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If you're looking for a bingeable series famous for its cliffhangers and long list of episodes, look no further than Dallas. Before shows like Law & Order and Grey's Anatomy, Dallas was one of the longest-running primetime dramas in American history, and for good reason. The iconic soap opera, which aired from 1978 to 1991, revolved around the wealthy Ewing family, a perpetually at-odds family who presided over their oil empire in (you guessed it) Dallas, Texas. The series featured a large ensemble cast that included the likes of Priscilla Presley and I Dream of Jeannie's Larry Hagman and was nominated for 21 Primetime Emmys, winning four over the course of its 13-year run. It also happened to produce the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers: one that captured global attention, started an eight-month media frenzy, found itself referenced in a U.S. presidential election, and revolutionized television storytelling.

Few pieces of human anatomy caused quite as much pearl-clutching among conservative media moralists in the 20th century as the uncovered belly button. Marilyn Monroe was barred from exposing her naked tummy up until George Cukor's never-finished 1962 film, "Something's Got to Give," while even Disney fan afoul of Hays Code era censors after threatening to reveal the titular character's navel in 1941's "The Reluctant Dragon." NBC similarly kept a close eye on Barbara Eden's unclothed midriff to ensure there was no funny business with Sidney Sheldon's '60s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" (although Eden later claimed it was a non-issue until members of the press made a fuss about it).

It would, of course, be more accurate to say that the exposed female waistline was responsible for most of this hand-wringing. William Shatner spent the '60s flaunting his abs to his heart's content on "Star Trek: The Original Series,...

Kim Gwizdala and Nikka Markarian have driven four hours to be here today. They’ve dressed in Dallas-style outfits (cropped jackets and black suede cowboy boots) and are sporting Reagan-era ’dos (blown out and heavily feathered). And now, these best friends from Las Vegas, both 32, will spend several more hours in line at a hotel in Burbank, waiting to meet the 83-year-old actress who, decades ago ­— before Gwizdala and Markarian were even born — played J.R. Ewing’s long-suffering wife. The character who tried to buy a baby on the black market, spent the better part of a season locked away in a sanitarium and whose sister shot her husband.

“Linda Gray!” they chime in unison, as if reciting a holy incantation.

And those are just two of the more than 2,500 rabid fans who have converged at the Burbank Marriott on this hazy weekend in March for The Hollywood Show,...

Believe it or not, "The Sopranos" just turned 25. Yes, 25 years ago, the medium of TV changed forever when David Chase's mafia series kicked off what we think of today as the "peak TV era." The impact and influence of "The Sopranos" cannot be overstated — without "The Sopranos," the TV landscape as we know it for the last 25 years would not exist. There would be no "Mad Men," no "Breaking Bad," no "Succession." Watching "The Sopranos" now, you can see the influence on the two-plus decade's worth of shows to come.

While "The Sopranos" started off strong, the common consensus is that the show really became the juggernaut that we know it as in the fifth episode of season 1, titled "College." Why? Because that was the first episode we saw Tony Soprano whack someone. While it seems commonplace now to have an unlikable protagonist leading a show, in 1999, when the episode in question first aired,...

There are many takes on magic within television. Some cheery and upbeat like I Dream of Jeannie and some dark and frightening like The Witcher. Focusing more on the dark side of magic can lead to tv series having more interesting plot lines and fleshed out characters. Whether it's fueled by anger, love, revenge or madness, the power that comes with abusing magic is something harmful for all.

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is hardly the first gangster to appear on television. When HBO's "The Sopranos" introduced Tony into our homes, it was clear he was no ordinary gangster. He was a family man, a history buff, a cinephile, a jokester, and an anti-hero. Tony likened himself to Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) from Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" trilogy and reminded audiences that mobster movies have been popular since the 1930s. The self-aware and hit television series dared to ask: what final consequences should Tony pay for his criminal life?

Gandolfini's performance in "The Sopranos" is one of the greatest of all time. The late Gandolfini showed how Tony's differing attributes are brought out by other people. Tony is constantly putting on a persona: he wants to appear strong in front of his family, ruthless near his adversaries, collected in front of his underlings, and honest to his therapist,...

Walt Disney's Last Will and Testament, artwork from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and many, many more incredible items are up for auction in the highly anticipated Animation and Disneyana event that began on December 9th. Also: watch two new clips plus the official trailer for Richard Mundy's Twenty Twenty-Four, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 Vol. 6 cover art and preview pages.

Animation & Disneyana Auction Details: Press Release: "Calabasas, Calif.- Walt Disney's Last Will and Testament, plus his signed document marking the genesis of the Disney Empire/brand; How the Grinch Stole Christmas production artwork (perfectly timed to the 50th anniversary of the animated TV special!) and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas original artwork and set pieces; Disneyana, featuring rare animation art and Disney park props, including an "Atom-mobile" miniature prop from the retired Journey Through Inner Space attraction, an assortment of...

When news broke earlier this week that five young up-and-coming actors were in line for the lead Jedi role in Star Wars Episode VII, Google search bars will likely have been working overtime as film fans tried to match faces to names.

Ed Speleers, John Boyega, Jesse Plemons, Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher may not be household names, but Star Wars has a history of turning unknowns into big stars.

With the casting cogs turning for Star Wars: Episode VII, we take a look at what Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher were up to before they met George Lucas.

Harrison Ford

Now a bona fide movie icon, it's common knowledge that Ford struggled early on in his career and starting working as a carpenter to support his family between acting gigs. Sometimes Ford didn't even get an acting credit at all, and on one occasion he was...

As is the new habit in basic cable, the Cartoon Network split the current season of its hilarious Robot Chicken into two halves, airing the first part of the fifth season late last year and then, a few weeks ago kicking off the second season. Where they didn’t follow the script was releasing Robot Chicken Season 5 on DVD just days after the second half debuted October 23.

All 20 episodes are included and I am late in bringing this to your attention because I have been savoring the installments, catching up on what has aired, and working ahead. The show, from co-creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich, available on Blu-ray and standard DVD in separate packages. And as has become their wont, there are hours of bonus features, some exclusive to the Blu-ray edition, which was not sent for review.

Last year, the show won a much-deserved Emmy Award for Outstanding...