CBS has announced the November primetime premiere dates for 10 scripted series. The five dramas and five comedies span time periods on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights. Additional premiere dates for November will be announced shortly.
The new comedy joining the CBS schedule on Thursday, Nov. 5 is B POSITIVE, from award-winning executive producer Chuck Lorre and creator Marco Pennette, starring Emmy Award-nominee Thomas Middleditch and Tony Award-winner Annaleigh Ashford. The series is inspired by Pennette's personal experience as a transplant recipient.
The returning shows include #1 series NCIS on Tuesday, Nov. 17; #1 comedy YOUNG SHELDON and #2 comedy MOM on Thursday, Nov. 5; Monday's popular one-hour comedy block of THE NEIGHBORHOOD and #1 new comedy BOB ♥ ABISHOLA, followed by the hit drama ALL RISE on Monday, Nov. 16; Sunday's two most-watched entertainment programs NCIS: LOS ANGELES and NCIS: NEW ORLEANS on Sunday, Nov. 8; and the two-hour premiere of S.W.A.T. on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Also, classic NCIS launches Sunday, Nov. 8, featuring fan-favorite episodes from the drama's previous 17 seasons, creating a three-hour block of NCIS following 60 MINUTES on Sunday nights.
These programs join the previously announced season premieres of 60 MINUTES and 48 HOURS, which have already debuted, and THE AMAZING RACE, on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
CBS' 2020-2021 PRIMETIME PREMIERE DATES FOR 10 SERIES
Thursday, November 5
8:00 PM - YOUNG SHELDON (4th Season Premiere)
8:30 PM - B POSITIVE (Series Premiere)
9:00 PM - MOM (8th Season Premiere)
Sunday, Nov. 8 (Football Doubleheader)
7:30 PM, ET/ 7:00 PM, PT - 60 MINUTES
8:30 PM, ET/ 8:00 PM, PT - NCIS: LOS ANGELES (12th Season Premiere)
9:30 PM, ET/ 9:00 PM, PT - NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (7th Season Premiere)
10:30 PM, ET/ 10:00 PM, PT - NCIS (Fan-favorite episodes from the previous 17 seasons)
DWTS' 80s Night was the cheerful competition boost we all needed
by Kim Krober
It was 80s Night on Dancing with the Stars, and I couldn't have been more stoked. I was ready for them to bring on the spandex, leg warmers, bright colors, scrunchies, high hair with Aqua Net, and glorious synthesized pop. I was hoping for homages to some of my favorite '80s movies as well, and the performances did not disappoint on that front. Neither did the judges. Bruno and Derek looked like they were channeling Miami Vice while Carrie Ann looked gorgeous with huge, crimped hair. The only one who failed to impress was once again Tyra. I honestly have no idea who picks out her outfits week after week, but they don't do her many favors. I did like her third green outfit a little.
Let's take a look at how your favorites did on this totally tubetacular fifth week of competition:
Justina Machado & Sasha Farber, Jazz
Justina and Sasha got jazzy with the memorable "Maniac" from the Flashdance soundtrack, and it was a fun opening for 80s Night! Justina was a teenager in the 80s, so she was totally in her comfort zone and it showed. I applaud them for even reenacting the silhouette scene in which water came pouring down on Justina. Derek called it a perfect opening, saying she's always so much fun to watch. Bruno complimented Sasha's neckline (saying it gave him vertigo) and called it a deliciously 80s dance that made him cry in a good way. Carrie Ann said they nailed it with the side-by-side dancing required in a Jazz routine.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Jesse Metcalfe & Sharna Burgess, Tango
How adorable were the childhood photos of Jesse from the 80s? Equally adorable were their costumes and the Patrick Nagel-inspired images of Jesse and Sharna that appeared in the backdrop! This duo danced a fun Tango to Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Bruno admired Jesse's intent and performance, but he noted that he lost his steps and timing somewhere along the way. Carrie Ann agreed, but could tell he was feeling the music and complimented him for showing his confidence. Derek wants him to succeed and have breakthroughs, but he wanted to be honest about the framing being a disappointment. I don't understand why the judges never seem to like Jesse's routines. They seemed extremely harsh this week.
Score: 19
________________________________________
Chrishell Stause & Gleb Savchenko, Cha-Cha
Chrishell and Gleb danced a Cha-Cha to New Kids on the Block's "(You Got It) The Right Stuff." Gleb, please don't ever grow a mullet for real. I don't know about the Cha-Cha, but they nailed the memorable NKOTB dance moves from the video. Carrie Ann didn't feel it had enough Cha-Cha content, while Bruno called it naughty. Derek enjoyed the side-by-side steps but warned her about her arm extensions and footwork. Who cares about 6's from the judges when you receive personal messages from the New Kids telling you that you have the right stuff!?
Score: 19
________________________________________
Jeannie Mai & Brandon Armstrong, Jazz
The photos of Jeannie and her mom performing at weddings in the 80s were priceless. Jeannie and Brandon danced a sudsy Jazz routine to Madonna's "Like a Virgin" that would make the Material Girl herself blush. Derek thought they looked adorable, complimenting her confidence, commitment, and ease. Bruno called it immaculate and a squeaky clean, PG version of Madonna. Carrie Ann thought it was incredible, telling her she's the most exciting performer to watch this season. I wouldn't necessarily say that, but I do root for her every week.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Monica Aldama & Val Chmerkovskiy, Tango
Monica and Val reminisced about the faux pas last week when they discovered they were in the bottom two despite being told earlier they were safe. The result was they came out stronger than ever with a determined Tango to Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." Bruno said she focused like a laser-guided missile with fantastic shapes. Carrie Ann called it an incredible performance with all the dynamics and big guns brought out this week. Derek admired her drive and legs, commending them for having a Tango that moved across the floor. Two 9's from the judges = total redemption.
Score: 26
________________________________________
AJ McLean & Cheryl Burke, Waltz
AJ and Cheryl danced a dreamy Waltz to the Journey power ballad "Open Arms." It was great to see a slow dance in a week full of Tangos and Jazz routines. It stood out in a special way. Carrie Ann and Derek complimented his smooth ballroom style. Bruno called them the King and Queen of the 80s Prom with great, sweeping motion.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Skai Jackson & Alan Bersten, Jazz
Skai and Alan danced a Jazz routine to Huey Lewis & The News' "The Power of Love" from the Back to the Future soundtrack, earning my votes once again in the process. (I had a Back to the Future-themed wedding a couple years ago complete with a DeLorean, so you might say I'm a super fan.) Derek felt it was fun, noting how much she lights up and her incredible energy. Bruno said she has the moves and lifts, but she needs to continue to work on the dismounts. Carrie Ann told her she needs to expand her movements because she's so petite. This was my favorite performance of the night so far!
