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In the summer of 2020, the year “Ted Lasso” debuted on Apple TV, the largest audience for a televised soccer match in the U.S. was 1.7 million. Shortly before the soccer-based sitcom returned for a fourth season last Wednesday, nearly 63 million viewers in the U.S. watched the World Cup final.

Brendan Hunt, the actor who plays Lasso’s loyal sidekick Coach Beard in the series, can’t prove the show is responsible for that growth. But since he can’t disprove it either, he’ll just go with the flow.

“I would love it if we’ve had a role at all,” he said. “If we are a pebble in that avalanche, then I’m happy.”

What the Emmy-winning series has undeniably done is bring soccer into millions of unsuspecting households that had previously avoided the sport like a plague. So while Jason Sudeikis, the star and co-creator, alongside Hunt, of “Ted Lasso,” insists the show is not about soccer, the sport sure gets a lot of screen time. And that has made the game more palatable and popular for a public that can now relate to it.

“We tricked them by putting soccer in a comedy show,” Hunt said. “The first thing you’ve got to do to get somebody to become a soccer fan is just make them care about one team, to find one team.

“In this instance we’ve made them care about this fictional team and that easily can transmute, if you’re not careful, into caring about other teams. And then hopefully the sport itself.”

After a three-year hiatus, “Lasso” returned for Season 4 last week with the series’ eponymous title character, played by Sudeikis, returning to Richmond to coach a fledgling second-division women’s team. Hunt’s understated character makes his first appearance of the season in Episode 2 Wednesday.

“He is clearly going through something,” Hunt said. “Is it just what happens to Beard when he’s away from Ted for too long or is there something important that has happened? We’ll find out before too long.”

Speaking of having gone through something, Hunt, who plays a fictional coach for a fictional team, spent the first part of his summer being a very real journalist at a very real tournament, attending 14 World Cup games in more than half a dozen stadiums — including the Spain-France semifinal in Arlington, Texas, which he watched from the press box, and the Spain-Argentina final, part of which he watched from field level.

“That was a really cool experience,” said Hunt, who did a World Cup podcast with Rebecca Lowe, the studio host of Fox’s tournament coverage.

But for Hunt, 54, the most passionate soccer fan among the writers and actors on “Ted Lasso,” the sport was an acquired taste. Half a lifetime ago, Hunt was a die-hard Chicago Bears fan working in residence with an improv group at a small, aging theater in Amsterdam when he got swept up in Dutch soccer culture.

Eventually, he said, he was contributing weekly columns to Sp!ts, a free commuter newspaper in Amsterdam, chronicling his growing infatuation with the sport. When Sudeikis, another Midwesterner, joined the comedy troupe, Hunt began proselytizing about the sport, using PlayStation games to draw in Sudeikis.

“I found a secret that I had to tell everybody,” Hunt said. “When Jason came to Amsterdam, by that point I was fully a zealot. It was like a new recipe. ‘This thing is great!’

“I’ve been doing it ever since. I just have a slightly larger platform from which to do it.”

That platform is “Ted Lasso,” based around a soft-drawling college football coach, and Beard, his quiet but intense assistant. The concept debuted in a 2013 promo for NBC’s coverage of the English Premier League, then launched as a full-blown sitcom during the angst and fear of the coronavirus pandemic seven years later.

The series, with its message of optimism, kindness and patience and its call to “be curious, not judgmental” — a sentiment Lasso mistakenly credits to Walt Whitman — proved to be the perfect tonic for those trying times. Before it paused after Season 3, it had become the most-watched original streaming series across all platforms and the first Apple TV show to cross the billion-minute mark in a single tracking week.

But in addition to all the messaging and positivity, the show also included soccer. The offside rule and promotion and relegation are the butts of repeated jokes and there are discussions of tactics, positions, formations and other game-related details that would have previously frustrated viewers.

“Lasso,” however, proved U.S. soccer IQ was higher than expected; the sport may not have become fully mainstream, but it was no longer a foreign concept.

“There’s just a wider sense of like, ‘yeah, we’re fine. Soccer’s fine,’” Hunt said of the U.S. public. “We don’t need to explain it to people or impress it upon people. The World Cup has sort of finally cemented that.

“It feels like less and less of a capital S struggle right now.”

Brendan Hunt, left, and Jason Sudeikis in “Ted Lasso.”

(Apple TV)

For Hunt, who has been a season-ticket holder for LAFC and Angel City, getting to be a credentialed World Cup journalist — and a participant in the halftime show at the final — were once such far-fetched dreams that they never even made his bucket list. Getting paid to write scripts for a project he’s passionate about, then act out those scripts as a make-believe coach, was once only slightly less unbelievable.

Yet Hunt has done it all — and after a three-year break he’s back doing it again.

“It’s definitely fun,” he said. “For one thing it makes me a little more useful in the writers’ room than I would be on ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ And it also means that a world that I already really enjoy has now opened its arms to us.

“The world of football, to have responded so well to this show, has been truly a touching part of this experience.”

And no one can’t prove the show hasn’t played at least a small role in making the U.S. a soccer country at last.

BALTIMORE — Zach Neto hit a three-run home run to lift the Angels over the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 in the final game of the series on Thursday afternoon.

Wade Meckler singled on a ground ball in the third inning that was overthrown by Orioles starting pitcher Brandon Young at first, advancing him to second. Nolan Schanuel was then walked to set up Neto’s 411-foot homer that went over the center-field wall.

Schanuel hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh for Meckler to score the fourth run of the game.

Angels pitcher Mitch Farris (1-3) entered the game in the fifth inning in relief of starter Ryan Johnson. Farris pitched one inning, struck out two and walked one. Johnson pitched the first 4 2/3, where he walked five and struck out one. He gave up three hits and one earned run. Samy Natera Jr. earned his second save after striking out two in the final 1 1/3 innings.

Yohel Pozo hit a solo home run in the third for the only run for the Orioles. It was his first in an Oriole uniform since coming to Baltimore after getting claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals in July.

Young (8-3) pitched 4 1/3 innings in the loss, giving up six hits. He struck out four and walked two.

Up next

The Angels have not yet named a starter for Friday as they kick off a three-game series at Miami. The Marlins will start RHP Tyler Phillips (3-5, 3.53 ERA).

Another harrowing episode is set to air tonight at 9pm on BBC One

True crime fans have been left stunned after watching harrowing episodes of the “best” BBC series – and another airs tonight.

Murder 24/7 has returned to screens for its third run, once again plunging viewers into real-life murder investigations in the UK. Following West Mercia Police, viewers have so far witnessed chilling murders as detectives work against the clock in their pursuit of justice.

Last night (August 4), the first of a two-part special aired on BBC One at 9pm delving into the murder investigation of Jamie Gawler. Jamie was found dead by police in an armchair in a flat, with a towel draped over his face.

Officers were stunned to hear the horrific post-mortem results as their investigation led them miles away in South Wales and a potential suspect.

The second episode will air tonight (August 5) on BBC One at 9pm, with episodes also available to stream on BBC iPlayer. However, viewers have been left sickened by the latest instalments.

Taking to TikTok, one true crime fan admitted their “jaw was on the floor watching this show”. In the video, they added: “Wow. Absolutely brutal…. I couldn’t believe them episodes, they were brutal.”

One person commented: “Omg I’m addicted to this one bet my leccy bill sky high.” Another replied: “It was horrific”, as a third said: “It was a hard watch.”

A fourth wrote: “Just watched them both this afternoon absolutely shocking.” A fifth added: “I love watching this programme but those two were brutal.”

Another branded the latest instalment as “sickening” as one person said: “It was absolutely horrendous.” One viewer echoed: “It was about the worst of that series.”

The second part of the two-parter, titled Natural Born Killer, will return tonight at 9pm as detectives continue to build their case against suspect Matthew Jonathan.

A BBC synopsis reads: “A critical forensic breakthrough comes when analysts match an incomplete, bloody footprint from the scene to Jonathan’s rare boots via a national database. Soon after, investigators recover a series of phone videos that reveal the true extent of the assault.”

A separate case featured also sees a woman fighting for her life after a brutal assault with a meat cleaver as her partner is arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Murder 24/7 can be streamed on BBC iPlayer

Jeremy Clarkson has also confirmed major news regarding another one of his shows today.

A Jeremy Clarkson show’s replacement has already been announced and it’s something viewers have been waiting weeks for.

From Top Gear and The Grand Tour to the unforgettable Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, Jeremy Clarkson is never too far away from our small screens.

And this evening, Wednesday, August 5, at 9pm, will be no different as he returns in a repeat episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? on ITV where he plays quizmaster.

As always, the 66-year-old will be faced with a new line-up of contestants tasked with answering a series of questions that could ultimately change their lives.

However, this will be the last episode of the quiz show reboot to air for a while with ITV confirming what will take its place next week.

Jeremy Clarkson’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire’s time slot will be taken over by ITV’s live coverage of pre-season football.

Kicking off at 7pm and airing for almost three hours, the special is set to air the match between Manchester United and Leeds United, with the friendly taking place at Croke Park, Dublin.

