stars on screen A (wo)man’s world: Society’s norms are challenged in new HBO drama By Andrew Warren TV Media A (wo)man’s world: There’s never been a historical drama quite like this one. “Gentleman Jack” features a modern woman living in the early 1800s, a mem- ber of the gentler sex who is determined to become an indus- trialist and collect taxes from her family’s land — activities that her contemporaries view as decid- edly unladylike. Oh, and she also wants to marry another woman. “Gentleman Jack” is HBO’s lat- est fascinating historical minise- ries and is based on Anne Lister’s actual diaries, which were written largely in code and remained undeciphered until more than a century after her death. The series, a co-production with the BBC, premieres Monday, April 22. Suranne Jones (“Corona- tion Street”) stars as Lister, a landowner who returns to her ancestral home after several years of traveling and takes up a lifestyle that is most unbecoming for a lady living in the 1830s. But while her efforts to industrialize her family’s estate and modernize her business interests raise more than a few eyebrows, it’s her not- so-secret interest in other women that leads to her earning the nick- name “Gentleman Jack.” A drama about a historical lesbian needs a love interest, of course, and English actress Sophie Rundle (“Peaky Blind- ers”) fills the role here. She plays wealthy heiress Ann Walker, whose relationship with Lister scandalizes a community that’s deeply rooted in its traditional Anglican faith. Gemma Jones (“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” 2001), Timothy West (“EastEnders”), Gemma Whelan (“Game of Thrones”) and Joe Armstrong (“Darkest Hour,” 2017) also star as other members of Lister’s family, her neighbors and the movers and shakers around her who struggle to deal with the scandals she leaves in her wake. The real-life Lister kept me- ticulous records about her battles with societal norms in her coded diaries, and now HBO has given her unique story the miniseries treatment. “Gentleman Jack” premieres Monday, April 22. 24 | Screentime Suranne Jones stars in “Gentleman Jack” Keeping up with the Con- the numbers don’t lie. “The ners: Audiences have stuck with Conners” is a hit, and ABC has the Conner family, and so has renewed the comedy for a sec- ABC. The story of “Roseanne’s” ond season. revival more than 20 years after That’s not to say that “The it went off the air, its cancella- Conners” is as big a phe- tion after just one new season, nomenon as the “Roseanne” and the subsequent creation of revival was. Despite keeping a new “Roseanne” series minus all of its other stars, including the show’s titular matriarch John Goodman (“10 Clover- doesn’t need to be retold here, field Lane,” 2016), Sara Gilbert but through all of the scandal (“The Talk”) and Laurie Metcalf and the title changes, ratings (“Lady Bird,” 2017), “The Con- have proven that the show’s for- ners” experienced a significant mula is still a winning one. decline in audience numbers “The Conners” premiered when compared to the previous last fall still stinking of scan- year’s revival, but that isn’t the dal, and while the idea of full story. Even with fewer view- a show that was basically ers, “The Conners” was still the “Roseanne” without Rose- highest-rated new show on ABC anne Barr sharply divided fans, this season, and it was one of April 17, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald the top five new shows on any network. Those are some impressive achievements, and they’ve proven that audiences want more of the Conner clan — and now that Season 2 is officially a go, they will. Expect the second season this fall on ABC. Glitzy good boys: Hol- lywood stars are going to the dogs. In what’s fast becoming a holiday tradition, NBC brings the third annual Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina to TV screens across the nation on Easter Sunday, April 21. Tune in and watch as more than 1,200 furry friends repre- senting 175 breeds mingle with Hollywood stars before moving on to compete for the coveted Best in Show title. Actor John O’Hurley (“Seinfeld”) and Amer- ican Kennel Club-licensed judge David Frei serve as hosts, while Maria Menounos (“E! News”) and NBC Sports correspondent Mary Carillo provide minute- by-minute commentary on the goings-on in the show ring and among the celebrities in the au- dience and on the red carpet. This year’s lineup of canine- loving guests is an impressive one and includes professional snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez, “High School Musical” (2006) star Ashley Tisdale and “Mani- fest” actress Parveen Kaur. Two Triple Crown-winning jockeys, Victor Espinoza and Mike Smith, also plan to attend. Last year’s Best in Show win- ner, a seven-year-old wire fox terrier named King, went on to win the same title at this year’s prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City, which has helped to estab- lish the Beverly Hills show as a proving ground for that most established show. Dog lovers are everywhere, even in Hollywood. Stars and dogs come together for a day of glamour, glitz and tasty little bis- cuits in the third annual Beverly Hills Dog Show presented by Pu- rina on Sunday, April 21, on NBC.