Category Archives: Music

Oct 04 2024
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Oct. 4 – Oct. 10

Svengoulie’s monster mash, an Oprah Elvis special & kids tackle tough politics

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Oct. 4
Tia Mowery: My Next Act
Eight-episode docuseries shines the spotlight on the actress (from TV’s Sister, Sister and the movie Seventeen Again) as she breaks new ground after a divorce and learns to be newly single while entering a new phase of motherhood (9:30 p.m., WeTV).

V/H/S Beyond
Sixth installment of the horror/sci-fi anthology franchise stars Justin Long, Jordan Downey and Kate Siegel in more tales of terror and the supernatural (Shudder). 

SATURDAY, Oct. 5
The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead
Inspired by real events, it’s the tale of a girl who disappeared and was thought dead, only to reappear years later. Starring Lyndsy Forseca, Emma Tremblay and Kyle Clark (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Svengoolie’s Halloween Boo-Nanza
TV’s iconic ghoul kicks off the Halloween season today with a collection of spooky Loony Tunes cartoons before the evening’s double feature of Son of Frankenstein and Monster That Challenged the World—followed by more vintage schlock flicks into the wee hours! (10 a.m., MeTV).

SUNDAY, Oct. 6
The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special
Tribute to a half century of the fan-voted awards ceremony from Dick Clark Productions, with live performances, artist interviews, special guests and archival footage of highlights (8 p.m., CBS).

Vinyl Obsession
Pro wrestler Eric Young takes viewers deep into his collection of some 2,000 albums he’s collected over two decades (10:30 p.m., AXS).

MONDAY, Oct. 7
What Would You Do?
Host John Quiñones returns for a new season that examines how people behave when confronting with a choice of “interfering” or just minding their own business (10 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, Oct. 8
Citizen Nation
Documentary series follows teens across America with diverse backgrounds as they come together to compete in the nation’s premier civics competition, “We the People,” and make sense of our troubled political climate (9 p.m., PBS).

An Oprah Special: The Presleys—Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley
Queen O sits down at fabled Graceland with Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis, for a wide-ranging conversation about her late mother Lisa Marie, the grandfather she never knew, her famous family and her mother’s unfinished memoirs—which Keough completed as a co-writer (8 p.m., CBS).

The Accused
Court is in session for season two of the hit series (above), with actors in flashback recreations of real-life crimes that ultimately land them in front of a jury. Cobie Smulders, Ken Jeong, William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman are among the new cast members (8 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 9
Scamanda
New docuseries based on a hit podcast about a blogger with cancer…and a secret she’s dying to keep (10 p.m., ABC).

La Maquina
Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Elza Gonzalez star in this Spanish language series about a boxer staging a life-or-death rematch while struggling with personal demons in the dark side of the pugilism world (Hulu).

THURSDAY, Oct. 10
Citadel: Diana
Italian actress Matilda De Angelis as a undercover agent trapped behind enemy lines in this new addition to the Citadel franchise, a foreign-language spinoff from the 2023 series (Prime).

Teacup have art
A desperate group in rural Georgia comes together to survive in this scary new series (above) inspired by the novel Stringer, adapted for the screen by horror maestro James Wan. With Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chase Spencer. And as you might imply, a teacup takes on some significance (Peacock).

NOW HEAR THIS

To commemorate their induction into this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Foreigner has released Turning Back the Time (Rhino), a new career-spanning greatest hits collection. Turn back the time, indeed, and re-listen to the band’s radio-friendly ‘80s hits on two LPs or CDs, including “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” “Double Vision” and “Feels Like the First Time.” Plus, the all-new title track from original members Mick Jones and Lou Graham. 

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks (Viking), scientist Dr. Caitlin Rivers looks at the oft-overlooked roles public-health initiatives play in our everyday lives, from the quality of air we breathe to the safety of food we consume, the bathrooms we use and the management of disease outbreaks. It’s a dirty world out there!

Is photography an art, a chronicle or a memento? In Looking at Photographs (Thames & Hudson) author Laurent Jullier examines what constitutes a “good” photo, how to interpret artistry in photography, how to take better pictures, and the many ways photos can intrigue, engage, inform, stimulate, stir our emotions—and instantly turn the present into the past. Now that almost everyone has a camera (on our smartphones), it’s essential reading on how we see the world.

Just in time for Halloween, find out about all kinds of movie monstrosities in The Cinematic Boogeyman (McFarland), a thorough look at the spectrum of characters that scare us in a larger context of psychology, history, cinematic study and folklore, tracing a thru-line from Bluebeard the pirate to Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s a compelling read for anyone who wants to dig into why we’re frightened first by mythical creatures that morphed into fairy tales and finally, the silver screen.

BRING IT HOME

If you ever wondered what happened to the actors who played Otter (Tim Matheson) and Flounder (Stephen Furst) after classic college-comedy flick Animal House, well, they teamed up again in another movie—that wasn’t quite as successful as its predecessor. Still, Up The Creek, newly re-released by Kino Lorber (https://kinolorber.com/shop), is about a couple of college cutups trying to win an intercollegiate white-water raft race. And Cheap Trick sings the movie theme song!

Time to get in the Wayback Machine and get bougie! The Gilded Age: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) brings Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Taissa Farmiiga and the rest of the “uppercrust” cast back for more of the Gilded Age period drama. Plus, more than 20 bonus features!

Sep 27 2024
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Books, DVDs, History, Humor, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Sept. 27 – Oct. 3

Johnny Cash gives the finger to Nashville, Will Ferrell explores America in a new light and dinosaurs roar all day!

