Lindsie Chrisley Campbell, Faye Chrisley, Julie Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley, and Todd Chrisley in ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ (Photo by Cynthia Hicks / USA Network)
Season five of USA Network’s Chrisley Knows Best will be extended by 18 episodes, and the network has ordered a sixth season of the popular reality show. The first half of Chrisley Knows Best‘s fifth season drew in an average of 3.22 million viewers each week, and USA Network’s rewarding the show’s continuing success with additional episodes and an eight episode talk show, According to Chrisley, hosted by Todd Chrisley.
According to Chrisley guests will include members of the family along with confirmed celebrity guests Ali Landry, Chris Jericho, Nicole Sullivan, Erika Girardi, Metta World Peace, Jason George, Christina Milian, Heather and Terry Dubrow, and Carmen Electra. The after show will air at 10:30pm ET/PT following Chrisley Knows Best which returns from its season five midseason break on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT.
Chrisley Knows Best is executive produced by Adam Greener, Simon Knight, Jim Sayer, Greg Lipstone, and Todd Chrisley. According to Chrisley has Todd Chrisley, Adam Greener, Simon Knight, Greg Lipstone, and Corin Nelson involved as executive producers.
The Chrisley Knows Best Plot: When the show returns for the backhalf of Season 5 in September, Chase celebrates his 21st birthday, Nanny Faye pulls an epic prank on Todd, Savannah hosts a fashion show, and the family comes together as Julie awaits word on an all-too-familiar health diagnosis.
Details on According to Chrisley: Serving as the perfect nightcap for Chrisley fans, the new half-hour after show will feature Todd tackling the truth about marriage, parenting, sex and relationships. With his tough love, sharp tongue and always humorous approach, Todd will interact with an audience, serving up quick-witted advice on a multitude of topics. Additionally, every episode will feature a member of the Chrisley family, as well as a celebrity guest.
Teen Wolf series creator/executive producer Jeff Davis promises the show’s finale will be epic. MTV’s Teen Wolf is ending after six seasons which meant Davis and his cast including Tyler Posey, Dylan Sprayberry, and Dylan O’Brien’s 2017 trip to the San Diego Comic Con would be their last as a Teen Wolf group. Sitting down for roundtable interviews, Davis assured fans season 6B will tie up storylines and send the series off with a fitting ending. “There is lots to tease,” said Davis. “The return of old characters to the show, a death or two, an extended finale…”
Are you going to break our hearts?
Jeff Davis: “I hope so. That’s what we come to TV for, right?”
How did the final episode compare to what you originally envisioned for the series finale?
Jeff Davis: “My original vision for the series finale was episode 5-20 so that was one of the things that changed. It’s always evolved. Once I knew that the network wanted another 20 episodes we were in a little bit of trouble because of filming schedules. So, we had to get a little creative with people like Dylan O’Brien who still wanted to do the show but was under contract to Fox and had to go away for seven months. I said, ‘Well, if we’re going to do it I’ve got this idea about memory loss and how to keep Stiles in it.’ And then for these last 10 episodes, I knew I wanted to separate them out.
Part of it was going back to Scott McCall’s character, going and saying, ‘How can we finish the Teen Wolf story?’ We started with Scott and with Scott being hunted, and we decided let’s end with that as well. Let’s come full circle. And it’s sort of the season of the rise of the hunters. It’s led by Sibongile Mlambo who is a phenomenal wonderful person. She’s going to make a really good villain.”
Any other new characters we should be on the lookout for?
Jeff Davis: “Yes. There’s sort of a group of new young characters, Froy Gutierrez and Andrew Matarazzo, they play young students in Beacon Hills who are also rising new hunters as well. Sibongile’s character, Monroe, sort of gets into the hearts and souls of the teenage population and Scott and his friends find everyone turning against them and seeing them as pariahs. So, the new season is very much about fear, about being an outcast, about being an outsider.”
Why did it take so long to start fearing them?
Jeff Davis: “Well, we looked at season five and there were scenes in season five that I knew we wanted to do which was sort of a call back to Buffy. At one point, everybody knows who Buffy is. They all know she’s the slayer; they all know about vampires now. And we knew that we were going to have to reach that point in Teen Wolf, and it’s really the scene in the library where all those students are hiding in the stacks. They see Scott – they see him. So, one of the first things we start out with in the beginning of 6A is people talking. ‘People don’t say anything, but we all know what we saw in the library that night.’ So, that’s where it starts off with.”
Is Jackson bisexual? There was a scene released where he looks at a girl and then a boy, and it confused people.
