Major, and I mean MAJOR, spoilers for Shrinking Season 3 are ahead! You can stream the show in its entirety with an Apple TV subscription.

Shrinking Season 3 marked the end of an era for the great Apple TV show. However, the story is by no means over. Co-creator Bill Lawrence made it clear there’s a plan for Season 4 that will see the “exact” same gang back together. Although I still have questions about what will happen next on the acclaimed comedy. So, I asked those questions to Alice actress Lukita Maxwell and Cobie Smulders, who plays Sofi.

How Will Paul And Alice Come Back?

Considering it’s been common knowledge for a while now that the Shrinking team had a plan to keep the story going after Season 3, the major developments and moves for a few characters left me with one massive question: How will they come back? I’m specifically referring to the fact that Paul and Alice both moved across the country at the end of the show’s junior installment. We know for a fact that Harrison Ford will be back as Paul, and Lukita Maxwell will return as Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) daughter; however, it’s unclear how exactly that will happen.

So, while discussing the season that just ended on the 2026 TV schedule, I asked Maxwell about this as well as her hopes for these two characters. Here’s what she told me:

“We’ll see,” indeed. At the end of Season 3, Paul had moved to Connecticut to be closer to his daughter, while Alice moved east for college.

I guess it's possible for Paul and his family to move back West. He could also come back for a temporary period to be near Jimmy and Gaby (Jessica Williams) to help with their career moves. Meanwhile, Alice could always transfer schools, or, as Maxwell guessed, maybe she's pulled in an entirely new direction. The possibilities are vast, so it was nice to hear the actress talk about what she thinks might happen.

Co-creator Bill Lawrence wouldn’t confirm how exactly these characters will be reunited with the rest of the cast or if there will be a time jump. However, during an interview with THR, he did say whatever happens next will “feel like [they’re] telling a completely different story.” I’d assume that how Alice and Paul find their way back into the picture will play a part in that.

How Did Jimmy And Sofi’s Date Go?

Now, Season 3 of Shrinking literally ends with Paul setting up a date for Jimmy and Sofi. However, while we get to see them smiling at each other, we don’t actually know how it goes. So, when I spoke to Cobie Smulders about Jimmy and Sofi’s romance, I asked her how she thinks that breakfast went. Here’s what she had to say:

Well, I know I certainly want them to get back together. So, I'm hopeful that this date, which likely was awkward, was a step in the right direction.

Along with chatting about how the date went, I also asked Smulders for her take on who set it up. I was curious about the importance of Paul doing this for Jimmy, and Smulders’ response highlighted that while reiterating the theme of Season 3, moving forward:

Overall, this final scene felt like Jimmy truly moving onwards and upwards. Now, it’s time to start something new.

Thankfully, that new story will include all the characters we already know and love. However, they’ll be at different places, literally and figuratively in life, and hopefully Season 4 will answer the questions we have about that.

Spoilers for Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8 are ahead! You can stream it with an Apple TV subscription and catch new episodes on Wednesdays.

Jimmy and Sofi’s first date may not have gone well, but they certainly proved that they can be great for each other. In the eighth episode of Shrinking to air on the 2026 TV schedule, Jason Segel’s character went over to Cobie Smulders’ character’s house for a date, but it ended with him Jimmy-ing Sofi and her ex-husband. However, they also have a heartwarming conversation about once-in-a-lifetime love. So, I asked the Sofi actress why these two characters could be meant for each other.

In the episode, Jimmy mentioned his late wife, Tia, and Sofi sweetly noted how that “kind of love is once in a lifetime.” In response, Jimmy said that’s “maybe” true; however, he also said, “sure hope not, though.” I’ve always had the same feeling for Jimmy, especially when it comes to Sofi. In a lot of ways, it feels like they’re made for each other. So, I asked Smulders why that’s the case and why these two could potentially be “once-in-a-lifetime.” In response, she said:

Even though they’ve both been through loss, as Jimmy’s wife died and Sofi separated from her now ex-husband, they both have optimistic outlooks on life and love. I think that’s one of the reasons why they are so drawn together.

They also have a shared sense of humor, and when you mix all that, you get an undeniable “magic” chemistry. We can credit Segel and Smulders’ history together on How I Met Your Mother for part of that; however, these characters have also been crafted in ways that make them very open and romantic.

Along with all that, the Sofi actress told me that both her character and Jimmy are very “straightforward.” They don’t really hold back with each other, and they keep it very real. That shared way of communication bodes well for them, too, as Cobie Smulders explained:

You can feel that energy at the end of Episode 8, specifically. Jimmy and Sofi’s date ultimately did not go very well. He also got to know her ex very fast, as well as her son. That’s a lot to take in all at once, especially at the start of a relationship. However, after the day was over, Sofi asked for a redo, they admitted what happened that day, and they moved forward (which is a key theme of this season).

With that kind of mentality, I do think that these two could be once-in-a-lifetime, and I’ve always had a feeling that they are meant for each other. However, theory and practice are two different things. So, to see if Jimmy and Sofi have what it takes to make it together on Shrinking, make sure to tune in for new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV.

Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer ended its run on Netflix’s 2026 schedule with a big shock. In the final moments of the finale, Cobie Smulders came into the picture as Mickey’s sister. So, when I had the chance to chat with the actress, I had to ask her about joining this cast, and she gave me an update about Season 5.

Right before The Lincoln Lawyer aired its fourth season (you can stream it with a Netflix subscription), it was renewed for a fifth. Considering how the finale ended, that’s not a surprise, as the credits rolled immediately after Mickey’s sister showed up in his life amid an action-packed moment in a grocery store and its parking lot. Now, the scene is set, and a new case will be at the center of the show that will presumably involve her.

So, while speaking with the Smulders about her current role in Season 3 of Shrinking, I also asked about getting to work on the Netflix hit, too. In response, she told me:

They really wasted no time getting back to work. The fourth season of The Lincoln Lawyer premiered in early February on the 2026 TV schedule. Now, a little over a month later, they’re already in production on Season 5. Talk about exciting!

It’s been announced that the next installment of this book-to-screen adaptation of Michael Connelly’s novels will be based on Resurrection Walk. That book follows Mickey and his half-brother, Harry Bosch, as they work to take on new and risky cases. Notably, Bosch is not in the Netflix series, and he can’t be, seeing as Bosch is its own show on Amazon Prime. So, could Smulders' character Allison essentially replace Bosch? It’s not confirmed, but it does seem possible.

Now, while we don’t know the exact role the How I Met Your Mother actress will play in Season 5’s story, showrunner Ted Humphrey did tell me that Mickey was “completely gobsmacked” by his sister showing up. So, I’m very curious to see where the story picks up from there.

Thankfully, it sounds like we’ll get to see this story unfold sooner rather than later because production has already begun. It sounds like they’re having fun with it, too. Cobie Smulders specifically told me that she adores the cast led by Manuel García-Rulfo, and she’s a big fan of the series being based in LA. In the Shrinking actress’s words:

Well, I’m certainly excited to see what happens next, and I’m especially enthusiastic about the role Cobie Smulders is about to play in this show. She is the newest cast member, and her character came as a big shock to me, fans and Mickey. So, I’m looking forward to seeing how Mickey’s sister shakes things up in the coming installment.

It seems like we won’t have to wait too long to see it, too, because The Lincoln Lawyer Season 5 is in production, and Cobie Smulders is set to play an important role in it.

If you want to talk about inspired casting, look no further than Shrinking bringing on Cobie Smulders to play Jason Segel’s love interest. The two have a long and rich history together, seeing as they played friends on How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons. Now, they’re exploring their chemistry in a totally new way in Season 3 of Shrinking as Jimmy and Sofi, and Smulders told me why the “magic” between them worked again.

In the past, Jason Segel has said that his chemistry with Smulders is impacted greatly by their history on How I Met Your Mother. He explained that the “magic trick” of Jimmy and Sofi’s relationship is that it feels like they’re “meant for each other” even though they “just met” because the actors playing them have known each other for 20 years. When I interviewed Smulders, I brought up these comments and asked what it was like for her to play Segel’s love interest after they played Robin and Marshall for so long. In response, she said:

You can tell these two have a lot of fun together, too. I mean, if you watched this week’s episode, “I Will Be Grape,” with an Apple TV+ subscription, you got to see that. At this point in Season 3 of Shrinking, Jimmy and Sofi’s relationship is starting to flourish as she met his family and friends on Tia’s birthday. So, it’s been lovely to see Smulders and Segel really capitalize on their history and chemistry.

Speaking about their genuine admiration for each other and what it’s like to see that captured on camera, the How I Met Your Mother actress told me:

Ultimately, Smulders was simply thrilled to be asked to do Shrinking. It was for two great reasons, too. Obviously, she was excited to work with her long-time co-star again. However, she also noted how much she loves the writing of this comedy, explaining:

You can feel that positive energy on screen, too. As Jimmy and Sofi’s relationship has grown, it really has felt like a genuine and deep love was forming. That magic is thanks, in part, to the two actors’ history together.

Now, to see how Jimmy and Sofi’s story continues, and to keep watching these two How I Met Your Mother actors having fun on a new show together, Shrinking will continue to drop new episodes on the 2026 TV schedule every Wednesday on Apple TV.

Major spoilers for the finale of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 4 are ahead! If you are not caught up, you can stream the series with a Netflix subscription.

Well, my jaw was on the floor when Season 4 of The Lincoln Lawyer came to a close on Netflix’s 2026 schedule. I can say, with full confidence, that the last person I expected to show up was Cobie Smulders as Mickey’s sister. I also didn’t think this would all be revealed during a violent moment in a grocery store parking lot. However, that all really happened, and I asked the showrunner about this pivotal character’s introduction and the role she could play in Season 5.

Much like the end of The Lincoln Lawyer’s third season, Season 4 left us hanging on a steep and high cliff. While Mickey’s case had been totally solved, new problems have obviously come up with the introduction of his sister. Casting Cobie Smulders in that role makes it feel like a really big deal, too, as co-creator Ted Humphrey told me the following about adding her to the cast:

Well, I know I certainly can’t wait for Season 5 – which is happening, by the way. And while we wait, a bunch of questions about Smulders’ character keep popping into my head. The biggest one, though, was: Why did they decide to introduce her now? Well, I asked Humphrey that, and he said:

What better way to add personal stakes than to add a surprise family member? Humphrey went on to tell me that is addition is “expanding the palette of who [Mickey] is,” and it’s presenting new and unexpected challenges for the titular lawyer. On top of all that, it could make him think that the past he thought he understood “isn’t exactly what [he] thought it was.”

All around, the addition of Mickey’s sister sets the stage for a totally new story in The Lincoln Lawyer. So, I asked the co-creator what he was looking forward to exploring as they move into Season 5. In response, he said there are “so many things,” and then honed in on a few questions he has, saying:

Well, he’s certainly left me with a lot to think about. However, it was his last comments about the addition of the How I Met Your Mother star that really stuck with me. Teasing what’s to come in Season 5 through Mickey’s sibling, Humphrey said:

I assume that much like how the 2026 TV schedule’s season of The Lincoln Lawyer hinged on Season 3’s cliffhanger, which was Sam’s death, Season 5 will be mostly about these final few minutes. The appearance of this woman, who says she’s Mickey’s sister, was shocking and game-changing, and now I need to know what happens next.

Thankfully, The Lincoln Lawyer has already been renewed for Season 5, so we know we’ll get to see this story play out. In the meantime, I’ll be thinking about what the showrunner told me and the various questions he laid out for us to ponder.

How I Met Your Mother is still one of the funniest shows on Hulu, even over 10 years after the hit CBS sitcom's conclusion. And, despite the very controversial series finale, it’s still a favorite among many fans. Between the jokes, characters, storylines, and more, there are many reasons why HIMYM is perfect for a long binge. Plenty of intriguing BTS details have been revealed in recent years as well and, now, Cobie Smulders is explaining why she used to whisper inappropriate things to Josh Radnor before shooting scenes that were more risqué.

Smulders appeared on the rewatch podcast How We Made Your Mother, which is hosted by Radnor and HIMYM co-creator Craig Thomas. Longtime fans of the show surely know that Ted and Robin had a very special relationship and that they even revealed to be endgame during the closing moments of the series finale. Amid the discussion, Smulders dished on the funny, private moments she would share with Radnor from time to time while filming intimate scenes. These may sound wild, but they were apparently helpful:

Not only could whispering inappropriate things set the mood, but it could also help ease the tension. I'd imagine that it helps to have a great scene partner. Good guy Ted and Robin share a lot of scenes together, so it would make sense that Radnor and Smulders would want to find a way to be comfortable with each other. During the podcast interview, Smulders elaborated more on what it’s like preparing to film an intimate scene, and she couldn’t help but give Radnor credit as well:

Based on accounts shared by actors, intimate scenes can be tricky to perform, hence the presence of intimacy coordinators on sets to ensure that scenes are performed accurately and comfortably. When it comes to Cobie Smulders, she simply wants to make sure that everyone she acts with is comfortable. When it came to Smulders' on-screen relationship with Radnor, their connection was evident from the beginning, which is why it was easy to get comfortable with him. Smulders continued:

Craig Thomas eventually asked for an example of what the two actors would talk about before executing an intimate scene amid all the laughter. However, Josh Radnor refused, and Cobie Smulders said to think about the “worst possible thing,” and that’s what it was like. Radnor ultimately gave in and actually told a story about Neil Patrick Harris whispering something disgusting to him but admitted that he is “nothing compared to the depravity” that Smulders laid out:

Unfortunately, fans will just have to imagine the kind of tidbits Smulders would tell Radnor prior to filming their intimate scenes. I get the feeling it was all relatively NSFW, though, which honestly makes all of this even funnier. As wild as the scenarios may have been back then, Radnor now praises his co-star for her way with words:

Whether or not Smulders eventually confesses what she would say to Radnor is unknown, but I love that it’s basically just an inside joke between the two of them now. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall to hear those humorously dirty comments.

How I Met Your Mother, which is one of the best sitcoms of all time, is available to stream in its entirety with a Netflix subscription.

On the last season of Shrinking, we got a lovely How I Met Your Mother reunion as Cobie Smulders joined the cast to play Sofi, a woman selling her car to Jason Segel’s Jimmy. Immediately, they had a fun a flirty vibe that I loved (even though I had a hard time forgetting the played platonic friends on the CBS sitcom), and I’d love to see more. Now, it’s been confirmed that will happen, and the actor sweetly explained why HIMYM helped create magic between them on this marvelous Apple TV+ show.

After Liz actress Christa Miller said she got to work with Smulders on Season 3 of Shrinking, which does confirm her return, Jason Segel explained why Jimmy with Sofi work so well. Starting with a brief history lesson about How I Met Your Mother (via a TikTok posted by hopesloopentertainment), he said:

Well, work with her, he did! In Season 2, Episode 10 of Shrinking (which you can watch with an Apple TV+ subscription), Smulders was introduced as Sofi. Like Jimmy, Sofi had lost her partner. However, Jimmy is a widower while Sofi is divorced. They joked about these losses, and they very clearly had remarkable chemistry.

Segel explained that chemistry is there because the characters feel like they’ve known each other for years, when in reality, they just met. I totally agree with that; it felt like Jimmy and Sofi had already known each other, and they immediately clicked. And we can thank How I Met Your Mother for that, as the Marshall actor explained:

While Robin and Marshall were never romantically involved, they were friends, and Smulders and Segel worked together on How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons during formative years of their lives.

Now, they’re taking that real-life and on-screen friendship and turning it into something more on Shrinking, as Jason Segel explained:

Now, we know Smulders will be back for the upcoming season of the Apple TV+ show, and I can’t wait to see how this relationship develops. They really seemed to have a good thing going, and Segel said Season 3’s theme is “moving forward” while talking about Sofi’s potential return. Plus, with their How I Met Your Mother history, we know the chemistry is there in dividends.

So, let’s explore all this further! I need to see more!

For nearly a decade, Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders acted opposite one another in How I Met Your Mother, one of the best sitcoms of all time. While Marshall Eriksen and Robin Scherbatsky never came anywhere close to romantically involved on the CBS series, it seemed like there could have been such a spark between the actors’ characters on Shrinking recently. Smulders guest-starred in a Season 2 episode of the Apple TV+ subscription-exclusive series, and when Segel was asked about if she’ll return, the explanation he gave about Season 3 makes me hopeful this will happen.

Smulders stopped by Shrinking Season 2’s tenth episode, titled “Changing Patterns,” to play Sofi, a divorced mother from whom Segel’s Jimmy Laird purchased a yellow Mini-Cooper for his daughter Alice’s 18th birthday. The two hit it off pretty quickly, leading to speculation that Sofi might come back at some point. Here’s what Segel had to say when Variety inquired about this:

What started out as Jimmy just looking to buy a car similar to the one his late wife Tia had led to him and Sofi having an amusing conversation about whether it was worse to have a dead wife, yet still have fond memories of her, or having the good memories of your still-alive ex-husband tainted by his cheating. Feel free to watch it for yourself:

While many HIMYM fans surely appreciated this reunion between Jason Segel and Cobie Smulders, it would be even better for them if they saw more of Sofi going into Shrinking Season 3, which was announced last October. I imagine that if Smulders was only doing a one-off appearance, Segel would confirmed as much by now. But the above quote seems to indicate the door is at least open to Sofi’s return, as does what he said below regarding Season 3’s theme:

While the Shrinking Season 2 finale brought the waterworks with Harrison Ford’s emotional speech, it also ended with Jimmy Laird sitting down with Brett Goldstein’s Louis, the drunk driver who killed Tia, at the train station and looking like he was finally ready to forgive the man. So with that important moment now seemingly behind him, Jimmy may finally be ready to find someone knew to live his life with, and maybe that someone will be Sofi. After all, it’s been made abundantly clear that Jimmy and Jessica Williams’ Gaby aren’t meant to be together, so hopefully events unfold in Season 3 that lead to Jimmy and Sofi crossing paths again.

