Part two of SWAT’s two-part March 8, 2024 episode block bids farewell to Jim Street, played by Alex Russell. In the teaser for SWAT season seven episodes four and five, Hondo (Shemar Moore) pulls Street in for a hug and says, “I never thought the screw-up I had to fire would be the one I’d have the hardest time saying goodbye to.”
Directed by Jann Turner from a script by Matthew T. Brown, episode five – “End of the Road” – airs immediately after episode four at 9pm ET/PT on CBS.
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.
“End of the Road” Plot: While training with Long Beach SWAT, Street discovers a biker club has stolen a cache of armor-piercing bullets and brings 20-Squad into the hunt for the gang before they can pull off a daring and deadly heist. As Hondo struggles with changes at work, Nichelle finds herself at odds with her former colleague Bruce.
Inspired by the television series and the feature film, S.W.A.T. 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.
Oscar nominee Colin Farrell cruises the streets of LA in a Corvette with a dog as his passenger in the official trailer for Apple TV+’s Sugar. It’s a peaceful opening scene that quickly devolves into a brutal fight, even as Farrell declares he’s one of the good guys. “California Dreamin'” plays in the background as it’s revealed Farrell’s character is a private investigator who finds the missing.
Joining Farrell in the eight-episode season are Kirby (The Sandman), Amy Ryan (The Wire), James Cromwell (Succession), Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Dennis Boutsikaris (Better Call Saul), Nate Corddry (Mindhunter), Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling), and Alex Hernandez (Invasion). Mark Protosevich created the series and serves as an executive producer along with Farrell, Sam Catlin, Scott Greenberg, Chip Vucelich, and Genre Films’ Audrey Chon and Simon Kinberg.
Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and Adam Arkin (The Offer) direct, with Meirelles also executive producing.
“Sugar is a contemporary, unique take on one of the most popular and significant genres in literary, motion picture and television history: the private detective story. Academy Award-nominee Farrell stars as John Sugar, an American private investigator on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel,” reads Apple TV+’s synopsis. “As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also unearth Siegel family secrets; some very recent, others long-buried.”
The first two episodes of Sugar will premiere on April 5, 2024, followed by new episodes on Fridays.
Colin Farrell’s recent credits include 13 Lives, The Batman, After Yang, The Gentlemen, and Dumbo. In 2023, Farrell earned an Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category for his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin.
Colin Farrell stars in ‘Sugar’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Kirby and Colin Farrell (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Amy Ryan and Colin Farrell (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Poster for Apple TV+’s ‘Sugar’
Poster for ‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Suits’Patrick J. Adams and Unbelievable’sMerritt Wever are confirmed to star in BBC and Netflix’s Lockerbie series. Filming is now underway in Scotland on the six-episode series based on the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight.
Connor Swindells (SAS Rogue Heroes), Peter Mullan (Ozark), Tony Curran (Mary & George), Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road), Lauren Lyle (Vigil), Andrew Rothney (The Undeclared War), Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey), Parker Sawyers (Spy/Master), James Harkness (The Sixth Commandment), Khalid Laith (Cobra), and Amanda Drew (Wolf) were also just announced as starring in the drama.
“On 21 December 1988, flight Pan Am 103 was en route from Heathrow to JFK when a bomb exploded in its hold over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing 270 people, including 43 British citizens and 190 Americans. It was the worst-ever terror attack on British soil and the first major one on US citizens,” reads BBC and Netflix’s synopsis. “Lockerbie will focus on the investigation into the crash on both sides of the Atlantic and the devastating effect it had on the small town and the families who lost loved ones. From the initial exhaustive search for evidence on the ground in Scotland, via the US and Malta to the trial at Camp Zeist in 2000, the drama takes us right up to the most recent indictment at the end of 2022.”
Novelist Jonathan Lee is the lead writer, with Scottish screenwriter Gillian Roger Park writing two of the six episodes. Julia Stannard (War and Peace) serves as a producer and Michael Keillor (Roadkill) directs. Executive producers include Simon Heath and Roderick Seligman for World Productions; Steve Stark and Stacey Levin for Toluca Pictures; Adam Morane-Griffiths, Sara Curran, and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media; Michael Keillor; and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC. Mona Qureshi and Manda Levin are overseeing for Netflix.
Commenting on the series, writer Lee said, “The Pan Am 103 Disaster and the global manhunt it spawned was a defining event in world history – one that contains so many instances of resilience and courage that deserve to be honoured and understood. It’s a privilege to write this story for the screen.”