Score: 24
________________________________________
Vernon Davis & Peta Murgatroyd, Tango
I enjoyed seeing Vernon in a Bon Jovi-esque wig for his Tango with Peta set to "Livin' on a Prayer." Bruno said the groupies will be lining up for Vernon later, but he needs to work on sustaining the steps throughout the entire routine. Carrie Ann likes the quality of movement she's seeing from him, but he needs to work on transitional moves with Peta. Derek gave a shout-out to the hair and makeup crews but said he wants a little more attack from Vernon. Was it just me or did it look like Peta was in pain, rubbing her neck after they received the judges' scores?
Score: 21
________________________________________
Kaitlyn Bristowe & Artem Chigvintsev, Tango
Kaitlyn and Artem channeled their inner nerds with a Tango set to "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany. Carrie Ann commended them for keeping in frame (throwing a little bit of shade at the night's other three Tangos). Derek called it a beautiful Tango with sharp, precise movements. Bruno said it was an action-packed 80s blockbuster of a Tango and thanked them for their commitment. She earned three 9's from the judges, which was her highest score to date.
Score: 27
________________________________________
Nelly & Daniella Karagach, Samba
Nelly and Daniella danced a spirited Samba to DeBarge's "Rhythm of the Night." Derek said it was his best dance ever with an enjoyable freedom to behold. Bruno noted how much lighter and carefree he was on his feet and praised them for doing a proper Samba. Carrie Ann said the dance made her so happy, calling it yummy overall.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Johnny Weir & Britt Stewart, Contemporary
When I found out Johnny and Britt were dancing a Contemporary to Bonnie Taylor's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," I was excited to see how much expression he would be able to convey with the ultimate power ballad. Bruno said it's the sign of an artist when you can fill the space with movement and emotion. Carrie Ann told him to turn around and take a bow, praising Britt's choreography. Derek said he was watching for mistakes, but it was perfect and beautiful. It was almost the first perfect score of the season, except Bruno had to rain on the parade with a 9.
Score: 29
________________________________________
Nev Schulman & Jenna Johnson, Quickstep
Nev opened up about being diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and how an after-school dance class changed his life for the better. I thoroughly enjoyed his and Jenna's Quickstep to "Take on Me" by a-ha. From the outfits to the fake flashbulbs to the high-octane energy, this was one of the best performances of the night. Carrie Ann thought his movements were a little smaller than normal. However, Derek absolutely loved it and could relate to Nev's story about focusing his energy on dancing. Bruno thought it was the most exuberant Quickstep ever with very detailed footwork. The only disappointing thing about it were his less-than-perfect judges' scores.
Score: 26
________________________________________
Peta & Vernon and Jesse & Sharna were revealed to be the bottom two. Bruno and Carrie Ann both voted to save Vernon & Peta (and I think Derek would have made the decision unanimous). I was majorly bummed to see Jesse go home this early in the competition. No offense to Vernon, but I don't think the judges made the right decision. How did your favorites fare this week?
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8:00 PM on ABC.
‘The Boys’ finishes its second season with some surprises and some of the same-old same-old. by Jeremy Fogelman
The season finale of The Boys is called “What I Know”, which is of course, a pointless reference to the graphic novel titles as I’ve said ad infinitum by now. What will they do when they run out of titles that bear no real relevance to the episode at hand? I suppose they’ll have to come up with their own, which I think I would prefer.
The second season of The Boys was a bit all over the place, with some pretty decent social commentary and satire, along with some storylines that weren’t as interesting and some characters underwritten. Speaking of that part, as of the finale MM still never gets anything truly interesting to do or say -- real misstep on the show’s part. Now, the storyline in the graphic novel is quite problematic, offensive, and bizarre even for this show so I don’t think they should have simply used that. But giving MM essentially no memorable backstory isn’t a great tactic either.
Frenchie (or Serge as was said a few times) had just a little more, with the only really successful moments his up and down relationship with Kimiko, leading to a fairly nice ending with the two of them using sign language against Stormfront and going off dancing. Kimiko was always compelling, with Karen Fukuhara capable of really giving pretty crazy range without saying anything. If you’ve seen her on her YouTube channel or interviews, her actual personality is so different from Kimiko making it pretty stark and impressive.
I actually started the episode with a touch of apprehension and uncertainty, a good sign in general because I had no idea what was going to happen. Ultimately, the twists and turns and deaths felt a bit normal. Becca dies at the hands of Stormfront, who is killed by Ryan in a callback to “hating” someone in the same episode -- that’s not much of a callback, it was pretty easy to predict.
Aya Cash was obviously great the entire season, but I’ve been a “stan” of hers since You’re the Worst so nothing new from me there. The actual downfall though was so insanely fast, especially compared to the inconsistent pacing of the rest of the season, I’m not sure how well it worked. The finale was super fast paced, but sometimes the rest of the season suffered from not being paced that well.
I think I would’ve felt it worse if she managed to survive somehow into the next season the way they had set up the Nazi revelations -- and without her, the worst person is back to being Homelander, who did seem to be valuing Ryan over Stormfront throughout the episode, so the way it ended felt pretty reasonable. We’ve seen for a while that Homelander is obsessed with being loved and appreciated, so that was the only way for Maeve to get him to back off -- even if in his final speech we see the emptiness behind his eyes (Anthony Starr as always pulling off the sociopathic turn).
The entire Scientology storyline was, I suppose, merely a way to do two things: Reveal the new supe in disguise to us and return other things to the status quo. So A-Train’s back to the Seven because he happened to be listening in on Edgar and Alastair talking about him and Stormfront, which directly led to the Nazi leak and Stormfront getting beaten up by the lady supes in an explicitly called out reference to the “girls get it down” from earlier in the season. It would've been more satisfying to me if they had shown Stormfront with visible damage, otherwise I couldn’t tell if she was really getting hurt.
Now as for our new supe, Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) who has been coded to seem like AOC or similar young progressive politicians, turning out to be a Vought plant the whole time? As Fry from Futurama said: "I’m shocked! Well, not that shocked." “Vic” Neuman was a character in the comics, a very stupid, clearly developmentally challenged man that becomes the vice president and is Vought’s puppet.
So when I realized that Victoria Neuman was a gender swapped person, I wondered why she was on the side against Vought. So it’s a good twist, because it makes sense, and actually uses the ignored storylines of the comics to help you figure it out if you read them. I appreciated that, and I feel that it’s a good setup for future seasons -- a smart puppet of Vought is more interesting than the GWB parody they had in the comics (which was really more the comics creators getting out their anger at GWB in the first place).
The final moments between Starlight and Hughie are fine enough, but their romance is a bit wonky too -- I didn’t mind it, but I never felt it was that interesting this season. And as for Billy, now that Becca is gone and Ryan is off under CIA protection, what’s his next move? Hard to say, but it seems like it must be something to do with Homelander and Ryan.
