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      ‘Government Cheese’ Star David Oyelowo Considers Oprah ‘Chosen Family’

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      They met years ago while working on “The Butler,” the “Government Cheese” star said. Now, “I call her Mama, she calls me Son O.”“Government Cheese” began as what David Oyelowo called “a beautiful experiment.” He had long admired the fantastical storytelling of Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers. But he hadn’t seen that applied to a Black family.Then the filmmaker Paul Hunter approached him about playing a version of his own father — an ex-con eager to reunite with his family and make his fortune — in a short film with absurdist elements set in the San Fernando Valley in 1969. Eventually they spun it into a television series for Apple TV+, taking care to leave that tone intact.“We were very keen to make something that we knew might not be for everyone, but was very unique in its nature,” said Oyelowo, who is an executive producer on the show in addition to its lead. “It’s very rare that people of color get to make things where they are not feeling the need to explain their existence.”Oyelowo lives in the San Fernando Valley, where the series was shot, which meant there was little danger of violating the “no more than two weeks apart” rule that he and his wife, Jessica, established early in their relationship. And which they’ve broken only once, by 11 hours.In a video interview, Oyelowo elaborated on why his rambunctious dogs, going to the movies and Oprah Winfrey are essential to his life. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.My BibleI was brought up in the church, but it never really meant much to me because I was sort of piggybacking my parents’ faith. Then I had what can only be called a spiritual awakening at 16. And all of those stories that I grew up reading suddenly took on different meaning and have remained that way. It’s where I learned the true definition of love.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Rediscovered Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Is Released

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      The episode, from 1983, was found in storage by accident. It was restored and made available for viewing for the first time on Friday.Thomas the Tank Engine notices a funny smell. He breaks a rule, has a mishap and gets stuck. He is rescued and learns a lesson. Ringo Starr provides the narration.If you have ever seen any of the more than 500 episodes of the children’s show “Thomas & Friends,” you might imagine you have seen it before. But you really have not, because this scene is from the newly rediscovered pilot episode, which has been restored and was made available for viewing for the first time on Friday.The episode, filmed in 1983 and titled “Down the Mine,” was found accidentally in storage, Ian McCue, a producer of the series for a decade, told the BBC.Ian McCue, a producer, examined the newly discovered film.MattelThe episode was pieced together from multiple film stripsMattelThe five-minute episode was pieced together from multiple 35-millimeter film strips. The picture and sound were cleaned up, and newly composed music was added.“I think there’s a sort of a lovely charm and innocence about it, and I think even as a pilot, as a test piece, it still has that lovely, classic, timeless story to it, and the voices, everything is just so delightful,” Mr. McCue said.For the uninitiated, Thomas is a cheerful blue locomotive with an expressive face who first appeared in British children’s books by the Rev. W. Awdry. The character and his fellow locomotives, like Percy (green) and James (red), rose to new levels of popularity when they were animated for the popular program, which premiered in 1984.The show became a favorite of children and parents alike, many of whom were drawn to its relaxed rhythms. “Children live these days in a fast-paced world, but I don’t think children really change,” the producer Britt Allcroft, who brought the characters to television, said in a 1995 BBC documentary. “They need in their lives gentleness, comfort.”Clips of the show were repackaged for a PBS show, “Shining Time Station,” starting in 1989. Toys, movies and a theme park followed, and humble Thomas became a billion-dollar business.Mr. Starr was the original narrator of the series. George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, Pierce Brosnan and others followed.Ringo Starr, fourth from left, was the original narrator of “Thomas & Friends.”MattelA vast majority of the many characters were originally male — and, apparently, white. More recently, the show made efforts to diversify, adding new engines like Yong Bao of China and Ashima of India.Loyal fans of the series of all ages were thrilled by news that the pilot episode had been found, expressing eagerness to see the footage and amazement that it had been lost for so long. Enthusiasts on Reddit posted words like “finally,” “I’m so happy” and “let’s go!” punctuated by other words that Thomas and his friends would never utter.Once the restored episode was out, the reactions veered to softer sentiments. As one fan wrote, “Feels like being a kid again.”Thomas, cheerful as always.Mattel More

