Fisher Stevens as Marvin Gerard and James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’ season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Will Hart/NBC)
NBC’s The Blacklist moves to its new Fridays at 8pm ET/PT time slot with season nine episode 10, “Arcane Wireless.” The series returns from a month-long break with episode 10 airing on February 25, 2022.
In addition to James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington, the season nine cast includes Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai, Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma, Laura Sohn as Alina Park, and Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper.
“Arcane Wireless” Plot: The Task Force’s investigation into Arcane Wireless, an untraceable cellular network for criminals, leads to unexpected consequences. Red races against the clock to get a colleague out of trouble. Fisher Stevens and Aida Turturro guest star.
Season 9 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
“In the two years following the death of Elizabeth Keen, Raymond Reddington (Spader) and the members of the FBI Task Force have disbanded – their lives now changed in unexpected ways and with Reddington’s whereabouts unknown. Finding themselves each at a crossroads, a common purpose compels them to renew their original mission: to take down dangerous, vicious and eccentric Blacklisters. In the process, they begin to uncover lethal adversaries, unimaginable conspiracies and surprising betrayals that will threaten alliances and spur vengeance for the past, led by the most devious criminal of them all – Raymond Reddington.”
Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper, Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Amir Arison as Aram Motajabi, Laura Sohn as Alina Park, and Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma in season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma and Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler in season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)Laura Sohn as Alina Park and Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper in season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)Amir Arison as Aram Motajabi and Laura Sohn as Alina Park in season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper, and Laura Sohn as Alina Park in season 9 episode 10 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)
Flula Borg puts in a guest appearance as Skip Tracer Randy on The Rookie season four episode 14. Directed by Fernando Sariñana from a script by Natalie Callaghan, episode 14 – “Long Shot” – will air on Sunday, February 27, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
Season four stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, and Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey. Melissa O’Neil is Lucy Chen and Eric Winter stars as Tim Bradford.
Episode 14 guest stars include Brent Huff as Officer Smitty, Dylan Conrique as Tamara Colins, and Jamil Walker as Curtis Jones.
“Long Shot” Plot: Officers Nolan and Harper help Skip Tracer Randy on his first bounty hunter case. Meanwhile, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford are on the hunt for a perpetrator on a citywide crime spree.
Mekia Cox, Flula Borg, and Nathan Fillion in ‘The Rookie’ season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Jenna Dewan and Flula Borg in season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Mekia Cox and Nathan Fillion in season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Alyssa Diaz in season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Rebekah Graf and Mekia Cox in season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)Nathan Fillion in season 4 episode 14 (ABC/Raymond Liu)
Naveen Andrews as Sunny Balwani and Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’ (Photo by Beth Dubber/Hulu)
Hulu’s limited series The Dropout delves into Elizabeth Holmes’ transformation from Stanford University dropout to a self-made billionaire whose biotech company, Theranos, was based on a web of lies. The timely drama, set to premiere on Hulu on March 3, 2022, stars Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried (Mank) as the Silicon Valley hotshot who claimed to have revolutionized blood testing. Emmy nominee Naveen Andrews (Lost) co-stars as Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Holmes’ former boyfriend and president/chief operating officer of Theranos.
The real Elizabeth Holmes was recently convicted of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with sentencing set for later this year. Discussing Holmes and the series she inspired during the 2022 Television Critics Association’s winter panel, executive producer/showrunner Elizabeth Meriwether said it wasn’t her intention to pass judgment on Elizabeth Holmes with The Dropout. Instead, Meriwether wanted to use the series to examine the mystery of why Elizabeth Holmes made certain choices and what was going on in her head.
“I wanted to look at that full picture and that was always my intention,” explained Meriwether. “And also, the trial was happening…it started while we were finishing shooting in terms of the timeline. So, we were also incorporating all the new information that came out as much as we could.”
Meriwether hopes the series will help demonstrate the importance of science and facts. She believes now’s the perfect time for its release. Seyfried agreed, but also thought it was a little crazy they were shooting it while the trial was beginning.
New information was coming out as production was underway, causing them to wonder if they were on the right track. “The timing for me was just…it made it a lot more real. Like sometimes you’re on set and you forget that the things that you’re saying actually were said by people, and the things that are being done were actually being done by people and that someone is actually being prosecuted for these things,” explained Seyfried.
