On the heels of two historical epics — 2023’s Napoleon and 2024’s Gladiator II — Ridley Scott is making a welcome return to the sci-fi genre with The Dog Stars, with Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi as its lead alongside Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley. The first full-length trailer has arrived, as seen above, and while I’m not sure this new action movie will be the one to give Scott his Oscar dues, it does look exciting as all hell.

And yeah, a big chunk of my excitement stems from the brief, mysterious, and arguably fetching shots of Oscar and Emmy winner Allison Janney in there. But we’ll get to her shortly.

The Dog Stars' Post-Apocalypse Looks Peaceful Until It Doesn't

Ridley Scott is taking viewers into a far different near future than the settings of his most classic science-fiction films. (Namely Alien and Blade Runner, but we can throw in The Martian and one other of the reader's choice.) Those familiar with the book-to-screen film's source material, Peter Heller's 2012 novel of the same name, are in the loop on the global pandemic that largely wiped out the population. Early on in the trailer, life appears tough but almost strangely idyllic, in a "Back in the good ol' days" kind of way.

As Hig, Elordi is a former pilot making a go at survival with Bangley (Brolin), an ex-Marine with an edge, and Cima (Qualley), a medic with an eye (and heart) for Hig. Unfortunately, it isn't long before the peaceful facade is revealed to be just that, and the bonkers-looking threats are revealed.

The Dog Stars appears to be the first 2026 movie release to go all-in on using night-vision as a visual aesthetic, which seems like a brilliant plan to play into the bizarre looks of the more feral survivors that seem to be overtaking any area they go running into. It seems like they're all still maintaining human traits, though, and haven't gone all Rage virus-zombie. But in those shots, they also look like members of a trippy Toxic Avenger tribute band, so who knows?

Whatever the case, as soon as the trailer gets intense, Jacob Elordi lights it up in what could very well be the role that sends him into a more action-heavy career path. It's a character that Brolin would have been great for had this been made 20 years ago, and Elordi fills the space quite convincingly. His performances in historical dramas and romances don't exactly scream "bad-ss," but it's a good look, and it can only help his Bond chances, if those rumors are to be believed.

Whatever Is Up With Allison Janney's Character, I'm All For It

The fourth-billed star of The Dog Stars, Allison Janney only appears fleetingly - still more so than Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong - but those quick shots are enough to spark some obsessive feelings. Totally normal ones, though! Well, mostly.

I mean, she instantly stands apart from other characters, in that she's basically in head-to-toe Pan Am flight attendant cosplay, while everyone else is dressed in the usual drab looks that accompany apocalypses. She's also tending bar, which feels like it has to be a major luxury in a world so broken. In large part because there's electricity there, as opposed to other settings shown in the trailer. Speaking of...

Okay, so Janney's unnamed character has both booze AND cigarettes, so she must be royalty or something. And bar lights are certainly not the extent of her electricity usage. As seen above, she apparently has access to security camera footage, presumably to make sure none of the wild shirtless people come trying to take her stuff. But how does she have all of this, while everyone else is slumming it?

That's the part I'm really obsessing over, and definitely not Janney in that blue get-up with a martini glass in her hand. Definitely not that. Now somebody open a window in here or something.

The Dog Stars is set to release in theaters on August 28, 2026.

It was a treat for fans of The West Wing to see Allison Janney reunite with Bradley Whitford on the small screen again when The Diplomat Season 3 hit the 2025 TV schedule. Whitford came on board to play Todd, husband of Janney’s Grace Penn, giving their characters quite a different dynamic from when they portrayed C.J. and Josh in the Bartlet White House. Janney acknowledged this in regards to having to kiss her former co-star, and Whitford had the funniest response.

The cast of The Diplomat — whose third season premiered on the Netflix schedule in October — spoke at an FYC event Saturday in Los Angeles, where Bradley Whitford said he was so impressed with the chemistry that the cast had formed over the series’ first two seasons that he was afraid to mess up the alchemy. At the same time, though, he seems pretty confident about what he brought to the table, saying (per Gold Derby):

Whoa! If that’s not a line that would come straight out of Josh Lyman’s mouth, I don’t know The West Wing.

Bradley Whitford may be self-assured in his acumen at first base, but I think all parties involved — including those of us watching with our Netflix subscriptions — were relieved to see romantic chemistry between Grace and Todd Penn. Nobody wants to watch siblings kiss (outside of The White Lotus, I guess).

How awful would it have been to watch their scenes if they came off as old buddies and not husband and wife? That definitely would have justified creator Debora Cahn’s initial fear about doing a West Wing reunion on the Netflix political drama.

That kissing scene is something that The Handmaid’s Tale actor has discussed before, saying that it surprised him that after so many years, he and Allison Janney could channel their history into romantic roles. In fact, I thought the actors’ comfort around each other added depth to the president and first gentleman’s relationship.

Allison Janney has also described their intimate scene as easy and fun and comfortable because of her history on The West Wing with Bradley Whitford. With any potential awkwardness out of the way, it seems Whitford was just happy to have not messed up a series that he was such a fan of. He said:

I, personally, don’t think he did any such thing, and I’m thrilled that both Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney have been promoted to series regulars for The Diplomat Season 4.

There’s no premiere date for that yet, but while we wait for an update, the first three seasons can be streamed on Netflix, while you can catch C.J. Cregg and Josh Lyman NOT kissing over on The West Wing with your HBO Max subscription.

We’re creeping closer to Halloween, but while you might expect that to mean an increase in the number of spooky season shows and movies coming to streaming, that’s not really the case. To be sure, there’s already plenty of horror content on all your favorite streaming platforms, but any additions to the various streaming libraries have largely already been handled.

This week’s theme is actually animation, as several different animated series and films are debuting this week, alongside the return of some popular streaming series and a movie about one of the greatest men to ever make movies.

Splinter Cell: Deathwatch - October 14 (Netflix)

It has been far too long since the video game world has seen a new entry in the Splinter Cell franchise, so fans of covert agent Sam Fisher will have to make due with a new animated series available with a Netflix subscription. The good news is the series is produced by John Wick creator Darek Kolstad, and stars Liev Schreiber as the voice of Fisher, so the chances this one will be good are pretty solid.

Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy - October 16 (Peacock)

In what appears to be Peacock’s answer to Netflix’s popular Monster series of true crime dramas, we have Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. Michael Chernus stars as Gacy, but the series appears to primarily be mostly about the aftermath of Gacy’s killings, giving a greater focus on the man’s victims than on the man himself.

The Diplomat, Season 3 - October 16 (Netflix)

The Diplomat, Netflix’s political drama starring Kari Russell, gained a little bit of TV political clout in Season 2 when West Wing star Allison Janney joined the show as the Vice President. Season 3 will up the ante by introducing Bradley Whitford as the new President’s husband. The reuniting of the castmates will likely only be a small part of what is sure to be another season of political intrigue.

The Twits - October 17 (Netflix)

Netflix has been making itself a force in animated films over the last several years, which has earned it Oscar recognition and critical praise. Its newest animated film, The Twits, takes Roald Dahl’s characters on an original adventure. Phil Johnston, writer of Zootopia and director of Ralph Breaks the Internet, handles both duties here for a film that includes Natalie Portman and Emilia Clarke among its voice cast.

Marvel’s Spidey and Iron Man: Avengers Team-Up - October 17 (Disney+)

Spidey and his Amazing Friends is a hit Disney Junior series that imagines Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy as a trio of Spider-Man-powered heroes who are also about nine years old. A similar companion series based on Iron Man recently debuted, and in a new crossover special, all of them, alongside pint-sized Hulk, Black Panther, and more, will team up thanks to your Disney+ subscription. It’s basically Avengers: Endgame for kids who are too young to watch Avengers: Endgame.

Mr. Scorsese - October 17 (Apple TV+)

Martin Scorsese has given some of the greatest movies ever made, so it’s only fitting that he get a movie of his own. Mr. Scorsese will trace the Oscar-winning director’s life from childhood through to the modern day and will include interviews with his many friends and collaborators, like Robert De Niro, Margot Robbie, and Steven Spielberg.

If you were looking for new horror to enjoy in October, stay tuned because next week will give us one of the month’s biggest news releases with HBO Max’s new IT series, Welcome to Derry. Come back next week for more info on it and everything else new to streaming.

It’s been a quarter-century since Aaron Sorkin introduced us to President Jed Bartlet and his senior staff on The West Wing, and to this day that remains one of the most rewatchable series in television history. So when I heard that The Diplomat Season 3, premiering this fall on the 2025 TV schedule, would feature a reunion between Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, I knew I had to see it. I’m now through Season 1, and I’m kicking myself for not getting into this Netflix series sooner.

The West Wing is such a comfort-watch for me. As far as I’m concerned, there are few things better than Aaron Sorkin’s smart, quick dialogue being delivered by brilliant actors playing well-intentioned characters whose only goal is to leave the world a little better than they found it. The Diplomat doesn’t quite rise to that level of idealism, but it’s a super fun ride that I probably should have gotten on earlier.

Allison Janney And Bradley Whitford Playing Spouses Excited Me As A West Wing Fan

When it comes to political series in general, I’ve dipped more than a toe into the genre, enjoying shows like Scandal, Veep and House of Cards but never attempting to make the effort to watch everything available. Keri Russell’s series The Diplomat always fell on my list alongside things like The Americans and Designated Survivor as something I figured I would enjoy but never was a priority.

Then, all of a sudden, The Diplomat became a priority. Allison Janney’s casting in Season 2 had gotten my attention, but with Bradley Whitford joining Season 3 — as Janney’s character’s husband! — yeah, that sealed the deal.

I’ve now streamed the 8-episode first season with my Netflix subscription, and even though neither of The West Wing actors have appeared yet, I’m all-in for this thriller starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell.

The Diplomat Has Some Similarities To The West Wing, But It’s Great In Its Own Way

I won’t get into any spoilers about The Diplomat, but the story centers around Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler, who unexpectedly gets appointed to serve as the US ambassador to the UK following an attack on a British aircraft carrier that killed dozens. She doesn’t know it, but she’s also interviewing to take over as vice president of the United States.

There are definitely parts of the Netflix series that feel like The West Wing — particularly when they get into the weeds of international relations. Jargon is spit back and forth across a conference table and information is quickly delivered to Kate as she walks hastily from one meeting to the next, walk-and-talk style. Both shows also inject plenty of humor into otherwise serious or mundane situations.

The Diplomat is a thriller, though, complete with plot twists, tons of behind-the-scenes scheming and a major cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Now, The West Wing has provided some of the best cliffhangers in TV history, but I’m more likely to feel a sense of satisfaction over some legislation being passed on than to get bamboozled over who double-crossed whom to cause an international incident.

I’d also argue that no relationship on The West Wing is as complicated, infuriating and satisfying as the one between Kate Wyler and her (sometimes estranged?) husband Hal.

The Diplomat Is Keri Russell’s Show, But Rufus Sewell Threatens To Steal It

Kate Wyler is kind of a mess — she spills food on her clothes, she doesn’t give speeches, her hair is often all over the place (Keri Russell’s hair is always its own character, is it not?), and sometimes she doesn’t even try to hide her hangover. I think she’s great, but it can be pretty hard to compete with what Rufus Sewell is doing as Hal.

Hal Wyler is a former US ambassador himself, who has been politically hamstrung after calling the Secretary of State a war criminal. As ambitious as ever, though, he seems to always be about three steps ahead of everybody else, enacting schemes to benefit Kate or, more often, himself.

Just as Hal continuously finds ways to upstage his wife as he seemingly positions himself for a return to power, Rufus Sewell does threaten to steal the show from Keri Russell at times. He brings an energy to every scene, because it’s so hard to know what he’s up to, and what has he already done that we won’t know about until later?

For instance, Kate has already decided to divorce Hal, and he’s going along with it. However, he also knows that a divorce would end her chances of becoming VP, and he’d prefer to stay married anyway. How does she feel about that? It’s super complicated.

Romances Add A Layer To The Diplomat’s Characters That The West Wing Lacked

Kate and Hal’s chemistry is fire, but so is her attraction to UK Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi). In the eight episodes I’ve seen so far, Keri Russell’s character is caught up in two “will they/won’t they” situations, and this is simply not something The West Wing ever spent too much time with.

Sure, there was Josh Lyman and Donna Moss (Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney), but they didn’t go past inappropriate workplace flirtation until the very end of the series (and they really lost their luster after they did get together).

CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) sporadically fought the chemistry between her and White House correspondent Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield) on the grounds of it being a conflict of interest, and of course we got some good moments between Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet and first lady Abbey (Stockard Channing) — “J’accuse mon petit fromage!”

However, the way the relationships in The Diplomat are weaved into the day-to-day happenings makes for a whole new layer of messy. Because in addition to Hal noticing the chemistry between his wife and the UK foreign secretary, he also clocked Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Heyford’s (Ato Essandoh) relationship with the CIA station chief.

The Cast Is Incredible, And I Haven’t Even Seen Allison Janney Or Bradley Whitford Yet

It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — The Diplomat’s cast is definitely part of what makes this worth watching. Keri Russell is even nominated for a 2025 Emmy Award after also receiving a nod last year. You’ve also got Rory Kinnear as the prime minister, Michael McKean as the president and so many more. I can definitely see Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford fitting right in.

It’s funny to me that The West Wing is what finally made me hit Play on The Diplomat, and I’m completely sold on the show before either of the two Aaron Sorkin players even make an appearance. I know showrunner Debora Cahn was afraid casting Whitford would turn her show into a “West Wing cover band,” but I have to think there are more people like me who will find The Diplomat through that.

I’ll definitely be tuning into Season 3 when it hits the 2025 Netflix schedule on Thursday, October 16 (after I watch the 6-episode second season, of course), and when I do, it will be because I am into the show, not JUST because of The West Wing reunion.

The Diplomat has been bringing political thrills to the Netflix schedule for two seasons now, earning several Emmy Award nominations in the process. The show got an additional boost with the announcement of Bradley Whitford’s casting, which sets up a reunion between him and Allison Janney. All of The West Wing fans who are now rushing to binge The Diplomat ahead of Season 3 should be good news for showrunner Debora Cahn, but I can understand why she wasn’t initially on board.

Keri Russell leads The Diplomat (available to stream with a Netflix subscription), with Allison Janney coming on in Season 2 as US Vice President Grace Penn. Her role will expand when Season 3 premieres on the 2025 TV schedule, and we’ll meet her husband Todd. When it came time to cast for that role, Debora Cahn told EW she initially bristled at the joke of making it a West Wing reunion, saying:

Yeah, that’s a valid concern, with both shows being of a political nature and the beloved Aaron Sorkin creation considered one of the most rewatchable series of all time. You also wouldn’t want to cheapen the effect of The Diplomat with what some might consider stunt casting.

Thankfully, the showrunner’s concerns didn’t last long, as she said:

Seeing Grace Penn interact with her husband will add a new layer to Allison Janney’s character, and because The Diplomat doesn’t feel anything like The West Wing — and Grace and Todd aren’t anything like C.J. Cregg and Josh Lymon — it turns out casting Bradley Whitford wasn’t as much of an issue as Debora Cahn thought it would be at first.

The characters may not be the same, but a first look at Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney together did have fans noting one similarity between Todd and Josh. And, while I completely see where the showrunner was coming from in being hesitant to reconnect two actors who are so well-known for a different series in the same genre, I am so glad that Debora Cahn ultimately chose to put them on screen together again.

I have a lot of faith in Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford to make The West Wing fans see past their former characters.

If you want to catch up before Season 3 begins, The Diplomat is available to stream on Netflix, while you can relive all of C.J. and Josh’s fun on The West Wing with an HBO Max subscription.

It’s been nearly 20 years (or five presidential elections) since Josiah Bartlet left the fictional White House of The West Wing. Yet, with the series as rewatchable as ever for those with an HBO Max subscription, there’s no shortage of calls for a revival. Executive producer John Wells said it’s something he and creator Aaron Sorkin have discussed over the years, but he admitted to being “worried” about rebooting the political drama today.

The West Wing is the kind of show that makes you feel a little better about the world, even if you just have it on in the background while folding laundry. So there’s no mystery why fans are craving more from that idealized universe. It doesn’t help that cast members like Joshua Malina constantly tease reunion talks, or that Richard Schiff pitched an idea that Sorkin apparently loved. The famed screenwriter himself has even teased ideas for new episodes. However, in today’s politically volatile climate, John Wells has reservations, telling THR:

There’s certainly a challenge in today’s world to create anything with “political” in the description without alienating a large portion of potential viewers. Would a theoretical West Wing reboot be able to avoid making political statements? Would audiences infer them anyway? John Wells points out that’s never what The American President-inspired series was about, continuing:

The West Wing evolved from its original premise when Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet ended up being such a profound presence on the series. The president was originally not intended to be a main character, with Aaron Sorkin wanting to focus on the day-to-day happenings of the White House senior staff.

Of course, fans still got that, with Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, John Spencer and more always trying to put the good of the American people first, even when they fell short. I’d love to think something like that is still possible. I mean, political dramas do still exist on the 2025 TV schedule.

Could we not visit a world where Sam Seaborn was president (assuming he’s been found since Rob Lowe’s “Missing Person” milk cartons went out)? Or, as Richard Schiff supposedly proposed years ago, focus on government outside of the White House, perhaps at the state level, where OG characters could still pop in to consult?

It feels like there are definitely ways to revisit one of the best shows currently streaming on HBO Max, but I also think John Wells has a pretty valid concern. I expect we’ll continue to be teased with such a project for years to come. For now, though, it fans can see two of their favorite senior staffers reunite in a different fictional White House.

Allison Janney plays Vice President Grace Penn on The Diplomat, and Bradley Whitford will join the cast as her husband in Season 3 this fall. Keep your eye out for that 2025 Netflix premiere date, and in the meantime, go ahead and rewatch your favorite episodes of The West Wing on HBO Max.

Warning: massive spoilers for Another Simple Favor are about to be liberally poured.

It’s starting to really feel like summer in some parts of the world. There’s nothing like a cold drink in your hand, a blessed event to celebrate, and a trail of dead bodies potentially triggering a mob war. All this and more is offered in director Paul Feig’s 2025 movie schedule, offering Another Simple Favor, and the end result is a cliffhanger so twisted, I need to see more.

Naturally, this means we’ll need to talk big time spoilers involving Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and a handful of other cast members involved in this Prime Video subscription booster. So if you’re looking to learn more without spoiling the surprises, you can check out our Another Simple Favor review elsewhere.

But for the rest of you fake true crime fiends out there, let’s pour ourselves a martini, and get into what I think happened - and where it could lead!

Another Simple Favor Ends With A Massive Cliffhanger, And I Think I Know What It Means

Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) has once again journeyed through hell at the hands of her own family. As it turns out, the woman also known as Hope McLanden had a secret triplet named Chastity (Lively), who, with their aunt Linda (Allison Janney), went on a murder spree during her destination wedding in Capri.

When all is said and done, Chastity was responsible for killing ex-husband Sean (Henry Golding) and new beau Dante Versano (Michele Morrone); while Linda ices her sister/mother to triplets Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins). That last murder was in order to adjust to Charity going off script by disposing of Emily’s angry ex-husband, as Dante was always the sole intended target.

With that fun new family member going to jail in the place of “Emily,” Hope could be considered a free woman. That is, until this final ask from her mother-in-law, Portia Versano (Elena Sofia Ricci), transpired:

With that request, Portia passes a piece of paper to Hope, and we never see or hear what’s on it. All that follows is the ladies clinking glasses, right before we cut to credits. That being said, I think Another Simple Favor ends with Portia Versano making Emily Nelson swear to kill her latest adversary, keeping this latest round of murder in the family. And to connect the dots, we have to walk through the wilderness of mirrors that preceded this finale.

The McLanden Family Mess Directly Led To Dante’s Death

As it turns out, all three of the triplets born to Margaret McLanden (Elizabeth Perkins) survived! Hope (our current antihero), Faith (the sister killed in A Simple Favor’s twisted ending), and Charity were all born happy and healthy. That third baby was apparently hidden by good old Auntie Linda from day one, thanks to some creative lying.

With Linda telling Margaret that Charity died in childbirth, Another Simple Favor’s big bad took an opportunity to raise a little bundle of joy of her own - all in the name of the con. Look, fineries like Blake Lively's pizza purse are expensive, and some people really like that sort of thing.

Not Charity, though. Sheltered beyond belief, to the point where she has an unhealthy sexual obsession with her triplet, all that third McLanden wants is to be with Hope forever. Hence, the double homicide of the men in Emily’s life, so she can keep her all to herself! And somehow…she survived this betrayal.

Another Simple Favor’s Third Act Twists Show That Hope Actually Has A Heart

Despite being set up as the woman we all love to hate, the person known to the world as Emily Nelson found herself doing something sweet in this seductive sequel. Admitted in her own confession to Stephanie, Hope/Emily shares that her marriage to Dante Versano was a cover for his relationship with a member of a rival family: Matteo Bartolo (Lorenzo de Moor).

This “small, beautiful thing in this fucked up world” was done to avoid a mob war, in exchange for an old friend helping Emily/Hope get out of prison. But even with all of that compromised by her sister fucker/stalker Charity, Another Simple Favor’s head bitch in charge took pity. Knowing the horrific things that she went through, and seeing a way to tie up loose ends yet again, Hope doesn’t kill Charity.

She just has her arrested in her place, which some might think is an elegant solution to the problem. However, that does leave two dangling threads that Portia Versano is probably looking to tie up. And what better way than to ask Hope to finish the job with Charity, so as to cover up this whole incident, while getting revenge against Dante’s killer?

A Third Simple Favor Movie Could Offer The Perfect Twist For Stephanie

We’ve been talking a lot about what Another Simple Favor may have done for Hope McLanden’s future. However, she’s only the Moriarty to this potential franchise’s Holmes, true-crime vlogger turned author Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick). So if we’re really going to have a ballgame here, we need a reason to bring Stephanie into the picture, and there’s a perfect three-quel worthy twist that’s sitting in plain sight.

If we’re going to see A Simple Favor 3 take place, Stephanie is more than likely going to have to break bad. While Hope/Emily will naturally do the dirty work, Ms. Kendrick’s astute crime solver will be needed to plot out this potential murder in such a way that both parties would get away with the results.

Considering Blake Lively's recent post of support for Anna Kendrick, that looks like a good possibility. At least, that's if this supposed debunking of the alleged Lively/Kendrick feud holds up between now and when/if a potential sequel is pitched.

It’s not exactly the kind of story that allows its author to go to print unless some sort of unforeseen twist puts Stephanie so in the clear she can write without fear of incrimination. But maybe that’s the best gift that Blake Lively’s anti-hero could give her dear companion: a chance to live the adventure, rather than just document it. Did anyone else just hear the clink of cocktail glasses, or was that just me?

Should you have answered “yes,” you’ve probably just seen Another Simple Favor. But if you’ve somehow read this rundown without hitting “Play,” that’s alright. There’s plenty of stylish murder and mayhem awaiting you on Prime Video, as that brand new sequel is now streaming for your pleasure.

The West Wing may have ended nearly two decades ago and well before the 2025 TV schedule, but the former NBC drama is still popular enough today that there was outcry when it disappeared from streaming and the internet was buzzing when news broke that Bradley Whitford would be reuniting with former co-star Allison Janney on The Diplomat. Their characters likely won't have much in common with Josh Lyman and C.J. Cregg, and I don't foresee any fights over secret plans to fight inflation, but a first look at them together for the Netflix show has many West Wing fans thinking the same thing.

