hollywood q&a
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
unlikely friendship of its lead
characters.
Q: Is the “Lethal Weap-
on” series coming back? I
really enjoy that show, and
I quite like the new guy.
A: No, it’s not coming back.
And though it may disappoint
fans such as yourself, “Lethal
Weapon” was a troubled
show from the beginning,
and so its cancellation likely
seemed to some (such as star
Damon Wayans, and presum-
ably Fox Television) like a
welcome release.
The first two seasons of the
show were famous for all the
wrong reasons — particu-
larly on- and off-set feuding
between stars Wayans and
Clayne Crawford (leading to
Crawford’s replacement by
“new guy” Seann William
Scott), and Wayans’ willing-
ness to complain openly
about not wanting to do the
show.
Wayans finally got his
maybe-wish last month when
Fox canceled “Lethal Weap-
on” after its third season.
Wayans may have even
made it happen. He actually
announced back in October
that he was planning to
quit, saying that the rigors
of working on a stunt-filled
cop show were too much for
“a 58-year-old diabetic” like
himself (he had literally be-
come “too old for this [exple-
tive],” as per his character’s
catchphrase). However,
he and the producers later
walked that back a little bit
and there was hope for a
fourth season. But that hope
is gone now.
Of course, the hope should
have been slim. Ratings for
the third season, the first
with Scott in the co-star
seat, were down by about a
quarter versus the previous
season (which itself was less
watched than the first).
Whether that Season 3
drop was due to a rejection
of Scott in the role or just a
continuation of the overall
decline is hard to say. But it
was asking a lot of fans to ac-
cept a new lead character on
a show whose whole premise
(drawn from the more popu-
lar film series) was about the
Q: “Masterchef” is often
called the “biggest cook-
ing competition in the
world.” Is that true? Is it
because of the size of the
prize or how many spi-
noffs it has spawned?
A: The phrase “biggest
cooking competition in the
world” is often used in rela-
tion to “Masterchef,” but
there seems to be no defini-
tive explanation as to why.
It’s likely a combination of
three factors: the number of
spinoffs and the size of the
prize, as you suggest, but also
good, old-fashioned ratings.
The “biggest” tag has
been around for a while.
When the American ver-
sion of “Masterchef” was
introduced back in 2010, the
announcer plugged it as “the
biggest cooking show in the
world — a phenomenon in
over 110 countries.”
That’s a nod to both the
spinoff count and the ratings.
Because while it may be a
“phenomenon” in more than
100 countries, the number of
distinct versions of the show
is actually only 60 (not that
60 is anything to sneeze at).
The other 50 or so countries
are watching other people’s
versions.
Taking all those viewers
into account, the show is
“watched globally by over
300 million viewers,” accord-
ing to Endemol Shine Group,
the production company that
owns the format.
Returning to your other the-
ory about the prize, the indi-
vidual prizes given out by each
version aren’t spectacular, but
taken in aggregate they start
to add up. The U.S. version
offers $250,000, for example
(along with some kind of
professional introduction such
as a job or a book deal). That’s
not a lot when other shows
are giving out prizes in the mil-
lions, but multiply that number
by 60 and you start getting to
serious money.
12 | Screentime
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June 5, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
STREAMING THIS WEEK
works under the guidance of the vengeful Viggo (John Hawkes, “Dead-
wood”), who takes it upon himself to kill people he feels have done
wrong (and in this setting, there are a lot of them). All told, it’s 16 hours
of Refn’s trademark slow pace, and you can get immersed in it starting
Friday, June 14.
NEW ON CBS ALL ACCESSS:
“Strange Angel” (Season 2)
Bob Dylan in a still from “Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob
Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese”
By Jacqueline Spendlove
TV Media
NEW ON NETFLIX:
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin
Scorsese”
This documentary directed by Martin Scorsese, as the title affirms, fol-
lows legendary musician Bob Dylan on his Rolling Thunder Revue tour
in the fall of 1975. Dylan was a huge name by this point, selling out
major concert venues, and the purpose of the tour was to give him the
opportunity to “play for the people,” booking smaller venues and cities
not usually on the big music circuits. Among his fellow performers were
Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Roger McGuinn, Robbie Robertson and Roberta
Flack, and the tour was loudly praised by critics. Netflix describes the flick
as “part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream,” and you can
watch it as of Wednesday, June 12.
