Latest news with #Frasier
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Six TV spinoffs that are even better than the original
Is this latest instalment in the Addams Family universe a spin-off, a reboot or a revival? The Addams canon is such a hodgepodge of on-the-fly lore that it feels pointless to try and make a ruling. But this Netflix supernatural teen drama benefits from a long-awaited lick of Tim Burton's twee-goth magic. The idiosyncratic director executive produces and is at the helm of around half the episodes, and a gorgeous little stop-motion sequence in the second-season premiere nods to the shelved stop-motion Addams film he was once slated to make. More than anything, Wednesday is a showcase for Jenna Ortega and her masterful micro-expressions. Her Wednesday Addams is a bookish, steely loner whose dark sensibilities are at odds with the rah-rah boarding school vibes of supernatural Nevermore Academy – an outcast among outcasts. With a phenomenal cast that includes familiar faces from the '90s films and just-gory-enough violence, it's a fun family watch that the over-13s won't turn their noses up at. Frasier Watching Frasier Crane's early run on Cheers as the pitiable but sweet egghead who served to turn Sam and Diane's legendary flirtation into a love triangle, you would never have picked him as the anchor for one of the most successful TV spinoffs of all time. But the creators of Frasier knew exactly how to turn this character from a narrative lever into a fixture. Loading Crane – whom Kelsey Grammer has been playing since he was in his late 20s – is a pompous, verbose snob, which makes him a great foil for easygoing Boston barflies, but he's also kind at his core and as hard on himself as he can be on those around him, which gives him a path to connect with others despite himself. At the beginning of his eponymous show, his original 1985 sweetness and vulnerability calcified believably into a '90s cynicism, all the better for bickering with his pernickety brother, cranky father and shrewd radio producer.
The Age
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Six TV spinoffs that are even better than the original
Is this latest instalment in the Addams Family universe a spin-off, a reboot or a revival? The Addams canon is such a hodgepodge of on-the-fly lore that it feels pointless to try and make a ruling. But this Netflix supernatural teen drama benefits from a long-awaited lick of Tim Burton's twee-goth magic. The idiosyncratic director executive produces and is at the helm of around half the episodes, and a gorgeous little stop-motion sequence in the second-season premiere nods to the shelved stop-motion Addams film he was once slated to make. More than anything, Wednesday is a showcase for Jenna Ortega and her masterful micro-expressions. Her Wednesday Addams is a bookish, steely loner whose dark sensibilities are at odds with the rah-rah boarding school vibes of supernatural Nevermore Academy – an outcast among outcasts. With a phenomenal cast that includes familiar faces from the '90s films and just-gory-enough violence, it's a fun family watch that the over-13s won't turn their noses up at. Frasier Watching Frasier Crane's early run on Cheers as the pitiable but sweet egghead who served to turn Sam and Diane's legendary flirtation into a love triangle, you would never have picked him as the anchor for one of the most successful TV spinoffs of all time. But the creators of Frasier knew exactly how to turn this character from a narrative lever into a fixture. Loading Crane – whom Kelsey Grammer has been playing since he was in his late 20s – is a pompous, verbose snob, which makes him a great foil for easygoing Boston barflies, but he's also kind at his core and as hard on himself as he can be on those around him, which gives him a path to connect with others despite himself. At the beginning of his eponymous show, his original 1985 sweetness and vulnerability calcified believably into a '90s cynicism, all the better for bickering with his pernickety brother, cranky father and shrewd radio producer.
