CBS has set launch dates for new seasons of Survivor, The Amazing Race, and NCIS: Sydney. The network confirmed premiere dates for its winter 2024-2025 schedule, kicking off on January 8, 2025 with the time period premiere of The Price is Right at Night and season two of Raid the Cage.
The Hollywood Squares with Drew Barrymore and hosted by Nate Burleson will join CBS’s primetime lineup on January 9th, and newcomer Watson starring Morris Chestnut premieres on January 26th. The FBI trio, Fire Country, Ghosts, Matlock, and Elsbeth return with new episodes, as do the NCIS shows – NCIS: Origins and NCIS.
CBS Winter 2024-2025 Premiere Dates
Wednesdays, Starting Jan. 8
8:00-9:00 PM – THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT (New Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM – RAID THE CAGE (Season Two Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM – CBS Drama Encores
Thursdays, Starting Jan. 9
8:00-9:00 PM – HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (Series Premiere; Moves to Wednesdays at 10:00 PM, ET/PT Starting Jan. 29)
9:00-9:30 PM – GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE (Encores)
9:30-10:00 PM – GHOSTS (Encores)
10:00-11:00 PM – CBS Drama Encores
Sunday Jan. 26
6:30-10:00 PM, ET (approx.) – AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
10:00-11:00 PM, ET (approx.) – WATSON (Series Premiere)
Mondays, Starting Jan. 27 – Original Episodes Return
8:00-8:30 PM – THE NEIGHBORHOOD
8:30-9:00 PM – POPPA’S HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM – NCIS
10:00-11:00 PM – NCIS: ORIGINS
Tuesdays, Starting Jan. 28 – Original Episodes Return
8:00-9:00 PM – FBI
9:00-10:00 PM – FBI: INTERNATIONAL
10:00-11:00 PM – FBI: MOST WANTED
Wednesdays Starting Jan. 29
8:00-9:00 PM – THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT
9:00-10:00 PM – RAID THE CAGE
10:00-11:00 PM – HOLLYWOOD SQUARES (New Time Period Premiere)
Thursdays, Starting Jan. 30 – Original Episodes Return
8:00-8:30 PM – GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE
8:30-9:00 PM – GHOSTS
9:00-10:00 PM – MATLOCK
10:00-11:00 PM – ELSBETH
Fridays, Starting Jan. 31 – Original Episodes Return
8:00-9:00 PM – NCIS: SYDNEY (Second Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM – FIRE COUNTRY
10:00-11:00 PM – S.W.A.T. (New Time Period Premiere)
Sunday, Feb. 2
7:00-8:00 PM, ET – 60 MINUTES (Original)
8:00-11:30 PM, ET – GRAMMY AWARDS
Wednesday, Feb. 5
8:00-9:00 PM – THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT
9:00-10:00 PM – SUPER BOWL GREATEST COMMERCIALS
10:00-11:00 PM – HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
Sundays, Starting Feb. 16 – Original Episodes Return
7:00-8:00 PM – 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM – TRACKER
9:00-10:00 PM – WATSON (Episode Two, Regular Time Period Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM – THE EQUALIZER (New Time Period Premiere)
Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) isn’t a trained killer but he does have other skills that will prove extremely useful in finding his wife’s killers in The Amateur. The first trailer introduces Malek as a CIA decoder who vows revenge after his wife is murdered.
Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne (What’s Love Got to Do with It), Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal and Michael Stuhlbarg also star, along with Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Adrian Martinez, and Danny Sapani.
“Charlie Heller (Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack,” reads 20th Century Studios’ synopsis. “When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge.”
James Hawes directed from a screenplay by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli. Based on the novel by Robert Littell, the thriller is produced by Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson, Rami Malek, and Joel B. Michaels. JJ Hook serves as executive producer.
The Amateur will open in theaters on April 11, 2025.
Tensions continue to flare between citizens and the cops on CBS’s Blue Bloods season 14 episode 15. Directed by Alex Zakrzewski from a script by Peter D’Antonio, episode 15 – “No Good Deed” – will air on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Tom Selleck returns to lead the final season’s cast as Frank Reagan. Donnie Wahlberg stars as Danny Reagan, Bridget Moynahan plays Erin Reagan, Will Estes is Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou is Henry Reagan, Marisa Ramirez plays Maria Baez, and Vanessa Ray stars as Eddie Janko.
