KENAN Official Trailer (HD) Kenan Thompson

KENAN – 2021 – Comedy – Kenan Thompson

Watch Kenan Thompson, Chris Redd and Don Johnson in Kenan, the new comedy from SNL’s Kenan Thompson and Lorne Michaels. Kenan premieres Tuesday, February 16 at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

CAST: Kenan Thompson, Chris Redd, Don Johnson

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Year of the Rabbit: Season Two Cancelled; Channel 4 and IFC Renewal Reversed

Year of the Rabbit will not be returning for season two on IFC after all. Channel 4 in the UK, which co-funds the comedy series, has backtracked on its second season renewal from last February due to COVID-19.

Matt Berry stars in this series as a detective solving crimes in Victorian London. Berry is joined by Freddie Fox and Susan Wokoma, who play his hapless assistant and the country’s first female police officer.

Fans of the series might still get to see a second season of the period comedy. Objective Media Group, which produces the show, is looking for a new UK partner to bring the series back to the small screen.

Layla Smith, from Objective Media Group, said the following about the series, per Deadline:

Year Of The Rabbit is a victim of the devastating effects of Covid. IFC are very committed to the show, but we will need to find another partner — and we’re working on that.”

A statement from Channel 4 revealed more:

“We’re hugely proud of this hilarious and fearless comedy series, but as result of the impact of Covid on our schedules we have made the difficult decision not to enter into a second series with a heavy heart.”

What do you think? Did you watch Year of the Rabbit on IFC? Are you sad that the series has been cancelled (at least for now)?

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Riverdale Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders

Identity reveals. Plenty of deaths. The conclusion to longstanding mysteries.

Many loose threads and plots were tied up on Riverdale Season 5 Episode 2.

“Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders” delivered on giving us the solutions we had been waiting for all this time. Though, not all of the reveals were as shocking or juicy as we might’ve hoped.

The VHS mystery built a strong momentum since Riverdale Season 4.

The reveal of each new tape added more to the anticipation. Then, the rave party’s discovery during Riverdale Season 5 Episode 1 provided this layer of a cult-like vibe. The possibility of followers enacting the crimes raised the stakes of what this solution could be.

Plus, with the discovery of Bret’s, Joans, and David’s dead bodies, the threat of the auteur heightened the seriousness to capture the villain. We had reached the point in the movie where the killer brought their art to life at the climax.

After all, was said and done, the answers paled in comparison to the anticipation that was built.

The reveal of the killer and the auteur might be Riverdale’s most lackluster reveal yet.

Firstly, let’s start with the reveal of the auteur and the reason behind the VHS tapes.

Jellybean being behind the tapes is a nice answer, but it’s not the most satisfying. Mostly this is due to the motivation behind why the tapes appeared in the first place and why they kept coming.

Simply stating it was a reason to keep Jughead in town and that it was a fun prank/hobby undercuts the twists before it. It’s like a Scooby-Doo mystery: no real harm was done because it was all fake with a goal in mind.

Sounds to me like you two are planning a hostile takeover. I am so in!

Hermione

The tapes did not affect anyone getting hurt (we’ll get to Charles in a bit!), there wasn’t a deeper mystery behind it, and it offered no stakes to the characters. Take the recent murders away, and all you have left is a bunch of teens playing a prank.

In one fell swoop, “Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders” turned a season-long mystery into filler.

The show tried to justify Jellybean and her friends not understanding the seriousness of creating murderous tapes. They knew; the look on Jellybean’s face summed up that she knew she was in trouble.

Now, onto the biggest problem: Charles. Was anyone else not surprised he was a serial killer?

Riverdale already revealed his serial killer gene and that he still had a relationship with Chic. And that Charles was bugging the house to listen to calls. So, when Betty and Jughead learned the truth, it wasn’t surprising in the least.

We as viewers shouldn’t be ahead in the answer compared to our mystery-solving pair. This solution meant that Betty and Jughead had to catch up to where we all were a year ago.

Betty: That’s what Bret was going to tell us. That you and Chic were still in deep.
Charles: True love knows no boundaries.

Plus, Charles’ recent string of murders seemed abrupt and tacked-on. He murdered Bret, Joan, and David in the span of one chapter.

Why didn’t Riverdale stretch out his serial killer activities across multiple chapters?

This tactic would’ve helped make the auteur/VHS tapes tied to a grander scheme and Charles’ reveal at not being the auteur more shocking since we would’ve had more time to be invested in the killing aspect. Instead, the a-ha moments didn’t land as strong as they should have.

