The second season of HBO Sports and NFL Films’ Hard Knocks In Season spotlighting the Arizona Cardinals will premiere on November 9, 2022. New episodes will air on Wednesdays on HBO and will stream on HBO Max.
Season one of the special in-season edition of Hard Knocks followed the Indianapolis Colts, marking the first time the Colts had ever appeared on the HBO series. The Cardinals are also newcomers to the world of Hard Knocks, with Hard Knocks in Season marking their debut.
“Last season Hard Knocks made an unprecedented leap, documenting an NFL regular season in real time for the first time ever with the Indianapolis Colts,” stated Keith Cossrow, NFL Films Vice President and Senior Coordinating Producer. “It was a vivid and illuminating look at the life of an NFL team. This season, we are eager to build on that success and go even further with one of the most exciting teams in the NFL. We can’t wait to get to work in Arizona, and we thank Michael Bidwill, Steve Keim, Coach Kingsbury, and the entire Cardinals organization for this opportunity.”
“We’re excited to feature the Arizona Cardinals on Hard Knocks during the NFL regular season in the upcoming installment of Hard Knocks In Season,” said Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, Co-Heads Of HBO Documentary & Family Programming. “We couldn’t be happier to continue to expand our tremendously successful partnership with the NFL and grow the Hard Knocks experience for our viewers. We’re thrilled that the Cardinals will be joining the roster of teams that have graciously invited our audiences into their world.”
The 18-time Emmy Award-winning series premiered in 2001, with the first season featuring the Baltimore Ravens. The 2022 season features the Detroit Lions.
HBO released the following description of the upcoming season:
“This in-season edition of Hard Knocks will join the Cardinals after the completion of their ninth regular season game (vs. Seattle) with new episodes airing each Wednesday with the exception of December 7, after the team’s week 13 bye. NFL FILMS cameras will be embedded with the franchise through the end of the regular season and hopeful playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl.”
Anna Paquin in ‘A Friend of the Family’ (Photo by: Peacock)
Peacock’s released a batch of photos from the upcoming true crime limited series A Friend of the Family starring Anna Paquin, Colin Hanks, and Jake Lacy. The nine-episode drama debuts on October 6, 2022 and tells the true story of Jan Broberg, a young woman who was kidnapped multiple times by the same family friend.
Mckenna Grace, Lio Tipton, and Hendrix Yancey also star in the limited series.
Nick Antosca is the writer, executive producer, and showrunner, with Alex Hedlund also executive producing. The real Jan Broberg and Mary Ann Broberg are involved as producers, and executive producer Eliza Hittman directs multiple episodes.
Peacock’s release of the new photos was accompanied by character descriptions as well as statements by showrunner Nick Antosca and and Jan Broberg. Peacock also released the following synopsis of the limited series:
“A Friend of the Family is based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family ‘friend.’ The Brobergs — devoted to their faith, family, and community — were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbor used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart, and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered — and how they survived.”
Nick Antosca was able to hear firsthand accounts about the events from Jan Broberg, and Antosca states he wouldn’t have attempted to tell this story without Jan and her family’s blessing.
“It’s easy to judge the Broberg family’s story from the outside. Sometimes when people first hear it, they get defensive: How could these parents have let this happen? I’m not like them,” stated Antosca. “It is understandable. It’s a surreal story. When I first heard it, I empathized with the family’s vulnerability, and I felt like I understood their story from the outside. But it stayed with me, and I wanted to understand from the inside — to know what their lives felt like, to live in each family member’s experience, to see how they were caught in such a bizarre web, and to help audiences empathize with them too.”
Antosca hopes viewers will have a better understanding of the family by watching the series. “In the course of working on this story and talking with others who have worked on it, one thing has become clear: It’s more relatable than it first seems. The Brobergs’ story is an extreme point on a continuum that more of us are on than we realize,” said Antosca.
Jan Broberg describes her family as loving, trusting, and educated, and she hopes that this series will spark conversations.
“We were not stupid or careless. So how could this happen in our neighborhood, where we knew everyone, and everyone was a friend? The truth is that most predators are not strangers but people we know — people who can build trust, create special friendships, and separate family members psychologically,” explained Broberg.
She continued: “As little girls, we talked and we listened around the dinner table every night. Mom and Dad were always there. We were so safe, so loved, so carefree. Then, in 1972, we met the nicest new family at church, with children who matched us in age. A deep friendship ensued. Over several years, our families did hundreds of activities together: church parties, family dinners, boating and snowmobile trips, sleepovers, game nights, movies and barbecues. Then on a normal afternoon, the father kidnapped me — and from age 12 to 16 I was sexually assaulted and severely brainwashed by this man who I trusted.
This story will make you talk, shout, cry — and it will make you angry. Good. The team of writers, actors, designers, directors and producers led by Alex Hedlund, Eliza Hittman, and Nick Antosca have captured the heart of how good people can be manipulated and their children victimized. Our story is relatable because so many families have direct experience with this sort of abuse.”
