Writing about the show!

Interview with Lisa Arch (Cassie) 11/18/21
Review of Season 7 DVD 5/31/10.
Interview with Richard Kind (Cousin Andy) and others 10/20/16.
Interview with Vivica Fox and others 11/4/14.

Blog Posts or other articles for our site
Writing about the show!

Interview with Lisa Arch (Cassie) 11/18/21
Review of Season 7 DVD 5/31/10.
Interview with Richard Kind (Cousin Andy) and others 10/20/16.
Interview with Vivica Fox and others 11/4/14.


“Supergirl: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray)” Review by Suzanne 9/3/20
I grew up reading “Supergirl” comics, as well as all the male DC comics like Superman, Batman, Justice League, The Flash, et al. I enjoyed the 1980’s movie they did about Supergirl as well. When the series first started, I wasn’t sure if I would like it because I didn’t like all of the changes they made, particularly with regard to her origin story. However, the show quickly won me over with great stories and good acting. It’s hard to believe that they’re about to enter their 6th season. They ended with 19 episodes this season, due to the pandemic. Let’s hope they can film the next one and debut in the spring.
The only thing I don’t like about the show is that the characters change so often. I really miss Wynn (at least he did return this year for a few episodes), Jimmy and Mon-El. The stories are still very good, though. Lena and Kara’s friendship breaking up this year was horrible, but they got back to a good place. I’m still not sure yet if I like this new post-Crisis universe with Lex pretending to be a good guy. It takes some getting used to. They do like to keep us – and their characters – on our toes.
This DVD (Blu-ray) doesn’t have a lot of features. DVD’s, too, were affected by the pandemic. They just have the usual deleted scenes and gag reel, plus “The Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019.” I’m surprised they couldn’t cobble together some kind of season-specific feature.
This would make a great gift for any superhero fan or any fan of fantasy/scifi/drama. I can’t wait until the show returns!
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
“Magnum P.I.: Season Two” Review by Suzanne 8/30/20
You can’t compare this to the original series, so you shouldn’t try. Tom Selleck is just too hard to replace. However, it’s a good, solid drama in its own right. The stories are compelling. There aren’t many private eye shows around on TV, so it’s good to have one. Also, now that “Hawaii Five-0” has been canceled, this is the only show set in Hawaii as well. Having lived there for 3 years, I enjoy watching this show to see glimpses of places I recognize. It’s also great to see Tim Kang (Detective Gordon Katsumoto) again…I loved him on “The Mentalist.”
The DVD is fun to watch. It has many good features, including “Better Together: The Story of Magnum, P.I. Season Two”, deleted scenes, the Hawaii Five-0 Crossover episode, gag reel and a fun video diary from actor Stephen Hill (T.C.). This DVD would make a great gift for any drama fan.
MORE INFORMATION:
Coming to your home screen this September is a hit TV show from CBS Home Entertainment.
Action-packed crime drama Magnum P.I.: Season Two will be arriving on DVD this year on September 1. Starring Jay Hernandez as Tom Magnum, an American hero and Navy SEAL returning from war who uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Oahu, Hawaii.
Magnum P.I.: Season Two
Street Date: September 1, 2020
Format: DVD
Description: MAGNUM P.I. is a modern take on the classic series centering on Thomas Magnum, a former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business. The “majordomo” of the property is Juliet Higgins, a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent whose second job is to keep Magnum in line, with the help of her two Dobermans. When Magnum needs back-up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors, Theodore “TC” Calvin, a former Marine chopper pilot who runs Island Hoppers, a helicopter tour business, and Orville “Rick” Wright, a former Marine door-gunner-turned-impresario of Oahu’s coolest nightclub and the most connected man on the island. Suspicious of Magnum’s casual attitude and presence at his crime scenes, Detective Gordon Katsumoto finds that he and Magnum are more alike than either of them care to admit. One of Magnum’s biggest supporters is Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta, the unofficial “House Mom” and cultural curator of Robin’s Nest.With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case!
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

“Blue Bloods: The Tenth Season” Review by Suzanne 8/15/20
This is such a reliable and solid show. It’s basically a police soap opera. The focus is on the family: the Reagans, who stand by each other, even when they’re fighting. Even though this is their 10th season, they’re still going strong. The stories are always intriguing. The audience for this show skews older and more conservative, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good show that anyone can enjoy.
The best feature is one that celebrates the 200th episode. There are also deleted scenes “Dinner with the Reagans,” which they have on every DVD. This year, they had to do the dinner remotely. It was very interesting to watch. I think any fan of police shows would enjoy this. Even though it’s a soap opera, you shouldn’t feel too lost if you start watching with this DVD.
MORE INFORMATION:
Blue Bloods: The Tenth Season
Street Date: August 18, 2020
Format: DVD
Description: Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner, and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son, Danny, a seasoned detective, family man and Iraq War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases with his partner, Detective Maria Baez. The Reagan women in the family include Erin, a New York Assistant D.A. who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father, as well as a single parent to her teenage daughter, Nicky. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, a Harvard Law graduate and the family’s “golden boy.” Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop. He’s found a friend and ally in Eddie, his female partner who keeps him on his toes, and has very different reasons than the Reagans for joining the police force. After several years of working together, Jamie and Eddie finally succumbed to their strong feelings for one another and tied the knot.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“The Flash: The Complete Sixth Season” Review by Suzanne 8/30/20
This is my favorite superhero show, and that’s saying a lot because there are many of them (and I watch them all). Every season has been fantastic. The characters and relationships are very well-defined. They sometimes kill off characters and sometimes bring them back (just like most shows nowadays). This year we got a little less of Cisco and a little more of the other characters.
The season was cut a little short, by 3 episodes, thanks to the coronavirus. That makes sense because it didn’t really feel like a typical “Flash” ending at the end of the year. It will be great to see what happens in Season 7 (especially to Iris and Ralph). The show never disappoints with good acting, drama, action and occasional humor.
This is a pretty good DVD collection. There is a special noir version of one of the episodes, and commentary. There is the usual gag reel and deleted scenes, and last year’s San Diego Comic Con panel. It’s worth having if you’re a fan of the show.
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
“SEAL Team: Season Three” Review by Suzanne 8/30/20
I don’t watch this show regularly, but it’s a solid show with good performances and stories. I love David Boreanaz, who stars as Bravo, the team leader. He’s always great. I watched him in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” and “Bones,” but “SEAL Team” is just not my type of show. It’s a good action show with lots of drama and angst. It doesn’t have the humor and romance of “Bones,” and it’s not a fantasy or scifi show. I prefer Scifi and Fantasy shows. There are so many shows to watch, and I can’t watch them all.
If you like good drama and action, you should enjoy this show. The show also stars “Mad Men”‘s Jessica Paré and “CSI: NY”‘s A.J. Buckley, among others. The show reminds me a bit of “NCIS: Los Angeles” because of its military bent and what the SEAL team members go through. This season, Bravo is divorced and trying to cope with the lives that have been lost in his team. From what I’ve read, the show is very popular with vets because it’s realistic and shows what military personnel go through.
I’m glad to get the DVD, so I can watch the show at my leisure. Like most shows right now, it was cut short by a few episodes because of the coronavirus. There are quite a few special features on the DVD set. However, the menu is somewhat confusing, so it can be hard to find the special features if you’re not looking on every single disk, and every episode. I hate when they do that. They should put all of the features on one disk at the end, to make it easier.
MORE INFORMATION:
The action packed TV series SEAL Team: Season Three is coming to your home screen on DVD August 25 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Follow the story of Bravo Team, a United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, on the challenges they face professionally and personally through their dangerous missions.
SEAL Team: Season Three
Street Date: August 25, 2020
Format: DVD
Description: SEAL Team is a military drama that follows the professional and personal lives of the most elite unit of Navy SEALs as they train, plan, and execute the most dangerous, high-stakes missions our country can ask of them. Jason Hayes is the respected, intense leader of the Tier One team whose home life has suffered as a result of his extensive warrior’s existence. His team includes his trusted confidant, Ray Perry, the longest-tenured operator with whom Jason shares an ingrained shorthand; Sonny Quinn, an exceptional, loyal soldier with a checkered past who still combats self-destructive tendencies; and Clay Spenser, a young, multilingual, second-generation SEAL with insatiable drive and dedication. Vital to the team‘s success are troop commander Lt. Cdr. Eric Blackburn, who serves as a leader and confidant both on and off the battlefield; CIA analyst Mandy Ellis, who has sacrificed everything in her drive to root out evil and take down terrorists; and Ensign Lisa Davis, a no-nonsense, take-charge officer. Deployed on clandestine missions worldwide at a moment’s notice, and knowing the toll it takes on them and their families, this tight-knit SEAL team displays unwavering patriotism and fearless dedication even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

“Gunsmoke Movie Collection” Review by Suzanne 8/30/20
If you enjoy the classic “Gunsmoke” TV series, then you’ll probably enjoy these movies as well. Even though the cast is older, they still do a great job on these later movies. The stories are solid. It’s not my favorite show, but I’ve seen many of the episodes because my dad used to watch it. It’s fun seeing Matt Dillon with long hair and acting like John Wayne in these films. Sadly, the actress who played Kitty (Amanda Blake), died after the first movie. Michael Learned stepped in to play an old romance of Matt’s.
There are 5 total Gunsmoke movies, but this collection only has the first three. It doesn’t appear as if the last two movies have come out yet. I wish I knew why. At any rate, if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll enjoy these movies. They have twice the action of the Gunsmoke TV series.
I wish they had more features on the DVD set. It has none. This set was clearly done cheaply.
MORE INFORMATION:
The classic ‘Gunsmoke: The Complete Movie Collection’ featuring James Arness in his Emmy®️ -nominated role as Marshall Matt is coming to DVD, featuring all three movie sequels: Return to Dodge, The Last Apache, and To The Last Man on August 25 from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment.
Gunsmoke: The Complete Movie Collection
Street Date: August 25, 2020
Format: DVD
The Gunsmoke Complete Movie Collection will feature all three movie sequels, starting off with the Return to Dodge, where Will Mannon (Steve Forrest) is released from prison and looking for revenge on Marshal Matt Dillion and Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) for putting him there. Following the second film, The Last Apache, Matt Dillon responds to a letter from “Mike” Yardner (Michael Learned), an old friend where they discover a ranch has been raided by Apaches and Mike’s daughter, Beth, is kidnapped by ‘Wolf’, a rogue Apache. The film follows Dillion as he begins his search and rescue for Beth. Lastly, To The Last Man, retired Marshal Matt Dillion finds trouble in regards to rustlers stealing his cattle. Dillion tracks down rustlers in Pleasant Valley, Arizona, where a land-grab war arises.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

“G-LOC” Review by Suzanne 8/30/20
I really wanted to like this movie because it stars Stephen Moyer, who was so great in “True Blood” and “The GIfted.” Also, I like scifi. However, the movie is a mess. If you like action, maybe you’ll like it, but it has a lot of slow, boring parts as well. The name of the movie is based on what happens when you lose consciousness in space, due too much G-force.
The basic “universe” the movie is set in was interesting. Earth is facing a new ice age in the future. A mysterious worm hole dubbed “The Gate” appears over the Earth, so humanity builds space ships to fly through it, to get to another world, Rhea. Time is different on the other side, however. By the time the remaining humans decide to go through, the earliest human settlers of Rhea have decided not to take any more refugees. That part is interesting (and, of course, timely). The hero, Bran (Moyer), is stranded in space on a dying ship, with just his A.I., Edison (who sounds a bit too much lik C-3PO). They board another ship, but most of the crew is dead.
At this point, I was thinking, “How many times have we seen THIS scenario before?” Answer: a lot, especially on “Doctor Who,” but also in many movies. Then Bran (dumb name) meets a Rhean woman named Osha. Now, “Bran” is bad enough, but Osha? As in, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?? No. Terrible names. Bran and Osha spend a lot of time trying to kill each other. Throughout the movie, we can’t figure out if they’re going to have a romance or not. The problem is, Moyer looks a lot older than her. She seems closer to the age of his daughter. In the end, though, they never become more than friends. That question remains unanswered, and it’s not the only one.
One of the interesting parts of the movie is when Bran is thinking back to his family on Earth. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty sad story. John Rhys-Davies has a small part as his father-in-law. The movie has a good ending, except we never get to see Rhea. Most of the movie happens on a claustrophobic spaceship set.
I think this could have been a good movie in the hands of an experienced filmmaker. Unfortunately, it moves too slowly and has a little too much going on at once. It seems to be trying to be a dark, grim movie, but it has a facile ending that doesn’t match the tone of the rest of it.
MORE INFORMATION:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
An epic sci-fi adventure set in a distant world, G-LOC premieres on DVD, Digital, and On Demand August 18 from Lionsgate. Fan favorites Stephen Moyer and Casper Van Dien star in this poignant, allegorical story set in a fantastic otherworld where humans are pitted against one another for survival. Also starring Tala Gouveia, Toby Osmond, and Shayne Ward, the G-LOC DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
With Earth virtually destroyed, Bran Marshall flees to the Rhea, a planet hostile to Earthlings. Escaping onto a Rhean supply ship, he finds the crew slaughtered, with the only survivor a female warrior named Ohsha. As the two try to kill one another, the ship is damaged by meteorites. Bran (Moyer) and Ohsha must join forces to salvage the craft before it impacts the planet below — and the humans that live there. This gripping sci-fi epic stars Stephen Moyer, Casper Van Dien, and John Rhys-Davies.
DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
CAST
Stephen Moyer TV’s “Fortunate Son,” TV’s “The Gifted,” TV’s “The Bastard Executioner,” and TV’s “True Blood”
Tala Gouveia Cold Feet, Before We Grow Old, TV’s “Scream Street”
Toby Osmond TV’s “Game Of Thrones”, Summerland, Black Ops
Shayne Ward TV’s Coronation Street, You Are Beautiful, Black Ops
with Casper Van Dien Alita: Battle Angel, TV’s “All American,” Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow
and John Rhys-Davies The Lord of the Rings franchise, Indiana Jones franchise, TV’s “Once Upon a Time”
Trailer: https://youtu.be/8hG6oX5BNaw
Year of Production: 2020
Title Copyright: Program Content and Package Artwork © 2019 Goldfinch Science Fiction Limited. All Rights Reserved. Package Design and Summary © 2020 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Home Entertainment Premiere
Rating: PG-13 for violence and some strong language.
Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Fantasy
Closed-Captioned: No
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish Subtitles
Feature Run Time: 93 Minutes
DVD Format: 16×9 (1.78:1) Presentation
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


