Innholdsfortegnelse for April 25, 2022 i TV Guide Magazine

STRONGLY SUITED Thank you for featuring Alan Ritchson, aka Reacher, on the cover [April 11 issue]. As a person who has read several books in the Lee Child series, I was happy Prime Video’s Reacher fit so closely to the one I imagined. Don’t get me wrong, though—Tom Cruise did an excellent job too, if you hadn’t read the books.—Kim HILARIOUS HOSTS Kudos to hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel for their April Fools’ Day surprise. It is nice to see two competitors work together to create clever entertainment as they hosted each other’s shows.—Charles FALLING FLAT What a disappointment NBC’s American Song Contest was! Almost all of the numbers were overproduced, leaving viewers distracted by gaggles of unnecessary background dancers. Only two songs appealed to me—Connecticut’s and Rhode Island’s.…

Submit questions to Matt Roush at askmatt@tvgm.com @TVGMMattRoush Two of the biggest breakout network comedies are Ghosts on CBS and ABC’s Abbott Elementary. Network TV shows are unfortunately rarely nominated for Emmy Awards anymore, but do you think there’s a chance that these two critically lauded shows could be nominated this year? They’re brilliantly written and hilarious!—Paul MATT ROUSH: I would love to see these shows break through, but the bias toward streaming and premium cable series is hard to overcome, so I’m prepared to be let down. In recent years, only ABC’s blackish and NBC’s The Good Place made the cut from the broadcast networks, but the ensemble work on both Ghosts and Abbott is so strong—and the latter is so relevant—that it will be a travesty if both are…

WE’LL TAKE KEN Jennings for…fulltime host of Jeopardy! And we’d wager a bet we’re not alone. Since the great Alex Trebek’s passing in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, the 47-year-old former Jeopardy! champion and consulting producer has become one of the most popular replacements to fill the late icon’s spot, thanks to his smarts, magnetism and endearing dad jokes. Jennings’ current tenure—he’s been sharing hosting duties with The Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik since last September—continues to convince us that he is perfect for the job. Even if he wasn’t sold on the idea when he was first asked to guest host in the wake of Trebek’s death. “I had so much hesitation going in,” the former software engineer admitted in March 2021, “just knowing firsthand what a tough job…

We Own This City SERIES PREMIERE 9/8c, HBO Fourteen years after the conclusion of The Wire—the seminal Baltimore drama about drugs, racism and police corruption—exec producers David Simon and George Pelecanos return to the scene of the crimes with a new limited series. “On the surface, this is about the [rise and fall] of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force,” Pelecanos says of We Own This City, based on local reporter Justin Fenton’s nonfiction book. “But David and I saw it as a way to talk about policing in general and where it’s going wrong with regard to the drug war. The story and the players are real.” Led by superstar sergeant Wayne Jenkins (a riveting Jon Bernthal, above right, with Rob Brown, Ham Mukasa and Robert Harley), the GTTF…

TODAY’S SPORTS PICK 2022 NFL Draft 8/7c, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network Why has the annual NFL draft—for decades held in smoky Manhattan hotel rooms—become such popular event television? Because hungry football fans who crave off-season news love the “perfect blend of uncertainty, anticipation and hope” the draft offers, says longtime ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Last season, 12.6 million viewers tuned in to Round 1 action to see which top college prospects would join their favorite pro teams. With the first round upon us again, Kiper’s fellow analyst Matt Miller sizes up three things to expect in this year’s Las Vegas confab. A WINNING EDGE The 2022 draft is rich in “edge” players—defensive ends gifted at disrupting offensive plays—with the class of the field being Michigan’s Heisman Trophy finalist…

NCIS: Los Angeles Sunday, May 8, 9/8c, CBS PICK OF THE WEEK! FAMILY MATTERS MORE than ever in the 300th episode of the military crime drama. Sure, the milestone offers up plenty of action—two men try to break into a base and are blown up by their own explosives—but it also delivers big changes in the agents’ personal lives. “Some are struggles, but they’re also heartfelt,” says R. Scott Gemmill, executive producer of the NCIS spinoff since its 2009 debut. The winner for “world most rocked” is Sam Hanna (LL Cool J, left). The series introduces the onetime Navy SEAL’s dad, Raymond (Richard Gant, below, in a recurring role), a former Marine suffering from Alzheimer’s. He can no longer live alone, so Sam sells his houseboat and the two move…

