The CW’s released trailers for three of its new series: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Containment. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend joins the network’s lineup this October while viewers are going to have to wait until midseason for the premieres of both DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Containment. And even though it’ll be a while before any of the shows debut, the network’s new trailers set the stage for what we can expect.
The DC’s Legends of Tomorrow trailer kicks off with Arrow (Stephen Amell) explaining how he started this crusade for justice and never anticipated the way it would spread. The Flash (Grant Gustin) joined with Arrow in fighting crime, but as Gustin says in the trailer, “The hard, inescapable truth is that sometimes we’re not enough.” That leads to the introduction of a new team made up of Hawkgirl, White Canary, Captain Cold, Heatwave, The Atom, and Firestorm, with Arrow and The Flash giving them instructions on who they’re hunting down.
The five-minute trailer for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend answers the question as to why there’s a ‘Crazy’ in the show’s title. The plot: “Rachel Bloom is Rebecca Bunch, a successful driven, and possibly crazy young woman who impulsively gives up everything in a desperate attempt to find love and happiness…in suburban West Covina, CA.”
And the trailer for Containment shows Atlanta being quarantined after an outbreak of a communicable disease. The series was created by Vampire Diaries/The Originals creator Julie Plec.
Season two of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama True Detective premieres on June 21, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT and today the network’s released a new trailer for the new season. Although, unlike the first trailer, in this new video the actors speak, it’s still impossible to discern exactly what season two is about. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto returns as writer and executive producer, and the new season stars Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, and Taylor Kitsch.
The Plot: “A bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California.”
Reign finishes up season two on May 14, 2015 with an episode titled “Burn.” Airing at 9pm ET/PT on The CW, “Burn” finds Mary attempting to save her husband, King Francis (Toby Regbo), despite the fact their marriage is on the rocks. Directed by Fred Gerber, the season two finale was written by Laurie McCarthy and Nancy Won.
The “Burn” Plot: THERE IS ONLY ROOM FOR ONE QUEEN — Mary (Adelaide Kane) risks everything to take down Condé (Sean Teale), even as Francis (Toby Regbo) believes she is turning against France. Catherine (Megan Follows) makes a bold move and meets with Queen Elizabeth (guest star Rachel Skarsten) in a stunning plot to seek revenge on Mary. Meanwhile, Kenna (Caitlin Stasey) has a secret that will seal the fate of her relationship with Bash (Torrance Coombs). Celina Sinden, Anna Popplewell, Craig Parker, Jonathan Keltz and Rose Williams also star.
Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s third trailer for the animated comedy Minions finds Stuart, Kevin and Bob accidentally killing various villains they’ve worked for over the years. It also features a Corgi, Queen Elizabeth protecting her crown, and a minion dressed in a thong relaxing in a hot tub with two fire hydrants he’s fallen in love with.
The Despicable Me spin-off features the voices of Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, and Steve Coogan. Minions will open in theaters on July 10, 2015.
The Plot:
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. After accidentally killing off so many of them—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without a master to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon an adventure that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
There’s nothing like watching a movie for the first time and savoring a delicious plot twist that makes your jaw drop and changes everything that came before. So if you really hate someone, here are ten great movies that contain a twist and you can completely ruin someone’s first time viewing experience with just a quick one-sentence spoiler. Use these spoilers judiciously though, because once you ruin a great movie for someone there’s no turning back and they may never forgive you.
And SPOILER ALERT, everything you are about to read is a spoiler. Duh. You’ve been forewarned.
1. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer: Christopher McQuarrie
Spoiler: Verbal Kint is Keyser Soze.
Kevin Spacey plays “Verbal” Kint, a stammering and crippled petty criminal who recounts a complicated heist that’s gone sour to a disbelieving customs agent played by Chazz Palminteri. Kint keeps referring to an enigmatic crime boss named Keyser Soze who is supposedly behind the whole caper. But in the end Kint proves to be the mastermind, and the final shot of the film where the hobbling Kint straightens up and walks away in confident strides is still a mind blower.
2. Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Writers: Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan with story by George Lucas
Spoiler: Vader is Luke’s Father
When Darth Vader says to Luke Skywalker, “No, I am your father” at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, you could hear an entire audience gasp. Luke was under the impression that Vader had killed his father as Obi Wan Kenobi had told him. But that old Obi Wan, he loved his metaphors, and when he said Vader had killed Anakin Skywalker it was just a figurative thing. Luke was sure pissed to find out the truth and the reveal cast the Star Wars saga in a whole new light.
