Will Arnett has done a lot of other projects since Arrested Development, but of course he’ll always be Gob Bluth to so many of us above all else since it’s considered one of the best sitcoms of all time. The actor, who’s been receiving a lot of praise for his role in Is This Thing On?, recently reflected on being on the set of Arrested Development in the early days, and how he had no idea it would become so beloved.

Arrested Development is the sort of show that has just kept coming back for Arnett, and his costars. The original run of the series (on Fox) was actually cancelled after three seasons, before it was revived by Netflix in 2013, and again in 2018. Arnett also regularly hangs out another member of the Bluths (one of the most famous sitcom families), Jason Bateman, on their successful podcast Smartless, which they started back in 2020. Here’s what Arnett recently told Rolling Stone about the early days of the series:

One can understand this. Sure, Arrested Development is undoubtedly funny, but it might not have been clear on set if the humor would come across. At the time, Arnett was new to the industry and said he was “desperate to get a sitcom.” He told the magazine that he wanted to do sketch comedy, improv or stand-up, but “didn’t have the luxury” to do so. So nabbing Arrested Development was the big break he was looking for. As he also shared:

Arrested Development may have been hilarious from the get-go, but it’s one of the many funny TV shows that got even more popular on streaming – leading to its revival later on. The series made Arnett famous for playing a TV character we love to hate in Gob Bluth, and as a result of being known for the role, the actor said that fans do everything from the chicken dance to telling him he’s made a “huge mistake,” like the character’s famous quote.

Right now, you check out Will Arnett in his new movie Is This Thing On? in theaters, which was directed by Bradley Cooper. The dramedy is about a man dealing with divorce who takes up standup comedy. And, of course you can stream Arrested Development with a Netflix subscription.

Will Arnett is back with another feature film, and it’s the Bradley Cooper-directed Is This Thing On?, which is one of the latest titles to drop amid the 2025 movie schedule. The movie sees Arnett play the role of Alex Novak, a man grappling with his divorce from his wife of many years and taking up stand-up comedy in the process. It’s a flick that not only offers its fair share of laughs but also has a bit to say about depression. On that note, Arnett spoke to CinemaBlend about why a number of funny movies focus on such heavy subject matter.

Little Miss Sunshine, Silver Linings Playbook, Patch Adams and It’s Kind of a Funny Story are just a few funny films that deal with mental health. Even more specifically, though, there are even a few movies about stand-up comedians that deal with deeper themes like, The King of Comedy, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling and Funny People. As Will Arnett explained to CinemaBlend, there’s a good reason why so many of these kinds of movies exist, and it has to do, in great part, with relatability:

Humor can indeed help cut through and clarify certain feelings and experiences and help people better connect. That can come through whether people are watching stand-up comedians give their spiels or watching a movie like Is This Thing On? Additionally, though, Arnett also explained how stand-ups have to be genuine when diving into deep topics:

Comedians just have a specific way of engaging with the public, and those sensibilities also shine through whenever certain comics turn to filmmaking. (Many of those same funny stars can nail dramatic roles while also sprinkling in some of their comedic sensibilities.) More to the point, though, as someone who enjoys a good dramedy, I really appreciate whenever a movie like Is This Thing On?, which has received positive reviews, can walk the ever-tricky line between comedy and tragedy.

A lot of credit goes to Bradley Cooper, who not only directed the Will Arnett-led film but also co-wrote it with Arnett and Mark Chappell and co-stars in it. Cooper and Arnett have a shared personal history as well, as the latter helped the former contend with his drug and alcohol addiction years ago. Considering Cooper’s personal struggles – which he’s been candid about – and his knack for comedy, it completely makes sense how he’d be able to craft a film that could tickle a person’s funny bone and hit them in the feels.

Check out Is This Thing On?, which sees Will Arnett starring alongside the always-working Laura Dern, as it’s playing in theaters now.

Will Arnett is well-known for his comedic roles, including but not limited to the magical Gob on Arrested Development and the voice of Lego Batman. In his latest movie, Is This Thing On?, he actually plays a stand-up comedian, but the tone may be a bit more somber than we’re used to. Co-starring with Laura Dern, Arnett’s character turns to humor to help navigate his divorce, and critics who have screened the film say he and Laura Dern are impeccable.

Is This Thing On? is loosely based on the life of British comedian John Bishop, and with the help of Bradley Cooper’s direction, Will Arnett gives a career-defining performance, Ethan Anderton of SlashFilm says, that will have audiences looking at him in a whole new light. The critic rates the film 9 out of 10, writing:

Jocelyn Noveck of the AP gives the movie 3 out of 4 stars, saying, “Rarely does a foundering relationship seem so naturally observed, and so lacking in forced drama or artifice.” Noveck praises the lead actors as well as Bradley Cooper in the review, which reads:

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence says in his third directorial effort, Bradley Cooper finds something fresh to say, and the twice-divorced Will Arnett (who contributed to the screenplay and story) helps drive home an emotional story that features some of the best work in his and Laura Dern’s careers. Miller gives the movie a B+ and writes:

David Rooney of THR says this movie sneaks up on you with its humor and soulfulness, fueled by “gorgeous” performances from Will Arnett and Laura Dern. Rooney says:

Owen Gleiberman of Variety is only slightly less taken with Bradley Cooper’s latest effort. Will Arnett seems to be playing Alex as a sitcom dad, the critic says, and while filmed in voyeuristic fashion, this couple may not be as relatable as they’re supposed to come off as. Gleiberman says:

Overall, critics are liking this one, as it’s earned a Certified Fresh 90% on Rotten Tomatoes so far, with Bradley Cooper and his lead actors receiving high praise for the nuance they bring to such a sensitive subject. If you want to check out these performances for yourself, Is This Thing On? is in theaters as of December 19.

In late 2024, Conan O'Brien experienced a tremendous loss. Within the span of just three days, the beloved comedian lost both of his parents. Most can only imagine the pain and heartache that one must go through when experiencing something like that – but fortunately for O'Brien, he has some really wonderful friends in his life who knew how to help him deal with his grief: by keeping a bit going suggesting that Jason Bateman was a serial killer hunting down members of his family.

This dark but absolutely hilarious story has been shared by Will Arnett, who was a guest this week on the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend. Arnett, who now co-hosts the SmartLess podcast with Bateman, began by explaining that he texted O'Brien a day or so after learning that his father had passed, and he expressed his condolences. Never able to totally turn off his comedic instincts, the legendary former late night host had a special response, which Arnett read verbatim:

Recognizing the start of a bit when he saw one, Arnett offered a "yes, and..." by replying, "It's not a terrible theory." And then Conan O'Brien got a little bit more blunt with his accusation. The Arrested Development star recalls his next response: "He killed my dad."

It was at this point that Jason Bateman actually got looped into the conversation. After learning about what Arnett said, he texted O'Brien the next day, writing, "Arnett tells me that you're on to me"... and it didn't slow O'Brien down in the slightest. He responded (per Arnett),

At this point, Conan O'Brien had only lost his father, and it's rather amazing how his sense of humor helped him get through what was surely a dark time. And as you've surely guessed, that didn't stop when things got even darker with the death of his mother – and Will Arnett gave him some great help in that department.

When he learned that his friend's mother had died, Arnett sent O'Brien another message, and along with the response, it's certainly among the best text message exchanges in history:

What can be said? Leave it to some of the funniest people on the planet to generate guffaw-worthy jokes at a time of incredible sadness. We should all be so lucky as to have friendships like these in our lives at our darkest moments.

While the podcasting market continues to expand, with everyone and their mom seeming to have one, there truly are some gems on the airwaves. Regardless of your familiarity and regularity in dabbling, where does one start? As someone who dabbles in a few series and loves a good pop culture injection of any form, a celebrity-hosted show can offer a lot! These stars’ pods cover plenty of ground from BTS on favorite sets to politics to emotionally forward conversations. If you’re lost, in a rut or just looking for another stellar title to add to your audio arsenal, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in!

Oprah’s Super Soul - Oprah Winfrey

We know her, we love her, and the dynamic Oprah Winfrey continues to evolve and push interviewing bounds. Super Soul is more or less an adaptation of her inspiration and often a spiritual talk show that ran through the early 2020s. Be prepared to hear some deep conversations if you aren’t already, though we all know it tends to come with the unmistakable Hollywood giant.

Literally! With Rob Lowe - Rob Lowe

The 61-year-old Hollywood vet has wide-ranging conversations with plenty of well-known professionals. Whether it's well-established or rising stars in movies and TV, music or sports, Lowe jumps right in with them. And as a member of The Brat Pack, the pull he has with landing guests is pretty impressive and diverse.

Renegades: Born In The USA - Barak Obama, Bruce Springsteen

Though it only ran for one season and has 8 episodes to its name, the former president and The Boss’ collab rocked. Their conversations consisted of the changing dynamics of the USA through the lens of music, personal happenings, fatherhood and future revitalization. They also share their backstory on how the friendship and pod came to be.

Goop - Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow and Goop’s virality continues to regularly break the internet (especially those body-forward scented candles). But the Hollywood A-lister and her empire went to new heights with the addition of their own podcast, which she hosts. Naturally, it dives in holistically to grander topics with today’s ‘brightest thinkers and culture changers’ to dissect the conversation at hand.

Wiser Than Me - Julia Louis-Dreyfus

As always, when Louis-Dreyfus commits to a project, she knocks a role out of the park. One of her most recent titles as host of Wiser Than Me is no different; her interviewing women who are expert veterans in their given career is a true delight. She’s had everyone from Jane Goodall to Jane Fonda, and she’s just getting going.

Good Hang - Amy Poehler

Don’t overlook the Parks & Rec star’s Good Hang, even though it may be one of the newest entries on the list. Poehler’s sunshine bright vibes radiate through the show while she chats with A-list Hollywood names. But the most signature part shines through when she has a mini cameo from a friend of the guest who praises them ahead of the main convo. (If you haven’t seen or know where the viral clip of Rachel Dratch fumbling with headphones on a Zoom, now you do.)

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Conan O’Brien

In the comedian’s corner of the interview world, you can certainly expect his signature smart silliness he has brought to the masses over the decades. But why did he jump into the world? As the title implies, and per his summary, O’Brien realized after years of interviewing celebs, ‘the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him,’ and wanted to change that.

Fly On The Wall - David Spade, Dana Carvey

While not an outright Saturday Night Live podcast, two huge alums, Spade and Carvey, lead this industry-leaning show. The pair has their fair share of guests and covers plenty of Studio 8H lore depending on who’s with them that week. Beyond the sketch show conversations, they often jump into current pop culture, current events and even fan-submitted fare.

Bill Gates And Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions - Bill Gates, Rashida Jones

Gates and Jones came together at the beginning of the pandemic in search of musing about some big questions. Though there are only five episodes, nothing seems off the table, from climate change to the psychology behind lying. But the unexpected co-hosts tackle these larger sociological and worldly topics with intentionality and ease.

The Big Podcast With Shaq - Shaquille O'Neal

The dynamic retired basketball player continues to surprise us with his plays (he just confirmed he was a Swiftie on the Kelces’ pod), and did just that when he kicked off his new podcast network by way of his own. Aptly named, Shaq and co-host Adam Lefkoe, of course, talk sports among themselves and alongside guests, but also hit a range of topics.

Minnie Questions - Minnie Driver

The Good Will Hunting actress’ offering sets up each interview through seven thoughtful questions. Though each question is relatively simple, it’s proven time and again that it unearths quite a conversation. Her therapy session meets fireside chat structure stands apart from other celebrity podcasts since its intention dives into a soulful exploration of life’s questions.

All There Is With Anderson Cooper - Anderson Cooper

While plenty of entries on the list cover an array of subjects from casual conversations, behind-the-scenes Hollywood magic and love and relationships, Cooper dives into loss (which he’s experienced multiple times over since childhood). What started as the beloved CNN news anchor processing the passing of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and the ins and outs that go along with it, has blossomed into something much more. He’s built a safe ground for guests and listeners alike to reflect and process the big topic.

Red Table Talk - Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris

The multi-generational, familial women-hosted show has gone viral a few times over since its inception on Facebook. Nothing, as we’ve seen, is off limits in this conversational style show and doesn’t shy away when things get nitty gritty. Though the OG got the axe in 2023, it got going again with no ties to Facebook, and its episode catalog continues to rank with some of the best Hollywood fodder out there today.

The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart - Jon Stewart

The beloved TV host has a podcast that pairs with his regularly scheduled show. The Weekly Show offers a more expansive look into our ever-developing world with notable minds in essential roles across the professional field. If you’re looking for even more Stewart material, he had a short-lived but excellent 2 season show called The Problem with Jon Stewart that dove into topics that were ‘too big for TV.’ With either, you can count on a laugh paired with some big, thought-provoking discussions.

SmartLess - Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes

SmartLess is like an improv dinner party you weren’t invited to, but somehow snuck into. Each episode brings a surprise guest to the table, and with it comes comedy, curiosity, and the kind of bromantic chaos that three A-listers with zero filters can deliver. It’s part talk show, part therapy session, and all charm—who would’ve guessed the vibe would be achieved by the Michael and Gob Bluth actors with a dash of the Jack McFarland actor.

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

Maybe one of the most recognizable and longstanding on the list, Shepard started his series in 2018. Though the premise is relatively simple in terms of chatting with well-known faces, things can go deep quickly. The CHiPs alum has had ex-costars like Lauren Graham, incidentally spill about Parenthood peer, Mae Whitman’s baby daddy, and Oscar-nominated stars like Michelle Williams reflect about her late ex-partner, Heath Ledger. Needless to say, there’s a lot to work with here (and a 300+ episode backlog to sift through).

Office Ladies - Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer

Of course, there was bound to be at least one rewatch pod in the bunch, and with The Office ranking as one of the best sitcoms ever, it’s a natural pick to include. Kinsey (who played Angela Martin/Lipton/Schrute) and Fischer (who played Pam Beesly Halpert) recount excellent tidbits and memories as they rewatch the NBC classic while hosting Dunder Mifflin cast and crew members.

Life Is Short - Justin Long

First and foremost, I’ve got to give the Jeepers Creepers actor’s name for his show is A+ play on words (specifically short and long). But, behind the small chuckle the title of the pod offers is a surprisingly poignant base for Long and his brother, who co-hosts the show. The siblings jump in the deep end with their guests and discuss all there is about life, which includes everything from emojis to their perspective on life.

LeVar Burton Reads - LeVar Burton

Fiction lovers and previous PBS Kids unite! The beloved Reading Rainbow star’s pod is a modern-day take on the classic 26-year run show, but now catered toward adults. Short form stories are the main genre he dives into each week, and the whole thing feels just like a little bit of a time machine, for those who tuned in regularly to RR.

New Heights - Jason, Travis Kelce

No, I’m not talking about their mom, Donna Kelce, landing a spot on S4 of The Traitors US, but it’s worth mentioning. The NFL family show is full of BTS looks into being brothers while also playing football professionally. They also often go out of bounds of the shared ground and discuss everything from pop culture to UFOs.

The High Life - Ricki Lake

The former television host is getting back to her roots with The High Life. And while she still has plenty of Tinseltown names as guests, the focus with her offering is health and wellness. Nothing is off the table within the larger landscape; she hits everything from menopause to energy healing.

Las Culturistas - Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers

In case you’d like to know, this is my ride or die pick of the list. The college besties-turned-Hollywood-darling co-hosts have amassed a cult turned mainstream following thanks to culture catch-ups, regular bits they have A-list guests participate in (what sparked their interest in culture and their wry ‘I Don’t Think So Honey!’ critique of something) and their own award show. Clearly, I could go on about it, but if you need more proof, Tina Fey’s iconic advice to Yang speaks to why we, ‘readers, kayteighs, publicists, finalists and kyles,’ love it all.

WTF With Marc Maron - Marc Maron

The rough around the edges comedian and actor’s podcast is one of the most well-known celebrity series. As a blueprint of public figures' iterations to come, Maron got started in 2009 after his radio show got canned. In the decade-plus he’s been at it, he hosted writers, directors, comedians, actors and many more in the typical style that is commonplace today. But, heads up, he just announced his show will end this fall, so don’t miss out!

Podcrushed - Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari

The Gossip Girl alum’s shared show isn’t a far cry from the hit teen series fodder. They’ve just spun the clock a little further back to schoolyard drama and middle school crushes. Badgley, alongside Kavelin and Ansari, takes on listeners' stories, reads them and explores all the ins and outs of starting to grow up (and all the turmoil that tags along).

Broad Ideas - Rachel Bilson, Olivia Allen

While you may know of Bilson’s other pod, Beyond The O.C., involving ex-castmate Melinda Clarke, Broad Ideas includes her longtime bestie, Olivia Allen. The new duo essentially cover any ground two girlfriends would in any given conversation (mental health to ghosts are promised). But hosting a new guest to join in on the fun each week brings it to the next level.

The Mess Around With Hannah And Lamorne - Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone

If you know anything about where these two co-hosts met, you can probably guess this is a New Girl rewatch series. And if you know that, you probably know they played CeCe and Winston (Bishop), respectively, and the title comes from a bit that the characters shared. Also, plenty of past cast and crew come through to reminisce about all the shenanigans that went down in 4D.

Films To Be Buried With With Brett Goldstein - Brett Goldstein

Though he’s still relatively new to the scene, the Ted Lasso star is hitting it big (and is now on Shrinking). With that success, his unique corner of the recording studio has only found more success. And while the title of Goldstein’s show is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory, it has me hooked. I think it’s safe to say he’s just getting started.

At Your Service - Dua Lipa

While I haven’t actually listened to the singer and actress’ show, it may be the hidden gem on the list. Heading into her third season, she continues to host a slew of knockout guests, and her collection of candid conversations runs the gamut of interesting fare. Everything from psychedelics to running Apple.

Getting Better With Jonathan Van Ness - Jonathan Van Ness

Ever since being introduced as the current generation’s hair & grooming lead on Queer Eye, JVN has been stealing the show as they help build up others. By natural curiosity and the drive to learn, the Getting Better podcast helps them grow and build spaces to learn even more. The weekly episodic content comes in all shapes and sizes–from finance lessons to discourse on culture, they’ve got it covered.

Why Won’t You Date Me? - Nicole Byer

The Nailed It! host is also a pro-podcaster. If you go looking for Byer’s love and relationship pod, you may find quite a slew aside from the aforementioned one (Best Friends!, 90 Day Bae and Newcomers). But this humorously titled one is the most well-known and long-standing one, where she has everyone from friends and experts to an occasional ex or two dish all about dating and love.

Lovett Or Leave It - Jon Lovett

While Jon Lovett’s beginnings aren’t traditional Hollywood standards material, the comedian was a former speech writer for Barack Obama. From there, he and fellow Obama peers (Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau–not to be confused with the A-lister) then co-hosted Pod Save America. His newest show is a hybrid of political news mixed with fun, well-known guests, and a bit of shenanigans all tied into one, always providing a laugh.

The Bald And The Beautiful - Trixie Mattel And Katya Zamolodchikova

One of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s biggest winners, Trixie and ride or die fellow queen, Katya, have taken the world by storm together. After meeting on season 7, they quickly went on their way to make creative projects together, starting with their viral cult followed series, UNHhhh, to their aptly titled pod. It’s a lot of the same banter, just funneled into discussing pop culture and Tinseltown-leaning topics.

With Arrested Development being one of the best sitcoms of all time, it's no surprise that every member of the ensemble cast was a comedic master in their own right. However, Will Arnett played unquestionably one of the series' most hilarious characters in Gob Bluth (or G.O.B., as the name actually stood for George Oscar Bluth II). Here are some of his funniest and most magical quotes.

Illusions, Dad! You don’t have time for my illusions! 

Already in the pilot, Arrested Development gave us more than one example of what would become a recurring joke about Gob insisting that his magic be referred to as "illusions" rather than "tricks." This utterance was especially (and hilariously) tragic, as it showed us just how ignored Gob was by his father George (Jeffrey Tambor).

I've made a huge mistake.

This was a recurring joke used by several members of the Bluth family over the course of the series, but most commonly Gob, because boy were there so many mistakes.

Oh, sure, first you dump all over it, now you want to know how it's done. 

In Season 1's "Storming the Castle," Gob's girlfriend Marta chastized the magician for scaring her children with an "illusion" that made it look like he stabbed his neck with a needle. "They’re children! How could you do that?" she asked, leading to Gob's way-too-literal response. 

Dad always said that was your fault. 

Some of Gob's funniest quotes highlighted just how often he missed what was right in front of him. A great example of that was in Season 2, when the above quote was his response to Michael (Jason Bateman) saying that the reason the brothers fought so much was because their dad had always played them against each other.

The zero hour, Michael. It's the end of the line. I'm the firstborn. Sick of playing second fiddle. Always third in line for everything. Tired of finishing fourth. Being the fifth wheel. There are six things I'm mad about, and I'm taking over. 

Gob took a stand against his brother in the Season 1 finale, insisting that, as the eldest boy, he be put in charge of The Bluth Company. After Michael listed everything that Gob would have to deal with and asked him if he still wanted the job, Gob hilariously replied with another classic line: "What kind of vacation time does it offer?"

No! I was ashamed to be SEEN with you. I like being with you. 

Gob walked a thin line when it came to whether he was ashamed to be with Lucille 2 (Liza Minnelli) or ashamed to been SEEN with her on a date. When the couple ended up at the same restaurant as Michael in Season 2's "Burning Love," he told his brother he was helping Lucille 2 eat and didn't want to go in the first place. Ouch!

I heard the jury's still out on science. 

When Gob told Michael that "a young neighborhood tough" would be stopping by, Michael clarified that he meant Gob's son Steve Holt. The older brother brushed that off, and when Michael pointed out that a DNA test had confirmed that Gob was in fact Steve's father, he still refused to admit it, giving the above excuse.

My gut is telling me no… but my gut is also very hungry. 

Michael agreed to give Gob $500 in exchange for a favor, but the older brother wasn't quick to agree to those terms.

There's not a lot of logic to it. It's kind of like on a boat with 'Women and children first.' I mean, why should they... 

The age-old question about why paper beats rock in Rock, Paper, Scissors makes about as much sense as prioritizing women and children on a sinking ship, at least in Gob's mind.

Michael, I'm your big brother. I'll never be impressed with you. 

A relatable statement for siblings everywhere.

I’m not fit to run a company, and I don't deserve a fancy phone. 

The self-pity was palpable when Tobias (David Cross) asked his brother-in-law if he could borrow his cell phone in the Season 2 episode "Sad Sack."

Let me ask you something. Is this a business decision, or is it personal? 'Cause if it's business, I'll go away happily. But if it's personal, I'll go away, but I won't be happy. 

Arrested Development Season 1, "Bringing Up Buster" features Gob Bluth in that moment when you're trying to maintain just the smallest shred of control after everything else in life has completely unraveled.

For the same reason that you should believe that a $100 bill is no more than 100 pennies! 

The "raining pennies" trick is one that Gob tried a few different times with varying degrees of success. But when he used it in Season 2 to illustrate to the board why they should believe in him to lead the company, it went over like gangbusters (especially for Gob, who got $99 out of it).

You taste these tears. Taste my sad, Michael. 

In comparing who had the more tragic upbringing by their father, Gob was convinced that his tears proved a win over Michael, and he implored his younger brother to see what his sad tasted like. When Gob started crying happy tears a few minutes later, the quote above turned into: "Taste the happy, Michael. Taste it."

Yeah, me and Blank are getting the old Christian magic act back together. I mean, you don't expect people to actually believe that I'm Jesus if I'm walking around in rags. 

Where to even start with this one? Two of Arrested Development's best inside jokes beautifully align here, as Gob can never remember the names of the women he's dating, and no one ever notices or remembers Ann (Mae Whitman). So Gob (and Michael) calling her "Blank," after calling her "Mouth" earlier in the scene is simply perfect. Add that to his referring to their wedding as a magic act and his startling incomprehension of Jesus, and this is just classic Gob.

You know what I could go for is some guac. This heat just makes me want guac. 

Honestly, this Gob Bluth quote lives in my head all summer, every summer.

If you didn't have adult onset diabetes, I wouldn't mind giving you a little sugar. 