3 REASONS TO WATCH Lucifer 3/2c, TNT TV’s horniest devil joins TNT’s humpday lineup today! For six seasons (three on Fox, then Netflix), the wickedly charming Tom Ellis led this cheeky dramedy as the hedonistic hellion turned L.A. club owner who partners with LAPD detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German, above, with Ellis), a former actress, to fight crime. Along the way, they fell in love, and so did we. Here’s why. 1 The supporting cast brings the heat too. DB Woodside and Lesley-Ann Brandt spark big-time in the first few episodes as Lucifer’s brother Amenadiel and his sidekick/bartender Maze, both of whom wind up sharing major ties to Luci’s shrink, Linda (scene-stealer Rachael Harris). 2 Hollywood hijinks! The inaugural four-hour block begins with the 2016 pilot, in which a pop…

Taurus (April 20–May 20) There’s a new moon eclipse taking place in your sign. Moreover, it’s near the planet of excitement, liberation and change. In other words, all bets are ff. Forget about the past and focus on where it seems like the universe is directing you. Gemini (May 21–June 20) As we all emerge from the ups and downs of the past few years, check in with yourself and your mental health. How are you faring? If you’ve been through the mill, now is the right time to take up a spiritual practice such as meditation. It will change your life! Birthday: Kevin McHale 6/14/1988 Cancer (June 21–July 22) If you only make one new moon wish this year, make it as the new moon eclipse fi es up…

25 TOP SHOWS Sugar Rush Is it the pastry? Sure, we still miss Gibbs (Mark Harmon), but we’re loving his doughnut-buying replacement, agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole). So are viewers: The procedural won the night on Monday. Disguise the Limit The secret celebrity singing competition hit a season high in an episode that saw Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” muse Christie Brinkley (above) sent home. Out of Tune The annual music fete, hosted by Trevor Noah, increased slightly over last year’s broadcast but was still down nearly half from January 2020’s viewership (18.8 million). Us vs. Them An episode focusing on Big Three sibling Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) landed strong with the 18–49 demo, where it was the second-highest scripted series for the week. Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of March…

Available now, Netflix WORDS THAT SHOULD give any wife pause: “It was just… sex.” When has that ever been true in the history of TV? In this slick but shallow six-part adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s novel, cocreator David E. Kelley spins a less murderous version of his HBO hit The Undoing. In Scandal, another glamorous spouse slowly begins to regret standing by her very handsome disgraced man. Sophie Whitehouse’s (Sienna Miller) world of privilege begins to unravel when her powerful Parliament politician husband, James (a sheepish Rupert Friend), confesses to a five-month affair. Soon another polished shoe drops, after his aide/lover accuses him of violent rape. “The road is paved in #MeToo landmines,” warns an adviser to the prime minister, James’ college buddy, who shares lurid secrets and sins of…

The Offer SERIES PREMIERE Thursday, April 28, Paramount+ HOLLYWOOD IS A business, but, to quote a line from 1972’s The Godfather, some people take it very personal. Like the time Robert Evans, head of the studio that, in 1970, wanted to turn Mario Puzo’s gangland bestseller into a film, found a dead rat in his bed. Whoever put it there clearly didn’t want to see The Godfather onscreen. “I don’t know what the f--- you’ve gotten me into, but I’m not getting killed for some gangster movie!” a spooked Evans (played with grand flair by Matthew Goode) shouts in The Offer, the 10-episode Paramount+ limited series that dramatizes the crazy real-life antics that nearly put the kibosh on one of the greatest films of all time. Fifty years after it…