Jeff Davis: “Yeah, that was confusing, wasn’t it? You’ll have to wait and see. […] Well it was said and always said in season two, ‘Jackson’s everyone’s type,’ right? So, we’ll see just what that means.”
Are there other strands like that that will tie up in the last episodes?
Jeff Davis: “I hope so. We had so many characters by the end that writing the finale was a real challenge. I also wasn’t there for a good bit of shooting because I was off doing a pilot for Let the Right One In for TNT, which unfortunately did not go forward, so I had my own distractions. But, thankfully I had a great team of writers carrying the torch. We put our all into the last few episodes especially, so hopefully the fans like it.”
Your cast has described it as epic. Would you describe it as epic?
Jeff Davis: “Yeah, it’s pretty epic. We worked really hard. And the last scene feels like a series-ender to me. It felt good when I finished it.”
“In this house. I feel a different kind of presence…an evil one. It’s coming after me because I’m the weakest,” says Janice (Talitha Bateman) to Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) after being violently attacked by a demonic spirit who wants her soul in the new installment of The Conjuring film franchise, Annabelle: Creation.
12 years after the tragic death of their young daughter, Samuel (Anthony LaPaglia) and Esther Mullins (Miranda Otto) open up their home to the local church. They agree to take in several girls from the recently shut down orphanage as well as the nun in charge, Sister Charlotte. At first, the girls are extremely excited to live in a big house with plenty of rooms to explore. Even little Janice, who wears a brace and uses a cane after surviving polio, is hopeful about their new living conditions. It’s not long, however, before Janice discovers the locked room which is off-limits to the girls.
Curiosity gets the better of her (remember what curiosity did to the cat) and she enters the room late one night to discover the infamous doll, Annabelle, that’s already possessed by a demonic spirit. The evil entity inside the doll targets Janice and begins to terrorize her.
Directed effectively by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), Annabelle: Creation is an eerie, spine-tingling horror film you’ll watch through the spaces between your fingers while squirming in your seat in fear. It’s a spooky haunted house film with a creepy doll at the center of all its horrors. Sandberg uses the old-school method of filmmaking with light, shadow, music, and one damn disturbing, moving-on-its-own doll to build tension and create an overall ominous feeling.
The young actresses playing the orphan girls are all solid in their roles, but there are two stand-out performances worth noting among the younger cast. Talitha Bateman as Janice, the main target of the demonic spirit, and her best friend, Linda (Lulu Wilson), who tries her hardest to look out for and protect Janice and ultimately becomes the demon’s secondary target, are terrific and deserve special mentions. Both young actresses perfectly convey the curiosity and fear their characters feel throughout the film. Also, Bateman and Wilson have real chemistry together, displaying a close friendship between the two girls that never feels false or forced.
Unfortunately, all the adult characters in the film are purely one-dimensional and lifeless. Anthony LaPaglia’s talents are wasted portraying Samuel Mullins, a quiet and sullen man still suffering the loss of his young daughter and working through the terrible ordeal he and his wife have gone through. Stephanie Sigman delivers a cardboard and stilted performance as Sister Charlotte, the nun in charge of the young girls who seems to be terrible at her job and later in the film never conveys any real fear or terror when in the presence of true evil.
Still, thanks to the solid performances from Bateman and Wilson and the stylish direction by Sandberg, Annabelle: Creation is a worthy addition to The Conjuring film franchise and is sure to have goosebumps running up and down the arms of horror fans seeking a late summer thrill in theaters.
Taylor Sheridan knows how to tell a cohesive, intricately crafted story. Sheridan proved that with 2015 and 2016’s critically acclaimed Oscar nominated films, Sicario and Hell or High Water. And now with 2017’s Wind River, Sheridan demonstrates he’s just as adept at directing as he is at weaving a complex tale on a page.
Sheridan’s Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River are populated with fascinating characters who exist in worlds not necessarily familiar to the average audience. In the case of Wind River, the intriguing, flawed characters are brought to life by Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Avengers), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, and also The Avengers), Graham Greene (Longmire), Gil Birmingham (Sheridan’s Hell or High Water), and Jon Bernthal (Baby Driver).
Wind River follows Wyoming tracker Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) who’s recruited into the search for the murderer of a young Native American woman after he finds her corpse in the snow while he’s hunting mountain lions. His skill set makes him an indispensable resource to the fish-out-of-water FBI agent tasked with overseeing the investigation on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is ill-equipped to deal with not only the inhospitable weather conditions but also the tribe members involved in the case either as family members of the deceased or potential suspects.
As Wind River unfolds, backstories are carefully revealed and the tension ramps up, reaching a brutal climax.