Peter Brown’s 2016 bestseller The Wild Robot transforms into a beautifully animated film featuring the voice of Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o as the titular robot, Roz. The two-and-a-half-minute trailer features “What a Wonderful World,” performed by Nyong’o, and only one line of dialogue: “Sometimes, to survive, we must become more than we were programmed to be.”
The voice cast also includes Emmy nominee Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as fox Fink, Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) as opossum Pinktail, Oscar nominee Bill Nighy (Living) as goose Longneck, Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as gosling Brightbill, and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Vontra, a robot that will intersect with Roz’s life on the island. Emmy winner Mark Hamill (Star Wars franchise), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), and Emmy nominee Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible) also lend their voices to the 2024 animated adaptation.
“The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot—ROZZUM unit 7134, ‘Roz’ for short — that is shipwrecked on an uninhabited island and must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling,” reads DreamWorks Animation’s synopsis. “A powerful story about the discovery of self, a thrilling examination of the bridge between technology and nature and a moving exploration of what it means to be alive and connected to all living things, The Wild Robot is written and directed by three-time Oscar nominee Chris Sanders — the writer-director of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and Disney’s Lilo & Stitch — and is produced by Jeff Hermann.”
DreamWorks Animation will release The Wild Robot in theaters on September 20, 2024.
Poster for DreamWorks Animation’s ‘The Wild Robot’
The promo for CBS’s CSI: Vegas season three episode four shows a member of the team is in serious trouble. Directed by Stephanie Marquardt from a script by Tom Szentgyorgyi, episode four – “Health and Wellness” – will air on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Season three stars Paula Newsome as Maxine Roby, Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows, Matt Lauria as Joshua Folsom, and Mandeep Dhillon as Allie Rajan. Ariana Guerra is Detective Serena Chavez, Lex Medlin plays Beau Finado, and Jay Lee is Chris Park.
“Health and Wellness” Plot: As the CSI team investigates the death of a man visiting Las Vegas for a health and wellness convention, a fiery explosion traps Allie Rajan in the basement of an abandoned hospital.
CSI: Vegas returns for its third season and continues the legacy of the global hit franchise. Amidst the neon lights and long shadows, dark threats lurk in Sin City. Maxine Roby (Newsome) leads her brilliant team of crime scene investigators – Catherine Willows (Helgenberger), Allie Rajan (Dhillon), Detective Serena Chavez (Guerra), Chris Park (Lee) and Beau Finado (Medlin) – as they use science to solve baffling mysteries. Chief among them: who framed their colleague, Joshua Folsom (Lauria), for a gruesome murder?
The most daunting and dangerous cases in the history of this storied franchise are coming, and the team will have to deploy the latest forensic techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.
Blue Bloods star Bridget Moynahan returns to the director’s chair, after helming episodes in seasons 12 and 13, with season 14 episode four. After taking a two-week break, episode four – “Past is Present” – will air on CBS on Friday, March 15, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Tom Selleck returns to lead the final season’s cast as Frank Reagan. Donnie Wahlberg stars as Danny Reagan, Bridget Moynahan plays Erin Reagan, Will Estes is Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou is Henry Reagan, Marisa Ramirez plays Maria Baez, and Vanessa Ray stars as Eddie Janko.
“Past Is Present” Plot – Danny reunites with a troublesome teenager from a past case when the youth finds herself in danger. Also, Frank faces a difficult personnel decision close to home; Jamie grows suspicious when Henry is asked to be interviewed for an investigative web series; and Erin and Anthony investigate when Erin is the alleged target of a shooting.
Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner, and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as chief.
A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son, Danny, a seasoned detective, family man, and Iraq War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases with his partner Detective Maria Baez. Erin, the middle daughter, is a New York assistant D.A. who serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, a Harvard Law graduate, and the family’s golden boy. Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop. He’s found a friend and ally in his wife, Eddie, who keeps him on his toes and has very different reasons than the Reagans for joining the police force.
CBS has found its young Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Catch 22‘s Austin Stowell has signed on to play Gibbs in the NCIS prequel, NCIS: Origins, which was given a series order in early January 2024.
“NCIS: Origins, produced by CBS Studios, is the newest chapter in the NCIS franchise, exploring Gibbs’ early years. Narrated by Mark Harmon, the new series begins in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” reads CBS’s synopsis. “In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks.”
Harmon originated the character and played Gibbs for 19 seasons, beginning in 2003. In addition to narrating, Harmon will be involved in the prequel as an executive producer. Additional executive producers include Sean Harmon, David J. North, and Gina Lucita Monreal. North and Monreal are co-writing the premiere episode and will serve as co-showrunners.