The official synopsis notes: “Normally used for Gaelic sports, this is the first time this 80,000 capacity venue has hosted a club association football match, and while a friendly in name, it is likely to be a highly competitive contest given the historic rivalry between the teams.”

As presenter Hugh Woozencroft leads the coverage, there will also be analysis from John O’Shea and Michael Brown with commentary by Sam Matterface and Lucy Ward.

Clarkson has been in the news for months thanks to the return of Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video with season five revealing that he had prostate cancer. Thankfully, it has since been confirmed that he is now officially in remission.

But today, Wednesday, August 5, Clarkson is back in the news as it’s been announced he and his former Grand Tour hosts James May and Richard Hammond, would be reuniting.

The Grand Tour came to an end two years ago but the stars will be making cameo appearances in the reboot to help “pass the baton on”.

Hosting duties are being taken over by YouTubers Thomas Holland and James Engelsma with The Grand Tour season seven airing on Friday, September 4.

Live Pre-season Football airs on Wednesday, August 12, from 7pm, on ITV.

Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman returned to screens to explore Victorian Britain at a crucial moment

A devastating discovery was made during a new documentary series.

Last year, Channel 5 introduced Rich Lives, Poor Lives, a new history documentary series where presenters Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman investigate key moments in British history from the perspective of both the rich and the poor.

Rob and Ruth returned to screens on Tuesday (August 4) to front a new instalment of the series, which saw them travel back to the 1840s when railway mania swept Britain and transformed the fortunes of the rich and poor.

During the episode, Rob followed wealthy Victorians who poured their money into the railway boom. They included George Hudson, known as the “Railway King”, who seized on the craze to build a vast personal empire, and Lord Morpeth, an aristocrat who embraced the railways.

Meanwhile, Ruth investigated the lives of those who built and worked on the railways. The presenter uncovered the stories of railway worker Thomas Eaton and Mary Arguile, Britain’s first female station mistress.

Later in the episode, Rob and Ruth compared the differences between first class and third class on one of George Hudson’s trains.

Back in the 1840s, hundreds of third class passengers were jammed into small cattle wagons, leading to many people reporting injuries, including black eyes, bruised faces, and bloody noses.

“Oh my goodness. You go on a nice day out and you end up coming out like you’ve been boxing,” a surprised Rob said.

The pressure to squeeze more and more money from the railways took its toll, something the unskilled laborers up at the Woodhead Tunnel, including Thomas Eaton, knew all too well. Reports of terrible accidents at the tunnel soon reached the desks of the government.

On the 23rd of June 1846, Thomas Eaton was one of 32 witnesses summoned to Westminster to give his testimony to a committee.

Ruth revealed what happened as she stood in a courtroom alongside Rob. Reading out Eaton’s testimony, Ruth said: “Several were killed, sometimes when the engine was drawing them up, sometimes striking at the side. It threw them out and killed them.”

Eaton saw about 40 people killed in the 18 months that he worked on a particular section of the line. The death toll on that area of the line was at 3% of the workforce, a revelation that stunned Rob.

Ruth went on to say: “It was pretty sobering stuff, but the men running the inquiry didn’t seem as sympathetic as you’d expect.”

The members asked if the accidents were caused by the workers’ “carelessness”, suggesting that it was the fault of those who died.

“The worst was yet to come,” Ruth then noted, before reading the testimony of an engineer called Purdon. When asked if there was a safer way to work, he replied: “Oh, well, perhaps it is safer, but it is attended with such a loss of time, and the difference is so very small, I would not recommend the loss of time for the sake of all the extra lives it would save.”

A horrified Rob then said: “Gosh, that’s an admission. Profit over lives.”

The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman is available to stream on Channel 5

The beloved crime drama first aired on the BBC back in 2001 and ran for seven years before coming to an end.

A popular BBC programme based on a bestselling book series has been hailed ‘one of the best of all the Brit mysteries’.

Over 20 years ago, BBC viewers saw a new detective duo hit the screens as actors Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small took on the roles of DI Thomas “Tommy” Lynley and DS Barbara Havers.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, which is based on the crime novels by author Elizabeth George, follows the unlikely duo as they solve complex murder cases.

With DI Lynley coming from an aristocratic background and DS Havers hailing from a working-class life, the pair frequently butt heads due to their conflicting personalities.

Originally, the show aired in 2001 and ran for seven years and features a range of odd cases.

Over the years, viewers saw public school disappearances, political conspiracies and aristocratic family murders.

Speaking about the show coming to an end, actor Nathaniel shared that the actors didn’t know the series wasn’t coming back when they filmed.

He told Entertainment Weekly in the past: “Well, it’s kind of strange because when we shot it we didn’t know it would be the end. They canceled the series after we finished shooting, so there is no tie-up to it.

“There’s been quite a sweet response, a wonderful response really, here and in Europe. I mean around the world, really. Lots of petitions and things like that sent to the BBC.

“It’s been slightly embarrassing. I was asked by a bunch of people in Amsterdam — 17,500 viewers — to accept their petition to take back to the BBC. But I think the BBC would look at me and say, “God, you must be really desperate for work!”

Although the series came to an end in 2008, with a revival airing last year, its still remained a beloved show with BBC viewers.

On IMDb, one person said: “A magnificent duo – up there with Holmes & Watson, Morse & Lewis […] Both characters are utterly convincing and indeed inspiring as people. There are many duos as detectives, but this is one of the best.”

Someone else wrote: “Better than the books by far. Having seen the television version before reading the books, I can heartily recommend the video version over the print one.”

Another shared: “One of the best of all the Brit mysteries. Everything about this show works well — the plotting, the acting, the direction, the sets — but what is truly above average is the relationship that slowly develops between the two stars, making this show both a mystery program and a character-based one. Watching these two actors grow into their roles while solving well-written cases is deeply satisfying.”

While a fourth commented: “Very Enjoyable Series. I find this series very satisfying. It is character-driven and has compelling dialogue between Lynley and Sgt Havers. Havers is the real star of the show.”

Inspector Lynley Mysteries is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Celebrity Hunted is back with a new set of stars heading out on the run in the UK

Celebrity Hunted viewers all had the same response as the new series of the show began.

The programme – which sees stars going on the run and trying to stay hidden as they are hunted by experts – last aired in early 2025, so fans were thrilled as it returned on Channel 4.

The show’s latest run, in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, sees celebs such as Strictly stars Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu, EastEnders‘ Brian Conley and his daughter Lucy and TV star siblings Scarlette and Stuart Douglas trying to hide from the Hunters. Love Islanders Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran, presenters and disability advocates JJ Chalmers and Sophie Morgan and comedians Jen Brister and Laura Smyth are also trying to evade capture by Ray Howard and his team.

“So happy Celebrity Hunted is back,” one person wrote on X as the series started.

“The best time of the year is back and I can’t wait,” someone else wrote on the platform, which was formerly Twitter.

“We are so back,” said another, as one fan exclaimed: “Bring it on!” as another view said simply: “Finally.”

“Great to have a new series of Celebrity Hunted!” said someone else. “It’s a show that even after 11 years on air (*civilian and celeb series*) it’s always a must watch. It seems like the civilian series is now aired every 16/22 months. @Channel4 any news about a 2027 civilian series?”

Somebody else quipped: “If I ever become a celebrity, Celebrity Hunted better still be around. It looks like so much fun.”

The celebrities on the show have been tasked with vanishing into mainland Britain, cutting themselves off from their lives – and their fame.

“For 14 relentless days they must stay hidden, think fast and trust no one because the moment they leave a trail, the hunt is on,” said a synopsis.

“Pursuing them is Ray Howard and his elite team of Hunters drawn from policing, military and intelligence backgrounds. They have the full arsenal of the modern state at their disposal including CCTV, ANPR, Facial Recognition, helicopters, drones, search dogs, cyber investigations and media appeals. Every clue, every sighting and every mistake can mean a capture.

“In a world where almost every movement leaves a footprint, can these celebrity fugitives escape the glare of the spotlight and remain under the radar or will the Hunters bring every fugitive into custody before the 14 days are up?”

While viewers were delighted to see the show return, one posted a message on social media questioning whether it was “set up” after the opening sequence, which saw the stars being tracked by helicopters.

They asked: “Has there ever been a more set up show As if the flight plans for these 3 helicopters weren’t submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) weeks ago and are all flying at the legal mandated speed, height and distance between them in London.”

“Obsessed with how fake this is now,” joked someone else, as another viewer wondered: “Hang on… heading east when the lone heli stops the pair but that looks suspiciously like Westminster Bridge under them even though they’ve just flown over the city…”

Celebrity Hunted is airing on Channel 4.

USC coach Lincoln Riley said he is glad to have the Trojans’ annual rivalry game with Notre Dame back without compromising the Trojans’ biggest need.

The schools announced they agreed to a four-year series starting in 2030 during Week 1 of the season at the Coliseum. The following year the teams will play in Week 1 at Notre Dame Stadium. The 2032 and 2033 games will be played during Week 1-3 of the season.

