On the 800th episode of The Simpsons, the beloved show will send its cartoon family to Philly.
Now in its 37th season, the comedy will ring in the milestone on Feb. 15 with “Irrational Treasure,” a spoof on Nicolas Cage’s National Treasure franchise that filmed (a bit) in Philadelphia.
The episode will feature a slate of Philly-raised talent including Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson, The Bondsman actor Kevin Bacon, and The Roots drummer Questlove — as well as Boyz II Men, who will sing their own rendition of the show’s legendary theme song.
A still from “The Simpsons” episode “Irrational Treasure,” airing on Fox on Feb. 15.
“Marge’s crusade to get the family dog in better shape leads to her entering Santa’s Little Helper in canine agility competitions and a trip to the National Dog Show in Philadelphia,” reads the logline, according to Entertainment Weekly. “There, Marge and Homer suddenly find themselves — and the dog — mixed up in a historical conspiracy adventure worthy of a National Treasure movie.”
The Philly adventure will see Homer (Dan Castellaneta) chomping on a cheesesteak in front of Pat’s and Geno’s, and a Segway tour guide (voiced by Questlove). The Roots will also make an animated cameo. Given the dog show premise, could there also be a reference to Best in Show, another classic Philly film? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Roots make a cameo in a milestone episode of “The Simpsons.”
Brunson will voice a character named Adrienne (Yo! Is that perhaps a Rocky reference?), while Bacon takes on a Philly concierge.
Other guest stars include The Pittactors Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden voicing a doctor, nurse, and intern, respectively. (The HBO show is set in Pittsburgh, but the actors aren’t from there.)
Questlove will voice a Philly segway tour guide in “The Simpsons” special 800th episode, airing Feb. 15 on Fox.
The character Tracy, played by actor Samantha Cutaran, shows up to cover the unexpected success that the school has seen while operating out of an abandoned mall. (They were forced to relocate after Abbott’s furnace broke.)
Four weeks into the disruptive move, student grades begin improving and incidents go down.
“You’re changing the face of education,” Tracy tells the teachers. “So much so, we think this is worthy enough for the front page. You guys are rock stars!”
It would’ve been funny to see how each of these characters would act in an interview — Janine (creator Quinta Brunson) might be nervous about saying the wrong thing, Jacob (Chris Perfetti) would (hopefully) praise the free press, and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) would be skeptical and uncooperative — but the show cuts directly to the newspaper delivery. (Yes, we’re still in print!)
“Extra, extra, read all about … us!” says Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) as she drops the paper on a table.
Designed by Abbott Elementary’s props and production team, the mock front page pictures the teachers and principal Ava (Janelle James) surrounded by students with the headline, “Do schools even need schools?”
A mock front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer as seen in Season 5 of ‘Abbott Elementary.’
Janine is thrilled that the article includes her quote, “Teaching is fun.”
“Did they use mine?” Melissa asks. “‘The Giants suck.’ Is that in there?”
(Sadly, it’s not.)
The reporter, in her objectivity, excluded that insight (no matter how many real readers would agree), but Melissa is still impressed.
“The Schemmenti family name on the front page,” she says, “and nowhere does it say ‘evasion, tax, or conviction.’”
The Inquirer calls the Abbott crew “heroes” for the work they have done, drumming up positive press for the school district and leading Scholastic to donate new school supplies.
But the excitement peters out when the shrewd guidance counselor (Marcella Arguello) points out that the school district continues to be vague whenever the teachers ask when they’ll be returning to Abbott. The students are performing so well, she reminds them, so there’s “no sense of urgency.”
They later discover that the district has pulled Abbott’s construction crew to address facility problems at other schools.
It’s not all bad news, though: While the rest of Abbott Elementary was caught up with The Inquirer (we love that for us), Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) clashed with the new janitor who was sent to help him clean the massive mall. Miss Carroll is played by newcomer Khandi Alexander.