We’re still a ways off from learning when Shrinking Season 3 will premiere, be it on the 2025 TV schedule or not until sometime in 2026. For now, you can keep yourself entertained by checking out the other best Apple TV+ shows.

For over 15 years now, we’ve been witness to all the Marvel movies in order, and what a journey it has been! We’ve come a long way since Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man first took flight, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe introducing so many characters into its movies and TV shows, that some of our favorites just haven’t had enough of the limelight yet. Let’s talk about the MCU characters that could use more screen time than they’ve currently been given.

Valkyrie

After the dismal reaction to Thor: The Dark World, the God of Thunder had an awesome comeback in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. The third Thor movie was partially awesome due to the debut of Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, who instantly became a fan favorite for her wit and all-around standout performance. Despite all the love for Valkyrie, she’s remained on the sidelines in every one of her appearances.

Captain Carter

OK, so technically Hayley Atwell had a television series on ABC in the early days of the MCU called Agent Carter, but watching that series only made me want to see the character more. Especially when Peggy Carter came back in the Multiverse Saga for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for a short cameo and in animated form for …What If? Captain America’s great love is one of the most interesting MCU characters who deserves to have her hero’s journey fleshed out more.

Maria Hill

Early in the MCU, Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill was established as a key part of the universe in The Avengers as Nick Fury’s right hand, but over the years, she’s never really gotten any sort of major arc in either of the movies or TV shows yet, despite sharing she’d love to do more. She was barely in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has mostly been used for a few jokes here and there over the years.

Morgan Stark

One of the most heartbreaking arcs in the MCU was the death of Tony Stark, especially after it was revealed that the character had a daughter with Pepper Potts, named Morgan Stark. (We’ll never forget the “I love you 3000” line). While it does make sense to wait a bit before we see Morgan Stark again, it would be interesting to catch up with the daughter of Iron Man, and see how her life progresses in the MCU following Endgame.

Jimmy Woo

Randall Park’s FBI agent character Jimmy Woo was first seen in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp as Scott Lang’s parole officer. Woo has since been seen in WandaVision and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in brief roles. Sure, Jimmy Woo isn’t a huge Marvel character or anything, but Park is so hilarious, I’d love it if he earned a larger role in the universe.

Okoye

One of the best Black Panther characters is definitely Danai Gurira’s Okoye, who has had somewhat of a central role in both of the movies, but when you look at the screen time she actually had (about 13 minutes in Black Panther and 16 minutes in Wakanda Forever), she’s still rather a minor character. The former general of the Dora Milaje and head of Wakandan armed forces isn’t just very impressive in her strength and power, but a magnetic character I’d watch a whole movie about.

M’Baku

Winston Duke got on the Hollywood map due to his role in Black Panther, and while he was only in the first movie for about six minutes, he left a lasting impression on fans that had us wanting to see more. Especially following the end of Wakanda Forever, where he actually assumes the role of King of Wakanda. Here’s hoping the next Black Panther project gives him more to do.

Adam Warlock

As soon as Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock was announced to be part of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Marvel fans were excited to see the cosmic being in live action. However, it felt like the third Guardians movie didn’t really know what to do with the character, and is admittedly filed under “the worst thing” in our list of best and worst parts of every Marvel movie. The character deserves some redemption!

Cosmo the Spacedog

In the final Guardians of the Galaxy movie, James Gunn decided to introduce one of the cutest Marvel characters, Cosmo, but she was barely in the film! The Labrador astronaut, who has enhanced intelligence and psychic powers is such a fun and hilarious character, especially as voiced by Maria Bakalova. While it seems like the Guardians movies have wrapped up, I would love to see more of Cosmo.

Lady Sif

In the original Thor movie, Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif was brought on board the MCU as an Asgardian warrior and good friend to the God of Thunder. However, the heroic character, who is based on the Norse goddess who is known as the wife of Thor, had an anticlimactic role in the franchise. After showing up for around eight minutes in the first movie, her only other big appearance was in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She’d be a solid character to show up in the next Thor movie.

Moon Knight

Oscar Isaac’s Moon Knight getting a TV show rather than a big-screen movie will always be a mystery to me. Sure, he’s not the most popular Marvel hero, but given the studio has sold us on all sorts of smaller characters over the years, I don’t see why an antihero with dissociative identity disorder with roots in Egyptian mythology would have pulled in a crowd.

Korg

Not only is Thor: Ragnarok a movie that is so much fun on its own, but it also introduces Taika Waititi’s hilarious character of Korg, a Kronan warrior who Thor meets on Sakaar. Korg has only had short supporting moments in the last two Thor movies, but because he’s so loveable, we’d happily catch his return.

Quicksilver

Aaron Taylor-Johnson played Quicksilver, the brother to Scarlet Witch in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but had a hero’s death while shielding civilians from gunfire coming from Ultron. We have to wonder if the MCU would ever bring back the actor’s version of the character, especially after the multiverse was opened up. The actor has since jumped to playing another Marvel character for Sony’s Spider-Verse with the Kraven The Hunter movie.

Wong

When Doctor Strange came out in 2016, Benedict Wong’s role of Wong introduced the keeper of ancient books of the mystic arts. Since the MCU has progressed, Wong has been promoted to the Sorcerer Supreme. Following his title shift, we’re thinking about how the character could get a bigger spotlight that follows his own adventures.

America Chavez

When it was announced that America Chavez was coming to the MCU, we were excited to get to know the hero, also known as Miss America. Xochitl Gomez was highlighted in the key plot of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but she deserves a lot more attention in the MCU. Perhaps, she could be in the Young Avengers team we think the MCU is quietly setting up.

Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire)

After Tobey Maguire was the first big-screen Spider-Man in a trilogy of blockbuster films, his Spider-Man joined the MCU in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. While we imagine his appearance was more for nostalgic purposes, we’d genuinely love to see Tobey’s Peter Parker be part of the MCU again, and perhaps see Sam Raimi do the Spider-Man 4 movie that was previously cancelled. Spider-Man 3 ended the character on such a sour note, and the actor makes for such an awesome version of the hero.

Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield)

Andrew Garfield was such a Spider-Man in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies, however, they came at the time right before Disney earned the rights to the character. So, the cord was pulled on Garfield’s version and Tom Holland was part of the reboot. Garfield’s version technically joined the MCU when he showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. We’d love to see Garfield return to the MCU with his Spidey brothers, and perhaps continue where his movies left off.

J. Jonah Jameson

In Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man movies, J.K. Simmons was perfectly cast as J. Jonah Jameson, so we were unsurprised when the MCU cast him as the character for short cameos in Tom Holland’s movies. Except in the version we’ve seen, he’s only been seen on TV screens across the city. We don’t have a lot of Spider-Man 4 details right now, but wouldn’t it be fun if Holland’s Peter Parker began working for him?

Ned Leeds

Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds has always been such a fun addition to the Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland. Ned is Spider-Man’s “guy in the chair”, but the comic book character has more of a backstory that can be explored in upcoming Spider-Man movies. In the Spider-Man comics, Edward Leeds becomes a supervillain called the Hobgoblin!!

MJ

Mary-Jane Watson has always been an iconic part of the Spider-Man universe, but the character herself has yet to ever get a larger role that surpasses simply being a love interest to Spider-Man. Zendaya’s MJ is a step in the right direction for the character, but we have to wonder if there’s more the MCU could do with her.

Dane Whitman

When it was announced Kit Harrington was joining the MCU in 2019 in the role of Dane Whitman/Black Knight, we thought it was going to be a much bigger deal than it turned out to be. Harrington ended up having a rather anticlimactic role in Eternals, and we’re not even sure if we’ll get the payoff for the awesome character who has been in teams like the Avengers and Defenders in the comics.

Kate Bishop

When it comes to the best Marvel TV shows, Hawkeye is definitely one of the good ones, especially for how perfectly it established the character of Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld hit the bullseye when it comes to portraying the second generation of Hawkeye. After being in her own TV show, Kate showed up in The Marvels mid-credits scene with Kamala Khan, and we hope the MCU does promote her to an Avenger.

The Collector

In the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Benicio del Toro’s take on The Collector was brought into the MCU. He’s a villain in Marvel comics with a long history dating back to 1966 and tons of storylines with the Avengers and such, however, so far del Toro’s character has only had a few cameos.

Zeus

The king of the gods, Zeus, has even entered the MCU. In Thor: Love and Thunder, Russell Crowe had a small role as the Greek mythology legend. Since it’s such an epic character, and Crowe is an incredible talent, we’d be hyped for Zeus to have more screen time.

Luis

In Ant-Man, Michael Peña brought lots of laughs to the MCU as Luis. The character doesn’t have a comic backstory, and is really just a regular guy who used to be the cellmate of Scott Lang. However, Luis is so genuinely hilarious that we’ve missed him lately. We were especially bummed that he wasn’t in the third Ant-Man movie.

Namor

In the second Black Panther movie, audiences were introduced to the king of the underwater kingdom of Talokan, Namor. Tenoch Huerta did a fantastic job playing the villain of Wakanda Forever, and while he was technically defeated by Shuri in the movie, he’s very much alive, and is an interesting enough character to get more screen time, somehow.

Heimdall

It’s a shame that Idris Elba’s Heimdall died in Avengers: Infinity War, because the Asgardian gatekeeper was never really given much of a role in the MCU. The character could sustain a movie on his own considering what he does on Asgard, but here’s hoping he is still afforded the chance.

James “Rhodey” Rhodes

Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes was introduced in Iron Man 2, after Terrance Howard previously played the character in the first movie. Rhodes has become a member of the Avengers as War Machine / Iron Patriot, but he’s definitely been among the members of the team that’s not highlighted enough. At least the character is still reportedly set to front his own movie called Armor Wars, which would be very much deserved.

Madisynn King

In She-Hulk, a hilarious MCU character was born with Patty Guggenheim’s Madisynn (“with two n’s and one “y”, but it’s not where you think”). She was accidentally sent to a hellish dimension before crossing paths with Benedict Wong’s Wong, which she lovingly calls “Wongers.” She’s a laugh-out-loud addition to the universe that’d be so fun to see pop up again somewhere.

Sharon Carter

The niece of Peggy Carter, Emily VanCamp's Sharon Carter has been in two Captain America movies, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and an episode of What If...? But still, it never fully feels like the MCU knows what to do with her. Perhaps if she was interwoven into the plotline more, she could have deeper ties to the universe.

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is the director of the CIA in the MCU, who has been sprinkled in recent chapters in the MCU and is set to be part of the Thunderbolts cast. Currently, she isn’t giving us a lot to care about her, so here’s hoping the MCU does her character right and gives her more screen time going forward.

Hulk

May we remind you that Hulk is the only member of the original Avengers who has never been given his own solo project? It’s so wild! Yes, he left a huge mark on the main Avengers saga, but Mark Ruffalo is so good as Bruce Banner, that he deserves his own arc without being part of a team.

Spoilers for Shrinking Season 2, Episode 10 – “Changing Patterns” – are in play. If you haven’t watched it yet, you can stream it with an Apple TV+ subscription.

I’m not above a reunion via a cute cameo, in fact, I love it! So, when it was revealed that Cobie Smulders would reunite with Jason Segel in one of Shrinking’s episodes on the 2024 TV schedule, I was thrilled, because I’m a How I Met Your Mother fan. However, this fandom proved to be a problem I couldn’t quite get over, as I watched the Robin and Marshall actors flirt with each other in this Apple TV+ comedy.

Allow me to set the scene for this reunion on Shrinking, Jimmy (Segel) is trying to buy a car for his daughter Alice. He finds a used one, and when he goes to pick it up he meets Sofi (Smulders), the divorcee who is selling the vehicle.

The two immediately hit it off, and they share a sense of humor -- as they both made slightly morbid but admittedly funny jokes about how they lost their partners. For the first time maybe ever, Jimmy is able to talk to someone candidly about how his life changed after his wife died without receiving an over-sympathic reaction in return. I mean, Sofi literally jokingly asks him if it is better to lose your partner to death or divorce.

It’s clearly a nice change of pace for Jimmy, and the two have a nice vibe. Honestly, I hope this relationship goes further than just a car sale, and it seems like it might. And I want this for both of them, I really do. They have great chemistry, and they are so funny together.

However, for me to fully enjoy this new relationship, I have to jump over a How I Met Your Mother-related hurdle that I haven’t been able to overcome yet.

Let’s not forget that while Smulders’ character Robin had long relationships with two of the three men in the How I Met Your Mother cast, and Marshall was not one of them. She famously dated Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby (and ended up with him in the controversial HIMYMI finale) and she was with Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney Stinson for several seasons. She and Segel never ever in a million years would ever have shared a romantic scene as Robin and Marshall because he was always with Alyson Hannigan’s Lily.

I’ve built up this big wall in my head because of all that, and when I see Smulders and Segel together I think of them as platonic friends first. Therefore, seeing them flirting on Shrinking made me feel weird.

However, that’s not their issue. That’s on me, and I’m going to work really hard to overcome my own preconceived notions. Ultimately, once I kind of forgot that these two members of the Shrinking cast played friends and only friends on How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons, I was charmed by the potential for them to have a romantic relationship on another show. It’s hard to deprogram my brain to think of them as people other than Marshall and Robin when they’re sharing a scene though, so this will take time.

But, I’m willing to put in the work, because Shrinking is one of the best shows on Apple TV+ and I like where things are going with Jimmy and Sofi. You can feel the chemistry Segel and Smulders share from years of work together bursting off the screen, and it’s hilarious and lovely. So, even though it will take me a hot minute to do it, I’m determined to jump over this How I Met Your Mother hurdle!

Asking any actor about their potential to join an upcoming Marvel movie or TV show can be a double-edged sword thanks to the studio’s adherence to secrecy, but that has yet to curb fans’ curiosity. Case in point: Cobie Smulders has been in nearly a dozen Marvel projects as former S.H.I.E.L.D. head Maria Hill, and was tragically killed off in Disney+’s Secret Invasion, making the fandom livid. But that’s not stopping anyone from asking if we’ll see her again, or from getting newly aggravated at Secret Invasion.

Smulders appeared at Terrificon on August 17 to talk about her career in full, from the world of superhero cinema to her network sitcom success with How I Met Your Mother and others. During the panel moderated by Joe Stuber of Comic Book Central, the Stumptown vet was asked her interest level in jumping back into the MCU, and while she sounds positive about it with her answer (via @AgentsofFandom), it would take major narrative reconfiguring. As she put it:

To be sure, it’s unlikely Maria Hill would have played naturally into upcoming Marvel TV shows like the horror-tinged spinoff Agatha All Along or the Man Without Fear’s return in Daredevil: Born Again. But with the Russo brothers returning for more Avengers movies with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom as the overarching baddie, the universe continues to grow in ways that Nick Fury’s right-hand-woman could bring her own influence to.

If only she hadn’t been gobsmackingly murdered by Gravik in Secret Invasion’s series premiere, a moment that continues to get fans riled up just from thinking about it. And despite the overall positive nature of Cobie Smulders’ answer, it sparked a new wave of complaints about how that went down. Here's a handful of the responses that the MCU vet's comments inspired:

• They really should bring her back considering her character died on that fan-made not canonical tv-series called Secret Invasion or something like that... - @Jesse_L58
• the way no one knows that Maria literally fucking d!ed in a series that no one gaf about… just erase it and bring her back - @vanniloner
• Killing her off was such a huge slap in the face to me and to those who grew up with her. And if they were gonna kill her off why not do it in a big screen movie instead of a freaking Disney plus show 💀💀💀💀 - @JonathanGedeon4
• Soooo…it sounds like #SheHulk was/is better than #SecretInvasion and we should ignore the whole series and Cobie Smulders should return to the MCU and we’re gonna act like she never died? Is that correct? - @AlexLampley
• I still can’t believe they did her this way, especially in that crap show. Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) deserves better!! - @ClayBallenger
• I think everyone is willing to simply banish Secret Invasion from MCU canon no questions asked at this point - @PaulTassi
• They could probably bring her back via a clone or something. Or just retcon it to where the Maria Hill we saw die was just a skull. God I didn't like secret invasions at all. It was supposed to be something good but completely ruined and stifled. Redo the whole thing. - @kaisenz_

Rarely does the Internet all jump onto the same side like this, but it's definitely a case where the majority of (vocal) MCU fans think both the actress and character were robbed by that on-screen death. One might get endless blisters from scrolling around social media trying to find anyone attempting to justify it, or even saying anything remotely positive about Secret Invasion.

