HBO’s first lengthy teaser trailer for The Last of Us season two begins with 50 seconds of normalcy, or at least as close to normalcy as the series allows. That’s followed by one minute of intense action, thrills, and chills.
The teaser dropped, along with three character posters, on “The Last of Us Day.” September 26th is designated as the TLOU Day, or “Outbreak Day,” since it’s the day in the video game that the cordyceps virus catalyzed the events of The Last of Us.
“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind,” reads HBO’s synopsis.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey return to lead the cast as Joel and Ellie. Returning stars also include Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Newcomers to the post-apocalyptic series include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac.
Two-time Emmy-winner Catherine O’Hara will guest star in season two.
The critically acclaimed series is based on the Naughty Dog video game created for PlayStation consoles. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are the writers and serve as executive producers along with Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells.
Poster of Pedro Pascal as Joel in ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)Poster of Bella Ramsey as Ellie in season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)Poster of Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in season 2 (Photo Credit: HBO)
Mary J. Blige stars in ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ season 4 (Photo Credit: Starz)
Power Book II: Ghost season four powered its way to a new viewership record on Starz. The network reports that the critically acclaimed drama averaged 10.5 million multiple-platform viewers 90 days post-premiere. In addition, season four episode eight showed a 6% increase over episode seven and took the #1 spot among cable programs in Black households in four major cities.
The season’s final two episodes will air on September 27th and October 4th.
The cast is led by Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St. Patrick, Mary J. Blige as Monet Tejada, Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith as Davis MacLean, and Gianni Paolo as Brayden Weston. Woody McClain stars as Cane Tejada, Lovell Adams-Gray is Dru Tejada, LaToya Tonodeo is Diana Tejada, Alix Lapri is Effie Morales, and Larenz Tate is Rashad Tate. Caroline Chikezie plays Noma, Lightskinkeisha is Brushaundria Carmichael, and Michael Ealy is Detective Don Carter.
“New alliances have been formed with each faction and Tariq and Brayden must find a way back into the game. But Brayden starts flirting with a new, reckless lifestyle, leaving Tariq to wonder if there really is room for two at the top. With Monet left for dead, Davis facing potential disbarment, and Effie looking to secure her future at Stanford, everyone’s on their own,” reads Starz’s synopsis. “Diana and Dru continue to question their roles while Cane levels up and starts working with Noma. As Noma is fighting to establish her business in the States and keep her daughter Anya in line, she finds her way on Tariq and Brayden’s radar. With the fate of his future in the game and his family at the forefront, Tariq must reconcile his past to rise to the top of the good chain and become who he needs to be to protect those he loves most.”
Brett Mahoney guides the series as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Courtney A. Kemp (creator/showrunner of the original Power series), Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Mark Canton.
Oxygen True Crime’s Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles takes a deep dive back into LA of the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, focusing on the multiple serial killers that terrorized the city. The two-hour special premieres on Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 7pm ET/PT.
Patrick Reardon, David O’Donnell, and George Plamondon executive produce the special, with Dale Fisher serving as a co-executive producer.
Poster for ‘Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles’ (Photo Credit: Oxygen True Crime)
Oxygen True Crime released the following lengthy description:
“The City of Angels became a city of horrors as a serial killer, whom authorities began referring to as the Southside Slayer, devastated the community. The bodies of women were discovered one after another in alleys, on playgrounds, and even on the steps of an elementary school. The investigators’ worst fears were confirmed when they determined after years of working on the cases that there wasn’t just one Southside Slayer, but four separate serial killers operating at the same time in the same place.
Serial Killer Capital: Los Angeles features families of victims speaking for the first time, firsthand survivor accounts, and interviews with law enforcement who eventually find justice for many of the murdered women. As crime in 1980s Los Angeles intensified due to gang activity and the crack epidemic, the police noticed a trend. In South Los Angeles, women were discovered shot or strangled to death. After a suspect was arrested the killings continued, leading police to believe there was more than one serial killer. As multiple serial killers walked free, the horrific murders created panic and confusion within the city and police force.
However, law enforcement remained undeterred in their quest to bring the killers to justice. After the infamous O.J. Simpson case in the 1990s, the Los Angeles Police Department invested millions of dollars into a new crime lab, including DNA forensics. These new advancements drove the unending hunt for the killers who police believe were responsible for more than 100 murders.”
Hulu’s finally released the full trailer for Rivals, the eight-episode series based on Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel. David Tennant (Good Omens) and Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth) star in the adaptation, premiering on October 18, 2024.
“Set against the backdrop of power-grabbing social elites, Rivals dives headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986, where hair-dos are big and ambitions are even bigger,” reads Hulu’s synopsis. “Deals are brokered in boardrooms, as well as bedrooms. Nobody can be sure who will come out on top. With every man and woman out only for themselves, can true love really blossom?”
David Tennant stars in ‘Rivals’ (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)
Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant stars as Lord Tony Baddingham. The cast also includes Aidan Turner (Poldark) as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams (Black Lighting) as Cameron Cook, Katherine Parkinson (Humans) as Lizzie Vereker, and Bella Maclean (Spring Awakening) as Taggie O’Hara.
The ensemble also includes Emily Atack, Catriona Chandler, Oliver Chris, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Lisa McGrillis, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook, and Victoria Smurfit.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Laura Wade, Lee Mason, and author Dame Jilly Cooper executive produce. Writers include Treadwell-Collins, Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Marek Horn, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Dare Aiyegbayo, and Kefi Chadwick. Elliot Hegarty is the lead director and executive produces episodes one through four. Dee Koppang O’Leary and Alexandra Brodski also direct episodes.
Alberg and Cassandra make a big decision about their new relationship on Fox’s Murder in a Small Town episode two. “Fall From Grace” will air on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT.
Rossif Sutherland stars as Karl Alberg and Kristin Kreuk plays Cassandra Lee. Recurring guest stars include Mya Lowe (My Life with the Walter Boys) as Corporal Edwina Yen, Savonna Spracklin (Two-Spirit Odyssey) as Isabella Harbud, Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica) as Sergeant Sid Sokolowski, and Fritzy-Klevans Destine (Superman & Lois) as Constable Andy Kendrick. Special season one guest stars include James Cromwell (Succession), Stana Katic (Castle), Paula Patton (Sacrifice), and Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek).
“Fall From Grace” Plot: While celebrating their high school reunion several former classmates of Cassandra’s discover a dead body at the marina which leads Alberg on an investigation into who the dead resident of Gibsons was and who is responsible for the murder.
Murder in a Small Town Description, Courtesy of Fox:
Murder in a Small Town follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who moves to a quiet, coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. He’ll quickly learn that this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets and will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore. Kreuk stars as Cassandra Lee, a local librarian who becomes Karl’s muse, foil, and romantic interest.
Apple Original Films released a new Wolfs trailer two days ahead of the film’s premiere on Apple TV+. The action comedy reunites George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and the final pre-release trailer shows the off-screen friends exchanging insults and being forced to work together on a case.
“Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. “But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two ‘lone wolves’ are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.”
Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Richard Kind, Zlatko Buric, and Poorna Jagannathan also star. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s Jon Watts wrote the screenplay, directs, and produces. Additional producers include Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Grant Heslov, George Clooney, and Dianne McGunigle.
Brad PItt and George Clooney star in ‘Wolfs’ (Photo Credit: Apple Original Films)
Apple Original Films announced that a sequel to the comedy had been greenlit one month prior to its limited theatrical release on September 20, 2024.
“Wolfs is the kind of big event movie that makes Apple TV+ such an exceptional home for the best in entertainment,” stated Matt Dentler, head of features, Apple Original Films. “With George and Brad’s remarkable and engaging chemistry under Jon Watts’ extraordinary direction, Wolfs blends all the great elements of comedy, action and drama into a hugely entertaining movie that will leave audiences ready for what’s next. Releasing the movie to theaters before making it widely available to Apple TV+ customers brings the best of both worlds to audiences, and we’re excited to see fans embrace the movie as we start working with Jon on the sequel.”
Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott in ‘Bring Them Down’ (Photo Courtesy of Fantastic Fest)
Bring Them Down starring Christopher Abbott, Barry Keoghan, Colm Meaney, and Nora-Jane Noone was named Best Picture at the 2024 Fantastic Fest held September 19-26 in Austin, TX. The annual festival spotlights the best in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and action. Screenings at the popular festival have included the world or US premieres of critically acclaimed films including Smile, Frankenweenie, Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, John Wick, and There Will Be Blood.
“Our jurors faced the formidable challenge of selecting winners from a remarkable array of stories, each representing different cultures and perspectives. Their task was not easy, but it truly reflects what Fantastic Fest is all about: embracing the richness of global cinema and the shared human experiences that unite us all,” stated Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest.
“MAIN COMPETITION” FEATURES
Best Picture: BRING THEM DOWN, directed by Christopher Andrews
Best Director: James Ashcroft – THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush – THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
“NEXT WAVE” FEATURES
Best Picture: SISTER MIDNIGHT, directed by Karan Kandhari
Best Director: Emma Benestan – ANIMALE
Honorable Mention: TOUCHED BY ETERNITY, directed by Mārcis Lācis
HORROR FEATURES
Best Picture: CHAINSAWS WERE SINGING, directed by Sander Maran
Best Director: John Hsu – DEAD TALENT SOCIETY
Honorable Mention: The Ensemble Cast of TRIZOMBIE, directed by Bob Colaers
SHORTS WITH LEGS
Best Picture: She Stays, directed by Marinthia Gutiérrez
Honorable Mention: Duck, directed by Rachel Maclean
SHORT FUSE
Best Picture: Be Right Back, directed by Lucas Paulino & Gabe Ibañez
Honorable Mention: The Night Practice, directed by Bogdan Alecsandru
FANTASTIC SHORTS
Best Picture: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste, directed by Pernell Marsden
Honorable Mention: Atom & Void, directed by Gonçalo Almeida
DRAWN AND QUARTERED
Best Picture: Mira, directed by Eva Louise Hall
Honorable Mention: The Night Boots, directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon
AUDIENCE AWARD
DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY, directed by John Hsu
Kaitlin Olson in ‘High Potential’ episode 2 (Disney/Mitch Hasseth)
ABC’s High Potential episode two begins with two talented tap dancers shooting a video on the roof of a building. The scene switches to ground level and shows one of the dancers falling from the roof and landing on a parked car. But how did he fall? Was he pushed? “Dancers in the Dark” is all about finding the answers.
Episode one introduced Kaitlin Olson as Morgan, a single mom of three who possesses a 160+ IQ, causing her to obsess over, well, everything. A quick montage of possible outfits for her first day is followed by breakfast served by her daughter, Ava, and son, Elliot. Since Mom’s got a decent job now, financially, things will be looking up. They can even get their car fixed and won’t have to rely on public transportation anymore.
Morgan’s ex, Ludo, shows up for paid manny duty, since Morgan negotiated childcare coverage as part of his salary.
Morgan meets Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) at the crime scene, and he still seems unable to wrap his head around the station’s cleaning lady being brought in as an LAPD consultant. The victim’s name is Damien Ross; he fell three stories and is currently in surgery. Karadec believes it might be a suicide attempt, but Morgan doesn’t want to jump to conclusions. They head to the roof and discover a tripod knocked over and a cell phone nearby. She determines the phone belongs to someone left-handed based on the swipe marks, and Karadec points out that the symbol on the back represents a Mexican baseball team.
They turn on the phone and Morgan rattles off facts about the image that pops up. It’s Michelangelo’s The Torment of St. Anthony. But right now, that doesn’t matter. What does is that Damien owned the car he fell onto, and he never would have destroyed it. He loved his ’81 Cutlass and wouldn’t have dented it. Thus, this case isn’t a suicide.
Morgan believes Damien was tapping his heart out when someone pushed him over the edge. Karadec confirms the phone isn’t Damien’s since his phone’s at the hospital. Plus, an imprint on the makeshift dancing platform has a perfect butt print, so whoever owns the phone will have an injured butt.
Meanwhile, Lt. Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) learns Detective Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie) is in contact with the hospital and Detective Lev ‘Oz’ Osman (Deniz Akdeniz) is getting CSI to fast-track any evidence from Damien’s car. Lt Melon (Garret Dillahunt) asks if she’s got anyone available to help him out in Robbery Homicide. A series of six jewelry stores have been hit, and he’s taking heat for not solving it yet.
He has a photo of the perpetrator and can really use an extra set of hands from Selena’s department. Selena agrees, and Oz volunteers.
Damien’s on life support so Selena wants the case treated as a murder.
Before Morgan heads to the hospital, she provides Selena with more details about her missing ex. He left to buy diapers for Ava and never returned. They weren’t fighting, and there’s no valid reason for him to have just disappeared.
Daniel Sunjata and Kaitlin Olson in ‘High Potential’ episode 2 (Disney/Nicole Weingart)
Morgan and Karadec speak with Damien’s mom, Winnie, and learn that if he survives, he may never walk again. Winnie says Damien doesn’t have any enemies and doesn’t know who could have pushed him. He works at Body Shop Brothers (BSB) and he is doing great, saving his money to buy a ticket to New York. He has dreams of dancing on Broadway. They’re interrupted by friends of Damien hugging Winnie, and Morgan quickly figures out the phone recovered on the rooftop belonged to one of them.
Roland, the man with an arm around Winnie has a tattoo over a scar on his left arm from Tommy John surgery. He was a pitcher for the Mexican baseball club. They bring Roland to the station and Karadec and Daphne interrogate him. He’s obviously physically uncomfortable and Morgan asks them to check his coccyx. Roland’s forced to come clean and admits he was on the roof. However, Damien helped him get his life together and never would have hurt him. Someone pushed Damien but Roland doesn’t know who.
While the team goes over all the evidence, Morgan suggests they check out Damien’s car again. Selena, Karadec, Daphne, and Morgan head to the police yard where Morgan points out Damien’s car has plasma chameleon paint. A fairly detailed explanation later, and they deduce someone from the body shop hid in Damien’s trunk, and that’s why whoever pushed Damien wasn’t captured entering the building on any security cameras.
Karadec and Morgan visit the body shop, and when they resent being questioned, Morgan suggests a trade. They provide their alibis in exchange for getting Damien’s car out of the police impound. If they make the deal, they can fix it quickly before Damien gets out of the hospital.
Back at the station, Morgan attempts to lay out all of the alibis, but Karadec cuts her off. At this rate, Morgan could be narrating their movements for the rest of the day. Daphne offers to put together a team to track and trace the body shop workers’ movements. The prime suspect has to be one of them.
Oh, and Roland was telling the truth, so he’s released from custody.
Over dinner, Ava shows off her art project that just got an A. In response, Morgan pulls down a box in the garage that has photos of LA murals. Ava’s dad painted them. By her reaction, she had no idea. Morgan thinks she should be happy she inherited her dad’s talent, but all Ava can do is be angry that he deserted them. However, Morgan is 100% certain he didn’t leave voluntarily. LAPD is even working on the case now.
That night, Karadec meets with Morgan on the rooftop. Morgan walks Karadec through what likely went down, pointing out where the killer would have hidden before launching his attack. Once Damien and Roland danced toward the edge of the roof, the killer charged and knocked over the tripod. This was all already known, except for one key point: the opposition effect. The moon was at a 90-degree angle to the sun, which meant that the killer couldn’t really make out either Damien or Roland’s face while he was charging them. The killer pushed the wrong guy. Roland was the target.
Karadec and Morgan realize Roland’s been released and the killer is still after him. Roland’s at a club and can’t hear Karadec when he calls to warn him that he’s in danger. Morgan quickly figures out that the music in the background is from a ‘90s remix party, which means he’s at Gateway Towers.
They arrive and it’s packed, but they spot the guys from the body shop. Morgan begs for their help finding Roland, and they split up to look for him. By the time they find him, he’s already been shot in the stomach and is dead.
Morgan’s upset they’re too late, and Karadec admits this is the worst part of the job. But next time, with her help, they’ll get there fast enough to save lives. He compliments Morgan’s skills and the two have their first real honest exchange.
Daphne locates cell phone footage that includes Roland and his assailant in the background. The killer hid his face from any cell phones, but it’s obvious Roland recognized him.
Judy Reyes, Javicia Leslie, and Daniel Sunjata in ‘High Potential’ episode 2 (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
Morgan needs time to think and takes a walk through the station. She spots Lt. Melon and Oz, and the board with photos from the robberies. One catches her eye, and she asks to see the surveillance footage. The sparks from the robber’s gun indicate that the weapon is really old. That same flash was in the video that captured Roland’s murder. The same gun was used to kill Roland and rob jewelry stores.
Detective Karadec does the smart thing and suggests Lt. Melon give Morgan some time with the jewelry store robberies’ board. He reluctantly agrees, and Daphne and Oz wheel it through the hallways to Major Crimes. Morgan looks at both Damien’s and the robberies’ boards and points out the central question right now: why would the robber want to kill Roland?
