Archive for August, 2017

On newsstands August 30, 2017

Fall Preview! A Day-by-Day Look at All of the Upcoming Season’s Hottest New TV Shows

There is a wealth of new comedies, drama, spinoffs and more, so to kick off our annual Fall Preview, here’s our own Matt Roush’s take on everything coming your way in just a matter of weeks:

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. On second thought, that wouldn’t get you very far in a fall season that feels like a time warp into TV’s past, with remakes, revivals, spinoffs and comebacks the norm. For those who regard TV as a source of comfort food, the more familiar the better, this year is a smorgasbord.

As always, some morsels are tastier than others. Consider CBS’s Young Sheldon, a promising spinoff that’s anything but a clone of the phenomenally successful The Big Bang Theory. With nostalgic Wonder Years–style narration from Adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons), this sweetly funny comedy introduces a 9-year-old savant (Iain Armitage)—as adorable as his older self is prickly. Entering an unruly East Texas high school in 1989, the primly precocious pipsqueak rattles adolescents and grown-ups who don’t know what to make of him. But his devout and devoted mom (the terrific Zoe Perry) has his back. So far, so do we.

A jubilant mother-son bond also fuels fall’s most refreshingly original comedy: ABC’s The Mayor, starring charismatic Brandon Micheal Hall as witty wannabe rapper Courtney Rose, the most unlikely politician since you-know-who. In the upbeat pilot, Courtney finds his true voice in public service after running for local office as a stunt and—to everyone’s shock—getting elected. Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) is his secret weapon, a feisty single mom helping her baby succeed at any cost.

Spoofing sci-fi classics is a popular trend this season, but Seth MacFarlane’s splashy salute to Star Trek for Fox, The Orville, can’t decide if it’s a knockabout parody or an earnest homage and fumbles at both, not as hilarious nor as exciting as it needs to be. Just as derivative but more successful because it commits to its goofiness is Fox’s X-Files–like paranormal sitcom Ghosted, which benefits from the mismatched-buddy chemistry of its geeky misfit leads, Adam Scott and Craig Robinson.

Best of this satirical lot is Hulu’s uproarious Future Man, tipping its cap to The Last Starfighter as it thrusts video-game nerd Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) into a time-tripping fantasy adventure alongside warriors from the future who can’t believe this weakling may be the savior of humanity. Young and old Sheldon would love this one.

In this issue:

  • Monday: Bobby Moynihan and John Larroquette share DNA in Me Myself & I, The Brave partners up Anne Heche and Mike Vogel, Mark Feuerstein gets personal with 9JLK and Valor suits up on The CW, and more.
  • Tuesday: Edie Falco returns to TV for a new Law & Order spinoff series, The Mayor raps its way to our hearts, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, and more.
  • Wednesday: David Boreanaz trade forensics for fatigues in SEAL Team, and Dynasty looks to the 21st century.
  • Thursday: The action thriller S.W.A.T. gets a new sheen, Kyra Sedgwick spends Ten Days in the Valley, and Will & Grace‘s besties take over primetime once again.
  • Weekend: Marvel unleashes Inhumans, Adam Scott and Craig Robinson get Ghosted, five things to know about Seth LacFarlane’s The Orville, James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal light up The Deuce and much more.

• Plus: A look at highly-competitive and hard-to-pin-down race for the 69th Primetime Emmys, new faces on Code Black and Great News, Savannah Guthrie on her TV wish list, and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

On newsstands August 16, 2017

Sneak Peek: Fox’s ‘The Gifted’ Unveils a Whole New Mutant Tale in Their New Sci-Fi Sizzler

And you thought your family had drama. In Fox’s new sci-fi thriller The Gifted, a seemingly ordinary clan of four, the Struckers, find themselves caught up in the saga of persecuted mutants that began 17 years ago with the first X-Men film. And director Bryan Singer, who’s helmed multiple X-Men blockbusters, is part of the team helping to bring the iconic heroes to TV.

Just don’t call The Gifted an “X-Men” show, says executive producer Matt Nix (Burn Notice). “The X-Men are gone, and nobody knows where they went,” Nix explains of the series. “What’s left behind are groups of mutants that are piecemeal, doing what they can to help [fellow mutants] on the wrong side of the law get to safety.”