“I may be old-fashioned, but women have no business cleaning,” Mr. Johnson tells the camera. “You ask me? They need to get back to where they belong — in the Wall Street board room and coaching in the NFL.”
William Stanford Davis (Mr. Johnson), Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie), and Quinta Brunson (Janine Teagues) in “Abbott Elementary.”
The feud doesn’t last as the two bond over using the same homemade cleaning solution. It’s a sweet turn for the mysterious Mr. Johnson; audiences have heard many tales of his backstories, from being a Jill Scott stalker to a member of the Mafia, but he hasn’t yet had a romance plot.
Until this episode, that is.
Mr. Johnson’s odd jobs — some 400 before he came to Abbott — are part of the fun for Davis.
“I’m always surprised at what they want me to do, and I try to embrace that and have as much fun with it as I can,” said the actor in a recent interview with The Inquirer.
Davis himself has worked his fair share of odd jobs, throughout his career, like DJing a country western radio station, driving a limousine, cooking at a truck stop, and other “survival gigs,” as he calls them.
“I try to bring those real-life experiences to Mr. Johnson, because they weren’t all very pleasant either, but it helps me to continue to develop this character,” said Davis.
“As an actor, you’re supposed to be able to play everything that a human being can be, and so I try to connect to Mr. Johnson’s truth, even though his truth is a little stranger than most people’s … He’s an honest, living, breathing human being. He’s just a little different than everyone else, and he’s a little smarter than everyone else.”
There is one job that Davis hopes the writers will work into Mr. Johnson’s lore: “I’m waiting on them to make me an astronaut.”
Since premiering in 2021, the Emmy-winning sitcom from West Philly-raised comedy star Quinta Brunson has regularly featured local organizations like the Franklin Institute, Please Touch Museum, and the Phillies.
In the upcoming episode, airing Wednesday, Brunson will spotlight another hometown institution: The Philadelphia Inquirer.
For now, the details of the plot are still under wraps but we can confirm that the episode, titled “Mall Part 3: Heroes,” will include a character who is an Inquirer reporter. We can also confirm that the actor in that role is not an actual Inquirer reporter.
This season, the titular Philly public school has been thrown into chaos. The building’s furnace broke before winter break so the school district moved Abbott into an abandoned mall, where teachers need to create classrooms out of vacant stores.
The titular school temporarily relocates to an abandoned mall in Season 5 of “Abbott Elementary.”
The mall building has had its own problems — including a ludicrously large Benjamin Franklin head that routinely announced shop discounts before plummeting to its destruction — but the Abbott crew tries valiantly to keep teaching.
“After the faculty finds surprising success operating the school in the mall, they quickly realize they are being taken advantage of,” reads the description of the upcoming episode. “Meanwhile, a new custodian arrives to join Mr. Johnson.”
There are few details about the new custodian character. But, on Thursday, Deadline reported that Abbott Elementary has cast actor Khandi Alexander (the unforgettable scene-stealer who played Olivia Pope’s fearless mom on Scandal) in an undisclosed recurring role.
Actor William Stanford Davis plays the eccentric and beloved Mr. Johnson, who famously runs a tight ship when it comes to his janitorial responsibilities.
“Mr. Johnson gets overwhelmed because this mall is huge, and he has to clean it up, so they bring some help in. That’s all I’m gonna tell you about that part,” Davis told The Inquirer in a recent interview. “The help, they don’t get along — he doesn’t like anyone in his territory.”
William Stanford Davis (Mr. Johnson), Tyler James Williams (Gregory Eddie), and Quinta Brunson (Janine Teagues) in ‘Abbott Elementary.’
His character faced a similar personality challenge in the crossover episode with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, when the Paddy’s Pub misfit crew came to the school to fulfill their court-ordered community service. Danny DeVito’s character, Frank, was tasked with helping Mr. Johnson with a raccoon infestation and the two feuded the entire time.
Off-screen, though, Davis remembered that collaboration with DeVito fondly.
