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Sometimes even the best television shows are victims of their own success, running longer than their natural story should at the expense of their overall quality. From will-they/won't-they romances fulfilled too quickly or the show trying to prolong its central conflicts and mysteries, popular shows try to artificially draw out their narratives to maintain audiences. This leaves even the most ardent fans of a given show acknowledging that there are lesser seasons missing the magic that made the series so successful. A perfect show knows when to call it quits before it overstays its welcome, but very few of them can take that hint.

Simply put, even many beloved shows just try to milk the last bit of success they can, even after enduring changes to their overarching plot or main cast. In doing so, the legacy of these prolonged series is a bit tarnished from their previous esteemed status.

When it comes to Westerns on the small screen, few are as iconic as Norman Macdonnell and John Meston's "Gunsmoke." Based on the radio drama of the same name, the show debuted on CBS in 1955 and went on to become one of the longest-running television scripted series in American television history, producing over 600 episodes. Sadly, though, "Gunsmoke" rode off into the sunset after 20 seasons, but like all good gunslingers who can't stay down, it came back with a bang. "Gunsmoke" produced five television films after the series ended, and thanks to reruns and streaming, new generations continue to discover the classic TV Western.

"Gunsmoke" takes place in Dodge City, Kansas, and follows U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) and his deputies as they protect the town from outlaws, outsiders, troublemakers, and other wrong sorts. The series is also notable for featuring some bona fide Hollywood legends in early career roles,...

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert was heartbroken the fateful day the Walnut Grove set of the beloved NBC TV series was blown to bits. However, two buildings stood tall in the rubble, becoming a “symbol of hope” for the cast and crew.

Melissa Gilbert talks about the 2 buildings spared in Walnut Grove’s destruction

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert discussed the fateful day the show’s Walnut Grove set was destroyed. She revealed two buildings were spared and shared the heartbreaking reason why they remained.

Gilbert said, “There was a conscious decision made not to blow up the church because that’s so symbolic of hatred. That was a sacred building for the entire Walnut Grove community on the show and off the show. I think that it was a very wise decision not to blow that up.

On Friday February 7 2025, HGTV broadcasts My Lottery Dream Home!

Bff Bonanza Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “My Lottery Dream Home,” titled “Bff Bonanza,” promises to be a heartwarming journey filled with friendship and family. This episode features a woman who has recently received an inheritance. With her husband by her side, they are excited to find their dream home in Richmond, Texas. The couple is eager to settle down in a place that allows them to be close to their friends and family.

What makes this episode special is the inclusion of the woman’s best friend of 50 years. This lifelong friendship adds a unique twist to the house-hunting adventure. As David Bromstad, the show’s host, guides them through the home-buying process, the trio will explore various properties that can accommodate their needs. The couple wants a spacious home where their grandchildren, affectionately referred to as “Grand-chicks,” can play and stay during visits.

“My Lottery Dream Home” is set to bring heartwarming moments and exciting house hunting in the upcoming episode titled “Bff Bonanza.” This episode will air on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 9:00 Pm on HGTV. The story centers around a woman who has recently come into an inheritance. With dreams of a perfect home in mind, she and her husband are eager to start this new chapter in Richmond, Texas.

What makes this episode special is the woman’s lifelong friendship. She is bringing along her best friend of 50 years to help find the right place. Together, they will explore various homes that can accommodate not just the couple, but also their beloved Grand-chicks. The need for space is crucial, as the couple envisions a home where their grandchildren can play and stay during family visits.

David, the host, will guide them through the search, showcasing beautiful properties that fit their needs.

When it comes to champions of forgotten sex symbols, you can’t do much better than Quentin Tarantino.

Snubs from the annual Oscars in memoriam segment are always uncomfortable, but 2023 was an especially awkward year for the Academy. Leslie Jordan, Anne Heche, Tom Sizemore, Paul Sorvino, and more celebrities who had recently passed were excluded from the ceremony. For the late Stella Stevens — a blonde bombshell known for decades of TV and film, and who at 83 had died just one month earlier from advanced Alzheimer’s disease — facing disrespect from the industry was always routine.

“I wrote letters to the Motion Picture Academy,” said filmmaker Andrew Stevens, Stella’s only son. With hundreds of credits to his name, the director, producer, and actor makes himself as busy as his late mother but is best known for appearing in 1978’s “The Boys in Company C.” Speaking with IndieWire earlier this January,...

Taylor Sheridan tells stories that stick with you.

His shows take us into parts of American life that don’t usually make it to TV.

From Yellowstone to Lioness, he doesn’t just entertain — he shows us struggles and realities we might not see otherwise.

