Welcome to Screen Gab, the spooky newsletter for everyone who loves scares, thrills, tricks and treats.
Happy Halloween! Whether you plan to stay home or don a costume and hit the town, at some point this weekend, it’s worth putting on a movie or show to fit the theme of the season. The great thing is that there’s something for everyone, as our guide to Halloween programming shows. Whether you prefer something kid-friendly like “Is It Cake? Halloween” or something more sinister like the newly released HBO series “It: Welcome to Derry,” which expands Stephen King’s horror universe (more on that below), there’s plenty to choose from. And if you‘re in L.A., film editor Joshua Rothkopf and reporter Mark Olsen have compiled a guide to local theaters hosting screenings of classic horror films like “Black Sabbath” and “Bride of Frankenstein.” (If you can’t snag a ticket, their list also doubles as a great reference for films to watch at home, as many are available to stream.)
If that’s not enough, we have more recommendations that you can add to your queue, including a special episode of a (sadly) recently canceled Apple TV series and the pair of “It” films that led to the creation of “Welcome to Derry.” Additionally, Jovan Adepo, who plays Leroy Hanlon on the prequel series, which dropped its second episode on HBO Max in time for Halloween, spoke to us about some of the real-life themes of horror the show covers.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Rhea Seehorn stars in the new Apple TV series “Pluribus.”
Forget ‘I’m too old for this’: Women over 60 are redefining action stardom: The growing army of 60-ish women who kick ass, take names and rarely complain about getting too old for anything has been joined by Emma Thompson’s Zoë Boehm in “Down Cemetery Road” and the menopausal punk rockers of “Riot Women.”
That this period comedy, on my best of 2024 list, failed to complete a second season is one of the great television tragedies of this year. (Star and co-creator Noel Fielding stopped showing up partway through production, reportedly due to health issues.) It has nevertheless left us this one extra, excellent, just-released Halloween-appropriate episode. A mysterious creature (see title) has been attacking coaches along the highway, leaving Dick (Fielding), the notorious English highwayman, and his motley crew without anything to rob. Although technically about a criminal, its hero is good-hearted — essentially a version of the Fielding one sees co-hosting “The Great British Baking Show” — and its approach to monsters trends more to understanding than horror. (A recommendation in itself.) Continuing in the All Hallows Eve spirit, you’ll find more paranormal doings in the series’ still-available first season, including witches, warlocks and a cursed coach. And you may want to carry on (and should) to its equally fine twin sister, “Renegade Nell” (Disney+) — another period supernatural comedy about an early 18th century highwayman (or woman, as the case may be), which adds a feminist twist. — Robert Lloyd
Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in “It: Chapter Two.”
(Brooke Palmer/Warner Bros. Pictures)
“It” and “It: Chapter Two” (HBO Max)
The Halloween season is in full swing, and there are few things more terrifying than a demonic clown with a red balloon. HBO has just launched “It: Welcome to Derry,” the prequel to “It” and “It: Chapter Two,” the recent hit film adaptations of Stephen King’s 1986 epic novel featuring Pennywise, the deadly clown who preys on children and adults. Co-created by Andy Muschietti, who directed the films and directs on the series, the drama is set in the early 1960s in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and takes on an even more nightmarish quality in delving into the origins of the notorious villain. Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise in the films, reprises the role in “Derry.” Before more episodes are released, viewers should get their scare on by revisiting the films or watching them for the first time. The first film is particularly chilling, and Pennywise will give you the shivers. Be afraid. — Greg Braxton
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Jovan Adepo as Maj. Leroy Hanlon in HBO’s “It: Welcome to Derry.”
(Brooke Palmer / HBO)
The monster at the center of Stephen King’s “It” remains one of horror’s most terrifying figures. The author’s novel provided readers with the original tale of a group adolescents who battled a demonic clown, but it wasn’t until 1990 that we got an onscreen adaptation via the ABC miniseries that starred Tim Curry as the story’s terrifying villain, Pennywise. His devilish clown was merciless, preying on children and taunting them with bursts of blood, dead loved ones and a frightening set of sharp teeth. And while those things were scary, what made the adaptation horrifying was how it made mundane things like storm drains, old pipes and red balloons appear much more sinister.
Nearly two decades later, the feature films introduced a whole new generation to the terrors of “It,” and now with “Welcome to Derry,” we get a new story that adds more layers and aims to show who or what It really is. The HBO series, which will have a three-season arc, begins in 1962 with the story of the Hanlons, a Black military family that moves to Derry. The patriarch, Air Force Maj. Leroy Hanlon, played by Adepo, is a respected war hero who almost immediately has to battle a different kind of demon: bigotry. It’s a central theme and shows how “these horrors keep haunting us,” according to Barbara Muschietti, who alongside her brother Andy, spoke recently about the series to senior reporter Greg Braxton.
Adepo is no stranger to stories where race and bigotry are explored, having starred in series like Netflix’s “When They See Us,” a dramatization about the Central Park Five, and HBO’s “The Watchmen,” in which he played Hooded Justice. He stopped by Guest Spot this week to talk about the kinds of horrors “Welcome to Derry” portrays, what helped him unwind after filming and how he turns to a pair of TV comedies for comfort. — Maira Garcia
“It” has been adapted for the screen before. How familiar were you with King’s universe and “It” before taking on this role? Had you read the book or watched the films or miniseries?
I hadn’t read the book in the years before, but I was quite familiar with the recent two films, as well as the classic miniseries. Taking on the role of Leroy gave me a special opportunity to dive deeper into the lore and to also explore some of my own choices for how Leroy was portrayed.
“Welcome to Derry” begins by giving us some of the back story for Mike Hanlon’s family — a key character in “It.” In Episode 1, we’re introduced to your character, Leroy Hanlon, Mike’s grandfather, an Air Force major who encounters overt racism almost immediately when arriving on base in Derry. You’ve explored themes of race in previous roles — what was it like to explore it in the context of this show and the time period it’s set in, the ‘60s?
I think it’s the perfect lens through which to tell this story within the context of the era, because it adds another layer of life challenges for the Hanlons. It explores the struggle of dealing with prejudice and oppression among the members of the community, who are being tormented in a completely different way. That dynamic already creates an interesting environment that only deepens when you add the individual obstacles these characters face.
I’m compelled by an idea that this series brings forth: Monsters are terrifying, but the real world — with war, racism, genocide and so forth — is frightening enough. Did that resonate with you and your character at all?
Yes, in fact, I think that idea runs through the veins of a few characters here. I truly think this genre — and what Andy and Barb have brought to this season — beautifully showcases a very relatable experience of fear, one rooted in real historical moments and woven into a much more sensational element. Along with [co-showrunners Jason] Fuchs and [Brad Caleb] Kane, they’ve created space for viewers to connect with characters’ lives before the monster really begins to engage.
Working on such heavy material, how would you unwind after shoots?
I spent a lot of time at home recharging — watching films, exploring my neighborhood on walks with my dog, and so on. Building a routine of going shopping at the market, visiting my butcher shop, and going out to eat with my castmates was also quite relaxing. Most of us lived close to each other, so I saw everyone quite often.
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
I’m a creature of habit, so on my off days I usually recharge by watching previously released shows or films. I think the last thing I brought up in conversation on set was the HBO show “Animals” [HBO Max].
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
Oh, man. Comfort watching, to me, is something I can put on in the background after a long day on set. I’d have to give it to “Family Guy” [Hulu] or “The Office” [Peacock].
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wore out their remote’s fast-forward button while watching the Season 9 finale of “Love Is Blind.”
In the wake of the news that Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton, the inaugural couple to get engaged on “Love is Blind,” welcomed their first child earlier this month (raising the already high bar their rom-com coded relationship had set), the latest season of Netflix’s addictive and maddening social experiment concluded with a dramatic first in the reality franchise’s history. And while the “Sparkle Megan” nickname reveal early in the season still feels like the biggest shock to our system, the outcomes of this season’s weddings will hopefully make next week’s reunion special interesting to watch. But maybe our “Love Is Blind” correspondent Kaitlyn Huamani was onto something when she chose to add some intrigue to her binge of the show. She leaned into the mystery the singles experience in the pods by obscuring her screen and strictly listening to the participants during that critical phase of the experiment to test her assessment of the matches.