To be sure, there were definitely other kinds of negative comments, such as those that questioned why Maria Hill get so much love despite not being central to very many huge plotlines. And there's also a large chunk of the fanbase that laughingly predicted that Marvel will just explain it all away with multiverse shenanigans or with the reveal that Secret Invasion's Maria was a Skrull the whole time.

Not to mention those who are still skeptical that the character actually died in that show. The randomness and questionable nature of the scene have inspired quite a few fan theories about Maria still being alive within the MCU, despite the outside world believing her to be dead.

Also worth noting: Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill appeared two more times following the character's on-screen death, albeit in animated series. Smulders reprised the role for an episode of Marvel's What If...? as well as an ep of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. It's unclear if she's recorded any other voice-acting performances for future seasons or episodes from other projects.

Secret Invasion can be streamed in full with a Disney+ subscription, although I'm not sure anyone out there will be rushing to do so.

Hulu’s How I Met Your Father is currently airing its second season, and already there was a major HIMYM cameo. Neil Patrick Harris reprised his role as Barney Stinson in the Season 2 premiere of the Hilary Duff-led series, adding to the list of HIMYM cameos on HIMYF. The big question now is, will we ever see the return of Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby? Duff opened up about the possibility and recalled the exchanges she has had with the actor.

Josh Radnor has spoken about a possible return as Ted on How I Met Your Father, he even revealed that he and Hilary Duff had some nice exchanges via email. Now the actress is proving that those sentiments are true, as she told E! News that the two of them have kept in touch over email, and he’s also somewhat passed the torch to her:

It’s definitely sweet that Radnor and Duff have exchanges with each other, as I’m sure doing a reboot of a beloved series can be a bit overwhelming. It does make me wonder how much, if at all, they’ve discussed Radnor visiting the set and portraying Ted again. Since it sounds like the two have been getting close, the door is always open.

Meanwhile, as Hilary Duff’s friendship with Josh Radnor continues, it wouldn’t be surprising if even more HIMYM alums visit. Like many, the singer is a fan of the original series, which ran on CBS for nine seasons. She praised the cast and their characters, sharing her hopes of having everyone come on the Hulu series at some point:

Since Season 2 of How I Met Your Father is in the beginning of its run, and the season has twice as many episodes as it did for Season 1, there is plenty of time to round up some more original stars. Luckily it’s been looking like a lot of the original HIMYM cast have shown interest in reprising their fan-favorite roles; it’s just a matter of when and how. Fingers crossed that it continues to happen, and maybe we'll even see Ted give Sophie advice on her love life because he definitely understands what she’s going through. 

Meanwhile, HIMYM cameos are not the only guest stars that fans will be looking forward to this season on one of Hulu's hit series. Meghan Trainor appeared in the second episode as a woman about to give birth whom Sophie is photographing. This also coincidentally aired around the same time Trainor announced her IRL pregnancy. There will also be a Raise Your Voice reunion when John Corbett, who portrayed Hilary Duff’s mentor in the early 2000s teen drama, makes an appearance on HIMYF as the actress’ love interest. 

Make sure to watch new episodes of How I Met Your Father every Tuesday with a Hulu subscription to see if more HIMYM alums return. Also, be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming soon.

Kids, in the Fall of 2023, just a couple months after How I Met Your Father concluded its second season, Hulu decided to pull the plug. For people who enjoyed the sitcom like myself, this cancellation really was a bummer, especially because it meant that we would not see anymore How I Met Your Mother cast members reprising their original roles.

One of the things that made Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger’s spin-off fun — outside of the likable actors in the cast and bursts of clever wit — is when the show provided evidence that it existed in the same universe as its long-running predecessor. The return of fan-favorite How I Met Your Mother characters were the most satisfying hints. The following is a look back at all the cameos we saw. 

Alexis Denisof (Sandy Rivers)

How I Met Your Father provided fans with life updates for two of Robin Scherbatsky's former coworkers — the most recent of which was TV news reporter Sandy Rivers. He made his first Season 2 cameo while interviewing Jesse (Christopher Lowell from the Promising Young Woman cast) and his pop star girlfriend, Meredith (former Gossip Girl cast member Leighton Meester), as they promote their concert tour on his morning show.

The former anchorman would reappear in the two-part Season 2 finale reporting the weather, which he mentions is his latest demotion due to many, unspecified, allegations against him, reminding us once again how much of a scumbag he is. In real life, however, Sandy is played by HIMYM star Alyson Hannigan's real-life husband, Alexis Denisof.

Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson)

The Season 2 premiere of How I Met Your Father featured a flash-forward in which Sophie (Hilary Duff) gets into a minor fender bender with a sharply dressed stranger, whom HIMYM fans immediately recognized as Barney Stinson (five-time Emmy winner Neil Patrick Harris). The exciting cameo was paid off in the mid-season finale, in which Barney initially assumes Sophie is exacting revenge on him for his past as a serial womanizer (for which we learn he is treating himself with shock therapy).

The characters then discover they have a few things in common -- namely commitment issues and growing up without a father. After Barney shares his experience meeting his real father (John Lithgow) and the life-changing birth of his daughter, Ellie, it inspires Sophie to search for her own father, whom she was actually afraid might be her then-boyfriend (John Corbett). This marks yet another wonderful instance of a HIMYM vet helping the spin-off's central character when she needed it the most.

Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky)

In How I Met Your Father’s Season 1 finale, we were treated with a sighting of Cobie Smulders as Robin Scherbatsky, whom Sophie reveals she is a “fan” of. Just like how the character's former husband, Barney, would in the next season's final episode, Robin bumps into Sophie at just the right time.

The TV news star helps Sophie realize that she should not allow herself to make decisions based on fear, which is essentially what she did when she ran away from a long-awaited chance at romance with Jesse. I would have loved to see more of Robin in a future episode, especially for the chance to see more references to her past as a teen pop star in Canada.

Joe Nieves (Carl)

Sophie actually meets Robin at a place that the latter is very familiar with — MacLaren’s Pub — and catches her attention after she spectacularly fails to order a whiskey. The bartender who turns around to let her know that “up, neat, and on the rocks” is “not an order that make sense” is the bar’s owner, Carl — played by Joe Nieves.

Carl is one of the most recognizable recurring characters from How I Met Your Mother, and even played a pivotal role in many of the series’ best episodes, such as when he served Ted (Josh Radnor) five shots of “Red Dragon” in “The Pineapple Incident.” It would have been cool to see another sighting of him at McLaren's on How I Met Your Father, perhaps with a few other original cast members.

Kyle MacLachlan (The Captain)

Before Ted met Tracy, one of his former girlfriends was a woman named Zoey Pierson (Jennifer Morrison), who was actually married when the two first met. Her then-husband’s real name is George Van Smoot, but he is better known by his preferred title: “The Captain,” who is one of Kyle MacLachlan’s most famous TV roles, outside of leading the Twin Peaks cast as Special Agent Dale Cooper.

The eccentric aristocrat made a hilarious surprise return in How I Met Your Father’s debut season, which revealed that he actually has a connection to Sophie, being the owner of the boat that her Tinder date, a marine biologist named Ian (Daniel Augustin), worked on while in Australia. However, we learn after said reveal that the boat will no longer belong to The Captain, but to his now ex-wife, who is also a very familiar face.

Laura Bell Bundy (Becky)

I think I just have to say three words to jog the memory of any How I Met Your Mother fan who may not initially recognize Becky: “Boats! Boats! Boats!” Played by Laura Bell Bundy (who originated the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde: The Musical), this fellow former girlfriend of Ted’s initially rose to fame as the energetic and a bit childish spokesperson for a boating expo in Farhampton before becoming Robin’s co-host on Come On, Get Up New York! It seemed like a match made in heaven when, near the end of HIMYM’s run, Becky was revealed to be engaged to someone who loves boats, The Captain.

However, we would witness their marriage come to an end in the first season of HIMYF, when our first sighting of The Captain’s return reveals he was having an affair, immediately prompting Becky to demand a divorce. During the proceedings, she negotiates ownership of all of his “boats, boats boats,” including the one Ian was working on in Australia, which allowed him to return to New York. So, I guess we can thank Becky for, at least, giving Sophie the chance to reconnect with him.

Josh Radnor previously teased the idea of coming back as Ted Mosby at some point, having discussed the idea with Duff himself. We also would have loved the chance to see Shrinking cast lead Jason Segel and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member Alyson Hannigan as Marshall and Lily, too, but it looks that will not happen on HIMYF. I am at least happy to say that this spin-off was fun while it lasted.

Barney Stinson once exclaimed: “Have you met Ted?” on How I Met Your Mother, and now many fans of the classic sitcom are asking the same question, as they wonder if the cast of How I Met Your Father will ever meet Josh Radnor. Well, there might be an answer to this question, as Radnor recently weighed in on if he’d ever reprise his role as Ted Mosby on Hilary Duff’s HIMYM spin-off series. 

While Radnor was promoting his new series Hunters – which you can watch with an Amazon Prime subscription later this month – he was asked about returning to the world of How I Met Your significant other. He revealed to Newsweek that he’s spoken with Duff about the idea, saying: 

While chatting, Cobie Smulders' cameo in the How I Met Your Father Season 1 finale came up. While the actor admitted he hadn’t seen it, Radnor did say he is down to do something similar.

I know when I saw the return of Robin Scherbatsky on HIMYF, I immediately added the possibility of more cameos to my list of things I wanted to see in Season 2. It seems likely that it could happen, considering Smulders’ cameo, Radnor’s willingness to return, the showrunners being open about the future of guest appearances, and the heartfelt tribute HIMYF paid to Bob Saget during Season 1. 

Considering how Season 1 of How I Met Your Father ended, I think it’s safe to say that Duff’s character might be in need of advice from the man who went through an incredibly similar situation years ago. While she tries to figure out which boy to choose, despite HIMYM’s controversial ending, I think Ted would be the perfect person to help her navigate the murky waters of dating in New York City. 

Lucky for us, we’ll get to see the return of Hilary Duff and co., because How I Met Your Father is right at the top of the 2023 TV schedule, and it is set to return to Hulu on January 24. Hopefully, that means we’ll see some OG How I Met Your Mother cast cameos, Sophie will make a choice about which man she loves, and we’ll eventually find out how she met her kids’ father. 

While we’ll have to wait until late January to see if Sophie ever meets Ted, you can catch Radnor in Hunters on January 13, and you can always go back and watch How I Met Your Mother with a Hulu subscription. 

Along with Captain Marvel introducing Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, the 2019 Marvel movie brought Skrulls into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve also seen these shapeshifting aliens in Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision, but Secret Invasion, one of the upcoming Marvel TV shows that Disney+ subscribers will be able to check out, is unquestionably the Skrulls’ biggest platform to shine in this franchise yet. That said, among the big questions Secret Invasion will need to address is this: how long have the Skrulls been hiding on Earth?

Like the original Secret Invasion comic book crossover event, the Secret Invasion series will explore numerous Skrulls having infiltrated all aspects of life on Earth. Along with Samuel L. Jackson reprising Nick Fury in the series, we’ll also reunite with Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill. CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell got to chat with Smulders after the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con last month, and when he inquired about if we’ll learn that Skrulls have been hidden among humans “for a while now,” the actress responded:

Turning back to Captain Marvel (which was actually primarily set in 1995), it seemed as though Talos and Skrull compatriots all departed Earth when Carol Danvers departed to help them find a new homeworld given that Skrullos had been destroyed by the Kree. However, it seems like Cobie Smulders is inferring that some Skrulls decided to stick around Earth in the mid-‘90s and spend the next three decades embedding themselves in all walks of life on Earth. However, that brings up another question concerning Secret Invasion: are these Skrulls operating under Talos’ directive, or are they pursuing a separate agenda?

I’m thinking the latter, namely because instead of being Captain Marvel’s main antagonist, Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos was revealed to be a sympathetic figure, and when we reunited with him and his wife Soren in the Spider-Man: Far From Home end-credits scene, they were helping out Nick Fury by disguising themselves as the one-eyed spy and Maria Hill. As far as we know, Talos and Fury are still on good terms going into Secret Invasion, so that would indicate that the Skrulls causing trouble in the series are carrying out someone else’s orders. So it’ll be up to Fury, Talos and their allies to root out this Skrull faction before they can fully implement whatever scheme they’ve spent almost 30 years putting together.

Because the Maria Hill in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Secret Invasion will be our first time seeing the real Maria Hill since she cameoed at Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame. Along with her, Nick Fury and Talos, other familiar characters who are appearing include Don Cheadle’s James Rhodes and Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross. The Secret Invasion cast also includes Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Killian Scott, Christopher McDonald, Carmen Ejogo and Dermot Mulroney. Behind the scenes, Kyle Bradstreet developed the series and served as head writer and executive producer, and the episodes were directed by Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim.

Secret Invasion will premiere sometime in early 2023 as part of Marvel’s official Phase 5 lineup. As soon as more details are revealed about the series, including when it will specifically drop on Disney+, CinemaBlend will pass them along.

There was a time when Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was the common thread of the Marvel Cinematic Universe bringing all the heroes together. Nowadays, it’s been quite some time since we’ve even seen the eye-patched former S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers founder. Thankfully, the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion is well on its way amidst a jam-packed MCU slate. 

Secret Invasion, which is named after the popular Marvel Comics crossover event, will see the Skrulls infiltrating even the highest spheres of the MCU. As we get ready for the title, which is expected to be a miniseries, check out the actors making up this impressive cast who we know about thus far. Of course, you know Marvel, there could be plenty of surprise cameos too! 

Samuel L. Jackson

First up is Samuel L. Jackson, who will reprise his role as Nick Fury in his twelfth live-action appearance in the MCU. We last saw Fury during the Spider-Man: Far From Home end-credits scene in 2019. It was revealed that Fury had been in outer space on a Skrull ship while a pair of Skrulls were impersonating him and Maria Hill during Spidey’s run-in with Mysterio. We’re excited to see a Marvel project that finally centers on Jackson’s Marvel character with Secret Invasion and perhaps explores him in new ways. 

Ben Mendelsohn 

Alongside Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury will be Ben Mendelsohn’s Skrull character, Talos, who was a highlight of 2019’s Captain Marvel when he was introduced. Talos is a friendly Skrull general who met Fury while he was disguised as human S.H.I.E.L.D. agent R. Keller in the ‘90s before revealing himself. He impersonated Fury in Far From Home and will continue to work alongside Fury during the Secret Invasion series. 

Emilia Clarke 

Among the exciting new additions to the MCU for Secret Invasion is Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, who is playing an undisclosed role in the upcoming series. The British actress is, of course, best known for playing Daenerys Targaryen for eight seasons on the critically-acclaimed HBO series. Since wrapping the role in 2018, Clarke most recently starred in holiday romantic comedy, Last Christmas. Clarke notably joins her fellow GOT alum Kit Harrington, who was introduced as Dane Whitman in Eternals. 

Olivia Colman

Oscar-winning British actress Olivia Colman is also part of Secret Invasion in another unknown role. Colman, who was notably in Broadchurch and The Favourite, and played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, will be another welcome new addition to the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson already hyped her role in the Disney+ series (via Twitter), calling his time working with her “glorious” and “such a ball.” That's not surprising, but I'm certainly intrigued about her role! 

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Along with Marvel often hiring incredible and already beloved talent, the studio is known for amplifying rising talent into the next big star. This might very well be the case when we see Kingsley Ben-Adir play the lead villain in Secret Invasion, per Deadline’s report. The British actor has previously found role on The OA, Peaky Blinders, High Fidelity and One Night In Miami as Malcolm X, but an MCU role will be his most high-profile yet. 

Don Cheadle 

Before we get to more impressive new talents joining the MCU with Secret Invasion, there’s a few more returning Marvel actors to note. Don Cheadle will reprise his role as James Rhodes/War Machine in the upcoming series. The news was confirmed by Samuel L. Jackson himself earlier this year on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, sharing he became his “golf buddy” amidst filming the series. The last time Cheadle appeared in a Disney+ series, he earned an Emmy nomination for a limited amount of screen time on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

Cobie Smulders

Another returning Marvel star is Cobie Smulders as former S.H.I.E.L.D. Feputy Director Maria Hill. After the character was impersonated by a Skrull in Far From Home, she’ll be back in action, for real this time, reportedly by working with the Skrulls in deep space alongside the other cast. Smulders has appeared in seven live-action Marvel projects over the years, and it’ll be great to see the actress back for Secret Invasion.

Martin Freeman

CIA operative Everett Ross, played by played by the talented Sherlock and Hobbit actor Martin Freeman, was introduced in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and returned in 2018’s Black Panther. The character is finally returning in a couple projects, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and the Secret Invasion series. Jackson also revealed Freeman's involvement in the latter project in the same conversation where he name-dropped Olivia Colman. 

Dermot Mulroney

Getting back to the new talent heading to Secret Invasion, Dermot Mulroney has also found a role in the upcoming Marvel series set to premiere on Disney+. The actor, who is best known for The Best Friend’s Wedding and New Girl, is rumored to be playing the new President of the United States in the Marvel Universe. It seems his involvement was leaked via a set photo on Instagram featuring Mulroney and Don Cheadle on the front of a newspaper.

