ABC’s Station 19 season six episode two takes its name from a Beatles song and features the team tackling an apartment fire. Episode two, “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey,” will air on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.
Season six stars Jaina Lee Ortiz as Andy Herrera, Jason George as Ben Warren, Boris Kodjoe as Robert Sullivan, Grey Damon as Jack Gibson, and Barrett Doss as Victoria Hughes. Jay Hayden plays Travis Montgomery, Danielle Savre plays Maya Bishop, Stefania Spampinato is Carina DeLuca, and Carlos Miranda stars as Theo Ruiz.
“Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” Plot: Travis discusses his position in the mayoral race as he is determined to kick Dixon out, and Maya admits to blackmail. Meanwhile, the team is called to a fire at a run-down apartment complex that reveals an unsettling cause.
Episode two guest stars include Kelly Thiebaud as Eva Vasquez, Diana Tanaka as Ivy, and David Thompson as Ethan.
Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato in ‘Station 19’ season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Liliane Lathan)
Station 19 Description, Courtesy of ABC:
Station 19 follows a group of heroic Seattle firefighters as they put their lives and hearts on the line. The latest series from the executive producers of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder takes us inside the tough, tight-knit and sometimes heartbreaking world of the city’s bravest first responders.
Jaina Lee Ortiz in season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Danielle Savre in season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Liliane Lathan)A scene from season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Barrett Doss, Danielle Savre, Jason George, and Jay Hayden in season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Liliane Lathan)Merle Dandridge and Josh Randall in season 6 episode 2 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
Fox’s Monarch season one episode five is getting a jump on the winter holiday season before we’ve even had a chance to celebrate Halloween. Episode five, “Death and Christmas,” featuring guest star Faith Prince will air on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT.
Monarch stars Susan Sarandon as Dottie Cantrell Roman, Anna Friel as Nicolette “Nicky” Roman, Trace Adkins as Albie Roman, and Beth Ditto as Gigi Tucker-Roman. Joshua Sasse plays Luke Roman, Meagan Holder is Kayla Taylor-Roman, Inigo Pascual is Ace Grayson, Martha Higareda is Catt Phoenix, and Emma Milani plays Ana Phoenix.
“Death and Christmas” Plot: The Romans move forward with their traditional Family Christmas special. Clive blackmails Nicky, and Nicky’s publicist pushes her to go public with her romance with Wade. Meanwhile, Ace and Ana go on a date, Gigi rebels and Albie is stunned to learn what Dottie did.
In Monarch, the Roman family is headed by the insanely talented, but tough-as-nails Queen of Country Music DOTTIE CANTRELL ROMAN (Sarandon) and her beloved husband, ‘Texas Truthteller’ ALBIE ROMAN (Adkins). Dottie and Albie have created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown NICOLETTE “NICKY” ROMAN (Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.
Middle child LUKE ROMAN (Sasse) is the CEO of the family’s business, Monarch Entertainment. Luke is the apple of his mother’s eye, but he has a troubled relationship with his father, whose approval he can never get, no matter how hard he tries. Youngest daughter GIGI TUCKER-ROMAN (Ditto) is very close to her older brother and sister, but in a family of superstars, Gigi has always felt like a bit of an outcast, in spite of her incredible singing voice.
Gigi is married to KAYLA ROMAN-TUCKER (Holder), a successful music manager who keeps turning down Luke’s offers to join forces with the family company. Outside business, Kayla’s relationships with the Romans reflect a complicated history, and a secret she is keeping could destroy her marriage to Gigi. ACE GRAYSON (Inigo Pascual) also is part of the family. He is a talented and sensitive 18-year-old who was adopted from an orphanage by Nicky and her husband, struggling British actor CLIVE GRAYSON (guest star Adam Croasdell).
Ace is a phenomenal singer with real swagger on stage and dreams of being a country star like his Grandpa Albie. And just when the Romans’ world couldn’t get more chaotic, enter CATT PHOENIX (Higareda), the stunning and unpredictable mother of 17-year-old ANA PHOENIX (Emma Milani), a talented, wide-eyed young singer who is trying to get signed to the Roman family’s record label.
AMC Networks has set a January 5, 2023* premiere date for Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches. The series will mark the second adaptation of Rice’s work to be introduced on the network following the debut of Interview with the Vampire starring Jacob Anderson (Game of Thrones) as Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid (The Newsreader) as Lestat de Lioncourt on October 2, 2022.