“We felt like the best thing for our program was to play this game early in the season,” Riley said. “As I’ve said publicly, we’re a part of a conference. We have a conference schedule to answer to. We don’t make our own schedule, we don’t choose our own kickoff times. And so with that, we have much less flexibility and so it made more sense for us to play this game in a traditional nonconference window.”

Riley, who took many jabs locally and nationally for letting one of college football’s most prestigious rivalry series expire, has been steadfast in noting the inequity between USC playing Notre Dame amid a grueling Big Ten schedule and independent Notre Dame’s ability to surround the contest with less taxing matchups to aid its College Football Playoff push.

Ultimately, both schools said they valued the rivalry and they found a way to reach an agreement announced Monday.

USC owns a 37-53-5 all-time record against Notre Dame, excluding the Trojans’ 2005 victory, which was later vacated due to NCAA sanctions (original record: 38-53-5). Riley is 1-3 during his Trojans tenure against the Irish. The teams battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh.

“I think this benefits everyone,” Riley said. “I think this benefits USC. I think this benefits Notre Dame. I think this benefits college football. This is important. We know its important to our fan base, we know it’s important to alumni, we know it’s important to former players and coaches.”

Maybe there is something in the fog. Matthew Rhys landed two Emmy nominations in different categories for darkly comedic and darkly chilling turns this TV season.

Rhys is nominated for lead actor in a comedy series for his deft performance as Tom Loftis, a single dad and the mayor of a cursed New England island who is trying to balance the town’s supernatural threats with his efforts to boost tourism, in Apple’s TV’s breakout horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay.” The word-of-mouth buzz around the series, which premiered in April, intensified each week leading up to its finale last month and prompted chatter around its prospects as a major Emmys contender. The series arrived late in the season, so only its first seven episodes qualify for the 2026 awards cycle, but that was enough for Rhys to nab a nod.

It wasn’t the only performance from Rhys that voters boosted. He is also nominated for lead actor in a limited or anthology series for his role as the sociopath Nile Jarvis, a famed and formidable real estate developer who once was the prime suspect in the killing of his wife, in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.” Nile finds himself in a cat-and-mouse dynamic with his new neighbor (Claire Danes), an author in search of her next book subject who is suspicious of his innocence.

Prior to this year’s nominations, Rhys received five Emmy nominations over his career, including for his lead roles in “The Americans” and “Perry Mason,” as well as a guest actor nod in “Girls.” He won in 2018 for his role as KGB spy Philip Jennings in “The Americans.”

The Times spoke with Rhys about his nomination; these are edited excerpts.

Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay.”

(Apple)

Congratulations on your exciting morning — it’s a big day in the Rhys-Russell household [Keri Russell, Rhys’ partner, is nominated for lead actress in a drama for her role in “The Diplomat”]. Let’s start with the most important question: What’s in the fog, Matthew?

[laughs] I love how it took me a moment. I was like, “Wait, what?” Oh, yes, the fog! What’s in the fog is an incredible Season 2.

Place me in the moment when you got the news.

I was in Brooklyn Bridge Marina at the time. I just got off a boat, and I thought, “Oh, God, it’s 11:40.” So I thought quite possibly [they] got to our categories. I checked my phone and there were the many texts. That was the exciting moment because if you haven’t been nominated, there’s no text.

Did one text stand out from the others?

The real pinch-me moment — this is going to sound like a real name drop — but it really got me emotional because I thought, if I’d have told my 18-year-old self that Gary Oldman would text me to congratulate me, I wouldn’t have believed it. That’s when it got me in an emotional way because he’s such a true hero.

Let’s start with “Widow’s Bay,” which recently wrapped its first season. There’s something so thrilling about how it broke through the way that it did. What has struck you about how viewers responded to this horror comedy?

There was a great degree of nervousness about how this would land, whether indeed it would land at all, and the fact that it has, and kind of the depth and the complex nature that’s landed or resonated with people in different ways, is what I’ve loved. Some people go, “Oh my God, it’s so funny”; some people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrifying” — some people say both. And some people pick up on the weirdest things, and then some people pick up on the most obvious, great things. But it’s the length and breadth and the variety of its resonances that has really made me very happy, and really made me doff my cap to [creator] Katie Dippold, for what she did.

What should networks and studios take away from the success of “Widow’s Bay” if they are really paying attention?

Take the risk. And challenge audiences. Everyone’s more than ready for it and thirsty for it in a real way. I really hope this does something in the Hollywood psyche, where they go, “Let’s put away the remakes and let’s just get after new challenging, original material.”

What guidance did you get from Katie about who Tom was and how to play him?

She’s dizzyingly collaborative, so she said, “Tom is yours.” It was more me going, “But what about this for Tom?” She would help, but she really said, “Tom is yours to create now. Everything I’ve done is on the page.” And it was. That’s the beauty of her writing. If you’re true to it, and you don’t get in the way of it, it sings.

The way Tom reacts to situations and people is such a master class in facial expressions. Did you recognize that would be your tool for your performance early on?

We had a kind of sliding scale — Hiro [Murai, executive producer and director], myself and Katie — because it was a departure for me. I’d go, “I don’t know where this lives or where reality lives.” And as much as anyone can say, “Play for real” — playing it for real can mean many things. It can mean a very minimal reaction, and it can mean a great reaction, and so there were times when I was like, “I’m gonna hit the sliding scale, and you let me know where it should be landing, or where, in your opinion, it’s landing in a real way.” Sometimes they were like, “Maybe a little less,” and then they were like “Maybe a little more.” That element of collaboration was wonderful too.

The moment on the boat is a GIF I send often. The jolt.

It’s funny, we have a great and incredible stunt coordinator Paul [Marini]. He said, “You have to lead where the momentum of the energy would be; it’d be your hips. So let your hips lead, and then let your body follow.” And I was like, “Oh, that’s smart.” Then if you do that, then it has a degree of comic effect to it. But my pelvis hasn’t quite recovered.

Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis opposite Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs in Netflix’s “The Beast in Me.”

(Netflix)

Sort of like your dance moment in “The Beast in Me” — lead with the hips. This is your thing, Matthew.

Anytime, in the stage direction, it says “dances,” I’m like [mimics vomit sound]. That strikes ice in my veins because I’m always like, “Oh my God.”

That’s your horror comedy.

That is my true horror comedy because my dancing can be horrific and comical when it is to be neither.

Let’s talk about “The Beast in Me.” Nile Jarvis was also quite the departure from you. What was your entry point to understanding him and figuring out how chilling to make him?

It was a lot of YouTube watching, where you just type in “psychopaths” and stuff comes up. I read Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test” and “The Journalist and the Murderer” [by Janet Malcolm]. The writing was so strong in “The Beast in Me,” so much of Nile was preemptively done for me. As [director] Antonio Campos said, “The trick might be not to do too much because enough has been said.” Everyone has this predisposed idea of who he is and, therefore, the idea we came up with was to do not as little as possible, but to be minimal with it because he’s aware of what everyone thinks of him and there’s a degree of enjoyment and relishing in that.

Have you been able to sensibly eat a roast chicken since?

No, not sensibly. It’s become Pavlovian for me now. When I eat roast chicken, I devour it in a slightly psychotic way. I love that scene. It’s an astute piece of writing to say so much about someone without words.

What would you be best suited to achieve: rebranding the town of Widow’s Bay as a tourist destination or charming your neighbors into signing paperwork for the construction of a running path through the backwoods of their properties?

I’m not saying I could charm the neighbors, but I would attempt to charm the neighbors. Playing Tom was exhausting in a way that playing Nile wasn’t. I always spent the end of the day on “Widow’s Bay” going, “My God, I’m exhausted” — because you’re just vibrating on a higher level with Tom. It’s always like, “Listen, please!” The pitch is always higher; you’re always like, “You’ve got to listen to me!” Or if you’re terrified, you’re just hyperventilating.

I know the news of these nominations is still fresh and I don’t want to tell you how to approach the big night, but I just have to say, this could be the moment you take a page from Philip Jennings of “The Americans” and come with a wig and getup so when they pan to you during both categories, you can make them feel distinct.

That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to Jennings it. I’m going to PJ it. When it pans to me in the second category, I’m gonna look completely different. I’m going to be dressed as Elizabeth [Jennings].

Well, congratulations. How do you think you and Keri are going to celebrate?

Keri, in true “Americans” style, is having me meet her in a clandestine spot that I don’t know anything about, so who knows what. I don’t know what the afternoon is going to unfold, but it’s a big surprise. She might end up killing me, who knows.

SACRAMENTO — Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is pressuring his Democratic rival, Xavier Becerra, to participate in a series of debates in the weeks leading up the Nov. 3 election to determine California’s next governor.

In a video shared by his campaign Friday, Hilton listed six debate invitations he has received from cable broadcaster CNN and television news stations around the state, beginning in late September.

“I have accepted every single one of these debates,” said Hilton, standing behind a debate-style podium and gesturing at an empty one beside him with Becerra’s name on it . “This guy, Xavier Becerra, has not accepted any of them. That is completely outrageous. We have to have a debate in this governor’s race. So come on, Xavier.”

