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In a world of crime dramas, only a few shows manage to completely hit the mark. And it’s safe to say that NCIS: Origins has been doing that ever since it aired in 2024. Now, after a good number of months, the show has finally revealed a major yet heartbreaking background story about one character.

In the most recent episode of the show, fans got an emotional glimpse into the life of Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Hayes.

Tyla Abercrumbie | Credits: @tylaabercrumbie/Instagram

While the character is known for her sharp and commanding presence at Camp Pendleton, under her tough exterior lies a past filled with heartbreak.

NCIS: Origins details the heartbreaking secret behind Mary Jo’s past

NCIS: Origins has become a go-to show for any crime drama fan, with storylines that have kept the audience hooked to their seats. But while the anticipation is running quite high for the show,...

Quick LinksMark Harmon Reveals the Darkest Side in 'The Deliberate Stranger''The Deliberate Stranger' Shows Why Harmon Is the Consummate Television StarHarmon's Performance in 'The Deliberate Stranger' Remains the Best and Most Frightening Portrayal of Ted Bundy

Mark Harmon had an exciting year in 1986, beginning on January 27, 1986, when he was named People’s second-ever Sexist Man Alive. The following month, Harmon’s three-season run ended on the medical drama television series St. Elsewhere, in which his character, Dr. Robert Caldwell, became one of the first television characters in history to die after contracting AIDS.

After leaving St. Elsewhere, Harmon shocked audiences by playing real-life serial killer Ted Bundy in the 1986 four-hour television miniseries The Deliberate Stranger. In stark contrast to the inherent sense of integrity and morality that became the hallmark of his iconic portrayal of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, Harmon’s Bundy is a charming, sadistic creep...

NCIS: Origins has been a valiant effort to reinvent the NCIS franchise through the lens of a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but CBS’ poor handling of NCIS: Hawai’i could help explain the latest spinoff’s lower-than-expected performance in the ratings.

There was much enthusiasm for NCIS: Origins because it would bring Gibbs back to the franchise years after Mark Harmon walked away.

There’s no denying that Gibbs was the draw of NCIS for many years, and while the show has bounced back creatively in his absence, he’s still a missing piece of the puzzle.

A dead Navy sailor washes up on a sacred site on NCIS: Hawai’i. “Primal Fear” is the fourth episode of the show’s second season. (Karen Neal/CBS)

There’s much to love about NCIS: Origins, with Austin Stowell convincingly portraying a much younger iteration of the beloved character and Kyle Schmid‘s tour...

Lori Loughlin, best known to TV audiences for family friendly fare like ABC’s Full House and Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart, is not who you would expect to see preside over a squad room on a Dick Wolf procedural. But after some time away from the limelight, the Tgif vet reports for duty as Bishop, a no-nonsense lieutenant in the Long Beach police department, on Prime Video’s On Call.

In her very first scene, Bishop gathers her police force and uses some very salty language as she relays pertinent intel regarding the prime suspect and “piece...

“The appeal for me was Dick Wolf,” says Lori Loughlin of On Call, the new half-hour police drama coming to Prime Video on January 9, 2025. “You know you’re going to get into the room with some really good people and it’s going to be a good ride.” The series, shot with a mixture of hand-held cameras, bodycam, and dash-cam footage, centers on a training officer (Troian Bellisario‘s Harmon) and her new rookie (Brandon Larracuente‘s Diaz) as they patrol in Long Beach, California. Loughlin plays Lieutenant Bishop, and Eriq La Salle (also an executive producer and director) stars as Sergeant Lasman. Loughlin felt fortunate that they thought of her for the role and shares with TV Insider that Lasalle “was really pushing for me from the beginning. It’s a role that I never played before, and it was very challenging and very different for me. Eriq really was my cheerleader.

After four seasons of NCIS, which initially started as a Jag spin-off, veteran showrunner Donald Bellisario was shown the exit, and per reports, his departure was a result of his feud with Mark Harmon. Harmon, who has been a regular on NCIS since its inception and has now marked his return in its new prequel, apparently wasn’t a fan of Bellisario’s antics.

NCIS | Credit: CBS

According to insiders, the Freaky Friday star was reportedly frustrated by the producer’s management style, and it seems, the showrunner himself wasn’t too eager to continue his run on the show after four seasons.

The Network Reportedly Asked Donald Bellisario To Leave After Mark Harmon Feud Mark Harmon in NCIS | Credit: CBS

According to TV Guide, the alleged feud between Donald Bellisario and Mark Harmon hit the fan after the lead star became very frustrated over the showrunner’s “chaotic management...