“No Good Deed” Plot: Danny and his nephew Joe Hill (Will Hochman) investigate the homicide of a delivery driver who may have been connected to an illegal narcotics ring in the city. Also, Eddie is determined to save the job of a probationary police officer who may be fired for responding to a crime. Frank faces a hard decision when he discovers Gormley is non-compliant with NYPD residency requirements, and Erin clashes with her boss, D.A. Crawford when a seemingly rehabilitated criminal from an old case becomes the subject of an armed robbery investigation.
Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner, and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son, Danny, a seasoned detective, family man, and Iraq War vet who, on occasion, uses dubious tactics to solve cases with his partner and new mother, Detective Maria Baez.
Erin, the middle daughter, is a New York assistant D.A. who serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father, while also pursuing a run for district attorney. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, a Harvard Law graduate and the family’s golden boy. Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop. He’s found a friend and ally in his wife, Eddie, who keeps him on his toes, and has very different reasons than the Reagans for joining the police force.
Elisabeth Moss in ‘THE HANDMAID’S TALE’ season 6 (Hulu)
Hulu’s is turning up the excitement for The Handmaid’s Tale season six with the release of the first six official photos. The new season won’t debut until spring 2025, and the first images are spoiler-free.
Series star and executive producer Elisabeth Moss posted the photos and a message to fans on Instagram: “Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ve been up to… We are hard at work on the final season and I’m so excited to share with you guys these first look images!!! These are from episodes 1 and 2, directed by yours truly, and episode 3, directed by @thisIsdavidl, all shot by @nicdaleydp. 💃🏼”
In addition to Elisabeth Moss, the sixth and final season stars Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella, Ann Dowd, and O.T. Fagbenle. Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger, Ever Carradine, and Josh Charles also star in the critically acclaimed, award-winning drama.
“Adapted from the classic novel by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States,” reads Hulu’s synopsis. “Offred (Moss), one of the few fertile women known as Handmaids in the oppressive Republic of Gilead, struggles to survive as a reproductive surrogate for a powerful Commander and his resentful wife.”
Season six executive producers include Moss, Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Eric Tuchman, Yahlin Chang, Sheila Hockin, John Weber, Frank Siracusa, Steve Stark, Kim Todd, Daniel Wilson, and Fran Sears.
Yvonne Strahovski in season 6 (Hulu)Max Minghella in season 6 (Hulu)Samira Wiley in season 6 (Hulu)Ann Dowd in season 6 (Hulu)Amanda Brugel, Samira Wiley, and O-T Fagbenle in season 6 (Hulu)
A scene from ‘High Potential’ season 1 episode 7 (Disney/Mitch Hasseth)
ABC’s High Potential episode seven, the fall finale, is set on Yes Day. What’s that? It’s the day when Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) has to say yes to Ava’s plans on how to spend her day of work at the LAPD. One of the items on the list is visiting her mom’s work and while she pets a dog, Tom (JD Pardo) confirms Morgan’s number on the window written in orange chips dust was illegible. They flirt as he jokes that wound up calling an elderly woman on accident.
Ava (Amirah J) is shocked her mom doesn’t have a desk while everyone else does. Just as Ava’s taking a restroom break, a woman takes Lt. Melon (Garret Dillahunt) hostage and warns everyone not to move. She claims a nearby box is a bomb, and that there are others hidden throughout the station. When an officer makes a move, it’s revealed the woman has an accomplice who easily disarms the cop. They demand everyone’s phones and weapons and order Detective Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie) to evacuate the building. Only the people in the room can stay.
After shooting the security cameras, they reveal they’re there to free an innocent man accused of murder and want the cops to find the real killer. Nobody will be released alive unless they find the real murderer. Daphne and Morgan exchange looks when Lt. Melon claims he’s their best detective.
Lt. Selena Solo (Judy Reyes) and Detectives Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) and Oz Osman (Deniz Akdeniz) weren’t in the room, so they gather in the nerve center with SWAT. Selena believes there are about a dozen people, mostly Major Crimes personnel, being held hostage. SWAT has the exits covered.
The hostage takers are identified as Army Staff Sergeant Brooke Kirkman and Sergeant Jeremy Davis. They don’t have criminal records and served together in the Army. Currently, they don’t have eyes on the Major Crimes bullpen and don’t know how they got explosives into the building.
Lt. Melon is forced to read a statement in a call to Lt. Solo. Brooke and Jeremy claim Staff Sergeant Logan Hanson is an innocent man, and if the LAPD doesn’t make it right, the hostages will die. Selena orders Detective Lavallee, who worked Hanson’s case, brought in. (Selena doesn’t believe Lavallee got it wrong.)