Christopher McDonald

Christopher McDonald, of Happy Gilmore, Thelma & Louise, Hacks and Flubber fame is also part of the huge Secret Invasion cast, marking his first appearance in the MCU. A rumor that cropped up following the news was speculation the actor might be playing Norman Osborn. McDonald, who of course has to remain tight-lipped, said he’s “not saying anything” when pressed about his upcoming role. 

Killian Scott

Among the lesser-known actors part of Secret Invasion is Irish Killian Scott, per Deadline, who has been in projects such as ‘71, Calvary and the USA series Damnation. Officially, we don't know yet who Scott will play in the Marvel project, but it is rumored he’ll play a Skrull known from Marvel Comics named Fiz.  

Carmen Ejogo

The final cast member from Secret Invasion we’ve heard about is Carmen Ejogo, but this is rumored. The British actress has starred in movies such as Selma, It Comes At Night, Fantastic Beasts and The Purge: Anarchy. We’ll have to wait and see how she may fit into Secret Invasion. 

There’s a lot to look forward to from Secret Invasion. The Disney+ series has yet to receive a release date, but it has finished filming. At the earliest, it will drop late 2022, but a 2023 release date feels more likely at this point. We will keep you posted with updates here on CinemaBlend. 

It’s no secret that superhero movies are currently the most popular genre in the film world. As such, many actors have appeared in multiple franchises, or at least had a number of auditions. Deadpool star Morena Baccarin has revealed her failed MCU audition, and what went wrong.

Actress Morena Baccarin has played a few comic book characters in her career, including in Gotham and her role as Vanessa in the Deadpool franchise. But it turns out that she auditioned to play Maria Hill in the MCU back in the day, a role that ultimately went to actress Cobie Smulders. Baccarin recently opened up about that experience, admitting she didn’t truly understand the vision for the character. As she put it,

Well, there you have it. While Morena Baccarin is an accomplished actress in her own right, even she can sometimes stumble during auditions. That’s what happened when it came to The Avengers, which was directed by her Firefly collaborator Joss Whedon. Although Baccarin would definitely get her chance to shine within the genre.

Morena Baccarin’s story about auditioning for The Avengers comes from her recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. While promoting her new show The Endgame, she also spoke about her life and career over the years. Eventually the conversation turned to audition stories, and why she didn’t feel confident when testing for Maria Hill opposite Cobie Smulders. 

Of course, the timing of this might have actually worked out in Morena Baccarin’s favor. If she was busy playing Maria Hill in the MCU, she might not have been able to join the Deadpool franchise. Her role as Vanessa was vital to the story of the first two movies, and fans still have high hopes for her– especially given that the character eventually becomes the hero Copycat in the comics. Likewise, audiences have really responded to Smulders’ run as Hill, as she’s already appeared in a whopping six movies and three television shows.

It should be interesting to see if/how Morena Baccarin returns to the big screen in Deadpool 3. While the first two movies were massively successful, there’s been no news about the franchise’s future since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. Ryan Reynolds has been in talks with the studio, but there’s no telling when the threequel will start active development. 

Morena Baccarin can be seen in The Endgame on NBC, while Cobie Smulders will play Maria Hall in Disney+’s Secret Invasion later on in the year. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

As Disney+ is releasing thrilling new episodes of Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home is just weeks away from hitting theaters, some more big news has arrived on the Marvel front. Cobie Smulders is returning to a live-action Marvel TV show for the first time since ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as part of the cast of Samuel L. Jackson’s Secret Invasion series, and unlike her contribution to the animated What If…? show, she’ll be playing the real Maria Hill. 

Cobie Smulders is returning to the MCU for a reunion with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury for Secret Invasion, according to Deadline, which confirms that she’ll be playing Maria Hill again. The show, which will see a number of returning MCU stars as well as some big-name new additions, will tell a story that has been a long time coming since the reveal that Skrulls have been infiltrating Earth for years.

In addition to Smulders and Jackson, the cast is comprised of Ben Mendelsohn returning to reprise his role as Skrull Talos, as well as The Crown's Olivia Colman, Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, High Fidelity's Kingsley Ben-Adir, American Crime Story's Christopher McDonald, and Dublin Murders' Killian Scott. 

Unsurprisingly for a Marvel project, details about what the plot will entail and how the new characters will impact the story or potentially expand into other MCU properties remains to be seen, but Jackson has confirmed that production already started on Secret Invasion. Naturally, he celebrated with an F-bomb, and Disney+ Day back in November revealed the first look at the new show. 

Maria Hill coming to Secret Invasion is big news, but not altogether surprising. She is generally part of storylines involving Nick Fury, and this will be a big one. Cobie Smulder's most recent contribution to the MCU was with the animated What If...? which provided a look at what could have been for Maria Hill if things had gone very differently, and she's actually one of the longer-running MCU characters by this point. 

She's also one of the relatively few MCU film actors who appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but S.H.I.E.L.D.'s status as an MCU show is dubious by this point. The first two seasons of the series still stuck to the events of the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, but later seasons diverged from the films pretty significantly. So Hill appearing in Secret Invasion now in the era of Disney+ superhero shows becoming big hits with viewers is worth getting excited about. Just don't expect Chloe Bennet to show up!

Secret Invasion doesn't have a premiere date just yet, and spoilers may be hard to come by based on how tight a lid that Marvel generally keeps on plot details. Still, there is plenty of Marvel to keep fans busy moving forward. New episodes of Hawkeye are currently releasing on Wednesdays on Disney+, and Spider-Man: No Way Home will make its long-awaited debut on December 17. 

In Season 1, American Crime Story tackled one of several Trials of the Century with the infamous O.J. Simpson legal battle in The People vs. OJ Simpson. Now, with Season 3, Ryan Murphy's period drama will explore the messy, sensationalized details behind Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky's well-publicized ordeal, leading to the humungous trial at the tail-end of the last millennium, with Impeachment, which stars Beanie Feldstein and Clive Owen as our not-so-discreet adulterers. Also starring Sarah Paulson, Annaleigh Ashford, Margo Martindale, and Edie Falco, this star-studded affair (in more ways than one) is among the most talked-about shows of the fall TV season. And there's a good chance that you're familiar with acclaimed actors at the center of this White House drama. If FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story cast looks familiar, here's why!

Beanie Feldstein (Monica Lewinsky)

As Monica Lewinsky, a young White House intern who becomes the center of a national scandal, Beanie Feldstein plays our overwhelmed lead character in FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. She's also a producer for the anthology series. Following her breakout performances in Lady Bird and Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Feldstein gained notice and acclaim for her Golden Globe-nominated starring role in Booksmart. Her other movie credits include The Female Brain and How to Build a Girl. Later this year, Feldstein will be seen in The Humans. She's also filming the long-in-the-works Merrily We Roll Along.

Additionally, away from film, Beanie Feldstein starred in Broadway's Hello, Dolly! She's also set to star in Broadway's Funny Girl in 2022. On TV, furthermore, Feldstein has a recurring role in FX's What We Do in the Shadows. She can also be seen in Orange Is the New Black and Grey's Anatomy. Last year, Feldstein appeared in Quibi's Home Movie: The Princess Bride. She'll also lend her voice to Apple TV+'s Harriet the Spy.

Clive Owen (President Bill Clinton)

In the role of President Bill Clinton, the head of state who is charged with perjury and is impeached during his time in office, Clive Owen plays the man at the center of this nationwide scandal in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Previously, Owen was Emmy-nominated for playing Ernest Hemingway in HBO's Hemingway & Gellhorn. The actor also starred in Cinemax's excellent The Knick, for which he was Golden Globe-nominated, and Apple TV+'s Lisey's Story. Next, Owen will star in Monsieur Spade.

Additionally, away from television, Owen was Oscar-nominated for his performance in Closer. He also won a Golden Globe for his lead role in Croupier. Owen's other notable film credits include Children of Men, Inside Man, Sin City, The International, Close My Eyes, Shoot 'Em Up, King Arthur, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Gosford Park, Gemini Man, The Song of Names, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The actor was also recently seen in Romantic Guide to Lost Places, which premiered in Italy last year.

Sarah Paulson (Linda Tripp)

Playing the part of Linda Tripp, an American civil servant who secretly recorded Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton's intimate phone conversations, Sarah Paulson is an important, inciting character in FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Paulson won an Emmy for her portrayal of Marcia Clark in The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story. She was also nominated for several American Horror Story seasons, including Asylum, Coven, Freak Show, Hotel, and Cult. Additionally, Paulson gave an Emmy-nominated performance as Nicolle Wallace in HBO's Game Change.

In addition to the shows listed above, Sarah Paulson worked with Ryan Murphy on FX's Feud: Bette and Joan and Netflix's Ratched. Additionally, she starred in American Gothic, Deadwood, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Last year, Paulson appeared in Hulu's Mrs. America. Furthermore, in film, the actress frontlined Hulu's Run. She was also seen in Bird Box, Glass, Ocean's 8, 12 Years a Slave, Mud, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Notorious Bettie Page, Carol, Blue Jay, The Post, and What Women Want.

Annaleigh Ashford (Paula Jones)

As Paula Jones, an Arkansas state employee who sued President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment, Annaleigh Ashford plays one of the central women in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, the actress won a Tony award for her Broadway performance in You Can't Take It With You. Ashford's other Broadway credits include Kinky Boots, Sylvia, Sunday in the Park with George, Wicked, and Hair. Outside of theater, Ashford is known for playing Betty DiMello in Showtime's Masters of Sex. She also currently stars in CBS's B Positive. Additionally, Ashford appeared in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story and had recurring roles in God Friended Me, Younger, Unbelievable, and Smash. Last year, the actress was seen in The Undoing and The Good Fight and she was heard in Q-Force.

Elsewhere, Annaleigh Ashford appeared in Rachel Getting Married, Sex and the City, Unicorn Store, Late Night, Top Five, and last year's A Rainy Day in New York and HBO's Bad Education. She was also heard in Frozen. Next, Ashford stars in American Reject.

Margo Martindale (Lucianne Goldberg)

In the role of Lucianne Goldberg, the literary agent who coerced Linda Tripp into taping Monica's phone calls, Margo Martindale plays a key counsel in FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Martindale won an Emmy for her standout performance as Mags Bennett in FX's Justified. She also won two Emmys for playing Claudia in The Americans. Furthermore, Martindale played Ruth Eastman in The Good Wife and The Good Fight and Audrey Bernhardt in Sneaky Pete. She also starred in Hulu's Mrs. America. Martindale's other TV credits include Your Honor, The Millers, Dexter, and The Riches. Additionally, as a voice actress, she can be heard in DuckTales, Infinity Train, and BoJack Horseman, where she played an outlandish version of herself.

Furthermore, away from TV, Margo Martindale was Tony-nominated for her Broadway debut in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Her notable film credits include The Hours, Million Dollar Baby, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The Firm, The Savages, and August: Osage County. Next, Martindale will appear in Shoot the Rooster and Cocaine Bear.

Edie Falco (Hillary Clinton)

Playing the part of Hillary Clinton, the disgruntled First Lady to her salacious president husband, Edie Falco gets a standout role in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Falco is acclaimed for her masterful portrayal as Carmela Soprano in HBO's The Sopranos, for which she won three Emmys. She also won an Emmy for her title role in Showtime's Nurse Jackie. Additionally, Falco was Emmy-nominated for NBC's 30 Rock and NBC's Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Her other TV credits include Horace & Pete, Tommy, Oz, Law & Order, and Homicide: Life on the Street.

Away from TV, Edie Falco was Tony-nominated for her lead performance in Broadway's The House of Blue Leaves. Her notable film credits include Laws of Gravity, Judy Berlin, Sunshine State, Freedomland, The Comedian, Bullets Over Broadway, Cop Land, Landline, The Quiet, Megan Leavey, Private Parts, and The Land of Steady Habits. Next, Falco plays General Ardmore in Avatar 2 and 3. The actress will also appear in El Tonto.

Billy Eichner (Matt Drudge)

As Matt Drudge, the founder of the eponymous political publication, Drudge Report, Billy Eichner plays the reporter who broke the news of the scandal of the Lewinsky cheating scandal in FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Eichner is the star and creator of Funny or Die's Billy on the Street, which became truTV's show of the same name. He received three Emmy nominations. Additionally, Eichner played Billy Epstein in Hulu's Difficult People and Craig Middlebrooks in NBC's Parks and Recreation. He also worked with Ryan Murphy on American Horror Story: Cult and Apocalypse. Eichner's other notable TV credits include Bob's Burgers and Friends from College. Most recently, the actor-comedian guest-starred in Apple TV+'s Dickinson.

Furthermore, on the big screen, Billy Eichner voiced Timon in The Lion King (2019). He also appeared in Noelle, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Most Likely to Murder, Sleeping with Other People, and What Happens in Vegas. Moreover, Eichner lent his voice to Penguins of Madagascar and The Angry Birds Movie. Next, he'll write and star in BROS.

Elizabeth Reaser (Kathleen Willey)

In the role of Kathleen Willey, a White House aide who made allegations against President Bill Clinton on 60 Minutes, Elizabeth Reaser plays a serious supporting part in Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Reaser played Shirley Crain in Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House. She also had recurring roles in Grey's Anatomy, The Good Wife, and Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders. Additionally, Reaser had main parts in Saved, The Ex List, Manhunt: Unabomber, and Bonnie and Clyde: Dead and Alive. Her other notable TV credits include Easy, The Handmaid's Tale, and Mad Men. Most recently, the film-TV actress appeared in Quibi's 50 States of Fright.

Furthermore, on the big screen, Elizabeth Reaser played Esme Cullen in The Twilight Saga. She also starred in Ouija: Origin of Evil. Moreover, Reaser appeared in Young Adult, Liberal Arts, The Family Stone, One & Two, Stay, Mind the Gap, The Believer, Puccini for Beginners, Against the Current, Purple Violets, Nightmare Cinema, Emmet's Mark, and Hello, My Name Is Doris. Most recently, the actress was seen in Embattled.

Cobie Smulders (Ann Coulter)

Playing the part of Ann Coulter, a lawyer and Senate aide who gives Linda Tripp and Paul Jones' legal aide, Cobie Smulders takes on a ridiculed media personality in FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Smulders starred in CBS's long-running sitcom, How I Met Your Mother, in the role of Robin Scherbatsky. Additionally, the actress starred in ABC's short-lived Stumptown and Veritas: The Quest, as well as Netflix's Friends from College, and she played a recurring role in Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Moreover, Smulders can be seen in The L Word and Andromeda.

Furthermore, in film, Cobie Smulders is a recurring presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Maria Hill. Specifically, she can be seen in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Additionally, Smulders lent her voice to Disney+'s What If ...? Also, the film and TV actress starred in Results, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and Safe Haven. Earlier this year, Smulders could be seen in Cicada.

Colin Hanks (Mike Emmick)

As Mike Emmick, one of Ken Starr's top men, Colin Hanks plays a notable supporting character in Impeachment: American Crime Story. The eldest son of Tom Hanks, the actor frontlined CBS's Life in Pieces in the role of Greg Short. Also, Hanks was Emmy-nominated for his portrayal of Gus Grimly in Fargo Season 1. Additionally, the actor starred in The WB's Roswell and Fox's The Good Guys. Hanks' other TV credits include Dexter, Mad Men, Numb3rs, NCIS, Burning Love, Bad Teacher, Talking Tom and Friends, Drunk History, and What Lives Inside. Currently, he's filming Paramount+'s The Offer.

Furthermore, away from television, Colin Hanks starred in Orange County, The Great Buck Howard, and Lucky. He also played Adult Alex Vreeke in the Jumanji movies. Hanks' other notable film credits include The House Bunny, King Kong (2005), Elvis & Nixon, W., The Guilt Trip, Band Aid, Vacation (2015), Untraceable, Get Over It, That Thing You Do!, and Parkland. Most recently, the film and TV actor was seen in How It Ends.

Judith Light (Susan Carpenter-McMillan)

In the role of Susan Carpenter-McMillan, the conservative spokesperson who headed Paula Jones' legal fund, Judith Light reunites with producer Ryan Murphy with FX's Impeachment: American Crime Story. Most notably, Light won two Daytime Emmys for her performance as Karen Wolek in ABC's One Life to Live. Additionally, Light received two Emmy nominations for playing Shelly Pfefferman in Amazon Prime's Transparent. She was also nominated for her work in ABC's Ugly Betty and FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Furthermore, Light appeared in Murphy's The Politician. The TV actress also starred in ABC's Who's the Boss? as Angela Bower and had a recurring role as Elizabeth Donnelly in NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Away from television, Judith Light won two consecutive Tonys for her performances in 2012's Other Desert Cities and 2013's The Assembled Parties. She was previously nominated for her lead role in Lombardi. Earlier this year, Light was seen in The Same Storm. Next, she'll appear in tick, tick ... BOOM!, The Menu, and Starz's Shining Vale.

Impeachment: American Crime Story airs on FX. It's available to stream on Hulu.

Cobie Smulders made her action-packed arrival on as an ABC leading lady last fall as the star of Stumptown, which showed the actress in a whole new light from How I Met Your Mother and scored a renewal for Season 2 back in May. Now, despite that renewal and the fact that many of the biggest shows in primetime are resuming production after prolonged shutdowns, Stumptown's renewal has been reversed. The show is officially cancelled at ABC after one season. That said, there is some good news to go with the bad.

