A violent altercation at a school goes viral on Blue Bloods season 12 episode 15, “Where We Stand.” Directed by John Behring from a script by Ian Biederman and Van B. Nguyen, episode 15 will air on Friday, March 4, 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 Luis Antonio Ramos.
“Where We Stand” Plot: Frank contends with public outcry to defund the NYPD School Safety Division after a physical altercation between a school officer and a student goes viral. Also, Danny and Baez help a father track down his missing ex-wife and daughter; Erin and Anthony deal with the aftermath of the surprise release of a serial criminal; and Jamie is unsure of how to navigate inappropriate conversation among his officers in the precinct.
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.
NBC’s This Is Us season six episode seven serves up the final Thanksgiving we’ll spend with the Pearson family. Airing on March 8, 2022, “Taboo” promises to be yet another heart-wrenching episode in which secrets are revealed. (Doesn’t that describe pretty much every episode?)
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.
“Taboo” Plot: Rebecca has a big announcement to make at Thanksgiving dinner.
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.
Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Chrissy Metz as Kate, and Justin Hartley as Kevin in ‘This Is Us’ season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Jon Huertas as Miguel and Justin Hartley as Kevin in season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth and Sterling K. Brown as Randall in season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Sterling K. Brown as Randall, Baby Hailey, Baby Jack Jr., Chris Sullivan as Toby, Chrissy Metz as Kate, Justin Hartley as Kevin, Susan Kelechi Watson as Beth, Jon Huertas as Miguel, Eris Baker as Tess, Lyric Ross as Deja, Mandy Moore as Rebecca, and Faithe Herman as Annie in season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Chrissy Metz as Kate and Mandy Moore as Rebecca in the “Taboo” episode (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Tim Matheson as Dave Malone, Milo Ventimiglia as Jack, Mandy Moore as Rebecca, and Elizabeth Perkins as Janet Malone in season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)Justin Hartley as Kevin and Chris Sullivan as Toby in season 6 episode 7 (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
Chris Pine (the Star Trek film franchise) and Thandiwe Newton (Westworld) square off in Prime Video’s espionage thriller All the Old Knives. The new official trailer introduces Pine and Newton as former co-workers in the CIA’s Vienna station. Pine’s charged with figuring out who gave away sensitive information, and the investigation’s focus turns to Newton.
Olen Steinhauer adapted his own novel for the screen and Janus Metz (ZeroZeroZero, Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story) directs. The R-rated thriller will open in theaters and on Prime Video on April 8, 2022.
The Plot, Courtesy of Prime Video:
When the CIA discovers one of its agents leaked information that cost more than 100 people their lives, veteran operative Henry Pelham (Pine) is assigned to root out the mole from among his former officemates at the agency’s Vienna station. His investigation takes him from Austria to England to California, where he is reunited with his one-time colleague and ex-lover Celia Harrison (Newton).
The pair are forced to blur the lines between profession and passion in this riveting tale of global espionage, moral ambiguity, and deadly betrayal.
Poster for ‘All the Old Knives’ (Photo credit: Prime Video)
Netflix announced five new cast members have joined the ensemble comedy series Blockbuster starring Randall Park and Melissa Fumero. The comedy was created by writer/executive producer Vanessa Ramos (Superstore, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and is set in the last Blockbuster Video in America.
Netflix describes Blockbuster as exploring what it takes – and more specifically who it takes – for a small business to succeed against all odds. Produced by Universal Television, Blockbuster has David Caspe (Happy Endings) and Jackie Clarke (Superstore) on board as writers and executive producers. Davis Entertainment’s John Fox and John Davis are also executive producing.
Season one will consist of 10 episodes. Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed a targeted premiere date.
Blockbuster new character descriptions, courtesy of Netflix:
TYLER ALVAREZ (Never Have I Ever, American Vandal) as CARLOS: As a first-generation son of immigrants, he learned English by watching movies, and they quickly became his love language. He dreams of being a filmmaker, but can’t help but feel like he owes it to his parents to live the American life they planned for him.
MADELEINE ARTHUR (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) as HANNAH: She’s genuinely sweet, a little naive, yet undeniably charming. She lost her mom at a young age but is surrounded by family at Blockbuster. Financially savvy to a fault, the staff is helping her learn the importance of self-care.
