Simone Missick as Lola Carmichael in season 1 episode 6 (Photo: Tina Thorpe 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)
CBS’s new legal drama All Rise continues season one with episode six, “Fool for Liv.” Episode six was directed by Stacey K. Black from a script by Conway Preston and will air on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT.
Reggie Lee, Jere Burns, Bianca Santos, KJ Smith, Colin Ford, and Tacey Adams guest star. Amanda Wyss, Cassi Colvin, Michael Dempsey, Juliette Jeffers, K.C. Wolf, Ali Kinkade, Tristan Cunningham, and Cynthia Quiles also guest star in “Fool for Liv.”
Season one of the drama stars Simone Missick as Lola Carmichael, Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan, Marg Helgenberger as Lisa Benner, Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez, J. Alex Brinson as Luke Watkins, Lindsay Mendez as Sara Castillo, and Ruthie Ann Miles as Sherri Kansky.
“Fool for Liv” Plot – Lola contends with a fame-hungry defendant, personal assistant Olivia McLeland (Bianca Santos), and a circus-like courtroom while presiding over a celebrity’s murder trial that forces her to find peace at Sherri’s home after she’s chased by paparazzi.
Details on All Rise, Courtesy of CBS:
“All Rise is a courthouse drama that follows the chaotic, hopeful and sometimes absurd lives of its judges, prosecutors and public defenders, as they work with bailiffs, clerks and cops to get justice for the people of Los Angeles amidst a flawed legal process. Among them is newly appointed Judge Lola Carmichael (Missick), a highly regarded and impressive deputy district attorney who doesn’t intend to sit back on the bench in her new role, but instead leans in, immediately pushing the boundaries and challenging the expectations of what a judge can be.”
Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez and Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan in ‘All Rise’ season 1 episode 6 (Photo: Michael Yarish 2019 Warner Bros Entertainment Inc)Jessica Camacho as Emily Lopez, Wilson Bethel as Mark Callan, and Tacey Adams as Della Webb in season 1 episode 6 (Photo: Michael Yarish 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)Jere Burns as Adam Pryce and Bianca Santos as Olivia McLeland in season 1 episode 6 (Photo: Tina Thorpe 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)Reggie Lee as Head DDA Thomas Choi in season 1 episode 6 (Photo: Tina Thorpe 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)
CBS is showing off new photos along with a plot description for Bull season four episode six, “Into the Mystic.” Episode six was directed by Dennis Smith from a script by Marissa Matteo and will air on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT.
Episode six guest stars include Jazzy Kae, Francesca Faridany, John Ellison Conlee, Lee Tergesen, and Kim Sykes. Kara Jackson, Lisa Arrindell, Andrew Rothenberg, Art McFarland, John Caliendo, Isa Goldberg, Arianne Recto, and Kyra Weeks also guest star in “Into the Mystic.”
The cast is led by Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull, Freddy Rodriguez as Benny Colón, Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan, Jamie Lee Kirchner as Danny James, Christopher Jackson as Chunk Palmer, and MacKenzie Meehan as Taylor Rentzel.
“Into the Mystic” Plot – Bull and the TAC team question whether they have a solid defense when they represent wealth manager Rachel Elliot (Francesca Faridany) who’s on trial for her husband’s murder, which she claims to have no memory of due to an alcohol-induced blackout. When Rachel’s reputation for aggressive behavior threatens to hurt them in court, Bull avoids jurors with “rage bias,” an inherent dislike of people who can’t control their emotions.
Bull Series Details, Courtesy of CBS:
Bull stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial-consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. His personal life proves harder to manage as he tries to live a healthier lifestyle following a heart attack and learns he is expecting a child with his ex-wife.
Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. This includes his quick-witted former brother-in-law, Benny Colón, a lawyer who acts as defense attorney in the company’s mock trials; Marissa Morgan, a neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security who monitors shifting jury reactions in real-time for Bull; former NYPD detective Danny James, the firm’s tough but relatable investigator; Taylor Rentzel, a working mother and former colleague of Marissa’s who is an expert in coding and computer hacking; and Chunk Palmer, a former all-American lineman and stylist-turned-law student who helps clients prepare their look and testimony for trial.
