Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge recalls growing up in Leavenworth and seeing the prison from her backyard in the official trailer for Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken. The documentary series spotlights Etheridge’s work with Topeka Correctional Facility residents and explores the increase in female incarceration over the past four decades.
Brian Morrow and Amy Scott directed the two-part docuseries, with Shark Pig Studios’ Jonathan Lynch producing. Etheridge serves as an executive producer along with Primary Wave Music’s Deb Klein; BMG Films’ Kathy Rivkin Daum and William Kennedy; and MTV Entertainment Studios’ Bruce Gillmer and Michael Maniaci.
Melissa Etheridge in ‘Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken’ (Photo Credit: James Moes / Paramount+)
“Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken tells an inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music when five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in Kansas, write letters to Etheridge that she then uses as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them. Having recently lost her son to opioids, Etheridge works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction while connecting with these women who, so often, are forgotten by society,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis. “Additionally, the docuseries explores themes of female incarceration, redemption, substance abuse, generational trauma, grief and healing. With female incarceration rates up 700 percent since 1980, Etheridge bonds with the women through the conduit of music as an act of empathy, understanding and hope.”
The docuseries premieres on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 on Paramount+.
Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy in ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 (Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO)
Co-creator, writer, and executive producer Ryan Condal takes on sole showrunner duties with the much-anticipated second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon. Season one ended with Queen Alicent snatching the crown from the rightful heir, Princess Rhaenyra, following the death of King Viserys Targaryen. Alicent conspired with her father, Ser Otto Hightower (Hand of the King), and the small council to name Aegon ruler of the Seven Kingdoms before Rhaenyra learned of the death of her beloved father.
Season two finds the Seven Kingdoms on the verge of what promises to be an incredibly bloody civil war. Once best friends, Rhaenyra (Team Black) and Alicent (Team Green) are now powerful opposing forces in the battle for the Iron Throne.
House of the Dragon season two premieres on June 16, 2024, with new episodes airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. HBO hosted a press conference in support of the new season, which was divided into three parts: Ryan Condal alone and then Condal with Team Green, followed by Condal with Team Black. The following are key takeaways from Condal’s portion of the press conference.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Ryan Condal Press Conference Highlights
Confirming season two’s new dragon count:
Ryan Condal: “I think I promised five and I think it’s still correct. I said five a year and a half ago and I think I’m sticking to it, so five new ones that you haven’t seen before, I think…”
On season one’s finale setting the stage for the scope of season two:
Ryan Condal: “Well, that was the place that, going back now five years, we always wanted to end the first season with because we felt like that was the proper moment that sort of catalyzed everything else that followed. But really, the question was how do you build up to that moment and have it not only land as a moment of spectacle and shock and all that, but something truly rooted in the many years-long character dynamics that we’ve been setting up since Rhaenyra and Alicent were children? And we felt like if we did that and then that moment would land with the impact that I think it did, then we’d be off to the races.
And then at that point, people are invested. I think that’s my hope is that that’s where we are right now. [Season two] picks up a couple days later and off we go to the next horrible tragedy.”
On the loss of so many characters in season one influencing writing season two:
Ryan Condal: “I mean, it’s a point of no return in a way. I mean, there are multiple points of no return it feels like in this show because everything … it’s one of these kinds of entrenched conflicts. So, you have these two sides that share a lot of common history that hate each other, and the hatred only gets worse as things go on and the tragedies pile up. And it felt like Vhagar killing Luke was–that’s a big sea change in the way things are going to be looked at. And then what are they going to? What’s the counterpunch? What’s the counter-response to that?
And, again, we just wanted to set all that stuff up so that you know all of the characters and understand where they’re coming from, and what makes them weak and strong and what they want and what they love, and then throw them into the mix and see how they respond.”
Harry Collett, Emma D’Arcy, and Oscar Eskinazi in ‘House of the Dragon’ season 2 (Photograph by Theo Whitman/HBO)
Creating the balance between larger-than-life dragons and stunt work and vulnerable human emotions:
Ryan Condal: “I mean that’s the trick of the job. It’s television, ultimately, so you’re telling these big stories that are often at an intimate scale. I think the things that I’m proudest of in the show are often two characters in a room in conflict with one another because you’re making the shows 8 episodes, which amounts to probably about nine hours of television all end to end. You can’t fill it all with dragons fighting each other. You have to have these kind of stage stories. And those are the things that I think people engage with most are the character levels. So that when the spectacle comes, if you’ve done your job right, you care about the characters involved with the spectacle and that’s why you take up this really emotional experience out of it.”
