September 18, 1986 – The Syndicated Series Siskel & Ebert Premieres
“I’m Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.” “And I’m Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune.”
On September 18, 1986, the syndicated movie review program Siskel & Ebert premiered on CBS. Produced by Buena Vista Television, the show was originally called Siskel & Ebert & the Movies. The show had hosts Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewing movies; as the two had different tastes, the show mostly featured arguments between the co-hosts, though the two maintained a strong friendship off-screen. Although Siskel passed away from surgery complications in 1999, the show continued with Ebert and a slew of co-hosts, with Richard Roeper taking over co-hosting duties in 2000, and the show was renamed Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.
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