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      ‘Ted Lasso’ Will Return for Season 4 on Apple TV+

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      Apple TV+ announced on Friday that the Emmy-winning comedy will return for a fourth season. Jason Sudeikis will be back to reprise the title role.“Ted Lasso” fans who continued to believe will have their faith rewarded: The heartwarming soccer comedy is returning to the pitch.Apple TV+ announced on Friday morning that the series, about a folksy American coach hired to lead the fictional AFC Richmond in England’s Premier League, will come back for another season, its fourth. Jason Sudeikis, who created the series with Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly and Bill Lawrence, will return to reprise the title role and serve as an executive producer.“We all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to ‘look before we leap,” Sudeikis said in a statement. “In Season 4, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.”“Ted Lasso” debuted in August 2020 and ran for three seasons. Sudeikis and the other creators maintained all along that there were no plans for more episodes, though they didn’t rule it out. The Season 3 finale in May 2023 ended with Ted returning home to Kansas.In an interview on Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, “New Heights,” on Friday morning, Sudeikis said Ted will be coaching a women’s team in the new season.“It’s daunting, because we told the story we wanted to tell,” he said. “But there’s more there.”Apple TV+ did not give a premiere date for the new season or respond to a request for more details.It is also unclear who else from the main cast will be back. Brett Goldstein, who starred as the surly but softhearted coach Roy Kent, will be back as writer and executive producer, Apple TV+ said in a news release. In August, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. Television, which produces the show, had signed deals with three stars to come back if the show returned to production: Goldstein; Hannah Waddingham, who plays the AFC Richmond owner, Rebecca Welton; and Jeremy Swift, who plays the team executive Leslie Higgins.The show’s other cast members have consistently said they would be eager to return. Most of the original creative team, including most of the show’s writers, will return for the new season. Jack Burditt, a veteran TV producer, most recently of last year’s Netflix hit “Nobody Wants This,” joins as an executive producer.Based on an NBC Sports ad, “Ted Lasso” debuted in the thick of the Covid 19 pandemic with few expectations. It went on to become the biggest hit Apple TV+ has ever had, winning 13 Emmys and millions of fans who praised its humor and themes of friendship and empathy. Those awards all came for the first two seasons; the third was much more divisive.“Ted Lasso” was widely celebrated as a source of emotional sustenance during the pandemic. News of its return arrives in a similarly acrimonious moment, so perhaps its timing is apt again. More

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      ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 3, Episode 6 Recap: Goin’ Hungry

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      Coach Ben goes on a hunger strike. Young Natalie goes rogue.Season 3, Episode 6: ‘Thanksgiving (Canada)’Let’s just start with this week’s big shocker: The girls and Travis are not alone in the woods. I’m not talking about there being spirits out there with them, though there very well may be spooky stuff hiding in the trees. I’m talking about real human people, wearing outdoorsy gear.The man (Nelson Franklin) holds up his hand and says, “Hello.” The Yellowjackets’ faces are a mixture of joy and horror. Finally, there is some sign of civilization. But also, oh God, civilization arrived at the worst possible moment.After all, the gang has just carved up Ben and eaten him while doing some ritualistic yelling. They can’t really hide that because their new friend sees the head and jumps back, terrified and cursing.It’s an exciting conclusion to a jam-packed episode. Midway through, I feared it might hang on another frustrating tease involving the mysterious tape that was left on Adult Shauna’s doorstep and found by her daughter, Callie.For the Adult Yellowjackets, the main story line follows Shauna, who has (finally!) determined that her family is at risk. The cherry that tops her suspicions is Callie’s revelation that she was keeping this retro-looking audio file a secret. So the Sadeckis move out of their house into a motel, and Shauna recruits Van, with her love of old-fashioned technology, to help her listen to the tape.Although we see Shauna, Tai and Van all pressing play, we don’t hear the full extent of what is contained on that audio file. Instead, there’s just a lot of screaming and more unanswered questions. At least Callie is as annoyed as I am at how withholding her mom is, planting her iPhone in Shauna’s bag to record whatever was on the tape.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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      How Spider-Man Has Evolved on Animated TV Shows

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      When “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” hit theaters in 2018, it served as a delicacy for longtime fans, who found in the film clever allusions to the vast history of Spider-Man comics and animated series. “Into the Spider-Verse” and its sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” was full of Easter eggs plucked from several eras of Spidey shows, many of which have been revered (and some maligned) over the years.The new Disney+ series “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” which takes place in an alternate reality where our hero is discovered and mentored by Norman Osborn (alter ego of the Green Goblin), is just the latest animated TV offering about the web-slinger. Spider-Man has been swinging across the small screen for decades, with every new series showing a fresh take on the hero and his world, both narratively and stylistically.Spider-Man (1967-1970)The OriginalVideo by ABCWhether or not you’ve watched the original “Spider-Man” TV show, you’ll surely recognize it from its famous opening theme (“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can”) or the omnipresent pointing meme, from the Episode 19 story “Double Identity.”The animation is, of course, very much of its time: blocky outlines, jerky character movements and flat, untextured backgrounds. As Spidey swings through the cityscape, the buildings around him are big, mostly solid blocks of pastel colors, with the occasional window and brick detail. And Spider-Man himself has a simplified costume design: The webbing pattern on his mask doesn’t extend down to his torso as in later incarnations; the physical build of the hero (and all the characters, for that matter) is just as nondescript.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 Takes Shots at Trump’s Liquor Tariff Threat

