Television

Subterms

    More stories

    • 125 Shares99 Views

      in Television

      That’s a Great Reality TV Set. Let’s Use It Again.

      by

      “The Circle” is one of many current shows using the same state-of-the-art production hub to shoot a variety of international versions.In “The Circle,” a reality competition show on Netflix, a group of strangers are sequestered for days inside a multistory apartment complex, angling to survive rounds of eliminations to win a cash prize, much like “Big Brother.” The twist is that the players can’t see or hear one another, and must communicate via text — people might not be what they seem, and anyone, at any time, could be catfishing.As it turns out, “The Circle” has been doing some impersonation of its own, with one sleek setting standing in for a local building across several international versions of the show.The neon-lit compound — which was initially a housing block in Salford, England, before moving, in 2023, to a complex in Atlanta, Georgia — has not only been the set for the series’ flagship American edition, which returns to Netflix for a seventh season on Sept. 11. It has also been used for “The Circle Brazil,” France’s “The Circle Game,” the British version of “The Circle” and its 2020 spinoff “The Celebrity Circle.” With minimal adjustments, the show can look like it’s located virtually anywhere in the world.“We need a building with 10 rooms, without noise bleed, that looks great, is in a cool location, and that can house a team of 200 people in the basement,” Jack Burgess, an executive producer on “The Circle,” said in a recent interview. “That’s a hard thing to find, so of course you want to make the most of it.”“The Circle” is one of many current reality programs taking advance of international production hubs: state-of-the-art bases where multiple production companies can pool resources to make versions of a show tailored to a variety of global markets.The “Circle” building for the upcoming seventh season of the U.S. show. via NetflixWe 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

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in Television

      In ‘Nobody Wants This,’ Adam Brody Keeps the Faith

      by

      Adam Brody’s bar mitzvah was held six months late. It was barely held at all. This was in San Diego, Calif., in the early 1990s, and Brody, who spent most of his free time surfing, attended Hebrew school only under duress. He knew few other Jews.“I wanted long, straight blond hair,” he said. “All my idols were named Shane.”A decade later, after a cursory stint at community college, an impulsive move to Los Angeles, a handful of television one-offs and a brief arc on “Gilmore Girls,” Brody became the most famous Jewish (well, half Jewish) high schooler in America. (He was actually 23, which made the fandom a little tricky.) Starring as Seth Cohen on the sun-kissed teen romantic dramedy “The O.C.,” he played a curly-haired heartthrob, responsible for introducing the holiday portmanteau “Chrismukkah” into the lexicon.“Adam has that quality of it being very Adam,” said Valerie Faris, the director of “Nobody Wants This.” “But at the same time, it’s perfect for the character too.” Josh Schwartz, a creator of “The O.C.” put a lot of himself into Seth. But Brody, he said in an interview, brought charisma and a surfer cool to a character who could have come off as merely nerdy. “He’s an aspirational Jew,” Schwartz joked of Brody.The “O.C.” ended four years later. (Beachy TV can accommodate only so many car crashes and love triangles, and 20-somethings can’t play teens forever.) Brody worked steadily for the next two decades, darting between film and television. Mostly he played variations on a theme, the nice guy, although they aren’t always so nice. As he reminded me over lunch in Santa Monica, “I’ve played my fair share of rapists and murderers.”But Brody’s gift is for comedy — comedy flecked with emotional complication. He reminded viewers of this in the 2022 limited series “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” in which he plays another aspirational Jew, a likable finance guy. (This is harder than it looks.) He is now the star of “Nobody Wants This,” a Netflix romantic comedy about Noah (Brody), a Los Angeles rabbi, who falls for Joanne (Kristen Bell), an outspoken non-Jewish podcaster. It premieres on Sept. 26.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