Naveen Andrews added, “This was different in that things were happening in real-time as we were filming, which is almost like a play within a play. You can’t help but be affected by that.”
The question of whether Elizabeth Holmes genuinely believed her own lies remains a mystery. Meriwether could only take what was known and dramatize it, leaving the audience to decide for themselves.
“I think she went into it with good intentions. And so, I think watching the series will sort of take us through that journey where those good intentions fell apart,” said Meriwether.
Amanda Seyfried thinks that because Elizabeth so unflinchingly believed in herself, she was able to convince market and medical savvy people to invest in Theranos.
“From a psychology point of view, if you want to believe something badly enough, and you work so hard to make it true, physically and emotionally, then at some point you’re just going to have to choose whether or not it’s true,” said Seyfried. “I think we’re capable of such crazy things. Our brains are miraculous and we can forget things, we can bury things, and we can create things. And she was incredible at creating things.
She was also incredible at creating the story of Theranos and her invention. I mean, she could sell me sand, if I ever met her. It was one of the reasons I didn’t want to meet her because I knew that she had a way about her.
I think even if you question things – people must have questioned things, especially engineers and people in healthcare and science and medicine, I’m sure that they questioned it – but she would always kind of deflect anything she didn’t really know with something she did know. So, she’d double down. And how could you not feel like she sold you something, even if it’s just an idea? She’s an incredible actor, and she did a lot of good in that way. She could have done a lot of good, used her powers for good, which she did for a while until it wasn’t working.”
Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’ (Photo by: Beth Dubber/Hulu)
One episode of the eight-episode limited series is dedicated to the evolution of Elizabeth Holmes’ bizarre speaking voice. Seyfried committed herself to capturing the deeper voice Holmes adopted as she became a public figure.
“I’ll say that the most important thing to me, just as an actor in general, is to create a version of somebody – I mean if they really are a real person…I’ve only done it a few times in my life – but to create my own version, to marry myself and what I know and my experiences with that person. It’s not 50/50 but they’re still part of me and so I need to use what I have, right? The shape of my mouth isn’t the same as hers but I can make sounds somewhat or pretty close to what she did. And that’s my job as an actor, mimicking and stuff like that,” said Seyfried.
“But in terms of the depth of it, I had to work really hard to get there because I speak at such a higher level than she does naturally. So even though she was deepening her voice more and more to what we all understand is for power’s sake, to make an impact, I still couldn’t get all the way there. There were some different breathing tricks, but I don’t think I nailed it 100%. But I think I did what I needed to do for the audience to come with us – and that was really my only concern,” explained Seyfried. “So, I am a little worried about what people are going to say about the voice but at the end of the day, I am an actor and I’m not her. I did my best to capture the oddness of it.”
Meriwether was truly amazed watching Seyfried transform into Elizabeth Holmes. “It was incredible because I was worried that I just didn’t want it to be at all a sketch or a satire. So what was incredible about what Amanda did was that she kept herself and she kept the emotional reality going while transforming into this character that I think just made it feel real. You never get taken out of the story, which I was sort of worried that there’s so much emphasis on her voice in the public imagination. I was worried that that was going to kind of take the audience out of the story. I was really blown away by Amanda,” said Meriwether.
Seyfried added: “People want to know motives and to have the voice come in slowly and evolve over time, which is what it did in real life. I mean when the public met Elizabeth Holmes, she was already speaking very deeply. And now we get to see when she’s a kid and she has a pretty average tenor. And then you see it develop because that’s the whole point of the show. You want to see where she came from and where she went; how she got there.”
Elizabeth Meriwether connected to Elizabeth Holmes being in a position of power and feeling the need to change something about herself to conform to an image.
“The first week of New Girl I lost my voice and I had to go to a doctor. The doctor said, ‘Have you been drinking a lot of coffee and/or trying to sound authoritative?’ I was like yes to both of those things,” said Meriwether. “So, I really related to the experience of feeling like something about your body doesn’t fit the role that you’re in and that you sort of have to change your body to fit this role. I think that is why I dedicated an episode to it, because I felt like that particular episode is about her trying to change herself to fit the role of CEO and not having a lot of models of female CEOs and going to Steve Jobs and trying to just change herself to be what she thinks somebody powerful is.”
Seyfried didn’t attempt to define Elizabeth Holmes’ personality by any specific labels. Instead, she approached playing her from just a very human standpoint.