In Season 3's "S.O.B.s," Gob tried to prank his mom by pretending to be her waiter at the restaurant where she was eating. Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter) didn't notice, but the other employees mistook Gob for a real server. He continued to show up for the new job he'd stumbled into, and realized that a little flirting could go a long way when it came to getting tips.

It's OK, son. We'll figure it out. When we do, we'll have the last laugh. We'll be the laughingstock of the boardwalk. 

In Season 3's "Making a Stand," Gob and Steve Holt challenged Michael and George Michael (Michael Cera) to a little competition, setting up their own banana stand directly next to his nephew's. If only Gob and his son knew how to make a frozen banana. I'm sure they'll figure it out.

It's a jet-pack, Michael. What could possibly go wrong? 

Spoiler alert: Things did not go as planned for Gob and Michael when they tried to break into their father's prison.

Ta da!

The greatness of this quote is all about the context. As one of his illusions, Gob announced he was going to be locked in his father's prison only to escape 24 hours later. Things didn't look great for him when he was unable to retrieve the key he had digested, but then he was stabbed in the prison yard. When he awoke in the hospital, he asked his mother if he was still in jail, and when she told him where they were, he gave a weak but proud, "Ta da!"

Is that enough of a reference for you? 

On a job interview with his family's rival company, Sitwell Enterprises, the interviewer remarked that Gob really didn't have any references. Gob responded by producing a dove from a ball of fire and then saying the line above. 

Come on!

This was one of Gob's most famous catchphrases, said quite often to express his frustration or point out the irony of a situation. Other Arrested Development characters used it at times as well, but nothing beat Will Arnett's delivery.

He takes his queen and showers her with diamonds! Clubs. Club sauce! He covers her with club sauce. 

When practicing a card trick to perform at Michael's wedding, Gob pulled a club instead of the diamond he expected, forcing him to improvise what he showered his queen in. What even is club sauce?

Well, I will tell you this, Michael. I don't have a son … But if I ever do, I'm either gonna take him to the cabin in the woods or I'm gonna promise to take him and then not take him. But the one thing that I will never do is not tell him that I'm taking him to a cabin in the woods, and then not take him. 

In Gob's mind, it was worse that his father hadn't cared enough to even promise to take him to the family's cabin in the woods than it was that George had broken that promise to Michael. Gob hoped for a different kind of disappointment for his own son.

Great news! Dad wasn't crushed to death! 

Hey! That's always good news, right? In the Season 2 finale "The Righteous Brothers," Gob is relieved to find out his father had escaped from underneath the model home before part of it collapsed. However, no one else had known there was a risk of George being crushed to death.

It's called taking advantage. It's what gets you ahead in life. 

Ladies and gentlemen, life lessons from Gob Bluth. Great words to live by.

Well I hope you also carry a spare bowl of candy beans! 

Stan Sitwell (Ed Begley Jr.) was sure to always carry spare eyebrows in case one fell off, which happened fairly often due to his alopecia. However, when one of his eyebrows fell into a bowl of jelly beans, Gob was clearly more concerned about the candy. 

Take a look at banner, Michael! 

This is one of the funniest quotes from the entire series, and it's hard to pin down what exactly makes it so memorable. Gob's childlike level of excitement? The fact that he was so proud that he couldn't even say "the" banner? Clearly no thought or work went into the sign, which read "Family Love Michael"? Yes to all of those things. It's a great line.

I'm in charge now. I speak for this family. I mean, I could if you wanted me to. I'd rather not, obviously. Don't know what I'd say. Why do I have to be the one? I don't need this. Why does this have to become my problem? No, I'm out. Forget it. Find somebody else. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of doing everything for this family. 

What just happened here?

Yeah, well, if you give someone permission to use a tissue, you can't be upset if they blow their nose. Right? 

This was Gob's response to Michael blaming him for blowing up the family's yacht after Michael had given him permission to use it. Call me crazy, but does Gob have a point here?

I mean, it's not about money in the sense that I'm coming here saying, 'Here, Michael, take some money.' It's just more of a 'May I have some?' kind of visit. 

Asking for money is hard, especially when it's your brother holding all the cards (credit cards, likely, in this case). In the Season 1 episode "Whistler's Mother," Gob gives a master class on how to handle the situation when Michael asks him if he was there about the money.

He doesn't want to break my legs. He wants to take my legs. 

Michael was legitimately concerned when a guy started making threats against Gob, telling him to, "Say goodbye to your legs." What Michael failed to understand was that it wasn't a mobster or loan shark who was threatening Gob, but another magician, who didn't want to cause him bodily harm; he wanted to take the woman Gob used in his "Saw the Lady in Half" trick. One can see where Michael got confused.

The Parks and Rec cast by itself is legendary. Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Rob Lowe, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott and more served as regulars on the series for years, and to this day their characters are beloved. However, what made this show even more special was its constant stream of guest stars played by living legends. Everyone from Bill Murray to Michelle Obama to Ben Schwartz appeared on the NBC classic, and today, we’re here to talk about them. 

Paul Rudd

Now, I know we love Paul Rudd for his movies, but we also need to appreciate his brilliant work as Bobby Newport on Parks and Rec. During Season 4, the actor joined the cast to play the man running against Leslie Knope for a city council position. Overall, Bobby is childish, not smart and spoiled, and Rudd plays this silly idiot brilliantly. 

Bill Murray

Obviously, Bill Murray’s funniest roles include iconic characters like Phil Connors in Groundhog Day and Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters. However, his guest spot on Parks and Rec was unexpected and incredibly memorable. I write this because, for one episode in Season 7, the Saturday Night Live legend played Walter Gunderson, the dead mayor of Pawnee. 

Kathryn Hahn

Playing the cutthroat campaign manager Jen Barkley, Kathryn Hahn made a glorious (and a smidge evil) impact on Parks and Rec. She played a cutthroat manager who worked for Bobby Newport at first, and across ten episodes she popped in from time to time to both help and harm Leslie’s political career. 

Ben Schwartz 

Arguably, Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is one of the best recurring guest stars in Parks and Rec history. The rich boy who is friends with Tom is ridiculous, scammy and he’s constantly trying to flirt with everyone and sing whenever he can. While he’s 100% the worst, he’s also totally not “the WORRRRRRSSSSSTTTT,” if you know what I mean.  

Jenny Slate

In a stroke of perfect casting, Jenny Slate popped into Parks and Rec to play Jean-Ralphio’s sister Mona Lisa Saperstein. The siblings truly are the most chaotic duo, however, they’re also the two of the funniest extra side characters the sitcom has to offer. Just don’t fall for it when they ask for “money please!”

Henry Winkler

After getting to know Jean-Ralphio and Mona Lisa, we meet their father, Lu Saperstein in Season 6. Played brilliantly by Henry Winkler, the patriarch of the Saperstein family is a successful doctor who is willing to go to any financial length to help his kids. 

Sam Elliott

In the later seasons of the show, we met the Eagleton Parks Department. Ironically, each member of that crew matched up with a member of the Parks and Rec cast, and when it came to picking someone to play Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson’s counterpart, they cast Sam Elliott as Ron Dunn. While they both have legendary mustaches and an appreciation for the outdoors, that’s where the similarities stop, and seeing Ron and Anti-Ron go head-to-head was hilarious. 

Joe Biden

Leslie loves her politicians and had a massive crush on then-Vice President Joe Biden. As an engagement gift, Ben decided to give her the perfect present and prove that he’s the ideal man, by coordinating a meet and greet between Leslie and Joe Biden.

Patton Oswalt

When Leslie tries to change Pawnee’s charter to get rid of some silly laws – like throwing a Ted into a lake – Garth Blundin makes his disapproval clear. Patton Oswalt plays the historian, and he challenges Amy Poehler’s character to a filibuster and a day of living like a colonial person. Ultimately, he and Leslie find common ground, and he joins forces with her to help preserve the laws…he also volunteers to get thrown in the lake.

Michelle Obama

As Leslie tries to figure out if she should take a job at the National Parks Department and leave Pawnee, Michelle Obama comes in to tell her about why she should take it. Let’s just say if I met the First Lady, I think I’d be just as star-struck as Leslie Knope. How could you not stumble over your words if you casually bumped into the First Lady of the United States?

Bo Burnham

Some of the funniest stand-up on Netflix comes from Bo Burnham, and in his special Make Happy, he sings a “Country Song” that pokes fun at the cliches in the genre and how some artists are masters at pandering to their audiences. On Parks and Rec, he worked with that idea as well by playing country singer Chipp McCapp who Leslie and Andy tried to hire for a performance at the Unity Concert. His songs like “Beautiful Like My Mom (Support the Troops)” were truly hilarious, and they complimented the stand-up comedian's sense of humor very well. 

John McCain

Parks and Rec knows how to do a political cameo, and one of the best ones came when Leslie didn’t even realize she’d just met John McCain in a coat closet. She was so distraught over interacting with #4 and #26 on Leslie’s list of amazing women, that she didn’t even notice she was speaking with the senator. 

Megan Mullally

You know chaos mode has been activated when Ron’s second ex-wife Tammy II enters the chat. She’s constantly trying to simultaneously take Ron down and get back together with her, and his efforts to avoid it are truly hilarious. However, what really makes this dynamic duo so hysterical and one of the best recurring inside jokes on Parks and Rec is the fact that Tammy II is played by Nick Offerman’s real-life wife Megan Mullally. 

Will Forte

Amy Poehler and Will Forte were both in some of SNL’s best casts, and it was such a treat to see them reunite on Parks and Rec. In his episode, Forte played Kelly, a man who really wants to get the Twilight books put in Pawnee’s town time capsule. When Leslie refuses and then agrees, it starts an outcry over what can and can’t go in the capsule via a chaotic town meeting. 

Jon Hamm

According to Leslie, Jon Hamm’s Ed is the “most incompetent person I’ve ever worked with.” He worked for our leading lady when she was at the National Parks Department, and he was swiftly fired by her not long after we met him. 

John Cena

In an epic episode of Andy’s show, the Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show, Burt Macklin, FBI, arrested John Cena – who was wearing so much of his own WWE merch – and took him to the dunk tank. Talk about a dream come true for Andy and viewers.

Keegan-Michael Key

There’s no question that all our hearts grew a few sizes when Donna married Keegan-Michael Key’s Joe. The comedian played the “Treat yo’ self’ queen’s boyfriend-turned-husband in Seasons 6 and 7, and it’s safe to say that we all adored this music teacher. 

Bradley Whitford

Considering Parks and Rec is a show about government and Rob Lowe is one of its stars, it made perfect sense for a West Wing cast member to pop into the sitcom. It was done perfectly too, because the team brought in Josh himself, as Bradley Whitford played Councilman Pillner, the man Leslie replaces on City Council and a model boat enthusiast. 

J.K. Simmons

Remember Ice Town? Well, Ben’s hometown of Partridge and J.K. Simmons’ Mayor Stice sure do. And that became clear as day when an episode of Parks went back to Adam Scott’s character’s hometown so he could get a key to the city, which ended up just being melted water in a box…because Ice Town. 

Patricia Clarkson

While Megan Mullally’s Tammy II is truly unhinged and chaotic, Tammy I is cold, calculated, and manipulative. She’s played by Patricia Clarkson, and she really adds to the hilarious chaos that is Ron Swanson’s love life. 

Andy Samberg

Back when Andy Samberg was still on Saturday Night Live and before he led his own sitcom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he guest starred on Parks and Rec as the incredibly loud Park Ranger Carl. During Season 2, Leslie worked with Carl on a few issues of Parks security, and let's just say that she “might not be so confident, when [she has to] walk a mile in [Carl’s]  size sevens.” 

Rachel Dratch

In the final season of Parks and Recreation, Amy Poehler’s Saturday Night Live co-star Rachel Dratch appeared as Roz Pinwheel, the nanny of Leslie and Ben’s triplets. While a small role, it was such a nice (and funny) nod to the two comedians' time together on the legendary sketch comedy show.

Nick Kroll

If you were looking to get humiliated on the radio look no further than "The Douche." This hilarious and terrible radio host was played by the mastermind behind one of the best animated shows, Big Mouth, Nick Kroll, and anytime he showed up to host a radio spot on the series, you knew something wild was about to go down.

Chelsea Peretti

While Leslie ran for City Council, April filled in for her one time, and during one of her seminars Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Chelsea Peretti showed up as one of the attendees, Zelda. Fun fact: before Peretti was part of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast, she actually wrote two episodes of Parks and Rec, which helps explain her lil cameo in the series. 

Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell was quite literally the perfect person to play Leslie Knope’s Eagleton councilwoman counterpart, Ingrid de Forest. It turns out, Bell was born to thrive on a comedy like this, because after Parks and Rec, she went on to lead the cast of The Good Place, which was Michael Schur’s next show after Parks.  

Dax Shepard

When Tom decides to become Andy’s manager as he works on Johnny Karate, they have a run-in with Hank Muntak, a TV executive in Pawnee who is played by Dax Shepard. Before this guest spot, the actor had spent a lot of time on NBC as one of the stars of Parenthood, these days you can find him hosting his podcast Armchair Expert. 

Will Arnett

Before Leslie meets and falls in love with Ben, she goes on some wildly terrible dates, including one with MRI technician Chris. At the time, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett were actually married (they’re divorced now), making this blind date even funnier because they were a real-life couple too. 

Sean Hayes

Bobby Wood was Indianapolis’ best talk show host, and he was played by Sean Hayes. As television appearances tend to go for Leslie and co. her interview with him didn’t exactly go well, and both comedic actors were so funny in the moment. 

Fred Armisen

You can always count on Fred Armisen to play the wildest goofy guys, and he did exactly that on Parks and Recreation. In the episode “Sister City,” the SNL vet appeared as Raul Alejandro Bastilla Pedro de Veloso de Maldonado, the Venezuelan officer who came to represent his city on a trip to Pawnee. 

Tatiana Maslany

Tom Haverford’s love life was always a funny point of interest on Parks and Rec, especially because it was only brought up occasionally. For instance, in Season 6, he had a short-lived relationship with Tatiana Maslany’s Nadia Stasky, a doctor who eventually left Pawnee and moved to Rwanda.  

Parker Posey

Indie darling Parker Posey came on to Parks and Rec to play Lindsay Carlisle Shay. The character was Leslie’s counterpart from Eagleton, meaning she was the Deputy Parks Director in Pawnee’s fancy rival town. The twist here was that Lindsay was actually Leslie’s friend and went behind her back a long time ago to take the job in Eagleton. 

Jason Schwartzman

Jason Schwartzman’s role in Parks and Rec presented an interesting issue for Pawnee when he decided to turn his video rental store into an adult store. Watching Leslie flounder as she figured out how to help the character played by the Asteroid City star was so funny, and the character of Dennis was perfect for Schwartzman.  

Honestly, the guest stars from Parks and Rec are next level. From comedy geniuses to beloved dramatic actors, so many notable names took a quick trip to Pawnee, Indiana and I love that for them, this wonderful show and us. 

For fans of a certain vehicular combat game, it’s safe to say that Twisted Metal Season 2 is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming video game adaptations, especially after the great success of the show’s first season. The Peacock original series, which is one of the best video game adaptations in recent memory, will be back before you know it, and we have all the details.

From its release window to its cast (both old and new), the direction of its story, and details about the ongoing production, there’s actually quite a bit we know about Twisted Metal Season 2 right now. Let’s get back in the driver’s seat and get this show on the road…

What Is The Twisted Metal Season 2 Premiere Date?

Though Peacock has not yet revealed an exact Twisted Metal Season 2 premiere date, the streaming platform has announced that the show will return in Summer 2025. We’ll be sure to update with more specific information once it’s available in the coming weeks and months as we get closer to the halfway point of the 2025 TV schedule.

What Is Twisted Metal Season 2 About?

After only having the Twisted Metal tournament teased in the final moments of the show’s first season, it sounds like the sophomore season will give longtime fans what they’ve wanted with some killer vehicular combat. But that isn’t all, as the official Twisted Metal synopsis reveals that Anthony Mackie’s John Doe will have a highly personal journey ahead of him:

And what will John or Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz) get if they win the bloody and action-packed tournament? Well, they’ll bet a single wish granted. But those who have played the games are painfully aware that getting what their heart desires the most can sometimes be a mixed bag, especially when it comes to Calypso’s treachery.

The Twisted Metal Season 2 Teaser

In February 2025, just one day before Anthony Mackie’s Captain America: Brave New World opened in theaters, Peacock released a Twisted Metal Season 2 teaser that hyped up some returning characters, as well as the debut of several of the video game franchise’s most popular tournament contestants. Check it out below.

Calypso, Mr. Grimm, Dollface, and Axel all get some time on screen in this teaser that also puts a lot of focus on the titular tournament from the games. We’re still left with a lot of questions about the show’s return, but this short yet exciting teaser will hold us over until Twisted Metal returns, or at least until a full trailer comes out sometime between now and then.

The Twisted Metal Season 2 Cast

The main players from the Twisted Metal cast will return for the show’s second season, meaning fans of the dynamic shared by Anthony Mackie’s John Doe and Stephanie Beatriz’s Quiet are in for a familiar treat when Season 2 debuts. But they won’t be alone, as other beloved characters from the games will be making their debut.

Anthony Mackie as John Doe

Sitting atop the cast again is Anthony Mackie, who will play the mysterious John Doe in Twisted Metal Season 2. The last time we saw Mackie’s wise-cracking and ass-kicking character, he was being tasked with serving as Raven’s (Neve Campbell) driver in an upcoming tournament.

Stephanie Beatriz as Quiet

Quiet’s story was far from being complete in Twisted Metal Season 1, so we’ll see the mourning sibling's quest continue when the show eventually returns. Former Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz has been busy since we last saw her character, most recently voicing several characters on Creature Commandos..

Will Arnett as Sweet Tooth

Will Arnett provided the voice for the deranged Sweet Tooth during the first season of Twisted Metal, and that’ll again be the case when the show returns. Arnett previously told CinemaBlend he was influenced by the Joker when bringing the character to life, and we can’t wait to see more.

Samoa Joe as Sweet Tooth

Former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe brought out the physicality and hulking presence of Sweet Tooth throughout Twisted Metal Season 1, even if his vocal cords went unheard. That’ll again be the case for the wrestler-turned-actor when the show returns.

Anthony Carrigan as Calypso

When Twisted Metal Season 2 premieres, it will see Barry actor Anthony Carrigan take on the role of Calypso, the unhinged mastermind behind the titular vehicular combat tournament featured in the games (and soon to be shown).

Tiana Okoye as Dollface

Tiana Okoye will be showing up as Dollface, John Doe’s long-lost sister and the leader of one of the most brutal gangs seen in the Twisted Metal Season 2 trailer. Prior to this, Okoye appeared on shows like Mrs. Davis, Panhandle, and The Good Place.

Peacock has also announced that Richard de Klerk, Patty Guggenheim, Lisa Gilroy, Saylor Bell Curda, and Michael James Shaw will also be a part of the show’s next installment, but their characters’ identities have not yet been revealed. Expect that to change very soon.

Twisted Metal Season 2 Will Introduce Other Iconic Characters Like Calypso, Axel, And Mr. Grimm

Twisted Metal Season 1 obviously included several memorable characters from the video game franchise, like Sweet Tooth, Agent Stone, Mr. Slam, Preacher, Blood Mary, and Twister. That said, some of the franchise’s most iconic figures were nowhere to be found, or were only referenced in passing. Expect to see more familiar drivers when Season 2 arrives, which showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith shared with NBC Insider in December 2023.

When discussing both new and returning characters, Smith revealed that fan-favorites like the aforementioned Twisted Metal tournament organizer Calypso and the motorcycle-riding Mr. Grimm will be coming along for the ride. The showrunner said the writers even have big plans for Axel, the driver stuck between two giant tractor tires, and how that absurd competitor will fit in with the slightly more grounded approach of the series.

What Happened In The Twisted Metal Season 1 Finale

It has been a year since the Twisted Metal Season 1 finale brought an end to John Doe and Quiet’s cross-country journey to pick up and deliver a mysterious package (a pint of ice cream) to New San Francisco for Raven (Neve Campbell). That said, you may be wondering what went down before the credits rolled.

After completing the quest, John learned that Raven was testing him to see if he had what it took to be her driver in an upcoming vehicular combat tournament: Calypso’s Twisted Metal competition. And we’ll soon see that deadly competition play out before our very eyes.

Production Wrapped In October 2024

It shouldn’t be that much longer before we get to see Twisted Metal Season 2 in action, as production on the show’s sophomore effort has already wrapped. In October 2024, just a few months after cameras started rolling, Michael Jonathan Smith took to Instagram with a series of photos revealing that the principal photography stage had concluded and that he was getting ready to start post-production.

Judging by the state of the February 2025 teaser trailer, it looks like Smith and crew are nearing the finish line. But make sure to be on the lookout for more information soon.

Twisted Metal Season 2 Will Have 12 Episodes

Much like how Twisted Metal 2 expanded on the first game with new characters and even bigger maps, it sounds like the show will give fans more action when it returns this summer. According to Deadline, the series’ sophomore season will have 12 episodes as opposed to 10, with directors Phil Sgriccia, Bill Benz, Iain MacDonald, and Bertie Ellwood splitting them up.

While there is a lot we still don’t yet know about Twisted Metal Season 2, expect all those details to be worked out before too long. Before you know it, we’ll be in the heat of vehicular combat!

Armie Hammer had a prominent acting career gaining wide recognition in The Social Network and a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Call Me By Your Name. But January 2021 changed everything for him when an anonymous Instagram account House of Elfie made allegations about leaked messages Hammer allegedly sent that involved cannibalistic requests. As these rumors led Hammer to drop out of many upcoming projects, Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins is the next movie to repeat this controversial trend.

Last January, an anonymous Instagram account House of Elfie claimed that Armie Hammer sent her DMs requesting graphic, sexual activity with hints of cannibalism. The Social Network actor denied the accusations, calling them “bullshit claims.” The controversy towards the acclaimed actor didn’t stop there as sexual assault allegations against Hammer followed, with one woman saying she reportedly suffered violent abuse from Hammer and thought he was going to kill her. Another accuser told Page Six she was reportedly subjected to emotional abuse from the J. Edgar actor and attended a PTSD hospitalization program as a result of the relationship. Following the allegations, Hammer dropped out of many film projects, with his next one being Taika Waititi’s latest movie.

Armie Hammer Was Originally Supposed To Be In Next Goal Wins 

One of Armie Hammer’s upcoming movies was Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins based on the true story of the American Samoa national football team trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. According to Deadline, Arrested Development’s Will Arnett has replaced Hammer’s role as the team’s executive Alex Magnussen. Whereas Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World had the then-accused Kevin Spacey completely replaced by Christopher Plummer weeks before the movie’s release, Arnett’s new role was instead expanded. Hammer’s role was originally supposed to be just a cameo appearance before Arnett stepped in. 

Armie Hammer reportedly had to drop out of the project due to the American actor not being available for reshoots. It’s possible that Hammer’s unavailability could have also arisen from news that came not long after that Hammer completed a rehab program in Orlando, Florida. Sources claimed the actor had been in the facility for nine months and was doing fine, but wanted to leave to return to his family. Fortunately, Arnett was able to successfully reshoot his scenes for the new role. 

The Role Getting Recast Is Part Of a Trend Of Armie Hammer’s

Next Goal Wins is just one of the movies that Armie Hammer had to drop out of amongst the personal scandals he went through. He reportedly first left the action rom-com Shotgun Wedding feeling the need to stay with his kids while the allegations occurred, rather than shooting a movie in the Dominican Republic. Hammer’s role as Jennifer Lopez’s leading man Tom Fowler was officially replaced by Josh Duhamel. Then, Hammer dropped out of the Cold War drama Billion Dollar Spy where he would have co-starred with Mads Mikkelsen. 

Next in line with Armie Hammer’s projects was the Sean Penn drama Gaslit co-starring Julia Roberts telling the story of the Watergate Scandal. Hammer was set to play White House counsel member John Dean conflicted about lying to protect the president. The role was replaced by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens with reasons apparently having nothing to do with Hammer's cannibal text allegation scandals. It was due to scheduling conflicts to be a leading man in the Paramount+ series The Offer which Hammer no longer became a part of either. The final project no longer starring the On the Basis of Sex actor was the Broadway show The Minutes which Hammer said he needed to exit to focus on himself, his health, and be with his family.

