by admin | May 4, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
directing a number of shows including “Columbo” and “Night Gallery.” Though his focus would cater toward the glamour of big screen adventures, he never lost sight of the medium that gave him the opportunities to flex his chops. Most of Spielberg’s later television career consisted of executive producer credits, but there were some shows that he had an active hand in developing, with one that made a considerable splash in the mid ’80s.
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“Amazing Stories” was Spielberg’s foray into the world of anthology television, as each episode spanned the genre-scope of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Invoking the series will undoubtedly trigger the whimsical John Williams theme song that should come as no surprise for those who tuned in. Despite only lasting for two seasons, it left a huge impact in its wake. The Emmy award-winning series recruited all manner of filmmaking greats to do an episode of their own including Martin Scorsese, Brad Bird, and Danny DeVito. One name among the directorial roster that came as a surprise was none other than Clint Eastwood.
Eastwood and Spielberg are two names you wouldn’t typically expect to see together in a creative manner, but in 1985, the pair collaborated for the first and last time on an episode of “Amazing Stories” that sees the former reconcile with his sweeter side.
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Eastwood directed a romantic ghost story for Amazing Stories
NBC
Between his filmmaker duties on “Pale Rider” and “Heartbreak Ridge,” Eastwood directed the “Amazing Stories” episode entitled “Vanessa in the Garden,” which Spielberg wrote. Harvey Keitel stars as Byron Sullivan, an early 20th century painter who can produce artistic magic with the stroke of his paintbrush. Of everything he’s painted, few were quite as beautiful as the ones featuring his wife Vanessa (Sondra Locke). A year after Byron and Vanessa consummated their marriage with a honeymoon in Paris, the world is their oyster. Byron is given great news by his friend/agent Teddy (Beau Bridges) that he’s booked an exhibition solely for his work.
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The good times don’t last long, however, on account of a lightning bolt that spooks the horse attached to their carriage, sending them down a hill and killing Vanessa in the process. Byron falls into the kind of deep depression that leads him to burn his paintings. He finds the one he painted of Vanessa in their garden and tries to lay waste to it, but the match goes out. When Byron wakes up the next morning, he discovers that she’s been removed from the painting and is standing outside in the garden. He tries to run to her, but she disappears. As Byron starts seeing her visage around the house, it reinvigorates his passion for painting again.
“Vanessa in the Garden” sees Eastwood and Spielberg embracing the romantic nature of ghost stories. By the end, Byron not only gets back to doing what he loves most, but is able to further commune with his wife by exclusively painting the couple doing things together.
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How fitting for Eastwood to direct a story about how beautiful his real-life significant other is, even if that relationship would take a public nosedive in the following years. To makes matters even more dramatic, Locke, who was someone Eastwood was already having an affair with while married to Maggie Johnson, mentions in her autobiography “The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly” that her partner had her share a scene in this episode with Jamie Rose, an actress Eastwood met on the set of “Tightrope” — whom he was also having an affair with.
Eastwood had an interesting television career
MGM
Eastwood, much like Spielberg, is another one of cinema’s most recognizable figures who also has a special connection to television — even if on opposite ends. Throughout the early stages of his career, Eastwood did what any upcoming actor would do and found himself booking a whole bunch of guest spots on shows like “Highway Patrol,” “Death Valley Days,” “Maverick” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” And who could forget the episode of “Mister Ed” where he plays a version of himself opposite the titular talking horse?
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Most viewers at the time knew Eastwood, however, as cattle poker Rowdy Yates for over 217 episodes on the hit CBS western series “Rawhide.” Though he describes getting cast as a fluke, it was the very thing that led to his movie star career with Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy. After Rawhide went off the air in 1965, Eastwood never did another narrative television guest spot ever again.
Eastwood would only deviate from his directorial duties two more times with the final episode of Scorsese’s PBS documentary series “The Blues,” and Diana Krall’s 1999 music video “Why Should I Care” for the release of his film “True Crime.” It’s surprising Eastwood didn’t direct more television considering the quick turnaround schedule he maintains on his film set correlates with the quick production of television.