    • 88 Shares189 Views

      in Television

      Jimmy Kimmel Laughs Off a Verbal Stumble

      by

      Kimmel mocked Donald Trump for flubbing words before doing so himself on Wednesday, saying, “That’s why I’m not going to be president.”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.Consider the SourceIn an interview with Chris Cuomo on Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. affirmed his support of former President Donald Trump and implied that Vice President Kamala Harris couldn’t put together a proper English sentence.“We need a president who can put together an English sentence like this guy,” Jimmy Kimmel said on Wednesday night before playing several clips of Trump garbling the pronunciation of words.“The only sentence Donald Trump can put together is a prison sentence.” — JIMMY KIMMELMoving on to news about Lara and Tiffany Trump’s X accounts being hacked, Kimmel himself stumbled over the phrase “officially sanctioned crypto scams.” He laughed at the ironic timing: “Now I’m like him.”“You know what? That’s — that’s karma. That’s why I’m not going to be president.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Nothing But a Z Thing Edition)“Guys, Election Day is just two months away, and a new poll shows that only a third of Gen Z voters support former President Trump. That makes sense — Trump thinks Gen Z is the rapper married to Beyoncé.” — JIMMY FALLON“That’s right — only a third of Gen Z supports Trump, while the rest plan to vote Skibidi Toilet.” — JIMMY FALLON“Kamala is also trying to reach young voters. That is so important. I am also reaching out to young people, mostly to ask, how do you do that thing on Uber where you add a stop?” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Bits Worth Watching50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, promoted his debut novel, “The Accomplice,” on Wednesday’s “Late Show.”What We’re Excited About on Thursday NightThe country singer Miranda Lambert will perform a track from her new album, “Postcards From Texas,” on Thursday’s “Tonight Show.”Also, Check This OutMassima Bell, left, and Dust Reid, the creative team behind the new charity album “Transa.”Gabriel PetraSam Smith, Sade, André 3000 and Jayne County are among several artists featured on “Transa,” a 46-track album promoting transgender awareness. More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Television

      Anna Sorokin Is Anna Delvey Again, This Time on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

      by

      The woman who impersonated a German heiress will reprise her false identity on season 33 of the show, becoming the latest contestant with legal or other troubles.It’s a familiar lineup for this season’s “Dancing With the Stars.”There are the athletes: the former N.F.L. receiver Danny Amendola and the Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik. There are the reality TV stars: Jenn Tran of “The Bachelorette” and a “Real Housewives” cast member, Phaedra Parks. There are the actors whose stars have dimmed: Eric Roberts and Tori Spelling.But there is also an eye-opening choice: Anna Sorokin, the fake heiress convicted of larceny and theft who was announced along with the rest of the cast for season 33 of the show on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday.Sorokin masqueraded as “Anna Delvey,” claiming to be a wealthy German heiress, and she used that identity to con people in New York City society out of large sums of money, a jury found. She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison in 2019 and released in 2022.“I’d be lying to you and to everyone else and to myself if I said I was sorry for anything,” she told The New York Times in 2019.ABC, which broadcasts “Dancing With the Stars,” did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Sorokin’s casting.A news release disclosing the cast identified her as Anna Delvey, not Sorokin, and breezily referred to her as an “artist, fashion icon and infamous NYC socialite.”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

    • 75 Shares149 Views

      in Television

      ‘Terminator Zero’ Reinvigorates a Weary Franchise

      by

      The Netflix anime series channels familiar themes without feeling like a retread.“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” was a megahit in 1991, and every installment of the franchise since has been at least a little disappointing. Until now: The Netflix anime series “Terminator Zero” is a smart take on the lore, channeling familiar themes without feeling like a retread.Developed by Mattson Tomlin, “Terminator Zero,” does not focus on Sarah and her son, John Connor, the protagonists of James Cameron’s first two movies and many of the follow-ups. (The short lived Fox show “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was actually pretty fun.)Instead, “Terminator Zero” takes place in Japan and centers on a scientist named Malcolm Lee, voiced in the English dub by André Holland, who gives the character the requisite gravitas for his philosophizing. It is 1997, which “Terminator” fans will recognize as a significant year: That’s when the so-called “Judgment Day” takes place and the artificial intelligence known as Skynet turns on humanity and launches a nuclear attack. Malcolm knows this is coming and has built a competing A.I. he calls Kokoro, voiced by Rosario Dawson.At the same time, Malcolm’s three children and their nanny (Sumalee Montano) are being pursued by two visitors from the future: A Terminator (Timothy Olyphant) — this one comes with a crossbow arm — and a resistance fighter (Sonoya Mizuno). Their true target is Malcolm, because of the impact he might have on potential futures.Directed by Masashi Kudō, there is a haunting beauty to “Terminator Zero,” particularly when Malcolm consults with Kokoro in his lab. As the A.I. debates the case for humanity’s survival with its tormented creator, it is personified by multiple ghostly hovering figures. The score by Michelle Birsky and Kevin Henthorn, a lighter riff on Brad Fiedel’s clanging “Terminator Theme,” is less abrasive but often even more chilling.Through a mixture of stunning animation, extravagantly bloody action and heady philosophical questions — What kind of future is worth fighting for? Who is worth sacrificing for the greater good? — “Terminator Zero” breathes new life into a franchise that has often seemed stuck in a time loop of its own. More

