Thirty years after Ted Danson‘s Sam Malone declared, “Sorry, we’re closed,” to end the 11-season classic sitcom Cheers, a U.K. company is reportedly interested in serving up an English version.
That’s the news from Deadline, which reports that the U.K. company Big Talk has tapped Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye to develop a new version of the show that was based at that Boston bar where everybody knew your name.
Cheers opened for business on NBC on the evening of Sept. 30, 1982, and its finale, “One for the Road,” attracted 40 million viewers on the evening of May 20, 1993 — one of the most-watched finales of all time.
During its run, the show earned a total of 179 Primetime Emmy nominations and 28 wins, and spun off another Emmys magnet, Frasier, in 1993.
John Amos, the actor best known for playing doting father James Evans Sr. on the sitcom Good Times, has died, his publicist told ABC News. He was 84.
Amos was also known for his role as the older Kunta Kinte on the 1977 TV miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on Dec. 27, 1939, Amos first tried to make it as a professional football player before he turned to acting. He is also a veteran of the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard and an honorary master chief of the United States Coast Guard.
Amos is best known for his role on the Norman Lear-created series Good Times opposite Esther Rolle‘s Florida Evans. The sitcom, following a Black family in Chicago and tackling subjects like poverty, drug use and inner-city crime, ran for six seasons between 1974 and 1979 — though Amos was only on the show for the first half of its run.
Elsewhere on television, Amos starred as Gordy the weatherman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show; as the adult Kunta Kinte on the landmark miniseries Roots in 1977 — which earned him an Emmy nomination; and as the recurring character Admiral Percy Fitzwallace on The West Wing.
Other roles on the small screen included Maude, Hunter, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, The District, All About the Andersons, Men in Trees, Two and a Half Men and The Ranch, to name a few.
The actor appeared in numerous films, as well, including Let’s Do It Again (1975), The Beastmaster (1982), Coming to America (1988), Die Hard 2 (1990), Madea’s Witness Protection (2012) and Coming 2 America (2021). He even played himself in a small cameo in 2019’s Uncut Gems.
Amos, a member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, was married twice. He is survived by his daughter, Shannon, and son K.C., both of whom he shared with his first wife, Noel Mickelson.
Tallulah Willis is sharing a look inside her relationship with her dad, Bruce Willis.
In an Instagram post shared Sept. 30, Willis’ youngest daughter with ex-wife Demi Moore shared a series of undated photos of her and the Die Hard actor enjoying some downtime together.
“Hey I love this guy so much and feeling feelings is tough stuff, but I’m so grateful to let them flow through me now instead of disconnecting from it!” she captioned the snaps, which she said came from “the forever archives.”
The first photo shows Tallulah, 30, standing in front of her dad, who is giving her a kiss on her head.
In the second photo, the father-daughter duo is smiling as they enjoy some soup.
The third photo shows Bruce, 69, smiling down at his kiddo as she looks at a scrapbook of memories.
Tallulah’s post comes amid her dad’s battle with frontotemporal dementia, which led him to retire from acting.
Moore opened up to Good Morning America in January about how Bruce and their daughters — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Willis — are dealing with his health struggles.
“I think, given the givens, he’s doing very well,” she said, adding of their daughters, “What I’ll say is what I say to my children, which is it’s important to just meet them where they’re at and not hold onto what isn’t, because there’s great beauty and sweetness and loving and joy out of that.”
In addition to his three daughters with Moore, Bruce also shares daughters Mabel and Evelyn with his wife, Emma Heming Willis.
Fritz and Wolfe in 2015 – Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Frank Fritz, who along with Mike Wolfe scoured the country for hidden treasures on History’s American Pickers, has died, Wolfe announced on Instagram “with a broken heart.”
According to his birth date on IMDB, Fritz would have turned 59 on Oct. 11.
Wolfe did not disclose a cause of death, but noted he was with his friend when he passed away Tuesday evening. Fritz had various health issues, including Crohn’s disease and chronic back pain, before he suffered a severe stroke in 2022.
