The HBO crime thriller Task has added new cast members who will join stars Mark Ruffalo and Mahershala Ali for its second season.
The Emmy-nominated show from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby follows Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis, a priest-turned-FBI agent who leads specialized task forces. This season, his team will investigate (probably) shady DEA agents including Eddie Barnes, played by the Oscar-winning Ali.
Jharrel Jerome — who won an Emmy in 2018 for his heartbreaking role as one of the wrongly accused teens dubbed the Central Park Five in When They See Us — will play Jordan Barnes, while And Just Like That … actor Bethlehem Million plays his sister, Lisa.
Ali seems to be in his own dad era this year, not unlike his costar Ruffalo, as his next project sees him play a single dad-slash-assassin in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, out in September.
Brandis’ children will also return to Task this season, with Silvia Dionicio and Andrew Russel reprising their roles as Emily and Ethan Brandis, respectively. Though plot details are still emerging, it appears that Ethan, who struggles with schizophrenia, will return home following his incarceration for accidentally killing his mother — a tragedy that continues to haunt Brandis.
Other newcomers include Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen, The Testament of Ann Lee) as Denny Coughlin, a veteran cop on Brandis’ task force; Kevin Dunn (Veep, Transformers), who plays Brandis’ boss, Vince Runyan; and Brían F. O’Byrne (Conclave) as Charlie Boylan, Barnes’ mentor.
This slate of actors join previously announced cast members Henry Melling (Pillion), Edgar Ramirez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace), Aminah Nieves (1923), Adam Nagaitis (Star City). Martha Plimpton (The Regime), who appeared in Season 1 of Task as a crooked boss to Brandis, will return to play Kathleen McGinty.
The production has been filming in and around Philadelphia this summer, from Manayunk to Wissahickon Valley Park, so locals might get a glimpse of Ruffalo, Ali, and other stars as they continue working in the area.
Tynan knew she wanted to retire back in 2020, when she signed her last contract with the station, which will end next month just as her youngest daughter heads off to college.
Since then, it had been something of an open secret inside the 6abc newsroom that Tynan’s time at the station was coming to an end. Any chance of her extending her contract ended a few years ago, when she experienced a short but intense bout of vertigo.
“For most of the day I couldn’t do anything, and I thought this must be what it’s like to be really old and infirm,” Tynan said. “I didn’t want to work all the way up to get to that stage, so it kind of sealed the deal.
“I’m 57, which is relatively young, I guess, for retiring,” Tynan added. “But I wanted to retire while I’m healthy and active.”
So rather than stick around 6abc or move up the national ladder, Tynan and her husband, Greg, plan to split time between their homes in Delaware County and Florida after her last day, Aug. 31. She even turned down a chance to come back to host Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day parade, something she has done for close to 25 years. But the idea of being able to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her family for the first time won out.
“My children have never spent the night before Thanksgiving in their own home. We’ve always been in a hotel by the parade route, and I’ve never actually cooked,” Tynan said. “I’ve always picked it up from Whole Foods and reheated it.”
Tynan discussed her decision to retire, what’s next, and the best and worst weather events she has covered in her three decades at 6abc. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How do you plan on filling your retirement? Is it just going to be water-skiing and enjoying life?
That sounds pretty great!
That’s definitely a big part of it. That and visiting and watching all my daughters’ cross-country and track meets. I do want to stay active in animal rescue. … I’ve been really active with Providence Animal Center. I’m not sure exactly how I’ll do it, but I would definitely still want to be involved in that.
And I’d like to be able to go to bed at a decent hour.
What do you make of the reaction to your decision to retire?
I’ve been talking about it for months with my personal friends and they’d be like, “Philadelphia’s gonna freak,” and I’m like, “No, everyone’s gonna be fine.” I get it because I’ve been here for almost 31 years, so for a lot of people it seems like they’ve been watching me their whole lifetime. I think that Philadelphians have a special relationship with Action News that you don’t see in a lot of other cities or stations.
Are there any on-air memories that stand out?