    • 138 Shares99 Views

      in Television

      Netflix Adds Disclaimer to Indian Show After Anger Over Hijacker Names

      by

      The series, based on a 1999 plane hijacking, prompted backlash on social media. Critics claimed it wrongly portrayed the Islamist hijackers as Hindus.Netflix expanded a disclaimer for Indian audiences with a fictional series inspired by the 1999 hijacking of a plane by Islamist militants, after social media users and a high-ranking member of India’s ruling party accused it of portraying the hijackers as Hindus.“IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” released last week, became the latest production by a Western streaming giant to find itself in the cross hairs of India’s Hindu nationalist movement, which has been accused of building up an increasingly intolerant atmosphere in the country.The series shows five Islamist militants hijacking an Indian Airlines flight from Nepal to India, and their interactions with the plane’s crew and passengers. In the show, the hijackers refer to themselves by code names, including “Shankar,” a common name for Hindu men.That prompted anger among many social media users, with some accusing the producers of playing down the Muslim identity of the hijackers. A national official of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Malviya, said the series’ use of the hijackers’ aliases “legitimized their criminal intent.”“Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814,” Mr. Malviya, who oversees information technology and social media for the B.J.P., wrote on X on Monday.India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned a Netflix executive to discuss the government’s grievances about the show, according to local media reports.“For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer in India has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers,” Netflix said in a statement on Tuesday.During the actual hijacking of the flight, over eight days, the militants forced the pilots to fly the plane to a number of locations, including Dubai, and then Kandahar, Afghanistan, which was ruled by the Taliban at the time. The plane’s passengers were freed after India released three Pakistanis who had been held under terrorism charges.The Indian government said at the time that the five hijackers were from Pakistan and used code names, including “Shankar,” in front of the passengers and crew to conceal their identities.Before the show’s release on Aug. 29, its director, Anubhav Sinha, told Scroll, an Indian news site, that his goal was to present the event “exactly in the manner in which it happened.”The updated disclaimer on Netflix now says the series “does not make any claims of authenticity or historical correctness” of the events featured in it. It also lists the hijackers’ real names: Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim and Shakir.This is not the first time major streaming platforms have faced pressure from Hindu nationalists in India.Netflix in January removed a film after Hindu nationalists said it mocked Hinduism. The makers of a 2021 Amazon series cut some scenes after critics accused them of disrespecting Hindu gods. More

    • 125 Shares189 Views

      in Television

      Stephen Colbert Takes Stock of Harris Leading in the Polls

      by

      Colbert reacted to a survey showing the vice president ahead of Donald Trump, 48 percent to 43 percent, saying it “really restores my faith in almost half of humanity.”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.Almost HalfNine weeks before Election Day, late-night hosts on Tuesday celebrated Kamala Harris’s lead in the polls.“Forty-eight percent,” Stephen Colbert said, referring to a recent USA Today survey in which Harris led Donald Trump, 48 percent to 43 percent. “That really restores my faith in almost half of humanity.”“Harris is particularly popular with women, while Trump is ahead among men, leading some to call this ‘the boys versus girls election.’ And, remember, many Trump voters are not vaccinated against cooties.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“A new poll found that Harris has widened her lead among women to 13 points. Thirteen. Trump heard the news and was like, ‘Was it everything I said?’” — JIMMY FALLON“Today, Trump’s aides were like, ‘You need to reach out to women.’ Then a few seconds later, they’re like, ‘No, never mind! Just forget what we said and go back to eating the hot dogs.” — JIMMY FALLONThe Punchiest Punchlines (Hot Dog Edition)“I don’t know if you saw it on Netflix, but I came in third in the hot dog eating contest.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Speaking of food, in a Netflix Labor Day special, Joey Chestnut beat Kobayashi in a hot-dog eating contest by eating a record 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Eighty-three hot dogs in 10 minutes — that’s basically me at every wedding when they pass around the pigs in a blanket.” — JIMMY FALLON“Yeah, he put down 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Netflix was, like, ‘If you like this, you might enjoy “Bridgerton.”’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingThe pop artist Billie Eilish shared a clip of her working on the song “Birds of a Feather” with her brother and collaborator, Finneas O’Connell, on Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday Night“The Gilded Age” star Carrie Coon will appear on Wednesday’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”Also, Check This OutDaniel Craig in Venice. He said “Queer” is the kind of explicit film that was “challenging but hopefully incredibly accessible.”Fabio Frustaci/EPA, via ShutterstockDaniel Craig stars as a drug addict with a penchant for sex and heroin in Luca Guadagnino’s new film adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel “Queer.” More