On not just recreating the magic but finding new ways to elevate the story:
Ryan Condal: “We sort of run from one thing to the other in this show, so it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, there was a first season. It wasn’t just all one thing that ran into itself.’ No, I mean, I’ve said my anxiety in season one […] was is anybody going to watch the show? And because you’re following The Beatles, the most successful television show of all time, how do you follow that? You don’t. You just try to make something good that stands on its own.
I think that was the challenge in season one, and I think there are less nerves going into season two. But now we also have to kind of outdo ourselves, because that’s the expectation set before us.”
On Author George R.R. Martin’s involvement in season two:
Ryan Condal: “Well, look, I mean, he wrote the book, so in that way, he’s always with us. But yeah, he’s very busy [there] working in this massive universe. They want to make many more shows about this world. He’s definitely aware of what’s going on. I do keep in contact with him. But I think now that we’re kind of off to the races with the show and we’ve done a good job about rendering Fire and Blood into dramatic form, that I think we’re operating on our own now, in a good way. But George always looms large in the background of House of the Dragon.”
On the continuing appeal of the fantasy world created by George R.R. Martin:
Ryan Condal: “They’re just incredibly well-crafted stories and characters. It always goes back to the characters for me with that world. And I think if you were to move slightly beyond that, I would just say that the world is so textural and well-realized that it feels real. Even reading Fire and Blood, which again, is a fake history book … which is George’s words, not mine … it’s an in-world history written about this, which could be very dry but it’s incredibly engaging because it’s so textural.
I think because it’s … this is no secret, but Fire and Blood, or this story, this particular story is based on the Anarchy, which is a famous and very bloody conflict that happened in English Medieval history. I think those little touchpoints that connect to real history make it feel real versus coming into a world that’s entirely fantastical and entirely made up from whole cloth. It does feel like it actually happened in a lot of ways, particularly to me who lives it every day.
But I mean, I don’t know. I think that’s it. And that helps inform all of the sets and the banners and the costumes.”
Olivia Cooke in ‘house of the Dragon’ season 2 (Photograph by Theo Whitman/HBO)
Challenges faced by Alicent Hightower in season two following Aegon crowned King:
Ryan Condal: “I think Alicent gets put through the wringer this year and is really forced to kind of come to reckon with the fact that the thing that she was sort of groomed to do since she was 14 years old, by her father, which is to lift up the greatness of her own house, she’s done that and now she’s had a son who’s a king. [She] put him on the throne and, in doing so, has diminished her own power. Because the minute Aegon wears the crown, Alicent’s power as queen is reduced, because she’s no longer the queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She’s now the dowager queen, the queen that used to be.
I think she probably didn’t realize in the moment how much of a, even though it’s a subtle thing, power shift that is. And I think very much this season, so much of what Alicent experiences is reckoning with this thing that she was sort of made to do her entire life, did it, accomplished it, and then how it’s landed on her and what that means.”
Structuring season two without any time jumps:
Ryan Condal: “I mean, it was a great challenge in structuring season one just because of that. And really, it was less the sort of figuring out the time jumps, as they’ve been come to be called. It’s like how do you cover 20 years of story and history in 10 episodes of a brand-new television show and expect everybody to follow it?
I think in season one, really, up until the very end, the episodes sort of happen in these discrete timelines. So, the traditional tools that we rely on as storytellers where you have a cliffhanger at the end of episode two and then you pick up in episode three, you could do a little bit of that. But because they were happening in these, again, discrete time zones, it was harder to lean on that. So, these stories had to be kind of complete as formed.
And now in season two it’s very much … I think this is traditional serialized storytelling where it’s all happening in real-time, and we kind of move from episode to episode. And it’s exciting because it’s a way of keeping momentum moving and building excitement and all those things.
There were challenges definitely to season two, but I think season one was a particular narrative pretzel that I did. And I don’t know that we need to do that again.”
On the challenges of adapting such a complex, overarching story:
Ryan Condal: “I think there’s nothing unique necessarily about this show versus other shows that are multi-point-of-view. It’s just there are so many wonderful characters in the show, all of which have their own three-dimensional, four-dimensional, five-dimensional stories. It’s how do you keep the narrative moving forward, tell character stories within, and service everybody in a way that feels deeply rich and realized, and have them cross and interact with each other, sometimes when they’re not literally crossing and interacting.
And something I’m particularly proud of this season that we found in the sort of post-production process is, as everybody knows, Alicent and Rhaenyra are – even though they spent much of season one together, they’re now apart. They’re literally on different islands and they don’t interact with each other. But in the editing, we found ways to connect those characters. If you see Alicent going through something particularly deep and emotional and you cut to Rhaenyra, there is a kind of filmmaking connection there. And I don’t know, I think that it’s the dimensionality of the story and just trying to keep all those plates spinning with a cast of fantastic actors from top to bottom. You want to give them all the screen time they deserve.”
Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 3 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Dennis P. Mong Jr./Paramount +)
Paramount+ Mayor of Kingstown season three episode one confirmed Miriam passed away, Robert is back to causing chaos on the streets, and the Aryan Brotherhood is going to continue to wage war on other gangs and Mike. Plus, there’s a new Russian mob boss in town.
Season three episode two opens with Mike (Jeremy Renner) thinking about incarceration being a business and prisoners just their product. Mike knows convictions affect entire families. He also believes that cops/COs are trapped in their own cages, as well.
Over at the prison, one of Raphael’s men – Big Hush – becomes violently ill, foaming at the mouth and in intense pain. Hush dies within minutes as the gang attempts to figure out what to do next.
Mike’s back to taking meetings in his office, and his first of the day is with a mom whose son was murdered. The killer, Greg Stewart, turned out to be her son’s friend who pretended to know nothing about the incident while comforting her in the days following her son’s death. Greg’s locked up in StoneBrook Prison, but after years of serving his sentence, the parole board has just agreed to release him. Anna (Paula Malcomson) wonders if Mike can make something happen that would add years to his sentence and overturn the release.
He’ll look into it but doesn’t make any promises.
Mike rings Carney (Lane Garrison) to get the number of his sister who works at StoneBrook. While they’re on the phone, an emergency call from a janitor comes over the radio reporting a dead body in a storage room and demanding help. Apparently, it’s a very bloody scene.
Carney’s still on the phone with Mike when he takes off running. He enters the storage room and, yes, there’s LOTS of blood. He takes a tumble, slipping in guts and gore. The scene’s so grotesque that even Carney tosses his cookies.
Mike meets with Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) who confirms a heroin balloon probably popped inside Hush. It happens. Bunny also confirms one of his people, Sharon, gave the balloons to Hush, and that junkies won’t care if it was “squeezed out of Hush like toothpaste.” Mike wants Bunny to press pause on Sharon’s deliveries, but Bunny refuses. Mike leaves with a final warning to be smart.
Emma Laird as Iris in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 3 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Dennis P. Mong Jr./ Paramount+)
Elsewhere, Iris (Emma Laird) gets pulled over after blowing through a few stop signs. The situation escalates when Iris refuses to step out of the car after admitting she doesn’t have a license. Instead, she tries to start the car.
Warden Kareem Moore (Michael Beach) orders Carney to lock down the yard after two inmates begin convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
Bunny suspects someone got to Sharon. He calls Mike and suggests that Sharon must have cut the heroin. Mike reminds Bunny he warned him to reach out to Sharon, and Bunny’s worried they’ll come after Raphael for retribution. Mike promises he’ll make it right, and Bunny understandably worries about what that will entail.
Assistant district attorney Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) shows up at the prison to investigate the deaths. People are dying on the streets too, and Warden Moore explains that after Hush died from what they thought was a balloon rupturing, the Crips cut him open and sold the remaining balloons anyway. However, it turns out that heroin isn’t the cause of these deaths. It’s some sort of poison brought into the prison by a mule working for Bunny and the Crips.
Carney’s in desperate need of a mental health day after slipping and sliding in Hush’s guts. Instead, he’s still at work and talking to Mike who’s just showed up to get to the bottom of things. Mike meets with Raphael (D Smoke) and claims he’s speaking for Bunny when he says Raphael needs to cut a deal with the Mexicans for a clean supply. Raphael doesn’t think they’ll work with him, so Mike suggests the Colombians or Guatemalans as alternatives. Raph doesn’t trust Mike, but Mike doesn’t care. If Raphael offers a double payout, the Mexicans or whoever will make a deal.
Kareem and Carney get into it over Mike, with Kareem insisting Mike’s a criminal who aids other criminals. Carney believes that Mike is their only shot at keeping any semblance of peace and that he can be trusted.
Meanwhile, Kyle (Taylor Handley) calls Mike with news that Iris isn’t home. She took their mom’s car hours ago to grab some groceries and hasn’t returned. Kyle gives Mike a hard time about not meeting his nephew yet, and Mike promises to drop in later. He doesn’t seem concerned that Iris is gone.
Evelyn has Mike meet her at the morgue, and he forces her to admit she needs his help. They’ve determined the heroin’s laced with a combination of drugs but haven’t figured out the combo yet. She points out the bodies of a 22-year-old, a 30-year-old, and a mother of three who doesn’t have a history of long-term drug use. (She also doesn’t have any track marks.) Evelyn describes the victims as breaking out in sores like lepers. It’s happening on the streets and in the prison. She’s worried it will hit the schools next.