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by admin | May 4, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
much like the absurd, astounding CW series, “Riverdale.”) Sandwiched between unpredictable mystery and brutal teen drama is a huge chunk of outrageous character moments that often feel like caricatures. However, these aspects played out so often and so intensely that “Pretty Little Liars” feels better for it, where this brand of extreme camp meshes well with the fabric of the show. Given the popularity of the series, “Pretty Little Liars” ran for seven seasons and ended with a controversial yet memorable series finale, leaving fans clamoring for more. As a result, three (!) spin-offs were ordered in quick succession, but each one of them got canceled pretty early due to a combination of factors.
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When “Ravenswood” was first announced, it emerged as the spin-off that had the most potential, as the series had a direct connection to the parent show in the form of a single character: Caleb (Tyler Blackburn). Despite this strong link, “Ravenswood” failed to pique audience interest or recapture the essence of the mega-popular teen series it was an offshoot of. What exactly went wrong here?
Ravenswood sported low viewership during its first (and only) season
ABC Family
Spoilers for “Pretty Little Liars” and “Ravenswood” to follow.
While every character in “Pretty Little Liars” undergoes something deeply traumatic, Caleb contends with especially difficult circumstances that are impossible to simply move past. A troubled foster kid with a complicated outlook towards close relationships, Caleb perennially sought out parental figures (along with his real father) after being abandoned as a child. In season 1 of the show, Caleb crosses paths with the titular Liars and develops an intense dynamic with Hanna (Ashley Benson), whom he gradually begins to view as a source of comfort and stability. Caleb and Hanna experience a strong, eventful romantic arc in “Pretty Little Liars”, and Caleb’s skills as a technical expert come in handy while uncovering who “A” is as a part of the show’s central mystery.
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Once Caleb decides to leave Rosewood, he makes his way toward — you guessed it — Ravenswood, but soon gets embroiled in a supernatural mystery that can only take place in “a town where people throw parties in cemeteries.” Caleb’s description of Ravenswood isn’t too far-fetched, as it is a quaint, eerie place that has more headstones than houses, lined up neatly beside the narrow, somber streets. The town seems to come alive and loom maliciously over its residents, as spooky stuff like haunted mansions and cursed objects are pretty commonplace here. While all of this does sound fun, “Ravenswood” indulges in the stalest interpretation of horror tropes and doesn’t bother to mask it with competent storytelling. In fact, things often get so lackluster that the dark, campy shenanigans of the Liars feel infinitely superior to such drab genre fare.
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Is “Ravenswood” unwatchable? No, far from it. But it is an aggressively mediocre supernatural show that has little in common with its frenetic parent series. While this would usually be a good thing (like how “The Vampire Diaries” spin-off “Legacies” takes a fresh, lighthearted approach to the franchise’s supernatural core), “Ravenswood” fails to stand on it own merits, and its association with “Pretty Little Liars” only serves to hurt its credibility. Perhaps this is why viewership fell off by the time the show wrapped up its season 1 finale, dropping from 2.1 million viewers (at launch) to 1.1 million viewers (which is less than half of the viewership “Pretty Little Liars” steadily drew in per episode).
In case you’re looking for a “Pretty Little Liars” spin-off that is closer to the lead-in series in terms of tone and subject matter, be sure to check out “Original Sin,” which does a great job of granting a fresh spin to a familiar premise.
by admin | May 4, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
the masterpiece that is “Freakazoid!” in 1996. Spielberg also oversaw the animated shows “Histeria!” and “Toonsylvania,” as well as primetime series like “Family Dog” and the Berkley Breathed “Bloom County” TV special “A Wish For Wings That Work.” In terms of animation, Spielberg hit his stride in the ’90s. And he’s still going; the man is now an executive producer on “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.”
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One of the most obscure pieces of ephemera in Spielberg’s animated canon, however, is a TV series called “Invasion America,” a show that aired on the WB for only 13 episodes in June and July of 1998. “Invasion America,” unlike the series listed above, was not a comedy; it was a very serious, steely, angsty sci-fi show about a teenage boy who finds out that he’s half alien. Spielberg co-created the series with Harve Bennet, the executive producer behind “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.”