Lavallee reveals Hanson’s locked up, and the DA expects him to get 25 to life for killing Frank Webber. Lavallee goes over the case with the detectives, explaining Frank Webber was a retired Master Sergeant who was teaching at Los Alamitos. He trained generations of soldiers before being murdered with his own gun inside his RV. The weapon was recovered and had prints matching Logan’s. Plus, the gun had traces of acetone which Logan was using in a home remodeling project.
Witnesses placed Logan and Frank together at a bar the night before his death. They seemed tense, according to a bartender.
Lt. Melon reads from the transcript of Logan’s interrogation in which Logan claimed he was home with his girlfriend, Brooke. Lavallee tells Selena and the team that Brooke confirmed that, and that Logan was up for a coveted overseas post but turned it down. Or it’s possible Frank denied Logan the post and Logan reacted by killing him.
Selena points out that Logan and Frank went to the shooting range, and Logan claimed that’s why his prints are on the gun. The SWAT leader believes the delusional hostage takers will probably need to be taken out since they won’t listen to reason.
Back in Major Crimes, Lt. Melon says Lavallee did a thorough job. Everything points to Logan. Brooke and Jeremy demand that Melon try again, and of course, Morgan speaks up. She believes something’s missing. Morgan points out the blood splatter has a perfect corner, meaning something was there but was moved before the cops arrived. It could be a piece of paper or something, and Morgan is allowed to call Adam for help. First, she asks about his Yes Day and Adam immediately realizes Ava’s not with Morgan. Selena has the cops look for her outside.
Morgan asks Adam to go into Frank’s RV and look for a paper. Adam opens Frank’s laptop and sees the last thing he printed was DD form 458. Brooke says that’s a form to bring a soldier before a military tribunal. He was going to write up a soldier, which would result in a discharge.
Brooke claims Logan was a model soldier, so it couldn’t be him.
Javicia Leslie, Kaitlin Olson, and Amirah J in ‘High Potential’ episode 7 (Disney/Mitch Hasseth)
Suddenly, Jeremy realizes there’s someone else there and forces Ava to stand up at gunpoint. Morgan rushes to hug Ava which puts Davis on high alert. Tom inserts himself into the situation, sticking up for Morgan. The confrontation is incredibly tense, but Brooke de-escalates it by having Morgan and Ava sit down.
Adam asks Frank’s daughter, Lauren, if he mentioned a soldier he needed to write up. Lauren reveals her dad was like a father to the men and would never have mentioned anything to her or other outsiders. Lauren normally had dinner with her dad on Mondays, but he canceled the night before he was murdered. He didn’t tell her why he couldn’t make it.
Adam calls with the update and that Frank’s phone in the evidence box might tell them where he went Monday night. Morgan reports Frank looked up an address near Pershing Square at 5:47pm. It’s not a good area of town, which is out of character. 40 minutes later, he looked up the address of a private detox center, even though he didn’t drink or take drugs.
It appears he picked up someone and took them to rehab. Later that night, he tried to call his daughter, but the call didn’t go through. Lauren confirms she turns off her phone when she’s sleeping. Selena has Oz look up the records of soldiers Frank was training for prior drug charges.
Adam calls the detox facility, but they won’t give him any info, even though the person who checked in is likely a murderer. Oz calls the DA for help, while back in the Major Crimes bullpen Jeremy is coming apart. Brooke tries to calm him down and warns her cohort to stick to the plan.
Jeremy is certain the cops are planning something…and he’s right. Lt. Melon charges him and goes for his gun, as Brooke screams for everyone to freeze. She holds up the detonator as Tom leaps into action, helping Melon. A shot rings out and Tom screams, holding his leg.
SWAT wants to go in but Adam resists, unwilling to take a chance on the bomb going off. SWAT’s able to lower a camera from the roof, and they can see Tom on the floor, not moving. Selena’s about to give the order to go in when Tom moves.
Morgan and Daphne work on bandaging Tom’s thigh wound. The bullet hit an artery, and they need to keep him from bleeding out. Tom’s in nursing school and knows he needs to elevate his leg. Brooke brings over a box, reminding her partner no one gets killed if they cooperate.
Adam tells Selena he wants to canvass bodegas around the rehab. Maybe someone saw a 6’ tall guy with a military haircut coming in for coffee and/or cigarettes on the morning Frank was murdered.
Tom’s condition is worsening, and Morgan tells Brooke that if he doesn’t get medical attention in the next 15 minutes, he’ll go into shock and die. She explained that she learned that while taking thousands of first aid classes before Ava was born. Morgan has figured out that Brooke is pregnant and that’s why Logan didn’t take the overseas assignment. Jeremy is shocked to hear this and thinks everyone has lied to him. Brooke confirms she and Logan are trying to have a baby.