Mike admits he doesn’t know what’s going on.
While Iris is being booked at the police station and refusing to allow her fingerprints to be taken, Kyle and Tracy are at home with their new baby. Kyle’s spent six hours struggling to put a piece of baby furniture together, with Tracy laughing at his frustration. Luckily for Kyle, he’s allowed to take a break when Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley) and his wife, Patty, show up to visit the new baby.
Kyle has a private chat with Robert and confesses he’s considering transferring to SWAT. Robert doesn’t think it’s a good match and suggests Kyle stay in Homicide.
Ian (Hugh Dillon) and Mike have a late-night talk at the diner, and Ian reveals they found Sharon murdered across the street from Anchor Bay. Mike believes she messed with Bunny’s drugs and wonders if there’s anyone new in town. Ian says there’s a new Russian named Konstantin cleaning up after Milo … an important bit of news that Mike can’t believe he wasn’t already looped in on.
Carney briefly joins them, pissed off that Kareem reassigned him to def-watch. He’s forced to pick through mounds of literal sh*t all afternoon. Mike excuses Kareem’s behavior, reminding him that Kareem has PTSD and deserves a break. Carney understands that but claims that doesn’t make Kareem a saint. “And it’s not like he didn’t even the f**king score,” adds Carney.
Mike’s stunned. He asks Carney to explain, but Carney just walks off.
Mike and Ian head to Sharon’s brother’s house and ask if he knows why his car was at Anchor Bay. They don’t mention his sister’s death and instead ask what she did with the drugs she skimmed off Bunny. Lucas denies she would ever go against Bunny. He doesn’t seem to have any idea what she’s up to, and finally, Ian breaks the news that Sharon is dead.
Mike calls it a night and leaves a voice message for Iris before turning in. He tells her it’s okay if she took off; he just wants to make sure she’s okay.
Mike was unable to get Greg the killer’s parole revoked. Carney’s sister told him Greg was a model prisoner who did everything right. The murderer victim’s mom, Anna, thanks Mike for trying and hands him a roll of cash, noting that he has a caring face.
Tobi Bamtefa as Bunny and Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky in ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 3 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Dennis P. Mong Jr./ Paramount+)
Morning arrives, and Mike calls Bunny to tell him he’s the target of whatever’s going on. Someone’s messing with his product, but they don’t know who.
Gunner, the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood who’s on the verge of being released, is suffocated to death while talking to his daughter in the visitor’s area. The daughter can only scream for help and watch in horror as another AB prisoner murders her father.
Mike finally makes it home to meet his nephew. As he pulls into the driveway, he sees the happy family through the window. Mike pauses for a moment and then backs out of the driveway.
Episode two ends with Anna waiting at a bus stop. The bus arrives and a man steps out. She calls out, “Greg,” and when he turns to face her, she shoots him four times in the chest.
Mike knocks on Evelyn’s door late at night. They exchange looks but no words are spoken as she lets him in.
HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon season two promises to be brutal, bloody, and loaded with dragon action. Lines have been drawn and crossed, allegiances will be tested, and war will rage on until either Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Team Black) or King Aegon II Targaryen and Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower (Team Green) emerge victorious.
As Cersei Lannister said to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”
Season two of the critically acclaimed fantasy series premieres on June 16, 2024, with new episodes of the eight-episode season airing on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT.
For those who need a refresher, HBO’s released official character descriptions for the returning cast. Plus, the network released details on actors and characters who are new to the series for season two.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, uncle and husband to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and brother to the late King Viserys I. A peerless yet erratic warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon.
Emma D’Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, a dragonrider and the late King Viserys I’s first-born child and named heir. Her claim to the Iron Throne has been usurped by her younger half-brother, Aegon II.
Olivia Cooke as Queen Dowager Alicent Hightower, the late King Viserys I’s second wife, who served him, her father, Ser Otto Hightower, and the realm, faithfully. Alicent is the mother to Viserys’ first-born son, Aegon II, who now sits the Iron Throne.
Rhys Ifans as Ser Otto Hightower, esteemed Hand to two previous Kings, Ser Otto now staunchly supports the claim of his grandson Aegon II to the Iron Throne.
Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.
Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, a skilled dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Queen Who Never Was” was passed over as heir to the throne because the lords of the realm favored her cousin, Viserys.
Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven who has risen to be Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and Queen Alicent’s sworn protector.
Matthew Needham as Lord Larys Strong, younger son of late master of laws Lyonel Strong, named Lord of Harrenhal following the sudden and suspicious deaths of his father and brother, Larys seeks to gain influence by ingratiating himself with those who wield power.
Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, known as “the White Worm,” she was once the proprietor of a brothel and the paramour of Prince Daemon Targaryen, and more recently a mistreated informant to Otto Hightower.