In high-stakes trials, Bull’s combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.’s and a top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients’ favor.
Fox’s medical drama The Resident is taking two weeks off for the World Series which kicks off on October 22nd. When it returns it will be with season three episode five, “Choice Words,” airing on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT.
The cast of season three includes Matt Czuchry as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, Emily VanCamp as Nicolette “Nic” Nevin, Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Randolph Bell, and Manish Dayal as Dr. Devon Pravesh. Shaunette Renee Wilson plays Dr. Mina Okafor, Malcolm-Jamal Warner is Dr. AJ Austin, Jane Leeves is Dr. Kitt Voss, and Glenn Morshower is Marshall Winthrop. Morris Chestnut joins the cast as Dr. Barrett Cain.
The “Choice Words” Plot – After a plane crashes in Atlanta, Devon is overcome by guilt at the thought that he could have prevented the tragedy. Bell, who was a passenger on the plane, makes it his personal mission to save the life of the man seated next to him. Meanwhile, Adaku (guest star Erinn Westbrook) returns to ask Mina a big favor, the Raptor struggles with telling his birth parents about meeting his biological father and Conrad and Nic consider risking it all to investigate a drug that might be linked to Jessie’s death.
Ken Murray and Alice Faye in ‘You’re a Sweetheart’
Until Betty Grable came along, Alice Faye was the singing sensation of 20th Century Fox musicals. Grable, of course, was more known for her legs and dancing, rather than her singing. Faye was the one who could take a romantic tune and make you swoon.
Faye was a New York girl, having been born there May 5, 1915. Nobody else in the family was in show business, but little Alice (born Alice Jeane Leppert) gravitated toward the stage and performing. Lying about her age, she got a job in the chorus of a vaudeville troupe at age 13. She remained hoofing in the chorus line for several years until she was cast in George White’s Scandals on Broadway in 1931.
In the cast were Broadway legend Ethel Merman, dancer Ray Bolger (Wizard of Oz), and crooner Rudy Vallee. After hearing Faye sing, Vallee put her on his popular radio show from 1932 to 1934 where she became well-known.
When Fox bought the show for a film to be called George White’s Scandals of 1934, the entire cast was brought out to Hollywood. Faye was only to have a specialty song in the film. When film actress Lilian Harvey was to be the star of the film, she played diva and walked off the set, leaving the part open. Vallee insisted Faye play his leading lady, and Faye walked right into the star part.
Mogul Darryl Zanuck was head of his own company at the time, 20th Century Pictures. When he decided to merge with Fox Films in 1935, he immediately offered Faye a long-term contract at the studio. During the Depression, hard-boiled girls were all the rage on screen. Faye did a few potboilers in which she was more like a gun moll than a singer. Zanuck realized that Faye had other qualities and soon began giving her the best lighting, costumes, and softer make-up and hairstyles.
Her new image clicked with audiences. She was thrust into Poor Little Rich Girl in 1936 with Shirley Temple, the moppet star who was the studio’s top money-maker. The film Stowaway followed that same year and made Faye popular with family audiences. Her song “When Did You Leave Heaven?” was honored with an Oscar nomination from the film Sing, Baby, Sing in 1936.
Tyrone Power, at 25, was one of the most beautiful men in Hollywood (along with Robert Taylor, age 27). He was well-mannered, charming, and a gorgeous male specimen. Women fell over in a dead faint when they saw him. He was not well known in 1938, but Faye asked he be tested for her leading man for In Old Chicago. He got a double whammy—as did Faye’s career—when cast also in Alexander’s Ragtime Band with co-star Don Ameche. Featuring Irving Berlin songs, it was the most successful musical film of that decade. It made stars of both Faye and Power.
In 1937, Alice Faye met and married film, recording and radio singer Tony Martin. Their marriage lasted until 1940. He went on to marry MGM dancing star Cyd Charisse. Faye then met comic singer Phil Harris and married him in 1941.