The video shows Hilton walk out of frame and return with a cardboard cutout of Becerra, which he plunks behind the second podium while urging the candidate to “man up and show up.”

Becerra’s campaign said he will debate Hilton and blasted the Republican for “chasing” publicity.

“Snowflake Steve is melting faster than he can plan another press conference. While he’s there chasing media and doing Donald Trump’s bidding, Xavier Becerra is building a coalition of Californians ready to elect a governor who won’t bring Trump’s chaos to their front door,” Becerra spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement to The Times.

Hilton, a British immigrant who once advised a U.K. prime minister, is endorsed by President Donald Trump and finished second in the June open-party primary election with 24.6% of the vote.

Years of hosting a weekly show on Fox News has made Hilton comfortable on camera and the debate stage; he appeared at-ease during a series of debates earlier this year while lobbing attacks at his Democratic opponents and blaming the party for the state’s long list of problems.

Becerra served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services during the Biden administration. Before that, he spent four years battling the first Trump administration as California attorney general and more than two decades representing a Los Angeles congressional district.

The longtime Democratic politician became the come-from-behind winner of the primary, finishing with 28.1% of the vote after polling near the middle or bottom of a crowded field for months. His meteoric rise came after another front-runner, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out after a former staffer and other women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct.

Becerra has kept a relatively low profile since the election with few public appearances.

Hilton has held several campaign events in recent weeks to court independent and Latino voters. As a Trump-endorsed Republican, he faces a steep climb in California, where the president is deeply unpopular and a GOP candidate has not won a statewide election since 2006.

Last week he accused Democratic leaders of “abandoning” residents in Boyle Heights, where flies, rats and the stench of rotting food have lingered weeks after a frozen food warehouse was damaged by fire.

Hilton also recently took out full-page ads in The Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle to make the case to voters who dislike Trump but are dissatisfied with the status quo in California.

The creator of “New Girl” has a dark, twisty new show about a … female serial killer?

Since the end of her breakout sitcom, Liz Meriwether has imbued her sharp and charming brand of funny in network comedies like “Single Parents” and “Bless This Mess.” But she’s steadily embraced darker tones in her work — first, with the Emmy-winning Elizabeth Holmes biodrama “The Dropout,” then with last year’s FX miniseries “Dying for Sex,” a delicate dance between laughter and sorrow in its exploration of a woman’s commitment to live her best sexual life following a terminal cancer diagnosis. “Furious,” though, may be her darkest project yet.

Loosely inspired by the 1987 neo-noir “Black Widow,” which starred Theresa Russell as a serial killer who marries and poisons wealthy men for their inheritances, and Debra Winger as the investigator obsessed with tracking her down, the Hulu crime drama deepens the cat-and-mouse dynamic. It follows an FBI rookie and her search for a female serial killer seeking vengeance against the men who abused her as a teenager. And still, it manages to find moments of levity. The first three episodes are currently streaming, with new episodes released every Monday until the finale Aug. 31.

“I’ve just been loving trying different things with my writing,” Meriwether told me during a recent video call. “When this came up, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, a crime thriller, a serial killer show.’ It was so different than what I’d done before. It’s like the shows that I love, so I was excited to try to write one, somewhat naively. It’s funny because I would always roll my eyes a little bit when drama writers thought they could write comedy and then I found myself in the flip side of that being like, ‘Oh, this is so hard.’”

Check out more of my conversation with Meriwether in Guest Spot. And yes, as a devoted “New Girl” re-watcher forever trying to retain my Youths! status, I asked about about the reboot discourse that’s become its own comedy.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our writers recommend the return of a detective comedy that has its schoolteacher-turned-self-taught P.I. on another wild adventure and a Spanish-language limited series that takes place during the 1986 World Cup. — Yvonne Villarreal

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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Diarra Kilpatrick as Diarra Brickland and Shannon Wallace as Chris in Season2 of “Diarra From Detroit.”

(BET / Paramount+)

“Diarra from Detroit” (Paramount+)

Diarra Kilpatrick (“Perry Mason”) created and stars in this smart, sparky mystery as a middle school teacher, also named Diarra, who turns self-described Black Nancy Drew when a man she was dating (Shannon Wallace as Chris) disappears. The new season, which sees the series folded into Paramount+ along with other BET+ series, finds them together again (retrospective spoiler alert: she rescues him at the end of Season 1), with issues — he’s got trauma to navigate, she’s sorting out her identity and desires — and mysteries still to solve, including the identity of the Chief, the city’s Mr. Big. The new season, which feels even more self-assured, picks up old themes of friends and family, as the search for a missing antique desk leads Diarra and friends and accomplices Aja (DomiNque Perry) and Tea (Bryan Terrell Clark) into fanciful new territory, including encounters with Black Freemasons and bikers, the history of Prohibition and a treasure hunt. Local food culture (Superman ice cream, coney dogs, Faygo) gets its due. The mix of suspense, romance and comedy is deft; small details keep the characters surprising and lifelike.— Robert Lloyd

Rafaella Lopez as Barbara, Ian Andrade as Salvador, Aldo Emiliano Navarro as Miguel, Damian Vergara as Tono and Regina Arroyo as Maria in “I’m Not Afraid.”

(Julieta Horak / Netflix)

“I’m Not Afraid” (No Tengo Miedo) (Netflix)

The dilapidated La Esmeralda coffee estate in Mexico’s Veracruz mountains is a lush, beautiful and spooky place — the perfect setting for a kidnap mystery. But in “I’m Not Afraid,” it’s also the wonderfully imperfect backdrop for a compelling tale about friendship and family bonds as seen through the eyes of a child. Set in 1986 during FIFA World Cup fever and a blight that’s ruined the region’s coffee crops, 10-year-old Miguel (played with depth and authenticity by Aldo Emiliano Navarro) first discovers boy captive Felipe (Yago Andreu) hidden and chained in and overgrown area that’s said to be haunted. He’s sure it’s the work of a witch spoken about in local folklore until it’s revealed his beloved parents may have something to do with the abduction. Poverty has driven them and the other families on the estate to make desperate choices. Adapted from Niccolò Ammaniti’s acclaimed novel by Ernesto Contreras (“The Secret of the River”), this six-episode series explores what happens when adults do desperate things in the hope of securing a better future for their children, but it’s the kids who end up saving the day. — Lorraine Ali

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Emmy Rossum as FBI agent Alice Black in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

“Furious” feels like a crime story for the Epstein age. The eight-episode psychological thriller stars Emmy Rossum as Alice Black, a troubled rookie FBI agent who left her job as an NYPD detective to escape a violent and traumatic relationship with a fellow cop. She gets enlisted to help track down a female serial killer, played by Lola Petticrew, whose targets are the wealthy men who exploited and trafficked her for sex. But the series isn’t as concerned with its ripped-from-the-headlines relevance. Over video call, creator Liz Meriwether discussed what she was interested in unpacking in TV’s latest addition to the crime drama genre and contributing to the red flag roles played by Jake Lacy. —Y.V.

The series is loosely based on the “Black Widow” film. But how much did current events, specifically stories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the powerful men in his orbit, inform what or how you wanted to explore here?

It really did start as a “Black Widow” adaptation. This female serial killer and this female FBI agent in this cat-and-mouse game that has this very weird third act, where they just end up hanging out together on a beach, being friends. I loved that part of it. In the midst of this very exciting female killer-female FBI agent crime movie, there was this story about two women connecting who don’t have anybody else really in their lives to connect with. I dug into that and quickly saw that if the serial killer was just a black widow like she is in the movie, that it wasn’t going to give me enough story for eight episodes. I did a lot of research about real-life female serial killers, which are pretty rare. Female serial killers are almost all victims of horrible violence at different times in their lives. That really got me going, OK, what does it mean if you’re a victim of violence and you start being perpetrator of violence? What are the things that we can forgive and understand, and what are the things that we can’t?

And yes, when I looked out into the wider world and current events and what I was thinking and feeling, I definitely scooped up a lot of a lot of stories that are out there. But it’s not the story of a specific predator. There’s a lot to choose from right now. It should feel relevant. It should have echoes of what’s going on out there. But I wanted the focus to be on these characters, not the men that did these acts.

The parallels between Alice and Catherine — what they each have survived and the different ways they deal with it — come into focus. What were you interested in exploring about the traumatic and lingering effects of abuse through these two women?

Initially, when we were casting Catherine, the question of age came up because all of my writer instincts were like, “Oh well, we need to have Catherine be very young and closer to when she was actually a victim of this predator.” But as I started thinking about it, I was like, I don’t think we’ve seen as many stories about the long-term effects of this violence. There’s no flashbacks in the show. I’m not interested in showing what was done to either one of them [Catherine and Alice]. I really was interested in the aftereffects.