OLGA MEREDIZ (In The Heights, Encanto) as CONNIE: She works at Blockbuster to make friends, not money. She’s the unintentionally blunt mother figure to not just the employees, but many of the Blockbuster regulars.
Recurring Guest Stars include:
JB SMOOVE (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Spider-Man: No Way Home) as PERCY: As the strip mall and party store owner, Percy sees himself as “the man with the plan.” He’s the fast-talking, stylish, over-confident other half of the best friend duo of Timmy and Percy, who can’t seem to stay away from Blockbuster, especially with his daughter working there.
KAMAIA FAIRBURN (Overlord and the Underwoods) as KAYLA: Kayla is Percy’s smart and sometimes scary teen daughter. She’s not super open to the idea of taking orders from anyone, which can make her working at Blockbuster complicated for Timmy.
The Caped Crusader returns to the big screen to fight criminals in Gotham City and hunt a serial killer in Matt Reeves’ reboot of the Batman franchise, The Batman. The film begins with a rain-soaked Gotham City and a voice-over by the Batman himself, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson). He wonders if he’s really making any kind of difference in eliminating crime, yet he still feels compelled to try to honor the memory of his parents who were gunned down in the city they helped build.
In this entry in the franchise, Batman’s already a trusted ally to Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) who calls him via the Bat-Signal to the scene of the vicious murder of Gotham City’s mayor. While investigating, Gordon and Batman find a note addressed to Batman from the killer who calls himself The Riddler (Paul Dano). Leaving cryptic clues and a cipher, along with a message written on the duct-taped mayor’s head reading “No More Lies,” Batman’s hunt for the sadistic killer leads him to the underworld of Gotham. There, he’s forced to deal with the city’s crime lord, Carmine Falcone (John Turturro); his right-hand man, The Penguin (Colin Farrell); and a slinky cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz) who could prove to be a worthy ally.
As the Caped Crusader continues to investigate and hunt down The Riddler, his search leads him deep into the corruption hidden within Gotham’s city limits. Tracking clues may lead back to his parents and the truth behind why they were murdered.
Dark and gritty, The Batman is an overly long, ponderous, neo-noir mystery thriller that has more in common with films like The Crow and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow in style and pacing than previous Batman films.
Robert Pattinson dons the cape and cowl in this, his first outing as the iconic superhero, and he makes for an effective Batman. He embraces the tone and moves slowly and deliberately while glaring at the criminals he’s about to fight.
Robert Pattinson has solid chemistry with Zoe Kravitz as Selina. Their shared scenes on rooftops simmer with sexual tension sprinkled with distrust. However, Pattinson stumbles as Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne. His Bruce is a moody, brooding emo instead of a dynamic and charismatic billionaire playboy. Sadly, there’s really no difference between Batman and Bruce except for wearing the batsuit.
Zoe Kravitz delivers a strong performance as Selina Kyle, the street-savvy cat burglar who’s on her own mission but ends up being part of The Batman’s investigation. She can’t help finding herself being drawn to the mysterious vigilante and wanting to help him when she can. Kravitz portrays Selina as a strong and clever woman who at times is a little more vulnerable than other Catwoman incarnations seen on the big screen.
Colin Farrell delivers a fantastic and scenery-chewing performance as The Penguin. Almost unrecognizable under all the make-up and prosthetics, Farrell plays The Penguin – the up-and-coming crime kingpin of Gotham – with gusto and underworld flare. He’s a crass and loud Al Capone-type and Farrell nails it.
Paul Dano’s The Riddler seems to be modeled after the serial killer Zodiac, with his character taunting the police and Batman to try to catch him and leaving clues and ciphers for them to follow and solve in an effort to stop him before his next killing. At first effective in creating an eerie and chilling vibe to the character, as the film slowly moves forward the character becomes more obnoxious and annoying than mysterious. Dano does deliver a solid but, at times, over-the-top performance as the menacing murderer.
The film’s pacing is painfully slow, with crime scene investigations that have the characters moving through them as though they were walking through molasses. The early scene with Batman taking on a group of clown-faced thugs on a subway platform is a painfully lumbering build-up to the Caped Crusader’s appearance.
Gloomy and somber, The Batman is a gritty detective story/crime thriller that sadly loses its tension and suspense due to its sluggish pacing.