But don’t fret, lovers of love. “Nobody Wants This” is back for its second season to help maintain Adam Brody’s grip on GIF-able kisses. For the uninitiated, the L.A.-set series revolves around the will-they/won’t-they relationship between Joanne (Kristen Bell), a woman who often regales about her single life on a podcast, who falls in love with Noah (Brody), a progressive rabbi. But can their relationship make it past hurdles that include their careers, family and religion? The new season takes us on their ongoing journey to figure that out. But there’s another complicated relationship coming into focus too. Joanne’s sister and podcast co-host, Morgan (Justine Lupe), has a boundary-pushing friendship with Noah’s married brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons), that continues to cause tension with his longtime wife, Esther (Jackie Tohn) — and unlocks some other issues about their union in process. Simons stopped by Guest Spot to discuss his character’s approach to marriage and platonic friendships.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our recommendations are a light comedy caper that’s a spinoff of the long-running British crime series “Death in Paradise,” and a documentary that gives an intimate look at the life and career of award-winning Deaf actor Marlee Matlin.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Actor Aidan Delbis, photographed in Beverly Hills in October. Delbis has a breakout role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming “Bugonia.”
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Kris Marshall as Humphrey Goodman and Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams in “Beyond Paradise.”
(Joss Barrett / BritBox / Red Planet Pictures)
“Beyond Paradise” (BritBox)
The third season of this spinoff from the island-set “Death in Paradise” has arrived. Following tall, awkward detective inspector Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), transplanted from the Caribbean back to a small seaside town in Devon, England, trading blue skies for gray, it’s the coziest of cozy mysteries. Comedy and romance thread their way among its apparently impossible murders, always solved with a sudden inspiration in the final minutes of an episode. Sally Bretton plays Martha, Humphrey’s possibly permanent fiancee, who has moved her cafe to larger quarters; they’re still hoping to foster a child. Meanwhile, Martha’s previous fiance, Archie (Jamie Bamber), a well-heeled wine merchant, has crept back into the story, projecting a vibe of “I’m not your rival, rival” toward Humphrey. (I don’t trust him.) At the police station, in an old church, we find Zahra Ahmadi as Sgt. Esther Williams (not awkward), Dylan Llewellyn as PC Kelby Hartford (a puppy dog), and the great Felicity Montagu (known for playing Alan Partridge’s long-suffering assistant Lynne) as office manager Margo, uninhibited. Watch with a cup of something warm, with a shot of something stronger. — Robert Lloyd
Marlee Matlin in “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.”
(Courtesy of Sundance Institute)
“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” (PBS.org)
She didn’t set out to be a groundbreaker or an activist, but Matlin became both. This intimate documentary directed by Shoshannah Stern (who is Deaf like Matlin) that premiered at Sundance earlier this year provides a showcase for a talented woman whose star rose quickly, thanks to a breakout performance in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God.” The role won her an Oscar, making her the youngest person to receive the actress award at 21 — a distinction she still holds — and the first Deaf performer to win an Academy Award. (Her “CODA” co-star Troy Kotsur would become the second, 35 years later.) The film examines her upbringing in a hearing family; how a meeting with Henry Winkler led to a lifelong friendship and a path to Hollywood; and how she became a spokesperson and activist for the Deaf community after her Oscar win. (Matlin lobbied Congress for closed captioning on televisions; the first time she watched “The Wizard of Oz” with captions, she says, was a “revelation.”) While she garnered success, she struggled to get more acting roles despite her Oscar win, but more came over time, including parts in “Picket Fences,” “Seinfeld” and, later, “The West Wing.” The film also details her battle with addiction and leaving an abusive relationship with actor William Hurt, her “Children” co-star. However, what makes the film unique is how it places its Deaf subject first, largely using sign language and captions to communicate to viewers. It’s an inclusive look at one of America’s most inspiring actors. — Maira Garcia
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Timothy Simons as Sasha and Justine Lupe as Morgan in Season 2 of “Nobody Wants This.”
(Netflix)
Can men and women be just friends? It’s a question that has long been dissected, debated and downplayed by couples and friends — and in plenty of movies and TV shows. “Nobody Wants This,” the Netflix romantic comedy, offers its own complex and controversial portrayal of such a dynamic. While the show swirls around the hurdles in the love journey of its main characters — Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) — the relationship triangle that’s been brewing between its supporting players comes more sharply into focus in Season 2, now streaming. As Sasha, Noah’s brother who is played by Timothy Simons, tries to place better boundaries with Joanne’s sister, Morgan (Lupe), their friendship places a strain on his marriage to wife Esther (Tohn), leading to more hard truths. Simons stopped by Guest Spot to discuss what interests him about exploring a lived-in marriage at a breaking point, his go-to L.A. spots for a perfect day and the unconventional movie picks on his comfort-watch roster. — Yvonne Villarreal
The season dives into the tough decisions or sacrifices people make when being part of a relationship, and the potential long-term resentments or buried feelings that may resurface later. In this challenging time in Sasha and Esther’s marriage, we get more insight into what those issues are for them. What intrigues you about exploring the rough patches of a lived-in relationship?
I think there’s something interesting about examining those challenges for both actor and audience because it reflects broadly what a lot of people go through as they age in a relationship. People grow and change and can learn to grow and change together, and it’s hard to ask a question like, “Would I choose this person or this life if I met them now,” because what if the answer is no? That’s a rough one to face. Falling in love is somewhat easy, but staying in love is hard. Specific answers to Esther and Sasha aside, I think it’s interesting for an audience to grapple with that question, cause they’ve probably asked some form of it in their real lives.
The bond between Sasha and Morgan has been controversial from the start, with viewers wondering if it was going to evolve into an affair or remain a questionable approach to a platonic relationship. What do you think is going on there and what has it revealed to you about Sasha and what he’s seeking or lacking at this stage in his life? Are there things Sasha and Morgan do or discuss that would be a hard no for you as a married person?
I think that there is a kinship with Morgan and Sasha that, despite very different upbringings, is based on a similar worldview and station in their respective families. I think they get each other in a lot of ways despite not fitting in with most of the world. They are misfits and I think they connect in that. As long as the communication is good and boundaries aren’t crossed, finding someone to discuss issues or seek advice from, I don’t think is a betrayal.
The show is set in L.A. What are three go-to spots you’d recommend to an out-of-towner for the perfect day in L.A.?
Oh man. A lot of ways to go here, but taking a hike in Elysian Park and then going to Jitlada and Jumbo’s Clown Room would be a fun day for everyone. I think with those three you get a wonderful cross-section about what makes the city so rad to live in day-to-day.
You appeared in the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” as loathsome Commander Bell. When I spoke with the showrunners, they said when they conceived that character, they used your “Veep” character, the incompetent and insufferable Jonah Ryan, as a model. What’s it like to be synonymous with a character like Jonah and to see how his name gets invoked in discussions of both fictional and real life matters of governance?
Hopefully I can convince people that I’m not as big of a scumbag in real life as those characters, and I love that I got to be a part of something that people hold as fondly in their hearts as I do. That was an incredible experience and a wonderful ensemble of writers, actors and crew all working together. It’s wild, though, to live in a world where Jonah Ryan seems somewhat aspirational.
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
It’s horror movie season, so I’ve been recommending everyone watch “Pieces”(1982) [AMC+], which is my favorite slasher. A truly wild film with the best ending to any horror movie I’ve ever seen (and that includes “Sleepaway Camp” [Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi]). Also, no surprise here that I’m quite high on “One Battle After Another,” which I’ve seen three times and will go back for a fourth cause I haven’t been able to see it in VistaVision yet.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
Comfort films are an odd thing for me because I find myself rewatching movies like “Sicario” [Peacock] and “Zero Dark Thirty” [Paramount+], which you can’t argue are comforting in their subject matter. But they are so perfectly constructed, shot and performed that it’s comforting to watch them.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who spent the week belting “You Don’t Own Me” with the same gusto as an empowered ex-wife dressed in white.