“There’s a scene where he’s in the cage. [DeVito] was already out there in the cage, in the mud, eating the chum before Tyler [James Williams, who plays Gregory Eddie] and I even got on the set,” Davis recalled. “I was like, ‘Tyler, I gotta up my game, man.’ This guy, he’s 10 years older than me — and I’m not a spring chicken — and he’s out here laying in the mud ready to go. It was so much fun.”
(Always Sunny also once featured an Inquirer reporter character, who called the pub “the worst bar in Philadelphia,” a claim not backed by the real Inquirer.)
Another fun highlight for Davis’ character this season was in the “Ballgame” episode. The cast and crew of Abbott Elementary took over Citizens Bank Park in August and filmed live at the game where Kyle Schwarber made history.
The “Abbott Elementary” cast meet Kyle Schwarber and the Phanatic on the field at Citizens Bank Park.
“The fact that Schwarber hit four home runs out of the park that night, that was historic, and he was going to be a guest on our show — you can’t ask for a better story,” said Davis.
On screen, one character suspects Mr. Johnson is secretly the Phanatic. It’s not totally far-fetched, given the custodian’s many hilarious backstories, from senator to mobster.
Will The Inquirer reporter uncover something new about Mr. Johnson’s mysterious past? We’ll have to tune in to find out.
“Abbott Elementary” airs weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Locally filmed crime shows were everywhere, theaters opened but didn’t (thankfully) close, and Colman Domingo was (rightfully) ubiquitous. All that and more, in our roundup of movies in Philadelphia in 2025.
The year was lighter on Hollywood movie productions shooting in town, but among them was a basketball movie with Mark Wahlberg, at various times given the titles Cheesesteak and Weekend Warriors.I Play Rocky, a movie about the making of the original 1976 Rocky, also filmed in the city.
In Peacock’s “Long Bright River,” Allentown native Amanda Seyfried plays Michaela “Mickey” Fitzpatrick, a Kensington patrol police officer who discovers a string of murders in the neighborhood’s drug market.
Gearing up for Rocky 50
It wouldn’t be a year in Philly film without Rocky making its way in.
I Play Rocky is expected to arrive in theaters in 2026, in what will likely serve as one of many commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Rocky.
Also, Rocky was among the many movies and area film institutions included in Films Shaped by a City, a new mural by Marian Bailey, that debuted in October on Sansom Street, on the back of the Film Society Center. Mural Arts Philadelphia, BlackStar Projects, and the Philadelphia Film Society had worked on the project for more than two years.
Outside the filming of “Eraserhead” by David Lynch at the Film Society Center, in Philadelphia, Oct. 5, 2025.
The Film Society’s big year
The new mural on the back of its building was part of an eventful year for the Philadelphia Film Society, which completed a big new entrance and lobby renovation of the Film Society Center.
The Philadelphia Film Festival, in October, welcomed 33,000 attendees, which PFS calls its highest turnout ever, while the three theaters welcomed 200,000 customers throughout the year, also a record.
Colman Domingo attends the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York.
The very busy Colman Domingo
It was another eventful year for the Temple alum and West Philly native, who was nominated for the best actor Oscar for the second straight year, for last year’s Sing Sing. In 2025, he was in four movies — Dead Man’s Wire, The Running Man, and voice roles in The Electric State and Wicked: For Good. He also appeared in the TV series The Four Seasons — created by and costarring Upper Darby’s Tina Fey — and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He even guest-judged on RuPaul’s Drag Race and cochaired the Met Gala.
In 2026, Domingo is set to appear in both the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi film, Disclosure Day. He’s also at work on his feature directorial debut, Scandalous!, and said at PFF that he hopes to finish the film in time to bring it to next year’s festival.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows David Corenswet in a scene from “Superman.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Local actors and filmmakers shine
The Philadelphia-born Penn alum David Corenswet debuted as Superman this summer, a film that also featured a small appearance by Jenkintown’s Bradley Cooper. Cooper directed and played a supporting role in In This Thing On?
