Theory franchise – has come to a close. Luckily, fans can take comfort in the good news that Stuart will return for a second season. In the meantime, though, the meta (and somewhat confusing) season finale still leaves viewers with a lot to chew on. Series co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady recently broke down the episode and addressed one “perverse” element they added after fighting against it amid Big Bang’s run.

During the Stuart finale, the titular character and his multiverse-jumping cohorts find themselves back at a version of his comic book store that’s set in an endless void. They’re eventually informed that the all-powerful Adversary created the multiverse and wants to reverse it. While analyzing the situation, Stuart and co. began to hear laughter, which seems to mirror that of a sitcom laugh track. At the same time, viewers can see the show shift from single-camera to multi-camera angles.

Prady and Lorre – who are sitcom gurus within the TV industry – really wanted to get meta with this season capper. During a recent interview with Deadline, the two were asked about a line of dialogue from Brian Posehn’s Bert, who says the laughter he and his friends are hearing sounds fake. The two EPs confirmed that there was no live studio audience present amid filming, and that, of course, negates the title. Prady shed some light on the “perverse” decision to add that track:

Many multi-camera sitcoms don’t actually utilize live audiences and go for a laugh track (and, as a sitcom fan, I even find that annoying). However, it seems Lorre, Prady and co. sought to make those audiences a priority for The Big Bang Theory but, as mentioned, they still dealt with the laugh track allegations. I’ll say that considering all of that context, it’s admirable that the producers would get perverse by highlighting the very thing they derided during their years making Big Bang. Personally, I also found it quite trippy that the creative team called back to the franchise’s multi-cam roots at all.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe may be set in the Big Bang continuity, but it differs from its parent show in a myriad of ways. For one thing, the show relies heavily on visual effects, which is something that Lorre had “no experience” with prior. There’s also a greater level of physicality here, and Lorre didn’t warn the cast that they’d been running more on this show. And, of course, Stuart gets even further into the pop culture themes that permeated Big Bang, as it even features a (Green Lantern-less) DC episode.

While there’s surely more multiversal madness to come in Stuart’s second season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the multi-camera gag and laugh track were to be limited to this finale. It just feels like a one-and-done sort of plot device that could get stale if used again. That aside, I’m intrigued as to what kind of “perverse” creative decisions Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and co. will make as time goes on.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s first season is now streamable in its entirety, so grab an HBO Max subscription and check it out!

Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray chasing each other on police motorcycles on the set of Ghostbusters II sounds amazing. Doing it on the closed streets of Central Park makes it more insane (and awesome). It wasn’t even for a scene in the movie! They just got to do it for fun! I’m not often jealous of actors, but come on, who wouldn’t want to do this? After Murray was supposedly tricked into doing the movie, it's only fair they have a little fun.

Aykroyd took to Instagram last week to celebrate Murray’s birthday (he turned 76 on September 21), and he used this untold story (to my knowledge)to do it. Here’s what one fellow Ghostbuster said to another:

I lived in New York City for a long time, and I’ve spent a lot of time walking around those paths and roads in Central Park. They are full of twists and turns and ups and downs, and yeah, I used to wonder what it would be like to be a race car driver on those streets. While I’m not a big motorcycle rider, I’d obviously jump at the chance to tear around the park like a madman with police lights and sirens blaring. Who wouldn’t? Central Park is featured in a lot of movies, but behind the scenes, it's even better when you can play cops and robbers with real police bikes.

Shooting Ghostbusters II Must Have Been A Blast

I’m a staunch defender of Ghostbusters II. While nothing will ever touch the original, which I think is one of the best comedies of all time, and Ghostbusters II definitely has problems, I think the sequel is really good, too. Both have equally over-the-top endings, as well. I especially love the addition of Peter MacNicol to the cast, but it’s the core characters who look like they are absolutely having the most fun. Murray and Aykroyd, along with Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts, are all at the height of their comedic powers, as is director Ivan Reitman.

When I hear stories like this, with two of the biggest stars in the world at the time having the time of their lives behind the scenes, it only solidifies how much I appreciate the movie. It’s just flat-out good, clean fun. I’ll admit that while I’ve watched the original (which is available with a Netflix subscription) recently, it’s been years since I watched Ghostbusters II, and now it seems as good as any to revisit it, looking for joy in the faces of Aykroyd and Murray because of their shenanigans.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a celebrity for decades, and has made a number of hit films like the Terminator movies. He's also got a somewhat infamous Holiday movie Jingle All the Way, which some consider to be a top-tier Christmas flick. He's returning to the seasonal genre as the title character of The Man with the Bag, which is coming for those with an Amazon Prime subscription. The Governator is bringing his own take to Santa, because of course he is.

It remains to be seen if The Man with the Bag joins the ranks of the best Christmas movies, but it's got plenty going for it. In addition to Schwarzenegger's Santa, the movie also stars Reacher star Alan Ritchson. As you can see above, the first teaser just arrived, and I'm hoping that the movie ends up making some references to Jingle All the Way.

The first teaser is quick, but shows Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Santa who is trying to retrieve his bag of gifts from an elf (played by Awkwafina) who stole it. He enlists the help of Ritchson's criminal Vince to help him track it down, and all sort of hijinks ensue.

Since this clip is less than a minute long, we still don't know that many details about what'll go down when The Man with the Bag hits Amazon. Still, the idea of Arnold is playing Santa is wild enough that folks will probably stream the new movie... especially '90s kids who grew up watching him in Jingle All the Way.

Jingle All the Way (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) hit theaters back in 1996 and hasn't exactly aged well. In it he plays a desperate father trying to buy a Turbo Man action figure for his son, who is played by The Phantom Menace actor Jake Lloyd. The movie has been picked apart in places like the How Did This Get Made? podcast, and I really think folks would love some references or easter eggs to that movie in The Man with the Bag. Fingers crossed that actually happens.

This upcoming title is just the latest Christmas movie to come out of Amazon. Last year Michelle Pfeiffer led the cast of Oh. What. Fun., and the year before it was Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds' Red One. Both of those titles did well on the streaming service, and I have to assume that plenty of people are going to tune in to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger as Santa Clause himself.

The Man With the Bag is expected to arrive on Amazon Prime Video December 2nd as part of the 2026 movie release list. While we wait I'll keep holding my breath that there's at least an easter egg related to Jingle All The Way. Maybe a Turbo Man doll will be in the North Pole.

Josh Hart showed up to Saturday Night Live to support Jalen Brunson when the NBA Finals MVP hosted this past weekend. He even cameoed during his opening monologue and came out during the closing credits. It’s the level of support you’d expect from a teammate, podcast co-star and longtime BFF. Saying positive things about how Brunson did, however, was clearly too much for anyone to expect out of Hart.

The popular Knicks player was asked about his buddy Brunson’s SNL performance during the team’s media day earlier this week, and he wasn’t exactly effusive in his praise. In fact, he had a pretty hilarious and blunt assessment of his teammate’s acting performance. Here’s a portion of his quote, which is circulating widely on social media…

If this quote came from someone else, I would probably think they had mean-spirited intentions, but Brunson and Hart roast each other in media interviews all the time. In fact, during the SNL monologue, Hart laughed about covertly shoving his finger in Brunson’s butt while he was trying to celebrate after winning the NBA title, and Brunson showed a clip of Hart blowing a layup during a key moment. So, yeah, it’s not like the two, who have been close friends since they attended Villanova together, have a relationship built on thoughtful compliments and non-stop positivity.

Real talk though, Brunson was perfectly fine on SNL. He didn’t put himself in the Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning echelon of fantastic athlete hosts, but he represented himself well enough. He remembered his lines, had some funny moments and hit a big shot with a pizza wrapper during a sketch that was as clutch as anything he’s ever done on an NBA floor. I’d say, all in all, that’s a pretty big win for something that was clearly out of his comfort zone.

As for Josh Hart, however, he could have a future in acting, or at least as a talking head on television. He made the most of the lines he had on SNL and consistently shows during his media interactions that he’s got so much personality. He would be a great option on an Inside The NBA style show where he could do a combination of analyzing games and having some laughs at the expense of himself and other people.

As for Brunson’s day job, the Knicks are officially back at practice and preparing for the 2026-2027 NBA Season. They, of course, brought home the city’s first NBA Championship since the early 1970s and are hoping to potentially repeat their success. Their first game is at home on October 20th, and the crowd is widely expected to be as moneyed and famous as usual with a ton of A-listers in attendance.

A studio has a few ways to respond when the responses to its expensive new movie debut are all over the place, which is the case with Digger's reactions. A studio can cherry-pick the glowing quotes, slap five stars across the trailer and quietly pretend nobody used the word “insufferable.” However, it would appear that for the new Tom Cruise vehicle, Warner Bros. is choosing to directly address the polarizing reviews and haters.

Digger, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new climate satire starring Cruise as billionaire oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, has its review embargo lifted. With that, critics are immediately divided into two camps: those who didn’t dig it and those calling it a masterpiece. The studio shared a new promo on its official X account telling moviegoers to “Decide for yourself.” Better yet, the ad below pairs some of the nastier reactions with the high praise:

The promo repeatedly juxtaposes positive and negative reactions. When it shows a “Masterpiece,” it also shows “Unpleasant.” “Brilliant” faces “Baffling.” The ad eventually lands on the line, “Same film, different truth,” which is brilliantly paired with Cruise’s character saying, “Never afraid to tell the truth. Whatever dat is.” That is certainly one way to lean into a mixed reception.

At the time of writing, Digger sits at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes from 116 reviews, which is about as close as you can get to critics collectively shrugging and saying, “You’re going to have to handle this one yourself.”

The reviews themselves are all over the place. Variety called Cruise’s performance bombastic and the movie too didactic, while Time Out gave it four stars and commended its wild ambition. The Los Angeles Times landed somewhere in between, describing the movie as messy but finding plenty to admire in Cruise’s swing-for-the-fences performance.

Given these wildly different reactions, if I were Warner Bros., I might do exactly what they are doing here. From the very Digger first trailer, it seemed pretty clear that trying to sand off the weirdness would be impossible anyway.

Cruise has spent years reminding audiences that he can hang from airplanes, launch motorcycles off cliffs, sprint like the rent is due, and allegedly even optimizes his sports watching. Digger gives him something very different.

The movie casts him as an eccentric Texas oil magnate, whose company helps trigger a potentially disastrous environmental crisis. Cruise is buried under prosthetics, working with a broad accent and going method to play a character far removed from Ethan Hunt or Pete Mitchell. The supporting cast includes Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons and Michael Stuhlbarg. That alone makes the movie interesting to me, even before you get to Iñárritu swinging at climate change, greed and political dysfunction in the form of a black comedy.

Although some critics think those swings land and others think the movie falls over trying, it all makes Warner Bros.’ marketing response unexpectedly refreshing. There is something funny about a studio looking at reviews calling its movie “magnificent” and “insufferable” and deciding both belong in the trailer.

Digger hits the 2026 movie calendar, opening in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 2. At this point, I almost feel challenged to see which side I end up on.

Scrubs is back on the 2026 TV schedule this week for the second season of its much-discussed revival, which began filming months ago. If you’ve been following along since the original series, Zach Braff and some of his castmates have been on the medical comedy for eleven seasons over the years now (between both shows). Given that, I’d think that would give them unwavering confidence about the show’s revamp from the jump. However, that’s not what Braff told me during CinemaBlend’s exclusive interview with him.

I certainly expected the renewal to be a total no-brainer for ABC after Scrubs returned last year. But, as it turns out, Braff was nervous about whether it would have a triumphant return to primetime. Ahead of the second-season premiere, Braff said:

Scrubs originally ended in 2009 after an impressive nine-season run and is still considered one of the best sitcoms in TV history. However, I can certainly understand some nervousness over bringing fans the show back in a way they would approve of all while also bringing in new fans, too. There’s also the worry that the format that worked in the 2000s might not be effective over 15 years later. And yet, the revival nailed it! As Braff added:

It very much helps that franchise OG Bill Lawrence is back as creator and executive producer, even though he’s also behind a bunch of Apple TV’s best shows like Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Bad Monkey. I know I wasn’t sure what to expect from Scrubs when it came back , but it ultimately felt like a sweet homecoming. And I even found myself getting as attached to the new interns as have the original characters again.

Also, last season, the series also brought back a bunch of fan-favorite supporting characters like John McGinley’s Dr. Cox, Judy Reyes’ Nurse Carla, Christa Miller’s Jordan Sullivan and Neil Flynn’s The Janitor. The whole season was a real treat, and I was eager to tune in each week.

After Season 1 of the revival, there are definitely a lot of storylines I’m ready to see explored in this new season. For one, Dr. Cox was recently diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disease called microscopic polyangiitis, and the team at Sacred Heart are going to help them.

Then, I’m always curious about the shenanigans going on between J.D., Turk and Elliot – I even asked the cast if we’ll ever see J.D. and Elliot’s kid. In Season 1’s finale, J.D. found a new love interest in Rachel Bilson’s Charlie, and there was a cliffhanger involving two of the interns and an unexpected kiss. We'll have to wait and see what goes down but for now, I'm just grateful that Braff's initial concerns proved to be unwarranted

You can watch the new season of Scrubs, which premieres on Wednesday, September 30 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and is streamable the next day with a Hulu subscription.

Throughout the entirety of Backrooms, plenty of references can be found to internet culture and pop culture, from nods to the OG imagery to Portal sound cues to NeverEnding Story on TV. But even though I’m not entirely sure if one line form the movie is meant to bring a classic Simpsons episode to mind, I can’t stop making that connection. (No overarching theories about it yet, though.)

The line in question comes from the bizarro mural that Renate Reinsve’s Mary stumbles across just before the movie’s biggest point of no return, when Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Clark puts Mary in a choke hold and she wakes up for the worst dinner ever. And here it is: “Tables Don’t Bleed Blood.” But before we talk that line out, let’s jump into addressing one of The Simpsons’ most argued-about jokes in its 38-seasons run, which will make things easier.

The Simpsons' Most Contentious Joke

The situation I’m bringing up here, for context, is not like the way Obsession was directly inspired by a Simpsons ep, and my thoughts are far looser. Season 8's "You Only Move Twice" has been an all-time classic pretty much since it first aired, thanks in large part to the charmingly villainous Hank Scorpio, as voiced by Albert Brooks. When Hank pays the Simpsons a visit in their new home, he addresses his mocassins and suddently tosses them out with gusto. After which, this long-debated phrasing is used:

• HANK SCORPIO: "Ever seen a guy say goodbye to a shoe?"
• HOMER: "Yes, once.'

One might not think this joke seems complicated enough to debate, but you'd be wrong. Many people believe that Homer chuckles as he thinks back to a previous instance where he saw a man say goodbye it. But on the flip side of the argument, the idea is that Homer is basing his answer on having just seen Hank do it. It's hard to think of a nerdier thing to argue over, which is why I love it.

As far as Dan Castellaneta is concerned, it was an ad-libbed line where he probably meant it the simpler way, though the voice actor admitted it’s a funnier joke if Homer is solely referring to Hank having just tossed his footwear.

Why "Tables Don't Bleed Blood" Brings The Simpsons To Mind

In the record-breaking summer release, the oddball unexplained statement in the image seen above may seem simple on the outset, but much like Hank Scorpio's question, one can actually read into it in different ways that are more or less equally disturbing.

1. The Straightforward Declarative - the idea here is that it's a plain reminder that tables, as a nonbiological household entity, are not capable of secreting vital-to-life fluids.
2. The Splitting-Hair Differentiator - within the seemingly endless halls of the Complex, there may very well be enough misremembered pieces of furniture that a small number of specific items are, in fact, capable of bleeding. Perhaps that purple desk is a bleeder, and that's why the Hazmat suit guys want nothing to do with it.
3. The "Tables Do Bleed Something" Assumption - Given the line drawn beneath "Blood," it stands to reason the meaning here alludes to the idea that tables bleed something other than blood. Which is an idea that taps into Kane Parsons referring to some Backrooms-originated items as "furniture crabs." Crabs and other arthropods are filled with the bloodlike circulatory fluid Hemolymph, so they can bleed, just not traditional blood.

