Three years ago, FX’s “The Bear” splattered across our screens and made it impossible to look away. The yelling; the cursing; the gravy-slopping, bowl-clattering, grease-slick, jerry-rigged anxious sweaty mess of the Chicago sandwich shop the Beef and the wildly dysfunctional group of people who worked there, including elite chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), who inherited the Beef from his dead-by-suicide beloved brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), wowed critics and raised the culture’s collective cortisol count to eye-twitching levels.
Critics used terms like “stress bomb” and “adrenaline shot”; current and former restaurant workers described symptoms not unlike those of PTSD, and viewers ate it all up with a spoon.
Season 2, in which Carmy follows through on his plan to turn the Beef into a fine-dining establishment, only increased the anxiety level. With real money on the table (courtesy of Carmy’s uncle Jimmy, played by Oliver Platt), along with the hopes, dreams and professional futures of the staff, including Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Marcus (Lionel Boyce), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), Sugar (Abby Elliott) and, of course, Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), stakes were cranked to do-or-die.
When the episode “Fishes,” a stomach-clenching holiday buffet of trauma, revealed the twisted roots of a family forged by alcoholism — Carmy’s mother Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) — and abandonment — Carmy’s father — viewers could not get enough.
This being television, we knew that all the wild dysfunction would inevitably coalesce into triumph — you cannot achieve greatness without driving yourself and everyone else crazy first, right? When, at the end of Season 2, the Bear somehow managed to have a successful opening night, despite Carmy locking himself in a refrigerator and having a full-on existential crisis, our deep attachment to “yes chef” pandemonium appeared vindicated. Fistfuls of Emmys and dopamine cocktails all around.
Except being able to open is a rather low bar for success, even in the restaurant business. Carmy is, for all his talent, an utter mess, and creator Christopher Storer is not, as it turns out, interested in celebrating the time-honored, and frankly toxic, notion that madness is a necessary part of genius — to the apparent dismay of many viewers.
When, in Season 3, Storer and his writers opted to slow things down a bit, to pull each character aside and unsnarl the welter of emotions that fueled the Bear’s kitchen, some viewers were disappointed. Which, having become dependent on the show’s stress-bomb energy, they expressed with outrage. “The Bear” had lost its edge, was getting dull, boring, repetitive and reliant on stunt-casting; it should have ended with Season 2 or, better yet, become a movie.
Thus far, the reaction to Season 4 has run the gamut — where some condemn what they consider continuing stagnation, others cheer a return to form. Which is kind of hilarious as this opens with the staff of the Bear reeling from an equally mixed review of the restaurant from the Chicago Tribune. (Shout out to the notion that a newspaper review still has make-or-break influence, though the Bear’s lack of a social media awareness has long been worrisome).
Season 4 of “The Bear” starts with the restaurant’s crew reaction to the Chicago Tribune review and how it will affect the restaurant. “They didn’t like the chaos,” Sydney says.
(FX)
Turns out that Carmy’s obsessive determination to change the menu daily, and keep his staff on perpetual tenterhooks, was perceived as disruptive, but not in a good way.
“They didn’t like the vibe,” he tells Syd in a morning-after debrief. “They didn’t like the chaos,” she replies. “You think I like chaos?” he asks. “I think you think you need it to be talented,” she says, adding, “You would be just as good, you would be great … without this need for, like, mess.”
Coming early in Episode 1, Syd’s message is a bit on the nose, but addiction does not respond to subtlety, and “The Bear” is, as I have written before, all about the perils and long-range damage of addiction. That includes Donna’s to alcohol, Mikey’s to painkillers, Carmy’s to a self-flagellating notion of perfection and, perhaps, the modern TV audience’s to cortisol.
As Season 4 plays out, with its emphasis on introspection and real connection, viewers might consider why “addictive” has become the highest form of compliment in television.
It’s such a sneaky bastard, addiction, happy to hijack your brain chemistry in any way it can. Our collective attention span isn’t what it used to be and the adrenaline rush unleashed by crisis, real or observed, can create a desire to keep replicating it. Even on broadcast and cable television, most dysfunctional family series take a one-step-forward-two-steps-back approach to their characters’ emotional growth. The mess is what viewers come for, after all.
Particularly in comedy, we want to see our characters get into jams for the pleasure of watching them wildly flail about trying to get out of them. Early seasons of “The Bear” took that desire to a whole new level.
But having amped up the craziness and the stakes, Storer now appears to be more interested in exploring why so many people believe that an ever-roiling crucible is necessary to achieve greatness. And he is willing to dismantle some of the very things that made his show a big hit to do it.
Frankly, that’s as edgy as it gets, especially in streaming, which increasingly uses episodic cliffhangers to speed up a series’ completion rate — nothing fuels a binge watch like a jacked up heart rate.
Like Carmy, Storer doesn’t appear content with resting on his laurels; he’s willing to take counterintuitive risks. As an attempt to actually show both the necessity and difficulty of recovery, in a micro- and meta- sense, “The Bear” is an experiment that defies comparison.
At the beginning of this season, Uncle Jimmy puts a literal clock on how long the Bear has before, short of a miracle, he will have to pull the plug. Carmy, still addicted to drama, claims they will still get a Michelin star, despite evidence to the contrary, which will solve everything. (Spoiler: A gun introduced in the first act must go off in the third is one of many tropes “The Bear” upends.)
The rest of the staff, mercifully, takes a more pragmatic approach. Richie, having become the unexpected sensei of the Bear (and the show), does the most sensible thing — he asks for help from the crackerjack staff of chef Terry’s (Olivia Colman) now defunct Ever. Watching chef Jessica (Sarah Ramos) whip the nightly schedule into shape only underlines the absurdity, and damage, of the auteur theory of anything — greatness is never a solitary achievement.
As Carmy loosens his grip, other outsiders pitch in — Luca (Will Poulter) shows up from Copenhagen to help Marcus and also winds up aiding Tina; Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) drafts an actual mentor (played by Rob Reiner) to help him figure out how he can grow the Beef sandwich window and Sweeps (Corey Hendrix) finds his own in another sommelier (played by retired master Alpana Singh).
Donna (Jaime Lee Curtis) apologizes to Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) for her actions and the harm she caused.
(FX)
Carmy, thank God, not only returns to Al Anon, but he finally visits his mother, which allows a now-sober Donna (in another potentially Emmy-winning performance by Curtis) to admit the harm she has done and try to make amends.
It is, inarguably, a very different show than the one that debuted three years ago, with far fewer cacophonous kitchen scenes, and many more Chicago-appreciating exteriors. When the long-awaited wedding of Richie’s ex, Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs), reunites many of the characters from the famous “Fishes” episode, fears about a gathering of Berzattos and Faks prove unfounded. Despite a high-pitched and hilarious spat between Sugar and her ex-bestie Francie Fak (Brie Larson), the event is, instead, a celebration of love and reconciliation and includes what passes for a group therapy session under the table where Richie’s daughter Eva (Annabelle Toomey) has hidden herself. (This scene, which involved all the main characters, was more than a little undermined by said table’s TARDIS-like ability to be “bigger on the inside” and the fact that it held the wedding cake, which did not fall as they all exited, is proof that “The Bear” is not a comedy.)
Not even the digital countdown could generate the sizzling, clanking, sniping roar of chronic, organic anxiety that fueled the first two seasons. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it — I love my adrenaline rush as much as the next person.
But that’s the whole point. Real change doesn’t occur with the speed or the electricity of a lightning bolt; as many addicts discover, it’s about progress, not perfection. Recovery takes time and often feels weird — if you want to have a different sort of life, you need to do things differently.
That’s tough on a hit TV show, as the reactions to Season 3 proved (we’ll see how it fares when Emmy nominations are announced in a few weeks). Few series have made as large a shift in tone and tempo as “The Bear,” but its intentions are clear. To illuminate the necessity, and difficulty, of breaking an addiction to anything, including chaos, you can’t rely on talk; for your life to be different, you have to do things differently.
For Chinaka Hodge, it’s important that Riri Williams is unapologetic.
Comparing the young engineering prodigy to the billionaire tech CEO and Avengers founding member Tony Stark, the head writer and executive producer of Marvel’s “Ironheart” says she wanted her show’s lead character to share some of that brash confidence to speak her mind yet still feel grounded.
“I wanted her to be unapologetic about her intellect,” says Hodge during a recent Zoom call. “I wanted her to be unapologetic about the people she hung out with — that they would look and feel like the America we inhabit.
“It was really important to me to make a character that didn’t just feel like a superhero in a skirt [but someone with] real dimension, real depth and real challenges and concerns,” she added.
Out now on Disney+, “Ironheart” follows Riri (portrayed by Dominique Thorne), a 19-year old MIT student introduced in the 2022 film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” as she finds herself back in her hometown of Chicago.
After getting whisked away to Wakanda to help save the day, Riri is more driven than ever to complete her own version of a high-tech Iron Man-like suit to cement her legacy. But unlike Tony or the Wakandans, Riri doesn’t have unlimited resources to do so, which leads her to make some questionable decisions.
Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) in “Ironheart.”
(Jalen Marlowe / Marvel)
“She’s incredibly reverent of Tony Stark [being] ahead of her, but her path is not the same as his,” says Hodge, who can relate to Riri having “no blueprint” for her journey. “How to empower your idea without resource, without changing your morals, is a really difficult road, and that’s basically where we put Riri for the life of the series.”
Compared to most of her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, Riri is a fairly new character. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato, the 15-year-old tech whiz made her comic book debut in a 2016 issue of “Invincible Iron Man.” Besides Tony Stark, Riri has crossed paths with characters such as Pepper Potts (Rescue), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) and Miles Morales (Spider-Man).
A self-described “Marvel head,” Hodge explains that Riri initially hit her radar because of her friendship with fellow poet and scholar Eve Ewing, who was the writer on the first “Ironheart” comic book series.
