Sam Heughan stars in ‘Outlander’ season 3 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Starz unveiled a new behind-the-scenes video from the romantic drama, Outlander, during the 2017 Television Critics Association’s summer press event. The two-minute video features interview clips with Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe as well as new footage from the upcoming third season. In the video, Balfe describes season three as incredibly romantic, while Heughan confirms Jamie will be coming to terms with essentially losing the love of his life.
Outlander season three is set to premiere on September 10, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT.
The Outlander Season Three Plot: The third season of Outlander picks up right after Claire (Caitriona Balfe) travels through the stones to return to her life in 1948. Now pregnant with Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) child, she struggles with the fallout of her sudden reappearance and its effect on her marriage to her first husband, Frank (Tobias Menzies). Meanwhile, in the 18th century, Jamie suffers from the aftermath of his doomed last stand at the historic battle of Culloden, as well as the loss of Claire.
As the years pass, Jamie and Claire attempt to make a life apart from one another, each haunted by the memory of their lost love. The budding possibility that Claire can return to Jamie in the past breathes new hope into Claire’s heart… as well as new doubt. Separated by continents and centuries, Claire and Jamie must find their way back to each other. As always, adversity, mystery, and adventure await them on the path to reunion. And the question remains: When they find each other, will they be the same people who parted at the standing stones, all those years ago?
Syfy’s Wynonna Earp fans (“Earpers”) learned the series will be returning for a third season during the show’s panel at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con. Showrunner/executive producer Emily Andras and the cast were a huge draw at the Con, taking part in a Q&A with fans while celebrating the series’ third season renewal. The cast, including Melanie Scrofano, Tim Rozon, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Katherine Barrell, Shamier Anderson, Varun Saranga, and Tamara Duarte, also sat down for roundtable interviews during this year’s Con.
Showrunner Andras explained the thought process behind Wynonna’s pregnancy reveal and writing interesting female characters during our interview at Comic-Con.
How do you manage to give everyone such deep storylines without letting any character fall behind?
Emily Andras: (Laughing) “It’s like those people who can spin plates on sticks. I can’t wait until the day it all comes crashing down and you’re like ‘asterisks to my question.’ I just really love all the characters and I think on a show that is maybe a little bit of an underdog show like ours is…I always say we have a Game of Thrones cut up veggies budget, you know what I mean, for the entire run of our show…you really need character to be consistent and be developed, and act in character.
I think that’s like my one rule. I have no rules in writing; I will try it all. My writers know that, but I really think the character needs to act the way Dolls would act, the way Waverly would act, even if it makes story harder or the challenges harder. I think the audience has bought into that. That’s kind of the covenant you’ve made with the audience. I just like my characters 3-dimensional. I think it’s so much more rich. Thank god we don’t have a cast of thousands. That would be a nightmare.”
This is one of the best feminist sci-fi shows, and you’re a feminist. How do approach that when you’re writing?
Emily Andras: “I just trick everybody. I honestly just threw in so many female characters. If it didn’t have a first name, you cast it as a woman. I really think Syfy the network deserves credit. They have not once said to me, ‘Can you tone it down with the vagina talk?’
I think genre as a rule is really inclusive. Since the time of Star Trek, certainly hopeful genre portrays a world that we want to live in, one that celebrates diversity and equality. So, I almost think it’s easier in genre to comment on that stuff. And, really, I didn’t pull any punches. When I pitched the show, I was like, ‘I want to do a Western but with all the traditional male characters as women.’ I don’t feel like I’ve tricked anybody.
I don’t know. It’s just really important to me. I’ve never written on a show without a female protagonist. It’s just kind of been my privilege in my writing life, and now I feel like it’s kind of my jam. It’s working out okay.”
Can you talk about handling the pregnancy and keeping it a secret?
Emily Andras: “[…] I really wanted to keep it a secret so I didn’t do a lot of the traditional stuff you see on shows. There was no morning sickness. I tried to keep it as steady as it happened because I really wanted it to be as big a surprise for Wynonna as it was for the fans. It is honestly a miracle in this day and age we kept that a secret though. It’s funny, too, for our younger fans – obviously I’m only 24, no – I just remember in my day in the cave with my dinosaur we didn’t have the internet so we didn’t get spoilers. But I feel like spoilers are so much a part of everyday culture and if you’re a rabid fan, it’s hard to avoid them. You think you want to know, even though you might not want to.
So, what an amazing gift for the audience that so many of the fans were surprised. They were all in it together when they found out. And also, what a testament to the cast and crew that everybody kept it quiet. It just speaks to the love we have on set and the respect we have for Melanie I think that everybody really took it seriously. Sure, I wanted to do it, but I didn’t think we’d actually pull it off.”
Was the decision to make the pregnancy so quick always the plan to get her from point A to point B?
Emily Andras: “Nothing was always the plan because once the pregnancy happened, you’re like, ‘Uh!’ Obviously, when we did the math of how far along Mel was, and of course, she still looks amazing, but we’re like she is seven months here. She gave birth four days after we wrapped, so it was like a miracle we made it. Which is also part of the reason we knew we had to incorporate the pregnancy. We’re like, ‘She’s nine months, but this isn’t a sitcom. I just can’t have her holding an increasingly large series of laundry baskets. I want her to kick some ass!’
I was proud of that episode. I mean, it’s a bit of a supernatural genre trick but it was all done in good faith. If you know that trope, I hope you get that it’s a little bit of a wink. So, yeah, it was fun. And also, to be honest, just talking about the type of character Wynonna is…she’s single, she’s a borderline alcoholic. Do I think she would keep the baby if she had a choice with the fate of an Earp heir? No, and as a feminist show I think that choice needs to be put on the table.
