CBS’s SWAT season seven’s two-part premiere wraps up with episode two, “Peace Talks.” Directed Billy Gierhart from a script by Sarah Alderson, episode two will air on Friday, February 23, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT.
Shemar Moore leads the cast as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, Jay Harrington stars as David “Deacon” Kay, David Lim is Victor Tan, Rochelle Aytes is Nichelle Carmichael, and Patrick St. Esprit is Robert ‘Bob’ Hicks. Kenny Johnson recurs as Dominique Luca and Alex Russell recurs as Jim Street.
“Peace Talks” Plot: Hondo and Hicks desperately search for Powell, who’s gone missing in Mexico City along with a thermobaric bomb capable of killing thousands. And while Deacon and Tan assist from L.A., Deacon’s pride gets injured in a boxing match with Rocker.
Inspired by the television series and the feature film, SWAT stars Shemar Moore as a former Marine and locally born and raised S.W.A.T. sergeant tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles. Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue, Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson strives to bridge the divide between his two worlds.
The photos from CBS’s So Help Me Todd season two episode two show Todd wearing a green dragon hand puppet while the synopsis teases something nefarious might be going on in the courthouse. Directed by Nick Gomez from a script by Jamie Pachino, episode two – “Your Day in Court” – will air on Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
So Help Me Todd kicked off its second season by expanding its audience by 9% over the season one finale. And the first episode of season two averaged 4.77 million viewers, 5% more than its first season average, proving the network was right when it renewed the primetime drama for its sophomore season.
Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden leads the cast as Margaret Wright and Skylar Astin stars as the titular Todd. Season two also features Madeline Wise as Allison, Tristen J. Winger as Lyle, Inga Schlingmann as Susan, and Rosa Arredondo as Francey.
“Your Day in Court” Plot: As Margaret and Todd work on two separate cases, Todd suspects a crime is happening in the courthouse right under their noses.
So Help Me Todd stars Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin as razor-sharp, meticulous attorney Margaret Wright and Todd, her talented but scruffy, aimless son whom she hires as her law firm’s in-house investigator. As the black sheep of the well-heeled Wright family, Todd is a laidback, quick-thinking, excellent former private detective who fell on hard times after his flexible interpretation of the law got his license revoked.
Margaret’s penchant for excellence and strict adherence to the law is at complete odds with Todd’s scrappy methods of finding his way through sticky situations: by the seat of his wrinkled pants. When Todd inadvertently teams with his mother on a case, she’s surprised to find herself duly impressed by – and proud of – his crafty ability to sleuth out information with his charm and his wide-ranging tech savvy. At last, Margaret sees a way to put her son on a “suitable” path to living an adult, financially solvent life she approves of, and she asks him to join her firm. Todd agrees, since it means getting his license back and once again doing the job he excels at and loves.
Mother and son working together is a big first step toward mending their fragile, dysfunctional relationship, and they may even come away with a better understanding of each other at this pivotal point in their lives. But whether Todd and Margaret will be able to accept each other for who they are is another case entirely.
Three Texas directors head back to their hometowns and focus their cameras on stories that affect their cities in HBO’s documentary series God Save Texas. Inspired by Lawrence Wright’s God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, the three-part documentary focuses on Huntsville’s prisons, the impact of the oil industry in Houston, and immigration issues in El Paso.
Oscar nominee Richard Linklater directs God Save Texas: Hometown Prison premiering on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT. Part two, The Price of Oil, debuts on February 28th at 9pm ET/PT, followed by La Frontera at 10pm ET/PT.
HBO released the following descriptions of the documentary trilogy:
GOD SAVE TEXAS: HOMETOWN PRISON – Huntsville is the capital of the Texas prison colossus, with seven prisons in the area and one-quarter of the town’s adult population incarcerated. In his second documentary, five-time Oscar nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater, whose Huntsville background has informed several of his feature films, takes on the divisive and heated issues of the penal system in his home state, which upholds the death penalty despite waning popularity and where nearly 1,000 people in Huntsville alone have been legally put to death.
For many Huntsville locals, the prisons occupy another universe distinct from their own. For others, they provide much-needed employment. In God Save Texas: Hometown Prison, Linklater chronicles the lives of everyday men and women whose lives are affected by the business of incarceration and death that looms over their town. In conversation with old friends and classmates, correctional officers and lawyers, death penalty advocates, and protestors, Linklater lays bare a thorny, symbiotic existence of the town with its incarcerated, painting a multi-faceted picture of the criminal justice system in Texas.
