Apple TV+’s Trying, starring Rafe Spall and Esther Smith, is confirmed to return for a fifth season. The streamer announced the popular comedy has been renewed but did not say when production will start. Apple TV+ also didn’t set a target premiere date. All but season three of the series debuted in May.
BAFTA nominee Esther Smith (Cuckoo) stars as Nikki, SAG Award nominee Rafe Spall (The Big Short) plays Jason, and Charlotte Riley (The Peripheral) is Kat. The cast also includes BAFTA Award winner Darren Boyd (The Outlaws) as Scott, Sian Brooke (Good Omens) as Karen, Scarlett Rayner (Silverpoint) as Princess, and Cooper Turner as Tyler.
“Season five finds Nikki (Smith) and Jason (Spall) dealing with the consequences of Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat (Charlotte Riley), turning up at their doorstep and the whirlwind of chaos she brings into their settled family life,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis.
Andy Wolton created the comedy series and serves as writer and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Chris Sussman and BAFTA Award nominees Josh Cole and Sam Pinell. Trying sits at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
The first teaser for Netflix’s Squid Game season three shows Gi-hun (Player 456) being carried into the hall in one of the game’s coffins, and the remaining players are shocked at his return. The minute-and-a-half teaser also introduces a new twist in which players must select either a red or blue ball and a warning that “it’s time to play the game one last time.”
The third and final season will premiere on June 27, 2025. Returning stars include Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun/Player 456, Lee Byung-hun as Front Man, Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho, Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi/Player 333, Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho/Player 388, Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju/Player 120, Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik/Player 007, and Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja/Player 149. Jo Yuri plays Jun-hee/Player 222, Lee David is Min-su/Player 125, Roh Jae-won is Nam-gyu/Player 124, and Park Gyu-young is No-eul.
Hwang Dong-hyuk created the series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer.
“The third and final season of Squid Game follows Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) after losing his best friend in the game and being driven to utter despair by The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who was hiding his true identity to infiltrate the game,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “Gi-hun persists with his goal to put an end to the game, while the Front Man continues onto his next move and the surviving players’ choices will lead to graver consequences with each round.”
Season two premiered in December 2024 and set a new record for the “most views for a show in its premiere week,” according to Netflix. The streamer also reports the award-winning series’ second season is the third most-watched season on Netflix of all time. Squid Game has won Emmys, Critics Choice, and Screen Actors Guild awards, as well as an Independent Spirit award.
Sir David Attenborough is celebrating his 99th birthday on May 8, 2025 with the release of Ocean with David Attenborough. The documentary, which just unveiled a nearly two-minute trailer, debuts outside of the United States on May 8, followed by June 7 on National Geographic and June 8 (World Oceans Day) on Disney+ and Hulu.
“My lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery. Over the last hundred years, scientists and explorers have revealed remarkable new species, epic migrations, and dazzling, complex ecosystems beyond anything I could have imagined as a young man,” said Sir David Attenborough. “In this film, we share those wonderful discoveries, uncover why our ocean is in such poor health, and, perhaps most importantly, show how it can bounce back to life.”
The documentary is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey, and Colin Butfield and is a Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios co-production. Louise Pedersen, Rachel Job, Tom McDonald, Janet Han Vissering, Jasper Smith, Enric Sala, Kristin Rechberger, Rolly van Rappard, Francoise van Rappard, and Olivier Wenden serve as executive producers.
The documentary marks the first partnership between National Geographic and David Attenborough.
National Geographic released this description of Ocean with David Attenborough:
“After filming the natural world for over 70 years, captivating generations of audiences worldwide with groundbreaking discoveries and advocating for environmental preservation, Attenborough delivers his most powerful message yet. In the feature-length special OCEAN WITH DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, he draws on his lifetime of exploration and knowledge of the sea to take audiences on a cinematic journey of wonder through the planet’s most spectacular undersea habitats.
Attenborough investigates astonishingly diverse marine ecosystems, from bustling giant kelp jungles and mesmerizing coral reefs to towering seamount outposts within the open ocean, all of which are revealed to be intricately connected, vital to avoiding climate catastrophe, and in peril due to destructive forms of fishing. While Attenborough exposes the greatest threats to our oceans’ health as never seen before, he points to inspirational stories from around the world to reveal the most remarkable finding of all: If we take action now, the opportunity for marine life to recover on an unprecedented scale is well within our reach.”
Paramount+ released the first full trailer for the NCIS spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, starring fan favorites Cote de Pablo as Ziva David and Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo. The new trailer was accompanied by a batch of photos from the first episode, “No Country is Safe.”
The latest addition to the NCIS franchise also stars Amita Suman, Maximilian Osinski, Julian Ovenden, Nassima Benchicou, Lara Rossi, Isla Gie, Terence Maynard, and James D’Arcy.