So overall, decent season, very watchable and with some real high points. A lot better than that Preacher adaptation, so as long as they can improve over time here, I think The Boys has a real shot at being lasting satire.
'The Boys’ blows it all up in the penultimate episode of the season. by Jeremy Fogelman
The latest episode of The Boys is called “Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker”, once again more from a graphic novel title that barely connects to the radically different story of the adapted work. Here we see mainly four through lines interconnected, one the Scientology parody barely connected to the rest, one with Queen Maeve slightly more connected, and the two main ones, setting up the big hearings and rescuing Starlight.
As per usual, the Scientology satire with The Deep and A-Train feels more of the same, now referencing toxic people and cutting people out of their lives, which is called in the real world a “suppressive person”. It feels like the most unsubtle part of this extremely unsubtle show, and it’s hard to really care about either A-Train or The Deep due to their unsavory pasts. And the comedy doesn’t really work either this episode with them, so it felt like “okay I get it, can we move on now?”
On the Maeve front, her storyline has been rushed all season, and so we get a lightning quick breakup, a breakdown where she hooks up with two dudes, and comes back at the end of the episode to save Starlight from Black Noir (and maybe kills him? It’s unclear). But she doesn’t go with the other supe, because she can’t, for reasons not fully explained, even if much can be inferred. I feel like Maeve is a character with a lot of potential, but not the potential we’ve seen enough of.
It sort of depends on the finale, but for now these two storylines have left me a bit disappointed. On the better side, I did like Hughie’s adventure to save Starlight, even though it was pretty straightforward, and I also did not really care about Lamplighter immolating himself. We barely got anything from him, good or bad, just a mild amount of grey, so it’s hard to care that he’s dead, any more than Hughie or Butcher seemed to.
Butcher though has far more of an interesting episode, confronting his terminally ill father (a perfectly cast bastard of John Noble) and we get more insight into his troubled past. That’s the sort of context I like to see, and that connects easily into Billy threatening Dr. Vogelbaum’s family in a way that we believe him completely.
That storyline is connected back through the radicalization done by Stormfront, who is now leading Homelander down the same path. The opening montage, of a man driven by fear to kill an innocent immigrant, feels quite relevant, as does the dog whistling and pretense of caring about innocent victims by Stormfront and Homelander.
Where it gets truly terrifying is the way they manage to subvert his son, by revealing the safe lie by his mother -- another parenting mishap. Homelander even reveals what feels like truth to Becca, that when he found the real world, it was overwhelming and panic inducing. We get even more terror from Vogelbaum himself (classic character actor John Doman) who reveals to Billy that he 100% mistreated and alienated Homelander as a child.
But that doesn’t mean it’s satisfying to see him die in the final moments of chaos of the episode, where we seem to be just as confused as everyone else. Was it Stormfront? The exploding head lady from the Vought secret asylum? If it is her, why did she do it? And was Billy involved? These are the sorts of questions that are good to set up the finale, which I certainly feel invested in -- honestly I expected things to go wrong at the hearing, I just wasn’t sure how.
The Boys really tries to shock and surprise, and although as someone who read the pretty exploitative source material I’m kinda desensitized to it, I do appreciate when the show delves into real world issues when they get it right. And of course Aya Cash deserves accolades for this, as she did for You’re the Worst, so get on it next year’s Emmys!
Well, after six weeks we finally have a new Number 1 film, the family-friendly The War With Grandpa, which had been stuck in distribution purgatory for two years after the fall of The Weinstein Company. Former TWC exec David Glasser formed 101 Studios and rescued the film, though releasing it in the middle of a global pandemic might not have been the best idea even if it did top the charts (less so with critics who have given it an average score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes). But the film did debut with $3.62 million on 2,250 screens, which works out to an average of $1,609 per screen, one of only two films on the charts this weekend to crack the $1,000 average. The film also banked a few bucks from international markets, earning $1.83 million, giving it a cumulative global tally of $5.45 million. Unfortunately, the film cost $24 million to make so it has a long way to go to make back its money.
The War With Grandpa pushed Tenet down into the Number 2 spot with an estimated $2.1 million, down 22% from the previous week, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $48.3 million. The film's international total has now hit $275.2 million, for a global total of $323.5 million. Shedding 457 screens, the Hocus Pocus re-release moved down to Number 3 with an estimated $1.16 million, a decline of 40%, bringing its two week domestic total to $3.08 million. Another Disney release, Coco reentered the chart this week at Number 6 with $210,000. The film has been in release for 151 weeks and now has a domestic total of $209.93 million.
The New Mutants and Unhinged also got pushed down one spot each because of The War With Grandpa. The New Mutants moved down to Number 4 with $705,822, a decline of 32%, bringing its domestic total to just over $22 million. Internationally the film is at $21 million with a worldwide total of just over $43 million. Unhinged moved down to Number 5 with $682,819, a 19% decline from the previous week, taking its domestic total to $19.37 million. With its foreign total of $18 million, the film's worldwide gross stands at $37.37 million.
One new film cracked the Top Ten this week, Yellow Rose which made its debut at Number 8 on 900 screens, earning $150,330. The Wolf of Snow Hollow just missed the Top Ten, opening at Number 11 with $91,943 from 112 screens. Neither of those films cracked the $1,000 per screen average mark but I Am Lisa at Number 29 did. With an opening weekend of $6,986 from three screens, the film's average total was $2,328 per screen.
The weekend of October 16 will see two wide releases and we're willing to bet the new Liam Neeson action thriller Honest Thief easily claims the top spot. The only other wide release is the romantic drama 2 Hearts, but judging from the performance of The Broken Hearts Gallery, that one is going to struggle. Other limited releases next weekend include The Shade Shepherd, She Is the Ocean, Escape from Extinction, The Bra, The Devil Has a Name, Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, The Kid Detective and Shithouse. As things stand now with Disney finally giving in on Pixar's Soul, moving it to Disney+ on Christmas Day, and Greenland now headed straight for PVOD in the States, the only two notable releases still sticking to their December dates are Death on the Nile and Wonder Woman 1984. It will be a Christmas miracle if either of them stay put at this point.
Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 9-11.
[N] The War with Grandpa - $3,620,990 [NEW]
[1] Tenet - $2,100,000 [$48,300,000]
[2] Hocus Pocus - $1,161,000 [$3,086,000]
[3] The New Mutants - $705,822 [$22,011,883]
[4] Unhinged - $682,819 [$19,376,204]
[-] Coco - $210,000 [$209,936,015]
[5] Infidel - $205,602 [$3,819,991]
[N] Yellow Rose - $150,330 [$170,168]
[6] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - $145,000 [$2,403,000]
The comedy aspect of the film outshines the horror elements of the movie. by Justin Moore
Amazon Studio’s latest film, Get Duked!, is a genre mash-up of two of my favorite type of movies: comedy and horror. Many films have been successful at blending both genres like Shaun of the Dead and Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil.