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Sept. 27
Apartment 7A
A prequel to the events of Rosemary’s Baby, this horror film with Julia Garner, Dianne Wiest, Jim Sturgess and Kevin McNally focuses on a young dancer in New York City who finds out there’s something disturbing going on in her apartment building (Paramount+).

Social Studies
What’s it like to be raised on social media? Documentary filmed over a school year follows a group of LA teens to explore how their phones have shaped—and reshaped—their childhoods (10 p.m., FX).

Will & Harper
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele (above), an SNL writer he met on his first day of the TV show three decades ago, trek across the country in this documentary full of fun and feels as they explore America exploring Harper’s new life after “coming out” as a trans woman (Netflix).

SATURDAY, Sept. 28
Jurassic Park Trilogy
Cue the dinos! Start the Jeep! And get ready to rip-roar with the original Jurassic Park, followed by its two movie sequels (12:15 p.m., TBS).

Saturday Night Live
Live, from New York…. It’s the iconic late-night comedy series kicking off its landmark 50th season, with host Jean (Hacks) Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll (11:30 p.m., NBC).

SUNDAY, Sept. 29
The Summit
Get a sneak peek tonight of the 90-minute premiere episode of new reality series as 16 strangers trek through the treacherous New Zealand Alps attempting to reach the peak of a distant mountain…and be rewarded by taking home $1 million (9 p.m., CBS).

Outrageous Pumpkins
Just in time for Halloween, tune into this annual competition series to watch America’s best carvers create jack-o-lantern masterpieces (10 p.m., Food Network).

MONDAY, Sept. 30
Patrice: The Movie
Documentary about a disabled couple navigating their relationship and planning for their future in an uncertain world. It’s sometimes funny, but always real (Hulu).

Rock Legends
Series returns tonight with a spotlight on Outlaw Country, when a handful of country trailblazers (like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash) started shaking up and breaking Nashville’s rules (8 p.m., AXS).

TUESDAY, Oct. 1
Accused
More stories in the new season dramatizing crime and punishment, told through the defendants’ points of view and showing how ordinary people can be caught up in extraordinary circumstances Watch for guest appearances by William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman and Michael Chiklis (8 p.m., Fox).

The American Vice President
With a current VP on the ticket to possibly become the next U.S. president, this timely doc examines the role of the vice president in American politics and how it was forever transformed one fateful day in the 1960s (8 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 2
Where’s Wanda?
German-language series (don’t worry, just turn on your subtitles) about a set of parents (above) who make surprising discoveries about their neighbors after their teenage daughter goes missing (Apple TV+).

Big Freedia Means Business
What does it take for a gay female entrepreneur and New Orleans-born rapper, to branch out into even more business ventures, plus record a gospel album and write a childrens’ book? Find out in season two of this unscripted docuseries about the colorful cat known as Big Freedia (Fuse). 

Joan
Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner stars in this new drama series (below) as the notorious British jewel thief Joan Harrington, who was well known in London’s criminal underbelly of the ‘80s (8 p.m., The CW).

THURSDAY, Oct. 3
Law and Order
Producer Dick Wolf’s police procedural—the second longest-running drama in the history of TV—returns with new episodes and more crime investigation and prosecution. Starring Reid Scott, Mehcad Brooks and Hugh Dancy (NBC).

House of Spoils
Ariana Debose stars in this suspense-horror thriller as an ambitious chef whose restaurant kitchen is overrun by pests of the supernatural kind (Prime).

Salem’s Lot
Remake of the 1970s flick, based on Stephen King’s 1975 New England vampire tale, gets a streaming re-do with Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodward, Bill Camp and others (Max).

BRING IT HOME

Now you can own a new slate of classic films with the Columbia Classics 4k Ultra HD Collection Volume 5, a deluxe roundup of All the King’s Men, On the Waterfront, A Man for All Seasons, Tootsie, The Age of Innocence and Little Women. Packaged with 20 hours of special features and an 80-page book on the history and impact of the movies, it’s a film lover’s feast.

One of TV’s most acclaimed political dramas comes to Blu-ray with The West Wing: The Complete Series (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). Timed to coincide with the show’s 25th anniversary, it includes all 156 episodes of the Emmy-winning series with an all-star cast including Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, and which began on NBC in 1999. Hours of bonus features include commentary, gags and goofs, unused scenes and more. 

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Girl power flows off every page of How Women Made Music (Harper One), a spotlight on groundbreaking female artists including Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Joan Jett and Dolly Parton. It’s drawn from half a century of NPR’s music coverage, with contributions from female music critics, essays, photos, illustrations and lists. It’s not just about women making music, it’s about women making musical history. 

You may not be familiar with her name, but she’s regarded as one of the most influential visual pioneers of the 20th century, especially noted as one of the first to produce artistic and environmental portraits of Black Americans—along with her striking chronicle of the social issues of her time, including urban poverty, workers’ rights, segregation and inequality. Find out all about her—and see many of her remarkable images in Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit (Thames & Hudson).

Saddle up with The Paranormal Ranger (William Morrow), author Stanley’s Milford’s sometimes chilling memoir about his illustrious career of serving the Navajo Nation, patrolling and protecting the 27,000-square-mile reservation spanning portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. In the course of settling mundane disputes and other day-to-day routines, he also encountered all sorts of eerie supernatural activity—including UFOs, “skinwalkers,” livestock mutilations and hauntings—which altered his view of the world…and our place in it. 