The Struckers fall in with these renegades after bullied teen son Andy (Percy Hynes White) develops destructive powers that go nuclear at a school dance—think Carrie with more rubble and less pig blood. The debacle forces him and gifted big sister Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind), who can move objects with her mind, to come out as mutants to parents Reed (Stephen Moyer) and Caitlin (Amy Acker).

To escape the government’s virulently antimutant laws—which would allow for agents to take Andy into custody after he used his powers—the family turns to the underground network of outlaw mutants for help. And yes, there’s a twist: Reed just happens to prosecute mutants, as he works for a Texas district attorney’s office.

“One of the things I really responded to in the X-Men comics is that they really seemed to be about something, more than just fighting,” says Nix, a longtime fan. “The characters had relationships and humanity that went beyond hitting bad guys very hard, although,” he adds with a laugh, “they did enough hitting bad guys very hard to satisfy 10-year-old me.”

Also in this issue:

  • Game of Thrones: Take a look at some exclusive behind-the-scenes pics of the explosive, riveting seventh season.
  • Star Trek: Discovery: CBS All Access unveils their long-awaited prequel, all about what happened before the U.S.S. Enterprise crew hit outer space.
  • They’re Back!: First looks at all your favorite returning shows, including Once Upon a Time‘s new direction, Superstore‘s got a new look, and Scorpion does a little song-and-dance for you this fall.
  • Ray Donovan: Season 5 has proven to be a jolting restart to our favorite Showtime brooder—a look at what’s ahead for Liev Schreiber’s grieving fixer Ray.

• Plus: Disjointed star Kathy Bates talks up having a high time in her Netflix comedy, Halt and Catch Fire has a brand-new recruit, Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley pays homage to Twin Peaks mastermind David Lynch, how those fancy Suits on USA’s hit drama get tailor made, David Bianculli looks at how The Fugitive made TV history, and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.

On newsstands August 2, 2017

Kelsey Grammer and Matt Bomer Add Star Power to Amazon’s New Drama ‘The Last Tycoon’

Champagne is flowing and music is jiving as women in silky vintage gowns chat up men in dapper, broad-shouldered tuxedoes on the set of The Last Tycoon. Until, that is, the band quiets and all eyes shift to powerful film exec Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer), who slowly raises his glass for a toast.

The cause for this soiree, shot at historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, plays a key part in Amazon’s new drama, which explores the inner workings of a Hollywood movie studio in the 1930s. (Spoiler alert! It isn’t so different from today.) The lush series pulls back the shiny veneer of La La Land and focuses on relationships between top dog Brady and hotshot studio producers like Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer), as well as starry-eyed actresses who dream of becoming the next Jean Harlow.

When Amazon streamed a preview of the Tycoon pilot last year—as the company does with all potential series to get viewer feedback—votes poured in. “Not only did our customers respond strongly to the show,” says Marc Resteghini, Amazon Studios’ senior development executive, drama, “but we were excited about the opportunity to work with these amazing creators and cast.”

Based on the unfinished final novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald and created by writer-director Billy Ray (The Hunger Games), The Last Tycoon features five-time Emmy winner Grammer in his first regular TV drama since Starz’s Boss ended in 2012. Tackling the part appealed to the actor because it takes him places he hadn’t gone in Cheers, Frasier or Boss. “I’m not sure I’ve had as complex and fully committed a character to play before,” he says. “Pat is surprised by his own emotions, which sneak up on him.”

Bomer was beyond excited to be working with the television vet. “I feel like I know him, because he’s been in my living room my entire life,” he says. “I really look to him as a mentor in many ways.”

Also in this issue:

  • Comic-Con Gone Wild!: TV Guide Magazine was on the scene for the beloved San Diego perennial, with news about Stranger Things, Lucifer, Supernatural, Star Trek: Discovery and many more.
  • Suits: Go behind the scenes of the USA hit with Harvey, Mike and the gang.
  • Difficult People: New cast member John Cho takes us through his varied and surprising TV career.
  • Sigourney Weaver: The Alien legend stars in the new Netflix actioner Marvel’s The Defenders.

• Plus: David Bianculli on stumping for the classics and how they’ve been neglected, Penn Gillette pens a guest column on why he believes in all things magic, the technical advisor on Shooter reveals secrets on training the actors, behind TV’s latest onslaught of true crime tales, Matt Roush reviews Mr. Mercedes, Netflix’s Atypical, and the best of movies, streaming, sports and more.