Interview with Crystal Hunt of “Mood Swings” on PureFlix by Suzanne 8/14/20
It was great to speak with Crystal! She’s a lot of fun. I used to watch her on “Guiding Light” and “One Life to Live” She’s good at playing the villain, but she’s very sweet and down-to-earth in real life.
Here is the audio version of it. Here’s the transcript!
Suzanne: So, when did you create the series? And when was it filmed?
Crystal: We shot it the year right before Christmas, year before last, and I created it when Donna Mills and Vanessa Marcil and I did that show “Queens Of Drama.” We were given a challenge. So, I create a treatment for a series that we think should be on the air. And so, my name is chosen, but Donna loved the concept of doing a female ensemble comedy and always loved “The Golden Girls,” and, you know, her favorite’s “I Love Lucy” like me. She loves Lucy a lot. So, we have a very similar sense of the style of comedy we like. And I just didn’t let her down. I was like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.” She’s like, “You realize how big of a deal this is.” And she’s like, “There’s nobody in our industry that says they’re actually gonna do something and they actually follow through.” I’m like, “Well, I’m from Florida. I think it’s different.”
Suzanne: So had you done any writing before this?
Crystal: I had never, but I didn’t really have much of a choice once I saw what the budget was, and also timeframe before production needed to start by. And I didn’t realize just how many – because I’m not a writer, I didn’t realize just how – okay, I take it back. I did take poetry writing and things like that. I’ve always enjoyed that growing up. I’d just never formally written. So, I never really knew about writers rooms and all these different components and all these other people that add to the mix that actually makes up each episode. So, I realized really quickly, that yeah, this is too much work for anyone person in the time frame we need it. So, I happen to be friends with one of the writers of “The Golden Girls,” and I said, “Listen, I know that you [don’t want?] to do this for a long time, but it’s happening, but here’s the deal. It has to be done in this amount of time.” He’s like, “Okay, so possible.” I’m like, “Yeah, and here’s what it is. You’ll have me and one of my friends and we will -“ She has written some things. I was like, “So, she has a little bit of experience.” I said, “And I’m watching Judd Apatow Masterclass first.” I said, “So, while I finish up wrapping up the shooting the season on this other show.” I was like, “I will be watching a masterclass, so I know I can at least have an idea that I can make notes” I’m like, “And then lets beat board the whole thing out, and then let us create some female heavy content, and then you can run with it.” He’s like, “Okay, this sounds nuts but I think that it might actually be doable if you guys can do that.” He’s like, “That’s the key, like that’s where the writer room comes in, is you get to get ideas from a bunch of different heads, and a lot of different visions and takes on everything and that’s kind of what makes comedy so great.” So, it was a lesson and also opened up the doors to a lot of work right at the tail end of wrapping up season two of our show.
Suzanne: Wow. So, so, so it was difficult, but you figured out how to get help and get it all together.
Crystal: 100%. Tons of notes, tons of calls for questions and whatnot, but we got down to a really good rhythm. Some episodes, that will seem the most daunting to do, because they seem like they had the most content, turned out to be some of the easiest, and the ones that we thought were going to be the easiest, we’re like, “What? I don’t know, what do you mean?
Suzanne: So I know you’d worked for Pure Flix before, did that make it easier to sell it to them?
Crystal: Oh, it had already been sold. They had actually asked when I was actually negotiating my deal for season two. [Unintelligible] asked, “What happened to that show you pitched on, ‘Queens of Drama’?” “I mean, I do plan to do it at some point, but I just haven’t gotten around it yet.” He’s like, “Can you give me a rough pitch?” And I’m like, “Well, I haven’t even looked at the treatment in years, but yes.
Crystal: Like twenty minutes later, he’s like, “Let’s do like eight or ten episodes. Let’s just figure out like, what the beat board is and let’s do it. Like the episode, like what’s the season’s going to comprise of, and let’s do it.” So, just a treatment
Suzanne: Great. And so, did you first meet and work with Donna Mills with the “Queens of Drama,” or her did you know her from before?
Crystal: No, we actually have friends in common. One of the first executive researchers to ever hire her was a gentleman named John Conboy. He [unintelligible] “Santa Barbara” and “Capitol.” And he actually gave her one of my first jobs. He hired me for my first job on “The Guiding Light.”
Suzanne: Oh, good.
Crystal: Yeah, so, we had a lot of paths that crossed, but yes, we didn’t formally meet until “Queens of Drama.” And we’ve been like, yeah, there might be an age difference, but she and I, like you couldn’t find too closer pals. I love her pieces. She’s like family, as is her husband and daughter. They just didn’t realize they were gonna gain family from Florida, but they did…Joan Collins is a good friend of hers and Joan worked on “Guiding Light” with me. There’re just a lot of crossovers in our industry that you really don’t think of until that happens and you’re like, “Oh, oh, that’s where we know each other.” There’re so many times the things like that happen and it’s like, “Okay, now I’m not surprised anymore. Just go with it.”
Suzanne: Yeah, I read about that all the time. You’ll hear about somebody being cast and they’ll be like, “Oh, I know so and so, because we used to meet each other in the same auditions, or we took an acting class or something like that. And you’re like, “Oh, okay.”
Crystal: That happens a lot. Where like you used to, you know, do some sort of like workshop whatever with an actor and you run into them again, and then there’s like some sort of crossover.
Suzanne: Yeah. And I guess you see that a lot on Twitter too. Some actor that you know from one thing and then you’ll be talking to another actor, and you’re like, I wonder how they know each other? It’s always something like that.
Crystal: So true. And it does; it happens a lot. That’s because there’s not that many, especially in New York, there weren’t that many really reputable coaches that did workshops and whatnot. So, you had to have at least some credits on your belt to even get in there. So, if you were part of it, chances are you’re gonna see people that you’ve seen either on auditions or have worked with. [dog is barking]
Suzanne: Is that your dog?
Crystal: No, it is not. It’s my mother’s unruly dog. He is right next to me, barking next to me. I’m like, “What is she barking at?” We’re here in Florida for my mom’s birthday. So yeah, her dogs, though I love them to pieces. I got them for her, so obviously, I think they’re beautiful and I love them, but holy moly. They bark at everything
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s we always try to get dog that doesn’t bark if we can help it.
Crystal: Mine does not. I am very proud to say that.
Crystal: I’m answering a text; I have to get to an appointment that my mom’s at. Sorry I was asking on my dad’s [unintelligible] because they were walking in. My mom’s like – I told her, I’m like, “I have an interview to do on my drive over there.” Like I didn’t realize the time it was, because I was like, “I know I’ll be getting a call at that time. So I’ll head over there.
Crystal: I told him too, I was like…I surprised my mom got like this whole like, UV filtration system in their house and stuff like that, because she’s a cancer survivor…and really good it gets all the crap out of the water and stuff but also doesn’t have that water. So, I don’t know if you have long hair, but it doesn’t have that water softener feel that makes you feel like you can’t ever get your shampoo out of your hair. Because we hate it but also don’t want to have her breathing in carcinogens like they clean water with. So, I do that and the guy didn’t know what he was doing exactly, and it flooded a quarter of my parents’ house.
Suzanne: Oh, no.
Crystal: Yeah, this all happened in the last 48 hours, so it’s been fun.
Suzanne: You’ve been having a week.
Crystal: Yeah, exactly. I was like, “Friday might be a little hectic, but don’t worry. Even if I’m talking on the road, I’ll be talking.
Suzanne: Well, that’s good that you can multitask.
Crystal: [unintelligible] disaster.
Suzanne: Did you know any of the other people in your cast? You have a great cast for the show. Did you know any of them before they were cast?
Crystal: Oh, 100%, yeah. Well, obviously, Donna wrote the role for, and then Dyan Cannon she called me, and I was just like, that was beyond a pinch yourself moment. I mean, her her manager called a couple times, and I was explaining that the character that would be great for her would be be – She wanted to roll of Wanda, but I said I’ve written that for Donna, but the roll of her sister would be fabulous for her. She’s wild and crazy and a blast. But she wasn’t set to come until season two. Well, a couple of calls later, I get a call from Diane pitching me to have her come in a little bit in season one and then full time in season two. And I’m sorry yeah, it was a week before production, but you can’t get a call like that and not make it happen.
Suzanne: Right. Right. Wow. That’s great. Yeah, she’s wonderful.
Crystal: And I couldn’t have met a more unbelievable human being. She’s just incredible. Such an angel.
Suzanne: And what about Robin Riker? Did you know her before?
Crystal: Robin Riker, I actually know her through “The Golden Girls” writer; he wrote for her on “Mash.” It was so much crossover. It was crazy. And then several of my former cast mates from other soaps that are on there too, like the guy who plays my ex husband, Scott Bailey. We worked together since I was seventeen on “Guiding Light.” And a lot of people, because ultimately, I mean, Joan Collins has come out and said, “You know, soap opera stars are about the hardest working people in the business.” Because the thing is, there is no other workload like it. Like it’s the only thing that you see five days a week, every week that [unintelligible] training, and so it’s less of a series in the way that when people watch series, they watch ten, twelve episodes of something, and then they have to wait for another season to come out. Whereas it develops a totally different relationship with your fan base. Because it’s no longer like, “Oh my god!” It’s not that; it’s legitimately like they’ll come up to you and give you a piece of their mind and tell you, you know, “You need to stop giving this person a hard time,” and blah, blah, blah, bla, blah and are totally 100% in it, but like there is no like, “Hi, nice to meet you.” It’s like,”Why don’t you leave your your stepmother alone and give her a break.” And because it creates such a real family type relationship, that people forget that they don’t actually know you as a person, and also that you’re portraying a character. So, the separation is a little off, but there’s never a dull moment, I can tell you that.
Suzanne: So did you get more people coming up to you when you were playing Lizzie or when you’re playing Stacy?
Crystal: Oh, that’s a good question. I think just as much but just different, because I was so young when I was playing Lizzy. I had a lot of people like concerned, like there are a lot people waiting outside the studio tracks, like trying to introduce me to Christianity, even though if they ever looked up anything that I had said set about myself – I grew up Pentecostal Church of God and went to a bad Baptist school. So like, there’s really not much you can tell me that I haven’t heard ad nauseum, because I had to learn absolutely every single subject every kid learns in school, only the subject and how it relates to the Bible. But like they truly are concerned that I came from like a very sweet sort of nurturing side, whereas with Stacey, I think they are like, “She’s old enough to know better!” And they would give me an earful. It’s funny; it’s just different fans, because the fans – I feel like it sounds crazy, but the fans for CBS, it’s like they’re just 100% away from ABC fans. They’re just totally different types of people and demographics. It’s so weird. You would never ever think that a network would change, you know, what your fan base is going to be. Like, for instance, like “Guiding Light,” I would say, it’s definitely more of a legacy show. Like there was a lot one people that watched it, because it was like passed down to them like it was like an heirloom or something. Whereas I’d say ABC, it was the first time I actually had a lot of young fans.
Suzanne: That makes sense.
Crystal: Because there was such a broad demographic for ABC shows. ,So it was just it was it was crazy to see, because you don’t really know it until you experience it.
Suzanne: Right. Well, I watched you a little bit on “Guiding Light” and when you were on “One Life to Live,” and I liked you. You did a good job on both, but I didn’t like Stacy, because I liked Gigi and Rex together
Crystal: Yeah, nobody likes breaking up of the couples.
Suzanne: No, no, exactly…Do you still do you still know Ron? Didn’t Ron Carlivati write your character?
Crystal: My character, yes he did. He wrote my character for “GH.” No, not “GH,” for “One Life to Live.” He is at “GH” now. Yeah, he wrote my character for “One Life.” He’s such a sweetheart.
Suzanne: Yeah I thought I had read that he wrote all that, because I was like, well okay hope he does better now….Like I said you did a great job, you know, I just didn’t like Stacy. You know, it’s hard to like somebody who was so awful all the time.
Crystal: I hear you.
Suzanne: So I was wondering why – I’m sure you get a lot of flack from fans for that.
Crystal: Oh, for sure, but yeah, but that’s the one thing is I think that it probably helps that I already had covered some ground in daytime, because then there are at least enough people out there that knew that Crystal isn’t like that.
Crystal: So, I think that it saved me a little bit. I think a lot of people are trying to figure out how much of Lizzie was really me and how much of it was just the character. And because they didn’t know me from anything, because I was in the middle of my senior year of high school when I got cast. So, I think that since it established that I was not alone and doing all these crazy things, that I must not be so bad. There wasn’t like terrible hate mail. I like that. There has been, but not really as much for Stacey anymore, just because they like them together, you know, and they get used to that. And I completely understand it, but every show has to have that person.
Suzanne: Well, it probably helped you too, if you weren’t just thrown in as that being your first first character. You might have had a lot of trouble with how people treated you.
Crystal: I’m not gonna lie. I have pretty thick skin. I have a huge family that all think that they are like practical jokers and standup comics. I think there’s 99.99% sarcasm in our family. And they’re always pulling pranks on you and all that stuff. So, I feel like they’re so full of crap anyway, all the time that I just have gotten such thick skin to everything that I’m always ready to have a great response, to where I feel like I was already seasoned to handle anything at that point.
Suzanne: They prepared you for life.
Crystal: Oh, yes. No, it’s a good thing. I recommend it. Huge families are fabulous.
Suzanne: What else can you tell us about the series? It comes out in October, right?
Crystal: it came out the end of last October.
Suzanne: Okay.
Crystal: You know, like right before the whole world went on pause.
Suzanne: Crazy.
Crystal: Back when you could go to the movie theater.
Suzanne: Well, it’s a good thing it’s not a movie then.
Crystal: It’s funny though. It’s funny, because I there were so many films I did want to see. And I’m like, what’s gonna happen? Like they gotta put it on streaming somehow, but I guess they have to make a deal. And next thing you know, all these deals are being made with the shows and films that I wanted to see at the theater. They’re now streaming on streaming services. It’s so weird. It’s so weird.
Suzanne: It is weird, because all of a sudden, the definition of a movie has completely changed, hasn’t it?
Crystal: Yeah, I mean, it’s strange though. I mean, I know this has been going on for a long time now, but it still feels like if I were to wake up tomorrow, and this is all just some wacky dream, I wouldn’t be surprised. Like, it just feels so surreal. You know what I mean?
Suzanne: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.
Crystal: it’s just too many things and too much negativity all at once. It’s just you hate seeing like, you know, this is all because of COVID and it’s messing with people brain chemicals, keeping them like the you know, sheltered up in their homes all the time and all that stuff. I mean, it’s not healthy, and then all the stuff that’s been happening in the media, the police forces and different things. It’s just like, really? Like right now? Like come on.
Suzanne: And then you’ve got what was it? Murder hornets. I don’t know what else, so many things. And then we’ve got an election coming up, so everything’s all amped up anyway in the news.
Crystal: Yeah, it’s true. It’s too much, and I refuse to watch the news. I’m not that person. If I flip on the news, it’s really hard to give me any kind of like, remote anxiety about something, but I just don’t understand. Like, it just puts you in a bad mood.
Suzanne: Yeah, it’s depressing.
Crystal: It takes you from a good mood to just being like, “blah,” so quick.
Suzanne: I know, even on a good year, it’s depressing. And this is not a good year.
Crystal: I feel like you watch it for five minutes and know what they’re gonna talk about for the next few hours. It’s like it’s cyclical. Everybody kind of rehashes certain things.
Crystal: But like, my mother loves my watching the news, and she was actually quarantined with me in LA, because she just had spine surgery. And I’m like, “Listen, Lady, I’m making some hard rules here. You can watch ten minutes a day, and if there’s something big happening, that there is some special thing that night, that there’s like some sort of thing that you feel like you need to get updated on, then we’ll see.” But it already is awful that we were in the hospital for as long as we were and then now we’re going to be trapped in this condo for as long as we are going to be and we don’t know when we are going to be let out, but then to actually have some depressing material to watch. No, thank you.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s an older person thing, I think, watching the new over and over and over.
Crystal: It is; it really is. I’m like, if it’s important I’m sure I’ll get some sort of like, alert on my phone or something.
Suzanne: Yeah, my mother-in-law lived with us for five years, and all she watched was the news and reruns of “Law & Order.” That was is.
Crystal: Oh my God. That was my mother’s favorite. She loves that. What’s the one that Mariska Hargitay’s on?
Suzanne: Oh, “SVU.” Yeah.
Crystal: She loves that. [imitating] “Oh, I just love her, and she looks just like her mother.”
Suzanne: Yes, that’s true. She does.
Suzanne: “Just like her mother.”
Suzanne: And it’s funny, because there seems to be like, no matter what time of day you turn on the TV, there’s a “Law & Order” playing somewhere.
Crystal: It’s so true. There’re so many of them. I don’t know how they keep up with all those. Same with “CSI.” It’s like, what time is in?
Suzanne: The original “CSI” was in Vegas, and then they had one New York and one in Miami.
Crystal: Hold on “CSI” in Vegas was before New York?
Suzanne: Oh, yeah.
Crystal: See, I never knew that.
Suzanne: Yep.
Crystal: Unreal.
Suzanne: If you have any TV questions, you can always ask me. I know these things.
Crystal: I love it. I knew nothing about current television until the pandemic, because I then binged watched the first time every bit of content I think that’s probably out there.
Suzanne: There’s a lot.
Crystal: I’m a huge documentary fan, so I definitely hit those pretty hard.
Suzanne: Oh, that’s good. Yeah, there’s a lot of those. They have a lot more of those I think now too. It seems like it anyway.
Crystal: They do, and I feel like I’m seeing a lot more of those still like being made too, because I think they might fall under, well, non-union I imagine, so they probably don’t have as many laws that they have to abide by.
Suzanne: Yeah. Is that your phone?
Crystal: No, that was just the car let me know that I’m close to the curb.
Suzanne: Okay, so –
Crystal: It’s nice when the car talks to you, you know?
Suzanne: Well, you know, we’re not too far off from the whole talking car thing.
Crystal: I know right? There’re actually cars out there there, or are going to be cars out there, I think there already are, that drive themselves. That scares the crap out of me. Like there’re already enough bad drivers on the road. We don’t need any driverless cars.
Suzanne: Well, I like the idea, actually. I don’t I don’t like to drive, so it’s great for me.
Crystal: I love the idea, if it was like “The Jetsons.” I always say, that’s like the ultimate car-
Suzanne: Wait, wait, wait, wait. You want a car that drives itself, but in the air?
Crystal: Yeah! See, that’s just it. I love the concept. The problem is that I just feel like nothing ever works the way it’s projected to, so that’s my only fear, is that as a realist, it sounds fabulous, but let’s be honest, what’s the safety rating on this?
Suzanne: I think most people probably wait until they’ve been out for a while, and we all know exactly how safe they are, hopefully.
Crystal: Yes, I hope so. I do hope so.
Suzanne: I’m just giving you a hard time, I hope you know,
Crystal: Yeah. I will wait until I see how they fare, because I know there were a lot of different little things kind of like that that they were testing out, like Uber Eats and Postmates and things like that, like robotic things, and they didn’t work out so hot. So, it’s a great idea, but if it works seamlessly, if it’s flawless and great.
Suzanne: Right. Well, probably most accidents are caused by people, so, you know, if the cars are working okay and the people are not getting in the way then –
Crystal: That’s true, and as long as there is that then they’re won’t be any people falling asleep at the wheel, so that’s good.
Suzanne: Yeah, exactly, or are getting drunk or whatever.
Crystal: Very true. Uber will go out of business.
Suzanne: Yeah. So anything else you can tell us about the series for people who haven’t watched it yet?
Crystal: It is my personal modern take/twist on “The Golden Girls,” me coming from a huge, huge family of diverse ranges of ages, because all of the people in our family have kids in their early 20s and do it again their 40s, so there’re a lot of big age gaps. So, the one thing I wanted to do differently with my spin, because I know how interesting it makes things, is have someone from each decade. Because there is something that you don’t even need to write when you have women of every decade dealing with all different levels of estrogen and lack thereof, having to cohabitate and dealing with their randomly different issues. You know, it’s already fun. There’s already gonna be something entertaining there.
Suzanne: And you said you’re working on the second season now?
Crystal: No, I’m actually waiting for anybody to get back to the office to even hear anything. I know our ratings are the top show, so that’s good. But nobody’s at the office. So, it’s kind of hard.
Suzanne: Okay, but you you wrote the second season already?
Crystal: I have a list, yeah. Bob and I [unintelligible] started sorry, actually making notes of stuff as we were shooting of stuff that we want for episodes for the second season. So yes, we have a rough outline of it.
Suzanne: Cool. And do you think that the first season will be out on DVD?
Crystal: That’s a good question. I haven’t really given it much thought, because, I mean, we can sell it as a DVD, we just haven’t really gone into that, because the people who buy, it’s a different type of distribution. So, the people who would buy to do that aren’t in their offices to even have those calls yet. So, it kind of makes it hard in that way. But it is definitely a possibility. It’s just a bridge that hasn’t been crossed yet, because it is a different kind of distribution all together.
Suzanne: Yeah, I think it would work. I mean, I haven’t seen it, but I think it sounds like it would work for DVD, because you have people of all ages, and those of us who watch DVDs are older, so it would work.
Crystal: Yeah, absolutely, of course. If Netflix works, then a DVD would work. Yeah, exactly. Ultimately, it’s handy, so you have them all there readily available.
Suzanne: Right, and not everybody – there’re so many streaming services and you know, you can’t you can’t buy them all.
Crystal: You are not kidding. That is so true.
Suzanne: Well, anyway, I appreciate you calling me, and I enjoyed it. Like I said, I used to watch you all the time on the soap, so I do feel like I know you. See, like those other fans.
Crystal: Thank you, I appreciate it.
Suzanne: But you’re nicer than, you know, either of your other characters.
Crystal: Thank you. I hope so. Otherwise, I think I’d be creating some crazy publicity if I was. If I was anything like them, I can assure you, I’d probably be emulating it.
Suzanne: That’s right. All right. Well, thanks very much, and I look forward to check it out the show.
Crystal: Me too. Same here. I’d love to hear what you think.
Suzanne: Thank you.
Crystal: Thank you.
Suzanne: Bye bye.
Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com
MORE INFO:
Emmy-nominated actress Crystal Hunt, who first captured America’s attention at age 17 when she was cast as the troubled teenager ‘Lizzie Spaulding’ on the iconic CBS daytime series “Guiding Light.” Now Crystal is the writer, creator, producer and star of the new TV series “Mood Swings” that gives a modern spin on “Golden Girls.” The comedy airs on streaming service Pure Flix and follows four generations of women thrown together by circumstance to live under one roof and survive in Los Angeles. It is directed by Emmy nominated comedy director Sean Lambert (“The Larry Sanders Show,” “Freaks and Greeks”) and features Crystal’s fellow soap stars Donna Mills (“General Hospital”) and Robin Riker (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), and Oscar-nominated actress Dyan Cannon.
Disillusioned with the pace of Hollywood and feeling there was a need for a great female ensemble comedy such as “Golden Girls,” “I Love Lucy,” and “Designing Women” which she grew up watching, Crystal took her career into her own hands to embrace the legacy of these female driven shows, while adding her own modern twist. Crystal Hunt is the creative and comedic force behind the series which follows ‘Farrah’ (Crystal Hunt) who after being recently divorced deals with an enormous mortgage on a Malibu mansion and so takes on roommates to earn money to support herself and her eight-year-old son ‘Ryder.’
Crystal’s new roommates include ‘Coco’ (Robin Riker), a disgruntled working woman, ‘Dani’ (BAD MOMS’ Christina DeRosa), a Canadian-Italian “culinary wizard” and aspiring actress, and ‘Emilia’ (“Ballers'” Sophia Gasca), a Dominican entrepreneur trying to secure U.S. citizenship. Jason Earles (Disney’s “Hannah Montana”) stars as ‘Farah’s’ live-in, slacker handyman.
After being spotted by an agent at the Actors Workshop in New York as a teenager, Crystal was quickly offered a role on “Guiding Light” that would last four years and earn the teenage actress an Emmy nomination. Coinciding with her rigorous television schedule, Hunt got her break into motion pictures, appearing opposite Zac Efron in the feel-good family movie THE DERBY STALLION.
Crystal returned to her television roots in 2009 when she was cast as the devious stripper ‘Stacy Morasco’ on the ABC daytime series “One Life To Live”, where she would stay for three years. She also starred on the docuseries “Queens of Drama” that followed a powerful cast of former daytime and primetime stars as they work in front of and behind the cameras to create, develop, pitch and produce a new steamy, serialized, primetime drama.
Enjoy Crystal’s remarkable behind the scenes Hollywood journey from developing the concept, writing the scripts, selling the series, casting and so much more.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page