Get Duked! features four teens who trek through the Scottish Highlands as part of the Duke of Edinburgh. An award is given to teenagers who can hike through the highlands. One of the teenagers is eager to participate in the event but the other three are forced to join. Let’s say it’s a punishment. As the four teenagers are making their way through the Scottish Highlands, they encounter a couple who wants to hunt the teens for game. A modern Most Dangerous Game if you will.
Get Duked! is funnier than it is scary. The comedy aspect of the film outshines the horror elements of the movie. The film had plenty of intense moments sprinkled throughout the film as the four teens were trying their hardest to come up with creative ways to survive. The Duke (Eddie Izzard) and the Duchess (Georgie Glen) are the hunters, who are mistaken for the Duke of Edinburgh by the teens as they ask him for assistance when they encounter him. Instead they get shot at. The pair hunts them throughout the movie, which makes the film entertaining because the four teens severely lack any survival skills. The movie doesn’t get overly violent but instead maintains the intensity throughout.
The four teens add up for a lot of humor in the film. One character that stands out was inspiring rapper DJ Beatroot, who will try anything to get famous, which includes making random rap videos in the fields or performing a concert to people on drugs. The whole cast works together well with a lot of great performances from the teens. Eddie Izzard gives a terrifying performance as the Duke who seems oddly calm at the idea of hunting teens in an open field. There are a lot of running jokes that carry throughout the film all the way to the crazy finale.
Get Duked! had a style that could easily be compared to films by Edgar Wright. It had a quick pace with a lot of quick cuts and overly stylized moments. Towards the end of the film, a teen takes hallucinogens and the film provides a lot of colorful graphics on screen which continues to add the already outrageous satire. Get Duked! was highly satisfying with a great mashup of two fun genres. Director Ninian Doff, who is a first-time director, has a lot of potential in film if he can continue to create unique genre bending movies.
'Ted Lasso’ is a must see, one of the best first seasons of a comedy in a while. by Jeremy Fogelman
I’ve seen an absurd number of television shows this year. They range from the great (Devs) to the good (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) to the decent (High Fidelity) to the mixed (Avenue 5) to the meh to the downright poor. There were some legitimately very good and sometimes deep shows this year, but as it sometimes happens, we got the best in August with Ted Lasso.
The character of Ted Lasso was originally from a 2013 short that was a promo for coverage of the Premier League (the UK top level soccer/football league). There Ted was simply a college football coach who had been hired by a soccer team who simply did not know the rules. The show takes that much further, combining with a concept reminiscent of Major League except instead of being dated and kinda racist, it’s heartwarming, funny, inclusive, and revelatory.
Ted (Jason Sudeikis in a career best role) is hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to take over as new head coach for AFC Richmond, which of course is a fictional team. The backstory is deceptively clever: Rebecca is suffering after a very nasty divorce to super rich Rupert (Anthony Head at his most mustache twirling) where she became the new owner. As Rubert loves the club more than anything (including and especially his ex-wife), Rebecca, embittered and angry, wants to ruin it.
Thus enters Ted, a genial mustached gent with a Southern accent and an overwhelmingly positive attitude. This is the sort of the thing that could get annoying fast, but shockingly, it never does -- instead over the course of the season, even as Ted goes through difficult emotional times himself, we begin to appreciate his mindset and philosophy. From the start he’s all about positive thinking and belief, and even winning the day against Rupert in a darts throwing competition with dropping an epic Walt Whitman quote about being curious, not judgmental.
By the end he’s still dropping wisdom, offering the truly genuine take that kindness begets more kindness. He puts out this positive energy, and he knows people often don’t get it. Because Ted is no fool, he is not naïve, nor anything so cliché -- he is making a choice to be positive and to be kind. Ted represents the best sort of real life American hero we’d want, someone who represents the underlying values without holding onto bigotry or fear. It’s kind of unreasonable how great it feels to watch all these people change for the better over the course of the season.
I’ve said before that any show or movie that can make me laugh and cry is automatically a favorite, and Ted Lasso is no exception. There are funny lines in every episode with characters that never get too broad, and depth that gets revealed over time. It’s a great cast of characters besides the titular character. Ted’s assistant, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), always has a great low key energy, and someone who learns about the new world they’re in faster than his boss.
Kit man Nate (Nick Mohammed, somehow brilliant in this but the opposite in Intelligence) getting an arc of self-confidence and self-reliance, Rebecca’s assistant Higgins (Jeremy Swift) getting the same, and various and sundry footballers. Pretty-boy phenom Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) is shown to be trying to work past his own damage and poor male role models, even if he’s not quite there.
The great relationship that develops between dynamic effervescent Keeley (Juno Temple, who should now be in everything) and gruff, secretly kindhearted Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, who is pretty phenomenal considering he’s primarily been a writer before this) is so good it is only overshadowed by the wonderful friendship that grows between Rebecca and Keeley. Considering that those are the main female characters in the show, they get a lot to do on their own and with each other.
Trying to convince someone that Apple TV+ is a worthwhile subscription is a hard sell -- I wasn’t sure myself at first, and I’m still not a fan of their UI, which is often quite difficult to use, and I don’t care for the end of episode autoplay that seems to happen inconsistently and cannot be controlled. There are some pretty decent shows on there (The Morning Show and Dickinson for example), but after watching those first episode drops of Ted Lasso, I knew I had found a new favorite. It is worth the monthly free trial for sure to watch this show, which I thought might be good -- created by Bill Lawrence and starring Jason Sudeikis were positive signs -- but I didn’t guess how good.
There are some reviews out there that don’t quite get why the show is as good as it is -- they see these story beats and think of it as the same old same old. But you only have to consider the show’s unsubtle refutation of toxic masculinity and universally well written cast of characters to appreciate that this show is far from ordinary. We’re in October still, but for me, Ted Lasso is the best new show of 2020 and a must see.
DWTS' Top 13 Open Up About Special People in Their Lives
by Kim Krober
The 13 remaining contestants on Dancing with the Stars opened up about special people in their lives with many heartfelt dedicated dances this week. The PDA about judge's comments was an "interesting" way to open it in the absence of glitzy opening numbers, but it felt like a filler week to me. The most exciting revelation of the night is that next week's theme is '80s Night! Color me stoked to see what mega-hits they dance to and their fun costumes!
