Shrinking follows a grieving therapist (Segel) who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives … including his own. It’s from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence, Ted Lasso star and writer Brett Goldstein and Segel.
Shrinking will premiere globally with the first two episodes on Friday, January 27, on Apple TV+, followed by one new episode every Friday. In addition to Segel and Ford, Shrinking stars Christa Miller, Jessica Williams, Michael Urie, Luke Tennie, and Lukita Maxwell.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, where Lawrence is under an overall deal, and Lawrence’s Doozer Productions. Lawrence, Segel, Goldstein, Neil Goldman, James Ponsoldt, Randall Winston, Jeff Ingold, and Liza Katzer serve as executive producers. Lawrence, Segel, and Goldstein created the series and wrote the first episode, which was directed by Ponsoldt.
Clarence Gilyard, the actor who played the wisecracking computer hacker in the film, “Die Hard,” has died.
Gilyard passed away after a long battle with an unspecified illness, according to media reports. His death was announced Monday by the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, where he had worked since 2006 as a Fine Arts professor.
His 30-year career in Hollywood landed him major roles in popular TV series, from the ’80s and ’90s … notably, “Matlock,” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” He worked with stars like Andy Griffith and Chuck Norris. He also scored his first big screen role as Sundown in “Top Gun.”
Gilyard’s breakout role was playing Theo in the OG “Die Hard.” Theo was the sardonic tech wizard who took over a Los Angeles skyscraper with terrorists and hacked into a vault, attempting to steal $640 million in bearer bonds. In one scene, the terrorists bomb an LAPD vehicle and Theo famously cackles, “Oh my god, the quarterback is toast!”
UNLV Dean Nancy J. Uscher remembered Gilyard this way … “It is with profound sadness that I share this news. His students were deeply inspired by him, as were all who knew him. He had many extraordinary talents and was extremely well-known in the university through his dedication to teaching and his professional accomplishments.”
Uscher went on … “His generosity of spirit was boundless – he was always ready to contribute to projects and performances however possible.”
It’s never good news when intelligence agencies work together. Each works like an independent body and always looks out for its interests.
Events of five years prior come to haunt Garza on The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 9. He is pulled into a conspiracy to set him up, but lucky for him, he has a team of seven great agents who believe in him.
Having people who believe in you is one of the best things a person can have.
This being the midseason finale, they left nothing to chance. It had action, jokes, and a major cliffhanger.
We were wondering when we would see Mark Atlas again, and lucky for us, it was sooner rather than later. I’ll come out and say that I’m team Mark and Laura, and I’m thankful for him. This rules out the possibility of the writers making Brendon and Laura a thing, which is weird.
The Rookie is known for pulling insane stunts and storylines, and in this one, I feared they might turn Garza into a bad guy. The man has dedicated his life to the agency, and it would not be good for them if all this while he’s been working for Russia.
Speaking of Russia, I’m not thrilled about this choice. It is usually the easiest route, which speaks to the need for more innovation on the writing front. It’s at par with writing an ex-actor in Los Angeles, which I ripped on The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 1.
Calling Simone was a weird decision on Garza’s part, and we all wondered why. Simone is barely an agent. She’s a problematic rookie, and not his trainee.
Simone: I thought I was gonna be the one sneaking in? Carter: You’re still a probationary agent. You get caught, you’re fired.
He, however, knows that she will fight for him. Many people hated Simone because she appeared insubordinate, but Garza saw beyond this. He sees her passion for the job and how much she sacrifices for the people she loves and believes in.
The counter-intelligence mission in Panama also felt very typical and didn’t leave much of an impression. It’s an old trope.
A man goes undercover for intelligence; he is betrayed, loses a lover, and is either wrongly accused or seeks revenge. A hundred and one movies have been made about it.
In the early minutes of the hour, I was convinced that this was Tracy’s ploy to get Garza and the team disbanded. Imagine what an epic midseason finale that would have been.
I could see why Laura has a thing for Mark. The man has some game and courage. Not many people can make Laura giggle and blush like a teenage girl while on the phone.
Elena was beside herself when Garza was arrested. She might take every opportunity to roast him, but she cares about him a lot.
Elena: Will my tio be okay? Carter: It’s too soon to tell. [to Simone] She deserves honesty, not platitudes.
I have never noticed how quietly she walks. She seems to appear out of nowhere and catches many people by surprise. Garza may be used to it, but Simone is not. She nearly had a heart attack from it.
Mark helped Laura and Brendon by getting them a warrant to snoop inside Adam Link’s house. This was something I found concerning.