The blood-thirsty hitchhiker, the escaped psycho with a hook for a hand, the babysitter and the call that is somehow unequivocally coming from inside the house; we all known them. The modern day fables that have shaped our fears and behaviours arguably more than any others. Urban legends that all seem to have sprung out of the American post-war hangover of the 1950s and ’60s, as inequality took seed and the dark side of the new white-picket-fence suburbia slowly set in off-screen. Ed Gein and Ted Bundy and the Moors Murders filled the news. Doubts about our fellow man, and about what they’re capable of. About how we very much aren’t “all in this together”; that the days of blindly trusting one another are all but over. That people, strangers in particular, are more likely to be dangerous than helpful.

And naturally, those cautionary tales bled into culture and filmmaking.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the NCIS: Origins premiere.The NCIS: Origins premiere proves that the marketing for the film lied about what it's really about and how it connects to Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs. For 19 years, the no-nonsense leader of the Major Case Response Team in Washington DC was the face of the CBS police procedural. Even as the NCIS universe evolved, Harmon's Gibbs remained central to its storytelling, so losing him in 2021 was a big turning point. This time, he returns to the franchise the prequel, NCIS: Origins, which will reveal how he became the icon in the agency in the flagship project.

This was supposedly the primary premise of NCIS' first period spinoff. NCIS: Origins was going to see how Gibbs developed from a grieving family man starting a new life as a field agent to become the epitome of principle and justice in Navy Yard.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the NCIS: Origins premiere.NCIS: Origins keeps things vague when it comes to Mark Harmon's location in the premiere and who old Leroy Jethro Gibbs may be talking to. A few years since the actor officially left the flagship series, he is returning to the franchise via a new spinoff. While the evolving NCIS franchise has seen its fair share of expansion series in the past, NCIS: Origins is the first prequel offshoot in the universe. Set in the '90s, it tackles Gibbs' start in the agency, then known as Nis, as part of Mike Franks' (Kyle Schmid) team.

NCIS: Origins recasts the role of young Gibbs with Austin Stowell, who will be the main version of the character in the spinoff. Similar to Young Sheldon, however, the prequel features Harmon as the narrator. Initially, the actor was only supposed to do the voice-over...

Rutger Hauer’s bedraggled, trench-coated hitchhiker John Ryder is everything the Joker always wanted to be, just without the film bro philosophising and cosplay-friendly get-up. A true agent of chaos who exists outside of rules, society, and possibly even reality itself. The way he appears and disappears, floating in and out of the worst day of hopeless everyman Jim Halsey’s life, showing up just in time to send another calamitous domino tumbling, is, very plainly, supernatural. A character who’s so far beyond the realms of reason or humanity, he’s practically primordial; more of a lesson than a person. Don’t trust strangers – you will be dragged kicking and screaming into a cross-country cat-and-mouse game that will surrender your very soul, and potentially get a little bit homo-erotic too.

Famously written by Eric Red from the lyrics of The Door’s 1971 classic Riders on the Storm (“there’s a killer on the road…...

Is Mark Harmon Appearing in NCIS: Origins? Og Star's Role Explained - Main Image

Mark Harmon is returning to the NCIS world as he is executive producing the prequel spinoff series NCIS: Origins, but will he also make an appearance on-screen?

The new series, set in 1991, will focus on the early investigative career of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Austin Stowell will play the younger version of the iconic character.

Mark Harmon's Involvement in NCIS: Origins

Despite his departure from the original NCIS series years ago, Harmon is heavily involved in Origins as one of the executive producers.

Not only that, he will also serve as the narrator of the series as the present-day version of Gibbs is relaying the story of the cases that he investigated in the past.

Harmon's participation will be similar to Jim Parsons' involvement in Young Sheldon, which centered on the younger years of the...

Mark Harmon was the face of the NCIS franchise for almost two decades before he exited the original series, and now he is set to reprise his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS: Origins. The upcoming NCIS prequel series premieres on Monday, October 14, at 9 pm Et on CBS. It revolves around Gibbs' early days with the United States Naval Investigative Service (Nis), the precursor to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). As a result, one doesn't really need to watch the original NCIS show in order to understand NCIS: Origins.

NCIS: Origins is the sixth installment and the fifth spinoff in the NCIS franchise, following in the footsteps of original series NCIS and the spinoffs NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, NCIS: Hawai'i, and NCIS: Sydney.

Austin Stowell is headlining the NCIS: Origins cast as a younger version of Gibbs. The prequel will take place in the...

