Hulu’s set a July 13, 2022 premiere date for the third season of the critically acclaimed animated comedy Solar Opposites. And although it hasn’t been that long since season two wrapped up in November 2021, Hulu’s just-released short video provides a very basic recap of the first two seasons while sort of teasing season three.
The streaming service also released the first two photos from the 11-episode third season.
Voice cast members include Justin Roiland, Sean Giambrone, Thomas Middleditch, and Mary Mack. Rick & Morty‘s Roiland and Mike McMahan created the series and executive produce with Josh Bycel.
Hulu’s official description of Solar Opposites:
“Solar Opposites centers around a team of four aliens who are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Roiland) and Yumyulack (Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Middleditch) and Jesse (Mack) love TV, junk food and fun stuff. In season three, this alien team strives to be less of a team and more of a family team.”
A scene from ‘Solar Opposites’ season 3 (Photo Courtesy of Hulu)A scene from ‘Solar Opposites’ season 3 (Photo Courtesy of Hulu)
Amazon Studios’ first photo from ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’
Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is one of the first major network/studio/streaming service productions to confirm they will have a large presence at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. The series’ official Comic-Con announcement revealed showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay will join members of the large ensemble cast for a panel in Hall H – the largest hall at the popular pop culture convention.
Prime Video didn’t say which cast members will be in attendance or announce the panel’s date and time. The 2022 San Diego Comic-Con runs July 20 – 24 in downtown San Diego. Last year’s Con was pushed to a November date and limited in size, due to the continuing threat of Covid-19. This year’s event is expected to be closer in attendance numbers to the pre-pandemic gatherings, and organizers are requiring all attendees to wear masks.
Fans in attendance will be treated to a first look at the new fantasy series launching on Prime Video on Friday, September 2, 2022.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV, Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa, and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. Robert Aramayo plays Elrond, Ismael Cruz Córdova is Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi is Bronwyn, Maxim Baldry is Isildur, Charles Edwards is Wolf Marloh, Sir Lenny Henry is Sadoc Burrows, and Charlie Vickers stars as Halbrand.
Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Tyroe Muhafidin, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani also star.
Showrunners Payne and McKay executive produce along with Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado. Bayona, Charlotte Brändström, and co-executive producer Wayne Che Yip direct season one episodes.
Prime Video released the following description of the fantasy series:
“Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history.
This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
Pixar’s first fully computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, hit the big screen in 1995 and introduced the world to the now-beloved characters Woody, the toy cowboy doll (voiced by Tom Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an arrogant toy space ranger who thinks he’s a real spaceman on a mission only to discover he’s a child’s toy (voiced by Tim Allen). The film was a huge success and became the second top-grossing movie that year. It received three Oscar nominations and is ranked at 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The ’95 release was followed by three very successful sequels.
Disney/Pixar apparently wants to keep the franchise going but in a very different direction with Lightyear, a prequel that focuses on the backstory of the popular space ranger that inspired the toy featured in the Toy Story franchise. When the film begins, Buzz (now voiced by Chris Evans) is a space ranger on a special mission that ends with him and his large crew, including his dear friend Alisha (voiced by Uzo Aduba), marooned on an uncharted and hostile planet. Determined to get everyone back home safely, Buzz goes on a series of 4-minute space flights trying to achieve the hyperspeed required to get back to Earth.
Finally reaching the hyperspeed needed, Buzz returns to the planet only to discover he and his robot cat companion, SOX (voiced by Peter Sohn), have been gone for 62 years, seven months, and five days. Buzz and SOX also discover an army of robots commanded by a ruthless robot giant named Zurg (voiced by James Brolin) are after them and have imprisoned his crew.
Fortunately, Izzy Hawthorne (voiced by Keke Palmer), who is the granddaughter of his former commander; Mo (voiced by Taika Waititi), a good-hearted klutz; and Darby (voiced by Dale Soules), a scrappy, elderly convict, have escaped Zurg’s clutches and offer to team up with Buzz to stop the robots. The ragtag team must work together and overcome their deepest fears if they hope to defeat Zurg and his robot army.