Mckenna Grace as Jan Broberg (Photo by: Peacock)
A Friend of the Family Cast and Characters:
ANNA PAQUIN plays the role of Mary Ann Broberg. Mary Ann is the mother of three daughters, and her life has felt safe, happy and rewarding until recently. She has realized too late that she may have missed warning signs and made a terrible mistake by becoming close to her charismatic neighbor Robert Berchtold — and trusting him around her oldest daughter, Jan.
JAKE LACY plays the role of Robert “B” Berchtold, a charming local businessman who appears to be a genial Mormon father and husband. An expert in manipulation, he puts everyone around him at ease as he carefully plots the abduction of Mary Ann’s daughter.
COLIN HANKS plays the role of Bob Broberg, Mary Ann’s husband and Jan’s father, Bob is big-hearted, kind, and everyone’s best friend, the very model of a suburban patriarch. As his family gets closer to neighbor Robert Berchtold, Bob begins to fear that something is amiss.
LIO TIPTON plays the role of Gail Berchtold. Gail is Robert Berchtold’s wife and the mother of a large family. Her husband suffers from mood swings and this has led him to act erratically. Gail’s concerns about her husband may keep her on edge, but she never could have expected what her husband would eventually do.
MCKENNA GRACE plays the role of Jan Broberg in the later years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
HENDRIX YANCEY plays the role of Jan Broberg in the early years. Jan is the oldest daughter of Bob and Mary Ann Broberg and leads a happy, traditional life in an idyllic American city. Jan trusts family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold, though he has plans for her abduction that she doesn’t suspect.
Jake Lacy as Robert “B” Berchtold (Photo by: Peacock)Lio Tipton as Gail Berchtold (Photo by: Peacock)Colin Hanks as Bob Broberg (Photo by: Peacock)Jake Lacy as Robert “B” Berchtold and Anna Paquin as Mary Ann Broberg (Photo by: Peacock)Mckenna Grace as Jan Broberg (Photo by: Peacock)
Disney Channel’s set to debut the new family-friendly animated series Hamster & Gretel on Friday, August 12, 2022. The new series comes from Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy’s Law co-creator Dan Povenmire and takes place in the same universe as those popular shows, with voice cast members from those series taking on new roles in Hamster & Gretel.
Alyson Stoner, the voice of Lydia in Milo Murphy’s Law and Isabella Garcia-Shapiro in Phineas and Ferb, provides the voice of Lauren The Destructress in Hamster & Gretel. During our roundtable interview at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, Stoner described The Destructress as having quite an attitude.
“She’s got quite a sharpness on how she communicates, and I would say she’s very self-justified. So, if you ever need to find a person who knows how to wiggle their way out of something or convince you of anything, she might be it,” explained Stoner.
Brock Powell also returns to the Phineas and Ferb/Milo Murphy’s Law universe, voicing Lyle aka FistPuncher in Hamster & Gretel. According to Powell, FistPuncher’s a dynamic villain who works as part of a team with his sister, The Destructress. “If you just need someone who generally just smashes things with intent and malintent, FistPuncher is your dude,” said Powell.
Teamed up for the roundtable interview, Stoner and Powell also talked about what viewers can expect from the series, working with Dan Povenmire, and if they see anything of themselves in these particular characters.
Lyle FistPuncher (voiced by Brock Powell and Lauren The Destructress (voiced by Alyson Stoner) in ‘Hamster & Gretel’ (Photo Credit: Disney)
Brock Powell and Alyson Stoner Interview
What did you think when you first heard about this series?
Alyson Stoner: [In a high-pitched voice] “I spoke like this for 14 years of my life, so I was just glad to use my lower register. And I’ve always played the moral compass on shows and so when Dan said, ‘Hey, I need someone to do this temp voice for this pilot. Just come on in.’ I thought I could just have fun with this because I’ll never be the villain for real – and then here we are.
This is a blast because I get to touch into completely different aspects of who I am as a human, and things that you would never get away with in real life are totally on the table as a Disney villain.”
Brock Powell: “I think for me when Dan was talking about the pilot… I think he’s been talking about Hamster & Gretel [a while]. The idea was born while he was working on Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe which we both have worked on. I just fell in love with the idea of the sibling story and to be the counterpart to that these other siblings that…I don’t know if people know that not all siblings get along apparently. I would have never known. But it’s a really cool thing to represent that and to be on a show that is so family-centric and also to be representative of all kinds of family relationships.
I think it’s super, super fun. If I wasn’t on the show, I would be watching the show so that’s kind of my relationship to it.”
Alyson Stoner: “And what I will add to that is I think it’s easy with the comparable titles like Phineas and Ferb and Hamster & Gretel to assume it’s copy and paste. And while the universes co-exist, the sentimentality and the character stories and even the traditions of having a multi-culture leading family, there are a lot of different flavors that really give it its own distinctive place.