But I also think so much of the theme of the show is destiny keeps screwing over Wynonna and not giving her a choice, but every day she gets up and she’s like, ‘I’m still going to fight to make the choice I want wherever I can.’ So, it all kind of came together. Plus, the Sandman!”
Have you thought about season 3? (The interview took place before the season 3 announcement.)
Emily Andras: “Yeah, aggressively. I felt like if we get a season three, I will have a minute of elation and then immediate panic. As soon as you lose that fear as a writer, you’re dead. Every season I look back at the season before and I’m like, ‘How did past Emily do that? I don’t remember how to do this?’ Yeah, I’ll keep telling you stories as long as you all let me. And even if you try to stop me, I’ll show up at Syfy’s door and be like, ‘Here are the scripts.’ They’ll be like, ‘We didn’t order any scripts.’”
Can we expect any surprise pairings by the end of this season?
Emily Andras: “You can, yes, and on all cliffhanger endings from here on out. It’s crazy.”
You really brought it in episode 7 (which aired July 21st).
Emily Andras: “Oh, that was nothing. That was a soft landing.”
(Continuing with her “pairings” answer.)
Emily Andras: “Yes, I would say so. I think the cast is so strong, one of my favorite things to do is I like exploring weird relationships. I want to know what Dolls and Nicole is like, or Doc and Nedley. I like to do it all and the cast is so strong I feel like that’s really fun to put two characters together and be like, ‘Okay, in the workplace, what are they like without Wynonna?’ and stuff like that.”
And we’ll be spending a little time exploring some backstories, too?
Emily Andras: “Yeah, I think so. (Referencing episode 8, airing July 28, 2017). Next episode for sure we are going to learn a little bit more about the Earp curse through a very interesting device. And, of course, we have to figure out if Waverly’s really an Earp or not.”
Watch the full Emily Andras Wynonna Earp interview:
Craig Bierko, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Constance Zimmer, Shiri Appleby and Amy Hill in ‘UnREAL’ (Photo by Michelle Faye)
Lifetime announced UnREAL will return for a fourth season and Mary Kills People will be back for a second season in 2018. The network also confirmed You, a new thriller starring Penn Badgley and Elizabeth Lail, will begin shooting next month. The series was created by Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble and will premiere in 2018. The network also set premiere dates for its upcoming fall original movies, The Watcher in the Woods, Flint, The Lost Wife of Robert Durst, and I Am Elizabeth Smart.
In addition, Lifetime confirmed its commitment to female filmmakers.
“It’s an exciting time for all women when a female-directed movie, featuring a female superhero, tops the summer box office,” said Liz Gateley, EVP and Head of Programming for Lifetime. “In television, Lifetime is the top tier destination for hiring female writers, directors and producers and we continue to celebrate the everyday, real-life heroes in our programming.”
Lifetime Series and Original Movies Details and Premiere Dates:
UnREAL – Returns Early 2018
UnREAL gives a fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a hit dating competition program, Everlasting. UnREAL is led by flawed heroine Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby), renowned for her skills manipulating her relationships with, and among, the contestants to get the vital dramatic and outrageous footage that the program’s dispassionate executive producer, Quinn King (Emmy-nominated Constance Zimmer), demands.
Season three features Everlasting’s new feminist “suitress,” Serena (Caitlin FitzGerald), who is determined to have her pick of eager male suitors.Co-created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and produced by A+E Studios, seasons three and four are helmed by showrunner and executive producer Stacy Rukeyser. UnREAL season three is also executive produced by Shapiro, Robert M. Sertner, Sally DeSipio, Peter O’Fallon and David Solomon.
Mary Kills People – Returns Early 2018
Single mother Mary Harris (Caroline Dhavernas) is an ER doctor by day, but by night, she and her partner Des (Richard Short), a former plastic surgeon, moonlight as underground angels of death helping terminally ill patients slip away on their own terms. So far Mary has managed to stay under the radar; but death is hot, business is booming, and her double life is getting complicated. When her world starts to unravel, Mary realizes she’s going to have to fight dirty if she’s going to stay in the killing game. Jay Ryan returns as Ben Wesley.
Mary Kills People is executive produced by Tassie Cameron, Amy Cameron, Jocelyn Hamilton and Tecca Crosby. The series will be directed by Kelly Makin, Norma Bailey and David Wellington with Holly Dale as Co-Executive Producer. Tara Armstrong created the series and is Executive Producer and writer.
YOU – Debuts 2018
Starring Penn Badgley, YOU is a 21st century love story that asks, “What would you do for love?” When a brilliant bookstore manager crosses paths with an aspiring writer, his answer becomes clear: anything. Using the internet and social media as his tools to gather the most intimate of details and get close to her, a charming and awkward crush quickly becomes obsession as he quietly and strategically removes every obstacle – and person – in his way. YOU will also star Elizabeth Lail, Zach Cherry and Luca Padovan.
YOU is from Berlanti Productions and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television and A+E Studios. YOU is written by executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble and based on Caroline Kepnes’ best-selling novel of the same name.