Production studio ABC Signature reportedly plans to shop Stumptown around to try and find it a new home on another network or platform, according to Deadline. That's not to say that Stumptown will absolutely get another shot on another network or a streaming service, but there are still reasons to hope. Sadly, however, the cancellation of Stumptown despite its previous renewal makes it the latest TV show to get the axe due to COVID-19.

Although Stumptown was not one of the many shows that had to end the 2019-2020 TV season early due to pandemic production shutdowns, which impacted some of ABC's other biggest shows, pandemic precautions did delay production from starting on Season 2. It was this production start delay that reportedly meant Stumptown wouldn't be able to make a fall debut with Season 2, or even be ready for air until April 2021. The show also went through some creative changes at the end of Season 1, including a change of showrunner.

All things considered, it's not surprising that Stumptown would need a fair amount of lead time to be ready for the airwaves. It was an expensive show to produce, involving location shoots and extensive stunt sequences that would be difficult to pull off on the kind of scale easily accomplished under COVID-19 restrictions. The show filmed in Los Angeles. Stumptown officially joins Netflix's The Society as a show to be cancelled despite a prior renewal, and those are not the only series coming to early ends due to COVID complications.

Since ABC Signature is reportedly planning to shop Stumptown around for a new home, it's worth considering potential options. The show accumulated a devoted following in its first season, and scored impressive numbers in digital and delayed viewership totals, so there is presumably an audience that could follow it to a new home. Originally airing on ABC, it's easy to imagine Stumptown getting a second life on another Disney-owned platform.

Hulu would be a good fit as a streaming option, since Stumptown skews more adult than many Disney+ originals other than The Mandalorian. FX has dabbled in superhero fare, and Stumptown is based on a comic. And there are also plenty of other possible homes that don't exist under the Disney umbrella. Considering what would have to be a lengthy delay between Season 1 and a Season 2 if it's picked up, I'm guessing a streaming service would be the most likely option.

That said, there is no guarantee at this point that Stumptown isn't done for good due to this cancellation. If you missed the first season or just want to revisit the show, you can find the full Season 1 of Stumptown streaming on Hulu now. For some additional viewing options now and in the coming weeks, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule!

Tom Cruise is kind of an Avenger, though, right? Cobie Smulders has been playing Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since The Avengers in 2012. But she said it was working with Cruise on the 2016 movie Jack Reacher: Never Go Back that taught her the most about stunt work.

So there you go -- the Jack Reacher sequel may have disappointed a lot of people, but give it credit for helping Cobie Smulders' action hero career.

Tom Cruise is now 57, but he's still well known for doing most of his own stunts -- plus countless running scenes. He has Top Gun: Maverick coming up, with a co-star calling him a great mentor on all things filmmaking. He is a pro at movie stunt work, even if it does get him injured sometimes.

Speaking of injuries, Cobie Smulders was talking to reporters (via Fox News) about her new ABC show Stumptown. She has to do a lot of physical work to play the character of Dex, but the fight scenes have yet to lead to injuries:

Go ahead and tell that to Tom Cruise after he messed up that jump in Mission: Impossible - Fallout!

I don't know if you knew this, but Cobie Smulders is married to SNL alum Taran Killam and they have two daughters, born in 2009 and 2015. Smulders is now teaching them the Tom Cruise way on the Stumptown set:

Cobie Smulders was only in that one Jack Reacher sequel with Tom Cruise, but as far as we know she's not done as Maria Hill in the MCU. In addition to TV's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria has been in the MCU movies The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. She and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) even had surprise twists for their characters in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Back to Jack Reacher, though. Cobie Smulders played Major Susan Turner in Never Go Back, which was a sequel to Tom Cruise's 2012 movie Jack Reacher. I know the second one wasn't exactly embraced by fans and only made $162 million worldwide from its reported $60 production budget. But dagnabbit I like those Jack Reacher movies and I wouldn't say no to a third helping.

At the moment, Tom Cruise is busy with Mission: Impossible 7, which has a release date of July 23, 2021, and will be followed by Mission: Impossible 8 on August 5, 2022. Cruise also has Top Gun: Maverick coming out next summer on June 26, 2020. Cobie Smulders has Stumptown, which is pretty great and very stunt-heavy so far -- it airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Warning: Major Spider-Man: Far From Home SPOILERS ahead!

Since the beginning, Marvel Cinematic Universe films have been known for their end-credits scenes and few have had the kind of jaw-dropping impact as those in Spider-Man: Far From Home. After a shocking mid-credits scene where Peter Parker’s secret identity is revealed to the world, the end-credits scene reveals two other secret identities in a film that is all about deception. It turns out that Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill were secretly Skrulls the whole film.

It was a wild twist that left audiences reeling, but they weren’t the only ones. Actress Cobie Smulders didn’t know about Spider-Man: Far From Home’s credits twist while filming, as she explained:

How incredibly sneaky. The end-credits twist scene where Nick Fury and Maria Hill were driving in a car and are revealed to be Talos and Soren wasn’t actually shot with that purpose in mind, at least not from Cobie Smulders perspective. As the actress told THR, that driving footage was filmed for the beginning of the movie, where the two spies first meet Mysterio. It was cut, but then repurposed in post where it was combined with footage of Ben Mendelsohn and Sharon Blynn's Skrulls for the end-credits scene.

So Cobie Smulders found out the true nature of the character she played for an entire movie just a week before it hit theaters when Kevin Feige told her. This might be the most intense Marvel Studios secrecy yet; Smulders didn't necessarily know what character she was playing. It does make you kind of wonder if the Skrull reveal was the plan all along or if Marvel came up with it late in the process.

What’s kind of neat about Cobie Smulders finding out about the twist after the fact is the knowledge that Maria Hill was really a Skrull didn’t inform her performance. Thus there were no tells and the audience was able to be completely surprised. The twist also now sets up a ton of questions about what the real Nick Fury is up to and how long Skrulls have been impersonating him and Maria Hill.

To that end, some fan theories posit that Maria Hill has in fact been a Skrull since she was introduced to the MCU all the way back in The Avengers. Addressing this possibility, Cobie Smulders said:

It might already be head canon for some fans, but as far as Cobie Smulders is concerned, there is a real Maria Hill out there and she was not secretly a Skrull in The Avengers. It seems that she is now operating under the assumption that I think many of us are, that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were only Skrulls in Spider-Man: Far From Home and the switch took place in universe in the months after Avengers: Endgame.

While it’s a fun idea that Maria Hill has been a Skrull since The Avengers, it’s always tricky when you start to mess with established canon. That’s why notions that members of the Avengers have been Skrulls in a Secret Invasion-esque storyline carry both pros and cons. So I’m not so sure we’ll find out if this fan theory is true.

For Cobie Smulders, the real Maria Hill is hopefully taking a much-needed vacation after being returned to the land of the living when the Snap was reversed in Endgame. As she said though, the more likely reality is that Maria Hill is on some other mission, perhaps she’s even with Nick Fury doing whatever he’s doing with the Skrulls in space.

We’ll have to wait until Phase 4 to hopefully find out what is going on with the Skrulls, Nick Fury, Maria Hill and all the rest of the new and returning characters. In the meantime, check out our premiere guide to see what’s headed to theaters this year.

Kids, in the fall of 2005, CBS premiered a series that would satisfy fans of comedies centered on twenty-something New Yorkers after the Friends cast took their final bow. That show was How I Met Your Mother, which was cleverly framed as the story that Future Ted Mosby (voiced by Bob Saget) recalls to his son and daughter about how he met his wife, only to end up primarily being a chronicle of his bizarre misadventures with his friends as they struggle to navigate adulthood.

Since the sitcom ended in 2014 (to a polarizing response from fans), it has been quite thrilling to see what the cast has gone on to achieve – starring in and even creating an eclectic variety of projects on both the big and small screen. On that note, let's take a look at what the How I Met Your Mother cast has been up to since Future Ted reached the end of his story.

Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby)

Before he was cast serial hopeless romantic Ted Mosby, Josh Radnor’s biggest role was as a high school tour guide in the Not Another Teen Movie cast in 2000. These days – even after directing himself in two acclaimed indie movies (2010’s Happythankyoumoreplease and Liberal Arts from 2012) and leading NBC’s answer to Glee, Rise (which was cancelled in 2018), the central HIMYM character remains his most iconic to date.

More recently, Radnor became a regular on the Amazon Prime original series, Hunters – which proved controversial for its over-the-top depiction of hunting Nazis in the 1970s – lent his voice to the Netflix animated series Centaurworld in multiple roles, and was in the Fleishman is in Trouble cast for FX in late 2022. Two of his latest movies premiered at 2023’s Woodstock Film Festival – Three Birthdays and Ramona at Midlife – and another called All Happy Families was screened at the Chicago Film Festival the same year, according to Deadline.

Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky)

Being a Canadian who found breakthrough success on TV marks the extent of how Cobie Smulders relates to Robin Scherbatsky, who was one of the first HIMYM characters to cameo on How I Met Your Father – Hulu’s in-universe spin-off. While she was still playing a former pop star with commitment issues on the sitcom, she began her tenure in the MCU as Maria Hill, which tragically ended with her appearance in Disney+’s Secret Invasion cast as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Some of her most notable credits outside of those definitive roles include Taran Killam’s 2017 directorial debut Killing Gunther, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role; portraying Ann Coulter in the third season of FX’s American Crime Story; and playing Tegan and Sara’s mom on the twin singing duo’s autobiographical series, High School. Smulders even has a few other comic book roles under her belt (having led ABC’s short-lived adaptation of the noir graphic novel series, Stumptown, and voiced Wonder Woman for 2019’s The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part) and, according to Screen Daily, will be seen next in a fantasy rom-com called Cupid & Me and a thriller called Sharp Corners.

Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson)

Robin’s one-time husband, Barney Stinson, was the role that revived the career of Neil Patrick Harris years after starring as a teenage licensed physician on Doogie Howser, M.D. and shortly after playing a hilarious, fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle in 2004. Since saying goodbye to the arrogant, womanizing, and still, somehow, likable scene-stealing character, the five-time Emmy winner has led a very eclectic career that includes a pivotal role in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, winning a Tony for Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and playing Count Olaf in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, which he also executive produced.

It does not stop there, as Harris would also star in the Matrix Resurrections cast as the main villain, The Analyst; joined the Star Wars universe with a role on the Disney+ animated anthology series Star Wars: Visions; led the Uncoupled cast for Netflix; and played Nic Cage’s agent in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Following his How I Met Your Father cameo and villainous role in the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials cast, Harris returned to theater as the director of the Kennedy Center’s production of tick, tick… BOOM! in February 2024 (via Broadway World) and is still attached to a biopic that will star Ashley Judd as anti-gay rights activist Anita Bryant.

Jason Segel (Marshall Eriksen)

Following his short time in the Freaks and Geeks cast, playing Ted’s best friend – “ahem” ONE of Ted’s best friends – and Lily’s true love, Marshall Eriksen, on HIMYM was Jason Segel’s biggest step toward mainstream success. Another determining factor of this was showing up in some of the best Judd Apatow movies, writing and starring in one of the best romantic-comedy movies in recent memory (2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and pulling the same double duty for 2011’s The Muppets.

Segel’s portrayal of David Foster Wallace in 2015’s The End of the Tour was the first of many great, underrated dramatic performances that clued the world into his diverse acting talent – also including the likes of Our Friend, Netflix’s Windfall, and HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The newly signed UTA client (according to Deadline) recently received an Emmy nomination for his lead role in the Shrinking cast for the acclaimed Apple TV+ dramedy series he also co-created with Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence. Also, in late 2023, reprised his Despicable Me movies character, Vector, for an Illumination animated short called Mooned, which showed before Migration.

Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin)

Similar to Harris and Segel, Alyson Hannigan’s HIMYM character – Marshall’s aspiring artist wife, Lily Aldrin – is not her first major TV role, having previously starred in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast as Willow. She also first gained a comedic reputation from her memorable role in the original American Pie cast as that one girl from band camp, Michelle, whom she would reprise thrice more.

With the exception of the Shudder exclusive slasher, You Might Be The Killer, and Lifetime’s 2019 biopic, Abducted: The Mary Stauffer Story, Hannigan’s career has only looked brighter in tone in more recent years as the host of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, starring in Disney’s  Flora & Ulysses cast as the title character’s mother, and doing the same thing for Disney Channel’s live action feature-length adaptation of Kim Possible. She also appeared on an episode of Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. – Disney+’s reboot of Harris’ aforementioned breakout show – and in a 2023 Comedy Central original movie Office Race.

Cristin Milioti (Tracy McConnell)

HIMYM’s main ensemble was a quintet for the first eight seasons, until Cristin Milioti was brought in as a series regular in the title role of “The Mother,” whom we would learn in the series finale was named Tracy McConnell. Shortly following this breakthrough casting, the actor appeared in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street cast as Jordan Belfort’s first wife and, following the series’ end, played the female lead of another romantic sitcom with a unique storytelling gimmick for NBC called A to Z, which was cancelled before it finished its first season.

Luckily, Milioti would have plenty more great opportunities coming her way, from appearing on Fargo Season 2, leading one of the best Black MIrror episodes (“U.S.S. Callister”), and falling in love with Andy Samberg over strange circumstances in one of the best movies on Hulu, Palm Springs, to name a few. While her sci-fi series Made for Love is nowhere to be found on Max anymore, she will be returning to the platform as Carmine Falcone’s daughter, Sofia, in the cast of The Penguin  – which paused production in November after she suffered a concussion on set, according to OK! As you wait for that upcoming DC TV show, you can see her comedic mystery thriller The Resort with a Peacock subscription.

No matter what feelings you may have about the series’ controversial conclusion, the cast has made the best How I Met Your Mother episodes worth revisiting and has made the show a beloved staple of sitcom iconography. The way their careers have evolved since is a testament as to why we welcomed them into our homes and hearts in the first place. Ted Mosby probably would have been super jealous of us since we got to find our true love with his show before he found it himself.

After playing Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Jake Johnson is headed back to network television. No, New Girl isn't getting a revival, but the former star will head back to network television for a new series alongside another television veteran turned movie star, Cobie Smulders. Johnson is set to co-star in the comic book adaptation of Stumptown, which is due to arrive on ABC in the fall.

As for how he'll be involved, Jake Johnson has been cast in the role of Grey McConnell. McConnell is the best friend of Cobie Smulders' Dex Parios, an Army veteran turned private investigator who often finds herself in front of some bad criminals. As for McConnell, TVLine reports he's a bar owner with a shady past and some unresolved feelings for Dex that they both need to work out. Johnson will be a series regular on Stumptown.

Jake Johnson's casting comes after the actor who was originally set to play Grey McConnell, Mark Webber, was dropped from the series. As mentioned, Johnson will join Cobie Smulders and the rest of a talented cast that includes Almost Human's Michael Ealy and The Practice's Camryn Manheim, just to name a few.

The interesting bit about Jake Johnson's latest role isn't that it's another comic book inspired role, but that he's once again playing a character caught in a romantic predicament. While we don't know how serious the feelings between them will be right out of the gate, it does appear there will be some sort of romantic storyline in which Stumptown viewers will wonder if the two will ever get together.

There's an assumption that Stumptown will have a romantic spin anyway, as Jake Johnson's casting has not been without controversy. Mark Webber took to Twitter in early May when he found out he was being recast and, as one may expect, he wasn't too happy. According to Webber, he lost the job due to executives thinking he wasn't handsome enough for the role.

Mark Webber later added that he had no ill will towards Cobie Smulders, Michael Ealy, or anyone other actor or crew working on Stumptown and wished them all success. Webber hasn't commented on Jake Johnson's casting at the time of writing, and judging from his lack of talking about it since then, one wouldn't expect him to.

The role in Stumptown is just the latest for Jake Johnson, who has been seeing a steady stream of Hollywood roles ever since his time on New Girl. He's bounced between the world of film and television quite skillfully since New Girl's ending, but could be on lockdown for any major roles in movies in the near future if Stumptown takes off at ABC. Until then, we can at least expect to see him in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse's sequel, right?

New Girl's Jake Johnson Told Us The Name Of Nick And Jess' Kid, And It's Kinda Perfect

Stumptown will arrive on ABC in the fall, and while an exact date isn't known, it's being said it will air at 10:00 p.m. ET. Stick with CinemaBlend for more details on its development, and more news in the world of film and television.

Cobie Smulders has been busy since How I Met Your Mother ended its run back in 2014. She starred in the now-cancelled Netflix series, Friends from College, and took her place in the MCU as Maria Hill. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Marvel movies alum has now landed a new TV show. Read on for what you can expect coming from Cobie Smulders on the small screen.

The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. vet will topline the television adaptation of writer Greg Rucka and illustrators Matthew Southworth and Justin Greenwood’s graphic novel series, Stumptown. ABC has given its second series order of the 2019-2020 season to the as-yet-to-be-titled television series, per Deadline. What is it about? Here is what you need to know.

Cobie Smulders will star in the lead role of army veteran-turned-private investigator, Dex Parios. Dex is described as “strong, assertive, and sharp-witted.” Sounds good so far! Having seen Smulders play a standout role in the Jack Reacher sequel, I think she is more than up to the task.