Daniel Sunjata, Deniz Akdeniz and Judy Reyes in ‘High Potential’ episode 7 (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
Adam found a clerk who remembers seeing a blonde man matching that description at 8:36am. Security footage got a look at him and Adam forwards a photo. The face is obscured by a hat, but Oz notices he’s wearing a field jacket. He could be someone Brooke or Jeremy know.
Selena sends the photo and Jeremy’s furious it’s so blurry. Jeremy slams down the phone, convinced the cops will never get to the truth. Brooke tries to talk him down, reminding him that Logan saved his life. Morgan swears she won’t stop investigating, but they must get Tom to a hospital now.
Brooke orders Ava to walk Tom out, and Ava’s scared to death to leave her mom. Morgan assures her she’s very strong and she wouldn’t ask her to do something she couldn’t do. She also promises her daughter that she’ll survive this.
Brooke and Jeremy argue over their next step, with Jeremy convinced Brooke’s getting soft. Morgan suddenly realizes Frank’s phone has no incoming calls or texts. How did he know where to go to pick someone up? Morgan remembers she saw a receipt that Frank bought an air tag two weeks ago. He wanted to confirm the soldier he knew was doing drugs and saw that the tag went to a sketchy place where drugs are sold.
Frank must have slipped the tag onto the guy and tracked it. Jeremy doesn’t know how this helps, and Morgan points out the killer might still have the tag on him. The app shows the tag was on Frank’s RV on the date and time of Frank’s murder. Right now, it shows the tag is at the residence of Ben Spoelstra. Ben is an Army reserve private on temporary duty at Los Alamitos.
Ben leaves his house and Adam leads a team of cops to his current location. Ben’s placed under arrest with drugs and the tag in his possession. Brooke’s relieved that Logan will be set free, but Jeremy reacts by knocking her out from behind.
Jeremy grabs the detonator and orders Daphne to call Lt. Solo and demand a deal or else he’ll blow the place up. Morgan calmly says, “No he won’t.” Since 1991, all plastic explosives manufacturers must include a detection taggant. The dogs he and Brooke walked past this morning didn’t detect it, so it can’t be real. Jeremy claims Brooke built the bomb and didn’t include that, but Morgan’s certain a woman trying to get pregnant would never handle the necessary toxic chemicals. Plus, no one just carries a package to the fourth floor without being stopped. That means the empty, folded box was in her backpack, and she didn’t put it together until she went to the restroom on this floor.
Brooke comes to and confirms Morgan is correct. She apologizes to Jeremy for lying to him just as Daphne goes for Jeremy’s gun. They struggle and Jeremy pushes the detonator multiple times without anything happening.
Morgan reunites with Ava outside, assuring her she’s fine and asking for a Yes Day rain check. Brooke apologizes to Morgan and Morgan says she’s happy Logan has been set free. However, she doesn’t forgive Brooke for putting Ava in danger.
Tom’s happily eating pudding when Morgan pops into his hospital room for a little flirting.
Morgan is greeted at work the next day by a huge round of applause. She goes around shaking hands and getting congratulated before they reveal she’s earned her own desk. Lt. Melon still won’t tell her she did a good job but promises to stop calling her the cleaning lady. (Take the win, Morgan.)
The season one fall finale ends with Morgan perched on Adam’s desk and admitting she’ll probably never sit at hers.
Netflix announces final ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ season 2 cast (Photos Provided by Netflix)
Production is currently underway on Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season two, and the streamer just announced new additions to the cast. The eight actors round out the ensemble of the much-anticipated second season of the fantasy series.
Per Netflix, the new cast and characters are:
o Chin Han (Mortal Kombat) as “Long Feng”
o Hoa Xuande (The Sympathizer) as “Professor Zei”
o Justin Chien (The Brothers Sun) as “King Kuei”
o Amanda Zhou (The Handmaid’s Tale) as “Joo Dee”
o Crystal Yu (Doctor Who) as “Lady Beifong”
o Kelemete Misipeka (Sons of Thunder) as “The Boulder”
o Lourdes Faberes (The Sandman) as “General Sung”
o Rekha Sharma (Yellowjackets) as “Amita”
“A live-action reimagining of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series following Aang, the young Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire and Air) to restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation,” reads Netflix’s synopsis.
The newcomers join a cast that includes Gordon Cormier as Aang, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Kiawentiio as Katara, Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, and Dallas Liu as Crown Prince Zuko. Miya Cech plays Toph, Elizabeth Yu is Azula, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is Iroh, Momona Tamada is Ty Lee, and Thalia Tran is Mai.