“I’ve know [sic] Frank for more then [sic] half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny,” Wolfe wrote. “The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself.”
“Who would have ever dreamed we would share the cockpit of a white cargo van in front of millions of people interested in our adventures,” he continued in part. “We’ve been on countless trips and shared so many miles and I feel blessed that I was there by his side when he took one last journey home. I love you buddy and will miss you so much I know your [sic] in a better place.”
American Pickers launched in 2010 and Fritz starred in more than 300 episodes, until the 2020 season, when his health forced him to step away.
Bill Stankey, whose company Westport Entertainment produced the series, tells ABC Audio, “Frank Fritz was an exceptional human being. He loved life, he cared about people, he always had a kind word to say and he knew more about Americana and antiques than anyone I ever met.”
Stankey added, “He was the anchor of American Pickers. He will be missed by his friends, family and fans.”
Funnyman Billy Crystal is playing against type as a troubled psychologist in the creepy new trailer to Apple TV+’s thriller series Before.
Crystal plays a grieving widower and former child therapist named Eli, who finds his wife, Lynn (Judith Light), dead — possibly by her own hand — and finds a disturbed young boy named Noah (Jacobi Jupe), who literally shows up at Eli’s doorstep.
The little boy has scratched weird symbols into Eli’s door, bloodying his fingers in the process. As he questions Noah, he realizes Noah is plagued by troubling visions that seem to link to Eli’s past.
Oh, and Eli’s wife is haunting him, too.
“He was my first foster,” Rosie Perez says as Denise. “The other parents found him unnerving.”
“Suffering from hallucinations, repeated expulsions from school,” Eli says of the boy. “I’m starting to think there’s a reason he found me. If we’re connected, maybe I can save him.”
In treating the boy, it becomes apparent Eli’s fixated on the image of a creepy-looking cabin that Noah repeatedly sketches. Eli asks him what makes him mad, and Noah says, “People who do bad things.”
Then he says to Eli, “You know what you did.”
With a montage of disturbing images, it ends with Lynn saying to her husband, “What have you done?”
Apple TV+ teases of the 10-episode series, “You’ve never seen Billy Crystal in a role like this.”
Costume retailer Spirit Halloween is trying to have the last laugh at Saturday Night Live, after the show’s 50th season contained a fake commercial spoofing it.
“We are great at raising things back from the dead,” read a Spirit Halloween post on X, showing a costume package with SNL‘s anniversary logo, described as “Irrelevant 50-year-old TV show.” The accessories therein were listed as “dated references, unknown cast members, and shrinking ratings.”
The SNL sketch spoofed how the stores pop up in abandoned storefronts across the country “for six weeks before bouncing,” according to a voice-over by Heidi Gardner.
“Times may be good on Wall Street, but on Main Street, communities are struggling,” she says. “Closed stores, shuttered businesses, empty parking lots. When hard times hit, it’s easy to feel like no one cares. But help is on the way because when others leave, we show up.”
Chloe Fineman adds, “We’re here providing vulnerable communities with the things they need most: wigs that give you a rash, single-use fog machines and costumes of famous characters tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit.” On the latter, a costume listed as “Candy Slave” is obviously an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for example.
Gardner also touts how the company provides “six-week jobs for some of America’s hardest-hit perverts,” with a scuzzy Mikey Day advising an under-18 customer that he’s “not legally allowed” to talk to her.
At one point, a little girl asks Fineman if they have a Taylor Swift costume, only for the employee to happily hand her a “Blonde Singing Woman” one. “That’s not Taylor Swift!” the little Swiftie protests, only to have Fineman boop the girl’s nose, saying, “Neither are you.”
A new trailer for the upcoming erotic thriller Babygirl, starring Nicole Kidman, has been released.
The Halina Reijn-directed film, which arrives in theaters Dec. 25, centers on the scandalous relationship between a high-flying CEO named Romy, played by Kidman, and her much younger intern, Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson, according to a brief synopsis.