Pet lovers will love Faithful Unto Death (Thames & Hudson), in which author Paul Koudaunaris presents a fascinating history of pet burial sites and memorials with remarkable stories of people whose bonds with their companion animals extend into the hereafter. Your heart will be warmed with tales of Elvis’ dog, the puppy who played Toto,  Hollywood’s favorite lion, heroic pets and much more!

Sep 06 2024
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The Entertainment Forecast

Sept. 6 – Sept. 12

Inside TV’s most famous mob family, Mormon wife hotties & the new “Money Game” of college athetics

All times Eastern.

Go inside ‘The Sopranos’ and its creator, David Chase, Saturday on HBO.

FRIDAY, Sept. 6
The Boy and the Heron
The Oscar-winning animated film begins streaming tonight, about a young man who loses his mother in a hospital fire then meets a mysterious bird (Max).

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
Controversial reality show—about a swingin’ bunch of Mormon hottie wives (below) and social media “influencers”—was making waves long before it headed to the airwaves. See what all the fuss was about tonight! (Hulu)

SATURDAY, Sept. 7
Held Hostage in My House
Formerly known as Blunt, this psychological thriller—about a single mom entrapped in her vacation home—stars Amy Smart, Matt Davis, Billy Zane and Ne-Yo. Can she discover who’s holding her hostage, and why? (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos
How did David Chase come to create one of the most culturally impactful TV shows of all time? This two-part doc delves into the man behind the media-sensation mobsters and the real stories that inspired the show (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, Sept. 8
Universal Basic Guys
Mark and Hank try to reconnect with their primal roots by purchasing a heat-seeking crossbow to hunt deer, kicking off a new season of the adult animated comedy (on Fox following the NFL double-header).

The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood
Four-part docuseries delves into the twisted tale one of Hollywood’s most famous murder cases—a sordid story of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll from 1981 that inspired the movie Boogie Nights (MGM+).

MONDAY, Sept. 9
Name Me Lawand
A young man deaf since birth seeks a fresh start with his new family in the U.K. after a year in a refugee camp in this touching documentary about the power of friendship and community (10 p.m., PBS).

Flip Side
Jaleel (“Urkle”) White hosts this new game show with teams trying to guess how different groups of people have answered the same questions (syndicated, CBS).

TUESDAY, Sept. 10
The Chicken Sisters
Cluck cluck! New family drama (above) on Hallmark’s new streaming service is dipped in Southern charm with a saucy side of romance! With Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick and Schuyler Fisk (Hallmark+).

The Money Game
How is the NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) ruling—which allows college athletes to be paid for endorsements and advertising—revolutionizing sports? This doc focuses on Louisiana State University and the big-bucks players there who’ve become young millionaires (Prime Video).

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 11
John Legend: Live from the Artists Den
The award-winning R&B singer and songwriter performs at Manhattan’s historic Riverside Church, with powerful renditions of “All of Me,” “Glory” and more (10 p.m., AXIS).

THURSDAY, Sept. 12
The Taylor of Sin City
True-crime docuseries follows the tale of a gifted tailor who built a drug and fashion empire in Las Vegas with the help of the Mob and a South American cocaine kingpin (10 p.m., Sundance TV). 

The Old Man
Jeff Bridges returns to season two of the series about a former FBI agent, tonight setting off on an adventure to recover a kidnapped girl with a mysterious past. With John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman and Alia Shawkat (10 p.m., FX).

BRING IT HOME

Get ready for some outrageously funny stuff with this Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), a one-man show recorded live onstage at the Hollywood Palladium in the early 1980s, when he was hot stuff in Hollywood with movies including The Toy, Silver Streak and Stir Crazy.

What’s the highest-grossing animated film of all time? It’s Inside Out 2, and now you can own it on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD! This new home-entertainment release comes with multiple mini-features, including scenes that didn’t make the movie (which features voices by Amy Poelher, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri and Tony Hale), and a making-of doc about creating the movie’s “new” emotions of Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and Ennui (Disney Home Entertainment).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In the handsome Man Ray: Liberating Photography (Thames & Hudson), you’ll see the remarkable photos by the camera artist—including his groundbreaking, experimental and avant-garde work in the 1920s and ‘30s for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair—who introduced new ways of thinking about the visual world.

It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi movies, but in Robin George Andrews’ How to Kill an Asteroid (W.W. Norton), you’ll find out how real-life scientists have been working on real-world solutions—like “deflection campaigns”—to defend against what could very possibly turn out to the Earth’s greatest threat from the cosmos. It’s engaging, eye-opening reading…and a reason to keep your eyes on the skies!

Louis Stettner (Thames & Hudson) chronicles the wide-ranging work of the New York-born master photographer, acclaimed for his portraits, streetscapes and hustle and bustle of life in the Big Apple and Paris. Learn how Stettner, who began roaming the streets as a preteen with a camera, became one of the most influential lensmen of the 20th century, finding the beauty and sensuality of everyday things and people. 

Jun 28 2024
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Movies, Music, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

June 28 – July 4

Nicole Kidman’s love triangle, ocean plunderers & Bluey, Beavis & Butthead

All times Eastern.

Nicole Kidman, Zoey King & Zac Efron star in ‘A Family Affair.’

FRIDAY, June 28
Fancy Dance
Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone leads the cast of this new original movie drama about the complexities of being Indigenous women in a colonized world—at the at the mercy of a failed judicial system (Apple TV+)

A Family Affair
Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King star in this new romcom about the comic consequences of a new romance for a young woman and her mom and her movie-star boss (Netflix). 

SATURDAY, June 29
Pirates: Behind the Legends
The series about the great plunderers of the ocean wraps up tonight with two episodes, about Blackbeard (above) and Bartholomew Roberts, a Welshman who became the greatest pirate of the so-called “golden age” in the early 1700s (9 p.m., National Geographic).

