“Chicago Party Aunt,” which starts streaming on Sept. 17, follows the adventures of Diane Dunbrowski, the boisterous namesake of the series, and her nephew Rory O’Malley, who’s taking a gap year before attending Stanford. (Courtesy Netflix)

She’s our local bad influence: the Chicago Party Aunt debuts this week on Netflix. We check in with writer and actor Chris Witaske, the creator of the notorious Twitter account-turned-animated series.

Comedian Dave Chappelle arrives at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to receive the 22nd Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in Washington on Oct. 27, 2019, left, and comedian Jon Stewart performs at the 9th Annual Stand Up For Heroes event in New York on Nov. 10, 2015. (AP Photo)

A star-studded group of comedians will perform for one night only at Madison Square Garden to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

In this March 7, 2010, file photo, actor Ed Asner arrives during the 82nd Academy Awards in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Matt Sayles, File)

Ed Asner, the burly and prolific character actor who became a star in middle age as the gruff but lovable newsman Lou Grant, first in the hit comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and later in the drama “Lou Grant,” died Sunday. He was 91.

In this Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1982 file photo, Ron Popeil, the man behind those late-night, rapid-fire television commercials that sell everything from the Mr. Microphone to the Pocket Fisherman to the classic Veg-a-Matic, sits surrounded by his wares in his office in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo / Reed Saxon, File)

The quintessential TV pitchman and inventor known to generations of viewers for hawking products including the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone and the Showtime Rotisserie and BBQ, has died, his family said.

This image released by Disney+ shows Pedro Pascal in a scene from “The Mandalorian.” (Disney+ via AP)

During an oppressive pandemic in which housebound Americans relied more than ever on television for distraction, TV academy voters recognized a varied mix of storytelling and a diverse group of actors and creators.

Gary Laughlin handles specimens at the McCrone Research Institute in Bronzeville, founded in 1960 by Walter McCrone. (WTTW News)

Walter McCrone championed the light microscope — and used it to analyze art world treasures and frauds. The late scientist is featured in the recently released Netflix documentary series “This Is a Robbery” and appeared years ago on WTTW’s “The New Explorers.”

In this Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013, file photo, one of the tigers living at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park is pictured at the park in Wynnewood, Okla. (AP Photo / Sue Ogrocki, File)

Federal officials have removed the last of the 68 big cats from the private zoo in Oklahoma that had been the center of the “Tiger King” saga.

This image released by ABC shows Cedric Joe as Emmett Till, left, and Adrienne Warren as Mamie Till-Mobley in “Women of the Movement.” (Matt Sayles. ABC via AP)

ABC will air a short-run series “Women of the Movement” next season about Mamie Till-Mobley, whose son Emmett Till became a symbol of the civil rights movement after he was lynched in Mississippi in 1955.

Newton Minow appears on “Chicago Tonight” via Zoom on Monday, May 10, 2021. (WTTW News)

Newton Minow, a former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, played a key role in public media. Here’s what he thinks about television today — six decades after his famous “vast wasteland” speech.

Kim Williams, left, and Jose Williams appear on “Black Voices” via Zoom on April 25, 2021. (WTTW News)

Our trip down memory lane with the WTTW program “Our People” from the late 1960s and early ‘70s brought back memories for one former Chicagoan. Here is his story.

Open Television is a platform for intersectional pilots and series, supporting Chicago artists in producing and exhibiting indie series. (courtesy Open TV)

A Chicago nonprofit aiming to promote more diversity in television is gearing up for its annual artist showcase in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art. 

This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. (Joe Pugliese / Harpo Productions via AP)

Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive TV interview divided people around the world on Monday, rocking an institution that is struggling to modernize with claims of racism and callousness toward a woman struggling with suicidal thoughts.

Sammy Davis Jr. appears on WTTW’s “Our People” in 1968. (WTTW)

In this recently rediscovered interview, the Grammy Award-winning actor talks with “Our People” host Jim Tilmon about how media representations affect popular perceptions.

A still image from video shows an interview with Diahann Carroll on “Our People.” (WTTW)

Black women’s hair, particularly in the workplace, has been the subject of endless discussion in recent years. In this rediscovered 1968 interview from the WTTW show “Our People,” actor Diahann Carroll tells a story that demonstrates it’s not exactly a new issue.

A still image from video shows an interview with George Kirby on “Our People.” (WTTW)

In this rediscovered interview from the WTTW series “Our People,” host Jim Tilmon gets the Chicago comedian to tell one of his signature stories.

A still image from video shows an interview with Godfrey Cambridge on “Our People.” (WTTW)

The comedian and actor known for his sardonic take on culture and society shares his thoughts on policing and crime in Chicago in this interview with Jim Tilmon from the WTTW show “Our People.”