Diane Keaton died this week at age 79 at her Los Angeles home. The L.A. native had a career that spanned more than five decades and included a wide-ranging and indelible list of performances in films such as “The Godfather” saga, “Annie,” Baby Boom,” “Father of the Bride” (and its sequel), “The First Wives Club,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Family Stone” — the list goes on and on. Take a moment to read film editor Joshua Rothkop’s illuminating snapshot of Keaton’s life. Of course, her legacy goes far beyond the performance. Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote how Keaton showed us how to dress up our insecurities and embrace the kooky. And if you want to take a dive into her oeuvre, we have a roundup of 10 Keaton performances worth watching. Pluto TV is featuring an on-demand collection called “Remembering Diane Keaton,” with 15 of her most beloved films available to stream anytime.
And speaking of women who leave a lasting impression — this week saw the return of Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the highly competent seasoned foreign service officer, with the arrival of “The Diplomat’s” third season. The Netflix series has spent its time tracking the career diplomat’s journey being primed to assume the role of vice president. Its backdrop storyline of an aging president who is expected to pass the torch to a younger female vice president — and the chaos that ensues when the plan is upended — may have real-world parallels, but the show’s creator, Debora Cahn, whose other credits include “The West Wing” and “Homeland,” insists the series is not a commentary. She stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the political thriller.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations are an eclectic pair: a documentary that chronicles the 60-year movement to convert abandoned railroads into public spaces around America and, for those looking to make their viewing of Guillermo Del Toro’s take on “Frankenstein” a double-feature kind of night, we make the case for a ‘90s gory horror-comedy twist on the legend.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Diane Keaton arrives at a news conference at the 40th Cannes Film Festival to introduce her feature directorial debut, “Heaven,” in 1987.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
A view of the Island Line Trail in “From Rails to Trails.”
(PBS)
“From Rails to Trails” (PBS.org)
Trains ran close to where I grew up, and I’m still stupidly excited whenever I see one in action. There are fewer now than there were then, but part of their romance is the alternative routes they carved through the land. “From Rails to Trails” documents the 60-year movement to transform abandoned rail lines — which is to say, most rail lines — into paths for biking and hiking, turning them into linear public parks, making the countryside accessible but also remaking urban spaces. It’s a movement not without its opponents, its reversals and consequences, including the gentrification that can follow them. But this often moving hour-long documentary is a paean to old-fashioned coalition building and community activism — needed now more than ever — and the success of a new idea many now take for granted. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg chime in. New voice of the everyman Edward Norton narrates. — Robert Lloyd
“Frankenhooker” (Pluto TV, Tubi)
The lament of “The Bride of Frankenstein” is that the heroine herself is only onscreen for a few minutes. Get your fix by watching Frank Henenlotter’s “Frankenhooker.” This sleazy-brilliant 1990 romp is so clever it ranks (severed) head and shoulders with the black-and-white classics. An inventor, Jeffrey (James Lorinz), is bereft over losing his fiancée Elizabeth (Patty Mullen) to a freak lawnmower accident. He vows to rebuild his future bride — but hotterr. “I can make you the centerfold goddess of the century,” Jeffrey says with a leer. The real vanity is his. He wants a sexy, mindless babe. Henenlotter (also of the schlock hit “Basket Case”) claimed he didn’t think deeply about the subtext of his horror movies, a feint that dates back farther than George A. Romero pretending “Night of the Living Dead’s” martyred Black hero wasn’t a comment on race. They’re both fibbers. “Frankenhooker” is a giddy, popcorn-chomping comment on the disposability of women, especially the sex workers Jeffrey murders for spare parts. But what brings it to life is Mullen’s uproarious resurrected sexpot. Stomping around wearing a purple bra and a ghastly sneer, she belongs to no man — ring on her finger or not. Make it a double feature with Guillermo Del Toro’s terrific new “Frankenstein” in theaters this week. — Amy Nicholson
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Allison Janney as Grace, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler and Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in Season 3 scene from “The Diplomat.”
(Alex Bailey / Netflix)
Will the U.S. ever be ready for a female president? Time will tell. But “The Diplomat” has provided its contribution to the list of fictional ones. The Netflix drama, a fast-paced look at the art of diplomacy, stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, a newly-appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom who is tapped from the ranks of career diplomats to be quietly prepped to become vice president. The plan, of course, hasn’t gone as expected. In the whirlwind final moments of last season, the president dies and suddenly the person Kate was enlisted to push out, Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney), is whisked into duty — just as Kate has discovered the VP is responsible for hatching a terrorist plot. The show returned for its third season earlier this week and explores the aftermath as Penn is sworn in as president. Here, creator Debora Cahn shares what she was interested in unpacking in Season 3’s marriage dynamics, orchestrating a “West Wing” reunion and the time she met former Vice President Kamala Harris. There are some mild spoilers ahead, so bookmark for later if you haven’t begun the season! — Yvonne Villarreal
What did you want out of Kate’s journey this season? Her professional ambitions are once again tested by her marriage. Hal keeps claiming it’s Kate’s time to be in the spotlight and yet he manages to steal it.
We wanted to look at how it happens that someone like Hal winds up in the spotlight even when he’s desperately trying not to; the circumstances that surround decisions like this, which make it such that even the people in the middle of them don’t really have any control over it. You can look at what Grace is doing, and you can understand why she thinks Kate is fantastic, but that the choice, in terms of what’s going to make it easier for her to get through the day, is Hal. And we didn’t want to have a science fiction White House where there are two women happily running the country. That’s just not the world that we’re living in. And it felt like the most honest thing that we could do is tell a story about what it means to be really qualified and really experienced and really ready, and then watch it all slip away at the last second.
The season includes a delightful “West Wing” reunion, a show you wrote for. Allison Janney returns as VP-turned-President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford portrays her husband, Todd. What was it like to see them back together onscreen? And what did you want their marriage dynamic to say?
It was like first day of school jitters for the first day that each of them was on set. We really wanted to make sure that this was something new and it wasn’t a reference to the work that we’d done together in the past. And the second they started, it was just clear that we were watching a new relationship that these two great actors were building together and informed by the fact that they know each other quite well and that they’ve been good friends for 20 years, but using that to create something new and fresh and really, really satisfying.
This is a marriage that has some very similar structural dynamics to Kate and Hal, but there are some fundamental differences, which is, there was never an assumption that Todd’s career could continue to function alongside Grace’s once she became vice president; and certainly when she becomes president, there’s no question that will become the focus for both of them. And so there are dynamics that Kate and Hal still wrestle with, which we see are kind of absolved with Todd and Grace. And in some ways that helps, and in some ways it doesn’t help.
We’re looking at a couple that’s 10 years farther down the road in their marriage and have made, in some ways, a more pragmatic decision about what it means to have two smart, capable people with careers existing at the same time. Their decision is that one of them isn’t going to exist right now. I think the thing that I enjoy most about both Hal and Todd is that these are people who really, really, really love their wives and really want to be supportive and they still fail or they struggle so, so mightily. We’ve talked about this before: I don’t like writing villains. I don’t want to write politicians that have bad values or selfish goals. I also don’t want to write people in a marriage who don’t give a s— about each other. I would much rather look at the much larger problem, which is, you do really care about each other. You do really want the best for each other, and you still can’t manage to make it happen.
Allison Janney as President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford as First Gentleman Todd Penn in “The Diplomat.”
(Clifton Prescod / Netflix)
“The Diplomat” premiered in a different political climate from the one it’s in now. The show is not a direct commentary on what’s happening now, but how does the current reality, particularly as it relates to what those in civil service are facing, inform how you think about or build stories moving forward? What sorts of questions are you asking now of people who work in the government?
We write a story two years before the audience watches it, so we we don’t want to be making a direct commentary. Even if we did, the world is moving so fast, we couldn’t try and keep up. But we do want to be in the foreign policy headspace that the world is in, and try to be looking at what are the bigger questions and bigger conflicts that face people who are working in this field. We think a lot about the fact that 300,000 people were fired from the federal government. We think a lot about what it’s like to work for this administration and — I’m trying to figure out what to say without getting into Season 4, which I don’t want to do. It doesn’t inform the specifics of any of the stories that we’re telling, but it does inform the worldview and the bigger questions that face people in this field as the field changes. As the world changes.
You’re writing about people whose job it is to make hard decisions every day. What was the hardest decision you had to make for this third season — either in the writing phase or the production phase?
