Tony Shalhoub is no stranger to comedic roles. While he’s most known for playing Monk, the OCD detective, I never realized the Wings vet could have been in the mix for Seinfeld’s funniest moments. I definitely wouldn't have guessed the character he auditioned for. Given his previous characters, the obvious choice to me would have been the offbeat neighbor Kramer, even knowing that it wouldn't have matched up with Michael Richards' take.

However, the actor dropped quite the "what could have been" bombshell when he visited the TODAY show to promote his upcoming Monk movie. While a lot of buzz online suggested he did audition to play Kramer, Shalhoub was quick to clear things up:

Talk about mind-blowing news. I don’t know if anyone can picture him as George. Not that I don’t fully believe Shalhoub could sell that character. He convincingly played both an alien in Men in Black whose head grew back after Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K shot it off, and the only relaxed member of the crew in Galaxy Quest. He’s one of those actors who knows how to land comedic timing every time, and that’s why I’ve always adored him. All the proof you need to do is watch Monk, which was a part he embodied so convincingly it was revived for Mr. Monk’s Last Case.

That said, I still can’t wrap my mind around him as George. Selfishly, I’m glad he lost the part to Alexander, and not just because the right actor got the part. If he had joined the Seinfeld cast, we may never have gotten our favorite Italian taxi driver on the sitcom Wings. (The latter can be streamed via Paramount+ subscription.) The two sitcoms overlapped during the ‘90s, with Shalhoub joining Wings in Season 3.

Though it seems the neurotic New Yorker George wasn't the only character the actor lost out on due to a certain actor. When asked, "What happened?" by the TODAY hosts, he a simple yet on brand answer:

Naturally, Shalhoub has no ill will toward Alexander for getting the part. He states that it "depends on how good or bad" an actor is in the role, and I think we all agree that Alexander nailed it. Though I can't help picturing the actor in Monk's trademark suit (he wore the same one every day).

The two did end up working together on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. However, that's not the first time they joined forces. Alexander was one of Monk's popular guest stars, having showed up in Season 4, Episode 1, “Mr. Monk and the Other Detective.” The actor played Shalhoub's opposite: a messy, unorganized private detective.

Shalhoub recently put the suit back on for Mr. Monk's Last Case. The streaming film followed Monk in a darker place as he contemplated ending his life. Though the revival was first teased when Shalhoub reunited with the cast during COVID for a new scene. He’s also become known for his role as Abe Weissman in Amazon Prime’s story of female independence in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Perhaps one day we'll see Shalhoub and Alexander working together on a new project. Maybe even on another Monk movie. Fingers crossed!

Seinfeld is one of the best sitcoms of all time, and even after all these years, some of the cast remain close. However, it wasn’t always like that. Jason Alexander got real on what really happened between them after the show ended back in 1998 and I’m pretty surprised.

The NBC hit ran for nine seasons, so you would assume that the core cast, consisting of Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards, would have remained in touch. The brutal truth is that was not the case. In an interview posted by Instagram user seinfeldarchive, Alexander recalled what it was like while filming Seinfeld and what eventually happened when they wrapped. He admitted that the four of them didn’t actually get to interact “all that much” and that their lives “went in very different directions.” It only got worse when they finished shooting the series:

Even though it’s hard to hear that the four of them didn’t stay super close after filming, it is understandable. They were all busy, moving on from Seinfeld. Alexander even confessed to staying closer with the supporting cast like Bryan Cranston, Jerry Stiller, Estelle Harris, Patrick Warburton, and Wayne Knight, and it might just be because they were more on his wavelength.

It does sound like Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus, Alexander, and Richards have that kind of bond where they can pick up right where they left off the moment they see each other again. I do also love that they’re still supporting one another and are down for anything, as Alexander explained. That’s a pretty special bond that they have, and one that they will probably have forever, even if it doesn’t seem like it.

Meanwhile, Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus, and Larry David reunited over the holidays last year, and understandably, Seinfeld fans were loving it. While the trio didn’t get together to celebrate Festivus, they did get together on Christmas Eve, and from the photos, they were definitely having a blast. The only thing that would have made it better was if Richards and Alexander had joined them, but perhaps this upcoming holiday season or sooner.

Following the mini reunion last year, fans were clamoring for more, such as a reunion special, likely along the lines of Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Perhaps maybe a revival like Frasier, Will & Grace, and Full House. Seinfeld definitely has the popularity to do either of those things, so it’s definitely a possibility. Even if a revival, on-screen reunion, or Seinfeld movie doesn’t happen, it doesn’t seem like the off-camera reunions will stop any time soon, even if they don’t happen as frequently as people hope. Fans can always watch all eight seasons with a Netflix subscription to get their Seinfeld fix.

For the past few years, Ben Affleck has been contributing to some of the funniest Super Bowl commercials with his star-studded, Boston-loving Dunkin’ ads, and it looks like that trend will continue in the new year. When Super Bowl LX airs on the 2026 TV schedule, the two-time Oscar winner will reportedly be peddling those holey breakfast pastries with the help of several stars from the best sitcoms of all time — including Friends’ Jennifer Aniston and Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander.

After another round of the super-popular DunKings commercials during the 2025 Super Bowl, Ben Affleck is allegedly doing a Good Will Hunting riff for the upcoming big game in Levi’s Stadium, which will be titled, naturally, “Good Will Dunkin’,” per Page Six. Some big names have apparently signed onto the project, including Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ted Danson and Tom Brady.

What in the 1990s is going on here? Whatever it is, I really do hope we get to see a Friends reunion between Matt LeBlanc and Jennifer Aniston in these wildly successful Dunkin’ commercials. There’s no word on whether they’ll be playing their characters Joey Tribbiani and Rachel Green, but Ted Danson will allegedly appear as his character Sam Malone from Cheers.

It will be interesting to see how all of these actors come together, with Jason Alexander (aka Seinfeld’s George Costanza) and Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Carlton Banks) in the mix.

Tom Brady, meanwhile, obviously has a meaningful connection to Boston following a long career with the New England Patriots. He also previously appeared with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as a member of the fictional boy band The DunKings.

Details of the upcoming commercial are being kept super secret, sources say, as the production staff reportedly were required to put “tape over the cameras on their cell phones for added security” while shooting in Los Angeles.

It’s not surprising that the actor wants to churn out another doughnut-themed mini-movie, given how much he makes from the Dunkin’ commercials. Plus, fans get pretty excited, too, when Ben Affleck is seen sporting that Dunkin’ Donuts tracksuit.

The most recent offering, which came at Super Bowl LIX in February 2025, featured appearances from Donnie Wahlberg, Jeremy Strong, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Casey Affleck, Bill Belichick and Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson, who reportedly “forced her way” into the commercial.

I’m sure more surprises are in store this time around, but the actors who have already been allegedly announced are exciting enough for me. I can’t wait to see Ted Danson (presumably) back behind the bar as Sam Malone, and this will be Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc’s first time on-screen together since the Friends reunion in 2021 (available to stream with an HBO Max subscription).

Speaking of the Morning Show star, Jennifer Aniston has also appeared in Super Bowl ads in the past. She previously reunited with Friends co-star David Schwimmer in an ad for Uber Eats and continued to flaunt her comedic skills in a funny Skinny Pop commercial earlier this year.

We’ll definitely have our eyes peeled for what she, Ben Affleck and the rest are up to when the Super Bowl airs Sunday, February 8, on NBC and streaming with a Peacock subscription.

Hollywood sadly lost another beloved legend this week, as Star Wars and Field of Dreams vet James Earl Jones died at 93. With a career that kicked off on the theater stage in the 1950s before his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s excellent satire Dr. Strangelove, Jones was a prolific and dedicated talent who worked with some of the best in the business, and many of his former co-stars and longtime fans paid tribute following his death.

As one of the relative few EGOT-earning celebrities out there, James Earl Jones has been an inspirational force to plenty of actors young and old within the entertainment industry, and judging by the outpouring of love and appreciation, it’s clear his impact was widespread and likely won’t be fading away anytime soon. (Darth Vader, he was not.) Let's look at some of the loving messages shared on social media.

Mark Hamill

Arguably the most famous of all of his roles, James Earl Jones voiced all-time great movie villain Darth Vader across several Star Wars films and more (sometimes aided by tech wizardry). And while he wasn't the actual physical performer under Vader's helmet, the actor still made quite an impact on his younger co-star Mark Hamill, who shared the following message:

To be sure, Mark Hamill definitely wasn't the only Star Wars vet who shared the love.

Billy Dee Williams

Having starred as Lando Calrissian across three Star Wars films, Billy Dee Williams is a beloved sci-fi icon who was lucky enough to call James Earl Jones a friend. Here's how he paid his respects via Instagram:

That booming voice was known for more than just Darth Vader, of course, with millions of Disney fanatics out there having long adored him for voicing The Lion King's Mufasa.

George Lucas

The spearheader behind all things Star Wars, at least in the early years before Disney took over, George Lucas helped turn Jones into a globally renowned superstar, even if the actor wasn't initially credited for his voicework as Darth Vader. (That came later.) Here's the filmmaker's statement, as shared on the Star Wars Instagram:

True to his words, many of James Earl Jones' most effective roles, even the villainous and scary ones — The Sandlot's Mr. Mertle among them — were made all the more effective because of the humanity that remained intact behind the performances.

Kevin Costner

Outside of the world of Star Wars, one of James Earl Jones' best movies was a feel-good baseball flick that everyone loves. No, I'm not talking about The Sandlot again, but rather 1989's Field of Dreams, co-starring Kevin Costner, who shared his own tribute to the late legend.

Sure, it's possible that another actor could have stepped into the role of Terence Mann and made it work opposite Costner's Ray Kinsella, but it wouldn't have been the grand slam performance that James Earl Jones delivered to the heartwarming drama.

Debbie Allen

The always wonderful Debbie Allen, who'd previously cast James Earl Jones in her Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, took to Instagram to share her own tribute to the late, great actor.

The EGOT status was already a sign of his GOAT nature, but having Debbie Allen say it only solidifies the notion.

Octavia Spencer, Steve Toussaint, Josh Gad And More

There are probably too many celebs paying tribute to James Earl Jones to provide a comprehensive rundown of all the kind words being shared in his name, here's a smattering of R.I.P. posts from his adoring fans and occasional co-stars.

• Jurnee Smollett: Today we lost a giant. James Earl Jones was more than a legendary actor - he was a voice that carried strength, dignity, and grace. From his iconic roles to his profound impact on the arts, he paved the way for so many of us. His legacy will continue to inspire generations. Rest in power, King 🖤 #JamesEarlJones
• Octavia Spencer: I’m incredibly saddened to learn of #JamesEarlJones’ passing today. Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever. His voice and talent will be remembered always. Sending love to his family, friends and countless fans in all the galaxies, far, far away. 🤍🕊️
• Michael Beach: I got to work with Mr. James Earl Jones 3 times. The first time I was only out of college for a few years and it was on his show Gabriel’s Fire. The last time was as his son and #robertduvall nephew in a film called #afamilything … I felt nervous and lucky everyday on set with two super actors!…I knew him as a quiet and kind man. But he was a giant to me in many ways and each time I was in his presence I just felt like I was learning and clearly making great career choices!…Thank you Mr. Jones! Respect and appreciation to you and condolences to your family. #ripjamesearljones #aclassic #alegend #moviedad
• Jason Alexander: James Earl Jones was as powerful and profound as he was gentle and grace-filled. His voice could command or move men to tears. His work, all those amazing characters, will remain in my heart and memory all my days. I knew him very briefly and he was everything you’d hoped he would be. May he rest well. #RIPJamesEarlJones

Gabriel's Fire isn't a movie that often comes up when discussing Jones' biggest hits, but it obviously holds a special place in The Perfect Couple star Michael Beach's heart. And some of the actor's other fan-faves like Coming to America and Claudine get namechecked by Josh Gad and House of the Dragon's Steve Toussaint in the posts below:

• Josh Gad: Shattered. There are icons and then there is this man. How do you remember someone who gave us some of the greatest stage and screen performances of all time? For so many of us, you defined our childhoods from Star Wars to Lion King, from Field of Dreams to The Sandlot, from Coming to America to Dr. Strangelove. Thank you James for giving your life to art and filling our lifetimes with some of the best performances of any resume ever. It was an honor to know you and and an even bigger honor to get perform in a theater with your namesake. 💔 #ripjamesearljones
• Omar Epps: Thank you for gifting us with dignity, grace, and resilience. A peaceful warrior who inspired many by exemplifying truths. Though your smile was disarming, the strength of your presence was felt by any who had a chance to share space with you. Being one of those fortune few, I salute you for having persevered, and flourished through it all. Blessings to your family, and may you dance with the angels now!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾#RIPJamesEarlJones
• Steve Toussaint: So, just heard the news of this master's passing. What a legend. What a colossus! What a voice! Obviously there was that "Star Wars" thing he did, but, there was also "Great White Hope", there was "Claudine", there was "Field Of Dreams"; I could go on... I won't. Was lucky enough to meet him very briefly backstage after he performed in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" as Big Daddy. A kind and charming man, he made my year! #ripjamesearljones

While there will no doubt be another actor who attempts the Darth Vader voice for upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, there will never be another Hollywood icon quite like James Earl Jones, from his persona to his acting ability to his unmistakable voice. It's been a great ride.

We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of James Earl Jones during their time of mourning.

When it comes to the smartest TV detectives we’ve ever seen, Adrian Monk definitely can count himself among them – right next to Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, and Luther (to name a few). For eight seasons of the USA Network series, Adrian Monk’s tendency to see all the details, often tied with his OCD, matched with his personal motivation to get “the guy” following the death of his wife, Trudy, was exciting to tune into week-to-week. All the while, major actors would often guest star. Some of which were big names before Monk, and others that have since skyrocketed into fame. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan 

Over a decade before Jeffrey Dean Morgan became The Walking Dead’s Negan, the famed TV actor was in the Season 3 premiere of Monk, “Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan.” In the episode, Monk travels with the SFPD team to New York City to do some work in association with the murder of Trudy, but in the meantime, Monk gets embroiled in the case of a recently deceased Latvian ambassador. Morgan’s character catches the detective’s eye in connection to the ambassador’s death. 

Malcolm McDowell

The lead of Stanley Kubrick’s masterful A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell, made his way into Monk during Season 4 in a particularly great episode of the series that takes the detective into the world of fashion. In “Mr. Monk Goes To A Fashion Show,” he decides to pay a visit to the inspector of his favorite collared shirts when he notices recent inconsistencies. It leads him and Natalie to meet a British fashion designer named Julian Hodge, played by McDowell. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Did you know that Silver Linings Playbook Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence, was in Monk? Back in 2006, when the actress was a teenager and had not yet starred in any movies, she had a very small role as a high school mascot in the Season 5 episode “Mr. Monk and the Big Game.” Her head is covered for most of her scene, but she does take off the helmet for a moment in the episode. 

Jason Alexander 

Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander guest starred in Monk for the Season 4 premiere “Mr. Monk and the Other Detective” as another P.I. in town named Marty Eels. During Monk’s latest case, the detective begins to be overshadowed by Alexander’s character, which hilariously has Monk calling him a cheater. As Eels becomes a big competitor for Monk, it’s a blast to see Shalhoub and Alexander act together. 

John Turturro 

Monk perfectly cast the detective’s brother in 2004 by bringing in John Turturro in a fabulous guest role, that he would play in three episodes. Turturro, who is famous for being in movies with the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee and Adam Sandler played Ambrose, who suffers from severe agoraphobia and deepened Monk’s backstory. He was so memorable in the series that he earned an Emmy for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series” for the episode in which he debuted the character, in Season 2’s “Mr. Monk and the Three Pies”. 

Stanley Tucci

One of the strongest Monk episodes of the series is definitely Season 5’s “Mr. Monk and the Actor.” In the 2006 episode, an actor named David Ruskin is set to play Adrian Monk in a movie based on his life and comes to shadow Adrian on his cases. Stanley Tucci plays Ruskin as the actor goes a bit too method with the role of Adrian and debunks some demons regarding what it’s like to be Monk. Tucci won an Emmy for the guest role, and was actually a finalist to play Adrian Monk prior to his guest role. 

Rainn Wilson 

Just a couple years before Rainn Wilson would become Dwight Schrute on one of the best sitcoms of all time, The Office, the actor made a small guest appearance on Monk in Season 2. He played a massive baseball fan and collector as Adrian Monk looked into a case involving a star baseball player. 

James Brolin 

Longtime TV and movie actor James Brolin (who is also the father of Josh Brolin and husband to Barbara Streisand), made his way into Monk for 2005’s Vegas episode. Brolin plays a millionaire casino owner who becomes a suspect following the death of his wife, and Stottlemeyer brings in Monk to solve the case. 

Sean Astin 

In Season 5, Lord of the Rings and The Goonies actor, Sean Astin crossed paths with Tony Shalhoub’s Monk in an episode called “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” Astin plays a young billionaire, Paul Buchanan, whom Monk and Natalie come across amidst a visit to Natalie’s parents' wealthy neighborhood. Monk ends up going undercover as Paul’s butler to learn more about him. 

Sarah Silverman 

Famed standup comedian, Sarah Silverman, guest starred in three episodes of Monk over the years as a character named Marci Maven. She first became part of the procedural in 2004 for “Mr. Monk and the TV Star,”  where she played an obsessed fan of the star of a hit show made up for the series called Crime Lab S.F. 

Danny Trejo 

In “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail” in Season 2, Danny Trejo, of Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado (among many of his movies), also got to work alongside Tony Shalhoub’s Monk. During the episode, Monk goes undercover as the cellmate of Trejo’s character, who is a convicted quadruple murderer. As you may suspect, comedy ensues. 

Snoop Dogg 

Snoop Dogg was also in Monk for the Season’s “Mr. Monk and the Rapper,” where he played a fictional hip hop star, Murderuss. In the episode, Murderuss approaches the detective to hire him to clear his name after becoming the primary suspect in the death of another rapper. The best part? Snoop Dogg actually raps Monk’s famous “here’s what happened” segment at the end. 

Alfred Molina

Beloved character actor, Alfred Molina, has also been part of Monk for a Season 6 episode. What’s interesting about Molina, is he was actually one of the finalists to play the lead role of Adrian Monk before Shalhoub was cast. In his guest role, he played a billionaire software mogul whose beach house has a view of a nudist beach. 

Jon Favreau 

MCU actor and famed director Jon Favreau was in “Mr. Monk Goes To The Dentist,” which aired during the series’ fourth season in 2006. Favreau plays a dentist who Lieutenant Disher goes to and swears murdered someone while he was under anesthesia for a procedure. 

Carmen Electra

All-star actor, model and singer Carmen Electra can be found in the Monk episode “Mr. Monk and the Panic Room” which came out in 2004. The episode has the detective investigating a crime scene where it seems like a chimpanzee has killed his owner. The victim is a record producer and Electra plays his pop star wife. 

