Here we have the second teaser for AMC’s upcoming prequel spinoff Fear the Walking Dead. At a brisk 30-seconds in length, it stars Frank Dillane (young Tom Riddle from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) running away from…something. Of course, the first thing that should come to mind is WALKER! If that’s the case, this must be a fast sucker. Remember, Fear takes place during the early days of the zombie apocalypse, before the corpse’s have had time to properly decay. So for a walker chasing somebody at this pace in Fear, it makes sense. OR, it could be a crazy ex-boyfriend, or a dad. Notice how Dillane’s character’s shirt is completely unbuttoned and his pants are falling to his knees? All signs point to a quit exit from a bedroom…I’m just saying!
When Secrets and Lies returns for its second season next year, it will do so without Ryan Phillippe’s protagonist Ben Crawford. In fact, the entire cast from the ABC investigative thriller will not be returning for season 2, except for one. From the get-go, showrunner Barbie Kligman defined Secrets & Lies to be an anthology series in a similar vein to American Horror Story: each season will take place in a new location, with a new set of characters and a new crime to be solved by Detective Andrea Cornell. Juliette Lewis, who embodies the cold-as-ice investigator, reprises her role to bridge the gap between seasons.
Looking for intel on season 2? Deadline reports that Detective Cornell will be focusing on Eric Warner–played by Michael Ealy–and the investigation into his wife’s murder. “Smart, well-educated and hard working, Warner is at the top of his game — he’s the heir apparent to his family’s private equity firm in Charlotte, NC, newly married to “the one” and walking on air. Eric is attending a party to honor dad passing over the reins when suddenly tragedy strikes — his wife Kate is murdered, and life, as he knows it, is over.”
Ealy is fresh off his villainous turn in Fox’s final season of The Following; he played serial killer Theo. Or, you might remember him as compassionate synthetic Dorian from Fox’s short-lived Almost Human.
Secrets and Lies returns in midseason to ABC.
PS- If you watched the first season, you may have missed out on a juicy bonus scene that exclusively debuted online following the finale. It’s called “14 Months Later” and it stars Crawford’s best friend Dave and daughter Natalie celebrating her 18th birthday. Cornell, of course, makes a sizzling appearance.
If you’ve been wondering about The Leftovers, you’re not alone. The gripping and sometimes downright depressing HBO drama premiered last summer, specifically on June 29. Up to this point there has been no word as to when season 2 would officially premiere. But now, thanks to this teaser, we now know that the show will return in the fall.
But why the wait? HBO hasn’t commented on that, but it’s easy to speculate. The first season of The Leftovers was based on Tom Perrotta’s book of the same name and it covered the events that unfolded in it all the way to the end. So now, Perrotta and fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof have to dream up all new source material for the series going into season two. In fact, it’s been made public already that the show is undergoing a major creative reboot: the location is moving from Mapleton, New York to a suburb in Texas; additionally, the cast is being gutted and lots of new faces are coming aboard. Confirmed to return include Justin Theroux (Kevin Garvey, Jr.), Amy Brenneman (Garvey’s wife Laurie), Margaret Qualley (Garvey daughter Jill), Chris Zylka (Laurie’s son Tommy), Christopher Eccleston (former reverend Matt Jamison), and Carrie Coon (Matt’s sister Nora Durst). Mysteriously missing like The Departed are Liv Tyler (Megan from the Guilty Remnant), Emily Meade (Jill’s friend Aimee), Max and Charlie Carver (the identical twins), Annie Q. (Holy Wayne’s groupie Christine), and the incomparable Ann Dowd (Guilty Remnant leader Patti).
In our first look at season two, this teaser introduces the town of Jarden, Texas–the one place on Earth where the Sudden Departure hasn’t claimed the lives of its residents…yet. Hence the major build-up of cars: everyone and their mother wants to reside in this place where loved ones aren’t mysteriously vanishing in thin air.
The mere fact that HBO is bringing The Leftovers back for more begs the questions again: Will Perrotta and Lindelof start delving into the overarching mysterious and answering the Big Questions: What happens to the Departed, and why were they chosen to go while others are forced to stay? Perrotta famously did not answer these questions in his novel, and season one obviously didn’t either. In a new place with a (mostly) new cast, perhaps The Leftovers will begin to satiate its intrigued fanbase with some answers.
Carlton Cuse’s vision for a five-season tale of watching Norman Bates become Psycho is right on track. Today A&E officially renewed its creeptastic drama Bates Motelfor two more seasons. Upcoming seasons 4 and 5 will each consist of 10 episodes, no change there. Cuse, along with co-showrunner Kerry Ehrin, have shared with critics and fans that they’d hope to tell this finite story across (at least) five seasons, and now that the network is fully on board with that plan, viewers don’t have to worry one bit about full resolution (er, evolution) come the series finale.
“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates,” said Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager of A&E, in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring fans two more seasons to witness the next stages of Norman’s transformation into the most notorious psychopath in cinematic history.”