The premiere date was announced during the series’ panel at the New York Comic Con. NYCC attendees were also the first to see the official trailer for the supernatural drama starring Alexandra Daddario, Jack Huston, Tongayi Chirisa, and Harry Hamlin.
Esta Spalding (Masters of Sex, On Becoming a God in Central Florida) is the showrunner, writer, and executive producer. In addition, Michelle Ashford (Masters of Sex, The Pacific) writes and executive produces, with Mark Johnson also executive producing.
The first season will consist of eight episodes.
Anne Rice’s The Lives Of The Mayfair Witches trilogy consists of The Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos. Per AMC Networks, Mayfair Witches “focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon, Rowan (Daddario), who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.”
“The world of witches has fascinated and terrified for centuries, and yet Anne Rice’s particular lens on witches explored something new altogether – women who are powerful, and often brutal and always committed to subverting our current power structures,” explained Spalding and Ashford. “We are so excited to join our partners AMC and Gran Via Productions in making this mysterious and provocative world come to life.”
(Update: The premiere date was moved to January 8, 2023.)
Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding in Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ season 1 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding and Harry Hamlin as Cortland in season 1 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)Jack Huston as Lasher in season 1 episode 1 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding in episode 4 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve in episode 1 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding in episode 4 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)
James McAvoy in ‘His Dark Materials’ season 3 (Photo by HBO)
It’s been two long years since HBO’s His Dark Materials season two premiered and, finally, the network has confirmed season three will debut on December 5, 2022. Stars from the series – James McAvoy, Amir Wilson, and Dafne Keen (via Zoom) – welcomed fans back to the world of His Dark Materials during a panel at the 2022 New York Comic Con. Executive producers Dan McCulloch and Jane Tranter also participated, and it was Tranter who started things off by providing a brief recap of where season two left off.
“It’s a tricky situation for Lyra. She is in a wooden box with Pan, with Mrs. Coulter sailing across the sea. To where? We don’t yet know. Lord Asriel is summoning angels and appears to be on the start of his great journey – his great quest. Will has just experienced the joy of meeting his dad and the loss of his dad, and now has lost Lyra. So, he’s in a whole heap of trouble. And Mary Malone is going on the journey of a lifetime,” said Tranter.
Executive producer McCulloch confirmed new locations in season three include Asriel’s Republic where he’s been doing his experimentations on dust. Plus, we’ll see the Clouded Mountain, the Land of the Dead, and the Mulefa.
James McAvoy was barely in season two, but fans should count on Lord Asriel being around more in season three. “He does a lot with just a little, so hopefully, he doesn’t do too much with a little bit more in season three,” said McAvoy, laughing. “It’s an absolute honor to get to play this character whether it’s just a little bit, like in season one, or a smidgen of a bit in season two. But to get to come back in season three and finally bring you the actuality of all the stuff he’s been saying he’s going to do…he’s been like, ‘I’m going to bring war against the heavens. I’m going to take down the Authority. I’m going to bust a hole in the sky. I’m going to bring together the best from every world.’
It was a lot of talk, and in season three, you get to see him actually do it. And he’s like this locomotive train that is just going to barrel forward, and nothing is going to stop him till the love of his life and the daughter of his life walk back into his life.”
McAvoy added: “And, of course, all the wheels fall off.”
Amir Wilson confirmed that Will is going to be feeling a lot of pressure to fulfill his father’s dying wish. “It drives him throughout the whole series,” said Wilson. “He ends up getting sidetracked, getting pulled to the Land of the Dead. […] He ends up meeting Iorek Byrnison. He ends up seeing Baruch and Balthamos. It’s a crazy journey for him.”
Dafne Keen in ‘His Dark Materials’ season 3 (Photo by HBO)
Dafne Keen’s Lyra begins the season kidnapped by her mother, again. “I can say it’s sleepy. There’s not much going on for Lyra. She’s very much asleep and passed out for most of it. So, at least it’s not painful,” explained Keen.
Fans can expect this season to explore the love that Lyra has for Mrs. Coulter. That’s not something we’ve seen in the previous seasons. “I think as she grows up, she starts having those feelings toward her mother which are natural, but which she hasn’t felt because she hasn’t had a mother. And it was really interesting to get to investigate that and to navigate how complicated her relationship is with her parents but especially with Mrs. Coulter.”