Faith Under Fire – Premieres Early 2018
Seven time Grammy(R) Award winner Toni Braxton stars as Antoinette Tuff, a struggling single mom from Georgia who heroically averted a tragedy, saving hundreds of lives when she convinced a deranged gunman who stormed an elementary school to surrender. On August 20, 2013, shortly after arriving to work at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Georgia, Antoinette (Braxton) the school’s bookkeeper, was in the front office when Michael Hill (Trevor Morgan, Abducted), a young man with a history of mental illness, snuck in, armed with an AK-47 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. As the school went into lockdown, Antoinette was left alone with Trevor, who repeatedly threatened to kill everyone. Showing enormous courage and empathy, along with nerves of steel, Antoinette convinced Trevor to surrender by using her own life struggles to connect with him. Antoinette’s faith in God guided her through the toughest moments of her life, ultimately preparing her for that fateful day. Yaya DaCosta (Whitney) portrays Kendra McCray, the 911 operator relaying messages to police on the scene from Antoinette.
Produced by Sony Pictures Television and based on the book Prepared for a Purpose: An Inspiring True Story of Faith, Courage and Compassion in Crisis by Tuff and Alex Tresniowski, Faith Under Fire is executive produced by T.D. Jakes (Heaven is for Real), Judith Verno (Masters of Sex), Derrick Williams (Miracles from Heaven), Toni Braxton and Craig Baumgarten (Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart). Emmy nominee Vondie Curtis Hall (Abducted: The Carlina White Story) directs from a script written by Laura Harrington and Stephen Kay.
The Simone Biles Story – Premieres Early 2018
Based on her book, Courage To Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance, the biopic follows Simone Biles through her sacrifices and hard work that lead her to win 19 Olympic and World Championship medals and cemented her stake as one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time. Biles’ journey from foster care to the Olympic podium is full of life experiences that serve as an inspiration for every little girl with a dream.
The Simone Biles Story (working title) is executive produced by Howard Braunstein, Simone Biles, Janey Miller and Kyell Thomas for Octagon and is written by Kelly Fullerton.
The Watcher in the Woods – Premieres October 21
Executive producer and director Melissa Joan Hart reimagines the ’80s cult classic starring Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston as Mrs. Aylwood, the distraught mother whose daughter, Karen, vanished in the English countryside over 20 years ago. When Jan Carstairs (Tallulah Evans) and her family move into the idyllic Aylwood manor for the summer, Mrs. Aylwood is taken aback by Jan’s striking resemblance to Karen. The family is warned against entering the surrounding woods, but Jan and her little sister Ellie (Dixie Egerickx) hear voices coming from the forest. Strange occurrences begin to unnerve the family and Jan begins to suspect that they are linked to Karen’s disappearance. As Jan unravels the dark past hidden by the townspeople, she delves further into the mystery and deeper into danger, but now it might be too late to escape The Watcher in the Woods.
The Watcher in the Woods is produced by Hartbreak Films. Paula Hart also executive produces. The script was written by Scott Abbott.
Flint – Premieres October 28
Flint is the gripping retelling of a crisis that shook a nation and shines a light on the whistleblowers who exposed the biggest environmental scandal of our generation. LeeAnne Walters (Betsy Brandt, Breaking Bad), Melissa Mays (Marin Ireland, Sneaky Pete) and Nayyirah Shariff (Jill Scott, Steel Magnolias) join forces after discovering that the drinking water in Flint, Michigan is contaminated, resulting in a slew of devastating medical problems for their families. When their claims go unheeded, they band together to expose the wrongdoings committed by their reckless, bean-counting government officials whose carelessness caused irrevocable harm to the lives of its residents.
Golden Globe-winner, Academy Award and Grammy-nominee Queen Latifah (Star) also stars and executive produces. Inspired by the Time Magazine cover story, “The Toxic Tap,” by Josh Sanburn, Flint is also executive produced by Academy Award and Emmy nominated team Craig Zadan and Neil Meron for Sony Pictures Television, Emmy Award-winning journalist Katie Couric and Shakim Compere from Flavor Unit Entertainment. Academy Award nominee Bruce Beresford directs from a script by Barbara Stepansky.
The Lost Wife of Robert Durst – Premieres November 4
While Robert Durst has captured headlines with his recent arrest and controversy surrounding the documentary, The Jinx, Lifetime puts his forgotten first wife Kathie at the center of The Lost Wife of Robert Durst. Young and wide-eyed Kathie (Katharine McPhee) falls in love with charming, yet quirky real estate scion Robert Durst (Daniel Gillies), only to find their marriage turning stranger, darker and more disturbing as time passes. But when Kathie disappears in 1982, her family and friends are deeply disturbed that her disappearance isn’t taken seriously by police. While Durst is currently in jail awaiting trial for the murder of his close friend, journalist Susan Berman, the questions linger as to what really happened to Kathie. The Lost Wife of Robert Durst pulls back the curtain on the world of Robert Durst and explores what may have happened between him and Kathie.
Based on the book A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst by investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck, the film is executive produced by Lincoln Square Productions’ Linda Berman and Rudy Bednar. Emmy Award winner Yves Simoneau directs from a script written by Emmy nominee Bettina Gilois.
I Am Elizabeth Smart – Premieres November 18
2017 marks the 15-year anniversary of Elizabeth Smart’s abduction. Part of a cross-network event with A&E, Lifetime’s I Am Elizabeth Smart is the definitive, authorized movie about the harrowing kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, told from her perspective and with her full participation. In June 2002, Elizabeth Ann Smart (Alana Boden) was a 14-year-old girl when she was abducted from her Salt Lake City home by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell (Skeet Ulrich). He brought her to a hilly encampment where, with his twisted accomplice Wanda Barzee (Deirdre Lovejoy), he held Elizabeth captive. She was starved, drugged, raped and subjected to bizarre religious rituals until, nine months later, she enabled her own rescue.