Let's take a look at how your favorites did on this fourth week of competition:
Nelly & Daniella Karagach, Paso Doble
Nelly's Paso Doble to DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" wasn't show-stopping, but I do enjoy watching him move. Derek loved the "poppin' Paso" and seeing him bring his big guns out. Bruno admired his winning attitude, but he told him to continue to refine the artistry. Carrie Ann said it was the breakout performance she was looking for last week, although she noted that he still has room for improvement.
Score: 21
________________________________________
Chrishell Stause & Gleb Savchenko, Foxtrot
Chrishell opened up about going through a very public divorce and freezing her eggs in the hopes of being a mom someday, which made me like her a little more two weeks in a row. She has peaked at the right time in this competition with a sultry Foxtrot set to "Adore You" by Harry Styles. Bruno said she is almost too hot to trot and it was good to see the role reversal between her and her partner, although he could tell she lost her footwork. Carrie Ann was proud of her for using her acting background to tell a story and said she grows a little more every week. Derek could tell she was more confident and comfortable on the dance floor, calling it her best performance to date.
Score: 22
________________________________________
Monica Aldama & Val Chmerkovskiy, Samba
Monica opened up about how difficult it has been being the student and Val's need to be more empathetic to her struggles while being coached according to his standards of perfection. The result was the butterflies flying away and a fun, energetic Samba set to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." with not-so-subtle shout-outs to fellow contestants Nelly and AJ McLean in the doctored song lyrics. Carrie Ann could tell having "the talk" improved their partnership and chemistry, telling Monica she looked totally in control. Derek applauded Val for the wonderful content and for being open to hearing her feedback about his coaching. Bruno wanted to join their party, calling it a pure Samba with all the required steps. The Chmerkovskiy brothers are notorious for being perfectionists, but I think it's because they're so passionate about the dance.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Anne Heche & Keo Motsepe, Paso Doble
Anne opened up about the harsh stigmas attached to coming out in Hollywood with Ellen DeGeneres in the 1990s. She came back stronger this week with a proud Paso Doble to Katy Perry's "Rise." I loved her rainbow costume. Derek called it a beautiful rainbow after the storm, noting how much she has progressed week to week. Bruno admired her courage, calling her a "Multi-Color Warrior" with her most focused performance to date. Carrie Ann loves watching her bright light and rooting for her every week. Anne received her highest scores with a trio of 7's.
Score: 21
________________________________________
Nev Schulman & Jenna Johnson, Rumba
Nev dedicated his Rumba to Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" to his wife because she's a huge Celine fan and she's also his biggest supporter. Rumbas always open up the contestants and their artistic expression, and it was another bout of perfection from Nev this week. Bruno likened it to a romantic dream set to music and complimented Nev for trimming his chest hair after his advice last week on the subject. Carrie Ann complimented him for adding poetry to the dance, saying the two were a vision together. Derek echoed that sentiment, calling it a beautiful Rumba.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Justina Machado & Sasha Farber, Salsa
Justina opened up about her family's bravery to come to America from Puerto Rico and how much life has changed just within one generation, noting how many of them have become professors, doctors, and other noble professions. She dedicated her colorful Salsa to her grandmother's memory, which made me tear up. Carrie Ann said this was the first time everyone was on their feet. Derek admired her charisma and energy, saying it's always fun to watch her authenticity on the dance floor. Bruno told her she was on fire and that her hips don't lie - they scream.
Kaitlyn dedicated her expressive Viennese Waltz to Luke Comb's "Beautiful Crazy" to her boyfriend Jason Tartick, who was a fellow Bachelor/Bachelorette star. Derek complimented her for being so effortless and stunning, but he's looking forward to seeing a different style come out next week because she's only done ballroom dances so far and not any Latin ones. Bruno likened her dancing to a feather on the breeze. Carrie Ann loves love and praised her for the beautiful lyricism of her movements. She earned the first 9 of the season from Carrie Ann.
Score: 25
________________________________________
Johnny Weir & Britt Stewart, Jive
Johnny dedicated his electric Jive to Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" to his mother, who is his biggest supporter and critic. I could watch him perform every night - it's always so effortless and enjoyable! Bruno said he turned his lights on at full beam, commending him for finally showing his true self. Carrie Ann called it a breakthrough performance, while Derek said it was refreshing to see his personality shine so bright on the dance floor.
Score: 24
________________________________________
Jeannie Mai & Brandon Armstrong, Tango
The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" was a perfect Tango choice for Jeannie! The only thing she opened up about was the fact that there's a betting pool of people against her, including her mom. Ouch, but really you didn't have anything more serious to talk about this week? Carrie Ann said she would never bet against Jeannie's fire and passion even though she had some missteps at the end. Derek praised her focus and determination. Bruno admires the way she can switch up her personality depending on the dance.
Score: 21
________________________________________
Vernon Davis & Peta Murgatroyd, Rumba
Vernon dedicated his emotionally charged Rumba to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" to his grandmother for saving the day and taking him in as a boy and raising him, along with all of his siblings. Derek said it brought him joy to see him dance a Rumba but cautioned him to watch his hands and arms. Bruno called his charisma natural and effortless, though he needs to use his back more than his shoulders to get the movements right. Carrie Ann said his momentum is magical with take-your-breath-away moments and poetry whenever he dances.
Score: 22
________________________________________
Jesse Metcalfe & Sharna Burgess, Cha-Cha
"Smooth" by Carlos Santana is not one of my favorites, but it was a good Cha-Cha song choice for Jesse. He opened up about his comfort level behind the wheel of a vintage car, saying he needs some of that to translate to the dance floor. Bruno said he drives him crazy with having the right look and vibe, but he needs to push himself harder. Carrie Ann noted his musicality has improved, but she wants to see more of his natural ease and confidence in his dances. Derek applauded him for improving and cautioned him about staying behind the music rather than ahead of it. I think he looked smokin' in that outfit, although I would agree with the judges that something is still slightly missing from his performance quality.
Score: 21
________________________________________
Skai Jackson & Alan Bersten, Foxtrot
Skai opened up about the death of fellow Disney Channel alum Cameron Boyce, who was tragically taken at the tender age of 20 last year. John Legend's "Ordinary People" was the perfect Foxtrot choice for Skai's heartfelt tribute to her fallen friend and mentor. Carrie Ann was blown away by the performance, telling her it was sheer perfection. Derek noted it was his favorite dance of the night, calling her a gorgeous ballroom dancer. Bruno said it was the embodiment of grace and elegance, admiring her poise despite her young age. The first 10 of the season and two 9's rightfully went to Skai after such an incredible and unforgettable dance. They should have ended the show on this high note.
Score: 28
________________________________________
AJ McLean & Cheryl Burke, Cha-Cha
AJ's Cha-Cha was "Larger Than Life" thanks to a virtual performance with his fellow Backstreet Boys. It suddenly made sense why they saved this dance for last. It must be especially hard for an entertainer to be quarantined away from their stage family for so long when they really want to be out performing for their fans. Derek quipped the obvious "Backstreet's back, all right!" Bruno said it was a crowd-pleasing performance, although he lacked some of the Cha-Cha steps. Carrie Ann told him he's a natural entertainer, but she cautioned him about watching his elbows.
