TV
First Look: The Challenge: USA Will Bring ‘Extraordinary Athleticism And High-Octane Drama’
“Get ready for The Challenge: USA,” courtesy of a brand-new action-packed trailer. 28 competitors from Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, and Love Island enter the world of The Challenge to compete for $500,000 and the title of Challenge USA Champion beginning July 6 on CBS. Who has the skill, heart, and smarts to earn the Challenge USA crown? Every week, there will be a new twist, a new betrayal and according to host TJ Lavin, it’s a “whole new challenge where anything can happen.” Goosebumps! Why does Shan believe Survivor players “have the edge”? And which member of the Big Brother Cookout alliance confidently declares, “I can win this game”? Watch the first look to find out, and do not miss the premiere of The Challenge: USA o...
Nick Cave and Thastrom to Anchor Animated Series as Beer-Drinking 14-Year-Olds
Australian rock legend Nick Cave and Swedish punk icon Thåström are getting animated in Before They Were Gods, a TV series which follows the two artists as beer-drinking 14-year-olds. If this sounds like a fever dream, well, you’re not far off. Before They Were Gods comes from the cracked imagination of Swedish auteur Måns Mårlind (Shelter, Midnight Sun). “This is a dream project that literally came to me in a dream,” Mårlind said in a statement to THR. “While asleep, I watched two of my musical heroes as young teenagers, drinking cheap beer while discussing love and the meaning of life. I woke up writing and have been trying to catch up with them ever since.” Before They Were Gods is billed as a philosophical discourse between the “harsh existentialist” Thåström a...
Catfish Sneak Peek: Max Surprises Nev And Kamie For A Special Occasion
Catfish: The TV Show premiered almost ten years ago on November 12, 2012; brothers from another mother co-hosts Nev and Max assisted a love hopeful named Sunny meet her online beau Jamison (who was actually Chelsea). Fast-forward nearly a decade later: The hit MTV docuseries will celebrate its 200th episode tonight — and there is a surprise in store for Nev and Kamie. “Oh my god,” a shocked Nev states as Max (!) is a part of a mini-celebration with crew members. “This guy!” Yes, the silver fox is back! After the group enjoys their mini party — complete with a cake — Nev and Kamie invite Max to read the trademark email to kick off each episode. After Max declares, “let’s do it,” it’s time to learn more about Ivy and Dante. Wh...
O-T Fagbenle on Why He Doesn’t Care About the Size of His Roles, from The First Lady to The Handmaid’s Tale
O-T Fagbenle has been keeping busy the last 12 months, between the release of Marvel’s Black Widow, the return to production for The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5, and working on his own projects following the 2020 release of the original series Maxxx, which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Not only that, he’s also now in the Emmys this year conversation for two very different roles: The very strategic venture capitalist Cameron in WeCrashed and modern symbol of hope Barack Obama in The First Lady. In the interview below, transcribed and edited for clarity, the actor and writer reveals why his career has included so many supporting roles of late, and what was key to playing arguably one of the most famous men on the planet. He also explains why he didn’t mind getting asked about Black Widow ...
First Look: All Star Shore Is Going To Be ‘The Ultimate Party’
“Let’s get the party started” with 14 international all stars on a brand-new shore. All Star Shore, coming June 29 to Paramount+, will feature cast members from Jersey Shore, Geordie Shore, Acapulco Shore and Rio Shore, as well as reality stars from television’s biggest series (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bachelor in Paradise, Love is Blind, Ex on the Beach, The Circle and Love Island). The first-ever party competition series is about to begin in Spain, but who will have what it takes to smush dominate the competition? Well, the one and only Angelina is certainly going to try. “The OG is here, bitches”! the Staten island native declares as she enters Karma the beachy surroundings. The niceties don’t exactly last very long, and soon Angelina’s e...
R.I.P. Philip Baker Hall, Beloved Actor in Seinfeld and Paul Thomas Anderson Films Dead at 90
Philip Baker Hall, legendary character actor and frequent collaborator with Paul Thomas Anderson, is dead at the age of 90, his neighbor Sam Farmer confirmed. “My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented and kindest people I’ve ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night,” Farmer wrote on Twitter. “He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it.” Hall had been suffering from emphysema for several years. Hall appeared in Anderson’s first three feature films, starring in Hard Eight and joining memorable ensembles in Boogie Nights and Magnolia. He also booked one of the most memorable guest parts in Seinfeld history as library cop Lt. Joe Bookman, and had scene-stealing roles as a doctor in Curb Your Enthus...