A film about the kidnapping was rushed on the air shortly after the incident, but it shied away from the reality of what Elizabeth went through. Now, in I Am Elizabeth Smart, Elizabeth herself, as a producer and on-screen narrator, explores how she survived, and confronts the truths and misconceptions about her captivity. I Am Elizabeth Smart is executive produced by Steve Michaels, Jonathan Koch and Joan Harrison of Asylum Entertainment, Allison Berkley and Joseph Freed of Marwar Junction Productions. Barbara Lieberman and Tom Patricia also executive produce the movie with Elizabeth Smart serving as producer. Sarah Walker directs from a teleplay by Tory Walker. The two-part documentary special, Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography debuts on A&E on November 12 and 13.
Riverdale fans who were hoping Cheryl Blossom would have a less stressful second season and Josie would be free from drama to concentrate on her music might want to adjust their expectations for season two. The CW’s Riverdale stars Ashleigh Murray and Madelaine Petsch confirmed Josie and Cheryl will have a lot to deal with in season two of the popular dramatic series based on the Archie Comics. Murray and Petsch teamed up for roundtable interviews at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con and provided a sneak peek at what’s in store for Josie and Cheryl in the upcoming second season.
What did you reveal in the Comic Con panel?
Ashleigh Murray: “We talked a lot about love interests. We talked a lot about new cast members. We talked a lot about the new direction we’re going in Riverdale. It’s a lot of edginess, a lot of sexiness, a lot of darker tones. Things that are going to affect everyone in town. Houses burning down, questions about who we are as people.”
The music has been one of the lighter things on the show. Will Josie and the Pussycats still be performing?
Ashleigh Murray: “Yeah, there’s going to be more music in season two which is great. Josie’s also going to be experiencing what it’s like to further her music career and that might cause disruption in the group. So, there’s going to be a lot of elements to that in season two.”
Do the Blossoms have a chance to go through grief over the loss of Jason?
Madelaine Petsch: “I got closure on Jason. Cheryl is moving on. Good lord.”
And her dad?
Madelaine Petsch: “Yeah, I don’t think she’s grieving about that one too hard. Cheryl took a choice to kind of be reborn from the ashes. She is no longer interested in being treated the way she’s treated by her parents. She was a doorknob for so long in her family and she’s not doing it anymore. She’s taking the reins back. She’s definitely putting her mother in her place and she will be in charge this season of the Blossom family, what’s left of it.”
Is she also taking more control at school?
Madelaine Petsch: “Not necessarily more control. I think it’s that she is more unapologetic and she’s even meaner this season because she tried. Can you believe it? Her walls are up even further. She put her defense mechanisms down last season and it didn’t work well for her so she’s getting colder, she’s getting meaner.”
How does it feel to work in a cast with so many other women?
Madelaine Petsch: “I feel like there’s always one bad seed, is what I hear. We haven’t one. We have no bad seeds. We have all amazing seeds.”
Ashleigh Murray: “It doesn’t even feel like going to work, you know what I mean? We miss it and show up just like, ‘Hey, what did you have for dinner last night?’ We’re just all hanging out. We want everybody else to have really cool projects. We just want everybody else to succeed. We love each other so much that there’s no competitive nature whatsoever. It’s really, really wonderful and it’s so rare so I’m trying not to get used to it.”
Watch the full Madelaine Petsch and Ashleigh Murray Riverdale interview:
Harry Treadaway stars in AT&T Audience Network’s ‘Mr. Mercedes’
Harry Treadaway‘s moved on from playing Dr. Victor Frankenstein on Showtime’s critically acclaimed Penny Dreadful to a starring role as the titular character in AT&T Audience Network’s new drama Mr. Mercedes. The series is based on the book by Stephen King and finds Treadaway playing a psychopathic killer engaged in a game of cat and mouse with a retired police detective played by Brendan Gleeson.
In support of the series’ upcoming premiere on August 9, 2017, Treadaway and his fellow cast members participated in a panel at the San Diego Comic Con followed by roundtable interviews delving further into the adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel.
What was your entry point into the character? What did you grab onto?
Harry Treadaway: “The book. Absolutely, the book. The book’s such a detailed, brilliantly written portrait of this disturbed young man. You start to understand or have glimpses into why he’s behaving the way he does. The idea of someone who is this charismatic ice cream truck seller who the kids love, also to be a good but not prolific worker in an electric store, to also be sort of a caretaker to his mother, and then have this completely other separate life – it’s almost four different parts that you’re playing. That’s something that’s often seen with psychopaths, an ability to play different personas and to be charming if they need to be. So, it was really fun.
Even though he’s the most horrific, homophobic, racist, anti-everything and everyone person you could ever think of who’s done mass murders, you start to empathize with the guy. When you’re reading the book in a weird way you don’t ever forgive him, you don’t ever accept him on any level, but this guy who was an abuse victim and who was taught almost how to get away with murder – if you’ve read the book you’ll understand what I mean – as a young kid by his mother, the chips weren’t in his favor. And if he was born with a propensity to have psychopathic tendencies anyway, that’s the way in for those people often. It’s a mixture of different ingredients which can lead to someone who wants to kill other people.
For me, part of the joy of this job, I think, is to see life from different angles and get inside the head of different people in different worlds and whatever throughout different periods or times or social places. This is the most horrific mindset to be in, someone who literally takes joy and pleasure in thinking about how you can create massive amounts of violence. That’s a horrible headset, but if it’s a sport – which it is not – that would be a good run to try and get there. That’s a bizarre analogy, but it was like you want that challenge to try and see the world from as many different places as possible.