In the meantime, Fox cast her in one musical hit after another. Also in 1938 she played in the rousing Irving Berlin song-fest Alexander’s Ragtime Band with Ethel Merman, Jack Haley (Tin Man in Wizard of Oz), Don Ameche, and Tyrone Power. By 1939 she was on the top 10 lists as a big box-office star. That same year she thrilled audiences again with Rose of Washington Square, co-starring with leading man Tyrone Power and singer Al Jolson.
The musical biography of Lillian Russell was filmed in 1940 and co-starred Don Ameche, Henry Fonda, and Lynn Bari. When Faye refused to star in Down Argentine Way, the studio gave a chance to newcomer Betty Grable. This started Grable’s meteoric rise in stardom during World War II and served as the kick-off point of Faye’s decline. However, the two stars did film another musical that year called Tin Pan Alley with John Payne and the dancing Nicholas Brothers.
Week-End in Havana came out in 1941 and was shot in dazzling Technicolor. The color film showed Faye off to advantage and certainly showcased Brazilian bombshell Carmen Miranda’s tutti-frutti hats and costumes to startled audiences. The fun-filled musical That Night in Rio (1941) gave Fox another chance to have Faye hilariously deal with Carmen Miranda’s slaughtering of the English language. S.Z. “Cuddles” Sakall added to the hilarity. Faye played a Brazilian aristocrat with an American accent!
She and Harris wanted to start a family. Faye gave birth to her daughter, which took her away from 20th Century Fox soundstages for more than a year. She returned with a bang in the smash musical Hello, Frisco, Hello in 1943. Her song “You’ll Never Know” became her trademark tune and won the Oscar for Best Song of 1943. Faye remained as one of the top 10 box office stars. Fox made a bundle on the picture as it was one of its highest grossing movies during WWII.
When Faye signed a new contract with Fox, she was expecting to diversify her roles and play in some dramatic parts in addition to musical roles. She was cast in the drama Fallen Angel directed by Otto Preminger in 1945. Her leading man was Dana Andrews and in the cast was newcomer Linda Darnell, a protege of Darryl Zanuck’s. In order to build up Darnell’s screen time, Zanuck hacked out many of Faye’s best scenes and gave Darnell more footage. (She later did become a star in Forever Amber and Letter to Three Wives). Faye had had enough and literally walked off the Fox lot and never returned. True or not? It has become Hollywood legend. She was more interested in raising her family.
She and Phil Harris continued as stars, only this time on radio and not in films. Harris had a running role on comic Jack Benny’s show from 1936 to 1952. However, by 1948 they began the ‘Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show,’ a top 10 program that ran until 1954.
Faye did not miss making films, but she kept her toes in show business. She starred in the Broadway show Good News with film star John Payne and comic foil Stubby Kaye. She remained active before the cameras doing successful commercials. The Harris’ retired to Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs and had a full life until Harris’ death in 1995. Their marriage had lasted 54 years.
Alice Faye lived on in her desert home until May 9, 1998 when she died of stomach cancer at age 83. Faye remains popular with fans all over the world because her films are shown regularly on television.
Fox has set a December 4, 2019 launch date for the comedy event series, The Moodys (originally titled A Moody Christmas). The network plans to air the holiday-themed series over three nights, with two episodes airing on each of the three nights.
Episodes one and two air on December 4th followed by episodes three and four on December 9th, beginning at 9pm ET/PT. Episodes five and six arrive on December 10th.
The cast is led by four-time Emmy nominee Denis Leary (Rescue Me) and three-time Emmy nominee Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds). Francois Arnaud (Midnight, Texas, The Borgias), Chelsea Frei (Sideswiped), Jay Baruchel (Man Seeking Woman), Maria Gabriela de Faria (Deadly Class), Josh Segarra (Arrow), Kevin Bigley (Sirens), Gerry Dee (Mr. D), Ulka Simone Mohanty (The Dinner Bash), and Megan Park (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) also star in the event series.
Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg, and Tad Quill wrote and executive produced the comedy. Fisher and Greenberg also directed the holiday series. In addition, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Trent O’Donnell, Phil Lloyd, and Jason Burrows served as executive producers.
The Plot, Courtesy of Fox:
The Moodys follows a tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional family of five, all of whom gather in their hometown of Chicago for the “perfect” holiday. From break-ups to arrests to sharing one bathroom, each family member is packing his/her own eccentricities and hiding secrets from the others – as if the holidays were all about carols and eggnog!
The family includes SEAN SR. (Leary), his wife, ANN (Perkins), and their three grown children – DAN (Arnaud), the youngest of the siblings and the “creative one”; BRIDGET (Frei), the middle sister and the “overachiever”; and SEAN JR. (Baruchel), the oldest sibling and “screw-up,” still living at home with his parents.
Watch out, citizens of Castle Rock. Annie Wilkies (played by Lizzy Caplan) is coming to town and she’s bringing her own particular brand of crazy with her. Season two of the Hulu series finds the villain of Stephen King’s Misery arriving in Castle Rock, a town where even the most level-headed residents have trouble wrapping their heads around supernatural/disturbing events.
During our interview at the New York Comic Con, series creator Dustin Thomason discussed choosing which Stephen King characters to incorporate in the series and the possibility of season one characters showing up in unexpected ways in the new season.
The second season of the Hulu series will premiere on October 23, 2019.
Can you talk about the idea of integrating family dynamics and the theme of outsiders arriving in town in season two?
Dustin Thomason: “I think that for me and for a lot of Stephen King fans, the reason that Stephen King is Stephen King is because of his character work, not because of his scares. He’s obviously a master of horror and a master of thrills, but at the same time he’s been elevating the genre for 50 years.
I think that’s what all of us who work under the umbrella of King – and I think so many horror writers…great horror writers – now are working under the umbrella is that you lead with character. You try to understand why you should be afraid for the people that you are afraid for first, and then you start putting them in situations that are really scary. I think for me, even thinking about the canon and things as varied as The Body and Shawshank, those are fundamentally emotional stories. They’re not fundamentally scary stories.
I think that’s the magic of Stephen is that he is really a character writer first and I think a horror writer next. And that combination is what has made him Stephen King.
In season one we showed the audience that not everything is normal in Castle Rock. The idea was that I think there could be a season of Castle Rock that had no supernatural element to it, but I haven’t met that season yet. I think that for me, part of what I love about Stephen’s work, too, is that often he’ll start in a story that seems sort of very terrestrial and then it will turn into a very kind of different story. The Stand is kind of that way. It starts as an outbreak novel and then it transitions into something very different.
I think that seems like part of the exciting challenge of Castle Rock is how do you really ground the audience in some really serious human themes at the beginning and hopefully entertain and make them laugh along the way, but then at some point in the season take a turn into a genre element that I hope sort of resonates thematically with the character work we were doing in the beginning.”
Lizzy Caplan in ‘Castle Rock’ season 2 (Photo By: Dana Starbard/Hulu)
Were there any Easter eggs you included in season one that viewers didn’t catch? Maybe some that you never saw mentioned online?
Dustin Thomason: “You what’s amazing is during the release of season one people were so exhaustive in their coverage of Easter eggs that often they would discover Easter eggs that I didn’t know about. Because part of what’s been fun about Castle Rock is that the crew… We shoot in Massachusetts. A lot of the crew are New Englanders who have a deep attachment to Stephen King and so they throw little Stephen King references into everything – sometimes to an extent that in the editing room I will see them and I’ll be like, ‘This seems like a lot of Stephen King Easter eggs!’
There’s some amazing videos online where people have outlined even Easter eggs I didn’t anticipate.”
Speaking of fan reactions, did you incorporate or pay attention to the reactions to season one going into season two?