The fact that law enforcement can essentially break into your house and try to find evidence to incriminate you in a crime should make everyone concerned. A lot can go wrong here.
Can homeowners be blamed when they find strangers going through their belongings inside their houses and shooting them?
Ever heard of the concept of “dirty cops?” Cops have been known to plant evidence inside their suspect’s homes.
This and a no-knock warrant are incredibly dangerous to the suspect and the officers on the case.
There is no difference between obtaining evidence by breaking in and requesting such a warrant. Any evidence found by search methods should be inadmissible in court.
People have many things in their homes that they don’t want to be seen or discovered by law enforcement because the said things might get them in legal trouble without cause.
Call me crazy, but I believe a home is private, and privacy should be respected unless there is firm evidence that something illegal and potentially dangerous is happening inside that house.
Laura also took the opportunity to train Brendon on different types of warrants and their legal scopes. In all this chaos and madness, it is easy to forget that Brendon and Simone are still rookies and are here to be trained.
Laura: We have a sneak and peek warrant, which means what? Brendon: Really? Pop quiz? Now?
The best thing in the episode was the little plot twist. Learning that Adam Link was not the mole sent the story in a wild direction.
All these years, Garza and Link have been trying to prove that the other person was the mole when neither of them was.
Simone’s powers came into play when she convinced Cate to potentially break the law to get them in contact with Garza.
We cannot let the boss down. This is a matter of life or death.
Simone
I have been wondering when we will see Cate. I thought she had been written off the show for some reason. The last time we saw her was during the backdoor pilots.
It is always the government officials who are implicated in these things. It is sad when someone abuses their power to such a degree. Giving out classified intelligence for such a long time has undoubtedly done a lot of damage to the US. Brady will not be missed.
The episode ended with a cliffhanger.
We always love hearing your thoughts, so let us know what you think.
Are you going bonkers over Mark and Laura? Do you think that they make a cute couple?
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.
It’s been a busy week at Amazon as the restructure involving MGM takes hold.
Deadline revealed earlier today that Lindsay Sloane and Rola Bauer were handed key roles within MGM’s new scripted TV structure.
The company is also known for producing a swathe of unscripted series including The Voice, Survivor and Shark Tank as well as reality shows such as The Real Housewives of Orange County and Beverly Hills.
Deadline understands Barry Poznick, who is President of MGM Unscripted Television and Orion Television, and was one of outgoing chief Mark Burnett’s key lieutenants, is set to stay within the organization. This comes after many MGM employees were offered a one-year contract extension.
However, there are still question marks over exactly how the unscripted division looks and its reporting structure.
In August, Amazon Studios merged its Prime Video and Freevee unscripted teams under the leadership of Chris Castallo with Castallo now reporting to Lauren Anderson, who became Head of AVOD Programming and Studios Unscripted across U.S. Prime Video and Amazon Freevee.
It’s unclear who exactly Poznick and his team will report to, but the move obviously brings a lot more volume to Amazon Studios’ unscripted slate, much of which is produced for linear networks.
Poznick, who started working with Burnett in 2006 on Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, has overseen MGM’s slate of unscripted programming since 2016 and in 2019 was promoted to oversee sports entertainment, premium documentaries and true crime as well as Orion TV, which has now been folded into MGM US Scripted TV.
Burnett said yesterday that he will continue to oversee MGM’s three unscripted tentpoles – The Voice, Survivor and Shark Tank.
The company also owns stakes in Big Fish Entertainment, the company that produces Reelz’ hit On Patrol: Live, and Evolution Media, which has made The Real Housewives series. Alex Baskin, who ran the latter, stepped down over the summer so who oversees the production of those shows going forward is also up in the air.
Will Smith says the Oscars slap on Chris Rock was an explosion of anger that was years in the making … but also seemed to partially put the blame back in CR’s court.
The actor was on “The Daily Show” with Trevor Noah Monday and once again tried breaking down what led up to him storming the stage to strike Chris across the face during the live broadcast. He says flat out … it stemmed from rage going back to his childhood.
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ABC
Will explains how he went back to being the little boy who used to watch his father beat his mother, and that he was going through things that night … which erupted in violence.
He also makes a plea to the audience, telling them to be nice to each other … because you never know another person’s troubles, which almost felt like an excuse for the slap — before WS explicitly noted, it doesn’t justify his behavior.
Trevor, who admits some bias as Will’s pal, ate it up.
Trevor says he doesn’t believe what Will did is a reflection of who he really is — and in the end, puts a bow on the convo by saying everyone makes mistakes. Will got emotional.
The reason he’s going around talking about it again is because he’s on a press run for his new movie, “Emancipation,” which may well see him in contention for another award next year.