I spoke to a social worker, a psychologist and a trafficking victim, which was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had, and also a beautiful conversation. Her name is Jay Benke, and she has an organization that helps people that have been trafficked. She made a really interesting point that stuck with me, which is that when these FBI agents and law enforcement officials build cases, they’re looking at putting the traffickers in jail; they’re not looking at what the people who have been trafficked need for their lives to heal. There’s also an amazing website that a lawyer pointed me to called thelifestory.org, which is videos from different people who’ve been trafficked telling their story — from their childhood, all the way through having been trafficked and then coming out — and it’s in the shape of a circle. Those two resources for me were incredible. On the Alice side of things, we tend to think of the experience of being a [domestic violence] victim as being much more cut and dry than it is for a lot of people. The victim’s relationship with violence and love is very complicated and violence and intimacy can become linked in their brain. It was something that I started to learn about in my research for “Dying for Sex” and continued on with “Furious.”

Lola Petticrew as Catherine in “Furious.”

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

We see these very girly things, stickers and gemstones, that Catherine holds onto. It reminds us of her emotional or mental stasis.

I don’t know what Lola would say about this, but my thought about the character of Catherine was she was a bit trapped. The choice to go on the path of vengeance feels like a very active choice, but in some ways it’s really limited. It makes your whole life about what happened to you. I feel like Catherine’s story is about breaking out of that trap a little bit, almost trying to give her character a chance to to grow up in some ways. That was definitely a struggle for me going into this because I was like, how am I going to give a serial killer an emotional arc? Catherine is trapped and needs to put the pieces of her memory and her life together in order to move forward.

The thing I love in Episode 3 is the bag that Catherine puts on the bed. That was a big breakthrough for me for Catherine’s character in that her history is something that she’s had to piece together and hold on to, and there’s big gaps in her memory, so she holds on to these material objects in order to just feel like she’s a person. Then in looking at Alice’s character, we felt like she was the opposite in a lot of ways. She had run out of her life with Marshall and [did] not really bring that much. Her whole life is her job; her apartment is really bare.

I don’t mean to sound glib in regard to the subject matter, but you mentioned Marshall, played by Jake Lacy. Why has Jake cornered the market on playing toxic dudes who seem like nice guys?

I haven’t seen “All Her Fault” yet — it’s something that I really need to see. He’s extraordinary in the show [“Furious”], and I had a long conversation with him before he signed on. It’s a very tricky part to play. It was very important to me throughout the process that none of the characters were easily put into bad or good categories — hopefully, we’re constantly making the audience question their feelings and their judgments about people. There’s an incredible documentary called “A Better Man” that is impossible to find. I had to pay like $50 to rent it. It’s this couple that dated when they were in high school, and he was abusive toward her. She got out of the situation, and they’re coming back in their 30s, meeting again and talking about what happened. It’s an unbelievable documentary. I had Jake watch it because I really wanted him to think about Marshall as a human. He really contributed to that, and you can see it in his performance. He’s [Jake’s] a very nice guy.

You know I can’t let you go without mentioning this “New Girl” reboot — or at least the talk of it. It’s become a bit at this point — Lamorne Morris and Jake Johnson pointing fingers at each other. You posted a video on Instagram confessing to sending explicit messages that have caused some tension.

In some ways, I feel like the videos and the interviews and stuff is maybe better than a reboot. If we can see that as the reboot, maybe that would be good for everybody. [The video] came from me getting this question from journalists during the [“Furious”] junket, It was like Hour Eight of the junket, and my brain just disappeared, and I started talking like a stream of consciousness — like I don’t have any more stories to tell or something. And then I went home that night and texted the cast and I was like, “I really messed up the question.” It had been this running joke on our text threads about how they just constantly blame each other, but a lot of the times they blame me like I’m the one that’s like holding up the reboot. I find it so annoying, but then I like answered this question in a horrible way, and then I was like, “Oh, I am going to be the one who has to answer to this.”

If it does happen, it’s going to be a really dark “New Girl” reboot, given the tone of recent projects.

[Laughs] I don’t even know if fans would want what would come out of me at this point.

Last question: What have you’ve watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone?

I love “Taskmaster” [YouTube, Pluto TV]. It’s the thing that brings me joy when I need it and so I always recommend that to everybody — but with the caveat that you have to love British humor. If you love joy and British humor, I highly recommend “Taskmaster.” And Kumail [Nanjiani] was on this last season, which was like really fun.

I’m very behind. “Widow’s Bay” [Apple TV] is No. 1 on my list. I need to watch it. I love Katie [Dippold, the show’s creator] so much.

ICYMI

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Under a new licensing agreement, Netflix will be streaming “The Walking Dead” franchise globally.

Netflix and AMC Global Media, the network that originally aired the zombie series, inked a new five-year co-streaming deal, according to a press release on Thursday. Both companies will be able to show the original “The Walking Dead” series and its six spinoffs on Netflix and AMC+. The deal is valued at $500 million, AMC Global Media said in its second-quarter earnings report.

“This deal creates a global destination for this universe — all shows, all episodes — making the franchise more accessible than ever to fans around the world. In addition, the co-exclusive agreement allows us to bring the original series to AMC+ for the first time early next year,” Kristin Dolan, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement. “This agreement is a fantastic result for our companies, for the fans and for this timeless IP.”

AMC Global Media is renting the franchise, not selling it. The five-year licenses run separately for each show, with start dates that vary based on territory and the expiration of existing streaming deals. The rights to “The Walking Dead” revert to AMC Global Media when the term ends.

The company also keeps global rights to run the “Walking Dead” universe on its own services throughout. Dolan told investors the agreement would supply what she called “a meaningful source of cash flow for years to come,” framing it as evidence that the company’s library still commands premium prices even as its cable business shrinks.

The agreement will extend the franchise’s reach on Netflix in places like the U.K., Italy, Australia and New Zealand — making episodes available beginning in 2027.

“The Walking Dead” premiered on the AMC network in 2010, introducing audiences to the high-stakes world of a zombie apocalypse. In 2011, the series began streaming exclusively on Netflix in the U.S. The show aired for 11 seasons and became one of AMC’s most influential shows. Other popular programs from the network include “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad.”

“Audiences have discovered and loved ‘The Walking Dead’ on Netflix for nearly 15 years and the show continues to attract new fans,” Lori Conkling, Netflix’s vice president of licensing, said in a statement.

The deal landed alongside a rough quarter. AMC Global Media reported second-quarter revenue of $547 million, down 9% from a year earlier, and a loss of 51 cents a share, compared with 91 cents in profit in the same period last year. Operating income fell to about $16 million from $64 million.

Netflix’s second-quarter earnings showed mixed results. The company‘s revenue rose 13% to $12.6 billion; its net income was $3.4 billion, up 9% from a year ago; and its advertising business is on track to reach $3 billion in revenue this year, double the amount in 2025.

The same filing offered some details on Netflix’s acquisition of InterPositive, the AI post-production startup founded by Ben Affleck, for $587 million in cash in March.

But Netflix’s stock price has continued to waver due in part to investor concerns about the streamer’s future growth.

Benidorm Is Murder starring John Hannah is Channel 5’s new comedy crime drama.

Actor John Hannah fronts a new Channel 5 crime series perfect for The Good Ship Murder fans.

Benidorm Is Murder is a six-part series which kicked off this week. On Thursday night (July 30) viewers tuned in to watch the first episode as they saw John’s character Dennis, a retired detective, hire a new staff member.

Unbeknowst to him, Rosa (Carolina Bécquer) is a true-crime obsessed barmaid who is eager to help when a murder unfolds closeby.

When a member from a Take That tribute band is found dead in a hotel pool, the police spring into action. However, Rosa doesn’t think they’ve got the right person and sets out to solve the case with Dennis.

Viewers were quick to comment on the new series, with many comparing it to Channel 5’s Good Ship Murder, reports the Express.

One person said: “#benidormismurder Is a carbon copy of #Thegoodshipmurder but I’ll persist with it!!”

Another replied, saying: “I love #TheGoodShipMurder so yeah #BenidormisMurder is worth sticking with.”

Sadly, not everyone was overjoyed with the opening episode as one viewer commented: “Thought I’d give #BenidormIsMurder a go, Take That, John Hannah….good mix! But no, it’s terrible! Sorry!”

While another added: “Another clichéd drama from #ch5. Predictable story, formulaic structure, poor script and poor acting. Just not interesting enough. Not for me.”

This week, John Hannah appeard on The One Show to speak about the new six-part series, although quickly took a cheeky swipe at the pay he got for the show. He said: “Some great guests come in. In fact, we shot the third episode first. We shot that in Gran Canaria, actually.

“The first episode was an Irish hen party, half a dozen terrific Irish actresses turned up and Trevor. A bunch of Irish actors turned up, and they all knew each other a bit.

“It was October, cold back here [the UK], a good script, two weeks in the sun, having a laugh, they all knew each other, so there was a great bond there, a great chemistry there.

“Simon and I were talking at the end of that episode, we were like, ‘Wow, they’ve set the bar really high. There’s something about a good script, a bit of sunshine, regardless of the pay… which wasn’t the best, but anyway it doesn’t matter.”