Sheridan’s exceptional script gives each member of the talented ensemble special moments to shine. As with his other work, Sheridan’s written real, believable, genuine characters who act and react as real humans would in stressful and frightening situations. He’s also provided enough lighter moments within Wind River to ease the tension back slightly, in particular through Graham Greene’s reservation sheriff character. As he’s previously demonstrated, Sheridan understands how to get into the skin of a long-time law enforcement professional and has infused Greene’s character with a sharp wit.
Sheridan doesn’t pad his script with unnecessary twists or red herrings, and instead moves steadily through the film with the focus kept on the murder mystery. It’s worth noting that where a less self-assured screenwriter most likely would have slipped in a romantic storyline, Sheridan steers completely clear of that clichéd trap.
Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen have never been better onscreen, and the entire supporting cast is terrific. Wind River is smart, original, and solidifies the emergence of a talented filmmaker who understands how to connect with and treat an audience. Sheridan’s films aren’t light fare and he paints in the grey area more so than either black or white, but he never cheats and never lets the audience down.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, a rape, disturbing images, and language
Lifetime has given a straight-to-series order to the original series, American Princess. The network’s given the go-ahead to a 10 episode first season of the series created by writer/executive producer Jamie Denbo (Ronna & Beverly). Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black, Weeds, GLOW) and Tara Herrmann are also involved as executive producers.
The one-hour series is an A+E Studios and IM Global Television production.
“Jenji has always taken interesting and unconventional worlds and given them heart and humor,” said Liz Gateley, EVP and Head of Programming for Lifetime. “From the get-go, American Princess was a concept we loved as it’s incredibly relatable to want to parachute from one’s life in difficult times. In Jenji, Jamie and Tara’s hands, we know this will be hilarious and special.”
“In the current landscape of scripted television programs, American Princess is a true standout,” added Paul Buccieri, President A+E Studios and A+E Networks Portfolio Group. “This series continues building on the premium storytelling that is a foundation of A+E Studios, and we are thrilled to partner with IM Global.”
IM Global Television’s Mark Stern said, “American Princess is exactly the kind of smart, high-quality series that IM Global Television aspires to. We’re excited to be in partnership with A+E Studios.”
The Plot:American Princess centers on Amanda, an Upper East Side socialite whose storybook wedding plans are dramatically derailed when she discovers her fiancé is cheating on her, just hours before they are to be wed. Outraged, Amanda reacts violently to the indiscretions and runs away from her own dream wedding in the countryside, only to find herself stranded in the middle of a Renaissance Faire with no phone and no way home. She soon discovers her outburst has made tabloid headlines and experiences a nervous breakdown, leading her to reevaluate her life. The unexpected awakening leads Amanda to leave everything she thought she cared about behind, to become the Faire’s newest wench-in-waiting.
The CW’s season one of Black Lightning has tapped Marvin “Krondon” Jones III to play Tobias Whale. The character was introduced in the original Black Lightning comic book and has, per DC Comics, been one of the Black Lightning comics’ most persistent villains. Tobias Whale will be a big part of the show’s first season.
“I was excited about Krondon when I saw his audition,” said Black Lightning Executive Producer Salim Akil. “He’s going to make a great Tobias! His authentic street sensibility, along with an insightful intelligence is perfect for the Tobias character arc. Not to mention his regal physical bearing will be additive to making our show exciting and different.”
Rapper Marvin Jones III joins a cast that is led by Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning. The first season also features Nafessa Williams as Anissa, China Anne McClain as Jennifer, and Christine Adams as Lynn. The series is executive produced by Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash), Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil, and Sarah Schechter.
DC released the following description of Tobias Whale:
“Described as an African-American man with albinism, Tobias Whale is the leader of Freeland’s most feared gang – The 100. But in the days before Black Lightning, Tobias was a politician, rising up the ranks of local government through corrupt and illegal means. That was until he was brought down by Alvin Pierce, Jefferson’s father. Enraged, Tobias murdered Alvin and was driven underground into exile. It’s here he found a place to rebuild, growing into the violent and methodical leader of The 100 as we find him today. But Black Lightning’s recent return has ignited Tobias’ desire to emerge from the shadows and face his biggest adversary, Jefferson Pierce AKA Black Lightning.”
The Season One Plot: Jefferson Pierce (Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad.
Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Williams) and Jennifer (McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Adams), suffered. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.
