Joel Kim Booster, Maya Rudolph and Ron Funches in ‘Loot’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)
Apple TV+ just unveiled the first photos from the upcoming original comedy series Loot starring four-time Emmy Award winner Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth). The streaming service has set a June 24, 2022 premiere date for the workplace comedy from writers and executive producers by Alan Yang (Little America) and Matt Hubbard (30 Rock).
Season one consists of 10 episodes, with the first three episodes arriving on June 24th. New episodes follow on subsequent Fridays.
The cast also includes Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), Ron Funches (Undateable), Nat Faxon (Married), and Joel Kim Booster (Sunnyside). Maya Rudolph executive produces along with starring in the comedy. Additional executive producers include 3 Arts’ Dave Becky and Animal Pictures’ Natasha Lyonne and Danielle Renfrew Behrens. The series is a Universal Television production.
Apple TV+ released the following description of Loot:
Billionaire Molly Novak (Rudolph) has a dream life, complete with private jets, a sprawling mansion, and a gigayacht — anything her heart desires. But when her husband of 20 years betrays her, she spirals publicly, becoming fuel for tabloid fodder. She’s reaching rock bottom when she learns, to her surprise, that she has a charity foundation run by the no-nonsense Sofia Salinas (Rodriguez), who pleads with Molly to stop generating bad press.
With her devoted assistant Nicholas (Kim Booster) by her side, and with the help of Sofia and team — including mild-mannered accountant Arthur (Faxon) and her optimistic, pop-culture-loving cousin Howard (Funches) — Molly embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Giving back to others might be what she needs to get back to herself.
Nat Faxon and Maya Rudolph in ‘Loot,’ premiering globally June 24, 2022 on Apple TV+Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Ron Funches and Nat Faxon star in ‘Loot’ (Photo Credit: Apple TV+)Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Maya Rudolph in Apple TV+’s ‘Loot’
A missing stop sign and a woman in a precarious situation cause trouble on Fox’s 9-1-1 season five episode 14. “Dumb Luck” will air on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.
Executive producers Angela Bassett and Peter Krause return to lead the cast as Athena Grant and Bobby Nash. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Maddie Kendall, Oliver Stark is Evan “Buck” Buckley, Aisha Hinds is Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, and Kenneth Choi is Howie “Chimney” Han. Ryan Guzman plays Eddie Diaz, Rockmond Dunbar is Michael Grant, Corinne Massiah is May Grant, Marcanthonee Jon Reis is Harry Grant, Gavin McHugh is Christopher Diaz, and John Harlan Kim plays Albert Han.
“Dumb Luck” Plot: The members of the 118 race into action when a woman falls over her penthouse balcony. Meanwhile, Athena investigates when a bike rider is impaled on a stop sign, Eddie begins his therapy for his PTSD and survivor’s guilt, and Maddie fears the worst when Jee-Yun falls ill.
A new song from Phoebe Bridgers makes its debut in Hulu’s trailer for the upcoming limited series Conversations with Friends. Hulu just released the trailer along with a poster and news all episodes will premiere on May 15, 2022.
The 12 episode series is based on Irish author Sally Rooney’s first novel. Conversations with Friends stars Alison Oliver, Joe Alwyn (Mary Queen of Scots), Sasha Lane (Utopia), and Jemima Kirke (Sex Education).
Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, and Andrew Lowe executive produce along with Lenny Abrahamson and BBC’s Tommy Bulfin and Rose Garnett.
Hulu released the following synopsis:
Conversations with Friends follows Frances (Oliver), a 21-year-old college student, as she navigates a series of relationships that force her to confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time. Frances is observant, cerebral and sharp. Her ex-girlfriend, now best friend, Bobbi (Lane) is self-assured, outspoken and compelling.
Though they broke up three years ago, Frances and Bobbi are virtually inseparable and perform spoken word poetry together in Dublin. It’s at one of their shows that they meet Melissa (Kirke), an older writer, who is fascinated by the pair. Bobbi and Frances start to spend time with Melissa and her husband, Nick (Alwyn), a handsome but reserved actor. While Melissa and Bobbi flirt with each other openly, Nick and Frances embark on an intense secret affair that is surprising to them both. Soon the affair begins to test the bond between Frances and Bobbi, forcing Frances to reconsider her sense of self, and the friendship she holds so dear.