One fun moment was when my earring fell off, and Jim Gardner got up. I saw him stand up and take off his microphone, and there was a frenzy behind the scenes, like, “Jim’s on the move. Traveler’s on the move.”
I tried to ignore it, and then I saw this white thing go behind my head, which I thought was a cloud animation. Then I realized it was his hair. It was hilarious and then it went viral — it was on Live With Regis and Kelly the next day and stuff, and that was fun.
Another one was when I was on the morning show with Monica [Malpass] and Rick [Williams], I would always try to crack them up by dancing off camera.
One time Rick told the director, “Record Cecily when she’s dancing.” I dance like Elaine from Seinfeld, but worse. And so they aired that.
Is there a reason you stayed in Philadelphia vs. moving to national television?
I was born and raised in Newtown, Conn., so I always watched the New York stations.
I thought I would work here a few years and then go to New York. Then I had I had some opportunities early in my career to go up. I filled in on Good Morning America for a full week with Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer, which was a great experience. Gibson gave me a bottle of champagne when the week was over.
I talked about going to New York with Tom Kane, who was the general manager of WABC and was the GM when I came to Channel 6. … But then I spent the rest of my week there and was like, “Man, I want to get back to Philadelphia.”
Philadelphia felt like home. … Even when I walked in for my interview, I felt really at home with everyone and they were all nice and welcoming. No backstabbing at all.
Also, once you have children, that really grounds you. Your children are growing up in a community, and you don’t want to uproot them and leave.
What are the best weather events to cover, and what are the worst?
The worst are tornado warnings because we get a lot of those nowadays, because we have more advanced radar … and we do have a warmer climate. But tornado warnings freak people out, because I’m telling them to get in their basement.
I was at the airport back in the spring … and the people in front of me recognized me and thanked me. They live in Mullica Hill, and they were there when they had the tornado warning and I told them to get in their basement. They said they got their kids and their pets down there … and when they got out of the basement, their house was destroyed. But they were OK. … That really hit home about the importance of our job. I kind of teared up.
I’m sure you hear the other side, too, when the weather shifts and your forecast might be off.
Oh, yeah. The whole saying, “Oh, I wish I had a job where I could be wrong 90% of the time and still keep my job.” I get that all the time. Anybody who says that doesn’t really understand the complexities of the atmosphere. … But I feel like when you’re in the public eye, you do have to grow a thick skin. Especially in Philly. They’re going to tell you what they really think, so they’re not going to sugarcoat it.
Is there a weather thing people still get confused by?
One thing I think people really don’t understand is tornado watch vs. warning.
When a tornado watch is issued, it usually means there’s like a 2% chance of a tornado happening in your neighborhood. It’s pretty low.
I think a lot of people think when there’s a tornado watch it means warning, which it doesn’t. It just means heads up. The warning is when you have to go to your basement.
Like everyone else, Sixers announcer Alaa Abdelnaby was shocked when news broke LeBron James was coming to Philadelphia.
Now he’s settling into the reality of calling games featuring the future Hall of Famer, who passed up a return to Cleveland to sign a two-year deal with the Sixers.
“I don’t think it was a farewell swan song he was looking for,” Abdelnaby said. “He’s still looking to win.”
It’s a wild swing for Abdelnaby, who is entering his 11th season calling Sixers games. His was hired in the middle of “The Process” and Philly lost 72 games during his first season as a color analyst. Now the team is coming off an exciting playoff upset of the Boston Celtics and added two superstars in James and Jaylen Brown.
“In Philadelphia we’re not used to having nice things,” Abdelnaby joked. “All eyes are going to be on you. I think everybody has to pick up their game a little bit.”
LeBron James chose Philly over Cleveland, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
That’s true for the network as well. Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, said it was budgeting in hopes of staffing up for the season.
“If you get a generational talent on your team, it could easily become a situation where the people that work for us are burnt out by December, and you don’t want that,” Matcham said. “You need extra help.”
That’s a welcome change in an era where regional sports networks like NBC Sports Philadelphia have been hit hard by cord cutting. How things shape up remains unclear, but Matcham said there are several possibilities.