Score: 24
________________________________________
We're getting to the stage where it becomes more difficult to watch contestants get eliminated after weeks of hard work and dedication. In a shocking twist of events, an error on the program told Monica and Val they were safe before calling them back out again to face being in jeopardy with Anne and Keo. In a unanimous decision, the judges saved Monica and Val. Anne went out on a high note and she can hold her head high, though I'm sure it never feels easy being eliminated on live TV. There were a couple of other couples I think she could have beaten, but I think the judges made the right decision in this case. I just want to know how such a big scoring flub occurred - there were three other couples they scared (including a visibly subdued Nelly) before calling out Monica and Val. How did your favorites fare this week? Are you looking forward to seeing another Derek Hough performance in two weeks?
Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8:00 PM on ABC.
It was yet another slow weekend at the box office, and it's not looking to improve any time soon with more November releases shuffling off to the Spring of 2021 at the earliest. The biggest move came Friday, October 2 when the long-awaited Bond film No Time to Die moved to April, about the same time it was due to open this year. That pushed F9, which had already been delayed a year, back to Memorial Day weekend. Those moves were followed today by the Dune remake ditching its December release for October 2, 2021, which is the same day The Batman is scheduled so expect to see that pushed to the holidays, either Thanksgiving or Christmas 2021. For now, Disney is sticking with Pixar's Soul in November and the Death on the Nile remake for December, and WB still has faith Wonder Woman 1984 can save Christmas. But with Regal Cinemas announcing a company-wide closure this week, that could have a huge impact on the holidays and awards season. If the studios do stick with those plans, Regal could reopen for exhibition. For now, Cinemark is staying open, but reports suggest AMC Theaters is running out of money, so if those three films shift to next year that could spell the end for that chain. For now, write on your calendar in pencil (not that people still do that, but you get the drift).
There was some action at the box office this weekend with two new films cracking the Top Ten, one hovering just outside, and a surprise re-release unseating last week's Number 2 film and very nearly knocking Tenet out of the top spot. But Tenet hung on for a fifth week, earning an estimated $2.7 million from 2,722 screens, down 21% from the previous week. The film's domestic gross now stands at an estimated $45.1 million. As has been the case though, the film is still performing well in international markets with the foreign total now at $262 million, with a global total of $307.1 million.
At Number 3 in its sixth week of release, The New Mutants took just an 11% hit, earning $1.04 million from 2,154 screens, bringing its domestic total to $20.95 million. The film is still tracking overseas with the domestic release, with a cumulative total of $21 million. Worldwide the film has amassed $41.95 million. If you're keeping track, neither of these films earned more than $1000 per screen with Tenet taking $991 on average.
Unhinged saw a 12.5% decrease in its eighth week, dropping one spot to Number 4 with $847,378, and a domestic total of $18.38 million. Infidel kept its place at Number 5 even with a 39.5% decline, earning $460,450 for a domestic three week total of $3.43 million.
Tenet was close to being dethroned by the re-release of Disney's cult classic Hocus Pocus, which only really gained an audience after home video releases and TV broadcasts. For its July 16, 1993 release, the film bowed at Number 4 behind The Firm, In the Line of Fire and Jurassic Park and earned $39.51 million during its original run. This weekend the film earned $1.92 million with many locations selling out. For its Friday opening, the film actually was the Number 1 film of the day. The Sanderson Sisters are still weaving their magic 27 years later.
Opening at Number 8 is the thriller Possessor Uncut which earned $252,664 from just 320 screens, giving it a per screen average of $789, $40 more than Hocus Pocus. At Number 10, the horror/sci-fi/comedy Save Yourselves! opened with $142,694. The number of screens has not been reported. Just outside the Top Ten at Number 12, The Call earned $138,237 from 195 screens, an average of $708 per screen.
As for the coming weekend, there is one new wide release that could dethrone Tenet, the generation gap comedy The War with Grandpa starring Robert De Niro. Also due next weekend are The Bra, Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton, Aggie, and the re-release of 2018's Henchmen. Be sure to follow @hotchka on Twitter for up to date news on the latest schedule changes!
Below are the Top Ten grosses for the weekend of October 2-4.
[1] Tenet - $2,700,000 [$45,100,000]
[N] Hocus Pocus - $1,925,000 [NEW]
[2] The New Mutants - $1,042,158 [$20,956,219]
[3] Unhinged - $847,378 [$18,380,032]
[5] Infidel - $460,450 [$3,432,415]
[4] Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back - $335,000 [$2,258,000]
[6] The Broken Hearts Gallery - $276,336 [$3,734,737]
‘Tehran’ has something that feels like it’s almost at the point of something great. by Jeremy Fogelman
Tehran is a new Israeli show on Apple TV Plus created by Moshe Zonder, who previously worked as a producer on the show Fauda, which was ostensibly a show about Israel-Palestine tensions and the people on both sides, although it often dipped too heavily into overly action-heavy scenes and a few too many characters. Tehran is far more focused, carefully introducing characters of import over time.
The show dropped the first three episodes at once, “Emergency Landing in Tehran”, “Blood on Her Hands”, and “Jasmine’s Girl”, so there will be spoilers for those three episodes here. The first episode is a bit of something with a “heist” vibe as we see a team of Israeli spies attempt to infiltrate the electrical grid in Tehran to allow a bombing of Iranian reactors. The main spy on the ground is Tamar (Niv Sultan), who can pass for Iranian, which makes sense, as we discover later that her mother fled during the uprisings of the late 70s.
At the same time, we follow the Iranian security service trying to figure out what’s going on and tracking down the spies, led by Faraz Kamali (famed Persian character actor Shaun Toub). Faraz is given additional depth beyond simply wanting to defend his country as his wife heads to France to get treatment for a serious illness -- the two have a complicated relationship because he must stay behind to address the security intrusions.
Tamar switches places with Zhila, a local worker at the electrical plant, who is desperate to flee and leave everything behind. We discover why, when Tamar is assaulted by Zhila’s boss and inadvertently kills him. So Tamar tries to get help from local asset Masoud (another great character actor Navid Negahban, who’s been in everything too) -- but gets into some interesting conflicts as Masoud is perhaps a more unethical sort than Tamar is willing to interact with.
Masoud is competent, but makes mistakes, as we see Faraz’s team slowly begin to figure out what happened. It’s always useful to have protagonists and antagonists with competence, and here although Tamar is clearly painted as the “hero”, Faraz isn’t painted as a monster or evil -- a good change from the “we’re terrorists but complex” people in Fauda.
