Netflix’s Grace and Frankie will wrap up its seven season run on April 29, 2022 with the release of the critically acclaimed comedy’s final 12 original episodes. The new trailer shows we’ll be sending off the inseparable best friends with episodes that will take fans through every possible emotion…and maybe even invent a few on its way out.
The cast is led by Jane Fonda as Grace and Lily Tomlin as Frankie. Martin Sheen plays Robert, Sam Waterston is Sol, Baron Vaughn is Nwabudike, Ethan Embry is Coyote, and Brooklyn Decker is Mallory. June Diane Raphael stars as Brianna, Peter Cambor plays Barry, Lindsey Kraft is Allison, Marsha Mason is Arlene, and Tim Bagley plays Peter.
Additional cast members include Peter Gallagher as Nick Skolka, Millicent Martin as Joan-Margaret, and Christine Woods as Jessica.
Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris are the showrunners and executive produce along with Fonda, Tomlin, Robbie Tollin, Hannah KS Canter, Marcy Ross, Paula Weinstein, and Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bill Bost.
Grace and Frankie‘s entering Netflix’s history books as the streaming services’ longest-running original series. In celebration of the impact the series has had on the lives of the cast, crew, and viewers, Netflix released a list of behind-the-scenes facts focusing on what sets Grace and Frankie apart from other scripted comedies.
A Sampling of Tidbits, Courtesy of Grace and Frankie Creators Marta Kauffman & Howard J. Morris:
The seventh season took two years to shoot. As a matter of fact, it took us a year and a half to shoot one episode.
Since the series’ inaugural season, 30 cast & crew babies were born.
As far as we know, this is the only TV show that used a toilet as a bong.
It is also the only time Jane Fonda has gone through a doggy door.
This is the only show where most of the writing staff got arrested. All part of working with Jane Fonda.
Mallory’s baby being born into her sweatpants is based on our costume designer Allyson
Fanger’s real-life experience delivering her second child.
When shooting in a working hospital during Season 2, Martin Sheen had to be in an elevator with a corpse.
Grace and Frankie Season 7 Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Seven years ago, Grace and Frankie’s lives turned upside down when their longtime husbands left them for… each other. Both sparring partners and partners-in-crime, Grace and Frankie formed an unlikely and unbreakable bond as they faced uncertain futures head-on, and hand-in-hand. They’ve laughed together, cried together, done shrooms together, and twice over become successful entrepreneurs together. A history-making 94 episodes later, Grace and Frankie continue to show themselves, their families, and their fans what it means to live life to the fullest, fearlessly and unapologetically.
Here’s to seven seasons of laughs, tears, mood-enhancers, and good vibes. And, as Grace and Frankie would say, f*ck it. This may be their final chapter, but they’re just getting started.
Elisabeth Moss stars in ‘Shining Girls’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Emmy Award winner Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in and executive produces Apple TV+ Shining Girls, a mind-bending crime thriller premiering on April 29, 2022. The eight-episode series is based on Lauren Beukes’ bestselling novel and stars Moss as Chicago Sun-Times archivist Kirby Mazrachi, a woman who has trouble keeping track of even the most basic facts about her life following a horrific attack.
A recent murder stirs memories in Kirby and sends her off down a rabbit hole in pursuit of her attacker.
To say much more than that would be to ruin the experience of watching Shining Girls. The series’ twists and turns demand your full attention; it’s not one you can casually watch while working on your laptop or scanning Twitter on your phone. And even if you turn off your other electronics, it may still be necessary to rewind scenes or even rewatch entire episodes. According to writer, executive producer, and showrunner Silka Luisa (Strange Angel), that was all part of the plan.
“At its heart, it’s a mystery so I think when you’re sort of mapping out a mystery you want to be very methodical on what breadcrumbs you’re placing and what you’re planting to pay off later,” explained Luisa during the 2022 Television Critics Association’s winter press panel. “And so much of the show does live in the details, the different time periods, just working at a newspaper. And so planting all of those little details was really fun and, hopefully, for audiences, it will be fun to go back and re-watch it.”
Elisabeth Moss agreed.
“It was definitely something we said on set a lot where we would be like, ‘Well, the second time they see this it’s going to be really interesting,’” said Moss.
