Category: Entertainment

Season 5 (also billed as Part 7) of The Upshaws premieres on Netflix Wednesday, giving fans one final set of stories from the titular family. Dewayne Perkins, who plays their neighbor Hector, a recurring character on the series, spoke to ABC Audio about the show coming to an end.

“It’s sad because I really enjoyed it, but it’s been a beautiful journey. A lot of shows don’t last for that long, especially now in the way that the industry is functioning. So to get five seasons I think is a great feat. And I grew up watching multi-cams, I feel like multi-cams are a big reason why I am doing what I’m doing.“

Dewayne also expressed pride in being part of a show that made space for gay stories. 

“To be a part of that feels historic,” he says. “To be able to present gay stories in a Black sitcom … is really cool and something that I’m very proud to be a part of.”

He added that he’s thankful to have worked alongside some industry veterans. “Being able to work with legends like Wanda [Sykes], Mike [Epps], like Kim [Fields], it’s just, it was pretty fantastic,” he says. “So I’m just grateful to have been a part it.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Fans of The Lord of the Rings will get a special surprise as the films return to theaters to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring.

All three of The Lord of the Rings films are returning to cinemas this January. Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Entertainment have announced that director Peter Jackson has recorded exclusive and lengthy fan introductions for each of the extended editions of the three films — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King — which will play ahead of the films.

These fan introductions will include Jackson reflecting on the making of all of the films, what it was like to bring Middle-earth to life and what made creating the films so special. They are custom, never-before-seen insights from Jackson, and the videos were made exclusively for this Fathom Entertainment rerelease.

A sample of the introduction from Jackson for the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring is available to watch now.

“We could not be more pleased that the large The Lord of the Rings fanbase will have the benefit of hearing in-depth and exclusively in theatres from Peter Jackson himself prior to each of these three remarkable films,” Ray Nutt, the chief executive officer at Fathom Entertainment, said. “The extended editions of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings movies are sure to be a landmark event for fans and a high point for classic film re-releases in 2026.”

You can return to the shire with the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in theaters from Jan. 16 through Jan. 18 and Jan. 23 through Jan. 25.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(New Mexico) — Actor Timothy Busfield, who was arrested on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, is facing a new assault claim from another alleged victim, according to a motion for pretrial detention.

In a document filed on Wednesday, prosecutors said the father of a 16-year-old went to law enforcement on Tuesday to report alleged abuse from “several years ago.”

The teenage girl said that during an audition, Busfield “kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the document said.

Busfield “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the document said, adding that the teenager’s father was a therapist and agreed at the time.

Busfield’s attorney said in a statement on Wednesday, “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.”

Busfield, best known for his role as Danny Concannon on “The West Wing,” turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico on Tuesday on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, according to police and U.S. Marshals sources.

The charges stem from accusations that Busfield inappropriately touched a child actor on the set of his show “The Cleaning Lady,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. According to court documents, the child’s parents reported that the alleged abuse began in 2022, when the child was 7 years old, and lasted until 2024.

Busfield denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, according to the criminal complaint. 

A publicist for Busfield’s wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, said in a statement on Tuesday that Gilbert “is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds. … Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”

The new court document argues Busfield should remain detained. The prosecutors also accuse Busfield of speaking to the media before turning himself in to allegedly “prioritize personal narrative control.”

At a brief court appearance on Wednesday, a judge said Busfield will remain in custody in New Mexico with no bond. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gracie Abrams set to make her acting debut? That’s so true!

The singer will star in the upcoming A24 film Please, ABC Audio has confirmed. Babygirl and Bodies Bodies Bodies filmmaker Halina Reijn is set to direct Abrams in her first-ever professional acting role.

While the film’s story details are remaining under wraps, it will be written, directed and produced by Reijn. David Hinojosa will also produce in what will be his third collaboration with Reijn.

This is also the third collaboration between A24 and Reijn, who previously released both the slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies and the Nicole Kidman-starring erotic thriller Babygirl. The studio also acquired her debut film, Instinct.

Abrams took to Instagram to celebrate the casting announcement. She posted a screenshot of a news article about it, tagging Reijn and A24 in the caption, where she also wrote, “Please,” alongside 10 red heart emojis.

She also took to her Instagram Story to share a photo of Reijn, alongside an emoji of a woman on her knees.

Abrams was nominated for the best new artist Grammy in 2024 and the best pop duo/group performance for the song “us.,” which she made with Taylor Swift, in 2025.

She supported Swift as an opener on The Eras Tour and recently finished her first solo North American arena tour in support of the deluxe version of her sophomore album, The Secret of Us.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

We now have some official information about Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey‘s revival of Sunday in the Park with George, including ticket info.

After the two Wicked stars seemingly confirmed that they’d be starring in a new production of the classic musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, London’s Barbican Centre made it official with an Instagram post. You can now sign up to be notified about tickets, which will go on sale in May. They will only be available via the Barbican website and box office.

The show itself opens in the summer of 2027, which means Ariana fans now have two chances to see her sing live onstage: during her concert tour this year and in the musical next year.

The Sunday in the Park with George revival will be directed by Marianne Elliot, who previously directed Jonathan in a production of Company. He found out he’d landed a starring role in Bridgerton right after his award-winning run in that show ended.

Ariana has stage experience, as well, having won an award for her Broadway debut in the musical 13.  She appeared in the show starting in 2008, when she was 15.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

I have never, ever been happier.