Photo from ‘God Save Texas: The Price of Oil’ (Photo Courtesy of HBO)
GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL – In God Save Texas: The Price of Oil, Houston-born and raised filmmaker Alex Stapleton turns her lens on her hometown to chronicle the impact of the Texas oil industry on Houston residents, specifically Black and disenfranchised communities, including the lives of her own family, who arrived in Texas in the 1830s as slaves and have stayed in the state for nearly 200 years.
Tracing her personal story as a descendant of slave owners, Stapleton widens her focus to show how Black history is vital to the Texas oil boom, yet has largely been left out of the history books. Despite representing 13% of the U.S. population, Black and brown people only make up 6% of the oil and gas workforce, with few in leadership positions, and historically, their neighborhoods are more likely to suffer the encroachment of refineries and chemical plants. Residents of Pleasantville, a Houston housing community developed in 1948 for Black veterans and their families, and similar “fenceline” communities risk exposure to elevated levels of toxicity and pollution.
Illustrating that environmental racism is a civil rights issue, and by giving voice to the very people who face the human cost of Texas’ biggest money-maker, God Save Texas: The Price of Oil is a call for a long overdue reckoning.
GOD SAVE TEXAS: LA FRONTERA – In her poetic exploration of El Paso, Texas, Mexican American filmmaker Iliana Sosa unveils a city woven with vibrant Mexican heritage, its essence textured by the coexistence and division along the border shared with Juárez, Mexico.
As Sosa traces the fluctuating nature of America’s relationship to migrants from south of the border, she invokes the concept of “Nepantla,” a Nahuatl word for a state of “in-between-ness,” suggesting a frontier land with blurred edges where first-generation immigrant children straddle two cultures, navigating a complex sense of identity and belonging.
Where immigrants were once brought in as legal guest workers, border policies and Covid regulations now restrict the flow of traffic, impacting the lives of many families who live on opposite sides of the divide; recent gentrification further risks obliterating historic Mexican neighborhoods and lifestyles. In God Save Texas: La Frontera, Sosa posits that a shared culture and a fluidity between the countries has always enriched El Paso, giving rise to a humanity and unique hybridity that allowed the city to come together and heal in the wake of the 2019 Walmart tragedy.
CBS’s Ghosts season three episode one confirmed which ghost got “sucked off” at the end of season two. Spoiler Alert! Flower has left the mansion which meant Thorfinn was left mourning the loss of his girlfriend. The appearance of an owl, and Jay’s description of reincarnation, made Thorfinn believe the owl could be Flower. Hijinks ensued as the ghosts, Sam and Jay, came to terms with the loss of one of the main eight.
Up next, episode two – “Man of Your Dreams” – directed by Jay Karas from a script by Joe Port and Joe Wiseman. Episode two will air on Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 8:30pm ET/PT.
Rose McIver stars as Sam, Utkarsh Ambudkar is Jay, Brandon Scott Jones is Isaac, and Richie Moriarty is Pete. Danielle Pinnock plays Alberta, Asher Grodman is Trevor, Román Zaragoza is Sasappis, Rebecca Wisocky plays Hetty, and Devan Chandler Long stars as Thorfinn.
“Man of Your Dreams” Plot: Sam learns that one of the ghosts’ powers is to enter the dreams of the livings and influence their decisions. Also, two of the ghosts think they’ve learned the secret to moving on.
Ghosts is a single-camera comedy about Samantha (Sam) and Jay, a cheerful freelance journalist and up-and-coming chef from the city, respectively, who threw both caution and money to the wind when they decided to convert Woodstone Mansion, which Sam in inherited, into a bed & breakfast – only to find it was inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home.
The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer (Danielle Pinnock); a pompous 18th-century militiaman (Brandon Scott Jones); an overly upbeat ‘80s scout troop leader (Richie Moriarty); a cod-obsessed Viking explorer from 1009 (Devon Chandler Long); a slick ‘90s finance bro (Asher Grodman); a sarcastic and witty native from the 16th-century (Román Zaragoza); and a society woman and wife of a 19th-century robber baron who is Sam’s ancestor (Rebecca Wisocky), to name a few. The opening of the B&B has been a source of intrigue, anxiety and curiosity among the spirits, but they will gladly put up with the commotion as long as they can continue to interact with a living inhabitant.
Dennis Quaid (Photo credit: Derrek Kupish / Provided by Paramount+)
Dennis Quaid (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) is slipping into the world of a serial killer who used a smiley face as his calling card for Paramount+’s Happy Face. Emmy nominee Quaid will star as the Happy Face Killer in the streamer’s new drama, inspired by the killer’s daughter Melissa Moore’s autobiography, Shattered Silence, and her Happy Face podcast.