Based on the trailer for Next Goal Wins, the American Samoa national football team was considered one of the weakest football teams out there. In order to recover from the brutal 2001 FIFA match, a new coach, played by Michael Fassbender, plans to get this team into top shape for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This may be one of the many projects of Armie Hammer’s absence, but the comedy stylings of Will Arnett should help audiences enjoy themselves watching the biographical sports dramedy. You can watch this 2023 movie release in theaters on November 17th. 

Generally speaking, I’m not a “reality TV” person. Most of the shows that I think of with that classification, from Survivor and The Bachelor to the various singing competitions, have never interested me. I’ve never even given them a try. I am, however, a big nerd, so one reality TV joy that I do have is Fox’s LEGO Masters.  

I would have considered myself a big LEGO fan before I started watching LEGO Masters. I own lots of big LEGO sets and have visited Legoland on vacation.  I realize now that I’m really not that big a fan after all because the people who compete on the LEGO-building reality show are really the only ones that probably deserve that title. I’m only just now working my way through LEGO Masters Season 3, but I’m now really looking forward to the impending start of Season 4. Here are just a few reasons you may want to give the show a try if you haven’t yet.

The LEGO Creations Are All Worth Checking Out 

This first point may be obvious, but the best thing about LEGO Masters is the LEGO. Each week, teams are given a specific challenge that they each tackle in their own way. This leads not only to seeing lots of different sorts of LEGO creations, but often seeing some truly ingenious takes on the challenge. Sometimes the more radical ideas don’t always work out, but when they do, they are truly impressive.

My love of LEGO, especially as an adult, has been in the buying and building of sets. I’ve never felt particularly creative with a bucket of random bricks, but that’s part of what makes watching the competitors doing their thing all the more impressive to me. Even the stuff that gets people eliminated is better than I could do, so I have to respect it.

But it’s also caused me to eye my buckets of bricks and maybe see what sort of stuff I might be able to create. I’m not planning to apply for the show anytime soon, but it has certainly made me wish that I could.

LEGO Masters Is Low Drama Reality Competition 

One of the things that always turned me off from a lot of reality TV has been interpersonal drama. While it might not be that unusual for some conflict to rear its head when a bunch of strangers get put together in a competition, I just don’t care for it. A lot of reality shows are entirely about that drama, but even some shows that have some other focus can’t help but spotlight the drama when it happens.

The worst LEGO Masters gets with personal drama is when a team realizes in hour five of an 11-hour build that their design isn’t working and they have a minor panic attack. Sometimes you see them storm off and take time to get themselves together. Nobody is ever actively talking smack about another team. The other teams are often motivated because everybody knows the other teams are good at what they do, so if anybody messes up, elimination could come.

In the end, each team is simply trying to build the best version of their own thing independent of what others are working on. When teams get eliminated, they often talk about how the thing they’ll miss the most is the other competitors, because they’ve all become friends over the course of the show. Sometimes LEGO Masters just skips the elimination

Will Arnett Is The Perfect LEGO Masters Host 

I feel like Will Arnett is one of the comedians that some people think is hilarious and others really do not. I haven’t taken a poll, but I could totally see that not everybody might love Arnett’s particular style. But I think that regardless of what you actually think about Arnett, that style is what makes him perfect to host this specific reality show.

Arnett, of course, has a strong LEGO connection, as he was the voice of LEGO Batman in The LEGO Movie, and his character was so popular he got his own sequel in The LEGO Batman Movie. But that’s not why Arnett is the perfect choice to host LEGO Masters.

If you hear Will Arnett telling jokes and think that his schtick should elicit more groans than laughs, that’s exactly why he’s perfect on this show. LEGO Masters may feature exclusively adults, but it’s focus is a toy. The premise is inherently silly, so “dad jokes” are exactly the sort that fit perfectly with the show’s overall tone. It knows how goofy it is, so it found the host that provides exactly that vibe. 

LEGO Masters Is The Perfect Family Reality Show 

That silliness in tone is also in service to another element that sets LEGO Masters apart, that it’s a reality competition that the whole family can enjoy. The previously mentioned interpersonal drama that permeates many reality shows is enough that I wouldn’t want my very young children to watch them, even if I did. The subject matter of many of them isn’t the sort of thing that’s going to appeal to many kids. My six-year-old could watch MasterChef with me, but I’m not sure why they’d want to do so.

But LEGO Masters has something that is going to appeal to even small kids, making it something the family can enjoy together. While LEGO Masters is apparently complex to make, it's simple to watch and understand, and perhaps young kids watching these creative people will inspire them to become creative. I love building LEGO sets with my daughter now, but if she decides she wants to stop following the instructions and try to make her own thing, I’m certainly not going to stop her. 

If you are a serious LEGO fan, you’ve probably at least tried LEGO Masters already, but I feel like even if you’re not a serious LEGO fan, or are not one anymore, there’s enough to enjoy about LEGO Masters that it’s worth giving it a try if you haven’t yet. The first three seasons are available on Hulu, and Season 4 of LEGO Masters begins September 28.

Actors frequently find inspiration in surprising places when embodying iconic characters. While AEW superstar Samoa Joe applied his physical prowess (as well as singing skills) as part of Twisted Metal's stacked cast, Will Arnett brought his distinctive gravelly voice to their terrifying shared character Sweet Tooth in the eagerly awaited video game series adaptation. CinemaBlend was privileged to have an exclusive chat with the Arrested Development veteran, during which Arnett -- who once voiced Batman -- delved into the fascinating links between his new character and the notorious Joker.

Considering that the BoJack Horseman star previously voiced the Dark Knight, he knows a thing or two about evil jesters -- if you can consider Zach Galifianakis’ unique take on the Clown Prince of Crime to be “evil.” Will Arnett says the villain -- who could appear in an upcoming DC movie -- did influence his approach to playing a terrifying clown. For him, the allure of Sweet Tooth lies in striking a balance between fear and humor. While speaking with CB's Nick Venable during Twisted Metal's virtual press day ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the actor explained:

In portraying Sweet Tooth, Will Arnett isn't facing a physical challenge, at least not personally, but rather a complex psychological one. This character is more than just a copy of other frightening harlequins; it's an evolution, merging the widespread fear of clowns with a sense of dark humor. While this massive and intimidating character might violently give someone an ass whooping, he’ll perform a duet of the "Thong Song" while doing it. That is, indeed, “finding balance.” My man!

You have to imagine that there was a little bit of pressure for the actor when it came to taking on the role of the wild character as well. Sweet Tooth is an iconic character, and has arguably been one of the Playstation family's most notable mascots since the video game franchise launched in 1995. Thankfully, the Blades of Glory actor was able to do justice to the role.

Twisted Metal made its exciting debut on July 27, with all 10 adrenaline-fueled episodes available for immediate binge-watching. The first season ended with a crazy cliffhanger, leaving fans eagerly anticipating what's next. If you're keen to see the story continue into a second season, it would be wise to secure a Peacock subscription, watch the entire season, and encourage others to do the same. 

While the current WGA writers' strike and SAG-AFTRA strike cast uncertainty over the future of the entertainment industry, now might be the ideal time to immerse yourself in a show like this. The 30-minute runtime for each episode is a secret weapon for the series that is a refreshing feature that many viewers may find appealing. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of the series and its Joker-like character.

As we anticipate further news on what's next for Twisted Metal and Will Arnett and Samoa Joe’s iconic dual performance as Sweet Tooth, take the opportunity to explore the vast array of upcoming video game adaptations that are making their way to both theaters and TV in the foreseeable future. And for more info on offerings from the latter medium, take a look at the 2023 TV schedule.

Coming off of the billion-dollar box office of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and with the first Five Nights at Freddy’s movie set to possibly crush other upcoming horror movies with its Halloween release, audiences are arguably living amidst a golden age for video game adaptations. That assumption will seemingly be bolstered by the impending release of Peacock’s vehicle-centric action-comedy Twisted Metal, with MCU star Anthony Mackie heading things up. Though fans probably shouldn’t expect to see him showing off Captain America-esque levels of badass heroism as John Doe, as proven by the new footage seen below, which has everyone’s favorite ice cream truck driver, Sweet Tooth, opening up an ice cream bucket of whoop-ass. 

Along with the new footage, Peacock unveiled a batch of new imagery for Twisted Metal as the streaming service revs up the promotional push for the anticipated new show. But before we get to some of the other co-stars such as Samantha Beatrix, Thomas Haden Church, and WWE’s Samoa Joe, check out the clip below, which showcases the most amusing use of Sisqo’s “Thong Song” since Legends of Tomorrow brought him into its Season 5 finale.

Even though that clearly isn't Will Arnett doing the physical acting, it's so funny to hear his voice coming from that hulking beast in a clown mask. We can only hope that Sweet Tooth will show up in LEGO Masters Season 3 or on a future episode of Arnett's podcast Smartless. Though hopefully in a calmer mood, as not to have those appearances end in bloody carnage.

This clip seems like it cements everything that fans can expect to see from Twisted Metal's live-action adaptation, at least in that it's a mix of bone-cracking action and tongue-in-cheek humor. And if the song choice is any indication, the show might just be full of music pulled from Universal Music Group's massive library.

If I'd have had 300 guesses for what song Anthony Mackie's John and Arnett's Sweet Tooth would team up on at any point in Twisted Metal, I likely wouldn't have come close to making "Thong Song" an option. Even if it was just limited to '90s tracks. Probably could have done it if "clothing-specific" was part of the clue, at least after guessing Weezer's "Sweater Song" and TLC's "Hat 2 Da Back."

Now let's step away from Mackie getting beaten up to...Mackie being tied up and held at gunpoint. Clearly things are not going well for this dude early on in the season. Check him out alongside the similarly bound Quiet, as portrayed by Brooklyn Nine-Nine vet Stephanie Beatriz, as they're being guided away by Mike and Stu, as played by P-Valley's Tahj Vaughans and Doughboys co-host Mike "The Spoon Man" Mitchell, respectively. (Mike and Stu were introduced in Twisted Metal 2 as Hammerhead's drivers.)

And then we have Neve Campbell taking on the Twisted Metal: Black character Raven, who is behind the wheel of the hearse Shadow in the games she appears in.

Thomas Haden Church is in T-1000 mode as Agent Stone, which was the name of two characters in the video game's universe. The first was an alien-truther secret agent who drove the Lamborghini Crimson Fury in the flagship title, while the TM: Black and TM: Lost version is a sharpshooter that comes from a family of police officers in Midtown. 

I can't wait to see more from Twisted Metal, which will be avaible to everyone with a Peacock subscription starting on July 27, when all 10 high-octane episodes will be there to binge. Head to our 2023 TV schedule to see what else is popping up between now and then.

Updated with video.

Video game adaptations are all the rage now, as evidenced by the acclaim of HBO's The Last Of Us and oodles of cash The Super Mario Bros. Movie continues to rake in at the box office. It was only a matter of time before players like Peacock got into this "game," and that streaming service has certainly lined up an interesting series, with Anthony Mackie and a stacked cast leading Twisted Metal, which just dropped its first trailer.

The show follows a milkman with no memory of his past who is tasked with delivering a package in a world filled with villainous folks in cars that can cause massive amounts of death and destruction. There are a lot of stars attached to this series from Deadpool and Cobra Kai writers, but let's kick things off with the stars of who will lead this action-packed and twisted series, starting with our leading man. 

Anthony Mackie

Anthony Mackie, who is currently playing Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, joins Twisted Metal as a much more mysterious character. John Doe is a milkman with amnesia who can gain a better life for himself by delivering a package through a dangerous wasteland. Doe will seek to deliver the package and perhaps find out more about his past in the process. 

Stephanie Beatriz 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Encanto star Stephanie Beatriz comes into Twisted Metal with an original character to the franchise, Quiet. Quiet seems anything but that based on her personality, and is described as a car thief who often acts on her impulses. I can't imagine you're too quiet when always doing the first thing that comes to mind, but I guess we'll find out!

Thomas Haden Church

Thomas Haden Church has appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home and so many other movies and television shows, and now he's in Twisted Metal. Those with a Peacock Premium subscription will see Church as Agent Stone, an agent from the original game with an axe to grind with the United States government. Who knows how much of his story will carry into the adaptation, but I'm definitely excited to see what Church brings to the character. 

Samoa Joe

Pro wrestling superstar Samoa Joe will step into Twisted Metal as one of the most iconic characters of the video game franchise. Sweet Tooth is someone with a lot of history, but if you're looking to enter this story spoiler-free, you may not want to read up much on him. With that said, Sweet Tooth is the spooky clown readers might've seen on the games over the years, and is a pretty merciless and wild killer. I'm very curious to see this character in live-action, especially with Samoa Joe being the imposing figure that he is. 

Will Arnett

From Murderville to LEGO Masters, Will Arnett has built up an impressive body of work in the television genre. This time around, he'll be providing a little vocal work for the Twisted Metal series, as he's the voice behind Sweet Tooth. Arnett may not have the physicality for the role of the mysterious and violent mascot of the franchise, but he has a noted track record as a great voice actor. I mean, c'mon, even as LEGO Batman, he still has one of the coolest of the Caped Crusader's voices. 

Richard Cabral

Richard Cabral is hopping over from his former gig at Mayans M.C. to Twisted Metal. Cabral will play Loud, and for those wondering if he's connected to Quiet in any way, you're very astute. Loud is Quiet's older brother, and apparently an overprotective brother at that. It's possible he'll be in pursuit of her throughout the series, as well as targeting anyone he deems a threat to her wellbeing. 

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell has been popping around Hollywood ever since her breakout role on Party of Five and, of course, the Scream franchise. In Twisted Metal, she'll take on the role of Raven, who is a character from the original games. Raven, perhaps predictably so, has a sort of goth-type style, so it's possible this adaptation of the character will rock the same look. We can only wait and see, and hope this role for Campbell is as iconic as the rest of hers. 

Tahj Vaughans

P-Valley actor Tahj Vaughans will join Twisted Metal to play the role of Mike. He is one-half of the driving duo of Mike and Stu, who, in their sole appearance in Twisted Metal 2, were cruising around in search of the ultimate high. Their giant monster truck Hammerhead apparently doesn't provide enough thrills for them, so perhaps we'll see them get into more action during the series. 

Mike Mitchell

The Tomorrow War actor Mike Mitchell will hop into Twisted Metal to play Stu. As previously mentioned, he's Mike's partner, and they're traveling around in their Hammerhead truck searching for what could be the ultimate high. I'm unsure if either will find it, but I'd question searching something like that out in a world as dangerous as the one in Twisted Metal. 

Lou Beatty Jr.

Lou Beatty Jr. might be most known lately for his time on A Million Little Things, but folks will soon know him from Twisted Metal. The actor will step into the role of Tommy, who is a cartographer who knows the ins and outs of the dangerous road that travelers must navigate in this world. That's always handy for anyone on a mission, so hopefully our heroes find him pretty early on. 

Michael Carollo

Michael Carollo is an up-and-coming actor with guest roles on NCIS: New Orleans and Chicago P.D., and now he's stepping into Twisted Metal. It's been reported by Collider that Carollo's role is undisclosed, so we're not entirely sure what he'll be up to when this series kicks off. 

Chloe Fineman

Saturday Night Live's Chloe Fineman will also step into Twisted Metal, and like Carollo, in an undisclosed role. The tone of this series is said to fall between action and comedy, so it's of little surprise someone with Fineman's comedic chops will be a part of the fun. Unfortunately, there's only so much we can speculate on without knowing the details of who or what she's playing, but we're excited to see her all the same!

Twisted Metal is headed to Peacock on July 27, 2023. Hopefully it continues the streak of successful video game adaptations in media and encourages even more upcoming video game shows to hit streaming services. 

Do you play Wordle? Since the word guessing game gained popularity in late 2021, it has become part of tons of people’s daily routines, including many of the actors in one of April’s 2023 new movie releases, the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck-led Air. Damon previously revealed that he has a Wordle group called the “Nerdle League” alongside the likes of Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, and the latter just revealed which member of the group is their Wordle champion. 

The “Nerdle League” sounds like they take Wordle pretty seriously. According to Damon, they play the eight-word version, Octordle; the four word version, Quordle; and then the OG game. Then they add up their scores and compare them against each other. Jason Bateman shared the best and worst of the bunch, with these words: 

Not unlike Wordle, I would have never guessed that answer because it’s such a wildcard. Just how big is this group? We have no idea. However, apparently one filmmaker named Sam Jones is beating out actors like Damon and Arnett, and when it comes to talking about his own skills in the word game, he said he comes “dead last” every time. When asked if he’s ever gotten the right word on the second try, here’s what he said: 

There you have it. You can check out Jason Bateman talking about the Wordle group while on Good Morning America: 

Bateman might be bad at Wordle, but he can’t be worse than Ben Affleck, who is still “trying to get in” to the Nerdle League. When Affleck talked about being left out of the Wordle group by his longtime bestie (and former roommate) Matt Damon, he admitted he saw how their scores stacked up to his and thought he “might need to train.” 

Though I am curious what the stakes are wuth this Wordle group. Do they put bets down? Plus, considering these are all actors, writers and filmmakers, have they tried adding the Wordle for movie lovers, Framed, into the mix? Perhaps Bateman and Affleck could wrack up some extra points on that front? Also, have they invited fellow Wordle addict Helen Mirren? I’d be curious to see how they stack up to her skills. 

Honestly, it’s nice to hear that these prominent actors, who could probably easily go to some prestigious golf clubs or whatnot during their off time, are getting super into Wordle. Now that we know the best from the worst, you can check out Jason Bateman’s latest movie alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in Air, now in theaters. 

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had the best time working on Air together, and they became known for writing Good Will Hunting together as best friends trying to make it in Hollywood. Talk about friendship goals. However, when it comes to Wordle there’s a bit of hilarious tension between the longtime BFFs. It turns out there is a celebrity Wordle league that includes the Will Hunting actor as well as Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, and it's quite exclusive, which was proven as Affleck revealed that he hasn’t been invited to play yet. And while talking about the exclusive league this time around he made sure to clarify that he’s not in the group chat because of his closest friend in the industry.

While on the press tour for Affleck’s movie Air, the actor/director has been campaigning to get into the Wordle group. So, when Damon, Affleck and Chris Tucker all appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and the singer asked the Air director about this Wordle group, and he was quick to point out that he has not been included in the “Nerdle League,” saying:

I guess if he needs a “cooler plus one” he could just ask his wife, you know global superstar Jennifer Lopez, to join the chat. I feel like that would maybe elevate his chances if an extra guest is what he needs to get in, but I digress.

After Affleck lamented over not being invited to play the game with his pals, Damon explained just how intense this “Nerdle League” is, saying:

In true best friend fashion, Affleck fired back at Damon, making fun of him before the Jason Bourne star got down to business talking about just how competitive the Wordle league is:

• Ben Affleck: Alright, Good Will Hunting. 
• Matt Damon: No, I mean it’s very, very competitive. Will Arnett is in it, Bradley Cooper, Jason Bateman. 

Affleck tried to explain that he wasn't mad about not being invited to join the friend's chat about words, however, I think I could hear a twinge of teasing jealousy in his voice. However, Damon wanted to clarify that he does think his pal could handle the game, he just advised Affleck against joining until he could practice a bit more. The silly back-and-forth continued as the two said:

• Ben Affleck: And I’m not, which is… fine. I don’t resent.  
• Matt Damon: I advised you--you’re welcome to join, we call it the ‘Nerdle League.’ I was like, ‘You can join the Nerdle League, but you might want to get your scores down.’ 
• Ben Affleck: The truth is they told me what their scores were, I was like, ‘I can get it.’  Then I did it a couple of times and was like, ‘I might need to train.’ 

Queue the training montage! If Affleck just practices a bit more I think he could easily compete with the crew. However, Damon and Affleck did discuss the words they absolutely hate getting, like “rarer” and “sooth,” with Clarkson, and overall it was a very nerdy conversation that proved, at least to me, that the boys should let the Argo director join the Nerdle League. 

Hopefully, Ben Affleck is able to get into the Nerdle League, and Matt Damon will stop light-heartedly gatekeeping the group chat. While we wait to see if the actor/director gets in on the word games, you can check out the incredibly well-reviewed Air – which will make its debut on the 2023 movie schedule on April 5 and will be available to those with an Amazon Prime subscription in a few months – to witness the movie that brought the two best pals back together as their relationship gets hilariously tested over Wordle. 

When you think of some of the best television shows of all time, what are the ones that instantly come to your mind? For me, there are a solid three – Breaking Bad, the phenomenal Game of Thrones (and its wonderful cast), and last but not least, The Sopranos. 

The famous HBO series seriously changed television forever, and The Sopranos cast has gone on to do many things in the world of Hollywood and beyond. But today, we’re going to go over the guest cameos that you might have forgotten about – that’s right, the “blink and you’ll miss it” kind, because believe it or not, there have been many big stars that we know of now who started off small and appeared in guest roles on The Sopranos. Let’s get into it. 

Lady Gaga (Classmate)

Lady Gaga is primarily known for her singing career, as she has had several number one hits and even performed at the Super Bowl like many other pop stars such as Rihanna, The Weeknd, and more. However, she’s also now known for her acting career, which really started taking off in the last several years, with roles in movies such as A Star is Born and TV shows like the Ryan Murphy-created American Horror Story. 

But, Lady Gaga had humble beginnings in the world of television and had a small guest role in The Sopranos during the episode “The Telltale Moozadell.” She isn’t even credited in the role, but any die-hard Gaga fan can see her from a mile away. This was way before she was famous, so it’s so cool to see her in something such as this. 

Cristin Milioti (Catherine Sacrimoni)

Cristin Milioti has certainly made a name for herself over the last several years. In terms of movies, she’s appeared in the hilarious rom-com, Palm Springs, as well as the Leonardo DiCaprio-led film, The Wolf of Wall Street, among others. She also portrayed Tracey McConnell in How I Met Your Mother, and had the main role on Made for Love on HBO Max, and many more. 

Before all this, she portrayed Catherine Sacrimoni for three episodes of The Sopranos during the last season of the show. She has done so much since then, that it might be hard to recall her role, but she was a pretty important part of the last season, and it’s so cool to see what she has done since then. 

Will Arnett (Mike Waldrup)

Before Will Arnett starred in the casts of big shows such as Arrested Development, and voiced a main character in The Lego Movie, its sequel, and led The Lego Batman Movie, he was also among the people who guest starred on The Sopranos. During Season 4, he played Mike Waldrup, who was actually a serious character in comparison to many of his other comedic roles. 

It’s a bit strange to see him in such a dramatic role, but it shows that Arnett has some great range, and I’d be down to see him in more serious parts in the future.

Michael B. Jordan (Rideland Kid)

Before he was kicking butts and taking names in the Creed franchise, or becoming one of everyone’s favorite villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Killmonger, Michael B. Jordan began his career as a young child actor. Like many people, he ended up having small roles in TV shows – and one of his first was this one in The Sopranos, Season 1, during the episode, “Down Neck.”

His character doesn’t even have a name, simply known as “Rideland Kid,” and he appears in a flashback to Tony’s past as one of the only people who went head to head with Tony before he became what he became. He barely has any lines but it’s so funny to see him so young in a role such as this after seeing what he has done since. 

Chandra Wilson (Evelyn Greenwood)

Out of every single medical drama out there, I’m pretty sure there isn’t one quite as popular as Grey’s Anatomy. The show has gone on for several seasons and many cast members have come and gone, but Chandra Wilson has remained one of the few who has been on the show since Season 1 – that’s right, Dr. Miranda Bailey has stuck it out for this long. 

But, before she was on the hit medical series that has earned her several award nominations, Wilson had a small guest role on The Sopranos during Season 5, where she played Evelyn Greenwood. It’s not particularly memorable, but it’s cool all the same to see her before Grey’s.  

Lin-Manuel Miranda (Bellman)

Before he took the world by storm through his musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, and ended up working on the soundtracks for movies such as Moana and Encanto, Lin-Manuel Miranda did plenty of small roles in television. He was once a guest star on Modern Family, and was also a guest star on The Sopranos, during the episode, “Remember When.”