(Paramount+/Screenshot) Giving Voice to Unseen Worlds

Sheridan’s stories feel real because they’re rooted in truth. Yellowstone is a perfect example: the Dutton family fights to hold onto their Montana ranch, but it’s about more than just land.

It’s about identity, heritage, and keeping a way of life alive as the world changes around them. The prequels, 1883 and 1923, go back to show how that legacy was built through grit and sacrifice.

Then there’s Landman. Sheridan takes on the oil business, digging into the complicated lives of the people who keep the world running.

(Emerson Miller / Paramount)

It’s not a pretty picture,...

Veteran actor Geoffrey Deuel, best known for playing Dave Campbell in the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, has died. He was 81. According to an obituary on EverLoved.com, Geoffrey passed away on Sunday, December 22, 2024. His wife, Jacqueline Deuel, later confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter, revealing he died in hospice care in Largo, Florida, after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Born on January 17, 1943, Geoffrey was the younger brother of the late actor Peter Deuel, who was known for portraying Hannibal Heyes (aka Joshua Smith) on the popular ABC Western series Alias Smith and Jones. Geoffrey debuted on-screen in the military TV drama Twelve O’Clock High in 1966. He continued to appear on TV in small roles throughout the late 1960s, including spots on Occasional Wife, The Monkees, The Invaders, Bonanza, The Flying Nun, The F.B.I., Mod Squad, and Mannix. One of Geoffrey’s most memorable...

Gunsmoke welcomed plenty of guest stars during its 20-season run from 1955 to 1975. Bette Davis, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Bruce Dern, and Angie Dickinson were among the notable actors who paid a visit to Dodge City over the years. Future Oscar-winner Jodie Foster is also on the list of actors who did time on Gunsmoke. She appeared several times on the show, including a memorable Christmas episode.

Jodie Foster appeared in the ‘Gunsmoke’ episode ‘P.S. Murry Christmas’ Jodie Foster and Amanda Blake in the 1971 ‘Gunsmoke’ episode ‘P.S. Murry Christmas’ | CBS via Getty Images

Foster started as a child model and actor in the ’60s, appearing in shows such as Mayberry R.F.D. and Julia. Later, she landed roles in Bonanza, My Three Sons, and Gunsmoke. She appeared in three episodes of the latter show, once in season 15 and twice in season 17, playing different characters each time.

Her second...

‘Days Of Our Lives’ (Dool) spoilers celebrate the 56th anniversary of a daytime icon, Susan Seaforth Hayes, who plays Julie Williams on the soap.

‘Days Of Our Lives’ Spoilers: Seaforth Hayes Started On Days In 1968

Seaforth Hayes has been praised for taking on some of the most challenging scenes she’s ever had to play in her life this year.

Image Credit: Jpi Studios

Her co-star and real-life husband, Bill Hayes, who played Julie’s husband, Doug, passed away in January this year. Not only did she make thousands of viewers tear up when Doug died peacefully in his sleep on Thanksgiving, but she also gave the same eulogy at Doug’s funeral that she said at her husband’s church.

It was a beautiful and poignant full-circle moment since Doug and Julie also recited the same wedding vows as Susan and Bill.

When Doug died and Julie went into the room to say `goodbye,...

As a special holiday gift to The Film Stage podcast feed, listen to a new Box Office Bonanza! Here we talk about random box office weekends and where they fit into our lives. The movies, the memories! This episode features Dan Mecca, Conor O’Donnell, Mitchell Beaupre, Jordan Raup, and Cory Everett.

The box office weekend in question is July 21, 2000. The number one movie in the country was the Robert Zemeckis-directed, Clark Gregg-scripted, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer-starring supernatural thriller What Lies Beneath. The number three movie was the second Pokémon feature film, Pokémon 2000. Gladiator was still in theaters, so was U-571.

But at the start, we mount a passionate defense of the new Zemeckis epic Here, which has now arrived digitally. After that, we talk about Martin Lawrence movies. We talk about how horrible Greg Kinnear’s character is in Amy Heckerling’s Loser. We talk...

Fans of modern Western shows are enjoying something of a Golden Age for the genre, thanks, in no small part, to the storytelling genius of Taylor Sheridan. The actor turned writer and director is a pioneering force at the very point of a new frontier, with the juggernaut Yellowstone shared universe, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and newly-launched Landman exploring the eternal appeal of Old West with a modern spin.

Sheridan's success wouldn't be possible without the shows that flattened the long grass before it: you can trace a line straight back from Yellowstone to The Lone Ranger, but even more pertinently, the likes of NBC's long-running Bonanza, which aired 431 episodes between 1959 and 1973, and the even longer-running Gunsmoke. The time settings may not be the same, but Sheridan's focus on intertwining character dynamics, high-drama, and flexible moral spectrums were the same reasons Bonanza and Gunsmoke earned their stunning longevity.