In the end, it almost doesn't matter which version is correct, since we don't actually get to see any tables during the movie where that statement gets addressed. As such, we may never know which way this sentence is supposed to be uttered. The blood has not left the building...'s furniture.

For those who want to rewatch Backrooms in all its yellow-tinted glory, be sure to find it streaming via HBO Max subscription.

Last week, the first reactions to Tom Cruise’s Digger hit the web, and they were quite varied. What seemed apparent was that the highly anticipated movie was proving to be divisive. Now, the reviews are here, and they mark an unfortunate milestone for the leading man. Cruise has officially notched his worst Rotten Tomatoes score for a film in nearly a decade.

After years of sticking to massive action movies, Tom Cruise opts for a dark comedy satire with Digger. Based on 99 reviews (as of this writing), the movie has received a 53 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews that have been shared thus far convey a lot of thoughts on Cruise's new movie. Check out what The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney has to say about this new 2026 movie release:

The last time a Tom Cruise movie received a “Rotten” score on the review aggregation site was in 2017, and that came by way of his failed reimagining of The Mummy. From a numerical standpoint, that was a lot worse, though, given that movie was given a 15 percent from critics and a 35 percent from audiences.

Since that horror-action flick, however, all of Cruise's films have been given high marks among critics and general moviegoers alike. The most favorable of that group is 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, which holds a 96 percent from critics and a 99 percent from audiences. David Ehrlich of IndieWire is mostly mixed on the film, which he compares to a particularly wild film from the '60s:

The film sees Tom Cruise play a fictional wealthy oil tycoon named Digger Rockwell, who must prevent a global catastrophe that he caused. The movie comes from Oscar-winning writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who’s best known for helming acclaimed movies like Birdman and The Revenant. However, his latest only seems to be charming about half of critics. In his review for TheWrap, William Bibbiani makes note of the film's over-the-top nature, and shares some thoughts on Cruise's grandiose performance:

In the movie, Tom Cruise is barely recognizable as he wears a bodysuit and prosthetics and doesn’t participate in massive Mission: Impossible-esque stunts. The biggest set piece is perhaps a 10-minute monologue Cruise's character gives about climate change, which just about every review mentions. The Digger trailer suggested this would be a wild film, but it seems to have worked for some people. For instance, BBC's Nicholas Barber had some kind words to share:

Nevertheless, it seems like a number of pundits are left disillusioned with the film as well. After discussing the grim reality the film depicts, Los Angeles Times critic Amy Nicholson writes:

It’ll certainly be interesting to see how theater-goers react to the movie when it hits theaters this weekend. Per Box Office Theory, the movie is expected to open to $23 million domestically against a reported production budget of $130 million. It's also speculated that it may not open at No. 1 (with sultry thriller Verity potentially taking the top spot). Given the early responses to the film, we'll have to see if general audiences latch onto Tom Cruise's latest big-screen offering in the long run.

You can see Digger for yourself and make up your own mind, though, when it hits theaters this Friday, October 2.

Spoilers ahead for Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 8 "Follow the Anger."

Every streaming service has their own mega hits, and Ted Lasso is on that list for those with an Apple TV subscription. Fans were bummed when the show ended in Season 3, but luckily Ted and the gang returned for Season 4 back in August. I thought that the most recent episode was this year's finale, but there's actually two more to go. Personally, I think that's a problem.

Shortly after its premiere, Ted Lasso became an Emmy-winning success thanks to its heartwarming story and cast of lovable characters. Season 4's reviews were mixed, and now that we're almost done I see it. Because I'm not sure what we're building toward in the final two episodes.

With Keeley And Roy Back Together, What Is Ted Building Toward?

Ted Lasso Season 4 followed Jason Sudeikis' title character as he returned to London to coach AFC Richmond's newly formed women's football team. This macguffin allowed Ted to once again find a new group of players (and especially assistant coach Alice), which is where the show has always succeeded. The series also caught us up with the rest of the Ted Lasso cast, including Rebecca, Higgins, Roy, and Keeley.

The latter two have been the main love story of Season 4, with the premiere reminding me how much I missed Juno Temple's Keeley. From the jump, it was clear that she and Roy still had feelings for each other, but she forced him to date, which eventually backfired when he met someone.

Luckily for us shippers out there, Episode 8 saw Roy finally profess his love for Keeley, and the pair reconciled their romantic relationship. This, combined with Ted's relationship with Alice, made it feel like "Follow the Hatred" was the final chapter in Season 4. It wasn't until I was talking about the season with my parents that I realized there were TWO entire episodes still on the way.

These two episodes will presumably follow the rest of AFC Richmond women's season. Plus, there's the ongoing mystery about who has been pressuring investors to sell their shares for the team. Personally, I think the hidden villain of the season is Tracey Ullman's Zelda Southport, but we'll have to see if I'm right. With Roy and Keeley reunited and Ted not having any significant story other than coaching, I'm worried Season 4 might end on a sour note rather than a thrilling conclusion. Only time will tell.

Ted Lasso airs new episodes on Wednesdays on Apple as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to see if the final two chapters pack enough of a punch to keep the story moving forward in a satisfying way.

Two and a Half Men enjoyed immense success during its run on CBS, but the Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn-created sitcom hit a major snag due to a conflict involving co-lead Charlie Sheen. Amid the show’s eighth season, Sheen – who played Charlie Harper – dealt with personal issues that led to him being fired from Men. Since then, Sheen has since gotten sober and been open about his firing. However, even now, it’s still sad to hear what the situation was like in the lead-up to his highly publicized ousting from the hit show.

In the fall of 2010, months after negotiating a contract extension that made him the highest-paid actor on TV, Sheen made headlines during the fall of 2010 for holding wild parties. He eventually entered rehab in early 2011, leading to production on Men being temporarily halted. Despite the Wall Street star opting for treatment, the situation took a negative turn when he began making inflammatory comments about Lorre during interviews. In March 2011, Sheen was officially fired by Warner Bros. TV and CBS.

Since that all occurred, several of Sheen’s former collaborators have shared insight into what the atmosphere was like at the time. Most recently, Holland Taylor – who played witty and overly critical matriarch Evelyn Harper on the show – recently discussed Sheen’s past issues while reflecting on her stint with the show. While speaking with EW, Taylor admitted just how “difficult” things were ahead of her on-screen son’s exit:

Several years ago, Lorre got candid about his feud with Sheen and stressed that while they had a “terrific time” working together for eight and a half years, their relationship eventually deteriorated. The Big Bang Theory EP said “it all went down in a very dark and difficult way” and said that among other things, “it was really hurtful, it was humiliating, it was depressing” and “infuriating”. However, Lorre and Sheen have since mended their relationship, and Taylor is also pleased to still be on good terms with Sheen as well:

Lorre has also shared positive feelings about Sheen since the pair ended their feud several years ago, and they’ve since collaborated again. They reunited to work on the single-camera comedy Bookie and, when talking about working with Sheen again, Lorre gave him some serious praise. Jon Cryer (who portrayed Alan Harper on Men) hasn’t worked with Sheen since and by his own admission, hasn’t kept in close contact with him. Yet Cryer shut down the notion that they were feuding and said he would meet up with him again. Not only that, but Cryer also appeared in his former co-star’s documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, leading Sheen to send him a thank-you note.

Charlie Sheen himself hasn’t held back about burning bridges years ago and has even spoken about how testosterone played into his “raging demon” behavior. While it’s disheartening to hear about Sheen’s struggles and how they impacted the cast, I’m pleased that everyone appears to be copacetic now. And, more specific to Holland Taylor, I’m also glad that the Sheen situation also doesn’t seem to have marred the way she views her time on the show, which she calls “wildly fun to make.

See Taylor, Sheen and their co-stars on Two and a Half Man, as all 12 seasons are currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

We all have those movies that we like to still quote, even decades after we last saw them. One of those movies for me is 1987’s Dragnet starring Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd. I hadn’t seen it in at least 25 years when I noticed that it hit the Netflix schedule in September. I was excited. Here was a good chance to relive the movie that might not have the best reputation, but that I’ve always loved. Or at least, I thought I loved it. After rewatching it with my Netflix subscription, I get why people trash it. I don’t even like it much anymore. Let’s get into it.

There Are Still Some Great Moments

I’m a huge fan of Tom Hanks movies from the early and mid-’80s, like Bachelor Party, The Money Pit, and Splash. I like that goofy, over-the-top comedic Hanks that we haven’t gotten much of since he started winning Oscars and became America’s Dad. It’s not that I don’t like movies like Philadelphia and Saving Private Ryan; I love those too, but I miss that wilder version of Hanks in those early movies. Dragnet is one of those movies from the end of that early run. Big came out in 1988, and that was the inflection point in his career.

And Hanks is funny in it. My opinion on that hasn’t changed. He doesn’t have much to work with, but he manages to deliver enough dry wit to get me giggling. Honestly, Aykroyd is also pretty good as the straight man to Hanks’ cut-up. The idea of Dragnet is still a funny premise, too. As someone old enough to have watched reruns of the original TV show it was based on, I knew the vibe, and it was (and still is) ripe for parody. At times, it really works. At other times, though, it falls apart.

Without Aykroyd And Hanks, There’s Very Little Here

I can’t point to one specific thing about the movie that I really hate or anything, but the movie isn’t funny to me anymore. Outside of a few moments, Dragnet is a serious slog. It’s not the plot, which is fine. It’s not the characters, which I think work. It’s just a slog. There are long periods where it’s just not funny. There also aren’t any characters outside of Aykroyd and Hanks who are funny at all. Dabney Coleman’s character is especially cringy. I was rolling my eyes more than I was laughing.

I think this is reflected in the remarkably average rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it hovers right at the 50% mark. That’s a failing grade, to be sure, but it’s not, like, totally worthless. This isn’t Battleship Earth. It’s not one of the best comedies of the ‘80s, either. It’s not even close to one of the best comedies of 1987, even. That's a year that included The Princess Bride, Raising Arizona, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Adventures in Babysitting, among many others. Not to mention, Dragnet was released the same day as Spaceballs, so it wasn’t even the best comedy of its opening weekend.

I’ll still quote the lines I love (“As mohawks go, it's not that bad”), but I don’t think I’ll ever rewatch the whole movie again.

I’m not sure anyone could have predicted just how much comedic value would come from Colin Jost and Pete Davidson buying a Staten Island Ferry back in 2022. The original goal to spin it into a transportable vessel for live entertainment, but it’s mostly been a money-sucking eyesore for locals in the years since. Things have gone more positively in recent months, but everything truly came up Milhouse…er…Jost during The Simpsons’ Season 38 premiere, “"The Children's Book Job."

Having previously appeared solely as an on-screen reference in Season 31’s “The Winter of Our Monetized Content,” Colin Jost made an official guest appearance voicing himself, and I’m extremely amused that his Simpsons debut was literally just a self-deprecating joke about the ferry. Most of his ferry-related gags take zero time to address, whether via Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” segments or his interviews on New Heights and more, but this one was 6+ months in the making, given the lead time of animated series.

Check out a shot of him below, and be sure to click the pic to get a closer look at the two Simpson-ified goobers on the front cover.

For those who may not be able to see, the book's title is a hilarious overstatement, and also references Pete Davidson in an amusing way.

• "Cap'n Colin And His Fabulous Ferry" with Bosun Pete

"Fabulous" is a word that one could use to describe many things, and it starts with the same letter as "ferry." But maybe that's as far as it goes.

All that said, the real gag here isn't just that Colin Jost wrote a children's book based on his ill-conceived purchse. Rather, after he reads off the playful line seen below, every single one of the kids listening to him starts groaning and griping, indicating nobody in that gymnasium thinks that the ferry is all that fabulous.

Of course, based solely on this sentence, I actually would buy a parody-esque children's book about the ferry if Jost wrote it. As he so maturely orated:

I can't say I've heard the term "sploodled" before, but I'm putting it into casual rotation now.

The Simpsons can get more timely with its jokes now, as opposed to what was generally possible in the earliest days of the show's run. But I think we can all agree that making fun of Colin Jost and Pete Davidson's ferry purchase will be funny until probably the end of time if not longer.

That said, the ferry has been front and center for quite the positive update more recently, in that it was turned into a floating comedy club for a Snapple partnership in mid-September, and it seemed to be a successful venture for the duo. And thankfully for the SNL star, Scarlett Johansson’s feelings about it are slightly more positive than those of Springfield youths.

Will those two pop culture paths cross again in the future? Both shows are now airing new seasons, so be sure to tune in to find out.

It's funny how certain TV shows grow into cult classics, and are regularly re-watched long after they wrap up. Amy Sherman-Palladino's Gilmore Girls (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) is definitely in that category, and continues to be popular despite the original show's series finale airing back in 2007. Lauren Graham famously played Lorelai Gilmore in both that series and the Netflix revival, and recently admitted there was one storyline that wasn't a fan of.

Gilmore Girls' pop culture impact cannot be understated, and is the reason why the follow-up series A Year In The Life aired years ago for those with a Netflix subscription. During a recent interview with People, Graham spoke about her role on the show, and not feeling like she could weigh in on scripts. In her words:

While the Parenthood actress had a great collaboration with the Palladinos during Gilmore Girls and A Year in the Life, she didn't necessary feel like she could take a stand against the show's writing. It turns out there was one story in particular she didn't love, and the hardcore fans can probably guess what it was.

Gilmore Girls fans are super passionate about all things Stars Hallow, and that was certainly true during the show's original run on The WB and The CW. In the same interview she admitted she shared their concerns during Season 6, when Lorelai and Rory spent nine episodes fighting and/or having no contact. She wasn't a fan of that period of the show, but also understood why it happened. As she put it:

Points were made. That set of episodes are not fan favorites, as Gilmore Girls isn't the same without Lorelai and Rory's relationship at its center. While we can binge watch these episodes now, when the show was airing weekly it took months before the two protagonists came back together. Aside from A Day in the Life's cliffhanger ending, that stretch in Season 6 remains one of the show's most controversial aspects.

I'm one of the many Gilmore Girls fans who continue to lean on the show through the years, and I'm still holding out hope that we get more episodes sometime in the future. After all, I need to know who the father of Rory's baby is!

Gilmore Girls is streaming in its entirety on Hulu, while A Year in the Life is on Netflix. As for Lauren Graham, she's stayed busy including a recent role in Reminders of Him as part of the 2026 movie release list.

2 Broke Girls is one of the best sitcoms of all time, even nine years after CBS surprisingly canceled it after six seasons. There were some memorable storylines and scenes throughout the fan-favorite show’s run, but not surprisingly, there were a lot that didn’t make the final cut. Kat Dennings recalled being asked to just wear a bra for one scene. In true Dennings fashion, she had a snarky comeback.

The Shifting Gears star took to TikTok recently amid 2 Broke Girls’ streaming resurgence to share a story with fans. She revealed that during the show’s early days, there was a particular scene that called for her character Max, and Beth Behr’s Caroline to wear only their bras. Understandably, Dennings was uncomfortable with it, and while she didn’t have much of a pull, she did eventually manage to get the scene cut. And her response for it was completely on-brand:

I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be uncomfortable with a scene like that, especially since 2 Broke Girls was filmed in front of a live studio audience. The fact that Dennings not only had the courage to go up to the showrunner, but also to be snarky after he initially didn’t want to do anything, is impressive. I love that it actually worked. I can’t imagine what would have happened had the scene stayed in, but it’s clear that Dennings would have gotten it cut one way or another.

In celebration of 2 Broke Girls’ 15^th anniversary, Dennings has been pretty reflective on the CBS hit. She’s also set to reunite with Behrs in the upcoming third season of Shifting Gears, so it makes sense that she is feeling all the nostalgia. But not all of it is great, if that bra story is any indication. Dennings has also admitted she has PTSD from working on 2 Broke Girls, as the critics were pretty harsh throughout the show’s run, with plenty of accusations of stereotyping and lowbrow humor.