We moved the base of production from the UK back to New York. The first two seasons we were based in the UK, and then for Season 3, we did half and half. There were a lot of really good reasons for that. It also meant that we had a crew that grew this organism with us — and we were very close to them; they had huge influence on the show — and leaving them behind was really, really terrible. It’s a tough time in the film and television industry right now, and we felt pretty good about bringing jobs back to this community. That was something that was important to us and we really wanted to do. So, we are comfortable with the decision that we made, but, boy, it sure wasn’t fun making it and going through it. It’s people’s livelihood. It’s not a small thing.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently released a book chronicling her whirlwind and brief campaign as a 2024 presidential candidate. Have you read it?
I have not read it. But did I tell you about when we met her?
No. Tell me. You were also filming this third season during the election, right?
We were we were shooting it during the election. We were writing it during the election. And we we were worried about how it was going to look. We didn’t want it to look like a commentary on this presidency. But we did have a female vice president that we liked a whole lot, and a male president that we really loved and was of a certain age and didn’t make it through the process — the dynamics kept getting more and more troubling.
Keri and I were at the [White House Correspondents’] Dinner. And there was a receiving line, and we met and shook hands with the president and the first lady and the vice president and the second gentleman. And I said, “Ma’am, I’m writing a story about what it’s like for a woman who’s really experienced and really smart and really capable and really ready to do a job who then gets passed over for someone who is perhaps less qualified.” And she laughed. Then she said, “Call me.”
Have you called?
I have not called. I felt like she had some stuff going on. I didn’t really want to bother her and say, “Heyyyyy … let’s talk about how that went …”
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“Dying for Sex” [Hulu, Disney+]. It was brutal and intense and very funny and extremely well-written. And I just thought what they did from a public health service perspective, sharing practical information about what it actually means to go through the process of death, I thought it was just a huge public service.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
“Postcards from the Edge” [VOD] — it is just so smart and so funny and both Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep are just absolutely to die for.
“Monster,” the gruesome and graphic anthology series from longtime collaborators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, has dramatized the chilling story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and the highly publicized and complex case of Lyle and Erik Menendez, brothers who were convicted for the 1989 murder of their parents. The third installment of the Netflix series, which was released last week, puts its twist on the legend of Gein, a killer who inspired fictional villains like Norman Bates and Leatherface. Brennan, who wrote the season, stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the fantastical approach to the season and that “Mindhunter” hat tip.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations include a “Frontline” documentary that continues its chronicle on the lingering impact of poverty and a spinoff of “The Boys” set at America’s only college for superheroes.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Illustration of John Candy with his hands on his cheeks.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
A still from “Frontline: Born Poor,” which filmed over 14 years with kids from three families, from adolescents to adults, to explore how poverty has affected them.
(Frontline PBS)
“Frontline: Born Poor” (PBS.org)
Television is glutted with “reality,” but there are still filmmakers who prefer to look at how people live when they’re not contestants in a dating game or bunked up with competitive strangers. Jezza Neumann’s “Born Poor” is the third installment in a moving documentary series that began 14 years ago with “Poor Kids,” and, like Michael Apted’s “7 Up” films, has visited its subjects in intervals over the years since. Set in the Quad Cities area, where Illinois meets Iowa along the Mississippi River, it follows Brittany, Johnny and Kayli from bright-eyed childhood into chastened, though still optimistic adulthood, as they deal with life on the margins — power lost, houses lost, school impossible, food unpredictable. Now, with kids of their own, all are concerned to provide them a better life than the ones they had. With Washington waging a war on the poor to protect the rich, it’s a valuable watch. — Robert Lloyd
Derek Luh (Jordan Li), from left, Jaz Sinclair (Marie Moreau), Keeya King (Annabeth Moreau), Lizze Broadway (Emma Meyer) in “Gen V.”
(Jasper Savage / Prime)
“Gen V” (Prime Video)
Just two weeks out from its Season 2 finale and the satirical superhero series continues to deliver merciless dark humor and sharp topical commentary on America’s great crumble — inside of a tale about misfits enduring the rigors of college life.
Spun off from the brilliant “The Boys” franchise, this series from Eric Kripke, Craig Rosenberg and Evan Goldberg follows a group of students at Godolkin University, an institution designed to identify and train the next generation of superheroes. But the co-eds soon discover that their supposed higher education is in fact a clandestine operation to create “Supe” soldiers for an impending war between the super-powered and non-powered humans. Returning to the fold is Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), who emerges as the rebel group’s most powerful weapon against the school’s nefarious plot. Working alongside her are Emma (Lizze Broadway), Cate (Maddie Phillips), Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) and Sam (Asa Germann). The wonderfully unnerving Hamish Linklater (“Midnight Mass”) joins the cast as the school’s new dean.
Is “Gen V” just as gory as “The Boys”? Absolutely. Watch with caution. But nothing else is quite as fearless in calling out the contradictions and absurdities of our times, be it corrupt politics, corporate domination or false religiosity. — Lorraine Ali
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein in an episode of “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”
(Netflix)
“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” stars Charlie Hunnam as the so-called “Butcher of Plainfield,” whose gruesome crimes in 1950s small-town Wisconsin went on to inspire pop culture classics like “Psycho” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” The season leans into Gein’s diagnosed schizophrenia and his legacy in Hollywood to present a deeply fictionalized version of his horrifying activities. All eight episodes of the season are now streaming. Ian Brennan, who co-created the anthology series with Ryan Murphy and helmed the latest installment, stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the season’s approach to fact vs. fiction, that “Mindhunter” nod and the documentary that earns his rewatch time. — Yvonne Villarreal
We often hear from actors about the roles that stay with them long after they’re done filming. Are there elements of “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” that you still can’t shake?
Ed Gein was schizophrenic, and I find the internal life he would have suffered through for decades — alone and hearing voices, primarily that of his dead mother — completely harrowing. He wasn’t medicated until late in his life, and until he was, his mind was a hall of mirrors of images he saw and couldn’t unsee — most shockingly photos of Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust. I believe the only way he could cope was to try to normalize these things — digging up bodies, skinning them, making things from them — and the nagging voice of his mother ultimately drove him to murder at least two women, Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, maybe more. Ed Gein wasn’t the local boogeyman — his neighbors didn’t find him scary — he was the guy you’d have watch your kids if the babysitter canceled last-minute. And yet, in those four inches between his ears there existed a bizarre, terrifying hellscape of profound loneliness and total confusion. Every day in this country we see what happens when the lethal combination of male loneliness and mental illness goes ignored. The thought of an Ed Gein living just down the street from me is chilling.
“Based on a true story” depictions typically have a loose relationship with the truth due to storytelling needs. This season of “Monster” bakes that idea into the narrative — whether because of Ed’s understanding of events or the way in which he, or his crimes, inspired deeply fictionalized villains like Norman Bates (“Psycho”), Leatherface (“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”) and Buffalo Bill (“The Silence of the Lambs”) — in trying to unpack the “Who is the monster?” question. What questions were swirling in your head as you tried to weave this story together? And how did that inform where and how you took your liberties?
Ed’s story is, in many ways, fragmented — he didn’t remember many details of the acts he committed, and he passed polygraph tests when interrogated about cold cases police suspected he may have perpetrated. So we knew from the very beginning that there would be gaps to fill in when telling his story — and it seemed the obvious way to do it was to let the true story interplay with the fictionalized versions of Ed Gein that he inspired. There’s a subtle thematic bleed between the versions of Ed we see in the series and the monsters in the movies he inspired — in the first three episodes, we see a “Psycho”-inflected Ed Gein obsessed with his mother; next a much more sexualized, violent Ed Gein that would become “Leatherface”; then an Ed Gein who so fetishized the female body and who was made so ill by the repression of that urge that he became obsessed with building a suit made from women’s bodies. These versions of Ed, to me, are like the blind men feeling different parts of the elephant in the parable — each true in their own way, but each also just a fragment of a shattered whole that will probably never be fully understood.
The season finale features a “Mindhunter” nod. Happy Anderson, who played serial killer Jerry Brudos on that show, reprises his role as the Shoe Fetish Slayer, talking to characters meant to be Holden Ford and Bill Tench, though they’re named John Douglas and Robert Ressler, the real FBI agents who inspired the fictional ones. When and why did you realize you wanted to have that hat tip? Was there an attempt to try to get Jonathan Groff or Holt McCallany?
