Innholdsfortegnelse for November 12, 2018 i TV Guide Magazine

America’s Most Watched 25 TOP SHOWS Rough Start for The Rookie Nathan Fillion’s charm and good looks helped make Castle an eight-season hit, but his much-hyped return to series TV, in ABC cop drama The Rookie, has been struggling to gain traction. The series debuted to 5.4 million viewers, with Episodes 2 and 3 garnering just 4.5 million, placing it third in the 10pm hour after NBC’s New Amsterdam and CBS’s NCIS: New Orleans. The good news: The premiere added 4.3 million viewers, an 80 percent boost, through seven days of time-shifted viewing on DVR and video-on-demand. Play Ball! Ratings for the World Series were more of a double than a home run for Fox this year. The five-game face-off, which saw the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles…

The Dr. Oz Show Syndicated (check local listings) CHECKING UP ON DR. OZ DURING THE OPRAH Winfrey Show’s 25-year run, Oprah played fairy godmother to a number of future TV stars who launched their advice-dispensing careers from the comfy chairs on her set: designer Nate Berkus, financial expert Suze Orman, psychologist Dr. Phil, chef Rachael Ray. In 2004, she introduced an already successful heart surgeon named Mehmet Oz and promptly dubbed him “America’s Doctor.” Oz has lived up to the title. He’s penned six bestselling books; has had his own magazine, The Good Life, since 2014; and his Emmy-winning health advice show, The Dr. Oz Show, is in its 10th season. And the doctor still performs cardiac surgery at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Since his show…

We’ll Meet Again SEASON PREMIERE 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org) If you need a dose of human kindness, We’ll Meet Again is just what the doctor ordered. The popular PBS series reunites ordinary people who met in extraordinary times and were bonded by a selfless act. “It’s about big transformative moments in history and how human beings, even in terrible moments, rise for each other,” says host Ann Curry. “Deep down, we have a desire to save each other. We want our species to survive. It’s part of our DNA.” Season 2 presents stories from the women’s movement, Castro’s Cuba and, tonight, Vietnam, with one vet seeking the doctor who saved his leg; another, the helicopter pilot who answered his Mayday call. “To see people who don’t even…

MOVIE PICKS Parkland 12:55/11:55am c, HDNet Movies The John F. Kennedy assassination, which stunned the nation 55 years ago, is seen through the eyes of three deeply affected witnesses. The points of view depicted in this moving 2013 drama include Zac Efron as a doctor, Paul Giamatti as Abraham Zapruder, who filmed the shooting, and a Secret Service agent (Billy Bob Thornton). The Cured 8/7c, Showtime Is there life after life after death? Meaning, if you were cured after becoming a zombie, could you ever return to normalcy? That’s the clever premise of this 2018 thriller as the former walking dead try to fit back in. Thoroughbreds 8:25/7:25c, Cinemax “I don’t have any feelings. Ever,” says rich teen Amanda (Olivia Cooke) in writer-director Cory Finley’s dark 2018 comedy. And the…

FROM THE HULU LIBRARY WILL & GRACE, “Lows in the Mid- Eighties,” Season 3, Episodes 8 and 9 The series flashes back to before Will and Grace (Debra Messing and Eric McCormack, top) became best friends: In college, they were a badly coiffed, nearly affianced couple. Inspired by out-and-proud Jack (Sean Hayes), Will knows he must tell Grace he’s gay, which is doubly difficult since they’re at her parents’ house for the holiday dinner. FRESH OFF THE BOAT, “Huangsgiving,” Season 2, Episode 8 The rivalry between Jessica (Constance Wu, middle) and her sister Connie (Susan Park) heats up after their mom picks Jessica to host the family meal. Jessica plans to one-up Connie by serving Cornish hens rather than her sister’s traditional duck. But her scheme goes awry when the…

MOVIE PREMIERE MONDAY, NOV. 19 Ah, the quiet life. That’s what hip London publicist Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen, above) wanted when she moved to the sleepy English Cotswolds in Season 1 of this British mystery series (based on M.C. Beaton’s novels). Then Agatha was accused of killing her neighbor—but she solved his murder, then another and another. Now she’s the local superstylish supersleuth. “She got a taste for detecting,” Jensen says. “And Agatha likes being the center of attention in whatever way she can.” So who cares if a suspect almost sets her on fire? Yes, that happens in Wizard, one of three new movie adaptations (The Fairies of Fryfam and The Curious Curate debut in the coming months). Here, Agatha’s hairstylist is poisoned—so she stakes out salons, finding the…