Mount Airy native and Temple alum Da’Vine Joy Randolph followed up her Oscar win by appearing in three movies, Shadow Force, Bride Hard, and Eternity — the latter of which also starred Downingtown’s Miles Teller — and continuing on Only Murders in the Building.
Willow Grove’s Dan Trachtenberg directed not one but two films in the Predator franchise, the animated Predator: Killer of Killers and the live-action Predator: Badlands. Penn alum Gavin O’Connor directed The Accountant 2. In addition to creating Task, Berwyn’s Brad Ingelsby wrote the movies Echo Valley and The Lost Bus, both for Apple TV.
West Philadelphia’s Quinta Brunson continued to star in Abbott Elementary, which had her filming in Citizens Bank Park the night of Kyle Schwarber’s historic four home runs. She also played a voice role in Zootopia 2.
Exterior entrance to Netflix House, King of Prussia Mall, Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
No theater loss
Philadelphia, in a rarity, did not lose any movie screens in 2025.
Then, in August, it was announced that the Riverview movie theater on Columbus Boulevard, which has sat empty since 2020, would reopen in 2026 under the auspices of Apple Cinemas, with the city’s only IMAX screen. However, recently it didn’t appear that any construction work had begun there yet, and the Riverview’s impending return had also been announced in 2024.
In February, an effort was announced to revive the Anthony Wayne Theater in Wayne. Ishana Night Shyamalan, the film director and daughter of M. Night, is a member of the board seeking to bring the theater back.
In November, the first-ever Netflix House “fan destination” opened in King of Prussia, and it includes a theater that will feature such special events as Netflix’s NFL games on Christmas Day and the Stranger Things series finale on New Year’s Day.
And about two hours north of the city, in the town of Wind Gap, the Gap Theatre reopened in March after it was closed for five years. The theater shows more than 50 films a month, mostly sourced from the collection of Exhumed Films.
A still from Mike Macera’s “Alice-Heart,” part of the 2025 Philadelphia Film Festival’s “Filmadelphia” section.
Indie-delphia
It was also an eventful year for local independent film.
Delco: The Movie, which was in the works for several years, had its premiere in January. Two other films, both of which premiered at the 2022 Philadelphia Film Festival, finally saw their release this year: The Golden Voice, directed by Brandon Eric Kamin, and Not For Nothing, from Tim Dowlin and Frank Tartaglia, who died in 2022.
Mike Macera’s Alice-Heart, featuring a cast and crew full of Drexel and Temple alumni, premiered at PFF and won the Filmadelphia Best Local Feature Film Award.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1985 death of Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh, the documentary “The Swede of Philadelphia” opened in area theaters in November.
Documenting sports stars
There were, once again, several prominent sports documentaries about Philadelphia athletes of the past and present. CNN aired Kobe: The Making of a Legend, about Lower Merion’s Kobe Bryant, to coincide with the fifth anniversary of his death. To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1985 death of Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh, the documentaryThe Swede of Philadelphia opened in area theaters in November.
Amazon’s Prime Video premiered Saquon, which followed the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley for several years, in October. This year’s Eagles team is featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks for the first time as part of the currently-airing Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East.
David Lynch appears at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019.
Remembering David Lynch
The January death of David Lynch, who lived in Philadelphia as a young art student and was inspired by the city in his work, was commemorated locally with everything from a new mural in the “Eraserhood” to showings of his movies at most area theaters that feature repertory fare.
When the Film Society Center reopened after the renovation, the first showing was a 35mm screening of Lynch’s Callowhill-inspired Eraserhead.
When Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson first uploaded his rap songs online in 2010, he was told his music was “too corny” to garner an audience.
“I definitely had friends who encouraged me, but I had other friends who used to call it ‘bus driver rap,’” Richardson said. “Or they said, ‘Too many people rap. Get out of here.’”
