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The series itself began in September 1986 as Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, when Siskel and Ebert signed with Buena Vista Entertainment, the television division of the Walt Disney Company. The title of the show was shortened to simply Siskel and Ebert in mid-1987. The program was originally recorded in the studios of WBBM-TV, Chicago's CBS owned and operated station. Some time after Disney's 1996 purchase of Capital Cities/ABC, the show's tapings were moved to ABC's Chicago station, WLS-TV, where it remained for its duration. Siskel and Ebert often had notably divergent tastes, and as a result, heated arguments and spats added to the series' popularity. Many viewers considered such "fights" to be the highlight of the program n joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially on David Letterman's shows, the two critics indicated a mutual respect and friendship off screen. Widely circulated outtakes from promo-recording sessions show the two both bickering and joking off-air. Only once during his long association with Roger Ebert did Gene Siskel ever change his vote on a movie. The 1996 film Broken Arrow had initially been given a "thumbs up", but after hearing Ebert's criticism, Siskel changed his mind to "thumbs down" to make it unanimous.In 1998, Gene Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor. For a few weeks, the show was taped with Siskel on the telephone (from his hospital bed) and Ebert in the studio. Although Siskel would eventually return to the studio, he seemed noticeably more lethargic and mellow than usual. In February 1999, Siskel announced he was taking a leave of absence for further treatment of the tumor, hoping to return. Less than three weeks later, Siskel died from complications of the surgery. The weekend following Siskel's death, Ebert devoted the entire half-hour as a tribute to him. On the show were various clips from shows past as well as their history together as journalists and then on television. Also, Ebert appeared on ABC's Good Morning America in a tribute to Siskel along with Diane Sawyer, Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, and Joel Siegel, fellow critic and friend of Siskel. The last show that Siskel and Ebert hosted together aired during the weekend of January 23–24, 1999. On that show, they reviewed At First Sight, Another Day in Paradise, The Hi-Lo Country, Playing by Heart, and The Theory of Flight.

How many of y'all out there were fans of these two?! They changed the way people reviews movies and their impact remains today as we all critique films. These two are SORELY missed today... :\'( These two will live on forever. The show continued for 10 more years, but Gene's spirit always remained. There is still plenty of their reviews on youtube to check out and witness the fun reviewing of films.