In fact, it's one small detail in the first look photos that prompted flashbacks to The West Wing circa December 2000 and the episode that won Bradley Whitford his Emmy for Best Supporting Actor: "Noël." Take a look at the Diplomat pics below:

Not much is known about Whitford's new character for The Diplomat other than that he'll be the First Husband as spouse of President Grace Penn (Allison Janney). In the photos from Season 3 for fans with a Netflix subscription, Bradley Whitford is sporting a bandaged hand. While we'll have to wait until the show returns for that third season for the context on the bandage, is it any wonder that The West Wing fans on social media immediately started flashing back to the episode in which Josh Lyman had a bandaged hand?

That episode was "Noël," the Christmas episode of The West Wing Season 2 that aired back in 2000, but all was not merry and bright for Josh Lyman that holiday season. Over the course of the hour, a psychologist got through to Josh so that he would stop claiming that he'd simply hurt his hand by breaking a glass. No, Josh had an undiagnosed case of PTSD after being shot, and he slammed his hand through a window when he was triggered by Yo-Yo Ma beautifully playing in the White House.

And I think it's an extremely safe bet that Bradley Whitford's character in The Diplomat will be injured for a very different reason, but I also can't blame fans for making the "Noël" connection and really feel like that I need to use my Max subscription and rewatch that West Wing episode for myself. As for what fans were saying on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the Diplomatic/West Wing connection, take a look:

• @Anyaaaaaaaa8: "His hand still hasn't healed from Noel"
• @ainsleyhcyes: "west wing fandom collectively gasped seeing bradley whitford with a bandaged hand acting with allison janney"
• @LemonLymancom: "just seen bradley whitford with his hand bandaged and we all thought of this"
• @multifandomsgal: "Bradley Whitford’s character’s hand being bandaged just gave me flashbacks to noël"
• @sam_loves_fics: "brad with his hand bandaged, likely thing for his characters to need"
• @joshlymoss: "JOSH JOSH HOW DID YOU CUT YOUR HAND"

Whatever the reason for the bandaged hand in The Diplomat, The West Wing fans are flashing back to what happened to Josh Lyman for good reason! Netflix hasn't announced a premiere date for Season 3 at the time of writing, but I wouldn't count on it too early in 2025. Season 2 only released in late October of the 2024 TV schedule. The hit drama also stars The Americans alum Keri Russell and The Man in the High Castle's Rufus Sewell as well as Allison Janney. You can stream the first two seasons on Netflix now.

The West Wing is one of my all-time favorite shows. At this point, I’ll watch basically anything that Aaron Sorkin writes. However, one of the unfortunate things about the fact that Sorkin is mostly focused on making movies these days is that there’s just nothing on TV quite like The West Wing anymore. Although I've been told Netflix’s The Diplomat is certainly close, and now it’s even closer since it’s added a second member of The West Wing cast for Season 3.

I don’t watch The Diplomat, but every time I see something about it I get one more reason to start it. Honestly, considering how often Netflix cancels shows, any project that makes it to Season 2, nevermind 3, is probably worth checking out. Certainly, since the show deals with politics and politicians, it has more than a passing resemblance to The West Wing. I’ve also been a fan of Keri Russell since she was on The Mickey Mouse Club (no, I’m not kidding). Then, when the show added Allison Janney in Season 2 I came awfully close to watching.

However, now I’m out of excuses because Season 3 is bringing Bradley Whitford into the fold.

Bradley Whitford And Allison Janney Together Again Is Going To Be Glorious

Allison Janney joined The Diplomat in Season 2 as the Vice President of the United States, but by the end of the season, she had ascended to the top job. Today, Deadline reports that when Season 3 catches up to the new President, we’ll also be introduced to her spouse, who will be played by fellow West Wing cast alum Bradley Whitford.

Any show starring Allison Janey and Bradley Whitford is going to have my attention, but a series that casts them as a married couple is going to demand my attention. Their West Wing characters Press Secretary C.J. Cregg and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman never had any romance, but their chemistry was off the charts. So, I'm thrilled they're playing a couple on The Diplomat, and this indicates that most of Whitford’s scenes will likely be with Janney, as they should be.

Whitford’s role is recurring, meaning he likely won’t be a major player in whatever the plotline of the season is, but he’ll also be around for more than just a brief cameo.

Guess I’m Going To Start Watching The Diplomat Before Season 3 Arrives

The Diplomat Season 3 renewal was announced back in November, but the show had already been filming for its new season. While no release date for the next season has been placed on Netflix's 2025 schedule, there were 16 months between Seasons 1 and 2, which would put Season 3 somewhere in the first quarter of 2026 if that gap is maintained.

I guess I’m running out of excuses not to watch The Diplomat. While I will continue to light a candle in prayer that Aaron Sorkin’s occasional teases of bringing back The West Wing end up bearing fruit one day, until then, this may be the next best thing.

The Law & Order franchise goes back all the way to 1990 when the very first show premiered on NBC, and has gone on to span six series with well over a thousand episodes between them. As such, a surprising number of actors who would become franchise icons and/or go on to become major stars actually appeared in the shows as more than one character. Read on for the biggest and most notable who weren't held back by just playing one person!

Kelli Giddish

Kelli Giddish is best known for playing Law & Order: SVU's Detective Amanda Rollins as a series regular from 2011 - 2023, and she even took the character over to Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime for crossovers. Her first role in the franchise was as Kara Bawson in a Season 8 episode of SVU in early 2007, however, followed by playing Dana Stipe in a Season 7 episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in late 2007.

Peter Scanavino

While Peter Scanavino has been playing Detective-turned-ADA Carisi on Law & Order: SVU since Season 16 in 2014, he got his start in the franchise as Robert Hassel in the first season of Trial by Jury in 2005, followed by playing Johnny Feist later that year on Criminal Intent. In 2013, he made his pre-Carisi SVU debut as Johnny Dubcek.

Camryn Manheim

Camryn Manheim's series regular gig in the franchise started with the Law & Order revival in 2022, and she spent three seasons as Lieutenant Kate Dixon. The lieutenant was Manheim's fourth character in Law & Order, however, as she appeared as Leila in Season 1 in 1991, Martha Rollins in Season 3 in 1993, and Beatrice Hines in Season 4 in 1994.

Diane Neal

Diane Neal joined SVU as a series regular in Season 5 in 2003 to play ADA Casey Novak. She would go on to become one of the Law & Order cast members who appeared in the most episodes by the time of her last installment in 2012. Her first episode was in Season 3 in 2001, though, when she played Amelia Chase.

Raúl Esparza

Franchise fans undoubtedly know Raúl Esparza best as ADA Rafael Barba, who he played on SVU for more than 100 episodes from 2012-2022 and would reprise for an SVU/Organized Crime two-parter. Years before debuting as Barba, he played Kevin Mulrooney in a 2009 episode of Criminal Intent and Dennis Di Palma in a 2010 episode of Law & Order.

Mehcad Brooks

Mehcad Brooks has been playing Detective Jalen Shaw on Law & Order since late 2022, when he joined the show to replace Anthony Anderson's Kevin Bernard. His franchise origin goes back to 2011, however, when he played Prince Miller in a Season 13 episode of SVU.

Jeremy Sisto

Jeremy Sisto may be best known in the nine-show Dick Wolf TV universe nowadays for playing Jubal Valentine across CBS' three FBI shows, but he was a series regular as Detective Cyrus Lupo for Law & Order's final three seasons before its initial cancellation in 2010. His first appearance in the show happened in Season 17 in 2007, when he played Clint Glover.

S. Epatha Merkerson

S. Epatha Merkerson may be most often found in NBC's One Chicago over the last decade thanks to her role on Chicago Med, but she's credited with nearly 400 episodes of Law & Order as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren, from 1991-2010. Her first character in the show was in the very first season, when she played Mrs. Denise Winters.

Jerry Orbach

Jerry Orbach's Lennie Brisco is arguably one of the franchise's most iconic detectives after nearly 300 episodes of Law & Order and another handful on SVU and Criminal Intent between 1991-2004, but you can first find him on the original Law & Order in the second episode of Season 2, where he played Defense Attorney Frank Lehrman.

Kevin Kane

Kevin Kane was promoted to series regular status on SVU for Season 26 for his role as Detective Terry Bruno, which he originated in Season 24. That wasn't his first SVU role, as he played Scott Ryland in Season 9 in 2008, Officer Greg Wilcox in Season 13 in 2012, Major Bowman in Season 17 in 2016, and Gary Kent in Season 20 in 2018. As if those aren't enough, he appeared in two episodes of Law & Order, first as Matt Preminger in 2002's Season 12 and then as a uniformed cop in Season 16 in 2005.

Jeffrey Donovan

Jeffrey Donovan helped launch Law & Order's 2022 revival as Detective Frank Cosgrove, who he played for Seasons 21 and 22 as a series regular. Fans can also find him much earlier in the series in other roles, first as Eddie Nicodos in Season 6 in 1995 and then as Jacob Reese in Season 17 in 2007.

Anthony Anderson

Anthony Anderson portrayed Detective Kevin Bernard for the last three seasons of the original run of Law & Order between 2008-2010, then reprised the role in the 2022 revival for one season. Before that, he played Detective Lucius Blaine in a memorable 2006 episode of Law & Order: SVU Season 7.

Tony Goldwyn

Law & Order introduced Tony Goldwyn as the new DA Nicholas Baxter in the second half of Season 23 in 2024 as the replacement for Sam Waterston's DA Jack McCoy. That wasn't his introduction into the larger franchise, however, as he played Frank Gorden across four episodes of Criminal Intent's sixth and seventh seasons, from 2007-2008.

Rick Gonzalez

Before Rick Gonzalez spent some time in the Arrowverse, he played Alfonso Cardenas way back in the very first season of Law & Order: SVU in 2000. More than twenty years later, he returned to the franchise to play Detective Bobby Reyes on Law & Order: Organized Crime, starting in 2022.

Dean Norris

Dean Norris kicked off a key role as Randall Stabler in Law & Order: Organized Crime's fourth season as the first of Elliot Stabler's siblings to appear on screen. His first franchise appearance happened more than a decade earlier, in the finale of the short-lived Law & Order: LA as Bob Kentner.

Betty Buckley

Betty Buckley is a Broadway legend, but she made the time to play two different characters over the years of Law & Order: SVU. Between Seasons 7-10, Buckley appeared in multiple episodes as Attorney Walsh. Starting in Season 23, she began playing Trial Division Chief Lorraine Maxwell, which she continued into Season 24.

Michael Trotter

Michael Trotter arrived on Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 4 to play the youngest Stabler brother. Before he debuted on OC in 2024, Trotter played Teddy Muncy in an episode of Law & Order: SVU Season 24 the previous year. In a fun bit of trivia, he's also married to former SVU series regular Jamie Gray Hyder.

Pedro Pascal

Pedro Pascal may be a big name in TV nowadays thanks to his lead roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, but he made his rounds on the Law & Order circuit earlier in his career. He played Tito Cabassa in a Season 18 episode of Law & Order in 2008, visited Law & Order: Criminal Intent to play Reggie Luckman in Season 6 and Kip Green in Season 8, and dropped by Law & Order: SVU to play Agent Greer in Season 12.

Bradley Whitford

Following the end of The West Wing, Bradley Whitford arrived in the one and only season of Law & Order: LA to play Attorney Miklin in 2011. His two roles on SVU are more memorable, as he played a criminal named Frank Maddox in Season 15 back in 2014 before returning in Season 24 in 2023 to play the ailing husband of a victim in an episode directed by Mariska Hargitay.

Sarah Hyland

Sarah Hyland appeared in three different franchise shows as four characters, all before landing her part in Modern Family. Her first role was as Lily Ramsey in the Season 3 premiere of SVU in 2001, followed by playing Kristine McLean in Law & Order Season 15 in 2004. That was followed by Brianne Colby in Trial By Jury Season 1 in 2005, and then by Jennifer Banks in Season 10 of SVU again in 2009.

Cynthia Nixon

Cynthia Nixon won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama for playing Janis Donovan in the Season 9 premiere of SVU in 2007. That was only one of her three characters in the franchise, as she played Laura Di Biasi in Law & Order's first season in 1990 and Amanda Rollins (who is not the same as the SVU character) on Criminal Intent in Season 10 in 2011.

Ellen Pompeo

Before she landed her longtime role as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo appeared as two characters on Law & Order. She played Jenna Weber in a Season 6 episode in 1996, followed by Laura Kendrick in Season 10 in 2000.

David Harbour

Prior to joining Stranger Things, David Harbour appeared as five different characters in Dick Wolf's TV franchise. First was Mike in a 1999 episode of Law & Order, followed by Terry Jessup in a 2002 episode of SVU''s fourth season, which he then followed by playing Wesley John Kenderson in Criminal Intent Season 4 in 2008, Jay Carlin in Law & Order Season 18 in 2008, and then finally Paul Devildis in Criminal Intent Season 8 in 2009.

Paget Brewster

Criminal Minds' Paget Brewster found time for another network TV crime procedural with two characters across three installments of Law & Order: SVU. First, she played Sheila Tierney in a Season 8 episode that aired on NBC in 2007, followed by two episodes of Season 14 in 2012 as Bureau Chief Paula Foster.

Allison Janney

Before she became an Emmy winner for the first time with The West Wing in 2000, Allison Janney was a repeat actor on Law & Order in the '90s. Her first episode was as Nora in the second season in 1992, followed by Ann Madsen in the fourth season in 1994.

Jeremy Allen White

Prior to joining Shameless and more than a decade before The Bear, Jeremy Allen White appeared in two consecutive seasons of Law & Order as two separate characters, starting with playing Jeremy in 2007 and then Andy Steel in 2008. In 2010, he moved over to SVU to play Michael Parisi in Season 11.

Paul Wesley

Ahead of his debut as a Salvatore brother in The Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley landed a role as Danny Burrell in the Season 2 premiere of SVU in 2000, followed by playing Luke Miller in Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 2 in 2002. Then he headed back to SVU in 2005 to play Luke Breslin in an early Season 7 episode.

Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere's name may be more synonymous with Heroes and Nashville than anything else, but she can be found in two episodes of SVU earlier in her career. First, she was Ashley Austin Black in a Season 2 episode in 2001, followed by a return to play Angela Agnelli in Season 6 in 2005.

Pablo Schreiber

While it's safe to say that Pablo Schreiber's most memorable Law & Order role was as William Lewis on SVU from Season 14-15, that certainly wasn't his only part. He previously played Dan Kozlowski in an SVU Season 8 episode in 2007, as well as Sean Hauser and Kevin Boatman in Seasons 16 and 19 (respectively) of Law & Order, and TJ Hawkins and Ed Lang in Seasons 4 and 7 of Criminal Intent.

Ann Dowd

Better known now for The Handmaid's Tale, Ann Dowd may hold the record for the most characters in the Dick Wolf franchise. On Law & Order, she played Teresa Franz in Season 1, Dorothy Baxter in Season 4, Patricia Smith in Season 6, and Dr. Beth Allison in Season 14. On Criminal Intent, she played Laurie Manotti in Season 4. For Trial by Jury, she played Karen Ames in Season 1. On SVU, she played Louise Durning in Season 2, Sally Wilkens in Season 4, and Lillian Siefeld in Season 10.

Chandra Wilson

Future Grey's Anatomy star Chandra Wilson arrived in the Law & Order franchise in 1992 to play Serena Price in the original show's second season. A decade later, she came to SVU as Nurse Jenkins in Season 4 and then returned in Season 7 in 2005 as Rachel Sorannis.

Elizabeth Mitchell

Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell appeared in two memorable episodes of Law & Order: SVU. She first portrayed Andrea Brown in a Season 4 episode that aired in 2003. She returned nearly ten years later in 2011 to play June Frye in a Season 12 episode.

At the turn of the 21st century, TV fans got to live in the idealized world of Jed Bartlet’s White House on The West Wing. For seven seasons on NBC, we watched the president’s sometimes-flawed but always well-meaning staff strive to prioritize the needs of the country above all else. As with any administration, or TV show rather, people came and went, but many appeared in a significant number of the series’ 155 episodes. Here are the 32 cast members we saw the most: 

Bradley Whitford - 150 episodes 

It’s funny to think Josh Lyman was in danger of losing his job in The West Wing’s series premiere back in 1999. Instead, Bradley Whitford’s Deputy Chief of Staff was there for the duration, with the actor appearing in more episodes than any of his compatriots. 

Allison Janney - 146 episodes

Has a White House Press Secretary ever been more likable than C.J. Cregg? Over the years she perfected the art of controlling a room full of media, fielding tough questions and disseminating the most important information to the country. It’s no wonder one of Allison Janney’s best characters remained a vital member of the Bartlet White House for the majority of the episodes of the show’s seven-season run. 

Richard Schiff - 142 episodes 

While sometimes awkward in his personal interactions, Richard Schiff’s Toby Ziegler was a master when it came to crafting President Bartlet’s speeches as Communication Director. Toby remained a series regular through all 155 episodes, appearing in 142 and endearing us with his no-nonsense personality, the rubber ball he threw at the wall and his penchant for speaking truth to power. 

Janel Moloney - 142 episodes  

If you ever wondered how important Donna Moss was to Josh Lyman as his senior assistant, just look at how many episodes Janel Moloney appeared in. Though many of the staff’s assistants appeared often in smaller roles, Donna was often featured more prominently for her drive to always be more — and for the flirty repartee she had with Josh that carried a “will-they-won’t-they” vibe through the series. 

Martin Sheen - 141 episodes  

President Josiah Bartlet himself is, of course, one of the most prominently featured characters on The West Wing, but it wasn’t originally intended to be that way. Creator Aaron Sorkin famously wanted the series to revolve only around the senior staff, with Martin Sheen making only a few appearances per season. That plan was quickly scrapped, and Sorkin let Bartlet be Bartlet for the majority of the episodes.  

John Spencer - 136 episodes  

When you think second-in-command at the White House, your mind might go to the vice president, but on The West Wing, it was always Bartlet’s Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. John Spencer’s character was one of the series’ most complex — a war veteran, recovering alcoholic and addict whose dedication to his job resulted in his wife leaving him. Leo would have been in more episodes, however Spencer died of a heart attack before Season 7 was complete. His death was written into the final scripts, with his character suffering the same fate. 

Dulé Hill - 131 episodes 

Long before The Wonder Years, a young Dulé Hill joined The West Wing as Charlie Young, the personal aide (aka “bodyman”) to President Bartlet. Charlie appeared in fewer episodes of the NBC drama’s final season, as Hill began his co-starring role on the detective dramedy Psych. 

NiCole Robinson - 106 episodes 

As senior assistant to the Chief of Staff, Margaret Hooper was just as dedicated to Leo as Donna was to Josh. However, there were definitely no romantic undertones to this relationship. Leo and Margaret were an often-hilarious odd couple, with Margaret being quite quirky. NiCole Robinson’s character was never the main focus, but she was a consistent presence, appearing in many episodes over all seven seasons. 

Melissa Fitzgerald - 101 episodes 

We can’t forget Carol Fitzpatrick (Melissa Fitzgerald), who served as the assistant to Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. Equally as qualified and dedicated as the other senior staffers’ assistants, Carol was often also a friend to C.J., encouraging her boss to have a personal life and talking to her about men. Carol appeared in all seven seasons, though not as prominently in Seasons 6 and 7. 

Rob Lowe - 80 episodes 

Unlike Richard Schiff, Allison Janney and John Spencer, original cast member Rob Lowe did not stick around to see the Bartlet presidency through. The actor portrayed Sam Seaborn, Deputy Communications Director, for roughly the first half of the show’s run, before he left in Season 4. Lowe’s exit from The West Wing has been attributed to a combination of disputes over his salary and the actor feeling undervalued. Despite the drama, Lowe reprised his role in a pair of guest appearances in Season 7, as well as the cast’s stage recreation of Season 3’s “Hartsfield’s Landing” in 2020. 

Joshua Malina - 71 episodes 

Replacing Sam Seaborn as Deputy White House Communications Director was Will Bailey, played by Joshua Malina. Malina joined the cast in Season 4 and remained part of the White House operations — whether that was working with Toby Ziegler or acting as Vice President Bob Russell’s Chief of Staff — through the end of the series. 

Stockard Channing - 57 episodes 

Stockard Channing's presence may have been less prominent near the end of The West Wing’s run, but there's no question the actress was a vital member of the cast as First Lady Dr. Abigail Bartlet. Always sharp as a whip and often at odds with her husband, Abbey was rarely the focus of the plot, but man could Channing steal a scene. She did just that in 57 episodes across seven seasons. 

Kim Webster - 56 episodes 

“Ginger, get the popcorn!” In Kim Webster, we got another of our beloved senior assistants, as she portrayed Toby’s communications aide Ginger in all seven seasons. The majority of her 56 episodes came in the first four seasons — aka the Sorkin years — as Webster appeared in only four episodes total across Seasons 5-7. 

Kris Murphy - 52 episodes 

C.J. Cregg wouldn’t have been able to do her job without members of the press to talk to. Kris Murphy played Washington Post journalist Katie Witt in all seven seasons, though her appearances dwindled as the show went on. Murphy was in six episodes of Season 5, four in Season 6, and just one episode of The West Wing’s last season. 

Timothy Davis-Reed - 52 episodes 

Another member of the White House press corps was Mark O’Donnell, played by Timothy Davis-Reed. He appeared more than 50 times across Seasons 2-7, most prominently in the third and fourth seasons. 

William Duffy - 47 episodes 

William Duffy portrayed congressional liaison Larry, who was one-half of the fan-favorite duo of Ed and Larry. The staffers were practically always together and often confused for one another, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-style. With that being the case, one has to wonder why Duffy is credited with one more episode than his counterpart. 

Peter James Smith - 46 episodes 

Congressional liaison Ed was played by Peter James Smith. He and William Duffy appeared in all seven seasons of The West Wing, though each showed up only two times in the final two seasons. 

Renée Estevez - 44 episodes 

The senior staffers of The West Wing did form something of a family unit, but for Martin Sheen, it really was a family affair. His daughter Renée Estevez had a small role as Nancy, the assistant to the executive secretary. She appeared quite often outside the Oval Office, working amidst Charlie and Mrs. Landingham, though she rarely had much to say. 

Charles Noland - 43 episodes 

Charles Noland played the press corps member Steve, and fans might remember seeing him amongst the media members who witnessed Josh Lyman completely bomb a press conference by joking that President Bartlet had a "secret plan to fight inflation" in Season 1's "Celestial Navigation." Noland appeared in all seven seasons. 

Devika Parikh - 40 episodes 

Devika Parikh played Bonnie, a staffer in the Communications Office of the West Wing who worked closely with Ginger and, by proxy, Toby and Sam. Like Ginger, Bonnie mostly disappeared after Season 4, appearing just twice in Season 5 before exiting for good.  

Jimmy Smits - 35 episodes 

Matthew Santos didn’t enter The West Wing universe until Season 6, but he was arguably its most important latecomer. Portrayed in those 35 episodes by the great Jimmy Smits, Santos would go on to succeed Jed Bartlet as President of the United States. 

Lily Tomlin - 34 episodes 

Speaking of great successors, Deborah Fiderer had the unenviable task of replacing the beloved executive secretary Mrs. Landingham after she was killed in a car wreck. Lily Tomlin was up to the task, though, especially with the backstory of how she got fired for recommending Charlie as the president’s bodyman over another candidate. Tomlin appeared in the Season 3 finale, then recurred for the remaining four seasons. 