It’s, again, a very small guest role, where all he plays is a bellman who helps with luggage in a hotel and has very few speaking lines, but to see him before In the Heights blew up and then, of course, Hamilton, is so much fun.  

Perez Hilton (Male Student)

If you don’t know who Perez Hilton is, then you definitely have never paid attention to celebrity gossip. Hilton has run one of the most popular celebrity gossip sites since back in the early 2000s, but he started as an actor, too. And, he had a tiny guest role in The Sopranos during the episode, “Fortunate Son.”

Again, all he’s credited as is “Male Student,” and he wasn’t credited as Perez Hilton but rather under his real name, Mario Lavanderia, but this was before he even took on the name of the gossip maven, so it makes sense. 

Paul Dano (Patrick Whalen)

Last but not least, we need to talk about Paul Dano, who was on The Sopranos for a few episodes, more than many of the others on this list. 

Dano is primarily known for his great character acting, and he’s appeared in big movies such as The Batman, 12 Years A Slave, Prisoners, The Fabelmans in 2022, and so many more, but he also had the role of Patrick Whalen in The Sopranos during Seasons 4 and 5. The character appeared in three episodes before he was never seen again. 

Truly, these are the “before they were famous” roles for these stars, and it’s so awesome to see how far they have come in comparison to their small beginnings. I can’t wait to see what they do next.  

For some, the first image that comes to mind when they picture the Dark Knight is one of the many great live-action Batman actors from over the years. However, in the eyes of other Batfans like myself, the definitive onscreen iterations of one of DC Comics’ most iconic heroes really exist in some of the best animated Batman movies and TV shows and is voiced by the likes of Will Arnett and the late Kevin Conroy.

The question is, which of the best Batman voice actors deserves to be recognized as the finest of them all for managing to represent the greatest strengths and complexities of Gotham City’s Caped Crusader with only their voice? Well, to be honest, we may have already revealed our answer, but we should still begin with our last (but not necessarily least) choice in the following ranked list of the many voices of Batman.

10. Jason O’Mara (Various Titles)

With DC Comics’ New 52 reboot came the DC Animated Universe’s reboot, featuring a Dark Knight voiced by Jason O’Mara in 11 features that include a reimagining of the Justice League’s origin story with Justice League: War in 2014 and a subsequent series of new Batman adventures — many of which would make for a great live-action remake one day. 

I personally do not believe the Irish actor (who is also, technically, part of the MCU after playing Jeffrey Mace on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) brought anything unique or memorable to the role, but his take is undeniably brooding and badass, especially in the way he tells the Court of Owls to “get the hell out of [his] cave” in 2015’s Batman vs. Robin. 

9. Troy Baker (Various Titles)

One of the few actors who can say he has played both Batman and the Joker (even in the same movie once — namely 2019’s Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is accomplished voice actor Troy Baker, who also has an innumerable amount of other DC characters under his belt. However, while his Clown Prince of Crime tends to get the most love, he makes for a great Caped Crusader, particularly in the way he captures Bruce Wayne’s inner turmoil in both movies and video games, like Batman: The Telltale Series.

8. Jensen Ackles (Batman: The Long Halloween)

Years after playing a grown-up Jason Todd in 2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood (more on that one later), former Supernatural cast member Jensen Ackles got to play the big guy himself in 2021’s two-part adaptation of Jeph Loeb’s Batman: The Long Halloween. With his winning performance as both a diligent Caped Crusader and a Bruce Wayne burdened by his double life that made Troy Baker a fan, it is easy to see why he is returning to play Batman in the upcoming movie, Legion of Super-Heroes, in 2023.

7. Rino Romano (The Batman)

While it may share a title with Matt Reeves’ more recent take on the Dark Knight, The Batman, essentially, served as an animated counterpart to 2005’s Batman Begins as it premiered just a year before Christopher Nolan’s reboot and followed a younger Bruce Wayne taking on new, more bizarre variations of his rogues gallery. 

However, Rino Romano’s portrayal of the title hero — who also go his own underrated movie with 2005’s The Batman vs. Dracula — bears very little similarity to (and, arguably, comes close to surpassing) Christian Bale’s with a voice that never overdoes it with the gravel and a demeanor that effectively balances broodiness with levity when the moment calls for it.

6. Peter Weller (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns)

My personal, all-time favorite depiction of Batman in any medium comes from Frank Miller’s seminal, revolutionary 1986 graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which follows a Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement in his mid-50s as a bolder, more brutal and unyielding warrior than ever before. 

No choice could have been better to play this version of the brooding hero in a two-part adaptation released in 2012 and 2013 than RoboCop star Peter Weller, who — at 65 — makes the concept of this senior superhero, not only believable, but fearsome, especially in the way he delivers classic, badass Batman quotes like, “This isn’t a mud hole. It’s an operating table, and I’m the surgeon.”

5. Adam West (Various Titles)

While better known as one of the earliest and most beloved portrayals of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, the late, great Adam West also used just his unmistakable voice to play Batman in a few animated series, including The New Adventures of Batman in the late 1970s and SuperFriends the following decade. Among his final performances was a reprisal of his “Bright Knight” in two animated films that paid tribute to the 1960s Batman TV show — 2016’s Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs. Two-Face the following year — that, even decades later, was just as lively and enigmatic as ever.

4. Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Harley Quinn)

No Batman actor has ever managed to both pay a winning homage to Adam West’s uniquely lighthearted portrayal while incorporating many of the character’s more earnest, modern characteristics in such a smooth blend like Diedrich Bader. As the lead of Batman: The Brave and the Bold and with his recurring spot on HBO Max’s Harley Quinn, the former Drew Carey Show star’s Batman is one that demands serious attention without shying away from the chance of making you laugh.

3. Will Arnett (The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie)

When it comes to humor, however, Will Arnett’s LEGO Batman — who was first introduced in 2014’s The LEGO Movie before getting his own brilliant spin-off in 2017 — is on a whole different level entirely. In addition to the former Arrested Development cast member’s hilarious, Christian Bale-inspired voice and snarky, absurdist tone, this depiction — especially in The LEGO Batman Movie — succeeds in both honoring and parodying many of the Dark Knight’s defining characteristics in a way that elevates it above even some of the more truly earnest iterations at the time.

2. Bruce Greenwood (Various Titles)

That being said, my allegiance is still with the more earnest animated iterations of Batman and one of the strongest in recent memory has been played by Bruce Greenwood in movies like 2018’s Elseworlds tale, Gotham by Gaslight, or the hit TV show Young Justice. However, his finest hour comes from one of the best animated DC movies ever, Batman: Under the Red Hood, in which he brilliantly captures his guilt following the tragic death of Jason Todd. His nuanced, impassioned performance makes me hope we see of more of this portrayal, which may come closest to the power of our Number One choice.

1. Kevin Conroy (Various Titles)

As far as I am concerned, most of the live-action Batman movies so far have not even held a candle to how perfectly the character was represented in Batman: The Animated Series and the other TV shows and movies it is connected to. The key to its universal acclaim is Kevin Conroy, whose vigorous, commanding, and (most importantly) human performance has become the benchmark for how most Batfans tend to judge subsequent portrayals and the voice they hear when they read a Batman comic. 

Having lost Conroy to cancer at the age of 66, we may never see another depiction of Batman as definitively brooding and passionate as his, but he will thankfully live on in countless titles like the Arkham video games, the Justice League animated series, and more. 

While we certainly have our own answer for who deserves to be called the best of the Batman voice actors so far, keep in mind that he truly speaks with many different voices, is seen with many different faces, and acts with many different characteristics. There is not one defining Dark Knight, but many, so that whichever you choose to complete your admiration is part of what keeps his enduring legacy alive.

Following the incredible success of The Hangover Bradley Cooper became a massive movie star. Cooper’s been nominated for nine Academy Awards in his career and become part of the biggest movie franchise in the world in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cooper has seemingly done it all, but he may never have been able to if he hadn’t overcome substance abuse, and Cooper says actor Will Arnett is the reason he was able to do so.

Appearing on the Smartless Podcast, hosted by Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, Bradley Cooper says that in the early 2000s he was trying to emulate the style of a lot of “angry” comedians of the day, and in doing so had a habit of really hurting people. It seems Cooper did not realize quite how he was impacting people, so it took an honest conversation with Will Arnett for him to see things clearly. Cooper said…

It’s not an uncommon story for those that exist in Hollywood to go through substance abuse issues. Stars like Ben Affleck have also been open about their struggle with alcohol. Bradley Cooper had achieved some level of success at this point in his career. He had just left his role on Alias, but was still a few years away from joining the cast of The Hangover and true stardom. Cooper says he had basically no self esteem at this point and was using the angry comedy as a shield. 

Will Arnett was one of the people that Bradley Cooper says he looked up to in trying to make that sort of comedy part of his style. Arnett’s comedy can be insulting, but the people that know him know he isn’t really like that. Because of that, he admits that having this conversation with anybody else might not have had the same impact. Because it was Arnett, Cooper really heard the words. He continued later in the interview…

Bradley Cooper certainly credits Will Arnett for being the reason he was able to get to where he is today. While Arnett is very good at playing the asshole on TV, it seems he’s truly a good guy, and he was able to help Bradley Cooper become one as well. Cooper has a strong list of projects on the horizon that we may very well never have seen if it wasn’t for these events, so fans can all be thankful.

At long last, Chip ’n Dale, the fearless co-founders and leaders of the Rescue Rangers are back together, and in action, together again for another set of adventures in the new Disney+ movie bearing their name. The fun-filled and reference-heavy animated/live-action hybrid in the vein of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Tom and Jerry is finally streaming on the popular platform, meaning everyone with a Disney+ subscription can give the new film a spin. 

But, after doing so, you may be wondering exactly where you have seen and heard the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast before. Worry not, because we are about to break down all the stars of the highly-anticipated project, starting with the two leads, former Saturday Night Live greats John Mulaney and Andy Sandberg.

John Mulaney (Chip)

Starting off, we have John Mulaney who appears in the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast as the voice of Chip, the fearless leader and co-founder of the Rescue Rangers, and the member who didn’t elect to be converted to CGI.

Mulaney, who long served as a writer on Saturday Night Live before becoming one of the best guest hosts of all-time with his hilarious and catchy musical skits, has etched out a place for himself as one of the greatest modern stand-up comedians with specials like The Comeback Kid and John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City. 

On top of that, Mulaney has appeared on shows like Documentary Now!, Kroll Show, Big Mouth, and even had his own short-lived sitcom simply titled, Mulaney. And let’s not forget his hilarious portrayal of Peter Porker, a.k.a. Spider-Ham, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and various short films in the franchise.

Andy Samberg (Dale)

Next up is Andy Samberg, who provides the voice of Dale, the more happy-go-lucky and free-flowing co-founder of the Rescue Rangers who has undergone a procedure to transform himself from traditional animation to CGI prior to the events of Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers.

Just like his co-star, Samberg first made a name for himself as one of the funniest members of the Saturday Night Live cast of all time, with memorable skits like “Lazy Sunday,” “I’m on a Boat,” and various others, including an iconic digital short featuring Justin Timberlake. Since then, Samberg has found success on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Comedy Bang! Bang!, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Never Have I Ever.

Over the course of his career, Samberg has also found success in cinema, with a major role in the Hotel Transylvania animated franchise, the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies, and the 2020 time-loop romantic comedy, Palm Springs. And let’s not forget his work with his comedy music group The Lonely Island (who were responsible for some of those great SNL shorts).

KiKi Layne (Ellie)

Stepping in as one of the human roles in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is KiKi Layne, who portrays a rookie police detective (and Rescue Rangers superfan) named Ellie in the new Disney+ streaming exclusive.

Ever since giving her outstanding portrayal of Tish Rivers in Barry Jenkins’ 2018 drama, If Beale Street Could Talk, Layne has been one of young Hollywood’s brightest stars. In the years following her breakout role, Layne has given incredible performances in movies like Native Son, Captive State, The Old Guard, and Coming 2 America.

Will Arnett (Sweet Pete)

Taking on the role of Sweet Pete, a down-on-his-luck former Disney star who has turned to a life of crime in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, is Will Arnett, whose character makes a vow to bring his former employer down to Earth.

Arnett, who has appeared in live-action movies like Let’s Go to Prison, Semi-Pro, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and shows like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, and Murderville, is perhaps best known for his long list of voice-over credits on the silver screen and small screen alike. Over the years, Arnett has voiced characters in The Lego Movie (and its various sequels and spinoffs), The Nut Job franchise, Despicable Me, and most recently, Rumble, as well as shows like King of the Hill, The Simpsons, and most importantly Bo-Jack Horseman, which saw him portray the titular character in the decorated Netflix animated series.

Eric Bana (Monterey Jack)

Stepping in to voice Chip ’n Dale’s former partner-in-crime, Monterey Jack, in the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast is Eric Bana, who brings new life to the iconic cheese-obsessed Australian mouse once voiced by Peter Cullen.

Although he has spent most of his career in live-action roles, Bana has provided his voice for a few animated film projects over the years, including Finding Nemo, Mary and Max, and Back to the Outback. However, Bana is best remembered for performances in movies like Munich, Hanna, Star Trek, The Other Boleyn Girl, Troy, and Ang Lee’s 2003 Marvel movie, Hulk, which saw him portray Bruce Banner and his supersized alter-ego. Bana has also appeared on a number of shows in his native Australia like Full Frontal, Something in the Air, and The Eric Bana Show Live.

Dennis Haysbert (Zipper)

Providing the voice for Zipper, the housefly and trusty member of the original Rescue Rangers in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is Dennis Haysbert.

Although younger members of the audience will recognize Haysbert’s voice from his portrayal of King Grayskull on Masters of the Universe: Revelation or from those Allstate insurance commercials, others will remember the actor from his roles in movies like Major League, Waiting to Exhale, and Heat, or his various shows that include Now and Again, The Unit, or 24, a performance that earned the actor a number of nominations for his portrayal of President Donald Palmer throughout the show’s run.

Keegan-Michael Key (Bjornson The Cheesemonger)

Providing the voice for the puppet character Bjornson the Cheesemonger on the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast is Keegan-Michael Key.

One of the most recognizable voices featured in the new Disney+ movie, Key is perhaps best known for his longtime sketch comedy program, Key & Peele, alongside Jordan Peele. In the years following the Comedy Central show’s conclusion, Key has found success with an assortment of animated series including BoJack Horseman, SuperMansion, Archer, and Green Eggs and Ham. He has also shown up in movies like the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Toy Story 4, The Prom, and most recently, as a member of The Bubble cast.

Tress MacNeille (Gadget)

Taking on the role of Gadget in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is Tress MacNeille, who originally voiced the character during its original run, as well as voicing Chip during that same stretch.

Over the years, MacNeille has consistently been one of the hardest-working voice actors in the entertainment industry, working on shows like The Simpsons, Rugrats, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Futurama. If you are a fan of an animated series released anywhere between 1980 and now, chances are you’ve heard MacNeille’s voice more than a few times. And, it’s not just TV, as MacNeille has provided her voice for some of the most iconic Studio Ghibli films, like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro.

Seth Rogen (Bob The Warrior Viking)

Seth Rogen appears in Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers as Bob the Warrior Viking, the awkwardly-animated CGI character featured in the wacky trailer.

Since breaking out as a multi-talented star in the early part of the 21st century, Rogen has become one of the most entertaining names in Hollywood with a variety of great roles in movies like Knocked Up, Superbad (which he co-wrote), Steve Jobs, 50/50, and other unforgettable movies. He is also no stranger to voice roles, as he appeared in animated movies like The Lion King and the Kung Fu Panda franchise. He is set to provide the voice of Donkey Kong in the upcoming Mario movie.

J.K. Simmons (Captain Putty)

Taking on the role of the claymation police officer named Captain Putty in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is J.K. Simmons, who knows a thing or two about playing iconic cops.

Over the years, Simmons has been in movies like the Spider-Man franchise, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Palm Springs, Juno, and Whiplash, which earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and numerous other accolades. His TV work includes roles on shows like Oz, Law and Order, The Closer, and BoJack Horseman.

Da’Vone McDonald (Jimmy The Polar Bear)

Taking on the role of Jimmy the Polar Bear in Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers is Da’Vone McDonald.

Throughout his career, McDonald has appeared in movies like Funny People, Drillbit Taylor, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, as well as shows like Drunk History, The PET Squad Files, and Dads.

Flula Borg (DJ Herzogenaurach)

And, rounding out the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast is Flula Borg, who shows up as DJ Herzogenaurach.

An accomplished actor, comedian, and musician, Borg has appeared on shows like Mr. Mayor, The Boss Baby: Back in Business, and Tangled: The Series throughout his career, as well as in movies like Ferdinand, Pitch Perfect 2, and a little movie called The Suicide Squad.

This is just a portion of the Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers cast as there are all sorts of cameos and other surprises in the new Disney+ streaming movie.

There are a lot of movies and shows leaving Netflix in February 2022, but the popular streaming service has found a way to make the major departures sting a little less with some spectacular additions. One of those new series, Murderville, is an improvisational murder mystery show that follows Will Arnett’s Terry Seattle as he and several celebrity guests (playing themselves) solve various crimes and find themselves in one zany situation after another.

But you may be wondering exactly where you’ve seen those celebrity guests as well as the cast of characters created specifically for this show. Well, to save you time and solve the mystery, we’ve come up with a comprehensive list of the Murderville cast and why they look so dang familiar.

Will Arnett (Detective Terry Seattle)

Taking on the role of Terry Seattle, the homicide detective at the center of Murderville, is Will Arnett, who is no stranger when it comes to offbeat comedies or Netflix shows, having previously appeared on BoJack Horseman and was a fixture of the Arrested Development cast (the revival on Netflix) prior to that.

There’s a good chance you have seen or at least heard Arnett in movies like The LEGO Movie (and The LEGO Batman Movie), Hot Rod, Let’s Go to Prison, Ratatouille, and dozens of others. His TV work includes The Incredibly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Riviera, and The Morning Show, to name only a few.

Haneefah Wood (Chief Rhonda Jenkins-Seattle)

Stepping in as Chief Rhonda Jenkins-Seattle on Murderville is Haneefah Wood, who has put together a string of great performances on a number of popular comedy series over the course of the past two decades.

These shows include everything from Baskets to Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Truth Be Told to The League, with others sprinkled in throughout. Wood also took on the role of Blanche Hodel in the 2016 Fox production of Grease Live!.

Lilan Bowden (Medical Examiner Amber Kang)

Taking on the role of Medical Examiner Amber Kang on Murderville is Lilan Bowden, who has made countless one-off guest appearances on some of the most iconic comedy series in recent memory.

Throughout her career, Bowden has appeared on everything from Parks and Recreation to Life in Pieces and Drunk History to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Bowden’s most prominent role to date is probably that of Rebecca “Bex” Mack on the Disney Channel original series Andi Mack, which ran from 2017 to 2019.

Philip Smithey (Detective Darren ‘Daz’ Phillips)

Portraying Detective Darren “Daz” Phillips on Murderville is Philip Smithey, who has appeared on a variety of TV shows, movies, and even a popular sports video game franchise throughout his career.

If you played NBA 2K19 then you’ll most certainly find Phillips (or at least his voice) familiar as he provided the motion-capture and voice-work for the “My Player” character in the chart-topping basketball video game. Smithey has also shown up on Switched at Birth, Johnson, Code Black, Grace and Frankie, Grey’s Anatomy, and a whole lot more.

Annie Murphy

The rest of the Murderville cast consists of celebrity guests playing themselves in each of the Netflix series’ episodes. Starting off is Annie Murphy, the Primetime Emmy Award-winning actress who received multiple accolades and endless praise for her portrayal of Alexis Rose on the smash hit comedy series Schitt’s Creek.

Upon the conclusion of one of the best shows to binge on Netflix, Murphy became the lead of the Kevin Can F**k Himself cast, the darkly funny AMC comedy series. And it looks like Murphy will be sticking around on Netflix a little longer as she is set to appear on the upcoming second season of Russian Doll.

Conan O'Brien

Longtime late night talk show host, Saturday Night Live writer, and Simpsons scribe Conan O’Brien also appears on an episode of Murderville, as seen in the show’s hilarious teaser trailer along with the other celebrities. O’Brien seems to be busy as ever following the conclusion of his long-running TBS series Conan, especially now with the promising Netflix improv series, which is par for the course for the respected comedian and fixture of late night TV.

Over the years, O’Brien has served as host of Late Night, The Tonight Show, and Conan, but has also appeared on countless TV shows and a long list of movies (mostly as a cameos). This includes 30 Rock, Futurama, Spin City, How I Met Your Mother, and Silicon Valley. And Let’s not forget his seemingly random inclusion in the PlayStation game Death Stranding.

Ken Jeong

Doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong is one the most recognizable faces on the Murderville cast and perhaps just about any project he has been involved with throughout his career. Whether he’s stealing scenes in The Hangover movies, jumping up with pure joy as a panelist on The Masked Singer, or being part of some of the craziest Community stories, Jeong has done a lot over the years.

Just watch any popular comedy series going back to the early 2000s and you’ll see Jeong in one form or another. This list includes The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, MadTV, and even the criminally underrated Grounded for Life, to name just a small portion of his output.

Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani, who became an internet sensation when he got absolutely jacked for Eteranls, shows up as himself on Murderville, and helps (or at least tries to help) Will Arnett’s Terry Seattle solve one of the detective’s many homicide investigations.

The star of movies like The Big Sick, Stuber, and The Lovebirds, Nanjiani has become one of the most prominent faces in comedy in the past decade, thanks in part to his unique sense of humor and side-splitting performances on shows like Silicon Valley, Portlandia, and one-off appearances on a variety of other shows.

Marshawn Lynch

Unlike the rest of the celebrity guests on the Murderville cast, Marshawn Lynch is not a trained actor but instead a Super Bowl champion running back who spent a large portion of his 12-year NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks. 

Despite that, Lynch is one of the most charismatic and electric faces you’ll see on TV, whether it be in various Skittles commercials, appearances on Conan, and those epic interviews he would reluctantly give during his NFL career. But this isn’t to say Lynch hasn’t appeared on TV shows over the years, as he has shown up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The League, and Westworld.

Sharon Stone

Last but certainly not least on the list of the Murderville cast is Golden Globe winner Sharon Stone, who brings with her decades of experience. 

Throughout her career, Stone has given memorable performances in Basic Instinct, Casino, The Quick and the Dead, The Disaster Artist, and dozens of other movies. Her TV work includes The Practice, Ratched, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Murderville is just one of the new Netflix shows you can enjoy on the popular streaming service. If you want to know what else will be joining the hilarious murder mystery on Netflix and other platforms, check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule.

Before he was cast as The Joker in The Dark Knight, the late Oscar winner Heath Ledger actually screen-tested for the title role of Batman Begins when it was still in development - which is a bit odd to imagine, I will admit. However, an actor playing both the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime is not so far fetched, and has happened before, believe it or not. 

In fact, there are quite a few Batman actors who have also filled the shoes of other Gotham City residents in additional (or even the same) DC movies, TV shows, and other forms of media. Just as Batman would, let’s further investigate this surprisingly common phenomenon one actor at a time, starting with the beloved “Bright Knight.” 

Adam West (Batman on Batman, The Gray Ghost on Batman: The Animated Series, And More)

The campy and cartoonish 1960s Batman TV show bares very little resemblance to how the character was originally visualized for DC Comics, but the late Adam West’s rich and lively performance continues to be idolized to this day and would earn him several cameos in subsequent DC TV shows. For instance, he voiced Gotham City’s mayor on the mid-2000s animated series The Batman, and Bruce Wayne’s father, Thomas, on the 2008-2011 animated hit Batman: The Brave and the Bold. 

However, my favorite is his memorably meta guest spot on Batman: The Animated Series as an out-of-work actor whose TV persona “The Gray Ghost” served as a huge inspiration to young Bruce (Kevin Conroy).

