Television

Subterms

    More stories

    • 125 Shares107 Views

      in Television

      Has Disney+ Changed ‘Doctor Who’? U.S. and U.K. Fans Discuss.

      by

      The show has a bigger budget since the streaming behemoth got involved. Has that pleased its devotees?Last year, when Disney+ was spending big to promote “Doctor Who” on the New York subway, an advertising campaign wrapped trains with images of the incoming Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, and his time traveling police box, the TARDIS.“Your cosmic joyride awaits,” the train wrapper read, and Gatwa’s hand stretched out to invite prospective viewers — many of whom would likely be new to the show — to join him.The BBC had been making “Doctor Who” since the 1960s, and it had been shown in the United States on BBC America and HBO Max in recent years. When Disney+ came onboard as a distribution partner and co-producer in 2023, it pumped up the budget for the show, whose special effects had become painfully outdated, and brought it to a wider audience in the U.S.This revamped “Doctor Who” returns for a new season on Friday, with Gatwa once more playing a modern kind of Doctor, who is in touch with his feelings. The Welsh screenwriter Russell T Davies, who also oversaw an earlier revamp in 2005, is also back again, as the showrunner.Like last season, the episodes will be available simultaneously for British viewers on the BBC’s streaming service, iPlayer, and on Disney+ for the rest of the world. This time around, that drop has been pushed back by eight hours, so that new episodes land at 3 a.m. Eastern time — perhaps in response to complaints from British fans, who had to stay up until midnight last season to watch it online. Britons who prefer to see a TV broadcast of “Doctor Who” (a Saturday night BBC staple) will have to avoid social media for a day if they want to avoid spoilers.Gatwa plays a modern kind of Doctor who is in touch with his feelings.Maxine Howells/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad WolfWe 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 Shares91 Views

      in Television

      ‘Her Majesty’ Is Glamorous and Salty Fun

      by

      A badly behaving princess is suddenly forced to take on more responsibility than she is ready for in this cynical Spanish comedy.The Spanish comedy “Her Majesty,” on Amazon Prime Video (in Spanish, with subtitles), is set within the fictional, scandal-plagued royal family of Spain. It centers on Princess Pilar (Anna Castillo), who probably should have outgrown her party-girl ways by now. She can be surly and resentful, and she isn’t as comfortable in the public eye as she’ll need to be. She’s no dummy: She knows she’ll be queen one day. But she has to step into the role much earlier than she expected.The event that precipitates her rise — if not quite an official ascension — turns out not to be her father’s death. King Alfonso (Pablo Derqui) is alive, but he has to flee to Latin America for a bit because of shady, possibly criminal financial dealings — ones the palace can’t cover up this time, despite Pilar’s pleas. Pilar isn’t the queen queen, of course, but she needs to take over the major duties of the crown. Nobody thinks she is ready for a bigger role, but there isn’t anyone else. Her mother died when Pilar was a little girl, and she is an only child. The show, and the monarchy, must go on.Suddenly she has a new attaché (Ernesto Alterio) coaching her on where to go and what to say, whom to be and whom to trust. They spar; she is prickly; he is prim; they bond. Pilar rises to the occasion, pulling the various levers of influence and even partying with the high-ranking judges as her father once did. She has an aha moment, though, when some of the justices pass her cocaine, and as she rolls up the bill, she sees her father’s face staring back at her.“Majesty” has the makings of a pop fairy tale or princess fantasy, but it is a lot saltier, more cynical and more fun than that. It’s closer to “Gossip Girl” or “Scandal,” fizzy and glamorous, with rich people behaving terribly — and illegally, and corruptly — but oh so charismatically.The show is also gorgeous. Palaces: They’re nice! Pilar’s outfits in particular have real flair, and the whole show is drenched in (crown) jewel tones, gold fixtures, glittering rhinestones and thick crystal. Even in its depictions of more modest environs, the sun still streams through the windows with enough glow to practically ache. More