The CW’s Arrow will return on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT for its sixth season, and in support of the show’s upcoming season the Arrow cast once again made the trip to San Diego for Comic Con. The panel was packed with fans, and the press room was also a hot ticket at this year’s Con. Among the cast who participated in both the Q&A with fans and roundtable interviews was Katie Cassidy who provided the scoop on Black Siren and even revealed a storyline she’d love to play involving Black Siren and Laurel Lance.
What similarities do you see between the two Laurels you’ve played?
Katie Cassidy: “I actually find a lot of similarities between them. They’re both obviously incredibly strong women; they’re just from two different ends of the spectrum, I guess. I think they’re both incredibly driven, nothing will stop them or get in the way of what they’re trying to accomplish. Hard-headed and I think strong is just a great word to describe them, just in different ways.”
Do you have a preference?
Katie Cassidy: “I don’t have a preference. I have to say I love being a part of #TeamArrow and being there every day. I miss being there in that aspect or capacity, but the fact that I can come in as a villain and play that sort of the antithesis – it’s so much fun. It’s so much fun playing evil. I don’t know if I have a preference. I’m close to Laurel, but it’s nice to have fresh to play. It’s almost like a new character … it is a new character but it’s fresh and it feels like it’s fresh. I feel like everyone’s points of view, the dynamic between the characters and their reaction to Black Siren I think keeps everything fresh for the other actors as well. There’s a lot of her background to explore.”
How far in advance do the writers let you know what they’re thinking for your character? Are you learning along with the fans which direction you’ll go or do you know well ahead of time?
Katie Cassidy: “We talk about it in advance, absolutely. When Laurel was going to be the one who was getting killed, I didn’t know until the episode before that it was me which kind of sucked. I was like, ‘Oh, right, okay. That sucks!’ But for this season I sat down and had lunch with Wendy (Mericle) and Marc (Guggenheim). We were on the same page already in terms of obviously Black Siren in Earth-2 world is a lot darker, just a little bit rough – rugged, I guess. If I have ideas, if they have ideas, we toss them around.
The other day I talked to Marc and I was like, ‘Hey, what would happen if Black Siren time-traveled and saw Laurel face-to-face?’ Does that make sense? That would just be so bizarre and cool at the same time, certainly at least for an episode. But this season it’s about family and I think Black Siren in Earth-2, there’s a lot to explore in terms of her backstory and where she’s from. She’s gone through a lot. She lost her family at a young age; the backstory that I’ve done is she lost her father. He burned to death in front of her. She was forced to watch him burn to death in front of her at the age of 13. So, she sort of has set out to find … again, as an actor I’m like going off into this other world … her father’s killer. She ends up obviously turning dark and a villain. But I’m sure something will happen. They’ll write something and it will be like, ‘Her father survived,‘ and I’m totally off-base.
It’s definitely an interesting process. Yeah, they definitely let us throw around ideas. They talk to us a little bit in advance, and sometimes you just never know. It’s television. Anything can happen.”
Is there a possibility they will ever meet each other?
Katie Cassidy: “I don’t know. I pitched it to Marc and he was like, ‘Oh, I love that!’ So, I think it would be cool. I think it would be so confusing but awesome. Who knows? Anything’s possible in these shows with time travel.”
He didn’t turn it down?
Katie Cassidy: (Laughing) “He did not turn it down. However, I can’t confirm that it’s going to happen either.”
Do you think there’s a chance of redemption for Black Siren?
Katie Cassidy: “Absolutely. I think there is definitely a chance for redemption for her. It’s interesting. I think even when she does this evil, manipulative thing, that’s just almost like her defense mechanism. It’s her habit. It’s a place that she’s used to going to. But if you break that down and get through her walls, I think that she has a sad story. I think that the other characters will be able to see that and have sympathy/empathy for her. She may end up bonding with them and maybe being able to actually redeem her back to a somewhat good person.”
Prince Philip (Matt Smith) and Elizabeth (Claire Foy) share an intimate moment in Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ season 2.
Netflix has unveiled the first teaser trailer for season two of the critically acclaimed period drama, The Crown, based on the lives of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. In addition, Netflix announced The Crown‘s second season will premiere on Friday, December 8, 2017, with all of the season’s episodes available immediately for binge-watching.
Four first-look photos have also arrived for The Crown season two featuring Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth and Matt Smith as Prince Philip. The season two cast also includes John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, Michael C Hall as President John F. Kennedy, Jodi Balfour as Jackie Kennedy, and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret.
The Plot:The Crown, a Netflix original series, tells the inside story of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, as the fragile social order established after the Second World War breaks apart. Based on the award-winning play, The Audience, the series reunites creator/writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) with director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) and producer Andy Harries (The Queen).