Steven Spielberg and Harve Bennet’s Invasion America is one of their most obscure projects
DreamWorks Television Animation
The plot of “Invasion America” was quite involved. It’s explained that an alien force from the planet Tyrus came to Earth in the 1980s, hoping to engage in peaceful contact. There is, sadly, a schism within the Tyrusians. The planet’s ruler, Cale-Oosha (Lorenzo Lamas), wishes to make peace with the humans, while his uncle, the evil Dragit (Tony Jay), wants to conquer Earth. There is a fracas, a Civil War breaks out, and Cale-Oosha, along with his alien friend Rafe (Edward Albert), has to flee to Earth. He disguises himself as a human and proceeds to fall in love with a human woman named Rita (Kath Soucie). They have a child together and name him David.
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David (Mikey Kelley) grows to his teen years not knowing that his father is an alien. The show’s action picks up when the Dragit return to Earth to kill off Cale once and for all, forcing David’s true identity into the spotlight. The rest of the series follows David’s adventures as he flees the Dragit’s evil alien spies and fosters his own previously unknown alien superpowers. (His abilities are enhanced and controlled by a Power Glove-like widget called an Exotar.) The tone of the show was closer to “The X-Files” than anything else, presenting a kid-friendly version of alien conspiracies.
“Invasion America” featured a few notable guest voice actors, including Kristy McNichol, Ronny Cox, and James Sikking. Leonard Nomoy also appeared as a villain named General Konrad, likely participating because he and Bennet collaborated on three “Star Trek” movies. While the show was produced in 30-minute episodes, it aired two episodes at a time, presented in 60-minute blocks. The series finale was similarly composed of a three-episode, 90-minute block.
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How was Invasion America?
DreamWorks Television Animation
The series wasn’t very well-received. The review in the Los Angeles Times, written by Howard Rosenberg, argued that “Invasion America” tried to cover up its thin plot and bad writing with splashy visuals. Indeed, the show made use of then-rare-for-TV CGI models (for spacecraft exteriors), and its showrunners clearly endeavored to make everything look rich and satisfyingly mechanical. Anita Gates, writing for the New York Times, was equally impressed with the visuals –”stylish to the point of Art Deco,” she wrote – but also noted that “Invasion America” had no heart. Even in 1998, fantasy “chosen one” narratives were already immensely tired, as Gates pointed out. At least Ken Tucker’s review for Entertainment Weekly was positive. He noted, per Rotten Tomatoes, that the show was “derivative” but that its visuals made up for it.
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Unusually, two versions of “Invasion America” aired in different time slots during its run. The full-length iteration ran on the WB, while a truncated, less violent rendition ran on Kids’ WB. The series ended with a chyron saying that it was “The End of Book One.” It’s full 13 episodes were presented as a single, prolonged story arc, which was unheard of in animation at the time and wasn’t really common outside of soap operas. It wouldn’t be until the mid-2000s that season-long stories became de rigueur. Sadly, there was no Book Two.
One cannot fault “Invasion America” for a lack of ambition. It was pushed very hard at the time and even had tie-in novels. It was slick and toyetic and had some of the most talented Hollywood bigwigs working on it. It seems, though, that “Invasion America” was just too familiar to catch on, and it came and went without much fanfare. Spielberg fell back to producing the “Animaniacs” spinoff “Pinky & the Brain,” while Bennet fell back into his “Time Trax” money. “Animaniacs” was eventually revived while “Tiny Toons” was rebooted. “Invasion America,” on the other hand, remains dormant.
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by admin | May 4, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
the discourse surrounding the “Star Wars” franchise these days, it’s easy to forget that Lucasfilm is home to other properties beyond George Lucas’ iconic galaxy far, far away. In particular, the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which Lucas co-created with Philip Kaufman before Steven Spielberg came aboard as the films’ primary director, is also under the Disney umbrella.