To say Lightyear is a disappointment is an understatement. The 2022 prequel is a dull, lackluster, and soulless film that lacks original ideas and features characters that aren’t just uninteresting but also downright annoying. It’s a far cry from the four Toy Story films that preceded it.
Chris Evans delivers a bland, boring, and humorless Buzz Lightyear who doesn’t remotely resemble the cocky, arrogant, and self-assured space ranger Tim Allen brought to life so magically in the original film. This version of the space ranger comes across more like Captain America-light than Buzz.
The computer animation is stellar, but the planet Buzz and his crew wind up stranded on is dismal, and the threats, such as the long green vines and giant flying insects, are old ideas right out of some 1950s B-grade science fiction films. There is nothing new or creative to be seen.
The one saving grace in the film is the funny and likable character SOX, Buzz’s robot cat. A mixture of the personalities of C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars and hilariously voiced by Peter Sohn, SOX is the only enjoyable and engaging character on the screen and steals every scene he’s in. Sadly, it’s not enough to make the film worthwhile.
Unimaginative and spiritless, Lightyear is an empty, dull, and forgettable animated film. Buzz deserves better and so does the audience.
GRADE: C-
MPAA Rating: PG for action and peril
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Release Date: June 17, 2022
Directed By: Angus MacLane
Studio: Disney/Pixar
‘Alone’ season 9 competitor Benji (Photo by: Brendan George Ko / The History Channel)
Season nine episode four of The History Channel’s Alone catches up with five of the remaining nine survivalists: Igor, Benji, Teimojin, Tom, and Terry. It also includes the second tap out of the season as Igor’s health and lack of nutrition cause him to give up 20 days in. He wasn’t able to finish his log cabin due to his lack of strength combined with backpain and heart issues that kept him from working quickly.
Assorted survival tidbits dished out in “The Beaver” episode airing June 16, 2022 include that beavers can weigh up to 60 pounds and provide 960 calories per pound. Bears can smell animal guts 20 miles away, and leaving the hide on a carcass is a natural form of insulation against contamination. And Whiskey Jacks are birds nicknamed “camp robbers” because they like to steal supplies.
We also learned survivalists are provided a toothbrush but not toothpaste.
Eight contestants remain at the end of episode four.
Benji, Age 46, Bellevue, ID
Day 17: Benji’s up early to track down the beaver he shot the previous evening. Fortunately, he finds the poor creature’s dead body so it didn’t die in vain. He carries the heavy animal back to an area not too close to camp, aware the smell might attract bears.
Benji worries the meat might go bad if the temperature doesn’t cool off more. He gets busy preparing the beaver to be cooked and has decided to set up a steamer. Benji’s going to leave the skin on to protect the meat.
Benji builds an impressive smoker and prepares different parts of the beaver for cooking. He hangs meat on his smoke rack; the meat’s smelling good so far as it’s still relatively fresh. The fat from the beaver feels great on his hands and works as a natural moisturizer.
Later that evening he crisps-up the scrap meat and declares it tastes like roast beef. He thanks the land for this awesome meal.
Benji truly believes he’s capable of going over 100 days and winning.
Day 18: Benji sets up a game camera by the beaver gut pile about half a mile from his camp. He hopes the footage will reveal a bear’s in the area. Benji’s really interested in shooting a bear, certain that would provide enough meat to get him much further down the road into this adventure.
Benji’s proud of how he’s flourishing up to this point. The only thing that would be better than beaver is bagging a bear.
Day 19: A bear visits the guts pile and is captured on the game camera!