Even despite some questionable scenes and harsh critics, Dennings still has some fond memories of working on 2 Broke Girls, as she’s shared a handful of posts to her Instagram from her time on the series. It sounds like that experience has also given her a lot in terms of learning to stand up for yourself, no matter what the consequences could be. And of course, to never underestimate yourself.

Hopefully most of the stories Dennings has about 2 Broke Girls are not like the bra story, and she has more great memories than terrible ones. At the very least, she was able to get it cut, and who knows what else she managed to do. Fans can watch 2 Broke Girls on The Roku Channel to celebrate the show’s 15^th anniversary for free.

Michael Fishman has spent a lot of his life tied to the Conner family. He was 7 when he started playing D.J. on Roseanne, returned for the 2018 revival and later carried the character into The Conners. So when fans tell him that the latest very public fight between him and his former TV mom feels a little like watching their own family argue, he seems to understand why. After Roseanne publicly called him some very unflattering things, the actor vows to keep "pushing."

In a new Instagram video, Fishman responded to fans after Roseanne Barr unleashed a profanity-heavy response to comments he made about the 2018 cancellation of Roseanne. Barr called her former onscreen son a “fucking little worm” and a “brainwashed bigot” during an appearance on the Can’t Be Censored podcast. He has now returned to social media with a much calmer message for fans who want Mom and D.J. to stop fighting. He explained what he plans to do next:

The longtime sitcom actor also told fans he understands that Roseanne has been a comfort show for many of them, and promised to do what he can to protect that legacy. That distinction seems important to the Undrafted star. He has been very critical of Barr’s comments while remaining proud of the series they made together.

This whole thing resurfaced after Fishman spoke about the Barr controversy in August. He said he was still receiving “daily” messages about the fallout and defended ABC’s decision to cancel the 2018 revival after Barr’s racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. He said at the time that the show was “rightfully canceled,” while also saying he still had love and compassion for Barr. She did not return that sentiment gently.

During her podcast appearance, Barr dropped a whole lot of F-bombs while responding to Fishman. Along with calling him a “little fucking worm,” she told him to keep her name out of his mouth and claimed she had been responsible for getting him brought back for the revival, only for her character to be killed off in The Conners.

The A Lighthouse in the Dark actor initially said he didn't need to engage with “obvious lies or name calling.” He also said he had reached out to Barr immediately after the 2018 tweet and never abandoned her personally, even though he strongly disagreed with what she had said. Now he seems ready to stop feeding the fight altogether.

That is probably easier said than done when your former TV mom is discussing you on podcasts and strangers are still filling your social feeds eight years after the controversy began. Still, Fishman appears determined to separate his relationship with Barr from what Roseanne meant to viewers.

The original sitcom, considered one of the greatest of all time, ended decades ago, and The Conners wrapped its seven-season run in 2025. Yet apparently the Conner family can still generate some very real family drama. Fishman just seems determined to make sure the next thing he contributes to it is a little less angry.

Everybody who's ever had a job has no doubt gone through one or more nightmare experiences that test one's mettle like nothing else. Actors in particular go through so many confidence-crushing situations that it's a wonder so many of them still persist. For Hustle & Flow and Z Nation vet DJ Qualls, it was the Big Bang Theory audition process, during which he spent six weeks vying for a role that he learned he was never actually going to be considered for.

Qualls was seemingly in the running to take on the lead role of Sheldon Cooper, and remained in contention for that long stretch before co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady made the call to cast Jim Parsons. Appearing on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, in a clip posted to Instagram, the actor explained why it was a doomed prospect from the start, saying:

DJ Qualls was presumably reading for the original and far-different Big Bang Theory pilot, in which the lead female wasn't the bubbly Penny, but a more unhappy woman named Katie. (Cuoco auditioned for that role and lost out.) So there's a Sliding Doors universe with Qualls' Sheldon and Cuoco's Katie as neighbors. (Unless Jim Parsons crushed out and won the role in every alternate universe, which seems likely enough.)

The Road Trip star continued working with Lorre and trying to earn the role for so many weeks, and all without any clue that he was just being used as a tool for Parsons' performance to be judged against. Which in some ways could be seen as a vague compliment, but not when so much time and effort went into it on his part.

The soul-obliterating blow came on a day when Qualls had to read for the network execs just after Parsons did. As he explained:

I cannot imagine having to stand up and still go through with an audition after hearing that I was never truly being considered. I mean, that would be the best time to pull out the weirdest and most unique performance possible, although bringing that kind of approach to Sheldon probably wouldn't have won anyone over.

To be fair, DJ Qualls did come away from that audition with a minor win, in that Lorre and Prady did cast him to play research assistant Toby Loobenfeld for a Season 1 episode. And speaking to the economics of that industry, that one episode still results in decent risidual checks for the actor.

But in terms of actually stealing the role of Sheldon from Jim Parsons, Qualls said:

Though he's not one of its main stars, one of my favorite comedies released in 2026 so far was the indie parody The Napa Boys (which is free to stream on Tubi). In it, Qualls plays a character named The Sommelier, and is front and center in one of the movie's most hilariously disgusting scenes.

The Big Bang Theory can be streamed in full, complete with DJ Qualls' episode, via HBO Max subscription.

Plenty of changes took place throughout the eight season seasons of Full House, which remains one of the best long, binge-worthy shows. For example, recurring characters like Rebecca Donaldson (later Katsopolis) and Kimmy Gibbler became regulars on the show, and more mature storylines were utilized as the Tanner kids got older. However, I had no idea that the TGIF sitcom’s producers were apparently “pissed” when Candace Cameron Bure made one big change to her character, DJ's, appearance.

Throughout the earlier seasons of the show, DJ Tanner was known for having very long hair. But, as mentioned during an episode of the How Rude, Tanneritos! rewatch podcast, Andrea Barber mentioned to Jodi Sweetin that the had entered DJ’s “short hair era.” This mention came as the pair outlined the Season 7 episode “The Perfect Couple”. From there, Barber presented one surprising fact about that hairdo shift:

Whoa, baby! That was certainly a bold move on Bure's part, especially given her character's signature style. In “The Perfect Couple,” DJ begins sporting a shoulder-length ‘do. Sure, the longer locks were what were more familiar to viewers, but I can understand Bure wanting to make a change at that time, given she'd been sporting the same look on the show for so long.

While the close-knit Full House cast were fully aware of Bure's new hair, she realistically couldn't hide her new look from the producers forever. According to Sweetin, they didn’t exactly take it well:

This all may sound like no big deal, but when an actor playing an established role changes their hairstyle without notice, it can indeed cause a stir. For instance, Mariska Hargitay said she “almost got fired” when she rocked a pixie cut while filming Law & Order: SVU. Keri Russell’s super short haircut in Felicity was even famously theorized to be the reason why Season 2's ratings dropped.

Of course, the situation involving DJ's look happened decades ago, and it's something the cast can laugh about now. After all, Full House, which is over 30 years old, ended back in 1995. During the recent podcast episode, Barber went on to explain why Bure decided to chop off her locks without giving any on the creative team the heads up:

I can sympathize with Bure for not wanting to wait until her hair change was written into a story. Honestly, the notion of her hairstyle needing to be directly addressed on the show feels somewhat weird. However, I can also see where the producers are coming from, as the short hair could've not only clashed with their vision for the eldest Tanner child but also just been jarring for viewers.

After hearing how Full House's producers were upset over Candace Cameron Bure's change, I can't help but wonder if hair conversations came up at other points during the show's run. Regardless of that, I'm glad everything worked out for Bure in the end, and she ended keeping her hair short throughout the remainder of the show's run.

Check out Bure's performance as DJ by streaming Full House with either a Hulu subscription or a Disney+ subscription.

It’s hard to believe HBO’s Emmy-winning show Hacks ended its five-season run earlier this year amid the 2026 TV schedule. The final season of the comedy, starring Jean Smart as washed up comedian Deborah Vance, received a total of 24 Emmy nominations, setting a new record of noms by a comedy series for a single season. The show is filled with memorable moments, and I still remember Deborah's heartwarming speech at Ava’s dad’s funeral. But I had no idea at the time that Jean Smart had just lost her husband while filming the finale, and it adds a whole new perspective to that funeral scene.

A perennial Hollywood darling, Jean Smart has starred in iconic sitcoms such as Designing Women and Frasier, but who could have predicted that the crowning jewel of her career would come decades later at the age of 75. For the most part, the Hacks cast has described the five-year run as a dream to film. However, the Fargo actress opened up to CBS Sunday Morning about how one of her biggest challenges to date took place while filming Season 1's finale, just days after her husband’s sudden passing in 2021:

To jog your memory, Season 1, Episode 10 of Hacks, "I Think She Will," deals with Ava’s father’s funeral coinciding with Deborah Vance’s final show at the Palmetto in Vegas. Just before Ava (Hannah Einbinder) leaves to go home, she and Deborah get into a fight when she finds out Deborah plans to throw all the new material they’ve written out the window. So the young comedy writer is shocked when Deborah shows up at her father’s funeral, having flown right from her show to Massachusetts, instead of celebrating her final night.

Deborah ends up bringing joy and humor to the dark moment, something that may hae been incredibly difficult for the mourning Smart. Her husband, Designing Women co-star Richard Gilliland, died suddenly on March 18, 2021 from an undiagnosed heart condition, just days before Hacks Season 1 was set to wrap production. The finale was ultimately dedicated to the late actor.

Having witnessed the close familial bond that has grown among the Hacks cast during its run, I'm not surprised to hear Hacks creators Paul W Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky were incredibly sympathetic to the circumstances, even having only worked with Smart for a few months at the time. Though they offered the Babylon actress a number of options, Smart said she decided to push through the last few days of filming:

I feel so sad now knowing that Jean Smart had to go through all that. The veteran actress jokingly recalls taking an Ativan to help her through it, but I’m also glad she had such a supportive group of people around her.

You have to be incredibly strong to give that kind of performance during a time of such grief, and it just goes to show how incredibly tough and dedicated an actress Smart is. For every season of Hacks, she took home the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, with her latest coming from the 2026 Emmys. Each year, the competition was steep, with the likes of Quinta Brunson and Ayo Edebiri almost always being nominated alongside her for Abbott Elementary and The Bear, respectively, but it’s a moment like this funeral scene that helps prove why Smart was deservering of the honor.

While I’m excited to see what Jean Smart tackles next, which looks like the upcoming Family Stone sequel, Hacks will no doubt cast a long shadow over the rest of her career. However, she certainly has won over a whole new generational audience, and I hope to see her and Einbinder work together again in the future. For now, revisit their hit comedy series by streaming all five seasons with an HBO Max subscription.

One reason so many people love The Big Lebowski (including me) is the music in the movie. There are countless great needle drops, from the likes of Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Captain Beefheart, Nina Simone, and, of course, Creedence. Those songs all cost money to use, of course, and one of the best in the film, Townes Van Zandt’s haunting version of The Rolling Stones’ song “Dead Flowers,” almost cost too much to use. That is, until the man holding the rights to the song just gave it to the Coen Brothers after seeing a rough cut of the movie. It was one scene, and of course an F-bomb. that convinced him.

Allen Klein Hated The Eagles, Too, Man

Music fans, especially Stones fans, may know the name Allen Klein. Klein, who died in 2009, was the manager of the Stones in the ‘60s and eventually also managed The Beatles late in their career (he is being played by Adam Pally in the upcoming Sam Mendes Beatles movies). He was also an unscrupulous businessman who controlled the publishing rights to all the Stones' songs from the era that he managed them. That meant it was up to him to decide what songs could be used in movies, TV, and commercials, including the Van Zandt cover of “Dead Flowers.”

Klein initially demanded that the producers of The Big Lebowski pay him $150,000 for the rights to use the song. That’s a lot of money for one song, but the Coens clearly wanted to use it, so they offered to show Klein an early rough cut of the movie to see if he’d like it enough to lower the price. According to T-Bone Burnett, who was the music supervisor on the movie, all it took was one scene. Burnett told Rolling Stone:

It turns out that while The Dude (Jeff Bridges) loves a lot of music, like Creedence, of course, he and Klein shared the same opinion on The Eagles. Incidentally, I agree, too. Except Joe Walsh. He’s cool in my book.

Of the dozens of iconic lines in The Big Lebowski, The Dude’s feelings on The Eagles is one of the funniest moments in the movie. When he says it to the cab driver, after getting thrown out of Jackie Treehorn’s garden party and beaten up by the chief of police of Malibu (a real reactionary), he’s kicked out of the cab as the driver continues listening to “Peaceful Easy Feeling.”

Side note: I have to wonder how much using that song cost the producers.

I love the version of “Dead Flowers” in the movie, and though it only really plays over the credits at the end, it’s perfect for The Big Lebowski. It’s a peaceful, easy way to end the movie after Donny dies and we learn that there’s a little Lebowski on the way. The fact that Klein gave it to them after hating on The Eagles makes it that much sweeter.

If you’re a fan of Saturday Night Live, chances are you’ve heard one of the cast members share horror stories about trying to get on the show. But, I had no idea it was this intense. Chris Rock just brought up one “test” used on him while he was trying to get on the show, and it sounds rough.

Rock was in the cast of Saturday Night Live for three seasons from 1990 to 1993 alongside the likes of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Rob Schneider and David Spade. Like his co-stars, he had to be battle-tested even before being hired for the gig, and there was one particular hurdle that was meant to test those who specifically couldn't manage long hours. Here’s what Rock recalled:

Imagine having to wait for a highly-anticipated job interview like SNL, and then being iced out in the lobby for hours on purpose to make sure you can do the job. That sounds wild, but that's what Rock, who last hosted the show back in 2024, recalled while talking to Entertainment Weekly. As he added:

I can't help but ponder the identities of those hopefuls who chose to leave. Personally, I can imagine that if a person doesn't know they're being tested, they're likely just stressed out and anxiety-ridden while waiting for the big meeting. Of course, SNL is famously a very high-stress job, so I guess the patience test is a big part of the audition, too.

Chris Rock isn’t the only Saturday Night Live cast member to have reported back on this “ritual.” Former cast members also recalled similar stories while talking to GQ before. Alex Moffat, who had a handful of famous Weekend Update appearances among other sketches during his time at SNL, said he had to wait for “four hours in some random dressing room” prior to his audition. He thinks it’s done “to separate the wheat from the chaff.”

Tim Meadows, who was on SNL a whopping ten years, said when he was waiting for his first meeting with series creator Lorne Michaels, he was waiting “like, 10 hours” before talking to the executive for just a “few minutes”. During his meeting, Michaels also brought in some of the cast to talk about an upcoming show while he was sitting there in his office. Clearly, they were all ready for the job, given they sat through the test and made it through!

What I'm wondering now, though, is whether this test will remain intact now that Chris Rock and others have spilled the beans about it. Still, even if it doesn't, I could easily see Michaels and co. coming up with another sharp way to test prospective cast members.

Saturday Night Live is set to return to the 2026 TV schedule for its 52nd season tonight, September 26 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and the episode will also be streamable with a Peacock subscription. New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is hosting, and Katseye will serve as the musical guest. And there are plenty of other great upcoming SNL hosts this season that viewers certainly won't want to miss.

Emmy Rossum has had many roles throughout her career, but she's arguably still most famous for playing Fiona Gallagher during her stint with the cast of Shameless. The maternal oldest sibling of the Gallagher clan, Fiona certainly has her share of unapologetic moments on the show, and they make the character a true pop culture icon in my book. Rossum also performed nude scenes and did so without shame. However, the actress recently shared one negative side effect those explicit scenes had on her life.

