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The dance of romance: 'Last Tango in Halifax' returns to PBS

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi in “Last Tango in Halifax”

Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi in “Last Tango in Halifax”

The dance of romance: Most young romances -- that's romances that people stumble into while they're young -- peter out as the lovebirds grow older and wiser in the ways of the world. The qualities that attract us while we're starry-eyed teenagers usually are not what we're interested in once we're a little bit older and a whole lot wiser.

For some people, though, the flame of a young romance never really goes out.

"Last Tango in Halifax," the critically acclaimed British romantic drama that airs on PBS on this side of the pond, is back with its third season premiere Sunday, June 28.

Anne Reid ("Coronation Street," "Hot Fuzz," 2007) and Derek Jacobi ("The King's Speech," 2010, "Gladiator," 2000) star in this delightful drama as a pair of septuagenarians who had been childhood sweethearts, but haven't seen one another in six decades. Both now widowed, they reconnect using the Internet and discover that their feelings for one another are as strong as they were 60 years ago.

It's a sweet story that sounds almost too good to be true, but "Last Tango in Halifax" has been praised by critics for its realistic depictions of an older generation and of the trials and difficulties that any romance must work its way through -- no matter how many grey hairs are involved.

Sarah Lancashire ("Coronation Street") and Nicola Walker ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," 1994) round out the main cast as the lovebirds' respective adult daughters, a pair of women who were the catalysts for their parents to reunite.

"Last Tango in Halifax" is a favorite of critics for a good reason: its realistic writing and amazing acting make for a show about an older generation that never feels forced or fake. The third season gets underway Sunday, June 28, on PBS.

 

Small screen shrieks: Nearly 20 years ago, something incredible happened: a movie hit theaters that made fun of all the classic slasher movie tropes. From "Halloween" (1978) to "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) to "Friday the 13th" (1980), the formulas and tropes of slasher flicks had become an ingrained part of the Hollywood movie landscape.

"Scream" (1996), though, poked fun at all of the tropes even while using them itself -- and it ended up raking in more than $160 million at the worldwide box office and spawning a franchise that is up to four films so far. It was a slasher movie that knew it was a slasher movie, and it somehow worked.

The really incredible thing, though, is that it has taken this long to spin off the movie franchise into a TV series.

"Scream" is slashing its way onto MTV Tuesday, June 30, and while it's part of the franchise, it's using a whole new cast of characters whose lives are suddenly and strangely turned into a slasher flick.

Fittingly enough, the cast of new characters will be brought to life on screen by a new cast of actors, including Willa Fitzgerald ("Royal Pains"), Bex Taylor-Klaus ("Arrow"), Carlson Young ("As the Bell Rings"), John Karna ("Premature," 2014) and Connor Weil ("Sharknado," 2013).

Of course, just because an actor is starring in "Scream" is no guarantee that he or she will last the whole season -- this is a slasher, after all! Survive or not, they'll all be hitting MTV for "Scream's" anticipated premiere Tuesday, June 30.

 

Entangled entertainment: Disney does a lot of things well, but its animated films are certainly one of its crown jewels.

The mouse-mascotted empire of all things entertainment frequently rules the box office with its full-length animated features, and 2010's "Tangled" was no exception. It shouldn't be much of a surprise, then, that the Oscar-nominated film is getting its own spinoff TV series.

Coming to Disney Channel in 2017, the recently announced animated series will reportedly be set between the events of "Tangled" and its short sequel, "Tangled Ever After" (2012).

Perhaps most exciting, though, is the fact that Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi will be reprising the roles they played on the big screen.

Moore ("The Princess Diaries," 2001) will be returning to her role of Rapunzel, the classic fairy tale maiden with impossibly long hair who has been locked up in a tower by an evil witch. Levi ("Thor: The Dark World," 2013), in true fairy tale style, plays the dashing rogue Flynn Rider, who's fated to rescue the trapped damsel from her captivity.

The new "Tangled" series will follow along as Rapunzel and Flynn, along with their friends from the films, go on many an adventure throughout the kingdom and beyond. With a planned 2017 premiere date, it's certainly a long way off, but with Disney's long history of animation excellence behind it, it will likely be worth the wait.