The cast of Netflix’s limited series Zero Day is filling out, with Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons (Power of the Dog) and Emmy Award nominee Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex) joining the cast. Three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen (The Contender, The Crucible, Nixon) and five-time Emmy Award nominee Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, The White Lotus) have also just committed to star in the conspiracy thriller created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael S. Schmidt.
Netflix previously announced two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, The Godfather Part II) is making his television series starring debut with Zero Day.
The six-episode limited series will be executive produced by Robert De Niro, Eric Newman (for Grand Electric), Noah Oppenheim, Michael S. Schmidt, and Panoramic Media’s Jonathan Glickman. Homeland and Mad Men‘s Lesli Linka Glatter is directing all six episodes and will also be involved as an executive producer. Newman and Oppenheim are writing the limited series.
Netflix released the following descriptions of the series and its key characters:
Zero Day asks the question on everyone’s mind — how do we find truth in a world in crisis, one seemingly being torn apart by forces outside our control? And in an era rife with conspiracy theory and subterfuge, how much of those forces are products of our own doing, perhaps even of our own imagining?
Lizzy Caplan is Alexandra Mullen: A young Congresswoman who has sought to distance herself from her father’s political legacy.
Jesse Plemons is Roger Carlson: Former Mullen “body man” seeking a return to the national stage alongside Mullen.
Joan Allen is Sheila Mullen: Former First Lady and nominee to the federal bench whose professional ambitions take a backseat to her husband’s political career.
Connie Britton is Valerie Whitesell: A savvy, intelligent political operative who was Mullen’s former Chief of Staff.
Robert De Niro leads the cast as George Mullen: A massively popular but complicated former American President who is pulled from retirement to head a commission tasked with investigating a devastating global cyber-attack.
Season 13 of CBS’s Blue Bloods will return after a two-week break with an episode that finds Jamie attempting to piece together clues to discover who’s behind the burning of a storage facility. Season 13 episode 19, “Fire Drill,” will air on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
The cast is led by Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan, Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, and Bridget Moynahan as Erin Reagan. Will Estes stars as Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou is Henry Reagan, Sami Gayle is Nicky Reagan-Boyle, Marisa Ramirez plays Det. Maria Baez, and Vanessa Ray is Officer Eddie Janko.
“Fire Drill” Plot: Jamie partners with the FDNY to find the arsonist responsible for a massive fire at an NYPD evidence storage facility. Also, Danny and Baez feel the ripples of the storage facility fire when all the evidence against a cartel leader Danny brought to justice is destroyed; Anthony asks Erin to let him lead on a murder case when his friend is killed; and Eddie asks Frank to put her on modified duty following her divisive arrest of an anti-cop protestor at a rally.
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 and new mother, 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, while also pursuing a run for district attorney. 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.
A disaster at a mine sets the crews in motion on CBS’s Fire Country season one episode 20. Directed by Joy Lane from a script by Julia Fontana and Barbara Kaye Friend, episode 20 – “At the End of My Rope” – will air on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Max Thieriot leads the cast as Bode Donovan. Season one’s regulars include Billy Burke as Vince, Kevin Alejandro as Manny, Diane Farr as Sharon, Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela, Jordan Calloway as Jake, and Jules Latimer as Eve.
“At the End of My Rope” Plot: The station 42 and third rock crews respond to a deadly explosion at an abandoned mine. Meanwhile, Bode faces a difficult decision that could have serious consequences.
Fire Country stars Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California, where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began.
Five years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire.
Steve DiSchiavi listens during an interview with retired police officer Ken Afienko on Travel Channel’s ‘The Dead Files’
Travel Channel’s popular paranormal series The Dead Files will return for season 15 on Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT. The new season will include a big change in the lineup, as medium Amy Allan will be saying goodbye to the series with the episode set to air on June 29.
Psychic medium Cindy Kaza will be taking over and assisting former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi as he investigates paranormal activities.
Per Travel Channel: “This season marks a significant change as it bids a bittersweet farewell to Amy Allan, a dedicated partner to DiSchiavi for over 200 episodes. As a gifted physical medium, Allan has been a fundamental part of the team since the show’s inception in 2011. Helping clients reinstate order to their lives by making peace with the dead, she has helped alleviate fear and chaos for hundreds of families and property owners. After years of doing this intense work, Allan will be stepping down for a personal break.”