So, if you love Phineas, you’ll watch Hamster & Gretel knowing you’ll fall in love with the characters because Dan and all of the creative team are genius and it’s going to have its own payoff.”
Would you say you two are the main villains? Are you the most recurring?
Brock Powell: “I mean, if you asked us, yeah.”
Alyson Stoner: “I think that The Destructress would totally, hardily agree that we are the main villains. And if you want a photo, we are charging.”
Brock Powell: “I think we definitely are an integral part. I’m excited for fans to meet our characters and fall in love with our characters and how often we appear – if often.”
Alyson Stoner: “I mean, also there may be other villains and sometimes people play multiple villains in the same show.”
Brock Powell: “Yeah. I will say that’s one of the things that Dan, Sara Sherman, Kristin Paiva, and the entire team behind deciding who voices what characters… Because you have the writers and the writers will write with a very specific character voice in mind and it will be on paper. And then they go to the casting team and the casting team will be like, ‘We are looking for…’ and they have to take a picture of the character. And what happens is when we are in the studio together, Dan will just be like, ‘Why don’t just try it? Just try it.’
And we’ll come up with usually a touchstone of this celebrity or it’s kind of this character but make it your own. So, on Milo Murphy’s Law I voiced a villain named Dr. Not Sorry who was kind of a Rick Moranis kind of thing. And it was super, super fun to be able to do that. On this show, I voice Lyle and I think right now maybe four other villains throughout the series. But I don’t want to give away anything because it’s a really super surprise.”
But you do voice Big Baby?
Brock Powell: “Yes, I do voice Big Baby. Big Baby is my baby. I love this character so much. He is a politician who’s got an attitude problem. Again, I can’t compare that to anything that’s happening. But he kind of talks like this [said in a low, slow voice] and he sort of kind of gets angry. He’s kind of like The Hulk but he also at times can sound like a baby. You know, a Jerry Lewis kind of thing.
The team is so encouraging, so fun. I never feel rushed. We get to adlib so, so much and so much of the comedic timing comes from the team asking ‘Can we do it funnier? Can we write it funnier? Can we say it funnier?’”
Can you talk about your long-term relationships working with Dan Povenmire? What is about Dan or the environment he creates or the content itself that makes you want to keep working with him?
Alyson Stoner: “Well, first I may have to clarify some things. As an actor we don’t always have all the power in terms of who’s making the decisions of who’s on the show. So, really, credit goes to Dan for allowing us to be a part of it.”
Brock Powell: “Credit and gratitude, for sure.”
Alyson Stoner: “And I think what’s beautiful is that for me Dan does feel like family, and there’s a sense of safety. You know, out in the real world I often feel very self-conscious about being super expressive. And so, Dan is such an anchor for me that I know there’s nothing I could possibly express or explore tonally or in character that would be too outlandish. That kind of safety and trust, I think, really allows someone with my personality to feel like, ‘Okay, all right, I can really go for it.’
I truly thought I was just helping a bud with a pilot and I’m like, ‘Sure, I’ll throw my voice on it.’ How cool these people are doing these cool projects and there’s no expectations. And here we are.”
Brock Powell: “Yeah, so we call that scratch and that happens quite a bit in amination where so-and-so will call and be like, ‘Hey, can you come and do this voice?’ And you never ever think in a million years… Because you skip the casting process essentially because you came in and worked on this pilot.”
Alyson Stoner: “And it’s better to not believe you will get the job because most of the time you won’t.”
Poster for ‘Hamster & Gretel’ (DISNEY)
Do you see any of your own personality or physicality in your character?
Alyson Stoner: “I haven’t noticed yet. [Laughing] Actually, maybe I should say this is an opportunity for self-examination because if I have any similarities with Lauren, I might need to rethink some habits.
But I think maybe I have a movement background and so some of the action-packed sequences are probably close to me. For example, when I’m recording, I’m definitely mimicking and creating those gestures. However, the animation team is genius, so they don’t need poor footage of me in the studio going (displaying action moves) you know.”
Brock Powell: “It’s definitely a game of telephone. You’re taking the words off the page, usually without picture reference. Sometimes for an audition, you’ll get lucky and they’ll show you what your character looks like. In this case…”
Alyson Stoner: “I didn’t know what she would look like. You did?”
Brock Powell: “No, I had no idea. But in this case, it was like that’s pretty spot on because I kind of based him… We have this valley girl/valley boy/valley person accent that we kind of worked through. I was in my head sort of doing Biff Tannen from Back to the Future in a higher pitched voice. I was like, ‘Hey butthead, McFly.’ Like you take it up here a little bit [making his voice go high] and a little raspier so it was a little Pauly Shore from Encino Man mixed with Tom Wilson’s Biff Tannen.
And then the picture when you see the character, you’re like, ‘No, that’s exactly what that is. That’s literally this.’ [Laughing] I didn’t sit with the animators and write out an essay so it’s amazing how the sonic performance can resonate with that.”