While Shameless may not compare to some of the most sexually explicit movies and shows on Netflix, the Showtime original still has plenty of adult content. Emmy Rossum was only in her early 20s when the show debuted in 2011 and, as she explained during her interview on Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova, she was still trying to figure herself out in some respects. Unfortunately, her work on the hit show complicated that in one way:

I can certainly see where the fan-favorite actress is coming from, and I do feel for her. Based on her comments, the men she was seeing couldn't separate her from Fiona, especially when it came to the fictional character's sexual nature. I think it's fair to say that actors are not their characters, and that's definitely the case here.

Apparently, not only did men link Emmy Rossum with Fiona’s sexual image, but the Phantom of the Opera actress said that it also brought up some concerns from her prospective partners. Rossum recalled one specific chat she had with someone she dated years ago:

Talk about an awkward conversation. It's unfortunate hearing about Rossum's challenges as far as the dating scene goes, and said issues were on top of the professional hurdles she had to overcome. For instance, there was even an excruciating time when Rossum was asked to wear a bikini for a movie audition to see if she was the right body type. During her recent interview, the Golden Globe nominee continued to talk about difficulties with fans blurring the lines between art and reality:

Taking on nude scenes is a very brave choice to make as an artist, there are stars who've had their own share of challenges that come from doing such scenes. For example, Outlander’s Caitriona Balfe struggled with nude scenes due to being self-conscious about how audiences would view her body.

Sydney Sweeney spoke about being disgusted by how the internet treated her Euphoria nude scenes, as users would actually tag her family members in such posts on social media. While stars can’t control judgment when they do nude scenes, they ideally shouldn’t have to live in fear of how these explicit scenes could impact their private life.

When it comes to Emmy Rossum, she's now reached a new period in her life, though. Since leaving Shameless after its ninth season in 2019, she's taken on different roles. Her personal life has also flourished, as she married writer/director/producer Sam Esmail in 2017 and has since welcomed two children with him. Although Rossum's early dating days are behind her now, it's still admirable of her to speak so candidly about the pitfalls she experienced.

You can watch Emmy Rossum give her unflinching performance in Shameless, as all 11 seasons can be streamed with a Netflix subscription. You can also watch Rossum’s latest show, Furious, by using a Hulu subscription.

Every streaming service has a set of mega hits, and those with an Apple TV subscription were recently treated to Katie Dippold's Widow's Bay. The new series has debuted with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, and basically swept at this year's Emmy Awards. Some people have criticized the fact that it was put into Comedy Series categories, but I think the complainers need to give it a rest. I mean, this show really makes me laugh.

From its very first episode, it's clear that Widow's Bay is balancing comedic beats with terrifying moments of horror. The series has been praised by Guillermo del Toro, and its pacing and performances are both top-notch. Personally I don't understand the discourse surrounding the show's classification as a comedy, and think that folks need to take a chill pill. That, or they need to learn how to laugh.

Widow's Bay Has Been Making Me Laugh Every Episode

Widow's Bay won a whopping 14 Emmy Awards, basically sweeping the comedy categories this year. The show's quality speaks for itself, but there are folks online who were complaining about it being in the Comedy category, given the horror and drama that the series also contains. I finally binge-watched the series, and I can confidently say that Widow's Bay made me laugh consistently throughout its first 10-episode season.

In some ways it feels like the discourse about Widow's Bay was inspired by backlash surrounding The Bear winning Comedy Emmys during its run on the air. That dramedy had plenty of tear-jerking and anxiety-inducing moments for those with a Hulu subscription, with some naysayers accusing the show of category fraud. Now the acclaimed Apple series is being accused of the same thing.

I went into Widow's Bay as a horror fan, and was excited to see just how good it was after its Emmy wins. While I loved the thrilling scares that Matthew Rhys' Tom Loftis endures throughout the season, I was surprised by how consistently I laughed as well. The discrepancy between the quirky group of characters and the high-stakes nature of the Island's curse made for plenty of awkwardly hilarious moments, and (in my opinion) proves that the Apple show belongs in the comedy categories for Awards Season.

That's not to say that there isn't drama, heart, and plenty of horror as well. But even in ultra-serious episodes like the Betty Gilpin-led "Our History", Widow's Bay still manages to bring the funny. For that episode, it was the moment where Gilpin's Sarah Westcott says with exasperation that she's only just met her children by marriage. What's more, basically everything that comes out of accomplished character actress Dale Dickey's mouth makes me laugh. The same can also be said for Jeff Hiller, who will be promoted to a series regular in Season 2.

Widow's Bay is streaming in its entirety on Apple TV as part of the 2026 TV schedule. The series was officially renewed for Season 2 back in June, but it's unclear exactly when we should expect it to return.

Since joining the Saturday Night Live cast in 2024, Ashley Padilla has made quite a name for herself. She was the most-used cast member in Season 51 despite only being a featured player, and as she makes her debut as a repertory player for Season 52, fans can expect to see even more of Padilla. Ahead of the new season on the 2026 TV schedule, she shared her take on Lorne Michaels and working at SNL that includes fart noises and sincerity.

Padilla joined former SNL cast member Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast, where they talked about their experiences on the show. This included Poehler wondering how Padilla’s relationship is with creator and producer Lorne Michaels. While Michaels may seem intimidating, Padilla admitted how much she admires him. And is still as grateful as ever for him giving her a job:

Michaels has been with SNL for 46 of its 51 seasons, and while there are constantly rumors about his retirement, he obviously still cares about the show and the cast after all these years. It takes a lot to run such a big show, and he’s still advising to cast members because he’s certainly seen it all. I love that even as a boss, Michaels is still there for his cast, and Padilla still can’t believe it.

She also can’t believe that her job is to be funny. Of course, plenty of comedians have made it their full-time job and that’s what SNL is. And obviously, a lot more goes into the show than just doing the sketches, between the long and late hours of writing and rehearsing. Padilla and Poehler both find it amusing that this is what they’re doing with their lives when other people have completely different jobs, and the fart noises really complete the conversation:

Being funny isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes. She has to live up to all these great comedians who came before her and her fellow castmates, but if she didn’t have what it takes, Michaels wouldn’t have taken a chance on her. Even with the laughs and fart noises, Padilla is being sincere. It just sounds like she’s still trying to come to terms with the way her life is going, in a good way.

Ashley Padilla is definitely one of my favorites on Saturday Night Live, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for Season 52. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait too much longer. The season premiere, hosted by NBA champion Jalen Brunson, is airing this Saturday on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Scrubs revival is coming back on the 2026 TV schedule next week, and I’ve never been so excited to go back to a hospital in my life. After the beloved comedy made its triumphant return last year, J.D., Elliot, Turk and all their hilarious co-workers will be back at Sacred Heart Hospital throughout the fall season. When CinemaBlend spoke to the original trio, I had to ask about one yet-to-be-seen plot point that’s been on my mind.

Will we ever meet J.D. and Elliot’s kid? Ollie Dorian has barely been mentioned except in passing when J.D. said he’d be getting to see his son “next weekend” in Episode 4, and that he’d recently built him a bunk bed. I know I’d love to see what the child of J.D. and Elliot is like. Here’s what Braff told me:

Yeah, this totally makes sense. All the fun of Scrubs happens when the characters are in scrubs after all, and Ollie is very much part of their home life. The original Scrubs series ended up taking us outside the hospital as the show went along, but it totally makes sense that creator Bill Lawrence wanted to establish the main setting and new characters first. As Braff added:

Plus, J.D. has an adult kid with Elizabeth Banks’ Dr. Kim Briggs we haven’t heard much about. There could also be an opportunity to bring back Banks for an episode with their kid, Sam.

In the last season, Scrubs had a lot of new characters to introduce to us, and I thought they did a fantastic job of doing so. I found myself getting as excited about what’s going on for the interns as the original characters. For Season 2, Ava Bunn’s Sam Tosh has been promoted to the regular cast alongside the trio. John McGinley’s Dr. Cox, Judy Reyes’ Carla Espinosa, Vanessa Bayer’s Sibby and Michael James Scott’s Nurse Dubois are among the returning recurring cast members.

Then there’s a new chief resident in town with the addition of SNL’s John Higgins along with Keyla Monterros Mejia playing a surgical nurse named Mimi and Tamera Mowry-Housley guest-starring as pediatric doctor Dr. Steffie. Rachel Bilson will also be back as J.D’s new love interest, Charlie.

Scrubs Season 2 premieres on ABC on Wednesday, September 30, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays and coming to those with a Hulu subscription on the following day.

Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Season 1 finale, "Spoiler: Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience." Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk!

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe got incredibly meta in its Season 1 finale, turning the series into what felt like an episode of The Big Bang Theory. In the end, viewers might've been scratching their heads about what was happening, and CinemaBlend managed to get a few answers from its EP.

The episode ended with creator Chuck Lorre introducing the cast of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, which was a multi-cam sitcom filmed in front of a live studio audience. As Kevin Sussman, Brian Poeshn, Lauren Lapkus, and John Ross Bowie took a bow, Stuart, Denise, Bert, and Kripke stood offstage in shock at seeing versions of themselves on a television show. They'd seemingly broken into our world at the end of the 2026 TV schedule, but is that what really happened? I had to get answers.

Bill Prady Gave A Breakdown Of What Happened At The End Of The Season

Remembering the bit with The Matrix earlier in Season 1, I had my suspicions that Stuart and friends didn't actually come to our world. Sure, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe is a fictional show in this world, but we also saw advertisements for Young Leonard and Two And A Half Women, both of which do not exist. I asked co-creator Bill Prady if this was a similar but not quite the same version of our world that the characters ended up in, and he confirmed as much:

Maybe it's because I still have the memory of the DC Comics episode in my mind, but this feels as though they're on Earth-2. I wonder if it'll be any easier for them to find Howard, Leonard, or Sheldon in this universe, or whatever it is they're in search for that will fix the multiverse.

What's Next For Stuart Bloom And Friends?

Bill Prady recently shared that the writers' room for Season 2 is open, so he and the other writers and creatives are working out what's next as we speak. I'm wondering if the new season will pick up in this universe, or jump ahead to where they've already moved on and are dealing with something else?

One thing that's clear is that there is a much larger story at play that we only know a little bit about. Who is this entity that's trying to stop Stuart from saving the universe, and what actually needs to happen for the universe to be saved?

Between all the jokes and unexpectedly violent moments, it does feel like there's a bigger drama lurking beneath the surface. I'd love to see the series lean into that more as it goes forward, because I think there's a great sci-fi series lurking beneath all the humor.

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe will return to HBO Max for Season 2, and I can hardly wait. Here's hoping others are just as excited, because I would hate for this show to fly under the radar!

Saturday Night Live will be heading into its 52^nd season on the 2026 TV schedule with just one cast member exit, which is a welcome sight following last season’s multiple departures. Bowen Yang was among the surprising exits for Season 51, having left the show following the Christmas episode in December, and it was pretty emotional. He was in his feelings about leaving SNL, but luckily, he’s been doing just fine with other projects. And Yang just got some good news about one of them.

Yang has been quite busy since officially saying goodbye to 30 Rock and Studio 8H, making waves with his podcast. That’s not all. Earlier this month, the comedian made his Broadway debut as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! He was supposed to wrap up his run on December 6, but according to Deadline, he’s been such a hit after just over a week that he’s extending his run. Fans will now have a chance to catch Yang in Cole Escola’s Tony-winning comedy through January 17.

Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway in July 2024, and has become quite the hit. The dark comedy play centers on a “miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln” in the weeks leading up to President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The one-act play examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mary Todd Lincoln told through the bonkers lens of Escola. After Yang’s debut on September 15, the show had its biggest gross in months. It sold out and raked in over $1.5 million.

Considering Yang was a fan-favorite on SNL, it’s not surprising that people are coming out in droves to see him on Broadway. When he was announced to be leaving SNL, it was definitely heartbreaking. Although with his talent and popularity, it was clear that it wouldn’t be long until he landed something else. And I am so happy to know that he’s doing so well. I just wish that we could get him back on SNL because I miss him already, and with all the shows and rehearsals he’s doing for Oh, Mary! that might be hard for the time being.

Meanwhile, fans aren’t the only ones showing their support for Yang. Plenty of SNL cast members past and present shared some love for him after his exit from the long-running variety sketch series. Tina Fey supported his post-SNL career when it came to his and Matt Rogers’ awards show, The Culture Awards. Sarah Sherman shared what she’s been missing since her co-star left, which was all the laughs and inside jokes.

Even though Bowen Yang is no longer on Saturday Night Live, those traveling to New York City will still have a chance to see him. He will be Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! on Broadway through January 17. And for those who can’t see him on Broadway, all episodes of SNL are streaming with a Peacock subscription.

It’s not uncommon for celebrities to not want their children to watch their famous roles. (Just ask Daniel Radcliffe who has been blunt about his plans to NOT tell his son that he’s Harry Potter.) It turns out, there’s an iconic ‘90s star who felt the same way, as Family Matters’ Jaleel White wasn’t too keen on introducing his kid to nerd-god incarnate Steve Urkel, at least until his mom stepped in with her two cents.

White is currently hosting HGTV's renovation competition show Totally ‘90s House, in which other stars from the decade such as Melissa Joan Hart, Brian Austin Green, and Jodie Sweetin are competing against each other. So, of course, when discussing the nostalgia of the decade, USA Today brought up his suspender-wearing character, and asked if his daughter has ever watched his beloved sitcom. While I expected the question, I didn’t expect that decision to be taken out of his hands. He explains:

Sometimes mom knows best. Or is at least loudest about it. Clearly, she knew what she was doing. Though while he wasn’t keen on the idea, he has expressed in the past his love for playing Steve Urkel and his time on set, including that infamous food fight. The actor has been honest about the ups and downs of playing the cheese-loving neighbor of the Winslows and his quick rise to fame, which can be read about in his memoir, Growing up Urkel.

However, I always love seeing how protective he is of Steve, to the point he didn’t even want to play Stefan (Steve’s cool alter ego) because he thought the character was “boring.” And in his defense, Laura did choose Steve over Stefan after both men proposed. Though I wonder what his daughter thinks about his comedic chops on the sitcom or the different characters. (White famously played multiple roles on Family Matters: Steve, Stefan, and of course, cousin Myrtle.) And his daughter may not have kept up with the “love and tradition,” but at least she was given a love for comedy. The actor shares:

At least she has good taste. Though maybe he was glad she quickly moved on. And while a big part of me would love to see what happened to Steve and Laura after the series finale (where we didn’t see their wedding), I’m not sure a revival will ever happen. White doesn’t seem confident that the sitcom would “work with modern life.” Though the actor did have an oddball idea of how to bring Family Matters back in a roundabout way by following “another kid.”

Plus, he did revive the character for an animated holiday special in 2023 called Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie! So hope is not lost! Maybe he’ll change his mind about not wanting a revival if he’s pitched the right idea, as he has said before: “I'm not going to try us out on the field for anything less than absolute victory.” But for now you can rewatch the sitcom for the 100th time with a Disney+ subscription.

Of course, you can watch him host Totally ‘90s House and decide which ‘90s team deserves to win. And maybe the nostalgia will convince his mom that it’s time for a family rewatch of Steve Urkel’s best (and clumsiest) moments.

It’s been eight years since Roseanne Barr’s return to broadcast TV completely imploded, and the events that led up to and came after her firing from ABC will likely follow her for the rest of her career. Though she kept that convo going herself in the years that followed, and still thinks Sara Gilbert stabbed her in the back by not defending her, she’s mostly moved on to other things, and has goals of getting another network sitcom going. Then, in August 2026, her former co-star Michael Fishman spoke out.

Fishman, who has long remained largely out of the Hollywood spotlight, was responding to what he called “daily” messages and posts defending Barr and deriding those who went on to develop and star in The Conners without her. He essentially shared his opinion that she has racially biased views, among several other comments, and as one might imagine, she did not take kindly to it. In fact, she used no less than 13 F-bombs when addressing his comments as she guested on the podcast Can’t Be Censored.