The third episode adds some much needed complexity to the world, as we see groups of Iranian protesters at odds with each other, both convinced they are virtuous and the other side terrible. This has Tamar’s aunt Arezoo, who stayed behind in Iran and converted in Islam, willing to help her niece while Arezoo’s daughter accidentally catches Tamar at the protest -- where she was trying to be, but was unable to stop because of her hacker friend.
It’s hard to know how Iranian audiences are taking the show so far, but some of the user reviews I found online were mostly on the positive side -- obviously the show isn’t shot in Tehran, it’s all in Athens, so it can only so accurate in that way, but it also does seem like people appreciate how Iranians are not being presented as a monolith, and that even radicals aren’t necessarily about hatred.
It has a real watchable quality to it so far, and I like the kind of conceit it has -- “spy stuck in a dangerous world”, because Tamar must rely on her training and wits to survive and outwit her pursuers, who are capable too. It’s all subtitled (mostly Farsi and some Hebrew), but otherwise it has that tightly edited appeal and characters that are competent without being infallible. I feel like there’s potential to be something really next level, but for now it’s more of the “this is simply a fun watch with some complexity” sort of thing.
‘The Boys’ ramps up the action in a more focused episode than usual. by Jeremy Fogelman
The latest episode of The Boys is called ‘The Bloody Doors Off’, once again a reference to a particular issue of the comics and vaguely connected to this episode (I mean doors do get blown off hinges and there is often blood on them, although the title initially was a double meaning between literally bloody and figuratively, like the British slang). Here we see almost all the characters again, but at least some things are combined and others ignored.
There’s more still of The Deep and his fairly broad storyline of Scientology satire, this time working on bringing A-Train into the fold. A-Train has legitimate concerns too, real problems, and he’s noticed Stormfront’s microaggressions. Of course, the leader Alastair (Goran Visnjic) seems well spoken and charismatic enough, but that’s sort of the point of it -- poking fun at Scientology is all well and good, Bowfinger did it years ago, but I don’t yet see a real salient idea more than surface level with this subplot.
Maeve’s tiny subplot has a little going on, just enough to create drama for the next episode, I suppose, but for now it feels like it wasn’t really necessary to keep in this one. The main storyline, connected in part to Homelander, which is the discovery of the Vought “asylum” for inmates gone wrong, is more interesting in general, even if there are aspects which feel a bit melodramatic.
The storyline finally brings the oft mentioned character of the Lamplighter (Shawn Ashmore) into the fray, who is a vaguely Green Lantern sort of ripoff, except that here his power is simply being able to spread fire (I guess not create it offhand, making him less powerful than the firebenders from Avatar: The Last Airbender). Delving into it is an interesting tale, having Mallory’s kids be an inadvertent murder from the Lamplighter who was targeting the lady herself (basically similar to the comics in some ways), but now feels hollow and broken about it.
We finally, finally get some more from Frenchie here, as his own backstory reveals a messy guilt and a desire to “save” Kimiko, who is great in this episode. Frenchie’s explicit explanation of his hangup is a little obvious and overly “therapy speak”, but at least it’s adding more depth to his character. Kimiko though, she was fun, from the shared realization with Butcher that Homelander and Stormfront were hooking up, to her “Bossy” golden knuckles that we see when she punches the “Love Sausage” in the face.
The character the Love Sausage is also in the comics but he’s so completely different and more fleshed out, here he’s probably only a one-off joke. We even get a bit more from MM’s backstory, although again I feel like it’s barely scratching the surface. The injury storyline with Hughie is a lot more interesting, as it’s forcing Butcher and Starlight to bond over their shared affection for the hapless Hughie.
Those two storylines feel pretty well connected, and it’s fine to lightly touch on the Homelander/Stormfront stuff, as it’s clearly vital to the plot of the season. When Stormfront reveals the truth to Homelander, that she was literally married to Vought in Nazi Germany and spits out an ugly racist screed, it’s hard to know what Homelander thinks, except that he craves love and all out worship -- so whether or not he’ll really be along for the racist part of the ride is still an open question, but for now it’s easy to understand (as we already know of his demented personality) why he’s still willing to be with Stormfront.
Homeland may be more of an anti-human bigot than any race in particular, but he considers himself “more than” -- it’s a chilling way to set up danger for the future. Overall, a mixed episode in parts, but the focused parts tended to work more than otherwise.
'The Boys’ shows us the next steps of many storylines at once. by Jeremy Fogelman
The latest episode of The Boys is called “We Gotta Go Now”, both a reference to the song title and also yet another irrelevant note at one of the graphic novel names. How many storylines did we see in this episode? Let me count them all. One is the Queen Maeve lesbian storyline, another is Homelander trying to fix his image, another is Stormfront messing with Starlight as the latter is trying to figure the former out, another is Kimiko taking hit jobs, another is Black Noir coming after a few of them, another is Hughie being concerned about Butcher, A-Train is concerned about getting kicked out of the Seven and finally, The Deep is married to his fake wife.
That’s probably way too many storylines for one episode. None of the storylines were bad, exactly, but some certainly felt anticlimactic or more setup for later. Some things are interesting, like Stormfront effectively revealing herself to be a racist in front of A-Train with her obviously coded language, which ties more into A-Train’s final moments of “quitting”. The whole movie conceit almost feels like too much of an idea, something that could be more drawn out and focused on.
There are plenty of funny jabs at superhero movies, like the reference to Joss Whedon punching up the script or the Women Power moment which feels perhaps a reference to Endgame’s pandering moment of lady superheroes in the same frame for no reason. But there seems to be this Game of Thrones level of feeling they simply must tell us what everyone’s up to each episode. Especially with the non-binging release nature of this season’s schedule, it feels slower than usual.
Kimiko’s storyline is one I’m interested in, because she has such a powerful motivation -- yet we only get a bit. Contrast that with The Deep, which serves as simply more Scientology jabs and maybe, just maybe, something with Maeve, although that remains to be seen. Maeve’s storyline of fear about her girlfriend is a good motivation too, meaning she certainly is painted as the most “good” of the superhero group.
Starlight and her little tête-à-tête with Stormfront feels a bit simple, and you wonder if there was really a point to bringing Starlight’s terrible mother into things. Stormfront and her connection to Homelander, that’s the most interesting and most terrifying part of it all. Stormfront has been into Homelander for a while, as the blond, blue-eyed, white guy ubermensch, but she also has a very effective grasp of Facebook memery and how to make people “soldiers” in favor of Homelander.
So when we see Homelander hurt Stormfront without killing her (similar to the comics, in which the racist supe was also one of the most powerful) right before they bang in a destructive way, it’s more chilling than fun. We already have seen Homelander fantasize about killing people wantonly, and this episode is just another example -- pushing him further there is one of those truly worrying ideas of the show.