At least with the Blossoms dying, their surprise poisoning came with Riverdale’s trademark soapy nudge-and-wink.

Penelope may be a cold-hearted murdering psychopath, but she has her moments of motherly love. Granted, the motivation for overdue revenge pushed her to kill the extended Blossom family. However, part of it was due to her love of Cheryl.

Previous Penelope wouldn’t have helped Cheryl attain the power position within the Blossom company. New Penelope is all about quick action and bringing power to her family.

Cheryl being in full control of the company is a great development because it will lead to many new character plots.

The five-year time jump is coming, and future-Cheryl could become a leader in the revamped Maple business. A good or evil CEO? That will be left to be revealed, and her potential reunion with Toni since she can now make amends for her family’s past crimes.

Archie coming face-to-face with his anger and frustration was a strong turning point for him. It’s something he needed to do if he ever wanted to become a healthy adult.

Ever since Fred died on Riverdale Season 4 Episode 1, Archie pushed off his feelings and reacted in heated or destructive ways. (Even more “Archie” than he ever did.)

Destroying the VHS and the TV with the baseball bat was a clear sign that Archie dealt with a lot more than just grief. Be it the culmination of loss, heartache, PTSD, and anger; everything came to a boiling point.

Archie needed to let it all out and put his frustrations into something. Surprisingly, fighting Uncle Frank was the solution, even though he’s a boxer and punches people/bags every day, but whatever works for Archie.

Hopefully, writing the letter about Jeffrey Augustine will give Archie peace and the strength to move on.

Veronica and Hermosa’s surprising new partnership was a far cry from their earlier sisterly scenes. The two seemed to get along and act like sisters.

Hermosa saving Veronica’s life like it was no big deal was an understated moment we love to see between the Lodge sisters. The same goes for their team-up of taking over Lodge Industries.

Your astrological sign might be the scorpion, Daddy. But in fact, you’re like a dog. A dog who needs to be trained. When a dog soils a carpet, you know what you do? You rub his nose in it.

Veronica

Taking down Hiram was the gift that kept on giving!

Beautiful, satisfying, and so worthy of rewatching the scenes over and over again. Particularly the scene of Veronica calling Hiram a dog and that he needed to learn his lesson. The Lodges are deliciously petty and vengeful.

If Veronica and Hermosa don’t turn on each other, this could be the start of a strong family business. (But this is Riverdale, something bad will most likely happen in the five-year time jump.)

Though, let’s give a big round of applause for Hermione!

Hermione has won Riverdale (if this were a competition). Her twist was the long con, and she played for keeps.

Hermione: See, I’ve also decided to make a life change.
Hiram: To do what exactly?
Hermione: Three years ago, Andy Cohen asked me to become a Real Housewife of New York; I turned him down to focus on my family. Remember? But really, Veronica, I did it to protect you. Honey, the ONLY reason I got back together with your father in the first place was to keep you safe, but now you’re going off to college and Hermosa is back in the picture. So, I really don’t see any point to put my ambitions on hold anymore.
Hermione: So, Hiram, I’m divorcing you. I’m moving back to the city and I’m becoming a Real Housewife, for real.
Veronica: Wow Mom, you win!
[Veronica taps Hiram]
Veronica: But do take that trip to the Caymans, Daddy. You need a break from Riverdale and Riverdale most definitely needs a break from you.

Good for her for getting the last word and shutting down Hiram in a blaze of glory. The looks on everyone’s faces at her decision for divorce were so beautifully blown away that if Hermione could, she would save it as her screensaver.

Leaving Riverdale to join The Real Housewives of New York is a fitting and hilarious end for her character if that’s her ambition; congrats to her for going for her goals!

Last Thoughts From Sweetwater River:

  • Is Jonathan alive or dead? Everyone forgets about his character, even serial killer Charles.
     
  • Jughead is going to the University of Iowa! That solves the next steps for his character path.
     
  • Where did Jellybean and friends find a bunch of masks that resemble all the characters from Riverdale?
  • Hiram starting a fight with Archie in broad daylight at Archie’s gym wasn’t his smartest idea.
     
  • Cheryl yelling at Ms. Bell for a crimson robe at graduation was the height of a Cheryl mood.
     
  • Not shipping it or anything, but wouldn’t it be romantic if Charles and Chic end up at the same prison and cell together?

Now, over to you, Riverdale fans!

What did you think of “Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders”?

Did the reveal of Charles being a serial killer surprise you? Did the reveal of the auteur live up to the hype? What will Cheryl do now that she owns all of the Blossom business?

