"The Love Boat" holds a fascinating place in pop culture history. While most of the shows with reruns playing in heavy rotation today were in some way groundbreaking upon their initial release, "The Love Boat" is a novelty the likes of which modern TV rarely – if ever – tries to emulate. An anthology-like rom-com set aboard a cruise ship, "The Love Boat" featured a revolving door of guest stars and little connective tissue to speak of aside from the cast playing the crew aboard the ship.
The deeply '70s series earned high ratings for much of its run, yet was considered pretty silly even at the time of its release. John J. O'Connor called it a "dreadful porridge of a conception" in The New York Times, while the Orlando Sentinel's Noel Holston said it needed "sharper writing, better casting, more original situations, an end to the indefatigable laugh track or,...
The deeply '70s series earned high ratings for much of its run, yet was considered pretty silly even at the time of its release. John J. O'Connor called it a "dreadful porridge of a conception" in The New York Times, while the Orlando Sentinel's Noel Holston said it needed "sharper writing, better casting, more original situations, an end to the indefatigable laugh track or,...
- 4/14/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Norman Lear, who recently passed away at the age of 101, transformed the network television sitcom in the 1970s by confronting America's cultural contentiousness head-on and daring viewers to laugh at a bigot like Archie Bunker on "All in the Family" or the white-folks-hating George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons." People were more than ready to accept this challenge. "All in the Family" was the top-rated show on television for six of its nine seasons, while "The Jeffersons" ranked in the top 10 for four of its remarkable 11 seasons. Along with "Good Times," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "One Day at a Time" and "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear basically dominated the decade. It was a creative hot streak that's never been matched and one that Lear could never replicate.
After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...
After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...
- 12/24/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Strangely, Elvis Presley and Kurt Russell's careers are intrinsically linked. For more than four decades, Russell has been a Hollywood mainstay. With his chiseled chin and rugged good looks, the actor looks like he was born to be a Hollywood A-lister. His performance in 1981's "Escape from New York" put him on the map as one of Hollywood's hottest action heroes. With subsequent films "Silkwood" and "Overboard," Russell would prove he had the acting chops to succeed in any genre.
But it didn't always feel like that. Russell made his feature film debut in 1963 with an uncredited role in the Elvis Presley movie "It Happened at the World's Fair." Despite rubbing elbows with one of the most popular entertainers of the era, Russell would spend the next 16 years toiling away in film and minor television roles, waiting for his big break. Ironically, an unexpected reconnection with the King of...
But it didn't always feel like that. Russell made his feature film debut in 1963 with an uncredited role in the Elvis Presley movie "It Happened at the World's Fair." Despite rubbing elbows with one of the most popular entertainers of the era, Russell would spend the next 16 years toiling away in film and minor television roles, waiting for his big break. Ironically, an unexpected reconnection with the King of...
- 1/26/2023
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. While some appear to be mentally skipping most of November to head straight into the holiday season, others might want to get in the mood ahead of this year’s celebrations.
Shows such as Gossip Girl, Modern Family, and Frasier have all dedicated episodes to Thanksgiving over the years.
Here’s a selection below, to be enjoyed between now and 25 November.
Gossip Girl – “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!”, season one episode nine
Few shows did Thanksgiving episodes as well as Gossip Girl. And because this is Gossip Girl, a show that ended a fair few seasons too late, the first Thanksgiving episode was also the best. In this inaugural instalment, families fight, friends quarrel, and – of course – secrets are revealed. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – “Talking Turkey”, season one episode 12
Vivian realises that the children in her...
Shows such as Gossip Girl, Modern Family, and Frasier have all dedicated episodes to Thanksgiving over the years.
Here’s a selection below, to be enjoyed between now and 25 November.
Gossip Girl – “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!”, season one episode nine
Few shows did Thanksgiving episodes as well as Gossip Girl. And because this is Gossip Girl, a show that ended a fair few seasons too late, the first Thanksgiving episode was also the best. In this inaugural instalment, families fight, friends quarrel, and – of course – secrets are revealed. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – “Talking Turkey”, season one episode 12
Vivian realises that the children in her...
- 11/21/2022
- by Clémence Michallon
- The Independent - TV
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