Guest Programmer: Brian Cox 8/7c, TCM Movie Picks Brian Cox, aka Succession’s relentless Logan Roy, guest programs films with larger-than-life men: first, Spencer Tracy’s determined mayor in the 1958 drama The Last Hurrah, then Richard Harris’ rugby star in 1963’s This Sporting Life (10:15/9:15c). International Jazz Day Celebration 10/9c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org) Rhythm kings and queens gather for this annual event featuring celebrations from Angola to Zimbabwe. Michael Douglas hosts the electric, eclectic mix, with music from Herbie Hancock, Andra Day (performing “God Bless the Child” alongside him), Dee Dee Bridgewater and more. American Justice 10/9c, A&E Tonight’s true crime is an emotional one, dealing with a mother and her two kids who vanish, never to come home. MOVIES 4:10/3:10c Gorillas in the Mist (1988) HDNet Movies 7/6c…

MOVIES 7am/6c Us (2019) FXX 9am/8c Glory (1989) AMC 1:17/12:17c North to Alaska (1960) Retroplex 8/7c Joe Kidd (1972) Grit 10/9c Reservoir Dogs (1992) Cinemax Call Me Kat SEASON FINALE 9/8c, Fox Mayim Bialik stages another Blossom reunion when Ted Wass, who costarred as her father on the ’90s sitcom, plays Kat’s late dad in a flashback that helps the present-day cat café owner evaluate her life. Julia Sweeney also guest stars, as Kat’s therapist. RELATIONSHIPS ARE TESTED Big Sky 10/9c, ABC The crime drama’s long-simmering love triangle between private investigators Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) and Jerrie Kennedy (Jesse James Keitel) and U.S. Marshal Mark Lindor (Omar Metwally) finally comes to a head as Season 2 continues. Law & Order: Organized Crime 10/9c, NBC Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) fan alert! The cop…

Billy the Kid 9/8c, Epix Our hearts have been stolen by the legendary Old West gunslinger. It’s no surprise to Tom Blyth (above), the captivating newcomer who plays him in this moody, nuanced drama from Vikings creator Michael Hirst. “He was witty, magnetic, read Shakespeare. The history books talk about how people couldn’t help but like him, even when he was doing bad things,” Blyth says. In tonight’s third installment, the teen Billy McCarty takes his first step down an outlaw path. The son of Irish immigrants has faced destitution and death in the family’s move west. Now a new loss brings devastating grief, and a violent showdown with his abusive stepfather (Jamie Beamish), a fraudster and philanderer, leaves Billy the “man of the house.” When his attempt to earn…

@damianholbrook Cheers to Kate Walsh for scrubbing back into Grey’s Anatomy. On the heels of her visit to the ABC drama in the fall, the scene-stealer who led spinoff Private Practice is set to return as Dr. Addison Montgomery again on May 5. With a 19th season a go, it’s time to lock her into another contract—stat! Cheers to Mr. Mayor’s celebratory second term. Between the scripts stuffed with culturesavvy jokes and Ted Danson’s (left) undeniable charm as Los Angeles’ clueless boss, Season 2 has been an unimpeachable joy. Cheers to Outer Range for really going there. A genredefying mix of Western and weird, Prime Video’s tale of a rancher (Josh Brolin) who discovers a sinkhole that possibly leads to another dimension is fascinating and full of twists. We don’t even mind…

@TVGMMattRoush Sundays, 9/8c, Showtime DON’T EVEN TRY to put these ladies in an East Wing corner. “I am going to be myself,” Betty Ford insists. “I am going to do and say things that I believe in.” Michelle Obama’s attitude is more explosive: “They want to turn me into a Black Martha Stewart?” As for ahead-of-her-time Eleanor Roosevelt, “I’m not thrilled about the fact that my title refers to my sex rather than my skills.” Three remarkable women portrayed by three astonishing actresses in their prime: The First Lady is like a trio of fascinating biopics in one. Even when the jumping between decades gets dizzying—tackling pre-WWII segregation one minute, ERA ratification the next, then on to racial profiling—the intertwining of the personal with the political makes this the most…