The conversation certainly didn’t end there, however. As she was asked for her take on what he said about her, she went off:

Roseanne Barr was fired from ABC after tweeting about Barack Obama's former Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, saying that she was the reproductive result of "the muslim brotherhood and Planet of the Apes." In the onslaught of bigotry accusations that followed, Barr said she begged ABC to not cancel the show, and defended herself by saying she was on sleeping medication and generally thought Jarrett looked like one of the sci-fi movie's characters, without race being an issue. She's remained steadfast with that defense.

Continuing her thoughts aimed directly at Michael Fishman, Barr said he's the one who's prejudiced, and accused him of not knowing enough about world politics to properly address her viewpoints. In her words:

She took a brief conversational detour to address the Muslim Brotherhood and other non-domestic political topics, dropping one more F-bomb in there before putting the focus back on her former TV son, taking responsibility for making sure ABC kept him in the show for the 2018 revival. As she put it:

The podcast conversation continued circling around the controversy that got her fired, and whether she thinks it'll ever go away as she attempts to get other projects off the ground. Her latest idea for a show is a project she wants to call Better Than Roseanne. She also talked a few years back about a Sopranos-esque comedy project centering on a farmer who saves America.

Despite his views on Roseanne Barr herself, Michael Fishman remains proud of Roseanne the series, and spoke in 2025 about how it was a forerunner in addressing LGBTQ+ topics within network TV comedies. And despite anything that's happened off-the-screen, the O.G. sitcom remains groundbreaking and unrepeatable for its often unwavering take on blue-collar workers and middle-class living. (It wavered pretty big with that whole lottery season, but still.)

All 10 seasons of Roseanne can be streamed in full via Peacock subscription.

I would imagine that receiving a gift from Tom Cruise almost feels like being nominated for an award. At this point, it's no secret that the Mission: Impossible icon likes to send presents, and that includes the famous coconut cake that celebrities like Hayley Atwell and Glenn Powell gush about getting around Christmas time. Now, we can officially add at least one of Cruise’s Digger co-stars to the cake list, and they have a sweet take on getting the pastry.

Riz Ahmed stars alongside Cruise in the aforementioned Alejandro González Iñárritu film, and they seem to have become quite chummy. To that point, Ahmed revealed to E! News that he's since received his first ever Cruise cake, and I'm feeling serious FOMO hearing him talk about it. He shares:

Cruise has been giving out the coconut cake over the holidays for quite some time now, and anyone who needs evidence of that should look to Kirsten Dunst. Apparently, Dunst started getting the cake annually after working with Cruise on Interview with the Vampire -- over 30 years ago. So I'm tempted to think that Ahmed will be on the list for a while.

It seems the Sound of Metal star may want to watch out, though, as the famous cake is apparently very popular in his household. Ahmed said this:

Aside from the cake, the Top Gun icon is quite generous in other ways. Rosie O’Donnell says Cruise never forgets her birthday or any special event in her life. And for Cruise’s friends, the perks don’t stop at Bundt cake. While gushing about her “dear friend,” Millie Bobby Brown revealed she had “flown his helicopter before.” And we can’t forget, the birthday tradition he has with Dakota Fanning, who played his daughter in War of the Worlds. Cruise gifts her birthday shoes every year. So the coconut cake may not be the only thing Ahmed gets down the road.

Overall, though, it just seems like Ahmed enjoyed working with Cruise on their new film. Per the Rogue One alum, Cruise is “relentlessly positive,” and he also committed to his role as Digger Rockwell by going full method on set, which led to some jokes.

I'm looking forward to seeing the two co-stars in Digger when it hits the 2026 movie schedule on October 2. The first reactions to the González Iñárritu movie have been mixed, but many are still calling it a “big swing” and “impactful and hilarious.” Unsurprisingly, Cruise and Ahmed have also received praise for their performances. And, while their collaboration may be done, it's truly sweet that Ahmed will also have that yearly cake as a reminder of his friendship with Cruise.

Mayim Bialik is one of those rare actresses who successfully made the transition from child actress to adult actress with an impressive resume. She had tons of guest spots on TV when she was just a kid before landing the lead in Blossom, which ran for 114 episodes (and nearly got a reboot). Years later she’d beat that record on The Big Bang Theory with 203 episodes under her belt before it ended. In the later seasons, her character Amy Farrah Fowler would marry Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper, and I just found out that marked a first in Bialik’s career.

In fact, Bialik has stepped back into Amy’s shoes on the 2026 TV schedule, which means there’s new excitement surrounding the character. We can thank Stuart Fails to Save The Universe for this, and in a recent interview the actress spoke about her most popular TV character, and actually dropped one stat that totally blew my mind about her recent return to the small screen: She’d only been married to Jim Parsons on the small screen until this week.

Bialik’s first role was back in the late eighties. She’s been an adult since the mid-nineties, and she’s been a working actress for much of that time (though she did take a break in the early 2000s). You’re telling me that it was only in The Big Bang Theory universe that she has been cast as a married woman? She’s 50 years old, and had only been married to one character on TV up to this point? I mean, what?

I guess it can be said she was on Bang for quite some time, but still. I was very surprised to hear this. Bialik mentioned the stat to Us Magazine as part of the promotion for the Big Bang Theory spinoff. She dropped it really casually, too, like it’s not weird at all and also faintly amuses her. In real life, however, Bialik was married for nearly a decade and had two children with Michael Stone before their split in 2013, and has dated in the time since. But onscreen, it was only Jim for years and years.

All things must eventually change, however. In fact, last week the actress showed up in the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe “Spoiler We Couldn’t Get Green Lantern” episode that really had fans talking. (Because it was a funny episode title, but also because they really couldn’t get Green Lantern.)

Anyway, in the episode Amy Farrah Fowler showed up in an alternate universe playing Jay Garrick (AKA The Flash’s) wife, whom we know took over for Joan Williams thanks to the flippant comment, “Joan took a Subaru to Portland if you know what I mean.” Jay later mentioned his in-laws, so it’s clear the two are married in this Stuart timeline, with Mayim Bialik also noting:

Regardless, I think if what Amy revealed here holds up, she’s still only ever been married in The Big Bang Theory universe outside of her former real-life marriage. So, that’s still pretty strange to think about.

Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 51-season run, the series has satirized dozens of political figures and other celebrities, and that will continue on the 2026 TV schedule. Many people have spoken out about the impersonations, and the feedback can vary depending on the public figure. When it comes to Meghan McCain, she's not a fan of the way in which the show pokes fun at Republicans, including herself, and she explained what she didn’t like about the impression.

McCain, an author and media personality, has been impersonated on SNL three times, with former cast member Aidy Bryant portraying her each time. The show's interpretation of McCain is a high-strung person, who's easily offended and interested in pop culture more than anything.

While it’s been years since that happened, the impersonation has apparently weighed heavily on McCain. She brought it up during an interview with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (who has also been impersonated by Bryant on SNL) on her Citizen McCain podcast. The former View panelist admitted to not being a fan of either impression:

Through the years, NBC's long-running sketch show has made fun of various U.S. Presidents in some way, and political impressions happen practically every episode. Despite that, it's been said that SNL won’t ever fully pick a political side. Nevertheless, McCain -- the daughter of late U.S. Senator John McCain -- is of the belief that there are some inconsistencies on that front. This also isn't the first time as of late that she’s felt the need to call out someone or something for political-based reasons.

Over this past summer, McCain went off on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night content after the host made a joke about Spencer Pratt leaving LA if he lost the mayoral race. She’s also taken shots at Kelly Clarkson and Gwyneth Paltrow, so her willingness to call out Saturday Night Live aligns with how she's approached such discussions before.

Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, not all politicians who are impersonated on SNL dislike it. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is allegedly still trying to get on SNL and was a good sport when Ramy Youssef impersonated him in 2025. Ahead of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, Kamala Harris stopped by Studio 8H and did the cold open alongside Maya Rudolph, who had been regularly impersonating the Presidential candidate.

When it comes to SNL and political impersonations, it's hard to predict how the person being lampooned will react. Historically, though, the show has utilized politics since the very beginning, whether in a sketch or on Weekend Update. And, of course, viewers' reactions to that material will vary. As for Meghan McCain, though, it's hard to say if she'll ever impressed with the show's handling of political matter.

It’s unknown what Saturday Night Live has planned for its Season 52 premiere this coming Saturday, September 27. Given all the developments that have occurred since the show's been on summer hiatus, though, viewers may be in for some political satire. For now, know that all episodes of SNL are streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Fans around the world have had new reason to celebrate the whimsical splendor of Gravity Falls thanks to the release of the magnificent new book The Art of Gravity Falls, a gloriously hefty behind-the-scenes journey from earliest concepts through the series finale. A feast for the eyeballs, the book puts the spotlight on the myriad talents responsible for bringing one of the best animated series ever to life. That definitely includes its brilliant authors, creator Alex Hirsch and producer Rob Renzetti.

I’m not just calling them brilliant because they talked to CinemaBlend at length about their first nonfiction book about Gravity Falls, though it absolutely helped. [Read the full interview below.] But also because this book finally turned my head around from “I need Season 3 immediately” fanaticism to truly understanding just how lucky we all are that the show was able to reach the heights it did in the first place, and how much work was required for it to stick its exquisite landing in a way that few TV shows did before or since.

Now, I'd still take a Gravity Falls movie without hesitation — and I love Hirsch's lofty idea for how to make it happen — but after reading the book and asking the duo for their thoughts about returning to that world, I think I am finally at peace. Or something. Here's how Hirsch explained it:

It's easy to hear that and think, "Well what about a one-off special or series of shorts?" But that falls back to the issue of how to open the Journal back up convincingly and in a way that seems necessary. Which Hirsch spoke to as he continued, saying:

To follow up on the madness of "Weirdmageddon," the story would need to be massively important for these characters, and in a truly authentic way. So it's perfectly understandable that no one involved wants to go through the wringer all over again for another 20-episode season of TV. But I choose to remain hopeful that these characters will return for a new adventure in some shape or form. Yes, even in the face of Rob Renzetti's wise older uncle logic, as seen below.

You can read even more of their thoughts about the show's potential future and more below in our full-length interview. (Edited for clarity and length.) But if you haven't already, BUY THE ART OF GRAVITY FALLS RIGHT NOW!

CinemaBlend's Full Interview With Gravity Fall's Alex Hirsch And Rob Renzetti

• CINEMABLEND: The book is... My God, it's so good.

ALEX HIRSCH: Well, thank you for enjoying it. We didn't know what the target audience was. We made it for nerds like ourselves, so it sounds like mission accomplished.

• CINEMABLEND: To start off with, any hopes of seeing Rumble McSkirmish in the Street Fighter movie?

ALEX HIRSCH: Oh, Rumble McSkirmish. I have a theory that Rumble McSkirmish and Giffany have found love and are now parents to a bunch of little space invader babies. I hope for great things for them.

• CINEMABLEND: I have so many questions about just the process of going back to the beginning and putting all that together. Can you talk about looking at some of the earliest like concept drawings, and if it felt like looking at baby pictures in a way?

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, yeah. I mean, we made the decision early on to include the embarrassing, ugly, earliest drawings I've ever done of these characters. I didn't want to see them again. I know I'm not going to get any praise for these things. But the hope was that we would maybe have the opportunity to show our fans that TV shows and movies -as big and complex and intimidating and impressive as they are - they ultimately start with rough, stupid ideas. Rough drafts. Messy, false starts. We wanted to demystify the process a little bit.

I've had so many fans come up to me and say, “How do I make my own show? Where do I get started? What's the process?” And with this book, it seemed like there was an opportunity to sort of look behind the curtain and say, “Look, if our goofy knucklehead asses could do it, you can certainly do it too.”

ROB RENZETTI: Part of the reason that I wanted to be involved with this book was, when I was a weird little kid growing up, I had no chance to see Disney animation on television. I'm old enough that Disney actually didn't show their cartoons on television. But I had a cousin who was a huge Disney fan. He's older than me. He was an artist. He just was a fan of Disney, so he had all these art books.

So when I would go over to his house, I would go into his room and look at his like Art of Walt Disney and the other books he had; he had like six or seven different books. They showed me Disney cartoons, and the only way I could see him was like still frames from a Mickey Mouse short presented like a comic strip. But then on the next page, it showed “Here's the original model sheet of the character you just saw from the finished cartoon, and here's a version of the prop, and here's the background about the characters in front of it. See the pegs down at the bottom.”

Basically I discovered how these cartoons were made and how they were created, that there was a bunch of artists that got together to do this to collaborate on, and those books are one of the reasons that I grew up to be in animation, to work in the industry that I saw depicted in those pages. So when we were doing our own Art of... book, I think it was both important to me and Alex that, you know, you could do a glossy book that just showed you a bunch of the finished backgrounds, or you could do a book that showed you the nuts and bolts, and the ugly, weird, crazy, abandoned part of the processes.

I think we wanted to basically show this is a show that was created by imperfect humans with imperfect ideas, and it was only through their collaboration together that the show turned out the way that it did, and that the show is as good as it is. And that it's something that you yourself are capable of, and that you yourself, if you get a bunch of your friends together, you too can create a show and have people love it.

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, I think it's so easy now to make things that look slick that people are scared of being cringe, and being stupid is the first step to being smart. So we we wanted to show our dumbest ideas and our dumbest drawings to demystify the process, so that people realize they could do it.

ROB RENZETTI: You don't have to be dumb in public. You can do all your dumb sketches to yourself and not put them on social media. You can just keep them in your desk until you're ready to to have something that you want to share with people.

ALEX HIRSCH: Right, but we're opening up our desk so you can see our dumbness.

ROB RENZETTI: Yeah, we're opening Alex's desk mostly, and showing all his dumb things. I wasn't around when the first sketches of Dipper and Mabel were were made. I came in when Joe Pitt was making the characters look like they look now. But still, I have my own crappy doodles from early crappy ideas that I have, and I keep them to myself. But we wanted to show these so that people could say like, "Those doodles you hate so much, they're the key ingredient to getting anything good off the ground."

• CINEMABLEND: Oh man, that's so inspirational to hear. I'm a huge 2 Stupid Dogs fan, too.

ROB RENZETTI: Oh well, I'm glad to hear it. That was the start of my Hollywood career was working on 2 Stupid Dogs, and so I'm very grateful to Donovan Cook, the creator of that show, for giving me and all the young artists that came along with me a chance. Because from that show came Dexter's Lab and Powerpuff Girls, and my show, My Life as a Teenage Robot. All of us got our chance starting on 2 Stupid Dogs.

• CINEMABLEND: And they'd be two smart dogs now because that's the first step. It's all cyclical.

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, the dogs could do astrophysics now. You just need to give them some time.

ROB RENZETTI: That's right.

• CINEMABLEND: Neil deGrasse Tyson would be like, "That's not correct, dogs.'

ROB RENZETTI: Hey, but it's pretty good for dogs regardless.

• CINEMABLEND: I feel like all the background art should be screensavers on smart TVs. They're just so, so gorgeous. There's talk in the book that it would be gorgeous enough for a movie. I have to address this at some point, but are there any thoughts of making some sort of a feature-length return for Gravity Falls?

ALEX HIRSCH: If you can convince Walt Disney Corporation to give me $70 million and a theatrical release, you'll get your Gravity Falls movie, brother. So start making those phone calls. I'll say, we love these characters, we love this world, and whenever there's an opportunity to do something in this world that makes sense for us creatively and doesn't screw the whole thing up, we take it. That's why we did this book. That's why I did Book of Bill. But movies are expensive, so yeah, see what you could do next time you're at Disneyland shaking hands with Mickey Mouse. [Laughs.] Kidnap him, shake him down.

ROB RENZETTI: No, you put what he thinks is a $20 bill into his suit coat pocket, and it actually turns out to be Stan Bucks. and on the back you write a message about the Gravity Falls movie.

• CINEMABLEND: And I still have a string to get it back.

ROB RENZETTI: [Laughs.] Of course.

ALEX HIRSCH: You know what? We haven't tried that method. Going to a Hollywood producer, giving them $90 million attached to a string, and then just sneakily yoinking it as soon as the movie's made.