The live-action series is inspired by the Nickelodeon animated show. Christine Boylan, Jabbar Raisani, Dan Lin, Ryan Halprin, Brendan Ferguson, and Albert Kim serve as executive producers.
Yellowstone fans were left devastated by the opening minutes of season five episode nine, the first new episode of the popular series since January 1, 2023. Battle lines have been clearly drawn after Jamie not only killed his adoptive father but also ruined his legacy by setting up his death as a suicide. Paramount Network released an action-packed one-minute teaser for the remaining episodes of the final season, showcasing an alliance between the Duttons and Thomas Rainwater and Kayce being all in on taking down his brother.
The season five part two premiere set a new high in premiere night viewership, with 16.4 million viewers tuning in. That’s a 3% increase over the first episode of season five which aired on November 10, 2022.
Season five stars Kevin Costner as John Dutton, Luke Grimes as Kayce, Kelly Reilly as Beth, Wes Bentley as Jamie, and Cole Hauser as Rip. Kelsey Asbille stars as Monica, Brecken Merrill is Tate, Jefferson White plays Jimmy, Forrie Smith is Lloyd, Denim Richards is Colby, Ian Bohen is Ryan, Finn Little is Carter, Ryan Bingham is Walker, and Gil Birmingham is Thomas Rainwater.
“Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States,” reads Paramount Network’s synopsis. “Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.”
Taylor Sheridan and John Linson co-created the series and serve as executive producers. Additional executive producers include Art Linson, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros, and Keith Cox.
Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in ‘Yellowstone’ season 5 episode 12 (Photo Credit: Paramount Network)
Jared Padalecki (Supernatural, Walker) guest stars in a multi-episode arc on CBS’s Fire Country season three episode five. Directed by Mark Tonderai from a script by Jen Klein, episode five – “Edgewater’s About to Get Real Cozy” – will air on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Max Thieriot stars as Bode, Billy Burke plays Vince, Kevin Alejandro is Manny, and Diane Farr is Sharon. Stephanie Arcila plays Gabriela, Jordan Calloway is Jake, Jules Latimer is Eve, and Rafael de la Fuente is Diego.
“Edgewater’s About to Get Real Cozy” Plot: Station 42 and Three Rock jump into action when an airplane makes an emergency landing outside of Edgewater. Jared Padalecki guest stars as Camden, a SoCal firefighter who immediately recognizes Bode’s raw talent.
Fire Country stars Max Thieriot as Bode Leone, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began.
Years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.
Cobra Kai has been promising the Sekai Taikai since Season 5. When Season 6 Part 1 ended, Miyagi-Do had finally arrived in Barcelona for it, only to find Tori re-joined the Cobra Kai team. Part 2, premiering on Netflix on Friday, November 15, 2024, shows all the fighting events and introduces new international competitors
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Sensei Wolf (Lewis Tan) leads the Iron Dragons and wait until you see Zara (Rayna Vallandingham) and Axel (Patrick Luwis). Plus, Miyagi-Do still has Kwon (Brandon H. Lee) to contend with at Cobra Kai.
Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald spoke with Showbiz Junkies for a Zoom interview about Part 2 of Cobra Kai Season 6. The trio will also be back after Friday to discuss spoilers.
The Sekai Taikai has several different tournament styles: battle royale, tag team, and more. How did you come up with different creative ways you could explore fighting, and was there anything your stunt coordinators said, “That’s too much?”
Jon Hurwitz: “It was a real delicate balance overall with everything. First of all, it started from a place of character. It was like okay, who are the characters that we have at the Sekai Taiki and each of these fights needs to be meaningful in some way? So, it would be whether there’s something going on with the characters emotionally, the inner personal issues within the teams and then the rivals that they’re fighting with. So, you’re starting from a place of that and how much character you can achieve through these fights.
But beyond that, our thought was we want this to not be the All-Valley. Mike Barnes built this thing up and for years they’ve been talking about it as something that is more dangerous, that they’re throwing things at you that you’ve never done before, that are unpredictable. And that’s what we wanted to have this feeling for the audience of you don’t know what the next event’s going to be. You’re not expecting the same kind of fight and to have our characters sometimes tagging in and out or fighting on the mat at the same time or doing some balance type events suspended high above the ground, we wanted there to be these elements of danger.
It was challenging because we make the show on not the largest budget, believe it or not. It’s got the pace of making television, which is a lot different than making movies, but we wanted this to be spectacular. So, we had all these ideas. We would talk with our stunt team and our production team and find out okay, what can we do? Everyone was game for everything and everyone was game to try to pull off everything that we could.