Craig T. Nelson 

Poltergeist and Parenthood actor Craig T. Nelson earned a very important role in Monk for its two-part finale, “Mr. Monk and the End.” He plays Judge Ethan Rickover, who was on the California Court of Appeals and has a history with Monk’s late wife, Trudy. 

Tim Curry 

In Season 1, an enemy of Monk’s was introduced as financier Dale “The Whale” Biederbeck. After the character was originated by Adam Arkin, none other than The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Tim Curry embodied the role for a brief time in “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail.” 

Niecy Nash

Reno 911’s Niecy Nash made a guest spot in Monk in the early days for “Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf.” The episode follows Adrian’s first assistant Sharona as she starts to believe she’s losing her sanity when she keeps seeing a man with a screwdriver sticking out of his ear (that no one else can see). Neicy Nash plays Sharona’s friend and fellow nurse, Varla should step in to assist Monk. 

Jeffrey Donovan 

The star of Burn Notice, which also was on USA Network like Monk, turned up in the detective series in the episode “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” In the Season 4 episode, Jeffrey Donovan plays an astronaut who Monk is sure killed someone, but his alibi is airtight… considering he was in space when the murder occurred. 

Laurie Metcalf 

Roseanne actress Laurie Metcalf had some fun on Monk when she guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Mr. Monk Bumps His Head.” When Adrian wakes up in a small town with amnesia, Metcalf’s unhinged character uses the opportunity to convince the detective he is her husband. 

Nick Offerman 

Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman made an appearance in 2005’s “Mr. Monk and the Election” before he became famous for playing the very quotable Ron Swanson. Look out for the actor in his clean-shaven days during the Season 3 episode that has Natalie Teager running for the school board. 

Jane Lynch 

Before actress Jane Lynch rocked sweatsuits on Glee, she did guest for “Mr. Monk Gets Married.” In the episode, Randy Disher is concerned about his mother getting suddenly married to a man who is 30 years younger (played by Lost’s Nestor Carbonell) than him and asks Monk to look into it. This leads Monk and Sharona to pretend to be a married couple for a retreat that Lynch’s psychologist character is in charge of. 

Amy Sedaris 

The very funny Amy Sedaris was on two episodes of Monk to play Sharona’s younger sister, Gail. She first appeared in 2002’s “Mr. Monk and the Earthquake” before also being part of 2003’s “Mr. Monk Goes To The Theater.” Since she’s an actress in the series, her part in a local play that turns into a crime scene makes the second episode a particularly juicy appearance for Sedaris. 

Rachel Dratch

Saturday Night Live’s Rachel Dratch found her way into Monk for “Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny.” In the 2004 episode, Dratch’s character is stressed about the kidnapping of her grandmother and offers to help reinstate Monk to the police force if he can help find her alive. 

Howie Mandel

The Gremlins actor and game and competition show host played the role of Ralph Roberts in two episodes of Monk in 2008. Howie Mandel played the head of a religious cult called Siblings of the Sun in the Season 7 episodes. Mandel is a germaphobe in real life like Monk is.

Holland Taylor

Two and a Half Men actress Holland Taylor played Natalie Teager’s mother Peggy in two episodes of Monk. In the series, Peggy is a well-off woman who married into the Davenport Toothpaste business. She is part of 2005’s “Mr. Monk Goes To A Wedding” and 2007’s “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” 

Gena Rowlands

Gena Rowlands is an Academy Award nominee who starred in movies like Woman Under The Influence and Gloria in her youth before famously playing the older version of Allie in The Notebook. In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door,” Monk becomes friendly with Rowlands’ Marge Johnson, but suspicions about her true intentions begin to grow. 

Ariel Winter

Before Ariel Winter became part of Modern Family’s Dunphy family, the actress was in Monk as an eight-year-old for “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” She has a small but pivotal role as the neighbor of the victim, whose place in the story leads Monk to track down the killer. 

Julie Bowen

In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Bully,” Julie Bowen plays a character that Adrian Monk investigates after his childhood bully comes out of the woodwork asking for help from the detective. The Truman Show’s Noah Emmerich plays her husband and Monk’s former bully. Julie Bowen is a two-time Emmy winner for her leading role in ABC’s Modern Family. 

Eric Stonestreet

Modern Family’s Cameron Tucker was on Monk the same year the hit ABC comedy first arrived on network television. In “Mr. Monk and the UFO,” Eric Stonestreet plays a small role as a local mechanic named Boom-Boom whom Monk offends and ends up raising his estimate. 

Sung Kang 

Sung Kang, who famously played Han in the Fast and the Furious movies, also guest starred in Monk as two separate characters. First in “Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra” he plays an employee of a martial arts school they visit while investigating the death of a fictional kung fu star, Sonny Chow. Four years later, Kang stars in “Mr. Monk on Wheels” as the cousin of a criminal named John Kuramoto.

Angela Kinsey 

The Office actress Angela Kinsey had a guest role in Monk as Arlene Boras for two episodes of the series. She plays an X-ray technician who was in Alfred Molina’s episode, “Mr. Monk and the Naked Man.” She reprised her role for the 100th episode of Monk as well. 

Seinfeld is known for a great many things. It’s incredibly funny, for starters. It also has phenomenally built episodes, with A and B plots regularly colliding to hilarious results. One of its most magical aspects, however, is its special language and the characters regularly coining unique phrases. Each season added to the pop culture lexicon that we still use today, more than 30 years after the show’s debut.

We’ve put together this feature to celebrate that special part of Seinfeld’s existence, and hopefully it will deliver some reminiscence-based chuckles along the way.

Festivus

Are you sick of the consumerism that drives the holiday season? Perhaps you should try celebrating Festivus – created by the one and only Frank Costanza. On December 23, you can observe the special day by putting an aluminum pole up in your living room, ending a communal dinner by telling all of the people in your life about all the ways they anger you (a.k.a. the Airing Of Grievances), and concluding the evening with a wrestling match (a.k.a. The Feats Of Strength). Expect one or two Festivus miracles.

Bottle Wipe

There are many ways that actions reflect a relationship, and a Bottle Wipe is a good one. If you provide a bottle of water to a person to whom you are attracted, and they wipe the nozzle before taking a sip, it’s a clear indication that the attraction is not mutual. After all, if the person wanted you, they’d want your germs. This behavior is so significant that it even supersedes an open-lip kiss.

Close Talker

Have you ever been in a conversation with a person and find that they are standing just a bit too close to you? These individuals disrespectful of personal space can easily be summed up as Close Talkers. The prime example on Seinfeld, of course, is Elaine’s boyfriend Aaron (played by Judge Reinhold) in “The Raincoats.” His obsessiveness with showing Jerry’s parents a good time in New York is weird enough, but the way he gets in people’s faces during a chat is next level.

Decompressing

When you go from a strenuous activity to a time of freedom, it’s best – in the wisdom of George Costanza – to not act quickly or rashly. Instead, the best course of action is a period of decompressing, which is a pretty fancy way of saying “doing nothing.” It should be noted that there is risk in this behavior, in that your muscles could potentially become severely atrophied, leaving you open to severe injury.

Mimbo

Dumb people come in all shapes, sizes, colors and creeds, and they can also be any gender. That being said, the word “bimbo” generally refers to a pretty, airheaded woman, so Seinfeld made the effort to create a term for the male equivalent. A portmanteau of “man” and “bimbo,” “mimbo” is coined by Jerry in “The Stall” when he is talking about Elaine’s boyfriend, Tony, who is hunky… but definitely a moron.

Anti-Dentite

Nobody likes going to the dentist, but there are some people who take their dentist-hate a touch too far. Per Kramer in “The Yada Yada,” Jerry crosses a line when he starts making too many jokes about Dr. Tim Watley despite not being a dentist himself, and that veers him right into Anti-Dentite territory.

“These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty”

Do you ever have one of those moments where you just don’t know what to say – be it because of frustration or awkwardness? You should give “These pretzels are making me thirsty” a shot. It’s meaningless unto itself (particularly if you’re not actually eating pretzels when you say it), but it sure does fill up a silent moment in a conversation.

Desour

Grudges are generally not helpful. If someone disappoints you in a minor way, it’s best to try and positively move on from the incident and try to fortify the relationship. If you’re able to do this, congratulations! As George Costanza would say, you have successfully desoured. Now you can get to work on sweetening too.

Bad Breaker-Upper

A relationship may end for a variety of different reasons, but there are some people who like to stick a knife (or fork, perhaps) in your side as a goodbye. Elaine encounters one of these individuals in “The Andrea Doria,” and she acknowledges him as a bad breaker upper shortly before they part ways… but that doesn’t mean she can just shake it off when he tells her that she has a big head,

“Serenity Now!”

“Serenity now!” is the verbal equivalent of a stress ball. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with extreme emotion, just use it as a mantra to try and calm yourself down. Be warned, though: if you go too long without properly venting your emotions, as George learns in “The Serenity Now” when Kramer destroys 25 computers the stocky, dimwitted bald man bought from himself as a salesman at his dad’s company.

Double Dip

When it comes to crudité and the like at party buffets, people are technically free to dip how they want to dip, but if you don’t want to commit what is generally seen as a major social faux pas, you should consider just taking one dip and ending it. Unfortunately, George Costanza is an unabashed double dipper, and that leads to some serious consequences at a Detroit funeral in “The Implant.”

High Talker

If a woman you know is in a relationship with a man with a high voice, a.k.a. a High Talker, it’s best to be careful when talking on the phone. As seen in “The Pledge Drive,” identities can easily be confused and it can lead to some highly messy circumstances.

Jimmy-Leg/Arms

We now know it generally as Restless Leg Syndrome, but back in the 1990s, Seinfeld summed up the behavior brilliantly as having “the Jimmy-Leg.” In “The Money,” Kramer’s girlfriend (played by Sarah Silverman) is a chaotic sleeper, and when the Hipster Doofus goes to Frank Constanza for advice, he reveals that Estelle Costanza has the same condition in her arms (a.k.a. “the Jimmy-Arms”).

In The Vault

If you want to assure a friend that a secret is safe with you, all you have to do is tell them that it’s “in the vault,” and, barring your reputation, it should earn confidence. Be warned that this promise means a lot less if a lot of people “know the key” (in the case of Elaine, it’s peppermint schnapps).

Non-Laugher

A person who doesn’t find jokes funny is a person without a sense of humor… but that’s not the same thing as a non-laugher. A non-laugher will find enjoyment in a joke or gag, but instead of laughing, they will instead lean on a phrase like, “That’s funny.” As Jerry discovers in “The Switch,” this kind of individual is not an ideal match for a comedian.

Pop-In

One of the greatest demonstrations of the tight-knit relationship between the four principal characters in Seinfeld is their devotion to the pop-in – particularly when it comes to Jerry’s apartment. When Kramer, George, or Elaine want to see Jerry, they only very rarely call to announce their imminent arrival; instead, they prefer to just show up on a whim at apartment 5A at 129 West 81st Street.

Yada Yada Yada

Before TL;DR, there was “yada yada yada.” Does your story have a bunch of extraneous details that don’t add to what you and a friend are talking about? “Yada yada yada” is the perfect conversation shortcut. That being said, you should be aware that overuse of it may convince others that you are hiding something.

Muffin Top

Muffins are delicious, but not all sections of a muffin are equal. The stumps are tasty, but the real flavor center of the pastry is where, in Elaine’s words, the “muffin breaks free of the pan and sort of does its own thing.”

Mental Alarm

Alarm clocks can be obtrusive devices that start a day on a negative note, so it’s easy to be envious of people like Cosmo Kramer who can simply set a mental alarm: they think about what time they want to wake up, and their body does the rest. Note: due to the existence of a mental snooze button, these individuals should not be trusted to wake you up for important events (like getting a marathon runner to a race on time).

Picker

Any elementary school student can tell you that picking your nose is uncouth behavior – and yet there are pickers out there who do it flagrantly and in public. A warning to those who practice their behavior: if seen by the wrong person, it may cost you a romantic relationship.

Re-Gifting

Sometimes a friend or acquaintance gives you a gift that you have no use for, but it always seems wasteful to throw out something that is brand new. Re-gifting, from a certain angle, is similar to recycling in the present-giving world… but it’s definitely best to not get caught doing it, and that means not re-gifting to people who are in the same social circle. Dr. Time Whatley learns this lesson the hard way in “The Label Maker.”

Low Talker

Here is a warning to all the Low Talkers out there: if people don’t understand what you are saying, misunderstandings are bound to arise, and from those misunderstandings can come serious problems. For example, you may end up losing your career as a clothing designer because you accidentally lock a comedian into wearing your clothes on television and viciously embarrassing him (See: “The Puffy Shirt”)

Spongeworthy

If contraceptives are in short supply, sexual standards must be adjusted. Will the enjoyment that can come with sleeping with someone be worth the risk of potentially not sleeping with someone better? If the answer to that question is, “yes,” then that person is deemed, in Seinfeld parlance, to be Spongeworthy.

Shiksappeal

Per Seinfeld, shiksappeal is akin to an anti-Oedipal complex for Jewish men. Instead of having an attraction to women like their own mother, they are instead attracted to the opposite, such as a shiksa (Yiddish for a non-Jewish woman). In correlation, a non-Jewish woman who attracts Jewish men is said to have shiksappeal.

Man Fur

Putting aside the controversial nature of the sartorial practice, wearing fur is generally done by women in our society… but Seinfeld shows us that there are men out there with the audacity to wear a Man Fur. Elaine is utterly embarrassed when David Puddy begins to rock one in the episode “The Reverse Peephole,” and when she defenestrates the fuzzy jacket at a party, she finds herself facing a weird consequence: David takes the jacket belonging to the party’s host, Joe Mayo, and then she has to pay to replace it.

Baldist

Is Elaine Benes a baldist? That’s an accusation that Jerry levels at his best female friend in “The Beard” when he learns that she has never dated a bald man. It’s an open question whether or not she has a prejudice, but she definitely doesn’t like toupees, as she makes a show of throwing George’s out of a window.

Shrinkage

Thanks to Seinfeld, men no longer need to feel self-conscious when exiting a cold pool. The beloved NBC sitcom let the world know about the existence of “shrinkage,” though the sacrifice was one George Costanza's relationship in “The Hamptons.”

Bro/Manssiere

At an advanced age, men can get a bit… heavy upstairs, but that’s where the bro/manssiere is useful. Kramer and Frank Costanza can’t agree on what to call their invention, but it’s a support undergarment designed specifically for men, and it notable features Velcro in the back instead of hooks like a woman’s bra (though this is a feature that Morty Seinfeld would certainly hate).

Sidler

While some people stomp around like a Clydesdale, others, like J. Peterman employee Lou Filerman in “The Merv Griffin Show” can sneak around and sidle up on you. These sidlers are tricky to deal with, as they can not only steal credit for your work, but leave you holding the bag when you’re getting chewed out by your boss.

Two-Face

Ask any cinematographer: lighting is extremely important. With the wrong kind of shadows cascading, a beautiful person can look all kinds of ugly – hence the nickname Two-Face (yes, like the Batman villain, if that helps). Unlike Jerry in “The Strike,” it’s best not to just constantly bring them to the same place where you know they’re always going to look good.

Man Hands

“Like a creature out of Greek mythology”: Man Hands is the nickname that Jerry gives to Gillian, a woman he’s seeing after a setup orchestrated by Elaine in “The Bizarro Jerry.” She is gorgeous, but the series’ titular character can’t get over the fact that she has large, strong, and off-putting hands.

Good Naked/Bad Naked

The human body is a beautiful thing… sometimes. While people can look great prancing and posing in the nude, there are some positions we take that just look ugly regardless of your body shape. It’s the difference between good naked and bad naked, and it’s all well spelled out in Season 9’s “The Apology.”

Happy endings for the characters of Breaking Bad were few and far between, but members of the cast recently reunited at an event that looks like a whole lot of fun. Bryan Cranston hosted a celebrity poker night to raise awareness (and money) for the Entertainment Community Fund, and two of his former Breaking Bad co-stars were on board for some Texas Hold'em. Krysten Ritter, whose character had one of the most tragic endings of the show, was all smiles in photos with her fellow former stars, along with other celebs who came out to play.

Fortunately, Krysten Ritter posted plenty of pics from the poker event, including one that showed she was playing against Tulsa King's Andrea Savage, The Vampire Diaries' and Star Trek's Paul Wesley, Academy Award-nominee Annette Bening, and Bryan Cranston himself. In her Instagram Story, she shared a photo of her and Cranston looking a lot chummier than their Breaking Bad characters would have been if they were in a room together: 

Honestly, my favorite part of Ritter's post might be that Bryan Cranston couldn't look any less like the terrifying Walter White, but she included the "I am the danger" emoticon of the star in the role that won him four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. 

Plus, Ritter looks considerably better than she did by the end of her time as Jane in Breaking Bad, although the Jane flashback in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie showed her in happier times with Jesse (Aaron Paul). Check out her post with Better Call Saul's leading man next!

Krysten Ritter may not have reprised her role as Jane alongside Bob Odenkirk despite ranking as one of the Breaking Bad characters we wanted in Better Call Saul's final season, but it's nice to see that they crossed paths to pose for a pic at the poker event. The two actors' times on Breaking Bad didn't overlap by much, as Jane only appeared in eight episodes of Season 2 and one of Season 3, while Saul appear in just four episodes of Season 2 before appearing much more frequently in the remaining three seasons. 

The actress had more pics to post than just side-by-side with the former Breaking Bad actors. Alongside Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, she snapped a pic of Cranston while he was looking in a different direction:

The actress didn't spend her whole night hanging out with former co-stars or sitting down at a poker table, however, as she was able to at the very least meet a sitcom icon: Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame. Take a look, at her post complete with a little Instagram Story cameo from Alexander's George Costanza: 

Krysten Ritter didn't reveal how well she did (or didn't do) at the celebrity poker game, but it seems safe to say that she had a good time! Jesse Plemons was also present as another Breaking Bad alum, according to the Entertainment Community Fund announcement about the event, but Ritter did not share a photo with the actor who played Todd. 

If Ritter's throwbacks to Breaking Bad have put you in the mood to revisit the series, you can find all five seasons streaming now with a Netflix subscription. All six seasons of Better Call Saul are also available, along with the El Camino movie that finished Jesse Pinkman's story and featured more than one cameo from characters who had already died. 

Hollywood has lost another legendary actor: Alan Arkin, who has died at the age of 89. After Arkin’s three sons broke the news of his death on Friday morning, a host of famed actors have taken to social media to pay tribute to the star of Little Miss Sunshine and Argo, noting their own experiences with him and why he’s been such a bright spot in the industry. 