Kevin Conroy (Batman In Various Titles, John Grayson On The Batman, Thomas Wayne In Batman Vs. Robin)

Speaking of, after voicing the Dark Knight in countless DC animated movies, TV shows, and video games since 1992 (when he was cast in Batman: The Animated Series), Kevin Conroy has become just as iconic as Adam West, and also has a couple of exciting cameos as other Gothamites to prove it. In addition to also appearing on The Batman as Dick Grayson’s late father, he also filled the role of Bruce Wayne’s late father in the 2015 movie Batman vs. Robin, which was inspired by Scott Snyder’s “The Court of Owls” story line.

Ben McKenzie (Batman In Batman: Year One, James Gordon on Gotham)

Despite spending most of his life without a father, Bruce Wayne was at least blessed with a number of people who acted as father figures in life, such as his crimefighting ally James Gordon. Years after leaving The O.C. cast, Ben McKenzie would lead the Gotham cast as a younger version of the future Gotham City police commissioner from 2014 to 2019. Coincidentally, the actor previously voiced a younger version of the Dark Knight in 2011’s Batman: Year One - an animated adaptation of an acclaimed reinvention of Batman’s origin story by Frank Miller.

Jeffrey Wright (Batman On Batman: The Audio Adventures, James Gordon In The Batman)

Ben McKenzie is actually not the only actor play to both Jim Gordon and Batman, either. In 2019, Emmy winner Jeffrey Wright joined the cast of Matt Reeves’ DC reboot, The Batman, as the legendary Gotham cop, followed by news that he would also reprise the character in an upcoming HBO Max exclusive spin-off series. In 2021, the streaming platform debuted an original, comedic podcast called Batman: The Audio Adventures featuring the voice of Wright in the title role.

Troy Baker (Batman And Joker In Various Titles)

Troy Baker is the kind of voice actor who is so prolific, especially in superhero movies and other related media, that I could do an entire article on all of the Gothamites he has played in Batman movies, shows, and video games, including heroes like Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, or villains like Two-Face and the Mad Hatter. 

So, for this section, I decided to focus just on his two most famous roles: Batman (usually in video games like Batman: The Telltale Series or ones of the LEGO variety) and The Joker (also in various games, TV shows, and plenty of movies, as recently as Batman: The Long Halloween). He even tackled both characters at once in the crossover film Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 2019.

Jensen Ackles (Batman in Batman: The Long Halloween, The Red Hood In Batman: Under the Red Hood)

In both halves of 2021’s Batman: The Long Halloween adaptation, the Batman to Troy Baker’s Joker is voiced by Jensen Ackles, who is otherwise best known for playing Dean Winchester in the Supernatural cast for 15 seasons. However, I personally remember him best from 2010's Batman: Under the Red Hood (widely considered to be one of the best animated Batman movies of all time) in which he played the latest generation of title villain who carries a shocking secret related to Bruce Wayne's past.

Diedrich Bader (Batman, Solomon Grundy, And More On Batman: The Brave And The Bold) 

In addition to a some other notable DC characters, fellow prolific voice actor Diedrich Bader has played the Dark Knight on a few different DC TV shows - namely HBO’s Harley Quinn series more recently, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold as a less-brooding, Adam West-style Batman. During the series’ run, the former The Drew Carey Show cast member also voices a few other Gotham City staples, including anti-heroic zombie Solomon Grundy, Matches Malone (actually a persona Bruce Wayne crafts to infiltrate the criminal underworld), and a grown-up version of Wayne’s son, Damian, in a futuristic episode.

Will Arnett (Batman In The LEGO Batman Movie, Slade In Teen Titans GO! To The Movies)

Of the lighter and funnier iterations of the Dark Knight, my favorite as of late would have to be Will Arnett’s spot-on performance as LEGO Batman, whom he has played in three movies (and even a couple of video games) so far - including his own solo spin-off, The LEGO Batman Movie, in 2017. The former Arrested Development and Bojack Horseman star has also voiced a lighter and funnier iteration of the Batman villain Deathstroke, who is referred to as the more kid-friendly “Slade” (his real first name) for his appearance in Teen Titans GO! To The Movies in 2018. 

Will Friedle (Batman On Batman Beyond, Nightwing In Various Titles, And More)

Some know him as Eric Matthews from the Boy Meets World cast, but others recognize Will Friedle from Batman Beyond as an aging Bruce Wayne’s young successor, Terry McGinnis. 

The role would see the beginning of a remarkable voice acting career spanning countless iconic characters from the DC Universe (and elsewhere), including villain Gearhead on a 2005 The Batman episode, a Japanese-anime style Tim "Red Robin" Drake in 2018’s Batman: Ninja, and the animated anthology movie Batman: Gotham Knight as various characters. I would not be surprised if he holds a record for the number of times playing Nightwing, such as on the Batman Unlimited series and in a few straight-to-video LEGO movies.

If you look at the cast lists for all of the Batman movies in order (and TV shows, too), it is pretty astounding to see how many actors are given dual roles. For instance, before Mark Hamill even debuted as The Joker on Batman: The Animated Series, he played Ferris Boyle - a slimy businessman indirectly responsible for creating Mister Freeze in the seminal “Heart of Ice” episode, and later played Tony Zucco on The Batman. 

The different shades of all the different characters, as distinguished by their performers, is one of the most fascinating things about the DC Multiverse, if you ask me.

The idea of the Muppets spending the night in the spookiest of Walt Disney World’s famous attractions is so brilliantly funny on its own that I am surprised it has never been done before. The fact that the the likes of Will Arnett, former Community cast member Yvette Nicole Brown, Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, and Darren Criss from the Glee cast will be joining them makes me even more excited to see the Disney+ original special. There are plenty of other humans in the Muppets Haunted Mansion cast to look forward to seeing interact with Jim Henson’s iconic creations, but we will begin with our spirited guide.

Will Arnett (Ghost Host)

In Disney’s original attraction, the Ghost Host is a disembodied voice, but in Muppets Haunted Mansion, the felted friends are guided by multi-Emmy nominee Will Arnett, who first skyrocketed to fame in the Arrested Development cast as the despicable Gob Bluth. The Canadian actor might have even gotten this part with his voice alone, which is famous from his role as Batman in both of the LEGO Movie installments and his own spin-off, as well as the animated Netflix original, Bojack Horseman, as the title character. Arnett will next lend his voice to the 2022 monster comedy, Rumble, and you can currently see him on The Morning Show Season 2 on Apple TV+.

Taraji P. Henson (Constance Hatchaway)

One of the most famous (and sinister) entities from the Haunted Mansion attraction is Constance Hatchaway (otherwise known as “The Black Widow Bride”), who will be brought to life in Muppets Haunted Mansion by Taraji P. Henson (no relation to Jim) - best known for her Golden Globe-winning role on Empire as Cookie Lyon, whose own spin-off is now in the works. On the big screen, she earned an Oscar nomination for playing Brad Pitt’s adoptive mother in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, earned praise for the Oscar-nominated biopic Hidden Figures, and earned laughs in movies like Date Night, Think Like a Man, and What Men Want (a gender-swapped update of What Women Want). She will also lend her voice, in 2022, to Minions: The Rise of Gru and is playing Miss Hannigan in NBC’s upcoming Annie Live! broadcast.

Darren Criss (The Caretaker) 

Someone with previous experience performing in musicals is Glee alum Darren Criss, who stars as the Caretaker of the Haunted Mansion in the Disney+ special, which is not too far from qualifying for one of his darkest roles to date. The 34-year-old appeared on American Horror Story: Hotel, won an Emmy as Gianni Versace’s killer in American Crime Story Season 2, and has crossed comic book adaptations off his bucket list by voicing Superman in two animated DC movies, Raphael in Batman vs. the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and playing Music Meister in the Arrowverse shows. The star of Netflix’s Hollywood miniseries has also recently lent his voice to two original anime series for the platform (Yasuke and Trese), and to Rick and Morty Season 5, as well.

Yvette Nicole Brown (The Hearse Driver)

Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon made a star out of Emmy nominee Yvette Nicole Brown (who drives the horse-drawn hearse in Muppets Haunted Mansion) by casting her as Shirley Bennett on Community, despite already achieving sitcom royalty for younger audiences as Helen on Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh. She was also a series regular on CBS’ The Odd Couple reboot, had a recurring role on Mom, and has been involved with both Marvel movies and DC TV shows with an Avengers: Endgame cameo and by voicing a lighter version of Amanda Waller on DC Super Hero Girls (to name just a couple). Her next big Disney project is Disenchanted - the long-awaited Enchanted sequel.

Chrissy Metz (Harriet)

Muppets Haunted Mansion finally confirms that Harriet (whose name appears on a tombstone in the attraction) is a ghostly opera singer seen near its end, who is played in the special by Chrissy Metz. One of her earliest breakthroughs (not meant to be a pun relating to her part in the 2019 faith-based film Breakthrough, initially at least) was playing Ima “Barbara” Wiggles on American Horror Story in its fourth season, but it was her Emmy-nominated role on This Is Us that made her a household name. She will continue to voice Mei Mei on Season 2 on Amazon Prime’s series spin-off from Kung Fu Panda, and her upcoming drama, Stay Awake, is in post-production.

Alfonso Ribeiro (Fred)

Playing Fred, a man who died when a "great big rock fell on his head,” in Muppets Haunted Mansion is Alfonso Ribiero, whom you may recognize best from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cast as Carlton Banks. If you do recognize him by his real name, then you must be a fan of Dancing with the Stars (on which he has appeared as a contestant and guest judge) or of America’s Funniest Home Videos, which he has hosted since 2015. 

Sasheer Zamata (Mary) 

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the inspiration for a few funny sketches on Saturday Night Live, on which Sasheer Zamata was a main cast member from 2013 to 2017 before playing a ghost named Mary in Muppets Haunted Mansion. In addition to other comedies like the Amy Shumer movie I Feel Pretty from 2018, the animated Tuca and Bertie, or Netflix’s The Mitchells vs The Machines, the actress has also starred in darker films, such as Blumhouse’s Sleight in 2017 or the Joe Keery-led found footage thriller, Spree, in 2020. She is currently a series regular on ABC’s Home Economics and will voice a role in Disney Channel’s upcoming series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

John Stamos (Himself) 

John Stamos has played many different kinds of characters since he became a star by joining the Full House cast as Jesse Katsopolis (whom he reprised on Netflix’s Fuller House). The actor has been a doctor (on ER, Glee, and You), a suave burglar (on short-lived ABC drama Thieves), a celebrity publicist (on short-lived ABC dramedy Jake in Progress), a playboy restaurateur (on Fox’s Grandfathered), and even a killer (in the 1991 TV movie Captive). However, it seems quite fitting that he is credited as himself in the Muppets Haunted Mansion cast.

Danny Trejo (Huet) 

I would not have been surprised if Danny Trejo was also playing himself in Muppets Haunted Mansion, but I love the idea of him playing one of the attraction’s most famous unseen characters, Huet. The 77-year-old Mexican-American actor and former convict’s breakout acting role was in Heat from 1995, the same year as Desperado - his first of many collaborations with Robert Rodriguez, including From Dusk Till Dawn and the Spy Kids movies. The next of his 400-plus credits will see him re-team with Taraji P. Henson in Minions: The Rise of Gru and, hopefully, his most badass character ever will return in Machete Kills… in Space soon.

Ed Asner (Claude) 

Since starting his career in the late 1950s, seven-time Emmy Award winner Ed Asner became a legend of both the big and small screen, from his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, to playing Santa alongside Will Ferrell in Elf in 2003. The role of Claude in Muppets Haunted Mansion marks the final collaboration with Disney for the Up actor, who passed away in August 2021 at the age of 91. However, he is set to appear posthumously in several more titles, including a documentary profiling Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the star-studded animated film, Back Home Again.

Craig Robinson (Singing Bust #2)

One of the five Muppets Haunted Mansion cast members portraying the famous Singing Busts is Craig Robinson, who would evolve into one of the most prominent voices in comedy after his recurring stint in the Office cast as Darryl Philbin became a series regular role. This promotion came following the comedian’s starring roles in hit movies like Zack and Miri Make a Porno from 2007, Pineapple Express in 2008 and 2010’s Hot Tub Time Machine (and its 2015 sequel). The This Is the End star (who also had his own short-lived sitcom on NBC called Mr. Robinson) has also appeared in dramas like 2020’s Songbird and the upcoming thriller, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon. 

Justina Machado (Singing Bust #4)

Sitcoms, dramas, and reality TV competition shows, as well, have defined Justina Machado’s career, which include recurring roles on shows like Six Feet Under and Jane the Virgin, her acclaimed lead role on the Netflix’s One Day at a Time, and her success on Dancing with the Stars as a contestant. She once worked with Steven Spielberg on A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and is a bit of a Scream Queen, appearing in horror movies Final Destination 2 and The Purge: Anarchy. After playing one of Muppets Haunted Mansion’s Singing Busts, Machado will star in Covid-19-themed anthology film With/in: Volume 1, and has landed the title role in Amazon Prime’s The Horror of Delores Roach.

Skai Jackson (Singing Bust #4) 

So far, playing a Singing Bust in Muppets Haunted Mansion is the closest Skai Jackson has come to starring in a horror movie, but her relationship with Disney goes back a long way, starting with her role on Disney Channel’s Jessie as Zuri Ross, whom she reprised on the spin-off, Bunk’d, after playing Dwayne Johnson’s daughter in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. She has lent her voice to a few animated Marvel TV shows, Dragons: Rescue Riders (Netflix’s series spin-off of How to Train Your Dragon), and an upcoming modern twist on J.M. Barrie’s classic novel called Peter Pan, Land of Forever.

Geoff Keighley (Uncle Theodore) 

The leader of the Singing Busts, Uncle Theodore (voiced by Thurl Ravencroft in the original attraction), is played in Muppets Haunted Mansion by Geoff Keighley, in what is technically his acting debut. His claim to fame is being one of the most high-profile journalists to specialize in video game reporting. In fact, one of his only other real acting credits is voicing an asylum patient in the PlayStation 3 release of Twisted Metal from 2012. 

Pat Sajak (Singing Bust #1) 

While Pat Sajak’s role as a Singing Bust in Muppets Haunted Mansion is not his acting debut, it is one of the few times he is not playing himself on screen, which he first did in Airplane II: The Sequel in 1982, before doing it again on TV shows like The A-Team and even Rugrats. Of course, his best-known “performance” is hosting Wheel of Fortune since 1983.

Seeing the likes of Pat Sajak and Geoff Keighley in the Muppets Haunted Mansion cast is quite a surprise, making one wonder what other surprises (and even scares) are also in store. Find out by watching the special on Disney+ on Friday, October 8, 2021.

There are people who like monster movies, there are others who like wrestling, and then there are some who like both. All of those people, especially those in third group, will be excited to hear about Rumble, the upcoming star-studded animated feature film from Paramount Animation and WWE Studios that brings together the best of both worlds, plus an underdog story that will certainly make it a can’t miss theatrical experience for combat sports fans of all shapes and sizes, in early 2022.

If this sounds interesting to you and you want to know more, stick around, because we have a ton of information on the release date, the cast (which includes Will Arnett, Terry Crews, and some of WWE’s biggest stars) and everything else you need to know before the supersized monster wrestling movie is released.

Rumble Will Be Released Theatrically On February 18, 2022

The oversized and over-the-top action of Rumble will bust into theaters on February 18, 2022, and will welcome moviegoers into the wild and crazy world of competitive monster wrestling. This is nearly 18 months after the new feature film from Paramount Animation was originally slated to open in theaters, on July 31, 2020. According to Variety, Rumble was pushed back multiple times due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with its most recent delay shifting the film’s debut from a January 29, 2021 release date.

The Rumble Voice Cast Includes Will Arnett, Terry Crews, Geraldine Viswanathan And WWE Superstars Becky Lynch And Roman Reigns

Much like how Rumble will bring monsters and humans together, the film’s voice cast includes big names from from the worlds of comedy, sports, and professional wrestling. Will Arnett takes on the role of Steve, the giant red reptilian monster and amateur grappler who wants to make his mark in Monster Wrestling. Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) provides the voice of Winnie McEvoy, a teenage monster trainer hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps. Terry Crews voices Monster Wrestling champion and top star Tentacular. And, what would a movie about monsters stepping into a wrestling ring be without two of WWE’s top stars? Fear not, as Universal Champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch are also members of the Rumble voice cast.

Other members of the cast include Charles Barkley, Ben Schwartz, Tony Danza, Jimmy Tatro, Chris Eubank, Bridget Everett, Fred Melamed, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, and the iconic voice of boxing/wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer.

Rumble Centers On An Aspiring Monster Wrestling Trainer Who Wants To Follow In Her Father’s Footsteps

There isn’t one underdog story, but two that will be explored when Rumble opens in theaters come February 2022. Winnie McEvoy, the daughter of a legendary Monster Wrestling trainer, will set off to make a name for herself when she agrees to train the lovable Steve, who wants to see if he has what it takes to become one of the sport’s top stars. Together, the 17-year-old human girl and giant reptilian monster aim to prove their world wrong in unforgettable fashion.

Shrek 2 And Monsters Vs. Aliens Artist Hamish Grieve Is Making His Directorial Debut With Rumble

Leading the charge from the Rumble director’s chair is Dreamworks artist Hamish Grieve, who previously worked as a story artist on films such as Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Monsters vs. Aliens, and head of story for Rise of the Guardians and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. According to Animation World, this will be Grieve’s feature-length directorial debut though he did direct the 2016 animated short film, Hello Charles, which followed a down-on-his-luck 30-year-old who is visited by his imaginary childhood friend.

Rumble Is Based On Rob Harrell’s 2013 Graphic Novel Monster On The Hill

The upcoming animated monster wrestling movie, Rumble, is based on Rob Harrell’s 2013 graphic novel Monster on the Hill, though this won’t be a shot-for-shot adaptation of the hilarious and heartfelt story. Instead of taking place in modern times with the glitz and glamour of televised professional wrestling as the backdrop, Harrell’s original story was set in a version of 1860s England, in which each town has their own unique monster who is a source of pride (and revenue from excitable tourists).

The same can’t be said for the residents of Stoker-on-Avon, whose monster — Rayburn — isn’t big, ferocious, or all that impressive. Luckily for the reluctant monster and the people in his town, a young trainer named Timothy is up to the task of getting him in fighting shape.

When Paramount Animation first announced the movie at CinemaCon 2018, it had a working title of Monster on the Hill (just like the book on which it is based), according to The Hollywood Reporter. At some point in the development process, however, the title was switched Rumble. The adaptation was written by director Hamish Grieve, Matt Lieberman, and Alexandra Bracken, according to Paramount.

The Rumble Trailer Introduces The Super-Sized Underdog Story And Monster-On-Monster Action

The official Rumble trailer, which was released in February 2020 (when it was still slated for a 2021 release), not only welcomes you into the eye-catching world of Monster Wrestling but also introduces you to the two major underdog stories at the heart of the upcoming animated feature film. With Michael Buffer’s iconic “Let’s get ready to Ruuuuumble!” catchphrase (and multiple other sports and combat sports tropes), shots of the gigantic Tentacular toying with the crowd, and plenty of jokes for the younger members of the audience, there’s a lot going on in the trailer that can be viewed below:

There is also a random callback to the iconic lift scene from the Dirty Dancing training sequence, but this time around, it involves two massive monsters in a wrestling gym instead of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in a lake.

Expect to hear more about Rumble and its out-of-this-world Monster Wrestling action as we get closer to its February 2022 release. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s updated list of all the 2022 new movie releases so you can go head and start blocking off your weekends for the next 52+ weeks.

With the guessing-game madness of The Masked Singer Season 5 having recently ended in predictably wild ways, Fox is gearing up to give fans another colorfully vibrant, fun and endlessly positive reality competition series in the form of LEGO Masters Season 2. The Will Arnett-hosted series showcases competitor talents that are completely unique, though, and I know I'm not the only fan pumped that the feel-good show was able to bring its second season together during the COVID pandemic. That said, it sounds like COVID-related changes made things vastly more complicated behind the scenes, though viewers probably won't be able to tell when seeing the smiling faces of judges Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett.

Ahead of LEGO Masters' Season 2 premiere, I had the joy of talking to judges and LEGO designers Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett, whose jubilance we'll get to a little lower. More relevant to the topic at hand, however, was my conversation with consulting producer and challenge builder Nathan Sawaya, the world-renowned artist who can boast being the world's only certified LEGO Master Builder. As complicated as his job already was crafting the plethora of props and challenges utilized in Season 1, the gig became much more stressful with the second season due to some big changes in manpower and set locations. Here's how Sawaya explained things when I asked about returning to a show like this:

It's already mightily astounding that each of the LEGO Masters teams are able to make such polished finished products with only two people per team, but it's vastly more gobsmacking to consider Nathan Sawaya was only heading up a two-person building team for Season 2. It'd be impressive enough if the duo were solely responsible for putting together the weekly challenge-specific designs, but they're also responsible for the endless number of props, background displays and other on-set items that audiences may not even be aware are made from LEGO bricks. And if that wasn't bad enough, Sawaya talked out the additional challenge of LEGO Masters having to change filming locations for the new season.

Regarding Season 1, Nathan Sawaya talked previously about how stressful it was to have to personally drive his finished LEGO pieces from his studio to the set, worrying about taking turns to fast and the like. So it must have been an entirely different spectrum of worries to have to leave those projects in the hands of lots of other people when shipping them to the LEGO Masters set in Atlanta. Especially considering the kinds of things being put together, such as the entire cityscape seen below that serves as the connective tissue for the season premiere's parade-themed challenge.

There's not enough mood stabilizers in the world that would make me feel comfortable with that kind of a work situation, but it's the one that made the most sense for Nathan Sawaya and the show. And unlike yours truly, the LEGO artist actually thought everything was still awesome, as it were, and he thrived on the unpredictable nature of it all, saying:

Clearly, Nathan Sawaya had his work cut out for him while filming during COVID, never quite knowing exactly what new challenges were coming down the pipeline. But on the flip side of things, judges Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett came into Season 2 with a new sense of comfort that wasn't totally there when trying to find their footing during the first season. When I asked what excited them most about returning to LEGO Masters, Corbett answered first, saying:

Designing LEGO sets isn't the most obvious first step to becoming a TV presenter, so it's totally understandable that Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard spent Season 1 partially in learning mode. Not only did they have to learn the ropes while always adjusting to the sporadic silliness of sharing the screen with Will Arnett, but they also had the pressure of being helpful, informative and impartial judges critiquing others' art, which is itself a stressful task to deal with.

Thankfully, the first season was a proper education for both judges, and they were able to go into Season 2 with more focus on the show's more joyful elements. Here's how Jamie Berard put it:

The wait for LEGO Masters Season 2 will be over soon, with new episodes airing Tuesday nights on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET, starting on June 1! Whether you're using LEGO bricks or just a pen and paper, be sure to keep track of all the other awesome shows heading to the 2021 Summer TV schedule.

PlayStation fans can prepare to nerd out, as a major old school video game franchise is about to get its own TV series. Twisted Metal, the large-scale demolition derby game where players use insanely tricked-out murder vehicles as weapons, is going into development via Sony TV and Playstation Productions. Not only is that amazing in and of itself, but the project will be crafted by the writers behind awesome action-packed projects such as Cobra Kai, Deadpool, and Zombieland. Thankfully, it sounds like Twisted Metal's TV adaptation will have the same action/comedy vibe we are used to from all the writers involved.

While Twisted Metal fans may have expected this dark video game series to be adapted into something more horror-driven – these characters might not be so out of place in a Purge movie – the action/comedy angle makes sense coming from Deadpool and Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who developed the initial pitch. Meanwhile, Cobra Kai writer and producer Michael Jonathan Smith will actually be the writer for Twisted Metal, as well as an executive producers. Considering the Karate Kid continuation series is less over the top as the previously mentioned movies, we can probably expect the comedy to have a darkness to it, and that the classic game's crass characters will be adapted in interesting ways.

Instead of starting off straight out of an insane asylum or focusing on a literal demon from hell, the new project will center around a character who needs to deliver a package in order to gain a better life. Sounds easy, right? If you’ve played the games, you know how dangerous getting into any of these cars can be, and we can pretty much guarantee the main character will come into contact with some not so nice travelers on the road.

It sounds like the new Twisted Metal project will take some liberties with the storyline, but fans of the game will see some familiar faces as the main character navigates his way through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. According to Variety, we’ll be able to meet everyone’s favorite ice cream truck driving, homicidal clown: Sweet Tooth.