Today, Richardson is a go-to musician-for-hire for major network shows, including for the Emmy-winning, Philly-set comedy series Abbott Elementary.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson in his home studio on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Richardson, who goes by Bul Bey, knows his music doesn’t have the same musical edge that has long defined Philadelphia’s hip-hop sound. But he makes up for it with his more soulful and personal hip-hop records that speak to his West Philly roots and connect with a wider range of rap fans.
“Philadelphia is one of those cities where rapping is held to a higher standard, so I had to listen to my heart,” he said. “I was an artist whether I wanted to be one or not.”
While his sound didn’t match that of his contemporaries, he believes it sets him apart from other Philly artists.
On the Oct. 22 episode of Abbott Elementary, Richardson’s 2024 track “Elbow Deep” can be heard in the background as characters Gregory and Janine (played by Tyler James Williams and show creator Quinta Brunson), set the vibe for a friendly hangout.
“I lost my mind when I heard it,” Richardson said. “There are some explicit moments in the song, but when I saw the scene, it all made total sense.”
This was the second time Richardson’s music was placed in the hit series.
Back in February 2022, Richardson sent an “awkward” introductory message on LinkedIn to Abbott Elementary music supervisor Kier Lehman. Among the tens of tracks Richardson pulled from his catalog to include in that message, the 2014 single “Where I’m From” struck a chord with Lehman.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson at his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
In early 2023, the Grammy-nominated music supervisor reached out to Richardson to request the use of “Where I’m From” for season two, episode 19, of the show.
Richardson said he’s still processing the achievement. “Sometimes I go back to the episode just to make sure it wasn’t changed,” he said.
That song placement, Richardson said, arrived at a “time of desperation.”
After a decade of making music, Richardson was at a creative crossroads. He was confident in his musical talents, but it felt like there were limited avenues to showcase them. “I felt very lost and desperate,” he said.
He stumbled onto Abbott Elementary like everyone else. Only he paused the TV to find Lehman’s name in the credits and reached out to him months later on the networking platform.
While he’s now “embarrassed” by his direct message to Lehman, the eventual song placement was the first time Richardson was ever paid for his music.
“That was definitely me crossing a threshold,” he said. “And in my mind, I was like, ‘I have to do that again.’”
It would be two years until that would happen. Earlier this year, Lehman reached out to Richardson to use “Elbow Deep.” Richardson approved immediately.
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson at his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. He is seen doing the voice-over for a Joel Embiid Skechers commercial.
In the meantime, that first placement opened several creative doors.
Between his role as an event coordinator for the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, Richardson dropped a pair of collaborative EPs with producers Sam Live and Patrick Feliciano. He also contributed music to WHYY programs, such as Albie’s Elevator and The Infinite Art Hunt, and served as host of the Franklin Institute’s So Curious podcast.
He was even tapped to narrate a Skechers ad featuring Sixers star Joel Embiid, showcasing his abilities as a voice-over talent.
It’s all been a surprising path, Richardson said. One that has inspired him to pursue avenues that meld his love of music and Philadelphia.
“It let me know I had a narrower view of what I could do as an artist,” Richardson said. “I wouldn’t say I’m doing unconventional things, but it’s more of a wider range.”
Philly artist Amir Bey Richardson in his home studio Monday, Dec. 1, 2025. He did the voice-over in a new Joel Embiid Skechers commercial, seen on screen.
His goal is to be a more notable name for big-budget shows and eventually land a placement on a blockbuster film. He currently has his sights on Sony’s animated Spider-Man multiverse saga, which Lehman served as the music supervisor for in 2018.
For someone who started out making songs from his college radio station at Pittsburgh’s La Roche University, and now sees his name on TV screens, Richardson has learned to avoid limiting his art and musical reach. And to the friends who previously doubted his abilities, he’s proving his music can take him places he’s never been, including prime-time television.
The Golden Globe Awards on Mondayannounced its nominees for the best in television and movies, and with it, another chance for victoryfor regional productions and local actors.
The ceremony airsJan. 11 with awards given in 28 categories.
The Abbott Elementary crew visits the Always Sunny gang at Paddy’s Pub in the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Abbott Elementary” crossover.