Moss and Luisa were on the same page from the get-go, with Moss crediting Luisa’s scripts with allowing her to figure out how to best approach playing Kirby.
“We first spoke about the script – the first script – almost two years ago now, I think. And it was just an immediate understanding of the tone and the character and the story that she was trying to tell,” explained Moss. “There were very few times when we were on different pages about how Kirby would react to something. And you just kind of get lucky when that happens.”
Moss added: “I do think that what I felt like I wanted to find in her was a human and real and honest approach to the circumstances that she was in. A lot of the conversations that Silka and I, and a lot of the people involved in the show, had in the very beginning were about making things real, about making things feel not a lot of the effects, not a lot of things that felt tricky. We wanted things in-camera. We wanted things to be from Kirby’s point of view. We wanted to feel like it would feel as if it was happening to you. So, I think that was something that we were really trying to focus on a lot throughout the process.”
Elisabeth Moss and Wagner Moura in ‘Shining Girls’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Narcos’ Wagner Moura stars as Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dan Velazquez. Dan plays an integral role in helping Kirby learn more about her attacker. Prior to the attack Kirby was a budding reporter, and her skills are put to the test as she joins Dan and dives into the investigation of recent murders that resemble her own attack.
“So, with Wag’s character, Dan, what that represents to Kirby and what that represents to the show is – without getting into too much and going too far and spoiling anything – he’s the first person that’s as interested in this as she is. He’s the first person that sees that there are these cold-case murders, that sees that there’s something going on and is just as interested in pursuing it as she is,” offered Moss. “He’s the first person that doesn’t think that she’s crazy. He’s not quite so sure what exactly is going on yet, but he is listening to her. And I think, as a victim of trauma, to be listened to is so important and is so huge. And so that is what Dan brings into Kirby’s world that I think is really important.”
The series takes an honest approach to trauma (albeit with a weird twist), and it was important to both Moss and Luisa that Kirby’s story wasn’t wrapped up with a neat little bow.
“I think that it’s something – an incident like that, Kirby will never be able to move on from, which is the analogy of the show,” said Moss.
“So much of the mythology was built to be that metaphor. Just sort of like when you’re in the aftermath of it, you don’t know if you can trust your own mind. People don’t trust you; people don’t believe what you’re saying,” added Luisa.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Shining Girls stars Elisabeth Moss, Wagner Moura, Jamie Bell, Phillipa Soo, Chris Chalk, Christopher Denham, and Amy Brenneman. The first three episodes will debut on Apple TV+ on April 29, 2022, followed by new episodes on subsequent Fridays.
A drone armed with a gun attacks a Women in STEM event on CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted season three episode 18. Directed by Alex Zakrzewski from a script by Elizabeth Rinehart and D. Dona Le, episode 18 – “Reaper” – will air on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
The season three cast includes Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, 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.
Episode 18 guest stars include Artur Zai Benson, Joseph Kamal, Siovhan Christensen, Nick Mauldin, Rachel Kenney, and Paul Schoeffler.
“Reaper” Plot: Remy and the team investigate the homicides of two Army veterans in a murder spree connected to their time in Afghanistan. Also, Hana receives surprising news about her birth mother.
John (Michael Cera) and Beth (Amy Schumer) in ‘Life & Beth’ (Photo by: Scott McDermott/Hulu)
Hulu’s officially announced Life & Beth has been renewed for a second season. Amy Schumer created the series and writes, directs, executive produces, and stars in the critically acclaimed comedy. Schumer also served as the showrunner for the series’ first season.
The 10-episode first season also starred Michael Cera, Susannah Flood, Violet Young, Kevin Kane, Yamaneika Saunders, and Laura Benanti. In addition, the cast includes Larry Owens, Michael Rapaport, and LaVar Walker.
Additional executive producers include Kevin Kane, Daniel Powell and Ryan McFaul.
Discussing the show during the 2022 Television Critics Association winter panel, Schumer said, “I think any show that evokes emotion and thought is worth people’s time, and we really wanted to make something special and grounded in reality but also having fun. Because that’s life is major trauma and pain, and then being able to laugh about it and grow from it is like all we can do. So we wanted a show that represented that.”
Season one premiered on Hulu on March 18, 2022. Hulu didn’t announce a targeted premiere date for season two.