CBS has released a new trailer for NCIS: Origins. The one minute and 40 second clip offers an in-depth look at Austin Stowell's younger, Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

The clip, released via the TVLine YouTube Channel, showcases a young Gibbs on his first day at the Nis Camp Pendleton office. He is seen going through his day-to-day tasks while still being haunted by the murder of his wife and daughter. The video also features Robert Taylor as the protagonist's father, Jackson Gibbs, and Bobby Moynihan as lead forensics analyst Woody Browne. Patrick Fischler can be heard in the opening moments of the clip as Special Agent Cliff Walker, in charge of the new Nis Pendleton office.

Related NCIS Season 22 Photos Confirm Fan Favorite Will Return After Character Exit Rumors

New NCIS Season 22 photos confirm that one character will be staying with the titular team despite the Season 21 finale suggesting otherwise.

Mark Harmon...

As Jesse Collins Entertainment gears up to host the second Emmy Awards of 2024, the 76th annual ceremony is set to celebrate “SNL’s” 50th anniversary, “Happy Days” and “characters you’ve loved over the years.”

After the 75th Emmys saw reunions for TV classics like “The Sopranos,” “Cheers,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “All in the Family,” among others, EPs Collins, Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay hope to lean into nostalgia in a more character-driven way this year.

“We want to celebrate ‘SNL’s’ 50th — we got a great moment there,” Jesse Collins told TheWrap in a Thursday interview ahead of the show. “‘Happy Days’ — Ron Howard and Henry Winkler,” he said, with EP Dionne Harmon adding the team built a set for their onstage reunion on Sunday. The team remained tight-lipped on “one big surprise that [they] think everybody will love.”

“We loved the nostalgia of January’s show, and...

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Rick and Morty: The Anime Episode 2!Rick and Morty: The Anime has officially revived one of the main show's most controversial couples. There have been many notable relationships throughout Rick and Morty that have ranged from genuinely sweet to absolutely toxic. However, only one stands out as the most controversial in the entire show's run, and it's been brought back, hinting at a renewed future between Tammy and Birdperson.

In episode 2 of Rick & Morty: The Anime, titled "Fighting Mother," Tammy officially makes her return after supposedly being killed in season 4's "Star Mort: Rick-turn of the Jerri." She's even been given the same cybernetic enhancements she gave to Birdperson after his "death." It's a surprising return for a character that caused so much discourse among fans for betraying Birdperson at their wedding. However, her encounter with her former husband in the post-credits makes...

NCIS: Origins star Austin Stowell recently shared a new promotional photo from the highly anticipated prequel series. While the show is still months away from release, the image will ramp up excitement among fans.

Shared via Stowell's official Instagram account, the image gives viewers a look at the actor as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The role was originally played by Mark Harmon across 19 seasons of the flagship show. Set in the 1990s, the new series focuses on Gibbs' early career "as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling Nis Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks."

Related Why Did Sasha Alexander Leave NCIS?

Sasha Alexander played Special Agent Caitlin Todd on NCIS, but it was her decision to leave the show after Season 2. Here's why she wanted out.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by...

It was the end of an era when Mark Harmon stepped down as a series regular on NCIS, but he's returning to the screen by revisiting another role from his past. Recent set photos have revealed a sneak peek at Harmon's return in the upcoming Disney sequel, Freaky Friday 2.

Per the Daily Mail, images taken from the Freaky Friday 2 set showcase Harmon in action. He will be reprising his role from the 2003 version of Freaky Friday, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan in the lead roles. Both Curtis and Lohan are returning, and an official image of the two on set was previously released by Disney. In the original film, Harmon played Curtis' love interest, and the new set images reveal all three actors reunited to film an outdoor scene walking down the street.

Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mark Harmon, Julia Butters, Manny Jacinto...

Mark Harmon makes a comeback to acting in Freaky Friday 2, three years after stepping away from NCIS. Harmon is spotted on set shooting scenes with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis for the Disney sequel. Despite his retirement as Gibbs, Harmon remains tied to the NCIS franchise with the upcoming spinoff NCIS: Origins.

Mark Harmon is back to acting three years after leaving NCIS as he's spotted on the set of Freaky Friday 2. After almost two decades spearheading the police procedural, the actor officially ended his stint on the small screen with an appropriate send-off in NCIS season 19 for Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Subsequently, Harmon revealed that he decided to walk away from the show which made him a household name as he wanted to take some rest from the show's grueling production schedule. A few years later, however, he is back on set for his next film.

Courtesy...

While anime fans still look forward to the third season of One Punch Man, the beloved manga series may now have a future in theaters. Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced a live-action film way back in 2020 and the progress has been really slow on the project. Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner were initially signed on as writers, but the latest reports suggest that Rick and Morty writers Dan Harmon and Heather Anne Campbell are rewriting the script.