James McAvoy admitted he’s not even sure Asriel loves Lyra. “Look, if he loves his daughter, it’s a very different love to the one I recognize with my children. He’s pretended that he’s her uncle for the first 12 years of her life and he has killed her best friend. You’ll see it even more in season three, if you’ve read the third book, he’s really down on her. He says a lot of bad stuff about her.
I don’t know that he doesn’t love her or actively dislikes her. I don’t know about that. He definitely has got bigger things on his plate than fatherhood. I think that he is this self-obsessed, self-righteous guy trying to do what he thinks is right and happy to do anything to get it done. But the journey for him then is about this little girl derailing his entire worldview and his entire opinion of himself. This guy who’s got this massive ego and this little girl. Like, he thinks he’s Spartacus. She’s Spartacus. Do you know what I mean?”
McAvoy described Asriel’s goal as winning the war to emancipate the human soul and spirit from the oppression of tyrannical abuse. Which is a good thing. “But he is just a guy who is willing to justify his means by the grandeur and the righteousness of his ends. And that’s not okay,” said McAvoy.
Amir Wilson said the Will we catch up with in season three has grown up a lot. He’ll be trying to locate Lyra and it’s a mad journey that has him encountering new characters. “He’s got better at using a knife. He has new boots and new clothes. I don’t know where he went shopping in between seasons, but he somehow has new clothes,” joked Wilson.
Creating the Mulefa had been front and center in behind-the-scenes talks for the first two seasons, so by season three they felt right. Tranter said making an angel appear was actually more difficult.
McAvoy explained he would act out the scenes with angels with an actor, whom he admits he didn’t think would actually be in the final cut. He assumed it would be CGI’d. “I think one of the things that these guys have done for us as actors throughout the whole show is no matter how spectacular or how crazy or how weird the thing happening in the scene is, we’ve always got human connection as performers. It gives it it a little bit more – I don’t know – something grounded in reality to be able to convey to the audience. Even if it is something of a spectacle happening in the visual sense.”
Jane Tranter described season three as more grounded and emotional than the previous two seasons. “It unpacks the nature of the human condition stuff that Philip Pullman does so well,” said Tranter.
His Dark Materials Panel Tidbits:
– Lyra will see Roger again in season three.
– We’ll see a budding romance between Will and Lyra…finally.
– Author Philip Pullman loves how James McAvoy has portrayed Lord Asriel.
– Mary Malone (played by Simone Kirby) will spend the season slicing through worlds on a long journey accompanied by a bottle of water, a small sun hat, and a small rucksack.
– Mary will wind up in the world of the Mulefa. They invented a language for Mary to speak with the Mulefa – some with subtitles and some with sign language.
– Lord Asriel has a not hilarious, very manly ponytail.
– Season three will air two new episodes each week of the season. The finale airs December 26, 2022.
– Lin-Manuel Miranda is returning.
– Lyra and Pan’s relationship is tested.
– Dafne Keen took the alethiometer home and Amir Wilson took the knife.
Although HBO Max’s animated series Velma won’t debut until 2023, the Scooby-Doo prequel hosted a panel at the 2022 New York Comic Con. Before the panel, HBO Max announced the show’s voice cast will include Glenn Howerton as Fred, Sam Richardson as Shaggy, and Constance Wu as Daphne. Executive producer Mindy Kaling is the voice of Velma.
The cast also features Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Russell Peters, Melissa Fumero, Stephen Root, Gary Cole, Ken Leung, Cherry Jones, Fortune Feimster, Yvonne Orji, Sarayu Blue, Nicole Byer, Ming-Na Wen, Shay Mitchell, Debby Ryan, Kulap Vilaysak, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Scooby-Doo veteran Frank Welker.
Velma is targeting an adult audience and will tell the origin story of Scooby-Doo’s Mystery Inc’s Velma Dinkley, the brains of the gang. The first season will consist of 10 episodes and has showrunner Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein, and Sam Register as executive producers.
What We Learned from the Velma NYCC Panel:
Mindy Kaling, Sam Richardson, Glenn Howerton, Constance Wu, and showrunner Charlie Grandy took part in the panel which began with a screening of the series premiere. Kaling, Wu, and Grandy appeared in person (with Kaling and Wu making their first-ever Comic Con appearances) while Richardson and Howerton appeared via Zoom.
Charlie Grandy and Mindy Kaling have worked together since 2008 and really understand each other’s vision for Velma. It’s a very collaborative process, and Charlie viewed his job as facilitating Mindy’s vision.