No cause of death was given regarding the death of Alan Arkin, but we do know he passed away in his home in Carlsbad, California on June 29. Amidst the news becoming public, people around the world are remembering Arkin’s body of work across his over 50 years as an actor. Among them, fellow Oscar winner Michael Douglas, who memorably starred alongside him in The Kominsky Method. Check out his Instagram post: 

Douglas called his experience working with Alan Arkin some of his “most memorable” along with sharing how “deeply missed” the actor will be. It suddenly feels like the perfect weekend to binge their series, The Kominsky Method, which is available through a Netflix subscription. Though, be warned, the final season seeing the exit of Arkin’s character might hit harder than ever right now. The two actors were a great combination! 

Another former co-star of Alan Arkin who spoke fondly of him following his passing is Seinfeld star, Jason Alexander. He wrote this: 

Both actors were in the 1994 movie, North, alongside Elijah Wood, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bruce Willis. Sopranos and The White Lotus actor Michael Imperioli also remembered the actor’s work with this post: 

While Imperioli may not have worked with Arkin, he was still a huge fan and looked to 1979’s The In-Laws, where Columbo actor Peter Falk plays the son-in-law-to-be of Arkin’s father character. 

The Karate Kid actor Ralph Macchio also took to social media to say this of Alan Arkin: 

Facts! Alan Arkin did a bit of everything throughout his career, from comedies to dramas, with his final role being among the voice cast of Minions: The Rise Of Gru. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 26, 1934, and he got his start with the Second City comedy troupe before becoming an Oscar winner for his supporting role in the Little Miss Sunshine cast. 

Here’s another tribute from Patton Oswalt: 

The actor’s death also inspired Viola Davis to remember the legend by highlighting one of Arkin’s most beloved scenes in Little Miss Sunshine. Check it: 

Such a precious scene! 

Alan Arkin’s legacy will forever live in his work across over 100 acting credits. Arkin is survived by his wife Suzanne, sons Matthew, Anthony and Adam, grandchildren Molly, Emmet, Atticus, and Abigail, and great-grandson Elliott. 

We here at CinemaBlend send our condolences to the family and loved ones of Alan Arkin. May he rest in peace. 

It was almost a quarter-of-a-century ago that Seinfeld aired its last episode, but it has proven to have an impressive staying power in pop culture. Between syndication and streaming deals, people have continuously been able to catch and enjoy reruns since the series finale, and it has remained an important touchstone in modern sitcoms. Thanks to smart and groundbreaking writing, it's as funny as ever – and that makes it all the better when the former stars make fun reference to their work.

Take, for example, this great Twitter post today from Jason Alexander, who memorably starred as George Costanza in the Emmy Award-winning show. A non-Seinfeld fan would have absolutely no clue what this post is about – a photo of Alexander with a moving truck captioned "I finally found that dang file" – but those in the know will laugh at the callback to the beloved series:

If you don't quite understand what's happening here, I would recommend revisiting the eighth episode of Seinfeld's fifth season: "The Barber." In the episode, George is going out for a job and impresses the interviewer with his ability to catch on quickly, but the conversation ends abruptly and the short, stocky, bald man is left not knowing if he's been hired. Knowing his would-be boss is going on vacation, he makes the decision to just show up for work, and as his first assignment he is given "the Penske file." 

Because George is an idiot, he has no idea what to do with said file. When the boss comes back, he affirms that George did indeed get the job, but he's baffled by the lack of progress, and the beloved character ends up quitting, thinking that he has a job waiting for him at Penske (spoiler: he doesn't).

Season 5 of Seinfeld in general was a memorable run for George Costanza, with the character becoming a hand model in "The Puffy Shirt," converting to Latvian Orthodox in "The Conversion," pretending to be an aquatic scientist in "The Marine Biologist," and committing to a new lifestyle in "The Opposite." And yet his arc in "The Barber" stands out as memorable – which speaks to the brilliance of the show in general.

If you're now in the mood to do a Seinfeld binge, the good news is that all you need is a Netflix subscription, as the entire run is available to stream (a fixture of Netflix's TV library). Seasons and individual episodes can be digitally purchased at online outlets including Amazon Prime and Google Play, and the DVD box set is a must-have for any physical media collectors.

And if you're now thinking about the Seinfeld fan in your life and want to get them a fun present they will love for the holiday season, check out our Seinfeld gift guide.

Between the Extraction franchise and budding universe for The Gray Man, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have their hands full with plenty of Netflix productions. And their work with the entertainment company is far from done. The sibling filmmaking duo has already lined up another movie with the streamer in the form of upcoming movie The Electric State. This is primed to be a high-profile motion picture and, unsurprisingly, an all-star cast that includes Hollywood heavy-hitters like Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt has been assembled.

The Electric State was announced by the Russo Brothers back in 2017 and is based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. The book was adapted for the screen by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who worked with the directors on Marvel films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.

The movie is set during the 1990s of an alternate United States, in which a civil war has broken out between humans and robots. It tells the story of a young woman who receives a robot from her brother and, ultimately, the heroine and her machine embark on a journey to find her sibling. An eclectic assortment of actors are helping to bring this story to life and, for your convenience, we’ve listed them here.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown is set to play the lead character, Michelle, who’ll face dangers in an attempt to find her brother. Though she's not quite 21 yet, the fan-favorite star has been acting for nearly a decade now. However, she truly broke through in 2016 through her Emmy-nominated role as Eleven in Netflix’s highly popular sci-fi series Stranger Things. She’s since parlayed that notoriety into a budding film career and has already starred in the MonsterVerse movies Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. Brown also serves as the stars in and produces the Enola Holmes film franchise, in which she plays the titular fourth wall-breaking sleuth. She's also in the fantasy flick Damsel. One would expect the star to bring her signature wit and charm to this latest role.

Chris Pratt

Playing the role of Keats is Chris Pratt. The character is described as a smuggler that Michelle meets during her travels. Many fans likely still recognize Pratt for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, and others may even remember him for his role on Everwood. He’s come a long way since then, though. In the early days of his film career, the star took on supporting roles in films like Wanted, Zero Dark Thirty and Her. It was in 2013, however, that he emerged as a leading man, thanks to his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. From there, he’s starred in the Jurassic World franchise, The Lego Movie and its sequel, The Magnificent Seven and The Tomorrow War, just to name a few. He also voiced Nintendo's beloved, mustachioed plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and voices the lead role in The Garfield Movie.

Giancarlo Esposito

Any film or TV production would be lucky to have Giancarlo Esposito as a member of its cast. It would probably surprise no one to hear that the actor is set to voice a villainous drone known as Marshall. To say that Esposito has played a plethora of characters in his time would be an understatement. The seasoned performer is famous for his roles in classic Spike Lee films like School Daze and Do the Right Thing and also gained recognition for his roles in The Usual Suspects, Waiting to Exhale, Ali and much more. But his most famous character, however, is arguably drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring, who he played on Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel series, Better Call Saul. Right now, Esposito also starred (as villainous characters) on Star Wars series The Mandalorian and superhero show The Boys.

Anthony Mackie

For this cinematic endeavor, Joe and Anthony Russo will be reteaming with Anthony Mackie, who they worked with on the Captain America and Avengers films. The actor has been tapped to voice a sentient robot, who’s described as an ally to Chris Pratt’s character. Mackie has been a Hollywood actor for quite some time, as he made his acting debut as “Papa Doc” in the 2002 drama film 8 Mile. The A-lister has also starred in acclaimed films like Half Nelson, Million Dollar Baby and The Hurt Locker. In 2014, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who took on the mantle of Captain America in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie will reprise that role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. On the small screen, he's also the lead of the Twisted Metal series.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton has collaborated with the Russos before, as he starred in The Gray Man. In that film, he played a veteran CIA agent and, for this upcoming sci-fi production, he’ll voice a key figure in the civil war, who just happens to be a robot. Thornton, like many of his co-stars, has a resume that speaks for itself. His body of work includes Sling Blade (which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), One False Move and Armageddon. Of course, who could forget his turns in Friday Night Lights, The Alamo and Monster’s Ball. He’s an elder statesman within this ensemble and can certainly bring a level of gravitas.

Stanley Tucci

Speaking over capable veterans, Stanley Tucci also stars in the movie, and his role has yet to be revealed. The always-delightful actor has an extensive filmography that’s stuffed to the brim with notable big-screen productions. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the actor appeared in Prizzi’s Honor, A Midsummer’s Night Dream among other films. And by the 2000s, Tucci landed roles in Road to Perdition, The Terminal, The Devil Wears Prada and The Lovely Bones, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The viral sex symbol’s visibility has expanded into blockbuster fare over the past decade, such as Captain America: The First Avenger, the Hunger Games franchise and some Transformers films. Though he hasn’t forgotten his dramatic or comedic roots as evidenced by Easy A, Burlesque and Spotlight. He's also starred on the Russo brother-produced Amazon show Citadel, which called upon him to perform a brutal scene.

Ke Huy Quan

Fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan is joining the Russos for their next cinematic outing. Quan is said to be playing a doctor that Millie Bobby Brown’s character must locate. And interestingly enough, the actor replaced Michelle Yeoh, his co-star from the aforementioned movie, in the role, as she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Quan is widely loved by so many, who remember him for his iconic roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. Though he’d star in a few movies like Breathing Fire and Encino Man in the years that immediately followed, Quan was forced to step away from acting due to a lack of opportunities. After spending years as a successful stunt choreographer, he began to act again a couple of years ago, starting with Finding ʻOhana. As mentioned, he gave a strong turn in Daniels' multidimensional dramedy and played a role in Disney+’s American Born Chinese, and Quan is also starred in Loki Season 2 and has the action film With Love.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate makes for another strong addition to this cast. The star will reportedly lend her voice to a CGI character, who I’d wager is a robot of sorts. Slate is a student of comedy, who possesses a strong improv background, and that arguably helped her land a spot in Saturday Night Live’s Season 35 cast. After working on the show for one season, she went on to star in other high-profile shows, from Parks and Recreation and Kroll Show to House of Lies and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She’s also been featured in Gifted, Venom, I Want You Back and other movies. Slate has a particularly strong reputation in the realm of voice acting through Bob’s Burgers, Big Mouth, Zootopia, The Lego Batman Movie, and so much more. She absolutely broke viewers’ hearts in 2022 with her performance as the titular character in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and will lend her voice to The Ark and the Aardvark.

Jason Alexander

Another intriguing pick-up for the film is veteran actor and comedian Jason Alexander, who’s been cast in an undisclosed role. A widely beloved star, Alexander began his career as a stage performer before making the jump to TV. It was in that medium that he’d find his signature role, that of the bumbling, but well-meaning, George Costanza on Seinfeld. Alexander has appeared on countless shows in the years since the hit NBC sitcom ended. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Star Trek: Voyager, Two and a Half Men and The Orville are just a few of his credits. In terms of film, he’s held roles in flicks like Pretty Woman, Coneheads and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Woody Norman

Amid the flurry of Hollywood veterans, Electric State will also showcase some up-and-coming talent in the form of Woody Norman. The 13-year-old English actor is set to play the younger brother of Millie Bobby Brown’s character. Though he hasn’t been in the industry as long as his peers, Norman does have some respectable credentials. When it comes to TV, he’s appeared on Starz's The White Princess and the BBC’s Poldark along with a few other programs. He truly broke out in 2021 as a result of his role in the Joaquin Phoenix-led drama C’mon C’mon. He also played a supporting role in the 2023 horror flick The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Norman’s going to need to bring it for the Russos’ sci-fi film, as his character is definitely crucial to the plot.

 Martin Klebba 

Like many of his co-stars, Martin Klebb has certainly been around the block in Hollywood. He’s done stunt work on a myriad of films from Van Helsing and Evan Almighty to Zombieland and Hancock. He even served as a mo-cap performer on 2015’s Jurassic World. However, moviegoers probably know him best for playing Marty in four of the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He’s not done with the House of Mouse, either, as he’s also set to appear as Grumpy in the upcoming Snow White film. While his role in the Russos’ sci-fi film is currently unknown, I have no doubt Klebb will put in a solid effort as per usual.

Brian Cox

So why don’t we end this list with one more veteran: Brian Cox. The name by itself is pretty intimidating. Reports point to the celebrated actor, like some of his co-stars, is said to be voicing a CGI character. Where to even begin with Cox’s career? He’s an acclaimed stage veteran, who was praised for his turn in King Lear. His filmography spans various genres and includes movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Rushmore, X-Men 2, Zodiac, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Churchill. (Hold up, I need to catch my breath.) More recently, he’s captivated audiences through his Emmy-nominated performance as the cold and calculating Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession. Given his body of work, I could see Cox playing a villain in the Russos’ film, but that may not end up being the case. Whatever the case, let’s hope it’s a role he can sink his teeth into.

The Electric State debuts on March 14 amid the 2025 movie schedule and, if you're aiming to check it out, be sure you have an active Netflix subscription.

Likely the last thing anybody expected when Britney Spears was preparing for her June wedding to longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari was a cameo appearance from Jason Alexander. The singer’s childhood friend (and husband for all of 55 hours in 2004) attempted to crash the Spears/Asghari nuptials, ultimately being detained by event security before police arrived to take him into custody. So whatever happened to Alexander?

Britney Spears’ ex-husband was ordered to remain in jail on felony stalking charges following his uninvited entrance into the former pop singer’s home on June 9, after a security guard testified that Jason Alexander tried to open her bedroom door, which was locked. On August 11, Alexander agreed to a plea deal, Rolling Stone reported, pleading no contest to aggravated trespassing and battery, while the felony stalking and misdemeanor vandalism charges were dropped. 

Judge Gilbert Romero sentenced the Louisiana native to 128 days in county jail, which was reduced to 64 days — the amount of time he had already served — for “good behavior.” Britney Spears had already obtained a three-year restraining order against her first ex-husband following the June incident.

Despite being understandably shaken by the unexpected drama, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari went on to enjoy a fairytale wedding, complete with horse-drawn carriage and dancing into the night with a star-studded guest list that included Paris Hilton, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Madonna. 

Paris Hilton raved about her longtime friend's big day, calling Britney Spears “an angel” and “a Disney princess.” Thankfully, the drama that preceded the ceremony didn’t affect the bride too much, as Hilton said Spears had a “sparkle in her eyes” as she walked down the aisle to finally marry Sam Asghari, who she met in 2016.

After the party settled down, however, Britney Spears took action, firing all of the personnel involved in the Jason Alexander security breach. It was an extreme reaction, sure, but completely understandable, as her ex-husband-of-55-hours had reportedly been seen wandering the outskirts of Spears and Asghari’s property several times in the days leading up to the ceremony, including the day before. 

Jason Alexander documented his actions on the day of the wedding on Instagram Live, and he still was able to make it to the second floor of his ex-wife’s home, where she was preparing ahead of her walk down the aisle. That’s a very scary occurrence, especially considering everything Spears has already endured during her traumatic 13-year conservatorship.

Unfortunately for the “Toxic” singer, Jason Alexander isn’t the only ex-husband Britney Spears has been having issues with lately. Kevin Federline participated in a bombshell interview about the mother of his children, causing the couple to exchange barbs on social media. Their accusations centered a lot around sons Sean Preston and Jayden James, before Spears and Federline both apparently changed course and deleted the posts. Hopefully Britney Spears is finding a way to move past all the drama with her ex-husbands, so that she can continue to enjoy her marriage and her post-conservatorship freedom.

Following their time making two Captain America movies and two Avengers movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have hanging the streaming realm. In early 2021, they delivered the Tom Holland-led Apple TV+ movie Cherry to the public, and last month brought the release of their Netflix movie The Gray Man, which starred Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Now the Russo Brothers are turning their attention to fellow Netflix offering The Electric State, which stars Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown and Infinity War and Endgame vet Chris Pratt. With production set to begin on in the coming weeks, more top-notch stars have been added to the sci-fi flick.

Word’s come in that Michelle Yeoh, Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, Brian Cox and Jenny Slate are joining Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State’s cast. While none of these actors’ characters were identified in Deadline’s report, the outlet mentioned that Cox and Slate will voice CGI characters in the movie. Just like with the Russo Bros’ four Marvel movies and The Gray Man, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote The Electric State’s screenplay. The Russos will produce the movie through their AGBO production banner with Mike Larocca, and Chris Castaldi and Patrick Newall are also attached as producers.

This is definitely an impressive lineup of talent that’s been brought into The Electric State. Michelle Yeoh has drawn acclaim over the last several months for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and her other sci-fi/genre work thanks to credits like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Star Trek: Discovery. Stanley Tucci also has experience in this line of work from the Hunger Games movies, a couple Transformers movies and Captain America: The First Avenger, while Succession’s Brian Cox is obviously well known from his time as William Stryker in X2: X-Men United. Jenny Slate also appeared with Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once and scored genre cred from Venom, while Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander has recently been heard as Sy Borgman in the Harley Quinn animated series and will soon be taking part in Star Trek: Prodigy as the voice of Doctor Noum.

We could spend all day talking about these five actors’ other credits, but suffice it to say that The Electric State isn’t holding back with drawing in talented performers. Based off the same-named illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State is set in a retro-futuristic past and follows an orphaned teenager, played by Millie Bobby Brown, traveling across the American West to find her younger brother. Along the way, she’s joined by an an eccentric drifter and a mysterious robot; I imagine Chris Pratt is playing the former role, leaving the latter role to be filled by either Brian Cox or Jenny Slate. While The Electric State was being lined up at Universal Pictures when it was announced in December 2020, the film adaptation was officially set up at Netflix towards the end of June 2022.

It’ll be a while before The Electric State makes its way to the Netflix library, but we’ll continue passing along casting updates and other information about the production. Scan through our 2022 Netflix movie schedule to learn what cinematic entertainment the streaming service is delivering for the rest of the year.

Liz Sheridan had a long entertainment career filled with many notable pivots. But it was her work as a TV actress on iconic shows like ALF and Seinfeld that endeared her to millions of television viewers. Her role as Jerry Seinfeld’s overprotective mother, Helen, on the latter series was arguably her most memorable role. With this, it would only make sense for her TV son to pay tribute to her after hearing of her death at age 93. And co-star Jason Alexander paid his respects as well.

As fans and Hollywood continue to mourn the late actress, Jerry Seinfeld decided to let the world know just how much he appreciated his TV mom. She spent nine seasons butting into his TV character's life while supplying endless laughs for audiences. There seems to have been a solid bond between the two performers, based on the lovely Twitter post Seinfeld posted after hearing of his colleague's death:

It's nice to see that the two co-stars had a friendly relationship while working together on the fan-favorite sitcom. The fact that the Bee Movie actor felt comfortable whenever Liz Sheridan would guest star on the series is a huge testament to her both as both a person and a performer. And every time they appeared on screen together was perfect. Viewers came to expect that the fictional Jerry would end up being humorously frustrated whenever Helen and his father, Morty (played by the late Barney Martin), came to visit. Those were easily some of the best moments that the comedy series had to offer. And honestly, had the star done another sitcom, Sheridan could've just played his mother again.