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      Jimmy Kimmel pointed to the irony of President Trump “making it very expensive to get drunk. He’s the reason we need to get drunk!”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.Sobering ThoughtsOn Thursday, President Trump threatened to impose a 200 percent tariff on wine, champagne and spirits imported from Europe.Jimmy Kimmel pointed to the irony of Trump “making it very expensive to get drunk. He’s the reason we need to get drunk!”“Yeah, a 200 percent tariff on champagne and wine. Americans heard and were, like, ‘You can do whatever you want with wine; just don’t mess with our gummies.’” — JIMMY FALLON“That’s a lot — almost enough to make you feel bad for people who buy champagne and wine.” — JIMMY FALLON“People buying champagne and wine were, like, ‘What’s next, caviar and truffles?’” — JIMMY FALLON“The E.U. said, ‘Oh, yeah? We’re going to put a 50 percent tariff on boats, bourbon and motorbikes from the United States,’ which is interesting because boats, bourbon and motorbikes — they’re specifically targeting Kid Rock for some reason.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“That is going to make it so much harder for European men to have a midlife crisis. You can’t outrun your mortality on a Vespa!” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Trump’s playing a dangerous game. Nobody wants to attend a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and cheese party, you know what I’m saying?” — JIMMY FALLON“So get ready to toast the next New Year’s with America’s finest sparkling beverage, Champagne Code Red.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Wheels Off Edition)“Tesla owners are facing backlash everywhere they go. Recently, somebody stole the wheels from every single Tesla in a Texas parking lot. Whoever did it, I do not condone this, but I do appreciate your ‘tire-less’ efforts.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Now, I want to be clear: I do not condone violence or vandalism of any kind. That is a deeply held belief of mine that comes from the bottom of my CBS legal department.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“With that in mind, I find it interesting that there’s a growing trend of Cybertrucks being vandalized and used as skate ramps or covered in garbage. To be fair, that might not be vandalism; that might just be a simple mistake, because they do look a lot like a dumpster.” — STEPHEN COLBERTWe 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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      ‘The Devil in the Family’ Is a Poignant and Terrifying Docu-Series

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      The story of the disgraced mommy vlogger Ruby Franke has been covered extensively by the news media. A Hulu documentary offers surprising new insights.The three-part documentary “The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke,” on Hulu, follows the chilling case of the popular mommy vlogger who eventually pleaded guilty to child abuse for the horrific torture of her children. The case has already been international news, tabloid fodder and discourse grist, but unlike a lot of buzzy streaming documentaries, “Devil” is not a sloppy rehash. Instead, it is pointed and insightful.“Devil” includes interviews with Franke’s two oldest children, Shari and Chad, and with her husband, Kevin. (According to the documentary, he has filed for divorce.) Its other big draw is unreleased footage that Franke recorded over several years, outtakes that include startling and cruel exchanges. “Just be yourself!” she snaps at one of her young daughters.“That is myself,” the little girl pleads.“Well then change it,” Ruby says.She admonishes her husband and Chad for not being chatty and expressive on camera. “Be excited,” she tells her son icily. “Even if you have to fake it. Fake being happy. ’Kay?” In another clip, she prods him to participate more, reminding him that he gets $10 for doing so. Kevin says in the documentary that the family’s YouTube channel brought in $100,000 per month at its peak.There are a lot of disturbing details here, and the director Olly Lambert manages the scope of the story well while still acknowledging its larger context. As much as “Devil” is a story about control, faith and abuse, it is also a story about YouTube, fame and performance.Some of the most arresting footage here looks just like any other peppy family vlog: the super-close-up, self-shot footage of a pert blonde woman in bright lipstick, chirping at her brood. Only she isn’t delivering chummy tips on the surprising versatility of tater tots or on how even mommy needs big belly breaths sometimes. She is berating a little girl, or describing how “selfish” her children are — children who are barely old enough for kindergarten.Part of the allure of social media is its claim that you can actually see what’s going on behind closed doors, that people are being “real.” They aren’t. They’re selling you something, be it lifestyle products or eschatology. The rule remains: Buyer beware. More

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      John Mulaney Returns to Late Night on Netflix

