Siskel & Ebert at the Movies (Johnsonverse)

At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips (originally Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, and later At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper) was an American movie review television program produced by Johnson Television in which two film critics share their opinions of newly released films. Its original hosts were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, the former hosts of Sneak Previews on PBS (1975–1982) and the similarly-titled syndicated series At the Movies (1982–1986). Following Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert worked with various guest critics until choosing Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper as his regular partner in 2000.

Ebert suspended his appearances in 2006 for treatment of thyroid cancer, with various guest hosts substituting for him. From April to August 2008 Michael Phillips, a successor of Siskel at the Chicago Tribune, co-hosted with Roeper. Starting on September 6, 2008, Phillips became the permanent host of the show. Since his surgery cost him the ability to speak, Ebert continued to review movies from his office set, using famed Chicago journalist and anchor Bill Kurtis and others to read his reviews.

During its run with Siskel and Ebert as hosts, the series was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards seven times and also for Outstanding Information Series, the last nomination occurring in 1997. It is widely known for the "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries given during Siskel's and Ebert's tenures, which carried over after Ebert's death; as the phrase "Two Thumbs Up" is a trademark held by the Siskel and Ebert families, the phrase is used with their permission. The show airs in syndication in the United States and on CTV in Canada; the show has also aired throughout the week on the cable network ReelzChannel.

Predecessors
The show's origins and format trace back to Sneak Previews (1975), a PBS series produced by WTTW that originally featured Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, and At the Movies, a follow-up show that the two critics created with Tribune Entertainment.

Siskel & Ebert & the Movies (1986–99)
The series itself began in September 1986 as Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, when Siskel and Ebert signed with Johnson Television, the television division of Johnson Industries. The title of the show was shortened to simply Siskel and Ebert in mid-1987. The program was originally recorded in the studios of WBBM-TV, Chicago's CBS owned-and-operated station.

Siskel and Ebert often had notably divergent tastes, and as a result, heated arguments and spats added to the series' popularity. Many viewers considered such "fights" to be the highlight of the program. In joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially on David Letterman's shows, the two critics indicated a mutual respect and friendship off screen. Widely circulated outtakes from promo-recording sessions show the two both bickering and joking off-air.

In 1998, Gene Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor. For a few weeks, the show was taped with Siskel on the telephone (from his hospital bed) and Ebert in the studio. Although Siskel would eventually return to the studio, he seemed noticeably more lethargic and mellow than usual. In February 1999, Siskel announced he was taking a leave of absence for further treatment of the tumor, hoping to return. Less than three weeks later, Siskel died from complications of the surgery. The weekend following Siskel's death, Ebert devoted the entire half-hour as a tribute to him. On the show were various clips from shows past as well as their history together as journalists and then on television. Also, Ebert appeared on ABC's Good Morning America in a tribute to Siskel along with Diane Sawyer, Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, and Joel Siegel, fellow critic and friend of Siskel.

The last show that Siskel and Ebert hosted together aired during the weekend of January 23–24, 1999. On that show, they reviewed At First Sight, Another Day in Paradise, The Hi-Lo Country, Playing by Heart, and The Theory of Flight.

Roger Ebert & the Movies (1999–2000)
Ebert continued the show with a series of guest critics. Originally containing the Siskel & Ebert title, the program was renamed Roger Ebert & the Movies on the weekend of September 4–5, 1999, following the death of Gene Siskel. The guests were allowed to try out their wits with Roger Ebert and test the possible chemistry. Ebert and film director Martin Scorsese cohosted one noteworthy episode about the best films of the 1990s. This format continued through the end of the 1998–99 season and into 2000 before Ebert named fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as his new permanent co-host.