“I mean the first thing I do as an actor playing somebody is that I try to relate to them as much as possible. And it was a little harder with Elizabeth Holmes, for sure. But as soon as I started to get to know her through the script, through Liz’s brain and her writing and through everything that I’ve seen and the way that she would react to things, like I just saw a lot of footage, I came from a very specific place in almost like compassion and kind of falling in love with her. And that is my job in the beginning,” explained Seyfried. “When you really want to get around somebody you kind of have to fall in love with them a little bit, regardless of what they’ve done or who they are. And that’s where my process begins and understanding that like a true devotion to something led her to this, whether it’s true devotion to becoming a billionaire, or really saving people’s lives, whatever it is. It’s like there was a lot going on for her, and she was devoted to her goals.”
Naveen Andrews’ approach was similar to Seyfried’s. Andrews didn’t make any judgments about Sunny as he was taking on the role.
“Your own private feelings or judgments that you might make have nothing to do with what you’re trying to create, hopefully, and I tried to go for what motivated him emotionally really, as opposed to anything exterior, which is that partly I feel he was besotted with her. He was desperately in love with her, and how far would he go for love, which is almost romantic, in a way,” said Andrews. “It is interesting. It’s like from the footage and what I read about him, and the fact that he was born in what is now Pakistan as a Hindu, what that does to somebody’s identity in terms of displacement, a kind of rootlessness, and I think he found everything with Elizabeth for himself, which put him in a very vulnerable position.
I mean, like I can look at his Twitter feed and make my own assumptions. I can think, ‘Well, if I had one-sixteenth of this man’s self-worth I might feel better about myself.’ But it’s like you can’t make judgments about a human being if you’re going to play them.”
* * * * * * * * * *
The Dropout premieres on Hulu on March 3, 2022.
Amanda Seyfried and Naveen Andrews lead a cast that includes Utkarsh Ambudkar, Kate Burton, Michel Gill, LisaGay Hamilton, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Marvel, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Minnette, Alan Ruck, Sam Waterston, and Michaela Watkins.
Elsa (Isabel May) has concluded the world doesn’t want inhabitants as Paramount+ 1883 season one episode nine opens. She’s certain winter’s eager to kill them all as they travel through inhospitable territory.
“If land can have emotions, this land hates. It hates us and everyone can feel it,” muses Elsa in a voice-over.
Elsa’s proven correct when a rattlesnake bites Risa’s horse’s leg causing her to be bucked off. Risa (Anna Fiamora) is injured in the fall and as Josef (Marc Rissmann) rushes to his wife’s aid, he’s also bitten by the snake. Colton (Noah Le Gros) leaps into action, throws his coat over the snake, and stomps it to death. Wade (James Landry Hébert) hustles off to grab a tourniquet.
Thomas, Shea, and James ride a short distance ahead of the main group and are the first to discover smoldering teepees and the dead bodies of Lakota women and children. One has been raped before being murdered, and Shea (Sam Elliott) knows whoever did this did it for sport. The murderers also took their horses.
Suddenly, Shea realizes they’re leaving tracks all over the area. Whoever comes across this is going to assume Shea’s group is responsible for these murders.
James (Tim McGraw) yells at Elsa to stay away and for once she does as instructed. She tells her dad about Josef and Risa, and he rides over to help. He arrives as Colton’s sucking out the poison.
Risa and Josef are both in desperate need of a doctor, and Shea, Thomas (LaMonica Garrett), and James also realize they need to do something about the thieves. Margaret (Faith Hill) joins them and James asks her to keep Josef as comfortable as possible.
One option is to head straight to Fort Casper. They can head there and let the soldiers take care of the thieves. Shea points out they’re about to go through Lakota, Nez Perce, Blackfoot, and Shoshone land. Everyone will be aware of the murders before they can make it to Fort Casper. Shea believes their first order of business needs to be killing (and scalping) the murderers. They can then present the murderers and their horses to the victims’ families.
Thomas suggests sending a few wagons directly to the fort right now, but Shea doesn’t think they have any guides to spare. James is certain the murderers travel at night and are sleeping in the shade right this minute. He wants to hunt them now and then move all the wagons to the fort.