“It’d be helpful if somebody who’s followed and covered him were on our staff,” Matcham said. “Maybe we add people like that.”
For years, NBC Sports Philadelphia and its predecessor, Comcast SportsNet, turned to reporters like Serena Winters and Taryn Hatcher for Sixers broadcasts. The network is weighing whether to add a third voice alongside Abdelnaby and play-by-play announcer Kate Scott, but the role wouldn’t be confined to baseline updates.
“As I’m talking to my colleagues, I’m not even calling it a reporter role because I feel like it’s going to give them a stereotype I don’t necessarily mean,” Matcham said.
“I think you need a voice on the court where Alaa and Kate can’t be to give us insight, do pre- and postgame interviews, analysis, all of that,” Matcham added. “It’s a very hard job to do.”
A lot more national TV exposure for the Sixers
NBC Sports Philadelphia announcers Kate Scott and Alaa Abdelnaby will be in the spotlight this season. Steven M. Falk / Staff Photographer
While the NBA hasn’t released its 2026-27 schedule, Matcham expects NBC Sports Philadelphia to air fewer Sixers games.
The network, which has broadcast Sixers games since 1997, is guaranteed at least 67 games this season as part of its deal with the NBA. It’s widely expected the league will take 15 Sixers games — the most allowed under their current TV deal — and put them in exclusive national windows on ABC, NBC, and Amazon’s Prime Video.
“LeBron’s arrival in Philadelphia instantly becomes one of the biggest stories in sports and adds even more star power and intrigue to an already loaded NBA schedule,” said Justin Byczek, NBC’s executive vice president of programming and rights management. “His move elevates some of the league’s most historic rivalries, including highly anticipated battles with the defending NBA Champion New York Knicks.”
Another 19 games are expected to air nationally and on NBC Sports Philadelphia as side-by-sides on Peacock, ESPN, and NBA TV. That’s 34 national games for the Sixers, compared to just 14 when the schedule was announced last season.
Under the NBA’s current media rights contract, every NBA team is guaranteed at least two national broadcasts. Only the most popular teams land 34, the max allowed under the 11-year, $76 billion TV deal.
It’s a great outcome for the NBA. The Lakers remain relevant with Luka Dončić, while James’ decision to join the Sixers will juice interest in matchups against the Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat, who were spurned by LeBron but landed Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s also the Sixers-Celtics rivalry, already heightened by Philly trading for Jaylen Brown.
“Christmas Day and all the top-level NBA nights, you’re going to see the Sixers,” said Jon Lewis, a TV ratings expert who runs the Sports Media Watch website. “Plus the national networks will have LeBron on the East Coast to showcase in that 8 o’clock window. That’s primetime, after all.”
What remains unclear is what impact James will have on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s viewership numbers. Last season, the network averaged 86,000 viewers per game, according to Nielsen numbers obtained by The Inquirer. That was a 25% increase compared to the 2024-25 season, when the Sixers lost 58 games and missed the playoffs.
Lewis said he would expect local ratings to go up in Philly if the 41-year-old stays healthy and the Sixers are big-time contenders. But he also noted just one Lakers game was among the 30 most-watched NBA games last season
“I would set expectations higher,” Lewis said, “just not overwhelmingly high for where he is at this point.”
The interest will also carry over to the Sixers three preseason games, beginning with their Oct. 8 matchup on the road against the Brooklyn Nets. Historically NBC Sports Philadelphia hasn’t covered those road preseason games, but that could change with James on the team.
“It’s the first preseason game with LeBron in a Sixers jersey,” Abdelnaby said. “So if our bosses were to say, ‘Listen, we’re covering that,’ I wouldn’t be surprised.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia is also looking to create more content to meet the high level of interest James will draw. That includes everything from adding and upgrading cameras throughout the arena to tinkering with in-game graphics and production equipment.
“Every game is going to mean something big,” Matcham said, “so everything we do has to show that off.”
