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Martin Mull participates in

Martin Mull participates in "The Cool Kids" panel during the Fox Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton hotel on Aug. 2, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP hide caption

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Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Obituaries

Martin Mull, comedian and actor in 'Arrested Development' and 'Roseanne,' dies at 80

Martin Mull came to national fame with a recurring role on the Norman Lear-created satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and the starring role in its spinoff, “Fernwood Tonight."

Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

Lena Waithe on Wild Card Vivien Killilea/Getty hide caption

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Vivien Killilea/Getty

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

At 40, Lena Waithe already has an impressive legacy, with dozens of writing, acting and production credits. She was the first Black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing (for Master of None). And she's also the creator of The Chi, which is just wrapping its sixth season. She tells Rachel one of her core beliefs is a lesson from The Wizard of Oz. They also discuss being bad at being wrong.

Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz.' Here's what she learned from it.

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Michelle Buteau arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 10, 2024.

Michelle Buteau arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 10. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP hide caption

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Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Movie Interviews

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Michelle Buteau decided: 'I better start living'

Buteau says covering the news of the 2001 terrorist attacks crystalized her desire to go into comedy. She stars in the film Babes and in the Netflix series Survival of the Thickest.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Michelle Buteau decided: 'I better start living'

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Striking Writers Guild members picket alongside SAG-AFTRA members outside Netflix studios in September of 2023.

Striking Writers Guild members picket alongside SAG-AFTRA members outside Netflix studios in September 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Culture

This time last year, Hollywood writers were on strike. Now, many can’t find work

The entertainment industry was shifting dramatically even before the strikes that paused production last year. Now, many Hollywood writers are feeling the pinch.

WRITER'S STRIKE'S FIRST ANNIVERSARY

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Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White in season two of The Bear. Chuck Hodes/FX hide caption

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Chuck Hodes/FX

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

Jim and Pam. Mulder and Scully. Janine and Gregory. Carmy and Sydney. Meredith and McDreamy. You know how it goes: two television characters with obvious chemistry who fight or look at each other longingly. You know that there's only one question: will they, or won't they? Today, we break down the different types of will-they-won't-they couples and discuss some of the best and worst couples in television, including Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Cheers, Grey's Anatomy, Dawson's Creek, and more.

Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

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Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

Amandla Stenberg as Mae in The Acolyte. Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+ hide caption

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Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

The new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte is a murder mystery. Someone is killing great Jedi masters, and while we learn the killer's identity early on, the real mystery driving the series is why they're doing it. It stars Amandla Stenberg as Force-sensitive twins Osha and Mae, and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae as Osha's former Jedi master. By the time it's finished its eight-episode run, The Acolyte may shed new light on the nature of the Force, and the hidden history of the Jedi.

Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

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Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is seen during a 2012 rehearsal. Next month, the U.S. Postal Service is releasing a Forever Stamp honoring Trebek, who died in 2020.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is seen during a 2012 rehearsal. Next month, the U.S. Postal Service is releasing a Forever Stamp honoring Trebek, who died in 2020. Kris Connor/Getty Images South America hide caption

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Kris Connor/Getty Images South America

National

The late 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek will be honored with a U.S. postage stamp

The stamp says: “This naturalized U.S. citizen hosted the quiz show ‘Jeopardy!’ for 37 seasons.” Underneath and in the show’s signature interrogative format is written: “Who is Alex Trebek?”

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

Julio Torres stars in Fantasmas. HBO hide caption

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HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

The brilliant and idiosyncratic new HBO series Fantasmas has a simple plot. Creator and star Julio Torres searches New York City for an earring he lost at a club. In the execution, that quest gets transformed into something epic and surreal and queer in every sense of the word. He keeps bumping into random New Yorkers whose stories play out in a series of sketch-like vignettes. They are played by actors including Emma Stone, Bowen Yang, and Tilda Swinton.

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

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'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

Luke Newton in a scene from the series Bridgerton. Liam Daniel/Netflix hide caption

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Liam Daniel/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

The second half of Bridgerton's latest season just dropped on Netflix, and naturally the course of true love continues to not run smoothly. Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) may have finally declared their feelings for each other, but there's still a lot left to figure out. We previously talked about the first part of the third season in May, so today, we're diving in everything that happens in the conclusion.

'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

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Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) is a young writer for legendary stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) in Hacks.

Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) is a young writer for legendary stand-up comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) in Hacks. HBO Max/HBO Max hide caption

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HBO Max/HBO Max

Comic Hannah Einbinder on 'Hacks,' cheerleading and laughs as a love language

Einbinder says her experience on the competitive cheer team in middle school taught her extreme discipline and focus — which she then put toward comedy. Her new Max special is Everything Must Go.

Hannah

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Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

Jake Gyllenhaal in the Apple TV+ show Presumed Innocent. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

Presumed Innocent was a blockbuster legal thriller as a novel, and then a hit movie starring Harrison Ford. Now, Apple TV+ brings back the story of the accuser turned defendant as a limited series. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead this time, as a prosecutor who is accused of the murder of the colleague he'd had an affair with. David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Practice, Ally McBeal) created the show.

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

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Elliot Lee moves the ball for Wrexham.

Elliot Lee moves the ball for Wrexham. FX hide caption

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FX

'Always Sunny' creator Rob McElhenney on his pandemic purchase: a Welsh soccer team

McElhenney says he bought the team to “bring hope to a town that had fallen on hard times." The FX series Welcome to Wrexham chronicles the team and its owners and fans.

'Always Sunny' creator Rob McElhenney on his pandemic purchase: a Welsh soccer team

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