“Listen, we love the series. We love these characters so much. Charlie created what I think is an amazing homage to this group – especially this character. I’ve always – growing up – identified with Velma. She was so cute but not traditionally hot. Super smart, super thick glasses, questionable haircut…I just loved the series and I feel so honored I get to do the voice,” said Kaling, kicking off the discussion.
“I couldn’t resist it,” admitted Kaling. “Let’s be honest; I sound like a 15-year-old girl from Encino. I thought it would be fun and I thought that I could bring something to the character that we haven’t seen.”
This is not your typical Saturday morning series, and Kaling found Velma appealing because it hadn’t been done before for an adult audience. “We just thought these characters are high schoolers that lent themselves so well to an adult version,” explained Kaling.
Kaling describes Howerton’s Fred as a much more normal character than he usually gets to play. But other than Fred, Kaling doesn’t think that whiteness defined the characters in the original series. Howerton was perfect for the role because of his comedic chops and his humanity.
Howerton changed up his voice to play a high schooler, explaining he channeled an extremely entitled teenage kid. “I started with that but honestly, I half expected them to stop me and be like, ‘That’s a little too strange.’”
Howerton, who’s used to playing pretentious characters, said this series makes him laugh incredibly hard. “I don’t know why I find this style of humor so funny,” said Howerton. “Whenever I get to play an entitled white dude, it just makes me laugh. It’s funny. I think I probably relate to it in ways that I’m loathed to admit, but as far as driving a strange van – that’s not really something I can relate to.”
The Shaggy that Sam Richardson voices in the series isn’t like the Shaggy we saw in the classic animated comedy. Asked if he could explain what turned his character into the burnout we all know and love, Richardson couldn’t – it would be too much of a spoiler. However, Grandy promised the transition “will be deserved.”
Velma is the polar opposite of Daphne in this new show, and Daphne’s basically a mean girl. Wu said lending her voice to that sort of character was amazing. “To get to really sink into a character like that, that’s what you want to do,” said Wu.
Wu didn’t really alter her voice for the part. “I don’t think I’d be very good at sounding pre-pubescent, even though I look it sometimes,” joked Wu.
Velma isn’t erasing anything that went before it in the Scooby universe, but the animated show won’t include Scooby himself. (They couldn’t use the dog according to Warner Bros, plus the dog made it more of a kids show.) It’s also going to be serialized, rather than a mystery-of-the week format.
Kaling promised the series will really explore the world of high schoolers, including events and dances, along with being a murder mystery. Seeing this strange group from different social cliques come together as friends is part of the fun.
Kaling also teased a lot of the characters will have sexual tension with Velma. The journey of Velma’s self-discovery is something that really drew Kaling to the project, but she wouldn’t reveal if we’ll see a Velma/Daphne hookup.
Daphne’s personality will be different from what fans may expect. “She was the demure one and I think that’s what’s so fun about this character now is that she’s not demure. She has her own mysteries that she has to figure out about her own life that we find out about,” explained Kaling.
“All of the characters…we really delve into their family life, the things that we didn’t get to see in the original series,” added Kaling. Grandy confirmed we’ll meet their parents and they’ll have complicated home lives.
As for the animation style, Grandy said, “We wanted to update it. We didn’t want it to look too much like the original. We wanted it to have its own distinct look. We wanted to find that balance because we put a lot of work into finding character design.”
Grandy added: “We wanted something that could balance both comedy and horror – that could go back and forth. I think we did three rounds of searches with 10 different per, and it was finally in the third round we saw the same one.”
CBS’s Ghosts season two panel at the New York Comic Con kicked off with a screening of the October 6, 2022 episode, “Alberta’s Podcast.” Executive producer/co-showrunner Joe Wiseman, Román Zaragoza (“Sasappis”), Sheila Carrasco (“Flower”), Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Jay”), Danielle Pinnock (“Alberta”), Asher Grodman (“Trevor”), and Rebecca Wisocky (“Hetty”) took the stage at Javits Center in NYCC to discuss the popular half-hour comedy currently airing on Thursday nights.
Here’s a brief recap of all things Ghosts from the NYCC panel:
Danielle Pinnock was happy to have a flashback episode to the 1920s that focused on Alberta’s backstory. Getting to know more about the character was great, but most importantly Pinnock was able to actually touch props – something she can’t do playing a ghost. It was a thrill to hold a mic in a jazz club, and she finally understood that Alberta lives for the applause.