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Much like “Star Wars,” the “Indiana Jones” property has expanded beyond its original trilogy of films with a television series, polarizing sequels, video games, and attractions at Disney Parks. However, an “Indiana Jones” series has yet to be developed for Disney+, a streaming service that has been dominated by “Star Wars” media since its launch in late 2019. Funny enough, though, it appears a streaming show about the most-beloved archaeologist in cinematic history was, in fact, in the works at one point, and used the galaxy far, far away to maintain its secrets.
Disney auditioned actors for an Indiana Jones animated series disguised as a Star Wars show
Lucasfilm
Speaking on his “Black Check” podcast, actor Griffin Newman (whose credits include “Disenchanted,” “Draft Day,” and “The Tick”) revealed that he had auditioned for a voice role in what, at first, appeared to be an untitled animated “Star Wars” project. But upon looking closer at the material provided for him, Newman read between the lines and realized the project was really an animated prequel set in the “Indiana Jones” universe. As he put it:
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“I think I can say this. Years ago, I auditioned for what they had said was ‘Untitled Star Wars Project.’ When I read the sides I was like, ‘This is clearly a young Indiana Jones show,’ and it was going be animated. Then I think ‘Dial of Destiny’ was kinda getting complicated; they were like, ‘Let’s just focus on this and not do the side show.’ But there was going to be a Disney+ animated sort of like River Phoenix-esque rather than ‘Young Indiana Jones’-esque … The thing that was very funny about the ‘Indiana Jones’ cartoon thing was usually you’ll get these breakdowns and it’ll be like, ‘Untitled Lucasfilm Project,’ and you read it and you’re like ‘This is ‘Star Wars’ but they’re trying to hide that it’s ‘Star Wars.” This they sent out as ‘Untitled Star Wars Cartoon Show’ and I was like, ‘Oh cool, I’m auditioning for a ‘Star Wars’ cartoon show.’ And then I read the sides and they gave all the characters alien names but they talked about being at a university and studying adventurers and wanting to collect relics. And I was like, ‘You’re using ‘Star Wars’ as a cover for it being ‘Indiana Jones.” … But this show has just not happened.”
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Based on Newman’s statement, it’s clear that Lucasfilm had plans to bring “Indiana Jones” back to television for the first time since “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” from the 1990s (which you can stream on Disney+). This time around, though, it would have been the franchise’s first foray into the medium of animation. It’s especially fascinating to learn that Lucasfilm opted to keep development on this particular series a secret by presenting it as an untitled “Star Wars” project, given that the studio looks to have many projects within that universe in development (though which ones will or won’t receive a greenlight remains a mystery).
What is the future for Indiana Jones?
Lucasfilm/Bethesda
Lucasfilm’s first theatrical release following 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode XI — The Rise of Skywalker” was none other than 2023’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Unlike the four previous entries in the franchise, however, Spielberg did not direct the movie. Instead, “Logan” and “A Complete Unknown” filmmaker James Mangold helmed what is looking more and more like the final entry in the film property. Indeed, the movie functions as a cinematic swan song for Harrison Ford’s take on the eponymous archaeologist. Sadly, in the wake of “Dial of Destiny” earning mixed reviews and flopping at the box office, there’s no sign of any other major “Indiana Jones” projects being in active development at Lucasfilm right now.
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Luckily, “Indiana Jones” fans have at least one major light at the end of the forbidden temple to look towards. The critical and commercial success of the video game “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” suggests the franchise may have a brighter future beyond the realm of live-action cinema. Case in point: Walt Disney Imagineering is currently developing a new “Indiana Jones” theme park attraction for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so fans will soon be able to go on another exciting E-Ticket adventure with the bullwhip-cracking hero.
Again, though, it’s unknown if Lucasfilm has plans to revisit “Indiana Jones” on the big screen anytime soon. With Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy reportedly planning to step down at the end of 2025, it appears the studio is mainly focused on the future of “Star Wars” for the moment. That’s understandable, too, given the property is preparing to unveil its first theatrical release in seven years when “The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits theaters on May 22, 2026. As for the only living man who looks good in a fedora, Harrison Ford claims he will take Indiana Jones to his grave. At the very least, though, Troy Baker is doing the character justice in video game form.