Tom Glynn-Carney as King Aegon II Targaryen, the first-born son of the late King Viserys. A dragonrider that now sits the Iron Throne, Aegon is eager to prove himself as a leader.
Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen, the younger brother to Aegon II. As a child, Aemond claimed the largest dragon in the realm, Vhagar, leading to a fight in which he lost an eye.
Harry Collett as Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, a dragonrider and the eldest son and heir of Queen Rhaenyra, though his paternity has been called into question.
Bethany Antonia as Lady Baela Targaryen, the eldest daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, Baela is betrothed to Prince Jacaerys and rides the young dragon Moondancer.
Phoebe Campbell as Lady Rhaena Targaryen, the younger sister of Lady Baela. Though she is eager to be a dragonrider like her sister, she has not claimed a dragon.
Phia Saban as Queen Helaena Targaryen, the sister and wife to King Aegon II and mother to the young Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera. Considered strange by her family, she often perceives things that others do not. Helaena claimed Dreamfyre, but chooses not to ride her dragon.
Jefferson Hall as Ser Tyland Lannister, a crafty and calculating politician, serving as master of ships on Aegon II’s small council.
Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister, the haughty Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland Lannister.
Kurt Egyiawan as Grand Maester Orwyle, a scholar and healer for the realm, providing counsel to King Aegon II.
Paul Kennedy as Lord Jasper “Ironrod” Wylde, the master of laws on King Aegon II’s small council.
Luke Tittensor as Ser Arryk Cargyll, a member of the Kingsguard and loyal supporter of King Aegon II – despite his twin brother’s loyalty to Queen Rhaenyra.
Elliott Tittensor as Ser Erryk Cargyll, a former member of Viserys’ Kingsguard who left King’s Landing – and his twin brother – to swear fealty to Queen Rhaenyra and join her Queensguard.
Anthony Flanagan as Ser Steffon Darklyn, a knight on the black council and commander of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard.
Max Wrottesley as Ser Lorent Marbrand, a knight on the black council and member of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard.
Phil Daniels as Maester Gerardys, a healer and advisor for Queen Rhaenyra at Dragonstone.
Nicholas Jones as Lord Bartimos Celtigar, a traditionalist member of Queen Rhaenyra’s black council.
Michael Elywn as Lord Simon Staunton, a loyal member of Queen Rhaenyra’s black council.
Michelle Bonnard as Madam Sylvi, the proprietor of an upscale brothel.
Jordon Stevens as Elinda Massey, a trusted handmaiden to Queen Rhaenyra.
Winners of the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced during a ceremony held on June 7, 2024, with the legendary Dick Van Dyke entering the record book as the oldest winner of a Daytime Emmy. Van Dyke won his record-setting award in the Performance In A Daytime Drama Series category for Days of our Lives.
“Tonight, we celebrated the remarkable achievements of daytime television’s finest. Our broadcast was filled with unforgettable moments, including the recognition of Melody Thomas Scott and Edward J. Scott, shining examples of the enduring legacy and exceptional contributions within our industry,” stated Adam Sharp, President & CEO of NATAS.
Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner hosted the ceremony held in downtown Los Angeles and airing live on CBS. Winners were voted on by 1,000+ professionals involved in the television industry.
Daytime Emmy Awards Winners
DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES – General Hospital
DAYTIME TALK SERIES – The Kelly Clarkson Show
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES – Entertainment Tonight
CULINARY SERIES – Be My Guest with Ina Garten
LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS – Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless
LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR – Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS – Courtney Hope as Sally Spectra, The Young and the Restless
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR – Robert Gossett as Marshall Ashford, General Hospital
GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES – Dick Van Dyke as Mystery Man/Timothy Robicheaux, Days of our Lives
DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST – Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark
DAYTIME PERSONALITY – DAILY – Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight
WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES – General Hospital
DIRECTING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES – General Hospital
Paramount+ just released the official trailer for the 2-D animated series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which finds the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem cast reprising their voice roles. Micah Abbey returns as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. voices Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu voices Leonardo, Brady Noon voices Raphael, and Ayo Edebiri is back as April O’Neil.
Paramount+ has set an August 9, 2024 premiere date for all 12 episodes of the first season.
“The all-new Paramount+ original series Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis. “Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple.”
The streamer just announced Pete Davidson and Alanna Ubach will guest star in season one. Per the announcement, Davidson is voicing “Rod, a lazy rich kid who loves Mutants so much, he’ll do everything in his power to become one.” Ubach is playing Bishop, “a brilliant inventor who believes mutants are the greatest danger to humanity and that all of them, including the Turtles, must be eliminated.”
Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]) serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.
Poster for ‘Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (Photo credit: Paramount+)
Netflix is expanding its already impressive roster of animated projects with new films including Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and K-Pop: Demon Hunters. The streamer’s also introducing new animated series including Terminator Zero, Twilight of the Gods, and Exploding Kittens.
Anime fans can look forward to the new series Tokyo Override and Leviathan, as well as the films Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie and My Oni Girl. According to Netflix, its anime programming is incredibly popular and pulled in more than one billion views last year.
Netflix’s family programming includes Jurassic World: Chaos Theory season two, Jentry Chau vs the Underworld, Motel Transylvania, Wolf King, Ghostbusters, and Minecraft.
Netflix’s Animated Films Lineup:
Ultraman: Rising – JUNE 14, 2024
With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he reluctantly adopts a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans.
The Imaginary – JULY 5, 2024
Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures. But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work, he faces a mysterious threat. Directed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away), The Imaginary is an unforgettable adventure of love, loss, and the healing power of imagination.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie – AUG. 2, 2024
When Bikini Bottom and all its denizens are suddenly scooped out of the ocean, Sandy Cheeks and SpongeBob SquarePants journey to Texas to save the town from a villainous plot.
Spellbound – NOV. 22, 2024 Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters.
That Christmas – DECEMBER 2024
Based on the charming trilogy of children’s books by beloved award-winning writer-director Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually), That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake. Also featured: an enormous number of turkeys!
In Your Dreams – 2025 In Your Dreams is a comedy adventure about 12-year-old Stevie and her little brother, 8-year-old Elliot, who journey into the absurd landscape of their own dreams. If the siblings can withstand a snarky stuffed giraffe, zombie breakfast foods, and the queen of nightmares, the Sandman will grant them their ultimate dream come true … the perfect family.
K-POP: DEMON HUNTERS (Working Title) – 2025 K-Pop: Demon Hunters is a musical action adventure that follows the story of a world-renowned K-pop girl group, as its members balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as badass demon hunters. It’s all set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style, and the most popular music movement of this generation.
Plankton: The Movie – 2025
Plankton’s world is flipped upside down when his plan for world domination is thwarted. Based on the series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg.
Pookoo – 2025 Pookoo is a buddy comedy about a small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of The Valley, who set off on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Twits – 2025
Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the meanest, smelliest, nastiest people in the world who also happen to own and operate the most disgusting, most dangerous, most idiotic amusement park in the world, Twitlandia. But when the Twits rise to power in their town, two brave orphans and a family of magical animals are forced to become as tricky as the Twits in order to save the city. A hysterically funny, wild ride of a film (chock-full of the Twits’ beloved tricks –– from the Wormy Spaghetti to the Dreaded Shrinks), The Twits is also a story for our times, about the never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – THIS WINTER
Aardman’s four-time Academy Award–winning director Nick Park and Emmy Award–nominated Merlin Crossingham return with a brand-new epic adventure, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. In this next installment, Gromit’s concern that Wallace is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart” gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master … or Wallace may never be able to invent again!
Exploding Kittens – JULY 12, 2024
Earth sucks, so God (Tom Ellis) gets fired and sent to Earth to reconnect with humanity. The catch? He’s trapped in the body of a chubby house cat. As part of his rehabilitation, he moves in with a dysfunctional family and tries to solve their problems, but ends up spending a lot of time chasing laser pointers. And to top it off, Godcat’s next-door neighbor, who is also a cat, turns out to be none other than his nemesis, the Antichrist. The result is the ultimate fight between good versus evil … except, Godcat (Ellis) is distracted by a pigeon he saw in the yard and Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata) is busy napping on someone’s laptop.
Terminator Zero – AUG. 29, 2024
2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity. Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.
Twilight of the Gods – FALL 2024
The animated series brings Zack Snyder’s daring and spectacular vision of ancient Norse mythology to life, and features the voices of Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan, and Corey Stoll, among others.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft – OCT. 10, 2024
The animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft picks up after the events of the highly successful Tomb Raider video game Survivor trilogy (Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider), and will chart the globe-trotting heroine’s next chapter as the iconic adventurer. More than 25 years after her first appearance, Lara Croft (voiced by Hayley Atwell) continues to explore ancient mysteries and uncover lost truths across breathtaking and dangerous destinations.
Big Mouth Season 8 (Final Season) – 2025 Big Mouth is the critically acclaimed and Emmy-winning adult animated comedy about the glorious nightmare that is puberty. Inspired by Kroll and Goldberg’s childhoods, it follows a group of friends and their hormone monsters as they navigate adolescence, human sexuality, and coming of age. The final season, which will air in 2025, will make Big Mouth the longest running series in Netflix history, outside of Kids and Family programming.