The Twisted Metal franchise consists of 9 video games released over the course of just under 20 years. Over the various games, very dark and disturbing backstories have come out about the playable characters within the franchise. Some would say characters of Twisted Metal aren't exactly the main component of the destroy-them-all games, so it will be interesting to see them brought out to a different platform with a creative team that knows both pop culture adaptations and how to bring classic content to the modern era.

Although the project has been greenlit by the studios, there is no telling if or when we will be able to see the TV adaptation of the classic video game. Some more good news for video game fans, though, is there there are several video game adaptations coming. Uncharted is getting a film, with Tom Holland starring as Nathan Drake. Also, Sony and PlayStation are also partly behind HBO's The Last of Us series, to star The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal and fellow Game of Thrones vet Bella Ramsey. If this video game adaptation movement we are seeing becomes an even bigger trend, we are here for it, just maybe behind lots of protective barriers.

With any great television show from the '90s there are dozens of movie and TV stars who appeared in small and largely forgotten roles early in their career. And while nothing will ever compare to all the guest stars and bit players who appeared on Law & Order over the years, the groundbreaking HBO romantic comedy series Sex and the City will give the two separate yet equally important groups a run for their money, especially when you consider the likes of Bradley Cooper, Timothy Olyphant, and Elizabeth Banks all appeared at one point or another.

In fact, there are dozens of future big-name actors who showed up for either one scene or a short-lived relationship with Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbes, Charlotte York, and even Mr. Big, whose actor, Chris Noth, just so happened to appear on Law & Order as well, bringing this whole thing full circle. Here are just 12 of the many famous faces who appeared on Sex and the City before they were well-known entities and just struggling actors looking for a big break in the city that never sleeps.

Bradley Cooper (Jake)

More than five years before Bradley Cooper became a comedy legend in the making with his portrayal of Zachary "Sack" Lodge in 2005's Wedding Crashers, the young actor got his first credit with an appearance in a 1999 episode of Sex and the City. In the early Season 2 episode, "They Shoot Single People, Don't They?" Cooper played a young and cocky New Yorker who at first hits things off with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), but things go south when he makes a comment about the New York Star columnist's unflattering picture on the cover of New York Magazine.

John Slattery (Bill Kelley)

No one will hold anything against you if you think that John Slattery's career began with his Emmy-nominated portrayal of New York City advertising whiz Roger Sterling on the AMC drama Mad Men, but the man who would one day play Tony Stark's father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a long list of bit roles and one-off performances prior to his time at Sterling Cooper. One of those not-so-early, yet sometimes overlooked roles came in the form of Bill Kelley, the New York City comptroller candidate whose two-episode arc in Sex and the City Season 3, and political aspirations, went south when Carrie wrote about a certain politician who wants nothing more than for his lovers to pee on him in the shower.

Bridget Moynahan (Natasha Naginsky)

Bridget Moynahan, who would go on to star in CBS' Blue Bloods and appear in movies like The Sum of All Fears, Coyote Ugly, and John Wick, where she played the deceased wife of Keanu Reeve's pained assassin, got her first big acting break on Sex and the City where she appeared sporadically throughout Seasons 2 and 3 as Natasha Naginsky, Mr. Big's 20-something girlfriend who eventually becomes the second wife of Carrie's on-again-off-again boyfriend before things take a turn near the end of her 7-episode run.

Ron Livingston (Jack Berger)

Ron Livingston, who had already appeared in Office Space and Band of Brothers at this point, was a major part of Carrie Bradshaw's love life and weekly column in Seasons 5 and 6 of Sex of the City, when he portrayed the sardonic yet talented humorist writer Jack Berger. Jack had a few great moments throughout his brief run on the HBO romantic comedy, but none of that means anything once you remember how things ended for his relationship with Carrie: a Post-it note reading, "I'm sorry, I can't, don't hate me."

Timothy Olyphant (Sam)

Timothy Olyphant, who had already appeared in movies like The First Wives Club and Scream 2 but hadn't yet shown up in Gone in 60 Seconds or Rock Star, appeared in an early episode of Sex and the City Season 1 as Sam, one of the many 20-somethings that the show's central cast would date or at least hook up with throughout its duration. In the perfectly titled episode, "Valley of the Twentysomething Guys," Carrie quickly learns just because someone is young and attractive, it doesn't mean they are a suitable partner, especially when they have an awful apartment with no toilet paper.

Will Arnett (Jack)

For most of the 21st Century, Will Arnett has been considered one of the funniest television stars of his time thanks to shows like Arrested Development, BoJack Horseman, and countless others, but all future stars of the small screen have to start somewhere, and what better place than Sex and the City. Appearing in the second half of Season 2, Arnett played Jack, one of Miranda's (Cynthia Nixon) many suitors, but his weird sexual desires were a little too much for the feisty attorney.

Kat Dennings (Jenny Brier)

Kat Dennings, who would go on to have a successful comedy series of her own with the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls later on in her career, started things off with her portrayal of Jenny Brier, Samantha Jones' (Kim Cattrall) foul-mouthed 13-year-old client who jumps between cussing, talking about hooking up with different men, and planning her over-the-top bat mitzvah near the end of Sex and the City Season 3.

Elizabeth Banks (Catherine)

Today, Elizabeth Banks is known as one of the most successful triple threats in show business with a number of successful movies that she directed, produced, and starred in over the years, but before all of that she was known as Elizabeth Maresal Mitchell. There are only a few credits with Banks' given name, and one happens to be Sex and the City, specifically the Season 3 episode where she portrayed Catherine, a partygoer at a fundraiser for Bill Kelley (John Slattery's pee-brained character).

Clark Gregg (Harris Bragen)

Clark Gregg, who happens to be the fourth person on this list to have appeared in both Sex and the City and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, showed up in a Season 3 episode where Miranda is looking for a date to Charlotte's wedding and turns to a speed dating service to get the job done. After lying about her career, she meets Harris Bragen (Gregg), and things take off for a bit, but when Miranda can no longer act like a flight attendant, the pair comes back to earth.

Justin Theroux (Jared, Vaughn Wysel)

This is something you don't see everyday, but Justin Theroux played not one, but two different characters on Sex and the City. During his Season 1 appearance, Theroux, who had only taken on small roles in Ally McBeal and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion at this point, played Jared, an author with an eye for Carrie. Theroux would return in Season 2, this time playing Vaughn Wysel, a completely different writer who ends up with Carrie, but has some trouble when he's needed the most.

Tony Hale (Tiger)

Tony Hale, the future star of shows like Arrested Development, Veep, and dozens of theatrical releases, had one of his first television appearances on Sex and the City, where he showed up briefly in Season 4 as the assistant to nude photographer snapping pics of Samantha Jones. The episode, and all its awkwardness, is still something Hale talks about to this day.

Andy Cohen (Shoe Salesman)

Andy Cohen, the future host of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, has one acting credit to his name, which just so happens to be Sex and the City. Appearing briefly in Season 6, Cohen played a shoe salesman helping Carrie find the perfect shoe. This wasn't the first time (though it is his only credited role) Cohen appeared on the show, as he showed up as a shirtless guy at a gay bar in Season 4.

These are just a few of the future stars who ended up on Sex and the City during the show's original run. Did you know about all these soon-to-be famous faces on one of the most popular shows of the past 25 years? Make sure to sound off in the comments below.

In a reality TV landscape that is overly inundated by singing competitions, dancing competitions and cooking competitions, the rare series that strives to go outside the box usually stands out. Take Fox's ongoing build-'em-up show LEGO Masters, in which Will Arnett and a pair of LEGO experts challenge teams of competitors to craft the most imaginative and innovative projects known to brick. I absolutely love it, and judging by the show's decent ratings, I'm not alone.

Below, I'll revel in explaining why LEGO Masters has quickly become my new favorite reality TV competition across the board. Thankfully for all involved, I'll be typing it all out rather than using LEGO bricks to form the words. Now, let's talk about why everything is awesome, and why everything is cool when you're part of a team. Wait, those are just LEGO Movie song lyrics...

Will Arnett Perfectly Balances Goofiness And Authenticity

Speaking of The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, it's star Will Arnett who landed hosting duties for Fox's LEGO Masters. Even though it's Arnett's first time serving as a full-season TV host in this capacity, he's a natural. In part, it's because he's a complete goofball who loves poking fun at reality TV's heightened tropes and stereotypes, such as the mid-episode TWIST. On the other side of it, Arnett brings a genuineness to his hosting that a lot of seasoned vets lose track of as years go by.

In any given conversation, he'll ask a silly question, then get legitimately choked up by a contestant's earnest responses, only to have to bring things back around with some quick-footed comedy. It's a fully rounded side of Will Arnett that isn't often seen in the obliviously confident and standoffish characters he plays. Arnett even brings up some of those characters during LEGO Masters, for those who enjoy shameless plugs en masse.

The LEGO Masters' Creations Are Absolutely Incredible

When reality television relies on craftsmanship as the artistry of choice, it allows for a completely different kind of tangible finished product for one to enjoy, as opposed to songs, dances, meals, ventriloquist acts, etc. Similar to shows like Face Off or Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge, LEGO Masters relies on a skillset that includes a wild imagination, small-scale physics, precise dexterity and other physical and mental traits that aren't utilized as much in the TV sub-genre. And seriously, even the worst team efforts on LEGO Masters are still pretty outstanding in any context.

That those final displays can be so fantastical is because the producers give LEGO Masters' teams an exhaustingly long amount of time to put these projects together. As anyone who's ever worked with LEGO knows, this is not a toy meant for rapid, corner-cutting construction. It takes a long damned time to conceive and concoct a successful brick creation in any amount of time, so I applaud this show for not arbitrarily heaping unfair time constraints atop the other challenging aspects.

LEGO Masters Never Takes Itself Too Seriously

We all know that moment in a series like this where the dramatic music ramps up as a harried contestant looks into the camera and barks out, "I could be going home tonight!" It's a moment that happens in 90% of reality TV competitions, and it does happen in LEGO Masters to a minor extent. But none of these contestants are pretending as if being eliminated the most soul-crushing situation, even when it's obvious how crushed their souls would be if they lost. For the most part, everyone is humbled and extremely appreciative to be putting LEGO projects together for a TV show, understanding how inherently wild that idea is.

We've already talked about Will Arnett guiding things comedically, which obviously adds another layer of non-seriousness to the proceedings. LEGO Masters also brings in guest stars to keep things light and airy, such as Big Bang Theory vet Mayim Bialik or The LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. (Guest stars that apparently have to stick around for many, many hours as the show films.) Plus, one early challenge involved making a LEGO creation that was meant to be destroyed by bat, by explosion or by fall, which perfectly set the tonal bar.

LEGO Masters' Team-Ups Add Feel-Good Emotional Drama

When I say that LEGO Masters has emotional drama, I'm not referring to repressed anger and uncomfortable projecting or any of the non-helpful ways that reality TV contestants often handle themselves in team-based challenges. (With the below entry being the exception.) In this show, the teammates tend to have deep and meaningful bonds that help keep things organized and dilutes the anger before it starts. Rather than seeing the above contestants Flynn and Richard screaming about what the other one is doing wrong, viewers watch as one gets tearful. at the thought of disappointing the other one. It's too damned adorable, people, and it's great.

Elsewhere you have best friends Mark and Boone, where one celebrates the other's impressive (non-competitive) singing skills, or brothers father and son Nestor and Manny, whose time on the show marked the apex of their bond over a shared love of LEGO. For people who do want lots of back-stabbing and Top Chef-level dunking, there are plenty of other shows for that, but LEGO Masters is the rare entry that wears its brick heart on its brick sleeve.

Bonus: "I Feel Like You Don't Understand LEGO."

Whenever the trailers for LEGO Masters started airing, one of the most fabulously ludicrous TV moments made its way to viewers' eyeballs. Of course, I'm talking about the moment where the initially hyper-touchy Sam gets frustrated with friend and teammate Jessie and delivers the be-all-end-alll of LEGO insults: "I feel like you don't understand LEGO." SNAP SNAP SNAP.

Just seeing it in the ad was amazing enough, but it was immediately necessary to watch that moment play out in real time on the show. Not quite on the same level as Colton Underwood jumping the fence on The Bachelor last year, because LEGO Masters didn't keep audiences waiting an entire season before it happened. But even though Sam and Jessie got on the same page after that moment, watching it is just as magical now as it was all those months ago.

It's the kind of line that should be immediately followed by an above-ground swimming pool bursting open and instantly flooding a backyard. "I feel like you don't understand LEGO." [SPLOOSH]

Do you guys agree with me? Let us know in the comments, and don't for get that LEGO Masters airs Wednesday nights on Fox following The Masked Singer, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Until recently, BoJack Horseman was the only remaining Netflix original from the streaming service's first wave of scripted programming, with the animated series having outlasted the runs of contemporaries such as House of Cards and Orange in the New Black. (Even if Kevin Spacey continues to run with his Frank Underwood character.) Regardless, Netflix did pull the plug on the dark-as-night comedy, which closed out its Hollywoo-skewing sixth season in January. Yet someone who hasn't said much about BoJack's swan song is the star himself, Will Arnett.

A performer who presumably doesn't have time to do a lot of press since he's got 17 projects always in motion, Will Arnett does indeed have a new BBC comedy on the way dubbed The First Team. It was while he was handling some promotion for that series that he broached the topic of BoJack's end. In his words:

Okay, so exactly where is the dotted line that I can sign in order to bring Will Arnett, Paul F. Tompkins and Aaron Paul back together with Raphael Bob-Waksberg? And is there room to write in other much-needed actors' names, such as Allison Brie and Amy Sedaris? I mean seriously, if all of those creative minds and voices got together for another series in the aftermath of BoJack Horseman's finale, that might loosen up some of the ill feelings that still remain just from its cancellation announcement. (You might recall Bob-Waksberg was pretty vocal about it, among other things involving Netflix.)

Noting to Variety that he has been happy with all the fan reactions he has seen for the finale, Will Arnett talked about BoJack Horseman holding a special place in his career, saying:

No other TV show will ever be able to pull off everything that BoJack Horseman did, from the sharp-edged look at the entertainment industry to the brutally honest takes on family life (and death) to the absolutely amazing examples of alliteration and tongue twisters. Hell, no non-BoJack show will ever even have another Judah. Isn't that right, Judah?

Thankfully, all six seasons of BoJack Horseman will always be available to stream for anyone who has Netflix, so the characters will never really be gone from our lives. While waiting patiently to hear about more, and while hoping against any other Netflix cancellations to drop, head to our Winter and Spring TV premiere schedule to see what new shows are on the way.

Arrested Development has had a run unlike any other show on TV. During its first three seasons on Fox, it seemed like it was threatened with cancellation after every episode, much less at the end of every season. The show’s diehard fans would petition and fight to keep the show going before it was finally canceled permanently.

After it was cancelled, the rumors began almost immediately about Arrested Development being brought back, again. Fans clamored for it, and eventually, to everyone’s delight, the entire cast retuned, this time to Netflix to bring the show back for (at least) two more seasons. Through it all, the Arrested Development cast stayed together, despite many of the members' incredible success outside of the show. Let's take a look at their growth between the series' first and latest seasons.

George-Michael Bluth (Michael Cera)

Probably no character in the Arrested Development cast has changed more than the youngest, George-Michael, played by Michael Cera. In Season 1, he is a wimpy, shy kid that is overwhelmed by his father’s attention and in love with his cousin Maeby. In Season 5, he’s still in love with Maeby and she is still trying to find reasons to make out with him, but he’s more confident and more willing to stand up to his father.

Like the character he plays, Michael Cera has changed a lot too. He was an unknown teen actor when the show began and today, he is a bonafide Hollywood star, starring in huge movies like Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Lego Batman Movie.

Maeby Funke (Alia Shawkat)

Maeby is the product of a completely dysfunctional (and hilarious) marriage between Lindsay and Tobias. Right from the beginning, she uses this to her advantage to pretty much do whatever she wants. She is smarter than both her parents, which helps a lot. Always a lot more confident than her cousin Michael, eventually she lands herself in jail and then on the run after accidentally getting into a relationship with a high school student.

Alia Shawkat, like most of the Arrested Development cast, has gone to have a great career in between extended Arrested Development hiatuses. She has been in a whole slew of projects in theaters and on TV, in including a guest spot on Transparent with her fellow Arrested Development co-star Jeffrey Tambor. She also took a hilarious turn as Alexander Hamilton on one of the best episodes of Drunk History.

Buster Bluth (Tony Hale)

The youngest of George and Lucille Bluth’s four children, Buster is the runt of the litter in every way. He is the worst kind of mama’s boy with an insanely weird (and funny) relationship with his domineering mother, Lucille. From the beginning of Season 1 right up until his prison breakout in Season 5, Buster is always the victim. He also had a right hand when Arrested Development began, but he lost that long ago.

Tony Hale jumped from one popular and award-winning sitcom, Arrested Development, to another, Veep on HBO. Hale himself has won a couple of Emmys for his portrayal of Gary Walsh, an aide to Julia-Louis-Dreyfus’ character Selina. Lucky for Hale, Gary Walsh still has both hands.

Lindsay Bluth (Portia de Rossi)

In a family full of ridiculous and terrible people, Lindsay Bluth Funke might be the worst, really. She inherited all the narcissism of her mother Lucille and channels it is all the wrong ways. From the beginning, she has thought of herself as righteous do-gooder, but in reality, everything she does, she does for herself. Even in Season 5, as she runs for Congress, she doesn’t at all understand the meaning service and sacrifice, despite claiming to perform both in one way or another.

Australian Portia de Rossi’s resume over the last 16 years has been impressive. She has appeared as a full cast member or a recurring cast member on a number of shows, including Nip/Tuck and Scandal, as well as a handful of movies. In May of 2018, she announced on her wife Ellen DeGenerous’ show that she would be retiring from acting, but added that she would continue to be a part of the Arrested Development cast. Ellen may not be far behind either. It's a testament to how much the show means to fans and the cast alike.

Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman)

The heart of the family and the heart of the ensemble cast, Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman, is deep down a family man, and as such he has spent basically the entirety of the show trying to run from his crazy family and have a more normal life. All the way through Season 5, he is trying to run from and save his family in the search for Lucille Austero, or “Lucille 2” as she is often referred, played, of course, by the legendary Liza Minnelli.

Jason Bateman has had one heck of a career. As a child star, he appeared on such classic '80s TV shows as Little House On The Prairie and starred in The Hogan Family. Bateman’s star fell a little in the '90s and he seemed destined to end up in the washed-up child star dustbin, but he has completely resurrected his career in the 21st century, due in large part to his performance in the Arrested Development cast, for which he has won numerous awards. He is current starring in another big Netflix show, Ozark.

Tobias Funke (David Cross)

For a doctor, Tobias Funke, played by David Cross, sure is stupid. He married into the insane Bluth family though Lindsay and is Maeby’s father, but neither Lindsay nor Maeby are very happy with either of those things. He starts the show in Season 1 as a psychiatrist who wants to be an actor. By the end of Season 5, he is pretty much the same. Tobias is the kind of character who drives you mad with his consistently poor decisions in his professional and private life.

David Cross spends most of his time when not in the Arrested Development cast as a standup comedian and provocateur. He launched his career with legendary Mr. Show on HBO. He sometimes seem to go out of his way to be controversial and subversive, but his career keeps humming along with roles on numerous TV shows, like Modern Family, The Increasingly Poor Decision Of Todd Margaret and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt, which is also on Netflix.

Gob Bluth (Will Arnett)

The oldest of Bluth children and in the running for the most spoiled, which is really saying something, Gob, played by Will Arnett, is a jerk. He’s mean to everyone, especially those people that he sees as beneath him, and why wouldn’t he be? Like the guy in the $5000 suit is going to worry about the guy that doesn’t make that much in 3 months, COME ON! Gob spends 5 seasons on the show being absolutely, positively terrible, and even in the end of Season 5, he is still only looking about for himself.

Arrested Development cast member Will Arnett seems to pop up every where. From voicing The Lego Batman Movie's Caped Crusader to seemingly guest starring on every sitcom under the sun, Arnett brings the funny where ever he shows up. His starring role as the voice of BoJack on BoJack Horseman continues his streak of great shows on Netflix.

Lucille Bluth (Jessica Walter)

Lucille Bluth is the most unredeemed character in a show full of terrible people that never come around. She, like her daughter, is an unrepentant narcissist. From the beginning, she has no problem selling out her children for her own good. Even at the end of Season 5, she is still willing to give up on Lindsay’s congressional run when it won’t help her plans to build the wall.

Jessica Walter’s performance on Arrested Development is pitch perfect. Her timing is impeccable and she consistently stands out among the powerhouse cast. Her huge success came a long time in the making. Walter’s career started in film and television way back in 1964 when she appeared on Flipper! While she had steady TV work through five decades, it wasn’t until Arrested Development that she really hit the big time, and it’s been well-deserved.

George Bluth (Jeffery Tambor)

The patriarch of the dysfunctional Bluths, George Bluth, played by comedic legend Jeffery Tambor, is the most cunning of the family, and the most reckless. Like his TV wife, Lucille, he is an unrepentant sociopath who has no problem selling out his family to make a few bucks. He starts Season 1 in jail and never really redeems himself. He ends Season 5 by sabotaging his daughter’s political career.

Like George, actor Jeffery Tambor seems to be in the middle of controversy a lot. Despite winning an Emmy for his performance on Transparent, he left the show after a slew of sexual misconduct charges were leveled against him. He has since been accused of verbally abusing his Arrested Development co-star Jessica Walters. For all his comedic genius, Jeffrey Tambor is also a very controversial figure.

It’s incredible to think that Arrested Development has lasted this long and is as legendary as it is. From being a struggling show constantly threatened with cancelation to becoming a cult-classic with diehard fans everywhere, this incredible years-long run has seen its ups and downs, but deserves to rank among the pantheon of groundbreaking sitcoms. Who knows what the future holds, but don’t bet against it coming back for more in the future.

The Lego Movie was a major hit when it arrived in 2014, beginning a massive franchise in the process. Audiences really responded to the self-aware humor, which was both family-friendly and had plenty of jokes for the adults in the audience. Will Arnett's Lego Batman was the clear standout character, with the mini figure Dark Night even given his own spinoff with The Lego Batman Movie.

Given his tenure as an over the top Batman, Will Arnett considers himself a bit of an expert on the character. And on a recent late night appearance, Arnett took the time to throw a little shade at Justice League, choosing to ignore it from Ben Affleck's tenure as the character. As he said,

Shots fired. From one Bruce Wayne to another, it appears that Will Arnett wasn't particularly enthused with Justice League. This echoes the fan reaction, and is sure to tickle DC fans who are thirsting for a feud.

Will Arnett's quip comes from his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! While promoting his role as Lego Batman in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Arnett spoke with host Jimmy Kimmel about the myriad other versions of the iconic character. And when addressing Ben Affleck's hulking version of Bruce Wayne, the was sure to quickly jab Justice League. The guy's a comedian, after all.

Justice League has been the butt of quite a few jokes since it arrived in theaters in 2017. When Zack Snyder dropped out of the project during filming due to a family emergency, The Avengers and Buffy's Joss Whedon was brought on to complete the film. The two directors' visions ultimately clashed, and the film was a disappointment. And given the sky high expectations associated with the blockbuster, the jokes quickly started flying.

While Will Arnett threw a little shade at Justice League, he wasn't ignoring Ben Affleck's contribution to the character. He does mention the actor's other credits, in reference to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and his small role in Suicide Squad. Affleck's Batman was largely considered the best part about BvS, as he offered a jaded, experienced, and emotionally scarred version of the popular DC hero. These feelings fueled his violence, showing a Caped Crusader that had abandoned his typical moral code.

Considering his role in the Lego Movie franchise, Will Arnett does seem like the right guy to poke fun at Batman. The movies constantly do just that, as Arnett takes on a gravely voice spoofing Christian Bale's tenure. And The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part's trailers already showed the movie's penchant for taking jabs at Justice League, as one clip laments that Green Lantern was left out of Snyder's movie.