3. Citizen Kane (1941)
Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Orson Welles, Herman J. Mankiewicz
Spoiler: Rosebud is Kane’s sled.
Orson Welles’ brilliantly innovative first feature opens on the deathbed of his main character Charles Foster Kane (a thinly veiled version of publisher William Randolph Hearst). Kane clutches and then lets drop a snow globe, and utters his dying final word, “Rosebud.” The entire film is a search to find out what the word means and at the very end we see a sled with the word “Rosebud” written on it being burned. It was one of Kane’s childhood possessions and it’s something of a key to unlocking the mystery behind this famous, powerful, and rich individual. And here’s a saucy little note of trivia from Gore Vidal (writing in his 1989 article for the New York Review of Books, “Remembering Orson Welles”): “On Kane’s deathbed, he whispers the word ‘Rosebud.’ This is thought to be the key, somehow, to his life. In the film it turns out to be a boy’s sled, which Mr. Steven Spielberg recently bought for $55,000. In actual life, Rosebud was what Hearst called his friend Marion Davies’ clitoris, the sort of item that producers of children’s films tend not to collect.”
4. Psycho (1960)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Joseph Stefano
Spoiler: Norman Bates is Mother.
Alfred Hitchcock could be credited with giving us our first slasher/serial killer film with Psycho, a tense tale about a series of deaths that seem to be perpetrated by Norman Bates’ crazy Mother. But the twist is that it’s Norman who’s crazy. He killed his mum and then developed a split personality in which he became both mother and son. Gives new meaning to Oedipal complex. The end of the film, in which Mother has taken over Norman’s personality, is chilling and disturbing thanks to Hitchcock’s savvy direction and Anthony Perkins insanely good performance.
4. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Writers: Rod Serling and Michael Wilson
Spoiler: They’re on Earth.
Rod Serling, the creator of TV’s The Twilight Zone, was the master of the thoughtful twist ending so his involvement in one of the best twist movie endings ever should come as no surprise. The story appears to be about an American astronaut played by Charlton Heston who crash lands on some crazy planet where humans are mute and enslaved to talking, civilized apes. We’re convinced that the planet is far off in our galaxy so when Heston fashions what he thinks is an escape and comes across the Statue of Liberty in ruins on the sandy beach, you could feel the shock waves roll through the audience. One – among many reasons – why the remake of this failed so miserably is that there is no way to recreate that sense of astonishment once people know the twist.
5. The Prestige (2006)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan.
Spoiler: Borden has a twin brother. The Prestige is all about sleight of hand, and even with our attention focused on magicians playing tricks on us and each other, we still oooh and aaah at the final reveal. Michael Caine plays a veteran magician and he even lays out what we need to be looking for by explaining that “every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called ‘The Pledge.’ The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t. The second act is called ‘The Turn.’ The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn’t clap yet. Because making something disappear isn’t enough; you have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call ‘The Prestige.’” So Christian Bale’s character is allowed to pull off a seemingly impossible “trick” because he has a twin brother. Ta-da!
6. Oldboy (2003)
Director: Park Chan-Wook
Writers: Park Chan-Wook, Lim Chun-Hyeong
Spoiler: Mi-do is Dae-su’s daughter.
Park Chan-Wook’s middle chapter in his revenge trilogy achieves the level of Shakespearean tragedy. Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) gets nabbed off the street one day, confined to a room for 15 years, and framed for the murder of his wife. While confined he learns from sensational TV news that his three-year-old daughter has been put in a foster home. Once he gains his freedom he goes on a roaring rampage of revenge that leads him to an old classmate named Woo-jin. But Dae-su has failed to see the intricacy of Woo-jin’s cruel plot. Woo-jin has raised Dae-su’s daughter Mi-do and contrived for the two to fall in love. So the final blow in Dae-su’s agonizing journey is to discover that the woman he’s been sleeping with and has fallen in love with is his daughter.
7. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Spoiler: Bruce Willis is dead.
M. Night Shyamalan’s reputation for plot twists brought him praise when he made The Sixth Sense but became a gimmick as his films relied so heavily on twists that people just came to blandly accept it as routine. But in Shyamalan’s debut film The Sixth Sense it seemed fresh. Little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) explains quite plainly to his child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) that he can “see dead people.” But the surprise we get at the end is that Crowe is one of those dead people and has been since the beginning.
8. The Crying Game (1992)
Director: Neil Jordan
Writer: Neil Jordan
Spoiler: She is a he.