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      Late Night Celebrates the First American Pope

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      “We have an American pope and a Russian president,” Jimmy Kimmel said, calling it “an historic era.”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.‘New Pope, Who Dis?’Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope on Thursday, becoming the first American pope.“We have an American pope and a Russian president,” Jimmy Kimmel said. “Isn’t it incredible?”“We have the first American pope. And let me just say, as an American, are you sure about this? We don’t really have the gravitas that you associate with pope-iness. We’re less ‘somber procession’ and more ‘monster truck rally.’” — DESI LYDIC“I just think it’s just a little bit weird that the holiest man in the world probably knows all the words to the Chili’s ‘Baby Back Ribs’ song.” — DESI LYDIC“The Pope Mobile is now a Ford F-250 with truck nuts.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“You can tell he’s American ’cause he stepped out on the Vatican balcony and said, ‘New pope, who dis?’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Punchiest Punchlines (Another Leo Edition)“They make him pick a name. He chose Leo XIV, which is a shame because there have been 13 other Leos. We’ve never had even one Pope Bob, which would have been pretty great.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“How have there been so many popes named Leo? Leo doesn’t even sound like a Pope name. Sounds more like the altar boy who got high and ate all the communion wafers.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Yep, he may be the new pope, but to his friends back in Chicago, he’ll always be ‘Bobby Bratwurst.’” — JIMMY FALLON“From now on, the pope is going to sound like this. [imitating Chicago accent] Hey, dere, it’s yer buddy Leo, the deep dish papa. Just talked to God, and not even he can help da White Sox. Sorry. First order of business, I will be canonizing Michael Jordan. Now let’s end by saying daaa prayers.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Bits Worth WatchingThe Colombian superstar Shakira played “Box of Lies” with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday’s “Tonight Show.”Also, Check This OutLovie Simone in “Forever,” a new adaptation of the Judy Blume novel created by Mara Brock Akil for Netflix.Elizabeth Morris/NetflixAn all-Black cast stars in the new Netflix series “Forever,” adapted from Judy Blume’s 1970 novel of the same name. More

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      ‘Reformed’ Is a Charming Show About a Young Rabbi

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      Sitcom shenanigans nestle alongside philosophical musings in this French dramedy on Max.The French dramedy “Reformed,” on Max (in French, with subtitles, or dubbed), follows a young rabbi who moves back home to begin her career. Léa (Elsa Guedj) is smart, knowledgeable and capable, but she is also new at this and nervous. It doesn’t help that those around her, including members of her own family, scoff at the idea of a female rabbi — when they’re tired of scoffing at religion in general.“There was Galileo, there was Freud, there was Auschwitz,” says her father (Éric Elmosnino), a therapist. “I thought we’d figured it out. God doesn’t exist.”Doubt is a constant presence in “Reformed,” both grandly and in the sense that “Eh, aren’t we all just muddling through?” The show is based loosely on the book “Living With Our Dead,” by the French rabbi Delphine Horvilleur, and the episodes center on life cycle events: a bris, a bar mitzvah, a wedding, a funeral, shiva. Most of the people availing themselves of Léa’s services aren’t particularly observant, and they’re not sure if or how to engage with the rites.And Léa isn’t sure either, so she rehearses different voice memos. Yes, do it. No, don’t. Oh no, uh, there was a family emergency, I can’t help you. But invariably, she does help them, with real care and curiosity, not in trite or Pollyannaish ways. She is doctrinal but not doctrinaire, and all these rituals of change for her congregants are rituals of change for her, too. She becomes more confident and mature ushering a reluctant bar mitzvah boy through the process. She hones her discernment skills while officiating a wedding.The most intriguing relationship on the show is between Léa and Arié (Lionel Dray), the local orthodox rabbi and her former teacher. There’s a magnetic pull and constant fascination between them, a lot of trust but also a sense of betrayal. He’s her mentor, and they have an intense erotic energy, but each also sees the other as practicing religion incorrectly — a tension that can be playful right up until it is profoundly hurtful. The goings on at their respective shuls highlight their own misgivings about their denominational choices: Maybe her practice is shallow; maybe his practice is misogynistic. Let’s resolve to smolder at each other about it.In addition to being charming, “Reformed” is interesting. Sitcom shenanigans nestle alongside philosophical musings. A farce unfolds at a seder, and goofy sibling banter segues into deeper conversation and back. Seven episodes are available now, and the season finale arrives on Friday. More