Alyson Stoner: “I think it will continue to improve, or not improve but we will get to embellish and explore more dimensions as we get to meet each other in real life and meet the animation team. It’s like watching the first season of something versus the second, third, and fourth. It’s just like, ‘Oh yeah, ya’ll are just glue,’ and it’s already incredible.”
Brock Powell: “I think I’m just, as an actor, so excited for the fans to see the show. This show is ready for an audience, and you don’t always feel that way. I won’t show that is, but sometimes you don’t feel like that. You’re like, ‘Oh god.’ This is the opposite. This is like the premiere is August 12th – maybe let’s do it now. Let’s drop the pilot.“
Alyson Stoner: “It’s really heartfelt. I watched three episodes last night just to see how it felt compared to Dan’s other series and because the sibling dynamic is a little bit more explored, there’s just like this good-natured love at the core between Kevin and Gretel. They’re really growing and developing and becoming their own human selves through it, so there’s a little bit more depth and substance to the lessons in each episode.
I’m excited for young people, and people of all ages, to really connect on a heartfelt, human level.”
Netflix just released a batch of photos from the new season one month out from the premiere of Cobra Kai season five. The photos don’t give away much about what’s in store but do show the Cobra Kai dojo has become incredibly popular.
“As Terry Silver calls upon some old friends to put the Valley in a stranglehold, Daniel and Johnny are going to need all the help they can get to stop Cobra Kai in its tracks,” revealed showrunners Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg in an interview posted on Netflix’s TUDUM.
Season five, which promises a “showdown decades in the making,” stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence. The season five cast also includes Courtney Henggeler as Amanda LaRusso, Xolo Maridueña as Miguel Diaz, Tanner Buchanan as Robby Keene, Mary Mouser as Samantha LaRusso, and Jacob Bertrand as Hawk.
Gianni Decenzo plays Demetri, Vanessa Rubio is Carmen, Peyton List is Tory, Martin Kove is John Kreese, Dallas Dupree Young is Kenny, Oona O’Brien is Devon, Griffin Santopietro is Anthony, and Thomas Ian Griffith plays Terry Silver.
Counterbalance Entertainment’s Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg write and executive produce. Additional executive producers include Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Susan Ekins, and Westbrook Entertainment’s Will Smith, James Lassiter, and Caleeb Pinkett.
Cobra Kai season five arrives on September 9, 2022.
Riverdale‘s Camila Mendes teams up with Stranger Things‘ Maya Hawke to get revenge in Netflix’s Do Revenge which just released an official trailer, photos, and poster. The two-minute trailer shows Mendes and Hawke hatching a plan to take down their enemies that appears not to go as smoothly as they hoped it would.
The cast includes Austin Abrams, Rish Shah, Talia Ryder, Ava Capri, Jonathan Daviss, and Maia Reficco. Paris Berelc, Alisha Boe, and Sophie Turner also star.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (the creator of Sweet/Vicious) directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Celeste Ballard. Kaytin Robinson also produces with Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron. Este Haim and Amanda Yamate handled the music, and Josh Bachove executive produced.
“Drea (Camila Mendes) is at the peak of her high school powers as the Alpha it-girl on campus when her entire life goes up in flames after her sex tape gets leaked to the whole school, seemingly by her boyfriend and king of the school, Max (Austin Abrams). Eleanor (Maya Hawke) is an awkward new transfer student who is angered to find out that she now has to go to school with her old bully, Carissa (Ava Capri) who started a nasty rumor about her in summer camp when they were 13. After a clandestine run-in at tennis camp, Drea and Eleanor form an unlikely and secret friendship to get revenge on each other’s tormentors.
Do Revenge, the sophomore film from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is a subverted Hitchcock-ian dark comedy featuring the scariest protagonists of all: teenage girls.”
Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan, Josh Bycel and Danielle Uhlarik at the Comic-Con panel for Hulu’s ‘Solar Opposites’ (Photo by Frank Micelotta / PictureGroup for 20th Television)
What’s in store for season four of Hulu’s Solar Opposites? The new season, which won’t arrive until 2023, will pick up with Korvo (voiced by series co-creator Justin Roiland) and Terry (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) forced to work an office job just to give the teenage angsty Pupa some structure in his life.
During a roundtable interview at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con, series co-creator/executive producer Mike McMahan and executive producers Josh Bycel and Danielle Uhlarik delved into what fans of the critically acclaimed animated series can expect when Korvo and Terry attempt to work a normal job. They also discussed the Halloween Special, The Wall storyline, Hululand, and getting to dip their toes in all sorts of different genres within the animated series.
In a separate roundtable interview, co-creator Justin Roiland provided some insight into the much anticipated “A Sinister Halloween Scary Opposites Solar Special” and why Korvo is terrified of that particular holiday.
Mike McMahan, Josh Bycel, and Danielle Uhlarik Interview
How would you describe the office environment in season four?