The...

Earl Holliman, a renowned actor who defined midcentury entertainment, died on Monday in Los Angeles at 96, according to his niece Theresa Mullins Harris. Holliman, known for his diverse appearances in television and movies, personified the typical Hollywood success tale.

Holliman rose to popularity with notable performances in science fiction and Western films. In October 1959, he made television history by playing Mike Ferris in the first episode of The Twilight Zone, titled “Where Is Everybody?”

Holliman rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in hit shows such as Bonanza, The Fugitive, and Marcus Welby, M.D. His most well-known performance was as Lt. Bill Crowley in Police Woman, which peaked in the Primetime Top 15 during the 1974-75 season.

Beyond television, Holliman exhibited extraordinary versatility. In 1957, he received a Supporting Actor Golden Globe for The Rainmaker and was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. His early film appearances...

Earl Holliman, an actor whose scores of credits spanning a half-century ranged from 1950s films Forbidden Planet and Giant to Police Woman and others popular ’70s and ’80s TV dramas and starred in the first episode of The Twilight Zone, died Monday in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 96.

His niece, Theresa Mullins Harris, announced the news on social media, writing in part: “His dream at 5 years old of becoming a movie star came true, more than he ever could have imagined.”

Holliman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame won a Supporting Actor Golden Globe for 1957’s The Rainmaker and was nominated for the short-lived early-’90s ABC sitcom Delta, starring Delta Burke. He was a series regular on the latter, playing the understanding owner of a bar where aspiring country singer Delta Bishop (Burke) worked while trying to make it.

Born on September 11, 1928, Holliman...

Earl Holliman, the actor best known for playing Angie Dickinson’s boss on the 1970s NBC cop drama Police Woman, has died. He was 96.

Holliman died Monday in hospice care at his home in Studio City, his spouse, Craig Curtis, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Holliman won a best supporting actor Golden Globe for portraying Katharine Hepburn’s girl-crazy kid brother in The Rainmaker (1956) — he beat out Elvis Presley for the role — and then appeared in another Burt Lancaster film, as Wyatt Earp’s assistant in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957).

In the George Stevens epic Giant (1956), the Louisiana native played the son-in-law of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson’s characters, was the cook in Forbidden Planet (1956) and appeared as the brother of John Wayne, Dean Martin and Michael Anderson Jr. in Henry Hathaway’s The Sons of Katie Elder (1965).

Holliman also portrayed a man with amnesia in a deserted town...

Andrew Stevens pays loving but not hagiographic tribute to his late mother, famed actress Stella Stevens, in his documentary recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. The film convincingly makes the case that its subject, best known for her performances in such pictures as The Poseidon Adventure and The Nutty Professor, is severely underrated, both as an actress and social activist. Stella Stevens: The Last Starlet aims to rectify that perception and, thanks to numerous clips of her work and effusive commentary by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Vivica A. Fox, it succeeds beautifully.

The filmmaker (who appears frequently) admits that his relationship with his mother was rocky, to say the least, in the early years. Born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Stevens got married at age 16 and had Andrew, her first and only child, six months later. The marriage soon dissolved, and when she moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career,...

Although most of today's viewing audiences weren't watching 1960s television live, it speaks to the quality and relatability of shows from that decade that many of its shows are cemented in popular culture. If they're not being rerun on cable or made available on several different streaming apps, they're being transformed for modern viewers with feature-length homages, for better or worse.

From spy dramas and family sitcoms to science fiction adventures and dark gothic soap operas, the 1960s had a little something for everyone. When we look back on the decade's television, we see a rapidly changing landscape, one where shows nostalgic for a simper time screen opposite imaginative, forward-thinking programs. Although many 1960s shows feel very much of their time, there's a stylish charm that makes them still enjoyable to watch today.

Here are some of the best TV shows that the 1960s has to offer -- take a...

Kurt Russell was born to play a cowboy on the screen. After all, his old man, Bing Russell, starred in classics like "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza," so one could argue that the Western genre has always been in his DNA. Unfortunately, horse operas were going out of style when Kurt landed a starring role on "The Quest" in 1976, a one-season wonder that NBC canceled after 15 episodes due to poor ratings.

Created by Tracy Keenan Wynn, "The Quest" sees Russell and Tim Matheson play Morgan and Quentin Beaudine, a pair of long-lost brothers who reunite to search for their long-lost sister in the wild frontier. The siblings couldn't be more different, as Morgan was raised by a Cheyenne tribe and only knows the Wild West, while Quentin is a doctor who grew up in San Francisco, making him quite unaccustomed to the rough-and-tumble cowboy lifestyle. However, their quest to find their sister,...