NCIS 8/7c, CBS “Every time we have a case, I learn new things” —DIONA REASONOVER ALL EVIDENCE POINTS to one obvious conclusion: New NCIS forensic specialist Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover, who joined the cast full-time in Season 16) is indispensable. The brainy oddball has already cracked a code that helped save kidnapped director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), fished crucial evidence out of a hot tub that contained a corpse and helped nab a bomber. Tonight, “We see her out in the field for the first time and find out what scares her,” says Reasonover (above), a funny, friendly Detroit native who shares her character’s enthusiastic energy. “Kasie’s fears are my real fears. When I read the script, I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ We’re both afraid of snakes!” The actress gives…

Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions 12:30/11:30am c, CBS The first face-off is a match between two old-school NFC North foes as Bears linebacker Khalil Mack (right) looks to stuff Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in Detroit’s traditional Thanksgiving home game. Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys 4:30/3:30c, Fox Dallas hosts their annual holiday game as running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys take on their NFC East rivals, the Redskins, led by quarterback Alex Smith. The Skins eked out a 20–17 win over the Cowboys in Week 7 after Dallas kicker Brett Maher bounced a 52-yard field goal off the left upright that would’ve tied the game with three seconds left. Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints 8:20/7:20c, NBC Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan duels with Saints quarterback Drew Brees in New Orleans.…

MOVIE PICKS Tomb Raider 8/7c, HBO Alicia Vikander (above) swings into action in this 2018 prequel to the Tomb Raider franchise that explains how archaeologist Lara Croft became a badass while following in the footsteps of her missing father (Dominic West). Her skills are tested by a dastardly villain (Walton Goggins), which leads to some fun—albeit silly—and intense CGI theatrics. Life 8:15/7:15c, Encore A crew of astronauts (including Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds) discover a new strain of life and bring it aboard their space station. Big mistake! This thing is vicious, deadly and smart, which means their new mission is to prevent it from reaching Earth. The Streets of San Francisco 1/noon c, Decades Not only is it nifty to see Karl Malden and Michael Douglas as…

@damianholbrook LOVE IT! Cheers to Grey’s Anatomy for using Meredith’s past to improve Teddy’s future. When Owen’s ex (Kim Raver) balked at telling him she was carrying his baby, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo, near left, with Raver) shared the pain of growing up without a dad because of her own mother’s lies. It was a nice nod to the character’s history and acknowledgment of how far she has come from that dysfunction. Cheers to Single Parents for treating the kids like people, not simply plot twists. Whether it’s over-the-top Halloween parties, sleepovers or pet deaths, the writers of ABC’s delightful new comedy could teach a class in mining laughs from hapless adults (including Leighton Meester and Taran Killam) while also finding the heart in how the little ones are impacted by…

@TVGMMattRoush America’s top TV critic Matt Roush answers your burning questions In regard to the new-vs.-old Magnum P.I. debate [see page 58 of our October 15 issue], it’s easy to pick the original, as I find the new version overwhelmingly unnecessary. But Jim Halterman makes an important point about the reboot when he describes the “fun twist” of the will-they-or-won’t-they relationship between Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and the new female Higgins (Perdita Weeks). It makes me wish the new series was more of a Mr. & Mrs. Smith/Remington Steele–type show based in Hawaii. Do you think the powers that be would ever really allow that transformation to occur? —Todd MATT ROUSH: It’s possible the producers could escalate the love-hate vibe between Magnum and Juliet Higgins. But given how closely they have…

@TVGMMattRoush The Kominsky Method SERIES PREMIERE Friday, Nov. 16, Netflix WHO COULD HAVE guessed the spirit of Neil Simon, the masterful comedy writer who passed away this August, would live on through TV jokesmith Chuck Lorre? Having enjoyed tremendous commercial success with his brash CBS sitcoms The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and Mom, Lorre achieves a deeply personal best in this lovingly crafted, wise and wisecrackingly bittersweet bromance between a legendary acting coach (Michael Douglas) and his powerful Hollywood agent (Alan Arkin). Both have known happier and healthier days, but as played by these marvelous Oscar-winning actors, they are wonderful companions in endurance, a resilient if cantankerous Odd Couple who refuse to give up the ghost—sometimes literally. Addressing his rapt class of quirky wannabe actors, Sandy…

Mars SEASON PREMIERE 9/8c, National Geographic What on earth is happening on Mars, you might well wonder, in the second season of this fascinating hybrid that is part gripping sci-fi drama, part “what if” documentary reflecting our very current hopes and fears about colonization of the Red Planet. Science and industry uneasily coexist as the action jumps ahead five years to 2042, when the astronaut settlers of the International Mars Science Foundation (IMSF) receive unwelcome new corporate neighbors: a mining colony funded by the for-profit Lukrum Industries. Will exploration—already a dangerous venture—be further imperiled by exploitation of the planet’s unknown resources? Count on it. Because, as present-day segments illustrate, that’s exactly how things have played out on Earth in the area most comparable to Mars, the remote Arctic. There, oil…

