Latest news with #TheCritic
ITV News
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
FIRST LOOK IMAGES OF ITV'S ESPIONAGE THRILLER SECRET SERVICE STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON
ITV has today released a selection of striking first look images from the highly anticipated new thriller Secret Service, taken on location in Malta during the first few weeks of filming. Link to download images: Photography credits: Chris Harris/Potboiler Productions Set against the harbour and winding backstreets of Valletta, the images offer a first glimpse at the scale and ambition of the five-part series, which promises high-stakes drama, political intrigue, and an outstanding cast led by Gemma Arterton (Funny Woman, The Critic). Filmed in Malta and London this spring, Secret Service is adapted from the topical novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby and produced by Potboiler Productions. With direction from Oscar-winner James Marsh (Man on Wire, The Theory of Everything) and a cast including Rafe Spall, Alex Kingston, Mark Stanley, Roger Allam, Amaka Okafor, Aoife Hinds, Avi Nash, Alma Prelec and Khalid Abdalla, the series explores the world of espionage against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the UK and Russia. Suspenseful, timely, and cinematic, Secret Service follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Gemma Arterton) as a covert investigation uncovers evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be working as a Russian asset. With trust shattered and her career on the line, Kate must navigate the shifting sands of political loyalty, international threat, and personal sacrifice. Produced by leading independent producers Potboiler Productions, the series is executive produced by Gail Egan (Funny Woman, A Most Wanted Man, The Little Stranger) and Andrea Calderwood (The Buccaneers, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind). ITV's Director of Drama Polly Hill has commissioned the series and the production is overseen by Drama Commissioner Huw Kennair Jones on behalf of the broadcaster. All3Media International are co-commissioners and will be responsible for the international distribution of the drama. The series is set to premiere on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player in 2026.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Simpsons boss issues appeal to fans of cult 1990s animation The Critic amid potential revival
The showrunner of The Simpsons has appealed to fans of the cult 1990s animation The Critic amid talk of a potential revival series. The Critic starred sometime Simpsons actor Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman, an unsightly film critic in the era of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. The series, which originally ran for two seasons between 1994 and 1994, was created by The Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, and memorably crossed over with The Simpsons in the latter show's season six episode 'A Star is Burns'. Writing on Twitter, Jean and Lovitz suggested that a revival of The Critic could be in the offing, petitioning fans of the show to make their voices heard. ' Critic Fans!!!! You keep telling me you want it back,' wrote Lovitz. 'I've been trying for years! Well, now, creator Al Jean is on board!!! If you want it back, we need your help! 'Please like this post and spread the word! So we can show the studio, how many people want it!' In a separate post, Jean wrote: 'Just curious … how many would like to see The Critic, with @realjonlovitz return?' The Critic is currently unavailable to stream anywhere in the UK. The series was in fact revived once before, for a 10-episode webseries in 2000 and 2001. The series was noted for its parodying of classic and contemporary movies, and is seen as an influence on later animated comedies such as Family Guy, though the show never enjoyed the popularity of The Simpsons. Jean and Reiss served as showrunners throughout the third and fourth seasons of The Simpsons, widely considered the time when the series entered its creative peak. They left after the fourth season to create The Critic. Jean would return as showrunner for the 13th season of The Simpsons, a position he held until it reached its 33rd. The popular animated series had previously parodied Mike White's black comedy in an episode titled 'The Yellow Lotus'.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amid a Back-to-the-Future Moment for Animation, Could ‘The Critic' Make a Comeback?
In an era where adult animation enjoys remarkable popularity and longevity, could another classic (albeit short-lived) 1990s animated sitcom make a comeback? Jon Lovitz thinks so. More from The Hollywood Reporter Janelle James Reacts to Ava Being Fired on 'Abbott Elementary' and Last Year's Emmy Snub Grant Ellis Picks Winner in Indecisive 'Bachelor' Finale - and 'Golden' Stars Head to 'Paradise' 'American Dad!' Closing in on Deal to Return to Fox On Friday, the comedian said that he and creator Al Jean are developing a revival of The Critic, the series in which Lovitz played the film critic and Coming Attractions TV host Jay Sherman. 'You keep telling me you want it back. I've been trying for years! Well, now, creator Al Jean is on board!!!' Lovitz posted. Despite hailing from a slew of veterans from The Simpsons (including Jean, Mike Reiss, and James L. Brooks, who produced the show via his Gracie Films), the show never achieved Simpsons-level success, only airing 13 episodes over two seasons on ABC and later Fox. It frequently parodied the entertainment business, with Sherman reviewing fake films (his catchphrase was 'It stinks!'), and his boss, Duke Phillips, not-so-subtly inspired by Ted Turner. Its opening credits, which featured a montage of New York City landmarks, from the Central Park Zoo and Rockefeller Center skating rink to the Guggenheim Museum and World Trade Center, were among the best of its era. But in 2025, adult animation is in a back-to-the-future moment, as long-canceled shows make comebacks, and as staples like The Simpsons (which debuted in 1989), South Park (which debuted in 1997) and Family Guy (which debuted in 1999) remain stalwarts of their respective lineups. King of the Hill, the Fox animated series that ran from 1997 until 2010, is set to return with new episodes on Hulu this year. And American Dad!, the Seth MacFarlane series (which has been on for 20 years!) and that had been running on TBS, is set to return to Fox after years in relative cable obscurity. Shows like Futurama and Beavis and Butt-Head have all been revived, as have slightly younger-skewing animated shows like Clone High and X-Men: The Animated Series (now called X-Men '97). But it may be the return of King of the Hill that should give fans of The Critic optimism. While adult animation has always leaned on the absurd, both The Critic and King of the Hill felt grounded in a way that its peers were not. Sure, The Critic had its fair sure of absurdity (one character was from Easter Island and bore a striking resemblance to a moai statue), but the New York in which it was set felt real in a way that Springfield or Quahog never did. And a time when streaming services are hungry for fresh yet familiar fare (The Critic streams on Tubi, by the way), and with the entertainment business writ large ripe for parody in a cultural era dominated by TikTok and YouTube, the timing might be perfect to bring back Jay Sherman and his crew of misfits. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The Cast of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' Then and Now 'Yellowstone' and the Sprawling Dutton Family Tree, Explained A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