If you missed the latest episode of Riverdale, you can watch Riverdale online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and share your thoughts in the comments!

Justin Carreiro is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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Starz Ups Karen Bailey To EVP Of Original Programming

Starz has promoted Karen Bailey to Executive Vice President of Original Programming, from her previous SVP role.

In her expanded position, Bailey will continue to spearhead the network’s inclusion initiatives across the slate with a focus on narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences. She will also continue to expand the drive toward adequate and authentic representation programming, overseeing new development and current productions for the network including the critically-acclaimed Outlander, P-Valley and American Gods as well the upcoming series Dangerous Liaisons and Becoming Elizabeth. She will be based in the company’s Santa Monica office.

During her tenure as SVP, Bailey oversaw production for series including Party Down, Crash, Boss and Starz’s first international series Spartacus and Camelot. Bailey first joined Starz in 2006 as an executive producer, overseeing development, production and post-production for the company’s studio slate of television movies and mini-series. She was promoted to Vice President of Production in 2007 and to Senior Vice President of Original Programming in 2012.

“This is a well-deserved promotion that recognizes Karen’s invaluable and integral contributions to the many successful series she has helped develop and nurture during her 15 years with Starz,” said Christina Davis, President of Programming for Starz. “Karen has an incredible track record in developing and managing the success of our strong and diverse slate of scripted programming and diverse talent – always staying true to our ongoing commitment to complex storytelling, nuanced character portrayals and the incredible representation across our casts and crews.”

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Bob Odenkirk’s Oral History of Saul Goodman: From ‘Breaking Bad’ to ‘Better Call Saul’

Vince Gilligan thought a Saul Goodman spinoff was a good idea almost immediately after the character’s first appearance on ‘Breaking Bad’ – the man who plays him, Bob Odenkirk, would take some more convincing. In this exclusive oral history of Goodman, alter-ego to the conman/lawyer/cellphone dealer Jimmy McGill, Odenkirk shares the story of how he got the role of Walter White’s shady lawyer on ‘Breaking Bad,’ breaks down some of Goodman’s best moments in that show, and reveals the pitch that got him to sign up for the prequel ‘Better Call Saul,’ now in its fifth Certified Fresh season. And, as he gets ready to say goodbye to the character of McGill/Saul – the AMC series will conclude after its sixth season, set to release next year – Odenkirk also spoke at length with Rotten Tomatoes about the relationship between Chuck and Jimmy, the (probably) doomed future of Jimmy and Kim, and what it’s like to play Goodman as the series races towards the events of ‘Breaking Bad.’

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RESIDENT ALIEN Official Interview (2021) Alan Tudyk

JoBlo.com sits down with star Alan Tudyk to discuss the sci-fi comedy series RESIDENT ALIEN!

PLOT: An alien crashes on Earth and hides in a remote Colorado mountain town; after assuming the identity of the town doctor, his nefarious mission is threatened when he realizes one of the townspeople, a 9-year-old boy, can see his true alien form.

CAST: Alan Tudyk, Elizabeth Bowen, Levi Fiehler, and Meredith Garretson

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Debris: NBC Schedules Sci-Fi Drama as Creator Draws Parallels To Fringe

NBC may have found the next Fringe in Debris, a new sci-fi drama from a producer of the beloved FOX drama.

“When wreckage from a destroyed alien spacecraft scatters across the Western Hemisphere, it soon becomes apparent the pieces are messing with the laws of physics, changing lives in ways we can’t comprehend,” reads the official logline. 

“Two agents from different continents, and different mindsets, are tasked to work together to recover the debris, whose mysteries humankind is not quite ready for.”

debris

The series stars Jonathan Tucker, Riann Steele, Norbert Leo Butz, and Scroobius Pip, and is set to premiere Monday, March 1.

The first trailer certainly gives Fringe vibes, so we’re sure this one will be on your radar, Fringe fanatics. The good news is that it comes from J.H. Wyman, one of the producers of Fringe.

Wyman opened up about the series during a TCA panel on Tuesday and opened up about the comparisons to his previous hit.

“There’s always going to be my DNA in the show,” Wyman said, according to Deadline. “But it’s definitely its own thing.”

Debris will see the relationship between the two leads develop as they work together to make sense of these changes due to alien leftovers.

“Joel has given us this opportunity to kind of come in and discover the debris, but then it really opens it up the rest of the episode and it’s fun for us as actors, for sure, but I think it’ll be fun for audiences to see and speaks to the kind of cable level sci-fi that we’ve become accustomed to that you can have, you can have a bit of both,” said Tucker.