James fills Wade and Colton in on the deaths and explains everyone will assume their group’s responsible because of the tracks. James wants Wade and Colton to stay with the group and if any Native Americans show up, they should take them to see the dead bodies. They’ll need to tell them they have men out hunting down the killers and promise they’ll bring back the murderers’ scalps and horses.
Elsa tries to go with her dad but, again, she actually listens and remains behind.
Margaret warns young John to hide if there’s any trouble.
Cookie rides up, learns about their troubles, and yells for everyone to mount up and head to the fort. Margaret disagrees and explains they’ve been told to stay put. Cookie insists the Lakota are hunting nearby and when they discover the dead women and children, they’ll slaughter this group.
Cookie doesn’t want to wait around and invites anyone who wants to to join him, but warns he’ll be moving fast. He hopes to cut the six-hour ride down to four hours.
All the wagons and horses head out except the Duttons. They’re the only group to remain behind, and Elsa suggests they leave the wagon and try to catch up with James on horseback. Margaret believes their only chance of survival right now is to follow Cookie and the group. Two women and a child won’t last long by themselves.
Elsa thinks it’s a mistake.
Margaret instructs Elsa to change into a dress. She can’t show up at the Army fort in pants or Comanche attire. Elsa stomps away, refusing to change. However, she gives in when her mother yells, “Grant me one less thing to worry about!”
Colton and Wade ride up and learn the group’s hightailing it to the fort. Wade believes they should join them and leave the cattle behind. “I’ve fought Indians – I ain’t never trying to do it again,” says Wade, certain they’d be safer with the group.
Elsa puts on her dress and immediately the first scene from episode one springs to mind. Is this leading up to the attack from the series’ opening minutes?
James, Shea, and Thomas follow tracks and spot horses under trees. Unfortunately, the bandits know they’ve been seen and three men head toward them riding Indian ponies. James wants to charge them while shooting, but the men arrive before James, Shea and Thomas make a move. These strangers have badges on their jackets and claim to be deputies with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
These men confirm they appointed themselves and James points out those aren’t their horses. The leader warns they shoot rustlers and suggests James, Shea, and Thomas get on their way. He admits they murdered the women and children, adding that he’s hoping to also kill their men.
“Them Indians is prairie maggots and nothing else. You’ve got to kill them where you find them…” says the scumbag “deputy.” He can’t finish his sentence because Thomas, Shea, and James have heard enough. They shoot these men and prepare for the five remaining thieves to attack.
James leads the attack, riding right at the men. James, Shea, and Thomas easily dispatch the killers.
The Lakota men return to their campsite and discover the dead women and children. They ride off, following the tracks.
The Duttons’ wagon catches up with the group. Wade notices Cookie’s wagon is way out in front and appears to be heading the wrong way. Elsa races to catch up with him as smoke drifts up from over a small rise.
Cookie’s trying to keep ahead of Lakota warriors with his wagon now on fire. He’s killed before he can get away.
The warriors spot Elsa and head her direction. She turns around and rides back toward the group with the Lakota close behind.
Wade and Colton yell for the wagons to circle up, and the immigrants attempt to do so as quickly as possible. Wade directs the men with rifles where to take up positions as the horses are gathered in the middle of the circle.
Wade and Colton tell everyone to get down and take cover. Margaret grabs her rifle and prepares for a fight just as Elsa makes a split-second decision to ride away from the group. Half of the Lakota follow her and Margaret takes a shot at one of their horses. She misses.
The remaining half of the group engage the wagons. The gunfight is brutal and fierce, but Margaret’s concentrating on shooting at the men who are chasing her daughter instead of the ones just feet away.
Elsa continues to ride toward three wagons who broke off on their own and didn’t follow orders to circle up. Margaret manages to shoot the man closest to her daughter before they are too far away to hit.
Meanwhile, James, Thomas, and Shea have returned to camp and are upset to discover the wagons are gone. They follow the tracks and Thomas is the first to figure out what happened.
The scene switches back to Elsa, but now she’s laying on the ground. This is the moment captured in 1883’s opening scene.
The wagons are on fire and horses race away as Elsa opens her eyes. She looks around and begins sobbing. She makes it to her feet and watches the Lakota slaughter and scalp the immigrants who broke off from the main group.
She tries to run but the dress is keeping her from moving fast.
Season one episode one’s opening moments continue to play out, and once again we see Elsa attempting to fight off a Lakota warrior by grabbing a gun off a dead man.