Emmy nominee Annaleigh Ashford (Welcome to Chippendales) was previously announced to play Melissa. Filming is expected to get underway this spring, with Paramount+ targeting a 2025 premiere for the eight-episode season.
“Happy Face for Paramount+ jumps off from Moore’s true-life story. Happy Face (Quaid) is an incarcerated serial killer who also is Melissa’s (Ashford) once-beloved father. After decades of no contact, he finally finds a way to force himself back into his daughter’s life,” reads Paramount+’s synopsis. “In a race against the clock, Melissa must find out if an innocent man is going to be put to death for a crime her father committed. Throughout, she discovers the impact her father had on his victims’ families and must face a reckoning of her own identity.”
Jennifer Cacicio is serving as showrunner and will executive produce along with Robert King, Michelle King, Liz Glotzer, Melissa Moore, Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, and Jordana Mollick. Michael Showalter (The Dropout, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) is directing the first episode and will also executive produce.
The true crime drama is being produced by CBS Studios in association with King Size Productions, iHeartPodcasts, and Semi-Formal Productions.
Dennis Quaid earned an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie category for playing Bill Clinton in The Special Relationship. Quaid’s credits also include The Hill, Full Circle, On a Wing and a Prayer, The Long Game, and Blue Miracle. He recently wrapped production on Reagan, directed by Sean McNamara, playing the 40th President.
Addiction, abandonment, guilt, love, and fear are the major themes in the road trip film Bleeding Love. Ewan McGregor stars as a father who’s driving his estranged 20-year-old daughter (played by McGregor’s real-life daughter Clara McGregor) from San Diego to Santa Fe, New Mexico after a drug overdose almost killed her. His plan is simple: try to get to know her again and help her get clean.
They’re not long into the trip when his daughter says she has to go to the bathroom, but she doesn’t actually need a restroom; she’s okay with dropping trou on the side of the road to take care of business. Of course, it’s all a ruse, and she bolts, running off into the California desert with dad chasing after her.
Fortunately for her father, after a few minutes of this she stops and heads back to the pickup truck. Once back on the road, he asks her, “What exactly was your plan back there?” She shrugs and replies, “I didn’t think that far ahead, to be honest.”
As their road trip continues, both father and daughter will be forced to face some unpleasant truths about themselves and just how alike they really are while struggling with demons from the past and possibly finding a way back to having a real father/daughter relationship.
Bleeding Love is an uneven, meandering drama with two strong performances from Ewan and Clara McGregor. It’s a film that could—and should—have been much more powerful and moving if it weren’t for the quirky and unimportant supporting characters becoming distractions.
Ewan McGregor shines here as a middle-aged father who is trying to save his daughter from the destructive path she’s on while struggling with the guilt and shame of walking out on her when she was little because of his own addiction to alcohol. The AA scene where he shares what he calls the darkest time of his life is both heartbreaking and eye-opening.
Clara McGregor captures the different stages of withdrawal extremely well as she fidgets, scratches, and eventually gets the shakes while riding in the truck. Clara and Ewan have solid chemistry together, which isn’t always the case with relatives, and both beautifully capture the mistrust they have for each other as well as the longing to become close once again.
If the film just focused on that relationship, it would be an extremely compelling family drama. But sadly, it’s almost constantly sidetracked by uninteresting characters being interjected for almost no other point but to lengthen the film and to distract from the tension and emotion between the two leads. As a result, Bleeding Love comes up short of delivering the emotional impact and resolution it was striving for.
GRADE: C+
Release Date: Limited and Digital on February 16, 2024
Running Time: 1 hour 42 minutes
Directed By: Emma Westenberg
Distributor: Vertical
NBC’s Quantum Leap season two episode 11 ended with Magic taking the fall and resigning as head of Project Quantum Leap. So, is he really gone? The answer may be revealed during the two-part season two finale. Episode 12, “As the World Burns,” kicks off the finale on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT. “Against Time” follows at 10pm ET/PT.
Raymond Lee leads the cast as Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett stars as Addison Augustine, and Ernie Hudson returns as Herbert “Magic” Williams. Mason Alexander Park plays Ian Wright, Nanrisa Lee stars as Jenn Chou, Eliza Taylor is Hannah Carson, and Peter Gadiot is Tom Westfall.
“As the World Burns” Plot: Ben leaps into the body of a Baltimore firefighter in 1974 and is unexpectedly reunited with his time-crossed love, Hannah, and her son, Jeffrey. Trapped in an inferno, Ben must find a way to repair their troubled relationship and save their lives.