It was quite dark and disturbing, the research and looking into it all, who these people are and stuff, but at the same time it was fascinating. It was a dark pleasure to play someone who was so horrific. (Laughing) Someone very far away from myself, obviously.”
It’s got to be hard to get out of that headspace.
Harry Treadaway: “It was weird. I found myself tuning into TV that was the least empathy-driven because I felt like I couldn’t watch anything that tugged at my heartstrings or anything that was emotionally sensitive. So, I found shows with no empathy which were Fox News, UFC, and Shark Tank. You can watch those shows and you’re never asked to really care about another human being because it’s all just sort of one tone of zero empathy.”
What sort of research did you do for Mr. Mercedes?
Harry Treadaway: “Just reading. I got a stack of books that were about psychopaths, or children who kill, or psychopathy or sociopaths. I read case studies and watched documentaries. You’re just bowled over when you watch interviews with people who have committed horrific, violent acts. They still have two arms and two eyes, and they can still make a joke. Yeah, there are quite a lot that there is clearly some psychological disconnect going on, but there are a lot that are engaging and can sit and have a normal conversation. That’s for me the most frightening is that type of [person]. If the signs aren’t there that someone’s capable of doing something like that, that for me is the most chilling to read in a novel or to watch something.
For the research it was that, basically, and to try to empathize with someone who has no empathy. It was a weird thing because most characters you play do, because that’s what most humans do – they have empathy. They can say something hurtful to someone, but they’d be aware that they hurt them. Or they can punch someone, but they’d be aware that they hurt that person. If you don’t have that, all bets are off in terms of what you can do to people because you don’t care. You don’t have any feelings for them at all. It’s a dark, dark character but really fun to play.”
Do you seek out this type of evil roles?
Harry Treadaway: “No, they seek me out. For me, personally, there’s less design in one’s career. […] Different opportunities arise and I’ve never been a massive horror fan. But I don’t think…the different pieces which you’re referring to, there are a lot of darks and horror things, but they are all quite different genres and tones. I feel like the story is the main thing. I never try and see it or read it or do it with a genre cap on. I just try and tell the story in the part as best as possible.”
Can you talk about working with Kelly Lynch? (Kelly Lynch plays his mother.)
Harry Treadaway: “Amazing. I had the best fun. She is an absolute dream. Amazing actress and we have just so much fun. She’s awesome. We had a really sort of tight relationship in the story and thank god it was with someone who was so much fun to work with. It was really interesting. It was kind of how do you make this relationship believable and true and don’t judge it too much? Yes, he does what he has done, and, yes, she does what she does but there’s people out there living in worlds like that around the world. So, it’s all there. She abused him as a kid but thought she was helping him. She’s confused and damaged and troubled as well herself. Often there’s a chain of events; you could go back and look into her childhood and see what happened there. I’m sure there were things that were awful as well. It’s just this kind of really sad, heartbreaking relationship, really, between them and you feel for her and you feel for them both, in some weird way.”
The CW’s Riverdale stars Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes portray two of the most popular characters from the Archie Comics, Betty and Veronica. The two also emerged as fan favorites in season one of the dramatic series from executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater. Paired up to discuss season two at the San Diego Comic Con, Reinhart, and Mendes explained what’s going on with their characters when we catch up to them in season two.
Are we going to see a darker Betty?
Lili Reinhart: “You know, honestly season two I feel like is less of a dark Betty situation and more of a tortured soul Betty, for very different reasons. I think in season one, her darkness came from her anxiety being built up and suppressing it because her mom wasn’t acknowledging it and just her environment. Season two is more of a not so much anxiety, but her circumstances overwhelm her. Gosh, I can’t say much but the mystery in season two really takes its toll and is centered on Betty.”
Is it like that for Veronica because of her dad?
Camila Mendes: “Oh my gosh, her dad, first of all I love Mark Consuelos. He is blending into the family so well. What’s really terrifying is Hermione and Mike together. They are like Frank and Claire Underwood in season two. At first Veronica is suspicious, and then, at one point, she tries to be a part of it. She’s like, ‘Involve me. Let’s keep an open relationship so that we all know what’s going on. I want to be in on this.’ But they’re keeping that wall and Veronica is trying to break it down, and it’s not really working for her.”
What does it mean to have Jughead on the other side of town?
Lili Reinhart: “Season two in general is kind of like a split between the north side and south side, so obviously that’s going to affect Betty and Jughead’s relationship. Seeing as he’s going to a different high school now, it’s not a long distance relationship but them being at separate schools at such a young age and going through such completely different family drama and everyday circumstances, it takes its toll on them. It becomes a Romeo and Juliet situation. Just pray for Jughead.”
What does it mean to you to be brazen?
Camila Mendes: “Give us the dictionary definition. Outgoing, outspoken. Oh, well, Veronica’s incredibly outspoken. I don’t think Veronica is capable of not being outspoken.”
Lili Reinhart: “I don’t know, being strong, being bold.”
Camila Mendes: “Not taking sh*t. Not letting people walk all over you. Standing up for yourself and speaking up when you feel like something’s wrong.”
Lili Reinhart: “And not being afraid to be called – I think a lot of women think the second they stand up for themselves, they’re a bitch and that’s so not true. That’s a very old way of looking at things and I think it’s a matter of ignoring them and to act out of love for yourself rather than fear what people will think.”
Watch the full Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes Riverdale interview:
A scene from TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ season 2 (Photo by Eddy Chen)
TNT and TBS have renewed both the comedy series Angie Tribeca and the edgy drama Animal Kingdom for new seasons. Animal Kingdom earned its third season order weeks prior to the show’s season two finale which is set for August 29, 2017. Season three will debut sometime in 2018. Angie Tribeca, created by Steve and Nancy Carell, picked up its fourth season order after ranking among the top 10 cable comedies. The fourth season will consist of 10 new episodes and will air in 2018.