The South African
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Sarah Michelle Gellar returns as Buffy in new reboot
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Kiera Armstrong are powering up for the highly anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. Gellar, reprising her iconic role as Buffy Summers, posted a video on social media showing her and Armstrong training hard. Gellar captioned her post with a playful line: 'Warrior 1 and 2. We don't sweat … we sparkle.' This glimpse behind the scenes suggests the reboot is progressing well. Just weeks earlier, she also shared a photo from the pilot's first read-through, gathering not only Armstrong but a cast of talented newcomers, according to Collider. The newcomers included Jack Cutmore-Scott ( Frasier ), Sarah Bock ( Severance ), Daniel Di Tomasso ( CSI: Vegas ), and Ava Jean ( Law & Order: SVU ). Faly Rakotohavana ( Unprisoned ), and Kingston Vernes ( So Cold the River ), also join the cast. The reboot has heavyweight creative talent behind it. Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao is helming the pilot episode. The storyline comes from Pokerface showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, lending fresh voices to the Buffy universe. Meanwhile, Gellar is also taking on the role of executive producer, signalling her deep commitment to honouring the original while pushing the story forward. For South African viewers, the return of Buffy carries more meaning than nostalgia. Gellar expressed how the show's themes of friendship and chosen family resonate strongly today, especially amid global and social divisions. She said, 'Buffy is still hitting people who are watching it for the first time, and they're seeing themselves, their friends, and they're finding their chosen family. And I think more than ever right now, as we get more and more divided, we need that chosen family.' She hopes to offer a new generation comfort and connection through the reboot. The original series ended over two decades ago, but Buffy's legacy lives on strongly. Since stepping back from Hollywood to focus on family, Gellar seemed unlikely to return. However, the passion behind the new project changed her mind. South African fans, who have long embraced Buffy's blend of supernatural adventure and teenage drama, can look forward to a series that honours its roots. However, the show will also usher in fresh stories and diverse characters suitable for today's world. With a Hulu release on the horizon and such strong creative forces at play, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is ready to cast its spell over a new generation. This reboot promises to be a beacon of hope and empowerment, a relevant and exciting revival for South African fans and the global Buffyverse alike. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Irish Independent
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘King of the Hill' 2025 review: New season proves this animated gem is one 90s TV show actually worth reviving
Ideally, this and the axing in January of Paramount's mediocre Frasier should be the final nails in the coffin of the 90s TV revival craze. All that being said, welcome back King of the Hill (Disney+, streaming now). It's great to see you again after all this time, and looking great too. The animated sitcom created by Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-head) and Greg Daniels (The Simpsons, The Office, Parks and Recreation) originally ran from 1997 to 2009 and was a cult favourite. Near the end, despite good ratings, its original broadcaster, Fox, seemed to lose interest and dumped the final four episodes into syndication. Set in the fictional Texas city of Arlen, King of the Hill focused on mild-mannered beer- and football-loving propane salesman Hank Hill (voiced by Judge), his wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) – a substitute teacher who's bursting with confidence, yet sometimes deficient in the self-awareness department – their 12-year-old son and only child Bobby (Pamela Adlon), who shares none of his father's interests, along with a large cast of friends, neighbours and incidental characters. Even when it started, King of the Hill was a bit of an outlier. It didn't have the glorious puerility of Beavis and Butt-head, the surreal satire of The Simpsons or the politically engaged, boundary-smashing, near-the-knuckle outrageousness of South Park. If you had to sum it up in a few words, they would be warm, big-hearted and gentle – although not in the way 'gentle' is often used as code for 'not very funny'. King of the Hill was always very funny. The humour came from the small things, the mundane details and minor frustrations of everyday life. It also paddled against TV comedy's political tide. Hank was – and still is in the new episodes – a Republican, but he's also a member of a vanishing species: the moderate conservative who prefers to consider other viewpoints rather than condemn them. The current fractious political climate is the ideal time to bring King of the Hill back to television, and Judge, Daniels and new showrunner Saladin Patterson (The Wonder Years) handle the return seamlessly. ADVERTISEMENT The new season starts with Hank and Peggy returning to Arlen after several years in Saudi Arabia – or 'Saw-die Arabia', as Peggy says it. As their plane descends, Hank is in the toilet, struggling to empty his bladder, while a disgruntled queue forms at the door. Peggy loudly announces to the other passengers that her husband has a narrow urethra. 'Doctors say he now has the urethra of a seven-year-old,' she booms. 'Every year, that skinny little tube just shrinks and shrinks.' 'Don't share that, Peggy!' wails Hank from the other side of the door. He's flummoxed by taxi apps, all-gender toilets, hybrid cars, bicycle lanes Hank is bewildered at how things have changed while they've been away. 'Are we still in Amsterdam?' he wonders, marvelling at all the trendy stores and eateries that have popped up all over Arlen. 'What kind of food is poke?' He's flummoxed by taxi apps, all-gender toilets, hybrid cars, bicycle lanes. A different comedy might have gone down the route of having Hank rail angrily against modern life. Instead, he handles everything in his uniquely Hank way: initial puzzlement followed by a kind of 'Oh, well' shrug of acceptance. Unlike other animated sitcoms, King of the Hill marks the passage of time. Twelve-year-old Bobby is now 21-year-old Bobby, the part-owner and chef of a restaurant offering 'a traditional Japanese barbecue with a fusion of flavours and techniques from the German traditions of the Texas Hill Country'. Quite a mouthful. King of the Hill rings the changes in the political climate without making your ears bleed. Trump is never mentioned. Everything is addressed obliquely, using Hank's neighbour Dale Gribble (Toby Huss). Always a right-winger, Dale seems to have gone full wingnut. He was elected mayor, but served for just 36 hours after refusing to accept his own victory: 'I was an election-election denier.' If only the compassion of King of the Hill was to be found on Capitol Hill. Rating: Four stars