This gender-bending twist (that actually comes in the middle of the film rather than at the end) unhinges the main character and forces the audience to not only rethink what they have seen but also to rethink some of their stereotypes and ideas about gender. The IRA kidnaps British soldier Jody (Forest Whitaker) and puts him under the watch of Fergus (Stephen Rea). The two develop a kind of bond and Jody confesses his concerns for his girlfriend Dil (Jaye Davidson) and would Fergus look after her if anything happens to him. Of course something bad happens to Jody and Fergus keeps his word to check in on Dil. To his surprise he falls in love with her. But the real surprise comes when Dil disrobes and reveals she’s a he.
9. Soylent Green (1973)
Director: Richard Fleischer
Writer: Stanley R. Greenberg
Spoiler: Soylent Green is people.
Once again Charlton Heston stars in a sci-fi thriller in which the future is not too cheerful for humans. This time out he stars as a New York City detective looking into a murder but ending up uncovering a big disturbing secret. Seems that in this impoverished future people are forced to live off of a processed food known as soylent green. These green wafers are supposedly made from “high-energy plankton” but what Chuck discovers is that they are actually made from people! Ew!
10. Fight Club (1999)
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Jim Uhls from a novel by Chuck Palahniuk
Spoiler: There is no Tyler Durden.
David Fincher has made quite a few films that you can easily ruin with a spoiler. For Se7en, just tell people it’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in the box, and for The Game just say it’s all an elaborate party gag by the main character’s brother. But Fight Club is the one where you can really spoil the fun with by just saying Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) doesn’t exist, he’s just the crazy other personality manifested by our effed-up Narrator (Edward Norton). Fincher pulls no punches and knocks us flat out with his ending (unless of course you had read the book). But if you tell someone going into a screening of this film that there’s no Tyler, you are robbing them of one of the best jaw-dropping twists on film.
Some runners up:
Friday the 13th (1980)
Spoiler: The killer is Mrs. Voorhees.
Orphan (2009)
Spoiler: Esther is a 33-year-old.
The Third Man (1949)
Spoiler: Harry Lime is alive.
Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Spoiler: Jacob died back in Vietnam.
The Others (2001)
Spoiler: Grace and kids are ghosts.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Spoiler: Sergeant Howie is the sacrifice.
Now go and ruin someone’s movie-going experience. ;)
Hey there all you Aca-people. It’s finally here. A sequel that isn’t about superheroes, aging action stars, or made 20 years too late. That in itself is a reason to see it but I’ll give you more.
Pitch Perfect 2 brings back the overwhelming majority of the previous cast and sees the triumphant Barden University Bellas, fresh off two more national a capella victories. Thanks to a wardrobe malfunction while performing for President Obama, they’re publicly ridiculed and faced with disbarment from the competition scene, with a win at the World A Capella Championships the only thing that can restore their good name. There are also subplots of Beca (Anna Kendrick) seeking a foothold in the music industry, a new member (Hailee Steinfeld) joining the group, the typical “us against the world” notion in the Bellas fight against the German phenomena of Das Sound Machine, and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Bumper (Adam DeVine) possibly taking their down low booty call out into the open.
Okay, so the plot and everything underneath is generic. It was the first time too. That doesn’t matter. Pitch Perfect 2 has something that too many films forget to inject into their digital celluloid: FUN. (No, not that awful hipster music group … actual fun.)
First off, I have to give major credit to actor/producer/director Elizabeth Banks and the casting department for bringing in so many talented comedians to round out the supporting cast. While I was very sorry to see that Donald Faison was no longer in the Tonehangers (a hilarious group of former a capella performers), adding in Reggie Watts made for a hilarious beat box battle with one of the members of Das Sound Machine. Also, adding YouTube sensation Flula Borg to the German squad was just fantastic (seriously, if you haven’t seen his Auto Tunes or his interviews with celebrities, you are missing out on some of the weirdest and funniest stuff).
Then there’s simply the genius of what Das Sound Machine brings to the table. They are a frighteningly precise and overwhelming musical force that steals the show every time they perform. They make a Fallout Boy song entertaining. FALLOUT BOY! That alone makes me shake my head at how much this sequel won me over. There’s also a running joke about Beca being infatuated with the leader of the German team and failing spectacularly to insult her which continues to make me laugh long after I’ve left the theater.
Really, the biggest misstep is continuing to portray Beca’s boyfriend (Skylar Astin) as a one dimensional cheerleader. He’s basically the perfect support system and only shows up when Beca is needing a pick me up speech. That being said, that’s kind of how so many girlfriend roles are written in most male-dominated films so whether this is an intentional middle finger to the system or an oversight, I can’t really tell (and if it’s the former I tip my hat to the screenwriters).