Plenty of notable actors appeared on Gunsmoke over its 20 years on the air, including Bette Davis, Bruce Dern, Angie Dickinson, and Sam Elliott. Also on the list is Leonard Nimoy, who appeared in the 1966 episode “The Treasure of John Walking Fox.” Though Nimoy’s time on the popular Western series was brief, it was memorable, he recalled in interviews later in his life.

Leonard Nimoy appeared on ‘Gunsmoke’ shortly before ‘Star Trek’ premiered Leonard Nimoy in 2013 | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

In a conversation with the Television Academy Foundation about his long career in TV, Nimoy recalled his last role on Gunsmoke, a show on which he appeared multiple times.

“What was particularly interesting was that Gunsmoke was the last job I did just before I started shooting Star Trek,” he said. “I had already done the Star Trek pilot, and I was hired for this story, playing an Indian.”

In...

Vettaiyan Worldwide Box Office (23 Days) (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Rajinikanth has failed to deliver this year! Last year, his Jailer amassed blockbuster numbers across the globe, but his latest release, Vettaiyan, has not even earned half of it. Ahead of its Ott premiere, the film is heading for its unexpected end at the worldwide box office, and it will be wrapping up its theatrical run much below the mark of 275 crore gross. Keep reading for a detailed collection report!

Directed by Tj Gnanavel, the Kollywood action drama was released on October 10. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews from critics, but among the audience, word-of-mouth was more inclined on the positive side. Still, it didn’t manage to rake in big numbers. The biggest reason behind the failure is said to be the theme of the film and the overall presentation, which wasn’t mass-pleasing.

Yesterday, Vettaiyan completed 23 days in theatres.

Singham Again Box Office Collection Day 1 Early Trends! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor Khan led Singham Again is now finally available at the ticket windows. The cop drama has a lot of exciting cameos that left fans in anticipation. Rohit Shetty’s directorial opened to mixed reviews but managed good collections on the opening day. Scroll below for early estimates of day 1.

Singham Again is the threequel of Singham (2011). It stars Ajay Devgn in the role of Bajirao Singham. Touted to be the Avengers of Cop universe, the additional cast features Shweta Tiwari, Dayanand Shetty, and Jackie Shroff, among others. Ranveer Singh and Akshay Kumar returned in their famous cop avatars. It marks a very important timeline in the cop universe as Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, and Arjun Kapoor join the bandwagon with interesting roles.

Box Office Collection Day 1

The cop drama remained decent in advance booking sales,...

Kareena Kapoor Khan Salary Growth: Refugee (2000) To Singham Again (2024) (Photo Credit – Youtube)

Kareena Kapoor Khan has been a part of over 65 movies in Bollywood. She began her journey with Refugee (2000) and won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Today, she’s one of the highest-paid actress in India. Let’s take a look at her salary hike over the years!

First Paycheck

Many wouldn’t know, but Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave Bebo her first paycheck of Rs 11,000. It was a signing amount paid for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which eventually featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In an interview with Film Companion, Kareena confessed to never returning the sum to Slb despite the conversations not materializing. ” I never gave him the money back, so I owe him 11000 (laughing),” she had said.

Trending Nargis Was Carried On A Hindu Pier After Death But Buried As Per Muslim Traditions – Here’s What...

Singham Again Overseas Box Office Advance Booking! (Photo Credit – Instagram)

“Police aa rahi hai,” and fans certainly cannot keep calm! Singham Again is only 3 days away from the big release, and a Diwali dhamaka is inevitable. Not just in India, Rohit Shetty mania is viral in the overseas markets as well. Scroll below to know how Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer is performing in pre-sales in the US and other international circuits.

Singham Again will be released worldwide on November 1, 2024. Contrary to the earlier scare, Laxmi Pooja festivities will be celebrated on October 31st. This gives Ajay Devgn starrer a freeway to make the most of the holiday period and score an earth-shattering opening at the Indian box office. As for the international circuits, the advance booking sales look highly promising!

Overseas Pre-Sales for Day 1

As per Nishit Shaw, Singham Again has clocked pre-sales of Inr 84 lacs ($100K+) in the overseas circuits.

Singham Again Box Office Day 1 Advance Booking Update! (Photo Credit – Facebook)

This Diwali will be more exciting than ever as Rohit Shetty treats fans with his Avengers of Cop universe. Singham Again, starring Ajay Devgn in the lead, is three days away from the big release. Word-of-mouth is growing, and the anticipation is visible in advance booking sales, which have skyrocketed with full-fledged opening. Scroll below for the latest box office update!