Kaza trained at the Arthur Findlay School of Intuitive Sciences. Kaza’s resume includes appearances on Travel Channel’s The Holzer Files, Shock Docs specials, Portals to Hell, The Osbournes: Night of Terror, and Ghosts of Devil’s Perch.
The Dead Files Season 15 Description, Courtesy of Travel Channel:
This season, DiSchiavi and Allan combine their unique skills and perspectives to help solve unexplained paranormal phenomena plaguing property owners across America. Conducting separate investigations, DiSchiavi utilizes his detective skills, researching the facts around each location, interviewing witnesses, experts and historians about the hauntings, and digging into archives to gain a better understanding of each property’s history.
As a physical medium, Allan sees and communicates with the dead. She first assesses each property in a blind walk-through, using her gifts to identify any entities that reside there and why, often assuming their roles and reliving their death. The pair keep their findings hidden from each other, avoiding all contact with one another until the very end – when they come together to reveal their shocking discoveries to the property owners and each other, as they help to restore peace for all involved.
The bloodthirsty demons are back and this time they’re going after a family in a rundown high-rise in the 2023 entry of the campy Evil Dead horror film franchise, Evil Dead Rise.
Beth (Lily Sullivan), a roadie who’s just received some surprising news, heads home to visit her estranged sister, Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), and Ellie’s children in Los Angeles. Upon arriving she discovers her sister packing up and getting ready to leave their apartment because the building’s been condemned.
Ellie sends her three kids – Danny (Morgan Davies), Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), and young Kassie (Nell Fisher) – out to get pizza, and just as they make it back to the parking garage, the city experiences a massive earthquake. The ground cracks and a large hole opens up in their building.
Teenager Danny goes exploring down in the hole, much to the concern of Bridget and Kassie. He discovers an old, abandoned bank vault and as he rifles through some of the items, he comes across vinyl records and the Necronomicon – the Book of the Dead. Danny puts the items in his backpack, joins his sisters in the garage, and heads back to their apartment.
Danny’s anxious to check out his new possessions, and once he’s in his room, he opens the book. He also plays one of the records, which it turns out was made by a religious man reading from the Necronomicon. This sets free the flesh-possessing demons and one of them takes control of Ellie, turning her into an evil creature bent on killing everyone in the building…including her children.
It falls to Beth, the irresponsible sister, to try to protect Danny, Bridget, and Nell from the demon inside their mother and to try to find a way out of the decrepit building that has become a death trap, thanks to the earthquake.
Directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground), Evil Dead Rise is a gruesome and disturbing horror film that’s full of gore but light on actual scares. It’s wall-to-wall blood, but that’s all it is.
Lily Sullivan as Beth is the best part of the film, playing the roadie (don’t call her a groupie!) who’s always let her sister down and made the wrong choices. However, when push comes to shove, she steps up and defends her nephew and nieces from a horrifying demon. Sullivan shows just how terrified and out of her league Beth is as she faces the demon inhabiting her sister’s body.
Another terrific, truly unnerving performance is delivered by Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie. Prior to being possessed, Sutherland’s performance as Ellie captures just how beaten down by life the single mom is and how, despite that, she still adores her children. Once she’s possessed, Sutherland steals every scene. Her movements and facial expressions as the demon are skin-crawlingly effective.
What’s missing in this entry of the Evil Dead franchise is the campy, fun vibe that made the earlier films so enjoyable. That, plus Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams and his fun, over-the-top reactions to the demons. Evil Dead Rise takes itself too seriously, forgets what made the franchise so much fun, and subs in buckets of blood instead of humor.
GRADE: C
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Bloody Horror Violence|Some Language|Gore)
Filmmaker Guy Ritchie steps out of his comfort zone of flashy action scenes and characters with witty stylish dialogue to take on a down-to-earth, gritty, serious war story about loyalty and courage with Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant.
The film focuses on U.S. Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his unit hunting for Taliban forces in Afghanistan. During a routine checkpoint, the unit’s interpreter is killed when a bomb explodes. Back at the airbase, Kinley handpicks a new Afghan interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim), despite his reputation of being hard to get along with.
It’s not long before Kinley and Ahmed are strongly disagreeing on how to go about hunting the Taliban. On one dirt road search, Ahmed tells Kinley to stop and that they shouldn’t be going in this direction, vehemently insisting their intelligence is wrong and they’re headed into a trap. Kinley initially reacts by reminding Ahmed that he’s just the translator. Ahmed quickly clears up that misconception by pointing out, “Actually, I’m here to interpret.”
