Midnight, Texas: “Bad Moon Rising” Sneak Peeks
Angels, vampires, psychics, witches, assassins, racist biker gangs, ghost grandmas and a talking cat! Welcome to Midnight, Texas.
The first episode of the supernatural mystery aired earlier this week. TV Guide interviewed showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen to discuss what’s going to happen next.
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Bobo took the fall for Aubrey’s murder! That’s not right, what’s next for him?
Monica Owusu-Breen: That storyline gets resolved in the second episode. It appears to be resolved in the second episode, I should say. We wrote a pilot and it was with the intention with the murder mystery guiding the entire series. When the pilot was shot, the network came to me and said, “Murder mysteries are done in a lot of shows. Can this be a supernatural show, with supernatural villains coming in and out of this world?” [NBC wanted] to really hit that.
So like every show, we’re sort of trying to figure out what we really are. So I went off and thought about it, and thought if I couldn’t do a supernatural show in a town like Midnight, I should hand in my Writers Guild card. So what begins as a murder mystery, you’ll see in Episode 2 opens up a bigger mystery and a bigger obstacle for the Midnighters and for Manfred (Francois Arnaud) specifically.
So the murder mystery won’t be the main thread of the season?
Owusu-Breen: No, that’s Bobo’s (Dylan Bruce) story. Every character has their own story, and the murder mystery and the fallout from that is Bobo’s story more than it is the story of the town.
Manfred is our window into this world, but soon he’ll have to be more proactive in the show. What drives him later throughout the series?
Owusu-Breen: I think what’s interesting about Manfred is that he’s a guy who’s used to running from things. I mean he grew up in gypsy caravan and he’s traveled the world, and whenever there were problems he and his grandma would leave. So the idea of committing to home and committing to a community is one sort of obstacle for our character Manfred who is not used to being alone. But I don’t think humans were meant to be alone, I don’t think we function well alone. For Manfred too, it’s about finding that community and place, where he is willing to take charge, and to lead, and to fight and to risk his own safety for this group of people who he will grow to feel a part of.
Okay, now we have to talk about my favorite character. There are so many supernatural characters, and you’re introducing all these different types of beings, and then, out of nowhere, we get a talking cat!
Owusu-Breen: Mr. Snuggly!!! I will describe it — because this show is wackadoo. I love wacky, I know I love it, I hope we find an audience who is as enamored with this crazy universe as me. When I read the books, I remember Mr. Snuggly was just always around, and then midway through the books or three-quarters through the books, he starts talking. But by that point he had been around often enough and the world had gotten nutty enough it was like, of course the cat talks. it kind of made sense in that weird Charlaine-inspired supernatural universe that of course a witch would have a familiar, and of course that familiar would have a voice. It’s a polarizing figure [laughs] but it makes us laugh.
Here are four sneak peeks from episode two titled “Bad Moon Rising”:
Midnight, Texas airs Mondays at 10pm/9c on NBC.
Script Page from Legion Season 2 Premiere Released
A script page from the second season premiere of FX’s Legion has been released online. It features some dialogue between Lenny Busker (Aubrey Plaza) and Oliver Bird (Jemaine Clement).
Executive producer Noah Hawley spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the script page.
Lenny and Oliver are being used by this character, Amahl Farouk. He wears their faces from time to time. It’s his way of hiding himself. I had this thought of, ‘What does Freddy Krueger do during the day?’ I thought it was interesting, the idea of the downtime of these characters. They’re not being used and so what is reality like for them? They’re being placated, that they’re in some place beautiful that may not actually be a physical space, it may be a mental space, like an astral plane. They have everything they need, they’re by the pool, it’s beautiful, but at a certain point, there’s part of them that realizes that they’re just trapped in this reality they don’t have any control over.
Check out the script page below:
Legion will return in 2018.