THE FINAL TABLE SERIES PREMIERE TUESDAY, NOV. 20 MasterChef executive producers Robin Ashbrook and Yasmin Shackleton aimed to create “the biggest cooking competition we could come up with,” says Ashbrook. Their battle royal features 12 teams of two internationally known chefs (including Colibrí Jiménez, above) tasked with interpreting dishes indigenous to countries such as Brazil and India. “Nobody leaves this show because their chicken isn’t cooked,” notes Ashbook, who says it’s the foreign cuisine threat that sticks a fork in the highcaliber competitors. “They have to master foods that they may have never experienced in their own work.” MOVIE PREMIERE THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES THURSDAY, NOV. 22 Do we have a Christmas cracker for you: Kurt Russell—yes, Escape From New York/The Thing/Overboard Kurt Russell—is playing Santa Claus in Home Alone director…

ROKU PREMIERE Rokus are the top-selling streaming devices for good reason. They’re easy to set up (five minutes, max). They’re simple to use: Pick your services (Roku calls them “channels”), like Netflix, and they appear as icons on the home page (aka, the screen you see when you turn on the box). And they’re cheap: The new Roku Premiere (above) and Roku Premiere+ are the most affordable way to stream in HD, 4K or 4K HDR (translation: topnotch picture quality). The Premiere+ has fancy details, like a voice-controlled remote that will change your TV’s volume. One caveat: It’s only sold at Walmart. Roku Premiere: $40; Premiere+: $50. NVIDIA SHIELD TV The Nvidia Shield offers the most streaming services with 4K (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play and FandangoNow among…

PICK OF THE WEEK! Dirty John SERIES PREMIERE Sunday, Nov. 25, 10/9c, Bravo LOVE IS BLIND, which is precisely what can make it so dangerous. Bravo’s true-crime drama Dirty John, based on a hit 2017 podcast, chronicles the harrowing journey of Debra Newell (Connie Britton), a successful interior designer in Southern California. When we first meet Debra, it’s clear she’s beautiful, intelligent and unlucky in romance. After four failed marriages, she’s been giving online dating a whirl—and so far it’s yielded only duds. No wonder the fiftysomething is instantly smitten with her latest match, John (Eric Bana, left, with Britton), an anesthesiologist who sweeps her off her feet. (Two months in, they elope!) “John seemed like a completely believable and grounded partner for Debra,” explains Bana, also an executive producer.…

Game of Thrones fans, rejoice! George R.R. Martin—author of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, which is the basis for the HBO hit—has a new title on shelves today. Fire & Blood tells House Targaryen’s history. Get reacquainted with the family here and stream key episodes on HBO Go, HBO Now and Amazon Prime Video. —Emily Aslanian AEMON TARGARYEN Few recall the origins of the blind Maester (the late Peter Vaughan), wise adviser to Night’s Watch soldiers before dying at 104, but he was part of the dragon clan. Season 1, Episodes 3, 7, 9; Season 3, Episode 10; Season 4, Episodes 1, 3, 9, 10; Season 5, Episodes 2, 5, 7 AERYS II TARGARYEN Oh, the Mad King. The most recent member of the family to…

Editors’ Choice Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 9am, NBC It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without turkey, stuffing…and 60-foot inflatable characters swarming the streets of New York City. For this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, several new balloons, including four elves from the upcoming Netflix movie The Christmas Chronicles, join returning fan favorites such as snowman Olaf from Frozen, SpongeBob SquarePants and Charlie Brown. Today’s inflatables have come a long way from the whimsical creations of puppeteer Tony Sarg that made their debut in 1927. The original balloons were like giant marionettes—held aloft by poles rather than buoyed by helium, says the parade’s executive producer, Susan Tercero. But even in those early days, famous faces like Felix the Cat floated downtown. “The parade is part of pop culture, so the balloons reflect that,”…

Cody Fern American Horror Story: Apocalypse (Series finale, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 10/9c, FX) His Michael Langdon (above) works a cape with finesse, chews scenery with the best of them (including Joan Collins!) and has the sort of fluid sexuality that sets Twitter aflutter. Most important, the character is the Antichrist who brought on the season’s main event—the apocalypse. House of Cards (Netflix) Fern costars in the drama’s final season as Duncan Shepherd (below), the politically ambitious spawn of high-powered industrialist Annette Shepherd (Diane Lane). Is there a connection? Hell, Washington—it’s all the same! Eric McCormack Will & Grace (Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC) He goes for laughs as lawyer Will Truman (below), gay bestie to interior designer Grace Adler (Debra Messing), on the sitcom revival. Travelers (Netflix) McCormack can also be dramatic,…