One-Punch Man anime

Fast & Furious director Justin Lee will be the one helming the film. He is expected to bring the high-octane action package to Saitama’s story on the big screen. One-Punch Man became one of the best-selling manga series of all time just before the announcement of the film in April 2020.

Sony Hires Fast & Furious Director And Rick & Morty Writers For One Punch Man

Sony will develop a live-action adaptation...

Todd makes the next best cameo option for NCIS' 1000th episode after Gibbs. NCIS revisits Todd's death in the 1000th milestone episode, hinting at clues to a current threat facing the agency. Bringing Todd back after her death may be tricky, but there are ways to feature her even though she has long been dead.

With Mark Harmon unlikely to return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS' 1000th episode, his best replacement is an original character who has long been dead. CBS' police procedural franchise has expanded with several spinoffs — including an international segment with the recently launched NCIS: Sydney and all of them are beloved shows. That said, there's still something special with the one that started it all, hence why the universe's upcoming milestone will be celebrated in the mothership show. NCIS season 21, episode 7, "A Thousand Yards," marks its overall 1000th outing in more than two decades on the air.

NCIS' 1000th episode will be full of Easter eggs and callbacks to the show's most memorable moments, dating back to the pilot episode. Director Leon Vance will take center stage in the milestone episode, with familiar faces from the agency helping him solve a mystery. While Gibbs will unlikely be involved in the 1000th episode, fans can still expect a case-per-week format to keep them engaged.

Sean Murray teases Easter eggs that go back to the show's premiere in NCIS' 1000th episode. Playing Timothy McGee, the actor is the longest-serving cast member in the CBS police procedural. Because of this, he has been in the majority of groundbreaking NCIS episodes over the years, so celebrating the franchise's upcoming milestone will be very special. Not much has been revealed about the outing thus far, but it has been confirmed that NCIS' overall 1000th episode will put Director Leon Vance at the center of its storytelling.

Dan Harmon has established a pretty neat little entertainment empire, creating the beloved cult hit "Community" before co-creating "Rick and Morty" and overseeing Apple TV+'s "Strange Planet" and Fox's "Krapopolis." But it's been a rocky road to success for Harmon, who was previously kicked off his own show before being rehired, and in 2018 had to publicly apologize for his prior mistreatment of "Community" writer Megan Ganz — and those are just a couple of examples of the man's controversies. Despite these debacles, however, Harmon has been an entertainment mainstay for well over a decade at this point, and during that time he's not only managed to create several of his own successful shows, but he's also apparently been fairly influential in perhaps the biggest Hollywood success story of the modern era: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In the same way we wouldn't have "Rick and Morty" or "Community" without Dan Harmon,...

Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS season 21, episode 3.

Gibbs may return to NCIS soon, but missed the tribute episode. Tony Dinozzo made a brief return instead to console Jimmy Palmer. An ex-CIA friend of a troubled former NCIS agent helps the team in season 21, episode 3, revealing the truth about retirement, which he has been for three years now. Gibbs has been retired for around two years, enjoying his time in Alaska. Gibbs needs a purpose and may return to NCIS soon. Potential ways include the upcoming 1000th episode and being the executor of Ducky's will.

NCIS season 21, episode 3's case unexpectedly offers a clue when Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs might return, and it's surprisingly soon. Life goes on for the police procedural's titular team even after losing several notable characters, including the squad's fearless leader. Despite being an ensemble, Gibbs was NCIS' main protagonist, with Harmon functioning as...

Warning! Spoilers ahead for the NCIS season 21 premiere.

Gibbs' departure from the NCIS team has left them vulnerable to being targeted by the FBI due to his unresolved case, causing tension and conflict between the organizations. The upcoming Ducky Mallard tribute provides the perfect opportunity for Gibbs to return and pay his respects. There is no confirmation that Mark Harmon will make an appearance in season 21, unfortunately.

The NCIS season 21 premiere focuses on Nick Torres' case, but it also shows how Leroy Jethro Gibbs' final unresolved plot continues to impact that team years after he left. Mark Harmon left in NCIS season 19 with a less dramatic exit. CBS' procedural has seen its share of character exits in its more than two decades on the air, but Harmon's is arguably the biggest, considering his role in the show. So, while Gibbs' departure from the team wasn't exactly action-packed, it was...

Mark Harmon's iconic NCIS character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, left the show during season 19, but there is potential for his return in season 21. Harmon is confirmed to narrate an upcoming NCIS prequel, but he can also physically appear in season 21, specifically in a tribute episode for the character Ducky Mallard. The friendship between Gibbs and Ducky, played by David McCallum, goes back to before the events of the series, making it a compelling reason for Harmon to return and pay tribute to his friend.