She shoots the warrior but takes an arrow through her abdomen. She runs out of bullets and throws whatever she finds at the approaching warriors. One prepares to shoot her but stops as she closes her eyes and speaks to the heavens in Comanche.
The warrior demands to know how she learned Comanche and she says her husband taught her. Elsa stands her ground and explains her husband is Comanche. She throws a rock at the man who was about to shoot her and he pulls out his ax. She doesn’t flinch and instead closes her eyes, her face turned toward the sky.
He doesn’t kill her and instead touches her forehead with the handle. Elsa explains they found his family dead, and her father’s with men hunting the killers right now. “And if he’s hunting them, he’ll find them,” she adds between clenched teeth.
The warrior laughs when she says her name in Comanche. He tells her it’s a good name and then signals for his fellow Lakota to leave.
Elsa cries but remains on her feet. She explains she isn’t feeling any pain, chalking it up to the fever of the fight. She leaves the arrow where it is and walks slowly toward Lightning.
The fight’s over at the main camp when Wade, Colton, and Margaret ride out to find Elsa. Wade insists they need to remove the arrow right away or, as he puts it, “she’ll fuse to it.”
Colton rides on to check to see if anyone else has survived. He spots one woman running away with an arrow in her back and one in her stomach. She’s also been scalped yet is somehow still alive.
She can’t speak but she can scream, and Colton says a prayer for her. “You deserve peace and this ain’t it,” he says as he puts her out of her misery. Colton then uses a metal dish and attempts to dig a grave.
Margaret, Wade, and Elsa return to the main group, and Margaret kneels in front of her seated daughter. Wade explains Margaret will need to press on the wound tightly as soon as he pulls the arrow through.
Elsa screams as the arrow’s removed. Wade uses an iron Noemi heated up to cauterize the wound on Elsa’s back. Elsa shrieks as her skin burns and then finally passes out as Wade cauterizes the wound on her abdomen.
Margaret wraps her daughter’s wounds before they place the unconscious Elsa in a wagon.
Shea, Thomas, and James are still riding toward the group when they spot a large group of Lakota warriors. There are too many for them to handle, but James can’t turn and flee. He needs to find out what happened to his family.
He rides toward the Lakota while Shea and Thomas hang back.
Shea believes James is committing suicide and isn’t willing to do so, too. He reaffirms his commitment to take the survivors all the way to Oregon.
The Lakota warrior who spoke with Elsa speaks first and James confirms his daughter is “Yellow Hair.” “You act like Comanche, too,” says the man, and James explains he’s from Tennessee. The warrior doesn’t know Tennessee.
The warrior says Elsa said her father was hunting the killers, and James confirms he found them and left them in the sagebrush to be scalped. James adds, “Your horses are grazing by the river, and we didn’t touch your dead because I don’t know your god and I don’t know his rules.”
James asks if he still has a family and then specifically asks if he still has a daughter. The warrior doesn’t know about his family and James pulls out his gun. The warrior claims the fighting is over for today and reveals his wife, children, and mother were among the dead. He followed the tracks and made war on James’ people. He explains Elsa stopped the war by being the best warrior of all.
The Lakota warrior suggests James take Elsa to the surgeons at the fort. He’ll pray for her, too.
They ride off, leaving James unharmed to continue toward his family. Shea and Thomas are also untouched as they ride past the Lakota to catch up with James.
Night falls and Elsa comes to with her dad watching over her. She says her head hurts from falling off her horse. She also reveals she told her mom to save the arrow so she can show it to Sam.
They have a heart-to-heart and he explains they need to keep an eye on any sign of infection and fever. He promises he’s praying for her, and she reminds him he doesn’t pray. He says he prays a lot – it just hasn’t worked.
Colton’s still trying to carve a grave into the hardpacked earth but hasn’t made much process when Shea joins him. He’s only managed to go down about a foot and Shea promises to find him a shovel. Shea assures him he did the right thing by not letting her suffer and die. Colton knows that but it doesn’t feel right. He’s an emotional wreck and Shea insists he did what he thought was decent.
Shea tells Colton to stand by the decision he made – right or wrong. Colton agrees, and he’ll stand by his choice.
James has a quiet conversation with Margaret and both acknowledge not many people with liver shots survive. At least they didn’t during the war when Margaret was a nurse. Margaret shows James the arrow and insists they got it out fast. James notices it’s filthy, but Margaret believes since Elsa’s young and strong she can pull through.