Mindy Seeger - 34 episodes 

Chris was another member of C.J.’s press corps, played by Mindy Seeger. Chris and C.J. seemed to have something of a friendly relationship, and she appeared in a handful of episodes in the first six seasons but just one in The West Wing’s final run. 

Mary McCormack - 30 episodes 

Mary McCormack joined the fray at the end of Season 5 as Deputy National Security Advisor Kate Harper. While she signed on as a series regular for the final two seasons, McCormack appeared in just over half of the episodes. 

Kathryn Joosten - 30 episodes 

Delores Landingham (Kathryn Joosten) was a favorite of The West Wing fans as the Executive Secretary to President Bartlet. A confidante and supporter of Jed Bartlet long before he took political office, she had the respect of everyone in the building and ensured that decorum was maintained in the vicinity of the Oval Office. Mrs. Landingham appeared in nearly every episode of the first two seasons before — in one of the most shocking moments in TV history — she was killed by a drunk driver at the end of Season 2. Joosten returned as a guest for one episode in Seasons 3 and 4 in flashbacks.  

Timothy Busfield - 27 episodes 

One of the bigger romantic storylines on The West Wing outside of Josh and Donna featured C.J. and her efforts to keep things professional with senior White House correspondent Danny Concannon. Timothy Busfield was prominently featured as the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist in the first season, then came back a handful of times in Seasons 2 and 4, once in Season 5 and made four appearances in the final season. 

Ivan Allen - 26 episodes 

The White House clearly had its preferred TV news anchor, because Ivan Allen appeared as anchor Roger Salier — via TV screen — in a few episodes for all seven seasons of the political drama’s run, 26 times in total. 

Elisabeth Moss - 25 episodes 

Elisabeth Moss is well-known now for series including Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale, but before that, you might have forgotten she was on The West Wing as President Bartlet’s youngest daughter Zoey. She appeared at least once in every season except the third. 

Mary-Louise Parker - 23 episodes 

Amy Gardner came into Aaron Sorkin’s universe in Season 3 as a political lobbyist and college friend of Josh. She and Josh engaged in an on-off relationship, as she worked her way to positions within both the Bartlet and Santos administrations. Parker made most of her guest spots in Seasons 3 and 4, though she returned for a handful of Season 5 episodes, one in Season 6 and two in Season 7. 

Kristin Chenoweth - 23 episodes 

The West Wing is not the first show that comes to mind when Kristin Chenoweth’s name comes up, but sure enough, she portrayed Deputy Press Secretary Annabeth Schott in Seasons 6 and 7, appearing in about half of each season’s episodes. Her character joined the Santos campaign trail and had a clear attraction to Leo McGarry before his death. 

John Amos - 22 episodes 

As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, anytime John Amos’ Percy Fitzwallace showed up on The West Wing, you knew something was going down. Unfortunately for the fans, his episodes were merely sporadic in Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5. 

Gary Cole - 22 episodes 

Vice President Bob Russell, aka “Bingo Bob,” aka actor Gary Cole, was the second vice president of the Bartlet administration, and he appeared mostly in the fifth and sixth seasons, with one guest appearance in Season 7.

These may be the 32 characters who graced our television screens in the most episodes of The West Wing, but this list only scratches the surface of the talent featured in the political drama for seven seasons. Alan Alda notched 16 episodes as presidential candidate Arnold Vinick, and Moira Kelly appeared in 20 episodes of the 22-first season, before her character Mandy became a victim of “Chuck Cunningham Syndrome” and was never heard from again. 

Like us common folk, celebrities love a good meme. This time a bunch of them, from Candace Cameron Bure to Brooklyn Decker, got in on the fun, as they responded to a viral meme question about naming their vaginas after the last TV show they watched. Obviously, just about any answer to this would be hilarious, because it’ll either make no sense or be way too perfect, and these celebs did not disappoint with their answers.

For some context, this started when Allison Janney commented on an Instagram post from crazybitchprobs that posed the question:

Then, the Mom star – which would be a terrible name for this body part in my humble opinion – responded with a fabulous answer, because she was staying up to date with one of the 2024 TV schedule's shows:

After seeing the I, Tonya actress’s brilliant comment on this really funny question, commentsbycelebs reposted it on their Instagram page. This led to even more A-listers weighing in on this topic, and Candace Cameron Bure had a fantastically funny answer, as she commented:

It’s too bad no one from The Big Bang Theory cast commented on this, because I bet they would have gotten a real kick out of it. However, many other folks who saw the post noted that their answer was the same as the Fuller House star – which, by the way, both that show and its predecessor Full House, are great names for a vagina. 

And guess what? Jerry O’Connell agrees with that point, because, while he doesn’t have a vagina, if he did, it would be named:

Brooklyn Decker came through with a more niche answer than the last two, and it’s honestly so brilliant. Using the title of a truly hilarious Hulu and FX comedy, she wrote:

She must be using her Hulu subscription to get caught up before What We Do in the Shadow’s final season happens.  

Speaking of final seasons, Hilary Duff was tuning into The Crown’s sixth and final installment with her Netflix subscription when she was posed this question, meaning her answer was:

Also, using one of Netflix’s best shows as his answer, Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson addressed the elephant in the room regarding him responding to the question and then hilariously quipped:

Showing some love for the Bravo family, The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Dolores Catania had a terrific answer to this question, and I have no doubt that Andy Cohen would love it as she posted:

Along with these celebs weighing in about naming their vaginas after TV shows, fans shared theirs too, and they’re just as funny. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Beef…. I lose. -kit_kat190 
• The Good Place -abramirez12 
• Below Deck LOLOLOLOL -alisondunlapphotography 
• Is it cake? -jassiepickwoad 
• The Bear -megancatalina 
• Entertainment tonight. That works. -sleepy_hippy 
• how I met your mother 😂 -bombonierka 
• Oh no…fleabag -luciebfink 

As you can see, the possibilities are endless when it comes to finding a great name for a vagina that’s inspired by a television show. Now, I’d love to see how the casts of all these beloved series feel about all this, and, of course, I want to know their answers to this hilarious question too. 

Lost may have taken place on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but with flashbacks, flashforwards, and sideways flashes, there were a lot of roles to fill. Some amazing actors augmented the main Lost cast brilliantly and we bet you've probably forgotten many of them. Here is a list of those actors you've probably forgotten appeared on Lost.

Allison Janney

Years before she played the titular mother on the sitcom Mom with Ana Faris, Allison Janney played a completely different kind of mother on Lost. That was her character’s name, in fact, Mother. She was appropriately mother (or adoptive mother, more accurately) to Jacob and the Man in Black on The Island. Before their arrival, she was the only inhabitant of The Island. Of Janney’s many superb roles, the one she is most famous for is CJ Cregg on The West Wing

Michael Cudlitz

You might know him best for Band Of Brothers where he played Bull Randleman, or maybe from The Walking Dead where he was loved as the tragic Abraham Ford. But you might probably don’t remember him as Ana Lucia’s (Michelle Rodriguez) partner in the LAPD, and later a detective interrogating Hurley. His character, Mike Walton, only showed up in two characters, but you still root for him, just like always. 

Billy Dee Williams

One of the most controversial episodes of Lost is “Expose” from Season 3, better known as the “Nikki and Paulo episode.” The plot centered around two previously unknown survivors and plays out much like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Overshadowed in the online arguments over the episode’s place in the show was that Nikki’s flashbacks showed her as an actress on a show, also called “Expose,” where she co-starred with Billy Dee Williams, who plays himself in the episode.  

Katey Sagal

What can we say about the great Katey Sagal that hasn’t already been said? With hits like Sons Of Anarchy, Married…With Children, and as part of the cast of Rebels on her resume, she’ll be remembered forever. Less remembered is her brief four-episode character arc as a love interest of John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) in flashbacks named Helen Norwood. 

Tamara Taylor

Over 12 seasons of Bones, Tamara Taylor became a household name. Taylor is less remembered for her wonderful portrayal of Susan Lloyd, mother of Walt, in two episodes in Season 1 and 2. She’s also appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Law & Order: Organized Crime, and scores of other shows. 

William Atherton

Nobody in Hollywood plays a smug jerk like the great William Atherton. Whether it’s the EPA agent in Ghostbusters or the reporter in Die Hard, Atherton has an amazing ability to be the guy you love to hate. He plays a similar role in one episode of Lost, as Principal Donald Reynolds. Reynolds is the principal (and an antagonist to Ben Linus) in Episode Seven of the show's final season. 

Cheech Marin

For an actor who started out doing teenage stoner humor, Cheech Marin has built an incredible career for himself. He was the perfect actor to take on the role of David Reyes, Hugo’s father with an amazing wig, in three episodes in flashbacks to Hugo’s childhood. 

Željko Ivanek

Željko Ivanek is an actor with an uncanny ability to play characters that are slimy and shady. He’s brilliant at it. On Lost, he plays such a character, as Juliet’s ex-husband in Season 3, until he meets an untimely demise. Outside of Lost, he’s an accomplished actor who won an Emmy for his role in Damages and also starred in Madame Secretary and Homicide: Life On The Streets. 

Rob McElhenney

Rob McElhenney was already a big deal when he showed up on Lost as Aldo, one of The Others, who was guarding the Hydra Station when we first met him. Always Sunny In Philadelphia was a hit when he made his appearance on Lost, and the future owner of Wrexham FC (and star of the TV show Welcome To Wrexham) made the most of his character’s three-episode arc, showing he could be more than just Mac on Always Sunny. 

Lance Reddick

Lance Reddick was beloved for his roles in the John Wick movies, as well as his turn as Lt. Cedric Daniels on The Wire. The late Reddick also spent a little time on Lost, playing the shadowy Matthew Abaddon, an employee of Charles Widmore whose job it is to make sure the correct people end up on The Island. Though Reddick only appeared in four episodes over Seasons 4 and 5, it was a crucial role.  

Dean Norris

Long before he became a household name playing Hank Schrader on Breaking Bad, Dean Norris guest starred on one episode of Lost. In Episode 13 of Season 5, Norris plays a grieving father who hires Miles Straume (Ken Leung) to contact his deceased son.  

Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison is the kind of actor who shows up in everything and is always first-rate when he does. Davison has an astonishing 281 acting credits listed on IMDB, so it’s no surprise he found his way onto Lost where he played the doctor at the mental institution where Hurley was a patient for two episodes in Season 6. 

DJ Qualls

DJ Qualls is probably best known for playing Kyle in Road Trip but his career has been busy for a long time. Including an episode in Season 2 of Lost, where he plays Hugo’s work buddy from Mr. Cluck’s, Johnny, in a flashback. 

Greg Grunberg

It’s no surprise that since Lost was produced by J.J., Abrams that Greg Grunberg would make an appearance. Grunberg, whose friendship with Abrams goes back decades, almost always pops up somewhere in movies and shows directed by Abrams, and Lost is no exception. Grunberg plays the role of the airplane pilot in the very first episode of the show and appears later in the show's run on a TV screen showing a news report of the plane crash. 

Jon Gries

Appearing in seven episodes, as Ben Linus’ (Michael Emerson)  father, Roger, is veteran actor Jon Gries. Gries has been a working actor since the 1980s, appearing in movies like Real Genius and The Monster Squad, but he’s best known for his role as Uncle Rico in Napolean Dynamite and for playing Tanya’s husband, Greg Hunt, in The White Lotus. 

Robin Weigert

Robin Weingert was part of the amazing cast of Deadwood, playing one of the most-remembered characters, Calamity Jane. She is less remembered for her brief three-episode run on Lost. Weingert plays Juliet's (Elizabeth Mitchell) sister, who has cancer and whom Juliet is treating. Her third appearance on the show is little more than a video, of sorts, that is shown to Juilet on The Island. 

Saïd Taghmaoui

French actor Saïd Taghmaoui has appeared in films and TV all over the world. His first appearance in a U.S. movie was David O. Russell’s Three Kings in 1997, where he played an Iraqi Army officer. Since then, Taghaoui has appeared in numerous movies including John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Wonder Woman. On Lost, Taghmaoui was on Ajira Flight 316 in Season 6 which was meant to return Jack and the others to The Island. 

Fisher Stevens

It’s hard to wrap your head around that Fisher Stevens’ career goes all the way back to the Short Circuit movies in the ‘80s, but it has. In the 20-teens, Stevens became a regular in Wes Anderson movies, like The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch. On Lost Stevens played a member of the crew on Charles Widmore’s freighter named George in six episodes. 

Julie Bowen

In five of Jack Shephard’s (Matthew Fox) flashbacks over the first three seasons, viewers meet his ex-wife, Sarah, played by Julie Bowen. A few years later, Bowen would star in one of the biggest sitcoms of the 2000s as Claire Dunphy on Modern Family.

Robert Patrick

The liquid Terminator himself, Robert Patrick, starred in one episode in Season 1 of Lost. Naturally, he plays a shady character who worked in the past with Sawyer on “The Tampa Job.” Patrick’s character, Hibbs, attempts to convince Sawyer that Sawyer’s father is living in Australia, hoping Sawyer will kill him. Patrick was quite famous by the time of his guest-starring turn, but people forget he was on at all because Hibbs never returned to the story. 

Samantha Mathis

For people in Generation X, Pump Up The Volume (1990) was a momentous film, and a big reason why was Samantha Mathis, who made her film debut in the movie. Since then she’s kept very busy in Hollywood, including as a regular performer in Stephen King adaptations. She also played a young Ben Linus’ schoolteacher in Episode 20 of Season 3, when Linus arrived on the island as a kid with his father. 

Brett Cullen

Brett Cullen’s first big break came on the 1980s show Falcon Crest, where he played Dan Fixx. He’s shown up in dozens of shows and movies since, including The West Wing and Person Of Interest. Cullen has also shown up in two Batman-related movies. He plays a congressman in The Dark Knight Rises and he plays Thomas Wayne in The Joker. Cullen played Goodwin Stanhope on Lost for five episodes. 

Swoosie Kurtz

Swoosie Kurtz has been appearing on television since 1962 when she was just 17 years old. More than 40 years later, she appeared on two episodes of Lost. Playing John Locke’s biological mother, she isn’t the most likable character, but she should be better remembered because her performance was great. 

Kim Dickens

Sawyer conned a lot of people over his career, but one of the most intriguing was Cassidy Phillips, played by Kim Dickens. She learns the trade from him and later ends up befriending Kate. Dickens is also known for Fear The Walking Dead, Treme, and Deadwood, in addition to roles in the films Gone Girl and The Blind Side. 

Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada has been in some of the biggest franchises in American film, including appearing in the MCU and John Wick 4. That’s all after having a huge career in Hong Kong and his native Japan. Sanada appeared in four episodes of Season 6 of Lost as Dogan. 

Saul Rubinek

Canadian Saul Rubinek has had supporting roles in some of the biggest movies of all time, including Unforgiven in 1992, and Wall Street in 1987. In 2005 Rubinek appeared in the second episode of the the second season of Lost as the attorney for Micheal (Harold Perrineau) in his legal battle to keep his son Walt’s mother from moving him to Italy. 

Mark Pellegrino

Mark Pellegrino has been in dozens of movies and even more TV shows over the years. As part of the main role in American Rust, Pellegrino finally started getting the stardom he’s long deserved. He’s been in movies like The Big Lebowski, National Treasure, Capote, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Mullholand Drive. He also starred as the mysterious Jacob on Lost. 

Kevin Tighe

Kevin Tighe’s career stretches way back to the ‘70s and the criminally underrated TV show Emergency!, On Lost, the Road House star played Locke’s father Anthony Cooper, who was a conman who was also the likely inspiration for James Ford (Josh Holloway)  taking the name “Sawyer”, as Cooper conned Sawyer’s mother when Sawyer was a kid. 

John Hawkes

One of the most aptly named characters on Lost was Lennon, because he’s the spitting image of John Lennon in the late ‘60s, with the round wire glasses and everything. Lennon is played by John Hawkes, who is probably best known for playing Sol on Deadwood. He’s also been in a lot of movies, including 2010’s Winter’s Bone, which earned him an Academy Award nomination. 

Kevin Chapman

Kevin Chapman is great at playing a tough guy. On TV shows like Person of Interest and movies like The Boondock Saints, or on Lost, where he played Mitch, one of the security people for the DHARMA Initiative on The Island, he never is a guy you'd want to mess with. 

Michelle Rodriguez

Michelle Rodriguez was a cast member on Lost for most of Season 2, though people seem to forget she was a pivotal part of the show as the LAPD cop Ana Lucia. Though she met a tragic end, Ana Lucia would pop back up a few seasons later in a sideway flash in Season 6 and she would appear to Hurley in hallucination in Season 5. 

Shawn Doyle

Shawn Doyle plays a big role in the first three seasons of The Expanse, playing a UN official. He’s also appeared in dozens of other TV shows, including one episode of Lost. Doyle plays an attorney defending Kate, played by Ant-Man and it’s sequels star Evangeline Lilly. 

Lost was one of the most talked about shows in TV history, but somehow it was filled with wonderful performances by actors you’ve probably forgotten were even on the show. 

Ohio is a proud state that has produced some of the most famous stars in America. Actors, comedians, musicians, and more, Ohio has it all. Here is our list of some of the most popular stars born in the great state of Ohio. 

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is pure Ohio. Not only was John Wick: Chapter 3 star born in Cleveland but she's even named after a local department store, Halle's. Berry grew up in the suburb of Oakwood, just outside the Cleveland city limits, and even attended Cuyahoga Community College while she was first starting her career toward fame. Before starring in some of Hollywood's biggest movies, Berry represented her home state in the Miss USA contest, after being named Miss Ohio USA in 1986. 

Luke Perry

Luke Perry found fame playing a high school student at the posh West Beverly High, but his beginnings were much more humble. The son of a steelworker, Perry was born in the Ohio town of Mansfield and raised in a tiny burg called Fredericktown, where he attended high school at Fredericktown High School. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating and while it took a few years, he landed his big break in Beverly Hills, 90210. Perry died tragically from a stroke in 2019.

Drew Carey

No one on this list is more proud to be from Ohio than Price Is Right host Drew Carey. It's clear that his Cleveland roots mean a lot to him, given that his show, The Drew Carey Show, was set in Cleveland, with a theme song called "Cleveland Rocks." Not only did the comedian grow up in Cleveland, he also attended Kent State in Ohio and even served in the Marine Corps reserves in the state before moving west to find fame. 

Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1978 and has always remained a proud Ohioan. She attended Catholic school as a kid and began modeling in Toledo while still in high school. That led to opportunities in New York City, which led to her landing her first film role at 19 in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm (1997). Soon after, she joined the cast of Dawson's Creek and the rest is history. 

John Legend

The Voice judge John Legend was born in the central Ohio town of Springfield. Legend was a true prodigy during his upbringing. He was dabbling in music at a young age, before leaving Ohio to attend the University of Pennsylvania. 

Yvette Nicole Brown

Yvette Nicole Brown took the hard road to fame. Before she landed her starring role on Community, she found her way to success with bit parts and one-offs on TV shows. It all paid off in the end, but before she made it in Hollywood, she was born and raised in the Cleveland, OH area. After high school, she attended the University of Akron and moved to LA after she graduated. 

Clark Gable

There is no bigger star from the Golden Age of Hollywood than Clark Gable. Like many of his fellow Ohioans, he had humble beginnings. Born in 1901 in Cadiz, OH, Gable moved around the state quite a bit before his father and stepmother settled near Akron. Gable struck out on his own, first working in a tire factory in Akron, before bouncing around until he finally ended up in Hollywood in the 1920s. 

Beverly D'Angelo

When you are the granddaughter of the architect who designed the famous Ohio Stadium at The Ohio State University, you know you are pure Ohio. Such is the case for Vacation star Beverly D'Angelo. Unsurprisingly, D'Angelo was born in Columbus and raised in the suburb of Upper Arlington, before setting out on an entertainment career that took her all over North America, before she found success in Hollywood. 

Steve Harvey

Okay, so we're fudging here a little, as beloved talk show host and TV judge Steve Harvey was actually born in West Virginia, but he was raised in Cleveland. After graduating from high school, he briefly attended Kent State, before dropping out and starting his standup career in comedy clubs in and around Cleveland. 

Paul Newman

When you think of the words "movie star," there's a good chance you might picture Paul Newman. From the mid-'50s until his death in 2008, the Shaker Heights, OH native was box office gold. He graduated from Shaker Heights High in 1943 and joined the Navy during World War II. He finally headed to LA in the '50s and over the next six decades starred in some of the biggest movies of all time. 

Arsenio Hall

Born in Cleveland in 1956, actor and talk show host Arsenio Hall grew up in nearby Warrensville Heights, Ohio, and attended college at both Ohio University and Kent State. He left Ohio, first for Chicago and later LA, and his career took off with some fantastic roles from there. 

Phyllis Diller

Phyllis Diller's remarkable life began in Lima, Ohio in 1917. Her roundabout way to comedy legend status started when she was still a full-time mother and homemaker with her military husband in Alameda, CA. She was discovered after she made some appearances on Bay Area radio and TV stations and from there became a star. 

Rachael Harris

Lucifer star Rachael Harris was born in Worthington, OH, and grew up in the Columbus area before attending college at Otterbein University in nearby Westerville, OH. She moved to LA and was a member of the legendary improv group The Groundlings before she started landing TV roles in the 1990s. Today she's best known for Goosebumps (2023) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), in addition to Lucifer. 

Steven Spielberg

In The Fablemans, Ohio native Steven Spielberg tells a fictionalized version of his own life, but one major change was made. In the movie, Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) and his family move from New Jersey to Arizona. In real life, the Spielbergs moved to Phoenix from Cincinnati, Ohio. Though he only lived in Cincinnati for the first ten years or so of his life, there is no doubt that one of the all-time great directors has his roots in Ohio. 

Carmen Electra

Carmen Electra was born just outside of Cincinnati and grew up in the Queen City. She first started dancing and acting at Princeton High School in the Cincinnati school district and her love of doing both led directly to Hollywood where she's been doing both for decades now. 

Doris Day

Though she retired from acting in 1968, Doris Day is still remembered as a legend of old Hollywood. She also recorded almost three dozen albums over her nearly 100-year life. It all started in Cincinnati in 1922 when Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff. Her career started as a singer on a local radio station in Cincinnati, WLW. Her music led her to Hollywood, and a star was born. 

Philip Michael Thomas

Philip Michael Thomas is most famous for starring as Rico Tubbs on the '80s hit Miami Vice. He's also famous for inventing the term "EGOT", claiming in the '80s that he would win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, though he has yet to win any of the prestigious awards. Thomas was born in Cincinnati, but raised in California, where his career began. 

Teri Garr

Though she was raised mostly in Los Angeles, Teri Garr was born near Cleveland, OH, in the suburb of Lakewood. Her parents were entertainers, so it makes sense they would eventually land in Southern California, so while Garr didn't spend much time in Ohio, the state can certainly claim her as one of their own. 

Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Oh yeah! One of the greatest wrestlers of all time came from Columbus, OH. Born Randy Poffo in 1952, the Macho Man and his wrestling brother "Leaping" Lanny Poffo lived in Zanesville, Ohio, until the family moved to the Chicagoland area when Savage was in high school. Though he tried to become a pro baseball player, Savage found fame with the WWE and was a superstar in the sport until he died in 2012. 

Anne Heche

Before her tragic death in 2022, Anne Heche put together an impressive career in Hollywood and broke a lot of barriers when she very publicly dated Ellen DeGeneres. It was a long way from her strict Christian upbringing in Ohio. Heche was born in the Akron suburb of Aurora, Ohio, and also lived near Cleveland for a time before her father moved the family to New Jersey in 1977 when Heche was eight. 