    • 125 Shares130 Views

      in Television

      ‘The Pitt’ Captures the Real Overcrowding Crisis in Emergency Rooms

      by

      From the “chairs” to the hallway medicine, the show’s depiction of an emergency medicine system that is beyond capacity rings true for medical experts.The emergency department waiting room was jammed, as it always is, with patients sitting for hours, closely packed on hard metal chairs. Only those with conditions so dire they needed immediate care — like a heart attack — got seen immediately.One man had had enough. He pounded on the glass window in front of the receptionist before storming out. As he left, he assaulted a nurse taking a smoking break. “Hard at work?” he called, as he strode off.No, the event was not real, but it was art resembling life on “The Pitt,” the Max series that will stream its season finale on Thursday. The show takes place in a fictional Pittsburgh hospital’s emergency room. But the underlying theme — appalling overcrowding — is universal in this country. And it is not easy to fix.“EDs are gridlocked and overwhelmed,” the American College of Emergency Physicians reported in 2023, referring to emergency departments.“The system is at the breaking point,” said Dr. Benjamin S. Abella, chair of the department of emergency medicine at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York.“The Pitt” follows emergency room doctors, nurses, medical students, janitors and staff hour by hour over a single day as they deal with all manner of medical issues, ranging from a child who drowned helping her little sister get out of a swimming pool to a patient with a spider in her ear. There were heart attacks and strokes, overdoses, a patient with severe burns, an influencer poisoned by heavy metals in a skin cream.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

    • 150 Shares91 Views

      in Television

      What to Expect From Bravo’s Nepo Baby Reality Show, ‘Next Gen NYC’

      by

      “Next Gen NYC” is a big bet on the Gen Z offspring of the cable network’s “Real Housewives” franchise.Bravo is making a big bet on the Gen Z offspring of some of the most famous stars from its “Real Housewives” franchise. The network released a trailer this week for “Next Gen NYC,” a show that will follow the lives of four young reality scions and their influencer peers as they navigate work, life and love in Manhattan.For the reality connoisseurs among us, try to imagine “Rich Kids of Beverly Hills” meets “NYC Prep.”For everyone else, here’s a primer.Who’s on the show?The cast features the offspring of four “Real Housewives”: Ariana Biermann and Riley Burruss, the daughters of the former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Kandi Burruss; Brooks Marks, the son of the “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” favorite Meredith Marks; and Gia Giudice, the daughter of the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” legend Teresa Giudice.The rest of the cast is made up of a handful of influencers and so-called nepo babies, including Ava Dash, a daughter of the record executive Damon Dash and the fashion designer Rachel Roy; Emira D’Spain, a model and influencer who will be Bravo’s first full-time trans cast member; Georgia McCann, a creative strategist Bravo describes as “New York’s ultimate Gen Z It girl”; Charlie Zakkour, a crypto trader and club kid; Hudson McLeroy, Ms. Biermann’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and the heir to the fast-food chain Zaxby’s; and Shai Fruchter, an assistant at the Wall Group.What kind of drama can be expected?“Next Gen NYC” looks relatively restrained compared with the high-stakes drama on some of the editions of “Real Housewives.” (Legal battles! Shocking divorces! Physical altercations!) But the show has teased Ms. Dash and Ms. Biermann feuding over fashion, and Ms. Biermann cursing out Mr. Marks as Ms. Giudice deadpans, “This is so stupid.”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

    • 113 Shares122 Views

      in Television

      Jon Hamm Finds His Way Back to the Hilltop

      by

      As we ascended the trail into Griffith Park, Jon Hamm gazed up at the scrubby ridge to our left. From our perspective, the ridgeline traced a clean horizon, uninterrupted by cell towers or midcentury modern palaces. He nodded toward a man sitting up there alone.“See that dude sitting on the point there?” he asked. I looked: The dude could have been meditating or having a Don Draper moment, dreaming up the next big Coca-Cola campaign.For Hamm, the image of the man brought him back to 2017, when he first moved to the Hollywood Hills. His career-making, Emmy-winning role as Draper in the AMC drama “Mad Men” had ended two years before, as had a romantic partnership of 18 years. It had been by most accounts, including his, a tough period of transition.“I was newly single — I was like, I just need to concentrate on myself again,” he recalled with some apparent wistfulness. “And I would just take this walk, every day,” to the top of that ridge, and then back toward his house, memorizing lines along the way.Eventually he began to settle into his new home, his new neighborhood, his new rhythm. He turned a corner, pushed ahead.Jon Hamm has appeared in multiple series in the past two years, including “Fargo” and “The Morning Show.” Next up is the Apple TV+ drama “Your Friends & Neighbors,” his first lead TV role since “Mad Men.”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

    • 113 Shares114 Views

      in Television

      Why Wasn’t Anyone Traumatized in the ‘White Lotus’ Finale?