SUNDAY, June 30
The Great Food Truck Race: Games on the Beach
Food truck operators from all over America compete in a series of challenges in seaside locations on the Gulf Coast from Houston, Texas, to Miami (8 p.m., Food Network).

MONDAY, July 1
The Wall
Contestants in this new competition battle trivia questions and a 40-foot wall for a chance to win millions of dollars, spurred on by host Chris Hardwick (NBC).

No Scope: The Story of FaZe Clan
If you play e-sports, you probably know about the FaZe Clan. This doc looks at the organization and how it became one of the defining stories of entertainment…but not without its costs to its founders (7 p.m., ESPN).

TUESDAY, July 2
Sprint
On your mark, get set….go! Watch elite runners train and navigate intense media scrutiny in this reality series about what drives them to want to become the world’s fastest humans (Netflix).

WEDNESDAY, July 3
Bluey Minisodes
If you love the little cartoon doggie, you’ll gobble up these bite-size, one-to-three-minute morsels of funny and sweet moments with Bluey and Bingo and the world of the hit animated series (Disney Jr. and Disney+).

Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe
The 2022 animated comedy—about creator Mike Judge’s irreverently lowbrow duo that began in the ‘90s on MTV—makes its broadcast premiere tonight as Beavis and Butthead fall into a black hole that sucks them (heh-heh) into the future (10 p.m., Comedy Central).

THURSDAY, July 4
A Capitol Fourth
Watch all-star musical acts perform, plus awesome fireworks, at this year’s live red-white-and-blue show from the heart of Washington D.C. (8 p.m., PBS)

Space Cadet
Emma Roberts stars as a wannabe astronaut who scams her way into NASA’s space program—and becomes its only hope for a dire circumstance (Prime Video).

Jun 21 2024
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DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 21 – June 27

The Bear roars back, Jessica Alba fights back & Tom Petty comes back (sorta) for a Florida homecoming

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 21
The Speedway Murders
True-crime series about the unsolved 1978 mystery of four teens who vanished while working the graveyard shift at a local Burger Chef in Speedway, Ind., and the later discovery of their bodies in the nearby woods (Apple TV and Prime Video).

Trigger Warning
Jessica Alba stars as a Special Forces commando who finds herself at violent odds with a hometown gang and a powerful senator (Anthony Michael Hall) in this tense drama (below), which has been knocking around in various stages for almost a decade. Now you can see if it was worth the wait! (Netflix).

SATURDAY, June 22
Tom Petty: Live from Gatorville
Concert special captures the late Florida-native rocker’s 2006 performance in his hometown with his Heartbreakers band, his first “homecoming” show in more than a decade (1 p.m., AXS).

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple
Bruce Springsteen’s longtime guitarist gets the spotlight in this doc featuring interviews from Paul McCartney, Eddie Veder, Bono, Joan Jett, Peter Gabriel and more…including his boss, The Boss! (8 p.m., HBO).

SUNDAY, June 23
Orphan Black: Echoes
Take a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence in this new sci-fi series following a group of women as they unravel the mystery of their identity. With Krysten Ritter, Keeley Hawes, Amanda Fix and Avan Jogia (10 p.m., AMC, plus AMC+ and BBC America).

MONDAY, June 24
Out of Darkness
A desperate band of Stone Age humans is hunted by a malevolent, mysterious being in this 2022 horror-thriller parable (below) about our enduring existential urge to destroy what we don’t understand (Paramount+).  

TUESDAY, June 25
I Am: Celine Dion
Documentary about the Canadian superstar singer, her music and how she deals with a rare neurological condition known as stiff person syndrome (Prime). 

Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
Learn all about the iconic designer and her 50-year career as a female pioneer in a male-dominated fashion field (Hulu).

WEDNESDAY, June 26
Land of Women
Six-episode drama (above) stars Eva Longoria (who also produced) as a New York empty nester whose life is turned upside down when her husband implicates the family in financial improprieties, and she’s forced to flee the city with her aging mother and teenage daughter (AppleTV+).

Fear Thy Neighbor
New season offers more real-life cases of conflicts between neighbors that escalate into all-out warfare and end in shocking violence. As Commodus asked the crowd in Gladiator: Are you not entertained? (9 p.m., ID).

THURSDAY, June 27
The Bear
Roll up your sleeves and get back in the kitchen for season three of The Bear, the hit workplace drama about frazzled workers at a Chicago restaurant starring Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bacharach (Hulu).

Presidential Debate
President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump face off in their first of two planned debates ahead of the 2025 election. Are you ready to rumble? (9 p.m., CNN).

BRING IT HOME

The new Collector’s Edition 4K restoration of director Joe Dante’s gleefully gizmo-ed 1990s classic Matinee—about a master movie showman (John Goodman) who truly believes in giving audiences of his schlocky ‘60s sci-fi flicks their money’s worth—arrives with a bunch of fun bonus features, including commentary, interviews with the cast, and behind-the-scenes docs.

Director George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat is a feel-good true story about how in the 1930s an underdog team from the University of Washington went on row, row, row their boat at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Starring Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner and James Wolk.

I once wrote a magazine’s cover story on film noir, what it is, how it began and why it’s still a thing. Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema (Kino Lorber) is an excellent tour of the dark alleys, lonely streets and troubled souls that populated the genre in post-WWII America, with three newly restored classics: Dark City (featuring the movie debut of Charlton Heston!), No Man of Her Own (with Barbara Stanwyck), and Beware, My Lovely (starring Ida Lupino). The collection also features trailers and commentary.