Rob Lowe

Okay, okay, so Rob Lowe was actually born in Virginia, but he moved to Dayton, OH at a very young age and was raised in the Buckeye State. His first gigs as a professional actor came when he was still living in Dayton and as soon as he could, he headed out to Hollywood where he became one of the famous "Brat Pack" in the 1980s. His career had a few bumps in the road, but today he's one of the most beloved stars on the silver screen. 

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker's most famed role is of a dyed-in-the-wool Manhattanite, but the actress was born in a quaint little town near Columbus named Nelsonville, Ohio, with a population of about 5000. Her career as a child actor took her whole family to New York in the 1970s and Parker has never looked back. 

Lili Reinhart

Riverdale star Lili Reinhart was born and raised in the Cleveland area, where she lived until she was 18. After graduating high school, she moved to LA and though she struggled like most young actors, eventually she started landing parts in a few movies, before scoring a starring role on the CW's Riverdale, playing the iconic Betty Cooper. 

Jamie Farr

Jamie Farr's most famous character, Corporal Klinger on one of the highest-rated shows of all time, M*A*S*H, was from Toledo, Ohio, which would have been easy for the actor to remember, as that is where Farr is from too. For decades, Farr's name was associated with the LPGA golf tournament, The Jamie Farr Classic (with various sponsor names over the years). 

Martin Sheen

Born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez in Dayton, OH, The West Wing star Martin Sheen always knew he wanted to be an actor, even growing up in Dayton. Orphaned at eleven, he lived in Dayton until he graduated high school and headed off for New York to make it big, and it's safe to say he has. 

Fred Willard

Comedy legend Fred Willard is responsible for some of the funniest lines in the Christopher Guest family of films, a sense of humor he developed as a kid in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, OH. Born in Cleveland in 1933, Willard moved to New York in the '50s, and though it took a couple of decades to find fame, he eventually did. The world lost a great one when he died in 2020. 

Allison Janney

Though she is technically from Boston, where she was born in 1959, Allison Janney was raised in Dayton. Even her legendary character from The West Wing, CJ Craig, was  from Dayton and went back home in one episode for her high school reunion. 

Katt Williams

Katt Williams, the unpredictable, and hilarious, comedian was born and raised in Cincinnati, but left town and moved to Florida after being emancipated from his parents at age 13. For years he worked the comedy clubs before launching to fame in the late '90s. 

Nancy Cartwright

She might not be the most famous face on this list, but her voice is one of the most famous in the world. Nancy Cartwright has been doing the voice of Bart Simpson (and other Simpsons characters) for more than 30 years, but long before scoring that gig, she grew up in Kettering, Ohio after being born in Dayton.

Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton, star of Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle, was born in the Cleveland suburb of Bay Village, OH and she got her bachelor's degree at The Ohio State University. So while she lives in LA and in the UK these days, she's an Ohioan through and through. 

Catherine Bach

It's hard to believe that The Dukes of Hazzard was consistently one of the highest-rated shows during its run in the late '70s and early '80s. It's not hard to believe that Cleveland native Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke in her short shorts was a big reason why it was so popular. 

Rocky Carroll

NCIS star Rocky Carroll is a proud son of Cincinnati, where he attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts for high school like many other stars from the area. After attending college in St. Louis, MO, he moved to New York City to start his career and he's never looked back. 

While it may not jump out as an entertainment hotbed, when you scratch the surface, you'll soon realize just how many celebrities have been born in Ohio, and it's a lot. 

Unfortunately, it’s well-documented that Hollywood has a tendency to be sexist and ageist as told by various women in the industry over the years. As we continue to observe Women’s History Month this year, we’re looking at the actresses across movies and television currently working today that have carved out a place for themselves despite the status quo favoring younger actresses, whilst it's the norm for the male actors to enjoy careers well into their 60s, 70s and beyond. 

It was reported a few years back by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media that while characters over 50 make up a fifth of characters on television, only a fourth of them are played by women (via Buzzfeed). With that in mind, there’s a gender gap with opportunities being favored for older men much more than women. Thankfully, these actresses have found a way to thrive in Hollywood after turning 50.  

Michelle Yeoh 

Recently, at the 2023 Oscars, the ceremony actually celebrated numerous actresses that are thriving after 50, including Best Actress winner, Michelle Yeoh. The Everything Everywhere All At Once lead accepted the award not only as the first Asian actress to win in the category, but as a “beacon” of hope for more women her age to be seen in major roles. As she accepted the trophy, she said: "Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are past your prime." 

Yeoh has been over 50 in Hollywood for over a decade now, and is enjoying an exciting era in her career by finding key roles in successful movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, or finding empowering roles in recent TV series like Star Trek: Discovery and The Witcher: Blood Origin. 

Jamie Lee Curtis

Yeoh’s Everything Everywhere co-star Jamie Lee Curtis also took home an Oscar for the movie in the Best Supporting Actress category after over 45 years working in Hollywood. Curtis was a teenager when she found her breakout role in Halloween, but decade after decade she has continued to be cast in exciting roles, especially after turning 50. In Curtis’ fifties and sixties the actress has revived her role as Laurie Strode in a new Halloween trilogy, starred in Knives Out and has a wealth of roles on the horizon, including Borderlands and Haunted Mansion. 

Angela Bassett 

Curtis’ fellow nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2023 was Angela Bassett, for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, who also remains a working icon into her mid-sixties. Aside from starring as Queen Ramonda in the Marvel franchise, the actress continues to lead the network series 9-1-1 along with appearing in multiple seasons of American Horror Story and recently being part of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Helen Mirren

One of the most iconic actresses to consistently nab interesting roles for herself following turning 50 is Helen Mirren. The British talent hit the milestone in 1995, before she’d made some of her most beloved and best movies, like 2001’s Gosford Park, 2003’s Calendar Girls or her 2006 Oscar-winning performance in The Queen. Mirren has continued to play leading roles in the past decade, such as starring in the Red films, her incredible role in the Fast and the Furious movies along with leading 1923 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods within the past year. 

Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin

While I could certainly talk about Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in their own right, the fact that this pair got themselves their own hit comedy series, Grace and Frankie, in their late seventies (across seven seasons, no less) deserves to be celebrated. These two have modeled, brought life to and joked about the lives of older women who are best friends, and we’re so blessed it exists. The pair hit 50 in the late ‘80s and thrived, remaining booked and busy. Among the 2023 new movie releases, they are in back-to-back movies together, too, 80 For Brady and Moving On. 

Rita Moreno

One of Rita Moreno’s first roles was in 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. Seventy years later her career is still very much popping, between starring in Netflix’s sitcom, One Day At A Time, and voicing the role of Carmen Sandiego for the original animated series. This year, Moreno also starred in 80 For Brady and has joined the Fast and the Furious franchise as Dominic Toretto’s grandma. 

Sally Field

Speaking of 80 For Brady leads, Sally Field has continued to remain relevant and very much respected in Hollywood at the age of 76. From being nominated for an Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln to bringing new life to Aunt May in The Amazing Spider-Man movies, or starring in critically acclaimed movies like Hello, My Name Is Doris and Spoiler Alert, Field has continued to impress after a massive first half of her career. 

Emma Thompson

In the nearly 15 years that Emma Thompson has been over 50, she has accomplished a lot. She gave a powerful performance as P.L. Travers in the sweet Saving Mr. Banks' movie alongside Tom Hanks, she gave Cruella a formidable foe of her own in the titular 2021 Disney prequel, and tackled the usually taboo topic of exploring sexuality past one’s “prime” and filmed nude scenes for Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. 

Ming-Na Wen

When Ming-Na Wen turned 50 back in 2013, she was just getting her start playing Melinda May on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, a badass and highly-skilled operative she continued to play for over 100 episodes. Since finding success with that series, which is now her most famous role outside Mulan, Wen has joined the Star Wars universe as Fennec Shand, a female bounty hunter and master assassin. 

Catherine O’Hara

Catherine O’Hara is well-known to an entirely new generation than those who grew up seeing her in movies like Best In Show, Beetlejuice or Home Alone, thanks to her beloved role in Schitt’s Creek as Moira Rose. O’Hara will go down in history as playing one of the funniest TV characters in a big role she found well after 50. 

Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch booked her most popular role of Sue Sylvester on Glee right as she was turning 50 and played the character for six seasons before finding all sorts of work in showbiz otherwise. She notably voices the role of Calhoun in the Wreck-It Ralph movies, along with having major roles in the hit shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Party Down and with hosting 75 episodes of the original celebrity game show, Celebrity Game Night. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

The Seinfeld star not only found herself a whole other well-loved TV show to lead and produce after 50 with HBO’s Veep, which she also won nine consecutive Emmy awards for, but she’s a major player in the Marvel universe now. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been consistently quick on her feet on the comedy front and proved to be an impressive dramatic actress as well, with roles in films like Enough Said. 

Jennifer Coolidge

Then, there’s Jennifer Coolidge’s recent comeback for The White Lotus that has the actress literally everywhere right now. Along with the 61-year-old recently winning her first Emmy for her hilarious role as Tanya McQuoid, Coolidge has had loads of projects she has stolen the show in, in the past couple of years in particular, like Promising Young Woman, The Watcher and Shotgun Wedding alongside Jennifer Lopez.

Jessica Lange 

Four decades after Jessica Lange became a star for roles like her Oscar-nominated work in Tootsie and Frances, she is still a huge name, particularly thanks to her move to TV in collaboration with Ryan Murphy on his numerous shows. Lange always provides strong performances in her ever-changing American Horror Story roles, along with portraying Joan Crawford in Feud. 

Allison Janney 

Allison Janney is another actress who got wide recognition for being in one of the best-regarded TV shows of all time, The West Wing. After starring in 155 episodes of the drama, Janney has continued to explore all sorts of interesting characters across her career, especially after 50, whether it be in the sitcom Mom, winning an Oscar for her chilling mother role in I, Tonya or her booked 2022 that put an additional three movies under her belt. Janney is even more famous now than she was when she was a younger actress. 

Julianne Moore 

A new role from Julianne Moore is never too far away these days. The 62-year-old actress has accomplished a lot over 50 and has even been in with the kids because of her key role in the Hunger Games franchise or starring alongside Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard in the recent indie, When You Finish Saving the World. Moore has starred in so many great movies just within the past decade that it can be hard to recall she’s also the same actress from Boogie Nights and Far From Heaven. 

Tilda Swinton 

We don’t have enough female character actors in the world, but Tilda Swinton embodies someone new so frequently that we can barely imagine what she’s like in real life. The majority of Swinton’s best roles have occurred since she turned 50, such as We Need To Talk About Kevin, or her numerous times working with Wes Anderson and Bong Joon-Ho. 

Viola Davis

Viola Davis is one of the most acclaimed actors of our time right now and it feels like she’s also just getting started. Recently, the actress did just about every stunt as a warrior and leader in The Woman King and has become the most-nominated Black actress in Academy Awards history. 

Meryl Streep 

I mean, it’s Meryl. What else do we have to say? The 73-year-old actress has always been magnificent on screen no matter her age and has proven her great talent and ability to be a chameleon on the screen again and again. Since turning 50, Streep has starred in all-time great movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia, and Iron Lady, and looking forward, she's about to guest star in Only Murders In the Building. 

It’s great to see so many women have broken through and found roles for themselves after 50 in the industry. It really comes down to great roles being written for women of all ages for their opportunities to exist. 

Getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is like a rite of passage if you’re in the entertainment industry. Essentially, it solidifies that you've hit it big time and are among the best of the best to ever grace either the big or small screens. Octavia Spencer is one of the latest stars to receive the honor, and some of her friends, including Allison Janney, were there to celebrate the occasion. And during the event, Spencer shared a sweet moment with Janney.

On December 8, Octavia Spencer received the 2,742nd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and on hand to speak at the ceremony was the humorous and fashion savvy Allison Janney. The two stars have worked on a few films together over the years, and they now seem to be as close as ever. That was evident from a photoshoot the actresses did for PEOPLE’s The Beautiful Issue earlier this year. Though at Spencer's ceremony, the two shared a truly sentimental moment, when they embraced while Janney was at the podium. Check it out for yourself:

That's a Kodak moment if I've ever seen one. The occasional co-stars have appeared together in Chicken Party, Pretty Ugly People, and the Oscar-winning film The Help, which featured Viola Davis and other A-listers. One can't help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that the stars have remained so close over the years. It's truly fitting that the Mom alum would speak at the star ceremony, and it exempiflies just how much she respects her good buddy. 

Amid Allison Janney’s many projects and Octavia Spencer’s performances, the two have yet to star in another movie together. One would hope that the two might team up once more for either a film or TV production. Given their closeness, I can't see the two not reuniting for something else down the line. And maybe it can include another certain actor that Spencer has become friends with.

The West Wing icon wasn’t the only one who spoke at the ceremony. Will Ferrell also said some nice words about his co-star from the well-reviewed Spirited. According to The L.A. Times, he also shut down a heckler at the event while he was speaking, making sure that no one would ruined his colleague's day. The trio of actors later took a sweet photo together, and you can check it out:

Seriously, can you even imagine having friends like these, because I surely can't. It's clear that Octavia Spencer received all the love during her big day and, heckler aside, things seem to have gone very well. Here's to continued success for the Oscar-winning performer. Also, let's hope that Spencer, Allison Janney and Will Ferrell do  get together for some kind of projecct in the future.

Right now, if you want to see a flick with two of those three stars, be sure to watch the holiday movie Spirited using an Apple TV+ subscription.

Over the past year, it’s been all about the “naked dress” more than ever. Celebrities like Zoë Kravitz, Megan Fox, Beyoncé and Florence Pugh have all rocked see-through dresses with their own spins on it, and why not? I can assure you, each of them spends significant time making themselves look good – might as well show it off if you're daring enough. It has often caused some kind of ruckus, such as the negative commentary Pugh received for freeing the nipple, but that didn’t stop Allison Janney to become the latest actress to slay the see-through look. 

Allison Janney walked the carpet for the premiere of her latest movie, The People We Hate At The Wedding, in a Naeem Khan Fall 2022 turtleneck sequin gown. It’s a fresh spin on the see-through dress trend that has Janney looking super confident in her own skin with black sparkles all over her. 

The Los Angeles premiere has Janney reuniting with the co-stars of her latest movie, Kristen Bell and Ben Platt, alongside the rest of the cast. Check out the trio together, and another look at the Mom star’s show-stopping dress: 

The People We Hate At The Wedding follows siblings, played by Kristen Bell and Ben Platt, who begrudgingly fly to London to attend their snooty half-sister’s big wedding. Allison Janney plays their mother and gets into their hateful hijinks somehow, with the trailer teasing all three of them ending up in jail somehow. The movie is now available to stream exclusively to those who have an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Allison Janney has an incredible career in movies and TV, and despite last year’s setback, with the shocking cancellation of Mom, Janney will next star alongside Kristen Wiig and Laura Dern in the AppleTV+ series, Mrs. American Pie, about a woman reconstructing her identity after being dismissed by her husband and social circle. The actress will also star in a sci-fi romance called True Love with Gemma Chan and John David Washington set for release on October 6, 2023. 

Wearers of see-through dresses have been open about going through the wringer in the comment section for being technically covered up, whilst also looking nearly naked. Such as back in July, when Florence Pugh went for the sheer look in a hot pink Valentino dress for the brand’s haute couture show in Rome, Italy. Following all the glamour shots of the get-up making its rounds online, the actress spoke out about criticism that was “loudly upset by the size of my boobs and body.” Fellow actresses like Jessica Chastain publicly came to her defense, with Chastain saying it's “threatening for some men” for women to love their bodies without their permission. 

With a continued narrative of the entertainment industry promoting unrealistic depictions of bodies, it’s great to see more women in the industry speaking about the scrutiny they receive and finding confidence in showing their Hollywood physique. Janney’s latest fashion moment seems to make a statement that trendy fashion like the see-through dress isn’t only for 20 or 30s somethings. At 62, she absolutely pulls it off, just like she does with just about every role she's in. But, of course, she doesn’t need our perception or approval to do her own take on the style and look great doing it. 

Anna Faris’ departure from Mom shocked many fans as there was no forewarning. She eased the sting by explaining she was leaving for better opportunities. Despite there being no bad blood, losing the series lead was reportedly a nightmare for her former cast and crew. Her early exit was more painful because the CBS sitcom was canceled before she could return. Since leaving the show, Faris hasn’t spoken much about her exit. However, there might’ve been more to her quitting Mom as the Scary Movie alum opened up about nearly leaving her acting career after the show, and what brought her back to work.

The comedic actress kept her promise to do more projects as she currently stars in the comedy The Estate, which is playing in theaters. But starring in her first leading film role in four years almost didn’t happen. After being in Hollywood for two decades, Faris was ready to walk away from the fame and success following her seven-season tenure on the CBS sitcom Mom. The weekly sitcom grind had worn away the TV and film actress’ love for the craft. Upon quitting the hit series, she opened up to People about taking stock of her Hollywood success.  

It’s hard to imagine that Faris contemplated retiring from Hollywood at such a young age. Of course, she wouldn’t be the first to leave behind the film and TV sets for a quieter existence (i.e., fellow actress Cameron Diaz before unretiring for a new movie). I'd assume working and auditioning constantly and living on sets for several months would make anyone reassess their decades-long career. At least, she reviewed her finances before making such a life-changing decision.

The Mom star was tired of "feeling competitive, feeling comparative" following her breakthrough role as Cindy Campbell in Scary Movie. The problem even filtered over to her romantic relationships, including her ex-husband Chris Pratt. So, leaving the show without another job lined up was different for the 45-year-old actress after hopping from project to project for two decades straight. In her words:

So, Faris needed the break from the Hollywood grind. It seemed like she was more preoccupied with the next thing than taking in the fruits of her labor, especially since she starred in over 30 film and TV projects, I'd think it left her burnt out. The actress enjoyed her time off, and it was well deserved. She was relieved from the Hollywood pressure for the first time in her career. Thankfully, the Overboard star didn’t retire but decided to reassess her acting career after receiving The Estate script.

Maybe this means viewers will get more movies and TV series from the comedic actress. The break appeared to work for her life as she spoke kindly about her relationship with Pratt and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger. While Anna Faris isn’t tied to any new TV series, there are upcoming TV premieres to check out for the remainder of 2022.

Earlier this year, Kristen Wiig was announced to be teaming up with Laura Dern for a new Apple TV+ series called Ms. American Pie. The cast is gradually growing as, just last month, it was announced that Mom vet Allison Janney has joined the cast. That's an impressive addition but, if that wasn't big enough, the show has cast yet another TV queen (one that's even bigger than Janney): Carol Burnett. 

The comedian will take on the role of Norma in Ms. American Pie. The character is the grande dame of high society in Palm Beach, Norma, according to THR. Additionally, the socialite is said to be holding on to a few secrets, which will no doubt be revealed as the show progresses. 

The series marks the beloved star's first live-action TV role since 2019, during which she appeared in an episode of the Mad About You revival. This will also be the first time that she's served in a regular cast member on a TV series since she led The Carol Burnett Show. To say that it'll be great to have the legend back on the small screen, and with a star-studded cast at that, would be an understatement.

In addition to Carol Burnett, Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern and Allison Janney will be joined by Leslie Bibb, Josh Lucas, and Ricky Martin. It goes without saying that the streaming service is sparing no expense when it comes to acquiring talent for the production. With a group like this thus far, I'm wondering who might be tapped to join next.

Based on the novel Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel, the 1970s-set Ms. American Pie will center on Kristen Wiig's Maxine Simmons, a woman who attempts to obtain a seat in Palm Beach's exclusive upper society. As you'd expect, the road to getting there won't be all that easy. With Carol Burnett's Norma part of that high society life, viewers can likely expect plenty of hijinks to occur between the two. And that could lead to some seriously juicy scenes for the two comedic titans.

The 89-year-old star adds a level of credibility to anything she joins, and her reputation truly proceeds her. In recent years, she's been honored on numerous occasions and has given heartfelt and funny speeches for each award she's earned. The comedy legend has definitely been around and, surely, the cast and crew, including fellow TV staple Allison Janney, know just how lucky they are to have her.

As of this writing, an official release date has not been announced for Ms. American Pie. But while you wait for further updates on the production, you'll want to make sure that you have an Apple TV+ subscription so you can watch Carol Burnett's long-awaited return to television. And stay in the know when it comes to other shows by keeping an eye on CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule!

Whenever the conversation of the best living actors and actresses starts up, one name that doesn’t come up enough is Allison Janney. Seriously, over the course of her career, the talented film, TV, and stage star has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, seven Primetime Emmy Awards, dozens of other accolades, including two Tony nominations, and appears to be a genuinely amazing person.

Don’t believe me? Well, just take a look at some of the best Allison Janney movies and TV shows that show off everything she’s working with, whether it be comedy, drama, or one of the most respected series of all time (which she has referenced time and again). And just in case you want to check these out for yourself, we’ve included streaming links and other ways to give them a spin.

To Leslie (2022) 

Michael Morris’ grueling 2022 drama film, To Leslie, centers on Andrea Riseborough’s titular character after she wins nearly $200,000 in a West Texas lottery that could forever change the course of her life and bring an end to her lifelong downward spiral. But instead, the fortune is squandered, leaving Leslie, her son, James (Owen Teague), her mother, Nancy (Allison Janney), and everyone else in her orbit to pick up the pieces.

Riseborough’s incredible and incredibly heart-wrenching portrayal of a woman in crisis is astounding, as is the rest of the cast, including Janney. The Academy Award-winning actress shines in the role of a loving yet fed-up mother, and she provides the emotional anchor throughout stretches of the movie.

Rent/buy To Leslie on Amazon.

Lou (2022) 

The 2022 Netflix movie, Lou, sees Allison Janney try her hand in the world of action thrillers in a movie that sees her take on the role of a former CIA agent living on an island off the coast of Washington. When her tenant’s former lover, who was presumed dead, shows up in town and kidnaps his daughter, Janney’s Lou Adell becomes the young girl’s only chance.

Anna Foerster’s tense thriller is full of twists and turns, with major revelations being brought to the surface throughout its nearly two-hour runtime. Janney is especially convincing as a former field agent with secrets (and skills) she wishes to keep hidden.

Stream Lou on Netflix.

I, Tonya (2017)

Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Tonya Harding was at the center of the 2017 biographical drama, but it was Allison Janney who stole the show, and won her first Academy Award for her take on the infamous figure skater’s mother, LaVona Golden. How the actress played the abusive mother who pushed her daughter to greatness but also down a troubled path was nothing short of masterful.

What’s really impressive about Janney’s performance in Craig Gillespie’s shocking and wickedly funny sports drama, which also netted her a Golden Globe, is that there are times where it’s hard to tell if you’re watching the real LaVona Golden or an actress. And the mockumentary style of the picture also gives Janney’s character even more time to shine.

Stream I, Tonya on Hulu.
Buy/rent I, Tonya on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The West Wing (1999 - 2006)

Over the years, there have been several great TV shows set in the White House, like Veep and House of Cards, but neither of those or others like them hold a candle to the greatness that was Aaron Sorkin’s landmark series, The West Wing. And who had a prominent role in the show’s expansive ensemble cast? None other than Allison Janney, whose character, C.J. Cregg, went from Press Secretary to Chief of Staff by series end. 

