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    Late Night Goes Live After a ‘Dull’ Vice-Presidential Debate

    Stephen Colbert was unenthused by Tuesday’s discourse between Tim Walz and JD Vance.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Two ‘Different Flavors of Dull’“The Late Show” went live Tuesday night after the vice-presidential debate.Stephen Colbert found the debate boring, saying that JD Vance and Tim Walz “were both different flavors of dull.”“JD Vance looked like a business lemur on beta-blockers, and Tim Walz was, you know, the old likable coach but appeared to be way overcaffeinated. I think the governor done overdid doing the Dew.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“It was the ultimate showdown tonight between two very different Midwestern vibes. Hillbilly vs. Minnesota nice; attack dog vs. folk hero; America’s dad vs. America’s ‘Dad, could you come pick me up? JD Vance just walked in here.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“These two men were both a heartbeat away from being interesting this evening.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“In the end, it was 90 minutes of constant talk that made one thing clear: Tonight was like having Thanksgiving with your most nervous uncle and your smuggest nephew. It was unpleasant, awkward and, thankfully, you only have to do it once every four years.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Almost Famous Edition)“Yep, people you’ve barely heard of on a national stage. Usually we call that ‘Dancing With the Stars.’” — JIMMY FALLON“One of these men will lose, and we’ll never hear from him again, and the other one will become V.P. and we’ll never hear from him again.” — MICHAEL KOSTA“The only other V.P. debate anyone remembers is the time that fly got stuck on Mike Pence’s head. The bar is low.” — MICHAEL KOSTA“They showed each other a lot of respect. It was — it was very boring. I’ll be honest: I like these better with Trump.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I don’t know that anyone’s vote was changed tonight. Watching a vice-presidential debate — it’s like taking your kids apple picking: About halfway through, you’re like, ‘OK, you know what? This sounded like it was going to be fun, but what’s the point?’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I read that ahead of the debate, Tim Walz has been nervous that he was going to let Kamala Harris down. Yeah, Harris was like, ‘Don’t worry — if Joe Biden can be replaced, so can you.’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingThe “Hold Your Breath” star Sarah Paulson faced off against Jimmy Fallon in a new game called “Mute!” on Tuesday’s “Tonight Show.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightBen Platt and Brandy Clark will perform their new song “Treehouse” on Wednesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This OutRobert Downey Jr. goes dark in “McNeal,” a thought experiment about art and A.I., at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in Manhattan.Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesRobert Downey Jr. made his Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar’s new play, “McNeal.” More

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    Frank Fritz, a Host of the Antiques Show ‘American Pickers,’ Dies at 58

    He and his friend Mike Wolfe launched the treasure-hunting show in 2010, part of a wave of reality TV aimed at finding fortune in everyday items.Frank Fritz, a jocular Everyman who as one half of the duo behind the hit show “American Pickers” found ratings gold by unearthing fortunes in attics, basements and garage sales, died on Monday in Davenport, Iowa. He was 58.His manager, Bill Stankey, confirmed the death, in a hospice. He said that the cause had not been announced, but that Mr. Fritz had been dealing with a number of health issues, including Crohn’s disease and the effects of a stroke in 2022.Debuting on the History Channel in 2010, “American Pickers,” which Mr. Fritz hosted with his longtime friend Mike Wolfe, was part of a wave of reality TV shows that mined everyday Americana for stories, profit and no small amount of drama.Unlike older, more sedate shows like public television’s “Antiques Roadshow,” “American Pickers” blended serious appraisal with rough-edged personality and quirky flair.Each episode featured Mr. Fritz and Mr. Wolfe tooling around a small American town in their Sprinter van, trading quips in between visits to local homes and storage sheds, where they would pick through piles of junk to find diamonds in the rough.Mr. Fritz with his co-host, Mike Wolfe, in an “American Pickers” episode in 2011, a year after the series began. History ChannelWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    John Amos, a Star of ‘Good Times’ and ‘Roots,’ Is Dead at 84