The tribute from fellow Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander was also sweet. He memorialized the TV mom on Twitter, calling her “gracious and graceful.” To see what other kind words Alexander shared about the actress, check out his moving post below:

I couldn't think of a better way to sum up the late actress and her career. Sadly, this isn't the only loss the Seinfeld family has experienced as of late. Just a few weeks ago, Estelle Harris, who played Jason Alexander's mom on the show, passed away at the age of 93. Alexander remembered his TV mom with an incredibly sentimental message that encapsulate his feelings for her. Needless to say, he, as well as fans everywhere, are going to miss the two impactful actresses.

Besides her iconic roles in the aforementioned sitcoms, Liz Sheridan appeared in plenty of other notable TV shows, dating back to the 1970s. She spent years guest-starring on classic series, including St. Elsewhere, Blossom, and Family Ties. She definitely leaves an incredible legacy, but you can't help but love the fact that she managed to leaving last marks on co-stars like Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander as she worked all of those gigs.

If you want to relive the best episodes of Seinfeld, you can do so by grabbing a Netflix subscription.

Spoilers below for those who haven't yet watched The Conners' latest episode, so be warned!

After kicking off Season 4 with a live premiere in front of a full audience, The Conners brought theology into the fold for its second episode, complete with several references to the late Roseanne Conner and her complicated relationship with God. So what more logical subject matter could there be to veer into for Episode 3 than the topics listed in the episode's title, "Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware and Losing My Religion."

In a nutshell, the episode's storylines were split pretty much down the middle. On one side, we had Sara Gilbert's Darlene unwittingly self-sabotaging her attempts to form a stronger relationship with Louise. On the other, Becky's hyper-specific amends-making point of her sobriety journey put her back in very close and intimate contact with an old high school friend. Nothing too brain-melting on the whole, but the episode employed a variety of elements that really make it shine, and I'd love to see lots more of everything below going forward. 

Happy, Worry-Free, Post-Orgasm Becky

Don't worry about things getting bawdy, everybody, this isn't about the sex! Well it is, but it's more about seeing Becky oozing pure, stress-lacking, alcohol-forgetting, emotional jubilance in her post-coital state. (And I do realize I'm making assumptions about how her side of things went, but we all know what Lecy Goranson's smile was conveying.) It's everything the character needed after all the mental and physical struggles she's coped with, including worries about how to have sober sex. Naturally, what was meant to be no-strings-attached experience with Darien Sills-Evans's Mikey went sideways when he confessed his long-undisclosed crush on her, because dudes are mood-killing experts. But it's another big step toward seeing Becky riding seratonin highs instead of reminiscing about boozy lows.  

Drunk, Rambling Jackie

Okay, so The Conners wasn't exactly reinventing the wheel by bringing Drunk Jackie out to play, but who doesn't want to see more wheels on shit? Likewise, give me Laurie Metcalf yelling non-esque sequiturs between other characters' lines all day long. No matter how many birth stories we have to hear.  

Louise Being Assertive (Wedding Dress Optional)

While I guess it might be seen as controversial by certain corners of the Roseanne Conners fandom, Louise spent most of Episode 3 making one grand statement: "I'm not Roseanne and her plastic utensils. I'm not Darlene and her vicarious wedding planning. I'm not Harris and her patriarchy-destroying. I'm Louise, and I'll marry Dan however I damned well please." And because Katey Sagal is the gawdamned best, it's extremely easy to jump on her side, even while feeling bad about Darlene truth-bombing herself with the realization that she was pushing her own wedding goals onto her future mother-in-law under the guise of "friendly advice." Between Louise and Mark, the Conner family might make it in this world...in a few generations. 

Mark's Sassy AF Wedding Dress Commentary

As bizarre a choice as it can be to have one's future grandchildren-by-marriage to accompany them to try out wedding dresses, it gave us Mark's unfortunately under-utilized but hyper-snappy takes on Louise's choices. I understand how this fairly specific character behavior wouldn't naturally come up in episodes on a weekly basis. But am I saying it would be a terrible idea to have Mark impulsively judging brides-to-be as soon as they come out of dressing rooms as footage to air over the credits? I'm not saying that would be a terrible idea at all. 

More Jason Alexander In General

Similar to the Drunk Jackie entry earlier, there aren't any wordy bells and whistles here. Jason Alexander is great, and Pastor Phil seems like a great guy, regardless of one's take on religion. That's it. That's the argument. He told Darlene that it was okay for her to look outside the church to find guidance in life, which isn't a good sign for the character's continued presence. And I know Alexander hadn't signed on for anything beyond a guest role at this point, but knowledge is lame in the face of pure want. 

The Conners Season 4 continues on ABC every Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET, and while waiting to see where things go next for Lanford's finest, be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen soon.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched The Conners’ second episode in Season 4.

Ever since The Conners set up the narrative that its late matriarch Roseanne died of an accidental overdose, the ABC sitcom has understandably put some distance between references to Roseanne Barr’s character and the flagship series. (Understandable given the controversial way the comedian exited the rebooted comedy.) But showrunner Bruce Helford and his creative team managed to bring the character’s memory back in an unexpected way in Season 4, with the episode “Education, Corruption and Damnation” revealing Roseanne Conner’s secret connection with God and the Good Book.

The Conners directly set up its semi-religious arc in the Season 4 premiere when Sara Gilbert’s Darlene knelt down for a prayer in seeking guidance regarding her crumbled relationship with Ben. It was something of a bizarre move, as Darlene has been opening atheist since her teen years on Roseanne proper, and when she compared her own skepticism to that of her mother, John Goodman’s Dan pointed out that Roseanne actually did look to God on occasion. To the point where she kept a Bible in the kitchen, suitably kept in “the drawer with the Bible,” which neither Darlene nor Lecy Goranson’s Becky were aware of. (Points to the writers for facing the ridiculousness of their ignorance head-on through Dan’s incredulousness.) 

When Darlene asked for more insight into Roseanne’s connection to the Bible, here’s how Dan explained it:

With her new/old Bible as a guiding light, Darlene went to mass headed up by guest star Jason Alexander as the cool, calm, and collected Pastor Phil. But it didn’t take long before she suddenly and emotionally ran out of the church. As she later explained, Darlene came across one of Roseanne’s more personal messages to the Almighty, and it was too much for her to handle in the moment.

The message, which was presumably penned in the months before her overdose and death, said this (as dictated by Darlene, Becky and Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie): 

I guess Roseanne did end up putting a stop to the clothes stealing one way or another, even if Dan wasn’t miraculously granted a perfect bowling game from the Lord. In any case, Darlene’s immediate instinct was to once again turn her back to God, calling him responsible for letting Roseanne overdose, though Becky pointed out the foibles in that train of thought. And without any other answers to turn to by the end, Darlene joked about following in her mother’s footsteps by hitting up the donation bin.

This was quite the heavy episode for The Conners to dive into right after the largely fluff-filled Season 4 premiere, which was filmed live. As if Becky needed this kind of stress for her first episode of the season, after everything that went on in Season 3 regarding her resurrected alcoholism and motherhood concerns. But the Bible concept in general is a pretty solid idea for the writers to lean into from a creative angle, as Darlene and Becky may find other astoundingly specific messages from Roseanne to God that add insight to future story arcs. Or maybe it’ll go back in the drawer, never to be heard from again. I do think it’d be amusing if D.J. also knew about it all this time, with only the sisters being completely out of the loop.

The Conners airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET, and it’s just one of many popular shows populating the 2021 Fall TV season.

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus first appeared on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, what followed my initial spell of bewildering excitement was a question I never considered before. Who could be the next Seinfeld cast alum to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Quite frankly, I believe that Jason Alexander (best known for playing George Costanza on the hit sitcom) is the most deserving of that shot.

Not only is the Tony-winning actor a great candidate for his underrated versatility, but he also does have some experience starring in superhero movies (he had a supporting role in 1994 comedy, Blankman) and DC TV shows (he is a regular cast member on Harley Quinn). In fact, his role on the animated HBO Max exclusive inspired me to choose the first of the following seven characters I believe he would master in the Marvel movies, if chosen.

M.O.D.O.K.

Fun fact: one of Patton Oswalt’s earliest acting gigs was a brief scene on Seinfeld which he shared with none other than Jason Alexander as George. Years later, the comedian would voice the title role of M.O.D.O.K., an animated Hulu original comedy centered on the obscure, partially robotic Marvel villain with a head much larger than the rest of his body. The character reminds me quite a bit of Sy Borgman, the partially robotic DC villain Alexander voices on the Harley Quinn cast, which is just one of the many reason I think he should be considered if Marvel ever wants to adapt the character for a live action movie.

Mojo

Anther partially robotic Marvel villain that came to mind when considering possible options for Jason Alexander is Mojo, but not just for the same reasons I considered him for M.O.D.O.K. (although there are a few varying similarities). This yellow, (literally) larger-than-life, inter-dimensional motormouth was created by Ann Nocenti as a parody of TV executives, which becomes clear in the way he runs his “Mojoverrse” the way the Nielsen Ratings System dictates a network. I know many fans would love to see this sadistic game show host-type in the X-Men movies someday and to see a TV icon with the onscreen energy of Alexander bring him to life would be a dream come true.

Gargoyle

One of Jason Alexander’s other most famous roles is Hugo the Gargoyle in Disney’s animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which first made me consider casting him as a hero named Gargoyle, who was originally human before his spirit was transferred into the body of the winged creature. That was until I found another character who goes by the same alias who was an even better fit for the actor: a mutated scientist named Yuri Topolov, who was actually the very first villain that Bruce Banner face off against in the premiere issue of The Incredible Hulk in 1962.

Alexander’s experience playing another short Russian criminal in 2000’s live action The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is all the proof I need that he could nail this portrayal and make it hilarious.

Stegron The Dinosaur Man

Speaking of notable voice roles, Jason Alexander actually played various characters on the hit ‘90s sitcom, Dinosaurs, which starred a cast of prehistoric puppets. I think it might be fun to see the actor return to this sort of role in the form of Vincent Stegron, who became a member of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery after injecting himself with a serum similar what turned Dr. Curtis Connors into the Lizard. In Stegron’s case, it imbued him with the physiology of a much more primitive species of reptile: a stegosaurus, hence calling himself The Dinosaur Man.

Mephisto

So far, you may have noticed that all of the Marvel characters we have suggested for Jason Alexander have been villains. Well, the simple explanation for that is I think the actor would make a fantastic villain based on much of his previous work (George Costanza on Seinfeld, included). In fact, I am so convinced of his abilities that I recommend going as far as casting him as one of the worst (and most requested) baddies of them all, Mephisto. Alexander does not initially seem like the idea candidate to play the Satan of the Marvel Universe (or Marvel Multiverse, I should say), which is exactly the kind of manipulative misdirect that this character is famous for.

Ben Parker

Speaking of the Multiverse, the MCU’s recent experiments with alternate realities could make it possible for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to have one more moment to spend with his late Uncle Ben, and I would recommend Jason Alexander for the role if this were to occur in a new Spider-Man movie. Why? Seinfeld fans may recall an episode in which George goes on a date with Academy Award winner and future Aunt May actress Marisa Tomei (which he ruins by admitting to his ill-fated engagement to Susan Ross) and I think this would be a fun means for the actors to reunite.

J. Jonah Jameson, Sr.

However, there is another way that George Costanza’s romantic fantasy with Marisa Tomei could play out in the MCU and one that would be a more fitting source of comic relief, too. One of Aunt May’s love interests after Ben Parker’s death was the father of Peter’s boss, J. Jonah Jameson, whose MCU portrayal (once again by J.K. Simmons) is a bit different from the comics. Therefore, there is no reason why we should not make J. Jonah Jameson, Sr. a brother or distant cousin to the staunchly anti-Spidey media personality instead, to make Jason Alexander a more appropriate casting choice.

Now that I think about it more, there is a pretty major downside to pairing up Jason Alexander with Marisa Tomei in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bringing in J. Jonah Jameson, Sr. (or whatever we would call him instead) to marry Aunt May would mean the end of her blossoming romance with Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). Of course, the DC movies are always an option, too, and would he not also make a great Penguin in the centralized DCEU continuity? If you disagree with that, which Marvel character do you think best suits the Tony-winning actor?

This poll is no longer available.

Everyone's mileage varies when it comes to the annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which have been more extra than usual in recent years thanks to hosting choices (or a lack thereof) and the pandemic. This year's televised ceremony on CBS was no different, as Cedric the Entertainer gave viewers some enjoyable moments (like that opening tribute) mixed with some truly baffling attempts at comedy (the non-timely fly callback). Even though the telecast is still happening at the time of this writing, I can already say with confidence that the funniest few minutes of the night went to the "No Emmy Support Group," featuring Jason Alexander, Scott Bakula, Zooey Deschanel, and Alyson Hannigan, along with a couple of special guests.

Check out the hilarious sketch below, and try not to freak the hell out wondering how none of the actors in the video have ever won an Emmy award.

I love that this wasn't a room full of celebs being faux-candid about not having been recognized for their efforts across the past few decades of television, and that it almost immediately went from "Woo, Scott Bakula!" to a metaphorical measuring contest between Bakula and Jason Alexander. ("The Contest" reference intended.) Considering Alexander has shown off his acting chops in dramas here and there, I kinda hope Bakula follows up on his years at NCIS: New Orleans with an offbeat comedy where he can lean into those instincts. He could get a sixth mansion going that route.

In the years since Seinfeld ended, it seems wild to think that Jason Alexander lost out on Emmys to his co-star Michael Richards, but that's how it goes, I guess. He obviously lost to other actors as well, so we can't hold too many grudges. But hey, since HBO Max is doing a dramatized version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, what if somebody created a dramatized version of George Costanza's life? I feel like either Paul Dano would kill it in that role, with Michael Shannon as Kramer. But seriously, that shouldn't happen.

And with ABC's upcoming The Wonder Years reboot premiering soon, it was quite the timely appearance from O.G. star Fred Savage, who has somehow never won an Emmy either for his work as Kevin Arnold — he was nominated twice, in 1989 and 1990 — or for his directing work. Now, while Dr. Phil McGraw doesn't have any Primetime Emmys on his shelves, he has technically won Daytime Emmys, so he was the reigning champ in the room in that respect.

While there are obvious optics issues with having a Black host talk to a room full of white actors about their Emmy woes, we'll just recognize that and move on, since the segment itself didn't dig into those topics. And Cedric the Entertainer did get confirmation in another silly moment that it isn't impossible for him to win an Emmy next year. Speaking of...

Maybe Jason Alexander will win a Guest Star Emmy for his upcoming work on ABC's The Conners. Maybe Zooey Deschanel will win for her hosting work on The Celebrity Dating Game. Fred Savage could win for directing The Wonder Years' reboot pilot. Maybe Alyson Hannigan and Scott Bakula will win for something that hasn't come out yet. Anything can happen!

While waiting to see if any of that happens, check out everything heading to TV soon with our 2021 Fall TV schedule.

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It used to be tradition for sitcom sidekicks to be slow-witted dolts or fast-talking menaces, but also loyal and successful in resolving situations. The point of Seinfeld was always to break tradition, which is why Jason Alexander’s George Costanza (roughly based on co-creator Larry David) was as a neurotic, self-serving, and self-loathing failure and we would not have it any other way. As one of the best Seinfeld characters, George’s most definitively uproarious moments are key to the revolutionary comedy’s success, such as one of his many iconic workplace screw-ups.

George Gets Fired From Pendant Publishing (Season 3, "The Red Dot")

After previously helping him attempt to poison his boss, Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gets George a job at Pendant Publishing, which he also ends up ruining in spectacular fashion in a Seinfeld holiday episode. Mr. Lippman (Richard Fancy) confronts him after the cleaning woman, Evie (Bridget Sienna), confessed she and George had sex on his desk. He probably could have found some way to at least try to talk his way out of getting fired. Instead, George pathetically “pleads ignorance” by asking, “Was that wrong?” in what Jason Alexander has claimed is the character’s defining moment from the show.

George Is Desperate To Stay On Unemployment (Season 3, "The Boyfriend")

It is arguably funnier and, undeniably, more in tune with the character when George goes to extremes to avoid having job. In another Seinfeld Season 3 episode, “The Boyfriend,” he convinces Jerry to answer his phone as a non-existent company considering George for a latex salesman position called Vandelay Industries (part of a great running gag) after he gives the unemployment office his number. Unfortunately, Kramer (Michael Richards) is not in on the scheme and ruins the ploy when he ends up answering their call, sending George running out of the bathroom screaming “Say Vandelay!” before falling flat on his face, caught with his pants literally around his ankles.

George Reprimands Two Rude Movie Theater Patrons (Season 5, "The Opposite")

George eventually realizes low points such as these result from his consistently problematic natural instinct, convincing him to try the opposite in the Seinfeld Season 5 finale. This new philosophy leads to some unexpectedly inspiring moments, but we see him at his most aspirational while on a movie date with Victoria (Deedee Pfieffer). George scares two loudmouths sitting behind them into silence by threatening to “take them outside” and “show them what it’s like” if he has to confront them again, inciting a round of applause from the surrounding moviegoers.

George Has Jerry Threaten Yankee Stadium To Keep His Nap Space Secret (Season 8, "The Nap")

"The Opposite" also earns George a job for the New York Yankees, which he, of course, just barely manages to hold onto for the next few seasons - arguably reaching its peak in Seinfeld Season 8. In another amazing effort to put in as little effort toward work as possible, he hires a carpenter to construct a secret napping space inside his desk, which he becomes trapped inside when real-life Yankees owner George Steinbrenner (voiced by Larry David) and his grandchildren make themselves at home in George’s office. In a last ditch effort, he very quietly phones Jerry and tells him call the stadium with a bomb threat, which backfires when Steinbrenner believes the safe thing to do is hide under George’s desk.

George Thinks "It Moved" (Season 3, "The Note")

George’s neuroses puts him and the rest of the Seinfeld cast in all kinds of trouble and one of his more notable moments of insecurity occurs in the Season 3 premiere. When attending physical therapy for his injured hamstring, George is already uncomfortable to learn a man (Jeff Lester) will be performing the massage, but later appears distraught when he tells Jerry that he fears he may have become aroused during the experience. This would not be the last time the George questioned his sexuality (“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,”) but any of those are easily topped by a Season 5 moment that sees, probably, the gold standard of his insecure tendencies.

George Experiences "Shrinkage" (Season 5, "The Hamptons")

While visiting a Hamptons beach house owned by mutual friends, Jerry’s girlfriend, Rachel (Melanie Smith), accidentally walks in on George when he is changing out of his swim trunks and is unable to resist giggling at the sight. George frantically exclaims “I was in the pool!” which is later clarified when he tells Jerry that the water was cold, causing a certain change to his appearance that led to the embarrassment. When they learn Elaine was unaware of the “shrinkage” phenomenon, George fears that Rachel also lacks the knowledge to understand the situation and could ruin his relationship with Jane (Melora Walters) by telling her about it, which is, of course, exactly what happens.