In its fifth season, Abbott Elementary has already won the hearts of Philadelphians and three Golden Globes. Still, this wholesome band of teachers, starring Philly-native Quinta Brunson, isup again for best musical or comedy television series.
HBO’s Task and Peacock’s Long Bright River, two crime thrillers set in Philadelphia neighborhoods and suburbs, both have leading actors nominated for Golden Globes this season.
Mark Ruffalo as Tom, Alison Oliver as Lizzie, Thuso Mbedu as Aleah, and Fabien Frankel as Anthony in “Task.”
Amanda Seyfried (left) and Asleigh Cummings in the Kensington-set Peacock series “Long Bright River,” based on the novel of the same name by Temple professor and novelist Liz Moore.
Liz Moore’s crime novel Long Bright Riverturned heads when it was released in 2020, detailing the harrowing story of a Kensington police officer, played in the series by Amanda Seyfried, searching for her sister in a cat-and-mouse chase with a killer targeting sex workers. While the television adaptation was filmed in New York City, the bulk of the show takes place in Kensington and other Philadelphia neighborhoods, with Seyfried grabbing a nomination for best female performance in a dramatic limited series.
Hometown stand-up icon Kevin Hart was back to his roots with a new comedy special, Kevin Hart: Acting My Age, tackling injuries after 40, Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich consequences, and slipping in the shower. He earned a nomination for best stand-up comedy performance on television.
Host Kevin Hart speaks during the BET Awards on Monday, June 9, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
And through a few degrees of separation, several other nomineescan be claimed as Philly-adjacent.
Hannah Einbinder, whose father is from Doylestown, accepts the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for “Hacks” during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Take Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder, who shouted “Go Birds!” during her speech after winning an Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy series, and was filmed by the evening news crying in the streets of Los Angeles after the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl win.
She may not be from Philadelphia (her father, actor Chad Einbinder, is from Doylestown), but she reps the city. HBO’s Hacks, which follows a veteran Las Vegas comic mentoring a young comedy writer, is up for best musical or comedy television series, with Einbinder and costar Jean Smart nominated for best supporting female actor and best actor in a musical or comedy series, respectively.
And there are some broader Pennsylvania and New Jersey ties among the nominees.
The breakout medical drama The Pitt, which takes place in the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Center, depicts a 15-hour shift in an emergency room, split across 15 one-hour episodes. The Pitt’s lead actor, Noah Wyle (known for his role as Dr. John Carter in NBC’s ER), is up against Ruffalo for best male actor in a dramatic television series.
After a major overhaul of the award show in recent years, including the sunsetting of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association due to ethics and diversity concerns, the new Golden Globe Awards are judged by a panel of 400 journalists from across the world.
The Golden Globes will be broadcast live on Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. Philadelphia time on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Quinta Brunson wants you to dig into your pocket to make free field trips possible for Philadelphia students.
The actor, writer, and comedian — along with Philadelphia School District officials and the leader of the district’s nonprofit arm — announced the “Quinta Brunson Field Trip Fund” on Tuesday.
District teachers and administrators will be able to apply for money for field trips by completing a short application subject to evaluation by an independent, internal group of educators. Field trip grants will be made twice a year.
“They opened my world, sparked my creativity, and helped me imagine a future beyond what I saw every day,” Brunson said. “Going somewhere new shows you that the world is bigger and more exciting than you believe, and it can shape what you come to see as achievable. I’m proud to support Philadelphia students with experiences that remind them their dreams are valid and their futures are bright.”
“Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson watches the Phillies play the Atlanta Braves during a taping of the show in Philadelphia in August.
Every Abbott Elementary season has featured a field trip episode, including visits toSmith Playground, the Franklin Institute, and the Philadelphia Zoo. Brunson’s fund “will remove the financial barriers that too often limit our children’s access to these enrichment opportunities,” officials for the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia said.
The GivingTuesday launch kicked off with an unspecified donation from Brunson herself.