While everyone laughed at the cheeky jibe, another guest on the programme joked that he shouldn’t mention money.

John replied: “No, let’s not because we’re not doing it for the money, right? Of course not. It was brilliant, everyone came out. We were all getting paid….a bit.”

Benidorm Is Murder is available to watch on My5.

Educating Yorkshire is set to return to Channel 4 for a brand new series, with Headteacher Matthew Burton and the students of Thornhill Community Academy back on screens once again.

Channel 4 has confirmed that one of British television’s most celebrated documentary series is making its return.

Educating Yorkshire has been given the green light for a brand new run, and fans will be thrilled.

More than a decade on from its debut, the Channel 4 show that captured the hearts of the nation is heading back to Thornhill Community Academy in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, where cameras will once again follow the staff and pupils navigating the highs and lows of school life.

The original series launched in 2013 and quickly became a cultural touchstone, with one moment in particular proving unforgettable – Headteacher Matthew Burton guiding a pupil with a stammer through his English literature GCSE poetry recitation in a scene that left viewers across the country in tears.

Burton, who remains at the helm of Thornhill, will be front and centre once again in the new series.

After more than a decade off air, the show staged a remarkable comeback in 2025, earning a BAFTA nomination and pulling in a staggering 8.7 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms.

People were quick to praise the show’s comeback at the time, with one person commenting: “This is brilliant!!”

Another added: “Im so over the moon this is back absolutely brilliant. Ive watched Mr Burton and Mushy episodes over again . Its been too long – welcome back . No doubt there will be lots of laughs and tears – love it love it love it.”

Someone else wrote: “I can not wait for the new series of Educating Yorkshire.” While another commented: “Omggggg is he back!?!? That teacher is the reason I want to teach in the first place.”

Channel 4 revealed that the programme attracted 8.7 million viewers across linear and streaming platforms, proving a particular hit with younger audiences and securing a 28% share of 16-34s.

The show has clearly left a lasting impression, with three in ten viewers aged between 16 and 34 saying Educating Yorkshire had inspired them to consider pursuing a career in education or youth work.

Grace Reynolds, Exec Producer, commented: “The extraordinary teachers and staff help the students navigate some of the most important years of their lives.

“While headlines often focus on the challenges facing teenagers today, our experience making the series tells a different story. Spend time in Thornhill and you’ll find resilience, compassion, ambition and optimism. If it reminds us of anything, it’s that the future is in remarkably good hands.”

No broadcast date has yet been confirmed for the new series.

Educating Yorkshire is available to watch on Channel 4.

The ITV documentary series first aired three years ago and follows world-leading forensic scientist Dr Angela Gallop delving into complex cases.

Forensic scientist Dr Angela Gallop is back once again for a fresh crime series on ITV.

The harrowing true crime docu-series will see Dr Gallop and her team revisit complicated cold murder cases using advanced scientific techniques that may not have been available at the time of the crime.

Through the re-examinations, Dr Gallop and her team have helped bring notorious killers to justice in Cold Case Forensics, which is airing a brand new season.

On Tuesday night (July 28), ITV viewers will see the forensic scientist look into the chilling death of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, also widely known as ‘God’s Banker’

A synopsis for the episode reads: “Return of the documentary delving into the casebook of world-leading forensic scientist Angela Gallop and her team.

“When the body of Italian banker Roberto Calvi was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London in 1982, the investigation led to a murky world of financial deals with the Vatican and the Mafia. Nicola Walker narrates.”

Roberto Calvi was the chairman of the largest private bank in Italy and also had connections to the Roman Catholic Church.

However, the 62-year-old went missing in 1982 for nine days before his body was discovered hanging.

At the time, the coroner’s report didn’t find evidence of foul play on his body and ruled his death as a suicide.

Although UK police were puzzled by the strange circumstance, as his pockets were stuffed with bricks, he had a fake passport in a different name and had £10,000 ($14,000) in cash in different currencies.

It wasn’t until 2002 that Roberto Calvi’s case was officially reopened by Italian prosecutors, with the City of London Police opening it as a murder inquiry in September 2003.

As a result, Dr Gallop was hired by Roberto’s family in a bid to prove he had been killed and didn’t die by suicide decades ago.

Other cases explored in this series includes solicitor Cheryl Lewis and ten-year-old Damilola Taylor.

The first series included the cases of Rachel Nickell, Lynette White and Stephen Lawrence.

Cold Case Forensics airs on Tuesdays on ITV from 9pm

“Furious,” which premieres Monday on Hulu, is technically a serial killer story, since there are multiple murders committed by a single character, but happily that is the least of it.

Broadly speaking, these kinds of stories — powered by a stop-them-before-they-kill-again clock, making their antagonists out to be finicky geniuses or horror movie monsters instead of opportunistic mediocrities — strike me as a low form of fiction. But “Furious” is as much relationship drama as procedural, animated by a quartet of excellent performances, with some things to say about abuse, exploitation and love along the way.

Although “Furious,” created by Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl,” “Dying for Sex”), acknowledges an inspirational debt to the 1987 Theresa Russell-Debra Winger film “Black Widow,” all it really preserves are a couple of names, the idea of a female serial killer and an emotional relationship with the woman hunting her. The killer is Catherine (Lola Petticrew), a petite young woman who goes about in a variety of wigs, under a variety of names, careful to mask in public. Her murdering is not a compulsion but a mission, like Jeanne Moreau in “The Bride Wore Black.”

Her nemesis is Alice Black (Emmy Rossum), a former police detective now answering phones for the FBI. She became persona non grata in the NYPD after identifying her detective boyfriend (Jake Lacy as Marshall) as the person who put her in the hospital, because, you know, cops. One day a request comes from former colleague Danny Kelly (Scoot McNairy) to assist him in investigating the homicide we see Catherine commit at the top of the series.

Various elements of the crime bring to mind an earlier killing; Alice believes they’re connected and might have something to do with sex trafficking or, eventually, a Jane Doe cold case. This brings her to the desk of Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), who also happens to be running the very FBI department Alice has been hoping to join. “You requested my squad,” says Nora. “Why do you want to work in the basement on sex crimes and crimes against children — do you hate yourself?” Maybe she does — she orchestrates internet dates where foreplay is a fistfight, and has some relevant trauma in her past.

Catherine (Lola Petticrew), a petite young woman whose murdering is not a compulsion but a mission.

(Sarah Shatz / Disney)

Sharing scenes with the other principal characters, intense or sensitive as the moment requires, Alice is the hub around whom the series revolves and hurtles forward. Danny, who found himself isolated in the department when he said he believed her, is her only friend. (“But here’s the crazy s—. You don’t … talk to me anymore, either.”) Nora, who has a hard edge and a drinking problem, has a few things to teach her, sometimes with a quote from Balzac (“Laws are spiderwebs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught”) and Beckett (the dead “make a noise like feathers”) or a tale from Greek mythology. (“I’m not a former cop. I went to a fancy school, and I’m very smart,” she says, very drunk.)

As to Catherine, she is a mix of a sly fox and a wounded bird. She may be manipulative and murderous, but as we’re given reasons to dislike her victims, a collection of rich white people — with one sad exception — and because Alice feels connected to her in some way, and because she’s had a terrible life, there is not a little of the protagonist in her antagonist. There are some sad ironies stitched into the plot, and an upsetting late twist, though the show doesn’t wallow in it. We understand that Catherine has her reasons, and in a strange way we want to see her carry out her mission. She may be a killer, but she isn’t the villain.

It’s not perfect. We are not surprised at least as much as we are. Some of the plot points strain credulity. There are some old-school jurisdictional clashes between the police and the FBI (as in every fourth episode of “The Closer”), and a heaping helping of professional jealousy within departments.

But the show stays fascinating less for the plot than for the performers. Rossum attacks her role as if playing a Greek tragedy. (The hair redoubles the impression.) McNairy, one of TV’s most likable actors, brings warmth. Petticrew evokes broken innocence. Bernstine finds new notes in a role that typically runs to cliche.

I also want to mention the great Hope Davis as the sister of a victim, the son of a well-connected mogul with something to hide, and especially Steve Way, as Alden (“Ramy”), a force for good in Catherine’s life, and for humor in the series; born with muscular dystrophy, he manages some excellent physical comedy in his motorized wheelchair. The direction (Brian Kirk helmed the first two episodes) is crisp and matter of fact, staying out of the way, which is all you can ask when the writing is good and the actors are too.

Love Island All Stars has been confirmed to return in 2027 and it remains to be seen which of the latest series might give the villa life another go in South Africa

The latest Love Island winner might have just been announced, but some fans aren’t ready to let the reality TV fun leave us. With Julia and Lorenzo being crowned this year’s winner, they have high hopes they won’t have to feature in the upcoming All Stars offering.

But for others, they could be chomping at the bit to head to the South African series and give love – or drama – another go. And it might only be months away after bosses revealed its return.

The last All Stars cast took to the South African villa on Monday 13 January, and it’s expected the next edition will be at a similar time next year.