Life & Beth Season One Synopsis, Courtesy of Hulu:
Beth’s (Schumer) life would look pretty great on paper. Impressive to everyone she grew up with. She makes a good living as a wine distributor. She’s in a long-term relationship with a successful guy and lives in Manhattan. When a sudden incident forces Beth to engage with her past, her life changes forever.
Through flashbacks to her teen self, Beth starts to learn how she became who she is and who she wants to become. We’ll go on her journey towards building a bigger, bolder, and more authentic life. Learning to express herself and living in an intentional way. A trip down memory lane is a strong source of trauma, comedy and moving forward.
Maggie’s life is in danger after terrorists obtain sarin gas on CBS’s FBI season four episode 18. Directed by Jon Cassar from a script by Rick Eid and Joe Halpin, episode 18 – “Fear Nothing” – will air on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.
Missy Peregrym stars as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki is Special Agent Omar Adom ‘OA’ Zidan, and Jeremy Sisto plays Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine. The season four cast also includes Alana De La Garza as Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille, John Boyd as Special Agent Stuart Scola, and Katherine Renee Turner as Special Agent Tiffany Wallace.
Recurring season four cast members include Taylor Anthony Miller, Vedette Lim, and James Chen.
“Fear Nothing” Plot: OA is forced to confront one of his biggest fears when the team discovers that deadly sarin gas may have been sold to terrorists.
Renée Zellweger as Pam Hupp in ‘The Thing About Pam’ episode 6 (Photo by: Skip Bolen/NBC)
NBC’s limited series The Thing About Pam episode six – the final episode – opens with Pam (Renee Zellweger) in a bathroom stabbing herself in the neck repeatedly while officers frantically bang on the door.
The episode then moves slightly back in time to inside the Hupp house. Mark (Sean Bridgers) is eating a bowl of cereal while Pam’s cutting up a rug. She’s off on another one of her rants, this time talking about how in every true crime book the person always gets caught because they hold on to something. She’s basically chastising killers for holding on to a souvenir.
Travis (Drew Scheid) comes into the room and Pam tells them they better get to St. Louis and not to hurry home because she has plenty to do herself. Mark questions what she means and Pam brings up that everyone around town thinks she’s some kind of monster and that it’s messing with her business. No one will buy the house they flipped – the one she outbid her daughter to purchase. Pam confirms they’re losing money and someone’s got to do something about it.
Mark eyes her suspiciously and suggests he stay and help out. Pam insists he doesn’t need to. Mark wonders what she’s going to do with the rug she just cut a piece of and Pam doesn’t really answer.
As Pam’s getting ready – you know, doing her hair, makeup, getting out a stack of cash, and making sure her gun is loaded – we hear Keith Morrison question if Pam could become someone else.
Pam exits a Dollar Tree with cleaning supplies and a knife. She’s driving around a mobile home park and scoping it out when she comes across a woman. She introduces herself as Cathy, a producer with Dateline, and explains she’d like to hire her to reenact soundbites from a 911 call. She offers $1000 in cash just to record it.
It’s obvious the woman thinks this is a strange request but agrees to the offer. However, first she needs to put her dog inside her house. Pam tells her she’s not allowed to bring her wallet, phone, keys, or cigarettes. (This is not suspicious at all, right?) Keith Morrison chimes in, “Dateline does not pay people to record soundbites so what was Pam up to?”
The lady puts a knife in her pocket and grabs her cell phone before joining Pam outside. She takes a seat in Pam’s car and asks if the mobile home manager is letting her use one of the trailers there at the park to record the soundbites. After Pam tells her yes, the woman points out she passed the manager’s trailer. Pam claims her brain is all twisted up.
The woman becomes increasingly suspicious as they’re driving away. Pam claims they rented a house for this and the woman lies and says she needs to pick someone up soon. Pam assures her they can do that when they’re done. The woman looks in the back seat and spots a knife hanging out of the grocery bag as she holds onto her own knife in the pocket of her hoodie. She changes her mind and asks to be taken home. Pam plays the money card, attempting to convince her she can use the money unless she’s super-rich.
After Pam reluctantly takes her home, she calls 911 letting them know there’s a woman driving around offering people money while claiming to work for Dateline.