Ahmed insists it’s a trap, so Kinley reluctantly stops. He orders two of his men check out the situation from a higher point. Using binoculars, they confirm a Taliban force is waiting to ambush them.
Kinley starts to trust Ahmed more after this and after learning that his new interpreter is not just helping his unit for the money but because the Taliban killed his son. He’s helping the U.S. forces for the right to get a visa and go to America.
Kinley and his unit come across a Taliban force stockpiling weapons and come under intense fire from Taliban reinforcements. Kinley and Ahmed are forced to flee on foot after the rest of the unit is wiped out. With their communications cut off, the two men find themselves being hunted behind enemy lines.
Kinley is seriously wounded during a skirmish with some of the Taliban, and it falls on Ahmed to make a stretcher and drag Kinley, who is out of it due to his wounds, through mountain ranges and challenging terrain to get back to the U.S. airbase.
Kinley wakes up in a hospital and, three weeks later, is sent back to his family in California. He finds out from a friend in the army that Ahmed has been forced to go underground with his wife and infant child because the Taliban’s hunting him after saving the American sergeant’s life. Kinley’s PTSD is made worse by the bureaucratic red tape, yet he’s determined to get Ahmed and his family visas and get them out of the country to America.
Realizing he’ll never be able to find Ahmed and get his family out of the country by going through normal channels, Kinley calls in favors. Kinley returns to Afghanistan, set on finding Ahmed and doing what’s right.
Written and directed by Guy Ritchie, The Covenant is a gripping, suspenseful war thriller with two standout performances and some excellent camera work. It’s a serious, realistic look at war and the bonds of trust and loyalty between men who serve together in combat.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of his best performances as Sergeant John Kinley, a man who comes to trust his new interpreter and ends up owing him his life. Gyllenhaal captures the command and respect he has over his men and equally wonderfully shows Kinley’s frustration and exhaustion by his failed attempts to rescue Ahmed.
Dar Salim delivers a strong performance as Ahmed, a man who loves his family and goes above and beyond to save Sergeant Kinley from certain death. Salim and Gyllenhaal have solid chemistry in their shared scenes.
The film benefits from terrific camera work that creates an intense and almost docudrama feeling to the action movie. The cinematography and Christopher Benstead’s intense musical score add to the tension.
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is a fierce, powerful war thriller that shows the terror, brutality, and heroism of war without glorifying it. The film also puts a spotlight on the interpreters who remain in danger from the Taliban back in Afghanistan and are hunted for assisting America in its fight against terrorism.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for brief drug content, violence, and language throughout
Release Date: April 21, 2023
Running Time: 123 minutes
Screenwriters: Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies
TNT’s popular true crime anthology series Rich & Shameless will return for season two on May 7, 2023. The new season focuses on stories from the sports world, including the sordid tale of Hulk Hogan and his leaked sex tape. Additional episodes feature ex-NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman, former Patriots linebacker Eric Naposki, and the murder of NBA star Lorenzen Wright.
TNT released the following descriptions of episodes premiering in May 2023.
“Rodman’s Stolen Millions” Premieres Sunday, May 7, following the NBA Playoffs – This is the unbelievable story of NBA’s bad boy Dennis Rodman. His ferocious talent, controversial style and wild partying made him a superstar, but also left him vulnerable. This is the unbelievable true story of how those closest to Rodman betrayed him and stole millions.
“Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker” Premieres Wednesday, May 17, following Western Conference Finals Game One/Two – The story of American icon and world-famous wrestler, Hulk Hogan. He had it all…fans, money, a loving family, even his own TV show…but when an infamous sex tape was leaked to the media it changed his life forever. This film uncovers the scandal beyond the ring, the man vs the legend and his ultimate fight for privacy.
“A Deadly Football Hit” Premieres Sunday, May 21, following Western Conference Finals Game Three – This is the gripping true story of Eric Naposki, the former NFL linebacker for the Patriots, who got caught up in a bizarre love triangle and is now serving life in prison for murder. Was Naposki involved in the hit on his girlfriend’s lover? Or, due to years of head trauma, was he the perfect fall guy?
“Basketball Murder for Money” Premieres Tuesday, May 23, after Western Conference Finals Game Five – The story of NBA star Lorenzen Wright’s brutal murder and the struggle for justice, told by his mother, friends and a detective determined to crack the cold case.