GRADE: B-
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some suggestive material, drug content, strong disturbing content, strong language, and strong violent content
Paramount+ just released the official trailer for the second season of iCarly starring Miranda Cosgrove. The 10-episode second season will launch with the release of the first two episodes on April 8, 2022, followed by new episodes dropping on subsequent Fridays.
In addition to Miranda Cosgrove, the series stars Jerry Trainor as Spencer, Nathan Kress as Freddie, Laci Mosley as Harper, and Jaidyn Triplett as Millicent.
The original iCarly was created by Dan Schneider and ran on Nickelodeon from 2007-2012. The new series has Ali Schouten (Champions) and Jonathan Fener (American Housewife) as showrunners and executive producers. Series star Miranda Cosgrove also executive produces, with Jerry Trainor, Nathan Kress, and Alissa Vradenburg producing.
Paramount+ released the following description of the upcoming season:
The second season of Paramount+’s iCarly picks up right after the first season ended, with Carly refocusing her attention on her friends and family following her romantic complications, all while working to boost her revived web channel. Spencer and Harper must also navigate new personal and career developments, while Freddie balances raising Millicent with a new app and a new girlfriend.
Hulu’s just released the official trailer for The Girl From Plainville, an upcoming limited series based on the infamous texting-suicide case. The trailer sets up the relationship between teenagers Michelle Carter (played by Elle Fanning) and Conrad “Coco” Roy III (played by Colton Ryan), showing clips of the text messages between the two – including the messages Michelle sent urging Conrad to take his own life.
The limited series’ cast also includes Chloë Sevigny as Colton’s mom, Lynn Roy; Cara Buono as Michelle’s mom, Gail Carter; Kai Lennox as Michelle’s dad, David Carter; and Norbert Leo Butz as Conrad’s dad, Conrad “Co” Roy II.
Liz Hannah (The Dropout) and Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death) write, executive produce, and serve as co-showrunners. Elle Fanning and Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward also executive produce.
Hulu will launch the limited series with the release of the first three episodes on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Poster for ‘The Girl From Plainville’ (Courtesy of Hulu)
The Plot, Courtesy of Hulu:
The Girl From Plainville” is inspired by the true story of Michelle Carter’s unprecedented “texting-suicide” case. Based on the Esquire article of the same name by Jesse Barron, the limited series explores Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her conviction of involuntary manslaughter.
Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance will finally return for season 17 this summer after a nearly three year break. Auditions for the upcoming season begin in March, with the new season set to feature adult dancers between the ages of 18 and 30.
SYTYCD audition info: “Dancers can submit online by registering and providing a link to a video of their performance. Please check danceshow2022.castingcrane.com or fox.com/dance for audition deadlines, full eligibility requirements, official rules, and additional details. Selected dancers will be invited to attend auditions in New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. From those auditions, the dancers selected will be invited to Los Angeles to perform for the judges and try to win a spot as one of the final contestants. Additional eligibility requirements and terms and conditions may apply.”
The Emmy Award-winning dance competition was created by Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller. Lythgoe normally serves as a judge and also executive produces along with Jeff Thacker, Rosie Seitchik, Eli Holzman, and Aaron Saidman. Seitchik is on board as the season 17 showrunner.
Fox’s season 17 announcement did not confirm who will be sitting in the judges’ chairs this season. The network also didn’t confirm if Cat Deeley will return as host.
So You Think You Can Dance Details, Courtesy of Fox:
The upcoming season will feature highly skilled dancers between the ages of 18 and 30, showcasing their talents in various dance styles, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation, breaking, and more. Those who are selected to move on to the SYTYCD studio will work with world-renowned choreographers and compete each week in a variety of styles, with brand-new twists and turns introduced into the competition.
Douglas Booth as Red Bill and Dominic Cooper as Arthur McCoy in ‘That Dirty Black Bag’ (Photo Credit: Stefano C. Montesi / AMC+)
AMC+ is bringing spaghetti westerns back with their new series That Dirty Black Bag. Premiering on March 10, 2022, the gritty homage to the genre stars Dominic Cooper (Preacher, Spy City) as Sheriff Arthur McCoy, a man with a closet full of skeletons. Douglas Booth (The Dirt, Mary Shelley) plays Red Bill, a bounty hunter who prefers to chop off the heads of his victims rather than lug around their weighty bodies.
And FYI – the show’s title is a reference to Red Bill’s favorite decapitated head carryall.