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its theatrical, the new Blu-ray release of Purple Rain (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) reminds us of Prince’s smashing acting debut, and it includes commentary and music videos for the flick’s hit songs, including “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” “Sex Shooter,” “When Doves Cry,” “Take Me with U,” “I Would Die for You” and, of course, “Purple Rain.”

The new Blu-ray edition of director Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro and a young Jodie Foster, gets spiffed with hi-def remastering and bonus features including commentary from Scorsese, a Q&A with the cast and more new featurettes. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Groove like it was yesteryear with Revival 69: The Concert That Rocked the World (Kino Lorber), a rock doc about the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival. The all-star concert featured Alice Cooper, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Geddy Lee…and John Lennon with wife Yoko Ono, making his first public appearance with the Plastic Ono Band, and sealing his decision to leave the Beatles. 

Is it getting cold in here, or is that just Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)? Now on DVD, the latest in the franchise features a threat that could turn the Big Apple into a giant icebox. Can Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Patton Oswalt and the original GB OGs (Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd) warm up this chilly ghost fest?

Jun 14 2024
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Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Music, Photography, Pop Culture, Sports, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

June 14 – June 20

Get to know Poison’s Bret Michaels, go house-hunting with Reese Witherspoon, & hold on to your car when you visit Las Vegas!

Find all about Bret Michaels of the band Poison in this week’s episode of ‘Biography.’

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 14
The Boys
The “boys” are back for season four of the satirical superhero series, dishing out more wallops of vigilante justice to so-called do-gooders doing bad things (Prime Video).

Mama June: Family Crisis
Who would have thought Honey Boo Boo would have such a lasting cultural impact? New episodes of the spinoff, about Boo Boo’s mother, spin around issues of declining health, college and legal woes, below (9 p.m., WE tv).

SATURDAY, June 15
Find My Country House
Leave the city life behind in this new series from Reese Witherspoon’s production company, in which couples search for their dreams of rural paradise, from high-tech farmhouses to seclued ranches and cute hideaway cottages (12 p.m., A&E).

Yoga Teacher Killer: The Kaitlin Armstrong Story
A love triangle turns deadly and leads to a manhunt in this real-life drama starring Caity Lotz, Kyle Schmid and Larissa Dias (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, June 16
Biography
Get a backstage pass into the lives and music of some of rock’s biggest superstars in this new series of specials kicked off tonight by Bret Michaels, and followed in coming weeks by Dee Snider, Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar and more (9 p.m., A&E).

House of the Dragon
Season two begins of the Game of Thrones spinoff series (below), a prequel taking place 200 years earlier, starring Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Rhys Ifans (9 p.m., HBO).

Sin City Tow
If you park your car while you party in Las Vegas but lose track of time, Sin City Tow may take it away. This new reality series looks at the often hot-tempered towing scene in a city where people go to win big, but usually end up losing their shirts…or their cars! (9 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, June 17
My Life is Murder
Lucy Lawless returns for season four as the fearless Aussie investigator Alexa Crowe as she digs into eight new mysteries and a fresh batch of diabolical killers (Acorn TV).

The Great American Recipe
Home cooks from across the country showcase their culinary talents as they compete in this taste-tempting celebration of multiculturism (9 p.m., PBS).

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown
How did the idealistic religious organization led by the infamous Jim Jones go horribly wrong, leaving almost a thousand followers dead in Guyana? This new doc looks at the story behind some of the most horrendous headlines of the 1970s (Hulu).

TUESDAY, June 18
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
Three-part docuseries puts the spotlight on disco music, its groovy beginnings and its top artists and icons—like Donna Summer, below— and how it became a major musical liberation movement in the 1970s representing female empowerment and LGBTQ+ identity (9 p.m., PBS).

Here to Climb
Follow pro climber Sasha DiGiulian (below) on her rise from child prodigy to champion sport climber, scaling the biggest, scariest walls on the planet—charting her own vertical course where pathways don’t exist (9 p.m., HBO).

Hope in the Water
Travel the globe in this documentary featuring Shailene Woodley and Martha Stewart as they explore creative solutions and breakthroughs that might be our future of sustainable “blue food” from the oceans (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, June 19
Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics
Two-hour documentary showcases Owens’ historic triumph over Nazi Germany during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. LeBron James is one of the producers (8 p.m., History).

Dynamic Planet
Four-part series filmed over three years explores the effects of climate change on all seven continents and their inhabitants, and how science, nature, and Indigenous knowledge can prepare us for the future (8 p.m., PBS)

THURSDAY, June 20
Rear Window
Director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic—about an apartment resident with a broken leg who helplessly witnesses what he thinks is a murder out his window—stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly…and Raymond Burr as a very bad guy (9 p.m., TCM).

Slave Play. Not a Movie
Provocative documentary takes viewers inside the buzzy Broadway play about race, sex and interracial relationships (9 p.m., HBO).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with volcanos—mountains that spewed rocks and fire. My interest was generated primarily by seeing them in the background of illustrations of dinosaurs. Adventures in Volcanoland (Hanover Square Press) is a deeper, far much more fascinating and fact-filled look at these monstrously magnificent mountains, with acclaimed geochemist Dr. Tasmin Mather as your guide to volcanos in history, the science of eruptions, and how volcanos drive our planet’s “constant cycles of ebb and flow, destruction and renewal.”