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      ‘Forever’ Explores the Timelessness of Teen Romance (and Sex)

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      A new Netflix series adapts Judy Blume’s 1970s novel with a contemporary Black cast, flipping the gender roles but preserving its emotional innocence.In Judy Blume’s taboo-busting 1975 novel “Forever …,” a teenage girl has sex for the first time. It does not destroy her life. (That’s the plot twist.) But she is still surrounded by cautionary tales: unwanted pregnancies, untimely marriages and dreams deferred. The stakes of any tryst are higher for her than they are for her more experienced high school boyfriend.When the showrunner Mara Brock Akil considered adapting the novel, a young adult classic, she saw the relationship through different eyes: her own, as a mother to Black sons. In her first meeting with Blume — whose seminal coming-of-age best-sellers helped generations understand their bodies and themselves — she made the case that a TV version should also be told from the perspective of the boyfriend, in a contemporary series focused on Black families.If Katherine, the book’s heroine, seemed socially powerless in her era, “I would posit that Black boys are the most vulnerable at this time,” said Brock Akil, the creator of the beloved 2000s sitcom “Girlfriends,” and several other comedies. “A modern Black family, I feel like we know how dangerous the world is.”Blume wrote “Forever …” in the aftermath of the Pill, in response to her daughter’s request for a story in which a teen girl doesn’t get punished for having, and enjoying, a sex life — the dominant narrative at the time. Blume’s antidote captures the dramatic rush of first love and the fumbling urgency of adolescent exploration in frank language that made it both irresistible for young readers (with dog-eared copies passed around in schools) and one of the most frequently banned books in America well into the 2000s.Brock Akil with Michael Cooper Jr. on the set of “Forever.” In her first meeting with Judy Blume, she pitched the idea of centering the story on a Black family.Elizabeth Morris/NetflixBrock Akil’s interpretation, which debuts on Netflix on Thursday, stars Lovie Simone (“Greenleaf”) and the newcomer Michael Cooper Jr., flipping the original story’s gender roles: Simone, as Keisha Clark, is more experienced and self-assured; Cooper Jr., as Justin Edwards, is the awkward one who falls hard and needs guidance. Winningly, it preserves the source’s emotional innocence — breathe easy, parents; this is not the hard living of teen fare like “Euphoria.” But it builds tension exploring issues of race and class.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      ‘Poker Face’ Returns With New Mysteries and Old Friends

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      For the second season of the comic crime show, Natasha Lyonne called on her closest pals to guest star as victims or suspects.Natasha Lyonne has been acting since childhood, but she is not a “nepo baby.” (She wanted to be one, she joked, but “they’re telling me it’s too late, and that’s unfortunate.”) What she does have in lieu of famous parents, however, is a universe of famous friends ready to heed her call.“I don’t have parents or kids,” she said. “I’m just always trying to create some sort of an old-fashioned caravan on-the-road family band that is a real town-to-town pickup sport where we get to reunite.”That much is evident in the second season of the Peacock mystery series “Poker Face,” debuting on Thursday. The show stars Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a reluctant crime solver who can tell when someone is lying. The mystery-of-the-week structure allows Lyonne, who is also an executive producer, to call on her closest pals to guest star as victims or suspects. The upshot is that viewers are treated to mini reunions from the stars of cult classics like “Slums of Beverly Hills” (1998) and “But I’m a Cheerleader” (2000).One episode features Lyonne’s “Slums” love interest, Kevin Corrigan, as a Teamster on a film set that turns into a crime scene. Another has her character’s brother from “Slums,” David Krumholtz, as a kind father to a boy accused of killing a pet gerbil.Melanie Lynskey (with John Cho), a friend of Lyonne’s since the 1990s, appears in the new season. Ralph Bavaro/PeacockLater, her “Cheerleader” co-star Melanie Lynskey plays an unsuspecting do-gooder roped into a scheme at a hotel bar. Clea DuVall, Lyonne’s girlfriend from that same comedy, directs an episode that also stars Lynskey’s husband, Jason Ritter; DuVall also played Charlie’s sister in the first season. In real life, Lyonne and Lynskey planned DuVall’s wedding reception.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Late Night Anxiously Awaits the Unveiling of Trump’s Big News