Having written three seasons of this anthology so far, we’ve realized each time that the emotional climax always comes in the penultimate episode and the finales are always particularly difficult to figure out. We knew we needed to top the episodes that had preceded it by shifting the show’s look and tone — and we had in our hands the nugget that John Douglas and Robert Ressler had, indeed, interviewed Ed Gein in person. Ryan and I both find David Fincher’s oeuvre almost uniquely inspiring, so once we pictured an episode that played as an homage to Fincher’s tone and style and narrative approach, it was something I, at least, just couldn’t unsee. If we were going to go down the rabbit hole of what this chapter of Ed’s story might have looked like, I could only really picture it in Fincher’s terms — so your guess is as good as mine as to why casting the “Mindhunter” pair of Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany in the roles didn’t feel right (we both love both of those actors), but it just didn’t.
There are so many dark moments for the actors. What scene struck you as especially difficult to write and shoot?
I was at once excited and terrified by the challenge of depicting necrophilia on our show. I’m fairly certain it’s never been done before on TV, and I knew it ran the risk of seeming arbitrarily shocking or exploitative (though I think choosing to tell Ed’s story in an easier manner by avoiding this chapter and not showing it would be the actually exploitative choice). Needless to say, even after I’d written the scene, it preoccupied me, as I had to also direct it. I felt greatly helped by the new industry standard of intimacy coordinators on set — and ours, Katie Groves, was spectacular — but still I worried about the scene just playing as cringey or unwatchable. But Charlie Hunnam, as with every scene he acted in on the show, came at the sequence with honesty and deep concern to capture all of the strangeness of the bizarre, disturbing act we were depicting — and what it said about what was going on inside Ed to lead him to commit such an act.
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
I just saw PT Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” — which was shot by one of our two directors of photography, Michael Bauman — and was just completely floored and delighted. I’m sure it’s rife with homage to films that have gone before, but I could detect no inheritance at all; it felt like a genre to itself — completely original and new. And I still find the time I watched Jonathan Glazer’s “Zone of Interest” to be among the most profound experiences of my life. He took what is maybe cinema’s most settled, well-trodden genres and turned it on its head in a way I found shocking and revelatory. If there is a better portrait of the proximity and ubiquity and the banality of human evil, I haven’t seen it. I think it is as brilliant a slice of human ingenuity as has ever been crafted. I have thought about that movie every day since I first saw it.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
It’s annoying to say it, but I don’t watch a lot of television. It’s like spending all day at the sausage factory then coming home to watch sausage footage. But the big exception is Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary “Get Back” [Disney+] chronicling the making of the film and album “Let it Be.” I basically just watch it over and over again. I came late to the Beatles (I loved the Who and resented that they always sat squarely in the Beatles’ shadow), but when they hit me, they hit me hard, and watching them in this documentary at the height of their powers is a master class in the craft of collaboration and the hard work of genius. Also, everything I thought I knew about the Beatles at the end of their stretch as a band is wrong — fighting all the time? A bit but not really. Paul hated Yoko? He actually seems to really like her. I don’t know how many hours the documentary clocks in at, but I wish it were 10 times as long.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who loves Saturday college football games and … catfish?
This week saw the premiere of “Chad Powers,” Hulu’s new comedy starring Glen Powell, who co-created and co-wrote the series with Michael Waldron. It’s based on a viral sketch by former NFL Giants quarterback Eli Manning (he’s a producer on “Chad Powers” as well), who birthed the character. But Powell and Waldron have expanded the premise and backstory of a man named Russ Holliday who makes another go at playing college football by donning a disguise à la “Mrs. Doubtfire.” In a conversation with reporter Kaitlyn Huamani, Powell said the show was an attempt at making the “greatest football experience, whether in movies or TV shows, that people have ever seen.” Times TV critic Robert Lloyd says while the show has some tropes, characters played by Steve Zahn, Perry Mattfeld and Wynn Everett add drama and laughs. Waldron, whose previous TV work is instrumental to the show’s ethos, stopped by Guest Spot this week to talk more about “Chad Powers,” and what he’s watching lately.
Meanwhile, if you’ve been staying up this week, late-night TV has been not only a hotbed of laughs, but also political discourse. On Tuesday, Jimmy Kimmel, who has been taping his L.A.-based show in Brooklyn this week, and Stephen Colbert took turns as guests on each other’s shows, creating a memorable crossover event thanks to some fortuitous timing. It was the first time either has discussed in detail how their shows were disrupted this year — Colbert’s “Late Show” was canceled in July (it will air through May 2026) and Kimmel was suspended by Disney for several days in September. We have a rundown of the conversations along with clips of their visits, which are worth watching. And don’t forget “Saturday Night Live,” another late-night show that’s been in the crosshairs of politicians, returns this weekend for its 51st season, with Bad Bunny as host and Doja Cat as musical guest (we’ll be recapping the show again this season).
This week, our streaming recommendations include films from a master of horror, who is much more multifaceted than he might get credit for, and a new action-packed film on Prime Video.
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Loren Bouchard, creator of the adult animated comedy series “Bob’s Burgers.”
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Jeff Bridges in John Carpenter’s 1984 movie, “Starman.”
(Sony Pictures)
John Carpenter (Criterion Channel)
An extensive October series on the director who redefined the season of the witch — but one without “Halloween” or “The Thing”? We love it. John Carpenter contains multitudes and it’s high time people began thinking beyond his twin horror landmarks. You could think of these collected movies as being about antiheroes navigating a broken America (“Escape from New York,” “They Live,” “Assault on Precinct 13”). Or maybe they’re cracked romances (the Oscar-nominated “Starman,” “Christine”). Vicious comedies? (“Dark Star” and “Vampires” both have their share of laughs.) One thing they’re decidedly not is boring. And if you let a more metaphysical dimension in (“Prince of Darkness,” “In the Mouth of Madness”), Carpenter suddenly becomes profound. I’m stoked to return to the ones that let me down at first — looking at you, “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” — because I know I’ve grown up since. This is a filmmaker who was always a few steps ahead of me. — Joshua Rothkopf
Chai Hansen, left, Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield in “Play Dirty.”
(Jasin Boland / Prime)
‘Play Dirty’ (Prime Video)
It’s Christmas in New York, and one pack of amoral thieves with little regard for human life are at odds with another pack of amoral thieves also with little regard for human life in this action film based on Parker, the Donald E. Westlake character. The inspiration under another name (Walker) for John Boorman’s “Point Blank” and (in a very roundabout way) Jean-Luc Godard’s “Made in USA,” the character is played here by Mark Wahlberg, with a cast that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Tony Shalhoub, Keegan-Michael Key and Gretchen Mol dignifying the violent fluff. (Shootings, crashes, runaway subway train and the like.) Many things go wrong before they go (sort of) right, heists follow heists, and there’s a high body count, mostly of characters without names, but some with. (You do need to be in the right mood for this.) I am here above all for “Atlanta’s” Stanfield, as Parker’s laconic partner, who brings spacey warmth to the icy goings-on. — Robert Lloyd
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Glen Powell, left, with Michael Waldron on the set of “Chad Powers.”
(Daniel Delgado Jr./Disney)
How do you attempt to create a show that you hope is the best depiction of college football ever? Well, it helps to be a superfan of the sport, which is precisely what Waldron and Powell are (ESPN’s Tori Petry even spoke to Powell on the sidelines of the Texas vs. Sam Houston game last week). Deep knowledge of college football was essential because Waldron wanted to convey to fans that they were not going to leave any detail untouched. While the school the show is set at, South Georgia, is fictional, the rest of the world on “Chad Powers” is not. “We always wanted real schools to be the teams that they were playing, just to ground our show and the world in authenticity, the real world of college football,” Waldron told The Times this week. “I think that’s what fans want to see.”
But even if you aren’t a superfan of college football or sports in general, Waldron, whose work on television includes creating Marvel’s “Loki” on Disney+ and “Heels” on Starz, a short-lived but critically acclaimed show about pro wrestling, knows that the writing on a TV show is key to getting viewers hooked and wanting more. “Chad Powers” is infused with references to internet personalities and memes, which anyone who is very online will understand and relate to, giving the series an opportunity to spark interest with a more expansive audience. And it works, especially if you are a looking for a comedy that will deliver some easy belly laughs. The Hulu series drops new episodes every Tuesday through Oct. 28, easily filling the time between the next Saturday game. Here, Waldron tells us about how he and Powell first connected, a special cameo on the series and a couple of films you should watch. — Maira Garcia
How did you and Glen Powell first meet and how did it lead to your new show? Are you big followers of sports or football?