The Undervale – COMING SOON
A single mother of two struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the hotel and thinks the other ghosts have some pretty good ideas. (The new title is Haunted Hotel.)
Netflix explores the lives of some of the world’s fastest sprinters in the documentary series Sprint. The first trailer features a select group of sprinters, including Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles and Shericka Jackson, discussing the competitiveness of the sport and their training processes.
Sprint comes from Box to Box Films, the production company behind Full Swing, Break Point, and Drive to Survive.
“Following athletes from all over the world, this series delves deep into the psyches of those elite competitors who train to be the fastest person on the planet. We take an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the high stakes, and mental toughness of the sprinters who devote their entire lives to crossing the finish line in record time, where their professional futures are decided in just fractions of a second. Season one will explore the top sprinters on the road and throughout the 2023 World Championships,” reads Netflix’s synopsis.
Box to Box Films’ Paul Martin, James Gay-Rees, and Warren Smith executive produce. Additional executive producers include Olympic Channel’s JT Taylor and Yiannis Exarchos.
The six-episode docuseries premieres on Netflix on July 2, 2024.
Jensen Ackles in ‘The Boys’ season 3 (Photo Credit: Amazon Studios)
Jensen Ackles (The Boys, Supernatural) will star in Prime Video’s Countdown, created by Derek Haas (the Chicago franchise) as the first series under his new deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Countdown, which was developed for Ackles, will have a 13-episode season.
“I had an incredible experience working with the Prime Video team on The Boys and am delighted to be able to continue that relationship on Countdown,” said Jensen Ackles. “I simply cannot wait to partner with Derek and the rest of our Countdown family to bring this story to life.”
Haas will serve as executive producer and showrunner.
“I am thrilled to be working again with Jen Salke and Vernon Sanders and all the excellent people they’ve assembled at Prime Video,” stated Derek Haas. “I love making shows that keep you on the edge of your seat with nonstop action, drama, surprises, and suspense, and I can’t wait to work with Jensen and for everyone to see Countdown.”
Prime Video released this description of the new series:
“Countdown starts following a suspicious murder in broad daylight, which leads to LAPD officer Mark Meachum (Jensen Ackles) being recruited to join a secret task force of undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement to investigate. But as the truth of a more sinister plot comes into focus, the team must overcome their conflicting personal agendas to unite and save a city of millions.”
Commenting on the project, Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, said, “We are incredibly excited to be back in business with Derek Haas. He has an undeniable ability to enthrall audiences with thrilling storytelling and heart. We cannot wait for Prime Video’s global customers to experience this dynamic series, led by our very talented star, Jensen Ackles.”
Malia Pyles and Bailee Madison in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’ episode 6 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/Max)
Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Summer School has had its creepy(ish) moments, with each “final” girl having to perform tasks as ordered by Bloody Rose or else their loved ones will be harmed. Episode six, “Hell House,” begins immediately after Noa (Maia Reficco) had her run-in with Bloody Rose.
She soaks her injured feet after being forced to walk on thorns as she gives her BFFs the rundown on what happened and how she escaped. Noa claims it was sheer luck that Jen (Ava Capri) saw her. After the girls welcome Jen to their nightmare, they discuss how there are only Imogen (Bailee Madison) and Tabby (Chandler Kinney) left on Bloody Rose’s list.
Later, Noa lies to Shawn (Alex Aiono) and says she has calluses on her feet from not breaking new shoes in. Jen insists he take the money she owes him when he tries not to.
Kelly (Mallory Bechtel) comes to summer school to promote Redemption House’s play. Imogen realizes the play is at her old house. Faran (Zaria) warns them whatever the Redemption House is, it’s going to be messed up. The girls agree to no more solo engagements with Bloody Rose.
Christian (Noah Alexander Gerry) informs Tabby that not only has Wes, the manager, not been in, but he also isn’t answering his calls. Tabby finds that to be weird.
The AC guy shows up at the theater to fix their unit and tells them he found their problem. Tabby thinks she sees a dead Wes, but it’s actually a dead critter. (The mistake is understandable, given all the craziness going on.)
Faran wants to know what Redemption House is, and Greg (Elias Kacavas) describes it as sort of like a play and also like a haunted house but religious. Curiosity piqued; she demands that he tell her everything about it.
Ash (Jordan Gonzalez) is irritated about Redemption House and Mouse (Malia Pyles) wants to know more. He claims it’s a Hell House, and Hell Houses are concentrated on hardcore hate. They take over locations and show “sinners” being punished.
Jen confronts Noa about what she plans to do about her and Shawn. Noa confesses that she has feelings for Jen but needs to hit pause. There’s too much going on right now.