But even with that said, Pitch Perfect 2 does something that so rarely happens … it’s better than the first film. For those who know how much I loved the original, I realize that’s high praise but I think it’s well deserved. While there are a lot of subplots, they all get their due time to allow for resolution, the jokes come fast and often, and there is very little downtime from start to finish. Sure, this works better if you’ve seen the original, but don’t feel that you can’t join in if you somehow missed it. I saw this with two friends, one who loved the first installment like I did, and another who hadn’t seen it. We all came out of the movie raving about what just happened and anxiously awaiting the home market release so we could see it again (though I’ll be headed to the theaters as well).
I’m guessing that this is going to do very well at the box office and the question will become whether or not a Pitch Perfect 3 will eventually come to fruition. My cynical side wants to say that everyone involved should quit while they’re ahead but considering I was firmly against the idea of this sequel since the first film seemed like such a well contained and complete journey, I suppose we’ll all just have to see if there’s more for the Bellas to do. And for those headed to theaters, make sure to stay in your seats, there’s an extra scene in the credits that you won’t want to miss.
The top 12 finalists of Fox’s American Idol XIV reunited to perform and judges Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr also took the stage during the season 14 two hour finale aired on May 13, 2015. Other performers taking the stage leading up to the reveal of the winner included Echosmith, Fall Out Boy, Jamie Foxx, Ricky Martin, Janelle Monae, Pitbull, Steven Tyler, and New Kids on the Block.
The finale comes hot on the heels of the announcement by Fox that the singing competition series will be ending after the upcoming season 15, and the season 14 finale marked the lowest-rated finale yet for the show.
This season came down to a battle between 29-year-old Nick Fradiani from Guilford, CT, and 22-year-old Clark Beckham from White House, TN. Fradiani performed “Bright Lights,” “I Won’t Give Up, and “Beautiful Life” on the series finale, and Beckham sang “Georgia On My Mind,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Champion” during the season 14 final episode. When all the performances were finished and the voting tabulated, Fradiani emerged as the new winner and claimed the title of American Idol. Fradiani’s the 14th to hold the title following previous seasons winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scott McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candace Glover and Caleb Johnson.
Auditions for season 15 will begin in Denver, CO on Friday, July 10th. Additional audition cities include Savannah, GA, on Wednesday, July 22; Philadelphia, PA, on Sunday, August 2; Little Rock, AR, on Saturday, August 8; and San Francisco, CA, date TBA. The audition bus tour will be stopping in Seattle, WA (6/18); Providence, RI (6/18); Baltimore, MD (6/20); San Diego, CA (6/22); Pittsburgh, PA (6/22); Tucson, AZ (6/24); Indianapolis, IN (6/25); Santa Fe, NM (6/26); Athens, GA (6/28); Tulsa, OK (6/29) and Oxford, MS (6/20).
ABC Family’s summer schedule has been announced with premiere dates set for new shows Monica the Medium, Job or No Job, Next Step Realty: NYC, Startup U, and Kevin From Work. Returning series receiving Junes dates include Pretty Little Liars, Stitchers, Melissa & Joey, Baby Daddy, The Fosters, and Becoming Us, with Switched at Birth, Chasing Life, and Young & Hungry added to the schedule in August.
Along with announcing the premiere dates, ABC Family released details on the upcoming seasons of their summer primetime lineup:
Monica The Medium premieres Monday, July 13th at 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT and provides a fascinating look at Monica, a junior at Penn State navigating friends, family, relationships – and the fact that she’s a medium and can talk to dead people. Her uncommon vocation provides an endless supply of emotional and engaging stories, with a unique millennial perspective.
Job or No Job premieres Wednesday, August 5th at 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The series follows one young adult per episode on his/her journey to land a first job. Each job seeker will go on three interviews, and we will watch the intense ride to find out if he or she lands three, two, one – or zero offers. Jane Buckingham (Founder and CEO of Trendera and bestselling author of The Modern Girls Guide to Life) will be the career expert on ABC Family’s Job or No Job.
The business-based docu-series Next Step Realty: NYC premieres on Tuesday, August 11th at 9:00 – 10:00pm ET/PT. From Lincoln Square Productions, this series follows the passionate and ambitious employees of Next Step Realty. The Manhattan-based real estate firm specializes in helping recent college graduates find their apartments in New York City while navigating interpersonal and professional conflicts in the workplace.