Dustin Thomason: (Laughing) “You know, I suppose that when you are doing a second season that is fundamentally about a super fan who has a lot of opinions about the work, there must be some sort of subconscious connection. And by the way, that’s why Stephen wrote Misery was for exactly that reason. I think part of my experience of season one and season two is that in season one there were things that people liked, things that people didn’t like about the ending and all those things. I’m always kind of okay with that because I sort of take a, ‘Well, we did our best,’ approach to it and we’ll continue to try and do our best approach.
I think as a fan myself I like certain things more than other things, and certain episodes more than other episodes of TV. Living with that is sort of part of the job, I guess.”
Will anyone from season one show up in season two?
Dustin Thomason: “Part of the original intention was always to plant seeds and in the way that Stephen has characters pop back up in unexpected places, for characters to do exactly that in Castle Rock. Now, again, some people saw the very, very end of season one with Jackie and the post-credits tag and go, ‘Oh, they’re going right to the Overlook.’ Obviously, we’re not going right to the Overlook. But the question is when, the question is how, the question is what unexpected way will you see her again?
Obviously, everybody wants to know if we’ll ever see Bill (Skarsgard) again. I think that part of what I will say is that we always had the intention of circling back, just not in the way that people necessarily expect.”
How far out do you have a grand plan for the series?
Dustin Thomason: “To me, there’s sort of two ends of the spectrum of that question. And honestly, I think Stephen would be okay with me saying this. There’s the J.K. Rowling end of the spectrum and then there’s the Stephen end of the spectrum. I would say that Castle Rock falls somewhere in the middle of those two, which is to say it’s not like I know, honestly, what the last shot of season eight of Castle Rock is. I don’t. But I know what the plan is and I know what we are seeing about the universe. I know how some of these characters fit into the tapestry of that universe and at a multi-season level where we’re going next.”
When you’re working with these iconic characters from Stephen King, are there ever any you have to push off to the next season that you can’t incorporate into the current season?
Dustin Thomason: “I mean, absolutely. Also, the truth is that because Stephen’s universe has been so widely adapted, it’s not like I can just take every character I want, either. Sometimes there’s that question too.
I think the biggest thing for us though, because we do have so many of the iconic characters and stories, was how do we narrow down which one we’re going to do when? That really is a big, big question for us that is a constant struggle. Do we introduce this character in a small way in this season or do we wait and build an entire season around them? That is a good question in thinking about how we approach each of them.”
A little over a month out from the series’ third season premiere Netflix has finally released a full trailer for the much-anticipated new season of The Crown. Season three finds Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) taking over the lead role played by Claire Foy in seasons one and two.
In addition to Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, the cast includes Golden Globe nominee Tobias Menzies (Outlander) as Prince Phillip and two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech, The Wings of the Dove) as Princess Margaret. Ben Daniels (The Exorcist) stars as Lord Snowdon, Josh O’Connor (The Durrells) is Prince Charles, Erin Doherty (Les Misérables) plays Princess Anne, Marion Bailey (Britannia) is The Queen Mother, Charles Dance is Lord Mountbatten, and Jason Watkins (Hold the Sunset) is Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
Season three of the critically acclaimed biographical drama was written by two-time Academy Award nominee Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen).
Season two of the award-winning series starred Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, Matt Smith as Prince Phillip, John Lithgow as Sir Winston Churchill, Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother, Jared Harris as King George VI, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, and Dame Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary.
Netflix has set a November 17, 2019 premiere date for the third season of the critically acclaimed series.
The Plot:
The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world — Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.
The third season of The Crown sees a new guard sweep into Downing Street, as Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family struggle to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing Britain. From cold-war paranoia, through to the jet-set and the space age – the exuberance of the 1960s and the long hangover of the 1970s – Elizabeth and the Royals must adapt to a new, more liberated, but also more turbulent world.
It’s Halloween and there’s a real-life monster on the loose in CBS’s Magnum P.I. season two episode five. Episode five was directed by Bryan Spicer from a script by Gene Hong and Tera Tolentino and will air on Friday, October 25, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT.
The episode’s guest cast includes Bobby Lee, Hayden Szeto, Dan Southworth, Shane Miyashiro, Zane Rawlins, Raiden Barrientos, Eve Brenner, Alexa Luczak, Ryder Tadaki, and Kordell Kekoa.