Before he returns for his prequel, Mark Harmon can reprise his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the main NCIS show much earlier. After almost two decades as the face of the franchise, Harmon left during NCIS season 19 after a case brought him to Alaska. Having been on the air for so long, losing a major cast member isn't new to the procedural when the actor exited.

Michael Weatherly has teased a possible return of his character Tony Dinozzo on NCIS after being away from the series for a decade. Dinozzo was a fan favorite known for his clever one-liners, loyalty, and detective skills, and his character felt unfinished. While there are no concrete plans for his return, Weatherly expressed interest, and his potential comeback could revitalize the series and attract lost viewers.

Michael Weatherly has teased the possible return of his NCIS character Tony Dinozzo. As a series that has been on screen for over two decades, NCIS and its many spin-offs has seen the arrival and departure of many characters, but after a decade away from the series Weatherly could be ready to make a surprising comeback to the series.

Weatherly’s Dinozzo, known for his clever one-liners, unwavering loyalty, and impressive detective skills, did not take long to become a fan-favorite in the early years of the series.

Joel McHale expresses his desire for Owen Wilson and Charley Koontz to return as recurring characters in the upcoming Community movie. Recurring characters such as Leonard, Star-Burns, "Fat" Neil, and Magnitude are top contenders for a return in the movie. The inclusion of recurring characters in the Community movie presents a challenge in balancing fan service without overcrowding the story. Fans are hopeful that Dan Harmon and co-writer Andrew Guest will find a meaningful way to bring back these beloved characters.

With most of the original cast already confirmed to return, Joel McHale reveals which Community recurring characters he'd like to see in the upcoming movie. Development on a feature adaptation of the Dan Harmon sitcom had swirled for years before finally being confirmed in late 2022. McHale is confirmed to reprise his role of disbarred attorney Jeff Winger alongside fellow leads Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong,...

Season 7 of “Rick and Morty” is the first volume of the Adult Swim animated sitcom, a “Back to the Future” riff tracking the adventures of a mad scientist and his bumbling grandson, not to star co-creator Justin Roiland as the voice of both title characters. The network fired Roiland in January after the actor was charged with domestic violence; though the charges have since been dropped, an NBC News report last month alleged a pattern of inappropriate sexual conduct. In between, the roles of Rick and Morty were recast with soundalikes Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden, a monthslong saga that culminated with the debut of a Roiland-free show on Sunday.

All this behind-the-scenes upheaval might suggest “Rick and Morty” would return a markedly different show. But “How Poopy Got His Poop Back” is almost pointedly normal, collecting various fixtures of the “Rick and Morty” universe — not just Rick and Morty themselves,...

Fans of Rick & Morty can breathe a sigh of relief - season 10 isn't the end, and the show's co-creator, Dan Harmon, has big plans for the future. Justin Roiland, the original voice of Rick & Morty, has been replaced with new voice actors will step in to fill these iconic roles. Harmon envisions a potential pivotal story arc where Morty turns 15 and wants to be a normal teenager, causing everything to fall apart - a "Titanic" shift in the series.

In the animated universe, few shows have carved a niche quite like Rick & Morty. Fans will be pleased to know that the upcoming season 10 isn't marking the end of their favorite interdimensional travelers. However, the series' co-creator, Dan Harmon, has given fans a hint about a potential story pivot he sees as the show's equivalent to a "Titanic" upheaval.

The much-loved sci-fi animation by Adult Swim is primed for its next chapter,...

"Rick and Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon once had a meeting with Zack Snyder about a possible movie adaptation of the popular animated series. Despite Snyder's darker filmmaking style, he expressed interest in teaming up with Harmon for a comedic project like a "Rick and Morty" movie. While the details of their collaboration remain uncertain, both Harmon and Snyder appear to be enthusiastic about making their dream film project a reality.

Dan Harmon gives details on his meeting with Zack Snyder about making a Rick & Morty movie. Justin Roiland may be out after his firing in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, but Adult Swim’s acclaimed animated sci-fi comedy will roll on with all-new highly-anticipated episodes. Stepping in for co-creator and voice actor Roiland are two as-yet-unnamed soundalikes who will take over giving voice to Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith as they set off on more of their signature wild adventures.

“I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that the story would involve the gang getting back together,” says Dan Harmon.

That’s how he, star Joel McHale and co-writer Andrew Guest pitched the Community movie around town, pre-strike. And though Harmon and Guest still have work to do on the script, which Peacock ultimately greenlit, a Greendale Community College reunion is likely to remain core to its premise.