Pam spots a man saying goodbye to his family. After his family leaves, Pam convinces him to come with her by asking if he wants to make some cash. He gets in the car and she counts out the money but then takes some of it back. Pam also hands him something to put in his pocket claiming it’s to record him.
Pam asks him to practice his line – “Do you want me to do to you what we did to Russ’s wife?” The man isn’t responding to her, so a frustrated Pam pulls over to the side of the road. She warns him she can’t give him the money if she doesn’t hear him say this exact line. Plus, they’ll need to film him holding a knife while he says the line.
She tries to hand him the knife and notices his hand doesn’t fully open. He has a bit of a stutter when he attempts to apologize. It turns out he was in a car accident that left him with multiple disabilities.
Pam’s no longer cool, calm, and collected. She takes the knife and begins to push his fingerprints onto its handle. She demands he practice the line again. The poor man can’t get the line right and she yells at him. He becomes upset and tells her he can’t do it. She assures him he’s going to do just fine and just needs to just listen to her words.
They arrive at Pam’s house and she instructs him to stand on top of the square she cut out of the carpet earlier. When he tries to move, she insists he has to stay in that one particular spot because of all the microphones. He glances around to see these microphones but, of course, there aren’t any.
Pam calls 911 and claims someone broke into her house. She prompts the man to say his line, but he messes it up. Pam’s annoyed but continues with her ridiculous plan, shouting into the phone, “No, I’m not going to get in the car with you! Get out!”
She bangs the gun on the wall as the operator asks for her address. She can’t get him to say his line but that doesn’t stop a frustrated Pam from shooting him in his chest. He doesn’t immediately go down so she shoots him several more times, enough to set off the smoke alarm. She informs the 911 operator she just shot an intruder inside her home.
A detective rushing to the scene thinks there’s something off about the 911 call. He asks the 911 operator to play it again, confirming not a single sound was picked up until the operator picked up.
While the detective’s driving to Pam’s house, Keith Morrison says, “Who would stage their own kidnapping? Certainly not here, at a place like this. What truth would he uncover inside this well-kept home? And what lies?”
As Detective Hilke (Cuyle Carvin) enters the house, he finds Pam making a sandwich. She nonchalantly says, “You’re too late for all that. I already took care of it.”
Once outside he asks Pam to walk him through her day. Viewers are treated to a bizarre reenactment of Pam’s description complete with the murdered man portrayed as, basically, a ninja. Pam tells the detective she arrived home to find someone who looked like Russ sitting outside her house in a truck. Suddenly, another man jumped out (literally), doing all kinds of fancy karate moves while swinging a knife around coming right for her. She then claims the man got into her car and demanded she take him to the bank and get Russ’s money. Detective Hilke asks if she knows a Russ and she claims she doesn’t.
Pam’s story continues with a description of her knocking the knife out of the guy’s hand and running inside her house. The man then chased her, broke into her house, and attacked her. The detective informs Pam they need to question her further at the station. Pam oddly suggests that’s a good idea since there’s “a dead body and all” in her house.
No stranger to “helping” the police, Pam reveals she saw some paper hanging out of the guy’s pocket in a strange baggy. She suggests the cops might want to check that out.
Detective Hilke gets the knife out of her car and compares it to the knife inside her house. He asks another officer to take pictures of both.
As the body’s being transferred into a hearse a shocked Mark pulls up with Travis. Hilke gives Mark the rundown of what happened and lets him know he’ll need his fingerprints to clear him. Mark declines. He then piques the defective’s interest by saying there’s a bunch of people after them and lying about his family. There was a murder a few years back and he doesn’t want them to try to pin that on him too.
Mark watches the police bring out the carpet with blood on it just as his neighbor, Minnie (Patricia French), comes out asking if everything’s okay. The detective attempts to shoo her back on her own propriety but stops when she reveals she’s got a lot of stuff on Pam – and she’s not just talking about the “Betsy Faria business.” Minnie explains Pam is always saying weird stuff and she’s positive Pam killed Bushytail the squirrel. She even offers to be a witness, if they need one.
It’s only at that moment that it dawns on the detective Pam’s last name isn’t Huff. He realizes she’s that Pam Hupp – the one from Betsy’s murder case.