One bombshell that has already been tipped to appear from the current line-up is Dublin-based social media influencer Charleen Murphy. She entered the ITV2 dating programme during the Casa Amor phase of the current series, but despite making it into the main villa, her link-up with Kavan wasn’t strong enough to continue.

Viewers were shocked when Kent-based Kavan experienced a swift change of heart on his return to the main villa and almost immediately broke things off with Charleen when choosing to recouple with Jasmine at the first opportunity.

Geordie bombshell Tommy revealed in the live final that he had already been making moves outside the villa with Charleen, but it seems as though she might have her eyes on another shot at villa life. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if Tommy followed her after a drama-filled stint of his own.

In this year’s All Stars, villa hopefuls headed to the show for six weeks instead of five. Speaking on the renewal at the time, Mike Spencer-Hayter, Creative Director at Lifted Entertainment, said: “Love Island: All Stars has quickly established itself as a stand-alone hit, keeping fans of the show gripped by iconic Islanders from the past 10 years returning for another chance to find love.

“We are very excited about series 3, and you can expect the twists and turns to continue in All Stars, after an incredible smash hit summer series.”

The season saw Samie Elishi and Ciaran Davies, but sadly the relationship didn’t work on the outside.

And while we know All Stars is set to grace the small screen again, it remains to be seen whether Maya Jama will be presenting it once again. Maya took over from Laura Whitmore in 2022, but speaking to Deadline, the TV host was open and honest about her potential Love Island future.

She said: “I never know. I never decide if I’m doing the next series until the end of one. So it’s fake news that I’m leaving, but I always decide at the end of a series if I’m going to continue the next year. So we’ll find out.”

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THE detective series Bergerac has returned to screens and in turn has been showing off a beautiful island less than one hour away from the UK.

The series filmed in Jersey has been showcasing its Caribbean-like beaches and pretty capital, St Helier.

The reboot of the 80s detective series starring Damien Molony as Jim Bergerac actually returned last year.

But it’s set to reach a ‘wider audience’ having dropped all six episodes of the first series on BBC iPlayer a few days ago.

The island of Jersey, where the majority of scenes were filmed, is now expecting a surge in visitors.

Visit Jersey Chief Executive Tricia Warwick said: “The series has already impactfully raised Jersey’s profile as a visitor destination, and this new platform means even more viewers will discover our island’s stunning landscapes and unique locations for themselves.

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“We look forward to warmly welcoming them to Jersey.”

The Channel Island is a true gem of a place and has previously even been named one of the world’s best islands by Conde Nast Traveller.

While it’s less than an hour from the UK, it feels worlds away, mostly thanks to its Caribbean-looking beaches.

Across its 130 miles of coastline are exotic spots from Beauport Beach, Portelet Bay to Plémont Bay.

Many beaches, like St Brelade’s Bay, are also lined with palm trees, which gives them a tropical feel.

The island’s capital, St Helier, is also home to Havre des Pas Bathing Pool, a tidal lido that fills up with seawater at high tide.

Not only is it a sought-after swim spot with some calling it a ‘good old-fashioned lido’, but it also has an open kitchen, dance floor, stage and a balcony that looks over the pool.

St Helier is also a prime spot for shopping at Royal Square, King Street and its indoor market on Halkett Street.

The first series of Bergerac which aired between 1981 and 1991 starring John Nettles was filmed in Jersey.

Head of Sun Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire visited the island a few years ago. She said: “If I told you there’s an island an hour’s flight from the UK, with a Caribbean-like coastline, that gets summer quicker than England and you don’t need a passport – you’d think I was pulling your leg.

“But such a unicorn does exist in the English Channel: Jersey.

“When my family and I visited earlier this year, every beach was outstanding, the weather glorious, the food a fantastic hybrid of French and English tastes.”

Caroline headed to Plémont Beach in the north which had “clearest turquoise waters” but she also visited St Ouen’s Bay and Le Braye bistro which is right on the beachfront.

Other popular activities include dolphin-spotting boat rides and exploring its secret tunnels that were used in World War Two.

Luckily for Brits, Jersey is less than an hour away by plane.

The route departing from Southampton to Jersey Airport in Saint Peter takes 50-minutes.

For those who aren’t fussed about getting there quickly, another route to the island is by ferry.

Condor Ferries offers routes from Poole, and Portsmouth to St Helier which take between four and a half to 10 hours.

After devouring 13 series and over a decade of Love Island, one glaring problem has become clear: Each series there is a female villain, pitted against the others… but who is really to blame?

Love Island is almost over and with that, the 2026 summer of love (or influencers building their brand in a Spanish villa) has come to an end. Every time it happens, I am left devastated by the loss of the ITV2 show, despite complaining to anyone who would listen about how angry that year’s season made me.

My love for the show and the bereavement I feel when its gone has not only had me going back and watching the seasons I was too young to watch the first time, but had me watching them again and again. One thing has become clear – our female villains are often born when men misstep and aren’t allowed to bounce back in the same way.

We keep entering an era where our bad girls are pitted against each other until they are relegated to the depths of obscurity after the show ends and not even allowed to be iconic anymore.

Yes, these woman’s actions are often undeniably bad. But compared to those of the men around them, who get redemption arcs, huge social media followings and get to continue working within the Love Island world, the women’s punishments rise to the top of villain lists seem unbefitting of their crimes. To illustrate my point, here is a timeline of the seasons and who their biggest villains are…

Series 1 – Naomi Ball

Bombshell Naomi is largely considered the biggest villain from the first series that aired when Love Island was rebooted. She was sharp-tongued and her confrontations with Jess Hayes were one of the reasons the latter girl won the series with Max Morley.

Her intense rivalry with Jess was was fuelled by a love triangle between the two and Josh Ritchie, especially when Josh dumped Naomi for not being willing to sleep with him.

He then brazenly asked: “Do I now carry on with Jess, get my end away, have a good three-weeks sh*gging, or do I start something with Naomi, where something can be long term and something maybe outside of the villa but not have sex, not have as much of a laugh? It’s a genuine penis/head dilemma.”

With a love interest like that, who needs enemies? Though Naomi still consistently crops up as the Villain of Series One, Josh has gone on to redeem himself on All Stars.

Series 2 – Olivia Buckland

Thankfully, Olivia is now mostly beloved, but for years after her series was released, she was painted by fans as manipulative and mean. She was blamed for Javi Shephard and Dan Lukakis fighting over her, even though that’s the nature of the game. She was blamed for hurting Dan when Terry Walsh came along, even though they’d only known each other three days by that point.

Worst of all, she was blamed for sleeping with Rykard Jenkins when he was getting close to Rachel Fenton, when it was Rykard who was pursuing a relationship, not Olivia. Olivia was not only free from any romantic attachments, she was in a couple with Rykard.

Olivia was able to regroup and rebuild after Love Island, especially since she and now husband Alex Bowen stayed together. The same cannot be said for all the women on this list.

Series 3 – Jonny Mitchell

Series three is the first where our main villain is a man. Jonny arrived on day four and was in a couple with Camilla Thurlow for most of his time on the show. Whilst in a couple, he clashed with Camilla, telling her that he thought feminists “believe in inequality” and would feel emasculated if a woman tried to pay on a date.

Jonny then went on to make Camilla cry by dumping her for Tyla Carr – and he wasn’t even going to be honest about it. Very manly, macho Jonny was too chicken to be upfront and instead decided to try and do a gradual fade out instead, until he was forced to fess up by Dom Lever. And yet, while Naomi never got her redemption and Olivia had to wait until after the show, Jonny ended his run on the series on good terms with everyone.

Series 4 – Adam Collard and Megan Barton-Hanson

Love Island has never known a villain like Adam Collard. He moved from girl to girl to girl and blamed some of them for “pushing him away” and into the arms of another. When he accused Rosie Williams of being jealous of his connection with Zara McDermott, he smirked as she cried in front of him and Women’s Aid came out with a statement against him.

Despite Adam sparking a huge national conversation about gaslighting, he was brought back for series eight, in which he was given the opportunity to prove himself a good guy after all.

Meanwhile, Megan, who also moved from guy to guy but without gaslighting them, was also labelled a villain and constantly shamed by the public for her career as a stripper.

Series 5 – Michael Griffiths

Michael is another instant where the villain ultimately crowned the winner. Prior to coming back from Casa Amor with another girl, his partner Amber Gill wasn’t viewed favourably by the public. But when he not only played away at Casa but then started calling her “childish” for being upset, Michael became the bad guy and Amber became a champion.

Since the show ended, Michael has gone down in history as one of the most iconic islanders. He spawned the ‘Destiny’s Childish’ memes, in which people who seem like players on the show are all put in a group with Michael. It’s helped him get roles on Celebrity Ex on the Beach, Eating with my Ex and MTV’s Living the Dream. He has been rewarded for his actions, in a way the women on this list rarely are.

Series 6 – Connor Durman and Rebecca Gormley

Connor had everyone talking during the first winter Love Island with his rather questionable behaviour. To the shock of his partner Sophie Piper, he bragged about having a threesome with a girl and her housemate after a first date in a game of Truth or Lie. When Sophie made a joke about it, Connor then folded his arms and backed away, telling a confused-looking Sophie “You hate me tonight. You’re hating me.”