ROB RENZETTI: Yes, as soon as the final film is done.

ALEX HIRSCH: I think you're describing how crypto works, but that's a whole other ball game. [Laughs.]

• CINEMABLEND: I guess Stan getting into crypto would be a way into that.

ALEX HIRSCH: He can't operate a computer. His scams are a lot more nostalgic than today's scams.

• CINEMABLEND: He would just attach an e to the end of a dog and just be like, "That's Doge."

ALEX HIRSCH: [Laughs.] Yeah, exactly.

• CINEMABLEND: Well, can we talk about codes?

ALEX HIRSCH: Sure. Like, um, what's a code? Never heard of it.

• CINEMABLEND: I...don't even have an amusing response. Were there any worries, or non-worries, about including them in here, as far as what fans may read into with them?

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, you know, we made the controversial opinion to not include any codes, secrets, or mysteries whatsoever in this book. Unfortunately, we just didn't think it would be appropriate. So yeah, nothing to see here, folks! Don't get out your magnifying glasses. Don't look closely. It's just a regular Art Of... book.

• CINEMABLEND: Uh huh. Mm-hmm. Okayyy.

ALEX HIRSCH: That's my answer. I'm sticking to it.

• CINEMABLEND: Not in this book, then, but maybe in past ones. What is that process like? Was there less pressure in coming up with those for the books, without leading up to a big story?

ROB RENZETTI: The process for me is that I leave it to Alex. But when we're working on these books, we kind of do everything else first. And if there if there are any codes hidden in any book that we might produce, it's kind of the last thing that gets added in. One, it gives Alex more time to procrastinate and figure out exactly what he wants to do. And two, it only makes sense to layer it on top because it is kind of like the icing on the cake. It's not an essential ingredient. It's another layer of things that usually doesn't interact in any substantial way with the story we're telling in the books.

ALEX HIRSCH: Yes, it's 100% icing, and sometimes it feels a little bad because me and all of my fellow chefs will work very hard to make this cake. We'll sweat over it for a year, and then at the last second, I'll add three little dollops of frosting, and people say, "Wow, it's The Frosting Show! We love the frosting. You must have spent hours on that frosting!" And it's like, the frosting is only tasty because it's sitting on top of a delicious cake that has character and lore and story.

But that being said, I'm a motherfucker who loves frosting. [Laughs.] I have so much fun creating games and puzzles and ARGs and secrets and mysteries. It's one of my favorite things. For me, it's a little bit of a cat and mouse game with the fans. Since 2012, when the show came out, I've been hiding little secret things and waiting to see what happens. And every challenge I've ever created, the fans have risen to the challenge and, as a hive mind collectively, been smarter than any single human could be, and they seem to be able to crack anything.

So I'm always looking for ways to summon - like sleeper agents - all of those little conspiracy theorists and see what they can do. It's very, very fun, but it is the thing we put the least amount of time and effort into, even though it creates the most amount of YouTube theory videos. Which get a lot of clicks, so you know, I'm happy to be part of that world. But it's not as deep as it might seem.

• CINEMABLEND: When putting the book together and choosing the ephemera that shows up on the pages - the home photos and getting all of the artists involved - how did that process go? I realize there's probably not an easy answer, but how much access was there, and was it more of a cutting down process than scrambling to fill it?

ROB RENZETTI: Oh, it's always a cutting down. I mean, I'm sure Alex has about 20 times more stuff that could have been put into the book in his closet than ended up in it. I will say, and I'll I'll speak first here about one aspect of the book that was unusual and unique for me, which is that I was kind of filling your kind of role, Nick, in that we we kind of became journalists.

Because this is first nonfiction book I've worked on — I think Alex as well — we basically wanted to go back and talk to all the artists that we helped make the show with, some people that I haven't seen in years, and basically interview them and give them questions. Like, I didn't know how Sean Jimenez exactly was connected to Alex, and how he came to work on Gravity Falls. How did that all work? So I talked with Sean and asked him about that. I asked him why did he think that Gravity Falls is still enduring today. So like I basically became a little bit of a journalist for a while and interviewed people, including interviewing Alex Hirsch about his beginnings and how he started off.

A little behind-the-scenes here: the early chapters where there's this third authorial voice talking about how the show came to be and how Alex came up with the show, is basically me interviewing Alex, Alex giving me answers, me writing a version of that, Alex changing the version, and writing that. But all from this weird third-person perspective of a person who doesn't exist, and is just a conglomeration of the two of us writing the book. So even though there's lots of direct quotes in the book from artists and a lot from Alex and some from me, a lot of the writing where there is this third authorial voice is just kind of a weird amalgamation of the two of us writing back and forth and passing drafts back and forth.

So that whole process was very strange, and it took us a while to figure it out. I think it holds together pretty well at the end of the day, but it was definitely a different set of challenges that we had as writers to like write this kind of nonfiction book of a show that we were both there as as first-person participants, but write part of it at least in third person.

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, me and Rob had to sort of become historians of each other. I had to be the expert on Rob, and Rob had to be the expert on Alex, and then we did our best to sort of stick it together. In terms of getting all the material, I'm sort of a pack rat. I'm a really sort of nostalgic guy. My house is filled like the Mystery Shack is filled with strange curios and things that I've held onto. Right where I'm sitting right now, I can see a taxidermy duck that was signed by Weird Al, and a jar full of teeth, and a 3D-printed head of President Taft. So I just I never let go of anything.

ALEX HIRSCH: I just saved everything when the show was happening, I still have my sketches from third grade, and I've just kept everything in a crapload of boxes that just had been in my garage for many, many years. So all I had to do was go downstairs, chase the rats away, blow off the cobwebs, and start digging in. Rob is right, though. There was so much material.

I mean, between early sketches, alternate drafts of the show, and then reaching out to Disney and going through their archives, animatics, storyboards — you could have made 30 books easily out of the material we had. We did our best to try to get a representative sample, both of early versions of things that fans love that they're now seeing from a kind of different point of view, as well as cut ideas that never made it, as well as sort of beautiful finished art, but now on a big beautiful spread so you could see it, hoping to give a good sampling of the experience.

I'm glad to hear that you liked it. When you're working on a thing like this, you never really know what you got until people get it. So we've been getting good feedback and feeling good about it.

ROB RENZETTI: We wanted to make a coffee table book that you'd actually pick up off the coffee table and look through.

ALEX HIRSCH: That was the goal. It's also the size of a coffee table, so not easy to make.

• CINEMABLEND: And now I want a third author picture that's a The Thing-ish amalgamation of both your faces.

ROB RENZETTI: There was one. There was a point - I never showed this to Alex - but I started working on an image of like the scene from Ghost where Patrick Swayze is helping Demi Moore. They're making that pot together, and I put Alex's and my heads on those two characters, but I never finished it. Never sent it.

ALEX HIRSCH: [Laughs.] That is how me and Rob make everything. He's at a kiln, and I'm secretly behind him, tenderly cupping his arms romantically.

• CINEMABLEND: And then sometimes Whoopi Goldberg just appears.

ALEX HIRSCH: Oh yeah, she's a vital part of every process. You've got editors, you've got publishers, you gotta get the Whoopi, absolutely.

ROB RENZETTI: Whoopi Goldberg is, in any creative endeavor, the vital part.

• CINEMABLEND: To go for another hard-hitting one here: can you talk about finally giving fans a definitive answer to Pool Jail Kid's fate.

ALEX HIRSCH: You know, honestly, I think the answer to that question might be in the book itself. [Pulls out copy of the book.] Let me flip through this.

ROB RENZETTI: We know that now generations of his family exist in pool jail. I think that's the point, isn't it?

ALEX HIRSCH: I mean, this is what it says in the book: "I've probably had more people at conventions ask me what happened to Pool Jail Kid than any other question. Let me, for once, clear the air. No, Pool Jail Kid did not escape pool jail. Yes, he is a grown man now with a pool jail wife, and pool jail kids of his own." So that's my answer. I'm sticking to it.

ROB RENZETTI: But that is not a complete [explanation], because does that mean he gets visits from his wife in pool jail, and that he has kids that exist outside of pool jail and come visit him in pool jail? Or are they all in pool jail together?

ALEX HIRSCH: I stand by my statement, Rob. I think it's clear. [Laughs.]

ROB RENZETTI: See, see? There are more questions, though. There are questions yet to answer.

• CINEMABLEND: Is it a conjugal pool?

ROB RENZETTI: That's what I'm saying! Is it a conjugal pool visit, or is it like, is she in the next cell over? Or do they share a cell?

ALEX HIRSCH: I'm leaving that to the imagination of our incredible fans.

ROB RENZETTI: I think you're leaving it to the next Gravity Falls books, or series of books that we're going to write about Pool Jail.

ALEX HIRSCH: 50 SPF Shades of Gray is our Pool Jail book.

• CINEMABLEND: Another thing that I loved reading about, as far as silly insights go, were the differences in humor communication between American animators and Korean animators. The Beaver example was excellent. Were there any others that you can think of that weren't mentioned?

ALEX HIRSCH: We were so lucky to work with extraordinary overseas teams who do so much work and crafted those drawings, and we're so grateful to have worked with them. It is a strange and now kind of arcane process the way that we did this. It was traditional hand-drawn animation, even though it was colored digitally. We had stacks of drawings that were sent shipped literally on a boat to Korea, and digital files that were sent back and forth, and there were plenty of times where things would be lost in translation.

But I don't think that's because we spoke English and they spoke Korean. I think that's because I speak Alex, and Alex is kind of a mess. So I would say that usually, if there was a misunderstanding from any of our overseas teams, it's because I was asking them to draw something called a Multi-Bear, and who on earth knows what that looks like until you've seen it?

So I have nothing but praise for our teams. There were occasional miscommunications, and they were usually my fault. I'll say that.

ROB RENZETTI: I mean, I will say that yes, there are miscommunications. But having worked on many, many, many shows, I will just tell you that, like, it seems as a creator of something -when you're writing something or you're drawing something or whatever - it all seems so obvious to you what the answers to questions are. But when you bring one other person into the equation with their different mind, there are questions or interpretations that they're gonna have that you could never predict, and that you, in your own crazy mind, could never think that would that something would be interpreted that way.

I mean, I can give you an example. One of the famous examples from Dexter's Laboratory, which is there is an episode where they go to see a Chuck E. Cheese-type show, and at one point at the end of the show, the audience is supposed to stand up and clap and love it. I was the one responsible for timing that show, and in the exposure sheets, the timing instructions, I wrote 'The audience rises up,' or something like that. We got the take back from overseas, where instead of the audience just standing up, the audience flew up.

ALEX HIRSCH: It magically flies away.

ROB RENZETTI: Magically flew away off screen. We saw them in Take 1, and we all fell on the floor laughing and had to understand., 'What are we talking about?' I had to go back and look at the ex sheets and see what I'd written, and I'm like, "Oh my god, this WAS lost in translation." But we loved it so much that we left it in the show.

ALEX HIRSCH: Didn't you add like The Six Million Dollar Man sound effect? [Makes sound effect.]

ROB RENZETTI: Yeah, we added The Six Million Dollar Man sound effect to it, I believe. It was a complete mistake, and we're just like, 'This is comedy gold. Who knows if it'll make anybody else laugh? But it made us laugh, and we're keeping it in.'

ALEX HIRSCH: I was way too pedantic to keep any of the mistakes, and this is what makes Dexter's Lab a superior show. It's just like a spirit of playful anarchy, which I deeply respect.

• CINEMABLEND: In the years since, with fans wanting returns from the show, and you having pretty much given it the definitive ending that it needed with "Weirdmageddon," what are the pushes and pulls of you wanting to return to it? How much do these books feed into that and sate it?

ALEX HIRSCH: I think of myself like Grunkle Stan. I love to entertain an audience, and like Grunkle Stan, I'm very grateful for the fact that any lost souls have wandered their way up to my shack of amusements. So it's like, you know, we try to give back. It's amazing that fans continue to dress up and theorize and create, and that is a gift. And you know, I take it seriously. I don't take it for granted.

So things like these books are my way of sort of trying to continue to reward just all of that love and creativity that we feel so blessed by. That being said, books are relatively quick and cheap. Animation and movies are very, very long and expensive, and very difficult creatively. Stuff like that, you only make if you have a really clear, specific vision about how it's going to support the world. This is why I have never had any intention of making a Season 3 or something, because that ending was good. But when we have opportunities to do something that is creatively fulfilling and also seems like it is something fans will enjoy, we take those opportunities.

But I'm careful not to overpromise, because I'm sure there's a lot of fans who, if they had a magic wand, would make 20 more seasons of Gravity Falls and 10 Gravity Falls movies and every character would grow up and then have babies and then it would be like, "Here's Dipper's great-great-great-grandson, and he's solving mysteries in space." That's just, again, how I think about these things.

ROB RENZETTI: Another great idea. Very solid.

ALEX HIRSCH: All right, you know what? You've convinced me. We're getting J J Abrams to do Space Dipper. You heard it first. It's coming.

ROB RENZETTI: Here's what I'll say. Here's where I'll be the older disciplinarian uncle. The thing is, some people don't know what's best for them. Like, the show that you love, you think you want more of it, but you don't. What you want is another show to come along that gives you those same kinds of excited feelings - maybe in the same genre, maybe completely different - but gives you the same kind of 'I'm enthralled by the show, I'm loving the hell out of it, I want it to go on forever.'

But at the same time, if they give me a satisfying ending, I've got to have the maturity to say like, 'Wow, that was fantastic. What do I move on to next?' And it's still there. You can still start it again and watch it all again from beginning to end, and there'll be things that you remember, things that you forget. I come back to my favorite movies, my favorite books. Luckily, my memory is very faulty, and I'll forget even my most favorite stories. I'll forget huge details to it.

I just read Apt Pupil by Stephen King, which is probably my favorite Stephen King story; if not, it's probably in my top three. And I had forgotten most of that; I just listened to an audiobook version of it, and I loved it all over again. Does that mean I want to hear Apt Pupil 2, where Todd Bowden comes back from the dead to kill us all again? No, I don't want that.

ALEX HIRSCH: Somewhere, an Apple TV executive just got an erection. As soon as you add a sequel to something, it will get greenlit.

ROB RENZETTI: But I mean, again, like I'll say, no more sequels. Let's come to the original thing.

ALEX HIRSCH: Yeah, I think Rob is right. If you want a Season 3 of Gravity Falls, all you got to do is deeply inhale some industrial varnish, and you'll forget the show, and you'll be able to enjoy it all for the first time all over again.

I'm pretty sure I'll be nerding out until the end of time after having that conversation with two of the coolest and smartest gents in animation. And about one of the greatest books that's ever existed. After all, I don't see Apt Pupil or any other Stephen King novels including pull-outs highlighting every single colorful sweater that Mabel Pines wore throughout Gravity Falls' run. I mean, it would be weird if that showed up in any of King's books, but still.

So for now, the sweater rundown and tons of other exclusive details and visual flair can only be found in The Art of Gravity Falls. Read it while rewatching episodes via Disney+ subscription.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is set to wrap its first season this week, but there’s already good news on the horizon for the HBO series: The Big Bang Theory is in the writer’s room for Season 2. If you’ve been keeping tabs on the freshman show, which picks up where The Big Bang Theory left off, you may already know the streamer and subscription cabler renewed Stuart back in August, but I still find it really interesting the show is not slowing down.

In fact, HBO is kind of notorious for long waits between seasons. Think House of the Dragon or that four-year gap between Euphoria episodes. In the case of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the creative team is not sitting back and allowing time to pass, as longtime franchise writer Bill Prady himself posted.

Of course, one of the best things about the Stuart-led spinoff is that it has allowed for a remix of some of the fans’ favorite Big Bang Theory characters. Kaley Cuoco showed up in an episode with another unexpected cameo, for example. While the fans are excited for whatever it is the writers ultimately concoct for next season, they do also have some hashtag #thoughts about what they would like to see.