Jay Hernandez stars as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks plays Juliet Higgins, and Zachary Knighton is Orville “Rick” Wright. Stephen Hill is Theodore “TC” Calvin, Tim Kang is Det. Gordon Katsumoto, and Amy Hill plays Kumu. Brooke Lyons appears in a recurring role as Abby Miller.
“Make It ‘Til Dawn” Plot – On Halloween, Magnum and Jin (guest star Bobby Lee) search for a skip-tracer at a Halloween bash, just as Katsumoto tracks an escaped killer who is headed to that same party. Also, Higgins and Rick must spend the night at an allegedly haunted house in order to debunk the notion, and TC and Kumu protect a sacred Hawaiian burial ground.
The Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
“Magnum P.I. is a modern take on the classic series centering on Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business.
The “majordomo” of the property is Juliet Higgins, a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent whose second job is to keep Magnum in line, with the help of her two Dobermans. When Magnum needs back-up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors, Theodore “TC” Calvin, a former Marine chopper pilot who runs Island Hoppers, a helicopter tour business, and Orville “Rick” Wright, a former Marine door-gunner-turned-impresario of Oahu’s coolest nightclub and the most connected man on the island.
Suspicious of Magnum’s casual attitude and presence at his crime scenes, Detective Gordon Katsumoto finds that he and Magnum are more alike than either of them care to admit. One of Magnum’s biggest supporters is Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta, the unofficial “House Mom” and cultural curator of Robin’s Nest. With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case!”
Season 10 of CBS’s action drama Hawaii Five-0 continues with episode five directed by Yangzom Brauen and written by Rob Hanning and Zoe Robyn. Episode 10’s titled “He ‘oi‘o kuhihewa; he kākā ola i ‘ike ‘ia e ka makaulā” which is Hawaiian for “Don’t blame ghosts and spirits for one’s troubles; a human is responsible.”
Episode 10 airs on October 25, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT.
Guest stars include Lori Pelenise Tuisano, Jonny Berryman, Lisa Kaminir, Iris Wilhelm-Norseth, Derek Mears, Keely Nakama, and Alex Kingi. Blossom Lam Hoffman, Keli’I Aoyagi, Pono Lundell, Hayley Walters, Gianna-Mei Faitau-Pagaduan, Ernest Bailey, Tavita Woodward, and Mileka Lincoln also guest star in episode 10.
Alex O’Loughlin leads the cast as Steve McGarrett. Scott Caan plays Danny “Danno” Williams, Ian Anthony Dale is Adam Noshimuri, Meaghan Rath is Tani Rey, and Jorge Garcia plays Jerry Ortega. Beulah Koale stars as Junior Reigns, Chi McBride is Captain Lou Grover, Katrina Law is Quinn Liu, Taylor Wily plays Kamekona, Dennis Chun is Sgt. Duke Lukela, and Kimee Balmilero plays Dr. Noelani Cunha.
“He ‘oi‘o kuhihewa; he kākā ola i ‘ike ‘ia e ka makaulā” Plot – It’s Halloween and Five-0 investigates a home invasion turned deadly after a dangerous “monster” escapes from the basement. Also, Max (Masi Oka) returns to Oahu with a very special guest.
The Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
“Hawaii Five-O is a contemporary take on the classic series about an elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett, a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returned to Oahu after Hawaii’s former governor persuaded him to head up the new team: his rules, no red tape and full blanket authority to hunt down the biggest “game” in town.
Joining McGarrett are Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, a relocated ex-New Jersey cop who is committed to keeping the islands safe for his children; Captain Lou Grover, who formerly headed Hawaii’s SWAT unit; Jerry Ortega, the islands’ local conspiracy theorist; Tani Rey, a bold, recent police academy graduate; Junior Reigns, a former SEAL who comes to McGarrett looking for a job, Adam Noshimuri, a friend with old ties to a deadly crime family and Quinn Liu, a former Staff Sergeant with Army CID who was recently demoted for insubordination.