A new comedy set at the Jersey Shore is in the works from Irish writer Lisa McGee, the creator behind the hilarious hit show Derry Girls.
Called Wildwood, the series will follow a group of college girls visiting New Jersey from Ireland in the summer of 2000 with “no money, no visas, no plan, no clue,” according to Deadline.
McGee’s Derry Girls became a whopping international hit after first airing on Britain’s Channel 4 in 2018 and later landing on Netflix.
It follows a group of messy, raunchy, and zany teens — including Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan — at an all-girls Catholic school in the 1990s during the Troubles conflict in Northern Ireland.
A still from “Derry Girls.” (Netflix)Netflix / MCT
The show was a semi-autobiographical story for McGee, who grew up in Derry and writes irreverent, cheeky young characters that make audiences cringe, cry, and laugh out loud. Her most recent project was the comical murder mystery How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, which premiered on Netflix in February.
Described as a “spiritual successor” to Derry Girls, Wildwood marks McGee’s first U.S.-based project. It will be developed with 20th Television and FX following a reportedly competitive bidding process. McGee will serve as creator and executive producer.
It’s not yet clear whether Wildwood will film in the eponymous beach town where it’s set, but FX — the longtime home ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — is certainly no stranger to the region.
And the next day, on July 21, 1969, the Muppets landed on televisions across Philadelphia.
But unlike the moon landing, the Muppets’ debut was a test run.
Over five days, producers of Sesame Street broadcast five hour-long test-pilot episodes on WHYY-TV’S UHFChannel 35 on televisions spread across 70 homes throughout the city.
So, why Philly?
“The station is one of the country’s top public TV stations,” Edward Palmer, then Sesame’s director of research, told The Inquirer in August 1969. “It has displayed great interest in the [Children’s Television] Workshop and has been most cooperative. And it has Channel 35.”
Those first few episodes, set at the fictional Manhattan meeting place at 123 Sesame Street, paired a snappy theme song with a cast of unusual and friendly oddballs.
The program, which can trace its roots to the mid-20th-century civil rights movement, would go on to delight, instruct, and entertain,thanks to the worldview and genius of Jim Henson.
But it wasn’t a complete home run.
The Philly research showed that of course the kids loved the Muppets, but they were bored by live-action street segments featuring only human actors.
This taught the producers that they had to integrate the Muppets with the human cast, and have them interact, rather than keep the Muppets and humans separate.
“Test audiences of preschoolers in Philadelphia had rejected live-action sequences shot on a mock urban street, with trash cans on the curb and laundry hanging from tenement windows,” according to Michael Davis’ book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street.
The human-operated puppets would go on to charm millions of children and parents, and their names would become iconic: The Count, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Oscar, Miss Piggy, Elmo, Kermit, and many others.
And they would later be joined by an endless A-list of guest stars.
Craig Melvin, the Today anchor, chased away a man who had sneaked past security at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York, where NBC is headquartered, on Thursday and managed to approach Melvin near the show’s Studio 1A, the New York Police Department said.
Melvin, who has been with the network since 2011, alerted security, and the man was arrested by police.
“There was no altercation, and no one was injured,” NBC said in a statement, adding, “We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios.”
The security breach happened right before 9 a.m., during the middle of the Today show broadcast, a department spokesperson said, when a man entered the lobby and headed through gold doors on the first floor and went upstairs. He encountered Melvin, who chased the man back through the lobby in an encounter that lasted between 8 and 10 seconds, the police said. The man was detained by Rockefeller Center, and then arrested by a police officer “without incident,” the department said.
Officers were alerted to a “disorderly individual” inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the midtown Manhattan building that also includes several NBC studios, such as Studio 8H, where Saturday Night Live is filmed. Officials have not yet identified the man who was arrested.
In an Instagram post Thursday afternoon, Melvin said he was “doing just fine” and thanked “so many of you” for reaching out after the security incident. “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on @todayshow.”
Melvin has had a variety of roles since joining NBC. He first became a news anchor on “Today” in 2018, and last year was promoted to a full-time host, replacing Hoda Kotb in one of the most high-profile roles in broadcast television. He had also been a host on MSNBC.