“My first encounter with Riri was watching Eve literally leave a poetry [event] and say, ‘I have to go to my house … I’m working on some cool things,’” Hodge says. “In a true fan kind of way, I’m interested in characters that look like me, and low-key, Riri really looks like me, [so] I very much leaned in.”
“Ironheart” head writer Chinaka Hodge says Riri Williams is in for a difficult road.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
As she became more familiar with the character, what also struck Hodge, as someone on the autism spectrum, is how Riri can be read as neurodiverse. “One of the most important things about Riri [is] how she feels like me and my mom and other women who lean into their brains,” she says.
Fans of Ironheart from the comics will recognize that elements of Riri’s characterization and backstory draw upon what has been established in the books, but Hodge notes that they were not beholden to those storylines in terms of whom the teen could encounter on the show, regardless of the timeline or dimension. Hodge’s learning curve, however, did include discovering the different levels and types of magic that exist in the broader Marvel universe, as well as potential storylines getting derailed because it fell under another character’s purview.
Though she is still a teen genius, the Riri in the series is slightly older than in the comics. Hodge also describes this Riri as more of an antihero because she has the potential to land on either side of the hero/villain line based on the choices she makes.
Hodge, along with “Ironheart” directors Sam Bailey and Angela Barnes, sing Thorne’s praises, for her portrayal of Riri and as a collaborator. Hodge calls the Cornell-educated actor “a genius” and says she strove to pull Riri’s dialogue up to the level of Thorne’s intellect, rather than the other way around. Bailey, who directed the first three episodes of the series, says Thorne “brought such a soulfulness to the character.” And Barnes, who directed Episodes 4 through 6, commends her capacity to be present for her fellow actors.
“It was exciting to just create the environment to let her do her thing and feel safe within doing that,” Bailey says.
“Ironheart” marks the first time the MCU has spotlighted Chicago, and for the show’s creative team, it was important to get the city right. Hodge, who grew up in Oakland, admits that while she may not have direct knowledge as an outsider, she can relate to how Riri regards her home and wanted to treat the city with respect.
“Chicago’s my favorite cast member,” Hodge says. “I think Riri feels about Chicago how I feel about Oakland. It’s a hometown, but it’s [also] a legacy we’re carrying. Us being from there means something if we do something right with our lives.”
That type of hometown pride was shared by many in the “Ironheart” cast and crew. Hodge says the aim was to tap as many Chicago artists and musicians — from local bucket drummers to cast members like Shea Couleé — to capture the true texture of the city. Among those with strong personal ties to the city is Bailey, who is from Chicago, and Hodge credits the director with helping to bring their vision to life.
Zoe Terakes, left, Sonia Denis, Shakira Barrera, Dominique Thorne, Shea Couleé, Anthony Ramos and Manny Montana in “Ironheart.”
(Jalen Marlowe / Marvel)
“I feel like Chicago has this beautiful chip on its shoulder,” Bailey says. “We don’t trust a lot of people. We’re very protective of the city and its inhabitants. … There was a bit of rebelliousness I wanted to capture … and the different types of people that populate that city, which I don’t feel like we get to see a lot onscreen.”
As the director of the first half of the series, Bailey’s goal was to set up the backstory and establish the vibrancy of everyone introduced in the early episodes to prepare for the adventure to come.
“It was really important to really make these characters feel like people and feel like people you wanted to be around and feel like people you want to root for,” says Bailey.
Among these characters in Riri’s orbit are those she shares a history with, like her mother, Ronnie (Anji White), her close friend Xavier (Matthew Elam) and even the neighborhood’s youngest businessman, Landon (Harper Anthony). But Riri soon finds herself in the company of a new crew led by Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), who some might compare to Robin Hood or a freedom fighter, at least initially.
Mindful of spoilers, Barnes only teases that the second half of the series involves Riri having to face some of the consequences of choices she made in earlier episodes.
“[Riri] made this decision to maybe hang out with people that aren’t necessarily the most savory of people,” says Barnes. “They also have their own reasons for doing what they’re doing, but … she gets in a little deeper than she imagined.”
A self-proclaimed MCU fan, Barnes emphasizes how the show was intentional in everything from its set pieces to decoration, including how the design for the heads-up display of Riri’s suit was inspired by infographics from the works of W.E.B. Du Bois. But she also recalls the fun they had during production, like flipping a truck and building a White Castle in a parking lot.
Chinaka Hodge wanted to make sure people could see themselves reflected on the show.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
For Hodge, “Ironheart” marks one of her highest-profile projects to date. The poet and playwright turned to screenwriting after realizing she wanted to expand beyond working in first person and enrolled in USC’s graduate film school in 2010. There, she’d meet fellow student filmmakers like “Black Panther’s” Ryan Coogler, who is an executive producer on “Ironheart,” and “Creed II’s” Steven Caple Jr. (“I would just follow Ryan around campus [saying], ‘Hire me,’” she says. He eventually did.)
Among the things Hodge was excited about while working on the series was getting to explore larger themes around access, autonomy and safety through specific situations that consider how a young girl from Chicago’s South Side might be perceived differently than Tony Stark for owning a weapons-grade tech suit because of what they look like. She was also eager to populate the show with people who reflect the diversity of the real world.
Broadly speaking, “you’re gonna see yourself if you turn on the screen on this show,” says Hodge, who is glad the MCU has moved to “feel like a universe that’s inhabited by the people who read publishing and go to the movies.”
“I’m excited for the little, quirky Black girl watching the show who sees herself in it [and] for the queer kid who finds it for their Pride Month activities and wants to watch it,” she says. “I’m really excited for that Black boy who wants to play with a Riri Williams action figure and finds it in the store and gets to fly it around his own house. I’m excited and I’m nervous [and] thrilled, and I feel like that’s exactly how Riri feels when she’s flying over the Chicago skyline.”
Love Island fans were treated to a night of non-stop drama and arguments in tonight’s episode, with some hailing the episode one of the best in the ITV2 show’s history
Tensions are rising in the Love Island villa as tonight saw fights, drama and admissions. The fallout from the eBay party continued tonight – with the latest challenge causing some of the most dramatic scenes in Love Island history, according to fans.
It came just after Harry and Yasmin headed for a kiss in the hideaway, leaving Helena and many of the other Islander’s fuming.
Although they all tried to sneak a peek, they were left unaware that the couple had shared three kisses, until all was revealed in the epic game, Look Who’s Talking.
In the explosive game, the Islanders each took a card, with a quote written on it. They then collectively decided which of their fellow Islanders said it – which of course, caused a whole load of drama.
Yasmin and Harry’s kiss caused chaos in the villa(Image: ITV)
It was in the game where it was revealed Harry and Yasmin shared not one, not two, but three kisses in the Hideaway, leaving Helena fuming.
The moment came after Remell read out the card: “Do you think I should kiss her? Is that what you’re saying? Kiss Yas, because I will,” as the Islanders guessed it was Harry’s words.
Once he was exposed, Harry who is currently coupled up with Helena revealed that the words came out his mouth last night after the two shared a kiss in the challenge.
He finally admitted the pair had shared a kiss in the Hideaway “twice.” However, Yasmin left the villa stunned when she corrected him by saying: “It was three times actually.”
The Islanders were left shocked by tonight’s revelations
Helena’s friend Megan was left fuming at Harry for lying as she exclaimed: “You owe it to Helena to be f*****g honest, you p***k!”
It wasn’t the only time Harry was in hot water during the game, as a number of his flirtatious comments to Yas were exposed, causing huge arguments around the fire pit.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter after the drama, one viewer penned: “nah this is the best love island season we’ve had in YEARS i’m enjoying this so bad #LoveIsland.”
A second agreed: “That might be one of the best episodes of Love Island ever. Like it deserves to be in the hall of fame #LoveIsland.”
Meanwhile, a third echoed: “I think this is the best episode ever!”
The drama comes after last night’s dumping with saw Malisha brutally dumped from the villa. It came after new bombshell Harrison chose to bring Toni back from the villa after dating both her and Malisha.
“Spaceballs 2” is incoming, director Mel Brooks confirmed Thursday on social media, 38 years after the original “Spaceballs” crashed onto the space-opera scene.
Hey, what’s a few decades between friends, amirite?
Given that three-quarters of the current moviegoing audience was not even born 38 years ago, a person might wonder why they should care about a “Spaceballs” sequel. Well! We. Have. Answers.
‘Spaceballs 2’ will have a director
The sequel will have a director and that director is not Brooks, perhaps because Brooks is 98 years old. Plus the jokester hasn’t directed a movie since 1995’s “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” But Brooks was, indeed, the auteur behind “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” so he might make it in Hollywood someday. Tell the folks at CAA: “Spaceballs 2” could be the boost his resume needs.
The news so far, according to Variety, is this: Brooks will be back as Yogurt — just plain Yogurt — and Josh Gad will star. Perhaps he’ll star as Outerspace Olaf, a mercenary snowman who likes warm hugs and thinks a space princess is a person worth melting for. Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez are writing the script, and Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Starr Go to Vista Del Mar”) will direct.
Everybody loves Bill Pullman
Please don’t argue. It’s a known fact that Everybody loves Bill Pullman.
The “Spaceballs 2” team loves Bill Pullman so much that, according to Variety, in addition to inviting him to reprise his character from the original comedy, they have also cast his son Lewis Pullman in a role to be named later. Let’s hope the elder Pullman’s Lone Starr has eased into retirement and Pullman the Younger gets to play a younger version of the Luke Skywalker-scented hero.
‘Spaceballs’ was good, but not that good
Exactly! There’s still room to improve!