Young & Hungry returns with more episodes on Wednesday, August 12th at 8:00-8:30pm ET/PT as Gabi continuing to cook up drama and laughs in Josh’s kitchen and his life! Josh rolls out his biggest app yet; Elliot revels in the state of his love life; and Yolanda gets even closer to Gabi and Sofia. Pretty Little Liars star Keegan Allen guest stars in one episode as Tyler.
The half-hour workplace comedy Kevin from Work premieres on Wednesday, August 12th at 8:30- 9:00pm ET/PT. The single-cam series centers on Kevin, a young man who declares his unrequited love for his coworker Audrey in a letter, believing he’ll never see her again after he accepts a job overseas. But when the opportunity falls through and Kevin is forced to return to his old job, how will he and Audrey continue to work together now that his feelings are no longer secret? The comedy stars Noah Reid as Kevin, Paige Spara as Audrey, Matt Murray as Brian, Jordan Hinson as Roxie, Punam Patel as Patti, with guest star Amy Sedaris as Julia.
Starting moments after Leo’s surprising marriage proposal, Season Two of Chasing Life premieres on Monday, August 17th at 9:00-10:00pm ET/PT. April will try to live life to the fullest despite her recent relapse. From wedding dress shopping to a surprise trip, and a bachelorette party ending in jail time, April is determined to enjoy everything. The rest of the Carver family must deal with the effects of April’s illness and choices as the medical bills start to mount up. Meanwhile, questions arise about a mystery surrounding their father’s death.
Startup U premieres on Tuesday, August 18th at 8:00-9:00pm ET/PT and follows a group of entrepreneurial millennials as they embark on a semester at Draper University in Silicon Valley. Led by billionaire founder and venture capitalist Tim Draper, the seven-week program teaches the fundamentals of launching a startup company under the mentorship of America’s business leaders. In the end, students pitch their ideas to a panel of hungry venture capitalists with the hope that they’ll receive a life-changing investment to launch their business. To date, more than 150 Draper graduates have received funding totaling more than $15 million from mogul investors and Tim Draper himself. Brimming with innovation and determination, Startup U pulls back the curtain on what it takes to achieve success in the most innovative and competitive marketplace in the world. Viewers join a group of savvy millennials as they suffer through hard lessons and grab opportunities with both hands, all in the pursuit of their dreams.
In the fourth season of Switched at Birth, premiering on Monday, August 24th at 8:00-9:00pm ET/PT, Bay continues to deal with the fall-out of her assault and her break-up with Emmett, and Daphne struggles to find a balance between college and a new love. The Kennish family is rocked by news of an unexpected pregnancy.
2015 Summer Premiere Dates:
“Pretty Little Liars” premiering on Tuesday, June 2nd at 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT.
“Stitchers” premiering on Tuesday, June 2nd at 9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.
“Melissa & Joey” premiering on Wednesday, June 3rd at 8:00 – 8:30 PM ET/PT.
“Baby Daddy” premiering on Wednesday, June 3rd at 8:30 – 9:00 PM ET/PT.
“The Fosters” premiering on Monday, June 8th at 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT.
“Becoming Us” premiering on Monday, June 8th at 9:00 – 10:00 PM ET/PT.
Monday, July 13th, 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ET/PT – Series premiere of “Monica The Medium”
Wednesday, August 5th, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT – Series premiere of “Job or No Job”
Tuesday, August 11th, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT – Series premiere of “Next Step Realty: NYC”
Wednesday, August 12th, 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET/PT – Season premiere of “Young & Hungry”
Wednesday, August 12th, 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. ET/PT – Series premiere of “Kevin From Work”
Monday, August 17th, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET/PT – Season premiere of “Chasing Life”
Tuesday, August 18th, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET/PT – Series premiere of “Startup U”
Monday, August 24th, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET/PT – Season premiere of “Switched at Birth”
The CW’s just announced their 2015-2016 primetime schedule along with details on the new and returning shows that made the cut. The upcoming fall season finds The Originals moving to the Thursday timeslot following The Vampire Diaries. Reign will leave its Thursday spot for Friday at 8pm ET/PT when the new episodes debut in October. And fans of comic book-inspired shows will have to wait until midseason to check out DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
“This has been a terrific season for The CW, and is a result of a strategy we set in motion a few years ago to broaden out and grow our audience,” said CW Entertainment President Mark Pedowitz. “We had our most watched season, and our highest-rated season among men, in seven years. We launched The CW’s most watched series ever with The Flash, and with The Flash and Jane the Virgin, we received more critical acclaim than ever before.”