Original True Lies star Tom Arnold pops in as a guest star on CBS’s True Lies season one episode nine. Directed by Aprill Winney from a script by Justice Hardy and Yancey Wang, episode nine – “Bitter Sweethearts” – will air on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
Steve Howey stars as Harry and Ginger Gonzaga stars as Helen. The season one cast also includes Erica Hernandez as Maria, Omar Miller as Gib, Mike O’Gorman as Luther, Annabella Didion as Dana, and Lucas Jaye as Jake.
Kate Vernon guest stars as a retired Omega operative named Sharon.
“Bitter Sweethearts” Plot: The Omega Sector team partners with Arnie and Sharon, two retired Omega operatives, to locate a mystery assassin who murdered members of their former team. During the mission, Arnie (Tom Arnold) and Sharon give Harry and Helen a frightening glimpse at what a career at Omega can do to a romantic relationship.
True Lies follows Harry Tasker (Howey), a first-class international spy for U.S. intelligence agency Omega Sector, and his wife, Helen (Gonzaga), a language professor bored with her daily routine, who makes the shocking discovery that her seemingly ordinary husband is leading an extraordinary double life.
With the secret out, Omega recruits Helen, who impresses everyone with her formidable skills (thanks to Tae Bo and yoga), and she joins Harry and his team of top-notch operatives, embarking on covert missions around the globe and an exhilarating life of danger and adventure – all while keeping their adventures a secret from their children. The renewed bond between them adds much-needed sizzle to the Taskers’ emotionally distant marriage and upends the top-secret world of Omega Sector.
But, as Harry says, if you’re going to save the world, you might as well do it for the ones you love.
The team investigates the murder of an American tourist on CBS’s FBI: International season two episode 19. Directed by Michael Katleman from a script by Kyle Steinbach, episode 19 – “Dead Sprint” – will air on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season two stars Luke Kleintank as Special Agent Scott Forrester, Heida Reed as Special Agent Jamie Kellett, Carter Redwood as Special Agent Andre Raines, Vinessa Vidotto as Special Agent Cameron Vo, and Eva-Jane Willis as Europol Agent Megan “Smitty” Garretson.
“Dead Sprint” Plot: After an American tourist is killed while visiting Stockholm with his girlfriend, the Fly Team must work together to take down a Swedish group responsible for the hate crime.
FBI: International Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
FBI: International is the third iteration of the successful FBI brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people. The Fly Team’s Special Agent Scott Forrester, their accomplished and dedicated leader, puts his missions ahead of his personal life and is often accompanied by his trusty Schutzhund dog, Tank.
Second in command is Special Agent Jamie Kellett, a heroic and fearless investigator – and her extensive network of informants is a powerful resource. Special Agent Andre Raines shines in the field and makes good use of his accounting background in tracking criminal enterprises’ moving money; and Special Agent Cameron Vo, a competitive West Point grad who excels at interrogation and strategy. Newly embedded with the Fly Team is Megan “Smitty” Garretson, a streetwise Europol agent with an extensive undercover background who liaises with each host country they inhabit.
A prison guard’s family is attacked on CBS’s S.W.A.T. season six episode 19. Directed by Guy Ferland from a script by Sarah Alderson, episode 19 – “Bunkies” – will air on Friday, April 21, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT.
SWAT season six stars Shemar Moore as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, Alex Russell as Jim Street, Jay Harrington as David “Deacon” Kay, Kenny Johnson as Dominique Luca, David Lim as Victor Tan, Patrick St. Esprit as Commander Robert Hicks, and Rochelle Aytes as Nichelle.
“Bunkies” Plot: The team races to uncover the identities of kidnappers holding a prison guard’s family hostage before it’s too late. Also, Tan is faced with a difficult personal decision.
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. Committed to the job and embracing personal change, Hondo prepares for fatherhood with his girlfriend, Nichelle, the operator of a South LA community center.
The other members of Hondo’s elite S.W.A.T. unit include David “Deacon” Kay, an experienced S.W.A.T. officer and dedicated family man who always puts the team first; Dominique Luca, an expert driver who gets them in and out of high-risk situations; Victor Tan, who started in the LAPD Hollywood Division and uses his confidential informants in the community to help the team; and Jim Street, the team’s cocky newest member.
Responsible for the management of all Metro Division S.W.A.T. units is Commander Robert Hicks, a senior LAPD official with the Special Operations Bureau. With Hondo leading the charge, these dedicated men bravely put themselves at risk to protect their community and save lives.