Elsewhere at A&E, Cuse’s other drama The Returned has been cancelled and will not be coming back for a second season. Though the premise intrigued in its dealings with loved ones returning from the dead, it did so without the finesse and grace of ABC’s ill-fated Resurrection; that show went on to see a second season and then fizzled out.
As the “more 24” rumor mill continues to spin following the successful run of the franchise’s event series 24: Live Another Day, it’s about time we heard direct from the source regarding the series’ future. Star Kiefer Sutherland, who has played the iconic terrorist hunter Jack Bauer ten times now–across eight seasons, a TV movie, and LAD, is hanging up his gun. Or rather, he’s handing it off to young blood. In an interview with Deadline, Sutherland openly discussed where 24 may be headed in the not-so-distant future.
“I’m not coming back to do 24 because there are other things I want to do. And when they said limited-series run [re: Live Another Day], I meant it. But I’ve always felt, from Season 1 on, that 24 is such a great idea that this can go on forever. I think if you create a new cast or other characters in the telling of this story, it will bring a freshness. And let’s face it there’s only so many bad days one can have before the show becomes a mad comic. And what I don’t want it to be is a mad comic…it doesn’t rule out to one having a cameo.”
So! 24 will likely live to see another day, but this time around it will feature a new bad-ass leader at the helm. And, if we’re lucky, Sutherland will show up again as Bauer to literally hand the baton to his successor. But first, someone has to break him out of Russia firm grip! Also, can 24 exist without Jack Bauer fully involved in the day’s predicaments? Sound off! #BringTonyBack
Bringing “Bombshell” to Broadway was a Smashing success. After amassing a whopping $318,120 for the non-profit Actors Fund on Kickstarter, the short-lived NBC musical drama Smash brought its Marilyn Monroe musical-within-a-show “Bombshell” to actual Broadway for a one-night limited engagement.
Though the star-studded concert featuring songs from Smash‘s “Bombshell” was not recorded in full due to legal reasons, Broadway.com managed to capture bits and pieces from it. Above, see Christian Borle and Debra Messing introduce the score for the musical “they wrote” in the show as songwriting partners Julia Houston and Tom Levitt. You’ll see snippets of Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee belting out hit songs from “Bombshell” including “Big Finish” and of course “Let Me Be Your Star.” After you’ve finished with this clip, jump after the break for two more! And if you’re interested in getting a full breakdown of the night, check out EW‘s inside scoop.
Obviously there’s interest not only to bring Smash back but also to get “Bombshell” as a mainstay on B’way. Though the former is likely to never happen, the latter has a glimmer of hope. Musical co-writer and director Scott Wittman shared his enthusiasm with EW to possibly make that happen: “The songs have such a life, and [on YouTube there are covers by] everyone from a drag bar in Atlanta to a 14-year-old boy in his bedroom to high school choirs and marching bands. I know there’s a life out there for it somewhere.” He added, “Even though Smash didn’t have enough viewers to allow NBC to continue it, it was still millions of people. Millions of people were hearing these songs every week, and that’s a lot of people!”
Smash executive producer Neil Meron built on top of that: “Of course we’d love to see Bombshell have a life on the stage. But we’d also like to catch our breath and then see where everyone is at.” Even Debra Messing thinks, “There’s a real musical there” and Katharine McPhee says, “[Bombshell] would make a great Broadway show. You never know.” Continue reading ‘Smash’s “Bombshell” explodes on Broadway, see clips from the concert inside→
Looking to add to your TV series-inspired alcoholic beverage collection? Blue Ice Vodka has you covered with its brand new Breaking Bad inspired vodka appropriately and simply named Heisenberg. Three special edition bottles of Heisenberg by Blue Ice Vodka will be made available for a limited time this summer; the bottles will feature famous quotes from the AMC hit series including “The One Who Knocks,” “Tread Lightly,” and “Say My Name.” Gotta catch ’em all!
Blue Ice Vodka is handcrafted in Idaho and the company prides itself on its premium, all-natural ingredients and its patented five-stage filtration process “making it among the purest products in the marketplace.” Walter White would be proud.
Even Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan shared his excitement over this fun collaboration. “The Dude had his White Russians, the Blues Brothers had their Night Train… and now Heisenberg has his very own Blue Ice Vodka! I’m counting on our fans to use it in the creation of a great many delicious cocktails. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it.”
If you don’t want to wait for Heisenberg to hit the shelves, you can order the special edition bottles online today at Reserve Bar; the bottles go for $27 a pop, or you can buy the bundle of three for $81. Watch the official commercial for it after the break; fans of the series will get a kick out of it since it borrows the animations and styling of the show’s iconic opening credits. ¡Salud!
Following in the footsteps of the Home Broadcasting Company, premium cable rival Showtime is getting in on the standalone-streaming service cord-cutting craze. HBO NOW‘s direct competition will be called SHOWTIME when it launches in July. A specific release date is still being kept under wraps, but Showtime confirms it will arrive prior to the July 12 season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. SHOWTIME subscribers will have unlimited on-demand access to every season of the network’s original series, as well as hundreds of hours of movies, documentary and sports programming. Additionally, subscribers will have access to the live broadcast of the east and west coast feeds of Showtime–this is something HBO’s stand-alone streaming service does not offer…yet. SHOWTIME requires a monthly fee of $10.99; for comparison’s sake, NOW subscribers have to cough up $14.99 for access to HBO’s content library. Also like HBO, Showtime has signed a deal with Apple that allows customers to sign up for a free 30-day pass for the service, as long as you nab it on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV. SHOWTIME will be accessible via the network’s app or in-browser at showtime.com.