Janney won an impressive four Primetime Emmy Awards (twice as a Supporting Actress, twice for Lead Actress), four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a whole slew of nominations and other accolades. I think the hardware speaks volumes about Janney and her breakout role. And don’t get me started on her walk and talk technique.

Stream The West Wing on HBO Max.
Buy The West Wing on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon. 

Juno (2007)

As far as movie moms go, there are few that are in the same category as Bren MacGuff (Allison Janney) in Jason Reitman’s 2007 coming-of-age comedy, Juno. When Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page) becomes pregnant at a young age and decides to go through with the pregnancy and give up the baby for adoption, her stepmom is right there beside her through it all and is supportive as can be, even though she is under no obligation to be so.

In a movie that is also filled with tremendous and heartfelt performances by the likes of J.K. Simmons (in one of his best roles), Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Michael Cera, Janney remains one of the most beloved and endearing throughout. Upon repeated viewings, it’s easy to catch subtle acts by the caring woman that show she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness and comfort for that of her child.

Stream Juno on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Juno on Amazon.
Get it on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Mom (2013 - 2021)

When talking about the best Allison Janney movies and TV shows, you can’t go too long before her long-running sitcom, Mom, is brought up. Over the course of eight seasons, Janney took on the role of Bonnie Plunkett, a recovering alcoholic who rekindled her relationship with her daughter, Christy (Anna Faris), who was also battling addiction.

Janney would end up taking home two more Primetime Emmy Awards for her role on the successful series, and she was more than deserving of both. The way Janney handled some delicate topics with grace, care, and most importantly, humor, was a breath of fresh air to the format. And, it doesn’t hurt that she and the rest of the cast had tremendous chemistry.

Stream Mom on Hulu.
Buy Mom on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon. 

American Beauty (1999)

A movie that made a surprisingly large amount of money at the box office, American Beauty largely centers on Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a middle-aged man in the midst of an existential crisis that wraps up not just his family but also his neighbors, coworkers, and his children’s friends as he begins losing touch with the world around him.

But the Burnhams aren’t the only family going through their own personal hells in American Beauty, as their new neighbors, the Fitts, also have a tremendous amount of pain and confusion in their home. This is best seen in the character of Barbara (Allison Janney), who is largely silent and despondent throughout the movie. And even though she only says a few words, Janney’s body language speaks volumes.

Stream American Beauty on Pluto.
Rent/Buy American Beauty on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Finding Nemo (2003)

Although not the best Pixar movie, Finding Nemo is in that top tier of the studio’s body of work, and a lot of that can be attributed to the cast and the way they help flesh out the story about a clownfish going to great lengths to reunite with his missing son. And yeah, that includes Allison Janney’s character, Peach, the sea star who helps Nemo escape a fish tank.

One of the best examples of Janney’s brilliance in this role comes during a scene when the group of sea creatures living in the fish tank are supposed to escape, an attempt that is thwarted by a new filtration system. The way she goes from saying “Good morning” with so much glee to a state of panic is incredible, and adds a nice pop to the scene.

Stream Finding Nemo on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Finding Nemo on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

The Help (2011)

Tate Taylor’s 2011 hilarious and poignant comedy-drama, The Help, has its share of incredible characters played by Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain, but it would be impossible to discuss the movie about a young writer shedding light on the stories of the Black women who worked in prominent Jackson, Mississippi households without mentioning Allison Janney.

Sure, Janney’s character, Charlotte Phelan, doesn’t have the courage of her daughter, Skeeter (Stone), at least not initially, but she more than makes up for it in the latter part of the movie. Everyone loves a good story of someone coming around and seeing the flaws in their ways, which is very much the case here.

Stream The Help on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Help on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.

Masters Of Sex (2013 - 2015)

The Showtime drama series, Masters of Sex, largely focused on the professional and personal lives of human sexuality researchers William Masters (Michael Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Lizzy Caplan) in the mid-part of the 20th Century, but the show also featured a great number of guest stars, including Allison Janney.

Throughout parts of the series, Janney popped up as Margaret Scully, a close friend of Masters and Johnson who goes throughout a sexual reawakening thanks to their research and becomes a stronger, more independent, and happier woman in the process. And, it should be noted Janney won a Primetime Emmy Award for her portrayal.

Buy Masters of Sex on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Way Way Back (2013)

The 2013 coming-of-age comedy, The Way Way Back, is a movie that doesn’t get nearly as much recognition as it deserves, which is a shame considering it tells a tremendous story about an awkward teen named Duncan (Liam James) who finds himself over the course of a summer spent at the seaside. 

It also doesn’t hurt that Nat Faxon and Jim Rash put together one hell of a cast that includes Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, and Allison Janney, who plays Betty, Duncan’s neighbor for the summer. She’s direct, honest, and always with a drink in hand, making her one of the most electric and exciting characters of the bunch.

Stream The Way Way Back on Hulu.
Stream The Way Way Back on Freevee.
Rent/Buy The Way Way Back on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

The 1999 dark comedy mockumentary, Drop Dead Gorgeous, follows a group of teenagers participating in a small town beauty pageant, but things take a turn when the contestants begin dying under rather suspicious circumstances. 

In addition to serving as one of Amy Adams’ first movies, Drop Dead Gorgeous also helped take other rising stars to the next level, including Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, and Allison Janney. Throughout the movie, Janney’s character, Loretta, is an absolute firecracker who gets the most out of every scene, even those where she’s in the background. You won’t find it streaming (for now), but it’s more than worth the DVD purchase to see Janey in action.

Get it on DVD on Amazon.

Bombshell (2019)

Bombshell, which followed several female Fox News employees in their attempt to expose Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) for unwanted sexual advances, is a wild ride from start to finish. In the middle of that storm is Susan Estrich (Allison Janney), a complicated character who provides Ailes with legal device.

Throughout each of her scenes, Janney does an incredible job of personifying the conflicted nature of her character. By the end, you don’t necessarily love the character or what she represents, but it’s impossible to not give the actress props for her approach to the role.

Rent/Buy Bombshell on Amazon.
Get it on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Hairspray (2007)

Hairspray, the 2007 remake of John Waters’ cult classic of the same name, tells the story of Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Bolonsky), a teenage girl with aspirations of earning a spot on The Corny Collins Show in hopes of bringing about radical change to the popular series and the city of Baltimore in general, while also having a lot of fun.

Allison Janney steps in as Prudence “Prudy” Pingleton, Tracy’s best friend’s racist, close-minded, fun-hating, nosy mother who fears change more than she fears God. Janney is remarkable in her portrayal of such an unlikable person in the musical comedy and stands out as one of the most detestable characters of the movie.

Stream Hairspray on HBO Max.
Stream Hairspray on Freevee.
Rent/Buy Hairspray on Amazon.
Get it on DVD on Amazon.

Expect this list to keep growing in the coming months, as Allison Janney is set to appear in True Love, Gareth Edwards star-studded sci-fi drama set to be released near the end of the 2023 movie schedule. Janney will also return to the small screen for the Apple TV+ period comedy series, Mrs. American Pie, which could very well end up being one of the biggest 2023 new shows.   

The cancellation of long-running comedy Mom surprised a number of people, including series star Allison Janney. When Janney reacted to CBS' decision, she also expressed her gratitude, though she never explicitly revealed why the network pulled the plug. Despite this, the beloved actress has moved on to other movie and TV gigs. Now, a year after her CBS sitcom ended its run, the Emmy and Oscar winner has landed her first big TV role.

The Mom vet will star in the upcoming Apple TV+ comedy Mrs. American Pie, according to TVLine, and she'll be teaming up with some major talent in the process. The show will see her join Laura Dern and Kristen Wiig, who were confirmed to be starring in the project earlier this year. The upcoming series will focus on South Florida’s wealthy elites, and Janney will reportedly play Palm Beach high-society member Evelyn. Needless to say, this character very far removed from Bonnie Plunkett.

The show is based on Juliet McDaniel’s best-selling novel Mr. and Mrs. American Pie. Set in the early 1970s, the Apple TV+ comedy will focus on Kristen Wiig's Maxine Simmons, as she attempts to climb the social ladder to obtain a seat in Palm Beach’s closed-off upper society. Based on the description alone, this project seems set to tell a story of the haves and the have nots. The creators have the tricky job of balancing humor and social commentary but, if they can nail it, this could be something special.

Details regarding Laura Dern's exact role are still being kept under wraps. The Jurassic World: Dominion actress developed the TV adaptation alongside her producing partner, Jayme Lemons, and both will serve as executive producers alongside Dead to Me creator Abe Sylvia. Sylvia will also write the comedy and serve as the showrunner. Tate Taylor, John Norris, and Katie O’Connell Marsh round out the list of executive producers for the streaming series.

With this new project, Allison Janney adds to her already-full plate. On the film side, she's been incredibly busy with upcoming movies that are set to release this year, like The People We Hate at the Wedding (another adaptation of a novel). She's also set to star in the sci-fi film True Love, which is currently in production.

The character of Bonnie Plunkett allowed Allison Janney to shed The West Wing’s C.J. Gregg, and there's a chance that this new role of Evelyn will allow the star to branch off from her stint as the lovable mother and former addict. Still, if the star's sweet fan message, which she sent out after the Mom series finale, is any indication, she'll continue to hold the character close even as she embarks on this new journey in Mrs. American Pie.

It remains to be seen as to when the comedy series will be available to stream. In the meantime, you can check out all the great shows on Apple TV that are currently available. You can also learn about the other TV shows that are coming by looking over CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule.

Mom’s series finale was satisfying, funny and bittersweet all at the same time. While the sitcom had a solid ending, fans were likely still a bit saddened by the sudden decision to end the show. But no one seemed more shocked than the cast and crew, including Allison Janney. And after the series finale aired, the Mom star shared a special message dedicated to the fans.

After the touching finale, Allison Janney took to her Instagram to share some memories from the set of the CBS sitcom and show Mom’s devoted fanbase some love by thanking and praising them for making the show a success. The Oscar winner was also vulnerable, sharing that “endings are hard.” Check out Janney’s touching trip down memory lane below:

Allison Janney’s post showed just how fun and warm the set of Mom was. The star allowed fans to get one more peek into the cast and crew’s chemistry, following the series finale. As Janney pointed out, it was the viewers who brought the series back season after season. All in all, it was a nice farewell and something for the fans to enjoy in the midst of the show's goodbye.

Allison Janney’s touching fan message also shows just how palpable the connection between the show and its fanbase was (and continues to be). Fans’ support and devotion helped to carry Mom to the finish line, and that couldn’t be ignored.

Allison Janney’s Instagram post gave just a hint of her feelings about Mom coming to an end, as the actress hasn’t shied away from giving her thoughts on the series’ cancellation. Janney originally reacted to the show’s surprise cancellation on social media shortly after it was reported, and she later shared more sentiments during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Later, the Oscar winner gave her thoughts on the CBS sitcom ending and reasons for its cancellation, stating her belief that money played a role in the decision. But soon, the actress revealed that she had to refrain from expressing her thoughts on the cancellation.

Despite the bittersweet finale, Allison Janney did make off with a few mementos, admitting that she took a wig and some outfits from the set, so she still gets to take a few pieces of the show with her. You never know, the paparazzi might catch the actress sporting her Mom wig and outfit while running errands, which would likely be a delight for fans.

Hopefully, Allison Janney’s post will provide some comfort for Mom fans who are still copping with the show's conclusion. But viewers shouldn’t be too sad as they can relive Bonnie, Christy and the gang’s misadventures by streaming past seasons of the show on Paramount+.

Fans of the hit CBS sitcom Mom have been dealt quite the one-two punch in the past year. First, early last fall saw star Anna Faris reveal that she wouldn't return for Season 8 of the series that she'd anchored alongside Allison Janney since 2013. Then, as Season 8 was airing in February of this year, viewers got word that the show had been cancelled, and wouldn't come back for Season 9. Everyone was shocked, but that includes leading lady Janney, who has now revealed that she has some idea why Mom was cancelled, but that she's been told not to talk about it.

Allison Janney is known for being a consummate professional who always brings the most to every performance, which her several Emmy Award-winning (and Oscar winning) roles have proven over many years. But, she's also known for speaking her mind, and when Mom was cancelled out of the blue, and not even given another season to really lead up to a series finale, Janney openly expressed her shock. She, obviously, has way more potential insider knowledge than any of us would on why Mom was cancelled, but during an appearance on CBS' Sunday Morning, Janney revealed that fans will be unlikely to hear about that any time soon, and said:

Oh. Now, it should be noted that Allison Janney did laugh a bit after saying this, but I think maybe it was more to break the tension and (possibly) stop the person who interviewed her from asking potentially incendiary follow up questions. And, it worked, because her interviewer also had a light giggle, and they appeared to move on. I have a feeling that this wasn't simply Janney being a funny lady, though, and that she both really has theories on why Mom was cancelled suddenly and was told to keep them to herself.

It was just back in mid-March that Allison Janney appeared on The Late, Late Show with James Corden and talked about how she, and at least some of the others working on Mom, figured they were good for at least another full season of sober-living shenanigans for the characters. But, Janney added that "they decided not, and there’s so many reasons behind that. Probably money," which likely got folks behind the scenes at higher levels talking, and could have led to Janney being told to stop airing her theories in public.

So, when I hear something like this, my (relatively) twisted and conspiracy-minded brain usually goes to all kinds of dark corners to come up with possible explanations. But, the simple fact is that one of the "many reasons" Allison Janney could have been alluding to might be the loss of Anna Faris. There are a lot of shows which carry on, and do it quite well and for many years, after a lead leaves, but the foundation of Mom had always been the relationship between Janney's Bonnie and her daughter, Faris' Christy. On top of that, Mom isn't exactly like Grey's Anatomy, where main characters leave and others enter all the time, so that audiences are used to the turnover.

We could probably come up with tons of theories to expound on what we have heard from Allison Janney about why Mom was cancelled, but it's probably better not to. Janney is already moving on, and she'd likely want fans to be able to do the same.

The series finale of Mom airs this Thursday, May 13, on CBS, at 9 p.m. EST. For more to watch in the coming weeks, check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule!

Mom’s abrupt cancellation shocked many, including series star Allison Janney. Since wrapping on the show, the actress has set her sights on moving on to other projects. But as with any television production, Janney managed to get her hands on some key items. Just recently, the Oscar winner revealed the props she snagged from the set of the hit CBS sitcom after she wrapped.

Allison Janney is one of the luckiest people in Hollywood to have two beloved series under her belt. Having gone through a hit series ending before, the star knew how to proceed when it came to taking props and wasted no time grabbing a few mementos after Mom wrapped up its final season. The actress said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon:

With her work on Mom now finished, it was fitting that Allison Janney took some things from the set. I mean it’s a Hollywood tradition to take a memento or two once production has wrapped. Plus, the items she mentioned can be used in her daily life as well. Who doesn't love a few good pairs of sweatpants? But the big news was that not even the producers know the Oscar winner had been wearing a wig since the beginning of the series. I guess being busy with the daily operations of a sitcom doesn’t give you time to notice the smaller things. Though it's funny that it took her colleagues eight seasons to actually figure it out.

Just like Mom fans, Allison Janney has been honest regarding her thoughts on the series’ cancellation. Whether it be through social media or through television interviews, the Mom star has been open about her feelings about the sudden cancellation. While she mostly seems to be at peace with it, her past comments do seem to indicate that she was indeed shocked at the show's cancellation.

Still, the actress is charging on. During her Tonight Show appearance, Allison Janney also revealed that she's preparing for her next project – an action thriller. The Oscar winner talked about preparing two hours a day with a trainer to become a female assassin for the upcoming film. Janney appears to be thrilled about the next phase of her career. As she pointed out in the interview, she always manages to switch things up after a major project, and that’s the one thing viewers can always count on from her.

Knowing Allison Janney snatched up some props makes Mom’s cancellation sting a little less. Look at it this way, fans could see Janney sporting either the wig or sweatpants in a photo (or in public) someday. Viewers will get to say goodbye to the actress and the cast when the sitcom's final episode airs May 13 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of Mom, so be warned!

Though Anna Faris may have exited Mom in an untimely manner ahead of Season 8, but the CBS sitcom's creative team have still found offbeat ways to [work her character Christy into storylines]((Which easily inspires questions about why nobody ever noticed that billboad before, but ), even if it's just through one-and-done references. In the most recent episode, "Tiny Dancer and an Impromptu Picnic," Allison Janney's Bonnie stumbled across the less-mentioned stripper chapter from Christy's past, which allowed for a fun and silly appearance from Better Call Saul and Nobody star Bob Odenkirk.

William Fichtner's Adam made a huge sacrifice in the early part of the episode, choosing to opt out of Bonnie's very tempting sexy picnic for the express purposes of ruining her day. Though not out of pure malice, at least. Rather, he wanted to give her a heads up that a massive image of Christy's not-exactly-covered-up body was being used on a promotional billboard for the strip club Mr. Naughties. To be expected, Bonnie wanted nothing more than to get that giant ad taken down, despite the fact that it had already drawing in horny customers for 20+ years. Or perhaps because of that.

After having some trouble getting in touch with any management figures at Mr. Naughties, Bonnie made a personal trip down there, which is where she met Bob Odenkirk's Hank, the current building manager who shared that he used to be a DJ at the club back when Christy was working there. It was quite the unexpected cameo from Odenkirk, whose vengeance-fueled action flick Nobody has been a box office winner, although he was playing the kind of sleazebag that he's often portrayed in his career. Hank is like what Jimmy McGill might have become if Rhea Seehorn's Kim wasn't there as a saving grace.

For the all too brief scene, Mom's set decorators and prop-masters did a splendid job short-handing the kind of person that Bob Odenkirk's Hank was. He was smoking while eating what looked like an egg dinner at his desk – mmm, strip club eggs – and had a bottle of Pepto Bismol directly in front of him on the trash-filled desk. Not to mention a chrome skull at arm's length. Plus, he's clearly a smart dude, based on his suggestion to use an Elton John classic as Christy's song on stage.

Turns out Hank is also smart/shrewd enough to recognize when something is working, and he knows that Christy's NSFW billboard – which is never actually shown to viewers in its full glory – has been drawing in customers for a long time. And you can tell how easily Hank is able to compartmentalize "business" issues from "personal" issues by the way he kept the billboard up all this time despite being keenly aware that Christy was not cut out for the strip club life. In his words:

Hell, Hank instinctively thought it likely that Christy might have been dead, which is another sign of just how highly he values Mr. Naughties' employees at any point during his career there. Thankfully, Anna Faris' character is on a much more promising trajectory than Bob Odenkirk's Hank, and Bonnie & the Ladies took it upon themselves to make sure that the Mr. Naughties billboard didn't any a negative impact on Christy's Georgetown education. Namely, they all climbed up and painted over it, though audiences sadly didn't get to see Hank's fury over that legitimately criminal development.

In the end, one has to wonder how in the hell that billboard was up for more than two decades without Bonnie or anyone else in her inner circle having seen it. It seems like even Christy herself would have been aware of it, if not from seeing it in person, then from friends and/or strangers bringing it up. Though I suppose someone very well could have mentioned it to her during her drinking days and she might not have remembered. Now we can all sit back an wallow in paranoia that our half-naked bodies are on billboards somewhere out there in the world.

Fans shouldn't expect Bob Odenkirk's Hank to get a spinoff like Breaking Bad's Saul Goodman did, but everyone should expect for Mom to deliver its final six episodes on Thursday nights on CBS at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Mom's cancellation was a shock for so many viewers as well as the show’s cast and crew, and it would seem series star Allison Janney was surprised by the news as well. Since the news was initially announced, Janney hasn't said that much about the untimely cancellation. But that changed recently, as Janney recently opened up about the show ending and why she believes it was cancelled.

Allison Janney is moving right along with the final season of Mom and, during her appearance on The Late, Late Show with James Corden, she confirmed that she's nearly finished with filming. So the actress couldn't help but reflect on the final stretch and how she wished things would have panned out for a final season of the show:

After giving her thoughts for Mom’s ending, Allison Janney also shared a key tidbit regarding the series finale. She talked about more about her experience on the show, comparing it to her work on The West Wing:

Given the closeness between her and the Mom cast and crew, it's understandable that Allison Janney would be emotional about such a huge part of her life. Janney’s comments are also a testament to the truly unpredictable nature of Hollywood, which can even see a highly popular show get cancelled. It is worth mentioning that the show was going through some obvious changes, though it's unclear if that played a role. These things happen in Hollywood, but it still had to have been an awkward experience for Janney. You can check out her full Late Late Show appearance below:

Before this recent interview, Allison Janney had only spoken once about Mom's cancellation. The actress took to Instagram last month to express her gratitude for being able to star on Mom for these past eight years. In the same post, she expressed her love and appreciation for series creator and producer Chuck Lorre as well as the cast, crew and fans. It's definitely sad that Mom is leaving us sooner than expected but, hopefully, Lorre and his collaborators are able to give it a send-off worth of the show's hilarious and heartfelt legacy.

Mom airs new episodes on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

For nearly eight years, Mom has been one of the most acclaimed sitcoms on TV. The series is one of many projects comedy genius Chuck Lorre has crafted for CBS over the years. One of the reasons for its success was Oscar and Emmy-winner Allison Janney. Unfortunately, that run will be ending, as CBS has announced the show has been cancelled and will conclude with its current season. With this, Janney has shared her reaction to the cancellation via social media.

Allison Janney has been on a roll for the past few years, and much of that success has been due to her role as Bonnie Plunkett on Mom. Over the series' run, her performance has been singled out, leading to multiple award wins and nominations. With this in mind, news of the show's cancellation must be bittersweet for her. After the news was announced, the Mom star took to Instagram to share her gratitude to the show’s cast and crew. Check out Janney’s heartfelt message below:

As seen in Allison Janney’s post, the actress couldn’t help but show her love and gratitude to everyone involved in Mom's success. You have to love that she singled out the producers and writers, especially given how important they were to developing Janney’s character. The fact that she included former co-star Anna Faris was especially poignant given recent developments with the series.

Allison Janney’s touching Instagram message did soften the blow of Mom’s cancellation, but the series has gone through quite a bit in recent months. Before Season 8 premiered, fans of the series learned that series co-lead Anna Faris wouldn’t be returning. The news was not only a shock for fans but for the cast and crew who reportedly didn’t know of Faris’ plans beforehand.

In light of her sudden departure, the producers decided to send Faris’ character, Christy, off to law school rather than kill her character off. Janney expressed her feelings on Faris’s shocking exit and what she misses about working with her former co-star. She even opened up about doing the show without her television daughter. Janney and Faris’ palpable mother-daughter dynamic and on-screen chemistry was a key reason for the show’s success. Needless to say, Faris’ departure left a void in the show.

Despite Anna Faris’ exit, Allison Janney and the others were able to move on. The series had evolved from focusing on just Bonnie and Christy’s relationship to becoming an ensemble comedy with actors such as Jamie Pressley and Kristen Johnson joining in. During its eight-season run, Mom consistently ranked within television’s top 50 shows. It scored multiple Emmy nominations, with Janney scoring two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. All of this puts Janney’s Instagram message in perspective. The show allowed her to grow and evolve with it, leaving the actress grateful and humble for taking part in such an amazing series.

As Season 8 of Mom pushes toward its series finale, you can watch the sitcom Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Fans were stunned when Mom star Anna Faris, who'd been with the series for its entire seven season run, announced that she'd be leaving prior to Season 8 going into production. The move also, reportedly, shocked everyone who works on Mom, and now remaining lead Allison Janney has opened up about what it's been like to film the hit sitcom without Faris.