Wyman revealed his love for the sci-fi genre during the panel, but the creator said that the genre could help to explain a lot about the human condition.

“After I saw Close Encounters I literally sat on my roof with my mother trying to find something…I’ve always been fascinated by space and that there’s got to be something more,” he said.

“Maybe there’s a side of me that wishes that the world was a little bit more advanced as far as how we all get along and how it all makes sense.”

Have a look at the full trailer below and hit the comments with your thoughts on it.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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Jamie Dornan To Headline ‘The Tourist’ As HBO Max Boards Thriller Series; Danielle Macdonald, Hugo Weaving & Shalom Brune-Franklin Co-Star

Jamie Dornan (A Private War) has been tapped as the lead of The Tourist, the six-episode limited series from Fleabag production company Two Brothers Pictures.

HBO Max has come on board to co-produce and be the US streaming home for the mystery thriller, which also has cast Danielle Macdonald (Dumplin’), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line of Duty) and Hugo Weaving (The Lord of The Rings).

Along with the WarnerMedia streamer, Germany’s ZDF also has joined The Tourist’s commissioning partners BBC One and Stan. The series, written by Two Brothers Pictures founders Harry and Jack Williams, will be filmed in Australia this year.

The Tourist, which is not related to the 2019 Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp film, centers on a British man (Dornan) who finds himself in the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, being pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat-and-mouse chase unfolds, and the man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.

The Tourist are some of the most exciting scripts I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to go to Australia with such a talented group of people,” said Dornan.

Macdonald will play Helen Chambers, a fledgling Probationary Constable, and Brune-Franklin is set to play Luci, a waitress who’s swept into The Man’s journey for answers. Weaving plays Agent Lachlan Rogers, one of the most highly regarded detective inspectors in Australia, leading Major Crime for the state police.

“We’re hugely excited about this show. It’s tonally breaking new ground for us and having Jamie Dornan on board is the icing on the Australian cake,” said Harry and Jack Williams.

The Tourist is a Two Brothers Pictures (an All3Media company) production for the BBC, in association with Highview Productions, All3Media International, the South Australian Film Corporation, HBO Max, Stan and ZDF. The six-episode drama has been written by producers and screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams, who alongside Christopher Aird and Andrew Benson will serve as executive producers for Two Brothers Pictures and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. Lisa Scott will produce and Chris Sweeney will executive produce and direct. International sales will be handled by global partner All3Media International.

“Harry and Jack’s talents are as vast as the Australian outback, and this thriller will leave viewers on the edge of their seat piecing together the puzzle,” said Jeniffer Kim, SVP, International Originals, HBO Max. “We are delighted to have Jamie, Danielle, Hugo and Shalom join the cast for this compelling addition to our slate of international original series.”

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Riverdale S03E04 Clip | ‘Dream Warriors’ | Rotten Tomatoes TV

Check out the new Riverdale Season 3 Episode 4 Clip starring Lili Reinhart! Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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US Air Date: November 7, 2018
Starring: KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart
Network: The CW
Synopsis: When Betty (Lili Reinhart) confronts Alice (Madchen Amick) about Gryphons and Gargoyles, Alice has no choice but to come clean about how she, along with a young Fred (KJ Apa), FP (Cole Sprouse), Hermoine (Camila Mendes), Hiram (guest star Michael Consuelos), Sierra (Ashleigh Murray), Penelope (Madelaine Petsch) and Tom (Casey Cott), played the game in the early 90’s — and how a shocking mystery has been plaguing them all ever since.

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CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL Official Trailer (HD) Docuseries

CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL – 2021 – Documentary Series

From housing serial killers to untimely deaths, the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles is known to many as LA’s deadliest hotel. The latest chapter in the Cecil’s dark history involves the mysterious disappearance of college student Elisa Lam. Check in to the Cecil Hotel on February 10, only on Netflix.

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The Blacklist Renewed for Season 9

The Blacklist is not going anywhere.

NBC announced Tuesday that it has renewed its hit drama for a ninth season.

Through its first two episodes this season, The Blacklist Season 8 is averaging a 1.2 in 18-49, and the Nov. 13 premiere has reached 7.5 million viewers in total audience measurement.

During the 2019-2020 season, The Blacklist reached nearly 39 million total viewers across linear and digital platforms.

NBC notes that the series brings in a premium upscale audience, ranking as the #2 broadcast drama during the 2019-20 season among the 18-49 demo in $100K+ per household on an index basis.