James calls Elsa the light of his life and his soul while accepting the fact she’s going to die. Margaret slaps him hard and swears she won’t lose a child. (Outstanding writing and acting in this incredibly heartbreaking scene.)
“She’s going to die and it’s going to cut us in two,” says James. If they don’t accept it right now, then she’ll die in the fort at the hands of some doctor who’ll dope her up.
They need to let her see all the sunrises and sunsets she can. They also need to lie to her and tell her she’s fine until she passes away.
Margaret doesn’t want to bury her somewhere they’ll never be back to visit. James assures his wife that where they bury Elsa is where they’ll stay. Margaret refuses to let Elsa’s final resting spot be in this desolate place.
“No, not in this place,” says James. “By God, I will find a place.”
Margaret needs a minute alone with her thoughts.
The following morning those who survived the Lakota attack continue their journey. Elsa has a fever and admits to her mom the wound hurts worse today. Margaret suggests she ride on the buckboard but Elsa asks if she can ride Lightning instead. Margaret agrees and doesn’t argue when Elsa changes into pants, saying she can wear whatever she wants.
James is outside the wagon with Lightning and hands his beautiful daughter the reins. She manages to mount her horse but groans in pain. She confesses she didn’t expect the pain to be worse today.
Elsa’s voice-over indicates she believes her father is already in mourning, as if she’s already dead. She feels as though her soul’s been dislodged, and even colors look different.
Elsa studies her father’s eyes and knows she’s going to die as 1883 episode nine ends.
Terry Crews as Joe and Olivia Munn as Evie in ‘Tales of the Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Curtis Bonds Baker/AMC)
Olivia Munn (The Predator), Jessie T. Usher (The Boys), Embeth Davidtz (Old), Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier), and Loan Chabanol (Fading Gigolo) have signed on to the new addition to The Walking Dead universe – Tales of the Walking Dead. AMC previously announced Terry Crews, Anthony Edwards, Parker Posey, Poppy Liu, and Jillan Bell are on board the episodic anthology series.
“Olivia, Danny, Loan, Embeth, and Jessie are the latest massive talents that will bring new worlds of TWD to life with big, daring, different, emotional, shocking, scary, and crazy stories. We’re excited for them to come walk with us,” said executive producer Scott M. Gimple, chief content officer of the Walking Dead Universe.
The anthology series is targeting a summer premiere on AMC and AMC+. The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead writer and producer Channing Powell will guide the new series as showrunner.
“Somehow we have lucked into the greatest cast — Olivia, Jessie, Embeth, Danny, Loan… We’ve been hoping these episodes will feel like unique, little films and with this range of actors, we are well on our way,” said Powell.
According to AMC, the new series will consist of “six original, standalone stories focused on both new and established characters within the walker apocalypse.” Series producer Michael Satrazemis (The Walking Dead) is directing three episodes, with Haifaa al-Mansour (Good Lord Bird), Deborah Kampmeier (Star Trek: Picard) and Tara Nicole Weyr (The Wilds) each directing one episode.
Tony Danza will guest star on CBS’s Blue Bloods when it returns from a month-long break with season 12 episode 14. Directed by Donald Thorin, Jr from a script by Yasmine Cadet and Jack Ciapciak, episode 14 – “Allegiance” – will air on Friday, February 25, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
Tom Selleck leads the cast as Frank Reagan, with Donnie Wahlberg back as Danny Reagan and Bridget Moynahan returning as Erin Reagan. Will Estes plays Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou is Henry Reagan, Sami Gayle is Nicky Reagan-Boyle, Marisa Ramirez is Det. Maria Baez, and Vanessa Ray plays Officer Eddie Janko.
Recurring season 12 cast members include Abigail Hawk, Gregory Jbara, Robert Clohessy, Steven Schirripa, Andrew Terraciano, and Will Hochman.
“Allegiance” Plot: Erin and Anthony team up with Erin’s nephew, police officer Joe Hill (Hochman), to course-correct a trial when Joe becomes aware of witness tampering. Also, Baez forces Danny to help her find the killer of her favorite TV personality; a seemingly random shooting at police Lt. Raymond Moretti’s (Tony Danza) home leads Frank to investigate who in the officer’s family has criminal ties; and as Eddie works an SVU case, she questions her decision to become a police sergeant.
Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner, and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son, Danny, a seasoned detective, family man and Iraq War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases with his partner, Detective Maria Baez. Erin, the middle daughter, is a New York Assistant D.A. who serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father.
Jamie is the youngest Reagan, a Harvard Law graduate and the family’s “golden boy.” Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop. He’s found a friend and ally in his wife, Eddie, who keeps him on his toes, and has very different reasons than the Reagans for joining the police force.
Jess finally gets some quality alone time with Sarah on CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted season three episode 13. Directed by Milena Govich from a script by Stephanie SenGupta, episode 13 – “Overlooked” – airs Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
The season three cast includes Julian McMahon as Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix, Alexa Davalos as Special Agent Kristin Gaines, YaYa Gosselin as Natalia “Tali” LaCroix, and Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes. Keisha Castle-Hughes plays Special Agent Hana Gibson and Miguel Gomez is Special Agent Ivan Ortiz. Jen Landon recurs as Sarah Allen.
Glenn Fleshler, Andrew Kai, Christian Campbell, and Josh Clark guest star.
“Overlooked” Plot: The team searches for a businessman wanted for murder and an embezzlement scheme. Also, Jess takes advantage of his empty nest to properly court Sarah.
FBI: Most Wanted Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:
From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf and the team behind FBI and the Law & Order brand, FBI: Most Wanted is a high-stakes drama that focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, an elite unit that relentlessly pursues and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted list.
Led by Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix, an expert tracker and profiler with a complicated past, the team includes: Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, a former NYPD detective and forensics expert who is raising one child with her wife with another on the way; Special Agent Hana Gibson, a gifted millennial computer whiz with a sharp wit and mad hacking skills; and Special Agent Kenny Crosby, a young Army vet and brash Oklahoma farm boy who specializes in weapons and tactics; Special Agent Ivan Ortiz, a transplant from Los Angeles with a street cop’s instincts and a gift for undercover work; and their newest member, Special Agent Kristin Gaines, a Navy veteran who became a star in the FBI’s Miami Field Office as a result of her dogged pursuit of cold cases.
Always in the field and always on the run, FBI: Most Wanted is a weekly adrenaline shot about the thrill of the chase.
Battle rapper Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts have been tapped to host the revival of Yo! MTV Raps, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and set to air on Paramount+. Described as a “reimagined global iteration” of the popular hip-hop series, the new version will feature live performances as well as news on the current state of hip-hop.
The original Yo! MTV Raps series premiered in August 1988. The new series is targeting a spring 2022 premiere.
“YO! MTV RAPS is truly one of the most groundbreaking, iconic music series to date. The wildly popular franchise introduced hip hop to the world and along the way helped launch the careers of countless artists,” stated Bruce Gillmer, chief content officer, music, Paramount+ and president of music, music talent, programming and events, Paramount. “Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts are the perfect pair to bring new life and energy to our storied past, as we merge the show’s legacy with the fresh faces of hip hop’s present and future, taking YO! worldwide to a whole new generation of fans on Paramount+.”
Kurt Williamson, Warren Oliver, and Michelle Kenner of HollandWest Productions are executive producing. MTV’s Bruce Gillmer and Jennifer Demme are also on board as executive producers.
MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount+’s announcement included brief biographies on the just-announced hosts:
Reggie “Conceited” Sergile is a multifaceted artist best known for being a battle rapper in the SMACK/URL circuit and as one of the recurring cast members of the hit franchise Wild ‘N Out. Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., he earned his fame in the critically acclaimed “Motherland of Urban Renaissance” in Harlem, N.Y. His first major-league battle took place in fall of 2009 alongside battle rap legends such as Murda Mook and Loaded Lux’s at the Lion’s Den.
Hailing from Philadelphia, DJ Diamond Kuts is the first female mixer to have a DJ slot on Philly radio, along with being the official DJ for the Philadelphia Eagles. Over her career she’s had the honor of DJing for political campaigns, including President Barack Obama. Diamond has toured with various artists, such as Nicki Minaj, and has appeared on and worked for numerous television networks and shows such as BET, Good Morning America, and others. Diamond has been featured on worldwide promo campaigns for NYX cosmetics and DOVE and produced music for chart-topping artists and Disney Records. She continues to be a bright beacon for women, and a proven tastemaker with a progressive ear, having discovered artists like Lil Uzi Vert before his rise to international fame.