During the series’ run from 2009 to 2015, “six seasons and a movie” had become both a hashtag and a rallying cry for Community fans. Then, shortly before the pandemic hit, Sony approached Harmon, eager to seriously explore the “and a movie” after watching the show enjoy a strong second life in streaming. Harmon subsequently recruited Guest, who’d worked on the early seasons and was brought back for the series finale.

“I think Dan, as part of...

Chevy Chase would rather forget he was in “Community,” and for the most part, the “Vacation” actor has.

Chase, who starred in the cult favorite NBC sitcom before exiting after allegedly making racist comments on set, said during Marc Maron’s “Wtf” podcast that he doesn’t think much about the Dan Harmon-created series.

“Oh, I kind of forget about that,” Chase said when asked about the series. “Right, they wanted me. So I said Ok…I kind of forgot about that. I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me.”

He continued, “I didn’t mind the character [but] I felt a little bit constrained a bit. Everyone had their bits and stuff, I thought they were all good, but it just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”

Chase added that he “felt happier being alone, in a sense. I just didn’t want to be surrounded...

Chevy Chase appeared on Marc Maron’s “Wtf” podcast (via Rolling Stone) and claimed that “Community,” the NBC sitcom he starred on for 83 episodes, was “not funny enough for me.” Chase played millionaire Pierce Hawthorne on “Community” for four seasons. His co-stars on the Dan Harmon-created comedy included Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover and Ken Jeong.

“I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately. I felt a little bit constrained,” Chase said. “Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”

Asked about his character, Chase added, “I didn’t mind the character. I just felt that it was…I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much.”

Chase was fired...

Dan Harmon's new show, Krapopolis, has shattered ratings records, becoming the most-watched animated series in a decade with 3.6 million viewers. The premiere of Krapopolis also broke the record for the highest-rated entertainment program among adults 18-49 for the week, surpassing Family Guy's 1999 premiere. The success of Krapopolis is a huge win for Fox, which renewed the show through season 3 even before its premiere.

Dan Harmon’s new show, Krapopolis, has shattered ratings records, including a 24-year-old record set by Family Guy. From Harmon, the co-creator of Rick and Morty, the new adult animated series is set in Ancient Greece and follows a flawed family of mortals, gods, and monsters as they try to run one of the world's first cities without killing one another. The show's main voice cast includes Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy, Duncan Trussell, and Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, with a ton of recognizable voices making guest appearances.

Rick & Morty co-creator Dan Harmon unleashes a new animated comedy series in the trailer for Krapopolis. With Rick and Morty season 7 set to premiere later in 2023, with big changes afoot after the firing of co-creator/main voice actor Justin Roiland, Harmon is set to unleash his new creation as part of Fox’s vaunted Animation Domination block. Set in Ancient Greece, Harmon’s Krapopolis follows a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters as they try to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other. Before airing even one episode, Krapopolis has already been renewed for seasons 2 and 3.

Ahead of the Krapopolis season 1 premiere date, Fox has unveiled a new trailer for the show, previewing its crazy cast of characters and their weird and bloody historical exploits (via AniDom).

Featured in Krapopolis are the vocal talents of Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Hannah Waddingham, Pam Murphy,...

Krapopolis has a new trailer — watch it above.

The Dan Harmon-created animated series will launch on Sunday, September 24, on Fox. It will launch with a special two-episode preview following the NFL doubleheader on the network.

Krapopolis then will become part of the network’s Animation Domination block from Sunday, October 1, where it will air at 8:30 p.m. after The Simpsons and before Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy.

This comes after the series scored a third-season renewal before a frame of the toon has been seen by the viewing public.

Fox previously shifted Krapopolis to the 2023-24 season, shaking up its plans to premiere the series in a four-episode, two-hour block in May.

Krapopolis has had a very long gestation period. Harmon signed a direct deal with the broadcast network in July 2020 with a series commitment. In February 2021, the then-untitled show was handed a formal series order, making it...

Holy krap! Dan Harmon‘s animated comedy Krapopolis has an official release date at Fox. The series, which features the voice talents of Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham, What We Do In the Shadows‘ Matt Berry, comedian Richard Ayoade, Mapleworth Murders‘ Pam Murphy, and The Midnight Gospel‘s Duncan Trussell, will premiere on Fox on Sunday, September 24 at 8/7c with two episodes. (The debut takes place immediately after the Fox NFL doubleheader and air live to all time zones.) Starting October 1, Krapopolis will air right after The Simpsons on Sundays at 8:30/7:30c, followed by Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy. It joins the long-running adult animated series that make up the “Fox Animation Domination” lineup starting at 8/7c. Due to the ongoing WGA writers’ strike (which has affected the upcoming season of Family Guy), the Animation Domination block is the only part of the Fall 2023 schedule Fox has announced thus far.