You can see for yourself when The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part arrives in theaters on February 8th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

2014 saw the beginning of a lucrative movie universe at Warner Bros., as The LEGO Movie defied expectations to become a financial and creative hit. But, with the film's ending promising a clash between the Duplo and LEGO worlds, a LEGO Movie sequel was inevitable. Flash forward to today, as the world is anticipating The LEGO Movie Sequel (now officially titled The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part), which sees us returning to the world that started it all. But the road to returning Emmet, Wyldstyle, Batman, Benny, and the countless others involved in the first film's success hasn't been an easy one. Which means, in honor of being less than a week away from everything awesome coming to our eyes and ears once more, it's time to go into what we know so far about The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part! Here, we'll pour out the knowledge of all things LEGO, and make some educated guesses that'll eventually be corrected as time goes on. But for now, this is what to expect.

What Have We Seen From The LEGO Movie 2?

You're in luck! Early June 2018 finally brought us the first full trailer from The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. It gives us a good look at the post-apocalyptic world that's been brought on by the destructive Duplo, and how oddly Emmet has been handling the changes to everyone's daily life. As can be expected, much of the crew from the original film has to go on an adventure, leading to a lot of crazy laughs.

What Is The LEGO Movie 2's Release Date?

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is coming out soon; on February 8, 2019 to be exact. Originally scheduled for May 26, 2017, the film was first bumped to a May 18, 2018 debut, before finally landing on its current window of release. In its current slot, this was supposed to pit the animated sequel in direct competition against Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Silver and Black, as well as the Seth Rogen / Charlize Theron romantic comedy Flarsky. However, with the former hitting some recent snags, and the latter being moved much further along in the year, both potential competitors have been removed from the field. However, that week will also see Taraji P. Henson's What Men Want, horror film The Prodigy and the Liam Neeson starrer Cold Pursuit, so there's a slight possibility that The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part may still see some serious competition at the box office on opening weekend.

What Is The LEGO Movie 2's Rating?

While it was unknown what The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part's rating would be for a long time (because films never get their final rating until right before release) now that the release is upon us, we know that it will be rated PG. The original LEGO Movie, as well as the spin-offs, The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Ninjago Movie, were all handed the PG rating for the action and "rude humor" present in their films, so making a film that broke with the family friendly trend did not seem likely at all, anyway. At the same time, making a G rated film that eschewed the reference based and "rude" humor, as well as any of the action that The LEGO Movie franchise has been known for, seemed just as wrong. So, the PG rating was always a pretty secure bet for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Who Is The LEGO Movie 2's Director?

Originally, director Chris McKay was going to helm The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, when the film was aiming for its 2017 release date. But, ultimately, this was not meant to be, as McKay was shifted to The LEGO Batman Movie, leaving the spot vacant. Eventually, Rob Schrab, best known as co-writer on Sony's animated film Monster House, and a director on such shows as Community, Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project, was hired for the duties of bringing this second LEGO Movie to the finish line. It only took two words ("creative differences") to see Schrab leave the project, allowing Trolls director Mike Mitchell to become the current director on record for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Who Are The LEGO Movie 2's Writers?

Just as the director's chair saw itself subjected to the winds of change, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part saw several writers move through its writer's room. At first, 2014's early announcement of the film's status, in the wake of The LEGO Movie's surprise success, writers Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan were named as working out the story for the second film. That changed rather quickly, though, as by the end of that same year, Phil Lord and Chris Miller were signed on to write about the future of Bricksburg. Some reports, however, have told us that Bojack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg was brought in for some re-writes before the film went into active production, but if that is the case, he's not currently credited for any work on the movie.

What The LEGO Movie 2 Will Be About

Considering the revolving door of writers and directors in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part's path to production, it's no surprise that no concrete story was made known to the public at large for quite some time. Now, though, we know that the movie will see LEGO Duplo invaders from outer space come along to tear things down faster than they can be rebuilt. And, there are other things that we do know will be present in the film.

These details include the fact that Finn and his sister from The LEGO Movie's live-action segments will be back. Other than that, various notes have talked about Finn's LEGO sets and his sister's Duplo sets, seen about to go to war against each other at the end of The LEGO Movie, will both be represented in the film. There were also previous comments about how The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part will tackle the subject of how boys play versus how girls play, adding a flavor of gender commentary to the film's more human side. Don't be afraid that the film will forget to have fun though, as plenty of space action and musical comedy are bring promised to find their way into this sequel.

When The LEGO Movie 2 Will Take Place

In order to track with the real world time gap between The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, this new film will take place five years after the first film's resolution. This also plays into what the film will be about, as Finn's adolescence has been mentioned since the first phases of the project as a subject of interest to the writers. The time jump would put Finn in his early to mid-teens, with his sister most likely being in the last stages of early childhood, between 1 ½ and 5 years old, the prescribed time frame stated on the Duplo block sets.

Finn And His Sister

With the vague details that are available, and the time gap in play, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part looks like it could play with more live-action sequences than The LEGO Movie ever did. With Finn and his sister being important characters in the film's story, we'll not only see more of Finn, but actually get to meet his sister. Not being seen, but alluded to, in the first film, her Duplo building set was seen threatening the world of Emmet, Wyldstyle, and the rest of the Bricksburg crew. This intersection will set up not only the story of how Finn and his sibling play with different bricks and mindsets, but it also sets up just what might happen in the stop motion animated world of the LEGO Movie cast. Originally played by Jadon Sand in The LEGO Movie, the young actor is set to reprise the role of Finn in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. A look at the movie's IMDB page tells us that Finn's sister will be named Bianca, and played by Brooklynn Prince.

Duplo

In our world, the Duplo building system is the LEGO system's younger cousin, specified as being made for children between 1 ½ and 5 years old. But in the world of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, these soft spoken creatures have presumably thrown down the gauntlet and threatened the intricate world of Bricksburg. So, if the ending to The LEGO Movie is any indication, there may have been five years of war between the Duplo and LEGO worlds, with bricks and tempers being lost in the midst. Also, due to a Duplo block usually being thicker and bigger than LEGO pieces, that war may be something akin to a monster movie, as the larger scaled aggressors of Finn's sister's design may have found it easy to terrorize the smaller scaled Emmet and company.

Emmet & Wyldstyle

If you wanted to catalog which characters from The LEGO Movie would return for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, you'd probably be here all day. However, if there were two characters that could be deemed absolutely essential to return for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, it'd have to be Emmet and Wyldstyle - voiced by Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks, respectively. This theory is supported even more, considering the fact that the difference between female and male play mechanics is supposed to factor into The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part's story rather importantly. If we were to guess how Emmet and Wyldstyle would be affected by this, we'd say that Emmet's methods of dealing with the Duplo will be more aggressive and vehicle / weapons based, while Wyldstyle will want to engage in more creative and personal efforts with their would-be invaders. In other words, the newly minted couple of the LEGO world may be headed for rocky shores. Apologies to anyone who spent all this time creating a proper ship name (Emmstyle? Wyldmet?) for these two.

Returning Characters

Emmet and Wyldstyle are clearly our main returning characters in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and there are quite a few other cast members scheduled to come back for the new film as well. As of this moment, the recurring cast members listed on the film's IMDB page, outside of Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks, are Will Arnett, who is coming back to reprise his role as Batman, Channing Tatum, who's bringing Superman back to the LEGO fold, Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, Alison Brie as Unikitty, Charlie Day as Benny the spaceman, Will Ferrell as Finn and Bianca's dad in the live action sequences and voicing President Business, and Nick Offerman as Metal Beard. It's not impossible for others to return as well, but seeing as how no one else has been confirmed yet, we'll just have to wait and see what the film holds.

New Characters

Anyone who enjoys a sequel knows that if The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is going to do well, it needs to add something new to the playset. This, of course, means that there's going to be a need for new characters in this world, and we do have some specifics on who these players joining the game will be. To start off, Girls Trip star Tiffany Haddish is going to be playing one of them, as she was the first newly minted cast member of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part's company. Her Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi rules the Systar System and plays a part in the new Duplo invasion. She's also, notably, not a normal LEGO or Duplo figure, as she usually presents as a brightly colored pile of bricks which can change shape radically at a moment's notice. This character is also used to set off the larger musical aspects of the sequel, which should be a lot of fun to watch.

The trailer introduces us to a new character played by Stephanie Beatriz of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame, Sweet Mayhem. Mayhem comes to Bricksburg on the hunt for the fiercest leader, and ends up kidnapping the franchise's best known characters...with the exception of Emmet, who's then forced to go on a mission to save them. We're not yet sure what she intends to do with these characters, or the fierce leader she was looking for, either, for that matter, but right now she looks to be the main adversary of the movie. Those of you who enjoy it when SNL alums team up on the big screen should be happy to know that Maya Rudolph has joined the film as Finn and Bianca's mom, which will reunite her with Will Ferrell. The only other new character listed on The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part's IMDB page is someone named Ice Cream Cone, who will be voiced by Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd, The Watch).

Well, this is everything we currently know about The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and while it's a good start on the nitty gritty details of the movie, it's certainly a good thing that the family comedy is due out soon so we can all finally get the full adventure into our eager eyeballs!

Warning: Spoilers for Season 5, Episode 6 of Bojack Horseman are in play. If you aren't current with the latest season, bookmark this story and come back later when you're ready.

As funny and subversive as Netflix's Bojack Horseman can be, it's also a show that thrives in the drama of emotional catharsis. At least once a season, there's an episode which proves that point in spades, as the usual format is broken for a continuous narrative, with just the right amount of humor mixed in to make the journey palatable. Season 5 was no exception, as in the fine tradition of episodes such as "Fish Out of Water" and "Time's Arrow," "Free Churro" broke the show's usual format, as well as our hearts.

The episode is essentially two monologues: a shorter, more angry diatribe / flashback to Bojack's father Butterscotch Horseman, and the longer, episode-proper material from Bojack himself. Both runs are focused on the same subject, Beatrice Horseman, who as of this episode is recently deceased. With the meat of the episode focusing on Bojack's eulogy to his mother, things start out on a lighter, funnier note as our protagonist banters with the organist. However, the episode that follows is all in one setting, with Bojack saying goodbye to his mother as only he can.

In a mix of angry, biting humor and gentler self-introspection, Bojack, and in turn Will Arnett's performance, runs the gamut as the anti-hero with his name on the marquee says goodbye to his mother and their problematic relationship. One moment he's asking for her to knock twice on her casket if he's been an abject disappointment, the next he's parsing over her last words, "I see you." On top of the fresh wounds to his psyche, Bojack also heaps on his father's previous passing, as he dissects another statement of his mother's: "My husband is dead, and everything is worse now."

Ultimately, those two simple statements are the bedrock of the "Free Churro" emotional roller coaster. Thinking back to the problems he not only had with his parents, but also looking at the problems he has in his current life because of them, Bojack Horseman doesn't let its protagonist escape from this confrontation through the various lives of its side characters. There's still humor mixed into the episode to help the audience not totally sink into a depressed / sad state, with a particularly effective punchline at the end revealing that Bojack opened his heart to the wrong funeral. Yet, even if it was all for naught in one respect, Bojack needed to have that confrontation with himself.

Special attention also needs to be given to Will Arnett, as his performance as Bojack shines harder than ever in this episode. While a lot of his comedic and dramatic chops are on display at a regular interval, seeing it in an unflinching, consistent light is something that draws more attention to Arnett's underrated skills as a performer. His full range is on display in "Free Churro," and if anything, once Bojack Horseman wraps up, it should be remembered as one of his lynchpin roles - even above his previous turn as Gob Bluth in Arrested Development.

Placing "Free Churro" at the center of this most recent season of Bojack Horseman is an ingenious piece of timing, as creator and writer Raphael Bob Waksberg anchors this episode at a point where, much like the character, it looks back at past events while also building the bridge to the rest of the season's happenings. Most importantly, for a series that consistently slides between happiness, misery, and everything in-between, this installment proves that Bojack Horseman continues to explore all of those feelings as freshly as it did in its first season.

The thread of Bojack and Beatrice's relationship is one that has been vital to Bojack Horseman's basic makeup, and with the closure of that thread, one has to wonder if the end of the show is starting to loom in sight. After all, even Bojack himself noted that with both parents dead, he's pretty much the next in line.

Bojack Horseman season 5 is currently on Netflix, and it's well worth a revisit to catch all the details you missed the first time.

Following the release of House of Cards, Netflix has changed the landscape of television production in the age of streaming. Since then, Netflix has gone on to produce countless original series, with viewership data kept under wraps. But not every one of the streaming service's original programming has been met with acclaim. Bloodline was cancelled after three seasons, and Will Arnett's Flaked was met with poor critical reception, and was renewed with a shorter episode count for its second season. But apparently Arnett is actually quite pleased with the length of Season 2.

I recently had the change to speak with Will Arnett at Netflix's press junket in New York City. It was here that he revealed why the shorter episode count was actually perfect for Season 2, saying:

Will Arnett's attitude towards Flaked's second season going from eight episodes to six is actually a positive one. And for more than one reason.

To start, Will Arnett had a sense of relief regarding Flaked's shorter episode count, since he's working quite hard on the series. Arnett wears a few hats in Flaked; in addition to starring as the series protagonist, he's also working behind the scenes. Will Arnett and Mark Chappell have written every episode of the series themselves, rather than optioning episodes out to guest writers. Additionally, Arnett is the show's creator an executive producer, so homeboy really works his ass of for Flaked. Therefore, it makes sense that having two less episodes to create was a relief.

Additionally, it appears that six episodes actually functioned properly for Season 2's narrative. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see how successful it is when Season 2 is released in its entirety by Netflix. But considering Flaked's concept and common criticism, it does make sense. Flaked follows a pretty unlikeable protagonist, who is constantly messing up and causing cringe worthy moments for the audience. Season 1 caught some flack for this choice, so maybe having just six episodes of Chip's debauchery will ensure that the audience doesn't grow tired or annoyed with the character(s).

I'm eager to see if the changes with Season 2 of Flaked will help the series become more critically applauded. At the time of writing, Flaked's first season currently sits at a mere 42% on Rotten Tomatoes which is noticeably low for Netflix's original programming. But now that the characters and world building have been completed, perhaps the characters will become more lovable in Season 2.

Flaked's second season will be released in its entirety on June 2, 2017. Be sure to check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

There is no definitive way to depict The Caped Crusader, and The LEGO Batman Movie has officially proven just how far the core idea behind The Dark Knight can stretch. Will Arnett delivers a delightfully absurd performance as the titular hero that (literally) builds on the foundation established in The LEGO Movie, and he clearly has a ton of fun in the role. Seriously, he was born for this part. In fact, Will Arnett recently made an appearance on BBC Radio 1 to deliver a prank phone call to a toy store as LEGO Batman, and it is abundantly clear that he can make just about any situation funnier as this character. Check out the clip below to see for yourself.

Will Arnett deserves quite a bit of credit for pulling off this recent appearance on BBC Radio 1 with an insane degree of poise and humor. The segment does not just require him to pull off an immaculate Batman performance -- which he totally does. It also requires him to think fast on his feet and improv like an absolute champion. Beginning every sentence with a subsequent letter of the alphabet is no easy feat, but LEGO Batman makes it look effortless.

This sequence is made even better by the inclusion of an animated LEGO Batman to accompany Will Arnett's rapid-fire riffing. From the very distinct LEGO animation style to Michael Cera's Robin playing around in the background, the entire clip thoroughly lends the notable sense that this unique, animated DC world is one of the most well-realized comic book universes currently in existence on the silver screen.

It is also worth mentioning the fact that this video sells how much of LEGO Batman's charm comes from Will Arnett himself. The film is obviously a tightly written DC adventure that has done its homework, but Arnett's delivery of the lines (which very clearly takes aim at the gravelly vocals of Christian Bale) has us in stitches every step of the way. This guy could recite numbers out of the phone book as LEGO Batman, and he could completely entrance us. He is that good.

If you have not seen The LEGO Batman Movie yet, do yourself a serious favor and check it out while you still can. The film is a worthy successor to 2014's The LEGO Movie, and it promises a fantastic new franchise for Will Arnett's more comedic Dark Knight.

The LEGO Batman Movie is currently in theaters.

Back in 2014, Phil Lord and Chris Miller's The LEGO Movie was not only a blockbuster success, but very much set the table for a sequel. Sadly, we still have a couple more years to wait until that anticipated film will arrive in theaters, but the good news is that we now have details about its core themes and premise -- straight from producer Dan Lin. In short, siblings will be a very important element of the follow-up, not to mention the differences in the ways that both boys and girls play with their toys.

I sat down with Dan Lin at the Los Angeles press day for The LEGO Batman Movie earlier this month, and it was at the very end of the interview that we got to talk about the upcoming LEGO Movie Sequel. Discussing how the filmmakers are approaching the material, Lin explained how they are building upon the end of the first movie and what they are aiming to say with the narrative. Said Lin,

For those that don't remember, the end of The LEGO Movie saw Emmett (Chris Pratt), Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and the others make peace with President Business (Will Ferrell), but find their world rocked by an alien invasion. In the real world, the young boy Finn (Jadon Sand) is told by his dad (Ferrell) that his younger sister is going to start playing with them, with introduces the central LEGO cast to the aliens from Planet Duplo, who are there to "destroy" them. It's worth noting that the follow-up is following real time, and that The LEGO Movie Sequel will be set a few years after the events of the first film, so we'll have to see how that plays into the mix.

You can watch Dan Lin talk about plans for The LEGO Movie Sequel in the video below!

But that's not all! Given that everyone expects that Batman will be back for more in The LEGO Movie Sequel, I also asked Will Arnett about the project at the LEGO Batman Movie press day, and you can read his thoughts about the sequel on the next page!

Like I did with Dan Lin, I also asked Will Arnett about the development of The LEGO Movie Sequel when I sat down to interview him, though I did take a different tact. I asked the actor if the upcoming film would reflect the changes in Batman's character made in The LEGO Batman Movie -- and while he couldn't really answer that, he did explain why he's happy to be working with The LEGO Movie filmmakers. Said Arnett,

You can watch Will Arnett talk about his work on The LEGO Movie Sequel in the video below:

There is still another LEGO movie set to hit the big screen before The LEGO Movie Sequel, with the LEGO Ninjago Movie scheduled to arrive in theaters on September 22nd... but after that comes a good bit of waiting. The LEGO Movie Sequel is set to arrive in theaters on February 8, 2019 -- almost exactly four years after its predecessor.

From the current landscape of both TV and movies, its clear that audiences love superheroes. Between three cinematic universes, as well as a ton of TV shows currently airing, you can't turn a corner without bumping into a hero in tights. But because so many comic book adaptations are available to audiences, naysayers are worried about "hero fatigue", meaning that each film will become so formulaic and stale that the genre will eventually devour itself. But then there are the rare superhero movies that are wholly unique: Deadpool, Guardians of the Galaxy, and now The Lego Batman Movie. And yes, all three are fairly ridiculous properties.

While there have been plenty of Batman versions throughout the years, perhaps the most popular in recent memory is Will Arnett's Batman from The Lego Movie. The Dark Knight appeared in mini figure form during the 2014 hit, and was widely considered one of the movie's high points. Why is that? Because he's just plain bananas. In fact, Arnett gave one word to describe the character: absurd (via THR):

That's right, Lego Batman is downright absurd. Although to be fair, Batman and Robin is pretty damn absurd as well, despite George Clooney's attempts.

While the past two iterations of Batman have been extremely serious dramatic affairs, The Lego Batman Movie offers something fresh and new to Batfans. Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy was a layered film franchise that told a very specific story, while Ben Affleck's Batman in the DCEU is perhaps the most broody and dark iteration of the character yet. Then there's Lego Batman, whose ridiculousness and ego is only matched by his crime fighting abilities.

Surely part of what makes Will Arnett's Batman so absurd is the fantastic cast of characters set to appear in The Lego Batman Movie. Joining Arnett for his yellow brick adventure are Michael Cera as Dick Grayson/Robin, Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, and Zach Galifianakis as the Joker. Additionally, there are a ton of hilarious actors making up Batman's rogue gallery and allies including Jenny Slate (Harley Quinn), Billy Dee Williams (Two-Face), Conan O'Brien (The Riddler), Jonah Hill (The Green Lantern), and Adam Devine (The Flash). How all of these characters will float in and out of the film's plot remains to be seen, but there will be no shortage of bad guys for Lego Batman to take down.

The Lego Batman Movie will be in theaters in just a few short days, complete with the most absurd Batman ever to hit the silver screen. The film will hit its wide release on February 10, 2017.

Netflix has produced plenty of fantastic originals over the years that have ranged from thrilling to creepy to hilarious. One of the most bizarre originals has to be Will Arnett's BoJack Horseman. An animated romp about a washed-up 90s sitcom star in a world filled with humans and anthropomorphic animals alike sounds more like the product of a Mad Lib than a TV show, but it was enough of a success from the beginning that Netflix gave early renewal orders for Seasons 2 and 3. Now, Netflix has surpassed itself on the BoJack front and ordered a Season 4 on the same day as the Season 3 premiere.

The order for a fourth season just after the premiere of the third promises BoJack fans yet another look at how the star of the fictitious Horsin' Around deals with life after his sitcom stint, according to Variety. The renewal is great news for those of us who prefer to binge-watch our Netflix originals. The first three seasons have only had twelve episodes each, and each episode clocks in at less than half an hour. Binge-watchers run out of BoJack pretty quickly; knowing that we're in for more at some point in the future is a relief.

Hopefully the entire regular voice cast will be back for Season 4. BoJack Horseman wouldn't be the same without Will Arnett as BoJack, Aaron Paul as BoJack's hanger-on best friend Todd, Amy Sedaris as talent agent/cat Princess Carolyn, Alison Brie as the brainy Diane, and Paul Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter. I know I'd be heartbroken if I'd never get more of Arnett and Tompkins bouncing off each other as the curmudgeonly BoJack and the happy golden retriever Mr. Peanutbutter.

Will Arnett and Aaron Paul both work as executive producers as well as performers for BoJack Horseman, so we probably won't have to worry about losing the BoJack/Todd dynamic for Season 4. Arnett has been busy on large and small screens alike (although he'd happily make time for Arrested Development Season 5), and Aaron Paul has starred in a series on another streaming service with Hulu's The Path. Only time will tell if their schedules affect how and when BoJack will be back for Season 4.

Season 3 should be enough to tide most of us over for a while, even if we watch it all in one sitting. Re-watching BoJack can be even greater than first watches, if only so all the little jokes and asides can be caught. In case you haven't tuned in already, take a look at the trailer for Season 3:

Check out our list of the greatest Netflix originals to see what else is definitely worth streaming, and don't forget to take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch on the small screen during the wait for BoJack Horseman Season 4.

Television is currently in an era in which cancelled shows aren't necessarily gone forever, and the beloved Fox sitcom Arrested Development already came back from the grave once for a Season 4 on Netflix. The entire crew was back for the fourth season, and Gob Bluth actor Will Arnett now has some thoughts on the possibility of a fifth season coming together at some point. Here's what he has to say about what it would take for a Season 5:

Will Arnett didn't mince words in his chat with The Wrap about what has been stalling the development of more Arrested Development, and it's hard to blame him. Reviews may have been mixed for the Season 4 that changed a lot about what worked for Seasons 1 - 3, but the demand for a Season 5 is definitely still there among fans. The next set of episodes has evidently been in the works for more than a year. Tony Hale - also known as Buster Bluth - has said that he's on board for another go at Arrested Development, and series creator Mitch Hurwitz has revealed that the actors are all willing to return. Netflix reportedly wants a Season 5 as well. Unfortunately, earlier assertions that folks behind the scenes would start on Season 5 early in 2016 were premature, and there's no saying if and when everybody will be able to follow Arnett's suggestion and get their shit together.

Of course, Will Arnett isn't exactly resting on his laurels and refusing to pursue other roles while Arrested Development is on indefinite hiatus. On the big screen, he had a role in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014 that he reprised for the 2016 sequel, and he stole the show in The Lego Movie as the voice of Lego Batman. Arnett has been a highlight of The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - which also features his Arrested Development co-star David Cross - and made a name for himself on Netflix with Flaked and BoJack Horseman.