“‘Spaceballs’ might have been much funnier and more inventive on a much smaller budget,” The Times said in its 1987 review of the movie. “Occasionally the expense pays off, as in the wonderful opening shot of an insanely elaborate starship that sweeps over us against inky infinity, going on and on … and on and on! But sometimes the elaborate jokes just clang and clunk, as when Lone Starr jams the Spaceballs radar with real jam — and no peanut butter.”
That sounds like an argument for half the budget, double the jokes and a variety of Uncrustables at the craft services table.
‘Spaceballs 2’ is slated for release in 2027
For the record:
6:42 p.m. June 13, 2025An earlier version of this article said 2027 will be the 40th anniversary of “Star Wars.” It will be the 50th anniversary.
The year 2027 is so close, yet sounds so far, far away. It also will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the original “Star Wars” movie, which was once known simply as “Star Wars,” not “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.”
As the glorious celebrations of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Obi-Wan and the gang ring out in Hollywood in 2027, “Spaceballs 2” should land next to them with a resounding fart. A resounding fart joke, at least. Maybe two.
Jar Jar Binks didn’t exist in 1987
Sure, Rick Moranis will be back for “Spaceballs 2,” per Deadline, reprising the role of Dark Helmet, the villain whose voice resonates and booms when his helmet is down and turns squeaky and annoying when the mask is raised. And Keke Palmer, who was born in 1993, will reportedly have a part as well, though no clues have been given as to who or what she’ll play.
That said, you know there just has to be a Jar Jar Binks gag or two in “Spaceballs 2.” Read aloud with me now: Mesa no tink so, you say? Ex-squeeze me, but yousa be wrong. Terrible tings goen happen if Jar Jar remains nothing more than the most annoying and unnecessary CGI characterever to please George Lucas. Give the Gungan some gas to go with that pidgin English and anything could happen.
Times have changed — or have they?
In our post-#MeToo landscape, rife with “you can’t say that” sensibilities, some “Spaceballs”-style gags might fall flat. Then again, as The Times said in its 1987 review of the original film, “This is a multimillion-dollar extravaganza satirizing other multimillion-dollar extravaganzas — which begins to seem a bit like attacking a President by hitting him over the head with another President.”
Given that in the occasionally dystopian 2020s, hitting presidents over the head with other presidents is no big deal, the new film might make perfect sense, even if it doesn’t improve one bit. Then again, will Yiddish gags play to the keffiyeh-clad youngs? Or will the jokes simply bomb?
EASTENDERS has dropped the biggest clue yet a show icon is returning next week.
The BBC has remained silent on The Sun revealing there are two icons making a shock comeback in the coming months.
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Max Branning is set to make an explosive return to EastEndersCredit: BBC/Kieron McCarron/Jack Barnes
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Michelle Ryan is also making a shock return but which will be back on Monday?Credit: BBC
But now they have announced that Monday’s episode – the first under the tenure of new boss Ben Wadey – will not be made available on iPlayer at 6am as has become standard.
And it’s set to be an exciting one.
Ben said: “Next week marks the start of something big in Walford that we hope will get everyone talking, and it’s only just the beginning.
“We’ve got twists, shocks, and plenty of drama lined up for a summer you don’t want to miss.”
pisode spoilers have revealed it will feature a mysterious phone call from Stacey Slater to Alfie Moon.
Stacey has undeniably connections to the two characters returning to the Square.
Max Branning is her former lover, boyfriend and father-in-law.
And her cousin Zoe Slater is also making a bombshell return after 20 years away.
The shock return will see Michelle Ryan, 41, back in Walford this year — delighting fans who had hoped to see her in the soap’s 40th anniversary special in February.
A source said: “Bosses have repeatedly reached out to Michelle over the years, but the timing has never been quite right.
EastEnders changes famous theme in honour of Max Branning’s exit after 15yrs
“People are still talking about her character, so it’s a real coup to bring her back.
“She feels like now is the perfect moment — and there was an exciting script on the table.”
Michelle starred on the soap from 2000 to 2005, before moving to Hollywood after landing the lead role in a series called Bionic Woman.
There was some big news at the start of Love Island on Thursday night that sparked quite the reaction from the cast members in a preview, as fans guessed a big twist
There was some big news at the start of Love Island on Thursday night(Image: ITV2)
There was an announcement previewed in a clip at the very start of Love Island on Thursday night that promised drama ahead.
One Islander screamed out as she confirmed some worrying news. The other Islanders were all left reeling as they heard the news, shown looking shocked and panicked.
As the episode kicked off, a preview clip for that episode confirmed a recoupling was on the cards. One star shouted out: ‘I’ve got a text! Tonight there will be a recoupling,” adding the girls would get to choose.
As the camera panned across the villa, all of the Islanders shouted out and were openmouthed. Clearly not anticipating another recoupling so soon, it’s clear some of them not yet in a strong couple were worried.
Meanwhile fans were left reacting online, believing it meant a dumping was coming. With spoilers teasing that around the recoupling there’s a shocking text message set to rock the villa, fans guessed a new twist was on the cards.
Fans wondered if the result of the recoupling could lead to the next dumping of the series. With there being two more boys than girls, could a double exit be on the way?
Love Island teased some big news coming up in the episode (Image: ITV)
Taking to X one fan said: “Which boy do you think will get dumped tonight?” as if it had been confirmed. Another agreed: “I really hope Ben is dumped tonight,” as a third said: “Harry you are getting dumped.”
It comes amid reports that a male Islander has in fact been dumped from the villa. Viewers will have to tune in to find out what happens and who leaves.
Earlier this week, viewers predicted which former Love Island star could be set to enter the famous second villa, Casa Amor later this series. After Sophie Lee was axed from the show on Tuesday night in a brutal dumping, after her partner Harry was stolen by Shakira, fans were quick to predict she might be back very soon.
There was news of a recoupling(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Taking to X, fans guessed the twist would happen with one fan writing: “I reckon Sophie will re-enter the villa as a bombshell by the end of next week at the latest or she will re-enter in Casa Amor.” Another said: “Dw Sophie you’ll be back in 4 weeks for Casa Amor.”
A third viewer begged: “Nah bring Sophie back for Casa Amor she deserves a chance.” A fourth fan agreed: “Bring her back for casa amor!!” as a fifth viewer posted: “Gutted for her and bring back Sophie as a bombshell or Casa Amor.”
The comments kept on coming with one reading: “They better bring Sophie back as a Casa bombshell. Justice for Sophie.” Another said: “BRING SOPHIE BACK FOR CASA AMOR!”
“Adolescence” co-creator Stephen Graham isn’t exactly shy when it comes to praising Owen Cooper, the young actor at the center of his hit Netflix limited series.
“This may be a big thing to say, but I haven’t seen a performance [of this caliber] from someone so young since Leo [DiCaprio] in ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,’” Graham tells me via Zoom. “And I say that because I love Leo and he’s a good friend. And that’s a performance beyond someone his age. It’s the same when I watch Owen.”
Not content to leave it at that, Graham later points out that he recently related a story on Graham Norton’s BBC talk show about the time he told Cooper’s mom that her son was the “next Robert De Niro.” Cooper happened to be on the show too, taking it all in, smiling shyly. And wouldn’t you know it, De Niro was there as well, sitting next to Cooper on the couch, giving him a tender pat on the knee.
So, DiCaprio, De Niro … Do you want to drop a Brando comparison to complete the trifecta? I ask.
“I can’t find enough superlatives to describe the boy,” says Graham, who also co-wrote the show and stars as his father.
Honestly, I can’t either. Apart from Noah Wyle’s heroic, beleaguered doctor in “The Pitt,” you could make the case that Cooper’s turn as Jamie, a 13-year-old accused of murdering a classmate, is the year’s best work on television. The show’s third episode, a two-hander where Jamie is interviewed and evaluated by a psychologist (Erin Doherty) at a juvenile detention facility, is an astonishing showcase, particularly when you consider that it, like all four of the series’ episodes, is shot as a continuous scene.
It also bears mentioning that “Adolescence” marks Cooper’s professional debut as an actor. He is now 15.
Cooper with Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.”
(Netflix)
It’s an extraordinary story, though you have to wonder if some Emmy voters will see it that way. The Emmys have not embraced child actors over the years, with only four teenagers winning trophies: Roxana Zal, 14 when she won for her supporting role in the 1984 TV movie “Something About Amelia”; Kristy McNichol, 15 and 17 at the time of her two supporting drama actress wins for the 1970s series “Family”; Scott Jacoby, 16, for the 1972 TV movie “That Certain Summer”; and Anthony Murphy for the 1971 British limited series “Tom Brown’s Schooldays.”
Murphy was 17 when he won and, like Cooper, had never acted professionally. And after “Tom Brown’s Schooldays,” he never acted again, pursuing painting instead and enjoying a long career in that medium.
Perhaps that explains Emmy voters’ reluctance to go all in and reward young actors. Are they in it for the long haul? Or are they going to do something crazy like go off to college and chase a more stable career, like … just about any other line of work?
With Cooper, such concerns appear to be unfounded. Since “Adolescence,” he has made a BBC comedy, “Film Club,” starring Aimee Lou Wood, and just finished playing young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights.”
Fennell obviously saw the tortured antihero that everyone else did in “Adolescence.”
Easy to see that now. But finding the next De Niro from a pool of 500 to 600 young actors, most of them unknowns, almost all of them around Jamie’s age, was a taller order. Graham says the casting team had considered looking for an older boy, given the demands of the role and the show’s unsettling subject matter.
“But that age is unique,” Graham says. “It’s that breaking point. Your body is changing. Your voice is changing. We needed that authenticity.”
That’s all well and good. But what was it like for Doherty, a veteran actor with many credits — including Princess Anne in “The Crown” — to take on a single-shot, 52-minute episode requiring her to parry and push and prod a young actor on his first job?
Cooper with Erin Doherty in “Adolescence.”