So you think you know Paris? Not the international Euro destination city, but the Hilton Hotel heiress who became a pop-culture marquee name? Find out all about the life and times of Paris Hilton in Paris: The Memoir (William Morrow), her autobio now in paperback. From rebellious teen to wilderness camps and sexual abuse, and becoming a queen of celebrity culture, I’m betting there’s a lot you didn’t know about Paris.

Sci-fi lovers will love The First Geeks (McFarland) and its spotlight on the lives and careers of writer Ray Bradbury, monster-mag man Forrest J. Ackerman and effects genius Ray Harryhausen, back from when they were comic-book nerds and buddies in the 1930s…and long before they were household names in filmdom. Ackerman became the editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland; Bradbury was an author highly sought by Hollywood for his novels and screenplays; and Harryhausen went on to become a pioneer of stop-motion animation.

BRING IT HOME

Jeffrey Wright was nominated for multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his starring role in American Fiction as an erudite Black man who confronts racist stereotypes head-on, with a pen instead of a sword. With Tracee Ellis Ross, Leslie Uggams, Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. Highly recommended!

Up your nose with a rubber hose! Relive all the heartwarming humor and hijinks of the beloved 1970s sitcom series Welcome Back, Kotter, starring Gabe Kaplan as a grownup graduate of a tough Brooklyn high school now returning to teach there and tame an unruly class of troublemakers, including a young John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino. The handsome boxed set of DVDs includes all 95 episodes.

Jun 07 2024
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Books, DVDs, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

June 7 – June 13

Kelly Clarkson’s a contender, Jake Gyllenhaal’s ‘Presumed Innocent,’ & the Brat Pack is back!

Will Kelly Clarkson reign for daytime show queen at this year’s Daytime Emmys?

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, June 7
Queenie
Dionne Brown stars in this new drama series as a young Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and not feeling like she belongs in either. Based on a best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams (Hulu).

The Daytime Emmy Awards
It’ll be more than soap suds at tonight’s 51st annual awarding of honors to all kinds of programming—daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary and legal/courtroom programs—that air during daylight hours. But the show’s at night. Go figure (8 p.m., CBS). 

Hit Man
Confusion and comedy ensue when a straight-laced professor pretends to be a professional assassin (above). Starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, and directed by Richard Linklater (Netflix).

SATURDAY, June 8
Snowpiercer
The final season of the post-apocalyptic thriller series begins tonight, with Jennifer Connelly, Sean Bean and others returning to the remnants of humanity on a perpetually moving train across a frozen wasteland (9 p.m., AMC).  

SUNDAY, June 9
Gaslit By My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story
Based on a true story, this lurid tale stars Jana Kramer and Austin Nichols as former childhood sweethearts whose marriage goes on the rocks when his circumstances take a suspicious turn (9 p.m., Lifetime).

MONDAY, June 10
Six Schizophrenic Brothers
An all-American family in Colorado is torn apart in this new docuseries when six of 12 siblings develop schizophrenia. It’s a heart-wrenching true story that made medical history (8 p.m., Discovery).

TUESDAY, June 11
How Music Got Free
Remember how you used to have to buy music? This docuseries shows how tech-driven disruption and file sharing created the means and the motive for a new generation of young people to participate in outright theft…and be celebrated for it (Paramount+).

Love Island
TV personality Ariana Madix from Vanderpump Rules hosts the new season of this hedonistic competition with sexy singles giving off pheromones on a tropical island oasis (Peacock).

Deadliest Catch
It ain’t exactly Spongebob stuff as the new season of the docuseries about risk-taking crab fisherman on the Bering Sea begins tonight (8 p.m., Discovery).

WEDNESDAY, June 12
Presumed Innocent
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this eight-episode sexy thriller (above), a remake of the 1990 movie starring Harrison Ford about a legal-eagle attorney accused of killing his mistress. Remember, he’s presumed innocent… With Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, Peter Sarsgaard and Elizabeth Marvel (Apple TV+).

Can’t Cancel Pride
Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Melissa Etheridge and others join forces to recognize the impact of music and the contributions of LGBTQ+ organizations and artists in the entertainment community (Hulu).

THURSDAY, June 13
Alone
In tonight’s beginning of its new season, this high-stakes competition puts ten seasoned survivalists in the freezing northlands of Canada, equipped with only basic tools to face bone-chilling cold, ice all around and an assortment of predators, including bears, wolves and moose. At the end: A half a million dollars to the last person standing (9:30 p.m., History).

Brats
New documentary feature about the iconic, generation-defining “brat pack” movies of the 1980s was directed by Andrew McCarthy, who should know—he starred in many of them, including St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero and Weekend at Bernies (Hulu).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How does Darth Vader keep his Death Star warm? With a space heater! Why do Wookies have so much hair? Fur protection! These and many, many more galactically funny ha-has can be found in Stars Wars Dad Jokes (Chronicle Books), a perfect Father’s Day gift for the pop who has everything…except a ready arsenal of so-bad-they’re good Stars Wars jokes! 

BRING IT HOME

Its a classic combo in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) as the two former foes unite against a formidable threat to monsters as well as men. Starring Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens.

May 31 2024
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Books, DVDs, History, Humor, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

May 31 – June 6

The woman behind the girls who just wanna have fun, what really happened to OJ’s wife & Disney reclaims Sunday nights

New documentary spotlights the life, career and cultural impact of Cyndi Lauper.

All times Eastern

FRIDAY, May 31
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary
Concert event honors the duo who wrote some of Broadway and Hollywood’s most memorable showtunes, such as “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and “June is Bustin’ Out All Over,” from iconic musicals including Oklahoma!, State Fair, The King and I, Carousel and The Sound of Music (9 p.m., PBS).