Animal Kingdom‘s second season has been averaging 4.8 viewers, and is on the top 10 list of adult dramas on basic cable. The series is executive produced by John Wells, Jonathan Lisco, Christopher Chulack, and Etan Frankel, and was inspired by the film of the same name from writer/director David Michod. Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Molly Gordon and Carolina Guerra star.
“The Cody family’s drama keeps bringing more and more viewers back for more,” stated Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “Animal Kingdom has earned its place among a very select group of cable dramas that continue to grow audiences thanks to superior writing and storytelling.”
Angie Tribeca‘s adding Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire) to the cast for season four. The season three cast was led by Rashida Jones and included Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon Cole, and Andrée Vermeulen.
Angie Tribeca Plot:Angie Tribeca follows a squad of committed LAPD detectives who investigate the most serious cases. At the center is Angie Tribeca, a lone-wolf detective played by Rashida Jones. Hayes MacArthur is her partner, Jay Geils. Jere Burns plays the squad’s apoplectic lieutenant. Helping solve each complex case are detective Danny Tanner, played by Deon Cole; Dr. Monica Scholls, the brilliant, bespectacled medical examiner played by Andrée Vermeulen; and detective David Hoffman, Tanner’s K9 German Shepard partner played by Jagger.
Animal Kingdom Plot: In season one of Animal Kingdom, 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole) moved in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother overdoses on heroin. He finds himself in the care of his estranged grandmother, Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin), a woman who rules her sons with a firm but, at times, emotionally incestuous hand. Her second in command is Barry “Baz” Blackwell (Scott Speedman), whose power and position in the family is threatened by the return of Pope (Shawn Hatosy), Smurf’s eldest son just released from prison. Smurf’s tough, impulsive middle son, Craig (Ben Robson), has a drug problem beginning to cloud his judgment and endanger the rest of the family, and Deran (Jake Weary), the troubled and suspicious “baby” of the family struggles with accepting his sexual identity. Hovering on the edge of this less-than-idyllic household are J’s girlfriend, Nicky Belmont (Molly Gordon) and Baz’s daughter, Lena. It isn’t long after J’s arrival that he finds his place within the dangerous family, a sense of belonging that he earns at the conclusion of season one.
As the second season opens, the Cody clan is back to their old ways and in the midst of a fun, high-adrenaline heist. But when things don’t go as planned, the family dynamics become more fractured than ever as some members advocate for independence from Smurf. Adding fuel to the fire is an external threat from Smurf’s past that has come back to haunt her.
The CW’s Riverdale stars K.J. Apa and Cole Sprouse said the relationship between Archie and Jughead will remain tense as we head into season two. During roundtable interviews at the San Diego Comic Con for the popular series based on the Archie comics, both Sprouse and Apa warned Riverdale fans that it won’t be smooth sailing for the gang of high school friends even though the murder of Jason Blossom has been solved.
Riverdale season two will air on Wednesdays at 8pm ET/PT beginning October 11, 2017.
How does Archie and Jughead’s bromance continue in season two?
Cole Sprouse: “In the show, it gets tense again.”
K.J. Apa: “There’s not really much of us being actual friends ever.”
Cole Sprouse: “Jughead is based in a part of town, as we know at the end of season one, that is undoubtedly wrapped up in a world of crime. Archie’s a character of strong morality and that is going to affect the relationships.”
What will Jughead need from his old friend as he continues down this path?
Cole Sprouse: “Understanding. Archie, Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Betty (Lili Reinhart), unlike Jughead, truly all come from extreme privilege and continue to have a lot of privilege. Betty arguably has the most privilege. I think they all have different areas of struggle and I think for them to understand Jughead’s life is going the way it’s going would be the greatest gift from a friend.”
What were the most difficult emotionally tense scenes in season one?
K.J. Apa: “That first episode for Archie, obviously he’s still dealing dealing with Fred being shot. So every single scene that we shot for that for me, especially, was challenging. I was anxious before I was shooting that episode. When I read it first, I thought this is going to be really hard for me, really challenging but I think when you feel that way about something and you feel nervous and anxious on set, that means what you’re doing is good.”
Cole Sprouse: “Season two, it’s like the writers looked at Jughead and were like, ‘Make him unhappy. Give him a treat. Now pull him back again.’ Season one left him in an extremely vulnerable position. It’s like gang recruitment 101. You find a kid who’s looking for a family structure and you’re like, ‘We can be your family.’ Then season two is like the exact same emotional narrative is taking off right where he was left in season one, just as vulnerable. Season two is, acting-wise, for Archie as well and all of us, acting-wise is asking for a lot more of the chops that we showed in season one which is good.”
Will Jughead be going to a darker place?
Cole Sprouse: “Yeah, dark seems to be the buzzword that we’re all using for season two. It can be used as an umbrella term. I think Jughead makes understandable connections.”
Their relationships were getting pretty serious in the finale. What will happen with those romances?
K.J. Apa: “Archie and Veronica are obviously still dating in season two, but with Archie dealing with his father being shot, there’s so much going on. I think also that kind of sparks this drive in Archie in season two where he’s determined, he’s finding out Riverdale is changing. There’s a civil war almost between the south side and the north side of Riverdale. Eventually everyone ends up picking a side, but I think Archie is deep in that whole feud. That causes a lot of conflict and messes with your relationship a lot.”
Did you get any break from the hair over the summer?