I think the biggest challenges for us was in the dream world, each event would be in a different, spectacular location and you’re in the middle of some ancient ruins while fighting in one thing or in the jungle for another thing. These were the kinds of things we were talking about in the writers room. At the end of the day, the events themselves were just a great collaboration between our stunt performers, our production team, our actors, everyone and our writers to really put a lot of thought into making this different and unique, and then our editors eventually. It was a whole group effort.”
You had a brainstorm version where each round might have been in a different location?
Josh Heald: “It could look like Street Fighter 2. You could have events on a beach. You could have events at the top of a building. In the blue-sky version of what this is, that even goes back to thinking about where the Sekai Taikai is. That goes to the earliest days of writing the final season before we even knew it was going to be Barcelona. Once you get deeper into production and you get tied to a city and you get tied to a venue, you naturally will put more guardrails on that. But in the $5 billion version of this, yeah, one of the events takes place in the clouds. You want it to just be the most cinematic, the most unexpected.”
And yet, the movies didn’t have a stable of martial artists or a cast who’d trained for six years. Is that one advantage of coming to the end of the series?
Hayden Schlossberg: “Absolutely. The thrill of shooting Season 6 is that you’re seeing our young actors who’ve been on this show now for seven years some of them at a stage of martial arts that we don’t actually need stunt doubles at all times. It’s really amazing. There’s a certain way of fighting in front of the camera that they are so used to by now and the relationships between our actors and stunt coordinators are so good that by Season 6, it really is just a great machine.
Then adding into that actual experienced martial artists who push our non-martial artists even further, it led to the best fighting that we’ve had. Definitely the best fighting that this franchise has had up to this point. We knew as we were shooting the second part that this feels like the highest level of martial arts that the franchise has had. That continues into Part 3.”
Did you audition new martial artists for all of the Iron Dragons and Dublin Fighters?
Jon Hurwitz: “It played a factor in who we were casting for those roles. Many of the performers on the other teams outside of the Iron Dragons and our teams were stunt performers first, as opposed to actors first. Many of them were just stunt performers who auditioned as actors. When it came to those characters, it was martial arts experience was a plus.
For Lewis, that was somebody we knew had a lot of martial arts experience and also had a lot of acting experience. So, he was going to square up across from our senseis in a real strong way from the beginning.
Rayna, who plays Xara, was somebody who we’ve been tracking on social media for a while. She has these phenomenal videos. She’s like a tornado. It’s unbelievable how quick she moves and how accomplished she is in the martial arts community, very much like Brandon Lee was. The question was can she act? We were very pleased when we saw in her auditions that she was really, really strong.
Patrick actually had less martial arts experience but had enough experience in sports and dance, but he brought a lot to the character beyond that. We were looking for that sort of Drago type character, somebody who is larger than life that feels like more powerful and a stronger force than our characters have ever had to square off against. He was different than anybody else we had ever had and he was a quick study with the martial arts team. They were all blown away with the amount of work that he put in and he was really strong.”
So Brandon H. Lee was also a trained martial artist?
Jon Hurwitz: “He’s like a 10 to 12 time World Champion. He was another one that when we were auditioning for the role of Kwon, any time we’re auditioning for any of the characters on the show that are going to have martial arts, we always ask our casting directors cast a wide net to people beyond just traditional actors. Go to stunt performers. Brandon happened to be somebody who had been working on his acting. He came from the stunt community but had been working to be an actor and had started acting before the show. Reina, this was her first big acting job.”
Was it fun to pay homage to other sports movies like A League of Their Own and Rocky II quoting their famous lines?
Josh Heald: “You can’t help it in the writers room, especially, just drawing comparisons and finding those allusions. The Kumite was a big one as we started to think about this international competition of monstrous athletes coming together to have a bloody fight. You always find those turns of phrase. Even on the cutting room floor there’s probably five or 10 more Rocky universe quotes that didn’t make it because it just became overload. You have to moderate it as well but it’s playing in a candy store, not overeating.”
Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf in ‘Brilliant Minds’ episode 7 (Photo by: Rafy/NBC)
NBC’s Brilliant Minds episode seven opens with a flashback of Roman (aka John) in Grozny, Chechnya, running from the authorities. Flash-forward to current events, and Roman’s able to acknowledge he can still hear Dr. Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto). Oliver explains they’re about to insert an electrode into his brain to allow him to communicate. It’s a risky surgery, but Roman indicates with his eye movements that he’s ready to move forward.