• "I need to see Captain Sweatpants! Bill, please 🙏"
• "More comic book crossovers! 🔥the fan service plus absurdity is delicious."
• "I'd love to see Tommy Pelphrey do a guest spot in Season 2 maybe married to an alternate version of Penny."
• "Bernadette back 🤞"
• "Please make the episodes longer. Thank you."
• "Give us more than 10 episodes PLEASE."

Listen, Bill Prady wasn't asking for writing advice, but I wouldn't mind seeing some of these suggestions come to fruition. Who knows what might come down the pipeline this week, even? Right now Prady and co. are definitely operating off of more info than the fanbase currently has.

A few fans are out there are noting that a lot of people rooted for yet another Big Bang Theory spinoff to fail: "I think it's important to note that everyone was rooting for this show to suck and it flippin COOKED!!!" Here it is doing something totally unique and different to Chuck Lorre’s network TV shows(Although critics were divided on one issue.) Honestly, I was always pretty interested in where this HBO-centric spinoff was going, and now that I know the general tone and vibe, I’m even more interested in seeing what wild shenanigans the writing room can concoct for Season 2.

As I mentioned prior, we aren’t done with Season 1 yet. The Stuart Fails To Save The Universe finale will hit the 2026 TV schedule on September 24th on HBO and for anyone with an HBO Max subscription. And stay tuned because hopefully there are only more cameos coming down the pipeline.

Amy Heckerling's Clueless is one of the best '90s movies of all time, and is still regularly re-watched by folks with a Paramount+ subscription. It's still a beloved part of the pop culture landscape, in no small part thanks to the iconic performances by Alicia Silverstone and late actress Brittany Murphy. Although one co-star recently got honest about why she wasn't surprised by Murphy's death in 2009.

Despite the years that have passed, Murphy's death is still a touchy subject for fans. Case in point: Murphy got the lifetime movie treatment back in 2014. In a clip from the Still Here podcast's YouTube, Amber actress Elisa Donovan got honest about her reaction to her co-star's death. She said:

Well, that was honest. While Murphy's death at age 32 years old was shocking to the general public, that wasn't Donovan's reaction. On paper her above quote might seem cold, but it turns out that she had been getting updated about her Clueless co-star from a mutual friend.

Elisa Donovan's Amber has some of Clueless' most quotable lines, but she also had a unique perspective about what was happening with Brittany Murphy prior to her passing. It turns out that she and the late actress shared a hairdresser leading up to her death, and she would offer updates to Donavan. As Donovan put it:

The actress also recalled the last time she saw Brittany Murphy, as they both attended the GLAAD Awards. In addition to what she'd heard from their mutual hairstylist, at the event she noticed that the Sin City actress' knees appeared to be buckling. She said that she looked at her colleague and friend and thought that she wasn't healthy. The Clueless star thought she might have had an easting disorder and/or an issue with drugs.

As fans might remember, Murphy's cause of death was ruled as pneumonia, exacerbated by anemia and addiction to prescription medications. Her husband would die from similar causes just months later. There was also some debate about the cause, with some thinking that toxic mold from her house was a factor.

Clueless is streaming now on Paramount+. There's also a TV sequel in development for the streamer, with Alicia Silverstone reprising her role as Cher. That title is currently on the 2026 TV schedule, so we'll have to wait and see when it happens, and if there are any tributes to Brittany Murphy.

Kat Dennings may have moved on to ABC’s Shifting Gears, but she’s had 2 Broke Girls on the brain of late. This is likely because she’s set to reunite with co-star Beth Behrs when Season 3 of her sitcom hits the TV schedule this winter, but also because the CBS sitcom celebrated its 15th anniversary this week. In a post, though, the actress joked about leaving the series behind with both “PTSD” and that CBS "money." It was funny, but also after seeing some of the commentary, I get it.

I was writing about TV already when 2 Broke Girls premiered back in 2011. It was very popular on CBS. More than 19 million people tuned in for the premiere, and during its first season it made the Top 30 when it came to network programming. It ultimately ran for six seasons before getting cancelled by CBS without being able to wrap its storylines, I might add.

However, critics hated the show while it was on, and they weren’t particularly nice about it through the course of the sitcom’s run. I remember at the time the show’s second season was ramping up, the creator was taken to task by journalists over allegations of stereotyping. Looking into the show again this week, I found critics called the show “sexist, vulgar, racist, and generally offensive,” saying it would try to go edgy but wasn’t well-written enough to get away with it. Others objected to the number of body jokes per episode.

People were not kind about 2 Broke Girls online. Meanwhile, Beth Behrs and Kat Dennings were working long TV hours to bring the laughs to fans who did seemingly enjoy some of Max’s zingers and Caroline figuring out how to live life as a poor person. They come off like they had a good time working together and are still friendly pals, so the show experience wasn’t all bad, and Dennings expressed that in a more candid (and less amusing) anniversary post.

Still, I can’t imagine what it’s like to have to deal with constant criticism when you are on a series for years and know you have fans. Her new show with Tim Allen, Shifting Gears, gets that a little bit, too. Critics were pretty open ahead of its 2025 premiere they think it’s a “lame relic,” but they don’t seem to think it’s patently offensive in the way they did with Dennings’ now-cancelled show.

I personally like that Shifting Gears is joke-joke-joke and has a laugh track. I think some people feel this is a style from the past, just as mockumentaries are starting to go out of fashion, as well. (S/O to Abbott Elementary for keeping that format alive.) Personally, I think there’s room for a wide breadth of content on television, and I think this art form is not as easy to get right as people like to act like. Just ask the Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik.

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Practical Magic 2. Read at your own risk!

I had a date to see Practical Magic 2 recently, and as luck would have it, the original was available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, so I could see it beforehand. It ended up being a blessing and a curse, to be honest, as while I wasn't in the dark about the Owens women, one plot point from the sequel drove me up a wall.

The movie opens up with the news that Gary Hallet, the detective played by Aidan Quinn in the first movie, has died. We then learn that Sally, who felt burned again by the Owens Curse, used magic to erase her daughters' memories of being witches, which is more or less what she did when her husband died in the first movie!

I Don't Understand Why Sally Made The Decision To Hide Magic From Her Daughters Again

Sally turned her back on magic before, and it went pretty poorly in Practical Magic. She forbade Francis and Jet from teaching the girls about magic, which ended up being a largely successful endeavor. The kids in town were able to get in Kylie and Antonia's ears, and before too long, it was time to come clean.

By the end of the movie, everyone in town knows the Owens women are witches, and they embrace it! Even Gary is so smitten with Sally that he clears her and Gillian of murder, even though they totally did kill her ex. They were loved, accepted, and well-liked, so why would Sally erase every memory they had of that?

The more I think about it, the crueler the spell seems. Sure, grief makes us do rash things, but when Kylie and Antonia lost every memory of magic, did it also remove the positive memories they had with their aunt and great-aunts attached to it? I still like the movie, despite other critics looking down on it, but this part really bugged me.

I'm Not Sure How Kylie And Antonia Weren't Able To Discover They Were A Family Of Witches

Magic aside, it's even more baffling to me that Kylie and Antonia didn't immediately find out they were witches all over again. Once again, Practical Magic ended with them getting the love and adoration of the town, and it's even mentioned that the aunts are visited by people nightly for help with their ailments.

Sure, Antonia mentions hearing "rumors" of the family being cursed to Kylie. But how did no one ever say, "Hey, remember when we all got together, and your family floated down from the roof of your house?" Them being witches was not a secret, and wouldn't the daughters be the least bit concerned that everyone remembered this but them?

Fortunately, this glaring plot hole has not diminished the sequel's success, as Practical Magic 2 is finding an audience despite the reviews. It may not be the same as the original, but it offers the nostalgia hit that audiences are looking for, and something the cast was looking for as well. I can't pretend I'm interested in seeing it again like I am with the original, but I'd be down to watch another sequel!

We'll see if another sequel is ever in the works, as there are more books to adapt. In the meantime, I'm going to try and use magic to erase my memory of that plot point, because it's still making me mad here as I write.

Danielle Fishel is getting a chance to direct again for Shifting Gears when it returns for Season 3, and she's as excited as one might expect. The actress-turned-director is stepping behind the camera for the second time in the ABC sitcom, so here's hoping things go much more smoothly this time around, and without the property damage that marred her first episode.

It's common for sitcom stars to appear on the ABC series, with both stars welcoming past actors from their successful shows. Fishel gets the rare honor of being an actor working behind the camera, and it looks like she's thrilled to be doing so.

Danielle Fishel Shared Pics From The Set Of Shifting Gears

Shifting Gears is filming Season 3 right now, and Fishel recently shared some pics from the set during her latest visit. Check out the pics she put on Instagram, complete with her posing with some of the stars:

Always good to see pictures of actors smiling, and bonus brand points for Danielle Fishel ending the collage by showing her vote for Dancing With The Stars. There are no real clues about what this episode is about, though Tim Allen has hinted he'd love to see Shifting Gears start branching out in Season 3.

There Was An "Incident" Last Time Danielle Fishel Directed Shifting Gears

Whatever happens in this episode, I'm sure Fishel would prefer if she didn't endure the same crisis she did last time. The actress revealed on her Pod Meets World podcast that a small panic ensued when an actor mistakenly damaged one of Tim Allen's actual cars during a scene:

Here, I thought the most drama that happened on the set of Shifting Gears was figuring out what iconic show the week's guest star last appeared on. It turns out the auto shop features cars from Allen's personal collection, and despite there being warnings to be careful around the vehicles, one of them was damaged.

Fortunately, another actor on set wasn't just playing a mechanic. He knew a bit about auto repair and reassured Fishel that while the situation wasn't great, it could be easily repaired:

If only every car problem I've ever had was that cheap to fix! It's good, however, that the dent was easily fixed, and even better, Fishel was not barred from ever returning to the Shifting Gears set.

She returns to direct in Season 3, and that's not all that fans have to look forward to! Beth Behrs is going to appear for a Two Broke Girls reunion with Kat Dennings, and I'm sure that's just the start of exciting guest stars. This show has thrived on bringing in top-notch guest stars, both from classic sitcoms and social media.

As for other things to expect in Shifting Gears Season 3, it feels like romance will certainly be a major plot point this season. With Matt and Eve back together, I'm curious just how serious their relationship will get. Will their age gap start being more of a factor?

Then there's Riley's love triangle, in which she's stuck between Andy and Gabe. Will she end up finally getting with Gabe, or end up with neither man as Season 3 airs?

We'll find out in 2027, as that's when Shifting Gears is set to return to ABC. Rewatch the series in the meantime over on Hulu, and get ready to see the Parker family back in action.

Many are still processing the passing of Dolly Parton, who died at 80 after a brief cancer battle. With that, many have been honoring the late singer, songwriter and actress. What’s been particularly wonderful to see is just how many of Parton’s former collaborators have been opening up about working with her. One of the latest people to do so is Emily Osment, as she had the opportunity to act alongside the late songstress on Hannah Montana. Osment has a sweet take on Parton, and there’s one detail I can’t stop thinking about.

Parton appeared on three episodes of Hannah Montana as a fictionalized version of herself, who is also the godmother of Miley Cyrus’ Miley Stewart. Osment – who played Lily Truscott on all four seasons of the teen sitcom – recently spoke about being privileged enough to share space with the “Islands in the Stream” singer. The George & Mandy’s First Marriage star had nothing but positive thoughts to share about Parton while speaking with People. Fans would likely never guess the one thing that really stands out for Osment, though:

I’m chuckling over the fact that the former child actress can still vividly recall Parton’s scent. But, then again, why am I not at all surprised that the 9 to 5 star would smell good? I mean, she was a woman who put much thought into her appearance, so I don’t have a tough time believing she’d also want to use a sweet-smelling fragrance. Of course, as funny as this may sound, it’s also quite sweet. When we lose people, there are definitely keen details that stick with us, and they help to serve as gentle reminders of those who are no longer with us.

While Disney Channel viewers may not have been able to smell Parton through their TV screens, that certainly didn’t stop Parton from leaving a lasting impression on them. Millennials like myself who grew up during that era of the kid-friendly network also grieved Parton after her passing. A number of their sweet remembrances were shared in the comment section of Miley Cyrus’ tribute to Parton, who was her godmother in real life. In fact, a number of users also pointed out that the sitcom was what first made them aware of Parton at all.

Even years after appearing on the Disney show, the Steel Magnolias star had another impact on the franchise. Cyrus revealed that some keen advice from Parton helped move the Hannah Montana reunion special (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription) along. The Steel Magnolias star advised Cyrus to “if you want something to happen, promote it before it exists” so that “no one can say no” after the fact.

It’s still surreal to think that Dolly Parton is no longer with us, though the stories and tributes that have been shared in her honor have been comforting to see and hear. From Sandra Bullock's story about filming Miss Congeniality 2 with her to Jane Fonda bringing up 9 to 5 memories, the anecdotes have been sweet. Parton has certainly left an indelible mark on the world, and I feel confident in saying that her artistry and philanthropy will not be forgotten. And, for those who shared space with Parton, her scent will likely be remembered, too.

A few days ago, someone brought up Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and mentioned that they believed it was all made up in Cameron’s head. We even wrote about that theory a few years ago. Then I remembered a discussion I had a long time ago about whether Ferris (Matthew Broderick) planned the whole day in advance to get Cameron (Alan Ruck) out of his routine and to loosen up a little.

I rewatched the movie with my Paramount+ subscription, and I definitely like this theory more than Cameron’s hallucinations theory. Here’s why I think Ferris knew exactly what he was doing.

I Don’t Think Ferris Just Got Lucky

The only way to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off without believing that the whole day was planned is to believe Ferris gets incredibly lucky. No one is that lucky, not even in great John Hughes movies set in Chicago from the ‘80s. Take, for example, Ferris jumping on the float in the middle of Chicago. Have you ever been to Chicago? Those cops don’t mess around. He would’ve been tackled and hauled off to jail before he could say “thank you,” in German or any other language.

Not only does he sing/lip sync “Danke Schoen,” but he follows it up with a second song, “Twist & Shout.” Two songs, no cops? I’m not buying it. Ferris arranged the performance with the parade organizers. He knew what he was going to do and what songs it was going to be. He’s even seen practicing “Danke Schoen” earlier in the movie as he showers. There is no way this was random. That goes for the baseball game, too. I think he definitely already had the tickets.

Ferris Picked A Day He Knew His Parents Would Be Busy

Most importantly, Ferris had to pick a day that he knew he would get no interference from his parents. His dad (Lyman Ward) is always in the city for work, so that’s easy; no need to worry about him unless he sees him randomly in a cab or accidentally runs into him at a fancy restaurant (more on the restaurant later. That’s just bad luck. His mom (Cindy Pickett) is a bigger problem. He needs a day he knows she’ll be tied up with work, too.

His mom is a real estate agent, and that means her days could be busy, or they could be slow. What if he picked a day when his mom happened to have no showings? What if she decided she could just stay home and nurse her baby boy back to health? His whole fake sick day would be ruined, and he’d be stuck at home watching The Price Is Right and drinking Sprite like the rest of us ‘80s kids did back then when we were sick.

But his mom has the damn Vermont deal! He picks the day because he knows his mom has a busy day at work. He doesn’t have to worry about his mom checking in on him, because she’s got a big deal to close. Sure, he probably didn’t anticipate that Genie (Jennifer Grey) would ruin the deal by getting arrested, but he knew she’d be gone all day. She does check on him, but only briefly, because he counted on her being distracted by the Vermont deal.

Sloan Was In On It

Ferris’ girlfriend, Sloan (Mia Sara), was in on the planning. When the nurse shows up in her classroom, she is getting ready to leave before the nurse asks her to walk out into the hall with her. How does she know what is coming if she didn’t plan at least some of it with Ferris? She clearly knew that at some point, the nurse was going to show up and tell her that her grandmother had passed away.