Beginning with soldiers in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces fighting an illegal war in Egypt, and ending with the downfall of her third Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan after a devastating scandal, the second season bears witness to the end of the age of deference, and ushers in the revolutionary era of the 1960s.
The Crown continues to chronicle the major political and global events that have defined and shaped the second half of the twentieth century – a series that is unprecedented in its scale, ambition and creative vision.
A scene from Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ season 2.Vanessa Kirby in ‘The Crown’ season 2.
Dominic Sherwood and Katherine McNamara in ‘Shadowhunters’ season 2 episode 20 (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)
Freeform’s Shadowhunters finishes up season two with episode 20 set to air on Monday, August 14, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT. Episode 19 found Clary figuring out that if she and Jace used their angelic connection they’d be able to locate where Jonathan was hiding, Jonathan potentially being dead and out of the series, and Clary interrupting Simon and Maia at a very inopportune time. Episode 19 also featured Raphael finally apologizing to Izzy. The episode was jam-packed with pivotal plot points for many of the characters and there’s a lot of storylines to tie up in the season finale, including details on the deal the Seelie Queen (played by Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland) made with Valentine.
The season two cast includes Katherine McNamara as Clary Fray, Dominic Sherwood as Jace Wayland, Alberto Rosende as Simon Lewis, Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood, Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood, Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway, and Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane. Guest stars include David Castro as Raphael and Will Tudor as Sebastian.
The “Beside Still Water” Plot: Jace and Clary rush to make a final stand, but when a traitor is revealed, Jace and Clary may have a bigger fight on their hands than expected. Meanwhile, Alec and Izzy must fight off a large mass of demons that have unexpectedly shown up, as Luke and Simon head to the Seelie Court to deal with some unfinished business with the Seelie Queen.
Sarah Hyland and Alberto Rosende in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)Alberto Rosende and Isaiah Mustafa in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)Dominic Sherwood in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)Mike Chow and Katherine McNamara in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)MCNAMARASarah Hyland in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)
When The CW’s The 100 returns for its fifth season in 2018, it will be taking a six year leap forward in time. The final minutes of season four revealed Clarke (Eliza Taylor) has spent the time taking care of a young girl named Maddie, and when season five kicks off it will pick up right where the final scene of season four left off. As executive producer Jason Rothenberg explained at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, Clarke will be in protection mode as the season begins.
“Clarke is Clarke. She’s always going to be a bad-ass,” said Rothenberg during our roundtable interview. “She’s always going to be in charge, but she has a child, really. I mean, that relationship is essentially mother/daughter. If you have kids, you know the second you have children your priorities change. Suddenly her crew is that child, that person, and there will be some interesting conflict if what’s good for Maddie is not good for Sky Crew. What’s Clarke going to do? No one else cares about Maddie the way Clarke does.”
Eliza Taylor also talked about where we catch up with Clarke and how she’s approaching the six year leap forward in time during our interview at Comic Con.
She’s being very nurturing to this young girl. What’s going on in Clarke’s mind at this point?
Eliza Taylor: “At the very beginning, we’re going to sort of pick up where we left off. A lot has changed. I’m still kind of working through how I’m going to perform as a girl who’s six years older. She’s gone from like an 18-year-old girl who was dropped on the Earth, and even though she went through a lot and she became more mature, this is like now a 24-year-old woman. So, I think it’s going to be really fun to play a more maternal, caring, simplified character. She’s not worrying about a million people. Her responsibility is to this young girl, Maddie.”
Will Clarke get to show a softer side a little?
Eliza Taylor: “Yeah, I think so. She’s always put her emotions on the back burner. I mean, while it’s still going to be total survival mode, it’s a lot more like care and softness with this young girl.”
What’s it been like growing with the character and now transforming to this new world?
Eliza Taylor: “I don’t know yet because I haven’t started but I think it’s kind of terrifying. But, it’s a good scary. I think I’m really going to get to explore almost like a fresh character.”
Which character are you most excited for Clarke to have a reunion with and to play that reunion?
Eliza Taylor: “Good question. I don’t know. That’s hard. It’s like asking which one of your kids is your favorite. I guess everyone. Just anyone, really, if you think about it. (Laughing) Someone come up or down, please.”
Can you tell us about the dynamics with the new people who are arriving and how Clarke will react to their presence?
Eliza Taylor: “I think it’s really interesting. The dynamic is that she’s essentially a grounder now so it’s like we’ve gone right back to the beginning and she’s in danger and she’s the one who’s going to react probably violently at first, just out of sheer fear the same way that the grounders did to them when they came down. It’s like this foreign object and it’s threatening her life. I think that will be really cool.”