Like all legendary Hollywood friendships, ours began on a Zoom general meeting during a pandemic. We hit it off talking about our mutual love of college football (I went to UGA [University of Georgia] and Glen went to [University of] Texas), which is why we were both excited to do a series set in this world.
You were a writer on “Community” and “Rick and Morty,” both shows that have reverberated among millennial viewers because of their self-awareness and/or pop culture references. Did either of those shows inform your approach to “Chad Powers”?
Well, to be clear, I was just the writers’ PA on “Community,” but that show might have been where I learned the most. Dan Harmon is one of the best writers alive and was doing “meta” before we had a word for that. In writing stuff that is “self-aware,” there’s an instinct to be cynical. Dan runs in the opposite direction, and he taught me that genuine earnestness can be a very subversive tool.
A very surprising and funny moment we get right at the start of the show is a cameo from Haliey Welch, aka Hawk Tuah Girl. How did that come about?
We were reshooting the nightclub sequence in Act 1 of the pilot to get more comedy and L.A. scope, and include the character of Russ’ agent. We wanted to populate his world with other people who felt defined by a singular viral moment, and for a show set in 2025, who better than Haliey?
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who feels as cantankerous as Jackson Lamb by the end of the workweek.
The fifth season of “Slow Horses” premiered this week. And everyone’s favorite team of disgraced British spies are back to connect the dots of a new mysterious threat. Once an underrated gem, the spy thriller’s move into the awards spotlight has brought more attention to the critical darling. But in following the very British model of releasing six-episode seasons, the entertaining ride can feel fleeting — luckily, two more seasons are already in the works. Will Smith, the show’s head writer, who is stepping down after this current season, stopped by Guest Spot to talk about the sleeper hit.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations include an Italian-set action-drama about a fixer at a luxury resort and a beloved baking competition series that always serves up a refreshing dose of wholesome goodness and showstopping sweet treats.
P.S.: Last week’s newsletter incorrectly stated that new episodes of ABC’s “High Potential” air on Wednesdays. They air on Tuesdays, and are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day. Don’t tell Morgan or she’ll add us to the murder board!
ICYMI
Must-read stories you might have missed
Tim Curry, center, as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in 1975’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
How Beyond Fest became L.A.’s best film festival: An event that started off as a bluff has outgrown its genre roots to become a legitimate destination for rabid film fans, boasting rarities and prestige titles alike.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Jordan Alexandra as Genny and Jesse Williams as Daniel De Luca in a scene from “Hotel Costeria.”
(Virginia Bettoja / Prime)
“Hotel Costiera” (Prime Video)
A charming Jesse Williams, the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum, plays Daniel De Luca, a sort of action concierge at a high-end boutique hotel on the Amalfi Coast in this easygoing mix of “The White Lotus” and a midcentury Continental adventure show, like “The Saint” or “The Protectors.” A long-arc plot involving the missing daughter (Amanda Campana) of Daniel’s hotelier boss (Tommaso Ragno) runs alongside episodic stories — the search for a missing guest, sourcing a flight-worthy coffin, stealing an important bracelet from a local crime figure — mixing mysteries with human interest and a lot of local color. (Williams speaks Italian with persuasive fluency.) Assisting Daniel in his investigations is a team of classic types — a beautiful yet brainy woman (Jordan Alexandra); a comical aristocrat (Sam Haygarth), like Bertie Wooster by way of Mr. Bean; and a rotund restaurateur Bigné (Antonio Gerardi), at whose trattoria they all hang out, plotting whatever needs to be plotted. It’s saying nothing against the rest of this pleasantly diverting series that these scenes are the heart of the show, and, yes, I would like a cappuccino, grazie. — Robert Lloyd
Paul Hollywood, left, Alison Hammond, Prue Leith and Noah Fielding in a promotional still from “The Great British Baking Show.”
(Mark Bourdillon / Channel 5 / Netflix)
“Great British Baking Show,” Collection 13 (Netflix)
September means the arrival of fall and another season of the best baking show on TV. Over the years, the series has stuck to a simple yet effective recipe of beautiful bakes, friendly competition and soothing voiceovers (thanks to Noel Fielding). This season’s contestants are just as talented and endearing as previous ones, but now that we’re three episodes in — and past the dreaded Bread Week — we’re down to nine bakers. Among them are Nataliia, a Ukrainian immigrant living in East Yorkshire; Iain, a short king and self-proclaimed “yeastie boy” from Belfast; and Jasmine, an ever-smiling 23-year-old medical student. In this week’s back-to-school-themed episode, the bakers’ challenges include making flapjacks (in the U.K., they’re like a granola bar) and school cake (a sponge with icing and sprinkles). They sound simple, but no recipe is what it seems on this show. And those low-stakes surprises and competition are precisely what makes “Baking Show” a balm for the soul right now. — Maira Garcia
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Rosalind Eleazar, left, Christopher Chung, Saskia Reeves, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Jack Lowden in “Slow Horses.”
(Jack English / Apple TV+)
Do you ever look at your boss and feel both deep gratitude and disappointment because they’re not Jackson Lamb? There’s at least a new season of “Slow Horses” to vicariously experience the walking HR nightmare and his joyously rumpled, smelly and messy leadership style, as expertly portrayed by Gary Oldman. Based on Mick Herron’s “Slough House” novels, the espionage thriller/workplace dramedy centers on a misfit crew of MI5 outcasts — led by Lamb — who’ve blown their careers and now find themselves banished to Slough House, a dumping ground where the agency hopes they’ll be forgotten. The Apple TV+ series returned this week with its eponymous group of spies investigating a series of coordinated terror attacks that have struck London. A new episode will be released every Wednesday until the season finale on Oct. 29. In his last season as head writer, Will Smith stopped by Guest Spot to discuss his creative collaboration with Oldman, his pick for most the competent agent and the best show he’s seen in years. — Yvonne Villarreal
This once–sleeper hit has become such a force with critics and fans. Knowing Season 5 would be your last as head writer, did it feel any different writing this first episode? What was the most important decision you made in this season opener?
You just always want to make it the best it can be and you don’t want to repeat. You need to give the audience enough of what drew them to the show in the first place without making them think, “I’ve seen this,” and you need to give them enough that’s new without them going, “This isn’t the show any more.” The same goes for the cast, by the way; they have to feel their characters are moving on but in an organic way, that you’re acknowledging what went before and building on it. Luckily, that’s Mick’s approach with the books too. And it really helps having the same crew and returning director Saul Metzstein (from Season 3) — Saul and the camera team know what’s gone before and are continually finding new ways to shoot in our existing locations. A really obvious example of how we try to move things on but keep it all connected is Slough House itself. I know it’s a cliche, but it really is a character in the series; to me, it’s an embodiment of Lamb, it reflects so much about him, but it’s never the same. We establish it in Season 1, in Season 2 it’s a discomforting sweatbox, in Season 3 it’s full of boxes of files, which completely changes how people move around it. In Season 4 it’s shot to pieces, and in Season 5 we see the cheap repairs have been started and left. So I hope we’ve hit that same sweet spot with this series, that it gives you exactly what you want and then some things you didn’t know you wanted but feel totally in keeping with the show.
The episode opens with both a mass shooting and a fatal sniper shot in London. While it’s a sequence in the books and was written months ago, it could feel all too timely and provoking depending on the news cycle in which it’s being viewed. How do you decide what to show, how much is enough, what will engage and what will overwhelm?
This weighed quite heavily on us as we sadly knew that some horrific event could happen around the launch of the show that could affect how it was viewed. We actually had a version that cut out after he first opened fire, but felt that that didn’t go far enough. So we went and filmed a pickup where we stayed with the shooter and see his victims fall in the distance. We didn’t want the horror to be overwhelming, although being with him and his blank detachment in this version is disturbingly chilling. And then we took it as far as the assassin himself being killed out of nowhere. Which is a shock and a twist — what the hell is going on? The audience are confused in a good way. I hope by now they trust that all will be explained.
How involved is Gary in terms of script and character development? Can you give an example of a detail or moment over the run of the series that he advocated for or against that proved valuable to the story?
