Étoile is a comedy-drama from Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, the married creative team behind Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Set in the rarefied world of professional ballet, the series follows two storied but struggling dance companies — one in New York, one in Paris — that hatch an audacious plan to survive: they will swap some of their most gifted stars for a season, hoping the exchange generates the publicity and artistic spark each institution desperately needs.
Luke Kirby and Charlotte Gainsbourg lead as the harried directors on either side of the Atlantic, with Gideon Glick, Lou de Laâge, Simon Callow, and newcomer Taïs Vinolo among the dancers and staff swept up in the scheme. True to the Palladinos' signature style, the show pairs rapid-fire, literate dialogue with a genuine reverence for its milieu, casting real professional dancers and staging extended performance sequences alongside its backstage comedy.
Released on Prime Video in the spring of 2025, Étoile was mounted as an ambitious, bilingual production shot across two countries. Despite an initial two-season order, Prime Video ultimately declined to continue the series beyond its first season, leaving its single run as a distinctive, globe-spanning ode to the art form. It streams on Prime Video.
Apparently, the Medici were first among the finer Italian families to perfect the subtle art of offering deals people could not refuse. "The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance" happily works the double entendre in its title through all its nuances and ramifications. In its less sinister interpretations, "The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance" gives ample testimony to the family's lavish patronage and promotion of the arts and sciences, dragging Europe kicking and screaming out of "the dark ages." The Medici revolutionized banking, commerce, diplomacy, and empire building. It was in that empire-building thing that the term "godfathers" took-on its more sinister connotations. In just four hours of spectacular footage shot on 16mm film, the PBS filmmakers quicken Paul Strathern's best-selling book, creating a suspense thriller out of reliable historical data. In its promotional materials, PBS mastered understatement, suggesting "Travel back in time to see the real human stories behind the European Renaissance and the family that bankrolled it." Had it been HBO, the same thought would have read something like, "Witness the sinister intrigues, the stone-cold violence, and the intensely sexual illicit relationships that drove the first Italian crime family to prominence." Even that description would fall a little short of the super salaciousness built into the story of how "the Medici family would rise to rule Europe"¦ Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power."
Illustrious names behind this documentary style miniseries include the narrator Keith David and voices of F. Murray Abraham, Rene Auberjonois, and Derek Jacobi. Human history was changed by the Jewish faith and Israelites according to the thesis of this program. While slaughtered and persecuted for many years because they believed in one god (the popular belief then was in multiple gods) the Kingdom of David remained solvent and united as they concentrated on making sure their traditions and history records were passed down. With strictly held moral values and Jewish laws they persevered. Much of the filming took place on the exact grounds on which original events occurred. Episodes of the well received television program Empires: Kingdom of David have included "The End of Days", "By the Rivers of Babylon", and "The Book and the Sword" and each of which notably covered a specific period in Jewish history. The Kingdom of David is part of a documentary series from Public Broadcasting with the title of Empires.
A rock radio station and a talented ensemble cast bring the fictional WKRP in Cincinnati to life for a long and successful run. Starring Gary Sandy (as Andy Travis) the program director who also plays straight man for much of his staff, Howard Hesseman who is Dr. Johnny Fever, a disc jockey who was fired and become burned out and controversial after saying the word "booger" over the air. Moving to WKRP the first word uttered by Dr. Fever is, of course, "booger"! He's neurotic and a trouble maker but also has the most experience of the crew. The platinum blonde vivacious Lonnie Anderson (playing Jennifer Marlowe) decorated the set of each episode years before she became Mrs. Burt Reynolds. As WKRP's gorgeous receptionist she is also the highest paid employee at the radio station and in spite of being a "blonde bombshell" she is smart and capable in most any situation and her job. WKRP, known for playing album oriented rock music, sets the stage for some hilarious story lines and combined with creative writing and the outstanding cast, remains a hit.
Bob Newhart has been a stand-up comedian and actor who has a droll sense of humor that is appreciated by audiences young and old. In The Bob Newhart Show he portrays a Chicago psychologist named Robert Hartley, married to Emily (beautifully played by actress Suzanne Pleshette). The show divides its time between Bob's home life and his professional career. There is plenty of humor to be found in a psychologist's office and Newhart's comic timing plays well here. Besides wife Emily Bob must contend with an inept neighbor (Bill Daily as Howard Borden who is a commercial airline pilot and eventually Bob Newhart's brother in law) and office neighbor Dr. Jerry Robinson, a dentist (played by actor Peter Bonerz). Marsha Wallace portrays the receptionist who loves jokes, Carol Kester. Newhart is adept at playing the straight man for his fine cast. Many of the show scripts were based on Newhart's stand up routines, particularly his telephone conversations which were hilarious. Running from 1972 until 1978 The Bob Newhart Show was filmed before a live audience so there was no need for an irritating laugh track.
The Three Stooges Collection TV Show is a television serie of theatrical short subjects produced by Columbia Pictures starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. When the Three Stooges first signed with Columbia Pictures, their deal was for one short. 1934's WOMAN HATERS, done entirely in rhyme, wasn't a huge success, but the Stooges hit their stride with their second short, PUNCH DRUNKS, and began to settle into their definitive roles - Moe is boss, Larry the middleman and Curly as their foil. Witness the rise of these comedy icons in this high-spirited collection containing the first 19 Columbia Pictures shorts, all of which have been remastered for the best quality picture and sound. You'll experience the eye pokes, face slaps, hollow head knocks and knuckle cracks like you've never heard or seen them before. So go ahead, nyuck yourself out!
