Matt LeBlanc says goodbye to Matthew Perry / NBC's Extended Family becomes first to resume production / Welcome to Wrexham renewed

PLUS: Dexter’s C.S. Lee joins Cobra Kai's final season to play an iconic role originating from The Karate Kid.

Matt LeBlanc says goodbye to Friends co-star Matthew Perry
This morning, LeBlanc became the first of the five remaining Friends stars to personally pay tribute to the late Perry, via an Instagram post containing six photos from their Friends days accompanied by the music of Sarah McLachlin's cover of "The Rainbow Connection." “Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye," LeBlanc wrote. "The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.” Days after Perry's Oct. 28 death, the Friends cast released a collective statement saying: "In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”

NBC's Extended Family becomes the first network show to restart production following the actors’ strike ending
The Mike O'Malley family comedy, starring Jon Cryer, Abigail Spencer and Donald Faison, returned to production on Monday, just four days after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Extended Family filmed six episodes before the strike. NBC is set to boast two comedies back in production when Night Court is scheduled to resume work on Wednesday.

Kevin James to star in his third standup comedy special, for Amazon Prime Video
The former King of Queens star and recent viral sensation will star in Amazon Prime Videos Irregardless, airing this winter. This will be James' third-ever standup special after 2018's Never Don’t Give Up for Netflix and 2001's Sweat the Small Stuff for Comedy Central.

Welcome to Wrexham renewed for Season 3
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' soccer docuseries will return to FX in spring 2024.

Dexter’s C.S. Lee joins Cobra Kai's final season to play an iconic role originating from The Karate Kid
The former Dexter star will portray Master Kim Sun-Young, who appeared in flashback in the original The Karate Kid movie. As Deadline notes, "Master Kim is presumed dead and at this time it is unknown whether Lee will appear in flashback form only."

Gloria Estefan to return as host of the Kennedy Center Honors
This year's ceremony honoring Billy Crystal, Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah and Dionne Warwick airs on CBS on Dec. 27.

Lewis Black to retire from touring
The comedian and The Daily Show vet joked: "As many Americans seem to have done, I’m moving on from just being a comic to being a healer, and that’s the big surprise, when I show up in their town and set up at an airport and do 50 to a hundred healings, and then fly out the next day.”

BBC has received two fresh complaints about Russell Brand
The two new complaints join three others that were made before sexual misconduct allegations became big news in September. The two complaints were made during Brand's time working as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.

Josh Andrés Hernandez is working to bulk up to play Aaron Hernandez in Ryan Murphy‘s American Sports Story
“They’re trying to get me as big as I can be. NFL shape is a pretty tall order. They’re real big guys,” the actor told Deadline at the Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premiere. “But it’s been a really, really unique and cool challenge to dive into. I’m really excited about it.” As for playing the late football star, Hernandez said: “It’s a story with a lot of factors, as I’m sure everybody with familiarity towards it knows. There’s the mental health factor, the crime factor, the money, the fame, all of these things. As an actor, it’s kind of like it’s a dream to have something so, so juicy to dive into it.”

Billie Eilish "kind of" wants to compete on Survivor after recently becoming a fan
Eilish tells Variety she recently started watching the CBS reality show. "The physical stuff I'd be great at, but you have to do math and sh*t, and I would not be good at that," she says.

Jack Osbourne on having to withdraw from Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test: "I was so bummed, like so frickin’ bummed"
“I didn’t want to leave," he tells Hollywood Life. "They forgot to take my watch off of me when I went in there because we were all covered up the whole time. I didn’t say anything and I have a smartwatch that can track your heart rate and all that. For what must have been 48 hours leading up to me actually going to the doctor — not that we had much time just hanging around the bunkhouse — I was checking my heart rate, and it was just hovering between 100 and 110 beats a minute. That was just me laying there.”