“Going over-the-top means Showtime will be much more accessible to tens of millions of potential new subscribers,” said CBS head Les Moonves in a statement. “Across CBS, we are constantly finding new ways to monetize our programming by capitalizing on opportunities presented by technology. This works best when you have outstanding premium content – like we do at Showtime – and when you have a terrific partner like Apple – which continues to innovate and build upon its loyal customer base.”
Though the 30-day free pass will be made available exclusively on Apple devices, SHOWTIME at $10.99/month will be offered on other platforms at launch including Roku and Sony’s PlayStation Vue.
If you watched ABC’s midseason entry American Crime, then you know just how vital a role music played in its critical success. In addition to setting the tone at the top of nearly every episode with its signature, speedy strings, the composition also helped define the flawed characters and their relationships.
As originally shared by Deadline, here is an American Crime featurette with commentary by series creator John Ridley and his talented composer Mark Isham. You’ve got to love how Ridley describes his show: “American Crime is really about the cascade effect that crime has on people. It’s not a procedural, it’s not an investigation, it’s really an examination of human nature.” He gets teary-eyed in the clip when he likens Isham’s composition to an “emotional freight train.”
American Crimewill return for a second season with a new cast of characters, a new story, and hopefully a starkly different yet equally impactful score.
Update: Ridley Scott gives TVLine clues about American Crime season 2. “[In Season 1] we dealt with race and faith; in Season 2 we want to deal a lot more with class. We want to deal with gender issues, sexual orientation and sexual identity.” He went on, “It’s going to be a whole different set of circumstances. We’re hoping that we can not only make it provocative, but humanize people as well. If there’s one thing that American Crime did very well, it took issues that are generally just a headline and put faces on them. I’m hoping we can do that in the second season.” The setting is moving from Northern California to the midwest, and as far as the cast is concerned, he “would love to get as many of [season 1’s stars] back for the second season as I can.” So far, Timothy Hutton and Felicity Huffman are confirmed to return.
Update 2 (6/16): Regina King has been confirmed as a season 2 regular. “Regina is phenomenal in all regards, and is going to be at the center of a story that deals with physicality, sexuality, and societal boundaries with the same urgency as our first season dealt with race and faith,” said Ridley. “We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to speak on subjects as no other show does, and a cast which can do so with such a high degree of emotional honesty.”
We’ve officially entered the month that welcomes back summer. Typically, a TV draught takes place after the big finales in May and avid viewers are forced to twiddle their thumbs until the new season kicks into high gear in September. That has all changed. We’re living in the Golden Age of TV, after all, and the sheer amount of creative content isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The summer months are packed with great programs you simply cannot miss; the broadcast and premium cable networks, as well as streaming giant Netflix, have a number of exciting new series debuting this very month. To see what June has to offer, jump after the break. Continue reading TV reminder: 8 premieres to look out for in June→
“Welcome to the crazy wacky world of Game of Thrones,” sings Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin in this behind the scenes documentary following the making of a musical adaptation of HBO’s hit fantasy series. Taken‘s Liam Neeson lends his signature growl to this funny clip, narrating facts like it’ll take 16 songs to be made before the British band can incorporate them into a full Broadway stage production. Things look bleak when only Mark Addy (Thrones‘ Robert Baratheon) and Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Snow/Bolton) contribute to the cause. Eventually, Kit Harington shows up to truly kick the festivities into high gear (watching Chris Martin embrace Harington as “Jon Snow” is so much funnier than it sounds), and many other Thrones actors start pouring in. The parody has loads of fun with the show’s Theon/Ramsay dynamic, among others. Later, Emilia Clarke belts out a respectable Rastafarian rap about her character’s climb to power, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau comfortably imbues Jamie Lannister by singing “the first romantic ballad about incest in Coldplay’s career.” And then there’s Peter Dinklage grooving to lyrics about his character Tyrion “still going strong;” you can watch that riveting performance in full here.
Obviously (and rather unfortunately) this Game of Thrones musical produced by Coldplay is merely a gag, but its intentions are thoughtful. It was put together for Red Nose Day, a fundraising event that raises money for children in need. The special day originated across the pond in the UK and spread to the US for 2015; this clip first aired on NBC during the network’s Red Nose Day telecast. In case you missed it live and you’re feeling charitable, you can still donate today.
Merely typing these words brings it all back like tidal wave out of nowhere. Remember Too Many Cooks? You know, that annoyingly catchy and incredibly bizarre Adult Swim parody that took the Internet by storm? Well, if you’ve seen it and if you happen to be a fan of BBC America’s Orphan Black, boy do I have a treat for you. What happens when you mix the incessant Too Many Cooks with “The Tatiana Maslany Show?” This. Enjoy!
