Fall's biggest party: The Emmys celebrate television's best
Colin Jost and Michael Che co-host the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Fall is nearly here, and that means it's time for cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice everything and the new prime-time television season. After a summer of repeats, it's finally time for our returning favorites and a new crop of aspiring series.
The Good Place, on NBC
Eleanor (Kristen Bell) uncovers a secret while Michael (Ted Danson) tries to work out the kinks in his grand plan in this rebroadcast. The comedy follows a recently deceased woman who’s accidentally sent to the wrong place in the afterlife.
Q: What is happening with Vanessa Helsing? We were with her sister and mother the last couple episodes with no clues on her status after getting shot. When will we see her again?
The prophecies say that Vanessa Helsing will rise again, sometime in the fall TV season (the prophecies are pretty light on details).
We can take the prophecies at their word, because they come from the show's writers as well as from Kelly Overton, also known as Vanessa Helsing herself.
The Real Housewives of Dallas, on Bravo
D’Andra and Mama Dee engage in a power struggle over the family business in the new season. Also, Stephanie and LeeAnne bond over their shared battle with depression, while Carey returns to work.
Mayans M.C., on FX
When the Galindo worlds north and south of the border collide, the Mayans approach a local crew in search of answers in this new episode. EZ Reyes (JD Pardo) tries to carve out a new life for himself after being released from prison in this drama.
Q: I am an every-week watcher of "Lucky Dog" and am wondering who compensates Brandon for the dog training and TurfMutt for the backyard makeovers?
You could say that being in the show is compensation in itself. Or, put another way, they compensate each other.
"Lucky Dog," a weekend morning show built around dog trainer Brandon McMillan, is sponsored by TurfMutt, which means not only does that company provide its backyard makeovers free of charge, it actually pays the show's producers for the privilege. The idea is that the exposure TurfMutt gets on the show will lead other people to hire them to work on their own yards.
The Talk, on CBS
Eve, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood chat about hot topics as the ninth season kicks off. The show features a diverse panel of female hosts who cover current events, pop culture, family issues and more.
New Releases for the week of Sep. 9 - 15
Ocean's 8
After a stint in prison, Debbie Ocean (Bullock) hatches a plan to steal a $150-million necklace from the Met Gala, and she starts assembling a crack team of specialists to pull it off: a fashion designer (Bonham Carter), a computer hacker (Rihanna), a street hustler (Awkwafina), a jewelry maker (Kaling), a profiteer (Paulson) and her former partner in crime (Blanchett). With only a few weeks to go until the event, they succeed in persuading a dim-witted actress (Hathaway) to wear the necklace to the gala, but when their plan goes off without a hitch, the team finds itself coming under the gaze of a nosy insurance fraud investigator (Corden), who suspects that Ocean is involved in the theft.
Director: Gary Ross. Stars: Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden. 2018. 110 min. Action.
SuperFly
Priest (Jackson) is a wildly successful drug dealer despite his young age, but with a rival gang of dealers that's backed by cartel money getting more aggressive, he decides that it's time to retire while he still has his money and his life. All he needs to do is pull off one last job, but with the rival gang, the police and his own trigger-happy buddies to deal with, pulling off his biggest job yet is easier said than done.
Director: Director X. Stars: Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott Davis, Jennifer Morrison. 2018. 116 min. Action.
Hearts Beat Loud
Former musician Frank (Offerman) and his daughter Sam (Clemons) spend an evening bonding a few weeks before Sam is scheduled to move to the West Coast to study medicine, and they end up recording a song that becomes a viral success once Frank uploads it to Spotify. Despite Sam's commitment to becoming a doctor, her father tries to persuade her to abandon her career path to form a band with him so that father and daughter can stay together.
Director: Brett Haley. Stars: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner. 2018. 97 min. Drama.
Foes in high places: Samantha Bee isn't afraid to pick a fight
Samantha Bee hosts "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee"
Having the highest elected official in the land call you out by name to demand your firing might be received as a serious deterrent by some, but for Samantha Bee ("The Daily Show"), it probably feels a little like a badge of honor.
Local bites: New series brings out local rivalries
Host Tyler Florence with Chicago chefs in "Bite Club"
Local chefs love to help each other out. After all, they all share a passion for food, and they all experience the unique stresses and challenges of the culinary world. Of course, there's also a lot of friendly competition that happens behind the scenes, with chefs in every city striving to outdo each other with their culinary creations.