(Netflix)
“It was definitely the cause of most of my nerves before I met Owen,” Doherty tells me. “I was so unflinchingly aware that it is a huge ask, even for an actor who has been doing it for 40 years.”
Then she met him on the first day of rehearsal, and Doherty, who says she is obsessed with the elements, saw that Cooper was a “very earthy human being.” Grounded. Present. Real.
They rehearsed for two weeks and then spent a week shooting the episode, Monday through Friday, two takes a day. They used the last take. Probably because they felt confident they had already nailed it, Doherty says that last time through was like they were “doing it for free.”
“There was more of a playful dynamic between the two of us,” Doherty says. “We were poking each other in ways we hadn’t done before.”
As Doherty’s psychologist nudges Jamie to recognize truths about himself that he doesn’t want to acknowledge and admit that he holds certain toxic beliefs, you see Cooper shift Jamie from guarded innocence to explosive rage and then to surrendering desperation. There are a lot of showy moments, but one of the best comes shortly after the two characters meet when Jamie lets out a yawn. “Am I boring you?” she asks. Look at that self-satisfied smile on his face.
“That was the only time he did that,” Doherty says. “And Owen was probably genuinely tired. But also, I’m thinking, ‘This kid Jamie is really trying to push my buttons.’ We were really playing a cat-and-mouse game.”
With young actors, there’s sometimes the perception that the director is guiding them — which, of course, is the director’s job with any actor. But in that moment, you see Cooper using an accident and turning it into something malevolent.
“Owen has an unspoken magic,” Doherty says. “That’s nothing to do with his age. He has something that can’t be taught, and it’s always going to be with him.”
Diane Morgan will explore her father’s side of the family following his death in Who Do You Think You Are?
Jennie Buzaglo Showbiz & TV Reporter and Chloe Dobinson Digital Production Editor
11:47, 10 Jun 2025
Diane will explore her father’s lineage following his passing six years ago(Image: BBC/Broke & Bones)
Diane Morgan took a subtle swipe at the producers of Who Do You Think You Are? in her appearance on the BBC show. In tonight’s episode (Tuesday, June 10), the 49-year-old will explore her father’s lineage following his passing six years ago.
The actress and comedian certainly shows off her comedic flair while discussing her involvement in the programme, even referencing some of her own work that has humorously critiqued the series.
Speaking to the camera from a brown leather settee, Diane jokes: “This is what I can’t understand about any of those shows, like this one, where people go on a journey, you know, you’d think people would stop using those tropes. Even the tiny little things like walking past the camera…” This is then followed by several shots of Diane doing the same thing.
Poking fun at the show, she carries on: “I wonder how much wondering aimlessly I’ll be doing in this…”
Diane made a subtle dig at the show’s format
Once more from the sofa, Diane elaborates: “So I wrote this comedy called Mandy, about this woman who can’t hold a job down, in one episode she goes on Who Are You, Do You Think?… Loosely based on Who Do You Think You Are.”
Diane breaks into laughter before a scene from the programme appears, featuring her character Mandy in a hot tub with Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden.
She concludes: “But I never thought in a million years, I thought you’d ask me to be on it.”
The video wraps up with Diane trying to coax her stubborn dog out for a stroll, saying: “Come on Bob. Bob, we’re going to go to the park! You love the park!,” but her furry friend wasn’t budging.
Diane laughs off the situation with, “I knew he’d steal this. Come on Bob!” yet Bob remains unmoved. “Bob. Come on Bob.”
Diane joked about how much wondering around she will be doing during the episode(Image: BBC)
Later she remarks: “He’s just very headstrong…” as Bob continues to play up.
In a twist of family history during the show, Diane learns surprising secrets from her past in her birthplace Farnworth, reports the Express.
She had been under the impression that her dad’s lineage was Northern through and through, only to unearth tales of ‘German Charlie’ and a Scots link via her great-great-grandmother, shaking up her family tree.
Driven by curiosity, Diane delves into her great-great-aunt Sarah Jane’s life, known to all as Jinny, especially intrigued by a memorial plaque to Jinny’s betrothed, Albert Dugdale, a casualty of WWI.
The Afterlife actress discovers a poignant connection – the street where Jinny and Albert lived their love story lies just stones throw away from her own childhood home.
Billie Piper will be the next Doctor after it was revealed in the finale episode of the latest series last weekend – but she accidentally ‘shared’ the news weeks before
Billie Piper will play the 16th Time Lord in the upcoming series of Doctor Who (Image: BBC)
Actress Billie Piper appeared to let slip she was returning to Doctor Who weeks before it was revealed. The 42-year-old will become the second female Doctor in the next series. So far, Jodie Whittaker is the only female to take on the iconic role.
It comes after Ncuti Gatwa’s shock exit during the finale of the latest series when his character regenerated into Billie in his final episode, which aired on the BBC on Saturday, May 31.
Speaking in BBC Three’s Doctor Who: Unleashed to mark the 20 years since the show was revived, Billie dropped a huge hint she was returning to the show for the third time, following her original appearance as Rose Tyler from 2005 to 2006 and a cameo in 2010.
Asked if she would ever make a comeback in the interview filmed weeks before the news was officially announced, she said: “Yeah I would… I would come back. What’s funny is that I never feel like I’ve left Doctor Who, because there is this huge Doctor Who afterlife.”
Fans were shocked when Ncuti regenerated into Billie in the finale episode of Doctor Who(Image: PA)
She continued: “Obviously people still really want to talk about it, it’s a massive fandom, so we do conventions and we meet lots of the fans, and there’s always features. It’s always on the TV on some channel, and a new generation pick it up, so it never feels like it’s over, like it does with all the other jobs I’ve done.”
Billie then accidentally blurted out: “So coming back is really good fun.” Quickly correcting herself, she added: “So I would do it, but I still feel like I’m in it. Just a lot older.”
Now cat is out the bag, Billie has since said it was too good of an opportunity to turn down. In a statement, she shared: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse, as I have some of my best memories there. So to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse.”
Now it is rumoured that the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant, could also return to the show alongside Billie 20 years after they first appeared on screen together. Though if Billie is the new Doctor, it’s unclear what role David would take on.
A source told The Sun: “The BBC brought Doctor Who back in 2005 and there is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in a golden age of Doctor Who.
“With the anniversary of the reboot this year there have been some ideas floated about, with the thought of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah. When David’s Doctor bi-generated in the 60th anniversary special, his ‘half’ went on to live a normal life in an alternative universe while Ncuti Gatwa’s carried on as the Time Lord.
“It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of imagination for him to return with Billie as Rose for a one-off special to celebrate not only their partnership, but the anniversary of BBC bringing back Doctor Who.”
David, 54, played the 10th Doctor from 2005 to 2010 and appeared in three specials returning as the 14th Doctor before handing the role over to 32-year-old Sex Education star Ncuti.
Speaking about his exit from the show after just one season, Ncuti told fans: “You know when you get cast, at some point, you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it. This journey has been one that I will never forget and a role that will be part of me forever.
“I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”
Explaining his reasons for leaving, he added: “It’s a role that demands a lot of you physically and emotionally and mentally. The actors playing the Doctor are only actors playing the Doctor. Unfortunately, we are mere mortals. I would love to have the energy and the youth to be able to do this full time for the rest of my life, but my knees are telling me it’s time.”
However, die-hard fans think there may be another reason behind his exit. Taking to X, a fan named Mr Tardis wrote: “In October 2024, Ncuti Gatwa was on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ saying he was going to be filming another series of DW next year. In June 2025, he officially leaves the show and regenerates. This was never the plan. What a shame. He deserved so much better.”
But the BBC were quick to shut down those claims. A spokesperson said: “Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been ‘axed’ is pure fiction.”
Just days after it was revealed that Billie Piper was returning to Doctor Who, replacing Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor, another legendary name has been tipped to make a comeback
22:53, 06 Jun 2025Updated 23:03, 06 Jun 2025
Doctor Who’s Billie Piper and David Tennant could reunite(Image: PA)
Doctor Who fans may be in for another huge surprise, as another fan favourite is rumoured to return to the series for a one off episode. Fans are still recovering from the news of Billie Piper’s return – and now show legend David Tennant has now been tipped reunite with her onscreen for “one last hurrah”.
David, who played the role of the Doctor between from 2005 to 2010, is rumoured to be in talks to star in a one off special with co-star Billie. The actress previously appeared as Rose Tyler, companion to the doctor between 2005 and 2006.
The pair recently reunited for the BBC special, Doctor Who: Unleashed, 20 Years in Wales where they reflected on their time together. In a sneak preview, Billie and David gushed over how much fun they had on set. Now, it looks like they could be having even more fun – by reuniting for a special anniversary episode.
David is rumoured to star in a one off special with Billie(Image: PA)
“The BBC brought Doctor Who back in 2005 and there is talk about a possible one-off project to celebrate the 20th anniversary. David and Billie were a hugely popular partnership and he brought in the golden age of Doctor Who,” a source told The Sun.
“With the anniversary of the reboot this year there have been some ideas floated about with the idea of maybe bringing David and Billie back together for one last hurrah.”
It’s not the first time David would be making a shock return. In November 2023, he was officially revealed as the Fourteenth Doctor before handing the role over to Ncuti Gatwa.
Recently, Doctor Who fans were left stunned when it was announced Billie Piper had replaced Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, with the character regenerating during the finale of science-fiction series Doctor Who.
Fans were left shocked when Billie’s Doctor Who return was announced(Image: PA)
Speaking about her return, Billie said: “It’s no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn’t refuse.”
In a statement released by the BBC, Ncuti Gatwa said: “You know when you get cast, at some point you are going to have to hand back that sonic screwdriver and it is all going to come to an end, but nothing quite prepares you for it.
“This journey has been one that I will never forget, and a role that will be part of me forever. There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.