Interview with Rico Torres of “Ballers” on HBO and “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” on Showtime by Suzanne 8/3/20
This was a fun interview. Rico has a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and we got along very well. I think he’ll have big success in the future. If he doesn’t, it sure won’t be for lack of trying.
Here is the audio version of it.
Suzanne: I’m sorry to hear that you were bullied in high school. I was bullied in elementary and junior high, so I know how you feel.
Rico: Yeah, it was junior high; it was middle school and high school. I mean, that is the toughest time for any kid. You think the world is going to end. You think it’s literally – like, yeah, it’s insane. Because now after, you know, you graduated, none of that matters. None of that matters, right? I went through this entire journey and I never, never told anybody. You know, I never told my parents; I never told my brothers. I remember coming home one day actually, I think this was like in eighth or ninth grade, my black eye, my face was just tore up. And I told my parents, you know, I ran into a door. I remember that so vividly. And I actually got beat up. And yeah, I mean, you know, my middle and high school, I was bullied, because I had asthma, because I had anorexia. And what made matters worse, was, I guess, I was born – I hate saying this, because I hate being cocky and stuff, but I’m not I’m not ugly. You know?
So, I guess a lot of girls were attracted to me, and that just made matters worse, because a lot of guys would get mad, so mad, because I had all these different things. You already know. One thing led to another, and it was just so awful. And for so many years, I fell into such a like depressive, anxious – it was for years years, and I kind of I guess I played video games to get my mind off of things. And I tell the story all the time. I remember only eating like one or two (meal tickets?) a day. And I guess I wasn’t even aware that I even had anorexia, because I was getting bullied. You know what I mean? (Unintelligible), my dad was never home, this and that, this thing will kill somebody. It’s going to make somebody commit suicide.
But it wasn’t until, you know, one day I remember, I literally just stared at myself in the mirror for like an hour. And I literally said – because after, you know, countless meetings with the doctor and I was like, “Yo, problem, man,” and I never took any of the medications, and then my mom would try to feed me more, but I said “no,” and I just simply wasn’t aware of it. When I’d stare at myself in the mirror, and I said, “Yo, problem,” that’s when everything changed. I’m like, I’ve been bullied, I keep denying the help from my parents, the doctors. That was the solution to everything, admitting to myself that I have a problem. And after that, I mean, then I reached out for help. I’m was like, “Mom, please send me anything,” whatever. And then my brother I get from the time I was working out, I’m like, “Please show me anything. I can’t I can’t keep this up.” And then one thing led to another, and then I gained confidence from working out, from eating, and the rest is history. I broke out of that. I broke out of that.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s tough. And I think boys can be bullied a lot worse than girls. I mean, girls can be bullied for sure, and girls are mean and catty and all that, but the physical stuff i think is more of a boys thing. You know, it’s much worse.
Rico: Agreed. It’s horrible.
Suzanne: Yeah, I lucked out, because I went from sort of a ghetto school in middle school, or junior high, they called it back there, to a nice – I was in a foster home, so I got into a nice foster home in a really nice area where the kids didn’t do stuff like that. So, I was lucky. I was still a total geek, and they probably talked about me behind my back, but nobody punched me or beat me up or anything, but I know how you feel, up to a certain extent, obviously. But you turned your life around. That’s good that you were able to do that. It was good that you were able to turn your life around like that.
Rico: Oh, yeah. Oh, man, to be honest with you, as we’re talking about all this, and as I, you know, sit here and think about everything that’s happened in my life, I don’t regret anything. I sit here and I’m smiling; I’m telling you I’m not even lying, because all that really shaped me to who I am today. I mean, I don’t know if you read it, but I went to school, I went to college for pre med. I was following this doctor route kind of like for years and years and years. And I crossed off all these items off the checklist, you know, like (unintelligible), medical missions trips, shadowing doctors, this and that, and I mean, next thing you know, I don’t know, like senior year of college, I just know I broke out again, just continuously breaking out of like this paradigm that we’re all raised to believe in. And because, for years, I followed that, and then I guess I got into modeling, because I’m like, I can make money off of this; everybody always told me.
I got into that, you know, and one thing led to another. A modeling agent, I guess, who was also part talent agent, got me an audition. I’m like, “What is that?” And I went to it, and I did awful. But then I guess I got a callback and I’m like, “What is that?” I’m like, I’ve got take this seriously. They gave me the numbers. They’re like, “If you get this, this is a lead role for a feature film. If you get this, you know, you get $900 a day for 15 days,” and I’m like, “That’s $15,000 in two weeks? That’s crazy.” Yeah.
So, then I actually tried really hard. I got into the room with two producers. And, I mean, long story short, I didn’t get it, but, I mean, for the Cruises (?) to literally say, “I love your style,” that’s crazy. And they kind of opened my eyes to the whole new world. And I’m like, medicine, I don’t even like it. I was going with traditional medicine, and I’m into holistics. I hate the whole traditional medicine, because the pharmaceutical industry is killing the entire world. I mean, the US, because that’s the most profitable industry in the US. So, I mean, I was just following, I don’t know, it’s crazy. I don’t know how to explain it.
Suzanne: No, it makes sense. It totally makes sense now, how you went from being wanting to be a doctor to be an actor. At first, I thought, how did that happen? But no, the way you explained it makes perfect sense. You didn’t really have your heart in the doctor thing, and then you started the modeling, and then that led to the acting, and now that makes a lot of sense.
Rico: And then the app thing led to just like, entrepreneurial ventures. And then next thing, you know, my book is being published September 1st, because I actually love writing. Who would have thought? Like if I’d never broke out of that, you know, pre med just doctor doctor doctor doctor, I’d have never found out what I actually truly like to do and what I’m actually truly talented talented in. Oh, that’s crazy.
Suzanne: Well, I didn’t know that you can write. What was the book that you wrote?
Rico: Oh yeah, it’s about “Know your norms.” So, basically, I mean, it just talks about social norms. It talks about it from from the moment you’re born, to the moment you kind of die. So, it’s like all that in between, and it starts from the very beginning. I incorporate some of my personal life experiences in there, because I believe that storytelling changes the world. So, I incorporate some of my own stories, you know, the anorexia – I was I was born into the color blue, because I’m a boy. Like, girls are born to the color pink. Girls are given toys; boys are given guns and cars. You know what I mean? Since are born, we are being tricked. And it’s that paradigm that I’m talking about. We’re being tricked into just following these rules made by society. And that’s why like 1% of the world are quote, unquote, aware of all of this and like 99% aren’t, and they simply just follow that entire, you know, playbook that’s given them for their entire life, and they don’t realize or find out about, you know, anything else in the world. So, I mean, I’m so excited about this book that I made. It truly came from the heart. I love it. I was like, this is crazy. Hopefully, it opens up so many other people’s eyes and minds like it did to me. I mean, I just try to make people aware.
Suzanne: Can we buy that on Amazon? Is it on there?
Rico: Absolutely. We publish a lot of places. Because this is my first book. I’m so publishing everywhere. Hopefully, you know, my second or third book, which I’m actually already working on my second book, hopefully, you know, when my second or third book, I actually, you know, get a literary agent and the traditional publishing and etc, etc. I’m used to the whole game. So, I was looking at it like, oh –
Suzanne: Well, it sounds it sounds really good. You know, I agree with what you’re saying, because, obviously, we all know, to a certain extent, that the whole thing about school is not just there to inform you, it’s there to mold you to be a good citizen. And your parents try to do the same thing. But one thing I’ve always thought is that people don’t plan their lives they do like you said, whatever their parents tell them, the schools tell them, and we’re all told, you must get a good job. You must go to college, you must get married, you must have kids, all that stuff, and few people question it. And then, if something terrible happens, like a divorce, they’re completely thrown, because they never considered it. And we put all this thought and money into the wedding, but nobody really talks about the marriage or whether you should have kids and all that stuff. So yeah, I totally see what you’re saying. I’ve always thought that.
Rico: And then like exactly what you’re saying, then if you go even more in depth, it’s literally just years and years and years of your life just wasted, just trying to follow your parents’ expectations or society’s expectations. And then you’re trapped, and then you become unhappy and it’s like no, do what you love, and that’s it.
Suzanne: And it causes things like anorexia, with society always telling us we have to be skinny to be beautiful.
Rico: Oh, yeah. There’s so many. Oh, and I feel so strongly about mental health, especially because of social media. I hate it. Oh, man. Oh, man, living here in LA. I’ve only lived here like, a little under two years. I’ve already been exposed to all of the type of people that are just crazy about their image. And I’m like, “What are you doing.” And then what they do when they post all this other stuff on Instagram and whatnot, they’re just, you know, the average person or the average Joe, the normal person who really doesn’t get exposed to all this you know, in LA or Hollywood, Atlanta (?) or whatnot. They see that and then they believe that to be true; they believe that that’s what you need to be successful. They believe that you need to look a certain way. And they just use square[screw?] everybodys lined up, man.
Suzanne: Right. That’s true. Yeah, my sister-in-law and her husband are from LA and they lived there a while, and it was all about you have to you have to put up – and she wasn’t even an actress for very long. But you have to put on this show for people you have to always look perfect, and you have to be seen, and I was like, “What?” I thought it was crazy. So, I know what you’re saying. And then everybody there is just pressured to do that, and, you know, it’s crazy.
Rico: Yeah, and while I’m still, you know, honestly, why I’m still here and why I’m still, you know, striving to do all these things in TV and film, and I guess, in the realm of Hollywood is because well, first of all, I needed a break. Somebody in your family has to break out. Somebody has to break out of that, you know, generational norm because, you know, you need to build that generational wealth and my entire family’s core, and core as in financially and core, you know, inside…I was going to say, it’s kind of like how Tupac’s dead – you know who Tupac is, right? Tupac Shakur. Yeah, I don’t know, I just love his message. I love everything that he’s ever – aside from that whole gang stuff, gang related stuff, I don’t approve of that. But like, I love hearing people’s misfortunes, but to have Tupac, and how he broke out of that, and how he’s so intellectual and he just wanted to inspire and spark someone’s brain to kind of do exactly, not exactly the same, but, you get what I’m saying right? I can’t explain it right.
Suzanne: Yeah. No, it’s all right; I understand. So, were you in drama at all in high school or you didn’t do anything like that?
Rico: Absolutely not. That’s why I love it, there is no there are no rules. I’m not big. I’m not an A-List or anything like that, but in under two years, I’ve already been, you know, featured in some of these big productions. I may not have had a leading role or anything like that, but I still landed something in these huge productions. And I’m still getting massive auditions, getting all this recognition and stuff. I’ve never taken an acting class in my life. So, like people go through all this schooling and stuff, and all I mean, there are no rules. You set your own rules.
Suzanne: Well, I wasn’t thinking so much training. It’s just it’s a lot of fun in high school. I did drama in high school.
Rico: Yeah, I’ve heard I’ve heard Yeah, yeah, I missed out on that. I’ve heard it’s a lot of fun.
Suzanne: It is a lot of fun.
Rico: Like the improv side of stuff, yeah, I would have loved to do all that.
Suzanne: So, you’ve never done any stage plays or anything like that, just TV and movies?
Rico: Yep.
Suzanne: Oh, cool. Well, you might one day, right? You might do a play or something.
Rico: Anything is possible; I might do everything. Absolutely. I’m actually taking vocal classes. So, I’m bilingual; I’m Colombian, and I really like Latin music. So, I’m trying to get into that.
Suzanne: Cool.
Rico: Not into the industry; I hate the industry. Well, like you said, for fun.
Suzanne: For fun, yeah, right. And, you know, since you’re smart and you like to write, you might, who knows, you might write a play one day or a screenplay.
Rico: Oh, I already wrote one.
Suzanne: Oh, good. I figured, right?
Rico: I wrote a screenplay for a trilogy. I don’t know how to get that to distribution. I don’t know how to get that to the right eyes. I don’t know anything. I’m kind of like learning as I go. But yeah, it was amazing. I would love to see that actually come to fruition. Kind of like “Rocky,” kind of like Sylvester Stallone, how he wrote “Rocky,” that’s kind of like what I’m trying to do with my screenplay.
Suzanne: Cool. So what would you say is your biggest role so far?
Rico: I would say the one from “Ballers,” but I just –
Suzanne: Sorry, is that a tough question?
Rico: Yeah, it is, because it was such a small role. So it’s like, ah, it sucks.
Suzanne: That’s all right. That’s okay. That’s fine. That’s an honest answer.
