Two weeks after Nancy Guthrie mysteriously disappeared, her daughter Savannah is pleading for her safe return.

“I wanted to come on. It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken, and I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope. We still believe, and I wanted to say to whoever has her, or knows where she is, that it’s never too late and you’re not lost or alone,” the Today show host, 54, said in a video shared via Instagram on Sunday, February 15.

As she held back tears, Savannah addressed her mother’s would-be kidnapper or kidnappers directly, saying, “It is never too late to do the right thing and we are here. We believe. We believe in the essential goodness [of] every human being, and it’s never too late.”

Nancy was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the early hours of February 1. She was last seen by Savannah’s sister, Annie Guthrie, who had dropped Nancy off at home following a family dinner the previous evening.

Related: Savannah Guthrie Tells Mom’s Kidnappers ‘We Received Your Message’

Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s family has spoken out amid her mother Nancy Guthrie’s continued disappearance, seemingly addressing their mother’s kidnapper or kidnappers directly. “We received your message and we understand,” Savannah, 54, said in a new video shared via her Instagram on Saturday, February 7, while flanked by and holding the hands of her […]

In the video — the fourth released by Savannah in the wake of Nancy’s disappearance — the TV personality was seen sitting on the ground of an outdoor garden. She wore minimal makeup and her eyes appeared heavy and bleary.

The video was published just hours after Fox News Digital reported that local authorities had deployed a digital scanner to help track Nancy’s pacemaker. The outlet stated that the ongoing search introduced the “high-tech Bluetooth scanner placed on the bottom” of “helicopters” in an attempt to track the pacemaker’s signals.

“The helicopters fly low, typically in grid patterns, at a slow pace to pick up signals,” the outlet reported, adding that a helicopter was seen flying “near Guthrie’s home” three days after she was reported missing (It is not known, however, if the bird was fitted with the scanner at that time.)

Related: Savannah Guthrie Shares New Statement on Mom Nancy Before Ransom Deadline

Advertisement

Savannah Guthrie has shared a new video statement pleading for missing mom Nancy Guthrie’s safe return less than four hours before the latest ransom deadline. “I just wanted to come on and share some thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare,” Savannah, 54, said in a video shared via Instagram on Monday, […]

Also on Sunday, Matt Finn, a reporter for Fox News, shared alleged fresh information regarding the investigation via X. “Sheriff [Chris] Nanos responds to me about the local Phoenix news report that cites an inside source who says investigators believe the Guthrie case was a burglary gone bad and that Nancy Guthrie is still alive,” Finn wrote before reiterating the unverified nature of the report. “Did not come from us. No idea and even though that is one of many possibilities we would never speculate such a thing. We will let the evidence take us to motive.”

Pima County Sheriff Nanos told the New York Times on Friday, February 13, that the search for Nancy has engaged about 400 people in total. He also noted that a timeline for the potential safe retrieval of Nancy remains unclear. “Maybe it’s an hour from now,” Nanos detailed. “Maybe it’s weeks or months or years from now. But we won’t quit. We’re going to find Nancy. We’re going to find this guy.”

Related: Savannah Guthrie Shares Home Videos of Mom Nancy: ‘We Will Never Give Up’

Savannah Guthrie shared a new message nearly two weeks after her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing in Arizona. “Our lovely mom. 💛,” Savannah, 54, captioned an Instagram post on Thursday, February 12, alongside a montage of throwback videos and photos. “We will never give up on her. Thank you for your prayers and hope.” Nancy, […]

Advertisement

News of Nancy’s disappearance broke on February 1 after a family member reported her missing and called 911 as a result.

The search has seen multiple SWAT, forensic officers and other law enforcement departments comb Nancy’s neighborhood in the Catalina Foothills and surrounding areas, per reporting by CNN and NewsNation.

Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco
Keep It Sunny-Side Up at Hot L.A. Breakfast Spot

Published
February 15, 2026
9:25 PM PST

A slew of breakups rocked the celebrity world throughout 2026, beginning with Bill Hader and Ali Wong.

News of the pair’s split broke on January 7. One day later, The Real Housewives of New York City alum Kelly Bensimon announced on her iHeartRadio “I Do Part 2” podcast that she’d recently split from her boyfriend.

Us Weekly confirmed on January 10 that TikToker Kristy Scott filed for divorce from her husband, Desmond Scott, after nearly 12 years of marriage.

Later in January, Summer House’s Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke announced their split, as did Jaime King and Austin Sosa. News broke that same month that NBC News journalist Stephanie Gosk filed for divorce from Jenna Wolfe.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Britani Bateman began February by announcing her split from boyfriend Jared Osmond, calling him “the love of my life.” Later that month, Jason Oppenheim confirmed his split from Jessica Vargas.