“The fans are truly the final character and beating heart of this show, and I can’t thank the Whoniverse, and the Whovians, enough for welcoming me in and making this such a touching experience.
“I’ve loved every minute of it, but now is the time to hand over the keys to that beloved blue box and let someone else take control and enjoy it every bit as much as I have. I’ll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor.”
When Michele Kaemmerer showed up at firehouses in the 1990s, she sometimes encountered firefighters who didn’t want to work with her and would ask to go home sick.
Los Angeles fire officials supported Kaemmerer, the city’s first transgender fire captain, by denying the requests.
If the slights hurt her, she didn’t let it show.
“She really let things roll off her back pretty well. Some of the stuff was really hurtful, but she always had a good attitude,” said Janis Walworth, Kaemmerer’s widow. “She never took that out on anybody else. She was never bitter or angry.”
Kaemmerer, an early leader for transgender and women’s rights at a department not known for its warm welcome to women and minorities, died May 21 at age 80 of heart disease at her home in Bellingham, Wash. She is survived by Walworth and two children.
Michele Kaemmerer wears a shirt to show pride in her trans and lesbian identity in an undated photo.
(Courtesy of Janis Walworth)
A Buddhist, a Democrat, a feminist and a lesbian transgender woman, Kaemmerer busted stereotypes of what a firefighter was. She joined the LAFD in 1969 — long before she transitioned in 1991 — and became a captain 10 years later.
“Being in a fire, inside of a building on fire, at a brush fire … it’s adrenaline-producing and it’s great,” Kaemmerer said in a 1999 episode of the PBS show “In The Life,” which documented issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. The episode featured Kaemmerer when she was captain of Engine 63 in Marina del Rey.
“The men and women here feel very stressed out having a gay and lesbian captain,” Savitri Carlson, a paramedic at the firehouse, said in the episode. “You have to realize, this is not just a job. We live, sleep, shower, eat together, change together.”
But Kaemmerer brushed off the snubs.
“They’re forced to live with a lesbian, yes,” she said, laughing as she prepared a meal at the firehouse. “And it doesn’t rub off.”
Those close to her said that Kaemmerer, who retired in 2003, was able to deal with the scrutiny and snide remarks because she was an optimist who saw the best in people.
“She really didn’t dwell on that stuff,” said Brenda Berkman, one of the first women in the New York City Fire Department, who met Kaemmerer in the 1990s through their work for Women in the Fire Service, now known as Women in Fire, which supports female firefighters across the world.
The suspicion sometimes came from other women. When Kaemmerer joined Women in the Fire Service, some members didn’t want her to go with them on a days-long bike trip.
Some argued that Kaemmerer was “not a real woman,” wondering what bathroom she would use and where she would sleep.
“She made clear she would have her own tent,” Berkman recalled. “I said to my group, ‘We can’t be discriminating against Michele — not after all we’ve fought for to be recognized and treated equally in the fire service. She has to be allowed to come.’”
Kaemmerer joined the trip.
Michele Kaemmerer fights a brush fire in an undated photo.
(Courtesy of Janis Walworth)
Born in 1945, Kaemmerer knew from an early age that she identified as a woman but hid it out of fear of being beaten or shamed. She cross-dressed secretly and followed a traditional life path, marrying her high school sweetheart (whom she later divorced), joining the Navy and having two children.
“I was very proud of her [when she came out],” said Kaemmerer’s daughter, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons. “It takes incredible courage to do what she did, especially in a particularly macho, male-driven career.”
When she came out as transgender, Kaemmerer was captain of a small team at the LAFD, with three men working under her.
“It was very difficult for them,” she said in the PBS interview.
Kaemmerer focused on her work. During the 1992 L.A. riots, her fire truck was shot at as she responded to fires, Berkman said.
In the PBS interview, Kaemmerer said that some firefighters who knew her before she transitioned still refused to work with her.
Some women who shared a locker room with her worried that she might make a sexual advance. Most firefighters sleep in the same room, but Kaemmerer sometimes didn’t, so others would feel comfortable.
“Sometimes I will get my bedding and I will put it on the floor in the workout room or the weight room and sleep in there,” she said in the PBS interview.
As she was talking to PBS about her experience as a transgender woman in the fire department, the bell sounded.
“That’s an alarm coming in,” she said, standing up and walking out of the interview.
Coronation Street fans spotted one star’s fuming face as the ITV soap lost out in the Best Episode category at the British Soap Awards this evening
20:55, 05 Jun 2025Updated 20:55, 05 Jun 2025
Coronation Street fans spotted Mason star Luca’s fuming face(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street star Luca Toolan appeared ‘fuming’ as the ITV soap lost out in the Best Single Episode award category at the British Soap Awards tonight. Luca played Mason Radcliffe on the soap before his character was killed off.
Mason died in tragic scenes, where he was stabbed by his brother as the soap tried to raise awareness of knife crime. In the harrowing scenes, which aired earlier this year, Mason lost his life in a fight with his siblings.
Speaking at the time of his exit storyline, he said: “Of course when I first heard there was a mixture of emotions because I was sad that Mason was going to die and that means I would be leaving, but equally I was really excited and honoured to be part of this storyline because it’s an incredibly important issue that needs to be tackled. I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity to start my professional career at Coronation Street and what a great time I’ve had.”
He added: “It was exhausting to film but amazing. I was so focused and a storyline like this is what you crave as an actor. I love the long days and working my butt off and even filming outside in the cold.
Luca died in heartbreaking scenes(Image: ITV)
“Every single day I would wake up and be absolutely buzzing to go to work. The full crew were so supportive and created an environment that you could put yourself in that emotional headspace and get on with it. It was an amazing experience.”
The Best Single Episode award went to EastEnders for the episode about Phil’s Psychosis: The Mitchells In 1985. Other episodes nominated in that award included Mason’s Death, April’s Life on the Streets and Hollyoaks‘ Time Jump.
Fans on Twitter noticed Luca’s face, with one writing: “All of the other nominees when they don’t get the award…#britishsoapawards,” as another added: “they always look so p***ed off when they don’t win.” The fan then replied: “Mason from Corrie looked p***** off.”
EastEnders went on to win(Image: ITV)
Mason star Luca also took to social media to comment on the disrupted opening, where he wrote a sarcastic message which read: “Oh no what a shame now nobody can see me and all of Corrie win all the awards.”
Mason’s final storyline was also nominated in the Scene of the Year award alongside EastEnders at 40: Angie Watts’ Shock Return, Amy’s Deathly Plunge Reveals a Grisly Secret in Emmerdale and Mercedes Confronts Her Mortality in Hollyoaks. The award eventually went to EastEnders for the surprise return of Angie Watts.
Speaking about his future, Luca said he has big plans for what lies ahead. I love acting so much and I really hope I’ll continue doing it. I’ve seriously learned so much from Corrie and I’m so grateful to everyone involved there. As for my future, I’m not sure what it holds but the saying I like to say is: ‘I’m aiming for the stars and if I miss, I’ll hit the moon.'”
Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong admits that a “happy accident” furnished one of the most alluring images of “Squid Game” Season 2: an overhead shot in which contestants stand on a merry-go-round while playing a devious game where they must form groups of a specific number before time runs out or be eliminated. “We planned the shot and pre-lit the scene from eye level, but when we actually went to put the camera up there, that was the first time we saw it,” he says. The elevated perspective was framed more than 100 meters above the contestants, with Kim wanting the image to “look flat” and “not as realistic.” The result is a surreal portrait that mimics the shape of an eyeball, a metaphorical reminder of the control room watching the contestants’ every move. During gameplay, an immersive camera, often handheld, makes the audience feel like a participant. Adding to the mystique is a painterly palette of primary colors. “For the whole season, I wanted to place red and blue lights, the colors coming from the X and O, in the dorm room,” Kim says. “When they play merry-go-round, the moment they pick who to go with, the light changes to red and blue. It symbolizes choice.”
CBS has notched another small victory in its legal battle with Sony Pictures Television, winning an appellate court ruling that allows the network to continue to distribute “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” as its court case continues.
Sony owns the shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.
On Wednesday, the judges wrote that they had reviewed filings from both sides. In a one-page order, the panel granted CBS’ request to keep the stay in place, allowing the network to continue its distribution duties during the appeal .
CBS maintains Sony lacks the legal right to unilaterally severe ties.
Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that rounds of budget cuts within CBS had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
CBS has said Sony’s claims “are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”
CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.
King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remain in effect.
As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television.
A Sony representative was not immediately available for comment.
It’s 6 a.m. in Brisbane, Australia, and Kaitlyn Dever is thinking about going to the beach. Except it’s pouring rain outside, which is the only reason she had the option to check out the waves in the first place. The deluge has delayed her call time for “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,” the monster movie she’s been shooting for the past couple of months.
Just how hard is it raining? Like a normal downpour? Or is it the kind of deluge we see in the final minutes of the season finale of “The Last of Us”?
“It’s actually pouring like the finale of ‘The Last of Us,’” Dever says, laughing.
With the beach off the menu, we have plenty of time to settle in and talk about the bruising (and possibly confusing) season finale of “The Last of Us.” Anyone thinking that the finale might feature a showdown between Dever’s character, Abby Anderson, the young woman who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) to avenge her father’s death, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who has been hunting Abby to exact her own revenge, might be disappointed.
Abby doesn’t turn up until the episode’s last three minutes. When she does finally arrive, she ambushes Ellie. It’s not a tender reunion.
“I let you live,” Abby hisses. “And you wasted it!”
Then we hear the sound of a gunshot and the screen goes black. After a reset, we see Abby lying on a sofa in an entirely different environment, being beckoned from her respite to meet with militia leader Isaac (Jeffrey Wright). She strides to a balcony in Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the stadium now being used as a base for the Washington Liberation Front. Her entrance is positively papal, and as Abby surveys the scene, a graphic lands on the screen: Seattle Day One, a time frame we’ve already lived from Ellie’s point of view.