Pedowitz added, “The CW is heading into next season with incredible stability and strength, and continuing its strategy of adding more original programming all year long. Our new fall series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is original and hilarious, and will work as a perfect companion for Jane on Monday nights, while at midseason we have the much-anticipated DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and the tense action of Containment. These three new series are a terrific complement to our already strong schedule, and allow us to keep building on our momentum in 2015-16.”
THE CW’s 2015-2016 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND (New Series)
9:00-10:00 PM JANE THE VIRGIN
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE FLASH
9:00-10:00 PM IZOMBIE
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND – Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) is a successful, driven, and possibly crazy young woman who impulsively gives up everything – her partnership at a prestigious law firm and her upscale apartment in Manhattan – in a desperate attempt to find love and happiness in that exotic hotbed of romance and adventure: suburban West Covina, Calif. (it’s only two hours from the beach! Four in traffic). From CBS Television Studios, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND stars Rachel Bloom who also serves as executive producer along with Aline Brosh McKenna and Marc Webb.
JANE THE VIRGIN – Jane Villanueva (Gina Rodriguez) has always lived by the rules. She is studying to become a teacher, working her way through school by waitressing at a hot Miami hotel, and she has never forgotten the lesson her grandmother Alba (Ivonne Coll) taught her long ago about the importance of saving herself for marriage. But when Jane was accidentally artificially inseminated (!) her life became as dramatic and outrageous as the telenovelas she grew up watching. Adding to the drama, the donor is reformed playboy Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), the owner of the hotel where Jane works, and her teenage crush. Although Jane is engaged to her long-time love, Michael (Brett Dier), a detective with the Miami Police Department, and Rafael is married to the scheming Petra (Yael Grobglas), she and Rafael are drawn closer by the pregnancy and begin to fall for each other. The tension proves too much for Jane and Michael, and they call off their engagement… and Jane and Rafael begin seeing each other. But happily ever after is interrupted by murder and mayhem, by scheming exes and maniacal criminal masterminds. Oh, and then there’s the fact that Jane learns her long lost father is Rogelio De La Vega (Jaime Camill), her favorite telenovela star! And now he’s back in her life… with a vengeance. But amidst all the crazy, there are the Villaneuva women – Jane, her mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), and her grandmother, Alba, who band together to support each other always, no matter the twists and turns thrown their way. And ultimately, Jane gives birth and a new Villanueva enters the world. And believe it or not… the drama is just getting started.
THE FLASH – Until recently, 25-year-old Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) lived a normal life as a perpetually tardy C.S.I. in the Central City Police department. Barry is secretly in love with his best friend, Iris West (Candice Patton), daughter of Barry’s surrogate father, Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin). Joe adopted Barry fourteen years ago after Barry’s mother was murdered and Barry’s father, Henry Allen, received a life sentence for the crime – though Barry maintains that a mysterious “Man in Yellow” was responsible. Nine months ago, the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle Accelerator exploded, creating a dark matter lightning storm that struck Barry – bestowing him with super-speed and making him the fastest man alive. But Barry wasn’t the only person who was given extraordinary abilities that night. The dark matter also created meta-humans, many of whom have wreaked havoc on the city. With the help of his new scientist friends at S.T.A.R Labs, Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), and Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanaugh), Barry begins a journey as The Flash to protect the people of Central City from these powerful new threats. However, Barry’s mission gets sidetracked when he comes face to face with the Man in Yellow. Barry isn’t fast enough to catch him but in a shocking revelation the team figures out their beloved mentor, Harrison Wells, is in fact the Man in Yellow and the man responsible for killing Barry’s mother. Harrison Wells reveals his true identity as Eobard Thawne, a man from the future who traveled back in time to kill Barry. When Barry is finally forced to confront Wells, will he be fast enough to catch him? Or will Wells be successful in killing Barry and returning home to the future?
IZOMBIE – Throughout the riveting first season of iZombie, television’s only zom-dram-rom-com, Liv Moore (Rose McIver) learned to embrace her undead life and use her zombie powers for good. As an intrepid, zombified medical examiner, Liv ate the brains of the morgue cadavers and, under the guise of being a psychic, used her visions to assist Detective Clive Babinaux (Malcolm Goodwin) in solving murder cases. While Liv’s boss and sole confidante, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti (Rahul Kohli), worked on a cure for her unthinkable condition, Liv battled the evil, zombie-making, brain-dealing Blaine (David Anders) and struggled to protect her loved ones and all of Seattle from a potential zombie apocalypse. Standing directly and unwittingly in the path of the oncoming zombie train is Liv’s ex-fiancee Major Lilywhite (Robert Buckley), whose life spiraled out of control when he began investigating forces beyond his understanding. In our final episodes of the debut season, those closest to Liv are thrust into mortal danger and Liv will be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save them. There will be heartbreaking consequences and as the dust settles we’ll see that nothing in Liv’s partially dead life will ever be the same. In season two, Liv will face new and even more powerful enemies and old enemies in surprising new forms. Unlikely alliances will be struck, relationships will be challenged, and the line between good and evil will blur for both zombies and the fully living.