Now that we have Dex’s personality addressed, let’s move onto the other known aspects of her character. Dex’s love life is said to be “complicated.” Does that mean she is in an on-again-off-again relationship? Or is she in the middle of a love triangle? Stay tuned.

Dex has a gambling debt to contend with and a brother she needs to take care of in Portland, Oregon. So, no shortage of drama to drive a compelling story. Dex’s style sounds a bit reminiscent of another comic character.

That’s because her “unapologetic” way of getting things done does not make her an ally of the police. She is not described as a vigilante though, so that is a plus. Her take on things does put her in the path of “hardcore criminals.” Sounds like they may get more than they bargained for going opposite Dex.

The series marks Cobie Smulders’ first full-time return to network television following How I Met Your Mother. For nine years, nine seasons, and 208 episodes, Smulders starred as Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS sitcom. The show ended five years ago in 2014.

Now she is heading back to another network with a totally different show. Cobie Smulders has a history with ABC. She reprised her role as Maria Hill for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a time. As for the cast of her new action series, here's who will join her in front of the camera.

Cobie Smulders will star opposite Being Mary Jane’s Michael Ealy. He will take on the role of Detective Miles Hoffman. Also starring in the police realm will be The Practice’s Camryn Manheim. She will play Lieutenant Cosgrove.

Cole Sibus plays Ansel Parios. Outlander’s Tantoo Cardinal stars as Sue Lynn Blackbird. Actor Adrian Martinez of The Blacklist spinoff The Blacklist: Redemption rounds out that cast as Tookie.

This sounds like an intriguing premise and an excellent vehicle for Cobie Smulders. As I mentioned earlier, she really impressed in the Jack Reacher sequel and has always been a scene stealer in the MCU as Maria Hill. It is time that she stepped front and center as the star of her own drama.

The show also sounds edgy. It will be interesting for viewers to see how network television handles it. Jason Richman created the series and will executive produce it, alongside Ruben Fleischer and David Bernard. There is no word on when Cobie Smulders’ new series will premiere on ABC, so stay tuned.

It's a super exciting time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The overarching story as we know it will come to a close with Avengers: Endgame, picking up the narrative after Infinity War's devastating ending. While all eyes are on how the surviving Avengers will reverse Thanos' snap, the first glimpse of Phase Four has recently arrived with the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Peter Parker might have faded to dust in front of Tony's eyes, but that doesn't mean we won't see more of the web slinger on the silver screen. Without explaining how, the Far From Home trailer showed Spidey's second silver screen adventure, and the inclusion of Nick Fury. Cobie Smulders will also be playing Maria Hill for her fifth movie appearance, and the How I Met Your Mother alum wants you to know she was in the trailer, too. Check it out.

And just like that, another moment from the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer has been decoded. While most eyes are drawn to the villainous (and massive) Sandman that is shown in this shot, you can also see the back of Nick Fury and Maria Hill taking in all the chaos. Good thing S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the job.

Cobie Smulder's Instagram post shows what a sense of humor the actress has, as well as her enthusiasm for Maria Hill's upcoming role in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Hill and Nick Fury have been noticeably absent during Phase Three of the MCU, absent from the crossover heavy action of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. It wasn't until the mid-credits scene that the duo popped up in the latter film, before promptly being turned to dust thanks to Thanos' finger snap aka The Decimation.

But Maria Hill and Nick Fury will both somehow be back for Far From Home, despite their horrifying fate after Thanos' victory. While Peter Parker may have officially become an Avenger, he still needs some guidance from the more experienced Marvel character. And no one has a longer history with superheroics than Nick Fury-- just ask Captain Marvel.

Maria Hill's time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes back to 2012's The Avengers. She's often seen at the side of Nick Fury, which is also exactly where she's briefly visible in the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home. She consistently support's Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and has been involved in some of the biggest action sequences in MCU history. This includes the Battle of New York, Battle of Sokovia, as well as HYDRA's emergence from within S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: Winter Soldier.

It'll be fascinating to see how Maria Hill continues to have a presence in the MCU, and how/if she is resurrected alongside Peter Parker and Nick Fury. Luckily, the answers are coming soon enough.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will arrive in theaters on July 5, 2019, and Avengers: Endgame will come first on April 26th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trips to the movies.

One of the most important jobs of any actor involved in a popular franchise is not talking about what they're working on. It's got to be difficult to walk around with those big secrets and not spill anything while also doing all the media that these movies entail. It turns out, that some of them do end up revealing those sweet, sweet spoilers when they're not supposed to. Taran Killam is married to Cobie Smulders who plays Maria Hill in the MCU, and while her role in Avengers: Infinity War wasn't very big, knowing what happens to her reveals a great deal about the end of the movie, and she told her husband exactly what happened. According to Killam...

So Cobie Smulders told her husband what happened to her character in her one scene, though apparently without the actual context of what came before. Taran Killam is clearly a fan and so he almost certainly had at least a basic familiarity with Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, so figuring out what the vanishing meant might not have been that tough a leap, though certainly there's no guarantee that the disappearing wasn't caused by some other source, so the exact circumstances were apparently still up in the air based on what he told the Fandom Files Podcast (via SyFy Wire).

On the plus side, while Cobie Smulders gave up some spoilers to her husband, he was able to keep his mouth shut so that nobody even knew that he knew until long after the film's release. On the flipside, you have somebody like Tom Holland, who has become as well known for his giving up spoilers as he has for playing Spider-Man. He tends to make his comments directly in interviews for the world to hear. It's certainly never intentional, but it's hard to talk in circles without letting little details slip out. It's probably also difficult to live with somebody without being able to talk about your work. It's honestly surprising that Smulders made it this far without giving her husband details before.

It's unclear if Taran Killiam has been told what happens Avengers 4. We probably won't actually know until after that movie comes out on Blu-ray.

Despite a slew of recent cancellations, Netflix has begun releasing even more original content. And the latest series from the streaming service is Friends From College, a dramedy with an all-star cast of actors, who portray a less than charming group of former collegiate confidantes. Picking up on the titular friends in their thirties, the series shows that age doesn't always come with wisdom, and how your "friends forever" sometimes need to be just the opposite.

The new series was created by British-American filmmaker Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, The Muppets) and writer/actress Francesca Delbanco, who both serve as the main writers as well. Friends From College revolves around a group of friends in New York City. Falling on some hard times, married couple Ethan and Lisa Turner (Keegan-Michael Key and Cobie Smulders, respectively), crash on a friend's couch and attempt to reintegrate themselves into their group of friends from college. And while the group clearly loves and supports each other, they often revert back to their childish selves around each other, and end up screwing up whatever situation they're in.

And while the concept for the series may seem exclusively light and frothy, there are some high stakes involved that help move the show's narrative forward. Ethan has actually been having an affair with another member of the group, Sam (The Following's Annie Parisse), and now that the Turners are back in New York, their years long tryst is even more complicated. Additionally, Ethan and Lisa are also attempting to get pregnant and land new jobs, adding more pressures and very real stakes to the equation.

Perhaps the show's strongest suit is its fantastic ensemble cast, chock full of names and actors that you'll likely be familiar with. Keegan-Michael Key has continued his transition from Comedy Central comedian to a bonafide actor, brings an almost manic energy to his portrayal Ethan. And just a few years after the finale of How I Met Your Mother, it's a joy to see Cobie Smulders return to the small screen, and able to finally curse. Rounding out the cast is Fred Savage as Max, who has made his official acting comeback following the cancellation of Fox's The Grinder. Additionally, Difficult People and Billy on the Street actor Billy Eichner plays Savage's boyfriend Felix in the series, because his schedule just wasn't packed enough as it is.

While the actors all give strong performances, it's going to be easy for audiences to grow tired of Friends From College. Every episodes sees various characters starting off with the best intentions, before the inevitably mess things up for themselves. For instance, one episode sees Ethan and Lisa going through the process of IVF, only to nearly ruin it all on the night before surgery. What results in an episode where the couple runs around New York to get the medicine and supplies they need, all while screaming at each other mercilessly. And when they realize that the entire group has forgotten Fred Savage character Max's birthday, they don't seem to actually care or feel bad about it. And Fred is all to happy being a doormat for them in that moment.

In order to properly enjoy Friends From College, you're going to have to embrace the suck. These characters are going to continue to disappoint you and mess up, so expecting them to do anything else will just drive you bonkers. But if you can trust that the show, actors, writers, and the like are self-aware about how flawed the group of friends are, then you might be able to relax and enjoy the ride. The dialogue feels almost improvisational for how live and real it is, which makes for some really great moments by the cast. They're each able to sell their characters' flaws, and the overall chemistry with the main ensemble is pretty unbelievable.

But I suspect that most critics will take umbrage with how unlikable the friends from college are, a criticism that I'm sure some audiences will agree with. Much like the feedback for HBO's Girls, there are plenty of people out there who simply do not long to watch a group of selfish and flawed characters make mistake after mistake for 30 minutes at a time. The previously mentioned episode revolving around IVF certainly gave me a fair amount of anxiety, but as a diehard fan of shows like Girls, this isn't a situation that is new to me. And the performances and cast were so impressive that I was eager to start a new episode after each one ended. That isn't to say that the show is perfect, but that being cognizant of the characters' flaws will make it an overall much more enjoyable ride.

I'm eager to see how the overall reception for Friends From College is. While it previously seemed like Netflix shows were almost always renewed, the streaming service has been all to eager to give some of its shows the axe. And aside from its expensive cancellations like The Get Down and Sense8, it also ended up trimming the fat with quirky comedy Girlboss. But perhaps the star power associated with Friends From College will save it from this fate, allowing the showrunners to craft stories that are a bit more likable for Season 2.

The first season of Friends With College is currently streaming on Netflix.

When actors are apart of a massively popular and long running series, they can often be defined by that character. The cast of Friends will always be associated with their portrayals, despite the show being off the air for so many years. And for Cobie Smulders, she'll likely always be loved as Robin from How I Met Your Mother. But Smulders has a new TV gig, as a series regular in the upcoming Netflix comedy Friends from College. Taking on another series TV role was likely a big decision for her, and I got the chance to ask her why she chose the raunchy and hilarious series as her next big project.

I had the chance to speak with Cobie Smulders at Netflix's Press Junket in New York. It's here where she revealed that she wanted to challenge herself, and that Friends from College did just that. She said,

Robin Sparkles out. Cobie Smulders seems to understand how significant HIMYM is, but wants to make sure she continues to become a better actress. Now that's class.

On paper, Friends From College actually doesn't sound that dissimilar to How I Met Your Mother. The comedy follows a group of buddies who tend to drink a lot and make mistakes. But the series isn't a network sitcom, and can therefore go much further in regards to outrageous situations, sex scenes, cursing, and the like.

Friends From College also has a ton of high stakes drama woven into the show's narrative. Cobie Smulder's husband (played by the delightful Keegan-Michael Kelly) has actually been having an affair with another member of the friend group for the past 20 years. And while the titular friends love and care for each other, they tend to have a negative affect on each other, and things quickly spiral out of control. So while both of Smulder's TV roles focused on a group of buddies and their misadventures, the shows (and her parts) are actually vastly different.

While it's great to see Cobie Smulder back on the small screen, I have to wonder when we'll see her reprise her role as Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just about every character is assembling for Avengers: Infinity War, so I have to assume that she'll be back for that installment. But who knows?

Friends from College will be released in its entirety July 14, 2017 on Netflix.

Like it or not, we all will eventually get older. We age, we grow, we evolve, all while weaving in and out of social circles. Friendships forged in the fires of college can last for years, but that doesn't mean that they will look or feel the same as everyone hits their 40s. This is the subject matter that Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco's Friends from College takes aim at, and a brand new trailer for the upcoming Netflix series is equal parts vulgar, hilarious, and Cobie Smulder-ful. Check it out below to see the gut-busting insanity for yourself.

Friends from College doesn't necessarily feel like it breaks the mold when it comes to the comedy premise of old friends reuniting, but that doesn't make it any less promising. The upcoming Netflix series levels its sights on a group of former Harvard classmates who have gone on to experience varying degrees of personal and professional success in the years since their college glory days. Along the way, they're forced to confront the realities that have come with the years that have passed them by, namely the fact that some of them have changed since college, while some haven't changed at all.

Again, none of that is particularly groundbreaking, but the sheer skill of execution on display in this trailer alone lends the sense that Friends from College could quickly become one of the shows to look out for this summer. Beyond How I Met Your Mother vet Cobie Smulders, Friends from College has also enlisted the acting chops of Keegan-Michael Key, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, Fred Savage, and Jae Suh Park. As far as cast lists go, it's a "who's who," and they're taking on razor-sharp writing with an emotional throughline that makes the bizarre antics of these characters understandable -- and possibly even relatable.

Within this particular trailer, the standout performance definitely comes from Cobie Smulders, who makes a glorious return to comedy after spending several years cutting her teeth in the action genre with projects like Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. You have to give her credit; she delivers F-bombs with delightful intensity, which we never would have seen on a network sitcom.

One of the interesting things to note about Friends from College is that it seems to represent another strong addition in a recent line of auteur-esque Netflix comedies. Building off of a foundation laid by Tina Fey's newly renewed Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, David Wain's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and Aziz Ansari's Master of None, Friends from College is the brainchild of Neighbors' Nick Stoller and liberally applies the director's trademark comedic sensibilities. Netflix is known for taking a relatively hands-off approach with its creators, and it has paid off in the creation of this new project.

Friends from College will debut on Netflix later this summer on Friday, July 14. However, there are plenty more excellent shows set to debut within the next few months, so make sure to take a gander at our comprehensive summer premiere guide and get your TV-viewing schedules filled out accordingly!

Cobie Smulders made a name for herself on the small screen thanks to nine seasons as Robin Scherbatsky on How I Met Your Mother, which ended in 2014. She's spent most of her time in the years since with big screen projects like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Now, she's heading back to TV with a new role that could be perfect, as she will star in Netflix's upcoming comedy Friends from College along with a bunch of other funny faces.

Friends from College will follow the lives of a group of friends who met at Harvard in days long gone by. They're approaching their forties, and they will start looking back at their lives to judge all that they have and have not accomplished. No two friends have achieved the same levels of domestic or professional success. The vestiges of their youthful shenanigans still affect their lives, and they'll have to find a way to enjoy nostalgia together without losing sight of their lives as adults nowadays.

Cobie Smulders is one of six stars of the new series. She'll be joined by Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peele, Annie Parisse of the now-cancelled Vinyl, Nat Faxon of Married fame, Fred Savage of the short-lived Fox sitcom The Grinder, and Jae Suh Park of The Mindy Project. At 34-years old, Smulders is a few years shy of her character's age. She has certainly had the most success on the small screen to date after nearly a decade of work on How I Met Your Mother; it should be interesting to see how she does with a whole new ensemble on a service that also likes keeping shows around for years.

Friends from College will be Cobie Smulders' major return to comedy. Her biggest role since the end of How I Met Your Mother was the recurring Marvel character of Maria Hill, whom Smulders has played in three films as well as three episodes of ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Her other movie roles have almost exclusively been in dramas or action adventure projects, and she's been mostly absent from TV aside from S.H.I.E.L.D. Hopefully Friends from College will be the right vehicle to reintroduce her to the TV comedy circuit.

Fortunately, the team behind Friends from College knows comedy. Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco will executive produce and write the series, with Stoller directing all eight episodes of the first season. Nick Stoller has worked on film projects like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Muppets Most Wanted, and Neighbors, and his small screen credits include the hilarious (if sadly short-lived) sitcom Undeclared and NBC's The Carmichael Show. He also executive produced The Grinder, which likely contributed to the casting of Fred Savage for Friends from College. Francesca Delbanco is a writer who has published two books of fiction and happens to be married to Stoller. Both attended Harvard, so we should at least expect accuracy about how the Friends friends' time at the university is presented.

There's no news just yet of when we will get to see Friends with College on Netflix. Be sure to check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch in the meantime.

Even though Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is still currently wowing moviegoers across the world, it looks as though Tom Cruise isn’t going to return as Ethan Hunt immediately. He'll reprise that role before too long, but first Cruise wants to make a sequel to another action film that he made with director Christopher McQuarrie: Jack Reacher. The follow-up looks like it has made a huge leap forward, as it has reportedly acquired its female lead in the shape of Cobie Smulders. 

The Wrap reports that The Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and How I Met Your Mother actress is now in early discussions to star in Jack Reacher 2, which is scheduled to start filming this November. But rather than holding these talks with the writer and director of the original, Christopher McQuarrie, she chatted with Ed Zwick, who has replaced the Academy Award-winning writer and is now overseeing the film. 

Like with his work in the Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise has once again decided to mix up the female leads with the franchise, and if Smulders does agree to feature then she will replace Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike as the primary female character. 

It would be quite surprising if Smulders rejected the opportunity to star in Jack Reacher 2. Over the last few years the Canadian actress has forged quite the impressive cinematic resume. After starring in How I Met Your Mother as Robin Scherbatsky for the shows entire nine-season run, Smulders came to the mainstream public consciousness with her debut as Maria Hill in 2012’s The Avengers. 