Helping them is Kamekona, a local entrepreneur who has his pulse on the Island; Sgt. Duke Lukela, a trusted member of the HPD; and medical examiner Dr. Noelani Cunha. The state’s brash Five-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, remain determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.”
Season two of Hulu’s original horror series Castle Rock explores the backstory of one of Stephen King’s most iconic villains: Annie Wilkes. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for portraying the obsessed fan in the 1990 film adaptation of King’s Misery. Lizzy Caplan takes on a younger version of the character in season two of Castle Rock, debuting on October 23, 2019.
Caplan and her onscreen daughter Elsie Fisher sat down for interviews at the 2019 New York Comic Con. Caplan and Fisher dived into their characters, Stephen King’s Misery, and what happens when Annie Wilkes makes a stop in Castle Rock.
What can tell us about your characters in general in season two?
Lizzy Caplan: “Annie Wilkes is one of Stephen King’s better-known villains played, of course, by the iconic queen Kathy Bates who nailed it. For me, I was a huge fan of the movie well before this came along. But what I personally love so much about that character is that she isn’t just this evil woman. She’s kind of fun and charming and strange and funny and child-like and warm. She has a good bedside manner. She’s many, many things. I actually think that’s what makes her the scariest of villains.”
Elsie Fisher: “Yeah, and I’m her daughter. I play Joy Wilkes, her daughter. I think Joy grew up with Annie and is loved by her very deeply. Castle Rock does something to people, for sure. But, also, Joy’s going through puberty and she’s a teenager. She’s trying to discover who she is. I don’t think Annie likes letting things go.”
Lizzy Caplan: “Literally and figuratively!”
You don’t view her as evil though, right?
Lizzy Caplan: “No.”
Elsie Fisher: “I don’t either.”
Lizzy Caplan: “I mean, I really don’t think that’s my job to judge her as this kind of person. It’s my job to figure out why she thinks the decisions that she makes are the right decisions and why she is, in her own mind, the hero or the only moral person in the room.”
Elsie Fisher: “I’m in the middle of re-reading Misery right now and I don’t know. Knowing Castle Rock and viewing her through a lens of sympathy, it’s like she’s really not like… She does awful things but she’s not a bad person.”
Lizzy Caplan: (Laughing) “Munchausen or Stockholm.”
Elsie Fisher and Lizzy Caplan in ‘Castle Rock’ season 2 (Photo by: Dana Starbard/Hulu)
Did you rewatch Kathy Bates’ performance?
Lizzy Caplan: “I did. I did. It’s strange. I think I had my first moment of, ‘Oh god, maybe I should have done something different,’ when we were shooting episode 10. It was too late.”
Elsie Fisher: “Slightly.”
Lizzy Caplan: “Yeah. I was a fan of the first season of the show and a massive Misery fan. I feel like, obviously, I’m doing something that’s my own interpretation of a character that is seared into all of our brains by Kathy Bates. I think getting too far away from that I would have been bummed as a viewer. I want this Annie to feel like she could potentially one day become that Annie.”
Can you talk about how sometimes when Annie’s trying to protect the people she loves, she makes bad decisions?
Lizzy Caplan: “Yeah, that’s pretty much Annie’s driving force. Her intentions are on paper kind of good. She wants to protect her daughter. It’s just how she goes about doing it and what she perceives as a threat is not always what others might perceive as a threat.”
And Joy also tries to protect her mom.
Elsie Fisher: “Yeah. I think when you want to protect someone you love, you’re often put into situations that could be very… Like, there is no right answer so you just have to do whatever your instincts tell you to do. But, I mean, hopefully you can walk away from bad situations and learn love and grow from it.”
What do you find in the horror genre that you can’t really do anywhere else?
Lizzy Caplan: “That’s a good question. I feel like horror and period pieces are the two genres that can sneak in really current social commentary and dress it up as something else so you get your message through. Like, Get Out, Us…there’s all of these examples of this. And so, I think it’s really special in that way.