George Has Two "Meaningful, Intelligent Conversations" Backstage At The Tonight Show (Season 4, "The Trip: Part 1")

Sometimes George experiences a rare boost in confidence that still, inevitably, gets the best of him - such as in the first half of the premiere episode for Seinfeld’s Emmy-winning fourth season. While Jerry is preparing for his appearance on The Tonight Show, George waits backstage where he pitches a damning personal story as an L.A. Law episode to Corbin Bernsen and tells George Wendt that the Cheers producers might want to consider another location for the long-running sitcom than the titular bar. He assumes he made a breakthrough until the actors both use harsh words when mentioning their recent respective encounters with George on the talk show, making Jerry’s botched stand-up set look favorable in comparison.

George Tries To Plant Another Marble Rye At Susan's Parents' Apartment (Season 7, "The Rye")

It seemed George was finally growing up when he became engaged to ex-girlfriend, Susan Ross’ (Heidi Swedberg), in Seinfeld’s Season 7 premiere, but that also proved to be a recipe for disaster upon disaster. For instance, after George discovered his parents (Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris) pettily took back the marble rye bread they gifted his future in-laws (Warren Frost and Twin Peaks’ Grace Zabriskie) at an ill-fated dinner party, he coaxes Jerry and Kramer to help replace it before they notice. Nothing goes according to plan, eventually forcing George to use a fishing pole to get the stolen loaf from Jerry into the Ross’ apartment, only to get caught redhanded anyway.

George’s All Too Casual Reaction To Susan’s Death (Season 7, "The Invitations")

"The Rye" is actually a rare instance of George struggling to preserve his impending nuptials as he spends more time scheming to get out of it - which he ends up indirectly achieving in the Season 7 finale, but through a tragic means. When George finds out that Susan has passed away from licking toxic adhesive on the wedding invitation envelopes he purchased, he reacts in a way that Dr. Wexler (Victor Raider-Wexler) would later describe in the series finale as "restrained jubilation." This scene sees Seinfeld at its unapologetically darkest and George at his most despicable, which is why it remains a classic example of the show’s subversive brilliance.

George Saves A Whale From Kramer’s Golf Ball (Season 5, “The Marine Biologist”)

However, a scene that many (including myself) agree sees Seinfeld at its most subversive and most hilarious is just about the one moment from Season 5 that effectively paints George in an overwhelmingly positive and heroic light. At the request of his girlfriend (who, thanks to Jerry, believes he is a marine biologist), George sets out to save a sick whale seen near the beach and the recounts the incident to his friends at Monk’s in an exciting monologue. As it turns out, the whale’s breathing was obstructed by Kramer’s own golf ball from an earlier scene, leading to one of series’ longest audience laughs and Kramer uttering one of most priceless Seinfeld quotes: “Hole in one, huh?”

George Costanza may not always be “master of his domain,” but he never fails to make millions laugh at his own expense. We only included ten of his best Seinfeld moments, but could have included so many more. Did you spot your own favorite on our list or do you think we should have gone with our opposite instinct?

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The Conners is packed with sitcom legends thanks to its very status as a Roseanne spinoff, but now Darlene's need for guidance following the Season 3 finale is bringing another sitcom icon into the fold. Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame is joining The Conners Season 4 to play what could be a key role in picking up Darlene's storyline where it left off.

Jason Alexander is slated to appear in two episodes of The Conners Season 4 as a guest star, according to TVLine. He definitely won't be playing George Costanza 2.0 for any Seinfeld fans, however. His Conners character will be Pastor Phil, who comes on board as a speaker at a meeting of Becky's Alcoholics Anonymous group, but it will be Darlene who gets some insight from the cleric who brings a rebellious past to his unconventional approach when she joins her sister at the meeting.

Fortunately, Pastor Phil is a character that will make full use of Jason Alexander's comedic talents, as he'll be a pastor who uses humor in his approach. He's also apparently going to be brutally honest, which should definitely deliver some laughs... and which may or may not be exactly what Sara Gilbert's Darlene needs after the breakup with Ben at the end of Season 3. Despite its status as a sitcom, The Conners doesn't shy away from some heavy storylines, with the Season 3 finale as the latest example.

Darlene's plan to propose to Ben in the Season 3 finale took a heartbreaking turn when Ben not only turned her down, but also broke up with her. Her tendency to put just about everything else ahead of their relationship got to be too much for him, leaving Darlene facing a future without Ben rather than a future with him as her husband as she'd intended. Maybe not quite as heavy as what Becky had to go through, but it's no wonder that Darlene could use some spiritual guidance, especially when her dad's proposal to Louise went so much better.

Speaking with CinemaBlend following the finale that featured the breakup, The Conners executive producer Dave Caplan revealed that even the writers room was split about how far Darlene could push Ben and how much he could put up with and which of the two was being more unreasonable, so perhaps a breakup was more or less inevitable. Whether or not that breakup sticks remains to be seen, but at least Darlene evidently won't be struggling alone thanks to Jason Alexander's Pastor Phil.

And between Jason Alexander and Sara Gilbert, I think fans can be confident that there will be plenty of comedy to go with what could be some pretty serious subject matter. Alexander is also coming off of an appearance on another hit sitcom, as he reprised his role as Mr. Lundy for an episode of Young Sheldon's most recent season, in an installment that even set up a cameo by none other than David Hasselhoff.

Really, the only bad news about Jason Alexander coming on board The Conners for a couple episodes as Pastor Phil is that fans will have to wait a while to see his Season 4 debut. The fourth season of The Conners doesn't debut until Wednesday, September 22 on ABC, and there are no details at the time of writing as to when in Season 4 Alexander's episodes will air. For some more of what's on the way in the coming months, be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule!

Seinfeld fans everywhere were given an amazing gift in 2009 when Curb Your Enthusiasm orchestrated something many thought they'd never see: a reunion special. The season-long arc of the HBO comedy series was all about Larry David trying to get back together with his wife by casting her in a new Seinfeld special, and a biproduct of that narrative was a chance to see Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer all back together again. It was both magical and hilarious.

Reflecting on that bit of TV history, however, one realizes that was over a decade ago, and may also wonder what the characters have been dealing with since then. The chances of us getting another reunion are slim, but in a recent interview with US Weekly Jason Alexander provided a glimpse into what he thinks pandemic life would be like for the legendarily terrible George Costanza. Said the Emmy Award-winning actor,

George Costanza is certainly no stranger to making the last resort move of moving back in with his parents. In fact, it's a huge part of his "arc" in Season 5 of Seinfeld, as he is out of work and out of money after the deal with NBC to develop a sitcom falls through at the end of Season 4. He is eventually able to move out thanks to getting his Assistant To The Traveling Secretary gig with the New York Yankees, but his time spent with Frank (RIP Jerry Stiller) and Estelle Costanza is most certainly a nightmare, as they are deeply unpleasant people.

That in mind, the idea that he would be back in the exact same circumstance more than a quarter of a century later is hysterical.

As terrible as George can be, you can sympathize with him in the situation of having to spend the COVID-19 pandemic with his parents. Continuing his thoughts on the idea, Jason Alexander added that he thinks Frank and Estelle would go overboard with preventative measures, and that George would also be pretty freaked out (referencing a running gag on Seinfeld while doing so):

Of course, George Costanza also doesn't live in a world where there are nine seasons of Seinfeld that can be watched endlessly as a distraction from the madness of the pandemic, so that obviously doesn't help anything either. Fortunately, we do, and if you're like me then episodes have been in regular watch rotation since March 2020. The brilliant sitcom is available to stream in its entirety on Hulu, though it will be changing platforms and moving over to Netflix in the coming months.

With all the high-profile video game adaptations currently making waves, from HBO's The Last of Us TV series with Pedro Pascal to the long-awaited Uncharted film franchise fronted by Tom Holland, it doesn't look like the overall trend is going away anytime soon. (Still waiting on that Legend of Zelda TV show, though, Nintendo.) The latest classic digital pastime that will get a live-action adaptation is the 40-year-old arcade game Frogger, and I think most TV fans would agree that this new show definitely needs get Seinfeld vet Jason Alexander involved.

Thankfully, Frogger won't be some kind of a far-fetched dramatic reinterpretation of the initial navigation-based game. Instead, the in-development project coming from NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service will be a "larger-than-life physical competition" in the vein of Netflix's popular Floor Is Lava. Basically, the TV version of Frogger will feature a variety of epic courses set within game-centric settings that contestants will aim to traverse in a timely manner. And the game's mascot won't be the only greenback involved, as there will definitely be a cash prize involved.

So yes, the new game show will make its contestants go through twelve, giant, real-world representations of Frogger stages. That means players will have to "dodge treacherous traffic, leap over snapping gators and hop over hungry hippos" as a way to complete the courses. It'll take the same kind of smarts, planning and timing as the original video game, but combined with the physical skills and dexterity needed to be victorious.

Which brings us back to the easy-to-make argument that Peacock's Frogger producers should definitely try to get Seinfeld's Jason Alexander involved as a host. For those who might not have any clue why that connection exists, might I refer you to the Season 9 Seinfeld episode titled "The Frogger," which features the 1981 Konami arcade game as a big plot point.

In the episode, the George B-story revolves around Jason Alexander's character taking possession of a classic Frogger arcade cabinet from a restaurant that is set to close down. (He still had the high score on it!) Despite hiring a team of guys to handle the arcade transferral – with Fargo's Peter Stormare making a cameo – it comes down to George himself to take the game from one side of the street to the other. And to be expected, he treats the situation like a round of Frogger, and the show uses a top-down P.O.V. to follow George as he moves back and forth across the traffic-filled New York City street. It was a classic moment from the show's final season, and it was all the more heartbreaking and infuriating to witness the arcade game getting subsequently destroyed by a big truck.

Check out the behind-the-scenes look at "The Frogger" that was included in the Seinfeld DVD set, and try to picture someone else hosting Peacock's upcoming game show.

Granted, this entire argument is based on the actions of a fictional character, and Jason Alexander might very well have fewer than zero inclinations to host a game show for a streaming platform. But he might be interested, considering that hilarious Super Bowl commercial he was in, and that's the point. As an alternate, I would also accept Peter Stormare in character as Slippery Pete as the host.

Frogger is confirmed to be getting 13 hour-long episodes for Peacock, but with filming still yet to happen, it's unclear when it will hit the streaming service.

It’s no mystery that the key place to find some the best (and most expensive) commercials on TV is the Super Bowl. It’s also no mystery that this year’s big game is one like no other, coming in the midst of the COVID pandemic. As such, fewer ads aired overall throughout CBS’ Super Bowl LV telecast, and they weren’t quite as weird and wacky as they’ve been in years past. Mirth and joy weren't completely absent, to be sure, with several big brands such as M&M's, Tide and ViacomCBS' soon-to-be-rebranded streaming service Paramount+ delivering big laughs with their quirky spots.

Let's kick things off with the previously mentioned chocolate-coated candies that long ago developed its reputation for hilarious and memorable Super Bowl commercials, with M&M's recruiting Schitt's Creek fave Dan Levy for its latest high-profile spot.

M&M's Thinking Dan Levy Is Sus

Recent years have been trying on many personal relationships, so M&M's is offering itself up as the perfect accompaniment to a long-warranted apology to a friend or loved one. Granted, not everyone will be repentant for the specific reason that recent SNL guest host Dan Levy is, namely for eating anthropomorphic candies, and then lying about it directly to their big, round, delicious faces. 2021 might not be such a good year for the Red M&M.

Doritos' Creepy 2D Matthew McConaughey

Remember in True Detective when Matthew McConaughey's character Rust Cohle said that time is a flat circle? I wanted to find a way to spin that quote in the most clever way to talk about this Doritos 3D ad, but I was too creeped out by McConaughey's paper doll appearance to attempt it. Thankfully, the punchline moment with the vending machine saved this from being 100% nightmare fuel. Still more appealing than some of his Lincoln commercials, though.

General Motors Bringing Will Ferrell To Norway...Er, Sweden

Scruffy Will Ferrell should host his own international travel show, with this General Motors ad serving as the pilot. "Will Ferrell pulls together a group of celebrity friends to go on mishandled global adventures" is a perfect logline. Pirate Kenan Thompson? Check. Super-archer Awkwafina? Check. Something about General Motors? Check. That's it. That's the show.

Tracy Morgan Getting Dangerous For Rocket Mortgage

Having given the world too-skinny Jason Momoa last year, Rocket Mortgage crafted a pair of this year's best Super Bowl ads thanks to both its solid "I'm pretty sure..." gag and the genius of Tracy Morgan. The commercial above featured WWE and Guardians of the Galaxy superstar Dave Bautista in a few fun moments, while the second ad actually featured a pro wrestling joke that didn't use Bautista. I don't know about you, but I'm no longer feeling very confident in Morgan's ability to tell the difference between hornets that do murder and hornets that do not murder.

Wayne's World Returning For Uber Eats

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey already had Wayne's World fans clamoring for more Wayne and Garth after they reunited during the 2019 Oscars, and Uber Eats is somehow the company that answered the [eat local] call with a series of wonderfully silly ads culminating in the shameless Super Bowl spot seen above. If you had "Cardi B dressed up as Garth Algar" on your bingo card, then you [eat local] win it all. Game, set, schwing!

Paramount+ Bringing Together Star Trek, Beavis And Butt-Head & More

For all the pop culture fanatics out there who tend to embrace crossovers and multiverses, Paramount+'s Super Bowl ads were downright magical, bringing together actors and characters from a wide variety of TV shows under the ViacomCBS umbrella to make viewers fully aware of the CBS All Access streaming service rebranding. For my money, the best way to do it is to have Beavis & Butt-Head showing up to laugh at Sonequa Martin-Green saying "crack." But others might be more into Star Trek's Spock and Picard mixing it up with James Corden and SpongeBob SquarePants. Whatever your taste, the extended ad above has something for everyone. Even Crank Yankers fans.

Michael B Jordan As Hot Alexa

You know how some people seem to be obsessed with artificially intelligent digital assistants? You might think it's because technology makes things easy and saves time, but sometimes it comes down to the person daydreaming that the AI is a total stud muffin like Michael B. Jordan. This Amazon commercial is probably closer to reality than we'd like to think – don't mention that one Netflix show, though – but I mean, is it really a dystopia when Alexa's eyes and voice are so striking and soothing, in that order? (Also, points go to this commercial for having the dirtiest joke of the Super Bowl, when the husband talks about things "getting way too wet around here.")

Tide's Seinfeld Callback With Jason Alexander

Seinfeld vet Jason Alexander had fans excited for his Tide Super Bowl ad ahead of the Super Bowl, and the final product definitely justified the hype. Not in the most normal way or anything, but still. The commercial was already hilarious on the surface for the whole idea of a face-morphing Jason Alexander hoodie, and it went next-level awesome by bringing in the song "Theme from Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)," which George Costanza memorably used as his answering machine message on Seinfeld.

Gwen Stefani And Blake Shelton's T-Mobile Hookup

Speaking of good-looking celebs, one of the hottest couples in Hollywood right now is Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, who reteamed with former Voice coach Adam Levine for a hilarious T-Mobile commercial that managed to continue Levine and Shelton's faux feud. The ad revealed the "real" way that the two musicians first hooked up. Turns out it wasn't due to their shared duties on The Voice, but rather really shitty cell reception. How dare he wear spurs.

Timothee Chalamet Becoming Edgar Scissorhands For Cadillac

It's not worthy trying to make sense of Cadillac being the company behind this bonkers ad, so just accept the magnificence of Winona Ryder reprising her Edward Scissorhands role of Kim Boggs, with Timothee Chalamet donning the bladed fingers as Edgar Scissorhands. Whether or not fans start yelling for Tim Burton to deliver a sequel to his 1990 classic, this ad still stands alone as a winner of a tribute, as well as the only Cadillac commercial I'll likely remember for the next year.

Which of the above Super Bowl commercials did you think was the funniest? Let us know in the comments below, or tell us if you think there was a funnier entry that didn't make our list. (Noteworthy honorable mentions include Don Cheadle's Lookalikes ad, Daveed Diggs singing with Sesame Street muppets, and Paul Rudd joining Drake as State Farm understudies.) Here's hoping 2021 plays out in such a way that next year's big game delivers even more standouts, regardless of what happens on the field.

Though Seinfeld hasn't produced a new episode in over 20 years, the acclaimed sitcom's influence in pop culture still hasn't waned, to the point where Jerry Seinfeld knows he can't properly follow up with another TV show. That notion was most recently evidenced by Jason Alexander's big Super Bowl commercial for Tide, which featured the actor's likeness used in hilarious ways, all while paying a winking homage to Seinfeld's George Costanza. (Perhaps thankfully, it wasn't a callback to "The Contest," because ew.)

I won't even say what the reference is before everyone watches, since it's a pretty easy one to recognize for any established Seinfeld fans. Check it out below!

No, this obviously isn't a callback to Jerry's puffy shirt, though it would admittedly be equally amusing to see some fluffy ruffles in the middle of Jason Alexander's face on that hoodie. Rather it's the music used during the ad, the song "Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)," that hearkens back to Seinfeld's Season 8 episode The Susie." That particular installment gifted audiences with George's outgoing answering machine message, which was a delightfully bland parody of the aforementioned TV theme.

For many Seinfeld fans, one of the most memorable lines will forever be "Believe it or not, George isn't at home," and few would actually stop before singing the rest of the monotone ditty, which Jason Alexander intentionally performed as flat as could be. Back in 2015, current WandaVision star Kat Dennings revealed that she actually used that Seinfeld clip as her voicemail message, prompting Alexander to give her a more authentic version by re-performing it.

Jason Alexander has always been game to give Seinfeld its due, whether it involves reuniting with his former co-stars for Curb Your Enthusiasm's meta arc, or defending the sitcom's polarizing finale. So it makes perfect sense that his Super Bowl ad would also work a clever reference in. It's perhaps not as sensible for his face to be plastered across a seemingly sentient hoodie, but it's perfect all the same. There's something so strangely amusing about seeing his two-dimensional face reacting to things such as discarded chewing gum, dog drool, buttprints and more. I'd like to think the commercial director specifically told Alexander to react as if a teenager was doing the worm on his face.

Tide released a follow-up spot featuring Jason Alexander reacting to finding his own hoodie online.

Strangely enough, anybody who wants the Jason Alexander hoodie bad enough – and let's be honest, it should be all of us – can enter for a chance to win it, with paid contributions going to the charities Feeding America® and Matthew 25: Ministries. Hopefully my buddy Art Vandelay will be the winner, so I can borrow it the next time I'm cruising the streets in John Voight's car.