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by admin | May 3, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
“Dune: Part Two,” the heir to House Atreides is ascending in power and clearly on a path to unleash war across the Dune galaxy. This twist in the boy-turned-messiah’s story is sobering. It doesn’t completely align with the books, either — and it turns out that director Denis Villeneuve was well aware of that fact. In an interview with ScreenRant, Villeneuve explained the intention of having Paul “break bad” by the end of the two-part adaptation of the first book of author Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi series:
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“When Frank Herbert wrote the book, and then when the book came out, he was disappointed by how people perceived Paul Atreides. At the time, he felt that people were talking about Paul as a hero, and for him, he was an anti-hero. He was a dark figure. The book was a warning for him about a Messianic figure.”
Villeneuve went on to clarify that Herbert used the first book’s sequel to rectify the issue. It also meant, as a director adapting the source material, he had the benefit of hindsight as well as both books to work from. Here’s what he said:
“[Frank Herbert] wrote Dune Messiah to correct [the perception of Paul as a hero] and to make sure that people understood his intention. I knew that story. I had the benefit of having read ‘Dune Messiah,’ so I wrote ‘Part 2’ having that in mind. That is why Chani’s character is slightly different in my adaptation than in the book, and it helped me to bring the initial intention of Frank Herbert to the screen.”
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Chani’s changes from book to screen
Warner Bros
Speaking to Total Film, Chani actor Zendaya also addressed the changes with her character. She pointed out that, in the first book, the fremen protagonist meets Paul and is all in on him from the jump. In the movie adaptation, she doesn’t have quite as much buy-in on the messianic Atreides stock. Zendaya said:
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“In the book, Chani meets Paul and is like, ‘Alright, this is the guy. I support you.’ Whereas in our film, in no way does she bend how she feels. She’s strong in her convictions. Even when she’s falling in love, she still doesn’t like what [Paul] represents.
Chani reluctantly goes along with Paul throughout the end of “Dune: Part One” and into the early stages of “Dune: Part Two.” However, as their bond grows, she remains staunchly focused on what she sees as right — even when Paul crosses boundaries and unleashes an all-out war on the House of Harkonnen and the Padishah Emperor himself. In the end, she refuses to join his jihad to conquer the galaxy. The movie even ends with her about to ride a sandworm off into the arid dunes of Arrakis — an adjustment that is starkly different from her role in the books, where, despite her strong opinions, she fanatically remains by Paul’s side by that point in the story.
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Paul as a hero and his arc in Dune: Messiah
Warner Bros
It’s easy to slip into seeing Paul as a hero in the earlier phases of the “Dune” saga. In the first book, he’s an untried youngster who is manipulated by the Bene Gesserit and, through the conniving of his own mother, accidentally becomes their long-awaited Kwisatz Haderach. In the process of that evolution, Paul loses his father and many of his favorite servants, watches his family’s material wealth seized by the Harkonnens, becomes a stone-cold killer, learns to survive in extreme desert conditions, and even loses a child (something the movies cut to maintain narrative flow).
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Despite all of this, Paul ultimately becomes an undeniable anti-hero figure well before the end of his story. He spends the bulk of “Dune: Messiah” processing his own failures and the destructive path he’s torn through the galaxy. Eventually, he even flips the script and preaches against the path he has set for himself, his family, and the Fremen through his actions. While this is a gradual revelation in the books, the devolution from hero to anti-hero is happening much faster in Villeneuve’s movies. The question that remains is how Paul’s arc will continue to trend when we get the third and final installment of the director’s ground-breaking adaptation. The good news is that the third movie is already being fast-tracked, so chances are we’ll get an answer sooner rather than later.
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by admin | May 3, 2025 | TV & Beyond Articles
“Yellowstone” spin-offs creating an entire franchise centered around the travails of the Dutton family. If you thought it was Kevin Costner and the modern setting that made “Yellowstone” a hit, spin-offs “1883” and “1923” have proved that’s not the case. In the wake of all this, others have tried to join in on this Western renaissance, most conspicuously, Netflix, which has churned out hits such as Western series “American Primeval” and “Ransom Canyon,” which has been dominating the Netflix chart recently. Meanwhile, Amazon made its own attempt at reinvigorating the Western with “Outer Range” and over on traditional network TV, ABC launched “Big Sky.”