NCIS: Origins will be joining CBS’s primetime lineup during the 2024-2025 season.
Stowell’s recent credits include A Friend of the Family, Keep Breathing, The Long Home, and The Hating Game. Stowell also appeared in The White Lotus, Amazing Stories, Fantasy Island, Swallow, and 12 Strong. He recently wrapped up work on The Inheritance starring Peyton List and Rachel Nichols, and This Tempting Madness directed by Jennifer E. Montgomery.
Jamie Foxx and Corinne Foxx in ‘Beat Shazam’ (Photo Courtesy of Fox)
Fox’s 2024 summer primetime lineup includes new seasons of Beat Shazam, I Can See Your Voice, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, and MasterChef. The network confirmed premiere dates for its returning unscripted series debuting in May and June 2024, as well as the new game show The Quiz with Balls hosted by Jay Pharoah (SNL, The Blackening).
The season seven premiere of Beat Shazam will mark the return of Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as host and executive producer and Corinne Foxx as co-host and deejay. Jamie Foxx was forced to take season six off due to health issues, with Nick Cannon and Kelly Osbourne subbing in.
“Jamie and Corinne are the heart and soul of Beat Shazam,” said Allison Wallach, FOX Entertainment’s President of Unscripted Entertainment. “As our undeniably dynamic father-daughter hosting team, they bring a relationship like no other to a show like no other, and it’s wonderful having them back on set this season.”
FOX SUMMER 2023 PREMIERE DATES
Thursday, May 16:
8:00-9:00 PM – I CAN SEE YOUR VOICE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM – DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS (Season 3 Premiere)
Wednesday, May 22:
8:00-9:00 PM – THE MASKED SINGER (Season 11 Finale)
9:00-10:00 PM – GORDON RAMSAY’S FOOD STARS (Season 2 Premiere)
Tuesday, May 28:
8:00-9:00 PM – BEAT SHAZAM (Season 7 Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM – THE QUIZ WITH BALLS (Series Premiere)
Monday, June 3:
8:00-9:00 PM – NAME THAT TUNE (All-New Episodes)
Details on Fox’s Lineup:
I Can See Your Voice host and executive producer Ken Jeong is joined by Emmy Award-nominated actress Cheryl Hines and Daytime Emmy Award-winning television host and vocalist Adrienne Bailon-Houghton along with a rotating panel of celebrity detectives to help one contestant tell the difference between good and bad singers…without ever hearing them sing a note.
Hosted by Emmy Award-winner Niecy Nash, Don’t Forget The Lyrics challenges contestants’ musical memory, as they get one song closer to winning $1 million. Contestants will choose songs from different genres, decades and musical artists. Then they’ll take center stage to sing alongside the live in-studio band as the lyrics are projected on screen – but when the music stops and the words disappear, will the contestants belt out the correct missing lyrics, or freeze under pressure? If they sing nine songs correctly, they are presented with a No. 1 hit and sing the final missing lyrics for the top prize of $1 million. It’s that simple: 1 contestant, 10 songs, 1 million dollars!
Culinary titan Gordan Ramsay welcomes famed hospitality industry leader and TV personality Lisa Vanderpump in the all-new season of the hit competition series Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. Ramsay and Vanderpump — two prominent, influential personalities and tycoons in their respective industries — will face-off as they each select aspiring food and beverage industry entrepreneurs to join their teams and then put them through a gauntlet of real-world challenges designed to showcase their business skills, test their drive and prove they have what it takes to become the next great culinary entrepreneur. With a $250,000 prize on the line, the aspiring enterprisers will be challenged in all aspects of running a food or beverage enterprise, including re-marketing a food product, innovating a new product, building brand loyalty, sales pitching, and management.
Hosted and executive-produced by award-winning actor, singer and comedian Jamie Foxx, who is joined by his daughter, producer and activist Corinne Foxx as co-host and deejay, Beat Shazam returns with an all-new season on Tuesday, May 28. Beat Shazam is an interactive game show that pits teams of two against the clock and each other, as they attempt to identify the biggest hit songs of all time. In the end, the team with the most money banked will outlast the competition and go against Shazam, the world’s most popular song identification app, for the chance to win $1 million dollars.