    He was the patriarch in one of the first sitcoms with an all-Black cast and an enslaved African as a grown man in the blockbuster TV mini-series.John Amos, who played a stern patriarch on “Good Times,” America’s first sitcom featuring a two-parent Black family, and who had a starring role in “Roots,” the slavery narrative that became America’s most watched show in the late 1970s, has died in Los Angeles. He was 84.His publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the death on Tuesday, saying he had died on Aug. 21. She did not specify the cause or say why the announcement of his death was delayed.Mr. Amos’s acting career spanned more than five decades, with his breakthrough coming in 1970 on the CBS comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” playing Gordy, the weatherman on a local television news program working alongside Ms. Moore’s Mary Richards, an associate producer. After three seasons, Mr. Amos left for “Good Times,” a Norman Lear production and a spinoff of the producer’s sitcom “Maude.” Chronicling the trials and tribulations of a Black working-class family living in the Chicago projects, “Good Times,” which ran from 1974-79, also on CBS, never shied away from the gritty realities of life in public housing, touching on topics like racial bigotry, drug abuse and poverty — but all with a sense of humor.Mr. Amos played James Evans Sr., a fierce disciplinarian with a tender heart who took on odd jobs to support his wife, Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), his sons Michael (Ralph Carter) and J.J. (Jimmie Walker), and his daughter, Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis).Mr. Amos and Esther Rolle in a scene from “Good Times.” The show accrued high ratings and was notable for its all-Black cast.CBS Photo Archive/Getty ImagesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Late Night Slams Trump’s Plan to Adapt ‘The Purge’

    “Good news: He stopped talking about Hannibal Lecter,” Jimmy Fallon said. “Bad news: He suggested we do ‘The Purge’ instead.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Taking a Page from ‘The Purge’ PlaybookDuring a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, former President Donald Trump suggested that Americans have “one really violent day” to curtail crime.Late-night hosts likened Mr. Trump’s plans to the popular horror movie franchise, “The Purge.”“Yeah, Trump wants ‘The Purge,’ while his staff wishes he would re-enact ‘A Quiet Place,’” Jimmy Fallon said on Monday.“Good news: He stopped talking about Hannibal Lecter. Bad news: He suggested we do ‘The Purge’ instead.” — JIMMY FALLON“Did he just suggest ‘The Purge’ for stealing from CVS? [imitating Trump] ‘If that doesn’t work, I have other ideas, OK? We put all the shoplifters on a bus with Keanu Reeves. If it goes slower than 50 miles an hour, blammo!’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“He suggested that the way to end crime would be to have one really violent day, one rough hour that would solve everything, like ‘The Purge’ and so much more. If anyone in your life had, like, a weekend like this, you’d be concerned. Like if your dad had a series of similar outbursts, you’d call your siblings to figure out what to do.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (V.P. Debate Prep Edition)“Tomorrow night in New York, the first and only debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance, this will be the first vice-presidential debate since 2008 in which the candidates will stand instead of sit. I guess they were worried JD Vance might get distracted by a sexy office chair.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Honestly, I’m not even going to watch it, and I’m going to tell you why — because I already know who I’m voting for, vice-president-wise.” — JON STEWART“Actually, today Trump asked Vance if he needed any debate advice, and Vance was like, ‘Absolutely. Do you have Kamala’s number?’” — JIMMY FALLON“Voters were more likely to describe Walz as honest, trustworthy and caring, where they were more likely to describe Vance as nervous, unsettling and damp. But I disagree. You know, when I see JD Vance, I see a man who is grounded, who is rational and so humanlike, you could barely tell he isn’t one.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingThe best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates discussed his new book, “The Message,” with Jon Stewart on Monday’s “Daily Show.”What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe musician-turned-movie star Lady Gaga will promote “Joker: Folie à Deux” on Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This OutBillie Eilish onstage at the Videotron Center on Sunday night. Her new tour supports her most recent album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”Julia Spicer for The New York TimesA master class in intimacy and crowd engagement, Billie Eilish’s new Hit Me Hard and Soft tour debuted in Canada on Sunday. More

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    Based on a True Story, or a True Story? In ‘Baby Reindeer’ Lawsuit, Words Matter.

    A defamation suit against Netflix boils down to how the company presented its story about Martha Scott, a fictionalization of what the show’s creator has described as a real-life stalking incident.The woman who claims to have inspired the character Martha Scott in the Netflix series “Baby Reindeer” can proceed with a defamation lawsuit against the streaming giant, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled last week.The woman, Fiona Harvey, says that she has experienced panic attacks and faced abuse, and that she has developed a fear of going outside, since the show was released in April. Online sleuths quickly identified her as the real-life inspiration behind the character and inundated her with threatening and harassing messages, according to the lawsuit.The seven-episode limited series, which won six Emmy Awards this month, follows a struggling comedian, Donny Dunn (played by the show’s creator, Richard Gadd) as he is stalked and harassed by Martha Scott, a patron he meets while working at a bar in London. The show follows Donny as his life spirals out of control, and ends with Martha, played by Jessica Gunning, being convicted of stalking.Mr. Gadd has said the story, which he first developed as a play and then the Netflix series, was based on his own real-life experience with a stalker.Ms. Harvey’s lawsuit cites a statement that appears at the opening of the show: “This is a true story.”The case could boil down to an intricate issue of semantics related to that line, according to Judge R. Gary Klausner of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, who on Friday denied Netflix’s attempt to dismiss the suit.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    What’s on TV This Week: ‘Real Housewives’ and the Vice-Presidential Debate