Metro
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
I supported The Holiday reboot - but they've massively screwed up
TV reboots aren't inherently evil. There, I've said it. I'm not denying that there are some absolute stinkers out there (the Frasier revival flop immediately springs to mind). But when done right, a reboot can be the perfect way of honouring the original and bridging the gap between generations. It's been almost 20 years since The Holiday was released and immediately became an annual festive classic among us hopeless romantics. Who can resist Jude Law's Mr Napkin Head, or Kate Winslet's rousing speech about becoming the leading lady of her own life? When I first heard about the reported TV reboot, I was hopeful. 'Why wouldn't it work?' I figured. There's no reason why the format of the story couldn't be repurposed with new characters, as they swap homes with someone on the other side of the world and embark on journeys of self-discovery. But then, I saw the news that made my heart sink. Nancy Meyers – the film virtuoso who not only wrote The Holiday, but also directed and co-produced it – isn't involved in the upcoming TV spin-off and claims she had absolutely no idea that it was even happening. My jaw fell to the ground. How could they even consider bringing The Holiday back without Meyers, the beating heart of the movie, without whom it wouldn't exist? Following the announcement of the TV reboot – which Deadline reports is being made by producers at Apple TV Plus – the filmmaker wrote on her Instagram Story: 'News to me. Imagine my surprise when I opened Instagram and this was the first post I saw.' Even if the bosses behind the remake had bafflingly decided not to involve her in the new production, to not even inform her that it was happening is shocking if true. I've spent my whole life inhaling Meyers' work. Before The Holiday, I grew up obsessively trying to learn The Parent Trap handshake and wishing I could be as cool a bride as Anne Banks in Father of the Bride, complete with her bedazzled trainers under her gown. There's a fine art to creating a TV reboot that both honours the original story on which it's based, and brings something new to audiences – and these three did just that. Cobra Kai has gone down as one of the most beloved Netflix shows ever, an offshoot from The Karate Kid franchise that brought back legendary rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence decades after the original film. Disney Plus' period drama Shōgun was hailed a TV triumph when it premiered last year, over four decades after the book was adapted into a series starring Richard Chamberlain. Last year, Eddie Redmayne unleashed his sinister side playing the titular assassin in The Day of the Jackal – a role previously played by Edward Fox in 1973 – in a performance that viewers hailed as horrifyingly brilliant. There are admittedly too many reboots left, right and centre – but they don't have to be the enemy, especially when they deliver astounding TV. I remember going to watch The Holiday with my friends when I was 12 years old, rushing to the cinema straight after school in our uniform, gorging on popcorn as the twinkling piano keys of Hans Zimmer's Maestro began playing in the opening scene. Just a couple of years ago, two of my closest friends and I went to watch The Holiday In Concert at The Hammersmith Apollo, and the cheers that erupted from the women in the audience as Iris finally dumped her toxic ex Jasper once and for all made my heart sing. It might have been the prosecco we were sipping that made the scene bring a tear to my eye, but let's not downplay Meyers' writing. In a light-hearted romantic comedy, she created a cinematic heroine – with gallons of gumption – who I've truly looked up to for 19 years. After being made to feel as small as humanly possible, she discovers her self-worth and has the strength to step away from a soul-sucking relationship. To this day, I'm sure many women can see themselves in Iris when they find the courage to put themselves first. So a reboot could have been a perfect confidence booster for the next generation of women. However, taking The Holiday and spinning it into a limited series should not be done without Meyers' magical touch. I have no doubt that those in charge of the reboot are hugely talented in their own right. But will they be able to emulate Meyers' signature charm, her flair that makes you instantly recognise when her pen is behind the script? I don't think so. In December last year, Mr Napkin Head himself Law addressed the possibility of a sequel to The Holiday, telling 'Of course, that conversation comes up, 'Is there an idea?' But that all lands in Nancy Meyers' lap. More Trending 'She's pretty meticulous. So she would only do it if it was a really robust idea and then it would be whether the four of us would come back. I would be curious to see what they're all doing.' This was in reference to the original four leads returning to reprise their roles in a sequel, rather than a reboot with new characters. Nonetheless, the message is clear. No Meyers? No fairytale ending. Metro has contacted Apple TV Plus for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: I feel sorry for Rebecca Loos after Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins MORE: Coyote Ugly founder was 'driven nuts' by one detail in iconic 00s rom-com MORE: Brock Lesnar makes controversial WWE return after 2 years at SummerSlam