He recently sat down for an interview with former first lady Jill Biden about the release of her new book, during which he pressed her about former President Joe Biden’s fitness for office.
Phillies fans will be seeing double during Monday night’s Home Run Derby (8 p.m., Netflix).
Two Phillies sluggers — Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber — are participating in tonight’s event, the first time Philly teammates will compete in the Derby in its 41-year history. And they’ll do it in front of a hometown crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
It’s a potential rematch of the 2018 Derby finals, when Harper was still with the Washington Nationals and Schwarber was playing for the Chicago Cubs. Harper edged out Schwarber by just one dinger, winning the competition 19 homers to 18.
“I think it would be a pretty cool ending there if that could happen,” Schwarber told reporters. “But we’ll see what happens.”
It’s the first time the Derby has been held at Citizens Bank Park, but not its first time in Philly. Veterans Stadium hosted the event in 1996, which was won by Hall of Famer Barry Bonds, who belted out 17 homers.
Bonds will be back in Philly covering the event for Netflix, which is streaming the Home Run Derby as part of a three-year deal that also included MLB’s opening night back in March and next month’s Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa between the Phillies and Minnesota Twins.
Former Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence will be part of Netflix’s broadcast of the Home Run Derby.
“The Home Run Derby’s always been one of my favorite things as a kid,” Pence said. “I’m going to be in the stands a little bit. I’m going to be in the booth as well… Netflix definitely has some excitement up their sleeve.”
Netflix is the latest step in Pence’s second career as a broadcaster, which began as a fluke filling in last minute during COVID. He calls about 30 San Francisco Giants games a year as an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, and has broadcast games for MLB Network, Apple TV, and ESPN.
“I feel like I always get to come out to Philly,” Pence said. “I love the stadium, I love all the people there. And [John] Kruk comes over and talks to me every time… He makes sure I get the right cheesesteak and the right sandwich.”
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream this year’s Home Run Derby:
What time does the Home Run Derby start?
Veteran MLB announcer Matt Vasgersian will lead Netflix’s coverage of the Home Run Derby. MLB Network
The 2026 MLB Home Run Derby is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern and will stream globally live on Netflix. It won’t air on either broadcast or cable TV.
Calling all the action will be Matt Vasgersian, with Elle Duncan and Lauren Shehadi also leading the coverage. In addition to Pence and Bonds, Albert Pujols, Anthony Rizzo, and CC Sabathia will also provide analysis.
Netflix hasn’t offered many details about its plans for the Derby, but if its opening night telecast is anything to go by, expect plenty of cross promotion and a lot of stars. Among them will be former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, who hosts The White House video podcast for Netflix.
Players in the Home Run Derby
Phillies sluggers Bryce Harper (left) and Kyle Schwarber will compete in the Home Run Derby. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
Bryce Harper, Phillies
Jordan Walker, Cardinals
Wilson Contreras, Red Sox
Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
Jac Caglianone, Royals
Ben Rice, Yankees
Junior Caminero, Rays
Not participating for the second straight season is Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, one of only four players to win multiple Derby championships. Despite a strong first-half, Alonso wasn’t selected to this year’s All-Star Game.
Also not competing is last year’s winner, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has struggled this year after being last year’s American League MVP runner-up.
New rules for this year’s Home Run Derby
This year’s Derby has a different format than previous years.
For starters, there won’t be a timer. Instead, each slugger will get a set number of swings each round — 20 in the first round and 15 in both the second and final rounds.
The last Derby without a clock was 2014.
There’s also a “keep going” rule. If the batter hits a homer on his final attempt, he’ll keeping swinging until he fails to blast out a home run.
“I love it,” Pence said. “It’s really awesome for TV and healthier for the players. They’re not just having this endurance contest. We get to really feel each swing and each player.”
There also won’t be a bracket for the first round. Instead, the four sluggers with the most homers during the first round will move on to the second. There the competition shifts to head-to-head until a champion is crowned.
