Sneak Previews

American film review television series

Sneak Previews (1975 to 1996: known as Opening Soon at a Theater Near You from 1975 to 1977, and Sneak Previews Goes Video from 1989 to 1991) is an American film review show and was renamed in 1977 to Sneak Previews and it became a biweekly show in 1978 airing nationally on PBS. It grew to prominence with a review conversation banter format between opinionated film critics, notably for a time, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. By 1980, it was a weekly series airing on over 180 stations, and it was the highest rated weekly entertainment series in the history of public broadcasting.

The show featured two critics who would present short clips of movies in current release and then debate the merits of the films, energetically defending their remarks if the other critic disagreed. A designated "dog of the week" was also featured, with "Spot the Wonder Dog" barking on cue as an introduction. Episodes from the first seven seasons ended with one of the hosts saying "See you at the movies." Many episodes from season eight through fourteen and again from season seventeen through twenty one ended with the hosts' reminder to "save us the aisle seats." Episodes from season eighteen through twenty (when it was known as Sneak Previews Goes Video) ended with the hosts reminder to "don't forget to rewind that tape." Some episodes were known as Take 2 shows which replaced the review of recently released films with themed topics such as "Women in Danger", and slasher films of the 1970s and early 1980s. On one occasion, Siskel and Ebert invited the viewer into a day in their lives as they screened films.

The success of the show led WTTW to decide to syndicate it to commercial television. Ebert's future co host on At the Movies, Richard Roeper, auditioned while still a college student, for which he was obviously turned down. In 1982, WTTW signed Neal Gabler and Jeffrey Lyons as replacements for Siskel and Ebert on Sneak Previews. and was replaced by Michael Medved. Before replacing Gabler, Medved had cameo appearances on the show, presenting the "Golden Turkey Awards," based on the book, and a variation of Siskel & Ebert's "Spot the Wonder Dog/Dog of the Week."

Although Sneak Previews continued on PBS for 14 years after Ebert and Siskel left, the program did not maintain the popularity it enjoyed during their tenure. The show's title was changed to Sneak Previews Goes Video in 1989, and concentrated on home video releases, but returned to its original title in 1991. PBS continued to broadcast the program until the fall of 1996, when it was cancelled due to a lack of underwriting.

In the early to mid eighties to the early nineties, Sesame Street had a recurring parody sketch, "Sneak Peek Previews", which illustrated differences of opinion. In a run down movie theater, Oscar the Grouch and Telly Monster together watched a short video segment, usually from the Sesame Street archives. After the video, Oscar invariably disliked it, and Telly enjoyed it, and they each told why. Siskel and Ebert appeared in one sketch in 1991 in which they instruct the hosts on how their thumbs up/thumbs down rating system works. At the end of sketch, Oscar asks if there could be a thumbs sideways ratings (the film rated in question was Walt Disney's Cinderella), and goads the two men about whether or not that would be acceptable, as Ebert likes the idea, but Siskel does not.