Oliver and the interns go over Roman’s medical history again, and it’s evident that multiple doctors at a dozen hospitals misdiagnosed his condition. Treating him for seizures instead of the early stages of a stroke meant that by putting him on Propofol he was sedated into oblivion. No one caught that he was actually suffering from locked-in syndrome until now.
Still, with everything they have learned, they don’t know anything about Roman.
Dr. Josh Nichols (Teddy Sears) reluctantly allows Oliver to be present in the operating room, even though neurologists are notoriously talky during surgeries. And he’s proven correct when Oliver tosses out questions and narrates the surgery.
The surgery is successful, and everyone gathers to see what happens when Roman wakes up. Signals are being sent to Roman’s brain teaching him how to speak again. Simon Gadson, the man running the test program, has even programmed it so that the words will translate from Russian into English.
Oliver is told to talk to Roman like he would any other patient, and the first question he asks is if Roman has something he wants to say. “Scratch my nose” appears on the screen after a short pause. Oliver does as asked, and Roman communicates “thank you” on the screen.
Later, Oliver’s alone with Roman and asks if he can hear him. Roman, happy and seated in a chair, appears behind Oliver and replies, “I could always hear you. Now, I can understand you.” Roman says it’s nice to meet Dr. Wolf and lists a few things Oliver’s done for him recently. Roman explains he was forced to flee Chechnya, and it was both exciting and terrifying to be alone in a foreign country. He finally got a job so he could start saving money to send home. Plus, he wanted to be able to hire a lawyer and apply for asylum.
His boss gave him an old bike to help him get around and he fell in love with America. Roman felt connected to the city, even though he didn’t speak the language. He collided with a taxi, and that’s how he started his hospital journey.
Roman asks if he’ll get better and Oliver doesn’t sugarcoat his diagnosis. Oliver doesn’t expect Roman to regain movement, but he can still live a rich life. However, they won’t be able to remove the ventilator because his lungs are too damaged.
Dr. Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry) agrees with Simon that it would be a good idea to bring in investors to see the progress Roman’s made. They need to show success in the real-world, and Carol believes this technology will open up a new way to communicate with patients.
Dr. Jacob Nash (Spence Moore II) pops in to check on Roman, having actor Alex Ozerov-Meyer appear in a real verbal dialogue with his scene partners is how Brilliant Minds will handle scenes of Roman communicating. Jacob and Roman joke about looking like Rasputin, and Roman says the day Jacob gave him a shave made him feel alive. Jacob apologizes they can’t do more, and Roman feels grateful for what they’ve done. However, he has a request. Roman confesses he doesn’t want to live like this anymore.
Jacob informs the team and even though Oliver’s assured him there’s more they can do, Roman seems determined to die. Dr. Ericka Kinney (Ashleigh LaThrop) points out that now that Roman’s finally able to say what he wants, they need to listen to him. A discussion ensues about assisted suicide, and Dr. Dana Dang (Aury Krebs) says this is a palliative withdrawal of mechanical ventilation. Oliver confirms it’s legal, even though it’s an ethical gray zone.
Allowing Roman to pass away won’t affect Dr. Gadson’s trial. Dr. Nichols says that if Roman dies, it won’t be the fault of the device. Dr. Nichols thinks they need to listen to what Roman wants. Jacob is against Roman’s request to die, unwilling to just give up. Oliver believes they need to allow Roman a little time to come to terms with what happened. Oliver ends the meeting by telling the team to find a reason for Roman to want to live.
Dana engages Roman in a chess game and attempts to find out why he came to America. A flashback shows Roman in the minutes after he was hit by a car. He refused medical help, fearing the authorities. He’d been waiting for his asylum appointment and didn’t know what the police would do to him. It’s too dangerous for him to return to Chechnya.
Unfortunately, he fell unconscious at work and lost any say in the matter. Dana asks again why he fled Chechnya and Roman finally replies, “For love.”
That answer spurs Dana into action. Obviously, Roman isn’t alone so Dana orders Jacob to go to his old job and see if anyone ever stopped by. Ericka is tasked with checking out his old apartment, while Dr. Van Markus (Alex MacNicoll) will see what he can find via social services and immigration. Dana will continue her research online.
Aury Krebs as Dr. Dana Dang, Teddy Sears as Dr. Josh Nichols, and Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf in ‘Brilliant Minds’ episode 7 (Photo by: Rafy/NBC)
Dana was right and they find Alex (Mishka Yarovoy), who immediately recognizes Roman. Oliver assures him that Roman can hear him and Roman confirms by saying Alex’s name (through the computer). Oliver, Dr. Nichols, and Dana back away to give them their privacy as Alex apologizes and reveals he’s been searching for him.
