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19 articles
'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story' Ends "Epic" Run as Cable's Most-Watched New Show of 2016
15 hours ago
"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" concluded its 10-episode run as cable's most-watched new series of 2016, according to a press statement from the FX network, and it ranks among the top 10 programs in all of television in delivery of Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. According to The Nielsen Company, premiere-to-date, time spent viewing for "The People v. O.J. Simpson" equates to 143.9 million hours or 8.63 billion minutes. Key highlights for "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime" Story from FX include: - It ranks as the most-watched new series in FX history in Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers. - The series premiere was the most-watched original scripted series premiere in FX's 22-year history and, to date, has delivered 17.5 million viewers (and still counting) across all linear and non-linear platforms. - It is cable television's highest-rated new series this year in Total Viewers and all key demos, »
- Tambay A. Obenson
The 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Episode Titles Might Contain A Secret About the Finale
17 hours ago
[Speculation — not spoilers — for the "Better Call Saul" season finale below.] Some very crafty "Better Call Saul" fans, looking for a hint at what's to come in next week's finale, may have cracked a code hidden in the episode titles of this season. Read More: Review: 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Episode 9, 'Nailed,' Can't Escape the Truth On Reddit, Twitter user @Sirena6783 is identified as the first to catch that when you take the first letter of each episode title — "Switch," "Cobbler," "Amarillo," "Gloves Off," "Rebecca," "Bali Ha'i," "Inflatable," "Fifi," "Nailed" and "Klick" — you get the letters S, C, A, G, R, B, I, F, N and K. Unscramble that, and here's what you get: "Fring's Back." That would, of course, be a reference to Gustavo Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, who first employed and then...
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- Liz Shannon Miller
Watch 4 Clips from 'Confirmation' + 4 Character Video Summaries
17 hours ago
HBO has set the debut date for "Confirmation," the original movie written by Susannah Grant and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, which details the explosive 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, which brought the country to a standstill and forever changed the way we think about sexual harassment, victims' rights and modern-day race relations. The telepic will premiere on April 16 at 8pm Et/Pt on HBO. Kerry Washington portrays law professor Anita Hill, who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, with Wendell Pierce as Judge Thomas. and Greg Kinnear as Democratic Senator Joe Biden, who presided over the hearings as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Joining them, Jeffrey Wright plays Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, Professor Hill's lead attorney during the hearings, and Eric Stonestreet portrays Ken Duberstein, a Washington lobbyist hired by President George H. W. Bush to promote Judge Thomas'...
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- Tambay A. Obenson
Why Wasn't 'Togetherness' An Emmys Contender?
18 hours ago
No one wants to believe the end's not near, it's here, but as Mark Duplass stated in a lovely message to fans Sunday afternoon, "Togetherness" will not be coming back for a third season. HBO cancelled the critically-beloved comedy with three episodes still to air in Season 2, making Sunday night's finale the last we'll see of Brett (Mark Duplass), Michelle (Melanie Lynskey), Tina (Amanda Peet) and Alex (Steve Zissis) — not to mention Larry (Peter Gallagher) and his adorable pet (his mustache). The news didn't come as much of a surprise to fans or its stars — including Amanda Peet, who told THR, "We saw it coming, so we weren’t blindsided or anything. But it's still devastating." — but the timing of it was telling. When it comes to the Emmys, anyone who lives and dies by who's recognized and who's not needs to have more lives than a newborn kitten. Hoping »
- Ben Travers
Flint Water Crisis Movie in the Works at Lifetime, Based on Time Magazine Cover Story
20 hours ago
It was inevitable... a movie on the much publicized Flint water crisis is in the works at Lifetime, from producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (the same pair behind the live TV musicals "The Wiz" and "The Sound of Music"), the network announced today. The producers, who optioned the rights to Time magazine's February cover story by Josh Sanburn, titled "The Poisoning of an American City" (above) say that their intent is to create something comprehensive, tackling the crisis from the political and bureaucratic angles, as well as focusing on how the residents of Flint were impacted by the poisoning. Barbara Stepansky is attached to write the teleplay adaptation, with Sanburn serving as a consultant on the film. Zadan and Meron's have a history with the Lifetime network; they also produced the 2012 all-black-cast "Steel Magnolias" remake. Up next, they'll produce NBC's live musical, "Hairspray," and a...