Detective Hilke calls another officer over and informs him who Pam really is. He suggests they really need to tighten the scene up because the press will be all over it. “We are definitely going to be on Dateline,” says Hilke.
Jeremy Dean as Officer Carrigan, Glenn Fleshler as Russ Faria, and Josh Duhamel as Joel Schwartz in ‘The Thing About Pam’ episode 6 (Photo by: Skip Bolen/NBC)
A short while later Russ Faria (Glenn Fleshler) gets a call from the detective requesting he come by the police station so he can ask him a few questions. Russ informs him he’s in Florida and asks if he really needs to return to Missouri.
As the media gather outside the Hupp house, Pam and Mark are inside and Pam looks out the window at the spectacle. She closes the blinds and rants about all the stuff the police “stole” including her kitchen stuff, two stacks of books, her gun, and even cash out of her nightstand.
As Pam frantically looks through their house, Mark questions what she told the police. She explains Russ hired some guy to get his money and to kill her. Mark asks if they believed her and Pam thinks they did because that’s what really happened. He reminds her it took a full week for them to arrest Russ for the murder of Betsy and wants to know if Pam is in some kind of trouble. Pam becomes upset, insisting she’s the victim here and that he needs to support her. She claims the police told her they found a note in the guy’s pocket from Russ with stuff to do and bank accounts.
Meanwhile, Russ has reluctantly returned and provides the police with a saliva sample. This time he has his attorney, Joel Schwartz (Josh Duhamel), right by his side. Joel lists what the police have – DNA, fingerprints, and handwriting samples – and asks if they need anything else from Russ. Joel hands over proof Russ was in Florida during Louis Gumpenberger’s murder including receipts and flight records. (This is the first time we learn the identity of the man who was ruthlessly murdered by Pam.) The detective tells Russ he’s free to go but suggests he stick around.
Pam has a duffle bag full of cash as she writes out a check for $122,000 to her son, Travis. She’s sneaking around outside at night doing who knows what under the cover of darkness.
Russ and Joel remain waiting at the police station, and Joel explains they just need to stay as open and helpful as possible. Russ reminds him the last time he tried to be helpful he spent three years in jail. The detective finally returns to inform Russ he’s free to go. He’s been cleared of any participation in Louis Gumpenberger’s murder.
Jeremy Dean as Officer Carrigan, Renée Zellweger, and Cuyle Carvin as Det. Brian Hilke in ‘The Thing About Pam’ episode 6 (Photo by: Skip Bolen/NBC)
The following day Pam and Mark are eating when Mark questions his wife about what she was doing the previous evening. Pam states she was protecting their financials. Mark thinks maybe he shouldn’t even ask for details and Pam replies, “Well a man died on our carpet, Mark.” He points out that’s because she shot him. She counters that she was defending their home like she always does.
Their lunch is interrupted by Detective Hilke knocking at the door. He’s there to arrest Pam for the murder of Louis. Pam rolls her eyes and assures Mark she will be home for dinner. Clearly, she thinks she will get away with yet another murder.
News outlets film Pam being led away in cuffs. After Pam’s placed into the car, she spots a familiar face – none other than Cathy Singer, the producer from Dateline. As the car begins to drive away Keith Morrison says, “Say hi to Cathy.”
After reading Pam her rights Hilke asks her to sign a paper stating he read them to her. She claims the font is too small and she needs her glasses to see. He offers Pam his and adds that he gets his from the Dollar Tree because you can’t beat those prices. Detective Hilke asks if she gets her glasses there as well and Pam says she doesn’t know because she has had hers forever.
Hilke dives right in and discusses the evidence, revealing the knife Louis had with him was from Dollar Tree and they know she was recently there because of her receipt. He asks if she knew Louis was physically unable to hold a knife or chase after her. She continues to insist that’s what happened. He also informs her they have her cell pinging around the Gumpenberger home.
As Pam tries to explain away everything, Hilke drops a bombshell. He reveals they found $900 in Louis’s pocket and the serial number on those bills matches the serial number on a $100 dollar bill they found in her nightstand. Pam lawyers up and Hilke leaves her alone in the interrogation room. She secretly takes a pen the detective left on the table and then asks if she can go to the bathroom.