ARROW – After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. He returned home to Starling City, bent on righting the wrongs of his family and fighting injustice. To do this, he created the persona of the Arrow and allied himself with former military man John Diggle (David Ramsey), computer-science expert Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), billionaire inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh), lawyer-turned-vigilante Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), and his sister Thea (Willa Holland). Uneasy alliances and rivalries will shift as Oliver faces his most difficult challenge yet.
SUPERNATURAL – The thrilling and terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers continues as SUPERNATURAL enters its eleventh season. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) have spent their lives on the road, battling every kind of supernatural threat. Over the years, after countless bloody adventures, they have faced everything from the yellow-eyed demon that killed their mother to vampires, ghosts, shapeshifters, angels and fallen gods. With the help of allies — both human and supernatural — they’ve discovered that every victory comes with a price. In the show’s tenth season, the Winchester brothers faced their most personal threat yet. The all-powerful Mark of Cain threatened to consume Dean, turning him into one of the monsters he has spent his life hunting. Meanwhile, a formidable witch, Rowena (Ruth Connell), rose to power to claim her position at the right hand of the King of Hell, Crowley (Mark Sheppard). Once Rowena revealed herself to be Crowley’s mother, the King was forced to choose between his family and the Winchesters. All while Sam, with the help of Castiel (Misha Collins), Crowley, and some unlikely allies, wages a desperate battle to save Dean from the Mark of Cain. Will Sam be able to find a cure for the Mark in time? Will it be enough to save his brother? And a more frightening prospect – does Dean want to be saved?
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES – Season six of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES began with our heroes mourning the devastating loss of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (Kat Graham), who turned out to be trapped in a 1994 prison world by a sociopathic magic-siphon named Kai Parker (guest star Chris Wood). Unable to cope with the loss of her love, Elena (Nina Dobrev) compelled away all of her memories of loving Damon, which meant that when he finally returned to Mystic Falls, he had to win her over again. Meanwhile, Caroline (Candice Accola) had to come to terms with her feelings for Stefan (Paul Wesley) in light of her mother’s heartbreaking battle with cancer. That battle ultimately proved fatal, sending both Caroline and Stefan down a dangerous path as humanity-free vampires. Bonnie returned from the prison world with a surprise for Damon, the cure for vampirism, which he ultimately chose to give to Elena. Damon and Stefan came face-to-face with their mother Lily (guest star Annie Wersching), who they long since believed to be dead. As the season built to a wedding between Alaric (Matt Davis) and Jo (guest star Jodi Lyn O’Keefe), Damon used the ceremony to profess his dedication to Elena, but not without a catastrophic event that left lives hanging in the balance. In the wake of Elena Gilbert’s goodbye, in season seven, some characters will recover while others falter. As Lily tries to drive a wedge between the Salvatore brothers, we’ll still hold onto hope that Stefan and Caroline’s love story is strong enough to survive.
THE ORIGINALS – The Mikaelson family tragedies and triumphs continue as THE ORIGINALS enters its third season. The Original vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) and his brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies) have spent one thousand years fighting to protect their dysfunctional family, but now that Klaus and the hybrid Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) share an infant daughter, Hope, the stakes are higher than ever. In the second season, Klaus and Elijah united against their resurrected mother, Esther, who tortured them with demons from their pasts in an effort to persuade them to surrender their vampire bodies and become mortal. Esther, however, was only the harbinger, as Klaus learned that a long-standing curse had marked Hope for a life of isolation and terror at the hands of Esther’s sister, the witch Dahlia, whose defeat came at great cost to the family. Season 3 finds Klaus and Elijah estranged from each other, even as both brothers adjust to life with their long-lost sister, Freya (Riley Voelkel). Hayley suffers mightily at the hands of Klaus’s petty vengeance, while Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) and Davina (Danielle Campbell) rule the city under a new status quo. Meanwhile, Cami (Leah Pipes) and Vincent (Yusuf Gatewood) find themselves caught up in a surprising mystery involving the newest resident of New Orleans — the first vampire ever sired by the Mikaelsons a thousand years ago.