She’s since followed this up with performances in Safe Haven, Delivery Man, The Lego Movie, The Came Together, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Unexpected, and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, each of which she has ever so slightly elevated with her presence. Appearing in Jack Reacher 2 would be a tremendous boost for Smulders, and, if it proved to be successful, it could propel her up the Hollywood echelon. Plus, starring opposite Tom Cruise is surely too good a chance to turn down. 

Over the last few years, the 53-year-old Cruise has shown that he’s constantly striving to take the action genre to new highs, something that he achieved with glee with Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is still in cinemas, and if you’ve not seen Jack Reacher then you should do yourself a favour and watch it. Then, just for fun, you should follow it up with Edge of Tomorrow. Because it’s ace. Jack Reacher

Being part of a comic franchise isn't for everyone. While some might be comfortable with a contract that spans several pictures, as well as crosses media boundaries into other tie-ins, others aren't so thrilled about being part of the comic world. For every Hugo Weaving, there's a Samuel L. Jackson, and Cobie Smulders definitely falls into the Jackson camp, as she's a fan of being a part of the Marvel Universe.

While promoting her new film, Unexpected, Smulders sat down with The Daily Beast to discuss everything from how her recent pregnancy helped with her role as a pregnant teacher to her life after the end of the smash hit show How I Met Your Mother. But, as always, if you're in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you're going to be asked about what life is like inside of the frames inspired by the page.

More specifically, the question of job security via her recurring gig as Maria Hill had come up, and Smulders exhibited her enthusiasm as follows:

To date, Cobie Smulders has been in three Marvel films, as well as three episodes of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., and there's plenty of room for her to continue popping up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Naturally, the most expected time for her to re-surface is during next year's Captain America: Civil War, as S.H.I.E.L.D's remnants will more than likely take part in the conflict between pro and anti registration forces. Of course, in true MCU fashion, Smulders was sworn to secrecy and could not provide any details about her possible involvement.

The fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been the first comic book universe to try and maintain continuity of performance as much as it can between films and tie in products is a sight to behold. Like Smulders pointed out, once you sign that contract you could find yourself voicing a Lego character, showing up on TV a couple weeks in a guest spot, and then opening a motion picture... all in the same week. Of course, this isn't the same across the board with other properties – DC Comics in particular. While they'll use the same characters across numerous platforms, who ends up playing them and whether they can be used in one medium or not is up for debate.

Here's hoping that the MCU gives us some more Maria Hill action in the near future, but in the meantime you can see Cobie Smulders in Unexpected, which is currently in limited release, while Captain America: Civil War fights the good fight on May 6, 2016.

The tinfoil-hat-inspiring intrigue that was Lost has now been wrapped for over five years. Yet, in some interesting food for thought, it seems that the fate of the popular sci-fi/mystery series was oddly tied with the long-running sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. Cobie Smulders, who went on to star in HIMYM, claims she was close to landing the role of Lost’s wayward convict-turned-island-survivor, Kate Austen.

Speaking to E!, Smulders discussed a connection with fellow Canadian, Evangeline Lilly, who landed the career-altering role of Kate on Lost. However, it seems that both actresses were up for the key role. According to Smulders:

There was an especially ironic element to this story, as it saw then up-and-coming actress Smulders lose out this critical dramatic part to Evangeline Lilly, a model with a resume consisting of only a handful of uncredited walk-ons. It seems that a friendship had bloomed between the two based on Canuck kinship when Lilly first arrived in L.A. Smulders showed her around town and even provided her with a place to stay for a time. Yet, with that bit of beneficence, she may have cost herself the critical role of Kate on Lost. Sure, there’s probably a level of levity in the situation, seeing as things more than worked out for Smulders, but the story is hardly a parable for Good Samaritanism.

Interestingly enough, the coincidences seem only to continue regarding each actresses’ individual roads to their success. Smulders parlayed her HIMYM fame with her notable role as the ingenious, ass-kicking agent Maria Hill in the ultra-lucrative Marvel Cinematic Universe films like The Avengers and sporadically on the television offshoot, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Coincidentally, Lilly, like Smulders, will soon be part of the MCU when she plays Hope Van Dyne in this summer’s Ant-Man.

Thus, it seems that one fateful audition over a decade ago over a role in what would become one of the 2000's most popular series would ultimately send two connected Canadian actresses on the divergent paths that could ultimately lead to a unification of some sort on the big screen. At least, that all depends on what the events of Ant-Man have in store for Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne character.

It’s difficult to say how a potential run by Cobie Smulders as Kate would have affected the lead dynamics on Lost. The love triangle between Kate, Matthew Fox’s moody doctor Jack Shephard and Josh Holloway’s roguish reprobate Sawyer that proved so central to the show required a version of Kate that was both powerfully willful, yet susceptible to ill-advised flights of fancy. Whether Lilly was successful in pulling off that dynamic remains a debate for the ages. Whether Smulders would have been able to pull that off will likewise remain a mystery. Now, do we dare imagine a scenario with Evangeline Lilly as Robin on HIMYM?

Typically, one of the top credentials for starring in an action film is building up big muscles - and the male stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are certainly no exception. But if presented with a photograph, could the various members of The Avengers identify not only their biceps, but those of their teammates? Watch the video below and find out.

It was MTV that crafted this little game to play during the Avengers: Age of Ultron press junket, and the results are a bit mixed. While some of the actors playing - including Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson - were able to correctly identify whose arms belong to whom, most of the answers given over the course of this video are way off base.

At the same time, however, one can perhaps understand a bit of the confusion that the various Marvel superheroes experience over the course of this video. After all, can you honestly say that you thought this was Robert Downey Jr. and not Chris Hemsworth? (Chris Evans was certainly shocked).

By that same token, I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that this was the God of Thunder. Presumably this was taken during an off-season from shooting performances as Thor, but evidently it is at least somewhat identifiable by the pointed elbow

Some photos made it more of a challenge than others, but - with no offense intended towards Mark Ruffalo - it was pretty clear from the purple shirt and the arm hair who that final arm belonged to. At least he gets to show off on the big screen with the biggest muscles of them all.

All of those bulky superheroes and more will be in theaters this weekend, and screenings of Joss Whedon's The Avengers: Age of Ultron have already begun nationwide.

Ever since she was introduced in 2012, Maria Hill, played by How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders, has become one of the most high-profile S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans will be seeing her next month in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but we’ve now learned that we’ll be seeing Hill on the small screen when she stops by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

While plugging Avengers: Age of Ultron, Smulders revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that she’ll be appearing in an upcoming episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She didn’t elaborate on whether her return will take place before or after Avengers: Age of Ultron, but with only three episodes left before the two-hour season finale on May 12, we can expect to see her in the coming weeks. Smolder also reiterated that her character serves to link the TV series and the movies together, so it’s possible that she may serve as one of the connective threads between Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Although she is frequently mentioned, so far Maria Hill’s only two appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have been in the pilot and the Season 1 penultimate episode “Nothing Personal.” In the show’s first episode, she assigned Agent Grant Ward to Phil Coulson’s new team (boy, did that turn out to be a mistake) and was aware of how Coulson had been revived from the dead. “Nothing Personal” followed up with Hill after S.H.I.E.L.D.’s collapse in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Now working for Tony Stark so she would be legally protected, she tried to convince Coulson to hand over S.H.I.E.L.D. intel to the U.S. government so they wouldn’t be sent to prison, pointing out the organization was essentially dead.

Given that the preview attached to this week’s episode hinted that future episodes will be tied to Avengers: Age of Ultron, my guess is that Hill will be showing up in either next week’s episode “The Frenemy of My Enemy” or the following one “The Dirty Half Dozen.” Somehow she’ll get drawn into a mission or operation with S.H.I.E.L.D. (be it our S.H.I.E.L.D. or Robert Gonzales’ organization), willingly or unwillingly. Then once she’s finished her dealings with Coulson and the rest of the team, we will follow up with her in Avengers: Age of Ultron, working with the heroes to defeat the titular villain.

You can check out the full Maria Hill excerpt from Smulders’ Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance below.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Who could have guessed that, when 21 Jump Street hit theaters a couple of years ago, the comic highlight would be Channing Tatum? The leading man was, at the time, Hollywood's next big thing, but no one knew exactly what kind of performer we had on our hands. Now, with a couple of years to look back, and with 22 Jump Street reaching theaters, we realize we've had an ace comedic performer in our midst.

Hollywood is filled with actors who definitely have a funny bone, but just no opportunity to show it. Sometimes it's typecasting. Sometimes it's the very fact that comedy is very hard. Sometimes it's the overwhelming, deadly-serious genre pictures coming out of the industry every week. Whatever the case, here are a dozen actors that we thought could benefit from a lead comedic role, something silly and lightweight to diversify their careers and show their fans that sometimes, being a movie star means just having a good time.

Hugh Jackman

Has there ever been such a divide between who an actor is onscreen and off? In movies, Jackman is the tortured loner Wolverine, the morally-conflicted Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and the haunted suburban dad Keller Dover in Prisoners. And offscreen, Jackman is a singing, dancing master of ceremonies, a jovial spirit who seems to always be having a good time. Jackman was actually a fine Woody Allen leading man in Scoop eight years ago, and brought a slight daring streak to the first sketch of the execrable Movie 43, right before that movie headed over a cliff. Surely there's something out there for the most likable guy in Hollywood.

Forest Whitaker

Whitaker is a Hollywood lifer who nonetheless seems like the saddest and most serious guy in every movie. Sometimes you want to reach out and give him a hug. And sometimes you want to just cower in fear. The common thread in those performances is Whitaker's intensity, which audiences usually experience in a wide range of films four or five times a year. Why not change it up a little bit, do something weird? Whitaker isn't always a leading man, but it's hard to say he wouldn't generate laughs popping up in a supporting role in some spoof comedy. One look at Whitaker just proves that the guy loves to work, so a little bit of diversity wouldn't kill him.

Lupita Nyong'o

Nyong'o stole Hollywood's heart during the Oscars when she not only took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but when she gave the best speech of the night. Fortunately, her screen persona is undefined as of yet, though she'll pop up in Star Wars Episode VII. Now is the time to see her and her immaculate smile in something lightweight and charming. If Hollywood can give Paula Patton a Baggage Claim, SOMEONE can get Lupita a fun, jokey script. Buddy comedy with Jennifer Lawrence? Anyone?

Tom Cruise

To us, Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder was a breakthrough for Tom Cruise, a late-career comedic powerhouse from a man previously known as the world's most humorless star. Since then, plans for a Grossman movie and a Ben Stiller teamup called The Hardy Men have both stalled, leading to Cruise continuing to play the usual unstoppable alpha male action hero to diminishing returns. Now with Edge Of Tomorrow underwhelming at the box office, it's the perfect time for Cruise to play a genuine loser, one without a force of personality. What if Cruise channeled that intensity into a beta male role? In movies like Knight And Day, he has shown that he's more than willing to send up his image. He just needs the material.

Russell Crowe

Oh Russ, why the stern face? Audiences this year caught Crowe as a scowling villain in Winter's Tale and as the world's scariest fundamentalist in Noah. For OUR sake, maybe he should do something funny. Crowe's self-seriousness has become something of a parody, but one look at his Twitter account shows an acerbic deadpan personality. Crowe's going to start aging soon, and now's the time to poke fun at himself as a respectable macho leading man before he moves into his grandpa years.

Chris Hemsworth

Out of all the Avengers, Chris Hemsworth is the one who just hasn't gotten a single chance to be really funny outside of superheroes. And yet, Thor is the most clearly comic out of all of them: a Norse god in a red cape walking amongst mortals, totally oblivious to his absolute power. Hemsworth plays the lighthearted fish-out-of-water stuff pretty well, with a slight wink and a nod to the absolute ridiculousness of the premise. While Daniel Bruhl earned awards attention for Rush, Hemsworth was just as good, playing another handsome golden god with swagger that almost feels three dimensional coming off the screen. That sort of charisma is sure to make Hemsworth a huge star outside of Marvel, but it should also help him translate to sillier, more humorous fare: Hemsworth as a stud in a romantic comedy who learns from his hubris is the sort of script that writes itself.

Patrick Stewart

Stewart isn't onscreen much, mostly doing stage work and chipping in with random voice work on Seth MacFarlane shows. But the general public still only thinks of Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier or Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Of course, they're missing out. Did you see him on Extras? It's priceless. Stewart knows full well how his own voice gives the impression of ultimate authority, and how that sort of thing can be mocked and ridiculed. Stewart's in an upcoming indie, Match, a drama where he gets to reveal a soft comedic side as well. But the guy's clearly got a funny bone, so why not let him be overly silly? And can he invite Sir Ian McKellen?

Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton is TERRIFYING. And, more importantly, she's heard all your jokes about her possible immortality, her resemblance to David Bowie, her ethereal beauty. It almost feels like her performance in Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is a snarky play on that persona. But she's more than just a personality, as evidenced by her Oscar win for Michael Clayton. Swinton has a do-it-all sense of daring that would make her boldly leap into any situation with a prankish glee. Adding a sense of mischief to characters in films like Burn After Reading and Snowpiercer is one thing. But allowing yourself to be the butt of a joke is another, and Swinton is totally up for it.

Denzel Washington

Denzel has got that legendary smile and that GREAT laugh, and yet, we only see him use it in pitch-black dramas. He's funny as an unwitting cop in Inside Man, and humorously shady in 2 Guns, but he hasn't made any out-and-out comedies since the eighties. Maybe Washington should re-team with Spike Lee for one of his shambling late-career comedies, where he's the comic tough dad on the block. Or maybe Hollywood can finally get him in a sweet romantic comedy where he plays a stubborn widower who meets someone new. Denzel's one of the industry's best actors, there's got to be a way to use that skill set.

Sean Penn

It's nice to see, as Sean Penn has evolved into the most self-serious screen persona one could imagine, that he's stretching himself by playing an action hero in The Gunman. It's good that Penn hit the gym and is going to try the type of movies he mocked Nicolas Cage for doing, once upon a time. But what about Spicoli? Why are we acting like Jeff Spicoli, the stoner icon from Fast Times At Ridgemont High, never happened? Penn's got the comic timing that could pull off something silly, maybe with the Farrelly Brothers, and nobody's desire to mock their own image should be stronger than Penn's, slowly cultivating a silly Most Interesting Man persona without really realizing how dorky it looks on him. He's got a ton of funny friends in the industry, and a horrible public image problem. Those buddies should hook him up.

Benicio Del Toro

He's got the Oscar, he's considered one of the best actors in the industry... why not let loose a little and show the world your hilarious side? Del Toro is always the best thing about every movie he's in, and he can be very funny, as parts in stuff like The Way Of The Gun and Snatch can attest to. He'll show up next in Guardians Of The Galaxy, playing the wacko supervillain The Collector, a role that may allow him the chance to indulge his inner comic ham (possibly with a slight Flash Gordon influence) so the desire to deflate his intense screen persona is certainly there. We wouldn't complain if Del Toro just played cops, killers and maniacs for the rest of his life, but he's shown he can be a real funny dude. Let's see it.

Cobie Smulders

The one member of the How I Met Your Mother crew that seemingly has been completely handcuffed by her career outside the show. Despite being the comic equal to the rest of the cast, Smulders instead is locked in as stern taskmaster Maria Hill in Marvel's superhero universe, while playing the "straight guy" in lame comedies like Delivery Man and The Slammin' Salmon. She's absolutely gorgeous, with a fanbase and timing derived from an extremely long-running sitcom: couldn't there be some silly role Hollywood can find for her? She shows up in David Wain's They Came Together this summer (with Michael Shannon, who also needs a lighter role), but she's deserving of a comic lead, something that shows her she's not doomed to play Generic Girlfriend roles in between Maria Hill appearances.

At this point, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has the potential to get really good, especially as it relates to its tie-ins with the bigger Marvel picture. Last night's episode was evidence of that, and the announcement that Cobie Smulders is set to return to the series as Agent Maria Hill is an indication that the latest uprising isn't the only connection we'll be seeing to the Marvel films.

TVLine reports that Smulders is set to appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in the April 29 episode of the series. She's also going to be back on the show to play "a large role in the May sweeps episode." The site goes on to say that "those who have clamored for a Coulson/Hill team-up will get it" and we should expect some serious action. Presumably, the thrills-kind.

Smulders appeared in the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot, so her upcoming appearances isn't the debut of Maria Hill in the ABC drama, but after the events of last night's episode and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it feels like a much bigger deal.

SPOILER ALERT

Here's where I get into spoiler talk about Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so if you haven't seen the movie, consider yourself very spoiler warned from this point forward!

Maria Hill popped up a couple of times in Winter Soldier, mainly involved in Nick Fury's part of the story. And right now, Coulson and his team think Fury has been killed by the Hydra people. We know otherwise. TVLine's article reminds us that Samuel L. Jackson is set to appear on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the finale on May 13, but I'm assuming Coulson will have an update on Fury's situation by then, unless for some reason Hill doesn't fill him in during one of her appearances.

When we last saw Hill in Winter Soldier, it was looking like she was preparing to join up with Tony Stark's company. I suppose if she's looking for a place where she'd be with people she trusts and could apply her skills somewhere useful, that might be the place to do it. Or maybe Fury wants her there to keep an eye on things and make sure Hydra hasn't worked its way into Stark Industries. That would be pretty devastating, given the weapon access that place has.

Which brings us around to the S.H.I.E.L.D. speculation. We can assume that Hill's arrival will tie in with this Hydra mess, but might it also tie in to Stark Industries somehow? Because if S.H.I.E.L.D. were looking for a way to lure in as many Marvel fans as possible, teasing an episode that involves Tony Stark/Iron Man or even something related to that -- because I don't even want to get too optimistic that Tony Stark himself would drop in for a surprise appearance -- might do the trick.

It may be too optimistic to hope that Hill's involvement in the episode is linked to Stark Industries as opposed to just* Nick Fury, but hopefully not.

*Nick Fury is awesome. But the Stark Industries tie-in might give us a bigger clue as to why Hill was there at the end of Winter Soldier, which would be a great follow-up.

In the meantime, despite the massive box office haul Captain America: The Winter Soldier took in, popularity of the film didn't translate to better ratings for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Deadline says the series hit a new low, dropping 15% among adults 18-49 from last Tuesday's episode to this week's. I'm wondering if that's an issue of people avoiding the episode because they haven't seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier yet, or if the movie's game-changing plot simply wasn't enough to get people to tune in to see how the dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. would affect a series literally titled after that very organization.

Either way, it's disappointing. Last night's episode was awesome. But ABC will be re-airing it next Tuesday night during S.H.I.E.L.D.'s usual 8:00 p.m. timeslot, after which they'll air "Providence" at 9:00 p.m. Et. Watch the preview here.

While remakes are extremely common in Hollywood nowadays – much to the chagrin of many movie-goers – the origin of the new comedy Delivery Man is a strange one. Back in 2011, writer/director Ken Scott helmed the French Canadian hit Starbuck, but when it came time to craft the English language re-do it was decided that Scott was the only man for the job. This is what led Scott to remake his own film step by step, and hire a great trio of actors to star.

A remake of Scott’s 2011 film Starbuck, Delivery Man tells the story of David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn), a likable but irresponsible ordinary guy who works for his family’s butcher shop. His life takes a sharp left turn, however, when he is hit by some double whammy news. Partnered with the announcement that his girlfriend, Emma (Cobie Smulders), has accidentally become pregnant, David discovers that he is actually the genetic father of 533 children - due to an extreme number of donations to a fertility clinic when he was younger. To make matters worse, 142 of "his kids" have filed a class action lawsuit trying to get David to reveal his identity. Initially he plans to fight the case with the help of his best friend and lawyer, Brett (Chris Pratt), but as he begins to learn more about his offspring he starts to contemplate telling the truth.

The film’s three stars recently gathered for a gathered for a press event in Beverly Hills, California where I had the pleasure of talking to all three about their roles in the film. Watch the videos below to learn about Vaughn’s approach to a very different kind of character; Pratt’s fun ride gaining weight for the role, and Smulder’s thoughts on her career post-How I Met Your Mother.

Vince Vaughn

Chris Pratt

Cobie Smulders

Delivery Man arrives in theaters tomorrow, November 22nd, and to see stills, posters and the film’s trailer be sure to head over to our Blend Film Database.

Is it September 24 yet? Not even close. But the premiere of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is inching closer day by day. Those in attendance of the ABC series' Comic-Con panel got to see the pilot episode. The rest of us will have to be satisfied by the bundle of photos ABC released for the series, some of which give us a look at some very exciting guest stars. That's as vague as I'm going to be, so if you're trying to avoid details about Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. series, stop reading now!

In addition to the excellent behind-the-scenes photo of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producers Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Joss Whedon and Jeffrey Bell, ABC revealed photos that show us guest stars J. August Richards (Angel) with SHIELD star Clark Gregg…

And a look at Cobie Smulders, who appeared in The Avengers and has returned to Agent Coulson's side for the SHIELD pilot…

And Firefly's Ron Glass, who also appears in the pilot.

There's definitely a recurring theme here, when we look at some of the guest stars who've previously appeared in Joss Whedon projects, with Smulders having appeared in Avengers, Richards best known for his role as Charles Gunn in Angel and Ron Glass beloved for playing Shepherd Book in Firefly and Serenity. But much of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast is comprised of newcomers to the Whedonverse. The series stars Brett Dalton, Elizabeth Henstridge, Iain De Caestecker and Ming-Na Wen, in addition to Gregg, who's the biggest on-screen link between The Avengers and this series. SHIELD takes place after the events of The Avengers, just after the battle of New York. With the existence of super heroes and aliens now public knowledge, the world is trying to deal with the reality of it all. And S.H.I.E.L.D. is busy trying to protect the ordinary from the extraordinary.

Below are the rest of the photos ABC released, some of which are behind-the-scenes looks and others appear to be stills from the series. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres Tuesday, September 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: © ABC

Cobie Smulders is already Agent Maria Hill in the Marvel universe, and now she gets to be Wonder Woman! OK, technically she's only Wonder Woman in Lego form, as she's been added to the upcoming The Lego Movie, which broke the news during their Comic-Con panel today. She's not alone, either-- Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are on board as well, with Tatum voicing Superman (of course) and Hill jumping in as the Green Lantern. Again, entirely in Lego form.

Coming from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street directors Chris Miler and Phil Lord, The Lego Movie was already looking a whole lot more surprising and interesting than you might think from the basic idea of a Lego movie. During today's panel, which you can read about in its entirety in Eric's live blog, Miller and Lord revealed that the film is actually a mix of CGi and actual stop-motion Lego figurines-- and they don't want you to know which is which. See if you can figure it out in the first trailer below:

Believe it or not, the Lego movie won't be the first time we see the Justice League characters in action as squatty plastic figures. Check out the short film made by fans with their own DC Comics Lego figures. Think Smulders, Hill and Tatum can live up to that? OK, yeah, they probably can.

The biggest problem with being an actor on a successful television show is that it limits your flexibility. If you are contracted to shoot a series for a number of months out of every year than that's going to affect your scheduling and your availability for other projects - be it movies or other TV shows. But while Cobie Smulders has her role on the ratings hit How I Met Your Mother, her commitments didn't prevent her from playing Agent Maria Hill in Joss Whedon's The Avengers last year and apparently she's available for even more action in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The actress is currently doing press for the upcoming Nicholas Sparks adaptation Safe Haven and when asked by I Am Rogue if she would be available to have any involvement in the pilot-stage S.H.I.E.L.D. series over at ABC she actually left the door open to the possibility. Asked if her commitments to the CBS sitcom would interfere with any ability to star in the new Whedon show Smulders said, "The commitments to [How I Met Your Mother] don’t affect it. And I can’t really say, but there are definite talks about it." But while she didn't - or more accurately, couldn't - elaborate on what her role would entail, she is evidently anticipating playing the role again. "I’m very excited," she said. "I will do Maria Hill until they fire me and hire someone else to do it."

Smulder's part in the S.H.I.E.L.D. series may be questionable, but it has been confirmed she will return as Agent Hill in the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the meantime she can be seen back on How I Met Your Mother, which aired the first episode in the second half of their eighth season last week.

After a lengthy three-year-engagement, Saturday Night Live’s Taran Killam and How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie Smulders finally tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in wine country yesterday. To celebrate, the couple rented out an entire ranch in Solvang, California for a guest list that numbered three hundred.

According to Rumor Fix, Smulders’ co-stars Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris both made the cut along with their families. They reportedly watched the fifteen minute ceremony alongside other guests and then were transported to a private lake via hay rides, which no doubt was a heck of a lot of fun for the couple of honor’s three-year-old daughter Shaelyn Cado.

Killam and Smulders first began dating eight years ago. Since, both have seen their careers steadily rise. Taran joined the cast of Saturday Night Live back in 2010, and Cobie was recently seen in the blockbuster The Avengers. Clearly, they offer something to each other both privately and professionally. Hopefully, in the coming years, the two will get even closer as their careers grow even more.

Pop Blend’s sincerest congratulations go out to both Killam and Smulders. Given how long they’ve been together and the beautiful little girl they share, their new status shouldn’t change a whole lot about their relationship. Hopefully, however, making it official will serve as yet another tie to bind the two together.

UPDATE: Cobie Smulders herself has confirmed that this is happening.

With the regrettable demise of the wry Agent Coulson in The Avengers, newly introduced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill—and by extension actress Cobie Smulders—is poised to play a major role in Marvel's future productions. But superhero adventures aren't all the How I Met Your Mother star has on tap. She recently wrapped production on the Lasse Hallström adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel Safe Haven as well as David Wain's next comedy They Came Together, and now she's got her eye on a more mainstream comedy.

Variety reports Smulders has entered into talks to take on the female lead opposite Vince Vaughn in the remake of the French-Canadian comedy Starbuck. Vaughn will front the presently untitled film as a middle-aged manchild who is thrown for a loop when his past comes back to haunt him. See, as a cash-strapped but very virile young man, this schlubby anti-hero would head to the local sperm bank to make a deposit and thereby withdrawal some quick cash. However, as a frequent donor, he has proved a prolific father, spawning 533 progeny, a few hundred of whom have filed a class action lawsuit to meet the man known on the donation form as "Starbuck." (Note: this was his codename in the original, but as it brings to mind a certain popular coffee shop brand it's highly unlikely that detail will withstand translation.)

Should she sign on, Smulders will play Vaughn's girlfriend who is pregnant, unaware of his hoards of children, and fearful that he's not ready to be a father. As I haven't seen the original Starbuck it's hard for me to say if this will be more than a thankless nagging girlfriend role, but Smulders certainly deserves better than that, so let's hope for the best.

DreamWorks has contracted the original film's writer-director Ken Scott to adapt and direct the remake for American audiences. Parks and Recreations' Chris Pratt has already committed to play Vaughn's lawyer—and likely confidante—and with production expected to begin later this year, casting news on who will play Vaughn's big brood should emerge soon.

Paul Rudd and writer-director David Wain can't seem to get enough of each other. Mere months after their latest collaboration Wanderlust hit theaters, the pair have swung into casting for their next team-up They Came Together, which Wain calls "a spoof/homage/deconstruction/love letter to Romantic Comedies." This will mark the eighth feature the duo has worked together on, and buzz is already building on as its set to reunite Rudd with Amy Poehler, who not only co-starred in the Wain-directed cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, but also sparred with Rudd on her chipper sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Wain co-wrote They Came Together with fellow Stella co-creator Michael Showalter, looking to lampoon the absurd conventions that rom-coms have developed. Rudd will star as a corporate businessman who threatens the livelihood of Poehler's knick-knack shop owner. The Hangover's Ed Helms has recently signed on to play Poehler's love interest, an accountant named Eggbert, and New Girl's Max Greenfield has committed to play Rudd's slacker younger brother. Now THR reveals that Stella's third member Michael Ian Black has joined the cast, along with How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulders and Noureen DeWulf of the new Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management.

Black's inclusion in the project could have been assumed, but it's good to hear Smulders is getting more movie work. Of course, she offered Marvel fans a steely turn as Agent Maria Hill in The Avengers, but the adventure mostly set up the character than it gave Smulders any opportunity to dazzle. But as HIMYM fans know Smulders has a gift for daffy comedy, and so should prove a great addition to this ensemble.

While there's no word on what roles Black and Smulders will play, DeWulf is lined up to play the personal assistant to Rudd's surely demanding businessman. Though lesser known, this striking character actress has been popping up in a long line of comedies and sitcoms, and seems primed to make her breakthrough between Anger Management and this flick, which is sure to lure comedy nerds.

They Came Together goes into production July 2nd in New York.

Cobie Smulders isn't playing an actual superhero in The Avengers, and she's not a huge star like Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans, but it's still a little strange how small a presence she's had in the marketing materials for The Avengers thus far. Showed up briefly newest trailer, but it's still unclear what she'll be doing in the film beyond standing around at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, looking like she disapproves of all the shenanigans everyone else is getting up to.

Unfortunately the two new images of her character, which showed up today at Marvel.com, don't tell us much more either. In both of them she's standing in the same standard-issue S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuit, standing at the control panel, and even wearing the same generally disapproving face. Did someone just piss in her cornflakes this morning, or is something going legitimately wrong? her face gives nothing away. Check out the two images below.

The biggest unclear thing about The Avengers at this point is how the balance of all the characters is going to work. Is it going to feel like a patched-together mess the way Iron Man 2 did, with Black Widow and Nick Fury flitting in and out of a central, shambling story? Or will it feel like an honest ensemble piece the way Captain America did, fitting together a large cast with precision and a sense that everyone gets a turn. It worries me that we've seen so little of Maria HIll so far, but even if she's used well in the film, it'll be as a vital supporting character-- more Agent Coulson than Black Widow. Here's hoping it turns out well when we finally get a look at The Avengers once it opens May 4.

Kal Penn, best known as Kumar from Harold and Kumar, has one of the most interesting resumes for a young actor in Hollywood. He's worked the rounds on TV, literally, while on House, he's stoked the stoner-comedy laughs in both H&Ks and his two Van Wilder flicks and, well, he also did a stint in President Obama's campaign as the associate director in the office of public liaison (whatever that means). Now, it's back to TV for Penn.

It seems as though Kal Penn has just landed an important recurring gig on the hit CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. This, of course, re-teams Penn with Neil Patrick Harris whose career resurgence could be credited to his cameo in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Harris may have been killed in the second film, Escape from Guantanamo Bay, but he's still expected to show up in the third movie due out this winter... the aptly titled, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, how nice!

But back to the news at hand. TVLine's "Mother source says Penn will play a possible love interest for Cobie Smulders’ lovelorn Robin named Kevin." After Robin and Barney's split, the former Canadian pop star remained single throughout most of last season watching NPH's Barney mature and develop a new relationship (with Nora played by Nazanin Boniadi).

Whether Penn's Kevin will definitely function as a love interest for Smulders has yet to be confirmed but executive producer and co-creator Craig Thomas hinted at this being the case,

Yeah. But Barney has moved on (for now) and here comes Kevin. Although the role is recurring, I wouldn't expect it to recur for too long with Obama hitting the campaign trail in 2012 and he may want his associate director in the office of public liaison with him.

How I Met Your Mother returns to CBS this fall for Season 7. It airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, starting September 19, 2011.

Before all of the madness that was Super Bowl Sunday and the new trailers for Captainn America: The First Avenger and Thor, the big Marvel story was that Cobie Smulders, best known for playing Robin on the CBS hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother, was the top choice to play S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill in 2012's The Avengers. Just two days later she's gone from "frontrunner" to "has the part."

THR reports that Smulders and Marvel are now in final negotiations to have the actress play a part in the major superhero movie. In the comics, Hill is one of the highest ranking officers in the secretive organization and has previously taken control as Exectutive Director in Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) absence. The character's most famous storyline is during "Civil War" when she, alongside Tony Stark/Iron Man, attempts to enact the Superhuman Registration Act and locks away any superhero that doesn't comply. Smulders will be one of, so far, two female S.H.I.E.L.D. members, the other being Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow.

As was mentioned this past weekend, Smulders was director Joss Whedon's choice to play Wonder Woman in what ended up being a failed project, and she seems to be quite a good fit for the role. But now we are left with another question: are they going to make her cut her hair?

As promised earlier this week, a collection of up-and-coming actresses screen tested opposite Samuel L. Jackson yesterday for a role as Nick Fury's sidekick in The Avengers, the massive superhero movie that starts shooting in April. Today Deadline claims that not only do they know the identity of the character they're vying for, but which current TV star is the frontrunner.

"Cobie Smulders has emerged as the front runner for the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill," Mike Fleming wrote this morning, pointing out that Avengers director Joss Whedon had actually eyed Smulders to play Wonder Woman when he was planning a take on that character. Smulders currently stars as Robin on TV's How I Met Your Mother and had limited mire experience before that; playing Maria Hill would be a monumental step forward for her after six seasons of steady, hilarious work on TV.

As for Maria Hill, a character Jackson described as "a new character who's with me all the time," she's a character who has made appearances in the Avengers comic book universe, acting at one point as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. before Tony Stark got the gig. Here's how comics author Joe Quesada has described the character (as quoted on Wikipedia, naturally):

Smulders has proven her comic chops time and time again on How I Met Your Mother, and she's got to be pretty fearless to take on the goofy Robin Sparkles character so many times. But is she up for playing someone with power over all the superheroes? And can she manage to stand out in such a massive cast? She seems as good a candidate as any of the other actresses up for the part, and if Joss Whedon trusts her, that's enough evidence for me to go on.

Another day, another shortlist of actresses up for a high-profile part in a big upcoming movie, this time the sidekick role in The Avengers that Samuel L. Jackson hinted at last night to Jimmy Fallon. It's unclear what the role will be beyond hanging out with Nick Fury, but the actresses up for the part, according to THR, include V's alien leader Morena Baccarin, How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders, Cloverfield's Jessica Lucas and Ramona Flowers herself, Mary-Elizabeth Winstead.

As Jackson promised, the actresses are testing for the part this Friday, and whoever gets the part will be signed to a nine-picture deal similar to Jackson's, meaning they'll be traversing the Marvel universe alongside Nick Fury. THR points out that Baccarin may have an edge, having appeared on Firefly for Avengers director Joss Whedon, but there's no telling what either he or the studio is looking for. So if you wanted another shortlist of dark-haired actresses vying for a part to go alongside the Lois Lane rumors, there you have it!