Keep scrolling for all of the celebrity couples who broke up in 2026:

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Simpsons, Season 37, Episode 14

“When we first came up with this idea… we had no idea it was going to be the 800th episode,” he admits. The goal was simply, “What’s the best story that we can tell?” That same understanding is why the episode also finds time to celebrate one of TV’s most recent obsessions: The Pitt. Price said the writers’ room was basically hooked at once by the HBO drama, and because the story already had Marge rushing the dog to a veterinary ER, it “just made absolute sense” to go full Pitt with it. They even pulled in Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden to voice the medical staff looking after the pup.

But if you’re worried they’d ever make a milestone like this much darker, he doesn’t mince words: “There was never going to be a world… where it ended with the dog really dying.” The show can fake a series finale, have Conan O’Brien host it, and turn the lights off “literally 12 times,” but mess with Santa’s Little Helper? “That will be the end of everything.”

And that bigger-than-TV energy isn’t stopping at just Episode 800: Price also says the team is excited to return to the big screen with another Simpsons movie. “I played a small role in the writing of the first one, and I hope we make something that’s just as good as that one for this thing,” he says.

How ‘The Simpsons’ Found the 800th Episode Story Without Chasing the Milestone

The idea came first, the milestone came later: how a Philly trip, a dog show, and Marge’s bond with Santa’s Little Helper became the spine.

COLLIDER: Congrats to you and The Simpsons team on such an incredible milestone. Getting right into it, when you started thinking about this 800th episode, why did Santa’s Little Helper feel like the right character to anchor such a milestone?

MICHAEL PRICE: When we first came up with this idea for the show, we had no idea it was going to be the 800th episode. It just kind of worked out that way. When we start a new season, all the writers come up, and we talk about our ideas and things. So, Christine Nangle, a great writer, has been on the show for a number of years… I recently joined the ranks of what’s called Matt Selman’s co-runners. Matt is the showrunner, and myself, Tim Long, Brian Kelley, Rob LaZebnik, and Cesar Mazariegos are called the co-runners, meaning that we each individually have a couple of episodes that we sort of produce, kind of like the showrunner. Then Matt [Groening], of course, is, above all, running the entire show, but we have a chance to individually work on some episodes. So, I knew Christine was a great writer. She’d written a bunch of amazing episodes. She’s from Philadelphia, I’m from New Jersey, so we share some references, and we always make fun of how she’s a Philly fan, and I’m a fan. So, I approached her and said we should do a show where the Simpsons go to Philadelphia. That’s how it started.

We had no idea at the time it was going to be the 800th show. No idea. Even once we started, maybe we thought that it might be, but that was never the feeling of, like, “Oh, we’ve got to do something special for the 800th episode.” It was always, “What’s the best story that we can tell?” So, in working out the story, it kind of was the cart leading the horse in terms of, “Alright, we know we want to get them to Philadelphia and have fun in Philadelphia. What’s the best fun Simpsons story to at least get the family to Philadelphia?” And Christine is a huge dog lover. She had a wonderful dog who, sadly, passed while we were getting ready to work on the show, named Philby, so you’ll see in the episode that they talk about one of the dog shows they go to, which is called Philby’s Poop Bags Presents. It’s a little tribute to her dog, Philby. So, she loves her dogs, I love my dogs — I have two dogs, golden retrievers — and so the idea of it being a dog show that gets them to Philadelphia came up, and then we took it from there.

Then the emotional spine of the story, such as it was, was about Marge’s relationship to the dog, and this idea of trying to keep them healthy and keep them safe, and then having them being caught up in this crazy conspiracy that leads to him being in huge danger. Ultimately, this came down to being really the kind of alchemy of what makes a good Simpsons episode. There’s a lot of crazy stuff, and we do a parody of Nicolas Cage and National Treasure and everything around Philadelphia jokes, but at the center of it is that emotional story about what you feel when you’re a pet owner and how they mean everything to you, and how you want to keep them alive and keep them safe. That speech that Marge has at the end, where she thinks she’s lost the dog, and she talks about how, being a pet, you’re signing yourself up for, at some point in 10 years or so, to be devastated when they’re gone.

That’s how it came about. When we learned it was going to be the 800th show, it made total sense because we were already planning on doing this, doing the opening where it sort of tracks the relationship of the dog with the family, back to the very first episode. So, it’s sort of coincidentally, serendipitously great that it became a milestone episode, and it began by harkening back to the very first episode.

I wouldn’t say it’s not a retcon, but going back to the first episode and extending the narrative of their life in between — how do you do something like that without actually messing up their future in some Back to the Future way? How do you decide what to tweak and what not to tweak?

PRICE: Well, we went back and watched the very first episode. Of course, the ending is Homer bringing the dog home, and then it ends with Marge kissing him. We were like, “Okay, well, then what happens next?” Then we just started to tell the story of the unknown story of the dog that leads us into this story, and what Marge’s relationship with him is. We’ve done several episodes centered around Santa’s Little Helper over all these many years, and most of them have sort of centered on Bart, a couple with Homer, but we never did one with Marge. So, we figured this would be a fun thing to do. So, I don’t know, you could call it retconning. I think for us, it’s more just exploring a different aspect, and imagining what might have happened right after that moment of first getting the dog. It becomes this thing that I know personally with our own dogs that we deal with, which is wanting to love them and take care of them, but also give them treats and feed them from the table. It’s a natural thing, but maybe that’s not the best thing for the dogs’ health.