Red continues his quest for details on Liz’s death on NBC’s The Blacklist season nine episode 16. “Helen Maghi” will air on Friday, April 15, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.
James Spader leads the cast as Raymond “Red” Reddington. The season nine cast also 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.
“Helen Maghi” Plot: Red chases a lead that could shed light on both Liz’s death and Cooper’s blackmailing. The Task Force experiences a major shakeup when one of their own is taken into custody.
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.”
James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’ season 9 episode 16 (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai in season 9 episode 16 (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma in the “Helen Maghi” episode (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington in season 9 episode 16 (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler in season 9 episode 16 (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)Laura Sohn as Alina Park in the “Helen Maghi” episode (Photo by: Scott Gries/NBC)
A producer thinks Shaun and Lea might be perfect for a reality show on The Good Doctor season five episode 15. Directed by Aaron Rottinghaus from a script by Tristan Thai and Adam Scott, episode 15 – “My Way” – will air on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
The cast of season five features Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Browne, Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews, and Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman. Christina Chang plays Dr. Audrey Lim, Fiona Gubelmann is Dr. Morgan Reznick, Will Yun Lee is Dr. Alex Park, and Paige Spara stars as Lea Dilallo.
“My Way” Plot: While Doctor Andrews treats a foster kid for injuries sustained at his group home, Shaun and team look to Lea’s expertise with cars and auto repair to help a patient whose iron lung has broken. Meanwhile, the patient’s niece, a documentarian, takes an interest in Shaun.
The Good Doctor Description, Courtesy of ABC:
Dr. Shaun Murphy (Highmore), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, continues to use his extraordinary medical gifts at St. Bonaventure Hospital’s surgical unit. As his friendships deepen, Shaun tackles the world of dating for the first time and continues to work harder than he ever has before, navigating his environment to prove to his colleagues that his talents as a surgeon will save lives.
Hollis Jane Andrews and Paige Spara in ‘The Good Doctor’ season 5 episode 15 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Hill Harper, Marcus Gladney Jr, Fiona Gubelmann, and Eileen Pedde in season 5 episode 15 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Hill Harper in the “My Way” episode (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Hollis Jane Andrews, Paige Spara and Aaron Pearl in season 5 episode 15 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Paige Spara and Bria Henderson in season 5 episode 15 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)Fiona Gubelmann and Richard Schiff in season 5 episode 15 (ABC/Jeff Weddell)
After teasing the upcoming fourth season for the past three years, Netflix just launched an intense three minute Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 trailer dripping with clues. Eleven doesn’t have her powers, and a war is coming that can’t be won without the whole gang back together. “See you on the other side,” says Steve. “On the other side,” Nancy replies as the final minute of the trailer makes seasons one through three look tame in comparison to what’s in store for the long-awaited fourth season.
Netflix will release Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 on May 27, 2022 followed by volume two of season four on July 1st.
Stranger Things season four stars Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair. Noah Schnapp plays Will Byers, Sadie Sink is Max Mayfield, Natalia Dyer is Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton is Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery is Steve Harrington, and Maya Hawke is Robin Buckley. Priah Ferguson stars as Erica Sinclair, Brett Gelman plays Murray, Cara Buono is Karen Wheeler, and Matthew Modine is Dr. Brenner.
Additional cast members include Jamie Campbell Bower as Peter Ballard, Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, Eduardo Franco as Argyle, Sherman Augustus as Lt. Colonel Sullivan, Mason Dye as Jason Carver, Nikola Djuricko as Yuri, and Tom Wlaschiha as Dmitri. Season four also features Myles Truitt as Patrick, Regina Ting Chen as Ms. Kelly, Grace Van Dien as Chrissy, Logan Riley Bruner as Fred Benson, Logan Allen as Jake, Elodie Grace Orkin as Angela, John Reynolds as Officer Callahan, Rob Morgan as Chief Powell, Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, and Robert Englund as Victor Creel.
Stranger Things was created by The Duffer Brothers. Iain Paterson, Curtis Gwinn, and 21 Laps Entertainment’s Shawy Levy and Dan Cohen executive produce along with The Duffer Brothers. The award-winning series is a Monkey Massacre Productions & 21 Laps Entertainment production.
Shawn Levy directed episodes three and four, and Nimród Antal directed five and six. The Duffer Brothers directed season four episodes one, two, seven, eight, and nine. Writers include The Duffer Brothers, Caitlin Schneiderhan, Paul Dichter, Kate Trefry, and Curtis Gwinn.