The cop film marks the third outing of Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham in the lead. No matter the number of additions to the cast, the superstar will always enjoy the most loyal fanbase as he is the Og in the franchise. His first two films have been a success, and given the current trend, history will be repeated all over again!

Advance Booking Day 1 Update!

As of 10 Am today, Singham Again has sold tickets worth 19.72 lacs (excluding...

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

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

Big screen Westerns might've been falling out of favor at the U.S. box office in 1965 (thus paving the way for Spaghetti Westerns to become a surprise sensation when Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy rode into movie theaters throughout the course of 1967), but television Westerns were still swaggering their way to strong ratings thanks to "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," and the hybrid Western/spy/sci-fi series "The Wild Wild West." And with "Rawhide" finally drawing to a close that year (thereby allowing its star Clint Eastwood to become a modern Western star), there was suddenly room for a new, sudsy, ranch-bound saga about scheming landowners and warring heirs.

"The Big Valley" whooped it up for a solid four-season run, running out of steam in 1969 at around the same moment the television Westerns began going the way of classical big screen oaters. Until then, viewers were hooked on the doings at the Barkley Ranch,...

NCIS had its season premiere with a tribute to a special friend. The person had been someone who had been part of the show for over a decade. Actor Mark Harmon previously shared a statement over the friend’s passing.

The Tribute Came With The Start Of The Show’s Latest Season

The recent NCIS season premiere featured a note paying homage to crewmember George Schenck. The message wrote, “In Memory of our Dear Friend and Colleague George Schenck.” This was also paired with the message, “We will miss you.” The tribute came out with the Season 22 premiere, which aired on October 14.

George Schenck passed away on August 3 in his home in Los Angeles, California. He as 82 at the time of his passing. He was survived by his children, Kirk and Jeff, and four grandchildren. A private memorial service was held in his honor. In addition, at the time, the...

Prior to "Gilligan's Island" in 1964, Tina Louise was already a long-working actress. Indeed, Louise worked her first modeling gig at the age of two, appearing in an ad campaign for her father's candy store. In high school, she started studying acting, and landed her first professional gig in 1956, appearing in an episode of the TV series "Studio One." She made her feature film debut in Anthony Mann's celebrated drama "God's Little Acre," in which Louise played Griselda, the wife of a character played by Jack Lord. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. 

Louise went on to star in other high-profile film projects, including Michael Curtiz's "The Hangman," and the 1960 Italian historical epic "The Siege of Syracuse," in which she played three different roles. Louise also played the poet Sappho in a film called "The Warrior Empress." In 1964, she appeared in a film called "For Those Who Think Young,...

Though much of the cast remained until the end of the series, several actors such as Harry Morgan left Mash throughout its 11-season run. Mash was the second adaptation of the novel following the Robert Altman movie, which followed the experiences of a medical unit during the Korean War. Mash began as a comedy that nevertheless took the core theme seriously, and while the showrunners were forced to include a laugh track, they were able to drop it from scenes involving surgery. In later seasons, it evolved from a sitcom to a dramedy, with some episodes being borderline laugh-free.

The series ended up lasting eight years longer than the Korean War itself, with Mash's finale being the most-watched scripted TV episode of all time. Mash's unique fusion of laughter and drama had never quite been attempted before and would prove influential on future shows like Scrubs. Considering it ran for 11 years,...

It bears repeating that, in the olden days, back when televisions where 4x3 boxes beaming mostly black-and-white images into the living rooms of Americans, landing a regular role on a sitcom or hour-long drama wasn't considered a career coup in Hollywood. Making it in movies was still just about every working actor's goal, while television was a step down -- lucrative, steady, but hardly prestigious.

And worst of all, if you hung around one series for too long, you ran the risk of getting typecast.

This was very much on Pernell Roberts' mind when the Shakespearian trained actor was cast as Adam Cartwright, the oldest son of wealthy rancher Ben Cartwright (future Commander Adama and Alpo pitchman Lorne Greene), on "Bonanza." Handsome, eloquent and quite at home in front of a camera, Roberts had earned rave reviews as a stage performer (he won a Drama Desk Award in 1955 for his...

Exclusive: This is a shocker — Kurt Sutter is out of the Netflix series The Abandons just three weeks before the sprawling Western starring Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson is slated to wrap production in Calgary. Sutter was the executive producer/showrunner on the series, which he also created.

The Abandons executive producer/director Otto Bathurst and co-exec producer Rob Askins will oversee the rest of filming — including reshoots, which will continue as scheduled with no new showrunner named. (Sutter and Bathurst are pictured in the above cast photo taken at the start of production in May.) The Abandons is about six episodes into its seven-episode shoot, I hear. Reps for Netflix and Sutter declined comment.