Josh Bycel: “I mean, for us as comedy writers we like to do things we never get to do. And usually, you’re given notes that are like, ‘Stay in your lane. Do what the show’s about,’ and on Solar Opposites we’re slipping dramas in there, we’re changing the tone of the show all the time. Because the leads are these aliens, we kind of let their naivete get to dictate what we’re going to do at any one season.
So, going into season four, we end season three by…it was kind of inspired by the last episode of the FX show The Shield where it was like be careful what you wish for. You’re safe but you’re stuck in this office environment. And so, at the beginning of season four, we’ve switched the genre of the format of the show from being a family comedy to being an office comedy. But our aliens are really bad at office stuff.”
Mike McMahan: “And of course being Solar Opposites, they work in the dumbest office ever.”
Josh Bycel: “It should feel like the worst episode of The Office in a funny way, basically.”
What will be happening with The Wall people?
Danielle Uhlarik: “So we’ve transitioned from a horror/monster sort of thing that we did in season three to a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy kind of theme – very Cold War.”
Mike McMahan: “We end the last season on the rise of this theocracy…”
Danielle Uhlarik: “…with Sister Sisto, basically what religion has done inside The Wall. And then the thing that also got us really excited was we continue on with the SilverCops story in a really fun and surprising way. It’s got legs the same way The Wall did so we’re doing even more kind of drama spinoffs from that.”
Josh Bycel: “We’re doing as many spinoffs as we can. As Mike likes to say, it’s almost like we’re greenlighting our own mini-shows. We have our own Solar Opposites network.”
Mike McMahan: “Nobody would ever let us write a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. We’re comedy writers; we’re idiots. Luckily if it’s little people who eat jellybeans and they’re doing it, it’s awesome. It’s just a dream to get to write that stuff. Plus, with 11 episodes we have more time to do alien stuff and extra weird drama stuff, so it’s never like the show isn’t what it was in the first place. It just keeps growing.”
Josh Bycel: “Once we got to 11 episodes, we were able to do one of my favorite episodes of season three, ‘99 Ships,’ which is where we get to see – we sort of extrapolate from the opening credits and we learn all this stuff about Schlorpians. That was when we got the extra episodes. Mike sort of had that in his back pocket for a while. So that’s what great about doing more episodes.”
A scene from ‘Solar Opposites’ Hululand episode (Courtesy of Hulu)
You have a lot of creative freedom.
Danielle Uhlarik: “There are so many times in the room where we’re like, ‘We can’t possibly do that,’ and then we’re like, ‘So let’s figure out how to do it!’ One season we were trying to figure out the best, craziest fight scene we could. We kept trying to top it and then someone just adds, ‘What if we put a post-it and say Hulu didn’t give us enough budget.’ We laughed and then we’re like, ‘Let’s f**king do that!’”
Josh Bycel: “And then we have an episode where we go to Hululand. Hulu has been amazing, and we make fun of them all time and they’re the best partners.”
Mike McMahan: “Hululand – I’m glad you brought up because thematically there’s this weird thing where our sense of humor is things feel like we were made to do it, but nobody asked us to do it. Hulu never asked us to bring them up all the time. We just loved when The Simpsons made fun of Fox.”
Josh Bycel: “So, we were like, ‘We’re going to be the only people ever to mention Hulu in a show.’ We have all these products we mention in the show. They’re not paying us to be mentioned in the show. We’re doing it because it’s funny to us that a show so vulgar would then reference KFC where some KFC executive would have a biscuit drop out of their mouth if they saw that episode.
We’re dying to sell out, but no one will let us!”
After three seasons, how do you describe the series?
Mike McMahan: “This show is TV nerds loving what they do, getting to do things with no rules that we’ve never gotten to do before. That’s why you can never predict what’s going to happen in the show.”
What can you tease about the Halloween Special?
Josh Bycel: “We bring back an amazing sort of classic Halloween-ey scary movie character that no one’s talked about in forever.”
Danielle Uhlarik: “And nobody cares about.”
Josh Bycel: “We actually got the same person to do the voice so it’s going to be so much fun. We already have one for next year that’s going to be so much fun. We love doing specials.”
Justin Roiland: (in a separate interview): “Korvo is absolutely f**king terrified of anything to do with Halloween. Like, candy corn, even if you get some cotton and start stretching it and it starts to look like a spiderweb, he’s [terrified]. So, that’s sort of what it’s about but then it just goes to all these insane places ultimately.
I don’t know what all to say…and then I could also say ‘crypt keeper,’ but you could make of that what you will. (Laughing) I don’t know – that might actually be a spoiler. But it’s really, really, really fun. We also kind of love the formula of 11 normal episodes and then a special. We’re kind of clicking into that as the Solar rhythm for each year.”
Will we learn why Korvo hates Halloween?