Netflix released the following synopsis for season four:
“It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”
Writer/executive producer Michael Hirst turns his attention from Vikings to America’s Wild West with EPIX’s new drama Billy the Kid. Hirst created the series, based on the life of the legendary outlaw, and during the Television Critics Association’s winter press panel he explained his fascination with the gunslinger.
“He’s like a rock star. He’s young. He’s like a rock star of the West. I thought I knew things about him but when I started doing the research, I realized that I knew very, very little indeed, you know?” said Hirst. “I had cliched ideas about him that he’s probably psychopathic, that he was a born killer, that he was a roughneck. What I didn’t know was about his background, born of Irish immigrants, very devoted to his Catholic mother who taught him to respect women, to read, and to empathize with the underdog. He had a beautiful singing voice. He played musical instruments. He was incredibly sensitive. As he said himself, he was more sinned against than sinning.
He’s a wonderfully attractive character. He’s a compelling character. And I grew writing about him, thinking about him – I grew to love him. And I think, and I hope, that the audience will love him as much as I do, and they should. Again, what I think people think they know about Billy, they will see a totally different young man.”
British actor Tom Blyth (The Gilded Age, Benediction) stars in the title role, portraying Billy the Kid as an intelligent, fearless young man who Michael Hirst describes as a natural leader.
“[…] Tom was the perfect, perfect actor/person to play Billy because he had a deep empathy and understanding for Billy right from the start. And also, uncannily, he looks like Billy,” said Hirst.
Blyth and Hirst both grew up in Norfolkshire in England, and both share a love of Western tales. Blyth was always drawn to the story of Billy the Kid and actually found he has a lot of qualities in common with the Wild West figure.
“Geographically, on paper, we couldn’t be [farther] removed, but I think actually that it would be – you’d be making a mistake to kind of assume that there’s too much difference there because there’s something about him that sung to me from the very, very beginning,” explained Blyth. “He grew up in a house with a strong female presence. He was brought up by this incredibly strong mother, really, who was very principled and taught him how to move through the world with strength, grace, and humility, but also savviness. And I was raised in a house with a single mother and strong women who brought me up with the same kind of strength.”
Blyth added: “I think for me, the immigration side of it is very interesting. I think moving to America six years ago as a 21-year-old and stepping into a new world, kind of looking for something bigger, I think I relate to that. I relate to the idea of going out there and searching for something bigger.
And there’s a survivor in him which I always related to, something about the scrappiness. I’ve always felt that kind of fight-or-flight mentality and usually a willingness to dig in and fight for what you believe in. I think that in him is very attractive to me. Yeah, he’s someone who I think is always watching and always kind of reacting based on his principles. And I think for me that was incredibly attractive.”
Tom Blyth really latched onto the fact Billy the Kid is an immigrant story.
“I mean, it’s the beginnings of America, and I think that’s what drew me to it in the first place is this idea that the America that at least I currently live in and have grown to love coming here, the origins are messy and brutal and not always tied up with a neat bow. And it’s quite recent, you know?
I think there’s something about this story, particularly, where you’ve got this Irish family who have come with the promise of a better life, getting here and realizing that they’re going to have to fight for that better life. It’s in the fight and the striving to thrive that I think the kind of adventure lies. And that’s what’s really attractive is watching people really fight for themselves above all else. To go, ‘Okay, what I thought I was going to find when I got here is not the case, and what I was promised is not the case, but I am going to – in [Billy’s mother’s] case – fight tooth and nail and claw for the best life for my family.’”
Blyth continued: “When you think about how recent that actually was and compared to where we live right now it’s an entirely different world, and yet so much of that still exists. You can see the threads of it in today’s society. I think people will find that fascinating because I think we’ve created such a brutally honest show, I think. It’s very authentic and you can see the kind of blood, sweat, and tears – and mud – that went into creating a life here. All these different societies all trying to build their own life in this kind of messy landscape.”
Blyth grew up a latchkey kid with a librarian grandmother, and he’d often stop by the library on his way home from school. Blyth recalls he was always drawn to the Western section.
