• Critic’s Notebook: The Women’s March on Washington Makes History, Except on Fox News
• SNL: Watch Aziz Ansari’s Powerful Donald Trump Monologue and More
• Preview: The Flash EP Previews Barry’s Race to Save Iris, Big Savitar Reveal, a ‘Very Formidable’ New Foe and More
• Super Indeed: Supergirl star Melissa Benoist has message for Donald Trump
• Monday Funny: The Americans Guest Star on Cheers
• The Good Place’s truly shocking season finale twist took guts, and a whole lot of skill
• Spooky: Doctor Who Quote About ‘Alternative Facts’ Sounds Awfully Relatable 40 Years Later
• Girl Power! Amy Poehler, America Ferrera, Kerry Washington Among the Many Stars at Women’s Marches Across the Country
• Late Night Wars: Donald Trump Is Giving Stephen Colbert a Ratings Boost
Archives for January 2017
On TV Tonight: Monday January 23, 2017
On TV Tonight: Sunday January 22, 2017
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | To Tell the Truth | Quantico (R) | ||||
CBS | NFL Playoffs: Steelers at Patriots | Hunted | ||||
FOX | The Simpsons (R) | Son of Zorn | Family Guy (R) | Bob’s Burgers (R) | ||
NBC | << Dateline NBC | Ted (Movie) | ||||
MISC | The Librarians (TNT) Mercy Street (PBS) | The Young Pope (HBO) Victoria (PBS) | The Royals (E!) | |||
SHO | Homeland | The Affair |
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Sneak Peek: Ripped From The Dead-lines
Does the family that rips together, get a grip together? With Stefan’s humanity switch flipped to “off,” Damon’s baby bro plunges deep into his ripper ways, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) must come to grips with how to handle it.
Should he revel in the experience, as he and Stefan (Paul Wesley) often are not on the same page, at the same time, when it comes to feeding frenzies? Normally, a show of fraternal support would be in order. But, with Sybil in his head, Damon’s grip on reality is a bit spotty from time to time these days, his mind cluttered by thoughts of Elena.
Sybil (guest star Nathalie Kelley) continues to taunt Damon with those thoughts, and where could she deliver that mind-control more intensely than at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant where Damon and Elena took their first dance steps down the path to eternal love. The siren still is in search of the artifact that previously was in the possession of Matt’s (Zach Roerig) family, one of the area’s historic families whose history was rewritten by the currently acknowledged community founders.
Is Bonnie (Kat Graham) in search of an eternal love of her own? She returns from Paris wearing a vial of Enzo’s (Michael Malarkey) blood, and Caroline wonders if the witch is intent on becoming a vampire.
Executive Producer, Julie Plec, has foreshadowed that there will be another death before the end of the series. If Bonnie must die before Elena can awaken, maybe her conversion to fang-girl is on the horizon.
The anticipated return of Nina Dobrev’s Elena has not been confirmed to the public, but the actress reportedly is amenable to coming back for the March conclusion of the series that established her career.
Eight years have passed for the Mystic Fallers, so it will be interesting to see Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Bonnie and Enzo at the pageant and reminisce about how they have changed over the years.
Tonight’s episode of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, “The Simple Intimacy of the Near Touch,” was written by Neil Reynolds and Penny Cox and directed by Geoff Shotz. Matt Davis also stars.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
Afternoon Static: HOUSE OF CARDS, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, NCIS & More!
• News You Can Use: A look at the real designated survivor on inauguration day
• Trump’s Inauguration: This Is Really Happening
• Miguel Ferrer: A Voice, Quieted
• The Flash/Supergirl Musical Crossover Update: Find Out Who’s Singing
• Ian Somerhalder on Elena’s Presence in The Vampire Diaries’ Final Episodes: ‘She Is Still the Light in Damon’s Life’
• Mark Your Calendars: House of Cards Season 5 Premiere Date Announced by Netflix
• Netflix Wants the World to Binge-Watch: The streaming service has a plan to expand everywhere, and it begins in São Paulo.
• Yes Please! ‘Black-ish’ Spinoff in the Works at ABC
• That Was Fast! ‘Sneaky Pete’ Renewed for Second Season at Amazon
• Scandalous: Monica Lewinsky Saga in the Works as ‘American Crime Story’ Season
• Hottie Alert: Vikings actor Travis Fimmel returns to History with a Wyatt Earp series
• Smart: NFL Owner urges NFL to reduce commercial breaks.
• Cool Beans: Amazon Greenlights Neil Gaiman Limited Series Adaptation of ‘Good Omens’
On TV Tonight: Friday January 20, 2017
NET | 8PM | 8:30PM | 9PM | 9:30PM | 10PM | 10:30PM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC | Last Man Standing | Dr. Ken | Shark Tank | 20/20: The Inaguration | ||
CBS | The Inauguration of Donald Trump | Hawaii Five-0 | Blue Bloods | |||
CW | The Vampire Diaries | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | ||||
FOX | Rosewood | Sleepy Hollow | ||||
NBC | Grimm | Emerald City | Dateline NBC | |||
ONL INE | Frontier (Netflix) | Voltron: Legendary Defender (Netflix) | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) |
The CW Teasers: Memory Loss on SUPERNATURAL, REIGN Premieres and More
What’s coming to The CW the week of February 6? Dean loses his memory on SUPERNATURAL, REIGN begins a new season, new information about Jason’s murder comes to light on RIVERDALE, Oliver returns to Russia on ARROW and more.
Monday, February 6
SUPERGIRL 2.11 “The Martian Chronicles”: Armek (guest star Terrell Tilford), a White Martian, descends on National City intent on taking M’gann (guest star Sharon Leal) back to Mars to face her punishment as a traitor. Hank (David Harewood) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) determine the best way to keep M’gann safe is to bring her to the DEO. However, when it is revealed that Armek shape-shifted into M’gann and is now loose in the building, the team realize he could be disguised as any one of them. David McWhirter directed the episode written by Gabriel Llanas & Anna Musky-Goldwyn.
JANE THE VIRGIN 3.10 “Chapter Fifty-Four”: When Jane (Gina Rodriguez) realizes that she and Michael (Brett Dier) are both stressed out, they decide to recreate their first date to help them relax. Rogelio (Jaime Camil) makes a big scene on the red carpet of his film premiere and his rant goes viral, which leave him to make a choice about the direction of his career. Rafael (Justin Baldoni) wants to set a good example for his children leaving him to make a big decision with the ultimate sacrifice. Meanwhile, Bruce’s (guest star Ricardo Chavira) daughter finds herself in trouble leaving Xo (Andrea Navedo) and Bruce’s to discuss the future of their relationship. Yael Grobglas and Ivonne Coll also star. Melanie Mayron directed the episode written by Micah Schraft & Jennie Snyder Urman.
Tuesday, February 7
THE FLASH 3.12 “Untouchable”: Barry (Grant Gustin) and the team at S.T.A.R. Labs work together to bring down Clive Yorkin (guest star Matthew Kevin Anderson), a criminal meta-human who is methodically killing people by causing them to decompose at an accelerated rate. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) becomes his next target but it’s Iris (Candice Patton) who is caught in the crossfire. The Flash mentors Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) and begins to elevate the newer speedster’s training to another level. Rob Hardy directed the episode written by Brooke Roberts & Judalina Neira.
DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW 2.11 “Turncoat”: When The Legends find a new Time Aberration they learn they must travel to the winter of 1776 to protect George Washington and the American Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, forcing Sara (Caity Lotz) to send out Nate (Nick Zano) and Amaya (Maisie-Richardson-Sellers) to help. Meanwhile, Jax (Franz Drameh) and Stein (Victor Garber) who are busy protecting the incapacitated Waverider from their new enemy, are forced to step into roles that they don’t think they are prepared for. Brandon Routh, Dominic Purcell and Arthur Darvill also star, Alice Troughton directed the episode written by Grainne Godfree & Matthew Maala.
Wednesday, February 8
ARROW 5.12 “Bratva”: A mission takes Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and team to Russia where they meet up with Oliver’s old friend, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl). Meanwhile, fresh out of rehab, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) returns to the mayor’s office ready to get back to work. However, when Susan (guest star Carly Pope) asks for an interview with Lance to discuss his addiction, he balks and it’s up to Rene (guest star Rick Gonzalez) to help keep things on track. Ben Bray directed the episode written by Oscar Balderrama & Emilio Ortega Aldrich.
THE 100 4.02 “Heavy Lies the Crown”: The burden of leading weighs heavily upon Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Bellamy (Bob Morley) when different challenges force them to determine who will live and die. Paige Turco, Marie Avgeropoulos, Devon Bostick, Lindsey Morgan, Christopher Larkin, Richard Harmon, Zach McGowan, Isaiah Washington and Henry Ian Cusick also star. Ed Fraiman directed the episode written by Justine Juel Gillmer.
Thursday, February 9
SUPERNATURAL 12.11 “Regarding Dean”: Sam (Jared Padalecki) enlists Rowena’s (guest star Ruth Connell) help to track down an old world, powerful family of witches after Dean (Jensen Ackles) gets hit by a spell that is rapidly erasing his memory. John Badham directed the episode written by Meredith Glynn.
RIVERDALE 1.3 “Chapter Three: Body Double”: After new information surrounding Jason’s death comes to light, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) finds herself under a cloud of suspicion and forced to come clean about the last time she saw her brother. Meanwhile, Archie (KJ Apa) makes a tough decision that puts a major strain on his relationship with Miss Grundy (guest star Sarah Habel). Elsewhere, Betty (Lili Reinhart) decides to revive the school newspaper and asks for Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) help in investigating Jason’s death, while Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Ethel (guest star Shannon Purser) work on exposing some of Riverdale High’s football players after rumors of a “shame book” begin to circulate. Finally, after getting grounded by his dad Fred (Luke Perry), Archie must figure out a way to make it to the Taste of Riverdale event where Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and the Pussycats will be performing a song he helped write. Lee Toland Kreiger directed the episode written by Yolonda E. Lawrence.
Friday, February 10
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 8.12 “What Are You?”: In order to save Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) soul, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) makes a deal with Cade (guest star Wolé Parks) to retrieve the Maxwell journal. Alaric (Matt Davis) and Matt (Zach Roerig) refuse to hand the journal over as it may contain the key to destroying Cade. Caroline (Candice King) desperately tries to connect with Stefan before Cade goes through with his plan. Darren Genet directed the episode written by Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux.
REIGN 4.01 “With Friends Like These”: Queen Mary (Adelaide Kane), unsure who to trust, tests her brother James (Dan Jeannotte) to ensure his loyalty after hearing of his meeting with John Knox (Jonathan Goad). Queen Elizabeth (Rachel Skarsten) agrees to help Lord Darnley (Will Kemp), in an attempt to sabotage the powerful suitor’s relationship with Mary. Megan Follows, Ben Geurens, Celina Sinden, Craig Parker, Spencer MacPherson and Rose Williams star. Stuart Gillard directed the episode written by Wendy Riss and Drew Lindo.
POWERLESS Preview: Just an Ordinary Person in an Extraordinary World
No one ever really thinks about the civilians in a world of superheroes — at least, no one thinks about the civilians unless a hero is trying to save them. But after the day is saved, what happens to the civilians who are just trying to live an ordinary life and come home to find out that their apartment has been collateral damage in a hero’s fight againt a supervillain?
That’s the question that POWERLESS is going to answer. Vanessa Hudgens stars as Emily Locke, a young Charm City resident who gets her dream job in Research and Development at Wayne Security. She’s not working for Bruce Wayne, however, she’s just working for his cousin, Van Wayne (Alan Tudyk). Emily and her colleagues are responsible for designing products to keep innocent civilian bystanders safe during superhero battles. Unfortunately, they have a few kinks to work out.
Several DC heroes all get nods in the preview below — from Superman to Batman to Wonder Woman. There’s no telling whether any of the marquee heroes will appear in the show, but one hero that will be prominently featured is Crimson Fox, who can be spotted in the video below.
POWRLESS premieres on February 2 on NBC.
Miguel Ferrer: A Voice, Quieted
It’s too quiet on the entertainment landscape. One of the fabulous voices of our industry was silenced Thursday following a bout with throat cancer. It’s especially sad because that horrible disease could affect the basso profondo of a man with a beautiful voice, Miguel Ferrer.
Many of you who read my column know that I had great admiration and respect for Miguel. I had the honor of working with him several times, and unlike his often gruff, imposing characters, I always found him to be charming, thoughtful and very funny. And talented. Very talented.
I was thrilled when his latest series, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, gave Miguel a chance to show off his softer side in an episode titled, “Granger, O.,” (above with TV daughter Malese Jow). For the episode preview, I listed some things I had learned about Miguel over the years.
His credits spanned across platforms with roles in features (ROBOCOP. IRON MAN 3), animation (JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER, MULAN), television (CROSSING JORDAN, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, TWIN PEAKS) and games (MULAN ANIMATED STORYBOOK).
An accomplished drummer and fellow Batman fan, Ferrer, 61, is being praised by many who worked with him in his dozens of films and TV shows over the years.
R. Scott Gemmill, showrunner of NCIS: LOS ANGELES issued a statement, “Today, NCIS: LOS ANGELES lost a beloved family member. Miguel was a man of tremendous talent who had a powerful dramatic presence on screen, a wicked sense of humor, and a huge heart. Our thoughts go out to his wife Lori, his sons, and his entire family. He will be greatly missed.”
Indeed, he will.
THE GOOD PLACE Season Finale Recap: Where Did Eleanor End Up?
Eleanor’s death was finally revealed on THE GOOD PLACE and it had to do with margarita mix, an environmental activist and a runaway grocery cart. In another realm, meanwhile, Eleanor, Jason and Janet were traveling to Mindy St. Claire house on their stolen train. The trio eventually found Mindy, who apparently “mostly sucked, but did one good thing” in life. Her neighbourhood was created as compromise between the good and bad things in life. In other words, it’s “eternal mediocrity”. As Mindy explained to Eleanor how she ended up there, she told her that the afterlife is all about survival, not morality.
Back in the Good Place, Judge Shawn was presiding over Eleanor’s case in front of Real Eleanor, Chidi, Michael and Tahani. But Shawn could only deal with cold, hard facts, which would prove difficult when it came to Eleanor’s case. As Eleanor’s friends tried to convince Shawn why Eleanor should be allowed to stay, he told them that Eleanor isn’t in the Bad Place and they had no idea where she was. As Shawn ran through all of Eleanor’s horrible actions, Chidi made a somewhat emotional plea that Eleanor had changed from the person she used to be. But Shawn believed that Eleanor was a bad person — as was Jason — and both belong in The Bad Place.
As Eleanor settled into Mindy’s house, she realized that Mindy’s place wouldn’t be that much fun. Soon Shawn used Janet’s mouth to transmit a message to Eleanor and Jason — they had to turn themselves in or Chidi and Tahani would head to the Bad Place in their stead.
Jason was happy to leave Chidi and Tahani to take his place, but Eleanor was determined to turn herself in. Mindy tried to convince Eleanor that her survival was all that mattered. But Eleanor had genuinely changed and she tried to convince Jason that this was the right thing to do. As we flashed back to Eleanor’s childhood, we started to realize that her parents utter neglect led to her being the person she was on Earth and this explanation helped convince Jason that they should head back.
Eleanor and Jason arrived mere seconds after Shawn’s deadline for return, so he let the group decide which two people would end up in the Bad Place. As Michael left to wallow in his failure in the neighbourhood, Jason tried to use Chidi’s lessons to explain why Chidi and Tahani should take their places. Eleanor eventually convinced Jason they had to go and as they said their goodbyes Real Eleanor told the group she was going to return to the Bad Place because she could hack it there and because her soulmate didn’t love her. Which meant only one other person needed to go with her.
Jason celebrated the fact that he could now stay, even as Eleanor realized that meant she had to go. Meanwhile, we got a glimpse into Michael’s promotion to Architect and saw that he was determined to change things up. Back at Eleanor’s house, the group continued to argue about who should go. As the situation dissolved into an argument, Eleanor had a monumental revelation and declared that she and Chidi would be going to the Bad Place. Completely confident in her decision as she told Michael and Shawn, Eleanor said they would never take them to the Bad Place because….they were already there.
And Michael? He couldn’t believe she had figured it out.
“It looks like paradise, but it’s actually a filthy dumpster full of our worst anxieties…We’ve been torturing each other since the moment we arrived. And everything Michael has done has made at least once of us miserable,” Eleanor told the group. Everyone started to put it together, remembering what Michael had done to them. As Real Eleanor came in to confess her love to Chidi, Michael told her it was time to give up the ruse.
In further flashbacks, Michael told a group of his fellow Bad Place co-workers that he had a plan to trick humans into torturing each other by creating a fake Good Place. He managed to convince his bosses that he could accomplish this for 1,000 years but Shawn, who was in charge, thought it wouldn’t last six months. Meanwhile, Michael revealed that everyone in the neighbourhood besides Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason were all employees of the Bad Place (except for Janet). But Eleanor learning to be good threw a wrench in Michael’s plans.
And then THE GOOD PLACE revealed why Chidi and Tahani had ended up in the Bad Place: Chidi had hurt people in his life with his rigidity and indecisiveness, while Tahani’s philanthropy motivations were entirely selfish. As Eleanor pointed out that the only thing Michael accomplished was bringing the group together, Michael revealed that he was going to erase their memories and then start all over again.
The group desperately tried to figure out a plan as Michael tried to convince Shawn they should try another take. He eventually gave Michael permission to reboot, so Eleanor wrote a note and put it in Janet’s mouth for safekeeping.
And then Eleanor was back in the room outside Michael’s office, being told she was dead. As he walked her through the neighbourhood we saw some changes: the biggest being that a man named Chris Baker was Eleanor’s soulmate. As Chris headed off to work out, Janet came by with the note Eleanor had written to herself. What did it say? “Eleanor, find Chidi”. As Eleanor wondered out loud “what’s a Chidi?” we faded to white.