The departure is believed to stem from creative differences over the direction of the big-scale production as it is wrapping filming and headed into post. I hear an alarm went off at Netflix when the...

The Western genre has long been a touchstone of American popular fiction, with an extensive history of incredible television shows. While the genre has experienced ups and downs in popularity, like an Old West hero, Westerns always triumphantly return, as the genre has continually reinvented itself for each era of television. From family-friendly black-and-white half-hour adventures to modern Neo-Western explorations of social and political tensions, the Western genre has remained relevant throughout television history.

In the same way that the greatest Western films have earned their place as cinematic classics, Western television series have carved out an important place in popular culture. From long-running classics of times gone by, such as Bonanza, right up to modern genre-bending sci-fi Westerns like Westworld, this was a style that always found a way to remain interesting. The very best Western TV shows not only told engaging stories of bandits, cowboys, and outlaws, but...

Team Asobi’s Astro Bot is slowly and steadily capturing the attention of thousands of PlayStation 5 players. It seems like players like the idea of jumping around, evading enemies, collecting puzzles, and rescuing bots.

However, performing the last two endeavors without a handy checklist can be tough. So, for all the players who seek to explore everything and find all the collectibles in Boing! Bonanza will find this guide incredibly useful.

Astro Bot: Getting to Boing! Bonanza Even Astro Bot‘s menu screen looks incredibly happening and fun! Image Credits: YouTube | WoW Quests.

It would be an understatement to say that Astro Bot‘s emphasis on fun is reminiscent of the ‘good old days’ in gaming. Right from the title screen, the game begins to enchant the player with Astro’s antics.

Related Astro Bot: Slo-Mo Casino Collectible Locations

It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that you would...

Before "Gilligan's Island," comedian Alan Hale, Jr. had a prolific, decades-long career on stage and screen. He made his stage debut in 1931 at the age 10, began a very busy film career in 1941, and made multiple films a year throughout the 1950s. He played the title characters in both the 1953 adventure series "Biff Baker, U.S.A." and the 1957 Western "Casey Jones." He was a regular visitor of "The Gene Autry Show," and had guest spots in many of the more popular TV shows of the day. He was in "Maverick," "Bonanza," "The Untouchables," "Gunsmoke," and "Rawhide." There was, it seemed, nothing he couldn't do. 

Hale was reported always friendly and affable, and it was his affability that landed him the role of Jonas Grumby, aka The Skipper, on Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The Skipper had to be the outraged, wrathful friend of the bumbling title character, but also...

The Rifleman may be Chuck Connors' claim to fame and his greatest contribution to the genre, but it's not the only Western show he made that's worth watching. In addition to his very successful, five-season stint as Lucas McCain in the hit ABC series, Connors starred in a different Western show titled Branded. Of course, it never achieved the reputation of The Rifleman.

Though Chuck Connors appeared in some memorable Western movies like The Big Country, he was never recognized as an A-list actor or a headline attraction in feature films. Rather, Connors was known mostly for his TV work, specifically his role in The Rifleman. The Riflleman's status as one of the most popular Western shows of the late 1950s and early 1960s helped make Connors a household name at the time. Unfortunately, it didn't have the lengthy run achieved by other classic Western TV shows, such as Gunsmoke or Bonanza.

Like any child of the 1970s, I hear a certain TV theme and immediately visualize three little girls in prairie dresses frolicking down a hill as their ma and pa look on with amused expressions from their covered wagon. Of the many dramas that have come and gone throughout the history of television, very few have endured like “Little House on the Prairie.” Despite a slow start in ratings, families smartly caught on to the beauty of this series, and many made a tradition of gathering around the TV on Monday nights to take in a show that sometimes tackled modern-day issues in a long-ago setting, and other times told amusing homespun tales. At the height of its popularity, the series made mostly unknown actors household names and became an indelible piece of television history. Read on for more about the “Little House on the Prairie” 50th anniversary.

Michael Landon...

Who do you think of when you hear the term "girl next door"? For the millions of people who grew up watching "Gilligan's Island," the answer is no doubt Dawn Wells. Wells played down-to-earth bombshell Mary Ann Summers for all three seasons of the 1960s sitcom, then continued to reprise the role in various projects for years to come.

Unlike some stars of classic TV shows, she never seemed to have a problem with being best-known for one role, and gave interviews about her time on "Gilligan's Island" for the rest of her life. According to series creator Sherwood Schwartz's book "Inside Gilligan's Island," young girls came to Wells for life advice even decades after the show had ended. "I'm still Mary Ann, I guess," he recalled her telling him.