Pam finally realizes she won’t get away with this murder and begins to stab herself in the neck with the pen. After she collapses on the floor the detective and officers bust in.
The episode moves forward to the courtroom. Mark talks to his kids, Sarah and Travis, and explains he thinks Pam is catching a cold. The camera pans around the courtroom and finds Tina wishing Mike Wood good luck on his election for district attorney. Joel, Nate (Ben Chase), and Cathy (Alice Barrett Mitchell) discuss how Pam didn’t hit any major arteries when she stabbed herself. Joel thinks she wasn’t trying to kill herself since she’s too narcissistic for that. Instead, he thinks she was buying time to figure out her next move.
Pam changes her plea to an Alford Plea, meaning she pleads guilty without admitting guilt.
Before the finale wraps up Keith Morrison asks, “If all Pam cared about was winning, did she? Hard to say because this story isn’t over.”
As The Thing About Pam comes to an end, Pam is shown on the phone with Mark from jail. We see Mark listening while a caption appears telling viewers he divorced Pam and eloped in Vegas. He still lives in the house where Louis was murdered.
A montage of people who were affected by Pam Hupp plays and we learn Betsy’s daughters still live in Missouri. Plus, Mariah named her second child after her mother. Russ doesn’t speak with Betsy’s daughters, but he still has his beloved dog. He also got engaged to Carol, the woman Pam attempted to convince to do soundbites and who would have wound up murdered if she hadn’t been so suspicious of Pam’s motivations. (They met in the courtroom.)
Mike Wood won the election over Leah Askey and one of his first acts as DA was to re-open the Betsy Faria murder case in 2019. Leah Askey’s being investigated for prosecutorial misconduct during the Faria case and denies any wrongdoing.
The death of Pam’s mother remains officially “undetermined” but is now being investigated as part of the re-opened Betsy Faria murder case.
In July 2021 the state of Missouri brought charges against Pam for the murder of Betsy.
As the closing credits play, viewers are treated to clips of the real Pam Hupp from interviews with the police and on the stand during the trials. There’s even a clip of her outside the courtroom with a big smile on her face saying, “Say hi to Cathy.”
Pam Hupp is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger at the Missouri Chillicothe Correctional Center.
Rob Brown and Jon Bernthal in ‘We Own This City’ (Photo by Paul Schiraldi/HBO)
The Wire’s creator David Simon and writer/producer George Pelecanos reunite to bring award-winning investigative journalist Justin Fenton’s We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption to life as an HBO limited series. We Own This City premieres on April 25, 2022 and explores one of the most disturbing police corruption scandals in recent history.
Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and his elite Gun Trace Task Force unit were charged with getting guns and drugs off the streets of Baltimore. But rather than help stop the surge in violent crimes (including murders), Jenkins chose to exploit the crisis to pad his bank account.
Frequent collaborators David Simon and George Pelecanos (they’ve previously worked together on The Wire, Treme, and co-created The Deuce) co-created, write, and executive produce We Own This City, delving back into a world they’re very familiar with for this new HBO drama.
During the 2022 Television Critics Association’s winter press panel, Pelecanos said he and Simon were happy to return to a city they know well.
“You know David’s history there and [co-executive producer and writer] Bill Zorzi was a Sun reporter. The book was written by Justin Fenton, a Baltimore Sun reporter. [Executive producer/writer] Ed Burns was a Baltimore cop and a Baltimore public school teacher for many years. So, there was a lot of knowledge about the subject and the context that we had to draw on and to pull all this stuff together,” said Pelecanos. “And then the other thing is we wanted to work in Baltimore. We have a history with crews there. They’re family. We like bringing work to Baltimore and we thought it could be a good microcosm of the country, knowing as much as we do about this city. But it could be any American city that we were discussing.”
Simon added: “Baltimore specifically – and I think this is common to many American cities – they committed over the last 30 years to the drug war, to fighting an aggressive drug prohibition and to mass arrest as a result that drug war. And as a consequence, it destroyed police work in a lot of fundamental ways. So, we watched it happen in our city, but it has happened in a lot of places in America.”