While everyone at Mom was said to have been thrown into a bit of a tizzy when Anna Faris chose to leave so that she could pursue other projects, they did decide that the show must go on, and have been diligently working on Season 8 without her Christy around. But, that doesn't mean that it's been completely easy, and when asked recently by Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime show what it's been like filming without her former partner in addiction recovery antics, Allison Janney said:

I'm sure it's nice for fans to hear that Allison Janney, and the rest of the cast and crew at Mom, are happy that Anna Faris is happy, and that Janney is able to express that while also admitting how "very odd" it's been to do the show without her. Faris' Christy and Janney's Bonnie went through a lot during those seven seasons, and working as the often dysfunctional mother / daughter duo probably helped the actresses form their own kind of bond. So, it would be a bit of a shock to the system for Janney to now be faced with working without the woman who had been her frequent scene partner in crime.

Of course, the writers had to suddenly figure out how best to remove Anna Faris' Christy from the show. While characters have been killed off on Mom before, they, thankfully, thought better when it came to doing that with Christy. The Season 8 premiere revealed that she had won a full scholarship to Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C, and had finally moved on so that she could fulfill one of the dreams viewers had watched her pursue for many years.

Luckilly, this means that fans can get updates on what's going on in the character's life from time to time, along with watching how Bonnie deals with her daughter being on the opposite coast from her and not being immediately available for emotional support / shenanigans.

We can continue to see how Mom Season 8 plays out as the show airs every Thursday on CBS, at 9 p.m. EST. But, for more on what you can watch on the small screen right now, be sure to check out our guide to winter / spring 2021 TV!

Based on the explosive accounts of several former Fox News employees who exposed CEO Roger Ailes for rampant sexual harassment (as well as the toxic workplace that surrounded and emboldened him), Bombshell seemed destined to be one of December 2019's biggest releases — particularly as it featured one of the year's most high-profile acting ensembles.

An A-list cast that includes Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, and Allison Janney, the film from Emmy-winning director Jay Roach was predicted to be an awards contender from the moment it was first announced. Sure enough, it received three Oscar nominations, for Best Actress (Theron), Best Supporting Actress (Robbie), and Best Make-Up and Hairstyling, notably for the impressive transformations that turned Theron and Lithgow into Megyn Kelly and Ailes, respectively.

While the movie underperformed financially, Bombshell remains a sizable streaming hit, particularly for the impressive talent involved. Now that it has been a little over a year since the drama premiered in theaters, what is the high-profile Bombshell cast working on? Let's take a look and find out!

Charlize Theron (Megyn Kelly)

Playing the part of Megyn Kelly, a Fox News anchor caught in personal and professional conflict during the end of her tenure at the station, Charlize Theron received another Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the real-life broadcast television personality in Bombshell. An Oscar-winning actress for her leading role in Monster, Theron is an A-list superstar who's best known for North Country, The Italian Job (2003), Young Adult, The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman, Tully, Mighty Joe Young, The Fate of the Furious, Hancock, and Long Shot, as well as Æon Flux, Reindeer Games, That Thing You Do!, In the Valley of Elah, The Road, and Arrested Development. She can also be heard in Kubo and the Two Strings and The Addams Family (2019).

Most recently, Charlize Theron starred in Netflix's The Old Guard, which she also produced. Next, Theron will appear in F9, which is expected to come out later this year. She'll also be heard in The Addams Family 2.

Nicole Kidman (Gretchen Carlson)

As Gretchen Carlson, a Fox News broadcast journalist, Nicole Kidman plays one of the lead roles in 2019's Bombshell. An Oscar-winning and two-time Emmy-winning actress, Kidman is known and acclaimed for her performances in The Hours, Rabbit Hole, Moulin Rouge!, Eyes Wide Shut, To Die For, Dogville, Cold Mountain, Big Little Lies, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Paddington, The Others, Far and Away, and Top of the Lake: China Girl, as well as Hemingway & Gellhorn, Lion, Birth, Destroyer, Boy Erased, The Beguiled, and Stoker. She's also recognized for her work in Batman Forever, Aquaman, Australia, Bewitched, Practical Magic, Days of Thunder, and The Upside.

Most recently, Nicole Kidman starred in HBO's The Undoing. She also played a splashy supporting role in Netflix's The Prom. Next, Kidman appears in Nine Perfect Strangers, Hulu's mini-series based on Liane Moriarty's novel, and she's set to be seen in The Northman, a Viking drama from director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse). Additionally, Kidman's signed on to star in Amazon Prime's Pretty Things and Things I Know To Be True.

Margot Robbie (Kayla Pospisil)

In the role of Kayla Pospisil, an ambitious young TV producer (and a fictitious personality based on several people who worked for Fox News), Margot Robbie received her second Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Bombshell. A rising superstar after her scene-stealing performance in The Wolf of Wall Street, Robbie garnered her first Oscar nomination for I, Tonya and she was notably seen in Suicide Squad, Focus, Mary Queen of Scots, The Legend of Tarzan, and Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood.

Shortly following Bombshell's release, Margot Robbie starred in Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, which she also produced. A few months later, Robbie starred in and produced Dreamland. She also produced December's Promising Young Woman. Next, the actress will be seen in The Suicide Squad, reprising her role as Harley Quinn, and she'll be heard in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Additionally, she's expected to star in Babylon and the newest film from writer-director David O. Russell. Robbie will also serve as a producer on Netflix's Maid.

John Lithgow (Roger Ailes)

Playing Roger Ailes, Fox News' CEO and chairman, John Lithgow adopted heavy make-up to become the main antagonist in Bombshell. A well-versed veteran of the stage and screen, Lithgow is most well-known for Emmy-winning work in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown. He also appeared in Terms of Endearment, Harry and the Hendersons, Dreamgirls, Footloose, The World According to Garp, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, This is 40, Love is Strange, Interstellar, Pitch Perfect 3, Daddy's Home Two, Late Night, and Pet Sematary (2019). Also, the actor is heard in Shrek. In addition to his screen work, Lithgow won two Tony Awards for 1973's The Changing Room and 2002's Sweet Smell of Success.

Most recently, John Lithgow starred in HBO's Perry Mason. Next, the actor will star in FX's The Old Man. Additionally, outside of acting, Lithgow wrote 2019's Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse, a book of poems and illustrations, along with its follow-up, Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age, which was published this past September.

Kate McKinnon (Jess Carr)

In the role of Jess Carr, Kayla's savvy Fox News co-worker and eventual love interest, Kate McKinnon had a scene-stealing character in Bombshell. Most notably, McKinnon is a long-standing standout on NBC's Saturday Night Live, having won two Emmys for her work on the sketch comedy series. Her popularity on SNL eventually led to starring roles in Ghostbusters (2016), Rough Night, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Office Christmas Party. Additionally, the film/TV actress can be seen in Yesterday and Masterminds, as well as heard in The Venture Bros., Finding Dory, Ferdinand, China, IL, and The Angry Birds Movie.

Currently, Kate McKinnon can be seen in the latest ongoing season of SNL. She can also be heard as the voice of Ms. Frizzle in Netflix's The Magic School Bus Rides Again. The actress also does voice work for Nature Cat and Heads Will Roll. Up next, McKinnon will play Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu's mini-series, The Dropout, and Carole Baskin in NBC's Joe Exotic. She's also set to star in an adaptation of Deb Lucke's The Lunch Witch.

Connie Britton (Beth Ailes)

As Beth Ailes, Roger Ailes' wife, Connie Britton played a prominent supporting character in Bombshell. Most notably, Britton is best known for her television work in NBC's Friday Night Lights, for which she received two Emmy nominations, ABC/CMT's Nashville, another Emmy-nominated performance, and the first and eighth seasons of FX's American Horror Story, where she was, once again, Emmy-nominated. She also played a main cast role in the first season of Fox's 9-1-1, and she starred in Spin City and Dirty John. Outside of TV, Britton appears in Friday Night Lights (2004), The Brothers McMullen, The Last Winter, This is Where I Leave You, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The To-Do List, The Land of Steady Habits, and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.

Most recently, Connie Britton was briefly seen in Promising Young Woman. She also reprised her role as Abby Clark in a couple of episodes of Fox's 9-1-1. Next, Britton appears in Joe Bell, which recently premiered at TIFF. She's also starring in the upcoming mini-series, The White Lotus.

Malcolm McDowell (Rupert Murdoch)

Playing the part of Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul behind Fox News, Malcolm McDowell had a small-but-imposing role in Bombshell. Most famously, McDowell was the lead in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. He can also be seen in Time After Time, Halloween (2007), Star Trek: Generations, Caligula, If..., O Lucky Man!, Britannia Hospital, Cat People, Tank Girl, The Artist, Easy A, Franklin & Bash, Mozart in the Jungle, Entourage, and Heroes, and he can be heard in Bolt and Metalocalypse.

Most recently, Malcolm McDowell appeared in Amazon Prime's Truth Seekers. He can also be seen in The Big Ugly and Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove and heard in The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two and an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Additionally, McDowell was the narrator for Free Lunch Express. Next, the actor lends his talents to a number of upcoming films and shows, including Wizardream, Just Noise, Trick and Treats, She Will, ARK: The Animated Series, The Virus, Monster Butler, Midnight Reckoning, The Mystery of Casa Matusita, and Experiment 77, to name only a few.

Allison Janney (Susan Estrich)

In the role of Susan Estrich, a legal counsel for Roger Ailes, Allison Janney played a notable supporting character in Bombshell. An acclaimed actress with seven Emmys and an Oscar to her name, among other accolades, Janney is best known for The West Wing, Masters of Sex, Mom, and I, Tonya, as well as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Nurse Betty, Hairspray (2007), The Way Way Back, The Help, Juno, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Private Parts, Primary Colors, The Hours, Tammy, Spy, Tallulah, Ma, Get On Up, and The Girl on the Train. She can also be heard in Finding Nemo, Minions, Over the Hedge, and The Addams Family (2019).

Currently, Allison Janney is still playing the lead role in CBS's Mom. She also lends her voice to DuckTales. Following Bombshell's release, Janney appeared in Troop Zero, Bad Education, Lazy Susan, and the short film, The Great Man Himself. Next, the actress will be seen in Breaking News in Yuba County and To Leslie. She's also signed on to star in The Heart and Lou.

You can watch Bombshell on Hulu here. You can also stream it on Amazon Prime here.

It's probably safe to say that most people to go to sleep and wake up in the morning saying the phrase "Allison Janney is the shit," but we're likely all thinking it, even if it's just subconsciously. The Mom star and West Wing vet showed up on HGTV this week to join Property Brothers stars Jonathan and Drew Scott for their charitable new show Celebrity IOU, and when I tell you she did it in style, I'm making the understatement of the year.

For Celebrity IOU, Allison Janney's mission was to give her longtime assistant Ilana a completely unique present for the holidays, in that she brought in the Property Brothers stars to help with a complete home makeover for Ilana and her kids. First, let's take a second to appreciate the selflessness that Janney exudes from taking part in a situation like this. And now, let's take around 600 seconds to appreciate the actress donning a red evening gown and construction boots for her appearance, which is basically what Twitter has been doing ever since the episode aired on Monday night.

Save for maybe Joanna Gaines, I'm not sure anyone on HGTV has ever looked so classy and badass within an antithetical construction-based setting as Allison Janney did, presenting as if she was getting set to go to prom with Home Improvement's Tim Taylor. (I suppose this is a universe where fully grown adults have their own non-school proms to go to.) The tweet above definitely wasn't the only one of its kind, as tons of Janney fanatics praised her existence on social media during and after the Celebrity IOU episode aired. Such as the one below, who would prefer the government step into legally make Janney the lone star of the Property Brothers franchise.

In the scheme of things, I doubt HGTV and the Property Brothers producers would ever actually excise Jonathan and Drew Scott from the show in order to recast with Allison Janney, but that would certainly be an interesting turnout. Speaking of interesting turnouts, this fan (facetiously) found themselves feeling all kinds of ways after seeing the actress in home-demo mode.

Not only can Allison Janney apparently cause people's sexual orientations to change willy nilly, but she's also capable of inventing colors, such is her creative prowess.

Amusingly enough, fans followed up on the above tweet by posting pics of her from West Wing and awards specials to continue proving the idea that red is her color.

For those who didn't watch the episode, it might have been jarring to arrive on Twitter this morning to see the potentially disturbing news that Allison Janney's name was trending on Twitter. Thankfully, though, it was all for being amazing, and not for anything horrifying.

While I could realistically sit here and go through every message on Twitter that speaks features Allison Janney's name, it's probably not the best use of my time, since I could technically be rewatching that Celebrity IOU episode, or petitioning to get her invested in more TV shows. So let's end things on a purely declarative and evergreen note about Janney's wonderfulness.

Someone should go back and re-edit Nicolas Cage's National Treasure so that Allison Janney can be CGI'd into it, or just have her star in the long-gestating third film. But until that happens, fans can watch Janney as Bonnie in CBS' long-running sitcom Mom, which is currently on hiatus and will return to CBS (still without Anna Faris's Christy) at some point in 2021. While waiting, our Fall TV schedule and our Winter/Spring 2021 guide will show you all the big shows coming soon.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the Season 8 premiere of Mom.

During Mom's extended hiatus ahead of Season 8, star Anna Faris revealed her decision to exit the show. The announcement was pretty unexpected and surprising, considering Faris’ long history playing Christy Plunkett. During the Season 8 premiere, Christy’s absence was quickly explained in a pretty safe way, and Mom showrunner Gemma Baker explained that the option to kill the character off the character was never “an option” for the writers.

Anna Faris confirmed her departure from the CBS sitcom in September, revealing that she wanted to pursue other opportunities outside of Mom. Losing one of the show’s two co-leads obviously put the series in a bit of a rough spot as the writers brainstormed how Christy would be written off the show? The answer, according to the Season 8 premiere, was to have Christy receive a scholarship to attend Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C. Whew! That could’ve been handled a lot differently, considering how other TV shows tend to handle absent characters. Here’s what Gemma Baker told EW about the decision to avoid giving Christy a more depressing send-off:

I’m on board with how the writers handled Christy’s storyline. Death would have been far too convenient a way to sweep things under the rug, and I’m sure viewers wouldn’t have enjoyed for Christy to have died offscreen anyway. Christy earning her way into law school makes a lot more sense after seven years of build-up and recovery, and now that hard work is finally getting some payoff.

Plus, a full scholarship to law school just goes to show that Mom was thoughtful when it came to Christy’s fate, and avoided something more generic or a fate the character wouldn't agree with . Bonnie already cried her eyes out after dropping Christy off at the airport in the Season 8 premiere, but at least they were (in some part) tears of joy and not sadness.

While Anna Faris’ exit was sad, Gemma Baker says that Mom has become more of an ensemble show over the course of its seven seasons and that is why she and the writers never really panicked after learning that Faris was leaving. As such,, viewers should probably expect Adam, Tammy, Jill and the rest of the characters to take center stage now that Christy is no longer around. While everyone's mileage may vary, that doesn’t sound like a bad way to go in Season 8, all things considered.

New episodes of Mom Season 8 air Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS. For more on what to watch in the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide.

Now that most TV shows have resumed filming with restrictions and safety measures in place, viewers can expect several series — Grey’s Anatomy, This is Us, The Good Doctor, and more — to tackle storylines revolving around the ongoing pandemic. However, the CBS sitcom Mom won’t be following the same path, as series co-creator Gemma Baker confirmed the Allison Janney-starring series won’t be incorporating a COVID arc in Season 8.

While in the midst of extra-long production hiatuses, multiple showrunners came to the conclusion that ignoring the ongoing pandemic would be irresponsible and somewhat unrealistic. This is especially true in the case of medical dramas, which often include storylines that are reflective of real life. On the other hand, Gemma Baker decided that it was in Mom’s best interests to leave any and all COVID storylines out altogether. Why? Here’s what she told Give Me My Remote:

I think it will probably end up being the right decision as well, since it wouldn’t make sense for every show to tackle a COVID-19 storyline. Can you imagine what sci-fi and fantasy shows would look like if they made the attempt? Or animated shows? In the case of Mom, Gemma Baker’s reasoning is based on both the escapism factor and the fact that Mom's narratives have existed independently from real-world events. Now, viewers will be able to watch at least one show where the pandemic isn’t on everyone’s minds in the way it might be in real life.

Television and movie productions have been erratic for months now due to COVID-19, which has changed the way casts and crews are able to go about filming and structuring scenes. Safety measures, restrictions, and consistent testing for COVID have also been implemented on just about every set. One might think that the behind-the-scenes changes would have altered the way Mom is handling its Season 8 storylines, but Gemma Baker says otherwise. In her words:

That’s a relief! For anyone worried that the actors’ onscreen interactions would be wildly different due to COVID restrictions, take comfort. Considering all of the precautions being taken, Gemma Baker’s words are probably pretty soothing for Mom fans everywhere.

That said, there is one major onscreen change that the CBS sitcom will be dealing with in Season 8, and that’s Christy’s unexpected absence. Over the extended hiatus, Anna Faris made the decision to exit Mom after seven seasons, which was rather shocking and sent the series into uncharted territory for Season 8. However, while Faris will be missed, the show had to go on despite her abrupt departure, and will see Allison Janney's Bonnie growing closer with husband Adam, among other things.

Mom Season 8 will premiere on November 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS. For more on what to watch this fall, be sure to check out our 2020 TV premiere guide.

For the first time since Mom started up as a Chuck Lorre co-creation back in 2013, filming for Season 8 went into full swing without Anna Faris co-starring opposite Allison Janney. Faris made the shocking announcement in September that she was vacating the show as a way to take her career in a new direction with different projects. Fans will no doubt miss the actress and her character Christy when Season 8 kicks off this month, and they certainly won't be the only ones.

In the wake of Anna Faris' announcement, which frustrated crew members, Allison Janney mostly kept mom...er...mum about everything, sharing only a few words about starting Season 8's production for a behind-the-scenes video that was released as filming began. Now, though, the Emmy-winning actress opened up a bit and revealed what she'll miss the most about Faris being around, telling Entertainment Tonight:

For Allison Janney, it sounds like one of the key losses tied to Anna Faris leaving is Bonnie and Christy's in-person relationship, and that's totally understandable both from an actor perspective and a fan perspective. Despite being showcased on a half-hour CBS sitcom, the mother-daughter pairing has never been played just for laughs, and it's one of the most unique and inspirational familial relationships on TV. As Janney says, their characters will still continue to grow and evolve, only with Christy's evolution being told to audiences, as opposed to being shown.

After co-starring with someone for 20+ episodes a year for seven seasons, one person's absence is almost definitely going to take a toll on the other one in the immediate wake. But even though Allison Janney will be missing Bonnie's up-and-down relationship with Christy, she can take comfort knowing that the writers are finding ways to keep her busy. For one, she and William Fichtner's Adam will grow closer, and get inspired by their own lovey-dovey-ness to offer romantic advice to others in their friend circle. I can only imagine how well that will go over.

Jamie Pressley, who stars as Jill, also shared her thoughts on Anna Faris' absence and how Bonnie and Christy's relationship stays alive through dialogue.

How major do you all think the lack of Anna Faris will be for Mom's future? Let us know in the comments, and remember that Season 8 will premiere on CBS on Thursday, November 5, at 9:00 p.m., so be sure to tune in to see how well the show works without Anna Faris around. While waiting for more, head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

Everyone would probably agree that the summer and fall TV seasons have been anything but stable and predictable in 2020, given just about every high-profile series faced a variety of setbacks, delays and production changes. Beyond all that, arguably the most shocking news to hit primetime was Anna Faris' quick and seemingly sudden AF decision to bow out of renewing her contract for more Mom, which happened a month or so before Season 8 was set to start filming. With that season premiere coming in November, fans now have a better idea of what to expect from Christy's absence.

Without any signs of Christy returning in the near or far future, it sounds like Bonnie will specifically be dealing with the absence of her daughter when Season 8 kicks off. (I mean, it would be weird for the premiere to be a standard installment, only to go heavy on addressing Christy being gone in the third episode.) Here's how co-creator Gemma Baker explained it to TVLine:

It sounds like Allison Janney's Bonnie will have Christy on her mind a lot as the season goes on, which obviously makes sense for any mother in that kind of situation. But it could be particularly hard for Bonnie, considering the entire series has largely focused on her and Christy building the kind of strong relationship that wasn't capable of happening earlier in their lives. Thankfully, though, it doesn't sound like the showrunners are interested in taking Bonnie to dark emotional places that could potentially spark a relapse.

Instead, Bonnie seems to be aligning herself with all things happy and romantic. Her marriage with William Fichtner's Adam seems to be going smoothly, to the point where they're attempting to play couples counseling with others, which I cannot imagine will go all that smoothly. Gemma Baker did reveal that Jaime Pressly's Jill and Will Sasso's Andy are experiencing relationship problems in the early days of Season 8, with Jill wanting to move things forward, while Andy might not be so open to the concept. However, it wasn't made clear whether or not they will be the couple that Bonnie aims to help out.

With all of that said, viewers should not need to prepare themselves for anything too dark when it comes to Christy not being around anymore. Gemma Baker spoke quite optimistically about what's happening with Anna Faris' character off-screen.

By and large, Mom sounds as if it will keep doing what it does well without going overboard with making changes simply because a major cast member won't be around anymore. Will that be enough to keep fans around without Anna Faris? We'll have to wait and see.

Mom Season 8 will debut on CBS on Thursday, November 5, at 9:00 p.m. ET. While waiting to hear any renewal-based updates from CBS, head to our Fall 2020 TV schedule to see what shows have been confirmed to start up before the end of the year.

TV has definitely been changed in the wake of the industry-wide shutdown earlier this year, and many viewers are ready for a return to normalcy. This weird phase has also included some unexpected behind-the-scenes shake-ups, such as the major development with CBS’ Mom. The show recently lost co-lead Anna Faris, who shocked the public when she decided to leave the show. Now, the upcoming eighth season of Mom has an official release date, alongside a number of other shows on the network’s schedule.

CBS (via TVLine) has unveiled it’s made up of mostly veteran shows like Mom and Young Sheldon, though freshman comedy B Positive is also joining the network’s Thursday night comedy block. And of course, Sundays will be filled with dramas, thanks to the NCIS family. You can check out the schedule down below:

CBS' 2020 Broadcast Schedule

Sunday

8:30 p.m. ET NCIS: Los Angeles

9:30 p.m. ET NCIS: New Orleans

10: 30 p.m. ET NCIS (Fan Favorite Episodes)

Monday

8 p.m. ET The Neighborhood

8:30 p.m. ET Bob Hearts Abishola

9 p.m. ET All Rise

Tuesday

8 p.m. ET NCIS

Wednesday

9 p.m. ET S.W.A.T.

Thursday

8 p.m. ET Young Sheldon

8:30 p.m. B Positive

9 p.m. ET Mom

There are still a number of renewed shows that do not appear on this list, however, as they have yet to receive premiere dates. Blue Bloods, Bull, The Equalizer, Evil, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, Magnum P.I., SEAL Team, MacGyver and The Unicorn all fall into this category.

All of the shows on this roster experienced some form of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Mom is still the top story that everyone’s been buzzing about. Anna Faris explained that she wanted to leave the show in order to pursue new opportunities, wishing the cast and crew well as she departed.

However, this move reportedly caught the crew by surprise. One insider even went as far as to refer to the news as “a nightmare” for the crew:

Still, the cast and crew have managed to move on in the wake of their unusual circumstances. Co-lead Allison Janney recently marked her return to the COVID-safe set with a video in which she expressed her excitement to be back at work.