    The Bravo franchise will air two different premieres. And on Tuesday is the first debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz.For those who still enjoy a cable subscription, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, Sept. 30-Oct. 6. Details and times are subject to change.MondayALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING 8 p.m. on The CW. This college-focused series is wrapping up its third season. The show follows a group of athletes as they juggle training, socializing and interpersonal relationships. This finale will hopefully tie up lose ends because the show, now canceled, won’t be coming back for a fourth season.TuesdayVICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 9 p.m. on various networks. For anyone counting, or bracing themselves, the election is under 40 days away. This will be the first debate between Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. So far, the rules are pretty similar to those implemented at the presidential debate last month, but the candidates will likely be standing, a departure from the past couple of V.P. debates.REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY 9 p.m. on Bravo. The New York City gals are back on small screens, this time with the addition of the fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and the art curator Racquel Chevremont. Lots of fights, glamour shots and not-so-subtle sharing are on the docket.WednesdayChad Michael Murray and Morgan Kohan in “Sullivan’s Crossing.”Chris Reardon/Freemantle, via CWSULLIVAN’S CROSSING 8 p.m. on the CW. It is officially fall a.k.a. “Gilmore Girls” rewatch season. But if you have already memorized all seven seasons of that show, then this series, coming back for its second season, is a great way to have Scott Patterson (Luke Danes in “Gilmore”) back on your screen. Patterson plays the father to Morgan Kohan’s Maggie Sullivan, who moves back home to get her life back together. Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) is also there because what’s small-town charm without a mysterious and emotionally distant hunk?We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    ‘Days of Our Lives’ Actor, Drake Hogestyn, Dies at 70

    Mr. Hogestyn was best known for playing John Black on the daytime soap opera and appeared in more than 4,200 episodes over 38 years.Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black, the sturdy and fiercely loyal character who by turns was a spy, private investigator and mercenary, for nearly 40 years on the long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” died on Saturday, a day shy of his 71st birthday.Mr. Hogestyn had pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from his family shared by the show. He died in Los Angeles, according to a publicist for the show, Andrea McKinnon.In 1986, Mr. Hogestyn first appeared on “Days of Our Lives,” which premiered in 1965 on NBC and follows various characters in the fictional Midwestern town of Salem. For a few years, he played another character, Roman Brady, but came to be known best for his role as John Black.Mr. Hogestyn appeared in more than 4,200 episodes of the soap opera and became a fan favorite for his portrayal as the rugged, raspy-voiced and often heroic character who had the skills of an intelligence agent, a police officer and a private investigator.The character was also known for being married to Dr. Marlena Evans, a psychiatrist and the town’s de facto matriarch, played by Deidre Hall. In 2005, the actors won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Couple.“It’s, like, I’ll always love her,” Mr. Hogestyn said, at a gathering for the show’s fans in 2004, of the characters’ enduring romance.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    ‘The Perfect Couple’ Offers Signe Sejlund’s Take on Nantucket Style

    Scrutinizing the costumes in Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple.”“It’s not a documentary,” said Signe Sejlund, the costume designer for the Netflix limited series “The Perfect Couple.” “It’s a murder mystery.”Yet the compulsively watchable show is not merely a murder mystery. Set on Nantucket, a glorified sand dune 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts — where superyachts bottleneck in the harbor every summer; the median home price has surpassed $3 million; and the guy in line at Something Natural, a favorite local sandwich stand, could well be a billionaire — the show is in some sense a travelogue offering a worm’s-eye view of rich people behaving appallingly. It is also a statement on our cultural fascination with the folkways of people with too much money to count.The series, adapted from a novel by Elin Hilderbrand, is a tale of “them” and “us.”Embodying “them” in this case is the fractious Winbury family: patriarch Tag (Liev Schreiber), matriarch Greer (Nicole Kidman) and their three sons. Everyone else is “us.”The Winburys have for generations vacationed at an oceanside mansion — putatively located in Monomoy, an enclave with some of Nantucket’s costliest real estate — among peers who attended the same private schools, belonged to the same country clubs and adopted the same form of garb that was once a tell for quiet wealth. Think modest A-line dresses; knotted-rope sailors’ bracelets; boat shoes so weathered they are patched together with duct tape; polos and T-shirts worn almost to transparency; and stiff Nantucket basket purses whose lids are topped with bone medallions incised like sailor’s scrimshaw.Signe Sejlund, the show’s costume designer, treated characters like Thomas Winbury (Jack Reynor) as “peacocks.”NetflixTag Winbury (Liev Schreiber) is from an old-money family that has for generations vacationed at an oceanside mansion on Nantucket.NetflixWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More