NBC’s This Is Us returns from its three-week break with season six episode six, an episode that finds Beth worried about making the wrong choice. Episode six – “Our Little Island Girl: Part 2” – will air on February 22, 2022.
The sixth and final season stars Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson, Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson, Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Chrissy Metz as Kate, Justin Hartley as Kevin, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth Pearson, and Chris Sullivan as Toby.
“Our Little Island Girl: Part 2” Plot: Beth prepares her dancers for the first big dance recital at her new job.
The Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
Everyone has a family. And every family has a story. This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Moore) as young parents in the 1980s to their kids (the big three), Kevin (Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Brown) searching for love and fulfillment in the present day along with Toby (Sullivan) and Beth (Kelechi Watson).
This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death.
Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth and Jazlyn Martin as Stacey in ‘This Is Us’ season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Justin Hartley as Kevin, Adam Korson as Elijah, Caitlin Thompson as Madison, and Chrissy Metz as Kate in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Wendy Braun as Linda and Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Adam Korson as Elijah, Caitlin Thompson as Madison, Chrissy Metz as Kate, and Chris Sullivan as Toby in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Justin Hartley as Kevin and Mike Manning as Tyler in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Chrissy Metz as Kate and Caitlin Thompson as Madison in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Mandy Moore as Rebecca and Jon Huertas as Miguel in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Amanda Leighton as Sophie and Logan Shroyer as Kevin in season 6 episode 6 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Season five of Fox’s The Resident continues with episode 14, “Hell in a Handbasket,” directed by series star Manish Dayal. Episode 14 is set to air on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.
Season five stars Matt Czuchry as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Dr. AJ Austin, Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Randolph Bell, Jane Leeves as Dr. Kit Voss, and Manish Dayal is Dr. Devon Pravesh. Jessica Lucas plays Dr. Billie Sutton, Anuja Joshi is Dr. Leela Devi, and Miles Fowler is Trevor.
“Hell in a Handbasket” Plot: When things from Billie’s past begin to come to light, she is the subject of whispers and stares around the hospital and the team struggles to find the best way to support her. With the nurse shortage in full swing, a simple cleaning job turns into a horrific disaster that calls for all hands on deck. Meanwhile, Trevor discovers a shocking secret and Padma has a proposal for Leela.
Entering its fifth season, The Resident continues to shine a light on the daily heroism of our health care workers. The provocative medical drama follows the doctors and nurses at Chastain Memorial Hospital as they face personal and professional challenges and fight for their patients’ health.
Season four saw a multitude of highs and lows as the heroes at Chastain struggled to overcome the impossible, including the unprecedented and devastating Covid-19 pandemic. Now, in a propulsive and emotional season five, the ante is upped, as the doctors continue to save patients and fight corruption in the healthcare system, this time with a partner. The alliance with Big Pharma that found a cure for sickle cell disease last season proves in season five to be a very sharp double-edged sword.
The season kicks off when a mysterious ransomware attack threatens the hospital, and DR. DEVON PRAVESH (Dayal) and Chastain’s recently appointed CEO, DR. KIT VOSS (Leeves), must make high-stakes, split-second decisions with lives in the balance. Meanwhile, DR. CONRAD HAWKINS (Czuchry) and NURSE PRACTITIONER NICOLETTE NEVIN’s (Emily VanCamp) attempts to navigate parenthood, marriage and work-life balance take a shocking turn when Conrad is forced to make a life-changing choice that will alter the course of their family forever.
After the unwanted arrival of DR. BILLIE SUTTON’s (Lucas) biological son, she is forced to confront her past head-on in hopes of healing. Luckily, she’ll have help with the emergence of a new friendship – and rivalry – with DR. AJ AUSTIN (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), who unknowingly takes an interest in Billie’s son, TREVOR (Fowler). Elsewhere, a wrench is thrown in the plans of DR. LEELA DEVI (Joshi), when an unannounced visitor threatens her new relationship, and DR. RANDOLPH BELL (Greenwood) moves forward with a surprising love interest.
A new wrinkle five episodes into the season will challenge audience expectations and reveal new truths about our characters. Old relationships will be tested, new ones formed, and the emergence of a widespread Medicare fraud scheme ensures Chastain will never be the same.