But aside from Mom, TV watchers will have things to look ahead to with other shows, like a new step for Young Sheldon’s young protagonist and a worthy send-off for Maria Bello’s Jack Sloane in the upcoming season of NCIS.

Viewers are sure to be thrilled that the schedule is finally taking shape, and most can attest that it’ll be great to have some scripted TV shows back in our lives.

Keep it here at CInemaBlend for more news from the world of TV and movies.

TV is back… well, sort of. As the new television season slowly arrives, many shows are now beginning to restart production in the wake of the months-long COVID-19 shutdown. CBS was actually the first network to start filming again, with soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful leading the way. Now, with CBS’ Mom starting back up, Allison Janney has provided us with a look at the set, and it appears the show will be entering a “whole new territory.”

In a recent Twitter post, the 7-time Primetime Emmy winner shared a video from the set of Mom on her first day back. Janney and the crew all seemed excited to begin work on the show’s eighth season, and the actress declared that the COVID-19 protocols had created new territory for them. Check out the video for yourself down below:

It goes without saying that the global health crisis has had a massive impact on TV productions, as plenty of measures are now being put in place to keep cast and crew members safe. Some have had to resort to “unconventional” methods to keep people safe. CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful is even using latex mannequins for actors to perform kissing scenes.

Still, it looks like Allison Janney and the crew at Mom are taking things in stride. Regardless of the situation, they all just seem to be happy to be reunited and working together again. And based on the video, it definitely looks like CBS has taken some solid steps in instituting safety conditions.

Of course, not everyone will be returning for Mom’s new season. Ahead of Season 8, Anna Faris, who served as the co-lead alongside Janney, announced that she would not be returning to the hit comedy. Faris cited a desire to “pursue new opportunities” as her reason for exiting the show, though she said she will be “watching” and “rooting for” her TV family.

Although Anna Faris seemed to have left the show on relatively good terms, her exit reportedly sent shockwaves that are currently being felt by the cast and crew. A source close to the show described Faris’ decision as “sudden and unwelcome” and said that it “left the entire network scrambling.” While it has been reported that Faris’ character, Christy, will not be recast, it is still unclear as to how the producers plan to handle her character’s absence in Season 8.

With COVID-19 protocols and a sudden cast departure, it can certainly be said that Mom is entering uncharted territory. It’ll be interesting to see how production progresses and to find out what’s in store for Christy Plunkett. But above all, let’s just hope that the cast and crew remain safe as they attempt to give us more comedic antics from the Plunkett family.

Mom Season 8 is expected to air sometime during the 2020-2021 television season.

Anna Faris took fans by surprise with the rather sudden announcement that she would be leaving Mom ahead of Season 8. Mom and several other CBS shows are gearing up to return to production after months of waiting for it to be safe enough, and Faris’ decision shocked more than just the loyal fanbase. It's being reported that Faris’ Mom exit is a “nightmare” for her now-former co-stars and crew members.

Everyone at Mom is still dealing with the shockwaves over one half of its starring duo departing the popular Chuck Lorre sitcom. Allison Janney and Anna Faris have starred as Mom’s mother and daughter duo Bonnie and Christy, respectively, since the beginning. But that's not happening for much longer, and a source told People that no one at Mom is “happy” about it, adding:

Mom will undoubtedly need to make some unexpected adjustments due to Anna Faris’ exit. That said, the show will go on, as opposed to how The Big Bang Theory team responded to star Jim Parsons' decision to leave the high-rated sitcom, which opted to conclude everything.

Mom does not sound ready to make that big a leap despite Anna Faris’ prominent role in the show. The “nightmare” described by the source behind-the-scenes is tied to Faris allegedly not sharing her future plans with anyone involved with the creative team. In a statement, Faris said that her departure would allow her to “pursue new opportunities.”

For his part, Mom’s co-creator Chuck Lorre is familiar with losing a popular co-lead for one of his sitcoms, which could potentially help resolve the “nightmare” at hand. While The Big Bang Theory opted to stop after Jim Parsons chose to leave, Lorre’s Two and a Half Men kept going after Charlie Sheen’s highly publicized exit from the show. That exit was under completely different circumstances, of course.

Two and a Half Men moved forward by introducing Ashton Kutcher’s new character, Walden to take the place of Charlie Sheen, and the CBS sitcom lasted for three more seasons after the change-up. Could Mom go the same way? Stay tuned and take heart, since it is also not the first time that there has been drama behind-the-scenes at Mom.

Ahead of Season 7, there were fears that Mom may not continue as contract negotiations between Anna Faris and Allison Janney grew protracted. Before their re-negotiations, Faris and Janney were reportedly pulling in $200,000 per episode. Fast forward to now, as Season 8 is gearing up to start production, and Faris has bid it all farewell.

Based on what Anna Faris has said regarding her departure from Mom, it was apparently not specifically about money. Instead, she indicated her desire to pursue her creative freedom and explore new projects. A year after The Big Bang Theory has ended, Jim Parsons has shed further light on why he decided to leave it, so Faris may eventually do the same.

Mom is slated to begin production on Season 8 on September 14 (incidentally the same day that new episodes of CBS TV's Wheel of Fortune are set to air). While you wait for Season 7 to premiere, check out what this fall’s schedule has planned.

Few shows in TV history have provided viewers with a more in-depth and relatable glimpse into what goes on at the White House than The West Wing. That being said, no group of people could have portrayed the many interesting and, most importantly, relatable, members of the President of the United States’ cabinet better than Alison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen, and the rest of the stellar cast of this series, which HBO Max is slated to have available for streaming in 2020.

Creator Aaron Sorkin brought to this series, which ran from 1999 to 2006 on NBC, a sense of humanity, charisma, and good-natured humor unlike any political drama to come before or after The West Wing. Of course, much of the its ratings gold and multi-award-winning glory should be credited to the actors, who would win the show a collective amount of nine Emmys out of its grand total of 26 - an all-time record for a drama that it once held in unison with Hill Street Blues.

To learn who among the cast took home awards for their patriotic performances, keep reading. The following are 12 of the most notable regular cast members from The West Wing with an update on what they have been up to since and what is in store for them next.

Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet)

Years after playing the Chief of Staff in the Aaron Sorkin-penned The American President, Martin Sheen was cast in the Golden Globe role of President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet on The West Wing. Following the series' end, Sheen would go onto collaborate with sons Emilio Estevez (who has directed his father in several films) and Charlie Sheen (as a guest star on his sitcom Anger Management) and made a steady return to TV in 2015 as Jane Fonda's previously closeted ex-husband in Netflix's Grace & Frankie. The 79-year-old actor will star as J. Edgar Hoover in an upcoming Fred Hampton biopic and a doctor in Depression-era sports film 12 Mighty Orphans, now in post-production.

Allison Janney (C.J. Gregg)

Another West Wing alum who made a successful TV comeback on a comedy is Allison Janney, who received her first four Emmys as White House Press Secretary C.J. Gregg and two of her last three wins from playing Bonnie on the CBS sitcom Mom. The Academy Award-winner (for I, Tonya), who more recently received praise for non-fiction dramas Bad Education and Bombshell, will be bringing her incomparable talents to director Tate Taylor's Breaking News in Yuba County, another fact-based drama called To Leslie, action comedy The Heart, and Lou, in which Janney will play the title character.

Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman)

He may be four Emmys short of Alison Janney's personal record (one of which he received for playing Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman), but Bradley Whitford is just as busy. Despite rarely having the same luck as a series regular for many of his post-West Wing TV projects (most recently Perfect Harmony, which was cancelled after 13 episodes), the actor's popularity in film has seen a pretty notable spike lately, especially since his scene-stealing turns in Jordan Peele's Get Out and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Whitford has been slated to play Stephen Sondheim in Tick, Tick... Boom Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut based on Rent writer Jonathan Larson's autobiographical stage musical.

Janel Moloney (Donna Moss)

To this day, Janel Moloney is best known for her two-time Emmy-nominated role as Josh Lyman's senior assistant Donna Moss on The West Wing. Of course, her work on the big and small screen should not go unnoticed, such as playing a catatonic housewife on Damon Lindelof's The Leftovers, starring opposite Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren in the 2017 comedy The Leisure Seeker, and playing a burdened single mom in Season 3 of American Crime. Next, Moloney will star opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in the HBO limited drama series The Undoing.

Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler)

One of the more recognizable character actors of his time, even if you can only identify him as White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler, is Richard Schiff. The Emmy-winner's biggest cinematic role is most likely Eddie Carr in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, not counting Dr. Emil Hamilton in Man of Steel and John Doe's attorney Mark Swarr in Se7en. In addition to continuing his regular role on ABC's The Good Doctor, Schiff will reunite with fellow West Wing alum Dulé Hill in Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, the upcoming sequel to the hit series' feature-length spin-off, and American Morning, a tragic short in which he plays a guilt-stricken music teacher's father, is in post-production.

Stockard Channing (Abbey Bartlet)

Nothing short of an icon thanks to her star-making role as troubled high schooler Rizzo in Grease and her Academy Award-nominated performance in 1993's Six Degrees of Separation, Stockard Channing won two Emmys in 2002, one of which was for playing First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The West Wing. Her more recent notable recurring roles on TV were as Alicia Florrick's mother Veronica Loy on The Good Wife and on the TBS anthology comedy series The Guest Book. She will keep the humor flowing opposite Frank Langella in the upcoming economic satire Lapham Rising, also starring Bobby Cannavale and Ashley Benson.

Dulé Hill (Charlie Young)

Shortly after his role on The West Wing as Charlie Young, who wore multiple hats in the White House, including boyfriend of First Daughter Zoey Bartlet (Elisabeth Moss), Dulé Hill found what is, arguably, his biggest TV gig to date on Psych. He will reprise the character of Burton "Gus" Guster, best friend and reluctant partner of faux police psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday) in the aforementioned TV movie sequel Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, which will premiere exclusively on the streaming service Peacock July 15, 2020.

Joshua Malina (Will Bailey)

The West Wing, on which Joshua Malina played Will Bailey (another man of multiple titles in the Bartlet Administration), is one of many collaborations between the actor and Aaron Sorkin. Yet, the political role that he is better known for today is David Rosen, the United States Attorney General under President Fitzgerald Grant on Shonda Rhimes' Scandal. More recently, Malina guest-starred on the CBS procedural drama FBI: Most Wanted and was make an appearance on his old friend Bradley Whitford's comedy Perfect Harmony before NBC gave it the boot.

Alan Alda (Arnold Vinick)

As President Bartlet's term was nearing its end, the nominated candidate for the Republican party was California Senator Arnold Vinick, a role on The West Wing that won prolific screen star Alan Alda (best known for playing Hawkeye on MASH) his fifth Emmy. The 84-year-old, Academy Award-nominated actor (for Martin Scorsese's 2005 Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator) made his most recent and widely acclaimed return to cinema as Adam Driver's divorce attorney in the Netflix original Best Picture Oscar-nominee Marriage Story and also has a recurring role on the hit Showtime crime drama Ray Donovan. When he is not acting, Alda lends his unmistakable voice to his own podcast called Clear+Vivid.

Jimmy Smits (Matt Santos)

The winner of the election to succeed Josiah Bartlet as President of the United States on The West Wing, however, was Texas Congressman Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits. Also a TV legend himself with an Emmy for L.A. Law and a Golden Globe for NYPD Blue, the actor continues to earn recurring roles in major small screen hits like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the Shondaland production How to Get Away with Murder. Smits will be seen next in the delayed film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winner In the Heights, his biggest appearance in a film since his reprisal of Bail Organa in 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Rob Lowe (Sam Seaborn)

For the first four seasons of The West Wing, Rob Lowe played Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn and would later play a political employee of far lower status, Chris Traeger, as a series regular for four seasons of the beloved NBC mockumentary Parks and Recreation. Since then, the '80s icon seems to have been trying his at hand everything from medical dramas, crime procedurals, hosting a game show and non-scripted supernatural investigation series, and, surprisingly, even more than that. Lowe's most recent endeavor is hosting his own podcast called Literally, whose title is a nod to his overly enthusiastic Parks and Rec role that seems to have rubbed off on him quite a bit.

John Spencer (Leo McGarry)

Last, but certainly not least, on our list is John Spencer, another prolific screen legend of vast acclaim who won an Emmy in 2002 for his role as Jed Bartlet's Chief of Staff and best friend Leo McGarry on The West Wing. Unfortunately, the series would be his last acting credit as the actor passed away, due to a heart attack, in 2005, just four days shy of his 59th birthday. Spencer and his character were both immortalized in the Season 7 episode, "Requiem," which sees much of the entire cast reunite for McGarry's funeral.

Be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the cast of the long-running political drama, as well as even more check-ins with actors from your favorite movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.

With 20 seasons, Law and Order is one of the longest running dramas of all-time. It spun several spin-offs, including--the still going strong--Law and Order: SVU. Law and Order helped make procedural dramas more popular and it made the cast very recognizable. It even launched the career of some very famous Hollywood names.

In September of 2020, Law and Order celebrates its 30-year premiere anniversary. Part of what made the series successful was its episodic nature. Each episode felt like a contained show, movie, or play. Turn on any Law and Order episode to enjoy actors bringing intense drama, stunning intrigue, and a dash of deception. With Law and Order: SVU still on the air and Dick Wolf’s shows continuing to dominate television, Law and Order remains a coveted gig for up and coming actors.

Claire Danes

In 1992, two years before My So Called Life would air, Claire Danes landed her first major acting gig: an episode of Law and Order. Claire Danes’ Law and Order episode was the Season 3 premiere. She was barely a teen on her Law and Order episode where she played a 15-year-old tied into a secret prostitution ring. Her displaying so much talent at such a young age likely helped Claire Danes’ accelerate her acting career.

The short-lived My So Called Life gave Claire Danes’ career a major boost. She then went on to star in many motion pictures, including Romeo + Juliet, The Hours, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and Stardust. Danes gained even more recognition and praise in 2011 when she landed the lead role of Carrie Mathison in Homeland. But before all of that, she was on Law & Order.

Adam Driver

Adam Driver appeared in Law and Order in 2010, during Law and Order’s final season (Season 20, Episode 15) “Brilliant Disguise.” This Law and Order role came two years prior to him landing his breakout Girls role. Law and Order was one of Adam Driver’s first screen roles. In his episode he played a lab technician accused of murdering a secret escort. He had theater roles before Law and Order, but he had only appeared on one TV show and a short film before the police drama. Appearing on such a massively popular show might have help give him the confidence to audition for even bigger roles.

Since 2009, Adam Driver has taken on a variety of stage and screen roles. He has blended big blockbuster performances, like his role as Kylo Ren in the new Star Wars trilogy, with an array of arthouse film projects like Frances Ha, BlacKkKlansman, and The Report. Adam Driver had a very successful 2019, appearing in the critically acclaimed Marriage Story, and receiving his first Best Lead Actor Academy Award nomination for the same film.

Sam Rockwell

Sam Rockwell played two different characters in multiple episodes of Law and Order. His first episode was Season 2's “Intolerance,” and his second episode was Season 3" 21st episode, “Manhood.” in "Manhood," Rockwell plays an officer who doesn't show up when a fellow officer needs him. This leads to that officer's death and accusations of homophobia on their police force. In "Intolerance," he plays a member of a family accused of murdering a Chinese-American student to help one of the boys win a science award. Sam Rockwell had at least a dozen screen roles before appearing in Law and Order. However, it was still quite early in his career. Rockwell had only been consistently booking gigs for four years when he had his Law and Order premiere.

Since the early '90s, Sam Rockwell has forged a very diverse acting career--appearing in major motion pictures like The Green Mile, Charlie’s Angels, Iron Man 2, and Seven Psychopaths. In 2018, Sam Rockwell won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He has also appeared in three recent Academy Award nominated movies, Vice, Richard Jewell, and Jojo Rabbit. In 2019, Sam Rockwell also appeared in the limited series Fosse/Verdon.

Sebastian Stan

Sebastian Stan had only appeared in one thing prior to his Law and Order debut in 2003. He appeared in Season 13's “Sheltered.” In the episode, Stan played a boy abducted and raised by his abuser. Modern Family’s Ty Burrell played his abuser. This role led to a steady stream of small roles until he landed his 2007 Gossip Girl role.

Sebastian Stan appeared in the hit TV series Gossip Girl and Once Upon a Time. However, most people know him for his roles in the Marvel movie franchise. Sebastian Stan plays Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. He’s been playing Bucky Barnes in the Marvel franchise since 2011, and later this year he’ll have his own Disney+ and Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson appeared on Law and Order Season 1, Episode 14, “The Violence of Summer" as Defense Attorney Louis Taggert. He had only made limited television appearances before his Law and Order episode. However, he had already been appearing in films for nearly 20 years before the show. Samuel L Jackson at least appeared in over fifteen films from 1972 to 1992, including films like Do The Right Thing, Coming to America, and Jungle Fever. It was definitely not a career-making role, but it was before Samuel L. Jackson became one of the most recognized names in cinema.

Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in nearly 200 films and television shows. His most famous work includes the Marvel movies, The Incredibles, the Star Wars prequels, Kill Bill II, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Pulp Fiction, and School Daze.

Sarah Paulson

In 1994, Law and Order was Sarah Paulson’s first screen acting gig. She appeared in Season 5, Episode 4, “Family Values.” Sarah Paulson played a teen who claimed that she was having an affair with her murdered mother’s new husband. A year later, she landed a series regular role on American Gothic.

Sarah Paulson appeared in Bird Box, Ocean’s Eight, The Goldfinch, and Glass, but most people know her from her work with Ryan Murphy. Sarah Paulson has appeared in most seasons of American Horror Story and a few seasons of American Crime Story. Ryan Murphy and Paulson also will team up once again for a Netflix series about the infamous One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest character Nurse Ratched.

Ellen Pompeo

Law and Order was Ellen Pompeo’s first TV gig. She appeared in Season 6, Episode 16, “Savior” and Season 10's “Fools for Love.” The first episode involved a case about a man being accused of murdering his wife and son. The Season 10 episode involved a man accused of killing and raping his girlfriend’s sister and another victim. Prior to her first Law and Order episode, Ellen Pompeo had only appeared in one short film. She had a few movies and TV roles before her 2000 return to Law and Order.

Grey’s Anatomy fans best know Ellen Pompeo for her lead role as Dr. Meredith Grey. She has also appeared in Life of the Party, Friends, and Catch Me If You Can.

Allison Janney

Allison Janney had appeared on As the World Turns and Morton & Hayes along with a few movies before making her Law and Order appearances. She appeared in 1992 and 1994. The first episode Season 2, Episode 12, “Star Struck,” and the second episode was Season 4's “Old Friends.” In "Old Friends," Allison Janney plays a character scared to testify about a murder because it could lead to dangerous consequences for her. In "Star Struck," she plays someone interviewed about a murdered soap opera actress.

Allison Janney is an Academy Award and Emmy winning actress. She has appeared on hit series and critically acclaimed movies; her list of work includes 10 Things I Hate About You, The Hours, Finding Nemo, The West Wing, Masters of Sex, I, Tonya, and Mom.

Emmy Rossum

Emmy Rossum appeared on Law and Order when she was only a preteen. She played a young girl who became the target of a female circumcision. This Law and Order episode, "Ritual," aired during Season 8. This was Emmy Rossum’s first TV acting gig, but the following year she would appear in several screen projects.

Emmy Rossum is best known for her role as Fiona Gallagher in Shameless. She has also appeared in the films Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow, and The Phantom of the Opera.

Vera Farmiga

Vera Farmiga appeared in Law and Order Season 8, Episode 12, “Expert.” She plays a character accused of trying to murder an expert witness in her father’s case. Prior to Law and Order, Farmiga had only appeared in two other on-screen things. One was a short lived TV show starring Heath Ledger called Roar and the other a TV movie called Rose Hill.

Vera Farmiga is an Academy Award nominated actress, best known for her role as Nora Bates in Bates Motel. Vera Farmiga has also appeared in Up in the Air, The Conjuring series, When They See Us, and The Departed.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman made his screen debut with Law and Order. He appeared in Season 1, Episode 14, “The Violence of Summer.” He plays one of the men involved in a rape case. Samuel L. Jackson also appeared in this episode.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an Academy Award winning actor who appeared in The Hunger Games movies, The Master, Almost Famous, Doubt, and Capote. He won his Best Lead Actor Academy Award for his role in Capote, and he received three Best Supporting Actor nominations for The Master, Doubt, and Charlie Wilson’s War.

Law and Order is available to rent or buy on most major streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime Video. Law and Order’s most successful spin-off, Law and Order: SVU, is currently airing season 21 on NBC. Hulu has all seasons of Law and Order: SVU available to stream. Stream it HERE.

As Halloween season goes into full swing, so do movies of its kind in theaters. And this year, The Addams Family is making a comeback with an animated film full of ooky and spooky family fun to go along with the October month. It’s been a hot minute since the ghoulish gang ventured on to the big screen. 26 years to be exact. Last time around, it was Raul Julia’s Gomez, Anjelica Huston’s Morticia, and Christina Ricci’s iconic Wednesday gracing screens.

For the new Addams Family, there’s an all-star celebrity cast behind the characters, including Star Wars’ Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron as Mr. and Mrs. Addams; Chloe Grace Moretz and Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard as their children; Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester; Snoop Dogg as It; and Bette Midler as Grandma. Not to mention Allison Janney and Eighth Grade’s Elsie Fisher who are in for a live-action version! Here’s what they told us:

Allison Janney’s may be ‘just putting it out there’… but it’s seriously such a great idea! There’s so much star power already in Addams Family. Oscar Isaac could rock Gomez’s mustashe and Charlize Theron would be seriously electric in Moriticia’s morbid makeup and sleek black hair and dress. It’s such a fun franchise to see actors such as these dress up for and really get into fun characters. Anyone else asking themselves why didn’t this happen to begin with?

During an interview with CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb, the pair of actors talked about how they’d just met for the press day even though they play mother and daughter in the movie. On animation projects, actors often come in separately and work with the director on scenes without getting to play off their performances. Elsie Fisher talks about how she feels the chemistry is still present between the other stars. Either way, they seem to be ready to jump at the opportunity!

The Addams Family is notoriously live-action, between the ‘60s sitcom and ‘90s films. However, the story does originally stem from New Yorker cartoons from the ‘30s. For the new release, the filmmakers looked to the first material from the page to create the new adaptation. The new movie may have also been hoping to set itself apart from the comparable versions on the big screen and television.

The animated family flick opened to decent moviegoer reception with a 73% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ on CinemaScore. Critics have not been impressed with the film overall, considering it has a 43% Rotten Score. CinemaBlend’s own Will Ashton gave the movie a 2.5 out of 5 rating in his review.

The movie follows the spooky family as they deal with a new neighborhood popping up near them and getting ready for a family reunion to celebrate a tradition involving their son.

Addams Family is in theaters now. Check out our 3D review as well!

Let’s face it, this year’s Oscars just isn’t going to make everyone happy. Since preparations for the 91st Academy Awards began, there’s been controversy after controversy. It started with the Academy’s announcement of the Best Popular Film Oscar in August, which has since been reevaluated, and then continued with the decision to go without a host this year after Kevin Hart stepped down from the role.

But wait, there’s more! Since the telecast will not feature a host this year, the Academy has been aiming to book the biggest stars in Hollywood to present the awards. This will reportedly break the tradition of the Oscar winners from the year directly prior from presenting the award off to those next in line. According to Vanity Fair, this leaves out Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and Allison Janney from participating in the show.