And when she tried to keep things light, he angrily insisted, “You’re digging me out already, you are,” leaving fans begging her to head for the hills. Despite this, its Rebecca that fans remember as a villain. She a rivalry with Siannise Fudge over her interest in Luke Trotman, a storyline that is not uncommon on this show and yet was enough to make Rebecca a villain.

Series 7 – Faye Winter

Faye has received the most Love Island complaints in the show’s history after yelling at Teddy Soares. The argument followed the first ever Movie Night, in which Teddy was seen having a flirty exchange during Casa Amor.

The public knew the clips were taken out of context and that Teddy had been faithful to Faye. 25,000 complaints were made to Ofcom and Faye’s family had to release a statement, reminding the public that the show was edited for entertainment.

Faye received online abuse and death threats after the incident. What makes it so infuriating is that much of the public were angry with Faye for reacting to Teddy’s actions as they knew the clip was taken out of context and fumed that she should have known he was a good guy. To summarise: Fans who knew what Faye had seen wasn’t the whole truth were angry with her for reacting to it rather than those who took the clips out of context.

Series 8 – Tasha Ghouri

Tasha’s series was largely defined by both Islanders and the public deciding she was stringing her partner Andrew Le Page along. She was subjected to constant online vitriol about how she was just waiting around for someone else to sweep her off her feet, and using Andrew to stay safe.

Yet when it came to Casa, it was Andrew who played away. “I licked her t*t, or whatever,” he told Tasha after being forced to come clean about his bedroom antics with Coco Lodge. Notably, Andrew wasn’t as hated for actually doing something as Tasha was for what people thought she wanted to.

Series 9 – Olivia Hawkins

Olivia was branded as a villain after clashing with several islanders, particularly those she had coupled up with before like Kai Fagan and Tom Clare. She was branded as messy and a hypocrite for being upset with Kai for recoupling in Casa, even though she’d done the same.

By the time she joined series two of All Stars, Olivia was so known as a villain that she had to hit back at the title, telling the Mirror that she thought it was “tiring”. She was called a bad guy again when she clashed with Grace Jackson, catching heat despite no longer being on the show anymore. She has since seemed to prefer sticking to a quiet life away from reality TV and I’m not sure anyone can blame her.

Series 10 – Molly Marsh

Molly was villainised after being honest with partner Mitch Taylor. Her crime was telling him that she wanted to talk to other people just days into knowing each other. From then, both Mitch and Jess Harding accused her of using him and being two-faced… despite the fact that she’d been upfront about her feelings.

This was the start of the Love Island “divides”. In series since, we’ve seen time and time again how there is a divide among the girls as they are pitted against each other by the men and form two camps. This time it was Molly vs Jess, a battle that Jess ultimately won, as she won the whole series.

The hate Molly received has since been viewed as unwarranted, and Molly has faded into the background of many Love Island conversations, while Mitch, whose behaviour towards Molly was very possessive, has become one of the show’s icons.

Series 11 – Harriett Blackmore

Harriett Blackmore, much like Olivia Hawkins, was labelled a villain and a drama queen when she clashed with Ciaran Davies. But why did they clash? Well, just before, Harriett had told Ciaran, whom she had been coupled up with since the start, that he was her top boy.

After that, he took Nicole Samuel to the Hideaway, leaving Harriett in tears. Was Ciaran a bad guy for this? Of course not! Our sweet Welshman made it to the final of the show.

Series 12 – Meg Moore and Helena Ford

This was a season filled with villains. Meg Moore and Helena Ford were two of the biggest, with fans slamming Meg for her rude and aggressive attitude towards girls her partner Dejon Noel-Williams was talking to and Helena for constantly going after boys Shakira Kahn and Toni Laites were talking to.

Though neither behaved well, Meg’s behaviour often came amid Dejon telling her that the girls were obsessed with him and that he wasn’t open to getting to know them, even though he was. Similarly, Helena’s came as Harry Cooksley and Harrison Solomon both told her that she was their number one.

The behaviour of all three men caught the attention of the public, who slammed them as toxic. Dejon undeniably came off the worst and seems to have shrunk back from the limelight, but despite this, the season became about the divide between the girls. It was defined by Shakira and Toni’s camp vs Meg and Helena’s.

Helena did appear on All Stars, hoping for a redemption. So did Harrison, even though Women’s Aid had put out a statement about his behaviour. Since both shows, Helena and Meg have faded away, while Harrison and Harry have both gained a huge social media following for their Love Island commentary.

Series 13 – Every woman on the show

Then we have series 13. In this series, pretty much every woman has been villainised at some point, often when a man was also involved and received much less hate.

Priya Jaswal was demonised for saying Samraj Toor’s behaviour was “pathetic”, even though he was also attacking her and never apologised. Jasmine Muller was hated on for her interactions with Kavan Murphy, when his brother Aidan kept stirring the pot and again when it was Kavan who brought someone else back from Casa Amor.

Lola Deal and Julia Majchrzak have both received hate amid their feud, which was all started by Sean Fitzgerald’s conversations with people in Casa Amor. Elicia Chadwick has also been on the public’s bad side for her reaction to Aidan picking Priya, despite him having kissed his way up her body while on their date.

Even former Islanders turned debriefers Shakira, Toni and Yasmin Pettet have received more hate this season than the men on the show. And if this doesn’t summarise the modern divide between men and women, I don’t know what does. Men think they can get away with anything, while women have to micromanage every emotion so as not to come off wrong.

No wonder, when men’s bad behaviour is caught on camera and still excused, while the slightest comment or odd look from a woman is enough to make her the nation’s most hated.

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Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma sets up 90-run win over Zimbabwe as India takes 2-0 lead in T20 series.

India ‌inflicted another heavy defeat on Zimbabwe when they ⁠won the ⁠second Twenty20 international at Harare Sports Club by 90 runs to secure their three-match ⁠series.

Ishan Kishan scored 81 and Tilak Varma an unbeaten 60 as India amassed a formidable total of ⁠219-5 after being put into bat before dismissing Zimbabwe cheaply for 129 to secure the victory on Saturday.

Kishan, whose runs came off 44 balls, and Tilak, who took 29 balls to get ‌to 60, accelerated the scoring in the middle overs, taking advantage of bowling that was often too full.

They put on 94 off 44 balls for the fourth wicket before Ishan was caught in the deep mistiming a slog at a wide delivery.

Zimbabwe faced ⁠a record run chase and, although ⁠opener Brian Bennett offered some early hope, they were always up against it and were dismissed in 17.5 overs.

Bennett played an array of ⁠strokes for 32 runs off 19 balls before falling to Yash Thakur, who ⁠finished with 2-30 on his T20 ⁠international debut.

Once Bennett had been dismissed, there was a steady fall of wickets, with the slow left-arm bowling of Abhishek Sharma producing the ‌best figures of 3-17.

India won the opening match of the three-game series at the Harare Sports Club by ‌seven ‌wickets with 40 balls to spare.

The last clash is on Sunday.

WASHINGTON — The Dodgers arrived at the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 2025 World Series championship following an invitation from President Trump.

The ceremony took place in the Rose Garden, with manager Dave Roberts selected to give a speech on behalf of the team.

It was the back-to-back champions’ second visit in as many years, but this trip came with scheduling complications. The timing for a visit didn’t work out when the Dodgers were in town to play the Nationals in April for a day-game laden series. So, they used their single off day on a three-city East Coast trip to make a pit stop in Washington, wedging the visit between games against the Phillies and Mets.

The decision to again visit the White House raised debate among Dodgers fans, who argue Trump’s anti-immigration policies have harmed many of the team’s supporters. But Roberts has continually tried to downplay the political messaging associated with the visit.

Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández did not join the team for the visit, with Betts telling reporters he preferred to spend the day with his family and Hernandez saying he had a rehab assignment conflict but wouldn’t have joined the team if he was available. Hernández previously offered his support to fans affected by ICE raids in Los Angeles, while Betts said he didn’t want his decision to be viewed as political.

The Dodgers donated more than $1 million to local organizations assisting those affected by the ICE raids.

“This took a long time to get both sides together, and, honestly, like I’ve always said, my company line, my personal line is I hope that we get this invitation every year,” Roberts said when the trip was finalized this month. “Because that’s the goal: to win a championship, to get this invitation to the White House. And I’m not a politician, and I’m doing something that teams have done for decades. And so that’s where I stand, really. I’m a baseball coach. That’s what I do.”

The visit falls days after Bloomberg reported that two insurance companies controlled by Dodgers chairman Mark Walter, as well as Guggenheim Partners, where Walter is chief executive, are being investigated by federal prosecutors for potential financial improprieties.

No charges have been filed. Representatives from the parent company of the insurance firms as well as from TWC Global — the Walter business empire that controls his sporting investments, including the Dodgers and Lakers — have told reporters they are cooperating with the investigation.