“NCIS: Tony & Ziva picks up after Ziva’s supposed death when Tony left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis. “Since then—and where we find them in NCIS: Tony & Ziva—Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.”
The 10-episode season is expected to premiere this fall on Paramount+.
John McNamara serves as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include series stars Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly, along with Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain, Shelley Meals, and Mairzee Almas.
Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo, Cote de Pablo as Ziva David, and Isla Gie as Tali In ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ (Photo Credit: Jason Bell/Paramount+)Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo, Max Osinski as Boris and Cote de Pablo as Ziva David in episode 1 (Photo Credit: Marcell Piti/Paramount+)Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo in episode 1 (Photo Credit: Marcell Piti/Paramount+)Cote de Pablo as Ziva David, Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo and Isla Gie as Tali in episode 1 (Photo Credit: Marcell Piti/Paramount+)Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo and Isla Gie as Tali in episode 1 (Photo Credit: Marcell Piti/Paramount+)
Flula Borg (The Suicide Squad) reprises his role as Skip Tracer Randy on ABC’s The Rookie season seven episode 17, “Mutiny And The Bounty.” Episode 17, the season’s penultimate, will air on May 6, 2025 at 9pm ET/PT.
“Mutiny And The Bounty” Plot: The team helps Skip Tracer Randy when his new love interest is kidnapped. Meanwhile, Angela and Nyla enlist their moms to help catch a con artist, and Wesley is threatened to drop a case.
The cast is led by Nathan Fillion as John Nolan. Season seven stars Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, and Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez. Deric Augustine and Patrick Keleher recur as Miles and Seth.
Flula Borg, Nathan Fillion and Richard T Jones in ‘The Rookie’ season 7 episode 17 (Disney/Mike Taing)
The Rookie Season 7 Details:
John Nolan, once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, has used his life experience, determination, and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20 years his junior. Now recovering from a gunshot wound and feeling the effects of his age, John and the team welcome two new rookies and continue the hunt for two dangerous escaped prisoners who have very personal vendettas.
Mekia Cox and Alyssa Diaz in season 7 episode 17 (Disney/Mike Taing)Eric Winter, Deric Augustine, Richard T Jones, Nathan Fillion and Flula Borg in season 7 episode 17 (Disney/Mike Taing)Richard T Jones in season 7 episode 17 (Disney/Mike Taing)Deric Augustine in the “Mutiny And The Bounty” episode (Disney/Mike Taing)
ABC’s Doctor Odyssey episode 16 found Max telling Avery he can’t just have a physical relationship with her. Episode 17, airing on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 8pm ET/PT, is the first part of a two-part season (and maybe series) finale that reveals what happens in the aftermath of that confession.
“The Wave” Plot: After Max’s declaration fractures his relationship with Avery, he leaves the ship and finds himself caught in an earthquake, which triggers a tsunami warning. With The Odyssey forced to leave port, Max races to return before it’s too late.
Joshua Jackson (Fatal Attraction) plays Dr. Max Bankman, Phillipa Soo (Shining Girls) is Nurse Avery Morgan, Sean Teale (Little Voice) is Nurse Tristan Silva, and Don Johnson (Rebel Ridge) stars as Captain Robert Massey. Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz, and Joe Baken write and executive produce the first season.
Joshua Jackson and Phillipa Soo in ‘Doctor Odyssey’ episode 17 (Disney/Tina Thorpe)
Doctor Odyssey Plot Description, Courtesy of ABC:
From the brilliant mind of Ryan Murphy comes the high-octane procedural Doctor Odyssey. Max (Jackson) is the new onboard doctor for a luxury cruise ship where the staff works hard and plays harder. It’s all hands on deck as Max and his small but mighty medical team navigate unique medical crises and each other miles from shore.
Sean Teale and Phillipa Soo in episode 17 (Disney/Tina Thorpe)Joshua Jackson and Kyla Nova in episode 17 (Disney/Tina Thorpe)Sean Teale and Phillipa Soo in episode 17 (Disney/Tina Thorpe)Rick Cosnett, Jim O’Heir, Capri-Antoine Vaillancourt, Joshua Jackson, and Kyla Nova in episode 17 (Disney/Tina Thorpe)
Not to be confused with 2021’s quarantine comedy of the same name, 2025’s Together is a body horror starring real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. The twisted trailer shows Franco and Brie’s characters unraveling after a move to the country.
Damon Herriman (The Bondsman) also stars in writer/director Michael Shanks’ new horror movie opening in theaters on July 30th. The R-rated film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and also screened at SXSW. It currently sits at 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it gruesome yet thought-provoking, painfully relatable, and a bonkers playground for Alison Brie.
“Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other,” reads Neon’s synopsis. “With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.”