That became that. Then it became fun to track this whole story about how the dog under Homer’s and the kids’ loving neglect leads him to have this health crisis, and now we’re in Season 4, now we’re in Season 7. That’s why, in one scene, Homer’s wearing his stonecutters, and later on, he’s dressed as Pie Man from that Season 15 or 16 episode. So, this just became a fun way to sort of skip around the history of the show and track this story.

How ‘The Simpsons’ Pulled Off Its ‘Pitt’ Parody, Down to the Hospital Doors

A writers’ room obsession with ‘The Pitt’ led to a veterinary ER parody complete with lookalike hospital doors and real cast cameos.

Image via FOX

The Easter eggs from the past were fun to see, so as a long-time fan, I appreciated that. But I also really loved The Pitt parody. It was so well done, absolutely laugh-out-loud with the behavior of those characters. How did you pitch that to the cast?

PRICE: As we were working on the story, the first season of The Pitt came on HBO. It was probably around a year ago, right now, when we first started working on the episode. So then we were all into it. Let’s say the vast majority of everyone on the show was instantly like, “Oh my God, have you watched this show called The Pitt? It’s amazing. It’s great. We love it.” So, we were all into it, and then it just happened that the story was going to have Marge rushing the dog to the veterinary ER, and it just made absolute sense for me to say, “What if it’s The Pitt?” and all the writers got excited.

At one point, we even had the joke that the hospital was going to be called Springfield Pet Trauma Center or something like that, and that when you focus in on the doors, it would say The Pets, but it never worked. It just couldn’t work. But then we drew the hospital to look like the hospital on The Pitt. We’ve had other vet characters in the show. There’s one going way, way, way back to the early seasons, which is kind of based on Dr. Ben Casey from the 1960s, like a very handsome, charismatic doctor. He’s the one who threw the hamster in the garbage can. We had that guy. We had a very old, avuncular doctor, played by Michael York in some episodes. But we thought ER excitement and peril just totally make sense with The Pitt, so we knew we wanted to parody The Pitt, and then we were happy our casting director went out to Katherine [LaNasa], Taylor [Dearden], and Noah [Wyle], and asked them if they would do it. We were so happy that they agreed to do it. They were happy to be on the show, too, so that made us happy.

Was there a specific “Pitt-ism” you needed to make the segment really land for audiences? Because it’s not just the characters, but the nuance that describes the series best.

PRICE: We all like the attitude of Katherine’s character, Dana, being kind of sassy when Marge brings him in. Katherine ad-libbed a couple of funny things, like the way she said stuff. I think the thing that I was happiest with the most, and I think that Selman pitched this, was Noah Wyle’s character having the emotional breakdown and crying behind the screen.

While we were writing that episode, I had to look back at the timeline, but The Pitt was running, and then I think we wrote it originally, and then that last couple of episodes of The Pitt Season 1 came on TV, where he cries in that room after what happened with the mass shooting. So, we were so happy that he was okay to have a little fun with that. But the way his character breaks down and cries on the floor, to me, that was the thing that really made it. They really sent it over the top. That was very Noah Wyle’s character-centric.

From Kevin Bacon to Quinta Brunson, How the Series Turns Philly Love Into Guest Casting

“We actually had her in mind for it”: How Philly love shaped the guest list, and how the writers tuned Adrienne’s lines to match Quinta’s voice.

Image via FOX

There were moments in this episode when I would be wheezing with laughter. It was very good. But I want to talk about Quinta Brunson as well, because she plays Adrienne. Did you write her with Quinta’s direct and sharp rhythm in mind? Because the dialogue delivery is perfect and matches this character’s own rhythm and mannerisms.

PRICE: We actually had her in mind for it when we decided to write the show. We knew we wanted to get as many Philadelphia luminaries involved in the show as possible, even though The Pitt is in Pittsburgh. That’s alright. Christine spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh, as well. So, to us, that made sense. So, we knew we wanted Quinta to do it. We found out relatively early on that she was up for doing it, so then we definitely were trying to write in her voice… honing the script that she was interested in doing, so we knew that that was going to happen, and we were able to write as much as we could in her voice. Then luckily, happily, when she came in to do the show, I wouldn’t say we rewrote it a ton, but we did change some things to make it more comfortable for her to bring in the way she likes to, her style of acting now. She was great. She was fantastic and wonderful, and a real treat.

She is absolutely perfect in this role. That being said, it would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I loved the H.O.A.G.I.E acronym [Historians of America’s Great Inventors and Enlightened], so kudos to Christine on that, too!

PRICE: [Laughs]

I thought it was so creative!

PRICE: Look, there’s so much in this show that we celebrate, that we love. We love Quinta Brunson. We love Philadelphia. I mean, Christine is a Philadelphia native, and she loves Philly, so it was fun to have Homer visit all those crazy places.

But then, the thing that we all really, really love, and Christine loves — it was she who suggested this angle — the National Treasure of it all. Just as we talked about how we worked out the story, the part that got them to Philadelphia was the dog show and the relationship between Marge and the dog, and then it was like, “Now what happens?” And I remember Christine came into the room one day, and she said, “What if it turns into National Treasure and the dog is somehow the key to finding gold?”

We all sort of sat for a moment, and I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical. I was like, “Well, it’s a little crazy,” but then the more we talked about it, the more sense it made. And God bless Matt Selman, he’s such a great showrunner; he encourages us to take big swings, make episodes that take a crazy veer off in the third act. He was on board with it. He likes those movies, too. So then, once we decided we were going to commit to it, we had the best time. And we luckily had Hank Azaria, who does a hilarious Nicolas Cage impersonation. He just goes into that character with both feet, and it was so much fun.

It’s so funny how, after this episode, we now know forever that Santa’s Little Helper has special pee powers.

PRICE: [Laughs] We’ll have to bring that back.

‘The Simpsons’ Won’t Cross the Line With Santa’s Little Helper

“It’s one thing to kill off Larry the Barfly… but if you kill off Santa’s Little Helper, that will be the end of everything.”

Image via FOX

The episode flirts with real loss in a way that is so sincere, and it’s something I love. I will go on a tangent, but “Bart Has Two Mommies” is an episode that always gets me — when Flanders says, “You can do it, boy! With God on your side, you can’t fail!” I get so emotional thinking about it. [Laughs] But it’s these kinds of sincere episodes that hit hard, especially in this episode, where Marge just wants Santa’s Little Helper to be healthy so that she can have more time with him. Did you guys ever consider letting it go a little darker, or was it just always important that it ends with the family being back together again?

PRICE: There was never going to be a world, I don’t think, where it ended with the dog really dying or anything like that. We couldn’t picture that. No, there was never a moment where we were like, “Oh, the dog should really be gone.” He’s such an important part of the show, too. I know there’s been a lot of discourse lately about various characters on the show dying. It’s one thing to kill off Larry the Barfly, but if you kill off Santa’s Little Helper, that will be the end of everything.

I remember I read an interview once with Michael Imperioli, who played Christopher on The Sopranos. He was a character who murdered people left and right, but in that one episode, when he was high on heroin, he sat on the couch and accidentally killed the dog by sitting on it, and people on the street would yell at him, “You killed a dog!” And he’s like, “Yeah, but I killed, like, 30 other guys.” That doesn’t matter, you know? You can’t kill a dog.

You mentioned that other episode from long ago. That’s another thing that I always talk about, which is to me — which I hope that we’re still doing — I think is the hallmark of what made the show so good at the beginning, and I hope it still is, is that it’s a mixture of really funny stuff, crazy stuff, Homer just being outrageous, eating a million hot dogs, throwing a battery at whatever, and nutty stuff, running around Philadelphia, but then real emotional truth and real heart. That’s this mixture of alchemy that is baked into the show from the beginning, between Matt Groening and his sensibility and Sam Simon and his comedy mastery, and then Jim Brooks, who’s all three of those rolled up into one, who is known for his movies like Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News, where it’s about real emotional and real things going on with real people. That’s what we try to do. I’d say with almost every episode, we try to strike that balance.

Do you guys ever talk about the final episode, and when that’s going to happen? What does that look like for you? Because I feel like, as a fan, I never like thinking about it. [Laughs]

PRICE: [Laughs] Actually, as you may know or not, we did a final episode last year, a fake final episode, that’s called “Bart’s Birthday.” That was written by Jeff Conrad, but I was also the co-runner on that, where that came about for Matt Selman being asked in various interviews that exact question, like, “When will the show end? And if it ends, how would you end it? What would your finale be?” He never had an answer because we don’t want the show to end. The Simpsons isn’t that kind of show; it’s not serialized, so it’s not, like, building towards Tony Soprano getting shot. Every show is its own thing. But he came back from a vacation and came up to me and said, “Everyone keeps talking about, ‘How are we going to end the show?’” And he goes, “Why don’t we just end it now?” So, that’s what we did.

We did this fake episode, where it was hosted by Conan O’Brien as if it were our big series finale. We were able to have our cake and kind of eat it, too, where we did an episode that was seemingly written by AI that was every finale trope piled into one, where everyone is saying goodbye and getting married and dying. So, we had tons of these things where — apparently, that just happened in the very final episode of Stranger Things — a character leaves the place where the show takes place and turns the lights off for the last time. So, when we did that literally 12 times in that episode. Everyone was always leaving places and turning lights off, and saying, “I’m going to miss this place.” So, it’s almost like we got that out of the way. Now, if and when the show does ever end, I can’t tell you, but I would hope it would just be like a regular episode, not some kind of special final episode.

