Stories

At 16, she’s a star, a scriptwriter … and a really bad seed

As the pandemic dragged on, teens found themselves with empty time.
Some played videogames, did charity work or robbed liquor stores. One sat down with an orthopedic surgeon and wrote “The Bad Seed Returns,” which debuts at 8 p.m. Monday (Sept. 5) on Lifetime.
It helped, perhaps, that the teen (McKenna Grace, 16, shown here) had already starred in “Bad Seed.” And that the surgeon is her father. Still, producer Mark Wolper said, this all came as a surprise:
“A script appears … and I’m like, ‘Oh no, a script from them. It’s gonna be terrible! What am I gonna say to them? … And then I just started reading this script and I couldn’t put it down. I sent it to Lifetime within 10 minutes of finishing reading it.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 31, 2022

Stories

“Rings” prequel arrives, spanning worlds

The impact of “The Lord of the Rings” seems to span generations and continents.
Just ask Ismael Cruz Cordova, one of the stars of “The Rings of Power,” the mega-prequel that starts Thursday (Sept. 1) on Amazon Prime.
“I grew up in Puerto Rico, in houses with mud floors,” he told the Television Critics Association, “and experienced so many hardships in my life …. I saved all my money to buy my first DVD, ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ I felt myself in there. I felt the spiritual and emotional connection.”
His own background is far removed from that of the “Rings” creator: J.R.R. Tolkien was mostly home-schooled in rural England by his mother, until her death when he was 12. He went to prep schools, graduated from Oxford and later taught there. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 29, 2022

Stories

It’s a new way to turn therapy into intense drama

For anyone pondering the human condition, this can be the mother lode – the point where a therapist and a patient link.
“Therapy frees you to actually explore feelings in an overt way,” said writer-producer Joe Weisberg.
Now he and Joel Fields have found a fresh way to blend quiet therapy and intense crime.: “The Patient” (shown here with Steve Carell) debuts with two episodes Tuesday (Aug. 30) on Hulu, then continues for eight more weeks. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 26, 2022

Stories

Teen turns demonic? It’s almost a real-life tale

Like many people, Chrissy turned into a little demon when she became a teen-ager. Now she rages at her mother and despises her dad.
And like some, she has good reasons for this. After all, her mom withheld a key secret and her dad … well, he’s Satan. The real one.
That’s the set-up for “Little Demon” (shown here), an animated show that debuts at 10 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 25) on FXX. Lucy DeVito, who stars, finds the raging-teen idea realistic. “At times, I was a total (jerk),” she said. “But I think most kids are.”
There were other quirks in her life, she told the Television Critics Association. “Growing up in a household where your father is touted the ‘prince of darkness’ – that’s another problem.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 22, 2022

Stories

“Sprung” sprang from Covid chaos

Locked into a pandemic, TV writers faced empty time and empty pages.
They scrambled for new ideas. Oddly, few turned to the obvious – the pandemic itself.
“There was stuff in development,” Greg Garcia said, “(but) I haven’t seen too many of them surface.”
Now his idea has: “Sprung”(shown here) — debuting Friday (Aug. 19) – has three things that make it stand out: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 17, 2022

Stories

Now it’s new Hallmark vs. (sorta) old Hallmark

On the family-friendly side of the TV world, there’s scrambling in both directions:
— Hallmark is shedding its old ways. Now it has more diversity of people, more variety of styles; that’s clear in several projects, including “Unthinkably Good Things” (shown here), which arrives Aug. 28,
— Meanwhile, others are grabbing chunks of the old Hallmark world. GAC (formerly Great American Country) has even signed some perpetual stars, led by Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar.
“There’s a lot of talent … that GAC is now working with,” granted Lisa Hamilton Daly, the Hallmark programming chief. “But I think we are constantly trying to evolve our talent pool.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 15, 2022

Stories

For a lawyer, hulking up can be tricky

Most women know this feeling, we’re told:
People keep making impressions based on physical appearance. They think one thing if you’re dressed dourly in a lawyer’s suit; they think another if you’re 6-foot-7 and green and …
OK, maybe that exact experience isn’t universal. But it’s what we see in “She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law” (shown here), a nine-week series that starts Thursday (Aug. 18) on Disney+.
“‘She-Hulk’ is an extreme version (of what) every person – especially every woman – goes through,” said Kat Coiro, the show’s head writer. “Just dressing up changes the way that you’re perceived.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 13, 2022

Stories

There’s another “Alien” oddity: a happy Asta

When you hang around with an outer-space alien, you can expect some changes in your life.
Now Asta Twelvetrees has experienced huge ones. In the next “Resident Alien” episode (10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17), she even feels joy.
“I was a little shocked with the ‘Happy Asta’ segment,” said Sara Tomko, who plays her. “I had to talk to Chris (Sheridan, the showrunner), like, ‘What does Asta look like when she’s happy?’”
Don’t worry; that phase won’t last long. Nothing does in the Harry Vanderspeigle world. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 13, 2022

Stories

Coming to Hulu: more, more and (yes) more

If you’re summarizing Hulu’s current line-up in three words, it might be “more,” “more” and “more.” And then maybe a little more.
At a time (late summer) when some networks nap, the streamer has a surge. There are a few big stars – two Steves (Martin and Carell) and, later, one Oprah. There are also names — Emayatzy Corinealdi, Chris Estrada, Travante Rhodes, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – you haven’t seen on many movie marquees.
Part of the surge is due to airing two major, second-season shows in the summer:
— “Only Murders in the Building” has new episodes Tuesdays, through Aug. 23. Its first season drew 17 Emmy nominations, including best comedy and comedy actors (Steve Martin and Martin Short, shown here with Selena Gomez).
— “Reservation Dogs” has new ones Wednesdays, through Sept. 28. Its first season won Peabody and American Film Institute awards. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 8, 2022

Stories

It’s a quick leap: from warehouse worker to TV star

Americans have a special fondness for working guys who suddenly get a shot at the top.
They savor folks like Chuck Wepner, the liquor salesman and battered boxer (billed as “The Bayonne Bleeder”) who suddenly fought Muhammad Ali for the title; he knocked him down, went almost 15 rounds and inspired the movie “Rocky.”
And now there’s Chris Estrada (shown here), whose TV show (“This Fool”) debuts its entire, 10-episode season Thursday (Aug. 12) on Hulu. When it was first hatched, he said, “I was still working at warehouse.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 6, 2022