The girls meet up at Imogen’s work, and Mouse fills them in on what is going on at Imogen’s old house. Imogen and Faran decide to go pay Kelly a visit.
Imogen asks Kelly why they are doing Redemption House at her place. According to Kelly, Pastor Malachi picked the location. Imogen wonders if Kelly even tried to stop him. Her nonresponse tells the girls the answer’s no. Kelly feels they are mistaken about Redemption House. Faran still isn’t buying it, so Kelly tries to sell it to Imogen. Faran leaves Kelly with the parting words, “Some people just can’t be saved.”
Imogen vents to Johnny (Antonio Cipriano) about what is happening at her house and why she is so upset. He knew her mother committed suicide, but he didn’t know she was the one who found her. Imogen tearfully tells Johnny about how she snuck into the house and cleaned her mother’s blood out of the bathtub and off the walls and how she, herself, almost died in that house.
Greg walks through the Redemption House setup for the first time and confronts Kelly about how messed up it is. She suggests he suck it up; he signed up for this and he is doing it. Period.
The girls stand across the street, debating if they want to go in. Suddenly, they find Chip’s mom standing in front of them, accusing Imogen and Tabby of lying about her son. After that run-in, they link arms and decide to go into Redemption House.
The girls quickly realize each room is about their lives, including the nights that Imogen and Tabby were raped. When they see Greg and Henry depicting gay men going to hell, Faran goes off on them, telling them they need to get their heads examined.
When they get to Imogen’s mom’s room, they find Kelly lying in bed with her wrists slit. Kelly, in character, says she’s sorry and doesn’t want to go to hell.
The girls have seen enough and leave, and Imogen spots an axe right outside the house. She smashes the electric box, cutting off power to the house.
The BFFs are done feeling sorry for Kelly. However, Imogen will not let Kelly off the hook without giving her a piece of her mind.
Pastor Malachi heads to the basement and discovers Bloody Rose is there. He thinks she’s just someone goofing around and offers to give Bloody Rose a tour. She responds by pulling out a knife and stabbing him in the head.
Tabby talks to Christian about what happened at Redemption House. He was right that it was a Hell House setup and was all about spreading hate. She also informs him about Chip’s crazy mom not believing them.
Mouse also informs Ash of what happened. Ash is concerned about trans kids, and Mouse suggests they throw a Pride party to offset what Hell House is doing.
Malia Pyles, Zaria, Maia Reficco, Bailee Madison, and Chandler Kinney in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’ episode 6 (Photograph by Karolina Wojtasik/Max)
Tuesday
Imogen shows up at Kelly’s house to confront her. How could Kelly ever think any of that was okay? Imogen threatens her, saying, “For someone who is so afraid of going to hell, get ready because I am about to make your life a living, breathing hell on earth every goddamn second of the day. Pray on that, b*tch.”
Tabby and Christian head over to Wes’s place to check on him since he hasn’t even bothered texting. After letting themselves in, they discover he’s been making masks – including an A mask. Christian believes Wes has been copying him. And it turns out, Wes has been trolling on Spooky Spaghetti.
Mouse pulls off a Pride party at the community pool. Noa sees Jen flirting with a girl, and Imogen and Tabby notice Johnny and Christian are getting along well. Greg tells Faran he not only quit Redemption House, but the church as well.
Noa comes clean about her and Jen in juvie…and not just juvie, but that they hooked up recently. Faran advises Noa to break up with Shawn sooner rather than later. Noa is so torn!
The girls decide to “turn” into demons, using Christian’s collection of masks, and scare everyone at Redemption House. They run into Greg and he wants to help. Faran agrees to let him join in on their plan.
Noa has plans to tell Shawn about Jen, but her plans hit a snag when an angry Shawn says someone broke into his house and stole jewelry. He accuses Noa of doing it and Noa realizes it was most likely Jen.
Noa confronts Jen and she admits she did indeed break into his house. Jen wants to know what is going with them and Noa, seemingly forgetting that Jen is a thief, asks her to give her one more night to think about things.
Back at Redemption House, the girls plan to sneak in and scare everyone while Christian stays outside to video it. As the girls go about the house scaring people, Imogen leaves the group to confront Kelly. But instead of finding Kelly, she finds a note from Bloody Rose that reads: “Sometimes a final girl doesn’t get a warning call.”
As the episode nears its end, Bloody Rose attacks Imogen. While she fights for her life, the guys are outside filming everyone running out of the house.
The girls realize Imogen isn’t back and then hear her scream. As they race to find her, Imogen’s putting up one hell of a fight. She is able to peel away Bloody Rose’s mask and when the girls ask her who it was, she replies, “My mom.”