What the hell just happened?
[Laughs] I don’t know. I have no idea.
It looks like the show just reset and we’ll be starting Season 3 following Abby for three days, leading up to her confrontation with Ellie.
One would think, yes. But [“The Last of Us” co-creator] Craig [Mazin] hasn’t talked to me about what he’s doing. All he said to me was, “Just get ready for what’s to come because it’s going to be crazier.” He always said he wanted to make Season 2 bigger than Season 1, and he said Season 3 is going to be even bigger. I’m like, “OK. I’ll be ready.”
How did he pitch you on doing the show in the first place?
At my first meeting with Craig and Neil [Druckmann, co-creator of “The Last of Us” game] they told me that their plan for Season 2 was Abby’s introduction to “The Last of Us” world. They told me the number of episodes, so I wasn’t super surprised about that, though I wasn’t thinking that the entire season was going to end on me. [Laughs]
So when you got the script and read that ending …
I was like, “We’re really doing this. Wow.” It’s a lot of pressure. I always think about the times in my past when I’ve done things and I’ve had one line in a scene, and it’s the most nerve-racking thing to do. Everyone else has dialogue, and you’re just thinking about your one line and how you’re going to say it and if you screw it up, the whole scene is screwed up because of your one line. It’s pretty terrifying — but thrilling too.
You’re talking about Abby telling Ellie, “You wasted it”? You really spit it out with some heat.
That’s good to know. I was going back and forth between Vancouver and L.A., so I constantly had to recalibrate and get back into the emotional intensity of Abby. That was actually the last scene I shot.
How did you find your way back into Abby’s anger?
Well, the very first scene I shot was the killing of Joel. The light one. [Laughs] So getting back into it, I’d always go back to that and Abby’s monologue, what she says to Joel before shooting him. Those words are so visceral and heartbreaking and really paint a picture. So I just kept bringing myself back to that place, how I’d been thinking about saying those words for five years.
Abby’s brutal encounter with Ellie in Seattle was the last scene Dever shot on “The Last of Us” Season 2.
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
Did you watch that Joel episode when it aired or had you already seen it?
I did watch it with my partner. But the first time I watched it, I was by myself. And before that, I had gone to do ADR [automated dialogue replacement] with Craig, and he asked, “Can I just show you a little bit of it?” And I was on the floor because I was so overwhelmed. That is the most intense episode of television I’ve ever seen. And then when I watched it later, I couldn’t believe it, even though I had experienced it myself.
You had experienced it, but you’ve said you don’t really remember filming it because it was four days after your mother’s funeral. [Dever’s mother, Kathy, died from breast cancer in February 2024.] In some ways, it must have been like you were watching it for the first time.
I had to fly out three days after her funeral. And the fourth day was that scene in the chalet with the Fireflies and Joel on the floor. So, yeah, it’s all a blur, and it felt like I got to experience it as a first-time viewer. I’d see things and go, “Oh, yeah.” Grief does a really interesting thing with your brain. It messes with your memory.
Filming the scene where you brutally kill one of the most beloved characters on television goes back to what you were saying about pressure. And to do it under those circumstances must have been overwhelming.
I was terrified. I had spent so much time contemplating my mom’s death before she died, thinking about how I wouldn’t be able to go on. I couldn’t imagine. And then it’s a heartbreaking thing to think about, how life moves on. And you have the choice to keep going or not go to Vancouver and do the show that she was so excited about me doing. And then after she passed, I realized there’s no part of me that couldn’t not do this. I had to do it for her.
How did you fight past the fear?
My dad really encouraged me. I really was terrified. And he was like, “You got this. Mom was so excited that you got to be in this show.” And luckily, the crew was so understanding and supportive. Everyone took care of me.
Then it’s 15 months later and the episode finally airs, which I’d imagine brings about a different set of worries. Did you go online to check out the reaction?
Of course I did! I kill everyone’s favorite character, the love of everyone’s life. I’d never been part of anything this massive before. Like, the whole world is watching this. I had no idea what to expect.
And what did you find?
It was more positive than I thought it would be.
I didn’t play the game, so one of my first thoughts after watching it was: Wow, gamers can keep a secret.
They can. I loved watching all those TikTok videos where people were filming their parents or partners watching and showing their reactions.
Having played the game, you’ve known about Abby and Joel for years.
My dad was playing the second game and handed me the controller and said, “Kaitlyn, you’ve got to see this.” In the game, it’s so jarring and shocking.
On TV too!
[Laughs] But with the game, after they kill Joel, all of a sudden you’re playing as a woman. And my first reaction was, “Is this Ellie? Am I playing as Ellie?” It is interesting how they take these two characters who are mirrors of each other in many ways.
Dever’s Abby surveys the action inside T-Mobile Park on “Seattle Day One.”
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
I was thinking about how it’d be great if Season 3 would have an episode with Abby and her father that mirrored the one with Ellie and Joel.
That’s a really good idea. I hope we get to do something like that.
I have a feeling you might. Maybe you even know something about that. [Laughs]
Honestly, I can keep a secret too! I knew about Joel dying long before even Season 1 because I had met with Neil years ago when they were talking about making a movie from the game. And he was showing me the making of the second game and asked, “You want to know what happens?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God!” So I’ve been keeping this in a long time.
So you’re good at keeping a secret. Gamers know how Season 3 is likely to develop. You’ve played the game. Are you being coy?
[Laughs] We don’t know what Craig’s plans are. He has been playing with dynamics, even in that first episode of the season where we see Abby taking charge and being a leader.
She sure looks like she’s a leader in the finale’s last scene.
That scene plays at the idea that Abby is sitting in her power. And whatever that means, I will keep to myself for now. People who have played the game will have a few guesses.
When you went to work on “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova” the day after the Abby/Joel episode aired, did people treat you a little differently? Maybe keep their distance a bit? Hide the golf clubs?
It was pretty wild to go to work that day. Everyone wanted to talk about it. And all they could really get out was, “Oooooof, that episode.”
One thing I kept looking for all season was where they used CGI to remove a spider bite from your face. I couldn’t find it.
[Laughs] It’s in the first episode with the Fireflies. I had gone home for a few weeks and got a spider bite on my cheek. I thought it was a pimple. It was not a pimple. It was a huge spider bite and … I hate to use this word, but it was oozing. And the CGI is amazing. You can’t even tell it is there. I still have a scar on my face because they had to cut it out.
The infected have learned to stalk and sprint. The Cordyceps fungus is now airborne. And Joel (Pedro Pascal) isn’t immortal. The first five episodes of “The Last of Us” offered up several new threats and at least one major death. Deep into its second season, HBO’s series adaptation of the popular video game remains true to its namesake by sending its protagonist Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her partner Dina (Isabela Merced) on a revenge mission from their fortified compound in Wyoming to the wilds of Seattle. Their aim is to find Joel’s killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). But the Pacific Northwest presents challenges beyond cauliflower-headed flesh eaters and deadly mean girls. The brutal conflict between the Washington Liberation Front and the primitive religious cult the Seraphites makes Ellie’s mission all the more dangerous and complex — and the show’s imagery more gruesome.
Episode 6 brought Joel back from the dead in a series of flashbacks that gave insight into his unique parenting skills, revealed the event that triggered the rift between Joel and Ellie and uncovers what happened to therapist Gail’s (Catherine O’Hara’s) husband, Eugene (Joe Pantoliano). While on patrol, Eugene was bitten by the infected. Ellie made Joel promise he would not kill Eugene until he had the chance to say goodbye to his wife. But when Ellie leaves for a moment to retrieve their horses, Joel breaks the promise.
Like Episode 3 of Season 1, Sunday’s installment of the series was the rare episode that deviated from the game’s narrative to tell a deeper story about the characters. Beginning at Ellie’s 15th birthday and moving through subsequent ones, the episode chronicled the shifting dynamic in the main characters’ father-daughter relationship, from a tight bond between orphan and her adopted protector to near estrangement.
Lorraine Ali, Tracy Brown and Mary McNamara gathered to discuss the latest episode of the spore-filled thriller.
The source of tension between Gail (Catherine O’Hara) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) is revealed in Episode 6.
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
Ali: “The Last of Us” features flesh-eating zombie-like things and death-worshipping cults, but I love that the true terror at the heart of Season 2 is the prospect of parenting a teen. The theme at the core of Episode 6 was largely centered on the fraught father-daughter dynamic between Joel and Ellie and the dangers of passing down generational trauma. We even get some backstory on Joel’s rough childhood, though I wish there had been more on that front.
What we do get a lot more of is Ellie’s hostility toward Joel, and it’s exhausting in ways that the showrunners probably never intended. Naturally there is plenty of ire in Ellie as she hurtles toward adulthood in a hopeless hellscape with an assassin/guardian who’s repeatedly lied to her. But now that she’s the lead character of the series, I need more from Ellie than just one or two gears of rage and scorn, especially given the complexity of their relationship.
Joel killed to save her and doomed humanity in the process! A bond forged in such tragedy should inspire a truckload of emotions, even in a defiant teen who’s still clumsy at expressing her feelings. But that depth or nuance just wasn’t there for me, even when the series cued us up for such moments. The flashbacks to Ellie’s birthday celebrations with Joel felt like explainers of how the two grew apart as opposed to emotional snapshots that captured the roots of their estrangement. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the surprising depth and beauty of Season 1? I miss the terror and joy of that abandoned mall.
Brown: It’s interesting that you mention the abandoned mall, Lorraine, because I think that’s what it all comes back to for Ellie. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve spent many hours playing as Ellie in “The Last of Us” games, or because I understand what it’s like to be an angsty teenager much more than being a parent, but I thought Episode 6 did help shed some light on Ellie and Joel’s behaviors and dynamic.