Kathryn Epps, president and CEO of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, said getting students out of their classrooms is crucial.
“We are honored to partner with Quinta to expand these experiences for children in Philadelphia’s public schools, helping them to envision and realize any future they desire,” Epps said.
Tony B. Watlington Sr., Philadelphia School District superintendent, said he was grateful to Brunson.
“We want our students to venture out and bridge what they’re learning in the classroom to engaging, real-world learning experiences,” Watlington said. “This commitment to equitably expanding opportunities for students to have experiences outside of their classroom will help accelerate student achievement and we are becoming the fastest improving, large urban school district in the nation.”
The Eagles will play their first game in 15 days when they take on the Green Bay Packers tonight on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
Unfortunately, some fans in Philly and across the country won’t be able to tune in.
An ongoing dispute between YouTube TV and Disney has left ESPN, ABC, and a handful of other channels dark on the so-called “skinny bundle” for more than a week, with no end in site.
The two sides continued to negotiate throughout the day Monday but remained far apart on dollars — Disney wants more money than parent-company Google wants to pay.
On Sunday, hopes of a potential deal got dimmer when YouTube TV announced a $20 credit for customers due to the continued outage of Disney’s channels.
YouTube TV has grown into the third-largest cable distributor in the country with about 10 million subscribers, trailing only Comcast and Charter. Not surprisingly, ESPN’s college football and Monday Night Football ratings were down slightly last week, which most experts attribute to the blackout.
Networks ending up blacked out over carriage disputes is rare, and ones lasting this long are even rarer, though they happen. TelevisaUnivision has been dark on YouTube TV since late September, and Disney-owned Fubo hasn’t had TNT or TBS since April 2024 due to a carriage dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery.
It’s the first of two Monday Night Football appearances this season for the Eagles. Hopefully, this dispute is settled before the Birds take on the Los Angeles Chargers on ESPN Dec. 8.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream Eagles-Packers.
How to watch Eagles at Packers
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
When: 8:15 p.m., Monday
TV: ABC, ESPN (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge)
Radio: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Devan Kaney)
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited
How to stream Eagles at Packers
There are plenty of options to stream Eagles-Packers tonight.
While ESPN will likely remain blacked out on YouTube, there are a host of services that will stream tonight’s Monday Night Football game.
The most obvious is ESPN Unlimited, the network’s new subscription streaming service that includes every game that airs on all 12 ESPN networks. The service runs $29.99 a month.
You can also stream tonight’s game on a host of other skinny bundles, including Hulu + Live TV ($64.99 a month for three months), Sling ($4.99 for one day pass, $60.99 a month), Fubo ($84.99 a month with a free trial), and DirecTV Stream ($94.99 a month with a free trial).
If you’re just planning to watch the game on your phone or tablet, you can stream it on NFL+, the league’s mobile subscription streaming service. NFL+ runs $6.99 a month.
Because the game is simulcasting on ABC, most fans who live in and around Philadelphia and other cities should be able to stream the game for free using a digital antenna.
6abc’s signal in Philadelphia can be finicky. The station suggests an all-band antenna that covers Low-VHF, High VHF and UHF with long elements (rabbit ears for those of you old enough) that should be fully extended.
The Channel Master website has specific information about what channels are available using your address.
Jason Kelce takes a serious turn on tonight’s Monday Night Countdown
Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen (left) was interviewed by Jason Kelce for “Monday Night Countdown” ahead of Birds-Packers.
In his second season with ESPN, former Eagles star Jason Kelce has become known for his crowd-pleasing antics and fun-loving outfits, from his “South Philly tuxedo” to a Bills Mafia getup inspired by Fred Flintstone.
For tonight’s game, Kelce took a more serious tone for a featured story about Rodney Davis, the grandfather of Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen, whose heroic death during the Vietnam War saved the lives of several members of his platoon.
Davis was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after jumping on a grenade that landed in a bunker where he and five other soldiers were pinned down by enemy fire in 1967. He was 25, the same age Steen is now.