      by

      After a violent climax to the third season of the hit HBO show, everyone seems A-OK. Was it a Hollywood ending, or a natural trauma response?This article contains spoilers for the finale of the third season of “The White Lotus.” Unless you’re an employee or a guest at a White Lotus resort, in which case it appears that it is impossible for your day to be truly spoiled.“The White Lotus” is a show about vacation. It deals with the dos and don’ts of vacationing: Do go out to party! (Do not engage in incestuous relations while partying.) Do sample the local cuisine! (Unless the fruit is poisonous, in which case please do not give it to your family.)And it is a show about murders.And apparently, based on Sunday’s season finale, no one is traumatized by them. Hours after a mass shooting takes place at the pristine White Lotus resort in Thailand, characters who have just witnessed intense tragedy hop on a boat and seem to sail happily into the sunset, or simply show up for work as if nothing happened.“Only in Hollywood,” Tracey Musarra Marchese, a professor at Syracuse University who specializes in trauma, said with a chuckle.But some of the characters’ reactions, which raised questions about their plausibility and prompted admiration for one character’s athletic sprint, might be completely normal in the face of trauma, experts say.“Sometimes what happens is in the moment because your system — physically, mentally, emotionally — you’ve been so overwhelmed that you might dissociate,” Marchese said.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

    • 125 Shares145 Views

      in Television

      UK Version of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Will Start in 2026

      by

      A British version of the television sketch comedy program “Saturday Night Live” is set to debut in 2026.“Saturday Night Live” is coming to Britain.A British version of NBC’s late-night comedy sketch show is set to premiere next year on Sky, the broadcaster announced on Thursday. The new edition of the program will have Lorne Michaels, the show’s creator, as executive producer and will feature “a star-studded lineup of hosts.”The familiar catchphrase used to kick off the weekly show will be slightly modified: “Live from London, it’s Saturday night!”Sky said the show would follow a similar format to the American version, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. It will star a yet-to-be-announced cast of British comedians who will perform sketches, alongside rotating hosts and featured musical acts.“For over 50 years, Saturday Night Live has held a unique position in TV and in our collective culture,” Cécile Frot-Coutaz, the chief executive of Sky Studios, said in the announcement.“The show has discovered and nurtured countless comedy and musical talents over the years, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Lorne and the ‘S.N.L.’ team to bring an all-British version of the show to U.K. audiences.”The remake comes after years of speculation that a British version of the comedy show was in the works. Versions of the program have already been produced around the world, including in Germany, Spain, Italy, China, Japan, South Korea and Egypt. More

    • 125 Shares95 Views

      in Television

      New Season of ‘Black Mirror’ on Netflix Satirizes Streaming Services

      by

      The new season, premiering Thursday on Netflix, includes the show’s most blatant satire of streaming services yet.The deal is too good to be true: The setup is free, the monthly fee low. Streaming is unlimited with further benefits still to come. But hidden costs emerge. Intrusive ads pop up. The app’s time in sleep mode becomes longer and longer. Those perks? You’ll have to pay more for them — much, much more.This story arc should be familiar to anyone who has ever downloaded a free app or subscribed to a streaming service, which at this point is pretty much all of us. And it is at the very dark heart of “Common People,” the first episode of Season 7 of “Black Mirror,” the anthology sci-fi series that helped to give Netflix, which has distributed it since its 2011 debut, artistic cred. All of this season’s six episodes arrive on Thursday.Is mocking streaming services biting the hand that keeps renewing you? Charlie Brooker, the creator of “Black Mirror,” was more equivocal. “To be honest, I’m probably more nibbling the hand that feeds us,” he said on a recent video call.In its past seasons, “Black Mirror” has promoted a skeptical view, perhaps an utterly nihilistic one, regarding the ways in which entertainment is created and enjoyed. In the near future, we are all amusing ourselves to death, or worse. But with the exception of last season’s episode “Joan Is Awful,” written by Brooker and directed by Ally Pankiw, in which a Netflix stand-in creates humiliating shows adapted from its subscribers’ lives, Brooker has never come for streamers so baldly.Brooker first conceived of “Common People” while listening to true-crime podcasts. He was struck by the disjunction of hearing a host describe a mutilated corpse in one moment and advertise a meal prep service the next. What, he wondered, would make a human integrate sponsorship into their ordinary speech?At that point, he thought that the show would be, like “Joan Is Awful,” a dark comedy, a funny story. “He kind of tricked me,” Pankiw, who also directed “Common People,” said of Brooker’s pitch. “I was like, OK great. Then I read the script and I was like, Oh, it’s actually incredibly devastating.”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