I have to admit until I met my husband I kind of dismissed the genre. He schooled me and now I’m a massive fan. I really get it. I think it’s kind of the most exciting genre right now.”
Elsie Fisher: “I have to agree. The genre is very versatile. You can do so much with it.”
Lizzy Caplan: “It’s like you have your fun sort of slasher ones which aren’t necessarily saying anything, but then movies like Hereditary you walk out and if you really think about it it’s like inherited trauma… The Babadook, like mental illness. It’s the smartest way to say something.”
Elsie Fisher: “And invoke an emotional reaction.”
Lizzy Caplan: “Amen.”
Do you have a favorite moment in season two between the two of you that you’re really proud of as actors?
Elsie Fisher: “I have a lot of favorites.”
Lizzy Caplan: “I do, too.”
Elsie Fisher: “The finale.”
Lizzy Caplan: “Yeah. We were really in it for the finale, big time. That, and also the first day of shooting which was us singing together in the car. That was really fun.”
Elsie Fisher: “I know. That was a great way to start.”
Lizzy Caplan: “It really was. We were strangers and you were only 11.”
Elsie Fisher: (Laughing) “And now I’m 12.”
It doesn’t seem like you bonded at all.
Lizzy Caplan: (Rolling her eyes) “No. Child actors, am I right?”
How did you develop that mother and daughter bond?
Lizzy Caplan: “We just got really lucky. We genuinely really dig each other. You never know. Whether it’s a mother/daughter relationship or you have to have a romantic relationship, you don’t know if you’re going to vibe or not.”
Will we get the backstory about Annie’s husband?
Lizzy Caplan: “Oh, you mean the husband that they talk about in Misery? We don’t talk about that. That happens I guess somewhere between this and then. I don’t know who would marry her.”
Annie is so set in her ways. How does she react to the crazy events in town?
Lizzy Caplan: “I think this is one of the more complicated things. If I were to think of creating a show like this, I would give up after my first brainstorming session because it seems really complicated to try to have an unreliable narrator/protagonist like Annie who’s struggling with what is real and what isn’t on her best day and then you put her in a situation where actually insane stuff happens that a person who’s totally sound of mind would also be questioning their sanity. There’s so many layers to that and that’s what our season’s kind of doing, hopefully well.”
Is that inching her toward the Kathy Bates version of Annie?
Lizzy Caplan: “Well, you see in the trailer that she is medicating herself. I’m speculating but I think it’s safe to say that Kathy Bates’ Annie – the Misery Annie – is no longer doing that.”
Do we find out why she developed this fascination for Paul Sheldon and Misery Chastain?
Lizzy Caplan: (Smiling) “Maybe.”
How much did you know about your characters’ journeys before you took the roles? Did they tell you everything or did you learn it as you were going through the season?
Elsie Fisher: “I had a phone call with Dustin (Thomason) before I took the role. He kind of went over the over-arching story, although there were many surprises along the way for sure. But, like, I don’t know. I never had a clear path in mind for Joy for where she was going to go and what happened to her along the way. It was just figuring it out per episode and taking it scene by scene.”
Lizzy Caplan: “I knew how the first handful of episodes were going to go and kind of the main goal of Annie Wilkes. As far as specifics, it’s a leap of faith to do a television show. It’s really rare to get all of your scripts before the end.”
Would you prefer to know more or do you like being surprised?
Lizzy Caplan: “I do think about having the luxury of having all 10 scripts in front of you and how kind of wonderful that would be.”
Elsie Fisher: “You could do more intentional stuff.”
Lizzy Caplan: “Totally. Because the way it’s usually done, we maybe know the first four or five episodes and then you have no idea what’s coming. I think it’s exciting. It’s more exciting to read those scripts, but I think it’s inevitable to think, ‘Oh, if I could just go back to this scene…’ But, it’s just the nature of TV.
I’ve done a lot of TV shows now and kind of used to it. You get that one moment when you kind of feel like a viewer of the show when you get your first new script and get to see where your character’s going.”