K.J. Apa: “Yeah, I dyed it straight back to my normal color as soon as we wrapped up season one.”
Watch the full K.J. Apa and Cole Sprouse Riverdale interview:
James Franco stars in HBO’s ‘The Deuce’ (Photo by Paul Schiraldi)
HBO’s released details on its new dramatic series The Deuce starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The Deuce was created by The Wire‘s David Simon and George Pelecanos and, according to HBO, its title refers to the slang term for New York’s 42nd Street. The Deuce will premiere on Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT, with the first season consisting of eight episodes.
The cast of season one includes Gary Carr, Margarita Levieva, Lawrence Gilliard, Jr, Dominique Fishback, Emily Meade, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Chris Bauer, Chris Coy, Natalie Paul, and Michael Rispoli. The series is executive produced by Simon, Pelecanos, Franco, and Nina K. Noble.
Commenting on the new series, Pelecanos said, “Times Square in the 1970s is now chiefly remembered as the ground zero of decadence and depravity, but what’s often left out of the picture is that, for many, it was a hotbed of experimentation, adventure and sexual liberation. The music, the outlandish outfits, the beautiful cars made in Detroit and particularly the decade’s time-capsule, shot-in-New York films [Mean Streets, The French Connection, Black Caesar] were a great inspiration for us when we were designing the look and feel of our debut season of The Deuce.”
The Plot and Character Descriptions:The Deuce follows the rise of the porn culture in New York from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world of the sex trade from the moment when both a liberalizing cultural revolution in American sexuality and new legal definitions of obscenity created a billion-dollar industry that is now an elemental component of the American cultural landscape. Beginning in 1971, the show follows a cast of barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police and nightlife denizens as they swirl through a world of sex, crime, high times and violence and the porn business begins its climb from Mafia-backed massage parlors and film labs to legitimacy and cultural permanence.
Vincent Martino (James Franco) is a successful and astute barman with a knack for promotion who finds himself – with increasing reluctance – in the center of the city sex trade after he attracts the interest of a well-connected mob player, Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli). A Gambino captain, Rudy represents that New York family’s financial interests in the midtown sex business. After Abby Parker (Margarita Levieva) drops out of NYU, she and Vincent begin a relationship that ultimately challenges them both. Vince’s identical twin brother Frankie is Vincent’s freewheeling, free-spirited counterpart, who gets by on his brother’s support, but is increasingly drawn toward Pipilo’s business interests.
Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) works as an independent prostitute, refusing to work under any of the multitude of street pimps who control much of the trade along Eighth and Ninth Avenues. She has a son who lives with her parents in the suburbs, but her ambition and intelligence – as well as a weariness with street life – lead her to the emerging porn business, where she sees potential for herself and, perhaps, her fellow streetwalkers.
Darlene (Dominique Fishback), a young but street-smart woman from North Carolina, uses her savvy to manage her volatile pimp, Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe), while Lori (Emily Meade), a 20-year-old fresh off a Greyhound from Minnesota, is taken into the fold of dapper pimp C.C. (Gary Carr) immediately upon her arrival at Port Authority. C.C. is equally capable of charm and brutality in managing his prostitutes, while Larry Brown controls his stable – Darlene, Loretta (Sepideh Moafi) and Barbara (Kayla Foster) – largely through intimidation.
Chris Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) is a cop on the midtown beat who questions his superiors’ methods, if not the entire premise of trying to police the sex trade amid a culture of unrelenting demand for sex and institutional corruption within the New York Police Department. When told to stop policing a particular swath of his precinct, just west of Times Square, Alston starts a quiet inquiry that brings him together with Sandra Washington (Natalie Paul), an aspiring reporter who is probing the sex industry.
Meanwhile, bartender Paul (Chris Coy), inherited by Vincent Martino as he takes over a Mob-backed midtown bar, traverses the early years of the increasingly open post-Stonewall culture of gay New York, all with an eye to running a nightspot of his own. All these storylines merge as some of the streetwalkers, excited by the prospect and promise of stardom, find new work amid the rapid acceleration in pornographic production in New York.
Twin brothers Vincent (James Franco) and Frankie Martino (James Franco) – one a double-shifting bartender with two kids and a wayward wife in Brooklyn, the second an insouciant gambler with piling mob debts – navigate their way through the rough-and-tumble world of 1971 Times Square.
While Vincent plots ways to improve his situation and pay off his brother’s debt, he crosses paths with other midtown denizens – including veteran hookers Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Ashley (Jamie Neumann), young streetwalkers Darlene (Dominique Fishback) and Lori (Emily Meade), and smooth-talking pimps C.C. (Gary Carr), Larry (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Rodney (Cliff Smith/Method Man) – as they ply their trades under the not-so-watchful eye of the NYPD. Meanwhile, when NYU student Abby (Margarita Levieva) is enlisted by friends to buy amphetamines on the street, she ends up in the Times Square precinct, an unlikely starting point for making a bold change to her privileged life.
Written by George Pelecanos & David Simon; directed by Michelle MacLaren.
Episode #2: “Show and Prove”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 17 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
With his marriage failing, Vincent (James Franco) moves into a seedy Times Square hotel and, fueled by his success drawing customers to a struggling Korean bar, contemplates a tempting offer from mob capo Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli). Meanwhile, Vincent and Frankie’s (James Franco) brother-in law, Bobby (Chris Bauer), a Brooklyn construction foreman, eyes Vincent’s new connections as a way to better his own lot.