Rico: I mean, I‘ve only been at this for a year and a half. I want a lot more than just, you know, two or three scenes.
Suzanne: Yeah, well, you just gotta give it time. You’ll you’ll get there. It’s good that you’re proud of what you’ve done so far. That’s good. I think a lot of people fail because of lack of confidence, so that’s good.
Rico: Yeah, exactly. I’m not afraid to take on you know, under five roles. I’m not even afraid to be an extra. I did that, you know, all first coming out here. I did extra, extra, extra, extra extra. A lot of people don’t care about that, but like, no, I mean, Tiffani Haddish was an extra. I mean, Sylvester Stallone was an extra. I mean, they did a lot of extra stuff.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s how they get started.
The IMDb says that you’re in a film called “LA Rush.” Do you know when when that’ll come out?
Rico: Who knows. I did that in the very beginning. It’s already been like a year and a half, two years. I don’t know why that’s still in production.
Suzanne: Well, maybe the pandemic affected it.
Rico: This Covid, man, it takes me so many of my projects that I’m hopefully going to be in.
Suzanne: Yeah, we’re all in the same boat on that, I think, especially people who have projects going in Hollywood.
Do you have anything else that you were working on before the pandemic hit, like shows or auditions or whatever?
Rico: Oh, a bunch of them. I had like, three or four and then like a bunch of auditions and stuff, but everything is just being delayed. I mean, series, pilots, like this and that. I don’t know if they don’t even want me anymore. It’s crazy. I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I understand; I understand.
Suzanne: Ask your agent about the soap operas, because they’re all going back in production now. They’re they started before any of the other shows.
Rico: Soap Operas?
Suzanne: Yeah, daytime soaps.
Rico: My agent sucks. I don’t ever go out for anything in Spanish. I’m kidding. I’m learning; I’m going. I’ve been through, in a matter of a year and a half, I’ve been through like three managers, three agents, this and that. And it’s like, and it’s not because of me. It’s not because of me because, you know, I’m just trying to get work. I’m like, “Hey, you know, anything that you need, let me know. I’ll go on five auditions every single day. Let’s go.” You know what I mean?
Some of them don’t get back to me. And I’m like, come on. Like, really? I’m just trying to work. I’m trying to make you money.
Suzanne: Yeah. I don’t know how some people get their jobs.
Rico: So, I mean, yeah, I’m just taking it slow. You know, something will come up. I mean, with that, with commercials, with modeling, I have so many things, so many routes, so many seeds planted. It’s like, one of them’s going to blow up, you know?
Suzanne: So, what have you been working on for the past four months besides writing? Anything else? I’m sure you must.
Rico: Yeah, I love to write. I have a couple businesses. I’m developing an app, but that’s going to take some time.
I’m in the process of creating actually a men’s cosmetics line. Again, that’s going to take several months so, what else? Yeah, I’d have to look at all my stuff, but a lot of stuff. I mean, everything is especially like, pending, like how can I even talk about it.
Suzanne: What we’ve been doing just to relax or have fun?
Rico: I just work every day. No, I go to the gym every day, take my mind off of things. I meditate, you know, 30 minutes before I go to sleep and 30 minutes after I wake up, to keep my mind sane from all this stuff, especially because I came out here alone. I left everybody and everything over there in Florida. So, I’ve been at this alone, and sometimes it gets to me, and then especially when you’re single. I just feel like everybody here has the worst intentions possible, and it kind of messes with you mentally. I keep myself sane by working out, and – oOh sorry go ahead.
Suzanne: I was just going to say, you got therapy before to help you with the depression, anxiety and anorexia, did they also teach you how to eat right and all that kind of thing?
Rico: I did not follow. I’ve always had a problem of following directions in order. I don’t know why, I mean, I don’t want to some stubborn, but I just learned things on my own. I mean, asked for help, but on my own terms. I don’t know. It’s so weird. It’s so weird, do I sound bad saying all this?
Suzanne: No, no, no. You have your opinions and you have confidence. That’s good.
Rico: Yeah. So, I mean, for example, like, you know, like doctors were telling me this. I mean, it’s because I’ve been diagnosed incorrectly. And then I hear stories of other people being diagnosed incorrectly and given wrong medications, and this, this, and that, and how corrupt everything and everyone is. And it’s like, oh my God, so, I do my own research. But the doctor tells me I have this, this, and that, and then I started doing my own research. I started looking at peer reviewed articles, I start looking at studies, I [would] actually go get the exams, expensive exams, to make sure if what they’re saying is true, and more than likely, it’s not. I mean, I’ve been through – I was (unintelligible) accident, you know, in 2015, and I had to have jaw surgery. Yeah, my whole mouth split open. He was just, I mean, I don’t even know how my life today. But yeah, I actually had jaw surgery. And my surgeon, I mean, he did a great job. You know, he put it back together, but he put it back together incorrectly. What else can go wrong? Right?
I mean, I just find this out what, three, four years later, and I have not stopped looking at myself in the mirror, you know, every single day, every single morning I look at myself and I see the bottom jaw is just all crooked. And I mean, yeah, I’m a confident human being, but it’s like, I look at that every day, you know, and then I have problems with my nose, and it’s because of that. So, I mean, I have to go to a doctor, like many, many, many doctors, and try to figure out what the heck is wrong with me. You know, if it’s neurological or if there’s a nerve damage. And what about my jaw? You know, because it’s diameters off, and how do I correct that with all surgery, because surgery will just ruin you even more. Sorry, I’m ranting.
Suzanne: No, no, it’s fine.
Rico: I don’t even know what the point of me saying that was.
Suzanne: Well, you know, you made me forget now what I asked you, but that’s okay.
Do you have any advice for kids who are bullied or for kids who want to become actors?
Rico: So for the bully ones, you got to ask for help. I mean, if you’re being bullied, my advice would be to actually just sit down. I feel like people, kids, get away from your parents for a little bit, or your friends or whatever, just be alone for a little bit and actually just think about stuff, just think about what you’re doing, who you are, what’s happening around you, the bullying and all that. Because people are always with somebody, always with parents, so there’s always an opinion. There’s always a “I’m so scared to tell them I’m being bullied or whatnot.” But when you go by yourself – I’ve been by myself a lot. That’s how I’m aware of so many things. When you’re by yourself you think; you get into your thoughts a lot. The problem with that is you can’t be by yourself for too long, because that’s when you go crazy, right? That’s when somebody who’s not, you know, strong willed, strong minded, they’ll fall into a very bad, very bad state of mind. But take a week or two weeks or whatever, and actually just be by yourself. Go to the library by yourself and just think about what’s going on, and then and then admit it. You know, a lot of people don’t admit it. That’s the problem with America. You know, a lot of parents. They say to their kids, “You’re not fat; you’re big boned.” No, you’re fat. I’m sorry. I like the tough love. No, it’s true. Because that kid, their entire childhood is going to just go through their life thinking they’re just big boned. Right? And if they admit to themselves that they’re fat or overweight, that they’re obese, then you can do something about it, the first step in anything and any solution is admitting. Become aware that there’s a problem. Make or work towards finding a solution. But, yeah, to that I say, take some time to be alone, away from everybody and everything in all of society’s pressures and restrictions, and this, this, and that.
And then for the acting thing, I would never recommend a child to do this. It’s crazy. And I say that, because at least my children aren’t going to do it. I mean, at least until they’re 18, then they can do whatever they want. You know what I mean? Because, I mean, there’s a bunch of child actors that become – yeah. And the reason for that, I believe at least, is because they don’t go through, you know, a normal life. So, at like 12 or 14 or whatever, when they instantly become famous, when they instantly get access to all this money, they can get whatever they want. When they instantly get all this fame, you’re in the public eye. You can’t do anything, you know what I mean? You can’t do anything, and then like you’re out; you’re just trying to play basketball, right? And you know, you have all these pop rocks in here, whatnot. And you’re like, I can’t even have fun. So, you don’t even get the opportunity to live your life.
Suzanne: Yeah, I think it really depends on the parents they have, how normal they are, and also, the kid itself, you know, how they view what they’re doing? Yeah. Because I know some actors, they started age five, and then they go on to have a successful career, and they’re normal, but they probably had normal parents. I mean, by normal, you know, the parents supported them and let them make the decision about whether they wanted to do it and that kind of stuff. But the ones who have stage moms or whatever, it’s not so good.
Rico: Yeah, and that’s the thing though. If you’re a successful actor, celebrity, whatever, you have kids.
I mean, honestly, it all falls on the parents, because if you think we’re all right, and it’s kind of like what we were saying earlier, teach them. Teach them that a lot of the things in Hollywood are just fake. Teach them that a lot of that stuff does not matter. It’s meaningless. It’s just, a way of creating art, but then a lot of the things that follow that are just a lot of fakeness and this, this and that. And then, you know, if you teach them a certain way, and the reality, then you kind of teach them the normality and the enjoyment of life, of the little things. And teach them it’s about nature and trees and this isn’t that. I mean, I know that’s kind of like weird I even just – like, what are you talking about? But it will all make sense for the kid.
Suzanne: Yeah, they have to have a normal childhood, whether they’re acting or not.
Rico: Exactly. But, I mean, yeah, if somebody wanted to follow the acting route or whatever at whatever age, my advice is to not listen to anybody. Because I’ve only been at this a year and a half, or two years, and before my career even started – you know how I told you I was with like three managers, or three agents or whatever, how many times each and every single one of them have told me, “I’m going to end your career before it even starts. You don’t know how small the town is. You’re never going to get a job ever again.” I’m like, “Okay, wow, thanks for being so nice. I hope you have a better day.” I mean, no wonder. If you have a weak mind, you’re going to get destroyed in this industry. You’re going to get eaten alive. It’s crazy how all these people threaten you.
Suzanne: That’s sad. Well, I’m glad you were able to get past that and rise above those people.
Rico: Yeah, I’m still getting through it. There’re still millions of rejections and millions of people trying to threaten me. Whatever.
Suzanne: Yeah, no I understand. well I hope I hope that you can get into some – the I know a lot of the auditions now are through self tapes. So, hopefully you can do some of that. That would be good, instead of having to wait for the pandemic to be over.
Rico: Yeah, yep.
Suzanne: Yeah, well, I think the whole industry is waiting to see – whether they know it or not, they’re waiting to see what happens with the daytime soaps, because they’re the first ones to start back, and they’re utilizing all these different ways, between camera tricks, ways to be safe, and all those different things. So, if they can do it, then the rest of, you know, TV and movies can follow, hopefully.
Rico: Yeah. I’m so excited to get back to work. It’s so much fun creating art.
Suzanne: Well, I really appreciate you talking to me.
Rico: Oh, absolutely. I appreciate you talking to me.
Suzanne: And thanks for checking out my website. And we’re moving our site to TVMEG.COM, and we’ve already moved a lot over there. So, check it out. That’s where your interview will be.
Rico: Oh, cool, yeah, absolutely.
Suzanne: Great. Thank you.
Rico: Thank you so much. Have a great day.
Suzanne: You, too. Bye.
Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com
MORE INFO:
Young Hollywood’s newest Latin-American heartthrob Rico Torres, recognized for his latest roles on
Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” and HBO’s “Ballers,” in addition to countless international fashion campaigns. From a shy teen diagnosed with anorexia to becoming a hotly-tipped face to watch in Hollywood, Rico hopes to share his remarkable story to inspire other young people to reach for their dreams.
The Columbian actor was born in Florida after his parents immigrated to America while his mother was still pregnant with him. He graduated pre-med from Columbia University, but instead of attending medical school he sacrificed and risked everything to follow his dreams and moved to Los Angeles from Tampa with only $500 in his pocket to pursue Hollywood greatness. After only a year and a half of putting in sweat and tears in L.A., Rico is available to share his remarkable story of chasing and fulfilling his American dream.
When Rico isn’t in front of the camera, he enjoys staying fit and eating healthy. However, at a young age Rico suffered from anorexia. This caused him to be severely bullied as a teenager which led to anxiety and depression. Rico’s parents also divorced while he was in high school, and he lived with his mother who was working two full-time entry jobs to make ends meet. Rico then took on the of working and taking care of his family. All his past experiences (good or bad) have caused him to have a very special outlook on life and he takes nothing for granted. Rico sees them as beautiful and inspiring moments in his life that have shaped him into who he is today.
With over 100k followers on Instagram along with soon to be announced acting projects on the horizon, we would love to arrange an interview with you and Rico to discuss his meteoric Hollywood rise, fitness & nutrition tips, and inspiring story to teens and young people everywhere.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda
Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

