“Friends” is still influential on the 10 anniversary of its series finale
The “untraditional, improvisatory families” that “Friends” celebrated are now staples on television, from “Modern Family” to “Trophy Wife.” “Friends” even had a gay wedding during its run. PLUS: “Friends” season finale marked the end of NBC”s dominance, and “Friends” gave 20-somethings unrealistic expectations.
Billy Eichner to star in USA pilot “Difficult People” from producer Amy Poehler
Poehler is teaming with her fellow “Parks and Rec” employee and his “Billy on the Street” writer Julia Klausner for a comedy about two friends in NYC who hate everybody.
“The Maya Rudolph Show”: Watch the 1st promo
“I am also here,” sings Andy Samberg.
John Oliver”s set includes a “Game of Thrones” castle
If you take a close look at the background of “Last Week Tonight,” you can see where Stannis Baratheon hangs out. PLUS: Oliver got a letter from juice maker he described as making “dog juice.”
W. Kamau Bell weighs in on “SNL” Leslie Jones controversy: “When I watched the bit I kept thinking about white people”
“I was thinking about the white people who (I”m sure) make up the vast majority of SNL”s studio audience,” he explains, “the white people who (definitely) make up the vast majority of the TV audience, and the white person (Colin Jost) who was sitting next to Leslie during the bit. I took a scientific poll of myself, and I determined that it just felt like too many white people were watching her bit. Especially for a bit as potentially (and actually) incendiary as the one Leslie did. I didn”t trust that those white people understood the historic context behind the bit. I didn”t trust that it wouldn”t lead to frat boys walking up to black women with Afros and saying, 'I”d totally do you over Lupita Nyong”o!… Hey! Where you going?” IMHO, context is what made Leslie Jones”s bit seem weird to some (like me) and offensive to others.” PLUS: Good on Lorne Michaels and the writing staff for allowing Jones to go there, this kind of comedy about slavery has been done many times before.
“24” producers explain the “Live Another Day” similarities to Edward Snowden
“As we looked at Edward Snowden and the NSA, we realized Chloe herself is as much a fugitive as Jack is,” says exec producer Manny Coto. “She's the one who closed down the satellite at the end of season eight, which allowed Jack to escape.” PLUS: “24” seems to be taking its cues from “Homeland,” and “24: Live Another Day” is the perfect reboot for newbies.
Yvonne Strahovski talks about appearing last night on “24” and “Louie”
She says her “Louie” role was “slightly terrifying,” while she had to binge-watch Seasons 1 and 8 of “24” to get to know who Jack Bauer was since she had never watched the show before. PLUS: Is Strahovski”s character a female Jack Bauer?
IFC announces a new logo and slogan
“Always On, Slightly Off” is IFC”s new motto.
Washington, D.C. councilman: “Scandal” would be willing to shoot in D.C. if given incentives
Councilman Vincent Orange says if the ABC drama is given the funding, it”ll shoot some Season 4 scenes in August. “Scandal” usually uses L.A. to portray D.C.
Louis CK urged critics not to write about the opening scene in the “Louie” premiere
But why that scene? PLUS: The season premiere was based on a true story.
American TV viewers watch just 9% of the TV channels available to them
Nielsen found that the average U.S. TV home receives 189 TV channels, but only 17 to 18 of them are watched.
Tony Goldwyn”s “The Divide” gets a WEtv premiere date
The legal drama starring Marin Ireland, Damon Gupton, Clarke Peters and Nia Long debuts July 23.
Jon Hamm recalls his “24” alum prom date, and working as softcore porn set-dresser while filming that dating show
Hamm gets the Vanity Fair cover treatment. He recalls dating Sarah Clarke, who had a crush on Paul Rudd in high school – resulting in a “Paul Rudd–Jon Hamm showdown.”