Justin Roiland: “Yes, essentially. Well…yeah, yeah, kind of. I mean, listen, whenever we do an episode where we’re not going to learn backstory, we at least have some funny hand-wavy thing that satiates that for the audience. Like, the why of it all. We have a good team and we’re really cognizant of that stuff. We all have good taste in comedy and the stuff that we like to watch. I feel like we all have a good bead on when something’s really good and when something’s not.”
The PodSquad race to save Liz (Jeanine Mason) after Shivani forced her to inhale the performance-enhancing alien solution on The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season four episode nine. They’ve got Kyle on the phone and are doing their best to follow his instructions as Liz remains unconscious.
Kyle suggests a specific drug that could reverse the effects but it’s all just guesswork at this point. The injection doesn’t do the job and it’s decided they’ll tackle this like an alien problem, meaning Isobel (Lily Cowles) and Max (Nathan Dean) will jump into Liz’s mind to see what’s going on.
Once inside they discover Liz has cowboy bodyguards who drag Max away and shoot Isobel. (Liz’s mindscape is taking place in what looks like an old Western film.) Isobel is jerked out of the mindscape, and they’re shocked to see Max hasn’t come to. The gang figure out that now both Liz and Max are trapped inside her mind.
Liz stumbles around inside her own mind and is surprised to discover she’s in the middle of a 10-year anniversary celebration. It seems this version of Liz has been a sheriff for 10 years! She jokes that she’s the sheriff of her own mind and learns Max is out on his book tour for his third novel.
Liz attempts to wake up but can’t and confirms to herself that she’s in a mindscape.
News arrives that Max has been kidnapped and Isobel Evans has been murdered. Plus, in this mindscape, Liz learns her dad, Arturo, is a retired deputy who volunteers to help in the investigation. Rosa (Amber Midthunder) arrives and says she questioned the bartender. Isobel, who is a gunslinger, never got off a shot before being killed.
Liz puts together the pieces and knows she’s trapped in her own mindscape after inhaling the alien cure. This must mean she has something she needs to figure out.
They spot smoke and Rosa and Liz race to Liz’s place. The words “surrender sheriff or the real Max dies” are on fire in her front yard. Liz realizes this means Max came in after her and that she must be dying in the real world. If she dies before waking up, then Max dies too.
Isobel can’t get back inside Liz’s mind and Michael’s learned Shivani’s intelligence has increased to the point that she’s writing formulas on subjects she never studied. All this leads to Isobel, Maria, and Michael reaching the same conclusion as Liz – if she dies, Max dies.
Rosa slipped away and fetched Heath (Steven Krueger), who has apparently temporarily returned to Roswell. Heath’s not only a scientist but is back in med school, so he’s their best hope of helping Liz at this point. He administers steroids, believing it’s possible the mist is causing her body to attack itself. It sort of works but Heath needs to leave to concoct a different formula.
Because Liz is in the alien equivalent of a coma, it’s decided talking to her – like you would a coma patient – might help.
Maria (Heather Hemmens) sings and in her mindscape, Liz and Maria arrive at the bar where Maria is singing that same song. Rosa reminds her sister she’s raided this place multiple times and it’s usually filled with outlaws. If so, Liz thinks one of them might know who took Max.
Liz recognizes the song and knows Maria only sings it when something’s wrong. Liz and Rosa head upstairs to the poker room where Michael (Michael Vlamis) and his sidekick Sanders (Nicholas Ballas) are holding court. Heath’s the bartender and he gives Liz a drink she describes as tasting like medicine. She deduces that in reality, she’s overdosing.
The bad guy Liz is looking for is, of course, Clyde. She demands he tell her where Max is, and he suggests a bet. If she wins, he’ll reveal what’s up with Max. If he wins, he gets the engagement ring in her pocket. She’s stunned he knew it was there and Clyde says, “A little birdie told me. Said that’s what it’s all about for you.”
She doesn’t understand but has Michael play for her anyway. Clyde goes all in and Michael wins. But Clyde was bluffing and says Max isn’t his to give.
Rosa races off to get Kyle as Liz chases after a fleeing Clyde. Rosa returns with a horse and Liz is confused. Where’s Kyle? Kyle is the horse, of course.
Liz gives chase through the desert and past the drive-in theater’s marquee that announces Cowboys and Aliens (the 2011 film starring Daniel Craig) is screening. Liz draws her gun and Clyde explains Max will be okay if she makes the right choice. Liz’s evil doppelganger – who shall be referred to as Outlaw Liz for the remainder of this recap – rides up to explain the right choice is surrendering.
Liz is knocked off her horse and Outlaw Liz and Clyde ride off.
Back in the real world, Heath continues to try and figure out how to help Liz. Heath has just learned Dallas is missing and Rosa apologizes for not telling him over the phone. Heath thought it was okay to go to med school because Dallas now has the PodSquad watching his back, and he’s pissed at himself that Dallas has gone missing.
