American TV (Not the Terrorvision song…)

I actually came across a question that was looking for the same answer as one of these only yesterday. Alas, I couldn’t remember the first part, but it does indicate that at least some of these are pointing me in the right direction.

Questions

Only lasting six episodes and airing in 1999, “Sons of Thunder” was a spin-off from which crime show that ran for a much more successful 9 seasons, with actors James Wlcek and Marco Sanchez having roles in both of the series?

WALKER, TEXAS RANGER

Playing the role of judge on her show “Chrissy’s Court”, Chrissy Teigen has been married to which singer since 2013? His US top ten albums include “Get Lifted”, “Once Again” and “Evolver”.

JOHN LEGEND

Also starring in spin-offs of the main show like “Next Great Baker” and “Kitchen Boss”, what is the name of the owner of Carlo’s Bakery in “Cake Boss”, his business being located in Hoboken, NJ?

BUDDY VALASTRO

His name shared with the founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969, what was John Lithgow’s character called in the fourth season of “Dexter”?

ARTHUR MITCHELL

The only show created by Aaron Sorkin to not run for more than one season, which series first airing in 2006 took place behing the scenes of a sketch comedy show, with its cast including Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet?

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP

Each of the five seasons of “The Wire” saw a different singer offer their rendition of its opening theme “Way Down in the Hole”. Known for the hit “Copperhead Road”, now an official state song for Tennessee, who provided their vocals in the fifth season?

STEVE EARLE

In “Game of Thrones” House Greyjoy’s coat of arms features a kraken and House Stark’s contains a dire wolf. Which animal is found on the coat of arms of House Baratheon?

STAG

Not featuring an animal like those of House Stark and House Baratheon, what is the key feature of House Bolton’s coat of arms in “Game of Thrones”?

FLAYED MAN

Turning up as Jordan Forster in the 2023 TV series “Beef” was which actress, other roles by her including the proprietor of the title establishment in “Coyote Ugly” and Johnny Depp’s wife in “Secret Window”?

MARIA BELLO

Scott Bakula won an Emmy Award in 1992 for playing which character in “Quantum Leap”, their name being shared with that of a famous author?

SAMUEL ‘SAM’ BECKETT

US TV mix

Nothing systematic about this random assortment, but there are one or two things I now fancy watching as a result.

Questions

Produced by Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg, the five-series running “Boardwalk Empire” starred Steve Buscemi as ‘Nucky’ Thompson, a figure based on which real life Atlantic City kingpin from the Prohibition era? He shares his surname with the author who wrote the 2002 non-fiction work on which the show was based.

ENOCH ‘NUCKY’ JOHNSON (The author being Nelson Johnson)

Set on a PT boat during World War II, the 1960s TV sitcom “McHale’s Navy” starred which Oscar winning actor as Lieutenant Commander Quinton McHale?

ERNEST BORGNINE

Starring William Conrad of “Cannon” fame as one of the title characters, “Jake and the Fatman” saw the first appearance of Dr. Mark Sloan during its fourth series. This character went on to be the lead role in which spin-off series that ran from 1993 to 2001?

DIAGNOSIS: MURDER

Playing the role of Amanda King in the 80s spy series “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” alongside Bruce Boxleitner, which actress joined Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith as one the original title characters in “Charlie’s Angels”?

KATE JACKSON

Sharing its title with a sculpture that depicts Lady Commerce holding a trident, which sketch show starring Fred Armison and Carrie Brownstein has seen Steve Buscemi play the landlord of ‘Fred and Carrie’, with that actor having directed some of its episodes?

PORTLANDIA (The sculpture being in Portland, Oregon)

Having provided voice and motion capture for the role of Lamar Davis in the “Grand Theft Auto V” video game, who portrayed the character of Black Jesus in the 2010s sitcom of the same name?

SLINK JOHNSON / SLINK CAPONE

One of the co-creators of the sitcom “Black Jesus”, which Canadian is also known for bringing the mockumentary “Trailer Park Boys” to the screen?