What happens if there’s a tie?
In the opening round, if multiple players hit the same number of home runs, the tiebreaker will go to whomever knocked out the longest home run.
Beyond that, ties will be settled by a three-swing swing-off. There have been just two ties in modern Derby history — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. edged out Joc Pederson in the third tiebreaker in 2019, while Juan Soto topped Shohei Ohtani in the first round of the swing-off in 2021.
Playing the best friend to Kate Winslet’s titular Mare Sheehan character, Nicholson won an Emmy in 2021 for her heart-wrenching performance as the mother of (spoiler alert!) the young boy revealed as the killer Sheehan was investigating.
More details about how her character will factor into Task are under wraps. But we know that the new season follows Ruffalo’s ex-priest-turned-FBI agent — a performance that earned him an Emmy nod — as he leads another task force that will clash with the DEA.
Mark Ruffalo (left) plays FBI agent Tom Brandis in the HBO series “Task.”Warner Bros. Discovery
It’s the first time that the worlds of Task and Mare have officially collided, though both shows were created by Berwyn writer Brad Ingelsby and filmed in the Philadelphia area. There’s also some overlap in their creative teams, from production and costume design to dialect coaching. (Ingelsby recognizes the importance of getting the signature Delco accent just right.)
“We weren’t trying to separate Task from Mare. In fact, we were actually going the other way and saying, ‘No, it’s OK to use the same streets,’” said Ingelsby, who received an Emmy nomination recognizing his writing for the Task finale. “If there’s something architecturally that can connect the two worlds, let’s wrap our arms around it.”
“Task” and “Mare of Easttown” writer Brad Ingelsby in his office in Berwyn, Pa.. on July 17, 2025. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Mare was developed as a limited series, but talk of a potential second season has persisted in the years since its release. Ingelsby has said the door is always open for a continuation of the show and earlier this year, Winslet reportedly said recent conversations with HBO were promising enough that she believes there’s a “strong likelihood” filming could begin in 2027.
It’s not yet clear whether Winslet could make a cameo in Task when the two shows crossover.
Following a banner year for TV shows set in Philadelphia, the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary and HBO drama Task received multiple Emmy Award nominations on Wednesday.
Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey both received acting nominations, in outstanding lead and outstanding supporting categories, respectively.
The finale, “A Still Small Voice,” received particular attention: Ingelsby was nominated for outstanding writing for a drama series and editors Keiko Deguchi and Amy E. Duddleston were nominated in the picture editing category. The episode “Crossings” was recognized as well, with director of photography Alex Disenhof nominated for outstanding cinematography for a one-hour series.
Additionally, director Salli Richardson Whitfield was nominated for directing the action-packed episode “Out Beyond Ideas of Wrongdoing and Rightdoing, There Is a River.” She was also nominated in the same category for directing an episode of HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Ingelsby told The Inquirer in an email that the Task team is “deeply honored” by the recognition.
“Task exists solely because of the remarkable people who have believed in it and helped bring it to the screen. Thank you to HBO for shepherding it into the world so beautifully,” Ingelsby wrote. “I’m especially happy to see our cast leaders Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey nominated for their extraordinary performances.”
“This recognition represents the entire Task team,“ he said, ”in front of and behind the camera who poured their enormous talent and hearts into bringing this story to life.”
He added: “We are busy at work shooting Season 2 right now, and this is a very nice reason to pause for a moment and celebrate.”
Fresh off concluding its fifth season, the Emmy-winning powerhouse Abbott Elementary returns to the awards ceremony with seven nods, including outstanding comedy series and outstanding casting. West Philly’s Quinta Brunson, Abbott’s star and creator, was nominated for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Janine Teagues and outstanding writing for a comedy series for the episode “Team Building.” Brunson won an outstanding lead actress Emmy for the same role in 2023 and an outstanding writing award for the Abbott pilot in 2022.
Joining Brunson in acting nominations are Janelle James, who plays the chaotically unpredictable principal Ava Coleman and is nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. Tyler James Williams, who plays neurotic teacher Gregory Eddie, is nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy.