The Blacklist currently airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

This Friday’s episode (Jan. 29) marks a landmark for the series as the #1 name on Raymond Reddington’s notorious blacklist is revealed.

The series stars James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, Laura Sohn and Harry Lennix. John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp, John Davis, John Fox, James Spader, Lukas Reiter, Laura A. Benson, Daniel Cerone, and Sean Hennen serve as executive producers.

The series joins fellow NBC renewed dramas This Is Us, Chicago Med, Fire, PD, SVU, and Transplant.

NBC also has a string of series waiting in the wings, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, and New Amsterdam.

The early renewal for The Blacklist is hardly a surprise. Networks will likely be making decisions quicker than usual because of the rigorous measures implemented to all productions due to the pandemic.

Episodes are taking longer to produce and costing more in the process, so it makes sense to make these decisions earlier so that the show and the network can prepare for the future well in advance.

While the series is down, it remains a top performer on the network when all other metrics are factored in.

What do you think of the renewal?

Hit the comments.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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Dwayne Johnson On Early “Tough Times” & Not Taking The Easy Route With His NBC Series ‘Young Rock’

When it came to mounting the NBC half hour series Young Rock, getting it real, and getting it right, warts and all, was key for Dwayne Johnson and the actors portraying the younger version of the wrestler-action star and his family.

Young Rock focuses on different chapters of Johnson’s life. From growing up in a strong and resilient family, to being surrounded by the zany characters of his professional wrestling family, to playing football at the University of Miami, the show explores the crazy rollercoaster that has shaped Johnson into the guy he is today and the larger-than-life characters he’s met along the way.

Said Johnson today at NBC’s winter press tour, “When I first sat down with  (EPs) Nahnatchka (Khan) as well as Jeff (Chiang), it was to really under understand why — what’s the real reason of why we’re going to do this? How can we create something for audiences that will hopefully entertain them but also allow them with a bit of takeaway afterwards? Once, we identified that, and I felt good and comfortable with that, then we moved forward. Let’s not take the easy route. We use these terms ‘wild’ and ‘crazy’ — those are great sizzle words we use as we promote this thing. But it was incredibly complicated and incredibly tough growing up, specifically with these timelines in my life of 10 years old, 15 and 18. Universe willing, if we’re lucking enough to come back for another round of this thing, there’s a lot of other things that took place in between.”

“The relationship I had with my dad was incredibly complicated and fueled by tough love. My dad was kicked out of his house when he was 13 and was homeless, so that then shaped the man who then raised me. And in that complication came an extraordinary life that was full of travel. I lived in 13 different states by the time I was 13 years old. I also lived in New Zealand. There was so much breadth to this life I had,” said Johnson.

It was key for Johnson in working with the EPs of Young Rock to “rip some things open, and vulnerability was one of those factors.  The series has allowed me to appreciate those hard times so much more.”

“Let’s reveal things, but let’s also talk about the good stuff, because there was so much good stuff when I look back on it, in this wild world with these characters who were larger than life,” said Johnson referring to his grandmother, Lia Maivia, (the first female pro wrestling promoter), and other wrestling personalities  portrayed on the show, i.e. Andre the Giant, The Iron Sheik, etc.

“All of these men, so successful in what they did, but they played that role 24 hours a day,” Johnson reflected.

When asked by a reporter what the roughest times in his life were, Johnson took a deep breath, and answered, “There’s a few layers to that answer…At 13, I veered off the tracks to do things I shouldn’t be doing. I got arrested at 13 in Hawaii,” said the actor. Johnson fought with his parents at the time. He didn’t want to move from Hawaii. In hindsight, they family was forced to movie, and it was meant to be, for ultimately, down the road, Johnson prospered.

Another bad patch Johnson remembered was when he was passed over for the NFL.

“That was a pretty big loss; when you’re done with your college career, you’re done. There was no NFL for me,” said the Hobbs and Shaw and Fast & Furious actor. In time, Johnson soon made it to the “seven bucks” phase of his life; this sublime turning point when he was broke following his release from the Canadian Football League in 1995 and before he signed with the World Wrestling Federation where he exploded into the phenomenon that we know.

Johnson, Joseph Lee Anderson, Stacey Leilua, Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, Uli Latukefu, Ana Tuisila, Fasitua Amosa and John Tui star in Young Rock. Khan, Johnson, Chiang, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Brian Gewirtz and Jennifer Carreras are EPs on the series. Young Rock is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, Seven Bucks Productions and Fierce Baby Productions.

Young Rock will premiere at 8PM on Tuesday Feb. 16.

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