“Season one, she’s this boisterous delicious diva. She’s a loudmouth and she’s been with these bootlegger boyfriends, and we find out she may have a little bit of a crush on Pete. But in this episode, being on stage for the first time’s when I really got to understand this character,” explained Pinnock.
Pinnock confirmed she’s ready for Alberta to find some love in the afterlife. She hopes that Alberta will give Pete a chance.
Utkarsh Ambudkar thanked fans for their support, saying viewers have made it the phenomenon that it is. “Without our fans we would be United States of Al. We’d be gone,” joked Ambudkar. He’s seen the joy people get from the show when he runs into fans on the streets.
Jay still can’t see the ghosts, and Utkarsh Ambudkar revealed he thought season two episode one would be the turning point that would allow his character to see all these spirits – which he really wants to do. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.
Ambudkar explained how they shoot the scenes in which he’s not supposed to be aware of his co-stars. “The short answer is we shoot with everybody here and then all these guys go off stage and they still say all their lines and they’re still there for us with as much energy as they had the first time,” said Ambudkar. “Rose (McIver) is our engine. She does the heavy lifting. Rose remembers where everyone was, and what their intentions were. She responds to them and then manages my response to her. Rose is really our puppet master on the set. She does so much work; she’s our unsung hero.”
Sheila Carrasco was a big fan of the original BBC series and was excited about getting the audition to be a part of an American version. As for Flower, Carrasco thinks she’s lived a very beautiful and colorful life. She’s robbed a bank, and there’s a cult episode coming up in which Flower will impart some wisdom about how cults work and how they can sometimes be dysfunctional and unhealthy.
“We get to see more of her crazy point of view which I always love exploring. I can’t wait to see what else Flower has done,” said Carrasco.
Carrasco thinks there’s still a journey there for her and Thorfinn. “I do believe that underneath it all they have a deep connection. I think that Thorfinn is an old soul and can be very deep. I think that they may just connect at some point.”
Rebecca Wisocky agreed it’s sometimes frustrating to not be able to touch anything, and she enjoyed interacting with the washing machine on “Alberta’s Podcast.” The episode gave her a chance to let Hetty loosen the reins and not be quite so uptight. Wisocky loves physical comedy and came from the theatre. “To get to let loose on that old Maytag was really, really fun,” said Wisocky.
Wisocky’s happy the episode also allowed her to have great scenes with Sheila Carrasco, and the friendship will continue to develop between Flower and Hetty. The characters have interacted as roommates before but “Alberta’s Podcast” allowed Carrasco to play Flower as someone who’s capable of sharing her knowledge with Hetty in a productive way. “That part of it was just a really fun opportunity for me as Flower,” said Carrasco.
Wisocky credited Wiseman and the writers with doing a magnificent job of splitting the characters up this season and creating interesting unlikely bedfellows.
“We love finding different pairings,” said Wiseman.
Asher Grodman added: “One of the things that’s so cool about our show and allows us to do something that I don’t think a lot of shows get to do is at the same time that audiences obviously know much more than the eight clowns who are trapped in Woodstone, because we’re all trapped in the past, then there’s like this hundreds of years of history on this land that we know more about than you do. And so, we kind of get to approach that relationship with an audience from two different points of view.”
Grodman, who also teaches acting at Hunter College, teased Trevor’s up to a lot this season and will continue to say inappropriate things. “Something I’m realizing in season two is that Trevor’s the only one of the ghosts who has still spent more of the time alive than dead. So there’s a lot that he gets up to trying to bring his life into the afterlife,” said Grodman. “There’s going to be some delving into some frat-like behavior.”
Roman Zaragoza teased there’s a big upcoming episode for Sasappis titled “The Tree.” Zaragoza confessed to being nervous about doing panels like this and then revealed the episode will dive into Sas’s backstory a little bit more. Plus, we’ll see more of Sas’s romantic side and learn why he’s really bad at dating.
Zaragoza’s real dad plays his dad in the series, and Wiseman confirmed they’d love to have him back.
Mark Hamill is a massive fan of the series and Joe Wiseman is ready for Hamill to show up on the set whenever he wants to. “Anytime he wants to come, yes. Whatever scene we’re shooting we’ll write him in.”
Ghosts Panel Tidbits:
Ghost economy will be revealed.
Jay’s sister will return for a holiday episode and Trevor is ready to hit on her again.
Rebecca Wisocky said Matt Baynton from the original BBC show (and an original creator of the series) will guest star in season two. “He’s an incredibly funny and generous actor,” said Wisocky. Asher Grodman confirmed Baynton guest stars in episode seven, an episode he describes as “magnificent.” Episode seven will be a Pete episode.