He caresses Roman’s face, and Roman jokes, “What took you so long?” Tears flow down Alex’s face as he kisses Roman’s hands. Dana has her answer: it’s illegal to be gay in Chechnya, so Roman fled to America to avoid jail or death.
Later, Oliver asks Alex about his relationship with Roman. Alex has been looking for Roman since he arrived in America and had given up hope. Oliver provides a brief explanation of what happened after Roman’s bike accident, and Alex is aware his partner wants to end his life. Oliver explains that if they can change his mind, then the next step would be figuring out Roman’s future. Would he go to long-term care or home with Alex? Alex confirms he’d love him at home, even if it’s a lot of work.
“I will do it. It was my idea for us to come here. I’m the one who speaks English. I was always planning to care for Roman. It just looks different now,” says Alex.
Oliver tells Roman that he’s very lucky to have Alex in his life. Oliver explains that Alex is learning how to take care of the medical equipment, trach tube, and ventilator. And Dana is searching for first-floor apartments. Roman’s shocked since none of this is what he wants. He still wants to be allowed to die.
Oliver won’t give up and reminds Roman that he came to America to be with Alex. Alex still wants to be with him, so why would he die now that he’s reunited with his love? Roman truly appreciates everything Dr. Wolf has done for him, including reuniting him with Alex, but he doesn’t want this version of life for himself or for Alex.
Oliver saw him when no one else did, but now it feels like Oliver doesn’t see him anymore.
Oliver asks Carol to examine Roman for depression, and Carol suggests that Oliver put himself in Roman’s shoes. “Roman came here seeking the ultimate freedom, and ended up in the ultimate prison,” says Carol, gently. “Not every patient can be saved, Wolf. Not every patient wants to be saved.”
Carol agrees to talk to Roman, and Roman describes himself as content. He’s at peace with his decision. Having Alex with him in the end completes his story. Roman believes Alex will fall in love again and carry on for him.
Oliver confides in Josh that he’s having a difficult time letting Roman go. Josh admires Oliver’s ability to see what a patient wants and needs through the patient’s eyes. Roman’s decision was hard, and Josh suggests that if they’re good doctors, they honor it.
Ericka explains to Roman the steps they’ll go through as he passes away, starting with morphine to keep him comfortable. Roman wonders if Ericka’s disappointed in him, and she claims she’s not. She envisioned what his life would look like, and it wasn’t this.
Roman confesses he doesn’t want to die in the hospital, and Ericka rushes to find Oliver. He decides to bring Roman to his house, and the interns, Carol, and Josh set everything up. Oliver and Roman have a final chat about life, family, and relationships, and Roman thinks Oliver and Josh would make a great couple. (Of course they would!) Oliver chuckles when Roman says Josh likes him. Roman reminds Oliver there’s no time like the present.
Zachary Quinto as Dr. Oliver Wolf and Teddy Sears as Dr. Josh Nichols in ‘Brilliant Minds’ episode 7 (Photo by: Rafy/NBC)
Everyone gathers, including Alex who takes his place next to Roman in bed, and looks up at the stars projected on Oliver’s ceiling. Oliver describes his favorites Vega and Altair that represent forbidden lovers who were separated by the galaxies but stayed connected by their hearts.
Alex tells Roman that he’ll love him forever. Roman adds, “Until death. And after it.” Alex kisses Roman one final time. Oliver says Roman’s name and he doesn’t respond. “It’s time,” says Oliver, and turns off the machines. He gently removes the tube and places his hand on Roman’s shoulder. Alex clutches Roman’s shirt and rests his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder as he passes away.
No one informed Simon that Roman chose to die and he’s angry his investors didn’t get the opportunity to speak with him. Carol insists this was Roman’s decision, but Simon doesn’t see it that way. He’s no longer willing to partner with Bronx General.
Oliver’s mom checks in on her son, and their conversation leads to Oliver revealing he still holds his mother responsible for giving up on his dad. They argue over Oliver’s motivation in allowing Roman to die, and Oliver insists he followed Roman’s wishes.
Van tells Ericka he can sense she has big feelings, and Ericka’s shocked he senses that. Unfortunately for Van, the feelings are for Jacob, not him. And speaking of feelings, Oliver’s preparing to leave for the day when he spots Josh across the street. A flashback shows Roman on his final day telling Oliver that he always wished he’d spot Alex on the street in New York and run to him. Oliver tells Roman he wishes he could have given that to him, and Roman assures him he did.
The flashback ends with Roman wondering what Oliver is waiting for, and apparently, Oliver’s done waiting. Episode seven ends with Oliver and Josh in a passionate kiss.