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All the while, however, Sheridan was consolidating his own power. Not only was the “Yellowstone” universe growing, but the impresario of the franchise was shepherding multiple other TV shows, from spy thriller series “Lioness” to “Landman,” which may or may not be connected to “Yellowstone.” He also reportedly managed to charge Paramount $50,000 a week to film “Yellowstone” on his ranch, and, as he told CBS Sunday Morning, provided most of the horses for the show. “All the horses, for the most part, in our business are terrible,” he said. “They’re not very broke, they’re not very safe, which is one of the reasons you don’t see actors on them very often. I didn’t want to do that, so I bought all the horses for the show and then taught the actors how to ride.”
With all that in mind, it’s not all that surprising to hear that Sheridan oversaw yet another western show in “The Last Cowboy.” But this reality competition series isn’t just another “Yellowstone” spin-off.
The Last Cowboy is Taylor Sheridan’s reality competition series
Paramount
After providing the horses for “Yellowstone,” Taylor Sheridan went ahead and cast himself in the series as horse trainer Travis Wheatley. Sheridan himself hails from North Texas where he grew up around ranching, coming to own a 1,200-acre property even before turning to Hollywood. As such, he certainly has the real-life experience to play Wheatley. But it seems injecting all of this experience into “Yellowstone” wasn’t enough, as Sheridan has also taken his love for horse training and riding and made a whole documentary competition series out of it.
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“The Last Cowboy” focuses on the sport of horse reining, which sees contestants leading their horses through various courses made up of precise patterns of circles, spins, and stops. The seasons end in the “Run for a Million,” a competition that sees 16 riders perform in a Las Vegas arena for a $1 million prize. As the official site of the event states, both it and “The Last Cowboy” are designed to “celebrate the growth of the western lifestyle and western performance equine industry” — something that Sheridan has, of course, had a big hand in.
The reality show, which airs on Paramount’s CMT network and streams on Paramount+, gives viewers an insight into the daily lives of the competitors and horse riders in general, following the training and preparations for the big event. “The Last Cowboy” came in last in /Film’s ranking of every Taylor Sheridan show, but that has less to do with it being a bad show and more to do with the fact that the multi-hyphenate’s true talents lie in writing his western-tinged soap operas and crime dramas.
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The Last Cowboy is the hit series you’ve never heard of
Paramount
If you’re looking for shows to watch if you love “Yellowstone,” “The Last Cowboy” is a great option for those who find Travis Wheatley’s profession of particular interest. Speaking to Bridle & Bit in 2024, Taylor Sheridan explained the genesis of the series:
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“During the first season of ‘Yellowstone,’ I did a scene that included NRHA [National Reining Horse Association] riders. When I was talking to these guys about the industry, there was some discussion about the current state of the industry and how it could improve. I thought about it and started work on creating an event that would showcase and elevate the western performance genre.”
Sheridan also talked about how, since the first season, “The Last Cowboy” has evolved to incorporate more “excitement, competition, concerts, and things to do.” The show isn’t just focused on the competition, either, providing a look at the daily lives of horse trainers and the sport of horse reining as a whole. What’s more, this thing has been running for a full five seasons, so there’s plenty of binge-watchability to the series, which also seems to have fared quite well on the Paramount Network, despite nobody you know having seen it.
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As Deadline reported back in 2019, upon its inaugural airing, “The Last Cowboy” scored the Paramount Network’s biggest unscripted premiere since the 2015 debut of “Ink Master: Redemption.” That may or may not make up for a lack of reviews, depending on how interested in horse reining and the resurgence of the cowboy you are. One thing’s for sure, though. “The Last Cowboy” is far from the last cowboy show we’ll see in the coming years, as Sheridan continues his mission to bring back the western for good.