The New ‘Simpsons’ Movie Is Happening, Even If the “Why Now” Isn’t His Call

Price can’t explain the “why now,” but the appetite for a second movie has been there for a while, and the team is all-in on making it worthy.

Image via 20th Century Fox

Advertisement

I will say, this is one of those shows that when it eventually comes to a final stop, I’d like to place it in the freezer. [Laughs] But I will say, the movie is exciting. I watched the first one in theaters with my dad and my sister, and we were so excited about it. Why is now the right time to do another movie?

PRICE: Oh, I don’t know. That’s probably a question for somebody a little higher up than me. All I can say is that for quite a while, I think there’s been a desire to do another one. I can’t explain what made them decide “let’s do it now.” That’s probably a question for either somebody at Disney or Tim Brooks or somebody. But all I can say is I’m really, really happy we’re going to get to do another one. I played a small role in the writing of the first one, and I hope we make something that’s just as good as that one for this thing. We’re all excited to be doing it.

Well, I’m still excited, and in that same vein, what is something you think this show does that no other show can do, especially with this longevity? Is there one honest thing you think that the show does that no other show has been able to do?

PRICE: It’s hard to say. I think that every episode is different. We try to make them different. Because we have such an amazing cast of cartoon characters and also an amazing cast of actors performing those parts, we can send them anywhere. So, for instance, the episode that we’re talking about right now is very much about Marge and the dog, and then the one that’s going to be on right after it on Sunday night is a really, really super funny, but also a very, in its own way, observational and personal look at bipolar disorder. It’s about Kirk Van Houten, and how when he goes off his bipolar meds, he goes a little crazy, and does an amazing thing and creates this invention that makes him rich, but then also drives him crazy. It’s a very big episode focused on someone who, on any other show, would be the fourteenth character on the cast list: Kirk Van Houten.

We’ve been on for long enough, and have so many great characters that you can do an episode that’s… I mean, Homer is a big part of it, but you can do an episode that’s about Kirk Van Houten and his relationship to his medicine. That’s the kind of thing that The Simpsons can do that other shows can’t do. And I think just by being around for so long, being on for 37 years — that’s crazy, 800 episodes — that there’s room for that. There’s room for a Kirk episode. We did an amazing episode earlier this year that I thought was incredible, which was about the Quimby family and their family saga, and how they came from Ireland, and how they got into politics. That was really funny, too. I did one that I ran that was a very tender episode about Principal Skinner almost adopting a kid.

It’s endlessly inventive and crazy. So, we’ll do episodes that are set in a whole other world, the ones that are about the Simpsons characters, but they’re in medieval times now. It’s just so elastic. Here is such a fun universe to play in that I think there’s no limit in that way to what can be done.

What do you want people to walk away from after seeing this sweet, heartwarming 800th episode?

PRICE: We all love The Simpsons; the world loves The Simpsons. Everyone has a different relationship to it depending on when they first started watching it. People who were little kids who were watching the beginning are in their 40s now. Also, some people are kids who are just getting into it now. You hear about, especially during COVID, a lot of young people who went and binged everything. So, everyone has a different relationship to it. Certainly, those early years are deservedly revered, and they’re all great, but I just hope that people have a chance to watch us and say, “Hey, we’re still out there, and we’re making shows that are worth seeing and that are still fun, and are still The Simpsons, and measure up to what was done before.”

The Simpsons is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.

Advertisement

Release Date

Advertisement

December 17, 1989

Network

FOX

Advertisement

Directors

Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller

Writers

Advertisement

J. Stewart Burns, Michael Price, Brian Kelley, Bill Odenkirk, Dan Vebber, Kevin Curran, Stephanie Gillis, Dan Castellaneta, Deb Lacusta, Billy Kimball, Jessica Conrad, Cesar Mazariegos, Daniel Chun, Jennifer Crittenden, Conan O’Brien, Valentina Garza, Elisabeth Kiernan Averick, Christine Nangle, Broti Gupta, Loni Steele Sosthand, Megan Amram, Bob Kushell, David Isaacs, David Mandel

Advertisement

• 

  Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)

  Advertisement
• 

  Julie Kavner

  Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Six Million Dollar Man featured Lee Majors as Colonel Steve Austin, who is seriously injured in a NASA test flight gone wrong and then reconstructed with bionic implants that give him superhuman strength, speed, and vision, at the (now) bargain-basement price of six million dollars. The story of Frankenstein rarely varies across multiple adaptations, where a mad doctor places a human brain in a body crafted with stitched-together parts from corpses. Captain America sees Steve Rogers get injected with an experimental “super-soldier-serum” that augments his abilities exponentially. 27 years ago, Now and Again mixed them all together in a perfect sci-fi comedy-drama procedural with an overarching conspiracy, and it got cancelled far too soon.