    • 188 Shares179 Views

      in Television

      New Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in September: ‘The Perfect Couple’ and More

      by

      A glitzy mystery starring Nicole Kidman arrives early this month; later, a new true-crime series tells the troubling tale of Lyle and Erik Menendez.Every month, Netflix adds movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for some of September’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)‘The Perfect Couple’Starts streaming: Sept. 5Reminiscent of both “The White Lotus” and “Big Little Lies,” this adaptation of an Elin Hilderbrand novel is part murder mystery and part social satire, covering the secrets and prejudices of two families at a Nantucket wedding. Eve Hewson plays Amelia, a middle-class gal about to marry into a rich and famous clan, led by the pot-smoking patriarch Tag Winbury (Liev Schreiber) and his hyper-judgmental wife, Greer (Nicole Kidman), a best-selling author. When a member of the wedding party turns up dead on the beach, the police interrogate the guests, gradually piecing together a story that involves deceit and old grudges. Directed by the veteran art-house filmmaker Susanne Bier (who also directed the Netflix hit “Bird Box”), “The Perfect Couple” is less about the crime than it is about the delusions and pretensions it exposes.‘Rebel Ridge’Starts streaming: Sept. 6After making a foray into literary adaptation with “Hold the Dark” (2018), the writer-director Jeremy Saulnier gets back to the lean pulp thrills of his critically acclaimed “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room” with his latest movie. “Rebel Ridge” features an original Saulnier script about a military veteran named Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), who has a run in with some swaggering rural southern cops. The officers seize his money, then conspire to punish him further when Terry pushes back. AnnaSophia Robb plays a court clerk who helps Terry dig into the rot spilling downward from the corrupt local police chief (Don Johnson). Although the film deals with the serious contemporary social issue of civil asset forfeiture, in spirit it has a lot in common with the likes of “Walking Tall,” “First Blood” and other old-school action pictures in which one man takes on a whole town.‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’Starts streaming: Sept. 19In 2022, the producer Ryan Murphy and his frequent creative partner Ian Brennan delivered one of Netflix’s most-watched mini-series with the Emmy-nominated “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” a dramatization of the life and crimes of a notorious serial killer. The next season of their ripped-from-yesterday’s-headlines anthology series pluralizes the title — from “Monster” to “Monsters” — and covers the brothers Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch) Menendez, who murdered their parents, José (Javier Bardem) and Kitty (Chloë Sevigny), in 1989. The cast also includes Ari Graynor as Leslie Abramson, the attorney who attempted to paint the brothers in court as the victims of an abusive father, and Nathan Lane as Dominick Dunne, the Vanity Fair columnist whose reporting on the trial was filled with gossipy detail about the Menendezes’ upscale Los Angeles lives.‘Twilight of the Gods’ Season 1Starts streaming: Sept. 19Zack Snyder’s latest Netflix project is this adult-oriented animated series, set in the lusty, violent milieu of Norse mythology. When Thor (Pilou Asbaek) disrupts a mortal wedding and instigates a devastating massacre, the bride and groom — the warrior Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) and a king named Leif (Stuart Martin) — set out on a mission of revenge. Soon, they and their soldiers find themselves caught up in ancient rivalries, involving the likes of Loki (Paterson Joseph) and Odin (John Noble). Snyder and his “Twilight of the Gods” fellow creators, Eric Carrasco and Jay Oliva, don’t spare the gore or the nudity as they tell a tale that stretches from the underworld to the land of giants, with a Hans Zimmer score to help set a grand, epic tone.‘Nobody Wants This’ Season 1Starts streaming: Sept. 26Based loosely on the personal experiences of its creator, Erin Foster, the romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This” stars Kristen Bell as Joanne, a popular podcaster who riffs on sex and dating alongside her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe). Then Joanne meets Noah (Adam Brody), a sweet and funny rabbi who recently broke up with his longtime girlfriend and has since been fending off a steady stream of his congregants’ daughters and nieces. The show is partly about how an agnostic exhibitionist and an emotionally reserved, deeply religious guy overcome their differences and form bonds, with each other and with their respective sets of friends and family. But it’s also about two middle-aged people searching for some grounding and direction in their hectic lives.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