“I would sit there and read Western books for hours until it was time to go home. And, you know, I wish I could tell you exactly why that was but I think it’s something about this idea of an unknown landscape that is both brutal but romantic,” said Blyth. “I took a trip to New Mexico to prepare for the role and there’s nowhere like it. I mean, the sunsets are magical and spiritual, and you can see why people arrive there and went, ‘Oh, my God. This is heaven on earth,’ and then realize that what they’d been promised when they got there was quite, quite different. They had to fight to create their little pocket of heaven, and it wasn’t always clean. It wasn’t always done in the right way, but I think the idea of striving for a [richer] life, I think, appeals to everyone.”
EPIX’s Billy the Kid will premiere on Sunday, April 24, 2022. In addition to Tom Blyth, the season one cast includes Daniel Webber as Jesse Evans, Eileen O’Higgins as Kathleen McCarty, and Jonah Collier as a young Billy.
Exotic animals have the team springing into action on CBS’s NCIS: Hawai’i season one episode 19. Directed by Lin Oeding from a script by Jan Nash, episode 19 – “Nurture” – will air on Monday, April 18, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.
Vanessa Lachey (Call Me Kat, Truth Be Told) leads the cast as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant, Alex Tarrant plays Kai Holman, Noah Mills stars as Jesse Boone, and Yasmine Al-Bustami plays Lucy Tara. The first season also stars Jason Antoon as Ernie Malik and Tori Anderson as Kate Whistler.
Episode 19 guest stars include Seana Kofoed, Anthony Ruivivar, Alisa Allapach, and Charley Koontz.
“Nurture” Plot: The NCIS team investigates a shipwreck carrying exotic animals that now threaten the native wildlife on Oahu. Also, Alex sustains a career-ending injury and Kai asks Melanie, a fish and wildlife agent, out on a date.
The world’s most successful television series continues on the seductive shores of the Aloha State with NCIS: Hawai’i, where the first female Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor, Jane Tennant, has thrived and risen through the ranks by equal parts confidence and strategy in a system that has pushed back on her every step of the way. Together with her unwavering team of specialists, they balance duty to family and country while investigating high-stakes crimes involving military personnel, national security and the mysteries of the sun-drenched island paradise itself.
HBO’s We Own This City chronicles the scandal that rocked the Baltimore Police Department and took down the elite Gun Trace Task Force. The limited series, which just launched its official trailer, is based on reporter Justin Fenton’s non-fiction book We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption and will premiere on Monday, April 25, 2022 at 9pm ET/PT.
The Wire‘s creator David Simon and writer/producer George Pelecanos created We Own This City, with the new limited series marking their return to Baltimore. Simon and Pelecanos reunited with The Wire‘s executive producers Nina K. Noble and Ed Burns, as well as co-executive producer William F. Zorzi, for the series. Plus, former The Wire cast members Jamie Hector, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Domenick Lombardozzi, Trey Chaney, Delaney Williams, Jermaine Crawford, Anwan Glover, Chris Clanton, Nathan Corbett, Maria Broom, Susan Rome, and Michael Salconi also appear in the gritty drama.
Pelecanos, Simon, Burns, Zorzi and D. Watkins wrote the limited series with Reinaldo Marcus Green directing and executive producing.
We Own This City Synopsis and Character Descriptions, Courtesy of HBO:
In the 2000s, the Baltimore Police Department struggled to respond to crime with meaningful police work, giving itself over to mass arrest and drug warring instead. We Own This City shows how the department’s desperate reliance on statistics over substance eventually led to the inability of department officials to supervise the Gun Trace Task Force and the further inability of the department to discipline rogue police.
At the time of the GTTF scandal in 2017, though there were numerous indications of corruption within several plainclothes units going back almost a decade, Baltimore police commanders held to the belief that any street unit that could bring in guns and drugs consistently had to be championed and protected. We Own This City depicts the inevitable corruption of a unit given this carte blanche.
Jon Bernthal as Sgt. Wayne Jenkins of the Baltimore Police Department, perhaps the central figure in the sprawling federal corruption case that centered on the agency’s Gun Trace Task Force, a plainclothes unit that went completely rogue and began hunting and robbing citizens and drug dealers alike as decades of a relentless drug war and mass incarceration in Baltimore spun wildly out of control.
Wunmi Mosaku as Nicole Steele, an attorney assigned to the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, which was investigating policing practices in Baltimore prior to the Gun Trace Task Force criminal investigation. Focused on creating a voluntary, monitored federal consent decree aimed at reform, Steele’s work centers on the systemic reasons police corruption and bad behavior are excused by Baltimore City prosecutors, judges and the police department itself.