Of course … the question of whether it’s too soon for Will to make a comeback is top of mind, but he’s forging on with his 2023 Oscar campaign anyway — asking Hollywood to forgive and forget. The flick comes out in December.
Netflix will take viewers back to the world of That ’70s Show in early 2023.
The streaming service released the official teaser and first-look photos of That ’90s Show, premiering globally on January 19, 2023.
“It’s 1995 and Leia Forman is desperate for some adventure in her life or at least a best friend who isn’t her dad,” the logline teases.
“When she arrives in Point Place to visit her grandparents, Red and Kitty, Leia finds what she’s looking for right next door when she meets the dynamic and rebellious Gwen.”
“With the help of Gwen’s friends, including her lovable brother Nate, his smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki, the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie, and the charming Jay, Leia realizes adventure could happen there just like it did for her parents all those years ago.”
“Excited to reinvent herself, she convinces her parents to let her stay for the summer. With a basement full of teens again, Kitty is happy the Forman house is now a home for a new generation and Red is, well…Red.”
It’s a nice hook, and the official trailer has the signature tone and humor that made the original series such a success story.
That ‘90s Show stars Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Donovan, Reyn Doi, and Sam Morelos.
Also returning to Point Place are creators Bonnie and Terry Turner – this time with their daughter Lindsey Turner – showrunner/executive producer Gregg Mettler, and executive producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner. Joining the show are executive producers Jessica Goldstein and Chrissy Pietrosh.
Oh, and Netflix announced earlier this year that more members of the original cast will be a part of the series.
Returning for special appearances is Topher Grace as Eric Forman, Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart, Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso, Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti, and Wilmer Valderrama as Fez.
Take a look at the official teaser below and hit the comments with your thoughts.
Are you excited about the new series?
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce-fronted drama series A Spy Among Friends has found a new home in the U.S. following Spectrum’s move out of original series.
The spy thriller, which is a co-production with UK streamer ITVX, has landed at MGM+, the network formerly known as Epix.
It comes after the series premiered at the London Film Festival and ahead of its British launch in December.
The six-part series, which is based on Ben Macintyre’s book, tells the true story of two British spies and lifelong friends, Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby.
A Spy Among Friendsfollows the defection of notorious British intelligence officer and KGB double agent, Kim Philby, played by Pearce, through the lens of his complex relationship with MI6 colleague and close friend, Nicholas Elliott, played by Lewis. The show examines espionage through their friendship, the fallout of which affects East-West relations to this day.
It will air in the U.S. in 2023. Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty), Stephen Kunken (Billions), and Adrian Edmondson (Back to Life) also star.
The series is produced by ITV Studios in collaboration with Sony Pictures Television.
Homeland exec producer Alexander Cary created the series and exec produces alongside Lewis, via his Ginger Biscuit Entertainment banner, Patrick Spence and Nick Murphy, who directs, with Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer and Peter Jaysen exec producing for Veritas Entertainment Group.
Earlier this summer, Deadline revealed that Charter Communications was getting out of the original programming business and decided to shut down Spectrum Originals as Kathrine Pope, who oversaw the move, left to become President of Sony Pictures Television.
It is the latest British series for the linear network and streaming service, which has Rogue Heroes and Belgravia on its slate.
“I’m very happy to be bringing our Cold War tale of friendship and betrayal to MGM+. They’re the perfect partners for us and I can’t wait for people to see it,” said Damian Lewis.
“Alex Cary has brilliantly adapted Ben Macintyre’s historical novel about friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. He, along with Nick Murphy, Damian Lewis, and the remarkable cast led by Lewis and Guy Pearce, have brought to life this riveting tale of two British spies whose deep personal bond and long friendship is challenged by duplicity and deception,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “This series is emblematic of our new MGM+ brand and the rich, cinematic, and character-driven stories we aim to tell.”
10:44 AM PT — The manager of the market tells us the production crew is not reimbursing the market or the vendors for the time off, saying, “We have not been in conversation with them at all as they are leasing the property from the property managers just as we lease the property for the Saturday market. We were told about 6 weeks ago that the property manager was not allowing us to hold the market on the 3rd of December and about 3 weeks ago informed us that we would not be using the property for the 3rd or the 10th. We were not given a choice.”
UPDATE
They continue, “It hits us farmer’s the worst because we now have no venue to sell eggs, for instance. The chickens keep laying whether we have a market or not.”
Jason Momoa‘s new series is not a hit in Hawaii … folks there are upset a local farmers market is being shut down due to filming, and they’re taking it out on the actor.