H/T: EW
SDCC: Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther Thor: Ragnarok Panels and Interviews
Below is a collection of the Marvel Studios San Diego Comic-Con panels.
For the Thor: Ragnarok panel, Marvel brought director Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), Cate Blanchett (Hela), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Karl Urban (Skurge) and Rachel House (Topaz).
For the Black Panther panel, Marvel brought director Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Forest Whitaker (Zuri), Daniel Kaluuya (W’Kabi), Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaue), Winston Duke (M’Baku) and Letitia Wright (Shuri).
H/T: Comic Book Movie
Empire and Star to Crossover
The stars have aligned and Empire and Star will collide! Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie and Queen Latifah’s Carlotta will come face-to-face for the very first time.
FOX announced that the crossover will take place on Wednesday, September 27, beginning with Empire‘s Season 4 premiere at 8/7c and concluding with Star‘s Season 2 premiere at 9/8c.
FOX confirmed Latifah will bring her Star diva over to Empire and Empire‘s Jussie Smollett (Jamal) will appear on Star.
FOX also released the official synopsis for the Empire season premiere.
On the brink of Empire Entertainment’s 20th anniversary, Lucious is making his first public appearance after the explosion in Las Vegas, while all members of the Lyon family, as well as Lucious’ nurse, Claudia (guest star Demi Moore), have their own interests in Lucious regaining his physical and mental faculties.
H/T: TVLine
DCTV Casting Scoop: Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
There has been an incredible amount of casting news announced for our favorite DC/CW superhero shows. The following is a round up of all the important casting news that has been announced recently.
- Arrow
Manu Bennett (Slade Wilson) will recur during Season 6. “I can report that Manu Bennett is back to being a part of the show and I think we will see him multiple times this year, which is awesome,” star Stephen Amell announced during Heroes & Villains FanFest.
Michael Emerson is joining Season 6 in the recurring role of… Well that isn’t known quite yet. But Stephen Amell is totally on board with this announcement.
Arrow premieres October 12.
- The Flash
Britne Oldford will reprise her Season 1 role as villainous metahuman Peek-a-Boo in the season 4 premiere of The Flash. Details on what brings Peek-a-Boo back are being kept under wraps.
Neil Sandilands will play the villainous metahuman known as Clifford Devoe aka “The Thinker”. Devoe is “a megamind who embarks on a season-long battle” with the Scarlet Speedster, per the official description. He is “a true genius” who has “devised an intricate plan to fix all that he deems wrong with humanity.”
Kim Engelbrecht will play Devoe’s partner-in-crime, the DC Comics character The Mechanic. A true believer and a highly intelligent engineer who designs devices for The Thinker to help him implement his plan.
Danny Trejo has been cast as Earth-19 bounty hunter, Gypsy’s imposing father, Breacher.
The Flash premieres October 10.
- Supergirl
Odette Annable is joining as a series regular. She will play the new Big Bad “Worldkiller” Reign.
Supergirl premieres October 9.
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Tala Ashe has joined the cast as Zari Adrianna Tomaz, a Muslim-American computer nerd with a wry, combative attitude who hails from the year 2030.
Billy Zane will play politician and showman P.T. Barnum, who founded Barnum & Bailey Circus (aka “The Greatest Show on Earth”).
Tracy Ifeachor will play Season 3 Big Bad Kuasa. Kuasa is the sister of Mari McCabe, a.k.a. Megalyn E.K.’s version of Vixen. So that means Kuasa is also the granddaughter of Maisie Richardson Sellers’ version of Vixen, Amaya.
Showrunner Marc Guggenheim announced during Comic-Con that the show has had “really good conversations” with Matt Ryan to reprise his role as Constantine on Legends, but for now, the actor is busy with other projects.
Legends of Tomorrow premieres October 10.
Premiere Date Set for Scandal‘s Final Season
ABC has (finally) unveiled its premiere plan for the 2017-18 TV season. So that means the season premiere of Scandal‘s swan song has been set!
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The Shondaland TGIT block will start with a two-hour season premiere for Grey’s Anatomy, followed by How To Get Away With Murder on September 28, with Scandal joining the lineup the following week for its slightly abbreviated final season.
So that means Scandal‘s 18 episode final season will premiere on October 5, 2017.
H/T: TVLine
OWN’s Queen Sugar Renewed for Season 3
Your weekly dose of the Bordelons won’t be ending any time soon. OWN has renewed Queen Sugar for a third season on Wednesday.
The Oprah Winfrey-owned network announced the incredible news with the following tweet.
Thank you to our fans! #QueenSugar renewed for season 3! pic.twitter.com/WD7pCyhkCC
— Queen Sugar (@QueenSugarOWN) July 26, 2017
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It was also announced that Queen Sugar showrunner Ava DuVernay has signed a first-look deal for film and television with Winfrey’s Harpo Films.
Ava DuVernay: “There is fresh air and room to roam. There is an artist-driven atmosphere and an intention to share stories that nourish. There is a spirit of inclusivity and imagination moving at all times. This is the new era of OWN. I’m thrilled to continue to collaborate with Ms. Winfrey as we expand the scope of our storytelling. And I feel fortunate to be a small part of this network at such a wonderful time in its evolution.”
In addition to the season 3 renewal, some new faces will be joining the drama series during its ongoing second season: Michael Michele and Roger Guenveur Smith will play the parents of Darla (Bianca Lawon), while Beverly Todd will play the respected matriarchal activist Mother Olivia Brown, and Sharon Lawrence will play the mother of Dawn-Lyen Gardner’s Charley.
Queen Sugar is currently midway through its second season. New episodes air Wednesdays at 10/9c. The show will air its midseason finale on August 2.
Big Little Lies Season 2 In Early Development
Our girls are getting ready for an encore!
HBO is close to officially announcing a Season 2 for Big Little Lies. The premium cabler’s programming president Casey Bloys confirmed during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on Wednesday that he has asked author Liane Moriarity to “take a crack at” coming up with a story for a potential second season. “I’ll be very curious to see what she comes up with,” he added.
Emmy Award nominees Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon have both expressed interested in continuing the story. But, executive producer / director Jean-Marc Vallée, who directed all seven Season 1 episodes, has been the sole naysayer.
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Vallée: “There is no way; there’s no reason to make a Season 2. That was meant to be a one-time deal, and it’s finishing in a way where it’s for the audience to imagine what can happen.”
Bloys is a bit more positive that Vallée can be swayed. “I know [Jean-Marc] said that… but Nicole and Reese can be very persuasive. First we have to see the material and see if it’s worth everyone’s time. And if it is, [we’ll have a] conversation about directors.”
Maybe those 16 Emmy Award nominations and the boffo ratings Season 1 received might make for a convincing argument?
H/T: TVLine
Happy Jackie Washington Day! Reminder: Don’t Do Laundry!
Every July 15 is Jackie Washington Day!
Wait… you don’t know who Jackie Washington is? She’s a fictional R&B diva played by the phenomenal Jenifer Lewis in the star-studded 1999 Lifetime mockumentary Jackie’s Back. The mockumentary film is about Jackie’s comeback after years in obscurity.
The film, although a Lifetime television movie, has become a cult classic… mostly because Jenifer Lewis killed it!
According to the film, beginning in 1984, every July the 15th was considered Jackie Washington Day, a day to honor the diva in her hometown of Kinloch, Missouri.
So, since it’s July 15, let’s celebrate all things Jackie Washington with the following videos.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB7Bj7bqyKc[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4X3_fBppBU[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7f0gE9Yf-0[/embedyt]
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IBtkNyJzk[/embedyt]
And of course, you can listen to our Summer Camp team discuss Jackie’s Back! by visiting the Papi Chulo RADIO Archives or iTunes. #ShamelessPlug