MIKE CLATTENBURG

Co-creator of the sitcom “Black Jesus”, Aaron McGruder is known for creating which comic strip in 1996, with an animated adaptation appearing on Adult Swim in 2005?

THE BOONDOCKS

Her films including the acclaimed “Selma”, an adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and 2023’s “Origin”, Ava DuVernay is also noted for which 2019 four-part series that saw Jharrel Jerome win an Emmy award?

WHEN THEY SEE US

Professor Roy Hinkley, Hollywood movie star Ginger Grant and farm girl Mary Ann Summers are among the 7 main characters from which show? They were portrayed by Russell Johnson, Tina Louise and Dawn Wells respectively.

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND

Freaks and Geeks

Never seen this one, but it’s a tree that has grown exponentially.

Questions

In which city was “Freaks and Geeks” set, with other TV series that take place there including “Home Improvement” and “Undateable”?

DETROIT

Later going on to direct the Melissa McCarthy starring films “Bridesmaids”, “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters”, who was the creator of “Freaks and Geeks”?

PAUL FEIG

Married to actress Leslie Mann, which executive producer of “Freaks and Geeks” also directed the films “The 40-Year Old Virgin”, “Trainwreck” and “The King of Staten Island”?

JUDD APATOW

Which star of “Freaks and Geeks” later went on to play Velma Dinkley in “Scooby-Doo”, the wife of Hawkeye in the “Avengers” films and the wife of the Tom Hardy title character in “Capone”?

LINDA CARDELLINI

Later directing adaptations of the William Faulkner novels “As I Lay Dying” and “The Sound and the Fury”, which “Freak and Geeks” actor also played “The Room” director Tommy Wiseau in “The Disaster Artist”, a film he also directed?

JAMES FRANCO

Known for directing, writing and producing, which “Freaks and Geeks” actor is also known for their voice work, with roles including Mantis in the “Kung Fu Panda” series, Pumbaa in the 2019 version of “The Lion King” and Donkey Kong in the 2023 “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”?

SETH ROGEN

Taking on the role of author David Foster Wallace in “The End of the Tour”, which “Freaks and Geeks” actor stars alongside Harrison Ford in the 2023 TV series “Shrinking”?

JASON SEGEL

Hosting a chat show that included her first name in the title, which “Freaks and Geeks” actress played Laurie Keller in “Cougar Town” and plays Summer, ‘The Hot One’, in the TV series “Girls5Eva”?

BUSY PHILLIPS

The 2023 film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” has been directed by which “Freak and Geeks” actor, whose other work at the helm includes 2015’s National Lampoon film “Vacation”? His acting work saw him star as Dr. Lance Sweets in the TV series “Bones”.

JOHN FRANCIS DALEY

Playing Bertram Gilfoyle in “Silicon Valley”, which “Freak and Geeks” actor also played Roger Harrington in the “Spider Man” films that starred Tom Holland as Peter Parker?

MARTIN STARR

Which song from a 1980 album of the same name was used as the theme tune to “Freaks and Geeks”, also being used as Ronda Rousey’s entrance music in WWE?

BAD REPUTATION

Television – US

It’s always tough to get questions right about actors when you’ve somehow avoided seeing everything they’ve been in.

Questions

Having a spin-off film where a paperboy is kidnapped by a witch, which anthology series by “Night of the Living Dead” director George A. Romero ran for four seasons from 1983 to 1988?

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE

The 2020 Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant starring TV series “The Undoing” is based on whose 2014 novel “You should have known”? Another of her works was adapted into the 2013 film “Admission”.

JEAN HANFF KORELITZ

Voicing the sorceress Flemeth in the “Dragon Age” video games, which actress is known for playing Captain Kathryn Janeway in “Star Trek: Voyager” and Red in “Orange is the New Black”?

