Q: With the success of "The Grudge" and "The Ring" franchises, I'm curious what was the first Japanese-inspired remake?
I can't be certain what the first remake was -- Japan's cinematic history is every bit as long as America's (sources trace the first Japanese-made film back to 1897) -- but the first really notable remake, the first one we still really talk about, was pretty far from the modern J-horror hits you're referring to. When people talk about Japanese cinema's influence on Hollywood, they talk first about "The Magnificent Seven."
To Tell the Truth, on ABC
Anthony Anderson and his mother host as a celebrity panel tries to determine which of three contestants, claiming to be the same person, is the real deal in this reality series. The panel asks questions in order to determine who has sworn to be honest.
Cheaters never prosper: A couple loses it all in 'Quiz'
Michael Sheen in a scene from "Quiz"
While the sound of someone coughing may understandably evoke anxiety in the midst of the current global pandemic, a cough is what led to a scandalous accusation and criminal trial against a game show contestant in 2001, and a new miniseries recounts the sensational tale for TV fans.
Cheaters never prosper: A couple loses it all in 'Quiz'
Michael Sheen in a scene from "Quiz"
While the sound of someone coughing may understandably evoke anxiety in the midst of the current global pandemic, a cough is what led to a scandalous accusation and criminal trial against a game show contestant in 2001, and a new miniseries recounts the sensational tale for TV fans.
Ultimate Tag, on Fox
Everyday people take on "professional taggers" in this new series that puts a new spin on the classic playground game. Hosted by brothers T.J., J.J. and Derek Watt, the contestants who can outlast the master taggers will win a spot in the championship.
Q: I loved "Outsiders" with David Morse. Is there more or did they not renew the series?
The (bad) news of WGN America's cancellation of "Outsiders" got a little lost in the bigger news of the network's sale (along with its parent company) a few months later in 2017. That might be why you didn't hear about it, and it might also be why it happened.
"Outsiders," a gritty drama about a clan living an isolationist, hardscrabble life in the Appalachian mountains, was WGN's highest-rated show, and so its cancellation came as a bit of a surprise.
America's Got Talent, on NBC
Sofia Vergara joins Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell and Howie Mandell as a judge in a new season of this reality series. Hosted by Terry Crews, this hit talent competition features mind-blowing performances from comedians, dancers, singers, magicians and more.
The Bachelorette, on ABC
Franchise veteran Clare Crawley looks for a man who will fight for her in a new season of this spinoff. Having made an impression in the Season 18 finale of "The Bachelor," she is now determined to find the unconditional love and respect she deserves.
Q: Why aren't color reruns shown of "The Andy Griffith Show"? It's the same black and white reruns over and over again!
I can unpack this a little bit, but the basic reason why the color episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" don't run as often is because people don't like them as much.
"Stations have historically recognized that the first five seasons ... are the most popular and considered, as a grouping, better than the final three seasons, which happen to be the color seasons," Jim Clark of the Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club (yep, that's a real thing) said in an interview with the Winston-Salem Journal.