Apple TV+ has revealed a premiere date for the long-awaited series Strange Planet, which is based on a bestselling comic collection of the same name.

The creator of the adult animated series, Nathan W. Pyle, revealed on Twitter that Strange Planet will premiere on August 9 on Apple TV+. The season features 10 episodes which will air every Wednesday. Along with Pyle, who serves as an executive producer, Strange Planet is co-created and executive produced by Rick and Morty co-creator and Community creator Dan Harmon. A synopsis of the series by Apple Studios reads as follows: "Based on the New York Times No. 1 bestselling graphic novel and social media phenomenon of the same name, 'Strange Planet' is a hilarious and perceptive look at a distant world not unlike our own. Set in a whimsical world of cotton candy pinks and purples, relatable blue beings explore the absurdity of everyday human traditions.

Recasting Rick & Morty's titular characters will be a challenging decision for Dan Harmon and Adult Swim to make. Since Justin Roiland is not expected to return to the creative team of Rick & Morty in any way due to his series of controversies, the fate of the two beloved animated characters still hangs in the balance. It's possible that Harmon and Adult Swim could choose to hire popular voice actors or impressionists such as the TikTok star Sean Kelly instead of a more traditional trained actor or celebrity figure.

Filling in for the iconic voice parts of Rick and Morty is sure to bring about a lot of scrutiny from devout fans of the show. It's the main reason why Rick & Morty Season 7 will make or break the long-standing comedy series. The first major revelation will be whether Rick & Morty will attempt to keep the original voices of...

There have been plenty of stories of fandoms influencing the thing they love over the years, but it's rare for fans and the creator to be in direct conversation with one another. That magically happened during the making of the cult NBC series "Community," and showrunner Dan Harmon loved taking fan feedback and incorporating it into the series. When it comes to his other series, "Rick and Morty," engaging with the fans in the same way just isn't possible for a few reasons. In an interview with MSNBC, Harmon explained how "Community" was perfectly poised to work with fan feedback, but times have changed, and animation is a totally different beast.

While it would be neat if every show could have that kind of back-and-forth between creators and fans, that's a whole lot of power given to the audience instead of the artist. Harmon would have been fully within his...

What set "Community" apart from nearly every other sitcom was its concept episodes that either parodied, homaged, or commented on the tropes of various popular films and television shows. You have "Contemporary American Poultry," which sees the main study group creating a chicken finger mafia in the style of "Goodfellas." You have "Basic Lupine Urology," which parodies "Law & Order" as the gang investigates a sabotaged science class experiment involving a yam. Then, of course, you have the paintball episodes, which call to mind everything from "28 Days Later" to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

My personal favorite episode of "Community" features none of this. "Mixology Certification" is the tenth episode of the second season, and it's simply about the characters going to a local bar to celebrate Donald Glover's Troy Barnes turning 21 years old. With all the whizz-bang wildness the show can provide, I love that the...

For a brilliant and wildly entertaining series, "Community" went through a lot of ups and downs. The show had season premiere delays and times when it was taken off the schedule, leading fans to extreme campaigns, such as flash mobs singing "O' Christmas Troy" and a whole lot of #sixseasonsandamovie hashtags sent to NBC executives and social media accounts. The sixth season wasn't even on NBC but ended up on a new streaming platform Yahoo! was trying to get off the ground (and which subsequently crashed).

Chevy Chase, who played the curmudgeonly Pierce Hawthorne and creator Dan Harmon, also spent a lot of time feuding, and Chase left the series early in season 5. Donald Glover who played Troy Barnes left in the fifth season as well. The biggest change, however, was when Dan Harmon was fired before season 4, then hired back for season 5. 

There were a lot of reasons that...

"Community" began as a conventional single-camera sitcom that balanced humor with romantic drama. But the series became increasingly ambitious through its first three seasons. Episodes parodied action films, zombie thrillers, and "My Dinner With Andre." Background gags and Easter eggs trained audiences to root through each episode for clues. The series could also nail the television fundamentals, as in season 2's bottle episode "Cooperative Calligraphy." "Community" was made by people who loved TV, and were willing to pull every trick in the book to do that love justice. Future seasons would challenge that love, of course. The departure of showrunner Dan Harmon led to a messy season 4, and even his return in the following two seasons wasn't enough to keep the cast from leaving for new and exciting opportunities. But the show's best episodes were so exceptional that it didn't really matter. "'Community' was always a show about underdogs,...