KATE MULGREW

What is the surname of skateboarding “Jackass” star ‘Bam’, who was been involved in spin-offs such as “Viva la Bam”, “Bam’s Unholy Union” and “Bam’s Bad Ass Game Show”?

MARGERA

Called the ‘Godfather of freestyle skateboarding’, who invented tricks like the kickflip and 360-flip and co-authored an autobiography called “The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself”?

RODNEY MULLEN

Nominated for a Grammy Award, what theme tune to “Orange is the New Black” is quite appropriately named?

YOU’VE GOT TIME

Which Russian-born musician wrote, composed and performed “You’ve Got Time”, the theme tune to “Orange is the New Black”?

REGINA SPEKTOR

Known for playing the role of Professor Ian Duncan in the Dan Harmon TV sitcom “Community”, John Oliver has been the host of which political satire show since 2018?

LAST WEEK TONIGHT (WITH JOHN OLIVER)

A role never reprised in the spin-off show “Frasier” like pretty much the entire regular cast, what was the name of Kirstie Alley’s character in “Cheers”, a replacement for Shelley Long who played Diane Chambers?

REBECCA HOWE

Sharing his surname with a character in “The Big Bang Theory”, who is the creator of “Supernatural” and the Prime series “The Boys”, the latter starring superheroes who abuse their powers?

ERIC KRIPKE

Also known for his role in “The Thorn Birds”, who played the role of English navigator William Adams in the 1980 mini-series “Shogun”?

RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN

The six-season Sci-fi TV series “The Expanse” is based on the works of American authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who collaborate under what pseudonym, with the 2011 novel “Leviathan Wakes” being their first novel?

JAMES S A COREY

Assuredly not a descendant of a certain literary character, which Australian author’s works include “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers”, with “The Husband’s Secret” to be adapted into an upcoming film starring Blake Lively?

LIANE MORIARTY

Season 1 saw Geoffrey Rush portray Albert Einstein, with Antonio Banderas playing Pablo Picasso in the one after. The third season of the National Geographic series “Genius” saw Cynthia Erivo portray which figure?

ARETHA FRANKLIN

Starring Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker, what was the spin-off series of “All in the Family”, running for four seasons from 1979 to 1983?

ARCHIE BUNKER’S PLACE

Which famous director was co-author of “The Strain” trilogy of vampire novels, adapted into a 2010s TV series?

GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Which co-author of “The Strain” trilogy with Guillermo del Toro had his 2004 novel “Prince of Thieves” adapted into the 2010 Oscar-nominated film “The Town”?

CHUCK HOGAN

Who played Dr. Ephraim Goodweather in the 2010s TV series “The Strain”, Peter Russo in “House of Cards” and played M.O.D.O.K. in “Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”, after having played Yellowjacket in “Ant-Man”?

COREY STOLL

With Richard Chamberlain playing the title role, which medical TV series than ran for five seasons from 1961 to 1966 had its theme “Three Stars Will Shine Tonight” reach number 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 in the UK, sung by the lead actor himself?

DR. KILDARE

As well as roles in “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds”, Richard Chamberlain is well known for portraying which character in a 1988 television film, with another adaptation by the same name being directed by Doug Liman in 2002?

JASON BOURNE

Having a screenplay by Melvyn Bragg and music by André Previn, Richard Chamberlain starred as which famous composer in a 1971 Ken Russell film?

TCHAIKOVSKY (“The Music Lovers”)

In the 1969 adaptation of a Jean Giraudoux play, Richard Chamberlain starred opposite which actress, who took on the title role of “The Madwoman of Chaillot”?

KATHERINE HEPBURN

Richard Chamberlain starred as which real life figure in “Lady Caroline Lamb”, a sometime lover of the British Prime Minister’s wife?

LORD BYRON

Richard Chamberlain starred in what 1976 musical film based on the fairy tale of “Cinderella”, with Irish actress Gemma Craven taking on the famous rags-to-riches role?

THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE