Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star finally returns to primetime with the season five premiere, “Both Sides, Now.” But there’s bad news for fans of the popular drama; Fox has confirmed the new season will be the show’s last.
The fifth and now-final season debuts on September 23, 2024. New episodes of the 12 episode season will air on Mondays at 8pm ET/PT, followed by the lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf set on Hawaii’s North Shore.
Rob Lowe leads the cast as Captain Owen Strand, Ronen Rubinstein stars as T.K., Gina Torres plays Paramedic Captain Tommy Vega, and Jim Parrack is Judd Ryder. Natacha Karam plays Marjan Marwani, Brian Michael Smith is Paul Strickland, Julian Works is Mateo Chavez, Rafael Silva plays Carlos Reyes, and Brianna Baker is Nancy Gillian. Sierra McClain will not be returning as Grace Ryder.
McClain’s departure was a surprise and altered plans for the fifth season. “As I told her, ‘Any time I’m here, there’ll always be a place for you,'” said co-showrunner Rashad Raisan in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I would love it, I’d beg her. But [her departure] did force us to do some unexpected things that led to some beautiful storylines.”
“Both Sides, Now” Plot: The 126 race into action when an armored truck and its guards are attacked by a group of masked men. Carlos, in his new job as a Texas Ranger, is assigned to investigate the case. Owen attends group therapy with Tommy to deal with his brother Robert’s death. Both Marjan and Paul each apply for the open lieutenant position, replacing Judd, who finds himself lost without his old job. Wyatt begins work at the call center, and a major train derailment signals tragedy.
9-1-1 Lone Star Season 5 Description, Courtesy of Fox:
9-1-1: Lone Star follows members of Austin’s 126 Fire Department led by Captain Owen Strand who, along with his adult son, T.K., moved to Texas to help rebuild the firehouse which had experienced a tragedy of its own. His team of diverse and qualified first responders include widowed Paramedic Captain Tommy Vega, Judd Ryder, who was the sole survivor of Austin’s original 126 house after a rescue call ended in tragedy; Marjan Marwani, an adrenaline junkie and badass firefighter who also is a devout Muslim; Paul Strickland, a transgender male firefighter, who bravely decided to transition on the job in Chicago and has a gift for observation worthy of Sherlock Holmes; and rookie firefighter Mateo Chavez.
Settling into his new home, T.K. caught the eye of police officer Carlos Reyes and the two began a romantic relationship eventually marrying in the season four finale. T.K hung up his firefighter helmet to become a full-time paramedic under Tommy’s guidance and works closely with fellow paramedic Nancy Gillian.
In the upcoming fifth season, Captains Strand and Vega, along with the 126 team, race into action when in a multi-episodic opening storyline, a catastrophic train derailment endangers several lives including some of their own. With Judd resigning from the 126 to take care of his recently handicapped son Wyatt (Jackson Pace), Owen must find a new lieutenant to replace Judd and has a difficult decision ahead of him when both Marjan and Paul apply for the promotion. Tommy is ready to take the next step in her relationship, but she finds the road to happiness is filled with obstacles.
On his 30th birthday, T.K. gets a surprise visit from someone from his past that could change his and Carlos’ lives forever. Now officially husband and husband, T.K. and Carlos’ marriage is put to the test when Carlos becomes obsessed with solving his father’s murder.
Kaitlin Olson stars in ‘High Potential’ (ABC/David Bukach)
Kaitlyn Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) shines in ABC’s new procedural High Potential, based on the French crime series HPI. Olson stars as Morgan, a brilliant single mom of three who accidentally becomes involved in solving a murder case. Episode one introduces Morgan as a free spirit with a mind that never stops, leading to problems at home and work.
The following is a recap of episode one, which aired on September 17, 2024. There are spoilers ahead – you’ve been warned!
Episode one begins with Morgan (Olson) stripping out of her faux leopard-print jacket and high-heeled boots, putting on her just a shade less sexy uniform, and dancing her way through a night-time job at the LAPD Major Crime Unit. Wearing fishnets and pink headphones, Morgan rocks out as she works her way through the building tidying up. Sometimes, that means dancing on desks while dusting, and sometimes, that means pulling off club moves while vacuuming.
She apparently took the “dance like no one is watching” suggestion to heart.
On the night we meet her, she inadvertently knocks over a case file and spills photos on the floor. Morgan peruses its contents, glances at the murder board, and switches the primary suspect to “victim.”
The next morning, Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata, Power Book II: Ghost) does a quick recap of the evidence for our sake and for his boss, Lt. Selena Soto (Judy Reyes, Succession). Anthony Acosta was murdered with a shotgun. Survivors include his daughter Letty who’s in college at Santa Cruz, and the primary suspect, his wife, Lynette (the one Morgan thinks is actually a victim), who has since vanished.
Adam notices the change to the murder board. I mean, if it hadn’t noticed it, he’d really suck at being a detective, right? No one fesses up to marking up his board.
Meanwhile, Morgan takes her three kids grocery shopping, which gives the new drama its first opportunity to show off Morgan’s “special skills.” She knows exactly how much her groceries should cost to the penny, and when her total doesn’t match the cashier’s, she guides her through every discount that should have been applied but wasn’t. Morgan is right, the cashier is wrong, and those of us who hate math are suitably impressed.
Eldest daughter Ava (Amirah J) is beyond embarrassed that they’re forced to take the bus home with the shopping cart full of groceries. Apparently, the car is too expensive to fix. Her son, Elliot (Matthew Lamb), has his mom’s math talent and tries to figure out what it would cost. Morgan’s third child, Chloe, is just a baby and doesn’t weigh in on the bus/car/grocery shopping discussion.
They make it home with the cart, and helpful next-door neighbor Henry – who is also the babysitter – assists with putting away the groceries. Their brief conversation provides the tidbit that Morgan still talks to her ex-husband, Ludo, every day. They are friendly co-parents, even if they’re not together.
Judy Reyes, Daniel Sunjata, and Javicia Leslie in ‘High Potential’ episode 1 (Disney/David Bukach)
Back at the station, the team watches security footage of Morgan dancing her way through her shift and changing the board. Morgan’s brought into the station to explain why she tampered with a murder case. She reveals she has a compulsion; if she sees a mistake, she has to correct it. Lt. Soto gets an earful when she asks what mistakes Morgan found in the case file. Morgan methodically goes through the photos, pointing out the house is meticulous except for the curtains. A missing tieback must have been used to tie someone’s hands while the legs were taped to a chair. And since the murder victim didn’t have marks around his hands, there’s another victim. And drumroll, please, that victim is the person the detectives have designated the primary suspect.
Morgan wants to go home and fry up her expiring ham, but Adam says not so fast. They need the results back from the lab before she can leave, so of course, the other members of the team – Detectives Daphne Forrester (Javicia Leslie, Batwoman) and Lev “Oz” Ozdil (Deniz Akdeniz, The Flight Attendant) – arrive with the results on cue. Morgan’s right, again, but Adam refuses to back down and locks her up. He doesn’t believe she put this all together and thinks she could be involved in the murder.
Lt. Soto and Adam admit they have a botched homicide investigation, a second victim somewhere, and no leads. Because Morgan is…say it with me…right about everything.
The team discovers footage from Acosta’s house showing a woman identified as Lishka at the murder scene around the time of the shooting. Lishka had threatened Lynette Acosta over a lawsuit she lost, and during questioning, Lishka admits she was angry with Lynette. However, she claims she wasn’t at Lynette’s house yesterday, even though that’s what the security footage timestamp indicates. She was working at home, but no one saw her.
Morgan’s walking through the bullpen after finally being released when she hears the team discussing the fresh developments. They don’t ask for her opinion, but she chimes in anyway, informing the foursome the date on the timestamp is wrong. The wind’s blowing from the wrong direction for this time of year. And she can tell the wind’s direction because there’s a Catholic church in the background and all churches face east. (I didn’t know that, but Google confirms most churches face that direction.)
The footage is months old, which means someone doctored the security footage. It also means Lishka is innocent. Morgan heads off after not even getting a thank you, and Selena chases her down. Morgan admits she has a 160 IQ and is technically a high-potential intellectual, hence the series’ name. She has advanced cognitive capabilities and can’t keep a job (or a relationship) because she obsesses over every little thing.
Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, and Kaitlin Olson in ‘High Potential’ episode 1 (Disney/David Bukach)
15 minutes in we’re introduced to Morgan’s ex, Ludo (Taran Killam), when he meets her outside the station, worried that she got arrested again. Barely released, she immediately engages in a shouting match with cops that escalates into a brawl. Fortunately, she and Ludo are only feet from LAPD’s front door, so it’s a short walk back into a holding cell.
Detective Adam meets with the murder victim’s daughter, Letty, and promises he won’t stop looking for her mom. Letty reveals her mom felt guilty about Sarah, a colleague at work who committed suicide. Sarah wrote her mom a letter before her death, and that really shook her up.
Adam and Selena try to get access to Lynette’s office, but since she’s a defense attorney, they’re denied permission to go through her files. Adam wants to go to Lynette’s office and appeal in person, and Selena agrees, but only if he takes Morgan with him. Adam protests, but Selena points out Morgan noticed what they all missed.
While waiting outside the station for a ride, Morgan expresses her condolences to Letty for the murder of her dad and the disappearance of her mom. Letty shows Morgan recent photos of her mom on her phone, including one her mom sent just two days ago. Morgan empathizes with the girl because she has also experienced losing someone who has never been found.
Selena tries to bribe/intimidate Morgan into helping with their case and Morgan agrees, mostly because she sympathizes with Letty. Adam uses the murder board to show Morgan where the case now stands, including the missing letter from Sarah to Lynette they’d like to get their hands on.
Letty, Adam, Daphne, Oz, and Morgan arrive outside Lynette’s sister’s house, and Adam lays down the rules. No touching, talking, or doing anything. In other words, just stand there. Want to place bets on whether Morgan will abide by the rules?
Lynette’s sister, Sophia, says she knows nothing about Sarah and a letter. She hasn’t spoken to Lynette in two days, and Morgan correctly points out that Sophia is a botanist. (If you bet she would, you lost.) Morgan asks about her alibi and receives a warning from Adam in response.
After they leave Sophia’s, Morgan says they need to get their hands on that letter. Everyone agrees, but Adam doesn’t want Morgan involved in obtaining it. He doesn’t want her help and hopes she quits. Morgan walks off in a huff. Adam orders Oz to confirm Sophia’s alibi while he works on getting access to Lynette’s office and the letter.
Adam’s told he can only get into Lynette’s office if he gets a warrant. But, it turns out that Morgan has already broken into Lynette’s office, figured out the code to the safe, and has taken Sarah’s letter. All of which she confesses to Adam while he’s washing his hands in the men’s restroom.
The letter indicates that Lynette’s client who assaulted Lishka also assaulted Sarah, the paralegal on the case. This means the man who did the assault, Brian Diamond, is probably the killer. Morgan thinks this is the motive, but Adam informs her it doesn’t matter. The letter is now inadmissible. They can’t hang onto this letter, and they absolutely can’t use it in court. That’s not how the law works.
Adam orders Morgan to return the letter. And if she’s caught doing it, he’ll arrest her. He softens the order by saying they’ll then go talk to Brian.
Adam brings Brian in for questioning while Oz and Morgan watch through the one-way mirror. Unfortunately, Daphne checks Brian’s alibi and he wasn’t even in town on the day of the murder. He was in Fontana, a city Morgan describes as the “Kentucky of California.” (She said it, not me!) Morgan believes he’s so wealthy that he’d never be caught dead in Fontana. She screams through the window to ask why he was in Fontana.
Selena is forced to stop the interrogation before Adam can ask any further questions. It turns out someone noticed Morgan entering Lynette’s office twice and got this shut down. Adam warns Morgan to be grateful she’s not being arrested. This experiment is over.
Later at home, Ava admits she’s not like her mom or brother. She has a different dad – the person Morgan mentioned earlier who is missing – and Morgan remains convinced he didn’t choose to leave. Something must have happened all those years ago.
Daniel Sunjata in ‘High Potential’ episode 1 (Disney/David Bukach)
They’re eating breakfast the next morning when Adam shows up, wondering why she wanted him to ask about Fontana. Morgan reveals the one tchotchke on Sophia’s shelf that wasn’t dusty was from Fontana, so she probably just visited there with Brian. Morgan has an epiphany; the murder didn’t happen when they think it did, based on the flowers in Lynette’s recent photo she sent Letty.
Morgan believes Brian and Sophia were having an affair because Brian needed leverage to stay close to Lynette. Brian and Sophia must have gone to Lynette’s to pressure her but were surprised that Anthony was home.
Adam and Morgan head over to Lynette’s, and Morgan walks through the murder. She believes Anthony Acosta picked up his rifle, there was a struggle, and Brian shot him. Lynette saw it happen and they had to take care of her, too. Brian works in security technology and Sophia is a botanist, and Lynette’s living room is basically a greenhouse complete with state-of-the-art climate controls. All of which means Brian set the air to freezing and left Anthony there, dead. He then changed the security footage to show Lishka at the door months after she was actually there.
Then, he increased the temperature and cooked the house, unfreezing Anthony’s body and killing the flowers from Lynette’s last photo. That screwed with the time of death. Morgan notices a photo of a remote cabin the family owns, and they hustle over there to discover Lynette alive but tied up.
Selena credits Morgan with putting the pieces together and hands her a job offer. She wants Morgan to be a full-time consultant. Morgan doesn’t read the offer and just hands it back, thanking Selena but declining.
The next day, Morgan and Ava take a walk in the park. Morgan assures Ava that her father vanished. There’s no way he left voluntarily 15 years ago. He loved them both. Ava remains unconvinced.
Morgan changes her mind and accepts the job offer, with a few tweaks. She wants 20% more, child care, and Selena’s help locating Ava’s dad, Roman.
It’s a deal.
New episodes air on ABC on Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT.
Robert Pattinson (The Batman) stars as an “expendable,” a worked paid to die over and over and over again in Mickey 17. The official trailer reveals that each time he passes away, a clone (“multiple”) is created to carry on with his mission.
The cast of the sci-fi drama includes Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice), Steven Yeun (Beef), Academy Award nominee Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things). Three-time Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite) wrote the screenplay, based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, and directs.
“The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living,” reads Warner Bros Pictures’ synopsis.
Bong Joon Ho’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Darius Khondji, production designer Fiona Crombie, editor Yang Jinmo, visual effects supervisor Dan Glass, and costume designer Catherine George. Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bong Joon Ho, and Dooho Choi serve as producers. Brad Pitt, Jesse Ehrman, Peter Dodd, and Marianne Jenkins executive produce.
Mickey 17 was originally set for a March 2024 release before landing on a January 31, 2025 theatrical premiere.
Lionsgate has released the official trailer for Small Things Like These starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy and two-time Oscar nominee Emily Watson. The film is based on Claire Keegan’s critically acclaimed book, which she dedicated to those who suffered time in Ireland’s mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries. Currently, the drama sits at 83% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes following festival screenings.
“While working as a coal merchant to support his family, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent — and uncovers truths of his own — forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church,” reads Lionsgate’s synopsis.
Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Clare Dunne, and Helen Behan also star. Enda Walsh adapted Keegan’s book and Tim Mielants (Wil) directed. Murphy, Alan Moloney, Catherine Magee, Matt Damon, and Drew Vinton serve as producers. Executive producers include Ben Affleck, Michael Joe, Kevin Halloran, and Niamh Fagan.
Small Things Like These premieres in the UK and Ireland on November 1, 2024, and in the US on November 8th.
Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) delves into the true story of The Dating Game killer with her directorial debut Woman of the Hour. The teaser shows Kendrick playing a woman who gets a weird feeling from her date. And, it turns out, her instincts are spot-on.
“The stranger-than-fiction story of an aspiring actress in 1970s Los Angeles and a serial killer in the midst of a years-long murder spree, whose lives intersect when they’re cast on an episode of The Dating Game,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. It Follows‘ Daniel Zovatto stars as serial killer Rodney Alcala. Alcala was convicted of murdering five women, but it’s possible his death count is actually in the hundreds. He died in 2021 while awaiting execution.
The cast also includes Tony Hale (Veep), Nicolette Robinson (One Night in Miami…), Autumn Best (4400), Kathryn Gallagher (Gossip Girl), and Kelley Jakle (Pitch Perfect). Ian McDonald wrote the screenplay and Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz, and Raphael Margules serve as producers.
“I think I was aware of the story in the way that I have found about 50 percent of the population to be aware of the story, which is to say, ‘Oh yeah, I heard about that,'” said Kendrick in a recent interview with EW. “And really, what we’ve heard is once upon a time, there was a very violent, dangerous murderer who went on The Dating Game. But once I signed on to direct and I got to dive into some research and make tweaks, to me, the fact that he went on The Dating Game is the least interesting part of the story.”
Kendrick, Stuart Ford, Zach Garrett, Miguel A. Palos, Jr., Ian Mcdonald, Joe Penna, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Paul Barbeau, Sean Patrick O’Reilly, Andrew Deane, and Stephen Crawford executive produce.
Woman of the Hour premieres on Netflix on October 18, 2024.
Netflix’s season three trailer for Heartstopper begins by acknowledging that 16 is when things stop making sense. (And it doesn’t get any easier moving forward.) The trailer for the coming-of-age drama captures teen angst, and shows Charlie and Nick’s relationship is still incredibly complicated.
“Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through Season 3,” said series creator and writer Alice Oseman. “While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up. Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”
Joe Locke stars as Charlie and Kit Connor returns as Nick. The season three cast also includes Jenny Walser as Tori, William Gao as Tao, Yasmin Finney as Elle, Corinna Brown as Tara, Kizzy Edgell as Darcy, Tobie Donovan as Isaac, Rhea Norwood as Imogen, and Leila Khan as Sahar.
Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) and Eddie Marsan (Fair Play) are new additions to the third season’s cast, playing Nick’s aunt Diane and Charlie’s therapist Geoff. Bridgerton‘s Jonathan Bailey cameos as Jack Maddox, “an Instagram-famous classicist and Charlie’s celebrity crush.” Darragh Hand joins the new season as Michael Holden.
“Charlie would like to tell Nick that he loves him. Nick also has something important to say to Charlie. As the summer holiday ends and the months race on, the friends begin to realize that the school year will come with both its joys and its challenges,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “As they learn more about each other and their relationships, plan social events and parties, and start thinking about university choices, everyone must learn to lean on those they love when life doesn’t go to plan.”
Alice Oseman adapted her own bestselling book series and serves as an executive producer. Patrick Walters, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Euros Lyn also executive produce, with Andy Newbery directing.
The eight-episode season three premieres on October 3, 2024.
James Earl Jones in ‘Coming 2 America’ (Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios)
On September 9, 2024, we lost one of the great ones: James Earl Jones. Jones is one of the few people to achieve the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), but more important than awards was the passion, commitment, craft, and just sheer scale he brought to every role whether it was as the leading man, a supporting character, or just a voice. And he brought all that to the table whether he was doing Shakespeare or Sesame Street. He was truly a rare talent.
James Earl Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957 but gained acclaim for his work with the New York Shakespeare Festival taking on the Bard’s tragic heroes of Othello, Hamlet, Coriolanus, and King Lear. He would win a Tony Award for Best Actor for The Great White Hope (1968), a role that he reprised for the 1970 film adaptation, earning him his first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. He made his film debut six years earlier in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb for Stanley Kubrick. He also appeared in dozens of TV shows from Sesame Street and Faerie Tale Theatre to Dr. Kildare and Homicide: Life on the Streets. Jones also worked on mini-series such as Roots: The Next Generation and Jesus of Nazareth.
James Earl Jones in 20th Century Fox’s ‘The Great White Hope’
In James Earl Jones’ honor and to remember his legendary body of work, here are 10 must-see movies featuring his most memorable and iconic performances.
1. The Great White Hope (1970) as Jack Jefferson
Jones originated this role in Howard Sackler’s play, a fictionalized account of heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson (here renamed Jefferson), who in 1908, became the first Black man to hold the Heavyweight Championship of the world. But what Jefferson/Johnson could not beat was the prejudice of the times. Jones delivered a physically forceful performance combined with exceptional emotional subtlety. Jane Alexander also reprised her stage role opposite Jones as Jefferson’s interracial love interest. This marked his first juicy screen role, and he just devoured it.
2. The Man (1972), Douglass Dilman The Man was originally conceived as a TV movie that Paramount decided to release theatrically. It has the feel and look of a TV movie, but Rod Serling’s script based on Irving Wallace’s novel gave Jones a meaty role to sink his teeth into. Jones plays Sen. Douglass Dilman, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate who, through a series of tragic incidents, suddenly finds himself in the Oval Office as the first African American and first unelected President of the United States. But his presidency prompts some racist colleagues to immediately begin plotting his downfall.
Dilman is presented as an academic, specifically a former professor, and something of a quiet man. Neither of which seems to make him well-equipped for the cutthroat political realm he has just been thrown into. But watching Jones’ Dilman start to comprehend the ruthlessness of his colleagues and gain confidence in his own abilities to govern is a revelation. There are aspects of the film that are dated in historical ways (we have since had an unelected president as well as a Black president) and in cultural ways. But the film still resonates thanks to Jones’ performance as the ever-evolving Dilman who gains strength at each challenge and Serling’s stellar script that raises questions about politics and personal morality. This is an under-appreciated gem that you need to see.
Here’s dialogue from the film that reflects Serling’s skill as a writer and social commentator, and Jones delivers it with pitch-perfect ferocity: “We live in a time when violence is offered up as the panacea. The bullet seems to be the final instrument of political discourse. Men die violently, we bury them, we mourn for them, and we seek retribution. It’s a deadly pattern… a quote from Genesis: ‘Behold the dreamer. Come now therefore and let us slay him and we shall see what has become of his dream.’ We cannot murder the tyranny by murdering the tyrant and we cannot murder the dream by murdering the dreamer. And if we justify the taking of any life in the name of our morality, we’ve done nothing but murder our morality.”
3. Claudine (1974), Roop
This might be Jones’ most charming performance. He plays Roop, a Harlem-based garbage collector who decides to ask out a single mom, the Claudine of the title played by Diahann Carroll, who has six kids. There is a moment when Roop first visits Claudine’s home and is sitting in a chair that looks much too small and low for him, and he takes in the chaos of the family with a quiet bemusement. It is just such a wonderful piece of acting by Jones that it remains vivid decades later.
Claudine is a reality-based comedy on the fringes of Blaxploitation, so Jones gets to also display some grit and anger as he faces the absurdity of the welfare system in the ’70s. And in a challenge to the Hollywood happily-ever-after rom-com ending, Jones gets to dig into some poignant vulnerability as he shows Roop trying to navigate living on minimum wage with ex-wives, kids, and a potential new family to support. Jones makes a fabulous leading man to Carroll’s Claudine. The husband-wife writing team of Lester and Tina Pine gives them great material to work with as they spar, fall in love, and face the challenges of being poor and Black in America of the 1970s.
4. The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), Leon Carter
Since James Earl Jones has so many great performances, I am doing a little cheat here and picking just one baseball role to reflect his trilogy of baseball home runs hits; the other two being Field of Dreams and The Sandlot. While all three films have their merits, I am going with The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings as my pick for its combination of Jones’ performance, a stellar Black ensemble, and the window it provides to the real-life Negro Leagues of the 1930s.
Heading the cast with Jones are Billy Dee Williams as the dashing pitcher Bingo, Richard Pryor as the ever-industrious Charlie Snow, and Stan Shaw as Esquire Joe Callaway, the young star with major league talent. Jones has a rollicking good time with this ensemble, and we get a little history as well. The tone is mostly light, but it acknowledges the prejudice that was always lurking for the players. Again, Jones has a silent moment that sublimely captures a series of contrasting emotions as he hears that Joe will be going to the Major Leagues. Jones lets us see Carter’s his incredulity that the offer is real transition to sadness at the opportunity he was denied to his joy that the color barrier will be broken, and finally a realization that an era is ending. It’s a beautiful, bittersweet moment all captured in a look.
5. The Greatest (1977), Malcolm X
Five years earlier, before acting in The Greatest, Jones narrated an excellent documentary about the life of Malcolm X, the assassinated Black civil rights leader. In 1977, Muhammed Ali’s biopic The Greatest became the first film to put Malcolm X as a character on screen. Malcolm X was an important figure in Ali’s life and Jones does a memorable job portraying him in a supporting role.
6. Star Wars Franchise (1977-2019)
Again, a little cheat. James Earl Jones has a magnificent, velvety voice, which has been put to great use in multiple films as either a narrator or for a character. So, I will just highlight the one most memorable one to represent them all: voicing Darth Vader. He was also great in The Lion King (1994) as Mufasa but his work as Darth Vader is iconic. You cannot possibly imagine Star Wars without his contribution or accept any other voice as Vader. And you may be hearing his voice for years to come as Vader because Jones worked with a company called Respeecher to clone his voice for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and he signed over permission to recreate his voice for projects after his death. So, Vader will always be James Earl Jones, and rightfully so.
7. Conan the Barbarian (1982) , Thulsa Doom
With Darth Vader under his belt, Jones tackled another villain with delicious gusto, Thulsa Doom. Thulsa is a snake cult wizard and leader who beheads Conan’s mom and sends the boy into slavery to set the revenge in motion. Sure, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the beefcake attraction, and the film is based on Robert E. Howard’s pulpy novel, but director John Milius takes it all seriously and has an over-the-top flair for this kind of violent, muscular male action so the final product an operatic flair. Jones tackled the role with gravitas, and his voice alone literally has the power to hypnotize people in the film.
James Earl Jones made Thulsa the perfect nemesis to drive the plot. He is even effectively menacing in that crazy wig that was even worse than the one he had in Meteor Man. Although Jones did not chew the scenery like Frank Langella did as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe or Raul Julia did as Bison in Street Fighter, all three actors displayed an ability to have fun with their roles while still taking the work seriously and elevating the films.
8. Matewan (1987), “Few Clothes” Johnson
Writer-director John Sayles always had a good eye for casting, and he certainly knew what he was doing when he went after James Earl Jones for this historical drama about a 1920 coal miners’ strike in the hills of West Virginia. Jones was a huge score for the indie filmmaker, but fortunately, Jones was the kind of actor who moved between Hollywood and indie films with ease. Chris Cooper plays union activist Joe Kenehan who wants to bring together Blacks and whites, locals and immigrants, miners and scabs to unionize the miners and fight the ruthless mining executives. Jones plays “Few Clothes” Johnson, a Black miner brought in as a “scab” to cross the picket line of the white workers, and he is even encouraged to kill Kenehan by the anti-union faction.
Jones brings great humanity and dignity to the role. His sense of authenticity in creating his character is perfectly matched by Sayles’ determination to depict the sacrifice and determination of the miners to have decent working conditions.
9. Coming to America (1988) , King Jaffe Joffer
James Earl Jones always had a regal bearing, so it is only right to highlight a performance where he actually got to play a King. His dignity, solemnity, and sense of tradition (all delivered with a bit of a wink) played well off Eddie Murphy’s young prince. Shades of Mufasa perhaps. Coming 2 America, more than three decades later, would prove to be Jones’ final onscreen credit. Once again Jones teases us with his comedic abilities.
10. Cry, the Beloved Country (1995), Rev. Stephen Kumalo Cry, the Beloved Country came out the year after Apartheid officially ended in South Africa and in the same year that Nelson Mandela was elected the country’s president. But the film, adapted from Alan Paton’s novel, is set in 1940s South Africa just before apartheid took hold. James Earl Jones plays Rev. Stephen Kumalo, who comes to Johannesburg to visit his son who has been charged with murdering a white man whose father, James Jarvis (Richard Harris), supports segregation. The two men, despite their differences, discover some common ground and common humanity, allowing the film to end with guarded hope. The film was also adapted in 1951 with Canada Lee as Kumalo, Charles Carson as Jarvis, and Sidney Poitier as another reverend.
BONUS TV movies:
I had to add these bonus picks because there are no theatrical films of Jones doing Shakespeare, and sadly no recording of any kind of him playing Othello to Christopher Plummer’s Iago. Great Performances, however, did capture his magnificent and heartbreakingly tragic performance as King Lear (1974) for Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park in New York City. Another great performance filmed for television was his one-man stage show, in which he played the great Paul Robeson and gave us one legend paying tribute to another.
Susan Misner reprises her guest starring role from season five on the season six premiere of CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted. And the first batch of photos from the first episode shows Abby and Remy’s relationship will continue to be explored. Directed by Ken Girotti from a script by David Hudgins, episode one – “Aquarium Drinker” – will air on October 15, 2024. New season six episode will air on Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT.
Dylan McDermott returns to lead the cast as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott. Season six also stars Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase, Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson, and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon.
“Aquarium Drinker” Plot: When a detective is brutally murdered, the Fugitive Task Force investigates a string of gruesome killings. Meanwhile, Remy and Abby’s (Misner) relationship grows stronger.
FBI: Most Wanted is a high-stakes drama that focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, an elite unit that relentlessly pursues and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted list. The team’s charming but formidable leader is Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, who started his career in the New York FBI field office before rising through the ranks of the Bureau in Philadelphia and Las Vegas.
The team includes Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, a former NYPD detective and forensics expert; Special Agent Hana Gibson, a gifted millennial computer whiz with a sharp wit and mad hacking skills; Special Agent Ray Cannon, who is a former New Orleans cop-turned-junior detective and worked Violent Crimes in Albany after following in his retired FBI agent father’s footsteps; along with well-seasoned Special Agent Nina Chase who worked assorted cases with the FBI’s New York office and among her strengths is her undercover work.
David Boreanaz as Jason Hayes in ‘SEAL Team’ episode 8, season 7 (Photo credit: Pablo Arellano Spataro/Paramount+)
The countdown to the end of Paramount+’s SEAL Team stands at just three new episodes, with season seven episode eight set to stream on Sunday, September 22, 2024. The final season’s been an emotional roller coaster, and episode eight, “Appetite for Destruction,” promises to continue to up the ante as we edge toward the October 6th series finale.
Season seven stars David Boreanaz as Jason Hayes, Neil Brown Jr. as Ray Perry, A.J. Buckley as Sonny Quinn, Toni Trucks as Lieutenant Lisa Davis, Raffi Barsoumian as Omar Hamza, and Beau Knapp as Drew Franklin.
“Appetite For Destruction” Plot: BRAVO finds fentanyl in a chop shop and destroys it, along with all the guards. Later, the team makes a shocking discovery at Nazario’s camp.
Raffi Barsoumian as Omar Hamza, Beau Knapp as Drew Franklin and David Boreanaz as Jason Hayes in episode 8, season 7 (Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+)
The series follows the lives of the Navy SEALs’ most elite unit as they execute dangerous high-stakes operations to defend their country at a deeply personal cost. In the final season, Jason Hayes (Boreanaz) struggles to balance his warrior’s existence with the responsibilities of single fatherhood. Ray Perry (Brown Jr.), his trusted second in command, questions whether he will be able to leave the battlefield behind as his retirement nears. Dedicated door-kicker Sonny Quinn (Buckley) battles against changing tides as Jason and Ray’s shifting focus means that other teammates must shoulder more responsibility. Both Omar Hamza (Barsoumian) and Drew Franklin (Knapp) find diving into work an effective way to distance themselves from their past traumas.
Vital to mission success is Lieutenant Lisa Davis (Trucks), a no-nonsense officer who ushers the team into a new era of warfare against powerful rivals for supremacy on the world stage. Ripped away from their loved ones at a moment’s notice to be deployed across the globe, Bravo team remains dedicated to their duties. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, they know this is the price to keep the families they left behind safe.
Justin Melnick as Brock Reynolds and Beau Knapp as Drew Franklin in season 7 episode 8 (Photo Credit: Pablo Arellano Spataro/Paramount+)Beau Knapp as Drew Franklin and A.J. Buckley as Sonny Quinn in episode 8, season 7 (Photo Credit: Pablo Arellano Spataro/Paramount+)Beau Knapp as Drew Franklin, Raffi Barsoumian as Omar Hamza, and David Boreanaz as Jason Hayes in ‘SEAL Team’ episode 8, season 7 (Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+)Raffi Barsoumian as Omar Hamza and Neil Brown Jr. as Ray Perry in episode 8, season 7 (Photo Credit: Pablo Arellano Spataro/Paramount+)
The 118’s leadership situation is going to get complicated in ABC’s 9-1-1 season eight, with Bobby back and Gerard – a horrible choice – now the captain. But first, the season kicks off with a “bee-nado.” 22 million killer bees (not just regular old bees) have escaped, and they’re descending on Los Angeles.
Season eight episode one will air on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT.
The cast is led by Peter Krause as Bobby Nash and Angela Bassett as Athena Grant-Nash. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Maddie Han, Oliver Stark is Evan “Buck” Buckley, Kenneth Choi is Howie “Chimney” Han, Aisha Hinds stars as Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, Ryan Guzman is Eddie Diaz, and Gavin McHugh is Christopher Diaz.
“Buzzkill” Plot: The 118 team battles an “un-bee-lievable” emergency when a trailer with millions of bees crashes on the streets of Los Angeles, unleashing a swarm.
Kenneth Choi and Aisha Hinds in ‘9-1-1’ season 8 episode 1 (Disney/Christopher Willard)
9-1-1 Synopsis, Courtesy of ABC:
The series explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders — including police officers, firefighters and dispatchers — who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping conditions. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
The show draws from the real lives of first responders who regularly face situations that are often unpredictable, intense and uplifting at the same time.
Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman and Oliver Stark in season 8 episode 1 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Bryan Safi and Jennifer Love Hewitt in season 8 episode 1 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Angela Bassett in the “Buzzkill” episode (Disney/Christopher Willard)Brian Thompson, Oliver Stark, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman and Aisha Hinds in the season 8 premiere (Disney/Christopher Willard)Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman and Oliver Stark in season 8 episode 1 (Disney/Christopher Willard)Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, and Ryan Guzman in the season 8 premiere (Disney/Christopher Willard)