After introducing Romy as a powerful executive, the trailer hints at the first signs of the pair’s flirtatious relationship in a Q&A between the two. “Your behavior is unacceptable,” says Romy before their relationship turns physical.
“If we’re going to do this, we’re gonna need to set some rules that you and I both agree on,” Samuel says, setting the framework for the relationship. “Starting with, I tell you what to do, and you do it.”
The trailer ratchets up as the pair develop an intimate relationship. “I think I have power over you, ’cause I can make one call and you lose everything,” Samuel says in a voice-over before he is seen appearing in Romy’s home with her children.
The film will also star Antonio Banderas, who plays Jacob, Romy’s husband. Sophie Wilde also stars in the project playing the role of Esme, Romy’s assistant.
Kidman touched on the major themes of the film at the Venice Film Festival in August, where she won the award for best actress for her role in the film.
“Yes, it’s about sex. It’s about desire, it’s about your inner thoughts, it’s about secrets, it’s about marriage, it’s about truth, power, consent,” said Kidman.
Prime Video has announced that the pilot of a spin-off from its hit Reacher is going to become its own series.
The Untitled Neagley Project will star Reacher‘s Maria Sten as Frances Neagley, a former member of Jack Reacher’s 110 Special Investigators unit turned private investigator in Chicago.
“When she learns that a beloved friend from her past has been killed in a suspicious accident, she becomes hell-bent on justice,” Prime Video teases. “Using everything she’s learned from Jack Reacher and her time as a member of the [110th], Neagley puts herself on a dangerous path to uncover a menacing evil.”
The series will be executive produced by Reacher vet Nick Santora and his fellow Law & Order alum Nicholas Wootton.
“Lee Child created an immensely rich character with Neagley, and Maria Sten brought her to life in such a vivid, authentic way in Reacher,” said Santora and Wootton. “Amazon, Skydance Television, and CBS Studios have been tremendous partners from the start, and we are excited to explore Neagley’s story further and dive into what makes her so unique.”
For her part, Sten said, “I’m beyond thrilled to further explore the world of Neagley and her somewhat mysterious background. She’s such a wonderful character to play and I’m very excited for everyone to get to know her a little better.”
Meanwhile, production of the third season of Alan Ritchson-led Reacher wrapped in July, and will debut on Prime Video in 2025.
Variety reports TikTok star Charli D’Amelio will make her Broadway debut in the musical & Juliet, a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet that focuses on what would have happened if Juliet hadn’t died at the end. The Dancing with the Stars champ will take over the “dance-heavy” role of Chairman for a limited engagement, Oct. 29 through Jan. 19. & Juliet opened on Broadway in 2022 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and was nominated for nine Tony awards, including best musical …
A brand-new trailer for the chilling upcoming film Nosferatu has arrived. The trailer centers on the story of a haunted young woman’s infatuation with a vampire. The Robert Eggers-directed project stars Bill Skarsgård as the titular vampire aka Count Orlok, alongside Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe. Nosferatu haunts theaters Dec. 25 …
The Thing about Tommy, an offshoot of the 2022 Renée Zellweger-led NBC series The Thing about Pam, is in the works at Peacock, according to Deadline. The Thing About Tommy is inspired by the true story of Thomas Randolph, nicknamed Black Widower, after four of his six wives ended up dead …
Ryan Murphy has tapped his Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story lead Evan Peters to head his upcoming FX drama series The Beauty, alongside Ashton Kutcher, Anthony Ramos and Jeremy Pope, according to Deadline.
The dark fairytale, adapted from the 2016 graphic novel by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley, centers on the titular sexually transmitted disease that makes those affected more beautiful by the day. However, detectives Drew Foster and Kara Vaughn eventually discover that beauty comes at a terrible cost — the host’s eventual death.
The series is Murphy’s latest since inking a deal with Disney about a year ago, joining ABC’s Doctor Odyssey, starring Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson, and FX’s Grotesquerie, featuring Niecy Nash-Betts.