Back in Episode 4, while trying to explain her immunity to the Cordyceps fungus to Dina, Ellie mentions that there are a lot of the times she wishes she wasn’t immune. In this latest episode, we learn that one of the reasons Ellie is angry with Joel is because he lied to her about what happened back in Salt Lake City with the Fireflies. But she’s also mad at him because he took away the one thing she thought could give her life and immunity purpose. “My life would have mattered, but you took that from me,” she says to him on their porch, in what appears to have been their very last conversation.
We know that Joel’s been shaped by the guilt of not being able to save his daughter Sarah at the start of the outbreak. For Ellie, I think the loss that’s affected her the most is Riley and the guilt of surviving their trip to that abandoned mall. If she wasn’t immune, Ellie would have died that day with her best friend and first love. Because she didn’t, she needed something to help justify why she’s still alive. What greater meaning could someone find for their life in a world ravaged by a pandemic than to be the reason humanity is able to find a cure?
McNamara: I’m grateful for the episode if only because it gave my own teenagers what they wanted most — more Pedro Pascal. (I miss him too but with much less passion.) But as you say, Tracy, survivor’s guilt is real and now Ellie is eyeing another emotional burden — Joel was killed for actions he took to save her life.
Revisiting Ellie’s birthdays was very touching, bridging the changes in both characters. How the hard-edge Joel from Season 1 became the softly anguished therapy patient of Season 2. Why Ellie was so rude and dismissive toward him. She knew all along that he had lied to her about Salt Lake City, and he suspected she knew — the presents, especially the trip to the science and natural history museum, seemed equally motivated by love and penance.
On one of Ellie’s birthday’s, Joel takes her to a science and natural history museum.
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
I also loved their time in the the space portion of the museum because it underlined the vagaries of human history — this is not the first advanced civilization to fall, leaving ruins behind. Joel remembers when humans traveled to the stars (and had the resources to build museums); for Ellie, a journey from Wyoming to Seattle is just as fraught. They were always essentially time-travelers in each others lives.
But most important for me, this episode resolved just how Ellie had left it with Joel before Abby ruined everything. The truth was finally spoken — both Joel’s and Ellie’s. That she didn’t think she could forgive him but she wanted to try. That he was taken from her before she could find her way to forgiveness must certainly drive some of the rage, no?
Ali: OK, I officially feel hard-hearted, especially since we’re discussing an episode designed to plumb the characters’ and viewers’ emotions. I’m glad Season 2 is connecting with you both, and millions more HBO and Max subscribers. Or is it HBO Max? Or plain old HBO? Regardless, this round of the series is not resonating with my adult, parenting self or my inner sullen teen, i.e. the part of my being that guides many of my rash decisions and dictates my slouchy posture. That said, I do love the chemistry between Ellie and Dina. Their love and fierce loyalty toward one another is a high point of Season 2. And it looks like they’re now going to be parents.
Brown: As Ellie says, she’s going to be a dad! The way Ellie and Dina’s relationship developed over the course of the season has been one of my favorite differences between the show and the game. But speaking of the game, the birthday trip to the museum and the porch conversation where Ellie tells Joel she wants to try to forgive him that Mary mentioned are both big flashback moments directly adapted from “The Last of Us Part II” with some minor changes. In the game, Ellie and Joel spend time checking out a dinosaur exhibit before getting to the space exploration exhibit, which I admit I’m a little sad we did not get to see. And Ellie confronting Joel about the truth of what happened in Salt Lake is a separate moment long before the porch conversation in the game.
Eugene (Joe Pantoliano) is shot by Joel after he is bitten, breaking his promise to Ellie to let him live to say goodbye to his wife, Gail. It’s a change from the video game, where the character dies of natural causes.
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
One major difference between “The Last of Us Part II” and the show is the storyline involving Eugene and Gail. The Eugene in the game was a resident of Jackson who lived out his life until he died of natural causes in his 70s, which is something the younger generation can only dream of. Gail, on the other hand, is an original character, and my response to her introduction was mostly “hooray Catherine O’Hara, hooray therapy.” Catherine O’Hara is always a delight and it’s clear everybody living in the world of “The Last of Us” could use some therapy. But in Episode 6 we see that Eugene and Gail’s story also serves as a flashpoint in Joel and Ellie’s estrangement.
We already knew Joel had killed Eugene from his therapy session with Gail earlier in the season, but what did you think about that whole sequence, Mary? Did it affect your understanding of Joel or Ellie in any way?
McNamara: Well, I have to say that was an example of bad parenting. The patrol has rules, tough but necessary for the safety of the community. Ellie (who is, hello, freaking immune) wanted to bend them. Classic parent/child face-off. But instead of just saying “no” to her and “any last words?” to Eugene before shooting him, Joel allowed her believe she was getting her way, which was just dumb. Of course he was going to shoot Eugene; he had to shoot Eugene. But it honestly did not make sense to lie about it, especially when the lie would be exposed almost instantly. Sometimes a parent just has to be the bad guy, even if it means making Catherine O’Hara really mad at you.
And though I agree with you both about the energy of Ellie and Dina offering love in place of vengeance during their excursion to Seattle, I wish the writers could have figured out a way to bring O’Hara along.
CORONATION Street and Emmerdale are set to join forces for the very first time next year in an epic crossover episode.
The unmissable stunt will see both soaps side-by-side for the first time, with consequences for the residents of both the Dales and Weatherfield.
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Emmerdale and Coronation Street are set to join forces next year
But it’s not the first time stars of the shows have appeared in both soaps – many have crossed over several times.
Here’s a list of soap stars that have made their presence known in both Corrie and Emmerdale:
Claire King
Claire King played the role of Kim Tate in Emmerdale from 1989 until 1999. She then took on the role of Erica Holroyd in Corrie from 2014 until 2017.
In September 2018, Claire reprised her role as Kim Tate in Emmerdale after nearly 20 years away, for a special week of episodes in October 2018. She then returned permanently in 2019.
She is known as one of the show’s most iconic characters.
Daniel Brocklebank
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Daniel playing the role of Billy Mayhew in CorrieCredit: ITV
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Daniel played the role of Ivan Jones in Emmerdale from 2005 to 2006Credit: Rex
Daniel played the role of Ivan Jones in Emmerdale from 2005 to 2006, appearing in 107 episodes in total.
Ivan was originally introduced as a minor role in a storyline about the character of Jarvis Skelton and was only meant to appear in three episodes.
But he was kept on and was seen embarking on a relationship with Paul Lambert, the brother of Nicola King.
More recently, Daniel took on the role of Billy Mayhew in Corrie in 2014 and has remained a regular on the soap ever since.
He takes on the role as vicar at Emily Bishop’s parish and dates barman Sean Tully on the soap.
Chris Bisson
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Chris Bisson played Vikram Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2002Credit: Rex
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Chris Bisson as Jai Sharma in EmmerdaleCredit: ITV
Chis is most known for his roles as Vikram Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2002 and Jai Sharma in Emmerdale, which he joined in 2009.
In Corrie, he portrayed Vikram, the cousin of Dev Alahan, but after a four-year stint, he decided to leave the show to relocate to Mumbai.
In Emmerdale, Chris plays businessman Jai, who has taken on various storylines, including a bitter split from his wife Laurel.
Rebecca Sarker
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Rebecca playing Manpreet Sharma in EmmerdaleCredit: ITV
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Rebecca played the role of Nita Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2000Credit: Rex
Rebecca played the role of Nita Desai in Corrie from 1999 to 2000. As her first acting role, she starred alongside now co-star Chris Bisson, who played her on-screen brother Vikram Desai.
In her role, she was seen managing the Corner Shop and having a fling with Steve.
She has since played Manpreet Sharma in Emmerdale from July 2018.
Taking on the role as the village doctor, she has been at the centre of many major storylines, including being the sister of serial killer Meena Jutla.
Zoe Henry
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Zoe is most known for playing the role of Rhona Goskirk in EmmerdaleCredit: ITV
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Zoe first showed up on the cobbles in 1998 as Log ThwaiteCredit: Rex
Zoe is most known for playing the role of Rhona Goskirk in Emmerdale but many forget that she also appeared on Corrie as Casey Carswell between March and September 2007.
Zoe first showed up on the cobbles in 1998 as Log Thwaite, Spider Nugent’s vegan girlfriend.
Despite just appearing in six episodes, Zoe’s character made quite the impression, especially when Toyah Battersby tricked her into eating a bacon sandwich.
This ultimately led to Spider breaking up with her.
In 2007 she returned as Casey Carswell, who became friends with Claire Peacock before having an affair with Claire’s husband, Ashley.
Meanwhile on Emmerdale, Zoe’s character is currently involved in a dramatic storyline.
Rhona’s stepdaughter April Windsor suddenly went missing on Christmas Day.
It is still unclear what happened to the girl, and viewers are worried her mysterious disappearance may be the result of a kidnapping.
Sally Ann Matthews
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Sally Ann Matthews as Sandra Briggs in EmmerdaleCredit: Rex
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Sally Ann Matthews as Jenny Bradley in CorrieCredit: ITV
Sally Ann is known for playing Jenny Bradley, daughter of the villainous Alan Bradley, in Corrie, from 1986 to 1991.
She then joined the cast of Emmerdale in 2005 as farmers wife Sandra Briggs, but left less than a year later.
In 2015, she returned to Corrie as Jenny.
Ryan Prescott
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Ryan is known for playing Ryan Connor in CorrieCredit: ITV
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Ryan playing Flynn Buchanan in EmmerdaleCredit: Rex Features
Ryan is known for playing Ryan Connor in Corrie and Flynn Buchanan in Emmerdale.
Ryan joined Corrie in 2018 and is part of a major storyline amid the acid attack on the soap and is stuck in a love triangle alongside Daisy Midgeley.