The Quiz with Balls pits brains against balls while combining a high-stakes quiz show with a large-scale physical competition. Hosted by actor and comedian Jay Pharoah, each episode of The Quiz with Balls features two families competing for $100,000 in a “battle of the balls.” Standing on a high platform over a glistening pool, they must all work together as they face a multiple-choice quiz where each answer is allocated to a spot with a giant ball positioned up behind it. If the correct answer is chosen, the ball rolls down and stops just before colliding with the player… if the answer is wrong, the massive ball rapidly descends and mercilessly whacks them into the pool below. The more players each team loses, the harder the questions get. The longer they last, the more money they bank, until one “dry” family member plays the final round for The Quiz with Balls’ $100,000 Grand Prize.
MasterChef: Generations enters its 14th season with an all-new theme beginning Wednesday, May 29. Gordon Ramsay, acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez and renowned restaurateur Joe Bastianich return for the ultimate cook-off, as the top home cooks from four different generations, inclusive of Gen Z, Millenials, Gen X and Baby Boomers, battle it out. The home cooks will face a multitude of cooking trials, including a restaurant takeover challenge, a series of iconic Mystery Box challenges, cooking a meal at the Major League Soccer LAFC stadium, and the fan-favorite Tag Team event, where they must create a Michelin-star quality three-course meal! Only one home cook will win it all and take home the cash prize of $250,000 and the title of America’s MasterChef.
Beginning Monday, June 3, all-new episodes of Name That Tune, hosted by Jane Krakowski and band leader Randy Jackson continue to test the musical knowledge of contestants playing for a chance to win over $100,000.
CBS has officially renewed Tracker for a second season after just four season one episodes have aired. The primetime drama starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) has been a ratings winner for the network, claiming the titled of most-watched new broadcast TV series of the past six years.
CBS reports Tracker‘s also the most-watched new drama in nine years.
“Tracker kicked off our premiere week with a ratings bang and has kept the momentum going,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “We knew we had something special when we saw the very first cut of the series and the overwhelming audience response confirms it. We couldn’t be more grateful to Justin, the talented cast, the incredible writing and producing teams and our partners at 20th Television for such compelling episodes. And, of course, we’re also so thankful to the millions of viewers tuning in each week.”
The one-hour drama is based on Jeffery Deaver’s The Never Game and stars Hartley as Colter Shaw, a self-described “rewardist” who tracks missing people/things for the reward money. The cast of season one also includes Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene, Robin Weigert as Teddi, Abby McEnany as Velma, and Eric Graise as Bobby Exley.
Tracker debuted in the coveted timeslot immediately following the 2024 Super Bowl. However, this year’s Super Bowl – won by the Kansas City Chiefs – went into overtime, which meant the show’s first episode didn’t air until after 11pm on the East Coast. Even with a super long Super Bowl working against it, Tracker‘s first episode drew in 18.4 million viewers and has now been watched by 30 million across multiple platforms. Since its premiere, the series has been averaging 16 million viewers and has upped CBS’s Sundays at 9pm time period viewing by 83% over 2023.
Hartley, Ken Olin, Elwood Reid, and Ben Winters serve as executive producers.
Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars logo (Photo Courtesy of Fox)
Vanderpump Rules‘ Lisa Vamderpump will square off against Gordon Ramsay on season two of Fox’s Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. The new season is set to premiere on May 22, 2024, with new episodes airing on Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT.
“Gordon is quite literally larger-than-life, an iconic figure and a dear friend,” stated Vanderpump. “Setting that aside, we’re both tenacious, tireless, competitive and demanding of ourselves and others, so while I salute the man and his many successes and defer to his mastery in the kitchen, I will never defer to him on this show. Game on, Gordon!”
Fox offered this description of the new season: “Ramsay and Vanderpump will each bring their expert knowledge and unique leadership styles to the competition, and in a first-of-its-kind twist, the entrepreneurs will pitch themselves and their products, services or business ideas to the moguls, who will then choose contestants to build their respective teams. The battle commences as teams are put through ‘Business Bootcamp,’ designed to test their tenacity, initiative, perseverance, and ambition as business leaders.
With a $250,000 prize on the line, these entrepreneurs will be challenged in all aspects of running a food or beverage enterprise, including re-marketing a food product, innovating a new product, building brand loyalty, sales pitching, and management. In addition to Ramsay and Vanderpump, the challenges will be evaluated by guest judges, curated focus groups and customer feedback, profit and loss metrics, and market and corporate feedback.”
Gordon Ramsay serves as an executive producer along with showrunner Deborah Sargeant.
“Lisa is a tough, shrewd restaurateur and TV star,” said Ramsay. “She is a real force in business and true friend. However, make no mistake, the competition will be fierce between us!”
