When “Laugh-In” debuted on NBC in 1967, creator George Schlatter could have very well gotten away with murder. The network didn’t often understand what the producer was trying to accomplish with his quick comedic snippets, his fresh-faced cast who often stumbled over their lines (which were sometimes purposely transposed on the teleprompter), or his ragtag group of oddball writers, which included a political science professor, a 16-year-old, and a young Lorne Michaels. But the Peacock was willing to experiment in order to sock it to CBS juggernaut “I Love Lucy” in the competing timeslot.
A year and a Richard Nixon appearance later, and “Laugh-In” became the place that every star and aspiring comedic yearned to be. From Orson Welles, Michael Cain and Kirk Douglas, to Cher and Flip Wilson, a wide-range of personalities popped up in various capacities, including in the famed Cocktail Parties or on the larger-than-life Joke Wall.
A year and a Richard Nixon appearance later, and “Laugh-In” became the place that every star and aspiring comedic yearned to be. From Orson Welles, Michael Cain and Kirk Douglas, to Cher and Flip Wilson, a wide-range of personalities popped up in various capacities, including in the famed Cocktail Parties or on the larger-than-life Joke Wall.
- 5/13/2019
- by Amber Dowling
- Variety Film + TV
Guy Pearce is a real miser: FX and BBC One are partnering for a three-part adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, starring Pearce (When We Rise) as Ebenezer Scrooge.
The cast also includes Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Rutger Hauer (True Blood) as the Ghost of Christmas Future; Stephen Graham (Line of Duty) as Jacob Marley; Charlotte Riley (Trust, Peaky Blinders) as Lottie; Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Bob Cratchit; Vinette Robinson (Doctor Who, Sherlock) as Mary Cratchit; Kayvan Novak (What We Do In the Shadows) as Ali Baba; and Lenny Rush (Old Boys) as Tim Cratchit.
The cast also includes Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Rutger Hauer (True Blood) as the Ghost of Christmas Future; Stephen Graham (Line of Duty) as Jacob Marley; Charlotte Riley (Trust, Peaky Blinders) as Lottie; Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Bob Cratchit; Vinette Robinson (Doctor Who, Sherlock) as Mary Cratchit; Kayvan Novak (What We Do In the Shadows) as Ali Baba; and Lenny Rush (Old Boys) as Tim Cratchit.
- 5/9/2019
- TVLine.com
“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” aired at a time when the entire country was changing. For five years between 1968 and 1973, the sketch show brought a subversive kind of comedy to the NBC primetime lineup.
Now, half a century later, with the help of some former members of the show’s greater ensemble, Netflix is bringing a fresh look at the show’s legacy. “Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate” looks to pay tribute to the show while indulging in some of the show’s lasting iconography.
The hour-long special will dive into the history of the series, from its notorious drop-ins to its greater cultural relevance. As a way to try to capture some of that late ’60s/early ’70s spirit, the special brings together figures from the intervening decades of comedy and puts them right into the same paneled wall that revealed guest performers like Ruth Buzzi and Richard Dawson back in the day.
Now, half a century later, with the help of some former members of the show’s greater ensemble, Netflix is bringing a fresh look at the show’s legacy. “Still Laugh-In: The Stars Celebrate” looks to pay tribute to the show while indulging in some of the show’s lasting iconography.
The hour-long special will dive into the history of the series, from its notorious drop-ins to its greater cultural relevance. As a way to try to capture some of that late ’60s/early ’70s spirit, the special brings together figures from the intervening decades of comedy and puts them right into the same paneled wall that revealed guest performers like Ruth Buzzi and Richard Dawson back in the day.
- 5/9/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Betsy Brandt has found a new TV hubby in the Windy City: The Breaking Bad vet will recur in USA Network’s upcoming Suits spinoff series Pearson as the wife of Chicago’s mayor, TVLine has learned exclusively.
The offshoot follows Jessica Pearson (played once again by Suits alum Gina Torres) as she enters the dirty world of politics and becomes the right-hand fixer for Mayor Bobby Novak (Homeland‘s Morgan Spector). Brandt’s Stephanie Novak is a former lawyer, who is now a full-time mother and a loyal behind-the-scenes spouse.
Brandt currently stars in the CBS comedy Life in Pieces.
The offshoot follows Jessica Pearson (played once again by Suits alum Gina Torres) as she enters the dirty world of politics and becomes the right-hand fixer for Mayor Bobby Novak (Homeland‘s Morgan Spector). Brandt’s Stephanie Novak is a former lawyer, who is now a full-time mother and a loyal behind-the-scenes spouse.
Brandt currently stars in the CBS comedy Life in Pieces.
- 4/19/2019
- TVLine.com
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