REIGN – The second season of REIGN begins with marriages and allegiances torn asunder, as well as the rise of enemies and political unrest. Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), and her husband the King of France, Francis (Toby Regbo) lived through the birth of the King’s, but not the Queen’s, son, the plague, and a nation divided. Catherine de Medici (Megan Follows), realizing her limited power now that her daughter-in-law wears her crown, made a bold move to align herself with Mary’s ultimate enemy, Queen Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) of England. Bash (Torrance Coombs), wounded from his failed marriage with Kenna (Caitlin Stasey), sought refuge with an ethereal woman with mysterious powers, while Greer (Celina Sinden) was ousted from favor and took up a surprising occupation, where she flourished.
REIGN begins its third season with Mary and Francis realizing that they are more powerful together than apart, believing there is hope for them to move forward, leaving behind the anger and hurt. It also introduces us to another Court, that of Elizabeth, “Virgin” Queen of England. Still early in her reign, Elizabeth faces opposition on all sides, particularly from men who doubt a woman’s ability to rule. Like Mary, and Catherine de Medici, she struggles to hold onto power, and love; the women have much in common, and Mary and Elizabeth are reluctant foes, but foes nonetheless, each positioned by birth and fate to destroy all the other holds dear.
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL – AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL returns with an all-new cycle of guys and girls competing for the TOP MODEL title on Wednesday, August 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), and the series will move to Fridays in the Fall.
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW – When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known? DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW stars Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz, Ciarra Renee, Franz Drameh, Dominic Purcell, and Wentworth Miller.
CONTAINMENT – When a mysterious and deadly epidemic breaks out in Atlanta, a vast urban quarantine is quickly enforced, forcing those stuck on the inside to fight for their lives while local and federal officials desperately search for a cure. Trying to keep the peace on the streets is police officer Lex Carnahan, who has quickly risen through the ranks of the Atlanta PD. But Lex’s job becomes even harder when he learns that his longtime girlfriend, Jana, and his best friend and fellow officer Jake, are trapped within the cordoned area. Also quarantined in viral ground zero is 17 year-old Teresa, who is eight months pregnant and now separated from her boyfriend on the other side; Katie Frank, an elementary school teacher now placed on lockdown with her entire class, including her young son; and CDC researcher Dr. Victor Cannerts, the doctor who initially made the controversial call to quarantine the area and is now racing to find a cure for the virus.
On the outside, Dr. Sabine Lommers is leading the government efforts to contain the outbreak, and has asked for Lex’s help in enforcing the cordon – which grows increasingly difficult as the public trust deteriorates. And the public has reason to be wary, as journalist Leo begins unraveling a conspiracy, finding that something doesn’t add up in the official story being told. Torn apart from their loved ones, the survivors trapped within the cordon are fighting against not only fatal infection, but also isolation, fear, and the disintegration of society around them. But as they begin to gain each other’s trust, hope remains, and on either side of the cordon unlikely heroes will rise. CONTAINMENT stars David Gyasi, Christina Moses, Chris Wood, Kristen Gutoskie, Claudia Black, George Young, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, and Trevor St. John.
THE 100 – For two seasons, the refugees of The 100 sent to Earth have been at war. First with themselves, then with the Grounders, and finally with Mount Weather. Many have lost their lives along the way. All have lost their innocence. They have learned the hard way that in the fight for survival, there are no heroes and no villains. There is only the living and the dead. But now the war is over. The battle against Mount Weather has been won. The prisoners have returned home to a world seemingly at peace, but can they find peace within themselves after what they had to do to escape? And is there more to life than just surviving? Unfortunately, their newfound sense of normalcy will be short-lived, and their lives will be changed forever, as threats both old and new test their loyalties, push them past their limits, and make them question what it truly means to be human. First, they fought to survive. Then, they fought for their friends. Now, they will fight for the human race.
Robert De Niro plays a senior citizen who winds up interning at a company run by Anne Hathaway in The Intern, and Warner Bros has just released the first trailer for the dramedy. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give, Private Benjamin), the cast also includes Rene Russo, Anders Holm, Andrew Rannells, Adam Devine, Celia Weston, Nat Wolff, Linda Lavin, Zack Pearlman, Jason Orley, and Christina Scherer.
The Intern opens in theaters on September 25, 2015.
The Plot:
In The Intern, De Niro stars as Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Hathaway).