Gary is an incredibly generous and deferential collaborator. As I’ve said before, he’s not just one of the greatest actors of his generation, he’s also a hugely talented writer and director, and he’s completely respectful of myself and Saul Metzstein and the other directors. I think it helps that we’re very in tune creatively. Gary and I both have a love and respect for the source material, so he knows I’m not going to junk the book — we’re going to work on it and bring a version of it to life. The other brilliant thing about Gary is that he’s not intimidated by the fact that Lamb’s arc is all in the backstory. He absorbs and plays that, even if he doesn’t know the specifics. You just get the sense that Lamb has been through some bad stuff. Lamb is a cautionary tale, a smoking ruin; he’s not going to change now. The changes come to our perspective when we learn a little bit more about him and what he’s been through. The moment he was most involved in I can’t talk about in detail because it’s a spoiler. But it came from an idea his wife, Gisele, had. Gary and I then discussed the best version of it in story terms, and then we shot it twice as Saul had an even better idea as to how to make it land. We put an awful lot of thought into it, and actually it’s the one area where we do depart from the book (with Mick’s blessing). I’m very excited about it and what it can lead to in future series that I’m looking forward to watching as a fan.
If you were running the spies, who would you say is the most competent agent? And what have you learned about how to walk the line between keeping the “misfits and losers” bit believable but also allowing the Slow Horses to actually triumph in the end?
After Lamb, Catherine is the smartest agent in the building, although River is the most effective field agent. Catherine is not trained as a spy but has been around them most of her adult life. She’s incredibly bright and perceptive but lacks confidence. She’s often the person putting the pieces together but never gets the credit. I think Lamb wants her around for that reason, as well as the twisted mix of protecting her and goading her and having her as a living reminder of his own fallibility — they were both betrayed by Charles Partner (Catherine’s boss, Lamb’s friend and mentor) and Lamb had to execute him. I’m not saying Lamb was sunshine and light before that, I think he’s always been a hard-living cynic, but that really did break something in him. And yes, it’s a delicate balance maintaining the premise of the show — these people are useless yet every season they save the day but are still not allowed out of exile. I think the compromise and unfairness is what makes it believable. Although at some point I feel they either have to redeem themselves or accept that it’s fruitless and move on. But again, usually Mick will kill them off before they reach that crossroads.
In “Clown Town,” Herron’s latest installment in the book series, he references the language of the show. There’s a line — “It’s like explaining Denmark to a cat”— that feels like a direct reference to the Season 1 line, “It’s like explaining Norway to a dog.” As a writer, what’s it like to see the way he has acknowledged and tipped his hat to the show?
One of the things I’m proudest of is how much Mick and his readers love the show. Sometimes I think a line is Mick’s and it turns out to be mine or vice versa, and Mick has the same confusion. He’s also read out the opening scene of Season 4 at events and said he didn’t write it, but he would have done [it] if he’d thought of it. Knowing I’m in tune with him and his characters and stories has been absolutely wonderful because I started this and finish it as a huge fan of his work.
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“Lost Boys and Fairies” by Daf James on the BBC [available to stream on Britbox] is the best show I’ve seen in years. It’s about a gay couple going through the adoption process and is charming, tragic, playful, sad and uplifting. It’s so deftly written by Daf and wonderfully directed by James Kent and stars one of my favorite actors, Sion Daniel Young, whom “Slow Horses fans” will know as Douglas from Season 3.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
I will always watch Michael Mann’s “Heat” [Prime Video] whenever I chance upon it, and watch it by choice at least one a year. It’s perfect. But for true comfort, I return again and again to the Hal Roach-era comedies of Laurel and Hardy, which have brought me unlimited joy throughout my life.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wasn’t expecting to hear this much about “Celebrity Family Feud” in 2025.
The talk around Hollywood on Wednesday — and beyond — has centered on late night after Walt Disney Co.-owned broadcaster ABC said it was suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely over the host’s remarks about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and his accused killer. (Airing in its place so far? You guessed it, “Celebrity Family Feud.”) Let us help you get up to speed on the situation. Media reporters Stephen Battaglio and Meg James have an inside look behind the decision to bench Kimmel. The decision, of course, has rocked the late-night circuit, and Kimmel’s colleagues didn’t shy away from using their own platforms to address the matter — here’s what they had to say. And does Kimmel’s suspension have echoes to ABC’s firing of Roseanne Barr? Culture and representation reporter Greg Braxton explains the parallels and differences here. Our reporters were also at the demonstration that took place outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Hollywood, where Kimmel tapes his show.
For the record:
3:09 p.m. Sept. 19, 2025An earlier version of this newsletter said ABC’s “High Potential” airs on Wednesdays. It airs on Tuesdays.
That wasn’t the only shocking news to hit Hollywood this week. Robert Redford, a generational movie star and titan of filmmaking, died Tuesday at the age of 89. If you haven’t already, take a moment to read our obituary that captures why he was one of Hollywood’s most influential figures. Film reporter Mark Olsen also dives into the legendary actor’s impact on independent cinema through the Sundance Institute. And members of the film team explain Redford’s legacy through 10 essential films.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, Judy Reyes stops by Guest Spot to discuss her role as tough but compassionate Lt. Selena Soto in ABC’s hit “High Potential,” which returned for Season 2 this week, and how she’s feeling about reprising one of her most well-known characters, Carla Espinosa, in the upcoming “Scrubs” reboot. Plus, our streaming recommendations include a documentary telling the remarkable true story of four Colombian children who survived a plan crash and 40 days alone in the Amazon rainforest, and a Redford classic.
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Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is poised to release his latest film, “One Battle After Another,” an action thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
A scene from “Lost in the Jungle.”
(National Geographic / Anit)
“Lost in the Jungle” (Disney+, Hulu)
If you haven’t canceled your Disney+ and/or Hulu subscriptions yet, I highly recommend this riveting, complex, exquisitely made documentary about the survival of, and search for, four Indigenous children in the Colombian jungle after the crash of a small plane that killed their mother and the pilot — and the fraught family history that brought them there. Proceeding with the force of a fairy tale, including an evil stepfather, incidentally helpful monkeys and confounding forest spirits, it on the one hand focuses on a resourceful 13-year-old who keeps three younger siblings, including a baby, alive in a dangerous world for 40 days, and on the other, the military and Indigenous searchers who learn to cooperate as they navigate weather, illness, “things that can’t be seen, not with human eyes” and a history of distrust marked by narco-guerillas, industrial exploitation and state neglect. Directors E. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Juan Camilo Cruz combine interviews with family members, searchers and soldiers, with footage from the forest and line animations illustrating the children’s experience into something suspenseful, strange and beautiful. — Robert Lloyd
Robert Redford, right, with Dustin Hoffman in a scene from “All The President’s Men.”
(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images)
“All the President’s Men” [VOD]
It’s stands as one of the most discerning and potent films ever made about the crucial and essential role of journalism as a public watchdog in holding political leaders accountable and protecting democracy. Based on the book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the 1976 film chronicles the unearthing of the Watergate scandal, tracking the duo’s time as Washington Post reporters — with Robert Redford as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein — trying to pin down the connection between Robert Nixon’s reelection campaign and the burglary and wiretapping at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex that ultimately brought down Nixon’s presidency. It plays as a deeply engrossing thriller, and every scene between Redford and Hoffman, as dogged journalists whose work became enormously consequential and a turning point in American history, is gripping to watch. It’s a fitting film to screen this week — to reflect alone on one of Redford’s most powerful performances. — Yvonne Villarreal
Guest spot
Judy Reyes in a scene from Season 2 of “High Potential”
(Jessica Perez / Disney)
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Every genius needs a little structure and guidance to keep them on course. In “High Potential,” Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) is a single mom with an exceptional mind who works as a cleaner at the police department and finds her way into detective work after successfully examining some evidence during her shift. But putting her unique talent to effective use couldn’t have happened if Lt. Selena Soto, the head of the major crimes division played by Judy Reyes, didn’t see Morgan’s potential and nurture it.
The quirky crime procedural has been a breakout hit for ABC since its launch last year and it returned this week for its second season; new episodes air Tuesdays, and are available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ the next day. Here, Reyes discusses how Soto’s approach as a boss came into focus this season and how she’s feeling about revisiting “Scrubs” 15 years after the comedy ended its run. — Yvonne Villarreal
How has Selena Soto come into focus for you this season? And can you share an anecdote of a boss looking out for you — however small or big — that has stood out to you during your time in the industry?