“The Good Doctor – Season Three DVD cover” Review by Suzanne 8/10/20
I enjoyed watching all the episodes of this DVD. I don’t watch the show regularly, so I haven’t seen the first two years. It was easy to watch, even though I missed all of those episodes. It’s basically like any hospital show you’ve seen before, such as Grey’s Anatomy, ER, Chicago Hope, Chicago Med, et al. From what I’ve read, they’re very accurate with the medical scenes. It’s mostly a soap opera with medical stories…a little bit like “General Hospital” used to be, before they brought in spies and mobsters. If you buy the foremost conceit of the show, which is that a high-functioning autistic person (Freddie Highmore, who plays Shaun) could become a surgeon, and you don’t think the main character is irritating, then you’ll probably enjoy the show.
The show was developed by David Shore (“House” – another medical show), based upon a Korean series. The stories are very good, and the acting is fabulous. Sure, some of the things that happen might be a little cliché. For instance, every single medical show I’ve ever watched has a scene where some person is trapped under or beneath something, and they seem fine, but then the doctor discovers that if that thing holding them down is lifted, they’ll bleed out and die. That happened in the two-part finale of this season. The ending of the season, and that two-parter, was also pretty predictable. Another story, about a main character dying, did surprise me, though.
In general, it’s very entertaining. Just don’t expect the stories to astound or shock you too much. It’s worth watching, especially if you like hospital dramas, and it has some great actors, and some very attractive people. It’s not the best show on TV, though. It’s a good ensemble show. Even though Highmore is the star, he has a large cast of talented actors to support him, including Hill Harper, Richard Schiff, Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Christina Chang, Paige Spara, Fiona Gubelmann, Jasika Nicole and Will Yun Lee. They have some great guest-stars, too.
The DVD only has two features: a gag reel, and some deleted scenes. That’s pretty disappointing. Perhaps we can blame the scarce features on the Coronavirus. The series wasn’t cut short for that, though. It has 20 episodes – 2 more than it had the first two seasons. It always ends in March. I was very grateful that they had great closed-captioning and that they had the “Play All Episodes” choice. Some DVD’s don’t do that, which I find annoying. I hope that next time, they can come up with some better extras for the DVD set.
MORE INFORMATION:
SYNOPSIS
Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, continues to use his extraordinary medical gifts at St. Bonaventure Hospital’s surgical unit. As his friendships deepen, Shaun works harder than he ever has before as he starts dating while navigating his environment and relationships to prove to his colleagues that his talents as a surgeon will save lives.
DVD BONUS FEATURES
CREDITS
Executive Producers: David Shore, Daniel Dae Kim, Erin Gunn, Sebastian Lee, David Kim, Mike Listo, Thomas L. Moran, Liz Friedman, David Hoselton
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Fiona Gubelmann, Will Yun Lee, Christina Chang, Paige Spara, Jasika Nicole, with Hill Harper, and Richard Schiff
Developed by: David Shore
Based on the Korean Broadcasting System television series by Jaebeom Park
SPECS
Approximately 859 minutes
DVD: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen | Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