Jason’s filming an Apple TV+ production called “Chief of War” on Hawaii’s big island, and the Kaimu Farmer’s Market appears to be one of the casualties.
The farmer’s market is only open on Saturdays and the 76 vendors were informed the market area will be closed for two consecutive Saturdays in December … with the market saying it’s because Jason’s film crew requested the area for filming.
The Facebook page for the Kaimu Farmer’s Market is being flooded with comments about the announcement, with vendors expressing frustration about being unable to sell their goods because of the movie, especially so close to the holidays.
Folks are ripping Jason, blaming him for taking away their livelihoods during the biggest time of the year and blasting him for being “out of touch.”
Vendors are also seeking compensation, with some wanting the film crew to pony up some dough for lost revenue. It’s unclear if the studio or production company is compensating the owners of the market, but typically they would get something.
We’ve reached out to Jason’s camp, the studio and Kaimu Farmer’s Market.
The fallout after Bountygate was about as bad as could be expected.
Everyone connected to the GAU football program found themselves with hard decisions to make on All American Season 5 Episode 7.
The good news was that Garrett’s college coaching career went down in flames thanks to Olivia’s, I mean Jayden’s, expose.
Unfortunately, the positives ended there, as every player on the team had to choose where they would play football next season.
Fearing the NCAA would levy the death penalty, the upper-level students turned in their jerseys. The recruits that Coach Kenny, Spencer, and Jordan had worked so hard to maintain bailed.
In the end, Kenny was left with a roster of about 40 players with whom to rebuild the program, including GAU’s stars, Spencer and Jordan. That was roughly a third of the squad’s prior number before Olivia’s bomb hit.
The Condors may have to rise from the ashes without Kenny. His discussions with A.D. Barnes left him feeling that he should be looking around for a new position, as he wasn’t likely to be held over on the staff of the new head coach.
Spencer felt a special connection to Coach Kenny. So he saw the first step to resurrecting the GAU program would be convincing Barnes to hire Kenny for continuity’s sake.
That was when things started falling apart in Spencer’s master plan. Kenny was Spencer’s position coach and an old teammate of Corey’s. But Jordan didn’t feel anywhere near the same attachment to him.
Spencer was delusional enough to believe that Barnes would do whatever was necessary to keep his star player happy. Instead, Barnes just danced around Spencer and told him to make an appointment. Poorly played, Spence.
Then there was the problem of Jordan, Spencer’s housemate and quarterback, deciding to explore his options, especially when his call started ringing with interest from other schools.
Spencer should have been clued in when Jordan started blowing him off that maybe Jordan wasn’t as invested in GAU as Spencer was.
Jordan can’t be faulted for listening. He had gone from a walk-in to the starting quarterback on a Div. 1 bowl team. It had to be flattering to find out other schools wanted him now.
And GAU will be Spencer’s team, especially now that the new coach will likely build the offense around him. The Wilmont offensive coordinator is promising to do the same for Jordan, so why wouldn’t he be interested?
Making things more awkward was that Spencer followed Grace’s solid suggestion and recruited Billy to join the campaign to make Coach Kenny the GAU head coach.
The sitdown with Barnes did get Kenny another interview with the A.D., only things didn’t work out as planned in the end, did they? So will Billy take the job? And how will that affect Jordan’s decision to leave?
It was great to see that Grace isn’t going to disappear from the show just because she and D’Angelo relocated to Oakland. Instead, she popped in to check how Spencer was doing with all the chaos now swirling around him, bringing her cuisine with her, to Asher and Coop’s delight.
A highlight of the episode was Grace’s gumbo dinner at the beach house, which brought together an intriguing cross-section of characters, with the adults dispensing wisdom to the young’uns.
Olivia spent most of her time in hiding, refusing to bask in the glow of her success. Now she contemplates the fallout from her story?
She did run her story with a pseudonym to protect Jordan and Spencer from individual fallout. But there was no safeguarding the program from future repercussions. So Olivia was wallowing in guilt as it became clear that Spencer and Jordan’s futures were now up in the air.
It wasn’t until she sat down with Jordan, then Spencer, as proposed by Laura, and each absolved her that she would allow herself to celebrate in the tiniest of ways.
There was also another chapter of “Patience Doesn’t Handle Fame Well.” The video teaser that she filmed was blowing up on social media. But rather than enjoying that, she got into a live argument with her trolls on social media.
This discord led to Layla and Clay getting into it yet again. Clay made a valid point that Patience’s authentic voice didn’t come through in the new image Gia had designed for her.
Then again, Layla discovered that the troll was a plant by Clay. It was easier to feel bad for Clay when Layla used him as her boy toy a summer ago.