John Goodman’s Brain Enters a Super New Body in ‘Now and Again’

Now and Again starts with Michael Wiseman’s (John Goodman) workday routine, following him as he gets up, says goodbye to his wife, Lisa (Margaret Colin), and his daughter Heather (Heather Matarazzo) and goes to work. He’s an executive at an insurance company, and finds out he’s been passed over for a promotion due to his unwillingness to fight claims made by victims of a bridge collapse, costing the company thousands. Disappointed, he and his friend Roger (Gerrit Graham) head out for a drink following work, after which he makes his way to the subway to go home. Unfortunately, a random sequence of events leads to Michael being knocked off the platform and into the path of an oncoming train.

Dead? Well, you’d think, but when he wakes up, he is met by Dr. Theodore Morris (Dennis Haysbert), sitting in a chair at the end of his hospital bed. He’s talking, but what he’s saying doesn’t make sense, telling Michael that his funeral was really beautiful. “But,” Michael asks, “how can I be in a hospital if I’ve already had a funeral?” Dr. Morris answers the question in a grandiose, roundabout fashion, talking about how billions of dollars (well more than Steve Austin’s measly six million) went into researching and working with biochemicals and bio-engineering to build a synthetic man. A real American man, one who can do the things mortal men can not, with the speed of Michael Jordan, the strength of Superman, and the grace of Fred Astaire.

The one thing they can’t build is a brain, which is where Michael fits in. They managed to rescue Michael’s brain, and placed it inside their creation (sound familiar?). Michael’s literally been given a second chance, in a state-of-the-art body fully financed by the American government. All they want in return is for him to stay dead. It’s the proverbial deal with the devil, with his new lease on life only valid if he doesn’t contact anyone from his past life. Ever. If he does, he’s guaranteed his own death, and the death of those he’s contacted. But it doesn’t sink in for Michael until he looks into the mirror. There, looking back, is a younger, thinner man: the new Michael Wiseman (Eric Close).

‘Now and Again’ Completely Nails Its Strange Sci-Fi Premise

Michael is in awe of his new physique, watched by Dr. Morris and a gaggle of scientists from the other side of the one-way mirror (leading to the first laugh-out-loud moment in the pilot, with Dr. Morris calling the moment Michael checks out his “package,” to thunderous applause when he’s right). He seemingly can do anything except fly, with Dr. Morris sarcastically apologizing that, in throwing billions of dollars and research into his body, they “forgot to shove a rocket up his ass.” It’s only when he’s alone in his new settings that the true weight of what’s being asked of him hits hard.

It’s the perpetual struggle between the yearning for his past life and the obligation to take on the missions the secret branch of the government tasks him with that drives Now and Again. He has little choice, but clandestinely, and sometimes recklessly, reaches out to Lisa, Heather, and Roger, leading them to question if what they’ve been told about Michael’s death is true. And it’s not, with Dr. Morris and the government withholding the truth not only from Michael’s family, but from Michael himself. Complicating matters is the Eggman (Kim Chan), an elderly terrorist who uses eggs containing a quick-acting, deadly poisonous gas, who has already killed dozens in Tokyo and Paris, and now threatens their city.

Related

The 30 Best Spy and Secret Agent Shows on Netflix

These have the license to thrill.

Now and Again is smart, funny, and intense, nailing its strange premise perfectly. One great example is when Lisa turns to social assistance, with the insurance company refusing to pay out Michael’s life insurance policy. She doesn’t qualify, and is told she needs a job, but the only ones available are minimum wage jobs, which don’t pay enough for Lisa to keep the family home or even feed themselves. It’s such a clever dig at the ridiculousness of bureaucracy, and one of many throughout the series.

The cast is excellent, with both Close and Haysbert leading the pack. Haysbert lends Dr. Morris depth: he’s not a villain, nor is he a hero, but rather a man torn by the duty of toeing the line while watching another man whose life is literally in his hands. Close is flat-out perfect, balancing the humor, action, and emotional journey the role requires with an innate charm and roguishness. Yet Now and Again, which sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, was cancelled after one season, ending on a huge cliffhanger. It stands as one of many series cancelled way too soon, which does happen, now and again.

Cartoon Network (CN) has always tapped its archives for content. Recently, though, that effort has been much more purposeful. The network has created spin-offs, launched shorter-run reboots, and restructured its lineup strategically to leverage its extensive catalog as an active living collection rather than merely a repository of shows.

The return of We Bare Bears appears even less coincidental than in earlier years, but it seems to be more of a silent experiment. While officially just another programming development for CN, it can be viewed as an additional opportunity to assess the market viability of a modern series that CN has invested considerable resources into developing and nurturing.

‘We Bare Bears’ Has a Simple Premise With Surprising Emotional Reach

Image via Cartoon Network / Courtesy: Everett Collection

At its core, We Bare Bears is disarmingly straightforward. The series follows three adoptive bear brothers — Grizz (Eric Edelstein), Panda (Bobby Moynihan), and Ice Bear (Demetri Martin) — as they attempt to live among humans in the San Francisco Bay Area. They want friends, jobs, and to feel like they belong — more often than not, they fail spectacularly.