The level of police corruption and brutality depicted in We Own This City is The Wire taken to the nth degree. Simon explained that the officers involved in the Gun Trace Task Force weren’t even in the academy when The Wire wrapped up, and We Own This City explores the complete failure in policy by the Baltimore police department following years of drug warring and mass arrests.
“The Baltimore department that we depicted in The Wire had its problems and they were already committed to a lot of bad policy that was in fact the critique of The Wire,” explained Simon. “But the Gun Trace Task Force in this level of scandal, I mean where you had officers selling drugs back onto the street, that wasn’t happening in 2007. Not remotely.”
Simon continued: “There was corruption. There was brutality. There were things that we depicted in The Wire, but this is as if – to make an analogy to The Wire – in The Wire people like Carver and Herc and those kinds of characters, they were being trained by people who still had some residual sense of what a police department was supposed to be. Now, a generation later, the Hercs and the Carvers, they’re the supervisors. They’re the people who are training the next generation. And it’s become more profoundly dysfunctional and dystopian in one or two generations of policing.”
“The violation of constitutional rights as citizens was always there. And this is just a summing-up of what’s been coming for many years,” said Pelecanos.
We Own This City is based on Justin Fenton’s outstanding reporting, and the limited series will help shine a spotlight on the scandal that rocked the Baltimore Police Department. Simone hopes it will also serve as an argument against law enforcement’s approach to getting drugs off the streets.
“There’s an argument that we’re making with the show that is important, I think, and it’s this: we have to end the drug war. We have to take this overlay of warring against the communities that are the most vulnerable, that have the most economic deprivation, we have to take that and discard it because it’s not solving anything. It’s not addressing addiction in any meaningful or healthy way.
All it’s doing is filling prisons and leading police away from doing actual police work that cities need and leading them into doing the kind of police work that just brutalizes and degrades citizens and communities,” said Simon.
We Own This City stars Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, McKinley Belcher III, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Josh Charles, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rob Brown, Don Harvey, David Corenswet, Larry Mitchell, Ian Duff, Delaney Williams, and Lucas Van Engen. The six-episode limited series debuts Monday, April 25th on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
Road rage turns into a major incident on FX’s 9-1-1: Lone Star season three episode 14. “Impulse Control” will air on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT.
Season three stars Rob Lowe as Owen Strand, Gina Torres as Tommy Vega, Ronen Rubinstein as T.K. Strand, Sierra McClain as Grace Ryder, and Jim Parrack as Judd Ryder. Natacha Karam plays Marjan Marwani, Brian Michael Smith is Paul Strickland, Rafael Silva is Carlos Reyes, Julian Works is Mateo Chavez, and Brianna Baker plays Nancy Gillian.
“Impulse Control” Plot: Owen and the 126 race to emergencies at a fast food drive-thru, a high school wrestling match and a case of road rage – all with one common element tying them together. Meanwhile, Tommy’s estranged brother-in-law makes a surprise appearance in Austin, and Marjan confronts Capt. Strand about his anger management issues.
The Season 3 Plot:
In the third season, a slight time-jump takes place after the events of the previous season finale found the 126 shut down and the crew dispersed across the city. In the multi-episode opening storyline, a massive and unexpected arctic front hits Austin. As the ice storm causes widespread chaos, Owen and Tommy must not only save the city but find a way to resurrect and reunite the former 126.
NBC’s New Amsterdam season four episode 16 finds the gang heading to a karaoke bar for a fun night of singing and drinking. The popular medical drama’s been on a two-month break and returns with episode 16 – “All Night Long” – directed by Nestor Carbonell and airing on April 19, 2022.
The cast of season four is led by Ryan Eggold as Medical Director Max Goodwin. Janet Montgomery returns as Dr. Lauren Bloom, Freema Agyeman stars as Dr. Helen Sharpe, Jocko Sims plays Dr. Floyd Reynolds, and Tyler Labine is Dr. Iggy Frome. Michelle Forbes guest stars as Dr. Fuentes.
“All Night Long” Plot: The New Amsterdam team goes out for a night of karaoke and drinking, but must face the consequences at work the next day. Iggy helps a mysterious patient confront a past trauma. Reynolds and Dr. Malvo discuss their future. Leyla gives Bloom some bad news.