Reluctantly agreeing to pinch-hit for a friend in a pornographic short, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) ends up being intrigued by the filmmaking process. C.C. (Gary Carr) shows Lori (Emily Meade) the advantages of having a pimp, while Larry (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is unsettled by Darlene’s (Dominique Fishback) interest in literature – and by Sandra Washington (Natalie Paul), a reporter. Police officers Chris Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) and Danny Flanagan (Don Harvey) are joined by detectives Grossman (Brian Muller) and Haddix (Ralph Macchio) for a routine hooker round-up, as well as a raid of an adult porn shop whose peep shows cross the line.
Written by Richard Price & George Pelecanos; directed by Ernest Dickerson.
Episode #3: “The Principle Is All”
Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Putting the finishing touches on his new bar, Vincent (James Franco) is blindsided by the sudden appearance of an unexpected partner, causing Frankie (James Franco) to blow a gasket. Rudy (Michael Rispoli) buys into a rival’s plan to reconfigure The Deuce, hopefully with the support of an ambitious mayor. Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) eyes an entrée into the filmmaking business; Abby (Margarita Levieva) languishes in her new job; Darlene (Dominique Fishback) works overtime to compensate Larry (Gbenga Akinnagbe); C.C. (Gary Carr) tasks Lori (Emily Meade) to play the “long game”; Bobby (Chris Bauer) pays a price for his recent stress at work. Big Mike (Mustafa Shakir), a menacing drifter, proves useful to Vincent as the Hi-Hat finally opens.
Written by David Simon & Richard Price; directed by James Franco.
‘Shadowhunters’ stars Alberto Rosende and Emeraude Toubia at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con (Photo by Matt Petit / Freeform)
Freeform’s Shadowhunters stars Alberto Rosende and Emeraude Toubia partnered up for roundtable interviews at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con, with Rosende and Toubia teasing what fans can expect from the final episodes of season two. Rosende said in keeping with what normally happens on their show, fans can expect situations to get worse before they’ll get better. He also revealed the final episodes of season two are a whirlwind of intensity and promised a lot of stuff will being going down.
Shadowhunters season two airs on Monday nights at 8pm ET/PT.
They’ve put both of you through so much this season. How has that been to play?
Alberto Rosende: “I think it’s helped us learn more about ourselves and about the world. It’s kind of cool. Looking in you get a better vision than looking out, a better understanding. I feel that that’s happened. I mean, Simon’s gone through a lot himself. We saw recently that he discovered the vampire monster that’s in him still is very active, whether or not he chose to ignore it.”
Emeraude Toubia: “I love those scenes, by the way. They are so my favorite. […] It was so sexy. I didn’t expect the show to do that kind of stuff. ”
Alberto Rosende: “It really pushes us as actors to work with that. Izzy’s journey this season has been this immense thing. Seeing this strong person fall and then kind of build herself back up, that’s a really cool journey to see. That’s a true hero’s journey, to have an obstacle, be faced with an obstacle, and have to overcome it.”
Emeraude Toubia: “See, I’m a hero!”
Alberto Rosende: “You are. Absolutely.”
How is her addiction playing out the rest of the season?
Emeraude Toubia: “I think for now she’s good. She’s just building herself up and I don’t think we’re going to see any more of that. I’m not sure – you never know what’s going to happen. But, I don’t think so. I think it’s over and done with.”
How is the relationship between Simon and Izzy progressing?
Emeraude Toubia: “There’s a lot of Sizzy moments…”
Alberto Rosende: “…in the next episode, if you want to see that. But the cool thing is just like any great relationship they build a foundation first, and I think that’s where Sizzy is right now. It’s building this foundation of friendship and help and trust. Maybe that will be the good starting point for when it actually dives in, maybe.”
What’s happening with Simon’s love life?
Alberto Rosende: “I think he wants to take a backburner for that. He was really crushed. He lost a lot of trust.”
Emeraude Toubia: “You’ve been with so many girls!” (Starts counting on her fingers.)
Alberto Rosende: “It’s just that Simon’s a very open, very accepting person.”
Emeraude Toubia: (Laughing) “Okay, if you want to call it that.”
Alberto Rosende: “I mean, now he’s in a place where he knows the true pain of heartbreak now, what it really feels like. Especially when you have to let go of someone that you didn’t want to let go of.”
Emeraude Toubia: “Do you think Climon is going to get back together?”
Alberto Rosende: “No. Simon knows. Simon knows that’s not his place.”
Can you talk about working with Will Tudor? He brings a different dynamic to the show.
Emeraude Toubia: “I love him, too. When you work with someone on set, sometimes you obviously feel the connection. But then seeing it on camera…he’s really blown me away. He’s so good. There’s an awesome scene that I get to do with him in (episode 19) so I can’t wait. I just did ADR for that scene and it’s going to be sick. I’m excited to see what he’s going to bring, what else they’re going to do with this character. You know, his journey is going to grow.”
Alberto Rosende: “Whenever we have a new actor come on set it’s always a little – especially someone that’s playing a role that’s such a big part of our story – it’s always weird. We already have a vibe. So it’s like, ‘Are you going to fit with our vibe?’ He just dove right in, just like pretty much everyone in the cast. I mean, Alisha (Wainwright), she bonded with us immediately. Jade (Hassoune) the same thing. Will was able to fit right in and bring a new element, too. I think a lot because of the character but also because of his process as an actor. His true understanding and love of the craft is something that I haven’t gotten to work with him but you see. It’s been really cool to see someone who has that admiration for the craft dive into scenes, dive in and ask questions. Having that new presence kind of makes you a little bit of a better actor.”
Watch the full Alberto Rosende and Emeraude Toubia Shadowhunters interview:
