TV
2022’s Biggest Fantasy Shows Are Struggling With Sex and Romance
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon, Season 1 Episode 7, “Driftmark,” and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 1 Episode 6, “Udûn.”] This week, the newest episode of House of the Dragon picked up some backlash this week, after viewers of the Game of Thrones prequel series complained that a few key scenes were so darkly lit, with so little contrast, that they were nearly impossible to watch on many screens. Speaking for myself, I initially did struggle to watch that scene, but the low lighting was perhaps a blessing. Because otherwise, my throat might have gone hoarse yelling “That’s your uncle!” at the television. Advertisement Right now, we technically have an embarrassment of riches to enjoy when it comes to fantasy television, with Dragon...
HBO Max’s Dune Prequel Series to Star Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson
HBO Max’s Dune prequel series, The Sisterhood, has cast Emily Watson (Chernobyl) and Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter) in leading roles, Variety reports. Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, the series is based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson’s 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune. Officially titled Dune: The Sisterhood, the show was ordered to series at HBO Max in June 2019. Per the official logline, it “follows the Harkonnen Sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.” Watson and Henderson will portray Valya Harkonnen and Tula Harkonnen, respectively. Per the character descriptions, the sisters “have risen to power in the Sisterhood, a secret organization of women who will go on to become t...
A Friend of the Family Review: A Slow-Burn True Crime Series That’s Truly Harrowing
The Pitch: When Robert “B” Berchtold (Jake Lacy) moves with his family to a quaint, peaceful town in rural Idaho, he becomes an instant hit with the Broberg family. The Berchtolds and the Brobergs instantly become inseparable: they vacation together, dine together, and attend the Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints together. The catch? B has a secret sexual obsession with the Brobergs’ eldest daughter, pre-pubescent Jan (Hendrix Yancey/McKenna Grace). Despite his charming, charismatic goody-two-shoes persona, B can only keep his infatuation hidden for so long. Based on the grisly true story that yielded the popular 2017 Netflix documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, A Friend of the Family sees B’s fixation on Jan spiral out of control, resulting in a whirlwind of abuse, deception...
George R. R. Martin Under Fire for Working with Co-Authors Accused of Racism
George R.R. Martin is under fire for enlisting married author couple Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson as co-writers on his upcoming book The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One amid accusations of racism. García and Antonsson are longtime Game of Thrones fans and began contributing to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series since long before it was adapted into an HBO smash. But some casting choices in the TV show and its new spinoff House of the Dragon prompted the pair to make some eyebrow-raising critiques: For example, Antonsson argued that Black actor Steve Toussaint was miscast as Corlys in House of the Dragon, because (via Variety) “there are no Black Valyrians and there should not be any in the show...
HBO Defends House of the Dragon Lighting Amid Complaints It’s “Unwatchable”
HBO’s House of the Dragon might serve up some new context for the Game of Thrones universe, but the spinoff/prequel series is still getting fans riled up over one nagging issue: Terrible lighting. But after House of the Dragon Episode 7 prompted fan complaints over the weekend, HBO Max clarified that the ultra-dimmed lighting is an “intentional creative decision.” “I’m gonna need @hbomax to issue a written apology for literally a whole episode of black screen of #HouseOfTheDragon,” one viewer wrote yesterday (October 2nd). “This is ridiculous.” Many other fans echoed those complaints, saying the episode was “unwatchable” and that they could barely understand what was happening. The HBO Max Help Twitter account offered an explanation: “We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene...
SNL Kicks Off a New Era with Season 48 Premiere: Review
Saturday Night Live opened its 48th season with its biggest cast changes in decades. With eight cast members departing at various stages of their SNL tenure, and a ninth missing in action but supposedly returning later (Cecily Strong is doing a play in Los Angeles, and—unlike past temporary absences—wasn’t shown in the opening credits), the show is close to peak overhaul level (11 cast members left between seasons 20 and 21). Thee changeover was notable enough to warrant a cold-open sketch all about it, with Peyton Manning (host Miles Teller) and his brother Eli (Andrew Dismukes) offering live commentary on the season’s supposed kickoff: a self-consciously hacky sketch about Donald Trump (James Justin Johnson) and, well, whatever zany characters the writers decide to throw at him in an att...
Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head Party Breaks Guinness Record for Largest Nachos
Paramount+ threw a party to celebrate Mike Judge’s revival of Beavis and Butt-Head, and in the process set a new Guinness World Record for history’s largest serving of nachos. This now-famous appetizer was served at Smorgasburg LA on Sunday, September 25th, with a final weight of 4,870 pounds — as much as a juvenile killer whale. A representative of Guinness was on hand to certify the results and award the team a plaque. “The largest serving of nachos was achieved by Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head and Paramount+,” the plaque read. Mike Judge said of the award, “This is the proudest moment of my career.” Paramount+ has shared a sizzle reel that details the making of the record-setting nachos. A team of at least seventeen people used shovels to layer on chips, cheese, what ...
Who Should Take Over The Daily Show After Trevor Noah Leaves?
The Daily Show was must-see viewing during the last days of a time when American TV viewing habits were a lot more predictable. Today, the continued fragmentation of late night has meant that every show, not just The Daily Show, has had a reduced impact on pop culture — but the show’s legacy endures from the Jon Stewart era, making current host Trevor Noah’s announcement that he plans to leave the series after seven years very interesting news for any comedian who might be interested in suiting up for a desk job. Noah’s departure actually follows how Stewart announced his plans to leave The Daily Show without an immediate successor in place. Noah was revealed as the new host several weeks following Stewart’s departure, after making spending six months as a correspondent, and if the series ...
Coolio Recorded New Dialogue and a Song for Futurama Before His Death
Just a few weeks before he died of cardiac arrest, Coolio was in the studio recording dialogue and a new song for the upcoming revival of Futurama, producer David X. Cohen told TMZ. During Futurama’s initial run, Coolio had a recurring role on the animated satire as Kwanzaa-bot, the exasperated holiday companion to Santa Claus Robot and Chanukah Zombie. “Coolio was one of my favorite guests,” Cohen said. “He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot.” Cohen said that the episode will be dedicated to Coolio and feature him rapping over the credits, in order to give him “the best send-off we can.” He added that he’d had an enjoyable conversation with the “Gangsta’s Paradise” MC, and learned that Coolio had r...
Saturday Night Live Season 48 Cast Guide: Everything We Know About SNL’s New Cast Members
Since its inception in 1975, Saturday Night Live has seen many people come and go from its cast. The comedy show’s massive influence on American pop culture has thrust many cast members into the spotlight, generating generation after generation of influential stars in entertainment. Following the recent departure of eight prominent members of Saturday Night Live’s cast, the comedy show’s 48th season will introduce four new cast members on October 1st. Making their Studio 6H debut this week are Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker — here’s everything to know about SNL’s newest cast members. Molly Kearney [embedded content] Related Video American actor and standup comedian Molly Kearney comes from Cleveland, Ohio. After starting their career as a stand-up i...
Bryan Fuller on New Docuseries Queer for Fear and How Hannibal Is “Explicitly Queer”
In working on the new AMC documentary series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror, director/executive producer Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) was excited to dig into all the facets of storytelling around this genre — including the way in which queer themes have been hidden within mainstream works for centuries. “As somebody who grew up used to the codes, and faced obstacles in my own career as a storyteller with queer representation, and having that eradicated or suppressed by studios or other creatives who just felt that the world wasn’t ready for queerness in that regard… I have a great affection for the codes of queerness, because there’s so much about being queer that is already coded,” he tells Consequence over Zoom. In fact, he says, that affection for codes ended up having a big inf...
Entergalactic Review: Kid Cudi’s Next Album Is Also a Low-Key Charming Animated Rom-Com
The Pitch: Jabari (Kid Cudi, or Scott Mescudi, as he’s credited here) is a street artist on the cusp of great things, as his original character Mr. Rager, featured in graffiti art all over New York City, has been tapped by a major comic book company for a potential series. He’s even got a great new loft in Manhattan, which just so happens to make him new neighbors with Meadow (Jessica Williams), a photographer who’s also getting ready for a big professional leap with her first major show. Neither Jabari or Meadow are particularly looking for a big epic romance, but keep finding themselves spending time together after a late-night encounter, and their mutual interests plus a natural chemistry quickly accelerate them into relationship territory. However, insecurities on both ends, escalated ...