CROSSING OVER My friend Staci and I were really hooked on The Crossing and were extremely disappointed when it was canceled. But along came Manifest, and it’s a great replacement. I hope this new show will attract enough followers so it will have a longer life than The Crossing. —Dan [Editor’s note: Manifest has been picked up for a full 16-episode season, surpassing The Crossing’s 11.] TOP-NOTCH ENTERTAINMENT I have been watching 60 Minutes for more than 50 years, and the October 21 program was the best I have ever seen. The story on GEDmatch and [genetic genealogist] CeCe Moore was fascinating. The story about [Metropolitan Transportation Authority president] Andy Byford cleaning up the subway system and being so hands on was great. I hope his plans work for New…

Last Man Standing Fridays, 8/7c, Fox TIM ALLEN AND Nancy Travis are enjoying a second honeymoon of sorts. The actors star as Mike and Vanessa Baxter on Last Man Standing, the family comedy canceled by ABC in 2017 and successfully revived on Fox in September (the premiere drew 8 million viewers, and all season the show has been the top Friday series for viewers age 18–49). Together the couple are raising their family—three grown daughters and one grandson—while dealing with work, marriage and differing perspectives. Last Man Standing’s cast and crew are in buoyant moods on the Los Angeles set in mid-October, with production of lucky Season 7 in full swing. Almost all of the original team from both in front of and behind the camera is back, and the…

Two years ago, another gripping, lushly cinematic adaptation of a John le Carré suspense novel electrified viewers. The limited series The Night Manager, starring Tom Hiddleston as an honorable ex–British soldier and Hugh Laurie as a chilling arms dealer, went on to win two Emmys and three Golden Globes. According to Drummer Girl executive producer Stephen Cornwell, reuniting that production team for this project was a no-brainer. “We knew we wanted to take on another le Carré novel similar in scope and scale, with an international landscape to it. At the same time, we were looking for a distinct story that could be defined on its own terms,” Cornwell says. (He and fellow executive producer Simon Cornwell also happen to be le Carré’s sons.) If you haven’t seen The Night…

A Murder in Mansfield 9/8c, Investigation Discovery THE SETUP A son seeks answers with the help of Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Kopple (Harlan County USA). Collier Boyle was 11 on New Year’s Eve 1989 when his father, John (left), bludgeoned his mother in their Ohio home and hid her body under the basement floor of a newly purchased place in Erie, Pennsylvania. Twenty-six years later, Kopple accompanies Boyle to his childhood house, to a reunion with detectives—and to prison to ask Dad for the truth. THE MOST DISTURBING BITS Early on, we see archival footage of an eerily composed preteen Collier testifying at John’s trial. Video evidence of his mother’s body being extracted from her concrete grave is horrific. Yet John’s selfish, occasionally angry letters to his son after his conviction…

BEAT NEW SERIES AVAILABLE NOW In this sexy German thriller, party boy Beat (Jannis Niewöhner, below center, with Svenja Jung and Hanno Koffler) is a promoter working for Berlin’s hottest techno club. But the good times come to a screeching halt when he’s recruited by the European Secret Services to help take down an organsmuggling operation. Not surprisingly, the guy heading up the criminal enterprise (Alexander Fehling, Homeland) is one sick dude, which means Beat will have to dance his way out of some very tense situations. STREAMING DEBUT IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE AVAILABLE NOW Hear a bell ringing? That’s because some angel at Prime Video is getting wings for bringing one of the most magical movies ever to an on-demand streaming service! Yep, that means no more waiting for…

Monday, Nov. 12 Green Room (2015) Netflix Members of a punk rock band witness a murder in this thriller. The Little Death (2014) Hulu Instinct’s Bojana Novakovic headlines a comedy about couples. The Wolfpack (2015)Hulu Seven siblings, locked inside for years, learned about the world through movies. This doc tells their story. Tuesday, Nov. 13 Keepers of the Magic (2016) Hulu Cinematographers spill secrets behind iconic scenes in their movies. Killer Bees (2018) Hulu A documentary follows the working-class student athletes who live near New York’s tony Hamptons area. Wednesday, Nov. 14 Annabelle: Creation (2017) HBO Now Learn the origin story of the possessed doll from the Conjuring films. Ideal Home (2018) HBO Now Self-involved couple Erasmus (Steve Coogan) and Paul (Paul Rudd) have their lives turned upside down when Erasmus’s grandson shows up. Thursday, Nov. 15…