“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson watches the Phillies play the Atlanta Braves during a taping of the show on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. in Philadelphia.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Abbott Elementary also received a nod for outstanding directing for a comedy series, recognizing Randall Einhorn for his effort filming the “Ball Game” episode during a live Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park last August. Phillies fans will remember it as the night Kyle Schwarber made MLB history with four home runs, while Abbott fans will recall suspecting the mysterious janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) was secretly the Phanatic.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Brunson wrote on Instagram. “Congratulations to the hardworking cast and crew of Abbott. I am grateful for each and every person that makes this production move.”
In the supporting actor category, Williams will compete with West Philly native Colman Domingo, who was nominated for his role as the sharp and sassy Danny in Tina Fey’s Netflix comedy, The Four Seasons. This is Domingo’s second consecutive year as a best supporting actor nominee. The show’s second season, released in May, was filmed partially at the Jersey Shore and revealed that Domingo’s character is also from Philadelphia.
Domingo received a second Emmy nomination this year for the final season of HBO’s Euphoria, in the category of outstanding guest actor. He played the tenderhearted and justifiably furious addiction sponsor Ali to Zendaya’s lovably tragic character, Rue. In 2022, Domingo won the supporting actor Emmy for the same role.
The actor was just in Philadelphia on July 4, when he received a Philadelphia Freedom Award from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. Now on vacation in Europe, he’s celebrating the double Emmy nods that highlight his acting skills in both comedic and dramatic roles.
“I think the diversity of work is what I’ve always hoped for, to have these opportunities to flex very different muscles,” Domingo told Deadline on Wednesday. He added that he believes the finale of Euphoria “is some of my best work” and he “gave it everything I had.”
Another Philly son got a nomination this year: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) stars in and executive produces the Emmy-winning Welcome to Wrexham, about the Welsh soccer team he co-owns with Ryan Reynolds. The show is in the running for outstanding unstructured reality program, which it has won twice before. (Mac’s Always Sunny costar and wife, Kaitlin Olson, also received a nomination for her guest appearance in Hacks.)
Leading in Emmy nominations were The Pitt, the emergency room drama set in Pittsburgh, with 25 nods, and Hacks, the comedy costarring Eagles superfan Hannah Einbinder, receiving 24. The daughter of a diehard Eagles fan from Doylestown, Einbinder is nominated again for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series. She won the award last year and made headlines for ending her speech with “Go Birds, f — ICE, and free Palestine.”
Hosted at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, on NBC.
Bill Wine, 81, of Philadelphia, three-time Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award-winning film and TV critic, retired tenured associate professor of TV and film at La Salle University, onetime freelance TV critic for the Daily News, freelance writer, playwright, and popular lecturer, died Sunday, June 14, of complications from Parkinson’s disease at his home in Chestnut Hill.
The son of two part-time amateur actors and a lifelong devotee of theater, film, TV, writing, and teaching, Mr. Wine was a film critic for WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years and KYW radio for 17 years. Known for his pithy, witty, and often acerbic reviews, and a breezy conversational style of writing, he worked at Channel 29 from 1990 to 2002 and KYW from 2001 to 2018.
“Bill Wine was a character out of a Neil Simon comedy, more Oscar than Felix,” said Carrie Rickey, former Inquirer movie critic. “You didn’t have to wait long for the punchline.”
Mr. Wine’s film reviews on Channel 29 were often funny and entertaining. Channel 29
At Channel 29, Mr. Wine was nominated for eight regional Emmy Awards for commentary and writing, and won three. He appeared regularly on the station’s Ten O’Clock News, in primetime movie preview and review programs, and later on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Good Day Philadelphia.
By 1990, he had already written hundreds of freelance film reviews for the Daily News and Courier-Post, done radio reviews for WPEN, and taught a variety of classes about film and writing for a decade at La Salle. So, despite no previous TV experience, he was hired at Channel 29 over 60 other film critic applicants.