Couples Therapy
The award-winning docuseries returns for another season of Dr. Orna Guralnik guiding couples through conflicts (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime).

SATURDAY, June 1
The Life and Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
The courtroom drama of O.J. Simpson murder charge became the crime of the century in 1995. This new doc pulls back the curtain on the victim, O.J.’s wife, and features interviews with more than 50 participants, including those who were closet to her. And it’s done in partnership with the Domestic Abuse Hotline (8 p.m., Lifetime) 

The Price is Right
In honor of Game Show Day (in case you didn’t know that was a thing!), you can watch the late, great Bob Barker hosting old episodes (1984-1985) of the classic daytime come-on-down competition (3 p.m., Buzzr).

SUNDAY, June 2

The Mayor of Kingston
In season three of the gritty crime thriller (above), Kingston “mayor” Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner, returning after his debilitating snowblowing accident) faces an infiltrating Russian mob, a drug war and his own past as an inmate in the local prison (Paramount+)

Billy the Kid
Want shootouts and wild horse chases? Well, saddle up with the notorious young-looking outlaw (Tom Blythe) as he gets into more Old West trouble in season two (9 p.m., MGM+).

The Wonderful World of Disney
The show that was one a staple of Sunday night returns with Inside Out (above), the animated 2015 flick about childhood emotions voiced by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling and Lewis Black (8 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, June 3
Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color
Idris Elba narrates this four-part series about soldiers of color, shedding new light on the contributions of some 8 million individuals who fought valiantly for the Allied forces (8 p.m, NatGeo).

Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup
New docuseries picks up on the post-prison life of the woman convicted of murder in Missouri for hiring a hitman to kill her mother, who had falsely claimed her daughter was suffering from a variety of illnesses—some of which the mom had induced (9 p.m., Lifetime).

TUESDAY, June 4
Clipped
Laurence Fishburn and Ed O’Neill star in this new series based on a true story—a notorious NBA owner’s racist remarks captured on a tape heard around the world…and the fallout that followed (Hulu).

Let the Canary Sing
Documentary explores the cultural impact of Cyndi Lauper and the long-lasting legacy of the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” ‘80s singer (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, June 5
An Audience with Kylie
Global superstar Kylie Minouge performs her hits and invites special guests to join her onstage in this musical extravaganza at London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall (Hulu).

THURSDAY, June 6
Criminal Minds: Evolution
The hit franchise returns for a new season with Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook and Kirsten Vangsness leading the cast as the FBI profiles investigate a conspiracy with an unexpected complication (Paramount+)

Queer Planet
Actor Andrew Rannells narrates this playfully insightful documentary about nature’s hidden LGBTQ community and its spectrum of “unconventional” behaviors. It’s a Gay Pride parade marching across the animal kingdom! (Hulu).

BRING IT HOME

The story of the first Black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War gets a new shine in the 4K Ultra HD new “steelbook” release of Glory (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment). Released theatrically in 1989, it stars Denzel Washington (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick and Cary Elwes, and comes with commentary, behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

If you think Washington is a mess now, wait until you read The Hidden History of the White House (Willliam Morrow). Author Cory Mead deep dives into the populist mob than ransacked the place (sound familiar?) after Andrew Jackson’s disastrous 1829 inauguration; how Woodrow Wilson’s wife became a “shadow” president; when Sir Winston Churchill came on a covert mission to huddle with FDR about how the Allies could win WWII…and many more dramatic events, power struggles, world-altering decisions and shocking scandals that all happened inside the walls of America’s most famous residence.

The 1977 WWII film A Bridge Too Far featured an all-star cast, some of the most intense battle scenes ever filmed and a level of gritty combat “authenticity” that has stood the test of time. In Making a Bridge Too Far (GoodKnight Books), author/filmmaker Simon Lewis transports readers back to the production of the film, shot on location in the Netherlands (where its events took place), with insights from many of the cast (which included Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford, Elliot Gould, Michael Caine and Lawrence Oliver) and immersive details and insights about making a war movie believable in an era decades before Saving Private Ryan and today’s slam-bang special effects.

If your eyes were glued to the coverage of the recent Met Gala, you’ll really dig Fashion Faux Parr (Phaidon), a collection of British fashion photographer Martin Parr’s eye-popping coverage of fashion for high-end magazines and behind the scenes at major fashion events. With some 250 color images, it’s a swirling look inside a world where looks reign supreme.

Apr 12 2024
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Books, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

April 12 – April 18

Michael Douglas flies a kite, a new Dora explores, Billy Joel marks a milestone and Conan O’Brien’s gotta go

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, April 12
Franklin
Michael Douglas stars as the founding father (above) who famously flew a kite in a thunderstorm, signed the Constitution and became America’s first postmaster general, among many other achievements, in this new limited series about the guy on our $100 bill (Apple+). 

Dora
You probably know her as Dora the Explorer, but now she’s just plain Dora in this new 26-episode animated series about the bilingual adventurer and her monkey friend, Boots (Paramount+).

The Greatest Hits
The transportative power of music is the theme to this fantasy flick in which a young woman (Lucy Boynton) discovers that songs can allow her to time-travel back to a former romantic relationship (Hulu).

SUNDAY, April 14
The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden—The Greatest Arena Run of All Time”
The title says it all: The “Piano Man” makes his record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at New York City’s iconic venue, part of his record-breaking string of sold-out appearances there (9 p.m., CBS).

The Sympathizer
Hoa Xuande, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. (who plays multiple roles) star in this limited series about a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam war, and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles—where he learns that his dangerous spying days are not over (9 p.m., HBO).