Michael arrives with coffee just as Heath and Rosa are hugging. Michael stalks off after tossing out that he can tell they’re busy, and Rosa follows him outside. Michael thinks Heath and Rosa are a couple and that she came with him to Roswell. R Rosa explains that actually they’re not dating, and he came to town yesterday after she called him.
Rosa confesses she’s been turning to Heath for months to help her figure out who she is. She didn’t want to admit to Liz, or anyone else, that she was feeling lost. Rosa blames herself for what’s going on now and feels helpless. Michael admits he feels exactly the same way.
Michael thinks he should cannonball into the sinkhole after Alex, but Rosa reminds him of his history of making rash decisions. She suggests instead that he step up and help Heath in the lab. Michael suddenly has an idea – reengineer Max’s blood to bolster the steroids.
Back in the mindscape, Liz turns to the old sheriff for help. And it turns out the old sheriff is…wait for it…Allie Meyers (Shiri Appleby, the original Liz on Roswell). Liz asks why there are two of her and Allie replies, “You really need to conjure me to tell you that in most big choices in life are of two minds?”
Liz admits that before this she was thinking about the alien cure and how it’s dangerous but could also accomplish so much. The other part of Liz created this scenario so that Liz could weigh her options and determine which path to take.
In order to escape, Liz needs to follow the path and find out what it is that she doesn’t want to confront.
Outlaw Liz returns to where Max has been left tied up, and he tells her she needs to wake up. She refuses, and Max realizes this isn’t his Liz. Outlaw Liz has been using Max as a pawn and now that Liz wants to meet, Outlaw Liz is hoping that means Liz has agreed to surrender.
Outlaw Liz and Liz meet, and Liz wants to parlay. Outlaw Liz doesn’t and both Liz and Rosa get the drop on her. Liz wants to take out her dark self and wake up, saving Max in the process. But Outlaw Liz explains that without her, Liz will always be just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Liz shoots but Outlaw Liz stops the bullet and deflects it. She sends Liz flying against the wall and promises a real High Noon showdown as she grabs Rosa and flees.
Isobel pleads with Max to wake up as Maria confirms Heath and Michael are busy mixing up an elixir. Isobel blames herself for getting Max into this situation and takes the blame for Kyle being out of town. Maria realizes Isobel slept with Kyle, and Isobel admits it was kind of “spectacular.” However, Isobel thinks she destroys everything she touches and warned Kyle away.
“Stop trying to convince yourself that you’re less than what you are, Isobel. You are a warrior,” says Maria.
Outlaw Liz and Max argue over Liz, and Max is certain Liz is stronger. Plus, he also knows even the Outlaw Liz loves him deep down. Outlaw Liz calls Max their biggest obstacle to greatness and claims he’s locked them into a life of mediocrity.
Michael arrives with info on Max’s location. He followed a trail to an old ghost town and thinks that might be where Outlaw Liz took Max. He volunteers to help her search and Liz realizes she’s been missing her squad.
She assembles the mindscape version of her normal gang – Arturo, Michael, Heath, Maria, and Sanders – and claims the ring in her pocket that Clyde wants actually represents her family. When she doesn’t lean on them, things go wrong. She’ll need her team to help her out of this situation.
They head outside and prepare for a shootout. Clyde meets Liz, backed by her gang, in the middle of town and although Sanders initially disarms Clyde, the alien uses his powers to retrieve his gun and take him out. Michael reacts by gunning down Clyde, proud of himself for taking out the threat.
Unfortunately, Clyde appears – alive – behind them and kills Heath and Michael before anyone can react. Maria gets the jump on Clyde, but Liz realizes he’ll be back. She hears her dad scream in anguish and finds him bent over Rosa’s dead body.
Liz shoots the next Clyde that appears and then Arturo kills the next one. Outlaw Liz grabs Maria and threatens to cut her throat as Liz screams for her dad to run. It’s too late and both Arturo and Maria are killed.
In reality, Liz is convulsing and Max’s heart is racing. Michael uses his powers to hold Liz still while Heath administers what he hopes is the antidote. As he presses the syringe, Heath says, “Hang tight, Liz. I’m sending in backup.”
In the mindscape, backup arrives in the form of Allie who shoots Outlaw Liz, grabs Liz, and pulls her into a lab. She orders Liz to think about what this all really means, and Liz goes through all the clues. Max…marriage…family…the other shoe… Liz figures it out and is ready to face herself in a final showdown.
Allie takes out Clyde by blowing up the lab.
Liz locates Max who is still tied up and under Outlaw Liz’s control. He explains Outlaw Liz has a weakness: she still believes in them, just like he does.
Outlaw Liz demands Liz explain the “other shoe.” Liz confesses she’s the other shoe; she’s afraid of herself. She’s afraid of failure and that she won’t be able to save her friends or Max next time. She turned down Max’s proposal because she was afraid of building a perfect life and then having it torn away.
Outlaw Liz suggests she surrender to the drug, but Liz says that will ultimately make them weak and destroy their mind and body. Liz has to make a decision about what to do with the one bullet left. She decides to rid herself of her other self.