I think Soto saw herself in Morgan: someone for whom truly being themselves takes a lot of risks. She can’t be anything else, and the expectations from the world create a lot of problems with others who can’t handle the burden of those being completely unique.
My first manager took a huge chance on me at the restaurant I worked in as a hostess for years in NYC. She and her husband were regulars, and her husband chatted me up one night, and when I confessed that I was an actor, he convinced his wife to take a meeting with me, and she convinced her associates to give me a chance, and the rest is history.
Morgan is a cleaner with an exceptional mind who found her way into detective work after examining some evidence during her shift at the police department. What’s a career you’d love to pivot to if given the chance?
I always wanted to be a gymnast. Or some kind of athlete … tennis! You asked …
You’ll be reprising your role as Carla in the new “Scrubs” series. What does this moment bring up for you? What intrigues you about revisiting this character 15 years later?
I’m filled with gratitude and appreciation. I recognize how in my youth I took for granted the adventure and opportunity. I’m moved by how much people love the show and Carla, and how much all of it mattered to fans in different stages of their lives. I’m overwhelmed with the gift of being part of a magical moment in TV, and to get to revisit it as adults with the same folks is exciting because Bill and the writers are so daring with their humor and drama. I just know Turk and Carla keep going strong in their marriage and continue in their friendship. I’m honored by what this character continues to mean to Latinos, especially in this time.
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
I’ve watched “Hacks” [HBO Max] because I’m obsessed with Jean Smart. I’ve watched “The Summer I Turned Pretty” [Prime Video] because I need to connect to my teenager and it’s a fun love/hate watch. I watch “Abbott Elementary” [Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max] because it’s f— funny and you can’t go wrong with it; it reminds me of “Scrubs” [Peacock, Hulu, Disney+] in a lot of ways. I just started watching “Severance” and “Shrinking” [both Apple TV+]. “Severance” because it’s so original and “Shrinking” for the same reason; it also feels so familiar … and Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
“The Devil Wears Prada” [Hulu, Disney+], “Girls Trip” [Tubi, Prime Video], “Bridesmaids” [Netflix], “Love & Basketball” [VOD] [and] any of “The Matrix” movies [VOD].
Taskmaster viewers were left speechless as two contestants used their sense of taste to guess an array of items on Thursday
21:40, 18 Sep 2025Updated 22:09, 18 Sep 2025
Taskmaster fans issued the same complaint as they fumed over the “most disgusting” detail on Thursday (September 18).
The hit Channel 4 programme returned for its 20th season last week, with five new comics taking on more silly challenges set by Alex Horne and Greg Davies.
The latest cast includes Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Phil Ellis, Reece Shearsmith and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Tonight’s episode began with the five comedians bringing in an object that was the hardest to describe.
Maisie brought in the concept of being in the womb, which Greg struggled to comprehend, so she received five points for the prize task.
Taskmaster has returned to Channel 4 for its 20th season(Image: Channel 4)
The contestants were then asked to identify five items from behind a screen, with the most correct items taking home the highest amount of points.
The Taskmaster didn’t make it easy for them, though. Each comedian could only choose one sense to help them guess, with certain senses earning more points than others.
If they chose hearing, they’d get five points for every correct item, with smell earning four points and taste getting three points. Touch was worth two points, while sight was only worth one point per item.
Both Maisie and Reece chose to use their taste, with the pair awkwardly licking various items through the screen, including a stapler, a frozen sock, yoghurt and wet teeth.
The show’s viewers were left frustrated on Thursday (September 18)(Image: Channel 4)
After watching the challenge, the show’s viewers quickly shared their frustration on social media, with many complaining about the “disgusting” nature of the task.
“Reece and Maisie licking wet human teeth in a bowl is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen on #Taskmaster – and that’s saying something!” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another added: “Just watched someone lick a bowl of human teeth. Ah yes taskmaster the silly game show,” while a third said: “Gross.”
Two comedians used their sense of taste to guess items(Image: Channel 4)
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: “I was going to take it back but no… this is STILL the round they should have deleted,” with another adding: “Omg this is so difficult to watch!”
A fifth viewer said: “My god watching Maisie and Reece doing that task was horrifying,” while another commented: “That task was the most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen.”
After receiving 22 points across all of the challenges, Reece won tonight’s episode.
EXCLUSIVE: Stand-up comic Maisie Adam is taking on the new series of Channel 4’s Taskmaster – but admits that it wasn’t always plain sailing in an exclusive chat with The Mirror
Taskmaster star Maisie Adam has revealed that she struggled with her outfit throughout filming the show(Image: Channel 4)
Given her chilled on-stage persona, you might think stand-up comic Maisie Adam never gets flustered. But she discovered a much angrier side to herself on Taskmaster.
The 8 Out O f 10 Cats star felt like a competition winner when she joined the cast of the hit Channel 4 series, alongside Unforgotten ’s Sanjeev Bhaskar, Inside No. 9 ’s Reece Shearsmith and comedians Ania Magliano and Phil Ellis. But she admits the show brought out some “deep-rooted anger” that she took out on hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne.
“It’s really fun going into the tasks at the time, but I was so shocked at how stressed I got with each one,” she confesses. “I didn’t realise I was such a panicky person.
Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam and Phil Ellis taking on a Taskmaster challenge(Image: Channel 4)
“I was very quick to blame Alex and his silly little clipboard and quite quick to get personal with him. I would also protest to Greg if I thought he’d been unfair with the points-awarding.
“I know I can be competitive but competitiveness mixed with a total lack of ability is a dangerous mix to have exposed to you with a mirror held up.”
Maisie credits her husband Michael Dobinson, who works in the tech world, for keeping her grounded. The pair got married in 2023, shortly before she took part in that year’s Soccer Aid.
“He’s very supportive and likes to watch stuff that I’ve been on, but it’s really nice that he isn’t in comedy. If you’re both in it, it can sometimes be a bit of a bubble. You forget there’s a real world out there,” she admits.
“Comedy is quite a self-absorbed job. It’s always about you, whether you’re funny or not. It’s quite a validation-seeking profession. I would worry that if I was with somebody who was also in comedy, we’d end up asking each other for feedback.”
Maisie is more than happy not to talk about her work when she’s at home with Michael.
“I guess some people really enjoy being able to both relate to the same frustrations and highs and lows of their job, but some, like me, can’t imagine anything worse than discussing it when you’re in your own home,” she says.
“There’s comedian Maisie and there’s Maisie at home. I quite like getting home and turning off Maisie the comedian and just being a football-obsessed normal person.”
Maisie Adam, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Alex Horne, Greg Davies, Phil Ellis, Ania Magliano and Reece Shearsmith on Taskmaster(Image: Channel 4)
Maisie has been on TV panels with comedy greats and has interviewed football legends on her Big Kick Energy podcast, but Taskmaster gave her the chance to finally spend time with her childhood hero: host Greg Davies.
“My mum and dad took me to see Greg when I was 14 at our local theatre,” she says. “He had this bit about a student who got locked in a storage cupboard from when he was a teacher. It was the first time I’d seen live stand-up comedy where I’d been literally bent double and my ribs hurt from laughing. Tears were streaming down my face.
“If you’d told that person that 15 years later she’d be on Taskmaster with him, that would have blown her mind. I couldn’t bring myself to fangirl over him on set – I didn’t want him to feel awkward, so I played it cool.”
But it was hard to stay nonchalant when dealing with wardrobe malfunctions throughout the series.
“My plan was to be like Sandy from Grease – she does whatever it takes to come out on top. She changes herself and takes up smoking to win the top prize. In that case it’s a man, which doesn’t reflect well any more.
“The difficulty was, I didn’t blow the budget when it came to getting the outfit. It was cheap and synthetic, so I slipped on everything because of the cheap shoes – and the flammable leggings would catch on everything.”
As a result, Maisie’s trousers regularly fell down on the show. “It was mortifying and it got progressively more humiliating and, dare I say, depressing as the studio records went on,” she cringes.
“This was going to be a common theme – flashing my underwear thanks to a pair of synthetic leggings on the biggest comedy show I’ve been waiting years to be booked on. That’s probably my number one regret.”