Allison Janney has recently spoken out about how bummed she is about the reported change to the ceremony. She took to the comment section of Instagram fan account @allisonjanneystyle to announce “it’s looking like they are not going to honor the tradition this year,” along with saying “it breaks my heart.” The post has since been deleted. Her response was sparked by other commenters discussing what she might wear at the award show.

The actress won her first Oscar last year in the Best Supporting Actress category for her portrayal of Tonya Harding’s mother in I, Tonya. Her award was presented by the 2017 winner for Best Supporting Actor, Mahershala Ali, who won for Moonlight and will be up again this year in the same category for Green Book.

After being given the honor of the gold trophy, it makes sense that the actress would want to share the special moment to this year’s winner. If the news is true, the Academy is prioritizing shoeing in this year’s big stars into presenting the acting awards to cater to a more mainstream audience.

In recent years, the Oscars has declined in viewership, with the fact “unknown” films have won the top awards possibly playing a role with that. This year, three of eight Best Picture nominees were big box office earners, including 2018’s highest grossing film Black Panther, music biopic record-breaker Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born.

The telecast has also been criticized for running too long, so this year the Academy is focusing on keeping the show at three hours. ABC President Karey Burke recently said they think their decision to go without a host this year will contribute to a shorter show this year.

The Academy has not confirmed this decision to leave out Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and Allison Janney from presenting the acting awards during the ceremony. We’ll see who will present these categories when the show airs on ABC on Sunday, February 24.

CBS is currently home to the most-watched comedies on TV, but will be saying goodbye to the top-rated The Big Bang Theory when Season 12 is complete. Unfortunately, it looks like a similar scenario may be playing out with fellow hit Mom, which is currently embroiled in contract negotiations for stars Anna Faris and the Emmy queen Allison Janney.

Mom is currently on winter hiatus for its sixth season, and as it goes with many broadcast TV shows, both Anna Faris and Allison Janney had originally signed deals for six years. Now that those contracts' expirations are impending, the race is on to get the details squared away, with CBS execs reportedly wanting at least one more season of the issues-hinged sitcom. Alas, the network will likely have to pay a pretty penny or two in order to make that happen.

CBS is said to have reached out to Anna Faris and Allison Janney in the past month or so, in an attempt to suss out the contract situation ahead of time. The discussions have reportedly gone back and forth over price points, but according to Deadline, no end to the talks is in sight. It appears Faris and Janney are seeking more significant salary increases than the offers that CBS is making. No one involved with the situation is publicly commenting on the discussions.

It's reported that both Anna Faris and Allison Janney are making less than $200,000 an episode. While that's a fine payday overall, the two women's salaries are far smaller than those of CBS' premiere sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. That show had its own set of potentially show-ending contract disputes as well, first when getting the core cast members bigger paydays, and then again when later additions Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch sought pay parity ahead of Season 11.

Mom may only be in its sixth season, as compared to its more popular network brethren, but the show has proven itself consistent both in quality and in audience viewership. Also created by Chuck Lorre, Mom is currently the #3 TV comedy out there, both in terms of its average viewership and its average 18-49 demo ratings. It finished last year in the same spot, as well, just behind Big Bang and its spinoff Young Sheldon.

Since The Big Bang Theory is ending this year, Mom is primed to take over the second-place spot among all TV comedies. Losing that gigantic lead-in may take a toll, of course, but it's likely that Anna Faris and Allison Janney would rise above whatever tentative dips may happen. Such is the power of Mom's narrative and characters that the two women seem as if they can conquer anything.

Though it's easy to visualize Mom's contract negotiations working out perfectly to allow Season 7 an unencumbered development process, things could very well fall flat. The sitcom is already beyond 100 episodes, so there's less of a need to reach that syndication hallmark. Plus, CBS has been plagued by controversies of late, with Les Moonves' ousting and severance stipulations making the biggest headlines. His situation was far from the only one, though.

The network has also dealt with misconduct issues for multiple shows. From firing 60 Minutes producer Jeff Fager to firing NCIS: New Orleans showrunner Brad Kern to secretly paying out Eliza Dushku over alleged Bull issues, CBS is a network partially in flux behind the scenes. So perhaps once things get a little calmer in the near future, the Mom conversations can get figured out in a way that keeps Christy and Bonnie in primetime for years to come.

Stay tuned to learn more about these contract negotiations as we hear about them. Mom will return to CBS for the rest of Season 6 on Thursday, January 10, at 9:00 p.m. ET. There are lots of shows to catch up with through fall TV and midseason premieres, though, so be sure to keep up!

The Addams Family is finally returning to theaters, only instead of being live action again, the creepy and kooky characters will star in an animated movie, harkening back to their New Yorker roots. Late last year, it was reported that Oscar Isaac was being eyed to voice Gomez in the new Addams Family movie. Now the full cast has been unveiled, and not only is Isaac confirmed to be voicing Gomez, we've learned his co-stars will include Charlize Theron, Allison Janney, Bette Midler, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard and Nick Kroll.

Charlize Theron will be voicing the love of Gomez's life, Morticia. This will be Theron's third time starring in an animated movie, previously lending her vocal talents to Astro Boy and Kubo and the Two Strings. Taking on the role of Grandmama will be Broadway star and Oscar nominee Bette Midler, who voiced Georgette in 1988's Oliver & Company.

Bringing life to Wednesday and Puglsey, Gomez and Morticia's children, in The Addams Family will be Chloë Grace Moretz and Finn Wolfhard, respectively. Moretz has plenty of voice credits on her acting resume, including Bolt and My Friends Tigger & Pooh. While The Addams Family will mark Wolfhard's first major movie voice role, he's currently best known for starring in Stranger Things and IT, and he'll also voice one of the main characters in Netflix's upcoming Carmen Sandiego animated series.

That leaves Nick Kroll, a man who has starred in animated projects like Sausage Party, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and Big Mouth, to play Uncle Fester. There's no word yet on who will voice Lurch, although since he's a butler of few words, it's not like you need a major actor to play him (although it would be funny if an A-lister was brought in to recite what little dialogue he has). As for Allison Janney, she will be voicing the movie's main villain, Margaux Needler, a crafty reality TV show host. Janney's voice credits include Finding Nemo, Over the Hedge, Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Minions.

Along with revealing the full Addams Family cast, MGM also released the first image of how these characters will appear in animated form, and sure enough, they're delightfully mysterious and spooky.

While this movie won't be the first time that The Addams Family has been translated for animation, it can be argued that the public knows this property best from its live action offerings, be it on the big screen, on TV or as a stage show. Earlier in the decade, there were plans to make a stop-motion Addams Family movie, but those plans fell through, and now they're going the CGI route. Aside from the Family facing off against Margaux Needler, the only plot-related information that's been revealed is that the main characters will be preparing for their extended family to arrive for a major celebration.

Directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, The Addams Family animated movie will scare its way into theaters on October 11, 2019, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates. In the meantime, you find out what non-altogether ooky movies are hitting the silver screen later this year by scanning through our 2018 release schedule.

At this Sunday's 90th Academy Awards, actress Allison Janney walked away with the golden statue for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Tonya Harding's mother LaVona in I, Tonya. This was the first win and nomination for the veteran actress who already has multiple Emmys, a Golden Globe and a whole host of other awards to her name. But Hollywood's most prestigious award is extra special for the actress, and thus deserves a special place in her home. So instead of taking a place atop the mantle or in the trophy case, Oscar will be spending the night in bed with Allison Janney for the foreseeable future, as the actress explained:

No shame in that. For an actress like Allison Janney, who has been in the industry as long as she has, to finally reach the top of her profession and have that recognized has to be incredibly meaningful. The Oscar trophy is a symbol of that excellence, so who can blame her for wanting to keep it close. Allison Janney's statement to ET just seems so honest and real because who doesn't want to be proud, feel good about themselves and have their peers be proud of them as well. I'm sure the actress is riding a major high and the whole experience probably feels like a dream. Making sure that she wakes up next to the Oscar statue every morning is just a reminder that this is no dream or fantasy, but reality, and she truly won.

You just have to feel good for Allison Janney. While everyone reacts differently, it's just more fun when you see someone win for whom it clearly means a great deal. It's also nice to see veteran actors win for the first time. Some actors never win Hollywood's most coveted award and others seem like they are doomed to second place forever before finally getting over the mountain. It's probably a good idea that Allison Janney keep her statue close, too, with comically foolish Oscar thieves around this year. Her Oscar win capped off a major awards season for the actress, whose performance in Craig Gillespie's I, Tonya won her a Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG award. Although ratings were down, this year's Academy Awards still had plenty to love for film fans. In addition to reminding us why we love movies, there were magical moments and some hilarious fallout from Hollywood's biggest night.

Allison Janney is currently starring in CBS' Mom, now in its fifth season. For all the latest movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend and for all of the actresses, actors and films that will be competing for Oscars next year, check out our 2018 release guide.

The Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint. And along the way, there are mile markers that tend to point in the direction of the final Academy Awards outcome. While we're nowhere near ready to declare the race over -- or to even nominate a clear-cut frontrunner -- the Screen Actors Guild awards winners can go a long way to pointing out who's likely to take home an Oscar when the 2017-18 campaign draws to a close.

When you start to hear the same names revealed over and over at ceremonies like the Golden Globes, the Critics' Choice Awards and the SAGs, you begin to conclude that these same names will triumph at the Oscars. If that's the case, then your current Best Actor and Actress frontrunners appear to be Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour and Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. McDormand's co-star, Sam Rockwell, has been cleaning up on the path for Best Supporting Actor nods. And Allison Janney is parlaying her venomous turn as Tonya Harding's stage mom into awards gold for I, Tonya. Let's break down the key awards each has won up to this point:

Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Critics' Choice: Best Actor

Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

SAG: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics: Best Actor

Iowa Film Critics: Best Actor

Nevada Film Critics: Best Actor

New York Film Critics Online: Best Actor

NC Film Critics: Best Actor

Oklahoma Film Critics: Best Actor

Online Film Critics Society: Best Actor

Southeastern Film Critics: Best Actor

St. Louis Film Critics: Best Actor

Washington D.C. Film Critics: Best Actor

Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Critics' Choice: Best Actress

Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

SAG: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Detroit Film Critics: Best Actress

Las Vegas Film Critics: Best Actress

St. Louis Film Critics' Association: Best Actress

Toronto Film Critics' Association: Best Actress

Washington D.C. Film Critics' Association: Best Actress

Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Critics' Choice: Best Supporting Actor

Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Southeastern Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

Online Film Critics Society: Best Supporting Actor

Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

Florida Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

Houston Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

Las Vegas Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

San Diego Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor

Washington D.C. Film Critics' Association: Best Supporting Actor

Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Critics' Choice: Best Supporting Actress

Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

SAG: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

Detroit Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

Florida Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

Houston Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

Nevada Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

New York Film Critics Online: Best Supporting Actress

Philadelphia Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

Phoenix Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

San Diego Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress

As you can see, the SAG winners from Sunday fit into a pattern, and we expect all four to be named as Oscar nominees when those are announced on Tuesday morning. Will that make them frontrunners? Right now, because no one else has consistently stepped up and interfered with their clear path to victory, I'd say that they are close to being the Oscar winners we expect to hear on March 4. But a lot can happen between now and then, as final Oscar ballots aren't even due for another month.

Still, I'd feel better throwing some more weight behind a Shape of Water or The Post upset if Sally Hawkins, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep or Richard Jenkins had surprised us with a one-off victory at one of these precursor awards programs. But right now, we are hearing the same four names. Will we hear all four of them again on March 4 at the Oscars? Or are one of these four vulnerable to an upset? Let us know in the comments.

"Based on a true story" has been a hook for decades of cinema history, but the storytelling generally requires more than a few asterisks. No big screen feature is ever 100 percent factual -- be it because not enough specific information is available, things need to be spiced up for entertainment value, or a number of other reasons. The majority of titles skirt around this with discussions of "emotional truth" and by getting approval from those involved in the real tale... but Craig Gillespie's I, Tonya is a unique feature within the way in which it grapples with this conundrum. Openly based on a story full of contradictions (it's noted specifically in the title card), the film fully leans into the various lies and weirdness that rests within the "legend" of professional ice skater Tonya Harding, and constructs a crazy dark, harshly funny narrative that happens to produce some of the best performances of the year.

If you lived through the early 1990s (even as a young kid, as I was), you're very likely aware of the notorious Tonya Harding. Prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics, she found herself caught up in a conspiracy that involved established associates attacking rival Nancy Kerrigan as a means of eliminating her as competition for the games. Screenwriter Steven Rogers' script certainly tells this story, but more importantly rewinds the tape on the life that led up to those events. Anchored by interviews with Tonya (Margot Robbie); her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan); and her mother, LaVona Fay Golden (Allison Janney), I, Tonya explores the titular woman's white trash upbringing in Portland, Oregon, her legitimate aspirations as a figure skater, and all of the horrible abuses that accompany those tales, and provides a whole new fourth-wall-breaking perspective on what is unquestionably one of the strangest scandals in sports history.

A key part of crafting the unique narrative is carving out a specific tone, and as an audience member, I, Tonya is an emotionally complex experience. Tonya (portrayed as a young girl by McKenna Grace) was left alone with LaVona at a young age, and grew up the subject of constant emotional and physical abuse. That continued into her teens and young adulthood, with Tonya's introduction to Jeff Gillooly, who kept up the pattern going before, during, and even after their marriage. It properly results in many hard to watch scenes in the film that pair with teeth-gritted jaw clenches, and provides a level of sympathy of Tonya that most probably never had. Simultaneously, however, it has no issue throwing out an off-the-cuff line that gets a hearty laugh -- creating quite the razor-thin line for the movie to walk upon. It could have been the film's downfall, as over-the-top, horrific irreverence has no place here, but it's ultimately one of its greatest strengths, as the tone does properly match up with the roller coaster of oddness and oddballs that the reality offers. You will find yourself kind of hating yourself for chuckling, but it is part of the experience and conversation.

On that note, the players in this game are all so weirdly extreme that they make tremendous character fodder for the perfectly cast stars -- and Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney all make a feast of it. Embracing the hyper-vulgarity and ugliness that comprises LaVona's personality, Janney is the film's truly special presence, as she fiercely pops from the moment she first appears on screen sporting a bowl cut and a ventilator, wearing a fur coat and lively feathered friend on her shoulder. It's an Oscar-worthy showing for sure -- but thankfully doesn't undercut the contributions from the leads, who are also phenomenal in their own right. The glamorous, Australian Robbie utterly disappears as the brash, unapologetic Tonya, truly believing every one of the multiple variations of "It's not my fault;" while Stan as Jeff creates a weirdly adept balance between "mild-mannered" and "scum bag," coming across as quiet and innocent one minute, and revealed as a total asshole the next. With awesome material to dig into, the film sets them up for success, but you still awe at how brilliantly they crush it.

Much like how recent pop culture has shined a bright light on the O.J. Simpson case from the mid-1990s, it was only a matter of time before we saw a take on Tonya Harding and the events surrounding the 1994 Winter Olympics. Thankfully, I, Tonya is the proper exploration of the story. It's a eccentric mix of weird, severe, funny and controversial, but in being so is a proper take on the fractured reality its based upon.

They say a mother knows best, and Anna Faris' onscreen mom, Allison Janney, certainly knows a thing or two about her TV-sitcom daughter. The multiple Emmy Award-winning actress, who plays Faris' mom on the CBS sitcom Mom, recently revealed that Faris is working through the heartache of her legal separation from Chris Pratt. In a recent red-carpet interview, Janney shared encouraging words about the 40-year-old actress and said,

Allison Janney called Anna Faris "a trooper" during the brief interview with E! News before TV Academy's Performers Peer Group Celebration this week. It sounds like Janney has her TV daughter's back, just like a parent and child in real life. It seems to be a true testament to their friendship.

At the same time, Allison Janney made it clear that she and the rest of the cast and crew are just as brokenhearted as the rest of us when it comes to Anna Faris and Chris Pratt's pending divorce. Janney said everybody is "supportive of" Faris but the feelings of sadness extend to "both of them." Janney added,

Indeed, they seem like great people. Perhaps because of that fact, most fans of Chris Pratt and Anna Faris were shocked when, earlier this month, they announced their decision to split up after eight years of marriage. The news blindsided many of us who saw Faris and Pratt as a happy-go-lucky pair.

Allison Janney is not the only famous person who has expressed words of kindness and sympathy since Anna Faris and Chris Pratt announced their plans. When reporters asked Faris and Pratt's Hollywood pal Kristen Bell about the situation, she talked about the real complexities of loving relationships and suggested that people are putting too much emphasis on the loss instead of the beauty of what took place.

There has been speculation that Anna Faris and Chris Pratt's split hinges upon unsurmountable work schedule conflicts. For example, Faris and Allison Janney currently are developing the fifth season of Mom. Faris has also been busy promoting The Emoji Movie, working on the Overboard remake, and doing her podcast. Meanwhile, Pratt has been busy with blockbuster movie franchises like the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World films. Faris and Pratt also share a four-year-old son, Jack Pratt, as well, so they have a full schedule off camera, too.

It says a lot for someone as hardworking as Allison Janney to come out and say Anna Faris is working hard through the heartache. Plus, it is heartening to know that, throughout all of this disappointing news, Faris and Chris Pratt have Hollywood colleagues like Janney to offer love and support.

Tonya Harding is primarily famous for two things: figure skating and the reason she was banned from the sport in the mid-1990s. That's enough to warrant her getting a biopic about the latter scandalous affair. Back in March, Suicide Squad actress Margot Robbie was cast as the eponymous character, and now the movie, titled I, Tonya, has added Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney to the cast.

First up, we have Sebastian Stan, best known as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Deadline, Stan will play Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Then Variety dropped the news that Mom star Allison Janney is expected to play Tonya's "eccentric" mother, LaVona Fay Golden. Craig Gillespie is directing I, Tonya, while Steven Rogers writing the script. (It's ironic that a guy named Steven Rogers is working on a movie that will include Captain America star Sebastian Stan, but I digress.) Miramax also recently secured the distribution rights to the biopic.

In case you weren't near a TV on a regular basis a little over two decades ago, Tonya Harding was one of its rising stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her biggest accomplishment was winning the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and she also competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics, finishing in fourth place. However, she had also built a rivalry with fellow competitor Nancy Kerrigan, and that came to a head in January 1994 when Harding's then-husband Jeff Gillooly and her bodyguard Shawn Eckhardt hired a man named Shane Stant to attack Kerrigan so she couldn't compete in that year's Winter Olympics. It later became public that Harding was involved in the planning of the assault, and it resulted in her being banned for life from competitive figure skating, among other punishments. Gillooly took a plea bargain deal to testify against Harding and served some prison time, and the couple was divorced later that year.

As the above information makes clear, Sebastian Stan will have plenty to do playing Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya, as he was one of the main participants in this scandal. As for Allison Janney playing LaVona Fay Golden, she also won't lack for material. Harding has said that her mother was physically and mentally abusive towards her as a child, and she continued to be hard on her daughter during her figure skating career. The only thing that will be more interesting than Stan and Janney's involvement is who the movie finds to play Nancy Kerrigan. Since production is reportedly kicking off next month, surely that casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on I, Tonya as they come in, and let us know what you think of Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney being added to the project in the comments below.

If you were hoping that something would finally go right for Bonnie (Allison Janney) on Mom, Season 4 might just be for you. In a move that's bound to make her a much happier woman, Bonnie's boyfriend is going to be around a lot more, now, as actor William Fichtner has been upped to series regular.

According to a report from TVLine, William Fichtner has recently been made a regular cast member on Mom, with the actor continuing his role of Adam Janakowski, Bonnie's boyfriend. Bonnie and Adam met over the phone after he dialed her number mistakenly. When the conversation turned flirtatious they become quick friends and eventually decide to meet. He's a wheelchair-bound former stunt man, who was last seen heading off to Croatia for a job as a stunt coordinator on a new movie. Even though the two had only been casually dating for a short time when Adam leaves for his new job, his absence causes Bonnie to choke down her sorrow by binge eating.

Even if you don't recognize the name, William Fichtner should be a familiar face to anyone who enjoys TV and movies. Since his television debut on the soap opera As the World Turns in 1987, he's racked up an impressive list of 74 film and TV credits, many in well-known and loved properties over almost 30 years. He's probably best known for his work on Prison Break and Entourage, along with his roles in the films Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, but he's also appeared in Baywatch, Grace Under Fire, Strange Days, The Perfect Storm, Black Hawk Down, Crash, The Dark Knight, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Empire.

Everything hasn't been smooth sailing from the get-go for Adam and Bonnie, despite the quickness of their attraction to one another. When they first decide to take their relationship from the phone into actual meetings, Bonnie shows up to their first official date only for Adam to lose his nerve and disappear before they have a chance to talk. When Bonnie gives Adam another shot and they go out to dinner, he explains that he didn't want to suddenly be confronted with her being disappointed that he's in a wheelchair. But, after they make amends and commit to dating, Adam makes the mistake of belittling Bonnie's experience with Alcoholics Anonymous, which leads her to show him how she ruined her daughter's wedding reception with drunken antics that led to Bonnie getting a broken nose and her getting arrested (in the reception hall, no less).

Bonnie and Adam have an easy-going, sarcastic rapport punctuated with some real emotion and love for one another, so it'll be nice to see that relationship continue to grow in the new season. It's also good to know that the couple was able to keep things going in spite of the very long distance nature the relationship had to take over the course of several months while Adam was away working. We'll be able to see more of Adam and Bonnie when Season 4 of Mom starts on October 27 on CBS.

Allison Janney has had a career that most actors would kill for. In the past 17 years she’s been able to make her mark as a fine character actress who’s worked to great distinction in film and television. But, her best known role is probably still that of White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on NBC’s popular 1999-2006 series, The West Wing. And, lately, Janney has shown her appreciation for the show by re-creating the character, or the show’s famous “walk-and-talk” scenarios in various situations.

Last night, during the TV show Mom, which Allison Janney stars on, they had a serious nod to the political drama in the last moments of the show. Her character, Bonnie, finds herself torn over her daughter’s recent success, and her daughter tries to get her mother to figure out what she wants to do with her life. The scene quickly turns into a White House walk-and-talk with Janney’s character (now the President) and her former The West Wing co-star, Richard Schiff, who played Communications Director Toby Ziegler for the entire run of the series.

To complement that cool performance, Allison Janney appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden Wednesday night, and, again, did the famous West Wing walk-and-talk, this time with host James Corden as the man in charge. Another former co-star from the early 2000’s drama, Bradley Whitford, reprised his role as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman during the skit. Take a look.

Man, they are certainly having a lot of fun in that sketch. And, you know what? Allison Janney has been having a lot of fun with the whole West Wing thing a lot herself. Along with the appearance on James Corden and the Mom scene, Janney also made a surprise appearance last week at an actual White House press briefing before the White House Correspondents Dinner as C.J. Cregg that featured a callback to a specific episode of the drama. Janney’s time at the briefing was used to bring attention to the issue of opioid addiction, which is a part of a main storyline on Mom.

In addition to starring on the CBS comedy Mom for the last three years, Allison Janney has brought her talents to a host of movies and TV shows. The actress has won seven Primetime Emmys for her television work, and has also received two Tony nominations for roles on Broadway. The 113 credits on her resume include Juno, Spy, Veep, The Big C, Masters of Sex, and voice work on Robot Chicken and Phineas and Ferb.

Lovers of The West Wing are sure to be enjoying this recent run of inspired throwback performances from Allison Janney. If you want to see more of the actress, Mom airs Thursdays on CBS.