“He gave his life for his, for his …” said an emotional Samantha Steen, Davis’ daughter and Steen’s mother. “He gave up his life for other Marines.”
Quinta Brunson, Shane Gillis will be guests on the Manningcast
“Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson at a Phillies game in August.
Peyton and Eli Manning will be back on ESPN2 tonight for the Manningcast, and they’ll be welcoming some Philly star power to their Monday Night Football alternative broadcast
Quinta Brunson, the star and creator of Abbott Elementary, and comedian Shane Gillis will appear as guests tonight. It’s unclear when either will join the show.
Also joining the show will be Disney CEO Bob Iger, a lifelong Packers fan whose appearance coincided with the company’s dispute with YouTube TV.
It’ll be the sixth time the Eagles have appeared on the Manningcast, which is quietly in its fifth season at ESPN. Last season, Peyton and Eli turned to Downingtown native Miles Teller during the Eagles’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts — who attended the Mannings’ quarterback camp while a sophomore at Alabama — was a guest in 2022, where he revealed he liked to watch game tape of former San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and wore a hoodie with the phrase, “God bless whoever hating on me.”
“Other teams, it’s a copycat league, and if you can copycat it, you will. If you can’t, then you probably complain that it’s not fair,” Manning told The Inquirer. “So I’m on the Eagles’ side of it. I think it’s their niche, and it works, and they make it happen.”
How to “tush push” according to @JasonKelce: Head 👇, a$$ 👆. Got it.
The Eagles were overtaken Sunday by the Seattle Seahawks, who moved into the top spot in the NFC thanks to their blowout win against the Arizona Cardinals.
If the Eagles win tonight, they’ll move back into first place because they’d hold the tiebreaker against the Seahawks with a better conference record.
NFC standings
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NFC East standings
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Philly can’t seem to stay off the screen lately — and now, Apple Studios is getting in on the action. Following recent buzz from Task, Abbott Elementary, and the ever-enduring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a new movie production titled Cheesesteak is setting up shop in the city that invented the sandwich.
According to the casting magazine Backstage, Apple is holding open calls for Cheesesteak, a film starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dear Evan Hansen).
Boston Casting Inc. is seeking extras ages 18 and older to play basketball fans for a scene filming in Philadelphia on Nov. 9.
The project — which has also gone by the working title Weekend Warriors — is based on the 2023 German sports comedy-drama Weekend Rebels.
Inspired by the true story of Mirco and Jason von Juterzcenka, the original film follows a father and his autistic son as they travel across Europe to visit every Premier League soccer club so Jason can decide which team to root for.
In the American remake, soccer becomes basketball and Europe becomes the United States.
According to CBS News, Wahlberg plays a long-haul truck driver who takes his son on a cross-country journey to visit NBA arenas — a story that blends sports fandom, family tension, and plenty of heart.
The Philly filming location has yet to be revealed. Filming has already taken place in Worcester County, Mass., and other parts of New England, with Wahlberg spotted shooting scenes at a basketball court in Lynn, Mass., last month.
The Philadelphia shoot marks the latest stop, and a fitting one for a movie named after the city’s most iconic sandwich.
Mark Wahlberg arrives at the world premiere of “All the Money in the World” at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
The film is produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner for Plan B, alongside LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company, according to Deadline.
A separate casting notice describes Cheesesteak as the story of “a self-made restaurateur fighting to keep his family business alive amid fame, rivalry, and secrets that could change everything” — a premise that feels right at home in Philly.
From left: Ben Platt, Nik Dodani, and director Stephen Chbosky on the set of “Dear Evan Hansen.”
🎬 How to apply
Boston Casting Inc. is seeking local talent ages 18 and older to appear as basketball fans in a crowd scene filming Nov. 9 in Philadelphia.
Pay: $17.50 an hour (estimated $140 for an eight-hour day)
Company: Boston Casting Inc.
Location: Philadelphia
To apply, visit Backstage and search “Cheesesteak.”