“I had never been on TV, but I wasn’t nervous,” he told the Daily News in 2001, “because I had been standing in front of 100 students for 10 years.”
Mr. Wine worked at at WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years.Courtesy of the family
He started at KYW radio in 2001 and usually aired reviews and reports on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sometimes, he watched three movies in one day. He left Channel 29 in 2002 and KYW in 2018 only after both companies eliminated their local film critic position.
“When I started [writing film reviews], it was before the internet,” he told The Inquirer in 2018. “A lot of people [now] feel like, ‘Who the heck is a movie critic to come on in a minute and to dismiss something that took hundreds of people and millions of dollars to create?’”
In the 1970s and ‘80s, he wrote articles and reviewed films, TV shows, books, and plays for WPEN, The Inquirer, Courier-Post, Philadelphia Magazine, and other outlets. In 1975, he wrote dozens of freelance TV columns called “On the Air” for the Daily News.
Mr. Wine wrote dozens of columns as a freelance TV critic for the Daily News in 1975.Newspapers.com
He spent three years in California in the 1970s working on plays and film and TV scripts. He hobnobbed with famous writers, producers, and actors in Los Angeles, staged one of his own plays, and was a winning contestant on a new TV game show.
He wrote 11 plays over the years, and several made it to the stage. “Now the people who disagree with my reviews can come and find out if I’m as dumb as they think I am,” he told The Inquirer in 2002.
He aired reviews on WIP radio and lectured often at libraries, schools, community centers, theaters, and other venues about his favorite films, adapting books to film, and other topics.“He could be wickedly funny, especially when delivering a pan of a movie,” his family said in a tribute. “One of his favorite quotes was: ‘I had a bad seat. It was facing the screen.’”
Mr. Wine was a prolific playwright who enjoyed table readings with family and friends. La Shina Clark / Staff Photographer
Mr. Wine earned a bachelor’s degree in math at Drexel University and a master’s degree in communications at Temple University. He helped design La Salle’s nascent Communication Department in the 1980s, and school officials called him one of their “Founding Fathers.” He also taught briefly at Drexel, and came close to earning a doctorate at Temple.
In 2001, he was featured in a Daily News story about “celebrity professors” and said: “You have to remind yourself that this is television, not the classroom. You mention, say, ‘film noir’ on TV, and you get a memo.”
William David Wine was born June 21, 1944, in Germantown. He grew up in West Oak Lane and Cherry Hill, attended Central High School, and graduated from the old Cherry Hill High School.
A story and this photo of Mr. Wine about his time as a professor at La Salle appeared in the Daily News in 2001.Newspapers.com
As a boy, he devoured newspaper movie reviews and fell in love with film after seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 thriller Rear Window. He got positive reviews of his own freelance movie review when he was at Temple, and he knew then, he said later, that writing about movies was his creative niche.
He married Dina Lichtman, and they divorced later. He married Suzanne Monsalud in 1981, and they had daughters Simone and Paulina, and lived in Germantown, Wyncote, and Chestnut Hill.
Mr. Wine and his wife, Suzanne, married in 1981.Courtesy of the family
Together, Mr. Wine and his family traveled to Paris and London, and he and his wife honeymooned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He doted on his daughters and sometimes took them to his La Salle classroom, the Channel 29 TV set, and movie screenings.
Friends, former colleagues, and former students called him “a force of nature,” “smart and gifted,” and “a rare combination of kindness, professionalism, and humor.” His daughter Simone said: “His humor, warmth, and presence made life brighter.”
Mr. Wine played tennis, third base on adult softball teams, and pickup basketball into his 70s. He followed the Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles closely, and hit tennis balls with Hall of Famer Rod Laver at a publicity event in Los Angeles.
Mr. Wine and his family made memorable trips to Paris, London, and elsewhere. Courtesy of the family
“He was a wonderful father and a dedicated teacher,” his wife said. “He was a real Philadelphian, and we complemented each other.”
His daughter Paulina said: “Dad, I think you cracked the code. We’ll see you at the movies.”