Liz is healed but she doesn’t remember anything. Heath thinks her body stopped fighting itself, but she credits his steroid-alien concoction. Liz promises to find Dallas and Rosa joins them to reveal she and Heath have become friends in New York. He’s helping her control her powers, and she demonstrates how she can bend sound waves to basically cancel noise.
Michael and Maria drink beer by a fire, and he praises her for being the only one who didn’t fall apart today.
Max and Isobel also have a private chat and Max describes the final moments in the mindscape. Liz joins them and wishes she could remember what happened. Isobel leaves to check on Tezca and Max thinks it’s time for Liz to relax with wine and the cowboy of her dreams.
The final scene is a brief flashback that shows Liz firing into the air and allowing Outlaw Liz to take control.
Joe Keery as Gator Tillman in ‘Fargo’ season 5 (Photo CR: Michelle Faye/FX)
The cast of FX’s Fargo season five has expanded to include Stranger Things‘ Joe Keery, Woke‘s Lamorne Morris, and Never Have I Ever‘s Richa Moorjani. The just confirmed new season five cast members join Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Jason Leigh who were previously announced to star.
FX’s casting announcement included a brief description of the upcoming, much-anticipated fifth season as well as who Keery, Morris, and Moorjani will be playing.
Per FX: “Fargo has traveled through decades, cities and families, and the fifth installment will be no different: Set in 2019, when is a kidnapping not a kidnapping, and what if your wife isn’t yours?”
Joe Keery will play Gator Tillman, Lamorne Morris will play Witt Farr, and Richa Moorjani is starring as Indira Olmstead.
Fargo is inspired by the award-winning film of the same name from Joel and Ethan Coen. Noah Hawley created the Emmy Award-winning series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Kim Todd, Vincent Landay, Toluca Pictures’ Steve Star, and The Littlefield Company’s Warren Littlefield also executive produce.
The critically acclaimed series is produced by MGM Television and FX Productions.
Season one starring Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman, and Keith Carradine premiered in April 2014. Season two debuted in October 2015 with Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons, and Jean Smart in starring roles. Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, and Michael Stuhlbarg led the cast of season three which debuted in April 2017.
The most recent season arrived in September 2020 with Chris Rock, Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman, and Ben Whishaw heading up the cast.
(Updated with first photo of Joe Keery in Fargo season five.)
Kaley Cuoco as Ava and Chris Messina as Nathan in ‘Based on a True Story’ (Photo by: PEACOCK)
Based on a True Story piqued my interest with its short but exceedingly bizarre plot description. Adding The Flight Attendant‘s Kaley Cuoco to star is just the cherry on top of this darkly comedic thriller coming to Peacock.
According to Peacock, Based on a True Story is, in fact, inspired by a true event. The series follows “a realtor, a plumber, and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide, exposing America’s obsession with true crime, murder and the slow close toilet seat.”
There’s so much to explore in that synopsis but the “slow close toilet seat” stands out, doesn’t it?
The casting announcement didn’t provide any details on who the two-time Emmy Award-nominated Cuoco will be playing, only teasing that her name is Ava Bartlett and she’s married. Everything else about the character is being kept under wraps.
Emmy Award nominee Craig Rosenberg (The Boys) is guiding the series as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Aggregate Films’ Jason Bateman (Ozark, The Outsider) and Michael Costigan are on board as executive producers. The series is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Cuoco earned two Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for The Flight Attendant. She also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series as an executive producer. Additional credits include The Big Bang Theory, Harley Quinn (the animated series), and The Man from Toronto. Cuoco is currently working on the action-thriller Role Play with Connie Nielsen and recently wrapped up Meet Cute with Pete Davidson.
Season two of Roku Channel’s Murder House Flip, a home improvement series focusing on renovating homes where atrocious crimes have been committed, is set to premiere on Friday, August 12, 2022. The new trailer for the second season spotlights the homes that will be transformed this season including the house of Travis Alexander who was brutally murdered by his ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias.
The goal of renovating these infamous locations is to change the space so it feels completely different from the house’s current occupants. The six-episode second season will feature:
Jodi Arias House
Golden State Killer House
Michael Jace House
Alfalfa House
Laura Purviance House
Pasadena Massacre House
Murder House Flip stars design expert Mikel Welch and builder Sarah Listi. Tom Forman, Jenny Daly, Jon Beyer, Brenton Metzler, Josh Berman, Chris King, and Katherine Ramsland serve as executive producers. The half-hour series is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Osprey Productions, and Critical Content.
Roku Channel describes the series as “a home renovation show with an unconventional twist: each episode takes on a house where some of the country’s most infamous murders were committed. Design expert Mikel Welch and builder Sarah Listi remove the stains of the past and take these homes from morbid to marvelous.”
Poster for season 2 of Roku Channel’s ‘Murder House Flip’