In a January 2025 interview with IndieWire, Alison Brie spoke about the film’s possible impact on their marriage. “I think we thought it might [test our relationship] more than it did,” said Brie. “We went into [it] knowing that because of the intimate nature of the film and how much time we’d be spending together, even though we’ve worked together before, Dave likes to say we would come out of it either getting divorced or becoming more codependent than ever.”
Alison Brie and Dave Franco in ‘Together’ (Photo Credit: Germain McMicking / Courtesy of Neon)
Keith Urban is ACM’s Triple Crown Award honoree (Photo Credit: Academy of Country Music)
The Academy of Country Music will honor Keith Urban with the ACM Triple Crown Award during the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards streaming on Prime Video on May 8, 2025 live from Frisco, Texas. Chris Stapleton, Megan Moroney, and Brothers Osborne will perform some of Urban’s most popular songs during the 2025 ACM Awards.
The most recent ACM Triple Crown Award was presented to Carrie Underwood back in 2010. “The ACM Triple Crown Award is a special recognition presented by the Academy of Country Music to artists who have won three distinct, prestigious awards, including New Artist of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year,” per ACM. “Urban achieved this honor by winning Top New Male Vocalist in 2001, Male Vocalist of the Year in 2005 and 2006, and Entertainer of the Year in 2019.”
Country music superstar and 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire is hosting the 60th anniversary show. Confirmed performers include Clint Black, Dan + Shay, LeAnn Rimes, Reba McEntire, Sugarland, and Wynonna Judd who will participate in a special 12-minute-long opening segment featuring ACM Songs of the Year. Special duets include Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey, and Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson. Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, and Zach Top will also take the stage to perform.
The 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Raj Kapoor serves as the showrunner and executive producer along with ACM’s Damon Whiteside and DCP’s Jay Penske and Barry Adelman. Patrick Menton is co-executive producer.
Robert De Niro and Jenna Ortega sign up for ‘Shutout’ (Photo Credits: Brigitte Lacombe, Ben Cope, Courtesy of Black Bear)
Two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull) and Emmy nominee Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) will star in director David O. Russell’s upcoming pool hustling drama Shutout. The film will mark the fifth time De Niro and Russell have teamed up on a feature. The two have previously worked together on Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Joy, and Amsterdam.
Alejandro Adams wrote the screenplay, and Russell, Mark Bomback, and RK Films’ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum will serve as producers.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with the acclaimed director David O. Russell and the legendary Robert De Niro, and especially excited to see Jenna step into the spotlight alongside these two cinematic icons,” stated RK Films’ Jeff Kirschenbaum. “It’s a rare and thrilling opportunity to support such a high-caliber team coming together to tell a compelling story — a lineup so precise, it feels like the perfect break.”
Black Bear released this description of Russell’s new film:
“Shutout follows Jake Kejeune (De Niro), one of the last masters of a vanishing craft – the pool hustler. Having lived and lost by the roll of a ball in smoky backroom halls, Jake encounters Mia (Ortega), a young prodigy whose raw, electrifying talent reignites a fire he thought long extinguished. Sensing a rare opportunity to shape a legend, Jake takes Mia under his wing, honing her instincts and sharpening her natural gift.
Together, they plunge into the ruthless world of high-stakes pool, where the line between unimaginable fortune and devastating failure is razor-thin. As Mia’s star ascends and her ambition grows, Jake must confront the ultimate question: can he steer her to greatness, or will her hunger for victory eclipse everything he has taught her?”
Black Bear is set to introduce Russell’s latest project to international buyers at the 2025 Cannes Film Market.
CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted returns from a two-week break with an episode that finds the team looking into political conspiracies. Directed by Cory Bowles and written by D. Dona Le, episode 20, ‘Trash Day,” will air on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 10pm ET/PT.
“Trash Day” Plot: After a New Jersey mayor is kidnapped, the Fugitive Task Force works against the clock to untangle a web of political conspiracies that may aid their investigation. Meanwhile, Ray’s camping trip with his father and Caleb takes an unexpected turn.
Dylan McDermott leads the cast as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Season six also stars Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase, Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson, and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon.
FBI: Most Wanted is a high-stakes drama that focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, an elite unit that relentlessly pursues and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted list. The team’s charming but formidable leader is Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, who started his career in the New York FBI field office before rising through the ranks of the Bureau in Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
The team includes Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, a former NYPD detective and forensics expert; Special Agent Hana Gibson, a gifted millennial computer whiz with a sharp wit and mad hacking skills; Special Agent Ray Cannon, who is a former New Orleans cop-turned-junior detective and worked Violent Crimes in Albany after following in his retired FBI agent father’s footsteps; along with well-seasoned Special Agent Nina Chase, who worked assorted cases with the FBI’s New York office, and among her strengths is her undercover work.