MONDAY, April 15
Music Mayhem
New original series cuts through the stardust to get to the bitter feuds, tragic endings, weird collaborations, musical romances and more dishy side trips into the land of rock and roll, with spotlights on the Beatles, David Bowie, Ozzy Osborne, the Rolling Stones and many other performers (8 p.m., AXS).

TUESDAY, April 16
Control + Alt Desire
Docuseries follows the year-long investigation of shocking killings that rocked a quiet Florida town, and a 29-year-old man accused of murdering his family execution-style for the love of a cam girl (Paramount+).

WEDNESDAY, April 17
Under the Bridge
New series based on true-crime tale about the abduction about a 14-year-old girl who went to join friends at a party and never came home. Starring Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone and Vritka Gupta (Hulu).

THURSDAY, April 18
Conan O’Brien Must Go
The Emmy-winning former late-night talk show host spent several years sitting behind a desk. Now he’s up and moving around as the host of this new travel series (above), in which he treks the world to connect with listeners to his popular podcast (Max).

Orlando Bloom: To the Edge
Three-part limited adventure series follows the actor on his journey of self-discovery as he pushes his limits physically and mentally through fear-defying extreme sports, including wingsuiting, free diving and rock climbing (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

In Music and Mind (Viking), renowned opera superstar Renee Fleming curates a collection of essays by other famous music makers and thinkers (Ann Patchett, Yo-Yo Ma, Ben Folds) to present a thorough—and thoroughly entertaining—treatise on the power of music manifest in ways both mental and physical. Bravo!


Star Trek’s George Takei’s My Lost Freedom (Random House) brings his childhood story—of incarceration with his family, along with thousands of other U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, in California internment camps during World War II—to vivid life for young readers. It’s a pointed, timely reminder of hysteria masquerading as “national security,” and the fragility of democracy in our “land of the free.”

Jan 05 2024
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Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 5 – Jan. 11

Spend a day in a galaxy far, far away, unearth the dark secrets of polygamy, & catch cheating spouses in the act

‘The Empire Strikes Back’ is part of an all-day marathon of Stars Wars on Saturday.

FRIDAY, Jan. 5
The Life
Three-night documentary event features an imprisoned Missouri woman eventually convicted of murdering her mother, telling her own story in in a swirl of events that included physical and psychological abuse and Munchausen Syndrome (8 p.m., Lifetime).

Good Grief
Schitt’s Creek’s Daniel Levy makes his debut as a feature-film writer and director in this movie about a man on a soul-searching trip to Paris after the death of his spouse (below). With Luke Evans, Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel (Netflix).

Daniel Levy & Luke Evans star in ‘Good Grief.’

SATURDAY, Jan. 6
Love on the Right Course
A struggling pro golfer (Ashley Newbrough) has to choose between a hot club owner (Marcus Rosner) and her old trainer (8 p.m., Hallmark).

Star Wars Marathon
Strap in and hold on—it’s an afternoon and evening of back-to-back galactic adventure with A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (11:30 a.m., TNT).

SUNDAY, Jan. 7
The Golden Globes
The kickoff to movie awards season begins tonight with this 81st live annual presentation honoring the year’s best movie and television performances. Among other things, the Globes make other award shows look kinda dull in comparison—that’s why it’s called Hollywood’s “party of the year” (8 p.m., CBS).

Grimsburg
John Hamm leads the voice cast in this animated grownup comedy series (above) about a detective trying to redeem himself in a town where everyone has a secret (following the NFL double-header, Fox).

MONDAY, Jan. 8
Secrets of Polygamy
If you liked watching Mormon Wives, you’ll dig this deep-dive investigative series about the shocking secrets of “extreme” polygamist groups with twisted religious roots like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Apostolic United Brethren (10 p.m., A&E).

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Travel through time and space in this innovative documentary on the acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni (Max).

Cash Cab Music
The trivia game show that takes place inside a specially rigged NYC cab gets a new twist—all music trivia—and a new host, Adam Growe, above (10 p.m., AXS). 

TUESDAY, Jan. 9
Caught in the Act: Unfaithful
Remember when MTV showed music videos? Ah, the ‘80s. If you want to see cheating lovers get ratted out, tune in for the return of this “relationship” show hosted by Tami Roman, who helps guide readers into the realm of unfaithful spouses and suspicious partners (9 p.m., MTV).

LaBrea
Subterranean life—and the fight for survival—goes on in the deep, dark sinkhole beneath Los Angeles as season three begins of the contemporary sci-fi drama starring Natalie Zea, Jon Seda and Nicholas Gonzalez (9 p.m., NBC).

Big Little Brawlers
New series takes you inside the big lives of a group of “little people” who perform (and compete) in the Micro Wrestling Federation (9 p.m., Discovery).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10
Prison Brides
Documentary series follows seven women from around the world who believe they have found their soulmates in a most unexpected place—behind the bars of American prisons (9:30 p.m., Lifetime).

Criminal Record
New crime thriller series about two London detectives (Peter Capaldi, above, and Cash Jumbo) clashing over an historic murder conviction as one pushes to advance her career and the other tries to protect his connections and his legacy (Apple TV+).

THURSDAY, Jan. 11
Skymed
Tune in tonight to binge on all nine episodes of season two of the series drama about young medics and pilots flying air ambulances and making jaw-dropping rescues in Canada (Paramount+).

Ted
New streaming follow-up to the profanely hilarious 2012 and 2015 hit catches up with the randy Teddy Bear (voiced again by creator Seth McFarlane) as he’s settled into life with a new owner—a young boy—and his family (Peacock).

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