It is a miracle that Dan Harmon's groundbreaking sitcom "Community" lasted more than a half-season on NBC. The series about seven misfits who form a study group at the fictional Greendale Community College was aggressively dense in its world-building and proudly esoteric in its references. How esoteric? In only its second season, the show turned what was set up as a "Pulp Fiction" homage into an invigoratingly cerebral riff on "My Dinner with Andre" provoked by a character's extra work on Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel's "Cougar Town." Not so shockingly, "Community" ranked a dire 138 in the Nielsen ratings that year.

Harmon and a crack staff of writers that included Megan Ganz, Dino Stamatopoulos, Liz Cackowski, Chris McKenna, and Andy Bobrow shredded the outside of the envelope of what was acceptable on a network sitcom. It made "Seinfeld" look like "Full House." Critics and a cult following kept...

Community is well known for its many running gags that are reused over the seasons, one of the funnier gags is the “Britta’d” joke that takes some explaining. In Dan Harmon’s Community, seven community college students of different ages begin studying together, and the show tracks their friendship as they all get up to all sorts of hijinks at Greendale Community College. Like any Dan Harmon show, Community has plenty of running gags. From Troy and Abed’s morning talk show to Shirley’s voice getting higher when she tries to get someone to do something to Jeff saying something rude to Leonard, every episode is packed with these types of jokes.

In later seasons of Community, Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is usually mocked for both her quasi-commitment to social justice and her inability to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. The humor in the show can occasionally be...

The “Community” spin-off movie has already been announced, but Alison Brie is maintaining some healthy skepticism.

In a new interview with The A.V. Club, the “Somebody I Used To Know” star was asked about the upcoming film continuation of creator Dan Harmon’s beloved sitcom.

Read More: Alison Brie Loves Streaking: ‘I’m A Very Comfortable Naked Person’

“Well, it’s happening. We’re doing it for Peacock,” Brie said. “We are allegedly shooting it this summer, is the most that I know. I saw Joel [McHale] and Danny [Pudi] last week and I was like, ‘Joooooel, where’s the script? What’s the plan?’ And he was kind of just bouncing around. I think right now, it’s just a matter of everybody’s schedule. Most of us have all signed on to do it, everyone who’s in is in, and now everyone is kind of assessing their schedules...

The Rick and Morty co-creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon reportedly had a falling out long before the recent Roiland controversies. The two creators elected to work together in 2012 to produce a show that would follow two characters from a Back to the Future parody that Roiland worked on previously. With the project planned, the two collaborated to create the hit show Rick and Morty, an animated sci-fi series with raunchy humor and heavy themes, which has quickly become one of the most popular animated shows on TV.

While Rick and Morty became heavily successful, new reports about Roiland detail shocking behind-the-scenes issues. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Roiland and Harmon fell out years before Roiland's controversies came to light. Despite numerous attempts to resolve their relationship, the two were unable and unwilling to budge, allegedly causing long-term resentment and major problems in the writing room that hamstrung the series.

Actor Mark Harmon is no longer featured on NCIS. Pic credit: ©ImageCollect.com/Fernando-Leon

The NCIS opening credits for the Season 20 premiere looked a lot different than in the past.

For the first 19 seasons of the hit drama, actor Mark Harmon was the first name shown on the NCIS opening credits.

So when the episode A Family Matter debuted on Monday night, it was a shock to see Sean Murray as the first member of the NCIS cast to be featured.

Harmon had starred as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the head of an NCIS team that helped solve crimes involving the Navy or Navy personnel.

A few episodes into Season 19, Gibbs was shown retiring to Alaska, where he would finally take some time for himself after years of service.

This was also where the introduction of Alden Parker (played by Gary Cole) took place. Parker took over the running of Gibbs...

NCIS‘ “transition” year apparently is over.

Coming up on one year after Mark Harmon made his last on-camera appearance as team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the new opening credits for NCIS‘ Season 20, which debuted Monday night, no longer feature the series vet.

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Instead, Sean Murray, who plays McGee, is now the first cast member featured in the opening montage.

Also of...

As the East Coast’s largest pop culture convention, the annual New York Comic Con (Nycc) is a space for comic, film and TV enthusiasts alike to find community in fandoms — all while in the city that never sleeps.

This year, the convention returns to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from Oct. 6-9 with a stacked lineup of panels, exhibitions and exclusive VIP experiences.

Similar to last year’s hybrid format, attendees have the choice of purchasing tickets at 22.75 a piece for digital access to the event’s in-person programming. Panels in major convention halls will be streamed over live video, while audio streams will be available for smaller rooms.

ReedPop, the company behind the production of Nycc, released a full schedule for the four-day event. And though there’s hundreds of options to choose from across a vast spectrum of fan bases, we’ve highlighted the most exciting...