‘Alone’ Season 9 competitor Teimojin (Photo by: Brendan George Ko / The History Channel)
Teimojin, Age 31, Montreal, CAN
Day 17: Teimojin continues to work on his shelter and finishes up his bed that’s about a foot off the ground. He hasn’t had any protein in two weeks and has lost 23 pounds. He’s going to get busy setting up snares and doing more foraging.
His camp’s in an area with lots of squirrels (he calls Labrador a “squirrel palace”) and he’s found Balsam Fir green cones that appear to have been chewed by small animals. Teimojin’s determined his best option is to make spring pull snares that should work well in capturing squirrels.
If he can get some meat, it’ll go a long way toward confirming he can survive a good period of time in this wilderness.
Day 18: His meal of bunchberries isn’t very satisfying so thankfully the squirrels have become more active. He gathers firewood while hoping to spot a squirrel and admits to feeling like he’s hitting a wall. Everything takes a little more energy than normal and he’s aware getting pulled for medical reasons is a possibility.
He pauses his gathering when he hears a grouse fluttering in the trees. His first shot is a kill, but the bird gets stuck in a tree while dying. He’s able to knock it down and celebrates his first kill.
Teimojin prepares the bird for cooking and roasts the meat. A short while later he has his first meal with protein. He has renewed hope now that he knows what a grouse sounds like.
He spent time in East Africa with different Indigenous communities and found them to be incredibly happy and resilient, despite living in rough climates. They taught him important life lessons including to be resilient in the face of hardship.
‘Alone’ Season 9 competitor Terry (Photo by: Brendan George Ko / The History Channel)
Terry, Age 31, Homer, AK
Day 18: Terry has a confession to make – he hasn’t pooped in 12 days. He thinks his body’s been burning everything he takes in and there isn’t any leftover waste to get rid of. Terry’s worried constipation may wind up taking him out. He needs to find big game or he won’t last.
It’s still dark when he sneaks down to the river to search for a beaver. He spots one but decides not to take a shot because he can’t be certain it would be an instantly lethal shot. Terry doesn’t want the beaver to wind up somewhere he can’t reach; he’s concerned about being respectful to the beaver and not killing it without being able to retrieve it.
Terry says the mark of a true hunter is restraint. “You just gotta do things in the right way. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not,” says Terry.
Day 19: 13 days and Terry’s still backed up. He uses sap resin to help with his fire and knows if he gets a beaver, he could be there for the long haul. Not being able to poop is taking a toll on his body and he becomes dizzy.
Hours later he’s experiencing muscle spasms and leg cramps. Plus, his stomach hurts.
We hear him groan but, fortunately, are spared the actual proof that he’s finally been able to poop. He feels renewed and his body’s back to feeling surprisingly good.
Day 21: Terry wakes before the sunrise to try and get a beaver. He’s patient and watches one for a while before deciding it’s worth taking a shot. His first arrow is all it takes to kill the beaver and then it’s just a matter of waiting to see where the beaver’s body comes close to shore.
Unfortunately, the beaver’s not getting any closer and Terry’s forced to strip down and retrieve the body from the water, even though it’s icy. He realizes there’s a risk of hypothermia but he doesn’t have any choice.
It’s 39 degrees when Terry exits the water with the beaver. It’s a massive animal and well worth the dive into freezing water. It took him eight days of going down to the river in the early morning hours and today his patience finally paid off.
Terry guesses the beaver weighs 30-ish pounds and is one of his favorite wild game meats.
‘Alone’ season 9 competitor Igor (Photo by: Brendan George Ko / The History Channel)
Igor, Age 39, Bountiful, UT
Day 18: Igor’s back is sore and his energy level is low. His log cabin is much more difficult than he anticipated, especially given that he’s not taking in many calories. He’s lost 25 pounds over these 18 days.
Igor heads to the river to try his hand at fly fishing. He’s not great at it and recognizes it’s a deficit in his skill set. He spots seals in the river and that means there are fish. They also mean Igor’s got competition for food. (Regulations prohibit anyone from hunting a harbor seal.)