Jamie Hector as Sean M. Suiter, a Baltimore City Homicide detective who was caught up in the GTTF case and called to testify before a federal grand jury. Tragically, Suiter finds he can’t outrun his past.
McKinley Belcher III as Momodu “G Money” Gondo, an 11-year BPD veteran and member of the Gun Trace Task Force, implicated in robberies, overtime fraud and other corrupt acts. He was involved in protecting a heroin operation run by Antonio “Brill” Shropshire. Gondo served as an information line and protector to Shropshire, and took little effort to hide this connection.
Darrell Britt-Gibson as Jemell Rayam, one of the most brazen offenders caught up in the GTTF probe. Rayam committed racketeering, extortion, overtime fraud, robberies and unlawful detainments; entered residences without a warrant; and was involved in three shootings that resulted in one fatality. Over the years, he was targeted in multiple investigations by the Internal Affairs Department but suffered few consequences.
Josh Charles as Daniel Hersl, a cocky, swaggering cop known amongst Baltimore residents for his casual brutality and was the subject of multiple citizen complaints. Hersl was effectively banned from the Eastern District before his move to the GTTF.
Dagmara Domińczyk as Erika Jensen, a New York native who, compelled by the 9-11 terrorism to join the Bureau, conducted the federal investigation into the corrupt GTTF officers along with Task Force Officer John Sieracki.
Rob Brown as Maurice Ward, another plainclothesman with the Gun Trace Task Force, who participated in many of the robberies, thefts and illegal activities of the unit, but was bothered by that participation throughout, sometimes tossing away the proceeds from the crimes. When confronted by the federal investigation and charged with the rest of the unit, he was among the first to cooperate unequivocally with prosecutors.
Don Harvey as John Sieracki, a second-generation city cop assigned to the public corruption task force and working out of the FBI’s office in Woodlawn. Sieracki provided the federal investigation key knowledge of the BPD and access to its databases.
David Corenswet as David McDougall, a veteran investigator with the Harford County Narcotics Task Force. McDougall and Detective Scott Kilpatrick, his colleague in neighboring Baltimore County’s Narcotics Unit, began the casework on drug overdoses that set the GTTF probe in motion.
Larry Mitchell as Scott Kilpatrick, a veteran investigator with the Baltimore County Narcotics Task Force. Kilpatrick and Detective David McDougall, his colleague in neighboring Harford County’s Narcotics Unit, began the casework on drug overdoses that set the GTTF probe in motion.
Ian Duff as Ahmed Jackson, a former D.O.J. trial attorney who is tired of criminal prosecutions and transferred to the Office of Civil Rights. Jackson is newly assigned to Nicole Steele’s team and is mentored by her as they investigate the systemic policing issues in Baltimore.
Delaney Williams as Kevin Davis, the Police Commissioner hired after the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death, who is caught between the proverbial rock and several hard places, unable to reform the Baltimore City police department and please City Hall, community leaders, the police union, and his rank and file officers.
Lucas Van Engen as Leo Wise, a veteran federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Baltimore and the lead prosecutor assigned to the Gun Trace Task Force case.
Rebel Wilson (the Pitch Perfect movies) wakes from a 20-year coma ready to finish up high school in Netflix’s R-rated comedy Senior Year. The just-released trailer finds Wilson totally confused as to why Madonna’s now calling herself Lady Gaga, unable to grasp the concept of nine Fast & Furious movies, and determined to return to the high school where she once reigned as cheer captain.
Angourie Rice (Mare of Easttown) plays the popular teenage version of Rebel Wilson’s character. The cast also includes Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Justin Hartley, Chris Parnell, Michael Cimino, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Brandon Scott Jones and Alicia Silverstone. Joshua Colley, Jade Bender, and Avantika also star.
Alex Hardcastle directs from a screenplay by Andrew Knauer, Arthur Pielli, and Brandon Scott Jones. Rebel Wilson, Todd Garner, Timothy M. Bourne, and Chris Bender produce, and Jeremy Stein and Jake Wagner executive produce.
Senior Year will premiere on Netflix on May 13, 2022.
After a cheerleader falls off a pyramid and into a 20 year coma, she wakes up as a 37-year-old woman, ready to return to high school, regain her status and claim the prom queen crown that eluded her.