Morgan rearranges Lt. Melon’s board and then points out that eyewitnesses said the robber got into a different car to get away for the first three heists. The last two robberies indicate that the robber lost his driver. Melon is getting increasingly irritated with Morgan’s use of his boards, but Selena is committed to letting Morgan work her way through the puzzle pieces.
The final two stores were within one block of the Red Line bus route. The robber was on foot and used public transportation after losing his driver. And the driver had to have had access to multiple cars. Two plus two equals the driver was Roland. Roland stopped being the driver at the same time that Damien started helping him escape a life of crime by turning to tap dancing.
The robber needed to kill Roland to keep his identity secret. Unfortunately, he mistook Damien for Roland. Morgan doesn’t know who the killer is but has an idea of how to find him.
A police call goes out requesting all units to respond to a 187. The robber makes his move immediately after the call goes out, but instead of jewelry store employees, he comes face-to-face with the police. Karadec orders him to put his weapon down and he complies, realizing the jig is up.
The robber is Griff, a body shop employee. Morgan fills him in on how they set up the trap, explaining they figured out he’d rob jewelry stores right after a code 3 went out on the scanner. So, they tricked him by issuing a fake code 3 alert.
Later, Karadec can’t help but confess he’s impressed with Morgan’s skills. He hands her her first official LAPD consultant paycheck, and now it’s Morgan’s turn to be impressed.
Word arrives that Damien’s awake so Morgan and Karadec pay him a visit at the hospital. Winnie introduces Damien to Morgan and Karadec and then reveals that the doctors believe he’ll be able to dance again. Damien promises that sometime in the future, he’ll get Morgan and Karadec tickets to a tap show.
Karadec and Morgan are really bonding, and he jokes that maybe she’s ready to wrap up work as a consultant now that she’s solved her first official case. Morgan teases that he’d miss her too much if she left. She knows he’s having way too much fun working with her.
Morgan stops by the shop and retrieves her car. Ava and Elliot are ecstatic to have it back.
Episode two ends with Selena showing up after dinner with important news. Roman’s car was taken into police impound three days after the disappeared. It was picked up after being abandoned in the Costco parking lot close to where he and Morgan lived. A box of diapers was found in the car. “Which, of course, begs the question: if Roman would have really wanted to abandon your family, why would he stop and buy diapers first?”
Morgan, teary-eyed, is happy that Selena believes her. Roman didn’t just run away. Selena promises they’ll find out what happened to him. Ava’s on the couch and hears everything. A tear rolls down her face.
The official trailer for Apple TV+’s psychological thriller Disclaimer ends, fittingly enough, with a disclaimer: “Any resemblance to persons living or dead is not a coincidence.” But before that appears, Cate Blanchett is tormented by the threat that secrets from her past are about to be made public.
Oscar winner Kevin Kline, three-time Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen, and Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee star, in addition to two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. The cast also includes Oscar nominee Lesley Manville, Louis Partridge, Leila George, Hoyeon, and Indira Varma as the narrator.
Cate Blanchett in ‘Disclaimer’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
“Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft (Blanchett) built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets and threatens to destroy her family,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. “As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys her life and her relationships with her husband Robert (Baron Cohen) and son Nicholas (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
The seven-episode series is based on Renée Knight’s novel and was written and directed by five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón. Cuarón, Gabriela Rodriguez, Cate Blanchett, David Levine, Emmanuel Lubezki, Donald Sabourin, Carlos Morales, and the late Steve Golin also executive produce. Author Knight is a co-executive producer.
Disclaimer premieres on October 11, 2024 with the release of the first two episodes. New episodes stream on Fridays.
Former President Barack Obama lends his voice to Our Oceans, a Netflix documentary series from the Our Great National Parks team. The five-episode docuseries is set to premiere on November 20, 2024.
“Our oceans are a gateway to the unknown — but the creatures at home in their mysterious depths are more like us than we could possibly imagine,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “From the Emmy Award-winning filmmakers behind Our Great National Parks comes an unprecedented five-part opportunity to meet the awe-inspiring animals that dwell above, inside, and deep beneath the great current that powers and sustains everything on Earth.”
Jonathan Smith serves as a producer, with James Honeyborne, Barack Obama, and Michelle Obama executive producing. The documentary series is a Wild Space Productions, Higher GroundProductions, and Freeborne Media production.
A scene from Netflix’s documentary series ‘Our Oceans’