Wells earned her role on "Gilligan's Island" around 1964, after a failed pilot the year before had conceived of a similar character named "Bunny.

When Kurt Russell was 12 years old, he faced a fork in his career path. His father, Bing Russell, owned a minor league baseball club, but made the bulk of his money as an actor; the elder Russell played Deputy Clem Foster in the successful TV Western "Bonanza." Kurt, exposed equally to baseball and acting, began following both his father's paths simultaneously, becoming equally interested in being a star little league player or an on-screen child star.

It was around the age of 12 that the young Kurt Russell attracted the attention of Walt Disney. He had already appeared in several hit TV shows like "Dennis the Menace," "Lost in Space," "The Virginian," "Gilligan's Island," and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and Disney saw nothing but potential for the lad. Most notably, Russell had starred as the title character in "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters," a Western series based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel,...

Actress Dawn Wells passed away in 2020 at the age of 82, having experienced a prolific career in TV and on film. In the early 1960s, Wells appeared on hot TV shows like "Wagon Train," "Maverick," and "77 Sunset Strip" in various supporting roles, and her career boomed in 1964 when she was hired to play the friendly hayseed Mary Ann on Sherwood Schwartz's mega-hit "Gilligan's Island." While "Gilligan's Island" was derided at the time for its silliness and broad, cartoony tone, it was still a huge hit, and the seven lead actors all became household names. Indeed, "Gilligan's Island" became so popular that several of its stars had trouble shaking off their association with the show.

After the series ended, Wells continued to work on hit shows like "Bonanza," and she appeared in notable horror movies like "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" and "Return to Boggy Creek," but many of her...

Leave It to Beaver was a groundbreaking sitcom from the 1950s, setting the stage for future family-friendly series. Key cast members, like Jerry Mathers (Beaver) and Tony Dow (Wally), found continued success in TV after the show. Some cast members, like Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell), struggled with typecasting but later found success in other shows.

Remembered as one of the seminal sitcoms from the early days of television, the Leave It to Beaver cast had a massive impact on popular culture. The show aired for six seasons starting in 1957, and it became a cultural touchstone for the late-'50 and early-'60s. Though incredibly simplistic compared to modern sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver blazed the trail for the genre and was often imitated in the ensuing decades. A true syndication hit, the series found its greatest popularity when it began to play in syndication.

Leave It to Beaver chronicled the adolescent life of its titular character,...

Actress Gena Rowlands, who earned four Emmys and two Oscar nominations in a long and decorated Hollywood career, has passed away at the age of 94.

Rowlands died on Wednesday at her California home surrounded by family, our sister site Deadline reports. No official cause of death has been released, but she had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for the past five years, according to her son Nick Cassavetes.

More from TVLinePeter Marshall, Emmy-Winning Host of Hollywood Squares, Dead at 98Patti Yasutake, Who Played Star Trek: Tng's Nurse Ogawa, Dead at 70Former NCIS Showrunner George Schenck Dead at 82

After studying...

Gena Rowlands, best known for her collaborations with husband John Cassavetes and her role in The Notebook, has died. She was 94. The retired actress died Wednesday afternoon, according to TMZ. She had been battling Alzheimer’s disease. Rowlands was born on June 19, 1930, in Cambria, Wisconsin. Her mother, Mary Allen, whose stage name was Lady Rowlands, was an actress. Her father, Edwin Myrwyn Reynolds, was a state senator and legislator. Rowlands attended the University of Wisconsin before moving to New York City to study drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. While a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she met and fell in love with Cassavetes. They married in 1954. Rowlands made her television debut that same year in an episode of Top Secret. Her first film role was in the 1958 comedy The High Cost of Loving. Her early TV career included appearances on Johnny Staccato, Alfred Hitchcock Presents,...

Mark Harmon just shared a touching tribute to a longtime co-worker from his days on NCIS. Mark learned of the passing of his friend and spoke about how important he was to the show throughout its run.

Here is who died and what Mark Harmon had to say about the loss.

Mark Harmon Honors Fallen NCIS Co-Worker

Mark Harmon noted the death of a longtime member of the NCIS production team. Former showrunner, writer, and executive producer George Schenck died on Saturday, August 3, at the age of 82. Schneck joined the production of NCIS in 2003, when the show began, and wrote dozens of episodes.

Mark Harmon from NCIS | YouTube

Schenck was a consulting producer and writer alongside his career writing partner Frank Cardea for the first eight seasons. He became an executive producer in Season 9. Schenck became a co-showrunner with Cardea in 2016 after Gary Glasberg died. He had to deal with...