During the 2022 Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, Dominic Cooper said the cast was fortunate to have had plenty of time to get ready for the series. Their preparation included watching spaghetti westerns to immerse themselves in the genre.
“We felt like kids in a candy store in that we were playing out a childhood dream,” said Dominic Cooper. “It obviously felt quite daunting sometimes to see all the classics and the actors that we respected and the work and the director’s work we respected. And we obviously wanted [it] to have its own sense and feeling. You try not to copy but you want to emulate…but you don’t want to impersonate other people’s performances from the past.
It must seep in somewhere; you can’t help it. But I certainly wasn’t watching things to steal looks and silences and then looking into the distance, in the hope that I’d replicate some wonderful performances from the past.”
Cooper added: “We watched everything and we watched it together. And we spoke about it a lot. We did our research with the directors and the actors.”
The connection to classic spaghetti westerns extended to filming locations. That Dirty Black Bag shot scenes at Fort Bravo where many of Sergio Leone’s movies were filmed.
“When we were doing our horse training, we could ride from one classic film set to another,” said Douglas Booth during the TCA panel. “You would be in a Western town and the next minute, you’d be outside a little church in Mexico. So that was quite fun. You’d watch the movie the night before and then doing the horse training the next day, you’d be riding around the sets. That was very cool.”
The shooting locations also helped capture the vastness of the Wild West in the same way classic Westerns brought the era alive on screen.
“[…] The feeling of the space – it’s so visually stunning and it goes on and on forever, these dry, rolling hills that you’ve built completely like you’re in the Wild West. It doesn’t feel like you’re in Europe at all,” said Booth. “So you can see why, historically, people over many years, have come there to make these iconic films.”
Italian filmmaker Mauro Aragoni (Nuraghes S’Arena) created the series and co-wrote the eight-episode season with Silvia Ebreul, Marcello Izzo, and Fabio Paladini. Dominic Cooper said the cast trusted the writers, directors, and producers to capture the genre’s tone while also creating something original.
“Of course, we wanted to replicate and play our childhood dreams out but we also wanted to be part of something that was new, fresh, and had a reason to be being made,” explained Cooper. “And I think that all those reasons were given to us by the producing team and the directing team, and it had a very, very distinct style. It was, yes, an homage to the spaghetti western, but it was clearly its own thing. And we all agreed that when we read it, it was one of the only things … you read a lot of material … and this, you couldn’t help but want to know what was happening next. That’s my experience, and I seem to remember us all saying the same thing about this particular piece of material.”
Dominic Cooper as Arthur McCoy in ‘That Dirty Black Bag’ (Photo Credit: Stefano C. Montesi / AMC+)
Dominic Cooper revealed in addition to working during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mother Nature decided to interrupt production with an abnormal amount of rain.
“They had a very wet season and within literally over the space of a night, we had rainfall, and our landscapes that were dry and arid suddenly became lush and green,” said Cooper. “And, again, our wonderful DP was struggling to find… We were really working day to day with finding new locations very quickly to make sure that it continued to look dry and arid because it was ever-changing.
I think that that sensation of being able to get even more impressive, wonderful, stunning backdrops which after a moment of watching, you have to keep reminding yourself that, ‘Oh my God, look at the background. Look where we are…’ It really is very cinematic and beautiful but we were on the move all the time and short of time – and, of course, filming during Covid. We respect everyone involved who managed to get this series made.”
Circumstances made it extraordinarily difficult to shoot That Dirty Black Bag and Cooper’s impressed with everything they managed to pull off in a short space of time and amid a pandemic.
“We’ve only just seen the final cuts of the first two episodes, and I knew we were making something that we were going to be proud of,” said Cooper. “The one thing about it is we were all fighting for the same thing, which was to make a wonderful show in a difficult time. And every so often we’d see little snippets of what we were making through the lens, through the camera, through the monitor, and we’d go, ‘Wow! This is worth kind of the sweat and tears of being out here for this amount of time.’”
“I think that especially we had a wonderful, wonderful DP that made sure everything looks as phenomenal as it does,” added Cooper. “It’s so collaborative, almost more than anything I’ve ever worked on. And us as actors, again, we all had time to really talk through who these characters were and to try and make them as interesting as we possibly could for ourselves and hopefully for the audience. And I think this show is very different from anything.”