What sets the show apart is its tone: episodes unfold like small slices of modern life with awkward social encounters, money stress, online validation spirals, and the fear of being left behind. The bears’ solution rarely triumphs over the world around them; instead, it’s each other. That emotional throughline — found family as a survival mechanism — became the show’s anchor.

When Cartoon Network launched We Bare Bears in 2015, it was on the heels of other successful series like Adventure Time and Steven Universe. The series also follows the same episodic, shorter-run format while leaning into emotional journeys (vs narrative journeys). During its run, the series captured the essence of mid-2010s anxiety about the internet, job-seeking, and pressure to be liked on social media. Panda’s obsession with social media and validation is even more relevant today than when it was created. It also explored topics such as viral videos, dating apps, and the impact of algorithmic fame—these concepts that have been further amplified by an increasing reliance on social media.

Related

The 25 Most Popular Pokémon From the Original 151, Ranked

Gotta catch ’em all! But especially these ones.

Somehow, We Bare Bears captured the same fixation with contemporary ideas as the rest of the 2010s; however, unlike most shows at the time, it never felt cynical. The show’s comedic style was always soft in its execution; its storyline unfolded at a slower pace than most of its peers; and the color palette was deliberately muted towards the soft end of the color spectrum.

We Bare Bears ran for four seasons, with a total of 140 episodes, and maintained solid ratings among younger viewers and an increasing adult audience. Many people praised the series for its heart and humor, and for not talking down to its viewers; the viewers’ loyalty was evident. As a result of that viewer loyalty, the franchise expanded with We Bare Bears: The Movie in 2020, which also served as a solid send-off for the characters and did not leave the story open-ended; the movie gave the characters closure, a rarity for animated television. The brand also created the prequel series to We Bare Bears, called We Baby Bears, which depicted the three characters as baby bears with all sorts of outlandish multiverse adventures, creating the ability for the three baby bears to continue with the next generation of fans as the fans of the original series and characters became fans of the cult classic.

What This Return Could Mean for Cartoon Network

Image via Cartoon Network / Courtesy: Everett Collection

The decision to bring We Bare Bears back into heavy rotation isn’t happening in a vacuum. Before Cartoon Network decides whether to make new episodes of a show, they test audience interest through reruns (Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gumball), which often benefit from a revival.

For Dan Chong‘s upcoming Pixar movie, Hoppers, he also finds himself in an interesting spot, since this movie will reintroduce his creative style to a wider audience. While not directly connected, the timing suggests confidence in the creator’s brand — and in the staying power of his most recognizable work. At the very least, the network is acknowledging what fans never forgot: We Bare Bears still works.

We Bare Bears remains refreshingly accessible, with episodes that can be watched in any order, some of which are nearly wordless and others that experiment with different animation styles or genres. All of them circle back to kindness, which may be its greatest strength. Whether Cartoon Network is simply filling time slots or quietly gauging interest in something more, the message is clear: this is a show worth revisiting.

Advertisement

We Bare Bears

Advertisement

Release Date

2015 – 2019-00-00

Network

Advertisement

Cartoon Network

Directors

Phil Rynda

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been building towards Dunk’s (Peter Claffey) trial since his confrontation with Aerion (Finn Bennett). Episode 4 escalates the issue once Aerion insists on a Trial of Seven, forcing Dunk to gather six knights to risk their lives defending him, and to the hedge knight’s surprise, he finds the champions, including Prince Baelor (Bertie Carvel). That ending leaves Episode 5, “In the Name of the Mother,” to finally reach the main event as the trial ensues. While the fight itself is epic, it doesn’t take up the full episode, which includes a lengthy flashback to Dunk’s youth.

The Trial of Seven Begins in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5

Image via HBO

Immediately following Baelor’s decision to join Dunk’s side, the champions prepare for battle. Baelor, who has previously proven himself as a talented commander, takes charge, instructing them to stay on their horses and let him handle the three Kingsguard knights, whose oaths prevent them from harming him. Yet, as Baelor warns of the practical danger, nerves are high, particularly for Dunk and Raymun (Shaun Thomas), who have no experience. Even so, Dunk doesn’t share an emotional goodbye with Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), remaining optimistic for the boy’s sake and telling him to be there when he returns, calling back to a moment in Episode 2. Considering the series is primarily about their relationship, their scene together is important, proving how close they are as Egg spends the last moments before the trial speaking to Dunk rather than his father, uncle, or either of his brothers.

When it comes time to charge, Dunk hesitates, but Egg calls to his war horse, Thunder, urging him forward into the fray. Untested as he is, Dunk’s shield is quickly broken in the chaotic fight. Almost instantly, a broken lance stabs his side, and Dunk is knocked off his horse into the mud. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wastes no time proving that, as knightly as Dunk is, he isn’t the unbeatable hero common within the genre.