Players Uses League of Legends to Satirize Sports Docs, and It’s Hilarious: Review
The Pitch: What Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story did for music biopics, Netflix’s American Vandal did for the true-crime docuseries. For two glorious seasons of adolescent dick and poop jokes painted with all the forensic seriousness of Making a Murderer, Tony Yacenda (who also directed episodes of Dave and real-life true crime doc Trial by Media) and Dan Perrault perfectly threaded the needle between the melodramatic trivia of teenhood and the over-the-top mechanics of true crime. After that show’s unceremonious cancellation, Yacenda and Perrault are back with another pointed critique of the documentary format and the juvenile antics of manchildren. This time, the question is: What would The Last Dance look like if it were actually about mouthbreathing esp...
Chicago Chefs Cook Through the Pain in FX’s Bittersweet Dramedy The Bear: Review
The Pitch: Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Shameless‘s Jeremy Allen White) is a young, ambitious chef who fled his working-class Chicago roots to spend a few years as one of the hottest chefs at a prestigious New York restaurant. Now, he’s returned home, feeling the joint stings of professional burnout, alcoholism, and (most importantly) the tragic death of his older brother by suicide. What’s more, Carmy’s brother left him the family business, a down-on-its-luck Italian beef joint called The Original Beef of Chicagoland. Now, he’s tasked with not just keeping the place afloat, but bringing his haute cuisine training to the restaurant and the gaggle of misfits that work there, from his hotheaded cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who manages the place with its tenuous link to coke dealers a...
The Barry Season 3 Finale Captures Keenly Why Connection Matters
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 3 finale of Barry, “starting now.”] It has always been a tricky thing, calling Barry a comedy, but the show may have left that word behind for good. The third season of the Emmy-winning HBO series has been awfully focused on consequences — or, more importantly, the ripple effects of a person’s actions in life, especially when those actions involve the death of another. And while we’ve been seeing those ripple effects all season long, primarily in the form of people trying to kill Barry (Bill Hader) as revenge for his past crimes, things really do come full circle in the season finale. Breaking it down, the narrative’s a relatively simple one, wrapping up key storylines across the season. Gene’s (Henry Winkler) career prospe...
Squid Game Officially Renewed For Season 2
Netflix has officially renewed Squid Game for a second season. In a message accompanying the news, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that both Gi-hun and the Front Man would return for Season 2. “The man in the suit with ddakji might be back. You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su,” Hwang further teased. Season one of Squid Game centers on a contest in which participants, all in deep financial debt, play children’s games in an attempt to win a huge cash prize. While the winners take home billions, the losers are shot dead. Lee Jung-jae stars as Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and gambling addict who enters the contest to support his daughters. Related Video Of course, Netflix’s decision to renew Squid Game for a second season was merely a formality. Se...
David Koechner Arrested for DUI for Second Time in Six Months
David Koechner was arrested for the second time in six months for allegedly drinking and driving. TMZ reports that Koechner was pulled over by police in Southern Ohio shortly before 2:00 a.m. local time on June 4th after he was seen swerving his vehicle. He was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. The 59-year-old actor/comedian, known for his roles in Anchorman and The Office, is currently touring the country on a standup tour. Despite the arrest, Koechner appeared as scheduled at an Office trivia event in Ironton, Ohio later that day. On New Year’s Eve 2021, Koechner was arrested on suspicion of DUI and a hit and run after he was seen driving erratically in Ventura County, California, and allegedly hit a street sign. Advertisement Consequence has r...
The Boys Renewed for Season 4
The Boys will be back in town for Season 4. One week after the third season debuted on Prime Video, the streamer officially announced the superhero satire has been renewed. In a press release, Prime Video also touted the show’s continued growth, revealing the worldwide audience has expanded 17% from Season 2 and 234% from the first season. “The Boys continues to push boundaries in storytelling while also being relentlessly entertaining and threading the needle on social satire that feels all too real,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, in a statement. “This stylized world of the series has incredible global reach and the viewership for opening weekend is proof of that. We are immensely proud of the cast and crew that has spawned a franchise for Prime Video, ...