Douglas Booth echoed Cooper’s praise of director of photography P.J. Dillon who shot all eight episodes. “It was amazing to have on a show like this where normally you’d have different DOPs coming in and out, to have someone as talented as him,” said Booth. “His star has been rising for a very long time. But to have to really sort of play it totally from beginning to end – I think that gives the show a real authentic look and style.”
Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve) and Sonita Henry (Krypton) star in Acorn TV’s The Chelsea Detective, a four-episode crime drama created by Emmy Award winner Peter Fincham (The Lost Prince) set to premiere on Monday, March 7, 2022. Adrian Scarborough stars as Detective Inspector Max Arnold and Sonita Henry plays Detective Sergeant Priya Shamsie. Together, they’re a talented team capable of piecing together clues to catch murderers in Chelsea.
DI Arnold lives on a houseboat and is separated from his wife, and Scarborough describes him as a born-again melancholic. Scarborough believes having him live on an island in the middle of the Thames on his little houseboat was the perfect way to establish the loneliness of his character.
“And starting the show with him splitting up from his long-term partner, played brilliantly by Anamaria Marinca, was a really, really smart and sharp thing to do because I think it sets him up very, very brilliantly,” said Adrian Scarborough during the 2022 Television Critics Association winter press tour. “But what’s wonderful […]is because he has a fantastic partner in the shape of Sonita Henry…they simply couldn’t exist without one another. And for all of his sort of downtrodden, slightly depressive ways, [on] the other end of the spectrum he has somebody who’s bright, go-getting, very, very sharp, very, very quick on their feet, as well. She can run considerably faster than he can.”
Scarborough revealed DI Arnold has an unusual process for putting together the pieces when attempting to solve a crime. “I think he uses his piano skills very much to sort of get into the world of the crime. And he’s looking at his pinboard and he’s trying to work things out, and the cogs are whirring in there while he’s playing a little bit of Beethoven at the same time. Which I actually did for real, as well,” said Scarborough.
Sonita Henry and Adrian Scarborough star in ‘The Chelsea Detective’ (Photo Credit: Steve Schofield / AcornTV)
Sonita Henry recalled she and Adrian Scarborough weren’t able to be together for a chemistry read, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, they had to see if they clicked via Zoom.
“And then we had a brief phone conversation, and then we had a socially distanced, six-feet-apart coffee along the Thames, and then we were on set,” said Henry, laughing. “It was the weirdest thing. Luckily, he’s all right, as men go. He’s fine.
He’s all right. But we got on. Don’t tell him I told you this, but I actually love Adrian Scarborough and I think anyone that meets Adrian Scarborough falls in love with Adrian Scarborough. So, he made it very easy to play his partner. And I think because Max and Priya are on such opposite ends of the spectrum that they complement each other in their weird way.”
Henry added: “I remember when I booked the show and my reps were saying, ‘Oh, you should probably watch a lot of crime partner shows, and I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to base my character on any other character that had been there before. I wanted my and Adrian’s relationship to dictate how Max and Priya got along. And I think that comes across in the show, because that’s the one thing that people have mentioned constantly is our relationship on the show.”
During the TCA panel The Chelsea Detective stars were asked why it is that the British are so good at creating mysteries. Scarborough admitted he doesn’t know but thinks America also does a terrific job with the genre. He was actually a big fan of Columbo, as well as the UK series Inspector Morse starring John Thaw.
“I think there’s just something very wonderful about the writing on the show,” said Scarborough commenting on The Chelsea Detective’s appeal. “And there’s something about the English sense of humor which is quite dry and droll on it, I think, which I really, really like. It means that we can have a bit of a dry laugh together, even though there’s something as serious as murder in the pipeline.”
Scarborough believes part of the appeal of Inspector Morse was that audiences wanted to know more about the private lives of the characters. He thinks the same holds true for The Chelsea Detective.
“[Inspector Morse] was just really, really fascinating and interesting. It’s an interesting point as well. I think that what we were saying there essentially is that the private lives of these people is as interesting as the cases that they’re on, and I think that’s the way it should be. And that’s definitely the case on The Chelsea Detective. You desperately want to know more and more about Sonita’s private life with her partner and her new child in exactly the same way that you want to know about Max’s ongoing scenario with his ex-wife,” said Scarborough.