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song in ‘Quantum Leap’ season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)
The Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
It’s been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in the hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.
Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Ben’s side throughout his leaps is Addison (Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. She’s a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.
At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert “Magic” Williams (Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who won’t be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit “Ziggy,” and Jenn Chu (Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.
Mason Alexander Park as Ian, Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, and Caitlin Bassett as Addison in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)Caitlin Bassett as Addison, Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, and Mason Alexander Park as Ian in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)Ernie Hudson as Magic, Nanrisa Lee as Jenn, Caitlin Bassett as Addison, and Mason Alexander Park as Ian in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)Eliza Taylor as Hannah Carson and Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)Nanrisa Lee as Jenn and Caitlin Bassett as Addison in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song in season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Jordin Althaus/NBC)
The season three trailer for Girls5eva declares “it’s neva 2 L8 4 a comeback.” It’s also never too late for a canceled series to be revived, as season three marks the first under Netflix after being canceled two seasons in by Peacock.
Returning stars include Sara Bareilles as Dawn, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Wickie, Busy Philipps as Summer, Paula Pell as Gloria.
“The members of the late ‘90s girl-group Girls5eva – Dawn, Wickie, Summer, and Gloria – have reunited and recorded a new album, Returnity, so it’s time for the next logical step: a comeback tour. With no plan, tour manager, or venues secured, the ladies pile into a van and hit the great unknown, doing their damnedest to promote their album and get back on top,” reads Netflix’s synopsis. “In the process, Girls5eva will grapple with life on the road, see their relationships tested, play a billionaire’s birthday party, sow their oats, confront parents they believe held them back, cross paths with the biggest pop star on the planet, and question if they really want ‘the big time’ again. Will Girls5eva fast-track their comeback and sell their tour documentary in the process? Or will the road destroy them?”
Girls5eva was created by writer, showrunner, and executive producer Meredith Scardino (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Additional executive producers include Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, David Miner, Eric Gurian and Jeff Richmond, with Richmond also serving as the music supervisor.
The six-episode third season premieres on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
It’s all come down to this. NBC’s The Irrational finishes up season one with an episode that promises to reveal the bomber’s identity. Plus, fans can expect season one episode 11 to reveal whether Jace survived being shot. “Reciprocity” will air on Monday, February 19, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Jesse L. Martin stars as Professor Alec Mercer, Maahra Hill is Marisa, Travina Springer is Kylie, Molly Kunz is Phoebe, and Arash DeMaxi plays Rizwan. Executive producers include Arika Lisanne Mittman, Mark Goffman, Sam Baum, and David Frankel.
“Reciprocity” Plot: Alec and Marisa are close to finding the culprit of the church bombing. Meanwhile, Kylie gets an interview with the FBI, but is pulled into the investigation. Also, Rose tracks down a witness, and Phoebe and Rizwan make a discovery that sheds light on the truth.
Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Maahra Hill as Marisa in ‘The Irrational’ season 1 episode 11 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Season 1 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
A new spin on the procedural genre, The Irrational follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Martin) as he lends his unique expertise on an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding psychology and human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.
Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, Karen David as Rose Dinshaw, Maahra Hill as Marisa, and Travina Springer as Kylie in the season finale (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Karen David as Rose Dinshaw and Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer in season 1 episode 11 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Maahra Hill as Marisa, Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, and Steven Roberts as James Belfast in season 1 episode 11 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer, Maahra Hill as Marisa, and Matthew Maccaull as Agent Dennis Mackay in the season finale (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Poster for Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ poster featuring Klaus
Netflix has landed on an August 8, 2024 premiere date for the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy. In addition to announcing the premiere, the streamer released nine character posters in support of the final season.
Elliot Page stars as Viktor Hargreeves, Tom Hopper is Luther Hargreeves, David Castañeda is Diego Hargreeves, Robert Sheehan is Klaus Hargreeves, Aidan Gallagher is Number Five, and Emmy Raver-Lampman is Allison Hargreeves. Justin H. Min plays Ben Hargreeves, Colm Feore is Reginald Hargreeves, and Ritu Arya is Lila Pitts.
Newcomers for the final season include real-life married couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally who play college professors Drs. Gene and Jean Thibedeau. David Cross joins as Sy Grossman, a “shy business owner and family man desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter, who will stop at nothing to get her back.”
Steve Blackman created the series, based on the comic book series written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá, and serves as showrunner and executive producer. Additional executive producers include Jennifer Cecil, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Scott Stuber, Beau Bauman, Pascal Verschooris, Jesse McKeown, Abbey Morris, and Jeremy Webb. Way and Gabriel Bá are involved as co-executive producers.