The cast loves to prank each other, including a running gag featuring inspirational quotes credited to Asher.
Suggestions were made for a musical episode and one Blumhouse-ish version episode in which Sam really is just walking around talking to walls.
Jemaine Clement voice Principal Bazwell in Hulu’s ‘Koala Man’
Hulu’s Koala Man continues to fill out its first season voice cast, adding Jemaine Clement, Rachel House, and Jarrad Wright in key roles. The animated series hosted a panel at the 2022 New York Comic Con and announced the latest additions to the cast, including Hugo Weaving and Miranda Otto as guest stars.
The newcomers join previously announced voice cast members Hugh Jackman, Sarah Snook, and Demi Lardner. Series creator Michael Cusack will be voicing the titular character. Justin Roiland (Solar Opposites), Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Michael Cowap executive produce.
The casting announcement didn’t include a targeted season one premiere date.
Koala Man Plot, Cast, and Characters:
Koala Man follows middle-aged dad Kevin and his titular not-so-secret identity, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in the town of Dapto. Though it may seem like any other Australian suburb, forces of evil both cosmic and man-made lie in wait to pounce on unsuspecting Daptonians. On a quest to clean up his hometown, and often roping his frustrated family into his adventures, Koala Man stands at the ready. He’ll do whatever it takes to defeat villainous masterminds, supernatural horrors, or worse: jerks who don’t take their rubbish bins down on the proper days.
JEMAINE CLEMENT AS “PRINCIPAL BAZWELL”
A nerdy and caring mentor to Liam and an ineffectual dandy of a man, always poised to support the students of North Dapto High with a helpful anecdote or encouraging song lyric.
HUGO WEAVING AS “KING EMUDEUS”
The wise and noble monarch of Australia’s emus.
MIRANDA OTTO AS “MINDY”
A sweet young koala cub with whom Koala Man shares a deep and mysterious connection.
JARRAD WRIGHT AS “SPIDER”
Kevin’s bogan best friend and neighbor who’s always down to help with a Koala Man mission, especially if someone needs to provide an illegal weapon to do so.
RACHEL HOUSE AS “JANINE”
Janine is Vicky’s friend and coworker at the school canteen. A hard partier.
RACHEL HOUSE AS “LOUISE”
Louise is The proprietress of the bowling club who has a deep, and some would say inexplicable, attraction to Koala Man.
SARAH SNOOK AS “VICKY”
Vicky thinks her husband Kevin is just going through a phase. While she tolerates Koala Man, she hopes Kevin will snap out of whatever bizarre mid-life crisis he’s going through. Vicky sincerely loves Kevin for his reliability, but now that his Koala Man duties are making him less reliable, Vicky’s questioning if settling down was the right choice. She sees how dedicated Kevin is to being Koala Man and, as the school canteen lady, feels like she’s missing having a passion in life.
DEMI LARDNER AS “ALISON”
Alison, Liam’s 35-seconds-older twin, has an almost sociopathic preoccupation with being popular. Ruthlessly intelligent, determined, and manipulative, Alison knows exactly how many followers you have on IG. She’s got a list of all the coolest kids and a plan to destroy them so she can rise the ranks. To do so, Alison tries to distance herself from Liam, Vicky, and Koala Man, staying laser-focused on becoming The Most Powerful Girl in School.
HUGH JACKMAN AS “BIG GREG”
The most well-liked man in Dapto and the head of the Town Council, Big Greg has only known success. Formerly the host of Fishing Big with Big Greg, Australia’s third most popular fishing show, Big Greg has ridden his celebrity into a trusted position in Dapto. As Kevin’s direct supervisor, Big Greg makes Kevin feel inadequate as a provider and a man. To add insult to injury, Daptonians constantly credit Big Greg for Koala Man’s work saving the town.
MICHAEL CUSACK AS “LIAM”
Liam is Kevin and Vicky’s wimpy shrimp of a 13 year old son. Liam’s credulous, romantic, and the uncoolest kid in Dapto, possibly in the entire state of New South Wales, maybe even in all of Australia. Liam thinks his dad moonlighting as Koala Man is so cool, even though the kids at school hate Koala Man. He’s similarly proud that Vicky works at the canteen and unashamed of being a mummy’s boy. Liam’s perfect day would include painting Swordstorm figurines, playing computer games, and dinner at an American restaurant.