Sloan doesn’t get freaked out, thinking it’s real. She knows it’s Ferris getting her out of school. She’s also not surprised to see Cameron hiding in the car when Ferris picks her up. So she likely knew the plan was to get Cameron out of his house and out of his head, because she knew that he was wound up so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal…well, you know. She didn't know all the details, but she knew something.

There Is One Possible Flaw In The Theory

Finally, there is one minor kink in this conspiracy theory that was brought up to me by a colleague here at CinemaBlend. What about the lunch reservation? Well, the theory is that Ferris knew the whole time about the reservation, having made it himself. Why else would he be confident that Abe Froman wouldn’t show up and claim the table for himself? Again, I don’t think anyone gets that lucky.

Instead, I believe that Ferris made the reservation, then made it look like he was just picking a random name and a random party of three from the reservation book. If his goal was to make Cameron uncomfortable, this would be perfect. Cameron freaks out, but Ferris is confident (and Sloan goes right along with him) that everything will work out. That is indeed what happens: the three enjoy lunch, the Sausage King of Chicago never shows, and the meal goes off without a hitch. Is this good luck or planning? I chose to believe the latter.

Does It Really Matter, Though?

Okay, so am I serious? Well, yes and no. Like all quotable John Hughes movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is not meant to be taken seriously or literally (but certainly quoted). I know that, I seen them all dozens of times. However, I think this theory fits perfectly with how things play out in the movie. A little too perfectly for it not to be planned down right down to every minute. A few things happen along the way that threaten to screw things up. I don’t think Ferris anticipated Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari would end up at the bottom of a ravine, for example, or that the parking attendants would go for a joyride in it.

Everything else, though–the baseball game, the museum, lunch, the commodities exchange, and the parade–was all part of Ferris’ plan. He even acknowledges to Sloan at the end that he knew exactly what he was going to do that day. That’s my hill, and well, sure, no one is taking any of this seriously, so sure, I’ll die on it.

The Big Bang Theory wrapped up its 12-season run back in 2019, but the franchise is still rolling, thanks to several spinoff series. Most recently, the 2026 TV schedule ushered in the debut of a new offshoot, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which puts a multiversal twist on the IP. As a result of that kooky motif, several Big Bang vets have appeared on the show, including Mayim Bialik. Apparently, though, there’s been pushback to the former child actress appearing on the series, and Bialik weighed in on that backlash.

Bialik played the role of Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on Big Bang, making her debut at the tail end of Season 3 and eventually remaining with the show for the rest of its run. After the hit CBS sitcom’s conclusion, she reprised Amy for multiple episodes of the prequel series, Young Sheldon. When it comes to Stuart, Bialik has appeared in two episodes thus far and, she recently recalled that ahead of that, she saw negative messages about the prospect of her returning. Bialik recently shared candid thoughts on that uproar, saying:

So far, Bialik has appeared on two episodes of the show, initially playing a variant of Amy who worked as a doctor at a mental institution. She most recently appeared in Season 1’s penultimate episode, a DC-centric episode that sees her play a version of Amy who’s married to Jay Garrick/Flash. As for the backlash, Bialik chatted about it with Big Bang co-star Melissa Rauch (who also returns as Bernadette on the show). Bialik shared more comments with Us Weekly and, all in all, it doesn’t seem like she’s deterred by haters:

Mayim Bialik seems to have a lot of affection for the world of The Big Bang Theory, which she auditioned for at a time when she really needed a role. She’s since spoken fondly about the experience of working on the original show, providing keen insight into developing Amy with the writers (and even working with that monkey). The Blossom star has also shared sweet BTS tidbits, including a photo from the day Amy and Sheldon Cooper’s wedding was filmed. As for her recent appearances on Stuart with the cast, Bialik also has this to say:

As it stands, Stuart is set to return for a second season, which leaves the door open not only for more multiverse-based shenanigans but also more appearances from TBBT veterans. It remains to be seen whether Mayim Bialik would return for more but, per her recent sentiments, I don’t expect any comments from social media users to affect her either way.

Check out the season finale of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which will be available to HBO Max subscription holders starting on Thursday, September 24. Fans can also use that membership to stream The Big Bang Theory.

Tom Cruise has clearly entered a different chapter of his career. We know him as the guy who hangs off airplanes, launches motorcycles off cliffs and talks about movie theaters with the intensity most people reserve for their children. What we have not gotten much of over the years is him simply sitting around doing long-form interviews. Apparently, Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Digger has changed that, too and, as a result, he's sharing some not-so-fun details on playing the film's lead character.

After recently hanging out with Taylor Swift at a Kansas City Chiefs game, the Mission: Impossible star sat down with her husband, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason, for their New Heights podcast. The conversation turned to Cruise’s physical transformation into Digger Rockwell, and somehow wearing a fake gut and prosthetics sounds almost as miserable as some of his stunts. As he tells it:

Cruise is nearly unrecognizable in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming black comedy. Digger Rockwell has thinning gray hair, a heavier body and extensive facial prosthetics, leaving very little of the familiar Ethan Hunt silhouette behind.

The Jerry Maguire actor is accustomed to making himself uncomfortable for a movie. Still, there is something uniquely awful about voluntarily wrapping yourself in layers of rubber and padding before performing extended takes under hot lights. Add cowboy boots (which you can get in size popcorn bucket), extra weight putting pressure on his knees and a director famous for elaborate long shots and I understand why the crew developed its own language for getting him out of the thing. The Days of Thunder franchise star continued:

Nothing says movie-star glamour like somebody yelling “Digger down!” so your lead can be attached to an industrial cooling system. The challenge did not stop once the makeup was on. He also had to perform a lengthy monologue in the suit, something the Kelce brothers singled out during the conversation. He recalled:

If the Kelce brothers’ reaction to Digger is any indication, all that sweat and those long hours paid off. Travis even called the movie a “masterpiece.” I’m sure the film had a great script, and Iñárritu is obviously a brilliant filmmaker, but I have to wonder how much of the movie’s magic comes from the man buried under all that makeup.

The Top Gun icon responded to the grueling process the way he seems to approach any complicated problem: by breaking it down. He wanted at least six hours of sleep, shooting could eat up 12 hours of his day, and removing the prosthetics took even more time. Something had to give. Naturally, Cruise treated the makeup routine like Ethan Hunt planning an infiltration of the Kremlin.

He brought in a chalkboard and had each stage timed with a stopwatch. The makeup team practiced the individual steps until the process sped up, eventually cutting what had taken six hours to less than one. According to the Minority Report veteran, they managed that without simply rushing through the work. That may be the most Tom Cruise solution imaginable. The man found himself facing hours in a makeup chair and apparently decided the makeup department needed training drills.

All that work serves a very different kind of performance for the longtime action movie performer. Digger follows an eccentric oil tycoon scrambling to prove he can save humanity after helping cause a massive ecological catastrophe. The cast also includes Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Jesse Plemons, with Iñárritu directing his first English-language feature since The Revenant.

See Tom Cruise sport that bodysuit and the prosthetics when Digger hits theaters on Oct. 2 as part of the 2026 movie schedule.

The SNL UK series premiere featured some wonderful work from guest host Tina Fey, but the buzziest conversation to come out of the spinoff’s debut was definitely Jack Shep’s wild impression of Princess Diana. The comedian’s shy and flirty tribute to the beloved Royal was shared widely across social media, and to everyone’s delight, he busted it back out last night.

This time, it was in an attempt to roast King Charles and take some shots at AI and Ed Sheeran at the same time. Mission accomplished. The roughly five minute cold open was well-received by the audience and featured some big laughs, mostly thanks to the aforementioned impression and some cold references from King Charles about his frustration over not being able to control her. You can watch the sketch in its entirety below…

This was the second episode of SNL UK’s second season, and I think it’s notable that both weeks have started with a cold open featuring King Charles. Just as the flagship SNL typically starts with Trump, it seems like the spinoff may be getting into a rhythm of beginning each week with the Royal Family. That makes a lot of sense, given the wall-to-wall press coverage of the Windsors, and as we saw this week, they can also be used as a lens to comment on popular culture.

The path in to talk about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle doesn’t need much explanation, as we saw last week, but then again, the path in to talk about Ed Sheeran and AI doesn’t need much explanation either. Just like with President Trump, the Royal Family’s reaction to anything is, well, interesting, whether they’re comedically depicted as being on the same page as everyone else or comedically depicted as being out of touch with how most of us think.

Regardless, it’s a great time to be an SNL fan. The flagship US version is about to return for Season 52 with a stacked cast that’s really coming into its own. Meanwhile, the UK version is really finding its footing and starting to figure out how to carve out its own unique identity and show off that eccentric British humor so many have fallen in love with.

You can catch the first episode of SNL’s new season this coming Saturday at NBC or Peacock when it hits the network television schedule. Jalen Brunson will be the debut host. As for SNL UK, you can check out the next episode this coming Saturday on Sky, as well. It’ll feature Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg, who should be a ton of fun.

If there is one thing that unites St. Louisans more than anything else, it’s Cardinals baseball. We are also quite proud that the writer of Back to the Future, Bob Gale, is a native. In fact, I grew up not far from where Gale did. Still, there was no way that Gale, who is a Cardinals fan, too, could’ve predicted the future when he wrote the script. If he could, he might have picked a less infamous day in Cardinals history. That is because the day that Marty (Michael J. Fox) travels back to 1985 is the exact day that one of the worst calls by an umpire in baseball history happened. If you’re a fan of the Cardinals, you already know where this is going.

A Date That Lives In Infamy

I was a kid in the summer of 1985, but it’s a summer I remember well (even though I think 1986 is the best year in movie history). I don’t know the exact date I saw Back to the Future, but it was likely sometime in July, since the movie was released on July 3rd. At the same time, my team, the Cardinals, were dominating the New York Mets and the rest of the National League East. They won the division, then beat the Dodgers in dramatic fashion in the NLCS. Who can ever forget Ozzie Smith’s home run in Game 5? That set up the inter-state World Series between the Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals. More on that later.

Getting back to that date. The day Marty returns to 1985 is clearly shown in the famous DeLorean: October 26th, 1985. This may or may not be the same day that the Goonies went on their adventure (that theory has basically been debunked), but it is definitely the most auspicious day in the long, storied history of the Cardinals. It’s the day Don Denkinger called Jorge Orta safe at first base in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6. It changed the fortunes of both teams forever.

Don Denkinger Made The Worst Call In Sports History

Orta was the first batter in the bottom of the ninth of Game 6. The Cardinals, who led the series 3-2, had broken a 1-1 tie with a run in the 8th and were leading 2-1. Three outs to go for the Cardinals to win their second World Series under legendary manager Whitey Herzog. Orta hit a little squibber towards first base, which was fielded by Jack Clark, who tossed the ball to pitcher Todd Worrell, covering the bag. Despite being clearly out by at least a foot, umpire Don Denkinger called Orta safe.

Things unraveled from there, as the Royals rallied and won the game on a single by former Cardinal Dan Iorg. Game 7 the next night was an unmitigated disaster for the Cardinals and their fans. It would be 21 long years before the Cardinals would win their next title. ESPN ranked Denkinger’s call the second-worst call in baseball history, but with all due respect to the Worldwide Leader, it’s worse than the Jeffrey Maier call at Yankee Stadium. This was the World Series!

And it all happened the same fateful day that lightning struck and Marty McFly got back to 1985, and you can rent Back to the Future with a Prime subscription to see for yourself!

Johnny Knoxville’s latest movie, Tiny Fugitives, which hit the 2026 movie schedule this weekend, is a simple summer camp movie. Sure, Knoxville pulls off some really fun stunts, but it’s definitely not a Jackass movie. Still, there is one scene in the movie that isn’t a stunt that I just had to ask him about. It involves an electrified fence, reminiscent of the first Jurassic Park. No one was harmed in the production of the scene, but I wondered if, deep down, Knoxville had wished the electricity had been turned on. When I asked Knoxville about it, he admitted that it might have been better if it had been.

In the scene, Knoxville, who plays an overzealous camp counselor trying to thwart some campers' dreams of staying at summer camp forever, is pursuing the kids when he comes upon an electric fence. Everyone watching can see what’s coming from a mile away, but I was still ready to see it actually happen. As Knoxville’s character Bob starts to climb the fence, the kids turn the electricity on and zap! 10,000 volts (or whatever) coursing through Bob. Obviously, this wasn't Jackass; it wasn’t actually turned on. Here’s what Knoxville said about not being a “real” stunt when I asked if he wished it were:

He still nailed the scene in the movie, of course. After watching Jackass: Best and Last earlier this year, I knew Knoxville’s days of doing really intense stunts were over, but I’m glad he still thinks that kind of thing would be fun.

Tiny Fugitives is really about the kids, though, and as funny as Bob the counselor is, he never really upstages those kids. In fact, I loved the movie less for Knoxville’s stunts (though they were fun) and more because the kids are really funny as they deliver some of the most explicit lines in the movie. There’s just something hilarious about kids swearing that gets me every time.

Knoxville may be the name at the top of the movie poster, but it’s his co-stars like Benjamin Pajak, Aaron Harris, and Isa Bernal Steiner who make the raunchy summer camp comedy really come to life. Knoxville is great, don’t get me wrong, but he understood the assignment. Let the kids shine.

Meanwhile, if you want to see Knoxville actually get hurt doing stunts, most of the Jackass series is available with a Paramount+ subscription. If you want to see him get outwitted by a bunch of precocious and foul-mouthed kids, check out Tiny Fugitives.

It’s no secret that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson could be half-brothers after McConaughey’s mother revealed she knew the Harrelson's father back in the day. This obviously raised a few eyebrows, and the former True Detective co-stars have been asked about the possibility ever since. Now, they're promoting a project called Brothers, and honestly, I never get tired of the two debating if that's really what they are.

Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about the debate going away any time soon, as the big what-if is the subject of their upcoming series. The new show will have eight episodes and will be available with an Apple TV subscription. To promote the upcoming series, the two besties teased their actual brother debate with The Hollywood Reporter:

• Woody Harrelson: I’ve been wanting to, but he refuses.
• Matthew McConaughey: I’ll probably come around to it.
• Woody Harrelson: He might come around.
• Matthew McConaughey: If it’s true. I got a lot to unpack. If it’s not true, he’s not going to be near as fun to hang out with.
• Woody Harrelson: I’m going to be really sad for a while.

In the past, McConaughey has notably been uninterested in finding out if this is true. He even turned down an offer from paternity “expert” Maury Povich to find out on his show. He has explained in old interviews that he doesn’t want to know if his father, who died years ago, isn’t really his father. And he's maintaining that opinion.

As McConaughey's stated in the past, finding out that his "dad may not be [his] dad" could be why he has been so reticent about knowing for sure. As the Dallas Buyers Club star explains, “I got a little more skin in the game [than Harrelson].”

However, this hasn’t stopped the two from being real-life besties. Their children even call each other uncle. Though you have to admit they really do look like brothers in the series’ promotional photos. Which leads to the bigger question: Will they reveal an answer in the series (when they don’t have one in real-life)? According to their conversation, we may not be finding out the truth in the series or in real life, as McConaughey is perfectly fine with keeping it up in the air:

• Matthew McConaughey: So, let’s just keeping floating this idea. Cause I like - I don’t want him being all upset.
• Woody Harrelson: I don’t think it’s going to be a problem, because I think it's - I think we’re brothers.
• Matthew McConaughey: He’s fully convinced. I’m not. There you go.

I expect the fictionalized them will play similar roles in the series. Brothers follows two friends who discover they may be related after Matthew’s mother lets slip the possibility. Woody is the one who wants to dig into whether or not it’s true, while Matthew is concerned with a possible run for Texas governor. If you’ve seen the trailer, they’re definitely playing up the chaos the possibility causes in the best way. Plus, we already know the two actors have natural chemistry, so I predict that Brothers will be as heartfelt as it is chaotic.

The series is finally hitting the 2026 TV schedule on September 23. I will definitely be checking it out, because the great debate of whether they're really brothers just never gets old.