HBO shared the trailer for the highly anticipated third season of Euphoria on Wednesday.

Season 3 of the show once again stars Zendaya in her Emmy-winning role of Rue Bennett. Picking up after a time jump, according to its official logline, the story follows “a group of childhood friends” who “wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.”

The rest of the main cast includes Hunter Schafer, Eric Dane, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow, Martha Kelly, Chloe Cherry, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Toby Wallace.

This new trailer finds Zendaya’s Rue finding comfort in newfound faith. We see her in prayer sitting in a pew at a church.

“A few years after high school, I don’t know if life was exactly what I wished. But somehow, for the first time, I was beginning to have faith,” Rue says.

We also see the drug lord Laurie (Kelly) confront Rue about the money she owes her. Later on, we see Lexi (Apatow) ask Rue if she’s heard from Jules (Schafer). It’s implied they haven’t spoken in a while.

As for the other characters, we see that Nate (Elordi) and Cassie (Sweeney) are still in a relationship and engaged to be married. Nate is a construction worker, while Cassie is selling intimate photos and videos of herself online.

Sam Levinson created, wrote, directed and executive produced season 3 of Euphoria. This new season was shot on a brand-new KODAK motion picture film stock in both 35mm and 65mm. Additionally, season 3 is the first narrative TV series to shoot a significant amount on 65mm film.

This is meant to provide “for an expanded image on screen which mirrors the characters’ journeys out of high school into the wider, wilder world,” according to a press release from HBO.

Euphoria season 3 premieres April 12 on HBO and HBO Max.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

It looks like Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey will be “Finishing the Hat” together in London. The two have seemingly confirmed that they’ll be co-starring in a revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George.

Both of them shared an Instagram post that shows them in the Art Institute of Chicago, sitting in front of the Georges Seurat painting that inspired the musical: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.  It’s captioned, “All it has to be is good,” which is a lyric from the title song of the musical. No other details were announced.

The main characters in the musical, George and Dot, were originally played by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters in the 1984 Broadway production of the show.

In December, Deadline reported that the musical would be staged at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2027.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Kiefer Sutherland was arrested just after midnight early Monday morning, the Los Angeles Police Department told ABC News.

According to police, the radio call was for an alleged assault involving a ride-share driver near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles.

Sutherland is accused of allegedly assaulting the ride-share driver and entering the vehicle, according to police. The actor is considered to be the suspect and the driver the alleged victim, police said. No injuries required medical treatment in the incident.

The 24 actor was arrested on suspicion of felony criminal threats.

According to jail records, Sutherland posted $50,000 bond and is due in court on Feb. 2.

The Hollywood Division of the LAPD is investigating the incident.

Sutherland, known for his role as Jack Bauer in the action-packed 24 series, is the son of the late actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas.

He has won two Emmys and a Golden Globe for his work on 24.

ABC News has reached out to a representative for Sutherland for any additional information or comment.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

From the late ’80s through the early 2000s, daytime talk shows hosted by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer and Maury Povich dominated the airways. The shows would often tackle controversial topics involving sex, race and gender expression — occasionally spiraling into live on-air TV violence. The new documentary series Dirty Talk, which premieres Wednesday, takes a look back at one of TV’s most controversial eras.

“We used all of those classic Shakespearean themes of distrust, conflict, confrontation, lust, love, betrayal,” Povich told ABC Audio.

Povich hosted The Maury Povich Show, later renamed Maury, starting in 1991. He said competition in daytime talk was fierce.

“There was a lot of money to be made, and so therefore we’re looking at ratings every single day. And now, ‘Oh this show did this crazy episode, oh well [now] we’ve got to do a crazy episode,’” he said.

Dirty Talk examines how the genre faced frequent criticism for exploiting guests by putting people in unexpected situations in the quest for higher ratings. Povich was known for doing paternity tests on-air.

“What I was trying to do was to be able to, for instance, in the paternity tests, to bring families together,” Povich said. “Critics would say I would exploit those themes, I don’t think I did. And I was on so long that I could bring those couples back 20 years later and find out if anything worked.”

Despite the pushback, Povich stands behind his show.

“I have no regrets. Lord knows I’ve had my critics over the years,” Povich said. “I’ve always thought that we had a leg to stand on.”

While the era of chaotic daytime talk is largely over, Povich said the public’s impulse to look toward those “Shakespearean themes” is alive and well.

“I firmly believe we triggered the Housewives genre, we triggered the Kardashians, we triggered the Jersey Shore,” Povich said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Queer Eye is coming to an end. Netflix has released the trailer for the 10th and final season of the reality series that takes regular people and helps them grow and upgrade their lives. The Fab 5 — Jeremiah Brent, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness — takes to Washington, D.C., for the final season, which premieres on Jan. 21 …

You can now watch the trailer for the Netflix event Skyscraper Live. The upcoming event finds climber Alex Honnold, who was the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, attempting to become the first person to free solo climb Taipei 101. The skyscraper is located in Taipei, Taiwan, and is one of the tallest buildings in the world. The event takes place on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Elle Duncan …

Pass the syrup. Deadline reports that Nicolas Cage‘s latest movie is called Best Pancakes in the County. Cage is set to star alongside Justin Long and Shelley Hennig in the action thriller, which is currently shooting in Arkansas. Ken Sanzel wrote and is directing the film that takes place over one night in a small-town diner …

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.