As for the Butcher/Hughie/MM storyline with Black Noir, it’s... fine. I never really felt like they were in danger, despite the show’s best efforts. At least the final moment reveal that Butcher was bluffing about his photos to Vought feels a bit more fun, a bit more like getting one over on the bad guys.
There’s a lot going on this last episode -- too much really. Maybe it’d feel better on a rewatch of the season in pure binge mode, but I have to take it as a I see it, and in that context it’s a weaker entry in the run.
‘A.P. Bio’ embraces the absurdity in its unintentionally abbreviated third season. by Jeremy Fogelman
The NBC show A.P. Bio from creator Mike O’Brien never got great ratings when it aired, although it had some pretty fervent cult fans online (including me). Unlike me, most of them tended to watch the show on streaming, so the ratings never reflected the actual way people were watching it. While it may not be the sort of calming presence of The Office or the same level of insane popularity, it was funny, darkly comedic and sometimes sweet, with a cast that only got better as it went.
The third season continues this trend, with eight episodes (more were planned but they had to shut down production) that still covered a lot of fun ground. Although Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, super cynical teacher who refused to teach actual biology, was the initial draw, the show really got a great handle on the rest of the cast. Fellow teachers Stef (Lyric Lewis), Mary (Mary Sohn), and Jean (Michelle Jones) had a sort of chaotic energy that bounced off each other, and there was a lot of fun with Patton Oswalt as the too nice Principal Ralph Durbin contrasted against Jack’s cynicism. This also contrasted well with Paula Pell’s Helen, the principal’s secretary who plays the most broadly of anyone.
There
are plenty of side characters with funny little running gags and
moments, but the actual high schoolers in the AP class really have
solidified to a great ensemble: Sarika (Aparna Brielle), the high
achiever, and condescending, super annoying and weirdly overconfident
Marcus (Nick Peine), laidback artistic with killer line delivery Anthony
(Eddie Leavy), nerdy pals Victor (Jacob Houston) and Eduardo (Miguel
Chavez), super cool Dan Decker (Spence Moore II), try-hard mousey
Marissa (Marisa Baram) and “says super awkward things out loud” Caleb
(Jacob Timothy Manown) are all great.
But the funniest of the gang are two: Allisyn Ashley Arm as super bespectacled but oddly supportive Heather Wilmore, who steals every scene she’s in (I still crack up about her line reading about Jesus as a ‘beefcake’), and Sari Arambulo as sociopathic Grace -- yes, there really is something consistently hilarious about a chipper, chirpy young girl cheerfully saying such super dark things. She’s always funny -- and is this perhaps the most diverse comedy on TV? Probably.
In the first episode "Tiny Problems", the show immediately combines comedy with bittersweet feelings as Jack addresses his connection to his beloved late mother by trying to get revenge on the owner of a store of small houses and items. There is a repeatedly hilarious moment in this episode where Jack brings up wanting to hurt the old lady owner -- Grace smiles, excited in anticipation -- Jack then further says they aren’t killing anyone, they get that right? -- Grace’s face falls -- and Victor says it’s good to hear it out loud. I’m laughing just writing that out again.
The second episode “Disgraced” centers around Jack’s attempts to ghostwrite a book for famous horror novelist Robin Shwank (Jon Lovitz, delightful), in a sort of “escapade of the week” style. But the third episode “Gary Meets Dave” goes pretty loopy and fun, with a bunch of cascading “Previously On” moments as many, many things go wrong throughout the school and everything smashes together Snatch style in a comedy of errors. There’s even a drug deal storyline with a very funny sequence of the kids buying things they can’t afford. This episode also does a great job showcasing the other teachers and other side characters, having funny moments throughout, including Gary and Dave, who are having the mildest issues and arguments of them all.
Episode four, “Get Hoppy”, is the first time we see Principal Durbin actually act like a jerk as he gets a touch of local Toledo morning fame. I’m always happy to see Maria Thayer in anything, and she plays the overly pleasant morning anchorlady here to build up Ralph’s version of Jack’s book retitled “Get Hoppy” to include his silly rabbit pictures. This is also the first time we see anything from Yuyao Deng (who also plays a character named Yuyao Deng), as she tries to get money to help her grandmother versus selling a T-Shirt that just says “Gone Tootin’”.
It’s a sort of mild commentary of societal priorities of guilt versus low humor.
The fifth episode “Mr. Pistachio” keeps the connections building between Jack and the other teachers as they support him through an embarrassing doctor’s visit, while the kids compete over classic stupid “Best Whatever” in the school newspaper. More fun character building and awkward moments as they compete for pointless mentions and a decently weird side plot of Durbin and Helen competing for the same lady (Kellee Stewart).
The show gets experimental and weird again with episode six, “That That That”, which shows Jack attempting to film a lecture to get a job at the University of Wisconsin and going increasingly crazy, only partially due to his own issues and the rest due to toxic chemicals. Glenn Howerton is always great playing super unhinged, and this episode has him at some of his most unhinged yet.
The penultimate episode of the season is more sweet than funny, although it does utilize Lyric Lewis’ real world pregnancy for a funny storyline about her concern about the biological father. Ultimately the main plot has Anthony as a wrestling sidekick in another piece of pop culture that completely gets professional wrestling wrong, co-starring Ron Funches as a janitor turned local wrestler, and Lilian Garcia as a ring announcer (she’s an actual announcer in real life, including for the WWE in years past).
And the final episode, "Katie Holmes Day", is one of the silliest yet. Finally mousy Marissa gets a chance to shine more than just one-off gags, and the show has one of the weirdest ideas yet -- that Toledo has a holiday to honor Katie Holmes, one of the more famous people to come from there. There’s a great stupid joke about Caleb’s parents only celebrating “Jamie Farr Day”, the M*A*S*H actor who also came from Toledo, which adds to the absurdity of the world.
Admittedly, the Katie Holmes story about how she got the part on Dawson’s Creek is unusual, although the episode doesn’t entirely play it straight, of course -- naturally there’s a pageant that Jack wants to destroy, and naturally there’s a legitimately sweet, silly ending with a conclusion that feels like we get better insight into Marissa’s character.
It leaves Jack in a place where he feels truly connected to Toledo for the first time since he came back, and sets the stage for places unknown. I’m not sure what could even be next for a show like this -- how long can a year of an AP class really last anyway? And these kids are all already in their 20s despite some looking pretty young still. But maybe that all doesn’t really matter. I thoroughly enjoyed this shortened third season of A.P. Bio and I’m happy NBC brought it back, even as a streaming only season on Peacock.
Was it the only thing that ensured I’d get a subscription? Maybe. Would a fourth season be the only reason I’d keep it? Maybe. Time will tell.