“Batwoman – The Complete First Season” Review by Suzanne 5/20/20
This is a great comic book show, and a good entry into the “Arrowverse” (or whatever they’re calling the superhero shows on The CW now). I’ve enjoyed watching every episode each week. They do a great job with balancing the action and the character development, with a little bit of humor. At first, I tried to compare it with “Gotham,” but it’s a very different show. However, it does have certain qualities that are similar to that show. It can be very twisted, bizarre and wacky at times (particularly the villains).
The season ending with some shockers – especially the reveal of Bruce Wayne’s lookalike. After the season ended, it was revealed that star Ruby Rose would not be returning as Kate Kane. This is a terrible disappointment because she did such a great job in the role. She will definitely be missed. I hope that the person that replaces her as Batwoman (not as Kate Kane) will be just as good. I have to wonder how this will affect the rest of the show, which was built around Kate’s father, sister, enemies, girlfriends, etc.
The DVD is just as good as the series. I’m reviewing the Blu-ray here. There is a lack of extras, however. Perhaps that’s because of the pandemic? I don’t know. The only features are “The Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019” and deleted scenes. That sure isn’t enough. I hope that future versions (perhaps the complete set) will have a lot more than that.
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

“NCIS: The Seventeenth Season” Review by Suzanne 8/8/20
There’s a reason that NCIS is always at the top of the broadcast ratings chart. It has solid stories and interesting characters. The cast changes sometimes, but they always have other fun or interesting people to fill in their places. Of course, Tony and Abby are greatly missed by the fans. Ziva is, too, but we see her a few times this season. It’s great to have her back. I wish Ducky wasn’t retired, but we still see him occasionally. Mark Harmon is getting up there, but he’s still a fine actor.
It’s the 17th season, but in some ways it seems like this show has been on for 25 years. I can barely remember before it started. It’s a reliable series that shows us great drama as well as laughs and mystery. You really can’t go wrong watching any episode of the show. I used to watch it regularly, but I was watching too many shows, which made it hard to keep up, so I stopped watching all the NCIS series (among others). It doesn’t matter, though, because you can start watching again any time and not feel like you missed anything. Maria Bello (Jack) and Wilmer Valderrama (Nick) are fine recent additions. I’m glad that they added some more people of color, like Walderrama and Diona Reasonover (Kacie). NCIS always changes with the times and keeps up on what’s new in the world – even though it’s audience is most likely to be seniors over 50, they do get a fair share of people 18-34 watching.
I really like the teasing romance between Gibbs and Jack. I hope they carry that further. His friendship with the neighbor kid was also very heartwarming. Nick and Eleanor (Emily Wickersham) also have a fun will-they-or-won’t-they kind of friendship. There was a lot of great action this season, too, of course. You can easily watch this without having to “catch up” on previous seasons.
The extras are good. They have two episode-specific features and two main ones. “Other Times. Other Lives” is about the episode “Epherema” in which they go through an old man’s letters and other things to learn the origin of a coin. The actors play the parts of the man and others in the 70’s, which is fun. It’s great to see them as other characters, and it’s clear they had fun with it. “Hallowed Ground: The Arizona” is about the last episode of the season, “The Arizona.” Christopher Lloyd plays an eccentric old guy who steals a couple’s purple heart (from their late daughter). He wants to be buried among the dead at the Pearl Harbor monument. One of the things that makes this episode interesting is how Gibbs makes him face what happened way back then. It wasn’t planned to be the series’ last episode of the season, but it worked out to be, due to the coronavirus. There is a feature about the making of the season, and another one about Ziva’s return. Make sure you watch the episodes first because the features will have spoilers.
This would make a great gift for anyone! Put it on your holiday gift list.
MORE INFORMATION:
NCIS: The Seventeenth Season
Street Date: July 28
Format: DVD
Description: NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it’s a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a former Marine gunnery sergeant whose skills as an investigator are unmatched, leads this troupe of colorful personalities. Gibbs, a man of few words, only needs a look to explain it all. The team includes NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee, an MIT graduate with a brilliance for computers; NCIS Special Agent Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop, a mysterious mixture of analytic brilliance, fierce determination and idealism who specializes in international threat assessment and global preparation; the charismatic, unpredictable and resilient NCIS Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres, who has spent most of his career on solo undercover assignments; and NCIS Special Agent Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane, who built her reputation as the agency’s premier forensic psychologist and enjoys challenging Gibbs. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

TV Review!

Review by Eva
I was excited to learn that the Muppets were going to have a show on Disney+. The thirty-minute episodes will be posted every Friday. The first episode begins with Scooter editing the week’s episode and getting suggestions from everyone on what to do. Miss Piggy has a lifestyle segment. Miss Piggy is upset with Scooter about the opening of her segment because it says Lifesty instead of Lifestyle. So, Scooter adds the le with a hyphen (Lifesty-le). My favorite part of the show is the cooking segment featuring the Swedish Chef. The Swedish Chef competes with a celebrity chef in creating a real recipe. Of course, the Swedish Chef gets frustrated and that makes for a very funny segment. The first episode’s guest stars areactor Taye Diggs, RuPaul, and chef Carlina Will.
This show is great for kids, but if you have a child with a short attention span, you might want to split the thirty-minute show and watch it one or two segments at a time. I love the Muppets, but I have to admit that some parts of the show are better than others, depending on which guests are on each segment and how well they interact with the Muppet characters. Also, some of the sketches are longer than others and at times are not funny. I hope the show continues and gets better with time. I give this show a 4 out of 5 stars because it has room for improvement.
More Information:
Muppets Now is The Muppets Studio’s first unscripted series and first original series for Disney+. In the six-episode season, Scooter rushes to make his delivery deadlines and upload the brand-new Muppet series for streaming. They are due now, and he’ll need to navigate whatever obstacles, distractions, and complications the rest of the Muppet gang throws at him. Overflowing with spontaneous lunacy, surprising guest stars and more frogs, pigs, bears (and whatevers) than legally allowed, the Muppets cut loose in “Muppets Now” with the kind of startling silliness and chaotic fun that made them famous. From zany experiments with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker to lifestyle tips from the fabulous Miss Piggy, each episode is packed with hilarious segments, hosted by the Muppets showcasing what the Muppets do best. Produced by The Muppets Studio and Soapbox Films, “Muppets Now” premieres Friday, July 31, streaming only on Disney+.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.



Interview with actress Serinda Swan and executive producer Morwyn Brebner from “Coroner” on The CW by Suzanne 7/31/20
Jamie Ruby of SciFiVision asked me to sub for her in this last-minute interview when she had a family emergency. I was happy to do it.
Both of these women seemed very nice, and they were happy to talk about their show. I just loved Serinda as “Zatanna” on “Smallville” (my favorite superheroine of all time, actually), and she was great in “The Inhumans” as well. I know a lot of people said terrible things about that show, but it wasn’t that bad. I grew up reading those comics, so I enjoyed it. I’m glad she was able to star in this successful Canadian show. The CW has picked it up, so it premieres Wednesday, August 5. In Canada, they’ve seen two seasons already and are preparing for the third.
I watched the first two shows and enjoyed them. It’s a good detective show (even if she is a coroner – of course she solves crimes!). Roger Cross, one of my favorite Canadian actors, stars as her detective partner, Donovan McAvoy. It’s got some very interesting characters, so I hope you can check it out.
You can read the interview on Jamie’s site.
MORE INFO:

On August 5th, The CW will introduce U.S. audiences to the hit Canadian show, CORONER. The show’s debut on the CBC network in Canada was the net’s highest rated new drama in four years, and in the UK, it was the highest rated drama EVER on Universal TV. We will be airing the first two seasons of the show this fall and season three of the series has already been greenlit and starts filming next month in Canada!
CORONER is a compelling, character-driven drama starring Serinda Swan (“Ballers,” “Inhumans,” “Graceland”) as Dr. Jenny Cooper, a recently-widowed doctor who becomes the city’s new Coroner. The series is a gripping look at a woman committed to discovering the truth on behalf of the deceased.
Show Description:
In the character driven one-hour drama CORONER Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan), a recently widowed, newly appointed coroner investigates any suspicious, unnatural or sudden deaths in Toronto. The series reflects the rich racial, class and gender diversity of the city. Each death brings Jenny into a new arena in the city and sparks buzzworthy themes…As CORONER, Jenny taps into her intuition, as much as her intellect and heart, as she solves cases along with the help of Homicide Detective Donovan “Mac” McAvoy (Roger Cross), a man who isn’t afraid of challenging status quo; pathologist Dr. Dwayne Allen (Lovell Adams-Gray), his assistant River Baitz (Kiley May); and Alison Trent (Tamara Podemski), Jenny’s assistant who keeps it real. And while Jenny solves mysterious deaths, she also deals with clinical anxiety, a teenage son, Ross (Ehren Kassam), who is still grieving the death of his father, and the prospect of starting a new relationship with the enigmatic Liam (Éric Bruneau).
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Interview with Aidan Pierce Brennan of “NOS4A2” on AMC by Suzanne 7/30/20
This was a fun interview. He seems like a very nice, normal young man. He’s got an excellent start to his career. He does an amazing job on NOS4A2. Don’t miss his episode this week, Sunday, 8/2 on AMC where he’ll play a young Charlie Manx! Adult Charlie is played by Zachary Quinto, who’s the villain of the show. We finally see his backstory.
Here is the audio version of the interview. The transcript below is edited quite a lot for clarity.
Aidan: Hi, how are you?
Suzanne: Okay, how are you, Aidan?
Aidan: I’m good. I’m good.
Suzanne: Good. So, before you were doing TV and movies, did you do any acting?
Aidan: As in theater?
Suzanne: Yes.
Aidan: I actually… I’ve never done theater, and I think that’s because I never.. I never really had that type of.. I think it really takes a lot of pure confidence to get up on that stage and project, and I don’t.. I don’t.. I never really.. I never really could do that, and I really could..no. I am not super theatrical. Which is not to say that it’s something I’ll never do because it’s something I’m definitely interested in, but I don’t think, I don’t think I have ever had that, the confidence to go up there and do that.
Suzanne: Oh. Well, I hope you’ll do it sometime because it sure is a lot of fun.
Aidan: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I love.. I love growing.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Aidan: I live right outside of the city. So, hopefully when social distancing ends, and, you know…
Suzanne: Right.
Aidan: …Out of quarantine, I’ll get to see some more plays ’cause I really like some of them.
Suzanne: Sure. And what did your parents think about your wanting to be an actor?
Aidan: Well, my mom, when she was growing up, I think she did some commercials. I think some modeling. And the movie that actually inspired me to start acting was “Stand By Me.” It’s one of my favorite movies, and River Phoenix’ performance in that, I think, really just… I mean, I watched that with my dad and, and my mom, my entire family… we watched it together and I was really blown away. I kept saying to the natural roots I.. his performance in that, how someone could create a character like this, and I just– I was raving about his performance. I was really impressed by how someone could do this, and I was telling them, I got to do this. I have to try to get into acting. I have to pursue this, and we went to this place and I said..
Suzanne: Oh, cool. So they’ve been pretty supportive the whole time.
Aidan: Absolutely. Oh, absolutely… especially my mom.
Suzanne: Great! What was the audition process like for “NOS4A2”?
Aidan:, I believe it was.. I feel like.. it was a while ago.. It was over a year ago. No, a little less than a year ago, I would say. So, I think it was just one audition, and it was in the city, I think. Yeah, and then I heard a few days later. They put me on hold for a minute and then a couple days later I found out that I got the role. It was pretty exciting because the same day, the same call with my manager, he said that I also booked another role at the very same time.
Suzanne: Oh, great.
Aidan: So, that was.. that was pretty fun. And yeah [laughs].
Suzanne: And had you watched “NOS4A2” before that or.. or uh.. anything?
Aidan: No, but I’d heard of that. I’d heard about the book, and then I heard people start talking about the show a lot — recently, before my audition.
Suzanne: Cool.
Aidan: So when I.. when I saw that I was auditioning for “NOS4A2″… I’d heard.. I’d heard it before.
Suzanne: All right, and was it fun to film that?
Aidan: Definitely. Definitely. Charlie Manx is such a fun character to play, especially since I had a lot of freedom because I was supposed to be playing this character that really wasn’t that Charlie Manx everyone knows… I mean, this character has a lot more innocence to him and a lot more.. and I guess a lot less.. uh, menacing and grim.I had a lot of freedom in the sense that like this character is nothing like Charlie Manx and filming that was a lot of fun. The entire environment was very, much like the show, in the best way possible, but we filmed this wooded area. It was right on the water, and it was really foggy, so it had this spooky atmosphere. And yeah, it was it was a great time filming, and I.. I really enjoyed playing this character.
Suzanne: And there are a lot of kids on that show. Did you hang out with them? Or were your scenes shot separately?
Aidan: My scenes were shot separately, unfortunately. But our family friend’s daughter is actually on that show.
Suzanne: Oh! [laughs]
Aidan: So yeah, she plays Millie.
Suzanne: Cool. Oh, Millie. Yeah. That’s a great character.
Aidan: Yeah. Yeah [laughs].
Suzanne: So, what do you find most fun about acting?
Aidan: Trying to become a whole new character. I think that’s the part that really excites me the most. Just losing yourself in these characters, whether it’s just auditioning or… I have such a passion for just transforming into someone who’s completely not like you at all and doing your best…that’s really exciting to me. I think it takes a lot of understanding the characters and listening. It takes a lot of basing it off of yourself and real life experiences… to me that’s really exciting.
Suzanne: Okay. A lot of the shows you’ve been in are pretty violent. Are you allowed to watch them? [laughs]
Aidan: [laughs] For the most part, no. I mean, I watched most of them, and some with the scenes I was in..
Suzanne: Right.
Aidan: But for the most part, my parents don’t really let me watch that much violent stuff.
Suzanne: Right? It’s probably a good idea. [laughs]
Aidan: Right?
Suzanne: I mean, I can’t I can’t even watch The Punisher. I’m just like.. no. [laughs]
Aidan: Yeah.. yeah that is pretty scary. My.. my dad really loves that.
Suzanne: Oh, I’m sure. [laughs]
Aidan: And you know.. I watched a lot of the episodes, but not with all the violent stuff.
Suzanne: Right.
Aidan: My parents say, don’t watch that.
Suzanne: Yeah. I loved “Daredevil.” I grew up reading the comics…
Aidan: Right, right.
Suzanne: But it was a bit too violent for me.
Aidan: Right. [laughs]
Suzanne: But “The Punisher” is way worse. [laughs] I couldn’t watch that… So, you’ve been doing some movies, too. How have those been different from working in TV?
Aidan: Well, I really haven’t had a bad experience on any set. I mean, I’m really enjoying myself, and.. TV, movies, anything.. But I think the main difference is the characters I play. So far, with TV shows, I’ve gotten to play characters… Charlie Manx, Ray Donovan, Frank Castle Jr…. I think the main difference is these characters because both sides were… With a TV job, I get to play darker characters that challenge me a little more. For a movie like “The Secret: Dare to Dream,” I played someone pretty close to home… just a normal kid. That’s the main difference so far. I’ve had fun with either one of them, but I think the main difference so far is the characters that I got to play.
Suzanne: Okay. Yeah. I was looking over the things you’ve been in, and you often play the younger version of some guy.
Aidan: Yeah.. [laughs] Yeah.
Suzanne: That’s cool. You’ve been doing some things based on comic books. Do you read comic books for fun?
Aidan: Yes, I was raised into that because my uncle is very into Marvel Comics, and he would show me older comics, like the Incredible Hulk, or just mainly superhero comics. But yeah, that’s always been something that’s interesting to me.
Suzanne: Oh, I’m sure and…Oh, you got to work with Katie Holmes in the “The Secret: Dare to Dream.” You know that she was in one of the Batman movies right?
Aidan: Yeah, yeah.
Suzanne: That must really cool-
Aidan: She’s Rachel. Yeah, I do.
Suzanne: That’s got.. yeah, do you think..
Aidan: That was.. that was cool.
Suzanne: Do you think that you’ll probably.. after the pandemic and everything… go to Comic-Con or something like that?
Aidan: I would love to..
Suzanne: Yeah.
Aidan: Since we were little, my brother and I, we obviously love everything about that. We really like to see movies, and we really like comics.. We always have. And I’d like to go.. if my mom would take me.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s great. are you based in LA, or New York or..?
Aidan: I’m based a little outside of New York.
Suzanne: Okay. Well, they have the New York Comic-Con there. So that would be good. [laughs]
Aidan: Right? Yeah.
Suzanne: Cool. If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you now?
Aidan: I’m fourteen.
Suzanne: Okay, that’s good. So you’re just starting high school?
Aidan: l’m going to start high school, hopefully. I guess in a month or so.
Suzanne: Oh great, great. Are you excited?
Aidan: Oh, yeah yeah. Excited and scared.
Suzanne: Yeah. [laughs] Oh, you’ll be fine. So for “Extra Innings,” did you have to train much for all the baseball scenes?
Aidan: I did because you know previous to that…I only really played basketball and lacrosse. I really never got around to playing baseball very much, except for little league in kindergarten. I didn’t really know the first thing about baseball. But I got it together with a trainer and… and even with my director.. we’ve been training in baseball a little bit. But that was hard, too, because I had to base my playing style and baseball stance off of someone else – who’s already very good at baseball – the guy who played the older version of me in the movie.
Suzanne: Right.
Aidan: So, yeah, but that was really fun, and I’m glad I got to play baseball because I really liked it.
Suzanne: Cool. Do you think you might play baseball in school? Now that you’ve done it more?
Aidan: Maybe,but baseball season is the same time as lacrosse season. They’re both in the spring. So I don’t think I’d be able to play in school, but I still watch baseball at home, and I still play baseball with my friends every once in a while.
Suzanne: Right. Well, it’s the only sport on TV right now. So.. [laughs]
Aidan: Yeah, right.
Suzanne: Yeah. My husband’s a big huge baseball fan so.. [laughs]
Aidan: Right.
Suzanne: Now, your movie “The Secret: Dare to Dream” looks good. What can you tell us about working on that movie?
Aidan: Iit was really one of the best experiences of my life — it was all really exciting because I’ve really never had to leave school or leave home in that extended amount of time for a role, previous to that… That was, I think, two months, or maybe a month and three weeks, in New Orleans, Louisiana. And that was beyond exciting. Of course my mom was with me, but I had to say goodbye to my brother, my dad, my dogs. And that was a little scary, but you know, when I got there, I got to work with a lot of people I respect a lot. I just had a really great time in that set, working with my family in the movie and that was.. that was really — big time — one of the best experiences of my life.
Suzanne: Cool! Abd New Orleans is a really cool place, too.. very different from New York.
Aidan: Yeah. Yeah, I loved it there.
Suzanne: Yeah, it’s.. its beautiful there. So what have you been doing? What have you been up to during the past four months of staying at home?
Aidan: Well…. you know… still going on auditions, but I can’t really go to the city anymore, so all of them are self tapes from home.
Suzanne: Right.
Aidan: Still watching a lot of movies almost every day. Tryin’ to play sports, tryin’ to stay active. I’m trying to convince my parents to let me hang out with my friends a little bit more, but like I’m still practicing social distancing, so I can’t really see much of them. But yeah, I mean, I’m trying to stay busy the last couple weeks.
Suzanne: Okay, cool. Well, thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time for this call.
Aidan: It’s my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
interview Transcribed by TranscriptionPuppy
MORE INFO:
Aidan booked his first role at the age of eight on the web series “Sitters.” From there, he’s continued to hone his craft on bigger and more ambitious projects including the award-winning film “Extra Innings” (Winner: Best Film, Manhattan Film Festival 2019), as well as a recurring role on the Marvel/Netflix series “The Punisher.” Making his network television debut on the cult-favorite ABC series “Forever,” he has been gaining momentum and acclaim ever since. Recently, Brennan was seen portraying a young Ray Donavon on Showtime’s series of the same name, and upcoming he’ll be seen starring opposite Katie Holmes, Jerry O’Connell and Josh Lucas in “The Secret” (Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.
NOS4A2
View Sneak Peek HERE
Season two of AMC’s NOS4A2 continues on Sunday, July 12th at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, with the full season set to also simulcast on BBC America. In Sunday’s all-new episode, entitled “The Lake House,” Charlie Manx is on the hunt, Vic and her family go into hiding with Maggie and Wayne suffers mysterious nightmares while Tabitha chases a lead on Bing.
In NOS4A2’s second season, Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) remains more determined than ever to destroy Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto). Charlie, having faced his own mortality, emerges desperate for revenge against Vic. This time, he sets his sights on the person who means most to Vic – her eight-year-old son Wayne. The race for Wayne’s soul sends Vic and Charlie on a high-speed collision course, forcing both to confront the mistakes of their pasts in order to secure a hold on Wayne’s future. The series’ second season stars Emmy®-nominated actor and producer Zachary Quinto and rising star Ashleigh Cummings, along with Jahkara Smith, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Virginia Kull, Jonathan Langdon, Ashley Romans, Jason David and Mattea Conforti.
Based on Joe Hill’s best-selling novel of the same name, NOS4A2 is executive produced by showrunner Jami O’Brien (Fear the Walking Dead, Hell on Wheels) and Hill. The series is produced by AMC Studios in association with Tornante Television.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Interview with comedian Jason Weems by Suzanne 7/28/20
This interview was done via email. I watched his comedy special. He’s very funny! I hope you can check it out.
MORE INFO:

Jason Weems, proud Baltimore native and renowned comic known for his quick wit and drive for life since he died for 5 minutes in 2017, has a brand new hour of comedy coming out at the top of August 2020, on 800 Pound Gorilla Pictures, available everywhere comedy is sold or streamed in both video and audio album format.
Jason Weems is a comedic genius, actor and writer who has been featured on NBC’S Last Comic Standing, Fox and HBO. In 2014, his online series “The Lunchtime Show” premiered on Marlon Wayans’ comedy platform WhatTheFunny.com.
Weems began performing comedy after getting hit extremely hard in JF football; he slid under the opposing team’s bench and his shoes came off. After he got that laugh, the rest is history. He’s always been able to see the humor in anything around him. It took years before he finally found his way to a mic, but he says his first attempt was even funnier than the shoes coming off.
He is a long-time favorite in the DMV who has headlined at premier comedy clubs and festivals nationally, including the exclusive “invitation-only” Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Film critics have also recognized Jason’s emotional range in his lead role in the comedic drama, “Wits End”.
JASON WEEMS
Unknown

Hour Comedy Special Drops August 4, 2020 on 800 Pound Gorilla Pictures
All PR Inquiries to Kathryn Musilek: km@sharkpartymedia.com
Jason Weems, proud Baltimore native and renowned comic known for his quick wit and drive for life since he died for 5 minutes in 2017, has a brand new hour of comedy, Unknown coming out at the top of August 2020, on 800 Pound Gorilla Pictures, available everywhere comedy is sold or streamed in both video and audio album format.
On May 3, 2017, Jason Weems died after a stand-up performance in Philadelphia. No pulse. No heartbeat. 5-minutes. He awoke 16-hours later in the hospital labeled as “Unknown”. This life altering experience re-ignited his comedic drive to never allow his life or his talent to be overlooked again. The Guardian and Washington Post spoke to Weems early last year about the event which largely informs the upcoming hour of new material. The New Yorker covered his 6-part series on the award winning podcast, First Day Back as well, which gives listeners an in-depth description of his near-death experience.
With vast themes including hope, resilience, life & death, Weems finds his way to levity and joy in Unknown.
Jason Weems’ love & spark for comedy goes all the back to his childhood where chronic asthma kept him sidelined from many everyday activities. He spent many days sitting on his apartment steps watching other kids play freely & observing every detail of life. During these times and countless hospitalizations, he discovered his ability to shift the energy in a room with his words and observations. It was a liberating feeling that allowed him to not feel captive to his condition.
As years went on, he discovered that often the funniest things came from moments that started out misfortunately. Like a moment during his very brief JV high school football playing days, where he was hit so hard that he slid under the opposing team’s bench and lost his shoes (both of them). His embarrassing incident ended up being a go to story around friends, and it brought Weems to realize how much he loved finding the humor even in his most unfortunate moments.
Years later, his response to his near-death experience was no different. In fact, before Weems even left the hospital he was writing jokes, asking his wife to note them in his cell phone so he wouldn’t forget.
Jason Weems is a comedic genius, actor and writer who has been featured on NBC’S Last Comic Standing, Fox and HBO. In 2014, his online series The Lunchtime Show premiered on Marlon Wayans’ comedy platform WhatTheFunny.com.
He is a long-time favorite in the DMV who has headlined at premier comedy clubs and festivals nationally, including the exclusive “invitation-only” Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Film critics have also recognized Jason’s emotional range in his lead role in the comedic drama, Wits End.
Jason Weems Online:
Website: http://jasonweemscomedy.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jasonweemscomedy
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jweemscomedy
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jasonweemscomedy
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/jasonweemscomedy
Photos by Ryan Stevenson
Proofread and Edited by Brenda