Derived from characters found in New Yorker cartoons written by Charles Addams, The Addams Family was a hilarious television series that ran from 1964 until 1966 to huge audiences on ABC TV. Always shot in black and white, there are 64 episodes that continue to delight audiences today. The Addams family had supernatural powers but it never is explained how or from where they got them. A close family with some pretty macabre interests, each family member has his or her own unique super natural power. Gomez Adams (played by John Astin) is extremely wealthy and quite adept at hanging from chandeliers, also very much in love with his wife, Morticia (actress Carolyn Jones) who is cultured and refined. Other eccentric characters include Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) is the electric uncle who makes light bulbs glow by placing them in his mouth and Lurch (Ted Cassidy) is the butler who grunts responses the family interpret in many different ways. A huge bell atop the house is rung to summon Lurch and each time it shakes the entire house. Thing T. Thing is a hand that magically transports itself among containers, keeping everyone guessing.
"I Dream of Jeannie" originally aired for only five years, never rising above twenty-fifth place in the ratings. By the end of the fifth season, Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden, very eager to move on, were "phoning it in." Hagman, of course, went on to become America's favourite arch-villain, "J.R." on "Dallas," and Barbara Eden went on to become, well, Barbara Eden. Imagine their surprise when, on its first night in syndication, the first episode of "I Dream of Jeannie" became the first locally broadcast show to out-point two of three network broadcasts in its time-slot. Even with her navel discreetly covered, Jeannie had a loyal cult following. She still does. Only hardcore fans remember how "master," an aspiring astronaut and budding American hero, found his cute blonde genie in a bottle or contrived to bring her home. The NBC "standards" crew worked overtime to make sure spaceman's and genie's living arrangement would not offend delicate American sensibilities, repeatedly assuring audiences that Jeannie always slept in her bottle. It took more than four years for The Major and Jeannie to discover their attraction to one another. Meanwhile, weekly comedy highjinks popped out of the bottle as The Major and his astronaut buddies conspired and connived to keep their precious secret from leaking to "the brass." "I Dream of Jeannie," for all of its patent silliness, remains one of America's longest-running and highest-earning sitcoms.
Mary Tyler Moore is Mary Richards, a subtle women's lib advocate who was before her time in many ways. Her job as an Associate Producer of a new program on local television in Minneapolis offers no power but plenty of hard work and laughs. It is at her apartment where much of the TV show is shot and her neighbors Phyllis Lindstrom (played by Cloris Leachman) and Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) will eventually move on to star in their own series. The many conflicts, romances, and humorous happenings that Mary faces are shared with her neighbors and her co-workers Lou Grant (played by Ed Asner) and Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). Other characters on this delightful sit-com include Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) and Georgette Franklin (actress Georgia Engel). Typical episodes dealt with often controversial subjects such as homosexuality, pre marital sex, juvenile delinquency, and equal paychecks for women. Mary lives in an old Victorian house in a studio apartment on the third floor. Phyllis is not only her landlord but her dear friend who often draws Mary into some problematic escapades that are always funny and often thought provoking as well.
If you have any interest at all in making money; how to do it, when to do it, and were best to find needed capital watch Bobby Genovese starring in the self titled Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist for an insiders guide to high finance. Bobby has an absolute craving for life and is the type of entrepreneur that can't help make money. He's a globetrotting, polo playing, scuba diver who treasures his privacy yet flaunts his business acumen throughout the world. Living life to the fullest we observe Bobby and his team both working and at play as they go about making money, lots of money. Marco comes from Italy and is the practical one to Bobby's wild schemes. He is described as the Yin to Bobby's Yang. Brent used to be Bobby's lawyer but now swims with the big fish and looks to hit it big in the money game. Steve works on the Canadian end of business but it's not all that easy as he finds out. Jerry is the CEO and pilot to Bobby G's capital flagship. Together they work out complications with the Atlantis Project.
The world knows and loves Matt Groening for his unprecedented and unparalleled work on "The Simpsons." During the Fox Network's ambitious "Animation Domination" initiative, Groening teamed with David Cohen, creating a second hit animated series, "Futurama." Groening and Cohen described their wonderwork as "retrofuturistic," an amazingly apt oxymoron for a working class sitcom set in the thirty-first century. Apparently, blue collar labor will not evolve over the next thousand years: In "Futurama," a late 20th century pizza delivery guy is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a millennium; when he thaws and returns to consciousness, he finds a job at Planet Express, an inter-planetary delivery company. Not especially concerned with science, the writers focus the stories on the workplace trials and tribulations of the three central characters"”Fry, Leela, and Bender. Their future dramas strangely resemble every working person's today dramas. Although "Futurama" has moved up and down the dial, exiting Fox for Cartoon Network, and bidding farewell to Cartoon Network for a new home on "Comedy Central," it has held onto a fiercely loyal audience, and it especially has garnered unprecedented critical acclaim. In 2010, "Futurama" set a Guiness World Record for "Current Most Critically-Acclaimed Animated Series", adding to its eight Emmys and thirteen Annies.