MICHAEL CUSACK AS “KEVIN”
Kevin believes that there are rules all members of society must abide by in order to live happy and productive lives. Of course, he’s apparently the only one in his hometown of Dapto who feels that way. A seemingly unremarkable man with an actually unremarkable job as the IT coordinator for the Town Council, Kevin knows if his fellow citizens could just see things his way, they’d see that’s the right way. Unfortunately, there’s injustice in every direction. If only Kevin had some way of righting those wrongs, of combating the forces of evil that threaten Dapto… if only he had…
…an alter-ego. KOALA MAN is Kevin’s superhero identity. Koala Man takes to the streets to do things Kevin can’t do in his civilian life. From confronting interdimensional aliens to making sure everyone’s grass length adheres to local ordinances, there’s no crime too big or law too obscure for Koala Man.
MICHAEL CUSACK AS “DARREN” & “DAMO”
Dapto’s least favorite sons, Darren & Damo are drug-addled, low-level criminal ne’er-do-wells who always seem to find themselves running afoul of Koala Man. To say they are Koala Man’s nemeses would be to give them too much credit, as they seem to share a single brain cell between them.
Chris Hemsworth (the Thor franchise) takes on the most difficult tests of his life for an important cause in National Geographic’s Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. The six-part documentary series focuses on combating aging, with Hemsworth participating in epic challenges while guided by experts in the fields explored in each episode.
All six episodes debut on Disney+ on November 16, 2022.
The docuseries was produced by Protozoa, Nutopia, and Wild State for National Geographic. Wild State’s Chris Hemsworth and Ben Grayson executive produce along with Protozoa’s Oscar winner Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel. In addition, Nutopia’s Jane Root, Arif Nurmohamed, and Ruth Shurman executive produce as well as National Geographic’s Bengt Anderson and Matt Renner.
Chris Hemsworth during production of ‘Limitless with Chris Hemsworth’ in Norway (Photo credit: National Geographic/Craig Parry)
National Geographic released the following description of the documentary series:
Part global scientific adventure, part personal journey, each episode of the series follows Chris as he takes up a gauntlet of physical and mental feats designed by world-class experts, scientists and doctors to unlock different aspects of the aging process. Each meticulously crafted challenge is rooted in game-changing science, drawing on new research and long-held traditions. Chris’ mission is to understand the limits of the human body better and discover ways we can all extend health and happiness into old age.
Keeping himself in peak physical condition and best known for portraying an immortal superhero, Chris has always taken care of his health and fitness. But, now in his late 30s, he wants to find out how to harness the potential of his mind and body to stay sharper, stronger, and healthier for longer — not only for himself and his children but for his children’s children too. Each challenge pushes Chris further than he has ever gone before. Through the series, viewers will learn techniques they can use to improve their health and enhance their own lives.
Years in the making and with his friends and family alongside, including wife Elsa Pataky and brothers Luke Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth, Chris entered into Limitless, determined to explore his emotional and cognitive health in addition to challenging his physical limits. Open-minded and honest, he worked tirelessly to enhance his mental resilience and face up to some of the toughest realities life holds for all of us. It’s an experience that is deep, authentic and humbling for Chris.
In addition to his daring and emotional challenges, Limitless also shares fascinating stories from around the world of people who have woven the lessons of longevity into their own lives, with surprising benefits we can all reap.
Limitless with Chris Hemsworth Episode Descriptions:
Stress-Proof: Ever since his teenage years, stress has been part of Chris’ life, and he wants to learn how to deal with it better. Psychologist Modupe Akinola challenges him to stay calm during a terrifying walk along a crane that’s projecting out from the roof of a skyscraper. Modupe will train Chris in powerful physical and psychological techniques we can use to control the stress in our lives and combat the risk it poses to long-term health.
Shock: To maximize longevity, you might think it’s best to play it safe and stay cozy. But some scientists believe we should do the opposite, as exposure to extreme temperatures can trigger our bodies’ own defenses against the killer diseases of old age. Chris heads for the freezing Arctic with his brothers Liam and Luke to take on the ultimate cold therapy.
Fasting: Chris turns to longevity doctor Peter Attia to find out how changing his eating habits can help his quest for longevity. Ironically, the answer is to eat no food at all for four long days. If he can bear the hunger, fasting will unlock his body’s own anti-aging powers and give Chris the edge he needs when he tries to hunt for his next meal … by spearfishing off the Great Barrier Reef.