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5 Explores Dunk’s Childhood

Dunk’s fall leads to an extended flashback to Dunk’s past before he met Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). During the Blackfyre Rebellion, he was an orphan on the streets of Flea Bottom. Young Dunk (Bamber Todd) searches the wreckage of a battlefield, stealing anything he can take to sell with his friend Rafe (Chloe Lea). With nothing to their names, they are using the war to collect the funds to leave. While they sell what they find, they are stopped by a Goldcloak named Alester, but they escape, and Rafe even steals his ale skin. Ultimately, they walk away with enough to pay for passage, though Dunk has his doubts. Rafe’s insistence motivates Dunk to stick to the plan as he cares for her and doesn’t want to be separated.

However, they discover the next day that the price to sail away from Westeros has gone up, forcing them to remain in Flea Bottom even longer. Their problems grow when Alester returns, angry that Rafe stole from him. Learning that she sold the ale skin, Alester steals the money Rafe saved, but Rafe takes his knife in return. Realizing this, Alester slits her throat. Dunk responds by attacking Alester, only to get stabbed in the leg. Yet before Alester can do much else, a drunk Ser Arlan comes to Dunk’s aid, killing Alester and his accomplice while Dunk watches his friend die. This story provides a tragic backstory for Dunk with the death of his friend, yet it also explains why he is so determined to defend the smallfolk, as he once needed a knight’s protection.

Alone, Dunk mourns his friend until he sees Arlan stumbling through the streets. This time, Dunk decides to follow, leaving the city and limping behind the knight, who seems unaware of him. With no resources, Dunk grows sick and cold while Arlan drinks and sings at his own camp, but he eventually takes notice of Dunk’s suffering. As the boy collapses, Arlan offers him water and tells him to get up, beginning the relationship that eventually leads to Dunk becoming his squire. It’s an interesting backstory for Dunk, but its placement in the story interrupts the most climactic turn of the season, halting its momentum.

Related

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Ominous Prophecy Just Revived ‘House of the Dragon’s Crucial Storyline

The Targaryen family has more than just dragons at their disposal.

Advertisement

Dunk Faces Off With Aerion in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5

Image via HBO

Advertisement

Considering this is the penultimate episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been overdue for some action, and the Trial of Seven is the perfect opportunity, yet it would have been even better if fans could see it more clearly. With fog obscuring the sequence, “In the Name of the Mother” officially gets added to the list of hard-to-see episodes in the franchise.

When the episode jumps back to the Trial of Seven, Dunk returns to his feet, only to be knocked down again. Aerion, in particular, refuses to let Dunk stand up, but Dunk fights back. A gruesome fight between the two ensues, with each accumulating injuries. When Aerion gets his sword into Dunk’s helmet, Dunk removes it for a better view, getting in some brutal blows as well and cutting Aerion’s leg so badly that he seems unable to stand. Maekar (Sam Spruell) rushes toward his son, but is pulled away in the fighting. Even once Aerion is downed, Dunk fails to end the trial, sinking to the ground before he can do anything else. As Egg desperately calls for him to get up, Dunk collapses further. Aerion recovers enough to get to his feet, and all seems lost, but just as the trial is about to be called in Aerion’s favor, Dunk hears Arlan’s voice again and rises.

The crowd cheers Dunk’s name as he faces Aerion again. Neither is nimble, but they are determined. Dunk pins Aerion down, beating the prince’s head until he yields. Once he has won, Dunk drags Aerion to the presiding lords and forces him to withdraw his accusation loud enough for the spectators to hear, effectively ending the fight. The battle between these two characters is impressive, but it’s a shame that the episode only truly focuses on two of the 14 combatants, limiting its scope.

The Trial of Seven Has Dire Consequences in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Episode 5

Image via HBO

Following his victory, Dunk falls, but Raymun and Steely Pate (Youssef Kerkour) catch him and see to his wounds. Steely Pate must cut the armor off of him after the damage he received, but they assure him that of the seven on their side, only Humfrey Beesbury (Danny Collins) died of his injuries.

Baelor joins them, offering his maester’s help, and Dunk pledges himself to the prince even as he struggles to stand. However, things take a turn when Baelor removes his helmet to reveal a nasty head wound from his brother’s mace that he can’t survive. Baelor collapses into Dunk’s arms as the hedge knight apologizes. While the episode allows Dunk to clear his name, it ends with another twist, heading into the Season 1 finale on an ominous note.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is streaming on HBO Max with new episodes on Sundays.

Advertisement

Release Date

January 18, 2026

Advertisement

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Advertisement

Ira Parker

Directors

Owen Harris

Advertisement

Writers

George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker

Advertisement

Advertisement

• 

  Peter Claffey

  Ser Duncan ‘Dunk’ the Tall

• 

Advertisement

Advertisement

Pros & Cons

• Episode 5 centers on the epic confrontation between Dunk and Aerion.
• Throughout the episode, Egg’s faith in Dunk shines, highlighting their relationship.

• An extended flashback takes up a large part of the episode, interrupting the story’s climax.
• The Trial of Seven is hard to see in the fog and its limited scope doesn’t give fans a clear picture of the fight.

Advertisement