It's nice to have options to get more of Will Arnett even without a Season 5 of Arrested Development any time soon, but it's difficult to watch him in other roles without missing him as Gob. I can't even hear "Final Countdown" without wanting to lecture somebody about the difference between a trick and an illusion. Hopefully the team at Arrested Development will find the time to collaborate and move forward on a fifth season sooner rather than later. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to catch on the small screen in the meantime.

You'd be fooling yourself if you didn't acknowledge the fact that The Lego Movie owes part of its breakout success to the performance Will Arnett gave as the film's version of Batman. How else would you explain the existence of not only the upcoming sequel, but also The Lego Batman Movie? Yet for all of the laughs and gags the film is promising, there's one big mystery in the Batman universe that the animated spin-off is looking to explore: why's Batman so moody all the time?

This knowledge came directly from Will Arnett, as he spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his role in The Lego Batman Movie, which opens next February. Not only did Arnett reveal that The Lego Batman Movie was greenlit mere days after The Lego Movie hit the big time, but he also explained the initial germ for the film's story. That germ was encapsulated in the actor's following comment:

The undeniably moody temperament of Bruce Wayne and Batman is obvious grist for the mill, seeing as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice took another trip to the well on that story point, and there's clearly still some life in that storyline. However, it seems kind of weird to us that Will Arnett and those involved in The Lego Batman Movie wouldn't see that the death of Bruce Wayne's parents is pretty much 10 out of the 11 reasons that the hero has always been a dark and brooding figure. It's even acknowledged in the soundtrack to The Lego Movie in the track "Untitled Self Portrait," which you can listen to below.

Interestingly enough, it sounds like one of two things is about to happen: either The Lego Batman Movie is going to explore the deaths of Martha and Thomas Wayne, in a way that only the Lego franchise could ever dream to, or they're looking to change the origin story to a more plastic / stop motion friendly version that families can enjoy. Either way, we don't think Will Arnett would talk about Batman's moody nature in such a nature without hinting toward either of the above mentioned outcomes.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens when The Lego Batman Movie puts the Caped Crusader on the couch on February 10, 2017.

When two actors work together long enough, whether it's just over one movie or several, they typically develop a close rapport with one another, which can also lead to good-natured teasing every now and then. Such is the case with Megan Fox and Will Arnett, who co-starred in 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and recently reunited for its sequel, Out of the Shadows. However, there was one instance when Fox completely ripped into Arnett during the first Turtles movie by calling him out over his choice in women.

During her visit to Conan earlier this week, Fox told he story about how during Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' production, Arnett was dating a lot, which meant he brought new girlfriends to set "every other week." With each week, the women seemed to get younger and younger, and it eventually led to Fox dropping this comment on him:

Ouch! For those who don't know, Will Arnett separated from his previous wife, fellow comedian Amy Poehler, back in 2012, and by 2014, they were divorced. So when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was shooting, that's at the time when he was was jumping back into the dating game, and clearly his tastes were skewing much younger. Whatever your feelings about Megan Fox as an actress may be, you have to admit, that was a good burn she laid on him. The only thing missing from there was a comment about his then-girlfriend needing a juice box. Still, Fox mentioned before telling the story to Conan O'Brien and his viewers that Arnett doesn't like it when she tells it, so he might be a tad pissed that she made it public to millions of viewers.

In the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie universe, Megan Fox plays reporter April O'Neil, while Will Arnett plays April's bumbling camera man, Vern Fenwick. They were the first humans to meet the Turtles AND not try to kill them. After the events of the first movie, Vern has taken credit for the Turtles' heroism by Out of the Shadows, but when The Shredder returns with new villain allies his daughter Karai, Bebop, Rocksteady and Krang, obviously he's going to let the reptilian martial artists handle the situation, no matter what his public reputation may be. There's been no official word yet on whether a third movie is on the way, but if Paramount orders it, we can probably assume that Fox and Arnett will reprise their roles.

You can see Fox and Arnett together again in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which is now playing in theaters.

Normally, after we see one trailer for a movie, we have to wait months to get another look at the film. LEGO Batman does not accept these arbitrary timetables. We just got our first look at The LEGO Batman Movie last week, but now it’s time for the second look, and if anything, this movie is only looking better.

The new trailer takes place inside Wayne Manor and includes an appearance by the film’s Alfred, voiced by Ralph Fiennes. While the single funniest thing in it may be the fact that Batman wears his mask around the house while in his robe, the trailer gives us much more than that to play with. Alfred gives us a rundown of Batman’s entire cinematic history, including shots of Ben Affleck in the current Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as well as images of the infamous bat-nipples and an Adam West cameo. Basically, the only way to get away with releasing a Batman trailer when there’s currently a Batman movie in theaters is to make fun of the abundant number of Batman movies there have been over time. Also, isn’t it more than a little creepy that there’s a portrait of the Wayne family that was apparently taken just a short while before they were murdered? Is that really something you would hang in your house?

The brief shot of Batman dancing isn’t the only reference to the classic 1960’s Batman TV series. Will Arnett’s LEGO Batman also busts into a beat that is obviously inspired by the famous theme, which we hear again as a proper song at the end of the trailer. It certainly appears that no Batman will be safe from The LEGO Batman Movie.

This trailer follows on the heels of one that was released at the end of last week. That one gave us a look at the Batcave, and Batman’s Bat computer, who basically just sounds like Siri. For anybody who is looking for a lighter version of Batman, one who honestly has more in common with Adam West than Christian Bale, this movie is likely to be for you.

In addition to Will Arnett and Ralph Fiennes, The LEGO Batman Movie will include Michael Cera as Robin and Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, along with Zach Galifianakis as The Joker. Although The Joker won’t be the only Batman villain in the film. As opposed to doing the standard batman movie thing and picking one or two, it looks like the entire Rogue’s Gallery will be making an appearance.

If you haven’t had your Bat-fill this past weekend, The LEGO Batman Movie will be out next year.

Audiences nationwide, and around the globe, are about to meet a very serious, broken and borderline disturbed Batman when Ben Affleck brings the Dark Knight to life in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Brooding Bats isn’t your speed? Never fear. We also have something totally different, which can be found in the first teaser trailer for The LEGO Batman Movie. Check it out!

Spinning off from the incredibly successful The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie brings Will Arnett back to the vocal fold to play Batman, an angry, conceited version of the classic superhero character who, according to this early look, lives a sad life. Sure, he has his computer to talk with (nicknamed "Puter," because that’s how this Batman talks). But outside of that, Alfred leaves him leftovers in the fridge, and makes him nuke his food on his own. Holy Bat Tears, Master Wayne.

There isn’t much handed out here in terms of story. Will Arnett records a funny intro for the movie, which shifts away from the death metal Batman preferred in The LEGO Movie ("No parents!!") to a hip-hop, beatbox mode. It’s all a set up for a "Drop the mic" joke, which works pretty well. After that, we get a montage of action as Batman comes back to his Bat Cave. But part of that montage is a shot of Batman leading the Justice League into battle, so now we know that Dawn of Justice isn’t the ONLY time we are going to see classic heroes like Cyborg, Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern on the big screen in the near future.  

After that, the trailer sets up another funny, and well-paced, microwave joke. It’s not nearly as deliberate as the Sloth joke from Zootopia, but it’s of the same mindset, and it’s equally amusing. The trailer concludes with this awesome LEGO logo, which is very fun to say out loud, repeatedly. Try it at home.

And now, the waiting game begins. The LEGO Batman Movie isn’t set to reach theaters until February 10, 2017. Directed by Chris McKay, the movie will co-star Arnett, Zack Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson and Ralph Fiennes. Seeing as how it takes a while to build these movies, I’ve no doubt we’ll see more footage as we get closer. For now, what did you think? 

While most of the movie world is absorbed in the hype that is Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, there’s that other Batman movie currently in production that's being criminally overshadowed. The Lego Batman is the Lego Movie spinoff that we both need and deserve. It’s been quietly putting together an absolutely amazing cast and it just keeps getting better. Oscar winner Ralph Fiennes has just signed on to voice Lego Alfred Pennyworth.

Alfred is traditionally Batman’s trusted confidant and assistant. While we’re sure these things will be technically true of his Lego counterpart, we expect this will surely be the funniest version of Batman’s butler ever to be on screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fiennes will join a long line of recent high profile, Oscar-winning Alfreds. He was most recently played by Michael Caine in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, and will be portrayed by Jeremy Irons in the upcoming follow-up to Man of Steel.

This is just another great casting choice for Lego Batman. Will Arnett will be reprising his role as Batman from The Lego Movie but the film will also star Rosario Dawson as Batgirl and Michael Cera as Robin. In addition, Zach Galifianakis is reported to be in talks to play Lego Joker. This is certainly some top-notch talent who could put together an hilariously ridiculous movie.

Ralph Fiennes is mostly well known for playing proper English gentlemen in his movies. Well, that and Lord Voldemort. Still, we can’t help but see Lego Alfred as something along the lines of Monsieur Gustave from The Grand Budapest Hotel. We know Fiennes has the comic timing to pull off the "proper gentlemen" who is anything but proper and that sounds perfect for who this character could be. We know that the Batman of the Lego universe is a troubled, frustrated artist and we have a feeling that Lego Alfred is only going to be able to put up with so much of that crap before he stops caring. Lego Batman was anything but dark and mysterious. We hope Lego Alfred is anything but helpful.

We fully expect the movie to be more than a little nuts. The original film was an education in controlled insanity, and the script for this one is being penned by Seth Grahame-Smith the mind that brought us Pride & Prejudice & Zombies so there’s really no telling where the movie may end up going. Batman was one of the scene stealers in the original Lego Movie, and Will Arnett is going to have to be careful that he doesn’t lose his own movie to one of his co-stars.

Lego Batman is set for a 2017 release.

It has been years since we saw Robin on screen in a Batman movie. Chris O’Donnell notoriously played the Boy Wonder in two Joel Schumacher movies, but Christopher Nolan completely sidestepped the Dark Knight’s crime-fighting sidekick. Well, Robin’s making a comeback, albeit in LEGO form.

The Hollywood Reporter breaks the story that Michael Cera will lend his voice to the character of Robin in LEGO Batman, the spinoff LEGO movie that Chris McKay plans to direct. Will Arnett, who voiced the grim and gruff superhero in The LEGO Movie, will return to the lead role, meaning that this upcoming stop-motion animated comedy will have a sweet Arrested Development reunion on tap.

Batman stole numerous scenes in The LEGO Movie, tapping into Will Arnett’s usual self-confident bravado to create an amusing sense of delusion swirling around the brick-shaped superhero. He sings metal music, parties with the Star Wars crew, blows off his beautiful girlfriend (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) and helps to save the day. He likely will hold down a terrific solo Batman movie, and it’s exciting how details are starting to emerge.

This is much better news for Robin than what we heard out of San Diego Comic-Con, where Warner Bros. held a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice panel and unveiled the second full trailer. In that clip, we learned that Robin’s probably dead… and likely was killed at the hands of The Joker (Jared Leto), who then torments his antagonist by writing punchlines on the dead sidekick’s suit. Brutal.

The LEGO Movie earned a massive $468 million internationally when it opened in February 2014, catching the industry off guard and cementing the creative reputation of co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The studio has decided to spin it off in a few direction, including a straight sequel (The LEGO Movie 2) and this LEGO Batman movie. We had heard that this spinoff movie would focus on every version of Batman over the years, from the Adam West TV days to Christian Bale’s most recent turn in Chris Nolan’s trilogy. I love that Michael Cera’s been tapped to voice Robin, and I can’t wait to listen to the ways that he will play off of Will Arett in the animated comedy.

At the moment, any scrap of information regarding The LEGO Batman Movie is being gobbled up fervently by fans of The LEGO Movie… which is pretty much anyone who saw the delightful animated 2013 effort. So the fact that Phil Lord and Chris Miller revealed one of the impending spinoffs side plots during a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything session should please millions.

The writing and directing team took part in online Q&A session over the weekend, and it was during that time that they were asked by one user if there was any chance of possibly seeing The LEGO Batman Movie as a musical, paying off the "Untitled Self-Portrait" song that was sung by Will Arnett in The LEGO Movie. Unfortunately for Hawaiinwil, Miller and Lord confirmed that the film won’t actually be a musical – but they did reveal this a fantastic nugget of information regarding the hugely anticipated spinoff that should help up to ramp your anticipation. Wrote Lord,

Well, that certainly sounds like it will be a fruitful comedic avenue to explore. Let’s not forget that Will Arnett, who will be reprising his role as Batman for the film, has proven on numerous occasions that his gravelly voice just can’t help but be humorous. Especially when he’s trying to sing. GOB Bluth and Franklin’s song, "It Ain’t Easy Being White," was one of the highlights of Arrested Development’s tenure, while The LEGO Movie’s Batman’s Song pretty much summed up Bruce Wayne and his alter ego in one minute and eight seconds.

The LEGO Batman Movie was ordered after the monumental success of The LEGO Movie last year. Not only did Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s film defy expectation by proving not just to be an hour and a half advert for LEGO – even though it was still total that too – it was also a sweet, funny and poignant slice of cinema that showed us a side of Batman that we’d never been privy to before.

While Lewis G. Wilson, Robert Lowrey, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale have each brought either a light-hearted, relentless pomp or raw intensity to the character, Will Arnett’s animated Batman proved to be kind of a dick. And while he was perfect comedic fodder for The LEGO Movie, it’s going to be a big task for the film’s director Chris McKay and its writer Seth Grahame-Smith to truly bring the superhero to life as a rounded animated character that's still uber annoying.

The fact that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are working as the film’s producers means that the project will have two of Hollywood’s most critically adored writers and directors on board to assist them in their needs. They’ve still got a few years to figure out all of the kinks in the project, as The LEGO Batman Movie will be released in 2017, with The LEGO Movie 2 following in 2018.

Tegan and Sara’s "Everything Is Awesome" Oscars performance was the craziest moment from one of the dullest awards ceremonies of recent memory. The duo got up on the Oscars stage on Sunday to perform their hit, Oscar-nominated song from The LEGO Movie, and they weren’t alone. While there were a ton of dancers, Questlove and an "awesome possum," you might have missed Will Arnett. But you definitely didn’t miss what he was wearing.

You saw the man in the Val Kilmer-inspired Batman suit, right? He was standing next to Questlove rockin’ out on a guitar. According to Chris Miller, who co-directed The LEGO Movie with Phil Lord, that was Arnett. He revealed this fun fact on Twitter during the show.

Arnett voiced Batman to hilarious effect in The LEGO Movie. Thanks to the film and his character’s successes, he’s getting his own spin-off, The LEGO Batman Movie, which is coming out February 10, 2017. A while ago, Lord said that one of the best perks about researching this film was that they got to try on the Batman suits. I guess he wasn’t kidding.

Kilmer’s Batman run may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but his suit was pretty awesome. Though, he only remained in it for one film, Batman Forever. Which was a shame, considering it bested its predecessor, Batman Returns, at the box office and earned three Oscar nominations. Kilmer dropped out of the franchise after he reportedly exhibited a bad attitude on the set and thought that the Caped Crusader didn’t have enough time in front of the camera. But we’re glad to have seen it return for Hollywood’s big night. Watch the performance below.

According to Lord, The LEGO Batman Movie will be honoring all eras of the Batman franchise. Though he didn’t specifically say, we’re assuming this also means nods to Adam West, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale and perhaps even our newly minted Batfleck, Ben Affleck.

"Everything Is Awesome" was one batshit crazy performance, and it should’ve made everyone scratch their heads over why the film wasn’t nominated for Best Animated Feature. We’re happy Big Hero 6 walked away with that honor, but we’re clearly still sore over the LEGO snub. The filmmakers used actual LEGO sets and figures, mixed with VFX magic, to create the spectacular worlds of the movie. Even the flaming explosions were made of LEGO bricks. We can only hope the Academy voters realize their mistake in the future. There’s still hope for The LEGO Movie 2, the Batman spin-off or that Ninjago movie.

Photo Credit: ABC

You just can’t keep Will Arnett off of television, and anyone who tries should have to spend a week or two working for Gob Bluth. A few months after CBS’ unceremonious cancellation of his sitcom The Millers, Arnett is reteaming with Netflix and Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz for the live-action drama-tinged comedy Flaked. Can we get please J.B. Smoove and Margo Martindale on this one, too?

Set to run across the course of eight episodes, Flaked will star Arnett as the honesty-avoiding, sobriety-leaning Chip, a Venice, California resident who builds himself up as a life guru. Once he begins falling in love with the woman that his best friend desires, Chip finds his falsified foundations crumbling as dark truths are unearthed. This leaves his vastly important image in a negative spotlight, and he’ll probably learn something about himself by the time all is said and done.

Nobody does self-important like Will Arnett, so it should be no surprise that he co-created and co-wrote the series, along with Mark Chappel, one of the co-writers on the David Cross-created comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. (More Arrested Development quasi-connections!) Hurwitz, who has an overall deal with Netflix, will be on board as an executive producer. All of these guys working together means Flaked will probably be comedic gold, but the press release does refer to it as a “serio-comedy,” so maybe there will be one crying scene that has nothing to do with Arnett’s character.

Flaked is the second Netflix series Arnett will front, as he’s already the lead of the hilarious R-rated animated comedy BoJack Horseman, which is going into Season 2 later this year. Oddly enough, that show was also about someone whose self-perpetuated lies ended up coming to the surface as the season went on, making for some surprisingly mature moments sprinkled in all the drunken debauchery. Here’s hoping Flaked takes that to an even deeper place.

I’m sure Arnett feels a lot more at home with Netflix, without the risk of abrupt cancellations hanging over his head. The Millers was four episodes into Season 2 when CBS decided to pull the plug, not just removing the possibility of a Season 3, but also yanking the show from the schedule after five episodes. (Canada got to see the Thanksgiving-themed sixth episode.) Netflix will be putting all eight episodes of Flaked up at once, and there’s no better guarantee than that.

Flaked – which joins an upcoming slate of Netflix comedies including the Wet Hot American Summer series, Richie Rich, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and more – is set to premiere across all of Netflix’s territories in 2016. Now let’s talk about turning that LEGO Batman movie into a Netflix series.

Everything was awesome when The LEGO Movie hit theaters last year, but everything will be even awesome-er when The LEGO Batman Movie swings into action. Co-directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord are bringing back Will Arnett’s hilarious character for his own spin-off adventure, and now we finally know what it’ll be about! Get ready for a Batman story like none other.

Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy created a Batman universe that was dark and gritty and brooding, and DC has incorporated this feeling into Man of Steel and, presumably, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, Lord and Miller are planning to do away with this vibe and focus more on what made their version of Batman so spectacular.

MTV News caught up with the duo on the red carpet of the National Board of Review, during which time Lord said:

Batman has always been a pretty serious guy on the big screen, and that’s ‘cause he’s had a pretty difficult life. He not only lost his parents at a young age, but they were gunned down right in front of him. And as the Gotham TV show depicts, he didn’t handle that all too well. It’s an interesting question: can the man who suffered through all of this emotional torment find happiness? Well, if the ending of The Dark Knight Rises is to be believed — and you are also a believer that it’s not a dream — then the answer is yes. As Lord teased:

Previously, Lord and Miller promised that all eras of Batman filmmaking will be honored in The LEGO Batman Movie. We presume this means we’ll be seeing the versions of Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Christian Bale and maybe even our latest Caped Crusader, Ben Affleck. While it’s unclear yet whether all these actors will be lending their voices to the film, it’ll probably end up happening. There was so much voice talent populating The LEGO Movie, from Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill to Shaq and Billy Dee Williams, that it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

The LEGO Batman Movie won’t hit theaters until May 26, 2017. We know it’s a long time, but remember all the work that went into creating the universe of the first film? That’s a lot of LEGOs! Arnett did say, though, that he already got a glimpse of some of the footage, which he called "mind-boggling." Just one of the many perks of being Batman.

The Millers may have gotten a shot at a second season, but it looks like CBS has decided not to see that through beyond the handful of episodes that have already aired this fall. The Will Arnett comedy has been cancelled.

Deadline reported the news tonight. While the site states that The Millers will shoot one more episode, they also say that CBS will likely pull the show from the schedule. Perhaps the plan is to air the remaining episodes at a later date, but as of right now that remains unclear. And we'll have to wait and see what CBS decides to do with the half-hour slot between 2 Broke Girls and Scorpion, assuming they do pull The Millers from the schedule immediately.

Created by Raising Hope's Greg Garcia, The Millers stars Will Arnett, Margo Martindale and J.B. Smoove and centers on Arnett's character Nathan Miller and his family. The original premise of the multi-camera comedy from the start had Nathan announcing to his family that he'd gotten divorced, after which his parents end up splitting up after more than four decades of marriage. The series premiered its second season midway through October and introduced sitcom veteran Sean Hayes as a series regular.

Between its cast, its creator and its proximity to The Big Bang Theory, The Millers had a lot going for it in 2013 when it first debuted, and it showed in the ratings. The series debuted to an audience of 13 million viewers, after which the viewership dipped a bit but seemed to linger in the 10 million viewer range. It hasn't been doing so well since its move from Thursday to Monday. A Big Bang Theory lead-in likely goes a long way, and while 2 Broke Girls does ok, the comedy delivers less than half the viewers as TBBT.

The Millers joins a handful of other comedies that have been canceled this fall, including Selfie (ABC), Manhattan Love Story (ABC), A to Z (NBC) and Bad Judge (NBC). (Fox's Mulaney hasn't been cancelled yet, but with the last couple of episodes failing to surpass 2 million viewers, it seems like it's only a matter of time.) The difference between those comedies and The Millers, is that they were all new. CBS made a choice to follow through with a second season of The Millers, and after a move to Monday night and less than stellar -- but not entirely terrible by network TV comedy standards these days -- ratings, it looks like they've changed their mind.

If there's a bright side to the cancellation, it's that Greg Garcia, director James Burrows and the talented cast are presumably free to pursue other projects.

Will Arnett has made a career out of playing one horse’s ass after another, but in Netflix's upcoming first original animated series, he’ll play the entire horse. BoJack Horseman, a surreal take on the lives of former celebrities, is set to debut on the streaming site next month, and it now has the above poster to promote its boozing and brooding titular main character. This is perhaps the first professional image I’ve ever seen that uses a horse gut to full effect.

As a piece of marketing, this poster (via Collider) does everything right, giving you all the clues you need to know in order to understand the world of BoJack Horseman. BoJack (Arnett) was the star of the hit 1990s sitcom Horsin’ Around, but has turned into a cynical substance abuser in the years since. He lives his days in his Hollywood Hills home, banging his agent and occasional cat girlfriend Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris) and hanging out with his laidback and ever-present best friend Todd (Aaron Paul). Life should be good, but BoJack’s rampant negativity won’t allow it.

Sounding almost like a terrible Adult Swim premise, BoJack Horseman was created by Olde English comedy troupe member Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who was one of the guys behind the fairly interesting The Exquisite Corpse Project. The show is executive produced by Arnett and Paul, among others, and also features in its cast Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins and a handful of comedy-friendly guest stars. Luckily, Collider also included a few extensive character descriptions to give us a better idea of who these guys are playing. Not that BoJack Horseman looks like a series where you need to know the details to get the jokes. (Unlike Arnett’s other Netflix venture, Arrested Development.)

We’re pretty aware that BoJack is a neuroses-laden madman, and Todd will be almost the exact opposite. He’s the kind of guy who falls ass backwards into weird situations and still manages to get out of them without harm. Princess Carolyn prides herself on keeping her professional and personal lives separate, but still manages to end up in bed with BoJack despite his heinous attitude about life. Anywhere else, she might seem like the weird one, but when compared to the rest of these guys, she’s normal.

Brie plays the brainy Diane, a human hired to help BoJack write his memoir. She never really meant to end up in entertainment writing, instead hoping for a classier version of literary fame. And then there’s Tompkins’ Mr. Peanutbutter, a golden retriever who starred in the sitcom Mr. Peanutbutter’s House and retained his oblivious sense of positivity. His life may not be that much better than BoJack’s but he’s mentally equipped to not bother himself with being downtrodden over his C-list career.

Check out the trailer for BoJack Horseman below.

While I doubt we can expect BoJack to take over Emmy nominations like Orange is the New Black did, we can at least hope to be extremely amused when the animated series hits Netflix in its entirety on Friday, August 22.