Igor returns to camp with a single small mussel. Even though it’s tiny he’s excited about being able to cook something. He boils it with seaweed as he reveals he believes diversity representation in the survival environment is important. His first experience seeing a positive portrayal of someone who looks like him on TV was when he was 10 or 12. He watched Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia and that made him believe he could be a hero. His mustache is an homage to Sharif.
He eats his mussel which contains about 14 calories and deems it “amazing.”
Day 19: Igor makes toothpaste out of charcoal from his fire. After that, he slowly begins working on his log cabin again. He still needs lots of logs and is moving at a snail’s pace. He regrets not just doing a simple double A-frame and jokes that what he really needs is a “phone a friend” option.
Igor doesn’t consider himself in competition with the other Alone contestants. It’s more like he’s competing against himself. Igor realizes that thinking about going home hurts his morale so instead he concentrates on building his shelter.
Igor’s back is getting worse each day and he’s worried about his heart. It’s been beating irregularly, and he assumes it’s struggling to keep him going without much food. If he could only catch a fish or a hare, it would really help. He’s existing on a seaweed diet.
Day 20: He didn’t sleep well and admits he’s at the limit of what his body can take. Stretching doesn’t really help his back, his heart continues to bother him, and he’s forced to tap out before he does real harm to his body.
He’s disappointed he didn’t last three weeks but can’t risk a permanent injury to his back or damage to his heart.
‘Alone’ Season 9 competitor Tom (Photo by: Brendan George Ko / The History Channel)
Tom, Age 35, Earlysville, VA
Day 18: Tom’s completed just one wall of his permanent structure after all this time. He heads off to fish but a Whiskey Jack gets his attention first and he shoots it dead. It’s a pretty bird and Tom didn’t want to shoot him, but he needs food.
Tom’s going to use feathers from the bird as flies as a way of honoring the bird’s sacrifice. He’s not anticipating the bird will taste delicious since it’s in the crow family. Tom hopes he can combine it with fish in a stew to help it taste better.
He pulls in a decent-size brook trout from his honey hole, thankful the area’s still paying off.
Tom cooks his fish and prepares it on a plate made of small branches, a meal he believes rivals first-class restaurants in New York.
Joe Manganiello as Tomm in ‘Moonhaven’ season 1 episode 6 (Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski / AMC)
AMC+’s summer 2022 lineup will include the final episodes of the award-winning Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul, starring Bob Odenkirk. The streaming service is also set to introduce the new original series Moonhaven, a sci-fi thriller starring Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Magic Mike) and Dominic Monaghan (the Lord of the Rings film franchise).
The first season of Dark Winds, based on the critically acclaimed Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, will wrap up on July 10, 2022. And the new comedy-drama This is Going to Hurt with Ben Whishaw, which premiered on June 2, 2022, is set to end on July 14th.
AMC+’s summer “Friday Night Films” lineup includes the home invasion thriller Barbarians (July 1), Hollywood whodunnit Last Looks (July 8), the romantic dramedy Paris, 13th District (July 15), timely award-winning drama Happening (July 22), and Shudder Original The Reef: Stalked (July 29).
Moonhaven (AMC+ Original) – Two-Episode Premiere Thursday, July 7; New Episodes Premiere Weekly
This sci-fi thriller set 100 years into the future follows Bella Sway (Emma McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. A skeptic in paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence responsible for Moonhaven’s miracles and teams with a local detective, Paul Serno (Dominic Monaghan), to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves.
Tomm Schultz (Joe Manganiello), an ex-military with a philosophical bent, is the right hand of the lead Earth diplomat to the moon, who finds his ambitions changed when he’s injected with a mind-altering moon drug.
Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn in ‘Dark Winds’ (Photo Credit: Michael Moriatis / Stalwart Productions / AMC)
Dark Winds – New Episodes Released One Week Ahead of AMC; Season Finale July 10
Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, Dark Winds follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, Fargo) of the Tribal Police as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, Roswell, New Mexico). Chee, too, has old scores to settle from his youth on the reservation. Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other, and their own personal demons on the path to salvation.
Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill in ‘Better Call Saul’ season 6 (Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television)
Better Call Saul – Part 2 of Season 6 Premieres Monday, July 11
Better Call Saul’s final season concludes the complicated journey and transformation of its compromised hero, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman.
Ben Whishaw stars in ‘This is Going to Hurt’ (Photo Credit: Anika Molnar / Sister Pictures / BBC Studios / AMC)
This is Going to Hurt (AMC+ Original) – New Episodes Premiere Thursdays; Season Finale July 14
A provocative and heartfelt new comedy-drama starring Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal, No Time to Die), based on Adam Kay’s award-winning international memoir of the same name. This Is Going To Hurt pulls no punches in its depiction of the laugh-out-loud highs and gut-wrenching lows of life on a gynecology and obstetrics ward. The series follows Adam (Whishaw), a doctor who is finding his way through the ranks of hospital hierarchy; junior enough to suffer the crippling hours, but senior enough to face a constant barrage of terrifying responsibilities. Adam is clinging to his personal life as he is increasingly overwhelmed by stresses at work: the 97-hour weeks, the life-and-death decisions, and all-the-while knowing the hospital parking meter is earning more than him.
Hilary Swank stars in ‘Alaska Daily’ (ABC/Darko Sikman)
ABC’s fall 2022-2023 primetime lineup will include two new dramas – Alaska Daily (previously titled Alaska) and The Rookie: Feds – along with new nights for returning series Big Sky and Abbott Elementary. In addition, the just-announced lineup includes premiere dates for returning shows including The Good Doctor, Shark Tank, and Station 19.
Highlights of the schedule include the news ABC’s popular Shark Tank will air its first live episode with the six original Sharks on September 23, 2022. The Good Doctor‘s upcoming season will include the show’s milestone 100th episode, and the third season of Big Sky will feature Reba McEntire and Jensen Ackles. Per ABC, McEntire and Ackles “step into the world of Big Sky on its new night, bringing with them a new mystery to unravel as the mercurial matriarch of an established local family and the new sheriff in town, respectively.”
ABC’S FALL PRIMETIME SCHEDULE:
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21
8:00 p.m. “The Conners”
8:30 p.m. “The Goldbergs”
9:00 p.m. “Abbott Elementary” (new night)
9:31 p.m. “Home Economics”
10:00 p.m. “Big Sky” (new night)
ALASKA DAILY (Thursday, Oct. 6, at 10:01 p.m. EDT)
From the mind of Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), Alaska Daily stars Hilary Swank as Eileen Fitzgerald, a recently disgraced reporter who leaves her high-profile New York life behind to join a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage on a journey to find both personal and professional redemption.
Alongside Swank, Alaska Daily stars Jeff Perry as Stanley Cornik, Matt Malloy as Bob Young, Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy, Grace Dove as Rosalind “Roz” Friendly, Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Martin, Ami Park as Jieun Park and Craig Frank as Austin Greene.
CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! (Sunday, Sept. 25, at 8:00 p.m. EDT) Celebrity Jeopardy!, produced by Sony Pictures Television, is an all-new game show premiering this fall. This new series welcomes celebrity contestants to compete for a chance to win money for a charity of their choice.
THE ROOKIE: FEDS (Tuesday, Sept. 27, at 10:00 p.m. EDT)
From the executive producers of flagship series The Rookie comes The Rookie: Feds, starring Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. The spinoff was introduced as a two-part event during the fourth season of “The Rookie,” where Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and the LA division of the FBI enlist the help of Simone Clark when one of her former students is a suspect in a terror attack.
The Rookie: Feds stars Niecy Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, Frankie Faison as Christopher “Cutty” Clark and Felix Solis as Special Agent Matthew Garza.
Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson in ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
It’s not easy for a film to pull off being delightfully sweet and incredibly charming. The slightest misstep moves the needle into cloying territory. Fortunately, that line’s never crossed in the engaging dramedy Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Writer/director Cooper Raiff (Shithouse) takes the insecurities that come from entering your 20s without knowing what you’re meant to do and channels them into a playful tale of one man’s search for purpose. Raiff stars as the man without a plan, a 22-year-old named Andrew who winds up back at his parents’ house after college while trying to figure out his next step.
Andrew definitely doesn’t plan on earning a living in fast food for any longer than is necessary. He also doesn’t plan on growing old while sharing a room with his teenage brother, David (Evan Assante). Andrew loves the kid and he’s close with his mom (Leslie Mann) – not so much with his stepdad Greg (Brad Garrett) – but slinging wieners at Meat Sticks isn’t going to get him back together with his Fulbright scholar girlfriend who’s currently having a blast with some other guy in Barcelona.
Andrew doesn’t have many useful skills; however, he’s surprisingly good at getting people out of their chairs and onto the dance floor at parties. That particular skill set is put to good use when his little bro attends a bat mitzvah loaded with socially awkward teens. Could it be that Andrew’s born to be a party starter? Can he make a living persuading people to cut loose and have fun?
Apparently, the answer is yes.
A perk of the job is getting to spend time with single mom Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) who is autistic. Domino’s fiercely protective of her daughter but doesn’t smother the teen. Lola has her quirks and doesn’t connect to many people, but she and Andrew hit it off for some reason. And even though Domino has a fiancé, there’s undeniable chemistry between the party starter and the single mom.
So, Andrew’s got a sweet side gig, a burgeoning relationship with Domino, and a new friend in Lola. Is it possible nice guys can finish first?
Writer/director Raiff does a terrific job of fleshing out the key characters. These are flawed yet decent people, and Raiff avoided inserting an unnecessary protagonist just to spice things up. These are all authentic, complex people, and although Raiff’s Andrew is obviously who we’re rooting for, we’re not actively rooting against anyone. That’s both refreshing and unusual in a film that relies entirely on interpersonal relationships. Raiff resists the urge to toss in someone to stir the pot and trusts his impressive cast to pull in the audience through honest performances of relatable characters.
As for his cast, Dakota Johnson’s never been better. Johnson can play vulnerable and strong simultaneously, a tough combination to pull off. Raiff’s the perfect scene partner and has solid onscreen chemistry with Johnson. And Burghardt, who is on the autism spectrum, is a real scene-stealer in her first feature film role. Raiff’s script does an excellent job of addressing Lola’s feelings as someone with autism through natural conversations that allow Burghardt to show Lola is a three-dimensional character rather than the stereotypical representation of someone on the spectrum.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is uplifting and sincere. The characters aren’t just interesting; they’re actually likable. It’s not often you can root for an entire ensemble, but triple threat Raiff gives us plenty of reason to embrace the party starter, his supportive family, and assorted party people.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content
Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes
Release Date: June 17, 2022
Distributor: Apple TV+
Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart star in ‘Hacks’ (Photograph by Anne Marie Fox/HBO Max)
HBO Max isn’t joking around when it comes to their award-winning comedy Hacks. The streaming service has officially announced the critically acclaimed series starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder has been renewed for a third season.
Season one premiered in May 2021 and earned Critics Choice, AFI, Directors Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, and Peabody awards. Season two’s May 2022 premiere increased viewership over the series premiere by 125%.
“We congratulate Hacks’ extraordinarily gifted executive producers and cast, and our partners at Universal Television. We are overjoyed at the audience and press response to the new season, and glad to give viewers more of this gorgeous, hilarious, moving show,” stated Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max.
In addition to Emmy and Critics Choice Awards winner Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the cast includes Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Jane Adams, Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, and Poppy Liu. Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Meg Stalter, Angela E. Gibbs, Luenell, Johnny Sibilly, Joe Mande, Ally Maki, and Lorenza Izzo also star.
Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, Ming-Na Wen, and Susie Essman joined the cast in season two as recurring guest stars.
“The first two seasons of Hacks — expertly crafted by Lucia, Paul, and Jen — gave us beloved, complex characters who make us laugh and feel deeply,” said Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television. “We’re thrilled that our HBO Max partners have renewed this standout series for a third season, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Deborah, Ava, and the rest of our outstanding ensemble.”
Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky created the series and serve as showrunners. Downs, Aniello, Statsky, Michael Schur, David Miner, and Morgan Sackett executive produce.
HBO Max released the following description of season two:
“The dark mentorship between legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and her young, entitled writer Ava (Einbinder) continues to evolve as the two travel across the country workshopping Deborah’s new stand-up act.”
The cool cat with the stylish footwear is down to his last life in the new trailer for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas returns to lend his voice to the title character and Oscar nominee Salma Hayek’s back as Kitty Soft Paws, Puss’ nemesis.
The voice cast also includes Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Florence Pugh (Black Widow), John Mulaney (Big Mouth), and Wagner Moura (Narcos). Additional cast members include Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Ray Winstone (Black Widow), Samson Kayo (Sliced), Anthony Mendez (Jane the Virgin), and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Trolls World Tour).
Joel Crawford directs, Mark Swift produces, and Chris Meledandri executive produces.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish opens in theaters on December 21, 2022.
DreamWorks Animation’s official synopsis:
This fall, everyone’s favorite leche-loving, swashbuckling, fear-defying feline returns.
For the first time in more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation presents a new adventure in the Shrek universe as daring outlaw Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for peril and disregard for safety have taken their toll. Puss has burned through eight of his nine lives, though he lost count along the way. Getting those lives back will send Puss in Boots on his grandest quest yet.
Banderas returns as the voice of the notorious PiB as he embarks on an epic journey into the Black Forest to find the mythical Wishing Star and restore his lost lives. But with only one life left, Puss will have to humble himself and ask for help from his former partner and nemesis: the captivating Kitty Soft Paws (Hayek).
In their quest, Puss and Kitty will be aided — against their better judgment — by a ratty, chatty, relentlessly cheerful mutt, Perro (Guillén). Together, our trio of heroes will have to stay one step ahead of Goldilocks (Pugh) and the Three Bears Crime Family, “Big” Jack Horner (Mulaney) and terrifying bounty hunter, The Big Bad Wolf (Moura).
The teaser trailer for Paramount+’s upcoming drama Tulsa King begins with a voiceover by Sylvester Stallone. He describes his dream of becoming a gangster when he was 17, a dream he followed which led to 25 years in prison.
Joining Oscar nominee Sly Stallone in the first season are Andrea Savage (I’m Sorry), Martin Starr (Silicon Valley), Max Casella (The Tender Bar), and Domenick Lombardozzi (The Irishman). Vincent Piazza (Boardwalk Empire), Jay Will (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), A.C. Peterson (Superman & Lois), and Garrett Hedlund (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) also star.
Yellowstone‘s Taylor Sheridan created the series and executive produces with Emmy winner Terence Winter (The Sopranos). Additional executive producers include Stallone, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Allen Coulter, and Braden Aftergood.
Terence Winter guides the series as showrunner and writer.
Paramount+ has set a November 13, 2022 premiere date on the streaming service and will also launch the new drama on Paramount Network immediately following the season five premiere of Yellowstone. Tulsa King‘s second episode will also air on Paramount Network after Yellowstone season five episode two. Additional new episodes will air exclusively on Paramount+.
Sylvester Stallone as Dwight Manfredi in the Paramount+ original series ‘Tulsa King’ (Photo Cr: Brian Douglas / Paramount+)
Paramount+’s official plot description:
Tulsa King follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone), just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a “crew” from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