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- Tambay A. Obenson
Watch: Cersei, Sansa, And Dany In 3 New Clips From 'Game Of Thrones' Season 6 Plus VFX Reel
23 hours ago
For all of their keeping-it-secret, not-showing-it-to-press approach for season six, HBO has been fairly generous with footage. There have already been two trailers (the latest dropped yesterday), and now comes three more clips, giving a further peek at what's in store. The first two scenes below are from the upcoming season premiere, showing Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) at the Red Keep, and Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Theon (Alfie Allen) trying to stay ahead of Ramsay’s hounds. The last scene is actually from the second episode with Dany (Emilia Clarke) taking a look at Vaes Dothrak. After that, you can check out an extended VFX reel. "Game Of Thrones" is back on April 24th. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Review: 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Episode 9, 'Nailed,' Can't Escape the Truth
11 April 2016 8:00 PM, PDT
Last Week's Review: 'Better Call Saul' Season 2 Episode 8, 'Fifi,' Readies for Disaster Case SummaryGoing to the local courthouse is even more of an ordeal for Chuck than it is for the rest of us, but it's worth it for him to attend a Mesa Verde hearing that will cement Hh&M's ownership of the client. Unfortunately, thanks to Jimmy's tinkering last week, Chuck's paperwork is all screwed up, and not only is he humiliated in the hearing, but Mesa Verde fires them and picks Kim as their new representation. It all went exactly according to Jimmy's plan... A plan that Chuck immediately deduces. Because it sounds so farfetched coming out of Chuck's mouth, it's easy to understand why Kim tells Chuck that she thinks he simply made a mistake. But afterwards, it's quite clear that she knows Chuck is right, and that she's trying to cover for him. »
- Liz Shannon Miller
Watch: 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Clips Tease Epic Scale of Premiere (and Episode 3)
11 April 2016 4:47 PM, PDT
Read More: 'Game of Thrones' Season 6: Jon Snow's Fate Is Great News (Given TV's Graveyard) Cold winters. Brutal summers. An impossible conversation. Choose one — or go ahead and live vicariously through each in the new clips of "Game of Thrones" Season 6. With less than two weeks to go before the much-anticipated return of last year's Emmy Winner for Outstanding Drama Series, proud parent company HBO is amping up the marketing. In addition to a new trailer this morning (which played following Episode 1 at the "Game of Thrones" premiere in Hollywood Sunday night), now you can feast your eyes on nearly two more minutes of fresh footage via three new clips. The two clips below are from the premiere episode. The first finds Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) hearing some heartfelt words from Cersei (Lena Headey) while the second showcases a fearful Sansa (Sophie Turner) running for her life through snow covered wilderness. »
- Ben Travers
Get To Know Andrew Dice Clay Before You Get To Know 'Dice'
11 April 2016 3:43 PM, PDT
When Showtime offered me the opportunity to sit down with Andrew Dice Clay, the Dice man himself, it was long before most people had heard of "Dice," his new comedy about — you guessed it — Andrew Dice Clay. It was before the trailer was released. It was before we got a peek at the poster. Heck, it was even before the series' panel discussion was held at the Winter TCAs, the same event that put me in the room with Mr. Clay in the first place. Needless to say, it's a rare thing to go into an interview completely blind — sans screeners, photos, clips or anything — but when you get the chance to talk to the star of a new Showtime series, who is also one of the most popular stand-up comedians of all time, you do what you gotta do. Of course, the extra twist was that I didn't really »
- Ben Travers
Steven Soderbergh Says He's About To Pitch The Next Two “Extreme” Seasons Of ‘The Knick,’ Wants To Direct Again
11 April 2016 2:34 PM, PDT
**Spoilers ahead** When Steven Soderbergh ended the second season of "The Knick" by killing off Dr. John W. Thackery, and tidying up the storylines of the major characters as much as possible, he effectively blew up the show. But that was by design. From the moment Cinemax said yes to the series, the plan was always for two seasons, after which Clive Owen and co. would move on and the show would reinvent itself in a different shape. “I told [the network] that I’m going to do the first two years and then we are going to break out the story for seasons 3 and 4 and try and find a filmmaker or filmmakers to do this the way that I did. This is how we want to do this so that every two years, whoever comes on has the freedom to create their universe,” Soderbergh told us last fall. “It was always conceived in two-year chunks, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
'Catastrophe' Season 2: Could a Drama Be This Honest and Succeed?
11 April 2016 12:02 PM, PDT
If you haven't checked out "Catastrophe," what's stopping you? The incredibly charming relationship comedy created by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan was one of the best surprises of last year, and Season 2, which launched last Friday on Amazon, shows no signs of flagging. Read More: Review: 'Catastrophe' Season 2 Magically Balances the Brutal and Hilarious Truths As TV Critic Ben Travers pointed out in his review last week, one of the show's fundamental selling points is the way it uses comedy to bring the relationship between Rob and Sharon to life -- but is that essential to the show's success? And would the show be as successful if it chose instead to take a more dramatic approach to the subject matter? That's the question that Ben and Indiewire's TV Editor Liz Shannon Miller dig into this week, as well as the nuances that impact how we appreciate »
- Indiewire
The CW Network Is Reviving ‘MadTV’ as Primetime Series w/ "New Comedy Voices"
11 April 2016 11:58 AM, PDT
Four months after The CW aired a "MADtv 20th Anniversary Reunion" special, the network announced today that it’s reviving the sketch comedy series with 8 hour-long episodes that will air in primetime, although no premiere date announced yet. One of the show’s original cast members will host the revival, the press statement says, but who that is remains underwraps for now. The CW says the new series will feature “up-and-coming new comedy voices.” “The MADtv franchise is as vibrant as ever thanks largely to social and digital media appealing to a fan base numbering in the millions that relates to the show’s brand of authentic and irreverent cross-cultural comedy," executive producer David E. Salzman said. "We will continue to present the hard-hitting, laugh-out-loud, wall-to-wall pop culture parody our fans expect, but in a fresh, new way.” In addition, 75 of the "maddest" and funniest episodes from the original series are to be. »
- Tambay A. Obenson
Confessions of an Emmys Virgin: The Education of an Oscars Pundit
11 April 2016 11:27 AM, PDT
I've been an Oscar watcher for decades, predicting nominations and wins since my days at Film Comment, Entertainment Weekly, and the late lamented Premiere. Picking Oscars has a lot to do with discerning the tastes and predilections of Academy members—6,000 strong—a mix of crafts people, producers, executives, and talent. I know many of them by name. And as the entertainment industry shifted away from two-hour features to more quality episodic television (it's all video content, producer Sean Daniel once reminded me) like everyone else I've been watching movies less and television more. I am hardly a full-time TV critic who inhales every series, reviews every premiere and wraps things up at season's end. Like most culture vultures, I sample, surf, or take on a show through several seasons until my interest flags. There's only so much you can track and absorb. But as Wme agent Graham Taylor admitted to »
- Anne Thompson
President Obama to Present Segments for Science Channel Network's Nightly News Coverage
11 April 2016 9:46 AM, PDT
The Science Channel has announce that President Obama will guest present 5 segments for the network's nightly science news coverage, "Science Presents DNews" which airs weeknights at 9Pm. During his time in office, President Obama has made science a top priority, recognizing that an emphasis on and advances in Stem are key to tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time. The updates cover a wide range of timely topics on breaking innovations in public health, space, and technology and will air each weeknight beginning Monday, April 11 at 9Pm as part of a week of Administration activities celebrating science, including the 2016 White House Science Fair on April 13, and participation in the USA Science & Engineering Festival later in the week. "The science initiatives the Obama administration promote continue to make bold breakthroughs and breaking news," said Marc Etkind, general manager of Science Channel. "We are thrilled to have President...
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- Tambay A. Obenson
Watch: It's Time To Fight In New Trailer For 'Game Of Thrones' Season 6
11 April 2016 9:10 AM, PDT
In a just a few weeks we'll find out if Jon Snow is truly dead or if HBO is just trolling everybody. But until then, a new trailer has arrived to provide for fresh speculation, as fans savor footage from the secretive, upcoming season of "Game Of Thrones." As you know, not even press will get a glimpse of season six, so it's anybody's guess what will be happening. Consider this your chance to weigh and make some guesses. Any thoughts on who might get offed this season? Where the story will go next? And seriously, what is up with Jon Snow? Well, we'll all find out shortly — "Game of Thrones" returns on April 24th.
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- Kevin Jagernauth
Tonight: Syfy Premieres New Alien Terrorist Series, 'Hunters'
11 April 2016 8:40 AM, PDT
Tonight, Syfy premieres the first season of "Hunters" it's new fantastical procedural thriller produced by Universal Cable Productions (in association with Valhalla Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment, respectively). Britne Oldford ("American Horror Story") plays the female lead in the 13-episode loose adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s best-selling novel "Alien Hunter," which tells the story of a brilliant police detective's obsessive investigation into the mysterious disappearance of his wife, which he eventually concludes wasn't at all voluntary, even though it initially appears that way. Somebody is taking people and making it look like they walked out on their own. As the detective gets closer to the truth, his work comes to the attention of a Special Agent, a member of the most secret police unit on the planet, tasked with seeking out the most brilliant and lethal criminals, but from another world - alien terrorists. The Special...
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- Tambay A. Obenson
Review: 'Fear the Walking Dead' Season 2...They're On a Boat!
11 April 2016 7:35 AM, PDT
When it comes to spinoffs, change is key. Yes, adhering to the original in some way, shape or form is vital to keeping viewers comfortable, but shows still need to establish a reason for being unto themselves. Otherwise, why would we watch instead of sticking with the original? After a brief, largely disastrous first season, "Fear the Walking Dead" seemed to be getting the hint. Ads for the second season have emphasized a change in venue; one unique to the spinoff and the original. Yet after sifting through the first two episodes of Season 2, it's clear taking to the ocean is the only change the writers were willing to make. Read More: Review: 'The Walking Dead' Season 6, Episode 16, 'Last Day on Earth': Negan At The Bat One of the big problems with Season 1 was how quickly it moved from zombie-free to zombie takeover. Possibly the only advantage the »
- Ben Travers
'Game of Thrones' Season 6: Jon Snow's Fate Is Great News (Given TV's Graveyard)
10 April 2016 10:32 PM, PDT
[Spoilers for "Game of Thrones" Season 5 below. There are no spoilers for the "Game of Thrones" Season 6 premiere (because HBO would send the White Walkers after us).] Television has never felt more like Westeros these days, because terrible things keep happening to people. Over the last two months, "The 100," "The Walking Dead," "Sleepy Hollow," "Empire" and other series have killed off beloved and prominent members of their ensembles, enraging fans along the way -- especially minority and Lgbqt fans, who were turning to these shows to see themselves represented on television, only to see themselves killed off. TV's never been short a body count, and that fact certainly applies to "Game of Thrones," which ended Season 5 with a number of lead characters getting slaughtered. But here's the key difference: "Game of Thrones's" trail of bodies does include plenty of women and minorities. (And children. Oh...
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- Liz Shannon Miller
Review: 'Girls' Season 5 Episode 8, 'Homeward Bound': Road Trips and Babies
10 April 2016 7:30 PM, PDT
Last Week's Review: 'Girls' Season 5 Episode 7, 'Hello Kitty': Hannah Reveals Too Much (Again) Love Her or Hate HerHate would be an understatement this week. Obviously things haven't been working between Hannah and Fran for a while now, not with their difference of opinions on pretty much everything. But for Hannah to pack up and go on a three-month road trip with Fran in a "house car" only to bail at the first rest stop is positively batty—not to mention selfish. Only Hannah could flee an R.V. in her pajamas and hide from the guy who is only trying to figure out what's wrong with her. Once again, it was obvious that this is a character who lives in the moment and never takes the time to think about how her actions will affect those around her. Rather than being an adult about the whole situation she refused to let Fran take her home, »
- Amber Dowling
19 articles