Critics substituting for Gene Siskel after his death
The following critics substituted for Siskel after his death:


 * David Ansen
 * Peter Bogdanovich
 * Jeff Greenfield
 * Jane Horwitz
 * Desson Howe
 * Harry Knowles
 * Joyce Kulhawik
 * Norman Mark
 * Janet Maslin


 * Todd McCarthy
 * Elvis Mitchell
 * Joe Morgenstern
 * Wesley Morris
 * Howie Moshovitz
 * Michaela Pereira
 * David Poland
 * B. Ruby Rich
 * Richard Roeper (who would become one of the show's hosts from 2000 onward)


 * Jonathan Rosenbaum
 * Leah Rozen
 * Lisa Schwarzbaum
 * Martin Scorsese (film director)
 * Tom Shales
 * Joel Siegel (until their "Worst of 1999" show)
 * Kenneth Turan
 * Jan Wahl
 * Michael Wilmington

Ebert & Roeper and the Movies (2000–01)
The addition of Roeper as permanent cohost led to the show's name change on September 9–10, 2000 to Ebert & Roeper and the Movies. The show's name was shortened to Ebert & Roeper in September 2001.

Ebert & Roeper (2001–07)
In 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent radiation treatments for tumors on his thyroid and a salivary gland while continuing to work. Complications led to an emergency operation in 2006, which interrupted his reviewing schedule. (A few reviews written or taped in advance were released shortly afterward.) For the remainder of the 2006–07 season, the show continued with guest hosts during his recuperation.

By October 2006, Ebert had recovered sufficiently to resume writing published reviews on a limited basis; and later was able to make a few public appearances, but due to his difficulty speaking, he did not return to the show. As Ebert’s doctors attempted to reconstruct his jaw bone, his face and neck became increasingly malformed with each subsequent surgery. Television being a distinctly visual medium, this put the producers on edge. They naturally worried that Ebert's resulting disfigurement would produce a decline in viewership, and lower ratings for the show. The show became available online toward the end of 2006, with access to movie reviews on demand. In June 2007, the online program updated its archive, making available all movie reviews since 1986.

At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper (2007–08)
Over the summer of 2007, the show's official name was changed again to At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, although the show's main title graphics continued to use the shortened name.

As Ebert's absence from the show continued, a handful of critics came to be frequent guests. Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer and HDnet.com, Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, and A. O. Scott of The New York Times each appeared repeatedly. On April 13, 2008, Scott wrote that his "experiences [as guest critic]... ended when Michael Phillips of The Tribune was made Mr. Roeper's permanent foil..." They appeared together in episode of Entourage that aired on September 6, 2008 (during the weekend At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips debuted), in which they played themselves using their show (filmed on the old sets) to lambast the fictional film Medellin.

The iconic balcony sets, which existed for decades, were dismantled and donated to the Johnson Studios museum, where they reside today.

Critics substituting for Roger Ebert, post-surgery
The following critics acted as substitutes for Ebert after his surgery:


 * David Edelstein
 * Stephen Hunter
 * Dave Karger
 * Zorianna Kit
 * Christy Lemire
 * Jay Leno
 * John Mellencamp
 * Kim Morgan
 * Wesley Morris


 * Govindini Murty
 * George Pennacchio
 * Michael Phillips (who would become one of the show's hosts from 2008 onward)
 * Harold Ramis
 * John Ridley
 * Peter Sagal
 * Lisa Schwarzbaum
 * A. O. Scott
 * Toni Senecal


 * Brad Silberling
 * Kevin Smith
 * Anne Thompson
 * Katherine Tulich
 * Aisha Tyler
 * Mario Van Peebles
 * Fred Willard
 * Robert Wilonsky

At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips (2008-present)
Starting on September 6, 2008, Phillips was made Roeper's permanent co-host, and the show was renamed accordingly. The intro sequence was redone as an homage to the Siskel & Ebert intro, with the arrangement used when Roger Ebert hosted with various guest critics shortly after Siskel's death. The set was redesigned to look more like a theater balcony, with Roeper and Phillips sitting on the same chairs Siskel and Ebert had used on Sneak Previews, and production facilities were moved to WTTW in Chicago (the Siskel & Ebert and Ebert & Roeper sets were donated to the Smithsonian). Ebert returned to the show, though in a limited capacity, as his surgery cost him the ability to speak, in a segment called Roger's Office, in which he reviewed movies in his office. The reviews were read by longtime WBBM-TV anchor Bill Kurtis and several other people, and due to Ebert's continued involvement, the "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" system was retained, with Ebert's web site being plugged at the end of each episode alongside the show's own web site.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series instead filmed at Roeper and Phillips' homes, under the subtitle Quarantine Edition, and the intro was shortened to just showing the beginning with a shortened version of the theme song.