It's hard to go wrong when it comes to picking the "Best Episode" of Seinfeld. Sure, the first season is an exercise in the show finding its footing, but even those episodes are very funny, and everything else is iconic television. Because of this, there's a lot of variety possible when it comes to answering the subjective question, but for series co-creator Larry David, there is one chapter that stands out: "The Contest."

Back in the 1990s the idea of having an entire episode of a network sitcom dedicated to the act of masturbation was beyond taboo, and it seems that the episode's backstory plays a big part in why it's David's favorite, in addition to its Emmy-winning quality (it won that year's "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series" prize). It was during a virtual fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Texas this weekend that the Seinfeld co-showrunner/producer/occasional cameo-maker named it his favorite (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Larry David was joined by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander for the event, and together they reminisced about challenges and maneuvers that were required to make "The Contest" happen. For starters, David did what he could to try and hide the idea from executives as NBC, specifically by not keeping it on an idea board in the writers room that was used to keep track of plots for upcoming episodes. This allowed the writers to work on the script surreptitiously and not get the whole thing preemptively shut down. Said the co-creator,

That last sentiment probably put a smile on the faces of those of you who know a bit about Seinfeld's history, as Larry David was known behind-the-scenes for regularly threatening to quit. It was even turned into a meta joke in the series' fourth season a.k.a. the same season as "The Contest" when Jason Alexander'sGeorge (widely recognized as the show's version of David) rages against executives at NBC for threatening his "artistic integrity" when he is working with Jerry Seinfeld to pitch "a show about nothing."

For those who don't remember or aren't familiar with the episode, "The Contest" begins when George tells Jerry, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Kramer (Michael Richards) that his mother took a hard fall as a result of catching him masturbating in her house. He proclaims that he will never do "that" again, to which all of his friends scoff. This leads to them setting up a bet to see who among them can go the longest without fondling their own nethers.

As it turned out, Larry David's caution was a bit unnecessary. When the executives attended the table read for the thought-to-be controversial episode, they didn't protest the idea at all, and it went to air as envisioned. It almost certainly helped that while the plot of "The Contest" was about self-pleasure, the word "masturbation" isn't used a single time.

The episode was a massive hit that caused a spike in the ratings, and Larry David credits it with changing public perception about what Seinfeld was as a show. To paraphrase the co-creator, the show became much more than Cheers' little brother in the Must See TV lineup, and revealed the sitcom to be different than anything else on television. Said David during the mini-reunion:

The ratings reports definitely support that timeline. A few months after "The Contest" aired, the show was moved from Wednesday night to Thursday night and had its first 20 million-plus audience, and then it became a pop culture staple.

For those of you who are now interested in watching "The Contest," all of Seinfeld is currently streaming on Hulu, and for those of you who don't have a subscription you can always purchase the episode at a digital retailer.

Running for 235 episodes over the course of a full decade, Friends was a hugely popular and beloved sitcom in its day, and while there were many perks that came along with that status (including a total lack of fret during renewal season), the most rewarding for the fans was that the show managed to attract some major guest appearances. While binge watching the series on HBO Max, you can’t go more than a few episodes without seeing a major star show up – some of them just being part of a quick bit, and others getting their own minor arc to play out.

Naturally, some of the guest appearances/roles are better than others – and that’s what we’re here to sort out today. After having gone back through all nine seasons of Friends and weighed all candidates against one another, we’ve come up with this Top 10 ranking for your enjoyment. Read on for our selections and reasoning, and then hit the comments section with your own picks.

10. Danny DeVito

Thanks to Danny DeVito’s role on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, fans have the opportunity to regularly laugh at the actor’s antics as a repellant mess – but the truth is that he’s been playing that bit for decades, and a prime example can be found in the Friends Season 10 episode “The One Where the Stripper Cries.” DeVito plays said stripper, and he gets big laughs as he goes from confident dancer to blubbering mess during Phoebe’s bachelorette party. This kind of part has definitely become a trope in modern sitcoms, but this remains a particularly fantastic example of the joke.

9. Dakota Fanning

In the early aughts, no child star had the sparkle that Dakota Fanning did, which goes a long way in explaining why she was landing prominent roles opposite stars like Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington. One of her best early performances, however, is in Season 10 of Friends when she essentially serves as a therapist for Joey in the episode "The One with Princess Consuela." The dumbest member of the main cast is upset by the fact that everything in his life is changing, and Dakota Fanning’s Mackenzie proves to be quite the excellent sounding board and helps him get past his issues.

8. Dan Castellaneta

Pop culture history will forever remember Dan Castellaneta as the voice of Homer Simpson, but not to be totally overshadowed are his super funny live-action performances – including his part as The Zoo Keeper in the Friends episode “The One After the Super Bowl: Part 1.” It’s only a bit part, with the character surreptitiously meeting with Ross to discover the whereabouts of Marcel The Monkey, but it’s fantastic material built on Castellaneta’s work. As proven by his many, many years playing Homer, the guy knows how to play dumb perfectly, and his negotiations with Ross is a prime example.

7. Bruce Willis

Meeting a significant other’s father is always a nerve-racking situation, but it’s definitely made more nerve-racking when said significant other is your former college student, and said father is a guy that looks like Bruce Willis. None of us would want to be in that situation, which makes Ross’ late Season 6 arc quite relatable – and it helps that there are some great laughs injected into the three episodes where the Die Hard star appears. Not only is it great to see Ross butt heads with Willis’ Paul Stevens (ultimately earning the upper hand when he witnesses what we’ll call Paul’s mirror exorcises), but it’s also funny to see Willis turn into an emotional mess when his character’s relationship with Rachel opens him up a bit and creates a flood of tears and pain.

6. Hugh Laurie

Of the guest stars mentioned on this list, Hugh Laurie’s is probably the briefest, but it’s so brilliant that it not only demands inclusion on this list, but gets placement in the middle of the pack. His character doesn’t even have a name (he’s credited simply as “The Gentleman on the Plane”), but he stands out because he’s one of the few characters on Friends to call out a member of the main cast on their awfulness. 

In “The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2,” Rachel finds herself sitting near him on a plane to England ready to stop the wedding of the man she loves – but after hearing her recount her story to other passengers, The Gentleman explains why she is in actuality a bad person who should feel bad about what she’s doing. His last line is also a perfect kicker: “And by the way, it seems to be perfectly clear that you were on a break.”

5. Jason Alexander

Phoebe’s unyielding optimism is one of her most important and best traits, but what happens when she is confronted with a person who has a claim at the title for Most Depressed Man On Earth? That’s the basic set-up in Season 7’s “The One Where Rosita Dies,” which finds the ray of sunshine taking a sales job hocking toner and winding up on the phone with Jason Alexander’s Earl.

It never feels good to laugh at a person’s pain, but you can’t help it when you watch Alexander’s performance as Earl is a man eternally lost in a gray void who can’t even get the attention of his co-workers when he loudly announces his plans to kill himself. Plus, while he’s life hasn’t changed much by the end of the episode, he does find a new lease on life because Phoebe convinces him via fate that “the universe cares” about him, even if nobody else does.

4. Reese Witherspoon

With films like Cruel Intentions, Election, and Pleasantville on her resume, Reese Witherspoon was already very much a proven talent before her two-parter on Friends as Rachel’s sister Jill, but her work on the sitcom practically created a perfect runway to her time as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Jill is basically proto-Rachel, which is to say that she still has all of the terrible qualities of which Rachel worked so hard to rid herself – and it works for some chuckles as she works to seduce Ross to get revenge on her sibling, while also exercising prime spoiled brat material.

3. Julia Roberts

Being part of Friends’ big two-episode post-Super Bowl event in 1996, Julia Roberts’ guest spot got a big spotlight, but it also proved to earn every bit of the hype, as her revenge-seeking role in "The One After the Super Bowl: Part 2" ultimately makes for one of the best moments on the entire show. While she doesn’t hint at it early on, Roberts’ Susie Moss is a character eager for payback against Chandler for pantsing her in elementary school – and she successfully capitalizes by leaving the jokester in a restaurant bathroom naked with the exception of a pair of woman’s underpants. It’s super funny and memorable… not to mention an impressive get for a series in only its second season.

2. Christina Applegate

Sitcoms usually give their main stars one celebrity sibling at most, but Friends took a different route with Rachel, and it clearly worked as both of her sisters make this list. Admittedly Christina Applegate’s Amy Green isn’t a whole lot different than Reese Witherspoon’s Jill, in that they are both immensely vapid and spoiled twits, but we give the edge to Amy (and not just because she has the good sense not to date Ross). 

In “The One With Rachel's Other Sister” she proves to be a pitch-perfect instigator, riling everyone up about who will take care of Emma if anything were to happen to Ross or Rachel, and that’s then followed up by the awesome babysitting adventure in "The One Where Rachel's Sister Baby-Sits"… where she proves exactly why she definitely should never have custody of a child.

1. Brad Pitt

Obviously you all knew that Brad Pitt was going to be featured on this list, but how many of you guessed that he would be featured in the top spot? His appearance is a one-off, playing Ross’ old, formerly obese high school friend Will Colbert, but the role is special for a few reasons: 1) It’s one of the show’s famous Thanksgiving episodes; 2) he was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time; 3) the part gets huge laughs primarily because of how much Will hates Rachel and how much venom he spits at her. Pitt has always been primarily recognized for his dramatic work, but his time on Friends perfectly demonstrates how super funny he can be too.

Friends is now available for subscribers to stream in its entirety on HBO Max, and the series is also available for purchase on digital platforms, Blu-ray, and DVD.

Hollywood has lost yet another icon, as famed actor and comedian Jerry Stiller has passed away at the age of 92. Since news of his death became public, tributes have been pouring in from various figures from the film and TV industries. This includes Stiller’s former Seinfeld and The King of Queens co-stars.

Many fans remember Jerry Stiller for playing George Costanza’s short-tempered father, George, on Seinfeld for several seasons. Following news of his death, his TV son, Jason Alexander, took to Twitter to pay tribute to his late co-star and share a photo. In his message, Alexander called him a great actor, a great man and a lovely friend and referred to him as the kindest man he’s ever gotten to work with:

Jerry Seinfeld himself also took time to remember Stiller by simply posting a photo of himself holding a copy of The Last Two People In the World, a vintage comedy record of Stiller and wife and comedy partner Anne Meara:

The King of Queens star Kevin James, who played son-in-law Doug Heffernan to Jerry Stiller’s eccentric Arthur Spooner, called him a “kind, loving and funny” person and thanked him for the memories:

Stiller’s on-screen King of Queens daughter, Leah Remini, also took to Instagram to praise her TV dad and express her gratitude for having had both a professional and personal relationship with Stiller:

The outpouring of love for Jerry Stiller didn’t stop with the casts of his former shows, either. William Shatner remembered the comedian using a cheeky, Star Trek-inspired Twitter post:

Billy on the Street star Billy Eichner took a moment to remember Stiller’s presence on screen and express his condolences to his family:

Jerry Stiller passed away due to natural causes overnight, with the news being confirmed by son Ben Stiller this morning. Stiller is preceded in death by his wife, Anne Meara, and is survived his son and daughter Amy Stiller.

It’s not hard to see just how impactful Jerry Stiller was on Hollywood, especially within the comedy world. His career began in earnest in the ‘60s when he and Anne Meara formed the Stiller and Meara comedy duo. While their careers would eventually dwindle over time, Stiller would see a resurgence in the ‘90s, thanks in no small part to Seinfeld and The King of Queens. He would also become a mainstay on television, making guest appearances in numerous TV shows.

It’s never easy to lose a loved one, but Jerry Stiller’s former castmates seem to be handling things well by choosing to celebrate his life and achievements. And for a man who accomplished so much, it’s definitely fitting that this would be the case.

We here at CinemaBlend continue to extend our thoughts to Jerry Stiller’s family, friends and loved ones at this time.

The crew of Game of Thrones got some support from someone who is all too familiar with controversial finales. Actor Jason Alexander starred on the highly-acclaimed sitcom Seinfeld as George Constanza. The series ran for nine years, but, sadly, for fans of Seinfeld, part of its enduring legacy is its poorly received series ender.

Interestingly, Game of Thrones’ series finale aired almost 21 years to the day that Seinfeld had its last episode. The sitcom’s series finale aired on May 14, 1998, while the Game of Thrones finale was, of course, on May 19, 2019. And, there has been one significant change in that time gap: the advent of social media and fans’ ability to react publicly to their favorite shows immediately.

Eventually, in the late 1990s, everyone knew that viewers did not like Seinfeld’s ending. However, social media did not exist back then, so you can only imagine what the backlash would be like if Seinfeld had its finale in today’s world. Backlash can be brutal, as Jason Alexander knows all too well. He is still standing by how Seinfeld went out, though. Here's what he had to say after the Game of Thrones finale:

So, what was all of that controversy about? In case you have no idea, Seinfeld finished its run with the main characters being sentenced to prison terms. Not the happiest of endings for the characters. The fan verdict was swift, and for years, it has been widely considered one of television’s worst finales.

Jason Alexander cleared the air about his personal perspective on the end of the NBC sitcom while acknowledging the overall feeling of many fans. After all of these years, they still share their dismay regarding the finale with him. Part of creating something that people feel strongly about is that that passion can sometimes turn to negativity. As for Game of Thrones, time will tell how people end up feeling about it.

Twenty-one years later, Jason Alexander offered his support to the Game of Thrones crew while they are currently enduring the response from fans regarding the show's own controversial ending. It has only been a few days, so it will take time to sort out its legacy in the long-term, but Alexander sent a supportive tweet anyway, which you can read below:

This is a lovely message, and I think its sentiment is true. If you felt anything watching Game of Thrones, it clearly did something right. What a fantastic way to say “thank you” for the journey, though. Alexander clearly enjoyed the ride, and what a ride it was.

There is clearly a lot to unpack regarding the Game of Thrones finale. Even before the finale, some fans were expressing outrage over the events of the penultimate episode. In the week leading up to the series finale, Game of Thrones was already embroiled in a backlash. A petition that existed before the penultimate episode took off with intense fervor afterward.

The petition calls for the entire eighth season to be redone. Signatures for it have soared past 1 million and it has gained so much publicity the cast has responded. Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson, who played Grey Worm, weighed in with a response to it and the events that led to the upset.

It will be interesting to see where fans stand on Game of Thrones’ finale in 10 years. Here is me hoping with all of my might that we will have a reunion to look forward to on HBO around then.

In its first season, Young Sheldon has done a great job of helping audiences understand one of the oddest characters from The Big Bang Theory. Now, the show is bringing in a Seinfeld alum to help even more. The show has just cast Jason Alexander as someone who had an interesting impact on Sheldon during his formative years.

Jason Alexander is set to play Medford High School drama teacher Mr. Lundy on the sitcom. The science (and train) obsessed youngster will be introduced to the dramatic arts when Mr. Lundy "boldly shepherds" him into that world. There's no word right now on what will make Mr. Lundy think Sheldon is a good fit for such work, but anyone who's seen The Big Bang Theory knows that he will certainly grow into a man capable of some theatrics in his day to day life. According to Variety, Alexander will guest star on Young Sheldon this spring, when the series airs its 16th episode.

It would be difficult to talk about Jason Alexander without mentioning his star-making turn on the '90s hit Seinfeld, where he portrayed Jerry's best friend George Costanza for the show's entire run from 1989 through 1998. Alexander made the neurotic, self-loathing, dishonest and occasionally impulsive George one of the best characters to watch on the show as he often ran schemes at work and in his personal life to try and come out on top, usually with disastrous results.

While Alexander was nominated for six Emmy Awards and four Golden Globes for his work as George, he's also had a long career in the theater, where he got his start. In 1989, Alexander won a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his work in Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Over the years, he's also appeared in The Producers, A Christmas Carol, Fish in the Dark and The Portuguese Kid.

Of course, Jason Alexander is mostly known for his work in comedic television, but in the years since Seinfeld he's made several guest appearances on a wide variety of shows. He's lent his talents to series such as Star Trek: Voyager, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dilbert, Friends, The Twilight Zone, Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Hates Chris, Criminal Minds, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Dora the Explorer, Community, Drunk History and The Grinder.

The first season of Young Sheldon has seen the show follow the nine-year-old as he adjusts to the social challenges of high school, so, hopefully, whatever Jason Alexander's Mr. Lundy has in store for him will make things easier instead of more difficult for a boy who's already trying to deal with an odd situation.

Young Sheldon airs Thursdays at 8:30 EST on CBS, and for more on what you can catch in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our midseason premiere guide.

In the pantheon of classic sitcoms and popular TV shows from the ‘90s, there are arguably few that can compare to Seinfeld. The hit NBC comedy had a notoriously good run, and it became even more iconic for going out on its own terms. Of everything that the show did right, the cast of delightfully bizarre characters that it assembled has to rank near the top of the list. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite Seinfeld cast members to see what they've been up to since the show went off the air.

Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld)

Before Seinfeld propelled him to stardom in the 1990s, Jerry Seinfeld was already a well-established stand-up comedian. Following the end of the show's run, he returned to that corner of the entertainment world and continues to tour to this day, having also released one of the funniest Netflix stand-up comedy specials with 2020’s 23 Hours to Kill. The star and creator of Bee Movie has maintained a strong relationship with the streaming platform, which also houses his hit reality show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, and upcoming Netflix movie, Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story, which he also co-wrote and directed.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine Benes)

Of the four core members of the cast, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (whom you may have forgotten was on SNL) arguably did the best job of sidestepping the "Seinfeld Curse" as an actor with her Emmy-winning roles on CBS’s The New Adventures of Old Christine and in HBO's Veep cast. Since the biting political satire ended, her popularity and acclaim has only continued to grow with parts in movies like Pixar’s Onward and her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, whom she will reprise in the Thunderbolts movie in 2025. The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient also has an upcoming A24 movie called Tuesday.

Michael Richards (Cosmo Kramer)

Years after his attempt to follow Seinfeld with his own self-titled NBC sitcom, Michael Richards retreated from the public eye following an unfortunate incident in 2007 in which he yelled racial slurs at loud audience members while performing stand-up. He has since made sporadic appearances in film and television roles, such as on TV Land’s short-lived comedy, Kirstie, a 2019 rom-com called Faith, Hope & Love, and even appearing on Curb Your Enthusiasm as himself to spoof his infamous incident. His stint as Jerry Seinfeld's eccentric, scheming neighbor, Kramer, in many ways remains the Emmy-winner’s most iconic character to this day.

Jason Alexander (George Costanza)

In the years since Jason Alexander achieved fame with some hilarious moments as George Costanza on Seinfeld, he has gone on to a number of roles in film, television, and theater. Many of the most notable are voice acting roles, such as Sy Borgman on Max's hit DC TV show, Harley Quinn, from Netflix’s animated film, Leo, as Jayda’s Dad, or Hulu’s History of the World, Part II cast as Maurice Cheeks. The Tony winner’s next projects include a comedy called Stealing Pulp Fiction and Anthony and Joe Russo’s upcoming action flick, The Electric State.

Wayne Knight (Newman)

Hello, Newman. Outside of his best known role as Kramer’s buddy and Jerry’s nemesis, Wayne Knight popped up in a few of the best ‘90s movies, such as Jurassic Park and Basic Instinct, during Seinfeld’s run. Following his years creating some hilarious moments on the sitcom as Newman, the actor found a starring part on another NBC comedy (3rd Rock from the Sun) as well as many great voice acting roles, like Al in Toy Story 2 and “Gang Boss” in Kung Fu Panda. His incredibly eclectic career also includes The Punisher: War Zone, Netflix’s Narcos, a background part in the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar!, and playing himself alongside Paul Hogan in 2020’s The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee.

Larry David (Various)

The original actor to play Newman (only as the voice) was Seinfeld’s co-creator, Larry David, who actually played several different characters on the series – the most famous being New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. However, the comedian’s most famous role to date, overall, is a fictionalized version of himself that appears most frequently on Curb Your Enthusiasm (which is airing its final season on HBO), but has also made appearances on the likes of Entourage and Hannah Montana. David would also return to SNL (for which he had a brief writing gig) with a spot-on Bernie Sanders impression, and is also known for movies like HBO’s Clear History and the Farrelly Brothers’ The Three Stooges.

Patrick Warburton (David Puddy)

Patrick Warburton – who had a hilarious Seinfeld stint as Elaine’s delightfully deadpan, on-and-off boyfriend, David Puddy – is known for his many great voice acting roles, such as Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove, Joe Swanson from Family Guy, a part in the aforementioned Bee Movie and even Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story characters animated spin-off series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. He also became a prolific character actor in the live-action medium, too, as the star of his own TV comedies – namely the first live-action adaptation of The Tick and  Rules of Engagement, as a TV husband constantly put in his place by his wife. He also went on to playLemony Snicket on Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events TV show and some of his upcoming credits include a comedy movie called Christmas Telethon and a horror-comedy called The Unearthly.

Bryan Cranston (Dr. Tim Whatley)

You probably need no introduction to Bryan Cranston, who was best known as Dr. Tim Whatley on Seinfeld before joining the Malcolm in the Middle cast as Hal. He followed that with his four-time Emmy-winning role as Walter White on the Breaking Bad cast, which propelled him to a level of stardom that earned him Oscar-nominated roles like the title subject of Trumbo and parts in big budget films like the voice of Zordon in 2017's Power Rangers. In addition to his return to TV on Showtime’s Your Honor, Cranston starred in a few Wes Anderson movies (Isle of Dogs and Asteroid City), played a villain in Argylle, and is reprising his role as Li in the upcoming 2024 movie, Kung Fu Panda 4.

Steve Hytner (Kenny Bania)

After becoming a Seinfeld fan-favorite for portraying Jerry's stand-up comedy rival, Steve Hytner retired the Ovaltine jokes, but has stayed active as a TV performer, such as with a starring role on the short-lived sitcom, Working, and subsequent TV guest spots on The Goldbergs, Silicon Valley, and Solar Opposites. Hytner’s most recent feature-length credits include 2012’s Fred 3: Camp Fred, 2016’s Bad Vegan and the Teleportation Machine, and Extracurricular Activities from 2019. Every time he's been gold, Jerry! Gold!

Richard Fancy (Mr. Lippman)

Out of all of Elaine Benes’ insane bosses, one of the best-known and most consistently hilarious is Mr. Lippman (of Pendant Publishing fame), played by Richard Fancy (previously of Tango & Cash and It’s Garry Shandling’s Show fame). Some of his most notable post-Seinfeld credits include Being John Malkovich, 2004’s The Girl Next Door, and a couple Rob Zombie movies (2007’s Halloween and The Lords of Salem). That’s not even counting his small screen accomplishments, such as 49 episodes of General Hospital, a recurring role on CBS’ The District, and guest spots on Ray Donovan and Grace and Frankie, to name just a few.

John O'Hurley (J. Peterman)

Another one of Elaine Benes' eccentric Seinfeld bosses – the overly exuberant J. Peterman – is one of the best-known roles of actor John O'Hurley. His other most famous live-action gig is hosting Family Feud from 2006 until 2010, when he chose to leave under the belief that the game show became less “family-friendly,” as he told Fox News later. He has lent his distinct, golden voice to memorable roles such as King Neptune on SpongeBob Squarepants, Roger Doofenschmirtz on Phineas & Ferb, and Hades on Monster High.

Phil Morris (Jackie Chiles)

A Seinfeld side character whose planned spin-off was unfortunately cancelled is Kramer’s lawyer, Jackie Chiles – an “outrageous” Johnnie Cochrane parody played by Phil Morris, whose most notable previous credits included Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, 35 episodes of Mission: Impossible, and The Young and the Restless as, coincidentally, a law student. After the sitcom’s end, the actor voiced Dr. Sweet in Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire – one of his many, many voice acting roles, including a dog in 2023’s Strays, most recently. One of his most recent live-action roles was on Doom Patrol as Silas Stone – one of the many, many DC characters he has played, including Vandal Savage in the animated Justice League series.  

Danny Woodburn (Mickey Abbott)

If Kramer was not hanging with the rest of the main four, Newman, or Bob Sacamano, he was with Mickey Abbott, which was essentially the breakthrough role for comedian Danny Woodburn. The disability rights activist went on to have a starring role on the short-lived series Conan the Adventurer, was on 26 episodes of Passions as a “Demon Elf,” and landed recent guest roles on shows like Disney+’s Willow and Billions on Showtime. His most famous movie roles come from Jingle All the Way, an uncredited part in 2009’s Watchmen, all of the Santa Paws movies, and 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Splinter.

Larry Thomas (The Soup Nazi)

Easily the most iconic food moments on Seinfeld come courtesy of Yev “The Soup Nazi” Kassem – easily the most recognizable role of Larry Thomas. The actor has since paid homage to his memorable, Emmy-nominated guest appearance in countless ways, either in person yelling “No soup for you!” at fans, sending messages on Cameo, or with his Scrubs cameo as himself. Outside of that, Thomas has appeared in movies like Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and TV shows like Drake & Josh and Arrested Development.

Jerry Stiller (Frank Costanza)

Already Hollywood and comedy royalty at the time he was cast in the recurring role of George Costanza’s father, Frank, Jerry Stiller went on to land a starring role on The King of Queens as Carrie’s father, Arthur. During those years, he would also work more frequently with his son, Ben Stiller – such as when he reprised Maury Ballstein in the 2016’s Zoolander 2. The 2016 sequel would become his last acting credit before Stiller passed away in 2020 at the age of 92.

Estelle Harris (Estelle Costanza)

Also no longer with us is the actor who played George’s mother, Estelle Costanza: Estelle Harris, who passed away in 2022. In terms of sheer numbers, there's an argument to be made that she became one of the most successful Seinfeld alumni, having voiced Mrs. Potato Head in three Toy Story movies, most notably. More of Estelle Harris’ best gigs include 2003’s Brother Bear and the 2014 music biopic, CBGB.

While not all of our favorite Seinfeld cast members are with us any longer, we are thankful to have been able to see this ensemble as “masters of their domain” on one of the greatest TV comedies of all time.

Happy holidays, everyone! While you could be celebrating Christmas or Hannukah, there's also the very real chance that you could be one of the people who chooses to reject the mainstream holidays in favor of Festivus, the greatest TV holiday to ever exist. Popularized in an episode of Seinfeld, Festivus has since gone on to become a holiday celebrated to varying degrees of seriousness. In honor of that, Jason Alexander, formerly George Costanza of Seinfeld fame, wishes everyone out there a merry Festivus.

Jason Alexander took to Twitter to wish everyone a happy holiday season from the Costanza's. He hopes that you "make merry round your pole," referencing the aluminum pole of Festivus that stands in for Christmas trees. Alexander also urges you to be strong so that you can pin the head of your household in the Feats of Strength in order to end the holiday. Finally, he hopes that you don't shout your grievances at each other, but you should ignore that because it's called the Airing of Grievances and how else can you share grievances but shout them?

Originating in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld called "The Strike," Festivus is perhaps the most popular thing to come out of what is already a very popular sitcom. In the episode, the fake holiday was conceived by George's father, Frank Costanza. As he rained down blows on another man while shopping for a doll for his son, Frank thought that there had to be a better way. So, he created Festivus as a rejection of the commercialism of Christmas. The holiday features several components such as Festivus dinner, The Airing of Grievances and The Feats of Strength.

Festivus has since been adopted as a pseudo-holiday by real people, spurning a number of books and think pieces about the influences of Festivus. The funny thing about the holiday, though, is that it was actually real for many years before winding up in a Seinfeld episode. It was a family tradition of Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe, whose father created Festivus as early as 1966. The real version has some differences from the TV one, mainly that instead of an aluminum pole, the O'Keefe family put a clock in a sack and nailed it to the wall. To this day, Dan O'Keefe has no idea why they did that.

Happy Festivus, readers! Out of curiosity, are any of you celebrating the holiday, or do you know anyone who does? Let us know in the comments below.

Criminal Minds has been on the air for 11 seasons now, and in that time, the show has featured a slew of awesome guest stars playing roles as varied as victims, unsubs and even family members. It’s hard to choose the best of the best, so we recently culled through all of the big names to ever appear on the series and came up with a list of the best Criminal Minds guest stars, ranked. From foes to friends, there are some interesting picks here. You can check ‘em out, below.

10. Aaron Paul

Three years before Aaron Paul started calling people “bitch” on Breaking Bad, he played a Satanist who was really into eyeliner on Criminal Minds. In the episode "The Popular Kids," Paul copped some attitude with the BAU and snorted at the idea that one of his peers could be a virgin. Seriously, how could you not want to go back and give this episode a re-watch?

9. Robert Englund

Criminal Minds isn’t exactly a horror series, but it is horrifying on many occasions and what better way to show that than to bring in one of the horror genre’s most famous faces? Intriguingly, Englund’s big role was not that of a villain at all, but a detective appearing in the episode “Heathridge Manner.” Sure, his role wasn’t as intricate as the one played by Veronica Mars alum Kyle Gallner in the Season 7 episode, but the creepy manner and the Halloween-esque feel of the episode make this gig a perfect fit for the actor. Who better to play that role?

8. James Van Der Beek

James Van Der Beek is currently starring in his own procedural on CBS, but long before he landed the CSI: Cyber gig, the actor got his own guest stint on Criminal Minds. Van Der Beek took on the role of yet another serial killer on Criminal Minds, but his character was even more nuanced than usual, showing a split personality disorder that was memorable and has been mentioned on the series several times since. In one of Van Der Beek’s two episodes "The Big Game," he even got to play a role opposite actress Meredith Monroe, who was also formerly in Dawson's Creek.

7. Cameron Monaghan

Years before Cameron Monaghan was "shameless" on Showtime and even before he played a joke or two on Gotham, he was already shaking things up on TV, appearing in a Season 2 episode of Criminal Minds as a troubled kid who turns into a serial killer when he figures out how to lure kids into the woods and kill them with a baseball bat. This was an awesome guest appearance, not only because it came during a time when Criminal Minds took more chances with kids involved with crime, but also because Monaghan was terrifying in the role, even as a young man. The actor was good at playing tortured even before Fox’s villain-oriented comic series came calling.

6. Jane Lynch

It’s hard to think of Jane Lynch's character Diana Reid as a guest star, as she’s so integral to Dr. Spencer Reid's existence and the troubles he's dealt with throughout his life. Still, she’s only appeared in five episodes across several seasons as Spencer Reid's mom, although she’s referenced quite a bit more often. Now that Angel From Hell has been cancelled, maybe we'll see more of Jane Lynch on the long-running procedural.

5. Frankie Muniz

Frankie Muniz popped up in a Season 3 episode of Criminal Minds shortly after his gig on Malcolm in the Middle ended. His character on Criminal Minds was quite a bit different than his comedic gig, as he was forced to watch his girlfriend get raped and killed before being left for dead himself. This caused the character severe PTSD and ended up leading to him suffering a psychotic break and becoming a serial killer himself. The performance was a memorable one, due to the events leading to Muniz's character Jonny’s psychotic break and the reasons for the kills themselves.

4. Ben Savage

Ben Savage’s guest stint on Criminal Minds is memorable not because he played a psychopath, but because his role on the series was unique and different. In the episode, Savage played a younger version of Jason Gideon who was working with a young David Rossi in flashback sequences. We really liked this gig, as it was tied to the episode when Jason Gideon was killed off of the show. Criminal Minds hasn’t always been super fond of flashbacks related to its main characters, but in the case of the Season 10 episode "Nelson’s Sparrow," the device really worked.

3. Aubrey Plaza

It’s hard to believe that 11 seasons into its run, Criminal Minds is still cobbling together intriguing plotlines related to the personal lives of the main characters. In the Season 11 episode "Entropy," Parks and Recreation actress Aubrey Plaza played a hitwoman lured into a setup by Spencer Reid and the team. He posed as her date during the episode. Then, they played an intricate game of cat and mouse. It was all connected to the network that has been hassling Penelope this season, too, which added to the drama. Plaza was reportedly stoked to play a badass murderess and we were pleased as punch to see her take on the role.

2. Michelle Trachtenberg

The 2013 Criminal Minds episode "Zugzwang" was a really personal episode for Dr. Spencer Reid. Spencer had been dating a mystery girl for a good chunk of the season, but she had refused to meet him, living in fear of a mystery stalker. In this particular episode, it was revealed that Michelle Trachtenberg's character was the stalker and her reason for stalking related to some crazy research work she had been a part of while working under Spencer’s girlfriend Maeve. All was not well in the end, and the haunting way the episode ended is still permanently stuck in our heads.

1. Jason Alexander

Although we've been digging his guest stints on The Grinder, Jason Alexander’s character on Criminal Minds is incredibly memorable. He plays a long-haired serial killer who poses as a professor at one of the BAU’s lectures in the Season 4 episode "Masterpiece." He’s obsessed with David Rossi, as Rossi put his brother in jail. Like other killers who crave attention, he admits to killing women and keeping others captive, setting a death trap for them and the members of the BAU. It was some pretty wild stuff, but it gave Rossi a chance to really shine in the face of a foe. Close But No Cigar: Wil Wheaton, Elle Fanning and Keith Carradine. Who were your favorite picks?

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Seinfeld is one of the most re-watchable comedies to ever air, filled with great characters beyond just the four leads that appeared on the small screen every week. While most people weren’t super happy to say goodbye to George, Elaine, Kramer and Jerry after 9 seasons on NBC, there were so many side characters ripe for the picking that a spinoff seemed to be the logical next step for some of the actors close to the show. In a recent podcast interview, series lead Jason Alexander revealed the #1 spinoff he thought should have been made after Seinfeld’s initial run ended. Here’s what he had to say:

The four parents Jason Alexander is talking about are George’s parents, Frank and Estelle Costanza, and Jerry’s parents, Helen and Morty Seinfeld, who already resided in Florida during the tenure of the series at a really nice residence called Del Boca Vista. At one point, George’s parents decided they also wanted to move to the condominium complex in Florida, and Frank and Estelle decided to stay at Jerry’s during that time to keep a buffer between them and the Costanzas. So, presumably, if George’s parents had ever actually made it to Florida to live in the condo complex, shenanigans would have ensued and everyone would have stepped on everyone else’s toes on a regular basis. Possibly, the Seinfeld leads would have even popped in for guest starring stints on occasion, which likely would have put the ratings through the roof. But NBC didn’t go for it at the time, choosing new content over a spinoff. Funnily enough, that’s probably not a decision the network would make today.

Obviously, as Jason Alexander noted during the Nerdist podcast, NBC never took his feelings regarding the spinoff all that seriously, as nothing ever moved forward related to the four parents concept. He seems pretty gung ho about a Seinfeld spinoff, however, also stating that he would have loved to see Jackie Chiles, a.k.a. the lawyer modeled after Johnnie Cochran who got Kramer a settlement when he spilled hot coffee on himself, get his own series. I’m sure Phil Morris would have loved to see that too, Mr. Alexander.

It’s a little too late for this incredible spinoff idea to ever happen at this point. While Estelle Harris, Jerry Stiller and Liz Sheridan are all still kicking, they are getting up in years and probably wouldn’t want to handle the demanding schedule that comes with shooting a network comedy. In addition, Barney Martin, who played Jerry’s fictional dad, passed away in 2005. And Seinfeld has been off the air for so long at this point, I’m not sure the demand for a spinoff or reboot is as big as it might be for other shows, although I suppose I should point out that Full House is also getting a new series, and that show has been off the air even longer than Seinfeld.

On the bright side, NBC has some new stuff hitting the schedule at midseason. If you’d like to see what’s coming up, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.

When it was first announced that Fox would be pairing up sitcom stars Rob Lowe and Fred Savage for The Grinder, it seemed like a match made in a weird section of TV heaven. So what’s one way to make that connection even better? Adding another sitcom icon to the show, of course, and The Grinder has done just that by bringing in Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander for what sounds like it could be a hilarious role. It’s the autumn of George!

The news came from Rob Lowe himself, who posted it and a brief character description on his Twitter page. Check it out.

On The Grinder, Lowe plays Dean Sanderson, Jr., an actor who plays a lawyer on the show-within-the-show The Grinder. Once that gig comes to an end when the series is suddenly canceled, Dean flips over to his family’s legitimate law firm, where his brother Sewart (Savage) works, and attempts to utilize his fictional law knowledge in the real world. Based on the show’s basic description, it’s not clear if Alexander will have all that much to do in the show as the fictional Grinder creator Cliff Beamis – a name that I’m unhealthily jealous of – unless Dean just constantly calls him up for advice about stuff. Or maybe the show’s staff and stars try to bring it back to TV while Dean is learning the legal ropes. In any case, the more Jason Alexander, the merrier.

Alexander joins a cast that already includes It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Stewart’s wife and Dean’s ex, 24’s William Devane as the eldest Sanderson, White Collar’s Natalie Morales as simply Claire. The show was put together by Allen Gregory creators Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel, the former of whom appeared in an episode of Seinfeld at one point. Connections!

Jason Alexander has tried his hand at leading a couple of comedies in the years after Seinfeld, such as Bob Patterson and Listen Up, but neither lasted all that long. In the past year or so, he’s appeared on Kirstie, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and the animated special How Murray Saved Christmas. On the big screen, he appeared in Wild Card with Jason Statham, and he lent his voice to the upcoming documentary The Gettysburg Address.

The Grinder is set to premiere on Fox on Tuesday, September 29. And if you need to see Alexander sooner than that, every episode of Seinfeld is currently available for streaming on Hulu.

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander had an unfortunate rude awakening after appearing on The Howard Stern Show yesterday , where he shared a hilarious story about how the character Susan Ross was killed off of the show because the actors were uncomfortable playing off of actress Heidi Swedberg comedically. While many of us out there understood his candidness was lighthearted, enough people took it as a slight on actress that Alexander has publically come forth with an apology and clarification of his words. Dammit, Internet, you ruin everything.

Alexander took to TwitLonger for a long and goodwill-heavy explanation for why he told the story in the first place, reiterating that he and the rest of the Seinfeld cast and crew were fond of Swedberg herself. So take off the tinfoil hats, anyone who thought they were actually talking about killing the actress, and not just her character, whom George had come to loathe by the end of Season 7. The actor even stated he was probably partially to blame in feeling uncomfortable working opposite Swedberg. In his words:

Personally, knowing that Alexander felt “off” actually makes their scenes work even better, as I’d always been a fan of their increasingly awkward relationship in the first place. They were perfectly awful together without ever getting annoying, and one hoped that they could somehow work it out. And, in the end, I guess it did work itself out, thanks to George's tight wallet.

Alexander went on and directed a comment at Swedberg herself and had some advice for those who look too hard between the lines.

So when you’re watching Seinfeld over and over once it hits Hulu later this month, remember that there’s a laugh track for a reason. Long live Susan Ross!

I love the fact that some TV shows don’t even need to be on the air anymore to keep the interesting stories coming. For instance, while rumors have floated around for years about why Heidi Swedberg’s Seinfeld character Susan Ross got killed off the show at the end of Season 7, star Jason Alexander has confirmed the real reason for the darkly comedic passing: nobody liked working with the actress. That’s a bit of an overstatement, though not a misleading one.

Alexander appeared as a guest on The Howard Stern Show today and when Stern brought up the rumors that Swedberg herself was the reason for Susan’s death, Alexander first pointed out that he is quite fond of the actress as a person, but then went into detail about how uncomfortable he got acting in scenes with her, as she constantly threw his timing off. When he got that news that George was going to be marrying Susan, he was appropriately perturbed, and it seems the only reason Susan even lasted as long as she did was because nobody else had any scenes. Here’s how he described what happened when Susan entered the lives of other characters.

Alexander said that previous to this conversation, neither Larry David nor Jerry Seinfeld really knew how that season was going to end. And all it took was someone making a vague death threat at a dinner table to get her knocked off of the show, and in the most magnificent way possible: cheap, poisoned wedding invitation envelopes. It’s funny how some jokes just wouldn’t fly with NBC, but Susan’s death wasn’t a problem, even with the blasé way the characters reacted.

Check out the whole conversation about it between Stern and Alexander in the clip below.

You’ll be able to watch Susan die in “The Invitations” again and again whenever you want when Seinfeld hits Hulu later this month on June 24.

Almost everybody loves to bring a little bit of pop culture into their lives, whether it’s by wearing a movie-themed T-shirt, putting a band’s bumper sticker on one’s car, or getting a tattoo of one’s favorite fictional character. When it comes to outgoing messages on answering machines and voicemail, though, there’s basically one place you can go for inspiration: Seinfeld. Watch the following Late Late Show with James Corden clip, in which Jason Alexander records George Costanza’s iconic outgoing message for a fellow TV star.

James Corden’s guests for the night were Alexander and the 2 Broke Girls stars Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. And when the subject of Seinfeld came up – because how could it not? – Dennings admitted that her current outgoing voicemail message was a YouTube-recorded rip of George’s message, which he sang to the tune of the Greatest American Hero theme song. To be expected, Dennings says that people are somewhat confused when they call her.

Then, in what is clearly one of the coolest acts of celebrity possible, Alexander agrees (at Cordon’s request) to record a live rendition of the message for Dennings’ voicemail, as the studio audience remains silent. It’s great to see him halfway rehearse it to make sure he remembers all the words, and then the final product is pure gold. (Gold, Jerry!) Now I want to record my own voicemail from THIS YouTube video, replacing “Cat” with my own name. And the cycle continues. Relive the memorable Seinfeld scene below.

Even though answering machines have gone the way of dinosaurs with pagers, I’m thinking Alexander could make a bit of side money by recording people’s voicemails like this. There would probably be some copyright issues where the music is concerned, but that could probably all be taken care of pretty easily. And while we’re at it, why the hell hasn’t Arby’s ever worked with Patrick Warburton on some Puddy-themed ads? And why doesn’t George have any Snickers ads? Maybe because the show has been off the air for more than 15 years, but that’s hardly an excuse in our nostalgia-embracing society.

The Late Late Show with James Corden airs tonight with guests Jon Cryer, Freida Pinto, Grace Helbig and Andy Grammer. Maybe he’ll get Cryer to take a picture as Pretty in Pink’s Duckie for Helbig’s Twitter profile picture.

For the last month or so we have been getting teases about a secret "project" being worked on by Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander and Larry David. Early last month, Seinfeld did an AMA on Reddit in which he admitted that something was in the works, and then he was spotted walking to the real Tom's Restaurant in New York with Alexander in costume as his character George Costanza. Now we know what's up.

It turns out that what Seinfeld has been working on is a very special episode of his webseries Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (watch a five-minute preview above and the full episode at the link). The catch this time is that instead of having a real life comedian as his co-star, Seinfeld instead has Alexander play George while he himself plays "Jerry." The show is Super Bowl themed, as George and Jerry are driving around because they couldn't find a good Super Bowl party to go to. They end up going to Tom's Restaurant, which looks considerably different than the interior that was used for Seinfeld oh so many years ago.

The big plot twist in the episode is that Jerry was actually invited to a Super Bowl party, but that George wasn't. Why? Because the last time the New York Giants were in the big game, George "over-cheered" and ruined everybody's good time.

The video is a nice little treat for Seinfeld fans and does a fun job expanding the universe of that show just a bit. I am forced to wonder what happened to Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards), but I suppose it's possible that they had separate plays from George and Jerry.

This, of course, isn't the first time that Seinfeld has had a mini-reunion. The seventh season of Larry David's incredibly hilarious HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm dedicated multiple episodes to a season arc that had all of the main actors come back together for a reunion show. You can get a taste of that "episode" below, cut together from the bits and pieces that were shown:

What did you think of this Seinfeld reunion project? Was it what you were hoping for? Answer our poll and tell us what you think.

The last we saw of Jason Alexander on the small screen, he was frolicking with puppet versions of the Community characters in a guest appearance as "Mountain Man" for the NBC comedy. The actor has lined up another guest starring role, this time for TV Land's new sitcom Kirstie, formerly titled Giant Baby. While his Community guest-spot had Alexander reuniting with the network that hosted the hugely popular 90s sitcom Seinfeld, his Kirstie appearance will have him reuniting with Michael Richards, who played Kramer in the NBC comedy.

Kirstie stars Kirstie Alley as Madison Banks, a Broadway star who's surprised by the sudden appearance of Arlo (Eric Peterson), the son she gave up for adoption. His adoptive parents have died and he's looking to reconnect with the mother he never knew. Rhea Perlman (Cheers) plays Maddie's best friend and assistant, while Michael Richards plays Maddie's outlandish driver.

TV Land says Alexander will guest star as Maddie Banks' agent in the series, which is set to shoot later this month. Given the network's appreciation for bringing together stars from classic TV shows, with Richards already among the cast, Kirstie seems like as good a place as any to stage a mini-Seinfeld reunion.

It's a good day for Seinfeld-related news. Earlier today, we posted the first episode of the second season of Jerry Seinfeld's webseries Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which stars the comedian as he cruises around in classic cars with other comedians and celebrities and then chats them up over coffee. Watch the Michael Richards episode from Season 1 here.

With the premiere of Zero Hour airing on ABC tonight, ER star Anthony Edwards returns to a drama series in a starring role. It's the actor's first big TV role since ER, which prompted a bit of 90s nostalgia among some of us at TV Blend, after which, we had no trouble coming up with a list of beloved 90s TV stars that we'd love to see back on TV in a starring role.

We narrowed down our list with some basic criteria. Our ten picks are all actors who had a series regular role in a popular and successful 90s scripted TV show, and have not starred in a successful (more than one season) scripted, live-action TV show in the last ten years. So, while you may have seen (or heard) some of our picks on television in recent years, we're hoping to see them back as series regulars, either in a comedy or drama on television. We also tried to leave out actors that are on the rise in feature projects, like Michelle Williams or Joseph Gordon-Levitt, since the likelihood that they'll return to a starring role in television anytime soon probably isn't especially high, no matter how awesome it would be.

With the above in mind, here are ten 90s TV stars we'd love to see back on television in a starring role.

Jason Alexander

Even though, or perhaps because, they starred in one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, it has taken a lot of time for any of the Seinfeld cast to find purchase in their post show about nothing pursuits. Not for lack of trying. And Curb Your Enthusiasm doesn't count, no matter how funny they are were in various appearances. Michael Richards hit, uh, a more than a few bumps in the road as did Jason Alexander (very different bumps) and it took a few tries for Julia-Louis Dreyfus to findVeep, a truly great HBO comedy that allowed her to finally shake Elaine Benes.

Now, there probably is no return in sight for Richards but it's past time the former George Costanza found a series to showcase his comedic or dramatic skills. Since he's had such trouble getting a new sitcom off the ground in the years since Seinfeld, perhaps Alexander should choose a project that requires him to draw on his serious side, something like Kelsey Grammer's Boss. There must be a new cable show coming that could use a zombie survivor? Or a tough-talking cop or criminal in a period piece? Of course, It would be absolutely hilarious if he turned up as the as yet unseen president in Veep but looking for a true fresh start is probably the only way to go.

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell was one of the best-known faces of the 90s, and she made a major entrance into our lives with her role on Party of Five. While some of of her castmates have continued on to successful starring roles on TV (notably Jennifer Love Hewitt and Matthew Fox), Neve Campbell fell off of the television map, and we want her back.

Campbell’s realistic portrayal of a teenage girl facing all the difficulties of being young while dealing with the death of her parents and the needs of her younger siblings won us over. She then threw off some of that good-girl image and made us see her differently in movies like Wild Things and The Craft. Since then she’s done a wide variety of film and guest roles including the recent mini-series Titanic: Blood and Steel, proving her acting ability and making us certain there’s a great adult role for her on TV today.

As an actress who made her biggest television impression as a teenager, Neve Campbell would be the perfect choice to take on a lead role as a mother in a drama now that she’s older. It would be almost the ideal full-circle television comeback – from the teenage orphan to a maternal role. She’d also do well in a thriller, perhaps something along the lines of American Horror Story, what with her horror flick background in the Scream films. Whatever she chooses, the time seems right for a Neve Campbell comeback on TV, and we are ready.

Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris has been the star of jokes and memes for the last decade, but he hasn’t been anywhere near the small screen. Which is a shame, because Chuck Norris wouldn’t be such a high profile name in pop culture without the small screen to back him and show the world his ability to kick-ass. The man may be 72 now, but let’s face it, he doesn’t look a day over 60, and he could definitely still headline a major television series, as long as it involved deadpanning one-liners and showing off unneeded martial arts moves.

Norris was the star of the beloved nineties series, Walker, Texas Ranger, which aired for eight seasons on CBS, ending its infamous run just a year after the turn of the century, in 2001. In the years since, the man has popped up in small roles in the movie realm, including an appearance in last year’s The Expendables. However, if he really wants to break back into the world of acting and do what he does best, we're sure a TV drama with an action bent would take him, but as we all know, Chuck doesn’t stumble into opportunities, he roundhouse kicks them into existence.

Gillian Anderson

The X-Files was one of the defining shows of the 90s, and its two stars are ingrained in the American consciousness as Mulder and Scully. But while David Duchovny has gone on to further television success with Californication, we’ve yet to see Gillian Anderson make a television comeback.

Gillian Anderson was masterful as the quietly brilliant, skeptical and yet ready to believe FBI agent who let Mulder be the off-the-wall, brave and yet vulnerable person he needed to be. Although Gillian has continued a steady albeit quiet career, she’s yet to take on another major American television role. Last year she starred in the BBC crime drama series The Fall, which had a five-episode straight to series order, but so far there’s been no second season announced and the series hasn’t made it to American audiences.

We would love to see Gillian return in a regular role on television, perhaps doing something that takes her outside of her well-known FBI agent character. Drama is easily her strong suit, and Dana Scully was both an FBI agent and a medical doctor, which makes her an obvious choice for either a procedural or a medical drama. But Gillian Anderson has done some great work in other areas as well, including the BBC’s Great Expectations mini-series - so a role in one of the period dramas that are growing in popularity would be one we’d love to see her take on. Either way, we would be happy to welcome Gillian Anderson back into our living rooms.

Seth Green

Seth Green played the role of the wolfish Oz for 40 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the 90s, after which he went on to develop his career as a a voice actor, screenwriter and TV producer, with Adult Swim's Robot Chicken among his more notable and beloved creations. Amidst all that, he's done some acting, with a role in The Italian Job and voice-work in Family Guy among his credits. We even saw him reunite with Alyson Hannigan for a guest spot in How I Met Your Mother. Perhaps it was that recent appearance that had us craving more face-time for Green on television.

If not by taking a series regular role in a current show as he did when he joined Buffy, we'd love to see him starring in his own series. His sense of humor has been demonstrated time and again in film and television over the years, but we also know he knows how to handle drama. In fact, given the choice, we might prefer to see the Oz-like mildly funny side mixed with a more dramatic role for Green in a future series. But we'll take whatever we can get. And in the meantime, we have his voice and his humor to appreciate with Family Guy, Robot Chicken and his other projects.

Lacey Chabert

Like Seth Green, Lacey Chabert is another 90s star who does a lot of unseen but heard work in television, with voice-roles in Young Justice, Generator Rex and some early episodes of Family Guy (original Meg!). Unfortunately, we see less of the star on screen as we'd like. Her breakout role was that of Claudia Salinger on Party of Five. And she went on to show us her funny side in Not Another Teen Movie and steal scenes as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls. With her distinctly sweet and girlish voice, it's no surprise that she would get plenty of voice work, but why haven't we seen her starring in her own TV series?

Chabert is beautiful and funny, which should make her a prime candidate to star in her own sitcom. Perhaps something in the tone of New Girl, except instead of quirky and doe-eyed, Chabert's "Jess" would have a mean-girl streak in her with big hair full of secrets and a toaster-strudel-inventing father. Ok, we're essentially suggesting a Gretchen Wieners sitcom here - complete with Tina Fey behind the production and other smart writers who know how to write a great female character - but even if it's not directly tied to Chabert's Mean Girls' character, a show about a funny woman with an edge and an attitude would suit Chabert nicely.

Jerry Seinfeld

It’s been almost fifteen years since Seinfeld went off the air, and during that stretch, a whole lot has changed about the sitcom business. Laugh tracks and live studio audiences are now frowned upon by comedy purists and thanks to cable, our collective idea of what’s edgy has moved quite a bit. Given all that, it might sound like it would be difficult for Jerry Seinfeld to update his shtick for modern viewers, but the truth of the matter is he would be just as appealing as ever. In a way, that’s always been the comedian’s greatest strength. Like Bill Cosby, Seinfeld was and is one of the few funny-men just as accepted by comedy elitists as by the general public.

His take on the minutia of life is inventive and original, yet easygoing and familiar. The phrase “all-appealing” is normally used to slander shows that are generic enough to be blandly acceptable, but in the case of a handful of programs over the past few decades, the term meant exactly what it seemed to promise. A very high percentage of people thought Seinfeld was funny, whether they were seventeen-year-old soccer players or seventy-year-old Jewish grandmothers.

Thanks to successful stand-up tours and crazy syndication paychecks, Seinfeld doesn’t need to work, but for the sake of comedy and NBC’s Thursday night schedule, we hope he does anyway.

John Goodman

Not that he's having any trouble finding feature film work or the occasional recurring character on television, but it would be great to see John Goodman return to the small screen for a permanent position. The former father from Roseanne, the 90s sitcom where he was stuck, uh, paired with Roseanne Barr for nine seasons, has been busy starring in critically acclaimed work since the blue collar comedy ended its long run at ABC a decade and a half ago, including stand-out turns in cult favorite Community and Ben Affleck's (Best Picture hopeful) Argo.

And while it would be a shame to stop seeing him pop up in so many great supporting performances, totally worth it to have Goodman star in the right small screen project. Although he has shown himself more than capable in any and all genres with his many diverse roles since Dan Conner, the actor is at his very best delivering quick witted and quirky dialogue of the Coen Brothers, making something like the upcoming FX adaptation of Fargo obviously perfect for his potential return. The dark but humorous world where people speak funny and do despicable things is a great setting for Goodman to showcase all his talent. If not there, the next Harmon series (or Aaron Sorkin) will do fine.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Unlike plenty of childhood stars who were able to reinvent themselves just around the time of adulthood, Jonathan Taylor Thomas never made the big transition from childhood actor to adult heartthrob. The big downfall occurred when young JTT quit his big series, Home Improvement to focus on schoolwork. By chance or design, Thomas has never had another big television role.

Though the 31-year-old did act after Home Improvement, he hasn’t popped up in eight years or so. When you did see him on the small screen it was probably in that one episode of Smallville where he simultaneously dated the show’s two leading ladies, or an early episode of Veronica Mars, where he played an undercover law enforcer. Despite falling off the acting ledge, with the right project, he could be on top of the TV game, once more. All he would need is a witty writer willing to harken back to the nineties and bring up points of nostalgia along with a little snark. That may seem pretty specific, but, hey, we all know it’s working for Tim Allen in Last Man Standing. Seriously, Kevin Abbott, are you thinking about casting a new lead? One who has charm, a nice smile, and plenty of experience practicing little lion growls? We know just the man...

Will Smith

Of course, Will Smith is still active in the film industry, as well as in his kids' budding careers, but is a stretch to hope that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star might make a TV comeback at some point in the near future? In addition to his rapping career, Smith's early claim to fame was playing the easy going and perpetually cool character Will, who moves from West Philadelphia (born and raised!) to live with his rich relatives in California. He's since gone on to be an action star, dabbling a bit in drama. Coming soon, we'll see him and his son Jaden starring side-by-side in the M. Knight Shyamalan-directed sci-fii thriller After Earth.

Smith also has a bunch of sequels rumored to be in the works, so his availability for a TV commitment might not be a realistic option in the near future, but the timing does feel right for the star's return to the small screen. The obvious suggestion might be a Fresh Prince sequel, similar to what's happening with Boy Meets World, with Will playing the Dad (maybe a move back to Philadelphia with his Bel-Air raised kids?). But we could also see him starring in a Revolution-style adventure-drama or something with a bigger story, fitting to Smith's bigger name and the films we've seen him do in recent years. Either way, a return to the small screen to follow up Smith's successful movie career over the last two decades or so would be very exciting.