“Upload” on Amazon Prime Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
I watched this show because I just love Robbie Amell. It hooked me right away, and I watched the whole first season. I don’t usually binge-watch because I don’t have much free time, and I watch a lot of shows for my site. This one is worth it.
I will caution you that it has a somewhat-sad ending, but I’m sure we will see it resolved in the second season.
The show is set in the future, where there is an afterlife of sorts, set up by a major internet corporation. You can choose to have your mind put into the computer, and then you live in a type of heaven. Those who have a lot of money live in the best type of heaven. Those without much money live in a more limited version. Hard to believe, but society is even more deeply divided by rich and poor than it is now.
The hero of this show is a self-centered, handsome, young programmer named Nathan (Amell), who comes from a working class family. He and his partner, Jamie (Jordan Johnson-Hinds) have developed ground-breaking software. Nathan has a rich, beautiful, very shallow girlfriend named Ingrid (Allegra Edwards). When Nathan’s automatic car has an accident and he’s rushed to the ER, his girlfriend uploads him into her rich people’s heaven. He ends up falling in love with Nora (Andy Allo), a woman that works for the corporation that runs it (a customer service person, basically). While Nathan and Nora fall for each other, they uncover a murder plot and more.
The show is one part comedy, one part romance, one part mystery, and one part wry social commentary. The plot unfolds in a very interesting way, and things happen that you won’t expect. The best shows have many layers that unfold gradually to shock you without seeming too complicated. This is one of those. It’s delightful.
You should check it out. This is my favorite show this year. I can’t wait for the second season.
MORE INFORMATION:
Amazon Studios Greenlights Comedy Series “Upload” Created and Written by Emmy Award-Winner Greg Daniels
“Upload” is a sci-fi sitcom that takes place in the near future, where people who are near death can be “uploaded” into a virtual afterlife of their choice.
AMAZON STUDIOS GREENLIGHTS COMEDY SERIES “UPLOAD” CREATED AND WRITTEN BY EMMY AWARD-WINNER GREG DANIELS
Series stars Andy Allo (Pitch Perfect 3) and Robbie Amell (The X-Files), and will premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories
SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 28, 2018 – Amazon Studios today announced it has greenlit the half-hour sci-fi romantic satire Upload from Emmy Award-winner Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks and Recreation, King of the Hill) and his producing partner Howard Klein (The Office, Parks and Recreation, King of the Hill). Starring Andy Allo (Pitch Perfect 3) and Robbie Amell (The X-Files), the 10 episode series will premiere globally on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories.
“I’m thrilled to be once again working with Greg and Howard on this new series,” said Vernon Sanders, Co-Head of Television, Amazon Studios. “They’ve made some of the best comedies of the last three decades and I know our Prime Video customers are in for a treat when Upload premieres.”
“Amazon is the perfect place to make Upload,” said Daniels, “because of their strong creative team, and because it’s a company that could actually one day host a digital afterlife. If I get in good with them, I’m hoping for a big discount on my first thousand years.”
About Upload
Upload is a sci-fi sitcom that takes place in the near future, where people who are near death can be “uploaded” into a virtual afterlife of their choice. In 2033, secretly romantic Brooklyn-born Nora works customer service for a luxurious virtual reality environment. When handsome L.A. party boy Nathan’s self-driving car crashes, his high-maintenance girlfriend uploads him permanently into Nora’s VR world. Upload is created and written by Daniels who also serves as showrunner, executive producer and will direct the pilot. The series stars Allo and Amell and is executive produced by Klein.
About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios creates original television series which premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video which is available globally in over 200 countries and territories. This year, Prime Video will premiere a number of original series, including the highly anticipated Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski, Homecoming from creator Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts and Bobby Cannavale, The Romanoffs from nine-time Emmy Award winner Matthew Weiner, and a third season of The Man in the High Castle.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“Stargirl” on The CW Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
I love this show because I’m a huge superhero fan. I grew up reading comic books of all sorts (I have three older brothers who are not only big nerds, er, fans, but they helped start San Diego Comic-Con). This show is more aimed at teens, but it fits in nicely with all the other CW superhero series. Unlike those, this one focuses on rebuilding the Justice Society of America. We really haven’t seen any other series where they take a while to build up a team. “Legends of Tomorrow” was put together by Rip in one episode. It has a lot of humor, good acting, great acting and fun special effects as well as many terrifying villains.
We saw the JSA in an episode of “Legends of Tomorrow,” but they were set in the past. Also, this was before “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” so things have been changed (obviously). In this series, the JSA was slaughtered by the Injustice Society (ISA) roughly a decade or so earlier.
Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) is a teenager whose mom gets remarried to a nice guy, Pat (Luke Wilson), who moves the family to his hometown of Blue Valley. Pat has a garage where he fixes up cars, but he also has all of the JSA costumes and weapons there, and he builds himself a giant robot out of car parts. Courtney learns that Pat used to be the sidekick for the JSA superhero, Starman. She has a special connection to Starman’s magic staff, and she sees that Starman looked just like her father, who went missing a decade ago.
Despite Pat’s objections, Courtney becomes Stargirl and sets about building a new JSA, once they figure out that the ISA is still around and plotting evil deeds. Conveniently, each of the heroes in the JSA got their powers from various items, so Courtney just has to find other young people that can use the items effectively. Pat tries to help them work as a team.
The acting is great, and you may enjoy the show because it has a lot of action and fun. The villains are very interesting, too. Teens especially should love it.
MORE INFORMATION:
DC’S STARGIRL
Broadcast Premiere Tuesday, May 19 (8:00-9:00pm ET)
The new DC UNIVERSE drama series DC’S STARGIRL follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new drama reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in an unpredictable series.
The series focuses on the character that started creator Geoff Johns’ career as a comic book writer when he created her in 1999, lovingly inspired by his late sister who was killed in a 1996 plane crash.
Geoff Johns (“Arrow,” “Batwoman,” “The Flash,” “Titans”) is the showrunner and executive produces DC’S STARGIRL with Melissa Carter (“Queen Sugar”), who serves as co-showrunner, as well as Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Greg Beeman. Based on the characters from DC created by Geoff Johns, DC’S STARGIRL is produced by Berlanti Productions and Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. DC’S STARGIRL stars Brec Bassinger, Luke Wilson, Amy Smart, Yvette Monreal, Anjelika Washington, Cameron Gellman, Trae Romano, Jake Austin Walker, Hunter Sansone, Meg DeLacy, Neil Jackson and Christopher James Baker.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants in Space” on Netflix Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is a cute and funny animated series based on a series of children’s books. The heroes of the show are George and Harold, two fourth-graders who draw comic books (and make lots of jokes). They make their school principal into a superhero from their comic, “Captain Underpants.” He’s a dolt, though.
I haven’t read the books or seen the 2017 movie (also made by DreamWorks Animation), so I can’t speak for how authentic the show is to the original books. It appears to be, though, from what I’ve read. It’s got a lot of silly jokes that will make you laugh.
Interestingly enough, the book series has been seen as controversial by some parental groups because of toilet humor and because Harold is gay. For an animated TV show, it’s mild, thanks to much more offensive shows like “Family Guy,” “South Park” and many series on Cartoon Network.
Your kids will love this, and you may, too, unless you have a very sophisticated sense of humor.
MORE INFORMATION:
V-Y7 1 Season
Kids’ TV for ages 5 to 7
Best friends George and Harold — along with their classmates and tyrannical principal — are recruited for a mysterious mission in outer space.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“The Twelve” on Netflix Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is a riveting Belgian drama about a jury that’s trying a woman accused of murdering her baby as well as an old friend. We see a lot of the drama from the jury’s point of view, and how the case affects their lives, which is what makes it interesting.
Apparently, in Belgian criminal courts, while they do have a jury, they also have a set of 3 judges that question the defendant, and the defendant’s lawyer can’t object. The defendant has to answer all questions, including ones that are very personal or irrelevant. They don’t admonish the jury from listening to the news about the case, nor do they tell them to refrain from discussing the case before the deliberation. It’s very different from U.S. courts.
Frie Palmer (Maaike Cafmeyer) is accused of murdering her baby with a shard of glass after a terribly custody and divorce case. She’s also accused of murdering her best friend in the past. One of the jurors, Delphine Spijkers (Maaike Neuville), is based on a real juror who tried to get out of a court case because of spousal abuse. The details of the case reminded her of her own life.
Many face Dutch actors that you’ve never heard of star in this great crime series. It’s enthralling and worth sticking with.
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“Cursed” on Netflix Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is a fantasy, sword-and-sorcery type of show. It reminds me of many other shows I’ve seen, which is not to say that it’s not enjoyable (even though it’s a bit derivative).
The series is based on a fantasy novel, which is loosely based on Arthurian legends. Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”) plays Nimue, a young woman who lives in a rural village. She and her mom, Lenore (Katherine Walker) have magical powers. Nimue is “chosen,” which her village disproves of because they think she’s a witch.
Nimue is destined to be a famous figure in Arthurian history, but during the series, she’s a scared and conflicted teen that tries to survive. She ends up meeting a young Arthur (Devon Terrell) when she and her friend Pym (Lily Newmark) are in the town (not among their own folks). Nimue desperately wants to leave and get away from her village, but terrible things happen.
We also see King Uther Pendragon (Sebastian Armesto) and his sorcerer, Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård). There’s a drought in the kingdom, so Merlin makes it rain…blood. There is some connection between him and Nimue. There is also an army of religious zealots called the red army that try to get rid of anyone with powers or from supernatural origin (such as fairies).
I’ve deliberately left out most of the spoilers, but you can read them in other reviews. Langford is great in the role, and if you like this type of fantasy, you should enjoy the show. Don’t expect great special effects or story that will astonish you. The menacing wolves in the first episode, for instance, look terrible. I don’t normally notice such things unless they’re really bad.
MORE INFORMATION:
You can find headshots of Miller and Wheeler at the following link:
https://vandam.netflix.com/sha
(*please download only — do not post this link publicly*)
CURSED
All new Netflix original drama series
Logline: Based on the upcoming book of the same name, Cursed is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of Nimue, a teenage heroine with a mysterious gift who is destined to become the powerful (and tragic) Lady of the Lake. After her mother’s death, she finds an unexpected partner in Arthur, a young mercenary, in a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword. Over the course of her journey, Nimue will become a symbol of courage and rebellion against the terrifying Red Paladins, and their complicit King Uther.
Episodes: 10
Creators/Executive Producers: Frank Miller and To
Devon Terrell (Barry), Gustaf Skarsgård (Westworld, Vikings), Daniel Sharman (Fear the Walking Dead, Medici), Peter Mullan (Ozark), Lily Newmark (Pin Cushion), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The State, Our Girl), Sebastian Armesto (Poldark, Broadchurch), Emily Coates (Flack), Catherine Walker (Versailles, The Delinquent Season) and Billy Jenkins (The Crown, Holmes & Watson, Humans) join Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why, Love, Simon) in the cast of Cursed.
Zetna Fuentes (Ray Donovan, Jessica Jones, The Deuce, Shameless) will direct and serve as an executive producer on the first two episodes. The series is created and executive produced by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300) and Tom Wheeler (Puss in Boots, The Cape) who is also showrunner and writer. Tom Wheeler will write the companion book Cursed, which Frank Miller will illustrate to be published by Simon & Schuster in Fall 2019. Alex Boden (Sense8, Cloud Atlas) is producer and Silenn Thomas is co-executive producer.
Cursed, based on the upcoming book of the same name, is a re-imagining of the Arthurian legend, told through the eyes of the young woman who would become the Lady of the Lake. Cursed is a coming-of-age story with themes familiar to our own time: the obliteration of the natural world, religious zeal and oppression, senseless war and finding the courage to lead in the face of the impossible.
The series will begin filming in March 2019 in England and Wales.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“The Kissing Game” on Netflix Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is a steamy Brazilian show about teens stuck out in a rural area called Progresso, in a special school for troubled kids. They go to a party run by “the cult” and end up with a deadly disease spread by kissing.
The first girl to get sick, Bel (Luana Nastas), ends up in the hospital, so her friends try to figure out who kissed whom, and who might get sick next. The protagonist of the show seems to be Fran (Iza Moreira), Bel’s roommate.
The strange thing about this show is that the teens seem like real people, but the adults all seem like caricatures of real people. They’re all stern and against fun, like some teenagers idea of the worst adults in the world.
I believe that those who made this show are trying for some deeper meaning and allegory, but in doing so, they negelected to really work on having good characters and story.
If you’re a teen, perhaps all of the teen sex, LGBTQ drama, glitter, dancing and music will make it more attractive. It’s not really my kind of thing.
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“Dark Desire” on Netflix Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is a steamy, suspenseful Mexican drama from a somewhat-feminist point of view. Maite Perroni stars as Alma, a beautiful woman who teaches criminal law. Her specialty appears to be “femicide,” i.e., homicide of women. She’s married to a judge, Leonardo (Jorge Poza), but they’re not happy, and she suspects that he’s cheating on her. We don’t see for sure, in the first episode, whether he’s doing that or not, but he certainly does have some secrets that he’s keeping.
Her good friend Brenda (María Fernanda Yepes), newly-divorced, invites her for a weekend stay. They go out dancing. Alma ends up sleeping with a handsome younger man, Dario (Alejandro Speitzer).
The beginning of the series shows a woman (maybe Alma) getting arrested, and the coroner is taking a body away. They were wise to put that at the beginning, to create tension, because the show starts very slowly. However, by the end of the first episode, two shocking things happen. It’s worth waiting for. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Alma and Leonard also have a daughter, Zoe (Regina Pavón), and Leonard’s brother, Esteban (Erik Hayser), a cop, also is involved in the story. There are 18 episodes, which is long for a Netflix series. In other reviews I’ve seen, the show is compared to “You,” the Lifetime/Netflix stalker drama, and “365 Days,” a Polish S&M mob drama.
MORE INFORMATION:
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.


“The Nest” on Acorn Review by Suzanne 7/25/20
This is an intriguing 5-part UK drama about a couple who can’t have kids (after many tries), and they end up inviting a young woman into their home to be their surrogate. The plot sounds like a Lifetime movie, but it’s very well done and has characters that are like real people.
Martin Compston stars as Dan Docherty, a wealthy businessman who “owns half of Glasgow” according to one character. His wife, Emily (Sophie Rundle), is distraught after their latest surrogate mother miscarries (Dan’s sister). She accidentally runs into a young woman, Kaya (Mirren Mack), with her car. Kaya is having a fight with her probation officer. Later, Kaya overhears the couple when they find out that the latest fetus has died, so she offers to carry a baby for them.
Dan is a very suspicious, shady and somewhat-volatile-seeming man. He doesn’t trust the former foster-child Kaya at all, at first, but Emily insists that they trust her. They legally can’t buy the baby, so they instead let Kaya move in and agree to invest in her future business.
Throughout the show, you’re bound to be thinking, “Uh-oh. This sounds like a bad idea.” Kaya is not exactly truthful. In the first episode, someone ends up dead. That’s just one of the mysteries in the miniseries. I’m very swept up in this drama and will keep watching.
MORE INFORMATION:
New episodes every week through August 3rd. Martin Compston (Line of Duty) and Sophie Rundle (Bodyguard) star in this suspenseful Scottish drama about a wealthy couple who would do anything to have a baby. After a chance encounter, they recruit a down-on-her-luck 18-year-old (Mirren Mack, Sex Education) to be a surrogate, but secrets emerge about the girl’s past that could make them regret their deal.
“Gripping, intriguing” -The Guardian.
Proofread and Edited by Brenda
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.
