Plot Synopsis

Each month a different celebrity or expert joins host Robert Osborne, showcasing movies each Friday night that take viewers through a collection of films focusing on a specific theme. In the show's first month, Cher joined Osborne for "A Woman's World: The Defining Era of Women in Film," featuring 17 films handpicked by Cher to illustrate the evolving roles of women from the late 1930s to the early '50s, with each Friday focusing on a different topic. In the following months, FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT highlighted these themes: "Second Looks" (May 2013), hosted by Illeana Douglas, which included films that weren't well-received when they were first released, but were worthy of a second look; "Noir Writers" (June 2013), hosted by Eddie Muller, which highlighted the work of six seminal noir writers; the films of French director, screenwriter and critic Francois Truffaut (July 2013), hosted by "New York Magazine" chief critic David Edelstein; "Future Shock!" (Sep. 2013), featuring dystopian science fiction films with co-host Alvin Toffler, an American writer and futurist; "Friday Night Spooklight" (Oct. 2013), with Bill Hader co-hosting Haloween-themed double movie features; "Screwball Comedies" (Nov. 2013), as Matthew Broderick presented classic screwball comedies from the 1930s and early '40s; "The Hollywood Costume" (Dec. 2013), featuring host Deborah Nadoolman Landis taking a month-long look at great costume design; "Science in the Movies" (Jan. 2014), featuring Caltech's Dr. Sean Michael Carroll; "Food in the Movies" (Mar. 2014); "Australian Cinema" (May 2014) with Australian actress Jacki Weaver; "Pirate Pictures" (June 2014) with Greg Proops; "The War to End All Wars" (July 2014) with retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark; "Pre-Code Hollywood" (September 2014) with Alec Baldwin; "Africa through Hollywood's Eyes" (October 2014) with Alex Trebek; "Road Movies" (November 2014) with Bill Hader; Charles Walters (December 2014) with Brent Phillips; Neil Simon (January 2015) with Ken Levine; Roadshow Musicals (March 2015) with Michael Feinstein; A. Arnold 'Buddy' Gillespie (April 2015) with Craig Barron, Ben Burtt and Ben Mankiewicz.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Fridays throughout May 2015, FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT celebrates the career of Orson Welles. Hosted by David Edelstein, film critic for "New York" magazine, the films are arranged by categories:

Early Films (May 1), including the TCM premiere of TOO MUCH JOHNSON (1938), a little-seen silent comedy short created by Welles to be incorporated into a Mercury Theatre stage production of the same name; CITIZEN KANE and its follow-up, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942); and JANE EYRE (1944), in which Welles acted, playing Mr. Rochester.

Classic Noir (May 8), which encompasses four films directed (or co-directed) by Welles and starring him: JOURNEY INTO FEAR (1943), costarring Joseph Cotten; TOUCH OF EVIL (1958), costarring Charlton Heston; THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948), costarring Welles' then-wife Rita Hayworth; and MR. ARKADIN (1962), costarring Michael Redgrave.

Shakespeare Adaptations (May 15), highlighted by MACBETH (1948), OTHELLO (1952) and CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965), which tells the story of the Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff.

Literary Adaptations (May 22), including THE STRANGER (1946) and THE TRIAL (1962).

Made-for-Television Films (May 22), such as THE IMMORTAL STORY (1968) and F FOR FAKE (1973).

Acting without Directing (May 29), encompassing TOMORROW IS FOREVER (1946), THE THIRD MAN (1949), THE V.I.P.s (1963) and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966).