Before this he had his first big soap role in Emmerdale in 2011, Ryan played Flynn Buchanan, a love interest for Aaron Dingle.
The soap first, which will be broadcast in January 2026, teases that characters from both shows will depart and exciting new faces will join as the cast from each of the long-running ITV programmes come face-to-face for the first time.
The hour-long episode is to mark the start of the new ‘soap power hour’ – a schedule change taking hold from early next year.
Emmerdale and Corrie will each broadcast a 30-minute episode every-day back-to-back as part of the new programming changes with the huge stunt set to kickstart it all.
ITV tease that the one-off mash-up will have “everlasting consequences for everyone involved” and will rock Weatherfield and the Dales forever.
Both shows producers, scriptwriters and production teams have worked together to create the record-breaking episode with the impact then being felt as both programmes return to their own hubs for months to come.
Bosses from both shows also say that whilst the soaps will only be seen on-screen together for the one episode, the communities will be forever linked as a result of the as-yet undisclosed stunt.
There will also be an interactive twist for fans to determine one part of the episode.
A vote will be opened allowing soap fans to choose which Emmerdale and Coronation Street character will share a carefully-written scene together as part of the episode.
The schedule change sees both soaps lose one episode a week amid dwindling ratings.
Both programmes currently enjoy six outings a week but this will be down to just five following the epic stunt episode.
Emmerdale will air at 8pm followed by new episodes of Corrie at 8:30pm.
The programmes will continue to upload their episodes to ITVX at 7am each morning.
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The epic crossover episodes will be shown in January 2026Credit: Rex
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who is feeling better about their perpetual identity crisis after watching streamer Max flip-flop its name back to HBO Max.
This week delivered some fun roasting after Warner Bros. Discovery announced the company’s streaming platform Max was undergoing yet another rebranding and reverting to one of its previous names to restore the HBO television branding to its name. The internet — including the company itself — quickly mocked the backpedaling with memes expressing relief of order being restored. What’s old is new again, right? There’s another classic media entity making headlines this week: “Saturday Night Live” will close out its 50th season. TV editor Maira Garcia reflects on the milestone season of the iconic sketch comedy show in this week’s Break Down.
Also in Screen Gab No. 181, our experts recommend a celebrity podcast worth watching on YouTube — hold the eye-roll, this one will make you feel like your hanging with friends — and a documentary that looks back on the campaign to appoint the first deaf president at Gallaudet University, which is specifically geared to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. And for viewers who like to plan ahead, our guides on the 15 TV shows and 18 films to watch this summer are linked and ready to be added to your bookmarks. Plus, Melissa Fumero stops by Guest Spot to discuss the Season 1 finale of “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” and her hopes for a second season.
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Jenna Ortega in “Wednesday” Season 2; Dominique Thorne in “Ironheart”; Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman; Michael C. Hall in “Dexter: Resurrection”; Jason Momoa in “Chief of War.”
(Illustration by Stephanie Jones / Los Angeles Times; photos Netflix; Marvel; Getty Images; Showtime; Apple TV+)
15 TV shows we’re looking forward to watching this summer: There’s a lot of great television coming this summer, including the return of favorites like “The Bear” and “Wednesday,” and new series like “Ironheart,” “Too Much” and “Alien: Earth.”
The 18 summer movies we’re most excited about: The season looks strong, loaded with the kind of big Hollywood swings, smart indie alternatives and a fair amount of delicious-looking dumb, necessary in every summer diet.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Jerry Covell in AppleTV+’s “Deaf President Now!”
(Apple TV+)
“Deaf President Now!” (Apple TV+)
This newly released documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year follows a history-making protest led by students at Gallaudet University in 1988, when the school’s board of trustees voted to install a hearing president over two deaf candidates. The university, located in the nation’s capital, has the distinction of being the first school of higher learning designed for deaf students. And after decades of hearing leadership, the students had had enough. The documentary features footage of the protests and interviews with the student leaders, who passionately explain why it was important to have a president that understood what it was like to exist in a world that regularly discriminated against them. Their protest would go on to help pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act, a pivotal civil rights law. — Maira Garcia
Amy Poehler’s weekly video podcast series, “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” features conversations with celebrity guests.
(Spotify)
“Good Hang With Amy Poehler” (YouTube and various audio platforms)
In this land of a thousand podcasts, where every other celebrity is a host, you choose your shows like you choose your friends. The wonderful Amy Poehler debuted hers this March (“I like to be five or six years late to any trend,” as she puts it). And its title, “Good Hang With Amy Poehler,” is nothing but accurate; it has the air not of an interview show but of a conversation between pals you’ve been privileged to join — silently, of course, because what could you add to Poehler’s talks with Paul Rudd, Martin Short, Jack Black, Kathryn Hahn, Michelle Obama, Ike Barinholtz or Rashida Jones? At the beginning of each episode, the host quizzes the guest’s friends on what questions she should ask, so, if you tune into her episode with Tina Fey — unmissable, obviously — you get a bonus of Seth Meyers, Zarna Garg, Rachel Dratch and Fred Armisen making each other laugh. “I’m not here to change your life,” said Poehler, kicking off her series. “I don’t care if you get any better. I don’t have any advice for you. I just want us to have fun.” Includes many ’90s cultural references. Watch the video version of the podcast for the visual sunshine, but it’s great either way. — Robert Lloyd
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Melissa Fumero as Birdie in NBC’s “Grosse Point Garden Society.”
( Matt Miller / NBC)
In “Grosse Pointe Garden Society,” the soapy drama that follows four members of a gardening club in a wealthy Detroit suburb who are scrambling to cover up a shocking murder, Melissa Fumero is able to mine humor in the dark corners of the stressful situation her character is navigating. The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” alum plays Birdie, a loud and brash socialite and romance novelist who is carrying her own secrets in the middle of this murder mystery. The dark comedy reaches its Season 1 conclusion Friday on NBC and it’s poised to bring a new set of twists and cliffhangers as the group tries to evade law enforcement and a private eye plotting blackmail. But the series faces its own uncertain future. It’s the last of NBC’s scripted programs without a renewal or cancellation; there are reports that a potential second season could land on Peacock. Fumero stopped by Guest Spot to discuss her hopes for a second season and the classic rom-com she hopes never gets Hollywood remake treatment. — Yvonne Villarreal
Ahead of the Season 1 finale, what can you tease about where things end with Birdie that makes you eager to continue her story?
The stakes are really high for Birdie when Season 1 ends. She has everything she’s ever wanted, but the really dark cloud of her choices and circumstances hangs over her. I think she’s probably terrified of losing it all, which maybe makes her make more bad choices? I hope we get renewed because I really want to know what happens next!
What have you found intriguing about exploring a character like Birdie, who has such a layered backstory, against the backdrop of friends unexpectedly committing a crime?
What intrigued me the most about Birdie was definitely the “what you see is not what you get” aspect of her character. On the surface, she’s powerful, self-assured, glamorous, wild and free-spirited; and while most of that is true, she is also really lost, vulnerable, and maybe having a bit of an identity crisis. Then she’s plopped into this garden club with three people who become friends — maybe the first real friends she’s ever had — and they all get roped into this crazy, mostly accidental murder. That’s A LOT of fun stuff to explore and play, and a dream for any actor, honestly.
What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?
I am VERY into “The Last of Us” [HBO Max] right now. This season is insane, and I look forward to it every week. It’s such an exciting and heart-wrenching show. Isabela Merced (who I am a fan of and love seeing a Latina play a leading role on such an epic show) and Bella Ramsey are doing such extraordinary work. It’s also very dark, but I find myself drawn to darker things these days — there’s something cathartic about it.
I think that’s why even “Grosse Pointe Garden Society” is such a fun watch.We don’t go too dark. But there are days where the world really feels like it’s on fire and I find myself wanting to watch people survive things, big or small. It’s weirdly comforting.
What’s your go-to comfort watch, the film or TV show you return to again and again?
“When Harry Met Sally” [VOD]. It’s a perfect movie. A perfect rom-com. If it’s on a streamer or playing live, I will watch. It’s on a lot of airlines, and I’d say my last five viewings were on flights. I should just buy it, but I’m afraid I’ll put it on every night and never watch anything else ever again. It’s so good. I hope they never, ever try to remake it. Don’t touch it. It’s too perfect.
Break down
Times staffers chew on the pop culture of the moment — love it, hate it or somewhere in between
Musical guest Bad Bunny, host Scarlett Johansson and Kenan Thompson during promos for “Saturday Night Live’s” season finale.
(Rosalind O’Connor / NBC)
“Saturday Night Live’s” historic Season 50 is coming to a close this weekend, with Scarlett Johansson as host, and it’s been nothing short of memorable. There were many cameos, whether political figures (Kamala Harris, Tim Kaine) or celebrities in the zeitgeist (Julia Fox, Sam Rockwell), multihyphenate hosts (Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande) and regular appearances from former cast members, including Maya Rudolph, Mike Myers, Andy Samberg and Dana Carvey. But what also made this season special was the programming that happened outside of it: “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” which featured a phenomenal lineup of musicians and comedy skits; a live prime-time special; and a pair of docuseries that shed light on the show’s history, “Beyond Saturday Night” and “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music.”
The series’ effect on television and comedy over the decades cannot be overstated, having churned out dozens of film and TV stars, now mainstays and creators in their own right (Tina Fey, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy, to name a few); memorable sketches that have become a part of pop culture lingo and a visual language through costumes that have elevated jokes into comedic art. As television critic Robert Lloyd wrote in an essay reflecting on the show’s 50th, the show survives through constant churn, whether through hosts, cast members or the comedy it produces. And even as culture and technology evolves, it remains a stalwart of television: “Counted out more than once, it has risen from the mat to fight again, new wins erasing old losses — a once and future champ.” — Maira Garcia