But J.P. passed over Layla and put Clay in charge of his operation. Clay has won and should try being gracious instead now.
There was also the first chapter of “Coop Goes to Law School.”
This course began badly. As a rapper, Coop was accustomed to serving up opinion as fact. That approach isn’t going to cut it in law school.
As Coop scarfed gumbo, all those around her pointed out the error in her thinking and suggested how she could improve her approach.
This shift helped her to shine when she demanded another do-over from the professor. He’s not going to stand for that too many times.
Nick Holly, manager, writer, producer, and co-creator of the ABC comedy series Sons & Daughters, died Monday, November 21 of cancer, surrounded by loved ones at his home in Santa Monica, CA. He was 51.
Originally from Geneva, New York, Holly began his industry career in the mailroom at CAA following graduation from Rutgers University, where he played lacrosse. He later became an agent at Buchwald and went on to form the management company, Epiphany Alliance, Inc. In 2006, Holly teamed with client, Fred Goss, to create the half-hour comedy, Sons & Daughters, produced with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, which aired for one season on ABC. Holly managed a slate of writers for film, television, and Broadway, including Nell Benjamin, Matthew Flanagan, David McHugh, and Larry O’Keefe, among others.
He also was a writer on animated series The LeBrons.
“Holly loved the ocean, the wilderness, and traveling the world, climbing mountains from Baldy to Kilimanjaro” his family said in a statement. “A larger than life character and hilarious story teller, Holly regaled his many friends with epic tales from his myriad adventures. From the plains of the Serengeti to the produce aisle of Whole Foods, Holly was always the hero. He will be remembered by all who knew and loved him as a great thinker, philosopher, and lover of Scotch.”
Holly is survived by his mother, Michael Holly, stepfather Keith Moxey, sister, Lauren Holly, and girlfriend, Amy Shapiro.
A memorial for Holly will be held at St. Augustine By-The-Sea at 1227 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, on Wednesday, December 7 at 2 pm. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Holly’s name to the following charities: Upstage Lung Cancer and Heal the Bay.
USA Network and E! are reportedly severing ties with the Chrisley family. According to Deadline, the Chrisley Knows Best, Growing Up Chrisley, and Love Limo TV shows have all been cancelled. The move comes after stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison.
Todd was given a 12-year sentence plus 16 months of probation after, in June, being found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million of fraudulent loans. There were also various tax crimes, including conspiring to defraud the IRS. His wife Julie was found guilty of wire fraud and obstruction of justice and was sentenced to seven years with 16 months probation.
Their accountant, Peter Tarantino, was sentenced to three years in prison. He was found guilty of filing two false corporate tax returns on behalf of the Chrisleys’ company.
Chrisley Knows Best, which premiered on USA Network in 2014, follows the lives of Georgia real estate tycoon Todd Chrisley and his wealthy family. The show was renewed for a 10th season in May, and episodes that were filmed before the convictions will air next year.
Spin-off Growing Up Chrisley launched in January 2019 and revolves around two of the couple’s oldest offspring, Chase and Savannah. The first three seasons aired on USA, and the fourth moved to the E! cable channel. The fourth season episodes finished airing last month.
A dating series, Love Limo was ordered to series in May and was to be hosted and executive produced by Todd Chrisley. The E! show would have featured Chrisley helping singles find love utilizing 20-minute interactions.
What do you think? Have you enjoyed the Chrisley reality shows on E! and USA Network? Are you disappointed that these shows have been cancelled?
Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.
Eric Fleishman, AKA “Eric The Trainer,” famed celebrity trainer, unexpectedly died at the age of 53 on Thanksgiving, TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Fleishmanpassed Thursday morning at his home in Glendale, CA.
Eric served as a personal trainer to many big stars in TV, movies and the music industry, working with everyone from Def Leppard, Journey, Fall Out Boy, and Nickelback to Kirstie Alley, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Ethan Suplee and Jason Priestley, amongst many others.
Many of his celeb clients also counted Eric as a friend.
But, Fleishman didn’t only work with the famous and wealthy … he also trained the people who keep Los Angeles safe. Law enforcement.
Eric, over his 3+ decade career in fitness, also worked with LAPD, L.A. Sheriff’s Academy, California Highway Patrol and numerous SWAT teams across the county.
Fleishman originally got into the business after being inspired by fitness and health pioneer, Jack Lalanne.
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During COVID lockdowns, Eric gathered his famous friends and held a benefit concert that raised thousands of dollars for the Feeding America charity.
Fleishman is survived by his wife Alysia and son Henry.