In the "Star Trek" episode "Spectre of the Gun", the U.S.S. Enterprise attempts to make contact with a xenophobic species of psychics called the Melkotians. When Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew beam to the surface, they are instantly told by a Melkotian that they are trespassing and will be punished. The Melkotian teleports them, bizarrely, to an abstract Old West village where the buildings have no walls. This is an extrapolation of Tombstone, Arizona. Kirk and company find themselves standing in for specific fighters at the notorious Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and are clearly expected to face off against Wyatt Earp (Ron Soble), Morgan Earp (Rex Holman), and Virgil Earp (William Maxwell). 

Luckily, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) discovers that the laws of physics in this bizarre Old West mindscape don't operate the same as in real life, leading him to conclude that it's all an illusion.

Neil Patrick Harris is paying tribute to Emmy-nominated actor James B. Sikking, his former Doogie Howser, MD co-star, who died July 13 of complications of dementia at the age of 90.

Sikking played Dr. David Howser, the dad of Harris’ Doogie Howser on the ABC sitcom from 1989 to 1993.

“Jim Sikking played my dad in Doogie Howser, MD, and was one of the kindest, wisest, funniest, and most generous people I’ve ever known,” Harris wrote in a post on Instagram. :A true professional. He treated everyone with respect, taught me countless lessons, yet always had a spark of mischief in his eyes. It was an absolute honor to be his son. My condolences to his actual family for their loss. #Rip“

Sikking earned an Emmy nom in 1984 for playing S.W.A.T. leader Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues during the show’s 1981-1987 run. He also was a regular on Brooklyn South...

James B. Sikking, known for his notable leading roles on Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D., has died at the age of 90. The actor’s death was caused by complications related to dementia, according to his publicist Cynthia Snyder (via Variety). He died at home in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 13.

Sikking’s career began in the mid-1950s, when he made his acting debut as an uncredited union sergeant in the film Five Guns West. Over the next three decades, the actor would take on roles on...

James B. Sikking, the veteran actor best known for playing Lt. Howard Hunter on the hit 1980s television series Hill Street Blues, has died. He was 90. Sikking passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles, California, home due to complications from Dementia on Saturday, July 13, according to his publicist, Cynthia Snyder. “In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage,” Snyder said in a statement (per Deadline). “His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.” Born on March 5, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, Sikking graduated from UCLA in 1959 and began his on-screen acting career in the 1960s, appearing in episodes of Perry Mason, Combat!, The Outer Limits, The Fugitive, Bonanza, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Hogan’s Heroes, and more. ABC/courtesy Everett Collection He would continue to be a regular on television throughout the 1970s,...

James B. Sikking, known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” and the titular character’s father on “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” has died. He was 90.

Sikking died Saturday of complications from dementia, his publicist Cynthia Synder said in a statement Sunday evening.

“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse,” Snyder shared with Variety. “His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage.”

Sikking was widely recognized for his portrayal of Howard Hunter on the police procedural series “Hill Street Blues,” which aired from 1981 to 1987 on NBC. He received an Emmy nomination in 1984 for his performance as the clean-cut, pipe-smoking lieutenant.

After “Hill Street Blues,” Sikking played Dr. David Howser, father of Doogie Howser (Neil Patrick Harris), for all four seasons of the ABC medical sitcom from 1989 to 1993.

He portrayed a police officer again for Steven Bochco,...

James B. Sikking, the prolific, Emmy-nominated actor known for his roles on Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser, M.D., died July 13 of dementia. He was 90.

Sikking died at his Los Angeles home, where his publicist Cynthia Snyder tells Deadline that the actor was surrounded by family in his final moments.

“In a remarkable career, Sikking’s wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage,” said Snyder in a statement, adding: “His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.”

Sikking earned an Emmy nom in 1984 for playing the gung-ho S.W.A.T. leader Lt. Howard Hunter on Hill Street Blues during the show’s full 1981-87 run and co-starred as the title character’s father Dr. David Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D. from 1989-93. He also was a regular on Brooklyn South in 1997-98 appeared on such shows as Rawhide,...

Clint Eastwood owes his successful career as a Western hero to his role in the TV series Rawhide. Rawhide was unique in focusing on the life of cattle drovers instead of a lone cowboy hero. Eastwood's rebellious character on Rawhide helped establish him as a Western star in the genre.

Clint Eastwood is one of the most successful Western actors in history, and he owes his success to a 65-year-old television series. Many of Clint Eastwood's Western characters are iconic, such as The Man With No Name, and he has epitomized the Western action hero for over six decades. He has acted in a variety of classic movies, demonstrating his range as an actor while remaining committed to his brand as a Western hero.

Westerns have been popular since before movies had sound, and the genre carried over to television, which was ideally suited to stories about heroic cowboys...