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      “The Daily Show” host Desi Lydic said it “could be anything from ‘I’ve achieved peace in the Middle East’ to ‘I just tried bucatini, and I’m never going back to regular spaghetti.’”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Trump, the TeasePresident Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would make a big announcement in the next few days, keeping the details elusive.On Wednesday’s “Daily Show,” Desi Lydic said, “it’s great to have a president who does teaser trailers for world events.”“It’s like when F.D.R. said, ‘We only have one thing to fear, and I’ll tell you what it is after the break!’” — DESI LYDIC“This is Donald Trump, so his big announcement could be anything from ‘I’ve achieved peace in the Middle East’ to ‘I just tried bucatini, and I’m never going back to regular spaghetti.’” — DESI LYDIC“This could literally be about anything. He could be getting rid of the tariffs or installing a Big Mac button on the White House desk.” — JIMMY FALLON“Maybe Melania’s pregnant again. Wouldn’t that be sweet, to have a baby — another baby in the White House?” — JIMMY KIMMEL“This had better not be another set of his Trump NFTs or a golf tournament that he won. This feels like a dad who’s a gambling addict telling his family, ‘I have big news, we’re moving into an RV!’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“But this is what happens when you put a loose cannon into the White House. This — it could be about anything from new tariffs to announcing our next attorney general is Gary Busey. Best-case scenario, Don Jr.’s rabies test comes back negative.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Pope O’Clock Edition)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Michael Pitt, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Actor, Is Arrested on Sex Abuse Charges

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      Mr. Pitt faces numerous charges, including assault and strangulation, based on encounters in 2020 and 2021. He has pleaded not guilty.Michael Pitt, the actor known for his role on “Boardwalk Empire,” was arrested on sexual abuse charges this month, according to the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.Mr. Pitt was arraigned on Friday in Kings County Supreme Criminal Court on charges based on encounters from April 2020 through August 2021. He was charged with nine counts, including first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree assault and second-degree strangulation.Mr. Pitt pleaded not guilty to all charges; his next court appearance is set for June 17.An indictment outlining the accusations against Mr. Pitt said he forcibly touched an unnamed woman and later engaged in oral sex without her consent. The indictment also said Mr. Pitt had injured her with a four-by-four and a cinder block on separate occasions.Jason Goldman, Mr. Pitt’s lawyer, said on Wednesday that his client had secured bail and was released from custody. Mr. Pitt does not have contact with his accuser, he said.“Unfortunately, we live in a world where somebody like Mr. Pitt — an accomplished professional who would never so much as contemplate these crimes — can be arrested on the uncorroborated word of an unreliable individual,” Mr. Goldman said in a statement.He said the claims had been raised several years after the encounters were said to have taken place, when Mr. Pitt and his accuser were in a consensual relationship. “We have already uncovered exonerating evidence and this case will be dismissed,” he said.A representative for the district attorney’s office declined to comment.Mr. Pitt, whose acting credits include several episodes of “Dawson’s Creek” and the movies “Funny Games” and “Reptile,” played James Darmody, known as Jimmy, on the first two seasons of the HBO drama “Boardwalk Empire.” His character was killed off in a shooting. More