“Murder Mystery”
Adam Sandler (“Happy Gilmore,” 1996) and Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”)
have teamed up again for this mystery-comedy film premiering Friday,
June 14. They play New York City detective Nick and his wife, Audrey, a
hairdresser with a penchant for mystery novels. After meeting a mysteri-
ous stranger on a flight to Europe, the couple gets invited to stay on the
lavish yacht of elderly billionaire Malcolm Quince (Terence Stamp, “Su-
perman,” 1978). When Quince is found murdered, the two immediately
become the prime suspects and soon find themselves on the run in a for-
eign land, with the real killer still at large. Luke Evans (“Dracula Untold,”
2014), Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace,” 2008), Adeel Akhtar
(“The Big Sick,” 2017) and Dany Boon (“Joyeux Noel,” 2005) also star.
NEW ON AMAZON PRIME:
“Absentia” (Season 2)
The sophomore season of this gripping drama recently wrapped on AXN,
and you can stream it in full on Friday, June 14. Stana Katic (“Castle”)
returns as Emily Byrne, an FBI agent who went missing while pursuing a
notorious Boston serial killer. She was declared dead in absentia, only to
turn up six years later in a cabin in the woods with no memory of the time
she’s been missing. Season 1 followed Emily as she struggled to rebuild
her life, with her husband remarried and her son being raised by him and
his new wife. Worse, Emily soon finds herself on the run after learning
she’s implicated in a string of murders. The new season finds her trying to
rebuild her relationship with her son, while still haunted by her past and
trying to find out more about it.
This historical drama centers on Jack Parsons, a brilliant rocket engineer
who started out as a janitor in a chemical factor in the ‘30s before going
on to become a major figure in the U.S. space program. That was by day
— by night he was heavily involved in the world of the occult, participat-
ing in sex magic rituals under the leadership of occultist Aleister Crowley.
The series is based on Parsons’ biography, “Strange Angel: The Other-
worldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteson Parsons.” Jack Reynor
(“Glassland,” 2014) plays Parsons in the series, whose career begins
to take off in Season 2 with the country fully engaged in World War II.
Meanwhile, he and his wife, Susan (Bella Heathcote “Pride and Prejudice
and Zombies,” 2016), grow ever more heavily involved in their new reli-
gion, inviting the cult into their home and forming a closer relationship
with Crowley. The series returns Thursday, June 13.
NEW ON HULU:
“12 Monkeys” (Season 4)
The fourth and final season of this Syfy series is available to stream start-
ing Saturday, June 15. Loosely based on the 1995 movie of the same
name starring Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis, the TV series stars Aaron Stan-
ford (“Nikita”) as a scavenger who’s recruited by a team of scientists in
the year 2043 to travel back in time to 2015 to stop the release of a virus.
The virus was set loose by an organization known as the Army of the 12
Monkeys and caused a plague that killed billions and eventually deci-
mated the human race. The series jaunts back and forth between the two
timelines, with Cole and brilliant virologist Dr. Cassie Railley (Amanda
Schull, “Suits”) working to find the identity of the mysterious leader of
the Army of the 12 Monkeys. The series is wrapped for good now, but that
just means you can settle in and binge it in full.
“Vice” (2018)
This biographical drama racked up the most nominations of any film at
this year’s Golden Globe Awards (winning one) and went on to receive a
slew of other nods and accolades, including eight Oscar nominations and
one win. It stars Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight,” 2008) as Dick Cheney,
vice-president to George W. Bush, and follows his path to the powerful
post. Amy Adams (“Arrival,” 2016) plays his wife, Lynne Vincent Cheney,
and Sam Rockwell (“Moon,” 2009) plays George Dubbya. Steve Carell
(“The Office”), Tyler Perry (“The Paynes”), Lily Rabe (“American Horror
Story”), Shea Whigham (“Boardwalk Empire”) and Alison Pill (“Scott Pil-
grim vs. the World,” 2010) also star. The movie streams Monday, June 10.
“Too Old to Die Young”
Danish director and screenwriter Nicolas Winding Refn is known for the
“Pusher” trilogy, “Drive” (2011) and “Valhalla Rising” (2009), among
others, and he wrote and directs this 10-episode crime drama. The gritty
series stars Miles Teller (“Whiplash,” 2014) as Martin, a corrupt Los An-
geles cop who gets drawn into the seedy criminal underworld populated
by all manner of violent characters, from the Yakuza to the Russian mafia
to Mexican cartel assassins to bloodthirsty teenage gangs. Acting as his
assassin buddy’s getaway driver, Martin takes on some hits himself, but
only if he deems his target low enough to be worthy of bumping off. He
Stana Katic stars in “Absentia”