LIMITED SERIES PREMIERE Friday, April 22, Prime Video NOTICE A SCANDALOUS trend here? No one dishes the dirt with quite the savage glee of the Brits, and I’ve rarely seen a more corrosive display of mutual cruelty than in A Very British Scandal, a taut and tawdry three-part docudrama about the infamous divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll in the early 1960s. Tabloids had a field day. So might you, though some moral disinfectant may come in handy afterward. A world removed from her restrained portrayal of the Queen in The Crown, Claire Foy is terrifyingly frosty as Margaret, an entitled party-girl celebutante who woos and weds louche Duke Ian (a reptilian Paul Bettany). She lusts for his ancestral castle, whose renovation she bankrolls before learning she won’t…

MARLON BRANDO (Justin Chambers) The Grey’s Anatomy alum did more than capture Brando’s voice and slumbering eyes—he got the actor’s essence. “The second his head went into profile, the room folded right into itself,” recalls an admiring Patrick Gallo (who plays Mario Puzo). CANNOLI RATING FRANK SINATRA (Frank John Hughes) Maybe if the other actors hadn’t nailed their portrayals so well, Hughes’ lackluster take on Ol’ Blue Eyes wouldn’t stand out. Accenting only Sinatra’s macho bravado and steel-eyed anger, this performance did anything but get under our skin. CANNOLI RATING AL PACINO (Anthony Ippolito) Executive producer Nikki Toscano, who worked with Pacino on Prime Video’s Hunters, calls Ippolito’s portrayal “uncanny…he fully captured his manner, voice and energy.” Ippolito also showcased Pacino’s preparation and being “not impervious to nerves.” CANNOLI RATING…

Friends 3/2c, TBS Daytime Pick The one where Ross (David Schwimmer) says that classic line to Rachel (Jennifer Aniston): “You’re over me? When… when were you under me?” and ends up kissing her on a rainy night at Central Perk. Portugal: Wild Land on the Edge 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org) We’re tuning in to see the small but mighty wild horses that live in Portugal’s Peneda-Gerês National Park. But this Nature episode also offers up the flora and fauna of the coastal nation’s big wave beaches, eucalyptus forests and Mars-like red landscapes of the Desertas Islands. Music’s Greatest Mysteries 8/7c, AXS TV John, Paul, George and… Jimmie?! For two weeks in 1964, with the Beatles’ Ringo Starr sidelined by tonsillitis, the band said, “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” to…

Sheryl DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE 9/8c, Showtime “I’ve always had real high highs and real low lows,” says Sheryl Crow early on in this documentary about her decades-spanning music career. What’s special about Sheryl is Crow (below) being vulnerable and brave enough to talk openly about it all, including the sexual harassment she’s endured; her depression, especially as a result of her meteoric rise to fame in the ’90s from humble beginnings in small-town Missouri; and her battle with breast cancer. Where the film falls short is when, at times, it feels rushed. A line from actress Laura Dern about how she and Crow used to be roommates will have you salivating for details, but none follow. A comment from Crow seems to imply that she and her manager hadn’t yet made…

ACROSS 1 Scream’s horror movie-within-a-movie 5 Animal care job (abbr.) 8 Sex Education star Butterfield 11 Manx cat’s lack 12 Ferris Bueller actress Dolenz 13 ____ Girl 14 Aubrey Plaza on Parks and Recreation (2 wds.) 17 Davis of Commander in Chief 18 Chair 19 Evidence on Maury, often (abbr.) 21 The S of ESPN 25 High card on Card Sharks 28 Forensic franchise 30 The Simpsons’ Kwik-E-____ 31 I ____: Michaela Coel show (3 wds.) 35 Moon ____ Miami 36 Destructive Looney Tunes character, for short 37 Original ____ 38 ____ Street 41 Def Comedy ____ 43 Growing Pains actress Tracey 45 Runs fast 49 Lassie mom (2 wds.) 52 Manipulate 53 Mrs. America legislation (abbr.) 54 Pennsylvania city 55 Body art, for short 56 ____ King Cole 57 Grate DOWN 1 Male deer 2 Record 3 Ending for “million”…