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      “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” resurrected the comic’s eccentric but enjoyable live talk show, with contributions from Richard Kind, Michael Keaton, Joan Baez and many Willy Lomans.During a monologue introducing his new Netflix talk show on Wednesday night, the comic John Mulaney said the streamer has given him an hour to introduce his fans to the baby boomer culture that has made him “the unsettled weirdo” he is today.He stayed true to his word. The premiere episode of “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” included jokes about Al Jarreau, an eccentric tribute to “Death of a Salesman” and an appearance by Joan Baez, who gossiped about civil rights leaders.Scheduled for a 12-week run, “Everybody’s Live” is a follow-up to Mulaney’s first stab at the format, “Everybody’s in L.A.” That show, also live, aired last May as an eccentric but enjoyable exercise in corporate synergy: It coincided with the Netflix Is a Joke Fest, and included plenty of Mulaney’s fellow comedy stars as guests, along with call-in segments and offbeat bits about Los Angeles concerns like coyotes and earthquakes. “Everybody’s Live” recreated that show for a slightly wider audience. It’s not quite as L.A.-centric; it’s still just as weird.The project is Netflix’s latest foray into live programming. The streamer has been experimenting with live events like a 2023 Chris Rock standup special and the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match and Screen Actors Guild Awards this year.So what can viewers expect if they tune in to see Mulaney on Wednesday nights? Here are some clues from the premiere.So was ‘Everybody’s Live’ basically ‘Everybody’s in L.A. 2’?Yes. Mulaney explained in the monologue that they changed the title because Netflix did a focus group and “it turns out people around the country don’t like L.A.” Mulaney suggested testing the name again after the wildfires earlier this year to see if opinions had changed, he said. They hadn’t.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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      ‘Long Bright River’ and ‘Dope Thief’: Drugs and Murder in Philly

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      “Long Bright River,” on Peacock, and “Dope Thief,” on Apple TV+, set stories of drugs, murder and broken families on the mean streets of Philadelphia.After New York and Los Angeles, what is the third city of American crime drama? Boston, Chicago and San Francisco can all make claims, and many might choose Baltimore for “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “The Wire.” But lately, another city has been moving up the charts: Philadelphia is suddenly a hot location for moody stories about drugs and murder.In the mini-series “Long Bright River,” premiering as a binge watch on Thursday on Peacock, and “Dope Thief,” beginning Friday on Apple TV+, Philadelphia is the postindustrial crucible — vibrant but violent, caring but crime-ridden — for tales of working-class heroes doing battle with criminal forces. The shows follow HBO’s 2021 hit “Mare of Easttown” and precede another HBO law-enforcement drama, “Task,” that will feature F.B.I. agents in suburban Philadelphia. (And you can throw in the Hulu comedy “Deli Boys,” about a crime ring based in Philadelphia-area convenience stores.)The stars of the two new shows, Amanda Seyfried and Brian Tyree Henry, play people who are categorically different on the surface but, for dramatic purposes, could almost be the same character. Seyfried’s Mickey Fitzpatrick in “Long Bright River” is a cop who’s protective of the prostitutes on her beat; Henry’s Ray Driscoll in “Dope Thief” is an ex-con who robs drug houses by pretending to be a federal agent.Under the surface, though, the two natives of northern Philadelphia are haunted by similar family traumas, seen in copious flashbacks (fathers figure heavily). And as a result each is in need of redemption and transformation, which is the real through line of each series.They get there in very dissimilar ways, however. “Long Bright River,” which plays like a companion piece to the heavy-going “Mare of Easttown,” is a family soap opera onto which a procedural serial-killer mystery has been grafted. “Dope Thief” is a hyperbolic, postmodern thriller in the guise of a hard-boiled mystery. Personal taste may largely determine which one you respond to, but here’s a tip: If humor counts for anything, then “Dope Thief,” which consistently cuts its angst and violence with reasonably clever, farcical comedy, is the much better use of eight hours.In “Long Bright River,” Mickey is a single mother with a preternaturally precocious 8-year-old, Thomas (the very charming Callum Vinson); her only family support, if you can call it that, comes from her abrasive grandfather (John Doman). When women on her beat begin to turn up dead at the same time that her estranged sister, Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings), goes missing, Mickey starts her own off-the-books investigation.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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      Helly vs. Helena the Most Brutal Battle on ‘Severance’

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      Contains spoilers about past episodes.About halfway through Season 2 of “Severance,” Helly R. is rocked by a stunning betrayal: Helena Eagan, masquerading as Helly, has deceived Mark S. into having sex with her, believing he was sleeping with Helly.The grift was not terribly difficult to pull off. Helly and Helena are the same person after all, albeit with a consciousness split in two by the “severance” procedure. That technology, meant to compartmentalize memories and — in theory — alleviate the painful or boring parts of life, is the foundation on which the hit show’s universe is built. The many ethical, moral and physical consequences that accompany it have helped make “Severance” one of the most dissected TV shows in years.Helena is the “outie,” a fully realized human above ground; Helly is the “innie,” a “severed” employee essentially being held prisoner below ground in an office run by the mysterious Lumon Industries.Helena’s sexual betrayal was just one in a series of tit-for-tat expressions of disgust, disrespect and resentment between the two women who are one woman (played by Britt Lower, who walks the fraught line between the characters with tremendous nuance).In Season 1, Helly attempted to kill Helena in what would have amounted to a murder-suicide by hanging herself in an elevator that serves as a psychic breaker switch between the consciousness of innies and outies.Before that, Helly tried to appeal to Helena, asking to resign from her post at Lumon. When management told her that Helena had declined, Helly didn’t believe her outie would allow her to suffer against her will. So as a warning to Lumon leaders — whom Helly believed must be responsible for holding her captive — she threatened to guillotine her own (and therefore Helena’s) fingers with a paper cutter.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