The Season 4 Plot, Courtesy of NBC:
After a turbulent year of sacrifice and hardship, Medical Director Max Goodwin and the team at New Amsterdam begin a well-deserved new chapter in their lives. The opening episode, titled “More Joy,” reflects both the drive of characters and the tone of season four. More joy: How can we find it, and how can we hold on to it?
For Max that means acknowledging and surrendering to his long-simmering feelings towards Dr. Helen Sharpe. While this new relationship brings its own set of challenges, Max continues his optimistic – and quixotic – quest to improve our nation’s healthcare system.
Continuing to navigate their own personal journeys – including Dr. Bloom’s relationship with Dr. Leyla Shinwari, who is now her resident, Dr. Frome’s new career and Dr. Reynolds’ personal entanglements – the doctors will strive to embrace the joy and successes in their lives.
But there is a surprise in store for our heroes. Dr. Veronica Fuentes is joining the New Amsterdam team to help turn around the overburdened and underfunded hospital. Her first order of business will be to tear down every progressive program Max has erected. Max will have his work cut out for him if he is going to outwit this calm, poised and fearless fixer.
Sandra Mae Frank as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder and Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in ‘New Amsterdam’ season 4 episode 16 (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)Jocko Sims as Dr. Floyd Reynolds and Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome in season 4 episode 16 (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom and Alejandro Hernandez as Casey Acosta in season 4 episode 16 (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin and Freema Agyeman as Dr. Helen Sharpe in season 4 episode 16 (Photo by: Heidi Gutman/NBC)Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom, Adam Rose as Bartender, and Alejandro Hernandez as Casey Acosta in the “All Night Long” episode (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin and Sandra Mae Frank as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder in season 4 episode 16 (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)Director Néstor Carbonell, and Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)
“God wanted a fighter and he found one” is the tag line of Mark Wahlberg’s latest film, Father Stu. Wahlberg stars as Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who after one too many injuries is told his fighting career is over. In a weird twist, Stu decides to move to Los Angeles so he can be discovered and become a movie star.
Stu takes a job at a supermarket, believing it’s the perfect way to be discovered since he can show off his charm to customers. It’s there that his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets and falls head-over-heels for Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), a no-nonsense devout Catholic school teacher who shuts down his bad boy flirtations.
Determined to win her over, Stu – a long-time agnostic – begins to attend church on a regular basis. He even enthusiastically tells Carmen he’ll be baptized into the Catholic faith, declaring, “Bring on the water, I’ll do it right now.”
Carmen truly believes Stu is sincere and the twosome move from just dating to becoming serious. Stu’s happiness with Carmen is cut short, however, when a motorcycle accident leaves him desperately clinging to life.
When Stu finally wakes and begins his recovery he starts to question why he survived such a horrible accident. His friend Ham (Aaron Moten) tells him he believes God saw something in him worth saving and now it’s up to Stu to decide what he’s got to offer. After some deep thinking and soul-searching, Stu realizes he wants to spend his life helping people. He can do that best by becoming a Catholic priest.
Stu’s decision shocks everyone in his life including his mother (Jacki Weaver) and his tough, grizzled, estranged, alcoholic father (Mel Gibson).
Based on a true story, Father Stu is an inspiring, spiritual film filled with humor, deep drama, and excellent performances. Mark Wahlberg, who also produced the film, gives his best performance since The Fighter as Stu Long, a likable, bold, and tough individual who finally discovers the life he was always meant to lead. Wahlberg’s portrayal doesn’t shy away from Stu’s more annoying and unpleasant character traits while also capturing the spirit and determination of the man.
Mel Gibson steals almost every scene he’s in as Stu’s estranged father, Bill, a man who tries to diminish and tear down anyone and anything Stu looks up to or admires. The scenes shared by Gibson and Wahlberg are intense, moving, and even, at times, humorous.
Jacki Weaver is wonderful as Stu’s mother, Kathleen, who only wants her son to be happy, healthy, and to stop his self-destructive behavior. The scene where Stu tells her about becoming a priest is both funny and surprising.
With first-rate performances, plenty of humor, and some divine moments, Father Stu is a crowd-pleasing and moving film.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout
Running Time: 2 hours 4 minutes
Release Date: April 13, 2022
Directed By: Rosalind Ross
Studio: Columbia Pictures