Strength: As Chris bulks up for Thor: Love and Thunder, he needs to build a body that looks right for an immortal god. But, he also wants the kind of muscles that are scientifically proven to help him stay strong and healthy as he grows older in real life. Teaming up with extreme sports guru Ross Edgley, he trains for a grueling 100-foot rope climb challenge, changing him from an ornament into an instrument.
Memory: Chris has always worked to keep his body healthy; now it’s time to start looking after his brain. Neurologist Dr. Sharon Sha challenges him to go off-grid into the wilderness without a GPS or map. Teaming up with his buddy, First Nations artist Otis Hope Carey, Chris will need to tune into nature to navigate through Otis’ remote ancestral homeland. The hike stirs up Chris’ most precious memories.
Acceptance: So far, Chris has done everything possible to delay the aging process. Now he’s facing his most extreme and emotional challenge: three days in a retirement village while wearing an aging suit that turns the simplest activity into a Herculean task. He’s testing the theory that the best way to combat aging and fear of mortality might not be to fight it but accept it.
The Experts:
• Ross Edgley, an extreme athlete and sports science author, prepares Chris’ body to handle a swim in nearly freezing waters;
• Dr. Peter Attia, a longevity physician at Attia Medical, teaches Chris the science of aging and how to combat it through different techniques;
• Professor Modupe Akinola, an associate professor of management at Columbia Business School, gives Chris the tools to deal with his stress head-on;
• Dr. Sharon Sha, a doctor and clinical associate professor and associate vice chair of clinical research neurology and neurological sciences for Stanford Center for Memory Disorders, helps Chris combat his mind’s aging process;
• Dr. BJ Miller, president and counselor at Mettle Health, guides Chris on a journey through old age and mortality;
• Alua Arthur, death doula and founder of Going with Grace, gets Chris to open up about his own death; and
• Tanya Streeter, a professional freediver, coaches Chris on his underwater breath-holding capacity.
FX’s teaser trailer for season 11 of American Horror Story, AHS:NYC, shows people enjoying themselves at a club. However, given that it’s AHS, the odds are against everyone making it home alive from a night out.
The teaser claims this is “the deadliest year” and AHS:NYC will be “a season like no other.”
Confirmed cast includes Joe Mantello, Billie Lourd, Zachary Quinto, Russell Tovey, Leslie Grossman, Charlie Carver, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Powell, Denis O’Hare, and Patti LuPone. The horror anthology series was created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, with Murphy, Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, John J. Gray, Manny Coto, Jennifer Salt, and Our Lady J serving as executive producers.
The first two episodes of the 10-episode AHS: NYC season will premiere on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT. Two new episodes will debut each Wednesday over the five-week season.
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence stars as a veteran who returns home suffering from PTSD as well as a traumatic brain injury in Apple Original Films and A24’s Causeway. The trailer shows Lawrence’s character struggling to make it through dark days while recovering from an IED explosion.
The film also stars Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, If Beale Street Could Talk), Jayne Houdyshell (Only Murders in the Building), Linda Emond (The Patient), and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Dune). Lila Neugebauer (The Last Thing He Told Me) directed from a screenplay by Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders.
Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi produced. Lila Neugebauer, Jacob Jaffke, Sophia Lin, Patricia Clarkson, Kirk Michael Fellows, and Christopher J. Surgent executive produced.
Causeway will open in select theaters and on Apple TV+ on November 4, 2022.
Poster for Apple Original Films and A24’s ‘Causeway’
The Plot:
In Causeway, the new drama directed by Lila Neugebauer, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence plays Lynsey, a military engineer who has returned to the States from Afghanistan with a debilitating brain injury after an IED explosion.
It’s a painful and slow recovery as she relearns to walk and re-trains her memory, aided by a chatty but tender caretaker (Houdyshell). But when she returns home to New Orleans she has to face memories even more aching and formative than those she had in service: a reckoning with her childhood.
Staying with her mother (Emond), with whom she shares a tense relationship, all Lynsey wants to do is return to her work as an engineer. Her doctor (Henderson) is wary, and so in the meantime, she gets a job cleaning pools. When her truck breaks down she meets James Aucoin (Henry), who works at the auto repair shop and offers her a ride home. Slowly they start to rely on each other for company and solace. James, it turns out, is also suppressing his own past trauma.
These two damaged souls’ budding friendship forms the center and the heart of Neugebauer’s debut feature — a quiet but devastating, and ultimately uplifting, story about coming to terms and moving forward.
